The Bearded Trio

Star Wars: The Old Republic players hunt for rumoured white lightsaber crystal

2012-01-31T07:52:00.001Z

The guys overs at Pcgamer have posted about about a rumoured white crystal in The Old Republic. They say:

The magenta crystal was one of the most coveted items in Star Wars: The Old Republic, until now. One top level player has been spotted running around the TOR’s planets with a “whitesaber,” sparking a galaxy wide hunt for the white crystal.

The saber’s owner, Catch, posted his discovery on The Old Republic forums with pictures and item stats, and then livestreamed himself running around with the crystal to prove that it exists. So far, he’s kept the methods he used to obtain the crystal a closely guarded secret. The community has been poring over the few clues he’s given and, in some cases, been following him around to see if he’ll let slip any new info. There are several theories, some madder than others.

The white crystals were available in beta as rare drops from one of Aladeraan’s world bosses. Players started by killing him repeatedly to discover if that was still the case, but with no luck. It appears that, unlike the Magenta crystal, the white crystal isn’t available as a schematic. These would let Artificers craft them with the right materials. It looks like a world puzzle instead.

A thread on Reddit has collated other clues which indicated that dead Tauntauns on Hoth could be part of the process. Others think that it might have something to do with the Well Fed Womp Rat on Tattoine. Eye-witness reports claim to have seen Catch and his group killing the Womp Rat to draw out vendors, which they then killed to stack special buffs onto the rat.

You can read more at http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/01/30/star-wars-the-old-republic-players-hunt-for-rumoured-white-lightsaber-crystal/

Warwick Davis: 'Doctor Who role would be dream come true'

2012-01-30T18:00:00.000Z

Warwick Davis has admitted that he would love to appear in Doctor Who.

The Life's Too Short star told the Radio Times that a part in the BBC sci-fi drama is his "dream" role.

"Steven Moffat is somebody I want to talk to," he said. "I love Sherlock and I would love to be in Doctor Who - it's been a dream of mine for many years."

He quipped: "I don't want to play the Doctor, but a villain or something like that would be pretty good."

Davis - who first rose to fame as the Ewok Wicket in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi - has appeared in the Harry Potter films and an episode of BBC One's Merlin.

He is expected to return to Life's Too Short in the near future, with series co-creator Ricky Gervais having revealed that a second run is planned for spring 2013.

digital spy

High Resolution Picture Of Lucasarts Full Throttle Bike

2012-01-29T23:40:00.002Z

Click picture for larger version. Right click to save

full Throttle Lucasarts Bike High Resolution

Star Wars: Old Republic's next update 'much bigger'

2012-01-29T19:00:00.000Z

Content already planned through to 2013.

BioWare's plans for its next major content patch in Star Wars: The Old Republic are much bigger than what we'll see from Game Update 1 which launches today.
In an interview with CVG, game director James Ohlen stated the studio has bigger plans scheduled for future patches, and has a larger team focusing on the next update.
"Game Update 2 is much bigger in scope [than Game Update 1]," he explained.
"It's further out from launch, so we can have much more of the team focussed on it. There's Part 2 of Rise of the Rakghouls, a brand new planet called Denova which has an 8-16 man Operation and a new Warzone. So that's three big pieces of content."
While BioWare is currently working on implementing the Legacy system for managing alt characters, as well as new PvP gameplay and features for guilds, Ohlen also brought up the topic of a new Space-based slant to the game.
"We might also be able to get some new space game missions into it. In addition to that we have single player content that you’ll be able to go through as well."
The team already has content planned through to next year, he goes on to say:
"We have people working on content that won't be showing up in the game until 2013. We have writers already finishing off content for that, so I can already play through stuff from 2013 content – just not with voiceovers. We're planning really far ahead, and we have to do that because our content is more complex than your typical MMO content. It requires voiceovers, cinematics and all that."
The first content update for Star Wars: The Old Republic releases today, and features higher level group content, balancing and bug features, a new Flashpoint and Operation, level 50 bracketing for PvP WarZones, anti-aliasing, and changes to Open World PvP on Ilum.
Also on the cards is a possible future on the Mac platform, according to a recent statement by BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk, however no official word has been made as to when this might happen.

http://www.videogamer.com/pc/star_wars_the_old_republic/news/star_wars_old_republics_next_update_much_bigger.html

The Clone Wars James Arnold Taylor's "Talking to Myself" Trailer #StarWars

2012-01-29T12:10:00.001Z

James Arnold Taylor's "Talking to Myself" is a 80 minute one-man stage show event. Combining state-of-the-art multimedia images and sound in a live theater setting. James re-creates scenes from some of Hollywood's biggest films with creative imagery and his voice. As one of Hollywood's most prolific voice-actors James is known world wide as the voice of many famous television and film characters. From Fred Flintstone and Johnny Test to Obi-Wan Kenobi on the hit show Star Wars: The Clone Wars. "Talking to Myself" includes over 150 voices all by one man, one throat. It is a family friendly show that inspires, educates and entertains! We hope you enjoy this trailer, spread the word and catch the show in your area soon!

Question is can he do a convincing Welsh accent?

Oprah’s Next Chapter” Preview (1/22/12): Interview With Jedi Master, George Lucas, at Skywalker

2012-01-29T12:05:00.001Z

Oprah Winfrey gets a chance to tour the famous Skywalker Ranch as she receives a rare interview with George Lucas on “Oprah’s Next Chapter” tonight on OWN at 9/8c. During the interview, Oprah will have an opportunity to talk with legendary filmmaker Lucas about the Red Tails movie which is his latest film released in theaters this weekend. Oprah will get to talk with two of the stars of the movie, Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding, Jr., as well as Lucas’ girlfriend, Mellody Hobson. One of the questions Oprah asks tonight is “When was the last time anyone ever said no to you?” Oprah will be discussing the house that Star Wars built in addition to Lucas’ relationship with Mellody. In the conversation with Gooding and Howard, the three talk about how wonderful it was to work with Lucas and what this film means to the black community. If you miss the show this evening, there will be a recap highlighting what happened on “Oprah’s Next Chapter.”

First Look: George Lucas on Oprah's Next Chapter

Tune in Sunday, January 22, at 9/8c to see Oprah's rare interview with legendary filmmaker George Lucas. Plus, Oprah takes a private tour inside George's Skywalker Ranch.

http://www.current-movie-reviews.com/39192/previews/2012/01/22/oprahs-next-chapter-preview-12212-interview-with-jedi-master-george-lucas-at-skywalker-ranch/

Industrial Light And Magic Creating The Impossible Logo

2012-01-28T21:55:00.001Z

Click on the image for a larger version. Right click to save. 1280x720 Industrial LightAnd Magic (ILM)Creating The Impossible Wallpaper.

Industrial LightAnd Magic (ILM) Creating The Impossible 1280x720

Watch the Encore one hour documentary Creating The Impossible here in HD here http://www.thebeardedtrio.com/2011/07/encores-ilm-creating-impossible-hd.html

‘Star Wars’ returns with Darth Maul 3-D glasses, Hasbro giveaways

2012-01-28T17:26:00.002Z

The George Lucas universe returns to theaters on Feb. 10 when “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace” opens in 3-D and it looks like he will be using every Jedi trick to get fans into seats on opening weekend. Some of the special offers and giveaways we’re hearing about so far:
* At all RealD theaters, the Darth Maul glasses you see above will be handed out (while supplies last) to fans who buy tickets on the movie’s opening day. And now, you don’t have to break them in half at the end of the movie.
* At all AMC Theaters, fans will get the all-new Hasbro “Star Wars” Fighter Pod with the purchase of each RealD 3-D ticket for “Episode I,” all weekend long, Feb. 10-12. The limit is one per ticket and the offer is good only while supplies last.

http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2012/01/27/star-wars-returns-with-darth-maul-3-d-glasses-hasbro-giveaways/

New Star Wars Kinect "Duel" Vader vs Ben Video

2012-01-27T20:08:00.002Z

Designed to build excitement for Star Wars Kinect, this official video from LucasArts re-images the famous scene in which Obi-Wan Kenobi is taken down by Darth Vader...the game is due this spring.

Steven Spielberg to sign on to direct new Ten Commandments movie

2012-01-27T20:04:00.002Z

It is regarded as one of the greatest movies in Hollywood history.
But it looks like even Charlton Heston's The Ten Commandments is not beyond the current trend of Hollywood remakes, with Steven Spielberg close to agreeing with Warner Bros to direct.
According to Deadline.com however, the ET film-maker is hoping to give his version of the story of Jewish prophet Moses a far different spin to the 1956 version.
An insider told the website he is hoping to make his sword and sandals epic 'like a Braveheart-ish version of the Moses story.'
Interestingly, Moses will be portrayed as a tough warrior in the new film, whereas Heston played him as a humble man with great inner strength.
It currently has the working title Gods And Kings, and will follow the complete life of the prophet.
It will start from Moses' humble beginnings as an orphan found floating down the river in a basket, all the way through to him freeing the Jews and leading them to The Promised Land.
The insider added it will show him, 'being adopted, leaving his home, forming an army, and getting the Ten Commandments.'
One small comfort for cinephiles is that while the movie will undoubtedly feature the spectacular parting of the Red Sea, it is not being considered as a 3D feature.
While they will share the same source material, it is understood that rather than being a straight remake of Cecile B. DeMille's classic, Warner Bros want Spielberg to direct it in the gritty reality-based style of Saving Private Ryan.

The source said: 'There have been glossy versions of the Moses story but this would be a real warrior story.'
The studio has been courting the Schindler's List director since last September, when he first read the script.
And while it first seemed unlikely he would agree to do it, it seems he became keen on the idea, and will set his deal in stone by the end of the month.
However it will still be a long time before the flick will hit the silver screen, as production only has a tentative start date of March or April of 2013.

The film is being produced by Matti Lesham, who came to the studio with a treatment that was bought for development.
Interestingly his most notable work to date is 2008's Paula Abdul: Cardio Cheer, which may be why heavyweight Sherlock Holmes producer Dan Lin has also came on board.
The screenplay is being penned by Paradise Lost writer, who has teamed up with Michael Green who co-wrote last year's The Green Lantern.

It means legendary director Spielberg is as busy as ever.
The Escape to Nowhere favourite has just finished directing historical epic Lincoln, and is currently working on Robopocalypse, in which robot-reliant society faces extinction after an artificial intelligence program is unleashed.
The original Ten Commandments is one of the most profitable films of all time, grossing $65 million in 1956, which is equivalent to close to $1 billion today.

RC R2-D2 marks start of Bladez Star Wars Pump & Play range

2012-01-26T21:18:00.001Z

Bladez Toyz, which is possibly best known for its massive selection of radio controlled helicopters, has signed a deal with Lucasfilm to bring the Star Wars franchise to its Pump & Play RC range.
The first officially licensed toy in the line-up will be the RC Jumbo Inflatable R2-D2, which Pocket-lint saw in the flesh (so to speak) during Toy Fair 2012 in London. It stands 26-inches (65cm) tall and is controlled in much the same way as a normal remote controlled car.
A foot pump comes in the box and we were assured that it doesn't take long to inflate. It was also demonstrated to us by... Princess Leia (a much taller one than we remember).
Coming out in Q3/Q4 this year (autumn/winter time), the RC Jumbo Inflatable R2-D2 is expected to retail for around £40, and Bladez promises that there will be additions to the Star Wars Pump & Play range to come.

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/44146/rc-rd-d2-bladez-star-wars

War Horse role for trainer Dylan Jones of Dolbadarn stables, Llanberis

2012-01-26T08:02:00.001Z

A horse trainer from Gwynedd has enjoyed seeing himself on screen in a wartime blockbuster that is delighting moviegoers around the world.

Dylan Jones, from Llanberis, was a stunt horse rider and team co-ordinator on Steven Spielberg's epic War Horse.
He spent seven weeks working on locations including the Duke of Wellington's estate near Basingstoke.
Mr Jones has also worked on the BBC TV drama series Merlin, and an earlier US TV mini-series of the same name.
Based on the Michael Morpurgo novel, War Horse is a tale of friendship between a young man and a horse which is sold to the British cavalry and dispatched to the front line at the outbreak of World War One.
The film has been nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture.

As well as appearing in the film, Mr Jones supplied 15 horses for the shoot through his company Dolbadarn Film Horses, which his father Aneuryn set up in the 1970s.

The horseman originally trained as an actor and spotted an opportunity when he was invited to ride a horse in a US TV mini-series about Merlin, starring Sam Neill and filmed on Anglesey.
"There was nobody professional training horses for the TV and film industry in Wales… so I saw a niche in the market and went on from there," said Mr Jones.
Since then, he has worked on several TV and movie projects, including the BBC Wales series Merlin, supplying horses for the characters of Merlin and King Arthur.
Steven Spielberg Mr Jones was invited to take part in War Horse, filmed over the summer of 2010, by the main horsemaster who he had worked with on director Ridley Scott's Robin Hood film.
"It was an eye opener for us because they were hard, long days, but it was well worth doing," he said.
"Steven Spielberg was on set all day every day - he was a lovely guy to work with, nice and quiet, he knew exactly what he needed."

The movie tells the story of a friendship between a man and a horse which is sent to the front line

One of his favourite horses, Diablo, appeared with him in War Horse, but Mr Jones says only certain animals are suitable.
"Not every horse can be trained - they have to have a unique character," he says.
"There's no point even thinking about using a nervous horse - you need one that has a bit of fight in it."
Mr Jones was pleased with the results when he saw the film last week.
"I saw myself quite a few times - first I was a British cavalryman, then I saw myself as a German soldier," he said.
"It was a big production - I knew [the horse scenes] were going to be good because of the amount of hard work that we'd put into it."
"It was a great experience but since then we've been working on other productions… Wrath of the Titans, Snow White and the Huntsmen, and more of Merlin.
"You're only as good as the last job you did."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-16727862

Tom Hanks to Create and Star in Animated Sci-Fi Show on Yahoo

2012-01-25T15:40:00.000Z

The actor's Playtone has teamed with Reliance Entertainment to produce "Electric City," which will stream over the Internet before heading to more traditional outlets.

Tom Hanks has created an animated science-fiction show that initially will stream exclusively on Yahoo in what is the giant Internet portal’s first foray into narrative storytelling, the partners are set to announce Monday.

The show, called Electric City, is a production of Reliance Entertainment and Playtone, the latter being a TV and film company owned by Hanks and Gary Goetzman.
Hanks will voice the lead character in Electric City and Yahoo will roll out about 20 episodes, each one roughly four minutes long, beginning in the spring.

Yahoo already boasts a portfolio of several news-information shows that attract a combined 26 million viewers monthly, but Electric City is its first scripted narrative, and Ross Levinsohn, Yahoo’s executive vp Americas, says there’s more in development.
“Not just shows, but real experiences. We’re looking to build franchises,” he said.
Electric City, for example, could also be a game, and if the show proves popular it could work its way to home video, TV and even a 90-minute theatrical release.

Financial terms of the relationship weren’t disclosed.
“This is the most money we’ve ever spent on a scripted show. Of course, it’s also the first scripted show,” Levinsohn quipped.
Hanks and Levinsohn plan to show snippets of Electric City during a 45-minute, invitation-only presentation Tuesday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Levinsohn says the show is another example of Yahoo’s effort to strengthen its reputation as a legitimate entertainment company. Along those lines, it partnered last week with Will Ferrell’s and Judd Apatow’s Funny or Die on a 13-minute parody of a Republican presidential debate hosted by Larry King.
The company is also creating a Yahoo Comedy Channel that will kick off with a live stream Feb. 23 of CrazyStupidPolitics: Bill Maher Live from Silicon Valley.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tom-hanks-yahoo-electric-city-279319

John Williams Gets Two Nominations For Best Original Score

2012-01-25T14:31:00.002Z

The Nominations for the 84th Academy Awards® were announced this morning, Tuesday, January 24th. A wonderful surprise this year came in the nominations for Best Original Score, with legendary film composer, and winner of five previous Academy Awards®, John Williams, receiving two nomination nods this year for his two, motion picture collaborations with Director Steven Spielberg.

Williams received a nomination for his deeply emotional, eloquent, sublime score composed for Spielberg’s “War Horse”. Williams also is nominated for scoring Spielberg’s performance capture 3D animated film, “The Adventures Of Tin Tin”.

Songwriter Bret McKenzie received a very much and well deserved nomination for Best Original Song, for penning both the music and lyrics to the enchanting and very clever, “Man Or Muppet” for “The Muppets”. Here’s hoping “The Muppets’” very talented stars Jason Segel and his muppet brother Walter perform the song in formal attire, live on the Oscars Telecast, recreating their show stopping number from the movie!

It would indeed be a rare and sparkling treat also having John Williams conduct and perform with a full orchestra, both of his supreme nominated scores, in addition to having all of the nominated film composers perform their scores live.

The Nominees For Music Best Original Score In A Motion Picture are:

“The Adventures Of Tin Tin” John Williams
“The Artist” Ludovic Bource
“Hugo” Howard Shore
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” Alberto Iglesias
“War Horse” John Williams

http://guitarinternational.com/2012/01/24/84th-academy-awards-nominations-for-best-original-film-score-best-original-song-from-a-motion-picture/

Scalextric Star Wars On The Way

2012-01-25T14:24:00.002Z

Hornby is at the London Toy Fair 2012 this week putting the Force into slot racing classic Scalextric with a series of Star Wars race kits.

