Star Wars Weekend: X-Wing lands on Times Square

A Star Wars X-Wing spaceship has landed on New York’s Times Square this week.

Well, not quite. It’s actually a replica of one flown in the famed movie franchise and represents the largest model ever made by Danish toy company LEGO.

The world’s largest LEGO model is on display at Times Square in New York, Made of 5,335,200 LEGO bricks. In the picture above, LEGO Master Builder Erik Varszegi and members of the 501st inspect the thrusters of the largest LEGO model ever built, an X-wing Starfighter in Times Square.

The Force was strong in New York as the world’s largest LEGO model – a massive X-Wing Starfighter – was unveiled in Times Square. Much to the delight of Star Wars fans, the replica is life-size and so spot-on that we think even Luke Skywalker would be fooled. 5,335,200 LEGO bricks in all went into the 45,980 pound model, which measures in at 11 feet tall and 43 feet long.

As you can imagine, it wasn’t easy building those proton torpedo launchers and laser canons piece by piece. The Starfighter replica took 32 master builders over 17,000 hours to complete. The gigantic X-Wing was first put together at the LEGO Model Shop in Kladno in the Czech Republic, and was then brought over to the states. Special care was also put into engineering the model to withstand rigorous travel and to make sure that it reached NY as well as its next destination at the LEGOLAND California Resort safely.

The model was created to commemorate “The Yoda Chronicles”, a new 3-part animated series, which will premiere on Cartoon Network on Wednesday, May 29.

Star Wars Weekend: Yoda quotes

Do or do not, there is no try.
Master Yoda

“Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope” is turning 36 today. It is the only Star Wars series film in which Jedi Master Yoda does not make an appearance. Yoda is not mentioned in the movie, as the character had not yet been created. But his succesfully part in the following film “The Empire Strikes Back” made him one of the most important character of the George Lucas saga. Yoda was one of the most renowned Jedi Masters in in the Star Wars movies.  A teacher and spiritual advisor, Yoda is most known for training Luke Skywalker to harness the power of the Force.  The wisdom of the universe is all around him. To inspire and celebrate the release of the Star Wars first movie on 25 May 1977, here are some Yoda most famous quotes. May the Force be with you!

Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.

When you look at the dark side, careful you must be. For the dark side looks back.

Always pass on what you have learned.

Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.

You think Yoda stops teaching, just because his student does not want to hear? A teacher Yoda is. Yoda teaches like drunkards drink, like killers kill.

Secret, shall I tell you?  Grand Master of Jedi Order am I. Won this job in a raffle I did, think you? “How did you know, how did you know, Master Yoda?” Master Yoda knows these things. His job it is.

The dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see the light, the future is.

In a dark place we find ourselves, and a little more knowledge lights our way.

Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will.

Always in motion is the future.

Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?  Hmm?  Hmm.  And well you should not.  For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship.

A Jedi’s strength flows from the Force.

Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.

Named must your fear be before banish it you can.

You will find only what you bring in.

Yes, a Jedi’s strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan’s apprentice.

A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away… to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph. Adventure. Heh. Excitement. Heh. A Jedi craves not these things.

Always two there are, a master and an apprentice.

Already know you that which you need.  

Luke: I don’t believe it.  Yoda: That is why you fail.

You will know (the good from the bad) when you are calm, at peace. Passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.

Many of the truths that we cling to depend on our point of view.

A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind.

And well you should not. For my ally in the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. It’s energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we…(Yoda pinches Luke’s shoulder)…not this crude matter. (a sweeping gesture) You must feel the Force around you. (gesturing) Here, between you…me…the tree…the rock…everywhere! Yes, even between this land and that ship!

Through the Force, things you will see. Other places. The future…the past. Old friends long gone.

Clear your mind must be, if you are to find the villains behind this plot.

I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience.

Truly how wonderful the mind of a child is.

You must unlearn what you have learned.

Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealously. The shadow of greed, that is.

