Step 1. Half-hear or half-remember facts.
Step 2. Fill in the blanks of the half you don't recall with speculation
Step 3. Credit but never name a source.
Step 4. Post on a blog.

Now, there's some sub-steps that will help your rumor stick, if that's your desired intent. It's hard to imagine why you'd go to the trouble of crafting a rumor to spread but leave in easy to prove mistakes. Unless you're just not thinking.

Example, this tale of ILM. Okay, let's look at it. Start with a Variety quote on the spin-off of the Model Shop ... yep. Uh huh. Good form. Add the illusion of conspiracy by quoting the original reporter's due dilligence in stating the deal had not gone through yet... mm-hmm... nice touch.

Oh, wait. Sorry. Gonna have to flag you on that third paragraph for egregious ignorance of widely reported fact.

So if ILM never made the move to the Letterman center, and the physical unit is going to be based in San Rafael, that begs the question: Where is the digital arm of ILM going to work out of? What will happen to them?

Well, actually, it was the physical production unit that never made the move. Hundreds upon hundreds of ILM employees that aren't part of the physical unit DID make the move. The lunch room is full of them. I see 'em every day. They worked incredibly long hours leading up to this summer's movie season on such films as Mission Impossible III, Poseidon and Pirates.

And it's not exactly a secret. When the move was made to the Presidio, there were huge articles in the trade describing the new Letterman campus, and how it was revolutionary that ILM, LucasArts and LFL were all under one roof.

But hey, maybe I'm being unfair. After all, the trades. Who reads those? Well, how about two issues ago in Star Wars Insider, there was that big article about the Letterman Digital Arts Center, and how ILM, Arts, and LFL were all together? You'd think that would make it clear.

ph