1-15-02 Latest News

Attention LA Tolkien Fans
Calisuri @ 10:34 am EST

Here's your Invitation to a Golden Globes viewing party to cheer for LOTR:FOTR, which is nominated in four categories.

Get together with fellow Los Angeles area fans of Tolkien and the Lord of the Ring's film to watch the show.

When: Sunday, January 20

Time: 7pm arrival, 8pm telecast begins, 11pm telecast ends, continue celebrating as long as you want after the show.

Where: Cat n' Fiddle Pub, 6530 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, (323)468-3800, Casa Blanca room.

Prizes: There will be a raffle for one large prize, as well as Sideshow/Weta statues. Other prizes, such as official movie posters, will be either included in the raffle or will be won through trivia contests and other games. Proceeds are to help support TheOneRing.net's efforts to buy a new server. (You can also make a donation here)

Activities: Watch the Golden Globes, eat, drink, play games, raffles, be merry, meet fellow fans.

RSVP: Please email me at garfeimao@yahoo.com with an approximate number of people coming and whether or not you intend to eat food. The Cat n' Fiddle needs to know numbers so they can staff appropriately. A one meal or two drink minimum is asked, but may not be enforced, this is supposed to be a fun event.

Weekly Cast Watch
Xoanon @ 10:50 pm EST

Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn)

28 Days (2000) UK
Walk on the Moon, A (1999) UK
Prophecy, The (1995)
American Yakuza (1994)
Ruby Cairo (1993)
Young Americans, The (1993)
Two Small Bodies (1993)
Young Guns II (1990)

Liv Tyler (Arwen)

One Night at McCool's (2001)
Onegin (1999) UK
Plunkett & Macleane (1999) UK
Can't Hardly Wait (1998) UK
Stealing Beauty (1996)
That Thing You Do! (1996) UK

Ian Holm (Bilbo)

Bless the Child (2000) UK
Fifth Element, The (1997)
King Lear (1997) (TV) UK
Kafka (1991) UK
Hamlet (1990) UK
Dreamchild (1985) UK
Time Bandits (1981) UK
Alien (1979) UK
Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
Fixer, The (1968) UK
Bofors Gun, The (1968) UK

Sean Bean (Boromir)

Essex Boys (2000)
Anna Karenina (1997)
Field, The (1990)
How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989) UK
Stormy Monday (1988)

Ian Mune (Bounder)

Piano, The (1993)
Sleeping Dogs (1977)

Peter Mackenzie (Elendil)

Inherit the Wind (1999) (TV)
Chill Factor (1999) UK
Nick of Time (1995)

Hugo Weaving (Elrond)

Matrix, The (1999) UK
Strange Planet (1999)
Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The (1994) UK

Miranda Otto (Eowyn)

What Lies Beneath (2000)

David Wenham (Faramir)

Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999)

Elijah Wood (Frodo)

Bumblebee Flies Anyway, The (2000)
Black and White (1999)
Faculty, The (1998) UK
War, The (1994) UK
Radio Flyer (1992) UK
Forever Young (1992)
Paradise (1991)
Internal Affairs (1990)

Cate Blanchett (Galadriel)

Talented Mr. Ripley, The (1999) UK
Pushing Tin (1999) UK
Paradise Road (1997)

Ian McKellen (Gandalf)

X-Men (2000)
Apt Pupil (1998) UK
Bent (1997)
Restoration (1995)
Jack and Sarah (1995) UK
To Die for (1994) UK
Alfred the Great (1969) UK
Touch of Love, A (1969) UK

John Rhys-Davies (Gimli)

Great White Hype, The (1996)
Stargate (1994)
Sunset Grill (1993)
Under Cover (1991) (TV)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) UK
Perry Mason: The Case of the Murdered Madam (1987) (TV)
Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1982)
Victor/Victoria (1982) UK

Andy Serkis (Gollum)

Arabian Nights (2000) (TV)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) UK

John Leigh (Hama)

Frighteners, The (1996)

Harry Sinclair (Isildur)

Braindead (1992) UK

Dominic Monaghan (Merry)

Hostile Waters (1997) (TV)

Bruce Spence (Mouth of Sauron)

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) UK
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) UK

Sean Astin (Sam)

