More news from the intrepid Dynamo:

TV 3 news had footage from the slopes of Ruapehu, footage of extras practicing with swords, humans with black/dark blue capes, about 20 of them. Had a picture of "the Hobbit" restaurant in Ohakune too! They also talked to some local trampers who had walked past the filming and been surprised, some had taken some pictures. TV 3 also reckoned that someone had filmed enough to sell on the net for $40,000!

Thanks to Xtem

$40,000 eh? Little to rich for my blood.

News is spreading far and wide concerning our little film we love and follow. Tonight's 'Access Hollywood' had a little clip showing the trailer and mentioning the number of downloads, cough and you'd have missed it...

..So there you have it!

Teaser news here folks, I LOVE when LOTR makes news!

The Fellowship of the Ring, the first installment in director Peter Jackson's three-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy classic The Lord of the Rings, won't show up in theaters until Christmas 2001. Given the epic length of the massive project's shooting schedule (all three installments are being filmed back to back), there's almost no way it can arrive any sooner — alas for distributor New Line. [More]

Thanks to Quickbeam and Pippin-Took for the tip!

This from: Jeremy

CNN just aired a lord of the rings thing about more downloads then Star Wars. It was on CNN Hollywood.

Check out the frame by frame analysis for more updates concerning creature design and some other rumors. [ more ]

SPOILER ALERT!!!

April 11th marks 6 months to the day that principal photography began on Peter Jackson's epic Lord of the Rings Trilogy. In a record 14 to 18 months shoot, the kind of which has never been seen before, Peter Jackson and his team at Three Foot Six and WETA are embarking on a mission of un-precedented scope and vision, using technologies and talent not even seen in that Galaxy Far Far Away... [More]

Fill in the caption, win a prize!

Thought your readers might be interested to know that we're running a week long cartoon contest featuring caricatures of Frodo and Gandalf (Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen to be precise) wondering what those fiery letters on the one ring really say. I attached a small version of the cartoon to this email.

The reader has to come up with a punchline rewriting the letters! At the end of the week, the funniest punchline is voted on by readers. If you think you can come up with a funny punchline or would like to read everyone else's funniest entries, browse on over here.

Suddenly this film is in every paper and every TV bulletin, and has been daily since Friday when the preview was released. Latest news on TV3 showed glimpses of sword play practice on Mt.Ruapehu. The Scoop news people have this and more on their 'news of the day' roundup.

More on Tongariro, I just love saying that name, Tongariro...Tongariro...

Filming for Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" is about to get underway in Tongariro National Park today.

A cast and production crew of between four to five hundred people, boosted by around 200 extras, will be filming battle scenes in and around the park and the ski field. [More]

Thanks to Bonnie J for the tip!

...Tongariro...

The New Line Cinema Exclusive Internet Preview shattered records on Friday, becoming the single most downloaded promotional trailer in its first 24 hours of release! [ more ]

Our very own Ian McKellen (Gandalf) participated in a Yahoo! Chat not just 5 minutes ago, starting at 8:30 EST. While that chat was mainly about X-Men, there were a few LOTR Q and A's that managed to get snuck in:

Yahoo: Has PJ changed the story much?

IM: Yes, he's translated it from 3 books into 3 films, so it has changed alot, has he changed the story? no. We literaly go back to Tolkien's work and re read what he wrote.

IM: I've just been working with Christopher Lee (Saruman) the great english horror movie actor.

Yahoo: Did you have any experince riding before lotr started filming and are you learning it/finding it enjoyable?

IM: I've been riding on and off for 30 years and that is the only time that I ride. My horse was so frisky that it had to be controlled out of site of the camera by 6 hefty wranglers.

Yahoo: How do you compare Gandalf to Magneto?

IM: I don't make any connection, of course they both contain alot of Ian McKellen, inevitably.

Yahoo: The LOTR trailer has more downloads than TPM, what does that say to the popularity to the mooks?

IM: It's been called the most popular book in the 20th Century, so those numbers aren't that surprising.

Since the preview came out there's been a lot of mail and I've compiled some of the insights that fans have shared concerning the elves and orcs in the production. They're available here

Galadriel tells all! Check out her latest report regarding what's going on in Helms Deep, as well as Stone Street Studios, and just WHAT are they filming at Tongariro National Park! You'll NEVER believe it! [More]

Ringer Spy Jared sends the word that Paul Sutera has been calling his friends and family with news that he's been cast as Lotho Sackville-Baggins! More to come as I get it.

