4-08-03 Latest News

Tindril Reports From Project Elanor
Demosthenes @ 6:34 am EST

Tindril sends in a great report from the Project Elanor event that Sean Astin was involved in over the weekend.

Tindril writes:

What a day we had!

I had been assigned the duty to oversee the construction of a deck and some benches. Keep in mind that I have never built anything like this before, but I was willing to give it my best. I had my husband with me for guidance (and he was also on the construction team) and I imagined that there would be some detailed plans to follow... I felt confident I could to that: I can read, I can follow directions and I learn quickly.

We arrived at the site about 9:45, a bit later than I had planned, but I didn't miss anything, so it turned out OK. We brought all our tools and a case of Diet Dr. Pepper, what else do you need? The prep work had been done by some very intrepid Bit of Earth people the day before, so all the sod had been removed. But it had been rather rainy lately, and the ground was really soggy. I tried hard not to slip on the mud and make an utter fool of myself.

Sean Astin came out and played MC, introducing Orangeblossom (one of the organizers of Project Elanor) and the director of the Riggs Institute (the benefactor of our efforts). After the brief opening talks, we got down to some buisiness.

We started out by marking off the layout with spray paint, then everyone got busy with shovels, picks, hoes or whatever, to dig up and loosen the soil in the planting areas. The paths were also marked and dug. I had a flat shovel and worked on turning the edges along the marked paths.

Then it was time to assemble the construction team. Those authorized to operate power tools were given orange arm bands, and those who were team leaders also had armbands, so I got to wear two! I was given a "cut list" for the lumber and dimensions, but the plans weren't there yet. We first moved the power tools next to where the lumber was stacked, getting everything set up. Then tried to make sense out of the matrials list. It wasn't making sense because the dimentions needed didn't seem to match the
materials in the pile....

My husband wisely advised that we should not cut any lumber until the plans arrived. So we began helping unload and spread the gravel over the area where the deck would be. I weilded a metal rake while others trundled wheelbarrows of gravel from the pile. Our goal was to level out the ground and provide drainage under the deck. While we were working on the gravel, Sean was helping the path and planting bed crews. It was now after 11:00 and still no plans...

Finally the person who had gone to fetch the box which contained the plans arrived... unfortunately, the box did NOT contain the plans for the deck and benches, only the garden plans. Mr. Frodo decided to send someone to the nearby Home Depot to buy the book from which they had gotten the plans in the first place.

Since I was waiting for some plans to begin figuring out how to build the deck and furnishings, I decided to take a break and have some breakfast. There were some very yummy brownies and some bagels and cream cheese.

Some time after noon the plans arrived. Except they weren't really *plans* they were detailed instructions for how to build a deck. My comment to Mr. Frodo was, "What, you want me to actually *think*??" LOL... I spent some time poring over the instructions while he explained what they had in mind. We scribbled some diagrams on the inner cover of the book and I set out to come up with an actual PLAN for how to build it. We (this was mostly help from the Riggs institute director's husband, my husband and Josh, the men on my team) managed to figure out the construction of the deck frame (which would rest directly on the gravel).

It seems like we had just begun getting into the construction phase when lunch arrived. Delicious fish and chips and salad. Yum! Just as we finished up eatin lunch the rain arrived. It began pouring so hard we though perhaps it might hail. Luckily the rain did not last too long, but the book with the plans got a bit soggy...

Once the basic frame was constructed, it was decided that the joists needed some support in the middle to keep it from shifting. By this time Sean was involved with the deck building. It was a good thing, too, he is extremely good at organizing labor! Cross members were added, staggered along a line and nailed into place. I had the privilege to work right along-side Sean swinging a hammer.

Once the deck top was begun I turned my attention back to figuring out what lumber needed to be cut, the lengths, number of pieces and construction of the benches. I really didn't want to operate large power tools like the chop saw and table saw... delegation is the privilege of a leader ;). Josh did a lot of the work of cutting lumber, as did my husband. There were not enough 2x4s so some of the 2x8s had to be ripped
lengthwise and then chopped.

The work on the benches got put on hold so that we could see to it that the deck top would get mostly done. It was clear that we would not be able to finish the job today.

Sean needed to leave early to catch a plane home. He took a break from construction to sign any items for those who hadn't yet had the chance (he had been doing personalized autographs periodically throughout the day). I handed over my Project Elanor "who's who" brochure to Orangeblossom for Sean to sign, then went back to work. It would not be a personalized autograph, but I will cherish it along with all my mementos.

All day the work progress and action was being photographed by one of the volunteers. She must have used up a dozen rolls of film or more, actually laying down in the mud to get interesting shots of people at work. I cannot wait to see the pictures! Someone else also filmed the event with a video camera.

Just before Sean had to leave the volunteers were all called together for a group picture. There was a raffle for a book and for a special photo with Sean. Then Sean came out for his goodbyes. After the photos, he began giving out hugs and last minute meetings with volunteers.

I shook his hand and asked if I could brag on my husband, "I'm married to the *real* Samwise Gamgee", I said.

"Sam's a great character," he commented to those who were gathered around him, "she must love him a lot!" Then he turned to me again and asked, "So where is he?"

"He's the guy back there who's still working," I said as I motioned with my thumb over my shoulder. He had continued to work on the deck while everyone else was getting their pictures taken and meeting with Sean.

"We'll have to go on over to him, then!" and he marched over to where my husband was to shake his hand and talk to him a bit. "Your wife tells me you're the real Sam, but you're way too tall!" (almost 6'4") That generated some laughter from those who had come along. Sean affibly agreed with my husband's suggestion that they should get together for a beer some time. Sounds like something Sam would say... ;)

After Sean left I managed to construct some legs for the benches, but by now my arm was aching and my feet hurt, so I delegated the task to younger hands. All the pieces needed for the legs of the benches had been cut and put together by the time we left, shortly before dusk. Work on the project will continue this week and next Saturday.

What a wonderful and memorable day we had!

God bless! Tinidril

Boyd Is Pippinlike
Demosthenes @ 4:51 am EST

Ringer Spy Eowyn Turmavende writes:

In the back of the Boston Sunday Globe's TV week, they have a column where people can send in questions, and this question and answer appeared today (April 6):

"Q: I have become a big fan of Billy Boyd from the Lord of the Rings movies. What is he currently working on? [from Christine via e-mail]

A: In addition J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King, next Christmas, the 34-year Scottish actor co-stars next with Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany in Peter Weir's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

By the way, asked recently whether he really is anything like accident-prone LOTR character "Pippin" Took, Boyd told an interviewer that the first time he tried to read the Tolkien trilogy, he dropped the book in a hotel swimming pool. 'If that's not a Pippin thing to do, I don't know what is,' he laughed."

Mirkwood Elven Bow Charity Raffle
Demosthenes @ 3:23 am EST

Joe Berg at Idaho Archery writes that Russell Barton (the bowyer who creates the amazing LoTR replica bows at Sticks and Stones) has donated an Elven Mirkwood Bow for a charity raffle that they are conducting.

