The Fwoosh has a sneak preview up of an upcoming DCUC Blue Beetle figure.  Looks pretty nice.

Newsarama has the first review up (from the AP) of the upcoming Clone Wars movie.  It seemed pretty positive overall, and mentioned a few times "returning to the fun of the Original Trilogy".  I hope that is true, and I'm looking forward to checking it out.

Just read about this new game over at Newsarama yesterday, sounds like it is the long awaited "lightsaber game for the Wii".  I think more info (possibly a trailer) should be on the way in the next few days, but from the article itself, it sounds pretty cool.  It would be nice to have Luke and Vader included as well, but who knows, maybe they'll stick them in there as "unlockable" characters.  We don't have a Wii (yet), but definitely want to get one, and this sounds like it would be a fun game.

IGN also has an interview up about this game that provides a little more info.  I'm a little confused if "The Clone Wars" is just the title for the Wii exclusive game, or if these are two different games, but I think they are the same thing.  I've seen it called both names, so I wasn't sure.  Anyways, more info at the linky.  Sounds fun.

I don't know if anyone caught the latest AFI special the other night, but I saw some of it and Star Wars placed #2 (behind 2001) in the Sci-Fi category.  They had their rankings of the top 10 movies in 10 categories (Animation, Romantic Comedies, Westerns, Sports, Mystery, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Gangster, and Courtroom Dramas).  Another movie on the lists of note, the Fellowship of the Ring placed #2 in the Fantasy category.  You can see the lists HERE, along with video comments that were shown in the special, and trailers, etc.  It was kind of neat re-watching the Star Wars and FOTR trailers again .

I was just reading a thread over at the Fwoosh that is saying that many TRU locations (not all...yet) are pulling a number of Mattel lines from the shelves this week.  There isn't a reason yet (although speculation points to safety issues), but some members have already seen lines like The Dark Knight, Speed Racer, DCU Classics, and Kung Fu Panda pulled from the shelves.  I don't know if this will eventually be nationwide or not.  I was at our local store yesterday, and saw both TDK and DCUC stuff on the pegs.  Apparently this hasn't happened at any other stores, so it may just be a TRU thing.

I was just wondering what is everyone's opinion of George Lucas?  Sure, we all make the various jokes about George - but I've noticed (again recently with the new Indy) that a lot of people seem to blame him for anything wrong with these movies.  Granted, a lot of this probably started with TPM, and I think that Indy will suffer from that same sort of backlash as the fanbase seems to be really split on this recent movie.  TPM is probably more negative overall, but I can see the same type of situation.  Anyways, back to Lucas, what do you think of him really?  I guess, even though I don't agree with everything he has done/does (which you could say of everyone), I've always had some respect for him as he's been responsible in the creation of two of my favorite franchises (Star Wars and Indy).  With Star Wars in particular, he's really come up with what I think are some great characters/designs (obviously, with the help of many others).  Watching some of the specials (such as Empire of Dreams, or George Lucas' biography) recently again, its kind of nice watching those old days when he was working to first get Star Wars made - and then moving on to the rest of the OT.  As many people in those specials say, it is astonishing how he pushed movie making and special effects (and other areas) into a different realm.

Overall, I guess I am thankful for the ideas that George Lucas has brought to the big screen.  Star Wars (and also Indy) were movies that really had (and continue to, obviously) a big impact on my life and I never get tired of watching them.  Although I don't like the prequels as much as the OT, I still enjoy them for the most part (ROTS in particular is very good) - and I guess I've never been one of those "George Lucas raped my childhood" type of people.  Like I said, I'm not trying to be an apologist for Lucas - he's made decisions that we've all questioned - but I don't quite get the overall hatred some people seem to have for him.  Granted, a lot of it comes from online - where people are more passionate with their opinions and can be anonymous if they so choose - and some of it might be the fact that he does seem to be a stubborn person (he says as much I think) and treats things as "his movies" and does what he wants with them.  Just reading reviews since KOTCS was released last week, I've seen/heard a few instances of "you can tell Lucas got his hands on this part", or "Spielberg should have kept Lucas out of this" when referencing anything they disliked in the movie.  Anyways, I was just curious how people really feel about George Lucas and his contributions.  Is he more likely to deserve "credit" or "blame"?

I was just checking out what was in stock over at HTS, and found this listing.  It is an 8-pack of the Ceremonial Luke Skywalker (pictured with gold coins), apparently to be given out at b-day parties and such.  There's also one in the Galactic Heroes section (Old Ben/Vader), as well as the TSC section (Vader).  I just thought it was interesting.  I suppose that would be a cool party favor, although a figure other than that Luke might be a better choice .  How about, SA Clones or Biker Scouts for everyone!