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December 30, 2001 - January 08, 2002

1-08-02 Latest News

TTT: Helms Deep Construction
Xoanon @ 9:53 am EST

Now that FOTR is out and we're all enjoying it's amazing beauty and adventure. We can take some small steps and look ahead to the next film due out in less than 11 months.

Of course, all of the main photography is done, and we covered the making of 'The Two Towers' (TTT) and 'The Return Of The King' (ROTK) years ago!

So we're going to reach into the past to show you the future.

One of the first images added to our scrapbook was a shot of the construction of the Helms Deep set at a quarry in New Zealand. Take a look! And be sure to watch the headlines for 'TTT', this means we'll be talking about 'The Two Towers'!

Here is the initial stages of the Helms Deep set. [More]

Media Watch: The NZ Listener
Xoanon @ 9:14 am EST

Ringer Spy Sil sends along these scans from the latest issue of 'The Listener'.


1-07-02 Latest News

Gaming Havens Holiday Contest Winners!
DarthCaeser @ 11:59 pm EST

The results are in for our Gaming Havens 2002 Holiday Contest. The correct answers to the questions are as follow:

1. What is the name of the next TCG expansion, due out in March 2002?
A: Mines of Moria

2. Who was the original bearer of Glamdring, the Foe-hammer?
A: Turgon

3: What snack-food item was featured in TheOneRing.net's 2000 April Fool's joke?
A: Humpty Dumpty's Ringolos cheese chips

And the Winners are...

Third Place:
Ryan Senese
Pittston, PA USA

Second Place:
Kathleen Harris
Gwynn Oak, MD USA

And the Grand Prize winner:
Derek Carter
Alpharetta, Ga USA

Stay tuned to TheOneRing.net and the Gaming Havens for more contests in the future.
Congratulations to the winners, and Thanks to all those who entered.

TV Watch: Ian McKellen on 'Regis'
Xoanon @ 8:34 pm EST

Ian McKellen (Gandalf) was on 'Live with Regis & Kelly' this morning. He spoke about LOTR and the beauty of New Zealand, he also mentioned the X-Men sequel (X2) and that this week will be his last week doing 'Dance of Death'. He also pointed out the location of his infamous tattoo.


Cutting Room Floor Victims
Xoanon @ 5:45 pm EST

Mike writes:

I was just going over these quotes from the 'Fellowship of the Ring' calendar that you posted a long while back on your site. Most of the quotes were exact quotes from the film, but some were not in the film and were obviously cut because of length. There has been so much talk about expanding scenes for the DVD release and I think that one scene that most people want to be longer, was in fact longer to begin with: The Council of Elrond. Check out these quotes that were taken from that scene and, I think, The Ring Goes South:

1. Apparently Gandalf upsets Elrond at the Council by reading the inscription on the Ring in the Black Tongue.

2. Boromir says: "You do not just walk into Mordor... it is folly." To which Gandalf replies: "Let folly be our cloak, a veil before the eyes of the Enemy... He will not think that, having the Ring, we may seek to destroy it."

3. Gandalf says: "So it often is with the deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must."

4. Elrond originally says (which I think is much cooler and less corny): "Nice companions to match the Nine Ringwraiths... So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!"

5. Lastly, Elrond says (I think when he is saying farewell): "This is indeed the hour of the Shire-folk."

This last one is particualrly important since in the finished film Elrond is not shown saying farewell to the Company at all!

I hope Peter Jackson puts back these lines of dialogue because it would just make the scenes that much better, longer and less... rushed. Oh, apparently there were also shots of Sauron mixing his own blood with molten gold to create the One Ring - that would be interesting to see... Haldir apparently also utters the line: "Orcs have dared enter Lothlorien; they will not leave it alive!" - this would also help to expand the whole stay at Lothlorien (which needed to be a lot longer).

Weekend Round-Up
Xoanon @ 1:10 pm EST

ESPN Cartoon

Chicago Tribune Website Features Reviews

Three Rings Circuit

FOTR Soundtrack On ESPN Golf

LOTR Mention In MegaTokyo Comic Strip

Viggo Mortensen: Signlanguage

The Lord of the Rings in Thailand

TV Watch: AFI Awards Tonight! AFI Online Viewing Party!

AFI AWARDS: Cate Loses Out On AFI

Jim Rygiel Wins AFI AWARD!!

Grant Major Wins Production Designer Of The Year!

AFI AWARDS: Howard Shore Loses Out On 'Best Score'

AFI AWARDS: LOTR:FOTR Wins Best Movie Of The Year!

AFI AWARDS: Full Report With Pictures

Mystery Contest Ends

'Lord of the Rings' Tops AFI Awards

In a year more bad than good, these films and stars stood out

Frodo bagging the loot in smoking frenzy

Parma Endorion: Essays on Middle-earth

LOTR Billboard In Montreal

Media Watch: Bella Magazine

Fan Report From Slovenia

'Lord of Rings' takes top gong in leadup to Oscars

200 Million + And Counting!

'Lord of the Rings' Remains on Top

Weekly Cast Watch

SHOP: Weekly Ebay Items

Media Watch: NY Times
Xoanon @ 9:36 am EST

Film Group's First Awards Lift Oscar Haze a Bit
By RICK LYMAN

OS ANGELES, Jan. 6 - The murky Oscar race may have lurched ever-so-slightly into focus as the American Film Institute, in its first annual movie and television honors, named "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" the best film of 2001 at a nationally televised banquet Saturday night at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

The New Zealand director Peter Jackson's 2 hour 58 minute adaptation of the first volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy epic beat out nine other finalists for the honor in voting by a panel of several dozen filmmakers, scholars, performers, critics and industry executives. The film has seen its Oscar chances rise perceptibly in recent weeks on the basis of strong reviews and persistent popularity. It was No. 1 at the box office for the third weekend in a row, having made more than $200 million in less than three weeks.

The current Oscar race is in a muddle because little consensus has emerged - among critics, audiences and industry professionals - about what the best efforts were in what is widely perceived as a lackluster year for mainstream moviemaking.

Most of the critics groups have by now handed out their annual awards. Also on Saturday, for instance, the National Society of Film Critics named David Lynch's dreamlike "Mulholland Drive" the year's best film, just as the New York Film Critics Circle had a month earlier. The National Board of Review chose Baz Luhrmann's opulent musical "Moulin Rouge," while Los Angeles critics picked Todd Field's family drama, "In the Bedroom."

How much real effect the new, untested American Film Institute awards might have on the wide- open Oscar race, however, remains to be seen. The institute's inaugural ceremonies were somewhat ragged and conspicuously short of actual winners on hand to pick up their honors. (Among the missing were the best-actor winner, Denzel Washington, who played a crooked cop in "Training Day," and the winner for directing, Robert Altman, who was selected for "Gosford Park," although Sissy Spacek was present to accept best-actress honors for "In the Bedroom.")

Coming weeks will also bring the Broadcast Film Critics awards (on Jan. 11) and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Golden Globes (on Jan. 20), followed by awards from the actors, directors and other Hollywood guilds in February and March. Oscar nominations will be announced on Feb. 12, with the awards ceremony on March 24 in the new Kodak Theater on Hollywood Boulevard.

The institute, best known for its annual Lifetime Achievement Award and its occasional lists of the Top 100 this or that type of film (also accompanied by a television special), decided to take a slightly different approach from other groups in its annual honors. Unlike the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes and others, the institute's top award is given to a film's entire creative team, a calculated effort to highlight the collaborative nature of filmmaking and to stress the contributions of those whose work is usually less celebrated.

And instead of five nominations, the final award is chosen from an annual top-10 list, which this year included "A Beautiful Mind," "Black Hawk Down," "In the Bedroom," "The Man Who Wasn't There," "Memento," "Monster's Ball," "Moulin Rouge," "Mulholland Drive" and "Shrek."

Mr. Jackson's film also won awards for its visual effects and production design, while "Moulin Rouge" was honored for its music and editing and "Memento" for its screenplay. Gene Hackman was named best featured actor for "The Royal Tenenbaums" (the National Society of Film Critics had earlier in the day named him best lead actor for the same role), and Jennifer Connelly won best featured actress for "A Beautiful Mind." Mr. Hackman and Ms. Connelly, too, were not on hand to pick up their awards.

The institute also handed out awards for television, naming "The Sopranos" best dramatic series and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" best comedy series. Both are on HBO.

Hobbit Forming ; Sean Astin, Patty Duke's son, stands small but rides high in Lord of the Rings
Xoanon @ 8:37 am EST

Julie K.L. Dam; Julie Jordan in Los Angeles

After auditioning for the part of hobbit Samwise Gangee, the loyal and stout pal of hero Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, in 1999, Sean Astin heard that "a fat guy in London" was his main competitor. "I was like, 'I can be fat!"' recalls the 5'8", 175-lb. Astin, who ran in the Los Angeles marathon that year. "I sent a note saying, 'I'm committed to doing whatever I need to do to deliver this character--including eat like a pig."'

True to his word, Astin, 30, packed on 30 lbs. and relocated to New Zealand in October 1999 for the 15-month shoot with wife Christine, 34, and daughter Alexandra, 5, in tow (the couple are expecting a second child this year). The can-do attitude didn't end there. Evacuated from the set by helicopter one afternoon with a badly punctured foot caused by stepping on a stick, "he came back to work the next day," says Rings producer Barrie M. Osborne. "He was a trouper."

Now his travails have paid off: With the success of Rings, which made $94 million in its first week, and two more installments to come (in 2002 and 2003), it will take more than an errant twig to block Astin's career path. Not that he is unfamiliar with the hazards of fame. The older son of actress Patty Duke, 55, and John Astin (Gomez on the 1960s TV series The Addams Family), 71, Astin watched his mother battle manic depression before divorcing John in 1985. As a result his focus, says Astin, is to be a good parent: "My priorities are clear. I provide for and protect my family."

