Welcome to the my Web site, v. XII. The blog is typically published Monday - Saturday. My primary topics tend to be the Nats, Penn State (esp. football), BeltwayLand, transportation, media, photos and more. The rest of the site gets updated as warranted and is noted on the blog.
This is actually common knowledge. And it wouldn't have been Lynch's first attempt at sci-fi, either, because around the same time that Return of the Jedi came out, Lynch released his big-screen adaptation of Dune (which admittedly hasn't aged as well as Jedi).
# posted by Fritz :
Friday, December 11, 2009 8:34:00 AM
The Star Wars Holiday Special at 30 - William World News
Friday, November 21, 2008
The Star Wars Holiday Special at 30
Happy 30th "Star Wars Holiday Special"! - starwars.com The RSS teaser said: "A whole week commemorating the 30th anniversary of "The Star Wars Holiday Special" starts today."
Why?! Its awful, even worse than Star Trek V.
If you get the chance to watch this, don't! Not even to speculate on how much booger sugar a certain actress must have snorted before singing the Life Day song.
THIS SUNDAY: Robot Chicken Episode II - William World News
Thursday, November 13, 2008
THIS SUNDAY: Robot Chicken Episode II
Once again, the Adult Swim show Robot Chicken will be parodying Star Wars. Unlike the unfunny Family GuyStar Wars episode, Robot Chicken's was really good.
Robot Chicken: Episode II is on Cartoon Network at 11:30 p.m., Sunday, November 16.
Carrie Fischer at Arena stage - William World News
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Carrie Fischer at Arena stage
Carrie Fisher has a one woman show coming up at Arena Stage (which is temporarily in Crystal City) at the end of the month. Called "Wishful Drinking", the show comes off as her sitting in a room with a drink in one hand and cigarette in the other telling her Hollywood war stories. So, it sounds like every DVD commentary or interview she's ever done, but in her "natural" element an without any censorship. I would be inclined to go, but with a pair of tickets costing around $125, I think I am going to have to pass.
Many members of the voice cast from the first special, including original "Star Wars" actors Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams -- reprising their roles as Princess Leia and Lando Calrissian, respectively -- are back. Also returning are Seth MacFarlane as Emperor Palpatine, Conan O'Brien as Zuckuss, Breckin Meyer as Admiral Ackbar and Boba Fett, and Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks. Green will voice several characters, including Ponda Baba. Joining the voice cast this time around is Andy Richter.
As for the creative direction in the sequel, "we decided to focus on the bounty hunters a bit and explore their stories," "Robot Chicken" co-creator Matt Senreich said. "It's a geek-fest for us all."
The first one was hysterical and WAAAAAAAAAAY better than the overrated and rarely funny Family Guy Star Wars episode.
When I was a kid, I was envious of the lucky kids, like my neighbor and my cousin, who had Star Wars sheets. Apparently, those sheets are back on the market at Pottery Barn, of all places, in a few weeks. I think I might have to get a set for um, my son. Yes, for my son. Totally.
The force was with Arwel Wynne Hughes on March 25 this year, however the courts took a very dim view of him using it on two Star Wars fans.
He donned a black bin bag for a cape and confronted Barney Jones with the metal crutch while Mr Jones and his cousin Michael were being filmed playing with lightsabers.
Hughes, who has a chronic alcohol problem, jumped over a garden wall in Holyhead, North Wales, and bellowed "Darth Vader" as he assaulted the Star Wars obsessives, who were shooting a documentary to promote their Jedi Church which was formed last year.
Please, please, please let this video find the way to YouTube.
First look: The next 'Star Wars' is animated 'War' - USA Today Star Wars: Clone Wars (official site), an animated prequel to Revenge of the Sith is coming out in theaters on August 15. It will precede a Cartoon Network series that arrives this fall. I guess there is a movie I'll want to see in a theater after all -- hopefully Uptown will get it.
The brilliant film composer John Williams turns 76 today. It is hard to say which score is his finest, but Superman, Close Encounters of the Third Kind are probably the best he did outside of the Star Wars saga. I think I have to give the nod to The Empire Strikes Back, but Revenge of the Sith was awfully close.
I didn't like the video for the closing credits of Empire that I found, it seemed a little too fast, so I went with the end of Sith.
