| 9-19-04 Latest News |
New Mexico Symphony Review
Xoanon @ 2:48 pm EST
Shayna C writes:
Hello everyone, I went to the Symphony last night down in Albuquerque. It was fantastic. The space was very nice and the acoustics were wonderful. I attended the Houston Symphony back in July, which was fabulous as well.
At this performance I think that the choirs were much better, particularly because they were louder or the mics were closer to them. The boy soloist was very good. He sang all the high notes perfectly.
His part immediately after Gandalf falls at The Bridge of Khazad Dum was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. The boys' choir with him was wonderful and the little ones were so cute. The female soloist here was, in my opinion, much better then Sissel. While Sissel was very good, she didn't sing with the feeling that this woman did. Unfortunately I do not know her name because for some reason it was not in the program. My mother and I both cried during her performance of Into the West. Gollum's song, one of my favorites, was also very well done.
The symphony of course was great and the conductor, Alexander Mickelhwate, was as fun to watch this time as he was in Houston. The lights added great effects and the drawings of Alan's and John's were great once again!
If any of you have not already seen this show, I highly recommend it if it is anywhere close to you. If you are in New Mexico, there is another showing on Sunday September 19, 2004!
Supernova 2004 Convention in Brisbane Report
Xoanon @ 2:37 pm EST
Goddessofthering writes: I spent yesterday at Supernova, a convention in Brisbane Australia, where Sean Astin, John Rhys Davies and John Noble were guests. I have some digital photos (attached) that you are welcome to use. Also, a little of what happened on the day.
Although it took a long time to gain the autographs (three hours) it was worth it. John Noble commented on my t-shirt, theonering.net 'Don't make me get my ring' and that he used theonering.net to keep up to date on what was happening through the major events of the past few years. Sean Astin was signing for a fan in front of me and started singing 'Come On Eileen' to her and she had no notion of the song. He was surprised and I think a little shocked that she had never heard of it as it had her name in the song. I joined in (and now tell the story to my friends with the opening line - I sang a duet with Sean Astin ;-) and he seemed very pleased that someone else knew it. John Rhys Davies very kindly let me have my photo taken with me and tickled me while it was being taken. Both JRD and John Noble spoke on Saturday and for the most part let the audience ask questions to keep them reminiscing.
John Noble asked us what we thought the saddest moment of the Return of the King was. His moment was where Sam carries Frodo up Mount Doom when he is no longer able to carry on. The depth of friendship was what touched John's heart at this point in the movie. There were some interesting discussions around John's character of Denethor and the descent into madness, the way the character isolated himself and so rarely spoke to anyone, often avoiding eye contact when speaking to them. He also spoke about how grief can change someone so much and that he could not imagine how he would react if his son died or how he would feel if, like Denethor, he felt that he was to blame for his son's death. It was lovely how both actors would suddenly speak in their character voices to make a point.
JRD spoke of how his costume kept him warm in the snow scenes but how little bits of him would always be flying off and need re-attachment. Overall it was a pretty good day and I certainly came away with great memories and autographs.
| 9-17-04 Latest News |
Tehanu's Exclusive Narnia Set Report
weetanya @ 12:35 am EST
By TORn Staffer Tehanu About a month ago something rather strange started to take shape on the edge of West Auckland, where The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is being filmed. A number of shipping containers were stacked into a large U-shape with gaps that formed monumental openings like gateways in each side.
I'd seen shipping containers used to form sets before at the Stone St. lot in Wellington, so I was not surprised when workmen started to add plywood facings to the containers.
The structure quickly became more complex, with stairways and a kind of gallery or balcony along one side.
The stairs form an elaborate approach to a large stage or dais in front of the central archway.
This is clearly one of the sets for The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Hard to tell what until they render the plywood with whatever finish they plan to use - then we'll see whether it's meant to look like dank, evil , ice-covered stone, in which case we could assume it's the courtyard of the Witch's House, where Edmund finds the petrified Narnians. Later in the story, once the spell of Winter is removed, the Witch's House would probably be recognisable by some kind of threatening architecture.
