Anchorhead

Ziggy Stardust said:

Moth3r: mat3rnal

Gentlemen (and any ladies lurking) - you flatter me.  Badass is hardly fitting, though.  I'm just a fella.  A little worn down from the journey so far, but, still just a fella. Perhaps humbled would be more fitting.

I'll attempt a few myself soon, but damn, one word is tough.  OTers are too complex a bunch for just one word.    ;-)

WhatsMyName said:

 i've read all of those both the graphic novel and the novel. They are all good books. I found that there is more in the novels rather then the graphic novels.

More specificly Splinter of the Minds eye

I didn't know there were graphic novels of those stories.  Might have to check in to that.

BloodnoseThePirate said:

@Anchorhead The original star wars radio drama is probably my favorite object in my star wars collection. I've still not yet read the Han Solo adventures but they're definitely on my list for when I have time. I didn't really like Splinter or the original star wars novelization (also written by Alan Dean Foster) maybe Its just his writing style or the fact that splinter was written to be a low budget sequel to star wars. It just didn't rub me the right way.

The Solo Adventures are nice for me because they are free of all things Lucas (except a few characters), which is something I grew tired of decades ago.

I could see where Splinter would be uninteresting to most people.  Because of the low budget aspect of a film they weren't sure they would be able to make, the story has almost nothing to do with outer space adventure.  It's a small story.  I like it because, again, it's free of Lucas' involvement, but more because it's a light read, a sort of breather, if you will. 

Oddly enough; An original fan, on board since the birth of Star Wars - and I've never read the Star Wars novelization.  I really need to remedy that.

This is the extent of my interest in Star Wars novels because they all take place in the 1977 universe;

Splinter Of The Mind's Eye is my Spring\Summer read, the Han Solo Adventures by Brian Daley are my Autumn\Winter reads.  While the published NPR Star Wars (also by Brian Daley) isn't EU, a few chapters venture away from the film substantially in story & characters.  In that regard, it's definitely extended.

I've perused the EU section at Border's, but I've never come across anything that interested me.  I'll probably get the Lando books by Niel Smith because they're also set in the 1977 universe.

Baronlando said:

The Marcia part of the story is just bananas, you couldn't make it up. You wouldn't think it was possible for her contributions to be so minimized.

That's one of the main reasons I still see George's portrayal of himself as an easy-going, "hey it's just a kid's story" guy as a lie.  Instead, he comes across as a petty, ego-maniacal  control freak. 

Marcia finally has enough of his behavior and he then spends decades trying to write her out of history. Truthfully, it's beyond disturbing.

zombie84 said:

Hey, I wrote that article. :)

There are like a million sites picking up this piece now, my original article has gotten like 2000 hits in the last 12 hours. Finally, people are paying attention.

I may or may not have mentioned this on-board, but I honestly believe your years of hard work will eventually expose the fan base, as well as the general public, to the truth behind this franchise.  That's the reason I never discuss Star Wars77 without mentioning and\or linking to your sites.  Your knowledge & hard work make it possible for me to discuss my tiny Star Wars world with - as you so eloquently put it in another topic - normal people. 

I've never made any secret of the fact that Marcia Lucas is responsible for two of my top ten films moving me the way they did. Truth is, they might not even be in my top ten list if it weren't for her. She also contributed to the end of Raiders Of The Lost Ark ( a third in my top ten), a scene which I've always really liked (building steps).  However, without your book & web site to reference in discussions, that sentiment is lost on the masses.  The article linked above is proof that the truth will eventually get out there. 

Lucasfilm and the TFNers can spin, lie, revise, alter, and believe whatever they want.  In the end, they will be exposed and whether they accept it or not - they'll know the truth.

*edit*

For the record, I'm not above a little shallowness myself.  Along with Marcia shaping three of my favorite films of all time, I should point out that I've always found her very attractive.  This is my favorite picture of her.

Gorgeous. 

