Ancanar.com posts production photos from the set...

by Michael Martinez, Saturday, November 25, 2000

Okay, they posted the pictures on Nadia Comenici's birthday (November 12). But Ancanar.com nonetheless has some nice photographs taken from the set which reveal a little bit more about the movie. Notice one of the characters is named "Brandir". Is this a little slipup or a bold homage to Tolkien? "Ancanar" tells the story of a young man who searches for a hidden city of the Elves. It is inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's stories of the First Age. The pictures may be found in the Production section under "From the Set". Click on each thumbmail in the navigational frame on the left to load a larger image in the right frame.

Interview with Toronto play's Gollum, Greg Kramer

by Michael Martinez, Saturday, November 25, 2000

Greg Kramer, who plays Gollum in the stage adaptation of 'The Hobbit' currently running in Toronto, also does the voice of Smaug, according to The Toronto Sun. The interview was actually published on November 1 and we only just became aware of it. Kramer is well-known to fans of Forever Knight, on which show he played the character Screed. The article includes a good picture of Kramer as Gollum.

Does Barliman have a beard? and other important fannish issues...

by Michael Martinez, Friday, November 24, 2000

Sometimes I think, "All the great questions have been asked and debated." And then someone comes along and asks something new. Or, if it's not new, they ask an old question in a fresh way. One of the latest examples I've run across is "Who slashed the bolsters?" That is, in the chapter "A Knife in the Dark", someone breaks into the Prancing Pony and slashes the bolsters that have been made up look like Frodo's party of Hobbits. Naturally, more than one answer has been provided to the question. There is an old story circulating in fandom about how Isaac Asimov attended a panel where someone discussed one of his books (okay, this story has probably been told about a dozen authors -- I heard the Asimov version). The speaker started analyzing the author's motivations and Asimov spoke up and politely told the speaker his analysis was wrong. The speaker allegedly told Asimov he was incorrect. "But I'm the author," Asimov replied. "I know what I was writing about." The speaker then bluntly informed the author that his opinion didn't matter. Tolkien tells the reader, through Aragorn, that the bolsters were most likely slashed by Bill Ferny, Harry Goatleaf (the gatekeeper), and maybe the sallow-faced Southerner who was standing with Ferny in the common room of the Prancing Pony. Is that sufficient for everyone? Absolutely not. Ask a group of people who slashed the bolsters, get out a copy of The Fellowship of the Ring, cite the Aragorn passage, and then count noses as people start suggesting that it could have been the Nazgul (in fact, some people may insist it could only have been the Nazgul). The author's opinions don't really matter in these debates. Was it the Nazgul? I don't see any reason to believe so, but this is only one of hundreds if not thousands of questions where you can pull out the book, read a very straightforward passage, and then be told it means something completely off the wall. Read the full article here.

News articles from New Zealand and beyond

by Michael Martinez, Wednesday, November 22, 2000

In no particular order: Stuff gives us a 'glimpse of another world' (someone should tell them that Middle-earth is our world). The New Zealand Herald asked for some good links from Tehanu of TheOneRing.Net. Unfortunately, at least one link was not entered properly when the story was posted to the Web. The Evening Post got a picture of a big dead something, and at first suggested it might be the winged steed of the Lord of the Nazgul. But in the wake of spy reports and speculation, they have concluded it's actually an Oliphaunt (or Mumak). TheOneRing.Net posted a spy report indicating small actors had been seen on a Mumak's back. And everyone and their brother's cousin's friend's sister's advisor has done article about the Peter Jackson press conference. Enough, already! Finally, Ain't-It-Cool-News posted a review of a 20-minute preview of the films shown in Australia. Now, Ain't-It-Cool-News has some nice content, but the Web site is not pleasant to navigate, so we're going to link to Tolkien's Online's repost of the article. And there was some followup as well.

