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From piano medleys to a capella songs, there have been a number of musical Star Wars tributes released over the last few weeks in honor of the highly anticipated arrival of The Force Awakens. Many of these have impressed us not just with their musical stylings, but with the props and costumes, and the newest music release just might be the best one yet. In violinist Taylor Davis' latest video, she plays a fun medley of Star Wars music while dressed for the light side and the dark side. She goes all out not just with her clothes, but with...

Theory du jour: the new Star Wars movie is sucking in whatever meager disposable lucre remains among the economically-flayed mid-to-lower orders of America. In fact, I propose a new index showing an inverse relationship between Star Wars box office receipts and soundness of the financial commonweal. In other words, Star Wars is all that remains of the US economy outside of the obscure workings of Wall Street — and that heretofore magical realm is not looking too rosy either in this season of the Great Rate Hike after puking up 623 points of the DJIA last Thursday and Friday. Here...

If you’re a human American over the age of 2, I’m betting I know what you’re doing this weekend: You’re going to see “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”The seventh film in the Star Wars series, it had a banner opening night, raking in as much as $60 million. Rentrak projects it will end up earning more than $3 billion.Which is all to say, the empire surely will not miss my $20. That’s right — I’m not seeing “Star Wars.” So, fans, you don’t have to worry — there won’t be any spoilers in this column. I’ve gone 36 years without...

The force is strong in Berlin. A church in the German capital invited “Star Wars” fans to attend a special service Sunday themed on the sci-fi blockbuster in an attempt to attract more young people into the pews. About 500 people heeded the call and attended the service, some carrying light saber props or wearing Darth Vader masks. It was more than twice as many as usually come to Zion Church on a Sunday. “We were very happy to see so many people in the church today,” said Protestant pastor Lucas Ludewig said after the service. “It’s great that there...

Star Wars offers five priceless political lessons that the newest movie, The Force Awakens, reminds us to exercise. Grab your lightsaber and fear not: I'll steer clear of spoilers as I explain how we can take back our American Dreams. In Star Wars, as in politics, there is a "Force"—or power—that can be wielded for good or for evil. Jedis trained to use the Force for noble purposes, whereas the Sith exploited the Force for evil. Here's how we can train ourselves—and our politicians—to use political power for good. 1.) True Jedis Never Train Under The Emperor Jedi Master Yoda...

Tonight is coming in better than anticipated with industry analysts putting Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Saturday between $65.5M-$68.7M. That’s a -43% to -46% decline from Friday’s opening day record of $120.5M, which includes $57M in Thursday previews. While Force Awakens’ Saturday doesn’t beat Jurassic World‘s record, it jumps the opening weekend estimates for Episode VII back up to $238M-$244M.

TRUSSVILLE, Ala. - Before a rally here, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) made a confession. He could not really answer a question about Hillary Clinton's performance in the ABC News-sponsored Democratic debate on Saturday night - because he did not watch it."I actually went and watched the opening of 'Star Wars,'" Cruz said, "which, frankly, was a reality far more realistic than whatever was said at the Democratic debate."..."'Star Wars' was awesome," Cruz said, "although I have to say, there's an image - and I'm not going to be a spoiler - but as someone who grew up, as someone who...

The Force Awakens opened this Friday to packed theaters across America. I haven’t seen it for a number of reasons, among which is an unwillingness to tent out for days just to buy tickets. The film will nonetheless make oodles of money, I’m sure, as Star Wars has replaced the Bible as Western civilization’s primary cultural commonality, both relevant and accessible to people across the societal spectrum. This seventh chapter of the epic space opera may be the first to steer clear of political themes. According to film critic Matt Singer, “The Force Awakens is — arguably to its detriment...

America is obsessed with Star Wars. I'm not making a value judgment, just a statement of fact. It's everywhere, even in car commercials on radio. What the movie franchise has to do with cars is a mystery, but it's probably working because why else would they do it? It certainly worked on me. I watched "The Force Awakens" Thursday at 11 p.m., Friday at 9:40 a.m. and Saturday at 7 a.m. Like I said, it's not a value judgment because I'd be judging myself. No value judgment is being made, but there are judgments to be made in regards to...

