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April 26, 2003 - May 04, 2003

5-04-03 Latest News

A Collectormania 2003 Report
Demosthenes @ 11:03 pm EST

Ringer Spy Trueogre sends in this report and accompanying pictures from the Collectormania 2003 event from Milton Keynes in the UK. I absolutely love the picture of John Rhys Davies with the birthday balloon.


John Rhys Davies With Birthday Balloon

Trueogre writes:

After missing my train to Milton Keynes, I managed to get on the next train.

My hopes was to arrive at 8:00am to get there early and get in line, but with the missed train there was no hope of that, as I had to now arrive at 9:00am.

One thing about Milton Keynes, is that it is badly signposted - there are no maps telling you where MK Shopping Centre is. I had to follow a bunch of other people whom I thought looked like they were going to a fair.

I arrived to the Shopping Centre and still no directions to the event. I had to blindly stumble around hoping I was going in the right direction. But luck have it, I was.

The first thing I came to was a signing booth for Warwick Davis, Virginia Hey, Lou Ferrigno, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Daniel Logan and Chris Sabat. No Lord of the Rings yet.

So advancing into the swell of people who had turned up, I saw the next lot of signing booths, this time it was Paul McGann, Tom Felton, Devon Murry, Alan Ruck, Armin Shimerman, Corey Nemec, John Rhys Davis, Bruce Hopkins, and Sala Baker.

Over to the sides were Andy Serkis, and Billy Boyd. And Robert Englund with Samantha Bond.

First things first was go get my virtual ticket, John Rhys Davis, was already signing items, so I immediately got tickets to him as well as Armin. Since Andy and Billy weren't there yet, a queue had built up none the less. My ticket for Billy was an orange 148 and my ticket for Andy was a blue 109.

I also had to get a queuing ticket for Robert Englund, his queue was more slower than John's!

With my tickets in hand, I was free to wander around until it was my time to get into line. The time now was about 10am. Sala had no ticket for queing, so I immediately got into line to get his signature and picture. He was very nice and shook my hand, but me being me headed my hands straight for the pictures where upon they quickly zoomed to his hand. We swapped greetings and then I popped the question. 'Do you fight Aragorn at the end of the third movie?' he answered 'I can't say anything.' so I said 'Ah but you're not denying it are you.' he signed my photo and then replied 'I don't know what Peter Jackson has planned.' I left only to realise I hadn't paid the fellow for his two signatures, I felt like an idiot as people thought I was pushing in, but I wanted to pay the fellow his money which I eventually did.

I then went to queue in Bruce Hopkin's queue as he didn't have a ticket system either. He was very pleasant and lovely to meet. I asked him if he was going to be in the next movie, but his reply was that when filming Two Towers, Peter Jackson liked his role that he expanded it. But it was too late to insert him into the Pelennor Fields as they had already been filmed. So he appears more in Two Towers than he does in Return of the King. He said he was going back for reshoots soon.

Finally I got to queue for John, but disaster, I dropped my camera and busted it into a zillion bits. Had to buy another one sharpish, but I missed out my opportunity to have my photo with him. I had to get one from afar. But I wished him a happy birthday.

I asked the lady who looked after John's queue what number they were on, she said 30. It was around 12:00pm, and he'd only signed a few, boy when John speaks, he speaks. So I went for some lunch while I waited for my numbers to come up.

When I got back around 1:30pm, I found that Billy and Andy had gone for lunch and they wouldn't be back till 2pm. They were on tickets 160, so I was well in the zone as well as for Andy, so I waited for them to return. They didn't come back till 2:30pm and the people that were in the queue when they went on their lunch break were let in first, then I got to get in the queue because of my ticket.

The queue went quite quickly, and by the time I got to Billy, I was in a fluster because I hadn't got my stuff ready and I was rummaging in my bag for my ticket and photo's to sign, so I hadn't got a question prepared.

