This from Digital Spy...

Director George Lucas has been compared to inventor Thomas Edison.

According to SciFiWire, Alice in Wonderland producer Richard D. Zanuk believes that the Star Wars filmmaker is as reverential as the man who invented the lightbulb.

"He's the only person, with the exception of Sam Goldwyn, who literally put his own money in," said Zanuck.

"Sam financed and owned 100% of all those great pictures he made, and no-one else has ever done that, not like he did. George put it back into ILM and Skywalker Ranch and THX sound."

He added: "[Lucas] put it into the greatest equipment, all of it up to date... He's the only one who ever gave back to the industry in terms of the technology investment. And I guess James Cameron, now, but that's on a different scale. He's really been an innovator like nobody else. He's the Thomas Edison of our time."

In the same interview, Zanuk also put Lucas on par with Walt Disney.

With the comic packs sadly being discontinued, we've received a number of images from VolkerC of some of the last sets to be released.

Click on the thumbnails above and below to get a closer look at Ulic Qel-Droma and Exar Kun, Clone Trooper Lieutenant and Clone Trooper, Stormtrooper and Blackhole Hologram, Clone Trooper and Clone Commander, and lastly, Jedi Masters T'ra Saa and Tholme.

Here's some more Star Wars: The Old Republic news...

Writer Joanna Berry brings to light some thoughts behind crafting the Jedi Consular!

“For me, the challenge – and the fun – of writing the Jedi Consular is keeping a sense of balance between intelligence and arrogance, between what’s right and what could win the war against the Empire. A Jedi Consular must sometimes accept the grayer path, the less perfect choice. He or she must make the decisions the Republic can’t, in order to save it.”

Take the link below to read on...

Another image sent to us from VolkerC shows four of the figures from The Clone Wars that were recently revealed at the New York Toy Fair.

Click on the image below to see Obi-Wan Kenobi and Captain Rex in Cold Weather Gear, MagnaGuard and Firefighter Droid.

Our friends over at Gentle Giant have sent us an updated shipping schedule to help collectors budget and see what items they can expect to add to their collections over between now and the end of the Summer (although we still have no idea of just how many exclusives will be available at Comic Con and CV)...

March: -

• Clone Wars Obi-Wan Maquette
• Clone Wars Count Dooku Maquette
• Bronze Obi-Wan
• Bronze Yoda

April: -

• Imperial Seal Ring
• Rebel Seal Ring
• Animated Wicket Maquette

May: - 

• Clone Wars Clone Trooper Maquette
• 4-Lom Mini Bust
• Bespin Luke Statue

June - August: -

• Hoth Han Mini Bust
• Hoth Han Variant Mini Bust
• Hoth Luke Mini Bust
• Hoth Leia Mini Bust
• Hoth Leia Mynock Hunt Mini Bust
• Slave Leia Mini Bust
• Darth Talon Mini Bust
• Oola Mini Bust
• Lando Calrissian Mini Bust
• Battle Droid Mini Bust
• Luke Bespin Statue
• Boba Fett with Han in Carbonite Statue
• Stormtrooper Statue
• R2-D2 Statue
• San Diego Comic Con Exclusives
• Star Wars Celebration V Exclusives

This from the BBC...

Danish toymaker LEGO saw its 2009 profits grow strongly - with its Star Wars and LEGO City products generating the largest sales.

Pre-tax profits rose 55.9% from 2008 to 2,887m Danish Kroner ($530m; £351m).  LEGO increased its global market share to 4.8% during 2009, with strongest growth in English-speaking markets.

The company also completed a reversal of previous outsourcing projects, and brought all of its factory production back in house. During 2009, LEGO invested in its factories in Mexico, the Czech Republic and Hungary. 

The firm began in a carpenter's workshop in 1932 and founder Ole Kirk Christiansen chose the name for his creation by combining the first two letters of the Danish words "leg godt", meaning "play well".

LEGO claims that children across the globe spend five billion hours a year playing with its bricks.

Tim at Site Sponsor ID-WALL has got in touch to let Jedi News readers  take a first look at the new series of limited edition Star Wars canvas prints...

