In preparation for September's Blu-ray release of the four Indiana Jones movies, IndianaJones.com
has been updated.
It's good to see some love paid to Lucasfilm's other
major franchise. A friend attended a merchandising show recently that
showcased different licenses vying for licensors. Among outdated and
low-selling franchises such as The Phantom and The Shadow he was
surprised to see that Lucasfilm didn't even bring Indiana Jones to the
table. Star Wars was the only thing at their booth. Now, as a major fan
of the galaxy far, far away I certainly support the creativity and
energy put into the Star Wars brand, but can't my favorite archaeologist
get a little love, too?
News, Notes, and Knick Knacks from the Star Wars Generation
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
I've been collecting Disney Star Wars pins since they became mainstream in the late 90s. Here's an interesting set from last year.
Disneyland Sci-Fi Academy "Empire's Most Wanted" pins. Each is a little wanted poster in a different frame, ltd. to 1000. Luke is worth 1M credits, while Lando and Chewie only command 300K. The picture and text is on a transparent plastic (or flimsy in the Star Wars galaxy).
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Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Collecting Podcasts
There's a new podcast on the block, and it's actually very familiar to those of us that listened to it at an old home. The CurtoBurns Collector Cast is a new incarnation from Dan Curto and James Burns which appears to have some of the same access as it has over the past years to Hasbro and other licensees, along with regular check-ins by Steve Sansweet.
The ChiveCast (think Archive) is the collecting podcast that I most regularly listen to, and which has single-handedly encouraged my collecting of vintage items over the last couple of years. They're affiliated with The Star Wars Collectors Archive.
Friday, June 01, 2012
Star Wars Fan Film Awards Nixed
Rebelscum is reporting that the Fan Film Awards have been cancelled. I have to say I'm not disappointed by this, though I would leave the door open for them in the future. There's such a glut of fan films that having a regular award for them rewards the mediocre in addition to the excellent. I always advocate Star Wars Celebration playing a loop of fan generated media, but I don't think it's all prize-worthy.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
we now rejoin Star Wars Weekends, already in progress...
Star Wars Celebration 86'd! No, it's nothing bad- it's something good. In 86 short days Celebration VI will return to the Orange County Convention Center and we'll be hanging out with 35,000 of our best friends. I'm excited, but I won't say I can't wait. That's partly because I'm not a fan of that particular hyperbole (you almost always can, and will ,wait) but it's also because there is a lot to do between now and then.
First off we're smack dab in the middle of Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I never can get used to that name. Too bad they didn't go with Disney-Pixar Studios. Even Disney Movie Studios. Something about that apostrophe s that sticks in my throat and makes me happy that some of my closest friends and castmembers just call it DHS. But enough digression: well, at least of this digression.
I was able to attend the first Saturday and I missed this Memorial Day Weekend. Odds are looking good that I'll be at the final two Saturdays. I was able to procure a couple of autographs, so that was fortunate that first weekend. Turns out I'd gotten one from Andy Secombe (the voice of Watto) eight years prior but I'd forgotten and it was a pleasure to visit a gracious star. He had raced to come a week early, replacing Jerome Blake who had Visa challenges, but was very happy to have an extra week in the Florida heat. My other autograph was a walk-up from Dee Bradley Baker. It was my first time meeting him and I wasn't particularly prepared so I didn't really interact with him. I generally like to prepare some specific question for the celebrity so I can remember something about the encounter, but in this rare instance nothing came to mind.
The celebrities, and the "Stars of the Saga" talk show are a high point of Star Wars Weekends for me, but they only slightly edge out the exclusive merchandise. This year I was very happy with the selection, but was just fine that little of it seemed a necessity. One of my focuses are Star Tours and SWW pins. I only had my heart set on two this go around but even that was too great a goal for someone that came on day two. The Piece of the Death Star pin sold out on the first Friday so I'll have to find it on eBay. I did, however, score the Chewbacca Bandolier lanyard, which was actually more limited.
Other than that my favorite new item was the Star Tours nametags. These are personalized in Aurabesh with your name and list the home planet of your choice from a dozen options. (The Death Star, "that's no [planet], it's a space station," is among these.) I heard a Disney rumor that more varieties of these [think Imperial cogs and Rebel Symbols] will follow based on the success of this initial offering. Personally, I'd like to see Tatooine Traders drop the "add your face to the scene" photo shop and add a permanent name tag maker. You can't beat a personallized, iconic souvenir for $8.95.
And when I say favorite, I'm not even considering the awesome new Droid Factory experience offered at Tatooine Traders. It's a bit crowded for me to build my own at the moment, but that's here to stay and has met with great popularity since its introduction 11 days ago. I'll get to it soon enough.
See you real soon.
First off we're smack dab in the middle of Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I never can get used to that name. Too bad they didn't go with Disney-Pixar Studios. Even Disney Movie Studios. Something about that apostrophe s that sticks in my throat and makes me happy that some of my closest friends and castmembers just call it DHS. But enough digression: well, at least of this digression.