All money raised from this bow will go to help children through the Children's Miracle Network to help children with life threatening illnesses. This is their fifth year the club has been involved in fundraising for the network and their goal this year is to reach $100,000. In the last four years, they've raised more than $89,000.

The bow raffle is online at their site until April 19, 2003. Tickets are $10 and can be paid via Paypal. The raffle drawing will be held in Eagle, Idaho on Sunday, May 4, 2003. [More]

More On Wood's Penguin Project
Demosthenes @ 1:49 am EST

TORn Staffer Asfaloth adds in a few more details from the Hollywood Reporter about Elijah's new project.

April 07, 2003

Helmer George Miller is embarking on an animated feature film for Warner Bros. Pictures/Village Roadshow Pictures titled "Happy Feet."

The lead character will be voiced by Elijah Wood. The CGI-animated project will be done in Australia, with a print expected to be delivered in late 2005. A release date will be set after that time.

Kennedy/Miller is producing the project, which is a children's fable about a young penguin's adventure in Antarctica.

Wood will voice Mumble, the young penguin. The screenplay was written by Miller, John Collee, Warren Coleman and Judy Morris. Miller and Doug Mitchell are producing. Warners senior vp Courtenay Valenti and creative executive David Beaubaire are overseeing the project with Village Roadshow exec Dana Goldberg.

Wood, repped by WMA, is best known as Frodo Baggins in New Line Cinema's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

The actor recently completed filming Focus Features' "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" opposite Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet and will next star in the mob drama "Ash Wednesday" for writer-director-actor Ed Burns.

The Fire Warriors are Coming
Flinch @ 10:28 pm EST

Welcome to the dark nightmare future of the 41st Millennium, the grim era of the Imperium. The battlefield is spread across a thousand different worlds. Powerful armies of Space Marines, Imperial Guardsmen and Tau warriors are in constant conflict, unleashing carnage via mechanical war machines, crushing artilery, and vast starships.

Fire Warriors follows one day in the tumultuous life of a young Tau warrior who must battle alone against a force that shows no mercy: The Imperium. The Tau will soon learn there is a darker for at hand and become entangled in a frightening store that leads them through an ongoing war.

Check out our Fire Warrior Screens and Art!

Features:

- First-Person-Shooter action set in a foreboding futuristic universe
- Creepy horror atmosphere enriched with shocks and scares
- Unique storyline, chronicling a single day in the life of the main character, so every second counts
- Encounter a twisted cast of characters, reminiscent of your darkest nightmares
- Command an arsenal of 15 unique and deadly weapons
- Fire Warrior features 17 exciting and diverse levels
- Four-player multiplayer action with dark and futuristic environments on PS2
- Online multiplayer for up to 8 players on the PC

Fire Warrior is an action game for 1-4 players. The Game is being developed by Kuju and is expected to release in Fall of 2003. Don't forget to join us for Games Day 2003 May 31st at the Ontario Convention Center in Los Angeles, check out the Games Workshop Booth for a sneak peak at Fire Warrior, and continue to check your Gaming Havens for all the latest info on this and more!

Tolkien and the Return of the True King
Xoanon @ 12:36 pm EST

Tolkien week, ISI Community Chat/Board, April 7-11, 2003

Bradley J. Birzer writes:

Paul Rhein and the good folks at ISI graciously invited me to lead a discussion (or several discussions with multiple threads) this week on the meaning and significance of J.R.R. Tolkien and his works. Any chance to write/discuss Tolkien is a treat. And, to do so for ISI is a double treat.

Tolkien, I believe, was one of the most important thinkers of the twentieth century. Far from the LSD-induced, unimportant, nonsensical escapist literature that his critics often claim of them, Tolkien’s works have a depth-theological, philosophical, and literary-equal to the best literature of the past century.

Though couched in myth, legend, and fantasy, Tolkien’s legendarium speaks to the dignity and significance of the human person as well as for the need for order and liberty for the human person. An Augustinian, he viewed the history of the worldly things as trapped in a cycle while the history of the Christian and the Christian Church has real purpose and progresses. The twentieth century, though, as Tolkien believed-and as I think is obvious from the statistics of state- and party-sponsored murder by the Communists, the Nazis, and the other ideologues infected with the diabolical imagination-was possibly the worst of all centuries.

Though much of the tyranny was in the East, the rampant materialism, invasive corporate consumer capitalism, and softly tyrannical bureaucracies in the West seemed, in the long run, just as dangerous. The past century produced sixty-five percent of all the martyrs over the last two-thousand years of Christian history. And, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, 160,000 Christians are still being martyred annually throughout the globe. An anti-modern, Roman Catholic conservative, Tolkien often fell into despair, especially toward the end of his life, as he took account of the world situation. “The spirit of wickedness in high places is now so powerful and so many-headed in its incarnations,” Tolkien wrote in 1969, “that there seems nothing more to do than personally to refuse to worship any of the hydras’ heads.” The world, he thought, seemed little better than a new Tower of Babel, “all noise and confusion.” As Ransom explained in C.S. Lewis’s That Hideous Strength: “The poison was brewed in these West lands but it has spat itself everywhere by now. However far you went you would find the machines, the crowded cities, the empty thrones, the false writings, the barren books: men maddened with false promises and soured with true miseries, worshiping the iron works of their own hands, cut off from Earth their mother and from the Father in Heaven. You might go East so far that East became West and you returned to Britain across the great ocean, but even so you would not have come out anywhere into the light. The shadow of one dark wing is over all.”

The project of the Inklings-of whom Tolkien was a vital member, along with Lewis, Owen Barfield, and Charles Williams-was nothing less than the re-formation of the world, away from ideology and toward the mythical and poetic imagination. Lewis described it as a group of “literary friends. [Williams] read us his manuscripts and we read him ours: we smoked, talked, argued, and drank together.” Lewis asked a Benedictine friend, “Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a fire?” Lewis also called himself-and his friends-“Old Western Men.” That is, importantly, they believed that the pre-modern West offered the best society yet to exist. One of the Inklings, John Wain, wrote that the group that met either at the Bird and the Baby or Lewis’s rooms in Oxford was “a circle of investigators, almost of incendiaries, meeting to urge one another on in the task of redirecting the whole current of contemporary art and life.” No matter what the world had done with the Truth, it could not have destroyed it, for the Truth is the Truth. It is the foundation of the world. When one submits his fallen will to perfect Grace, all things are possible.

Grace, as it always has and always will, abounds. It was and is everywhere, a gift freely given at the moment of creation from the Creator. It animates all things; it ties all things together; it calls us Home. As the Old Testament assures the world, there is nothing new under the sun. Indeed, all things come from the One, animated by the love of the Holy Spirit, which itself proceeds from the Love of the Father and the Son. Grace abounds. It comes from Eternity and has entered Time, as Christopher Dawson often wrote.

