Today, interesting rumors about Episode II were confirmed. After almost 3 weeks of speculation that was easily dismissed as totally impossible, the original rumors about a new cameo were confirmed. N'Sync will appear in Episode II.
As of this writing, Lucasfilm has indeed confirmed that the boy band singers appear in the film in a big extra scene, and that it will last a fleeting moment. There is no official word on them being killed in the film. There is no mention of really much more. Fans have posted a myriad of thoughts and reaction to the confirmation today in the spoiler forum for Lucasfilm to read and it has quickly grown to almost 25 pages. We've even started a new FAN SPEAK which will undoubted grow to be the largest ever.
We quickly polled some of the staff for reaction. Here's their thoughts:
Sebastian: I don't think it's that big a deal if it's not being used as a marketing tool. And even if it is, it's not going to ruin the movie, there's plenty of great stuff to see. It's not worth going and burning collections, as some people have threatened to do. They probably won't be noticible unless you know exactly what to look for. It's not like they're singing.They're fans getting to live out every fan's dream. That being said, if LFL are allowing NSync in for the sole reason that they're fans, how about holding some sort of competition to let other fans in. There are thousands of fans out there who spend hours creating fan art, writing fan fiction, hunting down merchandise, and discussing every little piece of Star Wars lore. Even if only one of those fans got to be in a background shot of Episode III for half a second, it'd be a memory they'd cherish forever. A competition which didn't have any sort of entry requirements; just a love of Star Wars. Maybe fans could send in ticket stubs from AOTC screenings as entries. Just a thought...
Chris: For the most part, I'm glad to see them given this opportunity. They're living out just about every guy's dream of being in a Star Wars movie, for however briefly. I wish them all the best! Hey, the Beatles made it into an episode of "Doctor Who", so why not N'Sync in Episode II? My only real beef is that the Beatles were a group so magnificent, they're beyond classical. No matter how many times can the same Beatles music be packaged, it still sells! And truthfully, it's hard to see N'Sync arriving at that kind of cultural impact. The group is riding the crest now... but will we ever catch ourselves singing their tunes 10 or 20 years from now? As a consequence, this does open up Star Wars to criticism that it's no longer striving for timelessness. I sincerely wish N'Sync good luck in Episode II, but in some ways this is tantamount to digitally inserting New Kids On The Block into "The Wizard Of Oz".
Scott: I, like many of you, was disturbed to hear that 'NSYNC was going to appear in Episode II. I don't have anything against the group, but I don't like the cameos in general. I find them really distracting. In Episode I, we saw Warwick Davis, Ben Burtt, Rick McCallum, Dan Madsen, and even E.T.. Every time one of them appeared in a cameo, it totally pulled me out of the Star Wars Universe. I found myself watching them rather than following what was happening in the scene. Now, every time I watch Episode II, I'm going to know 'NSYNC is lurking in the backround. Also, the fact that they're appearing in the film makes it look like Lucas is selling out (whether he is or he isn't). He alienated (no pun intended) a lot of fans with Jar Jar. He can't afford to alienate more with something like this. On the other hand, they probably won't be visible at all. I wouldn't know those guys on the street if I saw them. I certainly won't recognize them in a battle scene during the film. And if they're Star Wars fans as I've heard they are, it is a cool opportunity for them. I can't begrudge a fan for getting a chance to appear in a Star Wars film even if they are an annoying boy band. If their addition is the biggest complaint about the film, then I can live with that. What does baffle me is why Lucasfilm wouldn't let Decipher have a contest to let a fan be an extra in the film, but they're lining up 'NSYNC without a second thought.
Jeff: If I could call Rick McCallum or George Lucas up on the phone, I would ask to be in Episode II too. If he said yes, I would take anything they gave me, even a Jedi Knight used for target practice. I don't have a problem with anyone getting a small role in the film through contacts if they fit the script. Congrats to NSync for scoring a very cool role.
