Honest Trailer for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Here is an Honest Trailer for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back. Normally these vids make fun of the movies and some of their tropes but in this case the running joke is how to you make fun of perfection. They do manage to find a way.

Abrams' Bad Robot Released iPhone App

J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot has entered the iPhone app business with Action Movie FX. The free app comes with missile attack and car smash effects that can be added to a video shot from within the app. The profit comes from letting you buy additional effects at the cost of $.99 in packs of two. The current affects you can buy are chopper down/tornado action and airstrike/fire fight bundles. The app can be used on any camera enabled iOS device. More details can be found here, demo video below.

Blog Update and Layout Changes

Believe it or not, I have not forgotton to update this blog. It's just that JJ Abrams' love of secrets makes it difficult to have regular updates. I am sure he is a very busy man, he just doesn't like the rest us know to know exactly what he is working on.

I could make this blog all about Fringe but honestly there is no point. One, I don't have the interest and two, there are a whole lot of better blogs that keep up with that TV series better then I ever could. That is why I link to them.

This leads me to the main point of this post. As you may have noticed this blog's look has changed completely. Recently Blogger added some template changes that I thought I would test out and this blog seemed perfect for that. After many hours of tweaking the code (really wish they would make goofing with width and padding easy) here are the results.

So what I need from you is your opinion. What do you think? What can I change? Different background, no background? Colors not right? Whatever you think, please let me know by emailing me or in the comments. If this becomes easy enough to tweak and use, I plan to spread it to the other blogs.

JJ Abrams Edits Wired Magazine

As part of the return of Star Trek, Wired Magazine turned over editing duties for a month to J.J. Abrams. First is the description, after that is Star Trek and other links of interest from the issue.

Every two years, WIRED creates an issue with the help of a special guest editor. This year the job goes to Hollywood visionary J.J. Abrams, creator of Alias, co-creator of LOST and Fringe, and director of the new Star Trek film, which hits theaters May 8. At first glance, Abrams’ credits may not seem related to core WIRED story topics like tech, business and science. But, says editor in chief Chris Anderson, “What is science but a never-ending detective story? The guest editor’s job is to take our readers to a place they’ve never been before. We learned that mystery is at the center of J.J.’s world, and it’s and a major part of the WIRED world, too.”

More than a year in the making, the May WIRED features a one-issue redesign, mind-boggling puzzles on almost every page and hidden features “that are not apparent at first or second glance," says Abrams. WIRED challenges readers to test their skills with pages of clues, spoilers, games, card tricks and layer upon layer of mystery. Abrams, who says he is a “huge fan of WIRED,” saw his guest editor duties as an opportunity to give mystery a new meaning. “Mystery demands that you stop and consider -- or, at the very least, slow down and discover. It’s a challenge to get there yourself, on its terms, not yours.”

From the world’s leading origami artist to the top puzzle masters, WIRED recruited top talents in a variety of fields for this issue. Contributors include renowned comic book artist Paul Pope, who illustrates an exclusive comic strip featuring a lost chapter of the Star Trek saga. Star Trek concept designer Neville Page gives readers a first look at a new monster, Big Red, a lobster-hued snow-planet scourge that attacks Capt. James T. Kirk.

The details on the issue and online extras can be found here or on newsstands now.

On to the links:
Spock Bio - The full six pages that summarizes the life and times of Spock.
Star Trek's Big Red - 7 pictures of concept art for "Big Red", the large creature that attacks Kirk on the ice planet Delta Vega. It was created by Neville Page who also designed the creature used in Cloverfield.
JJ Abrams on the Magic of Mystery - Abrams discusses love of mystery and putting the issue together. It also helps you understand why it’s just hard to get information about his projects (which makes blogging about them difficult).

Site Note

Cloverfield may be out, but the site will continue. Now you know why the site address is jjabramsprojects and not some version of Cloverfield. So what is next on the known plate of Producer, Director and Writer JJ Abrams?

Next is the project he is currently directing Star Trek XI which is coming out December 25th, 2008. I have another blog tracking that movie here. For now I am going to just post Star Trek news over there. I am still debating if I should cross post or not.

Also planned is Fringe, a TV series ordered by Fox that will premiere in the fall. The show is created and produced by the Star Trek XI team of Abrams, Kurtzman and Orci. Not entirely sure of his level of involvement suspect it will be like Lost, long enough to get the ball rolling and then step away while still enjoying the financial benefits.

Already an expensive $10 million 2-hour pilot is in the works about unexplained phenomena. It’s currently shooting in Toronto. The show will follow a trio as they explore unexplained phenomena that are described as a cross between the X-Files and Altered States.

Also this site will watch for any future Abrams' projects and of course continue to keep watch for the Cloverfield DVD details and the sequel that is sure to be made considering the success of the movie.

If you have any ideas, suggestions and so forth, feel free to share by either commenting or send an email (link on the right column).

Merry Christmas!

Just a post to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays or simply have a good and safe day. Below is video of Charlie Brown Christmas as performed by the cast of Scrubs. Because I like both.