Dan Cirucci: May the Fourth Be with You! Star Wars Day is May 4th

Friday, May 4, 2012

May the Fourth Be with You! Star Wars Day is May 4th

Comic Book Art Phenom Alex Ross' rendition of the Empire's finest.

Today is May 4, known to many children of all ages as Star Wars Day. If you can legally purchase alcohol, have a toy lightsaber in your home, and it's not your kid's, no explanation is needed on why this day is significant.

For the uninitiated and for those who have never seen the three Star Wars movies that really matter, today is a day to celebrate the movie masterpieces of George Lucas.

When Star Wars first opened in theaters in May 1977, it unleashed a true cultural phenomenon. Science Fiction films were no longer relegated to high-brow, thought-provoking pieces, or cheap, campy romps with horrible effects. A Sci-Fi film could be high impact, fast paced with jaw-dropping visuals. Often imitated, but never duplicated - not even by Lucas himself with the three "pre-quels" - Star Wars sets the bar that others must follow.

Thanks to Star Wars, we have:

The Summer Movie Blockbuster
Blue Screen and now Green Screen Technology
Harrison Ford's Body of Acting Work, or for the female geeks out there, just Harrison Ford's body
The Musical Juggernaut known as John Williams
The Movie Trilogy Formula
The Successful Use of Toys, T-shirts, etc. for Movie Merchandising

And believe it or not, if it weren't for American Graffiti, this would have never had happened. The success of Lucas' first real foray into the silver screen was so amazing, 20th Century Fox told Lucas that his next movie could be whatever he wanted.

The rest, as they say, is history.

May the Fourth Be With You!

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About Dan Cirucci

He's been cited by the late Rush Limbaugh, quoted in the New York Times, featured at Real Clear Politics and Lucianne.com and interviewed across all media.

He's Dan Cirucci, the founder and editor-in chief of the Dan Cirucci Blog, a Save Jersey blog columnist, frequent guest on the Matt Rooney radio show and one of the most widely honored public relations professionals in his field. He's also been a public relations consultant to numerous organizations and individuals and hosted The Advocates on RVN-TV.

Inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame, for many years he served as a Lecturer in Corporate Communication at Penn State University. A former President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) he has lectured at Rowan University, Temple University, The College of New Jersey and Arcadia University. He has conducted workshops on public relations for thousands of participants throughout the nation and has taught countless others the art of public speaking. He has also advised numerous lawyers, judges, public officials and political candidates.

Cirucci is a prolific writer and his op-ed pieces have appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier-Post, Broad and Liberty and other print and online platforms.

A native of Camden NJ, Cirucci is a former President of the Philadelphia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Cirucci served as Associate Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association for nearly 30 years. He served as Chair of Penn State University's Professional Advisory Board for the Corporate Communication major at Penn State Abington and on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Judicial Selection Commission.

He received his MA degree from Rowan University and his BA from Villanova University. He has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Rowan's public relations program and received the E. A. "Wally" Richter Leadership Award, the highest honor from the National Association of Bar Executives' Communications Section. He has also been honored by numerous other local, state and national groups.

In his hometown of Camden, Cirucci taught fifth grade at the Ulysses Wiggins Elementary School named for the founder of the Camden NAACP. There he was one of the first teachers in the country to teach African-American history to inner city students. He later served as editor of a local weekly newspaper, as Assistant to the Township Manager of Cherry Hill Township and as Associate Director of Communications at the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Cirucci's passions include all things Italian, politics, the popular culture, books and authors, art, communication, music, theatre, movies, dining and travel.

He and his wife Carole have two grown children and seven grandchildren.

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