May the Force Be on TV

1978 TV show included singing, dancing, and Wookiees

(NEWSER) - It sounded like a good idea at the time. In 1978, Star Wars was huge, but a sequel was 2 years away. So why not make a TV special? Why not a holiday special? Centered on Wookiees? "The only sound they make is like fat people having an orgasm," writer Bruce Vilanch recalls telling the producers. Suffice it to say he was skeptical, but George Lucas was sold on the idea. Vanity Fair presses "play." More»

Sale sets new record for Star Wars memorabilia

(NEWSER) - The camera used to film the first Star Wars movie has sold for an astronomical $625,000 at a movie memorabilia auction. The late '60s Panavision PSR 35mm camera, which is still in working order, went to an anonymous buyer at the sale of actress Debbie Reynolds' collection of Hollywood memorabilia, reports the Guardian . More»

Helmet designer can keep selling replicas: UK Supreme Court

(NEWSER) - For at least one day, the force is not with George Lucas. The head of the Star Wars empire has lost a lawsuit against a prop designer over the right to sell replica Imperial Stormtrooper helmets, reports the BBC . The UK Supreme Court ruled that Andrew Ainsworth—who designed the iconic helmet in 1976 and kept the molds—will be permitted to sell replicas, though not in the US, notes AP . More»

Irvin Kershner aimed for depth with Star Wars sequel

(AP) - Irvin Kershner—who directed the Star Wars sequel The Empire Strikes Back, the James Bond film Never Say Never Again and Robocop 2—died Saturday after a long illness at age 87. Kershner already had made a number of well-received movies when he was hired by George Lucas to direct Empire, the second-produced Star Wars film. More»

Wired blog: Lucas denies rumors, but maybe he should reconsider

(NEWSER) - Rumors are flying that George Lucas has another Star Wars trilogy up his sleeve. Lucas says it ain't so, but Scott Thill offers five reasons at Wired why he should reconsider:

• Purists are annoying: The first movie came out in 1977, and those who whine about Lucas ruining things "need to step back into the timestream and grow up," writes Thill. Lucas hasn't "sold out our sacred childhood fantasies. He’s the one that built them, and another trilogy will remind us all of that inescapable truth."