Gold & Slilversmith Halfdan Hansen writes: You may remember back in April posting a news item about the auction by Sotheby’s of one of the unique prototype rings that my father Jens Hansen had created during the One Ring design process. That ring actually sold for $5750USD – and my brother & I have been persuaded to release one more of prototypes to auction.
Jens Hansen, designer and creator of the ‘One Ring’, worked closely with Dan Hennah, Academy Award nominated Supervising Art Director, in the quest to design the perfect ring. This prototype was handmade by Jens Hansen and is only one of seven known remaining silver prototypes. Each prototype has a different shape and represented the evolution of the design process as the movie makers and my father searched for the perfect design to be used for filming. This ring is especially significant as it was the first prototype ever made and thus represents the first physical expression in metal of the creative process.
This auction finishes September 13th and you can view online here. The ring is Lot #433 in Auction #11539 at autographs.com/auctions/
With the release of The Two Towers on DVD, many US residents might have noticed an ‘Adventure Card’ offer in their DVD cases. This card gives fans special access to a discounts, promotions and other neat stuff at the LOTRAdventure.com website.
One of those offers is for a free Cave Troll Hammer from Sideshow/Weta Collectibles. Sideshow/Weta was kind enough to send along a few images to showcase this unique item.
So how do you get this hammer? First, Adventure Card members need to log into LOTRAdventure.com and obtain the Sideshow/Weta promotional Code. No, it is not the same PIN number used to access the LOTRAdventure website, but instead is a unique seven digit word. Go to the following URL and enter in that code. [Enter Code Here]
Then, once you have added $100 in Sideshow/Weta Lord of the Rings items to your shopping cart, the Cave Troll Hammer will automatically be added. You will be responsible for shipping costs for the hammer.
There are a few weird quirks to note about this promotion.
If you purchased your DVD at Walmart or Costco, don’t expect to see the Sideshow/Weta offer. Many fans are reporting to us that the Sideshow/Weta, Nextel and Air New Zealand offers do not display in the Walmart and Costco versions of Adventure Card. Why? You’ve stumped us, we have no idea. We’ve talked to representatives at Sideshow/Weta and they are willing to offer the promotion to Walmart and Costco customers if you contact them through their customer service help center. (located in the help center of their website)
We also get the distinct impression that while this offer is stated to be only available to US residents, Sideshow/Weta does not actively block International orders from fulfilling the requirements to receive the hammer. So International LOTR fans, if you have friends in the US, ask them for the promo code! We are willing to bet, however, that your shipping costs might be a little more than regular domestic costs.
In content and promotional impact, “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy is a multifaceted machine. Last August “The Fellowship of the Ring,” the first of Peter Jackson’s three films, was released on DVD with a fair-size list of extras. In November a much-extended special edition appeared with 30 more minutes woven into a movie that already ran 178 minutes, and with many more extras to examine every aspect.
Increased length is usually a mistake. In this case it was a triumph: “Fellowship” was the consensus DVD of the year. That success, of course, did no harm to “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” the second part of the trilogy, which opened in theaters in December and eventually earned $339 million at the box office.
This week New Line began the routine all over again with a “Two Towers” DVD (and in deference to the 50 percent of households without a DVD player, videocassette). An enlarged special edition, with more than 40 minutes added into the movie, is scheduled for November release. On Dec. 17, the third film, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” is to open in theaters.
“One of the key differences this year is the amount of awareness,” said Matt LaSorsa, senior vice president for marketing at New Line Home Entertainment. That attests to the growing influence of DVD, in this case Mr. Jackson’s all-enveloping use of it as a part of the movie-making and promotional process.
But why buy a “Towers” DVD now when a bigger one is coming along in less than 90 days (albeit at a $39.99 suggested retail price versus $29.95 for the first version)? The answer depends on how much DVD you’re looking for; the two releases are intended for two audiences, and features don’t repeat themselves.
The current DVD has the 179-minute movie that played in theaters. “It’s for people who don’t like to sit through an even longer film,” Mr. Lasorsa said. Behind-the-scenes documentaries probably tell moderate fans all they want to know about the making of “The Two Towers.” For those interested, these features also describe the making of the much more elaborate November DVD edition and offer a preliminary look at the making of “The Return of the King.”
For rabid fans the November disc will have the 215-minute extended version and added material describing it and the trilogy as a whole.
