This looks like it will be a cool set of droids.  The hat toppers are silly, but you have to figure they were part of the deal for Disney to pick these up.  And so the little hole in the astromech droid domes finally serves a purpose!

Wow.  The modern General Madine came out in 2003/04?!?!  I agree that it could stand to be resculpted.

How about the future in the short term?  There may be a summer reset in the works at WalMart stores in the next two weeks.  The focus will largely be on the summer movie season, but all properties are likely to see some new stock.

I did a little refresher reading, and it seems that Meera & Jojen Reed could still come into play very soon.  Their presence at Winterfell in this week's episode may not make sense, since the storyline of the raiding Ironmen is only just beginning.  It was those raids that prompted Howland Reed to send Meera & Jojen away.  And Theon and Yara's ships were only just departing from Pyke in this latest episode.

4 out of 10.  Not bad.  And it looks like the Padme fetish is subsiding.

Season 3 confirmed! 

http://grrm.livejournal.com/276653.html

I finally got around to reading this.  Of course the news that Game of Thrones has been picked up for a third season is fantastic news.  You certainly had to expect it since the viewer numbers have gone up significantly from the first season.  But this sentence from George R.R. Martin was great to read:

Like the first two seasons, it will be ten episodes long. This one will cover (roughly) the first half or thereabouts of A STORM OF SWORDS, the third novel in the series.

It looks like HBO is taking the long view on the series.  And splitting up the television series like this will definitely give George R.R. Martin some time to catch up writing book 6 & book 7.

What's with the collar on the new Luke?

Oh, crap.

I think what hasn't been said in those pieces is that what's been shown at Cinemacon is likely not a finished product.  It's a clip that's been put together for the purposes of expos like this one which primarily focuses on theater owners, as well as studio execs. 

48 fps is definitely not going to look like what everyone is used to.  Here's something from Slashfilm about the presentation:

A brief primer: Modern films are shot and projected at 24 frames per second. That has been the industry standard for feature films since the mid-1920s after sound motion pictures were introduced. The low frame rate results in a strobing effect when there is moderate camera movement. You have probably accepted this technological artifacting, but it looks artificial and your brain interprets it as such. Raising the framerate makes movement look a lot smoother, and gives the impression of an enhanced resolution. The low framerate is also one of the major factors of why some people experience discomfort while watching 3D movies.

I get the feeling that the reel that was shown at Cinemacon hadn't undergone the final level of digital grading.  And if you go back through your LOTR DVD bonus material you'll find a feature about this very process.  Digital grading is generally done after the final cut of the movie, and addresses the lighting and related mood of the movie through processes that aren't all that dissimilar to photoshop. 

In a feature like The Hobbit, a scene with some heavy dramatic content may actually be shot in lighting that can seem contrary to the tone of the scene.  Especially if there are going to be CGI elements added in post-production.  And that's because it's easier to incorporate those CGI elements into a well lit scene so that those elements which are going to potentially be the toughest sell for the audience will look right.  After that, with digital grading you're essentially re-lighting the scene to add to the dramatic tone.

All of this being said, I'm not a huge fan of the current crop of 3d movies.  But I think that the blur that's been mentioned which is inherent to quick camera moves in the 24 fps format may have something to do with the jarring feeling of some of those viewing experiences.  48 fps will aid in this, but will it affect the feel of the final cut of the movie?  Something like this could potentially hurt a movie, but in the grand scheme of things who will be going to see The Hobbit?  Certainly not film purists, because much of that crowd has already made their minds up about movies like The Hobbit long before they ever get a chance to see it in theaters.