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July 21, 2001 - July 29, 2001

7-29-01 Latest News

Auckland Wind Orchestra plays LOTR Symphony
Xoanon @ 11:56 am EST

Hi all - wondered if you could help us get the word out to Tolkein fans that the Auckland Wind Orchestra plays the only Lord of the RIngs symphony in Auckland on August 12. Written in 1988, it was an instant award-winner but has never been played in NZ. Here's the press release - thanks in advance - direct any queries to me!

Thanks heaps

Julie

Auckland Wind Orchestra press release JULY 2000


LORD OF THE RINGS COMES TO AUCKLAND

As the world eagerly awaits the release of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movie, the compelling Lord of the Rings symphony is to take top billing at the Auckland Wind Orchestra's August concert.

The symphony gets its first New Zealand airing at the Auckland Town Hall Concert Chamber on Sunday August 12 at 2pm. Conductor is Adrian Raven and among the guest performers are jazz saxophonist Lewis McCallum and the North Shore Youth Orchestra, conducted by Peter Thomas.

Written by 48-year-old Dutchman Johan de Meij in 1988, Lord of the Rings is a powerful and atmospheric five-part symphony describing in music, major events in Tolkien's 1955 book. You can literally hear Tolkien's tale.

I Gandalf (The Wizard), the first movement, is a musical portrait of a wise, noble but unpredictable personality.

II Lothlorien (The Elvenwood) paints an impression of the elvenwood with its beautiful trees, plants and exotic birds expressed through woodwind solos. The music tells of hobbit Frodo's meeting with the Lady Galadriel.

III Gollum (Sméagol) describes the monstrous Gollum, a slimy, shy being looking for his cherished Ring, represented by soprano saxophone.

IV Journey in the Dark re-creates the laborious journey of the Fellowship of the Ring, headed by the wizard Gandalf, through the dark tunnels of the Mines of Moria.

After a wild pursuit by hostile Orks, Gandalf is engaged in battle with a monster, the Balrog, and crashes from the subterranean bridge of Khazad-Dûm in a fathomless abyss. The bewildered Companions trudge on, looking for the way out of the Mines.

IV Hobbits, the fifth movement, describes the Hobbits' carefree and optimistic character.

The AWO is a 50-strong group of woodwind players from all over Auckland, many of them professional musicians and music teachers. In existence since the late 1960s,
the band has nurtured the early careers of many of the country's top musicians.

WHAT: Lord of the Rings, Auckland Wind Orchestra
WHEN: Sunday August 12, 2pm
WHERE: Auckland Town Hall Concert Chamber
COST: Tickets are $15/$10 (students, seniors)
BOOKINGS: Ticketek, phone 307 5000 or online at www.ticketek.com.

For further information on the band, the concert, composers or soloists, contact

Hamish Arthur on 579-9366 or e-mail haccar@paradise.net.nz.

7-26-01 Latest News

Comic-Con Reports
Xoanon @ 11:13 am EST

I've gathered all the Comic-Con 2001 reports here for easy reading, enjoy!

Comic-Con Day 1.5

Here we are in sunny San Diego (ok we're inside most of the time :) )! The Comic-Con is under way in outrageous fashion, and Lord of the Rings is all over. [Day 1.5]

Comic-Con 2001 Art Pics

Ringer Spy Faie sends along these great scans of some LOTR related art from Comic-Con 2001. Check them out! [Comic-Con Art]

Rings figures straight from Comic-Con

The Action Figure Times have posted a hoard of new action figure images from Comic-Con. [Toy Biz Toys]

Comic-Con Caraaaaazy

Have I lost my mind!? What happened to the last four days? Hanging out with a Hobbit and an Ent, WETA wizards, Sideshow masters, Decipher gurus, TORN fans, and being surrounded by TOLKIEN TOLKIEN TOLKIEN all weekend was just amazing. [Comic-con]

Comic-Con Images

Check out some of the great images Tookish and Quickbeam captured during the festivities at Comic-Con 2001! [Comic-con Images]

Comic-Con Day Three

Ever since I was a Tolkien fan, three has been my lucky number. Watching New Line's presentation and bumping into Eljah Wood (Frodo Baggins) was just the start! [Day 3]

Comic-Con 2001: Wrap and Review

Quickbeam has the last word from the San Diego Comic-con. You'll REALLY want to read this one folks, as it holds the transcripts of what WETA President Richard Taylor said at our Thursday presentation as well as some *delicious* insights from the wise Ent. Another great TORN exclusive if I do say so myself!! [Comic-con Review]

Comic-Con International 2001: Frodo, Fun, and Final Thoughts
Tookish @ 3:39 am EST

Greetings -- Quickbeam here.

