New Extended Trailer for Star Wars: Rebels

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TK-421, what is your origin story? The public must know!

Lucasfilm and Disney XD released a new 2:27 trailer for their forthcoming animated series Star Wars: Rebels today. Presumably this is part of their ramp up to the San Diego Comic-Con where I'm sure a great deal of information on the series will be released. 

The series still appears to be aimed for a younger audience, and looks to be much lighter in tone than the Clone Wars series (especially the later sixth Netflix-exclusive season, which was particularly dark but absolutely fantastic). This trailer emphasizes the fun and adventure while stressing that we'll be seeing things through the young eyes of Ezra, who is pulled into the Rebellion Joseph Campbell-style. There's lots of great imagery and luckily, this trailer doesn't have any difficulty evoking that classic Star Wars feel, which was one of the biggest complains about the prequel trilogy.

Star Wars: Rebels premieres on Disney XD (which means if you're like me and on Dish Network, you'll be watching in glorious standard definition... gross) this October.

Girl Meets World S1E2 - "Girl Meets Boy" Review

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Pay no attention to the near college-aged kid on the far left… it's not quite illegal. Yet. (Courtesy eonline.com)

I've had a lot of reservations about the new Girl Meets World, a sequel that of the 1990s ABC TGIF show that picks up with former kids Corey and Topanga dealing with now being parents themselves. Especially after an overly saccharine Disney Channel TV spot confirmed fears that the show was going to be more of the same from Disney Channel and not exactly a harkening back to the glory days that ABC ruled the airwaves on Friday nights.

Admittedly, part of the resentment might stem from the realization of my own sheer mortality. Yes, it's a bit strange to see the characters who were elementary school aged kids at the same time that you were now as the teacher/parent roles on a spin-off of the same series. But I was also worried that the toothpaste commercial "hey, buy a bunch of songs off this Disney Channel Radio Pop Star's Album" show invading series creators' Michael Jacobs and April Kelly real vision was in store.

This weekend, I caught the first two episodes back to back and the pilot had me worried. All of my fears seemed to be realized, it was the same over-saturated hyper-real Disney Channel fodder that makes me never want to have kids. When my wife walked in during the closing moments of the show, she asked my thoughts (she had watched the episode previously on one of her days off) and I mentioned that it just felt strange. Something was just off. And where was Mr. Feeny? Granted, William Daniels who has been my hero since he quipped back and forth with David Hasselhoff is nearing 90 years old… yeah… let that sink in for a minute or two. But it seemed strange not having him there to get things kicked off on the right foot. Sure enough, he pops up for a brief fleeting moment at the end of the episode during one of the stranger sequences of the pilot. For that reason going into the second episode, I had zero expectations for the show other than for it to be white noise while I did other things on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

The second episode "Girl Meets Boy" had me intrigued, at least at first. Centering around the students' reliance on cell phones, the premise was something right out of TGIF. Changes and tweaks were made from the pilot going into the second episode, for example Maya (played by Sabrina Carpenter)'s overly sexual and incredibly creepy and off-putting make-up was toned down, thankfully. And overall, the second episode felt less stilted and more like a classic throwback to the 90s than the pilot did.

A funny, but a little alarming comedic moment comes when the kids enter a library and aren't quite sure what to do with a stack of books. I get that digital technology has replaced research and reading in 90% of applications, but I'm hoping that kids haven't completely become inept in a library. A legitimate Amblin-era giggle was elicited from me when an elderly librarian shushed the kids and their reaction was an in-unison "DAH!?!?!"

But the biggest reaction that I had to the series' second episode was just how creepy it is that the show has chosen to cast a male "romantic" lead who is three or four years older than everyone around him. Lucas (played by Peyton Meyer) may have the One Direction boy band charm that every male Disney Channel star is required to exude. But when he's standing next to anyone else in his classroom, it's a little on the side of creepy. The episode focuses on a budding relationship with he and Corey/Topanga's daughter Riley played by Rowan Blanchard, who is 12 years old both behind and on camera. But standing next to the driving aged Peyton Meyer, you get a really gross feeling as the two of them eyeball each other akin to when one of your friends suddenly sparks an interest to your younger sister.

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"The guy looks like a date rapist! Is that my jacket?" - If Brodie Bruce was in Girl Meets World.

I'm not completely oblivious to the production process, I know that it's preferable to cast old to look young. But that's the problem. This guy was cast to be the dreamy-eyed, bed haired love interest but he looks old enough to be babysitting all the kids. Especially given how young and precocious Riley has been cast to be, you just want to reach through the screen and protect her.

