The grand opening for the LOTR Motion Picture Exhibit was last night and megamendong was there to give us the scoop.

I just wanted you to know that the LOTR exhibition opened last night with the President of Singapore as the Guest-of-Honour. There was a thronging crowd of 900 who attended last night’s opening ceremony. My two teenage daughters and I, regular volunteers at the Singapore Science Centre which is the venue of the exhibition, were roped in for crowd control and securing the prestine condition of the exhibits. One of my daughters even had the chance to speak to the President.

A lot of the night was spent asking people, politely of course, not to take photographs, not the touch the exhibits (other than the interactive onces, of course) and taking away empty champage glasses to a safer spot. There was a free flow of beverages, including wine, and lots of food at the buffet table. In attendance was the President and his family, several ministers and staff of various government bodies (plus their spouses and children), ambassadors and CEOs of larger companies in Singapore. It was a formal night with all the Science Centre staff in formal attire (i.e. in Singapore’s context, long dresses for ladies, and shirt and tie for the men). As Singapore takes pride in its multicultural heritage, many too came in their traditional ethnic outfits. There were also a few, some of them volunteers from the Science Centre, who were dressed up as characters in the movie. Lucky for them, not many people were tyring to touch them — unlike the exhibits which people just can’t help touching. I must say I had a field day asking people, “Please don’t touch” … “Please don’t touch”.. all with a polite smile in my face. Legolas’ outfit had the most number of people trying to touch it.

I started out guarding the statue of Sauron, but had to be quickly whisked away by a LOTR exhibition staff to help control people who are getting touchy feely with the twelve foot sculpture of the cave troll. Galadriel’s beaded dress drew a lot of attention, as well as the replica of a dead Boromir in a boat. The crowds were mesmerised by the absolutely detailed figure done in silicone — it looked like a real person — like Sean Bean exactly!

The were lots of Faramir fans, including me, who were quite disappointed that not more of him was shown. However, we are not complaining because all in all the night was fantastic and everyone who is a fan of the movies should go and see teh LOTR exhibition. By the way, for Asia, Singapore is the only venue of the exhibition. After the stint here in June, it will travel up to Boston, USA. So fans in Asia, don’t miss a chance of a lifetime to see how the movies were made — come on down to Singapore and visit the LOTR exhibition!

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