“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy co-writer Philippa Boyens (or ‘Queen of the Geeks’ as she is sometimes called) talked briefly to the Los Angeles Daily News about Universals’ upcoming King Kong adaptation, to be directed by Peter Jackson and to star Naomi Watts. [More]
Month: January 2004
Young Miss Taea Alyssa Rae Hartwell, who had a small part as a Hobbit child in FOTR, turns the big 10 today!
Small parts being all relative of course, Miss Hartwell was born on January 29th 1994 in Wellington, NZ. Happy Birthday Taea!
NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
January 26, 2004
“…Earn a Degree in Middle Earth Studies…”
Institute for Middle Earth Studies
CLOVERDALE COLLEGE
215 South Saint Joseph Street
The Century Building, Suite 305
South Bend, Indiana 4660l
Cloverdaleusa@aol.com
www.cloverdalecollege.org
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the publication of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Cloverdale College is pleased to announce the establishment of The Institute for Middle Earth Studies and the inauguration of an internet degree program leading to a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in Middle Earth Studies, beginning April 2, 2004.
The purpose of the Institute’s degree program is to foster an intellectual and academic interest in the literary works of J. R. R. Tolkien specifically and fantasy literature generally. The B.A. and M.A. degrees in Middle Earth Studies consist of a series of six open-book competency-based examinations designed to assess the student’s knowledge of the texts. These open-book examinations are textually sequential and students must master the materials in each before proceeding to the next examination. Students must re-take these examinations until a satisfactory score is achieved. There are no re-take fees.
The Ph.D. is based upon a series of six essays on pre-assigned topics which result in a doctoral dissertation of between 25,000 and 40,000 words. The dissertation must be defended in Oxford before the Institute faculty. The doctoral presentations are normally held at the White Horse and the Eagle and Child public houses, both favorite meeting places for Tolkien and C. S. Lewis.
Cloverdale College is an internet school of religious education in the Unitarian Free Church tradition committed to the principles of reason, conscience, and freedom of thought and expression. Established on the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Sunday School Union in England in l803, Cloverdale College is fully accredited to award degrees by the Accrediting Commission International.
ShelaghC remind us: The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will present this year’s Modern Master Award to the director/producer/writer of the “Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, Peter Jackson this weekend. Festival Director, Roger Durling said “When I first came on board, I was asked who would be my choice for Modern Master. I could think of only one name that perfectly exemplified a Modern Master and that is Peter Jackson. My dream has come true. Christmas has arrived for me!” [More]
The United Nations announced yesterday that the kingdom of Gondor has officially been granted member status effective February 1, 2004. “We are very excited about bringing this stalwart nation into the fold,” said Secretary General Kofi Annan. “I think this is a great day, not just for Gondor, but for all nations.” [More]
What, there weren’t any award-worthy acting performances in this year’s front-runner for the best-picture Oscar? Actors everywhere could be forgiven for feeling chills up their spines yesterday, as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences showered the effect-heavy epic The Return of the King with 11 Oscar nominations, but didn’t find even one of the movie’s actors worth mentioning. [More]