The Micro Scalectrix Star Wars Death Star Attack sees an Incom T-65 X-Wing race a Sienar Fleet Systems' Advanced TIE Fighter, as flown by Mr D Vader in the film.
Both tracks and vehicles glow in the dark for late night, past-lights-out racing. The set will hit shelves in the next couple of months for £70.

A bigger kit is also on the way featuring speeder bikes with Luke Skywalker on one and, of course, an Imperial Scout on the other.
That's the Scalextric Start Star Wars Battle of Endor, which will retail for £99. ®

Still waiting for the Pod Race Scalextric

http://www.reghardware.com/2012/01/25/hornby_launches_scalextric_star_wars_range/

Star Wars crowdsourced film reaches million YouTube views

2012-01-25T14:22:00.001Z

A "directors cut" of a fan-made version of Star Wars has passed one million views on YouTube.

The film, uploaded on 18 January, is made up of hundreds of 15-second scenes created by internet users.
The Star Wars Uncut project is widely regarded as an example of the power of crowdsourcing.
Ramon Youseph, of the Crowdsourcing Gazette blog, told the BBC it showed "the power of the web to engage people in a global collaborative effort".
The website starwarsuncut.com began asking for fan-made scenes in 2009. It went on to win an interactive media Emmy in 2010.
Scenes submitted to Starwarsuncut.com were specially selected for this compilation.
Although the clips had been available online previously, this is the first time they have been put together into a full-length film.
Writing online, the project's creator Casey Pugh said: "Finally, the crowdsourced project has been stitched together and put online for your streaming pleasure.
"The director's cut is a feature-length film that contains hand-picked scenes from the entire starwarsuncut.com collection."
The new version of the film quickly became a YouTube hit. "1M views in 72hrs! Thanks everyone for all the wonderful feedback," tweeted the @starwarsuncut account.
The film is also available on Vimeo where it has been played nearly 300,000 times.
Copyright Jeff Howe, author of the book Crowdsourcing, said the project's success shows the public can have a role in movie-making: "The trick, of course, is not simply to stitch together disparate footage from many minds (and cameras), but to make it entertaining, compelling, etc."
He added that the project had "provided clear guidelines by cutting the original film into 15-second bits. What few people understand is that crowdsourcing is not some free-for-all.
"The rules are actually more important than they might be in a more traditional methodology."
The 400-plus scenes in the film, which were edited together by Aaron Valdez and Bryan Pugh, are an eclectic mix of live-action, animation and puppetry.
Actors of all ages, and in some cases species, appear in the scenes. Influences range from Yellow Submarine to Ingmar Bergman's Seventh Seal.
A bewildering variety of household goods are enlisted as substitutes for the original film's ground-breaking special effects and props. In one scene a fly-swat has an unexpected cameo as Luke's lightsaber.
Locations vary, with efforts to faithfully recreate the original sets sitting side-by-side with homes, suburban streets, bowling alleys and, in one case, a hot tub.
According to reports, Lucasfilm has been supportive of the project.
The release comes at a time of fierce debate about copyright law provoked by the US Stop Online Piracy Act, which some fear might stifle projects of this kind.
The @starwarsuncut Twitter feed said of the release: "We have to admit it was a little anti-SOPA inspired."
While Mr Youseph acknowledged the risk, he told the BBC that it was important for people embarking on these projects to "have the necessary permissions in place before undertaking a project".
But he added: "Surprisingly many organisations and individuals have granted rights for their material to be used in this manner.
"A good example is Joss Whedon and 20th Century Fox who allowed fans of the sci-fi show Firefly to crowdsource (and crowdfund) a fan film based on that show."

If Facebook Existed In A Galaxy Far Far Away @starwars

2012-01-24T20:17:00.001Z

Pity Leia didn't do the same earlier. Could have saved an awkward moment.

Star Wars Activities Planned Around Phantom Menace Weekend

2012-01-24T20:10:00.003Z

In preparation for the re-release of George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace in 3D, the AMC theater chain has announced a series of exclusive activities and planned giveaways that will take place during opening weekend, Feb. 10-12, at select AMC locations.

For starters, fans who purchase RealD 3D tickets will receive an all-new Hasbro Star Wars Fighter Pod, because toys are – and always have been – an integral part of Lucas’ Star Wars experience. As the release clarifies, Fighter Pods are limited to one per ticket, and are available all weekend long, while supplies last.

Ten AMC locations in major markets also plan on hosting exclusive event screenings on Saturday, Feb. 11, that will be bustling with fan-friendly activities and giveaways.

The 10 participating Star Wars: Episode I theaters are as follows:
Atlanta: AMC Southlake 24
Boston: AMC Loews Liberty Tree Mall 20
Chicago: AMC South Barrington 30
Denver: AMC Highlands Ranch 24
Los Angeles: AMC Tustin 14 at The District; AMC Ontario Mills 30
New York: AMC Empire 25; AMC Garden State 16
Phoenix: AMC Mesa Grand 24
San Francisco: AMC Emeryville Bay Street 16

Activities will begin at 11 a.m. local time, and will include:

· Exclusive Anakin Skywalker Podracer 3D glasses with ticket purchase
· A Hasbro Star Wars FIGHTER PODS collectible toy with RealD 3D ticket purchase
· A LEGO feature area
· Darth Maul face-painting
· Special character appearances for photo opportunities
· Demonstrations of the upcoming Xbox Kinect Star Wars

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Star-Wars-Activities-Planned-Around-Phantom-Menace-Weekend-28997.html

George Lucas's toy story #starwars

2012-01-24T17:00:00.000Z

As we all know, Star Wars revolutionized merchandising for movies, creating a huge secondary income stream for films that no one could have predicted.
  Merchandising had never been successful on that scale before, and now it's a given that whenever a big potential franchise comes together in Hollywood, well, you'd better have the movie finished on time before the toys are on the shelf.

As reported in Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, when George Lucas was making his Star Wars deal with Fox, he asked for the sequel, merchandising and soundtrack rights, which the studio gave up no problem.
Obviously they lost out on a big bonanza, but as former head of Fox Alan Ladd Jr. told me, "When you're making that much in film rentals, you're not unhappy about George filling his coffers with a little more with the merchandising.

"After American Graffiti came out and was such a big hit, George's agent came to me and said, 'Look, instead of additional money, I'd rather have a big slice of the merchandise,'" Ladd continues.   
"We said fine because merchandising had never been anything before. You may have sold a couple of small sharks or Jaws t-shirts, but merchandising was the farthest thing from anybody's mind in terms of moneymaking for anybody."

So how did Lucas know the merchandise would be big money when no one else did? Tom Pollock, who was Lucas's lawyer, says, "This is my take on it, and it's only my take... My take is that George's concern was not with owning all of these things at the time, it wasn't that he had a giant plan to set himself up as an industry and an empire unto himself, I don't think that was all planned out.   
"His concern was, he did plan to tell nine stories, and he did not want sequel rights ending up in studio development hell where he didn't have the ability to get the movie made. And that was really the concern. It wasn't, 'Oh my God, this gonna be so huge, I'm gonna own it and I can make all the money...' I don't think he thought that at all. I think it was more out of fear and distrust of the studios."

Pollock also adds, "When we made the deal for The Empire Strikes Back, the merchandising rights went to Lucasfilm as of the day of release of Empire, and with Fox getting a royalty for having done the first one.
"So all of the original merchandising deals on the movie were actually made by Fox. If you look on the merchandise of the late 70's, you'll see: Copyright and Trademark 20th Century Fox. If you look at the stuff in the 80's, 90's and today, you'll see: Copyright Lucasfilm."

http://www.tgdaily.com/games-and-entertainment-features/60787-george-lucass-toy-story

ILM on Recreating WW2 Dogfights in 'Red Tails' #ilm

2012-01-24T07:50:00.001Z

The special effects wizards at Industrial Light and Magic sat down with The Daily to fill us in on how the realistic World War 2 dogfights in George Lucas' "Red Tails" were created.

Jamie Bell Excited For Peter Jackson's 'Tintin' Sequel

2012-01-23T19:00:00.000Z

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Stars Of Time - Sci-fi Show Sunday 29th July 2012 Weston-super-mare

2012-01-22T13:08:00.001Z

Upcoming event Stars Of Time in Weston-super-mare Somerset. The Bearded Trio will be there and honestly can't wait. Confirmed guests so far

Frazer HinesJamie McCrimmon -
companion to the 2nd Doctor,
The Five Doctors, The Two
Doctors, Emmerdale

Caroline Munro
(Enter our Prize Raffle on the day to
win a Helicopter Flight with Caroline)
The Spy Who Loved Me, The
Golden Voyage of Sinbad,
Dracula A.D., Starcrash,
Captain Kronos - Vampire
Hunter, At the Earth's Core

Shirley EatonGoldfinger (Jill Masterson),
Carry On Nurse, Carry On
Constable, The Blood of Fu
Manchu, The Saint

We'll keep you updated as more guests are confirmed but this is going to be huge. Click here to go to the website http://www.starsoftime.co.uk

Stars Of Time 29th July 2012.

2011 Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year goes to Star Wars: The Old Republic

2012-01-22T12:00:00.002Z

Every year there are two or three highly anticipated games released with massive hype and record-setting expectations. Most times these games fall completely flat when it comes to game accessibility, but this year one game set itself apart by including a fair amount of accessibility at launch while still meeting the public's expectations for an amazing game.

AbleGamers is proud to announce the 2011 Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year goes to Star Wars: The Old Republic. With over 1 million subscriptions sold before the paint even dried on the collector’s edition boxes, SWTOR quickly became one of the most popular MMO RPGs on the market today.
This game performed strongly against most of our accessibility tests while still maintaining a fun environment for those who enjoy solo or group play. Perhaps one of the most unintentionally accessibility features turned out to be the addition of companions. These NPC characters which accompany the player through most of the game provide support to those who need it without forcing them to request help from other players. Companions are an integral part of the crafting game as all crafting and some resource gathering is actually done by the companions themselves allowing those who wish to be more social and less lethal to still participate in this cutting into game.
SWTOR also features many accessibility options such as full subtitles, queue-able actions, multiple action bars, area looting, auto looting, and built-in mouse sensitivity. Other built-in features such as automatically turning to face the monster you are killing, mini map colors being colorblind friendly, full subtitles, and the ability to control the entire game from the keyboard or with the mouse, only increase the reasons to herald this game as a success for game accessibility.
The developers do have room for improvement by adding features such as click to move, close captioning, and the inclusion of mods to allow things like UI movement, text size changes, and small changes deemed necessary by the player base. However, with Star Wars enabling the ability to use on-screen keyboards, voice activation software, and mouse sensitivity settings, the game can be forgiven for a few shortcomings while hitting the major targets.
What makes this game so special is that the developers took the time to include so many accessibility options while up against tight deadlines in such a highly anticipated title. The AbleGamers Foundation is proud to present BioWare and LucasArts with the 2011 Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year Award. Congratulations to all the developers who helped shape the accessibility of this wonderful game.

read more at http://www.ablegamers.com/game-news/2011-ablegamers-mainstream-game-of-the-year.html

Box Office Report - 'Red Tails' Flies With $6 Mil

2012-01-22T11:49:00.003Z

Screen Gems' Underworld: Awakening and George Lucas' Red Tails are fueling a strong weekend at the domestic box office, which could be up as much as 30 percent over last year despite bad weather in the Midwest and East.

Underworld Awakening, the fourth outing in the Kate Beckinsale vampire-werewolf franchise, grossed $9.4 million on Friday, benefiting from being released in 3D and IMAX runs. The horror action pic is course to gross $23 million to $24 million for the weekend -- better than two of the three previous titles.

PHOTOS: 'Underworld: Awakening' Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals

Threequel Underworld: Rise of the Lycons debuted to $20.7 million in January 2009, a franchise low. The original Underworld opened to $21.8 mllion, followed by $26.9 million for sequel Underworld: Evolution.

Awakening, co-produced by Screen Gems and Lakeshore Entertainment for $70 million, also opens in a number of overseas markets this weekend.

Fully financed and produced by George Lucas, Red Tails grossed a better than expected $6 million on Friday for a projected $16 million weekend. Fox is distributing the movie, which came in No. 2 behind Awakening.

Red Tails, about the Tuskegee Airman during World War II, received a glowing A CinemaScore. Awakening and Warner Bros.' Extremely Loud & Incrediby Close, which is expanding nationwide this weekend, both received an A- CinemaScore.

Lucas spent 20 years pursuing the project, and recently revealed he couldn't get any studio to finance the film ecause of an all-black cast. He finally decided to put up the money himself, and spent $58 million on the production budget and another $35 in distribution costs. Lucas produced with Rick McCallum.

The cast of Red Tails includes Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard. Recently, the producers and cast were recently at the White House for special screening of the film, along with director Anthony Hemingway.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/underworld-4-red-tails-haywire-extremely-loud-box-office-283766

Getting Spielberg's War Horse ready for his close-up

2012-01-22T01:00:00.000Z

The equine artistic adviser on Steven Spielberg's War Horse film talks about her work with the movie's four-legged stars.

No film set is complete without the diligent hair and make-up personnel who take pains to ensure the actors are ready for their close-ups.
On Steven Spielberg's War Horse, though, it was not just the human cast members who were groomed for the camera.
With no fewer than 14 different animals sharing the role of "hero" horse Joey, the team to which "equine artistic adviser" Ali Bannister belonged had their work cut out.
That number was further swelled by the hundreds of other beasts that were required to bring this epic adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel to the screen.
"Equine hair and make-up normally gets a laugh," says Bannister, a UK artist whose drawings of Joey are featured in the film. "It sounds such a comic title."
In her own words: "We are the people with the really big animals and the really tiny brushes."
It was Bannister's job to ensure the distinctive, cross-like white marking on Joey's forehead remained consistent, regardless of which horse was playing him.
"We also had to have artificial hair-pieces made up, to show all of Joey's different ages," she adds.

Tom Brook reports from the film's New York premiere

More often than not, though, her most familiar accessories while out on location in Dartmoor were pots of specially designed mud, used to make the film's elaborate World War I battle scenes look authentically filthy.
"Real mud tends to look grey on camera, so we would have to mix up large quantities of pigment, mud and a Vaseline-like product," she explains.
"Eventually, through testing, we narrowed it down to three different shades.
"We would start at 5am with mining lamps on our heads, distressing the horses with mud and ash," she continues.
"In some scenes we might have up to 80 horses, so it would be like a factory line."
So how did the animals cope with the constant attention?

"There were 14 horses playing Joey and they would all have their good days and bad days.

"Some of the horses were like teenagers - they'd be fine for a while but then would start to whinge.
"But others we thought would be less patient would just stand there like saints. One horse was so relaxed, he tried to go to sleep."
Chaos and carnage
Following the relationship of a Devon farm lad and his beloved steed as they are caught up in the Great War's chaos and carnage, War Horse finds Spielberg working on a large and spectacular canvas.
Bannister, though, admits her close relationship with the horses means she has yet to give in totally to the Oscar-nominated director's assured storytelling.
"I can't switch off while I'm watching the film," she laughs. "I'm like, 'JJ! Abraham! Roger! Finder!'
"They're all so different that you have to elbow me in the ribs to stop me shouting their names out."

Bannister has since painted a picture of 'Joey' that now hangs in a village hall in Devon

Yet Bannister has one more connection to the War Horse story that will have an ongoing relevance to fans of Morpurgo's novel.
The author asked her to produce a real version of the fictional horse painting referred to in the book's opening pages.
"I had never painted in oils before but I was too excited to tell him," reveals the artist, whose work now hangs proudly in the village hall of Iddesleigh in Devon.
"Ali Bannister did this wonderful picture of Joey and she was there to see it unveiled," says Morpurgo, whose novel inspired a hit stage show prior to its current incarnation.
"It is exactly how it is described in the book, so it is now a completely convincing lie."
War Horse is out in the UK on 13 January.

Crowdsourced @StarWars Uncut Completed, Now Available To Watch Online For Free

2012-01-21T11:15:00.000Z

Finally, the crowd-sourced project has been stitched together and put online for your streaming pleasure. The "Director's Cut" is a feature-length film that contains hand-picked scenes from the entire StarWarsUncut.com collection.

Many thanks to Aaron Valdez (video editor - http://www.aaronvaldez.com) and Bryan Pugh (sound design/mixing - http://www.pughtube.com) for the countless hours they put into this masterpiece.

The Story:

In 2009, Casey Pugh asked thousands of Internet users to remake "Star Wars: A New Hope" into a fan film, 15 seconds at a time. Contributors were allowed to recreate scenes from Star Wars however they wanted. Within just a few months SWU grew into a wild success. The creativity that poured into the project was unimaginable.

SWU has been featured in documentaries, news features and conferences around the world for its unique appeal. In 2010 we won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media.

We can't thank everyone enough for making this such a special project.

Vodafone RED Box: No need for Jedi training featuring @StarWars Yoda

2012-01-21T11:06:00.000Z

New Vodafone UK TV ad featuring Jedi Master Yoda. The ad focuses on RED Box, a service that automatically transfers contacts and content from your old phone to your new one. Yoda tries to use his power to help a couple with the daunting task of transferring numbers to the husband's new smartphone, but, he soon realises that the Force is not needed, as Vodafone's new RED Box service has already solved the problem.