That devotion was evident in New Zealand, where the cast filmed all three Rings movies simultaneously. "We became family for each other," says costar Elijah Wood, who celebrated Thanksgiving 2000 with Astin's clan. When it came to nightlife, though, Astin often opted out. "I was the old married guy of the hobbits," he says. "They would go out clubbing. I was maybe good for one night a month of that."

Even as a child Astin was the self-described "goody-goody" of the family, which includes brother Mackenzie, 28, also an actor. "Sean was extremely protective of me," says Duke, who was diagnosed with manic depression in 1982 and whose rages included breaking her Oscar (for Best Supporting Actress for 1962's The Miracle Worker) by throwing it across the living room.

Astin responded to the tumult by immersing himself in acting rather than acting out. In 1985 he won his first film role, in Steven Spielberg's The Goonies. "He was still a kid, but he took it seriously," says John Astin. But the complications were far from over: At age 25, Sean discovered that John was not his biological father. In her 1987 autobiography, Call Me Anna, Duke explains that in 1970 she'd had a fling with Desi Arnaz Jr., then 17, followed by a brief affair with John. Soon after, the 23-year-old impulsively wed rock promoter Michael Tell, now 56. The Tell marriage lasted 13 days; by then, Duke was pregnant. (She married John in 1972.) DNA tests-- conducted after Astin had a chance 1994 encounter with Tell's niece, who suggested that he get tested--proved Tell to be his father. Now, though he considers John his dad, he is friendly with all three men-- including Arnaz Jr., whom he met through John in 1995. To this day Duke maintains that Tell--with whom she says she was never intimate-- is not Astin's biological father. "I don't buy that test," she says. Astin takes a remarkably mellow view of the paternity muddle. "My feeling is that I want to honor my relationships with the people who looked after me," he says--especially John, "who gave a huge amount of his time, energy and love."

Forming his own family was far easier. At 19, Astin met Christine Harrell, then an assistant at his talent agency, and proposed within the first five minutes. "He was terribly brazen," says Christine, who has been a producing partner with Astin. The couple, both UCLA grads, wed in 1992, just before Astin won the role of an overachieving, undersize college football player in 1993's Rudy. To this day, Christine reports, "we'll walk through an airport with 40 strangers chanting, 'Rudy! Rudy!"'

He would prefer them to yell "Mr. President!" Conservative Democrat Astin, whose family shares a Spanish-style house in L.A. with a dog and two cats, says he may one day run for office--and has his sights on the top job. "I'm living a full life and I'm happy," he says. "But I really am yearning for some new challenge."

1-06-02 Latest News

Weekly Cast Watch
Xoanon @ 9:29 pm EST

Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn)

28 Days (2000) UK
Walk on the Moon, A (1999) UK
G.I. Jane (1997)
Albino Alligator (1996)
American Yakuza (1994)
Floundering (1994)
Young Americans, The (1993)
Two Small Bodies (1993)
Boiling Point (1993)
Young Guns II (1990)

Liv Tyler (Arwen)

Plunkett & Macleane (1999) UK
Onegin (1999) UK
Can't Hardly Wait (1998) UK
Stealing Beauty (1996)
That Thing You Do! (1996) UK

Ian Holm (Bilbo)

Joe Gould's Secret (2000)
Bless the Child (2000) UK
eXistenZ (1999) UK
Fifth Element, The (1997)
King Lear (1997) (TV) UK
Hamlet (1990) UK
Henry V (1989)
Dreamchild (1985)
Dance with a Stranger (1985)
Time Bandits (1981) UK
Alien (1979) UK
Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
Bofors Gun, The (1968) UK
Fixer, The (1968) UK

Sean Bean (Boromir)

Essex Boys (2000)
GoldenEye (1995)
Patriot Games (1992) UK
Field, The (1990)
How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989) UK
Stormy Monday (1988)

Peter Mackenzie (Elendil)

In Crowd, The (2000)
Chill Factor (1999) UK

Karl Urban (Eomer)

Heaven (1998)

Hugo Weaving (Elrond)

Matrix, The (1999) UK
Strange Planet (1999)
Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The (1994) UK

Miranda Otto (Eowyn)

What Lies Beneath (2000) UK
Jack Bull, The (1999) (TV)
Emma's War (1986)

David Wenham (Faramir)

Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999)

Elijah Wood (Frodo)

Bumblebee Flies Anyway, The (2000)
Black and White (1999)
Faculty, The (1998) UK
Ice Storm, The (1997)
War, The (1994)
Good Son, The (1993)
Radio Flyer (1992)
Paradise (1991)
Internal Affairs (1990)
Back to the Future Part II (1989)

Cate Blanchett (Galadriel)

Pushing Tin (1999) UK
Ideal Husband, An (1999)
Talented Mr. Ripley, The (1999) UK
Elizabeth (1998) UK
Paradise Road (1997)

Ian McKellen (Gandalf)

X-Men (2000)
Apt Pupil (1998) UK
To Die for (1994) UK
Six Degrees of Separation (1993) UK
Alfred the Great (1969) UK

John Rhys-Davies (Gimli)

Secret of the Andes (1998) UK
Protector, The (1997/I)
Great White Hype, The (1996)
Perry Mason: The Case of the Fatal Framing (1992) (TV)
Under Cover (1991) (TV)
Tusks (1990)
Victor/Victoria (1982) UK
Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1982)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) UK

Andy Serkis (Gollum)

Topsy-Turvy (1999) UK

John Leigh (Hama)

Frighteners, The (1996)

Harry Sinclair (Isildur)

Braindead (1992) UK

Dominic Monaghan (Merry)

Hostile Waters (1997) (TV) UK

Bruce Spence (Mouth of Sauron)

Sweet Talker (1991)
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) UK

Sean Astin (Sam)

Sky Is Falling, The (2000)
Kimberly (1999)
Icebreaker (1999)
Deterrence (1999) UK
Low Life, The (1994/I)
Encino Man (1992) UK
Toy Soldiers (1991) UK
Memphis Belle (1990)
War of the Roses, The (1989) UK
Like Father, Like Son (1987)

Christopher Lee (Saruman)

Sleepy Hollow (1999) UK
Jinnah (1998) UK
Police Academy: Mission to Moscow (1994)
Last Unicorn, The (1982)
Safari 3000 (1982)
Arabian Adventure (1979)
1941 (1979) UK
Wicker Man, The (1973) UK
Three Musketeers, The (1973) UK
Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968) UK
Brides of Fu Manchu, The (1966)
Gorgon, The (1964) UK
Beat Girl (1960)
Dark Avenger, The (1955)
Crimson Pirate, The (1952)
Saraband for Dead Lovers (1948) UK

Brian Sergent (Ted Sandyman)

Braindead (1992) UK

Bernard Hill (Theoden)

True Crime (1999) UK

Brad Dourif (Wormtongue)

Shadow Hours (2000)
Ghost, The (2000)
Interceptors (1999)
Bride of Chucky (1998) UK
Death Machine (1995)
Escape from Terror: The Teresa Stamper Story (1994) (TV)
Color of Night (1994) UK
Amos & Andrew (1993)
Child's Play 3 (1991) UK
Jungle Fever (1991) UK
Body Parts (1991) UK
Hidden Agenda (1990)
Mississippi Burning (1988)

Jim Rygiel (SFX)

Anna and the King (1999)
Desperate Measures (1998)
Scout, The (1994)
Batman Returns (1992)
Last of the Mohicans, The (1992)
Ghost (1990)
Last Starfighter, The (1984)
2010 (1984)

Howard Shore (Composer)

Yards, The (2000)
Dogma (1999)
Analyze This (1999)
eXistenZ (1999)
Cop Land (1997)
That Thing You Do! (1996)
Crash (1996)
Striptease (1996)
Moonlight and Valentino (1995)
White Man's Burden (1995)
Ed Wood (1994)
M. Butterfly (1993)
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Guilty as Sin (1993)
Prelude to a Kiss (1992)
Silence of the Lambs, The (1991)
Postcards from the Edge (1990)
She-Devil (1989)
Signs of Life (1989)
Innocent Man, An (1989)
Moving (1988)
Fly, The (1986)
After Hours (1985)
Nothing Lasts Forever (1984)
Places in the Heart (1984)
Scanners (1981)

Peter Jackson (Director)

Contact (1997)
Frighteners, The (1996)
Braindead (1992)

To get more information, use the sites I use like:

mydigiguide.com, tv-now.com and IMDB.com

FOTR Reaches 200 Million
Calisuri @ 8:12 pm EST

Brandon Gray
http://www.boxofficemojo.com

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" continued its fantastic run at the box office, enjoying a three-peat atop the charts and becoming the sixth movie released in 2001 to soar past the $200 million mark. Business slipped a reasonable 41 percent to an estimated $23 million, on par with "Harry Potter's" third weekend, elevating the $93 million three-hour epic's 19-day total to $205.5 million. On its current pace, a final gross of $300 million is not out of the question.

By comparison, "Harry Potter" had $222.3 million by its 19th day of release and this weekend became the tenth movie in history and Warner Bros.' first to cross the $300 million mark in raw grosses. The British boy wizard fell 44 percent from last weekend to an estimated $6.1 million, raising its tally to $300.6 million. Adjusted for ticket price inflation, though, "Potter" would reside at No. 67 on the all time list. [More]

1/4-6 Weekend Chart
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/2002/01.htm

LOTR Breakdown
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/data/lordoftherings

Parma Endorion: Essays on Middle-earth
Xoanon @ 4:17 pm EST

Houston, TX -- January 5, 2002 -- Parma Endorion: Essays on Middle-earth, 3rd edition, has been published as a free eBook by Michael Martinez. The new Parma Endorion features selected artwork by Anke Eissmann and Rich Sullivan and updates essays originally composed for the original Parma Endorion Web site in late 1996 and early 1997.

