Insights Into Entertainment: Episode 51 “Calling Out Disney”

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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Insightful, a podcast network

Speaker 3 (00:28):
Come to insights into entertainment, a podcast series, taking a deeper look into entertainment and media. Your hosts, Joseph and Michelle, Waylon, a husband and wife team of pop culture fanatics are exploring all things from music and movies to television and fandom.

Speaker 4 (00:50):
Welcome to insights and entertainment. This is episode 51 calling out Disney. I’m your host, Joseph Waylon and my talented and insightful cohost, Michelle Wayland. Hi everyone. So this I think we’re, we are all kind of in agreement is the start of our second season. Sure. our second year of podcasting since we sync up with insights in the teens. So kind of a eh, sort of exciting sort of exciting time.

Speaker 4 (01:26):
We are recording a little off schedule, although say that this show actually has a set schedule. Keep saying we have a set schedule and we’ve, we really don’t cause we just kind of do it whenever, whenever we can. Yeah. Normally we record on Saturdays with a target of recording on Thursdays, but a couple of us were under the weather this weekend, so we were recording late on a Sunday here. Super bowl Sunday. As a matter of fact, even though you can’t say Superbowl cause that’s trademark. Right, right, right. We just got pulled down now. Thanks. Please.

Speaker 4 (02:06):
Sorry, Disney doesn’t own that. So they probably won’t take us down, right. They don’t care. So we’ve got a lot of Disney and star Wars news. Not a lot of entertainment news this week. We’re going to talk about some Disney stars that are calling out Disney for various reasons. We will talk about an artist that is suing Disney Pixar over a van. We’ll talk about that a little bit then in star Wars news. Cause apparently we do so much star Wars moves. We had to have a star Wars segment now. Well it was like, do I put it in Disney? Do I put it in entertainment and just put it in? Star Wars is taking over the show. It’s gotta be a star Wars show, which I’m sure we’ll get sued for. Right? So in star Wars news, we have a release date for the Disney plus Cassie an and or a television show. We have a long lost star Wars TV show that never made the airwaves to take a look at. And then the force is strong on this Ellie mansion themed basement, star Wars themed basement. And then in our entertainment news, we will talk about the crown getting clipped a season. All that in our insightful picks. Are we ready to get started? All right, let’s go.

Speaker 4 (03:41):
Go for Disney tech.

Speaker 5 (03:43):
So in our first story it seems that Sebastian, Stan actually now joins Oscar Isaac and John Boyega in subtly call a sup calling out Disney. So obviously Disney is, is definitely in their prime between, you know, the, the television and the film industry and now they have, you know, a lot of success with Disney plus and the parks obviously and the Marvel cinematic universe. And obviously, you know, the last star Wars film coming out, not really being, you know, a huge success among, you know, some of the past star Wars, but obviously still, you know, they, they weren’t hurting, you know, wasn’t like it was a complete bomb. But it seems that not everyone is thrilled the way that Disney is developing the storylines of most of its beloved characters. Recently, star Wars actors, John bore IGA and Oscar Isaac had made headlines over voicing their disapprove DISA, I can’t speak today.

Speaker 5 (04:47):
Disappointment. Thank you. With the way that their characters were treated in the last few films. So obviously they’ve been, you know, together since 2015 when force awakens came out. And on the set, you know, the cast definitely bonded. And you know, they got to, you know, work with you know, the original cast Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and obviously Carrie Fisher before she passed away. But with each new story it just seemed like the characters and the actors that played them were getting more and more disconnected. Boyega was actually the loudest critic who, you know, basically had been saying that the force, he was quoted as saying the force awakens I think was the beginning of something quite solid. Last the last, Jed, I, if I’m being honest, I’d say was a bit iffy for me in the original star Wars film, there was so much more of a trio feel and I don’t know how quickly we’re going to be able to establish that longterm dynamic.

Speaker 5 (05:53):
With episode nine, he continued. I do feel after three films, we still don’t know as much about them as we got to know hand Luke and Leia. And even I’m sorry. And I’m just like all over the place today. I’m really just not awake. Oscar Isaac, you know, had even said, you know, I think that there could have been a very interesting forward thinking not even forward thinking, just like current thinking, love story there. Something that hadn’t quite been, you know, explored yet yet the dynamic between the two men that were in war and they couldn’t fall in love with each other. You know, he’s like, I would try and push it in that direction, but Disney overlords, we’re not ready to do that. Right. and it’s funny because looking back at the films, and I don’t know if it was just the way that the script was, but yeah, you didn’t have that, that same bonding between, you know, the main characters.

Speaker 5 (06:59):
You know, cause also you have to figure too that, you know, Poe was kinda off on his own for, you know, a lot of it and re you know, and Finn were together for some part of it. Like you never had, you know, all of them together, you know, until the very end. Whereas obviously with Luke lay and hon, they were all together, you know, almost from the beginning and had that, you know, that bonding. But I guess the other thing too is that, you know, they were looking, all right, well now we’re in a different age. Let’s try pushing, you know, the boundaries. And we did see in rise a Skywalker, you know, there was a character that obviously was, was gay. You know, you got to see her hug her wife. Right. You know, at the end of the thing. So, you know, do they, I don’t know. I guess I’m kinda torn like, okay, it would be nice to be inclusive of everybody, but I don’t know if you really have to take a stand.

Speaker 4 (08:03):
The, to be entirely honest with you, the character development in this latest trilogy was so poor that having a same sex experience come out of it was the least of the

Speaker 5 (08:16):
Right because they just really didn’t, like you said, they didn’t develop the characters or not the characters.

Speaker 4 (08:22):
There was either broken dialogue, there were scenes that, I mean, let’s, let’s face it Les Jedi, I completely wasted two thirds of the cast. There was literally no point in having Finn and Poe even show up for the movie because what little Screentime they did get absolutely had no influence whatsoever on driving the story forward. So it was a terrible job of character development, having had some kind of more intimate relationship between PO and and Finn might have given you a little bit more character development would have given you something to work with, but they clearly the Disney and the writers and the directors weren’t interested in devel developing those characters at all. Right, right. And part of that has to do with, you know, as much as force awakens was probably the best in the series, but Abrams played too much fan service.

Speaker 4 (09:27):
Right. You know, there was the whole idea when this whole thing started was it was going to be a handoff of the old guard to the new version. That handoff never really happened. The Baton was dropped three times during this entire trilogy. And there was too much gravitas of the original cast to overcome the way that they did this where you couldn’t make your star shine like stars in a handoff, but you never hand it off to them. Right. So that was another thing. And, and JJ started that in the first, you know, episode of this trilogy and it just went downhill from there. By the time we get to ride a Skywalker, it’s a jumbled mess, you know, and trying to clean it up. It could have been two movies. You could have done a part one and a part two if you well and honestly you could have done episode three so much better if you literally just forgot that episode.

