Orlando Bloom, who portrays Legolas the elf prince of Mirkwood in the fantasy series, has lent his hunky image to the Young Adult Library Services Association’s new Teen Read Week poster. The poster shows Bloom with his natural dark locks, a contrast to the blond tresses he sports in the “Rings” series. He is show clutching a copy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, the basis of the “Rings” films.

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Trinidad Showtime, September 5-11, 2003

[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is on the cover. It is the Aragorn ROTK poster. Inside on pg 3 under the Cover Note there is a short article with the Gollum poster.]

The final film in Peter Jackson’s adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy trilogy follows hobbits Frodo and Sam as they push farther into the land of Mordor to destroy the ring of power.

Travelling with them, in an uneasy alliance, is the deceitful Gollum, who brings them to the very heart of Mount Doom.

The warrior Aragorn, revealed to be the lost King of Gondor, travels to Minas Tirith with an army of undead soldiers and the remaining members of the fellowship to rescue the ancient city from Lord Sauron’s grasp.

Coming in December.

Lord of the Rings fans queue for three weeks, Trinidad Showtime, October 24-30, 2003

Lord of the Rings fans in Norway have been queuing in the cold for three weeks for tickets to the premiere of the final film in the trilogy. Some 144 fans, dressed as Tolkien creatures such as hobbits, elves and orcs, have been queuing outside the Colosseum Cinema in Oslo.

Their wait ended Monday (27th) as tickets finally went on sale and they could return to their homes. They had to get somebody to stand in for them if they wanted to leave to shower or eat, and any fans who took long breaks without a substitute had to go to the back of the queue.

The reaction to their dedication has been mixed, with some passers-by urging the faithful to get a life.

But Anette Hellaa Christiansen, who was No. 7 in the queue, said: “They don’t know what they are talking about. This is so social, so pleasant. Many from last year’s queue have moved in together. Eccentrics have to stick together.”

The Two Towers Special Extended DVD Review, Trinidad Showtime, November 14-20, 2003

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Special Extended DVD is the Trinidad Showtime’s DVD of the Month. It is on pg 21 of Showtime issue #684 November 14-20.

The Fellowship has been broken. Boromir (Sean Bean) is dead, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) have gone to Mordor alone to destroy the One Ring, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) have been captured by the Uruk-hai, and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) have made friends of the Rohan, a race of humans that are in the path of the upcoming war, led by its aging king, Théoden (Bernard Hill).

The two towers between Mordor and Isengard, Barad-dûr and Orthanc, have united in their lust for destruction. The corrupt wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee), under the power of the Dark Lord Sauron and his slimy assistant, Gríma Wormtongue (Brad Dourif), have created a grand Uruk-hai army bent on the destruction of Man and Middle-earth. The rebellion against Sauron is building up and will be led by Gandalf the White (Sir Ian McKellen), who was thought to be dead after the Balrog captured him. One of the Ring’s original bearers, the creature Gollum (Andy Serkis), has tracked Frodo and Sam down in search of his “precious”, but is captured by the Hobbits and used as a way to lead them to Mt. Doom. The War of the Rings has now begun…

Better block out the evening of November 18, that’s the day that The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (pre-order on DVD/VHS) comes out. This second part of the “Lord of the Rings” tale was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The continuing saga of the Middle-earth fellowship and their quest to defeat the forces of darkness and destroy the One Ring was hailed by audience and critics alike.

DVD Features

Number of discs: 4
DISCS 1-2: The Feature:
A new version of the second installment includes over 40 minutes of never-before-seen footage incorporated into the film. (Approx. 208 minutes) Four audio commentaries by the director, writer, the design team, and production team featuring more than 30 participants including Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, Howard Shore, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, and Orlando Bloom.

DISCS 3-4: The Appendices:
Two discs with hours of original content including multiple documentaries and design/photo galleries with thousands of images to give viewers an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

DISC 3: Adapting the book into a screenplay and planning the film.
Designing and inspiration for locations in Middle-earth.
Storyboards to pre-visualisation.
Weta Workshop visit: See sculptors in action as they create weapons, armor, creature, and miniatures from the film.
Atlas of Middle-earth tracing the journey of the Fellowship.
An interactive map of New Zealand highlighting the location scouting process.
Galleries of art and slideshows with commentaries by the artists:

DISC 4: Sending the actors into battle: sword fighting.
Principal photography: Stories from the set.
Digital effects including motion capture and the computer programme to create the armies of Orcs.
Bigatures: a close-up look at the miniatures.
Galleries of behind-the scenes photographs and personal cast photos.
Post-Production: Editing it all together.
Sound design demonstration.
DVD-ROM content: includes access to exclusive online features.
Widescreen anamorphic format.

Other Formats: VHS, VHS widescreen, VHS subtitled in Spanish, DVD widescreen with DTS Stereo, DVD widescreen, DVD.

Orlando Bloom, Bill Paxton team in ‘Haven’, Trinidad Showtime, November 14-20, 2003

“Pirates of the Caribbean” star Orlando Bloom is heading south for another film, joining actors Bill Paxton and Gabriel Byrne in the Cayman Islands-based Haven. Production begins this month, with first-time feature director Frank E. Flowers shooting from his own script.

The events in the film take place over one weekend, following two shady businessmen on the fun from federal prosecution. Their arrival sets off a chain reaction, involving a British native (Bloom) in a crime that eventually changes the nation.

Bloom will next appear as the elf Legolas in the final film chapter of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy trilogy, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which opens on Christmas Day, 2003, here in T&T.