Originally posted by Mariole
I know there was a whole funny thread full of some terrific plays on various poems and literature, but I lost the bookmark in my disk crash. :( Help, whichever kind Faculty member provided the link the first time!

Try these:

http://www.teemings.com/extras/lotr/

http://www.flin.demon.co.uk/althist/auth.htm

I haven't checked either of them for the PG rating, but I'm pretty sure the second one is the one I recommended last time, and it was okay at that point.

Been down with the flu - we all spent Thanksgiving sleeping. :p Hubby finally saw the new scenes on the extended version today - maybe I'll even get to see some of the Appendices tomorrow, that'd be cool. ;)

Enjoying the conversation, as always. :)

Sheryl

p.s.
Hi, Ariel!

And welcome, Grumpy!

Sheryl

I think it's hilarious to read that Elijah likes to do crossword puzzles when he first wakes up and ays it's to keep his brain active. Very few guys even mention ANYTHING about using his brain.

I felt so much better tha the uses his head for something other than to attract women on the surface. Wouldn't it be terrible if he was just a Pretty Face?

I am so glad that he is for Real and not some guy that isn't afraid to admit to the truth about Himself. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.

hi!!
i just wonder if any of you have read any rewies of elijah
accting in rotk i have to now
i just love that guy and his blue ocens of in his eyes.
sorry for my english.i hope you now what i mean:k

- but I so want to believe that he does crossword
puzzles!! Its something I enjoy myself.

Couldn't be his phone number could it? Could it?

Somewhere on the West Coast:

Hmmmm. New York, let's see ....1-213-***5-1167. Let's see what happens.....

Somewhere in New York's Flat Iron district:
Hello?

WC: Morning, Lij! S'me! So how was your night?

EW:Oh! (soft giggle) It must have been fantastic! I made it home and just passed out!

WC:Did you go to a club?

EW:I did, I did. A new band a friend recommended. "Sex Crazed Zombies;" they were fantastic, just massive!

WC:That's great! Say, are you doing the Puzzle? What did you get for 27 across? 11 letters, clue is 'crush.' Pulverize doesn't have enough letters."

EW:Just a minute. I-N-F-A-T-U-A-T-I-O-N.

WC:Oh! How funny and ironic!

EW:Ironic?

WC:So! Laundry day is it?

EW: (beginning to become suspicious) Why do you ask?

WC:Just noticed you've been wearing the same ripped jeans and orange striped shirt a lot recently.

EW:Who did you say this was?

WC:Me!Silly boy! Who else?

EW:......(click, nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.)
(Sighing.) Billy told me the phone number on the jacket was a bad idea. I just thought I'd try something besides that vintage one....

Honey - LOL!!! :)

Originally quoted by Mariole:
Quote by PJ: And the actors actually were incredibly supportive -- like Elijah, who was filming virtually every day for eighteen months, he was on camera a lot, and Elijah's just so bubbly and he's so optimistic and he's such a great guy, I never heard one negative word from Elijah the whole time. And often on the days that I'd turn up being being really tired, thinking, oh my god, am I going to be able to get through the day? the first person I'd see is Elijah, saying, 'Okay, Peter, great, let's go!' and he would immediately buoy you back up.
_____________________________________________

Aaah! That's our boy, Mariole. I also remember Elijah saying somewhere that whenever he was feeling exhausted from the long hours and the general pressure of things, he had only to look at PJ, see his total commitment and energy and enthusiasm, and think that when he and the other actors had gone home, PJ would still have hours of work still to do, and Elijah's tiredness would pale in comparison.

naiad - I'm going to check out that lovely Elijah/PJ moment you described on disc 4. I must have missed it before - so thanks for pointing it out.

Ariel - You should de-lurk here more often. I've been over to the ROTK spoiler thread several times - but now these spoilers are coming out I'm almost too afraid to look!

Shireling. I feel exactly the same as you do about the Hobbit theme on the soundtracks. Whenever I hear that particular theme it seems so familiar now and evokes images and feelings that are so dear to me - it's almost as if I've known that melody for years - I mean a long, long time - and hearing it just induces warm and lovely hobbity thoughts.:)

Welcome to The Faculty Lounge, wood - I like that name, it reminds me of someone. :) I haven't seen any reviews regarding Elijah's performance in ROTK. That is one thing I will be looking for when the reviews come flooding in - but so often I've been disappointed with the reactions of some critics - either they don't 'get' Elijah's talent, or he's hardly given a mention. I so want him to receive some real recognition for his wonderful portrayal of Frodo.

Tg - I meant to say a week or so ago how much I loved your screencap sequence from Avalon on frodolivesin.us. Little Michael (Elijah) skipping down the street after the circus is simply adorable. It's such a natural reaction for a child to do that - and Elijah seems so natural there. Lovely. Thanks so much for those.:) I also love the scene with the other children on the stairs with Michael's mother. Michael is wearing a little bow-tie, and it flashes red on and off. He doesn't say or do much here - he's just sitting there on the stairs listening to his mother with his bow-tie lighting up - but he's just perfect.

Does anyone know where ainon is? Where are you, ainon? Perhaps she's avoiding any threat of spoilers, so is staying away until she's seen ROTK. I hope she hasn't deserted us. Bridget, is ainon with you watching that Shawshank thingy?

Sorry it's late, but I hope all you US Facultiers had/are having an enjoyable thanksgiving.

Bye.

Originally posted by BLOSSOM
Ariel - You should de-lurk here more often.

Considering I am so rarely caught up with this thread, what I would have to say would be so out of synch with the rest of you it is almost better that I don't. Thanks for noticing though. (((((((hugs)))))))))

Ariel

Sheryl, bless you! :k The "teemings" site is just what I was looking for. It isn't the exact page I had marked before, but all my favorites are there. Here's one of the most brilliant, IMHO: http://www.teemings.com/extras/lotr/e/ernestlawrencethayer3.html
I'll send healing beams your way. There's nothing better for recovering your health than curling up with a hot mug and watching the delightful appendices play across the screen.

Re Wood's question (Hi, Wood!), according to this article, no ROTK reviews are supposed to be released until Dec 8: http://www.iansmith.co.uk/lotr/weblogs/Nov28th2003.htm (but various folks bend or break this review, so be careful if you're avoiding spoilers).

This particular correspondent is covering the premiere in Wellington. Here's a cute piece of it, from Viggo's art exhibition:

Viggo invites the other cast members behind him to join him in a Maori song and suddenly the 'no photography' rule appears to be seriously broken ... He and Elijah sing heartily with their arms around each other, while behind him Billy, Bernard and a few others bluff it, either having trouble following the words or just deciding they have lousy singing voices. Understandably, the rendition gets a huge round of applause.
By all accounts Billy has a lovely singing voice, so I'm guessing that he didn't know the words. (So how does Elijah know these words, we wonder? He wasn't at Helm's Deep either...) And I've fallen in love with Bernard Hill. For those of you who haven't seen the appendices yet, he's a scream! I don't think there's any question that Theoden is his _character_ and Bernard Hill simply _is_ one.

from Blossom
so often I've been disappointed with the reactions of some critics - either they don't 'get' Elijah's talent, or he's hardly given a mention. I so want him to receive some real recognition for his wonderful portrayal of Frodo.
I'm so ditto on this sentiment that there aren't enough dots on my keyboard to emphasize my agreement. Yes, ditto. In fact, we had one (pretty good in terms of not being too spoilery) comment posted about an early press viewing of ROTK (yes, she posted her impressions in defiance of the rules, but I read carefully and if I sense a plot point coming up I bail). And she did the very thing you said -- all the major characters seemed to get a mention except Frodo. But he's just, you know, the Ringbearer. What can he have to do in this film? So I'm just going to have to take deep breaths and enjoy the fact that New Line is supporting him for a Best Actor nom.

Honeyelf -- loved your conversation with sleepy Lij. Very realistic. :p

Ainon! *listens intently as name goes echoing down the canyon * doesn't give up hope, continues on, listening for a response...

Edit: It seemed silly not to post a picture of that lovely moment between Peter and Elijah, so here it is:

http://home.ricochet.com/mdes/limages/support.jpg

Originally posted by BLOSSOM
Bridget, is ainon with you watching that Shawshank thingy?

Man, I wish!:p She's out of town for the Eid il Fitri holidays. I'm not sure when those are over:o but hopefully she'll be back soon!

Feel better, Sheryl!:k

((((Faculty))))

Dear Mariole :k
You made my day with those screen caps - thank you!

Just watched 'The Battle of Helms Deep is Over' on disk 4 and came upon an exceptional Frolijah moment - where Elijah (Frodo?), in hobit garb, is listening to PJ with a look of compassion and serious concern, and then reaches out and touches his director's arm with tender reassurance ... The real thing and so beautiful! Who needs a movie after that? Anyone else catch it?

Oh yes Naiad, that was certainly a stand-out moment for me. Thats one of the things I love about these dvd extras - we see so many special little moments like that, they might only last a few seconds but they speak volumes. Elijah seems to be such a caring person, its written all over his face. When I have the time I'd love to go through all the many articles and interviews I have, extract all the lovely quotes from various people about him, and put them all together, I'm sure it would make a huge document. Here's two of the latest I've come across :

Ian McKellan from Disney Big Time (I know, I'm beyond hope:o):
Q: Gandalf & Frodo have a very close bond in the movies. How did you and EW get on in real life?
A:He's a very obliging person, Elijah. He's got a very calm termperament, and he's always in good spirits, never complaining.

Andy Serkis from SFX:
"Serkis can, however, think of plenty of nice things to say about Wood. 'Elijah's just an incredible guy. Have you spoken to him? He's phonomenally wise for his years. His soul is very old; I think he's been around for a long time. He's incredibly tuned in and he's a very, very wise man. It's amazing, the kind of picture of him when we started this - he was 18, 19. But he's always had this kind of wise soul. I think we connected very strongly. We really got on very, very well".

It's funny how many people talk about Elijah's 'old soul' and how very wise he is - Sean A., Miranda Otto, David Wenham, I know there have been others I can't recall right now, and now Andy.

And thankyou, Mariole, for posting the screencaps of that special moment between Elijah & PJ. It also reminded me of that lovely quote from PJ, Blossom. I'm sure those two must have a very special bond:)

Something else that really impresses me about Lij is his amazing modesty and I noticed yet another small example of this when I was looking through the new Empire Mag [I hope everyone will be able to get this - apart from the spread in the mag they've done a separate LOTR booklet which is beautifully presented] - PJ is talking about the very first time a mag came out using LOTR on the front cover - he said it was during filming the CU scene & the Empire came in [remember? That gorgeous pic of Frodo with Sting on the front] - he said Lij was so excited and said "We haven't finished filming yet and we're on the front cover!". I'm sure in the excitement of a moment like that many people would have said 'I'm on the front cover' but not Lij - it was 'we' - and I've noticed this same sort of thing many times during interviews. Its really very unusual for someone in this industry.

Honeyelf - loved the phone conversation with Lij:D

An interview from Nylon magazine, conducted just before the charity charades event. Some wonderful stuff! (Hope I caught all the bad language.:p )



Three The Hard Way

Elijah Wood survived the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, and all he got was this lousy sword. By Scott Desimon.



As the final installment of the Tolkien trilogy rolls through a mega-multiplex near you, Elijah Wood reflects on coming of age in Middle-Earth. When we met, the actor was bivouacked with the rest of the cast at New York City's Hotel Regency to talk about The Return of the King, the brooding and emotional conclusion to the blockbuster hobbit saga. Wood sank into a banquette in the hotel bar, a sprite of a man with eager eyes, to talk about life after Frodo and his persistent Tobey Maguire problem.

NYLON: So, everything's done done with Lord of the Rings?
Elijah Wood: It's done offically now. I'm done with Frodo, which is kind of amazing. It's sad in one respect because it's been such an incredible journey, and I think some of us felt like it would never end--in a good way. But it's nice to have a sense of completion, particularly with this last movie, which I think we're all the most proud of. Now we just have to promote it, which is exciting.

You almost convinced me that you like doing these junkets.
I mean, look, it's completely exhausting, but it is a particularly good film. It's very dark and grim and emotional. I just saw the last hour of the film, and I could not stop crying. I've never been made to cry so intensely from watching a movie before. Part of it probably has something to do with being so involved with it and the film mirroring the end for us in the cast, so my emotions were wrapped up in that.

These movies have been such a huge part of your young adulthood. You could say this has been your college experience in a lot of ways.
It was, completely. I was 18 [when it started]. I made friends for life. It was a massive growing experience socially and in terms of my own confidence and understanding of who I was.

How did you say goodbye?
Because it was essentially our last involvement working on it, they gave each actor their own farewell party, which was really sad and emotional. Peter [Jackson, the director] would make a speech, Barrie [M. Osborne, the producer] would make a speech. Then they'd show a movie they'd cut together of that particular actor's work and some behind-the-scenes comedy cut with very funny songs. And then each of us received our sword from the film and the last clapper from the last take of the last part. It was really beautiful.

When you moved on to your first post-LOTR project, was it difficult to readjust to the standard Hollywood production?
Initially it was difficult to leave that world. I haven't really done anything on a large scale since Lord of the Rings. The last thing I did was Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, with [director] Michel Gondry and [screenwriter] Charlie Kaufman. I freaked out at the chance to be able to work on it. My main interest after LOTR was working on smaller films, projects that just told a small intimate story, with a small crew and a much shorter span of time. It was actually a bit of a relief.

Eternal Sunshine is about using medical technology to erase bad memories. Do you have any memories you'd like to erase?
No. I think what we experience in life, the good and the bad, is meant to teach us something, and we should wear that proudly on our sleeves. I don't really believe in the idea of regret. What's so great about this film is that it shows that whether you erase them or not, they still live with us.

[The phone rings. It's Wood's siter, Hannah--who's living in his New York apartment--arranging to go play celebrity charades that evening to support Philiip Seymour Hoffman's LABryinth Theatre Company.]

Are you familiar with charades?
Not really, no. I know the basic codes-- the movie, the book, how many syllables, sounds like, all that. Robin Williams will be there, who's a lovely guy, and that will make it really fun.

If you get a chance to get onstage.
Exactly. He'll take the stage and it will be over. I'd rather guess than be the one giving the clues. I'm shy.

From The Ice Storm on, you've done a good job making the tricky transition from kid actor to adult.
I'd love to say that there is some grand design, but it was just project-to-project. The things I loved just happened to be those movies that would not shoot me into some weird direction and make me uber-famous in that Hollywood way. [The Ice Storm] was influential for me, because I was part of something that I was proud of artistically and surrounded by actors that I really cared about. That became the way I was thinking. I want to be able to be proud of everything I do, even if it's a role I'm proud of in a sh---y movie.

You're a young, good-looking guy. You make a good living. How do you not become a dick?
Thank you, that's very nice. I was raised very well by a mother who was always conscious of the dangers of the business. I was never allowed to be treated like I was better than anybody else, and I think, because that was drummed into me at such a young age, as I became an adult, that was just me. I hate the fact that there are people who, because of their celebrity, think that they deserve more and live a lifestyle that is higher than other people's and as a result they treat people like s--t.

How often do you get mistaken for Tobey Maguire?
A lot. I have a great story and I hope it gets printed because I'd love if the guy read it. I was at a screening for Once Upon A Time in Mexico, and a guy leaned over my seat and said, 'Hello, I'd just like to congratulate you on Seabiscuit. I thought it was a really wonderful movie and you were great in it.' I said, 'I'm sorry, I'm not Tobey Maguire.' And without missing a beat he was like, 'I know...I'm just telling you that it's a great movie and you're Elijah Wood and you're in Lord of the Rings, which is also a great film, and I just thought that I should mention it because you should definitely see it because it's great. And I was just talking to Tobey Maguire who said that you guys are really good friends--you guys are really good friends, right?' I was like, 'Well, not really. I don't know him that well.' 'Well, he thinks you're great and he thought you were great in Lord of the Rings, and you should definitely see Seabiscuit and congratulations on Lord of the Rings.' It was unbelievable. He turned it around brilliantly. Not only did he try to fix it, but he went so overboard creating this incredible web of lies. That was the coolest f--k-up of that kind I've ever seen.

Looking back, are there any roles you regret not getting?
There were things I wanted to do with a passion that didn't work out, like Rushmore and Pleasantville. But in the end I was so happy even though I wasn't a part of it. Sure, I was bummed. I was such a big Wes Anderson fan I really wanted Rushmore, but then the movie came out and it was so good, I wouldn't have touched it for anything. Things work out for a reason and lead you to where you're meant to go, for good or for bad.

No fear of your career going the way of Mark Hamill [Luke Skywalker, of the original Star Wars trilogy]?
That's come up a bit. But with Hamill and Skywalker, it was such an iconic role, and he never really worked after that or before that, either, really. I feel like I had a career before, and if I continue to work now, it will show people that I'm not simply Frodo.

Also, there was no exisiting Star Wars subculture, whereas LOTR has been around for more than 50 years. Was it hard to break into that culture?
Sure, initially. When it was announced that I was going to play Frodo, at least half of the talk on all these LOTR sites was vehement hatred. Like, 'How can they do this? My life is ruined!' I entered into the film with a hefty amount of trepidation at taking on this character that millions of people have already known for years. It's difficult to compete with someone else's imagination, you know?

I've heard you're a big music nut. Do you have any specific musical associations with making the LOTR trilogy?
Oh my god, yeah. In fact, there's this project I've always wanted to do, which is to make mix CDs of music I listened to during every film. It seems like a really cool way to remember those experiences, because music always sends you back to a very specific time. During Lord of the Rings, I became a Stone Roses fan, mainly because of Dom Monahan [sic], who's Mancunian, so he grew up with that kind of Happy Mondays and Joy Division stuff from Manchester. I also was into the second Travis record during LOTR. I became a Clean fan, which is a New Zealand band. That was the one band that I really grabbed onto that was from there.

Is there a cast reunion planned?
We've talked about going back, but there's nothing planned. The great thing about where we stand now is that as the films end, we go on. The fellowship continues, and we well always be linked by these movies and always be linked as friends by working on them. We can leave the projects behind with less fear because we know we're not out of each other's lives. That's the thing that's most important.

