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You knew it was coming - they made it a religion!
Posted by: Bill Cable 10-24-01 12:01am
Ah, those crazy Brits! I know that
the original Trilogy was filmed at Leavesden Studio in England,
but those guys are really taking ownership of the movie over
there to new extremes. So how many Brits does it take to make
The Force an official religious deity? Read this article to find
out:
http://entertainment.msn.com/news/eonline/101301_jedi.asp
Bacta Luke variant to see limited release!!!
Posted by: Big_E 10-24-01 12:01am
HASBRO (HN) -- In a move reminiscent
of Todd McFarlane's McFarlane Toys, representatives announced
today that the upcoming Power of the Jedi Luke in Bacta Tank
figure would have multiple variations. "As we strive to
bring collectors what they want we decided to release two version
of the Luke figure; one with underwear under the medical equipment
and one without. The natural version will only be available to
comic shops and other adult oriented collection businesses,"
said Jonathan Linville.
Fans already running in circles for clean
and dirty Scout Troopers as well as other unplanned card variations
are not pleased. "I can't believe it. That's two copies
of this figure I'll have to buy," whined Huey Donovan after
hearing the news at his local comic shop. "Does Hasbro think
I'm growing money at home?"
Hasbro reps don't see a problem. Linville,
"We understand that some fans will want both figures but
they'll have to either deal with it or buy their [stuff] from
Applause. See how they like that."
"What, are they nuts? Next we'll have
to buy 'Third-leg Luke' or 'Leia Loves Han' figures. This is
really shady," said comic store owner Brad Whitehouse. Lucasfilm
Licensing couldn't be reached for comment but in a press release
earlier this week stated that they were "behind Hasbro 100%.
Hamill was a real sport during the shooting of his scenes in
'The Empire Strikes Back' and it's only fair that his figure
is as realistic as possible."
The Mighty Nimrod in marital bliss
Posted by: Ric Nimrod 10-24-01 12:01am
After more than two decades of
quiet, decent, celibate single life, Nimrod can finally fire
up his lightsaber with society's blessing. Are you prepared for
his first words about "The Big Night?" Ready or not,
here he comes in the latest "The
Mighty Nimrod Speaks!!!"
The highlight of your day - this week's Comic Strip!!!
Posted by: Bill Cable 10-24-01 12:01am
Get ready for this weeks journey
into the depths of hate that is The Creature Cantina. Good
Morning Naboo gives this week's episode 4 stars, explaining
that, "this strip isn't afraid to tackle the 'dark side'
of this beloved drinking establishment. It will shock and surprise
you with its frank and open discussion of pressing issues."
Now that I've written an intro that took you about 50 times as
long to read as the damn comic will, I might as well just post
the link to this week's "The
Cantina" Comic Strip!!!
Top 10 Reality Shows on Tatooine Holonet
Posted by: Big_E 10-24-01 12:01am
- Craziest Trooper Chases
- Temptation Island: Calamari
- Darth Vader: Behind the Mask
- Coruscant's Most Wanted
- Imperial Boot Camp
- Tour de Dantooine
- Survivor: The Dune Sea
- Eco Challenge: Kessel
- Jedi Tricks Revealed
- When Wampa's Attack
Inside the Animated Actor's Studio
Posted by: Darth Paul 10-24-01 12:01am
In an unprecedented move, after
celebrating the 100th Episode of their popular program Inside
the Actor's Studio, BRAVO Network, cable TV's film & arts
channel, have announced the latest guest scheduled to appear
on the show, Jar Jar Binks.
 Host
James Lipton's interviews of film and theaters most noteworthy
contributors have given a fantastic view into the life and careers
of contemporary greats such as Harrison Ford, and Clint Eastwood.
"We thought it would be a good chance to really get to know
the Gungan, behind the celebrity", says Bravo Network representative.
When asked about the controversial nature of the infamous Jar
Jar, "We haven't really heard from Jar Jar. We've heard
a lot of spin control from Lucasfilm, but we want to hear what
Jar Jar has to say to his critics, and fans", says host
and producer James Lipton.
Prepare to hear Jar Jar's riveting answers
to questions from the now famous Bernard Pivot Questionnaire
such as; what turns you on, what sound do you love, & what
is your favorite curse word? Tune in to Creature Cantina next
week for highlights from the interview.
Give that man a T-shirt!!
Posted by: Bill Cable 10-24-01 12:01am
In a nice turn of events, the winning
entry for the Exclusive Fighting
501st Eastern Squad T-shirt was also the very best entry
we received! OK... so maybe it was the only entry we received...
but still it's funny as all get-out! Congratulations to Boba
Rocks, who proudly presents: "The Stormtrooper Shuffle"
In the vein of the now infamous Chicago
bears "Super Bowl Shuffle", here is a hopefully entertaining
facsimile.
We are the Stormtroopers, killin' is our
game.
We're all dressed in white and we have no names.
Allegiance to the Empire is what we show,
like Vader, we ain't traitors, he's got all the dough!
We're all fighting Rebel Forces for just one cause,
don't we all wanna get in Princess Leia's......PAUSE!
They call us "Shocktroopers" cuz we rock and shock
all night,
now it's about time that I pass the mic!
:::beatbox noises done by Darth Vader,
dawning gold chain with Death Star medallion:::
Representin' for The Imperial all through
the Death Star..
it doesn't even matter who ya are!
Ugnaughts,Death Star Droid, and soldiers of any type.
The "Men in White"have got ya back..so lets get hype!
::::::Death Star Droid does "The Robot"
while the mouse droid cuts wheelies:::::
We are the Stormtroopers, killin' is our
game.
We're all dressed in white and we have no names.
Allegiance to the Empire is what we ALL show..
Security Breach! Command Center! Aw shhhhh..we gotta go!
WORD!
Imperial Shocktroopers/Stormtroopers
"Stormtrooper Shuffle"
Death Star For Life
Dir: Boba Fett
New Cable Original Art!
