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Racist harassment of 'Last Jedi' star Kelly Marie Tran and the 'Solo' backlash: Lucasfilm’s problem isn’t the movies, it’s trolls who want only the nostalgia of their youth, like "old Luke Skywalker hiding on an island from everything new," writes columnist Marc Bernardin. Fandom has always been an us versus them proposition. In the early days, it was because you loved something that the world at large found silly, be it comic books or Doctor Who. It was you and those who felt like you, against everyone else. Star Wars redefined fandom because it built a bigger tent than had...

Star Wars: The Last Jedi actress Kelly Marie Tran deleted all of her posts on Instagram following alleged harassment from Star Wars fans who did not like Tran’s character in the movie. Star Wars Facts, a popular Twitter account, claimed Tran had deleted the posts “due to months of harassment.”

To borrow one of Han Solo's lines from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, "That's not how the Force works!" It's an apt way to sum up the troubled performance of Solo: A Star Wars Story. In one of the biggest box-office surprises in recent times, Solo is badly underperforming and will become the first of the Star Wars movies made by Disney and Lucasfilm to lose money. Wall Street analyst Barton Crockett says Solo will lose more than $50 million. Industry financing souces, however, say that figure could come in at $80 million or higher, although no one knows the...

Winfrey sat down with Reese Witherspoon, Kathleen Kennedy, Natalie Portman, America Ferrera, Nina Shaw, Tracee Ellis Ross and producer Shonda Rhimes to discuss the impact their campaign has had in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal. Among the topics discussed during a CBS Sunday Morning segment hosted by Oprah Winfrey on the Time's Up initiative was director and accused sexual predator Woody Allen. Winfrey sat down with Reese Witherspoon, Kathleen Kennedy, Natalie Portman, America Ferrera, attorney Nina Shaw, Tracee Ellis Ross and producer Shonda Rhimes to discuss the impact their campaign has had in the wake of the Harvey...

A commission headed by Anita Hill and composed of and funded by some of the most powerful names in Hollywood has been created to tackle widespread sexual abuse and harassment in the media and entertainment industries. Called the Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace, the initiative was spearheaded by Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm; Maria Eitel, the co-chair of the Nike Foundation; the powerhouse attorney Nina Shaw; and Freada Kapor Klein, the venture capitalist who helped pioneer surveys on sexual harassment decades ago. The commission’s mission, according to a news release, is to “tackle the...

Director Steven Spielberg and star Harrison Ford will make a fifth “Indiana Jones” film, to screen July 19, 2019, Disney announced Tuesday. The release from the studio describes “a fifth epic adventure in the blockbuster series,” adding: “Steven Spielberg, who directed all four previous films, will helm the as-yet-untitled project with star Harrison Ford reprising his iconic role. Franchise veterans Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall will produce.” Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn called the Jones character “one of the greatest heroes in cinematic history,” adding, “It’s rare to have such a perfect combination of director, producers, actor and role,...

Maybe more than at any point in her life, even during her 2008 bid for the White House, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s past and associations are coming under intense scrutiny in mainstream press outlets. From her potentially unsecure, private email account to the Clinton Foundation’s suspect fundraising methods, Clinton’s past is apparently anything but unimpeachable. One positive thing you can say for sure about the secretary is that she takes care of her friends. Apparently, former Rep. Anthony Weiner’s (D-NY) wife and longtime Clinton confidant Huma Abedin was especially well cared for. According to a New York Times...

Luke. Leia. Han. Chewie. Artoo. Threepio. All present and accounted for as StarWars.com unveiled the official cast of "Star War: Episode VII" Tuesday. Here's the full release: The Star Wars team is thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film. Director J.J. Abrams says, "We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars:...

Lt. Gov. of Maryland and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, left, waves to the crowd with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (news - web sites), D-N.Y, right, at a fund-raiser, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2002, in Bethesda, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Whether the Kennedy name is a political asset or a liability may be a subject worthy of debate in Maryland this year. But even Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the leading Democratic candidate for governor, did not realize that her famous name would give rise to free advertising in the form of a conveniently timed TV movie about her father, Robert F. Kennedy.

In office buildings on either side of the Maryland State House yesterday, day-long deliberations about ethics replaced the usually somnolent summertime ambiance of Annapolis. Twelve politicians who might otherwise have been out campaigning sat in a dimly lighted conference room discussing allegations of misbehavior lodged against six of their colleagues. Nearby, the independent State Ethics Commission was putting the final touches on strict new rules that could lead to the expulsion of one of Maryland's top-grossing lobbyists.

Picture this, Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend urged a roomful of African-American supporters in Baltimore yesterday: As governor, me. And as secretary of state? Clarence W. Blount. Amid cheers, Townsend announced that Blount, 81, was taking on a role as "senior adviser" in her campaign for governor, and would be her choice for secretary of state if she wins the November election. At the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, host of yesterday's event, a wax figure of Blount is identified by a placard reading "Maryland's Political Warrior." Blount, a state senator since 1971, plans to retire at year's end.

DISTRICT HEIGHTS, Md. On a languid evening last week, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend brought her campaign for governor to southeast Baltimore. She wanted to tout an anticrime initiative she launched as lieutenant governor to create community policing programs in 62 "hot spots" in Maryland. But reporters hammered Ms. Townsend instead with questions about the latest bad news in her faltering campaign: her Republican rival, Representative Robert Ehrlich, had pulled nearly even in polls, and what once looked like an easy victory would now require tough political combat by the eldest daughter of Robert F. Kennedy. In a clipped cadence, Ms. Townsend...

In a victory for cybersquatters and others who snatch up domain names containing personal monikers, a dispute-resolution board has refused to turn over Web addresses containing the words "Kathleen Kennedy Townsend." Townsend, Maryland's lieutenant governor and a potential candidate for governor this year, discovered that a Baltimore man had registered several Web addresses with her name, including kennedytownsend.org and kathleenkennedytownsend.com. Townsend argued that she has a trademark on her name and asked the World Intellectual Property Organization's Arbitration and Mediation Center--one of the groups charged with settling domain-name disputes--to transfer the addresses to her. However, the owner of the disputed...