The Bearded Trio

LucasArts has insisted upcoming Star Wars sequel The Force Unleashed II remains on target for an October release despite the executive producer's decision to quit.
Executive producer and writer of the Force Unleashed videogame series, Haden Blackman, resigned from LucasArts yesterday after 13 years with the studio, IGN reports.
"I've had a fantastic time working with the team at Lucasfilm and am really grateful for their ongoing support," Blackman said in a statement.
"While the decision to leave LucasArts did not happen overnight or come easily, I really feel that now is the best time for me to move on and explore new creative challenges and I look forward to the next phase of my career."
LucasArts said Blackman's departure will not affect the game's development.
"From launching Behind the Magic to delivering Star Wars: The Force Unleashed I and II, Haden has been an invaluable member of the team during his tenure with the co…

Star Wars creator George Lucas is attempting to stop a business from creating replicas of the lightsabres in the hit film series, which actually contain a powerful laser that can damage eyesight.
Lucasfilm has threatened Wicked Lasers, based in Shanghai, with legal action if it does not immediately change or cease production of the Spyder III Pro Arctic Laser.
CNN has reported that Lucasfilm argues the Pro Arctic Laser "was intended to resemble the hilts of our lightsabre swords, which are protected by copyright”.
However, Wicked Lasers chief executive Steve Liu has also told CNN that his company has made other products like the Wicked Laser for several years. "Most people feel it's kind of ridiculous," he said.
"We would never use any comparison like that to Star Wars or a lightsabre or anything like that."

Admitting paranoia over the treatment of the Star Wars franchise, LucasArts reaffirms its commitment to releasing high quality titles.

MCV interviewed executive Haden Blackman about the franchise and the prospects of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II this autumn.
"We are so paranoid about tarnishing Star Wars. We want to make every game as good as possible, but it doesn't always work out that way. The Force Unleashed II is a better game. Whether it reviews or sells as well, I have no idea."
Recommitting to quality games is great, though the proof will be in the games themselves. LucasArts has done well by Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge this year, so here's hoping The Force Unleashed II follows suit.

A list of the top songs and soundtracks from John Williams. His musical pieces are finely arranged and cement his nickname as 'America's Composer.'

Inside The Magic have managed to get an interview with the man who has ridden the Indiana Jones Adventure more than 1700 times.  Yes 1700!


Click the Jump to read the story.

Full Ride Through after the 2009 Refurbishment. Hadrosaurus is working again!

Jurassic Park River Adventure Universal Studios Hollywood Flume Ride.

Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg will be shooting his latest film on a windswept, isolated moor - in Britain.
Dartmoor is the backdrop for a big-budget adaptation of War Horse, a novel by Devon writer Michael Morpurgo.
The book tells the moving story of a horse sold to the cavalry and then shipped to France during the First World War, and his young owner's mission to bring him home.


Enlarge Enlarge Hollywood treatment: Legendary Oscar-winning Director Steven Spielberg (left) is to shoot an adpation of 'Warhorse' - a novel written by Michael Morpurgo (right) in Dartmoor and London 'I know they are filming on Dartmoor and in London,' said Mr Morpurgo, who used his home village of Iddesleigh, near Winkleigh, North Devon, as the location for part of the novel. 'I am excited and I hope to go on set and see it.' The author said he was thrilled that Oscar winner Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy were working together on the production. 'They made ET, Schindler&…

This Video Contains music from the "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" Soundtrack - composed by Nicholas Hooper. The full soundtrack will be released on July 14th by Warner Brothers Entertainment.



Any requests for Soundtrack Of The Week please let us know via message, or our facebook page

The main purpose of this painting was to capture the atmosphere of the battle over this monstrous space station.

