Go back to Main News Archives


December 04, 1999 - December 10, 1999

News for Dec. 10, 1999

ISP Problems

12/10/99, 10:09 pm EST - Xoanon

This past Friday, December 10 from about 8 am to 12 midnight EST. My ISP was having a spasm, I may have lost some Emails, so if you did send me an email during that time, please email me again, thanks :)

LOTR Cartoon Contest Result

12/10/99, 9:52 pm EST - Xoanon

From: John Cook

Just letting you know that our Lord of the Rings cartoon competition has finished. Here is the final cartoon with the winning caption. [ More: http://www.sev.com.au/toonzone/ ]

Future Files at Film.com

12/10/99, 9:39 pm EST - Calisuri

Film.com just recently added the Lord of the Rings to its Future File page. Check out what they have to say about LOTR and other upcoming movies. [ film.com ] Thanks to Bard for the tip!

Halloween Costume Party Contest Winners!!!

12/10/99, 11:36 am EST - Calisuri

Gandalf

Congratulations to the 1999 Halloween Costume Party Contest Winners!!! Check out the winning entries in our contest section. [ contest winners ]

Looking a little more like the Man..

12/10/99, 10:23 am EST - Xoanon

Saruman that is. Ringer spy The Great Goblin sends this pic of Christopher Lee, dressed in his garb for Ivanhoe, looking very much like the evil wizard.

Media Watch: Expressions Mag

12/10/99, 9:36 am EST - Xoanon

Rohan Extra sends an article from "Expressions" (an employees bi-monthly Newsletter from TranzRail).




Hobit Hater

Hobbits beware: Don't mess with Hutt workshops fitter/welder Rob Revill.

Just the other day he was drinking in his favorite tavern - The Prancing Pony (not Horse - Xo) - when a hobbit slammed the door - the first time it had been slammed for 700 years. Robglared - a "death Stare", he calls it. But before he could reach for his razor-sharp claymore, the hobbit slipped on a ring and just plain disappeared.

Well, that's what's going to happen in the movie. Not to Rob, but his character - an evil hobbit hater.
Rob has an extra's role in Lord of the Rings and recently shot his first scene at director Peter Jackson's studios in Miramar, Wellington. He can't talk about the storyline, and sadly he can't show us his costume and the authentic steel claymore (apparently worth $3500 - Jackson doesn't like fake props), but he can show us that death stare (see photo). And he does say the sets in the studio are unbelievable. "you'd be amazed at what they can do with polystyrene."

Rob applied for a film role after seeing an ad in the paper seven months ago. The casting agency took one look at his face and told him he had the part - "I guess they liked my craggy, hard features." The role was confirmed after an audition.

Rob had only "acted the fool" before Lord of the Rings, but is now seriously looking at a film career. He even has an agent, although he didn't know it until Model Pool - the agency that first looked at him for Lord of the Rings - rang and offered him a role playing a servant in Ivanhoe, currently being filmed at the Avalon studios in the Hutt Valley.

Peter Jackson mini film fest on IFC

12/10/99, 9:19 am EST - Xoanon

2 Peter Jackson films will be on IFC (Indepentent Film Channel) tonight. 'Heavenly Creatures' at 8 PM EST, and 'Dead Alive' at 9:45. Check out The Official Peter Jackson Fanclub section to find our more about these films. Thanks to Pippin-Took for the news!

Cast News: Cate Blanchett on Leno

12/10/99, 9:16 am EST - Xoanon

Award winning actress Cate Blanchett will be on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' tonight 11:30 pm EST. Check out our Galadriel in person.

Cast News: Uma's 'Sweet & Lowdown'

12/10/99, 9:14 am EST - Xoanon

The latest Uma Thurman film 'Sweet & Lowdown' has opened today. Uma is heavily rumored to play Eowyn.

The Official LOTR Club House Open?

12/10/99, 12:25 am EST - Xoanon

From: Vincent

Xoanon, I have found an interesting item when I downloaded the browser from 'Neoplanet', there is an option to join various themed clubs, one of them is The Official LOTR Club, and has images from that beta site from a few days ago.



And indeed it is so, I've checked it out, and it is some form of Club with msg boards and chatrooms, all sparse and empty at the moment. Could this be some advanced look at the layout of the Official Site?

Check it out here. You may have to download the Neoplanet Browser to join.

News for Dec. 09, 1999

Welcome Midden Aarde!

12/09/99, 11:26 pm EST - Calisuri

TheOneRing.netª staff would like to take this opportunity to welcome Midden Aarde (http://fan.theonering.net/middenaarde), a completely Dutch language LOTR movie site, to TheOneRing.netª Community!

