Pottermore Website

Lost Tribe of the Sith: #6 Sentinel Released 2/21/11

The latest entry in John Jackson Miller's must read e-book novella series, Lost Tribe of the Sith has been released.

Sentinel follows on the events of Book 5: Purgatory, StarWars.com has also posted the following blurb for the novella:

Cast into slavery by the machinations of the Sith, Ori Kitai believes she's found her way back into the Lost Tribe -- and perhaps a whole lot more. Ori's discovery of a second starship gives her the opportunity to avenge the humiliations heaped on her family by the decrepit Grand Lord. Indeed, she could turn their entire society upside down -- offering escape from their planetary prison. But Ori encounters resistance from a surprising person: the seemingly humble farmer who took her in: a man with a secret past and an agenda of his own. He cannot allow Ori Kitai to unleash the Lost Tribe on an unsuspecting galaxy. But how can he stop the woman he loves without destroying them both?

Look for a review of Sentinel on Lightsaber Rattling this week.

Amazon Link

StarWars.Com Link

For the rest of the Lost Tribe of the Sith and other interesting Free Downloads visit, StarWars.com's Digital Download Page.

Music for a sunday

Arcade Fire

Photo: Matt Sayles/AP

http://s2.lemde.fr

Some of the best Grammy Awards of this year were for musicians I love! Oh! Ya, I just can't live without music.

So, let's see! Arcade Fire won 'Best Album of the Year' for 'Suburs'. Herbie Hancock for his 'Imagine' won 'Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals' and 'Best Improvised Jazz Solo', Esperanza Spalding won 'Best New Artist'.

I wrote about Spalding last sunday, afternoon. She is absolutely incredible!

Jeff Beck / Facebook

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net

And today, my musical hit goes to Jeff Beck the legendary rock guitarist. He won 3 Awards.

Jeff Beck, rock guitarist extraordinaire, captured three Grammy® awards at the star-studded ceremony held February 23 2011 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

His latest studio album, Emotion&Commotion, was nominated for five Grammy awards, making him the most nominated artist rock artist this year.

Beck won 'Best Rock Instrumental Performance' for 'Hammerhead' and 'Best Pop Instrumental' performance for 'Nessun Dorma', both from Emotion&Commotion.

http://www.jeffbeck.com

This marks only the second time an artist has won Grammys in both of these categories in the same year. The first time was in 2006 by guitar legend and Beck mentor Les Paul.

Beck also won for 'Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals' for 'Imagine', his collaboration with Herbie Hancock, Pink, India Arie, Seal, Konono No. 1& Oumou Sangare. Beck has previously won five Grammy awards.

Jeff Beck and his performance for 'Nessum Dorma' is absolutely crashing! Among the differents perfomances on YouTube, I really prefer this one...

Jeff Beck
Air Canada Centre
Toronto
February 21, 2010

G-Souto

20.02.2011

(in a lovely sunday break)

References:

Jeff Beck

http://www.jeffbeck.com

Vote With Your Dollar.

People say this and I am a big believer in it.

There is a reason I do not shop at the Walmarts. It is not that they are evil (though some are) or that these places are too pedestrian for someone as sophisticated as I.
It is because the Mom & Pop stores are dying and I adore those places. I miss bodegas and markets and the lovely gems you'd find when going for a stroll. It's hard to miss a Canadian Tire or Sobey's.
Lately, I have seen the numbers and the amount of independently owned businesses are at an all-time low. ("Mommy, what's a record store?") This makes me sad, and the only thing I can really do, besides signing online petitions and joining facebook groups that do a little bit less than nothing, is to ensure my dollar goes to support these stores before they are closed down to become cupcake shops.*

Here's my issue with this concept, though... (you knew it was coming):

The voting is done by those who have been SPENDING the money, not making the money.

This is an important distinction. Like the difference between the consumer vs the customer. This is why most commercials are tailored to the women of the house. They are the customer, but any number of people of the house could be the consumer.
This is the end of that same rope.

The people out there spending the majority of the money being made now are the children, teenagers, and adult children (ages 18-30) of the money makers.

