Haddy sends in these pictures of Andy Serkis (Gollum) and Billy Boyd (Pippin) at Collectormania 2003. Take a look! [More]
Month: May 2003
We thought this book existed already, but apparently it won’t be due out til next year. Syd Allan’s page talks about the progress of the book and the way it will be presented – there is apparently TWO versions: Tolkien made a verse translation (not completed) and a prose translation. Scholar Michael Drout is working on both. [More] This link is a goldmine for anyone interested in Anglo Saxon language and literature – thanks to Quinn for sending it.
FoolofaTook.com has finished the TTT part of their Action Figure Storybook, which has been pretty popular. [More] NOTE: Use the link in the News section instead of the Book Selection, that one doesn’t work.
Up until now, nobody’s actually said WHAT the Embassy Theatre needed in order to reach the standard New Line was requiring in order to host the World Premiere. A Radio NZ interview with Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast gave us some information on the size of the problem. It sounds manageable and she gave the impression that she was motivated to find a solution. [More] According to the Dominon Post, though, the Embassy Trust needs more than what the mayor indicated. [More]
I think the most unsettling thing about this whole Wellington Premiere kerfuffle has been the fact that nobody was saying WHAT was wrong with the Embassy Theatre and so it was difficult to judge whether New Line’s demand that it be brought up to ”a suitable standard” was a big deal or not.
The Embassy trustees, the Mayor of Wellington and New Line have been talking to each other and although initially they were sending out some confusing signals, today it looks like they’re determined to find a solution that will keep the premiere in Wellington.
Mayor Kerry Prendergast was interviewed on Radio NZ this morning and she told listeners (finally) what New Line wanted to see improved: The seating, the toilets, the paint in the auditorium (not sure I heard that right) and the addition of a lift.
Well, that’s a relief. If they’d been asking for major structural refitting to make it earthquake-proof – something I understand the Trust would like to see happen – well, I can’t see how the work could even be done in time. But as it is, it seems do-able between now and December.
The Mayor was drawn into revealing the level of support they were thinking of offering: They would be happy to match the Embassy Trust’s contribution to the upgrade dollar for dollar, and were looking at a figure of around $2 million; apparently the Trust feels that they can match that figure from their own fundraising.
There will be a meeting later today, where the Trust will bring their revised figures for the necessary refurbishments to the theatre, and the Council will vote on their level of funding of it. So with any luck the issue should be resolved today!
The Embassy Theatre Trust held an emergency meeting yesterday, after The Dominion Post revealed on Saturday that Wellington could lose the world premiere of The Return of the King unless the Embassy was revamped to world-class standard by December. [More]