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Jedi Master

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Join date
30-Mar-2003
Last activity
5-Jan-2007
Posts
421

Post History

Post
#28344
Topic
Attack Of The Clones trivia
Time
Attack Of The Clones trivia
· Actors auditioning for the part of Anakin included Ryan Phillippe, Paul Walker I, and Colin Hanks.
· Australian actress Claudia Karvan was cast as Amidala's (Natalie Portman) sister and shot a scene involving the whole family, but the scene was cut.
· Like Ewan McGregor in The Phantom Menace, Hayden Christensen made "lightsaber noises" the first time he was handed one in rehearsal. After chuckling at the young star's antics, George Lucas informed him that they probably had people in Sound Effects who could do a better job in post production.
· The Tatooine garage in which Luke cleaned the droids in Star Wars (1977) was rebuilt for this movie, but not completely: while the foreground and background were complete sets in the original film, only the foreground was rebuilt for Episode II; the background is digital.
· This was the first film to have an On-Location film shown once a week to document the shooting process. After the success of this feature, other films adopted the same process.
· Shoot onto Digital Video using a new 24 frame High Definition Progressive scan camera, developed by Sony and Panavision Inc. The cameras worked flawlessly even in temperatures of 125 degrees (F)
· Was shot on exactly the same stages as Moulin Rouge! (2001) , also starring Ewan McGregor.
· C-3PO was originally to have made his first appearance still in skeletal form.. In post-production, Lucas decided to have C-3PO be complete throughout the film.
· Liam Neeson was to make an appearance in this film as a spirit just as Sir Alec Guinness had done in Episodes V & VI, but injuries sustained in motorcycle accident in early 2000 prevented him from working. Instead his voice can be heard in Yoda's thoughts right after Anakin kills the tribe of Tuskin Raiders.
· This is the first Star Wars film in which the camera tilts up after the opening text scroll. In all the other Star Wars films, the camera tilts down after the opening text.
· Instead of creating a new C-3PO suit for the film, the designers repainted and "aged" one used in the original trilogy.
· There is no mystical significance in the color of Mace Windu's lightsaber. Samuel L. Jackson, after a jokey conversation with stunt coordinator Nick Gillard, asked Lucas if he could have a purple lightsaber and Lucas agreed. In an interview on UK TV, Jackson said he "thought it would be cool".
· This is the first "Star Wars" film in which Yoda (Frank Oz) is entirely computer-generated. Oz was only required on the set to help the actors with the voice of Yoda.
· Rumors that Darth Sidious' next apprentice will be named Darth Kimball, possibly played by Rufus Sewell are false.
· When Anakin and Obi-Wan pursue Padmé's wannabe Assassin into the bar at Coruscant there's the Video Game "StarWars – Episode 1 : Pod Racers" running on the very left of the vidscreens.
· At a recent conference during the Megacon 2002 in Orlando,Florida, Kenny Baker I said that he will be most definitely be returning to play R2-D2 for Episode III.
· The Clone Wars were mentioned by Princess Leia during her recorded speech to Obi Wan Kenobi via R2-D2 in Star Wars (1977).
· According to visual-effects supervisor John Knoll, a big cow-like creature that Anakin and Padmé frolic around in the fields with, can be seen in the asteroid belt that Obi-Wan flies through. One asteroid has legs.
· Samuel L. Jackson is reported to have "B.M.F." engraved into the handle of his lightsaber. B.M.F. is short for "Bad Mother Fucker" and was written on Jules' (Samuel L. Jackson) wallet in Pulp Fiction (1994).
· When Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin (Hayden Christensen) enter the bar on Coruscant to search for the assassin known as ´Zam Wesell´(Leanna Walsman), several actors from the Star Wars movies (whose faces are not seen due to costumes make-up or CGI) can be spotted, including Ahmed Best (voice of Jar Jar Binks) whom Anakin touches on the shoulder and Anthony Daniels (C-3P0).
· C-3PO's line "It appears he has a message from an Obi-Wan Kenobi. Master Anakin, do you know what he's talking about?" is a homage to his line in Star Wars: A New Hope about the message from Princess Leia to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
· The final shot of Padmé and Anakin looking out on the lake in Naboo with R2-D2 and C-3PO to their right is a reproduction of the final shot of The Empire Strikes Back (1980), where Luke and Leia are looking out into space from the ship with R2-D2 and C-3PO to their right.
· Anakin Skywalker says the line "I have a bad feeling about this" while tied up in the arena. This line is also in episode I, IV, V & VI.
· When Anakin and Padmé's ship land on Naboo, a ship resembling the Millennium Falcon can be seen on the landing platform.
· Just before Anakin goes to search for his mother on Tatooine, he has a conversation with Senator Amidala. The camera pans to their shadows as they talk, and Anakin's resembles that of Darth Vader.
· Obi-Wan says to Anakin " Why do I have the feeling you'll be the death of me?" In Star Wars (1977), Obi-Wan is killed by Anakin/Darth Vader.
· The yellow speeder that Anakin and Obi-Wan use while chasing Zam Wesell, appears to be inspired by the yellow '32 Ford coupe from Lucas' American Graffiti (1973)
· George Lucas' daughter Katie appears as a dancer in the nightclub scene. George Lucas' son Jet appears as a young Jedi in the Jedi Archive scene with Obi Wan Kenobi and the librarian.
· After his fight with Obi-Wan, Jango Fett bumps his head on the door as he's boarding his ship. A stormtrooper also bumps his head on a door in the Death Star in Star Wars (1977).
· During the Coruscant chase scene, x-wings can be seen chasing tie fighters in the "streets" far below.
· When Anakin awakens from his nightmare on Naboo and meditates on the balcony at dawn, a yin and yang symbol shaped cloud in the sunrise.
· The chain that holds Count Dooku's cloak around his neck is similar to the chain on Darth Vader's cloak.
· SPOILER: Anakin looses his right lower arm. Luke looses his right hand in The Empire Strikes Back. Darth Vader looses his right hand in Return Of The Jedi.
