Star Wars Animated Slates International Debut

Star Wars: The Clone Wars will make its international premiere on Cartoon Networks across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America on February 13.

The series, set between Star Wars: Episode II and Star Wars: Episode III, features the untold stories within the epic battle. Star Wars: The Clone Wars launched in the U.S. on Cartoon Network on October 3. The new Lucasfilm Animation series clocked in as the most-watched series premiere in the network’s history.

“The Clone Wars is really a continuation of the feature films, and I wanted it to have the same look, feel and depth of the movies,” said George Lucas, who serves as executive producer. “I think we’ve succeeded in making it visually very different than anything else on TV. We’ve put a lot of emphasis on the story and character, because we wanted to make a series that everyone could enjoy. Young people can enjoy the characters, the action and the humor; older kids will like the depth of the story and the quality of the animation. For parents and adults, and for people who have been Star Wars fans for a long time, the series is exciting because it’s one-of-a-kind—a dramatic, action-oriented animated series, done in an interesting style.”

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – “Trespass” Preview

Anthony Daniels and his alter ego C-3PO play a pivotal role in “Trespass,” an all-new episode of the hit animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, premiering at 9 p.m. ET/PT Friday, Jan. 30, on Cartoon Network.

While investigating the disappearance of a clone security force on a fiercely inhospitable ice world, Anakin and Obi-Wan are caught in the middle of a conflict between the planet’s natives and the greedy representatives of a nearby moon. In an effort to broker a tentative peace, Anakin turns to C-3PO for help – and finds his fluency in more than 6 million forms of communication to be most useful.

Daniels has played C-3PO on screen in all six Star Wars movies, and has continued in the role since the inception of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. With the animated series, Daniels becomes the only actor to play the same role in every on-screen incarnation of the Saga. He has also become a spokesman and host for the popular Art and Science of Star Wars exhibition around the world, and has written extensively about his experiences as a part of the Star Wars phenomenon.

“I’ve never left the character or, rather, he’s never left me,” says Daniels. “I put him in the cupboard for a while, but people call and I take him out again. There was a time many years ago when I thought I should move on to other things, but then I thought that was stupid. I’m very fond of Threepio.”

Daniels says the voiceover performance of Threepio is a welcome respite from the rigors of bringing Threepio to the screen in live-action productions. He finds the animation process offers “quite a lot of freedom.”

“When you’re reading lines by yourself, it’s not always as easy to ad-lib,” Daniels says. “But what Dave (Filoni) and I do is to go over my lines before we start because, sadly, I am the world’s greatest expert. And I say that with a kind of wry fun, because Threepio is kind of like my best friend, and you know your best friend better than anyone.”

Filoni says, “It was important to have Anthony as Threepio because I wanted to learn as much from him as I could. Anthony has incredible insight into every word and phrase that he says. There’s rarely a line that he won’t adapt to Threepio’s cadence, so we’ve developed a good vocabulary. We’re both excited to do new things with Threepio, and hopefully in the future, viewers will see us expand our view of the character. After all, Threepio is as much an icon of Star Wars as Darth Vader.”

Filoni says, “It was important to have Anthony as Threepio because I wanted to learn as much from him as I could. Anthony has incredible insight into every word and phrase that he says. There’s rarely a line that he won’t adapt to Threepio’s cadence, so we’ve developed a good vocabulary. We’re both excited to do new things with Threepio, and hopefully in the future, viewers will see us expand our view of the character. After all, Threepio is as much an icon of Star Wars as Darth Vader.”

In “Trespass,” Threepio presents his most proper, most effective side – that of translator. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t provide a moment or two of levity, as is usually the case with the protocol droid.

“The thing I always liked about Threepio is that he wasn’t a hero – he was somebody who had no sense of humor and no sense of irony,” Daniels says. “He doesn’t know that he’s funny. We think he’s funny because he’s ridiculous, he’s uptight and a bit critical and it makes us laugh at him. But his saving grace and the reason that we like him is that he’s very thoughtful and very loyal. If he’s on your side, you would have a friend to the end of your existence. Or probably to the end of his existence, because he’s loyal to a fault, to his last nut and his last bolt.”

Daniels has a clear memory of the original reference to the Clone Wars, and the curious impression it had on the cast – though, he admits, nobody had any idea it would grow to the proportions it has achieved within the Star Wars universe.

“I was amused the other day to remember Mark Hamill going through his lines with me one day, and we both kind of looked at each other regarding this casual one-liner about ‘the Clone Wars,’” Daniels recalls. “And then of course, it got picked up in the prequels and now it’s its own TV series. Animation has grown up. It’s become very, very honorable, and I think Clone Wars has taken the next step.”

THE CLONE WARS: MIDSEASON RECAP

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is a unique and interesting beast, for many reasons.
For starters, it’s the biggest and most commercial attempt by creator George Lucas to bridge the gap between any two Star Wars films. Sure, there’ve been books and comics and video games written and designed to expand the scope of the series, but they’ve never been able to reach and reclaim that massive audience the films enjoy.
Not like “The Clone Wars.”

