Ah, my friends, much has happened since I last put fingers to keyboard. I attended Celebration Anaheim, I went on an epic hunt on Force Friday, we had a brand new Star wars movie that exceeded all my expectations, we are approaching the first non-saga stand alone Star Wars film, and finally, I got married.
With all of that, you might see why I have not sat to write in more than a year. But as we get older, life becomes about priorities. For the last year, everything I listed above, along with sitting on my butt playing Star Wars Battlefront, have been the priority. However, the nice thing about priorities is that they can change and evolve, so I believe it is time for this to move up on the priority scale and for me to re-enter a larger fandom.
This blog has been a way for me to explore my Star Wars fandom and try and connect with the larger world. Unfortunately, there has been so much negativity in fandom, especially over the past couple of years, that I honestly lost a desire to connect.
I am an older Star Wars fan. I am 48 years old and one of the OT generation. I was 9 years old when A New Hope came out in theaters and I was hooked from the moment that Star Destroyer flew overhead. I loved Star Wars and I loved talking to anyone else who liked it. Back in those days, there was no internet (I'll give the younger readers a few minutes to let that sink in), so you generally found other kids who liked Star Wars and you would talk about it, argue about it, play with the action figures and just love Star Wars. That was fandom to me; sharing a love of something with others who loved it just as much.
After Return of the Jedi, it seemed that fandom would eventually fade out and die. I hung in there during those dark times, trying to get my hands on any Star Wars merchandise that actually made it's way onto shelves. Then the novels were published and a new era began. Books, home video releases and finally announcement of the prequels. This new invention, the internet, made it possible to connect with even more people who loved Star Wars. It seemed we were about to enter a golden age of fandom.
Then everything changed.
The prequels, while overwhelming commercial successes, were met by some, especially those of my generation, with a certain amount of disdain. From what I have been able to gather over the years is that the movies didn't make people feel the way they did when they were 9. Or else they were not the way that people had imagined the story in their mind. Or one of a thousand other reasons. George Lucas, once almost worshiped, was suddenly public enemy number one for not delivering a movie exactly as people thought it should be. This new invention called the internet made it possible to spread that hate very far and very quickly.
Things have not gotten better.
Instead, there now seems to be a certain element of fandom that feels that unless you think exactly like they do, like only what they like and agree with them 100% then you are not a "real" fan and should be shouted down or publicly shamed. There seems to be a sense of entitlement that doesn't sit well with me. Lucasfilm decided to reboot the old Expanded Universe and make those existing novels "Legends". This did not go over well with a small, loud minority and this was my first glimpse at the ugly side of what fandom had become. From online comments to actually disruption of panels at events, certain elements of the the bring back the EU crowd has harassed, attempted to intimidate and generally been an annoying pain in the ass to anyone who doesn't agree with them. I get their passion; to this day love the X-Wing series of novels. But you know what? When Lucasfilm rebooted things, no one came to my house to burn my copies of the books! They are still there! I can read them whenever I want! I can still enjoy them! The bring back the EU crowd says "well now they aren't canon!". I love this new obsession with what is "canon". I hate to tell these people, but none of these things actually happened! They only exist in the pages of books or on film. Make your own canon. If you love a certain series of books, make that part of your personal canon. If another story comes along to contradict it, SO WHAT? When I see a Star Wars blogger who quits because of the abuse he has taken for daring to disagree with these people, then that is when things have gone too far.
So why, given all of that, would I even want to try connecting with fandom again?
Good question, and one that I have pondered.
I guess it comes down to this; most fans are not like that. I really want to believe that the whining, entitled little dweebs are a small, but vocal minority. I want to believe that most fans are like the ones who I found myself waiting in lines with at Celebration. I met some of the coolest, most interesting and fun people while waiting in those lines. I want to believe that most fans are like the group of people that inhabit the Rebel Force Radio Facebook group; passionate fans who support each other and just want to share their love of the Wars. That group is made up of some of the best people I have met online. I am incredibly cautious about online interactions, but that group has helped restore some of my faith in fandom.
That is why I am back and attempting to expand my fandom again. Because I want to believe that if I put my love of Star Wars out there, no negativity, then that is what I will attract back to me. All I ever really want are friends who I can talk Star Wars with. They can love what they love and I will love what I love. Does that seem like a lot to ask?
Monday, August 1, 2016
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
The Celebration Awakens
After two years of saving and countless days of waiting, tomorrow I board an airplane to head to Anaheim, California and Star Wars Celebration!
The travel is the worst part for me. Not a huge fan of flying, but nothing short of a Death Star will keep me from joining with 50,000 other Star Wars fans to celebrate the saga we all love.
I am super excited for all the panels I am going to try and attend, my shopping list is ready for the Celebration store, I even dove in and spent the money for the Mark Hamill autograph. Looking forward to seeing friends and making new ones.
Excited to see the stage hosts; James Arnold Taylor is simply the best. David Collins is always so much fun to listen to on Star Wars Oxygen and when he appears on RebelForce radio. And finally, Jason Swank and Jimmy Mac of RebelForce Radio hosting the Behind-the-scenes stage has the feeling of hometown boys make good; after all, they are one of us!
I will post when I can, but hoping not to have much down time.
If you are attending, who knows, maybe we will meet in a line somewhere. Until then, May the Force be with you!
Thursday, January 22, 2015
A Tribute in Phthalo Blue
Today I mourn a friend and celebrate a life. A life that burned in beauty for too short a time.
Rita began her blog before I started mine. I cannot begin to describe how much she encouraged me when I mentioned starting my own blog. I always knew I could count on her to leave a comment, or drop me an email telling me how much she enjoyed what I had done. I for one was so envious of her blog. She would tell me she was not a writer, but she was wrong. Where I often feel I ramble and not even particularly well, there was an elegance to her writing. The right words just seemed to flow from her and onto the page. That, coupled with her artwork and amazing photographs, always left me in awe and wishing that I had it within me to be able to create as she did. We spent much time helping each other attempt to grow our readership. She helped me navigate Feedburner. She was my blog's only Digg. I know without a doubt that if it had not been for her help, I would have given up on this within the first three months. But she made me feel like what I was writing was worth reading.
One time Rita was describing strangely scented candles in a series of emails. A week later, a leather scented candle showed up at my door. I still have it.
Another time she sent me a small piece of board on which she had painted a maple leaf. It felt so Vermont. It sits next to my desk, one of my most valued possessions.
My favorite comment that Rita left on here: "The letter Q is simply funny. Why is that?"
Rita was born one day before me. She was June 20th and I am the 21st. She once said to me, "The best people are born in June."
For the life of me, I cannot remember what year it was when I last saw Rita in person. I believe it was around 2010. She was back in Vermont for a visit, around Labor Day I believe. We made plans to get together for dinner and drinks. We ate out on the deck at the East Side Restaurant in Newport. It was the waning days of summer and it was a beautiful evening to sit there. We caught up on life, talked about old friends and where they were now, discussed books we had read, talked '24', and mostly we laughed. Those were some of the most fun hours that I have ever spent. I wish more than anything that I had thought to bring a camera so that I would now have at least one picture of her and I.
I realize I could go on and on and on. For those who knew Rita, you already know how special she was. How she could make people feel. You know the beauty she brought to the world. For those who were never lucky enough to meet her, I just hope that I have, in some small, stumbling way, made you aware of the wonderful person that this earth was lucky enough to have on it for much too short a time. Whether you know it or not, the world is diminished for having lost her. Yet, at the same time, is more colorful and beautiful for having had her in it. I still can't believe she is gone. What I wouldn't give for one more email.
Her blog is still there. Please, go and read her words, see her photos and take a moment to celebrate such a life. http://phthalo-blue.blogspot.com/
God, I miss my friend so much.
One month ago today, my dear friend Rita Finn, the extremely talented author of the phthalo-blue blog, passed away unexpectedly. She was only 46 years old. Since the moment I got that awful news, I have been reeling. In many ways, without Rita's encouragement and support, I would not have been writing this blog for as long as I have, even if my frequency of posts has diminished. My emotions and thoughts have been jumbled since her passing, so as I try and honor her, please excuse my stream of consciousness writing. A style, I might add, she seemed particularly fond of.
I have known Rita since my freshman year of high school, where we were in the same class. I was a shy, nerdy, awkward kid. I had a hard time talking to people. But Rita I liked instantly. She had a way of looking at people and making them feel accepted for who they were. She always seemed truly interested in people. Those were traits that never left her and only seemed to grow over the years. For a time she dated my best friend Steve and that gave me the opportunity to get to know her even more. She had a way of smiling at you and you felt that smile was for you. She was one of the people that actually made high school enjoyable.
