Wednesday, October 15, 2003
What to do while the Premiere is playing - Tehanu @ 14:11 PST
Thoughts and plans from Phil Capper, who's organising the LOTR Homestays project for LOTR fans visiting Wellington during the premiere. (Any Wellington fans with a spare bed around the Premiere, conatct him at phillip.capper@webresearch.co.nz ) There are rumours that the Wellington City Council may be organising some entertainment but we don't know anything specific. Meanwhile,here's Phil's ideas:

Wellington will be VERY crowded for the premiere on December 1st. The question is – what to do while the move is actually playing. Here is the TORN suggestion.

5 minutes walk (one end) to 15 minutes (the far end) from The Embassy is Oriental Bay. This is a sandy beach with a promenade. For those who know Wellington, but haven’t been here recently, the beach has just had new loads of golden sand dumped on it and this has also transformed the far end that used to be rocky. Around the bay there are a number of cafes and restaurants.

The idea is that TORN people have a sort of gathering in the Oriental Bay area, using the beach and the cafes to informally get together. We are warning all the cafes that this will be happening, and that this involves a lot of people, so that they can be ready for an invasion. If the weather is good (50-50) we can hang out on the beach as well.

The cafes and restaurants are (in order of distance from The Embassy) are:

Vista (5 minutes, café and bar, sophisticated). Not actually on the bay, but only 2 minutes short. Smallish

Parade (8 minutes, café and bar, funky, arty, hobbity, includes courtyard). Opposite the swimming pool. Looks tatty from the outside, but a great atmosphere. At the beginning of the bay. Can hold 150

Tug Boat on the Bay. (9 minutes, restaurant and bar, not quite sophisticated). It actually is a converted, floating tug boat). Behind the swimming pool. smallish

Fisherman’s Plate (12 minutes, bar and family restaurant). In the converted band rotunda half way along the beach. spacious

Europa. (12 minutes, bar and café, sophisticated). Opposite the band rotunda. Smallish.

The White House (12 minutes. VERY upmarket. Sit down restaurant) Above Europa. Don’t even think about it unless you are dressed up (i.e not as an elf) and have a very large budget and aren’t in a hurry. Small.

All of these have very similar prices for drinks and nibbles. Vista and the Tug Boat are more expensive than the others for full meals

The weather is the big imponderable for this and the actual premiere. We can guarantee no snow and no frost, but just about anything else is possible in early December – and you can get just about everything within the same day. Here’s a very personal probability list (but based on living here for 30 years) for what to expect on December 1st.

Temperature - 18C plus or minus 4, 70%. Less than that 5%. More than that 25%
Rain – at some time during the day 60%. At some time in the period 4 pm to 10 pm. 35%
Hail. 1%.
Wind in excess of 30 knots. Almost certain. No, only joking. No, no, not joking.
Wind less than 10 knots. 25%.
Fog. No chance AT ALL.
Bright sun. 50-50
Averagish (cloudy, not windy, no rain, mild). Wellington doesn’t do average, especially in spring.

Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Rochester, anyone? - maegwen @ 21:23 PST
Line Party Leader Benjudah writes: Hi. I'm the line party admin for the Cinemark Tinseltown USA party in Rochester, NY. I just called the theater today to find out how many tickets remain and I spoke to the manager who said there are about 100 tickets still remaining for the show.

I HIGHLY recommend this theatre. I was told they are using one of their large auditoriums, which I know from experience are very large and have gigantic screens... we're talking the ones they have to make concave because they're so large. The sound has also always been superb when I've seen movies there before. Altogether, my favorite place to see a movie. I, myself am taking the 3 hour trip home from Albany during finals week, even though I could see it there, instead.

Anyone in New York State or southern Ontario that is desperate for tickets, this may be your best shot. Rochester is about 6-7 hours from New York City by car or train, about 4 hours from Toronto, and isn't a too difficult trip from northern Pennsylvania either.

If anyone is interested, the link to my line party is http://www.theonering.net/movie/lineparty/displayList.php?id=355 and a link to buy tickets can be found on that page.

