a99kitten's Musings

I went onto starwars.com tonight to renew my Hyperspace membership and “happened” to look at the Celebration V Pre-Orders and Exclusives….bad, bad, idea…

So then I “accidentally” put in my cart:

Plush Wampa With Reattaching Arm

Limited edition!! Only 1980 (get it?)! And it’s got a CV patch on him!

And then…

Don't we all? :)

oh…and..

Chewie Monster!

To match my other Chewbacca bobble on my desk :) Plus it’s almost Halloween!

Yes, I pushed the Purchase button….Doh…(I can’t wait to get them!!)

To note: the StarWars.com online store now has MUCH better shipping rates! They used to be highway robbery! Good for them!!

This was my very first post on this blog a year ago. Only fitting I re-blog it today :)

I saw my favorite movie ever 29 years ago today. I stayed up almost all night watching commercials and tv spots showing clips. I was so excited. I knew “never tell me the odds!” was a favorite quote of mine beginning that night.

I made my Dad promise he would take me and not stay at work late. None of my friends were into Star Wars. Most of my friends were older than me so were starting to think about dating, sneaking into R rated movies, etc. But me…I was definitely making my Dad take me to the afternoon showing and then to Burger King to get the glasses! (I bought 2 of each – 1 to use and 1 to save and still have them!)

We had a great time. My dad wasn’t late, we played Asteroids at the theater while waiting and loved the movie! And even though he hated fast food, my Dad took me to BK afterwards. And I just realized as I typed this that he took me to my first viewing of all 3 of the original trilogy. We didn’t do much out together as a family – he worked a lot – but we did this.

Then I saw it 10 more times in the theater with as many different combo of friends and family/parent’s friends that I could muster. And then countless times on VHS, re-release, DVD, etc. And of course every time I am flipping around TV channels and it’s on (hi, Spike TV) I stop and watch :)

But it all started 29 years ago today with my Dad taking me. :)

(And still my favorite movie poster of all time! Will always have a prominent place in my home!)

Happy Birthday to “The Empire Strikes Back”. :)

…to house my collectibles. I think it’s dumb to have some really cool stuff boxed up in a closets. Not that I want my house to look like the 40-Year Old Virgin’s house. I just need a dedicated collectibles room with proper shelving, wall space and lighting :) My office and home office are no longer cutting it. Need to remove all of the “office” elements to make them work! :)

Just received a pre-order email today from Gentle Giant. This is pretty cool….Tusken Raider on a Bantha. Gentle Giant makes some really fun stuff.

Bantha

I seriously need more room/shelves before I buy anymore collectibles though. Indy and Mola Ram just arrived from Sideshow yesterday and I have NOWHERE to put him.

And I have a couple…few…several?…more items arriving from Gentle Giant and Sideshow as the months go on. Pre-orders get me every time!

Totally want to see this!

http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/03/11/george-lucas-documentary/

I’ll have to say that as a fan of Star Wars since I was a little kid, I do not believe George Lucas raped our childhood (dang funny song though – thumbs up!)

If the large number of bad (in my personal opinion that is) artists in this world can get away with making the complete schlock they spew out at Cannes, Sundance and other arty-farty film festivals, then George is allowed to do whatever he wants to these movies – they are his movies. They were his idea, his images, his characters. We don’t have to like them all. Of course…I will still wear my Han Shot First t-shirt proudly and with utter conviction :)

But calling out the latest trilogy as trash is an untrue statement to me. Were they as good as the first trilogy (to me) – no. Not at all. There are parts of each of them that I thought were really good but when I think “Star Wars” I will always think of Han, Leia, Chewie, the Cantina, Hoth, Endor, Ewoks and Darth Vader will always be a big menacing breathing apparatus. But the new trilogy did introduce Star Wars to a whole new generation of kids and this allowed them all to venture into our world(s). So you can look at The Phantom Menace and Jar-Jar Binks as the gateway drug… :) Plus the final 30 minutes of Revenge of the Sith kicked serious ass.

I view George Lucas as a genius really. He created some of my most favorite films of all time, pioneered special effects into previously unknown and unthinkable territory, is a marketing genius (bastard has taken a lot of my money – I think I should get my own room, or at least my own closet, at Skywalker Ranch!) and has stayed pretty private and quiet – away from all of the Hollywood crap. I love that about him.

I will buy the (hopefully planned) new Indiana Jones 4-movie set even though I already have the trilogy boxed set, much like I own the first trilogy on VHS, then the special edition on VHS, then the remastered anniversary DVDs, then the boxed DVD set of 6……and I will likely go see whatever movie he does next solely because he did it.

http://shop.starwars.com/catalog/detailed.xml?product_id=1318434&type=img1

I couldn’t help myself….it’s coolio :) So someone will help me pack up all this stuff and display it elsewhere when my husband divorces me, right? :)

Animated Slave Leia from Gentle Giant

And herein lies my confusion….animated Leia…cute shoes….stock….animated Leia….cute shoes….stock….

…I mean after all, Vader did redeem himself :)

This makes me smile so much!

