Ringers based in and around Portland, Oregon shold leap on this chance to see Sean Astin at this “once only” charity screening of Two Towers and Sean’s short film The Long and Short of It.

The catch is that the organisers are desperately trying to secure a larger venue for the screening. If (and only if!) you definitely think you can make it to this screening, here’s how you can help them.

BitofEarth.net and Regal Entertainment Group are proud to present:

One Night Only
A Special Charity Screening of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Preceeded by the short film The Long and Short of It, written, produced and directed by Sean Astin

Saturday, April 5 7:00pm
Regal Cinemas Lloyd Cinema 10
Portland, Oregon
All Proceeds To Benefit Reading Is Fundamental
Guest Appearance by Sean Astin!
Tickets $12 per person

We told you we had something good for those of you who didn’t make the list for Elanor! This is limited, but it’s limited to 700, and we want to sell out this theatre…we would love for Sean to see a packed house! It sounds like a lot, but it’s only a buck fifty more than a regular movie ticket, and we sold out not only the auditorium, but the *theatre* for the TTT Midnight Showing we arranged…so consider this a call to all you Portland-area or Northwesternly Ringers…bring someone! Bring many someones! Pack this place for Sean!

The Bad News: Regal Entertainment Group is concerned that an “old” movie like TTT will not generate any interest. Although we’ve been getting absolutely fantastic support from the regional managers, the big shots down in LA don’t think that having Sean and “The Long and Short of It” is a big enough deal to get Ringers in the seats.

We were originally offered Lloyd Cinema 10, the largest theatre in Oregon, with a great, classy look and 750 seats (this would be the same theatre “that we could never fill” that we packed to bursting in December for the premiere, not counting the extra two thousand people or so we packed into the other auditoriums.) Now, they want to put us across the street in a mall food-court cinema with barely 300 seats.

What We Can Do: Northwest Ringers unite (although we know that people worldwide support both Sean and BitofEarth, Regal will only be impressed by fans who have a reasonable expectation of attending)! Show Regal that yes, there are more than enough geeks in Portland who would be willing to support a good cause, see a better movie, and most of all, meet Sean Astin! If we can convince them that more than 300 people who would absolutely buy tickets for such a screening, then we’ve got the big theatre! All you have to do is grab a few of your local friends and go to the comment form at Regal’s website and tell them that yes, you support this idea, and how much you’d love to see it at the kind of venue it deserves.

The Easy Way – Copy and paste the following:

“I am interested in seeing the proposed April 5th Reading is Fundamental charity showing of The Two Towers in the large auditorium. My friends and I want to attend explicitly to see Sean Astin and his short film. Please help this happen. Thank you”

(Theatre name: OR, Portland, Lloyd Center 10)
(Manager name: Robert Bob)

The Harder-But-Still-Not-So-Hard Way:

Write your own message of support. Please note that there is a 255 character limit. Try to push that you want to go because of Sean. Believe it or not, they don’t see his appearance as ‘a big deal!’

Of course, we understand what it feels like to be patted on the head by corporate America and told that Goonies (or Geeks) aren’t quite Good Enough, but this is a case where you can definitely catch more hobbits with honey than with vinegar. Please, please, PLEASE be nice!! Even one nasty, negative email could sink us.

Thank you all so much for your help and support…I know we can pull together and get this showing in the best venue possible for Sean, and show him that like Goonies, Ringers never say Die.

Assuming all goes well, tickets will be available Monday or Tuesday at Fandango.com, or at the Regal Cinema 10 box office. You may also e-mail Bit of Earth directly for more information.