Well now you can hear the story as Ben Burtt talks about creating the sounds for the lightsabers in Star Wars. As he worked on “A New Hope”, Burtt probably wasn’t aware that he was inventing modern sound design. This is a really cool video to help you learn more about lightsabers came to have this distinct sound that we all know and recognize from the movies, games and even toy lightsabers (yes, I own a few of those). Check out the awesome video to learn more. Also remember to check our old “How stuff works” post on Lightsabers. Who knows, you might learn something 🙂
star wars
George Lucas says there will ‘never’ be a new ‘Star Wars’
Star Wars fans may not be happy to hear that George Lucas says there will never be a new Star Wars. Ouch! If you’ve been waiting for Episodes VII, VIII and IX to someday hit the theaters, it’s not happening, says Lucas. It’s not actually the first time that he’s said he has retired from the Star Wars genre but this time he made it sound pretty final. It’s like Lucas is saying “I made my decision, now stop asking me. On Wednesday, George Lucas blasted away any chance of ever seeing a new birth of the “Star Wars” franchise when TMZ briefly caught him leaving a Hollywood restaurant. Asked when the newest installment of “Star Wars” would be, Lucas was blunt: “Never,” he said, adding “I’m retired.” We’ve written about this before and it does seem like Lucas is a bit bitter over the fans who didn’t like what…
Darth Malgus Life Size Figure from Sideshow Collectibles
What will your friends and family think when you have a giant Darth Malgus in your living room? Who cares! This is cool! If you’re a fan of Darth Malgus, Star Wars and Star Wars lore or collectibles, you are going to love this great find from SideShowToy.com. This is an incredible life-sized Darth Malgus figure. I’m pretty sure the pictures don’t do it justice at all. The description says: “Sideshow Collectibles is proud to present the Darth Malgus Life Size figure. Capturing the vicious Sith Lord of The Old Republic in startlingly realistic 1:1 scale, the looming figure measures over 7 feet tall and more then 3 feet wide. Each piece is individually hand painted and finished to exacting standards, the trademark of a handcrafted Sideshow Collectibles product. Featuring a light up saber, LED light up components in the chest, collar, and wrist gauntlets, highly detailed armor, and a…
Kinect Star Wars Launch Trailer- Feel the Force
Feel the Force when you are the controller- I know what my son wants for his birthday but will it be as big of a hit as many are expecting? Coming soon on April 3rd is Kinect Star Wars and they’ve now released the official launch trailer. What you will see missing from the trailer is Kinect Star Wars‘ dance mode, which didn’t come off as such a hit when it was revealed before. The game comes with five dynamic modes Jedi Destiny: Dark Side Rising, Podracing Rancor Rampage Galactic Dance Off Duels of Fate “Kinect Star Wars brings the Star Wars Universe to life like never before. Harnessing the controller-free power of Kinect for Xbox 360, Kinect Star Wars allows fans to physically experience training as a Jedi, using the Force and battling with a lightsaber. Using full body motions, players can live out the ultimate Star Wars fantasy,…
International Star Wars Fan Groups Now Accepting The Old Republic as Costume Canon
The Star Wars costuming organizations are very strict when it comes to the costumes they allow to represent them. A game isn’t really a Star Wars game until the fans accept it as an official costume. The announcement to let costumers submit designs based on the characters in the game, The Old Republic means SWTOR is officially being accepted by the community, even those who do not play the game. Kotaku.com says: “While it may seem like an insignificant development to the outsider, the fact that The Jedi Assembly and The Dark Empire are both accepting applications from costumers decked out in the latest The Old Republic gear is a huge step in legitimizing the game in the eyes of the more fervent fans. These are groups that are incredibly strict about the costumes they allow to represent their organizations (the Jedi more so than the Dark Side, appropriately enough).”…
Former “Star Wars” child actor Jake Lloyd vows never to act again
Continuing my NON SWTOR news, I got a story on the Former “Star Wars” child actor Jake Lloyd. Recently he told how he quit acting after school bullies mocked his Hollywood career and made life a “living hell.” Lloyd decided on an early retirement from acting because he was struggling to fit in after playing Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” when he was just eight years old. He subsequently destroyed all his “Star Wars” memorabilia, and only ever stepped in front of the camera again to reprise his role as Anakin for five video games. He tells Blackbook Mag, “Other children were really mean to me. They would make the sound of the light saber every time they saw me. It was totally mad. “My entire school life was really a living hell – and I had to do up to 60 interviews a day.” Lloyd, who…