Do you think you'll work with Peter Jackson again?
I hope to. I really want to go down there and visit while he's shooting King Kong, maybe get stomped on by Kong's foot or something. We'll see what happens.

~~~~

Hi everyone:) I am new to this forum but I have been an Elijah fan for many years. I remember seeing the Good Son when I was a young teenager. My main thought during the entire movie was, "Who is that beautiful child?" and I wasn't thinking about Caulkin! Even though I have only seen a few of his films, I have always thought he is a splendid actor in each one. He speaks more with his eyes than many actors do with their whole body.

When I heard that LOTR was being made into a movie in 2001, I read the books before I saw it. I didn't even know that EW was cast as Frodo, but he quickly became my favorite character in the story. You've got to love a character who gives up his very soul to save the world. Well, when I found out that EW was playing Frodo..........OK words can't describe that perfect pairing!

Even though thinking of EW (epecially as Frodo) can make me feel like I'm 14 again, I promise to adhere to the "no swooning" policy on this thread. I can have intelligent conversations about him. OK, would you guys let me get just one little piece of swooing out of the way? I am pregnant with our third child and if it is a boy I would love to name him Elijah. I don't think I could fool my husband, even though our other two children have biblical names!

I am glad to have found this thread. None of my friends or family understands my little obsession, but I am glad to find some internet friends that do.

Mrs. Baggins

Ainon has been visiting family this week. She said she would be without internet access until she gets back.

hugs to all

Enai

[/delurks]

:::: staggering in bleary-eyed from watching Ash Wednesday and The War in one shot, plus watching most of Ash Wednesday with Director's Babbl - er - commentary ::::

New drinking game! Take a sip every time someone uses the "f" word in Ash Wednesday. The number for emergency rescue services to get your alcohol poisoning treated (in the US anyway) is 911.

From what Edward Burns said, Elijah came off Lord of the Rings and almost immediately did Ash Wednesday. EB was casting the part of Sean, and got a call from an agent who said that a client had seen the script and was interested. Burns flew to LA, talked to EW, they hit it off, and EW went to NY. The budget for the movie was 2.5 million and it took 21? 27? days to shoot. It was only in theaters for a week. I suspect it came out before FotR was out. I wonder if it would have done better coming out after FotR was released. Edward Burns said that he loves to make small movies (he's apparently done quite well at times) but from what he said, this was really pushing it.

The R rating was only necessary, IMGLO, for the language. There was a very disturbing shooting, shot in a very disturbing way, at the beginning and later in flashback, with this kid with wide blue eyes taking a gun out, walking into a bathroom, and shooting three guys. There was a chase and a shooting in an alley. The main character got shot at the end. Compared with the body count in some movies, that's pretty mild. I wonder if it would have had more of an audience without the R rating.

Burns said that he let his actors improvise to a certain extent. He said Elijah didn't deviate much from the script; likes to do the performance close to the script. Burns also said that the scenes he enjoyed doing in the movie most were the ones sitting in the car with the brothers (EB and EW) talking. I think they were probably the best scenes in the entire movie. Talk about nostril acting! ::: giggle ::: He did neck acting, head acting, mouth acting, nose acting, and of course eyebrow acting. :::: still giggling ::::

This was NOT Frodo Baggins. I wonder if he liked the part so much because it was so completely un-Frodolike. Sean Sullivan walked, stood, talked entirely differently from Frodo - they were a Middle Earth and several socio-economic classes apart. Sean was a very young kid trying to act very tough - long kind of bouncing "tough guy" walk, slight slouch, attempts at a granite jaw. The reality was a pair of wide blue eyes (he still doesn't blink) in a very young, innocent (despite what he'd done) face.

If anybody wants to see if Elijah is really Frodo and can only do one set of expressions or one kind of character, they might want to check this one out.

It looks like he's making serious attempts to continue varied roles as an adult actor, and not get tied to one role and one image. This was a good choice for that purpose.

The War was also rather disturbing, as well as predictable a Costner movie as the day is long. I've seen the girl who played Lidia in a bunch of things. Elijah was just downright wonderful. The rage that he showed rang very true. I can remember feeling that kind of fury at that age. The kid yelled a lot - very, very un-Frodolike, who was too gentlemanly to raise his voice, and, to paraphrase one of my favorite authors, "...was, in times of dire extremity, sometimes heard to murmer a faint damn." :) It was like a suburban Lord of the Flies.

13 years old? 12 years old? Sheesh.

Off to bed!

zkgrumpy (I was jumping around LotR (book) today and read the last chapter again. Bad mistake. Bawled my eyes out, I did. Sheesh. Just *thinking* about it makes me tear up. What am I going to be like at the movie?)

I read the last page of ROTK and it mad me shudder. I thought the Shock of Frodo being naked was bad enough, but it didn't compare to the shock at the end of the story.

Somehow the mental picture of the last chapter didn't look right to me. All murky and spooky, like the time I read "The Bubmblebee Flies Anyway" and wondered how cold can Barney get? Ice was the perfect name.

Elijah was great in that too, but I felt better about Barney, because somehow the mental picture was different. I guess book version reminded me of a boy at school who hurt me. I was so glad that Elijah was Barney. Had this been an actual situation (like the boy who hurt me) I would have tried to reach out to Barney/Elijah. Elijah was raised right. think of all the damage that could happen if he wasn't.:D

Also in "The Faculty" why did Josh Harnett change, whereas Elijah Wood did not, was this supposed to be an indication that only Casey could Save the World? I was confused I thought it would be Josh Hartnett because he came up with the Cure.

A warm welcome to Wood :) and Mrs Baggins :) ! Yes, Mrs Baggins, Elijah is a great choice and a wonderful name for a little one ;) !

Honeyelf, very enjoyable telephone call ;) !

:k to BunnieBugs for posting the uber-interesting Nylon interview! Once again Frodoesque generosity shines through his statements and his maturity and wisdom amazes me every time.
He IS a very old soul, for sure, and old souls know how important it is to have a good sense of humour - think of the hilarious "Half-fling" :D and this:
Do you think you'll work with Peter Jackson again?
I hope to. I really want to go down there and visit while he's shooting King Kong, maybe get stomped on by Kong's foot or something. We'll see what happens.


Mariole, I loved the screenshots of Elijah taking care of PJ. Thank you for those!

I too miss ainon! I hope she's coming back after holiday!

((Sheryl)), get well soon :) !

Welcome Mrs Baggins !!! Glad you felt that way about The Good Son. Lots of people (including the director, I believe) thought Elijah outclassed Mac in that, and in more ways than one.

Such wonderful posts recently (well, not just recently – you know what I mean!). I'll echo Whiteling and say Mariole, thank you so much for screencapping that moment between PJ and Lij (more about screencaps later). Brings a lump to my throat. Bunniebugs, thank you for that very revealing Nylon interview (I love Elwood’s remark about not believing in regret). Shireling, thank you for posting that wonderful quote about Lij from Andy. It confirms once again that Elijah really is as exceptional as we all suspect he is.

Here’s another “wisdom” quote, btw, from Ian McKellen:
Elijah is a very experienced actor and he is much wiser than most 20-year-olds you're going to meet. To have a leading man who is attentive to everybody and so genuinely interested in everybody, and so good-natured, is a very good emotional centre for the cast. I was very impressed by the way he handled that. When you think of the monsters who might have landed that part and been absolutely horrendous to work with, well, it just redoubled how lucky we were to have had Elijah. He's a sweet man and a very good actor.
Oddly enough the thought that Elijah might be a very old soul in a young body crossed my mind long before I’d seen quotes from cast members about it – at the time I’d been reading a lot about human beings who are gifted and/or wise out of all proportion to their years, background or experience (we can all think of examples from history, so I won’t name them). Various names are given to them – indigo children, geniuses, avatars … I don’t know why, but as soon as I read the first details of who Elijah Wood was it struck me that he might be one of those beings, and that his mother had recognised that (consciously or not) very early on, which is why she took the momentous decision to uproot the family and move to LA – she must have had enormous conviction and courage to go through with that, the industry being what it is and the family’s finances being less than secure.

That beauty of spirit that Ian McK tells us makes Elijah’s Frodo leap out of the screen is so blindingly obvious to those who have eyes to see it (and it’s good to know there are a lot of men amongst them) that I’m constantly amazed and frustrated by those who don’t (such as the female person you tell us named everyone except Frodo after seeing ROTK, Mariole, or the Wellington Embassy Theatre Trust, which names the main actors who will be attending the world première tomorrow and, believe it or not, LEAVES OUT EW – I wrote and complained, but nothing has been changed. I quote: “Roadshow [Film Distributors] has announced that almost all of the international stars from the trilogy will be in attendance, including Liv Tyler (pictured right as Arwen), Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, and Sir Ian McKellan” (sic)).
But then Elijah is wise and humble enough not to be frustrated or angry about anything to do with himself, so I try to learn from his example (amazing, isn’t it – all these people old enough to be his, er, whatever ;) learning spiritual values from someone who was still only 19 when he finished principal photography on that movie!). And Elijah himself modestly puts down his own wisdom to his upbringing (sure, that must have helped, but it’s only a fraction of the picture).

Those lovely accounts from Shireling and Marea about meeting Elijah confirm all this most strikingly in what they both say about his appearance: (Marea) “as though ... in a soft focus lens .. as if he was surrounded by a faint crystalline glow. … It is almost as though he carries his own, interior Galadri-lighting with him. …It is a very Frodo-like quality actually... so much so that it’s eerie.” Is this or is this not an aura she’s talking about? (I’ve asked that before, I know.) Yes, the whole thing is eerie: the fact that this guy who has so much wisdom, charm, talent and unique physical beauty combined came to play Frodo, of all characters, and in what I think will one day be seen (despite their flaws) as the greatest movies of all time. The whole phenomenon is so staggering that I still have trouble believing it’s real. And then there’s the name “Elijah”! How appropriate can you get? (Not that I adhere to any religion – it’s the connotations of the name that grab me.) Surely proof that God loves us, as the slogan says.

It’s so good to have a forum in which to mention such ideas without being thought totally out of your tree (says she optimistically :rolleyes: :D Most people I know would pillory me if they knew the half of it. (Those like Shireling who have SUCH sweet and tolerant husbands should definitely cherish them!) And if you tried to write fiction even half as extraordinary as the facts here, it would be dismissed as too far-fetched. Reminds me of all those people who are convinced Elijah’s eyes were digitally enhanced: according to PJ, in fact they were the one thing they didn’t have to touch!

This already too long. Will leave the rest for later.

Originally posted by serena
Those lovely accounts from Shireling and Marea about meeting Elijah confirm all this most strikingly in what they both say about his appearance: (Marea) “as though ... in a soft focus lens .. as if he was surrounded by a faint crystalline glow. … It is almost as though he carries his own, interior Galadri-lighting with him. …It is a very Frodo-like quality actually... so much so that it’s eerie.” Is this or is this not an aura she’s talking about? (I’ve asked that before, I know.) Yes, the whole thing is eerie: the fact that this guy who has so much wisdom, charm, talent and unique physical beauty combined came to play Frodo, of all characters, and in what I think will one day be seen (despite their flaws) as the greatest movies of all time. The whole phenomenon is so staggering that I still have trouble believing it’s real. And then there’s the name “Elijah”! How appropriate can you get? (Not that I adhere to any religion – it’s the connotations of the name that grab me.) Surely proof that God loves us, as the slogan says.

Having met the man myself, I feel the need to add my voice to everything wonderful that's been said about him. Those who read my account on my LiveJournal know the effect that meeting him had on me, so I won't recount it here. It's not enough to say that he's astoundingly beautiful---even more than on screen. He really does seem lit from within, in a way that I've never seen in anyone else. I recall telling someone that he "glows in the dark," and it's true. We all know this quote from The Two Towers:

"...Sam had noticed that at times a light seemed to be shining faintly within."

I could never envision that image for myself until I met Elijah Wood. His eerie perfection as Frodo is about so much more than his looks or his talent, although those things are important, of course. But it's him, he simply is the living embodiment of what we love about Frodo---his beauty, his light, his grace. What a gift we have been given in this young man.

Edit: Mariole, thank you for those gorgeous screencaps. He looks like there's a halo behind him, doesn't he?

hallo everyone!
i hope everyone is okey!
iam.
i have a small question,have reading some kind of rewie
of rotk the man have the question about EW acting
he ansewrd this gut-wrenching what is that mean?
somebody who nose? i love this site!!!
i love you all.i cant talk to anybody about this at home
only have you guys love you all:k :p :p :p :p :p :p

LOL! And the award for Best Analogy goes to zkgrumpy for comparing "The War" to "a suburban Lord of the Flies." :D Thank you for your thoughts and commentary recap on AW. I have no desire to see this movie again, because of the toxic levels of f- word and sparse level of plot. But I'm glad to hear your opinion about this unusual casting for him, and hope it pays off in the long term.

Move over, Whiteling, when you're through :k BunnieBugs. I want to kiss her, too! What an adorable article!

Vehemently agreeing with Serena and Mrs. Baggins re Elijah in Good Son. Serena, how did you know the director's opinion? (makes puppy eyes in hopes of more extraordinary research...)

(Mrs. Baggins, my Elijah *cough*appreciation*cough* is as deep a dark secret as I can manage. I won't tell anyone in your family if you don't tell anyone in mine, deal? :p)

Elda, thank you so much for your LJ account (which I read) and follow-up post here. I think Tolkien's work is extraordinary, to have had such a profound impact on so many people for such a long time. It just seems as if Somebody Up There helped out a bit when they said, "Right, by the time this kid grows up, we'll have enough special-effects technology in place to bring this work to an even wider audience. Debbieeeee, you want to move to LAAaaaaaa..." and so it came to pass. The more I learn about Elijah, the more impressed I continue to be. He honestly is a "light in dark places" -- Hollywood and its scandals being one of the darkest of them all. To have someone that fresh and honest and consistently nice bursting through that jaundiced atmosphere of cynicism and self-promotion is a constant delight. I wouldn't discount him being an avatar, but I don't want to take anything away from the young man himself -- his personality, and his personal choices, continue to impress me and earn my respect. (Shireling, your account of Elijah's "we" are on the cover of Empire warmed my heart! :k)

For Wood, "gut-wrenching" is good. It means you are so affected emotionally you literally feel it inside, like a kick in the guts.


Okay, the rest of this post is Mariole, the Elwood news service, wading through the glut of new articles to bring those of you who have a RL a few highlights. FWIW:

Elijah is going to be a busy boy for the next couple of weeks. Assuming these TV appearances aren't filmed in advance, here's what his schedule's like according to http://www.theonering.net/perl/newsview/8/1070216688:

Dec 1: Wellington world premiere of ROTK (more on this below)
Dec 3: Back to the States to be grilled by Leno
Dec 6: In Germany as guest star on Wetten dass
Dec 13: Back home to host Saturday Night Live.

In contrast, the same article lists one appearance each for Viggo, Orlando, and Sir Ian in this time frame. Is the kid tireless or what? (Or just interviews well and is a preferred spokesman, although I'm sure Sir Ian is wonderful as well...)

By Victoria Fletcher of news.independent.co.uk
More than 100,000 fans are expected to turn out tomorrow to see stars including Elijah Wood, Liv Tyler and Viggo Mortensen arrive at Wellington's Empire Theatre for the premiere of The Return of the King ... [TOM CARDY and BESS MANSON report that "It will be the biggest entertainment event in New Zealand history."]

A village near Wellington has just opened miniature Hobbit toilets, complete with grass roof and little round doorways. The centrepiece of the Auckland garden show was a Tolkien dragon made of flowers...

By AMIE RICHARDSON of www.stuff.co.nz
Complete article here: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2743475a2202,00.html

In Wellington, the stars have arrived, four football fields worth of red carpet is ready to roll out and a $4.66 million facelift for the Embassy Theatre means the capital is ready to host the world premiere. More than 2000 people will be at the premiere tomorrow - 750 at the Embassy Theatre and the others will see the movie in 10 simultaneous screenings at the Reading Cinemas complex.

Advertising agency Clemenger BBDO has been given the thumbs up to "dress" its building, situated near the red carpet, to look like a giant camera. The building is wrapped in nylon mesh and the camera includes a strobe light "flash" on the top, which will flash every five minutes from 4pm until midnight on premiere night.

An Air New Zealand jumbo jet featuring a hobbit graphic will make a low pass over the city at 3.45pm. Five webcams along the route will beam the action live to a worldwide internet audience ... the imposing gothic tower of Sauron takes up residence at Te Papa tonight. Complete with its molten lava flow, the tower is 8m high by 6m wide. The 'miniature' is on display in the museum's foyer until January 28.

Random bits and pieces:

The great-grandson of JRR Tolkien, Royd Tolkien, plays a gondorian ranger in the final part of the epic, The Return of the King.

According to http://news.ninemsn.com.au/Entertainment/story_53510.asp:
Two hundred screaming fans converged on the Hotel Intercontinental, where the stars were doing media interviews. Security guards had to set up barricades after Sir Ian McKellen, who plays the wizard Gandalf, was mobbed as he was leaving the hotel.
I wasn't old enough then, but this does sound a lot like the Beatles in their prime!

Four hundred journalists from around the world were treated to a special advance screening Monday, but have been sworn to secrecy until an embargo on reviews ends on December 8.

An interesting quote from Philippa: Boyens explains, "In terms of TTT our biggest problem was we never had an ending. For ROTK, we've had to deal with just the opposite. We've got one of the great endings. In fact, ROTK may have too many endings!"

Peter Jackson, bless him, is turning into a bundle of nerves. Hang in there, PJ! Scroll back up the page and get an encouraging hug from EW. You earned it!

ROTK spoilery mushy brotherly stuff *sniff* between Elijah and Sean at this link: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2743604a2202,00.html

And this quote from Billy Boyd was just too funny, and reminiscent of Elijah's wish to get squished:
from Nick Joy, Film Review:
So, might we see Billy in Jackson's next project, King Kong?

"Absolutely. Hey, if they can make me three foot seven, I'm sure they can make me much bigger. I'd be great as the monkey."

Mariole, now it's your turn - I :k-ed BunnieBugs extensively, and now I'm coming over to you --- :k !!! Wonderful news - Elijah will appear on German TV! *does happy dance*
Thank you, Mariole, you ENSQ (Elwood news service Queen) :) !

All hail, ENSQ, aka (((Mariole)))))! Can this be true - TWO whole opportunities to see EW on TV? I think the Jay Leno show is still available here (must check forthwith) ...

Good Son: erm, I may have exaggerated a little, but I THINK Joseph Ruben was hinting at something of the sort when he said this back in about 1993/4:

Elijah has such a wonderful face and such a winning way about him. You look at him and you just like the kid. He's just really quick. Elijah can give you the same reading or different readings with a lot of facility. Mac may take a little more work, but he gets to a good place, too

Ahem, screencaps. Will have to get PowerDVD: am not getting good quality from the freebie software (or maybe it's just me). Nor can I display anything at present, so will have to attach first attempt. A question: does anyone know where that Frolijah screencap in the Woman article came from? (Thanks to all concerned for that :k ) Fro is wearing elven brooch and looking frazzled, so must be at end of FOTR or in TTT, but I can't find it for the life of me. (Trailer only?) So have had to extract it. Can't suggest a caption 'cos don't know where Fro is at that moment! But what a likeness ....

>>>>I recall telling someone that he "glows in the dark," and it's true. We all know this quote from The Two Towers:

"...Sam had noticed that at times a light seemed to be shining faintly within."
<<<<

Gandalf referred to this in the book in FotR in the first Rivendell scene. He thought there was a hint of transparency about Frodo, especially in the left arm. He mused about it, and thought that Frodo would not go toward evil, but would eventually become like a glass vial filled with light for those who could see. Reading that part this time makes me see the significance of Galadriel's gift, and why Frodo needed to go to the Grey Havens at the end. Light from within seemed to be an elven characteristic. I think it's possible that it represented, along with their telepathic capabilities, a serious vulnerability. If something is transparent to let light out, it will also probably let other stuff in. (Wow, cool! Are we going to talk about auras and chakras and Transactional Analysis?)(I *knew* we were all slipping back to the 70's!)

The elves, and Frodo after his quest, were too vulnerable to live in the world that way, especially the way it was changing.

Dad-gummit. Now I'm bawling again.

zkgrumpy (Hey, I saw the tear on the chin!)

Serena, not that I would have every image in TTT related to Frodo memorized yet, or that I would have gone entirely through all the appendices including the production photos still shots, but just guessing as someone who might have done this thing, I did not recognize the picture you attached as belonging to TTT at all, but speculated that it was an ROTK shot. This fact has just been confirmed by this (rather cute) article that also used it for an illustration:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/entertainmentstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=3536880&thesection=entertainment&thesubsection=film&thesecondsubsection=general

Of course, sometimes the captions can be rather artibrary :rolleyes: , but I believe that, coupled with my recent TTT EE wallowfest and coming up zip in recognition factor, we've got an early view of a heretofore uncapped Frodo face. Well done!

BTW the article is cute because the intensely frustrated reporter cannot share any opinions about how well he liked ROTK -- but his hints are a scream! It's probably pretty safe to read, as long as you stop at the part where he says he's going to summarize what parts of the book made it into the film (and begins a numbered list). Bail, bail, bail!

Book spoilers!
Aw, don't cry, Grumpy! You've a nice theory there on Frodo being unable to carry on in the Newest Age of Middle Earth. It's really not so sad that he ... has to ... *wibble * sniff * BWAH, Frodo!!!* breaks into tears...

There's a cute article about Tolkien's great-grandon Royd and his association with the film here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3536960&thesection=entertainment&thesubsection=film&reportid=56531

He says, about meeting Elijah and Sean: "I am completely flabbergasted by how amazing these guys are. They are big film stars now, Elijah's face is everywhere. You know how you imagine a Hollywood star to be? Pompous and arrogant? But he's just so nice, and that goes across the board, cast and crew."

*blissful sigh*

Mariole, ENSQ, signing off. ;)

:k to the Faculty! I've been enjoying the great posts but I nearly choked on my oatmeal (laughing) when I read:

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Mariole
"Debbieeeee, you want to move to LAAaaaaaa..." and so it came to pass.[QUOTE]

So here's my LOTR schedule for December:
Dec 3 EW on Tonight Show
Dec 5 see Fellowship EE in theatre
Dec 12 see TTT EE in theatre
Dec 13 EW on SNL
Dec 19 see Return of the KING!! (I got tickets just before I had to go out of town after fighting with crashing Fandango for 5 hours)

Dec 20-Jan 5 take two weeks off work to recover (and go to as many showings of RotK as possible)---it just happens to be our school's Winter Break but to me, it's my Return of the King break. Nah Nah Ni Nah Nah :) Oh, sorry, my mom taught me better than that.

:k

Wow -- all this kissing! :o I'm quite overwhelmed! ;)

You're welcome for the interview. I also have an interview from "Filter" magazine (a music mag), and not all of it is relevant for us here, so if I get a moment I will try to type up the interesting parts to post here. :cool:

I am sure you have probably all discussed this before, but I just wanted to add a couple of thoughts on the cast commentaries of the LOTR films. Both times I felt like I was actually watching the movie with friends:) That was how friendly everyone was while they were talking about the movie.

I was particularly impressed with EW both times. He is so sweet and soft-spoken. In the FOTR he was so good-natured when Billy and Dom were poking a little bit of fun at him. I know that Dom and Billy were just being their silly selves, but someone else might have got offended.

On the TTT commentary his ideas on war and it's meaning in the movie and in real life were so well spoken. I can tell he just has a real love in his heart for people and war really breaks his heart. Well that is all for now. I'd like to hear your thoughts ladies (are all of you ladies?) unless this has already been talked to death earlier in the thread.

Mrs. Baggins

Mrs Baggins, welcome! I completely agree with you. I love the audio commentary by Lij on FOTR and, although I have only heard about a quarter (a bit from both discs!) of the TTT one so far, his perception and intelligence just bowls me over.

He DOES seem so good-natured and takes all the mickey-taking in good part. He is such a gentle sweetheart.

He seems to talk a lot more on TTT which is so good. And OT, isn't Sean gabby on TTT! Heavens above, they can't shut him up!!! LOL :eek: :)

And again, this is slightly off-centre but I will say it before I forget yet again. Dom and Billy took teased Lij in the FOTR commentary about the fictictious game "tig" ... well we moved house six months ago to Somerset (the Shire ... it really is!!! I live in England LOL) and our 9 year old daughter actually plays "tig" with her friends ... it is an old-established game here apparently. No, I hadn't heard of it before!!! Only tag, of course!!! Having known for so long about the mythical tig-teasing of poor Lij I nearly died when I found out there really was such a game!!! LOL!!! :) :D :D

((((((Faculty))))))


I've hardly had time to catch up with all of the wonderful posts lately. And have only a moment to give a big general thank you for all of the thoughtful posts and updates and links :k :k

I'm hyperventilating!!! But I'm also supposed to be working!!! So compose myself, and off I go....

A BIG welcome to Wood and Mrs. Baggins!!! So glad you found your way here!!!!

… commentaries of the LOTR films. Both times I felt like I was actually watching the movie with friends
Couldn’t agree more, Mrs Baggins! And I too was more impressed by sweet Elwood than I can possibly say. Will expand on that in Another Post.

Meanwhile: I am NOT going to wish Elijah had dressed a bit more like Billy at the Wellington première (or even like himself in 2001 or early 2002 or in that – gulp – Angeleno spread at the Hugs Haven, Hobmom. :k. ). I don’t mind at all about the brown stripes and the tie and the goatee. I really don’t. Not a bit. No, honestly. It’s a lovely outfit. And he does have half an inch of hair. No, I’m really happy about it (sniff). Imagine (yesss!) if he’d worn his white Lennon suit !!!!! Oh, it’s all too much to bear …. Maybe he’ll have longer hair and a chin cleft in time for the Oscars. Maybe. There is still hope …. There is always hope ….

Originally posted by Mariole
"Debbieeeee, you want to move to LAAaaaaaa..."and so it came to pass.

:D And so it came to pass that The Somebody Up There, having successfully spirited Debbie and family to the wicked city of LAaaaaaa, forthwith forgot about them until ten years later, by which time Peter Jackson had all but cast Macauley Culkin as Frodo (all that hype about wanting an English actor was naught but the latest unsuccessful attempt to appease Christopher Tolkien) and the little avatar was being eaten alive by monsters and nubile maidens in some alien-ridden school in Austin, Texas. Realising there was no time to lose, The Somebody called Harry Knowles on his cell antennae and quoth “Harrrrrrry, hurrrrrrrry to Aaaaaaaaustin, get thee to yon Iowan lad and enjoin him to get himself a hobbit outfit and make a video pronto!” And so it was that Franley Kubrick (for thus was she baptisèd by The Hobbits) and her consort, King Jackskong himself, recognised the immortal soul of Frodo in the guise of this strange Iowan boy with the big eyes and the inner light and cast him into the fires of world celebrity. Or something.

OK, time for a change of topic. The screencaps I’ve been, ahem, attempting recently have shown me in detail just how miraculous Elijah’s microexpressions are – he seems to have ten expressions to any ordinary actor’s one, and he really can change them with naught but the slightest hint of a facial adjustment.

One day I'll learn how to do this properly. Meanwhile, this will have to do. Can't cope. Off to Mordor with Mark.

If it hasn't been mentioned yet--go to Hugs Haven and check out all the recent pictures posted. Especially the Angeleno spread Hobmom posted. WOW!!!!!!

And the beauties of Elijah from yesterday at the red carpet parade---he's lookin' good!!! :cool: :D

How do I attach a .jpg file so it will show up?

:::: whimper ::::

zkgrumpy

Hi guys!!!
Ijust have to eas the pain in my heart.Every where you read
about Lord of the rings they always talk about the brave Sam.i,
dont really minde but what about our dear Mr Frodo.he the one
who have to bear this evil thing he the one who have to
sacrrifies his sweat personallity why do they sound like his weak,
I think his very,very,very strong. What would have happend if he dident distroy the ring all depends on him I think thats make him
the BIG HERO to make that journey and saccrifies every thing.
And i think our beloved elijah dont get the kredit he diserve.Ithink
he is the moste talente god looking guy on planet those eyes of him just melt you.Sorry i got carryd away but i just love him!!!:confused: :confused: :confused: :k :k :k :k :k

Wood, I have been fearful of the very same thing over in the ROTK spoiler thread. You may want to visit there to air your worries.
ROTK Spoiler thread (http://www.khazaddum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1500&perpage=25&pagenumber=45)

Though you should be forewarned - there are spoilers there even in the text of the posts. If you don't want to know what happens, don't click that link.

Originally posted by zkgrumpy
How do I attach a .jpg file so it will show up?

You need to have the image posted somewhere on the internet so that it has a URL (Universal Resource Locator) address. There's a button at the top of your input screen that says 'IMG' - you click that and then enter the URL of the picture in the window that pops up. Then, when you post it, the picture pops up into your screen. Like this! http://www.frodosharem.org/Pics/saucyFro.jpg

You can also attach images to your posts if they are small enough, but they won't show up as pictures amid the text.

Ariel

Originally posted by Mrs Baggins
I am sure you have probably all discussed this before, but I just wanted to add a couple of thoughts on the cast commentaries of the LOTR films. Both times I felt like I was actually watching the movie with friends:) That was how friendly everyone was while they were talking about the movie.

I was particularly impressed with EW both times.


Ditto, ditto, ditto! My absolute favorite part is the Lembas discussion early on the first disc. Even though it's mostly the loquacious Sean talking, they paint a lovely picture of their time at the Powderhorn Lodge and it made me feel good that they had that at the end of the day after working so hard (and then the Lembas stuff is hilarious!).

I was very impressed by EW's professionalism and focus. I can't detect the "flinch" either when the explosion went off. (disc 3, Cameras in Middle Earth). How he seems to effortlessly keep the balance between humility and morale support for PJ and Sean etc. is beyond me. He also somehow manages to quietly demonstrate that there's an appropriate time for work and an appropriate time for humor.

wood-welcome! You're definitely among friends! I keep thinking (wishing) that the desire for a measure of secrecy about climactic Frodo scenes is part of what is keeping them quiet about Elijah in RotK. Also, New Line's recommendation for nomination of EW for Best Actor Oscar gives me hope.

For RotK Frodo book discussion, check out tgshaw's site for an excellent essay on some people "not getting” Frodo: http://www.frodolivesin.us/id109.htm

There’s also the Heart, Mind and Soul of Frodo thread here (book also): http://www.khazaddum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2181&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

Originally posted by serena
:D And so it came to pass that The Somebody Up There, having successfully spirited Debbie and family to the wicked city of LAaaaaaa, forthwith forgot about them until ten years later, by which time Peter Jackson had all but cast Macauley Culkin as Frodo (all that hype about wanting an English actor was naught but the latest unsuccessful attempt to appease Christopher Tolkien) and the little avatar was being eaten alive by monsters and nubile maidens in some alien-ridden school in Austin, Texas. Realising there was no time to lose, The Somebody called Harry Knowles on his cell antennae and quoth “Harrrrrrry, hurrrrrrrry to Aaaaaaaaustin, get thee to yon Iowan lad and enjoin him to get himself a hobbit outfit and make a video pronto!” And so it was that Franley Kubrick (for thus was she baptisèd by The Hobbits) and her consort, King Jackskong himself, recognised the immortal soul of Frodo in the guise of this strange Iowan boy with the big eyes and the inner light and cast him into the fires of world celebrity. Or something.


ROTFLMAO!

originally posted by wood:
I just have to eas the pain in my heart.Every where you read
about Lord of the rings they always talk about the brave Sam.i,
dont really minde but what about our dear Mr Frodo.he the one
who have to bear this evil thing he the one who have to
sacrrifies his sweat personallity why do they sound like his weak,
I think his very,very,very strong. What would have happend if he dident distroy the ring all depends on him I think thats make him
the BIG HERO to make that journey and saccrifies every thing.
And i think our beloved elijah dont get the kredit he diserve.Ithink
he is the moste talente god looking guy on planet those eyes of him just melt you.Sorry i got carryd away but i just love him!!!

((((wood)))), so do I. Absolutely feel the same way. Thank you for writing that! I think that everyone who reads or contributes to this thread must understand exactly what you mean. You are certainly among friends here :)

And it’s coming out only now through those commentaries and appendices (appendices seem to be an Elijah buzzword) that the actors’ journey was (contrary to earlier impressions) not so much that of the characters as the other way round: in TTT, as Brad Dourif points out, it’s script!Frodo who bitches and complains and moans and might have become really tiresome had it not been for Elijah’s inspired playing of him, and Sam who supports him – whereas in real life Elijah was the strong, resilient, supportive and cheerful one who seems to have kept both Sean and PJ going (OK, in real life it was Sean who was literally carrying the weight, and that must have worn him down badly). And with Elwood’s physical courage and athleticism (launching himself headfirst into shallow pools, allowing himself to be tied by one foot and flung around upside down, leaping on to rafts in midstream, sliding down vertical scree and cliffs, falling endlessly on to stony surfaces, swimming in icy lakes until he risked serious hypothermia and so on) he was the opposite of the wimp film!Frodo is sometimes accused of being. I hope there are not too many left who assume that, because EW is beautiful and plays film!Frodo, he is in some way weak. Or that Frodo in any guise is intrinsically anything other than uniquely courageous.

After all, courage presupposes fear; if you're not afraid, you don't need courage. If you're not weakened, you don't need resilience.

(((kuduk))), thank you for reminding us of TG's wonderful essay on the subject of Frodo.

Hey guys! Just got back from the Eid holidays. And during the fasting month before that I never quite got a hang on proper time management so that's why I never quite got to actually posting when I really wanted to post! But I was reading and doing my best to keep up with y'all. Can't go back and pick up on all those fascinating topics anymore - there's too much! ;) - so I'll settle for quickly thanking everyone in the Faculty for always coming up with the best topics to discuss, the most hilarious jokes, the greatest news 'bout our boy (he's being seriously mentioned as Oscar contendor! YES! :cool: ), the nicest pics (aww, the boy's growing up just fine, ain't he), the coolest comparisons in town (*grabs Mariole in a HUGE bear hug* -- and I knew you'd do me proud me with those Huck Finn grabs :D ), the loveliest gifs (:k Blossom); heck thank you all, just for being the Faculty. :)

Of course, huge WELCOME to Mrs. Baggins and wood, our two newest members, and belated welcome wishes to zkgrumpy and honeyelf. Hey there estella rose and Viola! And Prim too -- were you lucky enough to be anywhere near any one of the cast by any chance? ;) (((Ariel))) - well I say we do too want to have you around more: how does proper angst talk carry on when the Angst Maven isn't here with us? :) Also, WELCOME BACK MsNiphredil - but where've you gone to now? :confused:

(((tgshaw))) Hope you had a fine Thanksgiving. How's your mom's RotK anticipation level? :D

(((Sheryl))) Hope you're feeling better.

(((Bridget))) Who knows? Maybe someday it could happen: we'll have ourselves a fine Hobbit and Shawshank Day. With enai (((enaiowen))) and tgshaw too, of course. Wouldn't want tg to miss 'Shawshank Redemption'! :D

I'm missing DELUBY too. :(

Oh. And I don't have my TTT SEE DVD.

:waits:

Well? Where're the hugs? I'm bereft here! :p

What? I'm way off-topic? Okay, that's true. :o So here's my professional EW highlight from this part of the world: 'Radio Flyer' is coming on satellite tv again (I think this is like three years in a row that RF is getting airplay in December) only this time around, there's a nicely done trailer for it which ends with the announcer telling us that it stars Tom Hanks ... and Elijah Wood. :)

Then, back to shallow RotK-is-coming-it's-finally-coming!!!!! mode: I got the movie poster! I got the huge 100 cm x 70 cm poster. Free! Well, okay, it came as a package along with my LOTR marathon package. But look! I have THAT FRODO on THAT POSTER! It is soooo gonna have to be framed up. And that Aragorn feller doesn't look half bad either. :D

Quote from CHUD.com: "Return of the King is just two weeks away. Stay alive that long."

>>>>.....originally posted by wood:
I just have to eas the pain in my heart.<<<<

:::: uploading some Lembas way-bread and tea to ease wood's pain :) ::::

>>>>Every where you read
about Lord of the rings they always talk about the brave Sam.i,
dont really minde but what about our dear Mr Frodo.he the one
who have to bear this evil thing he the one who have to
sacrrifies his sweat personallity why do they sound like his weak,
I think his very,very,very strong. <<<<

Of course he is! So is Sam. Sam I am. Do you like green eggs and - er - um :)

It's a sign to me that a lot of people don't "get" either Frodo or Sam, or the pre-WWI English social class system. Frodo was gentry (so were Merry and Pippen but they were young and foolish :) ). He was *supposed* to be strong and brave. In WWI, he would have been an officer. Stories are made out of unusual things. Frodo being brave would make a very short story. :)

Sam was the sturdy faithful English country yoeman. His bravery was supposed to come from and be inspired by Frodo. His courage, and especially that he was the one to support Frodo when Frodo's strength failed and the Ring took over would have been considered so unusual in English society that Tolkien wrote a thousand-page book about it.

Sam loved Frodo so much that he was willing to give his life for him. I don't think it was a considered decision on Sam's part. He just did whatever task was in front of his nose. Frodo gets in a boat to go to Mordor alone? The task in front of Sam's nose is to not let him go alone.

Sam slowly became aware of the Ring's effect on Frodo, and that Frodo was not going to be able to complete the task by himself. Notice that after they left the Fellowship, Frodo didn't carry a pack. Sam carried it. It was simply the next thing in front of his nose: Frodo's losing strength and Sam can't stop that. He can, however, carry both packs.

>>>What would have happend if he dident distroy the ring all depends on him I think thats make him
the BIG HERO to make that journey and saccrifies every thing.<<<<

Another point of the story is that even the smallest and humblest person is capable of great courage. Have you read the book, wood? It would be worth your while and it's as good as the movies.

ROTK SPOILERS!!!!!!! (kindasorta)

I think another point of the book is that it's not necessarily the most obvious person who completes the task. The ring wouldn't have gotten as far as it did without Frodo. Frodo wouldn't have gotten as far as he did without Sam. Neither would have gotten as far as they did without Merry and Pippen being instrumental in destroying Saruman, or Aragorn, Theoden, Farimar, Eowyn and Merry doing their part to give Frodo a chance. And the ring would not have been destroyed at all without - er - hah. You have to see the movie. :)

The competition that people make up between Frodo's courage and Sam's is just silly to me. It's like the Beatles and the Dave Clark Five (Oy am I dating myself or what?).

So don't worry, wood - it's possible to love Frodo and Sam at the same time. They are both wonderful characters. The Ring destroyed Frodo, and nearly destroyed Sam. Sam wasn't wounded as badly, though, and he was rewarded for his bravery by a step up in the social order when he inherited Bag End. He followed Frodo to the Undying Lands many years later, as the last of the Ring-bearers.

Oh dag-nabbit. There I go again. :::: sniffle SNORCH bawl ::::

~grumpy

Please excuse this lurker for coming forth! I've tried to catch up with all the posts but it's pretty near impossible.....

Would someone re-post the link to the Oscar ad, please? In return I promise you a first-hand report from the January 10th trilogy showing here in New York. I understand the special presenters for the three films will be Messrs. Mortenson, Jackson, and WOOD--and I have a ticket!:D

Thank you.

*waves at Ainon*

WARNING: May contain non-specific ROTK spoiler rumors -



OK... this is all well and good, and I, naturally, have read the books too, but I share Wood's concerns.

In the book, ALL the characters have heroism. They all depend on one another and without any one of them, the quest would have failed. Each does his part and Tolkien's writing acknowledges the contributions of them all while never sacrificing one character's heroism for another. He treats all his characters with fairness and love - even the ones he torments.

My biggest beef with TTT (and I guess you could argue FOTR too) was that PJ deprived Frodo of his maturity, his wisdom and his will and left us with nothing but a cute junkie we could pity. Now, I know there are some who saw him as admirable in TTT and I am glad for those who did, but it was a lot HARDER to see it in PJ's film than it was in the book. Book Frodo had his own will even in TTT, and that, and providence, made him THE only one who could bear the ring as far as it had to be borne. I never saw that PJ's Frodo was in any way 'the best hobbit in the Shire' and at the end of the film, I was seriously surprised that Faramir didn't tell Sam to take the ring because his master was not to be trusted with it! Grrr.

Frodo's heroism is perhaps the most difficult for people to see, (see tg's essay) and for that reason PJ should have tried to make it clearer, NOT more obscure! BUT! instead, he has gone to great lengths to bolster Sam's contribution while diminishing Frodo’s - by writing out every 'error' Sam makes in the TTT other than his distrust of Gollum (which I suspect will be portrayed in such a way that it shows Sam was right about him all along), giving Frodo's lines of exposition to Sam, and, if the ROTK rumors are to be believed, inventing non-canon STUPID things for Frodo to do so that he looks even more pathetic. :mad:

I am not suggesting any contest of 'who's the hero' - the only correct answer is obviously ALL of them - but if the rumors are to be believed, PJ has had a contest, and Frodo lost it.

I will wait to see what I think of the film, but I am basing the above MOSTLY on TTT. I am not looking for Frodo to be the stand out hero, defeating all bad guys – he wasn’t that – but he did have a will and a dedication to do what he had to for the good of Middle earth. I wouldn’t even mind if his heroism is misunderstood by as large a proportion of film viewers as it has been by book readers, but I saw it in the text… I’d just like to make sure I can see it in the film.

Here's hoping I can eat this post in two weeks, but I had to get it out of my system. Please feel free to ignore.

((((((((((ainon))))))))))))) - hoping you won't regret that welcome.

And just to keep this EW based and not totally book - Elijah could have done a strong Frodo just as easily as he has done a drugged out one. I've seen him do strong and he's astonishing. Wouldn't it be a shame to only see his strength as a product of the ring's taking him over? :(

Ariel

I'm back! (well intermittently) -RL with a vengeance ++++


inbetween times watching the SE DVD of the TTT (too much work :mad: :eek: :eek: but still snuck in a few viewings :D :D :D )

I am still reluctant to compare EW in anyway to Sir Lawrence Olivier et al.(after all they had decades of acting experience more than elijah)... but the boy does do SOOOO well.. the more I view the SE of TTT the more I am impressed. His range of acting ability I have always thought of as good, but, maybe absence has made me concentrate more, and appreciate the range of acting skills.

overall the SE of TTT is better in that it fills out the gaps better, and makes more sense than the original theatrical version. The only bit I still am abivalent about is treebeard, and it is reassuring to see that even Rhys Jones is unsure whether it works (Empire mag, jan 04, with MAJOR review of ROTK)

I'm in Heaven bec there are three weekends with the Sunday times running extra features and posters for ROTK, and in HELL bec it comes out in the UK the night before I go to NZ and I am torn between going to the team christmas dinner and the premiere of ROTK...some days life is just not fair
:mad: :mad: :confused:


so what is a girl to do....???

(((facuylty)))))
and welcome to the new members
((ainon))


viola
(hoping for the air nz plane with the pics of LOTR painted on the side to pick her up from LA) :D :D

(((((Ariel))))) - my thoughts exactly. "But ne'er so well expressed."

I don't even feel like going to see ROTK at the moment.

(I'd better leave now).

(((((Faculty)))))

(((((((((((((((Niph))))))))))))))))))))

This may be an historic occasion... in a few weeks, I may be saying you were right all along.

:o

A rare if not unknown occurance.

:D

And hey, I hope you don't mind the angsting. I'm the angst maven, it's my job! :D

Ariel

