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October 27, 2003 - November 02, 2003

News for Nov. 02, 2003

TTT:EE DVD Review!

11/02/03, 11:03 pm EST - Xoanon

We've got a TTT:EE DVD review for you to whet your appetite with while waiting for the Extended Edition DVD later this month. Here is Thea who gives us her view on the new edit. !!MAJOR SPOILERS!! [More]

Weekly eBay Items

11/02/03, 10:54 pm EST - Xoanon

Each week I scour Ebay looking for the hot Tolkien items up for sale. I post the most interesting here for you to bid on! [More]

Weekly Cast Watch

11/02/03, 10:31 pm EST - Xoanon

Another chance to see your favorite LOTR star on the small screen this week! Take a look! [More]

ROTK 2004 Calendar Images

11/02/03, 10:20 pm EST - Xoanon

2004 ROTK Calendar Images
2004 ROTK Calendar

Cosmo sends along these images from the 2004 ROTK calendar! Take a look! [More]

More News on Viggo at Massey U

11/02/03, 9:48 pm EST - Xoanon

Carol writes: I work at Massey University in New Zealand, and I just got the latest massey news. There's a report about Viggo Mortensen's photography exhibition at the Wellington campus of the University from 29th of November to 25th of January 2004, a benefit opening on the 28th and Viggo will read his poetry work at the city gallery on the 29th. [More]

ROTK Theatre Promos To Hit Soon

11/02/03, 9:42 pm EST - Xoanon

Jon writes: I work at a Regal Entertainment Group Theater. I heard from my managers that in the coming months, our popcorn bags and other merchandise will feature different characters and scenes from the upcoming Return of the King Movie. Regal Entertainment Group Theaters include Regal Cinemas, United Artists Theaters, and Edwards Theaters. Now there's a reason to pay the high concession prices!

Halloween Party Images

11/02/03, 9:36 pm EST - Xoanon

Bud writes: Wanted to send you some photos of our Halloween party held at the Sunnyvale Community Center in Sunnyvale California. Attached are some photos of the sets my wife, some friends and I made for the party which include, a flaming Mount Doom complete with lava, a Baggend with Bilbo peeking out the window, A 14 foot Orthanc Tower, A glow in the dark door of Durin and a Lothlorien. [More]

LOTR Popcorn Tins

11/02/03, 4:39 pm EST - Xoanon

Tedsallis Please find attached pics of the beautifiul Popcorn tin that is going to go on sale at Blockbuster Video stores this Tuesday. The tin is quite large and the graphics on it are stunning and sells for only 9.99. Best of all it has three kinds of popcorn inside, Cheese, caramel and butter flavor. Might make the perfect companion for viewing the Extended edition of Two Towers on DVD or perhaps survival supplies for Trilogy Tuesday! [More]

Grant Major Interview

11/02/03, 4:33 pm EST - Xoanon

Grant Major and Alan Lee
Grant Major & Alan Lee at the TORN Oscar Party II

Kathira writes: IGN Filmforce has posted a nice interview with production designer Grant Major, talking about working with Peter Jackson over the years and specifically about the work he did on Lord of the Rings. [More]

ROTK Premiere News: India

11/02/03, 4:24 pm EST - Xoanon

Sphinx writes: The ROTK release date in India is Feb 2004, as reported by one the major national dailies 'The Times of India.' This is earlier than both FoTR and TTT, which is a sign of how popular the trilogy has become. UPDATE: Joyita writes in to say that word from one distributor was that ROTK would be released in India even earlier, on January 9th.

ROTK Scene to be Removed for Swedish Viewers -UPDATE-

11/02/03, 4:20 pm EST - Xoanon

Christoffer writes: SF BIO AB, the company that distributes the LOTR films in Sweden, has problems with the censorship board here. ROTK has got an R (15 years old) rating here and SF is furious since this means less money for them. Right now they are working hard to cut ONE scene in the movie in order to give it a lower rating (11 years old). SF BIO has stated that this will probably result in that the tickets release will be post-poned from the 17th of November to the 1th of December.

Christoffer writes: This has been dismissed as a mere rumour by SF BIO AB and the say that they will NEVER cut the movie. And it will almost certainly receive a rating that allows 11 year old kids to see it. A movie has never been cut due to censorship in Sweden for over 10 years.

More Trilogy Tuesday News: UK

11/02/03, 4:11 pm EST - Xoanon

Ed writes: I received an email from UCI Cinemas who are one of the major players here in the UK. It confirms that on Tuesday December 16th they are showing Extended Editions of FOTR and TTT which will be followed by a midnight screening of ROTK! The Extended Editions of FOTR and TTT will be shown the previous Sunday as well. Tickets for ROTK go on sale December 11th, presumably you'll be able to buy tickets for the Extended Editions on that date as well! [uci-cinemas.co.uk]

Starz Channel Goes Geek

11/02/03, 4:08 pm EST - Xoanon

Marialfc writes: Starz is going to have a Lord of the Rings weekend from Decemeber 16-19 showing both the Fellowship of the Ring and the Two Towers, I think this is a great opportunity for those who didn't get tickets for the 'Tuesday Trilogy' or don't have the DVDs. Check your local listings for further info. [starzsuperpak.com]

Job ruling may put $300m film at risk

11/02/03, 4:04 pm EST - Xoanon

New Zealand efforts to secure a $300 million movie version of children's classic book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe could be seriously undermined by an Employment Court decision that may affect the way film crews are hired. The Lord of the Rings film producer Barrie Osborne has warned of "significant consequences that are unfortunate for the film industry" concerning the case over a film crew member's employment status. [More]

