Star Wars artist Ralph McQuarrie has died aged 82

Ralph McQuarrie, the legendary concept artist best known for his work on Star Wars, has died aged 82, we are sad to report.In a world where it's often the director, screenwriter or star who gets the most recognition for the success of a movie, it's a testament to McQuarrie's considerable talent and influence that his is a name familiar to many.McQuarrie's art helped George Lucas to envision some of the most memorable characters in the Star Wars universe, including Darth Vader, R2-D2, C-3PO, Chewbacca and the Stormtroopers, and he made a cameo appearance in The Empire Strikes Back (which earned him his own action figure).He began his career working as a technical illustrator for Boeing, as well as designing film posters and working in animation.McQuarrie also contributed designs to Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and E.T., and he won an Oscar for his special effects work on Cocoon.George Lucas said in a statement: "His genial contribution, in the form of unequalled production paintings, propelled and inspired all of the cast and crew of the original Star Wars trilogy."When words could not convey my ideas, I could always point to one of Ralph's fabulous illustrations and say, 'do it like this'."

Will Ferrell Describes the Roots of Casa p mi Padre, His The the spanish language language Telenovela Comedy

Will Ferrell movies typically be made clear as Will Ferrell just like a and you also get it. Will Ferrell just like a reporter? Thats funny. Will Ferrell just like a Dale earnhardt junior . driver? Also funny. And May Ferrell just like a The the spanish language language cleaning cleaning soap opera action hero? Casa p mi Padre can be a The the spanish language language language film starring Ferrell just like a ranchers boy who visits war with drug retailers to guard his brothers and sisters girl (Genesis Rodriguez). Where, exactly, did he develop this idea? Within the films press junket today, Ferrell mentioned hed had this idea for five to seven years. The muse struck him, consequently ideas do, within a couple:00 a.m. funnel surfing session. Im probably like many people, initiating the television staring at the channels at two every morning and landing around the telenovela going, What's this? Are they all so crazy? This can be amazing, Ferrell mentioned. Thats my connection with them. Id always had this idea of thats this kind of elevated, funny world that it may be really funny to find out myself because world. I believed God, youve never observed a u . s . states comic in the language film and possess them purchase it with techniques thats credible. I believed thats something in the event you could do it, that could be a geniune movie. The Tv dramas that pop on Univision or Telemundo in the united states proceed and take drama pretty seriously. You'll be able to tell Ferrell thinks its funny by all the intentional mistakes (continuity errors, visible boom mics, stuffed animatronic animals and mannequin stand-inches) deliberately put in Casa p mi Padre, that's put together by Andrew Steele and directed by Matt Piedmont, both alumni of Saturday Evening Live and Funny or Die. It technically is really no homage to telenovelas, Ferrell mentioned. Telenovela is kind of the broad description with this nonetheless its an homage compared to that, its an homage for the Mexican spaghetti western. Its an homage to bad moviemaking, continuity mistakes. Its an homage to overacting. Its an homage to stuffed wildlife. As we started writing the script and speaking about how precisely we'd shoot the film, we'd it had been an authentic opportunity to adjust lot of different elements. The script by Steele was created in British, your dialogue changed into The the spanish language language. Ferrell only talks en espanol merely a u . s . states character provides a few lines of British. Clearly, now Ferrell only recalls the naughty words. Chingado is a useful one, he mentioned. I like that word. Chinga this, chinga that. Thats an excellent word, but thats generally used. Chinga might be the F word. Ferrell got inside the language barrier on his first day's filming. For reasons uknown the schedule worked out to where I literally had as being a two page monologue within the the spanish language language on day one. Once I got the initial couple takes under my belt, and that i saw watching people behind the monitors going, His The the spanish language language is alright. It is not bad. I Rapidly thought oh, okay. Im can make everything within this. Had I maintained while using The the spanish language language, Id do well at this time around. However didnt. I really could make my means by a resort. Within the Four Seasons in Mexico Id probably be okay. Fulfilling his imagine starring in the The the spanish language language language melodrama, Ferrell was proud to take advantage of his box office clout to acquire an crazy film made. This ranks on the internet for one of the things Ive arrived at do which you'll want to just be so lucky being able to take risks similar to this. Casa p mi Padre opens March 16. Watch a clip here. Follow Fred Topel on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

VIDEO: Senate Candidate and His 5-Year-Old Son Sit for Bizarre Interview with Fox News

