Memo to George Lucas: I am not buying "Star Wars" again, no matter how fabulous the Blu-ray edition is or how many "lost" scenes turn up between now and fall 2011.
In case you missed it (not likely), Lucas is reissuing the original "Star Wars" trilogy (technically "Episodes 4-6") in Blu-ray next fall, just in time for Christmas (surprise, surprise).
And the bonus features will include at least one deleted scene with which Lucas has teased uber-fans over the years but has never officially released.
Having already purchased the "Star Wars" films five or six times over the past two decades, I could devote an entire bookshelf to those movies alone. And the DVDs I already have play beautifully on my Blu-ray player, thank you very much.
Of course, if Lucas were to offer a rebate on the "Star Wars" Blu-rays to those who purchased previous editions (meaning everyone on the planet), maybe I'd consider the exchange. But that's not going to happen.
As Boba Fett would say, "Greed is good." (Or was that from some other movie?)
Meanwhile, James Cameron seems to be taking a page from Lucas' playbook with "Avatar," which returns to theaters today with an extended version that includes scenes not in the previous release and not on the DVD.
And you can be sure this newly edited "Avatar" will be on a "special edition" DVD before you know it. (This Christmas, perhaps?)
I'm not going to buy multiple copies of "Avatar," either.
Not even if one of the newly restored sequences has the Na'vi beating up Ewoks!
Celebrity bad behavior is beginning to affect how I look at certain performers' movies and television shows. Not good.
Mel Gibson is today's chief example. His off-screen antics have been so off-putting that when my wife and I watched the "Maverick" movie recently (primarily for James Garner), it was difficult to enjoy on its own terms.
Back when I was the movie critic, I would occasionally interview stars whose bad behavior I witnessed firsthand. I know, it's hard to believe that a star trying to earn publicity for his latest movie would be obnoxious to the press, but it happens.
So when I later had to review a movie starring that person, I tried very hard to put my personal feelings aside and just evaluate the work. Sometimes it was difficult.
But today, when we know so much, way too much, about so many celebrities, with gossip permeating, sometimes dominating, even "legitimate" news outlets, It's even more troublesome.
It hit me again while channel surfing one evening when I came across a movie with Lindsay Lohan, and moments later landed on an episode of "Ugly Betty" with Lohan as a guest star. I watched each one for a few minutes, remembering how I used to enjoy Lohan in films like "Freaky Friday" and "Herbie Fully Loaded," as well as her smaller role in "A Prairie Home Companion." And as a child in the "Parent Trap" remake.
But too much information about her personal life has tainted whatever pleasure might be gleaned from watching her again. I can't be the only one who feels this way.
Movie reviews on national television have not vanished now that the former "Siskel & Ebert" show is canceled. But it feels like it.
The last episode of "At the Movies" aired a couple of weeks ago, and though some of the network morning shows continue with occasional movie reviews, as do some cable programs, anything remotely approaching thoughtful analysis is a thing of the past. In fact, it was on the way out when Roger Ebert left the air.
The movie-review show that began as "Sneak Previews" and went through several changes of title and hosts over the years never really regained traction after the death of Gene Siskel. His chemistry with Ebert was palpable and their debates were always fun.
When Ebert took up with guest critics and eventually partnered with Richard Roeper, the show was worth a look but not quite the same. (Or maybe I just don't like change.)
And when cancer removed Ebert from the mix, Roeper and friends, and then the two Bens (Lyons and Mankiewicz), just couldn't cut it.
I did enjoy the final incarnation with A.O. Scott (whose video reviews of older films I sometimes catch on the New York Times website) and Michael Phillips (who labors at Siskel's old stomping grounds, the Chicago Tribune).
But sadly it was too little too late.
At least you can read those guys online at their respective papers, and best of all, Roger Ebert is still churning out reviews and blogs for the Chicago Sun-Times.
e-mail: hicks@desnews.com