My SWCon2 Itinerary

[Jedieb]

I've been going through the list of scheduled events and I've put together a rough itinerary of what I plan on attending. To say that the powers that be have put together a full slate of events is an understatement! There are a couple of events that I think will be pretty special.

Friday 8PM-12:30AM
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and A New Hope Screening

Saturday 7PM-11:30AM
The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi Screening

Watching the 4 SW movies with an audience of die hards should be quite an experience. This will probably be one of the best experiences of the convention for me. I just hope I'm not sitting behind buff! The official site has a list of scheduled events for all 3 days. I hacked away at it and I have a rough schedule of what I'm going to be attending. I'm going to miss a couple of presentations I want to see, but there's just no way to see everything you want to see at a convention like this. Here's a tentative list of what I plan on seeing;

Firday
12 Noon -- 12:30 PM
Coruscant (Sagamore Ballroom)
Celebration II Welcoming Ceremony
Steve Sansweet, MC

12:30 -- 1:45 PM
Coruscant (Sagamore Ballroom)
Rick McCallum, Hayden Christensen

2:00 -- 3:00 PM
Tatooine (500 Ballroom)
An Hour In the ILM Model Shop -- Tom Berg, MC
Don Bies, John Goodson, Nelson Hall, Lorne Peterson

3:00 -- 3:50 PM
Bespin (White River Ballroom)
Star Wars Collectibles Road Show
Lisa Stevens, Gus Lopez, Chris Fawcett

4:00 -- 5:15 PM
Coruscant (Sagamore Ballroom)
Nick Gillard, Hayden Christensen

5:00 -- 5:50 PM
Bespin (White River Ballroom)
Ask the Hasbro Star Wars Team
Paul Palmer, and Hasbro staff members

8:00 PM -- 12:30 AM
Tatooine (500 Ballroom)
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and A New Hope
Watch the Star Wars films with your fellow fans, at the best Star Wars gathering ever. Host- Luke Sienkowski

Saturday
10:00 -- 11:15 AM
Coruscant (Sagamore Ballroom)
Lorne Peterson, John Knoll, Rick McCallum

11:30 AM -- 12:30 PM
Naboo (Rooms 201-204)
Getting the Story Straight Continuity in the SW Galaxy
Katherine O' Shea, Del Rey; Sue Rostoni, Lucas Pub.; Del Rey: Aaron Allston, Troy Denning, J. Luceno, Bob Salvatore

1:30 -- 3:00 PM
Dagobah Rooms 107-110
What's New at Hasbro
Paul Palmer

3:00 -- 3:50 PM
Bespin (White River Ballroom)
Ask Lucasfilm
Howard Roffman, Kerry Phelan, Tim Wi

4:00 -- 5:00 PM
Naboo (Rooms 201-204)
Visual Magic
John Knoll, ILM Visual Effects Supervisor for Attack of the Clones

7:00 -- 11:30 PM
Tatooine (500 Ballroom)
The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi
Watch the Star Wars films with your fellow fans, at the best Star Wars gathering ever. Host- Luke Sienkowski

Sunday
10:00 -- 11:15 AM
Coruscant (Sagamore Ballroom)
Nick Gillard, Ben Burtt, Daniel Logan

11:30 AM -- 12:30 PM
Naboo (Rooms 201-204)
Documenting the Magic: The Annals of Star Wars.
Dan Wallace, Mark Cotto Vaz, and Dr. David West Reynolds talk about recording the "facts" of the galaxy far, far away.

1:00 -- 2:00 PM
Naboo (Rooms 201-204)
The Story Crafter
Attack of the Clones Co-Screenwriter Jonathan Hales

2:30 -- 3:30 PM
Naboo (Rooms 201-204)
So Changes the Galaxy -- The Tales of Star Wars Tales Comics
Randy Stradley and Jan Duursema

As you can see there's a plethhora of events. I'd estimate that there are around 56 different presentations going on. I may skip a few of the ones I plan on attending just to do some shopping and tour the convention center. If I'm lucky I'll be able to post at night and let everybody know how things are going. I'm at a pretty good hotel that's within walking distance of the convention center. The room should have a line I can plug my laptop into.

buff, if you see this, pick some Friday event where we can meet. I don't expect you to sit through the same stuff I want to, but maybe we can set a time to have lunch or something.

