G4 to Air Star Wars Panel from Comic-Con
June 24, 2009 by Cynthia
Are you a Star Wars fan who can’t make it to the San Diego Comic-Con? Then make plans to spend Saturday, July 25 in front of your TV as G4TV unveils their Star Wars Spectacular! Not only will they be doing their usual three hours of live coverage from the convention floor but they’ll be doing something that’s never been done before.
G4 will be airing an exclusive broadcast of the Lucasfilm panel. In addition, Attack of the Show hosts Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn will join Lucasfilm’s Steve Sansweet for an insider look at the Star Wars universe, with never-before-seen footage and a LIVE table read of an exclusive new Clone Wars script.
Lucasfilm will also use this years Comic-Con to launch their new Star Wars Stories Project. The project is designed to be an enormous archive of fan memories delivered as video testimonials. Fans at the convention will have a chance to record their stories at the Lucasfilm pavilion throughout the weekend. But if you can’t attend, you can upload your fan story at the new G4 Comic-Con website.
That’s 5 full hours of Comic-Con coverage on G4TV starting at 2:00 pm ET on July 25th.
Achieve Nerdvana with Science of the Movies
May 23, 2009 by Cynthia
From motion capture to computerized camera moves to the construction of a real live “fake” crime scene - science and technology play a huge part in all of our favorite TV shows and movies. Want in on how it all works? The Science Channel has just the show for you. It’s called Science of the Movies and it premieres this Tuesday, May 26th.
The series is hosted by Nar Williams, the Geek-in-Chief at AchieveNerdvana.com. He’s going to take you behind the scenes and give you a close up look at all how individual scenes were actually made. You’ll get to see the latest visual effects equipment and listen in on interviews with artists, stuntmen and directors on everything from Star Wars to Dexter.
In the first episode, Williams interviews Academy Award-winning special effects pioneer John Dykstra who invented the Dykstraflex – a motion control rig used to blow up the Death Star in “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.” Williams then gets up close, and maybe a little too personal, with the most used modern motion control system in the business today: Milo. Milo captures precise shots so that two or more scenes can be composited together to create one fluid moment, and is most famous for creating the “spidysense” scene in the first “Spider-Man” film.
A Galaxy Far Far Away: 10 Years Later
May 16, 2009 by Cynthia
Can you believe it’s been ten years since the release of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Meance? It seems like only yesterday that I was sitting in the audience watching. . . . hmmm. . . maybe I shouldn’t say. You know a lady never reveals her age.
It’s also been ten years since the release of the original Star Wars fandom documentary, A Galaxy Far Far Away. Back in 1999, filmmaker Tariqu Jalil decided to take his camera along on an exploration of the Star Wars phenomena. He hung out with fans who camped for more than a month outside of Grauman’s Chinese Theater, captured the frenzy of the new action figure releases at Toys R Us and he profiled those that saw Star Wars as a way of life. He cut this all together with celebrity interviews and other madness to form an 80 minute pop culture documentary that was called “incredibly clever” by Fim Threat.
Me? I say, not so much.
Milo Pokes Fannish Fun with Ultradome
May 5, 2009 by Cynthia
Could Harry Potter beat Neo at a fight?
Is Tatooine a harsher place to live than Middle Earth?
Captain Kirk vs Captain Jack Sparrow — you decide.
It’s these kinds of questions that keep Heroes’ star Milo Ventimiglia (seen here with a furry friend at the Fanboys premire) up at night and now he’s found an outlet! Milo and his team at DiVide Pictures are teaming up with Agility Studios to produce Ultradome, a tongue-in-cheek, short-format digital video series that taps into the comic book, video game, action-adventure, fantasy and science-fiction culture.
Each episode begins with two characters involved in a heated pop-culture debate (shades of The Big Bang Theory) when suddenly they’re transported to the Ultradome to battle it out with weapons and magics taken from the worlds they’ve been arguing about.
Lightsabers against Harry Potter’s wand? A phaser up against Wonder Woman’s golden lasso? Nothing is off limits inside the Ultradome - and creative and casting possibilities are endless, as Ventimiglia and Agility plan to use connections to sci-fi enthusiast actors, writers and directors to build a bevy of high-profile cameos and cinematic visual effects.
