The frolks from Houghton Mifflin write: We will be sending Andy Serkis on a U.S. tour in mid-January to promote his new book, GOLLUM, available in bookstores now!
James Earl Jones, Jessica Alba, Bob Hoskins, Martin Short and Jack Black were among those honored Tuesday at the 2003 DVD Exclusive Awards with kudos for performances in pics that premiered exclusively on DVD this year.
“The Alien Quadrilogy” matched “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Special Extended” with two of the top honors for special editions, and Dick Van Dyke was on hand to collect an award for best TV show on DVD, more than 40 years after the broadcast debut of “The Dick Van Dyke Show — Season One.”
Disney’s “101 Dalmatians 2: Patch’s London Adventure” and the star-studded indie film “Interstate 60” from “Back to the Future” writer-producer Bob Gale took top honors for animated and live-action DVD movies, respectively.
Telecast set
Jenny McCarthy, who faced the crowd of more than 700 at the Wiltern LG Theater wearing a dress made of DVDs, hosted the fast-paced evening, which will be televised on FX at 8 p.m. Dec. 9.
Unique vehicles from the year’s DVD movies rolled up to the red carpet, including the colorful Mystery Machine van with star Scooby-Doo, original and new Mini Coopers repping both DVD versions of “The Italian Job,” the Animal House Death Mobile and street rods from “2 Fast 2 Furious.”
The program inside was filled with tributes to filmmakers Michael Bay and Ridley Scott, and to companies and franchises that offer innovative bonus features, from Pixar Animation Studios to franchises such as “American Pie,” “Scooby-Doo” and “The Lion King.”
Following a clip package from DVDs featuring classic music from Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby to the Beatles, the Who and Led Zeppelin, Roger Daltrey presented the award for original song in a DVD premiere movie to Jack Black’s outrageous and profane “Golden Rule Song” from New Line Home Entertainment’s “Run Ronnie Run.” A handful of writers accepted the award, led by Bob Odenkirk, also nominated as director of “Melvin Goes to Dinner,” the latter making its format debut Dec. 16.
Fox’s “Alien Quadrilogy” was named best overall DVD and classic movie, and also picked up an award for audio commentary by the cast and crew of “Alien” the same day the giant nine-disc set was released in stores.
The 600 DVD Exclusive Academy members — filmmakers and TV and DVD producers — judge new DVDs all year, receiving advance copies of discs being released late in the year.
Talent behind the toon
The awards’ 23 categories include animated character performance, honoring both a voice actor and an animator; it was one of five prizes presented to Disney’s “101 Dalmatians 2,” with Short and character design supervisor Dan Root sharing the prize for creating the character of fashion designer Lars.
Disney’s recently released “Finding Nemo” disc won awards for menu design; games and interactivities; and deleted scenes, outtakes and bloopers.
Alba, Hoskins and Brenda Blethyn were named best actress, actor and supporting actor, respectively, for New Line Home Entertainment’s British period drama “The Sleeping Dictionary.” Pic also won for cinematography.
The supporting actor award went to Jones for his perf in Lions Gate’s psychological drama “Finder’s Fee,” written and directed by “Survivor” host Jeff Probst, who announced the category’s nominees via video from the secret location of the next season of “Survivor.”
Gale accepted awards as producer of Screen Media’s “Interstate 60” as well as screenplay.
In one of the surprise awards, Michael Arrick’s docu “West Side Memories” on MGM’s “West Side Stories” beat other behind-the-scenes programs from “The Indiana Jones Trilogy,” “Alien,” “Finding Nemo” and “The Lord of the Rings.”
Mark next Wednesday on your calendar! December 10th 2003 at Noon PST.
Tickets will go on sale for $125 a piece at Noon PST, December 10th 2003. You will only be able to purchase tickets using PayPal. Please note, that PayPal accepts VISA, Mastercard, Discover, American Express and synchs directly with your personal bank account! Make sure you set up your PayPal account now and put the needed funds into it. [PayPal]
We are changing the venue this year! This year’s event will be held at the Hollywood American Legion, a historic venue known for its large concert hall, mixture of art-deco and military design, as well as convenient location to local hotels and downtown Hollywood. And the fact that it’s a big White Tower helps too!
