lifestyle SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2015 George Lucas to Colbert: Why aren’t you replacing Stewart?

tephen Colbert came to the Tribeca Film New Star Wars big screen,” he said. “If you want to see it on a cell- Festival to interview filmmaker George Lucas, “We had no idea what it was going to be,” he phone, that’s fine with me, but it won’t be the full Sbut the “Star Wars” creator had a question of said. And then the music began, and the movie’s experience.” Lucas spoke about the history of his his own. “The perfect choice to replace that Jon opening scroll appeared and everything was differ- biggest hits, starting with the 1973 “American Stewart fellow would have been you,” Lucas told ent. “We couldn’t explain to anyone how the world Graffiti.” Studio executives didn’t like “Graffiti” at all Colbert on Friday. Why, he wanted to know, wasn’t was different now,” Colbert told Lucas. “We had no at first, he said, and it ended up being enormously he replacing him? Colbert, who replaces David vocabulary for what you showed us.” He says he still successful: It was made for $700,000, he noted, and Letterman in September as host of “The Late Show” keeps a button from that screening, saying, “May earned $100 million. on CBS, tried to explain. the Force Be With You.” The two men didn’t speak With “Star Wars,” there were similar trepida- “Trevor Noah is a very funny guy,” he said of much about the much-anticipated new “Star Wars” tions. Showing it to a group of famous filmmaker Stewart’s recently named replacement. Moreover, trilogy, directed by JJ Abrams, with the first install- friends, no one liked it and basically said, “Poor he said, “I don’t want to be the guy to take over ment, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” opening in George,” he recounted - except Steven Spielberg, from Jon Stewart. I worked for Jon Stewart at that December. who immediately declared it was going to be show, and my memories will always be of him Lucas, who sold the franchise and his Lucasfilm huge. “And everyone just said, ‘Poor Steven,’” being the keenest, most intelligent, most beautiful- to Disney in 2012 for $4.05 billion, said he doesn’t Lucas quipped. When it opened in 1977, the ly deconstructive mind. ... And I would never, how- know what the film’s plot will be but looks forward director went off to Hawaii to lie on a beach, ever successful I’d be, get out of his shadow.” Lucas to seeing it. “The one thing I regret about having wanting to escape the stress. That first weekend, then suggested that Colbert wouldn’t need to get made ‘Star Wars’ is that I never got to just go and he got a call to turn on the TV; Walter Cronkite out from Stewart’s shadow; he could simply “start see it,” he said. “I hope it’s successful,” he said. “I was on, describing how the film had become a jumping on his body and shouting, ‘I won! I won!’” hope they do a great job.” He added that the origi- phenomenon. “It’s the first time I understood this “I’ll try that,” Colbert quipped. nal saga was about a father, children and grand- was going to be a hit,” Lucas said. —AP The hour-long interview focused mostly on children. “I’m hoping they take it in a different Lucas, however, and Colbert, sporting an ample direction,” he said. “I have no idea what they’re white beard to match that of Lucas and appearing doing.” George Lucas and Stephen as himself, not as his retired “Colbert Report” pun- Lucas said one thing is sure: He’ll wait to see the Colbert attend the Tribeca dit, made clear that he’s a huge fan. At age 13, he movie on a big screen. Asked by Colbert how he Talks: Director Series during said, his world changed when he saw the first “Star feels about people watching movies on their the Tribeca Film Festival at Wars” with friends, having won four tickets in a phones, he said it didn’t anger him as much as it the BMCC Tribeca Performing radio station contest in Charleston, South Carolina. does some other filmmakers. “They work best on a Arts Center. — AP Robin Williams stars postmortem in documentary ‘3 Still Standing’ Why Jerry Seinfeld is wrong about efore the late Robin Williams Williams provides a poignant focal point YouTube being a ‘Garbage Can’ enthralled television audiences on for “3 Still Standing,” which has toured US B“Mork and Mindy,” he already was a film festivals and is being shown this erry Seinfeld is a very smart and funny guy. But the 60-year-old Meanwhile, despite Seinfeld’s trash-talking, he’s savvy enough to star on the 1970s stand-up comedy circuit - month at Toronto’s Hot Docs, North