greattobenominated.jpgA reminder that “The Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring” will be shown this coming Monday, June 30, by the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences as part of their “Great to be Nominated” series. Since we first reported this story here the participants in the discussion panel have been finalized and what a panel it will be! From VFX World.com:

“Following the screening, producer Barrie Osborne, executive producer Mark Ordesky, film editor John Gilbert, supervising sound editor Ethan Van der Ryn, Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Jim Rygiel and U.S. casting director Victoria Burrows will participate in a discussion about the film.”

Check out vfxworld.com for more information. Thanks to message board member diedye for the reminder. Oh, and if any of you are lucky enough to be there, be sure to send a report to us at spymaster@theonering.net!

Viggo MortensenThe Review Journal caught up with actor Viggo Mortensen at CineVegas and got this juicy quote about his interest in ‘The Hobbit’ films:

Mortensen also said he would like to replay the “Lord of the Rings” part of Aragorn in future “Hobbit” movies that have been announced by “Rings” director Peter Jackson. “I’d rather not have another actor play the part I started out playing for Peter Jackson. And I had a lot of friends from that experience,” he said.

For the full article, please visit the Review Journal website. Thanks to Ringer Ainu_Laire for the heads up! [Read More]

Sam and FrodoEntertainment Weekly has come out with a list of ‘The 100 New Movie Classics,’ and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, as a whole, has ranked No. 2. EW.com defines a ‘new movie classic’ as ‘films released in the past 25 years stand with the all-time greats.’ Here’s what they have to say about LOTR:

Peter Jackson did the impossible. He filmed an unfilmable novel, he conjured a dark, ravishing vision all his own without desecrating J.R.R. Tolkien’s, he made a nine-hour trilogy that truly lives and breathes like one movie, he got a riveting performance out of a slithery CG cave dweller with a split personality — and, what’s more, he made fantasy a box office monster.

See the full list over at EW.com. Thanks to Ringer Julie for the heads up! [Top 25 List]

Moria Orc Premium Format FigureWith the launch of their newsletter tonight, Sideshow Collectibles has announced a brand new Premium Format figure to their Lord of the Rings line-up: The Moria Orc. Unlike the polystone statues of the past, Premium Format figures are made with a mix of polystone, cloth, metals and other materials to give them a more life-like appearance. They are usually produced in 1/4 scale so we can only imagine the detail on this hideous creature of Moria. Pre-orders should begin next Thursday, but for now, jump over to the SideshowCollectibles.com website and view the sneak peek. And if you haven’t already done so, check out the other LOTR Premium Format figures available for purchase. [Preview the Moria Orc] [Other LOTR Collectibles]

LOTR SymphonyRingers Nerwen and Jussi sent us excited emails this morning with the good news for Finnish ‘The Lord of the Rings’ fans:

The Lord of the Rings Symphony will be coming to Finland for the first time in May 2009. Tampere Philharmonic will perform the symphony on the 1st and 2nd of May 2009 in the Tampere-talo, with the Tampere Philharmonic Choir and the Pirkanpojat boy’s choir. The performance will be conducted by Markus Huber, who has travelled with the performance in many countries. Soprano Ann De Renais will perform as the soloist.

Tickets will go on sale June 23rd for these performances. [More Info]