The Darth Side: Memoirs of a Monster

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AMERICAN IDOL Judge references Star Wars

Dateline: Weirdsville - Today on Fox Television's American Idol, judge Simon Cowell was trying to describe how he felt about one of the contestant's performance for the evening. He was trying to describe to the 'rocker' singer how when he switched from rock music to pop music and then attempted to switch back again, it was ...like in Star Wars and going to the Dark Side and back again ... or the Light Side and back again. What? AMERICAN IDOL?

MALLTROOPERS !! (Source: Yahoo! News - Top Stories Photos - AP)

This story caught my eye.

A group of stormtroopers clonetroopers ride down an escalator as they head towards 'Star Wars' Celebration III at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Friday, April 22, 2004. More than 30,000 'Star Wars' fans are expected to attend the four-day Celebration III convention. (AP Photo/Tom Stratman)

Update (2007-09-30): Like all Yahoo! News stories, this link is no longer valid. However, I did find the following pic on Flickr that might be from the same event.

One Night at the Roberts Orpheum Theater

I've got some bad news for the folks at the Roberts Orpheum theater... As I said in my previous post, the concert was a huge blast and meeting Rob (first name basis now, don't you know it?) was spectacular. But I'd have to say that the newly renamed and rebuilt Roberts Orpheum Theater -- formerly the American Theater in downtown St. Louis -- has got a problem that kind of interfered in making the night an absolutely perfect night. But I'll get to that later...

So, Lisa won the tickets and there was a whirlwind of telephone calls. Her folks, my folks, friends, coworkers. Some of Lisa's coworkers had in fact been listening and knew it was her. One of her friends had won a wedding gift on the same station a month or two back. Envy all around from some of her coworkers and mine, but mostly they were just really excited. Our families were excited too. To my mild surprise, even my Mom has heard of Rob Thomas. Not all of our friends knew the name right away.

Lisa was called by the station on her cell phone and at first they wanted her to come to the office to pick up the tickets. Then they changed it to pickup the night of the show. The night she won the tickets, she and Heather went out to first Target and then finally Wal-Mart to buy a copy of his debut/latest CD - "..Something To Be."

Target was selling a special version that came packaged with an extra 5-song single called "Something Extra", but they were out. Wal-Mart had plenty of the standard CDs left, so she bought it there.

Then all of a sudden it was Friday. We had to meet the Y98 rep in front of the theater at 6pm, but Lisa wanted to be there in plenty of time. So I took a couple hours off work to go home, change and then pick up my Reese from school. I had a short bit of time before I had to get her so I posted quickly and got Reese to Heather's house. Then I met up with Lisa at the house and we drove downtown to the Orpheum.

I've never been to the American or it's new incarnation as the Orpheum. The directions on their site were pretty good at helping us get there. I'd like to mention at this point that we were pretty much the first folks there, nearly two hours earlier than when we needed to be there. It was about 4p.m. or so, and there were still Orpheum employees trickling in. The lady at the door informed us that the doors wouldn't open until 7pm. All we had to do was wait for the Y98 van. The day at this point was turning windy and cold. We were in the parking garage across from the theater while we waited and the gusts were whipping around tossing paper and styrofoam all over the place. It was like Chicago, or at least what I imagine the "Windy City" should be. While we waited, we sat in the car and listened to the new CD we had brought. Then we walked to the fancy hotel next door and used their bathroom when the need arose. Mostly we shivered a lot.

Then up drove a van with a radio station logo on it, but it was 101.1 The River in an orangish van. At about 5:30pm or so, the silver Y98 van pulled up to the curb. Out stepped a nice shortish woman in a dress and windbreaker, and a tall bulky guy with a shaved head. We were still the first fans there, although a moment or two later, another couple of winners zeroed in on the van with us.

