“Lord of the Rings” by Reiner Knizia Board Game Review
by Irish-Man

Hello everyone. I was talking to Calisuri at the Baggins’ picnic in LA last month and we discussed the Lord of the Rings game. I said I had played it frequently with some friends and offered to review it, and he thought that was a good idea. Now, I’m not sure what should go into a game review, so I’m just going to discuss it as if nobody had ever heard of it before, including the basic rules and my thoughts on it.

The game is, of course, Lord of the Rings. It was designed by Reiner Knizia, one of the most prolific and respected game designers in the world. He is German (like most famous game designers), but don’t worry; the game is entirely in English. It is readily available in game stores, bookstores like Barnes & Noble, and even Target. If you are suspicious about a LotR game coming out simply to profit from Tolkien-mania, I completely understand. However, let me assuage your fears. The game is not some cheap knock-off with no inherent quality; nor is it even movie-related. It is, in fact, a stellar game based on the books that has gotten lots of publicity due to the movies’ success. The quality of the pieces, boards, artwork (by John Howe), and the mechanics of the game itself are marvelous. So now let me go into some specifics.

The most important thing to know about this game is that, although it is a board game, it is nothing like what you’ve played before. The main reason is that this game is a “cooperative game.” As in, all the players are on the same team and you play against the game itself. You win or lose together, not individually. Each player (from 2-5) is one of the main hobbits, with the 5th player being Fatty, and places their hobbit marker in the Shire section on the main board, a kind of progress tracking board from Bag End all the way to Mordor. The Sauron marker starts in Mordor and moves toward you, while you move closer to Mordor. If Sauron ever is on the same space as you, you are corrupted and are out of the game. However, this board is really only like a scoreboard, and is not involved in the actual playing of the game.

For the actual game, there are other boards, each one representing a section of the Fellowship’s journey. There are Moria, Helm’s Deep, Shelob’s Lair, and Mordor. On each of these boards are bad obstacles and good events (all tied into the book). There are two ways to get out of each board: either the bad obstacles overwhelm you and you barely hang onto life, or you can accomplish all of the good objectives and emerge victorious from the struggle.

There are two phases to these boards–the event tiles and the player turns. On each player’s turn, they draw a random tile. It will have good consequences or bad. If bad, you must overcome the obstacle and draw again. If good, you now have an opportunity to play cards from your hand or perform other actions that are available. Each card played will advance the Fellowship through the good objectives, collecting resources along the way. There are also options to move away from Sauron or draw more cards.

Among the resources that can be collected are shields, which are not only points but also a means of using Gandalf’s powers. When a player has 5 shields, they can be exchanged for Gandalf’s assistance, which can be quite powerful. Players can also collect tokens to help stay away from Sauron and more powerful cards than the ordinary ones. Every player and artifact from the book (besides the hobbits) is a card, usually with a specialty. For example, Gimli specializes in fighting, while Shadowfax specializes in traveling. These special cards are crucial to a successful journey. In addition, there is an actual ring that starts in Frodo’s possession. It may change hands throughout the game, but it can be used only once per board. Naturally, using the ring is risky; it can be quite helpful but can also cost you dearly, so use it wisely.

Players continue taking turns until the board is finished, either through bad obstacles or good objectives. After the board, the markers move according to the progress board. For example, after the Moria board, the Fellowship goes to Lothlorien, where Galadriel gives assistance (in the form of cards). These include the boat, the cloaks, the phial, etc. All the details from the book are in here.

In this manner, the Fellowship progresses through the journey. They meet characters, use resources, overcome obstacles, etc. Everything comes from the books, even if it has been changed to fit a game format (like Fatty accompanying the 4 hobbits). The changes are all minor and necessary. When and if the Fellowship gets to Mordor, there is a real feeling of accomplishment, yet despair at being so far away. If the Fellowship arrives at Mount Doom, they have one last chance to destroy the ring. If nobody can do it, the entire Fellowship loses. If the ring is destroyed, everyone wins and points are given according the rules.

I hope that gives everyone a general idea of how the game is played. Now I’ll add my own thoughts about the game. Clearly, if I’ve played it frequently and volunteered to review it, I enjoy the game. Playing as a team with the other players is quite unique, and it’s much less likely that anybody gets upset because they’re losing. There is a lot of social interaction and strategizing together. One player may get into trouble and another player will have just the card to save the day. Discussion of how you can help others is not only allowed, it is encouraged. More experienced players can assist rookies with their decision making by pointing out potential consequences. Yet individuals still have autonomy to do what they think is best. And you can take the theme as far as you want; my friends occasionally slip into character while playing. However, it is NOT role-playing (like Dungeons & Dragons); nor is it a collectible card game (CCG). It’s just a unique kind of board game.

The amount of detail may be overwhelming to new players at first. There are so many pieces/cards/tokens to the game that it appears quite daunting. But everything is integrated very well and the rules are clearly written. It won’t take long until everyone can remember all the options and what all the pieces are for. And once people are more informed, that makes the decisions that much harder. With so much to consider, what is the best way out of a tight spot?

A common criticism of this game is that once you’ve beaten it (destroyed the ring), there is no reason to play again. I disagree. The game changes every time, not only because of the random element of the tiles and cards that are drawn, but also because of the different players and their strategies and choices. It is rare that Gandalf’s powers are all used; different situations may require different cards to be summoned. Though the boards and cards don’t change, each individual game does, and I certainly haven’t tired of it yet. It takes such care and thought to actually destroy the ring that it never ceases to be a thrill when it happens. It’s quite fun for the Fellowship to bask in the glow of victory.

Finally, another thing that makes this game great are the two expansions. The initial release was such a hit that two expansions have been issued, all with the same designer and artwork. They blend into the game seamlessly, and you can use them in any combination. These two additions ensure that the game NEVER gets stale because they add such different aspects to the game play. I will review these expansions next time; for now, I hope you enjoyed reading about this game and I encourage all of you to go out and try it.

Till next time,
Irish-Man

To purchase the “Lord of the Rings” board game on Amazon.com use the following link. [Click Here]

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Angie Milliken hits on Hugo Weaving in Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing. Joel Gibson discovers it’s not the first time.

The moment Angie Milliken is alone with Hugo Weaving tonight she wuill ask him to touch her. “Come on, touch me. Help yourself. Touch me anywhere you like,” she will say.

Milliken has done it every night this week, with some degree of success.

Weaving’s point-eared and black suited turns into the Lord of the Rings and The Matrix trilogies have given him the sort of celebrity to snap a knicker-elastic, however reluctantly, at 20 paces. Milliken is no groupie.

The 2001 AFI Award-winner can plead two things in her defence: their relationship is purely professional and they were fooling around (professionally again) before Hugo adorned buses and kids’ pencil cases as elf king Elrond or the digital policeman, Agent Smith.It will be purely professional tonight when, As Annine in Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing, Milliken will drop by with some raw vegies to visit playwright Henry (Weaving) and his actor wife, Charlotte (Heather Mitchell). Annie’s husband, Max (Andrew Tighe), will also be there, since Max and Charlotte are in the play Henry wrote.