Last year all us Tolkien fans were just scratching the surface of the San Diego Comic-Con. In contrast, this year we hit the radar like never before!

It’s a combination of things that makes this Con such a powerhouse event for people who love fantasy, illustrated fiction, great movies, games, and all the “Popular Arts.” It ain’t just comic books anymore, kiddo. In fact, today’s Los Angeles Times had an article about how the movie industry is much more aware of how this type of gathering, this Comic-Con in particular, is a unique promotional spring-board for Hollywood’s biggest “event movies.” Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings included.

In this scenario you can’t expect a studio to overlook its fans, and in San Diego it is the genre film that reigns supreme. Highlights included sneak previews of Spider Man, Planet of the Apes, the new DVD release of Robert Wise’s completed Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Harry Potter, and the crown jewel of all fantasy, LOTR. Lowlights that left a bad taste in the mouth included the painfully trite Smallville soon to premiere on the WB Network (beware viewers, your beloved Superman has been turned into Beverly Hills 90210 drivel) and John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars, which was ignored by a chilly audience.

The award for “Most Eye-Catching Display” goes to DreamWorks. They impressed many attendees with a massive floor exhibit from The Time Machine. The giant glass-and-brass apparatus was a marvel to see, nearly two stories high and about 3 tons of hardware, by the look of it. My friend called it, “A giant chandelier that was assimilated by the Borg.” The whole thing looked like an exhibit from the Smithsonian.

And where was New Line Cinema? Evidently they decided on a low-key approach, saving their big guns for the Saturday evening showing of Fellowship footage. As we have reported, it was a mind-blowing event with so many thousands of people jammed into the huge converted ballroom. Even though they didn’t pass out any free gifts or T-shirts (Tookish and I are quite fond of mathoms) you could not ask for more enthusiasm!

Remember last year when Sir Ian McKellen sprung out on stage and surprised the heck out of everyone? This time, as the video footage from Cannes played on the giant screens, you could tell from the look on his face that he wanted to be with us all in person, once more. You got the feeling he loved the passion behind the filmmakers’ work, and equally the passion that Tolkien fans have brought to this new project -- and he said as much in a more gracious manner than I ever could. I recall him saying, “If it weren’t for you, and your love of these books, these films would never have been made.” From the heart of the wisest wizard comes a wonderful acknowledgement for all of us.

One shining moment during the Hobbiton footage made us stop and laugh. There were tables set with piles of food, wine, and delicious frosted cakes; and as the banners went up and tents were raised under the Party Tree, a rustic old hobbit was caught on film addressing someone off-camera. He defiantly declared, “Say what you like about Mad Baggins, but he sets the most bountiful table in three Farthings,” or something close to that. Tookish and I both debated this mystery Hobbit, and came to an early conclusion that it was the Gaffer himself! We shall see, we shall see.

Mr. Elijah Wood proved to be excellent and beyond patient. After the LOTR footage there were swarms of fans who piled up on him with flash bulbs, video cams, and pleas of, “Could you sign this for me?” I happened to be one of the culprits, so I must deeply apologize to Elijah for instigating the crowd. I just couldn’t help it. How often does one get the chance to meet the Ringbearer himself!? Later in the evening the whole dining company was in good spirits, as Tookish has already related. Elijah’s timing is quick and so are his wits; as the evening wore on he showed his gregarious side even in the late hours. No doubt it was great fun working with him in New Zealand for 18 months!

Last year we had lunch with Gandalf. This time it was dinner with Frodo. Who knows what might happen in 2002? The mind boggles.

But seriously, no star shined brighter than Richard Taylor, President of WETA, and his brilliant team of designers from New Zealand (and at least one of them from Australia, or else I’m a ninny-hammer!). All people around them are touched by their generosity. All discussions turn to quiet listening and wide-eyed wonder when they speak of LOTR. All doubts about these films wash away when you hear Daniel or David or Richard talk. We were thrilled to be part of their company and doubly lucky that Richard took part in our presentation. Here is a transcript of Richard Taylor’s eloquent words before a packed house, all Tolkien fans eager to learn more of WETA’s role in the filmmaking process:

“Hullo and this is obviously a great pleasure to even have come to San Diego and come to the Comic-Con, but ah a few of our guys from the workshop have just been invited and had the opportunity to have a quick word to you. We started on the film five years ago now; we’ve been in the film industry for 14 years so it’s over a third of our working careers have been commited to bringing the world of Tolkien to the audiences of the world. We chose at the very beginning to look after the five departments under the one roof of our Weta workshop. We’ve looked after the special make-up effects, the creatures, the armor, the weapons, and the miniatures, and in effect looked after all of the war and injury rigs as well. To look after the design, fabrication, and onset operation of so many departments on one film is obviously an unenviable task—but to be stupid enough to suggest that we could look after all three films was sheer madness. But there certainly is probably not a better audience in the world then those sitting before me now who will appreciate likewise (applause) what I say about this.

Tolkien –any individual author- writes a singular vision of their creativity; likewise did Tolkien, and when we came to make this film and Peter (Jackson) offered us the decision on what departments we wanted to look after we knew that if we didn’t take on as much as we possibly could and came to the world of Middle-earth with our own singular Tolkienesque brushstroke there was the possibility that the project would become fragmented. There is no more important thing to this film project than an integrity and a realism to the vision of his writings.

At no time did we consider we were making a fantasy. We considered this a piece of English folklore; we believed we were trying to bring the writings of Tolkien in the way he tried to bring modern folklore to the world of England and our world to the screen. So to that end we’ve invested a phenomenal amount of our time— our preproduction time— developing the cultures that you’ll come to discover in the filmmaking. We’ve entered a huge amount of effort to create the graphic design of Middle-earth so that every culture has its own iconic realization. We were fanatical at a number of levels. At all times I said to the guys in the workshop – we had 148 people working in the facility and another 38 on set – and I was absolutely adamant at all times that this wasn’t film-making, this was legacy-making and if all of us weren’t in the mental position that we would want our grandchildren to sit on our laps and remember this project with them then we weren’t worthy of the project. (applause) At all times we had to approach this with a level of fanaticism some people bring to the Christian religions. (audience laughs) Yes!

Alongside Peter Jackson obviously we’ve had the most incredible five years of our lives. We’ve been blessed to have been given the opportunity to do this. We have been touched at a level that we could never have considered at the beginning. We knew it was going to be special but it has been special beyond our wildest imaginations. I hope you all watch these three films that you likewise will be touched again after reading the books for so many years: you’ll be touched again by the visual imagery, the wealth and richness that we hope we’ve brought to your Middle-earth.

Thank you very much." (loud raucous applause)

Again, we extend our gratitude to Sideshow Toys, WETA, and Decipher Games for giving us a chance to share our Tolkien fanaticism. Congrats to all on an excellent four-day showing.

It was a long ride. It was also satisfying. Beyond the many people and events we experienced (or collided with) during the Con, we were impressed above all else with one grand, unavoidable thing: the building wave of excitement! The Eyes of World will soon be turning to LOTR, and through the prism of our shared media J.R.R. Tolkien will come under a brighter spotlight than ever before. This is the just the overture, as the sweeping arms of pop culture embrace the Professor and his works.

And with that, we bring the 2001 Comic-Con to a close. See you all next year.

Much too hasty,

Quickbeam & Tookish

7-25-01 Latest News

Big prediction for LOTR movies from Sweden
Tehanu @ 7:02 pm EST

In today's "Dagens Industri" (the Daily Industry), Sweden's leading business paper, the columnist Jan Gradwall writes about the coming impact of LOTR.
"The Lord of the Rings&rsquo, which is now becoming a movie, will without a doubt be the biggest media event of the year. No other contemporary cultural event will influence the time we live in to such a degree. All corporations who depends on trends, from Ericsson to H&M, will be effected by the waves from "The Lord of the Rings."

Then he mentions the internet buzz, increasing book sales, the movie budget and other popular subjects. Ha also states that this is not a passing phenomena like over hyped movies like "Pearl Harbour" ("-Who cares a month after the premiere?"), but something that will be around for a long time to come.

Thanks to Tomten

Media Watch: Swedish Paper Dagens Industri
Tookish @ 1:57 pm EST

"In today’s "Dagens Industri" (the Daily Industry), Sweden leading business paper, the columnist Jan Gradwall writes about the coming impact of LOTR.

"‘The Lord of the Rings’, which is now becoming a movie, will without a doubt be the biggest media event of the year. No other contemporary cultural event will influence the time we live in to such a degree. All corporations who depends on trends, from Ericsson to H&M, will be effected by the waves from ‘The Lord of the Rings’."

