It’s Official: ‘The Hobbit’ Will Be A Trilogy

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There have been rumblings for a while now, but it appears to be official. The Hobbit will be split into three films. Peter Jackson made the confirmation on his Facebook page a little earlier today.

It is only at the end of a shoot that you finally get the chance to sit down and have a look at the film you have made. Recently Fran, Phil and I did just this when we watched for the first time an early cut of the first movie – and a large chunk of the second. We were really pleased with the way the story was coming together, in particular, the strength of the characters and the cast who have brought them to life.  All of which gave rise to a simple question: do we take this chance to tell more of the tale? And the answer from our perspective as the filmmakers, and as fans, was an unreserved ‘yes.’

We know how much of the story of Bilbo Baggins, the Wizard Gandalf, the Dwarves of Erebor, the rise of the Necromancer, and the Battle of Dol Guldur will remain untold if we do not take this chance.  The richness of the story of The Hobbit, as well as some of the related material in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, allows us to tell the full story of the adventures of Bilbo Baggins and the part he played in the sometimes dangerous, but at all times exciting, history of Middle-earth.

So, without further ado and on behalf of New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Wingnut Films, and the entire cast and crew of “The Hobbit” films, I’d like to announce that two films will become three.

It has been an unexpected journey indeed, and in the words of Professor Tolkien himself, “a tale that grew in the telling.”

Cheers,

Peter J

Who’s excited?

(Via)

X-Wing Series Bundle On Sale Today

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Have we convinced you to read the X-Wing books yet? We Have? Then good news!

You can buy the original nine novels in an eBook format bundle today for $56.99, a 20% discount over buying them individually. If you’re considering picking these books up for the first time or are long-time fans that simply wish to save your poor paperback copies wear-and-tear, you can get the bundle for Amazon’s Kindle or Barnes and Noble’s Nook.

While you’re at it, why don’t you pre-order X-Wing: Mercy Kill as well?

CVI Schedule to Release First via Mobile App

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In an e-mail sent out to Celebration VI attendees earlier today, it was disclosed that the event program schedule will be released first on the Celebration mobile app. If you have a smartphone or a tablet, you may want to go download it now if you haven’t already.

Mary Franklin also teased this. Get to it, cryptologists.

(via)

Clone Wars Season Five to Premiere at Celebration VI

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While this isn’t exactly news (Dave Filoni said this was going to happen during San Diego Comic Con), the Celebration VI staff made things super official today by announcing that season five of The Clone Wars will debut at the event this year.

Attendees of Star Wars Celebration VI will be the first in the world to see the action-packed premiere of Season Five of Star Wars: The Clone Wars at a big screen red carpet event featuring stars of the hit series from Lucasfilm Animation.

On Friday, August 24th at 5 pm, the Digital Stage at Celebration VI – the venue optimized for high-definition digital theatrical exhibition with state-of-the-art surround sound – will present an evening of Star Wars: The Clone Wars entertainment beginning with a special presentation of the Season Four finale, the episodes “Brothers” and “Revenge.” These are followed by “Revival,” the long-awaited Season Premiere, on Cartoon Network this fall, that continues the story of the resurrected Darth Maul.

Get ready to queue, because you’re going to be in line for a long time for this event.

Tosche Station Radio #25: Escalating Prank War

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This week’s Tosche Station Radio brings us back to the X-Wing Retrospective and the Wraith Squadron arc!

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s new on the blog. We ask just what’s in a Power Converter. Nanci asks EU fans to give Crucible and Troy Denning a chance. Brian looked back at Solo Command. On this week’s Cosplay Monday, the blog featured a magnificent Heimdall costume.

Fixer’s Flash is somewhat light this week. Both the hosts have Icarus Hunt tales to share. Nanci finished the first draft of her book and Brian finally put academia behind him.

In Deak’s Dirt, there’s a host of Celebration VI news including announcements of a Rancho Obi-Wan exhibit and the return of the Bounty Hunt game. Mary Franklin claims that the CVI schedule currently stands at nine feet long in the physical printout. Leland Chee discussed the Holocron on the official blog. Jena Malone was officially confirmed to play Johanna Mason in Catching Fire. In some bizarre (but awesome) rumors, will Mary Poppins duel a gigantic Lord Voldemort at the Olympic Games? Finally, we bid farewell to pioneer and trailblazer Sally Ride, the first American woman in space.

Camie’s Concerns this week brings us back to the X-Wing retrospective. This time around, the hosts dig into the Wraith Squadron arc and talk the plots and characters as well as examining the impact Aaron Allston’s novels have had on the Expanded Universe. It’s far more than just dogfights and blaster skirmishes.