Brian Austin Green is getting Happy Endings. The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum will appear in the season finale as a guest at the wedding of Penny's gay best friend Derrick (Stephen Guarino), TVGuide.com has confirmed. Entertainment Weekly first reported the news. Find out why Happy Endings landed in our Top Moments of the week There's a slight twist on how his character will attend, though... Read More > Other Links From TVGuide.com Beverly Hills, 90210Colin HanksFred SavageMegan MullallyBrian Austin GreenStephen GuarinoHappy EndingsJames Wolk

Special 'Idol' tops Tuesday

Fox's ''American Idol'' easily brought its two hrs in teenagers with Tuesday's special episode. Most competing shows lost demo ground however the CBS ''NCIS'' shows carried out well, and also the night's final hour saw NBC's ''Parenthood'' wrap its season by having an upswing. Based on preliminary national estimations from Nielsen, ''American Idol'' averaged a 5. rating/13 be part of grown ups 18-49 and 15.8 million audiences overall, on componen using its two-hour Wednesday of a week ago. Tuesday's special episode, where the 12 male runners up carried out, did about 80% much better than the net's regular selection of a week ago. From eight to ten p.m., ''American Idol'' beat runner-up CBS by 56% in grown ups 18-49 (5. to three.2) by 37% in grown ups 25-54 (6.three or four.6). At CBS, ''NCIS'' (3.4/9 in 18-49, 18. million audiences overall) was dinged a little by ''Idol'' but drawn to within 3 shares from it in grown ups 25-54 while beating the background music competition as a whole audiences , something it never did once the shows faced one another on Tuesday for quite some time. ''NCIS: Los Angeles'' adopted having a strong performance (3.1/8 in 18-49, 15.7 million audiences overall), bouncing back by 15% from last week's season low to put second overall within the 9 o'clock hour the 2 ''NCIS'' shows combined to conquer ''Idol'' mind-to-mind as a whole audiences for that two-hour block. And also at 10, ''Unforgettable'' (1.9/5 in 18-49, 9.9 million audiences overall) was lower a tad week to week, tying for that hour's 18-49 lead. Opposite tough reality competition, NBC's ''The Greatest Loser'' dropped to season lows (2./5 in 18-49, 5.7 million audiences overall), but ''Parenthood'' (1.9/5 in 18-49, 5.a million audiences overall) had its best demo score since November. 29 using its 18th and final episode of year. The household drama, a powerful artist among trendy audiences along with a substantial gainer in Digital recording device playback, figures to come back for any 4th season within the fall. 4th-place ABC saw ''Last Guy Standing'' (2.1/6 in 18-49, 7.4 million audiences overall), ''Cougar Town'' (1.5/4 in 18-49, 4.3 million audiences overall) and ''The River'' (1.5/4 in 18-49, 4.a million audiences overall) all edge lower to season lows, and ''Body of Proof'' closed the evening having a below-average delivery (1.3/4 in 18-49 CW broadcast a unique repeat of ''Hart of Dixie'' (.3/one in 18-49, .9 million audiences overall) and original ''Ringer'' (.4/one in 18-49, 1.a million audiences overall). Preliminary 18-49 earnings for that evening: Fox, 5./13 CBS, 2.8/7 NBC, 2./5 ABC, 1.6/4 NBC, 1.5/4 CW, .4/1. As a whole audiences: Fox, 15.8 million CBS, 14.5 million ABC, 5.six million NBC, 5.5 million Univision, 3.7 million CW, 1. million. Contact Ron Kissell at ron.kissell@variety.com

Aircraft pilots Gotham & Rebounding Add Stars

British TV and stage actor Craig Sloane (Pleasureland) has arrived a mans lead within the ABC/20th TV drama pilot Gotham. Compiled by Michael Eco-friendly and directed by Francis Lawrence, the project focuses on Annie Travers, a lady cop who, after going after a apparently unsolvable situation, finds out an enchanting world that is available within NY City. Sloane will have Boyo, a detective on the planet of miracle who's designated Annie like a new partner. Matt Johnson (Red-colored Condition) continues to be cast in Foxs single-camera comedy pilot Rebounding. The project, compiled by Joe Port and Joe Wiseman and directed by Jason Winer, is definitely an beneficial comedy about Danny, a guy recuperating in the dying of his fianc with the aid of the idiots on his pickup basketball team. Johnson, repped by Paradigm and manager John Ferrantino, will have a rock music performer who's part of Danny’s quartet of close buddies. He recurs on Breaking Bad and NCIS.