Then he mentions the internet buzz, increasing book sales, the movie budget and other popular subjects. Ha also states that this is not a passing phenomena like over hyped movies like "Pearl Harbour" ("-Who cares a month after the premiere?"), but something that will be around for a long time to come."

Thanks Tomten for sending that one in.

Tolkienisms Everywhere
Tookish @ 1:51 pm EST

Hullo TORNados!

Got three more in the box this morning. Here we go:

i heard a radio commercial yesterday promoting a boxing match (can't remember who was fighting) that said "the real Lord of the Ring". we'll be deluged soon with all kind of Tolkeinisms. JM

I have several small children who regularly watch the program "Arthur" on PBS. On one episode, it is deemed 'cool' to have a toy called a "Woogle" or
"Poogle" or something like that. Anyhow, Buster Baxter names his "Bilbo". No other reference is made to Tolkien; this is just a little Tolkienism.
Longbottom

This is straight out of Microsoft's Visual Basic Help regarding Collections: (Yummy, spiffy, nerdy programmer stuff)

What Has It Got In Its Pocketses? Croda

An aside... I've been told that in much MS programing there are Tolkienisms built right in, using names like Gandalf and Legolas. How cool is that?!

More to follow...

7-24-01 Latest News

Comic-Con Day Three
Tookish @ 9:24 pm EST


Did I say things couldn’t get better? Nothing can compare to some of yesterday’s events, but this day was AMAZING.

Day Three began with the New Line Lord of the Rings movie preview. TORN Greenbooks staffer Ostadan came in for the show! Click here to read the summary: [More]

All that great footage was immediately followed by Quickbeam and me running into Elijah Wood! The pictures you see on the site are from that encounter. He took photos with us, and also signed both of our books. Elijah was swamped with fans and he gladly posed for pictures, shook hands, and chatted for a few minutes. Then he headed off to one of the presentations along with his friends. [More]

It was neat meeting Elijah like that! He said he was having a great time at the convention, and as you have heard from other fans, he was spotted all over. Elijah was very nice and now that I am starting to relate his voice to that of Frodo Baggins, it was a special treat.

After the New Line presentation Quickbeam and I headed to the Exhibition Hall. We decided to split up and meet later at the Sideshow/WETA booth. I made the rendezvous, but Quickbeam was detained. He later attended Decipher’s volunteer dinner, but I was swept along in the WETA winds for a few hours.

We jumped into a couple cabs and before I knew what happened I found myself hanging out with Elijah! We were alone together for about fifteen minutes and talked about LOTR and every day things too. TORN fans will be excited to know that he is a site visitor, and his mom is a site regular (Hullo Elijah's Mom!).

Eventually the group was ready and we six walked to dinner, where our party’s numbers grew substantially. This dinner was the high point of my trip. I sat in between to two gentlemen from WETA and across the table from Elijah! It was an amazing two hours and it felt like hanging out with old friends. The guys I spent time with from WETA were the absolute best, and they shared some classic stories from the LOTR production. It’s hard to imagine that five years ago this team rolled up their sleeves (ok they probably were wearing t-shirts) and got their hands dirty with the project, and for those of you who feel like this production of The Lord of the Rings looks right, feels right, and IS right, WETA is the place that made it happen.

The dinner party ended up signing one of the tablecloths. It was incredible to watch some of the artists from WETA and Sideshow just whip out things like Gandalf, the LOTR film logo, a Moria Orc, Mt. Doom, and of course, Rings. Quickbeam made it over after his dinner, and they invited us to sign as well. Unfortunately I had a couple glasses of wine in me and my signature turned out a little large. Let’s just say that TORN is nicely represented on this tablecloth, and I’ll be forever embarrassed! Fool of a Took indeed!

So ended our third day at Comic-Con. Day Four coming soon!

United Airlines Six-Page Spread!
Tookish @ 6:18 pm EST

From Ringer Noah:

Recent trip on United Airlines was completely frustrating except for the story in their complimentary magazine Hemispheres - July 2001. A four page article on LOTR entitled "Making Middle-Earth". There was very little of interest to dedicated fans of this site with one major exception: An interview with John Howe and his role in the movies that can be found online. Click on Cyber Sidebar at the bottom and choose the John Howe story, (duh). More

...the 4 page story it mostly focuses on Tolkien, the books, Jackson, and anything else that won't give out info on the films themselves. :-P

The only new graphic was a map of New Zealand showing where Hobbiton, Mordor, Rivendell, Helms Deep, Minas Tirith, Edoras, Lothlorien, and Pelennor Fields were filmed.