Sky Is Falling, The (2000)
Deterrence (1999) UK
Icebreaker (1999)
Kimberly (1999)
Dish Dogs (1998)
Low Life, The (1994/I)
Rudy (1993)
Encino Man (1992) UK
Toy Soldiers (1991) UK
War of the Roses, The (1989) UK
White Water Summer (1987)
Like Father, Like Son (1987)

Christopher Lee (Saruman)

Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Jinnah (1998) UK
Honeymoon Academy (1990)
Last Unicorn, The (1982)
Safari 3000 (1982)
Arabian Adventure (1979)
1941 (1979) UK
Three Musketeers, The (1973) UK
Brides of Fu Manchu, The (1966)
Gorgon, The (1964) UK
City of the Dead, The (1960)
Crimson Pirate, The (1952)
Saraband for Dead Lovers (1948) UK

Brian Sergent (Ted Sandyman)

Braindead (1992) UK

Bernard Hill (Theoden)

True Crime (1999) UK
Mountains of the Moon (1990) UK
Milwr Bychan (1986) UK
Bounty, The (1984)
Gandhi (1982) UK

Nathaniel Lees (UglUK )

Bonjour Timothy (1995)

Brad Dourif (Wormtongue)

Ghost, The (2000)
Shadow Hours (2000)
Death Machine (1995)
Color of Night (1994) UK
Amos & Andrew (1993)
Child's Play 2 (1990)
Mississippi Burning (1988)
Child's Play (1988)
Blue Velvet (1986) UK

Jim Rygiel (SFX)

Anna and the King (1999)
Species (1995)
Scout, The (1994)
Batman Returns (1992)
Ghost (1990)
Last Starfighter, The (1984)

Howard Shore (Composer)

High Fidelity (2000)
Yards, The (2000)
Analyze This (1999)
Dogma (1999)
Cop Land (1997)
Striptease (1996)
That Thing You Do! (1996)
Crash (1996)
Moonlight and Valentino (1995)
Ed Wood (1994)
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Guilty as Sin (1993)
Prelude to a Kiss (1992)
Silence of the Lambs, The (1991)
Postcards from the Edge (1990)
She-Devil (1989)
Innocent Man, An (1989)
Signs of Life (1989)
Moving (1988)
Fly, The (1986)
After Hours (1985)
Places in the Heart (1984)
Scanners (1981)

Peter Jackson (Director)

Contact (1997)
Frighteners, The (1996)
Braindead (1992) UK

To get more information, use the sites I use like:

mydigiguide.com, tv-now.com and IMDB.com

Weekend Round-Up
Xoanon @ 2:03 pm EST

All the news you may have missed this weekend!

GAMING: Exclusive Decipher Card Images

Lord of the Rings tour guides....

Rejoice in Argentina!

Hall of Fire Chats for January 12th & 13th

May It Be On Windows XP (That Rhymes)

Variety Oscar Poll

FotR Trailer #2 Of 2001 - The Trades

Free Fellowship Video With Daily Mirror

DND Creators On Fellowship Of The Ring

GAMING: EGM And OXM Scans

FOTR Box Office Update

Marquette University's JRR Tolkien Archives

Rejoice! FOTR Rules the Box Office!

Elijah Wood Oscar Push

Winter 2002 ALA Graphics

Media Watch: People Magazine

TV Watch: Cate Blanchett on Rosie O'Donnell

LOTR Making Some 'Friends'

StudioLA Interviews Elijah Wood

Liv Tyler enchants as a 'Lord of Rings' elf

LOTR in two hours.....

Ian McKellen Book Signing

Grab Your LOTR Displays Soon!

Media Watch: Backstage

Media Watch: Maxim Magazine

LOTR:FOTR Nabs Two More Awards

Four of a Kind

LOTR:FOTR Soundtrack Sells Big In Oz

Call me a hobbit

Elijah Wood: Best Actor Of All Time

TV Watch: Ian McKellen On 'Larry King'

Orlando Bloom's Birthday!

The best movie of all time? 'Lord,' no!

Variety: 'Rings' by a nose, but 'Mind' impinges
Xoanon @ 1:30 pm EST

New Line's "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" topped weekend box office rankings for a fourth consecutive frame with an estimated $16.2 million. That brought domestic cume to $228.3 million through 26 days. Combined with an estimated $280 million in foreign B.O. for the Peter Jackson-helmed fantasy, "Rings" now has grabbed more than $500 million worldwide.

Universal/Imagine's Russell Crowe starrer "A Beautiful Mind" added 369 theaters for a total 2,222 and finished No. 2 on the weekend with an estimated $15.8 million. Perf moved domestic cume to $59 million.

