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June 06, 2001 - June 12, 2001

News for Jun. 12, 2001

Frodo Lives, But He's Sold Out

6/12/01, 7:53 pm EST - Strider

After going on sale only a handful of days, New Line's Studio Store has already sold out of the "Frodo Lives" t-shirts. The next batch won't be available until the end of June. We saw this happen before with the Teaser Trailer... is this going to be the trend for any future merchandise too?

New Rings Bookmark

6/12/01, 6:10 pm EST - Strider

The lucky folks at Coming Attractions have picked up a Lord Of The Rings bookmark from the New Line booth at the New York licensing show. It's a nice simple black bookmark with the image of an orc at the top, the familiar catch-phrase "One Ring To Rule Them All" underneath, and the new Lord Of The Rings logo. Hands up, who wants a fellowship collection of bookmarks with each character on it!? [More]

NZ$ 1500 for a rough cut...

6/12/01, 9:41 am EST - leo

Apparently Robert Shaye's ticket for a rough cut for Fellowship of the Ring didn't come cheap. In a reply to Wellington city council's permission to land Shaye's jet, which would have exceeded noise limits, New Line surprised three Miramar schools with a donation of 5000 kiwi dollars each. For those who don't know, Miramar is the Wellington suburb in which two of the main studios for Lord of the Rings are located. The full story can be read over at Stuff... [More]

Rings rough cut thrills

6/12/01, 9:17 am EST - leo

from: Stuff.co.nz

New Line Cinema boss Robert Shaye was "thrilled" with the rough cut of the first Lord Of The Rings film, after flying into Wellington from Los Angeles in his private jet last week to check on progress... [More]

The Guardian: Marketing Films on the Web

6/12/01, 2:25 am EST - Tehanu

I guess we'll lose any fans that are partial to conspiracy theories after they read this one. [More]

Spanish Fans - the Beleg Aderthad is just for YOU!

6/12/01, 2:04 am EST - Tehanu

Once again, the Spanish Tolkien community gets its act together and offers Tolkien fans the opportunity to gather and celebrate the LOTR trilogy when it opens. [More]

"My Two Cent's Worth"

6/12/01, 1:46 am EST - Tehanu

We have an article from Australia talking about the connection between Tolkien and 'geeks,' thanks to ringer spy Paul. [More]

News for Jun. 11, 2001

Trailer in Slovenia

6/11/01, 8:11 pm EST - Calisuri

Ringer fan AdmiralHill reports that Slovenian LOTR fans might have to wait a month for the release of Fellowship of the Ring in their local theaters. It looks like we can safely confirm that FOTR will show January 17nd 2002. You can find the confirmation by following the link. [More]

Toy Biz Hire Canadian Distributor

6/11/01, 4:15 pm EST - Strider

Grand Toys International today released a press release on their site Grand.com, annoucing that they have been given the license to distribute Toy Biz's Lord Of The Rings action figures in Canada. Grand also distributes X-Men and Spider Man action figures and the best-selling Furby interactive toys. [More]

GAMING: Brad Dourif interview on GameSpy

6/11/01, 3:14 pm EST - Calisuri

GameSpy.com has an interview with Brad Dourif, who plays Grima Wormtongue in the new movies, about his role in Myst III. There's also a blurb about the movies, Thanks to Phil for the tip. [More]

Coming Soon: Lord Of The Rings

6/11/01, 3:09 pm EST - Strider

FilmFour.com's Coming Soon feature, in which they have a detailed look at an upcoming film, this week focuses on The Fellowship Of The Ring. The article gives a good recap of how the film came to life, the shooting in New Zealand, the cast, Cannes, everything to date. They even refer to us as the primary fan site on the Net! [More]

Backhawk Down Images

6/11/01, 12:21 pm EST - Xoanon

Pictures from the new Orlando Bloom (Legolas) film 'Blackhawk Down' have appeared online, no Orlando, but they still look good! [More]

More on BK/LOTR

6/11/01, 9:41 am EST - Calisuri

There is a small article discussing the New Line and Burger King arrangement at ICV2.com today. The article relates how the 'whopper' (had to use a pun, come on now...heh) deal essentially allows Burger King to have three straight years of promotion. [More]

Thanks to Robin for the tip.

