A little birdie told me they're shooting the big coronation scenes next week - with the brightest, most splendid costumes they've ever made...

... the screening... was to give cinema owners and distributors a taste of what to expect in the [NZ] $658 million epic directed by Peter Jackson. It was the first time it had been shown to the industry in New Zealand...

Here's the rest.

In this stellar slashed magazine cover story, M.E. employee Damian Madden analyzes the depths of this new trilogy of films, adapted from the classic books by J.R.R Tolkien. [More]

I wrote a review soon after seeing it but didn't go into the minutia as only fans would likely be interested. The producer mentioned that special software has been developed to allow for the massive battle scenes. [More]

Here's the news snippet thanks to Rachel, who caught the item on NZ's Three News:

"... I didn't catch much but from what I gathered it was about the wrap up. They were filming a Christmas parade which some of the actors from the Lord of the Rings had turned up to... they interviewed a few of them including Sir Ian Mckellen, John Noble and Sean Astin. It also showed a few shots of some of the other actors, some screens from the trailer and some pictures of the Minas Tirith and Edoras sets. I don't remember much of what was said but Sean Astin was asked about the Wrap Party. He wouldn't say much about it. He was cheeky to the reporter - it was quite amusing."

There's a mention of it on the TV3 site here - nothing really new, but they've added up the cost of the movies so far and arrived at NZ$690,000,000 which is a big number when you write it out that way! There's a picture too, which is sort of.....hmmmmmm.

I was checking out hollywood.com earlier today and a banner ad popped up with this Lord of the Rings trilogy image...it linked to New Line Cinema's official LOTR web site... Could this perhaps been an image from a teaser poster?

Thanks Powerman!

Did Frodo Fail His Quest?

We offer two sessions for this chat; for more details link here.

TIP - The main number, at most theaters, is simply a recorded message with movie name and showtimes. Wait till the very end of that message for their 'real' number! :)

Today, December 8th is Dominic Monaghan's (Merry) Birthday! Dominic was born on 8 December, 1976, in Berlin, Germany. That makes him 24 today! Have a good one Dominic!!

Now ToyFare magazine is the premier Action Figure and Toy Collecting mag in existence. Their info is almost always 100% reliable. I picked up the new issue today, and was treated to this article about Gentle Giant Studios, a toy company that is turning the Action Figure world on its ear with their ultra-detailed figures. [More]

I saw the 20 minute trailer in Melbourne recently and I can confirm that this is accurate. The footage which covered the Prancing Pony was authentic and just as I imagined it. [More]

Note to other webmasters: Do not copy/paste the list, please link to us. Thank you.

Location of Minas Tirith Set
Upper Hutt, New Zealand

Ringer Spy Robbit the Hobbit sends in some great pics from the Evening Post. Enjoy! [More]

I recently wrote to New Line Head of Production Mike DeLuca, he confirmed the LOTR Trailer release date and film. He said it would be on 13 Days in January.

We can now expect the 'Star Wars' effect on the poor unsuspecting Kevin Costner flick. LOTR fans lining up for hours, dishing out the cash, and walking out after 2 minutes of a drool fest, sorry Kevin, I'll stick around.

FANTASTIC FORTRESS: A glimpse of one of the largest and most detailed sets from The Lord Of The Rings, the fortress city of Minas Tirith, nearing completion in the Dry Creek Quarry at the bottom of Haywards Hill in Wellington. The stunning set includea details rigwn to paving stones, trees and statues.

This is a truly amazing pic!!! go see!!! [More]

Rufus Redbeard writes in:

"The Steward is in residence at Minas Tirith. There are white pennants flying from the flagstaffs on the walls this morning (Thursday morning Dec 7th NZ time). PPresumably they are filming the exterior scenes for tthe chapters before the Battle of the Pellenor fields ((or maybe Eowyn & Faramir?). The set looks great!

Blanchett plays Annie Wilson, the movie also stars Keanu (Whoa) Reeves and Giovanni Ribisi. It's set to release wide on January 19th.

Thanks to burma for the tip!

Sean Bean (Boromir) is co-starring in the action thriller Don't Say a Word, produced by New Regency/Kopelson Entertainment, directed by Gary Fleder and starring Michael Douglas. Principal photography gets under way in New York this week. Sean plays the "baddie" - a criminal mastermind whose heist goes belly up. He can only get to the stolen cash if a psychiatrist (Douglas) can get vital information from one of his near-catatonic patients.

Just a note concerning the MPEG file from waispy that was filmed from a train. That set is actually the Wingate set, as veiwed from a northbound train. The large new wall that can be seen is possibly part of Minas Tirith. The Minas Tirith set at the Haywards is complete and filming is under way.

Location of Minas Tirith Set
Upper Hutt, New Zealand