Once You Dress an Elf, a Samurai's Easy

11/02/03, 4:02 pm EST - Xoanon

In "The Last Samurai," a kaleidoscopic epic of late-19th-century Japan, Tom Cruise plays Nathan Algren, a civil war veteran who is briefly imprisoned by a cadre of Japanese warriors. He is also a prisoner of his pants: his perplexed attempts to get in and out of his hakama, a multipaneled sort of Japanese culotte, provide the movie with an element of comic relief. Algren's bemusement is hardly surprising, said Ngila Dickson, the New Zealander who conceived the film's costumes - some 2,000 of them - as well as those of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," the third of Peter Jackson's fairy-tale trilogy, which opens Dec. 17. [More]

Not Just a Tolkien Amount

11/02/03, 1:56 pm EST - maegwen

From the LA Times: 'The Lord of the Rings' movie trilogy boosts tourism and brings other benefits to New Zealand. Locals call it the 'Frodo economy.' [More]

Lord of the Rings Musical: Composer A R Rahman

11/02/03, 2:54 am EST - Tehanu

As more news is coming in about the West End Lord of the Rings Musical, I was very glad to get an email from Kalki, who had a lot of information about one of the composers for it, called A R Rahman. He is a legend in his native India, and Kalki's detailed report gives us reason to be excited about Rahman's involvement in the project. [More]

Premiere Tix Competition

11/02/03, 1:37 am EST - Tehanu

You'll want to win this competition....."In a major promotion for its new Tasman Express class, Air New Zealand is giving passengers the chance to win tickets to the exclusive screening as well as entry to the official post-event party with members of the cast, and two nights' accommodation." [More] Thanks to Hamish for the link.

Return of the King Stamps

11/02/03, 1:28 am EST - Tehanu

Antipodean Viggophile sends this link to NZ Post's newest LOTR stamps, the ROTK collection. "New Zealand Post is honoured to present The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King™ - the third and ultimate collection in a stunning stamp series that has been acclaimed by collectors and Tolkien fans around the world." Yeeeow, these are great! [More]

Long Live the King

11/02/03, 12:47 am EST - Tehanu

StarECentral sums up the plot of ROTK [so, OK, spoilers] but also has a few nice quotes from PJ about what he aimed to achieve with the third film. [More] Thanks to Lee for the link. Here's the not-spoilery bit from PJ: "As the story gets bigger and the stakes get higher, the intimacy of the storytelling and emotions get tighter and smaller, until you end up with two beings literally on their hands and knees, struggling to defeat an enormous evil. Yet, instead of wrath and revenge, they have to look inside for forgiveness, for in forgiveness there is redemption, not just for a handful of characters, but for all people. There is tremendous value to standing together for a common cause at times of great risk and looming destruction.”  

News for Nov. 01, 2003

Ahhh!!!! Poke Your Eyes Out!

11/01/03, 11:16 pm EST - Xoanon

Anonymous sends along these HORRID pictures of the Mattel Barbie & Ken LOTR figures. They show Barbie as Arwen and Ken as Aragorn...I will now go wash my eyes out with Scope... !!!Spoilers!!! [More]

Figwit & Conchords Sell Cell Phones

11/01/03, 10:51 pm EST - Xoanon

FAK (as well as others) write: I was sitting down enjoying a bit of Saturday morning telly and who should I see advertising a UK mobile phone store (phones4U)in a folked up stylee but the Flight of the Conchords (one half of which is Brett "Figwit" McKenzie).

German TV on quest for ring venues

11/01/03, 10:46 pm EST - Xoanon

A thrill-seeking German pop star wearing elf ears made a quick visit to Nelson this week. After a day in Queenstown bungy jumping and swinging across canyons on Wednesday, Gracia Bauer spent Thursday in Nelson filming a travel show based on the Lord of the Rings. [More]

Trilogy Tuesday News: UK

11/01/03, 10:43 pm EST - Xoanon

There may be some good news for UK ring fans, the other day I was at the odeon in Glasgow, UK and was enquiring about Trilogy Tuesday. The information I got was that they are trying to work out something, apparently the marketing dept. is needing to get a hold of the other two LOTR films before they know if they could hold a back-to-back session of the trilogy. So I was told to just keep checking for info. Hopefully this should be a bit of good news for people.

UK LOTR Fan Model Exhibition

11/01/03, 10:39 pm EST - Xoanon

Nick S writes: I thought you might be interested in these photos of my sons', Daniel, LOTR model exhibition at our local museum in Hitchin, UK. Inspired by Lord of the rings (and Warhammer LOTR figures) Daniel produced two fantastic models of Helms deep and the Orthanc Tower. [More]

On a Ring and a Prayer

11/01/03, 10:21 pm EST - Xoanon

From Entertainment Weekly: Less than two months before The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King's Dec. 17 opening, even the most wary and sequel-burned of moviegoers assumes the third Tolkien installment will be a masterpiece. And why shouldn't they? It was shot concurrently with the other two near-flawless installments, which were mostly faithful to the same written epic that King will be concluding. [More]

Ken & Barbie Go Geek

11/01/03, 7:41 pm EST - Xoanon

True-Hearted Easterling writes: The December 2003 issue of Barbie Bazaar magazine has more details on the Lord of the Rings giftset, as well as a picture (sorry – no scanner). Yes, the magazine really spelled it “Aragom.” [More]

Tolkien Lecures start At The Smithsonian

11/01/03, 7:32 pm EST - Xoanon

Mary Ann writes: Verlyn Flieger, author of two books on Tolkien (Splintered Light, and A Question of Time) and a professor of English at the University of Maryland College Park will be giving a lecture series on Tolkien with the Smithsonian Resident Associates program in Washington, DC starting November 2003. [www.si.edu]

