For those who are interested in the finances behind the making of The Hobbit trilogy, here’s a news story from the NZ Herald about the subsidies that Warner Brothers received (thanks to ringer Ataahua for the link):
New Zealand taxpayers put up an “extreme” amount of money to get the Hobbit films made here – and the real winner was Warner Bros, the Green Party says. The Government has defended the spending of close to $200 million as having wider benefits – including more than one in ten visitors citing the movies as a reason they became interested in visiting.
The latest statements for Warner Bros Entertainment’s New Zealand subsidiary, 3 Foot 7, show the firm received a large budget screen production grant of $38.3 million in the 12 months to March 31 this year. That adds to the $54.6 million it received in the 2014 year, $31.3 million in 2013, $46.9 million in 2012 and $20.2 million in 2011. Across the five years, production costs amounted to around $1.1 billion, meaning the Warner Bros unit has claimed about 17 per cent of total costs under the grant.
Green Party finance spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter said the level of taxpayer money stumped up was “pretty extreme”.Read More…
Come one, come all to TORn’s Annual Baggins Birthday Bash, held in the Mineral Wells section of Griffith Park this coming Sunday, starting at noon. This is a potluck event, so bring your own beverages, munchies or sweets, and consider sunscreen and hats for the heat. Please do RSVP for the Baggins Birthday Bash by emailing garfeimao@TheOnering.net or head over to our Facebook event page where you will get an idea of what others are bringing, and what you might want to contribute. TORn staffers will be hosting a variety of fun and games, with a few prizes thrown in for good measure, here is a tentative schedule of events.
12pm – Official Start (arrive a little early if brining a pop up tent or tables)
12:30pm – Silmarillian discussion with TORn Bookclub host Sarumann
1:30pm – Middle-earth Cake and Cupcake contest judging begins
2pm – Middle-earth Trivia
2:45pm – Middle-earth Quotes contest (brush up on both book and film quotes)
3:30pm – Pin the Black Arrow on the Dragon
4pm – Golfimbul
For directions, here is a map of the Park, just work your way towards the Mineral Wells location. Griffith Park Map
Update: Accidentally posted Sept. 27, the event will be this weekend, Sunday, September 20.
It’s already a week since DragonCon 2015 came to an end – and we’ve just about had time to draw breath and catch up on sleep! For any of you who haven’t had the chance to attend DragonCon, it’s one long party from Thursday night (although some would say that Wednesday is the new Thursday) to Monday evening. TORn staffers did their best to keep up with it all!
We had our usual ‘fan table’ spot in the Hyatt hotel, where we sold t-shirts, buttons, lanyards and hoodies (from our good friends at LoTH Hoodies) and enjoyed catching up with fellow fans. There are folks whom we see every year at DragonCon, and it’s always lovely to see familiar faces, as people stop by to say hello.
As you’ll have read a few days ago, we’re excited for the upcoming debut of the score of the classic 1978 animated Lord of the Rings movie, directed by Ralph Bakshi and scored by Leonard Rosenman. This very special release is on vinyl and is accompanied by an amazing set of collector’s items from the beloved film. Now you can have more chances to WIN one of the two copies we have to give away by TWEETING a link to the YouTube video about the release. Simply tweet the video URL AND the tag #TheOneBoxSet before midnight EST September 19th. One winner will be chosen at random from all the tweets with the correct link and hashtag.
So tweet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW7sHYdGcfQ and #TheOneBoxSet – and whatever else you would like to include! – for another chance to win.
The contest will run through September 19th with winners to be announced on September 20th.
Read the official press release below.
Fantasy Records presents the classic score to the 1978 animated feature J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, from Academy Award-winning composer Leonard Rosenman (East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, Barry Lyndon). This highly collectable, vinyl box set will be a must-have for fans of the landmark film and audiophiles alike. Inside the box, there is a wealth of ephemera, including reproductions of rare items from the original Tolkien Fanclub!
Contents include:
-Two 180-gram vinyl LPs, housed in a reproduction of the original gatefold jacket
-24” x 36” theatrical poster, featuring Gandalf
-12” x 8.5” map of Middle-earth
-Lobby card, reproduced from the original theatrical release
-Sticker
-Replica Production cel, suitable for framing
-16-page illustrated booklet, featuring behind-the-scenes photos, a new Leonard Rosenman appreciation by Jon Burlingame, the nation’s leading writer on the subject of music for films and television, plus liner notes by Tolkien Enterprises’ Laurie Battle. Also in the booklet is a backstage look at the making of the film by music historian and reissue producer Bill Belmont.
I attended the screening of the Extended Editions of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy at The Aero Theater in Santa Monica on Saturday, September 12th. The event was a tribute to two LotR greats who we have recently lost – Christopher Lee and Andrew Lesnie.
This weekend, Hall of Fire examines an elf of Middle-earth whose name is quite well-known yet whose history, and mission, remains comparatively opaque by comparison — Cirdan the Shipwright.
“As they came to the gates Círdan the Shipwright came forth to greet them. Very tall he was, and his beard was long, and he was grey and old, save that his eyes were keen as stars; and he looked at them and bowed, and said “All is now ready.”
This weekend, Hall of Fire examines an elf of Middle-earth whose name is quite well-known yet whose history, and mission, remains comparatively opaque by comparison — Cirdan the Shipwright.