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Passes $1 Billion at Box Office
Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace has officially joined the very exclusive ranks of movies that passed the $1 billion mark. With $1,000,447,819 worldwide, Phantom Menace is the 11th film to reach this milestone and the first in the Star Wars series. Before its current 3D re-release, The Phantom Menace had about $926.1 million worldwide but thanks to a strong $74.3 million gathered across the world in this year, the once mythical billion dollar threshold was finally reached. To think that back in 1999 we only had a single film over that mark, Titanic, while today we have 11 and the number is sure to grow fast in the future thanks to 3D and the constant rise of movie ticket prices. Now The Phantom Menace might not be considered the most worthy of the six Star Wars flicks to reach such heights but realistically speaking, it was the…
Rare Video Interview with Ackbar Voice Actor
“It’s a trap!” San Francisco’s SFGate.com has a rare video interview with KPFA radio dramatist Erik Bauersfeld. For those not up on their Star Wars trivia, Bauersfeld is the voice of Admiral Ackbar from Return of the Jedi. He is responsible for the iconic “It’s a trap!” line and he was also the voice of Bib Fortuna and he even auditioned for the voice of Yoda. Here are some interesting facts from the interview: When the movie first released, he wasn’t listed on the cast but has been credited since then. He was unaware that his famous line had become an Internet meme. He’s still never seen the original “Star Wars”. He saves Star Wars fan letters in a filing cabinet and writes a personal response to each one. Here is a few more videos you should checkout:
George Lucas Says Han Never Shot First; Addresses Disgruntled Fans
“Changes are not unusual — I mean, most movies when they release them they make changes. But somehow, when I make the slightest change, everybody thinks it’s the end of the world,” Lucas told the Hollywood Reporter. Remember when we told you about George Lucas retiring from Star Wars and how he blamed the haters? Well, he’s back with another interview to defend himself and his creative works. He’s been doing quite a few interviews lately to help promote his newest brainchild, “Red Tails”. He discusses how the fans take his work so seriously and says “When I make the slightest change, everyone think it’s the end of the world.” When you look at all the controversies that have come up regarding Star Wars, the movies and the different versions of them, it’s easy to see where he gets this opinion. As a Star Wars fan, I can understand but…
George Lucas to Retire from Star Wars: Blames Disgruntled Fans
Have you ever felt unappreciated in your job or maybe in some other role in your life? As a full-time writer, I can tell you that I definitely know the feeling. However, someone you might not expect to know that feeling is George Lucas. At 67, he’s created an empire of himself, namely with his Star Wars legacy and also four popular Indiana Jones films. So you can imagine Lucas’ surprise when he pitched his new film, “Red Tails” and no one from Hollywood even wanted to take a peak. The New York Times reports on what must have been a new feeling for George Lucas: “He made a movie about a plucky band of freedom fighters who battle an evil empire — a movie loaded with special effects like no one had seen before.” In an interview with the New York Times, Lucas explains why he is retiring from…
Star Wars Fan Killed His Wife after ‘She Smashed His Toy Collection’
In a terribly sad report of the news, one Star Wars fan lost it and killed his wife after she supposedly smashed his Star Wars collectibles after a fight. According to news reports, “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 choked her allegedly to death and then ran to tell his mother what he had done. La-Touche, also known as Rickie Nehls, was found guilty of murder and was ordered to serve a minimum of 12 years. Tragic wife Pornpilai Srisroy Was this another case of a crazed fan gone wild or is this just the media trying to make it into more than what it really was? The news reports say that the couple fought often and that his Thai wife was threatening to leave him and go back to Thailand. He…
A New Season of the Clone Wars Approaches
USA Today covered the news of a new season of the Clone Wars in a piece called Admiral Ackbar stars in animated ‘Star Wars’ that gives us some really good info about the upcoming episodes and what it’s all about. Star Wars fans far and wide can get excited about this news. A snippet from the USA Today report: “The military amphibian from Return of the Jedi appears in the fourth-season premiere of Cartoon Network’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Friday night (8 p.m. ET/PT), although he’s a bit younger than he has been seen before. He’s just Captain Ackbar during the Clone Wars, which happen decades before he leads the Rebel Alliance’s assault on the second Death Star.” The USA Today report mostly focuses on Admiral Ackbar and his return to the series but they also mention Bo-Katan who Katee Sackhoff will be voicing later in the season….
