Janeta writes: A grand start to the New Year: The Egyptian Theater will be screening “the director’s cut” of LOTR on January 22, starting at 1:00. From the website: Saturday, January 22 – 1:00 PM: The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), marking its 30th anniversary, has selected the 30 Most Significant Independent Films(tm) from around the world produced over the past three decades. Director Peter Jackson and a brilliantly talented cast and crew brought to cinematic life J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic adventure of good against evil. The future of civilization rests on the fate of the One Ring, which has been lost for centuries, and powerful forces are unrelenting in their search for it. Fate has placed it in the hands of a young hobbit named Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), who undertakes a heroic quest through Middle Earth. With Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett and Ian McKellen. Tickets
Triple Feature: 10th Anniversary! THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, 2001, Warner Bros., 208 min. Dir. Peter Jackson. [35mm]
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS, 2002, Warner Bros., 223 min. Dir. Peter Jackson. [35mm]
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, 2003, Warner Bros., 201 min. Dir. Peter Jackson. [BluRay]
Sohaib at Fictional Frontiers keeps asking us back to his radio show and podcast and when it comes to popular culture and talking about the works and adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien, how can we say no? This week, among many other things, we chatted about our hopes and fears for “The Hobbit” film including a tie to those crazy Burger King toys. You can hear the conversation, which already aired live on the radio, right here as a podcast.
The Government has made another concession to the makers of the Hobbit movies as it paves the way for them to be made here. The head of Immigration New Zealand, Nigel Bickle, has confirmed that approval has been given to Three Foot Seven Ltd to recruit 40 overseas actors for the movies. Mr Bickle says the department followed its usual practice of asking both Actors’ Equity and Work and Income to comment on the request to allow the actors into the country. He says the union opposed the request but Work and Income supported it. The matter then went to the Associate Immigration Minister, Kate Wilkinson, who approved it. While the department followed its usual practice, Radio New Zealand’s political editor says, apparently the union did not get access to the information it normally gets. It couldn’t be sure local actors were being given an equal opportunity to audition for all 75 speaking parts, and that apparently is why it opposed the request. More..
The Sun is reporting that James Nesbitt is about to embark on a month of dwarf training:
He said: “We’re going for dwarf training for a month. It’s an adventure and I can’t wait for it. I’ve never done a massive film like it.”
The Northern Irish actor will move across the globe with wife Sonia and their two daughters.
James, who stars alongside The Office’s Martin Freeman – who plays the title role, added: “It’s a once in a lifetime thing. Not just for me but for the family.”
[Read the Full Article]
(CNN) — What would truly delight the geek in your life? It’s nearly impossible to know if you don’t share his or her peculiar tastes. It’s not good enough just to get them a Rubik’s Cube or copy of “The Hobbit.” (You know they could solve a Rubik’s Cube by the time they were 7, and they already own the complete collection of Tolkien in hardback.) Show them you care by learning about the things they like and demonstrating that knowledge with your gift choice. Start by determining what the geek in your life is obsessed with. Geeks are passionate about niche interests, and a little digging on your part is sure to result in a wide-eyed, bouncy, emphatic “thank you!” when it’s time to open presents. More..
Be sure to read our own Altaira‘s quote in the CNN article, and a link to our Tolkien Gift Guide!
Dehobbit.net has a Q&A with Scott Crawford from LOTR: War in the North. Translated into English below. More..
