* I often wonder where George Lucas went wrong in a number of departments. Today he’s King Midas in reverse with actors — who else could actually make Samuel L. Jackson boring? — but he directed the very well acted “American Graffitti.” His first two “Star Wars” movies were imperfect but great, great fun — and he had the great good sense to bring in the best writers available, and a very strong director, for the second one. He insisted on doing the three prequels himself, however, and in my opinion and lots of other people’s, showed how borderline unwatchable a space opera could be.

What went wrong? I don’t know but one thing that did happen to Lucas was the departure of producer Gary Kurtz, he of the Abe Lincoln beard who I honestly haven’t thought about in decades.

While usually far from publicity hungry, Kurtz is back for a “Star Wars” mega-con hosted by Lucas’s company. This L.A. Times interview is absolutely required reading for anyone interested in this crucial chapter in Hollywood history and I’m guessing that’s most of you.  A quote that won’t please the Lucasfilm folks:

“I could see where things were headed,” Kurtz said. “The toy business began to drive the [Lucasfilm] empire. It’s a shame. They make three times as much on toys as they do on films. It’s natural to make decisions that protect the toy business, but that’s not the best thing for making quality films.”

He added: “The first film and ‘Empire’ were about story and character, but I could see that George’s priorities were changing.”

* I’ve never read Jonathan Franzen — I’m not sure I even know anyone who’s read any of his stuff — but I gather he’s the subject of quite a backlash, perhaps inevitable when you’re the first author in a very long time to be cover of Time. Of course, his new years-in-the-making book has been optioned. Franzen’s last novel, The Corrections, is still in development by the same powerful but less than universally beloved producer, Scott Rudin.

* On the other hand, I’ve always sort of planned to read, Salman Rushdie’s breakthrough novel, Midnight’s Children. The highly acclaimed novel that catapulted Rushdie into the literary big leagues will apparently finally be filmed by Toronto-based helmer Deepa Mehta. Coincidentally, Satya Bhabha, who plays evil-ex Matthew Patel in the very Toronto-centric “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” has got the lead role. Mehta’s 2005 period melodrama, “Water,” was hugely critically lauded but not my cup of chai and I failed to get through the DVD. I’ve been wrong about this kind of thing before, however.

* Good news/bad news time. There’s going to be a new whack at making a film of the British Judge Dread comics series that was made into an unmemorable and silly Sylvester Stallone film some twenty years ago. The good news is that, via the Playlist, we now know the Judge this will time will played by Karl Urban who did such an amazing job as Bones McCoy in “Star Trek.” The bad news is that the director is Pete Travis, who did such a mediocre job directing the overall uninspiring “Vantage Point” and, in my view, did a genuinely dreadful horrible job directing the docudrama, “Endgame.” Emmy nomination or no Emmy nomination, truly one of the most misconceived directorial jobs I’ve ever seen. However, Travis’s apparent inability to stage a simple dramatic scene in a simple and understandable way may not be as fatal a problem in an action tale as it was in the story of ending South African apartheid.

* Given the quality of the Road Runner clip that’s been floating around, the idea of doing a live action/CGI animated Bugs Bunny movie could possibly work, but my hunch is I’ll wish they’d just re-released “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”

* A new chapter in the ongoing Terminator rights saga includes a cease-and-desist letter to a company that  had sent a press release touting a proposed 3D animated entry in the unkillable franchise.

* Earlier in the week, a story from tabloid press ran in which one of my favorite living actresses disses the thesping skills of a not-living actress I’m quite fond of. Well, we’re all entitled to an opinion and I guess Emma Thompson might be more entitled than most to disparage Audrey Hepburn’s performances but I can’t agree. My new word for the day, however, is “mumsy.”

* Kevin Jagernauth is absolutely right, the “Daniel Craig is still eager to collect another 007 paycheck” story is not news. He’s made that very clear several times and the news would be if he felt like blowing off the lucrative and iconic gig off after only two films. That’s the sort of thing that was making me not even wanting to do one of these posts. I guess it’s this insatiable beast of the ‘net at fault, but a lot of stories have a huge “Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still seriously dead” quality to them which we see so much of on cable news. News where the news is that there is no news.

On a different matter, Jagernauth is also entirely right that it’s major bummer that the very interesting looking black comedy, “Leaves of Grass” is apparently not going to have a theatrical release, despite featuring what sure looks like a real tour de force performance from Edward Norton as twins. You can see the trailer and read about some earlier good news about the movie directed by the luckless Tim Blake Nelson, which I gather was wrong, in a post by me from April.