· Every film in the series begins with a ship going somewhere. This movie opens with the queen's ship going to Coruscant.
· Every movie in the series closes with a scene with no dialogue. This movie ends with a ceremony with the main characters looking at one another, then out over the lake.
· In the final battle nearly 90% of the music heard is temp-tracked from John Williams' score of The Phantom Menace. The music originally written for the battle between the clones and the droids was not used, but can in parts be heard on the Soundtrack. The Bonus Track 'On The Conveyor Belt' on the Special-Edition-Soundtrack was meant to be heard in the scenes around the droid factory, but also didn't make the final cut.
· While Anakin is killing the Tusken Raiders, you can hear Darth Vader's breathing in the background.
· Despite Animation Director Rob Coleman's pleas to the contrary, not a single clone trooper suit was ever built. Every single clone trooper seen in the film is computer generated, with motion capture performed by Industrial Light & Magic(ILM) employees.
· Count Dooku is also known as Darth Tyrannus.
· The troopers have color coding on their armor. This is an indication of rank. Yellow markings are worn by Commanders, Red markings are worn by Captains, Blue markings are worn by Lieutenants, and Green markings are worn by Sergeants.
· There is a purpose for the sails on Count Dooku’s ship. They are solar sails. NASA has been experimenting with this idea for decades. It’s a concept based on real science. The idea is that the solar wind energy from a star could be caught by large sails to push a spacecraft through interstellar space.
· There is a difference between the film print versio
Post
#28342
Topic
The Phantom Menace trivia
Time
The Phantom Menace trivia
· Sets were built only as high as the tops of the actors' heads and computer graphics filled in the rest. But Liam Neeson was so tall that he cost the set crew an extra $150,000 in construction.
· Qui-Gon Jinn's communicator is a redecorated Sensor Excel Razor for Women.
· Queen Amidala's throne-room dress took eight weeks to design.
· The special effects teams creating the podrace studied NASCAR crash footage extensively to assure accuracy in the crashes.
· The design of queen Amidala's space ship, is based on the design of the supersonic spy plane "SR71 Blackbird".
· The first film to be recorded in Dolby Digital Surround EX.
· Director George Lucas has said that there are a couple of shots in the movie that were "filmed" on digital video instead of 35 mm film. He also said that he dares anyone to try and figure out which shots these were.
· In 1997, a fierce sandstorm destroyed several of the Tatooine sets in the desert outside Tozeur, Tunisia. Filming resumed two days later. George Lucas considered this a good omen, as the very same thing had happened during filming of the original Star Wars (1977).
· During filming Ewan McGregor made lightsaber noises as he dueled. It was noted and corrected during post production.
· In a scene in the Skywalker home, George Lucas digitally altered Jake Lloyd I's eyes to look in a different direction momentarily.
· Natalie Portman's voice was digitally enhanced to distinguish between Padme and Queen Amidala.
· The sound of the underwater monsters growling near the beginning of the film was made by the main sound technician's three-year-old daughter. The sound of her crying was recorded, and the frequency lowered to obtain the sound heard in the film.
· The sound of the hovering battle tanks used by the battle droids was created by running an electric razor around a metal salad bowl and then digitally lowering the pitch.
· In scenes where Padme and Queen Amidala appear together, Natalie Portman is Padme, while Kiera Knightley is Sabe, one of the handmaidens disguised as the Queen.
· The "water" cascading over the falls in the Naboo capital city was actually salt.
· During filming, Natalie Portman's voice kept changing. In post production, she re-dubbed her lines. The senate scene took eight weeks to do.
· The Naboo Palace setting was also the ballroom set for the Frankenstein family mansion in Geneva used in Frankenstein (1994). Celia Imrie appears in both movies.
· The sound of the "force field" in the lightsaber duel with Darth Maul began as a recording of the audio supervisor's neighbor's ceiling fan.
· In the original trilogy, lightsaber activations and deactivations happened off-screen most of the time to prevent the "jumps" that would occur when the film was stopped to allow the "activated" lightsaber props to be substituted for the deactivated handles. This no longer poses a problem and every activation/deactivation occurs on-screen in Episode I.
· Anakin's theme is a musical variation on the Imperial March (a.k.a. Darth Vader's Theme) from Star Wars – Ep. V : The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
· The parade music at the end of the film is melodically related to the Emperor's Theme from Star Wars - Ep.VI : Return Of The Jedi (1983).
· Qui-Gon Jinn identifies the Queen's starship as a Nubian model J-327. "327" was the number of the landing bay where the Millennium Falcon landed on the first Death Star in Star Wars (1977) as well as the number of the landing platform in Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
· A pod from the Discovery in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) can be seen behind Qui-Gon in Watto's junkyard.
· A group of aliens resembling E.T. [from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)], and a group of creatures resembling the aliens from Alien (1979), can be seen in the Galactic Senate chamber shortly after Queen Amidala calls for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum.
· When the crew lands on Tatooine, as they step out, a silhouette of Elliot and ET flying can be seen in the sky.
· Jar Jar's antics during the climactic battle echo scenes from classic silent comedies. Ball rolling down hill after Jar Jar: Seven Chances (1925). Gun tied to foot firing: The Navigator (1924). Hanging from gun turret: Girl Shy (1924).
· Many details of the pod race resemble the Norwegian animation classic Flåklypa Grand Prix (1975), including the sabotage, the late start, the engine trouble, the dirty tricks and even elements of the camerawork.
· The video and sound effect of Queen Amidala's message when she contacts the federation ship at the beginning of the movie via video transmission is a reference to the "Flash Gordon Serials" of the 1930s, where video transmissions always start with the same video and sound effect.
