| 3-14-04 Latest News |
Megacon 2004 Report
Xoanon @ 10:48 am EST
Steve writes: It's the Boca Raton line party here again with another report on an event we attended. This time we went to MegaCon 2004 to see Grima Wormtounge!
We once again suited up in our costumes and even found some other great LOTR characters at the convention. The Frodo in our group seemed to be followed by the amazing Gollum walking around. (and by walking around, we mean on all fours...during the entire convention!) The Aragron we saw was incredible as well. Great detail on that costume, right down to the ring and sword! There were so many wonderful and creative costumes walking the isles. We've included pics of some of our favorites that we saw.
However, our business was with Isengard so we headed over to the Brad Dourif line. Upon seeing our entourage, Grima looked at Eowyn and uttered, "I know you." Later he exclamed in full Grima voice, "But you are alone!" to her, which made for a great moment. We also learned something about the EE of ROTK from Brad. SPOILERS AHEAD!
He mentioned to us that Legolas shoots his character with, "arrows to the heart." So there you go. Multiple arrows from the elf, that's how he bites it.
From the convention we headed to our hotel room which we were pleased to find out was LOTR themed! First off, when we entered the lobby, we noticed Enya playing over the hotel's speaker system. Then there were the barrels. Yes, barrels. Everywhere you looked there were barrels. It was very Hobbiton/Green Dragon-ish. Finally, when we were assigned our rooms the lady behind the counter said, "Your rooms are located in the second tower." to which our Pippin asked, "Your hotel has two towers?" Our group laughed. The lady behind the counter looked bewildered as she stated, "Yes, two."
After retouching up our costumes in the rooms, we headed out for feasting and fighting at...MEDIEVAL TIMES! (cue the horns)
If you're a LOTR fan and can make it to a Medieval Times location, do so. It's worth it. The fighting is spectacular and the atmosphere is so much fun. Our group cheered and jeered throughout the evening and had a great time.
On the way back to the hotel we passed a "Seven Dwarf rd." Yeah, it's Disney, but we thought of those who used to dwell in Moria. Also, we passed a store that had a certain LOTR feel to it. Take a look at our pics. Behold, it's Gandalf the Purple! LOL
| 3-13-04 Latest News |
LOTR Exhibit Opens in Singapore
Xoanon @ 1:36 pm EST
The grand opening for the LOTR Motion Picture Exhibit was last night and megamendong was there to give us the scoop. I just wanted you to know that the LOTR exhibition opened last night with the President of Singapore as the Guest-of-Honour. There was a thronging crowd of 900 who attended last night's opening ceremony. My two teenage daughters and I, regular volunteers at the Singapore Science Centre which is the venue of the exhibition, were roped in for crowd control and securing the prestine condition of the exhibits. One of my daughters even had the chance to speak to the President.
A lot of the night was spent asking people, politely of course, not to take photographs, not the touch the exhibits (other than the interactive onces, of course) and taking away empty champage glasses to a safer spot. There was a free flow of beverages, including wine, and lots of food at the buffet table. In attendance was the President and his family, several ministers and staff of various government bodies (plus their spouses and children), ambassadors and CEOs of larger companies in Singapore. It was a formal night with all the Science Centre staff in formal attire (i.e. in Singapore's context, long dresses for ladies, and shirt and tie for the men). As Singapore takes pride in its multicultural heritage, many too came in their traditional ethnic outfits. There were also a few, some of them volunteers from the Science Centre, who were dressed up as characters in the movie. Lucky for them, not many people were tyring to touch them -- unlike the exhibits which people just can't help touching. I must say I had a field day asking people, "Please don't touch" ... "Please don't touch".. all with a polite smile in my face. Legolas' outfit had the most number of people trying to touch it.
I started out guarding the statue of Sauron, but had to be quickly whisked away by a LOTR exhibition staff to help control people who are getting touchy feely with the twelve foot sculpture of the cave troll. Galadriel's beaded dress drew a lot of attention, as well as the replica of a dead Boromir in a boat. The crowds were mesmerised by the absolutely detailed figure done in silicone -- it looked like a real person -- like Sean Bean exactly!
The were lots of Faramir fans, including me, who were quite disappointed that not more of him was shown. However, we are not complaining because all in all the night was fantastic and everyone who is a fan of the movies should go and see teh LOTR exhibition. By the way, for Asia, Singapore is the only venue of the exhibition. After the stint here in June, it will travel up to Boston, USA. So fans in Asia, don't miss a chance of a lifetime to see how the movies were made -- come on down to Singapore and visit the LOTR exhibition!
