Category: Events

The 2009 Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge Finalists

from StarWars.com:

Atom.com and Lucasfilm Ltd. have once again joined forces for the Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge, a contest honoring the best Star Wars-related short digital videos, and announced today the 22 finalists for the 2009 edition of the challenge. Atom.com and Lucasfilm Ltd. have partnered on the Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge since 2000; past honorees include such hits as Chad Vader, Star Wars Gangsta Rap, Star Wars Revelations, and Pink Five.

Users can view and vote for the videos at StarWars.Atom.com from Wednesday July 1 until Friday, July 10. These votes, plus the judgment of George Lucas and staff members at Lucasfilm and Atom.com, determine the winners of this year’s seven categories: George Lucas Selects, Audience Choice, Best Action, Best Comedy, Best Parody, Best Animated Movie and the Spirit of Fandom Award. The winners will be unveiled live during the 2009 Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge awards show on Friday July 24 from 8:30 – 10:30 p.m. in Ballroom 20, at San Diego Comic-Con International.

Below are the names of the 22 finalist videos for the Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge. These videos can be watched and voted for at StarWars.Atom.com.

“Bad Day for Vader”
“Blasted Behavior”
“Death Star Over San Francisco”
“Emperor Palpatine and the Attack of the Copyright Infringement”
“Glen Eisley Glen Mos”
“Jedi Camp”
“Knights of the Old Republic: Revan”
“Lord Vader’s Trial”
“Mark Valley vs. Drew Mazanec”
“No Love for Wampa”
“Saber”
“Star Fury!”
“Star Sports Theatrical Trailer”
“Star Wars in a Notebook!”
“Star Wars: Cinemagic”
“Star Wars: Retold”
“Sudden Remakes 1”
“Star Wars Episode XVI: Family Dysfunction”
“The Closet Unleashed”
“The Fate of the Duel”
“Where Are They Now”

Weta News: July 2009

from Weta:

Hey Weta fans,
July — how on earth did that come around so fast? Comic-Con looms 22-26 July — a crazy busy time of the year for popculture and collectibles. We have been announcing all sorts of goodies over the last few weeks, and the most exciting so far is The Art of John Howe — Sculptures from Middle-earth, which we are hugely proud of. Get yourself a book signed by Alan Lee, who managed to sign a limited number of his Lord of the Rings Sketchbook when he had a book signing event at the Weta Cave recently. And believe you me — there will be plenty more very shortly! Enjoy!

In the News:
The Art of John Howe — Sculptures from Middle-earth

More News:
Celeb spotting at the Weta Cave?
Happy winner of signed art books in Hawaii
Weta Cast Episode X now live!
Guillermo del Toro booksigning huge success
Lots of media at the Weta Cave

Comic-Con Updates:
Comic Con Update – Pacific Disaster
Comic Con Exclusive: The Texas Rose
Unique signed books available at Comic Con
Dr. Grordbort’s Art Book — First Edition

New Product in the Shop:
Lord of the Rings Sketchbook — Signed by Alan Lee
Alan Lee, the Oscar-winning conceptual designer for the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, discusses his approach to depicting Tolkien’s imaginary world. The book presents more than 150 of Lee’s celebrated illustrations to show how his imagery for both the illustrated Lord of the Rings and the films progressed from concept to finished art. In addition, the book contains 20 full-color plates and numerous examples of the conceptual art produced for Peter Jackson’s film adaptation. Alan signed a limited number of these for us at his recent book signing at the Weta Cave. Get your copy now!

Hot Tip — Want to listen to the Weta Cast? Don’t know how?
A podcast, like the Weta Cast, is like a recorded radio program stored on our website. All you need to listen to it is your PC and a pair of headphones or speakers. If you can get sound from your PC, you should be able to listen to the Weta Cast. And it’s completely FREE! Here’s a quick link to the page where all the episodes can be downloaded. Just click on the one you’re after — if all is well, it will start downloading and you can just click the Play button. The podcasts have “(mp3)” in their names. There are also PDF files with Show Notes (photos, links and more information) about these episodes. These will open with your default PDF viewer, like Acrobat. If you try it and like it, you can also subscribe to Weta Cast updates. Good luck!

This is how you find us online!
http://fans.wetaNZ.com/Magnus/ | Twitter: @wetaworkshop | Facebook: Weta Workshop

Dave and Tom at San Diego Comic-Con!

Safety Geeks: SVI

Are you a Dave and Tom fan, or a fan of their Koldcast web series Safety Geeks: SVI? Tom recently announced that he and the other actors from Safety Geeks: SVI will be at San Diego Comic-Con this year! Here’s your chance to meet-and-greet with your favorite Professional Occupational Safety Hazard team.