Fans of Ralph McQuarrie have a lot to get excited about at Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Florida next month! The biggest and most exciting announcement is that we are bringing a gallery of over 100 original Star Wars illustrations from Ralph McQuarrie's personal collection to the show, as announced in the LA Times and on StarWars.com earlier this week. You'll be able to see, up close and personal, preliminary drawings and sketches dating back to the day Ralph received the script for The Star Wars from George Lucas. Most of theses pieces are being unveiled for the first time as part of this gallery showing.
To commemorate the event, Dreams and Visions Press has produced a limited edition 48-page, 8.5 x 11 souvenir program that will be available exclusively in the gallery, which includes reproductions of all the images on display along with detailed descriptions of each piece. Limited to only 1,000 copies, it's the perfect keepsake to relive your memories o…

In Falling Skies, Steven Spielberg's TV series coming summer 2011, it's six months since aliens wiped out most of humanity. How can Noah Wyle and Moon Bloodgood prevail? Our first glimpse of a trailer gave us some hints. Spoilers ahead...
The panel, moderated by io9's own Marc Bernardin, started with our first trailer for the series, which only gave a few gruesome glimpses of the alien attackers. I saw one clear shot of metal feet stomping past as someone cowered in hiding, and there were quick cuts of a scene where Noah Wyle and a friend take on a monster in a storage facility or supermarket storeroom, and I thought I could see a ridged head. (In the roundtables for Falling Skies, Noah Wyle hinted that the aliens had more than two legs, and you had to get up close and personal to kill one.)
The trailer starts with a child's voiceover narrating the horrible events of the alien attack, interspersed with some gray-tinged footage of the real thing. The child …

Los Angeles Times

EXCLUSIVE: FIRST LOOK AT LONG-LOST ART


STAR WARS CELEBRATION V, ORLANDO, FLA.,AUG. 12- 15
Forget The Force, "Star Wars" fans can thank a balky old furnace in Berkeley for the discovery of some nearly lost treasures from the earliest days of the Jedi universe.
When George Lucas was first pitching the idea of a cosmic fantasy that happened a long time ago and in a galaxy far, far away, it was the vivid artwork of Ralph McQuarrie that the young filmmaker used to communicate his strange, otherworldly concepts and characters (some of the most famous paintings, of the droids in the desert, can be seen below). McQuarrie became renowned for his art labors on the film, and for years "Star Wars" scholars have analyzed and discussed every sketch and painting -- well, not every one, it turns out.
In the months after the lavish, 400-page retrospective "The Art of Ralph McQuarrie" was published in 2007, the illustrator was dealing with a far m…

In 1980, George Lucas released the sequel to end all sequels with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. 30 years later, FluffyLogic, THQ Wireless, and Lucasfilm are releasing the an iPhone app centered around one of the film’s most memorable scenes. No, not the father part, but the epic snow battle on the ice planet Hoth in the tower defense app Star Wars: Battle for Hoth. Though it may be a tower defense game, Battle for Hoth brings enough new tricks to the table to keep things interesting. Coupled with classic elements as well as newer micromanagement possibilities, and very basic social features, it’s a game that is well worth the $2.99 price tag. The bad part is that it comes with a handful of usability and intuitiveness issues. The good part is that its enough to give Star Wars lovers a complete and total geek-out.
The basics are easy enough. Imperial soldiers are trying to reach Echo Base, and it’s up to you to stop them. Any troops that get through will cause damage to…

http://theflickcast.com/2010/07/23/sdcc10-the-lucasarts-force-unleashed-ii-panel/

The San Diego Comic-Con panel for the upcoming LucasArts sequel to The Force Unleashed opened with some amazing cinematic footage from the game. In the footage previewed to Comic-Con attendees, Vader reveals to Starkiller that he is in fact a clone, produced to Vader’s exact specifications and designed to be the perfect apprentice.
But the news goes from bad to worse, as Vader explains that he is actually a failed clone. Prone to strange and distracting flashbacks and weird memory-holes, Vader declares Starkiller useless and orders him killed. Starkiller of course, has other plans. Using his incredibly powerful force abilities, he breaks free of his bonds, destroys his Stormtrooper captors and proceeds to flee the planet Camino, becoming a fugitive in the process.
The footage from Force Unleashed 2 really set the tone for the big Lucasarts panel revolving around the upcoming sequel to one of t…

BEST GAME ON THE IPHONE...

...and its a Star Wars game!

The Bearded Trio Recommends Trench Run on the Iphone.  Now with a major update including the Millennium Falcon



Use the Force to overthrow the evil Galactic Empire as they attempt to destroy the small Rebel base on Yavins jungle moon.

As part of the Rebel Alliances Red Squadron you dogfight with TIE Fighters above the Death Stars surface before heading into a trench where you are inundated by cannon fire.

Dodge obstacles, and stay out of Darth Vaders sights as he tries to gun you down before you have the chance to fire your proton torpedoes into a thermal exhaust port the size of a womp rat. If successful, a direct hit will cause a chain reaction that destroys the Death Star, thus saving the Rebel base from impending doom.

