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February 26, 2003 - March 04, 2003

3-04-03 Latest News

Elvish Lesson #4 Scheduled
Jincey @ 10:35 pm EST

We've got the next lesson in our series "How to Construct a Sindarin Sentence" planned for tomorrow, Wednesday, March 5th at 7pm ET (midnight GMT) in #thehalloffire. This short lesson, given by Elostrion, will be on Derivation. We will be going over several ways of adding to and altering the meaning of words; as well as a bit on the process of deducing the correct Sindarin form of a word from a previous or separate language within Elvish.

As always, we'll post the log of the lesson and the following Q/A session just as soon as possible on Barliman's page. We hope to see you there!

Place:
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net's chat room Barliman's and then type /join #thehalloffire.

Let's Talk TCG: Rohan
Flinch @ 4:35 pm EST

Battle of Helm's Deep will soon be thrashing its way into a Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game near you. There are many new devilries present here and of these it seems that the Rohan culture is finally coming into its own. For months players mocked that the Theoden Starter deck was the weakest of the bunch, rightly so as Rohan's chief tactic at the time was their mounts and causing an exertion each time a minion was assigned to skirmish one of your mounted Rohan men. This of course came under scrutiny as the Aragorn starter deck utilized Dunland which only had the one Vitality to begin with, so an exertion was impossible. This coupled with the fact that Valiant had not been fully explored as the powerhouse that it is. But no more, let's look a bit deeper into the Rohan Culture.

Starting off, Eowyn: Daughter of Eomund has become something to fear as you may now choose to play weapons on her during the Maneuver phase instead of during the Fellowship Phase, and heal her by doing so. This of course will still be under fire from the many Dunland cards like Secret Folk which simply discard that weapon in the Maneuver Phase. Still, against many opponents who need a lot of twilight before their shadow phase, not deploying weapons until the Maneuver Phase is a good tactic to starve your opponent into playing smaller numbers of minions to threaten your Horse-masters.

Another beautiful new tactic is Fortification. First of these new cards; Arrow-Slits allows you to spot two Rohan Men to discard a possession or a machine and then discard Arrow-Slits. If you've ever been up against the ticking time bomb that is Isengard you clearly see the monumental benefit to any player hoping to evade the arrowed fury of cards like Weapons of Isengard, and new cards like Scaling Ladder and Battering Ram. Rohan indeed has a few new tricks up it's sleeves to defend against the industries of Isengard, but is that all?

Hardly! Gamling: Warrior of Rohan can now play a Rohan Possession on himself during the Skirmish Phase to make him Strength +2 and Damage +1, not counting whatever benefit will come from the Possession. This not only plays confusion on your opponent but it is immune to cards like Secret Folk as these possessions are played out during Skirmish and not Maneuver.

Rohan also gets it's share of Allies in the form of Sigewulf: Brave Volunteer who can exert and spot 5 Valiant Men to discard a minion. A valuable effect for those of you out there who like to move more than once in a turn. What about our King? Well Theoden: King of the Golden Hall is represented here with his Maneuver action which allows him to play a Rohan Possession on himself to heal a Rohan Ally. So now that you've got your Villager Support Allies like Guma: Plains Farmer and Hlafwine: Village Farmhand you can step up with Theoden and keep them in the mix.

Overall Rohan is still going to have some trouble with the more fierce decks, and pumper heavy opponents, but with these new cards I don't doubt strategies will arise that will give the Uruk-hai a run for their money. Try out Rohan, or any of the cultures present in the Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game, and drop us an e-mail with your thoughts and hopes for the future expansions of The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game. Myself, and all of the Gaming Havens staff, can be reached at Havens@TheOneRing.net.

Until next time........

Media Watch: Miranda Otto InStyle Magazine
Xoanon @ 1:01 pm EST

Sessy sends along these scans from InStyle Magazine featuring Miranda Otto (Eowyn).


Report from Helm's Deep Weekend
Lao_of_Gondor @ 11:32 am EST

Battle of Helm's Deep
Pre-Release Event
Wizards of the Coast, Westminster Mall - Westminster, CA
February 22, 2003

Tournament Director: Norman C. Lao

Before I begin, if you would like to visually experience the tournament, then please our Battle of Helm's Deep Pre-Release PHOTO GALLERY and take a look at all of the images of the tournament. Thanks to FLINCH for posting these!

And now...for the Real Deal!

Lao of Gondor's Tournament Diary:

When I woke up on Saturday Feb. 22nd, I knew that I was in for one helluva day! My mind was going in ten different places at once, and for many of you who know me - that's a very dangerous thing. I checked, rechecked and triple checked all of my prize support, all of my player lists and made several calls to my host store to make sure all is going according to "Hoyle" (ahem - yes a shameless card term). And, once I rolled up on 10 am - the dust began to settle, the smoke began to clear and I headed out the door to begin the tournament...

As soon as I arrived at the Wizards of the Coast store in the Westminster Mall (Southern CA), I felt an energy inside the store that buzzed with a fevered pitch! You definitely knew that something BIG was going to happen - soon! There were already 10 players who were anxiously awaiting to start. Unfortunately for them that wouldn't happen for another excruciating 2 and a half hours! Believe me, everything was pretty hectic right up until start time as player after registered player, walk-ins and fans alike swarmed into this tiny little back area which was literally about to bust at the seams! It is safe to say that this store has NEVER hosted a LOTR TCG crowd as big as this. Players began competing for space as the gaming tables became cramped. The Wizards' staff underestimated the sheer amount of square footage needed to play this type of game and raced to clear off shelf space in order to find more seating accommodations. Well, at least it was a positive learning experience for next time.

The time now was 11:30 and panic and pressure began to rise in the store as 36 players from all over Southern California - including one player who came as far as Las Vegas - sold out this event in record time! 22 of these players were pre-registered and 14 walked-in right up until the last minute of registration! As the clock ticked towards 12 noon, I realized that there was no more space, there was no more patience, there was nowhere left to hide and there was no more time, and that is when I brought out the coveted boxes of The Battle of Helm's Deep Tournament Support! Then, the crowd silenced - for about a second!