Visit Midden Aaarde - Dutch LOTR Site


Welcome aboard! If you are interested in taking advantage of the free server space here at TheOneRing.netª, please check out the Community section to see if your site can met the criteria!

ps - Happy Holidays to everyone! Notice the holiday lights?..:)

Hear More of Gollums Voice! Plus More Serkis News

12/09/99, 9:32 am EST - Xoanon

Ok, so it's not Andy Serkis doing Gollum yet, rather his vioce from ITV's 'Oliver Twist', now on TV in the UK. But when you hear him say 'habits' I'm drooling....it's as close to 'Hobitssss' as I can tell!



Click here to hear Andy Serkis' Voice!


More on Serkis in 'Oliver Twist'. This is from The Oliver Twist Website (please sir, can I have some more Java? bad joke, sorry)

About Andy Serkis

Andy Serkis plays the menacing Bill Sikes, who strikes terror in every one he meets.

Andy’s television credits include roles in Streetwise, Saracen, The New Statesman, Made in Spain, The Darling Buds of May, Pie in the Sky, The Chief, Finney, Kavanagh QC and recently the role of Lawler in Touching Evil.

He has just completed filming on Pandemonium, a film directed by Julian Temple in which he again appears with Emily Woof, who plays Nancy opposite him in Oliver Twist. He is also soon to be seen in the new Mike Leigh film Topsy Turvy. His other film credits include Mike Leigh’s Career Girls, The Prince of Jutland, The Near Room, Clueless, Stella Does Tricks, Loop, Mojo, Among Giants and Insomnia.

In the theatre, he has performed at the Royal Court, The Royal Exchange Manchester, Hull Truck, Dukes Lancaster, the Nuffield Studio and the West Yorkshire Playhouse.

Thanks to Andy and Bryn for the tips!

Auction Details

12/09/99, 12:11 am EST - Xoanon

The good folks at Resort Radio phoned me up recently to relay this info:

Anyone interested in bidding for the Hardcover Alan Lee Illustrated Special Edition LOTR Signed Book (try saying that 5 times fast), can do so over the phone. Contact Steve Wild at Resort Radio 64 3 442 7222, you may have to tack on your long distance country code to the begining of that number (in Canada it's 011).

All bids must be in at 11 am Sunday, December 12 (NZ TIME) and Resort Radio office hours are 6 AM to 5:30 PM (NZ Time)

You will most certainly be asked your credit card number other wise I don't think they'll take your bid :)

News for Dec. 08, 1999

Web Watch: Weekender.co.nz - UPDATED

12/08/99, 6:25 pm EST - Xoanon

Thanks to the folks at Scoop (www.scoop.co.nz) for the tip!

Filming Starts on Fourth LOR Set

Filming of wide panoramic scenes started on Wednesday December 8th, in the rolling North Island farmland between Matatmata and Karapiro.

Filming on the fourth LOR set commenced on Wednesday, while crews continued to work at the three other sets (two in the Queenstown/Te Anau area and the other in Wellington).

The countryside in this mid-North Island region is primarily rolling farmland, with a few more rugged hills and is famous for it’s horse raising. It's bounded by an area of peat bog to the north and the long, narrow Lake Karapiro to the south.

Co-director John Mahaffie (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys) said stand-in actors would be used for the stars as the shots were to be "wide, establishing the Hobbiton environment."

Associate producer Rick Porrs said the brilliant weather was an exciting start to the shoot. "As the light drops, the way this tall grass shimmers - you just can’t beat this anywhere."

Director Peter Jackson, currently overseeing the shoot through satellite link, is expected on-site next month.

More info coming soon!
Update
More info on Matamata and Karapiro



Matamata is 23km northeast of Cambridge and nestled beneath the Kaimai-Mamaku Ranges.

Karapiro, the furthest downstream of a chain of towns on the Waikato River.

More on the Kaimai-Mamaku Range: Most likely, given LOTR's geography, filming will take place at Kaimai-Mamaku Forest Park. According to this site the park is described as "The Kaimai-Mamaku Forest Park covers a large parts of the Kaimai Ranges and northern Mamaku Plateau. It includes Katikati, Aongatete and Mangatotara forests and a part of Mamaku Forest. The Maurihoro and Gordon Reserves link Aongatete and Mangatotara forests.



The park is 70 km long, from the Karangahake Gorge in the north, south to State Highway (S.H.) 5 on the Mamaku Plateau. The park seldom exceeds 10 km in width.

The area of the park is about 39,682 hectares and offers bush walks, tramping, rock climbing, hunting, exploring old gold mining and kauri milling sites and picnicking."


Looks beautiful, as usual!

