Gay Sci-Fi Nerds (GSFN) Podcast Show

I’ve been a bit slack in getting some of these stories up onto the website. Latest stories are listed first with links to the full story below each item.

No assault charge for Batman Bale Batman star Christian Bale will not face charges over an alleged assault on his mother and sister during a row, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.

BBC News

Rocky remake leaves O’Brien cold A remake of cult 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show is being produced without the blessing of its creator Richard O’Brien, he has told the BBC.

BBC News

Sky buys drama from Lost creator Fringe, a new US drama from the creator of Lost and Alias, has been bought by Sky One. Science fiction series Fringe, by JJ Abrams, stars Dawson’s Creek actor Joshua Jackson, John Noble from Lord of The Rings and Lost’s Lance Reddick.

BBC News

Scotty’s ashes missing in crash Some of the ashes of actor James Doohan, who played Montgomery “Scotty” Scott in Star Trek have gone missing.

BBC News

Potter fairytales to be published A collection of fairytales penned by Harry Potter author JK Rowling is to be published to raise money for a children’s charity. The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which Rowling first mentioned in The Deathly Hallows, will go on sale on 4 December.

BBC News

Olympic boost for Mummy blockbuster? As all eyes turn to Beijing for the Olympics, the third instalment of the successful Mummy films offers its own take on China - swapping Egyptian Pyramids for the Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. So is the timing a coincidence? Or are the filmmakers hoping for a box office boost from the Olympic Games?

BBC News

Vicar supports Life of Brian ban A mayor’s plan to end her town’s ban on the 1979 Monty Python film Life of Brian are being opposed by the local vicar, who says it pokes fun at Jesus.

BBC News

Dr. Horrible Not So Horrible, And It’s Now On Hulu (Update: And International) Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog is a 40 minute musical that stars Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible, a bumbling, video blogging super villain who’s trying to get into the Evil League of Evil. The project is available on iTunes for $4 - this week Hulu also put it on its site for free with commercials.

TechCrunch

Press views: The Wizard of Oz A stage version of classic film The Wizard of Oz has opened at the Royal Festival Hall in London. It is the first major live production of the story in the UK’s capital for 20 years, and stars Sian Brooke in the role of Dorothy, made famous by Judy Garland on the silver screen. The critics have delivered their verdict on how the magic of the cinema favourite has translated to the stage.

BBC News

Venom Spin-Off On The Way Back in February there was talk of Sony looking at writers for a possible Venom movie, and now we have news that a draft script has been written by Jacob Estes. However, the studio is considering going in a different direction from Estes’ script and is seeking writers for a new draft.

Filmonic

Comic Con: True Blood, and Alan Ball’s Unique Take on Vampires Big banner ads all over Comic Con are advertising Tru Blood, the fictional “synthetic blood nourishment beverage” that serves as a blood replacement for vampires in Alan Ball’s new series, True Blood. Eerily convincing, they serve as a clever reminder of the show’s ARG, which also includes a vampire dating site and a blog.

/Film

TV’s Lost audience ‘will be lost’ Viewers of the fifth series of Lost will not know where or when the action is set, the show’s producers have said. Talking at arts and comic book convention Comic-Con, they revealed they would play around with the show’s flash-back and flash-forward formula.

BBC News

Rocky Horror Picture Show, Part Deux WHY?! Wasn’t the first one bad enough? Do we really need to be subjected to this? Apparently so. MTV (figures) is doing the remake, and plans on using the original script.

Flimonic

I Am Legend Prequel Happening, Will Smith Interested In Returning I Am Legend became the second-biggest non-sequel of 2007 with $584 million worldwide, and ever since then there’s been a lot of rumours and speculation whether Warner Bros. would try to do some kind of prequel or sequel to it. Well it turns out they are.

Filmonic

Torchwood set for ‘Big Bang’ day A special radio episode of sci-fi drama Torchwood is to be broadcast as part of BBC Radio 4’s Big Bang day. The station will broadcast from the European nuclear research facility in Geneva on 10 September where scientists are to recreate the Big Bang aftermath.