I quickly joined the queue for Andy and when I got there, I spoke to him about his role in Othello, but he said he hurt his back, and couldn't do the last three weeks of the show.

All in all the ticket system wasn't bad, but it was hard to hear the numbers come up, as the speaker was poor so you got muffled information. The only way to find out was to keep asking the helpers, what number, what number? They had a board up telling you what numbers they were on, but it wasn't updated as quickly as it should have been.

But I did enjoy myself, and I'm very greatful that Milton Keynes held such an event, and that all the actors were gracious and kind enough to appear at the event. It's something I won't forget in a hurry.

- Trueogre

WHAT'S wrong with the Embassy?
Tehanu @ 5:46 pm EST

I think the most unsettling thing about this whole Wellington Premiere kerfuffle has been the fact that nobody was saying WHAT was wrong with the Embassy Theatre and so it was difficult to judge whether New Line's demand that it be brought up to ''a suitable standard" was a big deal or not.

The Embassy trustees, the Mayor of Wellington and New Line have been talking to each other and although initially they were sending out some confusing signals, today it looks like they're determined to find a solution that will keep the premiere in Wellington.

Mayor Kerry Prendergast was interviewed on Radio NZ this morning and she told listeners (finally) what New Line wanted to see improved: The seating, the toilets, the paint in the auditorium (not sure I heard that right) and the addition of a lift.

Well, that's a relief. If they'd been asking for major structural refitting to make it earthquake-proof - something I understand the Trust would like to see happen - well, I can't see how the work could even be done in time. But as it is, it seems do-able between now and December.

The Mayor was drawn into revealing the level of support they were thinking of offering: They would be happy to match the Embassy Trust's contribution to the upgrade dollar for dollar, and were looking at a figure of around $2 million; apparently the Trust feels that they can match that figure from their own fundraising.

There will be a meeting later today, where the Trust will bring their revised figures for the necessary refurbishments to the theatre, and the Council will vote on their level of funding of it. So with any luck the issue should be resolved today!

5-03-03 Latest News

Hall of Fire Chats This Weekend
Demosthenes @ 4:10 am EST

The battle of the Pelennor fields - the greatest battle of the Third Age. Theoden and his army engage the Haradrim, while the footmen of Gondor drive against the hosts of Morgul under the walls of Minas Tirith. As the fighting grows furious and Theoden lies wounded on the field, Merry and Eowyn find themselves confronting the Black Captain of Mordor's host, the Witch King.

Does Eomer stand tall as a leader of the Rohirrim or does he fail as a military leader? Did you lose hope when the black-sailed fleet came floating up the Anduin? What brings Aragorn up the river in time ... luck, providence or something else? And who exactly slays the nazgul king?

An epic confrontation between the forces of good and evil unfolds, and as the Anduin flows red we witness both personal triumph and tragedy on the Pelennor fields.

Join us this weekend as Hall of Fire examines Return of the King Book V, Chapter VI - The battle of the Pelennor fields.

Upcoming Chats:

May 10-11
Denethor, Steward of Gondor

May 17-18
RoTK Book V, Chapter 7
Pyre of Denethor

May 24-25
The Valar, wise counsels or strategic dimwits?

Points of interest include the retreat of the Valar to Aman, bringing the elves to Valinor, the ban of the Noldor, setting up the Dunedain on Numenor and despatching the Istari to Middle-Earth.

Although the Valar were really nice guys, they seem incredibly naive in their decisions at times, creating as many problems as they solve. And did they care more for their Valinor than for the well-being of all Arda, forsaking the job Eru had given them.

Times:

Saturday Chat:
5:30pm ET (17:30)
[also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 7:30am Sunday (07:30) AET]

Sunday Chat:
7:00 pm (19:00) CET
[also 1:00pm (13:00) ET and 3:00am (03:00) Monday morning AET]

ET = Eastern Time, USA's East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
AET = Australian East Coast

Having trouble working out a time zone near you? Try this page.

