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February 11, 2002 - February 17, 2002

News for Feb. 17, 2002

Media Watch: Big Hit Magazine

2/17/02, 11:57 pm EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy Artemis sends along these scans of the LOTR cast doing the meet and greet tour around the world. [More]

Extra Slams The Sting In The Ring

2/17/02, 11:16 pm EST - Xoanon

A former army sergent who was one of 300 military extras in LOTR has slammed their treatment, saying the volunteers were exploited. [More]

Any other volunteers who disagree? write us!

From Hobbits To Zombies

2/17/02, 10:47 pm EST - Xoanon

Ataahua writes: This is an article from yesterday's Sunday Star-Times (17 February). It made me laugh because half of the story is a direct quote from TORN and I'm pretty sure that the item appeared on this website more than a month ago! [More]

Live In Sydney? Wanna Meet Jim Rygiel?

2/17/02, 10:40 pm EST - Xoanon

endorwitch sends in word on where, when and how you can meet special effects supervisor Jim Rygiel next week in Sydney! [More]

Decipher LOTR Fanclub Mailing Update

2/17/02, 3:44 pm EST - Jincey

We've all been anxiously awaiting the official Decipher [Lord of the Rings Fan Club] Membership Portfolios and Decipher sent some information about the delay. [More]

Is It In?

2/17/02, 3:34 pm EST - Xoanon

Mormegil writes: There is an interview with Orlando Bloom in a German magazine "Bravo" where he apparently says that (Highlight to read) in ROTK the Hobbits return to find Saruman in charge of their home. !Spoilers! [More]

Media Watch: The UK Observer

2/17/02, 3:20 pm EST - Xoanon

An Oscar-nominee for his portrayal of Gandalf, happily in love and looking forward to a stint on US TV, Ian McKellen has achieved a perfect balance of personal and professional contentment (by Euan Ferguson) [More]

All Orlando, All The Time

2/17/02, 2:48 pm EST - Xoanon

Hedwig writes: There was an article in The Times Magazine's British Fashion Special February 16th citing Orlando Bloom as a future 'Style icon for British men'. [More]


(YAWN...*looks around*..what's for breakfast? -Xo)

From Sheffield To Middle-Earth

2/17/02, 2:38 pm EST - Xoanon

Call me crazy but when I walked into the room to interview Sean Bean, I expected to find a serious, imposing man sitting in front of me. Obviously, I've been brainwashed by his convincing baddie roles in box office blockbusters like 'Patriot Games' and 'GoldenEye.' I could not have been further off the mark. [More]

Media Watch: Entertainment Weekly

2/17/02, 2:32 pm EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy Treebeard sends along these scans from the February 22nd issue of Entertainment Weekly. [More]

News for Feb. 16, 2002

TTT: PJ Makes A Noise! -UPDATED-

2/16/02, 4:57 pm EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy Basil sends us these pics from the cricket match that will eventually be used in TTT as battle noises! Take a listen...er...look! [More]

Just WHEN Will The LOTR:FOTR DVD Be Released?

2/16/02, 4:40 pm EST - Xoanon

anonymous writes: At a licensees meeting at Toy Fair last Sunday, New Line's execs revealed... [More]

'Lord of the Rings' Is Big Nominee for This Year's Oscars

2/16/02, 4:32 pm EST - Xoanon

A three-hour epic about elves, dwarfs, wizards and small, hairy-footed hobbits that is just the first chapter in a trilogy of films dominated the 74th annual Academy Award nominations this morning, coming away with 13. [More]

Media Watch: Marie-Claire Magazine -UPDATED-

2/16/02, 4:25 pm EST - Xoanon

Albertine writes: There is a two-page article on Sean Bean (Boromir) in the March issue of "Marie-Claire" (UK edition). It focuses mainly on the actor himself.


You can check out the article right here! [More]

Another 'Signlanguage' Report

2/16/02, 4:15 pm EST - Xoanon

Tony sends along his account from the Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) exhibit 'Signlanguage', take a look! [More]

Seattle Thanks TORN

2/16/02, 3:57 pm EST - Xoanon

Aragorn sent us this very nice thank you email, along with a few new pics from line party in Seattle, the host city for this years BARLIBASH. Take a look and read Aragorn's email. [More]

Hall Of Fire Chats For February 16th & 17th

2/16/02, 1:40 pm EST - Strider

This weekend, the Hall of Fire crew want to get your reaction on the Academy Awards and how The Fellowship of the Ring will fare when it comes to Oscar night. Peter Jackson commented on the level of believability and credibility Sir Ian McKellen gave to the role of Gandalf...will it be enough to give him the Best Supporting nod? And what about PJ himself, will his debut at the Oscars be greeted with success? And what about Moulin Rouge and A Beautiful Mind, will Fellowship of the Ring be able to see off their claim to the golden statue? [More]

Lord of the Gambles

2/16/02, 1:32 pm EST - Strider

Anduneglin sends in this series of scans from the Californian 'Easy Reader' newspaper on the gamble involved in making the Lord of the Rings trilogy. [More]