Posted by: Bill Cable 10-24-01 12:01am
You're probably thinking "It's
about time!" Well, I've been busy, you know! But I finally
got the time to sit down and work on my latest masterpiece. A
No-Prize goes to whoever can figure out who this drawing was
for!!!
Cable Original Art Gallery
The Force is strong with this one
Posted by: Big_E 10-31-01 12:01am
Like Silent Bob, I've been trying
for years to move inanimate objects and use the Jedi mind trick
on my weak-willed adversaries to no avail. I have, however,
used it to my advantage in the pursuit of my hobby, collecting
Star Wars.
Case in point, Friday, October 26th found
me cruising down route 81 for York, PA. Having originally planned
to shop my way from Ithaca, NY to York I found myself just south
of Hazelton without having stopped once. Suddenly, in the back
of my mind it hit me that I was coming up on Frackville and that
there was a mall there with a collector store, not to mention
KB Toys and K-Mart. I suddenly decided to stop with the thought
of scoring the Topps Star Wars: Evolution cards, something I'd
been looking for but hadn't planned on hunting for on this trip.
Having been denied in NY and PA for 2 months on these cards
I somehow knew that a stop here would bring them to my grasp.
Sure enough, 2 minutes into the store and
I was asking the girl to pull a box out of the case. How did
I know that I'd find the cards? The Force. Or so I'd like to
believe.
I'm sure many of you have done it before
too. Just happened to hit eBay as an item you've been searching
for for years was closing and you snipe it for the sweetest deal
ever. Or maybe you stop in that out-of-the-way store that never
has anything, just as they stock that newest item you've heard
about.
Over the last 3 years I've found a lot
of items by following my gut, listening to the little voice in
the back of my head that tells me to swing by Boscov's on the
way home from work or head out to Target at lunch. Some of it
comes just from knowing that a certain item has been spotted
on the East Coast and some of it comes from just pure luck.
But I'm going to keep trying to use the Force to fling the TV
Guide across the living room or make my landlord forget I'm 2
days late with the rent. And I'm definitely going to use it
to find that Target exclusive, or the cool new deluxe figures,
or that certain vintage item I want on eBay.
Now, get back to CreatureCantina, this
isn't the article you want to read. Move along.
ACK! What's this thing crawling up my leg????
Posted by: Bill Cable 10-31-01 12:01am
Why... it's THIS WEEK's "THE CANTINA" COMIC
STRIP!!!! Run for your lives!!!! AAAAAaaaaggghhhhh!!!!!!
Quest for Cool Displays
Posted by: Big_E 10-31-01 12:01am
I've always been interested in
the unique and cool ways that people have found to display their
Star Wars collectibles. It doesn't matter if it's an incredibly
detailed diorama like over at NiubNiub's
Universe or an innovative way to display paper goods or food
premiums. It also doesn't matter if the display is of newspaper
clippings or a $1000 statue, cool is cool.
With that in mind I'd like to start a monthly,
or more often if there is interest, column where I highlight
a unique display from someone's collection. If you've done something
unique and cool in the displaying of your collection and would
like to share with the readers of CC.com email me at big_e@creaturecantina.com.
I'd like to show a picture or two and a
description of the item and how you came up with the idea for
its display. If you don't have a digital camera available to
take pictures of your display, email me and arrangements can
be made
And, to kick off this new column, I'll
even start next week with a cool display from my collection.
Bravo Network's James Lipton interviews Jar Jar
Posted by: Darth Paul 10-31-01 12:01am
In a follow up to last weeks report
(Inside the Animated Actor's Studio) below is a transcript of
Jar Jar's answers to the famous Bernard Pivot Questionnaire asked
of each guest on Bravo Networks popular TV series.
What
is your favorite word? Toboo
nukie
What is your least favorite word? Boopjak
What turns you on? Gungan
boombas
What turns you off? Gooberfish
What sound do you love? Brisky
morning munchens
What sound do you hate? Boomed
da gasser
What is your favorite curse word? Hata Hata
What profession, other than yours, would you like to attempt?
Grand Gungan Senator
What profession would you not like to participate in? Bombad General
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you
arrive at the pearly gates? Oyi,
mooie, mooie.
Mace Windu DIES IN AOTC!!!!
Posted by: Bill Cable 10-31-01 12:01am
So I was thinking, "Aw crap!
It's Halloween, and we don't have any good Halloween stories!"
I mean, how lame is that... a comedy site that doesn't have
any Halloween gags. So I thought, "What could I possibly
post to scare the living sh*t out of everyone?" Then I
had an idea. The headline... Boo!
PS: I'm avoiding spoilers, so I don't
know... the headline might even be true! I wouldn't know either
way. But don't go blaming me for spoiling it if he does get
killed! Hell, there'll probably be songs on the soundtrack titled
"Mace Windu's Funeral" and "Padme and Ani knocking
boots" anyway.
And the nicest way to wrap up your update...
Posted by: Bill Cable 11-7-01 12:01am
Like a scoop of sherbet after your
entree... Are you ready for... this week's episode of "The Cantina" comic
strip???!!!!
Boba Fett's Top 10 Getaways
Posted by: Big_E 11-7-01 12:01am
10 Mon Calamari Cruises
9 Greedo's Rodian Jungle Tour
8 Captain Tarpals' Deep Sea Fishing
7 Sullust Spelunking Tour
6 Man Eating Gardens of Kashykk
5 Yoda's Dagobah 'Gator Jamboree
4 Six Flags Over Yavin
3 Luke Skywalker's Wampa Bar-B-Q and Beer Blast
2 Salacious Crumb's Sarlacc Tour
1 Base Jumping: Bespin
Another new Cable Original!!!
Posted by: Bill Cable 11-7-01 12:01am
I know what you're thinking...
