2 Star Wars fanatics await new Episode II

    (KRT/Seattle Times)—Since we introduced John Guth and Jeff Tweiten, their story has spread around the planet at light speed, drawing curiosity, ridicule, support and some free stuff.

   To recap: Guth, 32, and Tweiten, 24, began waiting in line at the Cinerama on Jan. 1 for Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

   The movie won’t open until mid-May, and it isn’t even certain to play at that theater.

   But the two Seattle Star Wars Society members forge blithely ahead in the quixotic stunt they say is also a performance-art project.

   Now, the two extreme fans (or references to them) have materialized on or in The Today Show, CNN, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, an upcoming Sally Jesse Raphael show, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, the Tom Leykis and Howard Stern syndicated-radio shows, assorted newspapers around the world, and by Guth’s estimate, about 100 local radio shows worldwide.

   “We have about 480 e-mails from the media,” Guth said on a recent cold, rainy, windy day outside the theater.

   “We thought we’d get some attention locally ... but I wasn’t expecting things from, like, Germany and Japan. Germany actually sent out a film crew.”

   There have been plenty of highs and lows on the Cinerama sidewalk since Jan. 1.

   The best thing: “Being on CNN,” Guth said. “They decided this was so important to them that they ran it on Headline News at the top of the hour every half hour.”

   The worst thing: “It happened to Jeff. Late at night, about 3 a.m., somebody came by ... shook him awake, told him he was a (expletive), spit at him and walked away.”

   Almost as bad: Obscene taunts from some passers-by and shock jocks. Guth and Tweiten’s Leykis gauntlet-run has been replayed a few times. And, he said, “Howard Stern seems to like to make fun of us, but he’s too chicken . . . to call us.”

   They remain determined to weather the marathon wait until the end. “Oh, totally!” Guth said.

   “Even though I’m tired now, I’m having a good time,” he said.