Star Wars with occasional sarcasm
Great news!
Patty of the LJ community Ewan_Playground (and if you’re not already a member, why not???) received an email from LWR HQ saying the show would see a North American release before Christmas.
The US will get the seven episode version while Canada will get the extended ten episode one.
It’s not listed yet, but you can probably get the Canadian version at Amazon Canada or at Chapters/Indigo.
Hooray! Thanks Patty!
An extended edition DVD of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s round the world motorcycle adventure will be released to viewers in the UK on November 7.
Meanwhile, no version of the show has yet been released in North America. You can go here and register for notification from Amazon in the event it ever is. Your indication of interest apparently will be passed on to the studio.
If you get tired of holding your breath, both sets of DVDs from the UK are “Region 0” meaning they’ll play on some DVD players and almost all computers.
Canadian viewers will get to see LWR starting November 1 on the Outdoor Life Network.
And, finally, the print version of their adventure is topping the travel book charts in the UK.
Thanks to Ewan News for the great coverage.
Last weekend, I was lucky enough to catch the new production of “Guys and Dolls” playing at the Piccadilly Theatre. Before I go any further, let me produce my union card for the International Federation of Geeks now and get it out of the way. While I always make the effort to see a show when I am in London, this time I made the journey from Switzerland to England for the sole purpose of seeing Ewan McGregor sing and dance around on stage.
Art? Culture? Support the theatre? Nah. I was in it for the Scotsman.
Now on to the show. It was quite simply marvellous! I didn’t expect it to be so wonderful. I had thought it would be good. Very good, even. I had also thought that Ewan would be the standout. He wasn’t. He was one strong part of a stellar cast. It was so amazing there were points in the play where I forgot Mr McGregor was in it. I admire him for being brave enough to select a project where he was part of a larger whole instead of seeking out a “star vehicle.”
During the “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” number the guy singing the lead (Martyn Ellis) was so amazing that he got a three or four minute wildly enthusiastic ovation. Some people were even standing. This was in the middle of the show! I’d never seen anything like it. The actors had to stand frozen on the stage for the duration waiting for it to be quiet enough to start up again.
But back to Ewan. He was fabulous as Sky Masterson. The only time I made a SW/Ewan connection was when Sky belted out “Luck, be a Lady Tonight” and I heard Obi-Wan up there singing “Luke be a Jedi tonight!” I blame “The Simpsons” for that. The rest of the time I saw and heard Sky. He could sing. He could dance. He was funny, sarcastic, and earnest — a compelling combination.
We asked about the possibility of a cast CD and were told that it is in the works. They hope it will be ready in the next few months. There are also plans underway to sell it via the internet.
I asked at the box office about ticket availability. They said that the show is sold out (except for Weds. matinees) until August. But that they release the front row (18 seats) and standing room space (2X18) at 10 AM the morning of a show (at the theatre box office). The tickets cost £20 and each person can buy a maximum of two. He said people were queuing starting at 5 AM. The theatre is dark on Sundays.
So, in short, London or bust! If there is any way you can get there, do it.
It’s the dream of Ewan worshippers everywhere! No, Obi-Wan hasn’t fallen victim to the Kaminoans. But there will be four roles for Ewan McGregor in his upcoming film.
Empire Online notes a couple of links to Star Wars in this:
Sir Alec Guinness (who was old Obi-Wan to Ewan’s Young Obi-Wan, of course) played multiple roles in some of his Ealing comedies.
And the screenwriter is the same one who wrote Local Hero starring Denis Lawson who is, of course, the uncle of Ewan McGregor and who also played Wedge (Wedge!) in the Classic Trilogy.
Star Wars causes all sorts of incestuousness, doesn’t it?
I don’t know why, but the idea of Ewan McGregor twirling his lightsaber to Norah Jones amuses me.
TFN claims that the first full trailer for Revenge of the Sith will debut March 11th. It will be attached to the animated feature Robots, which features the voice of Ewan McGregor. They also have a ‘description‘.
The cover of the next “Vanity Fair” will feature Uncle George amidst the casts of all six movies. It hits newsstands on January 11th.
You can see the whole picture here (with some character spoilers). Um… wow!
There’s an article here with spoilers ahoy!
Thanks to Ewan News and ComingSoon for the great information.
ETA: Starwars.com has posted another look at the cover image, and an interview with Vanity Fair contributing editor Jim Windolf about talking to Lucas. Possible spoilers!
Okay. Don’t post for a couple of weeks and you end up with quite the stack of things to tell you about. I hope your budgets are doing well.
Books
Jedi Trial by David Sherman and Dan Cragg – This is a Clone Wars hardcover novel leading up to events in Episode 3. Your position in or out of the spoiler cave will determine if you want to read this one. The premise sounds intriguing.
Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy by James Luceno – The cool Cross-Section books from DK go back to the worlds of the Classic Trilogy. Many nifty things to explore. I always enjoy these books.
Long Way Round – by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman – Okay. So this isn’t strictly Star Wars. But it’s Ewan McGregor, isn’t it? And the book is as interesting as the show appears to be. It’s a hardcover, so it might be placed oddly in your local bookstore.
Magazines
Amazing Stories – December 2004 – Hey. We’re kinda partial to Paizo, the publisher of Amazing Stories. But the magazine is full of all sorts of great stories. And we like that they’re willing to give little guys a chance. Like this one guy: Aaron Allston. Oh, wait. We know him! Actually, Aaron is a much-beloved Star Wars writer who was given the chance to write a 1,000 word story to go with a picture. If you were at DragonCon, you might have heard about it.
Dreamwatch – November 2004 – Well, Dreamwatch has started officially publishing in the US. Will it remain as good as its UK counterpart? We’re hoping so. It looks intriguing this issue with its interview of Gary Kurtz and his views of the creation of the original trilogy. No Ep3 spoilers spotted, but there is discussion about the TV show. (Sorry. Can’t seem to find a US website.)
Film Review Special – #54, The Sex Issue – See where your favorite Star Wars actors rate on the Top100 sexiest actors list. (There’s a good number of the men of Star Wars on there.) And find out all sorts of salacious stories about your other fandom favorites, as well.
Starburst – Issue 316 – Christopher Lee is doing video games, now. Is there any medium he has yet to conquer? There’s also coverage of the rumor mill about Episodes 7 through 9.
Until next week!
Ewan McGregor seems determined to sprinkle more family fare into his acting resume.
The first trailer for his upcoming animated adventure Robots has been released.
His neutral American accent keeps getting better and better! But watch out for him to be overshadowed by Robin Williams. Looks amusing, though!