In perhaps the weekend's most downbeat development, Sony's "Ali" fell from the top 10 in only its third week. Estimated $3.2 million sesh repped a big 54% drop from the previous frame. [More]

TV Watch: Ian McKellen On 'Larry King'
Xoanon @ 1:03 am EST

Ian McKellen (Gandalf) was a special guest on 'Larry King Weekend', Ian was not there in person, but was live via satellite.

Ian and Larry spoke about LOTR and what a mammoth undertaking it was. Ian mentioned that he may have to go back to NZ to shoot some scenes and dub the entire film, much like they had to do with the first.

Ian also mentioned his coming out, and how him telling the world that he is gay freed up his soul and allowed him to be more open to things. He recomended that anyone torn up with the decision weither or not to tell family and loved ones about thier sexuality to do it, because they will feel more free in the long run.

During the interview they showed alot of great behind-the-scenes clips during the Hobbiton set production, and some great snaps of Ian in his other roles.

Take a look at these pics:

LOTR Gossip
Xoanon @ 3:14 pm EST

In the 'I could care less department' Thorongil sends along this bit of news.

In a recent Liz Smith column in Newsday, Liz reports that Brad Pitt bought Jen a leather bound edition of LOTR for Christmas. And that she wont go see the movies until she reads the books!!!! Here is the text:

"Speaking of "Friends" - Jennifer Aniston had never read the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Hubby Brad Pitt gave her a leather-bound set for Christmas, and Jen refuses to go see the movie until she finishes and rereads all three".

TV Watch: Cate Blanchett on Rosie O'Donnell
Xoanon @ 3:07 pm EST

Laura writes:

Just writing in to tell you that Cate Blanchett was on the Rosie O'Donnell Show today. She seemed to be not as nervous as she was on Letterman, but then again Rosie is really good about making her guests feel comfortable and welcome, even if she's never met them before. Cate was all warm and smiling as she talked about her baby, and how she and her husband both love the baby's cute little ears. She also talked about her marathon film shooting schedule, going from movie to movie to movie. They showed a clip from Lord of the Rings, as well as Charlotte Grey. At the end, Rosie gave her a present for the baby - some sort of mini playset - which Cate gratiously accepted.

Marquette University's Tolkien Archives
Jincey @ 1:43 am EST

Marquette University, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin holds one of the world's premiere collections of JRR Tolkien's manuscripts and working drafts, including The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and Farmer Giles of Ham. The collection also includes books by and about Tolkien, periodicals produced by Tolkien enthusiasts, audio and video recordings, and a host of published and unpublished materials relating to Tolkien's life and fantasy writings. Marquette University's Library is open to the public, welcoming visitors and researchers. [More]

LOTR Box Office Update
Calisuri @ 10:52 pm EST

Brandon Gray
http://www.boxofficemojo.com

"The Lord of the Rings" relinquished the top spot for the first time after a 23-day reign as the new MTV comedy "Orange County" surprisingly bowed at No. 1 on Friday with an estimated $5.39 million from 2,317 theaters. "Rings" came in third place with an estimated $4.33 million from 3,381, edged out by the Russell Crowe drama "A Beautiful Mind" with $4.35 million from 2,220.

However, "Rings" still has a shot at claiming the top spot for the weekend as realistically these numbers indicate that the weekend is too close to call. "Orange" is tracking at $15 million, while "Mind" is pointing to around $14.5 million. "Rings" is in the same $14-15 million range.

"Rings" domestic total stands at $216.4 million in 24 days.

Overseas, "Rings" reached $253 million as of Thursday, 1/10. The domestic take was $212.1 million as of the date for a worldwide total of $465.1 million, ranking No. 3 among movies released in 2001 and No. 28 on the all time list. [More]

LOTR Scans From EGM And OXM
DarthCaeser @ 8:44 pm EST

I finally managed to get some scans of the LOTR articles from the February issues of Electronic Gaming Monthly and the Official Xbox Magazine. They have all kinds of new info on the upcoming LOTR video games, including never before seen screen shots and concept art.