Hall Of Fire Chats This Weekend
Frode @ 9:43 am EST
A short rest: Glad to be alive the Company follow Gandalfs lead towards 'The last homely house', the residence of Elrond; a descendant from elves and 'heroes of the North'. To the sound of singing elves they arrive in the fair valley of Rivendell, and the travellers are happy to get to a place of rest, though there is a history of conflict between the Dwarves and the Elves that must be disregarded. They benefit greatly from Elronds wisdom during their stay. Not only does he offer a good amount of insight regarding the quest, but he gives them two special swords of protection. Moreover, he can help solve the riddles of the map. Do you think Elrond is in league with Gandalf in setting up this Quest? What part does nature play in Tolkiens 'the Hobbit'? What impression do you get of Rivendell and the elves in this chapter? Join us in #thehalloffire as we take a closer look at Chapter 3 of 'The Hobbit' - A short rest. Times: Sunday Chat: ET = Eastern Time, USA's East Coast Do you have a possible topic for Hall of Fire? Drop us a line at
Saturday Chat:
5:30pm ET (17:30)
[also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 9:30am Sunday (09:30) AET]
7:00 pm (19:00) CET
[also 1:00pm (13:00) ET and 5:00am (05:00) Monday morning AET]
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
AET = Australian East Coast
halloffire@theonering.net
Hall Of Fire Chats This Weekend
Frode @ 9:12 am EST
A short rest: Glad to be alive the Company follow Gandalfs lead towards 'The last homely house', the residence of Elrond; a descendant from elves and 'heroes of the North'. To the sound of singing elves they arrive in the fair valley of Rivendell, and the travellers are happy to get to a place of rest, though there is a history of conflict between the Dwarves and the Elves that must be disregarded. They benefit greatly from Elronds wisdom during their stay. Not only does he offer a good amount of insight regarding the quest, but he gives them two special swords of protection. Moreover, he can help solve the riddles of the map. Do you think Elrond is in league with Gandalf in setting up this Quest? What part does nature play in Tolkiens 'the Hobbit'? What impression do you get of Rivendell and the elves in this chapter? Join us in #thehalloffire as we take a closer look at Chapter 3 of 'The Hobbit' - A short rest. Times: Sunday Chat: ET = Eastern Time, USA's East Coast Do you have a possible topic for Hall of Fire? Drop us a line at
Saturday Chat:
5:30pm ET (17:30)
[also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 9:30am Sunday (09:30) AET]
7:00 pm (19:00) CET
[also 1:00pm (13:00) ET and 5:00am (05:00) Monday morning AET]
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
AET = Australian East Coast
halloffire@theonering.net
Hall Of Fire Chats This Weekend
Frode @ 8:56 am EST
A short rest: Glad to be alive the Company follow Gandalfs lead towards 'The last homely house', the residence of Elrond; a descendant from elves and 'heroes of the North'. To the sound of singing elves they arrive in the fair valley of Rivendell, and the travellers are happy to get to a place of rest, though there is a history of conflict between the Dwarves and the Elves that must be disregarded. They benefit greatly from Elronds wisdom during their stay. Not only does he offer a good amount of insight regarding the quest, but he gives them two special swords of protection. Moreover, he can help solve the riddles of the map. Do you think Elrond is in league with Gandalf in setting up this Quest? What part does nature play in Tolkiens 'the Hobbit'? What impression do you get of Rivendell and the elves in this chapter? Join us in #thehalloffire as we take a closer look at Chapter 3 of 'The Hobbit' - A short rest. Times: Sunday Chat: ET = Eastern Time, USA's East Coast Do you have a possible topic for Hall of Fire? Drop us a line at
Saturday Chat:
5:30pm ET (17:30)
[also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 9:30am Sunday (09:30) AET]
7:00 pm (19:00) CET
[also 1:00pm (13:00) ET and 5:00am (05:00) Monday morning AET]
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
AET = Australian East Coast
halloffire@theonering.net
Hall Of Fire Chats This Weekend
Frode @ 8:52 am EST
A short rest: Glad to be alive the Company follow Gandalfs lead towards 'The last homely house', the residence of Elrond; a descendant from elves and 'heroes of the North'. To the sound of singing elves they arrive in the fair valley of Rivendell, and the travellers are happy to get to a place of rest, though there is a history of conflict between the Dwarves and the Elves that must be disregarded. They benefit greatly from Elronds wisdom during their stay. Not only does he offer a good amount of insight regarding the quest, but he gives them two special swords of protection. Moreover, he can help solve the riddles of the map. Do you think Elrond is in league with Gandalf in setting up this Quest? What part does nature play in Tolkiens 'the Hobbit'? What impression do you get of Rivendell and the elves in this chapter? Join us in #thehalloffire as we take a closer look at Chapter 3 of 'The Hobbit' - A short rest. Times: Sunday Chat: ET = Eastern Time, USA's East Coast Do you have a possible topic for Hall of Fire? Drop us a line at
Saturday Chat:
5:30pm ET (17:30)
[also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 9:30am Sunday (09:30) AET]
7:00 pm (19:00) CET
[also 1:00pm (13:00) ET and 5:00am (05:00) Monday morning AET]
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
AET = Australian East Coast
halloffire@theonering.net
Hall Of Fire Chats This Weekend
Frode @ 8:48 am EST
A short rest: Glad to be alive the Company follow Gandalfs lead towards 'The last homely house', the residence of Elrond; a descendant from elves and 'heroes of the North'. To the sound of singing elves they arrive in the fair valley of Rivendell, and the travellers are happy to get to a place of rest, though there is a history of conflict between the Dwarves and the Elves that must be disregarded. They benefit greatly from Elronds wisdom during their stay. Not only does he offer a good amount of insight regarding the quest, but he gives them two special swords of protection. Moreover, he can help solve the riddles of the map. Do you think Elrond is in league with Gandalf in setting up this Quest? What part does nature play in Tolkiens 'the Hobbit'? What impression do you get of Rivendell and the elves in this chapter? Join us in #thehalloffire as we take a closer look at Chapter 3 of 'The Hobbit' - A short rest. Times: Sunday Chat: ET = Eastern Time, USA's East Coast Do you have a possible topic for Hall of Fire? Drop us a line at
Saturday Chat:
5:30pm ET (17:30)
[also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 9:30am Sunday (09:30) AET]
7:00 pm (19:00) CET
[also 1:00pm (13:00) ET and 5:00am (05:00) Monday morning AET]
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
AET = Australian East Coast
halloffire@theonering.net
| 3-12-04 Latest News |
SHOP: Pre-Order Theatrical ROTK DVD
Celeborn @ 1:09 pm EST
This two-disc DVD is presented with the enhanced picture and sound quality and contains over two hours of added value material. The DVD set includes exciting behind-the-scenes specials, featurettes, theatrical trailers, TV spots, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy supertrailer, a preview of the upcoming The Lord of the Rings based video game, "The Battle for Middle-earth," from Electronic Arts and a link to exclusive online content about the motion picture trilogy. Available in both Widescreen and Fullscreen Editions, the DVD Set features Dolby Digital EX 5.1 surround sound, stereo surround sound, English subtitles and closed captions, Spanish subtitles, in-depth programs such as, " The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision", " A Filmmaker's Journey: Making THE RETURN OF THE KING", National Geographic Special - "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King", featurettes created for lordoftherings.net: "Aragorn's Destiny", "Minas Tirith: Capital of Gondor", "The Battle of Pelennor Fields", "Samwise the Brave", "owyn: White Lady of Rohan", "Digital Horse Doubles", and multiple television spots.
