Hatsune Miku, Iron Man and Star Wars. Say -- what?!

Remember when you were told (if you're an SF fan, that is, and talking to somebody who likes to pooh-pooh SF and tell you everything is 1000 yeas in the future) that holograms were never going to happen because they have no foundation in real science?

Well, just now and again the SF fan gets the last laugh. And I'm chortling in large amounts of glee. And I haven't even opened the Father O'Leary's yet.

This here is something called Hatsune Miku. She (it?) is an anime pop star. It's a hologram that performs with a live band. Onstage. Live, in front of a live audience that's looking at the performance from every angle. So there's no way to fake it -- and why would you want to? Charlatanism is not what this is abut. It's just about a band on tour, and they animated their icon.

Now, anime isn't my thing -- and for somebody who grew up on Marineboy and Gigantor the Space Age Robot I say that with all due fervor and a couple of shudders. To me, the fascination of the Histune Miku hologram isn't any interest in the ainme popstar. But ... golly, that could be a hologram of ... anything. Anyone.

It could be the computer interfaces you saw in IRON MAN! What I see in this tale of Hatsune Miku is that the SF fans get the last laugh. Holographs work, and they work now, not in 1000 years.

And I think R2D2's horizontal hold might have been on the fritz:

...because out holographs look a lot better than the ones they were predicting in 1977!

LEIA: Help me, Obiwan Kenobi, you're my only hope!

OBIWAN: Damnit, the quality on this is crap. Can't you adjust it?

LUKE: I dunno. Let me have a go. (Kneels beside Artoo and starts fiddling)

R2D2: Beep! Squaaaaaw! Weeeedle ... wooosh ...awwwwwh.

LUKE: Does that look any better? I can't see it from here.

OBIWAN: Try adjusting the vertical hold.

LUKE: Okay, gimme a second here...

LEIA: I said, help me, Obiwan Kenobi, dadblast it, you're my only hope!"

LUKE: What's she talking about?

OBIWAN: She said something about some secret plans. I wasn't listening, I was trying to figure out why the playback's such crap. Any joy with the vertical hold?

R2D2: SQUAAAAAK! Weeble-beeble tooleoodleoodle ... (Subtitled into English: "Forget the goddamned playback quality and listen to the message, you brainless apes!")

See what I mean?! There's one in the eye for the guys who like to pooh-pooh SF

Ewan McGregor: Happy Birthday 2009!

Is it really possible that Ewan McGregor is 38 years old today?! Good lord ... AG takes a moment out and looks at the calendar ... is it. Woah. Where does time go?

Seems like only yesterday we were watching the new Obiwan Kenobi. And Brassed Off! -- which has to be my favorite of Ewan McGregor's movies, and that's saying a lot, because he's made some great ones.

Here's a bit of trivia for you: he's short sighted. Like yours truly! You might recall the serious eyeglasses you saw in The Long Way Round ... no joke. Those are the real deal. (He's also one of those guys who looks just as dishy with the spectacles on. Like Johnny Depp, for a start.)

So -- Happy Birthday, Man! Many more of 'em!

And now, shut up and paste in the eye candy, AG. I hear you growling, so ...

Twits, nuisances, lawbreakers: where does Twitter draw the line?!

Good gods, who'd be a celebrity? Look at what you're up against these days:

For four months, 19,637 people followed Ewan McGregor’s every move via the microblogging service. Or at least they thought they did. But come on people –Moulin Rouge 2?
While there are many fake celebrity accounts on Twitter, including those purporting to be Tina Fey and Hank Paulson, most are obviously bogus.

Ewan McGregor’s tweets, by contrast, seemed realistic, although there were signs that made some suspicious, including a post expressing a desire to make a Moulin Rouge sequel – something no real actor would contemplate.

The authenticity of the fake Ewan McGregor started to bug the real actor, who yesterday told The Guardian his people had requested that Twitter take down the posts.
Twitter said it would investigate but did not immediately relent.

Here's the story: Twitter takes down fake Ewan McGregor account

I mean, jeepers creepers, you can be Ewan McGregor -- THE Ewan, superstar and all-around great guy, and some BOOBY can do this to you, and Twitter in its infinite wisdom responds to your agent bvy saying they'll investigate.

Say what?!! Can we say, "Get that gibberish off your internet page before you get sued for your shirt?!"

Same sort of twaddle happened to David Tennant, too (oddly enough, I was just talking about this yesterday).

It's actually come to the point where any Tom, Dick or Mary could open a Twitter account, go out there and pretend to be -- oh, HM Queen, President Obama, the Pope, and Twitter would somewhat reluctantly INVESTIGATE when they're TOLD to remove the bogus twaddle!!

Is it just me, or is this getting past a joke? Like I said, who'd be a celebrity? Sheesh.

Ewan McGregor gives George Lucas a cardiac arrest

Ewan MacGregor ... in black leather and eye makeup ... with several sheets in the wind, looking outrageously good, while being as high as a kite and having a great time...?! Obiwan Kenobi appears to be on undercover assignment here. Anakin has no idea what the Jedi Knights get up to when they go undercover. There was the time Obiwan went undercover as am exotic dancer in a night club on the wrong side of Mos Eisley -- And I'm just going to shut up now (before I get myself into trouble) and put on the video! Enjoy...



...and you thought I was kidding, right?! Play it again, Sam.