Go back to Main News Archives


December 17, 2001 - December 23, 2001

News for Dec. 23, 2001

Karlstad, Sweden Line Party Report

12/23/01, 11:52 pm EST - Xoanon

Apan writes: Karlstad Line Party made an arrangement with a local cafe/beer-cafe. With only 4 days of notice they agreed upon keeping open one extra hour. [More]

Missoula, MT Line Party Report

12/23/01, 11:43 pm EST - Xoanon

Mithrandir777 gives us the lowdown for the line party in Missoula, MT. [More]

Livin' It Up

12/23/01, 11:35 pm EST - Xoanon

Liv Tyler has the role of a lifetime in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. She plays Arwen, the elvish princess who's in love with Aragorn, a human. [More]

Orlando Bloom: Hot Up-and-Comer

12/23/01, 11:26 pm EST - Xoanon

This flowery character has walked right out of drama school and into a major role in one of the biggest movies of all time. [More]

Fran Walsh: The Enigma

12/23/01, 11:21 pm EST - Xoanon

Ataahua writes: Yesterday's edition of New Zealand's Sunday Star Times had a wonderful article about the silent half of the Jackson/Walsh team, Fran Walsh. It is a fascinating insight into someone of whom we have heard precious little. [More]

Fix That Hair!

12/23/01, 11:07 pm EST - Xoanon

Ataahua It appears that a number of New Zealand hair stylists are just itching to cut and tame PJ's, er, rather 'relaxed' hair style. [More]

Hollywood Wants Jackson

12/23/01, 10:10 pm EST - Xoanon

Ataahua sends along this story from yesterday's Sunday Star Times. [More]

Orlando Bloom Talks LOTR

12/23/01, 9:40 pm EST - Xoanon

Orlando Bloom (Legolas) recently spoke with Willamette Weekly Online. Take a look at what he has to say about LOTR. [More]

A passionate vision rules `Ring'

12/23/01, 9:33 pm EST - Xoanon

Hearing that one of your favorite books is being made into a film is news that inspires equal parts excitement and fear. [More]

SHOP: Cave Troll Toy Pics

12/23/01, 9:28 pm EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy Ed returns with pics of the almighty cave troll toy! This is certainly one of the items on my Christmas list! [More]

SGI Technology Powers WETA's Lord Of The Rings

12/23/01, 5:52 pm EST - Strider

SGI's long-time customer Weta Digital evoked the power of more than 230 SGI® IRIX® OS-based and SGI LinuxTM OS-based visual workstations, storage products and servers for production, postproduction and visual effects on the much anticipated live-action, CGI-laden The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. [More]

LOTR: FOTR Box Office - updated

12/23/01, 4:45 pm EST - Calisuri

Brandon Gray
Boxofficemojo.com

12/23 - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring ruled them all at the weekend box office, drawing an estimated $45.3 million over the Friday-Sunday period and lifting its five-day total to $73.1 million. [More]

Flick Director's Mop To Cutting Room Floor - Stylists

12/23/01, 4:14 pm EST - Strider

Another Ataahua provided article from the New Zealand Sunday News that Peter Jackson needs a 'new, urban look for the millenium'. Give me a break.. [More]

Elvish 'Nine' Tattoo Appears In NZ Sunday News

12/23/01, 3:52 pm EST - Strider

An image of the Elvish tattoo that the Fellowship actors each got to commemorate the experience has found itself in this Sunday's New Zealand Sunday News. Ataahua sends in a scan! [More]

Message At End Of FOTR Credits For New Zealanders

12/23/01, 3:35 pm EST - Strider

Wondering what the heck that message is that is at the end of the Fellowship of the Ring? Well Ataahua wrote in to reveal that it's not an elvish or sindarin tongue, but in fact a real language: Maori. [More]

TV Watch: TNT LOTR Special

12/23/01, 1:46 pm EST - Xoanon

While you're looking for that MSNBC LOTR special tonight, be sure to catch a repeat showing of the TNT LOTR special. I hear it's a good one! Check your local listings.

National Geographic Special TONIGHT!

12/23/01, 1:43 pm EST - Xoanon

Cezanne Huq of National Geographic writes: Uncover the reality behind one of the year's biggest adventures. [More]

Media Watch: Who Weekly

12/23/01, 1:33 pm EST - Xoanon

Wiggles writes: The Dec 31st issue of the Australian magazine "Who Weekly" there's a photo of Dominic Monaghan, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Liv Tyler, Elijah Wood and Orlando Bloom just after the Total Request Live shoot. Anyone with scans of the photo send it along!

Movie Mistakes In Fellowship Of The Ring Noted

12/23/01, 1:24 pm EST - Strider

Scorpio sends in this link to the Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring page on Movie-Mistakes.com, where the mistakes are coming in thick and fast...seems like it's not the perfect film after all. Maybe Elijah can switch tears from one side of his face to the other naturally? [More]

Brief Info On The Fellowship Of The Ring DVD

12/23/01, 11:27 am EST - Strider

A lot of fans are now eagerly awaiting the Fellowship of the Ring DVD after watching it on the big screen, drooling over the idea of nearly an extra hour of footage. The last word about the DVD was in the region of August/September of next year, and it's just been recently announced that Warner will distribute it in Europe. Here's a list of what the folks at IGN would like to see on it, complete with mock up cover. [More]

Some Stats From IMDB

12/23/01, 11:18 am EST - Strider

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring jumped from number three to the number one most searched for movie on IMDB this week. Similarly, Elijah Wood was the second most requested person this week, with Peter Jackson ninth, Liv Tyler tenth and Viggo Mortensen fourteenth.

'Townsend Bitter Over Lost Aragorn Role'

12/23/01, 11:00 am EST - Strider

Irish actor Stuart Townsend has blasted the makers of Lord of the Rings for treating him badly on the set of the movie before he lost the role of Aragorn, claim ShowBiz Ireland. [More]

Lord Of The Rings Gets 'R' Rating In Australia

12/23/01, 10:33 am EST - Strider

Matt writes: Just an intersting note that LOTR has been rated M in Australia (looking at the TV ads this evening). This is a more stricted rating than the PG13 in the States, which may effect the overall box office in Australia. [More]

The Online Campaign to Knight Peter Jackson

12/23/01, 5:12 am EST - Tookish

A worthy cause indeed! PJ deserves high praise and recognition for what he's done for New Zealand, not to mention the rest of us... [More] To go right to the site link here.

Official Site Moria Goodies

12/23/01, 4:57 am EST - Tookish

Not sure this is news but... Hey just wanted to let you know that on the official site you can now explore Moria and learn about the Dwarf culture. Thanks! From DE [More]

Sindarin Quotes Translated!

