This is a new one for me: Monday Mission 2.25 via PromoGuy.net

1. Do you wear glasses/contact lenses? If so would you consider going through Lasik surgery? (Or if you already have, please tell us about it) I normally wear glasses, and very occasionally, contacts. Theoretically I'd love to get Lasik, but I'm scared to death of it. As I inch closer and closer to bifocals, though, the surgery starts to become more palatable...

2. Did you ever have to wear braces? How are your teeth? (any cavities, any pulled teeth, root canals, etc.) Never wore braces. My teeth are abysmal--due to childhood antibiotics and many colas as an adult, I have almost no tooth enamel and my teeth are in very bad shape. Luckily, it's not very visible yet.

3. What (if any) recent movies have moved you emotionally? Which one and how so? "Lord of the Rings" moves me in *so* many ways. It got me back into fandom, the character relationships just don't end, and Boromir's death scene... wow. The other movies I'm into these days (I'm on a run of Ed Burns films, for example) tend to attract me more intellectually than emotionally.

4. I visited my dear Mema in the managed care facility Sunday and while she is doing well, I was sad for her. Living out your final days/years someplace like that seems so lonely to me. Would you rather live the remainder of your golden years in a rest home, or pass away before it came to that? I've lived the majority of my life alone, so ending it that way wouldn't be any big deal. But I'd definitely prefer to die before becoming bedridden or insensible to my surroundings.

5. Sometimes, but not nearly often enough, I will just stop and marvel at the amazing planet on which we live. The eco-system, life and death, nature, the perfect balance that keeps us alive, the universe, it can all be mind-boggling if you let your mind get carried away. What natural creation or phenomenon just flat-out leaves you with a sense of wonder? Living as I do, in the middle of a major city, I don't see a whole lot of natural creations! I love the sea (or for me here, Lake Michigan) about as much as I do anything in the world. For what I haven't seen personally but would love to marvel at, it's the New Zealand landscape (as seen in LOTR) and much of Australia (such as Ayers Rock).

6. Have you ever been in a fist fight or a situation where you had to get physically violent with someone else? How did that come about? Any consequences? Luckily, not for a very long while. However, while I was waiting (way too long, thank you, CTA) for a train this morning, I did get to experience a fistfight up-close-and-personal when one man asked another for a cigarette, prompting the second man to punch the first, with several punches ensuing, glass breaking, commuters scattering. Gotta love the city.

7. Many times I look back in hindsight and think of how I should have handled a situation. Are there any recent happenings that you wish you would have handled differently? What happened and what do you wish you'd done? ALL THE TIME. I spend more time second-guessing myself than I do living, generally. It's the largest single thing about myself that I wish I could change. It's hard to come up with any one recent thing that epitomizes this, though. Last one I remember mentioning to someone else was not speaking to an actor that I like at MediaWest. He is the costar of someone I used to be close to, and I made no attempt to meet him. Not sure why, and I really should have.

BONUS: How far away can you go, and still be dancing with me? As long as we can still make eye contact, we're still dancing together, even if it's from across the floor.

The MaggieFic Mary Sue Generator

My Mary Sue Name: Bella Russell-Snape
Eyecolor: Silver Topaz (oooh, I like that!)
Hair color: Ripe Bronze (weird--I'm just about to color it bronze!)
Signature scent: Lacy Lavender
Paranormal power: Sees the Future
Specialized Skill: Expert Pilot
Distinguishing mark: Pointed Ears (gosh, I hope that's elvish and not hobbit)
Newly revealed relationship to a major character: Spock's Ex-Spouse (OK, so I'm a *vulcan* elf)

I scanned in all the photos of Nick from Black Book, and added them to my articles section. Only this one really looks like the Nick I've seen on tv. Sure is cute, but gosh, could he be *any* skinnier?

Speaking of Serena, only a few days left until I leave for San Francisco to see him as Grand Marshall in the Pride Parade. I also have a ticket to the brunch the day before. Here's hoping for a good photo weekend!

Compatibility Test

Just found these again--I did them AGES ago. My best match was my favorite pitcher, Tom Glavine--woo hoo! I won't even post the abysmal numbers I came up with for the Hornblower boys. Of course, after I did the LOTR gang with me, I had to try them all with Elijah...


Tom Glavine Pitcher, Atlanta Braves
Physical 99%
Emotional 96%
Intellectual 99%
Overall 99%

Elijah Wood
Physical 68%
Emotional 70%
Intellectual 41% -- uh oh. Remind me not to talk philosophy with him, or anything
Overall: 60%

Orlando Bloom
Physical 20% -- Yikes. I guess I could be his shoulder to cry on?
Emotional 99%
Intellectual 41%
Total 54%

Ian McKellen
Physical 85% -- Ian is my best LOTR match. If I weren't female, I bet I'd have a perfect score!
Emotional 99%
Intellectual 99%
Total 95%

Sean Bean
Physical 77%
Emotional 22% -- eep again. Guess we have no empathy
Intellectual 72%
Total 57%

Viggo Mortenson
Physical 100%
Emotional 84%
Intellectual 84%
Total 90% -- you know, when I did this, I said "huh?" Then I met him...

Seth Green
Physical 99%
Emotional 84%
Intellectual 78%
Total 87%

Orlando’s compatibility with Elijah
Physical 85%
Emotional 62%
Intellectual 65%
Overall: 71%

Ian compatibility with Elijah
Physical 96%
Emotional 62%
Intellectual 50%
Total 70%

SeanB compatibility with Elijah
Physical 99%
Emotional 84%
Intellectual 92%
Total 92%

Lij compatibility with SeanA
Physical 33%
Emotional 11%
Intellectual 88%
Total 45%

Lij compatibility with Viggo
Physical 68%
Emotional 22%
Intellectual 14%
Total 35%

Despite the hot, humid weather, lack of sleep, and a migraine no doubt in response to the first two, I made it to Viewing #29 last night, accompanied by Heidi. The theatre was unexpectedly comfortable (I was expecting at least mildly hot) and we grabbed that front and center table, so all in all, things went well. A *lot* of smokers out last night--easily the majority of the audience--and it was a fairly rowdy crowd for a weeknight, but other than a little more commentary than I feel is optimum during Boromir's death scene, nothing we couldn't handle (and I *love* being able to cheer wildly when Aragorn lops off Lurtz's head--not to mention scream in glee when I see Gandalf the White in the teaser footage).

Also had a chance to show Heidi the photos of Nick in "Black Book" and the hobbit pile photo in the latest fanclub magazine, which I finally got yesterday. The fanclub has been repeatedly unable to get my address fixed--it apparently appears 3 different ways in three different spots in their records--but in answer to a rather curt e-mail from me yesterday, they indicate that all is now well. Fingers crossed. It would be nice if *something* in my life was fixed!

Yesterday had its ups and downs with respect to my upcoming (next weekend) trip to San Francisco, too. I got confirmation that Sir Ian was confirmed for the big brunch on Saturday, so since Cody had agreed to go with me if Ian was definite (at $75/ticket, it's a bit pricey to chance it otherwise), I went ahead and ordered two tickets. Got the e-mailed confirmation back right away--woo hoo, I'm going! They also say that photography is OK, so maybe I will have something closer than the hoped-for parade shots. Just when I was really starting to look forward to the trip, I heard from the friend with whom I am sharing hotel space, that she and her friend might not make it after all. Better make those alternate hotel arrangements today, and keep fingers crossed that this doesn't blow me out of the water entirely.

ooooh, I'm nearly an artist!

See my self-portrait here: http://www.youdraw.com/cgi-bin/solopic.pl?picnum=062890

I'm going to see LotR: FotR for the 29th time tonight. Go me!

Topic: What are your general thoughts about LotR fanfiction? What do you look for in fic and what do you avoid? Why? Who are your favourite authors, and what do you like about their work?

Since I've known for several days what this week's topic would be, you'd think I'd have an answer ready, wouldn't you? Nah--that would be too easy! If you're reading this early on Tuesday, I posted it in the middle of the night on Monday and am going to be WAY short on sleep to work BOTH jobs tomorrow, so I'll be adding to/correcting throughout Tuesday.