Benjudah a.k.a The Shiny Chicken

Monday, October 13, 2003
Trilogy Tuesday in New Zealand - Tehanu @ 15:52 PST
Great news! Auckland Lineparty Leader Tark wrote to us with this news, from the people at Village Cinemas:

"There is going to be a screening of the extended version of Fellowship of the Ring on the 4th of December then on the 11th the extended version of TheTwo Towers and then on the 17th there will be a consecutive screening of the first two installments (extended versions) to coincide with a 12:01am screening of Return of the King on the 18th.

"Tickets will go on sale form the 27th of Necember but if you are a MegaMember, then you will be able to purchase your tickets from the 20th.

"The Return of the King will be at Blockbuster prices so you will need to look at the Village website, About Us, Admission Prices (scroll down to the bottom) for the prices at the complex of your choice."

Friday, October 10, 2003
Response from Plano Cinemark - maegwen @ 00:35 PST
Gayla writes: I got this e-mail from the Plano, Texas Cinemark location that will be showing the Trilogy Tuesday, some of the questions might be on interest to other LOTR's fans. Not sure if it will make them feel better or not, but it answers some questions none the less.

LOTR Fan,

As most of you know, the LOTR Trilogy on Tuesday December 16 is sold out. At 12:00pm CTS tickets went on sale and they sold out in a matter of just a few minutes. It was one of the most incredible things I have every witnessed. We recorded a record number of hits on our website. There were hundreds of people trying to purchase tickets trying to purchase tickets for this simultaneously. There was probably some portion of luck involved in getting a ticket for this in that 4 and a half minute time span. I would like to thank all of you for your patience in waiting for this message to come out.

I have compiled your many e-mail questions and have a list of some of the more popular questions below:

How can I get tickets for the event on December 16?

Since this event is obviously a huge success, why don't you add more screens?
Cinemark is very excited to be hosting this unique and exciting event. We would certainly like to play this in more locations and add screens to the ones that we have. However, New Line has decided to make this available on 100 screens in the U.S. and cinemark was just happy to be able to bring this event to 8 of our screens across the country. At this time, New Line has not indicated to us that they plan to add any screens to this event. If for any reason they decide to add screens, I am sure that we would jump at the chance.

How can I get tickets to the extended versions of the first two movies?
You can purchase tickets for the extended versions of the first two movies right now. Below is the schedule for these films:

Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring - playing December 5 through December 11.
Lord of the Rings : The Two Towers - playing December 12 through December 15.
You can view showtimes and purchase tickets at www.cinemark.com.

Let me say in closing that I wish I could turn all 24 of our screens into a LOTR marathon. If it were within my power, I would do it in a heartbeat. I am truly sorry this did not work out the way you guys had hoped. If there is anything I can do to help, please do not hesitate to ask.

Manager - Cinemark Legacy

Friday, October 10, 2003
Not One, But TWO Cautionary Tales... - maegwen @ 20:21 PST
Uncle Walt writes: For those people selling tickets on eBay, let me simply say "**** you." I waited in line and still didn't get any. Meanwhile, others bought them purely with the intent to sell. Disgusting and unfair.

Luckily, not all states allow you to re-sell tickets for above face value. To those let me say, I'll be browsing eBay every day. If I find anyone in violation, I'm reporting them to eBay immediately.

Hopefully, in the next day or so eBay will remove these auctions from their site so that these jerks who are trying to sell the tickets won't be able to make such an obscene profit on what is supposed to be an event for diehard fans.

Rynogeny writes:

I just saw the post from the man speculating that most of the tickets for Plano were bought online, by scalpers.

If it's true, it not only distresses me for the obvious reasons, but because based on the ticketing sites' policies, people who buy these kinds of scalped tickets on eBay will NOT actually be able to use them when they get to the theatre on the 16th. You *must* have the credit card the tickets were purchased with, and a name won't suffice.

That would be the worst insult yet -- to buy a ticket for some astronomical price on eBay and then get to the theatre and find you were scammed.

I have no intention of paying a scalper for a ticket, but if I were going to, I'd make darn sure they had a real, paper ticket they were selling me.