Guess what, I saw the article on my way to Comic-Con! I thought it was well written and very comprehensive, especially for people reading this news for the first time. Also quoted in this article, our very own Tehanu sheds some insight on how Tolkien was able to produce such magical work. Scans to come!

7-23-01 Latest News

'The Sil' Stageplay?
Xoanon @ 11:03 pm EST

From: Chet

My girlfriend graduated from Northern Illinois University a few years ago. She occasionally gets the Alumni newsletter. It came just today with a really interesting bit of information. A new faculty member, Professor Robert Schneider, is currently working on a stage adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's novel The Silmarillion. I can't imagine what this production might look like. You may want to do some investigating.

Robert Schneider works for the School of Theatre and Dance. The following is the snail mail address:

Northern Illinois University
School of Theatre and Dance
1425 West Lincoln Highway
Dekalb, IL 60115

I really would love to see this production when it is finished. Please post any info if you get any!

Comic-Con Gallery 4
Calisuri @ 10:27 am EST

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Gallery 1 Gallery 2 Gallery 3 Gallery 4

Weekly Cast Watch
Xoanon @ 10:22 am EST

Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn)

28 Days (2000)
Walk on the Moon, A (1999) UK
Thin Red Line, The (1998) UK
Psycho (1998) UK
Albino Alligator (1996)
Prophecy, The (1995)
American Yakuza (1994)
Carlito's Way (1993)
Boiling Point (1993) UK
Ruby Cairo (1993)
Young Guns II (1990) UK
Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990) UK
Witness (1985)

Liv Tyler (Arwen)

Onegin (1999) UK
Plunkett & Macleane (1999)
Cookie's Fortune (1999)
Can't Hardly Wait (1998) UK
Stealing Beauty (1996)

Ian Holm (Bilbo)

Joe Gould's Secret (2000)
eXistenZ (1999)
Night Falls on Manhattan (1997)
Fifth Element, The (1997) UK
Life Less Ordinary, A (1997)
Loch Ness (1995) UK
Madness of King George, The (1994)
Naked Lunch (1991) UK
Dance with a Stranger (1985)
Brazil (1985) UK
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
Time Bandits (1981) UK
S.O.S. Titanic (1979) (TV) UK
Young Winston (1972) UK
Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) UK
Oh! What a Lovely War (1969)
Fixer, The (1968) UK

Sean Bean (Boromir)

Black Beauty (1994) UK
Patriot Games (1992) UK
Stormy Monday (1988)

Martyn Sanderson (Bree Gatekeeper)

UTU (1983)

Hugo Weaving (Elrond)

Matrix, The (1999) UK
Bedrooms and Hallways (1998)
Babe (1995) UK
Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The (1994) UK
Exile (1994) UK

Miranda Otto (Eowyn)

Jack Bull, The (1999) (TV) UK
Thin Red Line, The (1998) UK
Love Serenade (1996)

Elijah Wood (Frodo)

Bumblebee Flies Anyway, The (2000)
Faculty, The (1998) UK
Flipper (1996)
Good Son, The (1993)
Forever Young (1992) UK
Paradise (1991)
Internal Affairs (1990) UK

Cate Blanchett (Galadriel)

Pushing Tin (1999) UK
Talented Mr. Ripley, The (1999)
Ideal Husband, An (1999) UK

Ian McKellen (Gandalf)

X-Men (2000) UK
Apt Pupil (1998) UK
Rasputin (1996) (TV)
Jack and Sarah (1995)
Cold Comfort Farm (1995) (TV)
And the Band Played On (1993) (TV)
Ballad of Little Jo, The (1993) UK
Alfred the Great (1969) UK

John Rhys-Davies (Gimli)

Secret of the Andes (1998) UK
Cyborg Cop (1994)
Sunset Grill (1993)
Seventh Coin, The (1992)
Perry Mason: The Case of the Fatal Framing (1992) (TV)
Canvas (1992)
Firewalker (1986)
King Solomon's Mines (1985)
Nairobi Affair (1984) (TV) UK
Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, A (1979) UK

Andy Serkis (Gollum)

Among Giants (1998)

Craig Parker (Haldir)

Tommyknockers, The (1993) (TV) UK

Harry Sinclair (Isildur)

Heavenly Creatures (1994)

Dominic Monaghan (Merry)

Hostile Waters (1997) (TV)