Rita was an artist. That was clear. Art permeated her entire being. So it was no surprise when she went to art school in Boston. As it so often happens in life, people lose track. There was the occasional letter from her describing her life, but as life got more and more in the way, letters between us became less frequent. "I will write tomorrow," goes through your head until one day there is no tomorrow in which to write. I wish now I had tried harder to keep in touch. Rita was a person worth keeping in touch with.
My memory fails me as to how we reconnected. It might have been through classmates.com or some such thing. Facebook would come later. Regardless, we did reconnect and took great joy in catching up with each other. Almost daily emails followed. Sometimes short, sometimes long and rambling. We talked about our lives, about books, movies, politics, whatever we were in a mood to share. Rita sent me pictures of some of her artwork. I sent her some of the stories I was writing. Her feedback was always well thought out, humorous and encouraging. I just loved looking at her artwork. When I decided to paint my kitchen and living room, I described to her what I wanted to do, how I wanted the rooms to feel. It was her impeccable style and taste that helped lead to the colors that still adorn those walls. I still have all of the emails we sent over the years and have been re-reading them this last month. I am glad that I kept them, but at the same time they are a reminder of what we have lost and it hurts.
We also both loved the television show '24'. During the season we would both email each other as soon as the episode was done to discuss what had just happened and what we thought would happen
next. It was as much fun as I have ever had watching a TV show.
My memory fails me as to how we reconnected. It might have been through classmates.com or some such thing. Facebook would come later. Regardless, we did reconnect and took great joy in catching up with each other. Almost daily emails followed. Sometimes short, sometimes long and rambling. We talked about our lives, about books, movies, politics, whatever we were in a mood to share. Rita sent me pictures of some of her artwork. I sent her some of the stories I was writing. Her feedback was always well thought out, humorous and encouraging. I just loved looking at her artwork. When I decided to paint my kitchen and living room, I described to her what I wanted to do, how I wanted the rooms to feel. It was her impeccable style and taste that helped lead to the colors that still adorn those walls. I still have all of the emails we sent over the years and have been re-reading them this last month. I am glad that I kept them, but at the same time they are a reminder of what we have lost and it hurts.
We also both loved the television show '24'. During the season we would both email each other as soon as the episode was done to discuss what had just happened and what we thought would happen
next. It was as much fun as I have ever had watching a TV show.
Rita began her blog before I started mine. I cannot begin to describe how much she encouraged me when I mentioned starting my own blog. I always knew I could count on her to leave a comment, or drop me an email telling me how much she enjoyed what I had done. I for one was so envious of her blog. She would tell me she was not a writer, but she was wrong. Where I often feel I ramble and not even particularly well, there was an elegance to her writing. The right words just seemed to flow from her and onto the page. That, coupled with her artwork and amazing photographs, always left me in awe and wishing that I had it within me to be able to create as she did. We spent much time helping each other attempt to grow our readership. She helped me navigate Feedburner. She was my blog's only Digg. I know without a doubt that if it had not been for her help, I would have given up on this within the first three months. But she made me feel like what I was writing was worth reading.
One time Rita was describing strangely scented candles in a series of emails. A week later, a leather scented candle showed up at my door. I still have it.
Another time she sent me a small piece of board on which she had painted a maple leaf. It felt so Vermont. It sits next to my desk, one of my most valued possessions.
My favorite comment that Rita left on here: "The letter Q is simply funny. Why is that?"
Rita was born one day before me. She was June 20th and I am the 21st. She once said to me, "The best people are born in June."
For the life of me, I cannot remember what year it was when I last saw Rita in person. I believe it was around 2010. She was back in Vermont for a visit, around Labor Day I believe. We made plans to get together for dinner and drinks. We ate out on the deck at the East Side Restaurant in Newport. It was the waning days of summer and it was a beautiful evening to sit there. We caught up on life, talked about old friends and where they were now, discussed books we had read, talked '24', and mostly we laughed. Those were some of the most fun hours that I have ever spent. I wish more than anything that I had thought to bring a camera so that I would now have at least one picture of her and I.
I realize I could go on and on and on. For those who knew Rita, you already know how special she was. How she could make people feel. You know the beauty she brought to the world. For those who were never lucky enough to meet her, I just hope that I have, in some small, stumbling way, made you aware of the wonderful person that this earth was lucky enough to have on it for much too short a time. Whether you know it or not, the world is diminished for having lost her. Yet, at the same time, is more colorful and beautiful for having had her in it. I still can't believe she is gone. What I wouldn't give for one more email.
Her blog is still there. Please, go and read her words, see her photos and take a moment to celebrate such a life. http://phthalo-blue.blogspot.com/
God, I miss my friend so much.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
WE HAVE A TITLE!!!!!!
StarWars.com just released that principal photography has wrapped on Star Wars: The Force Awakens! I personally love this, as I grew up with the original trilogy where the only time you saw the episode number was in the opening crawl. So for me it was never Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes back, it was just The Empire Strikes Back. I feel this move fits the film nicely in the OT mold.
December 2015 cannot get here fast enough!
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
The Road to Celebration
One of the best and most fun experiences of my life took place in Orlando, Florida back in August of 2010 and that experience was Star Wars Celebration V. Between the panels, meeting the celebrities, the cool stuff I brought back, the trip to Disney and meeting new friends, it is a time I think back on often.
When Star Wars Celebration VI came around in 2012 and I wasn't able to go, I will admit I was a moping mess those whole four days. Sometimes it is easier when you don't know what you are missing.
So when Star Wars Celebration Anaheim was announced to take place in April of 2015, I vowed to somehow make it there. Especially since 2015 is the year we will see Star Wars Episode VII... can you imagine how crazy this Celebration will be? The fact that it is in California does make it more expensive. When I looked at the "official" hotels, the price per night was crazy at almost $200 a night! The economy is still not treating me well and I quickly became discouraged. But I have since found some more reasonably priced hotels that are near the Anaheim Convention Center. Flights are also not too bad right now. So I just need to commit and do it since I know it will be an experience like no other!
So this blog will be the story of how I (hopefully) make it to Celebration Anaheim. If any of you dear readers are going, have tips for finding cheap rooms near the convention center or want to make a cash donation to help me get there (Ha! Just kidding) please leave a comment.
May the Force Be With You!
When Star Wars Celebration VI came around in 2012 and I wasn't able to go, I will admit I was a moping mess those whole four days. Sometimes it is easier when you don't know what you are missing.
So when Star Wars Celebration Anaheim was announced to take place in April of 2015, I vowed to somehow make it there. Especially since 2015 is the year we will see Star Wars Episode VII... can you imagine how crazy this Celebration will be? The fact that it is in California does make it more expensive. When I looked at the "official" hotels, the price per night was crazy at almost $200 a night! The economy is still not treating me well and I quickly became discouraged. But I have since found some more reasonably priced hotels that are near the Anaheim Convention Center. Flights are also not too bad right now. So I just need to commit and do it since I know it will be an experience like no other!
So this blog will be the story of how I (hopefully) make it to Celebration Anaheim. If any of you dear readers are going, have tips for finding cheap rooms near the convention center or want to make a cash donation to help me get there (Ha! Just kidding) please leave a comment.
May the Force Be With You!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
A Thank You To Obi-Wan
There was a bright spot yesterday among the dark clouds that was the cancellation of The Clone Wars; the autographed picture from James Arnold Taylor that I won from RebelForce Radio arrived yesterday. It seemed somewhat fitting to receive an awesome Obi-Wan picture on a day where The Clone Wars was foremost in my thoughts. Obi-Wan has always been my favorite character and I have been a huge fan of the work James has done with the character. So the two combined cheered me up on a day where I was feeling pretty down.
A huge Thank You to James for not only signing the picture, but for all the wonderful work he has done bringing Obi-Wan to life. An equally huge Thank You to Jason and Jimmy Mac at RebelForce Radio for not only picking my review, but for the continued excellence in Star Wars podcasting that they provide week in and week out. RebelForce Radio really is my only source for the Force! You guys really are the best.
May the Force be with you all.
A huge Thank You to James for not only signing the picture, but for all the wonderful work he has done bringing Obi-Wan to life. An equally huge Thank You to Jason and Jimmy Mac at RebelForce Radio for not only picking my review, but for the continued excellence in Star Wars podcasting that they provide week in and week out. RebelForce Radio really is my only source for the Force! You guys really are the best.
May the Force be with you all.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
As I sit and write this, a mix of emotions are still flowing through me; anger, sadness and frustration. Earlier today, Disney announced that they were canceling Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Many of you will say, so what? It's just a cartoon. Let me explain why it matters to me.
Anyone who knows me or has read this blog knows that I am, above all else, a die-hard Star Wars fan. From the moment I first saw it as a 9 year old in 1977, I have been hooked. I enjoyed the prequels, though they never grabbed me as the original trilogy did. So I was a bit skeptical when Lucasfilm announced a new television show set in the time period between Episodes II and III. A TV show? Anakin has a padawan? What kind of weirdness is George up to now? Still, it was new Star Wars and considering the movies had ended, I was willing to give it a shot.