Do you have a possible topic for Hall of Fire? Drop us a line at halloffire@theonering.net. And don't forget that you can check out previous chats here.

5-02-03 Latest News

The Black Rider Tour is coming to a Store near you!
Flinch @ 5:19 pm EST

The Black Rider Tour is coming to a store near you!

Nine Decipher employees are setting out to across the land on a promotional tour for the Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game to play you in challenge matches and tournaments, and hand out exclusive Black Rider cards that you can only get where one of them visit! Best of all is that when you beat one of these 'Nine Riders' in a tournament you can win a complete box of The Two Towers expansion!

All you need to do to get your hand on one of these limited foil Black Rider promo cards is show up at one of the retail stores they visit, you don't even need to play to get one!

For dates and locations Click here.

Black Rider Promo

Alan Lee Talks John Howe....or...How Is That?
Xoanon @ 1:04 pm EST

or Where I Am Faced With Serious Identity Issues...

About two or three times a month I am accosted in the street by people who invariably say "Excuse me, Mister Alan Lee?" Generally I reply "No, I'm the other guy." or something equally intelligent and otherwise eloquent, but I'm beginning to seriously wonder.

I mean, we look nothing alike - Alan's beard is shorter, my hair longer, I dress like a slob, Alan is dapper and chipper and all that, he positively radiates a rare benevolence and magnaminity, I scowl and slouch and frown. Alan's gaze is dreamy and I squint and knit my brows. Alan ambles, I speedwalk. How is it possible?

Anyway, I've decided to react. Either Alan dyes his hair blue or red and puts on 50 lbs, or I'll reply "Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you." and do a positively lamentable sketch and sign "With love, Alan" on the spot... [More]

5-01-03 Latest News

Elf Fantasy Fair Report!
leo @ 3:49 pm EST

A real castle near the center of Holland was the location for this years Elf Fantasy Fair last weekend. Amongst a whole range of special guests were Tolkien-illustrator extraordinaire Ted Nasmith and Gamling-actor Bruce Hopkins. I was fortunate enough to be there as well and spend some time with both, here's a short report.

The Elf Fantasy Fair is said to be the biggest Fantasy-event in Europe. This year some 10.000 people attended, a little bit less then expected, and it was just a pity that the weather didn't hold. We have had a few weeks of great weather over here but Murphy's Law kicked in and during the weekend (and especially saturday) we had mostly rain. Because the Fair was an outdoor event (a lot of the activities were outside save for the many lectures, signing sessions and music perormances that were held in tents) the bad weather put its stamp on the weekend. On sunday however it cleared up and we actually got some sun, which made for a nice change.

Despite the bad weather a lot of people still found the time to attend the Fair, which offered something for everyone. There was a large fantasy-market where one could buy pretty much anything even remotely fantasy-related, there were special tents dedicated to fantasy-games, there was a real Middle-age battle and many other such things. A special part of the Fair was reserved for tents which hosted lectures and signing sessions from famous authors such as Robin Hobb, Neil Gaiman, Juliet Marillier and Cate Tiernan. Lord of the Rings-fans could spend their time listening to lectures or a musical performance from Ted Nasmith and Alex Lewis and several q&a sessions with actor Bruce Hopkins. Because I would be there for two days I figured I'd spend one day attending Ted Nasmith and Alex Lewis' lectures and performance and the other day Bruce Hopkins' program.

I have had the pleasure to meet both Ted Nasmith and Bruce Hopkins before. I met Ted on the opening night of his exhibition in Chalk Farm Gallery, London in 2001 [Ted Nasmith: A World of Dreams and Nightmares] and Bruce of course attended our Two Towers: One Party. Amazingly enough they both recognised me (must be my height) which made introducing myself a bit easier. Ted Nasmith is one of my favorite illustrators. I especially love his landscape-paintings such as 'Rivendell' or 'Turin and his Band led to Amon-Rudh', they are truly gorgeous and I don't think anyone can deny that. What struck me during Ted's lectures was that they weren't that crowded, and I think that's a pity.I like Ted's work because it hasn't been so much inspired by or served as an inspiration for the movies. Ted's vision of Middle-earth is straight from the books and that makes for a very nice change. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love what John Howe and Alan Lee have done both on the movies as on their own but for me (and I think for a lot of people) their work will from now on always be linked to these movies.

