Saw it at the midnight premiere. The plot is FernGully crossed with Dances With Wolves, with a liberal dose of the evil corporations from Aliens -- in other words, predictable as hell but somehow it feels right and it works. And, of course, the effects are spectacular. Large stretches of the film are CG, and the rest is completely seamlessly blended with the live-action. Great vehicle and beast designs also. Basically the most immersive CG environments I've seen period.

There's no mention of Christopher Lee, either on the confirmed or denied lists. There's definitely room for Saruman if they start to pull in material from the appendices to fill out two films, but a lot is riding on Lee's health I guess.

In it to win it!

The heat and humidity are going to be appalling though...

^ I actually just started that yesterday. I've never read them before, but I picked up an omnibus edition with all five novels and the short story "Young Zaphod Plays It Safe."

Nah, not going to happen. He's already 79 and if he wouldn't come back for KOTCS he's not coming back in 2011 or whatever.

To be honest, I wouldn't mind setting 5 prior to 4 (no Mutt, for one thing , plus the possibility of bringing back Connery)  but I think at this point it would just confuse people.

Oh yeah, and this. I ordered it from the Science Fiction Book Club and since it was backordered, I requested it at the library for good measure. Then of course they show up the same day. Arrgh.

Defining that precise moment when a trend becomes a trend, Malcolm Gladwell probes the surface of everyday occurrences to reveal some surprising dynamics behind explosive social changes. He examines the power of word-of-mouth and explores how very small changes can directly affect popularity. Perceptive and imaginative, The Tipping Point is a groundbreaking book destined to overturn conventional thinking in business, sociological, and policy-making arenas.

“Within twenty-four standard hours we will sit firmly astride the communications link that connects the worlds of the Republic. . . . Our control will be a dagger thrust directly at Coruscant. This is the move that will win the war for us.”

With these ominous words, Pors Tonith, ruthless minion of Count Dooku, declares the fate of the Republic sealed. Commanding a Separatist invasion force more than one million strong, the cunning financier-turned-warrior lays siege to the planet Praesitlyn, home of the strategic intergalactic communications center that is key to the Republic’s survival in the Clone Wars. Left unchallenged, this decisive strike could indeed pave the way for the toppling of more Republic worlds . . . and ultimate victory for the Separatists. Retaliation must be swift and certain.

Shoulder to shoulder with a rogue Republic army officer and his battle-hardened crew, a hulking Rodian mercenary with an insatiable taste for combat, and a duo of ready-for-anything soldiers, the Jedi generals take to the skies and the punishing desert terrain of occupied Praesitlyn–to bring the battle to the Separatist forces. Already outnumbered and outgunned, when confronted with an enemy ultimatum that could lead to the massacre of innocents, they may also be out of options. Unless Anakin Skywalker can strike a crucial balance between the wisdom born of the Force . . . and the instincts of a born warrior.