FOTR Japanese Ticket Prices

2/16/02, 12:13 pm EST - Strider

Ryan writes: Here in Yamagata, half-way between Hokkaido and Tokyo, it's 1,300 yen for an advanced ticket, but you can buy a "pair" ticket for 2,400 yen. Here's a scan of the one I bought for my fiance and I. As far as same day tickets, they are only 1,700 yen here, not 2,100. Just thought you might be interested. [More]

Spy Report From TT Sound Test At NZ Cricket Match

2/16/02, 11:20 am EST - Strider

Wonder what exactly they were recording for The Two Towers at the recent cricket match between New Zealand and England in Wellington? Well, Rongotai was there and recounts all! [More]

Oscar Shines and Britney Dazzles This Week

2/16/02, 11:12 am EST - Strider

llyn sends in this mail received from the Moviefone mailing list: The nominees are out, and Lord of the Rings rules with a shot at 13 Oscar statuettes. Check out photos, clips and juicy gossip on all the top nominees, but don't leave the voting to the "experts"! Think Harry Potter got snubbed by the Academy? Real moviegoers picked it as a finalist in the American Moviegoer Awards. Now's your chance to vote on your favorite movies and performances of 2001. [More]

Bruce Wilis Long Time Fan Of LOTR

2/16/02, 10:59 am EST - Strider

Podo Loamsdown writes: They were interviewing Bruce Willis and asking him who he was pulling for in the upcoming Oscars... He said, and I quote: "I've been a long time fan of Lord of the Rings, and I think Peter Jackson did a wonderful job with the movie."

Chicago Sun-Times Poll A Bit...Iffy

2/16/02, 10:55 am EST - Strider

A lot (and I do mean a lot) of people have been mailing in complaining that the numbers for FotR candidates in Chicago Sun-Times Oscar poll have been changed over the last two days losing roughly 6000 votes in places. I e-mailed one of the webmasters who wrote 'I've been checking the poll daily, and I haven't noticed the raw numbers going down, although the percentages have changed'. Still, a lot of people are complaining about the loss of thousands of votes..

Toy Fair 2002 Day Two Report

2/16/02, 10:33 am EST - Strider

Does the idea of a 14" Treebeard figure with light up eyes and five action phrases wet your figure-collecting appetite? How about a Gil Galad & Elendil double pack? Well then check out IGN's report from the Toy Fair 2002. [More]

IGN FilmForce's Oscar Picks

2/16/02, 10:27 am EST - Strider

The IGN FilmForce staff have made their picks for the Oscars and while they aren't in total agreement, Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor may be coming New Line's way. [More]

The Decipher World Cup 2002

2/16/02, 10:23 am EST - Strider

Want to earn a spot on your national team for The Lord of the Rings TCG? Now is the time, and now is your chance! Decipher announces a new tournament program this year, the World Cup of Lord of the Rings TCG! [More]

News for Feb. 15, 2002

FOTR Oscar Nomination Commercial

2/15/02, 7:56 pm EST - Strider

A lot of people have been writing in about the very cool new Oscar commercial for Fellowship of the Ring that's now playing on TV...well PRH was kind enough to send in a copy of it for all Ringers to check out in Quicktime format at a compact 1MB! [Mirror 1] [Mirror 2] [Mirror 3] [Mirror 4]

Bob The Lord Of The Lord Of The Rings Figurines

2/15/02, 7:33 pm EST - Strider

Chris writes: Has anyone alerted you guys yet to the subject of this week's "Tom the Dancing Bug" comic strip? The title of this installment is "Bob of the Lord of the Lord of the Rings Figurines." Funny! (And also something a lot of Ringers out there can relate to - S) [More]

Jackson Takes Rings To The Screen The Right Way

2/15/02, 7:23 pm EST - Strider

Wizardlex sends word that the Hollywood Reporter of a fantastic interview between themselves and Peter Jackson, as PJ recounts the amount of hard working he and his cohorts invested into getting the LotR Trilogy going even before the picture started as they searched for a suitable studio that would make LotR 'the right way'. [More]

Steve Brown Does Gollum On Key Life

2/15/02, 7:13 pm EST - Strider

Tom Pipeweed Whillaby writes: Heard a great radio segment yesterday. Steve Brown, nationally syndicated host of the Key Life show, heaped kudos on FOTR and Tolkien. Brown then went on to read a passage from ROTK, in Gollum's character! Excellent stuff. It's always good to hear another fan on a rave! Click on the link below, and listen to the Thursday, February 14th show. The FOTR commentary begins around the 5:00 minute mark. [More]

LOTR Valentine's Day Box Office

2/15/02, 7:09 pm EST - Strider

Brandon Gray
Boxofficemojo.com

"The Lord of the Rings" wasn't the favorite date movie on Valentine's Day as it fell back down to No. 8, and the teen melodrama "A Walk to Remember" jumped up from No. 11 to No. 4 on a 280% increase. "Rings" was no slouch, though. It enjoyed a 75% bump-up on Thursday to $638,000. lifting its 58-day total to $272.934 million. [More]

Two Towers Footage On Access Hollywood?

