Ringer spy JFeTT writes in to inform us that our Liv Tyler (Arwen) has garnered the very unpolitically correct title of ‘Babe of the Day’ on the IGN ForMen website. I think Liv can now retire knowing she has reached the pinnacle of success…yay. [More]
Month: November 2000
From: Telchar
Found this in the Doors section of the British Sunday Times.
“With 58 weeks until the release of the first Lord of the Rings movie, it already has hundreds of devoted websites. Annoyingly, the official site takes over your browser, demanding that you download the movie’s trailer before entering. Which would be fine, were the trailer not such a large file. The site is beautifully designed, although the pictures of the Shire set rather worryingly resemble the Teletubbies’ house. Sadly, there is little information or insight here – keep your fingers crossed this is not how the film will be.”
Greetings friends it is I the beautiful regal spy Madame Butterfly.
My phone rang it was one of my fellow spies, Robbit The Hobbit. “Madame B, they have put a screen around the Wingate compound”! “It is a green windbreak material and covers the Wingate compound fence”! “One can just see through it, but not too well” 🙁 I let out a string of vile curses at the shocking news!)
I know of a way of viewing the set clearly. I saddle up my black thoroughbred stallion, Diabolo and climb up into the saddle. We thunder up the firebreak and along the Hutt hills ridge track. I crouch low in the saddle my long dark hair and black robes flying in the wind. Heheeeeeeeee . Diabolo’s mighty hooves pound the ground as I urge the stallion on. The news must reach the fans! We skid to a halt on the ridge above the Wingate compound, the home of the latest Lord Of The Rings Set. I look through my special viewing device and this is what I see:
Scaffolding is being built along the back of the compound. Concrete is being laid on the ground, around the back of the compound.
The set is going to be huge. It looks like it may almost fill the entire Wingate compound. No wonder they have screened the fence! Spoil sports.:(Interesting. Yes they have added a green substance to the castle walls, it looks like fake moss? This makes the castle look very old and very eerie. The black walls of the castle, look now to be a very dark grey. Giving the castle a somewhat evil look. I continue to view the set. Excavators are busy at work, moving large amounts of gravel around the front of the compound. Now I wonder what that is for? I zoom my viewing device in on the mysterious holes in the ground. I cannot figure out what they are for? Yes very interesting. Time to go and send the report to Tehanu!
Farewell friends
Madame Butterfly
Among the things that Onfilm magazine found out for November is one that made me sit up a little. A few months ago Peter Jackson bought the National Film Unit to handle post-production. It’s just made a ‘classified’ major investment in sound equipment, and is planning to expand the digital video domain as well. So they’re taking good care of the sound on these movies too.
Another snippet from the same mag gave a quote out of the Variety interview which I don’t remember reading there: The reporter asked him why he continued to work only in NZ and Jackson replied, “Why leave the Shire to go and live in Mordor?”
Lastly there’s a few bits of DVD news: Old buddy and co-director Costa Botes who made the mockumentary ‘Forgotten Silver’ with Jackson is preparing a special US edition of it that will include a ‘making-of’ segment and an interview with PJ. Meanwhile several distributors want to release ‘Forgotten Silver’ on DVD format, and PJ’s first feature ‘Bad Taste’ will soon be re-released as a DVD and shown on the Sci-Fi Channel in the US. ‘Bad Taste’ has earned over a million dollars (NZ) and returned 350% on its original budget.
Cirdan over at Herr der Ringe, the German LOTR site was in a good position to find out this bit of news! Apparently Harper Collins are publishing two books next year about the making of the LOTR movies. Their deal with New Line will allow them exclusive access to stills and photos from the production of the movie, and allow them to talk to the actors involved. For starters, they’re planning a ‘movie companion’ which will be a large format full-colour book like an encyclopaedia of places, characters and scenes from the films. Drool. There’ll also be two books of Howe’s and Lee’s artwork, with a foreword by Peter Jackson for the Howe book.
Ringer Spy Hugo pointed the way to this very cool new item available at the New Line Store.
Exclusive Limited-Edition Lord of the Rings Leather Journal. New Line created these gorgeous leather-bound journals as gifts for various people associated with the film, and we have a very small quantity available for sale in our shop. [More]