August 27

Official CIV Poster, Passes and Program, which is also a poster available at CIV, CIV Ralph McQuarrie figures: C3-PO and Luke Skywalker, CIV Clone Wars Poster (click image for larger view)

May 20th. 2007 Clone Wars Poster added above... Clone Wars panels at CIV; Costume Parades this time (two of them) for EVERYONE dressed in costume. You do have to register though:

The Costume Parades will start at the Costume Pageant Registration Area in the West Hall Lobby, Friday and Sunday afternoons.
2:45 pm Muster at Costume Registration
3:00 pm Parade starts and winds its way across the Convention Center to the South Hall and back.
3:40 pm Parade ends back at Costume Registration.
4:00 pm Costume Pageants begin on the Petree Stage.

May 16th, 2007 Finally, the authors and the schedule for CIV is online. Nothing left now to report unless there is another late addition such as Harrison Ford or Mark Hamill! You can view the schedule by clicking the links below.

There will be a Vader Helmet exhibit where many artists participated in decorating Vader Busts.... Many of you may have read Master Replicas lost their license soon...

May 15th, 2007 Celebration IV exclusives finally announced (aside from Master Replicas and various artwork and Official Pix items):

John Brosio art poster (the artist will be available to sign this -- see story here)

May 10th, 2007 Belly Dancing lessons from Slave Leia... interesting to have this but wonder who'll do it. We now know who the last guests are at CIV but can't tell... I am regretting not going.

May 09th, 2007 Drew Struzan will be available to sign free for fans during two sessions on May 24th at the StarWarsShop booth, from 1:00-3:00 and 5:00-7:00. Former ILM Creature Shop employee John Brosio will be available to sign a stunning new StarWarsShop exclusive poster printed just for Celebration IV: "Redemption". John will be signing at the StarWarsShop booth between 12:00-2:00 on Friday, May 25, and between 3:00-4:00 on Saturday, May 26. Star Wars in Pop Culture
Continuous footage of Star Wars in popular media including the cartoons, TV shows etc will be run in Rooms 402 AB Thurs. 12:00 noon -- 12:00 Midnight Fri., Sat., and Sun. 10:00 AM -- 12:00 Midnight and Mon. -- 10:00 AM -- 4:00 PM

May 07th, 2007 time is almost here for CIV: I envy those going and wish I could help people again... so sorry I can't. Anyway, there are a few more announcement like the Fan Breakfast. You can be one of 200 people to have breakfast with Jay Laga'aia and get a free autographed photo. You will also get a Ralph McQuarrie figure (see photo above), breakfast and a goodie bag (probably not much in there but ads and such). The Breakfasts will be Friday, May 25 and Sunday, May 27 at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza from 7am-9am Steve Sansweet and Mary Franklin will also be in attendance. Admission is $69.99 per person (all local service fees and taxes are included in this price) with all net proceeds to be donated to the PKD Foundation for kidney disease. Special valet parking is available for $10.00 per car. In other news, Shane Turgeon, host of the Star Wars Tattoos and Toys site, will exhibit exceptional tattoo art in the Fan Fair Hall, and accept registrations for the Star Wars Tattoo competition, to be held on Sunday during Celebration IV. Fans with Tattoos should visit the Tattoo Exhibit in the Fan Fair Hall and sign up for the show! After the show on Sunday, Turgeon invites all fans of tattoos, Star Wars tattoos in particular, to join him in the Fan Club Lounge for a mixer.