A Tale of Major Woe in D.C. - maegwen @ 18:45 PST
A real mess seems to be developing at the Uptown Theater in Washington D.C. A computer glitch and error by Fandango appears to have caused each movie in Trilogy Tuesday to be sold separately. Some folks bought tickets to film one, FOTR, assuming it would gain them entrance to the whole marathon. Some bought tickets to all three, just to be safe. People also bought tickets to ROTK or TTT, thinking there was a typo, but not to FOTR, because that had sold out! Confused? I know I am... Hear what our Ringer Spies in D.C. have to say:

The Story, in descending order

Moriah, 10:30 am EST, 10/7
Just last night, I called the theather in DC (Loews Cineplex Uptown) that will be showing the trilogy. According to the woman I talked to, the showtimes will be posted this Thursday and at that time, tickets can be bought online at Fandango.com She also told me that the matinee showing is $6.25 and the evening showings are $8.25. I was a little surprised that they didn't have one price for all 3 for Trilogy Tuesday (like Seattle's $30 all-in-one ticket) and would not be surprised if these prices aren't exactly correct. Lovin' the site! Keep up the great work!
Moriah

Miriel, Line Party Leader, 12:37 pm EST 10/7
Having called the Uptown earlier this afternoon, I was told ticket prices will be available tomorrow. Earlier in the week a gentleman told me they were selling by the screening, but I am assuming this was an uninformed worker. Fandango, which services the Uptown, *does* have Trilogy Tuesday listed as a viable screening, so Uptown should be falling under that category. Whether they will also be selling individual tickets is anyone's guess. I will update you again tomorrow when I have talked to someone who actually knows something.

Raq, 12:47 pm EST 10/9
They seem to be selling the tickets for each movie in the trilogy individually, but only have two showtimes listed. Folks who have purchased tickets from the Uptown (via Fandango) should keep checking back for corrections to the billing.

Dom, 1:10 pm EST 10/9
Quite confusing to purchase tickets on Fandango. First, got 1pm screening listed as 'LOTR trilogy' then 10.30pm also listed as "LOTR Trilogy' then when clicked on CO Uptown link found 5.30 screening listed as 'TTT-Extended Edition'. Tried to contact Uptown but the line was constantly busy, have purchased all three tickets (I'm taking no chances with this one!) as of 1.10pm EST.

Kathy, 1:18 pm EST 10/9
The third showtime is hidden--it is in the "Loews Uptown 1" link directly above the 1 and 10:30 showtimes. THis link shows a 5:30 showtime for TTT, listed in a separate category from the Trilogy Tuesday. You can also access it by the Dec 16th date under the TTT extended information.

Isembard Took, 2:07 EST pm 10/9
LOEWS UPTOWN 1 TRILOGY TUESDAY SOLD OUT according to Fandango

LLL, 2:09 pm EST 10/9
Tickets for Trilogy Tuesday have completely sold out for ON-LINE pre-purchase. They have held a stash back for box office purchase, however, when I stopped by the theater at 12:30, the line was VERY long. The Uptown is selling 3 separate tickets for the shows. Only the FotR Extended and RotK early screening were listed under the Trilogy Tuesday link. TTT Extended was under a separate link, and since it sold out in 19 minutes, was a VERY dangerous proposition for on-line buyers. Hope you were one of the fortunate!!

Mike, 8:54 am EST 10/10
The Uptown theater in DC (as of last night) still has some tickets available for the individual shows. I had gotten tickets to the first two shows on fandango but the third was sold out by the time I went to order those. When I called the theater I was told that all shows were sold out but when I mentioned that I had bought tickets online and been unable to get all three shows, they said to come by and pick up my tickets and they would sell me tickets to the third show.

So, if you bought Uptown tickets online but were not able to get tickets to all three shows, they seem to be willing to work with you. Give them a call or stop by and see what they can do for you. As of last night they still had tickets to use in this regard but they said they were going fast.

BTW, you have to have the credit card you ordered tickets with with you to pick up the online tickets. And only people with online tickets can get these so if you don't have some tickets already you're still out of luck. But, at the moment at least, you can fill the gaps.