Bruce Spence (Mouth of Sauron)

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
Cars That Ate Paris, The (1974) UK

Sean Astin (Sam)

Kimberly (1999)
Icebreaker (1999)
Dish Dogs (1998)
Bulworth (1998) UK
Teresa's Tattoo (1994)
Low Life, The (1994/I)
Encino Man (1992) UK
Toy Soldiers (1991) UK
Memphis Belle (1990)
War of the Roses, The (1989) UK
Staying Together (1989)
White Water Summer (1987) UK
Goonies, The (1985)

Christopher Lee (Saruman)

Sleepy Hollow (1999) UK
Jinnah (1998) UK
Tale of the Mummy (1998) UK
Stupids, The (1996)
Death Train (1993) (TV) UK
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) UK
Safari 3000 (1982)
Last Unicorn, The (1982)
Serial (1980)
1941 (1979)
Arabian Adventure (1979)
Return from Witch Mountain (1978) UK
Four Musketeers, The (1974) UK
Creeping Flesh, The (1973)
Nothing But the Night (1972)
Gorgon, The (1964) UK
City of the Dead, The (1960)
Cockleshell Heroes, The (1955)
Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951) UK

Bernard Hill (Theoden)

Loss of Sexual Innocence, The (1999) UK
Midsummer Night's Dream, A (1999) UK
True Crime (1999) UK
Wind in the Willows, The (1996/I) UK
Shirley Valentine (1989)
Gandhi (1982) UK

Brad Dourif (Wormtongue)

Shadow Hours (2000)
Storytellers, The (1999) UK
Bride of Chucky (1998) UK
Murder in the First (1995)
Death Machine (1995)
Body Parts (1991) UK
Exorcist III, The (1990)
Hidden Agenda (1990)
Mississippi Burning (1988)
Blue Velvet (1986) UK

Jim Rygiel (SFX)

102 Dalmatians (2000)
Anna and the King (1999)
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
Multiplicity (1996)
Alien³ (1992)
Last of the Mohicans, The (1992)
Solar Crisis (1990)
Ghost (1990)

Howard Shore (Composer)

Yards, The (2000)
High Fidelity (2000)
Analyze This (1999)
Gloria (1999)
Dogma (1999)
eXistenZ (1999)
Game, The (1997)
Striptease (1996)
Se7en (1995)
Ed Wood (1994)
Guilty as Sin (1993)
Sliver (1993)
Prelude to a Kiss (1992)
Single White Female (1992)
Silence of the Lambs, The (1991)
Naked Lunch (1991)
Postcards from the Edge (1990)
Lemon Sisters, The (1990)
She-Devil (1989)
Moving (1988)
Big (1988)
Fly, The (1986)
After Hours (1985)

Peter Jackson (Director)

Heavenly Creatures (1994)

To get more information, use the sites I use like:

mydigiguide.com, tv-now.com and IMDB.com

New Line Footage at Comic-Con
Tookish @ 6:20 am EST

A packed house of what must have been more that 2,000 people were treated to a wonderful glimpse into Peter Jackson's Fellowship of the Ring on Saturday, July 21st. Fans waited for over two hours to not just get good seats, but get seats period, and I'm estimating at least another 1,000 people wanted to get in. Quickbeam and I were lucky enough to find that TORNados Larry D and Heather N had saved us some spots. Thanks you two!!

New Line's Gordon Paddison kicked of the show by introducing several films from their fall line-up. I was actually a little nervous myself about what was coming. Finally the familiar tones of the second theater teaser oozed from the speakers, and even though I've watched it dozens of times, goose bumps stood right up on my arms as Gandalf demanded, "Is it secret!? Is it SAFE!!?? The sound was amazing and it was a treat to see the teaser on those huge screens.

After this was a transitional graphic or two (which popped up a few times) featuring New Line's wonderfully crafted LOTR logo and then suddenly we were in Cannes!

It looked like the wizards and hobbits put aside some time in France to set up what we saw this weekend. Ian Holm, Ian McKellen, and Christopher Lee each in turn gave a hullo to the Comic-Con audience and LOTR fans. It was a treat to see them together out of costume and Ian Holm kicked off the piece. I don't remember who was next, but the Voice of Saruman just about pinned me to my chair. Ian McKellen spoke right to the heart of the fans, saying that Peter Jackson and each one of them had made this film for US. He said that it was the fans that made the production possible and without them the project would never have come to pass.