2/15/02, 5:50 pm EST - Strider

Pelvidar writes: A co-worker came in today and informed me that while he was on the phone last night he saw Peter Jackson on Access Hollywood and they were showing footage of The Two Towers that was going to appear at the end of Fellowship Of The Ring once they replace that last reel. [More]

Peter Jackson Wins Cinemarati Best Director Award

2/15/02, 5:33 pm EST - Strider

Jonathan sends in good news: Peter Jackson has picked up the Cinemarati Award for Best Film Director! In these awards, each nominee has gone head-to-head with another nominee in three prior rounds of voting. The winners indicated were selected from the final two "survivors" of the first two rounds. [More]

Lord Of The...Uh...Screen Captures?

2/15/02, 5:12 pm EST - Strider

Elfstone sent in this link to a site which specialises in screen captures from all the recent documentaries on the creation of FotR: Fox's Quest for the Ring, TNT's Behind the Scenes, Sci-Fi's Passage to Middle-earth and E! TV's Force of Hobbit. Definetly worth a look. [More]

Lord Of The Olympic Rings

2/15/02, 4:59 pm EST - Strider

The Dunadan writes: The title of the main Olympics article in this week's Sports Illustrated is "Fellowship of the Rings". Nice big bold letters and the five botanical rings, spread across two pages.

Lord Of The Planetary Rings

2/15/02, 4:52 pm EST - Strider

Nicky and Colleen write: NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day website has a nice pic of Saturn for today, captioned The Lord of the Rings, and promises something called the Lord of the Weekend. [More]

Elijah Wood: A Tolkien Symbol

2/15/02, 4:31 pm EST - Strider

Karina sent in an article from Movie Request magazine which features an interview with Elijah Wood, and his 'quest to avoid being typecast'. [More]

More Info On FOTR Japanese Premiere

2/15/02, 4:01 pm EST - Strider

Pallando writes: According to several newspaper ads beyond the Sea of Rhun, FOTR will premiere on Feb. 23rd in Japan, with the regular showings beginning on Mar. 2nd. It's 1300 yen for advance tickets and 2100 yen for same day shows, at least for northern areas in the bitter cold of Forodwaith such as Hokkaido.

TTT: Frodo & Sam In Emyn Muir?

2/15/02, 2:46 pm EST - Xoanon

This flashback goes all the way to some of our earliest images ever posted in our scrapbook.

Woman's Weekly Magazine posted a handful of exclusive images from the LOTR set. These few were taken with Elijah Wood (Frodo) and Sean Astin (Sam) walking alone along rocky terrain which can only be either Emyn Muir or Mordor. !!Spoilers!! [More]

LOTR Wednesday Box Office

2/15/02, 1:35 pm EST - Strider

Brandon Gray
Boxofficemojo.com

More good news. 'The Lord of the Rings' climbed to No. 5, up from No. 8, still riding high off its 13 Oscar nominations. On Wednesday, it decreased just 2.2%, the smallest of all movies, to $364,000. LOTR's 57-day total stands at $272.448 million. [More]

VARIETY: Noms cashing in at B.O.

2/15/02, 1:26 pm EST - Xoanon

With nearly three-fourths of the (American) school kids and many U.S. workers off Monday, it's no wonder distribs will unspool a whopping five wide releases over the Presidents Day weekend. [More]

Region 2 DVD News

2/15/02, 1:01 pm EST - Xoanon

Pallando writes: Just a brief email to say that a UK site dvdreviewer.co.uk has posted the Release Date for The Lord of the Rings on DVD Region 2. It is to be relased by Entertainment in Video on 21st July.

TTT: Action Figues & More

2/15/02, 12:54 pm EST - Xoanon

Joeva writes: E! News, today, did a piece on the upcoming action figures for the TT and they looked awsome. !Spoilers! [More]

Film trilogy rings in the tourists

2/15/02, 12:49 pm EST - Xoanon

Tourism New Zealand estimates more than 100 million Tolkien fans have seen media reports linking the country to The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. [More]

More With Viggo & Track 16

2/15/02, 12:44 pm EST - Xoanon

At Track 16 A night of spoken word and poetry with Dave Eggers, Viggo Mortensen, and the San Francisco Youth Speaks poets. Also joining in will be poet Ramee Randall, and other very special people. [More]

LOTR themed Olympic Skater places 6th

2/15/02, 12:26 pm EST - Calisuri

Todd Eldredge, a US figure skater, placed 6th in the Men's Figure Skating competition at the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympics. What makes this newsworthy is the fact that Todd chose the soundtrack from Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring as the music for his 4 1/2 minute skate. I have to admit, I watched it, and besides a bad fall at the very beginning, Todd nailed the rest of the skate. Congrats to Todd for his accomplishment and for his quality choice in music! [More]

News for Feb. 14, 2002

PJ, Walsh And Boyens In LA Monday!