The TV spot has been produced by a team at Lucasfilm's renowned San Francisco-based visual effects facility ILM (Industrial Light & Magic), with Tom Kane voicing Yoda's CGI character.

Rango - ILM Tour

2012-01-21T01:00:00.000Z

Come along with EPIX as we get an exclusive tour of George Lucas' visual effects mecca, Industrial Light and Magic. Senior Animator, Shawn Kelly, shows us what life is like for those behind the creation of famous creatures and new worlds at ILM. To be honest just seeing the reception would take me about two hours to tour before moving on to the other places. Amazing place.

Universal CityWalk New Years Eve Tilt-Shift Time-lapse 2012

2012-01-20T01:00:00.000Z

Universal CityWalk "rocks" in 2012 with one of the West Coast's largest New Year's Eve celebrations. Check out the day from beginning to end! Look out for the Jurassic Parking...

Star Wars: The Old Republic announces Founder title

2012-01-19T18:52:00.004Z

Users who have subscribed to and been billed at least once for Star Wars: The Old Republic during its first few months will receive a Founder title along with a Founder's Medal as a thank you for their early adoption of the MMO.
In order to receive the medal and title, players must first purchase Star Wars: The Old Republic and redeem their official Game Product Registration Code.
Then by March 18, 9:01PM PST they must either be billed at least once for an active subscription to the game or redeem a Star Wars: The Old Republic Game Time Code.
Eligible users will find their Founder's medal in an in-game email, at which point you will unlock the Founder title which will be permanently bound to your account and any character you make in the future.
BioWare warns it can take up to seven days for the title to apply.
This news comes just after the first major content patch for the game was released, following a slight delay due to further bug fixes.

http://www.videogamer.com/pc/star_wars_the_old_republic/news/star_wars_the_old_republic_announces_founder_title.html

Family Moving Into "Up" Replica House in Utah

2012-01-19T01:00:00.000Z

A California family is moving into a Utah house modeled after the home featured in the animated movie "Up."

A moving company is helping self-described Disney and Pixar fanatics Clinton and Lynette Hamblin of Petaluma move into the $400,000 home in Herriman, Utah, on Saturday.

The Hamblins say they were searching for a home in California that was similar to the colorful cottage seen in the movie when they heard about the Disney-approved "Up" house in Utah.

Builder Adam Bangerter has said the blueprints for the house were drawn based entirely on details found in the popular movie. Much of the home had to be custom-designed.

The house has a stenciled front lawn mailbox, a vibrant exterior paints and colorful murals inside that make it immediately recognizable to "Up" fans.

Industry Veterans Reopen Legendary ILM Soundstage

2012-01-18T20:11:00.002Z

A group of former employees of ILM and Kerner Optical announced the launch of a new VFX/production company – 32TEN Studios, which will be based at the former site of ILM, at 3210 Kerner Boulevard in San Rafael, Calif.. The new venture will be employee owned, and will be headed by industry veterans Tim Partridge, who will serve as president, and Greg Maloney who will serve as COO.

The company will re-open the legendary soundstage built by ILM, making it available for rent to all Bay-area producers for film/TV/commercial and multi-media projects. The stage is approximately 6,000 square feet, and boasts a 20-foot high, two-wall covered green screen.
Many of the most famous motion pictures of all time were produced in part on this stage, beginning with The Empire Strikes Back, and continuing with The Return of the Jedi, the Back to the Future trilogy, the Pirates of the Caribbean films, War of the Worlds, Indiana Jones 4, Transformers and Terminator Salvation.
Adjacent to the soundstage is the 32TEN Theatre, a 138-seat, state-of-the-art screening room, which will also be available for clients along with wardrobe, makeup and production offices.
32TEN Studios will also offer fabrication services from full sets to models and miniatures, drawing on the talent of the many model makers and special effects technicians that live in the area who were formerly part of the ILM model shop.
A complete CG pipeline will additionally be available to complete the practical shots.

From left: Anthony Shafer, stereographer; Scott Smith, technology; Geoff Heron, practical FX supervisor; Nick d'Abo, model supervisor; Vince De Quattro, VFX; Greg Maloney, COO; Tim Partridge: president; Marty Rosenberg: DP; Marty Brenneis, technology; Sean House, props, and Greg Beaumonte, camera engineering.

“32TEN Studios is a collaborative venture – one that will hopefully attract other service providers and filmmakers in need of a vibrant location for their projects,” said Partridge. “We wanted to make this unique stage available to everyone and also provide a placed where the uniquely talented artists in the area can come together and create amazing work.”
“We want to build a creative community around this once legendary site, where many of us got our start in the industry,” said Maloney.
Before his role overseeing the practical effects and 3D Technology units at Kerner, Partridge served for over 20 years as a key executive at Dolby Laboratories where he was a key player in the introduction of Dolby Digital and led the development of Dolby 3D.
Prior to co-founding 32TEN Studios, Maloney was a stereographer and lead compositor with Robert Zemeckis‘ ImageMovers Digital company. During this time, he was involved with the feature films Disney‘s A Christmas Carol and Mars Needs Moms. From 1989-2007, Maloney worked in house with ILM as a compositing supervisor, and earlier as a CG supervisor and a compositor.

from
http://www.btlnews.com/crafts/post-production/industry-veterans-reopen-legendary-ilm-soundstage/

Vodafone UK has announced that it has signed @StarWars character Yoda to appear in its adverts.

2012-01-18T20:08:00.000Z

The 900-year-old Jedi Master will star in a number of TV ads to showcase Vodafone's innovative new services to ensure that customers get the smartphone that suits them, are able to use it right from the start and then have the confidence to experiment with all its new functions and apps. The first ad premieres on Channel 4 between 8pm and 9pm tomorrow night. The TV adis supported by a major outdoor and digital campaign that showcases services including RED Box, Data Test Drive, Tech Team and Buyback.
The 60-second launch TV advert focuses on RED Box, a service that automatically transfers contents from an old phone to a new handset. Yoda is seen enthusiastically attempting to use his power to help a couple with the daunting task of transferring numbers to the husband's new smartphone. However, he soon realises that the Force is not needed, as Vodafone's new RED Box service has already solved the problem.
Each TV spot has been produced by a team at Lucasfilm's renowned San Francisco-based visual effects facility ILM (Industrial Light & Magic), with Tom Kane voicing Yoda's CGI character.
Danielle Crook, Director of Brand Marketing, Vodafone UK, said: "These small things can mean the world to our customers - it's why we have developed a range of simple services to help them feel confidently connected on the go. The campaign with Yoda shows that you don't need to be a Jedi Master to unlock the power of mobile internet."

BioWare Unleashes Mass Effect 3 Demo February 14

2012-01-18T20:05:00.000Z

Award-winning developer BioWare, a label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA), announced today that the demo for 2012's first blockbuster game, Mass Effect™ 3 will be available beginning February 14, 2012. The extensive demo will allow players to experience the all-out galactic war against an ancient alien race known as the Reapers from multiple fronts, including the mind-blowing opening attack on Earth that kicks off the single-player campaign. Players will go deeper into the campaign and also get a taste of the franchise's new co-operative multiplayer mode as they preview the epic story, adrenaline-pumping action and deep customization options that lie ahead when Mass Effect 3 launches on March 6, 2012. The Mass Effect 3 demo will be available for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC. Mass Effect 3 will also be one of the first pre-launch demos to support full voice recognition functionality on Kinect™ for Xbox 360.
"We are excited to be able to give gamers an expansive demo that will put them right on the front lines of this all-out galactic war," said Casey Hudson, Executive Producer of the Mass Effect series. "The entire scale of the game is bigger than anything we've ever done. With its intense action, deep customization and raw emotional power, Mass Effect 3 will deliver a spectacular action RPG experience to fans of the series and newcomers alike."
In Mass Effect 3, players will be thrust into an all-out galactic war to take Earth back and save the entire galaxy, assuming the role of Commander Shepard, a war-torn veteran who's willing to do whatever it takes to eliminate this nearly unstoppable foe. With a team of elite, battle-hardened soldiers at your side, each player decides how they will take Earth back, from the weapons and abilities they utilize to the relationships they forge or break. Mass Effect 3 also features a new co-operative gameplay mode that allows fans to experience the war from a different perspective. Players who want to try this new mode will be able to do so on February 17, or by qualifying for early access to the co-op portion of the demo which begins February 14. Gamers qualify for early access if they have activated their Battlefield 3™ online pass* or though other opportunities that will be announced in the near future www.masseffect.com.
Recently named by over 100 outlets around the world as one of the most anticipated games of 2012, including winning the fan-voted Most Anticipated Game of 2012 award at the Spike TV VGAs, Mass Effect 3 is available for pre-order now at participating retailers. Fans who pre-order** have the opportunity to arm themselves with cutting-edge in-game weapons and armor to prepare for the all-out galactic war. Mass Effect 3 arrives on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in North America on March 6, 2012 and in Europe on March 9, 2012. For more information on Mass Effect 3, please visit http://masseffect.com, follow the game on Twitter at http://twitter.com/masseffect or "like" the game on Facebook at http://facebook.com/masseffect.

George Lucas: Whats the point of making more Star Wars? I just get yelled at.

2012-01-18T08:07:00.001Z

During an interview with Collider where George Lucas hinted at retirement he also weighed in on the criticisms he received from the fanboys over the "Star Wars" special editions and prequels. He said, "On the internet, all those same guys that are complaining I made a change are completely changing the movie. I'm saying, 'Fine. But my movie, with my name on it, that says I did it, needs to be the way I want it'." Asked if he might make more "Star Wars" film, he claimed, "Why would I make any more, when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?"

George Lucas to Retire From Blockbuster Filmmaking After 'Red Tails'

2012-01-18T08:05:00.003Z

George Lucas announced that he is ready to retire from the blockbuster filmmaking. The helmer of the "Star Wars" film series revealed to New York Times that after finishing his 20-year passion project "Red Tails", which will be released on January 20, he plans to follow his friend Francis Ford Coppola's footsteps in the small movie filmmaking.

"I'm retiring," claimed the founder and chairman of LucasFilm. "I'm moving away from the business, from the company, from all this kind of stuff." He explained that "Red Tails" will be his last big-budget movie, though he was careful to leave himself an out clause for "Indiana Jones V".

Lucas' long-time producing partner at Lucasfilm, Rick McCallum, chimed in, "Once this ['Red Tails'] is finished, he's done everything he's ever wanted to do. He will have completed his task as a man and a filmmaker."

In a recent interview with Collider, McCallum also said, " 'Red Tails' is the last of all the films that he ever said [he wanted to make]. He started 23 years ago on 'Red Tails' and now he has fulfilled everything he set out to do, which no...very few filmmakers ever get an opportunity to do."

"He's done everything that he actually wanted and planned to do, including more 'American Graffiti', including the revised version of ['THX 1138']," he continued. "He got to be able to do everything that he actually wanted to do."

http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00047007.html

EARTHQUAKE Soundtrack Score Suite (John Williams)

2012-01-18T02:00:00.000Z

War Horse charges to top of UK box office chart

2012-01-17T19:59:00.002Z

Steven Spielberg's War Horse has galloped to the top of the UK and Ireland box office chart in its opening weekend.

The big-screen adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's book took £3.94m, more than double its closest rival, Margaret Thatcher biopic The Iron Lady.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows fell one spot to three in its fifth week.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol ended its three-week reign at the top, falling three places to four.
The Hollywood re-imagining of Stieg Larsson's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo completed a strong top 5, where all the films took more than £1 million each.

Sci-fi horror film The Darkest Hour was the highest new entry in the chart at six, while Golden Globe-winning The Artist rose one place to seven.

The silent film averaged £6,148 at the 112 cinemas it was shown at. Comparatively, The Iron Lady took an average £3,238 across 460 screens.
Animated films Alvin and Chipmunks: Chipwrecked and Puss In Boots slipped down the chart to eight and nine.
While sex-addiction film Shame, starring Michael Fassbender, entered the chart at 10 with £535,288 - averaging £4,696 across 114 screens.

Spielberg to produce Jurassic Park 4

2012-01-17T19:57:00.004Z

Steven Spielberg has confirmed he will not be directing 'Jurassic Park 4'.
The 'War Horse' director - who helmed the first two stories in the dinosaur movie series - will be returning for the mooted fourth instalment, but only in the capacity of producer.
He said: 'I don't want to talk about 'Jurassic Park 4' yet - it's too early - but I can tell you that I'm not directing it. I'm producing it though.'
Steven also confirms his forthcoming adaptation of Daniel H. Wilson's 'Robopocalypse' will be a 'big popcorn movie', but does not want to confirm too many details about the project.
He added at a press conference in Paris: 'I'm making a science fiction movie probably in September called 'Robopocalypse' because on Daniel Wilson's book. It's a cautionary tale about war between human beings and robots. It's a big crowd pleaser, I think, a big action popcorn movie with a message.
'I have a couple of other plans which I don't want to go into because they're too far out of the horizon.'

‘War Horse’ Sound Tricks: Ice Skates for Bullets and Other Trade Secrets

2012-01-17T01:30:00.000Z

Box office-wise, the surprise winner of the holiday season was “War Horse,” Steven Spielberg’s military epic. With an absence of recognizable stars -– save perhaps, for the horse -– the film’s appeal is in the very filmmaking: Mr. Spielberg’s own style, of course, and that of frequent collaborators like the Oscar-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski and the sound designer Gary Rydstrom, who has won Oscars for “Saving Private Ryan,” “Titanic,” “Jurassic Park” and more.In his long career Mr. Rydstrom has worked on “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” “Terminator 2” and “Spaceballs.” But he had never done a World War I movie, and, sonically, the prospect excited him.
“World War I has a specific sound to it,” he said. “I thought the tanks and the guns should sound more primitive, unrefined. In World War II, the guns weren’t as clattery, the artillery didn’t make as much of a whistle when they came in, the tanks probably had more oil in them. The movie is about the historical clash when the old ways of war met the new ways -– cavalry vs. machine guns.”

Skywalker SoundThe sound crew actually plowed land (Skywalker Ranch, in this case) for the farming scenes in “War Horse.”

He did research but, he said, “there aren’t too many people around who remember what World War I sounded like.” For Mr. Rydstrom this proved extra-delectable because he got to make it up. “You are always going to hear a lot more than you’re going to see if you’re in the middle of the battle, and when I talk to people who have been in the middle of battle, a lot of their memories were about the sounds of war,” he told the Bagger in a recent phone interview from his office at Skywalker Studios in California. “For this movie, I tried to imagine what the iconic sounds of war would be, from the horse’s point of view or soldier’s point of view.”
Among the instruments he used to recreate these sounds: swarms of bees, ice skates, copper bowls, gallon water bottles and a vacuum cleaner.

“What I usually do, out of laziness, is I do a lot of my recording around my house,” he said. “The golden rule of sound design is, it doesn’t matter what a sound really it is, it matters how it works in the movie, how it makes you feel. It doesn’t matter that it’s a vacuum cleaner.”
Of course, there are moments of realism. The sound for a pivotal early scene in the movie involved actually plowing Skywalker Ranch (it sits on 5,000 acres in Marin County), using a borrowed old-fashioned plow and two plowhorses. “The moment of success, the plow dipping on the dirt, there’s now this smooth yet heavy and extremely satisfying sound, that was a wonderful day that we spent recording plowing on every possibly angle,” Mr. Rydstrom said. But they also needed the sound of a plow stalling. So they pulled it themselves.
“I just want to point out how dedicated the sound crew was,” Mr. Rydstrom said.
Here, a glossary of other effects in the distinctive soundscape in “War Horse.”
Bullet whizzing by: The “bullet-by” is what sound guys call it, Mr. Rydstrom said, and for that effect he went Winter Olympics: “If you do quick turns in ice skating or skiing, you get that ripping sound,” he said. “We extract those and maybe do a little Doppler effect on them.”
Bullet-by of artillery missiles: “We used a string bow across a copper bowl to make these weird metallic sounds,” Mr. Rydstrom said. “I was in a weird artillery missile frame of mind. There is a classic artillery whistle that we did put in, but Spielberg is such a connoisseur of classic movie sound, there’s a classic artillery whistle that he remembered from ‘Paths of Glory’ that we had to emulate.”
Horse stampede in a cavalry scene: “There’s such a rumble on a mass of cavalry, it’s hard to record literally that. The first thing you do is record things like horses on racetracks. We’d put recorders on jockeys – there’s a local racetrack here in the East Bay that’s sort of horses with carts. You could go in the pace car or something, you could get a real straight-on recording of a group of horses galloping. We also recorded cattle being moved. For the really low end, we can use deep, almost rumbly explosive stuff – I’ve had a sound for years of glaciers breaking apart. It was useful as horses galloping and as a distant artillery sound.”
Incoming shell: “That’s one of the scariest sounds in war to me, knowing that a shell is coming in to explode near you. I recorded my vacuum cleaner. I was vacuuming my stairs and if you vacuum in the crack of the stairs in the carpet, it makes this crazy whoosh. This happens to sound people all time, you’re doing something mundane one day and you hear this great sound. My wife has long thought I’m crazy; she probably had to be quiet for a few hours while I recorded a vacuum cleaner. The cracks of my stairs are so clean now.”
The star horses, Joey and Topthorn: “Our first instinct as a sound man is, if I just take a walrus and an otter, and speed them up, it’ll make a great Joey vocal! Spielberg tried to warn against that. He wanted the horses to sound like horses. [So no otters or walruses were used.] We recorded many, many horses to find the voice for Joey. My favorite was miniature horses. They sound different, they have a different emotional range – they’re a little closer to dogs. We have to make a library of different horse vocals and start categorizing them into different emotions. We had to record horses in veterinary hospitals that were sick or coming out of anesthesia. My wife has a horse, her horse makes this weird teeth grind, we used it all through the movie. I use it as a tender friendly sound between Joey and Albert,” the boy played by Jeremy Irvine.
The sound editor Teresa Eckton specializes in creature vocals, Mr. Rydstrom continued. “She cut Chewbacca. She and I would look at a scene and we would talk about it as if working with an actor or working with an animator. So we would talk about what was going on in the horse’s mind. It’s like ‘Inside the Actor’s Studio’ – what is the horse’s goal? You need action verbs to describe what the horse is going through. It was good to decide separately Joey and Topthorn, where their minds were at. We started to build piece by piece, breath by breath, to make a horse vocal come alive. It was the most intricate and difficult thing to do, to make the horses believable and have character.”
Tanks: “I have the old-fashioned push mower with no engine. I’m mowing the lawn and I hear this clattery thing – you slow that down and record it really close, it’s perfect for a tank.”
Trenches: “Trenches for World War I are key. I tried to find the claustrophobic sound of being in a trench. If you take one of those big water bottles and you blow over the top of it, and you loop it and you slow it down, it makes this steady howl. So we used that. Again, the sounds of your household can be immensely satisfying.”
For those wondering how Mr. Rydstrom got his start, he said he went to film school: “The fundamental irony of my career is that I got interested in film because I loved silent film.”

from http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/war-horse-sound-tricks-otters-stand-in-for-horses-and-other-trade-secrets/

The Clone Wars season 5 confirmed

2012-01-16T18:08:00.000Z

Dave Filoni, supervising director of the animated Star Wars spin-off The Clone Wars, has confirmed that a fifth season will be coming our way.

