The Other Washington 'Star Wars' Connection

The three armor-clad Imperial Stormtroopers sauntering in front of the Lincoln Theatre on Friday night could mean only one thing: Darth Vader was inside reading from "A Trillion Little Pieces," the now-discredited memoir in which Lord Vader claims to have been high on crystal meth while overseeing construction of the Death Star.

No, it was opening night for Arena Stage's "Wishful Drinking," the one-woman show starring Princess Leia herself, Carrie Fisher. It's a hilarious look at the funny side of addiction and the weird disconnect that stems from living life in the limelight. But what, I wondered, was the Washington angle? Ronald Reagan was a fan of "Star Wars," but he wasn't thinking of George Lucas's movie.

And then I found it: Fisher's parents -- Hollywood sweetheart Debbie Reynolds and '50s crooner Eddie Fisher-- met in Washington. Fisher was . . . well, I'll let him explain how they first met, from an article published under his byline in The Washington Post in 1954:

"She was touring with a Hollywood entertainment unit and I was assigned to the U.S. Army Band. We went before the same microphone during a show at Walter Reed Hospital, and I remember the audience loved her warmth and talent -- but love hadn't hit me yet."

Love hit him eventually. And repeatedly. Eddie and Debbie's courtship, marriage, breakup ( Elizabeth Taylor was the other woman) and subsequent marriages -- eight between them -- kept scores of Hollywood gossip writers employed. And to think it all started in Washington.

Pfc. Fisher was a concert soloist with "Pershing's Own," the U.S. Army Band at Fort Myer. He entertained patients at Walter Reed, performed before frontline troops in Korea and sang with the band on a weekly radio broadcast.

You don't really see celebrities joining the military anymore. Can you imagine if Justin Timberlake shipped off to boot camp à la Elvis? The U.S. Army Band is still around, though. Its 240 active-duty members perform everywhere from D.A.R. Constitution Hall to the White House, where trumpeters with those long, flag-bedecked horns toot "Hail to the Chief."

"We don't make history, but we're always a part of history being made," said the band's PR director, Jennifer Maly.

Forever in Your Debt

A good way to tell what the world is worrying about these days is to ponder the dubious e-mail that gets stuck in your spam filter. It's a scummy little window into the collective e-unconscious. It used to be that every other spammer was concerned with the size of my, um, hard drive. Nowadays, spammers are obsessed with something else. Here are the subject lines of some messages I've received recently:

debt relief

erase debt

loan for debt consolidation

reducing debt

debt problem

debt consolidation services

debt solution

lower debt

You think maybe the spammers are hoping we're worried about the economy? I'm not saying these people can't help you weather these tough fiscal times, just that I'm a little skeptical of putting my trust in someone who promises to: "Legally ELIMINATE your credit card and other unsecured debt * WITHOUT ever making another payment to your creditors * WITHOUT it affecting your credit long-term * WITHOUT confrontation."

Some of the subject lines, frankly, were confusing. "Debt consolidation scotland" read one. "Horses for loan" read another. All I could think was: "Och, laddie. Saddle up, and let's check out a wee reverse mortgage."

Voter Fatigue

Among the many downsides of a presidential election year -- the partisanship, the rancor, the attacks on the media -- is the repetitive language. I think I'd be quite happy never to hear the words "change" or "maverick" again. I'm even sicker of the American people. Or, rather, "the American people."

You know it's gone too far when kids start saying, "The American people don't want broccoli for dinner" and "The American people are fed up with an 8 o'clock bedtime."

My e-mail:kellyj@washpost.com