As all 36 players frantically rushed through their packs and starter decks to construct their tournament decks, I circled the room and was incredibly surprised to see that - aside from the obvious number of high level tournament players in attendance, there was a significant amount of beginners as well. This was probably for me, the most exciting aspect of the whole event as these newcomers threw their proverbial gloves down and joined the gauntlet of tournament players with an attitude becoming of the Lord of the Rings mission statement: they thought, played and were FIERCE. It was a quite a refreshing change to say the least.

The tournament schedule was slated for four - 45 minute games which lasted over the course of 5 hours. During that time, there were emotions which ranged the spectrum of elation to frustration as these new cards literally wreaked havoc across the span of all the tables. Veterans and beginners alike found victory and defeat delivered to them by the hand of either the Wargs, the Mumaks or the dreaded Gollum: Stinker. New and unpredictable, unique tactical scenarios, which may never be duplicated again, were tested or bested; nonetheless played in lieu of the newness of the cards and the scarcity of sealed deck resources. It was a real treat to just observe and watch how the cards fell and what the players' reactions were to all the new cards seen and played over the span of 4 games.

Yet, when it was all said and done, and when the last point was tallied - if I may steal a line from Highlander: In the End, There Can Be Only One!

Undefeated 4-0 Garrhet Noda of Culver City, Ca took the coveted First Place spot, earning himself the top prize - a limited edition 2003 Return of the King Calendar from New Line Cinema! Travis Frazier of Trabujco Canyon, CA won second place - a FIERCE T-Shirt - with his surprising and last minute upset in his fourth and final game. And, much to my surprise, first time tournament player Dustin McCurdy, who began the game only several months ago - found himself amongst the rankings of higher level tournament players and earned himself the Fellowship Participation award.

Aside from myself, Flinch from Gaming Havens and Quickbeam representing GreenBooks (who also played in the tournament) were also on hand capturing each and every exciting moment for the TheOneRing.net. They both helped me tremendously with exciting and challenging Trivia sessions which occurred between rounds. Thanks fellas - everyone LOVED the trivia games.

The pre-release tournament was a great success overall and the players all walked away with smiles and great booster pack prizes and promo cards from Decipher, and limited edition OneRing Bookmarks and strategy guides from Black Label Games - promoting their Lord of the Rings video game (thanks Anson).

I want to thank Decipher for all of their support - especially Tracey Halliday and Scott Gaeta for their efforts in helping me run the smoothest - and largest - tournament I have ever organized. And I would like to specially thank PC's Cat Ceder and Garrhet Noda who really helped me at the end of the tourney, organizing the ratings and making sure everything in that aspect was taken care of. At the end of the day, as many of you well know, its difficult to keep it all straight and without their help, it definitely would have been a lot more difficult. Thanks guys!

It was a great time had by all and I'm sure we can expect more of this in the near future. Thanks Decipher! Let's do it again sometime.

Ents of Fangorn anyone?

Thanks for reading...

Lao

3-03-03 Latest News

Life's work molded by Tolkien tale
Xoanon @ 8:49 pm EST


By RUTH MALAN
Standard-Examiner correspondent

LAYTON -- The One Ring.

Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien"s "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" know the meaning of The One Ring. And Paul Badali, who has recreated the ring, is one of those fans.

When Badali learned the movie "Lord of the Rings" was going to be made, he set out to create The One Ring.

Badali said he first read "The Hobbit" as a junior in high school.

"The reading of "The Hobbit" that first time was a turning point in my life. I have been shaped and molded by that first experience with J.R.R. Tolkien in very real ways," he said.

Then when Badali was going to school at Brigham Young University, he read "The Lord of the Rings."

"It is a college-age rite of passage," Badali said. "Freshmen and sophomores in college read it. I have been a Tolkien fan since then."

It was the second book that helped Badali continue down the path to creating the ring. He is now a jeweler, crafting "The Ruling Ring" and other fantasy-related jewelry -- dragons, snakes, spiders and custom Norse Rune rings.

Symbol of sacrifice

Fantasy has played a role in his life. When he and his wife were choosing a name for their first daughter in 1975, he suggested Lothlorian from the Lord of the Rings. His wife liked it, but shortened it to Loria.

Badali said The One Ring may be thought of as evil, but to him it has another meaning.

Badali cleans up the engraving on one such ring.

"The One Ring is a symbol much like that of the cross to Christians," he said. Badali said the crucifix is about evil done in the world, but it has become a symbol of the greatest sacrifice.

"I feel that the One Ring, as well, is a symbol of Frodo"s willing sacrifice to rid the world of a great evil," he said.

The One Ring represents middle earth. To Badali it represents Gandalf"s wisdom and commitment, Galadriel"s beautiful heart, Aragorn"s patience and strength, and Sam"s constancy, loyalty, and humility.

It represents the sacrifice each was willing to make.

"It reminds us that right will always triumph where good people refuse to tolerate evil and that one individual can make a difference," Badali said.

Badali has loved natural stones since he found his first crystal at the age of 5. He has hunted stones in various parts of the states and has mined gold.

In 1970, he saw a friend cutting and polishing stones and became interested in doing that himself. He studied design classes at Weber State College and later went back to teach that same class at Weber State University.

Badali opened his first jewelry store in 1975 and tried to make The One Ring. He tried again in earnest in 1997. By 1998, he finally had a ring good enough to sell. Then in 1999, he made the ring into a more rounded, flattened style.

When Badali began making and selling the rings, he said he had no idea there were trademarks involved. A customer asked him if he was licensed with Tolkien Enterprises.

Badali said he had never heard of the company, so he did some research and found that the Tolkien Family Estate had sold the rights of "The Hobbit" to Saul Zaentz, owner of Fantasy Records and a movie producer.