Intergalactic planetary… Bounty hunter Boba Fett is in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II.

The news emerged last night from Comic-Con, San Diego.
Yesterday publisher Activision held a preview event for the game in London, and the lovely Keza MacDonald was there for Eurogamer. Here's what she told us in an email last night:
"Boba Fett is totally in the game, but you don't get to play him or anything. Darth Vader hires him to hunt down Juno, the love interest from the first game, in order to lure Starkiller's clone into his grasp.
"Fett's in the game as a response to fans' requests for more iconic Star Wars characters to liven up Force Unleashed's created universe."

Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Trench Run 2.0 hit Apple’s App Store on Tuesday with new ships from the movie series along with the ability to use your iPhone or iPod touch to control the Web-based version of the game.

Version 2.0 added the Millennium Falcon, Y-Wing and TIE fighters, Darth Vader’s TIE fighter, improved graphics and explosions, 3D cockpits, and improved game lighting. The update also includes three new Millennium Falcon-based levels.

Star Wars: Trench Run 2.0 is priced at US$4.99 and is available at Apple’s iTunes-based App Store.

Release Date: TBA 2011
Genre: Science Fiction
Cast: Olivia Wilde, Jeff Bridges, John Hurt, Bruce Boxleitner, Amy Esterle
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Writer: Adam Horowitz, Richard Jefferies
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

LucasArts has released a new video for Star Wars: The Old Republic, showcasing this upcoming MMO set in the Star Wars universe. The action takes place thousands of years before the rise of Darth Vader, when war between the Old Republic and the Sith Empire divided the galaxy. Players can choose to play as Jedi, Sith, or a variety of other classic Star Wars roles. Local Download: Star Wars: The Old Republic Music Trailer (HD) (253.41MB)  http://www.gamershell.com/news_99512.html

Steven Spielberg Hollywood filmmaker Steven Spielberg doesn't believe directors should use special effects unless it is relevant to the story of a film.

The "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" director admits it is up to individual filmmakers how to use new technology in movies, but he prefers a simpler approach, reports contactmusic.

"There are so many tools we have now in the tool shed and it's just a matter of individual choice of how we use these tools," said Speilberg.

"I frankly think that special effects are becoming too special. There are too many special effects in all these movies today. It means that the movie starts on a special effect, ends on a bigger special effect and the middle is the same special effect," he added.

However, the three-time Oscar winner admits he still has an admiration for James Cameron's "Avatar", despite much of the movie using performance capture technology.

"…

Mumbai: Three of director Abhishek Kapoor’s favourite movies include Mystic River, Schindler’s List, and the Hindi blockbuster Sholay.
Each of these three movies holds a special relevance for him. “Mystic River has been directed by Clint Eastwood, who is my favourite Hollywood director. The movie unfolds in such a fine way, with no bit of extra manipulation that it grips the viewer,” he says.
Abhishek Kapoor This is a story about childhood friends Jimmy Markum, Sean Devine and Dave Boyle who reunite following the death of Jimmy’s daughter. Sean’s a police detective on the case, gathering disturbing evidence. He’s also tasked with handling Jimmy’s rage and need for revenge. He is also enthralled by the genius of director Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List. What leaves him awe-struck is the fact that Spielberg managed to come up with Schindler’s List at the same time while he directed the blockbuster thriller Jurassic Park. “I am so mesmerised by his versatility,” he a…

“Beware of Sharks” sign on a storefront in Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard, which served as the fictional resort town of Amity Island in the 1975 Steven Spielberg blockbuster “Jaws.”
Credit: Reuters/Lauren Keiper/Handout
MARTHA'S VINEYARD, Massachusetts (Reuters) - After 35 years, people haven't tired of talking about or watching Steven Spielberg's quintessential summer movie "Jaws."
The shark-in-the-water thriller remains competitive on the Hollywood blockbuster list, having raked in over $470 million at box offices worldwide. Adjusted for inflation, the number would be around $1.9 billion today.
Composer John Williams' ominous two-note "shark" theme is known by kids and adults of all ages, whether they've seen the movie or not.
The movie flooded theaters for the first time in June 1975, and the buzz around it remains particularly strong on the original "Jaws" movie set -- the beache…