Deleted my last post. Sorry, mariole. Will post it again at a later date, when less out of place with Ariel's simulpost and Niph's reply. Hmmm. I do hope you are wrong about ROTK, although (even as a book ignoramus) I reluctantly have to agree about TTT. I would so love to see Elijah finally given a chance to do strong in this movie. Keeping everything crossed.
serena

Well I wanted to just pop in and let everyone know that Elijah besides being on Leno tomorrow night and SNL on the 13th is now scheduled to be on , his and my favorite, Conan O'Brien on the 17th. Lotsa Lij, just the way I like it!






Slight ROTK Spoilers...




So then I noticed Ariel's and Niphy's posts and, I'm sure I've talked about this here and in other threads, that while I do feel PJ made movie Frodo a little bit wimpier in TTT and would have loved to see all his Hobbity pluck left intact, I can't say I am disappointed with Elijah's film Frodo. He has many scenes where he is clearly in charge and I don't see him as a drugged out zombie but as a gentle, peace-loving, bookish young aristocratic Hobbit suddenly forced to literally carry the weight of the world around his tender little neck. Then that weight tries to eat away his mind and heart and gain control over him.

But here's the thing..... the ring does not succeed in over-coming Frodo.. of course till Mt. Doom as per the book. Elijah's Frodo suffers mightily carrying the evil thing and it is poisoning him but he does fight it. When it get's the better of him he fights back and never repeats the same mistake again. He's trying his best to carry a burden that would have consumed anyone else within moments of handling it. He carries it for, in the film, six months before it weakens him enough to gain mastery. He takes it all the way to Mt. Doom, letting it nearly kill him.

Given the plot changes that we've seen and what we can expect in ROTK, I really think Elijah's Frodo does show clearly what an awful burden he carries while struggling desperately to hold onto the Frodo he once was. He's a younger version of book Frodo and more shocked by what he is dealing with but he IS dealing with it. He is going all the way to Mt. Doom with that rotten thing digging bloodily into his small neck. That's a hero. Even if he yells at Sam, or zones out when the ring is calling him, he succeeds in what is required of him.

And, of course, Elijah is dazzlingly brilliant.

Hey guys, please remember to stay on topic, i.e. talking about Elijah Wood and not PJ's interpretation of Frodo.:) There's plenty of room in the Trilogy forums for discussing Frodo in TTT and ROTK and, unless tgshaw the Faculty Dean disagrees;) , I think the recent discussion would be best continued there. Thanks.:)

Who was it suggesting that Elijah should remake "Harvey?" I can't remember. Doesn't he look particularly 'Elwoodian' in his retro striped suit? Is there an invisible bunny in this picture?:D

Link removed

I think he looks like he's been crying. Poor guy, imagine having to sit through a movie that's made you sob "that kind of sob where you can't breathe, you know?" over and over again, in public, no less! Hope somebody is there to hold his hand.

What's this movie gonna do to us?

Honey!

Hey honeyelf!:k Remember, BEI is a non-linkable site.:) If you find a picture there that you want to share with the Faculty, please try to find it somewhere else (Hobmom's site is always a good bet.:D ) Or you can register at an image hosting site and upload it there - http://photobucket.com/ seems to be a popular one these days.:)

Let me know if you have any questions!

(((((ainon)))))

What Hobmom said :)

I do think that it is possible that the whole Sam is the Hero thing in the films is as at least as much a matter of personal perception as it is in the books.
It is very easy to see-even with purely book canon characters- how the typical person would see it that way. after all



**SPOILERS**










Sam is the one who finally succeds in fighting off Shelob and rescues Frodo from the Tower. These things are far more immediately obvious and satisfying to many people. There is a very large portion of the population upon whom subtley is completely lost. Even if we had gotten Frodo's moment on Weathertop where he wielded his sword aginst the Wiki that was a loong time ago and an awful lot has happened in the meantime that goes against the usual idea of Hero. After all if memory serves even in the books the only other time Frodo actually uses his sword (aside from Moria which we did see in the films) is to subdue Gollum. He is never really involved in any major fighting. His struggle is as we all know primarily internal. It is an entirely different type of courage than exhibited by Aragorn or any other member of the Fellowship for that matter.


**END SPOILERS**


Of course as anyone who has ever read one of my posts will know, all I needed to be convinced of his courage and Heroism was for him to volunteer to take the Ring after the horror he had just faced on Weathertop :o ;) :)

I can certainly see and understand the point of view of Ariel and others because in many ways they are entirely correct-it just doesn't bother me the way it does others I guess. My hope for all of us is to walk out of that theater in a couple of weeks knowing that we have just been priveleged to participate in a once in a lifetime experience. I hope we all cry at least once (for all the right reasons of course :o ) I hope we all realize and appreciate the fact that it will probably be a very long time before anything else comes along that can move so many people in such a profound way and inspire so many conflicting emotions.

But most of all.......I hope that it's as good as all the early reveiws say it is :p


Marty did go on to say that if a person couldn't understand and appreciate Frodo in Tolkien's text they likely wouldn't in the film either but that the opposite was almost certainly true. In other words those of us who know and love him will be able to recognize his courage and sacrifice-those that don't probably never will. I was comforted by that.


And just to keep it all in perspective

www.cedmagic.com/featured/tolkien/return-of-the-king.html

Scroll down for the good stuff

:D

Enai

edited to say:
Not ignoring you Bridget I cross posted and um....

I can't believe how many movies I saw Elijah in before LotR and never realized it until I came here. He has been in some of my favorite movies. It's nice to see him continue that trend.

There, back on topic. whew.
Headed over to the trilogy thread now. :)

(((Flourish))) You've been lurking in those shadows for way too long! :D

You want this? For Your Consideration Oscar ad (http://img-nex.theonering.net/images/scrapbook/orig/10406_orig.jpg)

;)

Oh. Okay. I guess you mean this one, then.

That other Oscar ad (http://img-nex.theonering.net/images/scrapbook/orig/9867_orig.jpg)

:)


((((Ariel)))) -- hey, got you posting. :D I haven't been reading what other people think of RotK, and will be ignoring what most people think of RotK (and Frodo) till 17/12/03 when I go for the Starbucks RotK premiere. :) Ignorance keeps me happy. :p :D

just a brief (not too off-topic) add-on to what Enai said: I was with a few friends yesterday, gawking magnificently at that amazing 100 cm x 70 cm movie poster, and when it came to heroic talk, none of them made any mention of Frodo at all. Nor did they comment on Elijah's glorious Feisty pose. They talked about Eowyn, and they talked about Sam. And they'd read the books. :shrug: Some people just don't register Frodo - sure he's there, he's the Ring-bearer, so? - and they simply take Elijah's performance for granted. I guess it just don't bother me anymore that some people will just never see that bright shining light of ultimate heroism.


Enai ... that link of yours! :eek: :eek: What are you trying to do? Scare us all?! :D

Oh, and for those who haven't read the book yet, that link has Spoilers for RotK :)


(((Viola))) Man, tough choices to be made there. I wish you strength. ;) And I hope you get the Frodo plane!

Originally posted by ainon:
Oh. And I don't have my TTT SEE DVD.
______________________________________

It's great that you're back with us, ainon.:) Poor you - no TTT SEE DVD.:( To help relieve the angst a little - oh, I almost forgot, you thrive on angst - but I'm sending hugs anyway in the form of a couple of Hooded Fro gifs from said DVD:

TTHoodedFro1 (http://www.imagemagician.com/images/blossom/TTHoodedFro1.gif)

TTHoodedFro2 (http://www.imagemagician.com/images/blossom/TTHoodedFro2.gif)

Has anyone ever looked this good in a hood?

Originally quoted by Viola:
I am still reluctant to compare EW in anyway to Sir Lawrence Olivier et al.(after all they had decades of acting experience more than elijah)... but the boy does do SOOOO well.. the more I view the SE of TTT the more I am impressed.
________________________________________

I SO agree with you, Viola.

Originally posted by Viola:
I am torn between going to the team christmas dinner and the premiere of ROTK...some days life is just not fair

so what is a girl to do....???
_________________________________________

Re-schedule the Christmas dinner, of course! Or you could go hungry, Viola - just for the one night... I mean - it IS ROTK!:)

Ariel, I REALLY hope ROTK redeems FilmFro for you!

Originally posted by serena:
....in real life Elijah was the strong, resilient, supportive and cheerful one who seems to have kept both Sean and PJ going...
_________________________________________

Oh yes, serena. As Sir Ian Holm said of Elijah: 'That glorious, good-natured personality!' Christopher Lee talks about his '... gentleness and sincerity...'

Welcome Mrs Baggins. I also was impressed with Elijah in the commentaries. Elijah, Sean and Andy did hit on some very serious topics at times - the 'suicide Orc' at Helm's Deep, for instance. Elijah also admitted to being offended when someone described TTT as a pro-war film. He really is an exceptional young man, capable of exhibiting extreme silliness - have you all heard Half-fling? - but he is also often deeply focused, serious and intense - not to mention intelligent, articulate and talented - Oh, and rather good-looking too!

I'm really looking forward to seeing Elijah on Jay Leno's show. We have to wait until Thursday night for that here in the UK. I'm also hoping we'll be able to see Elijah on Saturday Night Live. I wasn't sure if that aired at all over here, but I searched through our satellite TV menu last night and found the show listed on the Paramount 2 channel. It's seems like it's on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights around 11.30pm. There are no details available yet for the 13th or beyond that date, so I have no idea how far behind we are. I'll just have to keep checking.

Sheryl - hope you're all feeling better.

ainon, just saw your post. How Elijah/Frodo so often gets ignored I cannot comprehend. He simply IS the heart of these films for me. But then everyone is different/has their own opinion. Oh well!

Bye.

Bridget, I'm so sorry! I forgot again! :o :rolleyes: It's just they have the widest variety of pictures "over there," and - honestly - that's all I ever go there for. Can't link to Always and Forever, even though they have great piccies too. Anyhow, I'm not doing it to irritate or anything. It's just force of hobbit, er, I mean habit because the other board I hang on doesn't make an issue of it. So, I'm very, very sorry, and I shall try not to do it again! :k

Honey!

(slinking off to find a different Elwood/Elwood piccy somewhere less objectionable.)

So the fact that Casey Conner in the body of the Iowen boy, and Saved the Earth from an Alien wasn't Frodo(shadowing) Saving the Earth (Middle Earth) from an Alien (the Ring)?

How funny! :D

Had to delurk here to say- BLOSSOM! Those are the most amazing gifs. I could watch them over and over.
And not only because he looks soooo good. :p

I cant get over how so many emotions pass over Elijah's face in Gif. 1.
And how his whole face changes when he senses Gollum. Its something in the way his eyes change that makes me repeat that well worn phrase, " How on earth does he do that????"
I mean how can someone change how their eyes look!!!

He is such a subtle actor. I'm sure thats why so many people dont appreciate his Frodo. His brilliance is to his own detriment sometimes. :(

And he looks so worn down and exhausted in gif.2.
We are so lucky to have the opportunity to watch this young man live the unfolding role of Frodo before our very eyes.

another amazing thing is to watch "the Bumblebee Flies Anyway" and he smiles at rozzie and says "You like Me." and his eyes light up with warmth, but only for a minute. then you see the hard head beneath.

Thank you Ainon!:D

>>>>>Hey guys, please remember to stay on topic, i.e. talking about Elijah Wood and not PJ's interpretation of Frodo. There's plenty of room in the Trilogy forums for discussing Frodo in TTT and ROTK and, unless tgshaw the Faculty Dean disagrees , I think the recent discussion would be best continued there. Thanks.<<<<<

:::: pushing and shoving Peter Jackson out the door and slamming it on his bare foot that he tries to stick in the door to keep it from closing and ignoring his howls of pain :::: <g>

OK - will do. :) But no matter what the guy who's foot I just stomped on planned for Frodo, without Elijah, it would have been entirely different. Honestly, I can't imagine anyone else as Frodo.

I read furiously last night and got up to the Mines of Moria, so that I can work on some stuff about Elijah's performance of Frodo as opposed to how he could have done it. That's for later, though.

Waaaaaay back on the first page of this forum, there's a reference to comparing the look of LotR (especially Elijah) with medieval religous art. I think that nails it. Of everyone in the movies, except possibly Viggo M. and Bernard Hill, Elijah has the closest to a classically beautiful face. I think that the guy I just pushed out the door saw that immediately and emphasized it wherever possible. I've no idea whether Elijah has any idea of how saintly :::: giggle :::: he can look when he wants.

I spent a lot of time going through on-line museums, and found a lot of paintings that either look a lot like Elijah in various incarnations, or have the same expressions. The expressions tend to be limited in those paintings - piety seems to have few faces. (Though, I did see one Madonna that had Galadriel's expression when she told Frodo that she saw what he did)

There is one especially powerful scene where Frodo turns to meet the Nazgul on the Fell Beast. That's the expression that I mean. Upward gaze, random curls (did I mention that I loved EW's hair in Ash Wednesday?), and of course the dreadful combination of purity and innocence with the dreadful thing that Frodo was about to do.

Here goes - a few finds. Plus I found one of Hobbits. I looked back on previous pages and didn't see anything - I hope I'm not repeating anything. :)

::: deep breath ::::

Dang I feel silly.

http://www.geocities.com/zkgrumpy2003/Lotr_image.jpg

~grumpyandwannabehomereading!!!!

(OK...I'm confused. Was that pic removed, does it not work anymore, or is it just my 'puter? :::: rubbing eyes ::::)(I really am trying to stay on-topic. Honestly)

*Giggle*

Saintly lij....

Well, he's such a good actor, he can pull it off.... I know some of you have seen this, but it is what I thought of when I read that.

http://www.angelfire.com/celeb2/elijahw/LijMag5crop.jpg

Ariel

((((ariel))))

In danger of swooning, so prefer to giggle. Just a tiny hint of irony in all those rings, perhaps? :D

Just came back from talk by Professor Noam Chomsky beamed live to my workplace from MIT. One of my great heroes. And guess what he was wearing? A CTJ. A perfect replica of the EW version, curled-up collar an' all. (Well, maybe a shade lighter.) Just thought I'd share that with you. :)

Originally posted by quicksilver

He is such a subtle actor. I'm sure that's why so many people don't appreciate his Frodo. His brilliance is to his own detriment sometimes. :(

Yes, quicksilver, I agree. He becomes Frodo to such an extent that he makes it look easy. More than that--it is Frodo up there on the screen, not an actor playing Frodo. Maybe the professional film critics, who haven't weighed in yet, will recognize and comment upon his brilliance.

My cautious optimism about ROTK is getting a bit battered by the (amateurs') reviews that don't even mention Elijah's performance:rolleyes: and the way PJ and crew seem to be taking liberties with the Frodo-Sam-Gollum triangle.:mad: But I hold on to one thing: when we have all seen ROTK, we can come to the Faculty lounge and discuss Elwood's performance to our hearts' content.

And that is an encouraging thought!:) :) :)

Whew! Between being out-of-town and a crazy work schedule, I think this is the longest I've ever gone without posting here! I've already said a quick "Hi" to wood over in the Trilogy forum, but I'll give a Welcome to wood and Mrs Baggins here. And a wave to quicksilver, enai, Ariel, Niph, Flourish (and anyone I missed...) who've delurked--hoping you stay that way :) .

{{{Viola}}} {{{Sheryl}}}

-------

Honey--another option for that pic you found is to save it to your own hard drive, then add it to a post as an Attachment. It won't show up in the thread, but will give us an icon to click on to see it or download it. [Ulterior motive: I really want to see that Elwood-as-Elwood pic!]

Speaking of striped suits--Maybe I missed it, but in my catch-up reading I haven't noticed any mention of the Dec. 1 People magazine. It's their regularly-published "Sexiest Man Alive" issue; last time they picked Ben Afflack [sp?] and this time it's Johnny Depp... so their taste is improving.

But, of course, there's only one reason I flip through things like that while I'm standing in line at the store, and, guess what, he's in there! Well, okay, yeah, he's in a spread titled [this needs a pre-emptive :rolleyes: -- ready?] "The Short List" [repeat :rolleyes: ]. The blurb in the table of contents says "They're all 5'8" and under, but tall on talent," making it the only one of the numerous lists where I noticed "talent" being a qualification, so that's good at least. They have the ten guys on the list lined up by height across two pages (very obviously separately-taken photos spliced together). A sit-com actor whose name escapes me is first at 5'3", then Prince at 5'4", Elijah next at 5'5", on up to Antonio Banderas and Tobey Maguire both at 5'8".

I found the picture over Thanksgiving weekend, and when I got back to the boards and started reading about a brown, striped suit, I thought maybe the talk was about the one Elijah's wearing in People, but it isn't. The one in the magazine has very obvious stripes of white and brown (or possibly maroon?), and a double stripe of gold down the side of the leg. With it he's wearing a white shirt and a solid maroon tie. It looks okay--interesting with just an edge of strangeness (very elwoodian). He's holding something that might be a camera, so I wonder if the pic might have been taken at a con/fan event? From his expression and posture, I'd guess he's not posing but does know his photo's being taken.

Originally posted by shadowcatshadow
So the fact that Casey Conner in the body of the Iowen boy, and Saved the Earth from an Alien wasn't Frodo(shadowing) Saving the Earth (Middle Earth) from an Alien (the Ring)?
Hmmm... well... harumph [assuming professorial mode :p ]. No, in the strict, scientific definition of a Froshadowing, that isn't one. Technically, a Froshadowing is made up of a pic of Frolijah and a pic of a pre-LotR EJW character that look similar. The situations the characters are in don't have to be related at all (although Mariole's brilliant captions always seem to find a way--LOL!). There are technically-defined Froshadowings in The Faculty (in fact, one's sitting in my December website updates waiting for me to get some other things ready to publish), but they're screencaps, not concepts.

This does bring up the question, though, of what to call the phenomenon scs brings up--i.e., when another of Elwood's characters is in a situation or role similar to Frodo's. May I suggest "Frodotype"? I like it not just because it kinda sounds like "prototype" but also because it uses the definition of a "type" as a person who prefigures someone who comes after them (e.g., in his role as lawgiver, Moses is a type of Christ). In The Faculty, Casey in his role of saver of the world would be a type of Frodo--i.e., a Frodotype. IMHO, this same word could be used retroactively, e.g., in Spy Kids 3D, The Guy in his role as saver of the... oops! :D .

Of course, this is all tongue-in-cheek, but it might be useful to have a term handy.

---------------

While reading all the insightful posts on Frodo [{{{Faculty}}}], I was wondering whether it would be better to move the discussion to the Trilogy forum or The Green Dragon. But scs took the initiative (thanks :) ) and re-opened Hobmom's "The Heart, Mind and Soul of Frodo" [maybe not in that order] thread in The Green Dragon. So any comparisons of book & movie versions of Frodo (or JRRT & PJ versions), or other Frodo-related questions and comments can be posted there:
http://www.khazaddum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=179925#post179925

Originally quoted by Goldenberry:
My cautious optimism about ROTK is getting a bit battered by the (amateurs') reviews that don't even mention Elijah's performance and the way PJ and crew seem to be taking liberties with the Frodo-Sam-Gollum triangle. But I hold on to one thing: when we have all seen ROTK, we can come to the Faculty lounge and discuss Elwood's performance to our hearts' content.
________________________________________

That certainly IS an encouraging thought, Goldie.
Of course it's early days, and I haven't seen a detailed review yet, but the few bits and pieces I have seen have not mentioned Elijah's performance. One raved on about Andy Serkis's Gollum and another was singing Sam's/Sean Astin's praises. Fair enough - they're both wonderful, as are the rest of the cast - but I cannot understand why Elijah should be completely ignored! Lets hope the situation is rectified in the next couple of weeks or so.

I think you're probably right, Quicksilver, when you say Elijah's subtlety as an actor may be to his detriment. But that's what I love about making gifs - being able to loop the sequence to watch over and over, and study that subtlety, those 'microexpressions,' in detail. Elijah's portrayal of Frodo moves me in a way no other actor has done before. Nothing any film-critic or anyone else says will change that.:) Thank heaven for The Faculty!

Btw, Quicksilver, I see your location is Caerphilly. I often admire your lovely castle as hubby and I - and our Jack Russell Terrier, Holly, of course - are whizzing along the M4 on the way to/from Haverfordwest, Swansea, or wherever else in South Wales his work takes us. I think it's one of the most beautiful castles in the UK. I'll wave next time I pass by.:)

OK, here's that elwood/Elwood shot again.

Holding my breath for Leno tonight. Can't stand Jay, (is any talk show host ruder? Oh, never mind. Don't answer that.) But I hear his guest tonight is really something!

Honey!

EDITED

((((Rikka))))


:k

Thank you for that bit of perspective. I was starting to bite my nails...as if I haven't been already, but was beginning to be from worry!! I'd rather follow your directions and be optimistic, since what's done is done and there ain't any going back...

He's going to be great and everyone will know it. The NZ press can't talk about it for another week...but I'm sure they are all just dying to tell us how wonderful and sad and beautiful our hobbit is. Right??? Right??? Right???

Optimism. keep it going...

(alyon examines her fingertips and starts biting again--but purely for aesthetic reasons to get them even ;) )

Thanks for the updates, dear Faculty! Welcome back, tg!

I have a request. Would everyone please mark any review quotes with SPOILERS? I am seriously trying to avoid all reviews (which too often contain movie spoilers no matter how cagey they try to be) because (1) I rarely agree with what any reviewer is saying, and I want to have my own first impressions, thank you! and (2) I don't want to know what happens in the movie. Yes, I know the books by heart. But PJ has changed things and I really really really don't want to hear anything about it -- whether someone loved it or hated it or didn't even notice. Please do feel free to discuss reviews if you need to, but please *begging* mark these passages as SPOILERS. Thanks! :k

Here are some random funny quotes from the Wellington premiere:


Elijah Wood: "Oh my god! I think there are 100,000 people here today, which is extraordinary. I don't think I will be at a premier again that's anything like this. I expected it to be massive but I don't think anything could prepare you for something like this."

Jackson introduced the cast "who feel in love with this city – the bars, the cafes and the women" on a stage in Courtenay Place. "And the men!" he was corrected by Sir Ian McKellen who plays Gandalf.
The Daily Telegraph

"It's more intoxicating than the ring of power," says Andy Serkis, who voiced the computer-generated character Gollum in the movie. People are holding a sign saying 'Gollum is a sex god'.

Jackson said he's already learning to live with the fact that he may never top the achievement of Lord of the Rings. The three were "probably the best films I'm ever going to make. It's all down hill from here," he added, laughing.
The Associated Press

According to a funny Filter article on A&F, Elijah says that ESOTSM is "an example of the kind of movies I want to be part of more." Very interesting! It's a cute article where Elijah and the musician are interviewing each other, so you might want to pop over there for a look.

from quicksilver
We are so lucky to have the opportunity to watch this young man live the unfolding role of Frodo before our very eyes.
Amen to that. I'm loving every minute of this ride -- although with the reviews and spoilers coming out, I might have to bail on these message boards for a while. :( I want to walk into the theatre not quite sure how it's going to unfold -- but knowing that I'm in for an amazing ride and in very capable hands. :)

Originally posted by Mariole
According to a funny Filter article on A&F, Elijah says that ESOTSM is "an example of the kind of movies I want to be part of more." Very interesting! It's a cute article where Elijah and the musician are interviewing each other, so you might want to pop over there for a look.

Hee! Those are my scans -- though they didn't bother to credit me. :rolleyes: What can you do? Anyway, I've been meaning to quote some of it here, but maybe it's just easier to point people to the scans over there.

Here they are. (http://always.ejwsites.net/magazines.html)

And watch out -- those scans from Angeleno magazine are right there when the page opens. That'll take your breath away, for sure. ;)

Ariel - Just want to thank you for your 2 December post (carried on at the Trilogy thread, I know). It describes my impressions and opinions exactly. Like Niph, I'm not of a mind to see this thing of PJ's...

Also, that pic of ring-bound praying Lij is gorgeous. Anyone know its origins?

Hello, dear colleagues. Sorry I've been a bit scarce--just waiting for the semester to end, and Return of the King to begin. But I had to pop in to respond to tg:

I found the picture over Thanksgiving weekend, and when I got back to the boards and started reading about a brown, striped suit, I thought maybe the talk was about the one Elijah's wearing in People, but it isn't. The one in the magazine has very obvious stripes of white and brown (or possibly maroon?), and a double stripe of gold down the side of the leg. With it he's wearing a white shirt and a solid maroon tie. It looks okay--interesting with just an edge of strangeness (very elwoodian). He's holding something that might be a camera, so I wonder if the pic might have been taken at a con/fan event? From his expression and posture, I'd guess he's not posing but does know his photo's being taken.



I saw the same People magazine, tg, drawn in by the very intriguing cover ( a closet poppet, am I). That photo is from last year's TTT premiere in LA, I think. And the suit, if I am not misremembering the data from so long ago, is Hugo Boss. But please don't conclude that I have made a careful study of the elwoodian wardrobe or anything....:rolleyes:

I am totally wallowing in the PR for Return. Filter, Premiere, Newsweek, Variety, and now those pix from Angelino!!! My, my, my.

:)

I wish someone would tell me...

1. Why is it that when 22-year-olds get in front of people they invariably talk about bodily functions and practical jokes involving same?
2. Do people really watch those shows?
3. why the heck did I stay up for *that*?

Well, he did look cute, even if I hated the green shirt. So does he have aunts who give him shirts like Adrian Paul does? :::: ducking :::: And he does have a really great laugh.

Did anyone else notice that he kept yawning during Jennifer Tilly's - er - discussion?

~grumpierthanusual

Well apart from the very old stories of the fake poo and the fountain incident I quite enjoyed Elijah on the Leno Show.

He was yawning because he has just gotten back from NZ within the last 24 hours and he must be a little tired. He said the flight took twelve hours.

What I thought was amusing was where his eyes became rivited when Ms. Tilly came out in that very low-cut dress. He didn't seem to be paying any attention to what she was saying as he was a little distracted.

Otherwise, he seems so much more mature and he looks a little taller and definitely more poised and elegant than ever.

He's growing up so nicely!

It seemed very obvious to me that those were 'pre-planned' stories - that he had agreed ahead of time to tell them. What I can't figure out is why. :rolleyes:

I did like that he felt the need to explain exactly HOW they made the fake poo - that's exactly what I do, go into FAR more detail than anyone wants to know. The Compleat Explainer. :D It's nice to know I share something with him.

Unfortunately, in typical Leno fashion, they managed to minimize the references to RotK itself, and denied us the chance to hear some real discussion and reflection on the final movie. We will obviously have to wait for talk shows later in the month to get THAT. (I had to wonder if this was intentional - that Elijah really CAN'T talk in any detail about it this far ahead of time, when even the critics have an embargo on releasing their views until the 8th.)

Jennifer Tilley was on something. Don't think she was just high on life. :rolleyes:

from Narya Celebrian
It seemed very obvious to me that those were 'pre-planned' stories - that he had agreed ahead of time to tell them. What I can't figure out is why.
Me either. Regretting along with Grumpy staying up. I forgot how much I hate talk shows, then I see one and ... :rolleyes:

You do have the most interesting speculations, Narya. Perhaps they deliberately steered away from the movie, but why not talk more about the premieres? The fans? ANYTHING ELSE!!!

Actually, I started rolling my eyes right when Jay opened with, "So, you're no longer living with your Mom." :rolleyes: I had an evil thought -- perhaps Elwood is telling these horrible already told-twice stories as a form of revenge. "Okay, Jay, you treat me condescendingly year after year -- put THIS on the airwaves! *Hah hahahhahaaaa*"

Just a thought.

Did anyone else think he had a bit of a cough? His laugh seemed overly throaty to me. I wonder if the killer pace he set for himself is starting to catch up. And what about the LA premiere -- did that happen already?

BB, thank you for those Filter scans. I can't seem to find many of these mags in my neighborhood yet; I'm hoping they're just delayed distribution.

Off Topic: Ever notice how ELijah and Tobey Maguire react when Jay Leno tries to put either one of them on the spot? I love how they both handle him subtly withought getting too defensive or emotional. I wish I was that cool under pressure from Very Rude Questions (remember when Arsenio Hall used to ask, "How do you deal with that?" as a response to ANY question or commet said by the guest on his show?) Don't you wish?

On Topic: (about earlier post) a picture of a bird and then Elijah, remeinded me of the Artful Dodger. Didn't Elijah make him look like his name suggests? Jack Dawkins, the Hawk? Plus he mad you feel more sympathetic towards him, but still a pretty dangerous criminal.

Sorry, Mariole, I had no idea my post could sound spoilerish for you. :( Well, I don't know how to do this "spoilers marking", so I will simply cut the text... I'm very sooorry, really... I had no intention to make any harm.

Re the Tonight Show, I'm willing to put a lot of things down to that trip from NZ--old pre-planned stories, yawning, a bit of a nervous edge. You can even get a cough from breathing internal plane air for a long time (gee, how many movie stars have fans who worry about their health when they get a cough :p ?) And I totally expected the "living with Mom" thing to come up, since Jay's ragged him about it for the last two years. I was just glad he got it out of the way early :rolleyes: . (Now maybe Sean A. won't have to do a follow-up interview pointing out that it was really Mom living with Elijah.)

In line with what scs said, I noticed one great "deflection" of a question. When Jay asked Elijah if he'd had trouble renting an apartment because he looked so young, EW immediately turned it into a discussion of having trouble renting an apartment because he's an actor :cool: . Very smooth, eh? And I loved that he said "we're actors", putting Hannah in the same category as himself.

We did learn there were 125,000 people at that premier, when in the quote Mariole posted earlier EW seemed to think 100,000 might be an exaggeration :) .

peaceweaver, thanks for recognizing the suit--I couldn't remember ever seeing it before. -- And thanks for the "elwoodian Elwood" pic, Honey. I think that the very fact a fun, interesting movie character named "Elwood" exists is proof that Elijah should do a remake. I can totally see him in that role -- perfect for his comedy style! And I still think it would be a hilarious "inside joke" for EJW fans if Bruce Willis would do the voice for Harvey :D (who, these days, would undoubtedly be CGI). Harvey's a classic, but it does need to be updated ;) .

Rikka, please don't feel bad! :k
I am trying to avoid specific plot spoilers too, but not general opinions on the film. Therefore I did read Elanor's review of ROTK over at TORN, that you quoted from, because it was marked as non-spoilery.

Now, how anyone can think that..... Spoilery comment on supposedly non-spoilery review follows here:
*
*
*
.... a casual remark about naked!Frodo in CU is non-spoilery, is beyond me. But now that it's been read, it's difficult to unread it! :rolleyes:
*
*
*
End spoilery comment

And if you push the "Quote" button on this post, you'll see how I do the spoiler warning and hiding thing, so that it can be copied. I think this functions well enough. :)


This Leno show doesn't air over here, but from the snippets I'm reading I clearly didn't miss much? (She said, ferverently hoping this to be totally true....)


Oh, I finally got hold of the Extended TTT. I *love* a couple of the new F&S scenes totally to pieces. The way Frodo looks in that new Osgiliath Sewer scene as he says "Thank you" to Faramir..... such a multi-layered expression on the beautiful face! He looks grateful, weary, very moved by Faramir's action and probable self-sacrifice, mentally back in control now although exhausted after the Nazgul incident, radiating some subtle kind of inner calm, I think...... and above all, swoonworthy beyond words.

Screencaps? Gifs? [ Insert majorly begging smiley here]

Maeglian,
Thanks for consolations! :k And for help, too... I'll try to learn how to do it. For an old lady who learned what internet forums are only in 2002, all these strange signs could be a bit complicated sometimes. :) I don't feel easy with all this PC and Inet things...

Originally posted by Maeglian
Now, how anyone can think that.... a casual remark about.... [ ] is non-spoilery, is beyond me. ]

I suppose because this is an completely canon detail which is known to everyone who read the book... Because of it I also didn't take it as a spoiler, just thought - OK, this is right to the book...

Originally posted by Maeglian
Oh, I finally got hold of the Extended TTT. I *love* a couple of the new F&S scenes totally to pieces. The way Frodo looks in that new Osgiliath Sewer scene as he says "Thank you" to Faramir.....


I agree, this is a beatiful and touching moment... And may be for the first time I wasn't too much upset that EW has so few lines in his role... Those two: "I must" and then - "Thank you" he'd done so deeply and richly, that (for me) these lines have contained the eessence of Frodo's long talks with Faramir in the novel.

(((Rikka))) Please don't let me scare you off with my spoil-sport remarks! I'm trying to remain as "pure" as possible, and now that people are letting out their thoughts about the movie (and have actually seen it), and since many of them don't seem to know what constitutes a spoiler (or what I would consider a spoiler, which is certainly not their fault :p), I just have to be very careful.

You can use the Quote trick that Maeglian was kind enough to describe, but I don't even need anything that fancy. Just a line "Possible SPOILERS" and some extra space above and below your comment will do it. That way I can see the remark, and just skip ahead to the end of it (as I just did for Maeglian's quoted spoiler ;)). Yes, whoever that article poster was at TORn was certainly clueless about what constituted a spoiler. :rolleyes: Basically, anything that describes a specific event or plot turn is a spoiler. Some people on this thread have deliberately not even read the books so they can come at the viewing fresh, so any discussion of ROTK scenes would give something away. So, just for a few weeks, we'll all have to be careful to mark our ROTK comments, whether they are book or movie related.

Maeglian dear, you are actually grateful that you missed the Leno interview. You really are. I wish that I had missed it. I'm willing to grant all of Tg's conditions -- lots of travel with little sleep, exhaustion, fighting a cold -- but I'm sure that if the purpose of the interview was to generate interest in him or the movie, I think it backfired. I think a lot of people will be going, "Gak, I hope Orlando Bloom is better than this!" Which makes me sad, because I know he can be an intelligent and mature-sounding interviewer, but he seemed (I'll say, "younger") in last night's interview than he did in some interviews when he was 12. I'm willing to blame it on his cold medicine and move on. I hope I can tape the Primetime special tonight on making ROTK -- I so rarely watch TV that I don't even know what channels I get. But that should be fun.

Maeg, I'd love to post some screencaps, but work is too busy at the moment. Perhaps Hobmom has some up on her site?

Oh, and Hobmom, FWIW, I thought he looked taller, too. This is very odd, as everyone in the world has just agreed that he's actually shorter than we've been told (5'5 vs 5'6). Making Jay Leno is shrinking (heightwise, anyway!). And Meryl Marie has a cute "Top 10" list about the Leno interview over in Hugs, FWIW. :)

Thank the gods we will never have to watch Lij on Leno again, at least not for the LOTR films. It isn't Elwood's best setting. And Leno is too full of himself to put his guests at ease. The only talk show I have ever enjoyed watching EJW on, is Jon Stewart's Daily Show.

I'd like to see Elwood on The View. Four women fussing and cooing over him.....:D :D :D

The ROTK clip they showed on Leno thrilled me. Partly because it showed Frodo speaking a line to Sam that has had some "premature speculators" howling with rage because it's not book-canon, not something Frodo would ever say to Sam, etc etc. The line itself comes out as soft, innocuous, appropriate for the situation, and very, very Frodo. That made me happy, and more eager than ever to see the film. Less than two weeks now!:cool:

Originally posted by Mariole
So, just for a few weeks, we'll all have to be careful to mark our ROTK comments, whether they are book or movie related.


OK, OK, Mariole I agree...

Oh, for all of you the long waiting will be over in 2 weeks...
But I have to wait late January 2004 when ROTK starts in Russia... For example this poor Matrix Revilution we were able to see in the same day with all other countries... But with LOTR... we are again behind all the planet!!! (may exapt China and Japan&) :mad: Why Tolkien lovers in my country have to suffer year by year... Long, endless weeks to wait... :( And even when late January comes, I will have to make a very hard choice: to watch ROTK in a good modern theater with big screen and good Dolby, but with terriblle russian dubbing (they killed a lot of roles in FOTR and TTT already by bad dubbing. And both times Frodo was in this sad list). Or - to wait some extra days when ROTK starts in one of two Moscow theatres where they show movies with original sound. But both of there theatres are very small, with small screens and bad old sound systems... Alas! :(

Well, I think my love to spoilers helps me to wait.

Rikka, how awful that Russia is getting the film that late! :( I *really* feel for you and all other Russian fans (including Ellin over in the Harem). Having gone near-insane while waiting for the SEE TTT I don't know what I'd do if I had to wait equally long for RotK.
Those two: "I must" and then - "Thank you" he'd done so deeply and richly, that (for me) these lines have contained the eessence of Frodo's long talks with Faramir in the novel. Oh, I agree, I agree! I was thinking something similar - it doesn't explain *why* Faramir changes his mind after the Nazgul incident, but it shows Frodo in a collected mood and with a poise and quiet determination that can really make you believe Faramir would deem Frodo worthy of trust and respect, and so send him off, still carrying the Ring. :cool:
Partly because it showed Frodo speaking a line to Sam that has had some "premature speculators" howling with rage because it's not book-canon, not something Frodo would ever say to Sam, etc etc. The line itself comes out as soft, innocuous, appropriate for the situation, and very, very Frodo. ***Desperately fights the urge to scream: What line? What line! Spoil me! Spoil me! *** :o :o :D
Maeglian dear, you are actually grateful that you missed the Leno interview. You really are. That's good to hear. I understand the old peeing in the fountain story resurfaced..... didn't they talk about the premiere and the cheering crowds at all? I saw a snippet of it on the news while abroad, it seemed like something even the most jaded moviestar would think fantastic and want to talk about - a lot.

However, we've all seen the quotes and stories and recounted experiences about how Elijah radiates an inner light, and how he has an "old soul", and how he's so considerate and kind and honest and mature beyond his years..... and after that, I really don't mind those stories of peeing in fountains and planning to spike punch with viagra and stumbling drunk into a shop late at night shouting for porn and chocolate. It just balances the impression, and I find it totally endearing. I really do. Hey, he was all of 19 years at the time, and he had an extremely emotionally draining and physically tiring job, of course he had to act silly and immaturely inbetween to let off steam. Otherwise I'd not think him human. :)

However if I never again hear anyone asking about the living with mom thing it'll be too soon! Really. So I'm glad I didn't see that.

Welcome back, tg! I was starting to wonder if you'd been slain by the flu or something. Glad to know you were just busy. :)

I've got my tickets, got a sitter lined up, and hubby's taking two days off so I should be able to slip in again for a second viewing (I'm definitely seeing it again the next Sunday afternoon!). Ooops, not trying to make you jealous, Rikka - just relieved we actually got everything together this year! It'll be the first time we make a LOTR midnight showing. Then again, maybe I should get a sitter back-up, just in case - this one has cancelled out on us a time or two for sickness!

zkgrumpy,
I don't think you repeated any of the iconic pictures. Kind of lost track, what with Ariel's angelic EW appearing right after, but I meant to ask you - what were non-EW pics? That is to say, who were the artists and who were the characters depicted? I know we found a lot of St. Sebastian matches to the - man, I'm blanking on what we called it; that beautiful trailer shot of Frodo gazing around in Osgiliath - and a couple of yours look to be St. Sebastian but I don't think they're the same ones.

originally posted by Goldenberry
But I hold on to one thing: when we have all seen ROTK, we can come to the Faculty lounge and discuss Elwood's performance to our hearts' content.

Thanks for that perspective, Goldie! I'm hangin' onto it! :)

originally posted by tgshaw
This does bring up the question, though, of what to call the phenomenon scs brings up--i.e., when another of Elwood's characters is in a situation or role similar to Frodo's. May I suggest "Frodotype"?

I like it. Or maybe "Frotype"? (I'm a lazy typist. :p ) What I particularly appreciate are Froshadowings *within* a Frodotype, which Mariole is really good at finding. I love that "layered" sort of thing - another example of that king of thing would be physical angst with emotional angst on top. ;) If someone finds a Froshadowing within a Frodotype that happens to be physical and emotional angst - woah, I'm in heaven. :D

originally posted by shadowcat
Ever notice how ELijah and Tobey Maguire react when Jay Leno tries to put either one of them on the spot? I love how they both handle him subtly withought getting too defensive or emotional.

Hey, that's not OT, shadowcat! I haven't seen Tobey Maguire in an interview situation, but as a rule I totally envy EW's cool and suave.

I kind of think you're right about the Artful Dodger - and I think there's a sense where EW plays the role truer to how people who *haven't* read the book picture the character than how he is in the book (the movie character EW plays is apparently a consolidation of two book characters). Or maybe the movies tend to soften the character, I dunno, but as a non-book-reader I really liked EW's version and it matched my preconceptions somehow.

originally posted by tgshaw
I think that the very fact a fun, interesting movie character named "Elwood" exists is proof that Elijah should do a remake. I can totally see him in that role -- perfect for his comedy style!

When I first read this I thought I'd somehow missed a discussion on The Blues Brothers. :eek: :p

Then again... EW as Elwood, and maybe Dominic Monahan as Jake? It could work... (Now I'm having an Ernest moment. I really need to take my allergy meds this morning, and maybe some aspirin with caffeine...)

originally posted by Rikka
I suppose because this is an completely canon detail which is known to everyone who read the book... Because of it I also didn't take it as a spoiler, just thought - OK, this is right to the book...

I didn't view that one as spoiler-y because we've discussed that precise issue in the past - is he or isn't he, and/or how much is he? The problem with spoilers is that everyone defines them differently!

Second Mariole's endoresment of Meryl Marie's Top 10 list in Hugs. Except now I want to see the interview to figure out what she meant on one of them!

Originally posted by Rikka
But both of there teatres are very small, with small screens and bad old sound systems... Alas! :(

Oh, Rikka, what a horrible set of possibilities! :( Glad you (and Maeglian) have the Extended DVD now, though. :) I have great hopes of finishing out the appendeces today (been down sick and haven't seen them all yet), and I have yet to hit the commentaries, either, but I've sure enjoyed what I've seen.

Seconding Maeglian's gifs request.

Sheryl

:::: carefully steering around both spoilers and off-topic potholes ::::

I don't understand being hesitant about seeing ROTK based on what someone accurately called "amatuer reviews". The scene that they showed on that ::: expletive deleted ::: interview last night, whether or not book-canon, was powerful. It filled in some stuff that isn't in the preview and it's a *very* good scene between the two (three?). Personally, I can't wait. It's going to be a rip-roaring movie and I think everyone pulled out all the stops.

On Elijah, Fr*d*, and interpretation: I think it's true what - um - Sean? Dominic? said on the commentary. Everyone else had something to act off of except Elijah, who had only his big beautiful blue eyes, and everyone else had a positive progression of their characters (except a few predictable characters). Aragorn found his true self, Legolas and Gimli put aside the old elven/dwarf feud, Merry and Pippen found their courage, Gandalf was transfigured. Fr*d* was the only character who deteriorated, externally and internally. I think, at least in the US, that people react badly to that. We're used to the idea of things getting better as a story progresses and we're used to our heros becoming stronger against all odds. Must be all those years of Warner Bros. style movies that were required to have happy endings. Heck, we're the country that produced John Wayne. :)

I think it was a tremendously difficult and complex role that Elijah took on (at the tender age of what - 17?), and a juggling act to show a character whose courage remained constant, but who was continually attacked by something whose effect they couldn't really show. It's hard to show externally what's happening internally. Gollum was the only external depiction of what was happening to Fr*d*. Any other hint came through acting, through the episodes where he gave in to the Ring's power.

Elijah makes it look so easy that I think people are confused and think he's really like that (Would Fr*d* ever tell stories about fake poo on national TV? Would he ever pee in a fountain? <g>). He's not Fr*d*. He was acting. We looked at those blue eyes and innocent, determined chin when he said "What must I do?" at Bag End and we believed that it was Fr*d*.