As long as Time exists, Grace could and cannot do otherwise. Each of us, then, is formed by Grace, animated by Grace, called by Grace, and judged by our response to Grace. Sam, perhaps, best represents what the humble can do when accepting the gift of Grace. Ever loyal, Sam is a Wiglaf, Sir Gawain, and St. John figure.

Importantly for the Inklings, Grace often appears in Language, and the Language forms the beginning, middle, and end of the Story, God’s Story, God’s spell, or the Gospel. The Author spoke the universe into existence. When His people ignored, mocked, or perverted the abundance of Grace, the Creator sent His Only Son, to live as one of us, while remaining fully God, to teach us, to die on a tree, betrayed by many of His closest friends, and to conquer death itself through the Love of Grace three days later. As Tolkien wrote in “On Fairy-Stories”:

The Gospel contains a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kind which embraces all the essence of fairy-stories. They contain many marvels-peculiarly artistic, beautiful, and moving: ‘mythical' in their perfect, self-contained significance; and among the marvels is the greatest and most complete conceivable eucatastrophe. But this story has entered History and the primary world; the desire and aspiration of sub-creation has been raised to the fulfilment of Creation. The Birth of Christ is the eucatastrophe of Man's history. The Resurrection is the eucatastrophe of the story of the Incarnation. The story begins and ends in joy. It has pre-eminently the ‘inner consistency of reality.' There is no tale ever told that men would rather find was true, and none which so many skeptical men have accepted as true on its merits. For the Art of it has the supremely convincing tone of Primary Art, that is, of Creation. To reject it either leads to sadness or wrath.

Each of us formed and animated after the Incarnation lives sometime in the second half of the Story. Even the Son does not know the End. But, it will come. And, until then, it is our duty to do what is right, what is good, what is God’s will.

Born in a certain time and a certain place, each person, animated, called, and judged by Grace, is allotted a set amount of time on this Earth. A participant in the Story, we each play a role. Some of us have multiple roles, some of us fewer roles, some of us greater roles, some of us lesser roles.

Yet, each has his place, his importance, his uniqueness, his dignity in the Economy of Grace. We may even resent the time in which we live. Gandalf cautions: “But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” We must order ourselves, then, according to His Will-revealed through tradition, scripture, the Magisterium, and the Natural Law. With the Incarnation of Christ, Eternity entering Time, humanity can now be redeemed, and Grace will finally perfect Nature.

For Tolkien, mythology touches the deepest part of our souls, and invites us to explore the beauty of creation and to discover and participate in the sacramental nature of life. Only in the True West could one find a proper understanding of order, virtue, and liberty. As Tolkien himself said, the mythology and purpose guiding The Lord of the Rings was nothing less than the return to Christendom. His Middle-earth mythology, he hoped, would serve as a wake-up call for the West, to return it to its pre-statist, pre-imperialist, pre-materialist phase.

With the return of Aragorn the king, the “progress of the tale ends in what is far more like the re-establishment of an effective Holy Roman Empire with its seat in Rome,” Tolkien admitted in 1967.

Certainly Tolkien, as with most of the Augustinian Christian Humanists, had a Jacobite streak. Stephen Lawhead, an American novelist, may have captured the sentiment for a new Christendom best in his “Dream of Taliesin” from his six-volume Pendragon Cycle. When a Stuart arises to reclaim the British throne at the beginning of the twenty-first century, he repeats the Dream, a vision of the “Kingdom of Summer”:

There is a land, a land of shining goodness where each man protects his brother’s dignity as readily as his own, where war and want have ceased and all tribes live under the same law of love and honor. It is a land bright with truth, where a man’s word is his pledge and falsehood is banished, where children sleep safe in their mother’s arms and never know fear or pain. It is a land where kings extend their hands in justice rather than reach for the sword; where mercy, kindness, and compassion flow like deep water, and where men revere virtue, revere truth, revere beauty above comfort, pleasure or selfish gain. A land where peace reigns in the hearts of men. Where faith blazes like a beacon from every hill and love like a fire from every hearth; where the True God is worshipped and His ways acclaimed by all.

This represents a dream, of course. But, it a stunningly beautiful and enticing dream that is deeply imbedded in myth, a myth that has held much of the western world captive for fifteen hundred years. As with all myths, it contains elements of truth. “The Arthurian and the Jacobite are united in the authenticity of the authority they represent. They are bound by the Faith and in the Faith,” Joseph Pearce writes. “They are the timeless defenders of Christendom against the infidel. They are beyond the transient rebellion of Time. They have fought the Long Defeat without ever losing sight of the far-off glimmers of Final Victory. They are unconquerable.

They will return.” The truth, as the Christian Humanists know, was not the return of any random king, no matter how good, but a longing for the return of the True King, the Divine Wisdom. Because of the Incarnation, death, and resurrection of the True King, the human person has gained new dignity, according to Tolkien and the Christian Humanists. Each person is “an allegory,” Tolkien conceded to his former student, famed poet W.H. Auden, “each embodying in a particular tale and clothed in the garments of time and place, universal truth and everlasting life.”

Turimel Reports on Project Elanor
Demosthenes @ 2:51 am EST

Ringer Spy Turimel reports from Beaverton, Oregon where BitofEarth.net's Project Elanor has just wound up. For those of you not in the know, Project Elanor was the initiative of BitofEarth.net - a web-based group that wanted to build a children's reading garden as a charitable work, to promote love of reading and nature in the spirit of Samwise Gamgee.

Turimel writes: "Greetings from Oregon, home of Project Elanor. Fortunately, I didn't work as hard as some folks did today, so I have enough strength left to type up a report.

It was a great day. There were about 50 volunteers at Project Elanor. Sean came out of the Institute building (a house) at about 9:30 or so, to a group fangirl-squeal; the first thing he said was "OK, you guys, we have to get past the celebrity thing first." And that was what happened; everyone grabbed a shovel and got to work, including Sean.

There were supposed to be autograph sessions, where we would go in small groups to get his signature on one thing. Just as that got going, it started POURING cold rain, and then lunch arrived (catered by Gaffer's Fish and Chips), and then Sean had to go inside to do some video stuff for our local PBS station, and, well, the autograph thing never really got going again. I guess he did sign some things during the day, but that was clearly not the focus of his presence there. It was pretty cool to just hang around with him all day to look up and see him raking dirt, or leaning on a shovel, or hugging someone.

The only bummer came when he had to leave a few hours earlier than expected. He was going to read a chapter of The Hobbit at the end of the day, but apparently he has to get up bright and early tomorrow to film something and his agent insisted on him taking an earlier flight. It was hard to day goodbye to him; we got a little more fangirlie again, with the last minute autographs and so forth. He also swore some of us in as honorary Goonies, which was fun but kinda fannish again. It was as though the clock struck midnight and the carriage turned back into a pumpkin; we'd had this wonderful treat, had him all to ourselves all day, doing something together WITH him, then suddenly he turned back into a celebrity, and we back into the adoring anonymous masses.