TV's Frink said:

Anchorhead said:

There's no doubt that Times Square is very different from when I lived there.  Much cleaner and much safer now.  That said; I miss some aspects of the Times Square of old.  I miss the hookers.

I'm shocked.

What can I say, man.  You know - urges.  ;-)

There's no doubt that Times Square is very different from when I lived there.  Much cleaner and much safer now.  That said; I miss some aspects of the Times Square of old.  I miss the giant signs made out of lights - they've almost all been replaced by generic-looking, building-sized HD video boards, all showing uber high-res advertisement videos. I miss the local restaurants, all replaced by national chains.

Disneyfication is correct. However, I also know that the Times Square of my years looked like an eyesore to people who lived there and remembered it from the 50s, the 30s, etc.  It's always changing, so we all have our preferred version.

Truth be told, Times Square was filthy and dangerous when I lived there.  If you want to get an idea of what it was like, watch Night Shift.  That's the New York of my time living there, at least through rose-colored glasses.  That's what I do when I'm feeling nostalgic.  When I need a reminder that Disneyfication isn't necessarily a bad thing, I watch Taxi Driver.  It's a reminder of how rough and filthy Midtown really used to be.

That grittiness is still there, big time, but these days it is different in the theater district (Times Square area) - and that's not a bad thing.  It's nice to be able to walk down the street and not always have to look over your shoulder.

*edit*

Here's a film made from when i lived there.  This is the Times Square I don't miss at all. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYsfQV5EPYo

The Addams Family was especially nice because it was the last performance for some of the cast members.  Those are always special shows, particularly if they're comedies because the cast will inevitably work in a mention (in character) and really kick up the performance.  Nathan Lane clearly ad-libbed a few lines to break up the cast and the change of actors was mentioned off-handed in one of the scenes.

After the final curtain, the cast came out with the crew, writers, & director and they spent about 30 minutes saying their goodbyes.  Those are emotional moments for the cast and certainly a very rare experience for the audience. We had no idea that would be the case.  We purchased our tickets a few months ago and only knew because Nathan Lane mentioned it on Conan a couple of weeks ago.

When you guys get ready to plan a trip, drop me a line and I'll answer any questions the best I can.  Have you ever been?

That's it.

Warbler said:

what is that light that looks like its going straight up the building on the right of center?

It's exactly that.  It moves up the side of the building every minute or so.  It's the Westin Times Square.

Trip report.

As most of you know, I lived in NYC during the 80s.    I don't miss living there, not in the least, but it's always nice to visit for a few days and take in some Broadway, opera, baseball, & museums.  It's a strange deal to go back.  New York is a a true one-of-a-kind experience and it always feels weird to walk in the footsteps of my former life.  It's simultaneously foreign & familiar. In an instant it can feel like I never left. This trip was a great one. 

With our connection to the Met, we were able to sit in a private box for two operas.  The first night was Lucia di Lammermoor.  Thanks to the incredible performance of Natalie Dessay and the always no-holds-barred production by The Met, it was the best Lucia I've ever seen, by far.  The connection, by the way, is really my wife's.  She used to work for Houston Grand Opera and still helps them out when they need it.  Because of that, we get some nice perks when we travel. The second night was Iphigénie en Tauride. That's one I can take or leave - emphasis on leave.  The set was fantastic, the singing equally so thanks to Plácido Domingo and Susan Graham, but the story doesn't interest me (Greek gods, Trojan war).

We also went to two Broadway shows.  The Star Wars connection I mentioned was Driving Miss Daisy, with James Earl Jones. We had front row balcony seats and it was quite a thrill to sit within 50 feet of one of the giants of the entertainment world.  He makes the show. He is the show. The role of Miss Daisy was supposed to be Vanessa Redgrave.  I'm not a fan, so when they announced she was ill and her standby would be performing that night, I wasn't disappointed the way many people were.  Quite the opposite as it turned out.  The standby was Maureen Anderman and she was incredible. Her and Mr. Jones backed off the film by a mile.  To me, they're the characters now.