Joshua: Star Wars loses a lot of credibility with this move. I still am kind of in shock, so my reaction may be in part due to that. Simply put, I do think this is a terrible idea. Oddly enough, despite chronicling the Hidden Images and Cameos of Episode I for TheForce.Net (click here for it) and actively pursuing insiders to confirm this original bizarre N'Sync story (which is why we posted it back in December), I really totally dislike cameos as a general rule. The problem is, they take me out of the universe. Leave me there, let my mind go, I want to be there, not here. Cast unknowns so I don't have much previous baggage. Oh, some of the cameos are very clever and even funny. Jar Jar getting kicked in the nads in Watto's shop is hilarious, and most people don't even know that Rick, Ben and John amongst scores of other familiar faces are in Menace. But I do, and it takes away some of the magic. If I had any say I would remove all cameos, even killing the ETs in the Senate scene of TPM. I would remove N*Sync from Episode II without question, if only to further the myth that is Star Wars. Not because they are a boy band, no, because they take me back to the reality that I have departed from when I see the words "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away." In fact, despite the fact that Mace Windu is an excellent character, I would rather have an angry unknown come fill the role rather than see Shaft/Unbreakable/KangarooHat when I see him. I'm sorry, but this is tacky. It feels wrong. Terribly wrong. Horrible images of New Kids on the Block and Vanilla Ice run through my mind carrying lightsabers. Overreaction? Absolutely, but Episode II has the chance to really take Star Wars forward, and I hate to see it take one back, which I feel this is. Many are already critical and even cynical enough of the franchise, why give them ammunition? Why alienate and abandon the fans of the films?
TheForce.net Editorial Staff
January 3rd, 2002
RECENT EDITORIALS
04/08/03 - Christopher Knight - Oscars Give Short Shrift to Fantasy
03/17/03 - Joshua Griffin - Put the REAL Classics on DVD
01/29/03 - Joshua Griffin - Imagine a Star Wars HALO Videogame
01/14/03 - Michael Potts - Clone Wars: Expanded Universe Editorial
2002
09/03/02 - Joshua Griffin - Digital Pirates Sink Ships
05/17/02 - Chris Knight - Digital Projection: The Audience Is Watching... And Waiting
04/11/02 - TFN Staff - Thumbs Up, Tumbs Down for SW2 Marketing
03/08/02 - TFN Staff - Clone War Trailer Reaction
01/13/02 - TFN Staff - TFN Reaction to SNL N'Sync Skit
01/03/02 - TFN Staff - Boy Band Jedi Reactions
2001
12/12/01 - Chris Knight - Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
12/07/01 - Jeff Yankey - All I Want for Christmas
11/17/01 - Guest Editorial - Ritual and Romance of Episode II
10/04/01 - Guest Editorial - Why Episode I is Brilliant
10/02/01 - Guest Editorial - Episode I is Star Wars
09/30/01 - Guest Editorial - Why I Loved Episode I
09/25/01 - Joshua Griffin - Episode II: Make It or Break It Time
08/21/01 - Chris Knight - SW2: Attack On The Soul?
07/13/01 - Joshua Griffin - Special Time for SW Fans
05/14/01 - Joshua Griffin - AlphaCon is Finished
05/09/01 - Chris Knight - In The Beginning... Star Wars Comes To A Wired World
04/17/01 - Joshua Griffin - Global TFN - International Outlook on Star Wars
03/14/01 - Chris Knight - Palpatine vs. Hitler: Prequel Speculation Runs Amok!
02/13/01 - Chris Knight - "The Force" of Love: A Valentine's Day Editorial
01/17/01 - Chris Knight - Star Wars Could Continue... As Television Anthology
01/11/01 - Guest Editorial - A Review of A New Hope After the Prequels
01/07/01 - Guest Editorial - No - We Want the DVDs Now!
