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Some people think the Chupacabra originates in Mexico because all of the sightings have been along the border states, except for Arizona, because they don’t carry papers. Rumors are that Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston are going to film a reality show. Sarah Palin says she can’t wait to start shooting, but that’s totally unrelated. Apparently BP’s containment cap is leaking. When asked if the rumors are true, a BP spokesman said, “Aren’t there any more Mel Gibson tapes?” There are reports that Mel Gibson is moving back to Australia and Australians aren’t happy with that. They’re like, “Why do you think we sent him to you in the first place?” If Mel does go to Australia, he better be careful, because a kangaroo will punch him back. Lindsay Lohan has been sent to jail. Hollywood always makes movies about women’s prisons. I bet the real women’s prisons are not like Hollywood’s versions. When the lights go out there probably aren’t pillow fights. I think we should turn Alcatraz into a prison for celebrities. It would be like some sort of pop-culture zoo. Lindsay went to the coolest jail, of course... there’s a line that wraps around the block to get in. When I was in New York I learned they want to build a mosque near the site of the World Trade Center. If you put a mosque there, there’s no way terrorists will blow it up. If I was in charge, I would put a mosque on top of every building in America. There’s a new computer program that can delete all mentions of your ex from your Facebook page. The program is called, “your new girlfriend.” When I was in NYC I saw a weird poster in the subway. It's not an inspirational poster, but I thought it was worth sharing. Check it out.
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10. Stop making calls.
9. Join cast of "Glee" as racist with the beautiful voice.
8. Introduce adorable sidekick, Pepe the Koala.
7. Find Bin Laden.
6. Have ESPN special to announce which rehab facility he'll be entering.
5. Give out free gum to everyone in America.
4. Remind people his approval rating is still higher than BP's Tony Hayward.
3. Get named People Magazine's "Sexiest Bigot Alive".
2. Release his racist recordings on iTunes.
And the number one way Mel Gibson can improve his image...
1. He's an Academy Award-winning director... direct himself to be an asshole.
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August 9, 1919 - July 21, 2010
Totally out.
George Steinbrenner
July 4, 1930 - July 13, 2010
For the duration of the season, Yankee players will all wear a million dollars on their sleeves as a sign of respect.
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The Pied Piper of Hamelin makes off with the town's rats and children.
1587
Roanoke, the colony founded by Sir Walter Raleigh, is found to be missing.
1934
John Dillinger is killed by the FBI at the Biograph Cinema in Chicago. After seeing this picture, many people come to believe that he must have possessed an enormous schlong. Actually, it is his arm in rigor mortis. (A competing theory holds that this is not Dillinger at all, but some patsy chosen because of the FBI's inability to capture the gangster.)
1946
91 people are killed in Jerusalem, when the Jewish terror group Irgun bombs the British administrative headquarters, located in the King David Hotel.
1991
Tracy Edwards escapes from Jeffrey Dahmer's apartment, handcuffs still attached. After being summoned to the scene, Milwaukee police encounter the partial remains of 11 previous victims. Dahmer is ultimately charged with 15 murders.
1994
In court, O.J. pleads "absolutely, 100% not guilty" of savagely killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
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Me: Hello, Mark, welcome to the Phile. So, I have to ask, what was your goal of Jedi Junkies?
Mark: The goal of the movie was to find out what made hardcore Star Wars fans tick. To see why they/we/I spend so much time thinking about Star Wars. Why we spend some much time watching the movies, reading the books, buying the toys, dressing up in costumes and going to conventions.
Me: When did you first get the idea you wanted to make Jedi Junkies? That's a great name by the way.
Mark: You want the short answer or the long one? The short answer is that I knew I wanted to make a film about a subject that I both loved and knew a lot about. And that's how Jedi Junkies came about. The longer answer is that 10 years ago I made another film called "The Eden Myth". Had a great experience making it. But it was very hard to get a second film off the ground. Between then and now I did a bunch of jobs in entertainment. Everything from writting for "reality TV" to working as an assistant. I really wanted to make another movie and I wanted it to be fun. And what could be more fun than Star Wars?
Me: How long did it take for you to work on it?
Mark: Me and my buddy Jerry Kolber have been working on it for four years. Four... very... long... years. It took a while to shoot it and then almost as long to edit it. Stephen Walker is the editor of Jedi Junkies and he really gave the movie shape and focus.
Me: Was it hard to get funding, Mark?
Mark: Impossible. Didn't even try. I paid for most of the movie by myself. I have a day job. So, during the day I would work. And at night and on weekends I would make the movie.
Me: I am 41 years old and remmebr seeing Star Wars when it first came out. Were you born when the original movie came out? Did you become a lifelong fan as soon as you saw it?
Mark: I've been a fan of Star Wars since I first saw it in the movie theater in 1977. Ever since then I've been hooked.
Me: Do you have a favorite Star Wars film?
