Harry sends along this information from a report we posted a few days ago about WHSmith bookstores taking TTT DVD pre-orders in Scotland, take a look!
I work at Wh Smith in the county of Kent in the UK, and I can confirm the story about the pre order leaflets you posted earlier. The info listed is simply ‘late august’, but unofficially we’re saying ‘the last tuesday of the month’, so that should tie up if you look it up 😉
The pre order includes a free exclusive mug, and the art w’ve been supplied with is Gandalf and the Ring on a blue Elven leaf background with the film’s logo, although it might be subject to change.
Ringer Cunning Vixen sent in a report on WETA’s presentation in Auckland today. Our buddies Daniel Falconer and Warren Mahy were on tap, and good ole’ Lawrence showed up too…
Hello from Auckland! Some news for you about Armageddon in Auckland.
The Weta presentation at Armageddon in Auckland today, Saturday the 12th, was excellent. Weta creatives Daniel Falconer and Warren Mahy talked about Weta in general. To give us a focus on the Weta creative process they talked about how they conceptualised and created the Uruk-Hai, giving us plenty of backstage tidbits. Halfway through the presentation – Lawrence Maokare walked in!!! This was a total surprise, as he hadn’t been listed in any event programs. He laughed and bantered with the Weta guys as they showed a hilarious and informative video about how Lawrence was made up to look like Lurtz, starting at 10 at night and ending early in the morning. Afterwards, the Weta creatives and Lawrence graciously gave autographs. It was very informal and fun. Daniel and Warren are doing another presentation tomorrow, Sunday, at the second day of Armageddon, and they told us in advance that the Sunday presentation will focus on how they developed the armor. Maybe Warren Ormsby-Green, the LOTR film armorer who lives in Auckland, will make an appearance?
This weekend, Hall of Fire will focus on the stewards of Middle Earth. Several characters take up the role as stewards in Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Some are obvious – Denethor, Manwe (and – indeed – many other Vala), Theoden and Samwise, for example.
However, Treebeard, Elrond, Galadriel, Gandalf and the other Istari, and maybe even Tom Bombadil and the Entwives can also be viewed as stewards. But what makes a steward in Tolkien’s milieu? And, apart from a great love for their individual ‘stewardships’, What do they have in common and what sets them apart?
Additionally, were Sauron and Saruman ever stewards? And how close is the distinction between stewarding something and seeking to dominate it?
Upcoming Chats:
April 19/20 The Druedain Here we take a closer look at that remarkable and mysterious people. As many of you know they were one of the tribes of Edain to come into Beleriand and fight the hosts of Morgoth. What you might be surprised to hear is that they went to Numenor! And how did they get to Druadan Forest? And what is their connection with the strange Pukel men of Dunharrow?
Suggested Reading: Unfinished Tales – The Druedain RoTK – The Passing of the Grey Company RoTK – The Muster of Rohan RoTK – The Ride of the Rohirrim
April 26/27 Ents, Entwives and all things Treeish Not entirely sure what this will involve yet, but expect lots of book talk … old forest, origons and fate of the ents and entwives, rumours of trees wandering the moors and what the heck are huorns?
Place: #thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman’s and then type /join #thehalloffire .
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
Having trouble working out a time zone near you? Try this page.
Do you have a possible topic for Hall of Fire? Drop us a line at halloffire@theonering.net. And don’t forget that you can check out previous chats here.
midnightgirl sends in these small clips from an interview the actor recently gave to The Independent. Seems he wanted in for either Potter or LOTR!
..I ask another question (are there any parts in the last few years that he has coveted?), and sure enough his answer (“Hmm… no, I don’t think so”) is quickly unravelled by his wife. “The Harry Potter film,” she says, “you saw that first, didn’t you, Max, and you rang your agent, because you wanted a part.” Another sigh from Von Sydow. “Yes, that is true.” It turns out that, well before the hype, he read an article in Time magazine about Harry, and, rather perspicaciously, rang up his British agent to ask if there would be a part for an older wizard. She had not heard of the book, said she would make inquiries, but didn’t ring back. He rang her again a few months later, and she told him all the parts were going to British actors.
“And the same thing happened with The Lord of the Rings,” he notes sadly, “I rang my agent, but they had to be British actors.” It does seem unfair that the Brits have such a monopoly on old-geezer parts (I have a mental image of Von Sydow ringing to inquire about an Ingmar Bergman biopic, set in the wild archipelagos of Sweden, and being told, “Oh, bad luck, Mr Von Sydow. It’s just gone to Michael Caine…”) But what really puzzles me is that both parts he lusted after were in films that are basically fairy tales.
He looks shocked. “But I have always loved legends, especially British ones. I love Tolkien. My father was a professor, and he studied them at the university. He especially loved Irish ones, and went over there and taught himself Gaelic and translated these stories, stories that no one else in the world knew about, and would read them to me at night.”
A few items on the BBFC website listing a couple of extras classified for the TTT DVD.
* 16 TV SPOTS (8min 3sec total time, approx. 30sec each) NEW POWER, ANOTHER, EVENT REVISED, DREAM REVISED, DARKNESS REVISED, RETURN, STRIKE, COUNTDOWN, ONE WORD REVIEW, THE WAIT IS OVER, REVIEW B – GOLDEN GLOBES, GOLLUM SUPREME REVIEW, REVIEW A – GOLDEN GLOBES REVISITED, GOOD TOP 10, TOP 10 REVIEW
* ADDED VALUE TRAILER Consists of two items: “LORD OF THE RINGS – THE TWO TOWERS ADDED VALUE TRAILER” (1min 49sec), and “L.O.T.R T.T.T” (2min 51sec)
Apr 10, 2003 (United Press International via COMTEX) — SPIELBERG IS NO. 1 ON HOLLYWOOD POWER LIST
Steven Spielberg is No. 1 on Premiere magazine’s 2003 Power List of the 100 most influential people in Hollywood.
The director of “Catch Me if You Can” knocked off AOL-Time Warner honchos Richard Parsons and Robert Pittman to finish on top of this year’s list, moving up from No. 6 last year. The rest of the Top 10 are all producers, including George Lucas — who last year directed the fifth “Star Wars” movie.
“Spielberg is the Tiger Woods of the movies,” said Premiere’s Editor-in-Chief Peter Herbst, “the guy who’s so talented, smart, and hard-working that he seems to be playing a different game than everyone else.”
The most bankable movie stars in Hollywood right now, according to Premiere, are Tom Hanks (No. 13), Tom Cruise (No. 14), Mel Gibson (No. 15) and Julia Roberts (No. 16).
Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman jumped from No. 83 to No. 31, and Oscar-nominated actress Renee Zellweger went from No. 97 to No. 63. The biggest jump of all was Reese Witherspoon, who went from No. 96 last year to No. 32 on this year’s power list.
Jack Nicholson came in at No. 74, after not making the list at all last year. Some newcomers to the list include Tobey Maguire (“Spider-Man”), director Rob Marshall (“Chicago”) and writer Charlie Kaufman (“Adaptation”). Colin Farrell (“Minority Report,” “Daredevil”) also made the power list.
Halle Berry made the list, but only came in at No. 96 — after a year in which she won a Best Actress Oscar and scored a blockbuster hit, co-starring with Pierce Brosnan in the latest James Bond picture.
The list also includes producer Brian Grazer (No. 18), producer Jerry Bruckheimer (No. 19), “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson (No. 20), “Signs” writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (No. 21) and director Ron Howard (No. 26).
Denzel Washington moved up from No. 40 last year to No. 28 this year, and “The Matrix” directing team of Andy and Larry Wachowski is No. 27 this year — up from No. 89 last year.