The second show was The Addams Family. I'm a big Nathan Lane fan, but for me, the highlight was getting to see Bebe Neuwirth. I've really dug her from the first time I saw her on Cheers (Lilith). She was equally fantastic when she reprized the role on Frasier.  That voice and her physical beauty - man, what a combination.  She didn't disappoint. It rained all day and night, so to come out of the theater after seeing a dark comedy and step into a rainy Manhattan evening was just icing on the cake.  Manhattan is at its finest on a rainy evening.

Anyway, that's it.  Two operas, two shows, a trip to the Guggenheim to see some Cubism, going to local dives for meals, and lots of walking around in the rain.  It was great to be there, but it's better to be back home.

My next trip is three days at Spring Training.  More on that later. Right now I need to get caught up around here.

Warbler said:

no one bests the Phanatic!  NO ONE!

As I posted in the "Going away..." thread, I've been in NYC for the past five days.  Got in last night, have some unpacking to do.  Just wanted to post a quick confirmation on the Fantasy Baseball.  Trip report to follow, not that it's terribly interesting.  There is, however, a small Star Wars connection.

Off to New York until next Tuesday.    Hold down the fort.

I most certainly remember all those TV intro themes.  A prime time movie was a big deal. TV was only on until midnight, so burning up two or three hours before the news was a more thought out event.  Broadcast time wasn't disposable.

It really was a simpler time.  A handful of stations, with set programing that was easy to watch.  A colorful intro, familiar theme, title of the film, then the film.  It was  particularly nice to watch because you were only seeing the movie.  No branded logo in the corner and no pop-up ads taking up part of the picture - during the film.  I watch very little TV these days.  It's just not enjoyable to me.  Truthfully, it won't be long and the ads will run the entire time.  They're just testing the water.  How much visual distraction will people tolerate before they change the channel?
[/off-topic]

I miss those older sites like that.  They were content driven instead of attack on the senses, scripts and pop-ups, short attention span driven.

originaltrilogy.com is still like that, which makes it much more pleasurable to read and interact with. 

Well done, Double 0. 

No real non-film memories for me. Maybe it's because I was a little older in 1977, but I wasn't a toy person.  For me it was just a few things hanging on my wall - the poster that came in the soundtrack album, the lobby card set, the teaser one-sheet, and the regular one-sheet. (I still have that teaser).  I used to go to movie conventions and had a fair amount of film memorabilia in my room.

I played the soundtrack constantly.  I made a cassette of it several months later because I had a driver's license by then and wanted a copy of it for my car. The score has always been a favorite of mine and it was a big part of the adventure for me, away from the theater visits.

Weirdly enough, not even t-shirts for me back then.  That would later change and I would silkscreen my own regularly, but I never made a Star Wars shirt. I had already moved on to Raiders Of The Lost Ark by the time I started silkscreening.

TV's Frink said:

I rather liked the duel myself...the whole ending sequence (the Gungan misdirection, the team in the palace, the space battle) had great potential, although it is harmed by silly jar-jar, silly and accidental hero Ani, etc...

While we're on the subject of the duel....I know some of you don't care about fanedits but you might enjoy this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CtN6_okwTE

 

 Man, that pull-up sequence at 1:15 is hilarious.  Well done, sir.  Very well done.

Sluggo said:

You mean...someday I'll be as old as Anchorhead?

*sobs*

You'll get there.  ;-)

TML said:

How was he merciless and powerful? All he did was look cool and did some gymnastics?

It's been a long time since I saw the film, but from what I can remember, I agree with TML.  The character seemed largely a creation for toy merchandising & Halloween costume sales.  He was little more than a posed figure.  Other than his twirling, he did very little.

Which gets back to Zombie's point earlier in the week of how Boba Fett was also just a posed figure, yet Lucas squeezed uber-mileage out of him. 

As has been the case with Lucas since the early 80s;  he doesn't need writers or actors.  He just needs a design group and a marketing department.