2/14/02, 3:29 pm EST - Strider

arien sends this in: Don't miss the opportunity to meet director, writer and producer Peter Jackson; writer and producer Fran Walsh; co-writer Philippa Boyens and actor Sean Astin as they discuss the popular and critical hit film and sign J.R.R. Tolkien's classic trilogy, The Lord of the Ring. Brentano's, Century City Mall, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA. Monday, February 18th at 2pm.

Academy Awards Helps FOTR To 26% Increase

2/14/02, 3:20 pm EST - Strider

BW writes: Just to say that Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, has made another increase on its daily box office. Its Monday total was: $295,000(#11) and was on a steady decrease. Seems as though Academy award results have made some impact as Tuesday's total was: $372,000(#8), thats an increase of 26.1%. Looks like it could also stay in the top 10 for the weekend total.

Oscar Survey On Chicago Suntimes Website

2/14/02, 3:08 pm EST - Strider

Shelia writes: There is an Academy Awards Survey over at the Suntimes website. We all need to get out there and vote for Lord of the Rings and the associated awards. Right now, FoTR isn't doing too well. We need to show Ebert and Roeper what we think of their choices. [More]

Anyone Can Quote Stats, 9 Out Of 10 People Know That

2/14/02, 2:57 pm EST - Strider

Trae writes: Read the "Lord, Almighty" nypost.com article. Very interesting. I'm a stats guy, so here are a few more points that bode well for LOTR: FOTR's chances of winning best picture. [More]

Sam Gamgee, The Ideal Hobbit Father

2/14/02, 2:48 pm EST - Strider

Mina writes: Here is a link to a story in our local newspaper, the Edmonton Journal. It is a story about how it is better to settle down with Sam Gamgee rather than Aragorn. Hope it works. [More]

Enya 6th Highest-Earning Musician Of 2001

2/14/02, 2:18 pm EST - Strider

Heat magazine has published the top ten earners in the music industry from 2001, and Irish singer Enya came in sixth place with an estimated £9m, that's $12.8m or €11.2m. This is a climb of 7 places from the 13th place she finished in 2000. [More]

Wellington Supporters To Feature In The Two Towers

2/14/02, 2:00 pm EST - Strider

'This weekend at the Wellington Stadium, sound technicians from LOTR's second installment will be recording an expected 30,000 strong crowd in a series of 'coached' sound effects - notably battle sounds. Apparently the crowd will be asked to make a series of sounds in preparation for sound mixing and editing of the Two Towers.' [More]

Blue Square Backs Odds On FOTR 8 Oscar Sweep

2/14/02, 1:43 pm EST - Strider

'Bookies think the first Lord Of The Rings film is likely to win at least half a dozen Oscars. The Fellowship Of The Ring is nominated for 13 awards. Online betting firm Blue Square is offering odds on how many it will pick up on March 24. Punters can get 6/4 on the film winning between six and eight Oscars. The odds are 13/8 on it winning nine or more and 2/1 on it receiving between none and five.' [More]

Blanchett Proclaims Love For Baldness

2/14/02, 1:39 pm EST - Strider

'Cate Blanchett says she loves her new bald-headed look and would never wear a cap to cover it up. The 32-year-old Australian actress had her head shaved to star in German film Heaven. The film was shown at the Berlin Film Festival, and will be released in the US and UK later this year.' [More]

LA Times: the Special Effects Bake-off

2/14/02, 12:55 pm EST - Tehanu

To win an Oscar nomination, visual effects specialists defend their work at a ritual called the Bake-Off. [More]

Thanks to Frenchfry for the tip.

Toy Fair 2002: LOTR Plaques

2/14/02, 10:53 am EST - Calisuri

At Toy Fair 2002 in New York, Sideshow/Weta Collectibles are introducing a line of LOTR plaques capturing scenes from Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. They have posted images of two of the plaques: Ringwraith and the Hobbits; Gandalf facing the Balrog. [More]

But There's Nothing To See...

2/14/02, 10:43 am EST - Xoanon

Hundreds of international Lord of the Rings fans are leaving Matamata disappointed because they've been shut out of the film set. [More]

GAMING: Decipher Talks LOTR

2/14/02, 10:38 am EST - Xoanon

In an Exclusive report from Decipher's Iain Lowson, we have interviews with Karen Levy, Decipher’s public relations manager and Tom Lischke, The Lord of the Rings TCG Designer. Check out this great read! [More]

Maya Animation Frenzy 3 Report!

