If I remember correctly, in Light & Magic they talk about how they came up with the design of the M.Falcon (and George Lucas wasn’t much involved). In fact, let me check… Ah ha:
Johnston was also tasked with redesigning the Falcon when the original design was deemed too similar to another ship on television. Under pressure and mentally blocked, Johnston was sitting in the kitchen when he spotted plates on the counter. He imagined sandwiching two together like hamburger buns to create a saucer-like ship. The Millennium Falcon started to take shape.
The carbonite thing feels like more of a straightforward copy, though.
Uri Geller is a name I haven’t thought about in a long time… A perfect end to a weird news story.