The Bearded Trio

Here are some rare Star Wars photos you may not have seen. Incidentally did anyone spot the George Lucas look-a-like in Super 8? He was in the crowd and looked very much like the classic Lucas just like the one below. It was the scene when they were having a police conference. If I find a photo I will post here for you.

Its the weekend so what better way to celebrate the days off but with some more classic photos of Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher.)  Okay its a poor excuse but hey she was my first crush.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away … a host of rebels, bounty hunters and Imperial guards were overshadowed by the more glamorous antics of Luke and Leia. That's the cheeky premise of Elliott Quince's new book, which fleshes out the lives of lesser-known Star Wars characters in modelling clay • Plasticine Tatooine: Stories from the Star Wars Second String.

To celebrate the imminent release of Star Wars on Blu-ray I have come up with a way to enhance the experience.  Best played with two or more players.  Drink responsibly (don't spill any.) You open up the box set and lay all the discs out and read all the leaflets and pamphlets before even playing one.  Down a drink You think “Wow!  How amazing does that look in high def” take a swig. You think “Wow!  That sounds amazing in 6.1” take a swig. You go straight for the deleted scenes.  Down a drink. You go straight for one of the documentaries (Star Warriors, Anatomy Of A Dewback etc.) Down a drink. You watch the concept art gallery.  Take a sip. You decide to do this properly and start with the first disc. Take a sip. You’ve got mates around and decide to have a geek night.  You better take a sip and take it slowly.  You’re probably going to be drunk by the end of disc one. George Lucas is wearing a cap.  Take a swig...

Super 8 was everything I wanted it to be. I was a kid all over again watching the Spielberg greats of the seventies and eighties. Here’s a list of why the movie Super 8 worked so well for me. No glamour. It makes a refreshing change to watch a movie where the main characters of a movie not aimed at kids are kids. No models, no teenagers running around semi naked moaning that X hasn’t broken up with Y because Z said they shouldn’t etc. A Proper script with three dimensional characters and played by relatively unknowns. No big name actors. It Was Made With A Low Budget. Super 8 cost fifty million dollars to make. In comparison to other movies this is extremely low. Michael Bay has reportedly added thirty million dollars to the Transformers 3 budget alone just to get the 3D right. By having a low budget a good story and script had to be the biggest priority. Back in the seventies and eighties the BBC had very low production budgets in comparison to other TV com...

An advert aimed at retailers from Kenner selling their up and coming new range of Star Wars toys. It also mentions George Lucas plans twelve movies in the Star Wars universe .  (who remembers that rumour?) (2020 Update - 12 movies you say?)

From the video producer - Some rare insights into the private area of the "Skywalker Ranch" which I visited in 2007. This video shows the huge library, where filmmakers and producers do their research.

Peter Falk, the American actor most famous for his role as TV's scruffy detective, Columbo, has died at the age of 83. The actor died peacefully at home in Beverly Hills on Thursday night, his family said in a statement. He had been suffering from dementia for a number of years. Peter Falk won four Emmys for his cigar-chomping role as the deceptively bumbling Columbo, and was nominated for Oscars in 1960 and 1961.  Steven Spielberg directed an episode called Murder By The Book in 1971. In the 1987 cult classic The Princess Bride, he played a kindly old man regaling his sick grandson with a fairytale combination of swordplay, giants, a beautiful princess and fearsome rodents of unusual size. But for most fans, even his best-supporting actor nominations in Murder Inc and Pocketful of Miracles were eclipsed by his incarnation as the sleuth in the shabby mac with no known first name and the killer catch-phrase: "One more thing......

Steven Spielberg has revealed that it feels surreal that Raiders of the Lost Ark is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The Jurassic Park director spoke to the Los Angeles Times about the first instalment in the Indiana Jones franchise, stating that he cannot believe that the film was made 30 years ago. "It's really startling," Spielberg said. "Number one, it seems like it was only five years ago, it does not seem like 30 years ago. And the other great thing is I'm still close to everybody that made the movie." Spielberg continued: "I love how that Raiders family has stayed together for 30 years. We're all still the closest of friends." Raiders of the Lost Ark was the first of four Indiana Jones movies starring Harrison Ford as Jones. It was followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom , Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull . The 64-year-old is executive producing J.J. ...

"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (Disney) When Oscar-nominated director Rob Marshall came aboard as the new captain of the “ Pirates of the Caribbean ” franchise, he was immediately possessed by the siren call of one particular element in the script — beautiful mermaids. No one needs to explain cinematic possibilities of dangerous lust and predatory women to the director of “ Chicago ” and “ Memoirs of a Geisha ,” and when he took over the Disney buccaneer franchise he zeroed in on the script’s presentation of the magical aquatic creatures as a place to make his mark. “They are beautiful, seductive women but they use that beauty to lure men to their deaths,” Marshall said with an approving grin. “They are women but they are also animal. These are creatures and carnivores and they want to feed.” And when they feed, sailors in salt water are the main course. Marshall made the mermaids a paramount priority for Ben Snow ...

Thirty-seven years ago today, Director Steven Spielberg began filming “Jaws” in Martha’s Vineyard. The film went more than twice over its budget, but more than made up for it at the box office – and scared a generation of moviegoers.

The Lucasfilm Animation building in Singapore looks rather like a sandcrawler , don’t you think? This is just an artist’s conception, as groundbreaking occurred only this week. link http://www.neatorama.com/2011/04/18/the-new-headquarters-of-lucasfilm-looks-like-a-sandcrawler/

Just got back from the Sci-fi fair held at Newport South Wales.  What a great time.  I met Gerald Home who played Squid Head and Mon Calamari in Star Wars, Alan Ruscoe who played Plo Koon and numerous Doctor Who characters and Toby Philpott who helped control Jabba in Return Of The Jedi. Take a look at some of the photos and videos.  Feel free to leave me a comment or tweet on twitter. Gerald Home - Great guy who spent time to discuss his experience on Return Of The Jedi Hes the one on the left. Alan Rusco with me sharing a joke      Below are some more photos including a video of the fair.  Includes Daleks, K-9, a David Tennant look-a-like, Stormtroopers and errrr a bird! Thats the wife...in the middle Last time I try the "you don't need to see my identification" trick  David Tennant look-a-like Matt Holden has a face book page over at http://www.facebook.com/MH10th