Lightsabre has two new features today – the first of a three-part interview with ILM’s Lorne Peterson, and a look at Steve Simon’s Star Wars home theater.
Interview: George Lucas, media butterfly
Coming Soon and StarWars.com weren’t the only folks talking to George at ShoWest – Entertainment Weekly got to sit down with the Maker as well. Although mostly focused on the two TV shows, he also talks Indy IV and Red Tails.
Interview: George Lucas speaks to Coming Soon
Coming Soon gets to talk to George Lucas. He talks about The Clone Wars and the live action series, which we won’t be seeing until 2010, now. He even talks about the EU, sort of:
But there’s no story past “Episode VI”, there’s just no story. It’s a certain story about Anakin Skywalker and once Anakin Skywalker dies, that’s kind of the end of the story. There is no story about Luke Skywalker, I mean apart from the books. But there’s three worlds: There’s my world that I made up, there’s the licensing world that’s the books, the comics, all that kind of stuff, the games, which is their world, and then there’s the fans’ world, which is also very rich in imagination, but they don’t always mesh. All I’m in charge of is my world. I can’t be in charge of those other people’s world, because I can’t keep up with it.
“They don’t always mesh.” Understatement of year! But hey, we knew what we were getting into, right?
Right?
Margaret Cho: Braiding of the beast
Popmatters asks comedian Margaret Cho the eternal question: Star Trek or Star Wars? Her answer:
Star Wars for sure. I have never seen anything Star Trek. I love sci-fi, but I’m more Star Wars-oriented. I’m totally obsessed with Chewbacca. He’s incredible.
I’m a bit of an insomniac, and so when I can’t sleep, I think about brushing Chewbacca, getting all the tangles out. I bet he is really tangled and needs some of that ‘no more tears’ spray. So I would use a wide tooth comb. I also think about braiding Chewbacca. Like two long, French braids on either side of his body. I bet he would look really good if his hair was braided.
In the News: LFL’s Richard Kerris, Zazzle, 3-D, Canada Spectacular, Blame Society Productions, Portman ponders politics, and Grand Moff Artkin
- Interview: VFXWorld talks to Richard Kerris, Lucasfilm’s Chief Technology Officer, about technology, The Force Unleashed, and The Clone Wars.
- Licensees: Zazzle featured in USA Today, which can’t tell the difference between Padme and Leia.
- From the ‘WE KNOW’ files: James Cameron ‘confirms’ that Star Wars will be rereleased in 3-D.
- Fandom: Chad Vader folks in The Badger Herald.
- Events: Star Wars Spectacular returning to Welland, Canada.
- People: Natalie Portman considers politics as a future career option. If she got elected, would that up the collectible value of those Padme Senatorial Gown figures?
- More People: Peter Cushing, artist? If you were hoping for something all creepy and Hammer-inspired, sorry: The art looks like something my grandmother would have a bad print of on her wall.
Video: Harrison Ford’s Barbara Walters interview
Supposedly the special is playing on ABC’s site, but I can’t get anything there but commercials and promos. And people wonder why Youtube is so popular?
Talking with an effects legend
Lightsabre concluded their interview with Dennis Muren this week!
And the Oscar goes to…
The Golden Compass took the VFX Oscar. Sorry, ILM. Needless to say, that was pretty much the only genre win of the night, but you can check out the rest of the winners at Oscar.com.
Hayden Christensen explains it all
He talks Jumper, acting and the prequels in the latest issue of Details. The bit you’re going to see all over for the next few days:
“How those movies are made is very specific, as far as what our jobs are,” he says, with a bit of a shrug. “George isn’t looking for us to come in and have script meetings with him and talk about characters.”
…Of course Christensen is grateful to Star Wars. If he could go back and do it all over, he wouldn’t change a thing. Just don’t ask him to do it all again. “It wasn’t necessarily anything you could feel good about creatively, as far as ‘This is why I became an actor,’” he says of his work in Star Wars. He puffs on a cigarette. “It’s not why you become an actor, to do stuff like that.”
Star Wars isn’t about acting? Next you’ll be telling me it’s all about giant piles of toys and stuff blowing up. God, Hayden.
Harrison Ford on Barbara Walters’ Oscar show
Harrison Ford is among the stars that Barbara Walters will talk to on her Oscar Special. Expect lots of questions on Indiana Jones. The Barbara Walters Special will air February 24th at 7pm Eastern, just before the Oscars. (West Coast viewers can catch it after the show.)
UPDATE 02/25: Video is here.
ABC, gearing up for their Crystal Skull trailer debut, also take a look at Indy stars past and present in Indiana Jones: Then and Now.