"another drawing already???" This one was donated to
the PSWCS
fund-raising auction. But it's still an official Cable Original
(it even fetched the MSRP for one - yayyy PSWCS!). So please
feast your eyes on the latest drawing in my "Cable
Original" Gallery.
Big E's Display Extravaganza!
Posted by: Big_E 11-7-01 12:01am
Last week I asked for pictures
of cool displays and told you that I'd kick things off with a
display from my own collection. So, as promised, here we go.
When Episode I opened back in 1999 there were tons of collectibles
around and like all of us I bought a lot of different things.
But about 6 months later I was looking for a way to display a
couple items that would remind me of the movie and some of the
many activities surrounding it.
I came up with the display that you see pictured
(click to enlarge). Although I didn't attend the Star Wars Celebration
in Denver (but look out Indianapolis 2002!) I picked up a pass
at auction. I added to that my theater ticket stubs from opening
night and the one month anniversary showing that I attended.
Throw in a pog from the Tri-Con premiums that I chased all summer
and a cool pin that I got when I bought my Episode I theater
poster and I had the makings of something.
Now, how to put it together? Shadow box. These things rock. About
$10 at Michael's and I was in business. I needed something to
mount the items to so I went with acid free craft paper. Because
I wanted to get something to represent Darth Maul in there I
decided to do a red and black die-cut in the corner to represent
him. I made the decision to reverse the red and black because
the detail in the cuts made it easier to do that way. Besides,
the other items show off better against red than black.
I finished this up 2 years ago but I still haven't painted the
frame. I haven't decided what kind of decoration to do so it
still has a bare wood look to it for now.
So, there you have it. My attempt at a cool display for my collection.
Now, it's your turn. Please send in a picture and a description
of a cool display in your collection to big_e@creaturecantina.com
and I'll write a feature for it.
Yes I am a cheap, dirty whore
Posted by: Bill Cable 11-7-01 12:01am
So I got these auctions up on eBay.
Since I'm the guy paying the hosting fees, I figure I'm entitled
to plug them! Hopefully I'll get a few hits as a result. I'm
kinda desperate, because I was really stupid when I listed these.
I didn't say "MOC" anywhere on any of these auctions...
NOWHERE! STUPID STUPID STUPID! I mean, what a goober mistake!
I was all distracted because I was helping one of my buddies
list some stuff (his first time). I didn't realize until after
I received bids on everything, so I couldn't go in an fix it.
I'm so screwed. I ain't gonna draw a single snipe like this.
So I gotta pull out the big guns! Here's what I got...
ESB21 Chewbacca (extremely rare cardback):
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem=1659521691
ROTJ C-3PO (no offer, unpunched):
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem=1659518498
Droids C-3PO Coin, still sealed on card:
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem=1659512936
They're each pretty nice. I hope you'll
check them out!
New 'Warehouse Grade' Creating Buyer Interest
Posted by: Big_E 11-14-01 12:01am
York, PA (HN) -- In an interesting
trend collectors are passing on collecting mint in package items
and have turned to collecting "warehouse grade" items.
In an attempt to empty warehouses of unsold inventory, Hasbro
has been flooding the market in recent months with everything
from recent Power of the Jedi figures to much older Freeze Frame
figures. Many of these items have been seen at local Kay-B Toys
and Toys-R-Us stores. The new warehouse grade is being placed
on items that show signs of anything from wear around the edges
to mangled and dusty boxes and cards. "It's the new 'in
thing' to collect the warehouse grade figures," says collector
Jeff Gordon. "Yeah, Jeff, no relation. It's cool to see
just how bad of a [figure] card you can find. I'll spend an extra
10 minutes in a store looking for that card that has a nice layer
of dust on it and maybe a really dented bubble. Like it's been
stepped on or something."
With warehouse figures priced at around
$1.97 this area of collectibles is popular for several reasons.
Says Hasbro rep Jonathan Linville, "The figures are priced
in the budget of not only kids, our target market, but also the
collector looking to invest in something other than the pristine
toys that the larger market is focused on." When asked if
it wasn't easier for shady dealers to create warehouse grade
figures than mint ones Linville replied, "I don't think
it matters. It's a niche market at this point and since figures
are so inexpensive at retail I don't think secondary market dealers
can compete."
The trend of warehouse grade figures can
be seen online at popular auction site eBay.com. A search in
the Star Wars section of the web site for either 'warehouse grade'
or 'wg,' the accepted abbreviation, as well as 'opener' and 'mint
loose' turned up over 250 active auctions. A spokesperson for
eBay, in an email statement, said that Star Wars items are always
popular but that they, eBay, didn't break their statistics down
by grade or availability of particular items.
We asked Linville if Hasbro would consider
releasing future waves in discounted warehouse grade in parallel
with it's regular figures and vehicles. "I don't think so,"
replied Linville. "It doesn't make sense from a marketing
standpoint. We can release the mint figures now in limited amounts,
get everyone's six or seven dollars and drive them nuts looking
for the shortpacks. Then in a year or so flood the stores with
warehouse grade figures and get another two or three bucks out
of them." When pressed on the question of ethics relating
to this statement Linville shrugged and mumbled something about
a meeting he was late for.
The real winner when it comes to warehouse
grade are the children. The $2.00 price point for many carded
figures along with $5.00 or less prices on small vehicles places
them in the budget for kids with a small allowance. Gordon agrees,
"I can afford more wg figures but I see more kids buying
too. Two years ago they couldn't afford a Darth Maul figure even
if they found it, but now he's dripping off the pegs at $2.00
and every kid that wants one can have one."
Nimrod - Lucas Heir-Apparent!
Posted by: Ric Nimrod 11-14-01 12:01am
Trailer? What trailer? Why bother
with that stupid DVD-ROM mess, when you can view a far superior
film today right here! Yes, that's right... back for your viewing
pleasure, it's an "I'm a Nimrod Films" production -
All Outta Smokes!