Badali contacted Tolkien Enterprises and got licensing rights to continue making The One Ring.

Badali has owned several jewelry stores, but said he found out they didn"t pay.

"I"m a five-time loser with stores," Badali said. "In 1998, I found that 30 percent of our sales were on the Internet and 95 percent of my expenses are at the front door." So he closed his store and went to work for Ari Diamonds where he worked for two years.

"That was the gap between closing the store and going to the Internet and making jewelry that is appealing to a niche audience," he said.

Local factory

He now has a factory in Layton where he makes all of his jewelry.

"Most of our jewelry is science fiction," he said.

The One Ring has an inscription on the outside that translates to: "One Ring to Rule them all, One Ring to find them." Inside of the ring it says: "One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."

The elfish runes are deeply engraved into the metal. The rings are made of several different gold weights, beginning in price at $480 and going to about $739.

All of the jewelry is sold on his Internet site: badalijewlry.com and is sold to people around the world.

"We ooh and aah about a sale in Utah. We sell them all over the world. A sale in Utah is unusual. It would not be possible to sell them without the Internet," Badali said.

TTT Review By Mamoru Oshii
Xoanon @ 10:56 am EST

jainsafel writes: I've attached a translation I did of a review of the Two Towers movie by none other than Mamoru Oshii, director of Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor, Angel's Egg, ect, taken from the film program book. I hope it's of interest!

“Never-Before Seen Action and Undreamt-Of Battle”

Translation by jainsafel, 03/03/03

The Lord of the Rings’ great achievement is its crafting of a heretofore unsurpassed work of creative fantasy that can weather the scrutiny of adults. For once, long ago, “Fantasy” meant the smell of blood. There would fate and destiny unfold together with the murder of family or the cruel death of innocents, all holding true to the balance between Beauty and Blood.

And that balance of Light and Dark is even more pronounced in The Two Towers than in its predecessor. The first film left me with the strong image of scene after (beautiful) scene of the Hobbit countryside or the Valley of the Elves, which I felt could have been made shorter. On the one hand you must care for the story’s rhythm, but on the other, create a sense of the Fairy-Tale. In practice this is fraught with danger and it is all too easy to break the delicate balance between the two.

But this time, I didn’t feel the passing of time at all. The opening feels just right, unsullied as it is by any summary of the previous chapter, and the film as a whole is easy to watch - but even better was how characters introduced in Fellowship suddenly begin to live and breathe. Depicting the three separate journeys of the divided Fellowship by cutting back and forth between them makes for a far more cinematic experience. Even when taken from a visual standpoint, I believe that groups of about three work far better than nine people leisurely walking about.

Besides, whatever else you want to say about it, there are the battles. If I were to give the greatest reason for this installment’s success, I would start with the making of “battle” into its theme, and end there. When you hold the fighting as your ultimate objective, you can accomplish many things with clarity. The film begins flowing towards that end automatically, and so everything else snaps into place. With the incredibly powerful technique of “battle” at one’s disposal, you can push and push and push.

The most magnificent battle of all is, as you might well imagine, the finale - the attack of Helm’s Deep. I don’t think the scene where the horse-riders charge and penetrate the enemy lines would normally be cut in that way. Typically whenever I had a situation with two sides crashing into each other, I thought of it as the movie’s task to show it all in one cut, with the characters approaching only so far - an idea that The Two Towers successfully discards. To do so is truly remarkable. Of course, it wouldn’t even have been possible without special effects, and yet the effect used turns out to be an almost absurdly small, simple job. Digital effects are often likened to magic, but in reality they take a ridiculous amount of labor and time. Only the constant efforts of human beings keep them bound to reality. And yet in spite of all this they use effects for such small details, and I can only sit in amazement.

Speaking of the tactics of that scene - the long-spear wielding Uruk Hai form a screen of spears and await the cavalry led by Gandalf. That is an actual battle strategy, and the only way to defend against a cavalry charge. It’s not something one can pull off without studying group warfare. And just as surely, by mimicking the great nostalgic battles of movie past, such as those in El Cid or Ben Hur, a style of action that had all but disappeared has been revived. This time, unlike before in Fellowship, action scenes like the above highlight were mounted like jewels throughout the film, and I watched and waited with eager anticipation for the next battle.

In order for these battle scenes to live, helmets, armor, and weapons become very important, but in this too the film excels. As I said previously, the great achievement of this series is its ability to depict a Fairy-Tale fantasy with both its feet firmly planted on the ground. Our heroes are merely “human”; they walk and sleep in the fields, and their hair gets dirty and tangled. When they gird themselves for battle, the armor seems almost too heavy for them to bear, and when they fell an enemy, they stay felled. These and other details the film depicts with precision. The design-work on the helmets and armor vary depending on the clan who wear them, and you can sense the painstaking craftsmanship that went into their creation.

As for the artwork, as always no corners are cut. Take for example the Hall of Rohan, built in the midst of natural desolation. The scene where Eowyn stands motionless before that Hall made of wood and stone is such a wonderful shot - it seems to say “Ah, so people live in such a forlorn place…” I actually prefer this to the much more “fantasy-style” Tower of Isengard.

This outing introduces many more creatures than the first. The dragon-like flying creature that the Nazgul rides is called a wyvern [translator’s note: I thought it was just a “Fell Beast”…?] - a yokuryuu (“winged dragon”), in other words. It’s quite famous in the world of fantasy, but the film version is unusual. I had a few problems with how it flaps its wings to fly, but the long-necked design is simply perfect. The way the wyvern makes its appearance is a very satisfactory shot. As for the warg ridden by the Uruk Hai, they are also famous fantasy creatures - we’d call them marou (“demon wolves”) in Japanese. I don’t much care for their design, but their movement isn’t bad. More to my liking are the elephant-like oliphaunts. They are well made and resemble the now-extinct mammoths.