Toby, 2:50 pm EST 10/10
If you bought tickets on-line, they will allow you to purchase the tickets you are missing! Only stipulation: you must pay cash for the tickets that were not paid for by credit card. Apparently, they reserved tickets as soon as they realized people thought they were purchasing the whole series. If you didn't purchase from Fandango, you are still out of luck unfortunately.

Miriel, Line Party Leader, 4:05 pm EST 10/10
The Uptown Theatre has sold out. There was a lot of confusion because there was a problem with the Fandango system, so for those who purchased online and accidently only bought a ticket for 1 or 2 of the 3 movies you can buy tickets to the other two with cash (cash only) when you pick up those from the online purchase. The combined package price was 26.25, so if you paid less, you probably only got one of two tickets and not the threepack.

Raq, 5:29 pm EST 10/10
For those folks who are still confused by the train wreck that ordering tickets via Fandango for the Uptown theater in Washington DC:

The story: Fandango sent the registration information to the Uptown Theater in Seattle (which isn't showing the trilogy) rather than to the Uptown in DC, so the theater here wasn't able to offer one ticket to all three movies. When they realized that, they scrambled to offer tickets to each movie, hoping that people would understand they had to purchase 3 tickets per seat for that day.

But then Fandango hosed them again; not only was there no explanatory text on the webpage, but the webpage didn't even list all three movies! You can buy tickets to all three, but the link to the middle on is hidden on the page.

The result: The Uptown vended all the tickets to themselves. If you purchased tickets to the 1:00 (FOTR) and 10:30 (ROTK), take your credit card and purchase confirmation to the Uptown and they will sell you tickets to the 5:30 show (TTT). You'll need to bring cash to buy the tickets (the credit card is proof-of-purchase for the others), but there's no service charge. They will give you the tickets to all 3 movies at that time.

Marc, 6:09 pm EST 10/10
When I logged into Fandango at first only the 10:30pm showing of Trilogy Tuesday was available. I purchased 3 tickets and realized that there was something very wrong when the total per ticket price was normal single show admission. I went back to the site after fruitlessly attempting to get through to the theatre. In the time since my initial purchase a second showing of "Triology Tuesday" was available for 1pm and the "Two Towers" was available for 5 something. I tried to purchase the 1pm showing just in case and I got a message that I was already confirmed because of the 1030pm purchase to the same title. Still not completely trusting I attempted to get the 5:00(something) "Two Towers" tickets and was successful. Immediatly I tried to get the first showing and after going through the entire process was told it was sold out. I am now holding "Two Towers" and "Return of the King" tickets.

I went to the theatre and talked to the manager:

While there were still tickets to the 2nd and 3rd shows available at 7pm the first show was completly sold out. Apparently a number of people have assumed that having the first ticket will get them into the Triology where it will actually only allow them into "Fellowship." The theatre will be completly cleared after each showing and people will have to re-enter a holding line to get back to, likely different, seats. Those people that have purchased 1st show tickets are going to assume that they can get into the later shows. According to management..."THIS WILL NOT BE THE CASE"


Many, many, many people are going to be VERY upset on a chilly December afternoon. The only option I have is that I am waiting to see if 3 tickets to the first show are returned. This is the only way I am going to get in to "Fellowship".

I think that the Uptown should check their security budget NOW, because this day is going to be UGLY.

Now, the reason for the foul up as it was told to me is...

Fandango confused the Uptown in Washington DC with an Uptown in Seattle Washington and sent the download to the wrong theatre. Because of this they had to scamble to get something online. In any event the whole thing is MESSED up. He also said that the tickets were released for sale prior to the 1pm time and this caused problems as well.

Perhaps the only way to rectify this problem is that somebody with clout should release the showing to a second theatre in the DC area. The AMC Hoffman in Alexandria could be a prime choice. They should open ticket sales up to individuals that that partial purchases first and then to the general public. Those you want to change would then be given a refund at the "Uptown" which could release the holes to others in the same situation. Give a 10-15 day period of time for this problem to rectify and you will have much happier folk.

I do not know if this is practical, but I think that something has to be done quickly.