And they are fucking asshats.

They are a marketer's dream because they are still convinced that you are what you can show off and you can be anything with minimal effort or talent.
They will buy the shiniest piece of shit for the most inflated margin and they will treat everything like a temporary fix and be back tomorrow for the newest installation of tout in the social ladder olympics.

And don't get me wrong, I am aware that teenagers have always been ignorant. They SHOULD be. They are still learning what it means to be a douchebag, and there is never a point in telling a teenager anything they must learn for themselves. The problem is that they are constructing a society with this lack of knowledge. They are taking their ignorance and parlaying it into music, media, movies, and morality.

And it is fucking awful.

The parents are making the money, passing it off to the ass hats, and then sitting down on the couch to drink scotch and forget they ever had dreams. The kids then go off to tell the big business machines what the little people are willing to spend their lives on.
And have you SEEN it out there? It is garbage. Almost all of it. And it SHOULD be. As an authentic reflection of the customer base it caters to, it is extremely accurate.

Once the adult children are out of the thick haze of celebrity envy, cock shafts, and Kokanee, they end up having children of their own and I see the cycle starting again. They are letting their children pick the toys, pick the TV shows, pick the clothes they wear, at less than three years old. No guidance... just the path of least resistance.
And it is all enveloped in the ironic guise of self expression.
Except it isn't they who are deciding what they wish to express. They barely even had time to decide who they wanted to be let alone how they wished to express it. They paid the people to tell them how they should be behaving and who they should be emulating. Kim Kardashian made 65 million dollars last year.

People are being touted as movie stars and music icons before they even have their first single out. We don't have to decide who is important enough to worship anymore; it is decided long before we even know who Justin Bieber is. And then people sit on the computer waiting for the next "big" thing.
Not the next great thing. That is no longer important.

And when you are a teenager, being excellent isn't important. Being liked is. Being popular is. Being desired is.

And look around. This is what our society is now trying to sell US on.

Us, the ones who don't give a shit about that anymore.
Us, who do not want to pretend to be lesbians and dance to auto-tune at clubs.
Us, who know what good beer tastes like.
Us, who do not think porn stars are actual "stars".
Us, who know when a label is doing nothing more than using us as a walking billboard.
Us, who can read an article more than 500 characters long.
Us, who think beauty is a little deeper than lip gloss.
Us, who want our news scrupulous, not sensational.
Us, who do not think that showing your tits is empowering to women.
Us, who think our kids should be eating real food, drinking water, listen to artist's music, reading the classics, and playing in the mud.
Us, who are trying to make our voices heard.

Not much is designed for the Gen-X anymore. Ironic that when we would have been the ignorant, shopaholic teenagers I am talking about, we were too busy being broke-ass grunge punks on broken skateboards and listening to skipping CD Walkmans to notice the impact we could have had... if we had the money.

Now I do have money.
But my vote doesn't count anymore.

*What the hell is with the cupcake craze? Is it due to the reality show about Heather and Lori's cupcakes, because they ARE divine and the girls ARE amazing, but honestly, it's nuts. Cupcake boutiques are EVERYWHERE.

And On That Note...

Heather Russell is from Toronto.
She has been writing her own music since she was 7.
Simon Cowell just signed her.

You'll be hearing more from her...

Battle Meditation Review of Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Citadel (Episode 3.18)

Even Piell is a bad, bad Lannik

Episode Title & Number: "Citadel" Season 3, Episode 18 (3.18)

Original Air Date: February 18, 2011.

Review Blurb:

Its a Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Attack of the Clones Mash-Up this week on The Clone Wars. Classic Star Wars. EV-9D9 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I used to love that action figure! "You're a feisty little one, but you'll soon learn some respect. I have need for you on the master's sail barge, and I think you'll fill in nicely." Wait, is it wrong that I am more excited about Eve then I am about Tarkin?

Jedi Fortune Cookie: "Adaptation is the key to survival."

