Clone Wars Poster, or How it's Star Wars through the ages

Star Chicken, or How Seth Green and Star Wars is a great combination

So instead of watching that overdramatic Sally Field vehicle I caught Robot Chicken: Star Wars Special on [adult swim] tonight, and it only cemented my idea that Seth Green is one of my favourite people out there - anyone who has a filmography that includes Austin Powers, Idle Hands, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, voice work in Family Guy, Batman Beyond, guestage work in Will and Grace, That 70s Show, The X-Files, Mad About You and Angel (among many others...) is an entertainer that deserves my praise and respect (you'll notice I also neglect to incorporate things like Without a Paddle, Party Monster and many other unfortunate work, but don't we always when we choose to respect someone?).

Sunday 10:30pm
Robot Chicken [adult swim] @ Cartoon Network
Star Wars is a phenomenon that is now so embedded in our popular culture I will be the first to consider you illiterate and uncultured if you have not seen the original trilogy (which includes one of the best movies ever: Empire Strikes Back). It is therefore not uncommon for a couple of projects every now and then to try and capture financial and pop cultural currency: whether it is in the form of Ewok movies, a 'new' prequel trilogy, extended editions, parody movies, or as we have seen this year two television specials that take the Star Wars tradition and flip it on its head: Family Guy's Star Wars season premiere (read my thoughts here) and Robot Chicken's Star Wars Special.
After seeing the Robot Chicken special I can safely say it is the more successful one of the two, in the sense that because of its sketch structure it is able to explore different territory (Star Wars the Ice Show, an awkward Leia-Luke aftersex conversation, a Bush the Jedi dream). Also, the in depth knowledge of the characters and the animators detail when replicating the characters we all know and love (or loathe: see for example a Jar Jar/airlock sketch that would have made President Roslin proud) is exciting and refreshing. The (re)imagined version of The Emperor is by far the best part of a gem in parody/veneration television. Clearly Seth and his Robot Chicken pals loove Star Wars and this is nothing short of a love-letter to Mr Lucas (guesting alongside other [albeit random] others: Conan O'Brien, James Van der Beek, Mark Hamill, Joey Fatone) and his work.

Needless to say I am tres excited for that /other/ love letter to Mr Lucas starring none other than the lovely Ms Veronica Mars Kristen Bell (now of infamous Heroes fame): Fanboys. I have already seen some footage from the exclusive preview shown at Comic-Con and I can safely say it is going to be A-Mazing! I mean, when Mr Lucas himself agrees to let you film at the Skywalker ranch, you know it's gonna be good. For those of you who aren't enlightened yet and have no idea what I'm talking about Fanboys follows a couple of friends on the eve of the unveiling of Episode One, way back when we all thought it could still be a good movie and it follows their adventures as they try and hijack the movie before it hits theatres.

But back to Robot Chicken...

Favourite Part(s) of the Show:

Bobba Fett and the homoerotics of having Solo on the Rocks.

Darth Vader:I am your father!
Luke: That's impossible!
Darth Vader: ...And Princess Leia is your sister!
Luke: That's improbable!
Darth Vader: ...And the Empire will be defeated by Ewoks! ...And as a child I built C3-P0!
Luke: Well if you're not gonna take this seriously...

"No speak-o minimum wage-o" - The Emperor's best line.

Retroactive TV Sunday, or How Star Wars is the New Pink

Sunday

8:00 The Simpsons (FOX)
Knowing how good The Simpsons movie was, and knowing that Stephen Colbert was guest-voicing a part in the premiere episode, I was very excited to see the new Simpsons season kick-off. Sadly, I was not impressed at all. Instead of the refreshing comedy in the movie (albeit never achieving 'classic' status) we got a standard late-Simpsons season episode: not really funny, really good animation, good guest voices with the odd laugh-inducing gag (In this episode it was the opening sequence - completely revamped! and ending with a Spider-pig appearance at the couch). But other than that, nothing from the movie seems to have affected the Simpsons dynamics: why did we get yet another "Homer disappoints family" storyline crossed with "Homer gets a new job (sort of)" storyline? I don't know. Also: not enough Lisa.

Favourite part of the episode: Bart's blackboard reading "I will not wait 20 years to make another movie" (Oh self-awareness! how we love thee)

9:00 Family Guy (FOX)
So, if the Simpsons premiere was underwhelming, the Family Guy one was overwhelming, in many levels! For those of you who have been living under a rock, the one-hour season premiere was a re-enaction of A New Hope, FG style: Lois as Leia, Chris as Luke, etc. And not only was the animation amazing when trying to mimic the 1970s style effects but the inside jokes regarding the popular culture surrounding Star Wars were clever and almost always laugh-inducing. Stewie as Darth Vader was hilarious and the jokes poked at the original Star Wars (I especially liked the "John Williams everybody!" sketch when Luke is gazing at the two suns and the music seems so over the top and you turn and meet the entire John Williams orchestra). All in all it was a treat to watch, even though I am not a regular FG watcher, but this was not an event to miss.
Favourite part of the episode: "Hi I'm Han Solo and the only actor whose career isn't destroyed by this movie" and Leia trying to record the "Help me Obi Wan Kenobi" message and having to ask what "buffering" is and dealing with R2D2's Windows asking her to download Real Player 7 to continue.