Celebration Europe - Episode IV

Celebration Europe 2 blog report- 28th July 2013
 

Well here we are, the final day of an absolutely awesome weekend. I have to say the atmosphere has been incredible. Thousands of people from around the world gathered in one place to share their passion for Star Wars






Once again there were shows on, chats with stars of the films, and events for people to get involved in. Along with artists selling prints and hand drawn items there was a row of tattoo artists plying their trade and allowing people to show their love of Star Wars in a rather permanent way

Today was more packed than usual as everyone took advantage of the last day of the con. There were families with children, and even an expectant mother dressed as Padme Amidala from Episode II. Sadly she informed me she wasn't having twins.



In the Grugahalle Warwick Davies was entertaining the Fett-tastic Four. Daniel Logan, Jeremy Bulloch (who turned up dressed in his 501st Boba Fett costume),Dickey Beer and John Morten talkied about what it was like to play the baddest Bounty Hunter in the galaxy



Whilst all this was going on there were other activities going on including being shown how to build your own droid, hosted by the R2D2 Builders Club and a trivia competition where the public were able to compete for the right to be called Worlds Most Knowledgeable Fan.





Throughout the weekend there had been various activities, far too many to go to all at once. Everything from collectors seminars to costuming to Star Wars around the world, there was something for everyone.





So then we came to the last show of the day, and they'd saved the best for last. Everyone met inside the Grugahalle to see Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker himself, take the stage. Mark talked about his role in Star Wars, looking forward to what the future will bring, and regaled the audience with anecdotes including the fact he recorded a voiceover for an unaired episode of the Clone Wars and also revealed he thought that Luke was only going to hit the Wampa a glancing blow in ESB but only found out in Post Production that they had decided to cut its whole arm off. Poor Wampa!



And then that was it. We had the closing ceremony where we all got to look back at an amazing Celebration Europe and where it was announced that that Celebration VII would be coming to Anaheim, California!!

That's right folks, put the date in your diary. 16th to 19th April 2015, with tickets going on sale 8th August this year





And that was it. I said goodbye to a lot of people who I met and headed back to my hotel room tired but happy. This was my first Celebration and I expected it to be my last but after experiencing such an indescribable atmosphere I'll definitely be going to Anaheim in 2015. I hope I'll see you there

May the Force be with you all
Wow! What an ending. I'm sad that it's over. I think I could happily live vicariously through Caelien forever. These last few days have been fun for me, getting updates and pictures while everything is going on. It was almost as if I were there instead of at work photocopying (a girl can dream...) Maybe if I dream big and manage to save some money I can meet up with him a Celebration VII in a few years. If not, hopefully he will grace this blog once again for another great, first hand look at the World Of Star Wars cons.

Thank you so much Caelien! You rock my R2-D2 socks off!

Celebration Europe - Episode III

Celebration Europe 2 blog report- 27th July 2013

First off, I need to get something out of my system
"ohmygodohmygodohmygod!!!!!"

*Ahem* apologies for that geek-out. All will become apparent soon

So Day two kicked off pretty much the same as day one, with hordes of fans descending on the Messe- Essen centre. Today, however, promised two exclusives

First up, in the main Celebration stage, we had Kathleen Kennedy attending her first Celebration Europe. As you may already know Kathleen has taken over the reins of President of Lucasfilms from George Lucas. Not only is she a celebrated and respected producer for a wide variety of films such as Jurassic Park, Inner Space and the Back To The Future films but she is also going to be producing the new Star Wars films. 

What a great woman to pass the franchise to

  Sadly all talk of episode VII have been mooted by the powers that be. However Kathleen announced that there will be more focus on the story rather than special effects, and there would be a lot more model work than what was seen in the prequels. Also announced, as an exclusive at CEII, was that the legendary John Williams would be scoring the next three films. This was treated to a thunderous round of applause and rightly so. The Star Wars films are synonymous with John Williams classic score and anyone else doing it wouldn't be the same

YAY!!!!

Next up was Dave Filoni, former supervising director of The Clone Wars (RIP). Dave was there to discuss the new upcoming Star Wars Rebels cartoon. Amongst what was able to be revealed was the fact that the TV show would be set after Revenge Of The Sith (although Filoni refused to reveal just how long after) and would be drawn in a style very similar to the late, great Ralph McQuarrie. Also revealed were a new vehicle- a freighter called simply "Ghost" and the new logo for the show

  After a quick break and a quick change (allowing me to finally wear my Jedi robes after a tonne of hassle) I hit the stands and took in the sights. The amount of costumes and the quality on the floors were astounding. From the 501st to everyday fans a wealth of talent was on show. 