Episode Dramatis Personae:

Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight
Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master
Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Padawan
R2-D2, Astromech Droid
C-3PO, Protocol Droid
Osi Sobeck, Phindan Citadel Commander
Even Piell, Jedi Master
Captain Tarkin, Republic Captain
Clone Captain Rex, Clone Trooper Captain
Clone Commander Cody, Clone Commander
Echo, Clone ARC Trooper
Fives. Clone ARC Trooper

Episode Summary:

Newsreel:

Captured! Returning from a perilous assignment in the Outer Rim, Jedi Master Even Piell's cruiser has fallen under attack and been boarded. Seeking vital information he carries about secret hyperspace lanes called the Nexus Route, Separatist forces have taken him alive.

Now the Jedi are preparing a stealth mission into the heart of Separatist space in an effort to rescue Master Piell from the deadly prison known as the Citadel....

Episode Guide Synopsis:

With help from R2-D2 and a squad of captured battle droids, an elite team of Jedi and clone troopers led by Obi-Wan and Anakin attempt to free a captive Jedi general, Even Piell, from an impenetrable prison.

Review:

I) Story/Writing

This episode (written by Matt Michnovetz & directed by Kyle Dunlevy) starts with a nice MacGuffin, Jedi Master Even Piell has found some super secret super important hyperspace lanes that go between the home worlds of the Republic and the Separatists, called the "Nexus Route." Do we really care much about the Nexus Route? Besides the fact it gives us a potential update for the Star Wars Atlas book? Not really, it serves as a purpose for the droids to keep Master Piell alive and for the Jedi to pull out all the stops in a uber dangerous rescue mission. MacGuffin mission accomplished.

This episode is full of cool action, imagery and Star Wars movie references. I will be discussing some of the stuff that caught my attention in the following paragraphs.

The Citadel:

We learn that the Citadel isn't exactly new, its very old and it was designed to hold Jedi who have lost their way. This could be a throw away line, but its one of those little things that you could build an entire story around in the EU. Why did the Jedi/Republic/Whoever feel the need to build a prison for Jedi? Was there a rash of Jedi becoming Dark Jedi, Sith, or going crazy as we have seen in the Fate of the Jedi series? I can't wait to find out more about the original purpose of the Citadel.

Carbon Freezing:

I don't want to end up a wall decoration ~Clone Captain Rex

Carbon Freezing brings us right back to ESB and RotJ. Rex not wanting to end up a wall decoration, as Han Solo later ends up as Jabba's favorite decoration at his Palace. Nerdgasm

In this episode the infiltration by carbon freezing to get past the Separatist's scanning for life-signs was Anakin's idea. Makes you look at ESB carbon freezing a little differently. Just how much of Anakin still is part of Vader in ESB? Does he think of carbon freezing as a convenient and effective way for transporting personnel? Nerdgasm

But the carbon freezing scene does leave me with a major question. Is that a mobile carbon freezing station or do the Jedi keep one on their hanger deck usually? We know from the EU that carbon freezing is a way to transport highly valuable perishable materials, but the Jedi aren't exactly the intergalactic UPS. Why would they have a carbon freezing facility in the Jedi Temple?

The Shuttle Ride:

"Shuttle Tydirium, what is your cargo and destination?

When our Jedi strike team arrives at the Citadel, aboard there Separatist shuttle with its captured battle droid crew, we get a scene very reminiscent of the Rebel insertion onto the forest moon of Endor in Return of the Jedi (RotJ). Much like the shuttle Tydirium being challenged for its cargo and destination on its approach to the Imperial fleet surrounding Endor, the Jedi's shuttle is challenged by Citadel Command, for their cargo.

They need a better cargo manifest on the shuttle. The droids load carbon frozen stow away Ahsoka. It was pretty funny when Anakin greets her instinctually coming out of carbon freeze before realising she is not suppose to be there. It made me think of Luke's conversation with the Force Ghost of Obi-Wan on Dagobah, when Obi-Wan makes the "certain point of view" argument. Ahsoka "discussed it" with Master Plo about going on the mission all right. Ahsoka is a sneaky one and picking up some poor discipline habits from her Master.