Through Facebook, Filoni was discussing the return of Death Watch, a rather nasty splinter group of Mandalorian warriors, to the award-winning show's most recent episode. The Mandalorians first appeared in The Clone Wars back in season two (Boba Fett wore Mandalorian armour, in case you didn't know). He told fans:

"I hope you all enjoy the episode tonight. I think the Death Watch has gotten significantly cooler, and we are going to build on that next season."

In an audacious piece of casting, Battlestar Gallactica's Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck) voices the deadly Bo-Katan in the aforementioned episode, A Friend In Need, which aired in the US on Friday. Filoni also explained that her character will return in the next season adding that a preview of what's to come will be shown at Celebration VI (the official Star Wars convention) in August.

http://www.denofgeek.com/television/1205721/star_wars_the_clone_wars_season_5_confirmed.html

GOLDEN GLOBES: Steven Spielberg's Tintin wins

2012-01-16T18:05:00.000Z

Steven Spielberg accepts the Golden Globe for The Adventures of Tintin after it wins best animated feature film. . Report by Katie Lamborn. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/theshowbiz411 and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/theshowbiz411

Why War Horse owes its existence to Desert Island Discs

2012-01-16T01:00:00.000Z

It is the entertainment success story of recent years: the children's book that became a stage hit and now a film by Steven Spielberg.

But as the Hollywod production of War Horse receives its royal premiere, few realise that the phenomenon owes its existence to Rosemary Morris, a retired doctor from Essex, and an episode of Desert Island Discs.

Author Michael Morpurgo was a castaway on the Radio 4 programme one Sunday in 2004. Dr Morris had never heard of him but was so enthralled by his life story that she went out to buy his books.

One was War Horse, a modest-selling children’s story that had been published 22 years previously and was fading into obscurity.

Dr Morris’s son, Tom, was then associate director of the National Theatre. And when he mentioned that he was looking for an animal story to turn into a stage production, Dr Morris knew just the thing.

Speaking for the first time about her role in the War Horse journey, the modest Dr Morris, 76, said: “So much of it is down to chance — if I hadn’t listened to Desert Island Discs, if Tom hadn’t been looking for something with animals, if Michael Morpurgo hadn’t written the book – that it’s really not something I can take any credit for.

“Tom was the one with the vision. But he does like to say it was found by me.”
Speaking from the family home near Manningtree, Essex, Dr Morris added: “I had never heard of Michael Morpurgo because I didn’t have grandchildren at the time and my children were grown up.
"But his life story was quite amazing. I thought, 'Golly, this is so interesting', and I thought I should get his books. So I went to my wonderful local bookshop, Red Lion Books in Colchester, and bought four or five.”
She went on: “Tom came down for the weekend and I knew he had been looking for something for the Handspring Puppet Company to do. I don’t remember actually saying, 'What about War Horse?’ although that’s what has gone down in history and Tom says I did.
"And that was the very beginning of a long process – workshops and rehearsals and a huge effort. I don’t think anybody knew until the first night how well it would do.”
The show opened at the National in 2007, with Handspring’s life-sized horse puppets, and was an instant hit.
Dr Morris also has a family link to Morpurgo’s story: her grandfather requisitioned horses for the First World War effort, the fate that befalls Joey in War Horse.
Reflecting on the success of the play, Dr Morris said: “The really important thing about it is that so many people have been to the theatre who would never have been otherwise. It showed you don’t have to have the perfect proscenium to make good theatre – you can just use your imagination.
"It also demonstrates the importance of subsidised theatre because they would never have been able to spend so much time developing it if it hadn't been subsidised."
Morpurgo, the former Children’s Laureate, said: “I can’t really claim any of the credit for the theatre adaptation of War Horse. It was Tom Morris’s mother who originally discovered my book.”
In his Desert Island Discs interview, Morpurgo recounted his unusual life story. He was a toddler when his father, the Canadian actor Tony van Bridge, left the family home. Morpurgo did not see him again until, aged 19, he saw Magwitch in a BBC serialisation of Great Expectations.
The author said: “Up from behind this gravestone reared this terrible figure and my mother grasped me by the arm and said, 'Oh my God, that’s your father'.
"The first time I saw my father was as a convict in Great Expectations. It was traumatic, really."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/8998747/Why-War-Horse-owes-its-existence-to-Desert-Island-Discs.html

War horse Star Trek style Worf Horse

2012-01-15T20:29:00.001Z

Steven Spielberg reveals 'Tintin' sequel details

2012-01-15T17:48:00.000Z

Although The Adventures of Tintin hasn’t made much money in America, it’s been raking it in abroad. In fact, according to Box Office Mojo, it’s made over four times as much money in foreign sales as it has domestically. So it’s not surprising that, on a French press tour to promote the movie, filmmaker demigod and Tintin director Steven Spielberg was chattily bullish about the future of the franchise. According to Collider, Spielberg claimed that his co-producer Peter Jackson will start shooting Tintin Part Deux this year: “When he’s done shooting The Hobbit, he’ll begin his performance capture work with the actors later in 2012.”

Spielberg noted that the screenplay is currently being written for the sequel. English author-screenwriter Anthony Horowitz told the BBC in November that he’d initially written a screenplay based on the Tintin volume Prisoners of the Sun, but that plans for the sequel had shifted. Spielberg played coy about which Tintin chapters would be adapted: “It’s more than one book, but it’s not three books, so that means it’s two books. It’s two and a half books that we’re combining with The Secret of the Unicorn.”

More intriguingly, Spielberg concluded his Tintin talk by looking even further into the future: “I’m hoping I’ll be able to direct the third one. I’d love to do the third one because I had so much fun on the first one.”

Earlier plans had indicated that Spielberg and Jackson would either codirect a third film or hand it over to a new filmmaker. Looks like those plans have changed. Still, it takes years to make a Tintin movie, and Spielberg and Jackson both have busy dance cards, so don’t be surprised if Tintin 2 comes out right around the same time as Avatar: Just the Blue of Us.

Spielberg won't direct Jurassic Park 4

2012-01-15T15:42:00.001Z

Acclaimed director Steven Spielberg has said he will produce the fourth instalment of "Jurassic Park" but won't helm the sci-fi thriller.

The filmmaker helmed 1993 blockbuster "Jurassic Park" and its 1997 follow-up "The Lost World: Jurassic Park". He also produced "Jurassic Park III", which was released in 2001.

"I don't want to talk about 'Jurassic Park 4' yet - it's too early - but I can tell you that I'm not directing it. I'm producing it though," the 65-year-old told collider.com.

Harry Potter director Chris Columbus to write children's fantasy books

2012-01-15T15:38:00.000Z

Harry Potter director Chris Columbus. Photograph: Murdo Macleod

After directing and producing the first two Harry Potter films, Hollywood VIP Chris Columbus is now set to unleash his own fantasy adventure series for children on the world of books.
Columbus, who began his career by writing Gremlins and Goonies and also produced the third Potter film, has signed a deal with HarperCollins to write a trilogy of fantasy children's books, House of Secrets, together with co-author Ned Vizzini. The books will follow the adventures of the Pagett siblings, who move into the former house of a "troubled fantasy writer with a penchant for the occult" after their father loses his job, and then embark on a quest "to retrieve a dark book of untold power, uncover the Pagett family's secret history and save their parents … and maybe even the world".
"I'm not presumptuous enough to say, 'We're going to take over the Potter series', but I got to see firsthand how that series affected kids and how it got so many hundreds of thousands of kids into reading," Columbus told Entertainment Weekly. "You hope for just a section of that in terms of being able to inspire kids to read. And that's really one of the themes of the book – that reading is essential to your development as a child and as an eventual adult. That really has inspired us in moving forward. So I look at it primarily as working first and foremost as a novel."
The director said he decided to work with the young adult novelist Vizzini on the series because, with his film commitments, he "couldn't really devote 12 hours a day every day to writing [so] I wanted to find a co-writer, someone I could bounce ideas back and forth with, and basically bounce chapters back and forth".
US publisher Alessandra Balzer said the House of Secrets series "has all the hallmarks of a new classic", describing it as "an incredibly imaginative adventure with clever plot twists and nonstop action—not to mention a family that readers will immediately fall in love with". The first book will be published around the world in spring 2013.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jan/09/harry-potter-chris-columbus-fantasy-books?newsfeed=true

Raiders fan recreates Lucas's Lost Ark from cinema's Lost Archives

2012-01-15T01:00:00.000Z

Shot-by-shot comparison of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" vs. scenes from 30 different adventure films made between 1919-1973.

A True and dedicated Indiana Jones fan there.

Indiana Jones Desperately Needed A Beer

2012-01-14T21:25:00.000Z


Indiana Jones And The Friday Night Beer

Star Wars 3D release to be celebrated by virtual Podrace

2012-01-14T17:50:00.003Z

Star Wars fans will tomorrow celebrate the release of Star Wars: Episode 1 in 3D with a virtual Podrace.
Celebrities such as Boba Fett actor Daniel Logan and The Clone Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi James Arnold Taylor will compete in the race, with commentary appearing on the @starwars Twitter feed using the hashtag #Podrace.
Twitter users can also join in by deciding what character they are representing, such as a Pit Droid crewmember, audience member or concession stand employee.
The race takes place as 11am Pacific Time tomorrow.

Stars pick their favourite Steven Spielberg movies

2012-01-14T17:46:00.003Z

As Steven Spielberg celebrated 40 years as a director, Digital Spy asks fellow directors and actors to choose their favourite one of his movies.

Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace 3D Movie Posters

2012-01-14T17:36:00.002Z

Episode 1 3D Poster 1

Episode 1 3D Poster 2

Episode 1 3D Poster 3

Episode 1 3D Poster 4

Episode 1 3D Poster 5

George Lucas is amongst the top donators to charity. #georgelucas

2012-01-14T17:31:00.001Z

Bosses at non-profit organisation The Giving Back Fund have compiled their fifth annual Giving Back 30 list, which honours the stars who have handed out the largest donations to charity.

At the top of the poll is American actress Jami Gertz, who has helped donate a huge $10 million (£6.2 million) through her husband Ressler Gertz's foundation.

Generous George

At number three is troubled star Mel Gibson, with $6 million (£3.7 million) in charity handouts. Lucas is fourth and Streep is at eight, with $4.2 million (£2.6 million) and $2 million (£1.25 million) respectively.

Other big hearted stars include Jerry Seinfeld ($1.7 million/£1.06 million), Barbra Streisand ($1.5 million/£900,000), Matthew MCConaughey ($1.5 million/£900,000), Alec Baldwin ($1 million/£625,000) and Sandra Bullock ($1 million/£625,000).

Source - http://www.contactmusic.com/news/mel-gibson-meryl-streep-lucas-among-hollywoods-most-generous_1283368

Spielberg turns down Colombian sweetheart Paola Turbay

2012-01-14T02:00:00.000Z

Directing giant Stephen Spielberg has turned down Colombia's former beauty queen and newest Hollywood wannabe Paola Turbay in his new TV series for being "too beautiful," according to Colombian gossip site Sweet.
Turbay, still riding high on being crowned Miss Colombia 21 years ago, was allegedly in casting talks to play the role of a doctor in Spielberg's new TV series, when the director reportedly decided she was too beautiful to play the character.
Interestingly, Turbay found no such resistance in being cast as a local hairdresser in her first feature film "Mama, eat the soup" ("Mama tomate la sopa"), released in Colombian late last year.

http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news-lite/people/21355-spielberg-turns-down-colombias-sweetheart.html

Shropshire company’s tie-in with Spielberg’s War Horse

2012-01-13T01:30:00.000Z

A company from Shropshire has produced an online map for Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks studio to tie in with his Oscar-tipped new movie.

Shoothill, from Battlefield Enterprise Park in Shrewsbury, won the contract to create an ‘online journey’ for War Horse after similar work on the last Harry Potter film.

War Horse, which is released in the UK today, is the heartbreaking story of a young man who heads to the front line during World War One after his beloved horse, Joey, is sold to serve in the cavalry.

The map brings together real facts and intertwines them with the fictional story of Joey’s journey from southern England to the western front in France.

Shoothill spokesman Rod Plummer said: “The total project was about two months’ work and we had all 18 folks we have working on it.

“It was a big project to build; there are two main areas, the gallery with videos and photos of the movie footage and then the timeline.

“The majority of the research was sourced by us, DreamWorks gave the video and movie images, but we went out and did the rest.

“The time map uses real data from the First World War, so we had to source all of that.”
He said the online map was a unique way of telling the film’s story, allowing users to interact by viewing pictures, videos and aerial maps.

The map has already received positive reactions from people in Britain, France and Belgium and Mr Plummer believes this is down to the archive images.

“We worked from the UK, so never met the American folks, but Steven Spielberg did give his approval of the map,” Mr Plummer added. To view the maps, go to www.shoothill.com

relevant links

War Horse Theatre London

Kinect Star Wars to Feature 3D Support

2012-01-12T22:05:00.001Z

The Phantom Menace won’t be the only Star Wars property to be getting the 3D treatment. Microsoft has unveiled at this year’s CES that Lucasarts’ Kinect Star Wars will be supporting 3D functionality.

While Microsoft has been eager to show off the blockbuster title, a new release date for the delayed title has not been revealed as of yet. Kinect Star Wars is set to release sometime this year.

Tom Hiddleston interview: 'I bonded with Spielberg over Guinness' #warhorse

2012-01-12T22:01:00.000Z

BioWare warns of #StarWars Old Republic texture bug

2012-01-12T21:56:00.001Z

The Old Republic currently has a low, medium, and high texture settings, but the medium setting it turns out may have a problem.

BioWare community manager Stephen Reid, says:

"Yes, we had a small UI bug that unfortunately caused confusion over how the game is intended to work. The textures you're seeing in the course of normal gameplay are optimized for that mode of play. The textures you're seeing during cinematics are also optimized for that mode of play. They are higher resolution, but that's because we're able to control cinematic scenes to ensure good performance in a way we can't during normal gameplay."

"In comparison to single player games and other genres of multiplayer online games, MMOs have much higher variability in the number of characters that can be potentially rendered on-screen at the same time. In MMOs, even though most of the time you'll see a relatively small number of characters on screen, there are certain situations in which many more characters will be seen. Some examples of these situations include popular gathering places in-game (in our case, the two fleets), Operations with large teams, and Warzones. In those scenarios the client (and your PC) has to work hard to show off a lot of characters on-screen.