Malaysian Release Date

6/11/01, 9:33 am EST - Calisuri

A Malaysian LOTR article at TheStar.com.my confirms that 'Fellowship of the Ring' will be released December 20th 2001 in Malaysian cinemas. [More]

Thanks to Jackie for the heads up.

Worldwide Tolkien Fan Search Winners!

6/11/01, 8:41 am EST - Calisuri

We have gone over the entire planet with a fine toothed comb, searching for the world's biggest Tolkien fans, and we've found them! A special thanks to all our entries, and congratulations to the lucky winners!

Who is the winner for 2001? Congratulations to Ken Chaij of Pittsburgh, PA. Ken has a Tolkien collection that will blow your mind. [More]

The Trailer in Spanish

6/11/01, 12:07 am EST - Tehanu

Spanish speakers who haven't already done so might like to check out the frame-by-frame analysis of the trailer on Elfenomeno.com As usual they've done a terrific job, and they have a picture (#78) that we don't have, of blurred figures running down a hill holding weapons.

News for Jun. 10, 2001

Freebie LOTR Pins!

6/10/01, 11:32 pm EST - Jincey

Tish, a regular at Barlimans, gave us this news last night. It seems a restaurant in the D.C. area was giving away free LOTR pins! All I can say is, "Will LOTR *ever* come to Podunkville?" [More]

Tolkien Society Events

6/10/01, 11:21 pm EST - Tehanu

The Tolkien society in England organises two events annually which must be the ultimate Tolkien fan gatherings, based as they are around the places where Tolkien grew up and his beloved Oxford. [More]

Fan Wallpaper Updates!

6/10/01, 6:52 pm EST - Calisuri

[ Click to Visit Fan Wallpaper ]

40 new desktop images! Fans from all over the world have sent us a variety of desktop wallpaper graphics for your use. [More]

The Nine Yellow Riders gatecrash Cannes.

6/10/01, 5:27 am EST - Tehanu

There's no gatecrasher like a musician. The thought of free food and drinks acts on us like the Ring does on Gollum. Here's an funny story from somebody who was at Cannes: [Warning: some people are going to read this and go 'tsk tsk tsk...' Heck, _I_ went 'tsk tsk tsk.' But it's too good a story to leave out.[More]

Defining Geeks - a continuing story....

6/10/01, 4:32 am EST - Tehanu

Debbie's 'Waiting for Frodo' comicstrip contains a rejoinder to the Village Voice article on Tolkien fans [More]

News for Jun. 09, 2001

Top Ten Trailer Downloads.

6/09/01, 9:37 pm EST - Tehanu

Luzi wrote in with this: "Just wanted to let you guys know about the following. There's this homepage called movie-list.com which has all big movie trailers for download. It also has a monthly top ten most downloaded trailers chart...." LOTR has topped the list every month since January!


Spanish Trailer online

6/09/01, 9:32 pm EST - Tehanu

Spanish ringer Jorge just sent word that the Spanish trailer has just been released in the last couple of days on the official Spanish Lord Of The Rings site. For some reason if the English site doesn't detect Flash installed on your computer, this one will. Revelation!