Online fandom gears up for war with, boycott of Fandom.Com

by Michael Martinez, Monday, November 20, 2000

When Fandom.Com bought out the popular Ringbearer.Org in 1999, not all fannish reactions were positive. Commercial enterprises have seldom been welcomed with open arms by the SF fandom community. Now it appears that a grass-roots campaign is being mounted against the online giant by online fans across the Internet. The issue (in the fans' minds): who owns "fandom"? Fandom.Com is claiming trademark infringement against Fandom.tv, a (so far) non-commercial fan site created by a long time Hercules and Xena fan. But Fandom.Tv is claiming trademarks on its pages including "fandom.tv", and it is perhaps these claims of trademarks which caused Fandom.Com to bring out the lawyers and their Cease and Desist letters. Do fan sites create trademarks? A trademark identifies goods or services, and cannot (under US law) merely identify a location, such as a domain. There must be a commercial activity associated with the trademark. Trademarks need not be registered, however, in order to be used or protected. Common law trademark raises many thorny issues. The 11th Hour has reported that a boycott of Fandom.Com is being organized via email. So far, we at Xenite.Org have not yet seen a copy of the letter. One attorney, in an unrelated discussion, mentioned that an unregistered trademark must be shown to have been used so broadly "as to entitle it to the worldwide protection that it seeks". Furthermore, the trademark owner must show that the disputed name would cause confusion over the trademark. That is, in this case, would anyone mistake goods and services from Fandom.Tv for goods and services from Fandom.Com? Curiously, FandomShop.Com (formerly AnotherUniverse.Com), owned and operated by Fandom.Com, doesn't seem make use of a "fandom" trademark. But Fandom.Com engages in the operation of a commercial Web site ("Fandom.Com"). Is that sufficient? Fandom.Tv is taking an aggressive stance and pursuing widespread recognition for its activities. Fandom.Com may feel there will be confusion down the road if there isn't any now. But what impact will the boycott have on Fandom.Com, if any? People are urging other members of SF fandom to avoid visiting or using Fandom.Com's Web site as a way of protesting Fandom.Com's appropriation of a word (for commerce) which has been widely used for decades to refer to science fiction and fantasy enthusiasts. Who owns "fandom"? Who speaks for "fandom"? Unfortunately, these issues are not directly related to who is permitted to use "fandom" as a trademark. There is money involved, and it doesn't get any stickier than this for online fans. "Fandom" MUST be used as a trademark or service mark in commerce in order for anyone to establish a trademark. Has that been done? Is "fandom" perceived to refer specifically to goods and/or services offered by Fandom.Com the way "Xerox" is associated with copy machines sold by Xerox Corporation or "IBM" is associated with computers from International Business Machines. Trademark issues have arisen in the Tolkien world, too. A clown going by the name "Gandalf" was sued for trademark infringement and he eventually reached a settlement which allowed him to continue using "Gandalf". The name was taken by J.R.R. Tolkien from a Norse poem, the Voluspa, and Anglicized from the original Gandalfr. Many domains have sprung up across the Internet which make use of trademarked names from Tolkien's legendarium: http://www.frodo.net/ uses "Frodo" from "Frodo Baggins", http://www.gandalf.net/ and http://www.gandalf.com/ use the wizard's name, and http://www.tolkien.com/ has been parked. In fact, many variations on Tolkien's name have been registered, as well as variations of Middle-earth (at least one by an authorized entity), Hobbit and other names. Tolkien Enterprises, the division of the Saul Zaentz Company which administers the commercial rights Zaentz acquired to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, has compiled a list of fanciful names for which they ask "anyone desiring to use one or more of the Tolkien fanciful names and/or characters in connection with merchandise, stage adaptations, or services offered to the public is requested to submit a written proposal to Laurie Battle, Director of Licensing" at their address. A boycott of Fandom.Com, to be effective, would have to extend well beyond simply circulating petitions and emails asking people to stop visiting the Web site. Web site owners would also have to stop linking to the domain on their pages. That would, in effect, hurt Fandom.Com's rankings on certain popular search engines which take into consideration "link popularity" (the number of Web sites which link to any given Web site in association with a keyword or phrase). By reducing Fandom.Com's rankings on popular search engines, online fandom would be making a powerful statement to the commercial community more effective, perhaps, than merely posting letters from attorneys on their Web sites. Xenite.Org has not, as of this writing, taken a position with respect to the Fandom.Com boycott. We provide many links to Ringbearer and Fandom.Com through our Web pages and forums. Fan Webmasters who are concerned about trademarks and domain names may want to review this examination guide published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 1999. It should also be noted that the ".tv" top-level domain is a country code, administered by a private company called dot TV. Some people mistakenly believe that such top-level domains may not be affected by ICANN's dispute resolution authority, but many countries have incorporated the UDRP into their registrations. EDITORS NOTE: Speculative Vision has not been contacted by any of the parties involved, and is not sufficiently familiar with this dispute to determine a position regarding a boycott effort against any website. Without recommendation either way, our general position is that sci-fi and fantasy commercial interests are always best served by embracing the interests and passion of its dedicated fans. Concerned readers are urged to investigate the dispute to determine their own position.

