BERLIN (Reuters) – New Zealand film director Peter Jackson (news), tipped to win an Oscar for his “The Lord of the Rings” epic, said Monday he would like to make “The Hobbit” prequel to the trilogy and work with some of the same actors again. [More]
Day: December 8, 2003
For over five weeks we have been offering tickets to Trilogy Tuesday via Ticket Exchange. These tickets, sold by fans at face value to other fans, have come to represent to me all that is good in the world of Tolkien fandom. Conversing with the sellers, the buyers, and those who just hoped to get their hands on a ticket has been really uplifting. I only wish that there were tickets for everyone.
Tonight marks the end of the Ticket Exchange program, barring any last minute ticket offers. Should more sellers emerge, we will continue posting. At this time however, these are the final six ticket offerings.
Much thanks to everyone who has participated!
Please be certain to include in your e-mail: Your Name, your e-mail address, and a phone number if possible.
* * *
CHICAGO, IL: WE HAVE A WINNER. No more e-mails, please.
Tonight’s ticket exchange offering is for ONE ticket to the AMC River East in Chicago, IL. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $31 + postage. The subject line MUST read: “My Kind of Tickets, Chicago is..”
* * *
ONATARIO, CANADA: WE HAVE A WINNER. No more e-mails, please.
This ticket offering is for TWO tickets to the Famous Players Coliseum in Mississauga, Ontario. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $101 (Canadian) + postage. The subject line MUST read: “Oh, Ontario Tickets Please!”
* * *
SAN JOSE, CA: WE HAVE A WINNER. No more e-mails, please.
This ticket offering is for TWO tickets to the Oakridge Century 20 in San Jose, CA. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $81 + postage. This price includes the “Hobbit Snack” advertised by the theater. The subject line MUST read: “Send Me To San Jose.”
* * *
FRESNO, CA: WE HAVE A WINNER. No more e-mails, please.
***IMPORTANT NOTE***: These tickets are electronic tickets. The seller is looking to find someone who will meet them at the theater the day of Trilogy Tuesday to arrange a cash/ticket swap. Anyone responding to this offer should provide their phone number so the seller may contact them to make these arrangements. Anyone uncomfortable with this scenario should not respond.
This ticket offering is for TWO tickets to the Edwards Stadium 21 in Fresno, CA. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $72. The subject line MUST read: “Fresno Tickets Wanted.”
* * *
MANCHESTER, CT: WE HAVE A WINNER. No more e-mails, please.
***IMPORTANT NOTE***: This ticket is an extra from a group of 3 people who are looking for a 4th person who would be able to go to the theater early in the day and save seats (if possible) for the group, who cannot arrive until the start of the Trilogy showing. Interested parties should be prepared to discuss this with the seller.
This ticket offering is for ONE ticket to the Buckland Hills Showcase in Manchester, CT. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $25. The subject line MUST read: “Mad for Manchester Ticket.”
* * *
CLEVELAND, OHIO: WE HAVE A WINNER. No more e-mails, please.
This ticket offering is for ONE ticket to the Valley View Cinemark in Valley View (Cleveland), OH. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $25. The subject line MUST read: “Oh, Ohio Tickets Please.”
* * *
Ok, that’s it folks! I hope everyone enjoys “Return of the King!”
I’ve been tramping through New Zealand’s north island for the past few days, but I have managed to write up a couple of things from the premiere. Here’s a report on the parade and red carpet stuff – expect a film rambl^H^H^H^H^Hreview in the next couple of days. [More]
Today, December 8th is Dominic Monaghan‘s (Merry) Birthday! Dom was born on December 8th, 1976 in Berlin, Germany. That makes him 27 today! Happy Birthday Dominic!
I’m hurrying back to the media pen from my hotel for the big Return of the King premiere parade. But I know I’m not going to make it. I’m on the wrong side of the road and there’s too many people lining the route for me to get to the crossing point.
In fact, I altogether fail to recognise the landmarks and end up walking way too far. I end up almost at the Beehive — NZ’s parliament house and the beginning of the route. When I begin to hear the screams and cheers, I give up and go with the flow.
The scenes near the Beehive aren’t nearly as chaotic as later on at Courtney Place (near the Embassy), but people are still lined six deep along the barricades.
But there’s also hundreds (thousands?) of people up in office buildings, leaning out windows, lining the multistorey car parks of inner-Wellington and even hanging off trees.
Even the city’s stores seem to have shut down temporarily — many workers have dragged out chairs and stools to stand on so they have a better vantage point over everyone else.
The noise swells as each open-top car rolls past. I spot strategically placed tickertape cannons on many rooftops. Occasionally one goes off, dumping streamers on everyone below.
I miss many of the cast and crew, but spend a lot of time watching a group of four or five Black Riders, jogging alongside them. Apparently they were hugely popular at the parade for Fellowship, and their appearance is greeted by many ‘ooohs’ this time round as well.
‘Ooohs’ turn to gasps as one of the riders reaches out a gauntleted hand and menaces the crowd. If they’d shrieked as well, I reckon my day (and that of many others) would have been complete, but sadly they do not.
There’s a palpable … something … about the crowd. A depth of feeling that makes my spine tingle. Sure, there’s a fair share of foreigners, Elijah groupies, Orlando swooners or whatever, but from Wellingtonians, there seems to be a huge sense of communal pride in the achievement that Rings is.
Part of it is parochialism for the success of the local boy (Peter Jackson), but I think a large part derives from the fact that so many people know someone who worked on the production.
Sean Astin also hits on something when he says on the Red Carpet:
“There is so much darkness and villainy in the world that this city and this country are a beacon of hope — your huge smiles and friendly faces.”
“The love and adoration of the New Zealand people, the look on [your] faces. It’s incredible. God bless you.”
Estimates put the size of the crowd at upwards of 100,000 — not a bad turnout for a city of less than 500,000 people.
“I wish you could all see the film tonight,” Jackson tells the crowd.
“We should have just played on this screen,” he says, to huge cheers. “But we can’t.”
“There’s too many video cameras and you’d just pirate it. And it would be available on the corner of Cuba St tomorrow morning.”
“I’m sorry.”
The emotional outpouring of the crowd is matched by the response of the cast and crew.
Orlando Bloom tells everyone his shirt says it all. It reads: “I love NZ”.
“This has been, hands down, the single most amazing time of my life,” he adds. “Thank you so much, I hope to come back soon.”
Even Gollum is eventually forced to concede to the occasion.
“Wellington sucks”, he mutters.
Smeagol breaks in. “No, no precious, we loves you. Wellington is our friend!”
“Okay, just this once.”
The parade concludes with a pair of abseilers walking down the Embassy Theatre façade. Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana (O Fortuna) plays over the speakers. When the abseilers reach the balcony rooftop, they unfurl a pair of banners.
They read in Maori and English: “Only in Wellington.”
Sounds about right to me.
On Wednesday Dec 10th at Noon PST, tickets for The Return of the One Party will go on sale. These tickets will be sold through a webpage located on TheOneRing.net’s server and processed through the payment service PayPal. Please note that sending money to TheOneRing.net’s PayPal account will NOT secure tickets for the party. Tickets can only be purchased through the webpage url we will provide at Noon PST on Wednesday. Hope that answers a few questions! In the meantime, we will be posting the Party website tonight which will answer more of the most commonly asked questions.