Star Wars

Lizzo and Jack Black's cameos in the latest episode of "The Mandalorian" is a casting choice 'Star Wars' icon Billy Dee Williams can get behind -- and he gives us his thoughts as to why the team picked them for the series.

ICYMI, spoilers -- Lizzo and Jack can be found in Episode 6 of the Disney+ series' third season ... appearing in a scene as the queen and king of Plazir-15. And, of course, people went nuts.

Billy tells us he's backing the choice wholeheartedly -- pointing out how franchises are always coming up with new ways to grab a younger audience.

He sees it as good business and understands what the crew was thinking with Lizzo and Jack, even if die-hard fans of the series are the ones marking it as a dumb move.

It's debatable, but some online think the two just aren't believable in the 'Star Wars' universe ... because of how recognizable they are. The franchise has had a slew of cameos in the past, but some fans seem to have had enough -- looks like Billy sure hasn't.

BTW -- Christopher Lloyd also popped up in the same episode, but people weren't as concerned with an unscheduled visit from Doc.

Jon Stewart is the guy everyone wants to hear from these days ... what he thinks of the Donald Trump indictment, how it will affect the country and the 2024 presidential election, yada yada yada -- or in this case ... Yoda Yoda Yoda.

Stewart made a surprise appearance on his old stomping grounds, "The Daily Show" ... coming hours after Trump's arrest, you'd think he and guest host Roy Wood Jr. were going to dig into the case -- but Jon's wardrobe stole the show.

He came out dressed as Obi-Wan Kenobi, the wise Jedi master of all things 'Daily Show' ... sent to give Roy some guidance. Well, at least, that was the setup for the bit.

One hilarious moment came as Jon reminded Roy he once hosted the show ... to which Roy replied, "The Daily Show" had a white host? Why are you dressed like Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

Now, you knew Trump had to eventually come up, and he did, but it wasn't about his arrest. You just gotta see it, but it involved Jon -- in his Obi-Wan robe -- and Trump playing the role of Vader.

They went back and forth about who was playing which "Star Wars" character ... and THEN Stewart finally attempted to make a point about the Trump indictment.

It didn't go smoothly, but it was funny as hell.

Kim Kardashian knows just how to market her super successful swimwear line ... by making herself the star attraction.

Kim was spotted on the shores of Malibu last week in a bright pink bikini and surrounded by a team of what we can only assume are photogs, creative directors and her beauty squad. You can see Kim got right into it, even getting down to take some shots on the sand.

Of course, it's been relatively chilly in Los Angeles as of late, so there was also someone there to cover Kim up with a robe to keep her warm when the camera wasn't in use.

We don't know for sure, but it appears the shoot had something to do with Kim's SKIMS swim line.

Kim's gotten super creative with the marketing for the popular line lately, even channeling a galaxy far far away for an alien-themed shoot as of late.

Prized 'Star Wars' memorabilia that belonged to Peter Mayhew, the actor who famously played Chewbacca, is about to go up for auction ... and unrightfully so, according to the late actor's wife.

Angie Mayhew tells TMZ ... she's very upset an auction house in the UK is selling a ton of Pete's possessions from his 'Star Wars' days, including scripts, call sheets, signed photos and more.

The collection was given to Ryedale Auctioneers by a couple who moved into Peter's old home in northern England and found the items in the attic.

The couple didn't know the memorabilia once belonged to Peter, so they unwittingly gave it all up.

Angie tells us when they were moving out of the home, Peter attempted to snag his mementos from the attic, but couldn't get inside due to serious knee issues ... and he didn't want Angie to risk injury going up there herself.

She says Peter scooped up as many items within arm's reach as he could, but had to leave the rest.

Angie says leaving the memorabilia was one of her and Peter's "biggest disappointments" in life.

On Tuesday, Peter's wife saw the items were up for auction, and immediately got honchos at the Peter Mayhew Foundation to contact the auction house. Angie says she plans to speak with the auction house Thursday.

You'll recall, the iconic 'Star Wars' actor died back in 2019. Angie is hoping to reclaim the items and put them on display in the family's "Chewy" museum in Texas.

Han Solo believed there's nothin' quite like a good blaster at your side, and 'Star Wars' fans seem to agree -- that's why Harrison Ford's actual prop from the original film fetched just over a mil at auction!!!

The Rock Island Auction Company held an event for collector firearms over the weekend ... they've sold great finds before like John Wayne's weapon from "True Grit" and Alexander Hamilton's pistols, but come on -- there's nothing quite like this.