Five Stages of Star Wars Revisionism Fan Grief
I wonder how much of this is age related. ROTJ came out when I was three, so for most of my childhood we kids still loved Star Wars, but adults, having lived through the hype of the late 70s and early 80s, were pretty much sick of it. From about 1985 until 1995 there wasn’t anything Star Wars in the stores at all. Nothing. I got my Star Wars fix off of old Star Wars Marvel comics in the 25 cent bin at the local comic shop, and a couple of video games. It came on TV once a year, but mostly it was kind of a cult thing like Pulp Fiction; a good movie but that’s about it. Certainly not a major cultural force anymore. I remember being amazed when they announced the Thrawn trilogy; for a lot of us this was as close as we ever figured we’d…
Sneak Peeks at Star Wars The Clone Wars Season 4
Thanks to IGN.com we have nine brand new pre-release images of the upcoming fourth season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, including a first look at Karakarodon shark-man Riff Tamson and R2D2 and C3PO in full Gulliver’s Travels mode… Once more the character design team have got it spot on, and this fourth season is certainly looking good so far.
Another Update on the Star Wars Collection Blu-Ray
The release date is now so close I can almost taste it, and following last week’s revelations surrounding the specifics of the Blu-ray extras, we now have a little more detail as to what we will be getting when the collection arrives on shelves next month. So, here’s a handy list of stuff we now know, thanks to TheDigitalBits and StarWars.com: The image size has been increased According to TheDigitalBits, the original DVDs of the Prequel Trilogy used a reduced frame size thanks to the limitations of technology at the time, and that has now been addressed, as the images below indicate. The first is of the DVD image, and the second of the new Blu-ray: the size difference may not be huge, but it is definitely noticeable. 2. The image quality of the Prequels will naturally be bettered thanks to improvements in the technology of transferring from the source….
Brand New Star Wars Clone Wars Season 4 Trailer
LucasArts and Cartoon Network have released a new extended trailer for the forthcoming fourth season of The Clone Wars, and it looks to be another good, story-heavy addition to the franchise. The season is set to begin with an hour premiere, consisting of two episodes – “Water War” and “Gungan Attack” – which form two parts of a three ep story-arc (completed by the next week’s show). Within that arc we’ll be treated to a hugely impressive underwater battle scene (which I’ve seen and was blown away by) and the first appearance of fan favourite character, Captain Ackbar. Overall, the fourth season promises to ramp up the action, introducing new characters and a grander scale and retaining the high-octane thrills that the canon-building property has shown since day one. Here’s the trailer in full: Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 4 starts Friday 16th September in the US.
Star Wars Fan Movie Winner: Unlimited Power
Comic Con 2011 was a veritable moving feast of delightful nerdery – from new toys an merch unveilings to those over-subscribed panels and sneak peeks at upcoming films and games. And in amongst the cosplay devotees and the casual dorks alike, the winner of the Star Wars Fan Movie Awards’ prestigious George Lucas Selects Award was chosen and congratulated by a host of nerdy on-lookers. This year’s winner of the award, presented by Lucasfilm and Atom, was Los Angeles-based filmmaker Eliot Sirota for his film, Star Wars: Unlimited Power. The film isn’t your usual fan-made fare in that it doesn’t seek to tell a story of a different part of the Star Wars universe to those shown in both trilogies, preferring instead to take the fake marketing approach that serves many fan poster-makers so well. And it was a deserved winner in my book: The film-maker spoke to The Official…
Bringing Generations Together
I wrote yesterday about how SWTOR was set to be a game to span decades. It’s also a game that seems to bring generations together. I’ve actually met countless people when talking about SWTOR who say they will be playing with their children, parents, siblings and other friends and family. My mom is 50 and she’s a big Star Wars fan. She’s interested in the game because of the storyline. My 5-year-old plays Lego Star Wars on his DSi and is just as excited that mommy will be playing TOR. But we’re not the only ones who have seen that SWTOR can bring generations together. Hellsworn made a heartfelt and interesting post about it on the official forums recently. He says: “So I am a older player. in my mid 40’s. So Star Wars in near and dear to my heart as it brings back very fond memories of my…
Star Wars Blu-Ray Boxset: Teasing The Deleted Scenes