Covering topics such as "Planning the Middle-earth Wedding", "The Wonders of Middle-earth", "What does an Elf do in Aman?", and "What does a Woodman do all day?", Parma Endorion's award-winning essays have been utilized by Tolkien scholars, teachers, librarians, and students around the world. The Web site proved to be so popular it was redesigned for easier use in 1998, and has been translated in whole or in part into Polish, French, and Italian. In addition to new information and corrections, the 3rd edition features fan artwork. The images used represent some of the best noncommercial Tolkien-inspired arwork available today.

Martinez is a highly respected Tolkien researcher and commentator. His work has garnered mentions in TV GUIDE and WIRED magazines, and he has been interviewed by journalists around the world in their coverage of Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" movies. Martinez has been writing a regular column on Tolkien and Middle-earth for Suite101.com since 1999, and in 2000 he self-published a collection of essays as Visualizing Middle-earth. Martinez also directed the Tolkien and Middle-earth programming track for Dragoncon (http://www.dragoncon.org/), North America's largest fan-run convention, in 2000 and 2001. The author has also provided consulting services for several Tolkien-related businesses.

The current Parma Endorion Web site (http://www.xenite.org/parma/title.htm) was selected by Yahoo! Internet Life for inclusion in its "Great Lord of the Rings on the Net Contest" in December 2001, in the "Best Site for Serious Tolkien Fans" category. The Yahoo! reviewer says, "these pieces don't play around -- Martinez...can quote chapter and verse from Tolkien's opus" (http://www.yil.com/daily/lotr/index.asp?date=011210).

Artists Anke Eissmann and Rich Sullivan have contributed artwork to popular Web sites such as Tolkien Online (http://www.tolkienonline.com/) and TheOneRing.Net (http://www.theonering.net/), both widely recognized as authoritative resources for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" movies. The artists were selected from among hundreds of fan artists who have displayed their skills on numerous sites across the World Wide Web.

The Parma Endorion eBook is available for free download as an Adobe PDF file from Free-eBooks.Net (http://www.free-ebooks.net/fan_fiction.html). Free-eBooks.Net is a member of the eBooks'n'Bytes network (http://www.ebooksnbytes.com/). A Spanish-language translation is expected later this year.

AFI AWARDS: Full Report With Pictures
Xoanon @ 12:05 am EST

The first annual AFI awards didn't go off without at hitch or two, but hey, that's what's fun about live TV.

Elijah Wood and Sean Astin were the only actors representing the film at the LA based event. Barrie Osborne and Bob Shaye were also there.

Elijah Wood and Sean Astin were funny as they quietly played out a small sketch between the two of when they introduced a small segment on LOTR:FOTR.

Jim Rygel was the first to receive the award for Best Digital Effects of the year.

Grant Major then accepted the award for Production Design.

Howard Shore lost his nomination for Best Score to the composer of 'Moulin Rouge'.

The biggest award of the night, Best Picture of the Year was taken by LOTR as well!

The Elijah, Sean, Bob Shaye and Barrie Osborne all walked on stage to accept the award. And with a huge round of applause he thanked everyone involved.

Check out all these pics below:

1-04-02 Latest News

Variety's Oscar Poll
Xoanon @ 11:45 pm EST

From: Bacarrat

Variety magazine is running their annual Oscar poll at their "Award Central 2002" Only subscribers to Variety may vote, but in support of good old-fashioned democratic traditions, anyone can sign up for a free 30-day trial WITH FULL VOTING PRIVELEGES!

So go to http://www.variety.com sign up for your regular subscription or the 30-day trial, then click on "Award Central 2002" and LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!

May I direct your special attention to the "Best Picture", "Best Director", "Best Adapted Screenplay", and "Best Supporting Actor" categories?

Games Workshop: Battle at Khazad-Dum
DarthCaeser @ 3:56 pm EST

Battle at Khazad-Dum
Relive the frightening battle between the defiant Gandalf the Grey and the monstrous entity, the Balrog. Will Gandalf save the Fellowship of the Ring from this demon and make it out of the Mines of Moria alive or will he find a fate worse than death in the taloned grip of the Balrog?

It contains a NEW model of Gandalf and the mighty demon, the Balrog! [More]

Order from here:

UK and Europe: Here
US: Here
CDN: Here

Contact us via:
Here

Ticket Stub Contest!
Xoanon @ 1:21 pm EST

As a fun little impromtu contest we thought we could kill two birds with one stone, have some fun and beat the stuffing out of any new movies that may challenge our beloved LOTR:FOTR. So what did we come up with?

Go see LOTR, send us your ticket stub...win some goodies!

Here's the plan, it's extremely simple:

Don't go see any other movie but LOTR:FOTR this weekend and scan in your movie ticket. You will then be entered in a contest to win:

The Lord of the Rings (Movie Art Cover Book)

And a copy of X-Men on DVD with our very own Ian McKellen.

I will be accepting all submissions from Jan 4 until Monday (Jan 7) at midnight. However you MUST see the film today (Jan 4), Saturday (Jan 5), or Sunday (Jan 6).

Simply scan in your movie ticket and send it to TheOneRing.net at Xoanon's Ticket Stub Contest

Let's kill any movie that may try to take our top spot!!

Glass Hammer News
Xoanon @ 8:17 am EST

Glass Hammer's Popularity Skyrockets Glass

Hammer's "Middle-earth Album" has become an indie hit on Amazon.com. With sales soaring, the five star fan rated album moved to the top 1% of Amazon's huge inventory. "We're getting tons of fan mail, and we've never seen a Glass Hammer album so well received," says Glass Hammer founder Steve Babb. "Amazon's decision to initially bundle our album with The Lord of the Rings Limited Edition Sound Track played a big role in its success I'm sure. But we never expected this kind of response." Much of Glass Hammer's "Middle-earth Album" was supposedly "recorded live at The Prancing Pony" and comes complete with a rowdy crowd of singing dwarves, halflings, and other Bree-folk. For all of the details, check the group's website at http://www.glasshammer.com or purchase the album at here.

Tom Shippey Teaches Tolkien
Xoanon @ 12:51 am EST

From: Megan

I thought you might want to let everyone know that Tom Shippey, author of J.R.R. TOLKIEN: AUTHOR OF THE CENTURY, will be teaching a course at the Learning Annex in New York City on Thursday, January 10 from 6:30 to 9:30p.m. The event will be held at The School for the Physical City, 55 E. 25th Street between Park and Madison Avenues.

The program is entitled "An Evening of Tolkien: The Legend and Lore Behind 'The Lord of the Rings.'" Anyone who is interested in attending can enroll by calling the Learning Annex at 212-371-0280 or by logging on to the website: www.learningannex.com.

Shippey will also be interviewed live on "New York and Company" on WNYC (93.9 FM / AM 820) from 1:20 to 1:40 p.m. on the afternoon of the 10th. Anyone who is in the area should be sure to tune in!

LOTR & AFI: More Info
Xoanon @ 12:26 am EST

From: BrokenG

On Saturday, January 5th, at 8PM, on CBS, the AFI Awards are on and "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" is up for the following nominations...

AFI MOVIE OF THE YEAR

Barrie M. Osborne, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Tim Sanders, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, (New Line) "LORD OF THE RINGS taps the magical forces of American film to bring life to J.R.R. Tolkien's rich literary legacy. Never losing sight of the "human" elements of this first book in his trilogy, the scope of the film sets the standard by which future motion picture epics should be judged."

AFI PRODUCTION DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

Grant Major, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, (New Line)

AFI DIGITAL EFFECTS ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Jim Rygiel, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, (New Line)

AFI COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

Howard Shore, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, (New Line)

1-01-02 Latest News

Carrey 'Out', Mortensen 'In'
Xoanon @ 8:05 pm EST

The traditional list of the year's "ins" and "outs" appeared in the Washington Post today.

For instance, Tom Cruise is "Out" and Donald Rumsfeld is "In". Three button suits are "out" and hazmat suits are "in." There was an LOTR reference.

"It was tempting to forgo the usual formidable research into determining those trends, ideas, people and products whose time in the spotlight has expired and pronounce everything out except peace, love, understanding and firefighters."

Jim Carrey is "out" and Viggo Mortensen is "in."

Elijah Wood AOL Chat Transcript
Xoanon @ 7:53 pm EST

AOL Chat Transcript - December 14th, 2001

AOL:Hey, everyone! Get excited, because Elijah Wood will be here shortly! In the meantime, visit Keyword: Elijah Wood to learn more about him. You can also go to Keyword: LOTR to get more info on 'The Lord of the Rings'! I'm your hostess, Jessica Mae, and I'm really glad to be here tonight with you all.

AOL:'Lord of the Rings' star Elijah Wood has arrived! Welcome, Elijah. It's so great to have you with us tonight.

Elijah Wood:Hey! Thanks!

AOL:I saw you earlier on TRL. It looked like you and the rest of the cast were having a blast!

Elijah Wood:It was really good fun! We're all incredible friends, so it's always a real treat when we can do press things together. We can take over the show and display how well we get along. TRL was great too! Lots of crazy Hobbit behavior.

AOL:Well, our members have a bunch of questions, so let's get started!

Question:Does it amaze you that you will always be the ringbearer to all 'LOTR' fans? I can't imagine having such an honor!

Elijah Wood:It is a real honor, but I think the honor beyond that is if the people who have read the books and have seen the film enjoy it, that's worth it. If I've achieved Frodo in the fans’ eyes, that is the true honor.

Question:Has Frodo rubbed off on you in any way?

Elijah Wood:I think the Hobbit nature has rubbed off on me. I related to Hobbits in the sense that they love good friends, food drink and good food. I think once we cemented the relationships with the Hobbits, we definitely exude Hobbitness.

