Arc3 2000

Official Episode II Confirmations
This is fresh of StarWars.com; the following people are officially slated to return for Episode II after their work on Episode I: George Lucas (no?), Rick McCallum (you don't say!), Production Designer Gavin Boucquet, Episode I Concept Designer Iain McCaig, Design Director Doug Chiang, Costume Designer Trisha Biggar, Casting Director Robin Gurland (so who is Anakin already?), Director of Photography David Tattersall and Stunt Coordinator Nick Gillard.
Also, Jay Shuster, Ed Natividad, Benton Jew and Robert Barnes are all back in their Art Department. (more)

So looks like things are starting to happen; the great minds at LucasFilm are throwing little bits of information at the fans. Of course, we are waiting for the big one. Who is Vader? My guess, me! No , seriously; my guess is we will know in one month.

Episode I Midis at last!
Yes, it's true; at last I've updated this section of the site. And boy does it feel good! Thanks to Eve Gruschow who rejuvenated my interest in this section.. which had gone into a sort of hibernation. Watch this space for a few more good things to come!
I have added 5 TPM midis to the Midi page; all of them courtesy the Star Wars Midi Page. We have Anakin's Theme, Jar Jar's Theme, Augie's Municipal Band, The Flag Parade, and we already had The Duel of the Fates for quite some time.
On to our Midi Page

Ultra 3-D Star Wars cards
Just found this Press Release at Yahoo News:

Dimensional Visions & Travel Tags Collaborate for TOPPS With Spectacular Star Wars ULTRA-3D Cards
PHOENIX, April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Dimensional Visions Incorporated (www.dv3d.com), a Phoenix based company and the creator of spectacular Living Image(SM) Solutions for products, packaging and marketing communications utilizing its patent-pending ULTRA-DV3D� and ANIMOTION(SM) advanced halographix process and Travel Tags, (www.traveltags.com), the world's leading UV Printing and Processing Company of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota announced today a unique collaboration for the creation and delivery of new and spectacular proprietary products for the TOPPS Company, Inc. of New York, N.Y. (www.topps.com). TOPPS is an international marketer of entertainment products, principally collectible trading cards, confections and sticker album collections. Founded in 1938, TOPPS created Bazooka bubble gum in 1947 and marketed its first baseball cards in 1951.
Special Disclaimer: Dimensional Visions and Travel Tags are not affiliated in anyway with Lucas Films.

Hanks' son tipped for Star Wars role
This is fresh off BBC Online:
Hanks' son tipped for Star Wars role

Tom Hanks' actor son Colin is the latest name to be linked with the much sought-after role of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode II.

Hanks, 22, has confirmed he has had talks with George Lucas' casting director Robin Gurland, along with several other young actors.

He is currently starring in the TV series Roswell, as Alex Whitman.

The film begins shooting this summer in Australia, Italy and Tunisia.

You can check out the rest here.

Russia calls for Star Wars ban!
This is fresh of BBC:
Russia calls for Star Wars ban

Russia is urging the UN for a new treaty to prevent a space arms race in response to the American 'Star Wars' strategy.

Ok..ok, so I found it funny. Shoot me! You can find the rest of the article here!

Balance Point
This comes from StarWars.com:

The Yuuzhan Vong invasion continues in Balance Point, the second hardcover novel in The New Jedi Order series. Balance Point, by Kathy Tyers, follows James Luceno's Agents of Chaos paperback duology. Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo work to help refugees fleeing the dreaded Vong forces, only to find there is no refuge from this terrible alien threat. Long-time Star Wars readers will recognize Kathy Tyers from her first Star Wars novel, The Truce at Bakura. Balance Point, featuring cover art by Cliff Nielsen, is scheduled for release in November 2000 by Del Rey Books.

Episode II entirely digital
George Lucas has formally announced that he will shoot the next episode of Star Wars: Episode II using digital 24 frame progressive high definition in place of film for most of the movie's live action scenes following four months of systematic testing by Lucasfilm Ltd and Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) a division of Lucas Digital Ltd.

Using a prototype digital acquisition system consisting of a Panavision modified Sony HDW-F900 integrated camera recorder, a series of carefully prescribed tests were initiated by teams from ILM and Lucasfilm working in conjunction with Sony and Panavision. These tests, which include image performance and system functionality culminated in comparative shoots with motion picture film, convinced George Lucas and producer, Rick McCallum of the benefits of shooting in digital 24P at 1920 x 1080 HD sampling.

