10-23-99

What if you were an extra... Calisuri @ 6:45 pm EST An anonymous source sent us this little piece of multimedia that puts you in the seat of an extra. And here is what is said: "Hello..._______ calling from the Lord of the Rings casting office..I'm sorry but I have a date change for you again, um it will be the final one, because this is the lockdown schedule. I guess the weather changes got really bad, but basically we wondered if you would be available the night of November 2nd, which is a Tuesday night, so NOT october the 29th, its Tuesday November the 2nd.

WETA Test Image Dwane Dipply @ 11:57 am EST oddest thing, I was walking home from my 'yoga' classes yesterday, when I was ushered into a limo by 2 men in black suits and sunglasses (the fact that it was midnight obviously didn't bother these two). They slammed the door behind me, and I was facing an elderly man who I can only describe as 'well manicured'. He slipped me an envelope and told me to go out there and do my job that I was born for! He then proceeded to shoot his chauffeur and blow himself up....very odd. I ran home and opened the envelope, it contained what you now see before you, a WETA test shot, we assume somewhere near Rivendell, given all the text mumbo jumbo associated with it, which we cropped out of the right hand side (which we have now added back in!). please note: This is just a TEST shot, hence the shabby looking wall on the right, it's kinda like when you take a portrait, and you need to test for the lighting, same thing. but very pretty no! Don't believe me? ok since 'the thruth is out there' I'll let you in on the skinny. New Ringer Spy Mega Boom sent this in to me by ways and means unknown :) DD

10-21-99

Looking after the crew members.... Xtem @ 10:16 pm EST Here's some information that might be of interest to you people. Liv Tyler and Sean Bean, both staying in the same hotel at a cost of $500 (New Zealand dollars) per night, booked in for a month. That's just under $30,000 (or around $14,000 US) for accomodation costs only. Add living costs......and you get a good picture of how well New Line and Peter Jackson look after their actors and actresses. Another example would be the story of one of the members of the crew, who have their own penthouse, which has a jacuzzi, and they get their own "wardrobe allowance", "drinks allowance" etc etc.....very nice employment perks indeed. Thanks to Blade for the tip!

NZ Excursion Dwane Dipply @ 8:30 am EST Last night i headed out with Xtem to see if we could get a looksee at the filming going on at Mt. Victoria. We managed to trudge through some woods and animal paths and get within a few hundred meters, but the filming ocured in two natural bowels in the hill, resulting in us bassically seeing nothing. We could make out the odd crew member, some big lights and smoke throught the trees, but didn't think it was prudent to get much closer. After another rece at a different approach we were spotted by some security guard on the other side of a fence a few hundered meters away, he pointed a torch some, but we scarpered into the bushes. At that point we figured it wasn't worth trying to get too close since there were lots of guards around and we didn't particularly feel like being shouted at. So we returned to the car and drove up to a checkpoint and chatted to a friendly (person) who in his charming way described some "Scary looking dudes on horses and stuff, running down the hill". Sounds like some more generic Ringwraith stuff doesn't it! It was a nice change to sit there and have a wee chat rather than all the james bond stuff! Even started to feel like the hobbits on the way to Bree, ducking down a bank and behind a tree as a car drove past on the secured roads. Enough for one night, time for bed! O thanks to Xtem for the lift. Dynamo

10-20-99

Scoops Exploding Tree Dwane Dipply @ 5:49 pm EST To go to Scoop, click here!

10-18-99

This Is Odd Dwane Dipply @ 10:43 pm EST From: J Interesting debate over the Hobbiton pic. However, I'm pretty sure we'll find that the pic is compoletely authentic and un-retouched. Whatever abnormalities people seem to think they're seeing would seem to be the result of a poor scan off a poorly reproduced newsprint photo, with the printing on the flip-side of the paper coming through the image somewhat and, of course, the always prevalent "conspiracy"-conscious element on the internet. Particularly ID4 seems to be barking up the wrong tree, in identifying the damp dirt at the entry gate as being an odd-looking shadow. Or why would anybody wonder why there's a greensman in the photograph, dressing the set? I work in the Los Angeles visual effects industry and we're shaking our heads at these efforts to "debunk" a probably perfectly genuine photo. Ah well... Anyway, do you want to have a little fun with the easily excitable Tolkien net community? Well, if so, here's a pic of a gentleman named David Manning, a frequent stand-in for Sean Connery, in full wizard regalia, that turned up at the casting office that handles him. What to make of this? There's also a couple of full-body pics, however there seems to be something wrong with the scans I was sent (perhaps he's animated in CGI too?...). I leave it to you to decide what you want to make of this. Otherwise, I've been greatly enjoying the continuing coverage on your site. Best, J What to make of this? Why would a Sean Connery stand in pose for these pics? Who knows, spoiler space below for those who don't want to see the 'Notorious' pic.

A Fake?! Dwane Dipply @ 3:50 pm EST From: ID4 ID4 sent me the folling proof, or rather, reasons why he things this pic is a fake. ID4 is a freelance CGI guy who has worked on some great films (his name should be a clue), he knows his stuff. Red: Shadow from chimney is not consistent with chimney position and shape of hill Cyan: Again, shadow is not consistent with anything in this picture. Blue: gate has almost no texture Over all, this is NOT a photo. It IS animation. The JPG is not clear and not lifelike. He also showed me how easy it is to make a pic look realistic.

Hobbit Stage Play in the UK Dwane Dipply @ 1:46 pm EST From:Graham_House Could you PLEASE post the following details somewhere one your site so that all of your UK fans can get the change to see the live action production of The Hobbit: The blurb on the back of the flyer says: Enjoy the sights, the sounds and the incredible magic of the best selling fantasy novel ever written in a spectacular new live theatre production. Join Gandalf the sorcerer as he takes Bilbo Baggins and his Dwarf companions off on a frightening but magical journey from which they might never return! a Journey to hunt for powerful hidden treasure that must be found. Travel with them to the Misty Mountains, through wind, rain, hail and tremendous thunderstorms, as our adventurers encounter Trolls, Goblins, Wolves, and Giant Spiders only to confront the most magnificent deadly dragon of them all, Smaug...the gaurdian of the treasure. The Hobbit has been imaginatively adapted for the stage by Glyn Robbins, known to millions of theatregoers over the past fifteen years for his adaptations of the Narnian classics, especially The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe. Directed by Roy Marsden, best known for his portrayal of Inspector Dalgliesh in the televised versions of the P.D.James novels, the production features spectacular effects by the famed magician Ali Bongo, and original music by Marks Bloxsidge. The production details are as follows: The production is at the Grand Opera House, York, Cumberland Street, YO1 9SW Box Office: 01904 671818 Performance is between Nov 24 and Nov 28 You can also visit the website for more details at: www.vfpltd.com

10-17-99

Bag End?! Dwane Dipply @ 10:18 am EST

10-16-99

007 Aragorn? Dwane Dipply @ 10:18 pm EST From: Scriptdoctor Word has it that Pierce Brosnan was also asked to play the role of Aragorn before Viggo took it up.

10-12-99

We Now Know WHAT They Were Filming! Dwane Dipply @ 8:52 am EST From: Milange The filming they were doing on Monday on Mt Vic was the scene were the hobbits hide from the ringwraith behind a tree. They were filming on a steep forested bank, and they had a huge tree stump which they brought up from the south island for the hobbits to hide behind. All very cool looking.