Several of you have written in to alert us that “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” has made it to the final round of the Yahoo Oscar Blog’s “Ultimate Best Picture” poll. From Yahoo: “The final round of the “Ultimate Best Picture” deathmatch is here, and only one “Godfather” movie is still standing. With over a half million total votes thus far, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” managed to edge out “The Godfather, Part II” in the semi-finals, while the “The Godfather” crushed “Schindler’s List” to gain entrance into the last round. So which of these two epic films will be crowned the greatest “Best Picture” winner of all time? You decide. Voting ends Monday at noon PT.” Follow the link to cast your vote! Vote in the Poll
Category: LotR Movies
Lindsay alerted us that Orlando Bloom helped man the phones at the Australian Bushfire Telethon Thursday night. So far, more than $75 million has been raised to help fire-ravaged communities rebuild their lives. Speaking on the program, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the outpouring of generosity from individuals and companies to those caught in the weekend’s deadly bushfires has made him feel proud to be an Australian. Other celebrities who appeared to support the telethon included politicians, musicians and sports stars. TheOneRing.net offers heartfelt support to our friends ‘down under’ dealing with the terrible fires. Read More
Message board member diedye found this IGN interview in which Christopher Lee discusses his role as a Bond baddie in “Man with the Golden Gun,” and speculates about reprising the role of Saruman in the upcoming Hobbit films. This part, in particular, sounds promising:
“IGN: Would you be willing to reprise the role?
Lee: In the spirit very much so. But I’ve reached an age now [86] where going to New Zealand again would be a very considerable effort. It would not be easy because it’s an exhausting journey. Even with a break I’m not sure I could do it.
IGN: If they could film your part in London, would you be interested?
Lee: Oh yes, of course. I’d be delighted.”
Lee: In the spirit very much so. But I’ve reached an age now [86] where going to New Zealand again would be a very considerable effort. It would not be easy because it’s an exhausting journey. Even with a break I’m not sure I could do it.
IGN: If they could film your part in London, would you be interested?
Lee: Oh yes, of course. I’d be delighted.”
From The Londonist: How many times have you been sitting at home, hungover, on a Sunday thinking to yourself “If only there was a film marathon where I could be catching up on my hobbit and elf movie watching”? If you’re like us, you think that virtually every weekend. Well, you are in luck. The Roxy Bar & Screen is hosting a series of film doubles and trebles, and they’ve just announced their newest lineup for 22 February. All the Lord of the Rings films. In one day. We adore a movie marathon, and think this one sounds fantastic. Preview: Lord of The Rings Mega Marathon
Gary Hunt writes: I worked on the trilogy and am still at Weta Workshop. I also have my own Pewter miniatures business, www.garyhuntminiatures.com. I’m just dropping you a note that your readers might be interested in: The Weta cave, (Weta Workshop) Miramar, Wellington, NZ now have a selection of my Pewter miniature kits for sale and on display. There are two ranges, my recently released 21st Century Amazons… Sci-fi Fantasy figures in the wargaming 28mm scale, (Girls with guns, and strange insect crosses, Zombies and Feathered Raptors etc) and a collectors scale, 54mm range that encompasses sci-fi and Historical characters and the Duke of Wellington mounted at Waterloo. The figures, as well as looking cool on your mantelpiece or part of a mass battle against aliens can provide some basic modelmaking skills that can lead to converting and sculpting your own characters (this is in fact how I learned to sculpt and gave me the desire to work in film). If you happen to be a long way from New Zealand you can view my Sci-fi, Fantasy and Historical ranges on my Website www.garyhuntminiatures.com and progress photo’s of new sculpts, hopefully i’ll have some of a dragon i’ve started going up soon on www.myspace.com/garyhuntportfolio
Chris Hicks writes: Lord Of The Rings star Viggo Mortensen has spoken to totalfilm.com about The Hobbit, addressing speculation as to whether he’ll reprise his role as Aragorn. “I’d rather finish the job myself than have another actor do it,” says Mortensen. “I’m interested in principle, but I’d want to see it done in the right spirit of Tolkien.” Viggo gave a nod of approval to new director Guillermo del Toro, saying, “He’s strongminded, intelligent and probably just as stubborn [as Jackson]. “I don’t know if it’ll be as big a circus [as the Trilogy] in terms of several people writing changes at the last minute. Viggo Mortensen talks The Hobbit