The Saga of Newt “Skywalker” Gingrich
I’m still waiting for Republican primary voters to get wind of all of Newt’s “big government” sci-fi ideas. Here’s a good history of them from Sharon Weinberger in Foreign Policy:
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the surging candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, has been simultaneously lauded for his devotion to technological innovation, and ridiculed for his warnings about futuristic weapons.
Gingrich, who has dabbled in science fiction and cited both futurist Alvin Toffler and the concept of “psychohistory” in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation novels as intellectual inspirations, has long been dubbed “Newt Skywalker” thanks to his vision of future warfare that blends fact and fantasy. This streak of futurism is, by his own admission, rooted in a political and philosophical belief about technology and power. ”I would rather rely on engineers than diplomats for security,” Gingrich told Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine in 1994, in reference to his support for missile defense.
Not all his…
Darth Vader Claims Land In Ukraine
Daft news story of the day, courtesy of Reuters:
Welcoming the local authorities’ move to the dark side, Darth Vader has asked for a land plot in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa to park his space ship.
An Odessite dressed as the Star Wars villain visited the mayor’s office this week to claim a free land plot citing Ukrainian legislation which grants every citizen the right to own 1,000 square meters of land.
His visit followed a decision by city authorities to grant attractive land plots along the sea coast to a group of people for free, prompting public concerns about corruption, according to local media…
British Man Kills Wife For Breaking His Star Wars Toys
I usually tune people out when they complain about how the population is becoming infantilized. However, case in point — a 30-year-old British man murdered his wife after finding she had smashed his Darth Vader action figures and then “ran sobbing to his mother who lived nearby,” reports the Mirror:
A Star Wars fan was yesterday jailed for life after murdering his wife in an alleged revenge attack for smashing up his cherished toy collection.
Rickie La-Touche, 30, told a court that his Thai wife Pornpilai Srisroy, 28, had damaged his precious Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker memorabilia. He later suffocated her during a row and then ran sobbing to his mother who lived nearby.
La-Touche later told police his wife had smashed up his Star Wars collection as part of a campaign to “make his life hell”. He also claimed he “flipped” when she threatened to leave him to go back to…
‘Star Wars’ Existential Style (Video)
I know this has been floating ’round the interwebs, but still makes me laugh. Thank you George Lucas for not suing:
‘The Empire Strikes Back’ & Others To Be Preserved By U.S. Library
Star Wars sequel The Empire Strikes Back is to be preserved by the US Library of Congress as part of its National Film Registry:
Each year, 25 “culturally” significant films are added to the registry, which was founded in 1989. Lucas’s Star Wars and American Graffiti are among the 550 titles already selected for preservation.
This year’s raft of entries includes Robert Altman’s 1971 western McCabe and Mrs. Miller starring Warren Beatty, Blake Edwards’ The Pink Panther and Elia Kazan’s first feature film, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, made in 1945.
Yoda Records Directions for a TomTom GPS (Video)
The continuing ability of George Lucas to make money off of Star Wars never ceases to amaze me.
‘Star Wars’ As A Silent Film
I know scenes have been floating around on the internet, but in my opinion the climax from Empire is the best use of this treatment:
Star Wars Saga To Be Released In 3D
Following the 3D trend, George Lucas has found yet another way to make money from the Star Wars saga. Telegraph reports:
The saga in 3D will begin with the release of the 1999 prequel Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, with the remaining films following in sequence.
A statement from Lucasfilm, the US director’s film production company, on the Star Wars website said: “The live-action Star Wars saga will be converted to 3D.
“There are few movies that lend themselves more perfectly to 3D; from the Death Star trench run to the Tatooine Pod race, the Star Wars Saga has always delivered an entertainment experience that is completely immersive.
“The cutting edge conversion will take that immersion to the next thrilling level.”
Industrial Light And Magic, the visual effects company which will supervise the project, said converting the films will take time.Visual effects supervisor John Knoll said: “It takes a critical and artistic eye…
Star Wars Yoga: May Be Force Be With You For Attempting These Poses
… Especially without George Lucas’ permission. Spotted on the You Will Not Believe blog:
(Beware of the dark side.)
Watch A Never-Before-Screened Scene Cut from the Original ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy
Looks like Gawker is keeping it on the ‘net here:
This is incredibly epic …
A never-before-screened scene cut from Return of the Jedi in which Darth Vader tempts Luke Skywalker to join the dark side, paired with footage of Luke constructing/activating his green lightsaber and officially becoming a Jedi Knight.
How ‘Star Wars’ Changed Everything
Charles Q. Choi, SPACE.com contributor, says that from household robots to bionic hands to CNN holograms, the world is looking more and more like that galaxy far, far away, in the Christian Science Monitor:
It’s been more than 30 years since “Star Wars” first exploded into theaters, but the swashbuckling sci-fi films from writer-director George Lucas have left a legacy no other blockbuster has surpassed.
Increasingly, the impact of “Star Wars” is not limited to pop culture or even world politics. As science and technology advance, the world is little by little growing more and more like that galaxy far, far away.
A taste of the science fiction franchise’s impact is landing in Orlando, Fla., this week, where devotees from around the world are expected to congregate for the Star Wars Celebration V convention. The four-day convention runs Thursday through Sunday at the Orange County Convention Center.
The cultural influence of the six “Star…
Darth Vader Robs Long Island Bank
Nothing like this ever happens in New York City. Why is all the action out in the suburbs? The New York Post reports:
A man wearing a Darth Vader mask and cape robbed a Chase bank branch on Long Island on Thursday, police said.
