May the (16th) Force be with Leicester Square!

Some news offically announced today from Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox:

The Force will be strong in London's Leicester Square on May 16 as Star Wars fever grips the capital for an unprecedented day of events celebrating the entire Star Wars saga -- culminating in the U.K. premiere of the eagerly awaited Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, to be attended by writer-director George Lucas and the stars of the movie.
Fans will want to prepare to have their lightsabers out at dawn so they can fight for the perfect seat for a world exclusive: All six episodes of the Star Wars saga will be presented back-to-back in a once-in-a-lifetime Star Wars Marathon" at the UCI Empire, Leicester Square. Beginning at 7 a.m. with Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope and ending with an evening public premiere of Revenge of the Sith, the entire saga will be shown in a single day for more than a thousand lucky fans.

And that's just the beginning -- the day will be filled with never-to-be-repeated activities presented by Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox. Star Wars Celebration Day is open to the general public, so everyone will have the chance to experience the galaxy's most exciting, action-packed celebration of the Star Wars saga, including:


Individually ticketed performances of Episodes I, II, IV, V and VI at Leicester Square's VUE and Odeon West End Cinemas, which will screen throughout the day
Special free performances of unforgettable Star Wars music, presented by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
"On duty" Stormtroopers from the 501st Legion's UK garrison, helping to ensure that order is upheld in the Square.

"Revenge of the Sith is a remarkable movie, and this extraordinary celebration reflects the fun and excitement that are the hallmarks of Star Wars," said the movie's producer, Rick McCallum. "The Star Wars movies have a strong connection to the United Kingdom, so it's very fitting to hold this one-of-a-kind event here in London."
The culmination of Star Wars Celebration Day will be the UK premiere of Revenge of the Sith at the Odeon Leicester Square, with expected attendance by Lucas, McCallum and stars Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker), Ian McDiarmid (Palpatine), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), along with other celebrity guests.

The first-ever Star Wars Marathon will kick off "Celebration Day" with a breakfast screening of A New Hope and continue throughout the day with The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, followed by the U.K.'s first public presentation of Revenge of the Sith.

"Galactic Passports" to the Star Wars Marathon will be available beginning at 9 a.m. GMT Thursday, April 21 and will cost £50 per person.Tickets can be purchased at the box office of the Empire Leicester Square (tel: 8700 10 20 30) or online at www.uci.co.uk. Only those holding a "Galactic Passport" will be able to complete the journey and see Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith before its UK release on May 19.

Tickets for The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Return of the Jedi are available at the VUE box office (tel: 44 8712 240 240) or online at www.myvue.com.

Tickets for A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back are available at the Odeon West End box office (tel: 44 8712 244 007) or online at www.odeon.co.uk

All other events at the Star Wars Celebration Day on Leicester Square will be open to the public.

Now the question is, as a Star Wars nut, am I going to go to this? Do I WANT to go to this? NO.
Why? - Well paying £50 to watch the same five films I already own on DVD just to receive the privilege of watching Episode 3 three days early doesn’t exactly appeal to me.
Secondly, I can’t imagine sitting over 12 hours in a cinema with little more than a pee-pee break in between each movie. I would be exhausted by the time Episode 3 screens and would not enjoy it as much.
Thirdly, what’s the point of screening the entire Star Wars saga in the WRONG order??!! (4,5,6,1,2,3).

No, I have a bigger plan in mind, I don’t want in on the fan event, I want in on the PREMIERE, the Grand-Daddy in the Odeon that’s invitation only. I see this fan event as a cynical ploy to separate the most hardcore of the Starwars fan base from the actual Celebs attending the premiere.

Let operation blag-premiere-tickets-for-starwars commence! I did it for Attack of the Clones (and MET George Lucas personally - even shaking his hand), so i'm sure I can do it for Revenge of the Sith.
I'll keep you posted on my progress!!