Last year, the Volkswagen Vader ad was declared the most entertaining non-football part of the Super Bowl, and it was well deserved: a Star Wars-obsessed kid is gonna be more entertaining than a Black Eyed Peas halftime show 11 out of 10 times. But how can they follow up such a masterpiece? We already knew from their teaser that the scientists at Volkswagon were up to something involving Star Wars and dogs. But have they taken things too far to achieve the ultimate level of synergetic viral cuteness? Watch below and decide. more ›

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is hosting the universe's biggest sleepover for Star Wars nerds in the history of the world, or galaxy, or whatever. This will all go down on February 10th, in celebration of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace returning to theaters in 3-D. There will be Yoda mask making, puppet making, and Wookie cookie decorating... really! They say "the epic space series themed sleepover will also include a character meet and greet, Ripley’s Impossible LaseRace, and more." How much more? Who knows, but they're calling it EXTREME. more ›

People get tattoos of the darndest things, but still, this tat that New York Shitty recently spotted in the wild is worth noting! Yes, people, that is R2D2 stylized as the Virgin of Guadalupe being held up by C3PO. And yes, it is awesome. more ›

George Lucas took on an unexpected, unassuming foe last weekend: no, not the dastardly battle droids—think more like a group of Bay Ridge Star Wars fans who were planning a movie marathon at a local bar. more ›

We'd like to take a brief pause from our regularly scheduled news cycle to bring you the very important announcement that today is Star Wars Day! Of course, if you're observing, you've surely already thrown back a few Alderaans, but in case you've been living under an AT-AT, say May 4th with a slight lisp, very slowly. What do you get? May…force! May the force be with you! Oh, you precious, pun-loving padawans. more ›

Between the dead birds, the rising sea levels, mysterious falling goo, and Chloe Sevigny's dalliance with Pauly D, signs of the apocalypse seem to be popping up every week this year. Here's the latest omen: according to Dr. Brad Carter, Senior Lecturer of Physics at the University of Southern Queensland, we may be seeing a second sun in the sky...just in time for 2012! more ›

Nerds, rejoice? Lucasfilm has announced that it will be releasing all six Star Wars films on Blu-ray DVD by fall of next year. The box set will be the first time the films will be offered in an HD home format, and will include documentary features and unseen footage. But the question on every lightsaber-wielding fan's lips is whether or not Han will shoot first (or really, if Han is the only one who shoots) in this edition. What do you have to say, Lucas? more ›

It seems the Empire has fallen on hard times. Presumably to get finishing funds for his latest Death Star, Darth Vader—or a man pretending to be Darth Vader?—was reduced to robbing a bank on Long Island this morning. Impotent Rebel Alliance security forces tell Newsday (paywall) that Vader marched into a Chase bank in Setauket around 11:30 a.m. today. Brandishing a completely unnecessary handgun—as he had the power to choke the oxygen out every teller's throat—the fallen Jedi demanded cash. more ›

So what else did Darth Vadar, Princess Leia and those Stormtroopers do when they were underground in the city's subway system? Katie Sokoler helped put together a video of outtakes documenting their adventure—which included reading some gossip mags, checking out some subway platform musicians, and Darth nearly falling on to the tracks. more ›

The first Princess Leia/Darth Vader scene from Star Wars performed right on the 6 train before an audience of confused, modern-day civilians? Yep, Improv Everywhere has returned with a new piece in their Theater of Prank repertoire, saying, "The white walls and sliding doors on the train reminded us of the rebel ship, and we thought it would be fun to see how people would react to a surprise appearance by the iconic characters." Check it out: more ›

Hundreds nerds were out in full force last night for Newmindspace's LED Lightsaber Battle on the Lower East Side. Starting at 9 p.m., Jedi masters showed up at Chrystie Park to battle the Sith Lords, ring in the summer and get their inner Star Wars Kid out. Newmindspace co-founder Kevin Bracken told us, "Last night was superlative! I suspect there were roughly 500 people there, ranging from casual observers to hardcore Jedi. As always, the event attracted people from every age category and neighborhood. Parents with children were particularly pleased." Too bad all the Marines were probably hanging out near Times Square—we bet they could have shown off some sweet fighting skillz! more ›