2/14/02, 10:13 am EST - Xoanon

Peter writes: I attended the Storm FX and Alias Wavefront "Maya Animation Frenzy 3" showing of LOTR:FOTR last night (Wednesday February 13th) at Greater Union Cinema, George street, Sydney. [More]

LOTR Premiere: Romania

2/14/02, 10:09 am EST - Xoanon

Cristian Lupsa writes: Tolkien's masterpiece, "The Lord of the Rings" was first printed in Romania between 2000-2001 with the "Return of the King" hitting the book stands in September 2001. [More]

Variety: PGA zings 'Rings' credit

2/14/02, 9:58 am EST - Xoanon

In races for the Oscars and the Producers Guild of America awards, the issue of which producers would be listed in connection with nominated pics has been an intriguing subplot. [More]

LOTR Number 3 In Oz

2/14/02, 9:53 am EST - Xoanon

Mark writes: LOTR:FOTR has just overtaken Harry Potter in Australia and moved into 3rd place on the all-time list. [More]

Oscar Nominees' List Rings of Reassurance

2/14/02, 9:46 am EST - Xoanon

On a morning when news of the 74th Oscar nominations had to vie for air time with reports of a new terrorism alert, the films that had the most success with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences could be summed up in a single word: reassuring. [More]

LORD, ALMIGHTY!

2/14/02, 9:42 am EST - Xoanon

The math-genius hero of "A Beautiful Mind" could calculate this year's Oscar race in milliseconds - 13 nominations for "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" equals a likely win for Best Picture. [More]

News for Feb. 13, 2002

Sir Ian McKellen Backs FOTR For Best Picture Oscar

2/13/02, 8:31 pm EST - Strider

Sir Ian McKellen is backing The Fellowship Of The Ring to win this year's Oscar for Best Picture. He thinks it will win because Tolkien's world is so popular amongst Hollywood filmmakers. "I'll stick my neck out and say it's going to win Best Picture." [More]

FOTR Reel Change To Take Place In Two Weeks?

2/13/02, 8:05 pm EST - Strider

David writes: While standing in line to see "A Beautiful Mind", my wife and I were chatting with the ticket taker. As this was only a week or so ago, I asked how attendance was holding up for FOTR. She said that it had quieted down considerably, but then added this tidbit: she claimed that a new last reel to FOTR was going to be released "in two weeks". It would contain scenes from TTT as well as footage cut from FOTR.

Lord Of The Ice Rink

2/13/02, 8:02 pm EST - Strider

Kristen writes: Just a reminder, if you haven't heard, US Skater (and current National Champion) will be skating to a montage of LOTR soundtrack tunes on Thursday night (Feb. 14th) as part of the 19th Winter Olympics from Salt Lake City, Utah. The Mens' Long Program Event will be aired on NBC (in the US) at 10:00-12:00 pm Eastern Time and 9:30 - 11:30 PM Pacific. [More]

Barnes & Noble Winner Announced

2/13/02, 7:47 pm EST - Strider

Back in October 2001, we reported here on a trivia contest run by Barnes & Noble. Well today, Tita Arce from Texas found a box full of Sideshow/Weta merchandise at her front door as the 1st prize winner in the competition! Congratulations Tita!

FOTR DVD & VHS Release: Late May/Early June?

2/13/02, 7:35 pm EST - Strider

Sean wrote in to say that he noticed something on Amazon.co.uk that suggests that the 'Art of Fellowship of the Ring' book is being released in conjunction with the VHS and DVD versions of Fellowship of the Ring - between May 20th and early June. [More]

From #10 To #9 In The Space Of A Few Hours

2/13/02, 7:03 pm EST - Strider

Brandon from Boxofficemojo.com chimed in to quite rightly point out that IMDB's All-Time Worldwide list isn't up to date, and in fact Fellowship of the Ring has overtaken Forrest Gump to claim #9 spot. Next up? Steven Spielberg's E.T. [More]

More interviews with Jackson and the Award Nominees

2/13/02, 5:13 pm EST - Tehanu

Thanks to Todd for telling us about these great interviews with Peter Jackson and the other nominees on NZ's 'Holmes' programme. The first interview has about a minute of patriotic enthusiasm before PJ gets to talk - so you can see how Oscar fever's hitting NZ. [More]

Next premieres - where?

2/13/02, 5:01 pm EST - Tehanu

London's had one, Wellington's been promised one....now Birmingham puts in a bid to host one of the LOTR premieres this year or next. [More]

FOTR Breaks Into Top 10 World All-Time Box Office

2/13/02, 4:56 pm EST - Strider

Marc quite rightly pointed out that Fellowship of the Ring has now passed 'The Sixth Sense' out as #10 in the All-Time Worldwide Box Office charts with $664,400,000, and now sets it sights on Forrest Gump and its $679,400,000. [More]

Sir Ian McKellen On Fox 25

2/13/02, 4:38 pm EST - Strider

TORn staffer Berendir was watching Fox 25, on "Good Day Live" yesterday, and desperately reached for the nearest notepad as Ian McKellen got on the phone. Here are some quotes from Sir Ian's conversation. [More]

Reel Reads

2/13/02, 3:47 pm EST - Strider

Ardaron sends in this scan from the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, showing that the movers and shakers in the movie business at the moment also dominate the top 10 paperbacks in the US at the moment. [More]

You Do The Math

2/13/02, 3:31 pm EST - Strider

Ardaron writes: Just did some figuring and looking at the last top 20 nominated films of all, we are looking at a historical probability of around 65% of getting Best Picture. Only 7/20 have not won Best Picture. Have faith.