Celebrities 'Shoot for The Stars' with Sony moves to LA

11/01/03, 7:30 pm EST - Xoanon

Celebrities 'Shoot for The Stars' with Sony Ericsson and Raise Money for Kids. Actors, Musicians, Sports, and Fashion Favorites Share "Slice of Life" Moments with Mobile Phone Camera; Pictures to be Auctioned at Charity Event. This fall, stars from music, sports, television, fashion and film worlds will join together to raise money for charity while snapping pictures of everyday life with their Sony Ericsson T610/T616 camera phone. Participating in Sony Ericsson's "Shoot for the Stars" are celebrities such as Lenny Kravitz, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd and more. [More]

Trilogy Tuesday: Vancouver

11/01/03, 5:39 pm EST - maegwen

Ringers Lee and James have both reported that the Vancouver Famous Players Capitol 6 is inexplicably not selling tickets to TT until DECEMBER 16th, as per their business office. If anyone was able to purchase tickets to that theater over the web, those tickets should be verified with the theater.

UPDATE: Lee writes in with more information regarding Capitol 6 ticket sales. [More]

Hall of Fire Chats This Weekend

11/01/03, 4:14 pm EST - Demosthenes

The time has come for the Hobbits to travel home to the Shire. They leave Minas Tirith in the company of the nobility of Rohan and Gondor, and their comrades of the Fellowship of the Ring. With them ride Celeborn and Galadriel with their folk, and Elrond and his sons. A great company following Theoden Thengel's son home from the field of Gondor. [More]

Trilogy Tuesday Canada: Ticket Info

11/01/03, 3:26 pm EST - maegwen

We've updated our Canadian Trilogy Tuesday page with some more tidbits of information from Ringers up North (well, north of me). Check them out HERE.

Viggo Given Royal Honor

11/01/03, 1:02 pm EST - Xoanon

Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen will be joined by his castmates and the Queen of Denmark at a royal premiere of Return of the King in Copenhagen. The proud Dane, who religiously visits his homeland twice a year, is delighted that big stars Liv Tyler, Orlando Blooom(sic), Elijah Wood and Sir Ian McKellen have agreed to make the trip. [More]

Advanced ROTK Screening on December 5th

11/01/03, 12:59 pm EST - Xoanon

KB writes: A friend of mine who works for KCET (L.A.'s public television station) sent on this information about an advance screening of ROTK, December 5, in Palm Springs (about 90 minutes' drive from L.A.). Andrew Lesnie will also be there. This is a fundraiser for KCET. I've included the details below. I didn't see this up on KCET's website yet but I imagine it will be there soon. [More]

The One Pumpkin

11/01/03, 12:21 pm EST - Xoanon

The One Punpkin
The One Pumpkin

Archie writes: You have to check out something my girlfriend and I did for Hallowe'en! I scanned the lettering from an Alan Lee-illustrated commemorative edition of the Lord of the Rings and with sculpting tools, she did the rest.

EA's UK Press Launch for the ROTK Game

11/01/03, 12:08 pm EST - Xoanon

Irascian writes: Here’s a short report on tonight’s UK press launch of the EA console game “Return of the King”. EA used the prestigious Science Museum as the venue for the official launch of their “Return of the King” game, scheduled to be launched for PS/2, Xbox, Nintendo and PC on November 14th in the UK, just four days ahead of the release of the extended edition DVD of TTT. [More]

Official Site: Shelob Revealed!

11/01/03, 6:45 am EST - Strider

To celeberate Halloween, LordOfTheRings.net has added a new set of Desktop and E-Card images - and what a set! Not only are there some great images of the Witch King and an Mumakil completely kitted out for warfare, but there's a fantastic shot of Frodo cowering from Shelob, Phial of Galadriel in hand! This is the most revealing shot of Shelob we've seen so far - and once again it looks like hats off to WETA for more fantastic work. [More]

News for Oct. 31, 2003

Orlando on 'So Graham Norton'

10/31/03, 6:56 pm EST - maegwen

Orlando Bloom was spotted on 'So Graham Norton' tonight, and a Ringer Spy wrote in about a ROTK Legolas tidbit that Orli let slip. [More]

Lord of the Rings Trilogy Symphony Bookings

10/31/03, 6:29 pm EST - Tehanu


Yep, there it is on Ticketek right now - the Lord of the Rings Trilogy Symphony in Wellington, featuring the world-class NZSO conducted by Howard Shore himself, performing music from all three movies on Nov. 29th. (only 4 days after the soundtrack CD for ROTK comes out, so it'll all be fresh.) You could book for Return of the Ringers the next day while you're there, it's the perfect warm-up to the premiere next day. [Book for Symphony] If you're booking from overseas, you can pick your tix up at the venue - use your credit card as ID.

Calling San Diego (and Beyond) Ringers

10/31/03, 6:09 pm EST - maegwen

The Mission Valley 20 Line Party is in the process of putting together plans for a blood drive for the San Diego Blood Bank on December 16th. Other ideas for volunteerism and/or donations are also being explored. If you have any experience in arranging blood drives, or would like to participate or contribute in some fashion, please contact the line party leader HERE. Thanks!