Because this place looks more open and straightforward in design, I'm thinking it could be the courtyard at Cair Paravel. Perhaps we'll see the four Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve crowned here.
| 9-17-04 Latest News |
Long Expected Party in Ohio
Xoanon @ 3:51 pm EST
Asphodel the PR Hobbit writes: The Ohio Ring Council (ORC) is proud to announce that we will be celebrating the birthdays of our favorite hobbits, Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, at our version of the Long Expected Party in Canal Winchester, Ohio on Saturday, September 18th. Details and directions are available at ohioringcouncil.com. "The Long-Expected Party" will be the first annual party in central Ohio hosted by the Ohio Ring Council in celebration of all things Tolkien, Middle Earth and Lord of the Rings. There will be feasting, games and activities, live celtic music, dancing, and general partying and fun to be had. The spirit of Middle Earth and Hobbiton will be brought to life with decorations galore, much of which was hand-made by ORC members. All in all, this will indeed be 'a night to remember', and we hope all fellow fans attending the party will agree!
| 9-16-04 Latest News |
Hall Of Fire Chats This Weekend
Demosthenes @ 4:25 pm EST
"The dragon is coming or I am a fool!" he cried. "Cut the bridges! To arms! To arms!" Thus the people of the lake-town, Esgaroth, are warned of their approaching doom. As Smaug vents his fury on these innocent villagers, it seems that nothing can save them from the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities. But things are never quite as bad as they seem. Tolkien's children's tale finally grows up. Gone are the foolish trolls, goblin songs and doggie waiters. Now the themes of life and death, honour and courage, trust and revenge get full sway. Was Bilbo responsible for the tragedy at Esgaroth? Is the mysterious thrush just an ordinary bird, or is there more to it than meets the eye? And what of Bard? Was this grim-faced man an early version of the warrior heroes later met more fully in Aragorn, Faramir and Boromir? These questions may be asked and answered, but after all, what we have here is one of the most exciting parts of a most exciting tale! So, if you wish, like the dwarves, to hear news of Smaug, you must join us this week in #thehalloffire as we discuss The Hobbit: Chapter 14: Fire and Water === 9/25/04, 9/26/04: The Downfall of Numenor === #thehalloffire on theonering.net IRC server. Need instructions? Go here: === Saturday Chat: Sunday Chat: EST = Eastern Time, USA's East Coast ____________________________________________
Upcoming topics:
10/2/04, 10/3/04: The Hobbit: Chapter 15: The Gathering of the Clouds
Place:
http://www.theonering.net/barlimans/instructions.html
Chat Times:
5:30pm EST (17:30)
[also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 7:30am Sunday morning AEST]
8:00 pm (20:00) CET
[also 2:00pm (14:00) EST and 4:00am Monday morning AEST]
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
AEST = Australian East Coast
Hof-announce mailing list
Hof-announce@theonering.net http://www.theonering.net/mailman/listinfo/hof-announce
| 9-14-04 Latest News |
Lee & Nasmith Fall Book Tours!
Xoanon @ 7:11 pm EST
The folks from Houghton Mifflin write: Houghton Mifflin will be touring renowned Tolkien illustrators Alan Lee and Ted Nasmith throughout the U.S. this fall to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the U.S. publication of The Lord of the Rings and the publication of a new edition of The Silmarillion. (For more information on these titles and others, check out out Houghton Mifflin's newly designed Tolkien website) Mark your calendars now! Tour schedules: TED NASMITH October 24 @ 1:00 p.m. October 25 @ 6:00 p.m. October 26 @ 7:00 p.m. October 27 @ 7:00 p.m. October 28 @ 7:00 p.m. October 29 @ 7:30 p.m. October 31, time tk ALAN LEE December 4 @ 12:00 noon December 5 @ 2:00 p.m. December 6 @ 7:00 p.m. December 7 @ 7:00 p.m. December 8 @ 6:00 p.m. December 9 @ 7:00 p.m. December 10 @ 7:00 p.m. December 11 @ 2:00 p.m.
Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop
4093 N. Oakland Ave.
Shorewood, WI 53211
414-963-3111
University Bookstore
711 State Street
Madison, WI 53703
608-257-3784
Bound to Be Read
870 Grand Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55105
651-646-2665
Borders
50 S. Main Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84144
801-355-6899
University Bookstore
4326 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
206-634-3400
Books Inc.
301 Castro Street
Mountain View, CA 94041
650-428-1234
Texas Book Festival
State Capitol
Austin, TX 78711
512-477-4055
** Nasmith will be joined by Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey at this event **
Books of Wonder
16 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-989-3270
Philadelphia Free Library
1901 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-686-5322
Olsson's
2111 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22201
703-525-4227
Borders
830 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
312-573-0564
Borders
50 S. Main Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84144
801-355-6899
University Bookstore
4326 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
206-634-3400
Booksmith
1644 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
415-863-8688
Book Soup
8818 Sunset Blvd.
W. Hollywood, CA 90069
310-659-3110
| 9-13-04 Latest News |
Chris Lee Concert Report from Amsterdam
Xoanon @ 8:04 pm EST
Vincent writes: I live in The Hague and last week with some friends I attended 'The Lord of the Rings in Concert' in Amsterdam, with of course Christopher Lee starring as the narrator!
