WACT WACT By Jercy David Just as Luke shockingly discovered that Darth was his father, the Lucasfilm franchise will be looking to a new “father” as well: Mickey Mouse. Or, rather, Walt Disney. This past October, George Lucas, founder of Lucasfilm, agreed to sell his film company to Disney for $4.4 billion in stock and cash. Talks were conducted personally by Disney CEO Robert Iger and founder of Lucasfilm George Lucas, and began about a year and a half ago in Orlando, Florida. The two spent time together while reopening a Star Wars attraction at Disney World. Lucasfilm is a leader in entertainment, innovation, and technology; it includes its massively popular and “evergreen” Star Wars franchise, as well as its operating businesses in live-action film production, consumer products, animal, visual effects, and audio post-production. However, Lucasfilm’s chief financial officer, Jay Rasulo, said that Disney’s financial calculations in agreeing to purchase the company were driven almost entirely by the potential of the Star Wars series. Among divisions like Industrial Light & Magic, Skywalker Sound and video game company LucasArts, Disney will acquire Lucasfilm’s live-action production business. Other physical properties in Marin County, California - such as Mr. Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch - were not part of the deal, and will continue to remain with Lucas. On the deal, founder George Lucas says, “For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next. It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers.” The 68-year-old chair and CEO of Lucasfilm states that he will serve as a creative consultant, but ultimately plans to retire. Kathleen Kennedy, current co-chair of Lucasfilm, will become President of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios. Lucas comments, “I’m confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney’s reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products.” Lucas will receive $40 million in Disney shares from the deal, and will become the second-largest, non-institutional shareholder of Disney with a 2.2% stake. In addition, despite Lucas denying any plans for more movies after Revenge of the Sith back in 2005, the series will release Episode VII in 2015, with plans “to release a new Star Wars feature film every two to three years,” says Iger. Episodes VIII and IX would follow “probably on a cadence of every other year and then go from there…The [first] film is in early stage development right now.” George Lucas will be a consultant on the film projects, but Disney acquired rights to detailed treatment for the next three Star Wars films. However, not only does Disney intend on expanding the series, they also plan to expand the Star Wars franchise into their other plugs. “We definitely plan to expand the presence of Star Wars in our parks, which could include new parks,” Iger says. The buyout is currently Disney’s fourth largest deal ever, topping the $3.96 billion they paid for Marvel back in August 2009. Combined with the purchase of Pixar Animation Studios for $7.4 billion in 2006, the acquisition solidifies Disney’s status as a leader in animation and superhero films. This strengthens the legacy of Robert Iger, who is become known for his aggressive expansion of the company since taking charge in 2005. Along with Star Wars and its many iterations on movie screens, TV, and video gaming, George Lucas has been a partner in the Indiana Jones series and the occasional unrelated film. However, Disney executives said they were not relying on those films for future profit, but instead were keeping with the series set in a galaxy far, far away.
18 mwplanet VOLUME 18 / ISSUE 1
By Andy Lau a.k.a the Gadget Geek We are embedded in a universe dominated by information technology. It is true: nowadays, everyone owns devices such as media players, smartphones, tablet computers, PCs and Macs, to name a few. So, what are the new gadgets that came out in 2012? Actually, every major tech giant has released something new this year. Perhaps you have heard of that fierce competition between Apple, Google, Microsoft, and our very own Research in Motion. Within this past year, each has released the latest version of their mobile operating system. Let us begin with Apple, since that is what everyone is talking about. The world is always anticipating a new iPhone or iPad. The 3rd and 4th generation of iPads were released this year, in March and November respectively. Who would have expected two generations to be developed just eight months apart? Then there is the all-new iPad mini, released concurrently with the 4th gen iPad. And the iPhone 5 came out this past September, one year after the iPhone 4S. All of the above are using the iOS 6 mobile operating system. Believe it or not, Apple has also rebuilt their iPods, and there is also a new version of Mac OS X, version 10.8 Mountain Lion. What more could you expect to bite out of? Not far behind Apple is Google, best known for its search engine, who led the Open Handset Alliance to build the Android mobile operating system. This year alone saw the release of the Android 4.1 and 4.2 versions in July and November respectively, including some hot new Nexus devices, such as the Nexus 4 phone by LG and the Nexus 10 tablet by Samsung. Samsung and many other companies, like HTC, Sony, Asus, and Acer, make their own Android phones and tablets, like the Galaxy series of phones. There are lots to choose from, and they all share a common kernel. Besides, they are cheap, too, and many at no phone cost with a term contract. Thinking of choosing the robot? Still catching up in the mobile market is Microsoft, whose Windows OS is the world’s most popular for desktop and laptop PCs. The latest version of their Windows Phone platform is version 8, out since last November. Phones using this are made by Nokia, Samsung, and HTC. Not too many, eh? As for tablets, you’re in luck if you are looking for fast, instant-boot technology. Windows RT is designed to do that, and you can now get machines made by Asus, Samsung, Dell, and Lenovo. If you are using just an ordinary PC, go for Windows 8, on the market since October. You can upgrade for a limited time for fifty dollars. Yes, you heard right! Be aware, though, that a new Windows only comes every three years. Will you hurry up, then, to open your doors and Windows before it is too late? Lastly, there is the Waterloo, Ontario-based Research in Motion, who designed and built the BlackBerry business-oriented smartphone. I know many of us use BlackBerrys because it is easier to type on their small built-in keyboard. We all want to chat, and using an on-screen keyboard can be challenging. And, we don’t mind proprietary data services. Unfortunately, the latest version of BlackBerry OS, version 7.1, came out one year ago. But have no fear, BlackBerry 10 is coming and it will change the way we use BlackBerry forever. Perhaps it will be able to fight with Microsoft for number three in the market, behind Apple and Google. What do you think? With all the machines that are here, or coming out soon, you are never far behind in the race. There is always something to choose from, no matter who makes it. So, what are you going for? Take your choice!
PHOTO BY: CS.STARWARS.WIKIA. COM, OUSVEC