I'm not positive but I think I got the last hug of the event. He's a very strong squeezer. Top of the line, really. 9.5/10 hug, all around."

Turimel says that the garden wasn't quite completed on the day, but the hope is to finish the work next weekend.

More Sean Astin Reports
Xoanon @ 10:40 pm EST

CattyWhompus:

Longtime reader, first time blah-blah. I was at a charity showing of The Two Towers this evening, which featured a special appearance by Sean Astin, who also showed his short film, "The Long and the Short of it." The showing was a charity for Reading is Fundamental, and the entire ticket price went to it. Sean Astin was originally going to be in town helping with Project Elanor, which was going to convert an old parking lot into a reading garden for children. Since he was going to be in town, this charity screening was also arranged. BTW, I'm not involved with Project Elanor at all, but I figured it needed an explanation.

Before I get into the evening's events, though, I have to get this off my chest. Regal Cinemas was originally going to have this charity event in a theater that seated only 300 people. A massive email-writing campaign then occurred where we all wrote to Regal to say that we were sure we could get 700 people to fill the larger, much better theater across the street. Apparently, Regal received over 900 emails. They naturally switched it to the big theater. But then it seemed like little more than half of the people actually showed up! I could tell the theater manager was disappointed, even though he said they had raised $3,000 for the charity, we all knew that it was supposed to be a packed house, and that it should have raised $5,600 ($8 per ticket X 700 seats, and Regal didn't take any cut of it, either). Anyway, that aspect was awfully disappointing.

Anyway, on to the stuff. Sorry if this is a bit abbreviated, but it's 1 AM, and my brain usually shuts down around 10 PM.

There was a short intro by the theater manager, and then Sean arrived, walking down from the back of the theater. He's definitely lost all the Sam-fat, and is looking a bit on the buff side.

One of the first things he did was lead the entire theater in a Happy Birthday song to a young girl in the audience (I think she was involved with Project Elanor as well, but I'm not sure).

He made a few opening remarks, but seemed eager to show the short film first. I won't go over the short film, as most people have probably seen it on the internet already, but there was one interesting note he made. He said that he had been somewhat taken with the wombats in Australia, and was wondering how he could combine wombats with the face of one of the gaffers on LOTR (sorry, don't remember the name). Well, of course, there aren't any wombats in his film, but the large poster that the three people are putting up in the film is a fake advertisement for an automobile dubbed "The Wombat."

A tidbit about the short film: "The Long and the Short of it" will make it onto one of the Two Towers DVD's coming out (I think on the theatrical version), along with an 8-10 minute "Making Of" special!

What was his favorite film to work on? Either THE GOONIES (filmed here in Oregon, out at Astoria and Cannon Beach), or RUDY.

What characteristics of his co-stars most surprised him? He had a couple, but the only one I remember was that "Christopher Lee is really funny."

What is his favorite moment in the films? I don't remember the exact answer, but he did append "I can't wait to fight a spider!" to it.

What is his favorite film in the LOTR trilogy? Of course he said he hasn't seen ROTK yet, but he expects that one to be his favorite of the three. And we will definitely see the Grey Havens. Frankly, I'm surprised people keep asking about it, because its easy enough to find the footage where Peter Jackson explains that it is his favorite part!

He was asked by one young girl if she could get a hug. This was kinda funny to watch, because of course he wants to give us whatever we want, but then he'd have to hug everyone in the theater. So instead he offered to hug three "ambassadors" from the audience (one from each section of the theater, one of whom was the birthday girl). He ended up hugging a fourth person in the front row.

He was asked about his involvement in Project Elanor, to which he gave a rather lengthy explanation that roughly sums up to "I would like to do whatever I can, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant to make this world a better place for us and our children."

He was extremely gracious, almost to a fault, in that he was really trying to answer everyone's questions, but of course, people's hands just kept popping up, and he couldn't answer them all. He wasn't going to stay for the Two Towers, as he was going to take his wife and daughter out to dinner. He stayed for a long time, though, answering questions (sometimes the same questions). At one point his cel phone went off, and he explained that it was his wife, and he was going to have to wrap things up soon, and then he kept answering peoples questions! Finally, his wife and daughter actually showed up at the theater to drag him away! It was pretty cute, because his daughter ran right up to him in front of everybody, and did the "impatient child waiting for her parent" kind of dance, sometimes running in circles around Sean. At this point he had been talking for almost an hour, and he finally closed the questions, gave the three "ambassadors" hugs, and left the theater to a standing ovation.

So then the Two Towers started up. Now you have to understand that this crowd seemed to be made up of approximated 75% women/young girls, and about 25% men/young boys. The result was that pretty much anytime any of the central male characters showed up on screen, they were greeted by short Beatle-esque screams and cheers. The largest cheer was expected to be for Sam, of course, when he showed up for the first time, but I actually think Merry and Pippin got the biggest cheers of the evening. They actually cheered pretty much everything when it showed up. There was even a cheer for the first shot of the Eye of Sauron. There was also a cheer for the statue of Helm Hammerhand at Helm's Deep!

The only time I'd ever seen this level of audience enthusiasm and involvement was actually at a sneak preview screening of THE ROCKETEER, of all things. That audience was made up largely of older men who had obviously loved the comic and series when they were kids, and loved seeing it get the big special effects treatment. But I digress...

The cheering was kind of fun initially, but it wore thin pretty quick, especially when they KEPT cheering for characters, even when they had already been introduced. One guy finally yelled "SHUT-UP!!!" which worked for about 5 minutes.

The other thing that started happening was that people started to yell back at the screen, of which I remember two instances:

ARAGORN to EOWYN: "What do you fear, my lady?"
AUDIENCE: "CLOWNS!!!"

(I'm not sure if Miranda Otto has ever played a clown-phobic character before, or if this was just an oddball comment).

THEODEN: "Saruman's arm will have grown long indeed if he thinks he can reach us here."
AUDIENCE: "NEVER SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!"

Like I said, this all got old pretty quick, and about halfway through the movie, they stopped the movie and the lights came up. There was a pause before the theater manager came out and first thanked everyone for the attendance and the enthusiasm, but also to quiet down, as there were some people here who had not yet seen the movie, himself included. How you are a theater manager and somehow miss a movie like this, I'm not sure. Anyway, he told us this was not "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and that we should just quietly enjoy the movie. The audience was pretty good after that, though it made Galadriel be the only character who didn't get a cheer. That may also have been because she turned into Jennifer Lopez for a minute in the last movie (you know, the part where Frodo offers her the ring). Oh well.

Anyway, the rest of the evening passed with little news, other than the occasional scream/cheer/yelp from various parts of the audience.

Rosalind:

The evening started of at 5:37, when Sammi and I drove to the theater where maybe 100 people were standing in line in the rain. Luckily, we were under an overhang, so we didn’t get wet. At 5:56, we ran into Chelsea, who I hadn’t seen for two years. That was exciting. The three of us talked about bloopers, orgasm faces, and RotK. At 6:37, two orange cones were set out. At 6:41, a white limo made its way down the street across the park. The three of us shrieked, but no one else saw it. At 6:55, we entered the theater. I had sent my money in by check, but they didn’t have the list with our names on it, so I had to pay for another ticket. C’est la vie. At 7:00, I got in; Sammi had scored two seats by the roped-off row in the middle. Score!

