Carrie On

Show of hands...
Who wants Death to take a holiday already?
Madre de dios, no sooner do we lose Carrie Fisher then we lose her mother, Debbie Reynolds the very next day?

2016's been a brutal year for celebrities, but I'm not about to do an In Memoriam post here. Leave it to the award shows, which are all running long this next year. What happened to the theory of  3? This year, it seems like they're dying in lots of 30.

The grief we feel over these icons, big and small, has only compounded the pain we've been feeling the entire 12 months...and every year that has led up to it. It make one want to shout:

"When are we going to be able to put something in the win column?"
But we have. Get a little perspective, would ya?
And for crying out loud, which you seem to be doing more often than not, stop being so goddamn over-sensitive? It ain't helping matters.
For example, when Carrie died this last week, Cinnabon posted this tweet that got underwear in a twist all around unsocial media.

The fact that it would have amused Carrie is beside the point.
It's YOUR feelings that matter.
(Portland's Voodoo Doughnuts also offered their salute to Princess Leia)
Then Steve Martin made some innocuous, but still heart-felt tweet of his own.

And people lost their minds all over again.
D.L. Hughley was next with this remark after Debbie kicked.

And Steve was able to get out of the line of fire so that D.L. could get lambasted.
That Twitter is the Devils Playground, people. Maybe there should be a Too Soon filter.
But before you get all crazy for much ado 'bout nuttin', know this.
Carrie Fisher wanted her own obituary to read that she "drowned in moonlight, strangled by her own bra."
Many outlets published it and I'm sure were drug over the coals.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/carrie-fishers-witty-memoir-showed-9524618

I myself used Carrie and William Shatner's feud as fodder for my 2015 murder mystery comedy STAR TRUCK-THE WRATH OF COMIC-CON (since re-titled MURDER-THE FINAL FRONTIER), which premiered with the Mel O'Drama Theater company in Nashville. I called my character Carrie Fishwich (oh, clever boy), described as a boozy, blowsy writer/actress who became a suspect in the murder of Star Truck star Wilson Chadwick. A second company in Colorado had offered to stage a second production this next summer, but that was before Carrie's heart attack. What now? It's up to them, of course. When I completed the first draft of the script, Leonard Nimoy bought the farm and the show went on as promised six months later. Should this continue after the demise of Princess Leia? Sure. Why the hell not? It's a parody. A spoof. A poke in the ribs. It's comedy. She understood it. So should everyone else.

2016 seemed to be a non-stop pummeling from beginning until end. People are understandably very touchy because we're all battered and bruised. Even those who won in 2016 are too sore to complete a victory lap.We lost a lot, including some beloved icons and several favorites right up until the every end. (It's currently 2pm PST...hang on everybody!) But most of what we're feeling is misplaced anger. Put it in the right direction, kids. It hurts everyone when your aim is off. It's called collateral damage.

Take a deep breath, world.

If it means anything, I wish you...and me... a Happy New Year.

And believe it or not, I say this in all sincerity:

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

Star Wars: The Force Wakes Up Again

My birthday movie this year, originally to be THE HATEFUL 8 until it under-performed and was yanked out of the cinemas earlier than expected, was the new STAR WARS, admittedly a reluctant choice even if it was an early choice. My apprehension has been previously noted in an earlier post (DEATH STAR FOR CUTIE), but I opted for this over Oscar hopefuls SPOTLIGHT and THE BIG SHORT because it was indeed my birthday and I felt a need to satisfy my inner geek, 3D and all. (Last time I don those goggles, that's for sure) The result was a pleasant if unspectacular experience. It didn't take long for me to ascertain that THE FORCE AWAKENS was actually a remake of what has come to be known as A NEW HOPE, a title that still makes me throw up a little in my mouth. That's pretty much the J. J. Abrams formula for success, film-wise, that is. He piggy-backs onto the back of proven formulas-STAR WARS, STAR TREK, the Spielbergian SUPER 8-energizes them enough to make up for the lack of originality and goes on to the next,  That's all fine and good for this film since it's exactly what the fans wanted: More of the same. Toss in a ton of callbacks to the first trilogy to make the die-hards weep for their lost youth, stir in new characters that are just makeovers of the old and let's not forget to blow up that Death Star again, people. But don't think it doesn't work because it does,  That is, unless you begin to scrutinize it which any geek worth his pocket protector is going to do, myself included. The new cast is quite good, especially Daisy Ridley as Rey, but if she isn't Luke Skywalker's daughter, I'll eat a bucket of Taun-Taun jerky. John Boyega's Finn comes in a close second though I didn't buy his conversion from storm trooper so much. Oscar Issac's New Age Han Solo was a throwaway and an opportunity missed-the passing of the torch of Han to Poe. Why didn't these two meet? Adam Driver had some swell moments until he got all all angsty and whiny like...oh, it's a family trait. I see. Daddy issues. (yawn) And was Kylo Ren's real name Ben? Holy Yoda. The whole enterprise (Enterprise? You can't say that here!) all smacked of a well-produced, albeit formulaic TV pilot to me. That's not an insult in this day and age. However, nothing really stood out and the lack of any memorable scene rather than fleeting moments seen through rose-colored 3D glasses, make it all fade into the mist after awhile. That's not to say I didn't enjoy seeing some of the old gang and getting a nostalgic lump in the throat a couple of times. But I also watched RETURN TO MAYBERRY back in the day just to see Thelma Lou, Otis and whoever hadn't kicked the bucket by then. I think Yogi Berra (or was it Alec Guiness?) put it best. "Nostalgia ain't what it used to be." Sure, it's great to get the band back together, but it would have been nice to hear a few new tunes. My final verdict on  STAR WARS VII?  I could have waited to watch this episode in a second-run house, just as I had the the prequels. And say what you want about them, but at least ol' George tried something original. Sure, he failed for the most part, but it was always his to do so. These days, that ain't gonna put butts in seats. THE FORCE AWAKENS sure has. All it had to do was appeal to the masses and they came out in droves.  It's all in Disney's hands now, just like everything else. It won't be long for  before they put Mouse ears on Vader, Ewoks in The Avengers and a droid version of FROZEN. Enjoy.

Death Star for Cutie

In case anyone wants to know and I really don't why you wouldn't, the answer to the question on everyone's
lips is:
No, I will not be seeing STAR WARS-THE FORCE AWAKENS.

Well, at least not for awhile. There isn't any film I feel the need to see upon opening. That desire passed a long time ago in a cinema far, far away.
(I thought I'd get that out of the way early. It's apparently required.) Eventually I'll get around to seeing this rebooting of the Jedi saga, but honestly, I have about as much enthusiasm for it as I did for the previous trilogy of prequels known to geeks everywhere as "those things we don't talk about any longer". All three of those messterpieces were viewed within the confines of a second-run discount theater as this new model undoubtedly will. The reason is simple: If it's any good at all, it will last. There is no expiration date, is there?

If I seem indifferent to the whole megillah, then guilty as charged. The time for STAR WARS in my life has passed me by. I would have to say that RETURN OF THE JEDI pretty much sealed the deal for me and it wasn't just the Ewoks. I watched the prequels only because I wanted to be a completist, something else I no longer feel obliged to be  Now I don't begrudge anyone's excitement over SW: TFA and won't piss on their parade. The time has come for a new generation of fans, especially those who have felt cheated in the last couple of decades. Sure, I'll poke fun at the franchise itself and its fans here, there and everywhere. It's what I do. Realize that I understand their reverence for this subject and its ramifications. Whatever fills the ever-increasing void that continues to develop on an almost daily basis, please soak in it. The avalanche of hype leading up to the release of this film has been unprecedented, but all signs point to something that will actually live up to its build-up and that, my nerdy brethren and sistren, is a rare bird indeed.

 Don't think I haven't gotten a few pangs of nostalgia from all this. The trailers have been chock-a-block with memories of what was and could have been, now fulfilled for those who took the first journey and those who about to their trip into hyperspace which is, as we all know, "ain't like dustin' crops, boy." Sure, I've felt it. But I haven't given in to the tractor beam.

