Correction:  I looked at our system specs on our iMacs.  We have 8 gigs of RAM in each machine.  The processor is the top of the line, but the RAM could have gone as high as 32 gigs. so our machines are not top of the line for 2011. Just the same, if you're going to get the new iMac, make sure you get as much RAM as you possibly can, especially if you plan on getting FCPX. Although, to be honest, I don't know all the technical stuff behind how FCPX utilizes system resources when doing background rendering.  I'm not entirely convinced that more RAM is the answer.  But I'm willing to be wrong on that. 

I will correct my previous posts to reflect this.

I would also point out that FCPX system reqs state that 4GB of RAM is recommended.

One of the professors here has told me that she will look into the agreement Disney made with Lucas.  I told her specifically about your situation so we will see.  No promises though.

speaking as someone who uses FCPX on a day by day basis, I can honestly say the program works; FOR WHAT WE NEED (sorta).  We shoot everything in quicktime on SDHC or SDXC cards.  We work on the previous generation of the iMac.  We just copy the footage from the card to an external hard drive (We can't put footage on a server because FCPX won't recognize it.)  I do everything in FCPX; cutting, audio (which takes some getting used to...) and all my color correction (why on Earth did Apple decide to use a color BOARD instead of a color WHEEL?).  We export for the web using h.264 and to DVD.  Once we are finished with the project, the raw footage goes bye-bye and the project is deleted.  This is mainly due to the fact that we haven't found a good, cheap archiving solution other than external hard disks, and our budget is limited.  It took some time to learn to edit fast in FCPX honestly.  Once you learn the keyboard shortcuts, cutting can be a breeze, but that's true of any editing program.

coupla things to keep in mind:

1.my boss likes FCP, a lot
2. I do multicam quite frequently.  FCPX can do this, but sync hasn't always been spot on in my experience (I know this because I am hearing impaired, and one of the skills you learn early on is to LIP READ like crazy))
3.we only work in quicktime 1920x1080i, 1280x720p, and SD formats, but we have to capture tape on a different software program.
4. DVD creation is laughable on FCPX.  you have very little control over the dvd creation process.
5. FCPX outputs to a small number of file types.  ProRes and h.264 being the main ones.
6. the software wants EVERYTHING to be prores.  It really doesn't like anything else.
7. You can't "Instantly" work with your media, sure you have background processing, but you are really working with proxy files of your media while FCPX imports the file.  Depending on what you asked FCPX to do to your media, it can take anywhere from a half an hour to 6 hours for your footage to import. (This is on an iMac 27" with 8 gigs of RAM from a generation ago).  If I import something, I usually do so before lunch.  Once I start the import process, I go to lunch, and my footage is imported and ready to work smoothly once I get back.
8. once you start working in the timeline, all background processes except transcoding pause until the timeline is idle.  BTW, if you finish your edit, before FCPX has finished importing and transcoding, you can't export your project.  It's the old pay now or pay later paradigm.
9. if you work in multi cam, I advise you to create proxy media. ( this will take some time depending on the number of clips and how long they are.)  I once had to wait 10 hours for FCPX to create proxy files for a 4-camera, 2 hour clip.
10. The latest release of FCPX is good, but is still missing some key stuff.  True external monitoring being one of the big ones.
11. Lower thirds, or any graphics of any kind really, are a joke in FCPX.  You have your stock garbage sure, but it's garbage.  If you really want something that works, you need to get motion.  I've tried importing photoshop graphics into FCPX, and found that layered support is a joke.  It changes the color of your graphics!  I've settled for exporting to .png for FCPX.

I would not use FCPX on my own short film, documentary or long form narrative projects.  Not even for commercial spots.  If I were doing a news spot or story maybe; but again no external monitoring.  The FCC and SMPTE have very specific parameters for broadcast signal, and I don't even know how FCPX holds up on that end.

If all you want to do is put stuff on the internet or do a family party or wedding or whatever, FCPX may be the right tool.  Beyond that, you are very limited in what you can do.

I'm looking to switch back to PC too.  Gonna upgrade in 2014.  If Apple doesn't do right for the mac pro, you can forget me ever purchasing a Mac again.  Portable or otherwise.  The iphone and ipad, maybe.

I believe 1/60th os the 180 shutter for 30p.  For 24p, it would need to be 1/48th.  Which would mean that it would need to be 1/96th.  I think my math is right...  And according to Pete Jackson, the 48 fps is only for 3D.

You mention at the end of the Episode 1 com that nothing of import actually happens in the movie.

I don't think it's necessarily conservative christian morals that drive the concept, just the filmmakers making a decision on their own.

I really enjoyed this movie.  Soooo much better than Inception.  When I was discussing this film with a friend, I voiced only two gripes with the movie.  1.  I wish we would have had more time developing the relationship between Bruce and his wife.  Her death is such a huge part of Bruce's motivation, that she needed to be more of a part of the story.  2. We needed to see Bruce be affected by what he was about to do to the kid and his "mother" towards the end as JGL's character developed a bond with both of them.  I just felt it would have made the finale that much stronger if they had done that.

did anyone pick up what Teague said the order they were going to do the next couple of movies from the Justin TV feed?  I thought I heard them basically make a rough schedule for the coming weeks...