Comics! We Got Your Comics!
Posted by: Bill Cable 11-14-01 12:01am
You know it's going to be a short
update when we lead off with my comic strip post. Let's just
pretend this week we're going for quality over quantity. That's
the ticket! So please enjoy the latest high-quality edition of
"The Cantina"
Comic Strip!!!
New Episode II Character REVEALED!!!
Posted by: Bill Cable 11-21-01 12:01am
Ok people... this week's update
is rather short... I figure with it being Thanksgiving there
won't be many people around to see what we post anyway. Plus...
I've got a lot going on right now, so I didn't have a whole lot
of time to prep. However, the one thing I do have is HUGE
news. My contacts have provided me with a photo of a never-before-seen
character that will appear in E2... a character which will have
huge implications on the plot! CreatureCantina.com is proud to
present the new character...
CLICK HERE FOR
NEW CHARACTER IMAGES!!!
Christmas in November
Posted by: Bill Cable 11-28-01 12:01am
A lot of times I use other people's
ideas for my comic strip. I got that idea off Scott Adams from
Dilbert... I read that he just gets a thousand E-mails a day
with strip ideas. I have some of my own ideas, but why tax my
brain 24-7 when I can leech off my faithful readers?
I received the nicest gift the other day.
When Beedo Sookcool found out I became a dad, he put together
a whole bunch of strip ideas and sent them to me so I would have
more time to spend with the baby. So a big thanks to Beedo. You'll
be seeing a lot of his strips over the next few weeks. Among
them... this week's "The
Cantina" Comic Strip!!!!!!!!!!
World in Uproar over Lucas' Attack of the Clones
Posted by: Bill Cable 11-28-01 12:01am
In a surprising turn of events,
researchers at Advanced Cell Technology are putting the blame
on Star Wars creator George Lucas for the human clone idea. "Hey,
we just followed up on his idea!" stated one researcher
involved. The worldwide scientific, political, and religious
communities have been in an uproar over the moral, medical, and
ethical issues brought up by the announcement over the holiday
weekend of the first cloned human embryo. Sen. Sam Brownback,
a Kansas Republican who opposes embryonic stem cell research,
said he would introduce a bill calling for a 5-year moratorium
on all Star Wars movies and merchandise in production to give
time for further debate and consideration. Star Wars fans on
Internet bulletin boards and chat rooms were quoted as saying
"What?" "Huh?" and "Are they kidding?".
LucasFilm spokespeople were unable to comment, due to possible
legal action. Industry insiders are concerned that Emperor, er....uh,
Mr. Lucas will soon dissolve the Senate and assign regional governors
to have direct control over territories.
EXCLUSIVE: Vintage LucasFilm Paperwork!!!
Posted by: Bill Cable 11-28-01 12:01am
Some of the great vintage finds
come after years of hard work and dedication. A collector might
spend hours every day making contacts with former Kenner employees,
extracting information from them, and getting one step closer
to that big find. Then one day it pays off when they stumble
across that person who has a stash of something incredible that
they're looking to sell.
Then other times amazing things just fall
into your lap. I was looking for Tri-logo vintage Ewoks (I'm
trying to put together a set of all 8 on C9+ cards with nice
bubbles... only need Warok and Lumat, now). I did a "titles
AND descriptions" search on all of eBay for (Paploo,Romba,Warok,Lumat)
and a very odd item came up. Tucked away in some distant corner
of eBay was a set of 5 80s-era LucasFilm licensing sheets, among
them a Paploo. I looked at the description a bit... decent opening
bid... something I hadn't heard of before... kinda cool. So I
look at the guy's other auctions. He had 7 more sets, for a total
of 40 licensing sheets. Being cash-poor, I brought in my friend
Ed Lee, and we won all the auctions and split the set. We got
them in the mail, and man are these some cool pieces!
So what are licensing sheets? They are
internally-produced LucasFilm paperwork that would be distributed
to all the licensees who worked on products for the movies. Lucasfilm
would send out a packet of sheets that licensees could refer
to when creating officially licensed products. What we have here
are a few of those sheets that somehow survived after the licensees
were through with them. If some of these images look familiar
- THEY ARE! Many licensees used this exact artwork in their products.
I'll be giving more details and information
about the sheets over the course of the next four weeks, as I
reveal all 40 sheets. Here are the first 10:
And finally, another comic!
Posted by: Bill Cable 12-5-01 12:01am
Whew... quite an update today!
You made it to the bottom, and here's your reward! It's this
week's "The Cantina"
Comic Strip!!!!!
Mos Eisley to clean up its act
Posted by: Big_E 12-5-01 12:01am
Once described as "...a...wretched
hive of scum and villainy," Mos Eisley attracted the worst
types of criminals to its bars, shops, and spaceport. No longer.
Mos Eisley's new mayor, Fra'Bo Badep has
a plan to clean up the city which includes hiring unemployed
former Imperials as city police, lowering the speed limit within
the city, cutting down on where gambling takes place and increasing
the penalties for things like discharging weapons and blasting
out of the spaceport.
"There will also be money available
to bar owners and shop keepers to beautify their establishments,"
said the mayor during a speech in front of Wuher's bar. "And
I don't want to see swoop riders cruising through town at high
speed and I won't have smugglers shooting up my spaceport anymore."
Some residents agree that the mayors plan
sounds like a good one. One shop keeper told this reporter that
she wouldn't mind seeing former Imperials on the police force,
"They are already trained and they look mean in their outfits.
People won't mess with them, even if they can't shoot straight."
Several customers at Wuher's bar weren't
so happy. "Does this mean no more betting on the pod races,"
asked frequent patron Greedo?
"I don't care about the Imperials,
but if some bounty hunter is after me, I'll shoot up any spaceport
I want if it helps me get away," said a smuggler that refused
to give a name.