I suppose some of my resistance stems from the George Lucas backlash and, as witnessed above, I don't live in a glass house myself. (Who the hell does? It sucks in the summertime.) George has done his reputation much good since the 1980s what with all the re-releasing and re-tinkering of his magnum opus as well his Moe., Larry and Curly origin tales known as Chapter 1, 2 and 3. He changed the game around at his discretion, bringing in story developments like (gasp!) midi-chrlorians to explain away the Force. What? It's not a mystical power that binds all lifeforms together in the galaxy? That's absurd! You might as well say Moses didn't part the Red Sea. Check your facts, sir! Perhaps the greatest crime George Lucas ever committed against geekdom was in his redo of the original movie, the one I still have difficulty calling A NEW HOPE . He made Greedo shoot first and not Han Solo. Revisionist history has destroyed childhood memories around the globe. When this version reached the public it was as if millions of voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. That is, until they all hopped on line and vented their fury toward Lucas as though he was the second coming of Darth Vader himself in chat rooms and forums up and down the internet superhighway. There is a painful documentary called THE PEOPLE VS GEORGE LUCAS  which tore George a new one and never stopped from opening credits to closing. I agree with many of the accusations these fanatics have leveled against him, but they kept piling on to the point of becoming an ugly angry mob, light sabers taking the place of torches in their hands.

Yeah, poor little billionaire George. Suddenly, he's the underdog here? In a manner of speaking, yes, he is. Go ahead. Blame Lucas for messing with the originals, the prequels, Jar Jar Binks, for Yoda's sake. But remember, all would not have been possible at all without him.  STAR WARS is his creation and he had every right to do whatever he wanted to do with it...and he did. He didn't know when to stop.  Finally, he sold his company Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Company which some would say is his greatest crime. But in doing so, he has relinquished the reins to others  and for the first time, new and abundant stories will expand his universe far beyond even his own imagination. He also gave away half the money he received from Disney to charity, making him a candidate for sainthood in my eyes. So when his name appears in the credits, give George Lucas his due. He should be applauded with the same respect that is given his creation. Hallelujah.

Some day, I'll see THE FORCE AWAKENS. Perhaps it will be my birthday movie this next year. I'm sure it'll still be playing by the end of January. For the rest of you, go forth and enjoy your movie. This is your time.

And may the For.... Nope, not gonna say it. But you go ahead.     

Beam Me Up, Scotty

The following revolves around the creation of an interactive murder mystery that has since been re-named MURDER: THE FINAL FRONTIER.

                Space...the very last place...these are the voyages of the Star Truck...Innerthighs...

So begins the latest interactive murder mystery comedy written by someone who needs no introduction, but is near and dear to all of your hearts...and if he isn't, he soon will be because...that's the kind of guy he is.

It's me, damn your eyes! Yes, I'm at it again or at least I was a few months ago when I first wrote this here piece o' work that is debuting this month for Mel O'Drama Theatre in the one and only Nashville, TN. (Even though this is my second time in Music City, it's so mind-blowing that something I wrote is playing in that iconic city)

The show in question is indeed STAR TRUCK; THE WRATH OF COMIC-CON. Set at a sci-fi convention called Imaginacon, a tribute to the classic TV show STAR TRUCK is underway with members of the cast including Leon Portnoy, the actor who is forever known as First Officer Mr. Spark, Jean Roddenreel, widow of the show's creator Dean Roddenreel and of course Captain James Tyrannosaurus Kork himself, the inimitable Wilson Chadwick. Also appearing at the convention is the star of STAR BOARS, Carrie Fishwich and someone who may or may not be an alien.

As you can tell unless you're not paying attention, this is all fodder for jabs at STAR TREK, STAR WARS

and basically all things in the geek universe which, in this day and age, pretty much everything. Of course. I include myself in these ranks, having been a geek since the day I first crawled the earth back...well, none of your damn business.. It is also a gold mine of comedic opportunities that I take as full advantage of as I possibly could given the parameters of the murder mystery format. There are digs are the aforementioned STAR shows as well as DOCTOR WHO, THE WALKING DEAD, LORD OF THE RINGS and so on and so forth. Plus I have concocted some of the very best (or worst) puns I have possibly ever concocted. If you think punning is lowest form of wit, well, you're half right. Which half, I don't know.