...has lots of models and costumes from the entire saga. The "science" of Star Wars galaxy is explained and compared with contemporary science from this galaxy. In some ways, we are not far off from things in the Star Wars universe, but sadly lightsaber technology remains elusive. Also, the Millennium Falcon is worth doing too. Sadly, we were not allowed to take any photos inside the Falcon.
The Inkypreview is critical of the "science" part of the exhibit which is a reasonable assessment, but not many people are there for the science anyway.
Both Erica and I really enjoyed the exhibit, more so than the one the Smithsonian had in the late 1990s. Since Philly is less than three hours up I-95 from D.C. so you can make a day-trip out of the visit. If you want to make a weekend out of it gophila.com has a package.
I recommend buying tickets in advance though to avoid the lines, particularly for the Falcon simulator which is a separate admission.
NSO Pops: The Music of John Williams - William World News
Friday, October 26, 2007
NSO Pops: The Music of John Williams
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A co-worker tipped me off that the National Symphony Orchestra Pops were doing a Williams show, so we snatched up a few of the last tickets for the first of three performances. Last evening, Erica and I got fancied up and headed to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for NSO Pops: The Music of John Williams.
Like many people, Williams' work, especially Star Wars was the "gateway drug" to classical music. I have seen a few performances over the years that included Williams' pieces, but never a performance that was exclusively Williams.
Conductor Erich Kunzel began the performance with a brief introduction followed by one of Williams' Olympic fanfares. After that, Kunzel shared with the audience the beginnings of the Williams-Steven Spielberg collaboration and playfully taunted a pair of late arrivals in the front row. I thought brass overpowered the strings a bit during the main Jaws theme, though.
Moving on, Kunzel introduced the "Bicycle Chase" from E.T., The Extra-Terrestrial and the marvelous "Main Theme" from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The sound of the Tyrannosaurus Rex preceded the performance of the "Main Themes" from Jurassic Park which was followed by "Harry's Wondrous World" from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, a pleasant enough piece, but not one of my favorites. Then, without introduction, the unmistakable first notes of "Main Theme" from Superman were played at I got chills. The Pops were really rolling now with all of the bombast of the brass that makes Superman one of the best Williams themes. I will confess I was slightly disappointed that the prelude was excluded though as it builds up wonderfully to the main march. I was pleased that the piece was performed without introduction, as it needs none.
Kunzel slowed things down with the "Main Theme" from Schindler's List, a theme featuring a violin solo. The first half of the program ended with the upbeat "Raiders March" from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The second portion of the evening was dedicated strictly to Williams work with the Star Wars saga. Kunzel joked that George Lucas had gotten us all confused by starting off with the fourth episode, so he would start from the beginning. "Flag Parade" from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace began the second half, followed by Anakin's Theme and all of its dark foreshadowing. The highlight of the Episode I score followed with Duel of the Fates, accompanied by a choir of about a dozen people and two performers with light sabers in front of the stage. While the light saber duel was a little amusing and well done, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed with its inclusion. The duel was distracting and suggested that the music doesn't stand on its own; a notion that I disagree with strongly.
"Across the Stars" from Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones was next in the program, followed by the intense "Battle of the Heroes" from Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith. Again, performers with light sabers entered the front of the stage for a climatic duel. The piece was performed quite well, as were all the Star Wars pieces. On the whole, the Pops alignment was best suited to the Star Wars music.
The Pops moved into the original trilogy with the "Princess Leia's Theme" from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Some unnecessary sound effects preceded "The Imperial March" from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back which was appropriately menacing. Performers costumed in storm trooper, tie-fighter and imperial officer uniforms marched to a review by Darth Vader, who naturally force-choked an officer near the end. By the way, I recommend that any Vader characterizations include a performer who is taller than six feet.
The mood lightened with the Yoda's Theme and then "Parade of the Ewoks" from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Thankfully, no performers came out for either of these themes. The performance closed with the Star Wars theme, played awfully fast, almost Academy Awards telecast fast. For an encore Kunzel returned and offered that you couldn't do a Star Wars performance without a visit to the saloon, prompting the Cantina music. Though it was enjoyable, the Pops really didn't have the right instruments to really nail that jazzy tune. The costumed performers also came out and attempted to dance to the music. It looked exactly like you would expect it to.