It was a great evening - both fun and moving. Here is a short summary:
When we arrived at the Concertgebouw we noticed quite a lot of people in costume - mostly Elven or generic medieval. I had just come back from the Worldcon in Boston that very morning so it felt like I hadn't left! ;-)
We were seated near the front-centre of the stalls, so the stage with the orchestra loomed over us. You can see that from the photos. The hall was very full, especially with all the costumes!
The concert started pretty much on time with the conductor Jules van Hessen arriving to applause and launching the orchestra (Het Nederlands Theater Orkest) straight into the march from the 1978 animated Lord of the Rings movie, composed by Leonard Rosenman. This was lively and great fun and a good warm-up.
Jules then addressed the audience (in Dutch) to introduce the evening and that we had to sing the next piece - the Mordor National Anthem! There was much laughter - but it got worse - we had to do it facing away from the orchestra, looking to the back of the hall (something about Mordor traditions?)! The orchestra then played the tune slowly and we had to sing on the second pass. To be fair it sort of sounded ok, but half the audience were either laughing or way out of tune, so the conductor could only thank us for effort. :-)
At this point Jules introduced Christopher Lee, who came on stage from the left, up the stage steps. There was an instant standing ovation for him which lasted quite a while - he had to motion for us to sit, though he did have a little smile on his face. He then sat by the conductor, and after little bit of fiddling with the microphone and putting on his glasses he started reading 'Malbeth the seer's words' accompanied by the orchestra and Caspar Reiff (who arranged some of the evening) on guitar. His deep baritone voice instantly filled the room and the atmosphere was electric. There was huge applause at the end. Next came 'Treebeard's song' and he did actually sing it, with orchestra playing along! Again the baritone was used to great effect both singing and speaking as Treebeard. The effect was very striking and evocative (and without meaning any disrespect to John Rhys-Davies, I think Lee could also have been very good as Treebeard in the movies). At the end there was again strong applause. Lee thereafter introduced each new piece as well as narrating occasionally.
Next up was the Howard Shore symphonic suite from 'The Two Towers'. It was nicely done - quite fast - and was basically a sort of greatest-hits of the score; the main themes and melodies only, rather than the full two-movement TTT which I had seen in Antwerp in April. This was followed by the Dutch mezzo-soprana José Scholte, singing from the balcony above us: she delivered the hauntingly beautiful 'Elven hymn to Elbereth Gilthoniel'. Then onstage came Peter Hall, who is Caspar Reiff's musical partner and mentor. They performed 'Sam's song in the orc-tower' together; Peter playing whistle and singing and Caspar on guitar. Peter was very good, (though there was one shaky moment when he transitioned from singing back to whistle).
The orchestra then played an instrumental version of 'May it Be' followed by the Howard Shore Symphonic suite from 'The Fellowship of the Ring'. This was again fast and furious and a nice overview of that score. It ended slightly differently with José Scholte singing 'In Dreams' to close the first half of the concert.
Overall the first half was a great exposure to different Rings themes, both musical and vocal. The downside was it attempted to cover too much, I think, and there were a few places where it was clear that more rehearsal time, especially cues, would have been useful. Still it was great fun.
The second half, was entirely different, however!
The orchestra, conductor and Christopher Lee delivered the entire second half. This comprised a recitation of the full Ring Poem followed by Johan de Meij's Symphony #1 'The Lord of the Rings', with narration by Lee.
It was absolutely stunning - a perfect match of voice and orchestra, and clearly aided by Lee's intimate knowledge of the books.
Lee began the Ring Poem slowly, 'Three Rings for the Elven Kings.....' with the orchestra, and then together they built up in volume. At '...Bind them', Lee raised his voice very loud and the orchestra also jumped in volume - a lot of the audience jumped as well!