12/23/01, 4:50 am EST - Tookish

Word from Sweden on the untranslated lines from Gandalf and Elrond in FotR... [More]

Shore Up Against the (other) Greats

12/23/01, 4:39 am EST - Tookish

Old time Ringer PippinSkywalker sent an email about Howard Shore, the Golden Globes, and his competition: [More]

FotR: The Lost Scenes

12/23/01, 4:25 am EST - Tookish

I'm on my third viewing of FotR and something has been growing on my mind. After seeing hundreds of pre-release images from stills, clips, and trailers, I was sure I'd seen some FotR shots from scenes that never made it to the final cut... Ringer Palleon -=XPd=- spotted a batch too and sent in this intriguing email: [More]

And the Server Survives...barely

12/23/01, 1:06 am EST - Calisuri

Rarely do we ever tell you about the technical side of things at TORn, but I want to take some time to give a big shout out to Corvar and Arathorn for maintaining TheOneRing.net's server through the busiest week in our 2.5 year history. However, our server is straining under the immense traffic generated by the release of the films. If you feel you can help out TORn in anyway this season, please do what you can. [More]

St. Charles LOTR Premiere Party

12/23/01, 12:56 am EST - Xoanon

Lady Galadriel writes: We were probably one of the smallest line parties, but nonetheless we had a great time. [More]

Mesa, AZ LOTR Premiere Party Pics

12/23/01, 12:24 am EST - Xoanon

Steven writes: I plan to make next years event 10 times better! I purchased several book type items myself for the best costume and other prize winners. [More]

News for Dec. 22, 2001

Ian McKellen Talks LOTR

12/22/01, 11:36 pm EST - Xoanon

From the NPR Website: Scott talks to Sir Ian McKellan, the actor who stars as Gandalf in the new film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings novels. McKellan is also starring in a Broadway production of August Strindberg's Dance of Death. (RealPlayer Needed) [More]

Ringer Reviews Overwhelm TORn staff

12/22/01, 7:34 pm EST - Calisuri

This just in...TheOneRing.net staff are drowning in thousands of Ringer Reviews. In some cases, we have not even got to reviews that were submitted on Wednesday! So if your review has not shown up online yet, please be patient. I'm almost afraid to say this...but if you haven't submitted a review yet, please do! [More]

LOTR:FOTR Box Office - Day 3

12/22/01, 5:55 pm EST - Calisuri

Brandon Gray
Boxofficemojo.com

The Lord of the Rings drew in an estimated $14.3 million on Friday, up 47% over Thursday and raising its 3-day total to $42.2 million. [More]

Quest For The Ring On UK & I Television Tomorrow

12/22/01, 3:01 pm EST - Strider

For all Ringers in the United Kingdom and Ireland, FOX's Quest for the Ring special will be shown at 12:30 to 13:00 tomorrow on ITV.

Salt Lake City LOTR Premiere Party

12/22/01, 2:40 pm EST - Xoanon

LC writes: Here in Salt Lake we hosted the worlds largest TheOneRing.net party of them all and I wanted to send you not only a report but pictures as well. We bought out a 500 seat theater for the 12:01 a.m. screening on the first night of the event. [More]

A Trip Into The Australian Premiere

12/22/01, 2:36 pm EST - Strider

Chris sent us in an account of her amazing adventure from standing outside the Sydney premiere to being invited into the premiere itself! [More]

Montreal Premiere Party Report #2

12/22/01, 2:25 pm EST - Xoanon

Here are the pictures and a slightly more detailed report from the Montreal Line Party on December 19th, 2001. [More]

IMAX LOTR:FOTR - Boo!

12/22/01, 2:23 pm EST - Calisuri

I went to my fourth viewing of the film with my brother last night. I was very excited when I realized the tickets we had purchased were for the IMAX screen. Unfortunately, after viewing the film, I have come to the conclusion, wider is NOT better. Unlike the other three times I saw the film, I couldn't follow the action sequences at all. The viewing area was just WAY too big. So my suggestion to Ringer fans out there, avoid the IMAX LOTR:FOTR. Just my two cents.

Viggo Mortensen Interview On Virgin

12/22/01, 2:15 pm EST - Strider

Antonia thought Viggo fans out there would like to know that Virgin.net have posted an interview with the Aragorn star. [More]

Tolkien Documentary On BBC's Omnibus

12/22/01, 1:28 pm EST - Strider

TORn staffer Arathorn and Gothmog and Wife send word that tonight the Tolkien biography on a special edition of the UK BBC2 programme Omnibus at 18.45 GMT...a little under 20 minutes from now!

LA TIMES' Kenneth Turan: LOTR #1

12/22/01, 1:27 pm EST - Xoanon

Sarakin writes: I checked out oscarwatch.com and saw this. Kenneth Turan, lead critic (LA TIMES) best films of 2001. [More]

Media Watch: Cosmopolitan Magazine

12/22/01, 1:16 pm EST - Xoanon

Jorge writes: Liv Tyler (Arwen) appears on the cover of this month's French edition of Cosmopolitan magazine. Anyone with scans of the article, send them along! [More]

Early Show Praises LOTR

12/22/01, 1:10 pm EST - Xoanon

rosie writes: I was just watching the Early Show, and they had their "holiday movies" segment, and Lisa Shwarzbaum, who wrote the "A" Entertainment Weekly LOTR review, definately praised LOTR out of all the movies they talked about. [More]

Billy Boyd Talks LOTR

12/22/01, 1:04 pm EST - Xoanon

Billy Boyd (Pippin) has been talking up LOTR on his official site billyboyd.net. Take a look! (RealPlayer Needed) [More]

Media Watch: VFXPro

12/22/01, 1:34 am EST - Xoanon

One of the most eagerly anticipated movies of recent years, "The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings" will have to pack quite a punch to live up to the hype surrounding its release. [More]

Orlando Bloom Talks LOTR

12/22/01, 1:21 am EST - Xoanon

Check out UnderGroundOnline for a great Orlando Bloom (Legolas) interview. [More]

More Info From The Sydney Premiere Party

12/22/01, 1:17 am EST - Xoanon

Mark writes: I was at the Sydney premiere last night. Unfortunately the audience got very impatient because the 7pm speeches were delayed until well after 8pm. [More]

Sean Bean opens United's Hall of Fame

12/22/01, 1:12 am EST - Xoanon

Celebrity fan Sean Bean (Boromir) jetted in from America to open Sheffield United's Hall of Fame on Friday. [More]

Enya's music makes 'Fellowship' sing

12/22/01, 1:09 am EST - Xoanon

A few months ago, I heard that Celtic new age princess Enya was going to write and perform a couple of works on the "Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring" soundtrack. [More]

Now That's A Hot Film

12/22/01, 1:08 am EST - Xoanon

Icefire Queen writes: At the Dec. 19 one o'clock showing of LOTR: FOTR at Sandhills Cinema 10 in Southern Pines, North Carolina, the film caught on fire! [More]

'The Lord of the Rings' rules!