[JonathanLB]

Let me know where you guys are meeting, it would be cool to meet up at least once, just to say hi.

I'll be there all three days, but I really want to see Spider-Man on Friday night! I know, I'm a traitor, haha, but I have got to see it opening night... :) I have been waiting like a year, but I've been waiting for 1,090 days or something for AOTC, whatever.

I will attend the ESB and ROTJ screenings probably that Sat. night.

I have no idea what I am going to yet, I really don't know, I guess I should have it all planned, but in a way I'd rather just wing it. Just see what I want to do at the time, hehe. :)

[CMJ]

Man..I hope all you guys that go have fun. I'm stuck here in LA trying to finish my script in time for Nicholl's...or if I miss that deadline, the Austin screenwriting competiton. Guh! So many changes to make, so little time. :)

[JonathanLB]

Sounds fun, though, CMJ. That is one of my lifetime goals, I just want to write ONE script that becomes a movie, even a small film, or maybe a made for TV movie, or maybe a few television episodes. Whatever, but that would be so cool.

[CMJ]

Me too Jonathan...me too. "Murder by Numbers" has a somewhat similar premise to my current project...so naturally I was disgusted when I found out that the Sandra Bullock film used MY concept(not exactly..it's way different..but just close enough to piss me off). Oh well the unsolvable murder thing has been done 50 times before, so I'm not too worried...besides mine's gonna be great, if I can ever get it done to my satisfaction. :)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Could always make into a script for the next Columbo Movie, if they ever do another one, hey it might be better than the last couple which have been kind of stale compared to the others.

I wish I could be there too but I just didn't have the money or the time right now, hopefully I will go for SWC3, I will see. One more thing now Jon don't get into a fight with Buff I won't be there to break it up :p

[CMJ]

Nah...I could never come up with Columbo's bumbling..yet genius dialogue. He's a classic character.

[JonathanLB]

Buff is like the ultimate Star Wars fan. He is the man. :)

You could never question his loyalty to the saga, hehe, who else is still predicting that AOTC will beat Titanic ;)

Nah, but weirder things have happened...

I will go on record as saying that if AOTC beats Titanic in the first release (or anytime in 2002), then I will admit that TPM had a disappointing box office performance ;) But I don't think that'll happen. Still, I sure hope that I can get to say that! It would be worth it :)

I really think the key demographics are the girls and the college student chicks, maybe somehow we can get enough with the love story and because of Christensen and McGregor. If somehow the film could get about 80% positive reviews, or even 75%, and then it drew upon the audience for Titanic AND for Star Wars (the entire boys crowd under 13 is a lot of money that wasn't spent on Titanic...), then it would have a chance.

A massive opening followed by better staying power than TPM would crush Titanic. Please all of the die-hard fans basically and that would be hugely helpful.

The cliffhanger ending may help a lot and the dark ending to Episode III is practically going to rule that film out as a serious contender to Titanic. Nothing in the next few years has half the chance that Episode II does. We've all seen that LOTR and Harry Potter, while huge, are not even close to being able to challenge Star Wars, let alone Titanic, so it is still between Star Wars and Titanic. The inflation could help and if the movie got to $550M, it would be over in another release anyway, so that'd be a "moral" victory ;)

[Jedi Master Carr]

There have been people that have said that Lucas may have put together the perfect combination the question is will girls go see a SW movie even with a love story involved? I think its really hard to say at this point, I doubt they would be there opening weekend maybe if the buzz heats up about the love story they could go in numbers who knows it will be interesting to see.

[Jedieb]

There have been people that have said that Lucas may have put together the perfect combination the question is will girls go see a SW movie even with a love story involved?
It's funny, but whenever I've shown ESB to 5th grade students they cringe at the Han & Leia scenes. I think the love story will work great, but there's a good chance younger kids will wish there was more Jar Jar and less romance. Everything I've seen makes me think this movie is going to play older than TPM.

[CMJ]

Yeah...I remember when I was a wee lad romance always made me cringe too, no matter the film. :) I think it changed about the time I was 11 or so.