Anyway, as I was saying: there wasn't a huge crowd in the tent when Ted spoke so a lot of people missed his very interesting lecture. The first one dealt with how he came to be an illustrator and how he first started reading Tolkien's books. He also talked about his preparations before starting on a piece. Very interesting stuff. In his second lecture, later that day, he talked for a fair while about his other occupations and how he filled his days. He revealed he will be illustrating a new version of the Illustrated Silmarillion with six new works and he will also be doing cover art for the 5th George R.R. Martin
book of the ICE AND FIRE Series.
(thanks to Cirdan from Herr-der-Ringe-film.de for correcting me). Last but not least he talked about how he got asked to be involved with the movies and why he had to decline. It didn't keep him out of work though and looking back Ted admitted he was actually kind of glad he didn't do it.

Except for giving lectures and signing autographs Ted Nasmith also performed a few songs twice a day with Alex Lewis. Lewis, the author of 'The Uncharted Realms of Tolkien', gave a lecture about Tolkien's Rings of Power which dealt with some interesting points. Although I have to admit I haven't read the book I guess most of the stuff from his lecture is in it. Anyway, the two are apparently good friends and were kind enough to perform some of the Tolkien-inspired music they wrote together which was just wonderful. If anyone happens to know if they have a cd out let me know!

Bruce Hopkins was the opposite of Ted Nasmith. Ted was quiet, well thought-over and, for lack of a better word, a bit shy on stage. Bruce on the other hand was a stage-animal, something that probably ties in with his non-acting related jobs which include MC-ing conventions and being part of a comedy duo. During his Q&A's (twice a day) he broke the ice with the crowd by having them participate in a great Rohan-ritual: a charge on thousands of Uruk-hai and he showed off his t-shirt (one sent to him by an American fan which said 'Isengard Swim Team' on the front and 'Team Elf' on the back, great stuff). There were quite a lot of people in the tent when Bruce was doing his sessions and most of them ended a bit later then expected due to the fact that Bruce every question very thoroughly. He spoke how he got his part, what is was like on set, how long it took for him to get read for filming and pretty much anything else that people asked him. Unfortunately he couldn't or wouldn't talk about his involvement in The Return of the King saying that he didn't know how much he would feature in it. He did reveal that at a certain point during the production Bernard Hill (Theoden) tried to get the script changed in such a way that Bruce's character (Gamling) would get his own deathscene. Now contrary to popular belief getting your own deathscene as an actor is a good thing (really it is, Bruce told me so!), but unfortunately by that time someone from higher up decided that there couldn't be any more script changes so the idea was abandonned.

Talking to Bruce Hopkins was undoubtedly one of the best things of the entire weekend because he really is a great guy. This was his first convention and from what I gathered he'll be doing a lot more of them in the future. He's a good speaker and took time out for everyone who wanted an autograph or a picture. I managed to ask him a few questions as well, so be sure to keep an eye out for that on TORn Digital sometime in the future. I think that just about wraps up what I wanted to say, if you are in the neighbourhood for the Elf Fantasy Fair 2004 next year be sure to check it out!

For more information about Ted Nasmith or Bruce Hopkins check out their websites: www.TedNasmith.com and/or www.Bruce-Hopkins.com!

Media Release - The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers Region 4 DVD release dates
Xoanon @ 12:57 pm EST

Roadshow Entertainment

The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers Arrives On DVD And VHS August 26th

Special Extended Edition To Follow in November

Sydney, Australia (April 28, 2003) Roadshow Entertainment today announced the DVD and VHS release of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The central film in Peter Jackson’s motion picture trilogy epic adventure of good against evil, The Fellowship that was formed in The Fellowship of the Ring faces unimaginable armies and lethal deception while also witnessing ancient wonders and the untapped strength of the peoples of Middle-earth.