For Star Wars fans, there’s pretty much only one blu-ray release to pay any attention to at all this year, and the long-awaited high-definition treatment of George Lucas’ galactic franchise epic will finally land on shelves on September 12th in the UK. I’m in the lucky position where I’ll probably get hold of a copy to review early on, but for everyone else the prospect of having to wait just a couple of months will seem a yawning chasm of time stretching before them. So it’s with great pleasure we can bring you a teaser video of some of the Deleted Scenes to be included in the mammoth Complete Saga blu-ray release. I still maintain that the cover should have been better thought-out, but the following teaser at least shows promise of the exciting content within… Exciting times ahead what with SWTOR and this blu-ray about to land in the…
Star Wars XXX: Interview with Grand Moff Tarkin aka Eli Cross
The newest porn parody from Vivid and Axel Braun – Star Wars XXX – wrapped its filming a few weeks ago. Braun said he’s had fun shooting the movie but wanted to pay an homage to one of the most beloved sci fi franchise in the world. I caught up with Eli Cross script writer and producer of the movie for a short chat about the movie and Star Wars the old republic. First a few words about your self. How long have you worked in the industry, favourite projects etc. My stage name is Eli Cross. I’ve been in the adult industry for 21 years. I first ran the Castle Megastore in Arizona during it’s first expansion. Then, I was the editor of several adult magazines and I ran AVN, the adult industry trade mag, for 5 years. I’ve directed several big projects, but the three I’m proudest of are “Corruption” and…
Bantam and Del Rey STAR WARS novels Come to eBook Format
Today the library of Bantam and Del Rey STAR WARS novels will be available in all eBook formats at Random House. Beginning today, just as it was previously announced, you can get the entire catalog of Random House’s Star Wars novels on digital format. This is a great opportunity to enjoy all of your favorite books on your e-reader or even on your computer. Amazon’s downloads work on the company’s Kindle reader, as well as on any smartphone or tablet with a Kindle app. Barnes & Noble digital purchases are compatible with B&N’s Nook device. In celebration of the news, Del Rey’s Star Wars Books Facebook page has a fun trailer that’s really worth the view:
Producer Rick McCallum Hints At Star Wars TV Series Details
More news on upcoming Star Wars TV projects, as producer and long-term George Lucas collaborator Rick McCallum has given up some details to Czech Position about the long-awaited and hotly-anticipated live-action TV series. First up McCallum said that the show is likely to be shot at least in part in the Czech Republic, following on from “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” TV series, which was also partly shot in Prague and the upcoming Red Tails, which was mostly shot in the Czech Republic with a local crew. He then got into some more exciting territory, giving a little more info on the expected ETA for the project: The TV series is on hold, but that has nothing to do with the Czech Republic; it has to do with [the episodes being] so ambitious. We have 50 hours of third-draft scripts, but the problem we have is there is a lot…
Lego Star Wars Coming to TV In September
Odd but exciting news has just come to my attention (after it was announced at the recent Licensing International Expo 2011). According to ComingSoon.net LEGO Star Wars is set to land on screens this Autumn (likely late September) as a TV special. The site discovered the upcoming project thanks to the poster below, and announce that it will be based on the video game series, which is itself based on the TV show. Don’t think about that too much, it gets a little confusing. ComingSoon also ran with an official update on the upcoming Star Wars cartoon series: Today, George Lucas is hard at work on a second animated series that will complement ‘The Clone Wars’, taking ‘Star Wars’ in a completely new and fun direction. What with the release of the Star Wars blu-ray collection, and the 3D cinematic re-releases that I personally will only watch begrudgingly, it’s an…
Tickets Now Available: Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando, August 23-26, 2012
If you’re gearing up for the Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando, then you will be happy to know that tickets are on sale now. After the very successful event last year of the Empire-themed Star Wars Celebration V, they are throwing an even bigger party this year and now is your chance to get tickets. Star Wars Celebration VI is setting down August 23-26, 2012 back at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida! Official Celebration hotels have rates starting at $65 per night, making it more affordable for fans on any budget to make the trip. You can be among some of the first to get your tickets and secure your spot at this must-see event. A Celebration news release states: “We thank you for all your support and passion. It’s the fans who have sustained the Saga for all these years, and…