Other actors have fallen victim to that underestimation. James Garner, for one, who was dismissed in the 50's as "couldn't act his way out of a paper bag". Riiiiiight. Harrison Ford is another.

Elijah is making some good decisions about roles. I believed that he was Sid in The War. I believed that he was Sean Sullivan in Ash Wednesday, and Barney Snow in Bumblebee.

So, fake poo and all, I think he's great and I'll even forgive him that shirt. ;-)

Does anyone else get the feeling that everyone on that movie fell a little bit in love with Elijah Wood?

~grumpy (What? Oh, yeah. Work.)

Just a quickie to say, for those who missed Leno last night, Elve's got some clips up at frodoandsam. Bless the girl! Remember to right click and save so you don't stress her bandwidth.

Sheryl

edit:

originally posted by zkgrumpy
Other actors have fallen victim to that underestimation. James Garner, for one, who was dismissed in the 50's as "couldn't act his way out of a paper bag". Riiiiiight. Harrison Ford is another.

And all three actors are brilliant at "natural" acting - at playing a sort of every-man character or playing someone in extraordinary situations as "just an ordinary guy" somehow. I dunno. I think there's a link, if I could just put in words what I'm talking about. :p Harrison Ford had this story about playing a minor character in something, before he was a Name, and a producer telling him the character was too "nothing" and that he had no future. "When a star plays a minor character, he's still a star" kind of stuff. And Ford's going, "I was playing a clerk - the character wasn't *supposed* to be a star. If I'd played it the way he said I should, that would have been shameless scene stealing." Yep.

Maybe the common element is that they serve the role, not themselves? While acting, their focus is on the character, not their careers?

Sheryl

I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU ON THAT ZKRUMPY
I NO I LIKET HIM BEFOTE THIS MOVIES BUT I TOTALI
FALL IN LOVE WHITH HIM AFTER LOTR AND TTT AND I NOW
I LOVE HIM EVEN MORE AFTER ROTK:rolleyes: :k

Thank you, Sheryl, for the tip. And thank you, Elve!! :)

I didn't think the Leno thing was too bad, since I knew what I was in for. I kind of zoned out during the long and completely pointless turd story, though. And anyway, that RotK clip was great! Seemed to allay certain worries I had from reading a few of the Marty-spoilers before I decided not to, not to, not to do that, at any cost, so as to rather be able to judge for myself.... and be surprised at *something*. I don't want to know it all. Incidentally, Elanor's spoiler was one of the things I was planning to be surprised about..... (But it's so darn difficult!! I have so little willpower! :o )

Should we form a support group? Spoiler-junkies unanonymous? ;)


That 12-hour plane trip? I think we know *one* thing Elijah did while on the plane - he shaved his goatee (sp?). :D


edit: I didn't view that one as spoiler-y because we've discussed that precise issue in the past - is he or isn't he, and/or how much is he? The problem with spoilers is that everyone defines them differently!I won't try to define spoiler, but my view is that if there's been a lot of is he/isn't he, will she/won't she debate and speculation on any particular plot point... and noone really knows the answer until somebody actually sees the film, then the answer is a spoiler, no matter hos close to canon it is. After all, there are heaps of canon stuff that didn't make the cut of the 2 previous movies, so something being book canon doesn't mean it'll be in the film. Just my 2 cents.

from shilohmm
Maybe the common element is that they serve the role, not themselves? While acting, their focus is on the character, not their careers?
*falls down, kisses Sheryl's feet * Yes! What a wonderful way to put it. I so love all three of these actors. I had a bigtime crush on James Garner for years. I think all the world has had a crush on Harrison Ford at one point or another. I guess I like the "natural" acting.

from zkgrumpy
Does anyone else get the feeling that everyone on that movie fell a little bit in love with Elijah Wood?
I think the visual companion for TTT had a section with all these marvelous quotes by castmembers about Elijah. I think he called out something extra in people. But that whole ensemble worked together so well. Thank heavens there were no prima donas. I think they all would have thrown themselves face-first into the Dead Marshes if they had to work with one of those for 16 months. :p

Grumpy, I very much agree that most Americans are too insecure to deal with a character who has realistic flaws and problems (except in a "drama" which is not this audience). After all, we invented the Hollywood ending! :D It goes back to when movies helped us escape the Great Depression. I guess now we're trying to escape the Great Recession. The beauty of Tolkien is that his work is so rich that nearly everyone can find something of value and inspiration in it. I'm happy to let each person take what they like from the movies -- so long as they like them! I haven't heard anyone diss ROTK yet -- but then, I'm sitting here with my fingers in my ears saying, la la la la la!

Rikka, so sorry about your pushed-out ROTK viewing. Perhaps we can come to some kind of consensus about how long we want to continue to mark ROTK spoilers in this thread? It seemed to work okay for AW and "All I Want".

Originally posted by zkgrumpy
...It's hard to show externally what's happening internally. Gollum was the only external depiction of what was happening to Fr*d*...
I'll shamelessly take this as another opportunity--as I do whenever I can find one :p --to say that's exactly why I was so glad when Elijah was cast as Frodo. Frodo's such an internally-directed character and Elijah's so good at showing what's going on within a character without it seeming forced or over-the-top. His portrayal of Huck during the fishing scene would have been a great accomplishment for an adult actor, and I do believe he's gotten better since then ;) .

Elijah makes it look so easy that I think people are confused and think he's really like that (Would Fr*d* ever tell stories about fake poo on national TV? Would he ever pee in a fountain? <g>).
Maybe that's why he tells stories like that on national TV ;) --"Hey, Academy members, look! This is me! When I played Frodo, I was acting." :D


Originally posted by Goldenberry
...The only talk show I have ever enjoyed watching EJW on, is Jon Stewart's Daily Show.
Another program where, IMHO, Elijah's had two good interviews (one each for FotR and TTT) is The Today Show. If anyone sees a mention of him being on there, please spread the word. Because it's basically a news program, they actually talk about, uh, y'know, the movie, and acting, and stuff like that :rolleyes: . Matt Lauer did the interviews both years, and he was great--he really does his homework before he interviews someone, which usually leads to an intelligent conversation (and last year, their haircuts matched :p ).

Originally posted by Mariole
Grumpy, I very much agree that most Americans are too insecure to deal with a character who has realistic flaws and problems (except in a "drama" which is not this audience).
Just a little thing I found interesting: I bought my ticket for the midnight showing online, and both TTT and RotK were listed on the site. TTT was labeled "Action" and RotK was labled "Drama." It might mean nothing more than that two different people did the labling, but I took it as a good sign :) .

Rikka, so sorry about your pushed-out ROTK viewing. Perhaps we can come to some kind of consensus about how long we want to continue to mark ROTK spoilers in this thread? It seemed to work okay for AW and "All I Want".
...and with RotK, there's always the Trilogy forum for those who want to talk about anything "spoilery" before everyone's had a chance to see it.

I've been doing the big surf thing among non-spoilery reviews in the local net papers. Two things that I just feel I had to translate and quote.....
(This isn't very spoilery per se, Mariole, but gives a certain feel for the film's impression and focus nontheless. So singing la-la-la and averting your eyes may clearly be an option even for the following, although you're missing out on one specific review gem (the second one below):

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First, one paper says of the ending that: I can't remember hearing so many grown men sobbing loudly since "saving Private Ryan".


And secondly, everyone, get a load of this one: One paper gives the film relatively poor marks, ie. a quite negative review, specifically on the grounds that; - The camera has fallen in love with Frodo's angelic face and considerable time is spent on this."

Yes, we'll all just *hate* those parts of the film, now won't we? :D

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(Leaves thinking happy angelic multilayered microexpression emotional acting thoughts)

Sheryl,

You seem to be quite right about EW type of acting... He's very natural, realistic actor who dies in his characters completely. And many people really don't understand what masterly and extremely difficult work was done to reach this effect. They simply "don't see" it...

By the way, David Wenham is working in a very similar " realistic inner" style as EW does, and from my point of view, he acts his role excellently... But his achievements are also underestimated... Well, this is the reality of this life... Normally the idols of main public become actors who are very emotionally open, expressive and explosive... Look, who got most hypes in LOTR - Bean, McKellen, Hill... Good old British theater school (Shakespearian, I would say)... And for Austin ROTK plot gives a great number of possibilities of emotional "hits" - heartbreaking, where he, as a good actor! - is able to show his temperament in full glory...

If JP made EW to work in LOTR as he worked, for example, in "War" - on "open" temperament, (if you follow me) on outbursts, emotional explosions, may be general public will accept his Frodo a bit easier - they would see "real acting". But this is not eligible for Frodo's character - he's very "close" and inner person even in the book. So the task was to show inner evolution of the character, I think... And PJ made EW to push his very strong acting temperament inside - and his Frodo is... well, like a closed boiler under high pressure - we'll see that the pressure was too strong and unbearable only when it explode...


Rikka, so sorry about your pushed-out ROTK viewing. Perhaps we can come to some kind of consensus about how long we want to continue to mark ROTK spoilers in this thread?
Mariole, my dear, I'm not afraid of spoilers at all! I WANT them!!! As much as possible. So as soon as all of you will see ROTK, I would be very happy to read what all the Faculty members think about it... Only this helps me to wait without driving mad. :)

News Flash for US Faculty members:

The National Geographic channel is doing the third of their "Beyond the Movie" one-hour specials on Return of the King. It is scheduled to air on December 19, at 8 PM (Eastern zone, I think.) Since I expect just about everyone who has access to the film by then (((Rikka))) to be catatonic, you might want to set up the VCR before leaving for the theater!

:) :)

>>>.... and after that, I really don't mind those stories.... It just balances the impression, and I find it totally endearing. I really do. Hey, he was all of 19 years at the time...of course he had to act silly and immaturely inbetween to let off steam. Otherwise I'd not think him human. <<<

I don't think it's unusual at all! I've watched in amazement as my brothers and nephews grew up. They were all like that! Harrrumph! The whole danged bunch of 'em are like that! Whippersnappers! ;-D Get a bunch of kids that age together and you get potty-humor. Something about the age and the imbalance between the above-the-belt and below-the-belt areas of the physique, I think. My sister, a pediatric nurse, always said that adolescence is a near-fatal disease entity. :)

>>>So the task was to show inner evolution of the character, I think... And PJ made EW to push his very strong acting temperament inside - and his Frodo is... well, like a closed boiler under high pressure - we'll see that the pressure was too strong and unbearable only when it explode...<<<

Interesting comment about closed boiler under high pressure. I saw it as Fr*d* being eaten from inside. The explosions at Sam were, IMGLO, more a collapse of the fabric of Fr*d*, revealing the Gollum-like creature growing within, than an explosion, since I didn't see it simmering outside of those episodes. Boiler, we understand. Hollow Hero, we don't. So how do you portray a Hollow Hero? (Shades of Tim Conway and Carol Burnett! Help! Save me! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!) :::: recovers compusure :::: Anyway, I think that would be a bitka to portray onscreen.

>>>>- The camera has fallen in love with Frodo's angelic face ...."<<<

Haven't we all? I read this in reviews of the first two movies. Perhaps it's a combination of what we've been talking about - Elijah had to portray something that you couldn't portray by jumping on a horse and waving a sword around, or perhaps his face is just - well - memorable. I seem to remember way too many Gollum closeups in TTT - were they in love with Gollum's fair visage?

I think the angelic closeups were appropriate. That angelic face was completely at odds with the Hollowing of the Hero.

>>> quote:Originally posted by Mariole
Grumpy, I very much agree that most Americans are too insecure to deal with a character who has realistic flaws and problems (except in a "drama" which is not this audience).<<<<

Oh, I never said we were too insecure. We're just used to a different kind of hero. Way back in the days of my first Beta VCR, when Elijah was still in diapers :::: rocking back in rocking chair and thumping cane ::::, I watched Nicholas Nickleby on PBS. Sir Peter Ustinov did the intros, and he compared the two kinds of heros. American heros were strong, silent, clenched-jaw action heros (at least we'd like to think so and most Oscar-winning movies have that). British heros were emotional, awkward, often slow on the uptake (*No* good in an OK-Corral setting), and terrible with women (in other words, very human). Or something like that. I don't remember the exact words.

The pics, btw, which still don't come up on my 'puter, were one by - um - Raphael? called "The Musicians", one of St. Sebastian, and one of a minor figure in a painting by - um - Botticelli?

>>It goes back to when movies helped us escape the Great Depression. <<

Oh, I think it happened way before that. The regulation and censorship came as a result of the very racy movies of the 30's - Jean Harlow in those dresses, for example; Mae West and W.C.Fields constantly pushing things.

Remember the silent movie "The Wind" with Lillan Gish? I forget the name of the actor who came from Sweden to star in it (John Gilbert?). The movie was supposed to end with Lillian Gish's character wandering off into the sandstorm. The studio forced the producer to change the ending to a happy one. THe actor went back to Sweden in disgust and never returned.

::::: looking frantically around for on-topic Elijah; grabbing him by collar of that horrible green shirt and dragging him back ::::

~grumpy

from zkgrumpy
Does anyone else get the feeling that everyone on that movie fell a little bit in love with Elijah Wood?


Absolutely. Can't remember exactly when I first formed that impression, but it was not long after FOTR and long before even Brian Sibley's book came out. There have been so many ecstatic comments about him, and from so many different sources, it seems quite unprecedented.

Thanks to Shireling's tip - thanks, Shireling! - I've just bought a couple of copies of the UK Empire Magazine with its special LOTR Celebration edition (one for some young friends of mine who are committed LOTR devotees), and it's wonderful: double-page feature and gorgeous pic of Elijah (already posted here) (despite goatee: farewell to that - hallelujah! :D ) and some moving and/or hilarious comments from lots of cast members. Elijah is given top billing - not as in a certain German mag that shall remain nameless which had what it called a feature on ROTK without A SINGLE PIC of Frodo and featuring Sam as the real hero of LOTR - grrrrrrrrrrrr :mad: :mad: :mad: I was so cross that I hid the two remaining copies behind a large pile of unrelated mags in the hope that they will never be seen again, let alone sold. (Such a mature, level-headed and forgiving woman, aren't I!) Glad to say there are other German mags that feature Elijah prominently ....

Anyway, a few quotes to warm the heart:

John Rhys-Davies: I was so impressed by our young Frodo, he was so mature, so giving, such a consummate professional.
(And in the FOTR cast commentary: I loved working with him. He's such a natural talent and such a wonderful energy and his instincts are excellent, and all that wonderful self-belief and assurance that young actors must have if they're going to be any good.)


Viggo says this isn't a spoiler, but I disagreed, so read at your own risk - Bridget




Viggo : The most important moment for Aragorn in The Return of the King is is, without ruining the movie, the moment that he turns and looks at Gandalf, Gimli, Legolas, Merry, Pippin, the army of Rohan and the army of Gondor, and simply says, "For Frodo." That would be the defining moment of that movie for that character. [I love you, Viggo!]




Okay, it's safe to look now!

Q: What is your favourite piece of LOTR memorabilia?
Sean Bean: I've got a framed letter I was sent, written on old parchment with a quill pen. It's from Frodo Baggins and it says, "Dear Boromir, even though you are gone, your memory still lives on." It mentions me being tempted by the ring and that I'm forgiven. [Oh dear - fetch the hankies again. Mariole, I agree with you about Sean B: if it hadn't been for Elijah I'd have been watching the movies mainly for him. But I do think he's Boromir and not Aragorn! ;) ]

Q: Which of the other parts would you like to have played?
Billy: Arwen gets really nice frocks. She also gets to lie down a lot and I quite like having a snooze. But I'd have to kiss Viggo. I'd rather kiss a horse.

Q: Which of the other roles would you like to have played?
Liv: Bill the pony.

Q: What is your fondest memory of NZ?
Sméagol: Sméagol loved the mountains and streams. We hated every minute and everyone! Especially that Andy Serkis! Glory-hugging, wolf-faced turd!
Q: What was the toughest thing you had to do?
Sméagol: Fight with nice Masters Sean and Elijah. They're nice masters, kind to poor Sméagol. It was all easy. What we really wants to do is direct, doesn't we, my precioussssss? We wants it!

Q: Which role would you like to have played?
Howard Shore: I guess Frodo. ... I felt the burden that he did - I felt it having taken on the project. So when Frodo was given the ring to take, it was like me agreeing to write this 11-hour epic score for the classic novel of the 20th century and to do a good job. .... And I would say Frodo, even at the end, by climbing Mount Doom feels like me finishing the Return of the King score.

Q: Which of the other roles would you like to have played?
Ian McKellen: Frodo, the young adventurer, the brave boy who's not found wanting and doesn't return home. And he's all over New Zealand, the Frodo figure: young, fresh-faced kids who went off on a journey outside New Zealand to fight evil under someone else's orders and never made it home. Frodo's one of those. I'm sure Tolkien was talking about his own son, who was in World War II fighting evil.

Q: What would you say to the six people who didn't enjoy the trilogy?
Karl Urban: F*** off, wally.


PS From zkgrumpy:
[i]Way back in the days of my first Beta VCR, when Elijah was still in diapers :::: rocking back in rocking chair and thumping cane
ROFL! :D

Whoa, you ladies have been very, very busy.

Grumpy, may I ask why "Fr*d*?" Reminds me of the ancient Hebrews with their "YHWH" business! :D

SPOILERY STUFF AHEAD

The scene from RoTK last night on Leno has me anxiously awaiting a film I've had my moments of doubt over. When Frodo tells Sam he won't send Smeagol away it is much less angry than the trailer edit first seemed to indicate. I also liked the way Frodo looked a Sam when he acknowledged than Sam is on his "side;" a look full of affection and gratitude that made me forget to breath for a moment. I only wish that PJ was as intent on showing that Frodo is acting as much out of Mercy toward Gollum, as he is muddled by the influence of the Ring.

END SPOILERY STUFF

Regarding moments I am grateful for in the TTT ee dvd: I also loved that scene in the sewers in Osgiliath. I only wish that, after Faramir says "where gardener's are held in high esteem," that they had preserved Frodo's respose: "They are." It's in the book and I love it there.

One moment that I particularly love in TTT is the one after Faramir and his men resume their march to Osgiliath, just after Frodo has told him the Ring has only the power to destroy. Frodo screams "Faramir, you must let me go!" and the note of panic in his voice is so right it gives me the chills.

TG, glad you liked the elwood/Elwood pic!

I could have done without the "poo" bit on Leno last night, but the way he purses his lips to say "poo" made sitting through it worth it! :D And he looked so adorable as he came out of the dressing room into the hall. Poor thing! I hope he gets over his cold! I missed his "outrageous" giggle! (As my husband calls it!) Though this throaty laugh was a little ...sexy.

Honey!

Welcome back, tg and Maeg! :)

Feeling much better, I hope, Sheryl?

Originally posted by BLOSSOM
Has anyone ever looked this good in a hood?

Oooohhhh. That's a rhetorical question, right? :p Thank you for that, Blossom! :k A huddling wet, miserable and angsted-out hobbit in a HOOD. You've made me so happy!

I still don't have my TTT SEE DVD. I feel so bereft and deprived and lost. I'm still waiting for more comforting hugs here. But I'll settle for screencaps too. ;)

Glad to know you finally got your DVD, Maeg! But oh, Rikka, the delayed RotK screening in Russia sucks big time.

Nerdy info about talk shows picked up from reading too many actor interviews through the years and one very good Conan O'Brien interview (see, it's useless knowledge that I must share!):
Yes, the stories told during talk shows are pre-planned - although there's always room for improvisation and spontaneity. The host has to know what the guest will be talking about so that he can steer the conversation there, and - worst case scenario - salvage the interview somehow if the guest's jokes fall flat. Some actors who have to go the talk show circuit resort to telling the same stories over and over again. Others, well, they'll just have to figure out some way to steal someone else's life experiences so they'll have something quirky and revealing and hilarious to tell every single time. :D

Anyway, thanks Sheryl, for the heads-up about the interview at frodoandsam.net. And thank you, Elve. :k

Aww, you lucky US folks!
http://img-nex.theonering.net/images/scrapbook/10620.jpg

Thanks for the collected quotes, Maeg and Serena! And thanks for morning laughs, grumpy! :D

Oh, and I just gotta say that it busted me up watching JT STARE at EW, talking about how sometimes you just know that someone was filmed on a seperate stage from the other actors in the same scene, because they an unreal GLOW about them. Do you think she didn't see the glow? Or maybe she did, and was acknowledging that she saw it and couldn't figure it out? I have to admit that, personally, I doubt "Miss Porky Slut" is "one who has eyes to see!" Rowr! [clawing motion] How catty was that?:rolleyes: Funny!

My husband asked me after the show, "Well, how was he?" my answer: "Adorable, profane, giggly." I guess the body-function stories don't shock me that much because I have a son 20 years old who can be just as crude. He'll grow more in elegance and away from that type of humor I'm betting. I'm willing to watch and find out anyway!

Ainon, thanks for alerting us to the TV Guide cover! Cool!

Honey!

((((Poor, deprived ainon))))

Any idea when it'll come?

Not to mention ((((poor Rikka!)))) Hope the time goes quickly!:k

serena - I spoiler-marked Viggo's quote in your post - I know he says it "doesn't ruin the movie," but I figured it wouldn't hurt to mark it, just in case.:) Just letting you know...

And Grumpy, don't worry, you're still allowed to type out Frodo's name.;) :D

from tgshaw
Maybe that's why he tells stories like that on national TV --"Hey, Academy members, look! This is me! When I played Frodo, I was acting."
LOL! But those of us in the know can recognize the difference. Everything -- the voice, the face, the energy, is so different. I remember Sir Ian talking to the computer guys when they wanted to capture his expression for his digital double. They said, "Okay, hold your face neutral." And Ian said, "Do you want neutral for me, or neutral for Gandalf?" And he showed them, and they were shocked at how his face actually looked different when he was in character. I don't know if Elijah is conscious of it the way Sir Ian is, but he definitely has the same thing going.

from Serena
I was so cross that I hid the two remaining copies behind a large pile of unrelated mags in the hope that they will never be seen again, let alone sold.
Ooh, good plan. I will adopt this strategy for all the magazines I don't like forthwith. *evil cackle*

I enjoyed the special on Primetime tonight. Not too spoilery, bless them. It was definitely targeted for beginners (*News flash: the hobbits are friends in real life!!!*) but I enjoyed it. The 15-second scene they showed between Elrond and Arwen made me cry. Me -- cry. :p I am so bringing 2 packs of tissues to the movie...

Random quotes:

Elijah: "We always knew this one had something more special than the other two," he tells TV Guide. "It's just so intense, so emotional and so relentless."

From the LA Press Roundtable:
I asked about the inspiration behind the song Half-fling from the album Pandemoniumfromamerica. “We’ve started to get questions about that? Amazing,” Dominic said to Billy. “The song is based on an invented language that Elijah and I have. We speak it when we’re tired.”

Ian McKellen: “So there I was on the sleeper plane from New Zealand to Los Angeles, and I woke up and looked around me, and I was surrounded by Orlando, Liv, Viggo, Elijah… So much beauty. And I thought I must be the luckiest man on earth.”

((((ainon)))) :k ((((Rikka))))

Originally posted by Mariole
I remember Sir Ian talking to the computer guys when they wanted to capture his expression for his digital double. They said, "Okay, hold your face neutral." And Ian said, "Do you want neutral for me, or neutral for Gandalf?" And he showed them, and they were shocked at how his face actually looked different when he was in character. I don't know if Elijah is conscious of it the way Sir Ian is, but he definitely has the same thing going.
IMHO, Elijah must know he does it--remember when he said that if he watches a movie he's in and doesn't see himself on screen, he knows he did a good job? OTOH, like so much of his acting, I don't think he's as conscious of how he does it as Sir Ian is. When one talk show host asked him to recreate Frodo's pose from the cover of Time, he did it--but not until after he'd asked for (and gotten) a chance to look at the picture. As a firm believer in the microexpression theory of EJW acting :p , I do think more of his acting is "subconscious" than is true with most actors. Even from things he's said it interviews, he seems to be more "character centered" than a lot of actors, and I think it's when he's able to put himself into the character's place--and, most of all, into the character's emotions--that he "disappears" into or "becomes" the character, including taking on at least some of what the character would be doing subconscoiusly in the situation. IMVHO, that's what "How does he do it?" moments are made of. :)

The story about Sir Ian also makes me think of when the "computer guys" said Elijah was the most difficult person they'd ever had to digitize--that for some reason, the computer-generated versions of him were just never able to "capture" the reality. Well, we could have told them that ;) ! -- And the reports from the lucky people who've actually met Elijah seem to indicate there's quite a bit of his "reality" that not even the movie camera captures. Imagine working with that for 18 months--no wonder everyone involved with the movies said such wonderful things about him :) .

What I find funny is the reactions people get when he says something like "peeing in a public fountain." It almost looks as if he gets off shocking people, it also shows off his wonderful sense of humor doesn't it? Isn't it something that makes you tingle?

It does Me. :p

Another thing: Did he work out a little when he did "The Bumblebee Flies Anyway?" He sure looked like it. It was a shock to see him being put on the bed and those yummy chest shots, because I was thinking book version. (Don't you feel stupid when you sometimes think this way?)

Plus along with the bare armed sawing shots, what about him lifting that ? with that kid to help him, wasn't that tingly? :p

The fun part was I also wondered What are They buliding, and Does it actually work? Wouldn't it be real funny if it didn't? Remember in "Spy Kids 3D" Elijah's expression when he got his Lives knocked out of him? :D

I felt bad, but I also hadn't had a good laugh in awhile. (Sort of like, "Him, that NEVER happens to Superman?" kind of look. :D ).

So I was away visiting friends this evening, and the news came on, and the entertainment section had..... the channel's review of RotK complete with a couple of clips.

I'm *not* going to refer all that was shown or said (I just couldn't look away, however it was all very general, luckily, since I'm still avoiding detailed spoilers. Yet I'm putting the following here because it is relevant to the title of the thread, but of course I'll clearly state that it is a general reviewer's impression SPOILER
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The channel's film reviewer, who's very enthusiastic about film, very knowledgable and very forthright, nearly levitated out of her seat as she described how fantastic the film was, once it got going (that apparently took some time). Everything was just so ....except - well.... (And I quote from memory): [i]"Can I say this? Is it allowed? There's too much Frodo. There's too much of those huge blue eyes...it gets....uh....boring? " She then went on to praise the cast surrounding Frodo.

This leaves me in two minds, to put it mildly. Obviously happy, since there apparently is quite a lot of Frodo close-ups, and I can't imagine thinking there's ever too much of that.

But worried because this is the second reviewer I've seen in two days who complains about too much blue eyed Frodo. They don't get his acting, do they? Why don't they? I mean, these are seasoned reviewers, well used to judging acting and movies. Makes me itch even more to see the film for myself and evaluate all those "boring" or "superfluous" :rolleyes: close-ups. This doesn't bode well for any Oscars.....


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End somewhat spoilery general review comment

Wishing you all a fine weekend!

Maeg, I really think it has to do with how natural EW's acting is, as many here have mentioned.

I read a review of yesterday of The Last Samurai that was gushing about Cruise's acting - they said something along the lines of "In his last movies, we saw Tom Cruise, in this one we see __________(insert name of the character he plays). It's like he becomes this character in a way he hasn't before..."

So Tom Cruise gets rounds of applause for finally managing to become a character, and Elijah gets little notice for almost ALWAYS disappearing into the character he's playing. Go figure. :rolleyes:

This is part of the reason I have never been a big fan of awards in the entertainment world, whether literary or movie or TV. The part of it that represents the judgement of quality is so subjective, and so colored by politics, that I have a healthy dose of skepticism about their worth.

Unless RotK wins Best Picture, or course. Then it's a perfectly legitimate way to recognize and reward true quality. :D

Shadowcat, please check your PMs. Thanks!:k

Bridget, Faculty, humble apologies for posting an unmarked spoiler. Viggo clearly no guide.
*stands in corridor for half an hour, failing miserably to do Michael dance from Avalon*

Mariole, extremely belated thanks for identifying the ROTK frazzled Frodopic. Remind me to ask as well how you combine your screencaps so neatly (could it be something to do with having decent DVD software, or perhaps even being good at using it?! ;) ).

Jay Leno hasn't aired here yet, but it seems that could be a stroke of luck. Luck runs out tomorrow, though: compilation Leno threatened on CNBC Europe. Luckily this clashes with Elijah and the Osbournes on Wetten, dass ...., so have excuse to miss it altogether. Moderator Gottschalk a cut above Leno? Will check that one out and let you know. (Did sneak look at clip from Elve's site, however [thanks, Elve! :k: } the green shirt isn't so very awful and the lad himself was looking good, I thought. [Wonder if Liv or Sir Ian persuaded him to shave the goatee on sleeper plane, or possibly captured and shaved him themselves?] IMHO main problem with turd and pee stories is that they are, um, not all that interesting, and Elwood seemed fully aware of that while telling them. I felt for him. Suspect not his fault: genuinely interesting topics seem banned from Leno in favour of mindless ones. WD likely to be extremely silly but a lot more amusing. Must restrain self from driving to Freiburg tomorrow, where he himself will be for live show (don't know where to start looking, otherwise might!).

But I do think Elijah goes out of his way to be Unfrodo in real life, both by dressing old and staid on occasions (such as the Wellington première, dammit!) and by telling markedly unfrodoesque stories about porn and poo and testicles and other very mildly naughty topics. I get the feeling he thinks his image is far too young and innocent and pretty in the wake of Frodo ("very beautiful, very untouchable", as one so-called LOTR insider called him), and too wise and level-headed and good as portrayed by those who know him, and so he's constantly trying to dent that image just a little. Good luck to him! (But he would look so good all in black .... or white ... sniff)

Acting versus being: there's one scene from LOTR so far - in TTT - that reduces me to tears every time I see it. It's the very last Frodo and Sam scene, after Osgiliath - the one Elijah and Sean thought too upbeat in that context. It ends with Frodo's heartbreakingly beautiful Sam smile, his eyes looking bluer and his face more ethereal than anywhere else I can think of. Before that there's the brief but heartrending exchange where Frodo says he wouldn't have got far without Sam, Sam says he was being serious, and Frodo replies "So was I". It's the look, or rather looks, on Elijah's face there that reduce me to a weak-kneed, sodden heap. It's impossible to describe adequately, but he simply exudes affection and concern and love and shyness coupled with trust and knowing and the deepest possible wisdom. And that really is something intrinsic to him: it's part of Elijah, but it emerges as Frodo. And the timing of his turn towards Sam - with the mesmerising continuous change of expression from light-hearted to serious - and his turning away again to continue on his path are so perfect that the timing alone makes me want to grovel at his feet. Sorry, but there's no-one in that film who can touch him. Praying the Academy is awake enough to notice. :)

PS Lucky for us that PJ too was a little bit in love with Elijah!

Oh. Oh. Oh. You must go see this:

NewLine's "For Your Consideration" (http://www.newlineawards.com/)

Click the "For Your Consideration" tab at the top.

I'm absolutely weeping.

Oh oh oh ..... (((((((Bunniebugs))))), you are a heroine.


i'm weeping too


..... much as i love and admire sir ian and viggo ........

CompuServe Showbiz reviewer (he don't know the book, for sure) in his text about ROTK comes back to Frodo and Sam many times... And this is from the final part of the CompuServe Showbiz review.

SPOILERS BELOW!








"Return of the King" has been rated PG-13 for "intense epic battle sequences and frightening images." In my view, the images the flying dragons, fights with the eagles, huge spider, ugly Orcs, the incredible Evil Eye and other envelope-pushing special effects take a back seat to the human human (or should we say Hobbit-like) adventure of Frodo and Sam. The sooner the batty Gollum got his comeuppance, the better, in my view, focusing attention more on the vagaries of an intense friendship gone awry.









SPOILERS END

PLS, could any of our native-speakers explain to me the meaning of this expression "to take a back seat to smb." What does it mean? I could only guess...

P.S. And what is written in this For your consideration peace? I can't open it.... OOOOPS! I got it finally! :confused: A new change of the list???? Well, great news... but this is already the 3-d variant of For Your Consideration from the New Line in just 2 weeks... What does this mean? I would like to know why did they move EW back? Could it be because the previewings for critics and academics that started this week? They've got their opinions about the cast?

And, by the way, Sir Ian is mentioned also in Best supporting role category - just after Sean.... Only Viggo is out. But both ladies are in! - Miranda and Liv..

Oh, thanks Bunnie!!!!

I am just so proud!!! They have narrowed down their Best Actor recommendation to Elijah!!!

It's wonderful that New Line is backing him this way. Bravo!!!! For once NL is doing what they should have all along.




As for those sort of SPOILERY REVIEW COMMENTS........





I can only think that any critic who doesn't appreciate Elijah's talent is just one of those sad individuals who cannot not SEE it. Poor deprived people.

Like the people Elda mentioned who would be so puzzled by seeing a unicorn that they'd just say 'Woh! Wierd horse!'

How anyone can be immune to Elijah's talent and glowing beauty is totally beyond me.

Most critics have always praised his acting to the skies. I tend to think that the more Frodo in ROTK the better. ( I WOULD say that. ;) )But honestly, as the good critics have said, the story is told through Elijah's big blue eyes.

Rikka, so glad you got it! :)
"take a back seat to" means that A is less important, less prominent, in the film than B.
Is that unspoilerish enough? Is it even comprehensible?
Over and out for tonight!
serena

(((serena))) thank you for help! I hoped this could be it! Yes!!!! :k

By the way what does this "comeuppance " mean? I didn't find it in my dictionary...

Originally posted by serena
Is that unspoilerish enough? Is it even comprehensible?
serena
Do you ask about this review? It's crazily spoilerish - the reviewer just tell all F and S story to the very end - all the main points of it, imagine!:o

But in general, from my point of view, he understood few about the ROTK story. It seems to me that he even took the idea of elvish going to the West as a journey to... Well, may be to some far away Caribean/Elvish resort? ;)

P.S. Dear Faculty people, i thank all of you for your kind support - in your nice company i'll manage to survive this edditional month without ROTK! :k :)

BunniE! :k :k That's wonderful wonderful wonderful!

Originally posted by Rikka
By the way what does this "comeuppance " mean? I didn't find it in my dictionary...

Basically means somebody getting what he deserves. In the bad
way. :)

I've decided to do what Mariole's doing - skipping any and all reviews, so I'll add my thanks to everyone marking anything spoilerish.

Maeg, you mean that Norway TV has special movie clips this year too?

This particular news flash gave me a nice chuckle.

[quote]
ELIJAH WOODS' DIFFICULTY WITH BRITISH HUMOUR

ELIJAH WOOD found it difficult to get along with his LORD OF THE RINGS co-stars DOMINIC MONAGHAN and BILLY BOYD when he first met them, because he didn't get their dry British humour.

Wood met the actors in 1999 when they began filming their trilogy of big-budget movies in New Zealand. And while they all declare themselves to be the best of friends now, Monaghan explains that Wood was a little apprehensive at first.

He says, "In America, it's about making people feel good. You know, it's like, 'Hey, good job man, good job.' Whereas in England, it's, 'You're a d**k.'

"I think when Elijah and SEAN (ASTIN) fist turned up in New Zealand, they didn't really know what was going on with us, because all Billy and I did as soon as we met each other was just f***ing take the p*** out of each other.

"Elijah used to get a little freaked out. He was like, 'I don't know if these guys like me.'"

Channel4.com (http://www.channel4.com/film/newsfeatures/news_story.jsp?storyId=2809)

I can't get the picture to open on BB's link, but I suppose (and I can guess I can say because it isn't a spoiler) that the picture is the really harrowing one of Frodo on his own which was used as one of the promotional posters?

(Or maybe it's a less harrowing one - I might have seen this posted elsewhere as a "For your consideration" pic).

It is actually NewLine Cinema's "For Your Consideration" website, listing all the people they are backing for nominations for awards. Under "Best Actor", the only name listed is Elijah's. :)

The picture they used is a variation on the Frodo and Sam one that we've been referring to as the Pieta, I believe.

Some Sean Astin quotes on Elijah's acting in ROTK. WARNING: The first one hints vaguely at the movie, but the second is 100% ROTK even-remote-hint free:
It was an amazing thing as an actor to watch the relationship of Peter Jackson and Elijah Wood. How could Elijah, who is so sweet and has such goodness in him, communicate the idea of trying not to give in to pain and suffering and darkness and hatred and villainy and treachery? You can see it on his face, you can feel it. The audience is in for a real treat--and for a bit of pain.

Can you talk about working with Elijah?
Working with Elijah was the realization of a brotherhood chemistry, onscreen and off. It's hard to put into words how someone like that is so important to you, what they mean to you and what working with them is like.

from serena
Wonder if Liv or Sir Ian persuaded him to shave the goatee on sleeper plane, or possibly captured and shaved him themselves?
Laughing too hard at this image... :D

PS Lucky for us that PJ too was a little bit in love with Elijah!
Yes, I'll force myself to endure giant close-ups of his head. Oh, the trauma! But then, this is supposed to be an emotionally exhausting movie... :p


I'll post the following pics as links, in case people are still avoiding TTT-EE spoilers. Is anyone doing that?

POSSIBLE TTT-EE SPOILERS:

Regarding "Frodo's heartbreakingly beautiful Sam smile" -- I'm not the expert. Oh, tg! Would you please comment on this new "secret Sam smile?" It's from the TTT-EE, and is I believe the only one of these secret smiles that could be observed by Sam -- although it isn't overtly observed (at least that we can tell).

Here Frodo is actually looking at Sam. His expression is fond but restrained:

http://home.ricochet.com/mdes/limages/smile1.jpg

His smile doesn't grow into full "secret" mode until Sam turns away. So now I'm dying here -- does Sam never see that smile? Is it a secret smile if Sam could have observed it, even though he is not actually filmed doing so?

http://home.ricochet.com/mdes/limages/smile2.jpg

END OF POSSIBLE TTT-EE SPOILERS



BB, thanks for the Oscar tip! I hope it's correct that New Line is putting all their weight behind Elijah in their bid for Best Actor. Viggo has said repeatedly that his character finds himself through action, and it just doesn't sound as drama-intensive as Frodo's introspective journey. (Then again, if Rikka is correct, they may change their site tomorrow to show Viggo in this slot! Ah, well, such is fame...). I'm sorry that there are conflicts in the supporting arena between Sean and Ian and Liv and Miranda. However, I'm sure everyone in such a huge cast is fully aware of how "supporting" so many of them have to be. :)

Appreciating Narya's awards sarcasm. Appreciating everyone's spoiler markings! :k (((Faculty)))


Boring comments about my screencap process to end of post:

Hi, serena. Re: "Remind me to ask as well how you combine your screencaps so neatly," the only special technique I use is ... cheat. :D I use WinDVD software, which came with my computer. I open the pic I'm trying to match, provided by some lovely soul from some other Elijah movie. I then run whatever Frodo moment the pic reminded me of in WinDVD, stepping through it to find the best comparison, and then shift+P to capture it. I open it in Paint. If it's a widescreen version, I skew the vertical down to 85%. Sometimes I will flip one of the images to get them both facing the same direction. I commonly resize one or another of the pics, so his head is the same size in both. Generally it's easier to make things smaller, as more that a 10% size increase makes the pic too grainy.

I just got some new software, Adobe Elements, so we'll see if this gives me more power. But I'm a pretty low-tech capper at this point. I just kind of look and match as I see it. Coming soon: Flipper!

I am not posting right now. No! I am going to bed. I am sick. I need my rest. I must behave.

But first, Mariole, could I beg you-

Oh, wait.

Sort of spoilery TTT EE DVD request.
*
*
*
*
*

Okay, now; Mariole, could I beg you to leave the "full secret Sam smile" pair of pics for the Goonies? Frodo looks wonderful, yes, but Sam is absolutely darling, especially in the second one. I don't know what their spoiler policy is but I've been spoiler marking my EE DVD comments.

*
*
*
*
*
*
End spoilerey stuff.

And I was going to go back and touch on just one more thing, but, no! Every post I scan by has something I want to point out or praise or discuss!

Humph, you people. :mad: I'm leaving! I'm going to bed! I'm outta here! You guys just want to keep me up all night, talking and laughing and pondering and going, "Awwww." Well, not this time, sisters! Not this puppy! I'm holding strong! I Am GONE!

;)

Sheryl

I do believe there's a serious and urgent research need to have that "Sam smile" made into a gif :p ! We need to know how it starts and how it progresses to full Sam smile mode, and if it ends before Sam looks toward Frodo (and how quickly it ends, i.e., whether Frodo seems to change his expression specifically to keep Sam from seeing it). This is, indeed, an important study, as it may determine if the "secret Sam smile" has to be renamed the "Sam smile." If so, textbooks will have to be rewritten (well, the glossary on my website, anyway ;) )!

I'd go and look at it frame-by-frame myself right now, but Sheryl has somehow managed to send her flu over the internet (tricksy things, those viruses ;) ), and I'm heading back to bed, where I've been most of the day. I had my flu shot a couple of weeks ago, so I'm hoping it will just be a case of "flu lite" and won't last too many days. I was supposed to go with my mom to an aunt's funeral tomorrow, but she (my mom, not the aunt :o ) hasn't had her shot yet, so I'm keeping my critters away from her. My brother is going to take her, instead.

-----------

RE: Big blue eye overload

The only defense I can think of for reviewers who don't "get" Elijah's subtle and natural acting is that they tend to see a movie only once. Can you imagine :eek: !?!



ROTK SPOILERISH QUESTION/SPECULATION TO END OF POST







But one thing puzzles me a bit. The only "enhancement" Elijah's eyes got during shooting was wearing darkened contact lenses during the Mordor scenes to make his eyes look duller as his condition worsens. But even with that, some reviewers think there's still too much Brighteyes? Well, I will simply have to see for myself :p :p .

First I thought I might mention that I'd still love caps or gifs of the "Thank you" to Faramir in Osgiliath. Just thought I'd mention it once more..... :o

But the possibly not so secret Sam smile is lovely too. More, more!


Bunnie, thank you for the "for your consideration" ad. Wo-hoo! Although I'm starting to wonder whether New Line is plain vacillating, or if they've put the main stars on some sort of rotating consideration sceme? I hope they'll leave it as is, now! (No offense to Viggo, I'm sure he does a marvellous job in RotK).


Hobmom, I agree with you, Elda really caught it with the "Weird horse, moving on" reaction from people unable to mentally process that in fact they are seeing a fabulous precious unicorn. It's a good illustration of the "why don't they get it/him/his acting" point! :)


Ainon, these clips were actually on TV - the main one of them (Frodo/Sam/Gollum the drama queen) I bet you've seen if you've seen Elve's clip from Leno.


Wishing everyone with the flu a speedy recovery, so you're fully fit for fight, not to mention fit for very intense emotions, on December 17. That's the only thing that's certain, isn't it? No matter what the film is, we'll react like crazy and *feel* a whole lot - over the moon happy or totally disappointed - Indifference is the one thing I think we can safely rule out! :cool:


(((Rikka))) :)


Edit: These days I'm too scatterbrained for my own good. I've been meaning to say:
Ainon, congrats on getting hold of the poster(s)! :k I mean, this is *the* poster? The one I've been going bonkers over and have spent too-many online words on and still love totally to pieces? Isnt it gorgeous? ***melts***

Originally posted by Maeglian
Screencaps? Gifs? [ Insert majorly begging smiley here]

Hasn’t anyone answered you yet Maeglian? Well, I can do that, I think… (edit: oops... sorry... spoilers for TTT EE - will change this to a link)
Thank you (http://www.frodosharem.org/Pics/Frothankyou.jpg)

Hope that’s the one you wanted.

Originally posted by Maeglian
Oh, I agree, I agree! I was thinking something similar - it doesn't explain *why* Faramir changes his mind after the Nazgul incident, but it shows Frodo in a collected mood and with a poise and quiet determination that can really make you believe Faramir would deem Frodo worthy of trust and respect, and so send him off, still carrying the Ring.