The movie premiered with much fanfare. There was a midnight madness event at Toys r Us, which my son and I went to, that being the only one we ever had the opportunity to attend. We started getting swept up in a wave of excitement that I had not felt in a long time
So when the Clone Wars movie came out, my son and I headed out to the theater. That is when a funny thing happened; it was actually good! The animation was pretty cool, the voice acting was amazing (Side note: To this day, I still say Matt Lanter is a better Anakin Skywalker than Hayden Christensen ever thought of being!) and I actually found myself enjoying it, maybe even more than I enjoyed some of the actual prequels. Suddenly, I was excited for this new TV show and it did not disappoint.
The Clone Wars quickly became appointment television for my son and I. Every Friday night we were eagerly in front of the television, waiting to see what new treat was in store for us. Then after we would talk about what we saw. What we liked, what we didn't, what we thought was going to happen next and what we wanted to see happen. My son was getting older, changing in ways neither of us could have foreseen and the Clone Wars was what we bonded over. We both liked Ahsoka (though we were happy when she stopped calling Anakin "Skyguy") and it was captivating to watch the character evolve, with much of the credit going to the brilliant Ashley Eckstein who had the unenviable task of voicing a character who, in lesser hands, could have been annoying. Instead she made us care about Ahsoka, to the point of worrying about her fate because, as we all know, Anakin had no Padawan in Episode III.
The rest of the cast were equally brilliant. I could write an entire post on the brilliance that is James Arnold Taylor. Over time, his Obi-Wan Kenobi has become the voice I hear when I think of Obi-Wan. Catherine Taber was simply amazing as Padme, bringing a depth to the character that wasn't touched on in the films. You began to understand Padme thanks to her. Tom Kane's Yoda was so good, I wasn't sure if it was Frank Oz or not! And Dee Bradley Baker did a most amazing thing; he made us care about the clones. They were not nameless, faceless soldiers. They each had a personality, they each became an individual and we cared about them. How he could give distinct personalities to beings who all sound alike is beyond me and I am in awe of his talent.
The cast of the Clone Wars became so important to us, that meeting many of them at Star Wars Celebration V was more exciting than meeting the actors that had been in the actual movie trilogies. The cast actually cared about the fans and took time to talk with us. My favorite memory was meeting James Arnold Taylor at the Force.net party and him taking the time to talk to me. My son was having his face painted at the time and was on the other side of the room. James asked me who else I was there with and when I told him my son, he said "Let's go say hi!" and proceeded to head across the room. Until the day I die, I will never forget the look on my son's face when James walked up, stood in front of him and began talking to him as Obi-Wan, then switched to Johnny Test. He then proceeded to bring us over to meet Matt Lanter. On the convention floor, we had the good fortune to run into the man who brought it all together; supervising director Dave Filoni. Dave is truly a fan of Star Wars and his encyclopedic knowledge is well known. He was kind enough to stop and talk to us and even have a picture taken. It is rare to meet such kind people in the world, but the entire cast and crew that we met were just that great.
I know I am prattling on and could go on much longer about all the great experiences I have had because of the Clone Wars. But I tell you all this so you can understand how angry and devastated I felt today when I read that Disney had canceled the show. Many of us were somewhat apprehensive when Disney bought Lucasfilm. But many people said not to worry, that Disney had been hands off with Marvel, that things would be fine. They announced Episode VII, so things were going to be great. Then, as if Order 66 had been given, many of the things we loved began to fall. First the 3-D release of Episodes II and III were postponed. Okay, that made sense, they want to focus on the next trilogy. But then the Clone Wars completed what was, without a doubt, their best season yet. It left you wanting more! But there was already a disturbance in the Force. Despite being called Chicken Little by people who knew no better, Jimmy Mac from RebelForce Radio began to sound the alarm that the show was in danger. He urged us to write letters, to let the suits at Disney know how much the show meant to us. Many of us wrote, tweeted, e-mailed and signed online petitions. But all to no avail. Much like the clones cutting down Jedi, Disney axed the Clone Wars and Star Wars Detours in one press release. And just like that, our hearts sank.
Which leads me to where I am now. I am furious at Disney for taking away the Clone Wars when it was in it's prime. The show had never looked better, the stories never better. They are taking away something that means so much to me and my family. Taken away, not for lack of ratings, but because it didn't fit in with some corporate suits marketing plan. Despite saying we will see more Clone Wars, Disney has proven, in my mind, that they don't care about the fans. They have become the Empire. I am wishing George had never sold out.
I am also sad. Sad that I will not have the Clone Wars to look forward to every Saturday morning. That I won't be able to watch it and discuss it with my daughter. That I won't get to hear the brilliant cast perform any longer. Sad that something was taken away that didn't need to be.
So that is why the Clone Wars is much more than a cartoon to me. I wish I was writing about the amazing season finale and was speculating about where Ahsoka goes next. Now I am just sad that I may never know. I am sorry this posting has gone on for so long, but this show meant something to me and I hope that, in some small way, I paid tribute to it in the way it deserves.
May the Force be with you all.
With James Arnold Taylor and Matt Lanter
The cast of The Clone Wars at the Force.net party
With Catherine Taber
With Dave Filoni
Anyone who knows me or has read this blog knows that I am, above all else, a die-hard Star Wars fan. From the moment I first saw it as a 9 year old in 1977, I have been hooked. I enjoyed the prequels, though they never grabbed me as the original trilogy did. So I was a bit skeptical when Lucasfilm announced a new television show set in the time period between Episodes II and III. A TV show? Anakin has a padawan? What kind of weirdness is George up to now? Still, it was new Star Wars and considering the movies had ended, I was willing to give it a shot.
The movie premiered with much fanfare. There was a midnight madness event at Toys r Us, which my son and I went to, that being the only one we ever had the opportunity to attend. We started getting swept up in a wave of excitement that I had not felt in a long time
So when the Clone Wars movie came out, my son and I headed out to the theater. That is when a funny thing happened; it was actually good! The animation was pretty cool, the voice acting was amazing (Side note: To this day, I still say Matt Lanter is a better Anakin Skywalker than Hayden Christensen ever thought of being!) and I actually found myself enjoying it, maybe even more than I enjoyed some of the actual prequels. Suddenly, I was excited for this new TV show and it did not disappoint.
The Clone Wars quickly became appointment television for my son and I. Every Friday night we were eagerly in front of the television, waiting to see what new treat was in store for us. Then after we would talk about what we saw. What we liked, what we didn't, what we thought was going to happen next and what we wanted to see happen. My son was getting older, changing in ways neither of us could have foreseen and the Clone Wars was what we bonded over. We both liked Ahsoka (though we were happy when she stopped calling Anakin "Skyguy") and it was captivating to watch the character evolve, with much of the credit going to the brilliant Ashley Eckstein who had the unenviable task of voicing a character who, in lesser hands, could have been annoying. Instead she made us care about Ahsoka, to the point of worrying about her fate because, as we all know, Anakin had no Padawan in Episode III.
The rest of the cast were equally brilliant. I could write an entire post on the brilliance that is James Arnold Taylor. Over time, his Obi-Wan Kenobi has become the voice I hear when I think of Obi-Wan. Catherine Taber was simply amazing as Padme, bringing a depth to the character that wasn't touched on in the films. You began to understand Padme thanks to her. Tom Kane's Yoda was so good, I wasn't sure if it was Frank Oz or not! And Dee Bradley Baker did a most amazing thing; he made us care about the clones. They were not nameless, faceless soldiers. They each had a personality, they each became an individual and we cared about them. How he could give distinct personalities to beings who all sound alike is beyond me and I am in awe of his talent.
The cast of the Clone Wars became so important to us, that meeting many of them at Star Wars Celebration V was more exciting than meeting the actors that had been in the actual movie trilogies. The cast actually cared about the fans and took time to talk with us. My favorite memory was meeting James Arnold Taylor at the Force.net party and him taking the time to talk to me. My son was having his face painted at the time and was on the other side of the room. James asked me who else I was there with and when I told him my son, he said "Let's go say hi!" and proceeded to head across the room. Until the day I die, I will never forget the look on my son's face when James walked up, stood in front of him and began talking to him as Obi-Wan, then switched to Johnny Test. He then proceeded to bring us over to meet Matt Lanter. On the convention floor, we had the good fortune to run into the man who brought it all together; supervising director Dave Filoni. Dave is truly a fan of Star Wars and his encyclopedic knowledge is well known. He was kind enough to stop and talk to us and even have a picture taken. It is rare to meet such kind people in the world, but the entire cast and crew that we met were just that great.
