The sad news has reached us of the passing of Ian Abercrombie. Ian, who portrayed Chancellor Palpatine in both the 2008 Clone Wars movie and the ongoing television series passed away yesterday at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California.

Born 11th September 1934 in Grays, Essex he made his American stage debut in 1955 in a production of Stalag 17 with Jason Robards and Jules Munshin. His film credits were truly impressive. Starting with an uncredited role in the 1965 Frank Sinatra vehicle Von Ryan's Express he appeared in Young Frankenstein, Battlestar Galactica, Warlock, Twin Peaks, the always awesome Army of Darkness, Addams Family Values, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Rango.

On television he was equally impressive. He played Mr Pitt on Seinfeld, appeared in a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and played a duo of roles in Star Trek: Voyager. As well as that Ian appeared in an episode of Babylon 5, attaching four classic sci-fi franchises to his name.

An interesting note, Ian shared two roles with Clive Revill. Revill was the voice of Alfred Pennyworth in early episodes of Batman: The Animated Series 1992, a role Abercrombie played on television in the 2002 Birds of Prey series. Revill was also the first actor to play Emperor Palpatine, in The Empire Strikes Back.

A great actor and character, Ian will be sorely missed.

February 10th will see not only the release of The Phantom Menace in 3D, but also Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side by Daniel Wallace, the follow-up to his acclaimed The Jedi Path.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be taking a look at different aspects of the book, ahead of a full review upon its release.

We'll kick off by showing two of the artefacts that are hidden along with the book inside the Holocron case, a Sith Crystal and a Sith Talisman.

Our good friend Jared Kirby has been in touch to bring us some information regarding another Nick Gillard Master Class later in the year. Over to Jared:

More special guests and instructors are lined up for CombatCon July 6th-8th, 2012. We can now confirm that Nick Gillard, the fight director for Star Wars I, II and III, will be back!

Nick (assisted by Kyle Rowling) will teach a light sabre master class at Combat Con in Las Vegas July 6th, 2012. After the great success of this class last year you won’t want to miss this opportunity to learn light saber fighting from the man who created it for Star Wars I, II and III. Learn more about Nick here.

In this master class Nick will teach a complicated run from Revenge Of The Sith which covers all of the Jedi moves while explaining the rules involved in Jedi fighting. He will also teach how to write it yourself. This World Premiere master class lets you learn it the same way Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen learned it!

This special master class will be a separate charge, but only participants registered for Combat Con will be able to attend. You can register for Combat Con at any level (General, Premium or VIP) to be eligible. In fact, there is only 6 days left of the January only discount of 1/3 off, so register here. The Jedi Fighting master class will be $150 above the cost of Combat Con registration. It will be two hours and there are three sessions to choose from (9-11am, 12-2pm or 3-5pm). Special registration for it will open in Feb/March and currently registered CombatCon participants will have first chance to register.

Episode 1 fever is running high, nowhere more than over at Titan Magazines, where they are celebrating the release of The Phantom Menace with this spectacular new magazine.

NEW STAR WARS 3D COMIC WITH TOTALLY: THE PHANTOM MENACE SOUVENIR MAGAZINE!

As the Star Wars saga joins the 3D revolution with the cinema release of Episode I, Titan is delighted to announce the release of the official Totally: The Phantom Menace magazine.

The 32-page official movie souvenir magazine is a must-have, will-sell-my-last-bantha-to-buy-one comic for any self-respecting Star Wars fan, featuring a galaxy of features, puzzles, and games. And to celebrate the movie’s exciting new dimension, it features ten pages in amazing 3D, including an all-new, all-action comic strip! There’s an eye-popping double-page 3D pull-put poster with some of the most iconic characters in cinema brought to life. Plus, there's a chance for readers to win an official Darth Maul Double-Bladed Lightsaber!

On sale 2nd February in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Totally: The Phantom Menace is the perfect magazine for the hordes of dedicated Star Wars fans to add to their collection of memorabilia, and discover exclusive inside knowledge on the movie along the way. Or, for new fans of the Star Wars saga, it offers an unmissable chance to dip your toes into cinema's most famous galaxy.

Totally: The Phantom Menace goes 3D mad and brings to life the menacing red skin of Darth Maul and his deadly companion, the double-bladed saberstaff, in eight action-packed pages of exclusive 3D comic strip adventure! This never-before-seen comic introduces a new dimension of the Star Wars world. Vwooom! We see Anakin, still a slave boy, showing his speedy Podracing in Tatooine, while Darth Maul crushes battle droids and is trained up by the dreadful Darth Sidious. The spectacular action on Tatooine and Coruscant comes to life with the awesome FREE 3D glasses that come with every copy of the magazine.