LOTR Official Site Update - UPDATED

12/08/99, 2:35 pm EST - Xoanon

It seems work has begun on the Lord of The Rings Official Site from New Line. A shorter and sweeter press release from October is available here.

Press Release

In related news Web Designers 'Angry Monkey' will not be designing the Official Site, though they did do the work that you'll find on the site now, they will not play an active part in any LOTR related work in the future.

A spokesperson for Angry Monkey said "we simply chose not to any more websites for movie studios. there's nothing about new line or lord of the rings in specific that led us to that decision -- it was more of a top level business decision for us."

-Update

It seems that New Line pulled the plug on the /beta section of the official site. That's what you get for snooping...lol

News for Dec. 07, 1999

Yet More on the Book, and Those Who Signed!

12/07/99, 9:43 pm EST - Xoanon

I would love to get my eyes on this book, geez, you think Xoanona would mind if I blew all my money on this book instead of saving for our apartment? Resort Radio sent this to me just now:

Further to our conversation of this morning (New Zealand time) here are the details of the volume of Lord of the Rings to be auctioned off at the Celebrity Auction in Queenstown NZ on Sunday 12th December at 12 noon in the Memorial Hall.

Book is a hardcover, illustrated by Alan Lee who is also working on the films as a conceptual artist.The book has been signed by various cast members and crew who are actually working in Queenstown.They are:

Peter Jackson Director/Writer/Producer
Tim Sanders Producer
Barrie M Osborne Producer
Fran Walsh Writer
Phillippa Boyens Writer
Elijah Wood "Frodo"
Sean Astin "Sam"
Dominic Monaghan "Merry"
Billy Boyd "Pippin"
Viggo Mortensen "Aragorn"
Orlando Bloom "Legolas"
Sean Bean "Boromir"
John Rhys-Davies "Gimli"


Most signatories have also included a message along with their signatures.

For more information contact Resort FM Queenstown 00 64 3 442 7222

Hope this is of interest to you and the followers of your website

Jo Blick
Program Director
Resort FM

Wow! Massive New Additions to Green Books!

12/07/99, 4:11 pm EST - Quickbeam

Greetings all, Quickbeam here...

Yes, I admit we've been away for about a month from our beloved Green Books, but fear not! We are back with a vengeance! :-)

For all you curious souls out there who have submitted to our Q&A, now is your golden hour... we have no less than TWENTY new articles based upon your queries... Covering such esoteric subjects as:

- Could Sauron have controlled the mighty Balrog?
- Were there any sightings of the Entwives?
- Was there a system of prayer or worship in Middle-earth?
- What did Gandalf want to talk to Bombadil about?
and
- How did King Elessar re-establish the Kingdom of Arnor?

But wait, there's more! Dozens of new poems and delightful fiction can be found in our updated Moon Letters section. Best of all is a terrific photo essay by one Shaun Spain, as he travels through scenic rural England where Tolkien himself once romped as a child. Great picturesand a great tour through the Professor's youth await you "On the Tolkien Trail."

See some cool new updates Turgon has on his erudite Bookshelf, and keep your eyes open for a new "Out on a Limb" column from me later this week. Again, we at Green Books take you with us as we continue to explore the Words and Worlds of Tolkien.

Much too hasty,
Quickbeam

More on the Auction

12/07/99, 12:38 pm EST - Xoanon

Resort Radio 99FM sent me along some additional info regarding the auction:

It will be held this Sunday at 'Queenstown Memorial' at noon (NZ local time)

It is in fact a limited edition hardcover, illustrated, and has been signed by most of the cast. Stay tuned for a full list of the cast and crew who have signed, Resort Radio will contact me with it soon.

Queenstown

Cast/Crew Sign Book for Auction

12/07/99, 8:46 am EST - Xoanon

It seems that PJ et all are doing something rather cool to gather some money together to help flood victims in NZ.

From: Rosie

A friend working on LOTR said that the film production company had been passing around a hard copy of Lord of the Rings ( the large format version with Alan Lee's artwork) to be signed by all the cast and Peter Jackson and other key people. It turns out that the production have given the signed book to be auctioned off in aid of the victims of the recent flood in Queenstown. A local radio station who are to host the auction have been advertising it. It is to be held at 11:00am this Sunday - the 12 December at the Memorial Hall in Queenstown itself. If anyone is interetsed I guess they could contact the radio station in Queenstown called Resort Radio 99FM.

News for Dec. 06, 1999

Shop Update: Hildebrandt Originals, eToys.com, Ebay.com

12/06/99, 9:32 pm EST - Xoanon

I've recently updated the shop section with some great new affiliates and ebay items. [ Go to Shop]

Exclusive Spy Interview!

