Star Wars had its sandstorms (2 of them) Waterworld had it’s, well, everything. And Titanic had it’s funky mushrooms. So now it seems Lord of the Rings has it’s Earthquake.
Reported to me by the ever faithful BreeLander, the NZ North Island had an earthquake. Here’s the techie stuff:
99/10/25 20:31:41 38.51S 175.69E 143.0 5.6Mb B NORTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND
5.6 on the richter scale, and no nobody was hurt, no damage to crew cast or anything. Even Bill the pony is ok.
Check out the further details here.
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Never mind the gruff appearance, Tom Baker can easily be described as the most likable actors of Sci-Fi Retro in History. Having Helmed the coveted position of ‘Doctor Who’ longer than anyone, and being the most favorite of almost anyone who’s ever watched Doctor Who (Including me), This guy was my childhood hero.
So, a LONG while back, when it was rumored that Tom was up for the role of Gandalf, you can bet many people were excited. This month Tom Baker was interviewed by SFX, and you can bet the question came up:
Were you disappointed that you missed out on the role of Gandalf in LOTR?
“Well, I wasn’t disappointed when I heard that they had got Ian McKellen, who will probably be very good. No, I wasn’t disappointed – I wouldn’t have left my wife for 18 months in any case. I wouldn’t leave my home for 18 months for anyone or any money. That’s not on. That’s just not being serious, That’s mad. When you become an actor, I think you have to admit that you like disappointment. You’re in love with rejection.”
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I just recieved my copy of SFX in the mail and I’m pumped at what these guys are saying about our favorite film. Voted ‘SFX’s Sure-Fire Hit!’ in the latest issue (December 1999 #58)
Without a doubt the most anticipated film of the new millenium and one that will hopefully set a benchmark of quality and scope….Tolkien really is among the best fantasy has to offer. If you’ve never read him, now’s the time.
The article goes much more in depth, talking of casting and release dates. All of which can be found in out ‘The Movies’ section. But if you want to read the rest of the article, head on out and buy the latest issue of SFX today!
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Hullo everybody, Quickbeam here.
We have brought a whole new plateful of stuff to the Green Books. Turgon has explored some excellent new volumes coming out from Houghton Mifflin, click on Turgon’s Bookshelf and sample the very tasty new “Millennium Edition” of LOTR. I can’t wait for my own copy!
Were Frodo and Sam gay?? How far will it go with these people saying our two heroes were in the closet? Well, I am more than willing to take on this debate. I’m going WAY Out on a Limb this time…. pick up your fork and knife and come take a bite out this one.
Our Q&A section is generously stocked with new morsels. Ever wonder how Eowyn actually managed to kill the Witch-King? The beautiful and very lucid Anwyn shows you the inside truth. And this time I take great pleasure in revealing the great mystery of the Barrow Wights. Did you ever wonder why Sauron bothered to make the One Ring in the first place? Check it out here.
Come sit at our table for awhile. You’ll be dining in very good company…. and I promise you’ll leave with a much fuller brain than before!
And serve yourself a healthy portion of great new fiction, poetry and essays from our Moon Letters section!
Much too hasty,
Quickbeam
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The Cool folks over at McKellen.com have updated their ‘Grey Books’ section. Check out the very cool article. And make sure to visit the great site!
So the journey has begun without me. On Monday 11th October, Elijah Wood et al gathered in Hobbiton — and I hear they are behaving themselves! I have been in Toronto, masquerading as Magneto, the master of magnetism, on the set of Bryan Singer’s “X-Men.” I have just sent Peter Jackson an e-mail of good luck. I don’t expect an immediate reply — directing a film is totally time-consuming.
Meanwhile, Tolkien aficionados are mailing to the “Grey Book.” From teenagers and readers old as wizards come the advice, the demands, the warnings – united by the hope that the film’s Gandalf will match their own individual interpretations of the Lord of the Rings. I take comfort from the general assurance that they approve of the casting (not just of me but of all the other actors so far announced – thrilling news that Cate Blanchett is joining us.) Yet how can I satisfy everyone’s imagined Gandalf? Simply, I can’t.
