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CNN Live Today
Fans Wait for "Star Wars" in Charitable Fashion
Aired May 15, 2002 - 10:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Up first on CNN, send in the clones. Come on, bring them on. At the bewitching hour of midnight, "Star Wars" fans will find out whether George Lucas has recaptured his move magic.
Our Maria Hinojosa is outside New York's Ziegfeld Theater, and where fans are lining up for a midnight showing. Maria, they are a little bit early, I would say.
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, here is what I want to know, Daryn.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are all a bunch of idiots!
KAGAN: OK. There's an opinion for us.
HINOJOSA: Well, that's one opinion, but what I want to know is can they do anything about this weather? It is freezing in New York City. So, Yoda, do what you can do, all right?
The Ziegfeld Theater is right here. As you can see, it still has another movie up, but tonight at 12:01, these people who have been here for three weeks, three weeks through the 90 degrees and the 50 degrees, because they want to be the first in line.
Now, your name is Nick (ph) -- Nick (ph), came down from...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I came down from school in Brown. It's up in Providence, Rhode Island. So it's about a four-hour trip, and I have done it twice now.
HINOJOSA: So you're saying that you are a Brown University student, and you're going to -- your parents must think this is wonderful you are out here for three weeks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, my exams were all done, so I don't have to worry about passing any more classes. But they have definitely wondered why I am doing this.
HINOJOSA: Well, why are you doing this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mostly because I am excited about the movie. You know, I have, of course, seen all of the other four movies, so I'm just sort of excited to see, you know, the next chapter in the story and see what happens.
HINOJOSA: If you had to sum up what "Star Wars" means for your age. I mean, I remember seeing it when I was in high school. It was my first sci-fi film, sitting row number three, and wow! But what does it mean for a generation to then now have this next movie coming out?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's just sort of a very good, you know, generational story. It's a story about growing up, and you know, there is a book by Joseph Campbell called, "The Hero of a Thousand Faces," and he talks about "Star Wars" as sort of being -- the hero of every single myth that's ever been made. Sort of growing up and just going out and coming into the world. I think that that's really what "Star Wars" is about for our generation.
HINOJOSA: All right. Well, speaking of coming into the world, there is Jewel (ph) here. Now, Jewel (ph) asked me when was the last "Star Wars" film that I had seen, and I was like, well, you know, way before I had kids. She has seen them all, but not until too much longer. Jewel (ph), when you have got a situation where this is not only about -- you are raising money, you have a line, you are the line public relations person.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right. That's right. We were definitely -- we are definitely organized just like we were for "Episode I" three years ago. And what we are here for is to raise money and awareness for the Starlight Children's Foundation in the tri-state area.
HINOJOSA: Which is an organization that Mark Hammel, the actor, supports, which is why they are making the tie, but down there is the greater public, the people who are not part of the formal line. They are also here for tonight's 12:01, the premier -- back to you, Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. We will let you get back in line -- Maria Hinojosa out there with the clones.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, let's check the West Coast...
KAGAN: OK.
HARRIS: ... see how folks are faring out there. For that, let's turn to reporter Lisa Breckenridge from our Los Angeles affiliate KTTV. She is outside the Chinese Theater in Hollywood -- good morning. How are you shaping up out there?
LISA BRECKENRIDGE, KTTV CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's fine, I have got myself a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) seat, I am right in the front of the line. I kind of cheated to get here. You have organized this line. How long have you been here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I'm one of the organizers. We have been here for about six weeks. We planned this months ahead before the start, and off and on about six weeks.
BRECKENRIDGE: Oh, my gosh! And you have been -- you were here two years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was here in the 1999 line. I was one of the volunteer staff members as well, yes.
BRECKENRIDGE: Oh, my gosh. I want you to look at this line. It goes -- they have a little encampment. They have the whole computer setup going. This line goes all the way around the block. We have 130 people here. And these folks are also raising money for the Starlight Children's Foundation.
Barrett (ph), your nickname is Skywalker, because of course, he looks a little bit like Skywalker.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
BRECKENRIDGE: How much money do you guys hope to raise, and what do want it to do?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we hope to raise as much money as possible for the foundation, because that's a larger reason of why we are here. We hope that the money goes towards the children that are sick and their parents, and that way they can have a better lifestyle, and they can things a little bit happier and easier.
BRECKENRIDGE: Yes. It's a wonderful foundation. They are raising about $50 each. Some are raising, though, up to $1,000.
Now, as you come around here, you can see you can see they have been having a marathon session of the movies. Of course, just in time for us to come, the movie is off. But they have been watching "Star Wars" movies nonstop around here.
Where is my fun guy that I have been talking to? You know, we have to get my fun guy over. This guy is crazy. You have to come see him. Come on, come on. Tell me about the excitement here for -- you have been here for how long?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have been here since April 4.
BRECKENRIDGE: And why come out here? I mean, we know that there are Internet copies out there, boot-legged copies. Why come do it like this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because this is the greatest theater on earth with the biggest nerds of all time.
[CHEERING]
BRECKENRIDGE: There you go. But they are raising money, you know, for a good cause, nerds or not. So again, watching movies, camping out. Get them a little shot of this sign, so you can see, you know, the famous Hollywood landmark. Everyone is just basically having a good time out here. So, Leon, you know, if you don't have anything do, you should probably get out and hang out in one of these lines for a while, I'm thinking.
HARRIS: I don't know. I don't know about that. It's nice to hear them admit they are a bunch of nerds.
BRECKENRIDGE: Yes, I know. You know, they must have some kind of job, and they are doing this in shifts. That was one thing I said, do you guys have jobs? Do you have wives?
HARRIS: Yes.
BRECKENRIDGE: Do you have girlfriends? And apparently yes.
HARRIS: And the answer was yes?
BRECKENRIDGE: Yes, oh, yes.
HARRIS: There's news for you this morning. Oh, by the way, Lisa, the news room, the consensus here is that that fun guy, his name, you have got to be Chewbacca.
BRECKENRIDGE: Yes.
HARRIS: He's got to be.
BRECKENRIDGE: He was a little x-rated earlier this morning. I was glad he cleaned it up for your show.
HARRIS: OK. Good deal. Yes, we do want to do a family thing here.
BRECKENRIDGE: Yes.
HARRIS: Lisa Breckenridge of KTTV out in L.A. -- have fun out there.
BRECKENRIDGE: Thanks -- see you guys later.
HARRIS: Stay warm -- appreciate it.
KAGAN: And you've got to put that in perspective, those guys and that theater is just down the street from where we did the red carpet at the Oscars.
HARRIS: Exactly. It's almost right next door to it.
KAGAN: Yes. So it's all right there.
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