At 7:33, Sean arrived. People started chanting ‘Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!’ until the whole theater was doing it. Rock. He spent a few minutes talking about his family, thanking people (he referred to ‘Team Astin...some people don’t know they’re in it, but they are’), and thanking his family ‘for not leaving yet.’ He mentioned that his youngest daughter has a birthday tomorrow, and couldn’t remember if it was her seventh-or eighth-month birthday. ‘She’s still spitting up, if that means anything,’ he said. He then went on to introduce his film, ‘The Long And The Short Of It,’ telling about how he bounced the story idea off of Dom while shooting the Khazad-dum sequence. When the crew went back for secondary photography, he shot it in six hours using available cameras. He talked about how glad he was to showcase the people who we don’t really see, like the size doubles. The film was shown; people applauded like crazy, esp. the last credit, which read: ‘PS: I love you, Christine.’ What a guy. After the film, some weird, ‘Rudy’-like music came up, and he started running in slo-mo and mimed catching a football.

Then the Q and A started. He talked a bit about BK, the infamous Indian size double, playing chess and talking politics on a helicopter shoot. A man asked, ‘What characteristics of the cast members were most surprising?’ Sean said, ‘Christopher Lee is funny. [pause] Elijah’s, like, a hundred years old.’ He then told the story about how he mimicked Sallah around John Rhys-Davies until JRD came up to him and said, ‘You know, that borders on parody.’ (It’s on the DVD.) He also said that JRD’s ‘political ideologies are a little farther right then Attila the Hun’s.’ Ouch! A little boy asked about the foot injury, and Sean called it a ‘gnarly cut’ and mimed Elijah playing with the blood clot. A woman asked what the hardest part of being in LotR was, and he said emphatically, ‘I was *so* fat.’ A girl asked about the episode he directed for Angel, and Sean said that he really enjoyed episodic television, and that he was upset that Joss wasn’t around much, so Sean didn’t get to ‘soak up any of his brain juice.’ I asked him who his favorite character was, and he said that it was Treebeard, because of the theme of nature rising up against industry. He tangented about Tolkien and the Industrial Revolution, and wowed the crowd (or at least me) with his intelligence and eloquence. His cellphone went off in the middle of it, however, and he said that it was his wife telling him to wrap things up. Apparently, he wouldn’t be staying for the movie. After the call was over, he fielded a few more questions: his favorite part of RotK, he said, is ‘[fancy sword move] fighting a giant spider.’ Take it from me: Sean Astin fencing is quite the breathtaker. One of my favorite parts of the evening came next, when a boy asked him who his favorite cast member is, he instantly said, ‘Elijah.’ Next, a girl asked him what Orlando’s number is. ‘310’-not! No. www.errolflynn.com.’ Intelligent and droll’-be still, my heart. After that, Christine and the kids came out to much applause (Allie, by the way, is too adorable for words). He talked a bit more about Portland and Project Elanor, then called up three kids, one from each section of the theater, to give a hug to.

Now the fun part. Sammi and I ran up the aisle, out of the theater, and out of the building to try and catch Sean as he was getting into his limo. Now the amazing part. We looked down the side of the building and there he was. Just talking to the theater manager, not another fan in sight. We sprinted down the sidewalk, and a guard moved in front of us; we slowed down to a walk and started laughing. The guard stepped aside and grinned. Sean looked up, smiled hugely, and said, ‘Hi!’ We, of course, were a bunch of nerves, and so muttered something about a picture and autographs. Sean said he’d love to, so we handed the camera to the manager. We posed (Sean has his arms around our shoulders, squee), and then he signed our books. Then, as if the evening could get any better, he noticed that the guard was holding back another group of fans and laughed. ‘Oh, so you’re only letting the pretty girls in, is that it?’ he said. After that, he got into the limo with Christine and the kids, and we went back into the theater accompanied by death looks from the other fans.

HobbitLovr:

I am called HobbitLovr, Line Party Leader in Salem Oregon, Barrel Rider, Ring wearer.... well you get the idea. ;-) I'm writing to tell you about the Sean Astin appearance in Portland last night. I saw him up close and personal and it was wonderful! I and my ringer friends were one of the first few in line at the theater, and had to wait 3 hrs in cold wintery weather, but mingling with other cloaked and furry footed Middle Earth lovers is always part of the fun, and being there early paid off, because we were right up front, about 10 feet from where Sean stood.

He produced and directed a short film called "The Long and Short of it" and introduced the film, then sat down to watch it with us, and sat in the one empty seat in the front right by us!

His talk was so intimate and personal. He spoke to us for an hour and 15 minutes, most of which was Q & A with the audience. He is so much like Sam Gamgee in real life. Such a NICE guy! He even had his wife and kids there, and Sean had them come out so we could see them too. At the end his older daughter came and stood up there with him and was doing cute things, like dancing circles around him, while he talked.

It was just so heart warming to spend an evening with Sean Astin, really getting to know him. He didn't use a microphone, didn't need it. It was a small cozy group. I don't think there was any advertisement other than what TORN and Bitofearth.net posted. So not many people knew about it, just us true fans. ;-)

As Sean did Q & A one girl asked "Can I have a hug?" and so he agreed to hug one person from each section of the audience. He was very sweet and accommodating. Later a little 8 year old girl sitting in the front row asked the question "Was it really heartbreaking the scene where Sam fights Shelob to save Frodo" and Sean said, "The most heartbreaking scene is closer to the end, but you look like you have a big heart and can take it" then he motioned to her to come forward and he gave her a big hug! He was just SO SWEET!!!!

He talked a lot about the ROTK, as many people asked questions about that. He said he hasn't seen it yet, but he's sure it will be his favorite of the three films.

He talked a lot about the other cast members, telling things about them that made the audience laugh. He said "of course Elijah is a thousand years old" and "Chrisopher Lee is a very funny man" ... he talked about his foot injury, and told other little stories around the making of the movies. He spoke very highly of his wife and children, and said the best part of making the movies was having them nearby.

He said his favorite scene (of Sam) was fighting Shelob, and gave us a short physical preview of that swordplay. He added taht he actually filmed that scene 4 years ago!

When asked about pros and cons, he there were "no cons, only pros" but the worst part about filming LOTR was "being fat."

He sure has thinned down since the making of the movies! He looked very handsome, dressed casually in jeans, plain black tshirt, and white sneakers. He had a cell phone in his pocket which rang once; it was his wife, asking him to wrap it up, after he had been talking for nearly an hour. :-)

Someone asked if he thought they'd make a movie of the Hobbit and Silmarillion. He said he hopes they do The Hobbit, but doesn't know how they would ever do the Sil. He said he was never able to read the Sil himself, kept trying, but never got further than three pages! Ha! I knew I wasn't the only one! ;-)

It was WONDERFUL! We weren't allowed to take any pictures. They theater manager gave us a stern talking to about that beforehand. It's a New Line Cinema agreement.