"During development and testing of The Old Republic, our priorities were to ensure the game looked great and performed well. In testing, we discovered that using our 'maximum resolution' textures on in-game characters during normal gameplay could cause severe performance issues, even on powerful PCs. There were a variety of possible options to help improve performance, but one that was explored and ultimately implemented used what is known as a 'texture atlas'."

source - http://www.videogamer.com/pc/star_wars_the_old_republic/news/bioware_warns_of_star_wars_old_republic_texture_bug.html

Spielberg shares storytelling secrets in Paris

2012-01-12T19:00:00.000Z

Steven Spielberg caught the filmmaking bug as a 12-year-old boy, and half a century on still goes "crazy" when he doesn't have a story to tell, he admitted to fans packing a masterclass in Paris Monday night.Greeted with a standing ovation, the US director -- whose works from "E.T" to "Indiana Jones" are the focus of a retrospective at Paris' Cinematheque film centre -- told the room in French, hand on his heart: "Je t'aime!"
"I'm a storyteller," the 65-year-old told the filmmaking masterclass between screenings of his new film "War Horse". "For a long time movies were everything in my life -- and if I don't have a story to tell I go crazy."
"Ask my wife and my kids what's it's like to have me without a movie in my immediate future to direct!" he quipped. "I'm a terrible person to live with!"
"I mope, I walk around the house in a terrible state, I'm miserable!" Spielberg joked. "So my family is the first to call my company and say 'Is there anything in the files he can direct? Please help us!'"
Revealed to film buffs with the 1971 car chase thriller "Duel", then to the mainstream with "Jaws" in 1975, Spielberg has shot more than 30 feature films as well as a string of productions for television, from episodes of "Columbo" to the hit series "Band of Brothers" in 2001.
"I got starting making movies as a kid because I couldn't think of anything more fun to do," Spielberg recalled. "When I was 13 there was absolutely nothing that interested me more than to take a movie camera and tell a three, four minute story."
"And when I make a movie today, I get that same energy, the same excitement," he said. "I remember the same feeling at 12, 13 years old, as the feeling I still had as I turned 65. That has never gone away."
The director has been something of a work horse of late, directing the 3D blockbuster "Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn", which hit screens in late 2011, before launching straight into "War Horse".
When in the grip of a story -- as was the case for "War Horse" which he based on a children's book by British writer Michael Morpurgo, and a play adaptation by Nick Stafford -- Spielberg works non-stop.
"From the time we started working on the script, to the time I called action for the first time in Devon (in southwestern England), was seven months," he said, "which as you know is a very, very short time."
"That's an 'E.T.' sort of record, since 'E.T.' took seven months from the time the script was written to the time we shot."
"War Horse" tells the story of Joey, a horse raised in the bucolic English countryside who is torn away from his home -- and stable lad Albert -- and sent to France to the battlefields of World War I.
Almost deliberately old-fashioned, the movie pits noble beast against the horrors of war with sweeping, emotional set pieces that earned it a Golden Globe nomination for best dramatic film, but has divided critics.
"I cried when I saw it on stage," Spielberg said of the work. "It's a straight narrative story. It's completely clear: I like stories that are not encumbered by excessive symbolism or metaphor."
Asked by the event host, the filmmaker Costa Gavras, to offer a tip to the aspiring filmmakers packing the audience, Spielberg said casting was key.
"First of all, the best thing you can do is to cast the right actor. If not, you have to work ten times more later.
"Once you have casted, listen to the people you casted: what do they have to bring? Let them do their work, read the books," he said. "Why cast talented people if you do not listen to them? You got to listen more than you speak."
Spielberg said the best piece of advice he received as a young filmmaker was from the French New Wave director Francois Truffaut, who he got to know in the 1970s.
"He came to Mobile, Alabama, he had just finished 'Small Change' and he said: 'You must work with kids,'" Spielberg recalled.
"What you are is going to be relevant in your movies," he said, when asked to pin down the secret of his success. "This is just who I am."
"I even never drifted away from that kid -- and maybe here is my secret: childhood, to be like a child."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jUPG-h2C2eWzuOTePklgFlI-gOTw?docId=CNG.eff73da2b45bbfc2b8da6637d1800503.4e1

Churchill's mission to rescue the war horses and how he made officials bring tens of thousands home

2012-01-12T01:00:00.000Z

Winston Churchill intervened to secure the safe return of tens of thousands of war horses stranded in Europe after the First World War.
The heroism of the million-strong army of horses that served alongside British troops – often in hellish conditions – is celebrated in Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster War Horse, which opens in the UK this month.
And now, historic documents uncovered by The Mail on Sunday reveal many of them were to owe their lives to Churchill’s compassion.

Heroes: Churchill was incensed at the treatment of tens of thousands of Britain's war horses in 1919

British military chiefs were heavily dependent on horsepower to carry men, supplies and artillery, and spent more than £36 million during the war to buy up 1.1 million horses from Britain, Canada and the United States.

War Office documents found in the National Archives at Kew show that tens of thousands of the animals were at risk of disease, hunger and even death at the hands of French and Belgian butchers because bungling officials couldn’t get them home when hostilities drew to a close.
Churchill, then aged 44 and Secretary of State for War, reacted with fury when he was informed of their treatment and took a personal interest in their plight after the 1914-1918 war.

Outraged: The leader fired off angry memos to officials to the the Ministry of Shipping who failed to get the horses back promptly

He secured their speedy return after firing off angry memos to officials within his own department and at the Ministry of Shipping, who had promised to return 12,000 horses a week but were struggling to get a quarter of that number back.
In a strongly worded missive dated February 13, 1919, Churchill told Lieutenant-General Sir Travers Clarke, then Quartermaster-General: ‘If it is so serious, what have you been doing about it? The letter of the Commander-In-Chief discloses a complete failure on the part of the Ministry of Shipping to meet its obligations and scores of thousands of horses will be left in France under extremely disadvantageous conditions.’
Churchill’s intervention led to extra vessels being used for repatriation, and the number of horses being returned rose to 9,000 a week.
Terry Charman, senior historian with the Imperial War Museum, says Churchill was an animal lover and his motivation could have been based purely on animal-welfare concerns.
‘It is quite possible he could have been moved by the plight of the animals,’ he said. ‘He loved everything from cats to canaries. There is a famous story that on one occasion he was unable to carve a goose which had grown up at his home in Chartwell.

Moving: Albert (Jeremy Irvine) and his horse Joey are featured in 'War Horse', Spielberg's emotional piece

‘He would certainly have been aware of the work carried out by the horses, because, prior to his appointment as Secretary of State, he had served on the front line with the artillery.’
But other more pressing military concerns would also have played their part. Prime Minister Lloyd George had specifically appointed Churchill to the position of Secretary of State in January 1919 to speed up demobilisation.
Churchill would have been mindful that delays in recovering the horses would have been a serious distraction from the main job at hand.
Spielberg’s War Horse is based on the bestselling 1982 children’s book by Michael Morpurgo and tells the story of one boy’s attempts to be reunited with his horse Joey after the animal is sent to the front lines in France.

Relevant links

War Horse Theatre London

The Lord of the Rings Symphony Full length Video #howardshore

2012-01-11T20:16:00.000Z

What a great video. Listen to Howard Shore's incredible soundtrack performed live and its the whole concert. Concerning Hobbits (The Shire) has to be one of my all time favourites. Listen to this one piece when you are feeling down and it will not fail to make you feel that tiny bit better. What do you think?

05:20 The Shire 08:40 The Black Riders 11:20 The Fellowship 13:40 The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm (You Shall Not Pass!) 16:10 Lothlorien (Elves) 17:50 Isengard 19:30 The Breaking of the Fellowship (Boromir dies, Frodo and Sam are alone) 22:10 Smeagol 23:10 Rohan 25:40 Shadowfax 26:50 Treebeard 29:10 The March of the Ents 32:10 The Lighting of the Beacons 34:30 Anduril (The King's Sword) 36:50 The Destruction of the Ring (Shit just got real!) 39:30 The Return to the Shire There's some parts missing.

George Lucas Couldn't Get Studios To Support His Red Tails Movie

2012-01-11T20:09:00.002Z

Movie studio executives turned down the chance to distribute Star Wars creator George Lucas' new war movie Red Tails - because they didn't think the big-budget epic about the heroic African-American Tuskegee Airmen would be a hit overseas.

Lucas spent 23 years making the patriotic period movie, which he financed himself, and when it came time to put the film out he couldn't get a major studio to support him because film bosses were convinced the movie would fail to get off the ground financially.

He explains, "I figured I could get the prints and ads paid for by the studios and that they would release it and I showed it to all of them and they said, 'No, we don't have to market a movie like this. It's not green enough.' They only release green movies.

"It's an all-black movie. There's no major white roles in it at all. It's one of the first all-black action pictures ever made... It's a reasonably expensive movie... and they don't believe there's any foreign market for it and that's 60 per cent of their product."

Disappointed Lucas refused to let Hollywood's disinterest wreck his plans and he hopes the film is a big hit when it opens in America next week (20Jan12) - so he can make a prequel and a sequel with major backing.

Appearing on The Daily Show on Monday night (09Jan12), Lucas said, "I wanted to make it inspirational for teenage boys. I wanted to show that they have heroes; they're real American heroes, they're patriots, they helped make the country what it is today and it's not (1989 film) Glory, where you have a lot of white officers running these guys into canon fodder.

"If we get a good first weekend, there is a prequel and a sequel and they're better than this movie by a long shot. I took the soft centre and I'll give you the really good ones..."

http://www.contactmusic.com/news/george-lucas-couldnt-get-studios-to-support-his-red-tails-movie_1282227

Shatner Shouts KHHAAANNNN to the whole Wars/Trek argument #starwars #startrek

2012-01-11T20:08:00.001Z

William Shatner has shot down all hopes for a peace deal between Star Wars and Star Trek fans.
Fellow Star Trek actor George Takei had called last month for devotees of both franchises to unite against the mutual threat to all science fiction: Twilight.
But now his superior, Shatner who played Captain James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek series, has hammered down on his Lieutenant's quest to broker a peace in the decade-long feud between Trekkis and Star Wars devotees.
"George, уοu're the biggest hazard to calmness and peacefulness," Shatner responded in a video message.
"You've carried on an argument for all these years. You can't just disintegrate in a matter of words. Retribution must be paid, George. We need retribution."

Since the Millenium Falcon first arrived on movie screen in 1977, Star Wars fans and supporters of Cpt Kirk and his crew on the USS Enterprise have exchanged bitter words, as to which franchise was the superior one.

Takei who played Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu, the helmsman of the USS Enterprise had stepped up to demand a ceasefire in the face of a mutual foe: The Twilight franchise.

"Fellow star folks. Cool it down, and shut your big worm holes," said Takei in a video message posted online following the outbreak of a war of words between William Shatner, who played Captain James T Kirk in the original Star Trek Series, and Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy.

The feud started when Shatner, who claimed that Star Wars was derivative of Star Trek, prompting Fisher to fire back, calling him to a "costume-off", with her appearing in the metal bikini she wore in Return of the Jedi.

"And my space buns - they're so much better than [Leonard] Nimoy's ears," she added.

Before the intergalactic argument would claim any victims, Lieutenant Sulu rushed in to broker peace.

"What is needed today now more than ever is star peace, for there is an ominous mutual threat to all science fiction," the 74-year-old said.

"It's called Twilight, and it is really, really bad."

"Let us band together to combat this mutual threat," he urged.
Shatner didn't elaborate how Star Trek's retribution should be carried out. But Star Wars universe be prepared: Shatner may be out to whack some Wookies or phaser off Princess Leia's space buns.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/film/6240769/William-Shatner-calls-for-retribution

THX Mini Documentary James Earl Jones Narrates

2012-01-11T19:45:00.002Z

A mini-documentary on the importance of film soundtracks, narrated by the one and only James Earl Jones. This rare 13-minute piece can be found on the THX "WOW" Laserdisc, which is one of the 'holy grails' of that format. I particularly love the part where James Earl Jones says that sometimes an actor's voice may be replaced by another actor. Hmmmm sounds familiar that. Listen to David Prowse as Vader.

George Lucas talks about filmmaking

2012-01-11T01:00:00.000Z

Why Red Tails took 23 years to make:

"I wrote the script many years ago, and it turned out just like Star Wars in that it was way too big for one movie. There was the story of how they got trained at Tuskegee (Institute in Alabama), and how Eleanor Roosevelt became their champion. Then there was the battle movie that had piqued my interest initially. And finally the amazing saga of the start of the civil rights movement after the war. So this literally went on for 20 years, trying to get it all into one script, which meant leaving out many things we loved and going mainly with the war story and hinting at the rest."

STORY: George Lucas salutes Tuskegee Airmen with 'Red Tails'

Why he financed the film himself:

"Everything I do is defensive. I got into a position (to finance projects) right after The Empire Strikes Back (1980). I didn't need to have studios telling me what to do, picking movies for me to make, having me change them and recut them. My first two films (THX 1138 and American Graffiti) were recut, and I said I just don't want that. If I'm going to live or die by my movie, I want to be able to say, 'Yeah, that was a terrible movie, I made a mistake, sorry.' I don't want to have to say I made a great movie but you guys destroyed it."

How it might affect black filmmakers:

"I realize that by accident I've now put the black film community at risk (with Red Tails, whose $58 million budget far exceeds typical all-black productions). I'm saying, if this doesn't work, there's a good chance you'll stay where you are for quite a while. It'll be harder for you guys to break out of that (lower-budget) mold. But if I can break through with this movie, then hopefully there will be someone else out there saying let's make a prequel and sequel, and soon you have more Tyler Perrys out there."

Sending messages through film:

"You're going to give a message out regardless. You're projecting your point of view and your morality and lessons learned. Those of us in the arts who are given a megaphone have to be especially vigilant. Nowadays in a lot of movies — and I'm not going to condemn the whole movie industry — there is no message. They don't even think about that part. But there should be a point to movies. Sure, you're giving people a diversion from the cold world for a bit, but at the same time you pass on some facts and rules and maybe a little bit of wisdom."

Mythology and movies:

"I've come to the conclusion that mythology is really a form of archaeological psychology. Mythology gives you a sense of what a people believes, what they fear. That's what I did with Star Wars. I took some basic psychological motifs and saw if people could still relate to them today. Oh, you feel this way about your father, and that way about your friends. After its success, I decided I liked the idea of doing films that spoke to and inspired young people, of saying things that needed to be said without being blatant. And that's where Red Tails fits in."

His passion for special effects:

"The reason I've invested so much time and money (creating Industrial Light & Magic, a premier special-effects house) is because art is technology. In the '60s, you were at the end of the (Lawrence of Arabia director) David Lean era, where you'd have 10,000 extras in a scene. That was getting too expensive. The norm became, 'Oh, I have a movie, it's set five years ago, has seven actors in it and we'll shoot on the streets.' So I could tell even then that if we pushed the technology we'd have so many more stories we could tell."

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/story/2012-01-04/george-lucas-talks-red-tails-production/52378392/1

Paramount Pictures High Resolution Logo Image

2012-01-10T21:25:00.000Z

Nice high resolution image of the Paramount logo. Click on the image for a larger version. Right click to save.

High Resolution Paramount Logo Image

Seven Minutes Of Red Tails Clips Packed Into One Video

2012-01-10T19:19:00.001Z

Someone has taken the time of putting together all the clips of George Lucas's Red Tails of the interweb and putting it all nicely into one video. Take a look. The film is looking great.

RT Clip from Tambay Obenson on Vimeo.

Benedict Cumberbatch Talks About Steven Spielberg

2012-01-10T19:12:00.002Z

He does a good impression too. Take a look

Watch Harrison Ford viewing the trilogy for "the first time."

2012-01-10T02:00:00.000Z

Of course its a faaaakkeee!

Marco Cerbella plays "Jurassic Park Theme", John Williams (D-Deck, Electone)

2012-01-09T20:30:00.000Z

Another video from Marco Cerbella, this time playing John William's Jurassic Park. How is this coming from one instrument?

Steven Spielberg: 'Jeremy Irvine could be the next Christian Bale' Video

2012-01-09T18:02:00.000Z

Steven Spielberg has claimed that an audience can always tell the difference between CGI and real-life

2012-01-09T18:00:00.000Z

The director admitted to BBC Breakfast that he would probably use computer technology if he were making his breakthrough movie Jaws today.

Spielberg said: "Today, I would probably shoot a Jaws movie with CGI, but you know something? The audience can tell the difference.

"The second you see a million soldiers charging, you know that no-one hired a million soldiers charging any place in the world, and you know that it's artificial."

He added: "I think one of the the reasons Jaws was so effective was it was authentic.

Asked if he would ever return to the series, Spielberg said: "No, the only way I'm going back on the water is on a pleasure cruise! I hated being on the water, I hated shooting that movie.

"The movie really resulted in... it just really started my career, so I can't ever [deny] how important the film was to my career, but making a movie on the water is insane!"

Of the use of CGI in new movie War Horse, Spielberg said: "There are only three shots in the film that aren't real horses, and those are pretty obvious shots."

He continued of shooting in Dartmoor: "There is no place like it in the world. When I got to Dartmoor, I suddenly realised that I had a third character that I had to include in War Horse, and that was the land and the sky. so Dartmoor plays a major role.

"We had three days of amazing sunsets, and we actually took advantage of those. There is no sky replacement."

Spielberg added: "You know, audiences are so used to digital enhancements or replacements that they don't trust cinema anymore.

"They see a movie and... if something beautiful strikes them emotionally, or in a beautiful way, they say 'That was faked' or 'They did that later on the computer'.

"Not a single shot in this movie has a sky enhancement or a replaced sky or a replaced landscape. That is Devon, Dartmoor... it is pretty extraordinary country."

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/news/a359087/steven-spielberg-cgi-is-artificial-and-audiences-can-tell.html

Steven Spielberg on Harry Potter: My kids thought I was crazy to quit

2012-01-09T17:53:00.000Z

Steven Spielberg has said that his children thought he was "crazy" to quit the Harry Potter movies.

The acclaimed director told BBC Breakfast that he knew the series would be a hit when he pulled out of the franchise early on.