Elsewhere, we look into Darth Maul’s past to shed some light on his dark powers. This mysterious menace gets unveiled as we delve deep into his background, from his origins as a Nightbrother to his rise as the force behind the darkness!

That’s not all! To add to the excitement of the landmark movie release, Totally: The Phantom Menace magazine is giving away a FREE C-3PO Grabber Arm and a load of collectible Star Wars stickers with every copy!

So put on your free pair of 3D glasses and re-live the magic of the first episode of the Star Wars saga with Totally: The Phantom Menace! This is the ultimate magazine to add to your Star Wars collection, and you can pre-order now to secure your copy before 2nd February!

Totally: The Phantom Menace, on-sale 2nd February at all good magazine retailers and newsagents. Don’t miss out! Pre-order Totally: The Phantom Menace magazine now!

There are only a couple of weeks until the first 3D Star Wars release hits screens, and there's plenty of great Phantom Menace news to go around.

First off we were dropped a line by our great pal Jonathan Wilkins over at The Insider regarding a competition that they are running on their Facebook page.

Win one of two pairs of tickets to an advance screening of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace 3D in London's West End.

To celebrate the release of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace 3D, which arrives in cinemas 9th February, we are giving away two pairs of tickets to an exclusive advance screening on Wednesday 8th February. The screening will take place at a West End venue (this will be revealed once you receive your ticket). Stormtroopers will open the doors at 5:30pm, followed by action in the foyer. The saga will begin at 6:30pm.

To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets come along to the Star Wars Insider facebook page...

We were also contacted by Lee Pizzey who had this nugget of info for us:

Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace 3D - Variety club the children’s charity special edition pins are now available at Cineworld Cinemas UK for the affordable price of just £1, so don't delay make your donation and get yours today!

Couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks to Jonathan and Lee for the heads up, and keep counting down to Episode 1 like it's 1999. VFX Bake-Off Was Reel Stressful for Harry Potter
Reported by Mark on 26 Jan 2012 03:00

There was a bit of a panic at the VFX 'bake-off' prior to choosing the ten nominees for best visual effects at the 2012 Oscars. The Harry Potter presentation almost didn't get shown, as the make-up and VFX reels were mixed up. While the film wouldn't have been excluded, it would have put it at a great disadvantage as the final choices for the Oscar would be choosen right afterwards.

• Hugo (ILM)
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon (ILM)
• Rise of the Planet of the Apes
• The Tree of Life
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (ILM)
• Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (ILM)
• X-Men: First Class
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
• Real Steel
• Captain America: The First Avenger

An inflatable remote controlled R2-D2 was the star for me at the UK Toy Fair - who won't want one?!?  This is the first of a brand new line of Star Wars Pump & Play remote controlled vehicles coming later this year.  First up is R2-D2 and he stands 65cm tall and will reatil for around £39.99.  Click on the images for a closer look...

Everybody that saw R2-D2 (and Princess Leia) stopped in their tracks - I can't wait to get my hands on my own R2 unit along with Darth Vader, Yoda and Stormtrooper, all of which they have planned for this year!  Also, notice the artwork in the background of the main picture which features our good friend, and London based artist, JAKe.

Half Moon Bay launched their Star Wars products at last year's UK Toy Fair and this past 12 months has seen the line grow from strength to strength.

2012 will bring lots of new products including many Darth Vader themed items - Apron, Bag, Flask, an 'I am your Father' Mug, a set of 4 new Mini Mugs from Episode I, new Star Wars glasses, a Stormtrooper Bag, new style Wallet and lots more too - plus they've already started working on their 2013 range which is going to be out-of-this-world!  You know the drill, click on each image for a closer look...

Hornby have a new licence for 2012 and they choose the UK Toy Fair to launch their Star Wars Scalextric line.  Initially the line will feature two sets... first up is the Micro Death Star Attack which features Darth Vader's Tie Fighter vs Luke Skywalker's X-Wing Fighter and will be priced at £69.99; the box is cut and used as part of the set (as can be seen in the image below).  The second set, Battle of Endor, features a full-size track along with Luke Skywalker vs Biker Scout and will be priced at £99.99; additional 'vehicles' will also be available later in the year. 

Congratulations to Hornby as they won the Best New Toy Award at the UK Toy Fair, in the Hobby & Models section, for the Micro Death Star Attack set.  Expect to see these sets in store in early Summer.  Click on the images for a closer look...