The inspiration for STAR TRUCK derives from the underrated classic GALAXY QUEST (1999), which brilliantly mined some of the same tropes, Mad Magazine's classic parody STAR BLECCH (love that title) and, of course, the SNL "Get A Life!" sketch starring William Shatner. The latter is undoubtedly the Genesis Project for the whole enterprise (wow, two references for the price of one!) Not only does it set up what I wanted to accomplish with this script, but it was also a turning point for Shatner himself. This was when he reinvented himself, understanding that he knew he was the butt of many a joke and now he was in on it too. He could make fun of himself and do it better. Oh yeah, he was Captain Kirk but now he became in full caps WILLIAM SHATNER and he never left. Therefore the victim of my murder mystery just had to be the William Shatner character. It was like MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. Who killed Richard Widmark? Everybody! That's the spirit I wanted to convey. Who wants to kill Wislon Chadwick? Everybody! Hopefully, not the audience too.

The icing on this cupcake was that when I wrote in Shatner's voice, in his cadence and his goofy sensibilities, I had as much fun as I ever had creating a character. I love this guy and sure hope that it shows. I had some struggles concerning the passing of Leonard Nimoy that I wrote about earlier this year. (See blog post:  HIGHLY ILLOGICAL) Some of the other characters proved a bit more difficult to put together, but fortunately not Dewey Osgood, the host of Imaginacon who turns out to be the hero of the piece. I based Dewey on comedian Patton Oswalt, a kindred spirit and King of All Geeks. Patton's recent book SILVER SCREEN FIEND is a fantastic movie memoir, not unlike my own IN THE DARK but light years beyond in both style and substance. Carrie Fisher who has had a long gestating and ridiculous feud with William Shatner is obviously the model for Carrie Fishwich. Majel Barrett is Gene Roddenberry's widow, but I based her character on the role she played as Deanna Troi's mother on STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. And I paid homage to Portland home-girl Katee Sackhoff's BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA Starbuck persona for Nirvana Nightengale.

Thanks to producer Melanie Roady of Mel O'Drama Theater for giving me another shot after last year's PERILS OF FRANCOIS. Recently Mel accepted the position of Executive Producer of the theater at Events on 3rd in Nashville. Good on her.  And a big shout-out to director Andy Johnson who played Pierre Perrier in FRANCOIS and another fellow geek, a perfect fit for this show. Finally to a cast that I'll not only never meet but never see perform my work in front of a (hopefully) live audience, I can only say in the grand tradition of theater...break a leg.

For myself, I'll hoist a toast on opening night from across the country. Here's to another original script under my belt. This is also the fourth production of one of my plays this year, one more than 2014. I would have had five, but the theater that had scheduled the show met with some very hard times, a result of the recent flooding in South Carolina. I wish them and everyone back there the very best.

It's been two years since I was first contacted by the Great American Melodrama to have one of my scripts performed which has led to this sudden resurgence as a playwright. It appears that the third act of my life I've been searching for is one that I'm writing myself. Imagine that.

So beam me up, Scotty. Oh, wait. That's me.


MURDER: THE FINAL FRONTIER IS NOW AVAILABLE AT OFF THE WALL PLAYS

Performance rights are available!

For info about my other scripts or even if you just want to send me a mash note (look it up, young 'un),
please e-mail me at: writenbysc@gmail.com

Full of Sith

(If you haven't seen Revenge of the Sith yet, be forewarned that this is chock full o' spoilers.If you don't care one way or the other, what are you doing here anyway? Go read Rosie O'Donnell's blog. Maybe there's a sequel to Riding the Bus with My Sister in the works.)

So the Star Wars saga is now complete. Revenge of the Sith, the third and final piece of the big jigsaw puzzle has been set into place, connecting the entire series together.

And the verdict is...

IT DOESN'T SUCK!

Everybody fanboy in the world has been tripping over themselves so that may grovel at the feet of George "Don't call me Toad" Lucas for not screwing this one up too.

"Shank you, Mishter Lucash! Shank you! You've given us all a reashon to live again! We have all been sho disshapointed in the lasht few yearsh. Shtar Trek let ush down....The Matrixsh shequelsh shucked...sho did The Lord of the Ringsh... Oh wait, that didn't shuck. But that was fantashy! Thish ish schinche fichtion! What you have done, George...can I call you George?... Mishter Lucash. Yesshir... What you have done with Shtar Warsh-Chapter Three-Revenge of the Shith is bring it all together and sheamlishly connect it with Shtar Warsh-Chapter Four: A New Hope. That'sh what you given ush...A New Hope. Shank you again for lowering our shtandardsh sho much with the last two moviesh than when you've made a half-way dechent attempt thish time around, it looksh like a freakin' mashterpiece in comparishon! Shank you, Mishter Lucash! Oh, shank you...and may the Forche be with you!"