Spielberg said: "I've had chance to make a lot of movies that went on to be big hits with other directors and other studios, because I can't do everything.

"I was offered Harry Potter. I developed it for about five or six months with [Potter screenwriter] Steve Kloves, and then I dropped out."

He added: "I just felt that I wasn't ready to make an all-kids movie and my kids thought I was crazy. And the books were by that time popular, so when I dropped out, I knew it was going to be a phenomenon.

"But, you know I don't make movies because they're gonna to be phenomenons. I make movies because they have to touch me in a way that really commits me to a year, two years, three years of work."

Source - Digital Spy

Duchess of Cambridge 'needed Kleenex' for War Horse says Steven Spielberg

2012-01-09T17:48:00.006Z

The Duchess of Cambridge, who shared the red carpet at last night's event in central London with the film's equine star, stole the show in an elegant floor-length black lace evening gown by Alice Temperley.

Spielberg told BBC Breakfast: "I was sitting next to her and all I know is at one point my wife, who was sitting to my right, right in front of my face she passed a Kleenex ... I saw the Kleenex go across my face, arrive and stop but I didn't want to intrude on her experience watching War Horse so I never glanced over."

The filmmaker, who said he did not believe he had made "a war movie", admitted he shed tears the first time he saw the play which inspired the film.

He said: "The play did that to me, I came out of the play a soaking wet wreck."

Spielberg, whose films include Saving Private Ryan, Jaws and Raiders Of The Lost Ark, said he had been impressed by the landscape in Dartmoor where some of the film was shot.

He said: "There's no place like it in the world. When I got to Dartmoor I realised I had a third character that I had to include in War Horse and that was the land and the sky so Dartmoor plays a major role."
The film, which was nominated for best drama at the Golden Globes, follows on from the success of the play, which debuted at the National Theatre in London in 2007 before sell-out West End and Broadway runs.
Spielberg earlier revealed he got ''a buzz'' from meeting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the royal premiere of his new blockbuster War Horse, on the eve of the Duchess's 30th birthday.
His British cast including Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Emily Watson, David Thewlis and newcomer Jeremy Irvine also walked the red carpet at the Odeon Leicester Square alongside 600 serving and ex-military personnel.
''It's an honour to be here with the royals. This is my first royal premiere for the Duke and Duchess, having done them before for the Queen and the Queen Mother. This is a wonderful occasion tonight,'' said the director.
''This is so exciting. I get a buzz. You never grow out of something like this,'' he added.

The premiere was in aid of the Foundation of Prince William and Harry, which helps the welfare of those in the armed forces.
''It's a huge privilege that the film has been blessed by them and they decided to lend their support behind it,'' said Hiddleston, who plays Captain Nicholls.
Watson joked that she had been briefed about approaching the Duchess.
''We've been told to address her as 'Ma'am' as in 'jam','' she revealed.
The Duchess of Cambridge kicked off her 30th birthday celebrations by sharing the red carpet with the film's equine star.
The Duchess, who is celebrating her birthday today, stole the show last night in an elegant floor-length black lace evening gown by Alice Temperley.
Michael Morpurgo, the author of the children's book which inspired the film, led the well-wishes for the Duchess.
The Duchess shared the red carpet with the equine star of the film. She grinned and laughed when she spotted thoroughbred Joey standing patiently outside in the rain.
Mr Morpurgo said it was an "honour" that the Duchess chose War Horse as her first royal premiere and said he would send her a copy of the book as a birthday gift.
"I am thrilled, it is a wonderful honour that she has chosen this film to do that," he said.
"I will send her a copy of War Horse for her birthday.
"She is a wonderful example of dignity and calm and I like that in her."
The premiere was also attended by 600 serving and ex-serving military personnel and their families, as well as beneficiaries of military charities.
The royal couple went to the event in aid of the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry, which helps the welfare of those in the Armed Forces.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/kate-middleton/9001952/Kate-Middleton-needed-Kleenex-for-War-Horse-says-Steven-Spielberg.html

E.T. comes home. model of Spielberg alien reunited with owner after being found on the beach

2012-01-09T02:00:00.000Z

A stolen replica of E.T. has come home to its owner after reports of a 'body' washed up on a beach turned out to be the missing model alien.
Pensioner Margaret Wells, 76, is delighted to have been reunited with her beloved life-sized E.T. which was handcrafted by her daughter nine years ago.
It was stolen - along with jewellery and an iron - from Mrs Wells' home in Cosham, Hampshire, in September.

Phone home! Margaret Wells, 76, has been reunited with her life-sized model of ET after it was stolen from her house in September, and washed up on a beach in Old Portsmouth

Police ensured the extra-terrestrial was returned to Mrs Wells after it was spotted in the sea five miles away off the coast of Old Portsmouth, Hampshire.
A walker dialled 999 after spotting it floating near the shore last Thursday, fearing that it was a human body.

The 'real' thing: The model used in the 1982 Steven Spielberg film ET

However, police and coastguard attending the scene quickly realised it was not a human, but the alien model.
Mrs Wells said: 'There's only one in the whole of England and that is mine.
'The police rang and said somebody has found a body in the Solent and it belongs to you - it's E.T.
'I always knew E.T. would come home.
'He has lost a finger and looks a bit roughed up. But he has a smile on his face.'
The model was made by Mrs Wells' daughter Louise who spent three months creating it while doing a stage make-up course.
A Coastguard spokeswoman said: 'It rolled up on the beach and gave somebody a bit of a fright.'
ET: The Extra-Terrestrial was a 1982 film, directed by Steven Spielberg, about a friendly alien who is stranded on earth and has to find a way to return to his home planet.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2081595/E-T-rescued-coastguards-Life-size-model-reunited-owner.html#ixzz1iR3hrwWT

Marco Cerbella plays "Yoda's Theme" (Star Wars), John Williams (D-Deck, Electone)

2012-01-08T20:59:00.001Z

This is quite simply brilliant. Listen and enjoy.

T Shirt Of The Day "I'd Rather Be Playing The Old Republic"

2012-01-08T17:29:00.000Z

Head over to The Bearded Trio Cafe Press Store for more great Geeky merchandise including Jaws, Indiana Jones, Star Trek and much much more.

John Williams conducts orchestra at Universal Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter

2012-01-08T16:36:00.006Z

H3QX9WDQX44G

Goonies Star Corey Feldman's new role as a bladerunner #dancingonice

2012-01-08T09:10:00.000Z

THE Goonies actor Corey Feldman may have beaten his drug habit but now he has developed a shocking new addiction – ice-skating!

The former child star of the 1985 adventure comedy flick spiralled into heroin abuse and spent time in rehab in the 1990s.
But now Corey is partnering Brooke Castile on Dancing On Ice and is desperate for just one thing – to get on the rink. He said: "I'm enjoying the ice – craving it. I'm very excited to get in there."
But American Corey revealed the real reason he is taking part in the show is to see England. He said: "There are two reasons I'm here. One, it's a challenge. Number two, I've always dreamed of living in England.
"All my favourite music, art and culture comes from England. I love your royalty, I love The Beatles and Pink Floyd.
"I love the culture so much, I love the accents, I love everything about England."

To Promote Brisk Tea, Pepsi Enlists Yoda

2012-01-08T02:00:00.000Z

PEPSICO is piggybacking on the release next month of Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace 3D” to promote its Brisk iced tea and juice drinks.

Enlarge This Image

A commercial with Darth Maul, who faces off with Yoda. The promotion is tied to the release of “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace 3D.”

The campaign includes the Brisksaber game app.

This week, the company is introducing new product packaging and a new mobile game app — featuring Yoda and Darth Maul, characters from the film, originally released in 1999 — created for Brisk’s target market, young adults, particularly males, ages 18 to 29. The initiatives will be the focus of the largest multimedia advertising and marketing campaign that PepsiCo has ever waged for Brisk.
PepsiCo has bottled and marketed Brisk, a Lipton ready-to-drink tea brand, through a joint venture with Unilever, owner of Lipton, since 1991. It has also worked with Lucasfilm to promote the “Star Wars” franchise since 1997.
The new campaign is the brainchild of Mekanism, the San Francisco-based agency PepsiCo hired in 2010 that revived Brisk’s clay-animated commercials from the mid-1990s. The original spots parodied figures like Frank Sinatra and Babe Ruth, while the new Mekanism Brisk ads have featured Eminem — in a Super Bowl XLV commercial — as well as Danny Trejo and Ozzy Osbourne.
Industry observers and executives involved with the campaign say Mekanism’s efforts to increase Brisk’s social media presence and sales have been successful. According to Ian Kovalik, a creative director of Mekanism, the number of Brisk’s Facebook fans has jumped to 950,000 from 10,000 in late 2010.
•
Eric Fuller, brand director for Brisk, said the brand’s sales had more than doubled in the last two years, to a projected 104 million cases this year from 48 million cases in 2009. Similarly, according to data provided by Larry Finkel, director of food and beverage research for MarketResearch.com, Brisk’s dollar sales in supermarkets, drugstores and mass merchants excluding Walmart rose 12 percent, to $94.3 million, in the year ending April 17, 2011.
That rate of growth far exceeded the rate of dollar sales growth of PepsiCo’s other Lipton ready-to-drink tea brands, Lipton, Lipton Diet, Lipton PureLeaf and Tazo.
Brisk’s rate of dollar sales growth also exceeded that of rival brands Arizona, up 3.5 percent, and Snapple, up 6.2 percent. During this period, Arizona Beverage Company brands generated 30.8 percent of all ready-to-drink tea dollar sales, PepsiCo 29.9 percent and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group 17.2 percent, Mr. Finkel said.
The 3-D release of “Phantom Menace” is slated for Feb. 10, and the “Star Wars” campaign is aimed at continuing Mekanism’s success in increasing Brisk’s social media presence and sales. PepsiCo’s initiatives will include the introduction, starting Tuesday, of special “Star Wars” packaging and promotions at retailers.
Among these are a one-liter, limited-edition bottle of raspberry iced tea with a Darth Maul label; codes under caps of one-liter bottles of Brisk’s 12 teas and juice drinks, which will help buyers play the “Star Wars” mobile game; and a new one-gallon jug, in four flavors, for home consumption.
On Wednesday, a new Brisksaber mobile game app — developed by Flying Wisdom Studios of San Francisco — will be introduced in the Android and Apple marketplace; players will be able to unlock new game characters, vehicles and weapons by redeeming bottle cap codes. The app will be promoted on Facebook and Hulu, and through Tapjoy, an app ad network, beginning Jan. 9.
On Jan. 15, 15- and 30-second TV spots will start running, initially on Fox Broadcasting’s Sunday night “Animation Domination” programming, and subsequently on network and cable stations like Adult Swim, Comedy Central, MTV, Spike and Syfy.
The 30-second spot shows Yoda and Darth Maul beginning to fight. Darth Maul’s light saber malfunctions many times before he falls into a Brisk vending machine. Although he is reinvigorated when he drinks the iced tea, just as he again tries to attack Yoda, the vending machine squashes him. Yoda says, “Too old for this I’m getting,” while the voice-over proclaims, “That’s Brisk, baby,” a tagline introduced in Brisk’s original animation spots.
•
More than 500 movie theaters in 15 states will run the TV spots for two months starting Friday; similar radio ads will run starting Jan. 23 on stations in New York and Southern California. Brisk also will hold sampling events across the country from late January through mid-March.
Mr. Fuller said Brisk’s 2012 advertising and marketing budget would be in the “low double digits” of millions of dollars, the most PepsiCo had ever spent to promote the brand. He also said 75 percent of this spending would occur in the first quarter of the year.
According to the research firm Kantar Media, PepsiCo’s annual advertising expenditures for Brisk never exceeded $670,000 in 2007, 2008 and 2010, and totaled $4.7 million in the first nine months of last year. It said PepsiCo did no advertising for Brisk in 2009.
Industry observers and experts differed about the prospects of the PepsiCo campaign.
Noting that recently rising commodity prices had led to higher prices for ready-to-drink teas and subsequent softening of sales growth, Michael Bellas, chairman and chief executive of Beverage Marketing, a consulting company, called Brisk the “dominant value brand” in the ready-to-drink tea category.
“Consumers are more worried about spending and looking for value. My gut feeling is the new 128-ounce packaging and gaming should put Brisk right where it wants to be,” he said.
However, Irma Zandl, a New York-based market researcher who specializes in Generation X and Y consumers and has advised PepsiCo in the past, said the new ads “executionally felt very formulaic.”
“They felt like every other 30-second spot with a superhero,” Ms. Zandl added. “I didn’t feel, ‘Wow, I’ve got to post them on Facebook because they’re so fresh.’ The question is, will young guys think this is so amazing and fabulous? Young consumers are so much savvier and have set the bar so much higher because they see so much.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/business/media/to-promote-brisk-tea-pepsi-enlists-the-aid-of-yoda.html?_r=1

John Williams and Steven Spielberg mark 40 years of collaboration

2012-01-07T12:24:00.004Z

The quietest room in Hollywood may be the office where John Williams composes. In a bungalow on the Universal Studios lot, steps from the production company of his most frequent collaborator, director Steven Spielberg, Williams works alone at a 90-year-old Steinway grand piano, with fistfuls of pencils and stacks of composition paper nearby, and worn books of poetry by Robert Frost and William Wordsworth piled on the coffee table.

"My relationship with Steven is the result of a lot of very compatible dissimilarities," Williams said in a late December interview during a week that saw the U.S. releases of both of the duo's latest joint efforts, the comic-book adaptation "The Adventures of Tintin" and the World War I epic "War Horse." "Steven works with huge groups of people and is an international businessman.... This is the environment that I need. I don't use a lot of — as my younger colleagues do — synthesizers and computers. When I started, that didn't exist.... It is a labor-intensive, solitary business."

Williams, who turns 80 Feb. 8, has penned the scores to 25 of the 26 feature films Spielberg has directed, a musically polyglot list that includes "Jaws," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "E.T.," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan." (Producer Quincy Jones wrote Spielberg's "The Color Purple" score.) The remarkably enduring partnership — between men who straddle two generations of Hollywood filmmaking and who met over a blind lunch date in 1972 — has yielded 13 Oscar nominations for original score, and some of the most widely recognized music in cinema.

At the time of this interview, Williams was polishing a quartet for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which will celebrate his birthday this year with performances of his music by artists including cellist Yo-Yo Ma and opera singer Jessye Norman; he had just finished updating themes for the "Today" show and "Meet the Press"; in a few months, he'll begin composing for Spielberg's next film, "Lincoln."

Unlike the giants of Hollywood movie music who preceded him — composers like Bernard Herrmann and Dimitri Tiomkin who are identified with a distinctive sound — Williams has no discernible tells as a songwriter, beyond an emphasis on accessible melodies. That stylistic versatility has been the foundation of their partnership, according to Spielberg.

"John is much more of a chameleon as a composer," Spielberg said by phone from the Virginia set of "Lincoln." "He reinvents himself with every picture. The score to 'Tintin' could not be more dissimilar to his score to 'War Horse.' They fit the characterizations of the different movies. The 'Tintin' music is a rollicking adventure, an exhilarating ride downhill. He's chasing the audience with his score. In 'War Horse,' he wrote music for the land … the period, evocative of the early 20th century."

Born in New York, the son of a jazz percussionist, Williams moved to Los Angeles in 1948 when his father began playing in the Columbia Pictures orchestra. As a child, he took up the piano. "The only adults I knew were musicians, his friends, so I thought that's what you did when you grew up," he said. "It seemed to be an inevitable life path for me."

He would go on to attend UCLA and the Juilliard School, and work as a studio pianist on scores by Jerry Goldsmith and Henry Mancini — it is Williams, credited as "Johnny Williams," playing the indelible jazz riff on Mancini's 1958 "Peter Gunn Theme."

By the time Spielberg and Williams met in 1972, the composer had nearly 20 years of film and TV scoring behind him; he had collected an Oscar for adapting "Fiddler on the Roof" to the screen and had just scored a giant commercial hit, "The Poseidon Adventure." Spielberg was a 25-year-old television director about to shoot his first theatrical feature. The young filmmaker had listened to a record of an Americana-style score Williams composed for "The Reivers" so many times that he had worn it out, and he wanted a similar sound for his feature debut, "The Sugarland Express." At Spielberg's request, a Universal executive arranged a meeting.

"Steven took me to a very fancy restaurant in Beverly Hills for lunch, in the days of these martini lunches," said Williams. "It was like going with a teenager who had never ordered wine before and didn't quite know what to do with the silver. He was so young, a little older than my children but not a whole lot. And seemed to know more about my music than I did. He would sing third themes from some remote western."

Impressed by the script and charmed by the boyish enthusiasm of its director, Williams agreed to work on the movie, and arguably the most successful film music partnership in Hollywood history was born.

"If you look at theirs in the larger context of director-composer relationships, you can look at Herrmann and Hitchcock, Fellini and Rota, Prokofiev and Eisenstein," said film music historian Jon Burlingame, author of "Sound and Vision: 60 Years of Motion Picture Soundtracks." "This collaboration really outpaces them all in terms of the number of films and the diversity of material."

It was the score to Spielberg's second film, "Jaws," that cemented the partnership. Spielberg had used Williams' atonal music from the Robert Altman movie "Images" as a temporary soundtrack while editing "Jaws," and he expected Williams to deliver similarly cerebral music for his shark movie. The composer, however, had other ideas.

