Thanks to Ataahua for sending in a link to this story from The Guardian: This time last year, New Zealand was under the spell of the Rugby World Cup, with host nation enthusiasm going a long way to realising the organisers’ vision of a “stadium of four million”. In 2012, the big event features hairy feet of a different sort, with the New Zealand-made film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opening with a world premiere in Wellington, the home town of director Sir Peter Jackson, in six weeks. Read more…

It’s almost party time in Wellington, as they gear up for the world premeir of The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey on November 28. From the city of Wellington website: Wellington City Council will contribute $1.1 million to the premiere week activities and towards ensuring Wellington is again looking its best under the international spotlight. Celebrations and preparations for the World Premiere are already well underway, highlights include:

  • A ‘countdown clock’ to be installed on the front of the Embassy Theatre. The clock will count down the minutes to the beginning of the premiere celebrations.
  • Stunning artwork inspired by The Hobbit Trilogy to welcome visitors at Wellington International Airport and across the city.
  • A Hobbit-inspired Artisan Festival in Waitangi Park showcasing the various craftspeople and talent involved in the making of The Hobbit Trilogy.
  • Outdoor, free public screenings of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy leading up to the premiere night event.

Read more…

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”

Jess Lee from The Sydney Morning Herald: If your flying Air New Zealand from November you’ll be greeted by Hobbits, Wizards and elves in a Hobbit-themed safety video. Crew member’s were given a Middle-Earth make over to get into character for the video which is being released to coincide with the world Premier of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Air New Zealand is renowned for making quirky in-flight briefings with the likes of fitness guru Richard Simmons and the All Blacks rugby team in them. Carrying on a successful collaboration between Air New Zealand and film studios New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during The Lord of the Rings trilogy. [Read More]