In the news: Phantom Menace 3D is news to Ewan

GQ breaks the news. It sure seems like Ewan McGregor will be everywhere this year, but apparently the guy’s been so busy that it seems the first he’s heard of The Phantom Menace 3D is from the folks at the magazine. “They’re actually going to rerelease it into the cinema?” he asked GQ. “Well, that’s interesting.” Yeah, can’t say we’d be wildly enthusiastic to find out that our (hypothetical) rat-tail would be in three dimensions either. In other straight-from-1999 news, the Pepsi tie-ins are back.

Hobson profiled. Chicago businesswoman and Good Morning America contributor Mellody Hobson, perhaps best known to us as George Lucas’ girlfriend, is the subject of a brief profile in Forbes. She and Lucas will be featured on the January 15th episode of Oprah’s Next Chapter.

Gaming. The Old Republic might be coming to Mac. Nice try, folks.

Lucasfilm. George Lucas has big plans for a new digital technology facility at Grady Ranch, but some folks in Marin County aren’t exactly welcoming it with open arms.

Lucas still hunting for Indy V MacGuffin

New York Magazine’s Vulture blog caught up with George Lucas at The Adventures of Tintin premiere and learned that despite earlier comments by Steven Spielberg about the movie concept being done, Lucas is still seeking a key plot point for a fifth Indiana Jones film. Lucas said: “but I really haven’t found the MacGuffin yet. I mean, I know what it’s about, but I just have to find a MacGuffin that fits into the arena we’re working in.”

Meanwhile, Spielberg reported to MTV that making a fifth Indy film wouldn’t be made just to prove something to the audience (when compared to general fan reaction that felt that the most recent film, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, was a letdown compared to other Indy outings).

In the news: George Lucas appears at Scream Awards; Mark Hamill and Red Tails at NYCC

Surprise! George Lucas made an appearance on stage at last night’s Scream Awards, as the Spike show honored Darth Vader as the ‘Ultimate Villian’.

The awards, which also gave the ‘Ultimate Scream’ prize to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 and ‘Best Fantasy Actress’ to Natalie Portman for Black Swan, will air on Spike Tuesday, October 18.

NYCC. Mark Hamill and his evil laugh has his own panel at New York Comic-Con on Friday, and Tor.com has the report. Lucas’ new film, Red Tails, also got a panel, and has a new comic-style poster by Joe Kubert as well.

Amanda Lucas. We’re all familiar with her MMA fighting career, and in a new interview she addresses the constant and inevitable Star Wars references. “I hope to do my best on my own and prove I’m not just George’s daughter. I work just as hard as my training partners and I don’t want any special treatment. (But “Star Wars” is) going to get mentioned – it’s nothing I can hide,” she said on The MMA Hour.

Fandom. The 501st Legion’s Canadian Garrison is profiled by The Sudbury Star.

In the news: George Lucas does his civic duty; Football coach not up on Star Wars lingo

The Creator. George Lucas was at the Marin Civic Center yesterday – for jury duty. Not the most exciting of news (he was dismissed) but if you feel like a look back, The Atlantic published their 1979 profile of Lucas.

Sports. Florida Gators coach Will Muschamp was befuddled a week or so back by the term ‘padawan.’ ESPN has the video – and a brief guide.

Hmm, good news, yes. Our ancestors like Yoda spoke, linguists say.

Fans. Florida teacher Jay Hoff created a massive diorama of the Death Star II hanger bay from Return of the Jedi – with LEGOs.

People. Mark Hamill talks comics with CNN; Billy Dee Williams will be making an appearance on ABC’s Man Up; Natalie Portman is going to produce a miniseries based on a novel by 80’s staple Judith Krantz.

Going behind the scenes on Red Tails

This past week, the Red Tails facebook page brought up an album of new photos showing the cast and crew on location. Also, they released the clip above of the actors on the set talking about how they’ve bonded on the set.

Last week, two of the stars of Red Tails, Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Terrence Howard, were at a screening of the companion documentary, Double Victory to the Congressional Black Caucus and talked about the Tuskegee Airmen, blacks in Hollywood, and George Lucas’ role in the films. Two of the original Tuskegee Airmen also took the stage at the screening, sharing their viewpoint on being heroes. Watch for screenings of Double Victory in select cities around Veterans Day.

George Lucas: Steve Jobs saw “true potential in everything he touched”

The news that Apple co-founder and technology titan Steve Jobs passed away yesterday. The news was hard to miss last night, and while I generally try to stay away from posting ‘real’ news here on Club Jade, I couldn’t let it pass without some mention.

Jobs’ connection to Star Wars is tenous at best – he bought Pixar from George Lucas for $4M in 1986. Lucas said in a statement, “The magic of Steve was that while others simply accepted the status quo, he saw the true potential in everything he touched and never compromised on that vision. He leaves behind an incredible family and a legacy that will continue to speak to people for years to come.”

I’ve been using Apple products since 1999, and much of the site you see here was produced on them in one way or another. Whether or not you’re a fan, it’s hard not to admit that the Apple Jobs created and later revived has been a driving force in technology and pop culture. Thanks, Steve.

What is Star Wars Detours?

George Lucas was on CNN’s Connect the World yesterday. In the video, he mentions, along with The Clone Wars, a TV show called Star Wars Detours. From the transcript:

But there’s a lot of different aspects of it that have been quite amusing and fun to be a part of. Like amusement park rides, and it’s — I really enjoy it. Now, I’m working on television shows, “Clone Wars” and another show called “Star Wars Detours.”

I would lay even money on Detours being the comedy show that Lucasfilm is doing with Seth Green and Matt Senreich, which from what little we’ve heard does sound like it could be something of a detour. But I’m not expecting we’ll get much more anytime soon. OR WILL WE? Hell, it’s probably just a working title. Oh, George!

Lucas also said that after Red Tails he’ll “probably move away” from Star Wars and “do my own personal kinds of movies.” Never heard that one before….

In the news: Will we see Red Tails in January?

Director Anthony Hemingway tweeted a few days ago that Red Tails, the George Lucas-produced film about World War II’s Tuskegee Airmen “hits screens January 2012.” Meanwhile, it seems that Lucas himself may be in Prague to oversee the film’s score.

3-D on the wane? The New York Times says the pricey format is fizzling, which could spell bad news for next year’s Phantom Menace rerelease. Scalzi is more optimistic; Maybe Star Wars can be part of the solution here.

Good news, bad news. People checks in with Carrie Fisher’s Jenny Craig-powered weight loss. Spoiler: It’s going well! The news is less good for Hayden Christensen… His lawsuit over USA Network’s Royal Pains was thrown out by a federal judge.

Whatever happened to… Those kids who got suspended for the lightsaber fight? They did get to walk at their graduation and even got to complete their ‘fight’ at a senior assembly.

Fannishly. An interview with the Mike Litzenberg and Bridge Stuart, the guys behind ‘George Lucas Strikes Back.’