Today Sean will be participating in "Project Elenor" - the planting of a garden in Portland, where there once was a parking lot.

I got the impression that Sean has strong ideals. He said he feels that he's only on this planet for a short time and wants to have as much positive influence on the world as possible while he is here.

It was wonderful seeing him! He was very personable, very friendly, warm, casual, very real... very much like the guy next door, and he treated everyone's questions with respect and kindness, and gave us all an evening to remember!

River Daughter:

Let me say this.... Sean Astin is a really nice person. Didn't get to meet him personally, he didn't give us a real opportunity, and there were so many 14-17 year old girls there, I wouldn't have stood a chance. But he talked to this audience as if it were a chat, not an ounce of pretension, and a lot of politely embarrassed discomfort when little girls made gushing swooning comments... No pictures were allowed. Y'all will have to just imagine it!

Let's see, what happened... The important parts:

My stars! the man was buff! Tight black t-shirt... Pects... biceps! and a tan.

He came in prior to the showing and spoke for about an hour and half altogether, I think!.... Talked longer than he intended to in introduction of the short film, and then did a good hour of Q & A with the audience... Random things I can remember:

About Elijah Wood... He said "Elijah Wood is about a thousand years old". ...Second time I have heard someone describe him that way... Someone else who knows him said he was an "old soul"?

When asked about the 'importance' of acting, he recalled a time he was talking with Kathleen Turner about the importance of acting, and she had said, "We aren't making wheat." [pause].

But he talked about how much he enjoys acting and enjoys movies. Hard to describe this... talked about how an early acting coach had said "Tell the truth, make it real". And how is own young daughter had come home and said her acting teacher had said "It's all just make-believe" [slaps hand on forehead] HA!

Politics... He talked a lot about liking politics, but was subtle about expressing any real views. He said that he and his size double "BK", in addition to playing lots of chess, talked politics all the time. BK called him "Mr. President". HA! Perhaps he was hinting at aspirations. He said that he wished he had spent more time with John Rys Davies at the time, but that JRD had been so reclusive... He said JRD loved politics too, and was "just to the right of Attila the Hun". HA! I think he is also trying to make a conscious decision to not become an "outspoken political actor". I am sure he talks politics all the time in private, but he is visibly conflicted about what to say in a public setting. I can respect that!

When asked about his comments at the Oscars (reminder here http://www.theonering.net/perl/newsview/2/1048505775 ) He said that it was hard to go to those things, when the world is in such hard time...That he had debated with himself which pin to wear. He said he had an Army pin he almost wore, but in the end he wore his US Flag pin instead. He said, "I am proud of my country, and so many people want their voices to be heard right now, a lot was said that night [frown] and even on the way here I saw anti-war protestors" [shakes head] "I want my voice to be heard too... He talked about joining the President's council on Volunteerism... A grey haired man in the audience yelled out "You are doing something good Sean!" And he got much *standing* applause.

Said he liked the concept of Treebeard, he said he liked the idea of the environment itself rising up to defend itself. "not out of radical environmentalism, but out of self-defense, trees that had been here long before us, and would remain long after us, the environment itself being strong." Something like that.

Said was most surprised to meet and become so fond of Christopher Lee, because Lee is so nice.

Said he most looked forward to RoTK, but that he had not seen it yet. a tiny little voice in the front asked him if the 'Choices of Master Samwise' would be heartbreaking, and he said "yes... but the scene at the end would be even more heartbreaking. Then he looked at her for a long time, and said, "how old are you?" she said '8'. He said, "come here", and gave her a hug. She must have looked very sad. It was sweet.

Then he looked like he wanted to say something about the end of RoTK, and asked if everyone had read the books. Almost everyone raised their hands. He asked who had not, and about 6 people raised their hands. He said he couldn't say then, because he didn't want to ruin the end if there were people who didn't know.... [groans]

One person asked him for spoilers from RoTK... and he made a couple of sword motions and said "I get to fight a big spider!" Laughter. I think the audience wanted more than that!

Talked about how it was so hard to relate to the project as three different films, because they mixed them all up filming... he said the close-ups on Sam for a RoTK scene might be filmed one day, and then 8 or 9 months later, they would film the close-ups on Frodo for the same scene and they would have to watch the dailies to remember what it was.

When asked about how he seems so different than others in Hollywood with a nice stable family, he said that his marriage lasts because his wife is so patient (I think it is also because he is a nice husband) He said that when someone in show business marries someone in show business, their egos butt heads, and they are both on competing trajectories. He said if his wife ever wanted a trajectory of her own, that only then would he find out if he is as patient as she is.

He talked about wanted most to direct films... and about his film he will be making about the Texas storm.

His film is great, and I had seen it before... He uses the size doubles from LoTR to show how people can use their talents to work together. If you haven't seen it, it is available here: The Long and Short of it (it is only about 5 min long, and downloadable in a couple resolutions)
Afterwards, I was impressed that many people asked him questions about it first, before getting right into LoTR questions. Some were there to see and appreciate what he was interested in, not just be LoTR fanatics!

My brother and I actually left before the film was over, right as the preparations for battle were beginning.... It was 11:00 then, and we were tired. The audience was told to pipe down part way through TTT... what started out as cheering when each lead actor appeared for the first time descended into a lot of Rocky Horror picture show type banter that was a bit much. Everyone there was a very eager fan, if perhaps there were many that were just young and too vocal... I am sure the movie got out after midnight. So even leaving when we did, we got home to Olympia about 2:15 am!

OH! - Almost forgot! - He was asked if PJ would do the Hobbit. He said it was complicated with the licensing, but that he hoped it would be done, because it was his favorite... he said "If PJ won't do it, I might."

It was a fun experience, and I am very glad I went. I do hope they got a break from the rain today to do the garden project!

Hall Of Fire Chats This Weekend
Demosthenes @ 12:43 pm EST

The Rohirrim - encumbered by a seemingly isolated Merry - find the way to Mundberg is cut by a strong force of orcs encamped on the road. However, in an odd echo of Merry's own earlier good fortune, a way opens.

The Rohirrim pass on towards Minas Tirith through a long-forgotten valley. But who are the mysterious denizens of the Druadan Forest, solitary and unlovely, and what is their relation to the Pukel men?

Join us this weekend as Hall of Fire explores Return of the King Book V, Chapter 4 - The Ride of the Rohirrim.

Upcoming Discussions:

April 12/13
Stewards of Middle Earth
Several characters take up the role as stewards at some point; Denethor is obvious, but Manwe, Treebeard, Samwise, Gandalf and maybe even Tom Bombadil can also be viewed as stewards. Apart from a great love for their individual 'stewardships', what do they have in common and what sets them apart?