To answer power with power, the Jedi way this is not. In this war, a danger there is, of losing who we are.

Ready are you? What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained. A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away… to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph. Adventure. Heh. Excitement. Heh. A Jedi craves not these things. You are reckless.

Blind we are, if creation of this clone army we could not see.

Ohhh. Great warrior. Wars not make one great.

Official Website: http://www.starwars.com/

Star Wars Weekend: Episode 4 turns 36

All Jedi of the Galaxy must commemorate. Today, 25 May, “Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope” (for the new Padawans) or simply “Star Wars” (for all the old Jedi Masters) is turning 36.

A long time ago in a theater far, far away…

If you were born yesterday or if you were out of this Galaxy during the last 40 years, “Star Wars” is an epic space opera franchise centers on a series of films created by George Lucas, and spawned a media franchise out of the film series called Expanded Universe including books, television series, video games and comic books.

The first movie was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title “Star Wars”, by 20th Century Fox, and become a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year intervals, “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi”. Sixteen years after the release of the trilogy’s final film, the first in a new prequel trilogy of films was released, “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace”, and the three prequel films were also released at three-year intervals, followed by “Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones”, and the final film of the new trilogy, “Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith”, released on May 19, 2005. In October 2012 (see here) The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm for $ 4 billion and announced that it would produce three new films, with the first film, “Star Wars Episode VII”, planned for released in 2015.

The film series began with “Star Wars”, released on May 25, 1977. This was followed by “The Empire Strikes Back”, released on May 21, 1980, and “Return of the Jedi”, released on May 25, 1983. The opening crawl of the sequels disclosed that they were numbered as “Episode V” and “Episode VI” respectively, though the films were generally advertised solely under their subtitles. Though the first film in the series was simply titled “Star Wars”, with its 1981 re-release it had the subtitle “Episode IV: A New Hope” added to remain consistent with its sequel, and to establish it as the middle chapter of a continuing saga.

In 1997, to correspond with the 20th anniversary of “A New Hope”, Lucas released a “Special Edition” of the Star Wars trilogy to theaters. The re-release featured alterations to the three films, primarily motivated by the improvement of CGI and other special effects technologies (and to me and to all original Star Wars fans GREEDO DID NOT SHOOT FIRST!), which allowed visuals that were not possible to achieve at the time of the original filmmaking. Lucas continued to make changes to the films for subsequent releases, such as the first ever DVD release of the original trilogy on September 21, 2004 and the first ever Blu-ray release of all six films on September 16, 2011.

But all of this, you already know. What you maybe do not know are the following curiosities about Star Wars. If you already know about half of them, congratulations you are a real Jedi Master! If you don’t, be patient, young Padawan, “always in motion the future is”.

Source: Wikipedia.

Official Website: http://www.starwars.com/

Duo Osmose: Sensual Version

This stunning video is running the world wide web for some months and already has more than 1.783.200 views on YouTube. Duo Osmose is a performance work by French Artistic Olympian Ludivine Furnon and her partner, Martin Charrat.

According to Wikipedia, Ludivine Furnon was born on 4 October 1980, in French, and is a retired Olympic athlete. She attended dance classes at the eight and entered to the gymnastic in 1992, at eleven years-old. In 1996 represented France at the Olympic Games, finishing nineteenth in the all-around. In 2008, Ludivine Furnon was part of the cast of Cirque du Soleil in the production Mystere in Las Vegas.

Thanks to my dear friend Tinkerbell by send me the video. Enjoy.

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You can also see Duo Osmose in “Tango Version” on YouTube.

Contact: ludivinemartin57@yahoo.fr

R.I.P.: Ray Harryhausen (1920-2013)

When I was 11 years old I went to the theater to see “Clash of the Titans”. It was in early 1981. But “Clash of the Titans” was not the only movie with creatures and effects of Ray Harryhausen I saw. In my childhood in the 70s, I watched almost all of his films, such as “Sinbad and The Eye Of The Tiger”, “First Men on the Moon,” “Jason and the Argonauts” and “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad”. Today I am very sad because Ray Harryhausen left us this Tuesday. Rest in peace, Master.