April 29th, 2007 Carrie Fisher will be doing a panel/talk at CIV the evening of Saturday, May 26th Admission to Fisher's appearance is $15 and seating is limited. Go to Gen Con's Celebration IV registration site to purchase tickets, and to register for the show. Q & A to follow. CIV will have Star Wars Laser Tag! Laser Tag at Celebration IV, Hall B, over the weekend of May 24-28. Two scenarios will be played out and teams chosen. You have to register for this even HERE. Sounds like a lot of fun. There will be a family room at CIV and have activities for the kids such as crafts, face painting, classes like Star Wars Origami, and even drawing classes with the pros like Tom Hodges and Matt Busch! Wow; to get a free class from them; that's something to brag about! There will be a stage for kids to act on, and a place to play Star Wars dress up as well as a Lego area to try. Artist Darryl Woods will also be on hand daily to teach an art class! The Star Wars Family Room is located in Room 515B and will be open Friday through Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm, and Monday from 10 am to 4 pm. The Family Room is open to kids of all ages; however, all children must be accompanied by an adult parent or guardian at all times

Official Pix has several exclusive for CIV. Many will be limited edition. They will have a limited edition AUTOGRAPH set (limited to 50) and a limited edition photo set which consists of 145 images (unsigned and limited to 250) for 279.00 which is just under $2 per photo. The set would cost about 700 if bought separately. Each set will feature the Logo. There is an archive set of 30 black and white rarer images set which is also limited. The cost is 69.00 and will be limited to 250 sets. In addition, sold separately are 4 11x14 photos of group shots (Mon Calamari, Ewok group, Jabba's/puppet group, and Alien group shot) available for 10.00 each. These are limited to 500.00 each. Lastly, a Binder with the Celebration Official Pix logos, will retail for 20.00 and is limited to 650 units. I have my sites set on something here... but not too worried about it!

April 26th, 2007 Seth McFarlane, of the "Family Guy" will appear at Celebration IV. This is to promote an upcoming episode of the "Family Guy", that will be based on Star Wars. In other news, The Jedi Temple Archives team has partnered with Star Wars Action News to throw a party at Star Wars Celebration IV. It will be May 24 from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM at the Bonaventure Brewing Company in the Westin Bonaventure Hotel. Free shuttle service from the center to the hotel provided. For 25.00 entry fee, you will get:

April 23rd, 2007 There'll be a silent and live auction of fabulous choice retro items from the Lucasfilm archives.... The live Celebration IV Charity Auction, which will be held Monday, May 28 at 12 Noon in Petree Hall at the Los Angeles Convention Center, silent auctions will be held Thursday through Sunday at Celebration IV. Remember: Republic credits are no good here. U.S. currency (or credit cards) only!

April 21st, 2007 Official Pix has offered a set of 4 limited edition prints at CIV for 10.00 each. They are 11x14 in size and can be seen HERE. Nice! Looks like they'll be offering a limited edition 'set' as well as a limited edition binder as well. In other news, though we told you about this right in the beginning, official announcement of the "costume pageant" was announced. Compete for prizes. Next up should be the schedules showing times, locations and information about panels, shows and other exhibits. Expect to see an author or two more, a couple more crew and guest of honor updates and the store sales flyer as well, but I think for the most part, you now have a clear indication of what Celebration IV is looking like. Again, look for a Del Rey display, a Lego display, and many vendors to sell you toys and collectibles. Any other news? Feel free to email!

April 20th, 2007 Sideshow Collectibles will have their own collectibles Panel called 'From Concept to Creation of a Sideshow Collectible' at CIV. Watch for event schedules soon.

April 19th, 2007 A lot of guests added to the Guest list. It's almost complete now except maybe a few more crew and a GOH or two or three. There is a new room called the Star Wars Gaming Parlor, which will be a place for people to mingle and even meet a celebrity guest or two. There will be different games there for Fan Club members only. There is a new thing for those into Star Wars Galaxies but as soon as they posted the event, it was sold out. The development team for Galaxies will tell about the future of the game.

March 10th, 2007 Hasbro's CIV exclusive is a Ralph McQuarrie Luke Skywalker. These will be available at BOTH CIV and CIV Europe, but a different coin will be with each one, so collectors will probably want to collect the variants. See image above. Starwars.com is offering a contest where YOU can be a star. You submit a video of yourself and you might be on stage and get VIP privledges. Click HERE for details. See below (March 28th 2007) for more collecting panels, but they added these too!:

Star Wars Collectibles Road Show - Todd Chamberlain
Have an item you can't identify, or the value of which you can't find in a price guide? Panelists will be available throughout the weekend to view items and provide feedback on their history and value.

