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April 30, 2001 - May 08, 2001

5-08-01

TORN B-Day Contest Continues!
Xoanon @ 10:30 am EST
Yesterday's answers:

Tehanu's name comes from the novel of the same name by Ursula K. LeGuin.

Xoanan's name, is from a character in the Dr. Who series.

Calisuri hails from State College, PA, and Corvar from Milwaukee, WI.

And the winner is....drum roll please......

WonderBroad!!

Today's trivia question:

a.b.c.
Can you name these three men?

1. a. Xoanon b. Corvar c. Calisuri
2. a. Calisuri b. Xoanon c. Corvar
3. a. Corvar b. Calisuri c. Xoanon
4. a. Brad Pitt b. Robert Redford c. Benjamin Bratt
5. a. Tehanu b. Jincey c. Quickbeam

Make sure you send your answers to tornbday@theonering.net (no others will be accepted). And no TORN staffers can play! That's cheating! Naughty!!

5-07-01

Cate Blanchett talks LOTR Prt. 1
Xoanon @ 3:20 pm EST
The May issue of 'French Primere' Magazine had a small tidbit on LOTR when they had an interview with Cate Blanchett (Galadriel).

Unfortunately, (Cate) was not allowed to tell us much about her month long adventure in New Zealand filming 'Lord of the Rings'. Due to her loyalty to the production, as well as a clause in her contract forbidding her to do so.

'There are so many creatures in LOTR, due to Tolkiens wild imagination, that speak a number of languages. Galadriel, speaks the language of the Elves, and we found many ways to get that in the film, we made it seem very natural'

Cate Blanchett talks LOTR Prt. 2
Xoanon @ 3:09 pm EST
From: Ghost of Deagol

In today's edition of the movie program "Bogart" on Danish television, they started by announcing a look at Cate Blanchett's career + an interview. Of course that got my attention, and thus I put away the remote hoping for some LoTR stuff. And although brief, it was there!

During the interview she said the following (I think I got most of it):

- Cate expressed her facination with the technical side of the production, namely the CGI stuff. She has seen a few examples of it and said that it looks really amazing.

- She talked about Peter Jackson as a director, and the fact that he is not a "slave to the books". These movies will be HIS vision (as if we didn't know that!).

- Quote: "Since the books are so well-known, the movies must have a life on their own. They offer a new take on the tale".

The host of the program ended the show saying: "Right after Cannes we'll take a closer look at The Lord of the Rings". And that, Cate, will be your shining hour! (Get your VCRs ready, fellow Danes!)

Whining and dining on Oysters Kilpatrick.
Tehanu @ 6:15 am EST
This came in thanks to Tiggy, who saw it in the Wellington paper" The Dominion."

A jolly and very loud hobbit, Frodo, was overheard, by a surely overpaid Diary spy in Oriental Bay's exclusive White House restaurant, complaining about production difficulties and a promotion for LOTR which had brought him, Viggo Mortensen and others back to Wellington. The interest for our spy was how anyone could be in a complaining frame of mind while dining on the restaurant's Oysters Kilpatrick."

(Well, a twelve-hour flight would do it to me - T)

5-06-01

TRAILER 2: New Confirmation?
Xoanon @ 12:22 pm EST
I just recieved this from somone inside the Disney camp.

It is CONFIRMED that the FOTR trailer (Teaser Trailer #2, in our parlance) will be with Pearl Harbor.

But here's the catch: juct because the teaser is going out with the film, doesn't mean you will see it. It is one of MANY trailers (from several studios) to go out in the cans of PH.

It is up the the individual theatres which trailers they want to show. So, if fans go to the theatre come May 25 to see the trailer with PH, know that they may not see it. They (the theatre managers) will have the trailer somewhere, whether it's just sitting around, or showing with another film in the multiplex.

And another story from our very own TORN Messageboards

From: Goeth-Helm

Last night my girlfriend and I attended the local multiplex to watch 'The Mummy Returns', a fun thrill ride of a movie. Upon entering the first thing I saw was the concession stand (of course). Then a 12' X 20' poster for 'Shrek'. And then there it was… in a large free-standing display case, 3.5' wide X 6' high, was Frodo, looking me in the eye, almost asking that I take the ring from him. I got a chill form it. My girlfriend pulled me away saying that we need to get a seat before they're all taken.

