posted 04-06-2005 02:00 PM                       

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...diehard Star Wars fans (i.e. lifelong virgins)...

I can only imagine what Triumph the Insult Comic Dog would to have to say about this group.

"Which one of these buttons calls your parents to pick you up?"

...

What kills me about the "nerds" waiting in line for Star Wars prequels is they are such posers.

When Empire came out, people waited in line days in advance because it was the only sure way to get in on opening night.

Today, you can buy your tickets on-line in advance and show up just as the previews are starting. There is no reason to camp out for seats other than pretending to be as "hard core" of a fan as those who slept out for the original movies in '77, '80 and '83.

Hey, you in the Jedi robes! Here's a clue: Real nerds will have already seen the illegal torrent file of the movie before you even get in the theater anyway. There's no geek-cred to be won simply by being the "first" to see the new movie, and all of the prequels are lame anyway. Go home and take a shower.

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"The telling thing is -- for me, at least -- if the film is not playing at the Chinese ... I have zero desire to see it at all," a fan who calls himself Obi Geewhyen posted on the message board at Liningup.net. "I'm in it for the lineup only and don't give a darn about the conclusion of this lackluster, so-called 'Star Wars' series."

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(323) 462-9609

This is the number to the payphone outside of Grauman's Chinese Theater.

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The line is more fun than the movie, by far. Everyone out there is there because they're dorks, nerds, geeks. They enjoy Star Wars, and a film premier is likely one of the few times they get to gather with other fans and geek out about their hobby. It's always a good time with people sitting around playing cards, eating pizza, drinking soda, playing board games (video games one year when the theater owner rolled out a TV on a cart for us to use) etc. Essentially the line ends up being a day or two long party.

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The fans in line have heard your pleas and have answered with the following from liningup.net :

Liningup.net is staying in the spot where we have great relationships with the theatre, the local businesses, and the Hollywood Division of the LAPD. We are lining up at the theatre where the first Star Wars premiered in 1977, where all of the prequels have played, where George Lucas, R2D2, Harrison Ford, and Darth Vader have their footprints in the world-famous "Forecourt of the Stars".

We are raising money for an amazing charity, Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation, that works to brighten the lives of seriously ill children. We've only been in line for 3 days and we have already topped more than $6200 in donations, with hopefully tens of thousansds more to be raised.

Twice before we've lined up at Grauman's Chinese Theatre without confirmation that the films would play there. Twice before, we've been told it was going to play somewhere else. Hopefully, our luck holds out for a third time. If not, we'll still have an incredibly fun time relaxing with other Star Wars fans and raising both funds and awareness for the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation.

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Inside Move: Fanatics laying it on the line

'Star Wars' fans stew in queue

By GABRIEL SNYDER

If a movie isn't playing at a theater, will its fans still line up outside? For "Star Wars" fans, the answer is a befuddling yes.

Saturday, 46 days before "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" opens on May 19, the trilogy's enthusiasts began their vigil outside Grauman's Chinese Theater.

Problem is 20th Century Fox doesn't plan to open the film at the Chinese, opting instead for the ArcLight a few blocks east.

"Star Wars" or no, the diehards are resolute about keeping their line on Hollywood Boulevard.

Underneath a make-shift awning yesterday afternoon, 11 people were in line doing what appeared to be homework, pecking at laptops and talking to members of the media.

"We've heard all this before," said Sarah Sprague, one of the designated spokesmen for the group. In 1999 and 2002, there were plenty of rumors (ultimately false) that the previous two pics weren't going to open at the Chinese.

This year the rumors seem to be true. Fox and the ArcLight haven't finalized their "Star Wars" deal, but execs on both sides say they expect "Revenge of the Sith" to play the ArcLight and not the Chinese.

A media-savvy bunch, those waiting at the Chinese hope press interest in covering (and most likely mocking) them would persuade George LucasGeorge Lucas and Fox to move the booking.

And Sprague was adamant the line isn't moving to the ArcLight. "This is still the epicenter for 'Star Wars' fans. For the big iconic pictures of the 1970s, people lining up were here. They weren't at the Cinerama Dome."

Their other reason is that it'd be more difficult to raise money for their charity Starlight Starbright if they weren't on Hollywood. However, cops won't let fans collect donations from passersby; instead, they pass out pamphlets with a Web site address.

"Even if it's not here, we'll just go see it somewhere else. We're not doing this just for the movie." Besides, she added, "What's the point of lining up at the ArcLight if someone is going to go online and get the best seat in the house?"

But wouldn't that still make more sense than spending a month outside a theater that isn't playing the movie?

"Lining up for anything, what part of that makes any sense?" she responded philosophically.

As theaters normally do, the ArcLight is likely to ask Fox that it be the only theater playing "Revenge of the Sith" in the immediate area. And even if it doesn't, Paramount confirmed it will open "The Longest Yard" at the Chinese the week after "Revenge," which means Fox won't want to book the theater for just one week. (Paramount partly owns Mann Theaters.)

The kerfuffle has inspired some soul-searching among the fans, and they have discovered that standing in a "Star Wars" line is actually more important than seeing a "Star Wars" film.

"The telling thing is -- for me, at least -- if the film is not playing at the Chinese ... I have zero desire to see it at all," a fan who calls himself Obi Geewhyen posted on the message board at Liningup.net. "I'm in it for the lineup only and don't give a darn about the conclusion of this lackluster, so-called 'Star Wars' series."

Hope springs eternal, Sprague said. After the last two "Star Wars" films, "We're all a little beaten down," she said. "But this one could be it!"

Date in print: Wed., Apr. 6, 2005, Los Angeles

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posted 04-07-2005 04:09 PM                       

Morons have been queuing up outside wrong theatre! - BBC coverage

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Star Wars fans have started queuing seven weeks early for the opening of the final movie - but appear to have camped outside the wrong cinema. Dedicated fans are lining up outside the famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood but have been told it will open on 19 May at a cinema a mile away.

Producers opted to open the film at the ArcLight cinema, making it unlikely other cinemas in the area will show it. But the fans are refusing to move, believing the news to be false.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith will open at the ArcLight complex, which is adjacent to another Hollywood landmark, the Cinerama Dome. "We've heard all this before," said Sarah Sprague, one of the small group already queuing. She said similar stories were circulated ahead of Star Wars releases in 1999 and 2002 - but the films had eventually opened at Grauman's.

"This is still the epicentre for Star Wars fans," Ms Sprague added. "For the big iconic pictures of the 1970s, people lining up were here. They weren't at the Cinerama Dome." Revenge of the Sith will be the last of three prequels to the original 1977 science fiction classic.

Executives from 20th Century Fox and ArcLight told Variety magazine Revenge of the Sith would be showing at the Arclight although a deal had yet to be completed. In 2002, two die-hard fans started camping outside their local Seattle cinema four months before the release of Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

Despite mixed reviews for the past two Star Wars releases, anticipation for the final instalment is expected to be high. Director George Lucas has said Revenge of the Sith is darker and more emotional than previous Star Wars films.

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