By Bouncy the Tennis Ball

Hey, everyone, Bouncy here. As many of you may know from my Facebook and Twitter pages, I am a huge ‘Star Wars’ fan. My favorite characters are ‘R2-D2’ and ‘BB-8’, the ‘new droid on the scene’, as they roll along just like me! So you can only imagine how excited I was to see the new movie, ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’, which came out a couple of weeks ago.

During the movie’s opening weekend, I was in London for Christmas vacation with my owner, tennis star Maria Melody, along with her sister and parents. Otto came with us, as he often signs tennis memorabilia for Maria’s fans. Once in London, Maria’s sister, Martina, heard that the ‘The Force Awakens’ ‘Red Carpet Premiere’ was going to be in ‘Leicester Square’ on December 16th. Groovey! Why not bounce along? We might just spot Han and Leia waving to the fans.

So, off we all went to a galaxy far, far away…actually ten minutes’ drive in a London taxi from Maria’s hotel. When we arrived at the ‘Star Wars Red Carpet Premiere’, what we saw was wild! The view of the Carpet was blocked by hundreds of people, resembling more Destroyer Droids than the Battle of Christophsis. But Otto Graph had a cunning thought. He suggested heading to the upstairs floor in the nearby ‘Burger King’ restaurant that overlooked the Red Carpet. Maria and her family were super excited. Me, too, as I happen to love ‘Burger King’ milkshakes! Yum! Racing up the staircase inside BK – I was peaking from Maria’s jacket pocket – we all arrived in the upstairs dining area. What happened next was amazing.

Dozens of people were crammed into the upstairs space, looking out through windows above the Red Carpet. Luckily, we were able to find a comfortable corner near the window with an ace view of the red pathway. Maria took me out of her pocket and rested me on the inside window ledge, along with Otto. We peered down through beams of colorful panning lights, surrounded by echoing media voices on outside loudspeakers.

What a view! It was directly over the Red Carpet leading to the doors of the ‘Odeon Cinema’ where the Premiere was to take place, along with two other theaters close-by, including the ‘Empire IMAX Laser’ and ‘Vue’. Star Wars fans lined the carpet. Security staff paced back-and-forth keeping watch…in case Darth Maul showed up.

On the long Red Carpet walk, we spotted numerous ‘Star Wars’ stars ambling along. Yippee! I couldn’t believe it. It was as if we had a bird’s-eye view of the medal’s ceremony on Yavin 4. Mesmerizing! Cameras flashed almost non-stop, taking photos of the superstars. We could see C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels), General Leia (Carrie Fisher), Wicket the Ewok (Warwick Davis), Chewie (Peter Mayhew), Rey (Daisy Ridley) Finn (John Boyega), Poe (Oscar Isaac), Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), Maz (Lupita Nyong’o) Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) and many more.

Then, along came the titans George Lucas – Creator, Kathleen Kennedy – Producer, J.J. Abrams – Director. If only Roger and Serena had been there, too! The Force was truly with us when Han Solo (Harrison Ford) appeared on the Red Carpet, being greeted by the heroic Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). Phew! It just kept getting better and better! Everyone was having fun. Many of the legends from the Star Wars universe were there in person…and we got to see them all! A sight we never imagined earlier that day. Special stuff!

Soon, all the Star Wars cast, crew, families, friends and press headed into the theaters for the Premiere. Our imaginations dwelled on what lay ahead for them – sitting inside the packed cinemas, the lights going off, 3D glasses going on, popcorn and ice creams at the ready, the movie starting and the ‘Lucasfilm’ logo coming up on-screen. Wow! Movies can be truly magical, especially ‘Star Wars’. Otto was so thrilled, he couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel and write it all down!

On the Red Carpet, the panning lights faded, the clean-up crews got to work, the fans dispersed. We savored the wonderful memories of ‘the Star Wars evening’ by having yummy milkshakes inside Burger King, courtesy of Maria and Martina’s Dad. It’s a big universe out there with lots to do and see! Go for it! And “May the Force Be With You.”

B.