The Today Show

On Friday, I participated on the biggest troop thus far: NBC’s Today Show. This was an official LFL troop, one that was announced several weeks ago, along with signups. I submitted my pictures of my Clone Trooper, and was selected for the group. It wasn’t until a week ago that we were told what we would be trooping, and weren’t allowed to tell anyone. So, I worked on getting my Clone up to snuff, made a new blaster and on Thursday night after work, set off for NYC.

I arrived down there at 10:30, and met up with several troopers from my garrison and the Connecticut Garrison in the hotel that we were all staying at. We stayed up pretty late talking, and turned in for the remaining couple hours of sleep before we had to get up. At 3:30, our alarms went off, and we got up, dressed and carried our gear to NBC studios, where we checked in, met more troopers who were arriving at the same time. At 5, we did a walk through of what we were going to be doing for the morning, getting lined up and recieved our instructions. We then went back to the studio and suited up.

By 7 or so, we were finished suiting up, so we lined up, put our helmets on and went down to the street, where we crossed and waited for cameras. There was a little rehersal and changing of plans, and I ended up being on the first shift, rather than staying the whole morning. At 8 am, the show started, and cameras rolled. I was standing behind Al Roker, for his introduction, with a group of clones, and was on TV for just a couple seconds. You can see video here.

After that introduction, my time was done, although 10-15 clones and stormtroopers were retained for upcoming shots. I, along with three other clones went back to the changing space, got out of armor and went back down to watch for a little while, then headed up to Boston for the next troop of the night.

 

Extended Clone Wars Clip!

Yahoo movies has posted an exclusive clip from the Clone Wars movie. The 3:49 minute clip details an early battle sequence in the movie, and contains some minor spoilers. Keep an eye out for the 501st Clones with jetpacks.

Take a look here:

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809991325/video/8977211

Man, that looks awesome.

Review: The Clone Wars

[This review contains spoilers for The Clone Wars]

Earlier this year, the Star Wars Lit community was abuzz with the news of a couple of things – that there was an untitled Karen Traviss novel coming, and that there was a Clone Wars movie coming out. A couple of months ago, fans learned that they were both connected, as Karen turned out to have been writing the novelization.
The release of The Clone Wars brings about the first book released in the time frame since Traviss’s last Republic Commando novel, True Colors, which was released last year, and once again shows that Traviss is one of the better writers for the Clone Wars.

This novelization isn’t the best work that Karen has released. The book is a very short one, and plotwise, has a bit to be desired. In a nutshell, the Seperatists have kidnapped the son of Jabba the Hutt, hoping to anger the Hutts enough to ensure that the Republic can’t utilize their space lanes.

The book is rife with action, which is Karen’s strong point, especially when it comes to Clones. the main characters are introduced with a battle, where Karen puts her expertise gained from the Republic Commando books. What I really enjoyed was seeing an author put a level of military realism to this – the Clones talk and act like soldiers.

Karen leaves a lot of nods to the 501st, helping to further explain the role of Vader’s fist, the battalion seen in Revenge of the Sith, named for the 501st Legion. One of the more interesting characters in the book is Captain Rex, whom a number of Legion members are building in anticipation of the film’s release. Karen pushed these guys to a particular prominence in the book, which is a great nod to the group, of which, she’s an honorary member. There weren’t any mentions of Republic Commandos, which surprised me a little.

The plot of the book leaves more to be desired beyond the military sections. There are some interesting political ideas here, but the idea that the Republic would send two of their most highly regarded Jedi after a Huttling is somewhat ridiculous. While this is addressed somewhat at points, I found it hard to believe.

More so, I found the notion that the Hutts, or more particularly, Jabba, would completely base foreign policy on a kidnapped child a ridiculous notion. Granted, this is a novelization based off of an animated movie, so expecting something on the level of Karen’s other books or other Clone Wars novels such as Shatterpoint is somewhat expected.

Unfortunately, the book is short, clocking in at around 250 pages, taking me a total of five or so hours to read. Fortunately, Del Rey seems to have realized this, and as a result, I only paid $12 for the book (yay for a 40% discount at Borders).

Overall, this is a decent enough read, despite the fact that it is short and not as good as her other books. However, with four more books to go in the series, there’s plenty of room for more improvement and Clone action.

7/10

Toys R Us Midnight Events

Want to see the 501st in large numbers? Go to your local Toys R Us on July 25th, where the each store will be opening at midnight. The 501st won’t be at each one, but I know that there will be a number of appearances across the nation. I personally will be at the New York Time Square location.

Clone Wars Coming Soon to Toys “R” Us

To celebrate the highly anticipated August 15 theatrical release of The Clone Wars, Toys”R”Us and Lucasfilm Ltd. have partnered to create the ultimate Star Wars destination in U.S. Toys”R”Us stores nationwide. The adventure begins in July with the installation of countdown clocks in every store ticking toward the July 26 launch of the largest selection of toys, construction sets, role play accessories and more based on The Clone Wars.

“For more than three decades, Toys”R”Us has been the ultimate destination for kids and collectors interested in bringing home the magic of their favorite Star Wars films,” said Greg Ahearn, Senior Vice President of Marketing and e-commerce for Toys”R”Us, U.S. “Our partnership with Lucasfilm will bring The Clone Wars to life with stunning in-store boutiques, an unparalleled assortment of products and exclusives, and up-to-the-minute countdowns to Star Wars excitement throughout the year.”

“Toys”R”Us has been an ardent supporter of the Star Wars franchise since the introduction of the first toy line in 1977,” said Howard Roffman, President, Lucas Licensing. “Generations of kids have found their favorite Star Wars toys on the shelves of Toys”R”Us stores, and we’re thrilled that they will also be a major partner to Lucasfilm on The Clone Wars.”