News articles from New Zealand and beyond

by Michael Martinez, Sunday, November 19, 2000

In no particular order: Stuff gives us a 'glimpse of another world' (someone should tell them that Middle-earth is our world). The New Zealand Herald asked for some good links from Tehanu of TheOneRing.Net. Unfortunately, at least one link was not entered properly when the story was posted to the Web. The Evening Post got a picture of a big dead something, and at first suggested it might be the winged steed of the Lord of the Nazgul. But in the wake of spy reports and speculation, they have concluded it's actually an Oliphaunt (or Mumak). TheOneRing.Net posted a spy report indicating small actors had been seen on a Mumak's back. And everyone and their brother's cousin's friend's sister's advisor has done article about the Peter Jackson press conference. Enough, already! Finally, Ain't-It-Cool-News posted a review of a 20-minute preview of the films shown in Australia. Now, Ain't-It-Cool-News has some nice content, but the Web site is not pleasant to navigate, so we're going to link to Tolkien's Online's repost of the article. And there was some followup as well.

Amazon.com mixup on Visualizing Middle-earth

by Michael Martinez, Sunday, November 19, 2000

Amazon.Com initially assigned the title of "Visualizing Middle-earth" to the wrong ASIN number. Unfortunately, Xenite.Org and other sites have been using the wrong ASIN number to promote the book. Amazon.Com subsequently compounded this error by announcing an unauthorized price increase from the original (and still correct) price of $16.00 to $25.00. It is possible that Amazon has been announcing a price increase for "The Wise Pelican", which is the book to which the incorrect ASIN was assigned. The correct ASIN for "Visualizing Middle-earth" is 0738872547. The incorrect ASIN, the number actually assigned to "The Wise Pelican", is 0738834084. People who have been asked to pay the price increase of $9.00 per book have not been advised of the mixup in ASINs. So not only will people be paying more than they should, they will also receive the wrong book. To visit the correct page at Amazon for "Visualizing Middle-earth", the full URL is http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0738872547/ Any Amazon customer who has been asked to approve a price increase to $25.00 for "Visualizing Middle-earth" should cancel the order immediately and place it again with the correct ASIN. They will get the $16.00 price. Unfortunately, I doubt that the book can be delivered in time for the holidays. In addition to Amazon.Com, "Visualizing Middle-earth" is also available from http://www.bn.com/ and directly from the publisher, http://www.xlibris.com/VisualizingMiddleearth.html (and the price is the same at all three locations).

