Hero Complex interview with Lucas aged 39

The Hero Complex blog has pulled a 1983 interview with George Lucas out of the LA Times's archives. From the article:

Fans today can’t get enough of the imaginative universe George Lucas created, but in May of 1983, with “Jedi” finished and in theaters, a reflective Lucas seemed eager to put “Star Wars” behind him.

“There hasn’t really been one day in the last 10 years that I haven’t had to wake up in the morning and say, ‘God, I’ve got to worry about this movie,’ ” Lucas said in a 1983 story by Los Angeles Times reporter Dale Pollock, who interviewed  the filmmaker at his Marin County office. “Now I feel as if this huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders …. If I had to do it all over again, I’d have to think about it, especially if I knew what I was going to have to give up in order to get it.”

In the interview, pulled from Times archives, Lucas compared his “Star Wars” success (which amounted to some $70 million at the time) to being stuck on a speeder bike for 15 years, and he longed to touch ground, his films “finished and perfect,” and take some time off.

“The movie sort of grabbed me and threw me down and stomped on me,” said Lucas, then 39 (he turns 68 this month). “It’s like walking into the ring with Muhammad Ali without realizing what you’re doing. ‘Boxing? Sure, I punched around in college.’ But suddenly Ali is up against you. ‘Star Wars’ was the first punch — it knocked me across the ring and out the door and into the next field. I was stunned and knocked out cold and I still had to go 15 rounds. Well, now those 15 rounds are over, and I feel great. It’s like ‘Rocky’ — I survived it, but Muhammad is still the champion.”

LA Times Hero Complex: Star Wars Day memory: When George Lucas wasn't feeling the Force

May the 4th be--nah, fuck it

Cartoon Art Museum to host Marvel Star Wars night

If you're in the San Francisco area, mark this on your calendar. On Tuesday, 15 May, at 7 pm, the Cartoon Art Museum welcomes penciler Howard Chaykin and inker Steve Leialoha for a presentation on the origins of the Marvel Star Wars comic book and their experiences in creating the official Marvel Comics adaptation of the film. Admission is $7 for the general public and two-for-one if you're a member of the Cartoon Art Museum.

Cartoon Art Museum: Celebrating 35 Years of Star Wars Comic Books

Gizmodo on the most embarrassing Star Wars merchandise

Gizmodo has put together a list of some of the worst Star Wars products ever made. Lowlights include the R2-D2 aquarium (pictured) and Star Wars fishing tackle. Presumably these two items are not intended to be used together.

Gizmodo: The Most Embarrassing Star Wars Official Merchandise This Side of Hoth 

Obi-Wan Kenobi arrested in California hit-and-run

From the Daily Mail:

The force was not strong with Obiwan Kenobi when he allegedly fled a five-car pileup in California.

Police arrested the 37-year-old man, who legally changed his name to a Star Wars character's 13 years ago, after tracking him back to his home earlier this month.

He now faces a felony charge that even his Jedi mind tricks are likely to free him from.

Indeed, his only hope of release from jail is to post $17,000 bail.

It was a $1,000 bet -- aired by a local radio station to promote the release of Star Wars Episode I -- that led Obiwan to change his name to that of the Jedi master.

He went to the Department of Motor Vehicles hoping to pay $15 for a fictitious motorcycle permit. Instead, he saved himself $3 and legally changed his name with a $12 form, he told the Lincoln News Messenger in 2008.

Mail Online: 'I'm not the driver you're looking for': Police arrest 'Obiwan Kenobi' after hit-and-run crash

Is this the future of Star Wars?

This is the new single by a band called Hot Problems. It's called "Party with My Friends" and it's as inane as its title suggests. Says the Huffington Post:

Sick of boring music videos that have nothing to do with "Star Wars"? Well, the band Hot Problems had the exact same desire to see the infusion of lip-syncing Jedis into pop music for the video for their single "Party With My Friends."

The video's singers include the old standbys like Luke, Han and Leia, but also featured are the likes of Admiral Ackbar, Jabba The Hut, Grand Moff Tarkin and Lando Calrissian. The music might not be your cup of tea, but a sing-a-long in the cockpit of the Millenium Falcon? We're sold. In fact, the only downside to this video is seeing the prequels seamlessly alongside the original films.

This "downside" is, I suggest, the most intriguing, and telling, part of the video. Hot Problems have seamlessly integrated clips from the original trilogy with clips from the prequels. Similarly, the original trilogy clips are all from the latest spiffed-up versions in which Ewoks blink, Greedo shoots first and Jabba's palace becomes the scene of a Muppets-inspired music video. The not-so-subtle message of this video is that it's all Star Wars and (to use a phrase I hate) it's all good. The middle-aged man's complaints about the prequels, the special editions and everything else that has gone wrong with the Star Wars of his childhood are completely ignored. The band's members (Dr. Hot and DJ Problems) likely don't know, and don't care, about any of this. 

