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Plour Ilo & Dllr Nep Comic Pack - Online Exclusive

James — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:27:27 GMT

The previously announced Wal*Mart exclusive Comic Pack of Plour Ilo & Dllr Nep has now been made an on-line exclusive at Entertainment Earth and other on-line shops. No news if this will be made available officially in the UK although we have it on good authority that UK dealers will be buying this Comic Pack in from Entertainment Earth but if you don't want to risk that then place your orders at Entertainment Earth now for just $17.99!

Official Pix - Vader Sculptor Brian Muir

James — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:20:02 GMT

Darth Vader Sculptor Brian Muir (also CZ-3, Death Star Droid Helmet & Stormtrooper Armor Sculptor) is signing for Official Pix in April.

You can pre-order your signed or personalized autograph from the Official Pix store from here! You can send in your own item or choose one from the Official Pix store but be quick as there's only 10 days left to do so!!!

George Lucas compared to Thomas Edison & Walt Disney

James — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:34:26 GMT

This from Digital Spy...

Director George Lucas has been compared to inventor Thomas Edison.

According to SciFiWire, Alice in Wonderland producer Richard D. Zanuk believes that the Star Wars filmmaker is as reverential as the man who invented the lightbulb.

"He's the only person, with the exception of Sam Goldwyn, who literally put his own money in," said Zanuck.

"Sam financed and owned 100% of all those great pictures he made, and no-one else has ever done that, not like he did. George put it back into ILM and Skywalker Ranch and THX sound."

He added: "[Lucas] put it into the greatest equipment, all of it up to date... He's the only one who ever gave back to the industry in terms of the technology investment. And I guess James Cameron, now, but that's on a different scale. He's really been an innovator like nobody else. He's the Thomas Edison of our time."

In the same interview, Zanuk also put Lucas on par with Walt Disney.

Final Comic Pack Images

Adam — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:38:50 GMT

With the comic packs sadly being discontinued, we've received a number of images from VolkerC of some of the last sets to be released.

Click on the thumbnails above and below to get a closer look at Ulic Qel-Droma and Exar Kun, Clone Trooper Lieutenant and Clone Trooper, Stormtrooper and Blackhole Hologram, Clone Trooper and Clone Commander, and lastly, Jedi Masters T'ra Saa and Tholme.

Star Wars: The Old Republic - Finding Balance in the Force

James — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:34:30 GMT

Here's some more Star Wars: The Old Republic news...

Writer Joanna Berry brings to light some thoughts behind crafting the Jedi Consular!

“For me, the challenge – and the fun – of writing the Jedi Consular is keeping a sense of balance between intelligence and arrogance, between what’s right and what could win the war against the Empire. A Jedi Consular must sometimes accept the grayer path, the less perfect choice. He or she must make the decisions the Republic can’t, in order to save it.”

Take the link below to read on...

The Clone Wars - New Carded Images

Adam — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:53:00 GMT

Another image sent to us from VolkerC shows four of the figures from The Clone Wars that were recently revealed at the New York Toy Fair.

Click on the image below to see Obi-Wan Kenobi and Captain Rex in Cold Weather Gear, MagnaGuard and Firefighter Droid.

Gentle Giant Shipping Schedule Till August 2010

James — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:43:00 GMT

Our friends over at Gentle Giant have sent us an updated shipping schedule to help collectors budget and see what items they can expect to add to their collections over between now and the end of the Summer (although we still have no idea of just how many exclusives will be available at Comic Con and CV)...