BBC News

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Ben Stiller comedy Tropic Thunder has dethroned Batman sequel The Dark Knight at the US and Canadian box office.

The spoof, about a group of actors who end up fighting in a real war, took $26m (£14m) in its first weekend.

The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale as Batman and Heath Ledger as his arch-enemy The Joker, had held the top spot for four weeks.

It earned another $16.8m (£9m) to overtake Star Wars as America’s second highest-grossing film of all time.

James Cameron’s 1997 epic Titanic remains the highest-grossing film in the US with takings of $601m (£322m).

Musical

The animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars opened in third place with $15.5m (£8.3m), while the latest Hollywood remake of a cult Asian horror film, Mirrors, starring Kiefer Sutherland, was in fourth spot with $11.1m (£6m).

Cannabis comedy Pineapple Express, from the makers of Knocked Up, was in fifth place with earnings of $10m (£5.36m).

Action-adventure The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was sixth with $8.6m (£4.6m), ahead of Abba musical Mamma Mia!, with $6.5m (£3.5m).

Rounding out the top 10 were The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, with $5.93m (£3.2m), ahead of comedy Step Brothers with $5m (£2.7m).

Woody Allen’s latest film, romantic comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona, was 10th with $3.7m (£2m).

BBC News

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Earth surrenders peacefully to the Galactic Empire as they begin to invade San Francisco, with the ominous Death Star in orbit…

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With the new animated movie Star Wars: The Clone Wars due to hit UK cinemas this week, here at the Gay Sci-Fi Nerds Podcast Show we thought these news stories might be of interest. Though not to Drew as he doesn’t do anime…

George Lucas Explains Why Actors Didn’t Return For Clone Wars

MTV asked George Lucas that very question:

“When we decided to do the feature, we went back to the actors and said, ‘Look, we’re doing a feature. Would you like to do the voice? Could you come in a month?’ Some of them were all over the world. It was hard to get all the actors that would be off on set,” Lucas told reporters at a press conference last week. “You need people available every week. [Also] you can’t really afford multi-million dollar actors to do a television series. Those guys make more during their coffee break.”

But the bottom line for why most of the actors aren’t returning to voice the characters they made famous? Because George Lucas doesn’t need them, Lucas himself said to reporters.

“It used to be in animation you just had [unknown] actors do the parts. The idea of hiring a really good actor – Tom Hanks [for instance] – was a really revolutionary idea,” Lucas said. “Partly they did it because they were great actors, partly they did it cause they wanted to use them for publicity. To be very honest with you, I don’t really think I need to hire a big movie star to publicize my movie. I don’t need Angelina Jolie here. That’s what it comes down to in the end. They have two days in the studio and then they have like two weeks doing press. They are mainly paid for the press stuff.”

What I want to know is what’s La Georgina got against Angelina Jolie?

Filmonic

Press views: The Clone Wars

Critics have been delivering their verdicts on Star Wars: The Clone Wars which premiered in LA on Sunday. The latest offering from George Lucas is an animated version of the cult sci-fi series. Set between Episodes II and III - Attack Of The Clones and Revenge Of The Sith - the movie follows Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker as they battle evil Count Dooku and his army.

The reviews aren’t looking too good. To read what the critics think, click here.

Lucas attends Clone Wars premiere

Film-maker George Lucas has attended the US premiere of his latest film Star Wars: The Clone Wars in Los Angeles. It is the first animated Star Wars movie ever made and will be followed by a TV series with the same title, due to be screened in the autumn.

Fans lined Hollywood Boulevard to catch a glimpse of Lucas and some of the actors who have provided the voices of the animation’s characters.

The movie opens in North American cinemas and across the UK on 15 August.