I was able to attend the first Saturday and I missed this Memorial Day Weekend. Odds are looking good that I'll be at the final two Saturdays. I was able to procure a couple of autographs, so that was fortunate that first weekend. Turns out I'd gotten one from Andy Secombe (the voice of Watto) eight years prior but I'd forgotten and it was a pleasure to visit a gracious star. He had raced to come a week early, replacing Jerome Blake who had Visa challenges, but was very happy to have an extra week in the Florida heat. My other autograph was a walk-up from Dee Bradley Baker. It was my first time meeting him and I wasn't particularly prepared so I didn't really interact with him. I generally like to prepare some specific question for the celebrity so I can remember something about the encounter, but in this rare instance nothing came to mind.
The celebrities, and the "Stars of the Saga" talk show are a high point of Star Wars Weekends for me, but they only slightly edge out the exclusive merchandise. This year I was very happy with the selection, but was just fine that little of it seemed a necessity. One of my focuses are Star Tours and SWW pins. I only had my heart set on two this go around but even that was too great a goal for someone that came on day two. The Piece of the Death Star pin sold out on the first Friday so I'll have to find it on eBay. I did, however, score the Chewbacca Bandolier lanyard, which was actually more limited.
Other than that my favorite new item was the Star Tours nametags. These are personalized in Aurabesh with your name and list the home planet of your choice from a dozen options. (The Death Star, "that's no [planet], it's a space station," is among these.) I heard a Disney rumor that more varieties of these [think Imperial cogs and Rebel Symbols] will follow based on the success of this initial offering. Personally, I'd like to see Tatooine Traders drop the "add your face to the scene" photo shop and add a permanent name tag maker. You can't beat a personallized, iconic souvenir for $8.95.
And when I say favorite, I'm not even considering the awesome new Droid Factory experience offered at Tatooine Traders. It's a bit crowded for me to build my own at the moment, but that's here to stay and has met with great popularity since its introduction 11 days ago. I'll get to it soon enough.
See you real soon.
Monday, March 05, 2012
Show Your Alliance: Official SWGFA Badges are coming!
The Star Wars Grand Florida Alliance is proud to announce exclusive new customized name badges. For $20 you get both the 3¾" x 2½" badge AND a 1" x 2" logo pin (also sold separately). Pins can be picked up at the next SWGFA Event.
You can put up to three lines of text on your badge (four if your name takes up 2 lines). You may choose what goes on each (subject to approval), but generally we suggest the following format:
line #1 - Real name
line #2 - City
line #3 - User Name, title, club name, etc. Take a look at the photo to get an idea of what size fonts can be used based on the length of your text.
Payment may be made by Paypal* to sabacc72@msn.com. $20 gets both the badge and the pin, or you can purchase a badge ONLY for $17 or the pin alone for $4. For each badge, make sure to send the text as you want it inscribed. We'll accept orders through Sunday, March 18th, 2012.
Questions? Post them here or write us at SWGFA77@gmail.com.
*Payments via Paypal should be made as a normal purchase, not as a "gift."
You can put up to three lines of text on your badge (four if your name takes up 2 lines). You may choose what goes on each (subject to approval), but generally we suggest the following format:
line #1 - Real name
line #2 - City
line #3 - User Name, title, club name, etc. Take a look at the photo to get an idea of what size fonts can be used based on the length of your text.
Payment may be made by Paypal* to sabacc72@msn.com. $20 gets both the badge and the pin, or you can purchase a badge ONLY for $17 or the pin alone for $4. For each badge, make sure to send the text as you want it inscribed. We'll accept orders through Sunday, March 18th, 2012.
Questions? Post them here or write us at SWGFA77@gmail.com.
*Payments via Paypal should be made as a normal purchase, not as a "gift."
Friday, February 10, 2012
The Phantom Menace returns to Theaters- this time in 3D!
Twenty-nine years after we saw Return of the Jedi, Dad and I returned to the theater, joined by SWGF-Ally SkyWalter and my wife.I bought tickets for the earliest show (1pm) at our local Cinemark but was surprised when I arrived, that they'd added two additional shows. I was fortunate to have gotten the earlybird price anyhow, so that was a nice bonus- especially since it's my 40th birthday. We got the best seats in the house. We expected a busy showing, like I'd seen at the opening last month at Red Tails, but unbelievably, there were only two other people in the theater. It made for an uninterrupted viewing, but was quite an oddity in my first day showings to be in a theater with only half a dozen fans.
I loved seeing The Phantom Menace on the bigscreen again. I recently watched a commentary for it on Blu-ray so my eyes were keen to see all the detail magnified. However, I was distressed to find that more than popping off the screen, many of the backgrounds were now just blurry. If I go again while its in theaters- I'd like to- I'd see it in 2D. At the moment, I really hope they expand the 2D screenings next year for Attack of the Clones. I think the format is not the point here- the point is seeing Star Wars in it's eye-popping, ear-candy bigscreen glory again. I truly don't want to tear the release down, but the absolute best use of the 3D form here was seeing the classic crawl float from just in front of me to the starfield beyond.