I suspect this is the future of Star Wars. Lucasfilm has every interest in merging the prequels and the original trilogy in people's minds. People who were six years old in 1999 have no reason to see the world any differently. And crotchety middle-aged men like me are only important now as buyers of Star Wars merchandise for their children. A banalized, mediocre Star Wars has proven its ability to make money, whatever the misgivings of relics like me. So fire up the video and sing along if you like. Hot Problems' Facebook page explains that they come from the future. I am inclined to believe them. 

Facebook: Hot Problems: About

Mini Star Wars arcade game

Usually I try not to post things that have already spread like weeds all over the internet, but I'm making an exception for this. It showed up two days ago or so and has attracted a lot of attention--for good reason. 

I'll let Gizmodo explain: 

If you find yourself with 80 extra hours in your week, and a penchant for classic Star Wars games, you might want to follow in hacker Le Chuck's footsteps. He built this impressive 1:6 scale 12-inch replica of Atari's original Star Wars game.

The cabinet is actually powered by a cannibalized GPH Caanoo handheld gaming system, since it's capable of running MAME4All and more importantly, is cheap. And while we've seen plenty of tiny arcade machines with matching minuscule joysticks, Le Chuck's creation one-ups them all with a tiny working flight yoke just like the original.

If you're so enamored by this marvel of modern miniaturization you should head over to the very specific 'Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum' where LeChuck has posted plenty of how-to photos of his build. And since he's already worked out all the kinks, it should take you far less than 80 hours.

Le Chuck's video is a bit long and dull, but it's worth scanning through to the good bits to see what he has done. It's very impressive. I spent hours playing this game at the local 7/Eleven during the summer of 1984 and would love to try it again.

Gizmodo: Wine Bottle-Sized Star Wars Arcade Is A Better Way To Drown Your Sorrows

Montreal Canadiens stars in Star Wars spoof

Stars of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team have used JibJab's Star Wars Starring You program to put themselves in the film. Max Pacioretty plays Luke Skywalker, Erik Cole plays Obi-Wan Kenobi and Carey Price is Han Solo.

SportsNet.ca: Watch: Canadiens star in Star Wars parody

Is Star Wars link bait?

I have been blogging about Star Wars three to five times a week for about nine months now. For content I rely in part on Google News results for "star wars". Most of these results are useless to me, since I'm generally not interested in prequels or video games or dress-up parties (sorry, "cosplay"), but occasionally something worthwhile comes up. 

It was not long after I started this blog that I began to notice how often traditional media, especially newspapers, seemed to strain to add a Star Wars spin or hook to content that did not, in fact, have anything to do with Star Wars. I began to wonder whether newspaper publishers or editors have been asking their writers to insert Star Wars references--however inane--into their stories. I began to wonder if traditional media regarded Star Wars as link bait. 

Here's the latest example, from the web site of the Calgary Herald newspaper: 

Scientists create laser similar to Star Wars light sabre

A team of medical and physics experts developed a groundbreaking technique that significantly improves laser accuracy to the point where cutting can be controlled to stop at a precise point — comparable to the idea of a Star Wars light sabre.

Specifically, the team has demonstrated that they can stop the laser within 50 microns — or half the diameter of a human hair.

“A major problem that’s really hindering laser application in major surgeries is that the light beam just keeps going,” said Dr. James Fraser of Queen’s University in Ontario, the physicist who developed the device.

The density and power of the cut, however, would depend on the laser that the device is being applied to.

Fraser explained that lasers are advantageous to mechanical drills or scalpels, in some situations, because they can focus on very tight spots and the intensity of the light is controllable.

The procedure would be effective, for example, on surgeries that involve accessing the brain.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this headline is somewhat misleading. It does not, in fact, have any significant connection to Star Wars at all. So why did journalist Kyle Kipp feel it necessary to start his story with a Star Wars reference? I don't know. But maybe there is evidence somewhere that random references to Star Wars improve a site's SEO ranking or attract more eyeballs to the underlying article.

If you work in the media and know anything about this, I'd be interested in your comments.

Calgary Herald: Scientists create laser similar to Star Wars light sabre

Art Nouveau style Star Wars prints

Distracted By Star Wars calls our attention to Karen Hallion's art nouveau style Star Wars prints, Leia Nouveau (Bespin) (above) and La Dauphine aux Alderaan Color. 

deviantART: Karen Hallion's page