While Max and Charlotte are in the kitchen converting vegies to crudites – which Henry thinks is a “perfect title for a pornographic revue” – Annie will playfully propose a quickie on the carpet.”Let’s go while they’re chopping turnips,” she will say.

This cat’s cradle of modern relationships, real and fictional, matrimonial and sexual, is the launch pad for Stoppard’s play about writer and actors trying to make sense of lust and love. The Guardian newspaper called it “that rare thing…an intelligent play about love” when the play premiered in London in 1982 with Roger Rees as Henry and Felicity Kendal as Annie

The Spectator heralded it as a sign that Stoppard – who “arrived” with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead in 1967 – had a heart as well as a head.

In this Sydney Theatre Company outing, Weaving comes back to Earth to inhabit the wry hero, Henry. Armed with wit, cynicism and a pen, he is not unlike an older, worldlier version of Will Shakespeare in Stoppard’s Oscar-winning screenplay Shakespeare in Love. It’s hard to imagine anyone better suited to the part than Weaving, Milliken says.”I think it has to do with his sensibility and knowledge of himself,” she says. “Henry knows his flaws and so does Hugo. Also, because he has a great facility with language, I really enjoy working with him.”Henry is charming, pedantic and idealistic. Despite his profile, Weaving is renowned for being honest, unapologetic and unaffected. He writes, too. “I’ve got reams and reams of crap written down,” he told the Herald in April, and admitted to habing an embryonic film script up his sleeve.

As Milliken eats her lunch between rehersals, answering questions with a manner that jumps from distracted to intense and sudfddnely vivacious, it is clear she shares some traits with the bright, reaxtive Annie. “She is deliciously impuslive,” she says. “What is happening for her right now is the thing that is real. In the next second that might change it right now it’s real.”

It gets both of them into trouble, Milliken says, but rings true as a reflection of how some people move through the world. As for fooling around with Hugo before, Milliken engaged him in an illicit affair during the Olympic Arts Festival in 2000. As Vittoria Corombona in John Webster’s 17th Century revenge tragedy The White Devil, her roll in the hay with Weaving’s Duke of Brachiano inspired hand-wringing, revenge killing and critical acclaim. The production went to New York with Marcus Graham in Weaving’s place when he began rehearsing for the Matrix sequels.

Did their earlier fling help her to prepare for this role? “Only in terms of working with Hugo,” she says. “We already had that connection, that working relationship, which meant there was a great deal of safety and ease. He’s wonderfully intuitive and I eel lucky to be able to work with him. I think we rely on each other a lot. He’s fearless in an emotional sense. I rely on him to be good and he is.”

So when Milliken asks Hugo to touch her, it will be Annie speaking, not Angie. If she were a groupie this week, the actor would probably be in Stoppard’s entourage. Working with his words for the first itme, Milliken describes them like a lover – they are “lovely”, “very moving”, “wonderful” and “trustworthy”.

“It completely exercises me from the tips of my fingers to the edges of my toes. Great plays do that,” she says. Great lovers, too.

“The Real Thing”
Where? Wharf 1 Theatre, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay.
When? Until December 21
How much? $65 / $53
Bookings – 9250 1777

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Ms Proudfoot writes:

This weekend (October 24th-26th), a Sci-fi and toy convention was held in Stockholm, and naturally, as the devoted Ringer I am, I was planning to attend, even though it meant travelling across the country. The convention itself was held at the fair and congress hall in Sollentuna, Stockholm, but later that evening a special showing of TTT, with Andy Serkis holding a Q&A session before the film started, was going to be arranged at a smaller theater just outside the town. Andy Serkis was also going to be at the convention during the day, signing stuff.

As me and my friends arrived at the convention hall, we were rather surprised to find that it wasn’t really that crowded… probably because we arrived a bit later than we originally intended to, and most people had already started to go home, which was in fact *very* convinient for us. After taking a quick snack at the coffee shop inside, we headed toward the signing boards at once, at the end of the hall. There were three actors attending, Richard Kiel from “Jaws”, Darth Maul from “Star Wars”, and finally our own Andy Serkis.

Authograps cost 150:-/each, which was actually a quite reasonable price, considering that this was a rather “small” convention and the people behind it probably needed all the money they could get. On the other hand, the actors agreed to sign whatever you liked them to sign, and I had brought my copy of LOTR, that is indeed *very* precious to me, since SO many of my dearest Ringer friends have already signed it, leaving special messages for me.

Andy Serkis clearly seemed to be the actor who enjoyed himself the most of the three. He shook hands with everyone he signed for, talked to all of us for a bit, (both in Gollum voice and his own… ;-)) and also posed for photos. One of the guys in line before me had brought his little girl… who looked at Serkis smiling timidly, but in awe, and when he was done signing, he said “goodbye, preciousss”, in
Gollum voice, winking at her, to which she just melted… it was really cute.

When it was my turn, (after just about 10 minutes in line, at the most!) I took the opportunity to thank him for his fantastic performance in LOTR. Naturally, I also mentioned how much I’d loved the MTV award spot. 😉

He kindly posed for a picture afterwards…And at the back of the cover of my book, he wrote “A preciousss book indeed! Lots of love Andy Serkis Gollum.”

Andy Serkis at Propworld

As we arrived at the movie theater that evening, we were again surprised to see that even the theater was only about half filled. When Serkis arrived, they had to lead him through the crowd waiting outside, and spontaneously everyone started cheering.

Most of the questions and issues that came up were such that we more “hardcore” Ringers probably have heard him talking about before… but there was of course some bits of new information (to me at least). They asked him about how many rings that were used during filming and such, and he mentioned that the ring they mostly used in TTT had been given to him (Wood got the one from FOTR, I think) on his birthday, “interestingly enough.” Naturally, the next question was “Is that the ring you’re wearing right now?” but the only ring he was wearing all the time was his wedding ring.

He also talked about the MTV movie awards–that the MTV people were so eager to give him some kind of award that they had found a way around it, creating a new award for best virtual performance. And they had told the LOTR staff about it in advance, so they could prepare an acceptance speech. PJ had seen it as a great opportunity to train the new animators who had just arrived to help finishing the FX for ROTK shortly before this was announced, so “this became their boot camp.”

One of my friends then asked him whether he’d consider to take up Gollum’s role if he was asked to, if they’re ever going to film “The Hobbit”, and he said he definitely would. He was also talking about a few really hilarious moments from the shooting… one of his favourites was when he was trying to stop Frodo and Sam from going down to the Black Gate, and accidentally pulled off Sean Astin’s wig “and threw it all the way to the Shire.”

Then I and another friend of mine asked him about something we have always been curious about–the little funny moment when Gollum’s sitting on that rock, and Sam passes by, and he says “Nice hobbit”. Was it really in the script from the beginning, or a spontaneous addition as they went along? Yes–it WAS indeed a spontaneous addition, and according to Serkis, there were several of those along the way–another reason why he was so happy to have been “physically” acting against Astin and Wood, and not been replaced by a tennis ball on the set, shooting all his stuff later.