Its that time again! Pre-Orders have begun for The Return of the King theatrical edition DVD and VHS. Currently we have links to the official New Line Shop to pre-order this item. They say they will ship on May 25th.
| 3-09-04 Latest News |
Unofficial PJ Biography Featured in Publisher's Weekly
leo @ 6:00 pm EST
Stephen writes: Hi-- I work in the publishing industry, and saw this report in the email version of Publisher's Weekly. Thought you might find it interesting!
Book of the Day: Unauthorized Bio of Peter "Oscar" Jackson
With just eight films to his credit, New Zealand's Peter Jackson is suddenly Hollywood's "It" director thanks to his most recent film, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which, of course, won Academy Awards in all of the 11 categories it was nominated, including Best Picture and Best Director. St. Martin's Press/ Thomas Dunne Books had Ian Pryor's unauthorized biography, Peter Jackson: From Prince of Splatter to Lord of the Rings ($24.95; 0-312-32294-1) waiting in the wings to be released the day after the Academy Awards. Even if he hadn't won the Oscar, he'd still be the man who helmed the second movie (after Titanic) to ever gross $1 billion worldwide.
Jackson's newfound respect is a far cry from his cult film origins, beginning with his ultra-violent splatter comedies such as 1988's Bad Taste, 1989's Meet the Feebles and 1992's Dead Alive (a.k.a. Braindead). Ian Pryor, who has written about New Zealand film for the last 15 years and who interviewed Jackson numerous times (although not specifically for this book), traces the 42-year-old director's path from cult favorite to box office champion.
There's some good, behind-the-scenes stories of how Jackson shot and released his early films and some of his epic battles with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) over many of his films (most notably, he was forced to cut 12 minutes from Dead Alive to avoid an X-rating). With his shock-jock reputation, he seemed like an odd choice to film the atmospheric and restrained lesbian true crime film, Heavenly Creatures, in which Kate Winslet plays a teenage murderess who later grew up to write Victorian murder mysteries under the name of Anne Perry. Jackson eased closer to the mainstream with 1996's big-budget flop, The Frighteners, starring Michael J. Fox.
Although with 20/20 hindsight, it would seem filming The Lord of the Rings trilogy would be something any studio would jump at the chance to produce, the back story proves, fascinatingly, otherwise. Miramax originally agreed to film two movies at once, but began cost-cutting and told Jackson that he had four weeks to shop the project around to another studio before they reduced the project to one movie. Happily, New Line Cinema decided to fund the project as a trilogy, which Jackson would shoot over a 15-month period between 1999 and 2000.
While Pryor notes that Jackson put many obstacles in his biographer's way (discouraging co-stars from giving interviews, requesting that the New Zealand Film Commission not release movie stills and sales information about the five films Jackson produced through the organization), Pryor still conducted more than 120 interviews for the book.
With Jackson's vocal resistance, readers might suspect the unauthorized biography was a hatchet job, but it's pretty even-keeled. The director is volatile, but he's a pussycat compared to directors featured in Peter Biskind's delicious sourball Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film (S&S). According to U.K. newspapers, Jackson's reluctance to embrace Pryor's biography is because he's working with authorized biographer Brain Sibley, who's created a cottage industry writing Tolkien movie tie-in books (such as The Lord of the Rings Official Movie Guide and The Lord of the Rings: Making of the Movie Trilogy, both from Houghton Mifflin).--Kevin Howell
Leo here - There's probably a story here somewhere, though I guess I will start believing all this once I read it in the official biography as well...
| 3-08-04 Latest News |
Oscar Party Report from NZ
Xoanon @ 10:40 pm EST
Thain Brandybuck sends in this report from the Oscar celebrations in Wellington:
The Oscar festivities saw people celebrating all over the world. And the real party begun even earlier with a gathering of good friends in Wellington, New Zealand. Unaware that movie history would be made on Monday, our group Cormacolindor met for the weekend. Here, back in the capital of the Kiwi version of Middle-Earth, we participated as stunt fighters at the Cuba Street Carnival parade. Fighting in full armour, including the weight of real chain-mail, swords and shields, was a challenge. We also had to brave heavy rain that stopped literally only minutes before the parade begun. And I am not sure if it helped when one of our group members recalled his experience from the filming of Helms Deep.. anyway, we came, fought, survived (well, most of us) and after 90 minutes of cheering, music and flash lights we successfully finished another public display. And after we had secured hundreds of pounds of armour and weaponry, we could finally hit town!
Wellington looked at its best, the sun kept shining and with hundreds of performers and spectators the street festival was well attended. Even more important, there were still heaps of Lord of the Rings-related things to discover.
We Cormas kept strolling around for hours, and there was so much to see! Buskers from all over the world performed, there was live music everywhere.. and all this time spent in the company of fellow Tolkienists! Oh, did I forgot to mention that we were all clad in authentic medieval/Middle-Earthish garb?