12/22/01, 1:04 am EST - Xoanon

In the war of the wizards, round 2001, the fans of J.R.R. Tolkien maintained a cool smugness with the onslaught of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" hype a month ago. [More]

Media Watch: Cinefex Magazine

12/22/01, 1:02 am EST - Xoanon

Richard writes: Respected FX journal Cinefex Magazine plan to cover FOTR in their April issue number 89. [More]

News for Dec. 21, 2001

FOTR Bloopers Screened

12/21/01, 11:02 pm EST - Xoanon

Gee writes: On the 20th, New Zealand viewers were treated with a set of classic bloopers from the Fellowship of the Ring. [More]

TTT Trailers After FOTR?

12/21/01, 10:53 pm EST - Xoanon

Soon after the release of "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," New Line Cinema is contemplating a novel distribution scheme to lure those who enjoy the film back into seeing it at least one more time. [More]

GAMING: Xbox LOTR Screenshot

12/21/01, 10:45 pm EST - Xoanon

Kevin from Gamer's Voice sends in this amazing screen shot from Xbox's forthcoming LOTR game. Take a look at Gimli the dwarf! [More]

Sydney LOTR:FOTR Premiere Report

12/21/01, 10:37 pm EST - Xoanon

Niki B writes: I was at the Australian premier yesterday (Sydney). [More]

Hall of Fire Chats for December 22nd & 23rd

12/21/01, 6:43 pm EST - Strider

After three years of waiting, 18 months of shooting, months of post production and several long agonising Decmeber days, the Fellowship of the Ring has finally arrived, and for the majority of those that have witnessed it, it is for them the finest movie they have ever seen. This weekend the Hall of Fire finally gets the long-awaited chance to discuss The Fellowship Of The Ring: The Motion Picture. [More]

TV Watch: Tolkien Bio & TNT

12/21/01, 5:48 pm EST - Xoanon

Be sure to catch the LOTR special on TNT tonight, check your local listings.

There is also a planned Tolkien Biography on PBS tonight. Look out for that!

LOTR Box Office - Day 2

12/21/01, 4:46 pm EST - Calisuri

Brandon Gray
Boxofficemojo.com

'The Lord of the Rings' fell 47% to $9.7 million in its second day of release, elevating its total to $27.9 million. [More]

TheOneRing.net Mystery Contest!

12/21/01, 2:11 pm EST - Calisuri

Myster Contest 2001

TheOneRing.net is proud to announce a brand new contest! The Mystery Contest 2001! What is it? Well, basically...do nothing and win prizes. Fantasy Pewter has kindly donated a $700 Lord of the Rings Chess Set as first prize! [More]

'Lord of the Rings' Trilogy Gets Off to Magical Start

12/21/01, 1:37 pm EST - Xoanon

"All we have to decide," the wizard Gandalf tells Frodo, the young Hobbit hero of "The Lord of the Rings," "is what to do with the time that is given to us." Easier said than done for them, since what's at stake is nothing less than the future of civilization. [More]

Over 1,000 at Aussie Lord Of The Rings premiere

12/21/01, 1:30 pm EST - Xoanon

More than 1,000 fans gave star Elijah Wood a hero's welcome at the Australian premiere of The Lord Of The Rings trilogy's first film in Sydney. [More]

Sydney LOTR:FOTR Premiere

12/21/01, 1:25 pm EST - Xoanon

Kane writes: I was just at the LOTR premiere in Sydney - no I didn't have tickets, but I was there to see the films' stars..So here's my story. [More]

It may not be `Potter,' but `Rings' draws early crowd

12/21/01, 1:17 pm EST - Xoanon

McClurg Court in downtown Chicago was invaded by a second wave of wizard lovers Tuesday night, this time by fans awaiting a 12:01 a.m. showing of "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring." [More]

LOTR:FOTR #1 On IMDB's Greatest Of All Time

12/21/01, 8:44 am EST - Xoanon

LOTR:FOTR has reached the top spot on IMDB's top 250 of all time. Our little movie has bumped 'The Godfather', 'The Shawshank Redemption', and 'Schindler's List' as well as a huge list of other amazing films down 1 spot. [More]

Records, sellouts mark first day of 'Rings' saga

12/21/01, 8:41 am EST - Xoanon

The midweek, day-and-date, virtually global opening of "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings" is giving off "fantastic" vibes, New Line International president Camela Galano said late Wednesday afternoon after a busy day of monitoring early, incomplete results from countries worldwide. [More]

101 Observations from The Fellowship of the Ring

12/21/01, 8:38 am EST - Xoanon

Find out what you saw, what you think you saw, and what you missed altogether. [More]

TV Watch: Oz TV

12/21/01, 8:36 am EST - Xoanon

Trufflehunter writes: You might like to let our Australian fans know that there are TWO specials being aired on TV this weekend. [More]

Media Watch: Jackson & Shore Interviews

12/21/01, 8:31 am EST - Xoanon

Dimitri writes: I just thought I'd recommend checking out the latest edition of Soundtrack Magazine -- there's an interview with Howard Shore and Peter Jackson on the LOTR: FOTR score. There are also two more Shore interviews featured in the latest FilmScoreMonthly as well as Music From The Movies.

Anyone with scans of those articles send them along.

Hobbit fanatics show fellowship of 'Rings'

12/21/01, 8:28 am EST - Xoanon

At three hours, "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" is too short for some J.R.R. Tolkien fans. [More]

TV Watch: Sean Astin NOT On Kilborn

12/21/01, 1:09 am EST - Xoanon

In an apparent last minute scheduling move, Sean Astin (Sam) is NOT appearing on The Late Show With Craig Kilborn tonight. We do not know the reason for this, if anyone does, drop us a line.

Review Central

12/21/01, 1:07 am EST - Xoanon

We will be posting ALL the off-site reviews from all the major newspapers around the world on this page, so keep coming back often for updates! [More]

Party Hardy PJ...

12/21/01, 12:26 am EST - Xoanon

The cast and crew of LOTR mingled with Kiwi celebrities and invited guests at director Peter Jackson's Stone St studios in Miramar after the FOTR premiere last night. [More]

Athens GA LOTR Premiere Party Report

12/21/01, 12:22 am EST - Xoanon

Chris Knight (from TheForce.net) writes: Lisa (my fiancee) thought this was kind of crazy to go to a *midnight* showing of a movie. But she couldn't tear her eyes off the screen! [More]

NZ Papers Go LOTR MAD!

12/21/01, 12:12 am EST - Xoanon

There's no doubt about it, the actors who play the hobbits in The Lord of the Rings say - the Ring Wraiths are the scariest creatures in the film. [More]

New Zealand will host the world premiere of at least one of the remaining two films of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. [More]

Forget London, New York and Los Angeles: the real premiere of The Lord Of The Rings was in Wellington last night [More]

Warrior elf Bloom steals hearts of fans

12/21/01, 12:06 am EST - Xoanon

How 24-year-old Briton Orlando Bloom became a heart-throb before ever appearing in a major movie is a mystery, even to him. [More]

Lords of the Rings

12/21/01, 12:03 am EST - Xoanon

The fate of a $US400 million ($776.7 million), fantasy-drenched movie series is a pretty heavy burden to place on the shoulders of a diminutive 20 year old. [More]

News for Dec. 20, 2001

Jackson: movies need tax breaks

12/20/01, 11:59 pm EST - Xoanon

Director Peter Jackson has warned that New Zealand's ability to attract international film investors could suffer because of a lack of significant tax incentives. [More]

Middle-earth delivers gold to VSA

12/20/01, 11:55 pm EST - Xoanon

A copy of The Lord of the Rings signed by film-maker Peter Jackson and featuring an original sketch by the film's art advisor Alan Lee has raised more than $3000 for Volunteer Service Abroad. [More]

John Rhys-Davies Chat On SciFi.com

12/20/01, 11:48 pm EST - Xoanon

Karl from SciFi.com sent us this transcript from the John Rhys-Davies (Gimli) chat they had today. Also be sure to check out their 'Passage To Middle-earth' section on the site! [More]

Media Watch: The Boston Herald

12/20/01, 11:39 pm EST - Xoanon

Math sends in this article from The Boston Herald. [More]

Kiwi rings fans furious and film muck-ups

12/20/01, 11:10 pm EST - Xoanon

Ataahua writes: Here's the lead story from today's edition of The Daily News in New Plymouth, New Zealand. I was one of the unfortunates who attended this screening! Other stuff-ups around the country included reels being wound on in the wrong order - this happened at one Auckland cinema, and viewers at a 12.01am screening found that the movie jumped from Bree to Moria, missing out Rivendell entirely. [More]

TECH: Maya, Pivotal player in bringing LOTR to the silver screen

12/20/01, 11:06 pm EST - Xoanon

It's rare for a visual-effects facility to focus on only one project for years on end. But it's expected-one could say necessary-when that project involves bringing to the big screen author J.R.R. Tolkien's epic trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings." [More]

$18 200 000 On December 19th Alone

12/20/01, 11:02 pm EST - Xoanon

New Line Cinema has reported an estimated opening day gross of $18.2M for its fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings which bowed on Wednesday, December 19th, after months of hype. Playing in 3,359 theaters with over 5,700 total screens, the Peter Jackson-directed adventure generated the third-largest Wednesday opening in history after 1999's Star Wars Episode I ($28.5M from 2,970 theaters) and last summer's Jurassic Park 3 ($19M from 3,434). [More]

LOTR:FOTR by the Numbers

12/20/01, 11:02 pm EST - Pippin_Took

Now that The Fellowship of the Ring has been playing to audiences across the world for a couple of days, it is becoming apparent that the film is every bit as much a success as we always knew it would be! Check out the current numbers. [More]

Gandalf Bless Us, Every One

12/20/01, 10:58 pm EST - Xoanon

Check out this LOTR related comic from gamespy.com, thanks to Twenin for the link! [More]

Tolkien, Hitler, and Nordic Heroism

12/20/01, 10:51 pm EST - Xoanon

A shadowy, evil overlord hides himself amid an unmapped mountain range. There he wields absolute power over fanatics and slaves, scheming for domination over the free peoples of the world. He sends forth assassins into peaceful lands and cities, spreading terror among civilians. [More]

Filming 'Lord' trilogy a lesson in dedication

12/20/01, 10:46 pm EST - Xoanon

In 1998, we were in pre-preproduction. Film-speak for limbo. Pre-preproduction is the tenuous time before a project is green lighted; before the studio commits to spending real money. [More]

What Are You Tolkien About?

12/20/01, 10:37 pm EST - Xoanon

The Fellowship of the Ring - part one of Peter Jackson's long-awaited $270m Lord of the Rings trilogy of films, has just received its world premiere in London's Leicester Square, but fans, critics and casual cinema-goers alike are stunned at the cheap tacky nature of the effects and the perfunctory storyline which collapses Tolkein's 300 page book into a mere 24 minutes of screen time. [More]

Meet the Ring Leader - Frodo Baggins

12/20/01, 10:25 pm EST - Xoanon

Christopher writes: Last Sunday there was an interview with Elijah Wood in the Sunday Magazine, a freebie that comes with the Australian Sunday Herald-Sun. [More]

National Geographic LOTR Special DVD

12/20/01, 10:16 pm EST - Xoanon

Ursula sends along a link with the special DVD cover for their upcoming LOTR documentry. [More]

Fans Line Up Early for Big Premiere

12/20/01, 10:07 pm EST - Xoanon

Hardcore fans slipped into their elfin outfits, bought advanced tickets in record number, and packed into theaters at midnight for the long-awaited opening of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings. [More]

Enya's 'May It Me' Video Now Online

12/20/01, 10:03 pm EST - Xoanon

Check out the entire 'May It Be' video from the official soundtrack site. Quicktime needed. [More]

Return with us now . . . to the land of Tolkien

12/20/01, 9:59 pm EST - Xoanon

J.R.R. Tolkien, the Oxford prof who changed the world of fantasy literature with his epic trilogy Lord of the Rings, died in 1973. But the beings he conjured decades before — from stately elves and grouchy dwarves to the hissing creature of corruption known as Gollum — continue to thrive in popular imaginations. [More] Thanks to Jen for the tip!

Scoop At Wellington

12/20/01, 9:55 pm EST - Xoanon

Scoop writes: It’s 12.01am, I’m in geek heaven and I’m loving it. It’s the first Australasian public screening of the Fellowship of the Ring. [More]

More Wellington Pics

12/20/01, 9:52 pm EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy DiTcH sends in these pics from the Wellington Premiere party. [More]

Tehanu's reveiw and grace note.

12/20/01, 9:34 pm EST - Xoanon

Going, going, gone. But a quick note about the film before I hop on that big plane. [More]

James Birrell, 8, lived with remarkable bravery

12/20/01, 9:08 pm EST - Xoanon

James Birrell died the way he had lived his eight years of life — with the bravery, humour and wisdom of someone far older. James was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. [More]

The Reviews are flying in...

12/20/01, 7:51 pm EST - Calisuri

This is just a quick note to all the Ringer fans who have submitted their review to our Ringer Reviews section. We have received over 3000 reviews and they are all in the approval stages! This could take a few days. So be patient for your review to show up online. (Heh, and contrary to some nay-sayers, we are adding BOTH negative and positive reviews! The film just seems to be that darn good!)

Boston Premiere Party Pictures

12/20/01, 5:01 pm EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy Math sends along these pictures from the LOTR Line Party in Boston last night. [More]

Montreal Premiere Party Report

12/20/01, 4:03 pm EST - Xoanon

Last night in Montreal, like many other towns and cities around the world, we had our LOTR 'line' Party. [More]

CNBC Talks LOTR

12/20/01, 3:29 pm EST - Xoanon

Ice Hobbit LOTR:FOTR got a lot of play in a morning segment of CNBC Squawk Box. Some discussion of the risk that AOL Time Warner took in filming all 3 movies at once. [More]

Media Watch: 8 Days Magazine

12/20/01, 3:12 pm EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy Milaya sends along these scans from the latest issue of '8 Days Magazine'. [More]

Fellowship Of The Ring Grosses A $18.2 M Opening Day

12/20/01, 3:04 pm EST - Strider

New Line Cinema has reported an estimated opening day gross of $18.2M for its fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings which bowed on Wednesday, December 19th, after months of hype. Playing in 3,359 theaters with over 5,700 total screens, the Peter Jackson-directed adventure generated the third-largest Wednesday opening in history. [More]

Thanks to Moonchic for the link!

Online Chat With John Rhys-Davies On SciFi.com

12/20/01, 3:01 pm EST - Strider

An online chat with Gimli star John Rhys-Davies has begun this very minute at SciFi.com. Head over there now, and have a chat with the chap! [More]

On This Day Four Years Ago....

12/20/01, 2:53 pm EST - Strider

Pippin Skywalker sent this in yesterday: On this day....December 19th four years ago Titanic was
released, going on to win 11 Academy Awards and earning one billion Worldwide at the box office. What a wonderful day for our beloved LOTR to be released!

'Ring'-ing in the day

12/20/01, 2:47 pm EST - Xoanon

From Varitey: The bell has rung and "Rings" has come out swinging. Actual box office data for first-day ticket sales to New Line's "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" won't be available until today, but by Wednesday afternoon it was clear that any concerns the distrib might have nursed about soft opening-day biz were for naught. [More]

StorageTek Helps WETA Store Effects

12/20/01, 2:17 pm EST - Strider

Chris sent us this link to a story about how storage firm StorageTek helped WETA Digital store the 2,500 tapes used for effects for the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. [More]

New Cast Greetings On Official Site

12/20/01, 1:57 pm EST - Strider

Ibernia Lady of Lorien writes: New welcome over at the Official web site: now hear Peter Jackson greet Ring fans along with Liv, Orlando, Ian, Dominic, Billy and Christopher welcome you to the site. There is also a new Boromir Screensaver available.

Media Watch: American Cinematographer

12/20/01, 1:31 pm EST - Strider

sent us in this scan of the original architectual plans for the Rivendell set which was just one of the many features in the 29 page special on Lord of the Rings in American Cinematographer. [More]

Washington Post Online Talks LOTR

12/20/01, 12:34 pm EST - Xoanon

You can catch me on washingtonpost.com's discussion forum today at 1pm eastern. I'll be talking about the movie and our line party success plus more. Submit your questions now and join me at 1pm eastern! [More]

Foxtrot Goes LOTR

12/20/01, 12:21 pm EST - Xoanon

Bill Amend (hope you saw the film) has his December 19th tribute to LOTR. And believe me, I can relate to this one! [More]

Peter Jackson Talks LOTR

12/20/01, 12:17 pm EST - Xoanon

Xris sends in an interview with Peter Jackson on TV3 New Zealand on RealPlayer. [More]

TV Watch: Ian McKellen on CNN

12/20/01, 11:55 am EST - Xoanon

Ian McKellen (Gandalf) was on CNN Morning News with Darren Kagen at around 11:50am. McKellen speaks about his character Gandalf and how getting 4 nominations for Golden Globes was a wonderful way to open the movie.

TECH: Shake Used on "The Lord Of The Rings"

12/20/01, 11:27 am EST - Xoanon

Nothing Real, a compositing software provider to the digital content creation market, announces that WETA Digital, a New Zealand-based visual effects facility, is using its Shake software as the primary film compositing system to handle the enormous visual effects requirements for New Line Cinema's and Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic The Lord of the Rings trilogy. [More]

Wellington LOTR:FOTR Premiere Report

12/20/01, 11:20 am EST - Xoanon

Jenny writes: I've just come back from red carpet parade for the LotR premiere in Wellington. There was a great crowd of thousands. [More]

TV Watch: E!'s 'Behind The Scenes' & Craig Kilborn

12/20/01, 10:45 am EST - Xoanon

Queen of Rohan writes in to remind us that you can catch a LOTR special on E!'s 'Behind The Scenes' tonight.

Sean Astin (Sam) will be on 'Late Night with Craig Kilborn' tonight at 12:35, check your local listings.

Golden Globe Nominations!

12/20/01, 8:51 am EST - Calisuri

Congratulations to Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring for receiving 4 nominations for this year's Golden Globe awards!

Director Motion Picture - Peter Jackson
Best Dramatic Film - Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Best Original Score - Howard Shore
Best Original Song - May it Be - Enya

The show is January 20th on NBC! Woo! Congrats PJ and the whole production!

News for Dec. 19, 2001

Why are you here?

12/19/01, 6:25 pm EST - Calisuri

Okay folks, if you are reading this post, I just have one question; "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!?!" Get thyself to a Movie Theater! (Check out Line Parties to get involved locally)

Also, as you can see, we have opened a brand new section: Ringer Reviews. We honestly could care less what the media thinks, we want to know what YOU think! Please be patient with us in getting your reviews online. Afterall, we are also at the movie today!!

Right now, with 300 FAN reviews added, Fellowship of the Ring is getting 4.6 rings out of a possible 5! Wow...can you say 'living up to expectations!'

TheOneRing.net Brings You 'Ringer Reviews'

12/19/01, 12:09 am EST - Xoanon

The worldwide release of the Fellowship of the Ring is soon upon us! TheOneRing.net is proud to bring you the forum for which fans can voice their opinions and views on the Fellowship of the Ring: Ringer Reviews. A database of reviews from Tolkien fans all over the world, whether you loved, liked or hated the film this is where you can express your feelings in words and celebrate with your fellow fans the release of the first installment in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. [Submit Your Review Here]

Effects studio winds down as film premieres

12/19/01, 12:05 am EST - Xoanon

As the world starts to wonder how Wellington special effects studio Weta brought JRR Tolkien's fantasy world Middle Earth to reality, studio founders Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger are wondering where the next job offer is coming from. [More]

Stars to step back in time

12/19/01, 12:01 am EST - Xoanon

When The Lord Of The Rings stars walk up the red carpet at Wellington's Embassy Theatre today it will be into an entrance sporting the grandeur of yesteryear. [More]

News for Dec. 18, 2001

Riding the rings gravy train

12/18/01, 11:57 pm EST - Xoanon

Journalists don't usually like to utter the "j word" - known by everyone else as "junket". It sounds too much like reporters pretending to work, but really living it up at the expense of promoters. [More]

Spy Report From Middle-earth

12/18/01, 11:53 pm EST - Xoanon

Rufus Redbeard writes: I have the pleasure of working just off Courtenay Place (where the Embassy, site of the premiere, is). The latest situation is that the Police have closed some of the roads leading into Courtenay Place so that the preparations can get underway. [More]

New Line's tough 'Lord of Rings' test

12/18/01, 11:43 pm EST - Xoanon

Advance reviews are overwhelmingly positive, a huge legion of lifelong fans are salivating, and to call its market research encouraging would be an understatement. [More]

MORE Nominations For LOTR:FOTR

12/18/01, 11:41 pm EST - Xoanon

Miss Underhill writes: I Just thought I'd tell you that LOTR is up for MORE nominations in various awards. [More]

National Geographic LOTR Special Air Dates

12/18/01, 11:33 pm EST - Xoanon

Heather writes: Here are the dates and times for the National Geographic show on MSNBC from the tvguide website. [More]

NZers Hope Elves Can Do The Same As Crocks

12/18/01, 11:26 pm EST - Xoanon

Jason writes: I have just listened to an interview with the CEO of New Zealand Tourism on Australia's ABC Radio on the subject of the impact of the Lord of the Rings on NZ. [More]

Armando Bloom....

12/18/01, 11:19 pm EST - Xoanon

A little less than an hour before D-Day, it is our pleasure to introduce you to a never-before-seen cast member (according to the New York Times) Armando Bloom! [More]

Shore Score Sells Big

12/18/01, 11:07 pm EST - Xoanon

Carlos writes: Check out the site www.tutopia.com they say the soundtrack as already sold 1 million copies and gone platnum, the point they are making is that the movie isn't out yet and already the soundtrack is making huge sales. There's also a big praise for the film in today's mexican newspaper "El Economista".

Time Magazine Review

12/18/01, 10:54 pm EST - Xoanon

Without a single cute kid or flying broom, the movie of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy comes to thrilling life. [More]

The magic of 'Rings'

12/18/01, 10:49 pm EST - Xoanon

When English don J.R.R. Tolkien wrote this ominous incantation decades ago for his epic trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings," he certainly never envisioned a zillion moviegoers spellbound in darkness. [More]

Media Watch: Hot Tickets Magazine

12/18/01, 10:45 pm EST - Xoanon

Mark S sends us these scans from 'Hot Tickets' Magazine. Featuring Orlando Bloom (Legolas) [More]

New Zealand Premiere Live Webcam!!

12/18/01, 10:37 pm EST - Tookish

Thanks once again to Mr Tadpole we have word on the next best thing to being there: Howdy,live web cam of Courtenay Place and the Embassy for tonight's (last) premiere.(!!!)[More]

The Ring Masters

12/18/01, 10:28 pm EST - Xoanon

Everything you've read, seen or listened to in the last half-century has been influenced to some degree by Tolkien's 1,200-page novel. Oh, come on! Not "Star Trek" or "Star Wars." Not "The Godfather." Not Led Zeppelin. Not "War and Remembrance." Not "Dungeons and Dragons." Well, maybe. [More]

'Flawless Adaptation': CNN Reviews LOTR:FOTR

12/18/01, 10:24 pm EST - Tookish

A number of faithful Ringers have sent in notice on the CNN review. Thanks for the news folks! [More]

Wellington: Premiere Preparations.

12/18/01, 6:26 pm EST - Tehanu

Tehanu surfaces briefly in Wellington to talk about the town's wind-up to the premiere. The town is alive with excitement! [More]

TheOneRing.net Brings You 'Ringer Reviews'

12/18/01, 5:27 pm EST - Strider

With less than 24 hours to go until the worldwide release of the Fellowship of the Ring, TheOneRing.net is proud to bring you the forum for which fans can voice their opinions and views on the Fellowship of the Ring: Ringer Reviews. A database of reviews from Tolkien fans all over the world, whether you loved, liked or hated the film this is where you can express your feelings in words and celebrate with your fellow fans the release of the first installment in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. [Submit Your Review Here]

My LOTR:FOTR Review!!

12/18/01, 3:04 pm EST - Xoanon

Well, after the long wait, and all the emails from you guys, it is finally here, my Fellowship Of The Ring review! If you don't mind the 'History Of...' opening few paragraphs, check out The Review! !!!EXTREME SPOILERS!!! [More]

RoboGeek Reviews LOTR:FOTR

12/18/01, 3:01 pm EST - Xoanon

RoboGeek from AICN sends us the link to his LOTR:FOTR review! [More]

What trailer is attached to what?

12/18/01, 2:59 pm EST - Xoanon

With a great deal of big films being released in the next few weeks, there is a need to hype the vast amount of huge releases that are hitting our screens next summer. [More]

'Rings' mythical and divine

12/18/01, 2:56 pm EST - Xoanon

The new "Lord of the Rings" film that opens tomorrow is expected to take the movie-viewing world by storm, but what is not so well-known are the Christian convictions guiding the author of the classic tale. [More]

A Movie Parable

12/18/01, 2:53 pm EST - Xoanon

Harry Potter... piffle! Mere child's play. For a mature fantasy treatment, one need only have waited for J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. [More]

Miramax delays 'Kate' on strong b.o. competition

12/18/01, 2:52 pm EST - Xoanon

Citing the extremely strong tracking of New Line's "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" and a complement of event pictures opening this week, Miramax Films has postponed the opening of its romantic comedy "Kate & Leopold," [More]

'Lord of the Rings' actors bond in an indelible fellowship

12/18/01, 2:50 pm EST - Xoanon

Regardless of the ultimate fate of "The Lord of the Rings," the fantasy trilogy whose first episode, "The Fellowship of the Ring," opens with great fanfare Wednesday, it is safe to say nearly everyone involved has been forever altered by the journey. [More]

GAMING: EA Signs With New Line

12/18/01, 2:47 pm EST - Xoanon

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. Electronic Arts officially announced today that they have signed an exclusive deal with New Line Cinema to create games based on the upcoming The Lord of the Rings movies. [More]

No LOTR Mobile Content In US?

12/18/01, 2:17 pm EST - DarthCaeser

In a recent press release, Riot Entertainment (RIOT-E) mentions bringing LOTR mobile services to four continents, North America *not* being one of them! We're working on getting more info for you, so stay tuned to the Havens for updates. [More]

The One Humvee

12/18/01, 12:07 pm EST - Xoanon

Sauron—aka the Lord of the Rings—was a pretty buff dude. Ruled the world for a while, and remained in power in his home country for many centuries thereafter. He subverted the hearts and minds of many, and sent countless others to early and often unquiet graves. [More]

`Hobbit' feeds a new need for good-vs.-evil fantasy

12/18/01, 12:04 pm EST - Xoanon

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the first installment in the highly anticipated movie adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's famous fantasy trilogy, opens with sweeping shots of an epic landscape in transition. [More]

Composing a New Cycle of 'The Rings'

12/18/01, 12:02 pm EST - Xoanon

In the most complex project of his career, Howard Shore sets Middle-earth to music for "The Lord of the Rings." The musical career of Howard Shore keeps taking strange turns. Back in the late '60s, he played saxophone with a Canadian rock band. [More]

Heft plays role in hobbit's casting

12/18/01, 12:00 pm EST - Xoanon

Heavy can be good in Hollywood. The proof is in Sean Astin, who landed the role of Samwise "Sam" Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which opens Wednesday. [More]

'Rings' director Peter Jackson makes fantasy a reality

12/18/01, 11:58 am EST - Xoanon

If you're a huge fan of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy and you ache for the first part to reach theaters, director Peter Jackson feels your pain. [More]

Cnet.com Talks LOTR Fansites

12/18/01, 11:55 am EST - Xoanon

Head on over to CNET.COM for a great video and interview with a LOTR superfan and cnet's take on LOTR fandom and fansites! (just look for the picture of Gandalf on the right side) [More]

Attention To Detail

12/18/01, 11:52 am EST - Xoanon

J.R.R. Tolkien and director Peter Jackson share fans' obsessions with `The Lord of the Rings'. Of all the fans of elves and ents, of all the folks fixated on hobbits, dwarves and orcs, there's one who stands out as the most fanatical, most absorbed, most obsessed fan of all. [More]

PRAISE 'THE LORD'!

12/18/01, 11:49 am EST - Xoanon

One of the biggest gambles in Hollywood history, the long-awaited "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" pays off with dividends - it's the three most exciting hours we've seen on a movie screen in years. [More]

PJ On The Big Breakfast

12/18/01, 11:46 am EST - Xoanon

Aelinwen writes: Today was Peter's turn to be seen on the Big Breakfast. I guess all the interviews were on the same day but screened one at a time. [More]

Director plans Rings museum

12/18/01, 11:40 am EST - Xoanon

Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson is hoping to set up a museum to display props and costumes from his epic film, despite objections from the estate of the story's author JRR Tolkien. [More]

Media Watch: Sunday Morning Herald

12/18/01, 11:37 am EST - Xoanon

Matt O sent us these scans from the Sunday Morning Herald. [More]

Hobbits drink beer, elves just think

12/18/01, 11:20 am EST - Xoanon

It is here at last: the long-awaited film The Lord Of The Rings opens in a sea of media hype and mounting expectations. Life! takes a peek at the truth behind the fantasy. [More]

My Life As A Hobbit

12/18/01, 11:14 am EST - Xoanon

Ranger of the North sends us this scan from USA Weekend. [More]

Media Watch: Fangoria Magazine

12/18/01, 11:09 am EST - Xoanon

Ranger of the North sends us this Viggo Mortensen interview. [More]

Media Watch: Fangoria Magazine

12/18/01, 10:59 am EST - Xoanon

Ranger of the North sends us these scans from 'Fangoria Magazine'. [More]

Bouncing off Walls! ITS ALMOST HERE!!!

12/18/01, 1:59 am EST - Calisuri

In case you didn't notice...ONE DAY LEFT!!!!!!!! This is it. The wait is almost over. All those conversations with friends about who should play Gandalf; Who is the perfect Aragorn. All of those months, years, decades and lifetimes of anticipation. It has all come down to this. Fellowship of the Ring is coming in ONE DAY. I don't know about you, but I'm bouncing off walls here!

AFI LOTR Screening Pics

12/18/01, 1:05 am EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy Garfeimao sends us these pics from te AFI Screeing in Hollywood last Sunday. Take a look! [More]

The movie of the year

12/18/01, 12:50 am EST - Xoanon

The most heartbreaking thing about faithful moviegoing is that awe, beauty and excitement, three of the things we go to the movies for, are the very things we're cheated of the most. [More]

Stars come out to play for Wellington Rings premiere

12/18/01, 12:48 am EST - Xoanon

Local and international stars of the big and small screen, champion sportspeople, politicians and other celebrity guests will attend the Australasian premiere of the first instalment of Peter Jackson's eagerly awaited trilogy The Lord of the Rings in Wellington tomorrow. [More]

I'm sticking with Wellington

12/18/01, 12:47 am EST - Xoanon

Overseas film critics are picking the first instalment of The Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring - to be a monster hit with some suggesting it may propel its 40-year-old maker into the same league as blockbuster directors Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, James Cameron and Francis Ford Coppola. [More]

John Rhys-Davies Chat On AOL

12/18/01, 12:45 am EST - Xoanon

John Rhys-Davies (Gimli) recently conducted an online chat on AOL. TimElf was kind enough to send us the transcript! [More]

City Embraces Hobbit Habit

12/18/01, 12:40 am EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy JS sends us this article from 'The Middle-earth Times', NZ :) [More]

NYC LOTR Premiere Report

12/18/01, 12:03 am EST - Xoanon

Andrew V writes: I was clean shaven, my shoes were shined, and I felt like a million bucks walking down the red carpet to the 'Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring' Premier in New York City at Ziegfeld Theater. [More]

News for Dec. 17, 2001

Elijah Wood Is In My Pocket Right Now...

12/17/01, 11:57 pm EST - Xoanon

Elijah Wood (Frodo) was on 'The Daily Show With John Stewart' tonight. [More]

The secret of Tolkien's 'Rings'

12/17/01, 7:24 pm EST - Xoanon

Tom Shippey once knew and taught with J.R.R. Tolkien at Oxford. And Shippey, the Walter J. Ong Chair of Humanities at St. Louis University in Missouri, said he knows why Tolkien's work still has an audience today. [More]

Media Watch: Hot Tickets Magazine

12/17/01, 7:20 pm EST - Xoanon

Artemis writes: Orlando Bloom (Legolas) was featured in the UK magazine 'Hot Tickets'. Anyone with scans of the article, send them along!

NPR Talks Tolkien

12/17/01, 7:16 pm EST - Xoanon

Hirgil writes: On NPR's "Morning Edition" show, reporter Pat Dowell reports the film based on J.R.R Tolkien's book The Lord of the Rings has critics remarking that this story about the power to destroy evil is uncannily relevant to today's world. (RealPlayer Needed) [More]

Hollywood LOTR:FOTR Premiere Report!

12/17/01, 7:12 pm EST - Xoanon

Garfeimao writes: We drove to the Egyptian theater and got there with about 15 minutes to spare. We could see film crews and loads of people standing out in front of the theater as we drove into the parking lot. [More]

Is It Secret? Is It Safe?!

12/17/01, 7:02 pm EST - Xoanon

Check out PVP Online for a great LOTR Comic, come on Bill Amend! Where's yours?! [More]

MIT Goes LOTR Mad!

12/17/01, 6:59 pm EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy Erundil writes: Just thought you might be interested in these jpgs from today's MIT Great Dome Lord of the Rings Hack. [More]

NYC LOTR:FOTR Premiere!

12/17/01, 6:56 pm EST - Xoanon

Zorina writes: New York Premier of Lord of the Rings was a marvelous experience and a huge success! A very well organized team of New Liner's worked diligently to help people make it through ticket and security checkpoint, pass representatives of every major media outlet and into the beautifully appointed Rhiga Royal Hotel. [More]

LA Fans Unite! Party Down!

12/17/01, 6:04 pm EST - Calisuri

If you live in Los Angeles and you are a Tolkien fan, you can't miss the festivities tomorrow! Check out what TolkienOnline and TheOneRing.net are doing at Universal Studios Citywalk for the release of Fellowship of the Ring! [More]

Elijah Wood: A hard hobbit to break

12/17/01, 2:35 pm EST - Xoanon

NEW YORK (AP) -- When it came to auditioning for the biggest and riskiest role of his young career, Elijah Wood just mailed it in. [More]

Tolkien readers await latest film foray into Middle Earth

12/17/01, 2:30 pm EST - Xoanon

Long before Harry Potter was a glimmer in J. K. Rowling's mind - indeed, before Rowling herself was born - fantastic creatures and stories were inhabiting the imaginations of young readers. [More]

'Ring' actor tuned in to warrior spirit

12/17/01, 2:28 pm EST - Xoanon

Viggo Mortensen is looking every bit the bohemian, barefoot and sipping a special Argentine tea, as he talks about his role in The Fellowship of the Ring, the first of three Lord of the Rings films. [More]

Staying faithful to the 'Fellowship'

12/17/01, 2:24 pm EST - Xoanon

J.R.R. Tolkien is almost as famous for his fans as for his work. In America in particular, the counterculture saw kindred spirits in his Hobbits during the 1960s and '70s, when ''Frodo Lives!'' and ''Gandalf for President!'' slogans started appearing on bumper stickers and college campuses. [More]

Ian McKellen, Into the 'Ring'

12/17/01, 2:22 pm EST - Xoanon

NEW YORK – Sir Ian McKellen is asking for silence. He has commanded the Broadhurst Theatre stage for the last 2 1/2 hours with a corrosive yet richly detailed portrayal in August Strindberg's "Dance of Death," and so the cheering matinee audience quite naturally does his bidding. [More]

SHOP: Labyrinthine Licensing Creates Two Sets of 'Rings' Merchandise

12/17/01, 12:13 pm EST - Xoanon

"Lord of the Rings" fans face a decision. Should they buy the "Rings" jigsaw puzzles with scenes from the coming movie? Or the puzzle that springs from the J.R.R. Tolkien novels on which the movie is based? [More]

Film adaptation of Tolkien's trilogy rings true

12/17/01, 12:03 pm EST - Xoanon

Classic modern epic carries a bit more weight than "Potter" or "Star Wars". When poet W.H. Auden reviewed "The Fellowship of the Ring" in 1954 he wrote, "what happened in the year of the Shire 1418 in the Third Age of Middle Earth is not only fascinating in A. D. 1954 but also a warning and an inspiration." [More]

The greatest fairy story ever told

12/17/01, 12:00 pm EST - Xoanon

To tell the truth, I never got the hobbit habit, though it certainly didn't stop me passing snide comment on Tolkien fans. [More]

Happy Birthday Bernard Hill!

12/17/01, 9:29 am EST - Xoanon


Today, December 17th is Bernard Hill's (Theoden) birthday! Bernard was born on December 17th, 1944 in Manchester, England. That makes him 57 today, happy birthday Bernard!

TV Watch: Elijah Wood On The Daily Show

12/17/01, 9:25 am EST - Xoanon

Elijah Wood Fodo) continues to make the talk show rounds tonight. You can catch him on the hilarious 'Daily Show with John Stewart'. Check your local listings.

John Rhys-Davies AOL Chat

12/17/01, 9:22 am EST - Xoanon

Tonight at 7PM eastern you can chat live with John Rhys-Davies (Gimli) on AOL.

4 AFI Nominations For LOTR:FOTR!

12/17/01, 9:20 am EST - Xoanon

Maestro writes in to tell us that LOTR:FOTR has been nominated for 4 AFI awards! Best Movie, Grant Major for Production Design, Jim Rygiel for Digital Effects, and Howard Shore for Music! [More]

LA Premiere Pics!

12/17/01, 8:46 am EST - Xoanon

Ranger Hobbit Anne sends us this link to a site with a ton of LOTR:FOTR premiere pictures from LA! Take a look! [More]

Elijah in the Wood

12/17/01, 8:43 am EST - Xoanon

It’s coming. Set your clocks. Don’t leave home without your tickets. Be prepared to stand in line. December 19, 2001 will be the day that fans of Middle-earth remember for years to come. [More]

WETA Exhibit In Wellington (AKA Middle-earth)

12/17/01, 8:41 am EST - Xoanon

Soathus writes: I live in Wellington and just came back from the exhibit featuring props, outfits, swords, helmets, shields and the set miniature of Orthanc at the St. James Theatre in Wellington. [More]

Tolkien casts a shadow on world of fantasy writing

12/17/01, 8:39 am EST - Xoanon

Dennis McKiernan owes his writing career to J.R.R. Tolkien -- along with a severe car accident that left him in a cast from his armpits to his toes. [More]

The lure of 'The Ring': Tolkien's fantasy

12/17/01, 8:37 am EST - Xoanon

NEW YORK CITY -- The Lord of the Rings'' has for 45 years been to the film world what Everest is to climbers: the ultimate prize and the supreme challenge. With an enormous readership -- John Ronald Reuel Tolkien's books have sold an estimated 100 million copies -- the mystical adventure holds a weighty place in the popular imagination. [More]

Weekend Round-Up

12/17/01, 1:15 am EST - Xoanon

Missed all the news this weekend? Well fear not! Here's your weekend round-up! [More]

Go back to Main News Archives