TTT was just as good as always, and we were fortunate to get pretty good seats.

To summarise it all, we had a GREAT evening. Serkis is a *really* nice guy, and I loved the way he treated his fans. I’m really glad to have met him in person, and SO happy to be a part of this wonderful fandom.

And I’d also like to thank Jesper Isberg, the guy in charge of the convention, for a job REALLY well done!

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Cheshire Cat writes: This transcript from Collectormania 4 is as accurate as I have been able to make it, however there are parts where it was difficult to understand what was being said because of audience noise, cheering, more than one person talking etc.

Transcript of Q&A Session with Elijah Wood and Sean Astin

At Collectormania on 5th October 2003

By Cheshire Cat of the TORn Discussion Boards

The Collectormania manager entered the room at around 6.35pm to say that the guys were just having a 5-minute break, they had had a hectic day signing autographs and just needed a quick rest but they would be with us shortly. Before too long the announcer says, “Ladies and Gentleman! Mr Elijah Wood” at which point Elijah enters the room and runs at full pelt three times around the auditorium high fiving as he goes with members of the audience who by this time are screaming and laughing. After the third laps he leaps up onto the high stool sitting at the front of the cinema and wobbles to a halt, just as Sean Astin arrives at his stool and quietly takes a seat next to him. What an entrance!

[Elijah looks at a painting of himself that someone has leaning against the end of their row of seats]

E: You did that? [the girl comes forward with it and gives it to him] It’s for me? [He sounds genuinely pleased and surprised].

S: Hands up anyone who was in the audience last night! [no hands] Nobody saw us last night? Oh okay. How many people were in there getting autographs today? [hands shoot up] How many people have gotten Elijah’s autograph? [show of hands] How many got my autograph? [hands up] [to Elijah] I think you got more!

[Lots of crowd shouting] What? You couldn’t get Elijah’s? Hands up if you gave Dom a lollipop?

Audience: We gave a lollipop to all of you!

S: Yeah! I got mine.

E: You know it’s funny, your parents always told you not to take food from strangers [laughter]

S: [in west country voice] Taste these nice mushrooms! Dare I? [roguish twinkle]

Aud: Can we give Elijah his jellybeans? [as she goes to throw the bag over the audience..]

S: Don’t hit anyone with them!

[Sean is given a black sparkly cowboy hat, Elijah is given a red one – they put them on. Laughter] [Sings] “I’m a Rhinestone Cowboy”…”You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away and know when to run” …”Down, down, down in a burning ring of fire, down, down, down and the flames are getting’ higher”.

E: New Line wants the Hobbits to do an album [cheering] They want us to record at Abbey Road. [referring to audience] They want us to sing the Hobbit Song! [after two failed starts when they can’t remember the words they sing] You’re supposed to join in! “Hey Ho! To the bottle I go, to heal my heart and drown my woe! Rain may fall and wind may blow, but there still beeeee, many miles to go. Sweet is the sound of the pouring rain and the stream that flows from hill to plain. Better than rain or rippling brook is a mug of beer inside this Took” [Huge cheer]

[Elijah does his silly high squeaky voice much to the amusement of the audience – I can’t hear exactly what he says because the laughter from the crowd.]

Aud: We have some presents for you!

S: There’s been so many presents today. [Sean is given a box of chocolates] I think we should share it with the whole audience! [passes chocs to the audience – I open them and pass them along] What presents do you have? This is like The Price is Right! Does anyone watch that show? [cheering]

People ask me in interviews “Do you collect anything?” And the first real collection I had in my entire life …except for Smurfs – I stole hundreds, but we won’t go into that. I got in trouble…was Lord of the Rings fan art. Basically the fans who reinterpret the work create stills, write poetry. All around the world I would pick this stuff up. [says something about Japan] Are there any Japanese in the audience? Germans? Austrian? Belgian? French? Bit of Earth [odd voices shout out each time] There are no English people in here, are there? [huge cheer goes up] Americans? [cheer]

E: Canada? Canadians! [crowd shouting] Oh! Italians!

S: French people? Anyone here from France ? Espania? I’m sure there’s about 180 other countries we could mention.

Aud: Norway!

S: Scotland? Norway! ..Finland?

E: Russia?

S: Holland? Brazil??? [lots of crowd shouting]

E: Bit of order! Bit of order!

Aud: What is your favourite part in the first two films?

E: Ohhh…

S: First film? – Cave Troll sequence!

E: Yeah! I think the whole thing in the Mines of Moria!

S: The Mines of Moria sequence, yeah!

E: In the Two Towers – Gandalf fighting the Balrog.

S: Mmm. That’s good.

E: It’s a hell of a way to open a film!

Aud: What about fighting Gollum?

S: Watching Gollum arguing with himself is good!

E: That’s one of my favourite parts. Gollum is incredible!

S: [to audience member] Mmm. You really like capturing Gollum? Why? [crowd laughs] No! Why that out of all the others?

Aud: I like the way you grab him around the waist [laughter]

S: We didn’t have in mind what YOU’RE thinking of! [laughter] ..Helm’s Deep…the Helm’s Deep battle sequence! When the Elves show up and they sorta do that thing when they all turn at the same time and Haldir says he’s come to honour the allegiance between men and Elves. I was like Yeah..Ha..Haaa! And I like it when Orlando looks at Gimli and says “Shall I get you a box?” and there’s John Rhys Davies about 9ft tall!

E: and the part when Gimli says “Toss me!” [cheering]

S: I can’t believe they got away with that!

E: I think it went over the Americans’ heads but certainly the British would understand that.

Aud: Will there be any dwarf tossing in the third one? [laughter obscures the answer but I think it was a yes]

S: Well what you do in your own time…! [laughter]

TORn/BoE member Greenwood Hobbit/gardenersmate says: I have two small gifts [goes up to them and presents BoE C4 bookmarks in a similar style to those produced to help raise money for Project Elanor – a garden in a children’s’ literacy centre in Oregon]

S: Did you hear me say Bit of Earth about 5 minutes ago when we were going through the countries? Does everyone know what Bit of Earth is? [positive response from audience] Yep?

E: [about the gift] Oh brilliant!

gardenersmate: …and my question is a costume one. The backpacks that the Hobbits wear…

S: [interrupting] What do you mean Hobbits. I wore the backpack!!! [laughter] And it’s not a Goretex, new-fangled ergonomic…mutter mutter…

gardenersmate: It’s the straps that are driving me mad! I can’t work out how they went over the shoulders like normal rucksack straps and didn’t ruffle the cloaks and didn’t seem to fasten anywhere!

E: [knowing nod] Interesting, eh? …I’ll explain that. Well basically they were straps that had to be tied behind the back. [indicates how straps come over shoulder, under armpits and connect at the back between the shoulder blades] They weren’t like regular rucksack straps that go over your shoulder. They would have ruffled the cloaks.

Greenwood: That’s what was really annoying me! ..that would explain why they bounce a lot when you move around!