Star Wars Food Collectibles - Duncan Jenkins, Eimei Takeda, and Gus Lopez
In the first thirty years of Star Wars collecting, there have been over 10,000 different food collectibles from the hundreds of promotions in over 100 different countries. This will showcase examples.

Trading Cards - Cathy Kendrick and Andy Dukes
This panel will take a quick look at the original cards that started it all, and discuss why a collector might want to add cards to their collection.

Disney Parks / Star Wars Toy Exclusives - Brad Schoeneberg and Cody Reynolds
This talk will cover the history of the relationship between Disney Parks Attractions and Lucasfilm, taking a look at current Disney on-property events, such as Star Wars Weekends and the Jedi Training Academy. This presentation will also provide details about how Disney characters are co-branded with Star Wars and why various characters were chosen, and a look at the new product exclusives planned for 2007. Collectors will also be able to see a sneak peak of concept artwork for new items considered for 2008.

International Collecting Panel - Mark Salotti, Matt Glasgow, Scott Bradley, Toru Komuro, Luis Galvez, Josefina Galvez, Mattias Rendahl, and Andy Dukes.
A panel of international collectors will discuss the history of Star Wars toys and other collectibles in their native countries and will showcase some of the unique and rare collectibles released only in their respective homelands.

Marketing the Galaxy: Star Wars Store Displays - Todd Chamberlain
A variety of posters, banners, standees, and signs to market a bonanza of Star Wars merchandise over the past 30 years. This session presents an overview of store displays; some one- or two-of-a-kind rarities. A nostalgic look back, the presentation will also include pictures of stores displaying Star Wars merchandise from the 70s and 80s.

Action Figure Card Design and Production - Bill Wills and Tracey Hamilton
An understanding of the entire process, from initial design through the final printed product, which resulted in the packaging that continues to inspire collectors 30 years later.

Vintage Toys from Around the World - Joe Yglesias
Vintage era for Star Wars toys, from the familiar in different packaging, to oddities that children in the US could only dream about. We'll showcase a wide variety of vintage SW toys from around the globe.

Star Wars Collecting in the Large - Anne Neumann, Duncan Jenkins, and Gus Lopez
Ever wonder what it's like to collect Star Wars memorabilia on a massive scale? Join our panelists for a rare glimpse at what's involved in cataloging some of the world's largest Star Wars collections, from organizing and displaying, to tracking items in databases, to tips for field work.

Star Wars Collecting Trivia Contest - Chris Fawcett, Arnie Carvalho, Chris Georgoulias
Test your Star Wars collecting knowledge against other collectors at the Star Wars Collecting Trivia contest. How many action figures were shipped in the original Star Wars Early Bird mailer by Kenner? Which licensee sold the famous Star Wars Yoda cap? Which country had a Return of the Jedi theatrical poster with a Darth Vader exploding head? How many different licensees have issued Star Wars barf bags over the years? Winners will receive unique prizes and bragging rights as the uber-knowledgeable collectors of Celebration IV!

Unproduced Star Wars Toys - Gus Lopez
Presentation will cover early stages of produced toys that are far removed from the final product. There are many examples of toy weapons, action figures of all scales, vehicles, playsets, video games, and packaging that never made it to retail shelves. Whether considered in design drawings, one-of-a-kind mocked-up prototypes, or production-quality samples, the toy design process yields interesting artifacts that give a view into this obscure area of collecting.

March 2nd, 2007 Celebration IV exclusive action figures revealed. For Star Wars Celebration IV and Star Wars Celebration Europe there'll be a two-pack Collector Figures, modeled after artist Ralph McQuarrie's original concept illustrations for beloved droids R2-D2 and C-3PO. Master Replicas will be holding three separate contests in which contestants can showcase their Light saber skills. This is new to Celebration and should prove interesting.