Series 5 features a collection 12 must-have prints pulled together after careful research and consultation with our customers and the wider Star Wars fanbase. 

The theme is pretty much “Boys Toys” – with new Death Star Space Battle prints, Darth Vader by “Jerry Vander Stelt”, Stormtroopers, a “Steve Anderson” Boba Fett collage, the Death Star in construction, AT-AT’s and Luke Skywalker like you’ve never seen him before.  The range also includes the “Drew Struzan” Star Wars Trilogy artwork celebrating the classic saga.

All prints are hand crafted in UK, issued with an official Certificate of Authenticity and ship worldwide from www.id-wall.com

VolkerC has sent through a couple of images of the forthcoming Toys R Us exclusive multi-packs featuring characters from The Force Unleashed, giving us a good look at the ten figures which will be released in the two sets.

Click on the thumbnails below for a better view.

The Weekly ForceCast is back with all the latest Star Wars news and commentary. Joining us this week are Topps Editor David Waldeck and artist Randy Martinez to discuss the newest trading card set, Star Wars Galaxy 5. We also talk to a couple of the masterminds behind the campaign to make Admiral Ackbar the official mascot of Ole Miss. Plus, the Billy Dee Quote of the Week, listener feedback, and a Harrison Ford cooking show(?). All that and much more on The Weekly ForceCast!

Issue 6.5 of The Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic is out now and comes with a fantastic FREE Star Wars: The Clone Wars wallet and sticker sheet and continues with another exclusive, action-packed story entitled Terror on the Twilight (click on the above image for a closer look): -

TERROR ON THE TWILIGHT! This issue’s thrilling story finds Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex going up against a stricken freighter, booby trapped and swirling around the edge of a deadly nebula. Will our heroes survive this cunning deception and escape the perilous craft? Find out only in Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic #6.5!

Back in October of last year, the official site posted the following report, which so far seems to have gone largely unnoticed:

One of the more intriguing displays spotted this past summer at Comic-Con International was a teaser poster from Abrams Books for Star Wars: Visions, with art by Ed Binkley. Aside from being slated for a Fall 2010 release, there was scant information to be found about this project.

Here's another glimpse from Star Wars: Visions, a portrait of Obi-Wan Kenobi by artist Donato Giancola. Keep checking back on StarWars.com as more information becomes available.

More images have been posted since then, but there is still little known about what this book will entail, so you'll just have to keep checking back for more details as and when we have them!

In the meantime, click on the thumbnails above and below to get a closer look at these stunning pieces of art....

Posted on the official site a couple of days ago...

Star Wars: In Concert, the unique multi-media event featuring music from all six of John Williams' epic Star Wars scores, returns to North America on May 13, 2010 in Ft. Myers, Florida (May 13), beginning a fifty-city leg of the worldwide tour that will include dates in the United States and Canada. Over 350,000 Americans attended Star Wars: In Concert during its three-month inaugural 47-city North American tour last year, which Pollstar rated as the 9th biggest tour of 2009 in January.

The tour's return to North America follows a month in Europe -- from March 7 to April 8, 2010 -- with stops in Dublin, Liverpool, Glasgow, Paris, Madrid, Lisbon, Milan, Antwerp, Hamburg and the O2 Arena in London, where it began one year ago.

The production features a full symphony orchestra and choir, accompanied by specially edited footage from the films displayed on a three-story-tall, high-definition LED super-screen -- one of the largest ever put on tour. The footage actually runs in sync with the live music to create a full multi-media, one-of-kind Star Wars experience.

This just in from our friend Joao in Portugal...

We are proud to announce our new Website is up and running.  The Portuguese Star Wars Community finally owns their own website with all information regarding the Star Wars fandom, events, news and curiosities in Portuguese. This is the very FIRST website fully functional and with a dedicated domain.  We thank you for your support, we couldn't reach this stage without your help. Truly!

For the moment some sections are offline. We will add a special international presentation page for all our international visitors. For now, practice your portuguese! :)

Coming soon, the latest issue of Star Wars Insider explores the fabrication of the original Darth Vader mask in an interview with sculptor Brian Muir, and also includes interviews with Clone Wars voice actors Matthew Wood (General Grievous), Catherine Taber (Padmé), and Dee Bradley Baker (Clones) - the last three interviews all conducted by yours truly! Of course, all the usual columns and updates are here as well, with an exclusive peek at several unpublished storyboards from The Empire Strikes Back! 