Even my Mom has heard of Rob Thomas

Thanks to Carlos Santana & the song Smooth

Brandi was the name of the sales rep from Y98. She was very nice and negotiated with the security folks at Orpheum to let us in the lobby out of the cold. Winners like us filtered in a few at a time until there were about 20 or so total. Brandi handed out tickets and we waited there for about 30 minutes while soundcheck was performed just through a door. Then members of Rob's team showed up and escorted the group to the back. We snaked up along the seats of the auditorium and we marveled at the huge beautiful room, but only briefly. At this point we still didn't really know where our seats were. Our group went single-file through a set of doors and into an area to stage right and then backstage. We went down a flight of stairs and turned down a hallway. Beyond this there was another set of cramped stairs down and to a small out-of-the-way room that looked as if it were a storeroom or unused hallway to nowhere. The floors and walls were mostly bare cold concrete. There were artistically painted promotional posters for old-fashioned musicals or playbills. Pizza and soda were provided but Lisa and I had already eaten some leftover pizza and were too nervous to eat.

Rob's manager/handler person was a bouncer type guy in a grey sweatshirt and khaki shorts with a shaved head. There was a personal radio attached to his hip but he otherwise seemed just like a normal guy. He kindly laid out the ground rules: no cell phones, no cameras, only one item gets signed.

...to be continued.

Meeting Rob Thomas

First off, let me say, what a blast! Overall, a great experience and a great concert. Lisa and I haven't been to a concert in about 5 years or so, the last one being the Aerosmith concert at Riverport Amphitheatre in the summer of '98.

But I don't want to talk about that. Let me talk of Rob Thomas. Apparently, my wife has had a 'celebrity-crush' on him for quite a long time. I'm not jealous about this at all, for reasons I'll get into, but I don't think I realized how strong it was until after she was calling the radio station to try and win tickets.

This past Tuesday and for all of this week, the local radio station morning show, Phillips and Company on Y98 was giving away pairs of tickets to see the Rob Thomas concert and meet him before the show.

I think Lisa might have mentioned it prior to Tuesday morning, but I didn't really mentally absorb the rules of the contest. Apparently, at specifically mentioned times during the show, the DJs would ask for the first four callers to phone in and give their best story for why they deserved the tickets and the meet & greet priveledge. They didn't just want to tive the tickets to the first four persistent dialers, but to someone they judged to be really, really, really interested in them.

When the announcement came on for the time to call in, I had the phone in my hand and started dialing it and handed it to her. It rang, but then no one answered. She hung up and called back. Then she hung up and called back. I assumed that if she didn't get in with the first four callers -- which should probably take about 19.5 seconds -- that she was not going to get through. I kept telling her to give up and hang it up.

She was just about to and tried one more time. I think it was Steph Duran who picked up and simply said Y98...

I'm.. calling about the Rob Thomas tickets, my wife stammered, her voice rising in pitch.

Yeah, what's your story? the DJ asked patiently. Now according to Lisa, the previous day, the station had gotten a lot of calls with stories that they had rejected outright. Everyone had some sort of sob story about why they wanted the tickets. They were all downers about their single-mother, out-of-work son-in-law, handicapped back surgery, knee pains, hard luck sally sob story... stuff. After they had gotten Monday's winner the day before, the DJs had specifically stated that they didn't want any more sad stories.

Lisa had mentally rehearsed TWO DIFFERENT stories. I'll let you pick which one you think will win. she told the DJ diplomatically. The first story was related to the Friends television series and an episode they had where the gang came up with a list of Top Five celebrities that if they ever possibly met and had a chance to 'hook-it-up' with that celebrity, their spouses couldn't be upset about it because the celebrity was on their personal list of five. Rob Thomas is apparently on Lisa's list of five. This is why I can't be jealous of her fascination with him, because he rates her 'freebie' five. Of course, Lisa has a tendency to change the top five list without informing me ahead of time and like I said earlier in this post, I didn't know she was that in in lust with Rob Thomas. The point of the 'five-free' list is so that it's expected that if they someday meet one of their five that whatever happens should be forgiveable, but the list has to be set in stone for it to work. But I digress... Lisa told the DJ that Rob was on her top five 'freebie' list, but that apparently wouldn't cut it.

That story has already been taken. What is your other story?