This update from our friends at Gentle Giant features the items scheduled to ship in the next 30 days along with their production quantities...

• Battle Droid Mini Bust - 2250 pieces
• Darth Talon Statue - 1200 pieces
• C-3PO 12" Jumbo Vintage Kenner Figure - 2100 pieces
• Aurra Sing Mini Bust - 1800 pieces
• Exclusive Walrus Man Status - 200 pieces
• AFX Gold Star Wars Logo Bookends - 1000 pieces
• Entertainment Earth Leia Boushh Maquette - 1,000 pieces

To celebrate the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 3D which arrives in cinemas February 9th, we are giving away two pairs of tickets to an exclusive advance screening on Wednesday the 8th February.

The screening will take place at a West End venue (this will be revealed once you receive your ticket), in a galaxy far, far away. Storm Troopers will open the doors at 5:30pm, followed by action in the foyer. The saga will begin at 6:30pm.

Take the link below to enter and MTFBWY...

Star Wars® and all characters, names and related indicia are trademark of & © 2012 Lucasfilm Ltd.

In May 2012 it will be exactly thirty years since the first fan fiction story set in the Setnin sector, Quest for Freedom. As work continues to complete the cross-referencing and writing of both the guides and the stories of Setnin we continue to update and post our classic stories, continuing with Extinction Point, the story of how Glann Cipple came to prominence and power.

For more Setnin information check out our ever expanding lists and guides:

• Stories
• Planets
• Characters

We've been a bit slow in posting this, but better late than never!  Mark from Yodasnews.com has let us know about a giveaway they've currently got going on; over to Mark!

Yodasnews.com and Sideshow Collectibles have teamed up to kick off the 2012 Giveaways with a bang! We have two great figures for you to take a shot at winning. How can you win? Take the image on this page and with your Photo Editing Skills (beginner and advanced welcome) make it into something fun, creative or interesting (but keep it PG)

The staff at Yodasnews will look over all the entries and pick the TWO they like best! The First Place winner gets choice of the two figures and the runner up gets the other figure.  Click here for all the info, source image and some examples! Good Luck!

So, get your creative cap on and send in your entries before January 27th 2012.

Following our report on the weekend about Star Wars Uncut, the BBC has reported on the crowdsourced film reaching an impressive milestone in a very short space of time.

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.

Check out the rest of the article after the jump!

Bonnie Burton and the gang over at The Official Blog bring a recap of the Twitter Pod Race, which was won by the fearless legions of the 501st. It was a great fun event which trended on Twitter, and fingers crossed it will become an annual event.

Sadly Jedi News were not able to participate as we were doing the Kessel Run, and in a lot less than 12 parsecs (we found a short cut).

Today was the first day of the UK Toy Fair and over the coming few days we’ll be bringing you updates from the show. 

First up is Hasbro, who over the last few years have given Jedi News an exclusive reveal at the show.  This year was no different except the exclusive reveal wasn’t even on display at the Hasbro stand!  We’d like to say a big thank you to Hasbro in the UK and US for making this happen, especially Martin and Derryl respectively.  Whilst other products were shown on the stand we signed an NDA (as did everybody going on to the stand) which prohibits us from talking about anything else we saw – you’ll have to be patient and wait for New York Toy Fair on February 11th for all the other reveals.

This year’s exclusive reveal is three figures from The Vintage Collection and we should be seeing these later in the year around August time.  The three figures are… Nikto Skiff Guard form Return of the Jedi, Galen Marek from The Force Unleashed II and finally Shae Vizla (the female Bounty Hunter) from the latest Star Wars game Star Wars: The Old Republic. 

We think they all look awesome - as these were prototypes we couldn't play around with them too much or put all their accessories on but here goes (click on each image for a closer look)...

Justin has passed along a couple of images to give us a teaser of the new Star Wars Miniland, opening at LEGOLAND Windsor in March, as construction gets underway. Click here for our previous story with more details.

Titan Magazines have sent out details of an exclusive 3D Glasses subscription offer.

Following George Lucas' announcement last week to retire from making blockbuster movies, there's been a fair amount of celebrating from a small but vocal sub-section of the fan community. Well, Goldentusk has leapt to the defence of the Maker and let us know about his video response to bball1989's viral video from last week, "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus || Spoken Word".

I personally think that this hits the nail on the head, and strangely echoes what my wife has been telling me.  I wonder what other things she's right about? ;)

We know that there are only going to be nineteen Clone Wars figures for 2012, with a portion of those being re-issues from past waves, and it looks as though a lot of the focus has switched to the Class 1 vehicles.