“My whole life has been spent engaged with friends in intellectual debate . like whether Kirk is tougher than Spock or if Middle Earth is a more difficult place to live than Tatooine. With Ultradome, we can bring these debates to the public and settle them in the most logical way possible: through armed combat,” said Ventimiglia. “We’re very excited to be working with Agility on this series and to tap into their expertise in digital programming.”
The Ultradome pilot episode, “Star Wars vs. Lord of the Rings,” is currently in post-production, and additional episodes are slated to follow.
Photo: PRPhotos
Star Wars Charity Auction Aids Bushfire Victims
Like many Australians, Star Wars tie-in novelist Karen Miller was stunned by the recent bushfires in Victoria that was labeled the worst natural disaster in the history of the country; 2,000 homes destroyed, 7,000 left homeless, at least 200 dead. Now it’s recovery time and that means money — money enough so that entire towns can be rebuilt. That’s where you come in.
We all know the power of fandom - this time we’re going to use it, not to save a TV show but to save lives.
Karen and dozens of other Star Wars fans have gathered together for a charity auction that’s sure to delight any fan of the films. Autographed photos, manuscripts, art prints and rare novels are all up for grabs. But my favorite item is the one Karen donated — a character named after you in her next Star Wars novel. How cool is that? Get the details here or check out all of the items up for auction here.
Do something great for the less fortunate and bid, bid, bid. Let’s show them what fans can do when they put their mind to it.
For more information, visit the Star Wars Charity Auction Blog.
Book cover courtesy of Karen Miller
Star Wars at WonderCon 2009
March 2, 2009 by Cynthia
In between the NY Comic Con and the San Diego ComicCon comes WonderCon in San Francisco. Plenty of scifi and fantasy stars were on hand to talk about their projects. Check out this Then and Now scenario from Star Wars. It’s Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, aka Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.
THEN:
And NOW:
Tonight on Clone Wars: Jedi Crash
January 16, 2009 by Cynthia
Star Wars: The Clone Wars “Jedi Crash”
Air Date: January 16 on Cartoon Network
When Anakin is gravely injured in battle, General Secura must teach Ahsoka the Jedi philosophy of having no personal attachments, even as they brave an unfamiliar planet in search of medical help for their stricken leader.
A Twi’lek Jedi Knight, Aayla Secura first appeared in Dark Horse Comics’ “Star Wars: Republic” series, and most famously made brief but memorable appearances in both Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. But before this episode of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, she never had a speaking role.
Star Wars Clone Wars Comics, Toys and More
November 12, 2008 by Cynthia
Star Wars: The Clone Wars has done the job of keeping the Star Wars spirit alive in audiences of all ages. If you’re a fan of the franchise, here are a few goodies you might want to check out this holiday season.
After you see this week’s new episode on Cartoon Network, head over to StarWars.com on Monday for a complement online comic. Written by Star Wars expert Pablo Hidaglo, the comics are the work of four different artists each of whom offers a unique and intriguing interpretation of the signature style of Lucasfilm Animation.
Voicing The Clone Wars
Have you been watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network? This past Friday was an episode called “Rookies” which features a group of clones standing guard alone on a distant listening outpost.
But did you know that that entire troop of clones was all voiced by one person?
Dee Bradley Baker is a veteran voice actor with hundreds of credits ranging from American Dad and Avatar: The Last Airbender to Ben 10: Alien Force and My Friends Tigger & Pooh. But for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Bradley had to find a way to voice a number of similar characters, while still giving each of them a unique identity.
Bradley says the not-so-simple trick is to make all of the clones sound the same … but different.
Tonight on Clone Wars: Rookies
October 24, 2008 by Cynthia
Star Wars: Clone Wars: Rookies
Air Date: Friday, Oct. 24 9 pm on Cartoon Network.
The episode finds a group of clones standing guard alone at a distant listening post. Clone Commanders Rex and Cody must inspire their rookie unit to believe in themselves to stave off a Droid Commando invasion.
“Rookies” director Justin Ridge (“Avatar: The Last Airbender,” ) says the essence of the episode was establishing the clones as individual, and the difficulty came in creating unique personalities for each.
“The script was a lot of fun and really solid, showing how the clones talked and interacted with each other, and giving us insight into how these guys really are individuals who have to figure out how to succeed and survive on their own,” says Ridge.