RSS
Gary Kurtz was the producer of the first two Star Wars films, as well a contributing director. He has a lot to say about George Lucas’ motivations, and it’s not positive:
“I could see where things were headed,” Kurtz said. “The toy business began to drive the [Lucasfilm] empire. It’s a shame. They make three times as much on toys as they do on films. It’s natural to make decisions that protect the toy business, but that’s not the best thing for making quality films.”
He added: “The first film and ‘Empire’ were about story and character, but I could see that George’s priorities were changing.”[...]
“The emphasis on the toys, it’s like the cart driving the horse,” Kurtz said. “If it wasn’t for that the films would be done for their own merits. The creative team wouldn’t be looking over their shoulder all the time.”[...]
“We had an outline and George changed everything in it,” Kurtz said. “Instead of bittersweet and poignant he wanted a euphoric ending with everybody happy. The original idea was that they would recover [the kidnapped] Han Solo in the early part of the story and that he would then die in the middle part of the film in a raid on an Imperial base. George then decided he didn’t want any of the principals killed. By that time there were really big toy sales and that was a reason.”
Link via Geekosystem | Photo by Flickr user simononly used under Creative Commons license
There have been rumors percolating through the geekosphere in the past two about an alternate ending to the 1990 movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. According some folks, the original planned ending for the movie was selectively released in Germany. This video is allegedly that missing section of the movie, followed by an extensive commentary about the film by a fan.
via Comics Alliance
Comments Off
Cake artist Dawn Leckie crafted this birthday cake for parents who wanted to make their son laugh. You can view a photograph taken from another angle at the link.
The unrolled toilet paper is a nice touch.
Comments Off 
Greg Smith made a mailbox that looks like a X-Wing fighter:
I made this so long ago, it is actually in need of weathering repairs and repainting. I never expected it to survive vandalism or theft for half a decade. But at five feet long and a five foot wingspan, theft would be quite difficult. Everybody from letter carriers to pizza delivery go out of their way to say how much they like it.
You can view another photo at the link.
Link | Photo: Make/Greg Smith
Comments Off 
Gizmodo holds regular photoshop contests. Their most recent called for crazy patents. My favorite is the above facehugger remover from Alien. Click on the link and then the picture to view a larger size.
Comments Off “Each plate is made of 100% unbreakable polycarbonate. Perfect for hurling at your loved ones again and again.” — a clip from Jimmy Kimmel Live. Content warning: Gibson’s normal discourse, albeit bleeped out.
via Look at this Frakking Geekster
Comments Off 
This awesome image is dated from 2007 and signed by Erin Fife. That’s all I know. Other than that this represents all that is good in the world.
Flickr user Chris McVeigh created a LEGO Star Wars minifig display that, when viewed from directly above (see link), looks like a scene from Space Invaders. It’s a clever use of perspective that I’ve never before seen using LEGO.
Comments Off It was so much easier when he was just a baby. But now that you’re Predator son is growing up, you want to teach him the things that he’ll need when he’s trying to make it on his own. How do you get through to him? How do you make him understand that you really do love him, or you wouldn’t be dragging him out to this alien planet to hunt humans?
Actor Nathan Fillion played Captain Mal Reynolds on Firefly and Captain Hammer in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. So it’s not surprising that people respectfully refer to him as “Captain”.
Canberra-based cake artist Tenele Pekin made this Dalek cake. She used plans from published Doctor Who tech manuals for the design. At the link, you can view process photos.
Link via Great White Snark | Photo: Stacked Cakes
Welcome to this week’s caption contest. The winner, who will be announced on Friday, will get a free t-shirt from the NeatoShop!
So look around the NeatoShop and type in your choice of t-shirt with your caption. Submit only one caption per comment, but you can leave as many comments as you like. Please make sure that you provide a t-shirt selection or your caption will not be considered.
Image credit: unknown, via GearFuse
WINNER — marcintosh:
Dro Ids just had a bumper crop in Moisture Farmville! Want to play?
Congratulations, marcintosh! You just won a Bad Chewie t-shirt from the NeatoShop!
Star Trek actor George Takei played Kaito Nakamura in Heroes. This is a screenshot showing the back of the character’s car. Look at the license plate.