LOL! Yes, and made me more positive than ever that there is a missing scene in there that we haven’t seen! Oh, well – I’ll just have to assume some of that lovely dialog between them actually did happen somewhere along the way…

Originally posted by shilohmm
When I first read this I thought I'd somehow missed a discussion on The Blues Brothers. :eek: :p

Then again... EW as Elwood, and maybe Dominic Monahan as Jake? It could work...
Now THAT I would pay to see! LOL!

Originally posted by shilohmm
Harrison Ford had this story about playing a minor character in something, before he was a Name, and a producer telling him the character was too "nothing" and that he had no future. "When a star plays a minor character, he's still a star" kind of stuff. And Ford's going, "I was playing a clerk - the character wasn't *supposed* to be a star.
I am a HF fan from way back... The scene was from "Dead Heat on a Merry Go Round" and he was playing a bellhop. He came into the scene with a message for one of the leads - had one line - and delivered it. I don't recall who said that from that scene he could tell Ford had no star potential, but that individual has certainly eaten his words by now.

Originally posted by zkgrumpy
Does anyone else get the feeling that everyone on that movie fell a little bit in love with Elijah Wood?
It’s kind of hard not to fall in love with someone who does such an astonishingly good job and is consistently humble and self-effacing.

Sean Bean as Aragorn – you don’t want to know how badly I was hoping he was going to play Aragorn when I saw that first trailer. He was the only actor in the promo that I recognized (other than JRD) and I already adored him (from Sharpe). I am quite happy now that he played Boromir, but I won’t say I wasn’t disappointed at first.

Ariel

Hello all.

Bunnie. Thanks so much for that 'For Your Consideration' Elijah Oscar nomination news. But before we raise our hopes I guess we should wait and see what else New Line come up with - there are quite a few variations of these 'FYC' posters about, aren't there? Does anyone know when the official Oscar nominations are announced?

Mariole - Thanks so much for posting those lovely quotes from Sean about Elijah. He always raves about Elijah's performance in ROTK, and I remember a quote from Sir Ian McKellen back in FOTR days, when he said, 'If you think Elijah's good in this one, wait until you see him in the third film.' Then on the FOTR cast commentary, Orlando Bloom appeared to have difficulty finding the words to explain how impressed he was with Elijah after seeing a snippet of the Mount Doom sequence.

Originally quoted by Narya:
So Tom Cruise gets rounds of applause for finally managing to become a character, and Elijah gets little notice for almost ALWAYS disappearing into the character he's playing. Go figure.
_______________________________________

I know, Narya. It's unbelievable. But hope remains. I don’t think the following quote warrants a spoiler warning. It’s from David Poland of The Hot Button (whatever that is). He’s seen ROTK, and the item it’s taken from doesn’t contain any details/spoilers at all, except to say that he loves the film. But he did have this to say:

'If you wanted a list of the best performances, I’d say Sean Astin, Andy Serkis, Miranda Otto, Bernard Hill, John Noble and Elijah Wood.' At least someone is impressedwith our boy!

Refarding the Jay Leno appearance. I thought he was charming, as usual. OK, the fake poo story and the peeing in the fountain were not what I wanted to hear, but Leno is hardly an in-depth interviewer is he? Did someone say Elijah would be on Conan O'Brian soon? He is very intense and serious IIRC from some clips I downloaded from frodoandsam.net last year. Elijah's NZ stories he recounted on Leno may seem silly - childish even - I'm sure Dom must have been the ringleader! - but consider Viggo Mortensen, an intellligent man in his mid-forties, who seems to derive some strange pleasure from head-butting people -:confused:

Tg and Mariole - Regarding the 'Sam smile' -

Sam smile (http://www.imagemagician.com/images/blossom/ElvenRope23.gif)

You two ladies must be telepathic - I was working on gifs in this section of TT only last night. I think it's a 'secret smile,' Frodo doesn't begin to smile until Sam looks away.

Maeg - I just made this one especially for you. You beg... I mean you ask so nicely - how could I refuse!:)
Thankyou (http://www.imagemagician.com/images/blossom/Thankyou.gif)

Sending hugs to all the invalids. Hope you feel better by the 17th! :)
Must run.

Edit: Ariel, just saw you post - What a beautiful screencap of Frodo! Thanks. Maeg will love it.:)

****Pops back into the thread, sees Ariel's cap, goes ker-splat!!! ****

(((Ariel))) thank you! :k

I don't care at all about nagging clueless bored reviewers (or ditto Academy members, should it come to that). I'll *never* get enough of close-ups of Elijah in Frodo-emoting mode. They so don't know what they're missing, being unable to appreciate that. :cool:


***Manages to pick herself back up, goes on reading.....***

Blossom, I agree! That *is* another secret Sam smile! If Sam only had glanced aside at Frodo there for a second.... but I think he doesn't. I haven't said yet how much I like the "Roast chicken!?!" scene and the elvish rope, but that goes without saying, I bet you'll all think.

You beg... I mean you ask so nicely :) Oh yes, I ask, or beg, or even grovel on occasion! :o :o It's worth it, in this case! Thank you so much, (((Blossom))). What a lovely gif(t)! :k


***Clicks on the link again, is lost to the world for quite some time****

OK... you guys are too fast for me... I was going to add this, the other 'secret Sam smile' - which I knew was giffed before but I can't for the life of me find it - for comparison but couldn't find it and had to take time to make one. I am sure BB has this somewhere too but my filing system leaves much to be desired...

Smile (http://www.frodosharem.org/Pics/sss.gif)

Edit: You are most certainly welcome, Maeglian!

Ariel

(((Dear Faculty)))... Those of you who do not fear spoilers and reviews... Do you already know about this " diminutive Uma Thurman" thing from the Variety Review? :D :D :D I don't remember last time when I laughed so much! I would say this is a new word in the EW research! hehehe poor boy ;)


REVIEW SPOILERS BELOW








This is from Variety Review (the LOVE the movie) about Frodo and our dear boy's acting in ROTK:

[i]In a way new to the trilogy, the emotional momentum surges along with the physical action. After early ambivalence over his responsibility for the Ring, Frodo grows into the job; (...)

To greater effect than he has at any point in the three films, Jackson cuts among different sets of activity, the most spectacular being the battle and the most emotionally intense being Frodo's painful, inch-by-inch journey. The trip, which requires perilous climbing up slippery twisting stairs, is marked (...) by the most frightening episode in the entire trilogy -- Frodo's and, subsequently, Sam's face-offs with an enormous Spider. (...)

Frodo's eventual arrival at the bowels of Mount Doom is charged not only with physical but a sort of spiritual agony that triggers hesitation of nearly fateful consequences. (...)

Similarly, certain members of the cast take advantage of the fresh dramatic opportunities to deepen their characterizations. This is certainly true of Wood, who makes Frodo's new levels of terror, responsibility and pain keenly felt. (At certain feminized moments and from particular angles, he oddly resembles a diminutive Uma Thurman.)












END OF SPOILERS


As for me I'd liketo have a looot of Frodo's close-ups in ROTK. Mr. Lesnie's really loves his fase and knows how to do this face beautifil and spiritual....

from Maeglian
Thank you so much, (((Blossom))). What a lovely gif(t)!
LOL! Took the words right out of my mouth -- only they were better words than I was going to say, so I don't think I should get partial credit. Lovely! :k And just to reiterate for folks who don't have the EE, we don't actually know if Frodo alters his expression when Samwise turns back, because the scene cuts right at the end of Blossom's gif(t). So I'm in deep Secret Sam Smile uncertainty, although I'm inclining toward "the secret is preserved" at this moment. :p

Re Harrison Ford having "no star potential" -- these are the same kind of people who rejected books written by Stephen King, Jane Austen, and Dr. Seuss. What amuses me even more are when folks type up a famous work in manuscript and send it in to current editors. I forget the details, but in this one study they did this with some famous novel (I want to say A Tale of Two Cities, but that would be altogether too appalling). Every single editor rejected it on some ridiculous basis -- except for one, who wrote a tongue-in-cheek response where she stated that she believed said work was already published. ;) So 60 to 80 current-day editors displayed their total ignorance of literature -- yet selecting literature is their entire job. It makes one shudder.

Well, everyone has already said what I was going to say :p, so I'll just add this.

Sometime in the last two years, when I wasn't looking, our little hobbit boy got all growed up. And that's surprising, considering how intently I've been looking for the past two years ... :o

http://home.ricochet.com/mdes/limages/growdup.jpg

I tell you, in that "Original Frodo and Sam" pic, he looks like a baby! (HR just posted it over in Goonies as one of her countdown pics...)

ZKgrumpy said:
Does anyone else get the feeling that everyone on that movie fell a little bit in love with Elijah Wood?

There is a wonderful quote by C.S. Lewis (which I can't quote verbatim, because I can't locate it at the moment) where he talks about learning to love someone you find difficult. He says that you must behave as though you love the person, spend time with them, do them favors, pray for them. Eventually, and perhaps rather sooner than you might expect, you will find that you do indeed love that person.

In the case of Sam, he already liked Frodo, and thought he and Mr. Bilbo very wise. So it should come as not surprise, that over the course of the journey, in taking care of Frodo and making sacrifices to protect Frodo (leaving Bill the pony outside the Mines of Moria, for example) that he came to love Frodo. I saw a quote somewhere by Sean, where he said that the love Frodo and Sam shared was of a deep spiritual, platonic nature that most 21st century people have forgotten exists. I think that describes it very well.

It is a natural conclusion for me then, that Sean Astin in particular "fell a little bit in love" with Elijah. What with getting his keys for him when he'd locked himself out of his apartment, sitting in the backseat even though it meant getting ash in his eyes, etc. one could say it would have been a bit on an occupational hazzard! :D

Of course this would have been one of those "metrosexual puppy love" type things, at least in Sean's case. And if he didn't fall a bit in love with Elijah, then he didn't do his job right, IMHO! The bond of fellowship the whole cast seems to have formed would have been similarly influenced by the story, because amongst all the war etc. it really is a story about love.

Somebody posted a link to an article where Sean and Elijah talking about "brothery mushy stuff." I forgot to bookmark it so I can read it later, after I've seen the movie. Would you be so kind as to post it again?

Honey!

Feeling much worse today, especially headache, so I read through latest posts (not really remembering what I've read :o )but otherwise am just here to drop off the link to the one new EJW page I've put on the website for December--some interesting acting from, believe it or not, Deep Impact: Going Back for Sarah (http://www.frodolivesin.us/id206.htm)

The flu in a strange way made me post the December updates earlier--I was hoping to get some LotR screencaps ready this weekend, but that ain't gonna happen, so I just published what I'd finished already. Maybe later...

A couple of new pages on the JRRT "side" of the site--probably best to go in through the homepage for those (just click on the www at the bottom of the post. ;)

Carry on :) !!

Ariel, Blossom, thank you SO MUCH for the cap and the gifs -having to tear self away from them to write this :)

Mariole, you're an angel. :k Will try Paint next time. [Having trouble resizing and, um, skewing the vertical :o with other programs.]
And thank you too for those lovely caps of smiling hobbit boy. Admit still often have trouble distinguishing young Elwood from older Elwood (apart from hairstyle etc.), but am prepared to be convinced he's aged. But tell me - where/when was the one on the left taken? Elwood there looks identical to the live Elwood I've just been watching on Wetten dass ..., which is rerunning on VHS tape in the background as I write. Same hair, same orange shirt, same tie (?), and the CTJ is back too! :D :)

The show is a total blast and Elwood clearly had a great time - quite apart from looking and being his most charming self. [Am clearly condemned to be a Wetten dass ... fan in future :D ] The show goes out live on the German TV channel ZDF, from a football stadium with an audience of about 10000 - including lots of Elijah fans, it seems! - and lasts THREE HOURS - no wonder it only takes place once a month or so. And the legendary show host, Thomas Gottschalk, runs the entire thing from start to finish. Will try to give you a complete run-down tomorrow. Meanwhile, here's an Elwood interview from earlier today:
interview (http://www.zdf.de/ZDFde/inhalt/29/0,1872,2087677,00.html) (click on interview button on right)

Dammit, a friend called me from Freiburg this evening and told me he was just walking past the hotel where Elwood is staying!! If he gets to see him I'll lie on a bed of nails for a month in penance for not going there - it's only 3 hours away, after all.... :rolleyes:

PS Tg, hope you're better soon ........

(((((tg))))) feel better soon!! I will be over at your site shortly. :) I thought of you when I saw on the cover of a magazine today a headline that read something like: "Why Omaha rocks!"

serena, that interview is lovely! thanks so much for the link! (I wonder how much deja vu there is for EW having conversations with lovely German ladies?) What a sport!

Loving the caps and the gifs, friends. Don't stop!! If someone can post or download that For Your Consideration image, I would be mighty grateful. I can't get to it for some reason.

Thanks!

Gee, not a single story about fake poo! How come we don't get interviews like that in the US?? :::: grumble grumble ::::

I got my copy of "All I Want" today. Haven't watched it yet. I don't think I can handle teen angst at 1 am. So I'm watching West Wing (great improvement - liberal angst instead <g>)

::::: grumble grumble gripe kid angst flicks grumble grumble gripe grumble :::::

OK. Spoil me cuz I'm not gonna buy or watch the movie. What happened to his character in Deep Impact?

Migraine is gone, thank <insert name of benificent deity>. Snow is melted, leaving a lovely sheet of ice.

I went to the Revels in DC today; Christmas/Solstice program put on since 1970's. It marks the beginning of the Christmas season for me. Someone had a digital camera or PDA or something with ROTK movie trailer on it. I just about crawled over three rows to see it. Went to dinner afterwards with friends - Conversation? LOTR - Pro-war, pacifist, or neither? Frodo. Viggo. The books. More Frodo. :)

Elijah's coat at the Hollywood premiere was, IMGLO, a great improvement over the one at the NZ premiere. I guess I just don't like pin stripes. I thought he looked like he was dressing up in his big brother's clothes. He should grow a beard, not a goatee. I think all men should grow beards.

I'm feeling pessimistic about the Academy Awards. If Tom Cruise is making a 100 million dollar movie, that'll sweep the Oscars. I don't think the Academy will ever give many awards to an enormous project done magnificently by a little-known, little-respected zombie-movie director, starring a 17-year-old kid that critics would *love* to dismiss as fluff but haven't been able to (How annoying for them!), that should have failed miserably and been impossible to make. Furthermore, it was made outside the US by a non-US director.

Besides, it seems like Oscars are usually given to movies and actors who clench their jaws a great deal with lots of gritty drama. I just don't see a lot of clenched jaws in LotR.

Kindasorta spoiler:




Even Aragorn doesn't clench his jaw when he rides off to war, though there's a grea deal of grit (especially in Helms Deep). He just rides off to war with that incredible peaceful/resigned I finally-know-where-I-belong expression.




End kindasorta spoiler.

And any of the Hobbits with clenched jaw? Not likely. The closest that I've seen is Frodo setting his chin and saying "What must I do?" in FotR.

I just noticed, btw - In the scene in FotR where Frodo was turning the ring in his fingers in the Prancing Pony, EW's nails are bitten down below the quick (ouch). In the scene under the bank, his nails are nearly normal length, though they look bitten. What happened? Was the Prancing Pony scene made later? Does EW knaw his nails down to the nubs as a film progresses? I used to bite my nails like that - took me years to stop. Poor baby.

I guess I really am ~grumpy tonight :) I think I'd better go to bed. 'Night! :)

~grumpy

First magazine of Asia has a wonderful interview with Elijah Wood. It includes some stories I've heard recently, but is so full of respect and so forward-looking that I found it a delight. I didn't read anything about ROTK, but just the Elijah parts, and they are spoiler free. Here's a sample heart-warming quote, following Elijah gushing over some band he likes that he just found out knew he was a fan:

As you watch this start-struck young man give a victorious pump with his clenched fist, as you recall him blowing his nose with honking gusto midway through the interview and as you appreciate his effort to remain enthusiastic even though this is one of his last interviews at the end of a very long day, you cannot but wish the irreverent, irrepressible, and indefatigable Elijah Wood well as he moves into his post-Rings career.
The whole article is scanned here at TORn, but it does contain ROTK spoilers that you'll have to read around. Elijah's interview starts on page 6 -- just follow the yellow columns: http://www.theonering.net/scrapbook/group/1209/

Honey, the "brotherly mushy stuff" may have come from this page, where a Sean Astin interview is transcribed. CAUTION: SOME MILD ROTK SPOILERS (probably okay if you've read the book): http://www.lordoftherings.net/legend/interviews/seanastin/

Serena, the Elwood pic on the left was taken probably just a day or two before his Wetten dass appearance. The one on the left is from the LA press conference held the day after the premiere (I believe?), and the one on the right is from the LA premiere itself. I put Young!Frodo in the middle for ease of comparison. To me, his features look much softer, less angular from his cheekbones to chin, with more "baby fat" (or so it seems) in his face. You can also tell in the older ones that he needs to shave now and again. I think he had probably 17 facial hairs when they started filming (well, maybe 22...) I am so looking forward to your report tomorrow! :k (Er, I don't think you need a bed-of-nails penance when you live 3 hours away. Now, if you were only 30 minutes away and didn't see him, well, bring out the torture rack! :p)

peaceweaver, because the For Your Consideration pic is an ROTK spoiler (not quite the Pieta), I'm attaching it as a link: http://home.ricochet.com/mdes/limages/4ycons2.jpg

For grumpy to read in the morning: Elijah bit his nails to nothing all through LOTR. The hands that you see under the bank when the Black Rider goes after him were put in later -- they're stunt hands, as it were. I'm not sure whose, but I heard they are PJ's. The "Wooded Road" scene you describe was filmed the first day. The Bree sequence was early, but a couple of weeks later.

* Settles Tg down in a roomy, well-padded armchair. Brings her a comfy pillow for her head, and a nice cushion for her feet, in case she wants to prop them on the footstool. Drapes a nice soft blankey over her and hands her a fragrant cup of hot tea. Bolts from the room to gaze at Leo going back for Sarah, leaving only a dust trail...*

HALLO GUYS HOPE YOU ALL FELL WELL TODAY!!!!!

Isaw new line pushing elijah (alone this time) for best actor
hurray!!! i hope they dont change ther minds again.
Anybody who news where to read rewies, i have these silly
needs of reading such silly stoff.I allready now in my heart
the movie will be mindblowing as the other two(only this will
be even better, ihope)!!:k :D :rolleyes: ;) :p

Hej, or hallo! to you, too, Wood!
If you want to read English Language reviews, I'd say theonering.net is a good place to start for lots of links to reviews. For Swedish reviews, I'd use Google search unless some Swedish paper has links from their review to others?


Mariole, thanks for the First magazine scans link. Contains new and very good versions of already-know pics of both Frodo and Sam. Ant the interview is nice. Billy and Dom wrote a role for Elijah in the comedy they've been working on for (it seems) a long time? I didn't know that.


Tg, hope you'll be feeling better soon! And the "going back for Sarah" analysis: I think noone but you could have managed to pinpoint so much subtle and interesting acting in a scene and in a film that to me unfortunately will remain little more than "Über-emotional soap opera with a significantly-bigger-than-usual SFX budget".


Serena, thanks for the interview link, and I'm looking forward to the "Wetten dass...." run-down! :)
I happened to see the news from the Wellington premiere on a German channel some days ago. They interviewed this German couple (I hesitate to guess at their ages, but they were well out of their tweens). The two of them had flown in to Wellington to be in the Premiere crowd. She was dressed in full Frodo early-quest get-up, curly dark hair, Ring, and all. He was in ditto Sam clothes. They were so......cute, and so serious about being serious fans!


About jaw-clenching in RotK.... I think there is certainly *some* jaw clenching? Frodo clenches his jaw several times, notably on the river bank when he decides to go on alone? But it *is* very, very different from standard Hollywood hero fare, in that the jaw-clenching hero doesn't do so to steel himself for big-time physical fights and bravado, and for coming out the obvious victor, but rather just prepares for a relentless internal struggle that will slowly see him lose. And he cries and grieves a whole lot more than 10 "normal" Hollywood heros put together.

Oh, how I love Elijah's emotional Frodo! :)

Originally posted by Maeglian
About jaw-clenching in RotK.... I think there is certainly *some* jaw clenching? Frodo clenches his jaw several times, notably on the river bank when he decides to go on alone? But it *is* very, very different from standard Hollywood hero fare, in that the jaw-clenching hero doesn't do so to steel himself for big-time physical fights and bravado, and for coming out the obvious victor, but rather just prepares for a relentless internal struggle that will slowly see him lose.

LOL! Maeg, you put it so well! And it's especially noticeable amongst TV actor heroes. It's almost as much a trademark as the 'gaze intensely into someone else's face for a full minute of close-up whilst swirly music plays' scene technique. :p :D

Actually the lack of jaw-clenching in LotR was something I noticed too, and the fact Elijah doesn't use jaw-clenching as an acting method has always been something I'm grateful for. ;)

Blossom and Ariel - THANK YOU! Still in the process of downloading the gifs but I know I'm in for a real treat, aren't I? :) Ariel, that cap is just so splendidly perfectly Frodo. That's his Thank You to Faramir? At the end? He doesn't say anything? Well, with a look like that he wouldn't need to actually say anything, would he. swoon

Mariole, thanks for the added info 'bout the Secret Sam Smile. :)

(((((grumpy))))))) Glad to know your migraine has gone away. And yup, those were stand-in hands. Most close-ups of items or hands or anything not involving the principle actor's face would be shot by the second unit, with stand-ins in place. Saves time for everyone, but it does mean that anytime we try speculating about a close-up of a person's hands we run into the risk that it's not the real fellow's hands! :p

(((((tg))))))) Feel better soon.

peaceweaver, this ad isn't the one you're asking about - I'm at home now and can't open the page either, at least not on a slow home connection. If no one else does it, I'll try to get a screencap for you when I'm back at work.

This ad is actually for the writing team, but I love that they would use that quote. I'm so gonna be in for the most angst-ridden ride of my life. ;)

SPOILER FOR ROTK

For Your Consideration ad (http://img-nex.theonering.net/images/scrapbook/orig/10692_orig.jpg)

Just a quickie: zdf now has some of "the nicest pictures" from last night's Wetten dass show. Click on the pic of Elijah with both hands in the air! He was totally adorable in this show (OK, so what's new?) and got to meet some lovely women too, to his (and their) obvious delight. It's going to take me ages to write it up, Mariole and Maeg .... doing my best!
wetten dass pics - and that interview again (http://www.zdf.de/ZDFde/inhalt/21/0,1872,2084821,00.html)

Thanks for the Variety ROTK review quote, Rikka. Sounds like our boy made some impression there!!!:)

Mariole - that First interview was delightful. Thanks for that, and for the comparison of the young and (slightly) older Elijahs.

serena - the Wetten dass Elijah interview was much more interesting than Jay Leno. Was it just the interview that Elijah did, or did he get involved in anything else during the show?

Maeg and ainon - I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Frodo's jaw-clenching moment on the riverbank in Fellowship. Maeg - your interpretation of that sad but determined Fro as he '... prepares for a relentless internal struggle...' is perfect. I swear we - well, those of us with eyes to see - know what Frodo is thinking and feeling in that scene, and he doesn't utter a word! During one of the commentaries for FOTR EE, Rick Porras remarked how amazing Elijah was when they filmed this. I don't recall his exact words, but he raved about how Elijah was crying and giving this incredible performance with the camera only inches from his face. Again - how does he DO that?

Anyway, what I really popped in here for was to remind UK Facultiers that there are a couple of ROTK documentaries scheduled over the next few days - only on satellite TV, I'm afraid. Here are the details:


TODAY - SUNDAY 7TH DEC
National Geographic channel - 10.00pm
Lord Of The Rings: Beyond. John Rhys-Davies looks at how Tolkien's stories of Middle Earth echo some of history's great heroes and intriguing conflicts. Who is the real Frodo?

Repeated on National Geographic + at 11.00pm.

Repeated on
MONDAY 8TH DEC
National Geographic channel - 1.00am: 11.00am and 4.00pm.
Programme as above.

Repeated on
National Geographic + - 2.00am: 12.00pm and 5.00pm.
Programme as above.

WEDNESDAY 10TH DEC
ITV 2 - 10.30pm.
The Quest Fulfilled. Behind the scenes making of The Return Of The King.

Repeated SATURDAY 13TH DEC at 4.45pm.

It's the UK premiere on Thursday 11th Dec.
LESS THAN 2 WEEKS to go before ROTK hits the cinemas!

GET WELL SOON TG!:)

Bye.

Just wanted to drop in hugs for (((((tgshaw))))) and my wishes that the 'flu will pass swiftly. Probably best to have it now and be recovered for the film.

(There's lots of 'flu in the UK at the moment, too ... mine cleared up quite quickly, thankfully).

Sorry - back to Faculty business ...

Maeg and ainon - I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Frodo's jaw-clenching moment on the riverbank in Fellowship.
Maeg - your interpretation of that sad but determined Fro as he '... prepares for a relentless internal struggle...' is perfect.



I have to check again (Oh, the torture!!!) but did he really clench his jaw there or in the "What must I do?" scene? The closest, on perusal of that one, is Fr*d*'s chin getting very determined. IIRC in the riverbank scene, he almost looked more bitter than sad or determined - "I know what I have to do and I absolultely hate it". (Danged Borimir) :::: sniffle snorch sniffle ::::

...and his determined chin is always in conflict with the vulnerability of those not-digitally-enhanced eyes.

nyway, what I really popped in here for was to remind UK Facultiers that there are a couple of ROTK documentaries scheduled over the next few days - only on satellite TV, I'm afraid. Here are the details:

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! :::: frantically runs around in circles in soggy melting snow in front yard waving hands and trying to construct satellite dish from snowman and aluminum pie plates and aluminum foil ::::

I had to give up DirectTV when I moved into this house 3 years ago because of the tall, beautiful, half-century-old (or older) oak and beech trees in my back yard (Oh the angst!). So I'm stuck with cable. So I'm outta luck!

Wait - you said UK. Is it showing in the US? Does anyone this side of the Puddle know?

Re: Latest "For Your Consideration" pic: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! ::: sniffle sniffle ::: (Was that a spoiler?))

I gave into temptation last night and went to bed late but a whole lot less grumpy than I was. :) I put the "All I want" (aka Try Seventeen) dvd in the machine and flipped through scenes. And flipped through scenes. And about fell off my chair laughing. Oh dear! This looks like a *delightful* movie! Fantasies, embarrassing adolescent situations, Easy Rider where the music dies as his bike does - Fr*d* never looked so scared of a Ringwraith as Jones did when the bed jiggled. I'm still giggling. I'll have to go through and watch it properly today. That is, if I'm good and make good progress on chores.

Eyebrows. Lots of eyebrows. ;)

~grumpy (Uma Thurman indeed)

Originally posted by zkgrumpy
I have to check again (Oh, the torture!!!) but did he really clench his jaw there or in the "What must I do?" scene? The closest, on perusal of that one, is Fr*d*'s chin getting very determined. IIRC in the riverbank scene, he almost looked more bitter than sad or determined - "I know what I have to do and I absolultely hate it". (Danged Borimir) :::: sniffle snorch sniffle ::::

...and his determined chin is always in conflict with the vulnerability of those not-digitally-enhanced eyes.

Frodo doesn't so much "clench" his jaw as he "sets" his jaw--in fact, his mouth isn't always completely closed when he does it. It's such a subtle thing that it's hard to see in a still (you almost have to see the movement itself to catch it), but he moves his lower jaw slightly off to the side:

http://www.frodolivesin.us/4deefd10.jpg

And that's about all the energy I have right now... Thanks for the cyber hugs and the cyber tea :) .

Serena, thank you once more for the link. Those pictures! He was interviewed together with Katarina Witt, and danced (?) or performed with Kylie Minogue?
....did he really clench his jaw there or in the "What must I do?" scene? The closest, on perusal of that one, is Fr*d*'s chin getting very determined. Mariooooole, are you here? We need the jaw and chin expert of the Faculty to clear up this utterly fascinating issue! :::: frantically runs around in circles in soggy melting snow in front yard waving hands and trying to construct satellite dish from snowman and aluminum pie plates and aluminum foil ::::LOL! Just tell me it *nearly* worked, and I wouldn't rule out that you may see me do the same, next time a foreign TV show is mentioned here, featuring LotR stuff or EJW.
From ainon
That's his Thank You to Faramir? At the end? He doesn't say anything? Well, with a look like that he wouldn't need to actually say anything, would he. swoon LOL - I just *had* to quote that last word of yours, too, there. Hope you don't mind. It was my exact reaction too, you know. But in the cause of absolute truth, I have to add: He does actually say "Thank you".
(Although those two words will also be the first that pop into many a viewer's mind when she sees the scene, of course, irrespective of anything Frodo and Faramir have to say.)

PS: I'm trying to figure out your new avatar, but I'm not sure what it is? :o Is my eyesight getting poorer due to over-perusal of web pages and DVDs? :eek:


Edit: Tg, you posted while I was writing. "Not clenching, but setting", is the answer.... but isn't there more after that, with further clenching, setting? Perhaps I should go check.....

Best wishes for a speedy recovery! :)

Originally posted by tgshaw
Frodo doesn't so much "clench" his jaw as he "sets" his jaw--in fact, his mouth isn't always completely closed when he does it. It's such a subtle thing that it's hard to see in a still (you almost have to see the movement itself to catch it), but he moves his lower jaw slightly off to the side:

http://www.frodolivesin.us/4deefd10.jpg


Mmmmmmm that has always been one of my very fave FOTR scenes ... and I too have always stated to myself and others that Elijah "sets" his jaw .... OMG it is the most beautiful sexy look ... well all his looks are beautiful and sexy but that look tops the lot. The firm, masculine set of his jaw .... oh my :D :k

There is another picture I saw in a Torn magazine article. It shows Frodo's face in half darkness. It is towards an angle, and he looks very determined. I even thought I saw an eyebrow raised on the lighted side of his face! anyway, it was a determined look. Like Gollum was about to get either yelled at or punched (out). :D

I've been enjoying all the duscussion of the "secret Sam smile" but I've a question. Thanks to the posters of the pics and gifs. At the beginning of the Two Towers, when Sam is talking about "this elvish stuff isn't bad," and Frodo responds "nothing dampens your spirits, does it Sam?" is that not a "Sam smile?" And does Sam not witness it? Frodo makes no attempt to conceal it! What makes a "Sam smile" secret? Is it not a Sam smile if dirrected at Sam? :confused:

Anyway, I've the perfect moment for the "Sam smile" to be revealed to the catalyst for it. (Sam)

TTT Book Spoilers, (For those who haven't read it yet.)



""Gently he smoothed the hair back from Frodo's brow, and bending down, spoke softly to him.

" 'Wake up, Mr. Frodo! Wake up!'

"Frodo stirred and opened his eyes, and smiled, seeing Sam's face bending over him....

End Book spoilers

Don'tcha think? :)

Oh

Honey!

I think of it as a look of relief. It's as if Frodo realizes that he is not Superhobbit and needs some help. I think it has to do with the personality differences and the age difference. Isn't Frodo old enough to be Sam's teenage father in the book? Is that the age difference?

A very quick post to drop off some gifs relating to recent Frodo clenched/set jaw - secret Sam smile discussion.

Riverbank (http://www.imagemagician.com/images/blossom/Leaving.gif)

Looking at it again it isn't a clenched jaw, or even a set jaw really - but I still think Frodo's expression here is sad and determined. He knows what he must do, he's made his decision, and steels himself for the task he believes he must attempt alone.

WhatMustIDo? (http://www.imagemagician.com/images/blossom/WhatMustIDo.gif)

No clench here I think.

And finally:

SamSmile (http://imagemagician.com/images/blossom/EmynMuil.gif)

He's certainly looking at Sam. I'm not sure it's a 'secret Sam smile' though. Is there a subtle difference between a 'secret' smile when Sam isn't looking at Frodo, and a 'normal' Frodo smile. There's also the 'My dear Sam' smile at the beginning of TT, where Sam is looking at Frodo as he smiles. Is this the same as the Sam smile in the gif above? Mmmm...???

Before I go, wood (thank you, thank you) has posted a quote from a ROTK review over in the ROTK Spoiler thread relating to Elijah's performance. It's by a fan, but what he/she says is what we all know. He/she appears to appreciate Elijah's talent in much the same way as all of us here do. It is very encouraging.

I still believe our boy will be overlooked as far as honours due are concerned.:confused:

Honey - Oh how I love your suggestion for the perfect Sam smile moment.:)

hi again!
i dont think he? really was a fan of elijah but a fan of lotr
but if the case this rewier whas really an objektiv one whasen it.
i mean if i was going to rewie elijah iwill say hi the best actor in the world in every movie hi makes!!!!!!

peaceweaver, here it is: screencap of New Line page (http://img4.photobucket.com/albums/0603/ainon/NewLineforyourconsideration.JPG)


Originally posted by Maeglian
LOL - I just *had* to quote that last word of yours, too, there. Hope you don't mind. It was my exact reaction too, you know. But in the cause of absolute truth, I have to add: He does actually say "Thank you".

Yeah, I got Blossom's gif downloaded and managed to see that. Thank you, Blossom. :k

(Although those two words will also be the first that pop into many a viewer's mind when she sees the scene, of course, irrespective of anything Frodo and Faramir have to say.)

Aye. :)

Meanwhile, about that avatar, no, Maeg don't worry! It's not you! It's me being too lazy to make any changes after I'd uploaded the little kitty. ;)

http://img4.photobucket.com/albums/0603/ainon/kucing.JPG

I know it's much too small for an avatar, but it's just soooo cute. Well. When you know what it is. :p

As for the poster I got, it's the final RotK movie poster, with Frodo and Sam, and Arwen and Aragorn, and Gandalf and Gollum. All of 'em look good. I'm actually thinking I will have to cough up the cash to frame it up, because how could I not?!

Originally posted by BLOSSOM
I still believe our boy will be overlooked as far as honours due are concerned.:confused:

Don't give up, yet! But I suppose the consolation is that if he doesn't make the final list it's because the Best Actor field is pretty crowded this year with very admirable actors doing great work ... at risk of being kicking out of the Faculty :eek: I have to admit that even if Elijah were nominated (which would be the joy of all joys!) I probably wouldn't take it too hard either if he lost to one of the other actors. Rather, just imagine the wonderful honour it'd be to have Elijah is the same list as all those remarkable actors!

Anyway, Timothy Hutton was 19 when he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. We'll assume it's not too far-fetched to allow young Elijah to win Best Actor. ;)

serena, I forgot to thank you for that link! :)

And Blossom, thank you :k once again for giving us these new gifs. I'm downloading 'em now!

:handing over a bowl of hot chicken soup to tg: ((((tgshaw))))

ainon, that's a wonderful picture of your "jungle cat"! How adorable!

Also am loving the gifs posted on the page before. Epecially Frodo on the shore, making up his mind to go off to Mordor alone. No matter how many times I see FOTR, I still get misty-eyed during that scene.:o :rolleyes: When Gandalf's voice-over begins and Frodo's face expresses that subtle surprise and changes to dawning determination.....an absolutely sublime, beautiful bit of acting---I mean, channeling Frodo. ;)

It does my heart good to see New Line promoting Elijah for Best Actor. If he were to be nominated, I'd be ecstatic. No hope of him winning IMO; there aren't enough 'eyes to see that can' in Hollywood. Still, one never knows!

ADDED:

What the ding-dong-hey is the boy *doing*? A *MOHAWK*? On his *HOOD*? A gratuitous belly-button shot?

I liked the line "...a sprite of a man with eager eyes...". :)

http://www.theonering.net/scrapbook/group/1214



Anyway, Timothy Hutton was 19 when he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. We'll assume it's not too far-fetched to allow young Elijah to win Best Actor. ;)

I think Elijah did something unprecedented in playing a lead character in a three-character arc, making it believable, and showing a consistent progression in character development (or dissolution, in Frodo's case). If you look at the original Star Wars trilogy, all of the lead actors (except for Yoda and Darth Vader's voice - James Earl Jone's voice is unchangeable) changed tremendously. IIRC, by the third movie, Carrie Fisher was having a lot of trouble personally, and she looked it. Mark Hamil and Ford looked their ages. (And I never figured out how Han Solo got his jacket off while he was frozen).

Peter Jackson and New Line took a big risk making all three movies at once, but it allowed character development, rather than having to work around physical changes in the actors.

Also, from what various articles/ppl have said, the movie was shot in little tiny bits. I think it all fit together beautifully. I still can't believe that Jackson pulled it off - organizing zillions of tiny little shots into a monumental set of movies.

In any case, I cannot believe that Elijah's accomplishment, no matter how young he is or what other movies were made this year, isn't award-worthy. Or Jackson's. Or Sean's. If they don't award this accomplishment accordingly, then I just have no words for them. Harrumph.

ADDED:

I have hope!!!

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3538388&thesection=entertainment&thesubsection=film&reportid=56531

Another epic filmed in New Zealand hit United States cinemas at the weekend, and while The Last Samurai made a killing at the box office, it took a pasting in the reviews.

Also added:
OH MY <insert name of benificent deity here>!!!!! :::: melting ::::

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/pics/r08frodo_and_gadriel.JPG

~grumpy (but how did Sam stay chubby unless he was sneaking Lembas when Frodo was asleep?)

This isn't very research-like, I'm sure (unless you hook me up to some kind of device to register emotional responses by means of physical reactions such as pulse and the like) but I think the easiest way for me to identify a secret Sam smile is by judging my own reaction: The undisputed secret Sam smiles make me melt into a puddle, and smile fondly, and sigh. Whereas those couple of smiles where Sam actually *sees* Frodo's smile, instead makes my heart clench a little with pity, worry and compassion. The smile when Frodo says "Nothing dampens your spirits" is a good example of the latter reaction. While Honey's proposed new secret Sam smile scene would *totally* lead to the former reaction.

My posts seem to be getting more ... uhm, subtly scientific every day...... or not. :rolleyes:


ainon, awww! Cute jungle kitten! :) :)


Blossom, having studied your new gifs ( :) ) I think I agree even more with tg: Elijah doesn't *clench* his jaw, he just sets or firms it a bit. And with spectacular effect.


Elijah and Oscar - I'll wait to say more about that till I see RotK. By all accounts I've read, (non-spoilery ones!) the jury is out on his performance,- some like it, some don't - I'm looking forward to seeing it for myself. (Who am I kidding!?! I'm freaking out that it's still 9 looong days to go!) But I'm very, very happy that New Line is promoting him for "Best Actor".


Dear Faculty, I'll be away from the board for some days now for RL reasons. Perhaps it'll be for the best.... every time I think of how at least 4 people who post here at KD have seen RotK (Ezzie, Euro, Shadow and Karadin), and how much they're certain to have posted about it here or on their LJs afterwards, my hand moves, seemingly of its own volition, before I manage to regain control and *not* click on the relevant threads and links. :o

from Maeglian:
He was interviewed together with Katarina Witt, and danced (?) or performed with Kylie Minogue?

He sure did. No, correct that: he flirted with Katarina and was hugged by Kylie.

Oh, OK, he flirted with her too.

Here is part of the evidence:

http://www.zdf.de/ZDFde/img/19/0,1886,2256435,00.jpg

To find out what exactly they are doing, see attachment!

(They've added even more pics to the Wetten dass site since I last looked! Still here (http://www.zdf.de/ZDFde/inhalt/21/0,1872,2084821,00.html)
There is yet another I wish they would include - I may email ZDF about it :D ;) ) Again, see attachment for the full story (as I saw it anyway). Strictly speaking the attachment is probably Hugs Haven material, but it does mention acting. Honest. So that's OT, right? Good. Thought so. (Will put small message in Hugs Haven too, just to be sure.)

Blossom, thank you once again for the glorious gifs! Can't look at them too often - have to keep reaching for the tissues ....

Am I alone in fearing I'm becoming really dangerously obsessed, to the point of ignoring vital things like sleeping and staying alive as well as just work? (Oops!) Anyone else feel like that? To prove I'm not an addict (and I'm not, really I'm not) I'm going to refrain from any more posting until I get back from NZ, by which time will need a month to catch up with you all. *clenches jaw resolutely*
Well, almost refrain. Unless I really have to write something. You know how it is.

Just as well I'm going to be computerless right after ROTK. I may just survive. Just.
But I really will miss you all! (((((Faculty)))))
May your post-ROTK joy be boundless :)
Love,
serena

Blossom, thanks once more for the delightful gifs that decorate my desktop and keep me company while I'm working. :k

For honeyelf, FWIW, here is Mariole's take on the Overt vs Secret Sam Smile. In the Overt (specifically directed at Sam) version, Frodo indeed is expressing fondess, but with a difference that Maeglian and Blossom have commented upon. To me it's his "public" face -- he knows Sam is watching, so he's going to express (for lack of a better term) a politically correct version of his fondness or appreciation. It is designed to encourage, reassure, touch base, etc. Whereas the "Secret" Sam Smile is a private affair. He knows Sam won't be looking, so he can reveal just how very much he appreciates this friend. It's more gentle, more fond, and has a twinkle of condescending humor -- a kind of, "Oh, isn't Sam so cute!" that a pet owner might feel when, say, the cat trips when it tries to jump onto the coffee table, then attempts to walk away as if nothing had happened. Frodo wants to encourage Sam, so this kind of patronizing expression (however fond) would be entirely out of place.

from ainon
just imagine the wonderful honour it'd be to have Elijah is the same list as all those remarkable actors!
Word, ainon. I'm inclined to agree with Goldie and others that a lot of people don't "get" Elijah's acting -- whether due to its naturalness, subtlety, or just because he looks too durned "pretty". I think that inability to appreciate his craft is actually more of an impediment than his youth. But I would be delighted if he were nominated. Based on how he totally blew me away in FOTR before I knew who he was -- how my infatuation followed his art, not his face -- the guy's got something special. I would be delighted to have it recognized.

from Maeglian
Elijah and Oscar - I'll wait to say more about that till I see RotK.
Trying to spring logic on us, are you? ;) You're right, of course. I want to form my own opinion when I see this little flick-i-poo. ((((Maeglian)))) We'll miss you! :k

from zkgrumpy
A *MOHAWK*? On his *HOOD*?
I prefer to think of it as a pony's mane, myself. I personally think that's an adorable pic. I don't understand the belly-button shot, but for me no explanation is required. I am quite content to let it be. However, wrestling with the wicker chair did cause me a few moments of puzzlement...

I love the New Zealand press! I take what they say with a grain of salt, because they're so obviously bustin' their britches with pride, but it's a joy to read all the rave reviews. Go, NZ! (Thanks for the links, Grumpy!)

(but how did Sam stay chubby unless he was sneaking Lembas when Frodo was asleep?)
Grumpy, I am astonished at this fannish lapse. Were you not able to listen to the cast commentary on the TTT EE DVD? (I just had to say that out loud to appreciate all that assonance :p) Samwise and Frodo made it across Mordor fueled by Subway sandwiches. Maybe Sam always ordered his with a lot of cheese. :p

Serena, I just saw your post. You must be the judge of your own obsessed-ness, but I for one would very much miss you if you decided not to post for a while. :( I find that I get along without a computer fine when I'm somewhere else -- traveling, especially -- but when I'm here (I'm a writer and on my computer a lot) I like to check in frequently as a little break. Am I obsessed? Well, let's not go there. :p Bless you for your Wetten dass update. Off to indulge. :k

Oh, OK, mariole, I give in. (Tough job convincing me, eh?) :k

Just had to add this:


http://www.zdf.de/ZDFde/img/31/0,1886,2256287,00.jpg

And the caption is:
Ring free: We call this a clever chat-up line: because Elijah Wood was given one of the original rings from The Lord of the Rings after the film wrapped, our online hostess Mirjam Weichselbraun asked him right after the interview if he would marry her. The American glanced at his agent first, looking slightly embarrassed, and then countered with a line straight out of the movies: "I thought we were just good friends. Let me take you out for dinner first!" We can't wait to see what happens ...
(From yet another Wetten dass site page here (http://www.zdf.de/ZDFde/inhalt/28/0,1872,2087676,00.html) )

PSFrom mariole:
Samwise and Frodo made it across Mordor fueled by Subway sandwiches
ROFL!

Blossom - thank you for making such wonderful gif(t)s!! Oh my ... the jaw-setting is more beautiful each time you watch it. And I am sure this is an old topic, but talking of the Emin Muil one ... you can only see this on the big screen, not in caps, however blown up, or on the TV screen ... but have you all noticed the little crumbs of lembas on Frodo's bottom lip as he smiles "nothing ever dampens your spirits, does it, Sam?" .... oh drooooooll, I want to gently brush them off and kiss ...

Ainon, what a delightful pussycat!

Serena, thank you for all the wonderful wetten dass things ... unfortunately I can't seem to view the clips. :mad:
How exciting though!! :D :k

