Star Struck

On Monday, May 17th, several celebrities converged on Skywalker Ranch to attend a special advance screening of Episode I put together by MTV and Lucasfilm.

Outside the Stag Theater -- the state-of-the-art THX theater in the Skywalker Ranch Technical Building, where there truly is no "bad seat" in the house -- actors, singers, and musicians enjoyed refreshments and each other's company while they waited for the presentation to begin. Some of the guests shared their excitement and expectations. "I'm crazy about seeing the new movie," said Seth Green, from Austin Powers and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. "I remember seeing the original one in the theater. I was very young: my parents took me to the theater, and I was fascinated by all the creatures and the robots. I remember I thought I really needed to get myself a lightsaber!" The enthusiasm didn't wear out over the years. "I recently bought several of the new figures," continued Green. "My favorite one is Watto."

Ozzy Osbourne was also part of the crowd, along with his 13-year-old son. "I have seen the films a few times each, and I went back to see the Special Edition Trilogy when it was released," said Ozzy, "but my son is a really huge fan. The one thing about George Lucas is that his sequels don't let you down like sequels usually do. He just keeps getting better and better and better. And I'm sure he's outdone himself on this one. But I'll probably end up having to ask my son what's going on once in a while," he concluded with a smile.

Ryan Reynolds, from Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place, couldn't stay put. "I'm so excited about this!" he exploded. "I think this is so great, I would play a tree in the next movie."

The visitors were soon ushered in the theater, and seated themselves while George Lucas and Producer Rick McCallum joined them. The Lucasfilm logo then flashed across the screen, and the audience cheered before immersing itself in the Star Wars universe for more than two hours. At the end of the ride, mesmerized gazes abounded.

"I'm blown away," said Barry Pepper, who starred in Saving Private Ryan. "I really loved it. George Lucas stuck to the morality he had built the Classic Trilogy around; it's all in here, and it's great." Shannen Doherty, from Charmed and Beverly Hills 90210, was beside herself. "I can't talk, I'm too excited! And I'm too busy trading action figures," she laughed as she reached into her bag for the coveted Darth Maul. Brad Hargreaves, Third Eye Blind's drummer, had comments that were sharp and to the point. "It's everything I thought it would be, and I definitely had high expectations." The three Hanson brothers were also ecstatic. "It was absolutely great," the trio chimed. "One of the best parts was the continuation of the great villains, with Darth Maul," Zachary said. "I think it felt very much like the original movies," said Isaac, "it fits right in. Also, the special effects were uncanny, I mean, it was incredible how real that stuff looked." "It's a great movie, and it makes you want to go back and see it again," Taylor said.

Keep your eyes opened: one of Lucasfilm's happy guests might be standing in line with you over the weekend .