As I wandered over to the artists booth I decided to treat myself to one of the prints. After browsing some of the (quite incredible) pieces I settled on Shae Standefer's 'The Dancers Pit'. I also managed to have a good old chat with Shae (see? First name terms and everything) who revealed the leggings she was wearing was designed by her fellow artist Tsuneo Sanda. a meta moment indeed

Add caption

Finally the last show was on, and the reason for my little fanboy freakout before. The one and only Carrie Fisher- Princess Leia herself- graced the stage with her pet dog Gary. Much to the amusement of the crowd Gary proceeded to attack two baby Ewok teddies that had been left on stage. Which kind of left host Warwick Davies quite perplexed. During her interview (which started with a random fan shouting out "We love you Carrie" and Carrie replying "I know" without even batting an eyelid) Carrie discussed her long career and reminisced about her time filming Return of the Jedi with Warwick, revealing how she mothered the 11-at-the-time actor. 

I know

Also revealed was a never-before-seen short film made by one of ROTJ's second directors featuring young Warwick as an Ewok asking Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher for directions to where he had to go, and then promptly being sent off to Jabbas Palace.

  After a Q&A session, where Carrie agreed to hold a persons hand whilst he got a picture of her tattooed on his arm, Warwick and Carrie recreated the scene from ROTJ where Wicket first meets Leia. Cue lots of rolling on the floor, jumping behind couches and Carrie being poked with a broom handle

After that the show ended. Everyone headed off for a Star wars style pub crawl. Last day tomorrow, should finish on a blinder 

Oh Man! What a Day! Way To Go Caelien for dressing up as a kick-ass Jedi!
If you're reading this and have no idea what's going on, check out Episode I and Episode II, to catch up on these Fantastic adventures!

Celebration Europe - Episode II

Celebration Europe 2 blog report- 26th July 2013

So Celebration Europe II kicked off properly today. Masses of people gathered at the Messe Essen center to share their love of Star Wars. There were plenty of people in costume and it wasn't long before I saw my first variant - a Viking Trooper, complete with Axe (ok, it was the body deodorant, but you get the idea).

Axe... snicker...

Five minutes after that I stumbled across my first "Sexy" costume - Booba Fett. 

That takes some super confidence! You go Booba Fett!

The main hall was jam packed with stalls, mainly selling memorabilia, along with a few awesome dioramas. 

Near the entrance was a mock up of part of the Millennium Falcon interior complete with holochess table and an R2D2 to keep travelers company. Nearby was the bunker from Endor complete with Speeder bike which people were allowed to sit on, and further down was a huge AT-AT.

Walking round you could see a lot of people dressed up, as you'd expect from a convention. From costuming groups like the 501st to fans emulating their heroes, young and old everyone was having fun

Across the road in a building called the Gruggehalle (why does everything sound aggressive in German?) a stage was set up for a series of shows hosted by Warwick Davies. Essentially a Q&A with various guests young Warwick made a great host, chatting to Anthony Daniels and Ian McDiarmid and acting out some of the scenes. I don't think anything will top the image of Chancellor Palpatine pelting Warwick with toy baby Ewoks
As well as the obligatory stand, there was opportunities to meet various stars from the SW universe. This year we were graced with the presence of both Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher Queues formed up as people waited to get autographs or to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars. I was lucky enough to get autographs from Temuera Morrison (Jango Fett), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Ashley Eckstein (ahsoka Tano) and Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett) who told me he still remembers Braeby, which was awesome!

Jango Fett AND Blue Jays Pride! I love it!

 I totally want her dress!

The one and only!

Of course it wasn't all just merchandise and celebs. there were all sorts of seminars being held, including a discussion about Star Wars comics, hosted by Pablo Hidalgo, who revealed a sneak peek at the forthcoming The Star Wars comics based on George Lucas' original screenplay. also showing were various films including the Darth Maul arc from the Clone Wars TV series, and an outdoor viewing of Return Of The Jedi

The latter I missed, sadly, as I was waiting to meet Dave Filoni, the supervising director of the Clone Wars. His flight had unfortunately been delayed but he spent ages chatting to all the VIP pass holders as well as signing copies of an exclusive print featuring everyone's favourite Togrutan padawan. Not only signing but also drawing whoever people wanted as well. I'm surprised his arm didn't fall off!

Well day one's over with, day two promises Q&A's with Carrie fisher, Mark Hamill and Kathleen Kennedy, as well as the usual stuff

What an awesome day! And what an amazing line-up of people to meet! I can't wait to hear and see more!