Alan Ball to step lower as 'True Blood' showrunner

BallAlan Ball is putting a stake within the vampire duties. The creator of HBO's "True Blood stream" will probably be walking aside from his showrunning duties once the fantasy skein can get acquired for just about any sixth season, that's most likely considering its ongoing recognition. However, he'll remain as professional producer and become an consultant. The fifth several weeks are now being created and may air later this year. While a successor wasn't named, professional producer Gregg Feinberg presently handles lots of day-to-day responsibilities. Mentioned Ball: "?'True Blood stream remains, and it's still, a highlight of not only my career but my existence. Because of the truly amazing cast, authors, producers and crew, with whom I have been sufficiently fortunate to get work these past five years, I realize I really could have a take a step back as well as the show is constantly on the thrive after i anticipate new and exciting endeavors." Ball is really a longtime staple at Cinemax. Before "True Blood stream," he was the creator and professional producer on funereal drama "Six Foot Under," which went for five seasons (2001-05). He attempted to make a new series this season, but his pilot "All Signs and signs and symptoms of Dying," based on Charlie Huston's novel "The Mystic Arts of Getting rid of All Signs and signs and symptoms of Dying," wasn't greenlit to series with the pay cabler. He restored his multiyear overall deal with Cinemax last This summer time. He's presently concentrating on the Cinemax series "Banshee," that's prone to begin production this spring. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

DWA set to ink Chinese joint venture

BEIJING -- China's vice-president and leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping is expected to unveil a joint venture between DreamWorks Animation and two Chinese state media firms during his two-day visit to Los Angeles. The pact will see DWA, China Media Capital and Shanghai Media Group build a studio facility in Shanghai with the aim of developing film, television and live stage productions for the Chinese market, according to a report in the Financial Times. The deal is part of a effort by Xi to cement relations between China, the world's fastest growing movie market, and Hollywood, during his visit. A big fan of Hollywood movies about World War II, Xi is due to take over as supreme leader of China later this year. Against a backdrop of a flurry of Sino-Hollywood link-ups in recent months, Xi meets Jerry Brown and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Thursday and Friday, after an historic U.S. trip, which also included Washington D.C. and Iowa. There isn't much in the way of detail about what they will be talking about, but there have been talks in the run-up between the U.S. and China about changing the quota system, which restricts the number of foreign movies coming into China every year to 20. Xi is unlikely to remove any of these highly politically sensitive limits during this trip. He could also discuss another major impediment to relations. In 2009, the World Trade Organization ruled against Chinese restrictions on the importation and distribution of films, DVDs, music, books and journals, but little has changed since, much to U.S. annoyance. Xi is no stranger to the entertainment biz -- he was put in charge of ensuring the success of the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 and the general view is that he succeeded with flying colors. Also his wife is one of the most famous warblers in China. Folk singer Peng Liyuan can be seen singing patriotic songs in military uniform on TV galas, and is probably even better known than he is right now. That will all change in October, when he is named General Secretary of the Communist Party, the most powerful position in the land. Currently vice-president, Xi is a more outgoing figure than current leader President Hu Jintao. He is a powerful princeling in the Chinese Communist Party and a canny political operator, and his leadership looks set to try and soften China's image abroad. Taking in a Lakers game during his visit is part of this approach, further evidence of how China is all about "soft power" these days, about spreading the message of its peaceful rise through its burgeoning investments in state media with overseas offices and also in the film biz. Earlier this month, the Beijing government announced that it had set up its first state-backed film fund to enable co-production between China and the U.S. Called China Mainstream Media National Film Capital Hollywood, the fund will have offices in Beijing and Beverly Hills and will be led by former China Film Group prexy Yang Buting. The aim of this fund is to co-finance and co-produce projects that have worldwide box office potential. A flurry of film funds have launched of late eager to tap into China's booming market. B.O. gross swept past $2 billion for the first time last year, and the biz has grown by more than 25% every year since 2003. Culture is a pillar of the Chinese economy -- the Communist Party has designated it as such, and it is looking to the cultural industry, such as the entertainment biz, to help keep the country's 8% growth rates simmering, and to help the country get out of the manufacturing rut that it is currently stuck in. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, added value from China's cultural industry rose 25.8% year-on-year to 1.1 trillion yuan ($172 billion) in 2010. This is a strong rise, but it still only accounts for 2.75% of overall gross domestic product, so there is room for improvement here. The Chinese want U.S. expertise to help boost the biz at home, and they also want a way of exporting Chinese movies abroad as a follow-on step. He is no stranger to America either. He has a daughter at Harvard and he spent time Stateside years ago, in Iowa. With a sense of public relations timing that would warm the heart of any Hollywood publicist, Xi went back to see the family he stayed with as a young cadre back in 1985. Then he was a youthful head of an animal feed delegation. Now is the heir apparent to world's rising superpower. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com