Appreciating May the Fourth Be With You

In May 1977, the original Star Wars film (now known as Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope) premiered at movie theaters.  Practically no one expected the tremendous  success of Star Wars, as it grossed $775 million at the box office.   But the George Lucas film became a sustained cultural phenomenon.

When Tory politician Margaret Thatcher first became British Prime Minister, the London Evening Standard published a punny congratulatory ad from the Conservative party which played off of Star Wars rebel imagery vis-a-vis Labour's deathgrip on UK politics after 1978-79 Winter of Discontent.

While the politics of the pun's origination may have faded, the slogan became a geek touchstone.  It was a catch phrase on Facebook for "Luke Skywalker Day" in 2008.  The first organized grassroots holiday was in Toronto, Canada in 2011.  Since Disney took over Lucasfilms in 2013, it has become a celebrated ersatz holiday.

It might make you want to sing.





Like lounge singer Nick Winters on Saturday Night Live so many moons ago?


Almost.

But it might inspire the Boogie Storm to make some mad jumps. 

Mark Hamill Leads the Liberal Light Saber Brigade Against Trump

After several days of a media feeding frenzy prompted by the publication of a gossipy book about internal back biting in the early days of the Trump Administration, President Trump sought to settle some scores about "Fire and Fury" through his communication channel of choice-- Twitter.

This catty post from the White House served as catnip to his critiques to pounce upon.  Mark Hamill, the actor most famous for portraying Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars films, also took to Twitter to lead the light saber brigade against the supposed Dark Side's Supreme Leader.

Liberal cohorts took Hamill's tweet as a signal to charge against Trump, focusing like a laser beam against the perceived purile peevish dimwittedness. 

Hamill has a history of animus against Donald Trump.  When the then President-Elect posted a New Years greeting on social media, Hamill mocked it by voicing it as "The Joker" (a role which he has played  in Batman animated shows since 1992).




Sometimes it is hard to take play actors seriously because we associate them with their on-screen roles.  After the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), this is especially true considering the sour demeanor of Luke Skywalker.  One can perceive that Hamill channeled his recent rancor against President Trump through the filter of Grumpy Cat.

George Lucas on Science and Star Wars

May the Fourth Be With You!

Capitalism Versus Communism in the Cosmos

Maz Kanata on Life

Sign of the Times?: Rogue Won (sic)

In the run up to the premiere first cinematic Star Wars spin-off, famed street artist Sabo graced LA-LA land with a roguish parody which matched up Rogue One with Election 2016. 

These faux movie posted popped up all around Hollywood Boulevard.  Sabo's signs had a heroic Trump along with Steve Bannon, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Julian Assange, Milo, Yiannopoulos and Gavin McInness. 

But Sabo was not the first one to make this connection. 

It seems the anti-hero depends up who is telling the story.  

Perhaps Disney will update Star Wars episode Five with "The Media Empire Strikes Back". But that may not be a part of the Culture Wars tales. 

H/T: Hollywood Reporter 

Cruz-ing to Spoil Star Wars?

When Republican Presidential hopeful Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) closed a press availability, he came close to spoiling a salient detail from Star Wars episode 7  The Force Awakens. 

On the Imperial Advantage

Carrie Fisher on Success

George Lucas on Talent

Channeling The Force on the Hawkeye Hustings

Presidential candidates spend lots of time doing retail politics in New Hampshire and Iowa to convince first contest voters to support them.  Often they repeat the same refrains time after time, which gets to be old hat to journalists on the campaign beat but sounds fresh to new audiences. 

So it's refreshing when a candidate breaks from well worn scripts to show some humanity.  Senator Ted Cruz let loose with a couple of classic Star Wars impressions during a public availability in Iowa. 

The coven on ABC's "The View" was not impressed with Cruz's impressions of Yoda and Darth Vader as they called the exercise embarrassing.  Of course the self proclaimed comediennes who are regulars on The View lean so far left that they would never have a kind word for a Republican. But few GOP primary voters would be bewitched enough to watch the televised progressive feminist gab-fest.

This is not the first time in which Cruz has publicly demonstrated his audiographic memory on cinematic notable quotables. In  November, Cruz did an off-the-cuff rendition of the Miracle Max scene from "The Princess Bride" (1987).   Will the next media moment be from Monty Python's "And Now for Something Completely Different" (1972)  or from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1975).