The most decisive “creature” of all is the CG character Gollum, a very gutsy move indeed. To have a CG character act - in the most important acting role of the movie - is normally so terrifying as to be unfeasible. This touches very close to my own professional world (animation director), and when I look at it through those eyes I wonder if there isn’t a tenuous thread between it and the viability of animated acting?

Character-wise, there are many delicious scenes, many of them involving Legolas the Elf, but in the end Aragorn dominates. In the first film he came off as very easy-going due to the many love scenes, but this time those scenes are lessened, and he becomes more fierce. There is a scene he has, a conversation with a young soldier in the stronghold of Helm’s Deep, that comes on the heels of the outpouring of his all-too human nature in the supply room, where war-weary old men and young boys are given their weapons and armor. He wants to tell the boy something, but cannot find the words. Even though the boy will probably not live to see the dawn - all this emotion is condensed into this small episode, and it is among my favorite scenes. In this way are we able to keep a vigilant eye on the characters, and see the seeds sown in the first movie begin to bloom. Also working in its favor is the series’ one-year-per book organization, which keeps them fresh in everyone’s memories.

Come to think of it, I’ve been watching movies on the big screen only ever since Fellowship. I have little doubt that I will also see the upcoming Return of the King in theaters as well.

[From the Japanese Two Towers program book.]

3-02-03 Latest News

Viggo Mortensen at St. Lawrence University
Xoanon @ 10:02 pm EST

My partner Kathy J and I have just returned from Canton, NY where we were lucky enough to attend a poetry reading, gallery opening and book signing with Viggo Mortensen.

Friday afternoon we packed our bags and headed over to border into New York State, as the sun dipped down below the horizon we slowly made our way across dimly lit back roads and small towns towards the University.

We finally arrived at the University just as Viggo was prepared to open the gallery to students, faculty and specially invited guests. The opening reception was held in the Richard F Brush gallery, a small, two-room gallery with excellent lighting and sound. Viggo’s many portraits from ‘Signlanguage’, his latest book, were displayed. Each image, some several feet long, were laminated in glass and the extra glossy look gave you the feeling that they were just exposed and were hanging to dry in some darkroom.

Many of the attendees spent their time waiting for Viggo to arrive looking at his photos and poetry on display. The gallery managed to re-create some of his written work on the walls of the exhibit.

Before Viggo spoke one of the teachers at the University gave a delightfully candid speech about Viggo's time at the school, and his time as a guest at the teacher’s house for the summer.

Viggo came to the mic and thanked everyone for attending, he told the students to enjoy their time in Canton and to try and become part of the entire village and not just the school. He expressed a want for the students to see beyond their immediate needs of homework and study and take the time to look around them.

Instead of making a grand speech Viggo spoke only for a short time then proceeded to mingle in the crowd the best he could. Fans were told not to ask for autographs or photos with Viggo, but you can imagine how quickly that rule was ignored.

I managed to speak with Viggo at the second gallery opening later that night. I told him how many emails we received in regards to his appearance on the Charlie Rose show last December. I told him how upset I was that I missed him in New York for the TTT premiere, and he told me he wasn’t able to make it either due to work.

For both gallery openings the two rooms were packed full with friends and family alike. Viggo’s Mother and stepfather were in attendance as well. Viggo seemed somewhat adrift among the endless amount of fans begging for his attention. When Kathy and I left for some dinner I couldn’t help think Viggo would love for some quiet time. Even if he was very glad to be back at St. Lawrence, all this attention was clearly not something he craved.

Saturday was one of the warmest we’ve had (in Canton as well as Montreal), this winter has been harsher than most, and being out in the melting snow and beautiful sunshine is something that my friends to the south will never experience, and it is a sad thought.

Viggo was slated to read poetry at the theatre early in the afternoon. We arrived early to speak to some hardcore fans and see what they had to say about meeting Viggo. We ran into a looney bunch of Viggo-maniacs from the Viggo fan base website. Some of them had traveled as far as Vancouver to be there today.

They have made a local name for themselves when they arrived a few weeks earlier to queue up for tickets at 7 in the morning. The local newspapers and radio stations were calling them ‘The Fellowship of HIM’.

As 2:30 slowly approached fans eagerly awaited a chance to hear Viggo recite some of his poetry to the audience. He arrived on stage and was immediately bathed in flashing camera lights and applause. We were asked by his manager Pilar not to film his poetry reading and we respectfully agreed. We did get his introduction and a few words before the recital, more about that later.

Viggo read a few selections from various works, and even treated us to a new poem he had written recently. He also mentioned the impending war with Iraq and his thoughts and feelings about it. He told the audience in attendance that no one person should tell them what to think about this war, but that everyone has the right to discuss and debate it in the open. The crowd applauded his speech, and the poetry reading continued.

After the reading Viggo headed back to the Richard F Brush gallery to prepare for the book-signing event. He was available for almost 4 hours signing books for fans. This is a task that I would not envy! When we managed to use our press passes to get our books singed he was very courteous and asked me if I covered the poetry reading, I told him no, and he arranged for me to get a copy of the video from the school ‘If anyone gives you any trouble, tell them I said it’s ok’ (yes, Viggo has my back folks).

Many fans young and old arrived for the book signing, and Viggo was courteous and respectful to all, he asked many people the origins of their names, as I recalled, he seemed interested in heritage and cultures.

Kathy and I headed back to our hotel for some R&R and to get prepared for the screening of the ‘Fellowship’ Extended DVD at the Gulick theatre.

An opening band entertained the eager fans as they waited for Viggo to introduce the film. He arrived slightly late (as he states, his artistic and free-loving lifestyle is just an excuse for his general lack of co-ordination). He told the fans that he was glad they were watching the extended version, a version, in his opinion, is the better version and actually feels much more faster in pace than the theatrical version.