Trilogy Tuesday Canada: Ticket Info

10/31/03, 4:12 pm EST - maegwen

We've received ticket-purchasing tips from a number of Canadian Ringers, eager to share some info. Check it out! [More]

Trilogy Tuesday Special VIP Tickets

10/31/03, 2:33 pm EST - Xoanon

The enigmatic Mr. Mole sends along this image from deep within the chambers at New Line, this is what the VIP ticketholders will get. Each 'Trilogy Tuesday' USA location was given 20 reserved ticket seats per venue. [More]

Happy Birthday PJ...Again!

10/31/03, 2:25 pm EST - Xoanon


Tehanu already wished PJ a very Kiwi Happy Birthday, but now it's time for us to give him a big wet sloppy North American kiss for his big day! Happy Birthday PJ!

Parker & Ferguson Confirmed at 'Memorabilia' Con

10/31/03, 2:02 pm EST - Xoanon

Adam writes: Being such a huge fan of your site, I thought I'd send you some infomation on a convention on November 28th in England called Memorabilia. It is at the NEC and there are 2 LOTR guests so far, they are: Craig Parker (Haldir) and Mark Ferguson (Gil-Galad). [memorabilia.com]

Games Workshop Expands to ROTK Game

10/31/03, 1:55 pm EST - Xoanon

The world’s leading strategy battle-games company Games Workshop is gearing up for the November launch of its newest game. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the third in the series of table-top battle strategy games based on New Line Cinema’s highly acclaimed movie trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. Carefully designed to mirror the excitement and thrills of the greatly anticipated third film that hits the big screen in December 2003, The Return of the King game will carry the adventures in Middle-earth onwards with new rules and heroes for players to use in their games. [More]

Cloak Patterns Available in 'Handwoven' Magazine

10/31/03, 1:46 pm EST - Xoanon

Ianthe writes: The current issue of Interweave Press' Handwoven magazine features a cover story on Stansborough Fibers and the special elven cloak fabric they created. There's also supposed to be an accompanying cloak pattern. I'd send along more details, but I haven't gotten my issue yet. [More]

Heart of the City Goes Halloween Geek

10/31/03, 1:43 pm EST - Xoanon

Word of warning...most people don't understand Elvish, so be careful when Trick or Treating tonight! [More]

BBC's Big Read Betting Ends

10/31/03, 1:38 pm EST - Xoanon

The Lord of the Rings is the only real contender in "a one horse race" to win the BBC's Big Read contest, according to bookmaker Ladbrokes. Ladbrokes has closed betting because, in the last week, the only money laid has been for the JRR Tolkien classic to win the competition's public vote. [More]

Weaving, Wenham and Bloom Awards

10/31/03, 1:36 pm EST - Xoanon

Nadine sends along an update on some LOTR stars other films and the recent awards they've picked up. [More]

More NZ LOTR Coins

10/31/03, 1:27 pm EST - Xoanon

Victor writes: The New Zealand Post has added more coins for ordering from their website. The "Light vs. Dark" collection is very nice indeed! [More]

Return to Rivendell Guided Tour

10/31/03, 1:24 pm EST - Xoanon

Amanda Cox (Principal Advisor for Parks & Forests in Greater Wellington) writes: Those fans lucky enough to be in Wellington New Zealand for the world premiere of Return of the King might like to explore the landscapes of the Upper Hutt valley on the day before the big party. [More]

Trilogy Tuesday: France

10/31/03, 1:10 pm EST - Xoanon

Trilogy Tuesday: France
Trilogy Tuesday Poster in France

FRODON sends along this image from the LOTR distributors in France. It shows the names, places and dates for all three films playing in France! Take a look! [More]

Hougton Mifflin DVD Event - Nov 5th

10/31/03, 12:51 pm EST - Calisuri

To celebrate the publication of three of Houghton Mifflin's THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING film tie-in books on November 5, twenty bookstores around the country will host special, one-time-only video events featuring exclusive content from "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" Extended Edition DVD, to be released by New Line Home Entertainment on November 18. Check out the list of bookstores to see if this is taking place near you! [More]

Happy Halloween and Birthday PJ: TBHL Style

10/31/03, 12:50 pm EST - Calisuri

TBHL Celebrates Peter Jackson's Birthday and Halloween

Ringer staffers Lewman and Reno, keepers of TBHL (The Official Peter Jackson Fan Club), have sent us this Peter Jackson Birthday and Halloween Greeting. If you aren't familiar with Peter Jackson;s previous works, especially 'Bad Taste,' check out TBHL today! [TBHL] [Image]

Top 5 Worst LOTR Halloween Costumes

10/31/03, 9:35 am EST - Xoanon

So, you've beaten the odds and got yourself invited to a costume party tonight eh? Want to show off your uber-geekness for all things Rings? Well here is a list of ideas NOT to use....because too much geek can be a bad thing. [More]

News for Oct. 30, 2003

Trilogy Tuesday Canada

10/30/03, 11:10 pm EST - maegwen

Ok, some, but not ALL theaters have put tickets on sale. Empire Theaters says tickets on sale in two weeks. Some Famous Players theaters have tickets on sale now, although the official time is Midnight (time zone unknown). Our suggestion: Keep checking with your theater.

Trilogy Tuesday Canada: Empire Theater info

10/30/03, 9:06 pm EST - maegwen

Lisa writes: After hearing that Trilogy Tuesday would be playing here, I bombarded Empire Theatres with emails asking when tickets would go on sale. Finally, they gave me an answer! [More]

Canada: Tuesday Trilogy Tickets on Sale

10/30/03, 7:35 pm EST - maegwen

Couchguy writes: "At 5:30, I was able to purchase my tickets for the marathon trilogy screening at the London Famous Players SilverCity through movietickets.com. I have received my confirmation number and instructions on how to pick up the tickets at the theatre box office. I also checked around for the other theatres across the country and it looks like they are all activated for purchase. Good luck!!"