We surely drew some attention to us, especially when we improvised our favourite book and movie scenes of Lord of the Rings. Thanks to my Hobbit costume, I was put into the bucket fountain. Unnecessary to mention that my cloak about doubled its weight. Though who else can say they bathed in, well, Elijah Wood´s .. ah, nevermind. Anyway, the looks I got were nothing compared to those when another group member posed as a Nazgûl. I think we were all a little bit creeped out by how authentic it looked.
The day lights faded, we allowed ourselves a few drinks while watching the rugby and then retired into an exceptional good Turkish restaurant.
The next day was Academy Award day. The Day. The sun was shining, probably because we didn´t have to wear armour, and the wind reminded us that we were in the windiest capital of the world. Most of us had to work but I escaped the treadmill and was thus free to live the moment. And I was not alone. I even had to line up to take pictures for the Embassy Theater, a new top sightseeing attraction. A seemingly touched Lord of the Rings-fan was forced to chase his cap down Courtenay Place, which was probably a remarkable experience in itself. As my evening garb was starting to look like a sailor´s work wear, I opted for going into the Embassy. The Theater was nicely decorated with huge golden Oscar statues, and of course posters and banners.
More and more people started arriving, most of them in formal dress. Only five people/creatures were in costume: three Hobbits, a Nazgûl and a famous director. I was relived at not having put on my full gala armour! People walked around, socialising in the foyer or watching L.A. footage inside. The Embassy had arranged live coverage of the Academy Awards, and I was one of those glued to the screen. Looking back, the hours passed far too quickly! Starting with the Red Carpet ceremony, and the Countdown, the atmosphere built up. Every time Keisha or one of the Lord of the Rings- cast and –crew was seen, the crowd cheered and clapped madly.
And then the Official Ceremony begun. We surely enjoyed the Lord of the Rings-spoofs, and even better – straight afterwards the Oscars started coming home! The Kiwi audience got more and more excited.
When I thought I wouldn´t mind, I was wrong. As the hour drew closer, I became more and more excited. By now I was pacing around the theater with my newly found friend Tony, who happens to look remarkably similar to Peter Jackson. Could we Kiwis secure our position on Top of the World?
And then (finally) Steven Spielberg stepped on stage, opened the envelope – and the rest is history. The audience begun screaming and whistling. Nearly everyone was on her or his feet by now – even the Prime minister of New Zealand who was also one of the invited party members. I actually cannot clearly remember the next half an hour but national television showed us dancing in the aisles. With huge Hobbit smiles. And fairly roundish eyes.
The audience slowly moved out to the foyer where our celebration began.. there were VIPs everywhere, and cameras and.. well, fellow Tolkienists were difficult to identify. This was Peter Jackson´s hour of triumph and anyway, I had given in to that already. I was introduced to a few people, surprisingly many of them American, and finally escaped to talk to one of the Hobbit extras.
With the noise slowly dying down, we finished giving TV and radio interviews and finally fled to the waterfront. What better way to finish this day then congratulating the magic crew itself?
Standing in front of the Chicago was a funny feeling: this is where the Red Carpet After Party in December 2003 was held. All of the outer decoration was removed by now, of course. But the bar itself was fully decorated, and loud music and cheering could be heard everywhere. This is where the crew of WETA Workshop and WETA Digital was still celebrating! And even after 6 hours of partying, people kept coming. We were mistaken for guests and treated quite nicely. We also managed to congratulate a few people, among them the armoursmith, the weapon maker and others. There were so many happy faces! Unfortunately, we were discovered and left with what was left of our dignity..
.. only to see footage of our arrival at the WETA party on late night news. Followed by pictures of The One Party in L.A. And so it was shown to the world that this was our day, too. We Ringers are everywhere!
Decipher & WETA Play Cards
Xoanon @ 10:33 pm EST
THE LORD OF THE RINGS™ TRADING CARD GAME TO FEATURE ORIGINAL IMAGES FROM WETA WORKSHOP THE AWARD-WINNING STUDIO THAT CREATED SPECIAL EFFECTS FOR THE FILM TRILOGY WILL DESIGN IMAGES OF CHARACTERS NOT YET SEEN EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE TCG (Norfolk, VAR12;March 8th, 2004) R12; Decipher announced today that Weta Workshop, the Academy Award-winning special effects studio responsible for creating many props and special effects used in New Line Cinema's The Lord of the Rings films, will create unique photographic images that will be featured on cards in The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game. Under the terms of their agreement, Weta Workshop will cast, costume and create character images that did not appear in the films for Decipher’s use in The Lord of the Rings TCG. Current plans for character designs include: Tom Bombadil, the enigmatic character who saved the Hobbits before they got to Bree in the first novel of the J.R.R. Tolkien epic; Goldberry, Tom Bombadil’s wife; Radagast, Gandalf’s wizard peer; Glorfindel, the original elf who took Frodo to Rivendell; and Elrohir and Elladan, sons of Elrond; among others. “We are extremely honored to have Weta involved in bringing these characters to life through our trading card game,” said Warren Holland, Decipher’s Chief Executive Officer. “Richard Taylor and his team in New Zealand have created some of the most outstanding special effects in the history of film. We are looking forward to the wonders that they will create for our game, further extending Middle-earth for TCG players, as well as J.R.R. Tolkien fans and collectors.” Richard Taylor, Director of Weta Workshop, said, “Weta Workshop is very excited about the challenge of creating these wonderful new characters for Decipher’s The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game. We wanted to create many of these characters for the films, but obviously the limitations of screen time prevented that from happening. These are characters the fans have been clamoring to see and now they can exclusively through Decipher’s game.” He continued, “Staying loyal to the words of J.R.R. Tolkien has been enormously important to us in everything that we have created for the film trilogy R12; and we intend to do the same with the images that we will create for Decipher.” The first four cards to feature Weta’s original images are bonus premium cards from The Countdown Collection: Tom Bombadil, Goldberry, Radagast, and Glorfindel. The Countdown Collection is a retail promotion that began in August; the promotion offers players and collectors the opportunity to earn 18 exclusive cards, a collector's binder designed to house the cards earned through the promotion, and the four bonus cards bearing Weta’s exclusive designs that will ship this spring. The next Weta original image cards will appear in the game in 2004. Creating almost every aspect of Middle-earth, Weta Workshop designed and produced over 1,200 hand-made suits of armor, 2,000 weapons, miniatures, and prosthetic feet and ears that helped create the authenticity manifested in the films. In addition, Weta Workshop was responsible for the creation of 12 major creatures, including such computer-generated characters as Gollum and Treebeard. About Decipher Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2003, Decipher Inc. — founded by Warren Holland — is a worldwide leader in the collectible card game industry and fan club industry. The company’s Trading Card Game Studio produces STAR TREK™, The Lord of the Rings™, .hack//ENEMY, and Beyblade trading card games. DecipherR17;s Fan Club Studio operates the official fan clubs for STAR TREK ™ and The Lord of the Rings™ which includes publishing official fan magazines and managing online stores. Decipher’s Roleplaying Games & Miniatures Studio is responsible for the creation of the STAR TREK ™ Roleplaying Game and The Lord of the Rings™ Roleplaying Game. Decipher’s Online Games Studio offers digital versions of its STAR TREK ™ and, soon, its The Lord of the Rings™ Trading Card Games. Decipher’s Games Studio produces leading party, card and board games such as How To Host A Murder®, How To Host A Teen Mystery™, Scratchees™ and more. Decipher’s Boy Crazy!™ Studio markets the popular Boy Crazy!™ brand for girls which includes a magazine, web site at boycrazy.com, and various publishing and licensing ventures. Visit decipher.com for additional information. ABOUT NEW LINE CINEMA Founded in 1967, New Line Cinema is among the entertainment industry’s leading independent producer and distributor of theatrical motion pictures. New Line licenses its films to ancillary markets including cable and broadcast television as well as to international venues. The company, which is a subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., operates several divisions including in-house theatrical distribution, marketing, home video, television, acquisition, production, licensing and merchandising units. More information about New Line Cinema can be obtained at www.newline.com.
ROTK DVD Chapters
Xoanon @ 10:14 pm EST
Jonee sends in the 60 chapters to be used in the ROTK Theatrical DVD. 1. The Finding of the Ring