The DL-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol snagged $1,057,500 at auction -- but that chunk of change is nothing to a die-hard fan of the galaxy far, far away.

FYI ... it was estimated to go for $300K-500K -- almost as big of a jump as one to hyperspace.

The blaster's the same one used on-screen by the reckless smuggler himself in "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" ... and is the last surviving example of the three models that were made for the movie.

The piece was originally a Mauser that George Lucas' team converted to a non-firing weapon for blanks only ... sorry, no womp rat shooting with this thing.

Ewan McGregor seems to be having a little friendly competition with Mark Ruffalo about which Disney universe is better -- this after The Hulk took a shot at 'Star Wars.'

The 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' star recently responded to a pretty simple question ... would you ever join the MCU??? As Comicbook notes, EMG doesn't sound all that interested -- suggesting he's content with what he's going on under Lucasfilm and co.

McGregor says, "I don't know that I want to do that. Because I love doing all different kinds of work. It's true. I love to direct. I'd like to be in the theater again. I definitely want to do this again, you know, I'm in this 'Star Wars' world. I feel like I don't need another ... I'm not looking for that anyway." He hedged, though, adding he wouldn't rule it out completely.

He also had this to say ... "That's the beautiful thing about how passionate Disney, Lucasfilm, all of us are, who are involved with it is from the beginning is we try really hard not to let anything of the bad just to protect your experience of seeing it for the first time." So in other words, 'Star Wars' is far from drab and bland ... as Ruffalo recently indicated.

You might've heard the guy hurling stones at his fellow Disney franchise across the park, saying that with 'SW' content ... you're really getting the same stuff every time. In Marvel projects, however, he says those will give you a fresh take -- even within the MCU itself.

Yeah ... it definitely seems there's a bit of rivalry going on between the two Disney IPs, and now -- McGregor seems to be distancing himself even more amid Mark's dig.

BTW, this apparent petty feud might date back even further than MR's latest salvo. Earlier in the Spring, when Ewan and Hayden Christensen were promoting 'Obi-Wan,' they both let it be known that they consider the 'Star Wars' universe better than MCU, along with its fans.

Ewan McGregor is pulling out his lightsaber to defend one of his costars, Moses Ingram, who's been subjected to yet another round of racist attacks from a gross group of fans.

The actor, who plays Obi-Wan Kenobi, posted a video through the official 'Star Wars' social media account, in which he strongly denounced all the hate that MI has gotten the past few weeks -- this as the franchise's new Disney+ rolls out on the streaming service.

Check out EMG's message to those who've sent vile DMs to Moses -- a Black woman who recently shared some of the comments, a few of which invoked the N-word among other racist statements and threats ... including the ominous line, "Your days are numbered."

Ewan explains Moses is a brilliant actor and brings so much to the new 'Obi-Wan' series as Reva Sevander -- one of Darth Vader's key henchmen. She's a new character to the franchise, BTW

He says it succinctly ... as the lead actor/EP on the show, he's firmly in Moses' corner, as is the rest of the 'Star Wars' team. Ewan adds that anyone bullying her is no fan in his mind.

This isn't the first time an actor of color has fallen in the crosshairs of racist 'Star Wars' fanatics. Kelly Marie Tran experienced something similar when she was cast in the new trilogy ... and the harassment got so bad, she had to deactivate her social media for a while.

The president of all things 'Star Wars' pissed off diehard fans when she said they were pivoting away from old characters and storylines -- but one of the OGs himself isn't trippin'!

We got Billy Dee Williams -- who famously played Lando Calrissian in the initial trilogy back in the '70s -- out in L.A. this week ... and we asked about all this hubbub in the 'Star Wars' universe after Lucasfilm honcho Kathleen Kennedy made some controversial remarks.

ICYMI ... Kennedy said they were packing up all the Skywalker stuff and moving it to the shed, as they look forward to new plots and heroes. She also said they were never going to cast new actors as original fan faves in the wake of 'Solo' ... a prequel/origin story of sorts.

That was taken as a shot at the actors who portrayed Harrison Ford's beloved character, as well as Billy Dee's ... but if you watch our interview with him here, you can tell the dude isn't stressing nearly as much as some of the fanboys are.

Far from it ... in fact, BDW seems to be siding with Kennedy about the notion of moving to bigger and better things -- wisely pointing out that nothing lasts forever, even in a galaxy far, far away.

An unopened VHS copy of 'Star Wars: Episode IV' is getting some love on the auction block -- it's expected to fetch $60K!!!

