Weekly ForceCast: May 27, 2011

The Weekly ForceCast
Date recorded	May 24, 2011
Date released	May 27, 2011
Duration	2:18:08
Link	Click here
App exclusive?	No
Previous episode	Weekly ForceCast: May 20, 2011
Next episode	Weekly ForceCast: June 3, 2011

After last week's discussion of FANgirl's controversial blog post "Luke Skywalker Must Die," we had little choice but to invite her to the ForceCast Cantina this week for a follow up. We also recap the weekend's grand re-opening of "Star Tours" in Orlando, check out the latest in barely-legal weaponry from Wicked Lasers, and bring last year's outrageous story of Patrick Stewart's infamous awards show outburst to an equally outrageous conclusion.

Guests

• Kyle Newman
• Tricia from FanGirlBlog.com

Topics

• The Star Wars Celebration website has updated with a teaser image featuring the roman numerals "VI."
• Kyle Newman, who emailed Jason and Jimmy about George Lucas' appearance on G4's Attack of the Show, calls in to discuss what Lucas said. The two-part interview with Lucas and Disney's Tom Fitzgerald aired on Monday and Tuesday, 5/23 and 5/24. Lucas discussed the new Star Tours, the six films in 3D, and the live-action series. Jason, Jimmy, and Kyle break down his comments.
• Billy Dee Quote of the Week
  • Listener Will in Canada submitted a clip of Billy Dee in the 2010 film Barry Munday.
• Star Wars in Pop Culture
  • The Simpsons
  • An Audi TV commercial featured a couple holding coffee cups with the label "Blue Harvest" on them
• Headline News
  • Star Tours: The Adventures Continue launched on May 20th at Disney World. Jason and Jimmy discuss the grand opening, play a clip of George Lucas' "keynote speech," and read listener emails recapping the Star Tours/Star Wars Weekends experience.
    • Jason reads an email from Baron, the listener who asked Dave Filoni about Ben Quadinaros at the Star Wars Weekends Clone Wars: Behind the Force panel. Baron included an audio file of this moment, and Jason plays it. The clip includes Dave laughing about the Quadinaros meme and saying that his inclusion in TCW will depend on the future of the NFL draft.
    • Jason then reads other SWW/ST-related emails. Topics include Dave Filoni's graciousness with fans, James Arnold Taylor's one-man show, Steve Sansweet discussing Jimmy's "singing," and Star Tours motion sickness advice for Jason.
  • Tricia "Fangirl" joins Jason and Jimmy in the cantina to discuss her "Luke Skywalker Must Die" blog post
    • Jason, Jimmy, and Tricia discuss the current state of the EU, "the powers that be" and the lack of accountability vis-a-vis publishing, the nature of George's involvement in the EU (levels of canon, a "signature series," and more. Jason acknowledges that he and Tricia actually agree on several points related to the quality, quantity, and direction of the EU. He presents what he considers to be characteristics of an EU "kook," and asks Tricia to comment on the fairness of applying the label to those types of beliefs.
    • After they hang up with Tricia, Jason responds to criticism directed at him, the show, and TFN/RS vis-a-vis the EU. He says that he has never called all EU fans "kooks" and has never labeled anyone "not a true fan." He also believes that some of the criticism of The ForceCast's approach to discussing the EU has been motivated by dislike for TFN, RS, and FC more generally. According to Jason, some people who want to antagonize those websites and The ForceCast notice "blood in the water" as a result of their "Luke Skywalker Must Die" discussion. He says that he only uses the label "kook" to describe someone who doesn't understand that George is ultimately in charge of Star Wars. "Kooks," he says, are the people who believe that George should bend to the will of diehard EU fans.
    • Jimmy takes critics to task for trying to pit him against Jason, trying to paint the discussion as antagonistic and unfair toward EU fans, and misrepresenting Jason's use of the word "kook." He presents his approach to the EU: two-to-three-book story arcs, "faster and more intense," instead of the long, drawn-out series like Fate of the Jedi. He doesn't think that it's fair to call Jason disrespectful. Jason is simply presenting his own opinion on the subject, just as he (Jimmy) is presenting a different one. Jimmy concludes by siding with Tricia in asking for the kind of novel that she proposed on her blog.
  • Wicked Lasers, the company that released a lightsaber-esque laser product a few years ago and was sued by Lucasfilm, has now released a double-bladed laser product as part of its "Sith series."
    • Jason mentions that, as with the infringing product from years ago, it is not explained anywhere just how one would properly use this laser. Jimmy notes that this new double-bladed laser product looks exactly like Darth Maul's iconic weapon from TPM. Jason notes that the new product's description includes the phrase "Wicker Lasers Strikes Back." He expresses irritation with Wicked Lasers, saying that "they're tugging on George [Lucas]'s beard" by tempting Lucasfilm again like this.
    • Jimmy reads another part of the product description, which includes the phrases "Dark Lords" and "At last we will have our revenge." Both hosts agree that Wicked Lasers is being irresponsible and disrespectful by selling and promoting this product in this way. "It makes me sick," Jimmy says, calling the Wicked Lasers marketing campaign "a scumbag move."
• The Outrageous Unthinkable Story of the Week
  • Jason and Jimmy follow up on last year's story about Captain Picard actor Patrick Stewart insulting 2010 Glamor Awards host James Corden. As listeners hear in a flashback clip that Jason plays, Corden verbally returned fire and the spat dragged on. The incident was subsequently referenced on The ForceCast with the line "I can see your belly," based on a quote from Stewart during his tiride. Now, a year later, there is a new development in the story. Patrick Stewart has commented on his part in the incident, saying that he had been drinking heavily and that he was "out of control" by that point in the awards show. He apologized to Mr. Corden and said that he respected him.

Significant quotes

• Quotes go here.

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