Guard the shuttle R2, Guard the X-wing R2, what is he a car alarm? R2 must get a little frustrated sometimes.

Jail Break:

How kick butt are the Clone Commandos? They keeping up with the Jedi, free climbing the sheer cliff face that is lined with electro-mines to get to the prison entrance.

Ah the old ventilation duct entrance trick. Good thing they brought Le Petite Padawan.

Clone Troopers Echo and Fives aren't going to like the "special unit" droids very much, "Rookies" flashback time.

EV-9D9: Some Droids like it Rough

Some droids are nice and friendly, some droids are subservient, and some droids like to torture other droids or sentient lifeforms. Its always nice to see a droid enjoy their work. The torture scene of Jedi Master Even Piell echos two movies at the same time. It immediately makes you think of RotJ as C-3P0 and R2-D2 are taken to Jabba's Droid Overseer EV-9D9 for job assignments and we see poor little droids being tortured.

The way Master Piell is being imprisoned is straight out of AotC when Count Dooku has captured Obi-Wan Kenobi on Geonosis and has him suspended in bindings. Double Nerdgasm

Look Who's Tarkin:

Rapid Entry by Jedi by far my favorite way to make an entrance.

Very interesting character development on Tarkin in his few lines in this episode. We get a glimpse into his psyche in the debate between he and Obi-Wan on how best to attempt to escape. Size/Strength in number philosophy by Tarkin, two separate groups/diversion strategy of Obi-Wan. These two strategies fit into what we know of these characters in ANH. Obi-Wan goes off on his own to shut down the shield generators instructing Han and Luke to stay behind in the control room. Tarkin believes in overwhelming force and power is the way to go, and he has the biggest ship and biggest gun in the galaxy.

The other very interesting angles of this story arc are that Tarkin knew Obi-Wan. Just how much does Tarkin know of Vader/Anakin's past? There are a lot of potential implications of this that I need to think about some more, and hopefully we see more Tarkin interaction in the next episode.

II) Acting

Matt Lanter did another good job this episode exposing the major character flow of Anakin's attachment. In this case it was Anakin's attachment to Ahsoka, telling her she can't come on the rescue mission because its not a mission for training. The subtext is that he is afraid she could die. From the EU its was not uncommon for Jedi to lose Padawan's during the Clone Wars as well as other conflicts, and taking part in dangerous missions was par for the course of being a Padawan.

Even Piell had a cool german influenced accent.

James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) also portrayed the dastardly Citadel Commander Osi Sobeck. The Episode Guide from StarWars.com confirms what my ears told me watching the episode. Christopher Walken. I got a fever and the only solution is more cowbell.

For James Arnold Taylor's characterization of Osi Sobeck, he performed the dialogue with pauses and inflection inspired by Christopher Walken's distinctive speech patterns.

III) Animation

Lola Sayu may be my favorite planet yet depicted on TCW, how awesome was that? Part of the planet is molten and breaking up. It looks incredible.

Facial twitches of Plo Koon, his fangs for lack of a better word were moving independently.

Obi-Wan's hair is blowing in the wind? I would love to know how much that cost?

Ahsoka's padawan beads swigning and the fluidity of Commando droids were also nice touches and once again show how far the animation has come in this show.

IV) New Characters/Planets/Vehicles

Echo and Fives

Separatist Escort Shuttle Class B

Lola Sayu from space

K2-B4

Commander Osi Sobeck

The Citadel

Commando Droids

Captain Tarkin

Jedi Hanger w/Carbon Freeze Facility (Concept Art)

Concept Art

Trooper Longshot? RIP

V) Continuity Clashes: "How I learned to stop worrying and love the ret-cons."

