In the midst of all our pre-election hubbub, absurdity found its way to the surface last Saturday: The Northwest premiere of 'Bubba Ho-Tep' - the latest and possibly greatest movie of the new millennium.

Starring Bruce Campbell (of Evil Dead fame) and Ossie Davis, this film has perhaps the most compelling story concept in recent memory.

Elvis versus the Undead.

The mind reels....

Not willing to merely wait for this to arrive on DVD, I made a pilgrimage to the temple of Bubba Ho-Tep (the Hollywood Theatre) to see the film and meet Campbell, who had brought it with him to screen in Portland. When I arrived, I ran into a line of about 100 people waiting patiently. Black leather and body piercings were in full force with this crowd. These were the devoted few.

Now I'll admit, I'm a bit of a fan. I got on the bus with the Evil Dead, and became a follower after Army of Darkness. Bruce is the second-coming of Han Solo. Unfortunately, mere fandom couldn't score me a seat at this show. I knew that there were only a few tickets left, but I underestimated the ferocity of the fan base. I was about two weeks too late - and no amount of money was going to pry loose an extra ticket. Thankfully, he was doing a pre-show book-signing, so I at least guaranteed a spot of time with the man.

The line quickly grew to over 200 - and were all issued numbered tickets for the signing. After being ushered into the theatre and seated for a few minutes, Bruce thundered down the aisle to the lusty cheers of the assembled faithful. Bruce read from his book "If Chins Could Kill" and held an engaging and often hilarious Q & A with the crowd.

Topics ranged from his favorite horror movie (The Tenant), to whether or not his BVDs were showing during a scene in Evil Dead. No question was to 'out-there' for him to field. You got the sense that he understood and enjoyed the interaction with fans, regardless of their stripe.

Of all the questions asked, his response to "projects he was directing" probably interested me most. While he is working on more sci-fi related material, it was his documentary on land management that piqued my interest. The fact that he would be actively involved in trying to promote discussion between loggers and environmentalists struck me as a uniquely Oregonian thing - which as it turns out - isn't far from the truth as Campbell has lived in Southern Oregon for about 4 years.

After he exhausted the audience of questions, Bruce finally settled in to personally meet his fans.

When my number came up, I stepped up to table and sat down. Strange visions of visiting Santa Claus as a kid ran through my head as he penned my book and engaged in that ever-tenuous small talk that happens in such circumstances.

Since Bruce lives near Medford, I talked with him a little about Southern Oregon - and specifically Crater Lake - to which he responded: "When I first saw it, I thought how easy it would be to fall into that thing."

As a final favor, I asked Bruce if he would be willing say hello to my wife, who was home writing a paper for school. To my amazement, he agreed - and took the phone from me as it dialed my home number.

Bruce - "Hello, Alexis? This is George Gunderson from AT&T wireless. We'd like to know if you are satisfied with your wireless service."
Alexis - "Yeah, I guess."
Bruce - "Thank you."

He hung up and handed the phone back to me.

"I love prank phone calls. They are so much easier than trying to make small talk."