· Ewan McGregor, who plays Obi-Wan Kenobi, is the nephew of Denis Lawson, who played Rebel pilot Wedge Antilles in Star Wars episodes IV, V, & VI.
· Queen Amidala protects herself by posing as one of her own underlings. The same ploy was used by the President of the United States in Superman II (1980) to conceal his identity from General Zod, played by Terence Stamp - who plays Chancellor Valorum in this film.
· George Lucas reportedly wrote The Phantom Menace in the same binder of yellow ruled paper in which he wrote the original "Star Wars" as well as American Graffiti (1973).
· In the credits, Jabba The Hutt is credited as playing "himself."
· Obi-Wan has "a bad feeling about this" quite often. See also Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983).
· Neimoidian senator Lott Dod was named after two real-life US senators, Trent Lott (R-Mississippi) and Christopher Dodd (D-Connecticut).
· After the film's end credits finish rolling, the sound effect of Darth Vader's breathing can be heard.
· Greg Proops' and Scott Capurro's credits are reversed. Proops plays Beed Annodue, the red, English-speaking pod-race announcer, and Capurro plays Fode Annodue, the green, Huttese-speaking announcer.
· During the first week of the first trailer's release, many theatres reported up to 75% of their audiences paying full price for a movie, then walking out after the Phantom Menace trailer was shown.
· Among the props in the background aboard the ship as the group leaves Tatooine are three Hewlett-Packard Inkjet cartridges.
· When Palpatine lands at Naboo at the end of the film, he's accompanied by guards dressed in blue. The guard's costumes are essentially the red Emperor's guards seen in Return of the Jedi (1983) without full face masks.
· Natalie Portman (Queen Amidala) missed the premiere party in New York because she had to go home to study for her high school final exams.
· The pseudonym used by the Queen, "Padme," is the Sanskrit word for "lotus." It is a common word in Buddhism. "Yoda" is also derived from the Sanskrit word for "warrior."
· The film contains no acting credit for the character of Darth Sidious.
· Like a Shakespearean play, this film's final dialogue is a rhyming couplet: "Always two there are, no more, no less: a master and an apprentice." "But which was destroyed? The master or the apprentice?"
· Theatres receiving the first trailer and posters were warned in writing to return them to the distributor (Twentieth Century Fox) on time or risk not receiving further media, and possibly the film itself. This was done to attempt to prevent the "black-market" sale of the incredibly popular trailer.
· The events of this film take place 32 years before Star Wars (1977). Ten years pass between Episodes I and II; 2 years between Episodes II and III; and 20 years between Episode III and Star Wars.
· In the German language version of the film, the collaborating Trade Federation leaders have a French accent, while in the Italian language version they
Post
#28340
Topic
Attack Of The Clones trivia
Time
Attack Of The Clones trivia
· Actors auditioning for the part of Anakin included Ryan Phillippe, Paul Walker I, and Colin Hanks.
· Australian actress Claudia Karvan was cast as Amidala's (Natalie Portman) sister and shot a scene involving the whole family, but the scene was cut.
· Like Ewan McGregor in The Phantom Menace, Hayden Christensen made "lightsaber noises" the first time he was handed one in rehearsal. After chuckling at the young star's antics, George Lucas informed him that they probably had people in Sound Effects who could do a better job in post production.
· The Tatooine garage in which Luke cleaned the droids in Star Wars (1977) was rebuilt for this movie, but not completely: while the foreground and background were complete sets in the original film, only the foreground was rebuilt for Episode II; the background is digital.
· This was the first film to have an On-Location film shown once a week to document the shooting process. After the success of this feature, other films adopted the same process.
· Shoot onto Digital Video using a new 24 frame High Definition Progressive scan camera, developed by Sony and Panavision Inc. The cameras worked flawlessly even in temperatures of 125 degrees (F)
· Was shot on exactly the same stages as Moulin Rouge! (2001) , also starring Ewan McGregor.
· C-3PO was originally to have made his first appearance still in skeletal form.. In post-production, Lucas decided to have C-3PO be complete throughout the film.
· Liam Neeson was to make an appearance in this film as a spirit just as Sir Alec Guinness had done in Episodes V & VI, but injuries sustained in motorcycle accident in early 2000 prevented him from working. Instead his voice can be heard in Yoda's thoughts right after Anakin kills the tribe of Tuskin Raiders.
· This is the first Star Wars film in which the camera tilts up after the opening text scroll. In all the other Star Wars films, the camera tilts down after the opening text.
· Instead of creating a new C-3PO suit for the film, the designers repainted and "aged" one used in the original trilogy.
· There is no mystical significance in the color of Mace Windu's lightsaber. Samuel L. Jackson, after a jokey conversation with stunt coordinator Nick Gillard, asked Lucas if he could have a purple lightsaber and Lucas agreed. In an interview on UK TV, Jackson said he "thought it would be cool".
· This is the first "Star Wars" film in which Yoda (Frank Oz) is entirely computer-generated. Oz was only required on the set to help the actors with the voice of Yoda.
· Rumors that Darth Sidious' next apprentice will be named Darth Kimball, possibly played by Rufus Sewell are false.
· When Anakin and Obi-Wan pursue Padmé's wannabe Assassin into the bar at Coruscant there's the Video Game "StarWars – Episode 1 : Pod Racers" running on the very left of the vidscreens.
· At a recent conference during the Megacon 2002 in Orlando,Florida, Kenny Baker I said that he will be most definitely be returning to play R2-D2 for Episode III.
· The Clone Wars were mentioned by Princess Leia during her recorded speech to Obi Wan Kenobi via R2-D2 in Star Wars (1977).
· According to visual-effects supervisor John Knoll, a big cow-like creature that Anakin and Padmé frolic around in the fields with, can be seen in the asteroid belt that Obi-Wan flies through. One asteroid has legs.