Well, Lisa didn't miss a beat and told her other story ... which was also true. On the evening when our youngest daughter was conceived, the song Smooth that Rob Thomas wrote and sang with Carlos Santana was playing. We never did get a chance to thank Rob for our beautiful wonderful daughter and I think it would be great if I had the chance to thank him personally.

The DJ on the other end of the phone loved that one. She eagerly took Lisa's details and cell phone number and told her to listen to see if she'd won. After she hung up, Lisa explained to me that the morning show was having a daily Rob Thomas Conclave in honor of the Pope's death recently being in the news. Each of the four members of the show chose a story they liked the best and gave the first name of the caller and a brief summary of each story. Like the Vatican, the Phillips and Co. morning show had it's own plume of white smoke, except it was only spotted when one of the interns went out for a cigarette. At that point, they would announce their choice of which of the four stories they had collectively chosen democratically. That morning, two of the stories were sob-type stories; lost jobs and single mothers. Another just seemed a little dumb. The caller had gotten a new job and wanted a night out to celebrate with her friend. No offense, ...but Bo-ring!

As the team discussed the stories and talked about Lisa specifically, Guy Phillips asked jokingly if she wanted to thank him, or if she wanted a blood test. Guy even mentioned how much he liked the name 'Olivia'. Excitement mounted as they went to commercial and came back and awaited the plume of white smoke.

And the winner is,... and we waited with our breath held in. Lisa- ... Guy said, but paused. There had been another girl who called in named Lisa, but of course, he was pausing for the pronounciation on the last name. - Arconati, from Florissant. He finished, pronouncing it exactly right. Lisa and I jumped up and down, the girls running around the house in surprise and confusion. Lisa had done it. My wife had won tickets to the Rob Thomas Meet & Greet!

That's it, I can't type any more. I'm all Rob-Thomas'ed out! I'll finish the story another day.

Rob Thomas: Concert & Meet & Greet

I meant to post about this earlier but I have big news -- really BIG news! This last tuesday, my wife won a contest on the radio on Y98's morning show, Phillips and Company. They were giving out tickets and a chance to meet and greet with Rob Thomas, former lead singer of Matchbox 20, and writer/featured singer on Santana's hit Smooth. He has a concert tonight at the newly renovated Orpheum theater downtown.

I am leaving here in ten minutes. No, better make that five. I have to pick my daughter, Reese, up from school and then take her to Heather's house, which is where Lisa is right now getting her hair done. From there we are going to drive downtown to the Orpheum and meet up with the Y98 crew and rob's manager. From there we will go the Meet & Greet party prior to the show and then we have tickets on the floor. I can't wait!

Stay tuned to hear more about our night and what it was like!

STAR WARS Episode III - The Video Game

I've not usually spent a lot of time playing the games that follow the DIRECT plot of the movie, but Star Wars Episode III - The Video Game is beginning to take shape and look pretty cool. Check out the trailer, and the Press Release. The game 'drops' 05.05.05 ! OMG, did I really just say that?

MC Christmas Party - 2004

I am so very proud of myself. Check out the shirt I won at the big M0nsterC0mmerce Christmas party. Jamie also won a rather funny shirt. After everyone had their stuff, Jamie even traded me shirts, which I appreciated greatly.

My favorite response to people seeing the picture of me with the black shirt: "Dick who?" I was tempted, but I think I'll protect the privacy of the person who didn't get the joke right away. [Hi Mom!]
MC Christmas Party - 2004

BBspot - Top 11 Characters Not Appearing in Revenge of the Sith

11.	3CPU - 3PO's multiprocessor brother
10.	Chewbacco - The chaw spittin' Wookiee
9.	Darth Humongous - The well-endowed Sith
8.	Zippy Poofknocker - Friend to all mankind
7.	Weedo - The galaxy's second favorite pothead (behind Shaggy)
6.	Tango Fett - The dirty dancing bounty hunter
5.	Senator Palpitations - The heart-attack-prone senator
4.	Mannequin Skywalker - Anakin's acting double
3.	Sith anal probe droid - No explanations necessary
2.	Obi-Wan Cannoli - Ben's italian cousin
1.	Han Acompañado - Han Solo's courteous, friendly, evil twin

BBspot - Top 11 Characters Not Appearing in Revenge of the Sith

Blogger Help : How do I change my site feed settings?