The thief entered a branch in Setauket at 11:30 a.m. and demanded money from a teller. But instead of using a light saber, “Darth” threatened the teller with a semiautomatic gun. The teller gave the robber some cash from the drawer.
The Darth Vader thief, described as between 6 feet and 6 feet 2 inches tall, took off heading east through the bank’s parking lot.
Snoop & Daft Punk In World Cup Star Wars Video Mashup
Following on the Star Wars theme (see my last post about the comeback of the Star Wars Kid), here’s an admittedly corporate but still excellent Star Wars Cantina mashup released just in time for the FIFA World Cup and featuring David Beckham, Daft Punk, Snoop Dogg, Franz Beckenbauer, Noel Gallagher, Ian Brown, Ciara, Jay Baruchel, and DJ Neil Armstrong. The gang at disinformation are skeptical about the benefits of the World Cup for South Africans, but on the other hand can’t wait to see the actual soccer…
Star Wars Kid To Obtain Law Degree, Last Laugh
From Roorback:
Remember the Star Wars Kid and his .002 seconds of Internet fame? He’s gone from harassed geek to community leader and young lawyer. That faint glow is coming from the cockles of my blackened heart.
The mean kids at the Internet table wreaked hell on the poor guy. Yes, the self-styled demi-gods of Gawker hate us all equally, but you can’t help but feel for the kid when you hear about the severe depressions, the lawsuits, and the hospitalizations.
But look at him now: president of a conservation society! Co-star of a documentary! Budding lawyer! Living meme! Sir, tonight I quietly drink to you. Without telling anyone I am doing so. Because that would be embarrassing for everyone.
Let’s all have a moment, shall we?
Can You Make Your Own Darth Vader Helmet? (Photos)
Vader Helmet by Plasticgod
Laura Sweet writes on if it’s hip, it’s here:
If you’ve never heard of The Vader Project, the idea began in 2005 and the first exhibit took place in 2007. Since then, it has continued annually. Each year, various artists are asked to customize a 1:1 scale authentic prop replica of the actual Darth Vader helmet featured in the STAR WARS films.
This summer, 2010, the following 100 talented artists are participating in the project: Josh Agle (Shag), Troy Alders, Kii Arens, Attaboy, Anthony Ausgang, Axis, Aye Jay, Gary Baseman, Andrew Bell, Tim Biskup, Mark Bodnar, BXH HIKARU, Andrew Brandou, Buff Monster, Mister Cartoon, Chino, Mr. Clement, Robbie Conal, CRASH, Steven Daily, Dalek, Dehara, DGPH, Cam de Leon, Devilrobots, Yoko d’Holbachie, Bob Dob, Tristan Eaton & Azk One — Thunderdog Studios, Marc Ecko, Eelus, Ron English, FERG, David Flores, Brian Flynn — Hybrid Design, Paul Frank, Gargamel, Huck Gee,…
Purported Serial-Killing Film Critic Reviews the ‘Star Wars’ Prequels (Video)
If you haven’t seen Red Letter Media’s (a.k.a. Milwaukee-based filmmaker Mike Stoklasa’s) take on the Star Wars prequels, they are really worth the lengthy video reviews.
Do note that his twisted sense of humor isn’t for everyone, particular his “Buffalo Bob”-style narration and the “Mr. Plinkett” scenes in these reviews can be distracting. (My take is he does this in the reviews to say that it’s even obvious to someone psychotic that these movies are terrible … or he might just enjoy playing a psycho.)
Regardless, he does have some salient points about filmmaking, particularly on establishing a protagonist the audience can identify with and actually having a story arc in your movie. Stoklasa also does a great job at pointing out the pitfalls of completely digital filmmaking and a (seemingly) lack of true collaboration between Lucas and his staff in the making of these prequels.
If you haven’t seen it yet I’d start from the beginning with his review of The Phantom Menace, but if you’ve already seen those, Red Letter Media’s take on Attack of The Clones is now out.
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Review (Part 1 of 7)
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Review (Part 1 of 9)
Pacman Eats The Death Star!
From Universe Today:
Mimas has drawn a fair amount of attention with its “Death Star”-like appearance, but with new images from the Cassini spacecraft, this icy moon of Saturn has just gotten a lot more interesting. The highest-resolution-yet temperature map and images of Mimas reveal surprising patterns on the surface of the small moon, including unexpected hot regions that resemble “Pac-Man” eating the Death Star crater (officially known as Herschel Crater), as well as striking bands of light and dark in crater walls.
“After much deliberation, we have concluded: Mimas is NOT boring,” said Carolyn Porco, Cassini imaging team leader, in an e-mail about the new images. “Who knew?!” And best of all, Porco added, “be sure you have a pair of red/green glasses handy ’cause you won’t want to miss peering into gigantic Herschel crater in 3D!”
Cassini collected the data on Feb. 13, and Porco said the team has spent some…
Star Wars Teams Up With… Ugh… McDonalds
Great commentary by Killer At Large producer Bryan Young, in the Examiner:
Perhaps I have a different perspective on this than a lot of people, but I’ll explain it and hopefully you’re all with me on this.
Star Wars is doing a Happy Meal promotion with McDonald’s for their Clone Wars series starting Februrary 26th. (More information on that here). The 8 year old in me jumps for joy. The parent in me is filled with disappointment and disgust. My kids aren’t allowed to eat food of such poor quality and now I’m going to have to tell them they can’t have these Star Wars toys because I refuse to buy them junk food.
I understand that this makes sense from a marketing perspective, but the problem is that marketing junk food to kids with beloved characters and properties like Star Wars is morally reprehensible. I spent two years making a documentary about the…