Ian McKellen (Gandalf) will be the guest on Yahoo! chat tonight at 8:30 PM EST. He's there to discuss his big summer film X-Men, perhaps some Ringer spies can slip in a few LOTR questions...see you there!

According to the Maine Library's annual "Who reads what?" list, British Prime Minister Tony Blair enjoys "The Lord of the Rings" so much he reads it to his kids. Anyway there were other celebs and their favorites books. I guess they post this list every year. A woman named Glenna Nowell began the project thirteen years ago.

Thanks to Finarfin, Jeff and Tanner, John M and more for the tip!

Some of you out there might be logging on today and saying, "O Elbereth! What is going on?!"

Well, let me remove that rock, and direct you to the New Line Cinema Exclusive Internet Preview located here: http://www.lordoftherings.net/previews/

And after you have seen this masterpiece, check our TheOneRing.net's exclusive frame by frame analysis! [ frame by frame ]

More exciting than a barrell of drunk monkeys! [More]

Check out Fan.TheOneRing.net for some great new fan art and wallpaper. [ more ]

From: Los Angeles Times in California

"Holm had stopped off in Los Angeles to talk about 'Joe Gould's Secret' while on his way back from New Zealand, where he'd spent four weeks working on Peter Jackson's 'Lord of the Rings.' When asked about the production, Holm makes a quick 'zip' gesture across his mouth, noting that he's not permitted to talk about the trilogy of the films based on J.R.R.

Tolkien's classic science-fiction work, which features the other Sir Ian, McKellen, in the role of Gandalf.

"Holm does, however, reveal that his character, Bilbo Baggins, ages from 111 to 170 over the course of the story. 'I'm in a complete face mask, and it's the most extraordinary makeup I've ever, ever seen."

Thanks to Brandywine for the tip!

Sneak peak of Lord of the Rings

It was the moment Tolkien fans had been waiting for - the first public viewing of footage from the Lord of the Rings on the internet.

A two-minute special preview of the Peter Jackson movie was released on Friday night, receiving hundreds of thousands of hits from around the world. [More]

Thanks to Jincey and ellerson for the tip!

From: Zeppelin

Today at 18:00 on Swiss TV, 'TSR1', on the Sunday program dedicated to modern world literature and authors called "Un livre, Un jour", translated as: "One Novel, One day", there was an interview of a French novelist originally from Algeria (forgot his name to tell you the truth). When asked what his favorite author was he pronounced to an astonished audience that he placed J.R.R. Tolkien as his favorite author and LotR as the best series ever published. This then lead on to a six minute (out of a ten minute show) debate on whether or not his works classified as 'literature', and they even spoke about the upcoming film. By the end of the program by general agreement it had been decided that the LotR was a work of great 'literary' value, though not much hope was given to the upcoming films, apparently the program seemed to have something against Peter Jackson... obviously none of them have seen the trailer.

You can catch Liv Tyler (Arwen) in 'Cookies Fortune' on Cinemax today. [More]

From Ringer Spy Dynamo

'NZ National Radio at 4pm had their Sunday religious program, and they talked all about a christian subtext to LotR really interesting actually! It was the Dr Edmund Little program "a question of religion"'

Thanks to Xtem as well

Here is a solution sent in by Ringer fan Mike. [ more ]

Check out this listing of all the updates made to our preview trailer review. [ more ]

SPOILER ALERT!!!

The download of the LOTR preview from the official website attracted a lot of attention on most of NZ's media yesterday, and Tehanu was in the thick of it, being approached by two TV stations and two of the largest papers. TVOne did an interview on fan expectations and later turned up unexpectedly at her house to film her attempting to download the trailer. They got a good insight into the mayhem that we were seeing through our window into the world, Barliman's, which had up to 100 people at once discussing their download experience. Thorongil, from Barliman's, was making a non-virtual visit to Tehanu at the time. He surely didn't expect to be interviewed for NZ national TV when he went to NZ, but he was a great spokesman for Tolkien fandom. In the last 24 hours, TOR.net's been represented on TV twice and the Evening Post in Wellington, which you can view here; Kiwis, keep an eye on tomorrow's Sunday Star Times as they may be doing more coverage.