I know I am prattling on and could go on much longer about all the great experiences I have had because of the Clone Wars. But I tell you all this so you can understand how angry and devastated I felt today when I read that Disney had canceled the show. Many of us were somewhat apprehensive when Disney bought Lucasfilm. But many people said not to worry, that Disney had been hands off with Marvel, that things would be fine. They announced Episode VII, so things were going to be great. Then, as if Order 66 had been given, many of the things we loved began to fall. First the 3-D release of Episodes II and III were postponed. Okay, that made sense, they want to focus on the next trilogy. But then the Clone Wars completed what was, without a doubt, their best season yet. It left you wanting more! But there was already a disturbance in the Force. Despite being called Chicken Little by people who knew no better, Jimmy Mac from RebelForce Radio began to sound the alarm that the show was in danger. He urged us to write letters, to let the suits at Disney know how much the show meant to us. Many of us wrote, tweeted, e-mailed and signed online petitions. But all to no avail. Much like the clones cutting down Jedi, Disney axed the Clone Wars and Star Wars Detours in one press release. And just like that, our hearts sank.
Which leads me to where I am now. I am furious at Disney for taking away the Clone Wars when it was in it's prime. The show had never looked better, the stories never better. They are taking away something that means so much to me and my family. Taken away, not for lack of ratings, but because it didn't fit in with some corporate suits marketing plan. Despite saying we will see more Clone Wars, Disney has proven, in my mind, that they don't care about the fans. They have become the Empire. I am wishing George had never sold out.
I am also sad. Sad that I will not have the Clone Wars to look forward to every Saturday morning. That I won't be able to watch it and discuss it with my daughter. That I won't get to hear the brilliant cast perform any longer. Sad that something was taken away that didn't need to be.
So that is why the Clone Wars is much more than a cartoon to me. I wish I was writing about the amazing season finale and was speculating about where Ahsoka goes next. Now I am just sad that I may never know. I am sorry this posting has gone on for so long, but this show meant something to me and I hope that, in some small way, I paid tribute to it in the way it deserves.
May the Force be with you all.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
You Have To Admit...
Considering the news that JJ Abrams, who has directed the two latest Star Trek movies, has been hired to direct Star Wars Episode VII, this button seems a lot more appropriate.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
A RebelForce Radio Weekend
As you may remember, dear readers, a couple of posts ago I told you about the best Star Wars podcast on the web, RebelForce Radio. Much to my delight, that post came to the attention of Jason and Jimmy Mac and they actually posted a link on their Facebook page, which in turn generated more page views than this poor little blog has ever seen before. Considering what a fanboy I am when it comes to those guys, just the fact they bothered to read what I wrote was beyond thrilling. But as the Ginsu knife guy used to say, wait, there's more!
On my way home from seeing "Zero Dark Thirty" yesterday, (by the way, go see it, it is an awesome movie!) I was listening to the just released second episode of RebelForce Radio, and during a section of the podcast where they talked about the start-up of the podcast and thanking people who got the word out, they actually mentioned this very blog, to which Jimmy Mac said, "Alright, that's gotta be my favorite name so far." I almost went off the road. My poor daughter thought I was insane as I started yelling, unable to believe that I got a shout-out. But wait, there's more.
Five minutes later, having just calmed down, the guys announced the winners of an autographed picture from Clone Wars actor, James Arnold Taylor, who does the voice of Obi-Wan and Plo Koon. To enter, one just had to write a review of the podcast on iTunes, which I had happily done. For the second time that day, I couldn't believe what I was hearing as Jimmy Mac read my screen name and review. Again with the yelling, much to my daughter's chagrin since she couldn't figure out why her father had just gone insane. I rarely, if ever, win anything, so I just could not believe the day I was having. As soon as I got home, I sent Jason and Jimmy an e-mail telling them that I was the one called. As I write this, I am waiting for a reply e-mail where they will tell me what I need to do to verify that I wrote the review and I will have won.
As for RebelForce Radio itself, having listened to both regular episodes and both episodes of The Clone Wars Declassified, the quality of the podcast is everything I had come to expect from the Forcecast, but better. Jason and Jimmy had said one of the reasons they set out on their own was to have the freedom to do things the way they wanted to. That sense of freedom shines through and you can feel the joy they bring to doing RebelForce Radio. It truly is the best Star Wars podcast on the web. If you are a Star Wars fan, you need to be listening.
As for me, being a Star Wars fan who has always sort of sat on the sidelines of fandom, actually being noticed by a top level program like RebelForce Radio has been very gratifying. I certainly appreciate all the people who took time to read what I had written. The experience has encouraged me to be a little more active on social media sites like Twitter. Hopefully meeting new people who love the same things I do will lead to more positive experiences. My sincere thanks to Jason and Jimmy Mac for giving me a weekend long remembered.
On my way home from seeing "Zero Dark Thirty" yesterday, (by the way, go see it, it is an awesome movie!) I was listening to the just released second episode of RebelForce Radio, and during a section of the podcast where they talked about the start-up of the podcast and thanking people who got the word out, they actually mentioned this very blog, to which Jimmy Mac said, "Alright, that's gotta be my favorite name so far." I almost went off the road. My poor daughter thought I was insane as I started yelling, unable to believe that I got a shout-out. But wait, there's more.
Five minutes later, having just calmed down, the guys announced the winners of an autographed picture from Clone Wars actor, James Arnold Taylor, who does the voice of Obi-Wan and Plo Koon. To enter, one just had to write a review of the podcast on iTunes, which I had happily done. For the second time that day, I couldn't believe what I was hearing as Jimmy Mac read my screen name and review. Again with the yelling, much to my daughter's chagrin since she couldn't figure out why her father had just gone insane. I rarely, if ever, win anything, so I just could not believe the day I was having. As soon as I got home, I sent Jason and Jimmy an e-mail telling them that I was the one called. As I write this, I am waiting for a reply e-mail where they will tell me what I need to do to verify that I wrote the review and I will have won.
As for RebelForce Radio itself, having listened to both regular episodes and both episodes of The Clone Wars Declassified, the quality of the podcast is everything I had come to expect from the Forcecast, but better. Jason and Jimmy had said one of the reasons they set out on their own was to have the freedom to do things the way they wanted to. That sense of freedom shines through and you can feel the joy they bring to doing RebelForce Radio. It truly is the best Star Wars podcast on the web. If you are a Star Wars fan, you need to be listening.
As for me, being a Star Wars fan who has always sort of sat on the sidelines of fandom, actually being noticed by a top level program like RebelForce Radio has been very gratifying. I certainly appreciate all the people who took time to read what I had written. The experience has encouraged me to be a little more active on social media sites like Twitter. Hopefully meeting new people who love the same things I do will lead to more positive experiences. My sincere thanks to Jason and Jimmy Mac for giving me a weekend long remembered.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Classic Star Wars
If you are a Star Wars fan of a certain age...no comments about my age please...then there are certain things that invoke a strong sense of nostalgia when you see them. Recently, I found a Facebook page that is filled with such things; Classic Star Wars ( http://www.facebook.com/ClassicStarWars )
This for example:
This is a scan of a page from the 1979 Sears Christmas Wishbook. I have no idea where they found a 1979 Christmas catalog, but this sure brought back a lot of memories!
For younger readers, the Christmas catalog was how we picked out toys to ask Santa for for Christmas back in the day. Think of it as the Internet on paper.
I can remember spending hours pouring over the Wishbook when it came each fall. Looking at this one page, I sure wish I had that Cantina diorama now, it would probably pay my heating bill the rest of the winter! (Yeah, as if I could actually sell it...but I digress)
If you remember all the fun and excitement of the original trilogy, or as we called it back then, Star Wars, then you will appreciate all the posts and I am sure you will see something you remember loving as a kid. Thanks, Classic Star Wars for bringing back parts of my childhood.
This for example:
This is a scan of a page from the 1979 Sears Christmas Wishbook. I have no idea where they found a 1979 Christmas catalog, but this sure brought back a lot of memories!
For younger readers, the Christmas catalog was how we picked out toys to ask Santa for for Christmas back in the day. Think of it as the Internet on paper.
I can remember spending hours pouring over the Wishbook when it came each fall. Looking at this one page, I sure wish I had that Cantina diorama now, it would probably pay my heating bill the rest of the winter! (Yeah, as if I could actually sell it...but I digress)
If you remember all the fun and excitement of the original trilogy, or as we called it back then, Star Wars, then you will appreciate all the posts and I am sure you will see something you remember loving as a kid. Thanks, Classic Star Wars for bringing back parts of my childhood.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
RebelForce Radio
Before the dark times, before the Empire...I mean before the internet, getting news about Star Wars was not an easy task. Ten year old me would faithfully read Starlog magazine every month for any article about Star Wars or the rumored sequel. Ten year old me's little brain would have exploded if he could see how much information can be gathered now and how fast. But even in today's world, it is nice to have one place that helps bring you all you need to know and do it in an entertaining fashion. Enter the podcast.