The award-winning The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers will be available to purchase on DVD and Video, and to rent on August 26. Similar to last year’s resoundingly successful multi-tiered platform release, the August 26 theatrical release of The Two Towers will be followed by a distinctly different four-disc Special Extended DVD Edition in November 2003.

TOWERING DISCS OF DVD FEATURES

In addition to the theatrical version of the film, the second disc of the DVD will premiere an exclusive ten-minute behind-the-scenes sneak preview look at The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the final film in the trilogy due in theatres December 2003. The second disc also includes actor Sean Astin’s (Sam) short film, The Long And Short Of It, and the “making-of” documentary of Astin’s short film. Also featured is “Gollum's Song” music video by Emiliana Torrini, a preview of Electronic Arts’ Video Game, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and a first look at the Special Extended DVD Edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

“The stunning achievement of The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring two tiered DVD release in 2002 was both applauded and supported by the Australian DVD audience making it our biggest selling DVD of all time. Peter Jacksons two unique versions of The Lord Of the Rings: The Two Towers will be proudly distributed for New Line Home Entertainment by Roadshow Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand and promises to once again delight the eager fans with the offering.” says Roadshow Entertainment Managing Director Mr Chris Chard.

“Tower”-ing Above The Competition The power of The Lord of the Rings continues to grow: The Two Towers’ worldwide theatrical box office surpassed that of The Fellowship of the Ring, licensed merchandise sales increased exponentially, The Lord of the Rings book titles remain prominently on The New York Times bestseller list, and the DVDs of The Fellowship of the Ring proved to be the highest selling DVD of 2002 in Australia and the US.

With current US box office receipts at $337 million, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers set records for the highest-grossing December domestic opening weekend ($62 million, Friday-Sunday), highest-grossing one-day worldwide gross ($42 million), and highest-grossing Christmas Day box office ($12.4 million). The film currently ranks number seven on the list of all-time biggest US motion picture box office hits and number five in worldwide box office.

In Australia The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was the main driver in the most profitable weekend in Australian cinema history (includes all films). It broke several records including; The largest opening weekend - The opening weekend of $14.11 million easily passed the $11.96 million take of previous champ Attack of The Clones by 18%. The largest opening day - $5.25 million rocketing past the previous best $4.1 million scored by The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring the same day a year ago. The largest single day in box office history. The largest ever second day. The largest ever Thursday. The largest ever Friday - excelling the previous best of $2.4 million, also previously held by Fellowship. The largest amount of pre-booked tickets. The largest ever average dollars per screen - The Two Towers collected an absolutely stunning $33,291 per theatre. This easily surpassed previous record holder Attack of The Clones' $26,187

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Film Synopsis
At the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, following the death of Boromir (Sean Bean) and the plunge into the pit at Khazad-dûm by Gandalf The Grey (Sir Ian McKellen), The Fellowship disbanded. Though splintered into three groups, the members of the original nine-member assemblage are no less determined to fulfill Frodo’s heroic quest. . .

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers begins in the hills of Emyn Muil, where lost Hobbits Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) discover they are being followed by the mysterious and extraordinarily rendered Gollum (Andy Serkis). A mercurial creature who has been warped by his proximity to the Ring, Gollum promises to guide the Hobbits to the Black Gates of Mordor.

Across Middle-earth Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), the Elf archer Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli the Dwarf (John Rhys-Davies) encounter the besieged Kingdom of Rohan, whose once great King Theoden (Bernard Hill) has fallen under the deadly spell of evil wizard Saruman The White (Christopher Lee) through the machinations of his spy, the sinister Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif). Eowyn (Miranda Otto), the niece of the King, recognizes a leader in Aragorn, and though the warrior finds himself drawn to her, Aragorn is constantly reminded of his enduring love for the Elf Arwen (Liv Tyler) and the pact they’ve made. Gandalf, reborn as Gandalf the White following his cataclysmic battle with the Balrog, reminds Aragorn of his destiny to unite the people of Rohan with Gondor, the last remaining stronghold of Human resistance. . .