While I did have reservations about the costumed performers, I still thoroughly enjoyed the evening, as did Erica. The Pops sounded great and Kunzel picked strong selections for them to play. There may still be tickets to performances NSO Pops: The Music of John Williams tonight and tomorrow night which I cannot help but recommend.
Star Wars soundtrack box set coming - William World News
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Star Wars soundtrack box set coming
A co-worker mentioned to me that a new Star Wars box set is coming; TrackSounds Now! has more details.
Unfortunately, this set isn't the complete series. The original trilogy is in there, but not the prequels, aside from a bonus disc with the most popular tracks. I was really hoping we'd finally get the set with EVERYTHING John Williams ever composed for Star Wars, but it looks like we will have to wait.
This morning a co-worker and somehow got on the topic of the movie Titanic. After we made fun of it for a while, I noted that George Lucas put an ad, in The Times or perhaps an industry paper, congratulating James Cameron for knocking off Star Wars as the top grossing film of all time. I think it featured Star Wars characters waving from either the sinking Titanic or life boats. I don't specifically remember it, though either Jabba the Hut or the Emperor were getting away on a motorboat, I think.
I went looking for this image of that a few minutes ago and turned up nothing. I think Brad may have had it at one time though, perhaps he still does. Do you Brad?
Tivo alert! <i>Star Wars</i> on <i>Robot Chicken</i> - William World News
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Tivo alert! Star Wars on Robot Chicken
'Robot Chicken' digs its satirical talons into 'Star Wars' - The Post Don't forget that the (authorized) Star Wars Robot Chicken episode premieres this Sunday at 10 p.m. on Cartoon Network. Heated Sprinklesposted two clips the other week (which I linked to in my Google Reader Recommended Reading widget) and they were hysterical.
I might have to figure out how to install my VCR and set a tape for it.
Tivo alert! <i>Star Wars</i> doc on The History Channel at 9 p.m. - William World News
Monday, May 28, 2007
Tivo alert! Star Wars doc on The History Channel at 9 p.m.
Tonight, The History Channel is breaking from airing Nazi programming to show a new documentary, STAR WARS™:THE LEGACY REVEALED. It may be a rehash of every other documentary about the franchise, but it is Star Wars and that is good enough for me.
There is also an hour long show called Star Wars Tech that airs before and after the documentary.
Thanks for the heads-up. I was out of town when it aired (and had family visit this weekend), but I had my TiVo grab this the other day, and I'll watch it this week. I'll bet projects like this, if there are other similar ventures in the works, will bring a bunch of new people to the History Channel.
# posted by dl004d :
Monday, June 11, 2007 10:44:00 AM
Today marks the 30th anniversary of Star Wars' debut. The series is easily one of the top ten things ever, maybe even top five. A "bad" Star Wars movie is better than all but one of the Star Trek movies (admit it Fritz or disagree on your blog) and just about every other movie series.
I didn't have a chance to grab my Highacres Collegian column "Star Wars Generation" from ten years ago off one of my old hard drives in time for this anniversary. When I get around to extracting it, I'll see if it is any good and if it is, I'll post it.
My favorite Star Wars memories:
Seeing Return of the Jedi in 1983. We stood in line for a long time and wound up sitting in the front row. Thanks, Mom.
The preview for the special editions. I wasn't that excited about them until I saw the preview for them in late 1996 at a Star Trek movie (at a theater in Hazleton, Penna. that someone says was "authentic, because it smelled like Klingon"). I don't even remember which Trek it was because once I saw the X-wing fly through the TV screen, I was lost in the hype.
Seeing Star Wars special edition at Magic Cinemas near Easton, Penna. I was at the Old School at the time and we drove 77 miles each way to the newest and biggest theater in that part of the commonwealth. It snowed that day and we were driving in convoy (because everybody always insisted on following the person who knew where they were going rather than take directions; is this just a Pennsylvania thing?) and I was in the lead car. The driver yelled "MAN DOWN!" and I turned around to see the second car go into a ditch on the shoulder of I-80. Long story short, nobody was hurt, the car got towed out and I took over driving it to the theater. After all that hearing the drum roll for 20th Century Fox and seeing STAR WARS on the big screen for the first time in 14 years just gave me an incredible rush. We saw all the other special editions at that theater during the rest of the semester. Those were easily the best times of the Old School era.