Thanks for reading my book and wish me luck.

Denise, 7:53 pm 10/10
Know exactly what the folks are talking about, I went thru the same nonsense. I went to the box office on my way to a hockey game and bought the remaining tickets ( with a mad dash to the bank across the street for cash!) I needed. I feel for the Uptown management~it was a big problem not of their creation, and a very lovely lady helped me out when I arrived to pick up my tickets. The manager looked like he wanted to run and hid somewhere, so I'm sure the rest of the day went downhill. Fandango screwed up BIG TIME!

But I know one thing, I am NOT going to leave the theater to stand BACK in line for each movie, and plan on writing to them and express this. They need to think ahead about how to handle this!

Problems in Plano? - maegwen @ 18:16 PST
William writes: I can attest to the fact that most, if not almost all, of the tickets to the Plano, Texas (a suburb of Dallas) Trilogy Tuesday were purchased by scalpers online. People from across the country purchased 10 tickets apiece even though they may live a thousand miles away for the sheer purpose of selling them on E-bay for profit. As a result, the tickets were sold out within a few minutes and people who stood in line for hours were denied. It is quite a scam and people around here aren’t happy. No one that I know of from the Dallas/Fort Worth line party got even a single ticket. In the future, New Line needs to either exclude Fandango from the sale of such “once in a lifetime” tickets, or make such an exclusion a part of any licensing agreement with the theaters. The Internet makes it way too easy for scalpers.

UPDATE: The manager of the Plano Cinemark responds to fan's concerns. [More]

UPDATE:
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2003 12:33 PM
To: maegwen@theonering.net
Subject: Trilogy Tuesday Tickets

I agree with you regarding the on line selling of once in a life time
tickets. It really wasn't fair. But where were you in line? I got
there around 11:00am and was about the 50th person. I got my tickets
and I think most of those behind me got theirs. The manager was
standing out front doing everything possible to make sure those in line were processed quickly. I had a feeling something like this would happen and it's one of the reasons I went to the theater early instead of trying to buy tickets on line.

RETURN OF THE RINGERS REVIVED! - Tehanu @ 15:26 PST
Bigger and Better than Before.

We can do it!

When we sold out of tickets for our Premiere Party in less than 48 hours, the battle was on! We had to find a way to fit more people in without losing our fantastic hilltop vantagepoint at the Skyline Restaurant. . After frantic phonecalls and some mighty wrestling with budgets, we prevailed. Our gracious hosts at The Skyline have organised a superb summer pavilion which will be set up to accommodate more guests.

So book now at Ticketek, and remember the price has gone up to $75 to cover the cost of the marquee. We expect that demand for these tickets will be strong locally, nationally and internationally. If you want to to avoid disappointment, we recommend booking as soon as possible.

Check out our Return of the Ringers page if you need remind yourself why you’re coming to this party.

But that’s not all!

On the preceding night, Saturday November 29th, TheOneRing.net and Red Carpet Tours are also proud to host

"The Return of the Ringers Black Tie Banquet."

This is a formal black tie event for Lord of the Rings fans who truly want to make this a night to remember. You’ll be offered champagne and canapés as you walk in the door to the haunting strains of Lothlorien, The banquet is a sit-down three-course dinner with a set menu of things to gladden a hobbit’s heart, wine worthy of the an Elf’s palate too, and some guest speakers to entertain you while you nibble dessert. Then you can follow the sound of music back out to where Ballyscully will be playing the Springle-Ring and other dances.

Like the Sunday "Return of the Ringers" this is a charity event raising money for Peter Jackson’s nominated charity, the Organ Donor Awareness Campaign so we’ll have a few little goodies to raffle off for that cause.

Return of the Ringers Black Tie Banquet

When: November 29, 7pm till midnight.
Where: Skyline Restaurant, The Top of the Cable Car
1 Upland Road, Kelburn, Wellington.
Dress Code: Formal. Tuxdeo or costume.
Age Limit: Guests under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Price: NZ$150 per person. Includes champagne, canapés, three-course meal from the Skyline’s top chefs, wine and other drinks, and entertainment.
Getting There: Parking is limited, so catch the cable car up from Lambton Quay. The Skyline has organised an extension to keep the cable car running until midnight.
Ticket Sales: If you are overseas it's easiest to book online with Ticketek. [Click Here] In New Zealand, you can book online or phone or visit your nearest Ticketek office. Credit card payments to Ticketek will incur a service charge.

