"This man brings a Star Wars lunchbox to work every day."
Ummm... not exactly the introduction I'd have chosen for myself, especially when meeting George Lucas.

Lemme backtrack: being a high-profile Grand Marshall meant that, a few days before the parade, Mr. Lucas did a press junket. He got interviewed by a steady stream of media outlets, including the show I work for. Our esteemed film critic Leonard, who is also one of my favorite people in the world, was chosen to do the interview. And after some successful lobbying, I got the assignment to direct.

When I got to the hotel, I was immediately given a press kit and one of those super-sweet Rose Parade pins. (Woo hoo!) Soon afterwards, while waiting for George to arrive, I spotted someone who looked an awful lot like starwars.com's own bonniegrrl. I wasn't certain, since I only recognized her from Flickr, but my hunch paid off, and she was indeed the creator of the Droidel. Bonnie was cool and completely upbeat... come to think of it, all the Lucasfilm folks I met were amazingly happy and positive people. LFL must be a great place to work -- either that, or there's something in the Presidio water supply. Both options are awesome.

My only regret is that I couldn't speak with Bonnie for long, since George quickly made his way up the steps. And where George walks, Leonard and I followed, since we were the first interview of the morning.

We shook hands with George, and he and Leonard caught up a bit. But Leonard knew I was a big fan, so he quickly turned the conversation to me. "I'd like to let you ask George some questions," he declares, before turning back to George to say "This man brings a Star Wars lunchbox to work every day."

Okay, that may be true, but under these conditions, I panicked and figured it made me seem like a nutso stalker. I think George was expecting me to cut off a lock of his hair at that point, so I said, "Well, um, to be clear, my wife bought me the lunchbox." I figured that might humanize me. Hey, he has a wife, he can't be all crazy. I don't even see a pair of scissors in his hand.

George was quick with a comeback. "Do you bring the lunchbox to work in a large paper bag? And then remove it from the bag when it's time to eat?" He pantomimes the last part, pretending to take something out of a bag. Great, I'm being mocked by George Lucas.

"Well," I reply, "it's usually just filled with liquor, so it works out." George laughs, and so does Leonard. Woo hoo! I salvaged an awkward conversation and made George Lucas laugh! Important lesson, kids: always go for a booze joke.

George then noticed my Rose Parade pin, which I had proudly stuck on my jacket, and he starts talking about how collectible it is. He was probably just trying to appeal to my fannish tendencies, but I couldn't resist trying for another laugh: "If it's so rare, would you mind autographing it for me? Could you make it out to Dear Lucky eBay Winner?"

Leonard laughs once more. George looks at me as if I just ran over his cat.

The interview had to get going, so I asked George if he'd mind taking a picture with me before he had to sit down. George agreed, so I whipped out my camera. This time I had a one-liner prepared: "For a picture with Mr. Lucas, I had to bring a digital camera." Leonard gives me a chuckle, bless his soul. George's expression doesn't change. I tell myself that he didn't hear the line. Yeah, that's it.

The interview goes very well -- Leonard's a pro. They mostly talked about the parade (George originally wanted 500 troopers to march), but also touched upon Indiana Jones IV. George did confirm that he, Spielberg, and Harrison Ford had settled on a script... but he stressed that if Indy IV doesn't get going soon -- say, next month -- then we'll be in for a much longer delay. It's the kind of movie that has to be shot over the summer, he explained.

When our fifteen minutes were almost finished, I twirled my fingers clockwise, and Leonard got the hint. "Okay, George, we're gonna have to wrap it up," he says. Then Leonard looks at me and asks, "Were there any questions I forgot?"

"Well," I tell him, "personally, I'd like to hear about the Star Wars TV shows..."

That got a laugh from George, along with most everyone else in the room. Phew. And he gave some good info:
-- the animated show is coming along great. George is very happy with the 3-D animation (think Toy Story), which he compared to Thunderbirds... not in terms of the actual look, but how that program had a style all its own.
-- the "screenplays" for the live action show will be written this year, and he hopes to get it on the air by 2009(!).

After that, it was over. George said his goodbyes and headed off to another interview, and I picked up the tapes from the cameramen. I had to race back to the office, since this was supposed to be cut into a story for that day's broadcast. So I thanked Leonard and the fine folks at LFL, said goodbye to Bonnie, and practically skipped back to my car.

I turned the ignition, and the radio popped on. REM's "Man on the Moon" was playing. And I noticed, for the first time that morning, that my mouth hurt from smiling.