Reveling in the Revenge of the Fifth

The success of the Star Wars Day has been phenomenal since its inception in 2011. In fact several minor league baseball teams wear special Star Wars inspired uniforms to mark the ersatz holiday. One never knows where people can see Storm Troopers strutting about.




 Some people want to extend it from "May the Fourth Be With You" to "Revenge of the Fifth". Of course, this conflicts with Cinco de Mayo.  And this year Star Wars Day was the day before the "Run for the Roses" at Churchill Downs, which usually is associated with many mint juleps.

Thus it might be prudent to revel in Revenge of the Fifth by succumbing to the Dark Side.

Guinness Extra Stout is only 3.4% ABV and 210 calories a pint.  But if you quaff it in a 12 oz. portion, Guinness has fewer calories than orange juice. And it's quite popular all around the Empire (as well as the former British Empire). 

Benito Juarez on Governing

 Benito Juarez was the President of Mexico who resisted the French Occupation of Mexico, overthrew the Second Mexican Empire and restored the Constitutional Republic.

 The reason people celebrate Cinco de Mayo is the unlikely victory of Mexican troops over French forces in the battle of Puebla.  Many people north of the border confuse Cinco de Mayo with Mexican Independence Day, which is actually commemorated on September 16th.

 For many Americans Cinco de Mayo is an excuse to party.  Nationally, it is now the third biggest bar night of the year. But considering the way we celebrate and the general ignorance about El Día de la Batalla de Puebla, maybe it's better to consider it the Revenge of the Fifth.

 

A Storm Trooper's Quandary of Conscience

But this need not be "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...."

Some secular "storm troopers" are suffering from a similar crise de confiance with the realization that fulfilling the sweet dreams of Obamacare will actually cost them so now they are against it. 

h/t: Michael Ramirez

The Power of the Dark Side

Better Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon (1973) rather than other versions of the dark side.

Comparative Conventions Star Wars Conceit

Clearly, a jestful geek from the left side of the universe constructed this clever Star Wars conceit.

But I am inclined to invoke the insight of Dr. Shelton Cooper, PhD from The Big Bang Theory: "I prefer to let George Lucas disappoint me in the order he intended." Remember that Episodes IV to VI came before I to III.




Bazinga!

Besides, this sort sort of ad hominem attack capitalizes on fear.  And you know what Master Yoda said about that: 

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

Unboxing Popular Culture

Nerds can be willing to spend enormous amounts on kitschy tchotchke which seems to relive their fantasy obsessions from childhood. Think of the gaggle of geeks from the television sit-com “Big Bang Theory” where Shelton wanted to get his vintage Apple II signed by the great Woz. Or the prized mint-in-box Wesley Crusher Star Trek action figure from Will Wheaton. Or Shelton being tempted to play with the mint-in-box Star Trek Transformer Device by a hallucinated voice of Leonard Nimoy.  The value to collectors revolves around signatures and being pristine. Ironically, the obsession to be mint-in-box usually negates the pleasure of enjoying the item.

This phenomenon is not just a Hollywood exaggeration. Fan boys are fulminating over the auction of a rare Star Wars promotional poster.  The 1978 poster seems kind of silly, with the ‘Droids bedecked with philharmonic instruments to promote the Star Wars Symphonic Suite.  Even though the item is considered somewhat uncool because of the symphonic campiness, it is a rare piece of memorabilia AND it is signed by Star Wars creator George Lucas.  Therefore this geek grotesquerie will probably sell at auction for between $5,000 and $8,000.

Rather than ridicule the Star Wars Symphonic Suite as an unopened package for being cute yet conventional marketing, I suggest enjoying the symphonic suite composed by John Williams.  It is a contemporary classical piece that resonates in the popular culture.







It is certainly has more class than "Nick Winters, the Lounge Lizard" (a.k.a. Billy Murray) and his Lounge Medley from Saturday Night Live.

Star Wars Father's Day

It's a stroke of luck that their patromony does not derive from former Vice President Dick Cheney, otherwise self congratulatory purveyors of compassion and tolerance would be in a real bind.

May the 4th Be With You

Celebrating the 35th anniversary of the original Star Wars.   The film, "Star Wars Episode IV- a New Hope" was the start of a cosmic cinematic serial about the forces of good triumphing over the dark side.


It almost makes you want to sing...




 


 almost.