As a Star Wars Chick my dream is to one day attend Star Wars Celebration and hang out during Star Wars Weekend at Disney World. Sadly, duty calls back here in Colorado and I must be content with cruising the web for the latest news concerning these events. I hope that a few of my readers will be able to attend (if so please let me know what it was like!). 

Star Wars Weekend: May 18 – June 10

Located at Disney’s Hollywood Theme Park visitors can enjoy many Star Wars themed activities such as Star Wars Tours 3D, Star Wars Celebrities, and Jedi Training for the little Padawans. I have also heard that the Star Wars store is well, heaven for those who collect Star Wars merchandise. Three amazing guest that are confirmed include Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor and Daniel Logan!  For more information check out the links I’ve provided.
Star Wars Wars Disney
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/hollywood-studios/special-events/star-wars-weekend/?CMP=KNC-WDWFY12_STDDOM_SWW_GOO|G|4121520.ST.AM.C3501.03 
Star Wars Weekends News
http://www.wdwmagic.com/Events/star-wars-weekends/News.htm   

Star Wars Celebration:  August 23 - 26

At the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida Star Wars fans will be coming together to celebrate all things Star Wars! Many amazing guest are booked including Carrie Fisher, Seth Green, Dave Feloni, and Ian McDiarmid. There will be vendors, family activities, and a costume contest. A great event for us Star Wars fans to meet and celebrate our love for Star Wars! I’ve left you a few helpful links to help you plan your trip.
Star Wars Celebration Official Site
http://www.starwarscelebration.com/ 

One day I will be joining you guys for these exciting events but, in the mean time I will enjoy the conventions here in Colorado like the upcoming Denver Comic Con. There will be many Star Wars activities, Star Wars celebrities, and Star Wars Fans.

****Just a little tip concerning Denver Comic Con. Make sure you purchase your tickets ASAP! Tickets are selling out quickly and you don't want to miss out on all the amazing stuff!**** 


Denver Comic Con: June 15-17

Star Wars Guests:  Tom Kane
                              Nick Gillard

Star Wars Artist:      Katie Cook

Star Wars Activities:  

Jedi Training: Train to become a Jedi with Jedi trainer Nick Gillard who trained the likes of Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson. 
Denver Comic Con Website:   http://www.denvercomiccon.com/ 

                                           Get your bags packed and May The Force Be With You!

I have to admit that when I first watched Attack of the Clones I couldn’t stand Anakin. He went to being the cute little boy pod racing to a giant creepy baby. It has taken me awhile to finally understand what George Lucas was doing. I was not meant to feel comfortable with Anakin. He was not to become my favorite character for a reason.

Most people’s first glimpse of Anakin is when he plays Darth Vader who is a powerful scary man behind a big black mask. We really have no other feelings for him other than, “Man that guy likes to choke people.” At the end of Return of the Jedi we are finally able to see what he looks like and to be honest it’s even weirder. The Prequels give us a chance to see Anakin before he becomes Darth Vader, and it leaves a weird taste in our mouths.

Let’s be honest prequel fans, Anakin whines A LOT throughout Episode II & III. In fact, it gets so bad that I’m about ready to spank him myself. I keep waiting for Obi Wan to send him to his room. First off, everything is always about him. When he can’t do what he wants to do, or he feels that people are treating him wrongly, he goes off and whines about it. It’s annoying. Why does Anakin whine all the time? I think it’s pretty simple.

He’s got a big head. Yep, that’s right. He knows he’s the chosen one, and I’m sure he knows he was conceived by the Midi-chlorians. He thinks he’s big stuff and feels that he should automatically get bumped up on the Jedi social ladder. Also, I think he knows that the Jedi Council is afraid of him. They don’t know what to do with him and he knows it. Not a great way to grow up. This would turn any young adolescent teen into a whining mess.

Anakin has this creepy relationship with Padme. It’s not the romantic Han & Leia relationship but rather, this is a controlling, motherly, secretive strange mess known as Padme and Anakin. They are both selfish, and they are both young adults who have had to grow up fast. Anakin treats Padme like she is some sort of pet, and his obsession with her foreseen death sends him to the Dark Side.

Anakin just about went over the edge when his Mom died, and he slaughtered an entire tribe of Tuskin Raiders. Remember what he said in “Attack of the Clones”?; “I killed them. I killed them all. They're dead, every single one of them. And not just the men, but the women and the children, too. They're like animals, and I slaughtered them like animals. I HATE THEM!” Wow, you have to admit that is pretty messed up.
    
I think George Lucas wants us to feel this way about Anakin. Maybe the reason people dislike the Prequels so much is due to the simple idea that Anakin joined the Dark Side. He was a selfish person, and it is not as exciting as if he were to join the dark side in some heroic manner. George Lucas wants us to think outside the box. Anakin was a selfish brat who joined the Dark Side because it had more to offer him. Sure, he originally asked for the Emperor’s help so he could save Padme, but in the end he killed her because she wouldn’t do what he wanted her to do.


We are not meant to like Anakin. I think it makes it even more incredible that he was able to put aside his selfishness to  save his son Luke. Think about that for a moment. A man who killed his fellow Jedis killed children and his wife. In the end, he redeems himself by saving a son he never knew. That is great story telling. 

Star Wars merchandise is a huge world, and it is hard to wrap your head around all the stuff that you, as a Star Wars fan, can purchase. There’s everything from books, action figures, comics, and stuff in between. I personally enjoy collecting action figures, and after a small break, have started my collection again. For this blog, I would like to introduce you to the hot new collectables for 2012 and where you can purchase Star Wars merchandise.

Hasbro is of course the company that Star Wars fans need to pay attention to.  I have provided the link to view their 2012 line of toys.  http://www.starwars.com/news/hasbro_star_wars_2012.html  To me, the action figures look amazing - especially Ashoka and Obi Wan Kenobi. I think the detail on the action figures is worth the price of $8.99. Earlier this year, the annual Toy Fair released this new Star Wars action figures. http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/02/11/new-star-wars-action-figures-toy-fair/  You’ll notice that there is a Grand Moff Tarkin figure, and  the female bounty hunter Shae Vizla, ( one that I have been searching for) featured in the picture below.

Another store Star Wars fans should follow is Gentle Giant which is popular for their mini busts.  http://www.gentlegiantltd.com/ Released this year is Yoda in 3D glasses and a mini bust of Shae Vizla. I’m not a fan of the mini bust….I just think it’s odd to have half the body. They also have a full statue of R2D2 and the Magma Trooper.  The sought after Star Wars Chess set has recently been released.  The nice thing about Gentle Giant is that the site allows you to preorder any product that is not available yet.

As far as other collectables such as books, household items etc. I suggest combing the online stores like Amazon, Think Geek, and Esty, which all have unique handmade Star Wars items. A fun item that has had some popularity is the lightsaber lamps, which you can find at Think Geek.  The lamps have a black shade with either the Imperial symbol or Rebel symbol. This is a fairly old product, but definitely worth mentioning. If you’re looking for a unique Star Wars item, pick up the Tauntaun sleeping bag from Think Geek as well.

If you’re looking into seriously getting into the world of collecting, do your research. I started by listening to these two podcast programs from The Forcecast; Jedi Journals which deal with Star Wars comics and books, and the Collector’s Edition which discusses action figures and collectables. Two great programs to get you started. Also, there are many price guide books on Star Wars collectables which, if you want to become a serious collector, may help. The “Official Price Guide to Star Wars Memorabilia” by Jeremy Beckett is a great place to start.

The fun of collecting is finding that unique item that no one has. The hunt is half the fun. Good luck collecting and May The Force Be With You!
Think Geek:   http://www.thinkgeek.com/ Amazon:   http://www.amazon.com 
Esty:  http://www.etsy.com/ The Forcecast Microcasts: http://www.forcecast.net/c-forcecastmicrocastnews.asp

Is it just me or has Star Wars had an awesome year this year? As Star Wars fans we’ve seen the release of The Phantom Menace in 3D, The Clone Wars having an amazing season, and Star Wars The Old Republic. Isn’t it great to be a Star Wars fan! For May The 4th (Official Star Wars Day) I thought I would write a blog on a few characters in Star Wars that have made their mark in the Star Wars Universe this year.