Question:How would you describe Middle-earth?

Elijah Wood:Middle-earth was actually written by Tolkien in a way that it was actually as if it was England ages ago that had been forgotten: very lush and grand and encapsulating mountains, prairies, desolate lands. New Zealand is actually perfect in terms of the representation. I can't think of any better place to represent Middle-earth.

AOL:Sarah asks:

Question:What was it like wearing those wonderful Hobbit feet?

Elijah Wood:The Hobbit feet were great initially, but the novelty did wear off. I've never worn that many prosthetics before. It was an incredible work of art, a defining feature. We started at 5AM and had to stand for an hour and a half while they applied them, so we did get tired after a while. My feet were the sweatiest, so it would melt the glue, and they would fall off after a while.

AOL:CJo89 would like to know:

Question:Which of your co-stars was your favorite to work with?

Elijah Wood:That's a very good question. I don't know if I do have a favorite. I did look forward to working with the four Hobbits the most. We started out within the first six weeks of preparation, spending our time together. Whenever we filmed together, it was the best. We had a great time. We brought a lot of atmosphere to the set.

AOL: Elijah, I've been dying to ask you...

Question:I've heard that the fellowship all got matching tattoos. Where are they located, and what's the meaning behind them?

Elijah Wood:The tattoos are in various places. Some are on people's shoulders or arms. I have one just below my waist. Orlando has one on his wrist. We all got them as a function of our passion for working on this project. It was such a profound life experience, we wanted to mark it with an emblem or a symbol. It's a symbol that stands for nine. We were all holding each other's hands, it hurt so much.

AOL:Steven asks:

Question:Have you read all of the books?

Elijah Wood:I have to be honest, I haven't actually finished them. I know that all of you fans could potentially crucify me for that! It was a function of the Middle-earth that Frodo and all of the characters came alive. I tend to kind of approach things in a more natural sense. I gained as much information as I could from the first six weeks of discussion. A lot of people consulted the books, and they were already around. I haven't actually finished it, but I have read pieces. I didn't completely disregard it.

AOL:Well, no matter what your approach, you've definitely lived the story.

Question:Which scene from the movie is your favorite?

Elijah Wood:My favorite is the sequence of the mines, the first scene. It's the most exciting. I'm in love with the cave troll now! I got so sad when the cave troll dies. He gets shot through the head with an arrow, and he makes this terrible sound! The poor, confused cave troll. He doesn't know what he's doing. He just never had the proper guidance.

AOL:Elijah! You're so sensitive! :)
Jared67 wonders:

Question:What can we expect from the sequels?

Elijah Wood:Well, the story progresses. Frodo makes his way to Mt. Doom to destroy the ring. Things get darker for Frodo. The search continues for the other two missing Hobbits. There's an incredible battle scene, which I can't wait to see.

AOL:I know that you've been busy lately Elijah.

Question:I'm sure that your press schedule must be insane. What's the best and worst part of promoting a movie?

Elijah Wood:This is certainly a breath of fresh air! The worst part is constantly on... within a whole day dealing with the same questions. You start losing the ability to answer the questions. There's only so many times you can answer the same question different ways. It's just difficult to get the energy to answer over and over again. The best is definitely traveling. We just went to London. It's also great to have a reunion with the cast members. It makes it a lot easier to get by with them there.

AOL:Rings9 wonders:

Question:We all know that the ring has the power to make the wearer invisible. If you could be invisible, where would you go and what would you do?

Elijah Wood:I don't know, there are a lot of things I'd love to do. A dream I had as a child would be to hide in Disneyland and stay in the park overnight and get in for free. I'd take some friends along, and we'd ride the rides all night. Splash Mountain, come on! That's just freaky. It's all happy at first, but then the scary music comes on and you plunge to your death!

AOL:Oooo, take me with you! I'll go! :)

Question:Our female audience members will never forgive me if I don't ask this next one. Do you have a girlfriend?

Elijah Wood:Unfortunately, I don't. I'm a hopeless romantic, and it's quite painful to not have a relationship with a girl. Sadly, I'm single.

AOL:Well, I know some available girls, if you're looking. ;) Speaking of romance...

Question:Do you believe in true love?

Elijah Wood:Of course I do! I wouldn't be a hopeless romantic if I didn't. I'm a sucker for romantic films. I cry like a child! For people who are hopeless romantics,Love Jones is a wonderful film. Of course, so is 'When Harry Met Sally.' Everyone sheds a tear.

AOL:Awww, you are so sweet, Elijah! Girls are going to be knocking down your door! FrankieMU5 wants to
know:

Question:What's your worst habit?

Elijah Wood:I bite my fingernails. In fact, if you see the movie, there's a scene where Frodo is caressing the ring under the table. You'll see a close-up of my hand, and you'll see how badly I bite my fingernails. When you smoke and bite your nails at the same time, you know you've got issues.

AOL:ICPRiddlebox1324 says:

Question:I just wanted to say I am a huge fan of yours, and is there any way I can get an autograph?

Elijah Wood:Well, if I see you somewhere, and you have a pen and something for me to sign, of course, absolutely! Just come up and say,Elijah, I was on the chat, and I asked you for your autograph." I'll sign something for you.

AOL:Lef3uk asks:

Question:Elijah, is it true that you kept the actual ring from the movie?

Elijah Wood:I did. I was given the ring by Peter and his partner Fran when I went to say goodbye to them at the airport leaving New Zealand. They said they had a gift for me, handed me the box, and there was a little pouch with the ring inside it. It was very sweet.

AOL:Here's a good question from
RockefellerNYC:

Question:What animal would describe your personality, and why?

Elijah Wood:A monkey. I'm pretty active, and I like to climb things, and I was always called a monkey as a kid. I liked to climb in the cupboards. I like hugging.

AOL:LOL, ZanAmadio has a really
funny statement:

Question:If you are in fact Elijah Wood, what did you do for fun while in New Zealand?

Elijah Wood: I'm actually an imposter. Elijah couldn't make it! LOL.

AOL:Ha ha!

Elijah Wood:I learned how to surf, which was great fun. Us Hobbits took up the art of surfing. I got a surfboard and a wetsuit. There was many a surfing trip. It was a great way to enjoy the beauty of New Zealand. There were a few kind of vacation-vacations. We went to Sydney for a week, some bars and restaurants. A few people did some bungee jumping. I didn't do it -- I wish I would have.

AOL:MOMof4gr8kids would like to
ask:

Question:Tolkien's Middle-earth is so vibrant and rich with its own history that it's easy for readers to become absorbed into his universe. I realize that you were working surrounded by equipment, but were you able to experience any of the magic of the story?

Elijah Wood:Oh, I think so, absolutely. The artistry and the passion involved were so incredible to be around. It really represented the magic of the books. Even though there was a lot of equipment, the location was real. It was on a farmer's land. The set had been built a year before and was ready for us. It was there right before our eyes, all of New Zealand as well, and looking at it from the perspective that it is Middle-earth was amazing.

AOL:Kimbagirlie asks:

Question:How did you hear about this movie?

Elijah Wood:Well, Kimbagirlie, I heard about this from Harry Knowles on the set of 'The Faculty.' He told me I HAD to be Frodo. It sounded so cool, but nothing was set in stone. Once I heard they were casting for it from my agent, I jumped into the audition process, and the rest is history, as they say.

AOL:Bproud4ever wonders:

Question:Do you feel like they have stayed true to Tolkien's vision, especially concerning Arwen and the elves?

Elijah Wood:I believe so. I think that it was our primary focus to stay as true to Tolkien as possible, especially since it was made by fans of the book. In terms of Arwen, Arwen isn't in the books as much as she is in the films, but the story of Arwen is represented true. For the purpose of the film, in adding a tad bit of romance to increase the dynamic of the film, it was important to flush out the character a little bit more. We just increased what was already basically there from the books to the film.

AOL:Here's another good one from

Ficklin:

Question:Have any weird experiences when you were in New Zealand?

AOL:Come on, tell us, Elijah! There has to be one. Give us the dirt!

Elijah Wood:I can't think of any weird experiences. Actually, there was time that during the month of November -- which for New Zealand is heading towards summer. The weather isn't supposed to be too cold. It got horrible and started to rain, which was OK for the sequence we were filming. It started to rain early in the morning, then as they day progressed, it turned into sleet, then snow. The snow became so heavy, they had to stop filming. The snow looked incredible, but it became a hazard, so we had to rush out of there. The Hobbits hopped into a car, but we got stuck in a ditch. An SUV came by and towed us out. After that, we sat in the laundry room of the hotel and dried off our feet and drank wine. But the snow was amazing -- the flakes were huge, and you could see the massive details of the flakes.

AOL:Well, Elijah, that's all the time that we have for today. Thanks so much for stopping by to chat. I can't wait to see the movie!

Elijah Wood:Thank you guys for showing up. It's been really fun chatting with you. These experiences are really cool and take me away from press junkets. Enjoy the film on the 19th!

AOL:Bye! Happy holidays!

12-30-01 Latest News

Weekend Round-Up
Xoanon @ 12:38 am EST

TV Watch: Elijah Wood on Leno

LOTR Box Office Update

Why Tolkien Matters

Amazing LOTR Ice Sculptures

NZer of the year: Peter Jackson

LOTR News In The Philippines

Orlando In Bloom

Anderson on Liv: 'best fight I've ever seen a girl do'

N.Y. Times promo blurs editorial-advertising barriers

Movie Show Site Poll

Frodo Vs Harry: Battle Of The Little Buggers

Netcom Offers LOTR To Norwegian Mobiles

Fellowship Features In One Of Three MSNBC Top Tens

A Different Take Of Fellowship Of The Ring

Rings, Potter Smash UK Records

LOTR Box Office Friday 28th

Fellowship Does Well In Norwegian Box Office

Elfenomeno.com FOTR Reviews

Fellowship Features In CNN 'Best Of 2001' List

Frodo Baggins, Orphan Hero

Fellowship of the Ring snags 4 BFCA award nominations!