Look, kiddies, don't be so goddamn grateful to Darth Lucas. Sith had to be good. He owed it to you. He owed it to me. He's owed it anyone who has ever given two figs about Star Wars at all. What he did was make up for lost time and that is the twenty years that passed since Return of the Jedi. It's no secret to anyone that The Phantom Menace was not only atrocious, but a slap right across the pimply face of every fan out there. He himself has admitted that the first two prequels only had about 20% story in each. The rest was all padding...and that padding was out and out pimping of merchandising-toy, games and other piles of future landfill. Over the years one truth has emerged from all of Lucas' raping and pillaging of the young and the young at heart...

George Lucas is NOT a Jedi. He went over to the Dark Side a long time ago in a Bay Area far, far away... Okay. Fine. That's overstating it (No! Really?) He's just such a goddamn disappointment to me.

My anger at Darth Lucas is not directed at the film, which I'll get into later. This all stems from the May 20 interview with Lucas in Entertainment Weekly that preceded the release of the film. I held onto it until after I saw Sith since EW should really be called Spoiler Weekly and I'd rather see the movie first. (I know, I said I have spoilers in this thing too but how much money did you pay to read this? Spoilers in the media equals bad journalism, so there) I guess what infuriates me about Lucas is his total lack of passion for his own creation and how he spits in the face of anyone who cares more he does. He had to "add Hamburger Helper" to fill out the first two movies. This all stems from his "aversion to wordsmithing". Fine. You hate writing so much then why didn't you get some help, Toad? One of the reasons The Empire Strikes Back is generally acknowledged to be the best of the bunch because the screenplay was written by legendary screenwriter Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, no slouch himself. You remember him? He co-wrote Return of the Jedi with you. What's the matter, couldn't afford him? Maybe someone could have helped with some of the more embarrassing moments in the new film too. (Let me also give credit to both Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand who directed the second and third installments as well)
I guess what really just rankles my Bantha is that George was one of the great hopes of my generation. He was a rebel that broke ranks with Hollywood years ago and was going to right the wrongs of a system that was spinning into the dark morass. In days past he championed the future of film with his creation of Industrial Light and Magic and THX soun. He even helped fund some interesting side projects, like co-producing Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha and Paul Schrader's Mishima. Unfortunately, he became part of the very problem himself. Projects were announced and dropped like so much litter so as the story of The Tuskegee Airmen that was eventually made by HBO without Lucas. Movies became less important than the products themselves. He became more of a toymaker than a filmmaker. By setting himself up as king of his own empire, Lucas has found absolute power...and you what they say about that, don't you?

As far as Revenge of the Sith goes, I have to say that I liked it for the most part. It is actually the only one of the prequels I would see again, but that's not to say it's not without its problems.
I will say that is is a good movie...not great. It falls into fourth place behind Jedi, with Empire being number one followed by the first. (NOT CHAPTER 4! I REFUSE TO PLAY THAT GAME!) However, I will say it is the only one in the series that actually engaged me emotionally in a couple of instances, so on that level, it damn near succeeded. I didn't really get into it until about half way through the picture. The first hour reminded me of Clones, technically adept but flat, clumsy and uninvolving. The whole rescue of Palpatine had a been there, done that feeling. More should have been made of the death of Count Dooku, especially how he was killed.
AND ANOTHER THING...
Christopher Lee is one of my boyhood idols and one of the greatest genre actors of all time...Couldn't you give him a more dignified name than Count fucking DOO-KU?
But Lucas gets points for giving Mr. Lee his due in this last movie and not cutting him out like Peter Jackson did in Return of the King. Advantage, Lucas. In your face, Hobbit boy!
Oh, but you lose those points anytime Padame refers to the future Lord Vader as "Annie".

