A Hobbit's Tale

:: The News February 2004 ::

February 29, 2004

>> Alias Community interviewed Peter Jackson. | here |

>> Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Billy Boyd, Andy Serkis, Howard Shore, John Rhys-Davies, Jim Rygiel, Mark Ordesky, Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor were all at the Celebration of NZ Filmmaking and Creative Talent, in Beverly Hills. | Wire Image | Yahoo! |

February 28, 2004

>> Still about the Academy Awards... | CBBC : 1 + 2 | Stuff | Times Of India |

>> HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Mark Ferguson alias Gil-Galad, who turns 43 today !

>> MovieWeb.com has posted hi-res pictures from Viggo Mortensen's Hidalgo. | here |

>> Have a look at Fossil's Elven Ladies watch. | here |

>> We have compiled some of the differences between the ROTK book and the movie. | here | We also updated the 'Rushes' last page. | here |

>> AICN has posted more informations about Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong.

February 27, 2004

>> Stuff.co.nz reports that "Lord of the Rings actor Bruce Hopkins will not only be celebrating the Oscars in Los Angeles, but also helping disadvantaged children get into reading." | here |

>> Vote in TOR.n's 'Golden Gandalf Awards'. | here |

>> Reuters and Guardian Unlimited report : "JRR Tolkien's daughter Priscilla launched the set of 10 stamps from Britain's Royal Mail on Thursday to mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of the first two parts of the mystic stories of Middle Earth." | here and here |

>> Ian McKellen and Liv Tyler will be presenters at the Oscars. | here |

February 26, 2004

>> The Return Of The King has won three awards at the AOL Moviegoer Awards, including Best Picture, Supporting Actor (Sean Astin), and Unforgettable Moment (Eowyn fights the Witch King). | here |

>> OBM has posted screencaps from a a clip about Orlando Bloom on TVE's show called "Gente". The actor was leaving the set of Kingdom Of Heaven, in Sevilla, Spain. | here |

>> Pictures of Elijah Wood at the Bacchus Parade at Mardi Gras. | here |

>> We came across WhichCraft.com, where you can purchase a ceramic doll of Galadriel for 359€/$359... | here | Scroll down until "Helda Pikal".

>> Read an article about Viggo Mortensen's career | here | and an article about ROTK's Oscars chances. | here |

February 25, 2004

>> The official site for Liv Tyler's Jersey Girl has fully opened up. | here |

>> According to The Z Review website, "UK comedian Johnny Vegas has revealed that he will have a part in Pirates of the Caribbean 2."

>> HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Sean Astin, who turns 33 today !

>> Decipher.com has posted new cards from the 'Siege Of Gondor' expansion, including one showing Legolas on top of a Mûmakil. | here |

>> Ananova.com reports that "Bookmakers say they have been forced to close the book on the Oscars five days early following continued support for Lord of The Rings : The Return of The King. The final film of the Tolkien trilogy is now an unprecedented 1/12 for Best Picture, easily the hottest favourite ever." | more |

>> Read an article about Sean Astin and the way he lives his fame. | here |

>> LatinoReview.com has posted a few new stills from Hidalgo, with Viggo Mortensen.

>> Pictures of Dominic Monaghan at the Orpheus Parade during Lundi Gras, which is the monday before Mardi Gras, in New Orleans. | here |

>> CGChannel.com has posted a picture of Richard taylor at the VES Awards. | here |

>> Dominic Monaghan answered questions from his fans. | here |

>> Ananova.com reports that "the 50th anniversary of the publication of JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is being commemorated with a special stamp issue." | here |

February 24, 2004

>> TeenHollywood.com has posted 3 pictures of the Liv Tyler at the SAG Awards | here | and Glamour.com has got one. | here |

>> The new Return Of The King "Academy" pictures are available for download again on New Line Cinema's official website. | here |

>> Mags alert : There is a full-page-picture of Cate Blanchett in the Italian Marie-Claire magazine. The German Cinema magazine features several pages on Troy. The pictures showing Orlando Bloom and Sean Bean are small and seldom, though.