[JMK]

Are you guys all nuts? I was glad to see Leia kiss someone OTHER than her brother!

Apparently, I've read that this has the potential to become the favorite of the SW series. Although I doubt anything will ever surpass ESB for sentimental reasons, I tend to believe this is more than possible. That being said though, I think this summer is just too tough for Episode 2 to break any records and grab one of the top 2-3 of all time. I hope I'm wrong though.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think it has a chance at passing HP on the World wide list for #2, it could pass TPM at #3 on the domestic list, I have my doubts it can make it pass Titantic. Really the early part of the summer is not that strong the first film that really is going to hurt is Minority Report in Late June, the rest of the films are two action films (Sum of All fears and Bad Company) a terrible cartoon movie (Scooby Doo) and a comedy (Mr Deeds) none of those films should hurt it too much and it really has 2 weeks to itself and then the last weekend of May against Sum of All Fears (which I think won't do that well) so who knows it could at least do what TPM did in 99 make it pass 400.

[JonathanLB]

Come on! The competition is WEAK in the early part of the summer. There is nothing there until June 21 with Minority Report. Everything before that is a minor obstacle at best. The Sum of All Fears looks good but it opens too soon after AOTC to do much damage, hehe.

Every Star Wars movie, all four, has become one of the THREE highest grossing films of all time on its first release. Episode II will not be any different.

I STILL cringe at romance scenes! lol. No not always, but it depends, because a lot of them are very cringe-worthy. I prefer very minimal romantic BS, like the Star Wars films, keep that crap off the screens.

[CMJ]

Hmmmmm..."keep that crap off the screens" huh? No wonder you have a hard time finding a woman Jonathan. ;)

[Jedieb]

Something awful happened to me at work today. If I don't get it resolved somehow I may end up missing most, if not all of Friday's events. I'll also have to change my flight which will cost me an additional $75. I'm so furious right now I could skewer those responsible. This has completely ruined this week for me. I should have been enjoying these days of anticipation, instead I'm stressing and scrambling to set things right.
:verymad :grumble :verymad

[CMJ]

Wow Jedieb...that sucks! Did the school superintendent come down on ya or somethin'? ;)

[JMK]

Jedieb my friend, I offer you this sage-like advice;
"If it feels good, do it". Screw the obligations, tell whoever's responsible that you've had this planned for too long to deep six your plans now. There you have it. ;)

As my good friend Jon Bon Jovi would say, "keep the faith".

[JonathanLB]

No CMJ, that is not it, I didn't say I find anything wrong with that in real life, but I do NOT want to see a bunch of sappy romance on screen. It's extremely annoying and makes me cringe. Ugg, ick.

[CMJ]

By the way Jonathan...did you happen to get my email? I'm not sure if that system we use here works.

[JonathanLB]

I got it. I'll read it :)

[CMJ]

Okay just email me back when you get the chance.

[Jedieb]

I just got everything straightened out at work! :D

This whole experience has left me with mixed emotions. Anyone who's worked in any kind of office/workplace knows that there's more to your job than just your job. Supervisors, coworkers, office politics, regulations, dress codes, etc. To say that I think I've been treated shabbily would be an UNDERSTATEMENT. I bust my butt for this place and sometimes I feel like a doormat. Oh, well, I should just be grateful everything has worked out.

[CMJ]

Good to hear Jedieb, good to hear.

[darth_mcbain]

Yeah - glad that worked out EB. Just remember to not sweat the small stuff - more often than not it isn't worth it... Besides, you're going to SW-CON2!!! You are gonna have the coolest time. Do try to post here and there to let us mere mortals who can't go :( know what's going on.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I'm glad you got it all worked out, hope you have fun at the celebration and like Mcbain said if you can post from there please do, I would love to find out whats going on there.

[JMK]

Doormats. I hate them. I know how you feel Jedieb.

[Jedieb]

It's going to be a hassle, but I will be taking my laptop with me. Hopefully, I'll be able to post for awhile each night and let everybody know what's going on. Just think, if you start saving an amount as small as $10-$20 a month you could have a little nest egg that would make a trip to SC:Con3 a reality!