Stephen Powell

[Star Wars Holocron @sw_holocron]

ANDOR writer Dan Gilroy has released a statement critiquing the Trump administration and commenting on the parallels between the show and Disney’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel.

“As one of the writers on the Disney+ drama Andor, we spent six years thinking about a fascist takeover of a galaxy far, far away. Six years thinking about ordinary beings as an authoritarian regime comes in for the kill. Many people saw parallels between Andor and the real world. I see them as well, particularly in the events of the last week.

Donald Trump’s tools of governance, coercion and intimidation, have found focus on Hollywood. Faced with a social media firestorm, fear, and an FCC head threatening “they can do this the easy way or hard way,” Disney suspended Jimmy Kimmel for speaking his mind. I deeply disagree but acknowledge it was a difficult decision. If you believe otherwise, wait until fate knocks on your door and demands you choose between conscience and hardship — because if you work in this industry that day is coming.

The suspension bought time, but not much. Disney now stands at a crossroads: terminate Kimmel’s contract and become pavement for the road to a brave new Trumpian world; or stand for the First Amendment and take the onslaught. There’s not much at stake, just free speech, the oxygen that sustains life in this town.

Trump’s aim is to control what we make and say. The concept seems far off and abstract. Neither is true. Is it hard to conjure a new oversight office or cabinet seat? Is it difficult to picture Trump toadies deplaning at LAX with binders of banned topics and mandated alternatives? You’ll meet them when you have to pitch for approval or get grilled about subversive co-workers.
Regardless of how the jack-booted attack on Jimmy Kimmel is resolved, this isn’t a skirmish. It’s a siege. The first thing Putin did after taking power was silence shows that criticized him. Artists are censored first because they fear us most. The fact this isn’t new doesn’t diminish the shock of the last few days. The majority in Hollywood believed their job was entertainment — the bolder souls attempted to inject theme and commentary — but for everyone this has suddenly become Westworld real.

Whether you’re reading this on line at Blue Bottle or killing time before your 3 o’clock Zoom or staring at a glowing screen unable to sleep, we have all become characters in a story where our actions carry actual weight and consequence. Our industry faces the most sophisticated, venomous, creeping evil in America’s history. There’s no standing above this conflict. No impartial observers. If you’re on the sidelines you’ve made a choice and must live with it.

Their goal is to instill fear, to make you feel helpless, hopeless, to break you down. Don’t let them. Educate yourself. Organize. Speak truth to authority. Because the story’s not written — the pen is in your hand.”

[Rolling Stone @RollingStone]

Commentary: Can the Best of Star Wars Survive the Worst of Its Fans?

Before Star Wars can have another successful show, some vocal parts of fandom have to reckon with what they really want out of the franchise.

More: https://t.co/fNN7a2uyJI

[Jonny McFarlane @jonnyrmcfarlane]

I can’t believe I’m writing this but bravo Piers Morgan. Absolutely nails this nonsense.

[Culture Crave 🍿 @CultureCrave]

Carl Weathers has passed away at age 76

[teen of pineapple🍍 @BRATTYBARBl]

Except the only one we ACTUALLY want

[Historic Vids @historyinmemes]

The crew of 'Return of the Jedi' mocked the character design of Admiral Ackbar, deeming it too ugly. Director Richard Marquand refused to alter it, saying, "I think it's good to tell kids that good people aren't necessarily good looking people and that bad people aren't necessarily ugly people."

Admiral Akbar was originally planned to be more conventionally humanoid, but after Star Wars creator George Lucas decided to make him an alien, he allowed Return of the Jedi director Richard Marquand to pick from various designs. Marquand picked a sketch by concept artist Nilo Rodis-Jamero, over the objections of other members of the film crew who thought the character looked too silly or ugly. Ackbar made his first appearance not in the film, but in a Star Wars newspaper comic strip that ran a few months before Return of the Jedi was released. Lucas was not entirely pleased with the final result of the character in the film and felt it was a compromise. Akbar's first name, Gial, was not established until April 2012.

Ackbar had just 14 lines of dialogue in Return of the Jedi, and his total screen time across all three film appearances totaled only three minutes and 30 seconds. Nevertheless, he is considered a fan favorite among Star Wars characters, and was ranked No. 16 in a 1998 list of the "Top 20 Star Wars Characters" in the magazine Star Wars Insider. His line "It's a trap!" from Return of the Jedi became one of the most famous, quoted, and beloved lines from the original Star Wars trilogy, as well as a popular Internet meme. Many fans expressed disappointment and frustration with Akbar's sudden death in The Last Jedi, calling it abrupt and unceremonious, a sentiment echoed by Ackbar actors Rose and Kane, as well as the film's editor Bob Ducsay. They believed that a distinguished war hero, comparable to Winston Churchill in his role in defeating the Empire, should have gotten a more ceremonious death.

[Thrones Updates @ThronesUpdates]

Trailer for all 8 seasons of Game of Thrones

[Sophie Thompson @sophxthompson]

Imagine they send you to a war zone then make you announce this… I’d quit

[westerosies @westerosies]

This scene should have secured Paddy Considine's Emmy nomination

[Jeremy Clarkson @JeremyClarkson]

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.
There’s been a massive cock up and as a result, there’s a very slim chance, some of our Hawkstone CIDER bottles might, there’s no easy way of saying this, explode. If the cap has the code L3160, open it underwater, pour it away and get in touch for a refund. [email protected]
Really sorry about this but on the upside, the beer is fine and still delicious. As is the cider, in bottles that are unaffected. Which is almost all of them.

[Jordan North @jordannorth1]

Hello America 👋

It’s called a ‘Picky Tea’

And this is a pretty poor one 3/10

[Star Wars Stuff @starwarstufff]

The trailer for STAR WARS: OUTLAWS has been released!

The first ever open-world Star Wars game.

[House of the Dragon @HouseofDragon]

“Then the storm broke, and the dragons danced.” #HOTDFinale

[Tom Fahey @EaterWriter]

Just because TripAdvisor exists doesn’t make it ok to post flippant, unthinking nonsense about actual, real businesses run by actual, real people. Hospitality does not have to roll over & accept inaccurate public criticism that could have been simply & easily resolved in private.

[Chris Kamara @chris_kammy]

“What’s happening Kammy” 😳🤷🏽‍♂️ i dunno Jeff 😂🤣

[Ramin Djawadi @Djawadi_Ramin]

Bring yourself back online.
#Westworld @WestworldHBO

[Game of Thrones @GameOfThrones]

History does not remember blood. It remembers names.
August 21. #HouseoftheDragon

[BBC Politics @BBCPolitics]

“I am virtually out of tools to help people now,” says the Money Saving Expert

Martin Lewis says the UK is facing the worst cost of living crisis he has ever seen

#Raworth https://t.co/PYeTp7O30G

[The Lord of the Rings @TheRingsofPower]

A new age begins September 2, 2022. Journey to Middle-earth with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. #LOTRonPrime #LOTR #LOTRROP

[Dara Ó Briain @daraobriain]

Oh mate, you should have watched the briefings they had on the telly every day; plus, bonus! there was a guy, the spitting image of you, doing them! You should have seen him! Same stupid hair and everything. Classic.