No baccy ban for lord of the smoke rings

Hobbits and wizards will not succumb to political correctness in The Lord Of The Rings films - they'll be smoking up a storm. [More]

I looked through all the newspaper web pages for a digital of this article but zip-o so guess this shot will have to do.

Glad to have been some help, oh, VERY sunny, clear, mild temps and no wind at Poolburn today.

Cheers
Roger

While I tend to think the paper managed to snap a pic of the back of the set, it still lets us have a good look at what it may be. Any ideas?

These photos were taken last Saturday from the carpark across from the quarry. [More]

Another article has appeared, this time in "The Lakes District and Central Otago News" on Friday October 6th. It doesn't have any pictures but a transcript follows. [More]

I liked it a lot, I must say! Even though he barely mentioned Gandalf, he reinforced my impression that the role has gone to a person who is a most intelligent, civilised, and thoughtful human being as well as an inspiring actor.

"Craig Parker (Haldir) gets the spotlight on him in this month's issue of Metro, one of Auckland's leading glossy mags for people with spare brain cells. Great pictures of the ex-Shortland St. actor who's headed for world fame with the role of Haldir in 'The Lord of the Rings.' We've heard rumours that the role is expanded a bit from what Tolkien wrote.

Metro's article only mentions LOTR in passing, but gives us an idea of the range of Parker's talent. As well as working in LOTR, he's doing a part in a splatter movie called 'No One Can Hear You' and he's appearing in a stage play about Oscar Wilde's later years called 'The Judas Kiss.' His comment on the acting life:

"Drinking coffee is kinda my major hobby....the great benefit of being an actor is you have all this spare time. My ideal is just hanging out with people - I think I'm innately lazy"

A picture of the whole Amon Hen structure is over at Scoop

The webmaster at RNZ says: "Occasionally <.5% users experience problems due to javascript client engine problems integration with the Real Player. This is true for Apple and Linux. I have consulted with US experts and there is nothing I can really do to fix this.

It is also important that all visitors to the site already have Real PLayer installed. While there are links available to download and install the player - this site uses Real Player and autostarts immediately site is loaded so if the plugins are not installed the user will get an error message.

Real Networks will not allow plugins to autoinstall as they want to get people to load the entire application."

Don't mean to sound like a sales blurb, but you can download that here

Ringer Spy DocDanz sends in the latest word on a possible new set on the South Island, with a promise to get more news later! [More]

I bought the french Lucasfilm Magazine. There was a teasing cover promising exclusive interview with Christopher Lee. The baseline reads "calls to the force in episode 2, and throws a spell upon Lord of the rings". [More]

Not all of Tolkien's creatures are as outlandish as Gollum or Treebeard or the cave troll. Horses are dear to his heart - even the Ringwraith steeds... [More]

My new Out on a Limb feature, "The 2000 Vote: Gandalf or Saruman," had only one modest goal: to blast some fresh air into the way we look at the election process. It has since caused a firestorm of angry readers demanding my head on a plate. Love it or hate it, come see what all the fuss is about over in Green Books.

This piece does not indicate the political leanings of TheOneRing.net, which has its roots in Canada and New Zealand and couldn't care less about American politicking.

Hastily,

Quickbeam

Visit the FilmFax Magazine Website here.

It’s not officially autumn until you’ve stuck your nose in a book. So open up Green Books and enjoy our new features. You’ll find all this more:

• Time to vote for a new President... will it be Gandalf or Saruman? Go Out on a Limb with me for a satirical look at American politics, Tolkien style.
• You ask, we tell. We have new Questions & Answers:

1. Why is 13 an unlucky number in Middle-earth?
2. How did Gandalf conceal Narya?
3. What’s the origin of the word "Gollum"?
4. Why did Aragorn dismiss the Army of the Dead?

All these and more can be found here.

• The remarkable Terry Pratchett (Discworld, Good Omens) pays Tribute to the wonder of Tolkien.
• Laugh out loud at our new song parodies over at Moon Letters! And of course there’s essays... and poetry... and fiction...
• Look for new updates in red to previous Q&A articles.

Next month we provide a special Hallowe’en edition of Green Books that’s going to be full of surprises (and ghosts). Join us as we explore the WORDS and WORLD of Tolkien.

Much too hasty,

Quickbeam