Seeing Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace with my Yurasko cousins in Florida. While we were all there for our grandmother's funeral, it was great to share the experience with each other. The original plans -- going to see it on with Brad on his 21st birthday in New York would have been pretty sweet though.
My first trip to Uptown to see Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace in summer 1999. I think I took my dad. I've seen all of them there first ever since then.
Watching Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace in a hot tub with a glass of bubbly and Erica.
Seeing Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith five times in the theater, an all-time record for in theater viewings. The first time I saw it my heart rate must have been about 150 for the duration.
I'll admit I'm jealous of people old enough to have seen the movies originally. Ron Howard said that when he and his wife saw it they left the theater and without saying a word got back in line. I've talked to people who remember the gasps in the theater during The Empire Strikes Back when Darth Vader told Luke Skywalker the truth. That must have been incredible.
Before I list my favorites, here are some links about Star Wars:
I saw Star Wars in '77, but I waited until SEPTEMBER to see it. Went to the State Theater in Falls Church, watched the movie, then stayed and sat through it a second time. Saw it again at the Uptown, saw it again in Palm Springs, CA.
Saw "Empire" the 3rd day after it debuted at the old Cineplex Odeon Wisconsin Ave. Cinema. Actually bought advance tickets via Ticketron, think I paid $5.50/ticket. A fortune for a movie ticket back in 1980. Saw it again at the old 70mm theater at Tyson's Corner on Rt. 7 (It's now a Gold's Gym)
'Jedi" was at the old Macarthur Theater. Several times. Played "Battleship" with my buddy while in line.
So many memories..
# posted by Joe Riley :
Monday, May 28, 2007 12:21:00 AM
I don't go to the movies much; I would rather spend $10 on something like a Nats or Caps game, but a couple of times a year, I get excited (especially if there are lightsabres) for a movie and make plans to trek up to Uptown for it. This summer Superman Returns is fitting that bill and perhaps X-Men 3 (or whatever it is called) will, too.
The Superman Returnstrailer is now available. I checked it out the other day and left fairly impressed. The overall tone of it was promising, as was Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. I am not so sure about Superman/Clark Kent or Lois Lane though. Brandon Roth and Kate Bosworth have tough acts to follow. Roth has the problem of NOT BEING CHRISOPHER REEVE to overcome, which is a tall building to leap in a single bound itself. I am also concerned about Lois' kid being a central part of the plot, this just leads to emotionally manipulative (i.e. lazy) storytelling.
There appear to be positive aspects of the movie though, specifically that it considers itself to be a continuation of Superman: The Movie (and perhaps II), but not III & IV; so we can forget those two. Also, some of the original John Williams themes will be included in the soundtrack.
We will see how it all turns out in late June, but at the very least we can take comfort in the fact that Nicholas Cage is not the guy in the tights.In other movies-I-care-about news the originalStar Wars trilogy is being re-released on DVD. Even though we already own it in at least two formats, we'll be suckers and pick up the original version because after all, we will want our kids to see the real thing...
As mentioned previously, Erica and had this past weekend circled for a trip to Boston. Cheap airfare is what got us up there, albeit an hour late on Friday.
The highlight of the trip was the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit at the Museum of Science. The exhibit, which runs through April 30 before heading to Columbus, Portland, and Philly, has lots of models and costumes from the entire saga. The "science" of Star Wars galaxy is explained and compared with contemporary science from this galaxy. In some ways, we are not far off from things in the Star Wars universe, but sadly lightsaber technology remains elusive. Also, the Millennium Falcon is worth doing too. Sadly, we were not allowed to take any photos inside the Falcon.
For lunch, we hit a local pub called Mr. Dooley's. It was exactly what you would expect out of a pub in Boston and we enjoyed it. For dinner we went to Anthony's Pier 4 restaurant, which was a long walk from the Financial District. It was okay, I think Erica enjoyed her Lobster Newburg more than I liked my prime rib. We also had a decent breakfast at the Elephant & Castle adjacent to our hotel.
We stayed at the Club Quarters on Devonshire Street. It is a private hotel, but they put rooms out for the public on weekends via Orbitz, hotels.com, etc. The room was small, but the location was excellent, being only 2 blocks from the State Street T station.