I watched the first three seasons or so of Heroes before losing interest. Did you like it?
via reddit
Adidas is coming out with a Wookie jacket! It’ll be out this Fall or Winter. You can view more images at the link.
Really, though: less nylon, and more fur. You know, for authenticity.
I guess one could skin a Wookie to go really authentic.
Link via Super Punch | Photo: Adidas
The guy did have a really rough time during his tenure as captain of the Enterprise-D. Especially the Borg experience. Guys, if I ever get assimilated, just shoot me. Seriously.
Above is a selection from the wonderful web comic Abstruse Goose.
“Someone broke the toilet!” Homer Simpson is almost as good a Vader at Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Comments Off 
Artist Dean T. Fraser, known for his Simpsonized versions of different pop culture icons, has created this image of Doctor Who characters à la Matt Groening. You can view wallpaper-sized images at the link.
Link via io9 | Artist’s Website
I’m just now watching through the run of the Star Trek television series Enterprise and OMG Jonathan Archer is my new favorite captain! Spoilers below the jump….
What if Leia and Luke didn’t find out that they were brother and sister…until it was too late. Like after Leia got pregnant.
Warning: some foul language.
Link via Awesomesauce
The above video is a fake trailer for a movie called Blackstar Warrior — a blacksploitation film centered on Lando Calrissian. Sadly, it was never made. But you can view videos from a mockumentary about the making of this film at the link.
Lando is the man.
Comments Off 
deviantART user Bergie81 created five works of Star Wars-inspired art that reflects the style of Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. The image pictured above, showing Han Solo being frozen in carbonite, was inspired by the 1963 work “Drowning Girl“, currently owned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Link via SuperPunch
Custom toymaker MARXMITH created the above figure thanks to a new marketing scheme by Disney calls “VinylNation”:
Disney has figured out how to make Mickey Mouse cool again. During the time that I designed for Disney, the idea of straying from the the core concept of Mickey Mouse was frowned upon. It was understandable. Mickey Mouse is an institution. Sure, he’s evolved over the years. But Mickey has always been a very safe character. Rarely was the design of Mickey Mouse embellished on. He had a few outfits, but he was always drawn according to a very strict set of guidelines.
Link via Comics Alliance | Photo: Toycutter
Comments Off 
This is simply exquisite! Matt Marchini has four selections of concept art for a Star Wars game modeled after The Oregon Trail.
Link via Boing Boing | Previously: Oregon Trail: The Movie
YouTube user Peatman played the voice of Arnold Schwarzenegger over that of James Earl Jones in scenes from Star Wars. He makes a rather menacing Vader. Except, of course, for the dialogue from Kindergarten Cop. Warning: foul language.
via Nerd Bastards
Five years ago, Alex blogged about the trippy artwork of Eric Joyner. But it’s new to me, and probably to a lot of readers, so it’s worth mentioning again. Eric Joyner paints robots. And doughnuts. Together.
They make me giggle.
Artist Website and Interview via Nerdcore
Comments Off YouTube user Landstrider, in six hours of work, compiled every scene of a lightsaber being turned on or off.
The first one always bothered me a little. I mean, Luke almost bisects Obi Wan the first time that he picks up a lightsaber. The Jedi need something like Jeff Cooper’s four rules of gun safety.
via Geekologie
This image was snapped inside a restroom at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
While we’re on the subject, Captain Kirk’s pre-refit chair on the old 1701 always looked like it would be uncomfortable.
I’ve previously featured das chupa’s mashup of Up and Star Wars. Here’s one of his more recent works. I don’t understand the multiple tentacles reference, but it has been a long time since I’ve read Peanuts. I guess that it was weirder than I remembered.
Link via Super Punch
Comments Off 
I like it; it’s clever. Kind of classy for tramp stamp.
Don’t add anything on the back — leave it up to the viewers’ imaginations which movie they’re watching.
Link (NSFWish) via Great White Snark
Artist Jonathan Kuriscak makes custom action figures. He’s created a set of (dieselpunk?) bounty hunters from Star Wars from a World War II setting, such as the above Boba Fett rocketman figure.
Link via Super Punch