>> The Return Of The King has reached $1 billion worldwide !! | ComingSoon | BBC |

>> HollywoodReporter.com has posted a talk with Peter Jackson "about the upcoming King Kong, the future of film and the state of New Zealand's film industry." | here | And read this other article about Ian McKellen. | here |

February 23, 2004

February 22, 2004

>> The Andy Serkis official website has been updated with a picture of him winning the Empire Award for Best British Actor, for his performance as Gollum in ROTK. | here |

>> One week before the Oscars ceremony, Aragorn graces the cover of the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine. Scroll down to see a thumbnail. | here |

>> LatinoReview.com has posted the new poster for Viggo Mortensen's Hidalgo.

February 21, 2004

>> NZ has always been there, but the LOTR movies have brought in a new flame to the Kiwi filming industry, putting NZ in the spotlight. | here |

>> DarkHorizons.com reports that Viggo Mortensen "is up for the leading role of Capitán Alatriste together with "Y Tu Mama Tambien" hunk Gael García Bernal who will take the role of his young companion Iñigo de Balboa in a new big budget Spanish film from Director Agustín Díaz Yanes." | here |

>> Figures.com has posted a NECA coverage from the Toy Fair 2004. | here |

>> Liv Tyler will be a presenter at the Screen Actors Guild Awards tomorrow, on Sunday, February 22. "Additionally, the films nominated for outstanding performance by a cast will be introduced by a member of their respective casts : Tyler for The Return of the King."| here |

>> An article about Viggo Mortensen and his experience on Hidalgo. | here |

February 20, 2004

>> The Return Of The King has received several awards at this year's Annual Visual Effects Society Awards. The movie won for : Outstanding Visual Effects, Outstanding Character Animation, Outstanding Models and Miniatures, and Outstanding Performance by a Male or Female Actor in an Effects Film (Sean Astin). | winners | LOTR visual effects artist Jim Rygiel attended the ceremony. | here | Updated : | Hollywood Reporter |

>> Figures.com has got a Play Along coverage from the Toy Fair 2004. | here |

>> Robert Bernocchi of Catalnet.it reports : "Italian Tolkien fans have now a further reason to look forward the Oscar ceremony. In fact, the channel broadcasting the event, Rai Sat Cinema World, decided to arrange a special evening (or better morning, considering that best movie category will be announced around 7.00 a.m. italian time) at the prestigious Rome Auditorium. There, Tolkien and Jackson fans will gather to attend the ceremony, which will see the collaboration of the Italian Tolkien Society and The Tolkien Fifty Years, the event that in march will host Tolkien Societies from every part of the world in Brussels and organized by Italian Tolkien Society Foreign Events Organiser Oronzo Cilli. The evening will start at 22.45 with several hosts (among them, important personalities of italian cinema) and probably with a few artistic performances organised by Italian Tolkien Society. It is important for us to know how many people will participate at the event, so whoever is interested should send me a mail at oscar2004@caltanet.it. Prepare the coffee and the food, it will be a magic night."

>> Zap2it.com reports that Howard Shore "will be presented with the Henry Mancini Award for Lifetime Achievement, in recognition of his outstanding achievements and contributions to the world of film and television music. The presentation will take place during the 19th Annual ASCAP Film and Television Awards gala on Wednesday, April 21 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California." | here |

February 19, 2004

>> SciFi.com reports that "Howard Shore will conduct the North American debut performance of his Lord of the Rings Symphony: Six Movements for Orchestra and Chorus on Feb. 23 at the Montreal Highlights Festival." | here |

>> An article about the flming location of Viggo Mortensen's Hidalgo. | here |

>> Download the new international trailer for Troy, which stars Orlando Bloom and Sean Bean. | hi-res | med-res | lo-res | Quicktime required. New pictures of the movie here !

>> View a few 3D pictures inspired by The Lord Of The Rings. | 1 | 2 |

>> The French One magazine has dedicated a new special issue to The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Interviews and Full-page pictures of Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Elijah Wood, 8 posters, 8 cards, and a lot of stuff.

