June 13, 2009
Story & Photos by Chris "Darth" Spice

WHEN WE LAST MET I WAS BUT THE LEARNER
While many Star Wars fans aspire to meet Mr. George Lucas once in a lifetime, this fan has pulled it off twice in the past three years. The Maker would be in town to accept their Visionary Award for "Innovation in Filmmaking" award, given to him by the Gene Siskel Film Center. It was with great honor and pleasure to be among one of two Star Wars websites that would be allowed access into the press line. To be among the elite media of Chicago was a bit humbling and it took quite a bit simply to compose myself. This was a mega-event, so huge Jon Favreau left the set of Iron Man 2 to attend and present the award to Mr. Lucas.

There was quite a bit of anticipation and as Jimmy Mac and I were both doing the best we could to keep each other from losing it! In fact I would highly encourage you to tune in this week as he'll be generating quite a show with coverage from the press line. Even though we'd met before, I still couldn't stop from shaking like a leaf! I managed to get in a couple of questions, which was more than I'd even expected to get in the first place. I asked about of course another Star Wars film and whether or not we'll see actual 501st members used in the live-action TV show. You'll have to tune in to our YouTube channel to hear his answers.

There was also a great story involving a young fan named Blake Angerstein, who through a Wish with Wings Inc. was granted his lifetime dream of meeting George. It was very cool to see the look on his face as his poster was autographed and he showed off a couple of the action figures George sent him! You can't say enough for charity groups who dedicate time and resources for such a great cause. The family was very excited and happy for him. When he commented on my Count Dooku pin, I couldn't help but to remove it from my jacket and hand it to him, declaring it was his night, not mine! This evening was no doubt one of the highest points for me as I can't describe in words the feeling of interviewing Mr. Lucas. We can also look forward to seeing the new film "Red Tails" as he did state they are near complete on shooting and look to be in post-production soon! For more check out the photo gallery of the press event.

PHOTO GALLERY
To see the photo gallery containing 25 photos click here.

VIDEO GALLERY
Click here to see the exclusive interview with George Lucas!