Spanish website Milenio has an interview up with Cate Blanchett discussing, among other things, her return to the role of Galadriel in The Hobbit.

Thanks to our message board member HiddenSpring for sending along a translation of the relevant bit.

Milenio: It’s been 12 years since you played Galadriel. How did it feel going back to that character and that universe?

Cate Blanchett: I’m more mature as an actress; that’s what made me want to play her again. Peter called me and thought I might not accept the role. I told him “Are you kidding me? Of course I will!” 

Galadriel is a special character to me, mythic and fascinating. It was as enjoyable to shoot as Lord of the Rings. When I wore the elf ears again, I had this wonderful feeling of dejá vú. I couldn’t stop laughing.

I was very young when I played Galadriel. I hope to have evolved, to be a better actress, person and mother. Professionally I think I’m much more flexible now, and easier to work with. I know Peter thinks so! (laughs) Come Christmas the audience will be able to decide for themselves.

A lively discussion has ensued on our message boards. Feel free to check it out.

Cardiff Metropolitan University is offering  another great online course: J.R.R. Tolkien: Myth and Middle-earth in Context.  Online registration is available now for the course that begins September 19 and runs for twelve weeks. The course is available to anyone who can access the internet – you don’t need to live in the U.K. However, only a limited number of students may enroll, so all enrollments will be treated on a first-come, first-served basis. While this is an accredited course at Masters level, students can take it for credit or just for pleasure. Students will have access to Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Electronic Library (which includes a wealth of e-books, databases such as JSTOR and Literature Online), as well as relevant journals such as Tolkien Studies and Mythlore in electronic format. According to our friends at Cardiff, this unique course will not be offered again for at least a year or two, so be sure to register soon!

For more information, follow these links: course description / unit-by-unit video introduction / enrollment / FAQ, or visit Cardiff’s Tolkien and Fantasy Online Courses facebook page.

 

With the release of the new “Hobbit” app for Apple products, Warner Bros. has also opened the floodgates of new images and smacked viewers in the head with the ending of the first film, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” The app came with a spoiler tag, but we know there are plenty of readers who are trying not to know every little detail, much less the breakdown of how these films become three movies from one book. Honoring those folks, we have hidden the unmistakable image after the break. It duplicates the promotional scroll released right before Comic-Con (take a gander here) when there where still two films. That confirmed the original break and this one, the new ending of the first film. Our image focuses only on the last scene. An argument could be made that the scroll isn’t definitive but it would be a weak and losing battle. If you click, you will be spoiled so proceed at your own risk; You will not be able to un-see the image. Continue reading “Ending of first ‘Hobbit’ film revealed, image after break”

Welcome to our latest “Getting to know” questions that need answering. This month we’re talking to the one and only Balrog Showgirl, Nicole Roberts.The Balrog Showgirl with Richard Taylor

Hi Nicole and a very big thank you for taking part and for being so patient with me.

This first question is from Rosie-with-the-ribbons who’s latest costume for RingCon has been inspired by your Balrog Showgirl costume.

R-w-t-r: Do you make your costumes yourself?

Nicole: Rosie – that is awesome!  Yes, for the most part the costumes I’ve been running around in for the past several years have all been of my own making.  I only started sewing back in 2004, after I moved to Los Angeles and started hanging out with even more LOTR people.  The first costume I made was to wear to Comic Con that year – I was the Mumak Mahud (the guy with the black and white painted face who steers the oliphaunt in ROTK), so you could definitely say I’ve always leaned towards costumes that were a little off the beaten path!  I’ve done some costumes that were direct recreations (“Barf” from “Spaceballs”is the most well-known one), but as I’ve gotten more into the sewing, I really like doing things that are more of an original design, like the Balrog Showgirl.  As someone who is not of supermodel proportions (and seriously, those chicks look like scary walking lollipops anyway), I like to have the opportunity to design something that I think is more flattering to me, and I always like to learn how to do something new, like dyeing feathers for the showgirl headdress.

Continue reading “Getting to know Nicole Roberts”

Can you believe it has been 10 years since we first gathered at Griffith Park to celebrate the birthday of not one, but two imaginary characters from a book and film? The Baggins’ Birthday Bash has always been a great way to celebrate Fellowship amongst LA Fandom, act a little goofy, and to farewell the Summer. This year the party comes just a day after the official 75th anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit back in 1937, so we’ll have more to celebrate than just Bilbo and Frodo. Here are the pertinent details:

When: September 22 from Noon till 6pm

Where: Griffith Park in LA, just past the Carousel turnoff. There are directions and a link to a map at the bottom of the description on the Facebook Event Page. Baggins’ Birthday Bash Facebook page

What can you bring?: Take a peek at the Facebook page, and open the description fully to see what food and beverage needs we have and what you can bring. The list will be updated when people RSVP, which can be done on the Facebook event page, or by emailing Garfeimao@TheOneRing.net

Activities: There will be some trivia, we will have fans taking turns to read The Hobbit aloud during the day, and there will be a rousing game of Golfimbul, followed by a Birthday Cake.

 

Bilbo earns the respect of the Dwarves he is traveling with by being both brave and resourceful. He overcomes a lot of dangers and becomes a much more confident adventurer, something that would not necessarily be recognized in the Shire. If the first film is a story of how a Hobbit can go on an adventure and thrive, earning the respect of his Dwarf companions, the second film is that same Hobbit realizing just how big and dangerous the world really is. But how do you show that in a visual medium?

Possible spoilers after the break

Continue reading “Why “The Desolation of Smaug” works”