· Samuel L. Jackson is reported to have "B.M.F." engraved into the handle of his lightsaber. B.M.F. is short for "Bad Mother Fucker" and was written on Jules' (Samuel L. Jackson) wallet in Pulp Fiction (1994).
· When Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin (Hayden Christensen) enter the bar on Coruscant to search for the assassin known as ´Zam Wesell´(Leanna Walsman), several actors from the Star Wars movies (whose faces are not seen due to costumes make-up or CGI) can be spotted, including Ahmed Best (voice of Jar Jar Binks) whom Anakin touches on the shoulder and Anthony Daniels (C-3P0).
· C-3PO's line "It appears he has a message from an Obi-Wan Kenobi. Master Anakin, do you know what he's talking about?" is a homage to his line in Star Wars: A New Hope about the message from Princess Leia to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
· The final shot of Padmé and Anakin looking out on the lake in Naboo with R2-D2 and C-3PO to their right is a reproduction of the final shot of The Empire Strikes Back (1980), where Luke and Leia are looking out into space from the ship with R2-D2 and C-3PO to their right.
· Anakin Skywalker says the line "I have a bad feeling about this" while tied up in the arena. This line is also in episode I, IV, V & VI.
· When Anakin and Padmé's ship land on Naboo, a ship resembling the Millennium Falcon can be seen on the landing platform.
· Just before Anakin goes to search for his mother on Tatooine, he has a conversation with Senator Amidala. The camera pans to their shadows as they talk, and Anakin's resembles that of Darth Vader.
· Obi-Wan says to Anakin " Why do I have the feeling you'll be the death of me?" In Star Wars (1977), Obi-Wan is killed by Anakin/Darth Vader.
· The yellow speeder that Anakin and Obi-Wan use while chasing Zam Wesell, appears to be inspired by the yellow '32 Ford coupe from Lucas' American Graffiti (1973)
· George Lucas' daughter Katie appears as a dancer in the nightclub scene. George Lucas' son Jet appears as a young Jedi in the Jedi Archive scene with Obi Wan Kenobi and the librarian.
· After his fight with Obi-Wan, Jango Fett bumps his head on the door as he's boarding his ship. A stormtrooper also bumps his head on a door in the Death Star in Star Wars (1977).
· During the Coruscant chase scene, x-wings can be seen chasing tie fighters in the "streets" far below.
· When Anakin awakens from his nightmare on Naboo and meditates on the balcony at dawn, a yin and yang symbol shaped cloud in the sunrise.
· The chain that holds Count Dooku's cloak around his neck is similar to the chain on Darth Vader's cloak.
· SPOILER: Anakin looses his right lower arm. Luke looses his right hand in The Empire Strikes Back. Darth Vader looses his right hand in Return Of The Jedi.
· Every film in the series begins with a ship going somewhere. This movie opens with the queen's ship going to Coruscant.
· Every movie in the series closes with a scene with no dialogue. This movie ends with a ceremony with the main characters looking at one another, then out over the lake.
· In the final battle nearly 90% of the music heard is temp-tracked from John Williams' score of The Phantom Menace. The music originally written for the battle between the clones and the droids was not used, but can in parts be heard on the Soundtrack. The Bonus Track 'On The Conveyor Belt' on the Special-Edition-Soundtrack was meant to be heard in the scenes around the droid factory, but also didn't make the final cut.
· While Anakin is killing the Tusken Raiders, you can hear Darth Vader's breathing in the background.
· Despite Animation Director Rob Coleman's pleas to the contrary, not a single clone trooper suit was ever built. Every single clone trooper seen in the film is computer generated, with motion capture performed by Industrial Light & Magic(ILM) employees.
· Count Dooku is also known as Darth Tyrannus.
· The troopers have color coding on their armor. This is an indication of rank. Yellow markings are worn by Commanders, Red markings are worn by Captains, Blue markings are worn by Lieutenants, and Green markings are worn by Sergeants.
· There is a purpose for the sails on Count Dooku’s ship. They are solar sails. NASA has been experimenting with this idea for decades. It’s a concept based on real science. The idea is that the solar wind energy from a star could be caught by large sails to push a spacecraft through interstellar space.
· There is a difference between the film print versio
Post
#28339
Topic
The Phantom Menace trivia
Time
The Phantom Menace trivia
· Sets were built only as high as the tops of the actors' heads and computer graphics filled in the rest. But Liam Neeson was so tall that he cost the set crew an extra $150,000 in construction.
· Qui-Gon Jinn's communicator is a redecorated Sensor Excel Razor for Women.
· Queen Amidala's throne-room dress took eight weeks to design.
· The special effects teams creating the podrace studied NASCAR crash footage extensively to assure accuracy in the crashes.
· The design of queen Amidala's space ship, is based on the design of the supersonic spy plane "SR71 Blackbird".
· The first film to be recorded in Dolby Digital Surround EX.
· Director George Lucas has said that there are a couple of shots in the movie that were "filmed" on digital video instead of 35 mm film. He also said that he dares anyone to try and figure out which shots these were.
· In 1997, a fierce sandstorm destroyed several of the Tatooine sets in the desert outside Tozeur, Tunisia. Filming resumed two days later. George Lucas considered this a good omen, as the very same thing had happened during filming of the original Star Wars (1977).
· During filming Ewan McGregor made lightsaber noises as he dueled. It was noted and corrected during post production.
· In a scene in the Skywalker home, George Lucas digitally altered Jake Lloyd I's eyes to look in a different direction momentarily.
· Natalie Portman's voice was digitally enhanced to distinguish between Padme and Queen Amidala.
· The sound of the underwater monsters growling near the beginning of the film was made by the main sound technician's three-year-old daughter. The sound of her crying was recorded, and the frequency lowered to obtain the sound heard in the film.