E: Oh yes, and we had to put up with Elven Brooch stabbings [pointing to his neck] And there are some occasions when the wardrobe people put my Elven brooch on backwards. I’ll let you into a little secret – there are a few times when they put the whole wardrobe on the wrong way around because they were planning to flip the scene in Post Production. So there was tons of backwards things.

Aud: How do you feel about the commercialisation of the films and what do you think about the merchandising?

S: Like in the first year there was this Burger King thing and at first I thought “Hmmm? Is this selling out?” and I thought “Yeah it’s selling out”. But the franchise had to prove themselves worthy and in the end it brought people to the literature and that’s what it’s really all about. If it was any other filmmakers who was mostly interested in money, if the merchandising was driving the process, I think that would be unlive-able. But the filmmakers had a total passion for this and I guess it doesn’t really bother me.

E: There is a lot of passion and talent that goes into the merchandising. When Tolkien created this he wanted to make a mythology for the British people and he expected it to be reinterpreted by people throughout the ages and that merchandising things happens in all different ways around the world.

Aud: Would you consider doing any theatre work?

E: I’d love to eventually, but it really scares me. That’s a muscle that I’ve not worked yet.

S: I’ve thought about it a lot and I’ve done some in the past. Not on Broadway or anything! [bursts into song – lots of clapping from the audience] I’ve been thinking of doing theatre, and actually filming it with a camera. Getting a little acting troupe together and doing one act plays. A lot of times the economics of it…you know if you’re offered a film – that’s so much more money and if you have a family and a lifestyle and all sorts of stuff, it’s hard. Actors a lot of the times forego a lifestyle in order to really explore their craft and I don’t think I’ve personally been willing to make those kinds of sacrifices for the craft, but I’m starting to identify places where there can be overlaps. One thing that’s great about theatre is that it doesn’t take a lot of money in order to explore some really interesting and philosophical ideas.

Aud: Do you miss the theatre?

S: Since I haven’t had THAT much of it, I don’t really miss it, but both my father and my mother are doing a lot of theatre. My father’s teaching drama at John Hopkins and he’s doing a production of ??? Right now and he’s got a one-man show about Edgar Alan Poe. I go and watch him. He loves it to be on the stage. He lives for it. I don’t have that particular need.

Aud: What film are you most proud of?

E: Ice Storm. [cheer]

S: I couldn’t walk into a restroom again since seeing that! If you have seen that then you probably don’t know what I’m talking about.

E: “Yes, it’s true you eat your own shit” [quoting the film]

Aud: [to Elijah] What is your favourite Pumpkins track?

E: Ahhr… I don’t know, maybe between “Drown” and “Glynis” maybe?

Aud: What would you have studied if you had gone to college?

E: What would I have studied? Er.. English….Literature.

Aud: Can we see your tattoo?

E: Yeah! [pulls down the waistband of his trousers – lots of whooping and clapping]

Cheshire Cat (TORn poster) (Me): Can we see your appendix scar? [Elijah pulls up his shirt to reveal a red patch on his abdomen, which looks quite sore and inflamed -See picture here: http://www.bagendinn.com/group/images/events/2003misc/c4/elijah%20tattoo%201.jpg

Sean takes off his shoe and pulls down his sock and holds his foot up in the air to reveal the tattoo on his ankle]

Aud: Dom wouldn’t show us his!

E: Wouldn’t he? Ian McKellen broke the pact first.

S: Ian McKellen showed it first.

Aud: He showed it on the Parkinson show on national television.

E: He did? Some wizard he is!

Cheshire Cat [my big moment!] Hi, there are a few of us here from TheOneRing.net who met through the discussion boards. We were wondering if you ever lurk on the discussion boards to find out the opinions of people?

E: I don’t go on the boards. I look on the front page to find out the news, see what our friends are doing! Discussion boards? Er no… I used to when the website first started out and I was so excited and we couldn’t find any other websites and Billy or Dom and I would write messages and stuff. Now I’d rather just talk to him on the phone though.

Aud: Wherever you went today screaming girls were following you and I was wondering – How terrifying is that to have people following you around?

E: [smiles and says humbly] Ahh..no…that kind of thing doesn’t happen every day. It’s to be expected I think at things like this…it’s not terrifying. I think if it were to happen in life and I was walking down the street and that happened it would be pretty scary.

Aud: Did you say Life?

E: [leans into the microphone and deepens his voice to say a husky] Life! [it was a saying used by a young group of fans who met at the event several times and it became a bit of a catchphrase for us. It was funny to hear Elijah say it]

Aud: [and this was my favourite question of the evening] Who do you think is the real hero of Lord of the Rings? [cheering and clapping]

S: Good question!

E: Sam! It’s Sam who keeps going when Frodo can’t continue anymore. It’s Sam that remains strong until they make it home and he still maintains his loyalty to his friend…it’s in the book! [laughter]

S: My thoughts on the matter are a little different. Sam isn’t …. [interrupted by Elijah…]

E: Just accept your heroism! [cheering]

S: I ROCK! [laughter] …But Sam is really nothing except what he is in relationship to Frodo.

E: Oh! So humble. The two kinda work together.

S: Yeah!

E: But one wouldn’t be what that person is without the other and vice versa, I think.

S: Sam would have killed Gollum and they never would have got to Mordor!

E: It’s an intricate puzzle.

S: I’ve been using a metaphor for other interviews today. Frodo’s told “Hold this 10,000lb weight and don’t move!..and if you drop it – Everyone dies! So how innately dramatic is that? You’re just watching him. It’s hurting him. It’s psychological. It’s inside his mind and he’s dealing with the torture of that evil poison in his soul. Right! And people are running in and trying to get him to drop it…and Sam is knocking them away. But he’s still the one holding it. So I had the privilege of watching Peter Jackson try to communicate with Elijah..the two of them worked to figure out “How do you dramatise what is essentially an internal struggle …and just wait and see where Elijah goes with this! It’s incredible!

E: Whoa! [laughter]

Aud: Can I just ask a favour – could I take a picture of you when you’re both looking at me? [they both lean forwards off their stools towards the girl and grin stupidly] [laughter] Thank you!

Aud: Did you get hurt any time when you were making the movies?

E: You mean, you didn’t hear about Sean’s foot?

S: I can’t even remember which foot it was now.

E: Wait wait! [Elijah jumps off stool and goes over to Sean and picks up his left foot]

S: Elijah was poking a stick at my blood when it had clotted and it was lying on the ground. [Ewww!]

E: There was a, like, GLOB of clotted blood. And then he got whisked away in a helicopter. . I was quite impressed.

S: And a loom fell on my head [makes TOK! Noise into microphone] and knocked me out cold.

E: Great sound effects! [Sean does a few more TOKs]

S: When we were in Rivendell. I was hit on the head by an Elven loom. Viggo said it was because I was having impure thoughts. I went a got a CAT scan.

E: and when he got back all he could say was about how large his brain was! We didn’t hear if he was healthy just how large his brain was! [laughter] [Sean describes how, when it happened the lump on his head started to drag the wig up]

E: So you do have a big head! [Gasp from the audience followed by an Aaahh! for Sean] They don’t like it when we dig at each other!

S: They don’t understand.