They moved straight into the Johan de Meij Symphony. This comprises five parts, which cover the highlights of FotR and the end of RotK. [I had heard the symphony live long before and it is a great favourite of mine. In fact I think I recommended it years ago on theonering.net discussion forum! It was written for a band to play, and won many awards, but an orchestral version was arranged a few years ago to much acclaim. Both versions are available on CD.] The orchestra played really well, and Christopher Lee narrated key story elements and short spoken passages from the book. I can't remember them all, but they included the flight to the ford, Frodo speaking at the council of Elrond - 'I will take the ring, though .. I do not know the way', the bridge of Khazad-dûm, gollum speaking to the hobbits, the showdown in Mount Doom and of course the destruction of the ring, followed by the grey havens and a final word from Sam. It was absolutely great and the audience was rapt throughout. Now that I think back, there was a hilarious interjection from Lee: halfway through he narrated a passage that referred to Gandalf as the White wizard, and he quickly said 'I thought that was my job!' - it was such a surprise and the audience had hysterics - the conductor did well to keep everything on track!
At the end there was huge applause, though if the audience were like me they were all wrung-out by then! As a great final touch the earlier performers came back on for a final bow, accompanied by a short reprise of the Hobbits theme by de Meij, and then a man in white came on who I believe was Johan de Meij himself! He is in one of the photos shaking hands with Lee. A nice touch if it was him!
After much ovation, flowers and bows, the performers left and the concert was over. A great evening!
Bloom's 'Haven' Premiere in Toronto
Xoanon @ 7:53 pm EST
djdeathskiss writes: I was lucky enough to get tickets to the world premiere of Orlando's new film 'Haven', at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept 11th, and got a few photos too. Here is a synopsis of the film, from the TIFF site:
An absorbing crime drama, Haven marks an intrepid feature debut for writer-director Frank E. Flowers. The story takes place in the Cayman Islands and Flowers brings a strong sense of authenticity to the setting, being Caymanian himself. The film is woven from the interconnected stories of a group of Americans, Brits and Caymanians told at a dynamic pace through an inspired snarl of flashbacks and flashforwards.
After his home is swarmed by federal officers, disreputable Miami businessman Carl Ridley (Bill Paxton) flees to the Cayman Islands with his daughter Pippa (Agnes Bruckner) and one million dollars in tow. Their path soon crosses those of Mr. Allen (Stephen Dillane), a shady British lawyer, and Fritz (Victor Rasuk), a local boy trying to avoid repaying a debt owed to a gangster. The emotional centre of the film, however, is the passionate, fraught relationship between Shy (Orlando Bloom), a British expat fisherman, and Andrea (Zoe Saldana), the daughter of a powerful local businessman. Their ill-fated affair meets first with the wrath of her brother, Hammer (Anthony Mackie), and subsequently with tragedy as long-smouldering anger, revenge and self-destruction flare up with the arrival of Carl and Pippa. Betrayals and desperate motivations ends in a terrible crime and, all too quickly, the tranquility of the island gives way to a traumatic, ominous sense that life there is changing forever.
Employing a docudrama style, Flowers deconstructs idealized island life to reveal drug problems, crime and subtle hypocrisies. Haven is vividly acted by its talented cast, including Paxton, who brilliantly balances the roles of underhanded businessman and doting father, and the young Rasuk, who confidently portrays the local boy on permanent vacation. Bloom in particular delivers a blazing performance, shedding his glamorous image in favour of a nasty and brooding turn as the vengeful, heartbroken lover. Flowers is in complete control every step of the way in this ambitious exploration of the loss of innocence of the films characters and of the Caymans themselves.
I don't think this film has a distributer yet, but the director said he's hoping for an early spring 2005 release date.