* There’s a John Huston blog-a-thon going on. I remember when I was a little baby blogger and had time for stuff like that. Good times. I just realized, however, that I’ve never seen “The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean” or “The List of Adrian Messenger,” both of which are totally up my alley. How’d that happen?

It’s Yom Kippur in Los Angeles today and that means a few people will be fasting (no water, either!) and going to temples and synagogues, some will be using the day as an excuse to play hooky, and even more will be enjoying the smaller amount of traffic. Still, it’s not the kind of town that ever takes a complete day off. Intriguingly, for a day of atonement, issues of crime and punishment are definitely on the table.

* Parts of the ‘net are already in hyperdrive about the suddenly revivified Roman Polanski case and even I’ve been drawn into a couple of ‘net flame wars already at other sites. There does seem to be definite split between Europeans and Americans and also between those connected with show business and not. The short version is that a lot of people still want Polanski’s head on a platter. Never mind the only crimes that were proven was the Californian equivalent of statutory rape, “unlawful sex,” and giving drugs to a minor.  Anyhow, Polanski is reported to be resisting extradition. Apparently I’m not the only one in a “fighting mood.”

* This legal morass probably won’t get people’s blood boiling nearly as much, but Anne Thompson points us in the direction of a New York Post story stating that peripatetic celebrity film critic Elvis Mitchell has a $500,000 IRS lien put on him. This follows a 2008 incident in which he was caught at the Canadian border with $12,000 in undeclared cash and some contraband Cuban cigars. Nice to know someone in this movie critic business has made enough to justify that level of IRS interest.

* Kim Masters wonders if John Travolta’s admission that his late son had autism could signal his impending departure from Scientology.

* In the wake of a second strong #1 week for “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” Steven Zeitchik comments on a fiscal milestone for animation.

* Amy Kaufman has more on the fiscal problems and solutions of the group that owns the rights to the “Terminator” franchise, which is seemingly as hard to kill as an actual Terminator. As Nikki Finke reminds us, they also have a “first look” deal on the works of science fiction great Phillip K. Dick. What I don’t get is why you need a “first look” at the works of a writer who’s been dead for 27 years.

* Because I’m a few episodes behind (life in the DVR age), I’m also deliberately behind on Jason Zingale’s blogs on “Entourage,” lest I be spoiled. However, the aforementioned Nikki Finke couldn’t resist turning the gag about her in last night’s show into a headline.

“Observe & Report” (Sony)

A curious mix between “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” and “Taxi Driver,” Jody Hill’s sophomore effort isn’t the usual Seth Rogen laugh-a-thon, but rather a pitch-black comedy that only gets darker and more sadistic with each passing minute. This is the kind of film that usually divides moviegoers, and though I didn’t love it or hate it, I will admit that it’s Rogen’s strongest (and most mature) performance to date. It usually takes a while for a comic actor to branch off into more serious roles, but Rogen has been so overexposed lately that it’s nice to see him try something new. “Observe and Report” is hardly the kind of film that benefits from high definition, however, so Warner Bros. has made a point of distinguishing the Blu-ray edition from its DVD counterpart by making all of the extras – like a picture-in-picture commentary, deleted scenes and a gag reel – exclusive to this release. It isn’t exactly the smartest business practice, but HD fans won’t complain. At least we’re finally getting a little extra bang for our buck.

“Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Collection” (Lionsgate)

People may think of Tim Burton when they hear the words “stop motion animation,” but for my money, Nick Park is the king of the genre. His “Wallace & Gromit” shorts have earned a nice little following over the years, and though the feature-length “Curse of the Were-Rabbit” failed to take the franchise to the next level, it’s still a darned good film in its own right. Still, Park’s bread and butter (or crackers and cheese, if you will) has always been the shorts, and along with collecting his three previous films (“A Grand Day Out,” “The Wrong Trousers” and “A Close Shave”), the new compilation also features Wallace and Gromit’s latest madcap adventure, “A Matter of Loaf and Death.” To sweeten the pot, Lionsgate has also included a bevy of bonus material like commentary tracks, making-of featurettes and a hilarious episode of “Shaun the Sheep.” At only $20 bucks for the Blu-ray edition, it’s hard to imagine even the most casual fan not succumbing to such a great deal.