And for me, there has only ever been one podcast and that was the Forcecast. I would eagerly listen every week as Jason and Pete would bring the news and so much more around my favorite franchise. But more than just being a source of news, these were guys who I wanted to hang out with. They were fans! They were just like me...only with much better speaking voices. Then Pete left and Jimmy Mac entered as co-host, but the show remained just as awesome.
I have to admit that I am kind of a fanboy about the Forcecast; I was one of the prize winners on their three year anniversary show. Hard to match the excitement I felt when I heard my name called as a winner. One of the highlights of Star Wars Celebration V for me was getting to meet and talk with Jason. A picture of me holding the Forcecast microphone sits proudly on my desk.
So I was floored when the unexpected news broke that Jason and Jimmy were leaving the Forcecast. I thought to myself "How can they leave the Forcecast? They ARE the Forcecast!" I have no idea what caused this, it all feels very sudden. First Curto and now Jason and Jimmy. It feels vaguely of Order 66...but I digress. The upside of all this...and the point of this posting...is that Jason and Jimmy are going out and starting their own Star Wars podcast.
Introducing RebelForce Radio!
I fully expect it will continue to bring the latest and greatest Star Wars news, interviews, Billy Dee quote of the week, Star Wars in pop culture, and all the awesomeness that I came to expect from the Forcecast.
So if you are a Star Wars fan, you owe it to yourself to listen to the best Star Wars podcast on the net. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and follow the guys on Facebook and Twitter:
http://www.facebook.com/RebelForceRadio
@RebelForceRadio
Give a listen and before you know it, you'll be asking "Where's Kitster?"
And for me, there has only ever been one podcast and that was the Forcecast. I would eagerly listen every week as Jason and Pete would bring the news and so much more around my favorite franchise. But more than just being a source of news, these were guys who I wanted to hang out with. They were fans! They were just like me...only with much better speaking voices. Then Pete left and Jimmy Mac entered as co-host, but the show remained just as awesome.
I have to admit that I am kind of a fanboy about the Forcecast; I was one of the prize winners on their three year anniversary show. Hard to match the excitement I felt when I heard my name called as a winner. One of the highlights of Star Wars Celebration V for me was getting to meet and talk with Jason. A picture of me holding the Forcecast microphone sits proudly on my desk.
So I was floored when the unexpected news broke that Jason and Jimmy were leaving the Forcecast. I thought to myself "How can they leave the Forcecast? They ARE the Forcecast!" I have no idea what caused this, it all feels very sudden. First Curto and now Jason and Jimmy. It feels vaguely of Order 66...but I digress. The upside of all this...and the point of this posting...is that Jason and Jimmy are going out and starting their own Star Wars podcast.
Introducing RebelForce Radio!
I fully expect it will continue to bring the latest and greatest Star Wars news, interviews, Billy Dee quote of the week, Star Wars in pop culture, and all the awesomeness that I came to expect from the Forcecast.
So if you are a Star Wars fan, you owe it to yourself to listen to the best Star Wars podcast on the net. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and follow the guys on Facebook and Twitter:
http://www.facebook.com/RebelForceRadio
@RebelForceRadio
Give a listen and before you know it, you'll be asking "Where's Kitster?"
Monday, January 14, 2013
I Assure you; We're Open...Just Under a New Name!
Happy 2013 everyone!
It has been ages since I have posted anything here. For a variety of personal reasons, 2012 was not conducive to writing anything. It was a year for trying to keep my head above water. But here in the new year, I decided to take a look at the 'ol blog and think about if I even wanted to keep it open and if I did, what did I want it to be? The days of me pouring all my angst out for anyone to read are over. I am just not comfortable being that open anymore and honestly, life is not so bad. So if I wasn't going to ramble on about the hell inside my head, which some people seemed to enjoy, then what should I do, if anything? After giving it some thought, the answer became, if not clear, at least a bit more obvious. They (whoever they are) say you should write about what you know. I know about being a geek. I have been one since before it was a thing. From the time I was very young and watched Planet of the Apes, the Six Million Dollar Man and Space 1999, I was hooked on all things geeky. It went into hyperdrive when I was nine and had the life changing experience of seeing Star Wars.
Hence the new blog title. New year, new me, new blog. This is not the blog you are looking for. And if I have to explain what the title references, then you are really reading the wrong blog.
The posts will probably be shorter, or at least short for me; I do tend to prattle on. But hopefully they will be fun and maybe a little interesting. In short, I will post about the geeky stuff I like. There will be a lot of Star Wars, I warn you of that now.
So I invite you to stick around. Feel free to let me know what you think.
It has been ages since I have posted anything here. For a variety of personal reasons, 2012 was not conducive to writing anything. It was a year for trying to keep my head above water. But here in the new year, I decided to take a look at the 'ol blog and think about if I even wanted to keep it open and if I did, what did I want it to be? The days of me pouring all my angst out for anyone to read are over. I am just not comfortable being that open anymore and honestly, life is not so bad. So if I wasn't going to ramble on about the hell inside my head, which some people seemed to enjoy, then what should I do, if anything? After giving it some thought, the answer became, if not clear, at least a bit more obvious. They (whoever they are) say you should write about what you know. I know about being a geek. I have been one since before it was a thing. From the time I was very young and watched Planet of the Apes, the Six Million Dollar Man and Space 1999, I was hooked on all things geeky. It went into hyperdrive when I was nine and had the life changing experience of seeing Star Wars.
Hence the new blog title. New year, new me, new blog. This is not the blog you are looking for. And if I have to explain what the title references, then you are really reading the wrong blog.
The posts will probably be shorter, or at least short for me; I do tend to prattle on. But hopefully they will be fun and maybe a little interesting. In short, I will post about the geeky stuff I like. There will be a lot of Star Wars, I warn you of that now.
So I invite you to stick around. Feel free to let me know what you think.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Episode 1 The Phantom Menace
My son and I went to see Star Wars Episode 1 in 3D this past Friday. When my son was 4, the very first movie he ever saw in theatres was Episode 1, so it is pretty cool that 13 years later we can share the same experience. And we got these cool Darth Maul 3D glasses!
As for the movie itself, the 3D conversion was well done. It added depth to the movie, giving you a sense of immersion into the film, rather than the gimmicky things flying at the screen that many movies use 3D for. Plus, it is always amazing to see Star Wars on the big screen.
The Phantom Menace is not my favorite of the Star Wars movies, but it is still Star Wars and I love it. However, I am shocked at the amount of hatred being spewed towards this film and George Lucas in general. There have been several things in the news that have made me think seriously about Star Wars fandom and my connection to it. This will be a posting at a later date as it is something I want to really try to express well.
So for now, I will just say that I am very happy Star Wars is back on the big screen and that I had the chance to see it once again with my son.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Redline
Every few years an anime movie will come along that is groundbreaking and raises the entire genre to new levels. In the past, movies such as 'Akira' and 'Ghost in the Shell' have done this. Tonight I watched a movie that should join theses ranks; 'Redline'.
I had been hearing about this movie for quite some time now on different anime podcasts and web sites. And everything I heard was incredible. Not only did no one seem to dislike this movie, but they all raved about it. Finding people mostly agreeing on anything online is almost unheard of. So I added the movie to my Netflix que and today it arrived.
It did not disappoint in the least! The plot is nice and simple; racers from all across the galaxy are competing in a road race called the Redline. The race is not exactly legal and the planet it is to be held on does everything they can to stop it. That's it, nothing more complex then that. Anime sometimes has, in my opinion, the tendency to get bogged down in complex plots. To find one that was simple and just wanted to be entertaining was a nice change of pace.
What really sets 'Redline' apart are the visuals. It is beautifully animated. The races are a cacophony of chaos; cars twisting and dancing in ways that defy all laws of physics. Explosions, smoke, fire, revving engines, all of it coming at once, making for scenes that need repeat viewings. Think of it as Speed Racer on crack. Even the background and crowd scenes are amazing; with strange alien species being depicted.
My words are not sufficient to get across how amazing this movie looks and how much fun it is. If you like exciting race movies with a sci-fi twist and are will to try something different, add 'Redline' to your Netflix list. I think you will be glad you did.
I had been hearing about this movie for quite some time now on different anime podcasts and web sites. And everything I heard was incredible. Not only did no one seem to dislike this movie, but they all raved about it. Finding people mostly agreeing on anything online is almost unheard of. So I added the movie to my Netflix que and today it arrived.
It did not disappoint in the least! The plot is nice and simple; racers from all across the galaxy are competing in a road race called the Redline. The race is not exactly legal and the planet it is to be held on does everything they can to stop it. That's it, nothing more complex then that. Anime sometimes has, in my opinion, the tendency to get bogged down in complex plots. To find one that was simple and just wanted to be entertaining was a nice change of pace.