"I fiddled around with the idea of creating something that was very … brainless," Williams said. "Like the shark. All instinct.... Meaning something could be very repetitious, very visceral, and grab you in your gut, not in your brain. Remember, Steven didn't have the computer shark. He only had his rubber ducky, so the simple idea of that bass ostinato, just repeating those two notes and introduce a third note when you don't expect it and so on. It could be something you could play very softly, which would indicate that the shark is far away when all you see is water. Brainless music that gets louder and gets closer to you, something is gonna swallow you up."

"When Johnny played me the 'Jaws' score on the piano, I thought he was pulling my leg," Spielberg said. "And he played it again. And then he played it until I stopped laughing. I had a more esoteric idea musically in mind. He said, 'The sophisticated approach you would like me to take isn't the approach you took with the film I just experienced. This is a huge, over-the-top pirate movie.'"

Spielberg deferred to Williams; the score won Williams his second Oscar; and 37 years later, that two-note theme is still a musical shorthand for mortal danger.

Williams said he rarely sees any film he's working on until it is nearly finished, preferring to wait until a movie's rhythm has been well-established in the editing room.

"I need to know how it breathes and where I can help to accelerate it or retard it or create an expectancy or defuse one," he said. "We discuss where to put the music and what its function will be in the scenes. I'll play Steven a few little half-developed themes on the piano. In the 40 years we've been working together, he's never said to me, 'I don't like that' or 'That's not good.' He offers just by his body language and his eyes and his face a sense of encouragement in this direction or that direction."

The first time Williams ever hesitated upon screening a Spielberg film was in 1993, after seeing a cut of the Holocaust epic "Schindler's List." Williams recalled telling the director: "Steven, you need a better composer for this."

"I couldn't believe he said that to me," Spielberg said. "I turned to him and said, 'You're right. But they're all dead.'"

Over the decades Williams has worked with other high-profile directors including George Lucas, Richard Donner and Oliver Stone, and has maintained an ongoing relationship with NBC (it's not your imagination — the theme to "Sunday Night Football" really does sound like a Darth Vader cue). He has been nominated for 45 Oscars, more than any other living person, and won five; if he receives a nomination for either of his newest Spielberg scores, he will be second only to Walt Disney, who had 59 academy nods.

As electronic-music- and pop-song-driven soundtracks have become increasingly popular, both for financial and aesthetic reasons, Williams' manner of working, with the help of his music editor, Ramiro Belgardt, and live, often 100-plus-piece orchestras, has become increasingly rare. It's a throwback style simpatico with Spielberg's preferences, which were forged in the era of orchestral-driven studio epics like "Spartacus" and "Lawrence of Arabia."

"I don't like electronic scores, so Johnny and I have been very Luddite about including full orchestras and full choirs in most of our films," Spielberg said. "We don't like to use electronics to make music. I can always tell the difference between an orchestra and a synthetic orchestra... I love orchestras. I never leave the scoring sessions. It's my vacation from the movie I just made."

Some critics have called the "War Horse" score sentimental — a reflection, perhaps, of the tastes of an earlier era. Williams said he takes the long view of his own scores. "I think 'E.T.' is an example of a film that's as good now as it was when we did it," Williams said. "Cars look different, people don't dress the same way, but it seems right musically to me still. We need to look at 'War Horse' 30 years hence and decide then how we feel about it."

During a recent American Film Institute "Master Class" that aired on Turner Classic Movies, Spielberg was nearly as deferential to Williams as he had been at lunch 40 years ago. He described himself as directing scenes specifically "for Johnny," such as the rambunctious chase sequences in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." "The entire last 25 to 30 minutes of 'Close Encounters' I opened the shots up so John would be able to create a more operatic sound," he said.

With his white beard and avuncular manner, Williams is the undisputed elder statesman of Hollywood composers. He said he used to write for 10 hours a day six days a week, and now writes for closer to five or six hours, leaving time to walk each day for an hour at the Bel-Air Country Club near his home. He listens to Haydn and Mozart for pleasure, but more often prefers the sound of silence.

He said he has begun consulting with a musicologist about "Lincoln," which just wrapped production, and plans to rely on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for the score, to evoke the sounds of the 16th president's home state of Illinois.

"[Spielberg is] a much younger man than I am and he will go on a lot longer than I'll be able to, but for the time being we're having a wonderful time. Time goes by so quickly," Williams said. "Steven and I, when we're working together we're so much in the now, in this moment. There isn't a past, there isn't a future, you're so completely absorbed and concentrated. If you do that long enough, you suddenly realize, my God, I'm 80 years old, what happened? What happened was a well-spent, focused period of time."

READ MORE AT http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-john-williams-20120108,0,2935410.story

New Lucas film 'Red Tails' screened in Chicago

2012-01-07T12:22:00.002Z

A screening of George Lucas's new film, 'Red Tails', brought some Hollywood magic to Chicago Friday night.

Lucas arrived at the AMC River East in Streeterville with Mellody Hobson.
Cuba Gooding , Jr. was among the stars in town for the event.
The action-adventure film tells the story of how the Tuskegee Airmen were trained and then fought in World War II.
Lucas spent $58 million of his own money to produce the film.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8494042

BioWare defends The Old Republic's subscription model

2012-01-07T00:30:00.000Z

BioWare’s on its way to a bonafide hit with Star Wars: The Old Republic, with more than a million players registering in the past two weeks and over 60 million game hours logged, but some folks are still heated about the company charging subscription fees when so many popular MMORPGs are going free-to-play. The Old Republic isn’t a 99 cent-a-month affair either — prices range from $14.99 for a single month to $12.99 a month for a six-month package, and that's on top of the initial purchase price of the game ($59.99 for the Standard Edition, which includes 30 days of online play).
In an interview with Joystiq, BioWare’s CEO Ray Muzyka and VP Greg Zeschuk make an enthusiastic case for their subscription model, pointing to their ability to invest more in games when they’re financed by player subscriptions, and insisting that free games only represent one slice of the MMO pie. They go on to tease a new iteration on a classic brand "...that people have a lot of fond memories around." We don't want to speak out of turn, but our money's on Sesame Street.

LINKS - THE VERGE, SWTOR

War Horse Soundtrack Listen to all 16 Tracks. #johnwilliams

2012-01-06T21:05:00.003Z

Listen to all 16 tracks of the amazing War Horse soundtrack by John Williams. My particular favourite is track 14 - The Reunion. War Horse The soundtrack is available on Amazon US at $9.99 and Amazon UK for £8.99

War Horse Soundtrack - 1 - Dartmoor, 1912

War Horse Soundtrack - 2 - The Auction

War Horse Soundtrack - 3 - Bringing Joey Home, and Bonding

War Horse Soundtrack - 4 - Learning The Call

War Horse Soundtrack - 5 - Seeding, and Horse vs Car

War Horse Soundtrack - 6 - Plowing

War Horse Soundtrack - 7 - Ruined Crop, and Going To War

War Horse Soundtrack - 8 - The Charge and Capture

War Horse Soundtrack - 9 - The Desertion

War Horse Soundtrack - 10 - Joey's New Friends

War Horse Soundtrack - 11 - Pulling The Cannon

War Horse Soundtrack - 12 - The Death of Topthorn

War Horse Soundtrack - 13 - No Man's Land

War Horse Soundtrack - 14 - The Reunion

War Horse Soundtrack - 15 - Remembering Emilie, and Finale

War Horse Soundtrack - 16 - The Homecoming

Star Wars: The Old Republic patch 1.0.2 released

2012-01-06T20:15:00.003Z

Read on for the full list of updates for The Old Republic added in patch 1.0.2.

General

Guilds that are currently leaderless will have an Officer chosen and promoted to Guild Leader.

Classes and Combat

Sith Inquisitor

The Darth title is now properly granted to Sith Inquisitors.

Bug Fixes

Corrected an issue that could prevent players from taking cover when targeting large NPCs.
Fixed a bug that caused some abilities with activation times to be interrupted when used from cover.

Crew Skills

Gathering

Removed some high-level harvesting nodes from Tatooine, Corellia, and Ilum.

Flashpoints and Operations

Cademimu

General Ortol can no longer be pulled out of his room.

Maelstrom Prison

Corrected an issue that could cause Kilran to behave incorrectly when defeated in cover.

Taral V

General Edikar now has the correct loot in Hard Mode and no longer enrages in Normal Mode.

Eternity Vault

Gharj can no longer be pulled out of his encounter room.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue that could cause choosing Nightmare Mode to not set enemies to Nightmare difficulty.

Items

General

PvP lockboxes now cost 70 commendations, contain more consumables, and always contain an item.

Bug Fixes

Corrected several PvP items that were Bind on Equip. They are now Bind on Pickup.
PvP vendors on Capital Planets now offer the correct PvP items.
Commendations received via in-game mail are now correctly added to the Currency tab.

Missions and NPCs

Imperial

Number One with a Bullet: Players who choose dark side options now correctly receive the mission First Strike after completing this mission.
First Strike: Players who did not receive this mission will now receive it upon entering their personal starships.

Republic

Death Cloud: Players can now complete the “Toxic Waste” bonus objective regardless of how quickly they complete this mission.

Bug Fixes

Corrected mission steps on several planets that could cause client instability.
Fixed issues with some missions that could prevent pending rewards from being accepted.

Space Combat

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue that caused a client crash if a space station was destroyed in Space Combat.

UI

Maps

Group members no longer appear on all planets on the Galaxy Map.
Corrected an issue that could cause map notes to disappear after logging out and back into the game.
Corrected some map notes that referenced the incorrect map.
Updated map notes for “travel to planet” steps in class missions on Nar Shaddaa, Hoth, and Belsavis to indicate the planet’s space station.

Bug Fixes

Group members outside of a player’s phase are no longer prompted to roll on items.
The In-Game Customer Service Portal no longer appears to hang while the “updating” message is displayed.
The Guild interface now properly displays the guild member list when it is sorted.
The “Show Sith Corruption” option no longer toggles off when transitioning between areas.

Miscellaneous Bug Fixes

Taxi rides are no longer occasionally interrupted, causing the player to be dropped from the taxi.
Using the /dismiss command now correctly dismisses a vanity pet.
Corrected some issues that could cause players to become stuck on the loading screen when logging into a character.
Players can now use emotes while riding a vehicle.
Fixed a bug that prevented some text-only mail messages from being received.
Graphics preferences in settings files are now consistent with actual settings in use.
Being in Do Not Disturb mode no longer prevents characters from being logged out for being away.
Corrected an issue that caused poor performance on some machines in indoor areas with shadows enabled.
Fixed an issue that could prevent players from being logged out for inactivity

Brisk STAR WARS Yoda vs. Darth Maul In New Promo Video

2012-01-06T12:00:00.000Z

Star Wars Theme for Evian Water Bottles

2012-01-06T00:00:00.000Z

Almost 35 years after George Lucas released the first film in the Star Wars saga, characters from the movie are still popular for use in various types of merchandise.
The huge range of Star Wars merchandise available includes helmets, aprons, bath-robes, apparel, toys, miniature vehicles, umbrellas, gaming headsets, gaming mouse and mouse mats. You can even get Yoda, Skywalker or Darth Vader chopsticks.
Among the more innovative merchandise is an aquarium that sits inside a model of R2-D2 the robot. There’s even a toaster that imprints your bread with a Darth Vader impression. But remember what you buy and where you buy it from, as not all of it is licenced.
Hamburg-based Miami Ad School design student Mandy Brencys has created a line of Star wars-themed glass Evian water bottles that look like various characters from Star Wars, such as C-3P0, Chewbacca, R2-D2, Darth Vader and a Storm Trooper.
Not only do these bottles look like Star Wars characters, they’re also intended to be used as “light sabres”, similar to the weapons used by Luke Skywalker in his fights with the Darth Vader.
These are not commercially available now. But as and when they do, expect to pay more for each of these bottles…. er.., sabres.

http://www.gadgetwiki.com/20111229/star-wars-themed-evian-bottles/

Benedict Cumberbatch joins the cast of Star Trek 2 KHAAAAANNNN!!!!

2012-01-05T21:20:00.001Z

Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch has been on a roll since playing detective Holmes in the acclaimed BBC series. Over recent months he’s appeared in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Steven Spielberg’s War Horse, and Peter Jackson give him the duty of portraying both Smaug the Dragon (with motion-capture) and The Necromancer in The Hobbit movies.

Now Cumberbatch is about to embark on his most high-profile role to date by taking on a lead role in J.J Abrams’ Star Trek sequel.

According to Deadline who broke the news there’s no word on whether he’ll be a hero or villain, but Variety’s Jeff Sneider says Cumberbatch will be playing the villain, said to be the same role Benicio Del Toro turned down and Edgar Ramirez recently auditioned for. At the time it was suggested the villain would be the genetically engineered superhuman Khan, who Ricardo Montalban famously played in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but there has been no confirmation to date.

from http://filmonic.com/benedict-cumberbatch-joins-the-cast-of-star-trek-2

John Williams Debuts Movie Score Selections from The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse at Young Musicians Foundation Gala Concert

2012-01-05T21:17:00.001Z

Famed composer John Williams has selected the Young Musicians
Foundation's Annual Gala Concert for the orchestral premiere of
pieces from his recent film scores for: The Adventures of Tintin
and War Horse, both directed by Steven Spielberg and
opening in theaters this Christmas. This performance by YMF's
Debut Orchestra will be the first time these film score selections
have been played outside of the recording studio!
Reflecting its "Celebrating the YMF Legacy" theme, the 57th
Annual Gala Concert will offer a varied and exciting repertoire of
classical and contemporary compositions. In total, five guest
conductors will lead YMF Debut Orchestra's 70 talented musicians,
ages 15-25, and 20-plus local alumni.

WHO: The Debut Orchestra is the flagship program of the Young Musicians
Foundation and is one of the oldest and most successful
pre-professional training orchestras in the country. Debut Orchestra
alumni are members of Los Angeles Philharmonic and many other
orchestras in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
Two honorees will receive awards at the Gala: YMF's Humanitarian
Award will be presented to Lawrence N. Field, founder and
principal of NSB Associates and long-time YMF board member in
recognition for his support of the Los Angeles community and in
particular of a young person's artistic training. David Weiss, YMF
alumnus celebrating 50 years of involvement with YMF, will receive
the inaugural Living the Legacy Award, presented to alumni
who embody the spirit and vision of the YMF.
In addition to John Williams, renowned guest conductors performing
at the Gala concert include Richard Kaufman, Teddy Abrams, Joey
Newman and YMF alumnus Michael Tilson Thomas.

WHEN: The Gala Concert will take place Sun., Jan. 15, 2012 at 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 North Grand Avenue,
Los Angeles, CA 90012

WHY: Young Musicians Foundation: All proceeds from the Gala will
benefit children and youth ages 8-25 who receive music education,
scholarships, pre-professional musical training and performance
opportunities.

Other YMF programs include the Music Director and
Conductor-in-Residence post, one of the most prestigious training
positions available to young conductors. Renowned conductors Michael
Tilson Thomas, Andre Previn, Lawrence Foster and Daniel Hege have
each held this position. YMF also provides music mentorship and harp
instruction in the Lennox School District and classical music
experiences to elementary and high school students in the greater
Los Angeles area.

BioWare “Looking” at Mac Version of Star Wars: The Old Republic

2012-01-05T08:12:00.004Z

Mac gamers got a bit of good news this week, as the founders of BioWare said they are considering a Mac client for Star Wars: The Old Republic. The popular new MMO set in George Lucas’s Star Wars universe was released for Windows late in 2011, but BioWare founders Drs. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk said that the Mac audience was both important and large.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Screenshot
(Click the image for a larger version)

“We know there’s a big Mac audience of BioWare fans … we know that’s an important and large audience. And we want to serve that audience,” Dr. Muzyka told Massively during a recent interview in Manhattan.
He added, “We’ve done a lot of Mac ports before of our games. We haven’t announced any details yet for The Old Republic, but we know that’s an important and large audience.”
When Massively pressed on the subject, noting the inability to play the game on a Mac, Dr. Zeschuk added “I’d say ‘not yet.’”

from http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/bioware_looking_at_mac_version_of_star_wars_the_old_republic/

The Old Republic created “to make sure Bioware is not going to be left behind”

2012-01-05T00:00:00.000Z

Star Wars: The Old Republic has been a huge undertaking for developers, Bioware. It’s taken massive investment and untold man hours to bring it to light. It’s also Bioware’s first MMO, which makes it a risky move into an unfamiliar genre. We asked Star Wars: The Old Republic game director, James Ohlen why Bioware decided to move online. He revealed that the decision was made by Bioiware’s founders, Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, who thought the MMO genre could be the future of the RPG.
“Back in 2004/2005 it was something we knew we needed to get into,” he said. “It seemed to be one of the possible future paths for role-playing games in general. One thing Ray and Greg are always doing is looking at ways to make sure Bioware is not going to be left behind. So they’re looking at all the futures going and then try to make sure we kind of diversify, and that was one of the areas we wanted to diversify in.”