Tolkien Chats for June 9th and 10th: Fellowship of the Ring Chapter IX

6/09/01, 1:33 pm EST - Tookish

This weekend The Hall of Fire hosts three discussions on chapter nine of The Fellowship, At the Sign of The Prancing Pony. First timers are welcome to join the crowd! [More]

German Trailer Released

6/09/01, 10:56 am EST - Strider

For all the German ringers out there, New Line have finally added the latest trailer in German to the official German Lord Of The Rings site. [More]

Castwatch: IGN Post Script Of Bean's New Film

6/09/01, 10:54 am EST - Strider

IGN's FilmForce website has posted a review of the latest Sean Bean film 'Don't Say A Word,' in which Bean plays the leader of a band of crooks who kidnap the daughter of a pyschiatrist and force him to help them find some long-lost loot.[More]

MediaWatch: CBS Marketwatch

6/09/01, 10:23 am EST - Calisuri

Ringer staffer Thorongil found a small mention of Lord of the Rings in a CBS MarketWatch article titled, "Movie promoters get moment in sun." The article talks about the big impact
trailers have on a movies financial outcome.
[More]

News for Jun. 08, 2001

TORN on Eyada.com

6/08/01, 6:36 pm EST - Xoanon

Check out the bi-monthly LOTR round up on eyada.com, this time I talk about post-Cannes and LOTR Books! Follow the link, click on June 8th and hit 'Xoanon'. [More]

Top 8 Tolkien List

6/08/01, 6:34 pm EST - Xoanon

From: Idril Celebrindal

Got this on the Top 5 sci-fi mailing list. (See address at the bottom of this message.) Thought you all might get a kick out of it. (minor language warning) [More]

Talkin' Tolkien Horses

6/08/01, 6:05 pm EST - Xoanon

From: Barbarshop

Just wanted to let you know that thanks to a few suggestions we've named two more thoroughbreds with Tolkien inspired names. There are now two fillies registered with the Jockeyclub; one by the name of "Rosie Cotton" the love interest and eventual spouse of Samwise Gamgee, and one named "Varda" for the Queen of the Stars.

Feedback at Salon.com

6/08/01, 6:03 pm EST - Xoanon

Check out the feedback from the latest Salon.com LOTR article. [More]

LOTR Fan Gathering in Spain!

6/08/01, 6:00 pm EST - Xoanon

The folks at tierramedia.net sent along word of a gathering, check it out for more info! [More]

Tehanu's Eighteenth Note: Are We Not Geeks?

6/08/01, 5:52 pm EST - Tehanu

What is it about this eternal Tolkien-bashing from literary critics who think that 'The Lord of the Rings' should only appeal to teenage boys? And exactly who is this dreadful minority subculture, 'The Geeks,' and why should all right-thinking readers fear them?
[More]

Knizia's LOTR Game Now in Wide Release!

6/08/01, 3:07 pm EST - Quickbeam

Greetings -- Quickbeam here:

Excellent news! The brilliant new boardgame from Reiner Knizia, which I reviewed in February (please see my previous "Out on a Limb" for an in-depth look), [Out on a Limb 02/01/01] has been re-launched with a slew of major retailers across the U.S.! At last this superior game can be easily purchased by fans. [ More]

10th in Germany

6/08/01, 11:30 am EST - Xoanon

From: Espen

Just letting you guys know that according to the Books and Arts section of the latest 'Economist', The Lord of the Rings is the 10th most sold fiction book in Germany right now (with the first 4 admittedly being Harry Potter). Might be something to look into further. Just another sign that this truly is a mainstream phenomena!

Comic-Con Report

6/08/01, 11:28 am EST - Xoanon

THE Fanboy event of the year is not too far off, Comic-con will bring together some amazing talent and some very cool events. Here's what they have as far as LOTR coverage. [More]

Fan Search Contest 2001

6/08/01, 9:23 am EST - Calisuri

Boy, we have some bigtime Tolkien fans out there! Because of the overwhelming response, the judging and reviewing process is taking a little bit longer then expected. We will be announcing the winner of the Worldwide Tolkien Fan Search Contest this Monday, June 11th.

Visual Goodies.

6/08/01, 6:14 am EST - Tehanu

No news here, just a great pic of the Southern Alps from Scoop. Remember when the LOTR crew was filming around Twizel? Lake Ohau is in the alps behind that area. Hope some of this scenery makes it into the movies. [More]

Village Voice Article:Nothing more than another Critical Backlash?