EGM: [Page 1] [Page 2]

OXM: [Page 1] [Page 2] [Page 3] [Page 4] [Page 5] [Page 6]

WETA Crew Jacket Up On eBay!
Xoanon @ 12:09 am EST

Take a look at this nice WETA crew jacket someone has up for bid on eBay! [More]

SW vs. LOTR: Some responses to Salon.com
Tehanu @ 8:00 pm EST

We had a lively response to the recent Salon.com article criticising the lack emotional depth and humanity in LOTR, as they perceived it compared to Star Wars. Many good points were raised, often by people who said they LOVED Star Wars but just had to disagree with Ms. Tang's comparisons.

I'll limit my own comments to this: her criticism of Sir Ian McKellen's Gandalf really stung me. She found his character shifts from lordly to jovial to panicky to be bizarre, illogical, unexplained. Currently I'm watching another great British actor, Brian Blessed, playing the Emperor Augustus in 'I Claudius' and it reminds me again of what a pleasure it is to watch an actor who can play a mercurial, contradictory, obscurely-driven character. Where Salon.com's Ms. Tang praises the clearly-delineated development of the characters in Star Wars, I find them too clear, too simple, too transparent. Nothing is left unexplained about who they are, what they think, and why they change their minds. One of the great moments in FOTR for me is the odd conversation Sam and Frodo have before the Council of Elrond. Is Frodo troubled because he has a premonition that his part in the struggle is not over? Or is it because part of him has developed a taste for adventure that hastn't been fulfilled? Or does he wish he could do something more decisive than just barely make it to Rivendell alive? Or is he regretting the moment when he must give up the Ring to his betters (which is what he expects will happen at the Council.)? We don't know. It could be any or all of those. It's a moment of ambiguity that leaves you wondering and guessing, and I hope for many more like that.

Here's a sample of some of the points other people made.

From Matt Cruser: "It is painfully obvious to me that Ms. Tang has never read Tolkien's trilogy and has probably only seen the first installment of the movies once if at all. She has been watching Star Wars since 1977 and has seen the next two parts of the trilogy, as well as a prequel. How is this a fair comparison? How can Ms. Tang compare one movie to a whole trilogy and a prequel? She talks of the round character development of Luke, yet she had THREE movies to observe it in. Did Luke go from a depressed boy on Tattoine to a Jedi Knight in the first movie, NO. To call Frodo's character 1-dimensional is just ignorant, considering Ms. Tang hasn't fully observed it yet."

This from Chris: "I am sorry the themes in LOTR were too deep for you to pick up on right away. Perhaps if you realized LOTR is one continuous story cut into three sections and that themes need to be developed over time. One needs to look no further than Socrates to see LOTR's theme, [the] question of ends justifying means or means justifying ends. Tolkien attempted to prove the latter. Didn't you see Boromir's character redeem himself from temptation and lust? Aragorn an unpolished man who fears to have the same destiny as his bloodline, who have failed before him? aren't these human themes? Our greatest lesson humanity has learned is self sacrifice so that others may go on. This is the strongest theme in LOTR, so please do not say it is without humanity. One day if you sit down and actually read the book, you may see that each character is very humane and has character arcs, success and failure; great and small. Maybe you were disappointed with the cliffhanger ending to this movie; which may have forced you to write this article in the first place. Unlike STAR WARS, LOTR characters don't have a big parade and get rewarded at the end of each film. The best STAR WARS film, according to any true STAR WARS fan, TESB(The Empire Strikes Back)ended the same as the FOTR ended, uncertain with many unanswered questions."

Arashi answered a lot of points: "Now, I am a big Star Wars fan. I just want to point that out. The original Star Wars series are great. But this article annoyed me. Star Wars and Lord of the Rings should be taken as seperate entities. [He goes on to quote Ms. Tang and then respond to the quotes]:

"Incurably down-to-earth, "Star Wars" gives a guided tour of evil's consequences, with a tailor-made John Williams score. Good guys DO die" ... And Lord of the Rings doesn't? Example, Boromir. He was NOT a bad guy!! I can't stand when people refer to him as "the bad guy". The point of LotR is not only that no matter what your problems are you can overcome them, that no matter what your problems are there are others who share them (ie you are not alone), that power CAN corrupt (and often does). There is a thin line between Good and Evil (a lesson CLAMP teaches us constantly). It is the victor who defines which is which for they are the ones that write the history. Not to mention Gandalf! Gandalf does die!! (He then comes back as Gandalf the White but that's in The Two Towers).