After these three heavyweights came the four hobbits! They look great together, natural and comfortable. Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan each spoke in turn. They also said hullos to the fans at Comic-Con, shared their enthusiasm for the films, and introduced the next segment.

Next came two separate pieces that looked like they could have been part of a 'making of' documentary, additional material for dvd releases, promotional footage to use for specialized television segments, or something of that nature (PURELY my personal speculation folks). The first focused on creating and filming Hobbiton, and the second was all about Nazgul.

My memory is already fading but I believe the first piece was called Hobbiton Comes to Life. Next time I promise I'll have a pen and paper! Bad Tookish...

And as you have heard if you've been watching all this develop on the internet and seen the teasers, PJ and Company have created an incredible vision of the Shire, Hobbiton, and Bag-End. I can't really do justice with this article, but I know you'll be oh so very pleased.

Second was Ringwraiths: The Fallen Kings. This fascinating look into what are going to be some of the scariest creatures throughout LOTR was filled with interviews of cast and creators, shots of what must have been a room in the WETA workshop as they developed the Nazgul armor, and several chase sequences. These guys are going to scare millions!!

Uniting these sequences was the thread of The Fellowship's plot. I had a very strong sense of the beauty and peace of the Shire, as well as the horror and fear of the Ringwraiths, and the two pieces served to spell out a part of what is at stake in the story of The Lord of the Rings.

Although several fans mentioned their disappointment that the actual footage used for Cannes was not shown, I for one sat on the edge of my seat for the entire 15 or so minutes and thoroughly enjoyed the show. My excitement and anticipation for these films has only grown since seeing the Comic-Con footage, and for deeper reasons you'll learn about in upcoming reports. Stay tuned!

7-22-01 Latest News

Comic-Con Gallery 3
Quickbeam @ 7:17 pm EST

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Comic-Con Gallery 2
Quickbeam @ 7:15 pm EST

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Comic-Con Gallery 1
Quickbeam @ 7:10 pm EST

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7-21-01 Latest News

Lord of the Rings Larp
Strider @ 2:09 pm EST

Come and see the newest Tolkien Larp, or Live action role-playing game.
Ever dream of being a Hobbit or maybe one of the other races from the
Tolkien world?

Well here is your chance, come join with us at this year's
Dragon Con in Atlanta, Georgia; Aug. 31st - Sept. 3rd.. In this story you
can act out one of the evil orcs that serve in the armies of evil, or play a
great elven warrior. This story is based in the time of the Lord of the
Rings books. The characters played will not be from the books but creations
of the storytellers. We have broken the playable characters into four
classes and eleven races. Players will have the ability to play good or
evil characters.

This event will be a three day game from 11am to 6pm,
Fri. - Sun.. Our web site has information on the game rules as well as
information on story base of the game. For more facts and game tools check
out our web site at: www.geocities.com/lotrlarp/. If you have questions
about Live Action Role-Playing or this LARP please feel free to e-mail us at lotrlarp@yahoo.com. This Larp is sponsored and prizes donated by
TheOneRing.net site. We welcome you to join us in this grand adventure.
Don't miss it..

Sam Levine
Creator and Lead Storyteller of LOTR LARP

Latest Glasshammer update
Strider @ 1:56 pm EST

From Glasshammer.com

Hi folks,
Here's the latest news from the Glass Hammer camp:

Glass Hammer has two items of note for Tolkien fans today.

First, we've just put up an interview that Steve and Fred did from
fan-submitted questions about "The Middle-Earth Album" and what they're to
since finishing that disc. Find out what it's like to play at the Prancing
Pony, why barrow-wights make poor fans, and why it's good to have the
dwarves on your side in a bar fight.

Secondly, if you'd like to see yet another interpretation of Arwen and
Aragorn, check out the video of "The Way To Her Heart". Originally intended
for a video release, but delayed to the point where circumstances are
probably going to keep it from ever seeing the light of day, this
five-minute video features Glass Hammer's interpretation of the
Arwen/Aragorn love story. 5 minutes in length and about 48 MB in size, so
bring your broadband connection!

Check out all the cool new stuff by visiting www.glasshammer.com

Day Two at Comic-Con
Tookish @ 4:49 am EST

Hullo again from Comic-Con 2001!

This zany, wacky event is quite a sight to behold. Great energy, great people, and no doubt heaven for aficionados of comics and pop culture. When we're not busy dodging Darths Vader or Maul or ogling the buxom "Booth Babes" (you'll have to go to the Decipher kiosk to see what we mean), we're instead hanging with the creators of the amazing Sideshow/WETA collectables and learning how to play the as yet unreleased LOTR Trading Card Game!