Also, I don't know if Jeremy Bulloch was just being nice or not, but if he actually remembered me, that's sooooo coool!!! Here's my picture with the one and only Boba Fett at Toronto ComicCon a few years back. I totally fan-girled on him. Lol!

Celebration Europe - Episode I - A Guest Post

Hi there, followers of Talk Star Wars To Me

OK, just a little introduction. My name's Caelien and I'm an admin on the Star Wars Facebook'd group on, well, Facebook. I have been fortunate enough to be able to attend Celebration Europe, and as a favour to Braeby have agreed to write a guest blog for her

I'll be posting notes from as many seminars as I can, and also some pictures from the event. Including some of the guest stars attending.

Stay tuned to the Talk Star Wars To Me blog and I'll speak to you all soon, all the way from Essen in Germany

Celebration Europe 2 blog report- 25th July 2013

Stardate 2015250713. Crap, wrong franchise. Start again

So it's the (kinda) prequel to the actual convention. It started off with me picking up my pass (VIP, don't cha know) and waiting till 1800 for the store area to open. Being VIP meant we could get in a good hour before anyone else. And a lot of people took advantage of that! There was a lot of European themed stuff (Football scarves, German beer steins. That sort of thing) as well as the usual t shirts and hoodies.

Also on hand was the lovely Ashley Eckstein (who, I should point out, is also very dinky. I could have easily popped her in my top pocket) with some items from her Her Universe collection. Which, I have to say, looked mighty impressive.

I also got a chance to see some of the displays getting prepared for the main opening. Anyone who's seen other Celebrations will recognize a lot of stuff. My next installment will hopefully be more pic heavy

So far looking good

I'm sooo excited to have Caelien guest posting for us all the way from Germany! The two of us have been facebook buddies for a few years now, thanks to SW:facebook'd (which you should totally check out, if you haven't already.) When he told me that he was going to Celebration Europe and wanted to guest blog about it, I was elated! How awesome is that? Now we can all live vicariously through him! And he's already met Ashley!!! Girlish squee of delight!!!!

Tune in for for more, as the convention continues.

Her Universe Is Out For Your Brains

Oh, The Walking Dead. You freak me out and give me nightmares, but I love you anyway. 

Since I don't have cable and Netflix hasn't added any new seasons for awhile, I'm super behind on what's happening. Sadness.

But as usual, Her Universe is there to brighten even the zombieless days.

Here's what Her Universe has to say about these awesome new designs

(top to bottom, left to right)

How can you forget the first Zombie that you see in The Walking Dead? The image of this little girl just sears into your memory and you immediately know that something is terribly wrong. Your friends will love this witty tee in the new The Walking Dead by Her Universe line, even if they are not a fan of the show. 

It’s not a Democracy, it’s a Ricktatorship! Fans of The Walking Dead will know what this shirt means. We love Rick, even with all of his flaws and his visions in Season 3! Fangirls will LOVE this super comfortable tri-blend dolman top in the new The Walking Dead by Her Universe line.

How can you not feel Zen with Daryl Dixon around? Show your Daryl Dixon love with this new tank top featuring Daryl and his famous line “Am I the only one Zen around here?” from the new The Walking Dead by Her Universe line. Of course, Daryl Dixon would be Zen during a Zombie Apocalypse!

We think every girl secretly or maybe not so secretly has a Girl Crush on Michonne, we certainly do! What is there not to love? She’s tough, mysterious, yearns for what’s right, has a heart of gold and can use a sword better than anyone we’ve ever seen! Show Michonne some love with this Girl Crush racerback tank top from the new The Walking Dead by Her Universe line. 

During a Zombie Apocalypse, there could be Zombies behind every door. Thankfully, in The Walking Dead, Rick received warning at the Hospital, “Don’t Open Dead Inside” spray painted on the Hospital doors. This hoodie comes in sizes S-4XL complete with thumbholes and Zombie lining in the hood.

Rick gives some great advice on what to do when you encounter Zombies, but sometimes its best simply put, “You’d Better Run.” Show some love for The Walking Dead with this tank dress, from the new The Walking Dead by Her Universe line, designed to look like you have been chased by Zombies. Complete with rips and slashes, Zombie fashion is definitely on trend!

I love the hoodie so much! The fact that you unzip the door to find zombie print inside is fantastic! I also really like the creepy effect that the dress has, especially with the rips and slashes. Morbidly awesome!

These aren't for sale yet (July 18), but give it few weeks and all this Walking Dead glory can be yours. 

In the mean time, keep safe.

And remember, if you see a zombie, you'd better run!