One Last Campout for Star Wars Fans 480
theodp writes "27-year-old graphic artist Jeff Tweiten lives on a periwinkle blue, fold-out futon on the sidewalk in front of the Cinerama Theatre in downtown Seattle. He is not homeless, but camping out for 139 days. Waiting. For what, you wonder? Tweiten is waiting for Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, which opens May 19. And yes, he's keeping a blog. 14 days down. 125 to go." In other Star Wars news: dbottaro writes "Who wants a JL421 Badonkadonk? NAO Design has built a functional Sandcrawler, ala Star Wars Episode IV. Complete with blaster-deflecting sidewalls, full interior carpeting, seating for five and a 400 watt stereo system." Reader dankinit writes "For all you Star Wars fans, a Darth Tater Mr. Potato Head will be released in February by Hasbro Inc. The new covers for the Episode III books due out a month before the movie were also posted today."
I speak for the entire human race when I say... (Score:5, Insightful)
Donate! (Score:1, Insightful)
He needs a life.
Art students... (Score:3, Insightful)
It's not just a stunt (Score:0, Insightful)
Re:Why? (Score:5, Insightful)
I've always wondered.... (Score:5, Insightful)
When you hear about someone like this, who feeds them? How the hell can you take 139 days out of your life and still have a house? Or insurance? Or a job?
Yes, I know the standard /. answer is that he lives in his mom's basement and she takes care of him...but is that actually true?
How the @#@##% do you go on a 139 day hiatus and return to your life afterwards???
Here's the kicker... (Score:2, Insightful)
"But I don't want to regret not doing this. If I end up not making it, and my will is broken, and I go home, at least I'll have tried."
But yet earlier in the article:
"Probably the most elemental meaning he derives from the movies' various editions is Yoda's, "Do or do not. There is no try."
It fits in with his approach to life: "If you're going to do something, do it right. Don't half-ass it.""
Let me the first to say it (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:For Great Justice (Score:3, Insightful)
This might look like some sort of sage 60s advice, until you realize that the end result is some guy lying on concrete for a good part of his life for the honor of being the first to go into one of hundreds of corporate multiplex and give the mighty Lucasfilm corp a buck or two that it won't even notice.
Campouts are fucking stupid (Score:5, Insightful)
Lines are for the past. Have fun when you can't even get in once the place is open because everyone smarter than you went to Fandango.
Re:This would have been cool... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:For Great Justice (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Campouts are fucking stupid (Score:3, Insightful)
I _hate_ having to sit too close to the screen when there is an action movie.. you can't see what going on when your too close..
Re:I've always wondered.... (Score:5, Insightful)
One of the best things I ever did was take almost a year hiatus. I just quit my job, rented the house
Spending 8 months hiking in the mountains made be happier than anything ever has. Enjoy the world...its bloody cool. Personally I don't think the insurance policies are the best bit.
Have fun.
Re:He has plenty of other interests too! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:He has plenty of other interests too! (Score:4, Insightful)
He's perfectly normal, and very nice.
I think I speak for the entire population of the world, apart from you, when I say: no, he is not perfectly normal. The guy didn't even like episodes 1 and 2, and he's queueing up for 4 months for episode 3?!?!
There's a difference (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:This would have been cool... (Score:2, Insightful)
Popular demand is NOT a measure of quality.
Re:Seriously (Score:3, Insightful)
There are two somewhat conflicting thoughts I've got. The first is that the guy is a crazed fanboy creepy (ie, stalker-like) loser, perhaps in awe of anything starwars, perhaps just taking the last chance to wait in line for what was the legendary fictional story from his childhood days (he was 3 when #4 came out). Okay, he obviously wants to see the movie on opening night. Assuming he could work a job making minimum wage ($7.35 in Washington), if he worked 8 hours each of the 139 days he waited in line (yeah, no weekends there, but he has no weekends now) he'd have a bit over $8000. Assuming he could find a small shitbox to rent for $500 a month and would spend another $500 a month on food + utilities, he'd still have over $3000 by the time the movie came out. With that cash he'd probably be able to rent an entire theater (or great portion thereof) and have one hell of a party on opening night.
But then in the article I saw this bit :
He knows, from past experience, that in a few months, he will begin receiving 600 to 700 e-mails, and do seven to 10 radio interviews a day. Already, the interview calls start at 3:30 a.m., and he has appeared on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" show on ABC.
That reveals his true ulterior motive, and it's pretty clever. PUBLICITY!!! Several weeks ago barely anybody knew who this guy was, but now he's getting more infamous each day (in certain circles at least), and I carefully use the word infamous instead of famous. People now know who he is. Maybe not by name, maybe not by face. But - he can now go to any agent's office (either TV, music, etc) and say he's the guy that's been camping out for Episode III for 139 days straight. Bam, instant publicity, which means $$$$$ to any agent.
It's just like those notoriously bad singers on American Idol that were obviously chosen for humor factor with zero chance of surviving the first round. One of these guys went on to make an album and even went on a small tour, because he was known as that horrendously awful singer from Idol. He's brilliant, he built a fan base, maybe he'll go on to appear in movies or something else, and has a great foothold into the entertainment industry.
Our Sith-waiting friend is most likely doing the same thing.
Re:I've always wondered.... (Score:3, Insightful)
Why would you lose your house ? Is there some law in the US that makes you lose ownership of property if you don't live there for a while ?
Actually, yes there is. Every year you owe property tax in the US. If you fail to pay it, they can put a lein on your property. Eventually, if you don't take care of things the state will confiscate the property to pay the lein.
Also, depending on your local township's zoning, turning off your utilities for a certain length of time will declare your property as condemned. The state will (surprise surprise) confiscate it.
Ironic, isn't it? Especially when you consider the American Revolution/Colony Revolt in the late 1700's. Just a few short hundred years ago we were angry enough about this kind of treatment to not want to be British anymore. It's kind of sad, really.
Re:He has plenty of other interests too! (Score:3, Insightful)
Anybody sleeping out for one of the new movies is a poser and a sad joke.
Nothing would amuse me more than to hear that this guy failed to get in and see the movie because all the tickets at the theater he chose were pre-sold before the box office opened.