2. Journey to the Crossroads
3. The Road to Isengard
4. Return to Edoras
5. Gollum's Villiany
6. The Palantir
7. Arwen's Vision
8. The Reforging of Narsil
9. Minas Tirith
10. The Deep Breath Before the Plunge
11. Minas Morgul
12. The Board is Set
13. Osgiliath Invaded
14. The Lighting of the Beacons
15. Theoden's Decision
16. The Fall of Osgiliath
17. The Stairs of Cirith Ungol
18. Allegiance to Denethor
19. The Parting of Sam and Frodo
20. The Sacrifice of Faramir
21. Marshalling at Durnharrow
22. Anduril - Flame of the West
23. Aragorn Takes the Paths of the Dead
24. No More Despair
25. Dwimorberg - The Haunted Mountain
26. The Muster of Rohan
27. The King of the Dead
28. The Siege of Gondor
29. Shelob's Lair
30. Grond - The Hammer of the Underworld
31. The Tomb of the Stewards
32. Breaking the Gate of Gondor
33. The Choices of Master Samwise
34. Denethor's Madness
35. The Ride of the Rohirrim
36. The Pyre of Denethor
37. The Battle of the Pelennor Fields
38. A Far Green Country
39. The Nazgul and His Prey
40. The Black Ships
41. Shieldmaiden of Rohan
42. Victory at Minas Tirith
43. The Passing of Theoden
44. Oaths Fulfilled
45. The Tower of Cirith Ungol
46. The Last Debate
47. The Land of Shadow
48. The Black Gate Opens
49. I Can't Carry It For You...But I Can Carry You
50. The Last Move
51. Mount Doom
52. The Eagles Are Coming!
53. The Crack of Doom
54. Sauron Defeated
55. The End of All Things
56. The Fellowship Reunited
57. The Return of the King
58. Homeward Bound
59. The Grey Havens
60. End Credits
Tolkien Reading Day
Xoanon @ 9:52 pm EST
25th March is "Tolkien Reading Day", this event launched last year is aimed at encouraging the use of Tolkien’s works in education, by getting schoolteachers and library staff to participate in reading Tolkien to their classes and in their libraries. Hence the circulation of this release to the media, educational press and county libraries. The popularity of Tolkien’s works was illustrated by a ‘clean sweep’ at the Oscars for Peter Jackson’s Return of the King as it gained 11 out of 11 nominations. Tolkien’s works encompass many themes, and can be used to illustrate or provide assessment subjects for study areas in current school curricula. 25th March has a significance to Tolkien’s readers, as it is the day of the Downfall of Sauron at the conclusion of the ‘War of the Ring’ in "The Lord of the Rings". For children and adults reading together is fun, and stimulates good conversation. You don't have to have read much of Tolkien’s work, all you need is to enjoy it. Libraries or schools wishing to hold an event are advised to contact the Society for free posters, bookmarks and help with publicising their event. This year also sees some related events: "TOLKIEN'S FIFTY YEARS" 22nd - 28th March To mark the beginning of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the publication of The Lord of the Rings, the Italian Tolkien Society and The Tolkien Society are promoting an international event Tolkien’s Fifty Years. This will take place in Brussels at the European Parliament and the Italian Cultural Institute. The event is a collaboration between 16 Tolkien societies, the European Parliament, the Presidency of the Italian Cabinet of Ministers, the Italian Ministries of Communication and of Culture, the New Zealand Ministry of Culture, the Embassy of New Zealand in Italy, Regione Lazio, the Italian Cultural Institute in Brussels, New Zealand Post, the International Film Festival of Flanders/Gand, Games Workshop-Italy, RAI SAT for Young People, Medusa Film and the publishing house Bompiani. The event will include a conference, readings from The Lord of the Rings, two concerts, a film marathon and the European premiere of the Canadian documentary The Legacy of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien-themed evening entertainments, an international exhibition of works of art inspired by The Lord of the Rings; an exhibitions of copies of the book in various languages such as English, Italian, Spanish, German, French, Turkish, Bulgarian, Russian, Slovakian, Slovenian, Norwegian, Dutch and Portuguese, sculptures and the complete series of stamps produced by New Zealand Post on the occasion of the release of Peter Jackson’s film trilogy. All this is Free of Charge details can be found on the event’s official website www.tolkien50years.com. New York Tolkien Society's "Ringbearers' Day" Aimed at older readers and so at the weekend, this event takes place on Saturday March 27th at Marymount Manhattan College. Although related to Tolkien Reading Day, Ringbearer’s Day is a celebration of the books Master metal smiths Joe Piela and Jenna Brocious of The Lonely Mountain Forge will be there, plus favorite readings, scholarly discussions, Elvish calligraphy lessons cooking, costume and trivia contests. Tickets can be purchased at the door, and admission is FREE for Heren Istarion members and Marymount students and faculty. To become a member, you can sign up at the door. The first 50 people who purchase tickets, or become members at the door will receive a free collectible "Gollum" poster, courtesy of New Line Cinema. Details of Tolkien 2005: The Ring Goes Ever On, the conference to mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Lord of the Rings in its entirety can be found at www.tolkiensociety.org/2005
Richard Taylor Talks Rings/Kong on 'TV Show'
Xoanon @ 9:28 pm EST