Since this was our second trip, we were pretty familiar with the T. Using it to get from Logan Airport to downtown worked pretty well, though you have to get a shuttle from the terminal to the station.
Riding the T reminded us that while bland, our own Metro is overall more rider friendly, with signs for landmarks and places of interest, rather than just the station name. The T does get points for still using tokens (not even NYC does anymore) and the photos of the area a station serves as well. Also, the T has lots of screeching metal and smells like a subway (think NYC) whereas Metro is quieter and generally lacking odor.
The Boston Tea Party site is not really much to see yet, try again in five years when they get the museum built.
We did the touristy thing and went to the top of the Prudential building. It is well worth doing, the views are tremendous.
We did not make to the Frog Pond for ice-skating. :(
In short, it was a great quick trip to a great city. Hopefully, we can get there again soon. In the meantime, a day of skiing in the Poconos is looking mighty fun.
I can understand having an old-fashioned appeal of subway tokens. But who wants to have tons of those things weighing down your pockets? I think smart cards are an improvement. As for Metro's "odor," daily riders can attest to break dust smell taking over stations from time to time.
# posted by dl004d :
Tuesday, January 24, 2006 9:59:00 AM
Tomorrow, Star Wars Episode III : Revenge of the Sith goes on sale. Hopefully Santa Claus will make a note of that in the event I was "nice" this year.
As if you need to get in the mood, I recommend going to The Darth Side: Memoirs of a Monster and reading it from the start. It is simply brilliant and really gets you in the mood for watching Episode III.
One sad note though, William Hootkins, who played Porkins, has died, cause of death -- TIE fighter.
There was so much going on throughout the 2 hours and 26 minutes, that there was very little time to process any of it. My heartrate must have been at least 150 throughout the entire film.
After the movie ended, we talked about it and came to the same conclusion -- we did not know how we felt or what to think -- we were used to a much different kind of Star Wars experience.
While Episodes I & II certainly had their weaknesses as films, they were still lots of fun. They were the kind of movies that you could leave the theater feeling really wound-up, excited, and happy. For this one, that was not the case. We knew it was a superior movie to I & II, but , we could not decide if we could love it. We kind of felt somewhat unsatisfied that we had not reached a conclusion about the film.
On Monday night, I caught the movie again; this time with my brother at Multiplex in Merrifield, which is a pretty crummy theater. After seeing it a second time, I appreciate it a lot more. This is a very good movie and a welcome departure from the previous two prequels. I think it moves up to third best in the series.
Some other observations, which might be spoilers if you are one of the 0.01% of the population who has not yet seen the film:
The movie is jam packed with action since there were so many lose ends to wrap up. The prequels probably could have worked better if this story had been spread out over a couple of movies. Turning Anakin to the dark side in a couple of hours is kind of a tough sell -- it would have been great if he could have turned in II and then III would be completely Vader. That would have meant an entirely different storyline for the prequels though, which could have been a great thing.
Hayden Christensen is greatly improved as Anakin Skywalker. He left a little to be desired in the "betrayal" scene, but I am putting that one on Lucas. When it comes down to it, he has the unenviable task of deconstructing one of the greatest celluloid villains of all time for a director that prefers working with droids rather than humans. That said, Christensen is as good as Mark Hamill ever was, which is all you can really ask.
Ewan McGregor continues to be a fantastic Obi-Wan. He was great throughout the whole saga, easily my favorite primary character.
Natalie Portman's performance is phoned in, but at least it was better than the last one when it was mailed-in.
Ian McDiarmid plays it pretty straight, especially compared to ROTJ. This guys knows how to be evil.
StrongBad is great as the voice of Gen. Grievous. I did not know he had that much range.
Samuel L. Jackson excels in the role of "Samuel L. Jackson with a big, shiny stick of death."
I expected Liam Neeson to show up as the ghost of Qui-Gon Jinn, a number of Web sites reported he would be returning. Perhaps Lucas never forgave him for the criticsm of the Episode I experience or Neeson was not interested. This could always turn up on the DVD though. The scene was apparently in the ROTS novel.
I don't like the pointed lightsaber tips, why change them six movies into the series? Otherwise, I liked the special effects. The five lightsaber battles were great. It is hard to mess up a movie with five lightsaber battles.