“The Pacific,” the HBO miniseries about World War II from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, captured 24 Emmy nominations to lead the shows vying for television’s most-coveted awards.
“Glee,” the Fox network show about a high-school glee club, came in second with 19 nominations, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences said today in Los Angeles. “Mad Men,” the AMC series about a Madison Avenue advertising agency in the 1960s, was third with 17. HBO, owned by Time Warner Inc., garnered the most nominations with 101. Among cable networks, Cablevision Systems Corp.’s AMC was second with 26. Walt Disney Co.’s ABC was first among broadcasters with 63 nominations, garnering 14 for “Modern Family” and 12 for “Lost,” the fantasy series about island castaways that concluded this year. In 10 parts, “The Pacific” was produced by the creators of “Band of Brothers,” the HBO miniseries about 101st Airborne’s role in World War II in Europe. “The Pacific” told the intertwined stories of…

Exactingly copied from surviving filming props in the Lucasfilm archive, this awesome replica reveals never before seen details.

Qui Gon Jinn Lightsaber Features:
Machined aluminum and brass partsAnodized black detailsAnodized red female knurled buttonIntricate pommel detailingMuseum quality display case with mirrored base and acrylic coverNumbered plaque and certificate of authenticity Buy Qui Gon Jinn's infamous lightsaber today! "Obi-Wan, promise... promise me you will train the boy. He is the Chosen One. He will bring balance. Train him..." Qui-Gon Jinn Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace

Defiant to the end, with his last breath the venerable Qui-Gon Jinn exacts a fateful promise from his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to train a young slave boy named Anakin Skywalker to become a Jedi Knight.

During a mission to settle a simple trade dispute between the greedy Trade Federation and the peaceful world of Naboo, Qui-Gon and his apprentice became embroiled in a sinis…

From http://www.brownblogfilms.com/sound/5-1-2-toy-story-3/

hings have been pretty light on Pixar loving of late but that ain’t gonna last too long with the release of Toy Story 3.  No doubt its going to be a masterpiece of style, technical wizardry, storytelling and everything else that they do all so well (its all guesswork until I see it but lets face it, Pixar don’t exactly do badfilms…).  So ye can all drool over the visuals but what  caught my eye is that Pixar, along with Skywalker Sound and Dolby Laboratories, have developed a new 7.1 surround sound configuration for the film to be viewed in – unfortunately Dolby are essentially men-in-white-coats and lack the creative genius of Pixar so the best name they could come up with was well….Dolby Surround 7.1.


Nerds, put your specs on, things are gonna get wordy!! So Read the rest here

Mary Bihr, LucasArts' vice president of global publishing, has defended the company's commitment to original creations by telling Gamasutra that it is "not opposed" to looking in new directions.

The LucasArts E3 selection was a little lopsided in the ideas department this year, showcasing Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2, the BioWare-developed MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic and, of course, the as-yet-unnamed Star Wars game for Kinect that was debuted as a tech demo. A special edition of Monkey Island 2 was also shown, but (although welcome) this is a remake of a game that is almost two decades old.

"We're a company that is always looking for innovations" Bihr claimed, before referring to "the technology we're using in The Force Unleashed 2" as an example. While that technology may be impressive, it is still powering a long-standing, traditional franchise.

Bihr did, however, offer a little hope for those waiting for new creati…

Last week, model and occasional actress, Kelly Brook, made news by appearing in a magazine photo shoot wearing the iconic Princess Leia slave costume from Return of the Jedi (see how she looked here). In doing so, Brook joined a legion of famous (and not so famous) people who have paid homage to the greatest princess of all time.

Whether it's the Leia during her 'doughnut-on-either-side-of-her-head' phase or in the sexy garb that Jabba the Hut designed for her, Princess Leia's fashion choices have always been a permanent fixture in pop culture. Basically, if anyone bothered to do a 'Most Parodied Thing Ever' list... Leia would definitely be in the top five.

So, with that in mind, here are our ten favourite Princess Leia tribute moments from the world of movies, telly and beyond. Needless to say, the force is strong in all of our selection...

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE COUNTDOWN

The actual gameplay trailer we witnessed behind closed doors at E3 2010 has finally been released by LucasArts!!
Watch as all the classic MMO gameplay you have come to love, are taken to a galaxy far far away for Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Star Wars: The Old Republic E3 Multiplayer Demo

He was the quintessential American artist of his generation, creating scenes that captured turning points in life . . . and dreams of what lies ahead.