Meanwhile, the captured Hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) escape from their monstrous Uruk-hai captors and, fleeing into the mysterious Fangorn Forest, discover an unexpected ally among the ancient trees---Treebeard (voiced by Rhys- Davies), a living, walking, talking tree-shepherd, among the oldest creature in Middle-earth, whose forest Saruman has decimated. . .

In their parallel journeys, the Fellowship will stand against the powerful forces spreading from the Two Towers -- Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where Saruman has bred a lethal army of 10,000 strong; and Sauron’s fortress at Barad-dûr, deep within the dark lands of Mordor. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers culminates in the astonishing battle for the refuge Helm’s Deep: the Kingdom of Rohan’s ancient large stone fortress, besieged by Uruk-hai warriors.

ABOUT ROADSHOW ENTERTAINMENT Roadshow Entertainment is a dynamic leader in the distribution of rental and retail video and DVD in the Asia-Pacific marketplace.

With exclusive Australian and New Zealand distribution agreements for ABC Enterprises and BBC Worldwide, Roadshow Entertainment also represents some of the industry’s leading high profile movie suppliers such as New Line Cinema and Village Roadshow Pictures.

Roadshow Entertainment was the first distributor in the world to release PAL DVD in October 1997, with the movie EVITA starring Antonio Banderas and Madonna.

With an ongoing commitment to investment in new technologies and applications to expand and improve the efficiency of the distribution process, Roadshow Entertainment is recognised as a retail innovator, continually working to develop new processes and systems to meet its customers’ needs.

* At time of writing DVD content subject to change.

4-30-03 Latest News

About Those Recent ROTK Rumors....
Xoanon @ 11:31 pm EST

News has been hitting the web via a report from Countingdown.com which they incorrectly recieved from www.thezreview.co.uk.

A few days ago the folks at thezreview contacted me with this interesting bit of information below, which I confirmed to them within minutes that it is bogus:

An insider, who has asked us specifically to remain anonymous, on the production of Return of the King has weighed in with a very interesting report on Return of the King "The filmmakers are under pressure from New Line to get a trailer ready by the end of April as it has to be ready by then to get into the cinemas in May. There are also discussions that the final print of the movie may have to be cut drastically, not only for length but due to the scale of the FX work that is still to be completed and would not be completed in time. This will mean the movie having to be spread over three discs when it gets released on DVD." Whew I'm stunned at that news, a THREE disc movie! He also weighed in with the following "Ian Holm is trying to get Peter Jackson to be an executive producer on the Hobbit TV series that is being developed for a planned release of 2006. Peter has agreed, but won't be able to take a major part in the production due to his commitment to King Kong"

Just be aware of the following, ALL of the above is incorrect. There is NO SFX crunch for ROTK, there is NO push by New Line for a trailer for April...there will BE NO TRAILER IN MAY.

And as far as ROTK being a THREE disk movie? They haven't even completed a final cut of the film, there is currently NO INDICATION that the ROTK DVD is being worked on at the moment.

When I asked around about the Ian Holm wanting to do the Hobbit Mini-Series I recieved this responce from an insider 'what kind of stuff are you on?' There is NO INDICATION that New Line is working on the Hobbit, they don't even have the rights to it...they have the option TO option it (which means they get first dips IF there is a production), AND what on earth would PJ want to do a mini series right now? He's got work on the TTT:EE DVD, ROTK, the ROTK:EE DVDs and not to mention a small movie called KING KONG! His hands are full!