TARKIN AND HIS BACKSTORY

As an interesting character and a fun villain to use, Grand Moff Tarkin has made appearances directly or by reference in lots of EU material. This episode re-introduces him as a Republic Captain during The Clone Wars. How does that fit into what we know about his backstory at this point. In Cloak of Deception, set in 33 BBY we see Tarkin as Lt. Governor of Eriadu. In 29 BBY, Tarkin is involved in an attempt to get special starship technology from Zonoma Sekot in Rogue Planet. The Clone Wars run from 22BBY and 19BBY, by 22 BBY Tarkin had risen to the Governorship of Eriadu. This brings us to the issue of when and how did Tarkin set aside his office as Governor and re-enlist as a Captain in the Republic Navy? Was he drafted in or did he volunteer in? It seems like a pretty dramatic step for a planetary Governor to step down in the middle of a galactic conflict to join the Republic's military forces. At some point the ret-con story that fixes this back story inconcistency needs to be told. (Research on this section via Wooieepedia)

HYPERSPACE LANES

Not a major issue, but this episode introduces us to the "Nexus Route," which is a secret hyperspace lane that allows transit between the home worlds of the Republic and Confederacy. My only problem with this is that it seems like these routes should be fairly well known at this point of time, especially any route that heads toward Coruscant.

SHIP YARDS OF DOOM

In this week's episode the Jedi and Clone Troopers use the trick of freezing themselves in carbonite in order to cover their life signs and slip past Separatist scanners and get behind enemy lines. In this episode Anakin says that this is the first time they have tried this. However we have an earlier (9/24/08) Clone Wars story featuring the same trick, also Anakin's idea, also with Ahsoka stowing away, that is apparently set before the events of this episode.

"We are early in this conflict Lord Tyrannus." ~Darth Sideous via hologram to Count Dooku in Shipyards of Doom

If we take Sideous' comments at face value, then either Anakin is forgetful or TCW production team dropped the ball on continuity here. Simply removing the line of dialogue from the episode would have prevented a continuity issue. As it stands, 'Citadel' is set later in the Clone Wars with new character models and should be placed later in the timeline then Shipyards of Doom, but unless you make Shipyards of Doom after Citadel, then Anakin's dialogue doesn't make sense.

Old character models and carbonite

From the StarWars.com Episode Guide:

During Season One, discussions about getting past droid scans led to Superising Director Dave Filoni and writer Henry Gilory developing the carbon-freezing tactic, though it never made it into an episode. Gilroy later used it in an Expanded Universe Clone Wars comic book story, The Shipyards of Doom. Its use in 'The Citadel' brings it to the screen.

Shipyards of Doom is available in multiple formats from digital to print. It is available from Amazon HERE.

VI) Rating This Episode

10 out of 10. This episode flew buy and there was a throwback to one of the films in almost every scene. I can't get enough of this. An awesome way to follow up the mind bending mythology heavy Mortis arc with a good old fashion Star Wars swashbuckling adventure yarn.

The only negative for me was that the cool space battle and capture of Evel Piell was handled in the Newsreel instead of in the episode proper. I want to see that scene with sound effects and music.

VII) Next on The Clone Wars

Next on TCW is Episode 3.19, "Counter Attack." The Clone Wars is taking a week off and will be returning with a new episode on 3/4/11. Will our heroes escape the Citadel? Can Echo and Fives survive more Commando droids? How many more movie references can they throw into this story arc? Tune in to find out.

"Please deny your children their dreams. "

"Dear Parents,

Please deny your children their dreams.

The child stars you keep complaining about? The ones who go off the rails? That happens because a parent, with stars in their eyes and dreams of fame and living vicariously, decides it’s all right to let the child pursue acting, or dance, or whatnot – and that way madness lies.

I hear you though -- “But she just LOVES to sing and dance! How can I get in her way? How can I prevent her from doing what she LOVES?” I’m not saying you have to lock her in the basement. Let her sing! Let her dance! But why does she have to be an employed professional? Most of the people – good or not – who try out for American Idol are adult, or close to it. Their passions, which I’m sure they had since they were kids, are still alive. Why do you have to drive your kid’s for her?

