This month's Nerd Alert is dedicated to one of the greatest intergalactic sagas of all time. No, not Ice Pirates.
Two separate Star Wars-themed events take over the weekend like Darth Vader at a Cloud City dinner party. If that last reference has you scratching your dome, just skip ahead to the sports section. You're gonna be totally lost from here on out.
Anthony "C-3PO" Daniels narrates the Star Wars saga in a concert event that is part stadium-rock extravagance and part symphonic pomp. Also, lasers. Lots and lots of lasers.
The performance spans the mythos and music of all six films. Belgian conductor Dirk Brosse directs a full symphony orchestra and choir as they perform John Williams' soaring score in sync with scenes shown on a video screen.
An exhibit displaying props, costumes and memorabilia from the Star Wars universe is also featured, ensuring that attendees achieve multiple Jedi-gasms.
Throw in an alternate ending where Jar Jar and Hayden Christensen are tossed into a Sarlacc pit to be slowly and painfully digested over the next 10,000 years, and Lucas will have officially un-murdered my childhood.
Details: Friday at 7:30 p.m. Cowboys Stadium, 1 Legends Way, Arlington. $35-$75. 1-800-745-3000. ticketmaster.com. starwarsinconcert.com.
You have your comic-book conventions, your sci-fi conventions, your adult-video conventions, your catch-all sci-fi-porno-comic-book conventions (also known as "anime"), and then you have Star Wars Fan Days, the mother of all conventions. Star Trek conventions are, of course, the father of all conventions, but I don't want to get into a whole thing here.
This year's Star Wars Fan Days will host a slew of guests, including fan favorites Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), David Prowse (Darth Vader), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett) and Ray Park (Darth Maul).
Also appearing will be such Star Wars artists as multimedia wizard Dave Dorman, comic book illustrators Adam Hughes and Tony Harris and Lucasfilm poster designer Steve Anderson. There will also be an exhibit featuring the work of the ultimate Star Wars illustrator – the film's original concept artist, Ralph McQuarrie.
A full-scale reproduction of Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder will be on display. And you can see the labors of love produced by fan groups the R2 Builders Club and the Dented Helmet, enthusiasts who build their own authentic R2 units and battle-scarred Boba Fett costumes, respectively.
There will also be a screening of fan film Makazie One, costume and trivia contests, and a collectibles room with more than 100 vendors.
For some reason, Heroes hottie Hayden Panettiere was supposed to show up, but it now looks like she will not be able to attend due to a scheduling conflict. While not officially associated with anything having to do with Star Wars, this nonetheless makes my pants very, very sad.
Details: Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Plano Centre, 2000 E. Spring Creek Parkway, Plano. $15 on Saturday, $10 on Sunday. starwarsfandays.com.
Brutal Legend: Jack Black voices Eddie Riggs, a roadie-turned-heavy metal warrior who battles goth ghouls and emo fiends across a vast rock 'n' roll wasteland. The commercials don't do justice to this surprisingly satisfying comedy-adventure game. It's hard to pin it to a single category, as it combines puzzles, group strategy, shoot 'em up, vehicular combat and straight-up button-mash fighting. Out now.
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City: For those Grand Theft Auto IV owners who have yet to download The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, here's your chance to nab both of 'em on disc. Essentially, they're episodic add-ons to GTA IV. But when Rockstar Games adds on ... They. Add. On. Each episode expands the GTA universe and allows players to live out significantly singular story arcs in Liberty City.
The Lost and Damned has you playing Johnny, a badass biker at odds with his gang's recently "rehabilitated" president, who is determined to ignite a turf war of epic proportions. In The Ballad of Gay Tony you're Luis Lopez, thug assistant to the shady club owner, Tony Prince.
Each episode adds new elements to the standard GTA gameplay to keep things fresh. The Lost and Damned features pack commands, where you lead your motorcycle crew on the road and in melee brawls, while The Ballad of Gay Tony offers new vehicles and multiplayer features. Out on Oct. 29.
Batman No. 692: Writer/artist Tony Daniel (Batman: Battle for the Cowl) returns to the Batman franchise while Gotham City experiences an interesting state of flux. They're building a new Arkham Asylum, Penguin is loose, a familiar familial crime syndicate returns and Catwoman shows up lookin' all hot and stuff. Out on Oct. 28.
G.I. Joe: Cobra TPB: That lame G.I. Joe movie (don't get me started on those dumbass robo-suits) actually did a great job of resuscitating the series' comic line. IDW Publishing has been cranking out some superb Joe stories this year. This trade paperback collects issues one through five of the G.I. Joe: Cobra miniseries, which follows undercover agent Chuckles as he infiltrates the shadowy international terrorist group, which apparently involves making out with the Baroness. Out on Oct. 28.
Place an Ad