Other observations: the little brother Auggie, played by August Maturo steals the show. Farkle, played by Corey Fogelmanis) has potential to be the new Steve Urkel in terms of how quickly his "charm" will get old and he starts to overstay his welcome. 

But bottom line, while overall the show still oozes Disney Channel it does have those glimpses of the Touchstone Television/ABC-era which is what I had hoped it would have. It's too bad that major audiences are too cynical now and a show like this can't fly on national networks so that the Disney Channel qualities of the show could be toned down immensely. But if the show runners are able to wade the Disney Channel waters and really hone this show into what it can and should be, it might actually be a fun watch for families with as much entertainment value as its predecessor.

ABC Renews Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Picks Up Agent Carter

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The Cast of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s freshman season sees the really big door behind them open up to a second season. (Courtesy ABC)

According to the official Marvel site, and confirmed by show runners, cast and crew via Twitter, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been renewed for a second season. Along side the show is the oft-discussed but never confirmed Agent Carter series, which has been ordered straight to a season order (skipping the formality of filming a pilot and running through the trials that many shows often have to endure).

Obviously this is great news for Marvel fans and fans of great genre television as it means not one but two more shows to look forward to this fall revolving around the extraordinary. For those that might have fallen off the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. train early in the season, I would really encourage you to go back and give it another try, especially in this post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier arc that the show is currently exploring.

For more information including casting as well as how many episodes to expect and when, I would expect ABC's upfronts presentation to reveal (at least some) answers. Stay tuned!

The Greatest of All-Time

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The man who proclaimed himself the greatest, Muhammad Ali. (Archival)

Are we currently living in the greatest period of all-time? Here's guest writer Tony Garcia with more:

In this day and age we tend to overrate things. I think as a society there is a want or need for the feeling that this era that we're living in holds some kind of importance in the history of time. It doesn't have to be anything major either. I'm mostly referring to social things like music, movies, athletes, etc. If you scour Al Gore's internet long enough, you'll come across digital arguments debating 'The Greatest of All-Time', or GOAT as the kids are calling it these days.

Who can forget Kanye West's tirade aimed at Taylor Swift over a music video being one the greatest of all-time? Kanye has probably never seen a Spike Jonze or Michel Gondry music video. Beastie Boys- Sabotage, Foo Fighters- Everlong, Kylie Minogue- Come Into My World, White Stripes- Fell In Love With A Girl... Hey Kanye, go watch those four music videos and tell me how good Beyonce's video was again. 

Turn on ESPN, especially this time of year, and watch several prognosticators argue the LeBron James and Michael Jordan debate. That one is personal for me. I grew up in Chicago and watched the Bulls dominate the 90's. There isn't another Michael Jordan. We need to close the case on that debate. The closest thing we've seen to Jordan is Kobe, but even he has a long way to go and he's not going to get there because of his age and diminishing play. 

There are areas where we may actually be currently residing in the greatest of all-time. For example, I think television is just insane with talented people right now. Whether it's producing, writing, acting or contributing source material, I think we are currently in the golden age of television. TV has never been as good as it is now. Three of my personal favorite shows ever have been produced in the last handful of years. Those shows are Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and True Detective. I've said it already on Twitter and Facebook but Game of Thrones has to automatically be considered a top 5 show because of its seamless integration of boobs, midgets, zombies and beheadings. I've never seen anything like it.  

When I was first getting into the film industry (which was about 10 years ago), life in general was nothing close to where we're at as a society now. Technology is kicking ass right now and there's no end in sight. Hell, 15 years ago cell phones weren't even an every day item. 15 years seems like eons on the technological calendar. About 3 weeks ago my phone was broken for a 24 hour period and I felt completely lost without it. I didn't know what to do with myself, which is quite sad. 

I woke up with the idea the write this article because I wanted to throw another log on the flame of the GOAT fire. I wanted to be "that guy" that made another set-in-stone premature proclamation and contribute yet another silly argument that the current state of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is the greatest we've seen…of all time. But unlike many people with a forum to write on, I'm going to pump the brakes and let it play out like it is meant to be. I've talked myself out of writing the article I was intending to write. It's just too soon. 

If I can say one thing about the Stanley Cup Playoffs right now, it is this… If you aren't watching it yet, turn it on. We may be witnessing history. SO FAR we are in the middle of the greatest of all time zone. Like your friend that told you to turn on Game of Thrones and "watch just one or two episodes", fully knowing that you were going to be hooked 15 minutes into episode 1, I'm being that guy right now with hockey. Like Nike, Just Do It.