Ataahua writes: The New Zealand news magazine TV show, Sunday, had an interview with Weta's Richard Taylor just two days after the academy awards. Among the revelations were why Richard mentioned onstage at the Oscars the present he gave to his wife of the two live rats, who his favourite LOTR creature is, and why it is such a good thing to be a left-handed person in New Zealand. Richard: Yes I do think ultimately it is. When your name is called out (at the Academy Awards), you feel sick. The worst fear is tripping on the stairs, funnily enough, or falling off the edge of the bloody stage. Mark: So here you are, you've just one an Oscar, you go up on the stage and you thank all those people, and then you talk about giving rats to your wife. What was all that about? Richard: It isn't about the win if you like, it's about the 16 years of working career and the 22 years of relationship that I've been in that's allowed me to get to that point. That was important, that it touched Tania at a very personal level. And it has literally been since the day that she accepted a present from a spotty brace-faced 13-year-old boy that happened to knock on her front door, that had seen a photo of her in a boarding school and had travelled down on the bus, and accepted two live pet rats, that the bond was forged. At 15 we sat on a hay bail in a hay barn and discussed owning a workshop, and moved on from that point. She looks after the business side of Weta and it was an attempt to reach out and touch her in the audience and say, 'Cheers mate, good effort and thanks for coming along for the ride'. Mark: Are you over the Rings now? Have you had enough? Richard: Uh, yep. I have as much as Peter has new worlds in his mind. He's left Middle-earth. He's firmly jumped onto Skull Island and ready to hunt large apes, and I want to follow that road. So seven years of Lord of the Rings, it's a big chunk of career. At no point did it become unpleasant, that we didn't want to do it, but there's other stories to be told now. Hopefully one day The Hobbit may be one of those stories. Mark: (Voice over) The worlds being created by Weta Workshop go beyond Middle-earth. They made 1700 weapons for The Last Samurai, minature ships for Master and Commander, and work has begun on The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - being made here by a Kiwi, Andrew Adamson. And of course there's a 40,000 pound gorilla sitting on their back: a remake of one of cinema's great classics. We're allowed a quick look around Weta Workshop but there's only so much we're allowed to see because of Weta's next big project. [Here we saw an awesome, though small, marquet of King Kong, enraged, alongside a large branch.] (To Richard) It must be lots of fun doing this. Richard: Oh look, this is wild. We're possibly the luckiest people on the planet. We've got to make a hobby into a career and we haven't gathered technicians around us, we've gathered workmates around us: a bunch of people that just love making things and you ultimately couldn't hope for better than that. Mark: Why all the secrecy at the moment? Richard: Confidentiality is simple: for one the client has asked it but more importantly cinema should be a journey of discovery. I annoys me that so much is revealed in these stories when you should go to the cinema, sit in the dark and go on that journey, and everything should be exciting and new. Mark: Somewhere within the confines of Weta is a huge gorilla waiting to break out. Richard: Well, potentially... Mark: How are you going to do it? How are you going to make this gorilla look real? Richard: Well, that would be telling. Mark: Because it is quite amazing to the movie-goer. Some of the things you've made look real. I've had an eight-year-old boy ask me to ask you if the oliphaunts were real. So are they real? Richard: Well yeah, in our imagination of course. Mark: Are they real to you? Richard: Oh certainly real. If we can't visualise them as real breathing living creatures running around in our back yards, they'll never look real for the audience. Just because it's done in a computer, to me, doesn't make it any less real. They're still being created by these [indicates his hands] and by someone's intelligence. Therefore they're equally as magical. Mark: Do you have a favourite then.... Richard: Mmmm Mark: Out of all those creatures that you've created, who's your favourite? Richard: Lurtz, without question. I love the character that Lawrence Makaore played. The only way I can describe him is when you grow older there are no boogie monsters under the bed who are going to bite your ankles, there are no martians with phaser guns that are going to zap you in the dark. The only things that are scary in the real world is real humans, and into the Uruk-hai we tried to blend in very, very carefully a cross-section of what is the evil in humans: the rougish, bullyish characters that we come across occasionally in life. And Lawrence, with his incredible acting ability, wove that character into the menacing, maniacal character that is Lurtz, the mighty fighting Uruk-hai. And I think of all the characters, he pleases me the most. Mark: (Voice over) It's been a 20-year road trip for Richard Taylor and Peter Jackson, which has taken them to the top of tinsel town. They met on the set of an insurance commercial. Their first movies together were the Kiwi DIY splatter classics Meet the Feebles and Brain Dead. (To Richard) Do you ever miss the simplicity of those days? Richard: Yeah greatly, greatly; when I was on the workshop floor building the stuff myself all the time. I still get a little bit of hands-on but of course when you've got 158 technicians alongside you need to manage them and art-direct them. It overrides the ability to have that hands-on experience and there is delight in being in thick of it, making and creating. But you've resolved it in your mind that in turn we have a role that is different but no less enjoyable. We're seeing this incredible group of talented young individuals, most of them New Zealanders, get to weild their mighty talents and in turn create the wonders that we've seen on the screen. Mark: You see what concerns me is that you all seem so nice, you all thank the right people on the night, say the right things, but there's got to be some dirt there somewhere Richard. What are you hiding? There's got to be something. Richard: Um, hmmm, only under my fingernails. Mark: You and Peter: big fights? Richard: No. I might be corrected by someone in the long distant past of my working career but I believe I'm yet to raise my voice in the workshop after 15 years in business. I certainly don't believe I've ever sworn at anyone. I've only ever heard Peter use a swear word twice on set. Mark: Very last question, I promise you, but I was reading recently, at some times in Weta, 80% of the people that have worked for you have been left-handed. Richard: Mmm, that's correct. Mark: What's the story? Richard: Well, and a phenomenal percentage have been from rural parts of New Zealand, and a great percentage have been south of Christchurch! The creativity that we found from people who have grown up around the bottom part of the South Island is incredible. I look at the story of (New Zealander) Richard Pierce. So much is lost in the argument: 'Did Richard Pierce fly before or after the Wright Brothers?' Who really cares? The Wright Brothers flew because they were a well-funded aeronautically-minded, interacting with an aeronautic community, couple of guys. This farmer's son (Pierce) work up in the bottom of the South Island and decided one day he would build a plane, and he did. That's the true story of Richard Pierce and that's the true story of New Zealand.