"Fanatics in any realm are difficult to satisfy, but Tolkien's are the type who engage in prolonged, heated debate over authenticity, all the way down to the technical accuracy of props"

This is a mean jab right here. As if Star Wars fans don't get into heated debates about things.

"Take Gandalf. One moment he's a reassuring wizard, the next he's shoving the young hobbit Frodo squarely out Bag End's plump little door with nothing but a tense, hasty goodbye."

GANDALF IS NOT GOD!! He does not know all the answers. He sends Frodo on his way because he suspects that Sauron will have some little escort party on the way to the Shire. The Hobbits are not a warrior people, they can't fight Mordor, and as the inheritor of the Ring from Bilbo it's something of Frodo's duty to take the Ring! Gandalf certainly can't take it! And he gives his reason why! "Through me it would yield a power too terrible to imagine." (Or something to that effect). He also is going to Isengard to get help from Saruman, whom he does not know is a traitor!

Re Strider : "This gentle figure of incorruptible royalty makes his entrance on the screen as a noisome, pushy bully."

Strider for one is annoyed by Frodo's carelessness with the Ring!! For god's sake he was playing with it under the table! Gandalf warned Frodo about the Ring's ability to manipulate, and Frodo himself knows about it from the earlier encounter with the Nazgul, yet still he had it out in an open place for anyone paying attention to see (the fact that hobbits had the ring was known, so any spies would be on the lookout for hobbits). The fact that Frodo then disappeared before the astonished patrons of the Prancing Pony was a HUGE tip-off, and even had consequences in the book.

"At first, Frodo takes the ring just to follow Gandalf's orders. Later, when he meets the council, his offer to carry the ring to Mordor plays at best like a simple act of bravery, or at worst an impulsive decision that runs against his initial reluctance."

Yes, Frodo's offer to carry the Ring was brave- but he could see what effect it was having on the council. The Elves and Dwarves were ready to kill each other, the Men (with the exception of Aragorn) were niave as to the corrupting power of the Ring, and Gandalf certainly (as mentioned above) could not take it. This all still harkens to the reasons I stated above. He is still reluctant to take the Ring to Mordor, but at this point I don't think he fully understood what it was he was walking into. The threat of Mordor so far had been the Nazgul, a fiery eye, and the weight of the Ring. But he had carried it so far already, and the Ring itself may have had a hand in this too. Remember, it IS trying to get back there.

"Whence comes hobbit buddy Sam Gamgee's unswerving dedication to Frodo?"

Frodo and Sam are best friends!!! If you were a true friend to somebody, and they were in trouble, wouldn't you lend them a hand? The meaning of true friendship is lost on too many people nowadays." [Tehanu: I would add to that: the way PJ tells the story, you have to pick things up from small moments which cue you into what is going on. We see Frodo pushing Sam into Rosie's arms at the farewell party, and then a few scenes later we see them together walking home at night. They say goodnight in the voices of old friends who've known each other a long time. You can't miss the friendship in their voices. Nothing is spelled out and yet the essentials are shown (and not told, as Ms. Tang complains), quickly and surely.

Another Chris: "Firstly, I am taking the premise that you are only comparing Star Wars: A New Hope (ANH) to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (FOTR). If not, you comparison needs to wait until the 2nd and 3rd installments of The Lord of the Rings complete the story, otherwise you are not comparing full story against full story.

Below are a list of inaccuracies, or incorrect comparisons:

1) Saruman/Darth Vader: In ANH Darth Vader is the primary villian. There is no other real villian above him. Saruman has the very tangible Sauron as his master.

2) Mystical languages: Where in ANH is there a mystical language ? Greedo is speaking a _mystical_ language ? I think not.

3) Comparing flesh-and-blood action heroes - there are _no_ similar characters in FOTR ? Gandalf: involved and stand-handed mentor, Arwen: spunky elven princess, Laurel-and-Hardy-esque: Merry and Pippin (and Legolas and Gimli to a lesser extent). No individual transformation ? Boromir goes from oft-tempted mortal, through to sorrowful and resolute. And really - Leia thaws ? Is that the best you could come up with ?

4) Prejudices creep into Lucas' world ? What about how humans look down on halflings (literally and figuratively) ? Elves and dwarves ? Elves view of humans ? The elves and dwarves come very close to a brawl during the council correct ?

5) Good guys do die: Rebels shot in earliest scenes FOTR: Armoured elves and humans go flying into the air from hammer strikes in the very first scene.