Viggo then dipped off to the Underground theatre to open the Fellowship for those eager fans, and then headed home for some well-deserved rest.

We will be cutting a new chapter of TORN Digital with highlights from this weekend. Stay tuned for that!

You can catch Viggo’s Signlanguage exhibit all this month at St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY.

Special thanks goes to Macreena Doyle, Pilar from Perceval Press, St. Lawrence and of course my Kathy for taking these wonderful photos and navigating (part) of the way!

TV Watch: JRD Invades Bulgarian TV
Xoanon @ 6:48 pm EST

Ross writes:

The most famous dwarf in the world, or rather say - the marvelous actor who played the part of Gimli - Mr. John Rhys-Davies, is currently in Bulgaria. He is shooting here another adventure film with dragons and malicious kings... "Guess, who I am playing!” said JRD while being the special guest on the most popular TV Talk-show here.

In that show JRD proved to be a charming entertainer and a wise and intelligent man with subtle sense of humor. In fact, we here have known the actor for many years, from the film-hits like "Indiana Jones", "I Claudius" and a lot of other film productions. But he is probably most popular for his role in the "Shogun" - mega production. The thing is that JRD is well known to the Bulgarian movie-fans just as he usually looks like. So, believe me, almost nobody could recognize him at first in the role of Gimli! I, who am personally a great fan of JRD, could hardly believe it!!!

I know that JRD has explained hundreds of times about how he played his character - a dwarf - HIM!!!! - Being such a big man! However, he had nothing against explaining it once again and even more! - He demonstrated it! Well, that was such a fun! JRD got up from the cozy sofa he was sitting on, fell on his knees and showed the audience how from this position he, being Gimli, HAD to fight with "full strength". And when he would swing his famous axe to strike a mighty blow he.... just crashed face down on the floor! Of course, he was playing! But he did all with such a grace and humor that the whole audience strongly applauded his brief but brilliant performance and. you know, even in his smart suit, he still looked like Gimli! Charming!!

JRD admitted to the Bulgarian audience he had not read the LOTR-book before he was offered the part of Gimli. Now, he said, he has read it at least four times and he is convinced that this is the greatest fiction written in the 20th century. He also admitted that he loved his Gimli and that he would never forget this character for he had played it with love... Though, of course, JRD could not avoid mentioning about the heavy hours of putting up the whole make up that made JRD into Gimli the Dwarf!

To me, personally, JRD's appearance on that TV-show was even more thrilling. First, because the film he is shooting now in my country is being done in an ancient fortress found in my own native town! I spent my childhood there! I know the fortress like the backyard of my house! And, on the other hand, he was presented with an ancient coin from the oldest golden treasure in the world (dated around 5000 to even 9000 years BC!), found near the city where I live now!!! Well!! What a coincidence! BTW, JRD is famous for his ancient coins collecting passion and he was deeply moved to receive such a precious object.

As for the LOTR-movie-trilogy, JRD said that this production is one of those films that live forever in people's minds. And that ROTK will prove it!

So, if you think that Gimli had departed with Legolas to Aman, believe me you're wrong! Not to the West but to the East he had gone! And it seems he likes it a lot being in the lands of the Easterlings, because he promised to return as often and as soon as possible to Bulgaria!

55th Annual Director's Guild of America AWARDS!
Quickbeam @ 5:55 am EST

It is the first of March and I find myself deep in the bowels of the Century Plaza Hotel in Beverly Hills, with Asfaloth by my side. She carries a camera, I carry a microphone. The two of us have been bustling about all evening, trying to get the best video footage of Peter Jackson and Cate Blanchett.

We have already seen a crazy song n' dance number from Sean Astin, but we'll post that later.

Tonight, the venerable DGA honors the very best directors of all stripes; including those working in feature films, television, commercials, daytime serials and yes, even documentaries! (Let's hear it for the docu crews.... woo-hoo!)

Standing in the painfully crowded and brightly lit Press Room, we watch the monitors with delight as Cate Blanchett speaks to the audience in the main auditorium. She acknowledges her director for all his time and dedication on The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Peter is given a huge, shiny award medallion just for being one of the five nominees in the feature film category. Whether he wins tonight or not seems beside the point, for he has his name on a very short list of the world's greatest -- including Roman Polanski and Martin Scorsese (himself a living legend)! Peter seems thrilled and perhaps a bit tired. You must realize he has just gotten off an 18 hour flight from New Zealand and has been running around all day with no proper sleep. He accepts the medallion with typical Kiwi grace, very soft-spoken but full of potency.


After thanking his partner Fran Walsh, Peter is showered with applause. He and Cate are now arm in arm; both coming back to join us in the Press Room. The reporters rev up their cameras as the pair step towards the lights. PJ comes right up to the mic and the first question comes straight from me. I ask, "How do you use camera work when you are creating such an epic film and then bring it down to such intimate details at the same time?" He speaks with confidence about working with the epic scale of Tolkien's story, something he admits also works as "very intimate in its storytelling and its emotions. Really we've taken our 'guide' from the book." He also confesses that he is eager to get back home to finish work on The Return of the King: "It's my favorite of the three."

Cate seems strangely bashful tonight; and looks suspiciously like she is blushing. Asfaloth captures an excellent close up of Cate, zooming in with her digital lens. When she was given the opportunity to work as Galadriel, Cate admits: "I was on the next plane. I think he's a genius! And to make one of these films.... let alone three at the one time, I just think is unheard of. A phenomenal, Olympic feat!"

The other reporters seem eager to ask more of him and Cate, but the stage manager is impatient. Everything moves at quite a clip around here, and soon the next award recipient will be arriving. They stand for a few moments more -- and the paparazzi goes nuts.

* * *

Later in the evening, a stunning upset! Most folks were assured that Martin Scorsese would win best feature film director for Gangs of New York (while privately I was hoping against hope that PJ would really win). But in the end, it was given to Rob Marshall for Chicago. Everyone in the press room gasps with surprise. Just goes to show, you never know with these things. The big finish for all of us LOTR fans will probably be next year.