In the end, this was a pretty good end to the saga. Having seen it twice, I am satisfied -- very satisfied on how it worked out. Perhaps I will enjoy it even more the third time...
Hey, what's wrong with the Merrifield Multiplex? It may not be the Drafthouse or Uptown, but it's still all right.
# posted by MC Hamme :
Thursday, May 26, 2005 8:21:00 AM
The Merrifield Multiplex was state of the art 20 years ago, but these days it is pretty craptacular. The theater we were in clearly has not ever been renovated since it opened. It is about the quality of the Drafthouse without the wait-service, booze, comfortable seats and counters. Plus there re the occasional machete attacks by Central American gangs...
# posted by WFY :
Thursday, May 26, 2005 10:01:00 AM
There is less than three hours left until Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith debuts. Enjoy the last few hours of anticipation before the *last* Star Wars movie ever.
A bunch of newspaper Web sites now have Star Wars section online. The Postjust added one and I am liking what I am seeing. There are articles from previous releases, a number of chats lined up and of course, a blog called Sith Sense.
Other sites have specials too, though The Post has my favorite thus far. The Times has an okay pop-up feature called A Brief History of the (Star Wars) Universe. USA Today has To the Dark Side and Back as well as articles every day (but no section front). KnightRidder has a section too. None of these have much in the way of spoilers, so you can probably read them without learning too much. Also, there is the brilliant Darth Side blog and of course, StarWars.com.
This week it is hard to avoid the fact that the last Star Wars movie is coming out in two excruciatingly long weeks. My company's flagship newspaper, which oddly enough is available to everyone in my building for free, has probably not gone more than two days without a Star Wars story this past month. Now, they are up to two articles a day. Even the world of Nats blogs has been infiltrated, I could have sworn that Niem Numb was Nat of the Day recently.
So, what is a guy to do? The good news/bad news is that we will never have the kind of hype again, George Lucas he is done. Of course, I half expect that to be true, but his heirs will be quite happy to honor him after he dies by selling the rights. I think Episode II, I was very disciplined about going in cold, but this time -- not so much. I heard that Kevin Smith saw it and said it was great and what we were hoping for in the last two. He confirmed that this was not for kids, which is really promising.
Thankfully, for those of us who need sort of fix, there exists a new blog that is very, very cool. I caught it on Brenda Mayrack's blog and I have to say that it may be the best blog ever. It's way better than Wonkette, Rodney Anonymous Tells You What to Think, Real Ultimate Power and maybe even Distinguished Senators. It is called The Darth Side: Memoirs of a Monster. Someone decided to blog Darth Vader's thoughts. While is an unwieldly way to read it, I suggest that you go to the bottom of this page and read in chronological order by scrolling up. It's tedious but worth it.
'Star Wars' universe revolves around Vader - USA Today Yet another USA Today story on Episode III, specifically Darth Vader and how much everyone loves Luke Skywalker's daddy.
Also, on the topic of Star Wars, I thought I would address some comments posted earlier in the week. Stay tuned for inside jokes...
Your powers are weak, Broodman
While it was amusing to hear from Penn State Hoth's (Hazleton) very own Chewbacca, I am afraid that a return appearance is out of the question. Remember the terms of my return, Chewie? In case you have forgotten, it was that you get Bruce Campbell up there and I would be there. So, did you get "the chin" to make the trek? No, you didn't. All I asked for you to do was bring a moderately famous B-movie actor to a forgotten Pennsyltucky city and you couldn't even do that, could you?
Thankfully, here inside the Beltway, people are a little more resourceful and dare I say...responsible? I had the occasion to make the acquaintance of one Mr. Campbell about four years ago.
Maybe I will reconsider if they make Episodes VII - IX.
Advance 'Star Wars' tickets selling out - AP/Miami Herald With only 30 days to go, tickets for the last Star Wars (until George Lucas' kids sell the rights someday) are already being snatched up. The hype is about to jump to Ludicrous Speed. This is last time we get to do this, so enjoy it.