"The tests have convinced me that the familiar look and feel of motion picture film are fully present in this digital 24P system and that the picture quality between the two is indistinguishable on the large screen," said Lucas.

"It's an exciting step that we are taking, and working with Sony and Panavision, we plan to further advance this system over the coming years," continued Lucas. "Star Wars: Episode II is our first giant step."

More

StarWars.com Updates
Today's updates at the Official StarWars.com site:

Snapshot - Trade Federation AAT
JediCouncil Question - How much time is spent looking at resumes and headshots compared to time auditioning? Was the Qui-Gon Jinn character originally in George Lucas's storyline, or was he added to create a role for Mr. Neeson?
Classic Moment - Salacious Stardom

Off to StarWars.com

$100 million more!
The Episode I VHS sales have crossed $100 million in the first two days, including half a million of the limited release Collector's Edition. That is 5 million copies in total. Cool!

Coming Soon
Here is a list of a few figures that are coming soon

IG-88
Biker Scout(YES FINALLY!!!!)
Han Bespin (New)

Dreamcast Racer, Jedi Power Battles, Obi Wan and more cool game news!
GFA Games is short of staff, and so we haven't updated in a while. But here's the low-down on the latest developments at LucasArts and elsewhere.
Jedi Power Battles is now available. Check out the level descritions here. Also, Jedi Power Battles is on the road and headed for a city near you. Click here for locations and more information on the game.
Racer is now on the Dreamcast, looks better than ever before. GameFan reports that the Racer Arcade game worth saving your quarters for. Thank to TheForce.net Games for that bit!
LucasArts.com reports this about Episode I Obi Wan off the new PC Gamer:

"Our early look at the game showed off a solid 3D action engine with dazzling environments, realistic physics, and electrifying lightsaber features ... many of the fundamental elements from the award-winning Jedi Knight will make their way into Obi-Wan, and that can only be a good thing for action gamers and Star Wars fans alike."

Also, a cool deal from LucasArts.com to celebrate the VHS release. They are selling Episode I The Phantom Menace and Racer together for a price of $29.99. This is for the PC. I don't know who wouldn't have bought them yet, but if you haven't, then go ahead!
As an ending note, I'd like to let you guys know that inspite of a lot of lukewarm (pun-intended: LUKEwarm) reviews, Force Commander's sales were pretty good last week!

Enjoy!

Maul Novel!
Well, internet rumors prove to be true again, as StarWars.com reports a novel revolving around the life and times of Darth Maul by Michael Reaves.

In May 2001, LucasBooks and Del Rey Books will publish a hardcover Star Wars novel by Michael Reaves. The as-yet-untitled novel will take place in the prequel era and will revolve around the character of Darth Maul.
Michael Reaves is an Emmy award-winning television writer, screenwriter, and novelist. He has written nearly three hundred teleplays for a plethora of series, including "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Sliders," "Twilight Zone," "The Flash," and "Monsters." He was a story editor and writer on "Batman: The Animated Series," and on the Disney animated series "Gargoyles."

Star Wars Kids!
For the young Jedi out there, comes StarWarsKids.com. Still in an early phase, this site promises a lot. Lot's of fun for the kids (and adults too, if you love/live Star Wars!).
Online Flash-based games include a maze through which you guide a troupe of intrepid astromechs, and a chance for you to build the fastest Podracer ever. You'll need a translator droid to decipher the silly stories concocted by the Jabba Jumble page. Test your knowledge with the Star Wars Trivia Quiz.
Race to StarWarsKids.com

EP1 out now
To celebrate EP1 being released on video today some TRU/Walmart/Tartet stores have been putting out all of the new waves of figures.

The future in Star Wars Books
Here is a list of books to come from Del Rey in the next few months:

April 2000 STAR WARS: THE ESSENTIAL CHRONOLOGY by Kevin J. Anderson & Daniel Wallace
May 2000 STAR WARS: EPISODE I: ROGUE PLANET by Greg Bear
June 2000 STAR WARS: THE NEW JEDI ORDER: DARK TIDE II: RUIN by Michael A. Stackpole
August 2000 STAR WARS: THE NEW JEDI ORDER: AGENTS OF CHAOS I: HERO'S TRIAL by James Luceno

George Lucas on Jar Jar - "Binks was a big mistake!"
Lucas admits to 60 minutes that the creation of Jar Jar was a big doo-doo!

An Fool's Day news item at IGN.com here. It's in bad taste; so I thought. But hey, it's April 1st.