Snoop Dogg marched through Times Square with Darth Vader and a bunch of Stormtroopers earlier today. Because what else are you going to come up with when you have a big bag of chronic and are pondering a marketing plan for a Star Wars-based footwear/clothing collection? Later in the day Racked reported that Snoops Troops made it to the Adidas store in SoHo... and R2D2 even made a cameo! Have you spotted anyone else from the Empire out there? more ›

Darth Vader finds investors' lack of faith disturbing. So today the Sith Lord made a personal appearance at the New York Stock Exchange to boost morale. Flanked by Storm Troopers, Lord Vader rang the opening bell while gazing ominously out upon the cowering traders. Great, just what Wall Street needs: more exposure to the dark power of the force. The market better be bullish today, or these guys can expect to find breathing a little difficult at closing bell. more ›

We thought that using Craigslist to find someone to harass one's married lover's wife was bad, but Topless Robot offers up this NYC Craigslist ad. TR does warn with its headline that "The Most Awful Nerd in America Found," and that sensitive souls might be disturbed by it—plus "I don't think I'll ever be clean" again after reading it: "Need an amputee to complete my Halloween costume (Brooklyn)"... more ›

Eric Seemann of Levittown was surfing the internet when he learned that he might be able to save a Philadephia cop's life by providing him with a much-needed kidney. But he didn't across the news that 41-year-old Jeff Romanoff was suffering kidney failure on his only remaining kidney on a donor list website, but rather on the message board for Vader's Fist 501st Legion, a group of over 4,000 fans worldwide who dress up like various villains from the franchise. But the clone troopers were not lining up when things looked critical for Romanoff, who suffers from Von Hippel-Lindau disease. Seemann told the Post, "They weren't actually asking members of the group to get themselves tested [for compatibility]. But I thought about it. They hadn't asked for it, but I stepped up." After learning they were a match, the two underwent surgery on April 3rd and Romanoff was released from the hospital Saturday. The operating surgeon didn't miss a beat, saying, "I've never operated on a stormtrooper before. And I've never operated on Darth, either." more ›

Acclaimed chef Grant Achatz, who recently put out a deluxe cookbook called Alinea (named for his Chicago restaurant), will be making a few NY appearances in the upcoming weeks, most notably a scaled Alinea dinner at the Astor Center on November 6th. At $225 a head, the price is steep, but each guest receives five courses (including ‘hot potato, cold potato;’ above left) from the restaurant, and some crazy-ass Champagne. more ›

The Dark Knight has officially opened, and the figures are in: the NY Times reports that the movie took in "$18.5 million in gross revenue at its 12 a.m. opening screenings early Friday morning at 3,040 screens, the most ever for midnight shows." Gawker laments about the movie taking the title from 2005's Star Wars, Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith, which previously held it for racking up $16.9 million at 2,915 screens. Meanwhile, the single-day box office record previously held by Spider-Man 3 was also shattered: The Dark Knight took in $66.4 million on opening day (to Spidey's $59.8 million). more ›

MUSIC: It’s been roughly six years since Fugazi, Washington, D.C.'s apotheosis of punk, announced a hiatus that's looking increasingly permanent. Oh well; they had a hell of a run, and certainly went out on a high note with The Argument. And on the bright side, the band members’ solo work has certainly been worth tuning into. Bassist Joe Lally’s second album, Nothing is Underrated, is a bewitching and self-assured embrace of his post-Fugazi career; tonight he plays the Knitting Factory, accompanied by Jonathan Morris and Geoff Farina. (Requests for “Waiting Room” will not be indulged.) Brooklyn Vegan has an mp3 from his last album, an mp3 from the opening band, Farina’s Glorytellers, and a link to our interview with Lally. – John Del Signore more ›

A long time ago (last week), in a galaxy far far away (the far West Side), this photograph was taken outside of the Javits Convention Center, where the New York Comic Con was held. It's unclear if the police were making sure the light sabers at 34th Street and 8th Avenue remained safe, but the Storm Trooper getup seems very similar to what Operation Torch cops need! more ›

Subway ads are always undergoing transformation, but And I Am Not Lying recently spotted a more advanced form of subway ad art. He reports:

Those great big billboard ads you see on the subway are nothing but giant peel-and-stick Coloforms, really. I love the accidental collages you see when people randomly pick and peel those thing like they’re great big scabs, and I just knew it was a matter of time before someone started making art out of them.