6/08/01, 4:40 am EST - Tehanu

A few people read the Village Voice article and didn't find it offensive, a majority were annoyed by it. Either way, we received some insightful emails that we'd like to share [More]

The LOTR soundtrack and the Barleyshakes.

6/08/01, 4:10 am EST - Tehanu

Over at The Barleyshakes website there's a wee mention of the music that Barleyshakes bandmembers recorded in NZ with the NZ Symphony Orchestra for Howard Shore's LOTR score. [More]

LOTR in Japan.

6/08/01, 4:03 am EST - Tehanu

A Tolkien fan in Japan did some enquiries into how much awareness there is of LOTR in Japan. Why am I beating this story to death? Because my mind boggles imagining what the LOTR movies are going to do in a big, powerful culture that is so unaware of Tolkien and yet so apparently ready for him! [More]

Talking of over-the-top fans....

6/08/01, 3:37 am EST - Tehanu

Over at Startrek.com they have a Klingon Advice Column and today K'Plett addresses the question of over-eager fans and movie 'spoilers.' The topic is serious - though the agony aunt letters that follow are a hoot! [More]

C'Mon, are Tolkien fans getting a name for bullying?

6/08/01, 3:32 am EST - Tehanu

That MovieLine poll yesterday that had 'LOTR' votes removed did so for a reason. Somebody from Movieline explains:

" I had to remove all those entries because most were entered by the same person and also because Lord of the Rings doesn't come out until this fall, Not this summer. Rest assured I did not remove any votes for movies valid for the poll. I will have a poll for the fall movies, in the fall. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.
Thanks, Al"

And thanks to Eowyn for that news.

Note from Calisuri: Okay, okay - this would be my fault! Don't worry folks, we'll get the next web poll! heh :'P

Aragorn, Lurtz, the Sword that Wasn't Broken...

6/08/01, 3:22 am EST - Tehanu

Why did they change that? Whenever there's a change to the storyline in the films, thousands of sharp minds start guessing why those changes exist. Here's some insights and best guesses. !SPOILERS! [More]

Cannes Footage on Official Site

6/08/01, 1:14 am EST - Xoanon

Check the official site for some great RealPlayer Cannes footage. Interesting stuff with an introduction from PJ himself. [More]

News for Jun. 07, 2001

Cate on Mallory?

6/07/01, 7:21 pm EST - Xoanon

From: DarkHorizons

Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Iain Glenn and Joseph Fiennes are all tipped to star in this biopic about the true story of two mountaineers in the 1920's who began climbing Everest but disappeared in a snow storm 1,000 ft from the Summit.

Bernard Hill in 'Scorpion King'

6/07/01, 7:02 pm EST - Xoanon

Along with Ringer Spy Ryan's news about meeting Elijah, Viggo and Bernard Hill, is news about Hill's next role! Read on!

I'm in Los Angeles, and the movie is The Scorpion King, the "prequel" to The Mummy starring The Rock. Bernard Hill is in it, medium-sized role. He's a very nice man, very funny.

SHOP: New LOTR T-Shirts

6/07/01, 6:49 pm EST - Xoanon

Some new coolio LOTR T-Shirts are available at the New Line shop. Frodo lives again! [More]

Wood, Mortensen and Hill: Three Amigos

6/07/01, 6:36 pm EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy Ryan sends along word of his encounter with Bernard Hill (Theoden), Elijah Wood (Frodo) and Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn). [More]

GAMING: LOTR: The Game Instructions

6/07/01, 5:59 pm EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy O sends along word of a website where you can preview the rules for the new LOTR boardgame 'LOTR: The Search'. [More]

HSX Update

6/07/01, 5:54 pm EST - Xoanon

We've reported about the Hollywood Stock Exchange before. Here is a FOTR update thanks to Gino

This is a big simulation game where players trade movie stocks. Well the Fellowship of the ring (LRDRN) is currently trading at 192,64 HSX$. What it means is that the players think the movie will gross a huge 192,640,000 US$$ at the box office during its first four weeks of business! I found that interesting. The two towers (LRDR2) is trading at 114,21 and Return of the king (LRDR3) at 96,15. Very good for movies that will be released in 2-3 years. Since the release of the last trailer, the movie took about 15$. In comparison, Star Wars: Episode 2 is currently trading at 196,45$ (for hsx traders, this movie is a no risk bet).

