I know that people defend the animated series The Clone Wars on occasion, and as someone forced to watch the show due to a Star Wars obsessed son, it's not terrible, I suppose, but it does lack anything resembling emotional gravity at times. I think Pixar has proven that animation need not be soulless, but that not hasn't really gotten back to George Lucas. However, the man does have a sense of how to generate revenue streams so a possible live-action Star Wars television series appears to be in the works, if only they can figure out a way to pay for it:

McCallum also spoke a bit about the plotline of the show, which will take place between Episodes III and IV in the Star Wars timeline — during Luke’s teen years, though the series won’t actually have anything to do with Luke himself.

"Basically, it is like ‘The Godfather’; it’s the Empire slowly building up its power base around the galaxy, what happens in Coruscant, which is the major capital, and it’s [about] a group of underground bosses who live there and control drugs, prostitution."

Bleeding Cool likens McCallum’s description to /Filmcast favorite The Wire, which seems apt except that I don’t believe for a second that Lucas will demonstrate the same nuance and devotion to character that made the HBO series so beloved.

So to recap: In about three to five years, we can expect to see a Czech-shot live-action Star Wars television series that plays like an unsubtle, sci-fi version of The Wire — but only if Keeping Up with the Kardashians hasn’t ruined American television by then.

Patton Oswalt probably has the best take on the continuing expansion of the Star Wars universe:

Whenever I think about the Arizona summer now, I like to think about it the way Ned Stark refers to winter in Game of Thrones. It's coming, it's going to be awful, and most of the television landscape leaves on the last cool breezes.

Things aren't that bleak, of course. Game of Thrones still has a couple episodes to go. South Park is happening (more on that next week). Breaking Bad returns in July, which cannot come soon enough. Friday Night Lights is about to wrap up its network run (though the finale aired months ago through Direct TV).

Fortunately, with DVRs, DVDs and HBO Go, Arizona summers don't have to be quite so grim. I recommend starting on Breaking Bad's 3rd season, which was just released on DVD and Blu-Ray.

In the meantime, though, there's an epic battle waging between Good and Evil in the NBA Finals. Dallas is one of my least favorite places in the United States, I can't stand Mark Cuban's incessant whining, and Tyson Chandler strikes me as the NBA equivalent of an '80s movie villain. But I want them to beat Miami in the most heartbreaking way possible.

It's not that I hate Lebron James or Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh. It's perfectly find if Lebron James is never Michael Jordan. I'm pretty sure Michael Jordan is a sociopath. And if I was from Cleveland, I'd want to get out of there as soon as humanly possible, too. I just don't want them to win now. Or ever, really, but I assume it'll happen at some point because that's how the world works. For now, I want the superteam to lose.

This has been one of the most compelling NBA playoffs on record, and the Finals have been amazing. You may as well be watching.

To try to cleanse the palate from today's stream of Anthony Weiner news, here's a really cute kid dancing and singing along to the Glee version of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" (in costume!). While it might be worth questioning if a kid his age should be listening to a song with the line "let's go all the way tonight", that sort of parental analysis should probably come from someone else, since my three year old daughter's favorite singer is Ke$ha.

[HT: NY Mag]

Yesterday, Attorney General Eric Holder hosted some sort of launch of a task force to keep kids from becoming criminals or something and there was a panel discussion, but let's get to the really important part, he demanded new episodes of The Wire:

“I want to speak directly to Mr. Burns and Mr. Simon: Do another season of ‘The Wire’,” Holder said, drawing laughter and applause from the audience. “That’s actually at a minimum. … If you don’t do a season, do a movie. We’ve done HBO movies, this is a series that deserves a movie. I want another season or I want a movie. I have a lot of power Mr. Burns and Mr. Simon.”

Finally, an abuse of federal power I can stand behind. I like Treme. It's a good show, but I demand to know what McNulty's been up to and if it takes the Attorney General of the United States to make that happen, so be it.

[Reuters]

I'm not entirely sure when TV shows started releasing pre-premiere trailers (although I'd imagine HBO was probably the culprit), but when a show is as good as Breaking Bad, why not get people excited with a glimpse of the season to come? While we still have a while to wait for Mad Men, at least Walter White and company will be back in July.

Last week, in discussing Treme and one-season wonder Terriers, I mentioned how both have excellent main title sequences. I love opening credits, and posting them kicked off a bi-annual binge on my part, where I re-watch all my favorite openings. I figured I'd share them after the jump.

Don't tell this woman that Scotty will likely end up on the mall opening and casino show circuit with other past American Idol winners not named Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson. Let her enjoy the moment.

[Buzzfeed]

Finally, a show where celebrities get their revenge on average worker drone types! In the clip below, Kim Kardashian, who initially rose to fame from her appearance in a sex tape, finally has an opportunity to leave her mansion to confront a woman who doesn't like her very much (on camera, of course). Can you feel the excitement?

Over/under on the number of episodes this show airs pre-cancellation: 2 1/2.

In news that's probably only exciting to people with an overwhelming sentimentality for when they used to show music videos on VH1 (next up: a Mob Wives marathon!), 90's metacommentary sensation Pop Up Video is returning to the network with sixty new episodes to debut this fall. Of course, the difference between the show's heyday and now is that everyone can comment on everything these days via social media, so maybe the show's snarky infographic take on pop music might not be quite as exciting. Still, anything vaguely music related on a channel that used to actually be music themed is a nice touch.

[Hollywood Reporter]