Latest news with #StarWars
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Famous Waterville hotel on the market for €6m
It is one of 14 properties linked to Paddy McKillen Jr, and which was put into receivership by lenders Relm Finance in March this year. Selling agent JLL is guiding €6m for the Waterville hotel which accommodates 36 guestrooms and includes a restaurant and the historic Fisherman's bar. It is located on an impressive 1.3-acre beachfront site, with uninterrupted sea views. Dan O'Connor of JLL says a buyer could avail of a feasibility study which shows the potential to more than double the guestroom stock and also introduce new amenities, including a function room and a pavilion-style restaurant. Located between two world-class golf courses, Hogs Head and Waterville Golf Course, the premises dates back to the late 1800s when it was a hunting lodge. After it became a hotel it hosted renowned film personalities like Walt Disney, Charlie Chaplin and Michael Douglas while Mark Hamill of Star Wars stayed while filming on nearby Skellig Micheal.
Gizmodo
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
‘Star Wars' From Darth Maul's Perspective Sounds Fascinating
When Obi-Wan Kenobi cut Darth Maul in half over 25 years ago, most of us thought that was it. Maul was clearly one of the coolest and most interesting Star Wars characters ever, but George Lucas chose to kill him. However, as fate would have it, the character has now come back time and time again, in large part due to Lucas's protégé Dave Filoni, and soon, we're gonna get way more of him than we ever thought possible. Maul: Shadow Lord, a new animated series, was announced at Star Wars Celebration Japan last month and it'll bring the former Sith Lord back to the forefront in a big, big way. Speaking with fellow Star Wars star Katee Sackhoff, voice of Maul Sam Witwer revealed a few broad clues about what we can expect from the show, including how Maul perceives the plan formulated by his former master, Darth Sidious. 'This is a guy who knew that the Empire was coming, and he was part of that,' Witwer said on The Sackhoff Show. 'He was supposed to be part of the Clone Wars. He was supposed to work with his master, and they were going to bring about the destruction of the Republic and the destruction of his hated enemy, the Jedi Order. He was raised to hate them. He trained his whole life to destroy them. Well, now we have a show where, OK, all of that was done, but Maul, yeah, you killed a bunch of Jedi during the Clone Wars, but you did not work with Sidious. You didn't know the whole plan. And in fact, you got so scared about his plan that you tried to stop it at the last second.' 'Now the Empire's here, which Maul would have known that that was his master's intent,' he continues. 'But now that he's seeing it, he's like, 'Is this what he had in mind? Because this isn't what I thought it would be…' Maul comes from a time of swords and sorcery and magic and knights and now all of that color is being sucked out of the universe by this mechanized empire. And Maul's like, 'Is this right? Is this the universe that we were trying to build?'' That's fascinating, is it not? Seeing the grand plans of Emperor Palpatine through the eyes of someone who worked with him before Darth Vader. Before Count Dooku. Before Grand Moff Tarkin or Grand Admiral Thrawn. Someone who was there at the beginning and is now confused about what he thought the plan was, and what it ended up being. But, as Witwer explains, that's kind of the aim of Maul: Shadow Lord. 'It truly is a show about bad guys versus worse guys,' he said. 'And our bad guys are still bad guys. This isn't going to be a show where you go, oh, you find out Maul is just a real teddy bear, man. He's just misunderstood… But the idea is, in fact, that even though he's a bad guy, is he as bad as Sidious or Vader? And the answer is actually no. From the Sith perspective, this guy has flaws. And these flaws are… the humanity that seeps in at various points. And some of this is humanity he did not have maybe early in Clone Wars. But because of things that happened to him, he's rethought a lot of things.' Rethinking things is part of what is making Maul: Shadow Lord work too. Witwer explained that, as he was working with Filoni on Clone Wars and Rebels, they'd come up with ideas for Maul that they loved, but couldn't fit in the show. Now, all those ideas are coming back. 'There were ideas that I had back in Clone Wars that I would present to Dave, or even in Rebels,' Witwer said. 'And I also know things that Dave wanted to do. And Dave would go, 'We're going to cut this part out of the script that I have that I like so much because this isn't Maul's show.' Or I'd say, 'Dave, what if this happens?' And he goes, 'It's not Maul's show. You can't go into that little level of detail. We're seeing this from Ezra's perspective or Ahsoka's perspective.' And every time he said, 'This isn't Maul's show,' it never occurred to me that Maul could have a show. So I just took those ideas and I'm like, well, I guess we'll never see that. And now he's like, well, it's Maul's show.'' You can watch the full clip below and keep an eye out for Maul: Shadow Lord in 2026.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The CIA Created a Fake STAR WARS Fan Site As Cover for a Spy Network in the 2000s
Spies and spy networks are no strangers to the Star Wars galaxy. Andor was all about that, and we've had references to 'rebel spies' as far back as the original trilogy. But did you know that Star Wars was used as a cover for actual real-world spies by the CIA? We learned via 404 Media that security researcher Ciro Santilli discovered that, back in the mid-to-late-2000s, the CIA created a fake Star Wars fan site. A Star Wars site they secretly used to communicate with informants in other countries. The name of this particular site was If you click on that link now, it takes you directly to the official CIA website. So we'd say his research was accurate. Of course, the site is long gone, but screenshots exist of it. And it is very much a time capsule of that era of the internet. The agents who designed it sure did their Star Wars homework. The screenshot shows a little boy in Jedi robes, with links to several Star Wars websites. Interestingly, many of those sites still exist today. There are some images of animated Clone Wars-era Yoda, which means the CIA was using this fake Star Wars site at least until 2010, not long after the show debuted on Cartoon Network. Here's where things get dark, however. Aside from this one Star Wars site, there were other pop culture and gaming websites used by the CIA in this manner. Eventually, Iranian authorities discovered these sites, and we now know of their link to the killing of several CIA sources in China, circa 2010-2012. Which is about the time that went away. Luckily, thanks to sites like the Wayback Machine, we have evidence of its existence. In Return of the Jedi, Mon Mothma sadly says 'Many Bothans died to bring us this information,' in a reference to her spy network. In reality, it seems many actual spies died using Star Wars as a cover. It's a truly tragic example of 'Art imitates life, life imitates art.'