Besides, Ohlen points out that Bioware aren’t entirely unfamiliar with multiplayer. “We’re now known for single player RPGs. But Baldur’s Gate was multiplayer back in the day, so was Neverwinter Nights. In fact Neverwinter Nights, a lot of people used that toolset and engine to create little mini massively multiplayer games. [Laughs] So we do have experience with multiplayer. We just hadn’t built a huge online game before.”
Since then, Mass Effect, Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2 have all done very well, and The Witcher 2 and Skyrim have all proved that the single player RPG is far from dead. The success of Star Wars: The Old Republic doesn’t seem to have affected Bioware’s love of single player RPGs, either. Mass Effect 3 is due out in march, and Dragon Age 3 is currently in development. If you’ve just started The Old Republic, you can join our guilds. Our European guilds, The Mint Imperials and The Revel Alliance are on the Nightmare Lands server. In the US, the Coconut Monkeys are on The Crucible Pits.

READ MORE OVER AT http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/12/29/star-wars-the-old-republic-created-to-make-sure-bioware-is-not-going-to-be-left-behind/

Marsan: Spielberg's a lovely man

2012-01-04T01:00:00.000Z

Steven Spielberg's passion for filmmaking "seeps through to everybody on set", War Horse star Eddie Marsan has revealed.
The Junkhearts actor plays Sgt Fry in the big screen adaptation of the theatre hit, and admitted working with the Oscar-winning director was a dream come true.
"He's a lovely man, full of enthusiasm. He's really creative and really enjoys his work and his enthusiasm seeps through to everybody on set," Eddie revealed.
"It's a fantastic dream."
The actor admitted he could hear the music of composer John Williams, a longtime collaborator of Spielberg's, running through his head while shooting.
"If you work with Steven Spielberg, if you do a scene with him, you can't help but hear John Williams' violins, so you have to stop acting to music, because you imagine, 'In this scene they're going to be really coming in with the violins'. They didn't use them on my scene actually!" Eddie added.

Eddie Marsan reckons Steven Spielberg's enthusiasm for filmmaking is infectious

Galactic Princess Headphone Covers for Star Wars fans

2012-01-03T02:00:00.000Z

If you’re a huge fan of Princess Leia and you want to dress up like her – or at least turn your headphones into stylish Princess Leia buns you’re in luck. The Star Wars character’s famous hairstyle has served as an inspiration for an Etsy creator – Jacqueline LongLegs’, creation – Galactic Princess Headphone Covers. Made from synthetic hair, these accessories will spice up how your headphones look and are available in three colors (auburn, blonde or red) to match the color of your own hair.
The headphone covers can be attached permanently or temporarily, and will set you back $24 a pair. While they won’t turn you into Princess Leia straightaway it puts you one step closer to your goal – and you get to listen to music at the same time. Interested buyers can head over to Etsy to get your hands on these headphone covers.

http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/12/galactic-princess-headphone-covers/

British Darth Vader fighter dies aged 89

2012-01-02T21:34:00.002Z

Former Olympic fencer Bob Anderson, who staged fights in Star Wars films and From Russia With Love, has died at the age of 89.

Anderson fought light sabre battles as Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, two of the original Star Wars films.
In the non-fight scenes, Vader was played by David Prowse and voiced by James Earl Jones.
The British Academy of Fencing confirmed Anderson died on 1 January.
It was Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars trilogy, who revealed Anderson was behind the fight scenes in a 1983 interview with Starlog magazine.
"It was always supposed to be a secret, but I finally told George (Lucas) - the director - I didn't think it was fair any more," he said.
"Bob worked so bloody hard that he deserves some recognition. It's ridiculous to preserve the myth that it's all done by one man."
Robert James Gilbert Anderson was born in Hampshire in 1922. He served in the Royal Marines during World War II and represented the UK in fencing at the 1952 Olympics and the 1950 and 1953 World Championships.
His first foray into the film world was in the 1952 swashbuckler The Master of Ballantrae, starring Errol Flynn.
He was soon in demand and went on to work on films including Die Another Day, The Princess Bride, The Legend of Zorro and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Fencing Academy president Philip Bruce paid tribute on its website: "He was truly one of our greatest fencing masters and a world-class film fight director and choreographer and both the fencing community and film world will miss him."
Anderson is survived by his wife Pearl and three children. Funeral details have not yet been announced.

Record-breaking Star Wars epic is first to beat World Of Warcraft at its own game

2012-01-02T01:00:00.000Z

Hits 1 million subscribers faster than any rival, including World of Warcraft
Gamers play for 5.5 million hours over Christmas
Three billion enemies are killed
Dark Side is narrowly ahead: 810,000 Jedi created, 850,000 Sith

World of Warcraft is the most popular 'online world' ever created - host to 10 million gamers who explore its Tolkien-esque world to battle huge monsters, or just fight and trade with each other. But new rival Star Wars: the Old Republic has gained ground on the gaming juggernaut - hitting a million subscribers faster than any 'massively multiplayer' online game, including Warcraft.
The game, from cult studio Bioware, won 105 awards, and uses voice acting throughout - as well as the universe of Yoda and Darth Vader. It hit a score of 88 on review-aggregator site Metacritic - the highest for any online 'world' game this year.
Warcraft recently lost two million subscribers as users complained about the game growing stale - and Electronic Arts's big-budget challenger seems to be ideally placed to pick up these jaded fans.

The game, from cult studio Bioware, won 105 awards, and uses voice acting throughout - as well as the universe of Yoda and Darth Vader. It hit a score of 88 on review-aggregator site Metacritic - the highest for any online 'world' game this year

Players can opt to play as lightsaber-wielding Jedi or evil Sith - you can't play as famous characters such as Darth Vader, but a few famous faces crop up throughout the game

'Massively multiplayer' games such as Star Wars: the Old Republic allow tens of thousands of players to adventure together - battling monsters together or battling one another to become more powerful

Many games have attempted the feat - including several with well-known characters such as Conan the Barbarian - butthe Old Republic is hotly tipped to do it, thanks to the familiar Star Wars universe, a rumoured £100-million-plus budget, and the fact that Warcraft subscribers seem to be tiring of the game's fantasy world, withtwo million leaving in the past year.
The game officially launched on December 20. For gamers, it's easily the biggest launch in a genre that's been ruled single-handedly by Warcraft for more than five years. 'It's happening. It's finally happening,' said game site IGN last week.
The game's maker, Electronic Arts, was once the biggest game publisher in the world, but lost ground to rival Activision when Activision acquired Blizzard, makers of World of Warcraft in 2008.

The game scored 88 per cent on 'review aggregator' site Metracritic - being praised for its lush graphics, involving plot and vivid game world

Unlike Warcraft, Old Republic uses recorded voice dialogue, rather than text - it has a more voice acting than any previous game, online or off

The game has seen the previous Star Wars online 'world' - Star Wars: Galaxies - switched off, with an announcement that the Rebel Alliance had 'won'.
But while previews and gamer reaction to the game is generally good, others are less sure about the business model. The game has been astronomically expensive for Electronic Arts, and faces competition from other, free, online games.

The evil Galactic Emperor holds court in the highly anticipated PC title Star Wars: the Old Republic. Gamers will play 'together' in an online world based on Star Wars

Frank Gibeau, President of Electronic Arts, said to Gamesindustry.biz, 'I wish it wasn't so expensive. I think everybody does.'
The business model where gamers pay for discs, then pay to subscribe, is also under threat.
Many games, such as Sony's DC Universe Online, have switched to a 'free to play' system similar to Facebook games, where the game itself is free, but users pay to upgrade their character with powerful items or new outfits.
Gaming site Eurogamer described the game as 'the end of an era' - saying that it's arrived as the world of online gaming changes forever.

The game lets players battle monsters - or one another, with the players split into two factions. The resulting mix ensures that both pacifists and more warlike players are catered for

School for scoundrels: the Sith Academy, where players can be trained in using the powers of the Dark Side. You can also join the Jedi - or simply become a trader

The Old Republic does have new ideas, though such as voice acting throughout the game - giving Old Republic a more story-driven feel. It's also driven the price up hugely.
World of Warcraft has had up to12 million monthly subscribers, earning the company a reported $500 million a year in subscription fees - on top of disc prices for the gameand its four expansions. The game has been running since 2004.

Gamers will team up together to take on hideous alien beasts in a huge 'online world' shared by millions

The game includes hundreds of planets to explore - gamers can captain spaceships, command crews, make millions, and even turn to the Dark Side

The game also has voice acting throughout - and a greater focus on story than rival Warcraft, which gamers sometimescomplain has 'hamster wheel'-like qualities, as they're forced to repeat tasks to earn in-game rewards.

The world of Old Republic is far bigger than the world of the films - but gamers should expect to meet familiar faces

List Of Geek Anniversaries in 2012 (Start saving for those special editions)

2012-01-01T13:51:00.002Z

Here is a list of anniversaries this year so start saving for those special edition box sets.

80th Anniversary

John Williams composer was born in 1932

45th Anniversary (1967)

Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (TV)

40th Anniversary (1972)

The Godfather
The Poseidon Adventure

35th Anniversary (1977)
Star Wars

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind 1977

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
The Fantastic Journey (TV)
Fantasy Island (TV)

30th Anniversary (1982)
E.T The Extra Terrestrial
The THX Sound System was developed for use in movie theaters
Lucasarts was founded
Poltergeist
Blade Runner
The Thing (John Carpenter)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (video game)
Q*bert (video game)

25th Anniversary (1987)

Innerspace
Jaws 4 The Revenge
Predator
Robocop
The Running Man
Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV)
Maniac Mansion (video game)

Star Tours 1987

Star Tours (Ride)
Empire of the Sun
Superman IV

20th Anniversary (1992)

Muppet's Christmas Carol
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (TV)
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (video game)

15th Anniversary (1997)
Titanic
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Men In Black
The Fifth Element
Event Horizon
Starship Troopers
Stargate SG-1 (TV)
The Curse of Monkey Island (video game)
Amistad

10th Anniversary (2002)

Lord Of The Rings The Two Towers
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
Spiderman
Men In Black II
Signs

Minority Report 2002

Minority Report
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Catch Me If You Can
28 Days Later
Taken (TV)

Let me know if I have forgotten any you think should be on the Geek list.

Relevant links
Thebeardedtrio
Lucasarts
Lucasfilm
Star Trek
THX
Industrial Light & Magic
Star Tours

KATE Middleton and Prince William are meeting up with Steven Spielberg.

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000Z

According to New York Post gossip column Page Six, the British royals will greet the director, as well as members of the cast — Jeremy Irvine, Tom Hiddleston and Emily Watson — of his new movie War Horse, before its UK premiere on Jan. 8 at the Odeon Leicester Square in London.Some 600 British military personnel and their families are invited to the premiere to benefit The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry.

http://www.showbizspy.com/article/242122/prince-william-and-kate-middleton-to-meet-steven-spielberg.html

Happy New Year Message From The Bearded Trio (Michael Bay style)

2011-12-31T13:36:00.004Z

Happy New Year Everyone. Here's a picture of a model in Leia Gold Bikini on a wampa rug

2011-12-31T13:10:00.002Z

Any excuse...

Model wearing Princess Leia gold bikini costume on a Wampa rug. Nice.

What a way to end 2011. Happy 2012 everyone

Gremlins 3 in the Works?

2011-12-31T03:00:00.000Z

Recently, word has been spread around that Warner Brothers has renewed the domain name for Gremlins3.com along with a bunch of other rumored sequels like Green Lantern 2 and The Hangover 3. Now, this doesn’t mean for sure that the film will be put into production but the rumor of the development of a third film has been floating around since 1999. Last year, original series director, Joe Dante, commented that he would not return for a 3rd installment after his fallout with the studio but believes that they will do something with the property sometime soon.

I’m constantly asked ‘why the hold up on Gremlins 3? And that’s because those films were such products of the technology at the time. The movie was more limited and created by technology. They were puppets. The story-lines, then, were based around what we could do with the Gremlins. Now, of course, anything is possible but it becomes a little more difficult to hone it on what your storyline would be. First of all, I won’t be asked. Second of all, I wouldn’t bring back the original cast because it’s been too long – the kids now would be familiar with the title, and familiar with Gizmo and Stripe, but as far as the actual [live-action] characters and story, they don’t know them..

Read more about Gremlins 3 rumours over at http://nerdreactor.com/2011/12/28/gremlins-3-in-the-works/

The Bearded Trio

Star Wars: The Old Republic players hunt for rumoured white lightsaber crystal

Warwick Davis: 'Doctor Who role would be dream come true'

High Resolution Picture Of Lucasarts Full Throttle Bike

Star Wars: Old Republic's next update 'much bigger'

Content already planned through to 2013.

The Clone Wars James Arnold Taylor's "Talking to Myself" Trailer #StarWars

Oprah’s Next Chapter” Preview (1/22/12): Interview With Jedi Master, George Lucas, at Skywalker

Industrial Light And Magic Creating The Impossible Logo

‘Star Wars’ returns with Darth Maul 3-D glasses, Hasbro giveaways

New Star Wars Kinect "Duel" Vader vs Ben Video

Steven Spielberg to sign on to direct new Ten Commandments movie

RC R2-D2 marks start of Bladez Star Wars Pump & Play range

War Horse role for trainer Dylan Jones of Dolbadarn stables, Llanberis

Tom Hanks to Create and Star in Animated Sci-Fi Show on Yahoo

The actor's Playtone has teamed with Reliance Entertainment to produce "Electric City," which will stream over the Internet before heading to more traditional outlets.

John Williams Gets Two Nominations For Best Original Score

Scalextric Star Wars On The Way

Star Wars crowdsourced film reaches million YouTube views

If Facebook Existed In A Galaxy Far Far Away @starwars

Star Wars Activities Planned Around Phantom Menace Weekend

George Lucas's toy story #starwars

ILM on Recreating WW2 Dogfights in 'Red Tails' #ilm

Jamie Bell Excited For Peter Jackson's 'Tintin' Sequel

Stars Of Time - Sci-fi Show Sunday 29th July 2012 Weston-super-mare

2011 Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year goes to Star Wars: The Old Republic

Box Office Report - 'Red Tails' Flies With $6 Mil

Getting Spielberg's War Horse ready for his close-up

Crowdsourced @StarWars Uncut Completed, Now Available To Watch Online For Free

Vodafone RED Box: No need for Jedi training featuring @StarWars Yoda

Rango - ILM Tour

Universal CityWalk New Years Eve Tilt-Shift Time-lapse 2012

Star Wars: The Old Republic announces Founder title

Family Moving Into "Up" Replica House in Utah

Industry Veterans Reopen Legendary ILM Soundstage

Vodafone UK has announced that it has signed @StarWars character Yoda to appear in its adverts.

BioWare Unleashes Mass Effect 3 Demo February 14

George Lucas: Whats the point of making more Star Wars? I just get yelled at.

George Lucas to Retire From Blockbuster Filmmaking After 'Red Tails'

EARTHQUAKE Soundtrack Score Suite (John Williams)

War Horse charges to top of UK box office chart

Spielberg to produce Jurassic Park 4

‘War Horse’ Sound Tricks: Ice Skates for Bullets and Other Trade Secrets

The Clone Wars season 5 confirmed

GOLDEN GLOBES: Steven Spielberg's Tintin wins

Why War Horse owes its existence to Desert Island Discs

It is the entertainment success story of recent years: the children's book that became a stage hit and now a film by Steven Spielberg.

War horse Star Trek style Worf Horse

Steven Spielberg reveals 'Tintin' sequel details

Spielberg won't direct Jurassic Park 4

Harry Potter director Chris Columbus to write children's fantasy books

Raiders fan recreates Lucas's Lost Ark from cinema's Lost Archives

Indiana Jones Desperately Needed A Beer

Star Wars 3D release to be celebrated by virtual Podrace

Stars pick their favourite Steven Spielberg movies

Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace 3D Movie Posters

George Lucas is amongst the top donators to charity. #georgelucas

Spielberg turns down Colombian sweetheart Paola Turbay

Shropshire company’s tie-in with Spielberg’s War Horse

Kinect Star Wars to Feature 3D Support

Tom Hiddleston interview: 'I bonded with Spielberg over Guinness' #warhorse

BioWare warns of #StarWars Old Republic texture bug

Spielberg shares storytelling secrets in Paris

Churchill's mission to rescue the war horses and how he made officials bring tens of thousands home

The Lord of the Rings Symphony Full length Video #howardshore

George Lucas Couldn't Get Studios To Support His Red Tails Movie

Shatner Shouts KHHAAANNNN to the whole Wars/Trek argument #starwars #startrek

THX Mini Documentary James Earl Jones Narrates

George Lucas talks about filmmaking

STORY: George Lucas salutes Tuskegee Airmen with 'Red Tails'

Paramount Pictures High Resolution Logo Image

Seven Minutes Of Red Tails Clips Packed Into One Video

Benedict Cumberbatch Talks About Steven Spielberg

Watch Harrison Ford viewing the trilogy for "the first time."

Marco Cerbella plays "Jurassic Park Theme", John Williams (D-Deck, Electone)

Steven Spielberg: 'Jeremy Irvine could be the next Christian Bale' Video

Steven Spielberg has claimed that an audience can always tell the difference between CGI and real-life

Steven Spielberg on Harry Potter: My kids thought I was crazy to quit

Duchess of Cambridge 'needed Kleenex' for War Horse says Steven Spielberg

E.T. comes home. model of Spielberg alien reunited with owner after being found on the beach