>> The Return Of The King is now the 2nd worldwide biggest gross of all-time with $981.9 million, beating Harry Potter / Sorcerer's Stone ! | Ananova | BBC |

February 18, 2004

>> USAToday.com has got a LOTR quizz. The page also features short video-interviews with Peter Jackson, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen, Elijah Wood and Liv Tyler. | here |

>> There are two LOTR games on this page as well.

>> According to DVDAnswers.com and to an "advertisement that was apparently present at the International Toy Fair 2004 event", the LOTR Trilogy DVD Set will be released in 2005. The biggest question is what new stuff will it contain ? | here |

>> Dominic Monaghan was at the NBA All-Star Game 2004. | here |

>> The Return Of The King is Guardian Unlimited's fav for Best Picture Oscar. | here |

>> Apple's QuickTime trailers website has posted "The Journey", a documentary on the making of Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Same video as on New Line Awards website that was posted on Feb. 8, but better quality. | here |

>> Pictures from the Toy Fair 2004. | here |

February 17, 2004

>> AICN has linked to the first video of Orlando Bloom's next-next movie, Kingdom Of Heaven. | here | They also posted a short article about the sequel for The Goonies, which starred Sean Astin. | here |

>> Lulop.com has posted a video of some 'celebrities' odd moments'. Orlando Bloom is among them. | here |

>> A fan of The Lord Of The Rings has created a trailer for The Hobbit. | here |

>> The Return Of The King won a new award at the 2004 (ACE) American Cinema Editors. | Hollywood Reporter | BBC |

>> The Return Of The King is out in Japan, and the movie's box-office gets higher. Its worldwide gross is now of $975.5 million, which brings it close to number 2 Harry Potter ($975.8 million) ! | here and here |

>> The new issue of the French Public magazine features is a picture of Peter Jackson and Elijah Wood at the Directors Guild Of America. The purpose of the article is Elijah wearing dirty shoes at the ceremony...

February 16, 2004

>> See more pictures of Weta/Sideshow's Shelob statue, that was shown at the Toy Fair 2004. | here |

>> Ananova.com reports that "Andrew Lesnie said he didn't realise there were so many Tolkien fans, after winning a Bafta award for his work on Return of the King." | here |

>> Director John Boorman, who received a Bafta Award on Sunday, talked about Peter Jackson's trilogy : "In 1970 I spent six months on a script, but United Artists ran out of money. I tried to revive it a number of times with Disney and it almost happened on several occasions. I'm happy I didn't make it because it would have prevented Peter Jackson from making his magnificent trilogy which couldn't have been done without computers. His is much better than my film would have been." | here |

February 15, 2004

>> Orlando Bloom is the male star with the nicest nose according to a survey conducted by U.K. company Waitrose. | here and here |

>> The votes for our Trilogy poll are now closed ! Thanks to all the Ringers who helped with their votes ! Amongst the winners, we have : the Witch-King for Favourite Villain (66.2%), the Army Of The Dead for Best CGI (26.1%), the Pelennor Fields for Best Battle (57.6%), the Last Alliance for Favourite Opening Scene (47.3%), Pippin for Best Singer (77.2%), Elijah Wood for Best Performance (29.8%)... | results |

>> The complete list for Decipher's Return Of The King expansion is up. | here |

>> The article is a few days old, Hollywood Reporter website takes a look at this year's nominees of the Academy Awards' Visual Effects category. | here |

>> The LOTR official website shows the first pictures of The Return Of The King on DVD. Come back to their site on March 8 for more details ! | here |

>> Read an article about Peter Jackson as the "Lord Of The Screens". | here |

>> TORN.n has posted a picture of Weta/Sideshow's Shelob statue. | here |

February 14, 2004

>> CGChannel.com has posted an interview with Lord Of The Rings matte paintings artist Yanick Dusseault. A free registration to the site is required. | here |