Chewie here from the old sci fi club! aka John Broody.. yknow we shouldve planned an episode 3 reunion we couldve... 1. wrecked my car 2. watched Tom Harrison take the wrong exit home 3. Who knows, you mightve gotten beat up with a bat!
hahah, hope things are going well for you chum...drop me a line sometime
sgtkabukiman@yahoo.com
# posted by Anonymous :
Tuesday, April 19, 2005 12:26:00 PM
Expos Look to Fill Several Positions - The Post Don't expect any big free agents to come here this year. The uncertainty of the permanence of D.C. baseball, the unknowns over whether it will be a good place to be a ballplayer, and a limited payroll will keep the pickups modest. The Wash. Times succinctly describes the situation: Small market reality arrives. Also, I am not linking to Sally Jenkins killjoy column, because her credibility is suspect because she does not even live around here.
"JOE MUST GO" PICKS UP MOMENTUM
Heather Dinich - Paterno's exit plan should be public - CDT People have been saying this as long as I have been around. Do not count on this happening, we will know the exit plan when he leaves. This comes up because yesterday, Fox Sports Radio in Pittsburgh reporting that a plan was in place to name Tom Bradley the head coach, "sooner than later."
More from The Collegian: Paterno denies allegations regarding his retirementLions try to capitalize on Indiana D - The Collegian At this point, I do not know if the Lions offense can even capitalize a word. Hey, I say that because I care.David Jones - Don't get caught in Web of errors - Patriot-News While telling us that only newspapers can be trusted (and making decent points as to why), Dave Jones outlines what he has heard from his sources, including a performance clause in Paterno's contract. Wow, that is something I did not see happening, but I am glad it did.
Michael Wilbon - Paterno: Decline of The Lion King - The Post Another national columnist calls for Paterno to step down. A good, well written column from someone who respects the man.
Also see: Many asking Paterno to quit - The Wash. Times Penn State building for next year - The Collegian CB Alan Zematis has hinted he will look into the NFL rather than come back to another season of losing. I do not think he is yet a 1st round pick, so he probably stays. This is what it has come to in Happy Valley.
EPISODE III TRAILER
After putting it off for a week, I finally watched the trailer for Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith. Chances are, you have seen it too. For Episode II, I avoided the trailers and just about everything about the movie, so I would not buy into the hype. In retrospect, I am not sure it made a difference in my feelings about the movie, but it was probably a good idea because kept it me from getting too excited. Now I am super-psyched for the premiere and May seems too far away.
Anyhow, judging the film by the trailer, it looks like too much will be going on, though there will be wookies, which is always good, lots of Jedi and Sith (that is all we care about anyway), and big buns of hair on Natalie Portman -- rrrrowr! They probably revealed too much about Vader though, either that or there is something much cooler that was not shown. Given the recent performance of George Lucas, I have a feeling he revealed too much.
A big hello to new visitors to the site who may have found it from Ryan Moore's excellent Distinguished Senators blog. I also have a static page about D.C. baseball with a "controversial" photo.Hal Bodley - Selig's choice is clear: Expos belong in D.C. - USA Today Some have said that Hal Bodley has been a cheerleader for the Loudoun bid, so it is great that he has come around. He thinks the announcement could be made following Thursday's executive council session in Milwaukee. I still expect it after the World Series, but would gladly be wrong.Another hurdle to land Expos? - The Wash. Times While this RICO suit is annoying, ultimately, it is in the both sides best interest to see the team move to D.C. and get a settlement, that means more money for the plaintiffs. Baseball though, cannot not be too thrilled about this not being the windfall they had tried to make it. They will still get something like $300 million, but they have to divide it a few more ways. Of course, they have to do it first.
ONLY FOUR DAYS UNTIL KICKOFF
Lowry sets standard for Penn State's punt returns - The Collegian I guess he sets the standard, but it is not exactly a high one, though any return that he does not fumble is a good one in my eyes.Jefferson urges Scott to 'get nervous' - The Collegian Is it just me or are people panicking about RB Austin Scott way too early? He is just a sophomore. I really doubt that he is going to transfer either, it would be very shortsighted on his part.David Jones - Revenue streaming away? - Patriot-News PSU trustees cast wary eye at Beaver Stadium's empty seats A suprisingly sarcasm free column by Dave Jones about concerns over the lagging attendance and intercollegiate athletics funding.Dan Victor - Fan isn't sure - CDT Blue "But this was one whopping cubic zirconia of a blowout." I could not have said it better myself.Jerry Sandusky - 35 years with Nittany Lions - CDT The former defensive coordinator recalls his Penn State career.