Monaghan's 'Lost' Review and Q&A Report
Xoanon @ 1:14 pm EST
Garfeimao writes: I spent the weekend at Disneyland this weekend, and with the heat and long hours involved, I'm surprised I'm still vertical. Anyhow, here is a review of the Q&A session today and the screening of the Pilot episode that followed a few hours later. Let's start at the beginning of the weekend. I was celebrating my birthday at the park with friends, so I had a little sticker on me with my name on it. I got greeted by people all day long, and was given things left and right. It was rather nice being spoiled by the park employees, and park attendees as well. I even got free coupons for Pick Up Stix, the restaurant I went to on the way home. Adding the Q&A sessions and the screening to my birthday and hanging out with friends, and all in all, I'd say it was a good birthday. We picked up our tickets for the screening when the doors first opened, then wandered around the park looking for the various areas to be used by the ABC event. The line for the photo op area was full by the time we got there, and I saw no reason to crowd into a hot and sunny area, so I skipped that. Instead, we went to the theater where the Q&A would be held and got in line. We were able to sit on a Red Carpet, in the shade with a lovely breeze blowing. It was actually cool and comfortable under there, so it was a pleasant place to hang for an hour. We went inside and our patience paid off in front row seats. They had the entertainment reporter from the local ABC affiliate host the Q&A. First they showed snippets from several shows including Desperate Housewives, WifeSwap, Life as we Know it, and Lost. I also saw some previews for some other shows, but I won't go into the details, because most of them were just not to my taste at all. I must say that Life as we Know it looks really good, much better than Complete Savages, but that's my own opinion. After the preview clips, they brought in Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Dominic Monaghan and Harold Perrineau. The cast is actually much bigger, and there is no way of knowing just how many of them will be full regulars, occasional guests, and dead meat before half the season is gone. The ABC host asked a number of questions, making sure to hit each actor at least once, and usually two or three times, so they all got equal time. The audience was really pumped up for this preview and discussion, and in fact, the fangirls in the audience squealed in delight each time Dom's face was onscreen during the preview. Thank goodness that didn't happen during the actual screening later on in the evening. The host made the comment about Dom's obvious draw, and I can't remember what was said, but at one point Dom turned bright red with embarrasement. When I get some sleep, I hope to remember what was said, and when. I'm sure my friends will remind me, if I don't remember soon. About the various guests, we found out that Evangeline Lilly is a new actress, recently discoved up in the Vancouver area. I've seen Harold Perrineau before, in the Matrix, of course, and Matthew Fox has been around TV series for a while now as well. The cast seems to get along quite well and are enjoying filming in Hawaii. They also seem to really like the premise of this show, since it can't be pigeonholed into one category. In fact, that was my question. They had been pretty vague about some of the stuff going on on the island. So instead of asking for details of what might happen to certain characters, since I knew they wouldn't answer, I asked them what genre they thought the show might qualify under. Evangeline answered with Action, Crime investigation, medical drama, Romance, science fiction, mystery, family drama, international intrique, and I'm sure I'm missing a few other categories she mentioned. To me, this means this show just might be interesting enough to grab viewers, and then to hold onto them. One of my friends asked a question and they actually called him up to sit in the Host's chair and ask the question from there. He wanted to know if they thought they'd win over the Survivor audience, and how they thought they might differentiate themselves from that show. The answer was in two parts. One was that because they have a plane full of suitcases, the people get to change their clothes once in awhile and clean the other stuff. The rest of the answer is that while this is a fictional drama, the setting is that of a marooned crew who can't get voted off the island. So there is more at stake than just prize money. Good question and good answer. Much better than the bulk of the "this question is for Dom" brand of questions that basically thanked him for his acting, or expressed true love and admiration. That is all fine and dandy but is just not quite appropriate for a setting with 3 other actors and a room full of people who get nothing out of those statements. Now, onto the review of the screening. I have no idea how long the pilot episode is supposed to be, but what we got to see was about an hour long, or a little more. There were breaks in the episode where commercials will go, but they didn't stay away that long. This review will be full of spoilers, so you'd best stop at this point if you don't want to know what happens in the opening hour of Lost. Alert OK, here is the opening shot. It's an eye opening up as conciousness returns to Matthew Fox, playing Jack, a Spinal doctor. He is lying on his back in a Bamboo grove. As he sits up, he hears a noise and sees a golden labrador running towards him. OK, so that's not so strange. Anyhow, he get's up and sways a bit and then runs out of the bamboo grove so he can see whare he is. He winds up on a beautiful white sand beach with lovely sets of waves rolling in. Then he hears some noise, and moves round the