Whereas the "Secret" Sam Smile is a private affair. He knows Sam won't be looking, so he can reveal just how very much he appreciates this friend. It's more gentle, more fond, and has a twinkle of condescending humor -- a kind of, "Oh, isn't Sam so cute!"


Hmmmmm... kind of, I think. It *was* a bit condescending, but then Frodo was a cut higher in the social structure. I saw it as that, but also that it was so darned easy to set Sam up for lines like "...Rosie knows an idiot when she sees one...". It was teasing. I suspect when Sam thought the events of that evening over, he slowly worked out what Frodo had said.

In the "Samwise the Brave" scene, I saw that not only was Frodo gently amused, but pleased that he had made Sam feel good. In light of where they'd just been, that was important. As the story progressed, though, the "Sam" smile was always heartbreakingly at odds with the suffering in Frodo's eyes. :::: sniffle ::::


that a pet owner might feel when, say, the cat trips when it tries to jump onto the coffee table, then attempts to walk away as if nothing had happened.


...usually after washing vigorously for a few minutes. You *laugh* at your cats? Out loud?!? :eek: You want to have presents of dead mice and crickets in your bed in the morning?!? <g>

Based on how he totally blew me away in FOTR before I knew who he was -- how my infatuation followed his art, not his face -- the guy's got something special. I would be delighted to have it recognized.

My interest followed the same path. I was - um - enthralled - at the Reniassance-angel nature of his face, though (which is why I joined this forum. The first post mentions medieval religious paintings).

I don't understand the belly-button shot, but for me no explanation is required. I am quite content to let it be. However, wrestling with the wicker chair did cause me a few moments of puzzlement...

It suddenly occurred to me that he might be giving us a glimpse of the infamous FotR tattoo. I took it upon myself, at great personal inconvenience, to examine the gratuitous belly-button shot in detail, at high magnification. I can definitely report that although there is a small mole located about the bottom of his rib cage, there is no sign of a tattoo on the front. I can also definitely report that he is an "innie".

Danged kids. You'd think they were too poor to buy belts to keep their pants up above their underwear. Harrumph.

I still haven't figured out the wicker chair picture.


Samwise and Frodo made it across Mordor fueled by Subway sandwiches. Maybe Sam always ordered his with a lot of cheese. :p

ROFL! At least I was only drinking water when I read that!!!

:::: mopping keyboard ::::

~grumpy

Originally posted by zkgrumpy
It suddenly occurred to me that he might be giving us a glimpse of the infamous FotR tattoo. I took it upon myself, at great personal inconvenience, to examine the gratuitous belly-button shot in detail, at high magnification. I can definitely report that although there is a small mole located about the bottom of his rib cage, there is no sign of a tattoo on the front.

Just for the sake of accuracy, in which I am keenly interested, I wish to inform you that the "mole" on his stomach is actually one of the scars from his appendectomy incision. And yes, I am ashamed that I know that.

The tattoo is further down, on his right hip. Please refer to footage from the Tonight Show appearance of December 2002. Rather ashamed I know that, too.

I'll just go sit in the corner now and not say anything.

Grumpy, you are absolutely right about the teasing aspect to Frodo's SSS, and also his pleasure in making Sam feel a bit better at the end of TTT. Thank you for the correction and clarification on this important matter.

You *laugh* at your cats?
As a matter of fact, I do my best to hide it, in my own little Secret Sam Smile. I decided to try to get my cat over his natural self-consciousness by praising and cuddling him when he did something that embarrassed him. As a result, he is completely oblivious about any stupid thing he might do. I can now say that I own the clumsiest cat I've ever seen, but boy, is he happy! Contentment bordering on smug, what a success! :rolleyes:

I can definitely report that although there is a small mole located about the bottom of his rib cage, there is no sign of a tattoo on the front.
Actually (and Hobmom is the expert on this), I believe that "small mole" is the healing remainder of his appendix scar. He had three holes in various locations where they went in for the operation. His tattoo would be lower down, below the waistband on his undies (or in this case, outies). Personal items related to EW's tattoo, scars, and boxer decorations have all been discussed at length in the Hugs thread. :D

Edit: Oops, I see Eldalieva beat me to this. There is no shame in knowing this, Elda. It shows a pleasing dedication to research that is an example to serious students of the Faculty everywhere. :p

Hi Bagendbabe,

Have you tried changing the settings to the right of the "play" button? (- under the [second] pic of Elwood and his new girlfriend Mirjam :D ) The defaults seem to be modem/ISDN and Windows Media (that takes time to load - I thought at first that it wasn't working, but suddenly it did), but you could try choosing Real Video and/or broadband (Breitband) if you have those.

You're right, it is exciting! Elwood clearly is a big star these days, and it is [i]so nice to see him having such a good time on a TV show - and sharing the limelight with people like Kylie (I got the impression he knew her already) and Katarina Witt (whom I'm sure he didn't know) - not to mention Mirjam! They really do run things well on WD. Of course it's very much a family show, so no poo or pee stories, but everyone on it seems to have a ball. And Elijah is so adorably shy with women - I fell about at the way he tried to dodge the question about the ring in the interview. So I hope you get it this time!

And as I seem to be here yet again, it's worth adding that Gottschalk's forfeit of spending the night in jail was a result of betting that people couldn't fill a sports stadium in Freiburg within some really short time - but 5000 of them did get there, including my friend Felix, I believe. Haven't heard yet whether he met Elwood, but I intend to find out!
And centenarian Johannes Heesters was there because, five years ago at the tender age of 95, he had lost a bet and had to promise to come back in five years' time! This time he promised to return in another 5 or even 10 years.
And that show has been running since before Elwood was born.

PS On this page I've just found, Elwood is billed BEFORE Kylie and Katarina:
here (http://www.zdf.de/ZDFde/inhalt/5/0,1872,1000037,00.html)

OK, that really is it - for now :)

Mariole-
Actually (and Hobmom is the expert on this), I believe that "small mole" is the healing remainder of his appendix scar. He had three holes in various locations where they went in for the operation. His tattoo would be lower down, below the waistband on his undies (or in this case, outies). Personal items related to EW's tattoo, scars, and boxer decorations have all been discussed at length in the Hugs thread.

Thank you..yes this is quite my area of expertise...;) :D
You are correct that is not a mole but his appendix scar. We haven't seen the other two scars because ...erm...they are lower down. The tatoo is on his upper right front hip. We have yet to reach accord as to what decorates his boxers. :D

Elda...C'mon why are you hiding? We're all a 'little' obsessed around here. No need to be shy.

Serena, thanks for the WD write up. I printed it up and will read it shortly. Good work!

It is cute how Elijah flirts with all the ladies. This too has been thoroughly discussed in Hugs and is actually due for further re-examination. Anyone remember the pashima scarf incident?

Originally posted by zkgrumpy
Peter Jackson and New Line took a big risk making all three movies at once, but it allowed character development, rather than having to work around physical changes in the actors.
Absolutely--especially since the main action takes place within seven months.

Also, from what various articles/ppl have said, the movie was shot in little tiny bits. I think it all fit together beautifully. I still can't believe that Jackson pulled it off - organizing zillions of tiny little shots into a monumental set of movies.
The one that most amazes me (Elijah mentioned it in either the FotR cast commentary or an interview) is at the very end of FotR--with the Secret Sam Smile and the line "I'm glad you're with me" filmed weeks apart and in two completely different locations, but in the movie separated only by Frodo turning his head. (BTW, I totally agree with the conclusions that have been reached about the difference between the "Sam Smile" and the "Secret Sam Smile" :p .)

In any case, I cannot believe that Elijah's accomplishment, no matter how young he is or what other movies were made this year, isn't award-worthy. Or Jackson's. Or Sean's. If they don't award this accomplishment accordingly, then I just have no words for them. Harrumph.
Award-worthy, yes... But as has been said before, "Not all those who receive awards deserve them, and not all those who deserve awards receive them." :(

I'm looking forward to all the gifs and attachments, especially the Wetten dass material (I've always loved Katarina Witt!) Hopefully by this weekend I'll have the time and energy to check them all out. (I'm feeling guilty that I'm not even trying to get tickets to the extended FotR and TTT showings, but just can't get myself excited enough to do it. I'm feeling much better than I did over the weekend, but will probably stay home from work one more day.)

(but how did Sam stay chubby unless he was sneaking Lembas when Frodo was asleep?)
It's those Harfoot genes, y'know. Nothing like those skinny Fallohides ;) . I've always appreciated that PJ would care enough about book canon to make Sam--as the only non-Fallohide in the bunch--the only "stocky" hobbit in the Fellowship. :)

That lazy Elijah Wood! I just read this bulletin from TORn:
According to Intertain.dk and BT.dk several of the actors listed to attend the premiere on the 14th in Copenhagen have cancelled, among those Liv Tyler, Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood and Sir Ian McKellen. Apparently they have become tired of all the premieres and feel that they need to have a night off.
That shirker Elijah! Let's see what he's been up to lately:

11/19: MTV's TRL with Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd
11/20: begin Canadian tour w/ Billy Boyd and Andy Serkis; MuchMusic's MuchOnDemand TV show
11/21: TSN's SportsDesk Off the Record with Billy Boyd and Andy Serkis
11/22: Toronto media blitz
11/23: Ontario Radio station The Edge interview
11/24: Neiman Marcus department store event in Beverly Hills, Calif
11/26: arrives NZ and begins premiere media blitz
11/28: Viggo's art exhibit (performs)
12/1: Wellington press conference/parade/premiere night
12/2: Wellington farewell ceremonies
12/3: LA premiere; Tonight Show with Jay Leno
12/5: ROTK Screening Q&A at USC
12/6: Wetten Dass... show in Germany
12/8: begin Sat Night Live writing/rehearsals
12/13: hosting Saturday Night Live
12/17: Late Night with Conan O'Brien (scheduled air date; not sure of recording date)

(Anyone know if he's going to the Berlin or London premieres on the 10th & 11th? I had the impression he was rehearsing for SNL, but can't confirm.)

Of course, this list doesn't count all the TV interviews, magazine articles, and prerecorded promotional snippets that were done earlier in preparation for the promotional tour, or all the myriad of interviews that must have happened during the tour itself. Plus he's had a cold since at least the 2nd. And he has the nerve not to appear at the Demark premiere on the 14th! Hmph! I just may have to reconsider how much respect I want to give this young man. ... Whatever it was before, I don't think it was enough. :o

Itinerary source: TORn news archives, searching for "Wood"

Elijah did say he would be rehearsing SNL all this week which would make travelling to Europe again very awkward.

Just discovered he will also be on Live with Regis and Kelly on Wednesday the 17th as well as on Conan O'Brien. He's a busy little bee.

pushing RL aside to delurk briefly

1.) Please tell me the official catalog of SSS's: my understanding was: the "I'll never get any sleep out here" scene and the end from FOTR and "elvish rope" and the great tales scene from TTT EE DVD (yes, that's fun to say). Is there another contender in the FOTR outside the Green Dragon scene?

2.) My favorite line from the review linked to below (thanks zkgrumpy!):
"Claire Harvey, the Australian: It is cinematic alchemy; as if the film-makers have taken a few paddle-pop sticks and a disposable Esky and created the Death Star." I started to get a little weepy because if Elijah and Jackson and SFX and all on these movies are the "paddle-pop sticks" from which it is created, we are in for quite a treat!! http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3538388&thesection=entertainment&thesubsection=film&reportid=56531

Also, the KD ROTK spoiler thread has some great stuff today with fan reviews and appreciating the movie as such and Elijah's amazing Frodo!


3.) Has anyone seen the FOTR EE in the theatres? I was surprised by three things:
At 8 pm on the dot the movie started, no trailer, I was so surprised (not unpleasantly) it took me until the 9 rings part to focus.
Secondly, the Nazgul scared the **** out of me. I've seen this movie umpteen times and I don't remember ever being scared before. Something about the heightened sound.
Thirdly, there were several slight edits, I suppose for time: some of the removed parts: pauses removed from the first "what to do with the time you are given" and the pauses in the part before "a Balrog of Morgoth". There was also a short Aragorn action sequence in Moria removed. I didn't notice any Frodo edits, though, and I've seen those parts on the DVD much more than any others. :o
Added parts I noticed:
some added lights below Orthanc and blood dripping from Lurtz' mouth in the scene with Saruman.

In Bagend, I started going, huh, I never noticed that, then finally realized there were actual changes.
Anyone else notice or am I just ROTK mad????????

Thanks, ladies, for explaining the "Sam smile" phenomenon.

Maeglian said:The undisputed secret Sam smiles make me melt into a puddle, and smile fondly, and sigh. Whereas those couple of smiles where Sam actually *sees* Frodo's smile, instead makes my heart clench a little with pity, worry and compassion.

Your reaction in both instances mirrors my own, so I'd say that's pretty scientific! ;)

Mariole said:
In the Overt (specifically directed at Sam) version, Frodo indeed is expressing fondess, but with a difference that Maeglian and Blossom have commented upon. To me it's his "public" face -- he knows Sam is watching, so he's going to express (for lack of a better term) a politically correct version of his fondness or appreciation. It is designed to encourage, reassure, touch base, etc. Whereas the "Secret" Sam Smile is a private affair. He knows Sam won't be looking, so he can reveal just how very much he appreciates this friend. It's more gentle, more fond, and has a twinkle of condescending humor -- a kind of, "Oh, isn't Sam so cute!"

Yup, the "secret Sam smile" always seems to occur when Sam has done or said something endearingly hobbity.

I hope my Cable box gets fixed before the 13th. I can't miss Lij on SNL! (A show I'd normally have to be backed into a corner with a fiery brand to be made to watch.)

My copy of Pandemoniumfromamerica arrived over the weekend,-- yes, I ordered it :rolleyes:-- and I finally got a chance to listen to it. The question of whether Elijah can sing, or play piano shall have to remain unanswered as yet. Much of it is atonal, arhythmic, and discordant. This does not mean it is intrinsically stinky though. :D

Did any of you see that weird Adam Sandler movie, "Punch Drunk Love?" Remember the music there? This has the same kind of weird atmospheric feel to it. Sort of like what might happen if you and a group of your more un-inhibited friends rented studio time and noodled around for a while; you might come up with some interesting snippets. There is spoken word stuff from Viggo, including his anti-war poem that appeared at frodoandsam.net for a while.

One thing in particular cracks me up about the liner-notes. The only credits go to buckethead, viggo, billy, dom, elijah, someone named harry (knowles?) and maybe a couple others. No last names! :D

Honey!

from Mariole:
12/5: ROTK Screening Q&A at USC
12/6: Wetten Dass... show in Germany

Mariole, that is positively superhuman! I always suspected he was - and here's the proof. Germany 9 hours ahead of California, and by all accounts he rehearsed for WD beforehand as well as being proposed to by ZDF's online presenter (and who knows who else). I think we should baptise him Superlij :D

PS Ozzy Osbourne was injured yesterday in a quad bike accident on his estate in Hertfordshire. :( Hope not a result of WD overload, and that he's OK.

No wonder Lij is wearing the same clothes at the LA press conference and on 'Wetten dass'. He didn't have time to change!:eek:

Am feeling very very envious of German LOTR (and Frolijah) fans at the moment. They get cool shows with cool hosts who know how to put their equally cool guests at ease, ask good questions, and mix it up so the guests actually have fun interacting with each other. Imagine that!

Here in the U.S., we get Jay Leno.:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Originally posted by Hobmom
Elijah did say he would be rehearsing SNL all this week which would make travelling to Europe again very awkward.

If "They" ask him to do anything outside of NYC any time this week... what I'd do--but I'd be plenty peeved :mad: ]! Hosting SNL is a true Big Deal and needs that entire previous week of preparation. This is a 90-minute live program with scripts that have to be written and rehearsed, and the host is in nearly every sketch (new thing is that the host can now "opt out" of doing a monologue, but I hope Elijah doesn't--could be the best part of the show). The show does have "writers" but judging from what they usually come up with, I want Elijah influencing the entire process as much as possible!

I actually turned on the TV for part of SNL last Saturday, thinking that maybe I'd see some continuing characters that would help me pick up on things this coming week. I was surprised to see not Rev. Al Sharpton on a live show, but "The Best of Steve Martin." Had to find out what was going on (of course :p ), so I went to the web and found out that because Rev. Sharpton is a declared Presidential candidate and the Iowa caucases are coming up so soon, any TV stations that broadcast in or into Iowa pre-empted the live program--and the Omaha stations cover all of southwest Iowa. (To non-U.S. folks, there's an "equal-time" law that says if a TV station gives free time to a political candidate, each opposing candidate can ask to be given an equal amount; during the 1980 & 1984 campaigns, everyone stopped showing old Ronald Reagan movies :rolleyes: . With the number of Democrats running for President at the moment, channel 6 probably wouldn't be able to go back to regular programming until after Christmas :eek: .)

End of political science education :rolleyes: . The upshot of the whole thing is that I found myself on this SNL-fan-run website that posts, among other things, excruciatingly detailed fan reviews of each SNL episode (I do believe they'd understand the Faculty ;) ). After reading reviews of the last live episode, I was glad that I'd been watching the Coneheads, and Steve Martin & dear, departed Gilda Radner doing their Astaire/Rogers act, instead of a current episode*. Let's just say I'm not posting the link because the [i]reviews aren't PG (only because they quote lines from the show)! Far beyond fake poo and peeing in fountains!

One reason I want EJW to be there through the entire process is that I then read reviews of one of the earlier shows in the season and it was much less reliant on bodily functions as a source of "humor" (not that there wasn't any of that...). I have absolutely no doubt that Elijah could write a better script singlehandedly than can the SNL gaggle of "writers," and if the episodes can vary so much in quality I at least want his influence there as much as possible.

The last previous live show was in mid-November, followed by several weeks of re-runs, so I don't know how long it takes for these fans to start posting reviews. I'm keeping an eye open for reviews of Al Sharpton's show, because one thing they comment on is the announcement halfway through the program of who the next week's host is going to be, and they give their feelings on whether the host is going to be good or not. I'd love to know their thoughts on that before I actually see Elijah on the show, but there aren't any current reviews there yet. Rather understandable, given the amount of work that goes into them; one reviewer apologized for not being able to properly review one sketch because her VCR gave out partway through and she had to "rely on memory".

----------

*Any old codgers who care to join me in a lament for the Not Ready for Primetime Players, and the days when SNL was funny and creative (and occasionally even intelligent), step right up :( . Last Saturday I also saw Steve Martin play a medieval barber/bloodletter and a Roman legionnaire--I'm not sure the current crop would even know what those are (although the Roman legionnaire did step in some poo--some things never change ;) ).

Originally posted by tgshaw

*Any old codgers who care to join me in a lament for the Not Ready for Primetime Players, and the days when SNL was funny and creative (and occasionally even intelligent), step right up :( .

*waves hand* One old codger here, lamenting. John, Bill, Dan, Gilda, Jane (you ignorant sl**!) et al, you are greatly missed!

I am so ridiculously nervous about Elwood's appearance on SNL that I'll probably tape it and get the online reactions the next day before watching it. I've cringed over some of the skits on SNL---not because they were tasteless but just because they were so lame---and I've cringed on behalf of guest hosts that I don't even care about. I do care about Elwood. :( The irony here is that no matter what happens, I'm sure he'll have a great time, while I'm at home, dying.

0. ("It's a math thing." -- Maj. Samantha Carter)

ROFLMAO!!!
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/5023564.htm


1. Originally posted by Goldenberry
*waves hand* One old codger here, lamenting. John, Bill, Dan, Gilda, Jane (you ignorant sl**!) et al, you are greatly missed!

:::: thumping cane vigorously ::::

Well, I just don't know what all the fuss is about violins in LotR. Violins are a beautiful instrument, and I think it's ridiculous to complain about violins in movies. Now, what would the Hobbiton scenes, or the Ring theme, be without - what? That's what I said. Violins. Oh, VIOLENCE!

:::: turns to group ::::

Never mind.

(In loving memory of Gilda Radner)

:::: ahem ::::

2. I was driving up Lee Hwy in Arlington (VA) this morning, and all the times I've been up that road, I never noticed "Rivendell School". :)

3. 'Lij's schedule the past couple of weeks: Ah, youth, and the boundless energy thereof! ;)

4. I'm awaiting my copy of Pandawhatever. I have a feeling that 50 years ago, Viggo would have been a beatnik.

5. In the interests of scouting out the enemy ;), I watched History Channel's "History vs. Hollywood" about The Samauri, then the program afterwards about the Samauri. The movie looks good, but the battle scenes look small even compared to Helms Deep. I suspect that Helms Deep will look small compared to Pellenor Fields.

6. I'm going to start taking a positive attitude toward LotR and Oscar. I shall repeat to myself several times a day:

"LotR and Elijah and the rest will get the recognition they deserve and sweep every award in the list". OOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM....."

:::: sigh ::::

~grumpy (how would they *DARE* not give Sir Ian McK an Oscar?)(How about one for Bill the Pony?)

Here's what Elijah said in a brief interview found at A&F last week about SNL....(naughty words blipped-out)

"Ryan, who writes for Stanford University's arts & entertainment paper, got the chance to interview Elijah on the first day of the North American press junket. The interview won't be published until January, but he sents this snippet:

Ryan: You're doing Saturday Night Live, right?
Elijah: That's right.
Ryan: That's pretty exciting.. what kind of preparation have you done-- you've talked to them . . . ?
Elijah: I've talked to them very briefly, I've not done anything to prepare yet-- my mind is kind of being pulled left and right for all the press I'm doing for Lord of the Rings but I start next week, next monday, and it'll basically be a full week devoted to rehearsal and the writing process and all of that for the show. So, I'll really sort of get it all kindof sussed out next week, but I'm scared s******s.
Ryan: No, I can imagine. Just watch out for, like, "D***o Baggins" jokes or whatever
Elijah: Oh, I'm sure there's gonna be some sort of LOTR's reference.
Ryan: Do you know, who's the musical guest?
Elijah: The musical guest is Jet, which will be kind of fun. "


A FULL WEEK!!! In NY! And it looks like he fully intends to have some writing impact on the skits. I certainly hope so. And I really hope he does the monologue. Sir Ian did one when he hosted. Elijah cannot allow Sir Ian to one-up him in the monologue department.


Elda- Now don't fret. He'll be OK. ( I'm more concerned about his lingering cold...poor baby!) He likes humor and he must certainly have learned how to handle various kinds of funny people hanging around with Billy and the infamously pranksterish Dom and Viggo for four years. I think anything the SNL people come up with will be quite mild in comparison.

And considering how well Elijah withstood ,with aplomb no less, the Silly Ms. Tilly on Jay Leno last week and all the fun at WD, perhaps SNL will be much easier for him now.

I wouldn't miss it for the world! Gonna watch it, tape it, and watch it again. I've wanted him to host SNL for two years and now he's doing it. Yes!
:D

grumpy, I just have to repeat this from your Miami Herald link:
FRODO: How come, if I'm the protagonist, Lord Aragorn has TWO love interests, and I'm stuck in a subplot with Dick Cheney?
:D ROTFLMAO!! :D

Hey, guys in NY!! P-l-e-a-s-e get Dave Barry to work on the SNL script this week! He's already written a great LotR sketch! :D

Serena, many belated thanks for typing up that wonderful "Wetten dass..." transcript. 3 hours of show -- you deserve a medal, girl! :k

from honeyelf
Much of it is atonal, arhythmic, and discordant. This does not mean it is intrinsically stinky though.
Mariole thanks her lucky stars that she never even considered buying this CD... So, honeyelf -- did you survive it? :D

Kuduk, thanks for the lovely news that folks are liking Lij in ROTK -- and thank you for not even hinting at any spoilers. It's getting close now. I've got my midnight viewing lined up -- Yay!

I did not see FOTR-EE in the theatre -- nowhere near me seems to be playing it. However, I've got a friend with a home theatre, so I'm lucky enough to have seen it there on the "big enough" screen, with gorgeous sound.

No opinion on SLN. I watched it in the distant past, but most TV these days has no appeal for me, compared to the internet. :D I do, however, love Dave Barry. I've seen him perform a couple of times for charity causes, and he's an absolute stitch in person. I'm sure he'd write a terrific sketch. Okay, who here can phone him up and beg? :p

Here's what I've been doing to kill time before ROTK:

1. Rewatched "The Faculty." What a cute, silly movie!
2. Rewatched "The Good Son." Tremendously scary movie. I think Young!Lij was brilliant. And good Lord, that Galadriel Froshadow !!!
3. Rewatched (get ready) the animated Bakshi adaptation of LOTR. I actually saw it in the distant past when it was first released, and I remember hating it because a) I hated all the "animated" orcs which were really monochrome film of actors walking hunched over with cheesy white fangs painted on them, b) all of the female characters had really fat chins and distorted figure-eights for faces (Galadriel with a wattle, oh please!), and c) the animation (compared to Disney -- think Bambi) was just plain bad.

Now that I have watched it again -- not all in one sitting, I'm not that hardy -- I can definitely add:
d) even someone who has completely memorized the books (like me) was not able to follow this plot. I kept saying, "What monochromed blacked-out images are these, and who are they fighting, and where?" So PJ and crew have to be given credit for making things as comprehensible as they are;
e) the cartoon characters could give lessons in overacting. I laughed aloud at an interaction between Gandalf and Frodo in Bag End where they flung their arms about and spun in circles to indicate emotion. Then I thought about what Elijah does with an eyebrow flinch. Very amusing.

That said, I do want to give Bakshi credit for trying to follow canon. Frodo's standoff at the Ford was actually moving (I think the only thing in the movie that was). Most of the dialogue was straight from the book. Where it got spooky was when PJ and company used the same lines, and sometimes the same staging, for a particular scene. It was eerie and a bit frightening -- kind of like seeing what your life could have become had you taken the wrong path. It's too bad we couldn't have married Bakshi's faithfulness to plot and story with PJ's vision for creating a super-cool movie. But I love PJ's movies for what they are -- separate works, as it were, with loving tribute to the parent work. I feel very fortunate that I'll soon be seeing the final installment -- yay!

I saw a strange book at the bookstore that said Superman may have been an Aquarius. LOL. It was about Sun Sign personalities in Men. LOL.

As for the animated LOTR. Does anybody remember getting nightmares from animated ROTK with Tom Bombadill singing, "Frodo of the Nine Fingers?" It was just plain Weird. :eek:

from Goldenberry:
Am feeling very very envious of German LOTR (and Frolijah) fans at the moment. They get cool shows with cool hosts who know how to put their equally cool guests at ease, ask good questions, and mix it up so the guests actually have fun interacting with each other. Imagine that!
If it's any consolation. Goldie, I'm feeling very envious of US Frolijah fans who can get SNL. Will (after return in mid-Jan) exchange WD VHS for SNL one if there's anyone on that side of the pond who can cope with German (even the English spoken by certain celebrity guests is voiced over in German - but you can just hear what they say in the background). Ah - but there may be a compatibility problem. My (new) machine plays anything from anywhere (bought specially for Elijahfilms!), but I gather some people's don't. :(

Agree totally about Dave Barry. Never tire of reading that TTT plot summary! :D :D

from zkgrumpy:
I'm going to start taking a positive attitude toward LotR and Oscar. I shall repeat to myself several times a day: "LotR and Elijah and the rest will get the recognition they deserve and sweep every award in the list". OOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM....."

Attagirl.

from Mariole:
you deserve a medal, girl!
Frolijah's elven brooch would do nicely. Or even Pippin's that got squashed by Uruks. Or even just a piece of the mud it was squashed in. I'm quite easy to please really. And doing very well at staying away from this board, I'm sure you'll agree. ;)

Originally posted by shadowcatshadow
As for the animated LOTR. Does anybody remember getting nightmares from animated ROTK with Tom Bombadill singing, "Frodo of the Nine Fingers?" It was just plain Weird. :eek:
Hey, stop messin' with my brain :eek: ! (It's not nice to do that to old people, y'know--we're confused enough already ;) .)

"Frodo of the Nine Fingers" is from the Rankin-Bass RotK--I know that much for sure. But how'd Tom Bombadil get all the way to RotK :confused: ?? I do, actually, believe it or not, have that movie on VHS, from a friend who recorded it off of cable TV. But please, please don't make me watch it again to find out :eek: ! I think it was actually sung by a Gondorian troubador of some sort--very book canon (yeah, right! :rolleyes: ). For anyone who remembers Tim Benzadrine's "I hate Glen Yarborough" caption from the blue place: this movie was the instigation. Thank goodness Bakshi didn't try to go the musical route!!

Originally posted by tgshaw
Thank goodness Bakshi didn't try to go the musical route!!

OK, now you're giving *me* nightmares! :::: shudder :::: Der Ring des Niebelungens Meets Lord of the Rings! AAAAAAH!!!! MY PRECIOUS!!!!

Lessee... The Rohirrim break into the Ride of the Valkyrie as they ride down the hill at Helms Deep (Toh HOY! Toh HOY!)

My brain is failing me at this point; I'd better go do some work stuff.

zkgrumpy (Why do I keep singing "Be vewwy quiet...I'm hunting HOB-bits..."?)("Kill da HOB-bit, Kill da HOB-bit...")

P.S. I agree about Dave Barry and SNL.

Tg, I've never seen the Rankin-Bass RotK. I admit I'm curious. Although, given your reaction, perhaps I'd better steer clear? How's your recovery going? *slips you a soothing throat lozenge and makes sure your tea mug is full*


Serena!!! *waves wildly* Where ya been, girl? ;)

Seriously, I'm very glad you're deciding to continue posting here. I don't have any Uruk-hai mud to give you, so how about an angsty Fro picture instead?

Warning: Non-spoilery non-specific ROTK Angsty!Fro pic attached

Mariole!!!, it's been so long! ;) The parting has been terrible.
But, ahem, seriously - that's the first Fropic I've seen in which he looks - well - almost ferocious! What does this imply about the upcoming movie? Is Frolijah about to show us anger, aggression, violence or possibly .... evil, to use Elijah's own word? Angsty, yes, but there seems more to it than that, somehow.

Which reminds me of how incredible the contrast was between the Elijah watching that ROTK scene on WD and the Frodo he was watching (OK, that Frodo had learnt German :D , but his extraordinary expressiveness was still there, even though I missed the gorgeous Elijah voice). In real life - especially on shows like that - he is such a total sweetie, and so happy, that I end up thinking he couldn't possibly be angsty or terrified or confused or angry or suspicious or drugged out or be capable of putting across any of the other myriad emotions we know he's so brilliant at. I kept wondering what that Freiburg audience was thinking: is this Elijah Wood person really the guy on that screen? The fact that our party!Fro is so much like Elijah in real life just makes his later deterioration and angst all the more gut-wrenching.

*enters inconspicuously the room, smiles shyly and waves to the Faculty members*

Hi, dear Facultiers, I finally find a little time to sit down and write a few lines!
I'm mainly fluttering by to thank you for all the pics, gifs, links and comments - great stuff :) !

And a very big THANK YOU goes to Serena! Your write-up of Wetten dass is fantastic! Sorry, I cannot give you medal, elven brooch or mud - just a big :k ! I hope that will do it ;) !

Unfortunately I couldn't watch the show when it was aired, but hubby was so kind and taped it.
I enjoyed it very much and Elijah was so natural, charming, relaxed and courteous... it was a great pleasure to watch. The studio backdrop was dark orange and this complementary colour made the blue of his eyes extremely flashing - it was really breathtaking!
One little gesture was very nice: when Thomas Gottschalk introduced Ozzy Osbourne to the audience as lead singer of "Black Sabbath" Elijah rose his right arm slightly and made this (I can't describe it with words so I have to show it): http://www.kurts-smilies.de/rock2.gif - just with his hand! He didn't move his head like this :p !


Mariole said:
e) the cartoon characters could give lessons in overacting. I laughed aloud at an interaction between Gandalf and Frodo in Bag End where they flung their arms about and spun in circles to indicate emotion. Then I thought about what Elijah does with an eyebrow flinch. Very amusing.

LOL! My thoughts exactly! Somewhere on the first pages of this thread there was a link posted to an absolutely hilarious review of Bakshi's work of art. I'll try to find it. Very nice to read - the Bakshi-esque overacting is called "milking a giant cow" :D !

(((ainon))) - glad you are back :) !


Tg, I hope, you are feeling better :) !


*drops a curtsey, smiles and leaves*

POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!

I'm putting the quote as well as my response in silver...


[that's the first Fropic I've seen in which he looks - well - almost ferocious! What does this imply about the upcoming movie? Is Frolijah about to show us anger, aggression, violence or possibly .... evil, to use Elijah's own word? Angsty, yes, but there seems more to it than that, somehow.

Is that picture from the WD interview clip?

Remember how Sean Astin keeps saying that Frodo ceases to be Frodo in the third movie? I think that's what we're seeing. I think he's firmly in the grip of the ring in that shot. Either that or it's when he confronts Gollum, but I don't think so. It's a creepy expression, isn't it? It's like his face is blank and his eyes - the windows to the soul - are dead. Yeesh. :::: shudder ::::

Dang. I think he's used that Sarcophagus one too many times! Calling Dr. Jackso - er - sorry! Wrong show!



Which reminds me of how incredible the contrast was between the Elijah watching that ROTK scene on WD and the Frodo he was watching ]

I was impressed by that contrast in the Primetime LotR thing that aired last Thursday (I should do screen caps...). The interviewer was in a pub with the Hobbits and Andy Serkis. The shot started with Dominic Monaghan (did I mention that I'm falling in love with that man's voice?) doing a toast. It was like Elijah didn't have "it" (whatever "it" is - charisma? Professional demeanor? Cute button?) switched on. He sat fairly quietly; laughed a lot, but didn't seem to push his way into the discussion. He acted like a very young guy in a pub with a bunch of guys, talking to a stranger and behaving himself <g>. It was definitely a contrast with what we've seen on interviews, and very far from Frodo Baggins. He wasn't being "The Star". (Am I making *any* sense?) I wonder if we were seeing a hint of Hobbit Hierarchy? <g>

zkgrumpy (OK I'm done!)(OOOOOOOOOOOOOsssssscar!!!! OOOOOOmmmmmmmmmmm)

So did anyone see the WB preview at the end of "Smallville" tonight?

Gollum, Sam and Frodo oh, my. And not the one we saw on Leno.;)

Originally posted by zkgrumpy
...Lessee... The Rohirrim break into the Ride of the Valkyrie as they ride down the hill at Helms Deep (Toh HOY! Toh HOY!)

My brain is failing me at this point; I'd better go do some work stuff.

zkgrumpy (Why do I keep singing "Be vewwy quiet...I'm hunting HOB-bits..."?)("Kill da HOB-bit, Kill da HOB-bit...")
My intrusive memory is from Second City: "Vikings and BEE-keepers, Vikings and BEE-keepers..." Hmmm.... "Hobbits and RING-wraiths, hobbits and RING-wraiths..." [yeah, pretty bad :o ]

I'm a bit of a Bakshi apologist, so don't go dissin' him too badly! He did do some things right--such as showing it's possible to include the Conspiracy using only seconds of screen time :rolleyes: (those who haven't started reading the book yet--don't worry, it's in there ;) , and pretty close to the beginning). If PJ could copy the hiding-under-the-treeroots scene and the Nazgul-slitting-pillows-in-Bree scene, why couldn't he have copied that bit :( ?

And for those who weren't around at the time--think people were nervous about a horror movie director filming LotR? Before he did LotR, the only thing Bakshi was known for was making the first X-rated cartoon...

OTOH, I will not be defending Rankin-Bass. Mariole--IMVHO you can think of it as the Tolkien equivalent of TAMTSNBN: the only real reason to watch it is for educational purposes (y'know, like if you want to know what people are laughing about after someone mentions "Where There's a Whip, There's a Way" :eek: .)

---------------------

serena... uh... welcome back :confused: . You were gone?? ;)

I'm still looking forward to the Wetten dass material :rolleyes: . I hope it's fairly obvious that my posts are scattershot comments on various unrelated things; the head (and the brain that is hopefully still in it) isn't quite where it belongs yet. So please don't think I'm purposefully ignoring any comments--I am reading them all, and at some point may be able to remember them! -- But I'm not looking at most of the linked/attached material yet.

Mariole--your cyber tea smelled so good I'm drinking a real cup right now :) . The supply I had on hand was so old that I bought some this afternoon on my first trek outside the apartment since Friday--to the store a block away. I'm going to attempt part of a workday tomorrow; my hypomanic, "No one should ever need a day off work," boss has been amazingly understanding. I think this is the worst I've been hit by the flu since the first grade--and I even had my shot!

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Still no SNL reviews posted yet, but there have been a number of comments in the site's forum from people who absolutely detest Jet! Makes it a bit difficult to interpret the one comment I've seen on Elijah: "Elijah Wood and Jet = the worst night of my life!" Gee, where've I heard that sentiment before ;) ?

I think he's going to surprise the nay-sayers, just as he did the "Kill me now!" folks (well, most of them, anyway :rolleyes: ). I don't think most people have any idea how versatile Elwood is--they see him do one kind of role and think that's all he can do. I really am looking forward to his monologue. If he wants to have the studio audience eating out of his hand, all he has to do is tell them he just moved to New York and how much he loves it :p . He could probably make an entire monologue talking about ways NY is better than LA :D .

Edit: Just found out that the office Christmas party is set for Saturday night. "Well, gee, guys, I've been sick... You'll understand if I don't come, right? ;) "

-------------

Haven't seen the new ad, enai--but I've been keeping myself halfway spoiled (whatever that means :confused: ) by reading the "Official RotK spoiler thread" in the Trilogy forum, but not the thread with complete reviews in it. From the comments of those who've seen the movie, I suspect I'm going to have to see this one--more than once--before I know how I feel about Frodo in it!

What is the difference between Dom and Elijah? Innocence? Who seems to be the Fiery, Energetic, He Man here?

That new Frodo pic is unnerving. It looks like he's angry and about to punch to Gollum. a "No more Mr. Nice Guy!" type look.:eek:

Very He Man look though. :D

Think Frodo is muscular under that shirt, or is that just the picture? :D

((((and hot tea to tg)))

A short non-spoilerish recommendation on spoilers from someone who has read the entire ROTK spoiler thread (and who read the books for the first time after seeing TTT): I personally recommend you stay away from the ROTK on Review thread until you've seen the movie.

Esmy's review there is not incredibly spoilerish (kind of like a newspaper review) but Meryl Marie's is :eek:. I should have stopped when I read the first SHOCK I didn't know that change but I kept on and was spoiled about an internal-to-the-movie sequence.

Meryl's is very well written and I'm looking forward to reading the rest after I see ROTK (9 more days for me!)

I very much hope Elijah "shows his quality" on SNL (I'm afraid I was about ready to lose it by the third time they used that line in the TTT EE DVD). I love tg's ideas for SNL. I hope the writers got an epiphany this week. I will try to squelch the frumpiness I didn't realize I had and send the SNL "purist" in me out for snacks.

Cheers, all.:)

edit--ooh, ooh, I just read this in the spoiler thread:
(Very slightly and generally spoilerish)












Originally posted by Europanya
This film is amazingly subtle in character motivation. There's a lot of stuff going on that is left unsaid, but carried through the EYES.


Gee, any actor we know who is good at subtlety and eye acting?...hmm let me think.;)

I am not sure if this picture has been posted yet. AOL is featuring photo albums of the LOTR stars. So I thought of all of you:)


http://lace.jasidog.com/uploads/post-1-1071142123.jpg

Lyric,
Thanks! I hadn't seen that one before. I like Billy in the background, although he looks pretty wary.

Hands tg a bowl of green chili; chicken broth and garlic and onions and green chilies, our all-purpose winter bug remedy. ;)

Guys, I've been posting a lot in the Asylum lately, if that tells you anything about how my powers of concentration are reacting to lingering flu effects combined with children nutball about the approach of Christmas and myself nutball about the approach of ROTK. :p

Sent elve a "thank you" e-mail for grabbing and sharing so many wonderful clips, and she said she hasn't been here in a while, but that, "I do think of you guys often though, and what your reactions is to certain pictures and stuff that have shown up. Please tell everyone I said hello." :)

Good to see you posting again, whiteling, enaiowen and kuduk!

I should talk. :p Been very much a lurker here, lately.

originally posted by zkgrumpy
I wonder if we were seeing a hint of Hobbit Hierarchy?

Heh. I don't think it's a very rigid Hierarchy, but I do think you're right - EW does sometimes step back and let the other hobbits have the spot light. I expect Elda would argue that he glows even then, though. ;)

I'm getting really jealous of those of you with the Extended FOTR in the local theatres. Not least because it'd be nice to see it while fully awake without the kidlets' running commentary... :D

Sheryl

from Whiteling:
One little gesture was very nice: when Thomas Gottschalk introduced Ozzy Osbourne to the audience as lead singer of "Black Sabbath" Elijah rose his right arm slightly and made this (I can't describe it with words so I have to show it): - just with his hand!
Thanks, Whiteling - I forgot to mention that! Also forgot to mention that he kept Ozzie and Kelly supplied with snacks from the table while the long football/basketball thing was going on, and his very polite reply to Gottschalk's thanks at the end - "Thank you very much: it's been a pleasure", or something like that, and he really appeared to mean it. Natural, charming, relaxed and courteous, as Whiteling says. Hope they invite him back in another five and ten years (i.e. before he gets to be 100 years old!)

Suspect his reticence in pub with other hobbits reflects the fact that he doesn't like being "the star" and probably wanted to give the others the limelight for once - I'm sure that was deliberate on his part. This essential modesty, even self-effacement, always seems to come across, even when he is fronting something. And yet he is, and even admits he is, a very confident person: Sean A. said that he had "more genuine confidence, more comfort in his own skin, than anyone I've ever met". That would enable him to take a back seat (hello Rikka!) whenever he feels it's appropriate, without worrying about it. True grace - wish I had a quarter of it!

Thank you, Lyric, for the AOL tip - must investigate pronto!

from tgshaw:
serena... uh... welcome back . You were gone??

Um, well, no, as it happens. Tried to wean self off Faculty addiction to gain time for other things, such as sleep, but failed miserably. Will be gone for over 3 weeks now, though! Going to miss you all .... :(

There are also albums with Liv, Sean, oh god my mind just went blank :D Orlando Bloom. sorry for the senior moment :D

You need to screen cap the pics, but you probably already know that. Rotten AOL won't let you link, bah aol :p

Just spent a few hours reading the last 8 pages to catch up and way too much to comment on...
I, too, am impressed about how EW is growing up and still remaining true to himself despite the fame and hoopla surrounding these movies. As Dom said "he must be so tired, he never gets a day off" (paraphrased). Looking forward to the SNL appearance - will be watching it in the hotel pub in Toronto with others (at least, I hope they have it on the TV).
48 hours!! Getting very excited about the Toronto Gathering and RoTK!:D
Still haven't seen All I Want - no time to shop for it lately. Most impressed with Deep Impact and The Bumblebee Flies Anyway. EW does so much 'non-traditional' acting with his eyes & body language that he communicates alot subtlely in each role. There can never be 'too much blue eyes' when he is onscreen.

Welcome Mrs Baggins & Wood. Hello Ainon - yes, I am still around, just mostly in lurk mode these days. Y'all say it so much better than I that I just love to 'eavesdrop on the great conversations' here.

tg said:

I will not be defending Rankin-Bass

Oh, there can be no defense of that . It is my heartfelt belief that it should be required viewing immediately prior to seeing RotK :p

Talk about character assassination.




SPOILERS for Rankin-Bass, PJ and some book Rotk in general
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Okay,

So things start out well enough with Sam struggling against the gate of the Orc Tower and knocking himself on the ground and there, in plain sight, we have Frodo's sword, cloak and.....The Ring. Sam promptly picks them all up, notices the Orcs in Tower, decides that it is "useless" (USELESS?!?!) to attempt to rescue Frodo and clearly he must now be the Ringbearer. Yes, Sam abandons Frodo, who he knows to be alive, to the Orcs. It is not until he is tempted by the Ring and sees the effect that It has on him that he decides for the sake of self preservation that perhaps he might ought to go get Frodo after all.
Cut to the Tower and Sam revealing he still has the Ring. He does not ask if he can continue to carry it, he simply informs Frodo that he's going to keep it for awhile-until Frodo is stronger of course.
Upon leaving Frodo asks about food and drink along the road and a very snarky Sam replies."There's nothing, Master and you know it well."
As if Frodo had no right to even ask and ought to just be grateful that Sam came back for him at all thank you vey much!