We had heard that Famous Players tickets would be on sale by 10/31, but not other chains. You all might like to check with your local Trilogy theater.

UPDATE: Demandred writes: The ad for Trilogy Tuesday showing on the front of the Famous Players website actually states that tickets are not on sale until Oct. 31, so its kinda funny. If you click into the ad and keep going you'll get to the point you can purchase tickets. [Famous Players Cinemas]

Green Books Hallowe'en SPECIAL

10/30/03, 6:52 pm EST - Quickbeam

Greetings, Quickbeam here. Green Books has taken a pumpkin knife and carved out a special edition of our monthly magazine:

--- Go Out on a Limb with me and discover Aragorn's inner heart: the "Kingly Proof" may surprise you.
--- Ostadan's Lore & Letters features a touching article on why the Elves pursue the halting of time and age: "Now I Get It, Celebrimbor!"
--- Moon Letters has a great selection of Fan Fiction and Poems!
--- Our man Ostadan answers 11 tricky items in our Questions & Answers including:
1. Were there any female Balrogs?
2. Who was the narrator of The Hobbit and LOTR?
3. How can you capture the light of Earendil?
4. Was Elrond unfair to Aragorn?

--- Tolkien and C.S. Lewis scholar Colin Duriez pays Tribute to the masterwork of LOTR.
--- Enjoy two stunning articles from our Special Guests. Learn how scientists could make real Mithril in our Science of Middle-earth Series and how the mysterious power of LOTR haunts new readers.

Treats for all our Hallowe'en readers as we explore the WORDS and WORLDS of Tolkien.

More On Canadian Trilogy Tuesday!

10/30/03, 2:59 pm EST - Xoanon

Hector writes: I was one of the thousands that bombarded you with e-mails saying "What about Canada??!! So when I saw your posting about the Canadian Trilogy Tuesday List I was needless to say VERY interested. I just wanted to add that in today's copy of the "Metro" newspaper (a small newspaper handed out free to commuters in the Toronto area) had a small blurb and said that tickets go on sale tommorrow, October 31!!! [More]

Garland Painting Goes on Sale

10/30/03, 2:42 pm EST - Xoanon

Next week the original painting for the cover to the 1982 edition of The Lord of the Rings goes on sale for the first time. The artist, Roger Garland, who contributed more than 40 paintings for the book between 1982 and 1985, has never before been convinced of the financial merits of selling these particular paintings, and admits he has no idea how to price them. To this end he is only selling one painting to "test the market" as he puts it, although there will be some rough sketches on sale as well. "To be honest, I've always struggled to find a market for my work," he says. [More]

National Geographic Explores ROTK

10/30/03, 2:40 pm EST - Xoanon

National Geographic Explores the Fascinating Parallels between Real-Life History and the Characters, Places and Events Brought to Life in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'. [More]

Sala Baker at Chiller Theatre Convention in NJ

10/30/03, 1:54 pm EST - Xoanon

Sala Baker (Sauron) is set to make an apperance at The Chiller Theatre Convention this weekend in New Jersey. [chillertheatre.com]

Lennox to sing Rings theme tune

10/30/03, 1:49 pm EST - Xoanon

Singer Annie Lennox is to perform the theme song for the final instalment of The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Her song Into The West will feature in The Return Of The King, as well as Howard Shore's score. "It has been a fascinating experience to be a very small part of this vast jigsaw puzzle entitled The Lord of the Rings," former Eurythmics star said. The soundtrack is out on 25 November, followed by the film on 17 December. [More]

Dr. Graeme Anthony at Dragonspace Tomorrow

10/30/03, 1:48 pm EST - Xoanon

Dragonspace: Magical and Mythological Treasures on Granville Island. Dr. Graeme Anthony, sculptor and designer for Royal Selangor's Lord Of The Rings collection, will be at Dragonspace on Friday, October 31, 2003 between 12:00pm and 4:00pm. Collectors and fans will be able to purchase the exclusive limited edition King Elessar goblet authenticated by the artist, only at one of these ten special events held in Canada. Partake in the magic and pre-order your piece in advance for the October 31 signing. Limited quantities are available. [dragon-space.com]

London IMAX LOTR & TTT Double Bill Tomorrow

10/30/03, 1:46 pm EST - Xoanon

LOTR & TTT (NOT extended versions) will be screened at the London Science Museum IMAX tomorrow October 31st) at 16.45 and 20.00 with a 20 minute interval between them. [More]

Jane Chance in Dallas To Talk Tolkien

10/30/03, 1:41 pm EST - Xoanon

Lessien writes: Jane Chance is coming to Dallas, TX to speak on Tolkien. Imagine spending a semester learning and discussing Tolkien and getting credit for it. I don't know how many universities offer such courses, but we have such a class in Dallas, TX. It is a tri-university class involving Southern Methodist University, University of Dallas and University of Texas at Dallas. Her lecture will be open to the public. The lecture will take place at the Horchow Auditorium in the Dallas Museum of Art on November 4th at 6:30 p.m.

Happy Birthday Peter Jackson!!!

10/30/03, 5:52 am EST - Tehanu


In NZ it'll be October 31st in about 10 minutes as I write this, but I couldn't wait....Happy Birthday Peter Jackson! I guess one of your birthday presents this year is sitting inside dozens of film canisters on their way to the printer's right now, courtesy of the thousands of people that helped you turn the pictures inside your head into 3 movies...but I'll just add in the general well-wishes of a thousand fans. We get emailed continually by people wishing they could convey their thanks and goodwill towards you, so just imagine I've wrapped up all those thousands of good wishes TORN's received over the past 3 years, and rolled them all into this here note.

