Dean Preston

He had a choice. He wasn't born here, didn't move here, never lived here. So he could have adopted the 49ers, or sworn allegiance to the Giants or the Broncos. And if didn't work out, he could have changed his mind and gone with the Raiders or the Dolphins. But, no, meet Dean Preston--by choice, he's an honest-to-goodness Charger fan. By choice, this bloke comes here all the way from Jersey in the Channel Islands, which is near France and a long way from San Diego, to cheer for the Chargers.

He had a choice. He wasn't born here, didn't move here, never lived here. So he could have adopted the 49ers, or sworn allegiance to the Giants or the Broncos. And if didn't work out, he could have changed his mind and gone with the Raiders or the Dolphins. But, no, meet Dean Preston--by choice, he's an honest-to-goodness Charger fan. By choice, this bloke comes here all the way from Jersey in the Channel Islands, which is near France and a long way from San Diego, to cheer for the Chargers.

The short furry creatures called Ewoks in the 1983 film "Return of the Jedi" evolved from a script written by producer George Lucas in 1974 and were designed--partially--with Lucas' family dog in mind, Lucas told a Canadian court Thursday during his testimony as a defendant in a $129-million copyright-infringement case.

The short furry creatures called Ewoks in the 1983 film "Return of the Jedi" evolved from a script written by producer George Lucas in 1974 and were designed--partially--with Lucas' family dog in mind, Lucas told a Canadian court Thursday during his testimony as a defendant in a $129-million copyright-infringement case.

Lucas Victory: A Canadian judge has ruled in favor of George Lucas in a lawsuit over the film "Return of the Jedi," saying the filmmaker and creator of the "Star Wars" trilogy did not infringe upon the copyright of a script by a Canadian writer. The ruling, made Friday, comes after five years of litigation over the origin of the Ewok characters that appeared in "The Return of the Jedi," the third film in the trilogy. Canadian Federal Court Judge W.

The short furry creatures called Ewoks in the 1983 film "Return of the Jedi" evolved from a script written by producer George Lucas in 1974 and were designed--partly--with Lucas' family dog in mind, Lucas told a Canadian court today during his testimony as a defendant in a $129-million copyright infringement case.

"Star Wars" creator George Lucas, the defendant in a $128-million plagiarism suit, once scrapped a spaceship design because he thought it resembled one on a television show, one of his artists testified. Lucas is the target of a lawsuit filed in the federal court of Canada by Calgary writer-producer Dean Preston, who alleges Lucas' 1983 film "Return of the Jedi" features Ewok characters from an earlier Preston script called "Space Pets." Preston is suing Lucas, Lucas Films Ltd.

Ewok Origin Contested: An assistant to "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, Jane Bay, testified Friday in federal court in Calgary, Alberta, that the film maker never read the script from which he is accused of stealing his endearing Ewoks' characters and that unsolicited material is given unread to another assistant to be returned to the sender. A Canadian writer-producer is suing Lucas, his company, Lucas Films Ltd.

Responding to the continuing recession, San Francisco passed legislation Tuesday that advocates for landlords and renters said add some of the state's strongest tenant protections to the city's rent-control law. Supervisor Chris Daly introduced the legislation in March, saying that the downturn has left more of the city's renters in danger of eviction. The new laws limit rent increases and allow tenants to add roommates to help cover costs.

Arthur Miller's nominally unsuccessful play "The American Clock" (1980) has been enlivened and literally rediscovered in its transition from the stage to the screen (premiering on TNT Screenworks today at 5, 7 and 9 p.m.). In a rare instance of a major playwright's work finding its more natural form on the TV screen, Miller's mural of the Great Depression now packs the thematic and panoramic impact that never quite jelled on the stage.

Ballot proposition numbers should be retired like athlete jersey numbers. No. 3 -- Babe Ruth. No. 42 -- Jackie Robinson. Proposition 13 -- property tax relief. Proposition 98 -- school funding guarantees. Hall of Famers all. But lately it has gotten confusing with the ballot props. Because the state Legislature has refused to retire proposition numbers -- the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. tried with No. 13, but Democrats refused -- we now have a new and strange Prop. 98.

Nestled in the northeast corner of this city between Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf, North Beach has long been a favorite of locals and tourists alike, known for its Italian eateries as much as for its place in Beat poetry's history. But it's also becoming known as a place not too friendly to renters, some say. Rent-controlled apartments are being converted into units for sale, forcing the evictions of some longtime residents.