Oh, no. Bad does not begin to describe it.
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End Spoilers

There's more of course but you get the idea.:o :eek:

And now to bring this back on topic-EW right?;)

Whatever the changes in dynamics in PJ's version Elijah and Sean have nailed the spirit of Frodo and Sam and as far as I have seen-two scenes now-I find their relationship believable and the strain put on it by the circumstances they are in heartbreaking but also very real. Sam's doubts and concerns are very canon. We know what he is thinking in the books. We can't know that in film unless he voices them and- trout me if you like (I have my umbrella and raincoat ready:p ) who's to say how Frodo might have reacted to that. You can see in Elijah and Sean's faces that both hobbits are really having to work at holding it all together.
Frodo bearing the Ring and Sam bearing the Ringbearer. That neither of them completely broke under the weight of it- or worse (think Smeagol and Deagol)- is nothing short of a miracle. Whether Tolkien wrote it way or not, I think they can surely be forgiven if they have a few less than shining moments along the way.


Just MVHO of course.


And if PJ messes up my Hobbits here at the last minute........:mad: ;)

Just four more days to wait.

Enai

I liked the picture of Elijah with Billy standing behind him. :D

They both looked silly. :D Elijah looked as if he saw a rat or was caught unconsciencly by the camer. Billy looks suspicious. LOL. :D

They both look a bit surprised. As if the camera caught them unawares. There are several nice pics on AOL. Some of Elijah and some of the other cast members :)

I'm doing screen caps from the ABC Primetime special last Thursday. Is this something you'd like to see or has everyone seen it and has someone else already done it?

~grumpy (did you notice the Elijah chin moment?)

Good to see you, MsNiph--Hope the Toronto gathering is an amazing experience (Don't know how it could fail, really) :) :) .

About Elijah's workload--remember last year at this time when some of us were speculating (well, I was, anyway :o ) that he was carrying the lion's share of the PR for TTT because they'd have to keep him basically under cover this year to avoid spoilers :rolleyes: ? The good part is that he's really "paying his dues" and "being a team player," which is something Hollywood looks upon kindly.

I may be stealing a line from scs here ;) , but in that AOL picture, I think Elijah looks like Robert Downey Jr.--probably something in the camera angle. (It's more likely the cough medicine :rolleyes: ).

Went into the office yesterday just long enough to pick up some things and email some manuscripts to my home computer so I can work on them here. Was in sufficiently bad shape ;) that no one will expect me to be at the Christmas party Saturday night (but certainly no one could begrudge me the right to lie in bed and watch SNL :p ). My worry now is over the vacation day on Dec. 17 that I've had claimed since early in the year: "You're gone over a week, come back for a day, and now you want vacation time!?" :eek:

zkgrumpy, what a thoughtful question. I didn't see the special and I would be interested in everything! Well, most particularly behind-the-scenes pix and post-Quest spoilers.

Thanks for asking.

Zgrumpy- Yes please post your caps. I've been wanting to get some but just haven't gotten around to it. Can you get a few of Elijah and the other Hobbit actors in the pub at the end, especially a shot of Elijah looking just so tired?

Hello!
I've digged out the link to the review of the Bakshi version of LOTR. Here is the link (http://flyingmoose.org/tolksarc/bakshi/bakshi.htm)
Hmmm - I borrowed the DVD a few weeks ago and I must admit that I was really horrified by the bad quality :eek: !

Tg, I understand when you say that it is not too bad. Yes, Bakshi did some things right and he tried to be book canon but as a whole I think the movie isn't thought through to the end. I miss an artistic draft or vision, things I can clearly see and feel in PJ's version. Besides of the great actors (especially Frolijah) who overwhelmed me the first time I saw the movie it was PJ's enourmous fervour what floored me! Just MHO, of course!


What IS Rankin-Bass LOTR? Never heard of it.


Oh, Grumpy, I'm looking forward seeing your caps :) !

I would also love to see those clips grumpy - I haven't seen it at all, it wasn't shown over here in the UK and doesn't seem to be posted anywhere.

BLOSSOM (and any other UKites) - did you see ROTK:The Quest Fulfilled on ITV2 a couple of nights ago? If not, its on again tomorrow, ITV1 at 12.30 and is repeated on ITV2 Sun. & Tues. This was excellent - a 25 -min behind-the-scenes doc with loads of Frolijah which I expect will end up on the dvd. I'm surprised it doesn't appear to be mentioned on US TV schedules - unless I've missed it.

In that AOL pic posted by lyric Elijah's eyes look massive - like big china blue saucers :)

Originally posted by whiteling
Hmmm - I borrowed the DVD a few weeks ago and I must admit that I was really horrified by the bad quality :eek: !
Bad production quality or bad story quality?

I know that this may sound strange to people seeing it for the first time now, but when Bakshi's movie was made, the special effects were cutting edge. There were magazine articles written about them. You do have to look at any movie in the context of what was possible at the time. No wonderfully expressive actors' faces, of course, because the technology to make LotR as a live film wasn't even close (unless you wanted really cheesy special effects :eek: ).

And Bakshi has always been someone who tries to push the envelope--sometimes farther than it's quite ready to be pushed. IMVHO, that's true of his rotoscope use in the LotR movie. It was new technology, but probably not yet "ready for public consumption" when he used it in LotR. The updated version of the same process was used in PJ's movies, after 25-or-so-years of improvement. (OTOH, the Rankin-Bass RotK was made after Bakshi's movie and there was nothing cutting edge about it).

Yes, Bakshi did some things right and he tried to be book canon but as a whole I think the movie isn't thought through to the end. I miss an artistic draft or vision, things I can clearly see and feel in PJ's version.
Of course, being "thought through to the end" is a bit difficult when you're planning to make two movies and the second one doesn't get funded :( !* That's one reason everyone saw it as so positive that PJ got a commitment from NewLine for all three films at once, which was absolutely unprecedented :eek: ! Bakshi's movie does just... stop... in the middle of the story (with a sentence or two of voiceover at the end to try to patch things up, but it's a pretty hopeless situation).

Some people feel one reason Bakshi's doesn't have as much of an "artistic draft or vision" to it is that it sticks too closely to book canon. It basically tells the story that's in the book without adding much of its own "spin." (There are a few nice things in there: I love Frodo talking in his sleep before he wakes in Rivendell--using lines from the Amon Hen scene that's skipped in the movie; wonder if that gave PJ any line-shifting ideas ;) ?)

With Peter Beagle being one of the screenwriters, it would be surprising if the movie didn't stick pretty closely to book canon. He not only knows his Tolkien background, but has written some great (in the true sense of the word) fantasy himself. But as far as I know, he'd never written anything for the screen before, which was probably also a drawback in getting the vision from page to screen.

*To debunk a common misconception, the second movie wasn't dropped because the first one didn't make money--it just didn't make as much money as the studio people wanted it to.


What IS Rankin-Bass LOTR? Never heard of it.
After Bakshi's second movie got axed, Rankin-Bass was licensed to do a movie that picked up where Bakshi's left off. I honestly don't know who or what Rankin-Bass is/are, but they also did an animated movie of The Hobbit. Because it's only the last half or so of LotR, the movie is actually titled The Return of the King. Personally, I think we would have been a lot better off with Bakshi's second half! (I'm not sure, but I believe it was Saul Zaentz, who owns the screen rights to LotR, who decided the second movie should be made after Bakshi's left the story hanging in mid-air; but since that studio refused to do the second one, he had to find an entirely different group of people to make it.)

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There've been entire threads on both "sides" of the Bakshi movie, and I don't want to turn this into one, but I also can't bring myself to just let comments go by... uh, uncommented on :o . I wouldn't mind talking about it more, but it should probably be done somewhere else.

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Oh, Grumpy, I'm looking forward seeing your caps :) !
Me, too :) . I think we must have been simulposting when you first asked about it :) .

Delurking for a moment to put forth this idea. Most of us haven't yet seen RotK. But let's assume we see Frolijah, we love Frolijah, we cry for Frodo we kiss the ground for Frodo. IF this all turns out to be true, and we don't think we hear enough Frodo talk in reviews and online comments---then let's add our comments. Like in the Entertainment Weekly posting section after the reviews...and elsewhere. Let's hear it for FRODO!! For Elijah!! Post on the Rolling Stone site (I assume there is a posting section), on the People site (if there is one). Let's put our hands up for Elijah and Frodo. We certainly owe it to him/them.

I've only touched on a few reviews here and there. Much mention of Sam. (Thus Sean). Interestingly, I haven't heard Viggo singled out a lot. But I've only been lurking at the edge of things to avoid spoilers.

Saw an RotK commercial on TV last night--gave me the shivers...

Thanks for all the great posts lately. Everybody try to stay well...there is a lot of movie watching ahead. Who wants to be sick for hours and hours in the theater...

Alyon

Tg said:

There've been entire threads on both "sides" of the Bakshi movie, and I don't want to turn this into one, but I also can't bring myself to just let comments go by... uh, uncommented on. I wouldn't mind talking about it more, but it should probably be done somewhere else.


Hooray! I see, your energy has came back to you, Tg :) ! Very good!
Of course, you are right, in the days of the release of Bakshi's LOTR his way of animation has been undoubtedly revolutionary. I think, most of my disappointment results from the fact that I couldn't get the feeling that Tolkien's characters really began to live. I wasn't able to find the book's magic - I dunno, it just didn't work for me. Anyway, everybody who takes the risk to deal with LOTR deserves respect, regardless of the result ;) .


------------------------------------------------


Alyon said:

Let's hear it for FRODO!! For Elijah!! Post on the Rolling Stone site, on the People site. Let's put our hands up for Elijah and Frodo. We certainly owe it to him/them.


Alyon, what a brilliant suggestion :k ! Go, Faculty! Hands up :) !

Hello again whiteling and Ms.Niph! :k *hugs* :) Enjoy Toronto, MsNiph!

Grumpy, yes, please, I too would be much obliged if you share your caps. :cool:

It's been a busy week and I've finally got my TTT SEE DVD, so I'll be off to spend time with it - I'm sure you all understand. ;)

But there is this little piece to drop off in the Faculty. I haven't been reading any reviews nor interviews nor press junket whatevers nor spoilers nor opinions. Not yet anyway. I plan to do a crash course session on catching up with all of that after I watch RotK. Then today I literally happened on this particular interview with Sean Astin and Elijah Wood; I meant to only look at the RotK pictures when I clicked to this site. The site had carefully blotted out the major spoilers though - but I haven't copied the spoilers here. I haven't read them, after all. But I might, after the movie is out. ;)

Still, there are Minor RotK spoilers


from chud.com

TALES FROM THE JUNKET CIRCUIT: THE RETURN OF THE KING
by Smilin' Jack Ruby
(adam@chud.com)

... we got the lead actor for the entire Lord of the Rings series, Elijah Wood - Frodo Baggins himself who sported a goatee and long sideburns when he came in to chat. The first thing was asked was if Wood was as jetlagged as everyone else. "You know, a little tired," Wood admitted. "It's an exhausting process!"

We asked Wood straight-up if it was relief or sadness he was feeling right now. "I think in concept, it's a bit of both," Wood replied. "At the moment, I think we're too in the midst of this part of the journey to feel sorrow yet. It doesn't feel over because we have so much to go in terms of releasing the film and the promotion of it. In terms of relief, next year when we don't have another junket to do and we don't have to plaster on a fake smile and plow through this **** again...(laughs). But you know how it is - it's an exhausting process and I think the fact that we won't have to come back next year..." Or shoot more? "The shooting - I'd love to do more of that!" Wood enthused. "It's just exhausting. I guess there's some relief associated with that, but it's been an amazing journey for us. It's four years of an incredibly brilliant life experience where we've made some of the best friends of our lives and I don't think we're ready to let go of that. I think the real realization that it's over will come at the end once the movies are finished, come out and all the press is finished. Then we'll be left to reflect. It'll really hit us then. We had a kind of 'end' already in terms of leaving the film when we finished the last bit of pick-ups in June. That's when we really emotionally ended our experience with the film and that was very difficult and very sad."

Next, we asked Wood what it was like that final time he left New Zealand, never to return to shoot a Rings movie there again. "Well, it's funny because when we talk about 'the end' and the leaving-process and all that, there are kind of a lot of 'ends,'" Wood joked. "It ended many, many times over the last four years. The one that's sort of the iconic end is when we actually left New Zealand after principal photography, which was three years ago. That was a very difficult thing. There were a lot of mixed emotions because we were all at that point where it had been sixteen months that we'd been working on all three movies. We'd been pushed to our limits and we were completely exhausted - yet we had immersed ourselves in this world in New Zealand with this extended family of the crew and the cast that we weren't really ready to leave. So, half of us was saying, we need to get home so we can finally just rest and know what real relaxation is because we hadn't known that for months and months and at the same time, we weren't really ready to leave New Zealand and say 'good-bye' to everyone. So, that kind of journey home was a very difficult one after the initial wrap. More importantly and more interestingly, I think, was what consequently we felt after we actually did get home and once we were back in our normal life. We were so used to life there and on that film and living on that schedule and suddenly, I didn't know what my own life meant anymore. So, it was really about trying to reinstate myself into reality and what that meant. It took me about five or six months to come out of hibernation. To come back to being whole and complete and back in the world again. That sounds kind of dramatic, but it was pretty profound."

from chud.com

RotK SPOILERS

As we hear a lot of actors talk about how "close" they got to their cast-mates on set, but then went to the four winds a few weeks later, we next asked Wood if he really had stayed pals with his Rings-mates after shooting. "Oh, yeah - definitely!" Wood enthused. "The Hobbits, I think, are the strongest relationship that I have primarily because we started the film working together every day and those relationships endured throughout. Also, we're the closest in age, so we relate to each other more than anyone else on the film. But, we also embody a lot of the elements of the characters in life. We've always been the closest, so those are the relationships I'd imagine will remain the strongest, I think, over time. I'm still very close to Viggo. Some of the other actors I was close to, I'm sure I'll see in life and know in life for the rest of my life. There's always a function of that on any movie, but I certainly have never felt so close to the people that I've worked with. There's always something that happens when you work on movies and it's a tight-knit atmosphere and you become close to the people you work with over the period of normally three or four months, but then the movie ends and you lose touch. I think that'll be true of this, but when we all do see each other again, the bonds are much greater and will endure the test of time."

We asked about having to have the movie shot so long ago, but then finding that they had to constantly re-live the movie time and time again through the junkets and doing press for the films. "Well, it wasn't as strange as it would seem, because every year we have gone back to New Zealand to do pick-ups," Wood suggested. "In actual fact, it hasn't felt like we've stopped working on the movie, you know? It's a funny thing because we did have that thing where we had principal photography, wrap of principal photography - the emotional separation of leaving that world and then suddenly realizing, 'Oh, wait - we're going back every single year and the journey's never going to end and we're going to keep working on these things for the rest of our lives!'"

With the movie spread across so much time, we asked Wood if he can watch the movie and say, 'Oh, I did this three weeks ago, I did that scene three years ago, I remember that day...' etc. "I don't watch it thinking about those things, but I certainly could," Wood replied. "I could sit down with the movie and go, 'Yep, that was a pick-up, that was done roughly there,' but a lot of the stuff kind of blends together. The stuff that was done in principal sort of is a blur in terms of the time-line in which it was done because we were constantly moving back and forth and shooting out of sequence. It's difficult to remember specifically when each thing was done. Certain scenes stand out more than others because of events that happened around those times, so I can be specific about certain scenes. But, with these movies, I tend to completely give over to the experience of watching these movies. I find myself being just as much of a fan as anyone else. There's a wonderful thing in these films in the sense that we get to sit down and watch them and only on-third of it, really, is me, so everything else I'm not really familiar with. I was so focused on my journey that I completely forgot about the other characters and what the other characters were up to. They would mention sequences that they were shooting and I had completely forgotten about what happened to certain characters and what goes on along the way. So, in sitting down and watching these movies, it's almost like watching a movie I wasn't a part of. It's kind of nice to actually have a fresh take on the film instead of being too close to it. There's a real 'giving over' to the film experience, which is nice."


RotK SPOILER

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We asked him if he was ever claustrophobic in the cocoon he was stuffed in by Shelob, to which Wood said, "No, that was cool! I kind of dug that. They wrapped me up with this web-material that they'd made. It was this sticky plastic that they created which was pretty incredible. All the major web-pieces were made with it. I thought it was a lot of fun for some reason. I don't know - I'm crazy that way." As for how long he had to stay like that, Wood added, "Not long - it would've been for half an hour to an hour or more each time, then they'd take me out and later re-wrap me."


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/RotK SPOILERS


As for whether, with all the extended production design, Wood was able to completely "lose himself" in the part, Wood suggested, "That's kind of difficult to do in some of the settings because sometimes you were on stage and there'd be wind machines. You always lose yourself in the character to a certain degree - within the scene you kind of have to - but, and this is kind of different from what you're saying, but there was a time when I was walking from location to the base camp and it was quite a distance between the two areas. Between them was a field and there was no kind of reference to the modern world whatsoever. I remember walking from the set to my trailer and along that fifteen minute walk, I looked down and saw my feet and they were Hobbit feet. And because I didn't have any reference around me of the modern world and of the film and it was just this amazingly beautiful location, I suddenly felt like I was an actual Hobbit in the shire. So, that was a moment where things became very real."

Next, we asked Wood how he got any kind of relief from all the emotionality he had to be put through in the movie, in particular when dealing with scenes in Return of the King. "There was always relief and we never took things too seriously," Wood recalled. "There was always a sense of comedy on set. Peter was always quite funny and working with the other Hobbits was always hilarious. Obviously for a lot of the stuff in the third movie, I didn't have the other Hobbits around - it was just me and Sean - but we always managed to lighten the atmosphere and make it fun and have a good time to take away from the grim nature of some of the scenes. When the camera stopped rolling, there'd be jokes and silliness and then when the cameras rolled, it was back to the intensity of the ring and the destruction of Frodo."

Finally, we asked Wood if he had a moment that he'd really remember from the filming more than any other. "A good moment at the end of all things is actually the beginning of all things," Wood said. "The memory of all the arrivals upon first coming to New Zealand and the palpable sense of excitement in the air at the journey that we were about to have, I'd love to go back there and to see and feel that again, knowing what I know now. It's pretty amazing."

And that was it for Wood.

I came across some information on times of EJW appearances on chat shows to promote ROTK, showings of LOTR/other Elijah films, etc ... I don't live in the Sates and I don't have Sky/cable TV either - and no doubt Faculty Vigilantes will have posted all this before - but I don't have time to check and see if anyone has - so I'm posting it anyway (apologies, mods, if it HAS been posted before). Incidentally, is anyone taping all this stuff? (Niph looks all hopeful and makes puppy-dog eyes! ;) )

EJW ROTK PROMOTION

On Saturday EJW hosts Saturday Night Live on NBC
at 11:30PM Eastern.

He's also on Conan O'Brien next week, on December 18 at 12:37AM on NBC.
(real time, so you'll probably think of it as late
Wednesday/early Thursday.) That will be repeated on Comedy Central on
December 18 at 6:00PM and December 19 at noon.

E! Entertainment TV is showing a Behind the Scenes about LOTR: The
Return of the King, on December 18 at 5:30PM, December 19 at 7:30AM,
3:30PM, December 21 at 3:00AM and 7:30AM, and December 22 at 3:30AM.

If you get Starz, there are almost too many EJW appearances to count.
There's an "On the Set" special about the making of LOTR: The Return of
the King, and another special about the making of The Two Towers, on
about 20-30 times between now and December 21 - maybe beyond as
well.

> Elijah Wood has a lot of TV time coming up in the next couple of weeks
> as he promotes the new movie.

Avalon
Monday, December 15 1:15pm Showtime 2
Tuesday, December 16 5:15am Showtime 2
Wednesday, December 24 5:45pm Showtime 2
Thursday, December 25 3:30am Showtime 2

The Faculty
Sunday, December 28 7:00pm USA

Good Morning America
Wednesday, December 17 7:00am (exact appearance time unknown)

The Good Son
Wednesday, December 31 7:30pm Starz!

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Theatrical Edition)
Monday, December 15 9:00am, 9:00pm Starz!
Saturday, December 20 1:10am, 5:00am Starz!
Sunday, December 21 7:30am Starz!
Thursday, December 25 5:30am, 4:00pm Starz!
Wednesday, December 31 10:30am, 9:00pm Starz!

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition)
Friday, December 19 9:00pm Starz!
Saturday, December 20 8:40am, 1:00pm, 5:20pm Starz!
Sunday, December 21 12:10am, 2:00pm Starz!

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Theatrical Edition)
Saturday, December 20 9:00pm Starz!
Sunday, December 21 4:05am, 10:35am, 5:35pm Starz!
Tuesday, December 23 12:35pm, 9:00pm Starz!
Friday, December 26 11:05pm Starz!
Saturday, December 27 6:00am, 4:00pm Starz!

Note: Some showings of The Fellowship of the Ring will be in widescreen.

ainon - Hi, what a wonderful Elijah interview. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

Quote:
"I didn't know what my own life meant anymore. So, it was really about trying to reinstate myself into reality and what that meant. It took me about five or six months to come out of hibernation. To come back to being whole and complete and back in the world again. That sounds kind of dramatic, but it was pretty profound."
_____________________________________________

Elijah certainly had an incredble journey with these film, and I think it's quite an achievement that he has managed to remain so normal, down-to-earth and grounded with all the attention paid to the films and to him personally. He is still very young, and when you think how 'affected' he could have become, his 'realness' is very refreshing. He could teach a few older 'stars' a thing or two about handling fame.

Which brings me to an item I read in one of the UK newspapers yesterday. I was browsing through the papers in the supermarket, looking specifically for reviews from Thursday night's ROTK London premiere. The first one I opened (I should have known, it was 'The Sun' :rolleyes: ) seemed more concerned with the fact that Elijah and Orlando Bloom 'two heart-throbs of the films,' had not attended. The writer referred to them as 'pampered luvvies, who said they were too busy to attend.' I can't remember the reason Orlando wasn't there, but it stated that Elijah's agent said he was 'rehearsing for a comedy show in the US.' I understand it must have been disappointing for fans (some of who had been there since 5.am) and I wish Elijah HAD been there, because I think he would have loved the atmosphere - apparently around 10,000 people turned up just to see the cast arrive - but he's only human, and can't be in two places at once. By all accounts SNL is a BIG thing for him to be doing. I wonder if it was pre-arranged before the date of the premiere was known - anyway, Elijah's commitment to LOTR has been expemplary, and I for one can only commend him for his hard work and dedication over the past four years. I can't speak for Orlando - I don't follow his career - but ELIJAH - A PAMPERED LUVVIE? I DON'T THINK SO!!!

Rant over!

On to reviews. I've only seen a few so far, but they are overwhemingly favourable regarding the film itself. I have seen a couple who single out Sean Astin for praise, but very little as far as individual performances go.


Just in case -
ROTK REVIEW: NO SPOILERS







Christopher Tookey of The Mail wrote:
'The quality of action and visuals alone would make this a shoo-in for Best Picture and Best Director at next year's Oscars.
But I hope some recognition is given to the cast as a whole, who -without exception - turn in immaculate performances under very difficult circumstances, often opposite creatures that most of them saw only on the film's first night in New Zealand.
They are helped by the fact that there are more emotional scenes in this film than in the other two put together.
SEAN ASTIN AS SAM AND ELIJAH WOOD AS FRODO ARE OUTSTANDING as the balance of power shifts between them.'

He does have minor criticisms, (I get the impression he's read the books) but concludes:
'For it's scale, imagination and passion, this is, without doubt, the greatest cinematic trilogy ever - surpassing by far its nearest competitors... It will be watched with admiration for as long as cinema exists.'
_______________________________________________

What's that he said?

SEAN ASTIN AS SAM AND ELIJAH WOOD AS FRODO ARE OUTSTANDING - now that's what I wanted to hear!:)


END ROTK REVIEW










serena - I really enjoyed reading your Wetten Dass review. ELijah looked like he was having a good time. Thanks so much. Take care while you're away - we'll miss you!:)

Tg - Glad to hear you're on the mend. I would say missing the Christmas office party is perfectly in order under the circumstances. You HAVE been very ill. I'd say a night at home with perhaps a tot of whiskey in one hand (for medicinal purposes only, of course!) and the video remote control in the other, watching Elijah host SNL is what the doctor ordered.:D

I don't know if or when we'll get to see this here in the UK. SNL IS listed on Paramount 2, four nights a week, but Elijah certainly isn't listed as guest host for next week at all. I have no idea how far behind we are, but the hosts on next week include Bill Murray and Jennifer Aniston. Does anyone in the US remember them being on recently? Of course I'll keep checking.

Any news/opinions on how Elijah does on SNL will be gratefully recieved this side of the Pond. Pretty please. Pretty please with nice bows on.:)

Good to know you're better too, Sheryl.:)

Shireling - Hi. Yes, I saw The Quest Fulfilled - well I taped it and watched it later. Lovely! ITV had a similar documentary on last year for TTT, and the first time it was on for half an hour or so, but a few days/weeks later (can't remember) I noticed it was on again, this time for an hour, and had extra material. It's worth checking for a while to see if the same happens with this one. I'll let you know if I see any details.

Originally quoted by Alyon:
Saw an RotK commercial on TV last night--gave me the shivers...
______________________________________________

Oh, I just downloaded that commercial, Alyon. Frodo!!!! Am attempting to get stills from the QuickTime clip. Will post as links if successful.

Sorry if I've rambled on. I'll shutup now.
Have a nice weekend all.

Edit:
Here is the link for Alyon's ROTK commercial:

ROTK TV commercial (http://www.theonering.net/index.shtml)

Scroll down to ROTK TV spot, and right click for QuickTime or Windows Media.

Some screencaps from that commercial: (not great quality - sorry)

commercial - Frodo1 (http://www.imagemagician.com/images/blossom/ROTKFrodo1.jpg)

commercial - Frodo2 (http://www.imagemagician.com/images/blossom/ROTKFrodo4.jpg)

commercial - Frodo3 (http://www.imagemagician.com/images/blossom/ROTKFrodo5.jpg)

I saw the TTT EE on the big screen last night and it was such a treat! The new scenes really do flesh it out (the one time I saw the TTT EE DVD they were too new to seem "right").

Anyone else sad about the caption on the ROTK official poster: "The Journey Ends"? A few weeks ago I was figuring out ROTK babysitting and realized I had to take trailers time into account (although they didn't show any before the EE FOTR or the TTT EE). It was an odd experience, like, "there is life and other movies after ROTK". Not to be too melodramatic but it was something like being surprised that life goes on after someone dies, or as Tolkien says it better (Choices, TTT): "The mountains had not crumbled nor the earth fallen into ruin."

But, it's not over yet!!! :)

Thanks so much for the interview ainon! The interviewer actually asked good questions. A few comments:

mild spoilers:









[QUOTE]Originally posted by ainon
From chud.com

Tales from the Junket Circuit: The Return of the King by Smilin’ Jack Ruby

“…next we asked Wood what it was like that final time he left New Zealand, never to return to shoot a Rings movie there again” [“never to return”, shades of wood elves and Grey Havens and …waaaah!!]

“…we were so used to life there and on that film and living on that schedule suddenly, I didn’t know what my own life meant anymore“ [sounds like a certain fictional character] “…to come back to being whole and complete and back in the world again.” [unlike a certain fictional character]

“…the journey’s never going to end and we’re going to keep working on these things for the rest of our lives!” [big happy sigh]

“But, with these movies, I tend to completely give over to the experience of watching these movies. I find myself being just as much of a fan as anyone else.” [:)]

[re: Shelob’s ‘cocoon’]: “As for how long he had to stay like that, Wood added, ‘Not long-it would’ve been for half an hour to an hour or more each time, then they’d take me out and later re-wrap me.’
[sounds like a Haremite game!;)]

“…the intensity of the ring and the destruction of Frodo.” [not "the intensity of Frodo and the destruction of the Ring". Waaaah!!]

(((tg))) ((faculty))

I'll have to check out the commercials later. Thanks!

Anyone have time for another of Elijah's films just now? :D If you'd like to see the "ESOTSM" trailer, it's up now on several sites. And yes, Mr. Wood *is* there, looking utterly geeky in the first glimpse we get - is that a spoof on a certain someone's huge eyes? :rolleyes:


From Blossom
I wish Elijah HAD been there, because I think he would have loved the atmosphere - apparently around 10,000 people turned up just to see the cast arrive... Yes, he would have loved the atmosphere - it was fantastic. I was there with Niphredil and Pearl....we arrived late compared to a large crowd of other people who must have been there for hours, and the crowds were *huge*. But the atmosphere was so charged with happy anticipation, so many people eagerly looking forward to this film, and cheering like crazy and chanting the stars' name, waving banners........it was really fun. My very first fangirl experience! :o And the huge illuminated RotK poster above the cinema, with flaming "rings" in front.... it was a lovely feeling!

Although it must be a little scary for the stars - all these people cheering and screaming for THEM. I really wonder what it's like from the *other* side of the barriers.

Due to plane delays I then had every opportunity to peruse papers in great detail after the UK premiere, too. I don't avoid general paper reviews at all, because they don't spoil much, if anything. They just give you the general impression that:
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(Mariole, and others, giving you the chance to turn away here, if you still avoid general opinion spoilers)
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... the reviewers all loved it. They seriously LOVED it. They gush, praise, rave and gush some more. They write things like "How Jackson made geeks of us all" and other things in praise and more praise. Sure, there are quibbles, but half of the time those just make me even more gleeful.

Like the one reviewer who complained of "Too much Frodo."
My response: Hahahahahahahahaha! :o

Or the couple of reviewers who complain that "The film is too long, there are too many partings and farewells, it takes too long to wind the film down after the decisive battle": My response: Oh YESYESYES!!!

But it's true that in most reviews, it's the cast in general (and PJ) getting the praise, and if one single character is mentioned, it's Sam /Sean who gets the praise. Usually then with nods to Mortensen and Wood at the same time.

*
*
*
*
*
*
End review comments

Thank you Blossom for the caps from the latest trailer! Happy anticipation increasing some more!

Thank you ainon for the interview!

Thanks Niph for the heads-up about future programmes and films. Maybe some of them will show up over here too.

Thank you Faculty for being here and being you!

4 days to go! :)

And the award for How to Make Yourself Look Exceptionally Idiotic in 2 Words or Less goes to Blossom's UK writer who described Orlando and Elijah as "pampered luvvies" who didn't make the London premiere. Obviously this man did not read Elijah's schedule that I posted earlier (and which keeps getting new things added on as new events are announced). :rolleyes: More on the Astoundingly Clueless theme below.

Hello to all Faculty members who are emerging from the woodwork (hee!) to leave comments and other goodies. Thank you so much! :k

Because I know you're intensely interested ;), here are some additional things that I've been doing to pass the time before ROTK:

1. Rewatched the Ice Storm.
2. Rewatched Flipper. :D
3. Keep reading lots of silly articles like the one below:

Warning! Sarcasm alert:

NEWS FLASH! Some women like Lord of the Rings! Read all about it here:

http://www.detnews.com/2003/entertainment/0312/13/d01-6774.htm

One woman, after commenting on the character interplay, adds "the fact that the movies are filled with good looking guys doesn’t hurt, either." The astoundingly ignorant (male) reporter then comes to this choice conclusion:

Chief amongst those "good looking guys" are Viggo Mortensen, who plays Aragorn, the noble warrior king, and Orlando Bloom, who plays Legolas, the fellowship’s resident elf. Elijah Wood, who plays Frodo Baggins, is normally considered a hottie, but his hairy Hobbit feet in the "Lord of the Rings" films discount him from heartthrob status in this case.
[amazingly clueless male bashing] Some people just don't get it. :rolleyes: [/amazingly clueless male bashing]

I remember when the movie first came out and the marketing people were shocked, shocked I tell you, to find so many women in the audience. Maybe the fact that this book has been a bestseller for 50 years might have something to do with that, as women comprise most of the reading population. But, no *slaps self around* that's just crazy talk!

Tg, you've been holding out on us: ;)
"The film is a phenomenon and ends the trilogy with a tremendously satisfying way that will please audiences of all ages," says Shaw, who saw the film at an early screening.
From Oscar/fan frenzy article, link here: http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2003-12-12-lotr-main_x.htm

Thanks everyone for the pics, quotes, and posts. Taking a leaf from Blossom (ooh, isn't that an interesting turn of phrase), I am attaching an ROTK Commercial spoiler pic. In Mariole's weird, weird world of spoiler avoidance, she is still not allowed to read any reviews or look at random posted pictures, but this officially released commerical is condsidered okay. We don't know why, it just is. *shivers with excitement*

SPOILER PIC:

Edit:
from Mariole
Tg, you've been holding out on us:

quote:
-------------------------
"The film is a phenomenon and ends the trilogy with a tremendously satisfying way that will please audiences of all ages," says Shaw, who saw the film at an early screening.
-------------------------

Don't I wish :D !! I do hope to have the same reaction, though :p .

And, as one of the [two?] :p members of the Claude Raines fan club, I just love seeing his best comedic line gratuitously quoted ;) :

...shocked, shocked I tell you...

---------

Thanks for the report on the premiere, Maeg. The Sun certainly practiced "selective jounalism" there--"Some comedy show"--as if they didn't know or couldn't find out :rolleyes: . For those in the UK, I looked back through SNL episode lists and anything I could find with Jennifer Anniston or Bill Murray aired quite some time ago (like, uh, 1999--but one in February and the other in November :confused: ). If they show four episodes a week, I'd guess their schedule isn't really tied to when the show aired live. Maybe if enough people requested a certain episode ;) ??

Originally posted by kuduk
Anyone else sad about the caption on the ROTK official poster: "The Journey Ends"?...
I'ts hard to put into words. It's very different from the experience of finishing the book the first time, because that really can go on and on in re-readings. OTOH, this experience has been a whole period of my life--I can't go through it all again by popping FotR into the DVD player. Also, most obviously and best of all, it's been a communal experience in a way that reading the book wasn't (that may be different for people who've had message boards, etc., during their entire time as Tolkien readers). IMVHO, that makes it irreproducible and unique. I feel blessed (was going to say "lucky", but that's not quite right) to have found such wonderful people to share it with. Okay, now I'm... :( , but in a good way.

But the movies will always be there (nice that at least one reviewer mentioned how they'll be watched far into the future). Strange to think that when we're watching Elijah tackle some meaty role in his forties, we can go back and watch LotR and he'll still be eighteen. Kind of like the effect of the Ring, but through a positive power. :)

Thanks so much for the interview ainon! The interviewer actually asked good questions.
Ditto, ditto. :) Even questions about acting and stuff :p !

RotK book/movie spoiler:






[re: Shelob’s ‘cocoon’]: “As for how long he had to stay like that, Wood added, ‘Not long-it would’ve been for half an hour to an hour or more each time, then they’d take me out and later re-wrap me.’
Irrepressible Elwood at his best :) :cool: !! Did anyone else have thoughts like, "Uh, I dunno... being tied up in horrible sticky stuff for an hour or more... For me wouldn't qualify as "not long"... Especially if I knew it was going to happen repeatedly!" I almost don't want to find out how immobile he is there :eek: .






End RotK book/movie spoiler


For grumpy and anyone else who might be interested, here's a review of the book mentioned awhile back that's about how (in the author's opinion) Tolkien's experiences surrounding WWI affected his later writing:
Tolkien and the Great War by John Garth (http://greenmanreview.com/book/book_garth_tolkien.html)

Originally posted by BLOSSOM
Here is the link for Alyon's ROTK commercial:

ROTK TV commercial (http://www.theonering.net/index.shtml)

Scroll down to ROTK TV spot, and right click for QuickTime or Windows Media.

I've been away from these boards and LOTR for a while, so I'm far from versed in the ROTK contents and whatnot, so here goes my question--


ROTK spoiler






In the spot above, I saw Pippin with a palintir, but have heard from sources that such an aspect of the storyline were to be disposed of--is the scene to be left in, or was this a hint to the EE of ROTK that will be forthcoming next year?

I don't dare hope about the Scouring of the Shire...







End spoiler

edited by lyric

Hi, BuckleburyFerry.

On this thread, we are marking both book and movie references as spoilers. The ROTK commercial and your follow-up questions above count as spoilers, so please in future put SPOILER and dropdown space around it, thanks!

I know I'm sounding like a bit of a wet blanket, but I really would not like to discuss possible ROTK plot lines or speculations in this thread. Could we please take this discussion to the Trilogy thread? Thank you! :k

As a bit of explanation: This thread is more spoiler-conscious than a lot of others, because there are "regulars" here who haven't read the book yet--the FotR movie was their first experience with LotR and they've decided to see all three movies before going to the book (such superhuman effort of the will :eek: )! So when it comes to RotK, we mark even book spoilers.

But here's a link to the last page of the Official RotK Spoilers Discussion Thread, which seems to be centered on that commercial as we speak :) -- http://www.khazaddum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=184205#post184205

:o Yes, I know I'm double-posting, but with the SNL show less than 2 hours away, I wanted this to show up as a new post. I'm usually very good :rolleyes: [grovel, grovel] --

Anyway, while I was waiting for someone to post in this thread, I went ahead and put the following in the Hugs Haven. It's a bit of anticipation about tonight's program from "the other side of the fence"--a discussion board on an SNL fan site :) . Here's a link to the page in "Hugs":

http://www.khazaddum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=184331#post184331

P.S. With everything else that's going on right now, has anyone noticed that we're 33 posts away from 5000?!?

I don't believe it. I missed the first half-hour! I completely forgot about it! :::: whimper :::: And usually the first half-hour is the best of the show! :::: sniffle :::: So what did they do? What was the intro? They usually have either a Bush or Cheney spoof. What was it?? Did they do a LotR takeoff?

What I *did* see was that Sean Astin is right. The kid is so comfortable inside his own skin that he can slip into whatever character he's playing without hesitation or awkwardness. I was as convinced that he was the sleazy comedian as much as I was that he was 3'6" tall and madly in love with the One Ring. And the way the "comedian" shifted gears!

Reindeer antlers?!? BOY GEORGE?!?!

What a cutie pie.

I saw the new trailer too. Different scenes.

~grumpy

Elijah did really well on SNL and didn't seem nervous at all. He fit right in and and was great as all his characters. The comedian skit ws the best I think.

I missed a few minutes of his monologue but I have it on tape and I'm going to watch it all , all over again, in a little while. Kris Kattan was back for this episode and ..YES! he was Gollum trying to wreck Elijah's monologue. Very funny! And then they had a fake 'pilot' of a 'Gollum and Frodo move to Denver and share an apartment' sitcom. Absolutely hysterical! Maybe I liked that skit best.....


It was ELIJAH I liked the whole thing!

I will try to get some caps up. I tried to take some but they came out too bright. I'll keep working on them.

Blossom!!!
Thank you!!

[Here is the link for Alyon's ROTK commercial:

:D :D

I rather like having it be called MY commercial!! Can we get one for each of us? Thank you ever so much for the link. I watched it over and over and over.....whoa...still spine-tingling.


Here on the west coast, still one half hour before SNL. Thanks to Hobmom and Zkgrumpy I'll now go into my viewing with a relaxed confidence. Sweet Sweet dreams to you all. :k

I thought the Reindeer antlers were a little much, but Santa suit was great. :D

Boy George was frightening, but funny. Ice skating ending made him look like the Artful Dodger (remember that? Anyone? Is it on video?).

I loved the sleazy comedian best of all. it was great watching him hold his own with Chris kattan's sleazy comedian.

I loved all of his characters on that show! :D

Hmmm, I don't want to be the negative one here, but I thought the writers had all gone to stupid school before writing EW's SNL appearance. I was predisposed to like the show, and wound up being infuriated by the lameness of their ideas. *Not* by Elijah's delivery (though it did look like he missed a line or two!) but by the simple-mindedness of the concepts and the lines that were written. They went for the lamest, most cliched topics and wrote some truly dumb passages. I was really looking forward to this show, and wanted to believe that the writers would take it seriously, and not phone it in.

At the same time, I think Elwood deserves a lot of credit for being willing to wear so many ratty wigs and such awful makeup. He is game for just about anything. The Boy George thing just about killed me--not in a good way, either! I could barely watch! The best part of that skit was EW's doing a very respectable job singing BG's songs. In fact, it struck me that the show deliberately highlighted singing in many of the skits. (The Boys Choir thing, the comedian/lounge singer, Boy George, and the Jazz Band Singer). I thought EW did pretty well in that regard.

My favorite line was from the oh-so-predictable skit with the Queer Eye guys performing a makeover on Santa. EW's character says something like, "you have to communicate with your eyes. People say that's all I do." wink wink, nudge nudge. He must have gotten a kick from that line.

I loved seeing EW skate in Rockefeller Center at the end of the show. Didn't necessarily remind me of the Artful Dodger, but the kid from California was literally skating rings around all the long-term New Yorkers.

And I loved the reindeer ears. The stills they showed at the breaks were all killer.

I agree with you, peaceweaver. The show was lame, and pretty much what I expected, writing-wise. But Elijah definitely held his own, and looked like he was having the time of his life (which he probably was). That aspect of it was fantastic. :cool:

And I loved the Boy George bit! His accent, his singing -- yes, he looked atrocious, bless his game little heart -- but it literally had me grinning from ear to ear. :D

Part of the reason that I love that he got a chance to do this show, lame or not, is that it gave him a chance to show that he can do something besides Frodo. Because, let's face it, for most people in the world, that's all he's ever done. And SNL is about as far from Frodo as you can get! :rolleyes: And he was a complete pro! Yeah, he seemed nervous for the monologue (and I kept wishing that they'd show more of him and less of 'Gollum', but that's just me), but the rest of the show he seemed in (almost) complete control. He really held his own and did a great job with what he was given. I couldn't be more thrilled for him!

I watched the tape of the SNL show this morning, and I was really pleasantly surprised. As a non-SNL viewer, I was expected the crudest sort of humor, such as what I was forced to endure during the MTV awards. *shudders in recollection* But SNL did lots of clever stuff. I really enjoyed their political commentary and parody pieces (the bit of the guitar player with the non-lyrics slayed me). Okay, so it's not Steve Martin at his wittiest, but I found the show an enjoyable experience. Elijah was very cute in it, and he got an opportunity to play a variety of characters. I think this was a fine showcase to present to the rest of the country, "More than Just Frodo."

Edit: I just saw BB's post *waves* where she says the same thing, only better. Yup. I think this kind of platform was an excellent way to smoothly move away from Just!Frodo. Smart career move, I think. And I agree with the nervousness factor, but I think he handled it well, and he did seem to enjoy the show more as they went along. I enjoyed him breaking up from time to time during the last skit. It reminded me of the Carol Burnett show, where the actors would do their best to make their fellow players incapable of saying their lines. Nice bit of nostalgia!