brush towards the source of that noise. It's the chaos of screaming people, fires, explosions, and a jet engine that is still one and turning. He wanders through the wreckage and sees people in various states of shock, before he sees someone calling for help that is under the debris. He grabs a few people to help lift the debris off this injured man, and then sees a pregnant woman in distress a few yards away. He puts a turnaquet on the leg of the injured man and then runs off toward the pregnant woman. He grabs another man and asks him to pull the pregnant woman away from the smoke and fumes, because he sees a man trying to give CPR to another woman nearby. Just as he stands the pregnant lady up, the jet engine explodes and they all fall down. I won't tell you how the engine explodes, but this show is definitely not for small children. Anyhow, he get's the pregnant woman and the guy helping her to move along and goes to the woman receiving incorrect CPR. He revives her just in time to run and get the pregnant woman and man helping her out from under the toppling side of the plane's fuselage. Once it's clear there is no immediate danger, we see the doctor grab something from a suitcase and run into the trees. He's injured, but been ignoring it the whole time, but now needs to take care of himself. But once he get's his shirt off, we see that the laceration on his side is just too far back for him to stitch up on his own. Enter Evangeline Lilly, who he enlists to sew up his side. While doing so, and trying not to get sick or pass out, the doctor tells her a story about fear. It's basically about one of his first surgeries and how something went wrong and he had a choice between the fear of failure, or getting back to work and using the fear to focus his energy. She later uses this same technique, so I'll leave it at that. Mind you, I believe this is all part of the long opening beginning, because there were no cuts in this. >From this point on, we get a few flashbacks of the crash from different character's perspectives. These accomplish a few things. One is to establish where the character was on the plane and how they survived the crash, and the other is to delve a bit into their characters. I'm guessing with a large ensemble cast like this, we are going to get a lot of a flashbacks to establish their character. I hope all of them are not the last two minutes before the crash, because that's just going to get boring seeing the crash over and over again. But the few characters that were revealed in flashback play out like so. Matthew Fox is a doctor named Jack, and he had a drink while on the plane and got a second one, which he put in his jacket. Luckily, it was some sort of drink you can use to sterilize wounds, because it's what he used to pour on his laceration before Evanegline stitched him up. Her flashback is rather precious, and could be a major spoiler, but since they revealed it in the first hour, maybe not. She is a prisoner, was locked up in handcuffs on the plane, and only got free because the US Marshal was knocked unconcious and she got the keys. She was able to unlock the handcuffs and and put on her oxygen mask, and the unconcious marshal's mask as well. This is all important, because he actually ends up really injured and is still unconcious on the ground. She asks the doctor about his injuries, and seems concerned for him. This flashback, which takes place more than halfway to the end answers the real question as to why she's so concernced. But what about Dom, you all ask. OK, I'm getting to him. His character is called Charlie, and he's the bassist for a band. When the doctor suggests going on a hike to find the cockpit of the plane, and hopefully a transmitter, Charlie and Evangeline's character (I'm blanking on her name) go with him. It rains quite heavily on them by the time they find the front of the plane. They have to climb up into it because of the angle and everyone in the seats is dead. The doctor and Evangeline get to the cockpit and find the pilot is still alive. He says the radio went out, so they turned around to land in Fiji and then went down. They are 1000 miles off their projected course, with no radio to say otherwise, so all rescue efforts will be in the wrong area. Charlie has been in the bathroom behind the cockpit, and comes out just as they hear some noise outside the plane. They'd heard the noise the night before, and saw the trees moving, and just couldn't place it all. Now they see movement outside the plane, and the pilot sets the transmitter down to investigate. Bye Bye pilot, he gets pulled out of the wreckage by the unknown and unseen beast and blood splatters all over the windows. The doctor grabs the radio transmitter and they all run out the bottom of the plane. All three run through the darkness and rain, with Charlie being caught up in a tangle of roots. The doctor helps him up, while the girl runs and hides in a thicket of bamboon. We never really see what's chasing them, but get the sense of power and speed and danger from it. It finally passes them by and they find the pilots body high in the trees, covered in blood, and decide now is a really good time to get back to the group. They arrive to find people fighting. You see, there is a middle eastern man on the plane, a pair of handcuffs found in the jungle by a little boy, and a lot of suspicion. I must say that at this time, the flashback about the girl being the prisoner hasn't happened yet, so the mystery of the handcuffs leads to some stress for while longer. But what of Charlie's flashback, you ask? OK, so what was he really doing in the bathroom on the plane. He said he was throwing up after climbing up all those dead bodies. But in the flashback we see a very agitated Charlie trying to get rid of the flight attendant's