My general thoughts: I can't conceive of getting involved in a fandom without reading fanfic. Just doesn't happen. Hasn't happened in about 30 years. Not gonna happen. So, I fall in love with LOTR, I start looking for fanfic. End of story. Now what is there to write about? The battle between good and evil? Great wars? Unless you're really into those topics, what you are going to write about (and/or read) is relationships. That's true of me and most fanfic, really. If the interactions between the characters don't interest me, I'm outta there.

What do I look for? hmmm... Does this photo sum it up for you? Sure, I can read a story that doesn't center on Frodo, but it better be DAMN good. There's not a specific storyline or type of story I look for--can be anything from the standard "filling in the gaps" type of thing that tell us how relationships developed or a character progressed or an offstage event actually transpired, to fairly wildly non-canon stuff that doesn't actually fit in the timeline (as long as it says something to me about the characters). I get pretty quickly bored by stuff that is too dryly "historical"--not to fault the writers, since I did the same thing with Tolkien himself. 30 years ago, it was all about the books for me. Now, it's the movie, and I'm less likely to be interested in the "historical" characters who don't appear in the film.

What else do I avoid? Bad writing. If the plot interests me enough--i.e., it has to grab me IMMEDIATELY--I might overlook some bad writing, bad spelling, and/or bad grammar. But that's pretty rare. I am extremely sensitive to poor English skills (former English teacher alert!) and it takes a really incredible plotline to make me put up with bad writing of any sort. If I *do* like the story enough to keep it, I'm likely to correct it for my own purposes. If it's not badly written but just has many really poor word choices/mis-spellings/mistakes in grammar, I will probably drop the author a line and let him/her know how I feel--but I only do that if I *like* the story. Otherwise, I won't bother. And Mary Sue's. I'm postively *phobic* about Mary Sue's, to the point where I pretty much avoid any "original character" stuff at all for fear of running into one. Tolkien's world, not to mention Peter Jackson's, is full enough without us putting ourselves into it. IMHO, of course.

Favorite authors: I really put myself on the spot here, since I'm HORRIFIC with remember names off-the-cuff. Cassie Claire, of course: we're not worthy! WaxJism rulz, and her compadres are every bit as good--I'm really into Calico right now (you GO, girl) and buffett too (although these last three don't write "traditional" fanfic).VB is a goddess--I've liked her stuff in SO many fandoms. Lora and Lily write (in particular) Frodo stories that make me swoon with happiness--and Lora was the first to take up my chocolate/firelight/dawn challenge, too. Nancy (NakedFlame) has written several pieces that made a particular impact on me. I'm sure I'm leaving out way too many people whose work I love. Amy Fortuna, and AC. And most of the folks you'll find at Least Expected, the archive of the Tolkien Slash mailing list. And not to forget Dargie, who didn't write nearly enough fanfic in this fandom!

Hey, I'm accepted in the LOTR blogring. Now if only I can get the code inserted correctly... Templates are SO not my thing.

Yes, against all odds, I did indeed go to Viewing #28 tonight. Not sure how I'd handle being at a club on a Friday night, by myself, but I took my usual (front) row table, only on the right aisle rather than dead center, and had a table full of nice folks to my left, and well drinks were on special, so I was just *fine.* Nothing like pulling up a chair to put your feet on, and stretching out to watch your favorite movie with a vodka and a clove cigarette to make you feel truly decadent. AND I saw two things I hadn't noticed before: Gandalf tipping his hat to the villagers in Hobbiton (not sure how I had missed that), and someone in the foreground of the party scene, just as we're about to see Frodo dancing, who looks a lot like Merry. Have to check for him again next week.

Which LOTR Woman are you?

I guess I should post something about LOTR Viewing #27, since I expect to go to #28 tonight. However, given that I'm now going on my own (Shelagh can't make it) and it's a Friday night, we'll see if I have the nerve to sit by myself at The Vic! I'm a big girl. I can do it. Especially if I get there when the doors open and sit way down in the front...

Anyway, the crowd last Thursday night was MUCH less rowdy than the previous time I'd gone--no loud snickering at the slashy bits (although you could still *just* make out the occasional isolated giggle) or inappropriate laughter at all, although we still had the rousing cheers for the death of Lurtz. I have to say, MY group was probably the loudest one there last week!

Spent last night watching "The Brothers McMullen" -- on DVD. Twice. I got a trial membership in Netflix, which I'll probably keep for a couple of months, and immediately started in on the Ed Burns films. I was *so* taken with "Ash Wednesday" that I figured I had to see everything else he'd done. McMullen was the first in more ways than I knew--not just first movie (other than student films), as producer/director, but also as an actor, which was NOT where he originally intended his career to go. Watched the movie straight through the first time, then with the commentary turned on--which was, of course, Ed rambling on for about 90 minutes, practically nonstop. They really shouldn't make the guys do this, since most of the time one person (even the producer/director/writer/actor) cannot keep saying interesting things throughout the entire movie. Ed was no exception. I didn't get *really* bored, but if I had $1 for every time he said "low budget film"--I could MAKE a low budget film.

It was fun to find out a few things about the movie, like that the McMullen house was Ed's childhood home, which has since been sold, and is now memorialized for future generations by this movie; and Ed also points out the many continuity errors in the movie, which was shot over a period of 8 months, but in only 12 full shooting days plus 6 partial days. So hair changes length and color, clothes are reworn by different characters, the same few cars are used several times, etc. I liked the movie a lot, and the acting was better than I expected for all non-SAG actors. Haven't decided yet if I want to buy the DVD, but it was definitely worth seeing.

Friday Five

1. How often do you do laundry? Usually about every other week. More often if I'm working a lot of baseball games during that time, since I have only 4 uniforms.

2. What's in a typical wash load? Every piece of denim jeans and leggings I own (that fit), sheets and towels, assorted shirts, t-shirts, and uniforms.

3. Front or top loader? Powder or liquid detergent? If I go to laundromat, which I usually do, it's usually two of the smaller front-loaders unless I have extra sheets, blankets, rugs, or something. They just reopened the small laundry room in my building, which has two top loaders, but I really prefer the extra rinse cycle and less clothes-destruction of the top loaders (except when I'm either exceptionally lazy or just can't get away). For the laundromat, I usually take just enough powedered detergent in a tupperware container; if I'm just going out the back door and down the stairs, it's usually the heavier liquid stuff.

4. Do you use fabric softener in the rinse cycle? Always, without fail, at the laundromat. Varies some if I do laundry in the building, as there isn't an easy way to do it without hanging around. I sometimes substitute the sheets in that case.

5. Dryer or clothesline? Dryer for most stuff; delicates and most leggings go over the shower rod, and rugs and table runners go over the rail on the back stairs.

19

I act like I'm 19.
This test was brought to you by Mel - mostly.... Take it here.

Too young for Elijah, dammit!

I am truly passionate.

Find your soul type at kelly.moranweb.com.

blogger pride! the blogger survey

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Ethics/Personal Life:

Has a blog post ever got you into trouble?
Not so far, but it *is* something that I worry about. It's been known to happen, after all. One of the biggest decisions I face daily with my Lilith site and blog is how widely to publicize it among people who know me personally. I've never had an internet (virtual) persona that differed from my "real" self until very recently, when it was brought home to me that some people I know professionally might not know of/approve of some of my activities.

How many people do you know face-to-face who read your weblog?
Hmmm, 3 I think. A few more may have read it once or twice, but those are all I know about who read it fairly regularly.

Have you met any of your regional (or even remote) bloggers?
Not yet, but I'm hoping to meet the first later this month, in San Francisco.

Do you modify or delete posts? How often? Why?
Haven't deleted any so far, but I won't say it can't happen. Modified them from time to time when I was given new or better information. My biggest reason for modifying is when I make a template change and have nothing new to post in content--so I modify my last post! Silly but effective.

How much is your weblog a part of your personal identity? Do you feel like people who don't know about your blog don't really know you?
Well, no. This blog is only part of me. I have another blog, but I haven't written in it for ages, since that part of my life basically doesn't exist right now. But there is certainly a lot of me here, and more all the time, and I *do* feel that I learn a lot about other people through their blogs--so I assume the same must be true about me.