Included in issue #116:

• Brian Muir: Meet the man who scultped Vader's helmet, the stormtroopers' armor, and more!
• Matthew Wood: Star Wars Insider meets the voice of General Grievous!
• The Art of War!: A look at the concept art used to create the Mandalorian homeworld, with commentary by Dave Filoni
• Clone Talk: Actor Dee Bradley Baker on life as a clone trooper
• Dark Horse: The third and final part of our Dark Horse Comics retrospective
• Storyboards: Darth Vader battles Luke Skywalker in these exclusive images from The Empire Strikes Back!
• Catherine Taber: The actress who voices Padmé in The Clone Wars talks Season Two!
• Launch Pad: Exclusive preview of upcoming Clone Wars episodes, David Beckham and Snoop Dogg meet Star Wars, origami Yoda sweepstakes, Vader's voice scores, Celebration V ticket details, and more!
• Interrogation Droid: Debbie Carrington talks about life as Romba the Ewok!
• Retro: Furry fun for all with a bunch of collectible Chewbaccas!
• Art Wars: The making of a Star Wars modern art exhibition
• Jedi Archive: Rare images of Chewie in action
• Books: Fate of the Jedi experiences Backlash, and Scanimation is previewed
• Comics: Dark Horse sets course for The Old Republic
• Collectibles: All the latest, plus a special behind-the-scenes look at the new Adidas line of streetwear
• Bantha Tracks: A tribute to the very best Star Wars fan activity from around the world

The newsstand edition features a Vader cover, and a special General Grievous variant cover is available only from select comic stores and for subscribers.

Remember to join the Star Wars Insider Facebook page for more news and latest imagery from the new issue!  To subscribe to Star Wars Insider magazine visit titanmagazines.com/starwars. To receive Star Wars Insider Magazine exclusives, including sneak peeks, interviews, promotional offers, and sweepstakes, visit mailing.titanmagazines.com/mailing/.

Here's some news on the new Clone Wars Visual Guide coming this Summer...

War still rages in the galaxy! The Republic's Clone Army and Jedi Knights continue to fight the Separatist threat. But new worlds face danger and new enemies are emerging. Things are about to get complicated... but thankfully, DK Books will guide you through all the major encounters and explosive adventures from Star Wars: The Clone Wars in the third installment of their smash hit Visual Guide series.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars -New Battlefronts: The Visual Guide gives you a ring-side seat on the galactic conflict with gorgeous imagery, as well as detailed annotations and expert insight from New York Times best-selling author Jason Fry. This hardcover release is slated for publication in August.

JediNews.ca and Hasbro Canada want you, the Canadian collectors, to participate in our Star Wars Online Survey and share your feedback on the Star Wars brand in Canada!

To thank you for your time, Hasbro Canada and JediNews.ca will donate 1 Star Wars toy to the Starlight Foundation of Canada for every survey completed.

Only one survey per email address may be submitted.

With Hasbro churning out a number of new vehicles this year, in the shape of the Bespin Cloud Car, Swamp Speeder and Droid Gunship, that number looks set to be increased with the addition of the Hyena Bomber, following a post on JediDefender.com that shows images of a prototype of this Clone Wars-inspired spacecraft.

Follow the link below for more images...

This unsurprising news from DigitalSpy (come on, you knew it was going to happen)...

Harrison Ford has revealed that he has agreed on "a germ of an idea" with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas for Indiana Jones 5.

Speaking to the BBC, the Extraordinary Measures star insisted that the trio are still in the early stages of planning a sequel to Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.

"The process works like this... We come to some basic agreement and then George goes away for a long time and works on it," he explained.

"Then Steven and I get it in some form, some embryonic form. Then if we like it we start working with George on it and at some point down the line it’s ready and we do it."

Crystal Skull, the first Indiana Jones film since 1989's The Last Crusade, earned $786 million at the worldwide box office when it opened in May 2008.