Last night Quickbeam and I delivered TheOneRing.net's special presentation to a packed house of nearly 1,000 people. Among the group were long-time Tolkien readers and fans, and a few who actually admitted that they had yet to pick up the books. The energy in the room was palpable and the fans were great! After the show, during which we announced that Sala Baker is the actor playing Sauron and showed the audience some *exclusive* TORN pics (sorry, can't share 'em on line!), we spent about 1/2 hour with fans, answering questions and speculating on the movies.

Concluding our talk, we were very fortunate and honored to have Richard Taylor, right-hand man to Peter Jackson and President of WETA, come on stage and say some inspiring words about his work. It was a splendid grace-note to end our presentation. THANK YOU Mr. Taylor for coming on board to share with the fans! Well done. We hope to soon provide you readers with a transcript of what Mr. Taylor said.

Later in the night we were treated to an exclusive look and playtest of The Lord of the Rings TCG from Decipher. You gamers and even those of you who are not YET gamers will go nuts over this creation. The play is complex yet the pace is smooth. In about an hour I was able to grasp and do a decent job working the cards, trying my best to get Quickbeam with my evil minions of orcs, cave trolls, and Uruk-hai. He was able to take me out in short order. [Quickbeam here. Just to interject that my years of experience with Magic the Gathering and Dragon Dice games could not have prepared me for the ingenious new mechanics of Decipher's game. Very clever, engaging, and thematically connected with Tolkien's text. But my dear Tookish should not sell himself short. He pounced me to death in the second game! My Entish luck can only last so long.]

This Convention is buzzing! Tolkien is not the largest attraction here but you can see the Lord of the Rings films are starting to have an impact on pop culture. From posters to card games to articulated action figures to bas-relief hand made sculptures to stone-cast busts, armor, helmets, bows, arrows, and shields to war-gaming miniatures to HUGE LIFESIZE cardboard standees, and the trailer popping out at you from two different exhibitors... you can feel it comin' folks!

* gasp for air *

The Con has also featured three Tolkien events as well as a Middle-earth art theme in their souvenir program. Add all this together and it's like the very Professor's gift for foreshadowing. SURF'S UP BABY!

Day Two at Comic-Con started with the Tolkien Literature Panel. We were treated to a great forum that would have made you message board, chat room, and Hall of Fire regulars proud. Headed up by several fantasy authors and a professor from the University of San Diego who teaches Tolkien studies, this event was well-attended. Of the several focal points covered, the legacy of Tolkien’s literature and its relationship to the films was of great interest to the crowd. That the “East Coast Ivory Tower literati” have traditionally refused to categorize LOTR as a “classic” caused further debate. Also generating some heat was how movies and visual media have an impact on one’s imagination and the potential for Jackson’s LOTR to cloud the mental imagery of future readers.

After the panel it was back to the Main Exhibition Hall. Quickbeam describes this as, “Loud. Colorful. Hyper-active. Sexy. Exhausting.” (Don’t know what Con he’s at! ;) ) Ten thousand fanatical fans are running around buying collectibles, hounding for autographs, pretending to BE the characters they love so dear, and having a plain old great time. Out of the crowd last night emerged none other than Frodo Baggins himself! Elijah Wood paid an extended visit to the Sideshow/WETA booth but *alas* QB and I were hard at work upstairs representing for TORN. I guess you just don’t know who’s going to pop up around here. Today rumor had it that Elijah was coming back but we believe he was having too much fun at the San Diego Zoo with some long-lost Wellington pals.

Stay tuned for more news from Comic-Con. Tomorrow New Line itself has promised to deliver an eye-popping reel. Word has it that it’s nearly half an hour long and is composed of footage previously shown at the Cannes Film Festival as well as a few minutes of specially-prepared-for-Comic-Con footage. We can’t wait!!

P.S. Today’s highlight for me, Quickbeam, and TheOneRing.net was not loud or hyper, but soft, heart-felt, and genuine. Richard Taylor expressed in the most sincere tones his respect and gratitude for the work done here at TORN. Then he opened his backpack revealing a WETA Eye of Sauron cloissone pin for little ole’ me. QB was also given a pin and -- to put it mildly -- we are STOKED!!

Can tomorrow be better? I don’t think so. Not even with the sneak peak. But stay tuned for more news from Comic-Con!

Cheers!

Tookish & Quickbeam


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