Essay Contest Winners Announced!

A FOTR Review, If You Can Call It That....

Did Fellowship Break Another UK Record?

A Response To 'A Different Take Of FOTR'

Rings Director Given NZ Honour

Discovery Europe LOTR Special Tonight

Some Of The Mistakes Aren't Mistakes

LOTR Box Office: Weekend 2

'Lord of the Rings' Triumphs at Buoyant Box Office

TRL Pics

Media Watch: Starlog Magazine

Seattle Line Party Report

Godzone brightest star in hobbits' galaxy

Bean There, Done It

Media Watch: Woman's Weekly

Sean Bean Articles

Weird delights at WETA Studios

BarliBash 2002 is Coming Soon!

Weekly Cast Watch

Weekly Ebay Items

12-30-01 Latest News

Weekly Cast Watch
Xoanon @ 11:39 pm EST

Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn)

28 Days (2000) UK
Walk on the Moon, A (1999) UK
G.I. Jane (1997)
American Yakuza (1994)
Young Americans, The (1993)
Ruby Cairo (1993)
Young Guns II (1990)
Witness (1985)

Liv Tyler (Arwen)

Onegin (1999) UK
Plunkett & Macleane (1999) UK
Can't Hardly Wait (1998) UK
Inventing the Abbotts (1997)
Stealing Beauty (1996)
That Thing You Do! (1996) UK
Empire Records (1995)

Ian Holm (Bilbo)

Bless the Child (2000) UK
eXistenZ (1999) UK
King Lear (1997) (TV) UK
Hamlet (1990) IL
Dreamchild (1985)
Dance with a Stranger (1985)
Alien (1979) UK
S.O.S. Titanic (1979) (TV)
Robin and Marian (1976)
Bofors Gun, The (1968) UK

Sean Bean (Boromir)

GoldenEye (1995)
Patriot Games (1992) UK
Field, The (1990) UK
Stormy Monday (1988)
Sean Bean will be on Regis and Kelly (FOX) on Jan 3rd

Martyn Sanderson (Bree Gatekeeper)

Ned Kelly (1970)

John Noble (Denethor)

Airtight (1999) (TV) UK
Nostradamus Kid, The (1993)

Peter Mackenzie (Elendil)

Chill Factor (1999) UK
Major League: Back to the Minors (1998)
Lorenzo's Oil (1992)

Karl Urban (Eomer)

Heaven (1998)

Hugo Weaving (Elrond)

Matrix, The (1999) UK
Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The (1994) UK

Miranda Otto (Eowyn)

What Lies Beneath (2000) UK
Jack Bull, The (1999) (TV)
Nostradamus Kid, The (1993)

David Wenham (Faramir)

Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999)
Dark City (1998)

Elijah Wood (Frodo)

Faculty, The (1998) UK
Good Son, The (1993)
Radio Flyer (1992) UK
Paradise (1991)
Internal Affairs (1990)

Cate Blanchett (Galadriel)

Pushing Tin (1999) UK
Talented Mr. Ripley, The (1999) UK
Elizabeth (1998) UK
Cate Blanchett will be on David Letterman (CBS) on Jan 8th

Ian McKellen (Gandalf)

X-Men (2000)
Apt Pupil (1998) UK
Gods and Monsters (1998) UK
Restoration (1995)
To Die for (1994) UK
Six Degrees of Separation (1993) UK
Scandal (1989)
Keep, The (1983) UK
Alfred the Great (1969) UK
Ian McKellen will be on Regis and Kelly (FOX) on Jan 7th

John Rhys-Davies (Gimli)

Secret of the Andes (1998) UK
Protector, The (1997/I)
Great White Hype, The (1996)
Stargate (1994)
Unnamable II: The Statement of Randolph Carter, The (1993)
Perry Mason: The Case of the Fatal Framing (1992) (TV)
Under Cover (1991) (TV)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) UK
Waxwork (1988)
King Solomon's Mines (1985)
Victor/Victoria (1982)
Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1982)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) UK

Andy Serkis (Gollum)

Topsy-Turvy (1999) UK

John Leigh (Hama)

Frighteners, The (1996)

Harry Sinclair (Isildur)

Braindead (1992) UK

Dominic Monaghan (Merry)

Hostile Waters (1997) (TV) UK

Bruce Spence (Mouth of Sauron)

Dark City (1998)
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) UK
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) UK

Sean Astin (Sam)

Sky Is Falling, The (2000)
Kimberly (1999)
Icebreaker (1999)
Deterrence (1999) UK
Dish Dogs (1998)
Courage Under Fire (1996)
Harrison Bergeron (1995) (TV)
Safe Passage (1994)
Encino Man (1992) UK
Toy Soldiers (1991) UK
Memphis Belle (1990)
War of the Roses, The (1989) UK
Like Father, Like Son (1987)

Christopher Lee (Saruman)

Sleepy Hollow (1999) UK
Jinnah (1998) UK
Odyssey, The (1997) (TV)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) UK
Last Unicorn, The (1982)
Safari 3000 (1982)
Serial (1980)
Arabian Adventure (1979)
1941 (1979) UK
Return from Witch Mountain (1978)
Wicker Man, The (1973) UK
Three Musketeers, The (1973) UK
Death Line (1972) UK
Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968) UK
Theatre of Death (1967) UK
Psycho-Circus (1966)
She (1965/I) UK
Gorgon, The (1964) UK
Hound of the Baskervilles, The (1959) UK
Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951)
Saraband for Dead Lovers (1948) UK
Scott of the Antarctic (1948) UK

Brian Sergent (Ted Sandyman)

Braindead (1992)

Bernard Hill (Theoden)

True Crime (1999) UK
Titanic (1997)
Bounty, The (1984)
Gandhi (1982) UK

Brad Dourif (Wormtongue)

Shadow Hours (2000)
Ghost, The (2000)
Storytellers, The (1999) UK
Bride of Chucky (1998) UK
Death Machine (1995)
Color of Night (1994)
Amos & Andrew (1993)
Child's Play 3 (1991) UK
Body Parts (1991) UK
Jungle Fever (1991) UK
Graveyard Shift (1990)
Child's Play 2 (1990) UK
Hidden Agenda (1990)
Mississippi Burning (1988) UK
Ragtime (1981)

Jim Rygiel (SFX)

Anna and the King (1999)
Species (1995)
Batman Returns (1992)
Alien³ (1992)
Ghost (1990)
Last Starfighter, The (1984)
2010 (1984)

Howard Shore (Composer)

Yards, The (2000)
eXistenZ (1999)
Dogma (1999)
Analyze This (1999)
Cop Land (1997)
Crash (1996)
That Thing You Do! (1996)
Moonlight and Valentino (1995)
Guilty as Sin (1993)
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
M. Butterfly (1993)
Prelude to a Kiss (1992)
Signs of Life (1989)
She-Devil (1989)
Innocent Man, An (1989)
Moving (1988)
Fly, The (1986)
After Hours (1985)
Nothing Lasts Forever (1984)
Scanners (1981)

Peter Jackson (Director)

Frighteners, The (1996)
Braindead (1992)

To get more information, use the sites I use like:

mydigiguide.com, tv-now.com and IMDB.com

Sean Bean Articles
Xoanon @ 8:48 pm EST

You can thank Nona for all these great articles about the killer Sean Bean. Take a look!

BEAN THERE, DONE THAT
Glamour Magazine (UK)
January 2002
by Deborah Joseph

After three marriages, you'd think Sean Bean would be over women. But in an unusally candid moment he tells Deborah Joseph there are at least three members of the opposite sex he can't live without.

Sean's in chilled mode, padding round his Dorchester hotel room in scuffed boots, shaking his head at the images of war on the TV.

"God, what's going on in the world makes me so angry," he says, narrowing his eyes. "We're fed information and no one knows what's true and what isn't. We're just expected to accept what the government tells us!" It's an uncharacteristic outburst from a man who's notoriously laid-back. "Do you think I'm laid-back? Oh that's good - but believe me, there are definitely things that make me angry."

Sean Bean is a man of contradictions. A true gent on the one hand, he orders, then pours me a beer. He chuckles politely, even when I ask questions he doesn't want to answer (anything to do with women and his three ex-wives). Yet there's something about the inscrutability of his eyes that hints at the darker side often reflected in his work.

He's a performer of bad boys and heroes in equal measure. On the hero front, he became a national star as the uniform-clad soldier in the period drama Sharpe, and smouldered as lothario gardener Mellors in Lady Chatterley. But he's also oozed evil as the disfigured turncoat who challenged 007 in Goldeneye, played a concinving IRA psycopath battling Harrison Ford in Patriot Games and a kidnapper in the upcoming Don't Say a Word with Michael Douglas. And now, in the extraordinary Lord of the Rings, he plays hero Boromir alongside Liv Tyler and Cate Blanchett.

The three spent a year together filming in New Zealand. "They're great women," he says. "Liv is very bright and funny. But mainly I hung around with Viggo [Mortensen, who plays Aragorn in the film]. We clicked straight away; we have a similar attitude to life."

His choice od roles - often sexy and dangerous - have given him a sex-symbol status that's made him the subject of tabloid gossip. You can see why. He looks much younger than his 42 years and his eyes have a sexy, lived-in appeal. However, with three failed marriages behind him, his love life has been tumultuous. The first was to his childhood sweetheart Debra James - rumour had it they split because she didn't want to move to London. His second marriage to ex-bread actress MElanie Hill, who he met at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), ended acrimoniously in 1997 amid rumours of his laddish behaviour. They have two daughters, Lorna and Molly. And his third marriage was to another actress, Abigail Cruttenden, whom he met on the set of Sharpe. They split during his year away in New Zealand for Lord of the Rings and have a daughter, Evie.

