For Major Star Wars Buffs Only… Beru
Monday, January 30th, 2012
Bonnie Piesse is currently a singer, songwriter, and actress, but right now her big claim to fame was that she is now forever sealed in the Star Wars canon. Her role wasn’t huge in the two films in which she appeared – Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith - but the character was rather significant. In fact, the character is on of the first ones we meet in the very first Star Wars film, that of Beru Lars, the aunt who along with Uncle Owen raises Luke Skywalker. Read the rest of this entry »
You might think that some of the celebrities that I ‘encounter’ are obscure, but this one teeters on being a bit laughable. Unless, of course, you are a fan of the Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock. Then you will know that the shower scene from Psycho is perhaps the most memorable sequence ever committed to film. For nearly as long as that scene has been legendary, there have been rumors about who was there and who wasn’t. Was it really Anthony Perkins? Was it really Janet Leigh? Was Hitchcock even present? Now that all three of the principles are dead and buried, there aren’t really many people left who can still answer that question. 
For fans of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, it was a major score to finally get Barrie Chase to attend one of the Hollywood Shows. Although she had been known to sign frequently through the mail, fans of the film often had cast photos, records, or programs that had been signed by multiple actors and didn’t want to risk sending them through the mail. I happened to be one of them. 
When I woke up on the morning of Sunday, October 2, 2011, I found myself in the Chicago suburb of Elk Grove Village at the Super 8 motel. Jamie was there with me and we were preparing to spend the day scouting film locations in other nearby suburbs. I also found myself to be 40 years old. Oddly enough, I didn’t feel much different. Jamie gave me a great and thoughtful card and some sour apple Big League Chew. Of course, she was also treating in all we did this Chicago weekend. 
I’ve added another item to my list of pre-death accomplishments that I’d like to achieve. Having grown up with the periodic screenings and then a VHS recording of The Sound of Music, I’ve always had the hope of meeting all of the Von Trapp children at some time or other. While we’re at it, I wouldn’t snub Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer if I ran into either of them either. If you have any doubt about the sincerity of my love for the film, just check out