Let’s say your child wants to be in showbiz and you say yes – what if she doesn’t get hired? What if it’s a long slog of no work and his self esteem gets bruised? Or what if she does get hired, and then all your time and energy goes into taking care of her career? How will your other kids feel? How will you feel, now that you’re just a chauffeur? What if your kid works once, one show or commercial, and then never gets a day of work again? All washed up? That? What if you have to move across the country for him to get work? Is that going to affect your family? How many parents of child stars are divorced? Take a good guess…

Lest you think I’m a hypocrite – yes, I’ve worked with child actors. Key word being actors. They are not stars. Every last one of them would tell you that Canada is different. You can still grow up here and make mistakes and be a normal teenager. There isn’t paparazzi. And none of them have their faces on bedsheets and mugs and toothbrushes.

And no, I’ve never been a parent- but I’ve been a kid. And I had Dreams. And you know what my parents said? ‘Absolutely not. You can try when you’re an adult, if you want to.’ My passion was real. My talent was not. So I never became an actor. Instead I discovered my love of being in charge and bossing people around, which you can do quite well as a writer. Or Producer. Or Director. Or anything where you aren’t Famous. But I know that fame hunger eats away at people…

There comes a level of fame where it’s Just. Too. Much. And it’s a lot closer to the beginning than I think parents think. No wonder the kids can’t handle it. No wonder they’re acting out – in completely normal ways, by the way – and freaking out parents across the nation.

But OK, you say to me – my kid isn’t going to be a ‘child star’, she’s going to be a serious actor. Look at Natalie Portman! She was a child actor, and now she’s an adult actor! Yay!

To which I say: Annette Bening. Julia Roberts. Penelope Cruz. Nicole Kidman. Julianna Marguelies. Alison Janney. Salma Hayek. Tina Fey. The list goes on. You can be successful as an adult even if you haven’t been as a kid. If your kid has a passion for acting at 12? Great. Chances are she’ll still have that passion at 22, and she can pursue it, after you’ve spent her childhood teaching her to be a good, smart, savvy kid who can take care of herself in the professional world. I promise you she will not suffer for not having worked for 10 years already.

And of course there are exceptions to what I’m saying. I know a few of them personally. But so much depends. On who the family is, on when the fame hit, on what’s expected of the child at home. But we’ve seen the ‘child star has too much ‘ story play out waaay too many times for it to be a coincidence. The exceptions, of whom I’m very, very proud of, prove the rule.

So what about hockey moms and dads, Duana? What about them?

Look, I know less about the hockey and other pro-sports worlds. I do know there can be an immense amount of pressure. But the difference is, at the very least, that you can’t go pro until you are (nominally) an adult. Who’s the youngest, most successful hockey star ever? Gretzky? Crosby? They can’t begin to have the same amount of wealth and pressure that Mary Kate and Ashley did. Those two had how many employees by the age of six?

And while I’m at it?

Please, please stop making TV actors your role models for your children. It is bullsh-t. I hear it so much. “I used to think that Hannah was a good role model but now she isn’t!” You’ve forgotten the natural progression of things, i.e. – people grow up. Teenagers do things the world cannot like or understand.

Explain to your children the difference between characters and actors. I know they can figure it out. Explain that entertainers are fun, but they’re not who we look up to and want to be like. That’s saved for (insert role model of your choice, but I highly recommend it’s not someone who’s famous). Explain to your kids that celebrities are Just. Like. Us. So sometimes they make bad choices and do bad things and that’s okay because nobody’s perfect.

Remind your kids that people are on TV because someone liked them, and made the choice that the rest of us would also like them. That it doesn’t mean they’re the best, overall, at everything. It just means they got chosen once, and that could all change. Way too quickly.

Again, I don’t have kids. Maybe I’ll be running out to open calls and talent searches if one day I do. But I would be very very surprised.

And you can yell at me if I do."

source: http://www.laineygossip.com/Child_stars_and_saying_no_to_dreams_Written_by_Duana_.aspx?CatID=0&CelID=0

Video Games Awards Nominees in 2011

http://t2.gstatic.com

The nominees 2011 BAFTA Game Award to Watch Award has been announced.

http://img.game.co.uk

"The GAME Award 2010 is voted for entirely by YOU, the games-buying public, giving you the chance to have your say on the title you think deserves to be called the best game of 2010."