Though he's not willing to be drawn on his marriages, he does say, "It's just about balancing the good and the bad. I've definitely been inspired by my wives and have taken away good things from my marriages." Such as? "Abigail had a very different upbringing to me and I think we opened each other's eyes to the way different people live."

He's single at the moment and lives alonf in Hampsted, northwest London - unless he has his daughters staying. Does he like being a bachelor? "Yeah, I don't mind it." Is he a dab hand with the cleaning? "Well, no one likes doing the cleaning, let's face it!"

For Sean, though, washing up is especially problematic. If a knife falls on the floor, he can't pick it up because of a strange supersition he's inherited from his father. "I'm really weird about it," he confesses. "The knife stays there until someone comes round and they have to pick it up for me."

Does he still believe in marriage? "Not really. But I've never once thought, 'God, I'm never getting married again; it's been really awful'. I've got three great girls, so I wouldn't say I'd never do it again."

What does he look for in a woman? "It's too obvious to say the physical. It needs to be something deeper." He pauses, obviously finding this question difficult to answer. "I like femininity. And gentleness."

It's too much of a cliche to pass his off as a working class hero just because he's northern. Sheffield born, he turned down the opportunity to work for his father's welding business to train at RADA.

"I was always a rebel," he admits. "I must've been to just leave everything and move to London to study acting and ballet. I always felt there was more out there. I'd wanted to be a footballer, and a pop star. I used to play guitar in a band with a few mates. I was a big fan of Lou Reed and David Bowie. I dyed my hair red and used eyeliner... but I never wore lipstick. Ever."

Unlike many of his peers; he has no issue with where he came from, and although he doesn't ooze money or flashiness, nor is he ashamed of where he is now. "I'm just lucky I'm paid well for doing what I
love," he explains.

"But that doesn't mean I want to show it off." So what's been his biggest extravagance? "When I first made a bit of money about 15 years ago I went out and bought myself a Jaguar. My dad drives it now, but I got my BMW nicked the other day so he's lent it to me until I get a new car. It feels weird driving it again."

Sean may have left Sheffield a long time ago, but he once said the experience of scoring for his team Sheffield United, in the drama When Saturday Comes was better than sex. When I ask him if he had to choose between football and sex, which would lose out, I finally get a real insight into what makes him tick. "Football. Definitely football." He snorts, as though me thinking he'd really give up sex for anything is the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard. Forget the speculation about his love life; the one headline he couldn't live with is 'Sean Bean would give up sex for football'.

(Note: The pic of Sean with two of his daughters incorrectly identifies them - It's actually Molly (left) and Evie (in the middle). Lorna isn't pictured. Evie's mother is Abigail Cruttenden.)

Sean Bean: A death scene to die for
By Bruce Kirkland

NEW YORK -- Yorkshire Englishman Sean Bean has one of the great heroic death scenes in recent movie history in the first instalment of The Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

Bean, 42, plays Boromir, one of two human members of the Fellowship and readers of the Tolkien book already know he is doomed, although in the book, this takes place in the second part of the trilogy. Filmmaker Peter Jackson changed the timing "for dramatic purposes," he tells The Sun.

Bean was impressed with the manner Jackson staged his demise in battle because most movie death scenes "are messy and violent -- which is not very nice." Boromir dies as he regains his nobility in a scene shared with co-star and fellow human character Viggo Mortensen.

"It is good I suppose to go with some kind of dignity and knowing that you've learnt something on the way. He's a better man for it, I suppose. He's in good shape (emotionally) and he leaves in peace."
The moment is not schmaltzy. "It's how it was shot," says Bean, best known for playing hero Richard Sharpe in the English TV series named for the character.

"It was great doing that scene with Viggo because he is such a generous, truthful actor and I'm glad he was there with me at the end, as it were, and he brought a sort of peacefulness to it and a spirituality to it, which I think he naturally has as a person. So that was of great help to me."

BEAN THERE, DONE THAT
by Neil Norman

Sean Bean doesn't come out to play with the press much. Despite his being a card-carrying Brit movie star who commands extraordinary fidelity among his legions of female fans, he doesn't give a lot of interviews. He's been hyped as the strong, silent type, an unreconstructed male with roots of Sheffield steel and a no-nonsense attitude to work, women and football.

This is the guy who has '100% Blade' tattooed on his shoulder in honour of his football team, Sheffield United; the man who has been quoted as saying that a woman's place is at home in the kitchen (barefoot and pregnant) while the man goes out to work. He's a 21st-century Hunter/Gatherer, a Bloke of Blokes, a Northern Lad as opposed to a Southern Geezer. A thrice-married rogue and a scallywag with the ladies. He's certainly everybody's favourite bit of rough on screen - Mellors in Lady Chatterley, the archetypal James Bond villain, Sharpe, the hero of the Napoleonic Wars.

Some have suggested that he may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but this is a cheap shot. The trouble is - due largely to his own reticence - very few people have actually talked to him at any great length.

One thing is 100 per cent certain: he doesn't play the showbiz game. One gets the impression he would rather sit in a fridge and stick lollysticks in his eyes than sit down and talk to a journalist. This is something he is trying to change. 'I haven't courted publicity in the past,' he says. 'I suppose you could put it down to a natural reticence. The more you put yourself in the spotlight, the more you get examined. Not that I've got anything to be ashamed of. I'm not really putting myself on chat shows just to raise my profile. I find it a little strange talking about myself all the time. I'm getting better at it because now it's so much a part of the job.'

Acting is a job for Bean, but it's not just any job. It's The Job, and he treats it with respect. He's done a number of other, lesser jobs in the past - he's been an apprentice welder, a snow shoveller and a cheese porter in Marks & Spencer - a job that famously lasted one entire morning.

But this job has sent him to some far-flung worlds, from the Ukraine for Sharpe, to Paris for Ronin and most recently, into Middle-earth for Lord of the Rings. Bean plays Boromir, one of the few human characters in Tolkien's fantastical saga of hobbits and orcs, elves and a miscellany of mythical creatures. Was Bean a Tolkien fan before he was cast in the role? 'I read it about 15 or 16 years ago,' he says. 'I've always been interested in mythology, but it is quite a dense read. It's one of those books that you have to keep referring back to in order to find out who's who and who is related to who. But you don't get a great deal from Boromir in the book; [director Peter] Jackson's imagination is quite off-kilter, he brings something quite fresh to the story.'
Lord of the Rings marks a departure for Bean in more ways than one; it is the first time in a career typified by realistic characters (from an IRA terrorist in Patriot Games to SAS man in Bravo Two Zero) that he has played in a full-blown fantasy. The fact that Boromir is not himself a fantastical character clearly helped him with the characterisation. 'He is a valiant warrior,' Bean explains. 'A very practical man whose family has been deteriorating as a result of the war, but he also has a vulnerable quality. It was quite good fun for me playing Boromir because he is a practical man, and you'd see these elves and weird people walking around and you'd think, "F***ing hell, where does he fit in?" That reaction definitely helped with my character.'
Working on a movie involving special effects on a grand scale brought additional problems. Quite apart from the daily chore of having to run from the main set to the second unit and then trot over to an empty space for blue-screen work, Bean's sense of unreality was heightened in other ways. 'There were some funny times,' he recalls with a crooked smile. 'These little guys standing in for Frodo and the hobbits had to wear a blue sock with yellow balls on their faces. The actor's face would then be superimposed on it afterwards. But you'd be talking to a blue sock.'
This is not the sort of thing they warn you about at drama school, I'd imagine. Especially at RADA, where Bean spent three years learning his craft.

Sitting in a photographic studio in jeans, boots and a fairly horrible tan fleece jacket, Bean still looks like a working-class drama student. Now 42, he exhibits few of the pretensions or egocentricities typical of many of his contemporaries. He is a reluctant interviewee, a cautious talker whose reticence appears 100 per cent genuine. He thinks long and hard before answering each question, leading some interrogators to assume that he is inarticulate, even dumb. While it's true that he sometimes shows signs of an unusually unreliable memory (on a recent television appearance he forgot the name of the character he was playing in Lord of the Rings), I suspect this is due more to a vague sense of panic that grips him on such occasions, than to a lack of brain cells. He is simply not used to playing the publicity game and therefore does not have the ready ammunition of soundbites to deliver with glib precision.

Bean grew up in Handsworth, a working-class suburb of Sheffield. His mother was a secretary and his father a steelworker. He left school at 16 with two O levels (Art and English) and a vague idea that he wanted to be an artist, before he drifted into work as an apprentice to his father. In between work and football, playing the piano and guitar, he kept painting, and exhibited his work in a Sheffield art-shop window.

'Drawing or painting was what I really wanted to do. I thought I'd become a commercial artist and then move on. I went to a few art schools but couldn't really hack it. I worked for my dad for about three or four years and then went to technical college in Rotherham where I learned about steel and composites. Right next to it was an art and drama college, and I enrolled on the art course.'

In between lessons, he used to peer through the door of the drama classes, and found himself drawn towards the discipline. After a while, he switched courses from art to drama, and knew he had finally discovered his vocation. 'I felt really secure and comfortable in it. It seemed to combine everything I was interested in from music to art.'

After a year on the drama course he applied to RADA and was accepted. 'I felt like an outsider for about six months, but that was more to do with London than RADA,' he says. 'It was quite a shock to the system. Until then I'd used to come down with me mates for Bowie concerts, then go straight back up.'

Bean was at RADA at exactly the right time for his particular style of acting. Standard English was being taught for classic texts but not at the expense of regional accents. He was encouraged to maintain his Sheffield accent and can now shift gamely between the regions of the United Kingdom, or deliver an acceptable received pronunciation if the occasion demands.