NZ News: Midnight Tix sold, and the Embassy sold.

10/30/03, 1:12 am EST - Tehanu

Monkey has news of ticket sales in Christchurch including the fact that you can already buy tickets to the first midnight show of ROTK. [More] [UPDATE: Leggylass adds that Reading cinemas in Wellington are now selling tix to the first midnight showing.] Also, there's news from Wellington - despite heroic fundraising efforts including the generous efforts of many TORN readers, the Embassy Theatre in Wellington hasn't raised enough money to pay for its own refurbishment and it will be handing over ownership to the City Council. The renovations for the World Premiere, however, are continuing as planned. [More] Thanks to Petra [hi, Westie neighbour!] for the link.

News for Oct. 29, 2003

NEW ROTK Trailer Description ALREADY!

10/29/03, 9:15 pm EST - Xoanon

Mr. Lost Apples: The quick (1 minute) theatrical trailer for ROTK is (not surprisingly) mostly old footage cut in different ways, though there's some new dialogue and a fair amount of fresh material and/or angles on some stuff. !!!Spoilers!!! [More]

Tolkien Manuscripts back on display at Marquette

10/29/03, 9:08 pm EST - Xoanon

Roheryn writes: A while back the Marquette University in Milwaukeehave moved into their new campus location, and were still settling in. Now it looks as if they have put some pages of the original Hobbit and LOTR manuscripts on display, with regularly scheduled presentations. They also have a Tolkien conference planned for next fall, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the LOTR publication. [More]

Canadian Trilogy Tuesday List

10/29/03, 9:03 pm EST - Xoanon

SoyBoy writes: You don't know me but I work in the industry and I just got the official press release for the LOTR Marathon across Canada. Tickets on sale October 31 for Famous Players theaters only. Here are the cities and theaters. [More]

Studio Magazine Talks ROTK

10/29/03, 8:36 pm EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy MarieMJS sends long the October issue of Studio Magazine featuring this look at some behind the scene images from 'The Return of the King'. !!!Spoilers!!! [More]

More Tacoma RingCon Images

10/29/03, 8:26 pm EST - Xoanon

More images from this past weekends 'RingCon' in Tacoma, which featured Craig Parker and Bruce Hopkins. [More]

More ComicCon Coverage

10/29/03, 7:54 pm EST - Xoanon

Katherine writes: I got to hang out with Brad (and just for your info, take him to the airport and his hotel!) this weekend at the Dallas Comic*Con and Sci-Fi expo. I have some of my report up on dourif.net, but all the pics are up and working! Just wanted to let you know for theonering.net. I also have pics of JRD, and Sala Baker. Both total gentlemen. [More]

"The Alamo" Release Postponed

10/29/03, 7:10 pm EST - Pippin_Took

I realize that this story is not directly LOTR-related, but many of us who are following this year's Oscar race with hopes that ROTK will walk away with the big prize(s) have included the upcoming epic, The Alamo, on our lists of possible competition. Bad buzz has been building around the story of Mr. Crockett and friends for a few weeks now, though, and Disney announced today that the release of The Alamo has been postponed until April 2004 - which puts it out of this year's Oscar race - because the "filmmakers felt they needed more time to finish it." [More]

Howard Shore in Wellington

10/29/03, 4:22 pm EST - Tehanu

The Howard Shore Concert in Wellington has its definitive name now: 'The Lord of The Rings Symphony: Six Movements for Orchestra and Chorus.’ No news yet on the time on Saturday 29th. Bookings open November 1 at Ticketek. Meanwhile if you're itching to book for SOMETHING around the world premiere in New Zealand, there's still room for you to join hundreds of fans at our Return of the Ringers party on Nov. 30th. Booking for that is this easy.


NEW ROTK Trailer For 'Matrix III' & 'Elf'

10/29/03, 3:22 pm EST - Xoanon

Nikki writes: There will be a new teaser ROTK teaser trailer on Warner Brothers’ Matrix Revolutions and New Line’s Elf, both due in early November. I don’t know if it will have new footage or not. But you never know!! Running time is 1:01.

Orlando Bloom to star in Ridley Scott epic

10/29/03, 3:20 pm EST - Xoanon

Orlando Bloom is to star in Ridley Scott's epic 12th century love story The Kingdom Of Heaven. Scott says Kingdom will be staged on an even greater scale than Gladiator. Shooting begins in Morocco early next year. [More]

Lennox song heralds 'Rings' return

10/29/03, 3:17 pm EST - Xoanon

NEW YORK (Billboard) - A new song by Annie Lennox is among the tracks on the soundtrack to "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King". The Reprise/WMG Soundtracks release, set for November 25, also features the talents of soprano Renee Fleming and Irish flautist Sir James Galway. [More]

More Lincoln Center Tickets Available Soon?

10/29/03, 3:16 pm EST - Xoanon

SG writes: The Alice Tully Theater, where the Lincoln Center's LOTR event is being held, only holds 1096 people. Since I know a patron who is quite a high-end subscriber to the Film Society I heard what happened. She was told it was a "feeding frenzy" for tix to Saturday's three film event with cast and PJ. I mean this woman supports the Society in a major financial manner and she was told she should get the tickets she requested but still, nothing is concrete. (Trust me, I am praying for a miracle). [More]

Tony Wolf in Chicago

10/29/03, 3:11 pm EST - Xoanon

Telcontar writes: What do Elves, Orcs, comic book heroes, Maori war dances, ballet and historical swordplay manuals have in common? They are all connected to TONY WOLF, Founder of the New Zealand Stage Combat Society! [More]

Trilogy Tuesday News For Toronto! (and Canada?!)

