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10 Biographies Every Geek Should Read

GeekSugar — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:29:56 PST

How much do you know about the world's most famous geeks? Get a glimpse into their personal and professional lives with one of these fascinating books. We've rounded up 10 must-read biographies to help you learn about the smartest, savviest nerds.

4 George Lucas Revelations on Star Wars and Blockbusters

Kelly Schwarze — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:24:40 PST

Remember your first dose of cinematic geekdom? Whatever your age, it's likely the story of warring galaxies battling an evil Empire with something called "the Force" served as initiation to a lifetime of science fiction fandom.

George Lucas, the master behind the epic saga of good vs. evil in Star Wars recently gave an interview to the New York Times, in which he discussed his feelings towards devout Star Wars fans, and more about the popular films that made him a legend.

Blockbuster Retirement - After decades of involvement with pricey studio films, George is committing his cinematic focus to the more art-house, experimental filmmaking he worked on in film school and the years before Star Wars changed his life.
Indiana Jones 5 - Despite putting the star character in a refrigerator during the most recent Indiana Jones film to the audience's horror, Indiana Jones will make one more appearance on the big screen. Before he washes his hands entirely of Hollywood razzle-dazzle, George is contractually obligated to the fifth installation of the Indiana Jones story.
Star Wars Revisited - Considered by many fans an affront on their beloved films, the director's revision of an early Star Wars: A New Hope scene where Han Solo shoots bounty hunter Greedo in self defense was a necessary change, because it didn't blend with his view of Han as the saga's lasting hero.
On Fanboy Outrage - Further edits to the original Star Wars trilogy during the 1997 special edition release of the films left fans casting George to be just as much of a villain as a science fiction character. He now counters their criticism: ". . . My movie, with my name on it, that says I did it, needs to be the way I want it."

As George himself admits he's drawn to stories with "corn" and heroes at the forefront, it will be interesting to see how his future films follow the same themes of his big-budget work. Will you miss his blockbuster films?

10 Things You Didn't Know About George Lucas

GeekSugar — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 07:00:08 PDT

I've had a bit of Star Wars fever lately, with the news of an R2-D2 Droid 2 hitting the scene, and an all-new remastered Star Wars Blu-Ray collection coming next year, so I suppose now is as good a time as any to get to know the man behind the film legacy - George Lucas.

Here, 10 facts you may not have known about the father of one of the biggest geek movie franchises of all time!

He was rejected from joining the US Air Force because he had too many speeding tickets.
He was a camera operator in the Rolling Stones 1967 concert film Gimme Shelter.
Owes a large part of his wealth to the licensing deals he made before the first Star Wars film was released - he waived his up-front director's fee in exchange for full licensing rights to tee shirts, toys, and other Star Wars branded items.

To see the rest, just read more.

Link Time! Sal Romano Not Returning to Mad Men

BuzzSugar — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:45:08 PST

Bryan Batt (aka Sal) is supposedly not coming back to Mad Men. Join this Facebook group to fight to save him - Vulture
Tommy Mottola in talks to judge American Idol or X Factor - TVWatch
George Lucas to produce a CG-animated film about fairies - MTV Movies Blog
Julianne Moore and Maria Bello wanted for TV pilots - Inside TV
AC/DC's music video is full of Iron Man 2 footage - HitFix
Hope for Haiti Now is No. 1 on Billboard - Rock & Roll Daily
10 questions Lost needs to answer - TV.com
Yay! The CW has picked up a pilot from Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman Palladino - Ausiello Files
Bill Paxton reported to replace Dennis Quaid in Knockout - The Playlist
A look back at Grammys highlights over the years - PopSugar

Photo courtesy of AMC

George Lucas Owns the Droid: the Name, Not the Phone

GeekSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:50:39 PST

What do George Lucas and the new Droid have in common? More than you'd think! I'm stoked to get my hands on the new device being offered up by Motorola to see if it really can top my iPhone, but when I got an invite to the San Francisco launch party I noticed something interesting at the bottom: the word "droid" is licensed to Lucasfilm LTD, which means Motorola pays a fee to the Star Wars icon to use his trademarked term.

I got the facts confirmed by a friend that works at the Lucas compound, but also found some other interesting tidbits about the name. The same device is being called the Milestone in Italy and Germany, but comes with more advanced multitouch support. Ah, the things you learn!

Behind The Scenes at ILM

GeekSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:00:21 PDT

Last week I was one of the lucky few to get a tour of ILM on the Presidio here in San Francisco. This is where all the magic happens folks! Not only does the 82,000 square foot facility house ILM, but it also is home to Lucasarts and Lucasfilm studios. I got a great tour of two of the buildings, and was in geek heaven checking out all of the old paraphernalia from some of my favorite films. Although I didn't get a close encounter with George himself, I did run into another iconic figure - and it kinda freaked me out. Check out the sights from ILM in my slideshow!

