"The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and its conductor, Erich Kunzel, will perform the final concerts of the 2005 Blossom Festival during Labor Day Weekend on Saturday, September 3, at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, September 4, at 7:00 p.m. Entitled Cincinnati Pops Star Wars Spectacular, the program, which is the same for both concerts, features music by John Williams from all six Star Wars films: The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, The Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Joining the Cincinnati Pops will be narrator Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO in the Star Wars films (and is the only actor to be featured in all six episodes), and aerialist Alexander Streltsov. Both will be making their Blossom Festival debuts with these concerts." Source: theforce.net
"In past years Harry Potter was the chosen theme but this year campers let the force be with them as they had four fun-filled days dedicated to Star Wars. On Wednesday the campers dressed up as their favorite Star Wars character. "We get to play games and we get to do a lot of fun things," said Alex Levitsky, a 10-year-old who has attended the camp for the past two years. "If we do all the puzzles, we get prizes and ice cream and things."" Source: delmarvanow.com
"Many costumes from the Star Wars movies will be on display in a new book and in an upcoming "Star Wars" costume exhibition opening in Los Angeles in September. Both provide rich insight into the storytelling that costumes did for Lucas, often without viewers realizing it. Costume designers, who do realize it, often use "Star Wars" costumes as exemplars." Source: realcities.com
"The residents of Janesville WI can tonight sleep more soundly in their beds after locals alerted officers to a possible armed robbery at the Ramada Inn. The suspected armed perp was kitted out in full stormtrooper uniform and, as Sergeant Kay Nikolaus of the Janesville Police Department put it: "Apparently some people who saw him felt there was a threat."" Source: theregister.co.uk
"A US Pentagon invention could make air combat resemble a battle scene from Star Wars, with a laser so small it can fit on a fighter jet, yet powerful enough to knock down an enemy missile in flight. The High Energy Laser Area Defence System (HELLADS), being designed by the Pentagon's central research and development agency, will weigh just 750kg and measures the size of a large fridge." Source: news.com.au
"For the first time ever, the iconic original Star Wars poster artwork by famed fantasy illustrators Greg and Tim Hildebrandt is available as a limited edition print! But wait, wasn't this artwork available on a retail poster back in 1977, you might ask? You're probably thinking of the poster printed by Factors, Etc., which was widely available to fans right after the release of A New Hope in the summer of '77. But look closely at this artwork -- notice something missing? That's right, R2-D2 and C-3PO are nowhere to be found, because this is how the original artwork appeared before the brothers added in the droids." Source: starwars.com
"Glasgow secondary school pupils are in for a musical experience that is out of this world. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra's Earth, Wind and Fire concert will feature music from Star Wars, Beethoven, Vivaldi and many more and aims to aid musical learning. The one-hour concert at the Royal Concert Hall on September 13 costs £4 per teacher or pupil. For more info call 0141 225 3552." Source: eveningtimes.co.uk
"Empire at War is set just prior to events portrayed in the original Star Wars movie (A New Hope). Allowing players to experience the likes of the aftermath of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, the creation of the Rebel Alliance and Darth Vader's rise to power, you'll also be presented with the delicious opportunity to rewrite the universe's history." Source: computerandvideogames.com
"Before the internet, the earliest indication that a new Star Wars movie was "Coming Soon to Your Galaxy" was usually trumpeted by the posters pinned up in theater lobbies. Occasionally these early advance posters, or "teasers," used spare graphics -- some even used plain text. The actual release posters, however, were lavish illustrations designed to convey the film's scope, brimming with excitement, adventure, and romance. Though many of these classic posters have since become the most recognized imagery in movie poster history, their histories have seldom been explored." Source: starwars.com
"Love it or hate it, no one can accuse "One-Man Star Wars Trilogy" of false advertising. Indeed, the only thing the title doesn't get across (and that's probably because of lack of space) is that George Lucas' three Luke Skywalker epics now take under an hour to act out. Granted, Charles Ross -- the show's 32-year-old author and sole performer -- doesn't hew to a particularly conventional narrative. Not even close. With no props, minimal lighting aids and dressed in black coveralls better suited to a car mechanic, Ross simply dashes about the stage and seamlessly morphs into everyone from Han Solo to Princess Leia to Jabba the Hutt and back again. Heck, at one point, he's even the Death Star." Source: reuters.com