BBC News

‘Film addict’ Lucas on Clone Wars

One of the most successful movie series of all time returns - with the release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. This one is different from previous instalments - it is entirely animated…. and it came about by accident.

BBC News

And in more Star Wars related news…

Stormtrooper helmet sales still legal in Britain

A British movie prop maker who crafted the Stormtrooper uniform for the original Star Wars movie can continue selling replicas of the costume throughout the galaxy - the US excepted. George Lucas’s production company Lucasfilm sued Andrew Ainsworth over copyright violations for selling Stormtrooper suits and helmets through his London shop and the internet.

London’s high court ruled today that although Ainsworth violated a US copyright on galactic fashion, the empire’s litigious force does not necessarily extend abroad. Judge Anthony Mann rejected Lucasfilm’s claims under British law, saying English copyright over the outfits had expired.

Ainsworth sculpted the helmets for the first Star Wars movie in 1977.

The Register

Star Wars In 3D: Can You Handle It?

George Lucas seems to have given up on making any more live-action movies that may further tarnish the legacy of Star Wars, and that’s a good thing. But he might be looking to dig into the vault and bring the six movies back to the big screen—again!—in a whole new jazzed-up format. A good thing, or beating a dead horse?

Cinema Blend

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First we have the Star Wars model that sold for £177,789 in an auction of iconic film memorabilia. The 18 inch-high T.I.E. fighter featured in the climactic space battle in the 1977 movie.

The auction allowed collectors to buy more than 1,000 original pieces of Hollywood history, including several superhero costumes - among them Wolverine’s X-Men jacket and Ben Affleck’s Daredevil costume.

BBC News

Next we have the DIY Batman Tumbler (Editor’s note: Tumbler..? Come on guys, it’s the Batmobile!).

Bob Dullam has built this absolutely amazing working replica of Batman’s current-gen Batmobile, the Tumbler. It’s got it all - the afterburner, the huge honking double-barrel wheels, the stealth-toothiness on all of the edges - immaculate. Dullam threw it all together with nothing more than commonly available photos and the movies themselves, all custom welded, in his own garage by himself. Bob estimates his labor of love will cost him anywhere from $50k-$70k. And even after repeated pleading on the Super Hero Hype forums where he’s showing it off, he ain’t sellin’. Bob’s planning on building a version of the Batpod when the Tumbler is completed.

Gizmodo

And finally we have a custom built Iron Man suit but you have to think that this guy should have made himself a slightly more appropriate costume more in keeping with his physique. Gizmodo have dubbed this unfortunate individual “Iron Dork”, and I have to agree. I mean, look at those love handles! Not that I’m a skinny queen or anything, far from it, but even I wouldn’t do that to myself. Shame really as the suit itself isn’t half bad…

Gizmodo

Gizmodo also included a photo of this mental retard, which I guess is his only excuse for this disturbing costume, the retardness I mean.

Name one super hero that goes around with his cock on display. You can’t, can you and if you can, please send in pictures?

Mores the pity actually… Now Brandon Routh in his Superman outfit, with his cock showing through those red briefs would have guaranteed an immediate sequel.

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Doctor Who star David Tennant has faced the critics at Hamlet’s press night in a Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) production in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The 37-year-old’s performance has received mixed reviews in newspapers.

The Guardian called Tennant the “best Hamlet in years” while the Daily Express gave the play three stars, describing it as “disappointing”.

Patrick Stewart, best known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek, was lauded as Hamlet’s uncle Claudius.

Quentin Letts in the Daily Mail said Tennant was upstaged by a “deliciously subtle” performance from Stewart.

He called Tennant’s Hamlet “a sarcastic Hamlet, a selfish Hamlet, a Hamlet very much for our self-indulgent age”.

He was “memorable” but “not the greatest Dane” with a “spirited but unripe” rendition, Mr Letts said.

Paul Callan in the Daily Express said Tennant pitched his Hamlet “somewhere between One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Goon Show”.

He added that Tennant relied too much on “quirkiness, pulling faces and various funny voices” to reflect Hamlet’s descent into madness.