March 30th, 2007 From Sideshow collectibles: Today was the first official day of Priority Pre-Orders for our Star Wars 30th Anniversary Exclusives! The Attendee edition of the Medicom Toy Sandtrooper is selling at a brisk pace, and Non-Attendees will have their chance Friday at 10AM (PT) - check the Star Wars sect ion of this newsletter for more information. Next week we'll begin pre-ordering our creative Space Slug enviorama, which you can see through our preview link, also in the Star Wars section of today's newsletter. ***Remember, if you are ordering Attendee editions, you MUST pick your items up at the convention BEFORE Noon (12:00 PM PT) on Sunday, May 27th, or your orders will be canceled. Any canceled products products will be offered to walk-up Attendees beginning Monday morning, May 28th. If you are in doubt about your attendance, please order a Non-Attendee edition to be safe! Keep in mind that credit cards will begin processing for 30th Anniversary Exclusives during the week of May 3rd, and Non-Attendee shipping will begin at the end of May, so be sure to make the necessary financial arrangements before then - we'd hate to have to cancel your order due to a decline! [Sideshow Celebration IV homepage] [Attendee FAQ] [Non-Attendee FAQ]

Star Wars Collecting Panels
Rooms 511 ABC
Los Angeles Convention Center
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, May 25-27: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM.
Monday, May 28: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Open to all CIV attendees.

Star Wars Coins - James Gallo, Michael Mensinger, and Mark Salotti
Learn about the production process of Kenner's Vintage Power Of The Force Coins; examine "special offers", variant, rare & un-produced coins, and discuss availability and distribution internationally. Will the "Lopez Coin Category System" continue as collecting gospel, or will it require tweaking after all of these years? This panel has it all, from vintage to the 2007 offerings from Hasbro!

Peruvian Star Wars Collectibles - Luis Gálvez and Josefina Gálvez
There is little known about Star Wars collectibles produced in South America in the '70s and '80s, and during those years Lucasfilm authorized few companies to produce or import toys there. The interest of the collector community about the foreign Star Wars products has motivated us to investigate what was produced south of the border. This presentation will cover different aspects of the Star Wars products made in Peru, both licensed items (toys, cards, books, cloth, etc.) and unlicensed products, including some strange articles that guarantee even expert collectors will learn something new.

Props and Costumes - Brandon Alinger, Tom Spina, Dave Abberley, David Mandel, Greg Hanson, and Gus Lopez
A general overview on collecting original props, wardrobe and model miniatures used in the actual Star Wars movies. The presentation will cover the basics of obtaining and authenticating original props, as well as information on care and preservation for these items. We'll also give a brief tour of some amazing pieces in private collections.

Cast and Crew Items - Gus Lopez and Brandon Alinger
Since the early days of pre-production for A New Hope to the present day, collectibles issued exclusively for the crew and cast of the Star Wars movies have been in high demand. These items including T-shirts, caps, paperweights, greeting cards, jackets, and patches were never available to the public and are extremely scarce. Due to their limited nature, there is little documentation on what was made, and new discoveries happen all the time. We will give an overview of collecting cast and crew memorabilia, cover where to find these items, and show some of the most sought-after pieces.

Collecting 101- Chris Georgoulias and Ron Salvatore
Georgoulias and Salvatore, seasoned Star Wars collectors, will share tips on getting started with collecting and keeping your collection going. This panel will give overviews to most general aspects of the hobby including networking, researching, finding items, pitfalls, terminology, grading, displaying, and much more. There will be an opportunity for questions and answers from the audience.

Selling Tips - Chris Georgoulias, Todd Chamberlain, and James Gallo
Ever wondered how to reduce the inevitable clutter that comes along with years of collecting? This panel will give you tips on clearing out things you no longer want or never really needed in the first place and how to turn it into what you absolutely must have. Our panel of experts will give you tips on maximizing the potential of your items as well as letting you know when it's time to cut your losses. Lots of audience interaction is expected with this one, so come loaded with questions!

Online Auctions and Collecting - Chris Georgoulias, et al.
What collector hasn't noticed that his or her collection can grow leaps and bounds with just a few mouse clicks these days? Online auctions have had a major impact on the availability and breadth of Star Wars collectibles in the last decade and our panel of experts has gathered to help you sort it all out. Learn some tricks on bidding, how to spot fraudulent items, deal with sellers, investigate your competition, and on finding what you really want. Audience questions will be welcome.