"The Star Wars saga is rich in intricate detail, the result of gifted artists and craftspeople creating believable new worlds, characters, and devices to populate a far-away galaxy. Chronicle Books celebrated this detail back in the '90s with the release of the enormous Star Wars Chronicles by Deborah Fine and Aeon Inc., an oversized 315-page hardcover tome that explored the classic trilogy with unprecedented visual detail." Source: starwars.com
"Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith dominated the top ten list of pirated films for the second month in a row, with 49,522 copies available for download on the Fast Track and E-Donkey networks, according to statistics for July from anti-piracy technology provider BayTSP." Source: dmeurope.com
"What begins as a mere cornfield, is transormed into a an image to behold - and a maze. Using a GPS system, and a handheld computer, an image is 'traced' into the crop with a lawnmower. This year, the maze is five-and-one-half acres in size. The 2005 theme is "Star Wars" and the maze depicts Anakin Skywalker as he becomes Darth Vader. The Maze was drawn from the poster and logo on the right of the picture." Source: 14wfie.com
"Aspyr Media on Tuesday announced that LEGO Star Wars has gone gold and will ship Aug. 22. The title uses old-fashioned LEGO building blocks to tell the story of the last three Star Wars movies -- also known as "the prequels" -- in a kid-friendly way. Players can control over 50 characters from the films, from Anakin Skywalker and Yoda to Darth Maul and General Grievous, as they make their way through 17 levels of action, including levels that allow them to fly ships. A secret level is available for gamers who achieve certain objectives." Source: macobserver.com
"Diamond Comic Distributors is thrilled to announce its next exclusive Star Wars product, slated for a 2005 holiday season release - the Star Wars: The Hunt for the Millennium Falcon Bounty Hunter Pack. Hasbro has brought together seven of the most notorious 3.75" figures from Star Wars: Episode VI - Empire Strikes Back , and specially packaged them to recreate the scene aboard Darth Vader's Executor-class Super Star Destroyer. This gift box contains Darth Vader , Boba Fett , IG-88 , Bossk , Dengar , Zuckuss , and 4-LOM." Source: sirstevesguide.com
"There have been many Star Wars computer games over the years, including real-time strategy, role-playing, space combat simulators, and first-person and third-person shooters. Star Wars: Battlefront is at first glance a first- and third-person shooter. But where previous games like the Jedi Knight series told stories revolving around one or two heroic characters, Battlefront is about recreating the movies' epic ground battles." Source: insidemacgames.com
"For the live-action series, he said, "we're going do something that would normally cost ($20 million-$30 million) and try to do it for $1 million," citing The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles as one show where he was able to stretch his production budget." Source: canmag.com
"The two-disc Revenge of the Sith DVD will include a brand-new, full-length documentary produced by Lucasfilm Ltd.; two new featurettes -- one exploring the prophecy of Anakin Skywalker as the Chosen One, the other providing an in-depth look at the movie's eye-popping stunts; and a 15-part collection of Lucasfilm's groundbreaking "web documentaries." The Revenge of the Sith DVD will also offer access to a special Xbox-playable demo of two entire levels from LucasArts' Star Wars Battlefront II." Source: sirstevesguide.com
"Luke Skywalker's light saber sold for $200,600 U.S. plus an 18 per cent fee from the auction house. Other “Stars Wars” memorabilia sold for over one hundred thousand dollars; such as the light saber used by the character Darth Vader." Source: andpop.com
"Keeping a straight face while working with Carrie Fisher [was challending]. She was the class clown. She was great fun; although I didn't realize how much fun she was having until I read her autobiography. The choke was easy. Some people can wiggle their ears...I could flex my neck muscles. When I showed it to George, he reset the scene, and it's a bit of schtick that I've never been able to use again." Source: americanchronicle.com
"Star Wars creator and Lucasfilm chairman, George Lucas will use his new Singaporean cgi studio to house Clone Wars, the upcoming animated TV series adapted from his Star Wars trilogy. Speaking at the Siggraph 2005 conference in Los Angeles earlier this week, Lucas told the audience of computer graphic designers and artists that his company is not only building up his Singaporean studio, now run by former DreamWorks Animation production exec Chris Kubsch, but also confirmed that he is developing a live-action series for television that's also based on the Star Wars films." Source: c21media.net