His cites Albert Finney, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole and Tom Courtenay as role models. 'They were my sort of heroes. And it's come back to that, thank God. Look at Russell Crowe in Gladiator. And I loved Albert Finney in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. These guys are real men and probably politically incorrect, but they were totally the truth. I watched Richard Harris in This Sporting Life and when I worked with him [in The Field] he didn't disappoint me. I used to remember watching these films growing up in Sheffield. They were real to me. Finney shooting that fat woman up the arse with an air rifle in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. It was like life. When I went to drama school, these were the images I carried with me.'
Given his rough-hewn machismo and the robustness of his role models, it is supremely ironic that his first movie should have been Derek Jarman's Caravaggio, in which he played the painter's male lover. Bean can laugh at the irony of his situation in retrospect, though he admits to shutting his eyes at the time.
'Yeah, it was quite weird,' he laughs. 'You couldn't make a film with Derek and not feel weird. He was so extraordinary. I was very new to the business and my first film was with Derek Jarman - a real artist making a film about a real artist. He just let you do what you want. I went to meet him in his flat in Charing Cross Road and he asked me about my home life and football and stuff like that. He was interested in the reality of my background in Sheffield. I was playing Caravaggio's loverÉ but I didn't really think about that too much. I just wanted to work with great people and he was a great person.'

Bean's defining moment came in 1992 when he was cast as the Peninsular War hero Richard Sharpe, after first choice Paul McGann suffered a leg injury and had to drop out. Flukes don't get much luckier and Bean took the opportunity and the role and bent it to his will. The result was a hugely popular historical swashbuckling telly drama that lasted for five seasons.

'There's still talk about a feature film,' he says with caution. 'I love the Napoleonic Wars. I remember having a big board and spraying it green and putting little trees and Airfix men on to make massive armies to play with. The Battle of Waterloo capped the series but we could go back a bit. There is plenty of material to explore.'

There are stories about Bean's past - including a punch-up for which he was fined £50 for actual bodily harm, and a somewhat unreconstructed way with women - but no real scandals. He has been married three times and has three daughters, two by his second wife Melanie Hill and one by his third, Abigail Cruttenden, from whom he is now divorced.

At the time of his break-up with Hill, in particular, Bean came under some heavy flak for his attitude to women. Does he have any regrets about that? 'It was crazy, really,' he says, fidgeting slightly. 'It was blown out of all proportion. Then again you should be able to say what you feel. You have to be yourself and say what you are and I'd rather take that risk than pander to people.'

He maintains a complicated but solid relationship with his daughters, in spite of the fact that he is away from home a lot. 'It's a matter of time. When you do have the time at home, you have to make it as good as possible. My family and my kids understand that. I think it's important to keep a strong link. You might spend three months away but then you follow it with three months at home, so it balances out.'

Given the fact that he has maintained his status as a British heart-throb and yet is clearly a bloke who likes family life with all that it entails, I wonder whether he might marry again. He pauses, lights a cigarette, fidgets some more.

'At the present moment in time, no,' he eventually says. 'But I wouldn't say I'd never get married again. I could, yeah. I don't look back on those experiences with any bitterness. I think of the good times.'
A positive attitude to life. A solid career. And the admiration of thousands of women. A working-class hero is something to be.

'Lord of the Rings' actor Sean Bean took big leap into performing

By LUAINE LEE, Scripps Howard News Service

NEW YORK (December 11, 2001 02:06 p.m. EST
When he was working as a welder in his hometown of Sheffield, England, Sean Bean got a crazy idea. He was already studying at an art college and had gotten pretty good at painting and drawing. But when he casually enrolled in a drama class, oops, everything changed.

"It was a big leap of profession from being a welder fabricator to being an actor," admits Bean, who sits at the mahogany dining room table of his hotel suite and stubs out his cigarette in a saucer.

"That wasn't something I was familiar with in my family. Sheffield was a very industrial city at that time - since then it's lost a lot of work up there and things have disappeared. But that's what my city was famous for, the steel industry. So that was a natural progression."

His parents were puzzled by his choice, he says. "I was into all sorts of things: I wanted to be in a band, I wanted to be an artist, a scriptwriter and actor. So I don't think they were that shocked. I'd gone into so many different phases, this is the one that consolidated everything."

Bean is probably best known in the United States for his portrayal as the brave Napoleonic officer of "The Sharpe Series" on television or as the weapons expert in "Ronin," the terrorist in "Patriot Games," or the betraying villain of "GoldenEye."

But it is his role as the good-guy, noble human Boromir - who champions the cause of the Hobbit, Frodo Baggins, in the new "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" - that people ultimately will remember.

Investing a full year in faraway New Zealand for the role wasn't easy for Bean, who is the father of three daughters, ages 3, 10 and 14. "I don't think I would've spent that much time from home unless it was something like 'Lord of the Rings.' I wouldn't really like to spend that time away again. They grow up fast, don't they?"

Bean, 42, says he was gripped by the breadth of his character, who does battle with a variety of fearsome monsters in the classic mythological tale. "He was a complicated and complex man. I found that really interesting to get to grips with. He's very mixed up, trying to do what's best for his people - a gentleman really, but he's in an environment where he's been on the forefront of war so he's had to be strong. But within there is a gentleman of very good quality."
Although he still speaks with the elongated vowels of working-class Northern England, within Bean there is a gentleman of good quality, too.

Married and divorced twice, he thinks an acting career can make marriage both easier and more difficult. "Sometimes absence can make the heart grow stronger but sometimes it can be too long, and it's very precarious, very unpredictable. But I think it's possible. Lots of actors and actresses have been happily married for many years."

Bean, who is soft-spoken and, one suspects, quite shy, admits that one of the major reasons he likes acting is because it affords him the opportunity to learn. "I wasn't very good at comprehensive school and didn't really learn that much," he says, his gray T-shirt wrinkling at the neck.

"I think I learned to get on with people and make friends. I had a good time in that way, but didn't learn very much from the lessons. And when I left school I just had this real hunger for reading and catching up on things I'd missed at school. I just wanted to read and read - read theater books, plays, novels, history. And when I went to drama school I really applied myself. I really wanted to learn this time around and took to it quite easily."

Part of the learning is exploring faraway places, from the grimy streets of Dublin to the mystic land of Middle Earth. "Acting educates you a lot," he says, leaning his chin on both hands.

"It gives you the chance to go into different worlds to study history when you're playing characters. I played Count Vronsky in 'Anna Karenina' by Leo Tolstoy and therefore you research that particular period, and it's interesting. At the same time it's educating you. You're finding out more about history," he says.

"It takes you all over the world. I've been fortunate enough to travel to great places: Africa, New Zealand, Russia, America. And that's a life-enhancing experience to me. You find out about different cultures and different people, and you learn to respect them more. When you get home and watch on television all this bloodshed and war and hatred of other people, maybe if they traveled a bit more and got to know each other a bit more, maybe we could avoid all this."

Media Watch: Woman's Weekly
Xoanon @ 8:13 pm EST

Check out this article from 'Woman's Weekly'.


Bean There, Done It
Xoanon @ 8:00 pm EST

Nona sends us yet another article on Sean Bean. Take a look at Sunday Express' 'Bean There, Done It'.


Some Of The Mistakes Aren't Mistakes
Strider @ 3:17 pm EST

Ataahua writes in to dispell some common misconceptions over 'mistakes' in Fellowship of the Ring:

I've just seen the movie for the third time, and I can refute a few of those myths. Spoilers Ahead

Black Riders vs Asfaloth
The website made a point of the scene where Arwen and Frodo are trying to beat the Black Riders to the ford, saying that at one point one of the riders almost grabs Frodo, but the next second the riders are seen to be about a horse-length behind. But the website missed an intermediate shot: immediately after one of the riders almost gets Frodo, Arwen tells her horse Asfaloth to run faster - "Nureli, Asfaloth!" (apologies for any misspelling) - and we see Asfaloth pick up the speed. It's after this that the riders are seen to be a horse-length away.

Gimli's axe
At the Council of Elrond, Gimli tries to destroy the ring with an axe, but the axe instead shatters into small pieces. Shortly after, Gimli pledges himself to the fellowship - with an undamaged axe. But look more closely when Gimli moves to attack the ring: he doesn't take his own axe, but the axe of the dwarf sitting beside him! (Gloin's?) Proof that Gimli may be rash, but he ain't stupid.

Gandalf's staff
Comment has been made on Gandalf's staff being taken from him by Saruman, only to have it again later in the Mines of Moria. But the two staffs are different. Even Ian McKellan, on his website, has commented on Gandalf having more than one staff.

Frodo saving Sam from drowning
The website said that although Sam was seen to be quite a way under the surface of the river before Frodo reached down to drag him back up, only Frodo's hand was wet. But if you look closely - and you do have to be sure to check, as the clothing worn by Frodo doesn't show dampness very easily - Frodo's arm is wet all the way up to his neck, showing that he
*did* reach far down before grabbing Sam's upstretched hand.

Unfortunately, Movie-Mistakes.com did get two bloopers correct: the dead Boromir does blink when Aragorn kisses his forehead; and, when Frodo is about to leave the fellowship, the tear on his left cheek does inexplicably shorten. Ah well, after more than a year of filming a tremendously difficult story, I think we can give Peter Jackson a break.

LOTR Box Office: Weekend 2
Calisuri @ 2:41 pm EST

Brandon Gray
http://www.boxofficemojo.com

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring earned an estimated $37.35 million in its second weekend, down a reasonable 21% from its $47.21 million opening frame. The 12-day total stands at $154.52 million to rank #10 for the year so far. On the all time highest grosses list, it now stands at #85.

The three-day session suggests a five-day weekend of over $50 million, a record for the New Year's frame. That would raise its two-week tally to close to $170 million.