· The sound of the hovering battle tanks used by the battle droids was created by running an electric razor around a metal salad bowl and then digitally lowering the pitch.
· In scenes where Padme and Queen Amidala appear together, Natalie Portman is Padme, while Kiera Knightley is Sabe, one of the handmaidens disguised as the Queen.
· The "water" cascading over the falls in the Naboo capital city was actually salt.
· During filming, Natalie Portman's voice kept changing. In post production, she re-dubbed her lines. The senate scene took eight weeks to do.
· The Naboo Palace setting was also the ballroom set for the Frankenstein family mansion in Geneva used in Frankenstein (1994). Celia Imrie appears in both movies.
· The sound of the "force field" in the lightsaber duel with Darth Maul began as a recording of the audio supervisor's neighbor's ceiling fan.
· In the original trilogy, lightsaber activations and deactivations happened off-screen most of the time to prevent the "jumps" that would occur when the film was stopped to allow the "activated" lightsaber props to be substituted for the deactivated handles. This no longer poses a problem and every activation/deactivation occurs on-screen in Episode I.
· Anakin's theme is a musical variation on the Imperial March (a.k.a. Darth Vader's Theme) from Star Wars – Ep. V : The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
· The parade music at the end of the film is melodically related to the Emperor's Theme from Star Wars - Ep.VI : Return Of The Jedi (1983).
· Qui-Gon Jinn identifies the Queen's starship as a Nubian model J-327. "327" was the number of the landing bay where the Millennium Falcon landed on the first Death Star in Star Wars (1977) as well as the number of the landing platform in Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
· A pod from the Discovery in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) can be seen behind Qui-Gon in Watto's junkyard.
· A group of aliens resembling E.T. [from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)], and a group of creatures resembling the aliens from Alien (1979), can be seen in the Galactic Senate chamber shortly after Queen Amidala calls for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum.
· When the crew lands on Tatooine, as they step out, a silhouette of Elliot and ET flying can be seen in the sky.
· Jar Jar's antics during the climactic battle echo scenes from classic silent comedies. Ball rolling down hill after Jar Jar: Seven Chances (1925). Gun tied to foot firing: The Navigator (1924). Hanging from gun turret: Girl Shy (1924).
· Many details of the pod race resemble the Norwegian animation classic Flåklypa Grand Prix (1975), including the sabotage, the late start, the engine trouble, the dirty tricks and even elements of the camerawork.
· The video and sound effect of Queen Amidala's message when she contacts the federation ship at the beginning of the movie via video transmission is a reference to the "Flash Gordon Serials" of the 1930s, where video transmissions always start with the same video and sound effect.
· Ewan McGregor, who plays Obi-Wan Kenobi, is the nephew of Denis Lawson, who played Rebel pilot Wedge Antilles in Star Wars episodes IV, V, & VI.
· Queen Amidala protects herself by posing as one of her own underlings. The same ploy was used by the President of the United States in Superman II (1980) to conceal his identity from General Zod, played by Terence Stamp - who plays Chancellor Valorum in this film.
· George Lucas reportedly wrote The Phantom Menace in the same binder of yellow ruled paper in which he wrote the original "Star Wars" as well as American Graffiti (1973).
· In the credits, Jabba The Hutt is credited as playing "himself."
· Obi-Wan has "a bad feeling about this" quite often. See also Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983).
· Neimoidian senator Lott Dod was named after two real-life US senators, Trent Lott (R-Mississippi) and Christopher Dodd (D-Connecticut).
· After the film's end credits finish rolling, the sound effect of Darth Vader's breathing can be heard.
· Greg Proops' and Scott Capurro's credits are reversed. Proops plays Beed Annodue, the red, English-speaking pod-race announcer, and Capurro plays Fode Annodue, the green, Huttese-speaking announcer.
· During the first week of the first trailer's release, many theatres reported up to 75% of their audiences paying full price for a movie, then walking out after the Phantom Menace trailer was shown.
· Among the props in the background aboard the ship as the group leaves Tatooine are three Hewlett-Packard Inkjet cartridges.
· When Palpatine lands at Naboo at the end of the film, he's accompanied by guards dressed in blue. The guard's costumes are essentially the red Emperor's guards seen in Return of the Jedi (1983) without full face masks.
· Natalie Portman (Queen Amidala) missed the premiere party in New York because she had to go home to study for her high school final exams.
· The pseudonym used by the Queen, "Padme," is the Sanskrit word for "lotus." It is a common word in Buddhism. "Yoda" is also derived from the Sanskrit word for "warrior."
· The film contains no acting credit for the character of Darth Sidious.
· Like a Shakespearean play, this film's final dialogue is a rhyming couplet: "Always two there are, no more, no less: a master and an apprentice." "But which was destroyed? The master or the apprentice?"
· Theatres receiving the first trailer and posters were warned in writing to return them to the distributor (Twentieth Century Fox) on time or risk not receiving further media, and possibly the film itself. This was done to attempt to prevent the "black-market" sale of the incredibly popular trailer.
· The events of this film take place 32 years before Star Wars (1977). Ten years pass between Episodes I and II; 2 years between Episodes II and III; and 20 years between Episode III and Star Wars.
· In the German language version of the film, the collaborating Trade Federation leaders have a French accent, while in the Italian language version they
Post
#28338
Topic
Return Of The Jedi trivia
Time
Return of the Jedi trivia
· David Lynch was originally offered the chance to direct this episode of the series. He turned it down because he believed it was "Lucas' thing."
· Director David Cronenberg was offered the chance to direct.
· The dual stripes painted on rebel A-wing fighters were originally blue, but were changed to red because the blue made it a problem when filming blue-screen effects.