April 19/20
The Druedain
Here we take a closer look at that remarkable and mysterious people. As many of you know they were one of the tribes of Edain to come into Beleriand and fight the hosts of Morgoth. What you might be surprised to hear is that they went to Numenor! And how did they get to Druadan Forest? And what is their connection with the strange Pukel men of Dunharrow?

April 26/27
Ents, Entwives and all things Treeish
Not entirely sure what this will involve yet, but expect lots of book talk ... old forest, origons and fate of the ents and entwives, rumours of trees wandering the moors and what the heck are huorns?

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.

Fan Responses to EA's Two Towers
Flinch @ 11:03 pm EST

Ian writes in to share his feelings on The Two Towers from Electronic Arts, and his hopes for the future with Return of the King!

I really did like the game it had good action and its fun slaching up orcs. Though It was too short. Also at Helms Deep I did not like the fact that their were orcs there. I thought it should of been just Uruks. It would make the game feel more authentic, and closer to the films. I mean what the hell are orcs from Balins Tomb doing at helms deep. I know its a video game, but come on. Atleast create some sort of choice on which creatures you would like to fight.

I know it would be harder to create, but it would be much better if each character had their own agenda. Like at Helms deep, if you play as Aragorn you would have to protect the doors with Gimli. That was one of the best scenes in the movie, when Aragorn and Gimli were defending the door. I would of loved to play that, hordes of orcs coming at you, and only the two of you standing in their way. Another scene in Helms deep was when Gandalf and Eomer rode down to save the day, it would of been so epic if you could play as aragorn or legolas, hacking at orcs from atop a horse.

In the Return of the King game I do hope horses are available. being able to charge down on a horse would be the best. I hope there are more than one hidden character. Isildur was a crap secret charcter, he played exactly like Aragorn but stronger. It was just like playing Aragorn all over again. I would of rathered like a Rohan Soldier, that would of been better. It would of made a bit more sense, atleast the Rohan Soldier is alive. Isildur been dead for years.

Though these may be ordinary remarks and you have probaly heard them before, I just want to say that Two Towers was good, but Return of the King better be Great.

FOSSIL ANNOUNCES GIVEAWAY OF AUTOGRAPHED “LORD OF THE RINGS” BARAD-DÛR TOWER
Xoanon @ 11:15 am EST

[Click here to enter the contest!]

Richardson, Texas, March 14, 2003 -- Fossil Collector’s Club Online is now offering fans a chance to win the original sculpture of “Lord of the Rings” Barad–dûr tower, autographed by Stephen Bates, Fossil’s Art Director/Sculptor. Framed in a black display case, the sculpture of Barad–dûr tower has captured the spirit of “Lord of the Rings” in detail forever.

“When we decided to do the Eye of Sauron watch, the image of that dark tower of Barad–dûr immediately came to mind,” said Bates. “We have a wonderful merger of technology and handcraft with the watch and the sculpture. These two characteristics are in keeping with what I believe is the essence of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies.”

The autographed original sculpture of Barad–dûr tower giveaway contest will run from April 3rd to the 30th. Fans may log onto www.fossil.com/fun to enter their email address and register to win.

For all “Lord of the Rings” fans, the 3000 piece limited edition Eye of Sauron watch will be available April 1st at www.fossil.com. Dramatically sitting on top of the tower of Barad–dûr, the watch has a black leather band with a specially molded silver case and dial with color changing technology. The dial alters between black and the blazing red Eye of Sauron and can be made to stay on one color by the press of a button. Certificate of authenticity is etched in the tower’s base. For more details and information on “Lord of the Rings” watches, including the One Ring watch and more upcoming giveaways this summer, please visit www.fossil.com.

Isabel Bayrakdarian Talks TTT Score
Xoanon @ 8:35 pm EST

Bayrakdarian’s Armenian hymns moved film’s composer to call

The Gazette, Montreal, Saturday, March 29, 2003
Bill Rankin, Canwest News Service

Edmonton – Canadian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian has held crowds spellbound in music halls all over the world, but she’s never had an audience as big as the one that has bee hearing her sing in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

On the phone from Toronto, Bayrakdarian gleefully reminds the caller that The Two Towers went on to win a Grammy.

Bayrakdarian says she got The Two Towers call after Academy Award-winning composer Howard Shore heard some of her otherworldly Armenian hymns on her first CD, Joyous Light.

“The composer heard it and said, ‘This is the voice I’ve been looking for,’” she says.

Both Evenstar – the song she sings on The Two Towers’ soundtrack – and her album’s Armenian liturgical music reveal a singer who clearly loves the sound of the pure human voice.

Her repertoire includes opera – she’s off to Brussels to sing Elisa in Mozart’s Il Re Pastore – but it also features Rachmaninoff’s Vocalese and Villa Lobo’s Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, both songs without words.

Bayrakdarian says she’s after something very personal in her music.

“What I’m most interested in is beautiful singing, not bel canto repertoire, which is Bellini, Dnizetti, Rossini.

“I’m interested in something that speaks to me. That’s my main guideline to everything that I sing, whether it’s opera, recital or concert.”

But what grounds Bayrakdarian’s life are her Armernian heritage and Christian tradition. Christos Hatzis’s Light From the Cross, dedicated to Bayrakdarian and premiered Wednesday at a concert in Edmonton, is an orchestral treatment of Armenian hymns.

The religious significance is at the foreground for the soprano, who began her singing life in her Armenian church.

Edmonton Journal

So Just WHEN Is ROTK Filming Again?
Xoanon @ 8:18 pm EST

At the Oscar party I mentioned to Barrie Osbourne and Dan Hennah that I'd love to head down there in June or July for the ROTK filming, 'sure, we'll make you an Orc' Barrie joked.

We then hear from Sean Astin (Sam) that filming is starting a lot sooner than anticipated, this month in fact.

Now Emily sends this along: A few months ago, I wrote to Richard Taylor begging for work experience at Weta. Now, reading your reshoot speculations, I thought you might be interested in a part of his reply (yes, I got a reply! :-) It said no of course, but hey!).

"During the period that you have noted [February] we wont actually be working on LOTR, but rather will be working on a shoot for a whole other job which has a strict confidentiality clause on it. We dont start pick ups for LOTR until April".

Lord of the Pins II (Return of the Pin)
Xoanon @ 7:10 pm EST

Last year Paul Badali created 18 stunning mallorn leaf pins for the LOTR cast and crew nominated for an Oscar. We were more than stunned while watching the Oscars from our first party, and seeing PJ and others wearing the pins! It was at that moment that I knew we’d be doing something special for them again in 2003.

This time around the pins were red in color, cast in the shape of a roman numeral ‘two’ (II) they showed the two towers of Orthanc and Barad-dur with the words ‘Good Luck from TheOneRing.net’ set in gold. These pins were given to the crew nominated for Oscars this time around, we were delighted to see sound engineer Ethan Van Der Ryn proudly wearing his pin up on stage!