Check out The Evening Post's "By Gandalf, He's done it" article in our scrapbook

SPOILER ALERT!!!

We've got an exciting Hall of Fire topic ready for you to sink your teeth and fingers into today. Check it out:

Racism in Middle-earth

The question is simple but the issue is complex. Is racism a theme in the works of Middle-earth? Tolkien often uses language describing 'black' versus 'white', or 'dark' versus 'light'. Does this imply racism?

Furthermore, do you think this will play a factor in the films? To what extent will Peter Jackson change the story to address this issue?

Bring your quotes and opinions to the Hall of Fire on Saturday, April 8, at 5:30 EST [GMT -5 hours], for what should be a lively debate! [More]

Simply go to our regular chatroom and type /join #thehalloffire, and chat away!

You can catch the Sean Astin (Sam) film 'Toy Soldiers' on Cinemax today. [More]

The Internet Preview of Lord of the Rings yesterday caused quite a stir. Comments and analysis abound over what the fleeting images represent, how accurate those glimpses were to the text, and how the beasties, cast, and locations look.

If you haven't had the opportunity or patience to check out our examination of the Preview, you should check it out. Calisuri, Anwyn, Quickbeam, and the rest of the staff put a lot of time into this while I slept, check it out here.

In the fine style that we have come to expect out of Michael Martinez, Suite 101 has posted an in depth article going over the Preview. You can check it out here. (And remember if Barliman's is good enough for Michael it is good enough for you ;)

Numerous people have emailed us about the Daily Radar chiming in with it's Lord of the Rings: Shot by Shot. It doesn't add too much to the topic, but is worth a read through either way.

The Preview has been been mentioned by a variety of news sources and covered to a greater or lesser degree. Later today we should be posting about the general news coverage. We know that it was mentioned on ABC, MSNBC, NZ TV1, and some others. If you have spotted a mention of the Preview, mail spymaster@theonering.net and make sure we know about it.

Hey folks, you have answered our call to arms! Literally hundred's of emails came my way this day and I have listened to everyone one of them. The result was some MAJOR changes to our frame by frame review. Some of you might find this very interesting... who is on that white horse being chased by the Riders?...[ more ]

MAJOR SPOILERS!!!

DA, a super Ringer fan, emailed me with what they think is an explanation of that 'scan' picture in the preview trailer. [ more ]

While others were resting their heads...our hard-working Ringer staff were able to get some great screen-shots from the internet preview and provide some insight (factual or not) into what each frame might represent. Check it out in our preview area.

If you think we are wrong on a few things, please don't hesitate to email me! calisuri@theonering.net

Man, is that preview cool or what! :)

Ringer Spy P sends the latest on the super high tech gear PJ is using to bring those images we saw to real life! [More]

You can catch Ian Holm (Bilbo) in 'GREYSTOKE THE LEGEND OF TARZAN LORD OF THE APES' on Cinemax today. [More]

More on Holm:

Reel.com has a brand-new streaming video interview with Ian Holm in which he talks about his past roles, his current roles, and a certain upcoming role in the future.. [More]

Yet more on Holm, his film 'Joe Gould's Secret' is open in limited release. Follow the link for a review. [More]

Thanks to Alan for the tip!

Well, if you haven't seen the Exclusive Internet Preview yet, you better get over to http://www.lordoftherings.net and check it out. Absolutely amazing!

For those of you who have seen it, or for those not technically able to see it, check out our frame by frame analysis of the preview. Many Ringer staff members stayed up all night to bring you this great information! [ Preview Frame by Frame ]

MAJOR SPOILERS!!!!

Ringer Staff member Pippin Took chimes in with this report from ABC News. Check it out:

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Entertainment/reuters20000407_13.html

Yes, Tom...in fact "the waiting is the hardest part."

Looking for something to do while you are waiting for the preview? Just over to barlimans and see what your fellow fans are up too! [ Barlimans ]

Just in case you are really (and I mean REALLY) out of it, there is a New Line Exclusive Internet Preview happening in 5 hours. :' )

The place to be in 5 hours is the official site: http://www.lordoftherings.net. Be there, or be a ninnyhammer.