comic obviously is not familiar with what appeals to younger know top YouTubers draw some very large audiences. One of his and by the ‘80s was a leading light for a America’s largest documentary festival. His Jaudiences. Seinfeld, at Sony’s Crackle upfront Tuesday in New guests in season 5 of “Comedians in Cars” was YouTube star Miranda new stand-up generation. The political 2013 interview for the documentary repre- York, majorly dissed YouTube. When asked about the place for user- Sings, the awkward character created by comedian and singer satirist Will Durst recalls how he once had sents one of Williams’ final appearances on generated content in the digital-media landscape, he responded, Colleen Ballinger, who has 3.8 million subscribers and has generated the unenviable task of following Williams at screen. “The less the better”-and added: “We have a giant garbage can 437 million video views to date. Content from digital-first studio the Holy City Zoo comedy club in San called YouTube for user-generated content.” He appeared at the Defy, distributed on YouTube and other platforms, include Smosh- Francisco, a venue with a star-studded his- Influenced by Williams Gotham event to promote “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” his the comedy team who are starring in “Smosh: The Movie”, slated for tory that is being explored in a new docu- The documentary follows the stand-up original series which will return to Crackle for a sixth season June 4 release this summer-as well as Screen Junkies (proprietors of mentary, “3 Still Standing.” careers of Durst, Larry “Bubbles” Brown and with guests including Stephen Colbert, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bill “Honest Trailers”); Movie Fights; Made Man (whose shows include Johnny Steele, who are credited with help- Maher, Steve Harvey, Jim Carrey and Trevor Noah (newly named “Speakeasy” and “Gentleman Up”); Break (“Prank It Forward”); and ing to launch a comedy revolution in San host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show”). entertainment and pop-culture brand Clevver. Francisco in the 1980s alongside Dana But Jerry’s trashing of YouTube-clearly, aimed at positioning At the Sony event, Seinfeld boasted that “Comedians in Cars Carvey, Rob Schneider and Paula Crackle as in a different league in front of Madison Avenue buyers-is Getting Coffee” last month crested 100 million views to date. That’s Poundstone. All were awed and influenced misinformed. All major Hollywood studios and broadcast and cable great. But Defy Media, for one, says it reaches about 150 million by Williams. “There’s a story Dana Carvey TV networks use YouTube in one way or another. Major draws on the viewers per month between its YouTube and mobile apps. Other tells,” Robert Campos, the producer of the Google-owned service include clips from Ellen DeGeneres, Jimmy digital-centric media properties like Disney’s Maker Studios, documentary, told The Associated Press. Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon and dozens of other media outlets. YouTube Fullscreen and AwesomenessTV are in the same ballpark (or bigger) “He was at an open mic watching these also is a significant driver of movie trailers and TV previews. — indeed, the Maker multichannel network has north of 11 billion comedians up on stage and he thinks, ‘Oh I In addition, there’s a huge swath of original material that’s not monthly views. “I’m a huge Seinfeld fan, but he’s out of touch with can do that.’ And then some guy goes up even on TV-and, arguably, is better than Jerry’s original TV show. youth,” said Richman. — Reuters and blows the roof off the stage and Dana “There’s this misconception that YouTube is UGC,” said Defy Media thinks, ‘Oh, I can’t do that’ - and it’s Robin president Keith Richman in an interview. “We produce stuff that is Williams.” way better than the first season of ‘Seinfeld.’ The first season looked “You can go to any tiny comedy club in like crap... It’s practically unwatchable.” the country and there’s a picture of Robin with the owner arm in arm,” Campos said. “He just really loved to perform. It’s like Jerry Seinfeld and Jon Stewart say: Once you’re a stand-up, you’re a stand-up. There’s something pure about that form.” Durst puts it another way: “It’s like malaria. It’s in your bloodstream.” Campos and his wife and co-producer Donna LoCicero said they felt compelled to make the documentary because they were huge fans of the ‘80s San Francisco comedy scene. Campos said when they told Williams about their project focusing on Durst, Brown and Steele, he Robin Williams said, “I love these guys, let’s do it!” Williams, who had battled depression and Parkinson’s disease, hanged himself on “There were 15, 20 people in the club Aug 11, 2014, at age 63. This year’s theme before (Williams) came on stage. He came at the Hot Docs festival is comedy. The on and word went up and down the opening night film, “Tig,” is a profile of streets. There were a bunch of nearby bars stand-up comedian Tig Notaro made in the and everybody left them and wandered wake of her discovery that she had breast A screenshot from over to the Zoo. The place was packed, all cancer. — AP the ‘Honest Trailers’ the way out to the hall, onto the sidewalk. series, a massively People were trying to peer in, just to watch popular web series him. And I had to follow him. When I hit the on Youtube from stage, it was like a massive movement out, content creators like the great exodus,” Durst said, laughing. ‘Screen Junkies’. “That was quite a baptism.” ‘Furious 7’ crosses $1bn at worldwide box office niversal’s “Furious 7” will cross $1 billion at the Breaking records worldwide box office Friday, becoming the studio’s Universal said “Furious 7” chalked up the record for second- Ufirst film to reach that milestone. “Furious 7” has biggest worldwide opening weekend at $397.2 million behind grossed $735.2 million overseas in 17 days and $273.7 mil- only “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.” It was the lion in North America after 15 days-making it the fastest studio’s highest-grossing domestic launch at $147.2 million movie to reach $1 billion. “The Avengers,” “Avatar” and and international opening at $250 million. “Furious 7” also set “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” had all records as the highest opening weekend in 29 territories and crossed $1 billion in 19 days. Universal said the seven films has become Universal’s highest-grossing film in 26 territories. in the franchise have totaled $3.392 billion in worldwide Its $63.5 million opening day in China set a record, demolish- grosses. ing the previous record of $36 million for “Transformers 4.” “Furious 7” is directed by James Wan and stars Vin Ron Meyer, vice chairman of studio parent NBCUniversal, Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, sent out a congratulatory note to the staff. “At Universal we Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Jason Statham and have had franchises with strong results at the box office, Ludacris. It is the 20th film to take in $1 billion, with including ‘Jurassic Park,’ ‘Despicable Me’ and the ‘Bourne’ series, “Avatar” leading the list at $2.79 billion, followed by and although we take great pride in these accomplishments, “Titanic” at $2.19 billion. Paramount’s “Transformers: Age of what distinguishes ‘Fast and Furious’ is that it is an original live Extinction” had been most recent addition to the list last action concept with an entirely diverse cast,” Meyer noted. “It is year with a $1.09 billion worldwide gross, which leaves it in the only franchise of its kind to reach a total of more than $3.39 10th place. billion and counting.” Meyer also noted the unique circum- “We’re incredibly proud to watch ‘Fast & Furious’ stances created by star Paul Walker’s death in late 2013. take its place as the only original live-action franchise to “When our friend and colleague Paul Walker tragically reach these kinds of results at the box office,” said Nick passed away in the middle of production, our team, led by Jeff Carpou, U’s head of domestic distribution. “Our cast, film- Shell and Donna Langley, and the filmmakers, along with the makers and all of our Universal and ‘Fast’ family deserve cast and crew, did what they do best: They focused on family credit for working so hard to make ‘Furious 7’ a huge suc- first; then talked to the fans; then got to work on making a cess and we look forward to continuing to watch the film great film that we can all be proud of,” he said. “We were all sad- grow over the next few weeks.” “What started as a small dened and honored to be a part of Paul’s final career perform- film about the street racing sub-culture of East Los Angeles ance and to celebrate his defining role in our lives.” — Reuters has become a global phenomenon, with ‘Furious 7’ shatter- ing records in so many territories around the globe,” said Vin Diesel arrives at the premiere of ‘Furious 7’ at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on April 1, 2015, in Los Angeles. — AP Duncan Clark, president of international distribution.