Goldin Auctions is hosting an online auction featuring a ton of vintage VHS tapes, and the star of the show is from a galaxy far, far away.

The copy of 'Star Wars: A New Hope' is a first edition VHS tape ... and includes a "Gray Tape-Head," a "First Edition Stereo Only" red label, a "1984 Sleeve," and "First Edition CBS/Fox Watermarks" ... all it needs is a lightsaber to go with it!

The tape has lots of history ... when it was originally sold, it was the first time someone could watch the film at home, making it legendary among collectors and movie buffs. It first sold at auction for $57,600.

They're also offering up a sealed copy of the "Star Wars 10-Year Anniversary Original Trilogy Set in Trilogy Case" ... which should go for somewhere between $10k and $20k.

Aaron Rodgers just took a lightsaber to the gut ... 'cause Luke Skywalker himself is shaking his head at the NFL QB for rockin' "Star Wars" gear during his most recent controversial COVID talk.

Mark Hamill -- who played the famous Jedi in the iconic movie series -- just sent out the roast of the Packers star on social media ... doggin' the signal-caller for his wardrobe choice on "The Pat McAfee Show" this week.

"Of all the sweatshirts he could have worn," Hamill said of Rodgers' 'The Rise Of Skywalker' hoodie, "he had to take full responsibility in THAT one?"

Hamill added a weary-face emoji for emphasis -- clearly showing he doesn't approve of Rodgers' personal stance on the jab and the way he's gone about expressing it publicly.

Rodgers apologized for misleading people when saying he was "immunized" ... but also said he was standing by his previous comments against getting vaxxed.

Of course, the dig has got to hurt Rodgers -- 'cause the 37-year-old is a HUGE "Star Wars" nerd.

He's dressed up on more than one occasion in "Star Wars" garb ... even famously wearing an Obi-Wan Kenobi 'fit with his ex-GF Olivia Munn for a premiere of 'The Force Awakens' in 2015.

In fact, Rodgers even shouted out the Ewoks while he was guest-hosting "Jeopardy!" this past year ... and he was spotted geeking out at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge with Shailene Woodley in Florida in April.

Canadian actor Hayden Christensen was in his early 20s when he took on the role of the lightsaber-swinging Jedi, Anakin Skywalker -- who trains under the apprenticeship of Obi-Wan Kenobi and fathers twins with Padme Amidala before going to the dark side and becoming Darth Vader  -- in the 2002 sci-fi film "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" and the 2005 follow-up "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith."

The movie masterpieces were packed with big stars including Ewan McGregor as the young version of the level-headed Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Samuel L. Jackson as the Jedi Councilman with a purple lightsaber, Mace Windu ... and of course Natalie Portman as the Naboo queen and baby mama, Padme Amidala.

Hayden has been making headlines with the announcement of his return to the franchise in 2022.

People sure do love them some Mark Hamill -- even if it just means the guy's name getting mentioned ... by either him or anyone else, which is turning into a viral game of sorts.

The "Star Wars" vet is trending right now ... and it's all because he name-dropped himself in response to a Twitter user suggesting (or daring?) that he could garner well over a thousand "likes" on the platform by merely writing "Mark Hamill." That's how much he's adored.

Welp, he caught wind of her theory ... and decided to put it to the test, which ended up in staggering results -- not to mention others getting in on the fun as well.

Dude quote-tweeted this chick and did exactly what she said ... writing simply, "Mark Hamill." As of right now ... that same tweet is on its way to 100k likes, and over 4k retweets!!!

Sure enough, the Internet took notice ... and wanted to try it out themselves -- almost like a Candyman thing, where if you say his name ... Twitter likes will appear. Some are finding success -- like George Takei, who did the same and has racked up over 4k likes.

Ditto for actor Ken Olin ... who openly wondered if the rule would apply to any Schmo who tried this -- and yes ... his "Mark Hamill" tweet is also taking off, with well over 3k likes.

Of course, normies (AKA, non-blue checkmarks) are having a harder time getting the "like" love on their own timeline ... which just goes to show, a little Twitter notoriety goes a long way. Followers help too ... but it seems this "challenge" is reserved for the bird app elite.

As for the OG poster for this trend ... she's basking in the Hamill glory, especially since he digs her "Star Wars" memes and mega-fandom. He's even commenting on her other tweets.

There's a massive estate in Houston that just hit the market ... and it's out of this world 'cause it's dubbed the Darth Vader house.

The 4-bedroom, 5 bathroom house has 7,040 square feet of living space, which is awesome, but it's the unique front structure that stands out ... thanks to its near-spitting image of the onyx helmet donned by the most famous 'Star Wars' villain.