· SFX crew claim to have included a "sneaker" as one of the spaceships in a complex dog-fight scene [see also trivia for The Empire Strikes Back (1980)].
· Jabba's sail barge was filmed in Yuma, Arizona. The film crew had problems avoiding the 35,000 dune buggy enthusiasts in the area. To preserve secrecy, the producers claimed to be making a horror film called "Blue Harvest (Horror beyond your imagination)", and even had caps and t-shirts made up for the crew. A chain-link fence and a 24-hour security service could not prevent die-hard fans from entering the set and sneaking some photographs.
· The main chamber of Jabba's palace is connected to the entrance by a short flight of steps. When filming the scene where R2-D2 enters the chamber it was discovered that the droid could not roll down the stairs. In the movie we see R2-D2 approaching the stairs, then the camera moves to the left past the steps and the droid re-enters the field of view, having been manually hauled down the stairs.
· The Endor shots were filmed near Crescent City, California. Forest work was especially hard on the Ewok actors. Production Assistant Ian Bryce arrived on the set one day to find a note from the Ewok actors saying that they had all had enough and they were on their way to the airport. Bryce tried to drive to the airport, but got a flat tire not far from the set. He found another car and was about to leave when the Ewoks' bus pulled up, and all the Ewok actors got off wearing "Revenge of the Ewok" t-shirts.
· The primitive warrior tribe at the end of this film was originally supposed to be a tribe of Wookiees. In pre-production, though, the decision was made to go "cute" (probably for merchandising reasons) and, hence, the Ewoks were created (by rearranging the sounds in the word "Wookiee").
· Among the aliens in Jabba the Hutt's entourage are ones named "Klaatu," "Barada" and "Nikto," after the command given to the robot Gort in The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951). The aliens are not referred to by name in the film, nor do they have any lines.
· Luke's hand gets shot. Leia gets shot in the shoulder. Luke cuts off Darth Vader's hand. See also Star Wars (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
· The Bounty Hunter later makes an appearance in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode where Worf and company are held prisoner by the Dominion.
· Several Ewok lines are in the Filipino (Tagalog) language.
· The film originally included a sandstorm scene that occurred after Han's rescue. It was cut because it was unnecessary and was hectic to shoot.
· The dancer that Jabba drops into the Rancor pit loses her top as she falls in.
· Carrie Fisher's birthmark (near the small of her back) is visible in the desert scene where she turns her back to the camera to swing around a mounted laser gun.
· Rumour has it that Nien Numb speaks a Kenyan dialect, and one of his lines is "One thousand herds of elephants are standing on my foot".
· It is rumored that a different ending was shot, but discarded later on. It featured the (long awaited) marriage between Leia Organa and Han Solo. Dark Horse's Comic "Dark Empire" is based on that fact and presents Han and Leia as a married couple.
· Denis Lawson, who played Wedge Antilles in Star Wars (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980) plays Wedge in this film, despite the rumors to the contrary which were caused by his name being misspelt ("Dennis Lawson") in the credits of Star Wars (1977). Intense debate on Usenet prompted Jarod Nash to write a letter to Lawson, asking for clarification. Lawson confirmed that he indeed played in all three movies.
· The name "Ewok" is never used to refer to the teddy-bear creatures in the film, though it does appear in the credits.
· Darth Vader's body was played by David Prowse, his voice by James Earl Jones and his face by Sebastian Shaw.
· One of the songs that the Ewoks sing sounds like: "Det luktar flingor har", which is Swedish for "It smells of cereal here." (In fact, that line's lyrics are supposedly, "G'noop dock fling oh ah.") Another song sounds identical to a song sung in Caveman (1981).
· The title "Revenge Of The Jedi" was leaked early in production, so that pirated merchandise could be easily spotted when the film was released. The official reason for the change was that "...a Jedi would not take revenge". Some authentic pre-release movie posters actually had "Revenge", and are worth a lot of money today.
· Portions of the partially completed Death Star model resemble the San Francisco skyline.
· At the end, when Luke cremates Darth Vader, he starts the fire at big toe of his right foot. He also apparently walks around the pyre. Those details and the style of the pyre correspond to Hindu tradition.
· David Prowse, who played Darth Vader's body in three films, was unaware of the planned unmasking scene in which a different actor, Sebastian Shaw, played Vader's face.
· The name Anakin is the accusative of the greek noun Anax, meaning "lord."
· The name Palpatine was based on the name Palatine in the film, Taxi Driver (1976). It was changed to avoid legal problems.
· Kasdan and Lucas initially wanted to include the "victory over the Empire" shots on the imperial city. However, they were unable to get a satisfactory name for the capital planet of the Empire. In May 1991, author Timothy Zahn wrote the first Star Wars spin-off book, Heir to The Empire, and came out with the capital planet's name as Coruscant. Lucas was happy with the name and as the result, CG shots of victory celebration sequences of other cities, including Coruscant (where the statue collapsed) was included in the 1997 Special Edition.
· Watts, Robert Watts II, a co-producer of the film, doubles as the scout walker driver who is thrown out of the scout walker by Chewbacca.
· One of the words C-3PO uses to communicate with the Ewoks is "naboo" which is the name of the main planet in The Phantom Menace (1999)
· The victory trumpet call that the Ewoks used at the end of the Battle Of Endor was the same as the trumpet call that was used in The Ten Commandments. It can be heard when the Jews are about to leave Egypt for the Promised Land.
· The sounds of the "speederbikes" were used in Daisenki (1993) in the final battle as the UFO´s sounds.
· Princess Leia is the best shot. She never misses. See Star Wars.