'Frodo' The Flour Child
Xoanon @ 10:00 am EST

Jeff L writes: I hate to admit it, but I was watching the John Ritter show '8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter' on ABC this evening and to my surprise Frodo was mentioned a few different times. As odd as it seems, the older daughter character on the show has a health class assignment in which she has to take care of a sack of flour for a week (the baby assignment).

The younger brother nicknames the sack 'Frodo,' and his name is mentioned a few times throughout the episode. At one point, the most comical I thought, was when the younger brother admitted to stealing flour from the sack to make cookies, and then said "Remember, Frodo gave of himself so that others could live." Just thought I'd send this along! Great site, see ya!

Teaching Tolkien
Tehanu @ 5:49 am EST

Mallorn, a Hall of Fire regular, is gathering content ideas for a new "Teaching Tolkien" subsite under consideration with TORN. The proposed subsite will be a resource of ideas, research and discussion for both teachers and non-professionals who want to share their love of Tolkien and entice new readers through teaching Tolkien in the pre-high-school, high school and college/post-college classrooms, as well as outside it.

Mallorn asks for teachers of all gradelevels to email experiences and suggestions on teaching Tolkien to cdfletch@optonline.net. Please include the country in which you teach and the grade levels involved in your experiences or suggestions.

4-28-03 Latest News

Viggo Mortensen is 'Six Feet Under'
Xoanon @ 2:23 pm EST

Hippoga writes:

Viggo Mortensen was mentioned on last night's episode of "Six Feet Under" on HBO. Most of the action in the episode took place at an art gallery exhibition and one of the characters whispered to another "Is that Viggo Mortensen?". I can't remember the exact dialog but they definitely knew who he was and that his movie brought them to tears. It appears that Viggo's artistic talents are becoming well known. The episode will be repeated Wednesday night at 9 pm on HBO.

Gondorian Armour At Dymocks
Demosthenes @ 5:19 am EST

Ringer Spy Frodo's Girl writes: I was walking by Dymocks on Lambton Quay the other day and noticed that they changed the armour in the window from Elvish to Gondorian, so I tramped on back with my camera today and took a few shots which I have included.

Dymocks now carries the full set of Sideshow Weta figures as well as most of the Noble Collection jewelry. And speaking of merchandise, though the LoTR exhibition at Te Papa closed last week (they needed some of those props for re-shoots) the exhibition store is still open with all the goodies (including the Sideshow figures and Noble Collection jewellry).


Gondorian Armour - Front

So if anyone in Wellington wants to look at the new Balrog statue or the Watcher, or any of the other amazing Sideshow figures, medallions, or the new weapon sets, stop into Te Papa or Dymocks.

4-26-03 Latest News

RoTK Length - A Bit Of Detective Work
Demosthenes @ 11:12 pm EST

Ringer Fan Peter writes in about an article we posted regarding Howard Shore's take on the rough cut of ROTK :

Peter writes:


Shore says: "You're ultimately dealing with a nine- to 10-hour film," Shore explains. Furthermore, music is an ongoing part of the creative fabric. "You're creating a large musical work, a 10-hour piece, using all the Tolkien languages."

I was thinking that if he was just talking about the theatrical releases, then this implies that since the FOTR was ~3 hours, TTT was ~3 hours, then this means the last movie is 3 - 4 hours, adding up to 9 - 10 hours.

If he meant the extended cuts, then since FOTR was ~3.5 hours, and TTT will be ~3.7 hours, then ROTK should be 1.8 - 2.8 hours?! This isn't right.

So it must be the first, implying that ROTK may even be 4 hours long, especially given that he actually says "You're creating a large musical work, a 10-hour piece.". Of course this isn't really isn't new news, but might be a good, early indication of how long ROTK will be.

Remembering that Jackson has said that RoTK will be "as long as it needs to be", and that Shore needs to be intimately acquainted with the film to write his score, this could indeed be a good early indication of the ultimate length we'll see at the cinema.

But it's also important to remember how long speculation went on for the cut length for Two Towers. I wouldn't be laying any big bets just yet - Demosthenes.


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