BoxOffice Mojo Slams LOTR

2/13/02, 12:41 pm EST - Xoanon

“’Lord of the Rings’ Needs a Shot of Caffeine Not 13 Oscar Nominations” by JONAS SCHWARTZ: I hypothesize that in 10 years time, people will glance back and spurn the over-long, under-cooked Lord of the Rings as some now do the inflated Kevin Costner Oscar-winner Dances With Wolves. Repetitive action scenes and non-existent character development do not an award-winning film make. [More]

GAMING: Decipher's LOTR RPG

2/13/02, 12:35 pm EST - Xoanon

The folks at Decipher have sent along an image of their new RPG game that you can oogle and drool over! [More]

Ian McKellen To Host SNL

2/13/02, 12:24 pm EST - Xoanon

Hunter sends along the great news that Ian McKellen (Gandalf) will be hosting 'Saturday Night Live' on March 23rd, one day before the Oscars. Way to go Ian!

VARIETY: Acad noms hobbit-forming

2/13/02, 8:41 am EST - Xoanon

Everybody was talkin' Tolkien on Tuesday as New Line's "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" nabbed 13 Oscar nominations, including best picture. Only two films have earned more ("All About Eve" and "Titanic," with 14 each) and six other pics have whipped up a baker's dozen. [More]

VARIETY: 'Rings' producers vie for credits

2/13/02, 8:36 am EST - Xoanon

Sharing a podium does not come naturally in Hollywood, as the producers of New Line's "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" are discovering. [More]

New Line Auction News

2/13/02, 12:27 am EST - Xoanon

Folks from New Line write: I thought I'd let you know about some new auctions that we're running. These are on our own auction site at http://auction.newline.com [More]

Toy Fair 2002: Sideshow/Weta Booth - Cave Troll

2/13/02, 12:23 am EST - Calisuri

Sideshow/Weta Collectibles, continues their Toy Fair 2002 coverage with a 360 degree look at the soon to be released, Cave Troll figure. They have also posted some images of the Sideshow/Weta booth at Toy Fair 2002. [More]

Letterman Goofs On Our 13 Nominations

2/13/02, 12:07 am EST - Xoanon

Mercedes writes: According to David Letterman, LOTR is the odds-on favorite in the Oscars for "longest title".

News for Feb. 12, 2002

TTT: So Just WHO Get's Killed On A Spike?

2/12/02, 10:49 pm EST - Xoanon

Matt writes: I live in the UK and have just been watching the program 'Johnny Vaughan Tonight', which happened to have Ian McKellan on. During a set of quick questions McKellen was asked 'have you ever been impaled on a plank of wood?' (in reference to this infamous pic we posted online). To which McKellan replied (Highlight to read!) !Spoilers! 'Erm, not personally, but a friend of mine has. Christoper Lee in 'The Two Towers', something similar happens ot him!'


GAMING: Universal Interactive Heads for Middle-earth

2/12/02, 9:48 pm EST - Xoanon

To call The Lord of the Rings a huge property would be like dubbing Michael Jordan just another ballplayer. As books, comics, movies and now games go, it's an instant goldmine, considering its fan base numbers in the millions and spans all locales and age groups. [More] [Gaming Havens]

Wanna See Decipher's Toy Fair 2002 Booth Now?

2/12/02, 9:43 pm EST - Xoanon

Curious to know what the cool folks at Decipher have cooked up for the 2002 Toy Fair in New York next week? Take a look at their booth! [More]

Dominican Robbed Of LOTR?

2/12/02, 9:34 pm EST - Xoanon

ShadowPhone writes: Sad news for the Dominican Republic. Apparently will never get to see FOTR in our theaters. [More]

Fraud Of The Rings

2/12/02, 9:26 pm EST - Xoanon

EJ writes: Thought you might like to see this amusing illustration printed in the Evening Herald, a popular Irish Newspaper here in Dublin! [More]

TTT: Lee Talks McKellen, TTT 'Pick Ups'

2/12/02, 9:20 pm EST - Xoanon

Pallando sends us this bit of information from UK's Channel 4 website, Christopher Lee has been talking Star Wars: Ep 2 and TTT. [More]

Media Watch: People Magazine

2/12/02, 9:11 pm EST - Xoanon

Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) re-counts his experience in New Zealand shooting LOTR for 18 months in this small blurb in the latest issue of People Magazine. [More]

Lesson of 'Lord of the Rings': Clarity in a Time of Darkness

2/12/02, 9:03 pm EST - Xoanon

What do fire-breathing dragons and flame-spewing skyscrapers have in common? The extraordinary commercial and popular success of "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" has as much to do with unconscious psychosocial forces as it does with its acting performances and entertainment value. Though it is a contemporary movie, it has tapped into a deep and ancient font of human yearning. [More]

That Halfling You Do

2/12/02, 8:56 pm EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy Woodnymph sends along this scan from her local listings magazine in London. Take a look at this Billy Boyd (Pippin) interview. [More]

Official Site Updates.