Daily Tech: Google Reveals "An Almost Complete" Android Phone

GeekSugar — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:55:27 PDT

It hasn't officially been announced, but Google showed off its latest pics of a working Android Handset at a Developer Day in London. - Engadget
The Internet provider Wayport will be enabling wireless music downloads for Microsoft Zune customers in WiFi hotspots at more than 9,800 McDonalds. - CrunchGear
MTV has just launched the Backchannel, a new online game that mixes chat and social networking tools. Basically providing you with a new place to complain about characters on The Hills. - Switched
Note to self. Be sure to erase all the data on my cell phone before I sell, recycle, trade, or give it away. A woman's phone ended up on eBay after she donated it to charity; with all of her personal information intact. - Consumerist
George Lucas decided to make a "surprise" appearance at the official launch party for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed at Best Buy in San Francisco. - Crave CNET
It's giveaway time! Be sure to log in to your TeamSugar account for your chances to win geek-chic beach gadgets and accessories! - geeksugar

George Lucas's Next Project to Focus on Tuskegee Airmen

BuzzSugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:30:52 PDT

The black airmen trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field during WWII were the first to prove that black men could pilot aircrafts in the U.S. military, and now these Tuskegee Airmen - some of whom are still alive today - will be the focus of George Lucas's next film, Red Tails.

The surviving airmen say they're glad to have Lucas tell their stories - about both the war they fought against Adolf Hitler and the racial wars waging here in the U.S. Here's some backstory:

At first called the "Tuskegee Experiment," the first aviation cadet class began with 13 students at the Tuskegee Army Air Field, about 40 miles east of Montgomery, in July 1941. Black people weren't allowed to fly in the military at the time and the "experiment" was to see whether they could pilot airplanes and handle heavy machinery. Over the next four years, the airmen went on more than 15,000 combat trips throughout Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa.

And yet, despite the respect they earned, the men returned to an America in which "German prisoners of war [were] being treated better and afforded rights that were withheld from black American citizens."

For more about Red Tails,

The Tuskegee Airmen have been the subjects of several film and TV projects, most notably in a 1995 HBO movie starring Laurence Fishburne, which one ranger at the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site says was "about 50 percent Hollywood, but it gave a good overview and got the word out. People all over the world saw it and it whetted their appetite to want to know more."

And Lucas is one of those hungry people. He wants the story in Red Tails to be drawn from the airmen's personal accounts and has begun collecting oral histories from some of them at his Skywalker Ranch. Personally, I can't wait to see what comes out of this.

Source and source

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: A Great Summertime Kickoff

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 09:17:26 PDT

There's a lot to enjoy about this fourth installment of Indiana Jones. It's fun, silly, adventure-filled and completely entertaining in ways we don't always get from movies these days, with the greatest parts coming straight from the marvelous imagination of Steven Spielberg. Plus, it's a summertime blockbuster that doesn't totally rely on CGI which feels practically old-fashioned - and I mean that in the best way possible. The performances are strong and overall it's a sequel that doesn't embarrass itself or the whole franchise. It's refreshing and, honestly, it's a relief.

Sure, there are aspects I didn't like about it, but the experience of seeing this movie with a theater full of fans and happy moviegoers pretty much trumps any quibbles I have. The story finds our beloved Indy caught up with a group of Soviets (led by one fierce Irina Spalko, played by Cate Blanchett) trying to find the secrets behind ancient crystal skulls which are said to have been shaped by some kind of higher power (or other-worldly power). They need Indy's mad archaeologist skillz (and wide base of experience) to do this and one way of luring him in is via Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), who they've taken captive. Marion gets in touch with Indy through her son Mutt (Shia LaBeouf). That's the basic gist of things but I wanted to leave plenty for you to discover at the theater, so for more of just my thoughts,

As with last summer's Simpsons Movie, Indiana Jones is not just a highly anticipated movie, it's a highly anticipated movie event. There are plenty of people who will see it no matter what anyone says, and there are plenty of people, too, who are determined to like the movie no matter what. I understand this fanaticism, and though I don't personally feel it about this Indiana Jones movie, I had a great time watching it. At the same time, there are things I disliked, too. Most of all, there is some bizarre, random supernatural stuff at the end that struck me as out of place and totally hokey (and not in the fun way, in the annoying way).

But you know what? It's still a lot of fun. There is much pure, innocent joy to be found sitting in a jam-packed theater, clapping and whistling at the first glimpses of Indy's shadow and Marion Ravenwood's bright smile. There's a goofy pride that comes from laughing along with everyone else at the film's nods to previous films. It is an event, and in some ways it's the quintessential summertime movie event: a fantastically fun time for kids, and a sweetly nostalgic trip for adults.

Basically, you're probably going to go see it anyway, and I think you should.

Photos courtesy of Paramount

Indiana Jones Swings Into Cannes!

Molly — Mon, 19 May 2008 05:03:00 PDT

[Cue Indiana Jones theme Song] Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull had its big Cannes premiere last night and it wasn't only the movie's stars clamoring to see the much-anticipated film. Harrison Ford was the man of the hour alongside George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, but looked happiest next to Calista in beautiful blue. Shia got all gussied up and dare I say looked a little overwhelmed with Cate Blanchett at such a huge event. Natalie Portman and Salma Hayek were among the other big red carpet names who just couldn't wait to get their Indy fix. Great news, too - it's been getting good reviews and got a three and a half minute standing ovation at the festival. Even better, only a few more days wait until it hits theaters everywhere.

To see more from the premiere including Adrien Brody, Billy Zane, Goldie Hawn, Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Natalie Portman, Rachael Leigh Cook, Salma Hayek, Shia Labeouf, Steven Spielberg and others just

View 49 Photos ›

Images include: Adrien Brody, Billy Zane, Calista Flockhart, Cate Blanchett, Christian Slater, Dean Cain, Dennis Hopper, Elsa Pataky, George Lucas, Goldie Hawn, Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Kelly Brook, Linda Evangelista, Maria Menounos, Natalie Portman, Rachael Leigh Cook, Salma Hayek, Shia Labeouf, Steven Spielberg

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