E: We love each other Guys!

[audience aaaahhhs and claps]

Aud: Give him a kiss! [and Sean stands up whisks Elijah off his feet, throws him over his arm, puts a hand over Elijah’s mouth and then plants a big smacky kiss – huge roar from the crowd]

S: And that wasn’t the first time!

Aud: I’ve just got back from New Zealand and I was staying in Queenstown.

Meliana (TORn member): Oh I’ve been there!

S: How many of you have been to Queenstown?

Aud: Did you bungee?

E: No, I didn’t bungee. I snowboarded. I did fly-by-wire. Nah, I’m a pussy.

S: Hands raised if your offended!

S: Yep! Bungee jumping, motorcycle riding. Had fun.

E: We went fishing a few times in New Zealand.

S: I hurt myself that day as well. I got a hook through my thumb. [he describes how it got stuck in his thumb and uses another TOK sound effect for when it was pulled out]

E: Again with those sounds!

S: TOK!

[Elijah giggles hysterically – the audience laughs at Elijah’s giggle]

S: I think we’re tired, we’re getting a little loopy here, Guys.

Aud: [describes an LOTR embroidery she is making – couldn’t hear question]

E: Is it going to be large, like a tapestry?

S: Hands raised if anyone’s done any artwork or music or poetry and put it in one of the cast’s hands? [just a smattering of hands goes up] Right, I would have thought it was more.

E: I’ve received a ton of stuff today. [to the embroidery lady] Good luck!

Aud: My friend is too embarrassed to say anything but she brought a picture that she had drawn herself for you to sign [to Sean] but you spilt ink on it and she’s really upset.

S: [caringly and rather upset] So what can we do about it? What can be done?

Aud: We’ll see you tomorrow.

S: OK, with a different version …or shall we try to clean it up? [laughter] Allllright.

Aud: How important was music to you when you were filming?

E: For us? Yeah! Massively important. We spent our days with it, went and had naps in our trailers with it. Wrapped out with it, which is more important. To get out of all our make-up at night it would take about 45 minutes..and it was like “Hey, we’ve just done and 15 hour day and now we’re going home!”, so we played music at that time. …But massive! And Dom and I D.J.ed at parties and things in New Zealand. We are kinda music idiots!

S: We’d try to jam together too. Billy’s incredibly musically gifted.

E: He plays and writes.

S: We’d go around to Peter’s house and there was a drum kit and a piano.

E: We also had that Thanksgiving too, when Billy had the drums! Incredible! Really cool.

E: I made him buy a lot of new CDs too.

S: What’s wrong with The Eagles? [whooping] [they go on to discuss the new Led Zeppelin CD and say jokingly that it would be a good soundtrack for Lord of the Rings.]

Aud: Elijah! Have you got the hang of Tig yet?

E: Ahhh…Tig! …You’ve heard the stories from that? I couldn’t believe they did that. They were playing this game and I wanted to join in but I couldn’t figure out what the rules were. “You can’t tog on a tig, you can’t tig on a tog!”..Oh my God! And then they told me 6 or 7 months later and it was all a lie! Everything that I knew was a lie! My world came tumbling down. Yep! It was like Father Christmas! The time I found the wrapping paper in my mom’s drawers. [laughter steadily rising as he realizes the connotation of “drawers” which in the UK is ladies underwear] Not THOSE drawers

S: [in English accent] In the bureau. [laughter]

Aud: Do you still play Cup?

E: Cup? Yeah! Cup we’re good at! Cup is great.

Bill the Faithful Animal (TORn member): What was it that led him to make the short film (the Long and Short of It) while working on Lord of the Rings. Did you have too much spare time on your hands?

[Elijah goes into a fit of the giggles and every time he laughs with that really high pitched giggle of his, the audience laughs at him. Every time Sean speaks, Elijah giggles]

S: [sing song in an English accent] Well some folks look at the world and say “Why?” and some folks look at the world and say “Why not?” [Elijah laughs hysterically and the audience cracks up]

S: Our Gaffer, Brian Bansgrove, on the second day of filming..we were doing a scene where we’re standing at the base of a tree cooking up some [puts on English accent] tomatoes and mushrooms and potatoes [Elijah giggles again] and we hear this voice from off in the distance and it was Brian Bansgrove and he has a face that looked like a soccer ball…leathery. He was wonderful and as soon as I heard his voice I thought “Man! There’s got to be some way of capturing that voice and that face on screen.” The idea, months and months later…I was looking for something the whole time because it’s in my nature, number one, but also Peter Jackson had said that there were 24 motion picture cameras and if at any point at night or at the weekend, if we had the time and some of them were available we could make a movie. He’s a pretty cool guy. When we were doing the Bridge of Khazad-Dum sequence I was coming up with the idea. There was Fon and all the scale doubles. They worked for a year and a half, every day, worked harder than we did, having their faces and their limbs painted to make their skin colours look like us and, you know, it was noble work on the one hand but it was also thankless. I mean Fon was never going to be seen on the screen but she was this incredible touch of feminine beauty around us all the time. [clapping]

Aud: Did you read Lord of the Rings before you made the film?

E: I hadn’t no. [sheepishly] I like to not answer that one. [laughter]

S: [springing to Elijah’s defence] He’s read a lot, he’s read a lot!

E: Let me just explain it. Because I, um, I’d never read the books before, I’d read the Hobbit! I’d always owned Lord of the Rings. I got to New Zealand. I started reading the books when I got there, but the movie took over and I was surrounded by everything Tolkien and everything Lord of the Rings totally, so it felt redundant to then get the book and jump into that world when I was already surrounded by it. So I kind of let my character, you know the character of Frodo, take me on my own journey in the world that was created around me and that was kinda the process that I went through. If that explains it at all… maybe it doesn’t [humbly] OK.

S: I read a lot of passages.

E: Well it was always around and I feel like the book was always referenced.

S: I got my degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in History and AMERICAN literature, so I had never heard of Lord of the Rings until my agent called me and said “Peter Jackson’s doing a Lord of the Rings trilogy for New Line and you have to have a flawless English accent by Thursday.” And I said “er, alright. Lord of the Rings?” and she said “you know The Hobbit! – the sequel to The Hobbit” [scratches head] The Hobbit, The Hobbit. “Er, yeah, I know what it is.” And then I went to the bookstore and said “Have you got anything by Tolkien?” I’ve read them 3 times. I love them. Especially the single edition with Alan Lee’s illustrations.

E: Amazing.

Aud: We know you are all really good friend but do you still see each other?

E: We still see each other. Do you mean like seeing Orlando in a film? I wasn’t keen on Pirates. [gasp from the audience]

S: They invited me to the premiere in Disneyland but I didn’t go. I grew up in Los Angeles and I would go to Disneyland at least once a year and ride Pirates of the Caribbean. So the fact is when Orlando got to be a f****** pirate. Now he’s doing Troy or something…bastard! [laughter] Yeah we watch each other’s stuff. I love Viggo’s stuff, I can’t believe how good it is.

