Wednesday 30 January 2013

JJ Abrams Star Wars -- The Musical



With official confirmation that JJ Abrams is to direct the first instalment in Disney's Star Wars trilogy. There has been a maelstrom of social commentary on Star Wars and Star Trek fandom and lens flares. This maybe the most inspired to date.



In other good news. George Lucas has abandoned plans for releasing the remaining Star Wars prequels in 3D!

Tuesday 29 January 2013

Lando Calrissian guest stars on Annoying Orange



Fresh off a guest spot on Modern Family, Billy Dee Williams is ready to take on possibly his biggest—and crunchiest—acting challenge ever. From classic Colt 45 commercials to his iconic role as Lando Calrissian in Star Wars, Billy Dee Williams has made a huge impact on American pop culture with his decades-spanning career. And on Thursday, January 31st, he stars as a “Carrot-te” sensai on a new episode of Annoying Orange airing on Cartoon Network at 8:30pm eastern time.

Annoying Orange debuted on YouTube in October 2009 and since then has quickly racked up more than one billion total views with over 2.6 million YouTube channel subscribers. In June, Annoying Orange embarked on a new adventure with the debut of its animated television series which has become an instant hit in the U.S. continually ranking amongst the top shows for boys in the time period. The series currently airs Thursdays at 8:30pm ET/7:30pm CT on Cartoon Network. In the episode airing Thursday, Orange Belt, tired of being beat up by Grapefruit, and desperate to win Passion Fruit’s approval, Orange learns the ancient art of Carrot-te. But does Orange have the courage to fight for Passion’s honor?

Friday 25 January 2013

JJ Abrams to direct Star Wars: Episode VII



Last night I was about to watch the season premiere of The Following - lauded as 24 meets The Silence of the Lambs. Casually glanced at Twitter for iPad (always a mistake) and BOOM! There was a disturbance in the geek galaxy: my first choice to direct the next Star Wars film maybe at the helm; dispute debunking directorial chores in December.

According to The Wrap. JJ Abrams will take stewardship of one of the most successful storied franchises in popular culture at Disney. Personally, I couldn't be more excited! He successfully rebooted a beloved franchise I'd fallen out of love with (his first Star Trek sequel promises to eclipse it) and single-handedly invoked early Spielberg with Super 8. Seeing a pattern here?

If anyone can put characters, cinema audiences care about, in jeopardy, JJ Abrams can! Go and watch Alias, Fringe and Lost...

Incidentally, lightsabers already have lens flare. That is all. OK. What was I going to watch, again?

Tuesday 22 January 2013

LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out



HOLD ON TO YOUR BRICKS… FOR AN ALL-NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURE!

Your favorite characters are back to save the galaxy in LEGO® Star Wars®: The Empire Strikes Out™. The heroes of the Rebel Alliance including heroic Luke Skywalker, swaggering Han Solo and steadfast Princess Leia have no time to celebrate their victory over the Empire as a new Imperial threat arises. But as Jedi-in training Luke embarks on this next mission, he discovers that his celebrity status as a “Death-Star-Blower-Upper” can be a double-edged lightsaber when he’s constantly mobbed by crazed fans. So much for secret missions! Meanwhile, Darth Vader and Darth Maul are locked in a hilarious “Sith-ling” rivalry as they compete for the Emperor’s approval. It’s an action-packed comic adventure that’s out of this world!

Packed with Humor, Action and Fun – and an Exclusive Darth Vader LEGO Minifigure!

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (January 22, 2013) – After a record breaking debut on Cartoon Network, The LEGO Group and Lucasfilm announced today that LEGO® Star Wars™: The Empire Strikes Out will release on DVD this coming March 18, 2013. The 22-minute original standalone special will bring the same tongue-and-cheek humor fans know and love in a brand new epic adventure featuring everyone’s favorite LEGO Star Wars characters. Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, the DVD will include an exclusive collectible Darth Vader LEGO minifigure and is available now for preorder here.

Filled with charm, action and irreverent humor this original story features characters, locations and vehicles across the entire LEGO Star Wars universe including Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, C-3P0, R2-D2, Darth Maul, and more. When the premiere of LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out aired on Cartoon Network, it became the number-one telecast of the day with kids ages 6-11 and boys ages 2-17. Written by Emmy Award winner Michael Price (The Simpsons), the show features many of the beloved Star Wars voice-actors fans know and love including Anthony Daniels, Sam Witwer, Ahmed Best and more.

Wednesday 16 January 2013

Samurai Star Wars



Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) is the latest director rumoured for Disney's Star Wars trilogy or a standalone spin-off based on Akira Kurosawa's the Seven Samurai (adapted into The Magnificent Seven, A Bug's Life...)!

A representative for the director has denied any involvement with Star Wars. Snyder is currently overseeing post-production on his Superman reboot - Man of Steel - at Warners.

Friday 11 January 2013

Try NOW TV and get up to 2400 Microsoft Points



Sky and Microsoft are offering new members a 1-month free trial, which includes 800 Microsoft Points for Xbox Gold members, until January 31 here.

A further 1600 Microsoft Points are being offered to users who continue to subscribe for a least 1-month at £8.99.

Despite an eye-watering entry fee of £15 per month, following a 3-month introductory period, I've taken the plunge as there's a backlog of recent movies clamouring for my attention: Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol...

Later this month I'll update with my thoughts on NOW TV, and how the service compares with UK rivals LOVEFiLM and Netflix. The latter announced and launched 'Super HD' (AKA Full 1080p) at this year's CES and is trialling 3D in the US via the company's Open Connect network of ISP partners. Is this the future of streaming and do you care?

Monday 7 January 2013

LEGO New Year's resolution

LEGO Snowtrooper

Happy New Year!

During the run up to Christmas, I posted photos from LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar 2012 to Instagram, which you can now view on my Flickr stream.

Looking forward to building a LEGO Desert Skiff, gifted by @seethree, and more sets during 2013.