· Before filming began, it was discovered that all of Darth Vader's lightsaber props had either been lost or stolen. Thus, one of Luke Skywalker's "stunt" saber props from The Empire Strikes Back (1980) had to be quickly cannibalized into a "Vader-esque" saber for this film.
· Character who has "a bad feeling about this": C-3PO. See also Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980)The Phantom Menace (1999) and Attack Of The Clones (2002).
· Wedge Antillies (Denis Lawson) is the only minor Star Wars character to survive the Battles of Yavin, Hoth, and Endor.
· Return Of The Jedi’s original theatrical release was May 25, 1983.
Post
#28337
Topic
The Empire Strikes Back trivia
Time
The Empire Strikes Back trivia
· Mark Hamill was involved in a minor car accident before shooting began, and many rumours exist regarding facial injuries and script rewrites. The magazine "Starlog" (#40) contains an interview with Hamill where he attempts to dispel the rumours.
· In the asteroid scene, one of the asteroids is actually a shoe. The rumor is that George Lucas asked the SFX people to redo the scene so many times that they got annoyed and one of them threw in their shoe.
· Another of the asteroids is actually a potato. It appears just as the Millennium Falcon first enters the field. Two asteroids travel from the top left to the bottom right corner of the screen. Just after the second asteroid leaves the screen a third one appears in the top left corner. This is the potato.
· Lighting for SFX was so strong that several models melted.
· The AT-AT's were based on gantry cranes which are used in most shipping ports in the US. Walking patterns of elephants were studied to make the movements seem as realistic as possible.
· Further scenes with the Wampa were shot, and later cut. R2-D2 encountered one within the Rebel base, where it was killed by troopers. Later, the beasts were lured into a prison within the complex. In the completed film, a medical droid is seen examining the wounds of a tauntaun killed by a Wampa, and Princess Leia mentions the "creatures" while discussing the Imperial probe droid. A scene filmed but cut had Han, Leia and C-3PO running through a corridor. Han went to take a short-cut through a door with a sign on it, but Leia warned him "that's where those creatures are kept". They run off, but not before C-3PO rips off the sign, hoping that the stormtroopers will enter the room.
· The blasters used by the stormtroopers were constructed from Sterling L2A3 Mk 4 submachine guns.
· Security surrounding this movie was so intense that George Lucas had regular reports about "leaks" from actors. Lucas was so determined that the ending be kept secret that he had actor David Prowse (Darth Vader) say "Obi Wan Kenobi is your father" ("Obi-Wan killed your father" by some reports), and dubbed it later to be "I am your father".
· During the carbonite freezing chamber scene, both Jeremy Bulloch and David Prowse had to remove their helmets every three minutes because the steam from the floor made their costumes hot and heavy.
· The scene where Solo was hit by the toolbox as well as hitting the control panels were improvised on the set. At first, the crew were afraid of shooting it, but Kershner finally persuaded them to do so, saying "Come on, that's fun. Let's do it!"
· The two other scenes, which are the swamps of Dagobah; and the asteroid's creature (which has the Millenium Falcon) was done on the same sound stage used for the interior backgrounds of the Echo base in Hoth
· The scenes where R2-D2 is submerged in the mud pool were shot in George Lucas' unfinished swimming pool. Most of the crew were hidden under the water and the entire sequence was shot by Lucas himself.
· On Hoth, General Rieekan says "Send Rogues 10 and 11 to sector 38," a veiled reference to THX 1138 (1970).
· Luke cuts off the Wampa's arm. C-3PO loses an arm when blasted by the Stormtroopers. Darth Vader cuts off Luke's hand. See also Star Wars (1977) and Return Of The Jedi (1983).
· The following characters "have a bad feeling about this": Leia. See also: Star Wars (1977) and Return Of The Jedi (1983).
· Jeremy Bulloch, who plays Boba Fett, is producer Robert Watts II's half-brother.
· Denis Lawson plays Wedge Antilles. Wedge was not originally scripted to appear in this film, but intense fan interest prompted Lucas to include him. See also Return of the Jedi (1983).
· Leigh Brackett succumbed to cancer shortly after completing her first draft of the script of the film.
· The voiceover line "The first transport is away" during the Rebel evacuation is delivered by Mark Hamill.
· Mark Hamill's wife gave birth to their first son early one morning, and Mark went straight from the hospital to shooting. This was the day they filmed the shots of Luke hanging by the weather vane below Cloud City, on Bespin.
· According to the book "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye", this story begins four years after the events in "Star Wars".
· An extra fell sick, and Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett) was called in as a replacement. He can be seen as the Imperial Guard who pulls Princess Leia into the elevator after she screams "Luke! It's a trap!". He can also be seen as the Imperial Guard who is captured by Lando Calrissian's men.
· When Han Solo is about to be frozen, Princess Leia says, "I love you." In the original script, Han Solo was supposed to say, "I love you, too" but after having to reshoot the scene several times, Harrison Ford became annoyed and simply remarked "I know." This line stuck.
· Lucas' "Force" in the Star Wars movies probably derives from the Asian religion of Taoism. Wherein, there is a life force (or Tao) present in all living things that surrounds and joins everything. As well as the belief that to obtain true balance in life, you must become one with the Tao, and allow it to guide you.
· The name of the fierce cave creatures - Wampa(s) - bear curious likeness to "Wumpus" which many (computer) nerds of the late 70's and early 80's recognize as a hideous monster that lives in a cave.
· Luke is upside-down at the beginning (Wampa cave), in the middle (training on Dagobah), and at the end (below Cloud City). He uses the Force each time
· The Empire Strikes Back’s original theatrical release was May 21, 1980.
Post
#28335
Topic
Favorite Christmas Songs
Time
Here's a list of my all time favorites.