Alert:

For those of you that subscribe to my blog in a FEED or XML download, and specifically use the file at -
http://arconati.us/blogger/atom.xml
- you will want to know that updates today remove this file and change the correct URL for my site feed to -
http://arconati.us/xml/blog-atom.xml
- I want to apologize for the inconvenience. You can learn about site feed settings within blogger's software at the link below. Update your news readers, or you will not be getting any more from ArcoJedi's blog.
The following link will show you how to do this in Blogger - Blogger Help : How do I change my site feed settings?

The following link is to the new XML feed. XML Add to My Yahoo!

MSNBC - Lucas calls new 'Star Wars' film a 'tearjerker'

...really about the father, the struggles of a father, or a man, basically, to find himself, and at the same time fall into a trap of wanting certain powers, making a pact with the devil and basically spending the rest of his...
MSNBC - Lucas calls new 'Star Wars' film a 'tearjerker'

Sometimes 'life' gets way too serious...

A visiting minister was speaking during the offeratory prayer. "Dear Lord," he began with arms extended and a rapturous look on his upturned face, "without you we are but dust..."

He would have continued, but at that moment one very obedient little girl -- who was listening carefully for a change -- leaned over to her mother and asked quite audibly in her shrill little girl voice, "Mommy, WHAT is butt dust?"

Church was pretty much over at that point...

Help for Tsunami Victims

Please take a moment first and foremost to consider supporting or at least praying for those still suffering in the wake of the Indian Basin Tsunami. There are still many thousands of people in need.

International aid organizations:

• UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund)
• United Nations' World Food Programme
• Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors without Borders
• Donate to Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors without Borders
• CARE International
• The Internationnal Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

North America:

• American Red Cross
• Canadian Red Cross
• Save The Children
• Oxfam America
• Anders Jacobsen:
• Webloggers

UK/Europe

• Disasters Emergency Comittee (DEC)
• - comprises a raft of aid agencies, including the below and others
• British Red Cross
• Oxfam
• Save the Children UK

Arconati.us Archive

This site is starting to get big and unwieldly. Right now the home page is starting to look outdated again [to me at least]. What's more disconcerting is the date stamp on it is currently January! However, one of the main problems I'm having with is how to proceed. I want to keep flowing with content, but keep it manageable. To start to alleviate this problem I've created an archive directory. This will be a nice place to store copies of my site's home page as it has appeared in the past. I'm going to be improving the home page over the next couple of days, and will have a permanent link available.

It is important to note that a web site is always a work-in-progress. In fact, by the very nature of a page on the internet being a 'live document', the usefulness drops if you don't keep it fresh and up-to-date. This sounds like good news, until you realize that you -- as webmaster -- will never be done.

View the archive if you are curious. Please, no flash photography! One of the more interesting pieces of that page, was a section that had my results in the "BBSpot OS quiz: Which OS are you?" I like the results as they fit me, sorta, but I was hoping for Apple Macintosh. I will try and incorporate this and other type of tests like it into the new version. Test it out for your self.

Which OS Are You?

Oh and one more thing! I found a way that I can actually use the Blogger software even more with my design. There is a link in Blogger help to using the software to create an INCLUDE file that you update directly through the software and just use that to update areas of your homepage or links page. With multi-member blogger features, where other logins can share in one blog, I can even let other members of the Arconati family update a corner of the page all their own! An interactive online community for the Arconati family.

Target : Star Wars

Target stores have a promotional program for the release of the next Star Wars film. There are a few cool things that fans of all ages will want to check out. There is a Battle Name Configurator -- mine is King Rooj Fortunatweeter -- exclusive toys and collectibles (bah!) and a Jedi Mind Trick game. The cream from the top, though, is simply labled SCENE MAKER. If you go to the Target : Star Wars Portal and click on the link in the bottom right of the flash page, you can customize your very own Star Wars film, acted out with action figures in a '70s-style basement. I order you to check it out at this time.

His heiness King Rooj Fortunatweeter, signing off.