Speaker 4 (10:33):
The middle episode happened. If you, if you through last gen I out Abrams could’ve done a better job cause he spent a third of the movie trying to retcon the stuff that been so, and because of that and because you’re trying to give these big stars a send off, you can’t highlight your new stars. Like everything should have happened in the first one. You should have handed everything off. There should have been, the resistance should have started in episode one or seven or nine or whatever the hell wants a force awakens was, it should have started there. All your classic stars should have bowed out at that point in time. And then next two star, the next two movies should have just being your new stars. That would have given you your character development and you could’ve seen more groundbreaking stuff done. And, and Disney even took heat over. What, what limited, you know, same sex scene emerged from where they cut it out in certain countries. Right, right. And, and you know what shame on Disney for that had the carriage to it. Exactly. Exactly. So dizzy simply doesn’t have the courage to do that to begin with. Well, what will be interesting to say is that obviously

Speaker 5 (11:54):
Disney is starting to, you know, lean a little bit more towards the representation of the LGBTQ community. So in Thor, a Valkyrie is actually coded as bisexual in the two films that she’s been appearing in. And now the first openly LGTBQ character might hit the screens in an upcoming MCU film. Thor Levin thunder. There is a characters, a Sierra who is a trans woman who descends from a long line of powerful male angels and is rumored to make an appearance in this new project. So that’ll be interesting because if you know, this character is the first trans character, how is that gonna apply? You can’t just take a whole character out, you know, if this is part of the storyline in, you know, a movie overseas. So that’ll be an interesting,

Speaker 4 (12:50):
Well, and I hope they’re doing that. I hope it has legitimacy. You know, like so many times a characters in a movie, a character, sexuality has nothing to do with the story. And you don’t call people out as heterosexual because they appear in a movie. If you’re going to go down the line that you’re going to call that kind of attention to the character, I hope it’s done in a way where it’s relevant to the character and relevant to the story, not just to say, Oh, check that box. We did that. Right.

Speaker 5 (13:22):
Well, and that’s the thing is that if this is a trans woman, it’s an it. It’s because, you know, she was descended from male angels and she identifies as female. This is a totally different, so this would play into it. So

Speaker 4 (13:38):
Why I think that’s the direction that you want to go. You don’t want to put like the, the the scene in, in rise a Skywalker like that was a quick shot. Everyone’s celebrating, celebrating, hug the person you love, kiss the person you love. Bam. We have a scene sex scene now that worked out fine because there wasn’t a story behind it was what you would do spur of the moment when your team wins. Right. And that works. So they didn’t alter the storyline to include that, whereas this one you kind of have to but do it in a meaningful way where you’re doing it to drive the story, not to drive the agenda. Yeah. So that’s, that’s my point. So Disney’s getting sued.

Speaker 5 (14:27):
Shocker. Disney and Pixar are actually getting sued over a unicorn adorned van. So an artist named sweet Cecile Danny, or on Monday sued Disney Pixar and onward producer Corey Ray for allegedly conspiring to secretly create an doppelganger of her, one of a kind van without permission. Wow. Why would Disney ever do that? Cause they crack down on other people for doing it for their own property. Right? So she calls it the Vanna corn and according to her lawsuit, it’s the lawsuit of her lifelong love of mythical beasts. At the risk of belaboring the point, the plaintiff has had a real thing for unicorns for a very long time and they have been a central theme and subject matter of her artistic work throughout her entire career States. The complaintant which is posted in which had been posted Danna Danaher has spent the better part of the last two decades taking pictures of common things that look like unicorns.

Speaker 5 (15:42):
And in 2014, she published a book of all her photographs called I see unicorns. So for the past six years, she’s owned a tremendously cool, a dark blue and purple, 1972 Chevrolet G 10 van that has of course, red shag carpet, red Valore walls and seating and of course, white shag carpet. And yeah, when you, when you look at this van, you know, and of course it has this whole unicorn mural on the side. Now I will say, when I saw the picture of it, it looked like that typical 1970s van. Like I, I personally didn’t see it as like a, a one of a kind. Like, it kind of looked like, I don’t know, something that I had had seen before. You know, I don’t know. I guess it, it didn’t strike me as, Oh my God, that’s so unique.

Speaker 5 (16:40):
I’ve never seen it type type thing. It’s a very 1970, right? Like there’s nothing that, you know, so, so any way. So what had happened was so there was a special event that was actually held at Pixar studios. And they had actually gone to her and said, Hey, can we borrow your van to be at this like friends and family event? And it was basically there just as, as a prop. She said the van would basically be used for an event limited to a one day music festival activity day for the employees and families. And that then a corn would just be a showpiece not used in any other way as a, as a prop. So this was like September of 2018. Well then may of 2019, she discovered that Pixar was producing onward, a tale of two blue elves trying to reunite their dead father who traveled throughout, you know, who traveled around in a vehicle that looked suspiciously, liked Vanna corn. And then she posted the two vans on Instagram and wrote, wow. Hmm. So do you think Pixar Disney stole the van of corn for their own movie?

Speaker 4 (17:58):
So let’s, let’s real quick, just, we’ll go back to the picture here again for the viewers. So the top van is hers in real life, which is a unicorn. And the bottom van is a shot from the S from the film, which is a Pegasus, right? They’re two different animals.

Speaker 5 (18:17):
Right. Okay. Right. And obviously the top, her window is a diamond with lightening coming out of it and you see the unicorn on water with the, you know, background of a mountain. Right. And the Pixars van, like you said, is not only a Pegasus, but it has a moon and it looks like it’s just flying in the air.

Speaker 4 (18:47):
So yes, I could totally see her argument

Speaker 2 (18:51):
That

Speaker 4 (18:52):
They stole the idea of a purple van. And that’s about it,

Speaker 5 (18:57):
Right? Because again, her van doesn’t, lo, I’m sure if you did a Google search, you could probably find a hundred vans that have a unicorn or a Pegasus.

Speaker 4 (19:09):
I don’t want to risk actually sounding like I’m defending Disney here, but this is a frivolous lawsuit. This is a woman who’s trying to Sue a multibillion dollar corporation under sketchy terms and is basically trying to get a settlement at a court to get a handle.

Speaker 5 (19:28):
Right. Well, what was funny though was that the producer ended up calling Carr and wanting, you know, and basically apologized saying that they rented her van without disclosing their full intentions or planned and that they were sorry. So that’s, that’s admitting it, right. So they basically admitted it, but what they, what they kind of go on to say is that at the time the movie didn’t have a actual name to it, it was just something that was in the works. So there was no way for them to actually write up any contract. So there’s that

Speaker 4 (20:11):
As a producer who’s probably never going to work for Disney again.

Speaker 5 (20:14):
Right. So, so basically they, they kind of admitted that they were using it to get an idea, but since it was still in the beginning stages, there was no way to ask permission because they didn’t know what they were doing. Yeah. Oh,

Speaker 4 (20:30):
The hard lesson that you don’t make statements to something like that without talking to legal first.

Speaker 5 (20:35):
Right. So the woman is actually suing for copyright infringement, violation of the digital millennium copyright act, a violation of the visual arts rights act in of the California artists protection act

Speaker 6 (20:50):
And is obviously seeking damages. So no, does it say anywhere in here that she actually owns a copyright on the van?

Speaker 5 (20:57):
You know what, it didn’t mention anything about that

Speaker 6 (21:01):
Since it’s hard to Sue for copyright infringement if you don’t have a copyright on something. Yeah. And who’s to say, you know, clearly pictures of unicorns are not right at this point. Right. So, and obviously Disney has not yet responded, you know, for for any mile just waiting for Chevrolet to get into the act here. And so Disney, because they use the Chevrolet right without their permission. So Michelle, this is what’s wrong with this country is you could Sue literally for anything. Yup, sure. Can. Or do I need a transition to go into our star Wars news? Do you have star Wars music? I don’t. We’ll just,

Speaker 7 (21:38):
Pew, Pew, Pew, Pew, dun duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh.