But Mr Callan said his “near-whispered delivery is sensitive and polished”.

‘Engaging’ Hamlet

The Independent’s Paul Taylor gave the play four stars and called Tennant’s display “an extremely captivating performance”.

He said the actor was “adept at most aspects of the role but he excels when the prince becomes a prankish provocateur”.

He added: “I rate Tennant very highly, but I wouldn’t put him in the absolute front rank of contemporary Hamlets.”

Michael Billington from The Guardian also awarded four stars to the play.

“He is a fine Hamlet whose virtues, and occasional vices, are inseparable from the production itself,” Mr Billington said.

He said this was “a Hamlet of quicksilver intelligence, mimetic vigour and wild humour”, adding Tennant was an “active, athletic, immensely engaging Hamlet”.

Benedict Nightingale of The Times said the play’s “fluent, pacey, modern-dress revival” of Hamlet gave Tennant the chance to shine “and, praise be, he seizes it”.

He wrote: “I’ve seen bolder Hamlets and more moving Hamlets, but few who kept me so riveted throughout.

“Tennant is restless, curt and mocking when he needs to be, affectionate when he can be, and, apart from an occasional tendency to gabble, pretty impressive.”

‘Flattering’

Tennant drew more than 10 million viewers to the series finale of Doctor Who last month.

He will star in a Christmas special and another three specials next year.

The actor, who played Romeo at the RSC in 2000, has said of appearing in Shakespeare’s great tragedy: “Hamlet is often regarded as the acme of acting to test yourself against, which isn’t a particularly helpful thought, to be honest.

“Of course, it is very flattering to be asked to do that role because of everything that is attached to it.

“But once you get into rehearsal you have to relinquish thoughts like that and just try and tell the story.

“It’s still just a play and you can’t start approaching it in a different way than you would approach any other role.”

BBC News

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The remake of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland to be directed by Tim Burton and possibly star Hollywood A-lister Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter will have scenes shot in and around Plymouth next month and the casting company are auditioning for 250 extras.

First to arrive in the queue at 0200 BST was Andrew Lessiter from Plymouth. The 25-year-old musician and actor came prepared with chair, books sandwiches and juice. He said that as soon as he heard who was directing the film, he was determined to audition. “I’m a real film buff and just to be involved in any way in a Tim Burton film would be a huge honour,” he said.

By the time the casting agents opened the doors of the New Continental Hotel at 1000 BST, the queue of people aged from 16 to 70 plus, snaked around the hotel, past the nearby Pavilion leisure centre and halfway down the city’s Union Street. More auditions are taking place today.

The animated version of Alice in Wonderland was made by Walt Disney in 1951. The new version, a mix of live action and special effects, is due to be released in 2010.

Johnny Depp has not yet been confirmed in the role of the Mad Hatter, but director Tim Burton has previously directed him in seven films, including Edward Scissorhands, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and, most recently, Sweeney Todd.

The only question I beg to have answered is WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU THINKING TIM BURTON!? IT’S PLYMOUTH! A SHIT HOLE!

Sometimes eccentric really does equal dumb ass!

BBC News

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A few X Files: I want to believe news stories pulled together for easy reading. Links to the full stories at the bottom of each item with the latest news at the top of the page.

X Files fails to make UK impact

The second X Files film has failed to make a big impact on the UK box office chart in its opening weekend. I Want To Believe, which sees David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprise their roles as agents Mulder and Scully, opened at number four. But although the alien-hunting movie was the highest new entry, it only took £887,209 in ticket sales.

Anderson blamed the film’s limited success in the US due to opening against Batman film The Dark Knight.

BBC News

British premiere for X Files film

The second film based on TV sci-fi drama The X Files has had its UK premiere in London’s Leicester Square. I Want to Believe sees David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprising their roles as alien-hunting agents Mulder and Scully. Both stars were at the premiere where Duchovny signed autographs while Anderson waved at the screaming fans.