Reporter Mark Chrysel: (voice-over) All-conquering Weta Workshop is back on the job, knee-deep in a giant gorilla and a lion you can ride on. (To Taylor) Is that (the Academy Awards) the pinacle? Is it the end for Lord of the Rings?
| 3-07-04 Latest News |
ROTK DVD Press Release
Xoanon @ 9:51 pm EST
WITH A RECORD BREAKING ACADEMY AWARDS® SWEEP THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING MAKES ITS DVD DEBUT ON MAY 25 Two-Disc Theatrical Version of the Award-Winning Conclusion to THE LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy Takes Home Video Bow Prior to the Planned Holiday 2004 Release of Special Extended Edition LOS ANGELES, CA (March 8, 2004) – The King makes his return in filmmaker Peter Jackson’s stunning conclusion to The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, arriving on DVD and VHS on May 25, 2004. The home video debut of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King will follow the groundbreaking success of the multi-tiered platform releases of both The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, and will be available on a two-disc DVD and VHS for $29.95 and $24.97, respectively. A special extended edition of The Return of the King will follow as planned in time for the holidays. Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic adventure of good versus evil, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King will be released separately in both widescreen and fullscreen versions, each including a second disc offering hours of additional content. Disc Two will feature behind-the-scenes specials, featurettes, theatrical trailers, TV spots, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy supertrailer, a preview of the upcoming The Lord of the Rings based video game from Electronic Arts and a link to exclusive online content about the motion picture trilogy. “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the crowning glory of a truly unparalleled filmmaking achievement,” said Stephen Einhorn, president and chief operating officer of New Line Home Entertainment. “The two-DVD edition includes the award-winning theatrical epic as well as hours of behind-the-scenes bonus materials.” With current domestic and worldwide box office receipts at more than $364.1 million and $1 billion and rising, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the most successful box office film of the trilogy. Arriving on 7,205 North American screens and 7,403 screens in 28 territories internationally on December 17, 2003, The Return of the King set numerous box office records, achieving the all-time biggest openings in the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Scandinavia, Spain, Switzerland and New Zealand. A global phenomenon, The Return of the King smashed the international five-day box office record, earning more than $250 million during its opening weekend. The film, moreover, currently ranks as the second highest-grossing worldwide theatrical release of all time, becoming the second film ever to earn more than $1 billion and the first to hit this mark in only ten weeks. Domestically, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King set box office records for the biggest December opening ($72.6 million, Friday-Sunday) and the highest Wednesday opening ($34.5 million) of all time. In addition, it took in $100 million in just four days, $200 million in 11 days and broke the $300 million barrier in just 24 days. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King currently ranks sixth on the list of all-time biggest domestic motion picture box office hits. After appearing on over 270 national critics’ year-end top ten lists –occupying the number one spot on nearly 100 of them, including Time, Entertainment Weekly, The Wall Street Journal and New York Daily News – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King swept the 76th Annual Academy Awards®, winning every one of the 11 categories in which it was nominated:
In January, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was honored with four Golden Globe Awards from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, also winning each category in which it was nominated:
The Return of the King also enjoyed recognition from many additional awards organizations and guilds, including Best Picture of the Year from the Producer’s Guild of America, the New York Film Critics Circle, the Washington D.C. Film Critics, the Southeastern Film Critics Association and the Ninth Annual Critics’ Choice Awards. The Critics’ Choice Awards also honored The Return of the King with awards for Best Director, Ensemble Cast and Original Score (Howard Shore). Peter Jackson was named Best Director by the Directors Guild of America, San Francisco Film Critics Circle, Toronto Film Critics Association, Washington, D.C. Film Critics, San Diego Film Critics, and the Southeastern Film Critics Association; and the Screen Actors Guild and The National Board of Review honored the film with the award for Best Acting by an Ensemble. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King also received four awards from the British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA), including Best Film.