For each preview I waited with anticipation that by some freak chance the next one would be THE TRAILER, but to my dismay I had no such luck. So after the movie I sought out one of the managers and asked if he could tell me which movie they were showing THE TRAILER with. The first manager I asked directed me to a second saying that he was in charge of such matters for the entire theater. Talk about "the man in the know".

When I asked him my question he said "New Line has pulled the trailer for a few weeks and will be getting a new one at that time… right around when Pearl Harbor comes out", he did not clarify if it would be showen with pearl or not and I did not ask. Well that set us into a short chat about CGI's and how he thought that the LOTR CGI's are going to be something we've not seen before and that WETA has some cutting edge stuff. He then recommended that we go see the Mummy Returns not knowing that we had just come from there.

Hmm...seems like my prediction MAY ring true, we may be seeing a NEW FOTR trailer within the next two weeks!

5-04-01

NEW FOTR Trailer Coming Soon?! -UPDATED-
Xoanon @ 3:06 pm EST
Ringer Spy SS sends along a very interesting report about what he/she saw in the NEW 'Fellowship of the Ring' tralier that has apparently only been complete as of yesterday!

SS says that the trailer is due out in theatres (and hopefully online) within a few weeks! Now, if this story holds any beans, which I'm working on getting confirmed as we speak, my guess is Pearl Harbor. I'll let SS tell you the rest!

More info below!

Some highlights of the trailer:

A lot of flashing text that describes the Ring and its powers (obviously intended for those who never read the books... things like "The ring brings evil to whever possesses it.. etc).

Gandalf enters Frodo's home in the night, panicking

Brief glimpse of the council at Elrond's house

Boromir shouting that "We should use the ring's power to help us!"

Shot of the Companions on a boat, in a murky river

Shot of the Black Riders racing to the (gap at Rohan?)

Overall, it was a *very* dark trailer. There were many shots of Gandalf depicted as a hard-edged, panicky and scrawny man. Not the wize, white-bearded wizard I always imagined him to be. And the companions in general look to be very grim and heavy-hearted.

Well well, seems an interesting take on the first tale of 3, perhaps this is the 'adventure' trailer, and we'll be seeing the 'drama' version come out a few months down the line. You can see different versions of trailers for the same film, it's not new. Well, I'm waiting on bated breath like the rest of you for confirmation. In the meantime rip this story apart below!

UPDATE

Ringer Spy SS sent along some additional info on the trailer:

The trailer is already done. All they needed was the music for the first part of the piece. So New Line hired Michael Giacchino to compose the score. The last part of the trailer, they licensed one of the songs from Hans Zimmer's "The Power of One".

The score was recorded at Frank Jones's studio in Calabassas, CA. I believe the conductor was Tim Hirschwin.

Additional spoiler warning, highlight to read:

There was a part I don't remember in the book. There was a part when the companions were gathered in a circle. Perhaps they were in the Mines of Moria and they stared up because they heard a whisper "MY PRECIOUSSSSS"

A couple of the guys who watched laughed and said "Gollum?" but i dont remember that being in the book,I am betting it was in the mines... the whisper was loud with an echo.

More info:

This comes by way of an insider in the Pearl Harbor camp.

I have it on good authority that there will NOT be a LOTR trailer in front of Pearl Harbor. However, this is not 100% set in stone.

TORN Message Board: NEW FOTR Trailer Coming Soon?!

5-03-01

Media Watch: Variety talks LOTR
Xoanon @ 4:36 pm EST
Ringer Spy Pegeen sends along all the latest from 'Variety Magazine'.

In the new "Variety" (April 30-May 6) several pages comment on the Cannes Film Festival Activities and LOTR is a major hit.

Starting on pg. 9 with a special report by Adam Dawtrey concerning parties given by " New Line ", "vast three day media junket for LOTR which includes screening of 20 minutes of film footage and climaxes May 13 in a party for 1,000 at a top secret chateau location."

Also the article continues on page 82 with a short sub-heading ('Ring'-ing endorsement). The entire cast, minus Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), who's filming, and PJ will be part of a special gathering as "New Line" flies in "plane-loads of journalists from around the world to meet them."