Speaker 5 (21:49):
Tell us about Cassie and Andrew. So now that you know, the Mandalorian has ended, now everybody’s looking forward to the next thing. And obviously as we were reported last week, the Obi wan Kenobi show has been put on hold for a little while, you know, even though it’s still coming out and everything. But now the new show that everyone’s looking forward to is the rogue one pre-qual that is set to return to see the return of Diego Luna’s character, Cassie and and-or and Alan tunics. K two. So according to recent reports, the series could premiere as early as next year. Multiple, multiple sources had told them. It’s safe to assume that the prequel is centered that centered around a Daigo Luna’s Cassie and ender will premiere. In 2021 Luna had actually said that, you know, it was hard when he got the role for star Wars knowing that he, you know, basically wasn’t going to survive the movie.

Speaker 5 (22:59):
It, you know, like most people that end up in something star Wars, it’s usually, you know, something that lasts a little longer than, than just one film. So he was credited as saying, I’m not allowed to talk about it, which is great because I haven’t started, I’m just happy, happy to be part of that universe. Because I grew up watching those films and having a chance to explore the role in 10 hours or as many hours as you get is going to be great. It was hard to start filming knowing that you’re going to die so fast. But now we can talk about what happened earlier in Andorra’s life. So he said, when I saw the, you know, the first film the first time I was so disappointed at the end and not because of the film, he said, my son said, but, but that’s it, dad.

Speaker 5 (23:47):
Right? Like, what? And he said, well, yeah, you know, that was the thing about the film, even though I knew, and I understood, I think at that, that’s where, you know, it really got to me. But now, you know, I realized that the character I loved and the universe I could care, you know, that I, I care about now obviously, you know, we’re ready to, you know, to dive deeper into it. So it’s kind of cool because again, you know, rogue one out of all of the newer movies I know is one of our favorites. Right? It was just so well done. So it’s nice because again, basically almost everybody, you know, except for like Darth Vader and princess Layo show up at the end, you know, everybody perished for the most part. So it’s kinda nice to see some, some backstory,

Speaker 4 (24:38):
Disney formula to continue milking the cow to make money off of it. So we’re going to bring out these characters in a movie, born a kill them off, and then we’re going to give him prequels just to keep cool. Oh, we had a couple of popular characters, we killed them off too soon lads, bring them back and give them a prequel. Now they’re doing the same thing of black widow. You know, they’re doing the same thing with a Wanda and vision. You know, it’s like, okay, well why’d you kill them off? Let’s see how their story.

Speaker 5 (25:07):
I could almost see that with this, it becoming more of a Mandalorian thing where, okay, you kind of know the timeframe, but there’s going to be all these characters that you didn’t know. You know, even though you’re going to have, you know, Cassius in and,

Speaker 4 (25:26):
And to me it’s poor storytelling. Okay. Because if you can have a character that you bring out in a single movie and the fans fall in love with that character, then you’ve done your job of telling that character story. If you kill them off, you don’t need to go back and do a solo movie. All right? I don’t need to know the backstory to get to that person. You should. You’ve got two and a half hours in these movies now to sell me that character. George Lucas was able to do it. The first movie with your original stars. Why do I need prequels? I know prequels are just to make money. Literally that is all there for this point. Well, this isn’t going to make any money because everybody already has their subscription. This is another thing. No, they didn’t because they canceled all, all of their subscriptions after Mandalorian was over. So this is, this is, well, you wouldn’t let me if, if it was my call, we would have canceled. You didn’t pay for it. Exactly. Which is why we didn’t cancel. But my point is this is the movie night at eight o’clock every night, sweetheart. We are, every is the movie. We don’t need to stream them.

Speaker 4 (26:41):
Okay, whatever. Just that point there. But this is to draw people and decel service. That’s all this is. Okay. So they’re going to ruin this character like they’ve ruined every other character that you saw. Pre-Qual love, you know, like Darth Vader, which they ruined in the original trilogy, but that was Lucas. I can’t even blame Disney for that one. Look, the name of the show here is, is, what is it? It’s we’re, we’re calling out Disney. All right, so I’m calling all Disney. I’m just sticking with the theme of the show. Okay. All right. What’s our next what’s our next one here? He got me off.

Speaker 5 (27:19):
Let’s talk Marsh. All right, let’s talk more star Wars. That was Lucas star Wars enough, right? So test footage of a canceled star Wars TV show called underworld had surfaced on YouTube. The show, which George Lucas apparently wanted to be a hundred episode long, was first discussed after the release of revenge of the Sith in 2005 but was officially put on hold in 2010 due to budget restrictions. It shows star Wars as you’ve never seen it before. Kind of a blade runner or cyberpunk 20, 77 S vision of curse on with bright lights, flying cars, an underground resistance movement forming against the empire and the sitter soons going, you know, to desperate measures to stop the empire. It also kind of reminds you a little bit of Saul Guerrera his fighters in rogue one. So there’s, it’s basically a, it’s a 10 minute YouTube video, five of it being the test footage and then five of it showing you how this story was made.

Speaker 5 (28:27):
I only watched the first five minutes where you watched the whole thing and basically it was all green screen, which is what we kind of, you know, when you look at it, you go, Oh yeah, that’s, that’s how they did it. Yeah. Very revenge of the city look at it. So it was rumored that 50 to a hundred scripts were actually written for this. And you know, basically in the late two thousands, you know, TV wasn’t really ready for a show like this. It was obviously, you know, looks like it was very expensive and that was kind of before the era of the peak television shows, you know, kind of like where we are now. Whereas you know, a budget to do something like that on a weekly basis, they didn’t have, you know, the money for, whereas now, you know, a Mandalorian, you know, it’s reportedly cost 15 million an episode.

Speaker 5 (29:23):
So, you know, something like that could be done, you know, today, you know, it was just back then, you know, you had then, you know, we have the different writers strikes that went on and you know, we had the, the start of, you know, the majority of the reality TV and stuff, the dark age of television where now, you know, there’s so much good content out there that, you know, you can’t really keep up with, with all of it, between the streaming services and things like that. So this was kind of an interesting look at, you know, where they kind of wanted to go with, with things. And you know, obviously, you know, they’re probably not gonna bring it back. But it was a neat little, you know,

Speaker 4 (30:10):
And I’m right around this timeframe was when Lucas arts was working on the 1313 game, which is a supposed to be a kind of a bounty Hunter style exploring the bowels of chorus sont which would have been very similar in style to this. What was funny watching this though was how cheesy it was.

Speaker 5 (30:32):
It looks kind of cool. It looks like it’s fiction style thing. But I’ve seen better fan fiction than this. Well, and that’s the thing is for when this came out, there wasn’t as much fan fiction as like now you do a search for fan fiction and we’ve watched a couple of different fan fiction things that look like they were produced at a movie studio. You know, now everybody has the abilities and can find, you know, the software and you know, stuff to, to make things look very professional. So

Speaker 4 (31:07):
Yeah. So it was interesting watching this. It’s, it’s unfortunate that they didn’t go this way cause they think had they started some of this storytelling that they were going to do in this back then, a lot of what we have today would make a lot more sense. There was a huge gap, you know, between revenge of the Sith and the new hope. They’ve tried to fill that in. There’s a huge gap from revenge of return of the Jedi, the force awakens and they’re trying to fill that gap to stay on things like this. You know, and even as much as I don’t think being Cassie and, and, or needs a prequel, I think things like that help you to fill those in. The problem is that they’re coming after everything,

Speaker 5 (31:50):
Right? Like it, it would have made sense to come out before rogue one. So that this way you, you felt something for, you know, the character and kind of knew that timeframe between revenge of the Sith and a new hope.

Speaker 4 (32:04):
Absolutely. So tell us about the star Wars theme basement.

