USC students hope for Bill Murray on Bill Murray Appreciation Day

In recent years, Bill Murray has created quite a sideline for himself in odd one-off appearances. Yes, he still makes movies. (He was just at the Golden Globes ceremony with a nomination for playing FDR in “Hyde Park on Hudson.”)

But it could be argued that his real fame lately has come from doing things like jumping into a kickball game amongst friends in New York City, jumping behind the bar to serve drinks in Austin, Texas, or crashing a house party in Brooklyn and doing the dishes.

He also agreed to be filmed walking in slow motion down a hallway with a student filmmaker and his buddies in lieu of an autograph last May. And because of that, two USC film school grad students are hoping to snag Murray for a starring role in their thesis film.

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Director Christopher Guerrero and his producer, William Goldstein, are planning to shoot their short film, “You Had Me At Goodbye” in May in Santa Cruz and they think Murray would be perfect for the role of the chancellor of UC Santa Cruz, who tasks a lowly I.T. specialist with erasing incriminating images from his laptop.

“We really think he would give it something that a lot of other actors just wouldn’t,” says Goldstein. “He has a human quality.”

But because Murray has no agent or manager and no easy way to get in contact with him, the two twentysomething filmmakers decided to create a holiday to get his attention.

Bill Murray Appreciaton Day will be held on Feb. 2 (aka Groundhog Day -- the name of one of the actor’s classic movies). Guerrero and Goldstein are hoping that Murray fans around the country will dress up as their favorite Murray character and hit up their favorite local bar. But in L.A., Guerrero and Goldstein will be assembling fans at ground zero for Bill Murray Appreciation Day in front of the Vista Theatre in Silver Lake and moving on to the Good Luck Bar.

While star appreciation is definitely part of it, the pair’s real goal is to let Murray know that they have a part ready for him.

“We want to generate the buzz so the word gets to him,” says Goldstein. “If he was to show up on Sunset, that would be incredible.”

However, if Murray doesn’t show, he should be warned that the filmmakers already have some other names in mind: Ted Danson, Dustin Hoffman, Nick Offerman, Malcolm McDowell and Patrick Stewart.

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