Celebration V Guest List: Gary Kurtz Is Showing Up?

[lazypadawan]

Let's see, a few days ago we found out that Anthony Daniels will be taking a break from Star Wars In Concert to drop by Celebration; I couldn't imagine the guy missing it.

Then Official Pix jumped the gun by announcing Gary Kurtz as a guest before he formally signed on the dotted line; the announcement was quickly pulled but Philip Wise posted on Rebelscum's forum that for all intents and purposes, Kurtz will be there. Plus he promised a forthcoming announcement on an "oh, cool, he's signing??!" kind of guest. Uh, who could that be?

Kurtz did appear at Celebration IV and he's appeared at cons in Europe for years but I think this is the first time he'll be in the same building as Papa George at like the same time in ages :O. Interesting.

Comments

[mark-pierre.livejournal.com]

It's always mind boggling when someone you helped stabs you in the back... which is exactly what Kurtz does... I think the guy have a serious inferiority complex.

lying, opportunistic, self-serving asshat.
I might make a Kurtz icon with that text... :)

[may-child.livejournal.com]

Yeah...and it's interesting how Kurtz only came forward with his version of history AFTER the backlash against TPM had started. Opportunistic, like I said. Lucas has shown remarkable tolerance for Kurtz's diarrhea of the mouth and insulting accusations, even allowing him to speak on the "Empire of Dreams" documentary when the OT DVD set came out.

According to Kurtz, Lucas chose Richard Marquand to direct ROTJ because he wanted a "lapdog," because he'd been so frustrated with Kersh refusing to do it his way on the set of ESB. First of all, how would Kurtz even know Lucas's reasons for choosing Marquand? He wasn't involved in the process of choosing a director for ROTJ! He'd stopped being Lucas's producer by then! Bedwetters "prove" that he must have been involved with the process of choosing a director by posting photographs Kurtz took on the set of ROTJ. Uh...yeah. I'm not seeing the connection.

Second of all, Lucas ALLOWED Kersh a great deal of creative freedom in making ESB...Kersh was quite grateful for it, 20 years later, in an interview with SW Insider. The amount, and severity, of disagreements between Kersh and Lucas while ESB was being filmed have been grossly exaggerated.

Third of all, Lucas asked Kersh back to direct ROTJ, and Kersh said no. When I told this to a bedwetter who was babbling about how ESB was great because Kersh, and Kurtz, kept Lucas out of it as much as possible, the bedwetter got around it by saying, "Well, Kersh probably said no because he knew Kurtz was no longer the producer and wouldn't be protecting him from Lucas." Wait, I thought Kurtz was on the set of ROTJ, which proves...I'm not sure what. Oh, never mind. In any case, the reason Kersh gave for not directing ROTJ was because the shoot for ESB had been very stressful, and he felt that directing one SW movie in a lifetime was plenty.

Fourth of all, Lucas went on to allow Marquand a great deal of creative freedom in making ROTJ, as he had Kersh in making ESB. And finally, Lucas's reasons for choosing Marquand were a mix of needing to get a director attached to the project so it could go forward; he wasn't going to helm it because the shoot for ANH nearly killed him, and since SW was not guild, he had a small pool of directors to choose from. He offered it to David Lynch, who turned him down. Steven Spielberg was unable to do it because he was guild. Lucas had met Marquand a year or so before...he wasn't guild, plus Lucas was impressed with his knowledge of SW lore. So he chose Marquand.

I would be very flattered if you made a Kurtz icon with my quote. :-) Your icons are great.

[darth-pipes.livejournal.com]

That's right, I forgot that GL offered the ROTJ director's job to David Lynch and Steve Spielberg. Those two guys aren't exactly lapdogs, especially Spielberg.

[may-child.livejournal.com]

Nope, they aren't. Lynch turned Lucas down because he wanted to make Dune and also because he felt he wouldn't have been given as much creative freedom as he wanted. The you-know-who predictably pounced on that last, and it's possible he was correct in his belief...but considering how much creative freedom Lucas gave Kersh, and, more to the point, Marquand, it's just as possible he was incorrect.

Speaking of Marquand...I know I've said this before, but ever notice how the you-know-who tore him to shreds as a no-telent "lapdog of Luca$" -- but suddenly became passionate defenders of him and his "artistic rights" with regards to the SE version of ROTJ? You'd think that they'd have been happy that some Ewok footage was cut out of the ending and replaced with galactic celebration footage, given how much they bitch about Ewoks, but no...they screamed about Lucas "desecrating" the movie (which was their favorite punching bag before the prequels started coming out) and wailed that, since Marquand is dead, he cannot approve or disapprove of the changes made to "his movie."

Which brings me to another thing I know I've said before...one of the most outlandish conspiracy theories I've seen bedwetters spin around Lucas is that he waited so long to put the OT on DVD because he hoped the elderly Irvin Kershner would die, and thus be unable to do the director's commentary (Marquand, "conveniently," was already dead). That's patently absurd, and I pointed out that if Lucas didn't want Kersh to do the commentary, all he'd have to do is say, "Kersh, you're not doing the commentary." Bedwetter response: "But that would make him look bad. If he just waited until Kersh died, then Kersh would automatically be excluded."

Oh good LORD...there are just no words.

[mark-pierre.livejournal.com]

I think I've read, watch or heard of almost everything that has been posted here, yet... it was so long ago I've completely forgot about that... It's good to have you around to remind us of those facts. :D

[may-child.livejournal.com]

Aw, stop, I'm blushing. ;-) In all honesty, when the name "Gary Kurtz" is mentioned, it's difficult for me to keep my fingers off my keyboard, because I feel compelled to remind everyone what I think of him. Again. :-P

Thanks for saying your piece, too.

[may-child.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I just have to get the following petty, nasty little snark in...Kurtz also had the stupidest-looking beard I've ever seen. I hear he's shaved it off since; he's done at least ONE thing right in the 20-odd years he's languished in obscurity.