Speaker 5 (32:10):
Wow. Well, this was an article that was in the wall street journal and there is a mansion in LA that is listed for 26 point $5 million. The property has a 5,000 foot square foot basement with a massive collection of replica space vehicles and life size figures from the Epic science fiction movies of star Wars. This was just amazing to tell, look through. So the entertainment complex basement is configured as museum according to the listing agents. It contains literally hundreds of one of a kind commissions by numerous artists and prop makers, including Rafiq replicas of various star Wars space vehicles, and more than 40 life-size figures and a number of cartoonish tableaus from the movies. So the basement basically you enter through an elevator on the right and on the left is a Tuscan Raider. And then, you know, then you see a Jaguar and you know, there’s a mural depicting tattooing that was painted by an artist who specializes in star Wars imagery.

Speaker 5 (33:30):
Then there’s the circular display that you can see that has, you know, 30 of the most common helmets of clone and storm troopers. And then there’s a replica of the speeder bike from return of the I there’s an X wing fighter. Then there’s a little Cantina scene where Grito is depicted with a pistol in the far right corner. And then there’s two other figures. You know, there’s a musician from the band, and then, you know, there’s one of the characters is drinking a Corona. You know, it’s just, it’s, it’s amazing to see. And then they have a theater that’s in the back. So if you scroll down there’s just beautiful pictures of, of the place. Oh, why did it go on there? Oh, that’s stinks. Well if you click on the link you know, on, on on our show notes, you’ll, you’ll find it.

Speaker 5 (34:37):
You know, and, and what was interesting too was not only, you know, obviously he has some very expensive props and replicas, but then he even has one area where it’s they, he had a shelving units put in where it’s actual action figures still carded. So, you know, from the most expensive, you know, collectible to, you know, something you could get at target and even, you know, so it’s, you know, where some people just have a collection that’s, Oh, I only have the expensive stuff, you know, he has, you know, a little bit of everything. You know, so he has a little movie theater that obviously resembles the cockpit of a tie fighter. And, you know, had the tiles made on the wall. The basement wa he actually, the, the owner of the house had the basement’s designer watch the movies to prepare for the project, to know how, you know, he wanted it.

Speaker 5 (35:39):
So again, he has the, you know, the action figures, which number in the hundreds has Pez dispensers, you know, basically a full collection of, you know, everything in anything working on reproducing. So, yeah, we’re, we’re like ours kinda, you know, pales in comparison. But on space we’re limited on space, but for, you know, it’s, it’s definitely, you know, interesting. You know, so I, you know, again, he has the Pez dispensers then, you know, he actually does have a standing Darth Vader that’s in one area. You know, it’s just amazing when you look through the pictures. You know, I, I shared it with a friend at work who’s also a very big star Wars fan and all he could say was, had you clean it off. I said, I said, well, hopefully for, you know, 26.5 million, you get the staff for the mansion, you can afford to stay.

Speaker 5 (36:38):
Exactly. So, you know, and in just in case you were wondering, the house also includes a music studio, a gym, a tennis court, a safe room, a 750 a gallon aquarium, an indoor and outdoor pool and spa area with a grotto, a Waterslide and a waterfall. And there’s also an observatory with a three, eight w w on three acres of grounds, which has a telescope as well. So just in case, you know, the star Wars stuff wasn’t the real thing. Right. You have, you have the other stuff. So again, really cool walking out, saving my pennies now. Right. And maybe we could like go in with a couple of other people and you know, did it say whether it was actually George Lucas’s house? No, it wasn’t a, the person that was, he was a semi retired investor who will be hanging onto a few items for sentimental value, but much of the collection is being sold with the house and maybe at an undisclosed amount. So the house itself is 26.5 not sure how much all the extras will come to. So, so that’s it for Disney detective and our star Wars. We’ll come back with some quick entertainment news.

Speaker 5 (38:04):
Entertain me dear. So really just, you know, one story, you know came up that, that, you know, wanted to bring up. Obviously we have the Superbowl that’s on tonight. So a lot of different commercials will be on tonight. So we’ll probably have, you know, a recap of, you know, all of that stuff. Obviously nowadays a lot of commercials get previewed before the actual game even comes out or part of it does. So, you know, I know I’ve seen a couple already that that seemed kind of, so again, we’ll, we’ll talk about that next week, but this one was kind of a little bit of a shock. So the crown will actually come to an end with season five with Harry Potter actress Amelda a stout in officially taking over as queen Elizabeth in the final season. Netflix announced early this past Friday. Stout in will succeed. Claire Foy who did seasons one and two and Olivia Coleman who is in season three, currently an upcoming season for the series creator P Peter Morgan had initially intended the crown to run for six seasons.

Speaker 5 (39:15):
However, he was recently had a change of heart explaining in a statement. Now that we have begun work on the stories for season five, it has become clear to me that this is a perfect time and place to stop starting. Meanwhile, set in her own statement. As an actor, it was a joy to see how both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman brought something special and unique to Peter Morgan scripts. I am Jen, genuinely honored to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking the crown to its conclusion. A veteran of the stage Stotten played Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter movies and earned an Oscar nomination for best actress in 2000 fours. Vierra Drake. She recently played lady Maude Bagshaw in the Downton Abbey movie released which came out in September and she’s actually married to Downton Abbey star Jim Carter in real life. So the crown three premiered in September season four.

Speaker 5 (40:15):
We’ll now welcome Gillian Anderson as the prime minister, Margaret Thatcher and newcomer Emma Corrine as a young Diana Spencer. And that is actually supposed to arrive sometime in 2000 or I’m sorry, season five will likely be arriving in 2021. So kind of sad news because that’s a show that we really enjoy. Yeah, it’s a very well, very well done. So I’m guessing maybe they’re gonna kind of speed up the timeline because basically where season three ended was Charles and Camilla meeting Camilla marrying. So you’re mid seventies or so, right? Mid seventies. So now you know, so it’s, so season four you figure is gone to start off with Charles and Diana meeting and getting married and so they’re probably going to take that maybe season four will end even with Diana, maybe not dying. Maybe that’s where season five will go. So it’ll be interesting to see, you know, how they kind of speed things up cause you figure Margaret Thatcher is gonna come into play next season.

Speaker 5 (41:34):
Diana comes into play. So you’re kind of, you know, you’re talking early eighties seasons early to mid eighties probably. Yeah. So, you know, it would be nice for her to, to finish in that sixth season, but I guess, you know, they’re going to kind of just move it along. So I think what you’re probably gonna see is a much smaller time jump between rises this time than you did last time. Right. And that’s true because we did see bigger time jumps, you know, between season two and season three. So, so kind of sad but glad that they’re at least they seem to have a logical point where they’re trying to get to an agent, decided they could get to it with a little faster and you know, one season less than now. I wonder if they’re going to extend the season instead of being like 10 episodes into Philby 12 maybe they’ll do that to try to do those. Yeah. All right, cool. Okay, so we’ll come back with our insightful picks of the week.

Speaker 5 (42:39):
Go for your insightful pick. So last week, my insightful pick was, this is us. So this week it was kind of a, a show that I think a lot of people thought was going to be similar to it. And in some ways it is in some ways it’s not. And I know that I, I mentioned it and it is called million little things, which is on ABC. So the tagline is it’s been said that the friendship isn’t one big thing. It’s a million little things. This is certainly true for a group of friends from Boston who bonded under unexpected circumstances. Some have achieved success, others are struggling in their careers and relationships, but all of them feel stuck. But all of them feel stuck in life after one of them dies unexpectedly. It’s just a wake up call to the others to finally start living along the way they discover that friends may be the one thing that can save them from themselves.

Speaker 5 (43:37):
So it’s, it’s interesting because it’s a group of guys that kind of you, you realize they, they they bonded in an elevator ride that the elevator got stuck and you know, it was just all four of them happened to be there, you know, in this office building at the same time. And as they talk, they realize they were all Boston Bruin fans and as you know, they said, Hey, well I have season tickets. You want to get, you know, you want to go to a game. And that was how the friendship started. They basically bonded over going to Boston brewing games. And you know, as the time went on one of the, the main guys in the group commit suicide. And that’s actually how the show kind of starts off. And it kind of backtracks and, and you F you know, you never really find out why he did it.

Speaker 5 (44:32):
It kind of goes forward a little bit, but then you find all these little things that, you know, he was kind of hiding this. And then you have this other friend who has this little dark secret. And this friend that has dark secrets and you know, so as the show goes, it kind of leads you down a road where you think, Oh, this is what this is. And then some little twist happens where it’s not what you expect it to be. So it’s one of those, you definitely do have to kind of watch it, you know, in succession. Because it has those little, you know, hints. There was a little bit more last year, a little bit more drama to, to it where it’s not as farfetched this season. And that’s where I think with you know, where the, there’s the parallels of, of this is us and million little things because they, they, you know, some stuff is in the past and, and whatnot.

Speaker 5 (45:31):
They never really do future stuff like this is us does. But whereas this is us is definitely more family oriented. You know, you have, you know, the one husband and wife that are now looking to adopt the one husband and wife that were going through a divorce, the, the single friend who’s, you know, dating all these other people. And then you have, you know, the one husband and wife where the husband, you know, passed away. So there’s, there’s different dynamics, you know, but a good drama if you’re, you know, if you’re into that kind of,

Speaker 4 (46:06):
Okay. Interesting. Co-pack thank you.

Speaker 4 (46:16):
So my pick this week is strangely enough, another document it is called the most unknown. It is a movie on Netflix. The most unknown is an Epic documentary film that sends nine scientists to extraordinary parts of the world to uncover unexpected answers to some of humanity’s biggest questions. How did life begin? What is time? What is consciousness? How much do we really know by introducing researchers from diverse backgrounds for the first time than dropping them into new immersive field work they previously hadn’t tackled the film, pushes the boundaries of how science storytelling is approached. What emerges is a deeply human trip to the foundations of discovery and a powerful reminder that the unanswered questions are the most crucial ones to pose. This is directed by Emmy nominated and Peabody award winning filmmaker and Chaney. And as advised by world round filmmaker and Mandalorian alum, Werner Herzog the most unknown as an ambitious look at a side of science, never before shown on screen.

Speaker 4 (47:42):
The film was made possible by a grant from science sandbox, a Simmons foundation initiative dedicated to engaging everyone in the process of science. What’s interesting about this movie is they take you follow a chain of, of scientists. So it starts out with this one particular scientist and they introduce this scientists to someone from a completely different field. So you may see a geologist working with an astrophysicist and the astrophysicist goes and lived in the geologist raw for a little while. And you see how a scientific brain works really. And, and it’s, it’s very interesting because the, the opposing scientist starts to draw parallels between the two branches of science that they’re working with and they can stick and sort of start to weave together how these seemingly disparate forms of science are interacting with each other. So then the scientist who was then playing host goes and becomes the visiting scientists somewhere else and it’s, you know, you fall this path of nine different scientists as it goes around and each gets dropped into a completely different realm.

Speaker 4 (49:07):
Like in, in one instance, I think it’s a Astro biologist or a us astronomer and she’s diving down, you know, in the Alvin submarine and seeing how alien the bottom of the ocean is and comparing it to what she normally works on. You have one scientist who’s a bacteria bacteriologist and he’s explaining how the various forms of life are categorized in this tree of life. And he circles the different groups that we study in. And, and when he gets done doing his illustration, the other scientist who happens to be a neuroscience scientist says, you just drew the brain. He’s like, no, I didn’t. And, and then they explain how, yeah, this is really like, people don’t realize how all these things are connected. So it’s a very interesting look. They don’t, they don’t do incredibly deep dives in the, any of the scientific principles.

Speaker 4 (50:15):
But what it is, is a very interesting approach to seeing how a scientist who never did did any work in this other field, how the scientific brain is still allows you to jump in there and adapt to that type of work. So it was very interesting to see how things are explained because it’s, you’re not, even though you may be completely uninitiated from this form of science that you’re, you’re visiting, they don’t explain it to the scientists Lake. There are, they’re the audience. Like they’re lame. They explain it to them in scientific terms and it’s like a whole different language. And, and seeing how quickly they pick up on, on the various science terminology sets and stuff, it’s very interesting to see how they interact and the level of respect that they have with each other. Was actually very interesting to watch as well. So the most unknown documentary film on Netflix and we’ll come back with, we’ll keep pounding these upcoming.

Speaker 5 (51:20):
Sure.

Speaker 5 (51:25):
So what do we have for upcoming events? So I figured we’d only touch on, you know, the ones that are coming up relatively soon. So next weekend is so low cost, low cost waiting for that. So that’s February 8th and ninth. And it’s the largest comic and toy show in bucks County and that is held at the fugue. And then monster mania 45 will be March 13th. Thoughts through mania through the 15 at the crown Royal. I’m sorry, not the crown. I just had like a zombie on my head. That was kind of crazy. That would be at the crown Plaza. Philadelphia cherry Hill. Again, March 13th through the 15th, and then the great Philadelphia comic con. Why is it great? Because they said so April 3rd through fifth at the greater Philadelphia expo center in Oaks.

Speaker 4 (52:27):
That was it. That’s it. We’re not going to go through the other 15.

Speaker 5 (52:29):
Nope. Nope, Nope, Nope. All right. We’ll keep going till going until the beginning of April. So obviously next week we’ll be going to Zowlow con. We usually go on Sundays to these sorts of things. There’s a possibility that someone that is in this room will be doing some cosplay, possibly possibility. Slight possibility. So obviously we’re going to be doing our podcast probably before we go. So we’ll have an update about Zillow con costume in February, obviously. So we’ll make sure to, you know, update the following week on that one.

Speaker 4 (53:10):
So we would love to hear from you. If you would like to email us, you can email comments and insights into things

Speaker 5 (53:18):
On Twitter at insights underscore things

Speaker 4 (53:21):
You could hit us on YouTube to see our videos on YouTube dot slash insights

Speaker 6 (53:26):
Into things on the web@wwwdotinsightsintothings.com. You can get your audio podcasts at podcast, start insights in entertainment.com or on facebook@facebook.com backslash insights into things podcast. That’s it. That is it. Another one of the books we’re out of here. Peace out.

Show Notes

Introduction

• Insights Into Entertainment: Episode 51 “Calling Out Disney”
• My talented and insightful co-host Michelle Whalen

Disney Detective

• Sebastian Stan Joins Oscar Isaac & John Boyega In Subtly Calling Out Disney
• https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/01/9330647/sebastian-stan-john-boyega-oscar-isaac-disney-criticism?fbclid=IwAR0eKMgatAF24s0SUzAoL1AU6xoxSBdhXpX5P9g0pts3JyAlKeWbz2nMNCQ
• https://r29.co/393H6jw 
  • Multinational entertainment company Disney is in its prime. After leading the television and film industry for almost a century, the company entered the streaming game last year with Disney+. In addition to taking over the digital space, the Disney universe is growing bigger and bigger with storylines like that of its Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars franchise captivating the globe. 
  • But not everyone is thrilled with the way that Disney is developing the storylines of its most beloved characters. Recently, Star Wars actors John Boyega and Oscar Isaac made headlines after voicing their disappointment with the way that their characters were treated in the last few films. Alongside Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver, Boyega and Isaac entered the intergalactic universe in the 2015 film The Force Awakens, the seventh installment in the iconic Skywalker saga.
  • On the set of the space opera, the cast truly bonded, forming a special on and offscreen dynamic similar to that of the Star Wars OGs (Harrison Ford, Mark Hamil, and the late Carrie Fisher). But with each new chapter of the story, it seemed like the characters and the actors that played them were getting more and more disconnected.
  • Boyega has been the loudest critic, speaking honestly about his feelings about the surprisingly lackluster trajectory of his character Finn in the trilogy. “The Force Awakens I think was the beginning of something quite solid,” Boyega told Hypebeast last year. “The Last Jedi, if I’m being honest, I’d say that was feeling a bit iffy for me.”
  • “In the original Star Wars films, there was much more of a trio feel…I don’t know how quickly we’re going to be able to establish that longterm dynamic with [Episode] Nine,” he continued. “I do feel even after three films still, we don’t know them as much as we got to know Han, Luke, Leia.”
  • His co-star Isaac expressed a similar discontentment, his complaints stemming from the studio’s hesitance to explore the obvious chemistry between his character Poe Dameron and Boyega’s Finn.
  • “I think there could’ve been a very interesting, forward-thinking — not even forward-thinking, just, like, current-thinking — love story there, something that hadn’t quite been explored yet; particularly the dynamic between these two men in war that could’ve fallen in love with each other,” Isaac explained to IGN.
  • “I would try to push it a bit in that direction, but the Disney overlords were not ready to do that,” he said.
  • LGBTQ+ representation is something that Disney has only recently leaned into. Though Thor character Valkyrie (Tess Thompson) was coded bisexual in the two films she’s appeared in, the first openly LGBTQ character might hit screens in the upcoming MCU film Thor: Love and Thunder. Sera, a transwoman who descends from a long line of powerful male angels, is rumored to make an appearance in the fourth Thor project.
  • The MCU also has its first critic speaking out about his role in the mega-franchise, one Sebastian Stan. The actor, who currently plays Captain America’s right-hand man and best friend Bucky Barnes/White Wolf, shook the MCU fandom with a shady screenshot from Twitter on his Instagram story.
  • “Together until the end of the line,” read the tweet. “Or together until bad, inconsistent, out-of-character writing turns Steve Rogers into his own anti-thesis.”
  • “Shouldn’t it be ‘together until the end of the lie’ now?” concluded the now-viral rebuke.
  • Fans immediately took Stan’s sharing of the tweet as a criticism of the confusing development of the relationship between Captain America and Bucky Barnes as Phase Three progressed, and they weren’t alone. Chief Disney-critic Boyega reacted to Stan’s Instagram post with a tweet of his own.
  • “Welcome Mr Stan !” Boyega tweeted gleefully. “Welcome.”
  • The Disney stars’ posts threw their respective fandoms into chaos, with many applauding the actors for being bold enough to speak up against the entertainment conglomerate. “soon all disney actors will revolt. and then john boyega, oscar isaac and sebastian stan will lead them into battle,” tweeted one fan.
  • “Sebastian Stan and John boyega are the heroes we all need,” shared another.”
  • While Boyega and Isaac are no longer involved in the Star Wars projects and are free to talk their shit, Stan is still under contract with Disney — he’s slated to resume his role as Bucky Barnes in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and he will likely appear in the MCU’s Phase Four lineup. The Russo Brothers and their parent company Disney have yet to respond publicly to his criticism, but they should be paying very close attention.
• Artist Sues Disney, Pixar Over Unicorn-Adorned Van in ‘Onward’
• https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/disney-sued-by-artist-unicorn-adorned-van-pixars-onward-1274131?fbclid=IwAR2QfIYbuoaV8GUbFEJick04uQh2iWXIGYvr7RzOFfieTx9jNcqerTAztss
• http://bit.ly/2uTXkx4 
  • An artist named Sweet Cecily Daniher on Monday sued Disney, Pixar and Onward producer Kori Rae for allegedly conspiring to secretly create an animated doppelganger of her one-of-a-kind van without permission.
  • She calls it the “Vanicorn,” and, according to her lawsuit, it’s the result of her lifelong love of the mythical beasts. 
  • “At the risk of belaboring the point, the Plaintiff has had a real thing for unicorns, for a very long time, and they have been a central theme and subject matter of her artistic work, throughout the entirety of her career,” states the complaint, which is posted in full below. 
  • Daniher has spent the better part of the past two decades taking pictures of common things that look like unicorns. In 2014, she published a book of her photographs called I See Unicorns. For the the past six years she’s owned a “tremendously cool, dark blue and/or purple 1972 Chevrolet G10 van, with red shag carpeting, red velour walls and seating, and a white shag carpet roof” and a unicorn mural on the side, which she regularly posts photos of on Instagram.
  • It has drawn “considerable press attention,” according to Daniher, who says a San Francisco Magazine piece sparked Pixar’s attention and the company reached out about renting her vehicle for a special event in September 2018. She says she was told “the Vanicorn would be used for an event limited to ‘a one day music festival/activity day for Pixar employees and families’ and that the Vanicorn ‘would just be a show piece and not used in any way other than a visual prop.'”
  • On May 31, 2019, Daniher discovered Pixar was producing Onward, a tale of two blue elves trying to reunite with their dead father who travel around in a vehicle that looks suspiciously like the Vanicorn. She posted the two vans on Instagram and wrote, “WOW! Sooo, do y’all think Pixar Disney stole the Vanicorn for their movie #onward ????”
  • On June 3, she posted the image again with this caption: “Well, SHIT! The producer of ‘Onward’ just called me. She wanted to know HOW I’M FEELING…(?!) and to apologize…. she also wanted to tell me that they rented my van without disclosing their full intentions, or plans, and she’s sorry for that too.”
  • In the complaint, Daniher says Rae apologized and admitted they intentionally didn’t inform her that they intended to use the Vanicorn as a character in Onward because, at the time, the film didn’t have a title and without a title they couldn’t have her sign a non-disclosure agreement.
  • Daniher’s lawyers, Jared Weinstock and J. Conor Corcoran, argue the contract for the van rental explicitly prohibits any photos, video or visual representations of the Vanicorn for any purpose other than that event.
  • “[T]hey have altered this Plaintiff’s highly personal and public transubstantiation of her lifelong artistic interest in unicorns into the Vanicorn (a uniquely San Franciscan work of public, mobile, automotive art, and a redemptive and validating act of recovery from toxic masculinity and a former marriage) and which has, instead, been pilfered by the Defendants as a commercial and corporate conduit for the aspirations of a pair of blue boy elves looking for their father in a mass marketed Disney film, and was accomplished by the Defendants under wickedly misleading pretenses,” states the complaint.
  • Daniher is suing for copyright infringement, violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, violation of the Visual Artists Rights Act and violation of the California Artists Protection Act. In addition to seeking damages, Daniher is asking the court for an injunction barring defendants from distributing, marketing or selling infringing advertisements, merchandise and the film itself and she wants a declaration that defendants’ related copyrights are invalid.
  • Disney has not yet responded to a request for comment on the complaint.