notice. He rushes to the bathroom with the flight attendants in pursuit. All hell breaks loose in the plane while he's in there, so he just drops the drugs he smuggled onboard into the toilet, but never flushes. This is what he'd gone on the trip for to find the cockpit, his drug stash, not to actually help. When he runs out, he's going to be in a lot of trouble, I can tell you. Then again, so is the man smoking a whole pack the first day. I'm sure he'll run out soon too, and then anyone else who has an addiction, or a medical condition will soon run out of whatever it is they need, and that will make for an interesting episode or two. Now back to the dispute between one of the hero type Americans and the middle eastern man. The doctor and his group have brought back the radio transmitter, but it doesn't work. Guess what, the middle eastern man knows how to fix it, so he does, but there is no reception on the beach and he suggests a climb up the nearest mountain should help. So, the hero type american, the girl convict, Charlie, the middle eastern man, and a brother and sister duo head off to climb the local mountains. The get to one plateau, but aren't high enough to try the radio and suddenly hear a noise in the forest again. Everyone runs, except for hero man, who pulls out a gun and starts shooting at the creature bearing down on the group. This would be a Polar Bear, on a tropical island, no less. So, the presence of the bear freaks them out, but this man having a gun on a plane freaks them out even more. He says he got it off a US Marshal, and has the badge that went with the gun. He pulls the gun on the middle eastern man because he's just sure he's a terrorist who is not trying to fix the radio. The woman is the one who pulls the gun away from him, points it at hero man, and then asks if anyone knows how to disassemble a gun. The middle eastern man tells her how to remove the clip and bullet in the chamber, and then gives the clip to the middle eastern man and the gun to the hero man. It's at this point we get her flashback that she is the convict, so you are really confused now as to what type of person she is. To make things worse, the doctor is at that moment operating on the man who is the US Marshal. He has a piece of metal sticking out of his belly, and halfway through the surgery, he wakes up and asks "where is she?". We never see if there is more to the converstaion, so that storyline is definitely going to be continued later on, I'm sure. Gosh, I haven't even gotten to the Korean couple who don't speak any English. I suppose I'll give you an even bigger spoiler now by telling you that changes. Daniel Dae Kim, who plays the Korean Man has stated that all is not what it appears on the island, or that the people aren't, or something to that affect. So, while he only spoke Korean in the episode, I'm going to assume he speaks some English at some point later on in the story. There is also the older gentleman who is quite mysterious, we never get a real handle on him during this episode. There is a black man and his son, who he is only just now getting to know since the boy's mother died a few weeks before this accident. Yup, you guessed it, this show is full of characters, some of them quite intriguing. There is lots of action, some mystery, blood and guts, family drama, and I haven't even gotten to the 16 year old repeating SOS message yet. Don't want to give away every detail and spoil the entire episode, especially since I didn't give it away in the correct order. But it is my opinion this show will be one of the break out hits this season. Hope you all have fun on Bilbo's birthday watching it.
Spoiler
| 9-12-04 Latest News |
Baggins Birthday Bash in LA!
Xoanon @ 7:38 pm EST
As announced a couple of weeks ago, TORn will hold their annual Los Angeles Baggins Birthday Picnic on Sunday September 19th, from noon to 6pm, in Griffith Park next to the Merry-Go-Round (if you attended the 2003 picnic, it is the same location – please see below for directions). In addition to our enjoyment of the food and drinks, we are planning to have three main competitions, with a chance for all to win great prizes: 1) A trivia contest where your knowledge of the books and the films will be tested; 2) 2 costume contest open to all ages (depending on the amount of participants we may have two separate categories: one for children, and one for adults) 3) Last but not least our very popular impersonation contest, where participants can put on their acting hat and deliver their best rendition of any line from the movies (this year, preferably from Return Of The King). This being a potluck event, we need all Bagginses and Boffins, Tooks and Brandybucks, Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers and ProudFEET (to name a few) to bring as much food, drinks, plates, utensils and napkins as possible. For any information regarding the picnic and for food contributions please contact Arwen@theonering.net . We hope to see many LA Ringers on Sept 19th in Griffith Park, to wish our dear Bilbo and Frodo a very happy birthday! Directions: From south: Take the 5 North to the Griffith Park exit. At the first stop sign you reach, turn right onto Crystal Springs Drive. When you reach the first stop sign, there should be a big sign for the "Merry Go Round." Turn left, and follow the road up to the top of the hill. Pull into the parking lot on your right (don't worry, there's plenty of parking). Follow the music to the Merry Go Round. We will be at the bottom of the hill in front of it by the tennis courts. From north: Take the 5 south to Los Feliz Blvd West. At the intersection with Riverside Drive, turn right. Riverside Drive will turn into Crystal Springs Drive.When you reach the first stop sign, there should be a big sign for the "Merry Go Round." Turn