How has blogging changed your life?
It has given me a bit more of a sense of community than I had. I'm not good at bulletin boards, and I'm hit and miss at mailing list, but I have no-one to blame but myself if I don't do more with my blog.

Technical/Design:

Do you know how to code at all? Did you learn how to code by blogging?
I code a little, when I need to. But I had websites and domains long before I had a blog, so blogging isn't responsible for that. I have gotten more proficient in using inline images, though!

What weblogging tool do you use and why?
So far, just blogger and occasionally bloggar. I might branch out into Greymatter, which my friend Dargie swears by, *or* I might break down and get a LiveJournal because I like the networking features.

Does the design seem like something that is just something that has to be dispensed with in order to be able to write publicly, or is your design an integral part of your writing and presentation?
As you can probably tell, the design isn't all that important to me, except that I don't want it to be ugly. I'm not really a "form over function" gal, and while theoretically I'd like to spruce this up, realistically I don't have the time or the skills to do so, and if it's not broken...

How many times have you changed your weblog design entirely (or nearly so)?
Twice, I think.

Readership/Motivation:

How many people would you guess (educated guess based on hit counts/logfiles) read your weblog on a weekly basis at least?
Ya know, I keep meaning to add a counter! Other than friends, and a few of my Rings-Thing cohorts, I have absolutely no idea.

What have you done to get more people to look at your site?
Joined one webring, in the queue for a second, and am doing the Rings-Thing project (see link on sidebar).

What one or two characteristics make a blog really popular? Are there things that you could do to have more people read your weblog that you conciously do not do? Why?
Hmmm, the ones I read....
1) Interesting people whose lives I really want to know more about. (I'm not interesting, unfortunately)
2) Fic writers who regularly post their fic to their weblogs (thought about it... haven't decided yet if I want to post fic here)
3) Really funny and/or clever people (again, not me)
4) People who perennially post links or otherwise do research that is of benefit to me (Just call me lazy)

What really popular weblog do you think most deserves it...and/or least deserves it?
Most deserves it in the LOTR community: Cassie Claire's LiveJournal, of course. Least... I'm not going to say since I don't know who is reading this! Outside of LOTR, the ones I read the most are linked: Dargie, Gretchen and Chris Pirillo, Wil Wheaton.

How do you feel about your readership? What makes for a quality readership to you?
The only readership that wouldn't be "quality" would be someone reading this to find ammunition to use against me.

Influence of Other Bloggers:

What other blogger is most responsible for you starting your own weblog?
Chris Pirillo, from whom I first heard the term "blogger".

Who was the first other blogger (that you know of) who put you on thier sidebar, and how did you feel? How did it influence your blogging?
Dargie. I felt like I'd arrived.

What other blogger do you most admire for her writing skills?
I'm bound to leave someone out so I hate to even start! Let me stick with all the folks on my links at the right (Dargie, Chris, Gretchen, Wil), plus Cassie Claire, Cody... boy, there are several I've been reading lately that are great! Watch my links area...

What other blogger do you most admire for her design skills?
That's gotta be Dargie. She has both the talent and the drive to do it. I have neither the skill nor the attention span...

Who is a blogger that you think is really good but doesn't get nearly the attention they are worthy of?
Not only do I not know who reads my blog, I don't know how popular most of the other ones are.

Do you feel obligated to have people on your link lists/sidebars that you never read?
Nope, at least not so far. Heck, the links are there as much for me as anyone else!

What one or two characteristics define a really quality blog (in your humble opinion, of course)?
Having something to say, and doing it in a literate and interesting manner. Also occasional humor, good links, and the occasional graphic.

Bonus Question:
Do you fear The Booge?
Hadn't even seen this site until today, but doesn't look scary!

Just had to do it. Mikey, the 17-year-old hitman from "Chain of Fools," as a South Park character.

Lots going on today! Scroll down a bit to see my entry in this week's Rings Thing.

Look at Hilite's Board and see Orli snippet from Newsweek. And more quizzy goodness at Scared Ducky.



Take the Concubine Quiz at Scared Ducky!

Rings-Thing Topic: Where would you most like to live--the Shire, Rivendell, Lorien or Gondor--and why?

My movieverse answer is definitely different than my bookverse one here. In the books, I was always fascinated with Lothlorien, much more so than any other place (although Mirkwood also intrigued me). Possibly I was put off by the "last homely house" epithet about Elrond's place of residence. However, in the movieverse...

Rivendell is so far my favorite place that there wasn't even a second's hesitation with my answer. This photo has **ahem** nothing to do with it. Well, not much, at least. But really, I think Rivendell has everything I want: lots of water (my major requirement in a place, and why I love Chicago, New York, and San Francisco best), beautiful architecture, lots of interesting people and things to do, Elrond... Gondor would be my second choice, as it is also "civilisation" as I define it, but my preference would be the realm of Elrond Half-Elven. I might miss the nightlife of a major city, but I'm sure hanging out at Elrond's of a night would be just as stimulating. Might even be the occasional bit of dancing. The Shire is just way too bucolic for me (although I do love Bag End) and I'd tire of it very quickly, and the Lady of Lorien is not one of my favorite personages (to put it mildly). It's Rivendell for me. And the hobbit has nothing to do with it. Really.

Watch this space: New Rings-Thing post tomorrow! And PLEASE do send in your topics, whether or not you're a blogger yourself. Topics can be sent to: Lilith

Go here and see the wonderful South Park figures Dargie put up of me, her, and a bunch of our friends.

The tinyblog survey:

What name do you prefer to be called?
Nearly anything except "Lulu," which was what my sisters called me.

Have you ever hallucinated something you knew wasn’t there but looked real?
Hallucinated, no. But I have very vivid dreams, which sometimes come back to me as memories rather than dreams, and I have a heck of a time figuring out if they actually happened or not.

What is your favorite kind of tea?
I'd love to say Earl Grey, hot. But actually, I don't like tea. Strictly a coffee and soft drink person.

What languages do you know swear words in?
Not as many as I'd like. French, English, used to know some Arab. Gotta learn Elvish...

Do you believe in a benevolent creator?
Nope. Most of the time, I don't believe in a creator at all. When I do, it's more of a deistic sort of thing, the force behind the universe, not anything personal enough to be benevolent.

If so, do you have a relationship with it/him/her?
Even in my Orthodox Catholic days, when I taught Sunday School, I never believed I had any kind of relationship with God.

Do you believe in homeopathy?
I don't NOT believe in it. I believe that, at worst, your mind is strong enough that whatever you believe enough in, you have a fighing chance at making happen.

What famous person you really wish you could be friends with?
I know I'm going to be sorry I said this, but either Ian McKellen or Elijah Wood. Sir Ian because I worship him, and Elijah because I would just LOVE to know what makes him tick. Really. Well...

What makes you act the most evil?
I'm really good at sharing, 99% of the time. One of the best people I know. I almost never keep good things to myself. Unless there is absolutely, positively no way that something can be shared. Then I want it for myself, dammit.

How much does your mom know about your life?
hmmm... everything and nothing, like most mothers, I guess. The things she should know the most about--those things in my childhood that make up a large part of who I am--she is clueless about because she was even more messed up then than I am now.

What music did you once love but can’t even listen to now?
Some of the really schmoopy stuff from the 60s and 70s. I just heard "Precious and Few" on TV--part of me sighed, and the rest cringed. But I still like most of the music that I liked from my earliest childhood.

What’s the dirtiest book you’ve ever read?
Dirty as in no redeeming social value? Most of that is fanfic, not books. But I snuck my father's copy of "Candy" as a preteen or young teen--can't remember exactly. Seemed very filthy at the time.

Are you a top, bottom, or versatile?
These days, that question is purely theoretical. But in theory, I'm versatile.

What is your most prominent dysfunction?
Extreme, ridiculous, crippling shyness. Sometimes I just canNOT bring myself to do the simplest things. People who have seen me speak in public, run meetings, or various things along that line don't believe it of me, but I'm horrifically shy.