Why the change you may ask? Well, we wanted more space for you! And to accomplish that, we have moved to a larger venue and are selling less tickets. Only 700 tickets will be sold to this year’s party. We expect them to sell fast.
When we asked you to take our Return of the One Party survey a month or so back, we learned that the location of hotels to the venue was important. How does 50 feet from the venue door sound? This year, three major hotels are within walking distance of the event, making it easier for you to attend! We will even have pre-registration on the Saturday before to make entering the party easier! The hotels are also only 2 blocks away from the famous Hollywood and Highland crossroads, where the Kodak Theater is located.
We have secured DISCOUNT rates for the three hotels next to the venue. The Holiday is offering $99 per night, while the Comfort Inn and Best Western are offering $109. Both rates are great for downtown Hollywood. Use the code ‘TORN’ to book rooms.
Holiday Inn – $99 HOLLYWOOD-WALK OF FAME, CA 2005 N HIGHLAND AVE HOLLYWOOD, CA 90068 Tel: 1-323-8768600 Fax: 1-323-8763272 Use Hotel Code: TORN
Comfort Inn & Suites – $109 2010 N. Highland Avenue Hollywood, CA 90068-3239 Phone: (323) 874-4300 Fax: (323) 874-2290 Use Hotel Code: TORN
Best Western – $109 Hollywood Plaza Inn 2011 N Highland Avenue Hollywood, California 90068 Phone: 323-851-1800 Toll Free Reservations: 800-445-4353 Fax: 323-851-1836 Use Hotel Code: TORN
Our official website will also open shortly. It will showcase the return of Emerald Rose as our headliner and the amazing raffle auction items available at this year’s event. (You’ll be able to enter a raffle for the No. 6 Gandalf Bronze from Sideshow/Weta collectibles, a retail value of $6000!)
TheOneRing.net celebrated The release of The Return of the King and the success of The Lord of the Rings films at the Skyline restaurant in Wellington New Zealand on November 30th. These images were captured from the live webcam provided by http://www.r2.co.nz. A ton of LOTR stars arrived and partied the night away with TORN staffers and fans alike. Ian McKellen was quotes as saying ‘TORN throws the best parties’.
A selection of utterly fantastic photos of TheOneRing.net/Red Carpet Tour’s Return of the Ringers party in Wellington on the eve of the RoTK World Premiere! Many thanks to Ringer Spy JPB for taking these.
Another selection of utterly fantastic photos of TheOneRing.net/Red Carpet Tour’s Return of the Ringers party in Wellington on the eve of the RoTK World Premiere! Many thanks to Ringer Spy JPB for taking these.
Here are a collection of images from the press confrence held before the parade, red carpet arrivals and screening on December 1st. Most of the major players were there to answer media questions.
More photos from the red carpet arrivals. Mostly from the TORN press pool that was given special permission to film and photograph the red carpet arrivals.
For the past three months or more, I’ve been peripherally involved in assisting with TORn’s party for the premiere of Return of the King in Wellington — Return of the Ringers.
I say peripherally because I found it to be of much use all the way from Brisbane (Australia). However, TORn was blessed to have three incredibly talented and dedicated Kiwi organisers in Tehanu, Rochelle and Lyric — and pulled off what I believe was a truly exhilarating night at the Skyline Restaurant on December 30.
One of the oddest things about Wellington (for me) is the long twilight each evening. Because I’m from a subtropical city, it feels decidedly strange to wander around at 8pm in bright sunlight. Hence I feel very odd rocking up to the Skyline Restaurant at 6.30pm in broad daylight – it’s like I’ve arrived too early.
But I haven’t, and there’s already a good-sized queue forming. After a quick peek around the grounds (the views of Wellington and the bay are absolutely stunning and everything they were advertised to be), I head off in search of Tehanu.
The fine art of registering 700 people
I track her down pretty quickly and ask what needs to be done — I end up attaching red bracelets to peoples’ wrists at the registration desk. After doing that a few hundred times I’m still extraordinarily clumsy at it. I’m also absolutely stuffed and mildly worried I’ll have nightmares about bracelets that night.
Thankfully, everyone is extraordinarily patient — shuffling 700-odd people into a venue does not happen in just five minutes — and for the most part everything proceeds very smoothly.
