Not in Anaheim? Star Wars Celebration LIVE Available on YouTube

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

May 27, 2022

 

If you weren’t one of the lucky ones who snapped up a seat at the Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California, you may still be able to be part of the fandom by tuning in to the Star Wars Celebration LIVE! complete livestream of Day 1 from Star Wars Celebration Anaheim.  The stream includes many of the interviews and panels from the day, interspersed with visits from creators of Star Wars merch, and a look at some new releases. 

Additional streams from the four-day gathering (May 26-29, 2022, at the Anaheim Convention Center) will also be coming, and for your convenience, some of the more popular interviews have been broken down and posted into smaller, several minute long segments by the good folks at the Star Wars website. You can also watch live on the StarWars.com homepage  or YouTube.com/StarWars beginning at 12 p.m. PT each day.

 

While you might be thinking that the stream (and the event itself) is a bit of a nerd-fest, and a five-hour-long promo for all things Disney+ (yeah, it is that, too), viewers will still walk away feeling like they found out more about their favorite shows than they previously knew. And though there are true “fanboy” and “fangirl” moments to the day, the interviewers still manage to bring a fair amount of interesting discussion to the celebrity moments. 

 

In particular, I’ve long been an admirer of Dave Filoni, and enjoyed his take on creating his corner of the Star Wars world. Without a doubt, Ian McDiarmid gives one of the most note-worthy and amusing interviews of the day in his “An Audience With The Emperor” segment, fascinating not only from a fan point of view, but for those whose interests lie in the process of film creation and in film history. 

 

The day’s stream also offered moments with some of the merch and gaming creators, with a nod to what they created and why, and what new products they thought would “wow” audiences. 

 

Day #1 of  Star Wars Celebration LIVE! featured stage time with such luminaries of the Star Wars universe as Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and Kathleen Kennedy; as well as fan favorite actors including Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan, The Mandalorian), Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka Tano, Star Wars Rebels), and Ian McDiarmid (Emperor Palpatine).  

 

With the hype building for the release of the limited series, six episode Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series the following day (today, May 27), the room went crazy for the interview with Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen (Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, but if you are reading this article, I’m pretty sure you already knew that!).  If you want to see their comments before tuning in to the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series tonight, their segment is at about the 4:04:10 mark. 

 

Also putting in appearances in the interview chairs were Jon Kasdan (among other things, Executive Producer and writer of Willow – coming to Disney+ November 30), Joanne Whalley (Sorsha, Willow), Warwick Davis (Willow Ufgood, Willow); Ruby Cruz (Kit, Willow), Ellie Bamber (Dove,Willow) and Erin Kellyman (Jade, Willow); Rupert Friend and Moses Ingram (Grand Inquisitor and Reva from Obi-Wan Kenobi); Deborah Chow (director, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Mandalorian); Taylor Gray (Ezra, Star Wars Rebels); Sanne Wohlenberg (Executive Producer, Star Wars: Andor – coming to Disney+ August 31); Diego Luna (Executive producer and Cassian Andor, Star Wars: Andor, and Star Wars: Rogue One); and Genevieve O'Reilly (Mon Mothma, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Rogue One, and Star Wars: Andor).  

 

The Star Wars: The High Republic panel was also part of the day’s livestream coverage, offering a large group of panelists in an hour-plus long, wide-ranging discussion of behind-the-scenes storylines and decision-making.

 

Streaming continues for the additional days of the celebration, and you can catch a few of the sneak peek trailers for upcoming series on the livestream as well.

 

To quote Hayden Christensen’s interview, “This is where the fun begins!”

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

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OK with the Disney+ Price Hike?

 by Ray Keating

News/Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

March 29, 2021

 

On Friday, March 26, the monthly subscription price for Disney+ went from $6.99 to $7.99, which also meant that the bundle price for Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu increased from $12.99 to $13.99 per month.

 

By the way, the most popular subscription level for Netflix increased by $1 to $13.99 per month in October of last year.

 

So, what’s heading to Disney+ to help people feel better about paying $12 more a year for the service?

Courtesy of Disney+

Well, Disney announced today that its Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series, starring Ewan McGregor as the Jedi Master, will start shooting in April. It takes place a decade after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. In addition to McGregor, the cast includes Hayden Christensen returning as Darth Vader, along with Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell and Benny Safdie.

 

Also, new episodes of the popular Marvel series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which premiered on March 19, will arrive each Friday in April, running to the finale on April 23. That will be followed by Assembled: The Making of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier on April 30.

 

Also, installments of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, a 10-episode season, will continue to be released on Fridays in April and into May.

 

And a new series, Big Shot, starring John Stamos, will tip off on April 16. The series features Stamos as Coach Korn, a hothead coach who lost his NCAA men’s basketball coaching job, and has to take a position as coach at an all-girls high school. (Can anyone say some kind of spin on Hoosiers – which, if you’re going to go that route, would be mighty shoes to fill given that Hoosiers ranks as one of the all-time great sports movies? John Stamos is likeable, but he’s no Gene Hackman.)

 

A good deal more comes to Disney+ in April, but these clearly are the big highlights. Of course, much more has been announced for Disney+ over the coming months – including the Marvel Loki series, starring Tom Hiddleston, arriving on Disney+ on June 11 – and even years. So, it seems pretty clear that especially fans of Marvel and Star Wars will not have much of a problem forking over the extra buck a month.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the  Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

Keating has two new books out. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13ththriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com. 

 

You also can order his book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York  from Amazon or signed books  at RayKeatingOnline.com. His other recent nonfiction book is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know. 

 

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