What really sets 'Redline' apart are the visuals. It is beautifully animated. The races are a cacophony of chaos; cars twisting and dancing in ways that defy all laws of physics. Explosions, smoke, fire, revving engines, all of it coming at once, making for scenes that need repeat viewings. Think of it as Speed Racer on crack. Even the background and crowd scenes are amazing; with strange alien species being depicted.
My words are not sufficient to get across how amazing this movie looks and how much fun it is. If you like exciting race movies with a sci-fi twist and are will to try something different, add 'Redline' to your Netflix list. I think you will be glad you did.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Celebration Time, C'mon!
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...
Actually, it wasn't that long ago. Only about five months now. And it was actually in this galaxy. Florida to be exact. But we were on our way to a celebration of all things in that galaxy far, far away.
Ever since the announcement of Star Wars Celebration V (henceforth to be described as CV) my son and I had made the commitment to going to this one. I had not gone to the previous four Celebrations, dating back to the very first one in 1999 out in Denver, Colorado. Celebration II and III were both held in Indianapolis and Celebration IV was way out in Los Angeles. But now CV was being held in Orlando, Florida. This made it possible for us to attend. So after months of planning, saving, reserving, more planning, lots of reading, did I mention planning, and spread sheets to keep track of all the collectibles we needed to buy, we were finally heading to the greatest gathering of Star Wars fans on the planet.
We decided to fly out of Portland, Maine. My dad lives not far from there so this allowed us to be driven to the airport and not deal with traffic and parking. Our tickets were with Jet Blue and our flight was at 7:00 in the morning. Ryan had never flown before, so he was a combination of excitement and terror. My biggest fear was that he would get on the plane and flip out on me. But after going through security we finally were aboard the plane. Should I ever find myself flying again (not something I really look forward to) I would not hesitate to fly Jet Blue. The fact that every seat had a TV made the flight much more fun. In fact, I was able to watch NCIS the entire trip! (Thank you, USA Network for running an NCIS marathon that day!) It was a sunny, beautiful day to fly and I did my best to joke with Ryan upon takeoff to keep his mind off the fact he was on an airplane. Once we were in the air, Ryan discovered that he loved flying. Though he seemed more interested in what was on TV than looking out the window. We had a short layover at JFK and then straight on to Orlando. We made good time and actually arrived in sunny Florida 20 minutes early.
Orlando International Airport is not exactly like Burlington or even Portland. It was huge! We had to take a train from our gate to the main part of the airport. Pretty amazing. Once we got there and I finally managed to figure out how to secure us some transportation to the hotel (note to self, figure this out ahead of time should we ever do something like this again. I think not knowing how to get to the hotel was the most stressful part of the trip.) But soon we were on our way by taxi to our hotel.
This was my first trip to Florida and I found it very beautiful. It was very humid, but it looked like I expected it to and enjoyed the ride in very much. We soon found ourselves at our hotel which was one of the official CV hotels. This meant that we were on the free bus route that would take us every morning to the convention center. We had arrived early and our room was not ready. So the hotel graciously secured our luggage and I asked direction to the convention center. With those in hand, Ryan and I decided to kill the time by venturing out and getting the lay of the land.
We started our hike and was taken by all the sights and attraction that were along the route. There was one attraction, what it is escapes me at the moment, but it looked like an upside down building. There were many restaurants, shops and attractions along this strip. As I mentioned, it was very humid and it wasn't too long before Ryan was whining about the heat. But he soon stopped complaining and just kept marching. Several times he questioned my internal navigation skills and suggested I didn't know where the hell I was going, but I soon proved him wrong as we came around the corner and there before us was the sight of our destination. And what a sight it was!
The Orange County Convention Center is a huge structure. We knew we were in the right place at the sight of the massive CV banners hanging on the front of the building. We made our way up to it, just to look around, when I noticed that the doors seemed to be unlocked. Figuring I had nothing to lose but being told to get the hell out, I opened the door and we headed inside.
What greeted us was a Star Wars geek's greatest fantasy. We had walked into a hall where some guys were finishing the assembly of a massive AT-AT. the air conditioning inside felt great, so we decided to have a look around. We wandered the halls, looking at signs and getting an idea of how the convention center was laid out. Before long I spotted lines of people in front of some booths. So we wandered that way and found we were able to register early and get the lanyards for our convention badges. Since I am a Hyperspace member (that is part of the official fan club) I had a special lanyard and it would allow us to go in a special entrance and get in a little bit earlier than the general public.
After registering, the next line was where we were able to pick up the autograph tickets we had pre-ordered. I had pre-ordered autograph tickets that would allow us to get autographs from Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) and Ray Park (Darth Maul) as well a few general autograph tickets that could be used with other celebrities. Since I was one of the first 200 people to pre-order a certain amount (don't ask how much) I was given an exclusive pack of autograph cards. These were trading cards of all the celebrities that were going to be appearing at CV. The cards had their character picture as well as a space where they could sign, should you meet them and should you want the card signed. I tucked away the pack of cards as a neat collectible.
We continued to wander around the convention center. Mostly because we were killing time before our room would be ready, plus it was air conditioned inside the convention hall. We sat down at one of the many tables inside to rest for a minute, when I noticed a group of people walking towards us. Instantly I recognized one of the group; Steve Sansweet! This is a name that is instantly recognized by Star Wars fans, but probably not by anyone else. Steve Sansweet is the head of fan relations for Lucasfilm. he was one of the main planners of Celebration. But aside from that, he is the premiere collector of Star Wars memorabilia in the world. His collection has no equal. He has written books on Star Wars collecting and is frequently on TV for his collection. Seizing this opportunity, I sprinted from the table straight into his path were I was able to say hello and shake his hand. My first encounter with a Star Wars celebrity. It would not be the last.
At one point we wandered into a hallway that opened onto these glass walls and we found ourselves looking down on convention floor. On one wall we were able to look down where the Celebration Store was being set up. Box after box of exclusive merchandise was being unpacked and set up. The other wall looked out over the dealer's room. This is where all the companies that make and sell Star Wars merchandise were set up. We could see where a full size TIE Interceptor had been built, and row after row of Star Wars dealers were setting up. This was going to be amazing!
Finally, Ryan and I decided it was time to head back to the hotel. We made another long, hot trek back to the hotel, but our room was ready and we gratefully crashed inside the air conditioned room. It had been a long, exciting day and the convention hadn't even started yet! We walked next door to a Friendly's and had dinner before heading back to the room for last minute planning before getting to bed early, for the next day we would begin our Star Wars Celebration experience.
And so ended our first day in Florida. Be here next time when I will regale you with tales from the first day of CV! So until then May the Force Be With You!
Actually, it wasn't that long ago. Only about five months now. And it was actually in this galaxy. Florida to be exact. But we were on our way to a celebration of all things in that galaxy far, far away.
Ever since the announcement of Star Wars Celebration V (henceforth to be described as CV) my son and I had made the commitment to going to this one. I had not gone to the previous four Celebrations, dating back to the very first one in 1999 out in Denver, Colorado. Celebration II and III were both held in Indianapolis and Celebration IV was way out in Los Angeles. But now CV was being held in Orlando, Florida. This made it possible for us to attend. So after months of planning, saving, reserving, more planning, lots of reading, did I mention planning, and spread sheets to keep track of all the collectibles we needed to buy, we were finally heading to the greatest gathering of Star Wars fans on the planet.
We decided to fly out of Portland, Maine. My dad lives not far from there so this allowed us to be driven to the airport and not deal with traffic and parking. Our tickets were with Jet Blue and our flight was at 7:00 in the morning. Ryan had never flown before, so he was a combination of excitement and terror. My biggest fear was that he would get on the plane and flip out on me. But after going through security we finally were aboard the plane. Should I ever find myself flying again (not something I really look forward to) I would not hesitate to fly Jet Blue. The fact that every seat had a TV made the flight much more fun. In fact, I was able to watch NCIS the entire trip! (Thank you, USA Network for running an NCIS marathon that day!) It was a sunny, beautiful day to fly and I did my best to joke with Ryan upon takeoff to keep his mind off the fact he was on an airplane. Once we were in the air, Ryan discovered that he loved flying. Though he seemed more interested in what was on TV than looking out the window. We had a short layover at JFK and then straight on to Orlando. We made good time and actually arrived in sunny Florida 20 minutes early.
Orlando International Airport is not exactly like Burlington or even Portland. It was huge! We had to take a train from our gate to the main part of the airport. Pretty amazing. Once we got there and I finally managed to figure out how to secure us some transportation to the hotel (note to self, figure this out ahead of time should we ever do something like this again. I think not knowing how to get to the hotel was the most stressful part of the trip.) But soon we were on our way by taxi to our hotel.