They are the quintessential American filmmakers of their generation, creating scenes that capture turning points in life . . . and dreams of what lies ahead.

Still, you might be surprised to learn that Norman Rockwell's work had a profound influence on Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, starting when they were boys, inspired by his covers on the Saturday Evening Post.

"He was able to sum up the story and make you want to read the story," said Lucas, "but actually understand who the people were, what their motives were, everything in one little frame."

It was Lucas who started collecting Rockwell.

His friend and colleague, director Steven Spielberg, said he couldn't believe that somebody he knew had "a living, breathing oil painting by the hand of this great American icon. It was amazing.&…

As he’s about to turn 20, the German actor’s career looks set to surge.
David Kross was so impressive as Kate Winslet’s teenage lover in The Reader (pictured),  it’s surprising the young German actor has only made two films since then, the German-lingo dramas Same Same But Different and Das Blaue vom Himmel (The Blue of the Sky).

His career looks like getting a major boost as Steven Spielberg has enlisted him for the cast of War Horse, one of the first films produced by DreamWorks Pictures since it finalised a long-term financing deal with Indian conglomerate Reliance ADA Group.

Based on a novel by Michael Morpurgo and set in 1914, the movie centres on Joey, a bay-red foal sold to the British Army and thrust into the midst of the war on the Western Front. Joey's courage touches the soldiers around him but the nag pines for Albert, the farmer's son he left behind. Albert heads to France to try to save his pet.

Newcomer Jeremy Irvine, whose…

Sarah Carlson/TimesDaily Young visitors to the “Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination” exhibit look at Luke Skywalker's original speedracer used in “Star Wars,” on display at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville. The traveling exhibit is open through Sept. 6. By Sarah Carlson
Staff Writer

Published: Sunday, July 4, 2010 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, July 1, 2010 at 6:29 p.m.
Leaving a darkened theater into the bright sunlight one afternoon in 1997, I contemplated the film I'd just seen — “The Empire Strikes Back.” And then, my 12-year-old self made Carlson family lore by saying this thought out loud:



“The third one makes more sense now.”
My parents cracked up, and still laugh about the line today, as we exited the screening of the classic 1980 film. But it was true — I'd largely skipped over “Empire” as a child in favor of the Ewoks in '83's “Return of the Jedi.” And these were the glory days before the prequels, which I'd…

It's been 35 years, but people are still scared to get into the water. That's the legacy of a two-hour movie released in June 1975 by a then little-known director called Steven Spielberg, and which turned the hitherto tranquil act of visiting the beach into a nerve-wracking pursuit which involved the humming, at ever increasing speed, of two musical notes: "dee-dum." The film, of course, was Jaws. And aside from forever poisoning our relationship with vast predatory fish, it also made an indelible impact on modern culture as the first ever Summer Blockbuster: the first movie to pass the milestone of making $100m at the box office, and the first to be marketed by a major Hollywood studio as a cultural event. Before Jaws, new films were typically released in a handful of cinemas, often on a Monday night, before widening to more screens if enough people turned up. 


After Jaws, the industry's playing field shifted: having learned that a single movie coul…

Music from the 1990 motion picture composed and conducted by Alan Silvestri.

A modder has recreated Disneyland's Indiana Jones: Temple of the Forbidden Eye ride using Valve's undead shooter Left 4 Dead.

Star Wars sound engineers Matt Wood and David Acord have spoken to this week’s ForceCast. Chiefly, they were chatting in a rather specific and delightfully nerdy manner about a single detail of the original Star Wars soundtrack, debating whether or not Obi Wan’s scary roar was borrowed from a Hanna-Barbera cartoon called Dino Boy. However, at the end of the segment, they revealed the following:
And, to be honest, that sound effect has been changed again. So at some point the audiences will be hearing that scene again with the new sound effect.At some point, unspecified, in the future. Intriguing. Here’s another quote on the new version of the effect:
[We] decided it should sound even more human. And the human it does sound like… yeah, we’ll talk about that another time.Sounds like they’re trying to forge some new subtext in this latest remix, and very subtly so.
It’s stated clearly in the interview that the DVD remix was done in 2004, and that another full mix was done in 20…