March 25th, 2007 Above is the official Poster and the badges for Celebration IV. Rumors: Amy Allen will be attending CIV. James McBryde (an extra in the prequels) will be there but probably not officially. Julian Glover has stated he's been invited and wants to attend (if his schedule permits, he will be attending).

March 21st, 2007 Larry Noble will be sculpting a live bust of Peter Cushing at CIV Europe, which one fan will win.

March 17th, 2007 Starwars.com announced the giving away of "collector Medallions" at CIV panels. There will 12 Medallion designs, they are made of Pewter and made by Kenner Toys, which will commemorate the first Kenner figures made. They are limited to 350 each and there will be one at each panel. so in order to get one, you must attend each panel and be one of the first ones there (impossible as some overlap). It will be difficult to obtain a full set, but I remember how it used to be with trading and paying people to give theirs up.

On the Celebration Europe Front, seems the R2 Builders will be in attendance there as well.

March 16th, 2007 New guests probably will be listed Monday evening; there's a delay due to Dallas Comic Con. Sideshow Collectibles announced their CIV exclusives but they aren't too exclusive as attendees as well as non-attendees can preorder. Here are the items and the dates at which you can preorder

How they will verify an attendee from non one is interesting, but have all your receipts or confirmation numbers ready just in case.

Celebration IV events have announced a 6 movie marathon for those wanting to see them in order. They'll be running throughout the convention (personally I don't understand why they would do this as you paid a lot of money to see the celebs, the props, the shows, the merchandise and the people; you can see the films at home anytime!). But just in case you wanted to know, there it is.

March 13th, 2007 Celebration IV Guest list for Europe is finally announcing a few... see the guest list page. Charlie Ross will do his one man trilogy show there as well and people are in for a treat. Everyone gave good reviews last Celebration. He was very funny and entertaining.

March 8th, 2007 Sideshow collectibles announce that some of the CIV exclusives WILL be made available to non-attendees as well as internationally. One of the three CIV Sideshow exclusives will be an iconic 12-inch figure, one will be a cool distributed figure, and one will be a unique diorama/environment!

March 5th, 2007 Autograph coupons can be purchased now (so you don't have to wait in line) by going to www.officialpix.com

March 4th, 2007 Jay Laga'aia is added as a new Guest of honor. He'll be introducing and talking on the bigger event stages. It's unknown if he'll sign, but my guess is he'll be signing for a limited time (Just like CIII). Tickets prices are therefore unknown, but my guess is 3 tickets or 35.00 like Carrie and Anthony Daniels. There will be a diorama sculpting exhibit and fans can participate by making an Ewok tree... new artists and an author, as well as Mr. Laga'aia and the diorama sculptor, have been added to the guest list, so check that out!

March 2nd, 2007 There is a third round of people added to the guest list, as well as artist Larry Noble, who will doing a live sculpture at CIV. That should be interesting! They will be showing clops of the next generation of Star Wars projects, including Star Wars 3D. People are dying to grab a look at that. Charlie Ross will be doing the One Man Star Wars Trilogy again.

February 24th, 2007 Well, as you know, the guest list is now larger. Take a look (including some not listed on the official site) on my Guest page. There has been confirmation of the 6th annual fan film awards winner being unveiled here. There was an announcement that free shuttle service from the Hotels to the Convention center will be running for this event, however, if your hotel is outside the area, you may need other services like the metro or a rental car (see links above).

February 12th, 2007 Small update on what types of events will take place at CIV:

interviews and question & answer sessions with stars from all six movies of the saga; interactive events like action figure diorama building and the Stormtrooper Olympics; plus art galleries, shopping, movie tracks. There of course will be a room for Star Wars artists, who will offer spectacular, original lithographs created for Celebration IV, and Fan Club members will be the first to have the option to shop at the Art Show. Scheduled hours are 12 noon to 8:00 PM on Thursday, May 24 for Fan Club members only, and then for all attendees the rest of the weekend. The Star Wars Fan Lounge was a huge success last time and will be repeated, with crew members and celebs walking about periodically, answering fan questions.