My review is below the fold - no spoilers. I saw the movie in Imax-3D format. Next Review: The Hatefull Eight (70 mm) on December 31, 2015.

The “Star Wars” universe was a fixture in Patten Anthony’s childhood: He read the books, played the video games and caught the original movie trilogy when it aired on TV. Now at 29 years old, he’s especially excited that this week’s release of Disney’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” prominently features Nigerian-British actor John Boyega, whose appearance in the movie's trailers suggests he’ll play a pivotal role in the story. “When I saw a black man with a light saber, I got a little hyped,” said Anthony, an African-American resident of Atlanta who works in information technology. “At first I...

If you're a human American over the age of 2, I'm betting I know what you're doing this weekend: you're going to see "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." The seventh film in the Star Wars series, it had a banner opening night, raking in as much as $60 million. Rentrak projects it will end up earning more than $3 billion. Which is all to say, the empire surely will not miss my $20. That's right -- I'm not seeing "Star Wars." So, fans, you don't have to worry -- there won't be any spoilers in this column. I've gone 36...

A couple of Photoshops from years past...

With the combat perspective of a Marine infantryman, Matthew Callahan presents Star Wars as you’ve never seen it before. Marine Sgt. Matthew Callahan, a combat correspondent and former infantryman, has created a photo essay using small Star Wars action figures to portray intense combat scenes and breath life into the grunts of of the Star Wars universe.

Come over to the Merry side... Q: Which program do Jedi use to open PDF files?A: Adobe Wan Kenobi~Q: What do you call 5 siths heaped on top of a lightsaber?A: A Sith-Kabob!~Q: Why does Princess Leia keep her hair tied up in buns?A: So it doesn’t Hang Solow!~Q: Which website did Chewbacca get arrested for creating?A: Wookieleaks~Q: Why did Anakin Skywalker cross the road?A: To get to the Dark Side.~Q: Why is Yoda such a good gardener?A: Because he has a green thumb.~Q: And why can’t you count on Yoda to pick up the tab?A: Because he’s always...

Here's a guide that may help you decide. It's mostly spoiler free, so no specific plot points will be revealed, but it does describe some of the incidents in general terms. You can read this and still not know where the story is going. ... 3.) NO MEANINGLESS DEATH In 1977's original Star Wars, the entire planet of Alderaan was obliterated, but the only human agony we witnessed played out on Princess Leia's face as she watched her homeworld turn into an asteroid field. In The Force Awakens, The First Order has a weapon similar to the Death Star -...

Pretty simple, a very politically incorrect parody. Is there a way to embed on here?

George Lucas’ original intent was that his original trilogy be remembered as a striking blow against American imperialism. In the run up to the “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the latest addition to the franchise, there has been a flurry of blog activity making comparisons between current national security issues and a “galaxy far, far away.” Star Wars is a fruitful topic for writers everywhere, as it has a broad appeal and is general knowledge for most people because of its status in popular culture. What many people may not know, however, is that Star Wars creator George Lucas had...

Critics screened the film earlier this week, and with the reviews rolling in, we've compiled a roundup of what they're saying, and in an effort to be as spoiler-free as possible, we only included parts that don't specifically talk about the plot. "Reinvigorating the franchise with a welcome surge of energy, warmth and excitement after the misbegotten cycle of prequels released between 1999 and 2005, incoming writer-director J.J. Abrams seems to have had the original three films firmly in mind when he embarked on this monumental new undertaking, structured as a series of clever if sometimes wobbly callbacks to a...

Boy, has the Force awoken. In truth, it has been stirring for months, with expectations for this seventh Star Wars instalment reaching levels somewhere between over-excited and histrionic. The merchandising alone, extending even to Darth Vader showerheads, is expected to pour $5billion into the Disney coffers. At times, it's been easy to forget that there is actually a film at the heart of all the crazy razzmatazz. But here it is, ten years after the last outing, 2005's disappointing Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, and happily, ten times better.