Mark: That's actually one of the questions that we ask in the film. And it's fun to watch people debate it. We also have a section where fans debate "Who Shot First; Han or Greedo" Another question we asked is "Who Would Win in a Fight: Vader vs Mual". Ray Park weighed in on that one! But to answer you questions my favorite Star Wars film is Empire Strikes Back. I've seen all of the films in the original trilogy more times that I care to admit.
Me: I used to be a die-hard fan, but as I got older I grew out of it pretty quick. Do you see that happening to you? There's some REAL die-hard fans out there who will never grow out of loving those films.
Mark: Your question just made me think about the line in Phantom Menace about bringing balance to the force. For me, it's about balance. I'm a die-hard fan. Absolutely. But I know how to balance my love and appreciation of the films with my real life. In Jedi Junkies we tried to show a whole spectrum of fans. Some go a little overboard. Or a lot overboard. One fan we profile in the film had so many toys that he had to get rid of his bed. And I figured that we'd basically tell some version of that story over and over again. Basically extreme fans doing extreme things. But as I met more and more fans I discovered something really important. These fans are taking their love of Star Wars and baesd on their own particular interests, they are creating something new and different. So, filmmakers (like Dennis Ward) are making Star Wars inspired movies. Musicians (like AeroSith) are making Star Wars inspired songs. Crafts people and fine artists (like R.J. Iannaccone at Advance Light Weaponary) are making their own lighsabers. And costume designers (like Candy Keane) are creating their own clothes. By the way, Candy is also a model and she's featured in her Slave Leia outfit on our poster.
Me: You interviewed and have some interesting people on the documentary, Mark. How'd you meet them. How'd you hear about them?
Mark: At first we met people just by using social networking sites like My Space, MeetUp.com and even Craig's List. (Now we're on Facebook under JediJunkies.) I'd also go to conventions and just introduce myself to people. Once we got started people would let us know about other Star Wars fans. For example, we were interviewing one fan from Denmark who came to New York to buy Star Wars toys. He told me about this guy who built a life size Millenium Falcon in his backyard. I couldn't believe it. It sounded too incredible to be true. Like an urban myth. Then I found out who it was and reached out to him. And he couldn't have been nicer. It turned out he a great (even practical) reason for building the Falcon. And when you hear the story behind it, it makes absolute sense!
Me: Tell the Phile readers about the other fans you interviewed.
Mark: We interviewed a lot of women who like to dress up as Slave Leia. And we, of course, spoke with Jamin who runs a site devoted exclusively to the cult of Slave Leia. So, there are a lot of interviews with very pretty women dressed up as Slave Leia. We also spoke with a toy collector who has so many Star Wars toys that he doesn't even room for his bed. He had so many toys he had to make a choice -- the bed or his toys. The toys won. And then there's Ed Sanchez -- the director of Blair Witch Project. He shows us his killer collection. Really amazing. He's also good at putting together intricate Lego Star Wars sets -- like the Death Star. What's fun about Ed's collection is that so much of it is out of the box and on display. He hangs his space ships on the ceiling so they look like they are flying and fighting each other. Besides the super-fans we were lucky enough to get a few actors from the movies including Ray Park (Darth Maul), Peter Bulloch (Boba Fett) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca.) Which was a thrill for us. We gave Ray Park a light saber and he demonstrated just how cool he is at handling them!
Me: By the way, I am fucking jealous. How on Earth did you get so lucky and get to interview Olivia Munn? Man oh man. You get props there, my friend. I didn't realize she was such a big Star Wars fan?
Mark: Isn't Olivia Munn great? Everyone knows that how funny and sexy she is. She is. Just a fact. But she's also very sweet and nice and kind. She was so very generous to agree to be in our film. And she's a huge Star Wars fan. In Jedi Junkies she tells a great story about how watching the film with her family was a bonding exerience.
Me: What are people saying about the film?
Mark: I'm really happy with the response we're getting. The two biggest comments are that it's "very funny" and very "respectful" to the fans. That was important to us.
Me: Okay, Mark, go ahead and plug your website.
Mark: People can go to JediJunkies.com to get the film. They can buy it or rent it on iTunes and Amazon. It's only $2.99 to rent and $9.99 to buy. Which is a pretty good deal if you ask me.
Me: Mark, thanks so much for doing this interview. You are welcome to come onto the Phile any time you want.
Mark: Thanks for taking the time to talk to me. We are small little film wihtout any budget for press. So, really the only way to get the word out is for websites like yours to be kind enough to talk with us. The film is made by Star Wars fans for Star Wars fans about Star Wars fans.
Me: I wish you a lot of luck with this project and I wish you continued success. May the Force be with you.
Mark: Thanks a lot. Was my pleasure. May the Force be with you too!
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Man, that was a long entry. Thanks to Mark Edlitz for a great interview and to Wikipedia and of course you for reading. The Phile will be back next Thursday with Book Club author Mark Mekkes and then in August we kick off the second annual Alumni Month with the one and only Graham Parker. Spread the word, not the turd, don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye love you bye.
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