What is your favorite font?
Oh wow. Font freaks R Us. I love SO many of them. Been using "Tolkien" a lot lately, for obvious reasons. For webpages, where you're stuck with only a few, I use Comic Sans. And I'm into some of the handwriting ones--I think the last one I used was "jd"

What is your favorite kind of salad dressing?
The red sweet ones--Cataling, Western, Russian, honey French.

Ever had a major illness or injury?
Pneumonia once, but not terribly serious. No operations other than a cyst under my eye and tonsils. Persistent asthma that faded in my teens. More the nagging stuff, like panic attacks and autoimmune disorders.

Ever come close to death?
Only when I was born--blue-black and not breathing. Nothing close since.

Would you kill a man if it was you or him?
I could fairly easily do it, intellectually. I deal with human death much better than animal death. But whether I could do it physically or not is another story

Would you kill a man just for lookin’ at you funny?
How funny?

Are you still friends with your exes?
Not really, but only because I tend to let people drift away without a fight, rather than because we don't get along anymore.

What do you bring to a potluck?
I'm lazy, so I either buy something or make something up from whatever is in my pantry.

Say one nice thing about the author of this survey.
What a clever person to come up with these interesting questions!

Okay, two things.
And it's nice that you're interested in the answers, too.

Say one nice thing about yourself, too.
The things and the people that I love, I tend to love unstintingly.

Hooray for MTV. I sure wish Elijah could have won for his fine performance, but of course the best is yet to come for him. Nice to see Orlando recognized again (and fun to hear his terrific Irish accent), and SO fine that the movie won. I didn't think the LOTR skit was as funny as most people did--parts had me laughing hysterically but the whole was just too sophomoric for me. (That said, I liked the Spidey one better, and hated the Panic Room one even more.) Cody has some nice screen caps up at her site.

Yet another evening spent copying "Chain of Fools" for people who can't get the VCD. Even *I* am starting to get tired of it now! (well, not really!) Anyway, I finally took off the invalid "My Fellowship Guy is Frodo" link from my template--I kept hoping the site would come back, but obviously it isn't going to. I did add my new Lilith Notes icon in it's place--no big surprise who it is...

Does EVERYONE else in the US have their new Decipher LOTR fanclub magazine except Karen and I? Do they have something against us A-B folks?

SimilarMinds.com Compatibility Test

Your match with kristine you are 63% similar you are 74% complementary

How Compatible are You with me?

Since I can't get to "Friday Five" today, I'm having to resort to more quizzes...

My Bloginality is ESTJ!!!

Against even more expectations, I made it to Viewing #27, again at the Vic's "Brew and View." This time, Heidi and Sarz were my co-conspirators. It was a much quieter crowd than last week--in fact, WE were the rowdiest people there! Very little talking, only a couple of people snickering at the slashy bits, and NO laugher at Gandalf's death (thank heavens). Still the loud cheers for Aragorn doing away with Lurtz, and we led the ovation at the sight of Gandalf the White. We were very decadent--Heidi had a beer, I smoked a cigarette, and Sarz said the seating arrangements left her lots of room to use her "body english" during the movie. I've decided Gimli misheard the rumours about Lothlorien--that's an Elf Bitch that's in residence. (Nope, still not a Galadriel fan. Conniving witch...)

Oh, god, I am dying here.

http://www.geocities.com/l0ckergn0me/

Oh, well, at least I am not THOSE stupid people. (Hey, Chris, it wasn't me you were satirizing, was it? Please?)

I am, however, another type of stupid person. Finally figured out why the automated refund/transfer ticket line at United wouldn't accept my ticket number. The cancelled flight was on American... duh.

But the good news is, I'm flying into SFO instead of Oakland after all--which is a big plus when you're staying at an SFO airport and not downtown! So, arrival in San Francisco for the parade on Friday morning, June 28, and departure just before midnight on Monday, July 1. Pretty much 4 full days in San Francisco, with not just the parade, but some figure skating, concerts, and (I hope) a chance to see an old friend I don't see nearly enough, and another who I'm actually staying with! Kewlness.

37%

I am 37% worshipable! And you? Find out!

I am SO not goddess material...

Rings-Thing Topic: Describe the first time you saw FOTR. You know, the environment, where, anything weird happen, what did you think?

It may surprise some people to know I was not avidly awaiting the release of this movie. I hadn't really followed the news about it as it was in production, although I read the occasional article and I had heard about most of the major casting. I figured I would go, since Sean Bean and Ian McKellen are two of my favorite actors, and Elijah Wood seemed pretty acceptable as Frodo from what little I knew of him (could mainly only remember him from Avalon, in which he was superb).

So, the movie opened. I wasn't standing in line. In fact, I was trying to do some housecleaning, in my little spare time, before my sister's arrival on the 23rd. Yeah, like that would happen. Anyway, my sister arrives, we spend a couple of hours attempting to meet up at the airport while I'm growing increasingly frustrated, then we finally manage it and take a cab to our mother's (my sister and mother were going to visit another of my sister's for Christmas).

So, having grown up a Tolkien enthusiast in a family of Tolkien enthusiasts (well, the females were, anyway), I asked the two of them if they want to go see LOTR. Sure, they say, and we're off to the late afternoon showing at the Village North Theatre, walking distance from my apartment. The Village North is not going to win any awards for design, ambience, cleanliness, customer or staff intelligence, or just about anything else--but it's cheap and it's in the neighborhood.

Luckily for us, we've missed the afternoon crowd and are too early for the date crowd, so we don't have any problems getting tickets. It's early, so we're sitting and waiting, munching our popcorn, talking about the books. I haven't read them in about 25 years, although my mother has kept up her fairly regular readings. While I still consider myself a Tolkien enthusiast, I don't think I'm a dyed-in-the-wool purist who will balk at even the smallest change, but I'm still glad I'm not so up on the books that I will *notice* every last change. I am definitely not optimistic, but I'm willing to give it a shot.

Hmmm, good start, with the Elvish in the opening. We are all pleased (I think) with the narration and summarization. Don't see how it could have been done much better (until I later hear that Ian was originally supposed to have done it--much as I like Cate, I'd have preferred Sir Ian). The longer the movie goes on, the happier we all are with it. My mother can't get over the New Zealand landscape enough to even take in a lot of the movie--it won't be long before she's asking to go again, so she can watch the *actors* this time! We are all taken with Orlando as Legolas, and love Sir Ian as Gandalf. My mother doesn't like Cate at all, which is too bad since Galadriel is one of her favorite characters. I was the only one of us who was familiar with Sean Bean, but we all cried when he died--well done! I was most taken (in an unexpected way, as opposed to the guys I knew I'd like) by Elijah Wood and Billy Boyd. Little did I know that the former, at least, would become an obsession...

So, we left the theatre and walked a couple of blocks to have dinner at a pizzeria. It was fun to rehash the movie with the same people I had discussed the books with almost 40 years previously. We were all quite pleasantly surprised at how much we liked it, and talked about seeing it again. 25 viewings later.... I plan to go again this week.

Yeah, I did finally make it to #26 last week, despite all expectations and several previous attempts that went awry.

My first time at the "Brew and View" at the Vic theatre (been to the Vic quite often for concerts, though). It was a rather interesting atmosphere, with a fair amount of talking going on throughout the movie and regular club seating (several sections of semicircular booth seating with small tables at the back half of each section, and small tables with chairs at the front half of each section), as well as an audience which smoked and drank at will.

I had no problem with the talking, or even most of the whistling or catcalls. Poor Legolas got a lot of the whistles, but you know... I guess I expected that. And of course all the slash bits were commented upon loudly--again, I wasn't bothered (although I might have been had I seen it, say, 20 fewer times). However, if anyone can tell me what was so amusing about Gandalf's death, it would be greatly appreciated. I've never encountered an audience that found that funny before, and for the life of me, I don't get it.

Going again this Thursday, and taking my clove cigarettes. Too good an opportunity to miss, to be able to smoke them while watching the guy who is responsible for me taking them up. (and no, it wouldn't count if I did it at home)

Just what I needed: my blogger code

B2 d++ t k s u f i+ o x e+ l+ c

Want to get yours? Go to The Blogger Code

oh oh OH. This is just too great. Try The Wrath of God if you're having a bad day, and I promise you, you will feel better.

