Get ready to get angry. Of course, who’s better at getting us angry than George Lucas? Lucasfilm executive producer Rick McCallum revealed this past week that the Star Wars TV series is tentatively being titled Star Wars: Underworld, with both he and Lucas adding that it’s just an idea, and not the real title, and other than that nothing’s really set for the show. Which isn’t coming out for “more than 4 or 5 more years.”
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Hoth Skywalker Tennis Shoes: Not recommended for escaping from Imperial Walkers on Hoth, but if only Luke had been wearing these snazzy Skywalker Tennis Shoes, he might have outwitted Vader and never had his arm severed. Then again if that had happened, we wouldn’t have had Solo frozen in carbonite for half of Jedi. Or Boba Fett being thrown into the Sarlacc Pitt. Or Ewoks. Read the full story
‘Tis no easy task, choosing the geekiest costumes from this past All Hallows’ Eve — especially since all things nerd are now mainstream, pseudo-trendy and thus downright unavoidable (excluding England circa 1979, who thought Doctor Who costumes would be popular?). Ed. Note: We did our best to eschew superhero outfits, video game characters and human Tetris blocks as they seem to have become more prevalent over the years.
5. The Google Maps Orange Guy: These two guys loved the Google Orange Guy so much, they decided to put together a costume, from what looks like stuff you could get at your local Rite Aid. The costume itself isn’t that interesting, but the video detailing its conception is pretty cool.
The sweltering heat didn’t stop members of the 501st Legion from donning their stormtrooper armor in support of the world premiere of Hughes the Force, a new short film from director J.C. Reifenberg and writer Stephen J. Koistinen Jr. that combines a love of Star Wars with a love of the films of John Hughes.
Here are 5 Star Wars items that you absolutely need to both a)feed your crack-like addiction of all things Empire and also b)serve a useful purpose in day-to-day life. In order of usage throughout the day:
5. The Darth Vader Alarm Clock. Too tired to get outta bed, lazy-ass? Well perhaps he can find more ways to motivate you. The crick in your neck isn’t from sleeping the wrong way, it’s because you dared to hit snooze.
Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane has stated before that he’s a huge Star Trek fan, even hinting in a recent interview that he wants to somehow be a part of the franchise. Read the full story
It’s a risky business, coming up with alternate endings to movie classics. Even if you’re just being funny, people can and do take it personally when you f*ck with their stuff (take George Lucas, for example). A little animation group called HISHE (How It Should Have Ended) has popped up, providing some nifty alternatives for The Dark Knight, Iron Man, and even The Empire Strikes Back. Read the full story
I guess all that’s missing is the celebrated cast of characters — The Log Lady, Agent Dale Cooper, Frank Booth — but the renowned director’s Parisian nightclub may be the next closest thing to hanging out in Lynch’s dreams, especially since it’s named and modeled after Club Silencio in Mulholland Drive. Warning: That’ll be 1000 francs, please. Read the full story
New York City geeks were recently lined up around the block for five hours in anticipation of one of Geek Culture’s patron saints. Simon Pegg, star of fan-favorite films Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, the J.J. Abrams reboot of Star Trek, and the cult-hit television show, Spaced, made an appearance at the Strand Bookstore as part of his U.S. tour to promote the American release of his new book, Nerd Do Well.
Now, more than ever, a Geek Girl movement is thoroughly under way. Books like Chicks Dig Time Lords, panels like “Geek Girls Exist” at San Diego Comic Con, and upcoming events like Geek Girl Con in Seattle all spotlight the fact that not only do women and girls genuinely enjoy things like sci-fi and fantasy independent of the men in their lives, but that they have valuable contributions to make to the creation of sci-fi/fantasy stories, as well as to their respective fandoms.
It’s easy to dismiss such efforts as unnecessary in 2010. After all, do we really need another “Women in Sci-Fi” panel? Aren’t we past all that? Couldn’t women just be included in things where gender isn’t the primary focus? Well, no. Not yet. If you ever wonder why the current rise of the “Geek Girl” movement is so important, one only need look at stories like that of Katie, a 7 year old Star Wars fan in Illinois who was teased in school for carrying a Star Wars water bottle.
Because Star Wars is “for boys.” Apparently.
Katie’s mother, Carrie Goldman, wrote a blog for ChicagoNow about the general topic of bullying and related it specifically to the teasing Katie was getting as early as first grade. When the news of Katie being teased for her Star Wars paraphenalia hit the internet, the geeky troops were rallied and the story was spread everywhere. Soon, Katie and her mother were being interviewed on national news programs and online for outlets like The Huffington Post. #MayTheForceBeWithKatie became a popular hashtag on Twitter, and a Facebook group was started for what has become Wear Star Wars/Share Star Wars Day, which is tomorrow, December 10th!
I had the chance to speak with Ms. Goldman about being a parent to the most well-known Star Wars fan under 10, how Katie’s been doing now that she’s been adopted by the geek community, and how she hopes Katie’s story will help others.