10/29/03, 3:01 pm EST - Xoanon

John writes: I work at a Cineplex Odeon in Ontario. We just got a few emails that let us know some of the details of the EE showings here in Canada. This is OFFICIAL, Cineplex Odeon's Website is going to post it in the next day or two. [More]

ROTK Score Cover Spotted!

10/29/03, 2:48 pm EST - Xoanon

Chris writes: comingsoon.net has the cover to the new RotK CD! [More]

Xoanon here, Mr. Mole indicated to me that the new ROTK poster would be 'epic and grand in scale', this CD cover certainly has those qualities. Perhaps we are looking at a preview for the final ROTK poster?

UPDATE: San Diego Ringers, Lend a Hand

10/29/03, 11:12 am EST - maegwen

San Diego line party leader rune* writes: Here's an update on giving aid to those people affected by the fires in San Diego; one of my line party ringers (myfrodofrogy) wrote me with the following info on donations for fire fighters. [More]

News for Oct. 28, 2003

One Director to be Paid Like a Top Movie Star

10/28/03, 10:46 pm EST - Xoanon

When Universal Pictures ushered the "Lord of the Rings" auteur Peter Jackson and his team into Hollywood's elite 20/20 club $20 million in guaranteed up-front salary against 20 percent of the gross receipts the action underscored a major Hollywood shift: event- movie directors are becoming as valuable as stars like Tom Cruise and Mel Gibson. (Registration required) [More]

More Images from the Great Norway Lineup

10/28/03, 10:41 pm EST - Xoanon

Ragnhild writes: I was just wondering whether you'd be interested in more photos for the group The Great Norway Lineup? The photos on you page are only from Oslo, and we had a massive queue in Trondheim as well. [More]

Los Angeles Times Magazine 'It Reminds Them of California'

10/28/03, 10:24 pm EST - Xoanon

Los Angeles Times Magazine 'It Reminds Them of California'
Gino Acevedo in New Zealand

Kailin writes: While thumbing through the LA Times newspaper today, I stumbled upon the Los Angeles Times Magazine, which happened to have a familiar face on the cover. They did a story about Californians who have discovered the wonders of New Zealand, and moved there, including cover boy Gino Acevedo. Inside the story, they also show a picture of Barrie Osborne and talk about his home. [More]

Official Site: David Wenham Interview

10/28/03, 4:22 pm EST - Demosthenes

The Official Site has a short but new interview with David Wenham about the character of Faramir. He talks a bit about Minas Tirith and Pelennor Fields, as well as Denethor. [More] Spoilers!!!

ROTK Soundtrack Press Release

10/28/03, 12:50 pm EST - Xoanon

Los Angeles, CA, October 28, 2003 -- The original soundtrack to The Lord of the Rings: The Return Of The King, the final installment in Peter Jackson's epic The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, will be released on Reprise/WMG Soundtracks on November 25. The film opens nationwide on December 17 from New Line Cinema. [More]

McKellen.com's Latest E-Post

10/28/03, 12:39 pm EST - Xoanon

Keith writes in to tell us that Ian McKellen (Gandalf) has updated the E-Post section of his website! Take a look. [More]

Sean Astin's 'Slipstream'

10/28/03, 12:36 pm EST - Xoanon

From filmforce: Model-turned-actress Ivana Milicevic has been cast opposite Sean Astin (Sam) and Vinnie Jones in the sci-fi independent feature 'Slipstream'. Slipstream follows "a young scientist (Astin) who invents a time-travel device that allows those who touch it to travel 10 minutes into the past. His plan to use the machine for a bank heist goes awry when a group of robbers tries to hold up the same place." David van Eyssen, a former creative consultant, makes his feature directing debut with the MPCA picture. Slipstream is set to begin filming later this month in South Africa.

Tyrese & Miranda Otto Aboard Flight of the Phoenix

10/28/03, 12:31 pm EST - Xoanon

2 Fast 2 Furious star Tyrese and "Lord of the Rings" trilogy star Miranda Otto (Eowyn) have joined 20th Century Fox's The Flight of the Phoenix, the action-thriller remake to be directed by John Moore. The cast includes Dennis Quaid, Giovanni Ribisi and Jared Padalecki. [More]

Liquid Loot LA Premiere Coolness

10/28/03, 12:29 pm EST - Xoanon

Kailin writes: Many cool things to bid on with Liquid Loot points, but the coolest is the pair of tickets to the LA premiere, including a trip to LA if you are an out of towner. Bidding ends on November 2, though, so hurry up and keep collecting your points and bid! [More]

Conchords to fly in aid of charity

10/28/03, 12:27 pm EST - Xoanon

Fiver writes: Wellingtons finest digi-bongo-acapella-rap-influenced, guitar-based bongo-funk group are back for a one-off charity performance this Saturday. On November the 1st, Flight of the Conchords will be playing at the Buffalo Grand Hall, upstairs from Bats Theatre in Wellington NZ, starting at 10pm. [More]

San Diego Ringers Lending a Hand

10/28/03, 9:07 am EST - maegwen

San Diego Line Party leader rune* writes: Even as the fires continue to burn in some parts of San Diego County, I'd like to encourage the SD Ringers (and those in other parts of So Cal too!) to lend a hand and donate blood. [More]

News for Oct. 27, 2003

Howard Shore Concert in Wellington Nov. 29

10/27/03, 11:36 pm EST - Tehanu

The Howard Shore concert promoters wrote to say that there has been a slight delay on tickets going on sale and these will now be available via Ticketek as on Saturday November 1.