This was my first trip to Florida and I found it very beautiful. It was very humid, but it looked like I expected it to and enjoyed the ride in very much. We soon found ourselves at our hotel which was one of the official CV hotels. This meant that we were on the free bus route that would take us every morning to the convention center. We had arrived early and our room was not ready. So the hotel graciously secured our luggage and I asked direction to the convention center. With those in hand, Ryan and I decided to kill the time by venturing out and getting the lay of the land.
We started our hike and was taken by all the sights and attraction that were along the route. There was one attraction, what it is escapes me at the moment, but it looked like an upside down building. There were many restaurants, shops and attractions along this strip. As I mentioned, it was very humid and it wasn't too long before Ryan was whining about the heat. But he soon stopped complaining and just kept marching. Several times he questioned my internal navigation skills and suggested I didn't know where the hell I was going, but I soon proved him wrong as we came around the corner and there before us was the sight of our destination. And what a sight it was!
The Orange County Convention Center is a huge structure. We knew we were in the right place at the sight of the massive CV banners hanging on the front of the building. We made our way up to it, just to look around, when I noticed that the doors seemed to be unlocked. Figuring I had nothing to lose but being told to get the hell out, I opened the door and we headed inside.
What greeted us was a Star Wars geek's greatest fantasy. We had walked into a hall where some guys were finishing the assembly of a massive AT-AT. the air conditioning inside felt great, so we decided to have a look around. We wandered the halls, looking at signs and getting an idea of how the convention center was laid out. Before long I spotted lines of people in front of some booths. So we wandered that way and found we were able to register early and get the lanyards for our convention badges. Since I am a Hyperspace member (that is part of the official fan club) I had a special lanyard and it would allow us to go in a special entrance and get in a little bit earlier than the general public.
After registering, the next line was where we were able to pick up the autograph tickets we had pre-ordered. I had pre-ordered autograph tickets that would allow us to get autographs from Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) and Ray Park (Darth Maul) as well a few general autograph tickets that could be used with other celebrities. Since I was one of the first 200 people to pre-order a certain amount (don't ask how much) I was given an exclusive pack of autograph cards. These were trading cards of all the celebrities that were going to be appearing at CV. The cards had their character picture as well as a space where they could sign, should you meet them and should you want the card signed. I tucked away the pack of cards as a neat collectible.
We continued to wander around the convention center. Mostly because we were killing time before our room would be ready, plus it was air conditioned inside the convention hall. We sat down at one of the many tables inside to rest for a minute, when I noticed a group of people walking towards us. Instantly I recognized one of the group; Steve Sansweet! This is a name that is instantly recognized by Star Wars fans, but probably not by anyone else. Steve Sansweet is the head of fan relations for Lucasfilm. he was one of the main planners of Celebration. But aside from that, he is the premiere collector of Star Wars memorabilia in the world. His collection has no equal. He has written books on Star Wars collecting and is frequently on TV for his collection. Seizing this opportunity, I sprinted from the table straight into his path were I was able to say hello and shake his hand. My first encounter with a Star Wars celebrity. It would not be the last.
At one point we wandered into a hallway that opened onto these glass walls and we found ourselves looking down on convention floor. On one wall we were able to look down where the Celebration Store was being set up. Box after box of exclusive merchandise was being unpacked and set up. The other wall looked out over the dealer's room. This is where all the companies that make and sell Star Wars merchandise were set up. We could see where a full size TIE Interceptor had been built, and row after row of Star Wars dealers were setting up. This was going to be amazing!
Finally, Ryan and I decided it was time to head back to the hotel. We made another long, hot trek back to the hotel, but our room was ready and we gratefully crashed inside the air conditioned room. It had been a long, exciting day and the convention hadn't even started yet! We walked next door to a Friendly's and had dinner before heading back to the room for last minute planning before getting to bed early, for the next day we would begin our Star Wars Celebration experience.
And so ended our first day in Florida. Be here next time when I will regale you with tales from the first day of CV! So until then May the Force Be With You!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Star Wars Celebration Pre-Game Show!
Hello! Yeah, yeah, I know, I have been back a month and I haven't written about the convention. In my defense, things have been really busy since I got back and this trip is not a short one to write about.
Okay, now that I have my defense out of the way, I am currently in the process of writing all about the trip. As you can imagine, this may take awhile. So while I am working on that, I thought you may want to look at the many, many pictures that we took. Way too many to try and embed into the blog, so I have set up an online album where you can stare at my handsome mug to your hearts content. Here be the link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/101344272653491597984/StarWarsCelebrationV?authkey=Gv1sRgCImnz-OxydymogE&feat=directlink
So click on it, look at all the pretty pictures, feel free to drop me a line or leave a comment if you have a question about any particular picture and then check back here for the ongoing narrative of the trip.
See you soon!
Okay, now that I have my defense out of the way, I am currently in the process of writing all about the trip. As you can imagine, this may take awhile. So while I am working on that, I thought you may want to look at the many, many pictures that we took. Way too many to try and embed into the blog, so I have set up an online album where you can stare at my handsome mug to your hearts content. Here be the link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/101344272653491597984/StarWarsCelebrationV?authkey=Gv1sRgCImnz-OxydymogE&feat=directlink
So click on it, look at all the pretty pictures, feel free to drop me a line or leave a comment if you have a question about any particular picture and then check back here for the ongoing narrative of the trip.
See you soon!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
And the Rain Kept Coming!
And I was doing so well blogging again! That was right up until Wednesday night, when it seems like most of the rain we had ended up in my basement.
As you can see from the above picture of several comic book boxes under water, I lost a few things. Luckily, not as many as it could have been. Thank goodness for all those years of being a compulsive bagger of my comic books. They saved the day!
Anyhow, thanks to the efforts of some really good friends, we got a lot of stuff up and out of the basement before it could be ruined. Including most of my Star Wars collection. I only lost one container of Star Wars things and they were all Episode 1, so they should be replaced somewhat easily.
So that is why you have not heard from me. And now, I am off to Star Wars Celebration V in sunny Orlando. Or as it should be called this week, O Lando! See you when I get back!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Chris and Cori's Excellent Adventure
For the first time in a long time, my niece Cori and I set off to Burlington for one of our excellent concert adventures. We haven't been to a concert together since last March when we went to see Secondhand Serenade. So on Thursday we loaded up and went to see...Secondhand Serenade. This is the third time we have seen Secondhand, it is becoming an almost annual event for us.
Anyhow, we hit Burlington for some shopping and a good lunch, killed some time at Barnes and Noble reading books and finally headed over to Higher Ground. It was damn cold on Thursday, the temperatures well below zero. After we picked up our tickets at the 'will call' window there was more than an hour before the doors opened. In my younger days I might have stood in line in such frigid temperatures. Those days are long gone. Standing in line was not going to get us any closer to the stage, so we instead sat in the nice warm car while all the young idiots froze their asses off outside. Cori spent the time web surfing on her phone and I put the time to good use by calling my friend Christine, whom I have not talked to in way way way too long. It was good to get caught up with her.
First up for the evening was Rookie of the Year. I have heard them before and was somewhat neutral about them. However, they put on a great show and their new material really grabbed me much more than the first CD I had heard. I was suitably impressed and wouldn't mind seeing them again. The fact that they did a cover of "I Think We're Alone Now" was just icing on the cake.
The next group was The White Tie Affair. They were one of the opening acts for Secondhand last time we saw them. They are certainly a high energy band and get the crowd moving, but as I may have mentioned before, the whole rock star shtick they try to pull off may play well with the eighteen year old set, but I've seen it all before and done better. The fact that their sound mix was terrible didn't help. The vocals were lost and the guitar was distorted. But as I have also said, I am hardly their target demographic. Said target demographic really seemed to like them.
The third act was Meg and Dia. They are sisters, with Dia being the singer with Meg providing harmony vocals and guitar. I have been listening to them for a while thanks to Cori who is a huge fan, and was not disappointed in the least
Anyhow, we hit Burlington for some shopping and a good lunch, killed some time at Barnes and Noble reading books and finally headed over to Higher Ground. It was damn cold on Thursday, the temperatures well below zero. After we picked up our tickets at the 'will call' window there was more than an hour before the doors opened. In my younger days I might have stood in line in such frigid temperatures. Those days are long gone. Standing in line was not going to get us any closer to the stage, so we instead sat in the nice warm car while all the young idiots froze their asses off outside. Cori spent the time web surfing on her phone and I put the time to good use by calling my friend Christine, whom I have not talked to in way way way too long. It was good to get caught up with her.
Finally the doors opened and we watched and waited until the end of the line was almost in before we got out of the car and went in ourselves. And what do you know, we were still able to get close to the stage. So much for the validity of standing in line to get a better spot.
First up for the evening was Rookie of the Year. I have heard them before and was somewhat neutral about them. However, they put on a great show and their new material really grabbed me much more than the first CD I had heard. I was suitably impressed and wouldn't mind seeing them again. The fact that they did a cover of "I Think We're Alone Now" was just icing on the cake.
