It’s the old man versus the young, less-experienced black man. No, I’m not talking about McCain and Obama. This is the election battle between Emperor Palpatine and Lando Calrissian for the leader of the Star Wars galaxy. But if the good folks at Funny or Die intended for real life analogy then that means Sarah Palin = Darth Vader and Joe Biden = Chewbacca — speaking of which, isn’t it time we have a candidate with some awesome facial hair, preferably the sideburn-mustache combo (aka “Friendly Mutton Chops”) sported by Chester Arthur?

Despite the issues with his age and appearance, Billy Dee Williams is pretty awesome to have appeared in this video. It would have been even cooler, though, if he’d cracked open a can of Colt 45 at the end, for the clincher. Otherwise, the clip peaks with Admiral Ackbar’s “It’s a trap!” (a nice touch considering I found the video via the Ackbar-obsessed Fark.com). As for the answer to the question of what Calrissian is smuggling this time? I’d say he’s got a couple doughnuts hidden in those cheeks (and yes, they have doughnuts in the Star Wars galaxy).

Before you go to the polls today, you need to understand where the candidates stand on the really big issues. No, I don’t mean silly stuff like the economy. I mean the issues that threaten to plunge the world into an era of scorched, apocalyptic savagery. Sure, an ongoing war in the Middle East and gradual climate change are kind of scary, but how will Obama and McCain respond to the threats that can wipe out 99% of humanity overnight? These are dire times, and doomsday cinema has made one thing clear: this will probably be our last president before Armageddon sweeps from sea to shining see, so we’d better choose wisely.

After the jump we look at where the candidates stand on the issues, from Alien Invasion to Zombie Plague.

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You might have seen the “Don’t Vote” PSA featuring Hollywood celebrities ranging from Leonardo DiCaprio to Jonah Hill attempting to use reverse psychology in an effort to get lazy, apathetic Americans to register and then take part in this year’s presidential election. It’s a bit long for something so urgent and potentially influential, but it’s cool that so many unrelated famous people came together for something so important. Anyway, the guys at MagicHugs.com have now re-edited some of the footage from that PSA to create their own campaign regarding the films of Nicolas Cage. And while I doubt Leo or even Jonah appreciate being made to appear so critical of their peer’s career choices, it’s pretty funny. The only thing I don’t understand, though, is if I’m supposed to come away thinking I should watch Nic Cage movies. After all, the other “Don’t” PSA is meant to actually get me to vote.

Also related to the “Don’t Vote” PSA is another political ad featuring another movie star who represents that apathetic young American demographic the other celebrities are speaking out to. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has created his own little commercial for Barack Obama, a candidate he considers to be that rare politician who isn’t “bullshit.” Levitt claims not to be a Democrat or Republican, and he admits he’s never really cared about anybody running for president before, but he just had to tell us that he’s “feeling pretty strongly on this one.”

I wonder which ad will speak most to the typically indifferent, the one from the famous people who simply want people to get up and vote, no matter how potentially uninformed they may be, or the one from an apolitical peer who wants others to notice a specific hopeful’s distinction.

[via Anne Thompson]