YAY! My Gentle Giant Jawas arrived today! They were released in 9/07 and sold out but Gentle Giant emailed their Collector’s Club with a small offering of them last week and I scooped 1 up (or in other words, they cleaned out/organized their warehouse and found some old stuff…)

Yes, I really do try and limit my collecting to a few characters but the Gentle Giant busts are a bit different. I do collect a lot of those. They are really well done. I like my standards (Han, Chewie, Leia) plus any of the female characters and the odd/fringe characters. And of course, the special editions (like the Christmas ones or Con exclusives.) Plus these little guys have light-up eyes – so really, had to get ’em :)

Gentle Giant Jawas

I still want the Gamorrean Guard but he sold out too fast :( So I will continue to troll eBay…

Gentle Giant Gamorrean Guard

Now I need to find room on my shelf this weekend!

Was able to snag the Mynock Chewbacca bust from Gentle Giant! LOVE it! Received it last week and put it up today!

Chewbacca Mynock edition - Gentle Giant

Yes…I do love Chewie. He is the BEST best friend, co-pilot, first officer, first mate. There when you need him. Always. Would give his life for you. If Angelus would have been brown, he would have been named Chewbacca. So yeah, I have a fair amount of Chewie stuff…just a sample…

Chewbacca - Gentle Giant bust

Chewbacca - Gentle Giant

That Chewie statue was my very first Gentle Giant collectible. Loved it soooo much when I received it . Still do.

Chewbacca - original Star Wars plush

My husband bought me this Chewie plush. It’s an original from 1977 – Star Wars era. Tag still attached. I was very happy with this prize :) Little Chewies on his lap are from other lines and not 70s.

Chewbacca - signed pic

My signed Peter Mayhew pic. Got this at Wonder Con in SF. TESB is my favorite movie ever so wanted this pic signed.  He is a very nice guy. VERY tall!! But a very, very nice guy.

Chewbacca - radcliffe pewter

And Chewie as done by Radcliffe in pewter. I have a fair amount of these pewter figures.  Well, in the characters I really care about. At some point, you can just spend too much on fringe characters or characters you don’t really care about. But Han and Chewbacca…well…my favorites. The scoundrel with a heart and his best friend :)

I bought the Sideshow Exclusive Dejarik Holochess Set back in 2007 when it was released. I felt that it fell into my Han, Leia and Chewie collectibles-only rule since Chewie played it on the Falcon :)

This was a great scene in Star Wars. We get a good glimpse into Han and Chewie. Plus we learn Wookies like to pull people’s arms out of their sockets when the lose and how droids can adapt to new strategies :)

When I received it, I put it away in my closet. I had “kind of” run out of display room in both my home and work offices. But I did a little re-organizing this weekend and decided it was time to dust the box off and display it! Silly to spend money on cool collectibles to then pack them away unseen.

So I took some items from my office shelf home to be displayed there (with other similar items – all Code 3 3-D posters) and brought this in to the office.  It’s very cool. The little character/pieces are each described on the box:

Kintan Strider
Ghhhk
Mantellian Savrip
Monnok
K’lor’slug
Houjix
Grimtaash
Ng’ok

Plus there are 2 that aren’t named on the box??

Mystery pieces!

Dare to remember all of these for Star Wars Trivial Pursuit ;-)

Dejarik Holochess set

It’s all set up in my office now (with Indy watching over!) Just waiting for a Wookie to come and play a game with me! :)

Watched Fanboys tonight. Loved it. I’m a fairly serious Star Wars geek fan and I know no one like this. Is it sad that I wish I had someone to argue with about the finer points of Star Wars and sibling kissing with? Yes? Ok…well…that’s cool :)

Seth Rogan played a trekker (and a pimp!). Hysterical. Practically unrecognizable but his voice is a giveaway.  But he called Han Solo a bitch – he needs to go down!

Funny pop culture references throughout: Nobody Puts baby in the Corner, Menudo, WonderTwin Powers,Talk to me Goose, Judge Reinhold,  Scooby Doo, Silent Bob AND Jay :) William Shatner! Funny…

And the best! “Harrison Ford is the greatest actor of all time! Han Solo, Indiana Jones, Deckard! He’s never done a bad movie!”  (showing Six Days and Seven Nights billboard) LOL!! It’s ok..Mr. Ford…I blame that crazy beeyotch Heche..

I think it was best to not watch this movie with my husband. He would be afraid that I would know ALL of these references :) (he gets afraid when we watch Big Bang Theory and I know all of those references.) And only as strong as the weakest link? Wookie home planet = Kashyyyk… simple. A baby question…

The memorabilia room that we all dream exists…Steve Sansweet knows it does…(excellent on a Ray Parks/Darth Maul cameo there!)

Fun movie. I liked it. Star Wars fan? Watch it. You do not have to be a crazed fan. Just like Star Wars and you will laugh. And the crawl…Who remembers how they felt in the Episode 1 crawl? After waiting how many years?? Do not care how you felt about the movie – the actual experience of seeing that movie – awesome :) I waited hours in that line and do not regret it. Not one minute. Ever.

p.s. Why are all douchebag older brothers in movies Chazz, Chett, whatever?

p.p.s I am always calling Chewie from now..

p.p.p.s I *always* want to steal the Hwy 101 road sign “Lucas Valley Road”

p.p.p.p.s who wouldn’t flash someone displaying sign ‘if you like wookies….’? :)