The wars of the Glorfindels

by Michael Martinez, Sunday, November 19, 2000

J.R.R. Tolkien created a lot of "throw-off" characters, characters who appear for a story or only part of a story, never to re-emerge fully again. And of all these throw-offs the one which garners nearly as much attention and discussion is Glorfindel. Or would that be, the Glorfindels. Was there one or two of the guy? Enquiring minds want to know (or do they just want to argue forever and never actually know?). Why is Glorfindel so cool? He shows up near the end of "Flight to the Ford", is seen but not heard in "Many Meetings" (oh, Gandalf and Frodo talk about him briefly), participates in "The Council of Elrond" long enough to confound and confusticate Bombadilian matters, and then vanishes until Arwen arrives in Gondor to marry Aragorn in "The Steward and the King". Except for putting Frodo on his white Elven horse and lighting up like a Christmas tree when the Nazgul try to cross the Ford of Bruinen, what does Glorfindel do that is so special? His one real claim to fame comes in an anecdote in Appendix A where his arrival with an Elven army in Angmar helps defeat the Witch-king (in the north) once and for all. Of course, no Glorfindel discussion is complete (and few are started) without someone asking, "Was the Glorfindel of Gondolin related to the Glorfindel of Rivendell?" Sometimes one is tempted to respond with something like, "Yes, they were twin brothers, and the evil one killed the good one and took his place in the family. The Elves have yet to catch on to the truth." It may be fairly said that the relationship between the two Glorfindels is not obvious. In fact, it's really not clear to many people who have studied the matter for decades. For some reason, the revelation in The Return of the Shadow that "years later, long after the publication of The Lord of the Rings" J.R.R. Tolkien decided after much thought that Glorfindel of Rivendell was actuall Glorfindel of Gondolin returned from the dead, just doesn't carry much weight with some people. Why? Because the decision to connect the two characters this way was made years later, after The Lord of the Rings had been published. By implication (or inference, depending on which way you examine the issue) Glorfindel of Rivendell was not originally conceived of as Glorfindel of Gondolin. Read the rest of the article here.

How disappointing: full plate armor in Jackson's Middle-earth

by Michael Martinez, Tuesday, November 14, 2000

This might be sufficient reason not to see Peter Jackson's 'The Lord of the Rings' movies. The Evening Post has published a picture of actors in full plate armor. How are we supposed to accept this is just an interpretation when such an obvious and blatant departure from Tolkien is presented? Who are these armored guys supposed to be, the Swan Knights of Dol Amroth? Sauron's forces would have eaten them for breakfast. Minas Tirith is supposed to be the scene of a great climactic battle, not hosting some Arthurian tournament. The winged steed of the Lord of the Nazgul that Tolkien Online uncovered is a much better "interpretation". What a shame. And these movies had shown so much promise so far.

Major battle inside Minas Tirith?

by Michael Martinez, Monday, November 13, 2000

Holmes has posted a 6-minute interview with Peter Jackson where he makes a startling revelation. Although Jackson is at great pains to alleviate fan concerns, emphasizing that fewer changes or compromises have been required in the three-film story than would have been made in the original two-film story, he mentioned there would be a battle in the streets of Minas Tirith. In the literary story there is no battle inside the city itself. Gandalf confronts the Lord of the Nazgul at the gate to the city, but then the Rohirrim arrive and swarm across the Pelennor Fields. All of the city's defenders then charge out to support the cavalry charge. So, what gives? Why move the battle inside the city? Perhaps it will heighten the dramatic impact of the story. Perhaps mounting costs have forced some small compromises, or perhaps it was just technically easier to film a climactic battle scene inside the city than outside. So far, the charge of the Rohirrim across a plain has been filmed, so it would appear that the Battle of Pelennor Fields will unfold at least partially as told in the book. If nothing else, we got to see more of the Minas Tirith set than ever before. It looks cool.

Sierra gets its game? So says PC Gamer...

by Michael Martinez, Monday, November 13, 2000

When last we heard about Havas Interactive division Sierra Online and the suspended Middle-earth Online game, things looked dark for the developer. Rumors all summer long have threatened to unleash an Electronic Arts announcement on the world with a film-based license sanctioned by powerful media empire New Line Cinema. Even the much respected Variety has declared that an EA/New Line announcement was imminent. Yet now the December issue of PC Gamer reveals that Sierra may have pulled off what was deemed impossible. The text of the report is not available on PC Gamer's Web site (yet), but the following was posted to a Tolkien-related forum this past weekend. MIDDLE EARTH Developer: Sierra Publisher: Sierra Release Date: Late 2001 What We Know: After internal restructuring, the ME project is apparently well underway (and we should have some news on its status next month). Aside from a complete change of development team, Sierra has also had to contend with legal issues over rights to the Tolkien franchise. Recently, it was rumored that EA was about to ink a deal for the rights to Lord of the Rings properties stemming from the movie currently nearing completion in New Zealand. Naturally, all parties will want to cash in on the level of interest surrounding the upcoming three movies; this is a big-name property that is probably one of the few with the clout to muscle room in the crowded fantasy online gaming market. Anyone who has ever been enthralled by the books would relish the opportunity to play in this setting -- and that's a massive potential audience. Late 2001? What kind of timing is that? Incredible timing. If the report is accurate, then Havas is undoubtedly banking everything on being able to roll out a game just before "The Fellowship of the Ring" hits theaters. Beta will have to start sometime in late summer. And where does that leave Electronic Arts? Will they proceed with a contract and bring out their own game? Will they shift directions and pursue a different market?