I Want To Believe took $10.2m (£5.1m) in North America on its opening weekend and is released in the UK on Friday. Anderson said: “It’s had a bit of a rough time in the States. It’s opening against one of the highest grossing movies, Batman. “People in the States are so used to lots of CGI, action and sex and we don’t really offer a lot of that in this film.”

Duchovny added: “It’s great to see all the fans here. I must come to premieres in the UK more often.”

BBC News

More X-Files movies a possibility

The new X-Files film, I Want To Believe, is out in the cinemas this weekend and is the first new material from screenwriter Chris Carter, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson since the TV series ended in 2002. David Duchovny talks about the possibility of another X-Files film and getting back into the character of FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder.

Are you signed up for more X-Files films?

That was always the intention, that it is a natural serial, as evidenced by the fact that there’s 203 hours of television of it. It really just depends on economics. This movie was made for only $29m. It’s actually almost like an independent film. It’s the first independent blockbuster, independent summer movie.

It’s weird that it’s out in the height of summer, because even though the X-Files feels like a summer franchise, this is not necessarily a summer movie. This is a kind of an underdog, when all’s said and done, even though it’s hard to conceive of the X-Files as an underdog. I think it actually is. It depends on the style of movies that Fox wants to make after this, whether or not they really want us to compete on that level. It would be a different kind of movie.

BBC Newsbeat

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Well there’s been quite a lot of news about and related to Batman: The Dark Knight, so I’ve pulled them all together here to make for easy reading. Links to the full stories at the bottom of each item with the latest news at the top of the page.

Batman film breaks another record

Batman film The Dark Knight has broken another box office record after taking just 18 days to make more than $400 million (£204m) in North America. That was less than half the time which previous record-holder Shrek 2 needed to pass the milestone, having taken 43 days to cross the $400m mark in 2004.

The Dark Knight has already smashed the record for best opening night and best opening weekend in the US and Canada. Last week it became the fastest movie ever to pass the $300m (£153m) barrier.

According to distributor Warner Bros, the sequel to 2005’s Batman Begins had generated $400.03m by the end of Monday.

BBC News

Ledger inquiry ‘is to be dropped’

US investigators are to drop a criminal case into how Heath Ledger obtained two powerful painkillers that contributed to his death, an official has said. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had suspected oxycodone and hydrocodone found in Ledger’s system were obtained with false prescriptions. But an official in New York told the AP news agency prosecutors now thought there was not “a viable target”.

Ledger was found dead at his home in January after an accidental overdose.

BBC News

Freeman recovering after surgery

Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman is in “good spirits” after surgery for injuries sustained in a serious car accident near his Mississippi home. Mr Freeman’s spokeswomen said the surgery to reconnect nerves and repair damage to his left arm and hand lasted four-and-a-half hours. She said the 71-year-old Dark Knight star was now looking forward to being discharged “as soon as possible”.

The accident happened shortly before midnight on Sunday.

BBC News

Morgan Freeman hurt in car crash

Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman is in hospital after being injured in a car accident near his Mississippi home. The 71-year-old Dark Knight star is in a serious condition, according to staff at Memphis’s Regional Medical Center. The accident happened shortly before midnight on Sunday outside Charleston in the Mississippi Delta.

A Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman told the BBC that Mr Freeman’s car left the road and “began to flip several times” before landing in a ditch.

Mr Freeman - who had been driving the car - and a female passenger were airlifted to the Memphis hospital, about 145km (90 miles) north of where the accident occurred in Tallahatchie County.

BBC News

Olsen seeks immunity over Ledger

Actress Mary-Kate Olsen will not speak to investigators about Heath Ledger’s death unless she is granted immunity from prosecution. An official said the 22-year-old wants the assurance before speaking to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Olsen was the first person contacted by the masseuse who discovered Ledger’s body. Her lawyer said she has told the authorities all she knows. Ledger was found dead at his home in January after an accidental overdose. Federal investigators want to question Olsen about how Ledger obtained two powerful painkillers that contributed to his death.