Double Page ad from "New Line" touting the LOTR along with other 2001 films they are handling is on pg.12-13. This is normal for Cannes publicity. I am looking forward to photos and stories that will be generated by this next week's activiites.

Confirmation: We are looking at Ringwraiths
Calisuri @ 1:09 pm EST
Beau from Fingolfin.com has sent us confirmation!

The Image has been removed. More info coming soon.

----

Beau from Fingolfin.com here. I would also like to add something to the analysis of the new Nazgul picture. I can, in fact, confirm that these are Ringwraiths. I agree this is how they will appear at the confrontation at Weathertop.

I know this because I have seen exactly what the Witch-king looks like. Last February, I attended the Sideshow/Weta showroom at the New York Toyfair. They had MANY examples of their entire line. We were shown the bust of the Witch-king. He basically looked like the two Nazgul in the shot, only cooler and meaner. To the best of my memory, he had the pale, wrinkled skin, his eye sockets were sunken in with no visible eyes, his hair was long and white, and his crown had a least four spikes on top, similar to the Nazgul in the picture, only the spikes on his crown were much taller. Trust me, I saw almost all of the Sideshow/Weta designs (except Gollum and the Balrog, of course!) and the one of the Witch-king was by far what surprised and impressed me the most.

Here is the link to the article I posted on February 16 about the Sideshow/Weta exhibit and the Witch-king bust...

http://www.fingolfin.com/SSWReview.htm

----

Thanks Beau!

Further Analysis of the Latest Image
Calisuri @ 11:22 am EST
The Image has been removed. More info coming soon.

Image from Elostirion.com

Ringer Grond sends in this well thought out analysis of the above image:

I think your first explanation must be correct. These could be the dead men of Dunharrow, but I have my doubts. Firstly the crowns and rings would have been appropriate for Nazgul as they were all kings and they all had one of the nine. Not all of the men of Dunharrow were kings, though this in and of itself doesn't disprove the theory as they probably had at least two.

I would offer a theory of my own. I feel that these are the Nazgul as Frodo saw them on Weathertop. While he wore the ring he could see them "in the flesh" as opposed to the rest of the world that only saw negative space clothed in robes.

When Frodo put on the ring he entered their world of shadows and became aware of them. They also gained a larger measure of power over him.

Shortly after the fight, Frodo asks about the "Pale King" that stabbed him. (I don't have the work in front of me or I'd quote, sorry) This of course being the Witch-King, but seen as his old self only twisted by centuries of wearing one of the Nine. This theory might also explain the lighting.

These are very compelling images of what the Nazgul might look like in a physical form to my mind. I could of course be dead wrong, but we'll have to wait and see.

5-02-01

And the other hobbit is...
Calisuri @ 4:33 pm EST

See any similarities? We sort of do! Could this other Hobbit be Geoffrey Hughes?

Ringer fan Dave sends us this info:

A recent development identified Timothy Bartlett as the hobbit on the left. As for the hobbit on the right, his face has been haunting me for a while. I'm not certain but he reminds me of an actor who I've seen in many a UK TC program. I can't give you a name but I can tell you what he's been in.

Going back a bit he was in Coronation St as Hilda Ogden's lodger Eddy Yates (I think).

Then he was in Keeping Up Appearances as the brother in law of Mrs Bucket (pronounce Bouquet).

Most recently he's been seen as Vernon Scripps in Heartbeat, general entrepreneur and brother of local garage owner and undertaker Bernie Scripps.

After much searching while writing this email I've just found his name, which is Geoffrey Hughes.

See the following link to the Heartbeat cast for a picture to compare. The character your looking for is Vernon Scripps.

http://www.ndirect.co.uk/~paulhawkins/charpics.htm

Thanks Dave for the heads up and we'll get back to everyone with confirmation as soon as possible!

4-30-01

Hobbits! Super-Spy Ciggy Returns
Calisuri @ 12:22 pm EST
Well, images seem to be popping up all over the place! And guess who decided to check in again? Super-Spy Ciggy! Check out these two exclusive images of hobbits.

\[ Click for Larger Version \]\[ Click for Larger Version \]

The first image looks to be just some random hobbits hanging out, possibly at Bilbo's birthday party.

Our guess is that the second image is of Farmer Maggot.

Thanks Ciggy for the great pics!


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