>> The Return Of The King received 13 Saturn Awards nominations. | here |

>> Ian McKellen and Peter Jackson will attend the Bafta ceremony. | here |

>> EOnline.com has posted a picture of Dominic Monaghan at the 'Silver Spoon Golden Globes Hollywood Buffet'. | here | Glamour website has got a picture of Cate Blanchett the Berlin Film Festival. | here |

>> Billy Boyd answered some questions from his fans. | here |

February 13, 2004

>> A lot of articles for you to read today. The Return Of The King has been snubbed at London's Film Critic Awards. | Ananova | NZ Herald | BBC : 1 + 2 | Digital Spy | Zap2It | An article about the main cast's "post-LOTR". | here | NBC.com reports that Sean Astin is "to going for the gold in NBC's "Las Vegas" on Monday, March 1 (9-10 p.m. ET) as a local resident who wins big at a jackpot slot machine – and fakes his own death in order to sneak out of town before his greedy wife gets word of his winnings." | here | An Australian betting agency says ROTK is favourite to win Best Director Oscar. | here | This other article wonders about Howard Shore's chances to bring back a statuette. | here |

>> It's official, Annie Lennox will perform at the Academy Awards ceremony. | here |

>> Yahoo.com has posted a video of Peter Jackson talking about King Kong. He reveals that the budget for King Kong will be $150 million and that for his cameo appearance in the movie he wants to be "the guy in the airplane shooting at him." Be aware that the interview with the director starts 9 mins after you launched the video (23'39").

>> We knew it already, but Zap2It.com reports that Elijah Wood and Dominic Monaghan "will make honorary appearances at this year's 147th annual Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans. Both will perform celebrity monarch duties, riding in parades leading up to Fat Tuesday on Feb. 24. Wood, who plays the anguished bearer of the One Ring in the films, will throw his cares to the wind as he reigns as King Bacchus on Sunday, while Monaghan will ride on Monday night with the Krewe of Orpheus." | here |

>> AICN has posted a review on Troy. Here's a bit about Orlando Bloom's part : "Oh, and about Legolas... yeah, he is entirely pointless. Ignore the third billing. Aside from setting the story in motion in the beginning, Bloom is hardly in the movie. He serves no purpose. He is set dressing at the least and a plot devise at the best. Twice in the film his actions set up the storyline for the other characters but leave him with nothing to do. It is a thankless role."

>> LatinoReview.com has posted a review on 50 Fifty Dates, with Sean Astin.

February 12, 2004

>> A lot of new Decipher cards from the ROTK Siege Of Gondor expansion. | here |

>> TheZReview.co.uk reports : "Director Robert Connolly has signed up Frances O' Connor, David Wenham (alias Faramir) and Sarah Wynter to star in Three Dollars. The movie is based on the novel by Elliot Perlman." | here |

>> AICN has posted another negative review on Viggo Mortensen's Hidalgo : "[Hidalgo is] an overlong, boring piece of crap. And to further add insult to injury, the primary reason HIDALGO blows is the King of Middle Earth himself, Viggo Mortensen. [...] He whispers every line of dialogue so softly, that if there's even a slight problem with the sound system in the theatre you see this in, you'll lose most of what he's saying. He's so friggin' subtle, he's almost invisible, and the strong, silent type act got tired almost immediately." | more |

>> Movie Market has got the gorgeous crowned Aragorn poster. | US | UK | FR | DE |

February 11, 2004

>> Cate Blanchett was at the Gaudi Fashion Show, in Barcelona. | LFI |

>> Have a first look at Weta/Sideshow's Shelob statue. | here |

>> We came across two digital pictures inspired by The Lord Of The Rings. | 1 | 2 |

>> Akaiko reports that Mark Tatulli's comic strip "Heart of the City" has been running a Lord Of The Rings themed story for the past months. It's still going on. | here |

>> An article about Peter Jackson being disappointed that The Return Of The King got no acting Oscar nomination. | here | Another article about the special effects in the trilogy. | here |

>> Tolkien's great grandson, big fan of the movies, admits he was worried when he first heard about the books being adapted onto big screen. | here and here |

>> While The Return Of The King is not out in Japan yet, the Japanese theatre.nifty.com website has posted 10 clips of the making of the movie !! | here | NB : Media Player and Real Player required.