12/06/99, 5:50 pm EST - Xoanon

The head of our Special Effects Section Amyd had the opportunity to speak with a Ringer Spy who managed to lay his cones and rods on some SwordFighting, Blue/Green Screen CGI and Camerawork! Check it all out in The Spy Reports!

!!!WARNING MEDIUM SPOILERS!!!

February 8th!! LOTR Browser

12/06/99, 9:48 am EST - Xoanon

From: Doughboy

I got this in my ZENtertainmentweekly email.... thought you may be interested. L8R

ASTRONAUT'S WIFE DVD-ROM TO FEATURE 'LOTR' CONTENT

Among the outstanding bonus features we've all come to expect on NEW LINE Home Video's DVD releases, the February 8th release of the Johnny Depp sci-fi thriller THE ASTRONAUT'S WIFE will include a special LORD OF THE RINGS Internet browser.

The browser will be the first of many expected LOTR extras to be found on NEW LINE DVDs that suit Peter Jackson's epic trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's own epic books, offering special, enhanced access to such LOTR content as video commentary from Jackson, cast & crew interviews, and set photos. http://www.newline.com

News for Dec. 05, 1999

More Hobbiton Pics!

12/05/99, 11:10 pm EST - Xoanon

Super Ringer Spy Anono Mouse sends in these great pics from the Hobbiton Set, taken from the sky, they show the amazing vistas and surrounding hills in and around Hobbiton! Check them out in the Spy Reports

!!!WARNING MEDIUM SPOILERS!!!

Mithril Figures Update

12/05/99, 12:47 pm EST - Xoanon

I just recieved this from the Mithril Figures folks.

We have decided to change our retirement schedule
as follows:-

M309 - M357 1st February 1999

This is due to late release of LR11-20 Which now should be available by late Febuary. We have now started reserving sets so order early if you would like the same numbers as the first set. Pictures of the first four available here.

We have decided to auction the production master figures that we used to make our moulds. More details can be found here.

Those who collect the ICE "Middle Earth" card game may be interested that we have a very limited stocks of cards. The cards we have are as follows:-

9-3010 The wizards - starter pack - £38-84 per box of 10 or £3.88 per pack.

10-3011 The wizards - booster pack - £41-40 per box of 36 packs or £1.15 per pack.

Art for Sale

12/05/99, 12:41 pm EST - Xoanon




From: Claus O

I was just checking if one of my favourite artists had updated his website, and came across this picture titled "Frodo".

The artist in question is one Larry Elmore, I don't know how many people that frequent your excellent website know of him, but he's quite famous in role-playing circles.

I just wanted to pass on this information along with the link to the picture. Here's the direct link to the picture. This painting is for sale, by the way

And if you're interested in browsing the rest of Larry Elmore's homepage, here's the link.

Section Update: Gaming Havens

12/05/99, 11:31 am EST - Xoanon

gaming fans will enjoy the latest update on Gaming Havens. GH contributor Smaug reviewed the Mordor Mud, and the Lord Mud. Check it out in the Review Section.

Cast News: Viggo on US/Aussie TV

12/05/99, 11:24 am EST - Xoanon

Viggo Mortensen is doing the TV rounds today and tomorrow (Aussie time).

In North America you can see Viggo as 'Roy Nord' in the Sylvester Stallone helmer 'Daylight' on NBC tonight at 9 EST.

Australian Ringers can catch him as well, check out this email from Super Spy Resevoir Dog:

On Monday Night in Australia ringers can check out the 1995 Viggo Mortensen spanish film 'Gimlet'. I've seen the ads and Viggo appears to play a rough cut dark looking person - it should be a good indication of how he may play Aragorn.

Thanks to Gamgee and RD for the tips!

News for Dec. 04, 1999

Blind Guardian wants in

12/04/99, 11:40 pm EST - Xoanon

From Ringer Spy Mongvar

Just to tell you about Blind Guardian The band has been composing a full album based on The Lord of the Rings for a long time now. It is an orchestral album with some folk pieces and not much metal. They already have some songs done (5 in the truth)

A tape with these songs was recently sent to Peter Jackson with a request for the soundtrack.


How much of this is true? It remains to be seen.

Hall of Fire Chat Today!

12/04/99, 12:11 pm EST - Xoanon

Just a small reminder for the folks who enjoy our weekly Hall of Fire discussions. This week's topic: Do Balrogs have wings? Join us in The Hall of Fire on Saturday, December 4 at 3:30 pm ET for what promises to be the liveliest discussion yet! Everyone is welcome to help us form a consensus on this provocative subject.

Live out of the EST time zone? Want to make sure you don't miss the chat? Click here for a Timezone map.

Go back to Main News Archives