According to the mayors protocol droid
C-3TR Mos Eisley should start to see the newest police officers
on the streets starting in a week or so. Some of the other laws
that the mayor has proposed may take longer to materialize. But
hopes are high at city hall.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: PART I
Posted by: Darth Paul 12-5-01 12:01am
The idea for this feature came
from my wife and her wonderfully overactive, imagination. She
has a "theory" about George Lucas and where his ideas
on the Star Wars movies came from, which I like to feed from
time to time with certain Science/Tech info I read or hear about.
No, my wife is not insane, or mentally disturbed...well wait
a minute she married me! This is just a fun feature that may
make you say hmmmm. Oh well, on with Part I of Food
for Thought.
Timeline & Facts:
May 14th, 1944: George Walton Lucas Jr.
is born in Modesto, CA
July 1947: Report of strange craft crash-landing in Roswell,
NM.
Roswell, NM approximately 1200 miles from Modesto, CA.
Fact or Fiction?
 1977:
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope - Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi uses
a small floating training remote on board the Millennium Falcon
to begin Luke Skywalker's light saber training.
 September
8th, 1999: NASA News Ames Research Center Press Release
NASA DEVELOPING AUTONOMOUS ROBOT FOR FUTURE
SPACE MISSIONS
Scientists at NASA's Ames Research Center,
Moffett Field, CA, are developing an autonomous robot to support
future space missions. This month they completed a key test of
the robot's components.
About the size of a softball, the Personal
Satellite Assistant (PSA) will be equipped with a variety of
sensors to monitor environmental conditions in a spacecraft such
as the amount of oxygen, carbon dioxide and other gases in the
air, the amount of bacterial growth, air temperature and air
pressure. The robot will also have a camera for video conferencing,
navigation sensors, wireless network connections, and even its
own propulsion components enabling it to operate autonomously
throughout the spacecraft.
"We're developing an intelligent robot
that essentially can serve as another set of eyes, ears, and
nose for the crew and ground support personnel," explained
NASA Ames researcher Yuri Gawdiak, principal investigator for
the project. "Our research objective is to test intelligent
autonomous systems that use advanced sensors and monitoring technologies
for supporting current and future spacecraft operations."
Get all the info you need from ASS!!!
Posted by: Marblehead 12-5-01 12:01am
Our resident Q&A column author
returns with another outpouring of ignorance and knowledge. Remember
that only CreatureCantina.com features a former Hasbro employee
as out Q&A expert, so we're the only place equipped to answer
your tough questions! So if you need to know, be sure to E-mail Scott a question.
And now prepare yourself for the latest Ask
Scott Something!
EXCLUSIVE: LucasFilm Licensing Slicks - PART 2
Posted by: Bill Cable 12-5-01 12:01am
A bit of history about these specific
sheets. The seller we got these from was liquidating a collection
he purchased. I could not get in touch with the original owner
because the seller wouldn't divulge who it was. But looking at
the items themselves, we can draw several conclusions. The sheets
come from at least 3 separate lots. There is a set from ESB that
are on 7.5x11 sheets. Then there are two different styles of
ROTJ sheets, clearly produced at different times. One can conclude
that the original owner put together this set from several sources.
38 of the sheets are printed on high-gloss paper (due to the
type of paper, these sheets are often called "licensing
slicks"). They're not photocopies or reproductions... they're
high-quality printed originals. Those 38 are really nice.
Two, however, are on a different material.
They're not on glossy stock; they're on photo paper. I work for
a newspaper, so I'm very familiar with this medium. That these
two sheets are on photo paper leads me to believe that these
are internal LucasFilm documents. You generally use photo paper
to generate copies for proofing... the medium is far too expensive
to mass-produce and distribute it. In fact, one of the photo
paper sheets has hand-drawn inking on it which is just so damn
cool. The other is cut to a non-standard size... just about 8.5x12.
These two are among the nicest pieces in the set. We'll reveal
them and other notable sheets next week!
So take in and enjoy the differences in
these "waves" of licensing slicks. Whether it's the
comic book action style of the ESB Han Hoth, the direct simplicity
of the earlier ROTJ images of Bib Fortuna and Wicket, or the
more cinematic and detailed later ROTJ pieces like the Paploo
on Speederbike or the Leia and Wicket, they all have their charms.
You should also note that they simply reused the original Wicket
in the Leia & Wicket proof with additional details... pretty
sneaky!!
It pays to be a friend of CreatureCantina.com!
Posted by: Bill Cable 12-12-01 12:01am
You'd be hard-pressed to find a
lamer selection of Star Wars and random other items on eBay,
but I know these guys, so be sure to bid high!
http://cgi6.ebay.com/aw-cgi/.../&userid=asm@cox.rr.com
http://cgi6.ebay.com/aw-cgi/.../&userid=enchntr
Actor Confused about Movie Roles
Posted by: Big_E 12-12-01 12:01am
Actor Christopher Lee who will
star in next May's release of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack
of the Clones says he's not even sure who his character is. According
to Mr. Lee, George Lucas hired him to play a part in the next,
highly-anticipated episode in the space saga. However, he failed
to give any background information on the role.
According to information released by starwars.com
and imdb.com, Mr. Lee will be playing the roles of Count Dooku
and Darth Tyranus. Details are sketchy as to the part that these
characters play in the grand scheme of the Star Wars universe,
but it is known that they are probably evil.
Recently, at the opening of the new Harry
Potter film, Mr. Lee was asked "What can you tell us about
your role as Count Dooku?"
"Dooku, who?, I'm Saruman" answered
the actor, referring to his role in the upcoming Lord of the
Rings movie. When the reporter pressed on explaining that Count
Dooku was the character Lee played in the next Star Wars film,
Lee became visibly annoyed and walked away with the comment that
George Lucas hadn't even given him the name of his character.
Later at a party after the premier of Potter,
Mr. Lee was questioned further about his role.