Star Wars News

• Star Wars: Cassian Andor Disney+ Series Release Date Reportedly Revealed
• https://comicbook.com/starwars/2020/01/26/star-wars-cassian-andor-disney-plus-series-release-date-reportedly-revealed/?fbclid=IwAR2TRXAss33lbJDMRZKY79KH8JOUdv0k0VVmkXKN1J-zhaChwHcaVcCiEIY
• http://bit.ly/2RSSfOB 
  • The first season of Star Wars: The Mandalorian ended last month, but there are still other Star Wars series to look forward to on Disney+. It was recently reported that Obi-Wan Kenobi show was put on hold for rewrites, but Ewan McGregor recently assured Entertainment Tonight that the show is still happening, they still plan to debut it as scheduled, and that it will only be better for the rewrites. Another show Star Wars fans have to look forward to is the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story prequel series that’s set to see the return of Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor and Alan Tudyk’s K-2SO. According to a recent report from Variety, the new series could premiere as early as next year.
  • “And multiple sources tell Variety that it would be safe to assume that the ‘Rogue One’ prequel series centered on Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor will premiere on the streamer in 2021,” Variety writes.
  • Recently, Luna admitted it was “hard” knowing his Star Wars role as the Rebel spy Captain in the spin-off would be short-lived, but the actor is excited to explore the background of his character, and he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty.
  • “I’m not allowed to talk about it, which is great because I haven’t started. I’m just happy, I’m happy to be part of that universe,” Luna told Variety. “Because I grew up watching those films and having the chance to explore the role in ten hours, or as many hours as we get, it’s gonna be great.”
  • “It was hard to start a film knowing you were gonna die so fast,” Luna added of the definitive ending for Andor at the close of Rogue One, “but now we can talk about what happened earlier.”
  • After Luna expressed disappointment Rogue One ended with Andor’s death — preventing his return in future stories set during the Original Trilogy — the star shared gratitude for the opportunity to revisit the character in his own prequel series.
  • “When I saw the film the first time, I was so disappointed at the end. And not because of the film,” he previously told SYFY. “My son said, ‘But that’s it, Dad. Right? That’s it,’ And I go, ‘Well, yes. That’s the thing about this film.’ Even though I knew, and I understood, I think that’s the moment where I really got it.”
  • “I really realized that a character I loved, and a universe I couldn’t care more about [was done]. But the tone of our film, it pays honor to, I believe, the best times of this universe,” Luna continued. “And obviously, I say the best because it’s when I was open and ready to receive that. Those [Star Wars] films left a very deep mark on me, as [the] audience, and as a filmmaker.”
  • The untitled Rogue One prequel series is expected to premiere in 2021.
• This long-lost Star Wars TV show clip looks more like Bladerunner
• https://www.techradar.com/news/this-long-lost-star-wars-tv-show-clip-looks-a-lot-like-cyberpunk-2077?fbclid=IwAR07NbGamBNMiE-bfR58xXpP-PqxH6ybEqnaxf2JxnQ_I99HHCd_EuUMrFM
• http://bit.ly/37R3QU1 
  • Test footage of the canceled Star Wars TV show Underworld has surfaced on YouTube. The show, which George Lucas apparently wanted to be 100 episodes long, was first discussed after the release of Revenge of the Sith in 2005, and was officially put on hold in 2010 due to budget restrictions. 
  • It shows Star Wars as you’ve never seen it before: a Blade Runner or Cyberpunk 2077-esque vision of Coruscant with bright lights, flying cars and an underground resistance movement forming against the Empire. With citizens going to desperate measures to stop the Empire, it might also remind you a little of Saw Gerrera’s fighters in Rogue One.
  • There’s roughly five minutes of test footage and five minutes showing how the short show was made. This was likely created as a proof-of-concept – the effects studio mentioned above, Stargate, has worked on everything from the Jennifer Lopez movie Hustlers to ABC show The Walking Dead.
  • Polygon points out that it’s actually been on the Vimeo page of effects studio’s Vimeo page for nine years – but this is the first time most people have seen it. Both the test footage and making of footage have been removed from Vimeo in the meantime, so it’s possible this won’t remain on the internet for long.
  • It’s rumored that 50-100 scripts were written for Star Wars: Underworld, and you can see why the TV landscape of the late 2000s wasn’t ready for a show like this. It looks very expensive, and this was from the era before ‘Peak TV’, where TV show budgets would escalate in an arms race between streaming services and traditional networks. 
  • It’s a very different proposition to something like The Mandalorian, which even with its quieter adventures on mostly empty planets, reportedly costs $15 million an episode. So the idea of anyone making 50 episodes of a show set in a cyberpunk world to this standard feels unlikely even now. 
  • After Disney bought Lucasfilm, talk of Underworld mostly went away. The acquisition coincided with the cancelation of third-person shooter Star Wars 1313, which would have explored a similar part of the universe. 
  • The show would have featured Emperor Palpatine in some capacity, according to a 2016 interview with God of War’s creative director Cory Barlog. The scripts for Star Wars: Underworld actually helped inspire that game, largely considered one of the greatest blockbusters of the past generation.
  • So, at least Underworld’s demise wasn’t entirely in vain.
• The Force Is Strong Inside This L.A. Mansion With Star Wars-Theme Basement
• https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-force-is-strong-inside-this-l-a-mansion-with-star-wars-themed-basement-11579719948?mod=e2tw&fbclid=IwAR3B178fBqvxMloQHft8EuqYgPy_fi7nuWugK_LSze4ceyXv3DVL5_1AQMg
• https://on.wsj.com/2GMp6y7 
  • Listed for $26.5 million, the property has a 5,000-square-foot basement with a massive collection of replica space vehicles and life-size figures from the epic science-fiction movies
  • The entertainment complex-cum-basement is configured as a museum, according to listing agents Arvin Haddad, Emil Hartoonian and Mauricio Umansky of The Agency. It contains literally hundreds of one-of-a-kind commissions by numerous artists and prop-makers, including replicas of various Star Wars space vehicles, more than 40 life-size figures and a number of cartoonish tableaus from the movies.
  • The basement is entered through the elevator on the right. On the left, a figure of a Tusken Raider is brandishing a weapon known as a gaffi stick, while on the right is a figure of a Jawa, a scavenger of the desert. The wall mural depicting Tatooine was painted by an artist who specializes in Star Wars imagery.
  • A circular display case in the center of the basement contains about 30 mostly custom helmets for clone and stormtroopers, while the vehicle to the left is a custom replica of a speeder bike from “Return of the Jedi.”
  • A replica of an X-Wing fighter; it is about a sixth of the size of the one in the movie. The figures to the left are bounty hunters from “Episode V” and, through the glass doors to the left, there is a depiction of Han Solo frozen in carbonite.
  • For the cantina scene, Greedo is depicted with a pistol in the far right corner; the other two figures are extras from the scene, a Bith musician from the cantina’s band on the left and Zutton, or “Snaggletooth,” on the right drinking a Corona beer. Custom copper piping and tubing make the space more industrial, while the glass geometric tiles on the front of the bar harken back to the style of the rest of the house.
  • To the rear of the theater, there is a tableau from “The Empire Strikes Back,” in which there is a second figure of a Han Solo frozen in carbonite. It also includes Chewbacca carrying an injured C-3PO and bounty hunter Boba Fett pointing a gun. The theater was designed in a blue and orange hue reminiscent of the scene, and the center light changes color at the touch of a button.
  • The vast majority of the pieces depict characters or objects from Episodes I through VI, prior to Disney’s Star Wars takeover, and many pieces are custom-built replicas, rather than props used in the films.
  • It is likely one of the more impressive private collections in the world, said Marc Airey, a U.K.-based vintage toy expert and Star Wars podcaster who viewed photos of the property. “I’m gobsmacked by it.”
  • The entrance to the basement, which can be accessed by elevator, was designed to make guests feel like they emerging from a cave and onto the desert planet Tatooine, depicted in the series. A mural depicts the desert, while life-size figures represent its inhabitants.
  • The area around the bar is designed as a tableau from the well-known cantina scene from “Episode IV.” Life-size figures represent characters in the scene in which Harrison Ford’s Han Solo is confronted by bounty hunter Greedo, sent by Jabba the Hutt. The bar’s shady alien denizens from the movie are on hand.
  • The ceiling of the movie theater resembles the view from the cockpit of a TIE Fighter, a starship. Decorative tiles on the wall were made using 14 custom molds, and are an accurate representation of the surface of the Death Star, according to the agents.
  • A replica of an X-Wing fighter, a starfighter used by the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire, hangs over the lounge area of the basement. In the cockpit sit figures of Luke Skywalker and R2-D2.
  • The basement’s designer was required to watch the movie series in preparation for the project, while a professional prop team assembled each mannequin on a gurney, setting them on custom, museum-quality bases. Glass display cases were built to house the owner’s massive collection of Star Wars action figures, which number in the hundreds.
  • The owner preferred replicas to props from the films, which often don’t have the same display level of finish, the agents said. While replicas don’t typically trade for as much as props, a one-of-a-kind commission can also command a big price, Mr. Airey said. He estimated a piece like the X-Wing would sell in the tens of thousands if auctioned. Full collections of Star Wars action figures also trade for tens of thousands of dollars.
  • Much of the collection could be sold with the house for an additional and undisclosed sum, though the owner, a semiretired investor, will hang on to a few sentimental items, according to the listing agents.
  • A snowtrooper stands guard at the bottom of a set of stairs leading to the home’s family room. As guests walk up the stairs, each step lights up one-by-one. To the right of the stairs is the “bad guy corner,” featuring a custom-made red imperial shock trooper from “Episode III.” In the display cases next to him are busts of Darth Vader and other collectibles of characters like Jabba the Hutt. There is also a custom Star Wars arcade game.
  • A lobby area off the lounge features a variety of figures. Clockwise, they include a mini Jawa with a Gonk Droid; comic book character Darth Talon; A light-saber toting Darth Maul, the villain from “Episode I;” a miniature Darth Vader and a battle droid. In the center of the lobby, clone trooper helmets are displayed in cases.
  • A room of wall-to-wall collectable Star Wars action figures, comprising several full collections. Standing guard are Darth Vader, two stormtroopers and, in crimson, a member of the Emperor’s Royal Guard.
  • R2-D2 and his sidekick C-3PO stand side by side at the entrance to the basement’s movie theater. The unusual wall panels behind them were designed to replicate similar ones in a hallway from the opening sequence of “Episode IV.” To the right, there is a concession area featuring the owner’s collection of giant Star Wars PEZ dispensers.
  • The basement was designed to blend in with the rest of the 18,200-square-foot contemporary Craftsman-style home, which was completed around 2013, the agents said. The house also includes a music studio, a gym, a tennis court, a safe room, a 750-gallon aquarium and an indoor-and-outdoor pool and spa area with a grotto, waterslide and waterfall. There is also an observatory on the 3-acre grounds, which houses a 14-inch reflector telescope that rivals Griffith Observatory in resolving power, the agents said.
• Entertainment News
• The Crown to End With Season 5, as Netflix Confirms Final Queen Elizabeth
• https://tvline.com/2020/01/31/the-crown-season-5-imelda-staunton-queen-cancelled/?fbclid=IwAR2n9WHwnVGH_cG9ottc3wQLucZy_US0LQr_53HcN9UdKuKZVHgEmzUVDIs
• http://bit.ly/2Sfcjtg 
  • The Crown will come to an end with Season 5, with Harry Potter actress Imelda Staunton officially taking over as Queen Elizabeth in the final season, Netflix announced early Friday. Staunton succeeds Claire Foy (Seasons 1 and 2) and Olivia Colman (Seasons 3 and upcoming Season 4).
  • Series creator Peter Morgan initially intended The Crown to run for six seasons. However, he recently had a change of heart, explaining in a statement, “Now that we have begun work on the stories for Season 5 it has become clear to me that this is the perfect time and place to stop.”
  • Staunton, meanwhile, said in her own statement, “As an actor it was a joy to see how both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman brought something special and unique to Peter Morgan’s scripts. I am genuinely honoured to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking The Crown to its conclusion.”
  • A veteran of stage and screen, Staunton played Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for 2004’s Vera Drake. She recently played Lady Maud Bagshaw in the Downton Abbey movie, released in September. (She’s married to Downton star Jim Carter in real life.)
  • The Crown Season 3 premiered in September. Season 4, which will welcome Gillian Anderson as UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and newcomer Emma Corrin as a young Diana Spencer, is slated to bow later this year, with Season 5 likely arriving in 2021.

