AUCKLAND Two of the biggest fantasy films of the year were made in a small land of the Pacific Ocean. Yes, Hollywood has invaded New Zealand again – but it turns out not all the locals are happy about that. As mean-spirited as it may seem with the recent release of “King Kong” and “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” two blockbuster movies mostly made in New Zealand, there are some film industry insiders in this country who don’t like giant apes, witches or magical lions at all. In fact, at their least generous, these insiders wish the mythical creatures had never come to this small Pacific Rim nation. It has the rest of New Zealand’s inhabitants, who generally take great pride in the achievements of movies like the award-winning “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, wondering why. [More]
Month: December 2005
Pre-Orders have begun for the Armoured Lurtz Premium Format Figure. Don’t Miss out! [Click Here]
UPDATE – According to their website, the figure only has 50 left in a 750 edition size.
UPDATE 2 – They just sold out of the Exclusive edition, but the regular is now for sale on their site.
Time is running out for poet Bill Manhire, who has one day left to raise almost $200,000 to hit a million-dollar target set by a Las Vegas casino tycoon. Mr Manhire’s writing course, the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University, was singled out by American philanthropist Glenn Schaeffer. Mr Schaeffer issued a challenge for the institute to raise $1 million by December 31 – and has promised to match every New Zealand dollar raised with an American dollar, up to a maximum of $US1 million. It’s been a stressful but exciting two years since the offer was made, but Mr Manhire continues to be hopeful of hitting the $1 million target. He had been amazed by the generosity of donors – some who had given $5 and those who had donated thousands. Fundraising events, including a poetry reading by Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen, and sponsorships had helped bump the total up. The Dominion Post is a major sponsor. [More] [Victoria University of Wellington]
Hobbits, we read in the prologue to J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Fellowship of the Ring,” the first book of his “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “love peace and quiet and good tilled earth.” This being so, the pre-holiday rush at Times Square’s Virgin Megastore surely would have seemed to them the abode of the damned. Thumping bass lines made the air shudder; tourists and locals stumbled and jostled, staring open-mouthed at flashing video monitors. A whisper, sad and graceful, called out from beneath the din. In the video department, “The Return of the King,” the final film in director Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, was drawing to an end. The dialogue was inaudible, but wisps of music folded and unfolded – themes first heard in “Fellowship,” evoking friendship and resolve, innocence lost and the longing for home. [More]
Garfeimao writes: The One Ring Celebration Masquerade will be held on Friday night and you can now read all the rules sign up for this fun event. There will be a pre-registration opportunity, from now until Wednesday, January 18, 2006 at 6:00 PM. You can submit all pre-reg documents to OrcMasquerade@aol.com, to include the Entry Registration form, the Liability Release form and a photo of your costume. You can download them all here. (WORD DOC) [Registration] [Liability Release] [More Information]
Meghan, Online Community Manager for The Lord of the Rings Online writes: This week we’ve updated the Captain class on our Playable Classes page. This is also the first peek at a female player character avatar, something many of you (and your own communities) have been waiting for! We’ll continue to update the classes through the end of January – there’s still the Hunter, the Burglar, the Minstrel, and the Lore-master to come, so stay tuned! [More]