I really love that. Found it on Gretchen Pirillo's blog. Must remember to add her to my links list.

Career-o-matic
Too funny for words. I'm an indoor lavalamp therapist.

Rings-Thing Weblog Project--week 2
There were obviously a lot of changes (additions, deletions, just plain changes) made in adapting The Fellowship of the Ring from book to film. Discuss one or more, in any degree of detail you wish.

Just got back from MediaWestCon, am exhausted, and incapable of rational thought. So I'll repeat a couple of observations I made months ago in my blog, and hope to do better if we tackle this topic again.

1. In the book, Frodo has a vision of Gandalf pacing in captivity at Isengard (even though he sees this vision NOT when the event is happening, it is still a true vision). In the movie, Frodo calls out to Gandalf in his extremity after being stabbed by the morgul blade. Interesting how PJ kept the psychic connection but in an entirely different manner. This particular change doesn't strike me as either positive or negative--it's just something PJ changed that I think works as well as the original.

2. The "I wish the ring had never come to me" speech in Moria between Gandalf and Frodo is actually a reworked conversation from the very beginning of the book ("The Shadow of the Past"), and originally took place in Bag End. In its original form, Gandalf had just explained to Frodo what the ring he inherited from Bilbo actually was, and Frodo comments "I wish it need not have happened in my time." To which Gandalf responds, "So do I, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide." Etc. I think the conversation is SO much more poignant and meaningful where Peter Jackson has moved it.

Chain of Fools aka "Little Boy, Big Gun"

Thanks to the VCD, a couple of laptops and a VCR, I have now watched Chain of Fools several times--the last two being Elijah's scenes only, cloned off onto VHS. It's hard to review the movie as a whole--I like it a whole lot better than my friend Karen does, that's for sure. It's a comedy, meant to be a very over-the-top comedy, but mostly it just doesn't work. I have a hard time telling how much of it is just a bad script and how much is the lead actor, Steve Zahn, not being able to carry it off. Certainly Jeff Goldblum manages to make his material work, and Elijah Wood is hysterically funny as Mikey, the 17-year-old hitman who is studying for his GED (and, according to one mob leader, has "balls... like pomegranates"). Elijah seems to be having the time of his life breaking chairs over people's heads, kicking down doors, doing whirling high leg kicks, and running while shooting his gun left handed. I'd love to see him do more characters like this that he can have fun with.

The Witness
Boy, this one was hard to get my hands on, and now I see why. It's less than half an hour in length, with no dialogue. Very odd little piece, featuring Gary Sinise and Elijah as a nazi concentration camp guard and the young internee with the haunting eyes. I'm definitely glad I got it, but it's not easy to watch.

Frodo's my fancy!
What's your fancy? Click here and tell the world!

Lord of the Rings Survey

How'd you get into it?
So long ago, I can't even remember--close to 40 years ago, I think. I know I read The Hobbit first, which I would never recommend to any child unless s/he had shown an interest in that type of book--I disliked it and very nearly didn't read the others. Fortunately, my mother was never much of a believer in "children's books" and let me go right on to the trilogy. And considering my mother owned (and wore) a "Frodo Lives" button for most of my childhood, you'd better believe she encouraged me in my Tolkien enthusiasm. We even once, on my junior high class field trip to Chicago, discovered a store called "Reddig's Randolph Street Newstand and Middle Earth Bookshop" which we made another pilgrimate to the following year. I was most unhappy, when I finally moved to Chicago, to find it had disappeared.

How many of the books have you read?
The trilogy, the Hobbit, the Silmarillion, The Book of Lost Tales... at least, I remember reading the last two, although I don't remember the contents. Think I might have had one more, at one time, but whether read or unread, I do not remember.

How many times did you see the damn movie, you obsessive spaz?
25, and although I keep trying for #26, it just won't happen for me, so maybe that is my mystical, magical number until an eventual re-release.

How many of those times included the Two Towers trailer?
4, I think--although we try to go early and see the trailer at the end of the showing before, so I've seen it many times. And, since I'm paranoid and tend to go in early, I've seen Boromir die a whole lot more than 25 times, too, unfortunately.

Merchandise freak?
Yes and no. Not totally obsessive. I have the action figures that I like, the complete set of Topps cards and 3 of the 4 of the autograph cards (Sir Ian, Elijah, Billy and SeanB), a couple of the Game sets, the complete set of British stickers, maybe 7-8 of the Burger King Toys, two of the BK goblets (Gandalf, Frodo), a couple of notebooks, a bunch of t-shirts, a baseball cap... OK, maybe more obsessive than I think I am. And don't even get me *started* on what I've spent on ebay.

If so, whaddya got? (aside from the books)
See above, plus I'm in the midst of making a whole slew of window clings, magnets, and "arty" prints for myself and my friends.

Roleplayer?
Nope, at least not yet...

Favorite...

...book
Toughie. I'm making a point not to re-read them until I've seen the appropriate movie enough times to judge it on its own, so it's been more than 20 years since I read anything but FOTR. I guess for now I'll say FOTR, although I'm sure that wasn't it at the time I read them. Less angst.

...passage from any of the books
Just about anything with elves or elvish in it. "A Elbereth..."


...part of the Fellowship movie
I have changed that so many times I've lost count. The way Frodo looks at Gandalf in the cart after the wizard sets off the fireworks--that one is just special. Most of my favorite scenes are between Frodo and Gandalf--when Frodo agrees to leave the Shire ("What must I do?"), the famous scene in Moria where Frodo admits that he wishes he'd never taken on the quest... I'm pretty predictable


...race
Elves, easily. That's the one thing that's been constant for me the last umpteen years. Hobbits are growing on me, though.

...character
In the books? I suppose Gollum, but I never really had one. Movieverse, see my Rings-Thing answer, which was Boromir, but it was a very close race between him, Frodo, and Gandalf. I feel bad that I didn't simply say Frodo, but I'm sure I will for the other two movies.

...actor
Elijah Wood. I've gone around and around on that one for months, but that's where I've settled. Other favorites are, basically in order, Sean Bean, Sir Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving, and Billy Boyd.

...piece of merchandising
Right now, the British sticker cards. They're lovely. But I'm enjoying my home-made window clings a lot, too.

...song off the soundtrack
Don't know the names of any of the pieces--I guess I'm not *that* obsessive. But there are two pieces I particularly like--the one that plays in Moria when they come upon Dwarrowdelf, and the piece at the very end in the scene with Frodo and Sam, the same music as in the Shire, but with added percussion.

...song off David Arkenstone's album
Don't know it.

...line from the movie
They have a cave troll (of COURSE). Closely followed by: "What must I do?" and "Gondor has no king. Gondor *needs* no king."

...moviegoing experience
Although I didn't necessarily think so at the time, I enjoyed seeing it right after having read the Very Secret Diaries for the first time, with all of us going into hysterics. It was at least 4 more viewings before I could see the carrot or the point hat or the horn of Gondor without totally losing it... I also enjoyed the time Heidi and Laurie went with us--we had a BIG group that day and a lot of fun. And all the times we ran into our teen-age counterparts in Evanston were a blast.

...experience involving... anything LotR related
I think it must be going to ICON. I decided that I just HAD to go, at the very last minute, and the bbnet "loons" were all so helpful in getting me set-up with room, rides, people to meet and places to go, etc. And both Viggo and Billy were so much more than I ever could have hoped. (AND my photos turned out fairly well--always a plus!)

...V. Secret Diary
Another tough one. I guess it must be Arwen, because I still say "there is no Gap in Rohan..."

...line from a parody fic
Although I enjoy them, I can't say I find them (other than the VSD) memorable enough to quote a line. See above...

...slash pairing (if you're into that sort of thing, you perv)
Frodo/Aragorn. Thanks, Lily!!

And of course,
What are you looking forward to seeing most in The Two Towers?
Frodo angst in general. No scene in particular, although "It's the ring. It's getting heavier..." from the trailer nearly kills me. And Pippin with Treebeard, of course. And Gandalf's return!