Billy Crystal's 'Favorite Rings'
Xoanon @ 9:24 pm EST
Athena writes: If you guys missed Billy Crystal's opening number (he sang about Each of the 5 nom'd pics for best Pic) I have compiled a transcript of his Song, based upon the the Sound of Music Song "Favorite Things": Hobbits with feet big and hairy and smelly Frodo and Sam on a mystical planet Lithium, sake, some pills and peyote Peter Jackson made this trio.
More epic battles than Gest and Minelli
Ian and Viggo, a Queen and some Kings
this is the gang in the Lord of the Rings
then Smeagol pops out like the right boob of Janet
Britney and JLo brought both of their flings
They thought it was called "The Return of the Rings"
Moonshine and britlan from Truman Capote
JRR Tolkien was taking these things
when he conceived of the Lord of the Rings
He sure got it right.
I loved every frame of The Lord of the Rings.
So I downloaded it Last Night.
All Night
It took all night!
It's so damn long!
| 3-05-04 Latest News |
SHOP: T-Shirt Update
Celeborn @ 6:19 pm EST
First, thank you to all the fans for your support and interest in our tshirts. We never guessed how popular they would be and sold out ALL of our on-hand stock the very first day they were available. We counted orders and requested more from the printer and they arrived the day most of the staff was leaving for the One Party. As a result we are way behind in our shipping but we are working like mad to catch up. If you ordered a shirt it will ship as soon as humanly possible. If anybody can't wait and needs a refund, we can arrange for that anytime. We have the "Don't make me get my ring" shirts in stock but we don't want to sell them until we catch up with our other orders, so hang on just a little longer and they will be available. We are considering doing a pre-order for shirts sized 3x-6X so email us at Tshirts@TheOneRing.net and let us know if you would definitely buy one. Other styles will become available as demand warrents it, possibly including shirts from "The Return of the One Party."
Astin Attends Los Angeles Comic/Sci Fi Con
Xoanon @ 5:08 pm EST
The folks from comicbookscifi.com write: I thought that your audience might be interested in knowing that Sean Astin will be making a personal appearance and that you might want to mention this news on your site. Sean Astin will appear on stage at the March 14, 2004 Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention. Sean will appear at 12:00 P.M. to discuss his work on The Lord of the Rings films, as well as take questions from the audience. There will also be a two hour autograph session with Sean. The Convention takes place at the Shrine Auditortium Expo Center, 700 West 32nd Street, in Los Angeles. For more information you can check the website at www.comicbookscifi.com
EW Talks TORN Oscar Party
Xoanon @ 4:27 pm EST
Arwen writes: There is a MAJOR mention of Return Of The One Party in Entertainment Weekly's coverage of the Oscars (March 12 issue). Here is the excerpt: "We doubt the sentiment bothered Peter Jackson and his ain true love, partner Fran Walsh, who hit the party circuit with three Oscars each (his for directing, producing and writing, hers for producing, writing and cocreating that little ditty Sir Elton so disliked)*. First stop after the Governors Ball was not the New Line party but the 1,200-person fete thrown by fansite TheOneRing.net, where revelers dressed as elves, wizards, and the Dark Lord Sauron treated Jackson and his Ringers like Middle-earth rock stars. Hyped by a hip-hop group that dubbed itself the Lords of the Rhymes and fueled by munchies like Fields of Rohan Corn Hash and Dwarf Lord's Prime Rib of Beef, the throng got so enthusiastic and pushy that one woman fainted and had to be escorted out. Surprinsingly, the fire marshals never shut the party down (unlike the INSTYLE gathering, which they closed temporarily - but then again, that party probably didn't have 24 Oscar statuettes in one room). "One of the things that really motivated us was that we were absolutely terrified of letting all you guys down", bellowed Jackson from the stage. "We had to do it right, otherwise we'd be starring in Mel Gibson's latest film at the moment", he said, throwing out his arms in mock crucifixion. The crowd, many of whom were already sporting buttons touting King's Best Picture win, whooped delightedly before asking Wood and his hobbit friends whether they wore boxers or briefs. Across town, folks at the New Line "celebration" continued their own arduous journey. Sad that the Rings studio would suffer such a party foul on its big night: The evening started off shakily when the local ABC station couldn't be tuned in for nearly an hour, so guests were forced to watch One Tree Hill while the winners were periodically announced over a loudspeaker. As for the after-party, the champagne ran out -and so did many of the 500-plus attendees- long before Jackson and Co. (after braving a TV interview phalanx) arrived around 1:30am. "I wanted to say thanks to all of our fans, because they've always had a great relationship with us", Jackson said in explaining his OneRing favoritism. * this refers to an Elton John's quote in which he stated that "the worst song of the night won"...