Aud: says something about the monkey in Ned Kelly

S: Apparently, someone gave you a monkey today with a letter on it and you didn’t like it and you were saying dirty things about it. That’s what the person told me!

E: That’s not true. [hurt little voice] That’s not true.

Aud: Were there any props that you stole from the set?

[pause]

S & E together: No!

[laughter]

S: of course if you were to come to the house and find a pair of Hobbit feet….

E: Although Ian Holm stole the keys to Bag End [gasp] he did. Both sets! The large ones and the small ones.

Aud: Will we ever see your audition tape?

E: They are thinking about putting all the auditions on the special edition of the trilogy and that would be cool. Also some deleted scenes and a two-hour documentary that Peter is doing.

Aud: I’ve heard that the costumes weren’t washed and that Viggo’s costume was really smelly. Did your costumes smell?

E: They did smell. And why not? It smelled like Frodo and I was comfortable with the costume.

S: Somehow I was never allergic to horses before, somehow my histamine level just got crazy when I got around Bill the pony and I would have an allergic reaction. When the hair was still on my clothes my eyes would start running.

E: Hobbits are very in touch with each other’s pheromones.

S: You can tell when they’re randy. [laughter]

E: Naughty little Hobbitses.

Aud: Are you going to all the premieres of Return of the King?

E: Yeah! We’re going all around the world. [sings] “Around the world, around the world” Yeah!

Cheshire Cat: Are you going to the TORn Oscar Party?

E: Oscar party?

Cheshire Cat: The TORn Oscar party.

E: I missed that last year! Honestly it was nothing against them. (I think he say that he was making a film in New York at the time)

S: I’ll have to write a better speech for next year!

Aud: I have two things to ask. This is a question for Elijah, I’m afraid.

E: Sorry Sean.

Aud: What was it like meeting Ozzy Osbourne?

E: Sooo cool. It was like meeting a legend, but a legend that, um… I love him. He’s amazing and I’m a huge Sabbath fan as well. So I was like [in scared squeaky voice] I’m really nervous and then I couldn’t understand a word that he said! [laughter]. It was like “Am I going to understand him?” and then he starts talking to me and I can, I can sort of follow what your saying.

Aud: The other thing is – Can you give my mum a hug?

E: Your mum! Yeah! [clapping as he runs around to the seat where she’s sitting and hugs her she’s in tears]

Aud: Do you ever look back and think there are things in the film that you could have done better?

E: Done better? There is always a feeling that you could do better. No matter how proud of the work you are. You can always do better.

S: When we go back to do pick-ups or additional photography the next year or the next year or the next year…and you live with it and talk about each others publicity tours and somehow during the publicity you learn things about the character that you didn’t realize the whole time you were doing it and then you go back and you’re that much smarter. And you think if this was then, imagine if you could go back in time. I wouldn’t have been as fat!

Aud: Thank you for coming to see us [applause and cheering] and do you ever get a chance to get back together?

E: Regularly. Yes. We’ve managed to maintain the fellowship, keep it together – airports, restaurants, hotels… [laughter] Dom moved out to L.A.

S: Dom lived with my brother for 2 years. I sold him my car.

E: We keep it in the family.

S: It was a BMW. I told him it needed a new top. [laughter]

Aud: Something about would they like to get into directing more.

S: Yeah well, well if there was an opportunity presented itself and there was something cool to do. I’d probably do it. I’ve figured out a way to get the job on there. So I just really just wanted to do some directing of episodic television. There was Buffy. I wasn’t a fan of Buffy, but I could tell just by osmosis that there was some real genius going on. Once I got talking to the writers, producers of the show (Angel) it was great. It was great.

Aud: It was a really good episode.

E: It was my favourite episode of the series and I didn’t even know that you’d directed it until after.

S: I’ve been hearing that all day. I think maybe we should get some Internet thing going to vote for your favourite episode [laughter]

E: Yeah, they can vote for that as their favourite show.

S: I mean be honest! Don’t lie or anything!

Aud: What do you do with the presents you are given?

E: Keep ‘em, yeah I keep ‘em.

S: I treasure them, I treasure them. I have them all around the house. One of the coolest things I’ve got…I love books and I love rare (books) and all that literacy and stuff and at Comic Con a fan handed me a book that was in wrapping paper which turned out to be a signed first edition of “So Long and Thanks for all the Fish” by Douglas Adams [Wow from the audience] Some of the stuff is so creative. I am writing this book about the experience and um I really want to give a feel about the fan art.

[someone in the audience asks Elijah for a hug, but he politely declines and says he doesn’t want to have to keep getting out of his seat]

E: We’re not all that interesting folks.

Aud: Are there any roles that you regret playing…like Sandy in Flipper?

E: [sings] “They call him Flipper, Flipper”

E & S together: “Faster than liiiiightening”

E: Yeah, I made that movie mostly because of the dolphins. I wanted to work with the dolphins. I didn’t mind Sandy. He’s not horrible though!

S: You mean movies that make you wince at when you look back on them are the movies that you did, you know, for money, or you did because it seemed like a good idea at the time and it didn’t turn out as well as you thought it would. You think Boy! That’s not emblematic of the way I like to perceive myself and so, you know? But most of the characters… If you choose to do a character, you agree to do a character, then you’d be hard pressed to look back on it later and life and tend to think “Oh yeah! I hated that”. It seems ungracious to be working a lot and then have to look back and regret. Oh yeah there’s Dishdogs.

Aud: What about White Water Summer?

S: I like that character!

E: What about Kimberley.

S: Kimberley? Yeah! Very proud of that film. Gabrielle Anwar.

[taking another question from the audience]

E: Hello! I love your hat

Aud: (can’t hear question very well, but I think it was..) Is it true that the Hobbits dressed up as the Beatles for Peter Jackson’s Birthday Party?

S: Did she call him SAINT Peter Jackson? [laughter] He is a HUGE Beatles fan and during rehearsals he told me, he took me aside in his house and he said “Listen! If the hobbits were The Beatles then you’d be Ringo [laughter] we watched “It’s a Hard Days Night” and “Help”

E: Yeah! It’s got a ring in it. Aaaa! [knowing nod] [ooo from the audience]

[Sean’s mobile phone rings in his pocket]

S It might be my wife. [down the phone] Hello? Hello? Yeah – It’s Mack [his brother] Yeah, hold on Elijah wants to say Hi! [stifled giggles from the audience]

E: [down the phone] say hello in 5 seconds [puts phone to the microphone but puts receiver part, not ear part closest so we can’t hear anything]

S: [takes the phone off Elijah and says down the phone] OK say hello now!

Mack: Hello! [Huge cheer from the audience]

S: My brother would be happy to answer any questions from the audience. [laughter] he’s calling from Los Angeles.

Aud: Is Dom difficult to live with?

S: [down the phone] Is Dom difficult to live with? [puts phone to microphone]

Mack: [tiny little voice] No more difficult than any other hobbit! [screams of laughter]

Aud: What was it like growing up with Sean as a brother?

S: [down the phone] He want to know…be careful!…what it was like growing up with ME as a brother.

Mack: I was always the tallest one.

S: One more question for Mack and then I’ll call him back later.