Note: The Ticketek page may offer you the option to pick up the ticket at the venue. We will have your name and ticket number on a database if you want to pick up your souvenir ticket when you arrive at the Skyline. Within NZ we could mail the ticket to you, but otherwise Ticketek doesn't give us enough information to reach you by mail.

Sunday, October 05, 2003
Serkis and Wood "Feud" - maegwen @ 20:48 PST
Many of you have mailed us about the alleged "feud" between Andy Serkis and Elijah Wood, a story that is gaining momentum in the last few days, and an excellent example of how urban myths are created.

The story arises out of comments Dominic Monaghan made -- while laughing robustly -- on the Sharon Osbourne Show. Dom was clearly joking, and the "feud" is really the result of Dom's Mancunian sense of humor. Pass it on to your friends, and No more mail, please!

If you must read the gossip, IMDB is posting the story here.

ROTK Events in Cleveland - maegwen @ 17:45 PST
Hi! I just wanted to tell people that there are some cool events going on in Cleveland Ohio for ROTK from November 20- 22! There are some Tolkien workshops, a ROTK marathon reading, and Prizes! I went last year and it was so much fun! (Registration required for workshops and to read). For registration go to www.csuohio.edu/lotr/

Here is some more info. on what will be happening:

We will be reading "The Return of the King" this year. In addition to the Marathon Reading itself, we also have four Workshops, a keynote lecture, the
DVD movie version of "The Two Towers," a Reception, several drawings in which we give away over $2,000 worth of books and related "Lord of the Rings" merchandise (donated graciously from Houghton Mifflin and New Line Cinema). We also have a Walden Books booktable at all the events with all sorts of interesting books and related Tolkien merchandise available for sale.

We've got Tom Shippey coming and Joseph Pearce as well. They are incredible Tolkien Scholars.

Peace, Love, and Hobbits,
-EsteTook

LOTR Art Contest for Kids in Ohio - maegwen @ 17:26 PST
Ringer Spy Melissa writes: I'm a movie theatre manager in Ohio sending this along. Not only will there be the Return of the King play going on in Cincinnati, and the reading marathon in Cleveland, but Columbus (aside from getting Howard Shore to visit in March) will have a couple of big events taking place. Read on!

Central Ohio Art Academy: Fine Art and Computer Graphics for the Gifted

This school is going to have a Lord of the Rings art exhibit, with the pieces made by the kids at the school. John Howe will be judging the pieces via the internet, Peter Jackson also is aware of the event as well and has sent along his support of it. The show starts October 31st in honor of Peter Jackson's birthday. It ends in December, but it is also going to be featured at Marcus Cinema in Pickerington, Ohio on December 20th to celebrate the opening of Return of the King. This is one of the first times that an art exhibit done by very talented young people will be judged on the internet...it's a little hard to get John Howe out of Switzerland unless you are say....Peter Jackson.

Just thought I would let you know!

--Melissa

Friday, October 03, 2003
Return of the Ringers Revival - Tehanu @ 06:19 PST
Well, we're getting a slew of emails from disappointed fans who were planning to be in Wellington for the ROTK premiere and who wanted to come to our Return of the Ringers party. But we sold out in less than 48 hours and left far too many people out in the cold. And that just doesn't make us feel good.

We're negotiating with the venue to see if it can be expanded to fit more people. It can - IF we can get enough people. The Skyline can provide a marquee that extends out through one of the doors into the carpark, and we can get the decor and lighting to make it a kind of summer pavilion.

Ticket prices unfortunately have to rise to $75 to cover that expense, and we can't do it at all unless we know people want to come. So, if you missed out booking for this once-in-a-lifetime event, Return of the Ringers, then send me an email with "rotringers"+number of tickets you'd want in the subject line, and we'll quickly have a better idea of whether to proceed.