Ancalagon unleashes the ultimate movie list: all the changes in the films

by Michael Martinez, Sunday, November 12, 2000

One intrepid fan, alone, without aid of spy networks, reporters, funky software, or widespread media acknowledgement has compiled a huge list of all the offenses...er, changes, that may have been made to Tolkien's classic story by Peter Jackson. Not that one word in the books has been altered by any film, radio, stage, or television adaptation over the past 44 years. Nonetheless, in true fannish compassion (or passion), someone posting as "Ancalagon the Black" has posted all the possible differences between the literary and cinematic "Lord of the Rings" stories, as far as Peter Jackson's three movies go. The Complete List of Film Changes has been updated in a forum thread associated with the Coming Attractions LOTR movies pages. Xenite.Org's own Michael Martinez dropped by to add a few comments and share a few tidbits. Hopefully, Ancalagon won't give Martinez the kind of reception for which the mighty winged dragon became famous in another Tolkien book, The Silmarillion. How accurate is the list? Only Peter Jackson knows for sure. Ancalagon includes a well-written disclaimer with the list, but his (or her) effort shouldn't go unthanked or unviewed by the legions of Tolkien fans on the Net. Psst, Peter: We were just kidding you about the "offenses" crack. There will be time for controversies later.

One News posts video footage of The News Conference

by Michael Martinez, Sunday, November 12, 2000

Nothing excites fans more than video footage, and One News brings a few uique moments to Lord of the Rings movie news coverage with their online video clips. They don't disappoint this weekend. Since the New Zealand news media is going nuts over Peter Jackson's first news conference since principal photography began on "The Lord of the Rings", (and all the fan sites are eating up the news reports), we thought we'd take a look at what One News might have put up. We weren't disappointed. Although barely the length of the famous Internet preview, the video clip contains a few shots and comments not reported elsewhere (that we've seen, so far). The clip covers Jackson, Sir Ian McKellen, John Rhys-Davies, and Elijah Wood talking, and includes the quotations we've read and a couple of other remarks.

Thornton's extends special pricing on 3-volume HOME edition

by Michael Martinez, Sunday, November 12, 2000

On September 7 Xenite.Org reported that Thornton's Bookstore was offering a special discount to customers who ordered the three volume edition of The History of Middle-earth by the end of September. We have now learned that Thornton's is extending the special pricing on the leather-bound three volumes (the first of which came out in October 2000, the second of which is due out in April 2001, and the third in October 2001). Thornton's tells us the special pricing has been extended indefinitely. The full retail price of the collection is 100 UK pounds. Thornton's Bookstore is offering this set at a special price of 90 pounds per volume. For further information, see http://www.thorntonsbooks.co.uk. Thornton's specializes in rare and collectors' editions and often sells high-quality Tolkien merchandise. The History of Middle-earth series depicts in 12 volumes how J.R.R. Tolkien came to write The Lord of the Rings and the source materials that his son Christopher Tolkien used to compile the published Silmarillion. The series is a must-have for any serious Tolkien researcher. The special 3-volume leather-bound collection includes the full text of the 12 original hardback books published from 1984 through 1996.

Peter Jackson interview published by New Zealand Herald Online

by Michael Martinez, Saturday, November 11, 2000

Peter Jackson met with the media and spoke about the "Lord of the Rings" production. Thanks to Ted at Tolkien Online for spreading the word on this one, and to Joram at Ringbearer for finding the article. In related news, Jackson posed with members of the cast and crew of the production and TheOneRing.Net has posted a scan of the picture with some of the people identified.

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