Gizmodo
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
‘Andor' Star Adria Arjona Talks About the Moment She Knew Bix's Big Secret
That big reveal at the end of Andor led to huge fan speculation regarding Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) and her choice to depart the rebel base in season two of the hit Star Wars series. And now in an interview with Collider, the actress opens up about why Bix left Cassian to his destiny in Rogue One, confirming theories that have abounded after the series finale. 'Yeah, I think she knows,' Arjona said, referring to when Bix became aware of her big secret. 'I think she knows when she's making the [good-bye] letter. The only reason why I'm actually really confirming it is because I heard [Andor creator Tony Gilroy] say 'yes'. I wouldn't have said it otherwise.' So, yes: Bix knew that she was pregnant with Cassian's baby when she left. 'She sees Cassian going the other route. She's like, 'I can't be the reason that he doesn't get to do what he's destined to do,'' she said of her character's inner conflict about whether or not to tell him. 'Especially if she tells him that she's pregnant, Cassian will quit it all. Cassian is willing to give up everything for Bix, and Bix knows that. That's how important Bix is for Cassian. It's a big sacrifice that she makes, a big love sacrifice not only for what's best for Cassian, but also for what's best for the rebellion. She says it: 'I choose rebellion.' But ultimately, she's choosing the future of her family and the future of the galaxy that she's going to raise this child in. It's a big mother instinct that kicks in. I don't know how she would have made that decision otherwise.' Knowing Cassian's importance to the Rebellion is what motivates her to keep it a secret in the hopes that he will return to them when its all over. The transmission to her love is one of the most beautifully powerful moments in the series and heartbreaking at that—since we know where Andor's journey will end. That's something Arjona shared was a challenge to keep out of her head while playing someone who had unwavering hope she would meet him again. 'I had to step away from my love of Rogue One and A New Hope to really be able to play the letter and to be able to play the last shot, because I was a little too connected, and Bix obviously isn't.' And that made Arjona's read of the lines in the letter even more impactful. 'There's a beautiful element of hope in that last scene. She says it in her letter: 'When this is over, when it's all done, we'll meet again, and we'll be fine.' She has never had a doubt that Cassian will be back. There's a lot of hope in that last shot that he'll be back and they'll raise a family. I think that's what's so heartbreaking about it.' It is all the more gut-wrenching and tear-inducing for fans of the characters who have gotten such an important backstory that we're just not ready to let go of yet. It's why the surprise of baby Andor was such a beacon of light and a huge payoff we see that Cassian doesn't. The profound and poignant ending was masterfully pulled off by Gilroy, Arjona elaborated. 'When he told me that the last shot of season two was going to be me holding Cassian's baby, it just blew my mind, because he told me something very similar at the beginning of season one. He was like, 'Don't worry, it's all going to pay off.'' 'That's something that a lot of creatives promise to get the cast that they desire, but never actually follow through on, and Tony actually followed through and gave me a lot of very pivotal moments in this season, and then gave me the end.' The coda truly adds a satisfying layer to Andor's sacrifice by focusing on Bix and the baby seeing the sunrise he won't live to see. And as massive Arjona fans, we can't help but hope Bix's story isn't over yet.
Evening Standard
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
Harry Potter and the curse of fame: why I'm scared for the fresh batch of child stars like Arabella Stanton
Fandoms have also become increasingly powerful — and toxic. Adult fans have a lot of disposable income to spend on cinema tickets (which are expensive these days), merchandise, and theme parks. They also don't always behave well on the internet. Look at how Bella Ramsey is currently being treated by fans of The Last of Us video games. Or how the young stars of the Star Wars sequel trilogy were appallingly treated. Daisy Ridley had to quit Instagram over the harassment she faced, much of it sexist, while John Boyega was frequently the target of racial abuse. Fan is a truncation of fanatic, and in the febrile atmosphere of online platforms it doesn't take much to spark a torrent of hate at a public figure.