When all the excitement of tonight is forgotten.... we will, all of us, still have the promise of ROTK. PJ's goal, to bring the story to a massive "bang" of a conclusion, will thus be the final chapter that brings him the acknowledgement from his peers, the Director's Guild.

Much too hasty,
Quickbeam

3-01-03 Latest News

Hall of Fire Chats This Weekend
Demosthenes @ 12:21 pm EST

This weekend, Hall of Fire rejoins the action of the Return of the King. Events are moving quickly - Sauron is on the move, and the muster of Rohan must occur soon if Minas Tirith is to stand.

But Aragorn fears it cannot come quickly enough. Using the Palantir, he dares a perilous mental battle with Sauron to gain vital intelligence that sends the Dunedain of the north racing toward Pelargir.

RoTK Book V, Ch 2: The Passing of the Grey Company

Leaving Merry with Theoden, Aragorn decides the company must travel the Paths of the Dead - a name as ill-omened as Cirith Ungol. Join us this weekend as we explore this extraordinary chapter.

Upcoming Discussions:

March 8-9: Isildur
March 15-16: RoTK B 5, Ch 3: The Muster of Rohan.

Place:
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman's and then type /join #thehalloffire .

Times:
Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET]

Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET]

ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe

Do you have a possible topic for Hall of Fire? Drop us a line at halloffire@theonering.net. And don't forget that you can check out previous chats here.

2-28-03 Latest News

John Rhys-Davies in Bulgaria
Tehanu @ 6:13 pm EST

The most famous dwarf in the world, or rather say - the marvelous actor who played the part of Gimli - Mr. John Rhys-Davies, is currently in Bulgaria. He is shooting here another adventure film with dragons and malicious kings... "Guess, who I am playing!", said Mr.Davies while being the special guest on the most popular TV Talk-show here.

In that show Mr.Davies proved to be a charming entertainer and a wise and intelligent man with subtle sense of humour. In fact, we here have known the actor for many years, from the film-hits like "Indiana Jones", "I Claudius" and a lot of other film productions. But he is probably most popular for his role in the "Shogun" - mega production. The thing is that J.R.Davies is well known to the Bulgarian movie-fans just as he usually looks like. So, believe me, almost nobody could recognize him at first in the role of Gimli! I, who am personally a great fan of Mr.Davies, could hardly believe it!!! e I know that Mr.Davies has explained hundreds of times about how he played his character - a dwarf - HIM!!!! - being such a big man! However, he had nothing against explaining it once again and even more! - he demonstrated it! Well, that was such a fun! Mr.Davies got up from the cozy sofa he was sitting on, fell on his knees and showed the audience how from this position he, being Gimli, HAD to fight with "full strength". And when he swang his famous axe to strike a mighty blow he.... just crashed face down on the floor! Of course, he was playing! But he did all with such a grace and humour that the whole audience strongly applauded his brief but brilliant performance and... you know, even in his smart suit, he still looked like Gimli! Charming!!

Mr.Davies admitted to the Bulgarian audience he had not read the LOTR-book before he was offered the part of Gimli. Now, he said, he has read it at least four times and he is convinced that this is the greatest fiction written in the 20th century. He also admitted that he loved his Gimli and that he would never forget this character for he had played it with love..... Though, of course, Mr.Davies could not avoid mentioning about the heavy hours of putting up the whole make up that made J.R.Davies into Gimli the Dwarf!

To me, personally, Mr.Davies's appearance on that TV-show was even more thrilling. First, because the film he is shooting now in my country is being done in an ancient fortress found in my own native town! I spent my childhood there! I know the fortress like the backyard of my house! And, on the other hand, he was presented with an ancient coin from the oldest golden treasure in the world (dated around 5000 to even 9000 years BC!), found near the city where I live now!!! Well!! What a coincidence! BTW, Mr.Davies is famous for his ancient coins collecting passion and he was deeply moved to receive such a precious object.

As for the LOTR-movie-trilogy, Mr.Davies said that this production is one of those films that live forever in people's minds. And that ROTK will prove it!

So, if you think that Gimli had departed with Legolas to Aman, believe me you're wrong! Not to the West but to the East he had gone! And it seems he likes it a lot being in the lands of the Easterlings, because he promised to return as often and as soon as possible to Bulgaria!

Thanks to Ross for this detailed report.

John Rhys-Davies in Bulgaria
Tehanu @ 6:11 pm EST

The most famous dwarf in the world, or rather say - the marvelous actor who played the part of Gimli - Mr. John Rhys-Davies, is currently in Bulgaria. He is shooting here another adventure film with dragons and malicious kings... "Guess, who I am playing!", said Mr.Davies while being the special guest on the most popular TV Talk-show here.

In that show Mr.Davies proved to be a charming entertainer and a wise and intelligent man with subtle sense of humour. In fact, we here have known the actor for many years, from the film-hits like "Indiana Jones", "I Claudius" and a lot of other film productions. But he is probably most popular for his role in the "Shogun" - mega production. The thing is that J.R.Davies is well known to the Bulgarian movie-fans just as he usually looks like. So, believe me, almost nobody could recognize him at first in the role of Gimli! I, who am personally a great fan of Mr.Davies, could hardly believe it!!! e I know that Mr.Davies has explained hundreds of times about how he played his character - a dwarf - HIM!!!! - being such a big man! However, he had nothing against explaining it once again and even more! - he demonstrated it! Well, that was such a fun! Mr.Davies got up from the cozy sofa he was sitting on, fell on his knees and showed the audience how from this position he, being Gimli, HAD to fight with "full strength". And when he swang his famous axe to strike a mighty blow he.... just crashed face down on the floor! Of course, he was playing! But he did all with such a grace and humour that the whole audience strongly applauded his brief but brilliant performance and... you know, even in his smart suit, he still looked like Gimli! Charming!!