RAY HARRYHAUSEN
29 June 1920 – 7 May 2013

Way before movies like “Star Wars” and “The Lord of the Rings” inspired the imagination of film lovers everywhere, audiences were enraptured by the sword-wielding skeletons of “Jason and the Argonauts”, the great ape of “Mighty Joe Young” and the dinosaurs opposite Raquel Welch in “One Million Years B.C”. The man responsible for all those and much more, Hollywood special-effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen, died Tuesday in London at the age of 92.

Raymond Frederick “Ray” Harryhausen was born 29 June 1920. He was an American visual effects creator, writer and producer who lived in London from 1960 until his death, and is best known for the creation of stop-motion model animation called “Dynamation”. The legendary effects wizard’s influence was felt both in his sci-fi and fantasy movies as well as in the works of later filmmakers such as George Lucas and Peter Jackson. Beginning his career in the 1940s, Harryhausen became well known for using stop-motion model animation and having them interact with actors in a live-action world.

ONCE UPON A TIME A MAN WHO LIKED TO CREATE MONSTERS…

Born in Los Angeles, Harryhausen first became inspired as a 13-year-old watching Willis H. O’Brien’s large beast of “King King” come alive via stop-motion photography in 1933. The young Harryhausen would then work with O’Brien as a technician on “Mighty Joe Young” (1949) before his breakthrough 10 years later with “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms”, where he designed a giant rampaging lizard that attacked New York City.

Monster movies became his forte in the 1950s and ’60s, and he unleashed a wide variety of various creatures, including the gigantic irradiated octopus of “It Came From Beneath the Sea” (1955), alien spacecraft in “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers” (1956), a whole island of beasties including the Cyclops in “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958) and a prehistoric mollusk in “Mysterious Island” (1961).

Harryhausen really put actor Todd Armstrong’s Greek hero through the wringer in “Jason and the Argonauts”, pitting Jason against dangerous harpies, a multi-headed hydra and arguably Harryhausen’s most famous creations, an animated army of skeleton warriors. The swordfight between them and live actors took Harryhausen more than four months to complete.

His final special-effects work was as a producer on 1981’s “Clash of the Titans”, which featured the memorable sea monster the Kraken (an 18-inch model that Harryhausen used) as well as the snake-headed femme fatale Medusa. “I’m grateful that we made pictures that have lasted,” Harryhausen told USA TODAY in 2010. “We tried, like Greek mythology, to make them in the classic manner”.  When asked to pick a favorite, he was stumped. “I can’t. The others get jealous.”

In 1992 Tom Hanks presented Harryhausen with a special Oscar for his lifetime of effects work. “Some people say Casablanca or Citizen Kane … I say Jason and the Argonauts is the greatest film ever made,” Hanks said.

To know more about this Master of the visual effects please visit his Official Website: www.rayharryhausen.com. In the images below you will remember some of the most impressive scenes from Ray Harryhausen movies. Enjoy.

Mighty Joe Young, 1949 (first technician):

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, 1953 (visual effects):

It Came from Beneath the Sea, 1955 (visual effects):

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, 1956 (special photographic, animation effects):

20 Million Miles to Earth, 1957 (visual effects):

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, 1958 (associate producer, visual effects):

The Three Worlds of Gulliver, 1960 (visual effects):

Mysterious Island, 1961 (special visual effects):

Jason and the Argonauts, 1963 (associate producer, visual effects):

First Men in the Moon, 1964 (associate producer, visual effects):

One Million Years B.C., 1966 (special visual effects):

The Valley of Gwangi, 1969 (associate producer, visual effects):

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, 1974 (producer, visual effects):

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, 1977 (producer, visual effects):

Clash of the Titans, 1981 (producer, visual effects):

Tribute:

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