I've debated the future of 3D and this did not encourage me- especially for movies not made in the format. I'll likely see all the Star Wars movies in 3D as they're released, but I wouldn't be disappointed if they just have theatrical re-releases in 2D. I think it would be amazing to do this every decade or so so kids of all ages can enjoy them for the first time or one more time.
I loved seeing The Phantom Menace on the bigscreen again. I recently watched a commentary for it on Blu-ray so my eyes were keen to see all the detail magnified. However, I was distressed to find that more than popping off the screen, many of the backgrounds were now just blurry. If I go again while its in theaters- I'd like to- I'd see it in 2D. At the moment, I really hope they expand the 2D screenings next year for Attack of the Clones. I think the format is not the point here- the point is seeing Star Wars in it's eye-popping, ear-candy bigscreen glory again. I truly don't want to tear the release down, but the absolute best use of the 3D form here was seeing the classic crawl float from just in front of me to the starfield beyond.
I've debated the future of 3D and this did not encourage me- especially for movies not made in the format. I'll likely see all the Star Wars movies in 3D as they're released, but I wouldn't be disappointed if they just have theatrical re-releases in 2D. I think it would be amazing to do this every decade or so so kids of all ages can enjoy them for the first time or one more time.
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| A 1999 Episode I hat, a -shirt of Han's blaster, and a free poster (lightsaber) made up my fanboy attire. |
Monday, January 09, 2012
The Adventure Has Continued for 25 Years
Twenty-five years ago today, Star Tours, a collaboration between George Lucas and the Disney Imagineers opened for business at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
The ride vehicle, a Starspeeder 3000, was a cutting edge simulator meant to take "passengers" on a journey to Endor. Unfortunately, hijinks ensued as the bumbling rookie pilot- your captain, Rex, voiced by Paul Reubens- came out of hyperspace too late and took the ship through a comet and inadvertently participated in the destruction of the first Death Star. The motion on the screen matched the motion of the seats so jostled park attendees got the feeling they had physically entered the world of Star Wars.
Star Tours became one of the park's most popular attractions so the mission to spread it to other parks began. In July of 1989 a second Star Tours debuted at Tokyo Disneyland and later that year Star Tours was opened at the fledgling Disney MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) in Orlando. In 1992 a fourth came to Disneyland Park in Paris.
Rumors of an update to the attraction began going public in the late 90s as the film seen in the Starspeeder that had been state of the art in 1987 looked increasingly dated. As Star Wars: Episode I came to theaters there was hope that a podrace might be the setting for a new version of the ride. Star Tours remained a top attraction at each park so Disney executives decided to leave well enough alone and didn't fully commit to any change for almost a decade.
This finally changed in 2010 and the event was commemorated in Florida during Star Wars Celebration V at The Last Tour of Endor. Between July and September Star Tours in California and Florida were closed to begin a complete renovation of each attraction.
The ante was upped this time around and when Star Tours: The Adventure Continues opened at both parks last May it featured different destinations and segments that could take each group of guests on one of 54 different combinations, all in 3D with upgraded motion simulation.
The original Star Tours is slated to be be updated in Tokyo later this year with Disneyland Paris following eventually.
Star Tours became one of the park's most popular attractions so the mission to spread it to other parks began. In July of 1989 a second Star Tours debuted at Tokyo Disneyland and later that year Star Tours was opened at the fledgling Disney MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) in Orlando. In 1992 a fourth came to Disneyland Park in Paris.
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| A Starspeeder 3000 at Disneyland Tokyo |
Rumors of an update to the attraction began going public in the late 90s as the film seen in the Starspeeder that had been state of the art in 1987 looked increasingly dated. As Star Wars: Episode I came to theaters there was hope that a podrace might be the setting for a new version of the ride. Star Tours remained a top attraction at each park so Disney executives decided to leave well enough alone and didn't fully commit to any change for almost a decade.
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| The end of an era |
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| The new Starspeeder 1000 |
The original Star Tours is slated to be be updated in Tokyo later this year with Disneyland Paris following eventually.
Sunday, January 08, 2012
Princess Leia and the Beatle
At the tender age of 21, Carrie Fisher was still playing a teenager. From a certain point of view. During the period when she was dating Paul Simon she appeared in a television special for another musical luminary, Ringo Starr. In this rather creative 1978 short, Ringo dances around with Fisher covering the song made famous by Johnny Burnette in 1960.
Interestingly, the song was written by the Sherman Brothers, the Disney collaborators responsible for the songs from movies like Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book. The original version of the song was also featured in George Lucas's second movie, American Graffiti.
Interestingly, the song was written by the Sherman Brothers, the Disney collaborators responsible for the songs from movies like Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book. The original version of the song was also featured in George Lucas's second movie, American Graffiti.
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