Erica writes: I’m involved with a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization called CoachArt that provides free lessons in the arts and athletics for underpriviliged children with life-threatening illnesses. Sean Astin has donated a unique heart-shaped ceramic plate that he decorated with his own design, as an autographed Lord of the Rings photo.
Sean’s package will be part of a fundraiser called Art for the Heart, a silent auction benefit on November 4 from 6-9 p.m. at Christie’s Los Angeles. Tickets to the event are $150 per person. The evening will include a reception and over 40 unique packages designed by celebrities and athletes including Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Elisabeth Shue, Sean Astin, the USC and UCLA football teams, Pedro Martinez of the Boston Red Sox, Martin Sheen and more! Tickets may be purchased by calling CoachArt at (310)203-2850 or online at Stubhub.com. Click on “Exclusive Events,” then “Art for the Heart tickets and Celebrity Auction.” Several packages that will be available only through bidding online can be found on this Web site. All proceeds will benefit the children of CoachArt.
Please consider posting this opportunity on your Web site so that Sean’s fans may have the chance to bid on this unique package, as well as help thousands of ill children in the Los Angeles area. Please e-mail me at erica@coachart.org if you have any questions. Thank you!
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Our very own MrCere writes: There are things you want for Christmas, even if you don’t know it. For example, two wonderful new additions to the Tolkien library. J.R.R. Tolkien was dreaming about puplication of his created mythology long before the publication of even his widely known “The Hobbit.” That children’s tale and its ‘sequel’ of sorts, “The Lord of the Rings” reached publication and immense popularity while his initial work was read only among family and friends. [More] [TORN Shop]
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Anonymous writes: I don’t know if I’m at the right address, but I’ve recently seen the brand-new extended cut of The Return of the King, in my professional capacity, and I thought I’d let know you know about it. I had seen the theatrical version once in the theatre, and two more times with my kids, and I must admit that the longer cut is far superior, for it ties everything you could consider loose-ends, it extends what you thought what great, and it adds awesome new scenes. Many characters benefit from this extended cut…!!! SPOILERS !!! [More]
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Anonymous writes: I don’t know if I’m at the right address, but I’ve recently seen the brand-new extended cut of The Return of the King, in my professional capacity, and I thought I’d let know you know about it. I had seen the theatrical version once in the theatre, and two more times with my kids, and I must admit that the longer cut is far superior, for it ties everything you could consider loose-ends, it extends what you thought what great, and it adds awesome new scenes. Many characters benefit from this extended cut, but Faramir, Denethor, Eowyn and Merry really stand out.
After having watched the extended version, my favorite character became Denethor. His new scenes gave him such depth that I couldn’t help but wonder why in the world they had to cut them. We learn more about Denethor than about any other character, in my opinion, and that’s saying a lot. We learn new things about him not only from his extended and new scenes, but from Faramir, which I thought was a nice touch. Also, I must credit the actor who played Denethor for the coolest line in the whole trilogy: In this extended cut, when he learns that the first levels of the city are in flames and that the men are deserting them, he says something like ‘Why do the fools fly? They should stand and burn, for burn they must.’ Awesome. Oh, and he has a heated exchange of words with his son that stand out because it’s very dramatic. It even reintroduces Sean Bean as Borimir in a most unexpected way!
The House of Healing is back in as well, which is good, because it allows you to breath a little between the two big battles of the movie. Aragorn shows his healing skills, which allow us to realize that he IS really fitted to be king, and not just a wannabe. This new segment also has tender moments between Faramir and Eowyn while they’re recovering from their battle wounds, which serves a nice conclusion for both characters and allow the actors who play them to shine.
Of course you must have heard by now that Saruman has been reinserted into the movie, but let me tell you, you’re in for a treat! The sequence is over five minutes in lenght but I would have taken more…Saruman tries to rally Gandalf once again to his cause, but Gandalf doesn’t fall in the trap. Also, Gandalf finally gets the chance to establish himself as the ruling wizard of Middle earth, when he says something like ‘I am not Gandalf the Grey whom you betrayed, I am Gandalf the White and I cast you out of the order.’ From this point the sequence takes a dramatic turn and you’re on the edge of your seat until Saruman meets his fate. A sticky fate that turns him to dust!
A new character is introduced in the extended version: the Mouth of Sauron. He comes out of the black gate riding a huge black horse and basically he speaks for his master (who is after all a huge flaming eye!). The Mouth taunts the members of the fellowship and makes them believe Frodo has died after endless torture. He has particularly gruesome words for Aragorn.
What more can I say without dragging too long? The Paths of the Dead become Indiana Jones-like with new perils and booby-traps, there is a fight sequence with some pirates which was cool, because it shows you how Aragorn was able to take over the whole fleet of ships that bring him to Minas Tirith, Frodo and Sam’s journey becomes so much more dramatic and their trip across the burning lands of Mordor is extended a lot, there is a whole lot more to learn about the backstory of Minas Tirith, Aragorn confronts his archenemy Sauron in the flaming palantir and Gandalf even faces a new challenge when the mighty witch-king lands in front of him and confronts him (a sequence you must see before you die, it’s simply too cool).
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True-Hearted Easterling writes: I have just returned from the superb Lord of the Rings conference held at Marquette University in Milwaukee this past Friday and Saturday. The conference commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of The Lord of the Rings and paid tribute to Dr. Richard E. Blackwelder, who donated his large private Tolkien collection to Marquette in 1982. [More]
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True-Hearted Easterling writes: I have just returned from the superb Lord of the Rings conference held at Marquette University in Milwaukee this past Friday and Saturday. The conference commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of The Lord of the Rings and paid tribute to Dr. Richard E. Blackwelder, who donated his large private Tolkien collection to Marquette in 1982.
The biggest names in Lord of the Rings academic research were among the 21 presenters, including Tom Shippey, who sang his old school song for a group of us Saturday night while we were sharing drinks and conversation; John Garth, who signed his book Tolkien and the Great War for me and was presented with a Mythopoeic Society Award at Saturday night’s banquet sponsored by Beyond Bree; and Michael Foster, who expressed a sentiment I share when he noted in his presentation that, despite the faults and virtues of The Lord of the Rings movie, it has brought a lot of new readers to the books.
S. Gary Hunnewell, an independent Tolkien scholar and collector, stayed on the same hotel floor that I did and had a sign on his room door written in Elvish that, according to him, read “Speak Beer and Enter.” Although he was not a presenter but just a “regular” attendee, Ted Nasmith graciously signed copies of the beautiful new Silmarillion containing his artwork at every break throughout the two days.
This conference was about the smoothest I’ve ever attended. I honestly can not find one thing to complain about. The facilities were good, there were plenty of refreshments, the presentations were outstanding and kept to schedule, and the total attendance was small enough (250 paid registrations) that it was very easy to have a conversation with any of the presenters that you wanted.
The conference proceedings are scheduled to be published in 2005, and I would recommend that every fan of Tolkien read them when they are available. I also recommend that anyone who can get to Marquette’s Haggerty Museum of Art to see “The Invented Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien: Drawings and Original Manuscripts from the Marquette University Collection,” which will be on exhibit until January 30, 2005. The original handwritten text and artwork from Mr. Bliss alone is worth the trip.
http://www.marquette.edu/haggerty/
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