2/12/02, 7:59 pm EST - Tehanu

OK so we're day late with this one...But this update is good news for anyone who loves the Elvish languages. You can hear it on an audio guide, see videos 'behind the scenes' and (usefully for Valentine's day) you can send an Elvish greeting on a customizable postcard. [More]

McKellen On BBC 1 This Minute!

2/12/02, 6:17 pm EST - Strider

A lot of Ringers mailed in today to say that Sir Ian McKellen is on the Johnny Vaughan show on BBC1 which starts at 11:15 GMT...right now! Check out TheOneRing.net shortly to see what the newly nominated actor had to say about today's events!

Peter Jackson Reacts To Oscar Nominations

2/12/02, 5:45 pm EST - Strider

TORn staffer Pippin Took has found the first interview of Peter Jackson post-Oscar nominations, this morning on New Zealand's One News. PJ said that it was simply 'fantastic' and 'that in some way, these nominations have touched everyone (2,500) involved in the film'. PJ also reveals he is doing a commentary for the FotR DVD and adding 30 minutes of cut footage! [More]

LOTR 'In Style'

2/12/02, 5:36 pm EST - Xoanon

theresa sends us this article from the latest issue of 'In Style' Magazine. [More]

13 Oscar Nominations: FOTR's Competition

2/12/02, 5:15 pm EST - Strider

So you know what categories Fellowship of the Ring was nominated in, but who and what is Peter Jackson up against? Check out this comprehensive list of the categories Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and who it comes head to head with. [More]

LOTR makes an impact in Russia

2/12/02, 4:04 pm EST - Tehanu

"Twice delayed, LOTR makes it to the screens at last!" Saaska sends in a translation of an article in the Russian press. I just love seeing this film making its mark all over the world! : ) [More]

'Rings' Leads Oscar Nominations

2/12/02, 4:02 pm EST - Strider

Yahoo! - 'The fantasy epic "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" led the Academy Award field Tuesday with 13 nominations — best picture, director and supporting actor among them.' [More]

'Yes' pitch their melodies at LOTR

2/12/02, 3:39 pm EST - Tehanu

Entertainment Weekly has one of the most wince-inducingly pun-ridden stories of the week, describing how Yes's main man Jon Anderson approached the film company with his ideas for some original songs. [More] Thanks to Aaron for that. [I think the 'Force of Hobbit' pun has been round since the Fifties.]

Rings Leads Oscar Charge

2/12/02, 3:36 pm EST - Strider

Stuff.co.nz - 'New Zealand has made a huge impression on Hollywood, with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings gaining 13 Oscar nominations this morning and Kiwi-born actor Russell Crowe nominated in the Best Actor category he won last year.' [More]

More details on Japanese premiere and release

2/12/02, 3:23 pm EST - Tehanu

A whole lot of people wrote in to tell us the schedule for LOTR in Japan. [More]

ABM And LOTR Nominated For Oscars

2/12/02, 3:10 pm EST - Strider

Ananova - 'A Beautiful Mind leads the list of films nominated in the main categories for this year's Oscars. It is nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actress and Adapted Screenplay. The first Lord Of The Rings film, has also done well in the major categories. The Fellowship Of The Ring is nominated in the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay categories.' [More]

Rings Tops Oscar Nominations

2/12/02, 3:01 pm EST - Strider

Empire Online - 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings was the clear winner today with a total of 13 mentions in this year's Oscar nominations. Unlike recent years, where one film has led from the beginning, this year's awards were an open race until the very last minute, with studios spending unprecedented amounts on marketing in the final few weeks.' [More]

Rings Leads Oscars Race

2/12/02, 2:57 pm EST - Strider

BBC Online - 'The Lord of The Rings leads the race for the 74th Academy Awards, picking up 13 Oscar nominations, including best motion picture. The fantasy film has also earned its director Peter Jackson a best director nomination.' [More]

'Rings' Lords Over Oscar With 13 nominations

2/12/02, 2:52 pm EST - Strider

CNN - "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," a fantasy film that was one of the top box office hits of 2001, fulfilled a different kind of fantasy when it was nominated for 13 Academy Awards Tuesday morning, including a nod for best picture. [More]

'Lord' Runs Rings Around Oscar

2/12/02, 2:47 pm EST - Strider

E! Online - 'Lordy, lordy: It wasn't quite a record, but The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring ruled them all Tuesday morning, scoring a field-best 13 Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Director.' [More]

McKellen Reacts To Oscar Nominations

2/12/02, 2:23 pm EST - Strider

Speaking to Sky News, Sir Ian McKellen had the following to say: "My reaction? Uh..relief, because I always wanted the film to be acknowledged by other filmmakers, and thirteen nominations is beyond anyone's wildest dreams, it's very exciting."

13 Oscar Nominations!!

2/12/02, 8:44 am EST - Xoanon

The Oscar Nominations have been announced, LOTR:FOTR has 13!!!