Liv enjoying a day off, here and here

How can I put this? Well, I don't think we have a Xenarwen problem at the moment. Or not the problem we thought we had. Read about it all at Scoop Still, look on the bright side: those charging orcs must have looked very convincingly terrifying.

I have already received some emails asking about how to get quicktime and what timezone 12:01am April 7th refers too.

To download quicktime just follow this link.

get quicktime

I am trying to get an answer on what the exact time is for the download. Personally, I'm going to go with Tehanu's initial report of 3am Eastern Time (12:01 Pacific, 7pm NZ time) Or, 10 hours from this post..:)

Hope that helps, and we will keep you updated as news comes in...

Followup from Corvar: We have just received confirmation that it is Pacific Time.

The time is set: 12:01am Friday April 7th. New Line has partnered with the great folks at Apple and Quicktime to bring the exclusive internet preview to everyone.

-----

NEW LINE CINEMA DEBUTS EXCLUSIVE ONLINE PREVIEW FOR THE LORD OF THE RINGS

LOS ANGELES, CA - April 4, 2000 -- New Line Cinema will offer its first behind-the-scenes look at the highly anticipated production of The Lord of the Rings exclusively online beginning at 12:01 AM on Friday, April 7th at www.lordoftherings.net.

The exclusive "First Look at Middle Earth" will feature on-set interviews with the cast, showcase the technology used to re-create J.R.R. Tolkien's fantastic settings and creatures, and will give fans a glimpse into the WETA workshop where much of the technical wizardry is being orchestrated. Director Peter Jackson narrates the segment as he gives the first virtual tour of the technology and talent that will bring the legendary tale to the big screen.... [ more ]

The latest newsletter is away! Do you want to receive our weekly newsletter? Packed with tons of info to keep you up to date on the latest? Plus filled with exclusives from time to time? Join the list of more than 1600 mailing list Ringers! Sign up now! [More]

The final preview image has arrived. The final flash animation has arrived. Now all we can do is wait...

...

While your waiting...why not check out all the preview images in our movie scrapbook?

Winona Kent, webmaster over at 'The Complete Sean Bean' webpage sends me the info on a private screening that took place.

The Complete Sean Bean was invited to a press screening of Sean Bean's (Boromir) latest film Essex Boys last week. A detailed storyline and an exclusive review can be found here. [More]

Christopher Lee (Saruman) is dominating the cast watch for today. You can catch him twice on TMN, first in 'Diagnosis Murder' and then in 'The Oblong Box'.

Furthermore, news comes to me from 'The Amsterdam Festival of Fantastic Film' that Christopher Lee will most likely make an appearance. Given Galadriel's report stating the Lee has finished with the production and has left NZ, it seems a very good possibility.

Click on the "flash preview" text directly above the poll to see the new One Day Left flash preview. Pretty scary orcs running around these parts...

Super Ringer Spy Eriol discovered the "Live on Set" segment of the official site has been updated!

This edition has Peter Jackson talking about his first reading of LOTR and more! Check it out http://www.lordoftherings.net, or connect right to the real audio here.

UPDATE

Cannot get that RealAudio clip? here is what is said:

PJ: Hi, I'm Peter Jackson from the set of Lord of the Rings at thelordoftherings.net.

Claire Raskind: Peter, where did you first read Lord of the Rings? Back in time for a moment..

PJ: I first read Lord of the Rings when I was 18 years old, I was actually travelling between Wellington and Auckland on a train, which took about 12 or 13 hours. I took the book with me to read and I only obviously got part of the way through it, and I finished it up while I was staying up in Auckland, and that was when I was 18. And I thought at the time 'wow, this would make a great movie' I was looking foreward to someone making the movie, and the animated film came out shortly after that, you know which I didn't quite enjoy so much. I've sorta been a fan of the book, who's been waiting to see somebody else's film, that I ended up waiting so long that the concept for making the film myself finally sort of entered my head and here we are.

Our Koga Ninja Spy Assassin (put that on a business card) Galadriel is back with news on costumes for Elves, filming at The Caves of Orthanc and some blue screen SFX shooting! [More]

!!!Spoilers!!!

Two days until the OFFICIAL New Line Exclusive Internet Preview!!! Today's image is a little hard to figure out. ( I bet they did that one purpose! heh ) Check out the larger version in our movie scrapbook. [ scrapbook ]

As always, check out the official site for more: http://www.lordoftherings.net