"I'm not even sure who I play,"
stated the actor, "George Lucas told me to read my lines
and to react to a couple of things that weren't even there with
me. It was just me and a blue set."
As for details on the set, Mr. Lee had
only this to say; "I was told that everything that had to
happen in the film would be added in with a computer later. I'm
not even sure if it'll be me or some cartoon with my voice. Digital,
bloody hell, give me a stage and some Shakespeare. This technology
stuff is for the birds."
Lord of the Rings opens wide December 19th
with Christopher Lee playing the role of evil wizard Saruman.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones opens in May 2002.
The most predictable strip of all time
Posted by: Bill Cable 12-12-01 12:01am
Sometime you have to resort to
the classics... just like in this week's "The
Cantina" Comic Strip!!!!!!!!
The absolute coolest T-shirt EVER
Posted by: Bill Cable 12-12-01 12:01am
What was the greatest Star Wars
moment in the history of "The Simpsons?" No question
about it... it's when Ralph falls over on his "diorama"
and cries out "I bent my Wookie!!!" Now that legendary
moment has been captured in T-shirt form, and my buddy Dave over
at EssentialComics.com
is taking orders. MSRP is $16.95, but he's selling it for $14!
If he gets more orders, it may fall to as low as $12.00 per shirt!!
So take a moment and check
out the shirt here... then ORDER ONE!
Nimrod - BACK FROM THE DEAD!!
Posted by: Ric Nimrod 12-12-01 12:01am
I'll bet you thought (or were hoping)
that I was gone forever. You were wrong. I'm back with a vengeance
in this week's "The Mighty
Nimrod Speaks!!"
EXCLUSIVE: The Cream of the Crop!
Posted by: Bill Cable 12-12-01 12:01am
Welcome back for our third exclusive
story on the LucasFilm Licensing Slick Ed Lee and I got our hands
on a couple months back. This week's feature details some of
the more notable and interesting pieces of the lot. We're gonna
look at the ones with corrections. We're gonna look at ones that
are on different material. We're gonna look at the uber-cool
and never-before-seen ones. And we're gonna look at a couple
random lame ones to fill up our quota of 10 for the week. So
strap yourself in... here we go!
First up, the normal ones. There's nothing
really "lame" about these or anything... they're actually
among the nicest ones we have art-wise and character wise. There's
just nothing that sets them apart like hand-made corrections
or any of that. You'll enjoy them:
OK, now for the unique and interesting
items from the lot of 40. First up, we have two slicks that have
hand-made corrections on them. Basically someone at LucasFilm
applied labels over the name plates to either correct or change
the names of these characters. The Emperor was originally the
"Galactic Emperor." The more interesting one is Paploo.
He wasn't always called Paploo. CreatureCantina. com is proud
to reveal the original name of the Ewok for the first time anywhere!!!
If you hold up the slick to the light, his original name is revealed.
And it is... drum roll, please... Kieeco!!! I guess we're all
pretty fortunate LucasFilm
decided to change that. Here are the slicks:
Secondly, several of our slicks had no
copyright info on them... all among the ESB set that were on
7.5"x11" paper. We've shown a few of them earlier,
and we'll be showing one next week. They include R2, Leia Bespin,
and I believe Han Hoth (don't have that one handy to check).
Here's an example... the Dark Lord of the Sith himself - Darth
Vader:
Building up, our next two examples I talked
about a little bit last week. They're the slicks that aren't
slicks... they're on photo paper. I theorize these are internal
sheets that were produced inside LucasFilm for proofing purposes,
but there's just no way to confirm that. I do know that photo
paper is too expensive for these to have been mass-produced and
distributed. I also know one has marker marks on it, and the
other is cut to a non-standard size. It makes the most sense
that they're internal proofs just based on those factors.
The Leia Boussh is the one cut to a non-standard
size. It's about an inch longer than normal. Also, half of the
copyright information was shorn off when it was cut. Boussh is
one of my personal favorite characters/costumes in the trilogy,
so it was very rewarding that this was one of the unique pieces
in the lot.
The one with the marker marks on it is
a ship - a B-Wing. If you hold the paper at an angle, you can
see the marker reflections from the light... that sort of red/purple
hue you get from those fat permanent "Marks-A-Lot"
markers. The marker marks are all within the star field around
the ship. Was it someone editing the image before final approval?
Was it some bored LFL employee doodling? We don't know, but either
way it's awesome!
Finally, we have two slicks that don't
have corrections or anything like that... they're just awesome
because of the characters they are. First off, we have one of
the very few (perhaps only) vintage images of Slave Leia. Back
in the day, not many licensees felt comfortable using the image
of Leia in her metal bikini on their products... with it being
too damn sexy, and the products being marketed at 9-year-olds.
So it's tough to find any vintage memorabilia with Slave Leia
on it. But the licensees were provided with an image to use if
they wanted it. The art on this one is just jaw-dropping. This
might be the only place you get to see it. Enjoy...
And the last slick for this week is an
Empire character on an Empire slick. Which Empire character is
uber-cool enough to trump Slave Leia? Which character is the
pinnacle piece of this very cool vintage find? You know who it
is... yes, that's right. It's the bounty hunter that gets all
the Jabba's dancer chicks... Boba Fett.
I hope you'll excuse my enthusiasm, but CHA-Ching!!!
Wooo-Wooo-Wooo JACKPOT! I felt like I hit the lottery when I
won the mo-fo. As the auction was nearing snipe time, I kept
thinking "I know one of those rabid Fett fans must have
caught this one in their searches, and they're waiting to out
snipe me at $700 or something." But nobody else found it.
I was the only bidder. I was happy.
So those are the best of the bunch. Next
week we'll wrap up our special feature with the final 10 slicks
of the find, and information about what Ed and I plan to do with
them all. So be sure to stop back next week!
Hooters looking for site in Mos Eisley!
