Star Wars Weekends

So here is what we have right now.  Five celebrity names have been leaked via various sites and the list is already looking impressive.  Each presents you with a different reason for wanting to attend, but in all there are no weekends that appear to be a bust.  Of course as we have seen in the past, celebrities are subject to change, and people could be shuffled about through the weekends.

The one rumor that I haven’t really seen confirmed is Warwick Davis as the celebrity host for this years event.  As celebrity host, Davis would be in attendance at all four weekends acting as both Master of Ceremonies and celebrity.  He would be available for autographs like the other celebrities.  Having had him in this role before in 2006 I can say that he does a great job and really loves the fans.  He is great with the kids and puts a lot into his visit.  So if this rumor stands true, it is a win/win for the fans.

Weekend 2 with David Prowse and Peter Mayhew is a great looking combination.  Mayhew is a repeat visitor at Star Wars Weekends who I have found to be both gentle and charming.  He towers over everyone and could be imposing if it were not for his quiet demeanor.  While regular weekend attendees may not get too excited over his being back this year, for anyone making their first visit to SWW, he is a very good guest.  He is by no means a wild man and carries himself in that quiet and proper English way.

Prowse is a great balance to this weekend.  He has not been to weekends in a very long time and at one point you might have thought his return impossible given his rocky relationship over the years with Lucasfilms.  Still all seems better now and this will be a great opportunity to hear about the silent Darth Vader and what filming was like.  He did of course speak the lines during filming, but the voice work in the films was from James Earl Jones, so this will be a very different perspective.  In the end you have the two tallest men in the Star Wars Saga right there for the taking in weekend 2 paired up with the shortest in Warwick Davis.  That alone should make for some interesting entertainment during the Stars of the Saga shows.  This pairing makes weekend 2 a great opportunity for the fans.

For weekend 3, Matthew Wood is a great addition.  Wood played the voice of General Grievous during Episode 3 and has worked behind the scenes for Lucas for several years now.  He is in fact reprising his role as the voice of Grievous in the up coming Cartoon version of  “Clone Wars” in both the feature film due out in August and in the Cartoon Network series.  Here you have an opportunity to hear where the Star Wars Saga has been and where it is going over the next several years.  I personally think his and Prowse interviews and meets are the most interesting so far, so if you can’t go until weekend #3, I think you really have done well.  Wood should make for a very good and enthusiastic guest.  As of right now we do not have another celebrity slated for this weekend.  That news will be coming soon.  Wood did attend SWW in 2005. 

For weekend 4 we right now have Jeremy Bulloch, the original trilogy’s Boba Fett.  Jeremy loves the Star Wars fans and is a very dedicated participant.  He is a lot of fun for fans old and new and is worth taking time out to go see.  As of right now he does not have a pairing, so I will comment more on this last weekend when that information becomes available.

Next time….. FIG’s…..   (heck I’ve done well to hold off this long don’t you think!?!)

Your opinions on celebs are welcome!  Let us know what you think.