The Oscar-nominations were announced just now and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers picked up a nomination for Best Film alongside ‘The Hours’, ‘Chicago’, ‘Gangs of New York’ and ‘The Pianist’. Unfortunately no Best Director-nomination for PJ or Best Supporting Actor for Andy Serkis this year.
In the ‘smaller’ categories The Two Towers picked up nominations for:
Art Direction
Film Editing
Sound
Sound Editing
and Visual Effects!
Check out the entire list of nominations here!
What do you think of the TTT noms, or the Oscars in general? Post your feedback here!
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Here’s a press release about an exhibition of Tolkien-related art to be held in Ancona from the 15th of February. Check out their website – there’ll be LOTR dinners, role-playing and music too. [More]
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The fantasy event of the year has arrived! A journey through the Middle Earth with more than 130 works of art by the most important illustrators of “The Lord of the Rings” from around the world, including Angus McBride, Ted Nasmith, Roger Garland, the Brothers Hildebrandt, Alan Lee, Lode Claes, Donato Giancola, Rob Alexander, Angelo Montanini, Luca Michelucci, Capucine Mazille, April Lee, Stephen Walsh, Randy Asplund, David Wyatt and others. It is the most complete exhibition on the theme of “The Lord of the Rings” ever put together. Throughout the period of the show there will be various related events, as enclosed. All the information is on the exhibition website
Exhibition opening times: Morning: 10:00 -13:00. holidays; weekdays upon reservation Afternoon: 16:00 – 20:00. holidays, weekdays: 16 :00- 19:00. Closed on Mondays Info and reservations: Marche Meeting: tel. 071 7931484; e-mail info@marchemetting.it
The show was launched in Riccione, Italy, in the medieval Agolanti Castle during the month of August and it was proposed again to the Italian public: in Forl?, Palazzo Albertini from 19th December 2002 to 6th January 2003. Visited by over a thousand people during the 15 days. in Rome, Castel S.Angelo from 13th January to 2nd February 2003, under the patronage of the Ministry of Arts and Culture. Visited by over 15.000 people.
Thanks, Best regards, Davide Martini
PS. In order to give the exhibition a social purpose and not just an artistic one, we have also decided to contribute to the setting up of a fund entitled “All children need to dream” (UNICEF manage this fund). Arte20 has created this fund specifically for the occasion and 10% of the entire takings deriving from the sale of tickets to the exhibition will go towards it (www.childrenmustdream.org)
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Shaytoon writes: “I would gladly like to inform you that TTT has opened yesterday Feb.10th at the KNCC cinema in Kuwait. I have personally attended the grand opening of the movie yesterday and enjoyed 3 hours of an amazing LOTR story.” He added, “KNCC purposely delays the opening of LOTR each year so it meets the holiday season in Kuwait. The movie opens at the first day of “Eid Al-Adhha” so that’s why the movie gets delayed.” [doesn’t excuse having the ‘coming soon’ thing on their website for months, though! – T]
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Well the London Festival Hall must have been filled with TORn visitors. Tracey was there on any account, and here’s what she had to say! [More]
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Well the London Festival Hall must have been filled with TORn visitors. Tracey was there on any account, and here’s what she had to say!
After four hours of waiting, the music man (along with his LPO) came on stage! It was far too long to wait…and far too short to be satisfied with, but it left me with the choons in my head and the Lord of the Rings in my heart so you could say that it did its job!
I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire performance and I even found myself smiling at particular points of the score! One in particular moment which I will never ever forget was near the end, at Amon Hen, when – if you, like me, have seen the FOTR countless number of times – can picture Lurtz coming up over the hilltop, ready to fire his arrows at Boromir…the crashing, haunting sounds which the instruments on stage made were amazing!
Why was it amazing?
Because for one thing the beats of the timpani’s were so strong…the clanging of hammers against the steel sheets creating that harsh armour sound…and what’s more is the clinking and clunking of chain mail, being beaten against the top of a wooden piano bringing the sound of the armour even more to life…it was a site that was rather amusing…this petit woman leaning over the lid of the piano, in order to get to the chain mail, whilst always keeping a close eye on Howard Shore’s guidance for the correct beats…it was spectacular!
Many people have said to me that I’m am decidedly Lord of the Rings obsessed, and what’s the point of seeing an orchestra play when you can just listen to the soundtrack? Well, I say to these sad people, that it’s the entire atmosphere…the fact that Howard Shore, not just the conductor, but the composer, the winner of ‘countless awards’ including an Oscar, for flips sake…he was there…controlling his own music…the way he wanted it to be played. The London Philharmonic is THE orchestra, which played…and the choirs are THE voices that will forever remind us of what Lord of the Rings, and what Middle Earth sounded like.
In a few years when, sadly, it will all be over and done with, we Ringers will look back and remember that music, as the bit where the hobbits fall off the hill and find the shortcut to mushrooms; or the bit where they are being chased in Khazad Dum (my fave bit) and have to jump over the broken stairs, shortly followed by the timely fall of Gandalf the Grey. Speaking of which, the solo boy in the Oratory Choir…my friend said that he wasn’t that good, but I’d to like to praise him and say congratulations and think that it was most likely nerves. He wasn’t able to sustain the notes for as long as he could have done, but hey? Who are we to judge and criticise? That goes for all the other soloists, on the whistle, the core ingles, the soloists and, well, the whole frickin orchestra! Congratulations!
It was wonderful, terrific, superb, outstanding, dazzling, marvellous, remarkable, breathtaking,…there aren’t enough words in the English vocabulary to describe how wonderful it was to see Howard Shore live! And bless him, he seemed like a very humble man! Three times he came and bowed to a rapturous crowd with a standing ovation! And each time you get the feeling that he was more and more reluctant to accept his genius! Peter Jackson is the genius of film, but Howard Shore is surely the genius of music!
So I take my imaginary hat off to Shore, the man behind the music of Middle Earth. I long for next year when hopefully he will do the same for The Two Towers, then after that? Maybe an entire 3-hour concert encompassing the music from all three films? As a violinist and a regular orchestra player, myself, I could not think of a greater piece of music I would rather play, nor could I think of a greater conductor to conduct. Not only was the playing spot-on, not only was the music exact, but also the atmosphere was tremendous and truly magical. Yesterday evening was quite possibly the best hour of my life! That is until the next concert! As said before, do go and see it! I was on the balcony, second row, centre stage and the view was spectacular! It really annoys me whenever I am unable to see who is playing what but no matter where you are, you will definitely be touched by the pure and exquisite magic of the music being played.
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