TheForce.Net

TheForce.Net - TF.N Headlines v1		TheForce.Net - TF.N Headlines v2

What Type of Killer Are You?

You are a protector.

Yes, you don't like to kill people. That goes against everything you believe in. It's not that you are a coward, but your ideals and morals wouldn't allow it. You are the typical hero, do the righteous things, get the bad guys and do it all legally. But just because you don't kill doesn't mean you can't kick ass. And that is what you do. You use your brain and your strength to do honourable deeds and protect people you know and love. If an evil guy is going to take over the world soon, it's you who will get involved. You hate watching innocents suffer, and love seeing bad people getting what they deserve. You are probably also happy and optimistic and work pretty good in groups. And the friends you usually make are true ones.

Main weapon: Anything at all
Quote: You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. - Joe Lewis
Facial expression: Smile

Find out for yourself What Type of Killer Are You? [cool pictures] brought to you by Quizilla.

Which type of candy are you? - Quizilla

You're bubblegum!!! You love to have a good time, and enjoy being around others who feel the same way. You tend to be the life of the party, and people like to be around you as much as they can.

Which kind of candy are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

I Have My Tickets to Star Wars!

Your CINE-TIX^® order is complete. A confirmation will be e-mailed to you shortly. Please print a copy of this for your records.

Title: Star Wars Episode III Revenge of Sith MPAA Rating: PG13 RunTime: 142

Galaxy 14 Cine Showtime: Thursday, May 19, 2005 12:01 AM

Quantity of Tickets Purchased
Category	Tickets
ADULT	2

---

Your transaction number is XXXXXX

Please be sure to arrive early to claim your tickets at the guest services area or, where available, the automated ticketing kiosks near the box office. For fraud prevention purposes, you must present the exact credit card used to order these tickets, (last 4 digits: XXXX as well as a printout of this page.

This order is non-refundable!

---

Thank You for choosing Wehrenberg Theatres.

Enjoy the show!!!

Holy Bible - English Standard Version

DXPnet.com

Chances are, you’re more interested in thinking about you, than about us. It’s true and you know it. You’re not only good looking, but you’re smart too because you’ve stopped by to check out this site.

I'm not sure what this site is specifically supposed to be about. Doesn't seem to have a good focus, but they do happen to have an intersting advice column section with Psychic Bob.

Of course, if this doesn't interest you, you could always Download the Internet!

Jon & Kelly's Garage

Today, I got an email from my Dad about a fire at my brother's house. Luckily it was just the detached garage, and no one was hurt but there is a lot of property damage. Here is the email that Dad sent me.

Jon & Kelly's detached garage caught fire last night at about 11:30pm, causing significant physical damage to the structure. There were no injuries. The walls are standing and roof is still in-place, but the large overhead door is laying in the driveway, with fire damage on that end of the garage and the roof, and general heat- and smoke-damage to the building and its contents. J&K were in the house; their cars were in the driveway and were quickly moved out of harm's way. The fire-dapartment used foam to extinguish the blaze, then pulled parts of the walls and doors down to verify that all was out. Many of Jon's tools, including lawn-mower, leaf-blower, power saw (mine actually), and numerous hand tools are toast.

While there is no known cause at this time, it looks to me like the fire started in the area where the gas can(s) were stored. My guess is that the building will need to be leveled and re-built, but we'll wait for a verdict from the insurance company on that.

I'll keep you posted as I learn more.

My prayers are with you Jon & Kelly. God blessed you that you were still awake and no one was hurt. I love you!

LiningUp.net - Get in Line for Star Wars Episode III in Hollywood!

Apparently, the Star Wars group that I have been following have their own web site. Here is a quote straight from the home page.

LiningUp.net - Get in Line for Star Wars Episode III in Hollywood!: "Liningup.net is the place to learn more about participating in our line up for Star Wars: Episode III at the world famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre and other events. This site is brought to you by the members of the Episode I & II lines."

I also double checked the original LiveJournal user's site; patschmitz: In the News; and there was a user who had posted a link to download a .WAV file of a Netherlands radio interview with one of the guys in line.