Posted by: Big_E 12-19-01 12:01am
Hooters, a restaurant chain originally
limited to a few locations on a backwater planet called Earth
issued a press release this week saying that they are looking
for a location on Tatooine. Specifically in Mos Eisley.
Tom Ribbon, spokesperson for the chain
said yesterday that his company has been looking to expand and
Mos Eisley was a likely location. "It's a descent sized
town with a heavily used spaceport. I think if we do well there
the word-of-mouth advertising will be priceless."
Ribbon went further by predicting that
Hooters would be on Coruscant within 2 years. "I think that
we have to set our goals high, but achievable."
In a 5 part plan, Hooters would open a
franchise restaurant at Mos Eisley with another to follow shortly
at Mos Espa. Steps 3 and 4 call for restaurants on Bespin and
Naboo about a year from now. Step 5 would be a Hooters near the
Jedi Temple on Coruscant, hopefully in 2 years.
Ribbon is most excited about the Naboo
and Coruscant prospects. "The Coruscant location is really
neat. We're waiting for the reclamation of several buildings
about 2 kilometers from the Temple. We'll be on a spire just
above the surrounding buildings with a direct line of sight to
the Temple. It'll be a great tourist attraction. The other location,
on Naboo, will be a little bit of a departure from our standard
layout. This restaurant will be floating on an island with a
great view of the Royal Palace and the waterfall next to it.
The lower level will have a glass bottom so that you can see
in towards the planet core. Maybe visitors will even get to catch
a glimpse of a Gungan now and then."
Hooters, known for it's trademark waitresses,
is sure to be a hit with the smugglers and freighter pilots on
Tatooine. Adds Hooters Ribbon, "and I can't wait to audition
the three breasted aliens!"
Is there Christmas on Tatooine?
Posted by: Bill Cable 12-19-01 12:01am
I know you've been wondering this
very thing for the past couple weeks. Does Santa service all
the planets in the galaxy, or just this rock we live on? What's
another few trillion if you already deliver 6 billion presents
in 24 hours? Well, no one knows for sure... all we know is that
the Wookies celebrate Life Day with horrid singing. And we also
know our favoirte Cantina patrons like to get into the spirit
of the season... as evidenced by this week's "The
Cantina" Comic Strip!!!
Nimrod tells you the 100 coolest films of all time!
Posted by: Ric Nimrod 12-19-01 12:01am
When the Nimrod comes back, he
comes back with a vengence. This is the first week of a 4-week
feature on the best movies of all time. Nim is a real celuloid-head,
so these insights and descriptions will be very useful to you
- not to mention entertaining! Want to know what to rent this
weekend? Then read the latest "The
Mighty Nimrod Speaks!!!"
Almost there...
Posted by: Bill Cable 12-19-01 12:01am
Dave over at EssentialComics.com says that he only needs
about 20 more orders to drop the price of the awesome "I
bent my Wookie" T-shirts to $12 a pop. Right now they're
sitting at $12.85 - still an amazing deal!! If he gets 60 more
orders, the price will drop to $11 each. That's just flat out
amazing! So don't hesitate - check our the page and put in your
order! The deadline to order is TONIGHT
12/19 at 7:00pm Eastern!!!
http://www.essentialcomics.com/Wookie.htm
Welcome our newest contributor!
Posted by: Nite Stocker 12-19-01 12:01am
CreatureCantina.com is happy to
introduce our newest crack reporter - Nite Stocker.
He brings us this special report...
Aurra Sing, the sultry bounty huntress,
awoke to some shocking allegations this morning. Upon her morning
reading of the local newspaper, she discovered she was mentioned
in the last will and testament of the gothic shock rocker, Marilyn
Manson aka Brian Warner. Manson, who recently passed away at
the ripe old age of 302, after a 2 year hyberbolic chamber body
restoration gone awry, admitted he was the true biological father
of one Aurra Sing. Manson's will leaves Sing his entire estate
which includes numerous torture devices and machine and weapondry
that dates back to the early 1800's. Sing is the lone beneficiary
named in this will. Sing however was unavailble for comment,
as she has already departed for Cloud City for the bin Laden
manhunt, spearheaded by co-conspirator, the infamous Boba Fett.
The maternal possibilities of Ms. Sing range from the late Rose
McGowan and Annie Lennox to the sweetheart of fast food chains,
Wendy.
EXCLUSIVE: Final set of LFL Licensing Slicks
Posted by: Bill Cable 12-19-01 12:01am
We come to the end of our find
this week with our final 10 LucasFilm slicks. You've seen them
all, now. You've seen all the different versions and variations,
changes and corrections. There's only one question left to ask...
what happens next? Well that's a dumb question... me and Ed are
gonna sell them! We're gonna put together a page after the first
of the year, but we do have our prices pretty much nailed down
now. They're very reasonable! :-) So if you're interested in
any of them, send inquiries to cable@creaturecantina.com.
Now for those last 10 slicks...
Christmas at "The Cantina"
Posted by: Bill Cable 12-24-01 12:01am
Wednesday this weeks falls on the
day after Christmas... and what a crappy day to put up
an update! What do you do? Everybody's sick of Christmas by then.
Nobody's on the web... they're all caught up playing GTA3 on
their new PS2s. So what's a site to do? Put up the update a couple
days early! And among that update is this week's "The
Cantina" Comic Strip!!!! Season's Greetings!!!!
Empire Enforces A Merry Christmas To All!
Posted by: Darth Paul 12-24-01 12:01am
IMPERIAL TROOPS HAVE ENTERED THE
BASE!! IMPERIAL TROOPS HAVE ENTERED THE...(hiss).
That was the sound heard throughout Santa's
Workshop as elves scrambled for cover. In what some believe to
be an effort by the Emperor to improve Imperial public image,
Darth Vader and members of the elite Empire City Garrison &
Eastern
Squad of the 501st
Stormtrooper Legion took over the Headquarters at Santa Claus'
North Pole facility.