The house -- yours for a cool $4.3 million -- was built by a surgeon back in the early '90s and "modeled after the mask of Darth Vader."

The home is super sleek ... with laser blue backlighting throughout that may have some people thinking they're inside The Devastator.

The contemporary masterpiece is planted in the prestigious West University neighborhood ... and it's truly fit for a king supervillain, despite a row of skylights near the top of the structure that glistens with natural light.

Got toys? There's space in the 4-car garage too.

Felix Silla, who famously played the mysterious and hairy Cousin Itt on "The Addams Family," is dead after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Felix died Friday afternoon in Las Vegas ... according to Gil Gerard, Felix's co-star on the old NBC series "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century."

Gil says he's sad to see his friend lose his cancer battle, but says he's glad Felix is no longer suffering.

Although we never saw his face on the show ... Felix was extremely well known for playing the mumbling Cousin Itt on the 1960s sitcom. For the young 'uns... he dressed in sunglasses, a bowler hat and a hairpiece covering his entire body. The audience never understood what he was saying, but members of the Addams Family did.

Silla also didn't get any face time as Buck Rogers' robot sidekick Twiki, or as a hang-gliding Ewok in "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi" ... but folks knew him because he stood barely 4 feet tall and weighed about 70 pounds.

Felix did have at least one famous role where he actually showed his mug ... in 1975 he shaved his head to play the villainous Litvak in "The Maltese Falcon" sequel "The Black Bird."

Born and raised in Italy, Felix moved to the United States way back in 1955 and toured around with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, working for several years as a tumbler and trapeze artist before landing in Hollywood in 1962 as a stuntman.

Felix did stunt work on "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," "Batman Returns," and "Poltergeist," among other films ... and also appeared in the OG "Planet of the Apes" and "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom."

Silla was 84, and is survived by his wife of more than 55 years, Sue, and their children, Bonnie and Michael.

The force ain't with Gina Carano anymore ... but Ben Shapiro sure is!

The former 'Mandalorian' star -- who's on the outs with LucasFilm after sharing an offensive post about Jewish people on Instagram -- announced she's signed a new movie deal with Shapiro's conservative media outlet, "The Daily Wire."

"The Daily Wire is helping make one of my dreams -- to develop and produce my own film -- come true," Carano told Deadine.com.

"I cried out and my prayer was answered. I am sending out a direct message of hope to everyone living in fear of cancellation by the totalitarian mob. I have only just begun using my voice which is now freer than ever before, and I hope it inspires others to do the same."

She adds, "They can’t cancel us if we don’t let them."

Carano -- one of the first female stars in MMA -- had a booming career as an actress after leaving the cage ... booking roles in flicks like "Deadpool" and "Fast & Furious 6."

She's most famously known for playing former Rebel shock trooper Cara Dune in the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian" -- but lost the role when her bosses at LucasFilm caught wind of a post comparing her perceived mistreatment of conservatives in the U.S. to the millions of Jews who were slaughtered in the Holocaust.

Shapiro -- who is Jewish -- says his company "could not be more excited to be working with Gina Carano, an incredible talent dumped by Disney and Lucasfilm for offending the authoritarian Hollywood Left."

"We’re eager to bring Gina’s talent to Americans who love her, and we’re just as eager to show Hollywood that if they want to keep cancelling those who think differently, they’ll just be helping us build the Xwing to take down their Death Star."

Gina Carano -- ex-MMA fighter turned "Mandalorian" star -- has seemingly Instagrammed her way out of the 'Star Wars' universe after posting offensive content about Jewish people on social media.

The 38-year-old -- who's previously posted anti-liberal and anti-COVID mask content on social media -- shared a post comparing her perceived mistreatment of conservatives in the U.S. to the millions of Jews who were slaughtered in the Holocaust. Seriously.

"Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors ... even by children. Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views," the post read.

The wildly offensive post breathed new life into the #FireGinaCarano movement (which began in 2020 due to other insensitive posts she had made) ... and ultimately caught the attention of her bosses at Lucasfilm.

"Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future," the company said in a statement.

"Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable."

Carano played former Rebel shock trooper Cara Dune in the Disney+ series -- the latest in a series of high-profile action roles for the actress.

She previously had key roles playing tough-guy characters in "Deadpool" and "Kickboxer: Vengeance."

Before storming Hollywood, Carano fought her way to the top of the women's MMA world -- racking up a 7-0 record before getting smashed by Cris Cyborg in 2009.