Aragorn and the Evenstar?

6/07/01, 5:43 pm EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy Miriel sends along a fascinating observation regarding Arwen and Aragorn. Check it out! !Spoilers! [More]

FOTR Commercials on FOX? -Update-

6/07/01, 5:32 pm EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy Justin chimes in with word of a possible FOTR commercial seen on FOX recently. Personally I'm doubtful, since I've gotten no other emails about this, but who knows.

At about 7:00 [central time] on the Fox News Channel they had a small advertisement for TFOTR. It was on the fox report with Shepherd Smith and it was about 30 seconds long with a 10 or 15 second clip from the new Trailer.

Ringer Spy Matthew sends along the following:

I know what Ringer Spy Justin is talking about. I saw it too, but it wasn't a commercial on Fox, it was part of a show called, "Fox Report with Shepherd Smith". As usual, they hyped the LOTR footage when the show began and then broadcast about 10 seconds worth of trailer #2 an hour later at the very end of the show.

New Line Make Another Merchandising Agreement

6/07/01, 2:55 pm EST - Strider

Just one week after announcing their suprise agreement with the Burger King chain, New Line have made their second big deal for merchandising the Lord Of The Rings as December approaches. This time, it's not burgers but chocolate eggs.[More]

Newfoundlanders Treat Movie Stars As Ordinary Folk

6/07/01, 2:44 pm EST - Xoanon

ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland. When actor Kevin Spacey arrived in Trinity, Newfoundland, to film ``The Shipping News,'' he was accompanied by five security guards, but within a few days four of them were sent back to the United States. [More]

Frame by Frame Update! - UPDATE

6/07/01, 8:38 am EST - Calisuri

Thanks to the large Real media file download and to some reports from fans, we have drammatically updated our Frame by Frame analysis of the 'Fellowship of the Ring' Trailer. Check out the MUCH clearer images and the latest theories. Included in this update is a clearer capture of Sauron's mask and a new debate on whether we are actually seeing Lurtz battle Boromir or Lurtz battling Aragorn! !SPOILERS! [More]

UPDATE
Don't forget to REFRESH the pages if you have been there recently. A lot of fans have written in about images not lining up. I usually refresh on my mac by typing a '?' at the end of the URL and hitting 'return.' Or, many other fans have written in to suggest hitting the f5 key in either IE or Netscape on the PC to get a direct server refresh.

That poll from yesterday...

6/07/01, 8:14 am EST - Calisuri

Ahh, so it seems the pollsters are playing with us, or fixing their poll. Some people got a little scared by the immensity of Tolkien fandom and suddenly 'Lord of the Rings' lost about 400 votes! But in their infinite wisdom, they didn't bother to take it off the list! heh. Oh well, until the next poll!

Five Philologists Talk Tolkien.

6/07/01, 1:42 am EST - Tehanu

This is a great idea that came from Pippin Skywalker:

"I found this site where you can ask philologists your questions...so I helped myself to one large Tolkien portion...and got a five course meal! Here inclosed are my questions and THEIR answers. Enjoy! :)" [More]

News from Japan: The Late Release Lamented.