 Vader
and his Stormtroopers spent a few hours "supervising"
the work in the toy workshop while photographers, invited to
the event specifically to capture the "good side" of
the Empire, snapped photos. According to reports things went
extremely well until Vader, unsatisfied with the work of one
of the elves, used the Force to choke the elf to death. Santa
Claus could not be reached for comment.
SW Holiday Special...Pt. 2?
Posted by: Nite Stocker 1-2-02 12:01am
Indigestion, heartburn, headache,
bloating, vomiting. No, these aren't all resulting from the holiday
meals and stress. These are the added qualms of sitting through
the original Star Wars Christmas Special. Boba Fett was NICE..
Chewbacca had KIDS..and the cartoon SUCKED! What in Sam Hell
ever possessed Lucas to put this out?
Better yet, what influenced him to begin
production of a SECOND! Through my "inside sources",
I obtained a VHS copy of what was to be the next Christmas special
installment, which was to air the Christmas season before the
release of Episode One: The Phantom Menace. The main plot of
this story was to document the bungling travels of Anakin Skywalker
as he searched for the true meaning of Christmas. Characters
such as Sabe, Shmi Skywalker, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon Jinn, and the
regular Episode One staples all made appearances, with the voices
done by the original actors. Except for Jar Jar Binks, who was
voiced by the ever available Mr. T. Earlier voice hopefuls also
included Vikings WR Randy Moss, who's colorful off the field
vernacular is always a hit.
In the end of his journey, Anakin discovers
that his mother is an atheist and quickly defects to Christianity.
Having the Force, cool toys, and God on your side can't be all
that bad! Although, this never released Christmas special actually
had some potential, it was still a little hard to stomach with
the original still lingering in my head. Boba Fett showing a
soft side... it's enough to make a grown man cry.
First The Cantina Comic of 2002!!!
Posted by: Bill Cable 1-2-02 12:01am
I hope everyone had a good holiday
season and got all they wanted. That 20-back Fett Offer C-3PO
is still eluding my grasp, but there's always next Christmas.
But that's another 51 weeks, and 51 comic strips away. Time to
get to work with this week's "The
Cantina" Comic Strip!!!!
Nimrod's Top 100 - the next quarter!
Posted by: Ric Nimrod 1-2-02 12:01am
Continuing my multi-part feature
on the hundred best movies of all time, it's the 75th-percentile.
Care to take a guess which Star Wars film was wedged in the 51-75
range? Don't even bother, just jump in to the latest "The Mighty Nimrod Speaks!!!"
Holiday greetings from the Stocker
Posted by: Nite Stocker 1-2-02 12:01am
Here's hoping that everyone had
a Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc. Santa was very gracious
this year to say the least. Amongst the booty, I got my Endor
Luke 12" w/ SB, a new VCR, and all the new Star Wars Legos.
I hope you all had a "Rockin' New Years Eve" and a
fruitful new year.
Sincerely,
The Stocker
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: PART II
Posted by: Darth Paul 1-9-02 12:01am
So, has George Lucas gotten his
ideas from somewhere else? Is there an extraterrestrial source
for these fantastical stories? Were these tales created to give
us a hint that these super technologies and supposed scientific
impossibilities are not as unthinkable as previously thought?
Here we go with Part II of the ongoing Food For Thought series.
Timeline:
May 14th, 1944: George Walton Lucas Jr. is born in Modesto, CA
July 1947: Report of strange craft crash-landing in Roswell,
NM.
- Roswell, NM is approximately 1200 miles from Modesto, CA.
Fact or Fiction?
1977: Star Wars Episode
IV: A New Hope
TIE (Twin Ion Engine) Fighter - An agile, single-pilot starfighter
used by the Imperial Navy. The TIE Fighter, which utilizes advanced
twin ion engines, was designed primarily for speed. |
Discovery News: Space
Travel - Ion Propulsion Engines
 The design
of ion propulsion engines has hardly
changed since the first working model was built in 1959 at NASA's
Lewis Research Center (since renamed the Glenn Research Center).
Electrons are shot into a cavity filled with xenon gas, where
they knock other electrons off the xenon atoms, giving the xenon
a positive electric charge. An electrified metal grating at one
end of the cavity accelerates the charged xenon atoms, and the
atoms fly out through the grating at more than 62,000 miles per
hour. The momentum carried by the heavy xenon atoms pushes the
engine in the opposite direction, just like the boosters that
loft the space shuttle into orbit. |
But instead of the combined force of 15
F-14 jet engines on full afterburner, an ion propulsion engine
exerts the pressure of a sheet of paper on your hand. How can
such a feeble force carry a spaceship to the outer reaches of
the solar system? Patience.
"An ion engine needs to run for a
year or two to accelerate to full speed," says NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory scientist John Brophy. It is worth the
wait: Once an ion engine reaches cruising speed, it can provide
10 times the thrust of a conventional rocket engine for the same
amount of fuel.
Developing a durable ion engine is difficult,
however. So hard that the first scientific payload propelled
by an ion thruster - NASA's Deep Space 1 - wasn't launched until
October 1998. It was an astounding success. After more than six
weeks of thrusting, the ion engine increased Deep Space 1's speed
by more than 190 miles per second. That may not be fast enough
to outrun an Imperial warship, but ion propulsion drives are
still the best bet to be the first to carry humans outside the
solar system. The ion engine "will help us get to the outer
planets a lot faster" than previously possible, says JPL
advanced space propulsion expert Robert Frisbee. And when the
ship arrives at a distant planet, the ion drives can maneuver
the craft into unusual orbits. "We might even be able to
hover over the rings of Saturn," he speculates.
New monster in the Cantina
Posted by: Bill Cable 1-9-02 12:01am
I've gone through so many characters
already... I wonder when I'll do them all. It's kinda like Pokemon
or something. See my latest interpretation of a Cantina regular
in this week's "The
Cantina" Comic Strip!!!
|
