Mandalorian Plots and a Geologist of Mars!

I hope the few out there enjoyed my Conan rant. And now some geek news.

First up MTV's Moviesblog has posted a clip from this Friday's episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, entitled "The Mandalore Plot." As you can tell from the picture some familiar looking characters are showing up and ready to get in the action. (For the non geeky, the Mandalorian Supercommandos were a race of warriors who fought the Jedi, at least according to the novelization of The Empire Strikes Back.) You can check out the clip and a familiar voice here-http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/01/25/exclusive-mandalorian-plottings-with-count-dooku-in-a-clip-from-this-fridays-star-wars-the-clone-wars/

Next up are two pieces related to John Carter of Mars that might interest the Barsoomian faithful since Disney's rampant paranoia has made news on the current shooting nil. First up is an interview with Dr. Alasdair Bruce, a geologist who along with his wife Kim has been hired to help make sure that Barsoom looks good. Little real news is revealed except for shooting in a rock quarry and that most of Barsoom will be achieved with CGI. You can read more with Dr. Bruce here-http://www.yourthanet.co.uk/kent-news/Rock-Doc-lends-helping-hand-on-Disney-blockbuster--newsinkent32136.aspx?news=local. And finally some fans have expressed concern that Avatar's success will overshadow John Carter or make audiences feel they've seen this before. I09 has posted their thoughts on this http://io9.com/5456045/avatars-dark-knight-victory-a-good-or-bad-sign-for-john-carter-of-mars and they are hopeful if only because of the belief that Andrew Stanton can right better dialogue than James Cameron. But is it really dialogue when its Ben Burtt making noises? Inquiring minds want to know.