Full Article from Starwars.com

Clone Wars Novelization Cover and Updates!

Theforce.net has posted up this cover for the upcoming Clone Wars novelization:

And, Karen has posted up this news about the book, which is apparently a 5 book series. Can you hear squealing? Yeah, that’s me.

NEWS – new series, new books, new covers

Yes, there is a NEW SERIES out this month, and judging by the mail I’m getting, folks don’t seem to realise what it is. There’s a NEW FIVE-BOOK STAR WARS SERIES for adult readers based on the Clone Wars movie and TV cartoon show, and I’m writing three of them. But because the movie and the TV show are for the youngsters, and I write adult fiction, then you can deduce that the novels will show you stuff you won’t see on screen. (This is separate from the young adult books that are also being published. ) With me so far? Good.

CLONE WARS, the hardcover based on the movie – loosely based, so no griping that it’s different, please, because that’s the whole point – is out on July 26. Full of the gritty, off-message, character-testing, question-raising, grey-area, military-oriented stuff you’ve come to expect from me. And clones. Plenty of clones. And familiar characters from the movies that you won’t see quite the same way ever again.

My good buddy Karen Miller is writing the other two novels. She doesn’t write predictable, lightweight stuff either, so stand by for a challenging series that will make you take another fresh look at the Clone Wars.

I‘ll be pimping the books at Comic Con in San Diego, July 24 – 27, with a short book tour immediately afterwards. I’ll post cities and dates when they’re all confirmed.

YAY! Can’t wait to read them. Or this one. First book is out July 26th.

Clone Wars Profiled in the New York Times

This article just came up on the New York Times movie section, with an interesting look at George Lucas and how he’s marketing the Clone Wars.

Free to Follow His Heart Right Back to ‘Star Wars’

FUTURE generations will never need to establish a George Lucas museum, because George Lucas has already built one for himself. On either side of the Golden Gate Bridge he has constructed himself two temples where “Star Wars” is made and worshiped: at his Skywalker Ranch in Marin County and his newer office complex, the Letterman Digital Arts Center at the Presidio, he has gathered all manner of relics honoring his six-film saga, from the imposing (life-size replicas of the villains Darth Vader and Boba Fett) to the self-congratulatory (a Yoda fountain) to the self-deprecating (a carbonite block encasing the much loathed Jar Jar Binks).

Like religious shrines, these buildings both consecrate and confine the man for whom they were built.

Using the freedom and the fortune he has amassed largely on the astronomical success of “Star Wars,” Mr. Lucas has accumulated unparalleled creative resources; his next film could be anything from a sweeping epic to one of the intimate personal narratives he has often said he would like to make. Instead his next two ventures will be “Star Wars” projects, no less ambitious than his previous films yet potentially less commercial. And they come at a time when even the “Star Wars” faithful wonder if Mr. Lucas’s continued mining of this fantasy world has anything more to yield.

A few weeks ago Mr. Lucas, who is 64 with a full white beard, was visiting his Presidio offices somewhat reluctantly, on a layover between the European and Japanese premieres of his latest “Indiana Jones” movie. “I love making movies; I’m not the biggest fan of selling them,” he said, seated in the librarylike Lucasfilm boardroom, stocked with books about real-world military history and novels like “Quo Vadis.” “But since I’m in the selling mood, that’s what you’re here for. I’m doing all my selling for two more weeks. Then I’m sold out.”

He was pitching a computer-generated animated movie called “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” which Warner Brothers will release on Aug. 15 and which will introduce an animated television series with the same title that will have its debut on the Cartoon Network this fall.

Despite his vows to the contrary Mr. Lucas did not conclude his “Star Wars” epic with his 2005 film “Revenge of the Sith,” the third in a trilogy of prequel movies that grossed more than $1 billion in the United States alone. As far back as 2002 he was contemplating an animated series that would take place between Episodes II and III of his prequels, fleshing out the adventures of the Jedi knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker (who is doomed to become the evil Darth Vader), and explore heroes, villains and planets glossed over in the prequel films.

For Mr. Lucas this was an opportunity to revisit imaginary turf that gives him great personal satisfaction. “Star Wars,” he said, is “a sandbox I love to play in.”

“It’s not a matter of trying to prove anything to anybody,” he added. “I don’t have to.”

Full Article

New Clone Wars Trailer!

Yahoo Movies has just posted up a new Clone Wars Trailer: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809991325/trailer#8273357

This one’s slightly longer with a ton of new images and scenes. It’s looking better and better.

Clone Wars Poster

The movie poster for the Clone Wars movie has gone online:

Pretty cool!

EDIT: Apparently, there’ll be a new trailer tomorrow on TV:

First Theatrical Trailer for Animated STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS to Premiere Exclusively Across Multiple Turner Networks Thursday, May 8

Cartoon Network, TNT, TBS, CNN, and Boomerang All to Showcase Newest Star Wars Adventure at 7:58 p.m.

Star Wars fans will get an unprecedented look at the newest intergalactic adventure on Thursday, May 8, when the world-premiere trailer for the upcoming CG-animated movie Star Wars: The Clone Wars debuts across five Turner networks simultaneously.

Full Article Here

Sneak Peak: Clone Wars

A new video detailing a battle in the Clone Wars movie has been posted online:

New Clone Wars Trailer!

A new trailer for the Clone Wars animated series has appeared online (and has been taken down on youtube.) Take a look here.

Here’s the original trailer:

I’m really excited for these. The animation looks good, and it looks like there’ll be a lot of action.