>> French airdate : Canal+'s C Du Cinéma will feature an interview with Christopher Lee, on February 12 at 22H35.

>> Jim Carrey Forever website has got new pictures of Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. Only one of them show Elijah Wood. | here |

February 10, 2004

>> An interesting link for the Czech Ringers for it's got a lot of goodies for your mobile. | here | Be Legolas and try to collect all the Rings in CBBC's Riddle Quest game. | here |

>> The Return Of The King's worldwide gross has reached $942 million ! | here and here |

>> Read a very little bit more about Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong. | here |

February 09, 2004

>> ComingSoon.net has posted scans of Orlando Bloom on the set of The Calcium Kid. Speaking of the elf boy, the Troy official website has been updated with new features.

>> Read an interview with Viggo Mortensen, who talks about Hidalgo. | here |

>> BoxOfficeMojo.com needs to update its biggest worldwide gross of all-time list. The Return Of The King is at the 3rd position, with more than $930 million ! | here and here |

>> Some Danish airdates sent in by Anna : Hell with Ian Holm is on Canal+GUL tonight, at 23H55. Ash Wednesday with Elijah Wood is aired on Canal+ on February 11, at 22H55. Charlotte Gray with Cate Blanchett is on Canal+BLÅ on February 12, at 21H30. DR1 shows The Faculty with Elijah Wood on February 13, at 23H30.

>> A few more articles about the DGA Awards. | Hollywood Reporter | NY Post | Stuff |

>> Sky.com reports : "Liv Tyler has been voted top of the celebrity crops, with the hairstyle film fans most want to copy." | here |

>> Peter Jackson talks about the ROTK DVD and King Kong. | here |

February 08, 2004

>> Almost twenty days before the Academy Awards ceremony opens, one talks about The Return Of The King's chances to win Best Picture statuette. | here |

>> Two new Decipher cards from the ROTK TCG expansion. | here and here |

>> Peter Jackson has won the Directors Guild Of America (DGA) Award ! | here |

February 07, 2004

>> John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Andy Serkis, John Noble, Bruce Hopkins, Sala Baker, Thomas Robins (Déagol) and Bob Anderson (sword master) are the confirmed guests of the London Film and Comic Con, that is held on Mach 06 and 07. | here | Speaking of english conventions, Brad Dourif, Craig Parker, Lawrence Makoare and Jed Brophy (alias Sharku/Snaga) attend Collectormania 5, that is from April 30th to May 03rd. | here |

>> EmpireMovies.com has posted the poster for 13 Going On 30, with Andy Serkis, whose name only appears on the sheet. | here |

>> Ray Harryhausen, veteran visual effects artist of films like One Million Years B.C. and Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger, was asked what he thought of Gollum : "I think that's remarkable. You can't believe that Gollum is computer-generated. It's absolutely remarkable." | here |

>> TOR.n reports that Sean Astin and Elijah Wood will be presenters at the 56th Annual DGA Awards Dinner, today at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

>> The Extended Editions of The Fellowship Of The Ring and The Two Towers "dominated the inaugural 2004 Canadian Entertainment Network Awards Friday night." | here |

>> French airdate : TF1 airs The Faculty, with Elijah Wood, on February 15, at 22H45.

February 06, 2004

>> Pictures of the Empire Awards ceremony. | Globe Photos | Wire Image : 1 + 2 + 3 | LFI |

>> The Return Of The King has reached a worldwide gross of $ 925.3 million, which means it stands now a tiny bit less than The Two Towers ($ 925.9 million). Keeping this up, the movie shall become the 3rd biggest box-office of all-time and push its predecessor to the 4th position. | here |

>> German airdate : On thursday, February 12, VOX will show Armageddon with Liv Tyler, at 20H15.