Mr.Davies admitted to the Bulgarian audience he had not read the LOTR-book before he was offered the part of Gimli. Now, he said, he has read it at least four times and he is convinced that this is the greatest fiction written in the 20th century. He also admitted that he loved his Gimli and that he would never forget this character for he had played it with love..... Though, of course, Mr.Davies could not avoid mentioning about the heavy hours of putting up the whole make up that made J.R.Davies into Gimli the Dwarf!

To me, personally, Mr.Davies's appearance on that TV-show was even more thrilling. First, because the film he is shooting now in my country is being done in an ancient fortress found in my own native town! I spent my childhood there! I know the fortress like the backyard of my house! And, on the other hand, he was presented with an ancient coin from the oldest golden treasure in the world (dated around 5000 to even 9000 years BC!), found near the city where I live now!!! Well!! What a coincidence! BTW, Mr.Davies is famous for his ancient coins collecting passion and he was deeply moved to receive such a precious object.

As for the LOTR-movie-trilogy, Mr.Davies said that this production is one of those films that live forever in people's minds. And that ROTK will prove it!

So, if you think that Gimli had departed with Legolas to Aman, believe me you're wrong! Not to the West but to the East he had gone! And it seems he likes it a lot being in the lands of the Easterlings, because he promised to return as often and as soon as possible to Bulgaria!

Thanks to Ross for this detailed report.

Media Watch: Viggo in i-D Magazine
Xoanon @ 2:26 pm EST

Ringer Spy Ryka sends along these scans from i-D Magazine featuring some candid shots of Viggo Mortensen.


Billy Boyd Heads North
Xoanon @ 1:19 pm EST

From: Billyboyd.net

Billy is going to be on a tour of Canada with Sniper470 as well as other Scottish short films. The information we have at the moment is sketchy at best but we will update the information as we get more. The details are:

13 March Medicine Hat Film Festival, Alberta - Monarch Theatre - 7pm

15 March Screening of Scottish Shorts - Garneau Tht Edmonton - 7pm

19 March Scottish Shorts Screening & Social in Toronto - Showcase Cinema Burlington Toronto - 7pm

'Musicorum' Prepares For The TORN Oscar Party!
Xoanon @ 1:12 pm EST

February 28, 2003

Vis Sit Tecum Musicorum is proud to announce they have been invited to perform at TheOneRing.net's Oscar Party, to be held in Hollywood, CA on March 23, 2003. At the celebration by the fans of the Lord of the Rings films, Vis Sit Tecum will be providing musical atmosphere for the more than eight hundred partygoers. Members of Vis Sit Tecum are fans themselves and are delighted to be participating in the now famous Oscar party, the one in 2002 being a stopping place for several cast and crew of the New Line epic film on Oscar night.

'Two Towers - One Party' (website: http://www.theonering.net/oscarparty) will be held at the historic Hollywood Athletic Club on Sunset Boulevard.

The classy nightclub will provide the perfect backdrop for the "Black Tie and Pointy Ears optional" event. Fans of the film are so excited about the party that tickets already sold out more than a month ago.

After hearing the musicians play at a fan picnic-held in honor of Lord of the Rings composer Howard Shore's Hollywood Bowl Concert last August-party organizers asked Vis Sit Tecum if they would be interested in playing at the forthcoming Oscar party too.

"I had so much fun playing for the Bowlmoot picnic that it was almost too much to believe we'd been invited to play for the Oscar Party as well," said Melonie, Vis Sit Tecum musician and costumer. She adds, "Lord of the Rings fans are so nice and complimentary, it will be a privilege to play for them."

Vis Sit Tecum (website: http://audiblebeauty.net/vissittecum) formed about three years ago with friends interested in music from the Medieval and Renaissance time period. The group plays a wide variety of genres within that area, from lyrical ballads with harp and recorders to light-hearted dances accompanied by percussion like tambourines, hand cymbals and drums. Many songs and clips are available for download at their web site.

TheOneRing.net is one of the top fan sites for the Lord of the Rings franchise, their motto being "Forged by and for Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien." Vis Sit Tecum is happy to be continuing a relationship with them that started with playing at Salt Lake City's midnight movie Line Parties held in 2001 and 2002. For Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers this last December, about a thousand local fans gathered at the now closed historic Villa Theatre--because that was the only theater big enough to accommodate everyone who wanted to come.

2-27-03 Latest News

PJ Clears Up ROTK Trailer Stories
Xoanon @ 6:07 pm EST

From AICN: PJ writes: As far as I'm aware the first ROTK trailer will hit cinemas about May or June. We're not doing a ROTK trailer for the end of Two Towers like we did last year. The reason is that the TT extended DVD has been so complex this year, it would have taken too many resources away from trying to get that finished. The FOTR extended cut had 35 extra CG shots - the TT extended cut has over 150. Weta are plowing through those, plus starting ROTK. We have a huge TT extended cut sound mix in a few weeks. It's all very complex and we deemed an early ROTK trailer as simply too much to take on this time around.

Rave Review For Tolkien In Vatican Newspaper
Xoanon @ 12:52 pm EST

VATICAN, Feb 26, 03 (CWNews.com) -- In a highly favorable review of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, the official Vatican newspaper has said that the work carries "echoes of the Gospel."

L'Osservatore Romano remarked that Tolkien's creative work-- now being made available on film-- has an "enchantment with which is seduces us, and helps to highlight a significance deeper than what is immediately apparent." The fantasy world of Tolkien's work is "like a projection of the real world, where men are agitated by passions, driven by sentiments, slaves to egoism, but open to values of friendship, loyalty, generosity, love-- stronger than the will to power that devastates mankind."

The anonymous article in L'Osservatore Romano said that Tolkien's work shows "a sort of theology." The Lord of the Rings speaks through images and signs, the reviewer observes, but the author concludes: "When faith inspires one's thought and one's life, there is not need to call attention to it; it shines through everything."

