It Makes a Difference to the Sheep

Anticipation of the upcoming theatrical release of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, is tempered only by the fears that the dialogue will be as bad as ever. And what about the potentially huge continuity problems the true fan will encounter as he or she attempts to reconcile Episode III with Episode IV that was made in 1977? Well, at least there are always enjoyable fan films to watch. I quite liked "For the Love of the Film," "Sith Apprentice," and "Anakin Dynamite." "One Season More," on the other hand, frightens me.

UPDATE: Writing like this almost (but not quite) makes me long for the crude, predictable simplicity of Lucas's screenwriting:

By contrast, Darth Vader’s line—so awkwardly phrased it had to be fixed by forces outside the movie—is divested of any contextual meaning. Indeed, according to one of the many legends that cloak Star Wars in a haze of adoration, an entirely different line was uttered during filming in order to prevent the secret of Luke Skywalker’s paternity from being leaked before the movie’s release. This would seem to indicate a belief that certain characters and events have a prima facie value regardless of the circumstances in which they occur, which is, of course, true: They’re called archetypes, a term that is the first line of defense against charges of flat characterization and storytelling. What Mr. Lucas seems not to realize is that archetype is the animating principal of all narrative art, and the artist’s job is to harness that energy in contextually relevant, creative ways. Otherwise, instead of archetype you get stereotype, and you might as well watch or read Sophocles’ Oedipus for the original and still-untopped father-killing moment.

Whatever...

UPDATE II: It was only a matter of time before the Dark Lord got his own blog.

Yes, you read that right. "Too low." Well, as long as you live in Maryland, you need not fear the horrors of having to pay less at the local Wawa. The Maryland state legislature is looking out for you. Sheesh.

But since i-tunes doesn’t carry them (and since I’ve gone legal—no ill-gotten fruits of the old-version Napster on my hard drive) and I can’t (or won’t) buy the entire album:

Going to California—Led Zeppelin (can anyone tell me why this song isn’t on Led Zep’s remasters 2-disc set)?

Over the Hills and Far Away—Led Zeppelin (see above)

Let Me Go—Heaven 17 (British 80s synthpop/dance tune)

Lorainne’s My Nurse—Blancmange (quirky tune by another British synth-pop has-been)

In Exile—Dream Academy (I have this on cassette only :-( )

Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding—Elton John (too long for i-tunes to carry as a single)

When I Need You—Leo Sayer (talk about a song that takes me back)

Just When I Needed You Most—Randy Vanwarmer (see “When I Need You)

Julia—Eurythmics (from their ill-fated soundtrack to the movie 1984)

Julia—The Beatles (while I’m at it).

here. I can't seem to resist these (observing them, not imitating them, mind you).

but harder than it looks. Try the Place the State game. Placing those Midwestern states in just the right spot isn't always easy.