6/07/01, 12:32 am EST - Tehanu

Huw finishes off the story that Harry from AICN began, explaining the situation in Japan and why the movies will be released so late. [More]

News for Jun. 06, 2001

Geek Wars II: Fandom Menace responds to Village Voice Articles

6/06/01, 9:17 pm EST - Tehanu

Yesterday's Village Voice published some literary criticism directed at LOTR which appeared to rain fire on it and its readers from a great height; not surprisingly our email heated up as a result (not to mention theirs, I suspect). Here's some of the letters we received about them. [More]

Better Scans of New Sideshow/WETA Images

6/06/01, 6:26 pm EST - Calisuri

Maurice, another great guy from LordoftheRings.nl, has sent us a link to some much clearer scans of the Wave 2 Sideshow/WETA toy collection. !SPOILERS[More]

Christopher Lee's days of drinking blood are over

6/06/01, 5:18 pm EST - Strider

Christopher Lee (Saruman) has ruled himself out of making a comeback as Dracula in any new Hammer films.

The 1960s film company famed for its Gothic horror stories has been resurrected for the 21st century as Hammer Entertainment. [More]

BUWAHAHA! Swamping ANOTHER web poll... -UPDATE-

6/06/01, 4:16 pm EST - Calisuri

There is yet another web poll this week that needs a few votes from fans like us. *Evil Laugh* Eventhough the question isn't completely accurate ("What will be the top grossing movie in the U.S. this summer?"), we can still vote for Lord of the Rings...right? Pearl Harbor is leading the way with 1400 votes. LOTR has 16. Lets see what we can do. [More]

Thanks to Ringer Chest for the heads up!

UPDATE: Apparently the webmaster has taken LOTR out due to the massive amounts of votes it was getting, lol

New Cannes Images!

6/06/01, 1:37 pm EST - Calisuri

As previously reported, The official site (http://www.LordoftheRings.net) has updated its Cannes Exclusive section with some great pictures of the party and the chateau. They really do a great job showing you the amazing prepartions and attention to detail as they recreated Middle-earth. ! MINOR SPOILERS ! [More]

SHOP: Jincey's Pick and Products

6/06/01, 1:31 pm EST - Calisuri

We've updated our Shop with the latest offerings for Tolkien fans. Of particular interest is the 'Lord of the Rings Board Game' which you can pre-order today! [More]

Sideshow-Weta Toys: Wave Two

6/06/01, 9:39 am EST - Calisuri

TheOneRing.net community member LordoftheRings.nl has had a chance to check out the second wave of Sideshow-Weta Collectibles. Check out the pictures of characters like Legolas, Gimli, some orcs and more helmets! (The following link is in Dutch, but just click on the links at the bottom of the story for the images) !SPOILERS! [More]

Do we know how long the 'Fellowship' will be?

6/06/01, 8:43 am EST - Tehanu

Probably been reported already but here's further confirmation via Lasse in Finland:

"I just read from a Finnish gaming magazine (where there is an article with old pics) that it is huge - 2h 40mins. In the article is nothing so special, just telling about Jackson and his effect group Weta and stuff..."

Trailer every 30 minutes in Finland?

6/06/01, 8:20 am EST - Calisuri

Ringer fan Tero sends us this fron Finland:

"Just to tease you a little bit by the telling that here in Helsinki, the local tv network broadcasts the latest FOTR trailer almost in every 30 minutes. So we can enjoy it atleast 30 times a day : )"

Those lucky Finnish! Anyway, if you want to read more about Lord of the Rings and the films in Finnish, jump over to our community member Kontu.

Geek Wars!!!

6/06/01, 8:11 am EST - Tehanu

Tolkien geeks! Are we? Aren't we? Either way, is it a good thing or a bad thing? When the line is drawn, do you want to be on the side of the nerds? Who's on the other side of that magic line?
Read this article in 'Village Voice, and this article, and be very confused. Or is it just too late and and I've had one too many, that I can't get a grip on either of these points of view?

Thanks to Goldmund for this one.

Swords and Daggers Galore!

6/06/01, 12:36 am EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy Riskbreaker sends in more news on a story we reported back to you on January 25th

I have spoken with someone on the "inside" of the movie memorabilia production industry. He has told me that United Cutlery is releasing their licensed versions of STING, GLAMDRING and THE SWORD OF THE WITCH-KING all before the film. [More]


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