CELEBRITIES

Week 3 Guests: Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) and Andy Secombe(Watto)
SWW Week 3 Image Bank

You never know who you might meet while standing in line at Star Wars Weekends!

While waiting for the first autograph session for Anthony Daniels, a gentleman enters the line behind me, and asks "What is the line for?" As I turn around to answer the man's question, there stands Anthony himself, grinning ear to ear. Working his way to the front of the line, he caught many fans by surprise.

Anthony is no stranger to SW Weekends, and has been a regular to the event. A veteran of all 5 films, he always has an interesting story to share. He graciously signed posters, action figures, photos, and other merchandise. FastPasses for his signing did not last very long!

At 4:00,  you can catch Anthony in a special presentation of "Inside the Saga" at the ABC Theater, a stroll down memory lane with our favorite golden droid. Just as Anthony was about to fill us in on some juicy Episode 3 info, he was flanked by a squad of Stormtroopers to remind him that no spoilers were allowed. It was a great 30 minute show, in addition to the 1:30 Q & A with both celebrities at "Stars of the Saga".

Andy Secombe returns for his second year  and is always willing to bring Watto to life for the event. He even appeared before his scheduled time to start signing bit early. He has a great memory and recognizes many from last year's event. Truly worth a little time in line to chat with, and takes his time with each guest.

MERCHANDISE AND COLLECTIBLES

This week brings the SWW 2004 Gold Collector Coin (limited to 1000, 250 in framed set + 750 individually). The gold, and next week's silver coin, retails for $20.

Weekly pins from last week were available at various pin locations, as were last week's silver nickel coin. Boxed Droid pin set was still in stock, and plush Jedi Mickey was sold out by Sunday.  Framed coin sets were not available at all this weekend, and a few framed pin sets appeared
on Friday.  SWW crystal, SWW watch, logo pin, and droid pin set were still in stock, as were weekly pins from weeks 2 and 3.

These brochures were only available at Walt Disney Resorts (Not available at MGM Studios.) They come with 4 different color schemes (red, green, blue, and purple) and can be rolled up into a paper lightsaber.

GENERAL INFO AND SCHEDULE UPDATE

Saturdays at MGM Studios is Early Bird Day for Disney Resort Guests. They are allowed in at 8:00, before the 9:00 opening time. This had a big impact on the autograph lines. Resort guests were able to line up for FastPasses an hour before the park opens. If you are staying in a Disney
resort, this is great news for you!

Non resort guests can be very disappointed. Many folks had traveled to see Anthony Daniels on Saturday only to be turned away due to resort guests filling the line before opening. For all the improvements Disney has made with this event, this is a problem that has remained. Some had even arrived well before park opening.

Those of you that will be attending in the coming weeks, please take note that If autographs are an important part of your SW Weekends visit, either concentrate on Fridays and Sundays or consider staying at a Disney resort on Saturday. Saturdays also seem to be the day the Park is the most crowded.

It is hotter than Tattooine here in Orlando right now! Dress comfortably and bring sunscreen!