February 11th, 2007 this is late; I had it online once but had to recreate due to software issues. If you have any new news to share, please email~ Here's some of the latest information:

Gentle Giant makes new Darth Malek mini-Bust which will be previewed CIV. Click here for entire story

· Coupons will be $10 each. Some celebrities will be one coupon, others two and three.
· Fast path system to return!
· Autograph Program to be held in Halls H&J at the LACC.
· Halls H&J both equal 76,785 sq. ft. So get your walking shoes on.

Date & Times

· Thursday, May 24: Noon-8:00 PM - open to members of Official Star Wars Fan Club.
· Friday, Saturday, & Sunday, May 25-27: 10:00-7:00 PM. Open to all attendees.
· Sunday, May 28: 10:00-4:00 PM. Open to all attendees.

There are times now available for the store and the halls as well as ticket pricing:

Pre-Registration Ticket Prices:

4-Day Adult	$110
4-Day Child*	$45
1-Day Adult	$40
1-Day Child*	$20

*(6-12 years old. Children under 6 are free)

Onsite Purchases:

4-Day Adult	$125
4-Day Child*	$55
1-Day Adult	$45
1-Day Child*	$25

(*6-12 years old. Children under 6 are free)

Tentative Hours:

Thursday, May 24**:	Noon-Midnight
Friday, May 25:	9am-Midnight
Saturday, May 26:	9am-Midnight
Sunday, May 27:	9am-Midnight
Monday, May 28:	9am-4pm

Celebration IV Store Hours:

The Celebration IV Store opens at 10am on Thursday, May 24th and runs 24 hours a day until 2pm Monday, May 28th. Official Star Wars Fan Club members who purchase 4-day badges will have exclusive access to the Celebration Store from 10am on Thursday, May 24th until 9 am Friday, May 25th.

No news on guests but we have heard through the grapevine that many old favorites will be returning and most of the newer signers from sci-fi conventions will be appearing at Celebration Europe (no word yet on the LA event). Cards Inc. is helping to run the event and promises exclusive merchandise.

November 27th, 2005 Celebration Europe will most likely change venues from Earl's Court to ExCel in London. Celebration Europe will take place July 13-17th, 2007 and rumor has it SEVERAL (by several, I am talking large numbers...upwards of a hundred) of NEW signers. We shall see. I hope you all have lots of money! Celebration Europe will be filled with live entertainment, celebrities from all six movies, special film and video presentations, an exhibit of original movie props and costumes, exclusive merchandise, pop culture tributes, interactive events, a costume contest, and much more. The official site for Star Wars Celebration Europe is: www.celebrationeurope.com

August 27, 2006: It's that time again. Celebration IV is in the planning stages. This is what they know so far: Since it's the 30th anniversary, hopefully it'll be a huge event; but since it does not coincide with a movie release, who knows. The dates are: Thursday May 24th, through Monday May 28th, 2007. There are plans for live entertainment (like the Star Wars in 30 Minutes show and lectures; and celebrities from all 6 films will be on hand either hosting or signing autographs. They will play the films as usual and there'll be the standard costume and prop exhibit. As usual, vendors will set up to sell their wares (vintage and contemporary) and there'll be some people dressed in costumes roaming the venue and there'll be a costume contest. The venue has moved. Now, it'll take place at the LA Convention Center, in Los Angeles, CA. There are a couple new ideas this time. First, the first day will only be open for fan club members. My personal experience is that there are more Star Wars Fan Club members attending the event than there are NON members; so don't expect to not have to wait etc. Lines will probably be about the same or just a slight bit less. It won't assure you of anything! Other news suggests more "exclusive" items. Maybe another action figure as well as more busts and other such items. The store, plans to be larger and open 24 hours, so you can obtain your items after the convention ends or before it begins. By the way, Gen Con is hosting it again.