“Star Trek: The Next Generation Motion Picture Collection” (Paramount)

Much like the films starring the cast of the original series, the “Next Generation” movies are pretty hit and miss. While “Insurrection” ranks among one of the worst “Star Trek” stories ever produced, the Borg-centric “First Contact” is widely considered to be one of the best. “Generations” and “Nemesis,” meanwhile, are really neither good nor bad, but simply mediocre “Star Trek” films in the same vein as “The Undiscovered Country” and “The Search for Spock.” Of course, everyone has their favorites, but that’s not going to prevent diehard fans from picking up this five-disc set. Paramount did a smashing job on the first collection and there’s no reason to believe they haven’t done the same thing here. Every film has been showered with Blu-ray exclusives, while a fifth bonus disc covers everything from villains and the evolution of Enterprise to the Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas. There’s no way it’s going to match “The Captain’s Summit” in terms of sheer awesomeness, but Trekkies will appreciate it nonetheless.

Also Out This Week:

“Hot Fuzz” (Universal)
“Battle for Terra” (Lionsgate)
“Shaun of the Dead” (Universal)
“Star Trek: Season Two” (Paramount)
“The Haunted World of El Superbeasto” (Anchor Bay)
“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Season Two” (Warner Bros.)

Things may be somewhat winding down as the con’s final day unspools, but there was plenty of big movie stuff yesterday.

* I attended part of a live event that was basically the equivalent of a nifty Blu-Ray disc feature for the “Watchmen” director’s cut Blu-Ray disc, in which director Zack Snyder (“300“) performed a live commentary that was really more of an Q&A with users of the “BD Live” feature for the disc and audience members. What I saw didn’t quite rock my world in terms of the level of discussion. When asked whether the Comedian is a good guy or a bad guy, his answer was words to the effect of “I don’t know. That’s kind of the point.” Things were also light in terms of techno-geekery, slightly to my disappointment and slightly to my relief.

Here’s what bugs me, rightly or wrongly: Snyder has basically finished making two huge comic-book adaptations from opposite sides of the political spectrum — not necessarily overtly, but very clearly in their background — and he hasn’t seemed to notice. I’m a political animal by nature, so that kind of baffles me. Not everybody has to be super-political, but morality and politics is very much at the heart of “Watchmen” at least, and I don’t know how you can make the film without having more of a position on it. Also, Snyder says he hasn’t decided whether or not Veidt/Ozymandias is gay or whether Rorschach might have issues there as well. I’m not saying he had to publicly out any fictional characters, but it’s sort of conventional wisdom (and wise wisdom, I think) that a writer or a director should know that kind of detail for himself about major characters in his film, much as the actors also need to , though sometimes they can make differing calls on those matters. It has to do with committing.

There was also some mention, and free XL polyester t-shirts, for Snyder’s new project, “Sucker Punch.”

* I also saw part of a panel on the upcoming blaxploitation parody, “Black Dynamite,” hosted by critic Elvis Mitchell and featuring director Scott Sanders, cowriter-stars Michael Jai White and Byron Mins, and talented leading lady Salli Richardson. I had to leave early, but it certainly whetted my appetite for more…and I’ve actually seen the movie.

* The big event yesterday, which I was nowhere near, was the “Ironman 2” panel with star Robert Downey, Jr. and director Jon Favreau. Accounts are all over the web. They differ on certain fine points but, like this one, they mostly mention a jokingly bad trailer Favreau’s team put together, a bit from the real film involving Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and the famed Randy’s Donuts, and quips by Downey on his new villain/costar, Mickey Rourke, including: “I thought I was eccentric.”

* It eluded my consciousness earlier, that a kind of supergeek cinema summit meeting happened on Friday between LOTR meister Peter Jackson and Terminator-Titanic dude James Cameron. Anne Thompson has video. I can’t watch it right now because of the slowness of the connections available, but you can and probably should. Ms. Thompson also has a video interview with Cameron, one-on-one.

You’ve exercised your right to vote through the first four rounds of Bullz-Eye’s TV Girlfriends, choosing your favorites from the Hot and Smart, Pretty, Vacant, Girls Next Door, and Coworkers with Benefits categories…and now it’s time for round five: Married to the Job.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to survey our shapely (and professionally driven) lineup of potential TV Girlfriends — a list that includes more recent hotties like Nancy Botwin of “Weeds” and Veronica Mars, as well as classics like Mary Richards — and pick the one you’d most like to spend your weekends with. Will it be Chloe O’Brian of “24”? Sarah Connor? Elaine Nardo from “Taxi”? Or another of our fine choices? Take a look and cast your vote!