The Best Thing To Happen To Star Wars Since 1983

As many readers may know, I am a rabid fan of the original Start Wars trilogy and that I only really cared for "Attack of the Clones" in the new trilogy. Like most old school Star Wars fans, I felt that the new trilogy got off to a very bad start from the get go with the inclusion of Jar Jar Binks. Forget all of the stereotypical overtones; what made Jar Jar Binks so terrible is that the character was a total cartoon and cynically included in the "Phantom Menace" as a merchandising gimmick for a new generation of Star Wars toy consumers. One of the legions of Jar Jar haters has retaliated with this wonderful piece of artwork inspired by one of the greatest images of "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi."



I think that we could all agree that no one would ever want to see anyone release Jar Jar from this carbonite captivity.

LOST Moments 11

This edition of LOST Moments is all kind of WTF! First of all, if there was ever any doubt that Sawyer would make it out of the polar bear cages alive, here is your answer. Second of all, there's a frickin' VW bus on the island? What is this about? It reminds me of the time in Futurama where a work crew digs up a VW bus, Fry gets it working again and follows Beck and Bender around the country like a Deadhead. But getting back to the Lost Moment, there's also beer in the VW bus, so Sawyer and Jin get drunk while Jin learns all he really needs to be able to tell a woman in English.

There are only 11 days left until LOST returns and as I've been getting excited, these LOST Moments just keep bringing me down and making me more nervous about how bad the rest of this season could be. The potential is there for a really great conclusion to the season, but it could really go either way. I hate to sound like I'm "too cool" for LOST or that it's "cool to be a hater," but come on! This goofiness is not what attracted me to LOST in the beginning. On a more optimistic note, I listed to an interview with Michael Emerson (Henry Gale/Benjamin Linus) on the Comic News Insider Podcast and he may have given a few hints as to what we can expect from the rest of the season and I like what I heard. Check it out for yourself as well as LOST Moments 11:

Futurama Returns!

As I've written about many times, I love Futurama and am ecstatic that it is returning to TV next year. This article mentions that the return will actually be four direct-to-DVD movies that will be broken up into sixteen episodes that will air on Comedy Central. Hopefully there will be logical breaks in the movies to make the individual episodes coherent. In any event, Speedbump Studios has created this live action/computer generated trailer for the upcoming return:

More Police Reunion News

The Police reunion took another step towards reality as it appears that the band will be playing together at the Grammys on February 11. Of course they have reunited a few times before without going on a full blown reunion tour, most recently at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2003. The chances sure seem to be getting better, but I'll have to see it to believe it. Then again, I never thought that The Pixies would reunite so anything could happen.

LOST Moments 10

As we get closer to the February return of LOST, there has been an increase in news specifically about how long the show might have left. The producers have said before that they have plotted out four to five seasons but then sort of dismissed that after the fact. Now it appears that they are actually contemplating what they claim would be a satisfying conclusion to the show and that the time frame would be sooner rather than later. I don't know if they are feeling the pressure of falling ratings or fan backlash, but whatever the reason, they are starting to talk about their plans of how it should all end. Of course this entire topic is moot if the executives at ABC try to squeeze more blood out of this drying turnip. All I think that true fans of LOST really want is for some semblance of progress to be made in the various story lines, something that was sorely lacking in the opening six episodes of Season 3. Roxi has been re-watching the first two seasons and whenever I happen to catch an episode with her, I can't help but be reminded of how great LOST really was in the beginning. I am looking forward to the rest of Season 3, but I can't say that I am all that excited...not as much as I could or should be. Hopefully, this reevaluation of the show by the producers will help get things back on track before it is too late, although that ship has already sailed for some people.

Here's the latest LOST Moment as seen on CTV. I'll be on the lookout for the ABC version and post it when it's available.

LOST Moments 9

Another LOST Moment and a rather sinister sounding Hurley (or at least the music sure makes it seem that way).

Lost Moments 8

Here is another LOST moment and it appears to be a flashback about Jack's time in Thailand. I suppose this is a preview of the backstory that we have been promised in which we will learn about Jack's tattoos. Of course it begs the question, did anyone really ever care about how or why Jack got his tattoos?

Another Beatles "Reunion?"

A Showbiz Spy article from this past week suggests that Paul McCartney is eager to have another virtual reunion with John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr to complete the twice abandoned "Now and Then." The lads from Liverpool originally gave up on the song before their breakup in 1970 but tried to resurrect it as the third "new" track for the Anthology that was released in 1995. It didn't ultimately end up on the retrospective with "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love." According to the article, George wasn't too fond of the song either time the Beatles worked on it. But in typical Paul fashion, he will finish the song anyway.

While George wasn't keen, Paul always thought the song had a lot of potential. He is now hoping to complete it after all, with him singing the harmonies to John's lead vocal.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to hear a new Beatles song, but Paul's behavior in the past makes me a little cynical about his sincerity. It sort of seems like he waited the "appropriate" amount of time since George died to make this decision. I wonder what new material we might hear when and if Paul is the only Beatle left.

Mardi Gras Season Has Begun!

Our wonderful neighbors, the Ritters, brought over a King Cake today as a thank you for taking care of their pets over the holidays as well as to usher in the start of the Mardi Gras season. Last night marked the Twelfth Night and the official start of the weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday on February 20. To quote the insert that came with the cake:

The Mardi Gras season officially begins on the Twelfth Night of Christmas, or January 6th, known as the Epiphany - or Little Christmas. Since the third century, the Epiphany has been observed as the day the Three Wise Men finally found the infant Jesus. King Cakes therefore were initiated to celebrate this holy day and a small baby doll is placed in each cake as symbol of "Finding the Baby Jesus."

King Cakes are oval shaped and decorated in carnival colors of green, yellow and purple. As the cake is cut, each person looks to see if his piece contains the small baby. The person who finds the baby brings the next King Cake to the next celebration.

The Ritters happened to bring over my favorite King Cake in town, made by Meche's (pronounced "meshes") Donut King. Although not made from the same dough as traditional cakes, I prefer it because it is moister and usually filled with something like fruit or creme cheese (this one is filled with chocolate!). I love Louisiana festivals, but I've been looking forward to Mardi Gras most of all since I moved back to Lafayette this past summer.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

LOST Moments 7

Here is the latest LOST Moment. Nothing too revealing but at least we're one week closer to the hiatus being over.

Happy New Year, Indeed

Rumor has it that the Police will be reuniting sometime this year, the thirtieth anniversary of the release of "Roxanne." I am of course a little skeptical seeing as how Sting has pretty much always dismissed a Police reunion by saying that he is not a fan of nostalgia. Only time will tell but this would definitely be a huge money making venture if it happens. Of course, Sting and Stewart Copeland would also have to get over the enmity that has surrounded them since the band first formed.