Following last week's report, Sandtroopers.com have followed up with loose and boxed images of a new Republic Attack Dropship in that category.

Click on the link below to see a close-up of both images.

This is only pertinent to our readers in the US, but the press release for enhanced screenings of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace comes with some pretty cool images that we wanted to share...

Celebrate Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace As it Returns to Theatres in Spectacular RealD® 3D with Exclusive Activities and Giveaways at AMC® Theatres

AMC Theatres to host special events and Hasbro giveaways during opening weekend, February 10-12

It's had a great opening weekend, 20th Century Fox's best non-franchise opening since last years Rio, and to accompany that here's a short video of George Lucas discussing the making of the film, a journey which spans two decades.

This bad boy has just been freshly re-posted to the SWTOR YouTube channel and posted here because...well, do we need a reason? It's a chunk of pure Star Wars awesomeness and it's here for you to enjoy.

For those of you who supported the Save the Lars Homestead project by purchasing one of the gorgeous watches designed and built by Legendary Time, the wait for their arrival is almost over.

Project Update #48: Will be a busy week here at Legendary Time...

OK, folks here we go! Shipping starts this week but it will probably take us a few weeks to get everything out. We have a few order engraving errors to deal with and a few other minor issues too. Nothing terribly significant.

A few notes on your watches:

We filled the internal Display Capsules approximately 95% with Tatooine Sand. They actually look 100% filled when you look straight at the dial, but don't be concerned. If tip the watch on its side, you can see some sand spilling around the edges. Also, after wearing you will see the sand settle a bit more. We believe the effect is just right.

We are shipping the watches to you in bubble-wrapped packages. We don't care to ship watches in standard cardboard or plastic clamshell presentation boxes because we believe they add little to the value of the product and they are usually discarded. ( Approximately 1/3 of all solid waste is from packaging.)

After you receive your watches and other products, if there are any problems, please let us know as soon as you can. We anticipate a few that will need to be re-engraved (watches) or re-printed (certificates) and would like to get this done in the next month or so.

Note on the picture attached: These watches still have the thin plastic film guards attached. The dials and rear engraving are even nicer than what you see here!

Best, All the Folks at Legendary Time

Our good buddies over at All The Cool Stuff have dropped us their latest Star Wars sales list, so have a browse and get ordering.

My latest vehicle review, going back in time to 1999 and the initial run of Phantom Menace toys, brings the Gungan Ammo Wagon & Falumpaset, complete with Gungan Warrior & Energy Ball projectiles!

Red Tails opened strong at the US box office this weekend, bringing in a solid $19.1 million dollars over three days on a budget of $58 million. That was enough to open at number two, behind Underworld Awakening, a costly 3D movie with 500 more screens showing the film and a higher ticket cost.

Harry Knowles over at Aint it Cool posted a largely positive review of the action flick, which you can check out right here, and in the interests of even-handed reporting click here for the less complimentary review of fellow Aint it Cool reporter Capone.

Now all we need to know is when oh when will the film be released in the UK?

No preamble, just read this information and watch this video for the ultimate in Star Wars fan love.

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.

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.

Jedi News is working with Star Wars Actors Appearances to bring you the very latest in Star Wars actors convention appearances. Here's the second part of a very busy week of updates:

ANDREW LAWDEN

Naboo Guard - TPM (also Qui-Gon Jinn stunt double)

Timeless Collectors

May 26, 2012

River Park Leisure Centre

Winchester, England

Timeless Collectors

RICHARD LEPARMENTIER

Admiral Conan Antonio Motti – ANH

Corsham Sci-Fi Family FunDay

Apr. 28, 2012

Corsham Community Centre

Corsham, England

Corsham Sci-Fi Family FunDay

It's always good to be appreciated, especially when the person you're aiming your efforts at is the one who shows the appreciation. Late last year I wrote a new Setnin sector story, Drunk on the Promise of Knowledge which featured not only original Setnin characters but also Cin Drallig, the Coruscant Battlemaster portrayed in Revenge of the Sith by Nick Gillard.

I sent the story to Nick and he was kind enough to reply with the following:

Loved it Mark. I'm pretty damn cool aren't I.

Yep, you certainly are. Welcome to the Setnin sector Master Drallig!

With Boba Fett and IG-88 on their way, the next bounter hunter that Sideshow will be tackling is the trandoshan, Bossk, who has been revealed in their latest production peek video.

Click through for the video...

Clone Wars product is going to be fairly thin on the ground this year, but there will be new items showing up and the crew at Sandtroopers.com have scored images of some of the new figures and class 1 vehicles.

Click on the link below to check them all out.