How about Return of the King?
Which book is it in which Sam finds Frodo minus his clothing? Is that ROTK or TTT? Whichever...

Pissed about that Shelob thing?
Nope. Actually, I missed the barrow-wights more than I'll ever miss a spider. Gave Frodo a chance to prove that he's resourceful and brave (which Lij could have used). And even then, I totally understand Peter's choices and agree with 99% of them.

People who think 'The Two Towers' is an insensitive name.
Unfortunately, as Karen would say, fans are too stupid to live. (I tell her that it's PEOPLE, not just FANS, but she says "whatever".) First of all, the book name precedes the buildings, let alone their destruction. And even if it hadn't, I'm tired of people pretending that the WTC never existed--it did, and I loved it. I was just at Ground Zero, and although it's not nearly as devastated as a few months ago, the skyline will just never look right again.

What's the worst tease you've come across, picturewise, about the coming movies?
Still photo? I can't think of anything that wasn't also in the trailer. I guess, if you count the DVD, it's the shot of Pippin in Lothlorien, lying on his back with his head on a big pillow, looking gorgeous and thoughtful. If Billy is right and that scene *is* restored in the DVD, I'm dying to see it!

The Silmarillion.
Don't remember a thing about it.

Anything else to say?
Yeah, and I've been saying it in this blog for months now! Mostly my paranoid Galadriel theories.

First week's topic: Who is your favorite Lord of the Rings character (movieverse) and why?

Hey, this first one was supposed to be easy--why am I stuck???

Reading back through my blog entries from the beginning, I have pretty much stuck with the same three characters as the ones I consistently watched: Boromir, Frodo and Gandalf. Not surprisingly, two of the actors who played these characters were favorites of mine long before this movie even began, and the third has become a favorite since. Hard to separate the characters from the performances, and I can't even fall back on my favorite from the books, because I didn't really have one. (I did have a favorite race, by far: the elves. But much as I love both Legolas and Orlando Bloom, I'm not going to take that way out.)

OK, my decision is Boromir. Now I suppose I have to say *why*...

Boromir is a noble man, in all senses of the word. He sets out to try to do his best for his father and his country, and never wavers from that goal. He doesn't really understand what Elrond tries to tell him, or doesn't quite believe it is exactly as stated--which comes to the same thing. He sees one way out of the current situation and (misled to some degree by Galadriel, I firmly believe) tries to make that happen by the only means available to him, since no-one will listen: by using force. His good intentions are of no help when the Fellowship is broken, but he is allowed to redeem himself through death.

In some ways, I think Boromir is the noblest character of all in this first book, especially in the movie. We are shown that he is loyal, brave, and intelligent. We see him as caring, through his concern for Gimli and the others after they exit Moria. We see his deep inner conflict during his conversation with Aragorn in Lothlorien. And we hear his remorse, both as Frodo is fleeing from him and after the Uruk Hai take Merry and Pippin. He is a good man put in an untenable position, who does the best he can. What more could you ask of a character than that?

Rings-Thing Weblog Project should be getting off the ground this weekend. If you haven't contacted me yet about it, please do so ASAP!

Today's Friday Five

1. What shampoo do you use? I'm terrible--I can never settle on one. When my hair is colored, which it almost always is anymore, I try to use a shampoo for colored hair (even though my hair tends to be oily and these are awfully mild). I guess my favorite is Colorvive.

2. Do you use conditioner? What kind? Again, I'm not married to one, and even more than shampoos, I tend to have several open at any time. I like Paul Mitchell's The Detangler about the best, although it's a bit expensive for my budget. Some of the Suave generic ones usually sit on my shelf, and maybe one or two with a UV filter in the summer.

3. When was the last time you got your hair cut? Too long ago--it needs to be done soon. Don't usually opt for more than once a year. I absolutely *swore* that when I hit 40, I would get it cut significantly shorter. I did get 6" or so cut off, but it grows fast and was long enough that even that amount still left it in the category "long." I really should take it back to no longer than shoulder length, but I hate change...

4. What styling products do you use? None if I can help it. I usually wash it and just get on the train for work--don't even dry it unless I expect to be outdoors for a significant amount of time and the temperature is well below freezing. For important occasions, I may use one of the sprays or gels that works with a curling iron. I've been known to carry hairspray on longer trips, but except for the very occasional spraying down of errant strands, they are mostly unopened.

5. What's your worst hair-related experience? I got a perm once, not too long before I went to my first Omnicon (in Fort Lauderdale, FL). I have naturally curly hair, so I've only ever gotten maybe 4 perms in my life, when I really wanted my hair to act like it all belonged to the same person (parts are very curly, several areas always seem to grow in straight, etc.). This one was supposed to be something like a curly version of a shag, but let's just leave it at that when I got to the con, someone suggested I dress up as Tom Baker's version of The Doctor...

I'm writing to you tonight from the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. Don't ask--it's a LONG story that I will post more details of when I get back.

At any rate, through a series of bizarre coincidences, I saw a screening of Elijah's movie "Ash Wednesday" this afternoon. Since it won't be released until fall, I don't want to give away any details, but it's a great movie and Elijah is excellent in it.

I hope a lot of the younger Elijah fans don't go see it just for him--it's a supporting role, rather than the lead (Ed Burns is the lead actor, as well as the director, co-producer, and writer) and the movie itself is pretty dark. But it's a great role and Elijah does well with it--it's his first really adult role, and he's playing a 21-year-old Irish-American ("Sean") who grows up with a father and brother in the Irish Mafia. Set in New York, the majority of it takes place on one day -- Ash Wednesday -- in 1983, with the opening sequence taking place on the same holiday 3 years previously. Ed Burns plays his older brother Francis,and is very much the heart of this movie.

I'm in awe of Ed Burns after seeing this--he is obviously incredibly talented, and the Q&A after the screening confirmed that, with those actors who were in attendance, as well as his co-producer Margot Brider, having unanimously positive things to say about him in all his hats, but especially as a director. Apparently he not only gives his actors a lot of leeway with their roles, he actually expects them to improv (at least in part) much of the dialoge--I'd be interested to hear how Burns' approach worked for Elijah, who seemed very at ease in this film (unlike the almost totally improved "Black and White" in which he seemed very much out of his element).

What else can I say about this? It's very obviously a small-budget indie, but Ed makes that work for it instead of against it by using the gritty, slightly claustrophic feel to contribute to the atmosphere of the movie. I was struck by what appeared to be its lack of "polish," but I think this may have been intentionally as well.

More when I get home, including a few photos of the producer, the Q&A session, and some of the many LOTR fans who turned out for the screening.

Which Royalty Are You? Find out! By Nishi.

I finally made it to see "Cat's Meow" today. I wasn't expecting much, since the reviews have been tepid, but I liked it immensely. The plot itself took the kind of liberties that "based on fact" pics usually do (I thought the result no more outlandish than usual), but Kirsten's superb performance would have made up for a LOT more problems than the movie actually had. OK, so she's a little young to be playing Marion Davies--I think making someone stick to playing within a few years of their actual appearance is equivalent to saying that only Englishmen, for example, should play Englishmen. She captured the 20's superbly and looked fantastic in the clothes, the dances, the situation--what more could you ask for?

Today's Friday Five

There apparently isn't any "Friday Five" this week. A relief, actually, since I'm so far behind. I hope to get my own "Rings Thing" weblog project off the ground this weekend.

I'm horrendously behind again here. I should be doing Friday Five and I haven't even posted my notes for LOTR Viewing #25 yet.

It was sad to see that movie for what will probably be the last time on the big screen (unless it's re-released before TTT). Went with Karen last Sunday, early enough again that we could see the trailer both before and after. Decided, in unison, that Craig (Haldir) is really hot... Took no notes whatsoever. End of an era.

Today's Friday Five

Yes, I realize I'm posting this on Monday. It was a bad week...

1. What are your hobbies?
God, I barely have a LIFE when I'm working both jobs, let alone a hobby. I guess getting back into fandom is a hobby, eh? Fanfiction (writing and reading), congoing, picture taking, webpage making. Figure skating stuff is falling further and further behind.