John Howe: There and Back Again (Again)
Xoanon @ 12:46 pm EST

From: The John Howe Website

Just returned from a bit of a safari to rather colder climes, which made returning to Switzerland feel positively springlike. After several amusing episodes involving visas and border guards, missed planes and queueing in consulates, it's good to be back at the drawing table.

The BAFTA ceremony was enormous fun, and watching a fantasy film line The Two Towers walk away with three awards was a tribute well deserved. I keep promising to post photos, and will promise again to post a few of the party afterwards. (As usual, watch this space.) I've received a CD of photos from the gallery show in Paris, so will sort those out first.

I also apologize for perhaps missing many questions on the forum. Please don't think I've ignored any, it's just that I have overlooked them, so do post again.

On the drawing board: A new Tolkien map, of Numenor this time around. Brian Sibley is doing the text, if HarperCollins can let him have a spare minute from the movie tie-in books...

Otherwise, a long overdue children's book and a private commission are enough to keep me busy right now.

Coming up in the shops: The next in Robin Hobb's Tawny Man series. I wish I could post the artwork, but must await publication. The limited edition of A Clash of Kings is in production right now; I'll post news as I get it. You can also visit George R. R. Martin's official site for a bit of a peek.

Last but not least, just acquired a handful of books from Poland with my covers on them, a couple of which certainly can't be entirely legal. Which aptly brings up a topic that is an illustrators' favourite - illicit use of cover artwork in foreign countries. I really appreciate those of you who live in lands I may never visit and who take the trouble to post images from local editions featuring my work on the front. Most of it is above board, and as I don't always get copies, it is a real pleasure to get a glimpse. Occasionally, rights are sold by one editor to another, and the original editor "forgets" to let the artist know. Every now and then, though, editors in a hurry simply pick up artwork and hope the artist won't notice.

Which brings me to my request: if anyone finds a piece of my work on a publication and thinks I may not be aware of it, please don't hesitate to post it to the site. Naturally, given the relatively modest sums involved in sub-rights, it is not to prosecute the socks off errant editors, but simply to keep track of what is going on. Thanks in advance for your help!

See you next week!

PJ In Poland?
Xoanon @ 12:34 pm EST

Piotr sends along this report that PJ was recently spotted in Poland scouting locations. I find this hard to believe at the moment, and we are looking into this. A word to the wise, you can completely ignore the Hobbit rumors in the aritcle below, PJ most certainly wants to take a break from Middle-earth, and god bless him he deserves it!

Peter Jackson visited Poland two days ago (25.02) to see one of our National Parks. Editors of our newspapers suggest that it might be a sign that PJ is preparing to film "Hobbit".

PJ and his crew took police helicopter and checked out "Biebrzañski Park Narodowy" (that would translate to "National Park of Biebrza"). They were filming and making photos. One of the guys from the polish crew that helped them says that they were looking for a good place to make another movie. We`re all hoping that it`s gonna be "Hobbit" :-)

This visit was not official - PJ obviously didn`t want to attract too much attention and that`s why even polish distributor of LOTR didn`t know about this.

2-26-03 Latest News

Sean Astin News.
Tehanu @ 2:10 pm EST

Another great report on Sean's appearance at the Texas Film Festival appears over at Aint-it-cool-news Really interesting stuff there, Sean Astin is certainly one to watch as he carries his Sam-nature over into real life.

Meanwhile in Portland, Oregon the gardening/literacy project BitofEarth.net are delighted to announce that have received official confirmation that Sean Astin will be making every effort to attend Project Elanor on April 6, 2003 at the Rockwood branch of the Multnomah County Library, Portland, Oregon. Previously, Mr. Astin had generously offered his name and support and indicated his interest in attending, but we can now confirm that, barring any last-minute changes of plan, he will be present for the building and dedication of the children's reading garden he inspired with his own dedication to community service.

Lets Get Silly
Xoanon @ 1:47 pm EST

Since that 'Dobey/Putin' thing came out a few weeks back, everyone is looking to compare CGI movie creations to real life politicians. Well now WHO Magazine has an article referring to the unfortunate similarities between Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Gollum.


New Line: 'No Plans for ROTK trailer behind TTT'
leo @ 1:25 pm EST

Well, I think we woke someone up with the last batch of rumors.. Apparently there will not be a trailer for The Return of the King attached to The Two Towers, that is at least what ComingSoon.net is reporting...

Word has it that New Line Cinema will copy last year's strategy when they placed a new preview for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at the end of the first film after it had played in theaters for some time. The rumor is that the studio will attach a preview for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King at the end of "The Two Towers" in March.

Not so, the studio tells us. New Line says that there are currently no plans to attach a clip for the third and final installment onto the second film.

That, of course, doesn't rule out the possibility we'll see a new trailer for "Return of the King" soon. New Line has Willard coming out on March 14 and then A Man Apart on April 4. Both could be candidates for them to attach a trailer to.


Source: ComingSoon.net

So there we have it; there are no plans (at the moment) to attach the trailer at the end of The Two Towers, but we just might get to see it in front of another movie...

ROTK Footage on Belgian Televison!
leo @ 10:25 am EST

Jeroen heard of a glimpse of some LOTR-footage being shown on the Belgian television channel Canal+, presumably part of the new The Return of the King-trailer! Here's what it featured! Minor Tiny Spoilers

A friend of mine saw what looks like a piece of ROTK trailer this thuesday on Canal +, the Belgian one. It contains:

- Merry bowing for Théoden
- A massive army of Orcs rushing towards white city (Minas Tirith or Osgiliath)
- Gimli and the rest of the band in the paths of the dead
- The back of Denethor
- Frodo holding the light with Shelob's eyes in the background.

It wasn't long approximatly 1 minute or less.


I don't know how much of this is true, but if there are any other people around who saw this and know some more about it: let us know!


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