Here’s when and where to find them:

Thursday July 23rd from 3 to 7pm at Autograph Booth AA14
Friday July 24th from 3 to 7pm at Autograph Booth AA11
Sunday July 26th from 2-5 (Booth to be announced)

Vote for Dave and Tom’s “Star Wars: The Fate of the Duel” at Atom’s Star Wars Fan Film Awards

Every year, Lucasfilm and Atom.com partner to bring you the very best of fan-made Star Wars films. While judges carefully select the winners for categories such as Best Make-up, Best Parody, Best Special Effects and other technical based attributes, the fans have an opportunity to pick their favorites. The Audience Choice Award voting begins on July 1 at Atom.com. This year, one of my favorites has been entered in the contest, Dave and Tom‘s Star Wars: The Fate of the Duel. If you haven’t already seen it, or you just can’t get enough of it (like me), make sure you watch and vote!

Star Wars The Fate of The Duel Letterbox Version

New Weta Sculpture Range

from Weta:

Hey Weta fans,

A short but very exciting update today!

John Howe and Weta announce The Art of John Howe — Sculptures from Middle-earth.

Podcast Episode X is here — listen to John Howe talk about the sculptures and get the latest updates around Comic Con.

Enjoy!

This is how you find us online!
http://fans.wetaNZ.com/Magnus/ | Twitter: @wetaworkshop | Facebook: Weta Workshop

G4 and Lucasfilm Present the First-Ever Televised Panel in San Diego Comic-Con History

from StarWars.com:

Hosted by G4’s Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira, the Two-Hour Special Will Premiere on G4 Saturday, July 25 at 2pm ET/PT

Lucasfilm Ltd. and G4 are joining forces for a milestone in San Diego Comic-Con International’s 40-year history — the first-ever, exclusive television broadcast of a presentation from the massive pop culture convention. The Star Wars Spectacular! will air Saturday July 25th at 2:00pm ET/PT only on G4, and will feature never-before-seen footage, breaking news, surprise announcements, guest stars and more. In addition, G4 will present three hours of live coverage from the Comic-Con floor, beginning at 4:00pm ET/PT.

Traditionally, details surrounding Lucasfilm’s primary panel presentation are closely guarded secrets, with only 6,500 lucky on-site fans allowed access to the wealth of coveted information from a galaxy far, far away. But this year, G4 — the network that delivers all of the latest and greatest news on comic books, games, technology and pop culture — is offering TV viewers the one-of-a-kind opportunity to share the excitement with an exclusive broadcast of the panel. G4’s Attack of the Show hosts Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn will join Lucasfilm’s Steve Sansweet and a galaxy of guests from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and beyond — including supervising director Dave Filoni, and voice talent from the show — to provide an insider look at the Star Wars universe, with never-before-seen footage and a LIVE table read of an exclusive new Clone Wars script.

In addition, fans are invited to participate in the panel itself by submitting Clone Wars questions through a special G4 micro-site. Questions will be answered during the live presentation by Dave Filoni and other Clone Wars creatives!

2009’s Comic-Con International also marks another Lucasfilm milestone — the launch of the all-new Star Wars Stories Project. Fans of the Saga will have the unique opportunity to become a part of the Star Wars universe by contributing to Lucasfilm’s own historical archive. Soliciting movie memories and nostalgia, the Star Wars Stories Project invites fans to share their own tales of fandom through video testimonials. In addition to online submissions, fans will have the opportunity to record their stories at Lucasfilm’s pavilion on the Comic-Con floor.

Fans are invited to upload their fan stories at g4tv.com/comiccon.

Weta News: June 2009

from Weta:

Hey Weta fans,
The stunning Unnatural Selector Miniature Version is now available for preorder. And there’s some serious teasing going on around another range about to launch…

In the News:
Meet Hobbit Director Guillermo del Toro! Guillermo will be in the Weta Cave Wednesday 17 June to sign his new book! More…

Also in the News:
Nothing Says “Welcome” Quite Like a 12 Foot Monster!
Alan Lee Book Signing at the Weta Cave
What are Richard Taylor, Alan Howe and Bridget Wuest Doing in Weta’s Sculpting Room?
Happy 1st Birthday to the Weta Cave
Comic Con 2009
What are John Howe and Daniel Cockersell Doing in Weta’s Sculpting Room?
Seen the D9 Trailer Yet?