The three movies were shot in New Zealand during an 18-month period beginning in 2000. From then on “Rings” movie-making and DVD production have proceeded at the same time on an integrated production line.
On the discs, actors taken back to New Zealand reshoot scenes for “The Return” and do interviews and commentary for both “Towers” DVD’s. Mr. Jackson moves from editing the third movie to working on the DVD’s of the second and back again.
Much of the reshooting for “Return” and the expanded “Towers” is to heighten the personalrelationships in films heavy on battle. Like many other directors, Mr. Jackson says one of the pleasures of DVD is being able to reassure actors that scenes cut to shorten theater running times can be put back on disc.
White Lady Eowyn writes: Here is a report for you, as I promised MrCere, about the Second Annual DragonCon parade!
Saturday morning dawned in Atlanta with bright and beautiful skies. But it was also unbelievably hot for so early in the day. Thank heavens that there were volunteers on hand to give out water and ice to all the parade participants.
This year’s parade, unlike the first one last year, was controlled by the fact that they really wanted you to be pre-registered to be in the festivities, due to the burgeoning interest. The Atlanta Police Department was kind enough to close off the streets from a mile down the Hyatt and all along the parade route.
And there were a ton of spectators! The crowds only grew as we drew closer and closer to the host hotels. The lady who was leading our group of Lord of the Rings fans made a banner that said, “One Parade to Rule Them All,” etc. Apologies to her, but I do not remember the rest of the banner. The weekend is blurring somewhat due to staying up too late and getting up too early, but all the fun was worth it.
We had myself, representing Eowyn, an Uruk-Hai (complete with White Hand over the face, this is the lady that headed our group and she won a spot during the Evening at Bree costume contest), a Merry, a Gondorian Ranger, Gandalf, some Elves, and a Balrog! The Balrog costume was completely hand made by the woman wearing it, and the wings were pneumatically controlled so she could spread them with the touch of a button! This, by far, elicited the biggest responses from the crowds lining Peachtree Street.
At several points in the parade, we sang the Hobbit Drinking Song (“Hey, ho, to the bottle I go,” , etc.). Unsure of the crowd’s reaction to this, but we sure had fun doing it!
Sincerely, White Lady Eowyn, from the TORN Message Board
Ringer Spy Kungloosh sends along these great pics from Dragon*Con 2003, which took place this weekend in Atlanta.
Kungloosh: For a first timer to this convention, I sure realized I have been missing a lot!!!
Upon arrival I had to find TORn booth. This was my chance to finally meet all of the wonderful people who bring us this website! What joy it was to finally put faces with names! Also a chance to meet the man behind the microphone, Quickbeam! Was a pleasure to meet you! All I can say is that TORn made me feel like I was visiting friends. They made you feel welcome.
Costumes galore! Everywhere you looked! I only got a sampling of photos for the variety of wonderful costumes. The time and effort that people have placed into these works of art shows! The LOTR fans were awesome! To top them all tho was Saron! This costume was amazing! Actual metal was used to create this costume! BRAVO!
Emerald Rose performed several times during my stay. It was a pleasure to finally hear what those lucky ones heard when they attended the Oscar party! I can’t wait to hear & meet them again! Logan, Arthur, Clyde & Larry are the best, you guys truly rock! If anyone has an opportunity to hear and see these guys perform, it’s well worth the effort to see them!
As this was my first time at DragonCon, I am still in shock & awe at the magnatude of this convention. My poor sleep deprived body just couldn’t handle all the sensory overload. LOL I had to crash early on Saturday night and never got to enjoy all the wonderful parties that I have heard DragonCon is noted for. Oh well, NEXT YEAR!
Had a great time and will most definately do it again!
From Ringer Katie via her source at the NZ Embassy:
Hello to everyone who has requested info on ticket sales for Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Thank You for your patience.
I can now advise you that advance sales for the first week of 18 December through to 24 December are available through the Lions Club of Silverstream as charity fundraisers for Ronald MacDonald House; The Embassy Theatre Trust & The Life Flight Trust. The session times at present are only an approximate given that the film hasn’t been completed as yet and so the full running time is still to be confirmed, but we are expecting it to be very similar in length to the first two films.
Tickets are $30 each…
On the 18th December there are tickets available for 12.01am and 9.45am. On the 19th there seats available at 6am, 9.45, & 1.30pm. from the 20th on there are seats available all day.
To all those interested in information on the events around the premiere on the 1st December, the Wellington City Council is responsible for the street events…