Getting that Gollum skit out of the way first off was a smart move, and then (except for one or two lapses) most of the humor was LOTR-free. I liked that. I feel obligated, however, to point out that the "Hard Hobbit to Break" sitcom was filmed here, in my town! I LIVE IN DENVER. If only I'd known Gollum was going to be here in person. I could have asked for his autograph. And if the show was picked up, I could maybe see it being recorded someday!!! *squeeee!* coughs* The wig for this fantasy sitcom was too funny. I kept doing double takes at Frolijah, and finally figured it out. The wig eerily resembled humor columnist Dave Barry's hair style when he was accused of wearing "a dead weasel." Yes, it was that bad. I loved it! And something about the absurdity of him wearing his cloak around the apartment very much tickled my funny bone.

I definitely agree with peaceweaver about Lij's singing. I don't know anything at all about Boy George, so any parody went right over my head. (I'm still wondering if Boy G is known for wearing skullcaps with painted octopus legs on them?) :confused: But I did enjoy Lij's singing. I sort of blinked and went, Oh. Say, that's pretty good. What's even more impressive to me is that they rehearsed this show while he was recovering from a cold. That's quite a risk, to craft a show with so much singing (even fake singing) when your guest host shows up the Monday before with a throaty cough. My personal opinion is that EW's "Saving My Voice" sign was an inside joke from their rehearsals, as this was probably the actual fact.

Hobmom, I also enjoyed the commedian skit. Now, my VCR recording isn't the best quality, but did anyone else think that Elijah was wearing fake teeth in that skit? There was no gap! And his teeth looked bigger. Am I insane? (No, don't answer that -- but am I right about the teeth?)

In addition to the teeth, I spent most of that skit fixated on his mandible. Really, it was extremely artfully lit. And then when he turned his head to look back at the drummer, that sternocleidomastoid leaped right out and it was a musculoskeletal delight. I really need to get Flipper on DVD, because now I need to compare the sternocleidomastoid/mandibular development of Young!Lij with the adult version that was on SNL. Seriously, in Flipper his face is much narrower. You can see what will become the shape of his mandible, but it hasn't developed its distinctive flaring. I will pursue research on this as time permits. (You see why I don't want anyone to answer the "insane" question in the previous paragraph?) :p

I'm waiting to hear more from people who actually watch this show on a semi-regular basis. However, I had to quote my favorite remark from the selection of SNL chat-group chatter that tg posted in Hugs:
Umm, I'm not sure who Gollum is. I know he is a lotr character. Didn't he make an appearance during the superbowl weekend update thing they did?
:D Love it.

from Alyon
I rather like having it be called MY commercial!! Can we get one for each of us?
I think that's only fair. C'mon, New Line! Only 2 days until ROTK. Get cracking!

Viggo on the Oscars, from The Awful Truth:
V.M. had a little to say on that matter when I asked him if there's an equivalent to the One Ring in Hollywood.
"Yes: awards," the totally do-able iconoclastic actor-artist responded simply. "They're not evil in themselves--and neither is the ring--but what they bring out in some people certainly can be. [People] become more interested in [awards] as opposed to working together."
You go, you barefooted bearer of the truth!

from tgshaw
P.S. With everything else that's going on right now, has anyone noticed that we're 33 posts away from 5000?!?
Holy cats! I think I still have a hangover from when we reached 4,000. Thank goodness I have plenty of booze laid in for the holidays. *lays in another bottle of bubbly to chill*

Originally posted by Mariole

Hobmom, I also enjoyed the commedian skit. Now, my VCR recording isn't the best quality, but did anyone else think that Elijah was wearing fake teeth in that skit? There was no gap! And his teeth looked bigger. Am I insane? (No, don't answer that -- but am I right about the teeth?)

*waves at Mariole*

No, you're right about the teeth (I ain't touching the other part of that question, no way ;) ). I don't know why they did it, but it was funny. Completely changed the shape of his mouth.

And you're right about all the singing -- it had not occured to me that he was hoarse when they went into rehearsals. But he did a great job, even with the really horrendous falsetto stuff. :eek: And his Boy George was fabulous! I don't know that BG has ever looked quite like that, but Elwood's singing of those songs was definitely a highlight of the show for me!

I'm waiting to hear more from people who actually watch this show on a semi-regular basis.

*Hangs her head in shame*

As part of the teenage-20-something year old demographic that much of the show is directed towards, I do indeed spend an hour or two of my life every week watching it. :o

I missed the first 20 minutes :rolleyes: because Comcast convinced me it was to start at 10:30 and not 10:05. So I missed what sounds like a hilarous monologue/odd couple skit. :( Perhaps TORn or some other site will put up clips.. I can hope, right?

Anyway, the humor in this show was slightly different since they obviously went for a holiday theme. Yeah, there was a lot of focus on singing, but there are also a lot of singing skits normally so I wasn't surprised. What I AM surprised about is the range of skits they used. They don't normally make the host go from simply wearing a wig to switch into 'gay' clothing and then race off stage for a quick makeup session to look like Boy George.

(I'll avoid the 'they put Elijah through the ringer!' pun this time :D)

I only noticed Elijah miss a line two times, one of which seemed to be because the other actor started his too early. That's really good for this show. :p

Overall, I was laughing almost the entire time. Their 'regular' skits like Weekend Update were funnier than usual and even their parody cartoon wasn't nearly as crude or humorless as it really is. Am I saying they stepped up a notch for Elijah? No. He was just lucky to be on this week and not on some of their more embarassing weeks.

And whether or not the show was all that funny to most, you have to admit that this publicity couldn't have come at a better time. With RotK 3 days away, I'm sure SNL just upped the hype for those who perhaps weren't as aware of the movie. AND the breaks were peppered with LotR commercials. I loved it. :D

Originally posted by Mariole
I watched the tape of the SNL show this morning, and I was really pleasantly surprised. As a non-SNL viewer, I was expected the crudest sort of humor, such as what I was forced to endure during the MTV awards.
Edit: a couple of posts sneaked in there :o --some of this may be redundant after Winter's comments.

From my extensive research (of what was said on 2 websites concerning a few episodes :rolleyes: ), the crude factor seems to vary considerably from week to week. Last week's was very "clean"--but, then, you had a Presidential candidate as host. The last live episode before that was wall-to-wall "bodily functions" humor, including a few sexual comments I would have found shocking on broadcast TV. The one before that, wasn't so bad. I don't know how much it has to do with who the host is--the totally crude episode was with Alec Baldwin, who's hosted many times before. (I didn't see any of those episodes myself, but these fans don't hold things back in their posts! That's why I'm copying and pasting instead of posting the link :eek: .)


I definitely agree with peaceweaver about Lij's singing. I don't know anything at all about Boy George, so any parody went right over my head. (I'm still wondering if Boy G is known for wearing skullcaps with painted octopus legs on them?) :confused:
Boy George is known for looking as outrageous as possible. Wearing a striped suit with full face--and hair--makeup would be right in line :) . When he first became well known, he purposely made his appearance very androgenous, but I think he's gotten away from that in recent years.


My personal opinion is that EW's "Saving My Voice" sign was an inside joke from their rehearsals, as this was probably the actual fact.
LOL!! I hadn't thought of that, but I bet you're right :D !


I really need to get Flipper on DVD, because now I need to compare the sternocleidomastoid/mandibular development of Young!Lij with the adult version that was on SNL...
From truly extensive research, the only screencappable version of Flipper I've been able to find is on VCD--can be ordered from my buddies ;) at yesasia.com . I have the VCD and have made a few caps from it (there are two on the "comment page" for Flipper on my website). I don't have time to hunt, but if you can give me a particular point in the movie you want capped for comparison purposes, I'll see what I can do.

I'm waiting to hear more from people who actually watch this show on a semi-regular basis.
I'm working on a compilation of comments from die-hard SNL fans; the thread (just on last night's episode) is already 7 pages long, but not all of it applies--a lot is on the music, and I'm skipping that. Also, the guy who runs the board gives a blow-by-blow account during the show of what's happening on screen, but does it without giving any opinions, so I left that out. The basic opinion so far is good to very good. Compared to what they usually see, that's probably true (everybody still hates Jet :( ).

So EW ended up skating at Rockefeller Center, eh? Hmmmm. Could that be a not-so-clandestine message to Katarina Witt, whom he met - and admired - on Wetten dass ....?? (I bet that - ich wette, dass - it was at least inspired by her!) ;)

Green with envy at you US residents! Hope at least a clip or two ends up, er, somewhere.

OK. Now I really am off Down Under. Bye!

Thank you for the SNL viewer's commentary, Winter! :k Comcast is a mean, cruel entity and will be among the first against the wall when the revolution comes. Meanwhile, people are posting caps from the show over in livejournal (look for user undone27). I expect it's only a matter of time before the playable Gollum skit gets posted somewhere. :cool:

Very cool to hear that Lij did an exceptional job of costume/skit changes (as if he could ever not be exceptional!). Go, Lij -- you da man! I think he did a fantastic job, especially given the variety. He came across to this (admittedly biased) viewer as a walking box of talent. It's a relief to hear that his show compares well to the others. And thanks for the SNL recent-show research, tg, and the clue about Boy George. I'm so current-culture hopeless.

from serena
So EW ended up skating at Rockefeller Center, eh? Hmmmm. Could that be a not-so-clandestine message to Katarina Witt, whom he met - and admired - on Wetten dass ....??
Intrigue, I love it! (Well, if I'm a sucker for German men, Elijah can certainly be a sucker for German women. And she is very beautiful.)

from tgshaw
I don't have time to hunt, but if you can give me a particular point in the movie you want capped for comparison purposes, I'll see what I can do.
Ooh, ooh, ooh! Kisses you! *unless you duck quickly* Yes, there is a particular spot when he's on the dock walking toward the camera and turns his head. His neck is all smooth and then he turns to look over one shoulder and the old SCM just pops out. I'll have to look again to see which dock scene it is -- was it night before he slips onto the ferry? Or day when Flipper was well? Or when Flipper was sick? :confused: Ack, I'll let you know. (And if you have time to cap it -- I'm still working up my "Flipper" series...)

And now, for ainon, a cap from SNL, showing a little "cloak action" as Gollum and Frodo head for the "big city" --

the crude factor seems to vary considerably from week to week.


I wonder if it was a function of the anticipated audience. Baldwin is a fixture; there are no surprises in demographic when he's on and he's been on so many times that those who watch, watch and those who would be shocked know not to, fans or not.

Elijah is probably considered very, very hot among teen and pre-teen girls (like us? :::: giggle :::: Despite his hairy feet?!? (You know what they say about big feet... <eg> Sorry. Just washed my hands; can't do a thing with them)) and they could expect kids that age to be watching in droves. I doubt if they'd consider a sudden surge in viewership among the post-35 female set if they're shocked, *shocked*, I tell you! ;) that such women are fans of EW or might even have a thought in their heads besides that Viggo is hot (which he is, of course, and I'd go to the movies to watch him read the phone book out loud). From what I've seen here, it's mostly relief that it wasn't worse, though we would have watched had Fangorn been lurking outside the front door.

It's possible that the network leaned on them, though that wouldn't have worked in the old days at least after they figured out what a gold mine they had (it was originally created in a difficult time in our history as a clean, respectable outlet for teens for Saturday night. You know - apolitical, fun in a clean-shaven sort of way)(Oy, vey, what they got!). Or maybe New Line sent some Nazgul on fell beasts to screech around outside the studio.

[QUOTE]
[/b]
Also, the guy who runs the board gives a blow-by-blow account during the show of what's happening on screen, but does it without giving any opinions, so I left that out. The basic opinion so far is good to very good. Compared to what they usually see, that's probably true (everybody still hates Jet :( ). [/B]

:::: pleading eyes :::: Would you consider sending the link to me if you don't want to post it? I'm over 18. Honest. zimmy@highstream.net

If TORN doesn't post screen caps, and someone can send me clips in pieces, I'll be happy to try. (just the important bits from the first half-hour) :::: big toothy hopeful grin ::::

~grumpyandstillcan'tbelieveImissedthefirsthalfhour

OK that LJer Mariole mentioned DOES have very good caps up. I tried to get some but this involves using a sort of low resolution digital camera and taking pics of my actual TV which is NOT high definition....and they just didn't come out well at all. WE can't post the link to the particular journal though as it's not entirely PG.

Maybe I'll 'borrow' her caps and put them up later.

As an old SNL viewer from it's earliest days till now I have to say that the show has had its ups and downs and actually the cast they have now is pretty good. The weeks they get very crude tend to put me off but when they are funny they are very funny. Last night's show was quite good as compared to some I've see.

It seems to me that they must have sat down with Elijah and asked him what things are on his mind or that are commonly known about him and how they could use those things in the skits.

'Jai Rodrigues' eye contact was , to me, an obvious Elijah joke. Elijah always makes that riviting eye contact with everyone he speaks to. He might have even come up with it himself. Also the many gay jokes could definitely have been inspired by the rumors and were Elijah's way of gently poking a little fun at the situation.

He only seemed nervous for a few seconds but then he was right in tune with everyone else and acted like he was a regular on the show. He made me very proud, proving what an accomplished performer he is. Is there anything he CAN'T do?

I thought his 'comedian teeth' made him look like Jim Carrey and he seemed to be imitating his ESOTSM cast-mate and he did it very well, too. That was the best skit. I think it must have come from the early discussions about what Elijah can do well. We all know he can cry at the drop of a hat and that's exactly what he did. And I noticed the ladies in the audience loved it and all went...'Awwwwww....!"

It was a wonderful showcase for Elijah. He can do so much more than play our wonderful Frodo. I would really like to see him do a hysterically funny comedy sometime soon. He's proven he can handle that very well.

Here's what I salvaged from the SNL message board--pretty sure I got everything remotely involving Elijah. I'm sure there's more there now--I'll check when I have time. If I don't add anything else, this should be short enough for one post. I've added a few comments in brackets, and ****** show the end of a post.

Elijah is doing real well. He memorized his lines, something that not most big name hosts do when they come on.
The First sketch was great, but I'm not impressed with Amy's Hillary. They should have had Ana do a walk on. That really would have made my day.
The First sketch was original, and was pretty funny.
The Fag 5 sketch was...expected earlier in the Season. But it was funny none the less.
TV Funhouse was great, and normally "Fun with Real Audio" is boring.
Jet....Was that one on the left a girl? I've heard that song about 3000 times.
Weekend Update: Jimmy. No more John Mayer. That sucked! Bad. I'm not a big fan of his, but that was pretty tasteless.
The Rant by Tina was funny this week. But the rest of Update was okay.
Horatio gulping egg nog. Look like he had practice. Elijah as Boy George...another Gay role.
Dean in 2004 message. Boring
That's where we are now.

******
he is doing really well.. Rialto Grande [young & old comedians] was funny

****** [The above were all posted during the show.]

complete opinion: great show!

******
[Not from the same person.] actually, on second thought, a C + .

******
TV Funhouse was hilarious

Horatio saved the WUW sketch [Wakeup Wakesfield--the high school music skit].

The Hardball sketch was funny not classic. I thought the Hillary lines were the best.

******
COLD OPEN: 8 out of 10
MONOLOGUE: 10 out of 10
BOY'S CHOIR: 7 out of 10
QUEER EYE: 10 out of 10
TV FUNHOUSE: 10 OUT OF 10
WAKE UP WAKEFIELD: 7 out of 10
JET #1: 4 out of 10
WEEKEND UPDATE: 10 out of 10
VERSACE CHRISTMAS: 6 out of 10
DEAN FOR PRESIDENT: 8 out of 10
RIALTO GRANDE: 9 out of 10
JET #2: 4 out of 10
CAST CLOSING SHOW AT 30 ROCKEFELLER PLAZA SKATING RINK, WITH EXTENDED CLOSING THEME SONG: PRICELESS, LIKE 30 OUT OF 10 [Seems the show almost always runs long and they hardly ever get to hear the entire theme song.]

******
OVERALL: 9 out of 10 (Jet brought down the average).
Great show this week. Elijah did a great job. We'll probably see more of him in the next few years, in terms of hosting.

******
Best show of the year, worst WU though. The ice rink at the end was a nice touch. By the way, who reported those skits on tonight's show that were right? That's right, me

******
Hardball: Awesome as always. I liked Kenan as Carol Moseley-Braun. He had his best show all year tonight.
Monologue: I love seeing Chris as Gollum. What he said about the show is a lot like what I've read on here lately!
Choir: This was awesome. Will was great in it, as always, and the joke where they punched Todd's balls to keep his voice from changing was great too.
The Fab 5 make over Santa
A good concept sketch that had some great laughs. I laughed the hardest when Seth huggeds him. Good idea with good execution.
Fun With Real Audio
Haven't had this in about 2 years. This was pretty good. I laughed my ass off when he was in the ape costume.
Wake Up Wakefield
I laughed at how she was into Clay Aiken now, because I've never met anyone who finds him that hot. Elijah's character DID look like Justin Guarini.
Jet #1
I don't care what you all say, Jet is great. While Simon and Garfunkel would have been awesome, Jet is still the best MG [Musical Guest] so far this year, taking the spot from Outkast.
Update:
Pretty funny. Kenan as Whitney Houston's daughter was a definite LOL moment.
Versace Egg nog:
Another Solid Versace sketch, continuing the tradition. Boy George was hilarious.
Howard Dean ad:
A good sketch joking about howliberals can go overboard sometimes. I know Nile, and Ben Terwilliger loved this. I did too, even though I'm a liberal.
Buddy Mills:
A good way to surprise everyone. I enjoy this sketch & it reminds of Billy Crystal's Buddy Young Jr, character.
Jet #2:
A cool slow song, and a nice way to end the show.

To summarize, everything was good tonight. The cast had great chemistry and it had an awesome host, pulling it above the Andy Roddick show for my favorite of the year.

******
did i enjoy the buddy mills sketch? Sure, I enjoyed it the first four times I saw it last year. It's almost a replica of the Ray Romano one. I could have used some goofy Forte sketch or something instead.

******
Most enjoyable episode of the season.

******
this episode was fabulous. all the sketches were great, and not only was the host fantastic, but chris kattan came back!!! awesome, awesome episode. it ties with timberlake as being two best of the season.

******
[This one might be, erm, a bit biased?] i absolutely LOVE the elwood episode (not to be confused with the other elwood--elijah woods actual nickname is elwood--appropriate heh?).

elijah is a pretty retro person too. (he likes star wars and cool stuff like that!)

hes really funny too. seriously...he does an impression all the time of sean astin's midget double..."I LIKE RED WINE!" and if youve ever listened to the fellowship commentary...its 500% as funny (due to the hobbits--mostly elijah and dominic), as snl is today. seriously.

the monologue was the best part...you know, if elijah and chris ever did want to do that hobbit show...id watch it. lol. truly. it looked actually funny.

favorite line. "since 1999 i havent worn shoes." the whole, im to be frodo forever jokes are always funny.

the fab 5 sketch was fairly good too.

but the 2nd place after the monologue goes to elijah's high pitched voice skreeching. thats a well known skreech he does though. hes done similar things in several interviews. "skreech...skreeeeech.......SKREEEEEEEECHH!"

enjoying it so far. [Different time zone-she's writing this during the show]

its getting a tie with the danny aykroyd episode.

elwood vs. elwood...geesh, i would pay to see that!

wouldnt that be funny?

This was the best episode of the season.

******
The four good episodes of the year in no particular order:
Elijah
Timberlake
Roddick
Ripa

They all had a lot of Fallon.

******
The mayer thing was funny. One of my five L-O-L moments. The others:

Mackey. Amazing how the same exact sketch can make me laugh every time. I knew it was coming. I still laughed.

Amy on Hardball. I laughed at the Hillary lines. Those were great.

The choir deal. Forte especially. Jim had a funny line in there which I can't remember, but Forte's expressions and demeanor were great.

Finally, The TV Funhouse. That was great.

******
This was such an upper after last week's episode. Elijah did surprisingly well.. I mean really, really well. I thought his comic in the Buddy Mills sketch was great.

Sadly, I didn't see much of Forte. Or Richards or Mitchell, as Rattler pointed out. But I sure did like Mitchell's gyrating hips. Oh yes I did.

And I don't think I've laughed harder for almost any sketch this year than the Laverne & Shirleyeque opening. Hee Lair Ee Ous.

******
i freakin loved it. how much i love gollum and buddy mills. the boys choir thing was funny. the weekend update wasnt that good but basically everything else was enjoyable. this episode is either the one of the best or the best of the season..... so far.

******
every sketch elijah was in was good.

hardball was lame, and weekend update is WEAKend update as usual.

but yeah, the frodo/gollum monologue was the hilight.

******
that really was a good episode

******
Hardball:
Best cold opening of the season??? Perhaps. Everybody was funny. A black jewish ninja!!!! 9/10

Monologue: Gollum!!!!! A bit tired at the end but still great. 8.5/10

Choir: Quite hilarious. 7.5/10

Queer eye for Santa: Funny as hell. I'm giving credit for Horatio for actually doing a good job here. 8.5/10

TV FUNHOUSE: Robert Smigel's spark has been missed this year. A really good one Fun with real audio! 9/10

Wake Up Wakefield: No Randy Goldman! Horatio saved the sketch! (Never thought I would write that.) But still a very strong sketch. 8/10

Weekend Update: The pregnant line was just GREAT! Good John Mayer imitation and Kenan and Maya stole the show. 8.5/10

Donatella: Again extremely solid work from Maya. Horatio makes a third appearance without destroying the show. 8.5/10

Gore/Dean: Very slow at the beginning but it was very hilarious torward the end. Passing of the torch? Richards as Dean for two consecutive weeks. His imitation is right on the money. We'll see a lot of him in 2004. 8/10

Rialto: I hate this sketch but oddly enough it was the funniest one they ever did. 8.5/10

Final thoughts: 2nd best episode of the season after the Timberlake show. Elijah did a great job hosting. Horatio actually managed to validate his participation in this program. He managed to save one sketch and had two great appearances on top of that. Where was Seth Meyers? Forte? Finesse?
Kenan emerged as the strongest of the two new cast members with this episode. A lot of Maya tonight but she was GREAT! Aniston opens the year with one of my favorite new act The Black Eyed Peas. Should be a great show!

******
I was falling asleep towards the end but i still think it was funny. These are my favorite episodes so far

1 Justin Timberlake
2 Andy Roddick
3 Rev Al Sharpton
4 Elijah Wood
5 Kelly Rippa
6 Jack Black
7 Alec Baldwin
8 Halle Berry (had best skit of the year though, Speed Reader)

Originally posted by Hobmom
[B]OK that LJer Mariole mentioned DOES have very good caps up. I tried to get some but this involves using a sort of low resolution digital camera and taking pics of my actual TV which is NOT high definition....and they just didn't come out well at all. WE can't post the link to the particular journal though as it's not entirely PG.

Maybe I'll 'borrow' her caps and put them up later.


I can hook my VCR/DVD/whatever up to my 'puter and actually run a tape or a clip and get caps. I don't have to photograph my TV. If someone can point me to a clip, I can get caps. As soon as I finish the other ones, that is. And do the dishes. :)

~grumpy (lessee...dishes...Elijah...dishes...Elijah...)(Maybe I can feed the cats on opened-up dvd cases if I run out of cat dishes...)

I think the answer to the musical question "but can Elijah really sing?" has at last been answered! Wow! He blew me away in that silly Boy George skit! (Well, OK, he wobbled a bit on the last song snippet, but that's alright.)

Note to Mariole, and anyone else wondering: From time to time my husband watches some strange 80's retorspective thing hosted by Boy George. Yep, that really strange makeup job Lij was wearing is just like BG's current look! He looks like he's got black electricians tape on his head!shudder

Even my husband was impressed that Elijah did so well, with the comedy and the singing both.

Didn't you think Elijah looked like Jim Carrey with those hysterical buck teeth in the comedian skit? I just kept shuddering at how much he looked the lounge lizard with that goofy wig! The funniest about that skit, I thought, was the drummer! LOL!

Oh, if I could have Christmas cards with those Elijah stills they showed at the station break! They were so silly and cute! Loved the antlers! Loved that goofy green bow on his head! Tooo Silly!

I'm also grateful that they didn't do any really dreadful LOTR parody stuff that could come back on my like a bad burrito while I'm watching RoTK, ya know?

I watched "All I Want" the other night with my husband (who loved it; said it captured very well what it is to be a 17 year-old male.) and I couldn't remember the character's name for just a second. Ran through Mike, Mikey, Frodo, Lij....Oh, yeah! Jones! Jones...hmmm, that reminds me. Right or Left? So you can see I'm still suffering cruelly from flashbacks from that "Premiere" article! !:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :D :D :D

let's add our comments. Like in the Entertainment Weekly posting section after the reviews...and elsewhere. Let's hear it for FRODO!! For Elijah!! Post on the Rolling Stone site (I assume there is a posting section), on the People site (if there is one). Let's put our hands up for Elijah and Frodo. We certainly owe it to him/them.

Alyon, I love how you think! A write-in! I'm game!

Hugs,

Honey!

PS Off-Topic, I know, but did anyone else think Jet sounded a little like ELO? Dating myself there!

Just thought that should be mentioned.

I put the available SNL caps in a new place. Hope you can see them.

Lij on SNL (http://img7.photobucket.com/albums/v18/Hobbsy/?sort=descending)

Let me know if this works.

Originally posted by Mariole
And now, for ainon, a cap from SNL, showing a little "cloak action" as Gollum and Frodo head for the "big city" --

Oooh! Thank you, Mariole. :k

okay, but that vision Gollum totally freaked me out. it's too early on this Monday morning to be looking at something like that

Thank you, Hobmom for your series of screencaps. Yes, they work! :k Alas, I'll have to wait till later when I get home to really study 'em! tgshaw, thank you for your generous effort in compiling everything that is good and fine about SNL as hosted by EW ... so, I take it that it worked? The recommended flu treatment of staying home from Christmas party to recover in the toasty company of Elijah Wood? :D :k

Winter! Thanks for dropping in with your current info. :) :cool: And many, many more thanks to every lucky American Faculty who's filling the rest of us in on just what we're missing. It is a relief to know that the show went well, and that many neutral viewers rank EW as a highly accomplished host.

mildly off-topic: I've only seen a few episodes of SNL on tapes sent in from American friends, but one of the tapes did have one of the most hilarious skits I'd ever seen: Keith Richards, very drunk, in some kind of cooking class kitchen, solemnly telling the audience that .... ... if you make your ice cubes out of booze gurgle hic you'll never dilute your drink hic


Maeg, you lucky fangirl, you! You were that close to being in the same crowd space with Elwood ... if only he weren't being a
"pampered luvvie". Choosing to be professional and rehearsing for his job! Really. What a brat! :D Sounds like you all had great, great fun, Maeg. :k *waves to Niphredil and Pearl*

Blossom and Mariole, bless you both and many thanks for the screencaps from Alyon's trailer. ;) I've yet to see any special trailers on TV here - the fact that I usually don't watch broadcast TV must be the explanation :rolleyes: so in an odd way my real time RotK anticipation is still kinda muted. It's happening, but it's not in my face yet.


Serena! Get moving already! :D Take care, and have a safe trip! :)


Last thing, Sir Ian McKellen has updated his LOTR Epost. We now have a valid reason for why Elijah needed to smoke so much.

From: Erica Challis Tehanu@theonering.net

Q: In my search for LOTR film locations in NZ, I couldn't help noticing that the most of them were swarming with millions of persistent irritating sandflies. Which made me wonder, how on earth did the film crew either repel them or ignore them while filming? Did the actors stoically ignore the maddening bites while the cameras were on, or did the makeup foil them somehow? How come we can't see them hovering in all the facial close-ups?

A: As an unpaid but enthusiastic proselytiser on behalf of all things kiwi, including the New Zealand tourist industry, I hesitate to mention the well-kept secret of sandflies, if that's their proper name. I first met them en masse at the glorious Milford Sound, where visitors (after the most beautiful drive in the world) are met, at least during the summer, by crowds of the little buggers. There are patent unctions which cope, and tobacco repels them too, but I hope you reckoned them an insignificant pest compared with the glory of their habitat.

Oddly, when filming I don't recall them at all. Honestly. Had there been, we would have set the Orcs on them.

Elijah was repelling vicious insects on behalf of the whole cast and crew! Oh, is there nothing the boy won't do for his fellow mates? :p :D

Here's what's been posted since this morning. I want to make it really clear that I'm not picking and choosing only posts that are positive about Elijah. I'm posting anything that could be considered Elijah-related--including general comments on a sketch or the entire show. This second batch isn't quite as positive as the first, but still not bad. And in case anyone's wondering, the Simon and Garfunkel references stem from the fact that it was rumored they would be on the show (they're touring on the East Coast at the moment).

The first three posts are responses to each other, so I put them together even though they weren't that way chonologically.

Awww poor Elijah....Can't get through anything without Chris!! Lol....

PS Tell me how the stupid, dumb, fat, ugly, stupid band Jet is.....and if S & G made a cameo, even though I know the won't......

********

elijah does not need chris to be funny...what the?

im sorry but thats not right.

******

I meant at the time, everyone was saying how Chris was with Elijah, and I was saying, poor Elijah, Chris hasta be with him every step of the way...But that turned out not to be the case....

******

Well, I don't know about everyone else but I didn't think this show was that good. The Hardball sketch was hilarious, the monologue was OK, but then it all kinda went downhill.

Chris Kattan AGAIN??!! Hmm......I would rather have seen S&G than Jet...they're OK, but they don't really have a very original sound. And did anyone notice that the 2nd song was very similar to the Beatles' "Sexy Sadie"? It was slower, but it stole the lines Look what you've done / You've made a fool of everyone.....

Anyway, the choir practice sketch was OK, but didn't really deserve its place at the front of the show. Very good Fun With Real Audio, and I usually don't like those. I usually DO like Wake Up Wakefield, but I think it's run its course. Versace Egg Nog----eh, mediocre.

For me, the funniest thing in the night was John Mayer's Xmas song. I hate that guy! Blah blah blah blah blah.....blah blah blah....oooooo.

Kenan is becoming one of my favorite castmembers. I can understand people having their doubts based on his Nickelodeon work, but he's doing pretty damn good on the show.

I always like those Rockefeller skating rink goodnights...I don't remember when they did that last....I didn't see the Xmas show last year. One odd thing I noticed is that Seth Meyers was dressed EXACTLY the same as Michael O'Donoghue was in the 1976 skating rink goodnights.....

Anyway, I was pretty disappointed with tonight's show.

******

Some thoughts on last night's show:

Hardball: This sketch always delivers and this was no exception. Highlights were Chris as Joe Lieberman, Hillary's fantasy cabinet, and the way Carol Moseley Braun was introduced. A-.
Monologue: Come on, who didn't think that Chris wouldn't appear as Gollum? And the joke about SNL sucking since his departure was equally predictable. But the sitcom opening was hilarious, and saved it. B-.
Boys Choir: Any sketch that has Will singing is going to get some good laughs. And the idea of the falsettos trying to one-up each other didn't lose steam. Loved the "tang" joke. B.
Queer Eye For Santa: I can't judge the quality of the impressions as I don't watch the show, but this was pretty funny, especially Horatio post-makeover and their reactions. B-.
TV Funhouse: I was getting worried that this wasn't coming back. One of the best Real Audios in a long time, the costumes kept getting better. I was expecting another parody of a classic Christmas special when I saw his name in the opening credits, but this was good in its own right. B.
Wake Up Wakefield: I usually find this to be boring as hell unless the host puts in a good performance, and here I was just waiting for it to be over. D.
Weekend Update: Generally the jokes were good, and I enjoyed Tina's rant because it's true. Odd that they had Jimmy do a full-blown impression instead of a song parody, and it worked. And I never thought I would say this, but Kenan is starting to work out: he completely stole that bit from Maya. B.
Versace Eggnog: Further proof that this impression should be used for commercials and not for specials, as this was better than the last two or three...but still one of the low points of the night. C.
Dean For America: The perfect opportunity to bring the Gore impression back, and Darrell was hilarious throughout, especially the parts about gay marriage and Bush being worse than Hitler. A-.
Buddy Mills: I've never liked this character, but this may be the best in the series...Elijah did some good acting, and Fred got more than one line (and the thought of his character operating power tools is hilarious in itself) and walked away with the sketch. B-.

******

this episode was really good, i think. and i maintain that parnell and will holding on to each other ice skating was one of the cutest things i've ever seen.

-------------

A little room for some comments of my own :p , FWTW--

I was disappointed during the show that Elijah didn't have a chance to do a real monologue, but as I've read the comments from the SNL geeks (yeah, I think they qualify for the title: "...Seth Meyers was dressed EXACTLY the same as Michael O'Donoghue was in the 1976 skating rink goodnights....." LOL!) I've realized Elwood was just being his lovable and professional self, because "giving up" the monologue the way he did was the best thing he could have done for the show and the viewers! With one exception, all of the message board posters were thrilled to have Chris Kattan back for a show, and as soon as it was announced that Elijah would host they started speculating about whether he'd be back to do his Gollum impersonation; there's another entire thread just about that. Also, the sitcom pilot went over really well--and, as a number have mentioned, it was a lot better and funnier than some awful LotR parody would have been. (I just can't help laughing when I see Gollum hitchhiking with his guitar strapped to his back :D !) My only wish is that they would have gotten more than one shot of "evil Elijah"--but when you're on a live show and you've already got three personalities to deal with, that might have been difficult camera-wise.

Anyway, I can imagine the reaction of some real "pampered luvvies": "What!? My first time on Saturday Night Live and I don't get to do a monologue!? I'm just supposed to say a few lines of inane chatter to give this freak time to get onstage?? I don't think so!" :rolleyes:

IMVHO, how Elijah handled it also comes from confidence and being "comfortable in his own skin," as did most of what he did in the skits :D . Yes, I loved it when he said teaching eye contact "is about all I do" -- And later when the character notices that Santa's making eye contact with Mrs. Claus and exclaims, "Oh, I am useful!" The other eye joke I (kind of) caught was in the high school sketch when the girl said his eyes were like--I didn't completely catch it, but something along the lines of "frozen blue Gatorade" (?) and he responded seriously, "I've been told that." ROTFLMAO

-----------

And two little comments that don't fit anywhere else--

When Elijah's character broke down during the comedian sketch, I had flashbacks to Mikey II. :D

We'd speculated about his ice skating ability when he almost played in that charity hockey game a year or so ago--so it was fun to see that he really can (skate, that is). :)

tg, thanks so much for those SNL fan reactions. They're really fun to read. :cool:

I just wanted to pop in to clarify one thing about the Boy George makeup. Right now Boy George is on Broadway in Taboo, a musical based on his younger self. He's not playing himself, but he is playing the part of a guy who was a notorious clubber (can't remember his name at the moment) in the 80's in London and whose claim to fame was wearing outrageous makeup and costumes, like what EW was wearing in the SNL sketch.

This fall, when I was involved in rehearsals for another show at the same space that Taboo was rehearsing, I happened to get on the elevator with BG when he was in full makeup and saw it up close and personal. It made me go :eek: ! Only later did I find out that he was made up like that so he could rehearse in character. :D

As for the ice skating, I'm sure someone at KD posted awhile ago an interview in which Elijah said he actually took skating lessons when he was growing up in LA. I'm glad he got to make use of the skill at last! :cool:

Thank you everyone for all your comments. Thank you TG for the SNL message board comments.

I for one that Elijah was great!! And I have to say I wasn't expecting it. I didn't really like All I WAnt (sorry sorry sorry) and didn't know if he could do comedy. But he really committed himself to each skit. And he wasn't just playing some sensitive outcast. He wasn't playing someone bumbling in a social situation. Elijah was right up there playing confident and smart and assertive. I liked seeing it and now I'm won over--he could definitely do comedy. And he can do lots of other roles with a different kind of verve than Frodo has. (Did I say that right?). I loved how he chewed gum and looked confident during the chior sketch. And he takes a punch well, too. And he was perfect in Queer Eye. So committed to the part. Very good.

Beyond that. He Looked GOOD!! (should I save that for Hugs Haven?). I liked him in his different costumes and wigs. He looked really .... (oh I hate this word) hot. Okay. That's the first time I used that word. I don't like it. But he did....look...you know.

But back to the essential. Elijah dug in. EVen when the writing suffered. What a pro. His performance was top notch, I thought. Again, even when the writing made me cringe, Elijah came off well.

Nice change from Leno. Go Elijah.

Alyon

Originally posted by Alyon
...I for one that Elijah was great!! And I have to say I wasn't expecting it. I didn't really like All I WAnt (sorry sorry sorry) and didn't know if he could do comedy...
If you want to see Elijah do comedy (a bit on the bizarre side, but great), you really, really need to see Chain of Fools, if you haven't. It's an ensemble cast, so Elijah doesn't have a monopoly on screentime, but he's on enough to make it worthwhile.

It's R-rated, with some violence, swearing, and partial nudity, but none of it overwhelming. And it's definitely dark comedy, so some people could be offended by some of it (more on that in my website comments: http://www.frodolivesin.us/id150.htm ). But I loved it--and I think part of his "young comic" character on SNL was pulled straight out of a scene from this movie :) .

The world of movie marketing being as it is, it's not available in region 1 coding (U.S. and Canada), but it can be purchased on VCD from my buddies at http://www.yesasia.com (too bad I don't get a commission :p ) on VCD. VCD's aren't limited by region, so can be watched on just about anything that plays DVDs. It comes with Chinese subtitles, but I didn't find them to be bothersome at all. I also think one or two people here can make copies of it if you're interested in seeing it but maybe don't want to buy it.

One of Elijah's best movies, IMVHO, and definitely his best comedy!

--------

And here's a link to another message board thread on Elijah's SNL appearance. This is on the official NBC site, so it's fit for general consumption and I'll just post the link. What this one lacks in crudity, it makes up for in tangent following--but they do eventually get back on topic :p !: http://boards.nbc.com/bb//showflat.php?Cat=&Number=7704&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

One of the posters on that thread had been at rehearsal on Friday and said "Elijah was a sweetie"--would have liked to have had more details on that :) .

And I have to quote one post here, because it sounds suspiciously like a Faculty member has been doing double duty ;) :
While watching Elijah Wood host and perform on SNL tonight I was impressed by the fact that his training as an actor since childhood is apparent even in silly sketches. He appeared to have memorized his lines unlike so many who've hosted in the past. All of his characters were believable especially the "needy comic".
Great job Elijah!

BTW, that was the person's first post in the forum, and there were other first-timers, too. So--this being the official site and all--it could be a good place for anyone who wants to voice an opinion :) .

Nothing new this morning on the thread I've been cutting and pasting from, except one person who said it was a good show and he didn't have any major complaints.

P.S. 9 posts to 5000

Sorry I'm not responding to much of what anyone else has been saying here :o -- I will try to later.

I can't remember if I've posted this or not:

EJW ROTK PROMOTION

On Saturday EJW hosts Saturday Night Live on NBC
at 11:30PM Eastern.

He's also on Conan O'Brien next week, on December 18 at 12:37AM on NBC.
(real time, so you'll probably think of it as late
Wednesday/early Thursday.) That will be repeated on Comedy Central on
December 18 at 6:00PM and December 19 at noon.

E! Entertainment TV is showing a Behind the Scenes about LOTR: The
Return of the King, on December 18 at 5:30PM, December 19 at 7:30AM,
3:30PM, December 21 at 3:00AM and 7:30AM, and December 22 at 3:30AM.

If you get Starz, there are almost too many EJW appearances to count.
There's an "On the Set" special about the making of LOTR: The Return of
the King, and another special about the making of The Two Towers, on
about 20-30 times between now and December 21 - maybe beyond as
well.

> Elijah Wood has a lot of TV time coming up in the next couple of weeks
> as he promotes the new movie.

Avalon
Monday, December 15 1:15pm Showtime 2
Tuesday, December 16 5:15am Showtime 2
Wednesday, December 24 5:45pm Showtime 2
Thursday, December 25 3:30am Showtime 2

The Faculty
Sunday, December 28 7:00pm USA

Good Morning America
Wednesday, December 17 7:00am (exact appearance time unknown)

The Good Son
Wednesday, December 31 7:30pm Starz!

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Theatrical Edition)
Monday, December 15 9:00am, 9:00pm Starz!
Saturday, December 20 1:10am, 5:00am Starz!
Sunday, December 21 7:30am Starz!
Thursday, December 25 5:30am, 4:00pm Starz!
Wednesday, December 31 10:30am, 9:00pm Starz!

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition)
Friday, December 19 9:00pm Starz!
Saturday, December 20 8:40am, 1:00pm, 5:20pm Starz!
Sunday, December 21 12:10am, 2:00pm Starz!

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Theatrical Edition)
Saturday, December 20 9:00pm Starz!
Sunday, December 21 4:05am, 10:35am, 5:35pm Starz!
Tuesday, December 23 12:35pm, 9:00pm Starz!
Friday, December 26 11:05pm Starz!
Saturday, December 27 6:00am, 4:00pm Starz!

Note: Some showings of The Fellowship of the Ring will be in widescreen.

(P.S. 200 pages! Woo-hoo! congrats, Faculty!)

Thanks for the list, Niph! Elve now has most of the Saturday Nite Live stuff up on frodoandsam, some of them hosted elsewhere so they were all available last time I checked. Man, that girl is efficient!

Thanks for the SNL stuff, tg! Interesting.

originally posted by Meryl Marie
This fall, when I was involved in rehearsals for another show at the same space that Taboo was rehearsing, I happened to get on the elevator with BG when he was in full makeup and saw it up close and personal.

Ack! Didn't like that makeup, not even a little bit. I've been on elevators with all manner of wierd sf makeup and costumes, but I think that make up is the scariest I've dealt with. It's even scarier than an elevator full of shriners! :p After reading honeyelf's last post I'm thinking I need to listen to the Boy George bit again without watching it - the visuals pretty effectively blocked out the singing for me! I do remember thinking it was EW's voice and mostly in tune, though... I wonder how often they hit an actor with *that* much singing? I have a suspicion a lot of them couldn't handle it nearly as well as EW did.

ainon,
That does sound like a good skit. But *can* you make ice cubes out of booze? I know some slushie recipes rely on the alcohol to keep the stuff from being solid ice...

Thanks for the "regular viewer" comments, Winter and Hobmom.

I kept meaning to say something about the fact that we're about to hit 200 pages, but it makes more sense to celebrate 5000 posts, since we're not all paginated the same.I don't believe. SNL and the 5000 party should tide most of us over until ROTK - tomorrow!

:eek: :eek: :eek:

I've been really good about spoilers, so hubby was doing this "have you heard about-" routine to me last night. :mad: I foresee trouble while we're waiting in line tomorrow. I better take a list of distractions for the guy. And hope we're not in line next to some spoiler fiends. :eek: I'll be really mad if I stay clear all this time, only to be spoiled in the last ten minutes!

Sheryl

And hope we're not in line next to some spoiler fiends. I'll be really mad if I stay clear all this time, only to be spoiled in the last ten minutes!

Shilohmm, may I humbly suggest that when spoilers threaten the conversation, you hunch over, place your large knuckled hands over your pointy ears and say

"Not Listening, I'm not listening!"

:D:k

I've been thinking about comments and questions about the skits and references (including the ones I didn't see) on SNL.

Boy George: There have been times as far back as you care to go when androgynous facial and body types and/or dress became popular. The 1920's was one, with boyish figures and women binding their chests to be completely flat-chested (no I wasn't around for that one dag-nabbit! ;) ), the 1960's, when long hair and tight jeans on both men and women made it difficult at times to tell gender except for facial hair, and the 80's, when singers of indeterminate gender of appearance and dress were popular. :rolleyes: Boy George was one of those singers. (A *very* unwanted visual image of Michael Jackson in a gold french-cut bustier is invading my brain :eek: -- AAAACK!!! QUICK! Get me some emergency Viggo pics!) We may be moving into a similar time.

I think that the Boy George thing was poking fun at the controversy about Elijah being "too pretty" for Frodo. Well, he *is* pretty and the wa