Rumor: Toy Story 3 Screenwriter In Consideration for Episode VII

Posted on by

As always, the usual caveats apply when an “informed insider” reports anything to an entertainment rag, but Vulture is reporting that Michael Arndt has put together a 40-50 page treatment for Episode VII.

Informed sources tell Vulture that Star Wars: Episode VII has found a leading candidate to write the film’s screenplay: Michael Arndt, the Pixar favorite who was nominated for an Oscar for Toy Story 3, won an Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine, and wrote The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which is currently shooting. Insiders confirm that Arndt has written a 40- to 50-page treatment for the film and is likely to be at least one of the writers when the Disney/Lucasfilm project begins shooting in 2014.

As far as rumors go, I dig this one. It’s sort of a marraige that makes perfect sense. A writer with an immensely successful project with Disney being turned lose on Star Wars would be all sorts of interesting.

But of course, this is just a rumor for now.

Ashley Eckstein Upbeat About Disney Purchase

Posted on by

Given Clone Wars voice actress Ashley Eckstein’s love of Disney, it should come as no surprise that she’s very excited about the big Lucasfilm purchase and what this means for the future of both companies. Over at the official Star Wars Blog, Ashley talks about her history with Disney.

One could say that I “grew up Disney.” My Dad started working for Disney when I was two years old and my earliest childhood memories revolve around Disney. Growing up in Orlando, Florida, with a parent that was a Disney “cast member” definitely had its perks. I got to go to the Disney parks all the time for free, I got in to advance screenings for Disney movies, my summer camps were at the Disney resorts, and I had special opportunities like going to live tapings of The Mickey Mouse Club. I bring this up because Disney was and always has been a MAJOR influence in my life and has definitely shaped the person I am today.

Be sure to give the whole entry a read!

Bake It So: Come to the Dark Side, We Have (Chocolate) Cake!

Posted on by

There’s not much out there better than cake.

Except cake with beer in it. And not just any beer, mind you, because you can’t put Budweiser in a cake and expect it to turn out. Oh, no. This cake calls for the greatest of all beers: Guinness. Guinness + sour cream creates one of the most moist, delicious cakes I’ve ever had, and it is, quite simply, to die for.

I’ve adapted our recipe slightly from this recipe at Epicurious. But know, no matter what, this cake is Captain Picard approved:

For ingredients and the recipe, see after the jump. Continue reading →

Announcing a new feature: “Bake It So”

Posted on by

Like many features on this blog, our new column started as a discussion on Twitter, and much like Bria’s epic re-read of the EU, it wasn’t serious until the Captain of the Blog decided that it was a fantastic idea and we needed to do it. Apparently, he’s not done enacting revenge on Bria for her costume enabling, and revenge is falling on me for my failure to finish a certain Karrde/Shada fanfic that I was writing.

All this started with my attempt at making pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin. That didn’t go too well, but pumpkin pie was later achieved, and Brian thought this was wonderful, and somehow, the idea of geeky recipes started floating around. Personally, I think this is just a ploy on Brian’s part to have a list of things that he knows Bria and I can make so when the Tosche Station staff gets together, he can start bribing us into making him awesome food.

So stay tuned for our new recipe and cocktail feature: “Bake it So” and join us tomorrow for our first recipe: “Come to the Dark Side: We have (Chocolate) Cake!”

Billy Dee Williams on NCIS: Review

Posted on by

Most of you, I’m sure, are like me right now and hoping and praying that the election results hurry up and get in so we can all get back to normal lives. For me, normal on Tuesdays involves episodes of NCIS, but since we’re missing my favorite procedural for election coverage tonight, I thought reviewing last week’s episode, which guest-starred Star Wars favorite, Billy Dee Williams, might make up for the lack of show.

Billy Dee Williams (left) as Leroy Jethro Moore and Mark Harmon (right) as Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

This episode is particularly special, as it is dedicated to the Montford Point Marines, of which Williams’ character is a fictional member. The Montford Point Marines were the first African-American marines in the United States military and served with distinction during World War II. Surviving members received the Congressional Medal of Honor in June of 2012, nearly seventy years after their service, only after Congress passed legislation in 1996 correcting an injustice that had prevented soldiers of racial minorities from receiving the honor up to that point. For this reason alone, this episode of NCIS is a special one.

Unfortunately, the episode didn’t quite live up to what it could (and should) have been in honor of these brave men. Spoilers after the jump. Continue reading →