Breaking the weekend down, Rings took in an estimated $12.1 million on Friday, got an 11% bump-up on Saturday to an estimated $13.4 million, and is projected to dip 12% to $11.8 million on Sunday. Since everyday is like a weekend day due to the holidays, day-to-day improvements and erosions are far less than the norm.

By comparison, Harry Potter was at $191.9 million in its 12th day, but fell 36% in its second weekend despite the added boost of Thanksgiving. The boy wizard has grossed $286.1 million to date after enjoying a holiday bump-up of 61% to an estimated $11.46 million this weekend.

Due to the holidays, actual numbers won't be in until Wednesday, 1/2. [More]

A Response To 'A Different Take Of FOTR'
Strider @ 2:09 pm EST

I've had quite a few responses to the news story I posted yesterday regarding Capalert.com's review of Fellowship of the Ring, and have decided to share some of the views express by both Christian and Tolkien fans alike.

Christian writes:
I hope you post this letter referring to "A Different Take Of Fellowship Of The Ring" posted on Dec. 29. I am a Christian, in fact, my name is Christian, and I hate other Christians who go for the throat on things like the Lord of the Rings more than non-Christians hate it. It gives people the wring impression on Christianity. It tells them, join us and you too can bash what people are enjoying these days. I'm a Tolkien collector, somewhat new (but rapidly growing, especially since my Tolkien-Everything Christmas this year), and I'm still a Christian. Every day I listen to, watch, or read something by or inspired by Tolkien. I LOVED the movie, I saw it three times (I would have seen it more but I don't have a way to get there). I didn't see anything at all in the movie that I felt contradicted my Christianity.

The people that wrote the article only saw the movie so they could find the evil in it. They more than likely NEVER read the books. They probably only heard it had a "magical ring" or a wizard in it and ran off to the theatre to find this devilry. They don't understand that Tolkien himself was a Christian (I believe Catholic) and the movie didn't add anything the book didn't have (as far as "devilry" goes). They also don't understand that there is even a book called "Finding God in the Lord of the Rings". Also, C.S. Lewis, one of Tolkien's friends and personal critics, was one of the best known Christian authors and was part of the religious/literary discussions they had weekly at Oxford. I find NOTHING wrong with the Lord of the Rings books movie or anything that has anything to do with either of these (except for an unofficial tarot deck). I personally don't remember Gandalf sitting down and whipping out his Satanic Bible or his guide to Witchcraft and Wizardry. The only thing close was when he spoke elven for "friend" to enter the Mines of Moria. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with Tolkien. Nothing wrong with Lord of the Rings. Nothing wrong.

Avrilyn writes:
The article that was linked to your site on December 29 entitled: "A Different Take on The Fellowship of the Ring" made me quite angry. (Satanic worship in TLotR, indeed. Honestly!) To have such a masterpiece as TLotR compared to Potter was the last straw. However, I have a very logical and much more intelligent article on the subject that explains the differentiation between Harry Potter and TLotR magic with a little Lewis tossed in. It DOES NOT bash either, it is simply a literary analysis. Here is the address: www.decentfilms.com/commentary/magic.html. Please post it, for such ignorant articles need intelligent response.

Luke writes:
I'm writing in response to one of the articles you posted today, "A different take of FOTR". Of course I'm a huge fan of Tolien's work and of the movie. I'm also a Christian. I just wanted to give you the opportunity to read what most Christians actualy are saying about this movie. Here is a review from Focus on the Family (a Christian organization aimed towards families): www.family.org/pplace/pi/films/A0018963.html

Mainly read the "positive elements" part. It talks about how all the Christian symbolism that Tolkien put into the books shines through in the movie. The kooks who can only see the sorcery and wizardry are missing the whole point of the movie - friendship, loyalty, and solid moral teachings.

Jared writes:
Here is a copy of the mail I sent to the Christian website that posted the review - First, I was raised in an extreemly conservative Christian home, for which I am gratefull. I attended a private Christian school for 14 years, graduating Valedictorian before being accepted to a prestigious private Christian college where I was placed on the Dean's List for all but one semester. I tell you this to let you know that I am NOT someone who has not been educated in Christian theology and worldview.

I have just read your scathing review of the movie Lord of the Rings, and I must say I have never been more dissappointed in a "Christian" website in my life. I cannot argue with the argument you have against the violence of the movie, but your rail against the "sorcery" of the books show a sincerley disturbing failure of the worst kind. You failed to do your "homework", so to say. Just as understanding the meaning of Jesus' New Testament teaching and illusions requires one to study the stories in the Old Testament and the Hebrew history durring the Roman Empire, so to understand the story of The Lord of the Rings you must study the history that Tolkien painstakingly laid out in the Silmarillion. In doing so you see a beautiful Creation story where Illuvitar creates the world and the beings that inhabit it, a story that closely follows the one found in Genesis 1 and 2. You would see the Istari, or "wizards" as you call them, the group that Gandalph and Saruman are a part of are actually angels... ie immortal!! And Sauron even makes his appearance... he is an angel who falls with the arch enemy Morgoth, ie Satan. Following a pattern closer to Milton's Paradise Lost than the Dungeons and Dragons you would make it seem, the Silmarillion sets the tone that shows Gandalph as what he is, a guardian angel in the flesh, looking after Frodo and his friends. This makes Gandalph's sacrifice on the Bridge of Khazad-Dum even more meaningful. The violence of the books echo nothing more "evil" than the destruction and wars the beast of Revelation brings upon the earth.

I realize that the movie contains none of this backstory, however those who see the movie might decide to read the books, and some who do might read the Silmarillion and come into contact with a very Christian creation story, and from there go on to read the Bible and eventually be brought to Christ. It saddens me that your website writes of this beautiful story of true compassion and freindship as an "evil" story, especially when it is obvious that you failed to live up to your faith. The Bible says to do everything dillegently and in order. If you are going to write reviews of movies based on your faith, do your Lord justice by actually working at what you attempt. Instead of helping spread Christ's Way to the world as he commanded, you are building a wall between unbeliever's, who you call the "adversary", and the hope of their salvation.

It saddens me to see the work of Tolkien, a dedicated Christian who was instrumental in converting the greatest Christian appologist of our age, CS Lewis, from athiesm to Christianity in the early 20th century, slandered in a very un-Christian column. I am heartened that most unbelievers first come into contact with the wit and wisdom of Dr. James Dobson, Chuck Colson, Charles Swindol, and Billy Graham before they come across your website and your failure to live up to the strength and wisdom of God's enduring message.

Nathan writes:
I'm a senior majoring in Theology at Marquette University (home of many a fine original Tolkien manuscript let me tell you) and the Capalert.com review is a horrid horrid wretched then. Obviously this person has no clue as to what is in the Bible because all his criteria would cause the Bible itself to be rated highly inappropriate. Because of this he is marring the face of Christianity and making it a laughing stock. Already in this world too many people joke about and ridicule Christians and we that believe do not need people like this reviewer causing confusion and adding to the ridicule by saying that an obviously religious movie, with many Catholic Christian undertones, is not Christian! If need be I can provide a list of the errors and contradictions this reviewer is making.

I also have another question that I need answered either from you or somebody else. There is a line in the movie spoken to Frodo by Arwen as Frodo is wrating. It is something to the effect of "Any grace that I may have been granted, may it pass on to him (Frodo) so that he may live." This statement is very Christian and very Catholic. A protestant would not use this terminology at all in such a sentence if they would even suggest such a sentence could be said. This line is not in the book nor does anything really come close to it at all in the book. There are only two explanations for this line being there; either that the writers were honoring the devoutly Catholic J.R.R. Tolkien, or one of the writers of the screen play was Catholic enough to place the correct words that fit with the themes that Tolkien was using in his book. Do you know which is the case?

J.T. writes:
As an ardent CS Lewis fan who knows his head from his toe this idiotic review offends me on many levels. Thanks for giving me a good laugh. Wow! For the record I am a high school Sunday school teacher and a deacon at a baptist church.

It's a story! And a great story at that. I would just like to let everyone know that not all Christians are narrow minded fools. Tolkein is a genius.

Bill writes:
I found the article increadibly unfair, and extremly unrealistic to the teaching of the Catholic Christian faith. There seems to be a very unfortunate fundamentalistic attitude in their review as if Tolkiens world was not fantasy, but reality... and all who watch this film will fall under the spell of satan. Highly untrue to a person who poses faith in God. And for those who do not share in the belief, which Christians hold, I think that Tolkiens work will, if possible, only bring people closer to the truth of Christianity.

I only feel the need to defend the Catholic faith, for this review certainly places extremely unrealistic fundamental views, which could give all of Christendom a vile name. In defense, I offer this article/review, as a more understanding Christian view of Tolkiens wonderful work with the hopes that you will make it available to your surfers.

Did Fellowship Break Another UK Record?
Strider @ 1:35 pm EST

V Green came up with a few ideas on how Fellowship of the Ring might well have been the highest grossing opening film in UK history, not Harry Potter:

Yesterday, you posted this story on TORn -
"Latest figures show that Lord Of The Rings took £11m ($16m) in its first weekend in the UK - the second biggest opening weekend in UK cinema history and beating The Phantom Menace, Toy Story 2 and Independence Day. The all-time No 1, though, belongs to Harry Potter."

However, a small note in the current UK edition (Feb 2002) of Empire mag. caught my attention and will probably be of interest to you:

"And so, young Harry swept away box office records galore (even if its £16 million opening did include £6 million from the previous weekend's previews)." [Feb 2002, pg 111]

As you can see from this, when you compare Potter's £16 million with Rings' £11 million, you are actually not comparing like with like. Potter had two extra days to earn its sixteen million. If you ignore the preview takings, then it would seem that Rings actually took more than Potter in its opening weekend! Of course, this depends on whether or not Rings' 'opening weekend' includes Wednesday and Thrusday takings.

(I'm going to see if I can get concrete information on this..stay tuned! - Str)


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