2. Do you collect anything? If so, what? Started collecting Barbie dolls about 18 months ago--escalated from the original, very reasonable attempt to get a doll like my own original barbie (1963 brunette bubblecut). Now I have some vintage, some recreations, some contemporary, and most of the newest silkstone line. Also collect vintage and handmade Barbie clothes. Newest collecting revolves around Lord of the Rings (quel surprise)--cards, autograph cards, movie of the actors, etc. Obsessive, but not yet a completist... Of course, now that I've photographed Billy and Viggo, and hope to catch Ian in June, I'm guessing I'll want to photograph the rest of the fellowship, too.

3. Is there a hobby you're interested in, but just don't have the time/money to do? I always feel like I'm slighting the ones I already have, especially the webpage stuff. There's just SO much more I could be doing if I didn't spread myself so thin. But trying to decide which to give up is just beyond me.

4. Have you ever turned a hobby into a moneymaking opportunity? Well, I'd like to do that with the photography, but 1) I'm just not all that extraordinarily good, 2) not willing to make the investment of time, effort and money that would take me to the next level, and 3) don't really live in the right part of the country to make a go of it in figure skating photography.

5. Besides web-related stuff (burbs, rings, etc.), what clubs do you belong to? Anissina & Peizerat fanclub, several Lord of the Rings related things, official photographer for Ilia Kulik fanclub.... That's all I can think of at the moment.

I'm finally getting a few more of my Billy photos posted, although FTPing to my webhost is slower than molasses in January. I took over 250 photos last weekend, but I'm not going to post more than a quarter of them, I think. I shot at a very slow speed to maximize light, and the graininess and lack of focus is driving me crazy. I did get the majority of the best Viggo ones uploaded last night. Now I want to add a few of the line, just around the time it started raining--and one I was granted permission to use, that I found on another site, of ME photographing the line! Hope I can get some photos of the bbnet "loons" up tonight, too, but I have to work a double-header tomorrow (well, later today, actually) and I really should get to bed!

However, as spur-of-the-moment decisions go, I can't fault myself for this one. Going to ICON was pretty much the highlight of my year so far. Things really can't have gone any better than they did, either at the signing, the con, or with my room-mates. I was extraordinarily lucky! Maybe it's a sign that moving back into fandom is a good thing.

A few more notes from the Sunday Q&A with Billy:

The Edinburgh Tattoo re-enactment apparently ended with the guys trying some kind of slide (water slide, maybe?), which wasn't necessarily a good idea in a kilt...

What does "evil" mean to you? Evil is a normal man who pushes himself to have something just to have it and doesn't learn from his mistakes.

Favorite characters other than Pippin: Sam, Boromir, Treebeard

What would you be if not an actor? A professional surfer

Visit to the Star Wars set--Funny moment, when overheard on a crewmember's walkie talkie the announcement: Tht hobbits are on set.

Billy's double's name was Vaughn.

Favorite weapon among several named by a woman obviously familiar with weapons: Claymores are HUGE. He can swing one but can't imagine fighting with one. He also talked a bit about William Wallace's huge, 8-foot sword--they must just take a swing and hope for the best! He liked Pippin's short sword, and he has fenced epee in competition.

Pip's scarf, in a way, WAS Pippin. It was his connection to the Shire, which he missed and would have happily returned to if not for his friends. It was his security blanket, and often hung next to him when he rested (as in Lothlorien).

Does he have a girlfriend? Not one with a ring on her finger...

I hope someone else transcribed the story about trying to teach Dom guitar. Apparently that particular guitar of Dom's did not last long and that was the end of that.

I am SO dead. I haven't had more than 4 hours of sleep in over a week now, and with 16-18 hour days today and tomorrow, that situation is unlikely to get better any time soon. I do SO want to get caught up on my ICON notes and photos!

At any rate, I *did* get a few photos posted last night, and you can see them at: http://www.lilithofsherwood.com/Lij/icon/

Sunday Q&A.Billy is wearing a white open-necked shirt with stripes of blue, purple and green, a pendant which might have been his NZ greenstone, and jeans. Billy talked a bit about the script that he and Dom are writing. It involves two bad guys ("who happen to be British...") whe end up running a scuba diving school and know nothing about it. They get involved with the mafia.

What person, living or dead, would Billly like to meet? John Lennon (he's brilliant), Peter Sellers, Spike Mulligan

When did he decide he wanted to be an actor? After being in a school production of "Oliver!" at age 10, wherein he played the Artful Dodger.

There were a couple of guitar references, one Saturday and one Sunday. Saturday he had talked about teaching Dom guitar, only to have Dom almost immediately inadvertently destroy the guitar. On Sunday, he said that the guitar is his favorite instrument.

Hobbit feet? Generally OK, and their size and springiness made you feel like a hobbit. Downside: they weren't *that* thick and you could feel stones, etc., through them, and in the scene where Sam chases after Frodo in the boat, Sean Astin actually had a stick go through his foot and he had to be helicoptered to the hospital. He also talked about how they absorbed water, and during filming of the scene outside Moria they filled with water and then froze. Nothing crew tried, from furry boots to heating pads, seemed to help the problem.

Edinburgh tattoo: a group recreated the Edinburgh Tattoo in Wellington, complete with a scale model of Edinburgh Castle. Dom and Lijah had planned to attend with Billy, and Billy hired kilts for them and Dom also got a red beard. Viggo showed up unexpectedly with nothing Scottish to wear, so Billy lent him a sweatshirt--I didn't catch exactly what it was, something like a 1972 football jersey. And they had a great time.

Yes, I'm behind, but I WILL catch up!

I think I messed up reposting Viggo, so here it is again.

Saturday morning, and I'm all checked in and waiting in the Cyber Cafe for the bbnet meeting to begin. Still thinking about yesterday. Everyone has a Viggo story, but my favorite one was the girls who asked if Viggo was seeing Billy at all, only to be told that he hadn't realized Billy was in town. He instructed them to put on red lipstick and kiss Billy all over from his slave and his king... *sigh*

Of course, I'm still kicking myself over not doing the two things I had intended to do--not being any particular huge fan of his, I thought I'd be plenty calm enough to remember. That was pre- the excitement of the event in general and the wonderfulness of Viggo in particular. Needless to say, I didn't remember either. The two things were: get a good look at the color of his eyes for myself, since they have been described so variously; and to ask about the line of his they cut at the end of Boromir's death scene. Oh, well, maybe there will be another time.

What else can I say about it? I met a lot of wonderful people (some from bbnet and more not), several of whom had brought really thoughtful gifts. My favorite two gifts were Shelagh's (a gorgeous matted presentation of music she had written for "The Riddle of Strider," and another person who had bought him a wonderful box for storing fishing flies (from a store near Yellowstone that, as it turns out, he has frequented). Viggo seemed to make a point of trying to connect with everyone, find something to talk about with them, whatever it took. I had mentioned, while he was signing a collage I made for a friend, that Photoshopping photos was the closest I could get to "art" photographs, that my sports photographs were nothing like what he took. He asked what I photograph (which is figure skating) from when we got into a discussion of the recent Olympics.

Billy Boyd's Q&A was lots of fun. He was escorted in by a squad of storm troopers, to much delight. Looking delightfully scruffy (he is growing a beard for his next role), Billy was dressed in dark jeans and a black open-necked shirt with sleeves rolled up above his elbows. He was absolutely charming, although a lot of the younger fangirls took advantage of that fact by insisting on giving him gifts and/or asking for hugs during the panel, thus seriously cutting into the Q&A time. Unfortunately, the con didn't cut off that behavior until the panel was nearly over, so Billy's percentage of hugs to questions was weighted fairly heavily in favor of hugs. I didn't take any notes because I was photographing pretty extensively, but I tried to audiotape--if any of that turns out, I will transcribe. Some of what I *do* remember is a question about injuries--while he was not injured on the set, he *did* break his little finger surfing. The WETA workshop guys put on an invisible splint for him, but he couldn't swordfight correctly with it on so he had to go without, and his finger is crooked because of that. The other story I remember the most was about the Ents--it was such a struggle to hoist Billy and Dom up, wire them in, etc., for their scenes with Treebeard, that more often it was easier for them to just remain in place and have tea handed up to them. Billy said that, quite often, everyone else would wander off for their tea, leaving Billy and Dom up in the tree--which after a while, they would start to talk to.