Stunt knights from the medieval folklore festival down by the bay turn up to provide free entertainment for those waiting in line — the clash of sword on sword and sword on shield is punctuated by the occasional scream of a stolen maiden.
Costumes, costumes everywhere
Eventually, I’m released from duty and get a chance to wander. One of the things I’m most struck by is the sheer number of people in costume — many of them crafted in exquisite detail. As I wander about with Ben Wooten (Senior Designer for WETA Workshop) we marvel at the beauty of the outfits — dozens of Arwens, Eowyns, Boromirs and Legolases. I even spot a very cool Grima Wormtongue in court garb.
Later on, I spot one lass dressed as a Balrog, having adapted fairy wings, made a pair of horns and procured a long black whip from somewhere. I find myself pondering the amusement value of staging a confrontation between her and one of the many Gandalfs wandering around.
I’m so busy early on that I barely notice Lothlorien come and go from the main stage. I do stop for a few moments to listen to the Harp of Gondor playing Gollum’s Song from the Two Towers soundtrack — it’s exquisite.
Shards of Narsil? Yours for $900!
I wander into the auction room — many items have been laid out for a silent auction just like the one held at the Oscar Party back in March. There’s dozens of items, including books signed by Alan Lee, Richard Taylor and Peter Jackson. I also spot some Sideshow/WETA collectibles — a tower of Orthanc and a Gandalf statue among them. Someone has also donated the Shards of Narsil. The box they’re in is surprisingly large.
Outside again, I spot a spectacular King Theoden in regal court attire. In fact, I initially mistake the outfit for Aragorn’s kingly outfit. The gent wearing it — a millionaire who owns a Silicon Valley software development company — corrects my mistake. He tells me his partner made it herself, as well as the Arwen (or was it Galadriel?) outfit she’s wearing.
And now for Someone Important
Not long afterwards, screaming and a rush of people from the large outside marquee toward the stage inside the Skyline alerts me that Someone Important has arrived.
I wend my way through the crowd, but by the time I get close to the stage, it seems that Someone Important has already disappeared. Disappointing Times.
I manage to sneak my way into the backroom — dragging my friend Altariel in with me. There I discover a host of people who have apparently materialised out of nowhere. Okay, they came in through a secret backdoor, but that doesn’t sound anywhere as cool.
Someone Important turns out to be half a dozen (or more) cast and crew from Lord of the Rings.
I’m delighted to catch up with Bruce Hopkins, who’s in town for the premiere. Ben introduces me to Gino Acevedo — WETA Workshop’s Senior Prosthetics Supervisor. Originally from Arizona, he’s one of at least a couple of WETA employees who’ve decided they’re staying on in New Zealand even though Rings is now done.
Corsair Cameos
I mention to Gino about his cameo as a dwarven lord at the very beginning of Fellowship, and he tells me he also has a cameo in Return of the King as a Corsair of Umbar. Look for a huge smiling man helping Richard Taylor load and fire a ballistae. Peter Jackson also has a brief cameo as a corsair. Initially, he filmed a longer sequence of about two minutes where he was battling one of the major characters, but eventually he cut it from the theatrical print. Perhaps we’ll see it next year for the EE release.
Lawrence Makoare, Sean Astin and Ian McKellen are also there. I think it’s Bruce who introduces me to Sean, who grants me the ultimate compliment by saying I asked some of the most incisive questions of the entire media roundtable earlier in the day. I am left momentarily speechless.
We chat briefly, and I come away with the overwhelming sense that this guy is very clued up — he has a huge future ahead of him in acting and directing. (Not that he needs my approval, I’m sure).
I also run into Royd Tolkien (who oddly reminds me of Hugh Grant) and Gordon Paddison (webmaster for lordoftherings.net) before I escape back into the anonymity of the crowd.
From a safe distance, I spot Gino and Ben up on the stage with TORn Staffer Quickbeam. I can’t see who else the crowd is yelling for — it could be Ian McKellen. At any rate, everyone appears to be ecstatic with the unexpected cast and crew appearances.
Signatures, photos and chats
Later, Richard Taylor wanders through the restaurant protected by four stunt knights. The crowd is well behaved, though, and Richard seems perfectly happy to chat and pose for photographs, chat and sign a few (dozen) autographs.