Radio interview
robinhood86
2005-04-07 15:36 (link)
Here's a wav file of an interview aired on Dutch national radio: http://www.michielveenstra.nl/misc/liningup.wav (right click + save target as)

Hello again, Star Wars line...

Earlier, I mentioned the gang lining up in front of the Chinese Theater in L.A.. Later, after my call that was answered by Brian, I tried the AIM username on the LiveJournal post; LiningUp2005; and had the following conversation.

04.05.2005 [19:28] ArcoJedi: Hey Star Wars fan! I talked to Brian earlier

04.05.2005 [19:28] ArcoJedi: on the phone

04.05.2005 [19:28] ArcoJedi: http://www.livejournal.com/users/patschmitz/38414.html

04.05.2005 [19:32] ArcoJedi: My name is Jim from Missouri. May the Force be with you!

[I was about to click off the window, figuring they weren't going to answer... when..]

04.05.2005 [19:32] LiningUp2005: and with you

04.05.2005 [19:46] ArcoJedi: My Star Wars (and other stuff) related blog:

04.05.2005 [19:47] ArcoJedi: http://blog.arconati.us

[Okay, this was just shameless self promotion on my part. I've been building this blog like this for about 2 years almost now, and a lot of the content is about Star Wars. I hope that other fans might find it enlightening.]

04.05.2005 [19:48] LiningUp2005: cool

04.05.2005 [19:48] ArcoJedi: I mentioned you guys!

04.05.2005 [19:48] ArcoJedi: How late at night was the latest call you got?

04.05.2005 [19:49] LiningUp2005: they dont stop

[Uh-oh! Now I feel bad. I post their number in my blog 'cuz I saw it in a different blog and so on and so on and this will balloon out of control!]

04.05.2005 [20:27] ArcoJedi: People call a lot? Like every couple minutes? yeah... that is too bad... It is going to really get worse as time goes by and Star Wars gets closer. How are you guys on AIM while in line? Laptop? Cell phone?

04.05.2005 [20:30] LiningUp2005: We have a computer here

04.05.2005 [20:30] LiningUp2005: several

04.05.2005 [20:31] ArcoJedi: awesome... is there wireless access within reach of the theatre?

04.05.2005 [20:31] LiningUp2005: we have DSL set up

[Geeks like me! Wouldn't wait in line all day without at least some decent internet access...]

04.05.2005 [20:31] ArcoJedi: What you need now is a web-cam... :)>-

04.05.2005 [20:32] ArcoJedi: :-D

04.05.2005 [20:32] LiningUp2005: end of this week

04.05.2005 [20:32] LiningUp2005: we will

04.05.2005 [20:35] ArcoJedi: I predict you'll have 1000 people calling a minute as the days go by... If you take the phone off the hook, does it stop ringing?

[I'm really worried now about these kindred souls. I mean they will need a break after awhile, right? But apparently not...]

04.05.2005 [20:35] LiningUp2005: We don't take the phone off the hook

04.05.2005 [20:35] LiningUp2005: we just do it

04.05.2005 [20:36] ArcoJedi: Okay... can I ask you something? What is your name? And how old are you?

04.05.2005 [20:36] ArcoJedi: How many are in line right now? (I'm sure you get these questions a lot)

04.05.2005 [20:36] LiningUp2005: there are about 25 people here now

04.05.2005 [20:38] ArcoJedi: Thank you for answering all my questions. Can I quote you on my blog? My buddies at work won't believe a word of this.

04.05.2005 [20:45] LiningUp2005: No worries

04.05.2005 [20:45] LiningUp2005: go ahead

04.05.2005 [20:46] ArcoJedi: Thanks, May the Force be with you!

[I meant it, too. Thanks again!]

More Anti-Star Wars blathering

Back in September of '04, I posted about the Anti- Star Wars movement steaming around the internet. Yahoo! News helped me find this opinion editorial in the Clarksville, TN Leaf Chronicle. The editorial is by George Poagueat.