Jordan the discursive (TORn member): Who are you going to vote for in the recall election?

S: Oh hold on, she wants to know who are you going to vote for in the recall election. First of all, you have to answer for or against the recall and then tell us if you are going to vote for “The Terminator!” [laughter]

Mack: The recall is a waste of the taxpayers’ money. It will either be Arianna Huffington or ???

Jordan: she dropped out last week.

S: Do you know that Arianna Huffington dropped out a week ago! [laughter] He’ll vote for Gary Coleman. [down the phone] All right, speak to you later. [Huge cheer of goodbyes from the audience]

Aud: Which part would you liked to have played in Lord of the Rings?

S: My brother auditioned for Legolas but he wasn’t tall enough. [ahhh] My dad auditioned for Gandalf.

E: You’re kidding!

Aud: What are you working on at the moment?

E: Er, um I’m doing a movie called Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which Charlie Kaufman wrote which I’m really excited about. It should come out sometime next year, I think.

S: Er, I did a TV show called Jeremiah and I directed an episode of Angel. I did a movie with Drew Barrymore called Fifty First Kisses and I played Drew Barrymore’s brother who’s addicted to steroids, sort of.. [howling laugh from Elijah] and I have a ridiculous tan and speak with a lisp [high-pitched giggle from Elijah – audience laughs at Elijah]

(can’t catch the rest of this conversation)

S: Somebody today pointed out the exits. I have been made “Safety Monitor [shows us the yellow tag hanging around his neck] with number one security clearance.

Aud: What do you think about the rumours about you and Dom being gay?

E: I just found out about that about 3 months ago. That is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard in my life – particularly the fact that we had contracts written up with New Line to say that we’d keep it secret until the movies are made. And that he was dating my sister to cover it up! [laughter] No!

S: While we were down in New Zealand, Ian McKellen pointed out something on the internet that was pretty filthy and er, especially with rumours, some people go on stream of consciousness affairs with people and pairing up people together and doing all these kinds of things….yeah! But..you know…as long as they’re not hurting anybody. As long as we’re not talking about Internet paedophilia – you have got to be careful about that. But, yeah, um.

E: There were rumours that all the hobbits were gay on set for a while. We used to play it up all the time. It was hilarious. We’d make a lot of homosexual jokes which perpetuated the rumour [laughter]

S: That’s good! All kinds of healthy male bonding.

E: What is it about great male friends that they have to make gay jokes?

Aud: Did you have to be naked for the Tower scene in ROTK or will Frodo have everything taken from him in ROTK? [screams from the audience]

E: Er, hang on, just let me think (He has to think about this???)

S: Well I know what he looked like when we were filming.

E: No, not everything. I’m not naked if that’s what you’re asking [screams]

S: Almost!

Aud: Who would you most like to meet of all the other guests at Collectormania?

E: Probably Doug – the guy who played Pinhead. I’m a big Hellraiser fan.

S: Wow! No applause for that! Not a horror audience! Strictly fantasy.

E: I met the guy at breakfast this morning. I had no idea who he was. He said, “I played Pinhead.” I thought “Oh shit!” but he was this lovely guy! [laughter]

S: I met Peter Weller last night and we got talking and stayed up until 2.30 3.00 in the morning listening to stories about Renaissance History and what he told me about was unbelievable! I wouldn’t want to be him because there wasn’t enough room inside his brain for more than him. [snert]

Aud: Are either of you disappointed that you didn’t get a solo singing spot like Viggo and Andy?

Can’t hear the reply but when I asked the question if Sean would be singing alone in Cirith Ungol just before he finds Frodo, they went coy and wouldn’t answer, saying they didn’t want to spoil it for anyone (fair enough)

Aud: I’m going to take a sicky tomorrow to get to meet you. Who would you take a sicky for?

E: Oh, I don’t know, probably someone in music. Radiohead. And for Sean it would definitely be the President of the United States, wouldn’t you?

S: [grinned and then said sternly] Not that we advocate you take time off work or school to be here. I’d like to meet Kofi Annan.

Elijah asks the audience what changes from the book to the film most upset them and the cries were mostly “Faramir”

E: I’ll tell Peter and get it changed. [laughter]

Aud: have the British fans introduced you to any UK sitcoms?

E: Brass Eye, The Office, anything by Steve Cougan, the Royle Family. Yeah, they’ve educated us.

Aud: (the question is something like) Do you think the environmentalist message in the Lord of the Rings is relevant to our society or is it too simplistic

Both Sean and Elijah agreed that the environmental issue was one of the most important themes in Lord of the Rings. The Orcs are capable of creating beautiful things but they were only used for evil. It was no good being able to create amazing things is you could not cultivate a garden. Tolkien was against industrialization and there has to be a balance between development and environment.

Aud: What is your favourite place in New Zealand?

E: My favourite… yeah! It’s really close to the Milford Sound and probably my favourite place in all New Zealand because of it’s proximity to Milford Sound and Queenstown in it’s own right is beautiful.

S: When people tell me they may go to New Zealand I say, “You gotta go to Queenstown! You absolutely have to go!”

E: The South Island that’s what it’s all about. Wellington we loved. Living in our houses with all the coffee shops around. Let’s get a house there.

S: All right we’ll get a house.

E: Roommates?

Aud: (I think) Which directors would you like to work with?

E: There are a lot of people I’d like to work with – Wes Anderson, Latino Rushmore (?), David Lynch, Mike Jones, Chris Cunningham, who hasn’t made a film yet – he’s a video director. Mike Mills…a lot of people.

Jordan: Is that the REM Mike Mills?

E: No a different one.

S: Anyone that has a vision for a film. You know, Woody Allen, Brian de Palma or Coppola or any of the directors who you know their whole life is consumed with whatever they’re working on.

Aud: I just want to say how pleased we are that you came here today. [cheering]

E: We want to thank all of you. You were standing around for so long. Some of you came here SO early in the morning and waited for so long. You have to understand that we appreciate that as well.

S: Yeah we do.

S: Let’s have like five questions in rapid fire and then we’ll answer whatever we can remember.

Aud: (asks something about ROTK)

S: Pete’s been saying that’s it’s better than one or two for the last two years and I’ve seen almost all of it and I entirely agree.

Aud: What’s it like coming to an end with LOTR?

E: It’s weird. It’s a weird thing. It’s been 4 years! It’s the breaking of a family.

Aud: Is the filming finished now?

S: Yeah, last night

E: Although I had heard a rumour that Lawrence was going to do some extra footage.

Aud: (Sean is asked about the time he supposedly walked out on a show)

(the answer is not clear, but this is what it sounds like)..

S: No I had made an appointment and it was to go and introduce Joey Pagliano (?) and a ??? Festival. He was M.C.ing it and we had plenty of time to (spare) but we were having so much fun getting re-acquainted with each other that we started the commentary very late. I explained in great detail while leaving …… and introduced Sam Gamgee before the first (song) came up and Warner Brothers cut it all out. Thanks a lot! And now I have to explain 500,000 times for people who think I just walked out.

Aud: What was the most difficult thing to shoot?