STAR WARS ON DVD
The Force Is Finally With Us - The Post The "special edition" original series is now available, someone please lend me a copy! Part of the set, the "Empire of Dreams" feature was on A&E a few weeks ago and it reminded me how great the trilogy was and how poorly the prequels, which I enjoyed, match up. Sounds like ol' George forgot to put the original as an Easter egg too. Oh well.
LISTEN UP
Witless 'Listen Up' has a tin ear for comedy - USA Today I know at least one person must have been disappointed by this review of the show based on Tony Kornheiser. So, how was it Sam?
YALE 24, DAYTON 17
Despite a scare, football pulls through - Yale Daily News My father's alma mater beats my godmother's alma mater in Ohio. Look for Yale news throughout the season, as they are my second favorite football team, despite their flashy uniforms. Also see this story on RB Robert Carr, who nearly drowned three months ago.
N.Va. Ballpark Backers Don't Own Most of Site - The Post Score one for D.C. baseball. Since the NoVa ownership group does not own much of the land, they may not build the Diamond Lake town center development, meaning that that location would continue to be the middle of nowhere.George Solomon - For Selig, History Should Be an Indication - The Post Sunday has come to mean it is time for George Solomon to lobby for D.C. baseball. He points to history as something that gives D.C. an edge.Group seeking to revive Grays' name - Post-Gazette Another in-depth article on the effort to name a new D.C. baseball team after the Homestead Grays, who played many of their games in Griffith Stadium. They also played in Pittsburgh, which is why the P-G is covering it. There really is a compelling case to be made for this happening. I still favor naming the team Seantors, should it move to D.C., but I would be on board with Grays too. For one thing, the Grays were good, the Senators were awful. Visit the Web site: rememberthegrays.org.Jim Salisbury - Expos will be moving into the D.C. area - The Inqy
For weeks, people in the know have said that it's a fait accompli. But the commissioner's office isn't ready to announce it because there are still details to work out.
The suspense is just getting terrible, isn't it?John Markon - Cable concern has slowed shift of Expos - Times-Dispatch Yet another theory (from Richmond) on why baseball has not made a decision to put the team in the most logical place, D.C.
EPISODE III
Prepare to make jump to HYPE-er space! A few people have pointed out that the Star Wars Episode III title was announced yesterday. It is going to be called REVENGE OF THE SITH. It works for me, after three prequels, they finally got the title right! Thanks to Christopher and Fritz for the e-mails.
YANKS VS. SAWKS
Fighting Gives Way to Red Sox' Dramatic Knockout Blow in 9th Inning - The Times Well, this might be what gives the Red Sox some life. I knew being up by 9 games in July was too good to be true for the Yankees. A brawl like the one yesterday came bring a team together. However, if history holds true, Boston will get close and still lose out, making it all the more painful for their fans. I'm rooting for history. They play tonight on ESPN.
THE PRODUCERS
Last night, Erica and I saw The Producers at the Kennedy Center. It was a riot! I had seen the original cast on Broadway, the second weekend it was open -- a million thanks to Tom Harrison for that one. Anyhow, we had a wonderful time, it is such a funny show. We were in the upper balcony, so that may have been why the music (which is fabulous) droned out some of the lyrics. That was a little disappointing. The cast, with the exception of Alan Ruck who made the part of Leo Bloom his own, did not meet the high standards of the Broadway or film productions. Lewis J. Stadlen's speaking voice reminded me too much of Gilbert Gottfried, which was odd because he could sing quite well. Still, the play is so strong, that one can overlook those few issues and just laugh and laugh. If you can, go see it while it is still in town, it is the best show you will ever see. After the show, we sat outside and ate at one of our favorite restaurants, Les Halles.
Bamboo Brigade - The Post More on Panda Mania, the public art project that will feature over 100 decorated pandas throughout the District this summer. I am glad that this is happening again, but wonder after having elephants, donkeys, and now pandas, what they will do next.New Darth Vader Costume Shown on DVD - AP, via The Post Here is that AP story I saw yesterday about the big Star Wars DVD release.Capitals Cut Prices for Season Tickets - The Post At last, the Caps braintrust does something right.Football: Lions senior leaves his troubles behind - Post-Gazette A profile of FB Paul Jefferson.
Star Wars, high wire, acrobats, seoul
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