New Product in the Shop:
JUST LAUNCHED! The Unnatural Selector Miniature Version
At just under 1 ft (11.4 inches or 29 cm) it’s about three times as long as our previous three miniature rayguns, but a mere 1/4 the size of the Unnatural Selector on which it is based. And it’s every ounce as beautiful and well made as its full-size relative. This absolutely stunning feat of miniaturisation will be available in July and fills the fourth spot in Dr. Grordbort’s range of miniature rayguns. The first, the Mini Manmelter sold out at Comic Con 2007. The second and third, the Mini Goliathon and the Mini F.M.O.M. are selling out fast. This gun, Lord Cockswain’s weapon of choice, is made from various metals as well as Venusian Worm Oak (a compound that contains traces of not actual wood…). It comes on a stand embossed as THE UNNATURAL SELECTOR. Designed by Greg Broadmore and modelled by David Tremont, this is another stunning piece for your collection. ALSO: We launched and sold another Raygun — the one-of-a-kind Manmelter Star Burst last week. Check it out! If you are interested in Dr. Grordbort’s Rayguns, please note we also have a Rayguns VIP mailing list!

Hot Tip — Missing Weta Dollars from our old website?
When you set up an account on Weta’s new website, your Weta Dollars automatically get transferred to your new account as long as you use the same email address as you used on the old site. If you have set up an account with another email address and therefore can’t find your old Weta Dollars, please email info@wetanz.co.nz and let us know what the old email address was, so we can find your acount and transfer your Weta Dollars manually.

This is how you find us online!
http://fans.wetaNZ.com/Magnus/ | Twitter: @wetaworkshop | Facebook: Weta Workshop

Vulcan, Alberta’s Trek Comes to an End

from Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station:

Well, Vulcan’s long and colourful journey that started in September 2007 with our ambitious quest to host the premiere of the new Star Trek movie came to a spectacular and memorable end last evening, as Paramount Pictures arranged for a special advance screening of Star Trek for 300 lucky Vulcan Guests.

It was Vulcan’s red carpet moment, and our brush with Hollywood Glamour as we welcomed actor Bruce Greenwood to the event, and were met by a wall of media flashbulbs and microphones.

I am so excited to report that in my mind, the new Star Trek movie did not disappoint! It was funny, action packed and suspenseful. The cast fit, and reinvented their well-recognized roles very well, and Star Trek is reborn.

Thank you so much to Paramount Pictures for arranging last night’s special event, and thank you for entertaining Vulcan’s lofty goal to premiere this wonderful new movie.

Star Trek is back — revived and fresh, and the town of Vulcan, Alberta is proud to be recognized by so many fans as a fun, if not quirky Star Trek destination, in the middle of the Canadian Prairies, 1 hour south of Calgary and 1 hour north of Lethbridge.

Signing OFF:

Live Long & Prosper
Dayna, Erin & The Crew of the Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station

Events for “The Legend of Neil” and “The Guild”

from The Legend of Neil:

So there a crap-ton of events coming up that I wanted to share with you all where we’ll be promoting The Legend of Neil and The Guild and actually selling T-shirts and what not!

ATOM.COM LIVE! in Los Angeles, CA on April 22nd

Meet Tony Janning and Sandeep Parikh as they screen an episode of Neil plus the first sketch they ever shot together! It’s at the Comedy Central Stage in LA! For the first time ever LoN t-shirts will be available for sale!

DELTA H CON in Houston, TX, April 24-26

Meet Sandeep Parikh (creator of Neil and Zaboo on The Guild) and the rest of The Guild (minus Felicia). They will be on hand signing autographs, judging contests and mixing and mingling:

Friday: April 24
Autographs 1-2 pm (main room)
Karoke Judging 4-6 pm
The Guild Season One Screening with Cast Q &A session 8-9:30pm

Saturday: April 25
Autographs 11-1pm (main room)
Panel: The Making of a Web Phenomena (Cast and Guild producer Kim Evey discuss what goes into making The Guild.) 3-4pm
The Guild Season Two Screening with Cast Q &A session 6:30-8pm

Sunday: April 26
Anime Music Video Judging 9-10:30am

COMICON in San Diego, July 23rd-26th

Details are still vague but the plan is still to premiere Season 2 of The Legend of Neil, and hold a Q&A! But seriously, with or without us, this event is more than worth going to. It’s the Con of all Cons (no offense other cons).

Nathan Fillion Twitters

Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Serenity, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog) is now active on Twitter. He opened his account at PaleyFest 2009, which he attended with the Whedons and Felicia Day for a screening of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.

His first post was actually on Felicia Day’s account:

Nathan Fillion- Sitting next to FD now- she smells just like she looks she would. Little bit like flowers and fresh laundry and a cupcake.

Felicia Day followed up his post with these messages:

Nathan took over my Twitter, he’s so pretty to look at! Trying to get him to make an account. He’s severly witty. http://twitpic.com/3cc3f

Ok everyone follow @nathanfillion . It’s really him! Muhahaha!