Last week I had an opportunity to spend some time with Darren Julien and Martin Nolan of Julien’s Auctions at their Beverly Hills gallery. In addition to a special preview of property from the estate of Tony Curtis from their upcoming auction event, both gentlemen took the time to sit down with me to provide some history on the company and endeavors, and a look to the future. [Read more…]
Having followed the news reported by the mainstream media following Wednesday’s UK Supreme Court decision, there have been some interesting accounts coming from the Ainsworth camp yesterday and today, including a very simplistic characterization of how the helmet and armor made their way from two to three dimensions (completely leaving out the sculpture contributions by Ms. Liz Moore and Mr. Brian Muir). It will be interesting to see how this saga will continue to play out following the ruling in England. [Read more…]
Since 2007, the Original Prop Blog has been covering the legal battle between Lucasfilm Limited and Andrew Ainsworth of Shepperton Design Studios over the sale of unlicensed replica Star Wars props and costumes. The UK Supreme Court is today published their ruling on the two issues presented to them. Of the two, the most critical came down to whether the stormtrooper helmets themselves constituted “sculptures” in a way consistent with UK law. The court ruled that they do not, and thus delivered a victory to Ainsworth, which also leaves those following the case wondering about the ramifications to copyrights and copyright law and the consequences of the decision. The second question before them was decided in favor to Lucasfilm, which involves IP holders and their rights to pursue copyright claims in those cases where such laws are violated in other jurisdictions. [Read more…]
As a continuation of the Prop Store booth at this year’s Comic Con (see previously published interview with Stephen Lane), this next video segment includes an interview with Brandon Alinger, COO of the Los Angeles office, along with Ian Mutch from the London office. This feature takes an in-depth look at pieces from Star Trek: Wrath of Khan, The Empire Strikes Back, Drive Angry, Gladiator, Batman Returns, and Predator. [Read more…]
As part of my ongoing coverage of Comic Con 2011 and as has been tradition (see 2008, 2009, 2010), Prop Store CEO Stephen Lane took the time to show off some of the amazing props and costumes on display at their exhibit area. This year, Stephen provided some insights and a closer look at the ZF-1 weapon from The Fifth Element, Tony Montana’s green card from Scarface, and a uniform worn by Uhura in the original Star Trek series. [Read more…]
2011 marks Prop Store’s third year as an exhibitor at Comic Con in San Diego, and as has been the case in the past, they have brought an assortment of props and costumes from an assortment of film and television programs. As part of their t-shirt promotion this year, they have billed their experience “Comic Khan”, which is emblazoned across the shirts and the Khan costume from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is in the coveted display case spot at the corner of their exhibit. [Read more…]
Profiles in History, which has a track record of bringing impressive (usually themed) exhibits to Comic Con (Stan Winston Studios, LOST, etc.), this year has a Back to the Future display, which is centered around an original DeLorean from the third film in the franchise, which will be offered for sale in one of their future auctions. The auction house is taking $20 donations for photo opportunities with the famous movie car, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting Team Fox, Michael J. Fox’s Foundation supporting Parkinson’s research. [Read more…]
A.V. Club has started publishing a series of short videos highlighting their visits to famous filming locations, as a part of their “Pop Pilgrims” series. Highlights include the iconic steps in Philadelphia that Sylvester Stone runs up as Rocky in the first film of his franchise, the “Nakatomi Plaza” building seen in Die Hard, the office park in Office Space, and the diner from Reservoir Dogs. [Read more…]