Insightful Picks of the Week

• Michelle
  • Million Little Things on ABC
  • It has been said that friendship isn’t one big thing, it’s a million little things. That is certainly true for a group of friends from Boston who bonded under unexpected circumstances. Some have achieved success, others are struggling in their careers and relationships, but all of them feel stuck in life. After one of them dies unexpectedly, it’s just the wake-up call the others need to finally start living. Along the way, they discover that friends may be the one thing that can save them from themselves.
• Joe
•     The Most Unknown On Netflix 
•     The Most Unknown is an epic documentary film that sends nine scientists to extraordinary parts of the world to uncover unexpected answers to some of humanity’s biggest questions. How did life begin? What is time? What is consciousness? How much do we really know?
• By introducing researchers from diverse backgrounds for the first time, then dropping them into new, immersive field work they previously hadn’t tackled, the film pushes the boundaries of how science storytelling is approached. What emerges is a deeply human trip to the foundations of discovery and a powerful reminder that the unanswered questions are the most crucial ones to pose.
• Directed by Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Ian Cheney (The Search for
• General Tso, The  City Dark) and advised by world-renowned filmmaker  Werner Herzog (Fitzcarraldo,
• Aguirre, The Wrath of God, Grizzly Man), The Most Unknown is an ambitious look at a side  of science never before shown on screen. The film was made possible by a grant from Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation initiative dedicated to engaging everyone with the process of science.

Upcoming Events

• Zolocon
  • Feb 8 – 9, 2020, Zolocon Comic and toy Expo. 
  • The Largest Comic and Toy Show in Bucks County, Pa.
• Monster-Mania Con 45
• http://monstermania.net/
  • Mar 13 at 5 PM – Mar 15 at 5 PM
  • Crowne Plaza Philadelphia-Cherry Hill
  • 2349 W. Marlton Pike, Cherry Hill, New Jersey 08002
• THE GREAT PHILADELPHIA COMIC CON
• https://www.philadelphiacomiccon.com/
  • April 3-5
  • Show Location:
  • The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center
  • 100 Station Avenue, Oaks, PA 19460
• Darksome Art & Craft Market: Out of the Crypt
  • Sun April 19 – 12pm-5pm
  • Bok – 1901 S 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148
• POP-mania con 1! 
  • JUNE 5 -7, 2020 CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL
  • 2349 W, NJ-70, CHERRY HILL, NEW JERSEY 08002
• Keystone Comic Con
• https://www.keystonecomiccon.com/
  • AUGUST 28-30, 2020
  • PENNSYLVANIA CONVENTION CENTER
• RetroCon 2020
  • Sept 26 & 27
  • The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center
  • 100 Station Avenue, Oaks, PA 19460

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