6) Nothing is shown when Leia is tortured: Nothing is shown (apart from arms) when Gollum is tortured. And while we're on the subject, why did the Sandperson do a little victory dance instead of slicing Luke's skull open after he fainted ?

7) ANH and FOTR are both about their own universes - there is as much "humanity" in both, and again with ANH there is no _need_ for authenticity, Lucas is alive and can do what he likes. Tolkien is not, so film makers have only the books to draw from to fit what Tolkien was seeing in his head. Implying that how the picture of a spiked wheel "prop" looked causing a "global rift" amongst Tolkien fans in terms of authenticity is ludicrous. I hope you realise it was not the prop, but what was impaled on it that caused interest.

8) Glorified video trivia game ? Ah, you mean the plot was too intricate ?

9) Uneven characters ? You mean the involved and steady handed mentor can actually be scared by something instead of being steady handed all the time. Wow it's almost like he has more than one emotion! Again with Strider. In ANH no-one really reacted to real danger: "There's TIE Fighters behind us, let's all sit here in a row in this trench and let them pick us off."

10) Why is the emotion in FOTR presumptuous and finite ? And comparing Luke with Frodo ? Luke dreams of adventure, gets it, finds he has powers to help him do it. Frodo doesn't like adventure so much, gets pushed into it, finally chooses it, and then at the end decides he should shoulder the burden alone, no matter how unequipped he is.

11) Whence comes different senses of duty ? Why does Han (the self proclaimed smuggler, cynical, out for himself smuggler - with a price on his head no-less suddenly have a change of heart ?)

12) With racist undertones and smacking of pretense ? When referring to ANH these were : "not shying away from the gritty reality of human struggle". And is there any in-fighting in ANH ? Do Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbecca, Artoo, C3PO or Ben actually ever fight each other ?

13) Insufficient comedy ? Perhaps some films have parts that are meant to be solemn..not "Oh no my mentor's dead, let's look sad for 10 seconds and then whoop and cheer at shooting TIE Fighters and never be sad again." FOTR is actually showing that people in real life don't joke a second after they nearly die.

14) And realism ? ANH has a band of: seven individuals stuck on their deadly enemies battle station which is the size of a moon and has patrols through corridors ever 10 seconds, and yet they only suffer one casualty ? Deadly Stormtroppers apparently bump their heads on doors, are fooled by robots and making little noises behind them to name but a few.

15) Schlocky - ho ho - you should've seen some of the effects in Star Wars! Oh wait...

16) Macrocosmic ? "...a fairy tale intimately involved with its good guys" - which would describe both movies .sorry.
17) Why are unexplained things "loopholes" ? Why does Ben care about anything ? Why does Han ? What makes a stormtrooper inherently bad apart from the fact that they're in a black and white uniform ?

In summation, you appear to have loved Star Wars for many years (as have I), it has been raised to one of the greatest films of all time, and it should be. Unfortunately you now see another film come along, apparently getting worryingly close to where StarWars was at the start, thus you have to make the comparison, and back-lash against the new-comer. In doing this, you highlight Star Wars: ANH's good points, and refuse to acknowledge the bad, but do the reverse with LOTR: FOTR. Thus ending with a disappointing, and one-sided argument. Too bad."

RINGS MOVIE OPENS WORLD EYES TO NEW ZEALAND
Xoanon @ 4:11 pm EST

From: Ataahua

NZPA: Interest in Queenstown from international movie makers has soared following the release of Fellowhship of the ring, the first in the Lord of the Rings trilogy filmed in New Zealand.

Queenstown Lakes District Council special projects manager Shirleyanne Evans said on Wednesday that hits on an Internet site promoting film locations in Queenstown had increased by 40%.

Website users had risen by 20 to 70 a week since December 30 last year, she said. The United States generated 33% of the website hits. Australia generated another 25% of hits while other users came from Asia and Europre, Ms Evans said.

This week, two United States location scouts had contacted the council about filming. One scout was looking for a location for a drama series and the other for a real-life television show. Both were considering other sites as well but were interested in Queenstown and planned to visit to the area she said.

Fellowship of the Ring Nominated For Sound Editing Oscar
Strider @ 3:46 pm EST

Seven Films in Competition for Sound Editing Oscar®

Beverly Hills, CA - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced the seven films being considered for Achievement in Sound Editing for the 74th Academy Awards®.

