Taranaki Daily News reporter John Anthony writes: People often tell me I look like an elf. My tall slender frame, pasty white skin and high cheekbones somewhat resemble the elegant elvish features as personified in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
I regard the elf label as a compliment considering Elves were depicted as the humble, stealth heroes of Middle Earth. The spiritual and calm demeanour of the fair creatures was largely popularised by good- looking celebrities such as Liv Tyler, Orlando Bloom and New Zealand’s very own Craig Parker. Their telepathic abilities, enchanting dialect, fanciful footwork and unrivalled archery skills are the envy of many Tolkien enthusiasts. More..
From Taranaki Daily News: Three Foot Seven Productions publicist Melissa Booth said there was no way Mt Taranaki would be used as the Lonely Mountain.
“We don’t need a mountain,” Ms Booth said.
“Mt Doom (in the Lord Of The Rings) is a completely artist-created fictional painting,” she said. “It’s already established so it can’t be changed.” She confirmed that location scouts had scoured the country looking at landscapes, including Taranaki. “It’s really just looking at this point. “They do a lot of primary research which then gets whittled down to the landscapes were looking at using. “We’re still working out what, if any, mountains will be used.” Shooting for The Hobbit begins on March 21.
Nicholas Tolkien, great-grandson of JRR Tolkien, sends this in: I first want to say how much I love your site. I’d love to interact with it somehow in the future. I have just completed a feature film entitled ANACAPA which you very kindly linked to on your main page. I have just released the trailer and wanted to see if you may be interested in posting it somewhere here. I am hugely inspired by the work my great-grandfather made and I love the community you’ve created here.