And, in some ways, that reach feels just a bit short.
The idea behind “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” was to lift the veil on the legendary war waged between the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Separatists, chronicling the final days of the Jedi Order. But while each episode represents an unknown chapter in the Star Wars bible, most of the book has already been written and read.
The series focuses around characters like Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, General Grievous, Count Dooku, and other staples of the Prequel Trilogy. The problem is: these characters’ stories have already been told, thus, eliminating almost all tension, drama, or conflict. Almost every character meets their end or destiny in “Revenge of the Sith,” leaving many of the story arcs and battles feeling anticlimactic.
One would be hard pressed to find someone unaware of Anakin Skywalker’s fall from grace or the massacre of the Jedi or the totalitarian regime of the Galactic Empire. The only real question lingers around the fate of Anakin’s young apprentice, Asoka Tano, who never appears in the feature films.
Simply put, the show puts us on a path to a place we’ve already been.
But it’s a hell of a fun ride.
While the Prequel Trilogy only gave us a taste of what the Jedi can do, Master Yoda’s reputation as a great warrior, and the combat skills of the Clone Troopers, “The Clone Wars” makes it the main course. Each episode centers on a different threat, skirmish, or mission undertaken by the clone troops and their Jedi generals, from launching all out space battles against massive battleships to rescuing downed soldiers.
And though the series doesn’t change the course of the franchise, the action keeps you on the edge of your seat with its surprisingly brutal fight scenes and cinematic space battles in line with Lucas’ original vision.
Plus, having the room to take the camera off the main characters and put it on, say, a small group of rookie Clone Troopers trying to defend a strategic base against an invasion of droids not only shows that war wasn’t just a series of epic space battles and lightsaber duels, but gives the often faceless, nameless clones a touch of humanity, and enhances their roles in Star Wars universe.
In the end, “The Clone Wars” might not be redefining the Star Wars legacy, but does a good job of keeping the fun and adventure Star Wars brought to the silver screen going on the small screen.

Source: Sci-Fi

Blockbuster Video Top 10 game rentals list per platform

The most popular game rentals according to Blockbuster Video Canada for the period ending Dec. 21, 2008

Playstation 3

1. Prince of Persia

2. Call of Duty: World at War

3. Resistance 2

4. Fallout 3

5. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

6. Far Cry 2

7. Need for Speed: Undercover

8. James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace

9. Mirror’s Edge

10. Little Big Planet

Playstation 2

1. Call of Duty: World at War – Final Fronts

2. Need for Speed: Undercover

3. NHL 09

4. Guitar Hero: World Tour

5. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

6. LEGO Batman

7. WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009

8. Shaun White Snowboard

9. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

10. Sonic Unleashed

Xbox 360

1. Gears of War 2

2. Prince of Persia

3. Fallout 3

4. Call of Duty: World at War

5. Left 4 Dead

6. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

7. Far Cry 2

8. Fable II

9. Need for Speed: Undercover

10. Saints Row 2

Wii

1. Wii Music

2. Animal Crossing: City Folk

3. Shaun White Snowboard

4. NHL 2K9

5. Clone Wars: The Animated Series

6. Mario Party 8

7. Need for Speed: Undercover

8. Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party

9. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

10. Call of Duty: World at War

Source: Blockbuster

TV: CLONE WARS catch-up marathon anchors holiday “Star Wars” fun

Although the final original episodes of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS have aired for the remainder of 2008, there’s no dearth of CLONE WARS fun available at Starwars.com to keep fans busy until Jan. 2, including the first-ever online “marathon,” which begins on Monday.

Starting Dec. 22, all 10 episodes of the hit Cartoon Network series that have aired to date will be available online at the official Star Wars website and at CartoonNetwork.com. What’s more, each episode features a video commentary by supervising director Dave Filoni; a web comic; and a detailed episode guide containing concept art and additional insights into STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS.

The online marathon ends on Monday, Jan. 5.

And on Friday, Jan. 2, the first new CLONE WARS episode of 2009, “Dooku Captured,” debuts at 9 p.m. on Cartoon Network.

Just in case that’s not enough for STAR WARS fans, StarWars.com offers three exclusive online games provide unique, challenging experiences. There’s no hardware required beyond a basic home computer, and the games are accessible via the homepage at http://www.starwars.com.

In “Sharpshooter,” players can partake in some clone training, as they try to hit targets that range from holograms of battle droids to rolling destroyer droids. As the levels get progressively harder, “Sharpshooter” throws in some tricks, ranging from blast shields that make it difficult to hit your target to decoys that players need to avoid. It’s classic arcade-style action whose increasingly difficult levels will pose a challenge to gamers of any age.

“Live Fire” is a keyboard-based game in which players take on the role of a clone trooper – and can even customize his gear. By finding and collecting datapacks, while avoiding a phalanx of Separatist droids, players can unlock exclusive CLONE WARS content, including images, videos and sounds. But beware, because the Separatist droids encountered on these missions to Christophsis and Teth are bent on success.

“Clones vs. Droids” offers the option of playing live against another player – or practicing solo. Squads of droids and clone troopers are pitted against each other, and it’s up to players to strategically prepare for both attack and defense during the game’s 10 rounds.

The CLONE WARS experience isn’t just online, of course. In fact, during the holidays Cartoon Network will offer encore showings of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS with more opportunities than ever to enjoy the intergalactic adventure.

Here is Cartoon Network’s holiday schedule for STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS. (Unless noted, all programming is half-hour episodes.)

Monday, Dec. 22 – 10 a.m. (one-hour block), 5 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 23 – 9:30 a.m., 2 p.m. (one-hour block)

Thursday, Dec. 25 – 4:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 26 – 8 a.m., 6 p.m. (one-hour block), 9 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 27 – 9:30 a.m.

Sunday, Dec. 28 – 9 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 29 – 10 a.m. (one-hour block), 5 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 30 – 9:30 a.m., 2 p.m. (one-hour block)

Wednesday, Dec. 31 – 9 a.m. (one-hour block), 3 p.m.

All times listed are ET/PT.

Don’t forget – the next original episode of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, “Dooku Captured,” airs at 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2. Until then … may the Force be with you!

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