E: Peter is talking about doing like an hour-long blooper reel [cheers]. They did small blooper reels for the wrap parties, from the principle photography, that was like 10 or 15 minutes [whispers] but there’s so much more! We could certainly have like a two hour blooper reel but I don’t know how long it’s gonna be.

S: I think the hardest thing to film – I mean there were so many things that were really hard to film – but the Council of Elrond was I think the hardest thing because of all the different plot lines and all the exposition, trying to make it dramatic and stuff. [to Elijah] What would you say?

E: The hardest? Probably on the mountainside with you! [aaah] In terms of making it right because that moment is so difficult and it’s so important and we had to get it right.

S: Any fight scene with Gollum!

Aud: What was your worst memory of it?

E: Probably getting up in the morning 5 or 4.30 in the morning to have rubber feet put on and a wig. Yeah! I would say that.

Aud: What do you think Tolkien would think of the films?

S: He sold the film rights. That’s what Peter always said.

E: I feel like it was filmed with so much passion and love…

S: and respect.

E: and utmost respect for his work so… [thinks] there’s no way of knowing.

S: He wanted to create a mythology for the British people, like I said before. And mythologies can only exist if people continue to interpret it. So I’ve got to believe that somewhere in the universe he is getting a kick out of it.

E: I hope so.

S: Last question

Aud: Would you like to direct a music video?

E: Direct a music video? Yeah. Oh and that was actually the first thing I wanted to direct. I thought I could cut my teeth on that, because I love music so much. So yeah! I’d love that.

[both don their sparkly cowboy hats and stand side by side to sing…

E & S together singing the Van Halen song:

“Happy Trails to you,
Until we meet again,
Happy trails to you,
Keep smiling on til then.”

(you can hear the song sung by Van Halen here: http://www.fye.com/catalog/musicProduct.jhtml?itemId=10006515)

HUGE CHEERING FROM THE AUDIENCE as they leave the auditorium.

Phew!

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Throughout its history, the One Ring comes to different people of many races. It tempts them all, preying on their individual and racial weaknesses and ambitions. Some fall to its lure, some fear even to touch it, but two small Hobbits carry the Ring all the way to the heart of Mordor. An interesting question arises; were Hobbits more resistant to the One Ring, and if so why?

While Frodo bear the Ring for a long period of time, the wisest of the Wise – Gandalf, will not even hear of being offered the Ring. It clearly tempts Galadriel sorely, and as for Men it leads Boromir to his ruin as surely as it led Isildur to his.

On the other hand, a Hobbit in the Vale of Anduin named Smeagol once fell to the power of the Ring almost instantly, while Men like Aragorn and Faramir hardly seem to aknowledge its existence.

Were Hobbits more resistant than other races to the Ring? How does the Ring affect different people during it’s existence? Why do some fall to it, and why do others resist the lure of power? Join us in #thehalloffire as we discuss these questions that lies at the heart of The Lord of the Rings.

Times:
Saturday Chat:
5:30pm ET (17:30)
[also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 7:30am Sunday (07:30) AET]

Sunday Chat:
7:00 pm (19:00) CET
[also 1:00pm (13:00) ET and 3:00am (03:00) Monday morning AET]

ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
AET = Australian East Coast

Do you have a possible topic for Hall of Fire? Drop us a line at halloffire@theonering.net.

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For some it may seem a little bit extreme to suggest that widely acclaimed, Oscar-winning composer Howard Shore faces the biggest challenge of his illustrious career so far. However it is difficult to see how the Canada native’s previous works, whose portfolio includes such modern-day masterpieces as Philadelphia, Se7en and Gangs of New York, bear as heavy a weight of anticipation as does the final installment of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King. Already setting an incredibly high standard for himself after his critically acclaimed scores for The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, Shore faces the problem of having to surpass, or in the very least equal, his aforementioned masterpieces – yet there are very few who doubt that Shore will come through with flying colours. With only a few weeks left until The Return of the King score is released worldwide, TheOneRing.net takes a closer look at the some of the artists who will be contributing to the soundtrack.

Renée Fleming: Tracks 8, 16 & 17 – “Twilight and Shadow”, “The End of All Things” & “The Return of the King”

“America’s Beautiful Voice”, soprano Renée Fleming has a devoted international following wherever she appears, whether on the operatic stage, in concert or recital, on television, radio or on disc. 1999 brought a Grammy Award for her recording, The Beautiful Voice which follows honours from Musical America (1997 Vocalist of the Year) and L’Academie du Disque Lyrique (1996, inaugural Solti Prize). Sir Georg Solti, who conducted Renée Fleming’s first solo aria recording, described the impact of her singing; “Quite apart from the sheer lyrical beauty of voice, she has an innate musicianship which makes every performance a great joy.” Her recent releases illustrate perfectly just how varied are the roles and music that she likes to perform. The recording of one of her signature roles, Rusalka, made with Ben Heppner and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras was released in Autumn 1998 to great international acclaim. Rusalka won awards such as two Gramophone Awards (as ‘Record of the Year’ and best ‘Opera’), the Edison Award (Netherlands) and the Caecilia Award (Belgium).

Sir James Galway: Tracks 15, 17 & 18 – “Twilight and Shadow”, “The Return of the King” & “The Grey Havens”

James Galway is regarded as both a supreme interpreter of the classical flute repertoire and a consummate entertainer whose appeal crosses all musical boundaries. Through his extensive touring, over fifty best-selling RCA Victor albums, and his frequent international television appearances, Galway has endeared himself to millions worldwide. In 1975 he launched his career as a soloist and within one year, he had played 120 concerts, including appearances with all the London orchestras. His recordings have won many prizes including the Grand Prix du Disque for his recording of the Mozart Concerti, Record of the Year awards from Billboard and Cash Box magazines in the USA and platinum and gold albums. His recording, “I Will Always Love You” includes the first recording of a piece by Elton John specially written for him, was honoured with a Grammy award. He was awarded the OBE for his services to music.

Annie Lennox: Track 19 – “Into The West”

In 1990, after winning her fourth Best British Female Artist award at the BRITS ceremony, Lennox returned backstage to tell reporters that she intended to take a two-year sabbatical, and to concentrate on her family life. Following the amicable dissolution of the Eurythmics in 1991, her debut album Diva was released in February 1992 and its number 1 status confirmed that Lennox was still the subject of considerable affection among the British public. The album included the UK Top 10 hit singles “Why” and “Walking On Broken Glass” (which also reached the US Top 20). In February 1993, Lennox reached UK number 3 with “Little Bird”/”Love Song For A Vampire”, featured on the soundtrack of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Released two years later, Medusa offered a wide-ranging selection of cover versions, mainly of songs which had previously been aired by a male vocalist, including the UK number 2 hit “No More ‘I Love You’s'”. Since then, she reformed the Eurythmics in 1998 to record the album Peace, and released the widely anticipated album Bare in June of this year. Lennox has faired well appearing on soundtracks in the past, scoring a number 3 hit in the UK with “Little Bird”/”Love Song For A Vampire”, featured on the soundtrack of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

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