For Wormie’s Works this week, Nanci highlights Star Wars Yoga and Brian links to an Indiana Jones vocal cover.

Rounding out the show, the hosts answer questions from listeners. Remember, if you’ve got a question you want to ask us, e-mail and tweet them to us, or leave us a message on Facebook.

Tosche Station Radio is the official podcast of Tosche-Station.net and a part of the Solo Sound network. If you like what you hear, please leave a review on the iTunes Music Store or the Zune Marketplace. We can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Nanci and Brian are the co-founders and writers of Tosche-Station.net. You can find Nanci on Twitter with the handle @Nancipants and you can find Brian with @LaneWinree.

Mercy Kill and Scoundrels Aims to Bring Back Lapsed Expanded Universe Readers

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Perhaps you were once a devoted Expended Universe reader, but fell away at some point. It could have been the killing off of a young and useful character in Star by Star or dropping a moon on Chewie in Vector Prime. Maybe you had enough when Mara Jade was killed off in confounding, out-of-character fashion in Sacrifice. Perhaps you just haven’t picked up a book since Vision of the Future.

Well, lapsed readers, Del Rey and LFL want you back. Pop Culture Shock writer (and all around awesome person) Bria lays it out.

If you thought that the Star Wars universe was limited to six films and the Clone Wars cartoon, you’ve been missing out on a vast number of books, comics, and video games that comprise what is known as the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Ever since a little novel called Heir to the Empire was published by author Timothy Zahn and Bantam Spectra about twenty years ago, the Expanded Universe has grown and expanded to the point where it could take a new reader years to catch up on all the novels alone, never mind the countless comics and video games.

However, some readers have drifted away from the books over the past few years, often because of mega-series fatigue. Originally, story arcs were kept to standalone novels or trilogies. The one exception to this was the X-Wing series, which could more accurately be described as a four book arc, followed by a three book arc, followed by two standalone novels. Everything changed with the New Jedi Order series, a 19 book epic written by multiple authors and published over the span of five years. Since then, the major storytelling in the continuing timeline has been contained in one trilogy and two nine book series, the latest of which was published entirely in hardcover. The first of these series, Legacy of the Force, saw the controversial deaths of two major characters and the second, Fate of the Jedi, stirred the Internet into a flurry of anger and debate every other book. In short, the Expanded Universe has not been easily accessible to new or more casual fans as of late.

2012 is the perfect year to either delve into the Expanded Universe for the first time or to return to it from a self-imposed hiatus. In August and December, Del Ray will be publishing two stand-alone novels by well-respected Expanded Universe authors: Aaron Allston and the aforementioned Timothy Zahn.

Be sure to read the rest of the article, especially if you’re someone that needs more convincing that 2012 is the year you get back into the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

Last Day to Register For Celebration VI Costume Pageant

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Are you heading to Celebration VI? Planning on bringing a costume or two? If you are, you’ve got a chance to show off your creative skills at the Celebration VI Costume Pageant.

Celebrations are a showcase for amazing fan-made Star Warscostumes, and the Celebration VI Costume Pageants are your chance to show off your creation, or watch incredible costumers strut their stuff. Registration is currently open!

The Costume Pageants are currently scheduled for the afternoons of Friday, August 24 and Saturday, August 25, planned for the Celebration Stage with celebrity host James Arnold Taylor. Costumes will draw inspiration from across the galaxy of Star Wars, from movies and television to books and comics to the fertile imaginations of creative costumers.

For rules, guidelines, and to enter, head to the event page on the CVI site. Hurry, though. Today’s the last day to register!

Countless Mary Poppins Clones to Duel a Gigantic Lord Voldemort in Olympics Opener?

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Initial reaction: What? Secondary reaction: Oh that’s just frakking awesome. From Yahoo Sports:

The Sunday Times reports (subscription only) that a sequence featuring some of the best-loved literary characters in British history will climax when a 40-foot Voldemort, the notorious villain from the Harry Potter books, rises out of a bed in the center of Olympic Stadium and scares away representations of Alice from “Alice in Wonderland,” Captain Hook and Cruella De Vil. (Oliver Twist will presumably be waiting in a line at a concession stand.)

Instead of being done in by Harry Potter, Voldemort will meet his match in a British nanny with an umbrella and a penchant for melody.

To quote Dunc over at Club Jade, If this is true, “it’s going to be completely batshit” (in the greatest way imaginable). I agree, but I do hope they take it one step further.

You know you want this to be true, admit it.