Olsen’s lawyer, Michael C Miller, added that she “does not know the source of the drugs Mr Ledger consumed”.

BBC News

MPs lambast BBFC over Batman

MPs Keith Vaz and Iain Duncan Smith have weighed in on the hoohah over the violent content of The Dark Knight and its controversial 12A classification.

The Telegraph finds the Labour and Tory bods united in their condemnation of the film’s violence and disagreement with its certificate, which allows children under 12 to see it if accompanied by parents. Smith, the former Conservative Party leader who saw the film with his (no doubt rather embarrassed) 15-year-old daughter, said he was “astonished” the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) found the somewhat stab-tastic flick suitable viewing for anyone under 15.

Christopher Nolan’s realistic treatment didn’t sit well with the quiet man, who went on: “Unlike past Batman films, where the villains were somewhat surreal and comical figures, Heath Ledger’s Joker is a brilliantly acted but very credible psychopathic killer, who extols the use of knives to kill and disfigure his victims during a reign of urban terrorism laced with torture.”

The Register

Film censor defends Batman rating

The BBFC has justified giving The Dark Knight a 12A certificate after getting more than 80 complaints about the Batman film’s disturbing content. The film regulator’s spokeswoman Sue Clark said the sequel was a fantasy movie with only implied violence. But she admitted that the British Board of Film Classification had carefully considered giving it a 15 rating. The 12A rating states that a film should not “dwell on violence” and “does not emphasise injury or blood”.

The film contains a scene in which The Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger, is beaten repeatedly by Batman in a police cell. The BBFC ruled that the blows were “masked from the camera” and there was “no sign of injury”.

It conceded that there was a “good deal of violence” in the movie, but said it adhered to the rules of the 12A certificate.

BBC News

Depp for Dark Knight follow-up

With Batman behemoth The Dark Knight pleasing audiences and critics alike, it’s time for some rabid speculation about the casting of the next film in the rebooted franchise. The Sun froths this morning that the incandescent Johnny Depp is in line to play the Riddler, the bodystockinged bastard last played by Jim Carrey in Batman Forever.

Depp, a pretty safe pair of hands for almost any role, already has Batman connections. He took over the lead role in Heath ‘Joker’ Ledger’s final unfinished film, Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, along with Colin Farrell and Jude Law. Depp is also sharing screen time with Christian ‘Um, Batman’ Bale in the forthcoming Public Enemies, in which our Johnny plays infamously cocky* gangster John Dillinger.

Everyone’s favourite morality-and-mammaries rag also reckons that Philip ‘Boogie’ Seymour ‘Nights’ Hoffman might be coaxed into playing the Penguin, a role previously occupied by Danny ‘Throw Momma From The Train’ DeVito.

The El Reg film desk hereby tips Angelina ‘Hubba hubba’ Jolie for Catwoman.

The Register

Ledger ‘brilliant’ in last film

Director Terry Gilliam said replacing Heath Ledger’s part with three actors to complete his final film after he died has worked. Filming of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was suspended when the star was found dead in January. Jude Law, Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell will now appear as Ledger’s character, but scenes he had previously filmed will be included in the movie.

“I’ve seen it and it works and it’s great,” said Gilliam. “It’s the last chance to see Heath and he’s brilliant,” he added.

BBC Newsbeat

Dark Knight leads UK box office

Batman film The Dark Knight has swept to the top of the UK box office with takings of £8.6m.

The epic film, starring Christian Bale and the late Heath Ledger, eclipsed Mamma Mia! which took second place with ticket sales of £2.8m. Teen flick Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging made its debut at number four, with US comedy Baby Mamma new at 10.

The Dark Knight has made more than $300m (£151m) in North America after 10 days, breaking a box office record.