>> There are 4 pages about The Return Of The King (small pictures of all the characters) in the new issue of One magazine (France). The new French Star Ac magazine features 2 pages on Orlando Bloom.

>> Read articles about Andy Serkis' Empire Award. | Telegraph | This Is London |

>> Articles about Peter Jackson's chances to bring back home most of the Oscars ROTK is nominated for. | CNN |

>> NewLineAwards.com has posted a video entitled A Filmmaker's Journey. | here |

February 05, 2004

>> Download a sneak peek at David Wenham's Van Helsing | here | and download a clip from Jersey Girl, featuring Liv Tyler. | here |

>> Film Force has posted the final poster for Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, which stars Elijah Wood. The sheet shows his name only. | here |

>> ComingSoon.net has posted links to a featurette of Viggo Mortensen's Hidalgo, as well as the Super Bowl TV spot and a short clip from the movie. | here |

February 04, 2004

>> Viggo Mortensen talks about leaving Aragorn behind. | here |

>> With an impressive worldwide gross of $918 million, The Return Of The King shall be surpassing The Two Towers' box-office shortly ($925.9 million). | here and here |

>> Read a short interview with Andy Serkis, about his role as Gollum. When he is asked if he'd be making The Hobbit, he answers : "If Pete was to do "The Hobbit" -- and I think he's keen on doing it, I'm just not sure what the situation is like with the rights -- I'd love to do it. The Gollum chapter, "Riddles in The Dark," is brilliant. I'd definitely play him again; he's still very much under my skin." | here |

>> TeenHollywood.com reports that Orlando Bloom tops the 'Internet Download Chart'. | here |

>> The second expansion for The Return Of The King Trading Cards Game, called Siege Of Gondor, is released on March 03. Meanwhile, Decipher.com will be adding two cards of the game each day. | here |

February 03, 2004

>> Download the SuperBowl trailer of Orlando Bloom and Sean Bean's Troy. | here |

>> Production Weekly reports that Cate Blanchett will star in in Little Fish, "a gritty drama about families, love and lies, and finding happiness." | here |

>> Liv Tyler is on the cover of the January issue of Seventeen magazine. | here |

>> Liv Tyler is the face of Givenchy's Women's Ready-To-Wear and Accessories Spring-Summer 2004 Advertising Campaign. | here | Select "Mode/Fashion".

>> French airdates : Canal + shows The Scorpion King, with Bernard Hill, on February 06 at 23h00, on February 08 at 10H20, on February 10 at 17H00, on February 12 at 01H20 (in original version), on February 16 at 14H00 and on February 18 at 11H00.

February 02, 2004

>> FoxNews.com recalls that other Sci-Fi/Fantasy films, like The Wizard Of Oz, Star Wars and E.T., are among those that earn Best Picture nominations. None has won. | read |

>> Robert Bernocchi of Caltanet.it reports : "The official site of the Tolkien Fifty Years, the great event which will occur in Brussels between the 22th and the 28th of march, is online, both in English and in Italian, here (click on the "english version" line above at right to read it in english). You can find there useful information about the program of the convention and how to join the party or have news about many affiliated events occurring in every part of the world (and how to affiliate your event to the T50Y)."

February 01, 2004

>> Please vote in our Trilogy Poll for it only takes a few minutes. The results will be announced in the middle of the month. Don't forget that you are most welcome on the AHT e-group and that you can post a comment about all the news and updates here !

>> According to Sky.com, heartbreaker Orlando Bloom is said to be planning a romantic proposal to his girlfriend, Kate Bosworth. | here |

>> Is now available for pre-order Sideshow/Weta's Morgul Lord statue. | here |

>> Costume designer Ngila Dickson, who received two Oscar nominations for The Return Of The King and The Last Samuraï, said she couldn't believe her name appeared twice on the list. | here |

>> NZCity reports that The Lord Of The Rings' box-office helped "bring Time Warner back into the black, to the tune of $1.4 billion." | here |

>> An article about Andy Serkis, Viggo Mortensen and Ian Mckellen. | here |