When all the Oscar winners arrived at the party later in the night I made sure to ask them if they had their pin, and ask them how they liked them. They were all very gracious and thanked Badali Jewelry and us for the pins.

Leave room on your lapels for next year boys and girls!

Astin And Towers In Portland Is Go!
Demosthenes @ 5:53 pm EST

BitofEarth.net reports that their campaign to get the large cinema in Portland, Oregon for the charity showing of The Two Towers and Sean Astin's Long and the Short Of It was a success. Now, Sean himself will be in attendance, so if you want tickets for this very special event on April 5 showing starting at 7.30pm, we suggest you hurry!

Update!

Due to the volume of out-of-town requests, as of 3pm (PST) tomorrow afternoon (April 3), Regal Cinemas will be accepting credit card orders over the phone for screening tickets. The number to call is 503-287-0338 Tickets are still $8. All you have to do is give your credit card number and expiration date, then show up before 4pm on Saturday with a photo ID.

End update

After all, you are getting a Special Charity Screening with the "Long and Short of It" and a personal appearance by Sean Astin for the same price as a regular movie.

There are still 450 seats available at the box office ... but more than 250 have been sold in the last 18 hours.

Now, you do need to go to the Box Office to get your tickets there no internet or phone orders. The address is:

Regal Lloyd Center 10 Cinema
1510 Ne Multnomah Blvd
Portland, Oregon 97232

However, the good news is that the price has dropped because New Line Cinema and Regal are both generously donating their take. The price is now only $8 - the same price as a regular movie - $10 or $12. That's a real bargain for the chance to see Sean Astin, his short film and The Two Towers all in one evening!

However, there are no discounts for pensioners, students or children.

Tickets are still available, but you should hurry because this really is a one-off event!

All money raised goes to Reading is Fundamental.

Prototype One Ring Up For Auction!
Xoanon @ 12:31 pm EST

Halfdan Hansen sends us the great news!

Sotheby's have listed for auction a unique prototype of the One Ring made by Jens Hansen, during the design process for the film. Jens Hansen was a noted New Zealand jeweler, and designer of the One Ring for the trilogy. An original concept drawing by Dan Hennah, Twice-Academy Award Nominated, will be offered with the piece.

From the Sotheby’s (eBay) web listing:

The sterling silver ring and concept design sketch are actual working items from the design process for the creation of the One Ring for the "Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy filmed in New Zealand. The ring is one of only 7 known remaining silver prototypes, each one different, representing the evolution of the design process. The ring includes the original sketch drawn by Supervising Art Director and Academy Award Nominee Dan Hennah. The ring was handmade by master goldsmith Jens Hansen and comes with a certificate of authenticity. The ring is in a wooden box.

EA ANNOUNCES LORD OF THE RINGS/HARRY POTTER CROSSOVER GAME
Flinch @ 6:20 pm EST

RedWood City, CA. April 1, 2003: Electronic Arts makers of the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and the upcoming Return of the King have entered into a contract with New Line and Warner Brothers to develop a line of games crossing over the characters of Peter Jackson's the Lord of the Rings films with chracters from Warner Brothers' Harry Potter. Electronic Arts has again selected Neil Young to Produce this new line of games. "It's really exciting to see such loved characters given an opportunity to mix. We can finally have Aragorn say 'Hey lads lets head to Hogwarts!' which is really something we've been wanting to do for some time."

The Games, which does not yet have an official name, will debut in the Fall of 2004 for your PS2, XBox, and for the PC. The Creative Team behind The Two Towers is working closely with the teams at WETA Workshop and with the folks at Warner Brothers to bring gamers the best of both worlds, Hogwarts and J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.

Set in 13 tunningly detailed levels taken straight from the big screen, players must battle the evil forces of the Dark Lord Sauron while unraveling the riddles of Dobby in an effort to protect the Ring of Power and restore peace to Middle-earth and Platform 9 3/4ths. The Game features third-person action/adventure gameplay and a tactical combat system.

EA’s The Lord of the Rings vs. Harry Potter PlayStation 2 video game is rated “T” (Teen) and carries an MSRP of $49.99. The game is co-developed by EA’s Redwood Shores Studio and Stormfront Studios. For more information on EA’s The Lord of the Rings games, visit the official product website at: www.lordoftherings.ea.com.

Last year, New Line Cinema tapped EA as the exclusive interactive games licensee for the trilogy. The license grants EA the exclusive rights to develop and publish products based on the movies for next generation video game consoles, PC and handheld platforms.

NEW LINE CINEMA’S THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING DOMESTIC RELEASE DATE MOVED TO MAY 12, 2004
leo @ 3:41 pm EST

Los Angeles, CA, April 1, 2003 – New Line Cinema’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, will be held for domestic release until Wednesday, May 12, 2004. The effects work on this third and final film of the trilogy will surpass its predecessors in scope and intensity, and the producers as well as director Peter Jackson feel that the extra time will cement the film’s status as the king of fantasy films and the crowning jewel of New Line’s massive effort to bring J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic to the screen. A senior New Line executive made the announcement, joined by Jackson, who stated, “With the earlier Oscars in 2004, the original December release date will not make the deadline for Academy consideration. Given that fact and the tremendous amount of work needed in postproduction for this film to reach its full potential, New Line has decided to take the extra time in order to best please the fans.”

Jackson added, “The May release schedule is typically the biggest of the year, including the kings of the summer box office. The lineup for 2004 is a bit empty at the moment, and we feel that placing Return of the King in May will give the fans something out of the common run of action films to appreciate all summer as well as establish New Line at the top of the order for the summer rush.”

Jackson, the cast, and the effects house, WETA Workshop, will be working on postproduction for the remainder of 2003.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King stars (in alphabetical order) Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Brad Dourif, Bernard Hill, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, John Noble, Viggo Mortensen, Miranda Otto, John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving, Karl Urban, David Wenham, and Elijah Wood.

New Line Cinema presents a Wingnut Films Production, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, directed by Peter Jackson. The screenplay, by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair and Jackson, is based on the classic trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. The film is produced by Barrie M. Osborne, Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh. The executive producers are Robert Shaye, Michael Lynne and Mark Ordesky. The director of photography is Andrew Lesnie, A.C.S. The production designer is Grant Major. Michael Horton is the editor. The co-producers are Rick Porras and Jamie Selkirk.

GOTCHA!
leo @ 3:37 pm EST

cheers,

the TheOneRing.net staff

Music Notes
Tehanu @ 12:34 pm EST

Zandra writes: "You posted something about LOTR sheet music and where to get it....The site MusicNotes.com has most of the LOTR music available to order a hard copy or to download digitally on its player (which is free to download, which has tons of cool features itself) to print youself or save it. They will also give the first sheet free to preview or print. They have a huge variety of music from vocal to piano and other instremtental pieces ..they go from classical to film and tv etc...I was highly impressed with their LOTR selection and esatatic with "Evenstar" as we speak..This site (as well as yours ;)) is a must for any musical LOTR fan."