BBC News

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A very lovely lady over at digital marketing agency Hyperlaunch has kindly given the Gay Sci-Fi Nerds a review copy of the [adult swim] new DVD release, Robot Chicken: Star Wars out on DVD 11th August 2008. So here is a shameless plug as we review Robot Chicken: Star Wars.

Now Drew and I have spent a few late nights watching [adult swim] on the Bravo channel in the UK. Actually, it’s mostly me doing the watching while Drew is surfing the Internet or something as he’s not too much of a cartoon fan. One thing that Drew and I have in common is that we’ve never managed to watch an episode of Robot Chicken. The other thing we have in common is the hots for red heads like Seth Green. There’s something about red haired guys that’s absolutely hot which people in the UK normally just don’t get. I’m finding Michael C. Hall in Dexter especially hunky.

In modern-day UK, despite (or because of) being one of the places with the highest populations of redheads, the words “ginger” or “ginga” are derogatorily used to describe red-headed people, with terms such as “gingerphobia” (fear of redheads) or “gingerism” (prejudice against redheads) used by the media. Redheads are also sometimes referred to disparagingly as “carrot tops” and “carrot heads”. “Gingerism” has been compared to racism, although this is widely disputed and bodies such as the UK Commission for Racial Equality do not monitor cases of discrimination and hate crimes against redheads. A UK woman recently won an award from a tribunal after being sexually harassed and receiving abuse because of her red hair; a family in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, was forced to move twice after being targeted for abuse and hate crime on account of their red hair; and in 2003, a 20 year old was stabbed in the back for “being ginger.”

What’s all this got to do with Robot Chicken: Star Wars? Well Seth Green is the Director and one of the writers on this 22-minute extravaganza of sketches all related to Star Wars . The episode was nominated for an Emmy (Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)) in 2008.

Robot Chicken: Star Wars features 33 skits and a Star Wars themed Robot Chicken opening intro and a end credits. Some are credibly short like the Jawa in the Mos Eisley Cantina who shouts “Martini!” instead of the Jawa’s usual call of “Utini!” to the longer skits such as Luke Skywalker having a “Yo Mamma Fight” against Emperor Palpatine. Darth Vader announces the fight to others and keeps score. It would be wrong to review every single skit here but we can honestly say that every single one of them had us laughing. It does help if you’re a Star Wars fan as most of the jokes involves scenes and situation taken from the franchise.

The most notable skits include Darth Vader’s collect call to the Emperor informing him of the destruction of the first Death Star; A Day in the life of Ponda Baba as we find out what exactly he was saying to Luke Skywalker in the Cantina before Obi-Wan Kenobi slices his arm off with a lightsaber; Orientation day, as a bunch of new Death Star recruits are told how to react when Darth Vader “uses the Force” death grip on them; and George Dubya Bush as a Jedi.

The best skit has to be the one featuring Han Solo frozen in Carbonite while Bobba Fett tries to impress Han with his bounty hunter skills saying “you like that don’t you”. Fett then proceeds to lust over Han Solo, stroking him before reaching up and holding Han’s hand (Editor’s note: I told you that Bobba Fett was gay here, which explains why the Clone Troopers are behaving in this manner).

The most annoying skit (and rightly so) is the Jar Jar Binks and Darth Vader reunion as Binks continues to call Vader by his childhood cosename “Ani”; in order to get rid of him, Vader throws him out an airlock into space. Later, however, as Vader prepares to sleep, he is woken up by Jar Jar, who has returned as a Force ghost. Ahmed Best returns to the role of Binks and provides the voice again.

In fact in a skit featuring George Lucas, La Georgina himself provides his own voice, thus giving Robot Chicken: Star Wars his seal of approval. And here at the Gay Sci-Fi Nerds podcast show, we give our approval too!

Robot Chicken: Star Wars is available on DVD in the UK on 11th August 2008. If you’re on Facebook, you can access wallpapers, video clips, with more to come by becoming become a fan of Robot Chicken: Star Wars by clicking here.

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