Let’s start with…

Darth Maul:

 Yep , the guy wearing the massive amount of face paint, and who had the privilege of being cut in half by Obi Wan Kenobi has had quite a year. We were able to watch him in 3D in The Phantom Menace which let’s face it the best scene is the Duel of Fates.  Darth Maul was pretty intense in that scene. Of course you would think being cut in half would end his career but, he made a return in Star Wars The Clone Wars as a crazy eight legged spider man. It was a pretty amazing come back for everyone’s favorite Sith. To top it off we will see him again in Season 5 as he hunts down his favorite Jedi Obi Wan Kenobi.

Jar Jar Binks:

I know many of you hate him, some of you only tolerate him, and the rest of you love him but, you have to admit his been represented well in The Clone Wars and seeing him again on the big screened helped. While watching The Phantom Menace 3D one afternoon I could hear the children in the theater laughing at all of Jar Jars antics. Kids love Jar Jar and in fact some adults who fancied themselves Jar Jar haters are warming up to the loveable character too.

Admiral Akbar:

Before Star War The Clone Wars premiered there were whispers of Akbar’s return. Fans were excited wondering who would voice him, what story would he be given, and what would he look like. Fans were not disappointed as Akbar showed up for the season premiere episode. He wasn’t the center of the story as some fans had hoped for but, the writers took care to stay true to the character.

Boba Fett:

Lost his father in the arena and what does he do? Lands himself in prison, forms a gang of bounty hunters, and turns himself into one street smart kid. I’m still curious to see what the writers of The Clone Wars have in mind for Boba I guess we will have to wait and see. In the meantime this show has seriously cranked out every popular Bounty Hunter they can. It definitely is the year of the Bounty Hunters!

The Clones:

Anybody who knows me knows I’m a fan of the troopers. Doesn’t matter if they are a Stormtroopers or a Clone Troopers they just freakin’ rock! My favorite character as I have mentioned before is Captain Rex. If you have been keeping up with The Clone Wars (and you should) the Clone Troopers were given a four part arc this season which featured Captain Rex.  It seems that the writers might be headed towards filling us in on Order 66 and perhaps our friend Rex growing as a character. 

Hope your Star Wars Day was filled with Awesomeness! May The Force Be With You! 

May The 4th Be With You!

Happy Star Wars Friday and it’s May  4th - the official Star Wars day. Here are a few cool things to do to celebrate this special day:

1.        Watch Your Favorite Star Wars Movie:  Well duh, this is a no brainier. I’m going to watch Return Of The Jedi which is my favorite one.

 2.       Listen to a Star Wars Podcast: There are many great Star Wars Podcasts out there. My two favorite: The Forcecast and Star Wars Report.  http://www.forcecast.net/ &  http://www.starwarsreport.com/  Don't tell my boss I'm listening to The Forcecast now. ;)

3.       Play Star Wars: The Old Republic: I’ll be at work, but if you don’t have work today, enjoy spending the entire day in this awesome virtual world.

 4.       Wear Your Star Wars Shirt: If you're like me your closet is stuffed full of Star Wars shirts. Pick your favorite wear it with pride. For those of you who own Stormtrooper armor I'm jealous.

5.       For Those at Work:  If your stuck at work like me and you can't wear your Star Wars shirt bring your favorite Star Wars mug to work. I'm also wearing my Star Wars Bracelet from Her Universe. 

6.       Greet People With: May The Fourth Be With You! Don't forget to mention it's Star Wars Friday I swear I will make that an official day!

7.       Do Something Nice For Someone: Star Wars Fans are known for their involvement in charity work. Even if it’s just something small like mowing your elderly neighbor’s lawn, picking up litter in the park, or donating money to your favorite charity, lets show the world how generous Star Wars Fans can be!

Just A Side Note:

All you Girl Geeks out there make sure to check out Her Universe and Hot Topic. They are releasing NEW Star Wars  products for May The Fourth today. Also, the first 50 people will receive a free Star Wars tote bag.
http://heruniverse.com/     - Her Universe
http://www.hottopic.com/hottopic/Homepage.jsp     - Hot Topic