The PG-13 rating seemed to liberate Lucas quite a bit, knowing that if he was going to tell this story right, he'd have to delve deeper into darker territories and eliminate a lot of baggage. Gone thankfully are many of the cutesy elements that have plagued the series since the days of the dreaded Ewoks (though there was still too much R2-D2 for my taste).
More should have been made as well when Anakin kills the kids. That should have been the pivotal moment. He killed children, for Chrissakes. Lucas treated it as though he shot the cat. This horrible act, certain proof that Skywalker had crossed over to the Dark Side, was so glossed over that it seems that Lucas was embarrassed by it all. Maybe he felt it might appear he was taking it out on the younger audience. If Uncle George was so uncomfortable with it, he shouldn't have included it. The final duel on the volcano planet is quite something to behold, concluding with Annakin’s loss of limbs and sizzling on the ground like fajita night at Chili’s. (Except for the fight on the tiny platform in the lava flow which looked like a gag from a Zucker Brothers movie when adversaries in a gunfight shoot at each other from both sides of a small table) This and the final metamorphosis of burn victim into the Dark Lord was worth the price of admission, except for the big "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

A couple of elements I feel lacking:

Maybe, since Anakin killed all those kids, he should have made some reference to his own unborn children and perhaps threatened their existence somehow. Hey, I’m just throwing it out there.

It’s quite telling that all of the breakout characters from the last three films have been the Dark Side (General Grievous and Darth Maul, even the Emperor himself). Everyone of the “good guys” (with the exception of Yoda, better than in the last film, but he is not a new character) are dull as dishwater. No wonder Annakin wanted to cross over. Ewan MacGregor is decent enough as Obi-Wan but I have problems with him. I've wanted to punch his face since Moulin Rouge. Lucas really missed the boat not evening the field with someone along the lines of Han Solo, without being just another “rascal”. Mace Windu could have been that character, kind of a cooler version of a Jedi Master. Who’s cooler than Samuel L. Jackson? This is not to say he should played like Jedi Superfly with a switchblade light saber. He just could have been at the very least a little less stoic and maybe just a little more swashbuckling. Perhaps if he were a little less bland, his eventual death would have meant more than it did.

All this is probably making this space opera more complex than it really should be. Remember the simplicity of the original? Sometimes George went too far and was unable to go far enough to make it wholly satisfactory.

I did like the small touches here and there of things to come, especially the Peter Cushing look-alike toward the end and the too short of a trip to the Wookie planet. Having Chewbacca as a general was a bit gratuitous. I would have bought it more if he was a foot soldier. How did he go from military brass to second banana to a bandit? Did he hit the skids? Maybe Chewie was hitting the pipe. I’m so glad Lucas resisted any urge to have a little smart-ass punk stealing some fruit from a vendor who’d yell “Han Solo! You bring that back!”

Hayden Christensen perhaps he realized "This was it" and had better up his game if he was to make this movie work at all. Those of us that were afraid he would become Darth Whiner can be suitably relieved. Maybe he knew that if he botched it, he'd be victimized the rest of his life by legions of geeks, nerds and fanboys from every corner of the universe. If you can accept the premise that this is the guy who will be Vader, you can see Christensen is at long last credible in the role.

By the end, I found myself actually engaged emotionally a couple of times, something that has never occurred in the other five movies. Through all my cynical veneer toward this whole enterprise, I was into it to the final scene.

As a whole, I can say I walked away satisfied that it's all over now, though I know better after all this time. It ain't over cuz Geoge doesn't know when to leave it the hell alone. He'll release the entire she-bang in 3-D as he's announced but he'll still mess with them. Some day Alec Guinness will be doing backflips and jumping around the room like everybody else. Jabba will probably be on the Atkins diet and we'll see a slimmer version of the Hutin order to promote a healthier lifestyle. Just for fun, Padame could get some breast augmentation. There'll be the TV shows and the novelizations of course and one day, mark my words, there will be another movie. I don't begrudge him controlling his universe however he wants. I just wish he'd quit rewriting history and just move on...and NOT to another Indiana Jones movie. LEAVE THAT ALONE TOO! (That is unless you want to make a geriatric Jones picture since Harrison is aging rapidly even as we speak.)

The thing is, Lucas has regained some goodwill he's lost in the last decade with this what should be the grand finale. He's said that he wants to make a small picture like he did back in college. Maybe he can be a little more like Martin Scorsese, one of his peers and do something about film preservation or help give some filmmakers a boost that really need it in this day and age. We'll just have to see what he does.

To quote another source, George:
With great power comes great responsibility.
Don't fuck it up again.
Oh, and may the Force...well, you know.