The films in consideration are listed below in alphabetical order:

A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Amélie
Black Hawk Down
The Fast and the Furious
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Monsters, Inc.
Pearl Harbor

Ten-minute clip reels from each of the seven films will be screened for the Sound Editing Award Committee on February 5. The members will then vote on these films for Oscar consideration. The outcome of this vote will result in the following options: 1) if two or three productions receive the required votes they will become the nominated films in the Sound Editing category; 2) if only one film receives the required votes it will be recommended to the Academy Board of Governors for a Special Achievement Award; or 3) if no film achieves the required votes, no award for 2001 will be given in the category.

If finalists are selected they will be announced along with nominations in 23 other categories on Tuesday, February 12, at 5:30 a.m. PST.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2001 will be presented on March 24, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland® and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST, with a half-hour arrivals segment preceding the presentation ceremony.

TV Watch: Orlando Bloom On 'Regis'
Xoanon @ 2:20 pm EST

Orlando Bloom was a special guest on 'Live With Regis & Kelly' this morning (Jan 10th). He was there to promote both LOTR and his latest film 'Blakhawk Down'.

Orlando was very lively and excited about both projects, he told Regis and Kelly that he was given special bow and arrow training the moment he arrived in New Zealand, and that eventually he was able to shoot paper plates out of the sky.

He also spoke about his role in 'Blackhawk Down', he mentions that he is one of the first soldiers hurt in the film, he falls out of a helicopter and breaks his back.

When Kelly brought up his tattoo (on his right wrist) he squirmed and told them that he cannot show it. He did say that Peter Jackson, Producer Barrie Osborne, Richard Taylor and Mark Ordseky all received a special '10' tattoo, and they were considered the tenth member of the fellowship.

A running gag on the show this morning was that everyone liked to go into Kelly's dressing room and try on her clothes, Orlando played along and got into one of her dresses after his segment was over! Hilarious.

Check out these images:

TV Watch: Ian McKellen On 'Conan'
Xoanon @ 1:33 am EST

Ian McKellen was on 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien' tonight (Jan 9th).

They introduced him with a clip from the scene just before the Balrog appears in Moria, Ian goofed on the clip and ran onto the stage much like Gandalf in Moria.

Ian spoke about the films, and how he loves all the merchandise, he also mentioned the LOTR stamps in New Zealand, and his infamous 'fellowship' tattoo.

Conan asked Ian about his knighthood ceremony, and if Ian wears his medallion they gave him, he stated he places it on his Christmas tree.

Here are a few pics for you to enjoy.

Academy Awards Announces Oscar Contenders
Xoanon @ 5:57 pm EST

Academy Announces Films in Competition for Visual Effects Oscar(R)

Beverly Hills, CA - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced eight films being considered for Achievement in Visual Effects for the 74th Academy Awards(R).

The films in consideration are listed below in alphabetical order:

A. I. Artificial Intelligence
Black Hawk Down
Cats and Dogs
The Fast and the Furious
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Jurassic Park III
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Pearl Harbor

Fifteen-minute clip reels from each of the films will be screened for the Visual Effects Award Nominating Committee on February 6. The members will then nominate three films for Oscar consideration. They will be announced along with nominations in 23 other categories on Tuesday, February 12, at 5:30 a.m. PST.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2001 will be presented on March 24, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland(R) and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST, with a half-hour arrivals segment preceding the presentation ceremony.

Media Watch: Starburst Magazine
Xoanon @ 5:49 pm EST

Ringer Spy Healy sends along these scans from the latest issue of 'Starburst Magazine'.

TTT: Helms Deep Set
Xoanon @ 1:21 pm EST

It's unbelieveable that after all this time some folks still have set pics that they've never sent to me! Amy sends along these stills from the Helms Deep set at the Haywards Hill quarry in New Zealand. They were taken sometime in 2000. Take a look!

TV Watch: Cate Blanchett On David Letterman
Xoanon @ 12:54 am EST

Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) was on 'David Letterman' tonight. She was there to promote her film 'Charlotte Gray' wich will be released this Friday.

Cate was adorably nervous for the interview, and goofed a few times in claiming that Dave knows about wigs, has rabies and that New Zealand is roughly 7 hours away from Australia (it very well could be, but I doubt it).

Cate also proudly displayed her 3-week-old son's passport, and mentioned that he hardly sleeps at night. Dave also showed her the NZ postage stamp with Cate on it as Galadriel.

Take a look at a few pics.