Rookie of the Year
The next group was The White Tie Affair. They were one of the opening acts for Secondhand last time we saw them. They are certainly a high energy band and get the crowd moving, but as I may have mentioned before, the whole rock star shtick they try to pull off may play well with the eighteen year old set, but I've seen it all before and done better. The fact that their sound mix was terrible didn't help. The vocals were lost and the guitar was distorted. But as I have also said, I am hardly their target demographic. Said target demographic really seemed to like them.
The third act was Meg and Dia. They are sisters, with Dia being the singer with Meg providing harmony vocals and guitar. I have been listening to them for a while thanks to Cori who is a huge fan, and was not disappointed in the least
Meg & Dia
Meg & Dia put on a really high energy show and were as ever bit great live as they are on their CD. I felt like they weren't as well known in the crowd as some of the other acts, which is really too bad, since of all the bands performing that night, they are the ones most deserving of recognition. Hopefully they won over some new followers from this show.
Finally it was time for Secondhand Serenade. John Vesley, who pretty much is Secondhand, has done well since the last time we saw them perform. The single 'Fall for You' did very well, earning him some air time on MTV and VH-1 and hopefully his new single, 'Your Call' will do equally as well. The set was almost the same as last time. The fun part was that Thursday was Vesley's birthday, which the other bands had some fun with. Ryan, the lead singer of Rookie of the Year came on stage midway through Vesley's performance of 'Vulnerable' to do a birthday shot with him. Then prior to 'Fall for You' all the bands came onstage with a cake to sing happy birthday to John. It was a lot of fun and as always Secondhand Serenade put on a good show.
Secondhand Serenade
As always is the case at Higher Ground, we got the chance to meet some of the bands. As always, they were accommodating and very nice to talk to. We had a nice talk with Mike, the guitar player from Rookie of the Year and picked up their new CD which they were happy to autograph. Cori, who is a huge Meg & Dia fan was almost speechless when she got to meet Dia and get the concert T-shirt she had bought autographed and a picture taken with her. Dia was also nice enough to autograph my ticket stub as well as pose for a picture with me.
Me and Dia
Dia and Cori
Before long the whole evening was over and we wandered back out into the freezing cold and start the long drive back home. But we laughed and listened to music the whole way back, just like we always do. As usual, it was indeed an excellent adventure.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Begun, the Clone Wars Have
I'm sure that if you are a regular reader of this blog (hello to all three of you!) then you have probably been waiting in utter anticipation for me to give my two cents about the new Star Wars animated movie The Clone Wars. Your wait is over. But in the interest of saving you valuable time that you could be using to do something fun or constructive with your life, let me jump right to the chase:
I really liked it.
You may now go about your normal routine. For those of you who actually want to know why I liked it, then stick around and I will tell you.
First of all, this movie is really just an hour and a half set up for the animated TV show that will be premiering on Cartoon Network sometime this fall. But that didn't diminish my enjoyment of it. All too often I think older Star Wars fans are guilty of being critical of newer Star Wars movies such as this one or the prequel trilogy because they didn't make them feel like they did when they were 9 years old and first saw Star Wars. Well, duh. We aren't 9 anymore, so of course your perspective is going to be different. So instead of trying to recapture lost childhood, be open to what these films are trying to do now. All that being said, this movie did come close to making me feel like a kid again.
The movie treads a strange line. On the one hand, it is geared towards a younger audience. A lot of the battle droid humor is designed to make the younger kids laugh. On the other hand, some of the battle scenes are quite realistic and violent, with clone troopers being shot in the head as they "go over the wall" as it were and attack the oncoming battle droids. If my kids were younger such a dichotomy would be bothersome to me, but since my son is now a teenager, he is able to handle the violence and enjoy the humor. Frankly, that is what appealed to me too. I laughed at some of the battle droid humor even though I realize it is kind of goofy and I appreciated the almost gritty realism of the battle scenes. Even the nicknames Anakin's young padawan comes out with didn't really bother me much.
As far as the writing goes, I found it dialogue wise to be almost better than the prequel trilogy. There were a couple of wooden lines of dialogue, but nothing even close to the painful love scenes between Anakin and Padme that we had to endure in the middle of Attack of the Clones. The writers are obviously Star Wars fans and have a good understanding of the characters and a better ear for dialogue than perhaps Mr. Lucas himself has. The plot was decent, nothing earth shattering, but a good enough lead in for the eventual series.
The animation style is quite different as well. This is not the hyper realistic computer animation of recent movies. I have read that George Lucas wanted to go in the style of the old television show Thunderbirds. A show, if you are old enough to remember, where all the characters were marionettes. they have succeeded very well. The characters all have a distinct style and when they are walking almost have a marionette feel to them. However, I was amazed that once the action starts, how fast, smooth and fluid everything looked. There were no jerky movements during the ground battles or during the lightsaber fights. It was different enough to make me eager to see more.
A lot of web sites and "critics" have seemed to be almost chomping at the bit wanting to bash this movie just for the sake of tearing it down. They seem almost jealous of the success Lucas has had with the Star Wars franchise and usually the complaint is that it doesn't seem like it did when they were kids. As I mentioned above, to expect to feel the same way about something 30 years later is idiotic. Quite frankly, these people tend not to be real fans and are looking to just bash on something. Most Star Wars fans will understand what the creators are going for and appreciate it for what it is as well as welcome the chance to have the story of the clone wars filled in further.
So there you have it, one geek's opinion. If you are not much of a Star Wars fan or a casual one at best, you most likely won't enjoy it. But if you are a bit more hardcore in your fandom, as I am, then I suspect that, like me, you will find a lot of fun and enjoyment in this movie and will eagerly anticipate the TV show.
That's it for now, gang. Until next time, May the Force be with you!
I really liked it.
You may now go about your normal routine. For those of you who actually want to know why I liked it, then stick around and I will tell you.
First of all, this movie is really just an hour and a half set up for the animated TV show that will be premiering on Cartoon Network sometime this fall. But that didn't diminish my enjoyment of it. All too often I think older Star Wars fans are guilty of being critical of newer Star Wars movies such as this one or the prequel trilogy because they didn't make them feel like they did when they were 9 years old and first saw Star Wars. Well, duh. We aren't 9 anymore, so of course your perspective is going to be different. So instead of trying to recapture lost childhood, be open to what these films are trying to do now. All that being said, this movie did come close to making me feel like a kid again.
The movie treads a strange line. On the one hand, it is geared towards a younger audience. A lot of the battle droid humor is designed to make the younger kids laugh. On the other hand, some of the battle scenes are quite realistic and violent, with clone troopers being shot in the head as they "go over the wall" as it were and attack the oncoming battle droids. If my kids were younger such a dichotomy would be bothersome to me, but since my son is now a teenager, he is able to handle the violence and enjoy the humor. Frankly, that is what appealed to me too. I laughed at some of the battle droid humor even though I realize it is kind of goofy and I appreciated the almost gritty realism of the battle scenes. Even the nicknames Anakin's young padawan comes out with didn't really bother me much.
As far as the writing goes, I found it dialogue wise to be almost better than the prequel trilogy. There were a couple of wooden lines of dialogue, but nothing even close to the painful love scenes between Anakin and Padme that we had to endure in the middle of Attack of the Clones. The writers are obviously Star Wars fans and have a good understanding of the characters and a better ear for dialogue than perhaps Mr. Lucas himself has. The plot was decent, nothing earth shattering, but a good enough lead in for the eventual series.
The animation style is quite different as well. This is not the hyper realistic computer animation of recent movies. I have read that George Lucas wanted to go in the style of the old television show Thunderbirds. A show, if you are old enough to remember, where all the characters were marionettes. they have succeeded very well. The characters all have a distinct style and when they are walking almost have a marionette feel to them. However, I was amazed that once the action starts, how fast, smooth and fluid everything looked. There were no jerky movements during the ground battles or during the lightsaber fights. It was different enough to make me eager to see more.
A lot of web sites and "critics" have seemed to be almost chomping at the bit wanting to bash this movie just for the sake of tearing it down. They seem almost jealous of the success Lucas has had with the Star Wars franchise and usually the complaint is that it doesn't seem like it did when they were kids. As I mentioned above, to expect to feel the same way about something 30 years later is idiotic. Quite frankly, these people tend not to be real fans and are looking to just bash on something. Most Star Wars fans will understand what the creators are going for and appreciate it for what it is as well as welcome the chance to have the story of the clone wars filled in further.
So there you have it, one geek's opinion. If you are not much of a Star Wars fan or a casual one at best, you most likely won't enjoy it. But if you are a bit more hardcore in your fandom, as I am, then I suspect that, like me, you will find a lot of fun and enjoyment in this movie and will eagerly anticipate the TV show.
That's it for now, gang. Until next time, May the Force be with you!
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