Ian McKellen - Best Supporting Actor

Peter Jackson - Best Director

Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Film

Best Film Editing

Best Costume Design

Best Cinematography

Best Art Direction

Best Makeup

Best Score

Best Song

Best Sound

Best Visual Effects

TTT: Want Your Grunt In TTT?

2/12/02, 1:09 am EST - Xoanon

Painty writes: The crowd at the International Cricket One Dayer in Wellington on Saturday will be used for background noise for battle scenes for teh Two Towers. They will have sound engineers there and do it during the break. "Gruntin, Cheering, Stamping".

News for Feb. 11, 2002

A Drink With Howe and Nasmith

2/11/02, 7:04 pm EST - Tehanu

Writer Robert Marks was lucky enough to spend time with LOTR artists John Howe and Ted Nasmith at the recent Ad Astra convention in Toronto. [More]

LOTR in Japan

2/11/02, 6:17 pm EST - Tehanu

Ringer Spy Katy reports that TV ads for FOTR have started up in Japan, giving a date, 23rd February. She's not sure if that's the premiere or the release date (anyone in Japan able to tell us please?) I'm picking that Japan is going to go wild over Middle-earth, so I'm waiting with bated breath to see what happens later this month.....

Fellowship Long Odds For Best Picture Oscar

2/11/02, 6:00 pm EST - Strider

SK sends this in for all betting Ringers: "... Chuck Esposito at Caesars Palace gave "Beautiful Mind" 5-2 odds at capturing the Oscar when the awards are handed out on March 24. He puts "Moulin Rouge" and "Bedroom" close at 6-1 odds. "Black Hawk Down" is off the pace at 12-1 and "Lord of the Rings" is a longshot at 15-1." [More]

FOTR Interview Special In Pavement Magazine

2/11/02, 5:28 pm EST - Strider

Palefella has scanned the latest edition of Pavement magazine, complete with interviews from Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Sir Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Lawrence Makoare, Weta, Ngila Dickson and Grant Major. All are available on her website. - update - Palefella has had to take the images down, due to the constant flow of visitors wanting to see those scans.

The Gold Knight Returns Back To Where It All Began

2/11/02, 5:10 pm EST - Strider

Craig sent in this address for the official poster of the 74th Annual Academy Awards designed by respected graphic novel artist and illustrator Alex Ross. [More]


Signed Blanchett Glossy From Berlinale

2/11/02, 4:51 pm EST - Strider

sethdove has sent in another great piece of Cate Blanchett memorabilia, this time a signed glossy from the Berlinale photoshoot! [More]

Fast Chat Orlando Bloom

2/11/02, 2:14 pm EST - Xoanon

BRITISH actor Orlando Bloom, 25, doesn't say much in "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," but he carries a big quiver. [More]

Oscar Nominations Could Offer Firsts

2/11/02, 2:12 pm EST - Xoanon

This year's Oscar show will feature one definite first, some possible firsts, and maybe a first or two in a long time. [More]

How Elijah Wood learnt Elvish

2/11/02, 2:04 pm EST - Xoanon

nina_glyndwr writes: This article is from Linguist, the magazine of the Institute of Linguists in London, UK: Inside the raggedy plastic bag on the table is one of the most closely guarded secrets in Hollywood: the script for all three Lord of the Rings movies. [More]

Shore Score Scores Big In Belgium

2/11/02, 1:57 pm EST - Xoanon

(try saying that 5 times fast -Xo) Philip writes: I just want to let you know that the Original Soundtrack of "FOTR" is doing very well in Belgium. It entered the Top 50 list as highest new entry at place 16 on 12/01/02, and has climbed a spot week after week, to become the 7th best sold album in Belgium last week! [More]

They've Tolkien My Valuable Figurines!

2/11/02, 1:53 pm EST - Xoanon

I must give a nod to the headline writer for this magazine that Ringer Spy Nathan submitted today, take a look at the rest of the article too! [More]

Tolkien's stories provide many moments of epiphany

2/11/02, 1:40 pm EST - Xoanon

Claudia Riiff Finseth writes: In the winter of 1976 I was a college junior living in Pacific Lutheran University's married student housing, affectionately known as "the barracks." [More]

Oscar Nominations

2/11/02, 12:00 pm EST - Xoanon

Tomorrow at 5:30 AM PST in LA, we will learn just who will be nominated for Oscars in 2002. So all you west coasters...get a good night sleep, and rise and shine! Follow the link to see just what type of preperations need to be in place to ensure that the Oscar noms stay secret! [More] Thanks to John Moore for the link!

Weekend Round Up

2/11/02, 12:34 am EST - Xoanon

Miss all the news this weekend? Fear not! We have all the news in one space for you to enjoy! [More]

Weekly Ebay Items

2/11/02, 12:20 am EST - Xoanon

Check out this weeks goodies from eBay! [More]

Weekly Cast Watch

2/11/02, 12:05 am EST - Xoanon

Here's another chance to see your favorite LOTR stars on the small screen this week! [More]

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