01/04/01 - Chris Knight - New Digital Disciple Says "Lets Wait On Star Wars DVDs"
2000
12/21/00 - Joshua Griffin - Is George Lucas Really a Genius?
11/18/00 - Joshua Griffin - To Spoil or Not to Spoil
11/06/00 - Joshua Griffin - The Power of the Election
11/01/00 - Chris Knight - Why Isn't There A Star Wars Postage Stamp?
08/17/00 - Jason McCabe Calacanis - The SW2 Fan Trailer (guest editorial)
07/14/00 - Joshua Griffin/Scott Chitwood - TFN's Spoiler Policy
06/20/00 - Chris Knight - Star Wars and the Saga of Life
05/13/00 - TFN Staff - TheForce.net Wish List
04/08/00 - Special Guest Editorial by Skybaugh - Worth the Wait
03/30/00 - Joshua Griffin - What Star Wars Has Won
03/19/00 - Joshua Griffin - The Next Denver Celebration
03/14/00 - Joshua Griffin - Fair Weather Fans
03/07/00 - Joshua Griffin - Predicting the Academy Award Winners
02/22/00 - Joshua Griffin - Who should profit from Star Wars?
02/16/00 - Joshua Griffin - Episode I and the Academy
01/27/00 - TFN Staff - Flaming TFN over DVD
01/25/00 - Chris Knight - Motivations of the Sith
01/20/00 - TFN Staff - Leonardo DiCaprio as Anakin?
01/10/00 - Joshua Griffin - World-Wide Star Wars
01/03/00 - Joshua Griffin - Mass Merchandising Menace
1999
12/13/99 - Joshua Griffin - Questioning Star Wars
11/22/99 - Joshua Griffin - Trusting Internet Rumors
11/11/99 - Paul Davidson - Rise of the Empire: China and TPM
10/28/99 - Scott Chitwood - Signs There Probably Won't Be a Sequel Trilogy
10/18/99 - Joshua Griffin - Why not Episode I DVD?
10/15/99 - Joshua Griffin - What Makes SW Fans Special
10/01/99 - Joshua Griffin - The PG Rating of TPM
09/07/99 - Scott Chitwood and Paul Ens - Comic and Book Wishlist
08/18/99 - TF.N Team - Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down on Episode I Everything
07/11/99 - Joshua Griffin - Parody Site isn't that funny
07/10/99 - Brian Linder - The Jar Jar Factor
06/08/99 - Joshua Griffin & Chris Knight - Why is Jar Jar in Episode I?
05/06/99 - Darin Smith - Return of the Child
03/09/99 - Scott Chitwood and Paul Ens - A Chat with LFL
02/07/99 - Amy Pronovost - Convention Romances, Can they Work?
01/23/99 - Scott Chitwood - What's up with Prowse?
01/01/99 - Scott Chitwood - Uncle George and Episode 1
1998
11/23/98 - Scott Chitwood - What Lucasfilm is doing right
11/05/98 - Scott Chitwood - Prequel Spoilers
09/28/98 - David Coates - First thoughts on the the Episode 1 Title
06/19/98 - Scott Chitwood - How Godzilla affected Episode I
04/09/98 - Scott Chitwood - The Art of the Space Battle
04/09/98 - Scott Chitwood - DIVX SUX
02/26/98 - Scott Chitwood - X-WING TV Series Should Fly
02/09/98 - Scott Chitwood - Xerox Sites
02/03/98 - Scott Chitwood - Canon Issue, Part 2
01/07/98 - Terrence Daniels - Canon = Personal Preference
1997
12/17/97 - Darin Smith - Everything I need to know...
11/15/97 - Chris Kivlehan - Six Episodes or Nine Episodes?
11/07/97 - Scott Chitwood - How do you solve a problem like Ewan?
11/03/97 - Scott Chitwood - How we get our Prequel 'Spy' info
10/22/97 - Paul Davidson - Trek vs. Wars
E-mail us at:
