September 16, 2002 - September 22, 2002

News for Sep. 22, 2002

Each week, I scour Ebay looking for the hot Tolkien items up for sale. I post the most interesting here for you to bid on. [More]

Weekly Cast Watch

9/22/02, 10:30 pm EST - Xoanon

Here's another creat chance to see your favorite LOTR star on the small screen! Take a look at our weekly cast watch! [More]

Just Be Sure You Turn It Off At The Cinema

9/22/02, 9:46 pm EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy Taniwha sends along these Nokia ringtunes samples you can download (upload? whatever -Xo) to your phone...this is truly hilarious stuff! [More]

Bilbo & Frodo Birthday Celebrations

9/22/02, 9:41 pm EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy Willow writes: A LOTR birthday celbration goes terribly wrong when an elf gets caught in a tree. [More]

More on Aragorn's horse "Brego"

9/22/02, 11:58 am EST - Tehanu

News from Brandon, who inspected the latest TTT toys and found something very interesting written on the back of the two-pack containing Aragorn and his horse. [More]

Lord of the Tube?

9/22/02, 6:56 am EST - Demosthenes

Ringer Spy Ataahua writes that the Sunday Star-Times in New Zealand is speculating that The Lord of the Rings could be turned into a television series. [More]

I'll believe it when I see it -- Dem

News for Sep. 21, 2002

Sala Baker Makes The Rounds At Collectormania II

9/21/02, 1:53 pm EST - Xoanon

Natalie sends in her report from todays events at Collectormania II in the UK, including her time with Sala Baker, and her photos with him. [More]

Now, if anyone has any pics of Tom Baker at Collectormania...send them along!

SHOP: Toy Biz TTT Toys Galore!

9/21/02, 1:41 pm EST - Xoanon

Take a look at these great (well, excluding Arwen..what were they thinking!!! -Xo) pics from the Toy Biz line of TTT toys. [More] [SHOP]

Mr Calm Within The Storm

9/21/02, 12:34 pm EST - Xoanon

His latest role in xXx makes Marton Csokas look like a nasty piece of work, but his calm, understated persona in real life just goes to show what a fine actor he is. His modesty notwithstanding, his career looks set to explode. Andrew L. Urban meets MC - Mr Calm. [More]

Sala Baker At Collectormania Report

9/21/02, 12:33 pm EST - Xoanon

Yahweh70 sends along this report from Collectormania 2 in the UK. Where our very own Sala Baker (Sauron) appeared to sign autographs and schmooze with the crowd. [More]

(To set the record once and for all..Sala played Sauron AND Lurtz in a few scenes, not to take anything away from our good friend Lawrence Makoare, but Sala was also Lurtz..so stop sending me angry emails 'correcting' me! -Xo)

Elijah's 'Try Seventeen' Review

9/21/02, 12:24 pm EST - Xoanon

Emma sends along her review of the latest Elijah Wood (Frodo) film 'Try Seventeen'. Emma was one of the lucky screeners at the recent Toronto International Film Festival. [More]

Aragorn's Horse No Longer Called Hasufel?

9/21/02, 11:36 am EST - Strider

According to the newly-added Horses section on the Official Site, Aragorn rides a horse called Brego, named after the son of Eorl and second King of Rohan, in The Two Towers. However in the novel itself, Aragorn is presented with a horse called Hasufel. Is this a name-change, or something more? [More]

Bilbo's Big Finish

9/21/02, 5:43 am EST - Demosthenes

It's being billed as Lord of the Rings meets Doctor Who. On Sunday October 13, Gary Russell, editor of The Art of the Lord of the Rings and long associated with the cult science-fiction television series Doctor Who, will be the special guest of The Doctor Who Society of Australia at a day-long convention in Sydney. So, if you live in Sydney, and want to meet the author of this fascinating book, here's your opportunity. [More]

Hall of Fire Chats - Sept 21 & 22

9/21/02, 12:35 am EST - Demosthenes

The hero and the heroic in Lord of the Rings

It's an intriguing question. Who is the hero in the Lord of the Rings? Who did Tolkien see as the hero? Is there more than one? What is it that characters such as Frodo, Aragorn, Sam and even Gollum do that make us regard them as heroes (or antiheroes)? [More]

News for Sep. 20, 2002

Get Tickets For The Alan Lee Event Now!

9/20/02, 5:14 pm EST - Xoanon

Follow this link to get your tickets online for the Alan Lee 'Fiction to Film' event in NYC next week! Only 15$ [Get Tickets] [More]

Sala Baker At Attend Collectormania 2

9/20/02, 4:40 pm EST - Xoanon

A reminder to all that Sala Baker, who appeared in Lord of the Rings (as Sauron and Lurtz) will be making his first UK appearance at Collectormania 2 this weekend. Sala will be joining an impressive lineup of guests at the second huge, free mega-event. [More]

Austin LOTR Event

9/20/02, 3:40 pm EST - Xoanon

Ringer Spy FrenziedFan sends along this invitation from the Unversity of Texas Club, an evening with English professor Dr. Jane Chance, take a look! [More]

Attention Los Angeles Birthday Party-Goers

9/20/02, 3:36 pm EST - Calisuri

Ringer Staffer Arwen2 has sent along the latest news on the Los Angeles Birthday celebration taking place on Sunday. [More]

DVD SE In The UK News

9/20/02, 3:28 pm EST - Xoanon

Monkeyman writes: I have forwarded below an e-mail that I have received from the UK's BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) which I think conclusively answers the question of what cuts the UK DVD release of the special edition will include. [More]

New TTT Trailer In October?

9/20/02, 3:12 pm EST - Xoanon

Katarina writes: According to a commercial info mail from SF, a Swedish chain of movie theatres, there will be a new release of TTT pictures on September 30, and a new trailer on October 1! A second trailer in just ten days!

First Class Christmas with Lord of the Rings

9/20/02, 3:10 pm EST - Xoanon

Primula sends this along: In support of its First Class Christmas stamp promotion, which will make one customer a millionaire, Royal Mail will unveil a website featuring some world-exclusive images from Hollywood's most eagerly awaited blockbuster - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. [More]

Don't Forget! Bring your Camera!

9/20/02, 2:19 pm EST - Calisuri

There are lots of events taking taking place this weekend to celebrate Bilbo and Frodo's Birthday. We want to simply remind you to bring your camera , take pictures, and send your photos to us at spymaster@theonering.net. We'll try out best to post a story and the images from all the events taking place. If you aren't sure if there is something going on near you, check out our 'Line Party' section for your local Tolkien related activities! [More]

Meet Alan Lee In NYC Next Week!

9/20/02, 2:16 pm EST - Xoanon

Celebrated artist Alan Lee will discuss his contributions as illustator of the centenary edition of THE LORD OF THE RINGS and the 60th anniversary edition of THE HOBBIT (Houghton Mifflin) and as Conceptual Artist for the film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson (New Line Cinema). The presentation will include behind-the-scenes footage and will conclude with a book signing. [More]

Plan on attending and you have a wicked video camera? Drop me a line!

SHOP: Birthday Specials at LOTRshop.com

9/20/02, 11:04 am EST - Calisuri

As you are well aware, it is Bilbo and Frodo's Birthday this weekend. The Official New Line shop (www.LOTRshop.com) is joining the celebration by putting the majority of their Bilbo and Frodo products on sale. Starting today, this sale only last for 4 days! [More]

Tolkien trilogy a hot topic

9/20/02, 9:48 am EST - Xoanon

If a hobbit wanted letters after its name, the University of Otago would be the place to study. The English department is offering a paper dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings including study of the Peter Jackson films based on the epic tale. Is this a case of jumping on the bandwagon? [More]

Media Watch: Movieline Magazine

9/20/02, 9:40 am EST - Xoanon

Sparky writes: The attached TTT item appears in the latest (October 2002) issue of Movieline. The name of the article is 'Oscar Bait 2002.' It's not the most enthusiastic Oscar nod . . . in fact the only nod here is that of the reader, and quite possibly the author, nodding off to sleep. I especially like the reference to "Fairies." Did I miss something?? [More]

Dork Tower Does LOTR

9/20/02, 9:31 am EST - Xoanon

The folks at Dork Tower send us the link to the latest comic...DVD goodness! [More]

More Detailed Picture of Treebeard Action Figure?

9/20/02, 9:27 am EST - Demosthenes

I know a picture of the Toy Biz Treebeard action figure has been floating around for a while, but I'm not sure that I've seen one this large and with quite as much detail until now.

Update: Okay, it looks like Marvel had to take down their piccie, but you can still see it on War of the Ring's gallery. [More]

Battle lost for eco-house

9/20/02, 9:25 am EST - Xoanon

A three-year fight to save a Lord of the Rings style eco-house in Pembrokeshire has finally been lost. The owner of the turf-covered roundhouse at Brithdir Mawr at Newport has had his appeal over planning permission refusal dismissed. More]

News for Sep. 19, 2002

TTT release: midnight screening in Germany

9/19/02, 8:34 pm EST - Tehanu

Frodo's Girl reports: "...didn't know if you guys heard, but according to a German friend of mine, cinemax cinemas in Germany are already selling tickets to the midnight showing of TTT- as of the 12th of this month." It's on Herr der Ringe, she says.

Last Word on National Geographic's LOTR DVD

9/19/02, 8:22 pm EST - Tehanu

Yes "Beyond the Movie" is available in Europe - but not from New Line. The "extended" version included in extended LOTR DVD sets in America is not available in UK etc, presumably because someone else other than New Line owns the rights in these markets and the owner of those rights does not want to see their lucrative "standalone" sales of the "standard" Nat Geographic DVD impacted by having New Line give away an extended version with their product.

Thanks to Irascian for the news.

Treebeard *yay* high....

9/19/02, 8:15 pm EST - Tehanu

Becarnen from the Czech Republic writes, "I've just received interesting information. Treebeard, whose images are top secret prior to October 1, 2002, will be exactly 17' 4" (5.28 metres) high! I know it's hard to prove this information, but my source (calling himself Kalten) works for big advertising agency with tons of materials for marketing campaign. So believe it or not :o)"

Time Inc. essay contest

9/19/02, 8:04 pm EST - Tehanu

Time Inc. has put out it's latest mini-zine for Social Studies students and it's all about LOTR! There's an essay contest, with prizes. [More]

Official LOTR Site Updates!

9/19/02, 3:28 pm EST - Pippin_Took

The official website for The Lord of the Rings has been updated with a new module featuring the Horses of Middle-earth. Check out this new guide, in addition to new screensavers and desktops!
[More]

Decipher Talks TTT

9/19/02, 2:40 pm EST - Xoanon

(Norfolk, VA, September 19, 2002)�Decipher will premiere The Two Towers�, the latest addition to its award-winning The Lord of the Rings� Trading Card Game (TCG), on October 31st at DecipherCon in Chesapeake, Virginia. [More] [Gaming Havens]

Serkis' Review In Othello

9/19/02, 12:46 pm EST - Xoanon

Janet writes: Andy Serkis as Iago had a terrific review in yesterday's (London) Times. [More]

Middle Earth Feast: Tolkien fan concocts a meal fit for a Hobbit

9/19/02, 12:40 pm EST - Xoanon

The gathering appeared to be a typical summer barbecue. Neighbors watched guests in Erick Irvis' back yard toss around a Frisbee as he tended the grill. But rather than hot dogs and hamburgers, Irvis was grilling Black Angus ribs and dense pieces of organically raised bison. [More]

Live In Abilene, TX? Wanna See FOTR Tonight?

9/19/02, 12:39 pm EST - Xoanon

Tonight from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., Abilene Christian University (in Abilene, TX) is having a showing of LOTR:FOTR in the Campus Center Hilton Room. It's free, and, as far as I know, open to the public. They've got good sound equipment, so it should do justice to the film. [More]

Even Good Guys Go Geek

9/19/02, 12:35 pm EST - Xoanon

Suzanne writes: I received my Goodguys September magazine today. Perusing the many things I cannot afford, lo and behold on page 8, they were advertising their 30"+ HDTV--and guess what movie they were using as the insert to exemplify their quality imagery? That's right! None other than your favorite and mine: Fellowship of the Ring! The still they used is a tight shot of Frodo and Sam. Well, we always knew they were good guys. [More]

SHOP: TTT Posters Galore

9/19/02, 12:27 pm EST - Xoanon

Take a look at all the new (and not so new) TTT posters, some hot...some not..these are typically available at poster websites. [More]

Medieval Times At Old Port of Montreal

9/19/02, 10:38 am EST - Xoanon

The Old Port of Montreal Presents 'Medieval Times': The guests of the "Th��tre M�di�val Sire d'Howard" will take part in an innovative event. They will be part of the aristocracy representing their valiant knights by wearing their respective colours. The King will entertain his guests in his heated Big Top and they will be overwhelmed by a live combat with swords and horses. [More]

I WANT MY SAURON TOY!!

9/19/02, 9:35 am EST - Xoanon

Take a look at what Toy Biz has planned for this fall season, coolness beyond cool! Treebeard...Sauron..LOTR Crossbow! (I think I found my x-mas present for Corvar in that one! -xo) [More]

Birthday Weekend Celebrations: Chapel Hill, NC

9/19/02, 9:32 am EST - Xoanon

Don writes: You'll have a blast at our Bagginses Birthday Bash! Medieval weaponry seminar, medieval costume seminar, trivia contest, LOTR TCG swiss constructed tournament, winner of the tournament wins a copy of a Sting sword![More]

Trick or Treat In Style

9/19/02, 9:27 am EST - Xoanon

Frodos Girl writes: lotrshop.com finally has a halloween costume section, so far consisting of two Gandalf costumes, a Moria orc, and a kids' size Ringwraith. [More]

Royal Canadian Mint Goes Geek

9/19/02, 9:21 am EST - Xoanon

Frodo minty goodness!

Teri writes: The Royal Canadian Mint has put out a press release that it has issued a coin set with the LOTR cast likeness. [More]

News for Sep. 18, 2002

Warner Video offers TTT Tickets AND an 'Extended Version' on Video

9/18/02, 7:07 pm EST - Tehanu

According to an e-mail that Thenamir just received from Warner Home Video, there will be TTT tickets included in specially marked packages of the 'Platinum Series' extended version of the FOTR DVD.� A bit of a break to help justify the cost of the second version, perhaps?��The email also talks about the extended VHS version, for those of you who don't have DVD! So that answers that question.

Birthday Weekend Celebrations: Newark, DE

9/18/02, 1:14 pm EST - Xoanon

The Days of Knights, a fantasy/sci-fi gift and gaming store, in Newark, Delaware (at the University of Delaware) has been celebrating Bilbo and Frodo's birthday for over 20 years. More]

New Zagat Survey Makes Meals of Movies

9/18/02, 12:54 pm EST - Xoanon

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Read all about it: "The Godfather" bumps off "Citizen Kane," at least according to a survey of more than 5,000 voters who may be more accustomed to ranking restaurants than films. [More]

Birthday Weekend Celebrations: Flagstaff, AZ

9/18/02, 11:54 am EST - Xoanon

Robert writes: Bilbo Baggins is having a birthday party in Flagstaff, AZ (US) this Sunday (Sept 22) from 12 to 4pm. It includes a costume contest, pictures taken with Hobbits, a Ring hunt, and a special showing of LOTR:FOTR. Looks like great fun. More]

DVD in Europe not to include

9/18/02, 11:52 am EST - Tehanu

"Just a note to tell you that, due to rights conflicts in Europe, the National Geographic "Beyond the Movie" DVD only will be released in the Spanish and German extended edition. As far as I know this DVD won't be included in the Collector's Set of any other European country." Thanks to Francisco for the tip.
UPDATE: Some confusion here: Frank points out "The National Geographic 'The Lord of the Rings, Beyond the Movie' DVD has been on sale for several months now in Europe, including the UK."

Three Months Until LOTR:TTT!

9/18/02, 11:15 am EST - leo

Start the official countdown because as of today there are only three months left before The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers will hit the theatres near you! Three months to go 'till December 18!!

Extended DVD in Scandinavia

9/18/02, 7:43 am EST - leo

The Fellowship of the Ring exteneded dvd and collector's gift set are now available for pre-order in Scandinavia from the online store dvdon.com. Thanks to Tomten for the heads up!

Another option for Scandinavian fans would be to head over to dvdstrax.com and order it there, according to Geir they do not only have a wider range of dvd's but they are also cheaper, so take your pick!

Live in Berlin? Get Your Ticket for TTT Tomorrow!

9/18/02, 7:35 am EST - leo

Eretria writes: I just checked the Cinemas in Berlin, and the ticket sale for TTT starts tomorrow, September 19th at the "Cinestar" (Original Star Potsdamer Platz). No pre-order, no reservation. You need to be there to get your ticket.

Gollum Drives a VW

9/18/02, 7:28 am EST - leo

This morning I saw a tradesmans' VW twin-cab with the license plates G-O-L-L-U-M driving down Walker Street in North Sydney. I grinned as he drove past and he grinned back and gave me knowing a wave... from one fan to another!

Thanks to Billy Bone for that funny bit of news!

Extended DVD Available For Pre-Order in Holland and Belgium

9/18/02, 7:24 am EST - leo

For those of you who live in Holland or Belgium: you can now pre-order the extended dvd with or without the Sideshow statues from everyone's favorite Dutch community-site TheFellowship.nl. Look for more information on how to do so here!

Extended DVD in Germany

9/18/02, 12:03 am EST - Tehanu

The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Version are both (The 4DVD-Set and the Set with the Argonath) available for Preorder from the german DVD-Online-Shop DVD-Station Thanks to Markus for the news.

News for Sep. 17, 2002

DVD news from Spain

9/17/02, 11:59 pm EST - Tehanu

News from Lupo: "The FOTR DVD has broken all records in Spain. It has sold 700.000 DVDs in only two weeks (it appeared on August 28) and Columbia (the Spanish distributor) expects to sell TWO MILLON of them before Christmas! The extended version is expected the same day as the rest of the world, November 12. It will contain both an English and a dubbed Spanish version in the same package. The pack with the Argonaths will cost 60 euros."

Extended DVD in Italy: Rumour Disproven.

9/17/02, 11:54 pm EST - Tehanu

I was waiting for word to come in from Italy, and it did, thanks to Andrea. "Ciao,I'm writing from Italy and I can assure to you that in Italy the Extended DVD is still in production by Medusa.It can't be on sale!!!" So don't worry, nobody's missing anything here.

Bilbo's Birthday in San Francisco

9/17/02, 11:46 pm EST - Tehanu

Just a last reminder to Bay Area fans that we're having a picnic to celebrate Bilbo's Birthday at the Marin Headlands on Sunday 22. [More]

Cast News: Marton Csokas

9/17/02, 11:43 pm EST - Tehanu

Here's a link to a story on Sci Fi Wire where Marton Csokas (Celeborn) talks about his new time-travel movie Timeline. [More]

LOTR Score to play in NZ

9/17/02, 11:36 pm EST - Tehanu

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra will perform Howard Shore's music for LOTR as part of the America's Cup Regatta celebrations. [More] Thanks to Diane for the news.

Empire Trailer Poll To Swamp

9/17/02, 4:57 pm EST - Strider

The latest poll question to emerge on Empire's official site is who do you think is winning the battle of the trailers for the big Winter movies - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Die Another Day or Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? Do your best/worst. [More]

NOT TTT Theatre Posters, Popcorn Bags! -UPDATE-

9/17/02, 4:55 pm EST - Xoanon

Earlier today we reported that the following images were posters..baffled by the oddity of the images we doubted the authenticity...only to find out from up on high that these aren't posters, they're popcorn bags! (go on, laugh G, you guys fell for our April fools joke, remember? -Xo) [More]

UPDATE: Ranger of Dunland noticed that "...in the picture of Aragorn, Eowen, and Arwen, Aragorn is holding Narsil! It's very recognizable by the pommel (the bottom part of the sword)." More confirmation that Aragorn gets Narsil in TTT?

UPDATE 2: Aragorn isn't holding Narsil. It's either his ranger sword, or anduril, which i've heard he doesn't get until ROTK, which would make more sense in movie terms, since he didn't get it to begin with.

LA Ringers: Bilbo's Birthday Party Details

9/17/02, 4:25 pm EST - Calisuri

Dear Boffins, Tooks and Brandybucks, Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers, Bolgers, Bracegirdles and ProudFEET!!!, Sunday September 22^nd is our dear friends Bilbo and Frodo Baggins� birthday. So please join us at 2pm under our very own party tree in Bag End, The Shire (aka Old Zoo Picnic Area, Griffith Park, Los Angeles) to celebrate! (And yes, there will be gifts for all!) [More]

Live In NYC? Wanna Meet Alan Lee?

9/17/02, 1:24 pm EST - Xoanon

Alan Lee will be doing a booksigning at the Barnes & Noble in Greenwich Village (396 Avenue of the Americas at 8th Street) in New York City on Friday, September 27, at 12:30 p.m. He will only be signing copies of his books at this event. No memorabilia, please.

Hobbit Party Crashers?

9/17/02, 1:19 pm EST - Xoanon

This weekend, Big Basin Redwoods State Park, the foundation stone of California's state park system, completes a 100-day celebration of its 100th year. There will be two days of music, speeches and theater. Bluegrass bands will play. Dancers will dance. Tree-sitter Julia Butterfly Hill will speak. And a group of human-sized Hobbits will protest their current lack of welcome in the park, the result of a long-running squabble that boils down to fun vs. rules. [More]

Media Watch: Credenda/Ageda

9/17/02, 1:13 pm EST - Xoanon

Micah writes: I thought that you folks might be interested in a magazine that has devoted its current issue to Fantasy, and mainly to Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings. The magazine is called Credenda/Agenda and can be found at www.credenda.org. The current issue "Old Man Willow" has several articles on Tolkien's work and brings to light several insights on LOTR. Thought you might want to have a look. Thanks for the work you folks do to keep the rest of us up to date. [More]

Stupidity Moves Faster Than Intelligence...

9/17/02, 11:18 am EST - Xoanon

This really REALLY gets to me...stories like this, stories that get hopped from one newspaper to another, from one website to another...the three letter catch phrase S E X is all that is needed for MORONS to pick up a story and go with it...hey...lets post about a three-way in LOTR 2...why not!! READ THE BOOKS, YES Eowyn has a thing for Aragorn...YES so does Arwen...YES that is called a triangle...but it is in the books...there is no controversy...it's...ugh forget it. Take a look at The Australian newspaper. [More]

Media Watch: Rolling Stone Magazine

9/17/02, 11:09 am EST - Xoanon

Our very own Orlando Bloom (Legolas) is in the latest issue of Rolling Stone Magazine. Take a look at this scan provided by Gillian [More]

Birthday Weekend Festivities

9/17/02, 11:04 am EST - Xoanon

David Lenander writes: This Saturday, Sept. 21, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Mythopoeic Society Rivendell Group will assemble to celebrate Bilbo's & Frodo's birthday and talk about things Tolkien, from the original Hobbit to the new films. [More]

News for Sep. 16, 2002

LOTR Chess Set

9/16/02, 11:53 pm EST - Tehanu

The long-awaited LOTR chess set has been appearing in various locations. [More]

Sir Ian Updates the "White Book"

9/16/02, 11:18 pm EST - Tehanu

Wow, lots of tantalizing news - he's seen the extended version of the first movie [on a big screen] and he gives his thoughts on that and on the cultural juggernaut that is LOTR now. [More]

Ministering with Middle-earth

9/16/02, 11:10 pm EST - Tehanu

Michelle sends word of a preacher who's finding good examples Tolkien's work. [More]

Extended DVD appears in Italy?

9/16/02, 10:52 pm EST - Tehanu

This sounds unlikely, but I'll report it anyway: "My friend has seen the extended DVD on sale in Italy, with the two book-end statues. He didn�t buy it, as he is not a fan, but I am devastated! Unfortunately, it was in Italian (I don�t know if the special features were as well, or if it had an English option for the film), but it would have a great buy. It was on sale for about 40 Euros (about �25 UK pounds)." Thanks to Liam for the news.

Serkis goes Shakespearean!

9/16/02, 10:49 pm EST - Tehanu

"You may be interested to know that Andy Serkis [Gollum] is currently appearing as Iago in Othello at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, UK. Playing to type? "[News thanks to William.]

SHOP: TTT Toy Pics!

9/16/02, 10:43 pm EST - Xoanon

Gilian writes: I got some of the Two Towers figures today, and I thought you might be interested in a few pictures. They have even more detail than the ones from FOTR; you can see all the decoration on Legolas' costume, including the leaf brooch and the peacock on his quiver. [More]

Media Watch: Star Wars Insider Magazine

9/16/02, 10:18 pm EST - Xoanon

Brandon writes: I just got the new issue of "Star Wars Insider", on page 15 there is an ad for "TTT Strategy Battle Game" by Games Workshop! The box cover has Aragorn on the left, with spear-wielding Uruk-Hai miniatures versus the Riders of Rohan miniatures on horseback on the right! It also has a large picture of miniatures in Helms Deep, complete with ladders to the wall!

Anyone with scans of this ad, send it along!

Hollywood Bowl Report

9/16/02, 10:15 pm EST - Xoanon

I�m the director of a musical ensemble, Vis Sit Tecum Musicorum and we performed at the Bowlmoot fan picnic that took place on Saturday before the Hollywood Bowl LOTR concert. We had already been planning on coming to the concert and, when we later found out about it, Bowlmoot as well. On a whim, I wrote to the organizer, Josh, to tentatively ask if we could bring along some instruments to serenade the picnickers as they ate. [More]

FoTR DVD Breaks Oz Records

9/16/02, 8:09 pm EST - Demosthenes

The cinematic release of FoTR last year broke many Australian box office records, including the largest opening day with A$4,166,911 million, the biggest opening weekend, the biggest opening week and the biggest Boxing Day opening. Now, the FotR release on Video and DVD continues to rule at retail. Thanks to Laura for the link. [More]

'The Best Movie I Have Ever Seen'??

9/16/02, 7:01 pm EST - Demosthenes

MovieDan82 claims that that one of the MPAA committee who watched a print of The Two Towers last week in order to give it a certification (it will be PG-13) says that not only is it better than Fellowship, but is "the best movie I have ever seen." Most interestingly, he claims the running time is below Fellowship, at around 163 minutes.

Update: I've received a few e-mails disputing this report. Indeed it could be false, but Harry at AICN reported that the MPAA has seen a 'check print' recently. Nevertheless, here's a few grains of salt for everyone before we all get too carried away.

Birzer's 'Sanctifying Myth' Book Review

9/16/02, 2:31 pm EST - Xoanon

The folks from ALA Booklist Magazine send along a review of Bradley J. Birzer's latest book 'J. R. R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth' (due out in stores mid-October). [More]

Decipher Team Sets Guinness World Record

9/16/02, 2:22 pm EST - Xoanon

This past May 25-27, four Decipher employees set out to break the Guinness World Record for "Card Playing Marathon" using The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game. It was an idea born on the morning of Thursday the 23rd and realized 48 hours later. [More]

Star What?

9/16/02, 2:20 pm EST - Xoanon

Lets see what our friends at TheForce.net think about the latest 'Dork Tower' comic strip..funny stuff indeed! [More]

Ian Holm Goes 'Mundi'

9/16/02, 2:13 pm EST - Xoanon

jayjay writes: nationaltheatre.org.uk has details of Ian Holm's new play Mappa Mundi which runs 18 Oct-29 Nov (booking opens 7th October) at the Cottesloe (National Theatre) London. [More]

SHOP: The One Ring At Michael Hill

9/16/02, 2:09 pm EST - Xoanon

Caerwen send along these great images from the version of The One Ring for sale at Michael Hill Jewelery in Australia and New Zealand. Take a look! [More]

Let The Silly Season Begin

9/16/02, 1:41 pm EST - Xoanon

With 'The Two Towers' mere months away, many media outlets are talking all things rings. Some, however are helplessly mis-informed. E!Online's 'The Aweful Truth' posted a horridly out of context story about the love triangle between Aragorn, Arwen, and Eowyn. And of course...other media outlets are now picking up the story and calling it 'news', this is why you stick with us folks...we've read the books. [More]

When LOTR first hit New Zealand

9/16/02, 11:28 am EST - Tehanu

Very cool article in NZ's The Listener, looking back at the news of 1955, which is when the first volume of LOTR arrived for review. [More]

News from Japan

9/16/02, 11:20 am EST - Tehanu

The news section of the official site (lotr.jp) has been updated, now with great news to the fans. The Japanese DVDs will contain also one more thing that the other countries didn't get : a passport to Middle-earth. Each DVD from FOTR will contain a passport with a serial number, which will allow the buyer to join special events and campaigns.They don't specify any event or campaign yet, but looks like the whole thing will last 'till the release of the ROTK DVD.
[More]
Thanks to Elenah for that!

Getting your hands on standees and stuff

9/16/02, 11:16 am EST - Tehanu

A lot of people have got lucky on this front. [More]

Contests Galore! Don't miss out!

9/16/02, 12:37 am EST - Calisuri

We've got two amazing contests running right now. The first ends this coming Wednesday and is our very popular Annual Fan Art Contest. Don't forget to send in your fan art and have a chance to win in three different age groups. We have about 400 entries so far, which makes the odds in your favor to win some great prizes from our sponsors Sideshow/Weta, Houghton Mifflin and the generosity of Lawrence Makoare (Lurtz)! [Enter Today!]

TORn has also teamed up with the Official New Line Cinema Shop (www.LOTRShop.com) to give away a set of pins to 200 lucky fans! All you have to do is fill out a form and you are entered. This exclusive pin set is not for sale or offered anywhere else! The contest ends on the the 29th. [Enter Today!]

Weekend Round Up

9/16/02, 12:05 am EST - Xoanon

Missed all the news this weekend? Well fear not! We've got all the news and much more on the weekly 'Weekend Roundup' (now if we could only get you to avoid traffic and a nice cup of coffee...we'd make your Monday morning complete!) [More]

Go back to Main News Archives