March: -

Clone Wars Obi-Wan Maquette
Clone Wars Count Dooku Maquette
Bronze Obi-Wan
Bronze Yoda

April: -

Imperial Seal Ring
Rebel Seal Ring
Animated Wicket Maquette

May: -

Clone Wars Clone Trooper Maquette
4-Lom Mini Bust
Bespin Luke Statue

June - August: -

Hoth Han Mini Bust
Hoth Han Variant Mini Bust
Hoth Luke Mini Bust
Hoth Leia Mini Bust
Hoth Leia Mynock Hunt Mini Bust
Slave Leia Mini Bust
Darth Talon Mini Bust
Oola Mini Bust
Lando Calrissian Mini Bust
Battle Droid Mini Bust
Luke Bespin Statue
Boba Fett with Han in Carbonite Statue
Stormtrooper Statue
R2-D2 Statue
San Diego Comic Con Exclusives
Star Wars Celebration V Exclusives

Star Wars Helps Build LEGO Profit

James — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:41:00 GMT

This from the BBC...

Danish toymaker LEGO saw its 2009 profits grow strongly - with its Star Wars and LEGO City products generating the largest sales.

Pre-tax profits rose 55.9% from 2008 to 2,887m Danish Kroner ($530m; £351m). LEGO increased its global market share to 4.8% during 2009, with strongest growth in English-speaking markets.

The company also completed a reversal of previous outsourcing projects, and brought all of its factory production back in house. During 2009, LEGO invested in its factories in Mexico, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

The firm began in a carpenter's workshop in 1932 and founder Ole Kirk Christiansen chose the name for his creation by combining the first two letters of the Danish words "leg godt", meaning "play well".

LEGO claims that children across the globe spend five billion hours a year playing with its bricks.

Sponsor Update: ID-WALL

James — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:38:00 GMT

Tim at Site Sponsor ID-WALL has got in touch to let Jedi News readers take a first look at the new series of limited edition Star Wars canvas prints...

Series 5 features a collection 12 must-have prints pulled together after careful research and consultation with our customers and the wider Star Wars fanbase.

The theme is pretty much “Boys Toys” – with new Death Star Space Battle prints, Darth Vader by “Jerry Vander Stelt”, Stormtroopers, a “Steve Anderson” Boba Fett collage, the Death Star in construction, AT-AT’s and Luke Skywalker like you’ve never seen him before. The range also includes the “Drew Struzan” Star Wars Trilogy artwork celebrating the classic saga.

All prints are hand crafted in UK, issued with an official Certificate of Authenticity and ship worldwide from www.id-wall.com

The Force Unleashed Battle Packs

Adam — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:45:21 GMT

VolkerC has sent through a couple of images of the forthcoming Toys R Us exclusive multi-packs featuring characters from The Force Unleashed, giving us a good look at the ten figures which will be released in the two sets.

Click on the thumbnails below for a better view.

ForceCast.Net - Weekly ForceCast

James — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:46:41 GMT

The Weekly ForceCast is back with all the latest Star Wars news and commentary. Joining us this week are Topps Editor David Waldeck and artist Randy Martinez to discuss the newest trading card set, Star Wars Galaxy 5. We also talk to a couple of the masterminds behind the campaign to make Admiral Ackbar the official mascot of Ole Miss. Plus, the Billy Dee Quote of the Week, listener feedback, and a Harrison Ford cooking show(?). All that and much more on The Weekly ForceCast!

Take the link below to listen...

Star Wars™: The Clone Wars Comic #6.5 - Out Now!

James — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 06:13:00 GMT

Issue 6.5 of The Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic is out now and comes with a fantastic FREE Star Wars: The Clone Wars wallet and sticker sheet and continues with another exclusive, action-packed story entitled Terror on the Twilight (click on the above image for a closer look): -

TERROR ON THE TWILIGHT! This issue’s thrilling story finds Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex going up against a stricken freighter, booby trapped and swirling around the edge of a deadly nebula. Will our heroes survive this cunning deception and escape the perilous craft? Find out only in Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic #6.5!

A Star Wars Vision from the Future

Adam — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:34:27 GMT

Back in October of last year, the official site posted the following report, which so far seems to have gone largely unnoticed:

One of the more intriguing displays spotted this past summer at Comic-Con International was a teaser poster from Abrams Books for Star Wars: Visions, with art by Ed Binkley. Aside from being slated for a Fall 2010 release, there was scant information to be found about this project.
Here's another glimpse from Star Wars: Visions, a portrait of Obi-Wan Kenobi by artist Donato Giancola. Keep checking back on StarWars.com as more information becomes available.