"So what has Lucas done of any value since 1980? The 'Indiana Jones' trilogy did very well, but Steven Spielberg was in the director's chair. And without Spielberg? You don't want me to bring up 'Howard the Duck', do you?"
George Poagueat, Leaf Chronicle wire editor

In it, he talks about the next -- and last -- Star Wars movie, how it is coming soon and when, and then he goes on to thumb up his nose and say GOOD RIDDANCE! Like many film critics, he seems to think that Star Wars revolutionized the film industry, but not in a good way. I've read it before (I forget where) that these arrogant snobs- er, professional critics blame Lucas and other film makers like him and his imitators (translate: flatters) for altering the movie landscape in such a way that the big studios dropped smaller, more 'artsy' type films in lieu of summer-blockbusters-to-be like Jaws and Indiana Jones. The movie industry started making bubble gum movies with big explosions simply to bring in more kids to stuff their faces with expensive popcorn.

It's ludicrous in my opinion, and backwards thinking. Poagueat is seeing the chicken before the egg. The movie market changed only because movie-making technology changed. The reason no one demanded big flashy explosion sci-fi epics before Star Wars came out is because prior to Star Wars, there were no movies of this style that were even halfway decent. Sci-fi and fantasy themselves didn't really begin to enter popular culture until the late '60s and early '70s. People see what they want to see. They pay for what they want to pay for. The marketing of movies cannot hypnotically convince people to see a movie they wouldn't be interested in seeing. Movie ads can only tailor a preconception of what a movie might be like to appeal to the broadest audience possible. Repeat viewings, word-of-mouth, honest reviews, these shape the experience more than advertising.

Finally, there is the movie itself. I agree that the movie market changed, but Lucas and other innovators like him didn't cause the change, they were just in the right place at the right time. Read his misinformed and uneducated article here:
OPINION - The Leaf Chronicle - www.theleafchronicle.com

Hello, Star Wars line...

On patschmitz: In the News, a LiveJournal user's site, there is a post about the line outside the Chinese Movie Theater in Los Angelos, California. There is apparently about 50 people outside the theater waiting for the next Star Wars movie, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Apparently, there is a pay phone right outside next to the line and someone figured out what the number was and patschmitz posted the number, suggesting people call them.

I thought it HAD to be a hoax, but since I have unlimited long distance (thank you very much, SBC), I figured I'd give it a try. A young (19? 20? 21?) guy answered and said plainly "Star Wars line." He told me his name was Brian and I told him my name was Jim from St. Louis, Missouri. He said they'd been getting a lot of calls from folks just like me who assumed it was fake. We talked for a moment or two, laughed at the silliness of it all and I said goodbye.

People will make fun of these Star Wars fans, especially since the movie doesn't start for another 40+ days. I tell you what, I wish I was there with them right now.

May the Force be with you, Star Wars line!

Word of the Day and Add instant word lookup for your website

Word of the Day is a free service of The Free Dictionary

Word of the Day and Add instant word lookup for your website

Google Search: arconati

Hey, I made it onto the home page of GOOGLE! My new hosting provider allowed me better control to have my domain name work properly as opposed to forwarding to my Earthlink account. This combined with other (x)HTML changes and various things allowed me to get the best exposure. Google spidered my site on March 13, 2005. Basically, learning a few things at work SEO and proper HTML, it was easy to target the keywords that I wanted, such as "Arconati," since they are not very popular on any other site. There are a lot of sites referencing Villa Arconati, a concert stadium or something in Italy, but they specifically do not have their own site -- yet!

Update: Now of course, I'm on the second page, but I'm not really concerned. This kind of thing bounces up and down a lot.

Google Search: arconati

Popular Baby Names - Results for Olivia

Popularity of the name Olivia

Year of birth	Rank
2003	5
2002	10
2001	11
2000	16
1999	20
1998	22
1997	27
1996	35
1995	39
1994	50
1993	50
1992	57
1991	62
1990	74
Note: Rank 1 is the most popular, rank 2 is the next most popular, and so forth.

Popular Baby Names - Results for Reese

Popularity of the name Reese

Year of birth	Rank
2003	312
2002	465
2001	789
2000	881
Note: Rank 1 is the most popular, rank 2 is the next most popular, and so forth.