Apologies for the delay in this post; it took longer than expected to wrestle my thoughts into (hopefully!) coherent form! It’s not easy to craft a post – without writing an entire book (and this isn’t far off)! – which captures the essence of all that Viggo Mortensen had to say when he attended the Coolidge Award here in Boston. In this final part of the write-up, I wanted to try to capture Mortensen’s philosophy of life, as revealed through remarks he made during the various gatherings at the Coolidge Theatre. In the three sessions at the Coolidge – press Q&A, questions after the Eastern Promises screening, and the evening discussion with WBUR’s Robin Young – Mortensen was asked many questions, and his thoughtful way of looking at the world, (and at the art he wishes to create in that world), was revealed in the answers he gave.
Mortensen is often referred to as a ‘Renaissance man’, because of his seeming ability to turn his hand to all manner of talents. He has written poetry, exhibited photography and paintings, even composed music. He told the audience at the Coolidge, ‘I might like to try directing at some point.’ He is an excellent horseman and was praised by the late swordmaster Bob Anderson (in the Two Towers DVD extras) as being ‘the best swordsman I’ve ever trained’. On top of all that, he’s a rather good actor…. In spite of all this ability, Mortensen continues to be known as ‘No ego Viggo’; how is it that he stays so humble? And what drives him to try his hand in so many different fields?
Continue reading “Viggo Mortensen part 3 – the philosophy of Viggo. (Includes new video!)”
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Middle-earth Madness officially starts today! We’ve split our field of 32 characters into four divisions: The Rankin/Bass Division, The Ralph Bakshi Division, The Tolkien Family Division, and The Peter Jackson Division.
Voting in Round 1 will remain open until March 21st at Noon ET. At that point, we’ll calculate the winners and post the next round on March 22nd. Follow after the break for a complete bracket image (download it), and to vote on all of our Round 1 match-ups!
Continue reading “Middle-earth Madness 2012 – Round 1”
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On Monday 5th March The Coolidge Theatre in Boston honoured Viggo Mortensen with their Coolidge Award. (More information about the award, and the prestigious list of former winners, can be found here.)
The first event of the day was a press Q&A, which TheOneRing.net attended. There were about twenty reporters in the room, from publications ranging from student magazines to Boston newspapers, and the sound of cameras clicking was constant throughout the session. Mortensen was charming, easy-going and friendly; he began the session by commenting on the stage set up – ‘Nice flowers!’ – and ended, as reported here last week, with a teasing joke to the organisers.
When the floor was opened to questions, there was the usual hesitation whilst everyone wonders who will be brave and go first. A dragon is never afraid, so TORn’s own greendragon – ’tis I! – raised her hand. Of course I wanted to ask Mortensen something to do with Middle-earth! As you will recall, when the two Hobbit movies were first being discussed, there was talk of the second movie being a ‘bridge’ movie, telling the tale of events between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In a 2006 interview with Ain’t it cool News, Peter Jackson said that he hoped to include ‘Aragorn protecting The Shire. [I’d]… love to work with Viggo again.’ I asked Mortensen about this, and if he would like to have gone back to Middle-earth; he responded with some surprise, (‘Did he say that?!’) and said, ‘It sounds like a lot of fun but I never heard from Peter!’ He added that he loves to go back to the ‘beautiful country’ New Zealand when he can, and that he also is looking forward to seeing how The Hobbit will be adapted for the big screen.
(More plus video after the break!)
Continue reading “Viggo Mortensen’s visit to Boston – part 2 (new video!)”
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Middle-earth Madness and all the fun that implies, is soon to be released to fans of J.R.R. Tolkien everywhere. Readers and moviegoers will be able to vote as we pit character vs. character in a showdown to determine the 2012 Middle-earth character champion.
In the spirit of the U.S.’ NCAA college basketball tournament, known as March Madness, we will create matchups that pit the likes of Gollum vs. Treebeard and Boromir vs. Balin. Unlike the NCAA bracket, ours will be a 32 team showdown. Using voting fan input and finally our own selection committee.
And, because there are hundreds of great characters across the Middle-earth catalog, we know not everybody’s favorite character can fit in a field of 32 and just like in the NCAA tournament, some deserving characters may not get in. (Unlike the basketball tournament however, all of the characters are fictional and none will have his or her feelings hurt and they all have “next year” to be a contender.) So, we hope you will join us for our voting and enjoy Middle-earth Madness! The Bracket will be revealed soon!
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Wow. What a guy. You know, I’ve always admired Viggo Mortensen as an actor, and I do think he makes a wonderful Aragorn, but in terms of crushes I was always more of a Faramir sort of gal. Until now… Mortensen is charming, funny, humble, laid back, erudite, fascinating – oh, and did I mention, very handsome? During the various events at the Coolidge Theatre, Mortensen showed himself to be worthy of every bit of praise you’ve ever read about him. The internet is buzzing with excitement following his appearances in Boston; and here at TORn we’ll be bringing you a three-part report on all the fun. (This is a man who has A LOT to say!) Meanwhile, here’s a video of the moment when he actually received the award (the best I could get in a crowded room of excited folks!)
Continue reading “Viggo Mortensen charms the crowd… (more video!)”
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Sean Astin (born February 25, 1971), and recently featured on TORn Tuesday with Quickbeam, is an American film actor, director, and Academy Award-nominated producer best known for his film roles as Mikey Walsh in The Goonies, the title character of Rudy, and of course Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. From your friends here at TheOneRing.net, Happy Birthday Sean!!
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