More images have been posted since then, but there is still little known about what this book will entail, so you'll just have to keep checking back for more details as and when we have them!

In the meantime, click on the thumbnails above and below to get a closer look at these stunning pieces of art....

Star Wars: In Concert Returns to North America!

Adam — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 04:08:21 GMT

Posted on the official site a couple of days ago...

Star Wars: In Concert, the unique multi-media event featuring music from all six of John Williams' epic Star Wars scores, returns to North America on May 13, 2010 in Ft. Myers, Florida (May 13), beginning a fifty-city leg of the worldwide tour that will include dates in the United States and Canada. Over 350,000 Americans attended Star Wars: In Concert during its three-month inaugural 47-city North American tour last year, which Pollstar rated as the 9th biggest tour of 2009 in January.

The tour's return to North America follows a month in Europe -- from March 7 to April 8, 2010 -- with stops in Dublin, Liverpool, Glasgow, Paris, Madrid, Lisbon, Milan, Antwerp, Hamburg and the O2 Arena in London, where it began one year ago.

The production features a full symphony orchestra and choir, accompanied by specially edited footage from the films displayed on a three-story-tall, high-definition LED super-screen -- one of the largest ever put on tour. The footage actually runs in sync with the live music to create a full multi-media, one-of-kind Star Wars experience.

[summary ends]

"We've taken the key themes from the music and cut together all the images that fit with each theme, so you can really get a sense of how the music played into the images," said George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars Saga. "The whole soundtrack is a testament to John Williams' creativity and his extraordinary ability to enhance the emotional aspects of the films."

"Creating the music for the Star Wars films has been an exciting and wonderful experience for me, and I therefore have derived particular pleasure in assembling a compendium of themes from all of the films to be presented in Star Wars: In Concert," said Williams. "The editors at Lucasfilm have created original film montages to accompany each of the musical selections, and in the process, I believe that a singular and unique Star Wars experience has been born."

"This event has been crafted to present Star Wars from many points of view; for the first time, the full dramatic sweep of Williams' iconic scores can be heard performed live in one evening," said Another Planet Touring Producer Spencer Churchill. "The show is a new way of experiencing the epic scope of the saga."

Accompanying the concert is an exclusive exhibit of Star Wars costumes, props, artifacts, production artwork and specially created behind-the-scenes videos from the Lucasfilm Archives. Many of these pieces are leaving Skywalker Ranch for the first time ever. The exhibit features many classic fan favorite artifacts, as well as several new and never-before-seen items, including:

Full costumes for Jedi Masters Kit Fisto and Plo Koon will be on display.
For the first time ever, pages from John Williams' original hand-written sheet music for Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace will be exhibited for the public.
Also on display will be various never-before-seen props from the films, including blasters and helmets from Coruscant, Tatooine and other iconic Star Wars locations.

For more information, please visit http://www.starwarsinconcert.com/.

What the critics are saying:

"Dazzling! It gives the audience a new way of experiencing the story, bringing cheers and a standing ovation from the audience."
-- Scott Iwasaki, The Salt Lake City Deseret News

"The biggest revelation was John Williams' still stirring, romantically inspired, emotionally satisfying, compelling and exciting score -- one simple story, well told, elevated by the dynamic symphonic music that revolutionized the way films are scored."
-- David Burger, Salt Lake City Tribune

"...a 90-minute laser streaked, crashing-cymbals, living color extravaganza, made and approved by its originators."
-- John Timpane, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Star Wars: In Concert is produced by Another Planet Touring in association with Lucasfilm Ltd. The production is directed and designed by Steve Cohen. Star Wars: In Concert had its world premiere at the 02 Arena in London on April 10 and 11, 2009.

New Star Wars Portugal Fan Site

James — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:07:16 GMT

This just in from our friend Joao in Portugal...