left, and follow the road up to the top of the hill. Pull into the parking lot on your right (don't worry, there's plenty of parking). Follow the music to the Merry Go Round. We will be at the bottom of the hill in front of it by the tennis courts. From Hollywood/LA: Take Western Ave north. It will turn into Los Feliz Blvd. When you reach the intersection with Riverside Drive, turn left. Riverside Drive will turn into Crystal Springs Drive. When you reach the first stop sign, there should be a big sign for the "Merry Go Round." Turn left, and follow the road up to the top of the hill. Pull into the parking lot on your right (don't worry, there's plenty of parking). Follow the music to the Merry Go Round. We will be at the bottom of the hill in front of it by the tennis courts. If the unlikely case that you’d get lost, you can call Sarumann on his cellular palant'r at 310-430-8063 and he will guide you through the mist…
Dragon*Con 2004: TORn Staff Previews ROTK Extended Edition
Xoanon @ 5:25 pm EST
Celebriel reports that one must-attend session for Ringers at Dragon*Con 2004 was The Road Goes Ever Onward, a preview of The Return of the King Extended Edition presented by staffers Mr Cere, Balin, and WeeTanya on Saturday and Monday. This preview consisted of screen caps of assorted images we've run across in the past few months and even all the way back to original trailers (ie the Merry/Theoden scene). This represents TORN's speculations about what the EE holds for us fans. SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers related to the content in the 50 minutes of footage added to the theatrical version. If you want to be surprised when you insert that first disc into your DVD player, READ NO FURTHER! Additional scenes expected to appear in the Extended Edition are: 1. The long-awaited confrontation with Saruman at Orthanc which was cut from the theatrical edition. At the end of this confrontation, Saruman is killed by Grima, who pushes him, causing him to fall and impale himself on a spiky wheel. (An image of Saruman impaled has been floating around for a few years). This scene is an homage to Christopher Lee, who has appeared in numerous Dracula and other horror films in his long career, dating back to 1948. 2. Grima’s death. Legolas shoots Grima at Orthanc. 3. Merry swearing allegiance to King Theoden. Merry’s role is expanded in several scenes in the Extended Edition. 4. A scene between Aragorn and Eowyn, in her bedroom at Edoras. Many people seeing this image on the Internet believed it was set in the Houses of Healing. 5. A drinking game at Edoras involving Legolas and Gimli. 6. A conversation between Eomer and Eowyn that gives us insight into their relationship. 7. Aragorn explains Pippin’s flight. 8. A conversation between Elrond and Arwen , again giving us insight into their relationship. 9. Footage of Aragorn with the palantir. 10. Much more footage from the journey through the Paths of the Dead. In one spectacular scene, skulls rain down on Aragorn. Aragorn leaves the Kingdom of the Dead without an answer to his question, “What say you?” 11. Legolas consoles Aragorn after they leave the Paths of the Dead, placing his hand on Aragorn’s shoulder. (This image has also been floating around for a few years, and has been the subject of caption contests.) 12. There is much more background on the black ships of the Corsairs. The Army of the Dead arrive and conquer the Corsairs. Look closely and you will see a lot of cast and WETA production crew members in these fight scenes. (Remember that Peter Jackson’s cameo in the theatrical version was as a Corsair.) 13. Expanded conversation between Gandalf and Pippin in Minas Tirith, including Gandalf’s explanation of significance of The White Tree. 14. A conversation between Pippin and Faramir. 15. Expanded treatment of the Siege of Gondor (could this get any bigger?) including more battering rams, more Orcish machinery, and more about the defense and taking of the White City. More decapitated heads are launched from catapults. Oliphants charge into the walls of Minas Tirith. 16. The long-awaited encounter between Gandalf and the Witch King. The Witch King’s sword bursts into flame. Gandalf’s staff is broken. Gandalf is shown rescuing Faramir. 17. Eomer finds Theoden dead on the battlefield, then finds the wounded Eowyn. He is overcome with grief. 18. Pippin finds Merry on the battlefield at night, after a day-long search. A much longer scene than in the theatrical edition. 19. Gorbag is shown taking Frodo’s possessions from him. 20. In the Houses of Healing, Eomer and Aragorn talk. 21. Aragorn is shown walking in the throne room in Minas Tirith. 22. More footage of Frodo and Sam in Mordor, including their marching with orcs and Sam discarding his pots and pans. 23. The long-waited Mouth of Sauron comes out of the Gates of Mordor to confront Aragorn and his forces, displaying the items taken from Frodo. The Mouth character is blind, just a mouth. (This presence of this scene helps explain Aragorn’s battle cry, “For Frodo!”) 24. Merry and Pippin despair on the battlefield after seeing Frodo’s clothes and mithril vest. Overall, as TORn staffers pointed out, the additional scenes bring the film even closer to the book. Many deal with character development, or help explain or set up actions taken by characters, although both the Siege of Gondor and the battle with the Corsairs get more action scenes. Other rumors: TORn staffers also reported that the ROTK Extended Edition may, repeat MAY, play theatrically during or close to Thanksgiving weekend. Also, that there is a possibility of another set of DVDs with additional footage in 2006 or 2007, but the films themselves will not be recut. The possibilities are endless, given that about 12 MILLION feet of documentary footage was shot.