I recognise the responsibility of course. It’s not as if LOTR were a play that could be revived over and over, each new cast adding to the discoveries that their predecessors have made. The Jackson trilogy will be unique. It is, after all, unlikely that there will be a re-make any time soon – although there have already been the cartoon “Hobbit” (which I have yet to see) and the BBC’s radio LOTR (with Ian Holm as Frodo). But some of my correspondents seem to think that actors are essayists or critics who analyse a character’s complexities and then parade them, like sticking on a false beard. It’s just not like that…
Check out the rest of the article here!
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This article appeared in a UK newspaper on the weekend of October 23. Unfortunately I don’t know which newspaper, as the person who sent it to me didn’t know either. The interview is another of those supporting Extremely Dangerous, the four-part film series which will be shown on British TV next month. Another article with no mention of LOTR (sorry).
Cheers
Nona
He’s a man convicted of the callous murder of his wife and young daughter… And now he’s on the run.
He is Neil Byrne, an undercover Government operative who is now heading back to Manchester’s gangland pursed by criminals, spycatchers and the law in a bid to reveal the truth behind the brutal killings.
And for Yorkshire star Sean Bean, the new ITV drama series “Extremely Dangerous” was the sort of show that was too good to miss.
“It was a really brilliant project, a psychological drama as opposed to a purely action based show,” he says.
“I liked trying to get into this man’s head and what was going on in his mind. He’s been through this awful tragedy, this intense trauma where he’s getting flashbacks and he’s not quite sure himself that he hasn’t committed a crime.”
Complex
“It’s not very often that actors are offered fuller, more complex roles in front of the camera. More often it’s on stage where you get the more interesting parts. But increasingly, with more innovative and imaginative directors and producers, they are coming across to television, with people not afraid to get under the skin.”
The past few years have seen Sean balancing a career between cinema and small screen, with popular TV shows like Sharpe’s Rifles and the one-off Gulf War adventure Bravo Two Zero running alongside major movie projects like Ronin, Goldeneye and Patriot Games. But he is particularly attracted by Murray Smith’s story of a man who, having lost his wife, daughter and freedom, has nothing more to lose.
Response
“The first script got such a good response from everybody from the word go,” he says.
“The script is not what I expected at all. It’s not a Fugitive take off, it’s not a thing where anybody is going to get let off the hook, it’s relentless all the way to the end – there’s no let up at all.
“Byrne has a definite aim – to regain his freedom, discover who the killers are and then to find them. There is nothing for Byrne that exists beyond that act, nothing after that matters.”
Add to that standard of writing a cast that includes Middlemarch star Juliet Aubrey and Sean was confident he was onto a winner.
“It’s interesting writing and with a cast of essentially character actors, it was going to be good.
“There’s a really fresh feeling between everyone coming to it, which is a plus. I hadn’t worked really closely with any of the cast before. I had worked with Juliet before, quite a long time ago, but generally none of us knew each other and that gave the production a certain sharpness and newness on set.”
A tight shooting schedule also ensured that the sharpness was maintained right through to the final take.
Focused
“This was a very focused shoot. Mainly because we didn’t have that long to do it,” Sean admits.
“People got tired occasionally but they were very focused and very passionate and that’s what shows at the end of the day.”
And even though it is closer to a psychological drama then adventure, fans will be pleased to hear that there’s still the usual quota of Bean action scenes.
“I keep myself fairly fit for all the stunts and I quite enjoy it,” Sean says. “Because of the nature of the piece, there is a fair amount of violence but my role was to make it as real as possible and not just to have a fight coming out of nowhere because we haven’t had one for 5 minutes or because it had been half an hour since the last one.”
Thanks to Nona yet again!
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