We are proud to announce our new Website is up and running. The Portuguese Star Wars Community finally owns their own website with all information regarding the Star Wars fandom, events, news and curiosities in Portuguese. This is the very FIRST website fully functional and with a dedicated domain. We thank you for your support, we couldn't reach this stage without your help. Truly!

For the moment some sections are offline. We will add a special international presentation page for all our international visitors. For now, practice your portuguese! :)

Inside Star Wars Insider #116

James — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:29:27 GMT

Coming soon, the latest issue of Star Wars Insider explores the fabrication of the original Darth Vader mask in an interview with sculptor Brian Muir, and also includes interviews with Clone Wars voice actors Matthew Wood (General Grievous), Catherine Taber (Padmé), and Dee Bradley Baker (Clones) - the last three interviews all conducted by yours truly! Of course, all the usual columns and updates are here as well, with an exclusive peek at several unpublished storyboards from The Empire Strikes Back!

Included in issue #116:

Brian Muir: Meet the man who scultped Vader's helmet, the stormtroopers' armor, and more!
Matthew Wood: Star Wars Insider meets the voice of General Grievous!
The Art of War!: A look at the concept art used to create the Mandalorian homeworld, with commentary by Dave Filoni
Clone Talk: Actor Dee Bradley Baker on life as a clone trooper
Dark Horse: The third and final part of our Dark Horse Comics retrospective
Storyboards: Darth Vader battles Luke Skywalker in these exclusive images from The Empire Strikes Back!
Catherine Taber: The actress who voices Padmé in The Clone Wars talks Season Two!
Launch Pad: Exclusive preview of upcoming Clone Wars episodes, David Beckham and Snoop Dogg meet Star Wars, origami Yoda sweepstakes, Vader's voice scores, Celebration V ticket details, and more!
Interrogation Droid: Debbie Carrington talks about life as Romba the Ewok!
Retro: Furry fun for all with a bunch of collectible Chewbaccas!
Art Wars: The making of a Star Wars modern art exhibition
Jedi Archive: Rare images of Chewie in action
Books: Fate of the Jedi experiences Backlash, and Scanimation is previewed
Comics: Dark Horse sets course for The Old Republic
Collectibles: All the latest, plus a special behind-the-scenes look at the new Adidas line of streetwear
Bantha Tracks: A tribute to the very best Star Wars fan activity from around the world

The newsstand edition features a Vader cover, and a special General Grievous variant cover is available only from select comic stores and for subscribers.

Remember to join the Star Wars Insider Facebook page for more news and latest imagery from the new issue! To subscribe to Star Wars Insider magazine visit titanmagazines.com/starwars. To receive Star Wars Insider Magazine exclusives, including sneak peeks, interviews, promotional offers, and sweepstakes, visit mailing.titanmagazines.com/mailing/.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - New Battlefronts Visual Guide

James — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:20:50 GMT

Here's some news on the new Clone Wars Visual Guide coming this Summer...

War still rages in the galaxy! The Republic's Clone Army and Jedi Knights continue to fight the Separatist threat. But new worlds face danger and new enemies are emerging. Things are about to get complicated... but thankfully, DK Books will guide you through all the major encounters and explosive adventures from Star Wars: The Clone Wars in the third installment of their smash hit Visual Guide series.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars -New Battlefronts: The Visual Guide gives you a ring-side seat on the galactic conflict with gorgeous imagery, as well as detailed annotations and expert insight from New York Times best-selling author Jason Fry. This hardcover release is slated for publication in August.

Hyena Bomber Revealed

Adam — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:55:56 GMT

With Hasbro churning out a number of new vehicles this year, in the shape of the Bespin Cloud Car, Swamp Speeder and Droid Gunship, that number looks set to be increased with the addition of the Hyena Bomber, following a post on JediDefender.com that shows images of a prototype of this Clone Wars-inspired spacecraft.

Follow the link below for more images...