All Ticketek operators should now be aware that this is a pending event. The concert is now called, ‘Lord of the Rings Symphony: Live!’ and it will feature music adapted from Mr Shore’s scores from all three films of Peter Jackson’s astonishing LOTR trilogy.

ROTK Running Time Official?! 210 Mins?

10/27/03, 9:48 pm EST - Xoanon

Ranger writes: I was on the Greater Union Birch Carroll & Coyle (Australia's biggest and oldest cinema chain) website and saw on their page for ROTK the running time listed as 210mins (3 hours and 30 mins). I filled out their online contact us form and asked them if this was the offical running time or not. I got this reply a few mins ago...[More]

Official Site Updates

10/27/03, 9:39 pm EST - Xoanon

Some killer looking wallpapers on the official site have just been added! !!!Spoilers!!! [Witchking 1] [Witchking 2] [Shelob]

Media Watch: GQ Men of the Year

10/27/03, 9:37 pm EST - Xoanon

The 2003 'Men of the Year' edition of GQ Magazine is out. Viggo Mortensen and Peter Jackson are included on the list. [More]

More Dallas ComicCon Pics

10/27/03, 9:27 pm EST - Xoanon

More Dallas ComicCon 2003 Images - Sala Baker
Sala Baker at Dallas ComicCon 2003

Teri sends along another great batch of images from this past weekends Dallas ComicCon which saw Sala Baker, Brad Dourif and John Rhys-Davies as special guests. [More]

Lincoln Center Tickets Sell Out in Record Time

10/27/03, 8:58 pm EST - Xoanon

JediBO writes: Just a note to let everyone know that the Lord of the Rings weekend at Lincoln Center on Jan. 10-11 is sold out. Tickets went on sale this morning at 10 am by phone and at 11 am at the box office. Initially I called, but after being put on hold for 45 minutes I was disconnected and decided to take a cab over to 66th and Broadway... [More]

The Great Norway Lineup

10/27/03, 8:48 pm EST - Xoanon

The Great Norway Line Up
The Great Norway Line Up

Erik writes: Here are som nice pictures from the ticket line in Norway. Published by the Norwegian 'nett-paper'. [More]

'Ring Around The Simpsons'

10/27/03, 8:25 pm EST - Xoanon

The 2003 'Treehouse of Terror' Simpsons comic has this LOTR inspired story called 'Ring Around the Simpsons'. It seems the family is transported to Middle-earth and become part of the Fellowship! Thanks to Roheryn for a small sample of the comic! [More]

The Two Towers Extended Cut Review!

10/27/03, 3:31 pm EST - leo

Ringer Spy CJ wrote in what must be the first review we have from the Extended Cut from The Two Towers that will appear on the Extended DVD (available from November 18th)! Mind you, it does contain a lot of spoilers!! [More]

Wizardry heads children's Baftas

10/27/03, 1:57 pm EST - Xoanon

The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers and Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets are set to go head to head at this year's Children's Bafta awards. Both are nominated in two categories, best feature film and the Lego/Bafta Kids best film, voted for by children. [More]

'Two Towers' sheet music available

10/27/03, 1:52 pm EST - Xoanon

Warner Brothers Publications has announced a songbook with arrangements for piano, vocal and chords of music from Howard Shore's The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers score. "Pianists everywhere can now explore the spirit and grandeur of the blockbuster hit," Warner Brothers proudly claims in a press release. The illustrated book includes arrangements of pieces like "Evenstar," "Isengard Unleashed," "Gollum's Song," "Breath of Life," "Rohan," and "Forth Eorlingas." [musicfromthemovies.com]

"Lord of the Rings" cast to defend forest

10/27/03, 1:50 pm EST - Xoanon

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - They may be the fellowship of the ring, but offscreen they are pretty much the lords of the forest. Or they will be soon. The boys of New Line Cinema's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy are taking their tight-knit friendship and putting it to work to save a tree or two. So says Dominic Monaghan, who is in the planning stages -- along with fellow "Rings" co-stars Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen and Orlando Bloom -- of creating a programme that would give their fans and environmentally conscious consumers the chance to adopt a tree in a forest that Monaghan hopes will be in New Zealand, where all three films were shot. [More]

Dallas ComicCon Images

10/27/03, 1:44 pm EST - Xoanon

Pippin'sSunshine sends along these images from last weekend's Dallas ComicCon, Brad Dourif (Wormtongue), Sala Baker (Sauron) and John Rhys-Davies (Gimli) were the special invited guests. I've created a collage of the images since they were too small to add into the scrapbook. [More]

ROTK Run Time!

10/27/03, 1:30 pm EST - maegwen

Thanks to Ringer Spy RangerOfTheEast for sending in this link to the Australian Greater Union and Birch Carroll & Coyle cinema chain, which lists 'Return of the King' as coming in at a whopping 3.5 hours! No word yet whether this is official, so stay tuned. [More]

More Photoguide Scans to Feast Your Eyes On!

10/27/03, 7:29 am EST - leo

To start the week off we have some new scans from the Dutch version of the Return of the King Official Photoguide! Ringer Spy Mibri's gallery has (again) been updated with some new scans from Shagrat and Gorbag, the Ride of the Rohirrim and Sam and Frodo in Ithilien and we also have a new gallery from Ringer Spy Legolas-1303 including scans from Gorbag in Cirith Ungol and Denethor! SPOILERS GALORE!

Images were removed as the request of the publishers. Sorry!

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