I’m chatting with some friends when Quickbeam taps me on the shoulder and whispers that John Noble is somewhere on the premises. We spot him outside having a smoke, and Quickbeam quickly guides him to the stage for a hello to everyone.
John also helps out with the charity auction. All proceeds go to the Give Life organ donor awareness campaign — dedicated to raising awareness about organ donation throughout New Zealand. The Shards of Narsil go for $900, while a gorgeous copy of the Hobbit signed by Peter Jackson goes for around $600.
Shortly afterwards, I spot Ben and Bruce wandering about, handing out spot prizes and goodies in leiu of an official costume contest (which we sadly ran out of time to hold properly. Sorry guys.)
Pacy, celtic-influenced … is that the Proclaimers!?
Meanwhile, much dancing is going on at the other end of the Skyline as Ballyscully belts out pacy Celtic-influenced tunes. I don’t know whether to be horrified or amused when right at the end they strike up the Proclaimers’ “I would walk 500 miles”. Am I the only person in the world who doesn’t like this song? The crowd is delighted though, and many join in and sing the chorus line.
Wandering across to the stage, I laugh to see three Black Riders dancing maniacally. And what do they have for steeds? Hobby horses. Watching them shake and wave them above their heads ranks as one of the most hysterical parts of the night.
Huge thanks go to all the sponsors and supporters who helped make this event possible — Sideshow/WETA Collectibles, Dymocks, Wellywood, NZ Post, The Tin Shed, Te Papa, Red Carpet Tours, Te Mangai Paho, Wellywood, Craftwood Souvenirs, Citylink, Museam Hotel De Wheels, Whittakers, Citylink, Lothlorien Winery, Westplaza Hotel and the Skyline Restaurant.
Despite a few hiccoughs here and there — some confusion around the auction and the lack of costume contest — the whole evening seems a resounding success in retrospect. Tehanu tells me the next day that we raised some $10,000 for Give Life out of the auction, drink sales and such and after paying for the huge marquee, decorations, bands and rent of the Skyline. And, no, TORn didn’t make a cent out of the event.
I hope everyone who was there had a great time, and I may just see some of you at the Oscar Party in February.
On April 16, 2004, the Flanders International Film Festival – Ghent will present the continental European premiere of The Lord of the Rings concert in the Sportpaleis in Antwerp. Leading composer Howard Shore will personally conduct the Flemish Radio Orchestra and Choir.
It was New Zealander Peter Jackson who took up the challenge of filming the myths, landscapes and creatures created by Tolkien. The adventure began in December 2001 with The Fellowship of the Ring and continued in December 2002 with The Two Towers. The last part, The Return of the King, will start showing in theatres on 17 December 2003.
The peak will undoubtedly be the grand Lord of the Rings concert with composer Howard Shore on April 16, 2004. In absolute premiere, this concert is being brought to the European continent by the Flanders International Film Festival – Ghent.
Howard Shore won the Oscar for the best original score for part 1 of The Lord of the Rings. The music is spectacular, dark and mysterious, yet at the same time expansive and varied, combining instrumental and solo voices with the power of a choir. Howard Shore uses instruments as varied as a Norwegian flute, a North American reed pipe and specific percussion to typify the characters.
Howard Shore has a great deal of film music to his name. Among others, he has written the scores for megahits such as The Game, The Silence of the Lambs, Gangs of New York, The Client, Seven and Philadelphia. This leading Canadian composer has also been behind the music in ten of David Cronenberg’s films, including Naked Lunch, Dead Ringers and Mr Butterfly. In 2002, Howard Shore won the World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Soundtrack of the Year for Lord Of The Rings. The same year, he was awarded the Georges Delerue Prize for Best Music at the Flanders International Film Festival – Ghent for his score in Spider. In other words, the concert on April 16, conducted by this internationally-lauded top composer, is certain to be a dramatically spectacular musical event.
Tickets for this unique European premiere are available for ordering right now via www.teleticketservice.com. Don’t delay, order today!
The Lord of the Rings Symphony in Six Movements – LIVE concert April 16, 2004 – 8.30 p.m. Sportpaleis Antwerp Flemish Radio Orchestra & Choir, conducted by Howard Shore