Run Rudolph, Run by Chuck Berry
Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! by Vaughn Monroe
Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms
Sleigh Ride by Johnny Mathis
Walking In The Winter Wonderland by Johnny Mathis
Here Comes Santa Claus by Elvis Presley
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town by Perry Como
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by Perry Como
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer by Burl Ives
Have A Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives

...and more that I can't think of right now.
Post
#28080
Topic
Saddam Hussein Captured!
Time
I still say they should be looking for Osama bin Laden instead. Saddam Hussein isn't smart enough to be a threat to a nation like the United States. Osama bin Laden planned and carried out his attacks and yet he's still at large and he's all but forgotten about. What's up with that?


Quote

IIRC, the DNA tests were already made, and he's a 100% pure refined Saddam - best served with tomatoes and cucumbers


Are you crazy? That's like asking the evil Queen for a poisoned apple
Post
#27854
Topic
Senate Passes Anti-Spam Bill
Time
First Felony Spam Arrest In U.S.

Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore has announced the nation's first felony charges and arrest for sending spam. Using Virginia's new Anti-Spam law, a grand jury indicted Jeremy Jaynes (a.k.a., "Jeremy James" and "Gaven Stubberfield"), regarded as the eighth-worst spam distributor in the world.

Using the "Report Spam" button on the mailbox, AOL members provided thousands of complaints that were used by the Commonwealth of Virginia to help investigate and indict the defendant, according to the Attorney General's office.

The new law is considered the toughest in the nation and was used as the model for the criminal portion of the federal legislation that was recently passed by Congress.

Law enforcement authorities arrested Jaynes in Raleigh, North Carolina, and charged him with four felony counts of using fraudulent means to transmit unsolicited bulk e-mail, which may be prosecuted in Virginia if any part of the illegal transactions take place in any locality in the Commonwealth. (AOL's offices are located in Dulles, Virginia.)

"Gaven Stubberfield" is listed as the eighth-most prolific spammer by the Register of Known Spam Operations. If convicted, Jaynes could face up to 20 years in prison and $10,000 in fines -- the four felony charges each carry punishment of one to five years in prison, a fine of up to $2,500, or both.

In 2002 and early 2003, AOL worked with industry leaders, state lawmakers, and Attorney General Kilgore's office to craft a new anti-spam state law that would levy strong criminal penalties on large-scale spammers who used tactics of fraud, falsification and deceit to send the most egregious and offensive junk e-mails to AOL members. After adoption of the law by the Virginia General Assembly, AOL hosted a ceremony at its corporate headquarters on April 29, where Governor Mark Warner signed the bill.

The criminal indictment comes as AOL continues to vigorously pursue civil litigation filed earlier this year against over a dozen individuals alleged to have spammed AOL members with almost one billion junk e-mails
Post
#26971
Topic
Senate Passes Anti-Spam Bill
Time
I got this from AOL News, so I know this isn't a hoax.

Senate Passes Anti-Spam Bill
House Must Now Approve Minor Changes
By Andy Sullivan, AP


WASHINGTON (Nov. 25) - The Senate signed off Tuesday on a bill that would outlaw the most annoying forms of junk e-mail and create a 'do not spam' registry, bringing the first national anti-spam law one step closer to reality.

Online marketers who flood e-mail in boxes with pornography and get-rich-quick schemes would face jail time and multimillion-dollar fines under the measure, which passed by a voice vote.

The bill has now passed both chambers of Congress, but the House of Representatives must still approve minor technical changes before sending it to the White House, Senate aides said. President Bush is expected to sign it into law by the end of the year.

'The big-time spammers are going to face some consequences when they flood our citizens with this trash and this pornography,' said Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, a bill sponsor.

Since the first spam bill was introduced in Congress in 1998, unsolicited commercial e-mail, or spam, has grown from a nuisance to a plague that threatens to overwhelm the Internet's most popular means of communication.

Spam now makes up more than half of all e-mail, according to several surveys, and even online marketers have come to support some restrictions.

Lawmakers said spam has become a top constituent concern.

'We don't get too excited about doing anything here until the folks at home get excited, or enough of them, and they form a critical mass for us to take action,' said Montana Republican Sen. Conrad Burns, who together with Wyden first introduced an anti-spam bill four years ago.
The bill would not outlaw all unsolicited commercial e-mail. Businesses could send messages to anyone with an e-mail address as long as they identified themselves clearly and honored consumer requests to leave them alone.

But the bill would ban a variety of favorite spammer tactics, such as using false return addresses. Pornographic e-mail would have to be clearly labeled, and commercial 'text messages' to cell phones would be prohibited unless users expressly permitted them.

The bill also would authorizes the Federal Trade Commission to set up a 'Do Not Spam' registry of Internet users who wish to receive no unsolicited e-mail at all, similar to the FTC's popular 'Do Not Call' list.

The FTC told Congress earlier this year that such a list would not be effective, as rogue spammers would simply ignore it.

'My answer to the FTC? Try it. We don't have anything better,' said New York Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer, who pushed for inclusion of the no-spam list. 'It's not going to solve everything, but it's the best tool we have.'

Lawmakers faced additional pressure to put a national law into place after a tough anti-spam bill was approved by the California legislature earlier this year, causing online marketers to protest that they would have a hard time complying with a patchwork of state laws.

The bill approved by Congress would override 35 state anti-spam laws, some of which prohibit all unsolicited e-mail or allow consumers to sue spammers directly.

The national bill would prohibit consumer lawsuits but allow Internet service providers like EarthLink Inc. to sue for damages.

Many anti-spam activists say the bill is worse than none at all because it would encourage businesses to send more e-mail.

'Congress displayed their contempt for the states and their respect for corporate lobbyists,' said Jason Catlett, president of Junkbusters Corp., a consulting firm that seeks to curb direct marketing. 'The punishment for this arrogance will fall on everyone in the form of more spam.'


11-25-03 14:40 EST

Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
Post
#10337
Topic
board ethics
Time
I'm kind of different. I use both for different things. I throw a football or a baseball with my left arm. But then, I turn a ratchet or wrench with my right hand. You could also say that my right hand is my write hand. When it comes to stomping a can or kicking a ball, I use my right foot. I have a great respect for people that are ambidextrous. Especially since there's so few people that are.
Post
#2428
Topic
What do you think? Does this petition make a difference?
Time
I hope you weren't talking about me, Luke. I don't know about the rest of the posters here, but i'm thinking positive thoughts about it. As i implied in my previous post, this petition is the only thing that gave me any hope at all for the original theatrical version. Preferably without "Episode IV: A New Hope" added to the opening crawl of Star Wars. But my point is, thanks to this petition i now have faith that it'll happen. And like I pointed out, there's always a chance it could happen in 2007 as a 30th Anniversary release. Only time will tell.
Post
#2187
Topic
What do you think? Does this petition make a difference?
Time
I believe the original theatrical versions are dead in the water. A petition such as this one is about the only thing that will resurrect them. 21,672(and still counting) confirmed signatures may not be as much as 30,000, but it's still a lot. Even if he doesn't release the original versions come 2005, there's still a chance he'll do it for the 30th anniversary of Star Wars in May of 2007. There's even a really slim chance that he might change his mind about it for no apparent reason.