Stories I remembered later: when asked if he wanted to do more Shakespeare, Billy said that he likes Shakespeare and mentioned a certain company, somthing like the Original Shakespeare Company(?), that did Shakespeare like it was done at the time--the actors only get their own sides and cues, and do not know what the other actors do or say (no rehearsal either). He said it was great fun--I imagine it must be exhilarating when it works.

I don't remember the actual question about the different ways to interpret the story, but I remember Billy saying that at first, it struck him that the movie was about Sam: his loyalty to his friend, etc. Then he decided it was about Aragorn, the man who was born to be king but must find his own way to it. But mostly, he said, he thought it was about Pip.

Asked about his tartan, Billy said his family was part of the Clan Stuart, making his tartan the Royal Stuart.

More stories if/when I can transcribe the tape. As I type this, I am sitting in a long line waiting for Billy Boyd's autograph session, which promises to be pandemonium. I'm hoping the con staff makes an attempt to limit the time per person (since I'm sure Billy won't), because the line is pretty huge.

Update: despite appearances, I did manage to get to up to Billy in the autograph session. I had the photo of Pippin laying on the pillow in Lothlorien and I asked him if it was a still photo only or if there had been a scene that was deleted. He said that it was a scene, and between us, it would be included in the DVD. Yahoo!

That is the autograph session in a nutshell (well, that and me taking a million more photos). Then we all ran immediately over to the Javits auditorium for the "Inside the Actors Studio" panel. So, another one where I will have to hope to transcribe the tape--the part you absolutely have to hear is Billy's answer to his favorite sound, which was some loan moans a la Meg Ryan. Needless to say, the audience fell about in hysterics. On the subject of injuries, Billy alluded again to the fact that he wasn't injured, but also told the story of Viggo breaking the tooth and insisting on getting it superglued so he could finish--because he was Viggo. He then told the story of Dom getting his foot run through when Sean Bean tried to put his sword in his scabbard and missed. The final line of that story was: and Dom, being Dom, took three weeks off. Other answers I remember: the other character he would like to have played - Aragorn, and words of actor wisdom imparted to him - If you don't have to move, don't.

It's now technically Saturday, and Friday turned out much better than I had expected. After two hours sleep, I somehow managed to get to work *nearly* on time, and pretty much did everything I had to before leaving at 10AM. So I decided to make a stop at Walgreen's walked to the train (carrying my 40 pound backpack plus a purse and my large telephoto) and still made the plane on time (albeit without a lot of time to spare). And next my plane actually arrived half an hour early, meaning that my cab dropped me off in front of the Photography Center before 5PM, for the 6PM signing. It was obvious that I was in PLENTY of time, for once.

I won't go into too many details yet, but I'll try to type more tomorrow during the day. Viggo was wonderful: laughed, talked, chatted, touched everyone, signed as many things as you wanted, posed for endless photos. I, the least Aragorn besotted person I know, was smitten. And I took upwards of 70 photos...

My favorite part (hearsay only) when told Billy was in town, fans were told to put on red lipstick, and cover him in kisses from his slave and his king.

Today's Friday Five

1. What's your favorite TV show and why? Boy, I so rarely watch TV anymore. If I could get the computer and the TV in the same room, maybe... The only things I watch with any regularity are Buffy, West Wing, and occasionally ER. I worship Allison Janney, btw!

2. Who is your favorite television star? See above. I do think it must be Allison Janney.

3. What was your favorite TV show as a child? Had a few. "Man from UNCLE" sticks in my head, especially the time when I came down with Scarlet Fever, was taken to the ER by my dad, and then we both waited impatiently for the doctor, glaring at the clock, because we were afraid we'd miss MUNCLE. Also loved "The Outer Limits" and "Combat."

4. What show do you think should have been cancelled by now? I can honestly say that I don't watch enough to know, and I sure haven't taken the time to watch enough of anything that I *think* is awful, to confirm that it is.

5. What new show do you hope escapes the axe this season? Definitely "Greg the Bunny." Sounded like a stupid concept, but it's been funny and Seth Green is wonderful (as always).

Yippee!

I can't believe I'm pulling this off, but it looks like I'm going to I-CON at SUNY Long Island this weekend. Festivities should begin (airlines and cabs cooperating) with me hitting a Viggo autograph session in Manhattan on Friday evening. And then Billy at the con on Saturday and Sunday. Happy Happy, Joy Joy!

It's still not all worked out, but with TONS of help from Shelagh and bbnet, I think it's going to happen. Fingers crossed!

I'm Frodo!
I'm blue ba da ba di....

Which LOTR Character are you?

Wednesday, 17 April

Happy Birthday, Mr. Bean!

Sean's 43rd birthday is today. I've done a page to commemorate it. Love ya, Sean. Just wish more of your stuff was available in the US. Still holding at 17 movies plus the Sharpe's.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my query about doing a "Friday Five" style group discussion. There was more than enough interest for me to proceed, so proceed I will! Everyone should be hearing from me within a day or two. In the mean time, if you think of any potential topics, do send them my way.

There's a strong possibility I may again do the not only unexpected, but the nearly impossible: I think I'm going to I-Con this weekend. Would have been simple had I decided to do so when I first thought about it, but NO. I have to decide I can't, then change my mind 4 days before I need to go. Fingers crosssed I can still pull this off, because now that I'm actually planning it, it would break my heart not to make it.

I made it to viewing #24 on Sunday. Can't imagine there will be too many others, as our list of theatres grows decidedly thin. I only took a few notes this time, and in their place, I will repeat one from Shelagh: If smarty-pants Gandalf had just read the elvish inscription at the gates of Moria in it's original language instead of translating immediately, he would have said "friend" and the gates would have opened!

"Friday Five" -style discussion for Lord of the Rings?

Anyone with a weblog, blog, or LiveJournal interested in doing something like “The Friday Five” on LOTR-related subjects? I'd like to get something like this going--if you're interested, read this.

Today's Friday Five

1. What is your favorite restaurant and why?
Hmmm, don't know that I really have one. I love the Ruth's Chris chain of steakhouses--does that count? I guess if I have to name one, I'd list Nicola's on the main drag in Lake Placid, NY. Love the restaurant, love the town, love the people I usually dine with there. On the other end of the spectrum, I love my local IHOP. I know what I'm getting, it's always open, and what a great place to go after a skating event or movie.

2. What fast food restaurant are you partial to?
This one is easier. My current favorite is Arby's, although when I'm at a skating event or convention I tend to look for a Subway, because it's easy to take their stuff out, and they're quite often open 24 hours. The one a block from my hotel in Vancouver, BC was a godsend.

3. What are your standards and rules for tipping?
I'm a pushover, mostly. The server has to be obviously rude before I tip less than 15%. And I tend to give the benefit of the doubt... I know the "word" is that women, and women dining alone in particular, are poor tippers, and I want to make sure I don't fall into that statistic.

4. Do you usually order an appetizer and/or dessert?
Almost never. Unless I'm with Karen, of course, who *always* orders dessert. Then it's about 50/50. If everyone else is having dessert and I'm not interested, there's always coffee.

5. What do you usually order to drink at a restaurant?
For breakfast, usually coffee, no juice. Any other time, a cola (preferable Pepsi). Not a wine or beer drinker, so the lighter alcoholic beverages are out for me. If I've time before dinner, I might have a vodka collins or vodka sour, or a screwdriver if I'm somewhere that can't make blender drinks.

More and more fun quizzes!

What's your FOTR slash pairing?
Where in Middle Earth would you live?


You're Casey the nerdy kid at school, who is always getting beat up by the jocks. Life takes another unpleasant turn as you and Delilah (your crush, who wants nothing to do with you) discover your teachers are aliens. All's well, that ends well, though: in the end you save the day and get the girl.

Take the Which Faculty Member Are You? Quiz made by Cora Black

A great weblog: Dancing about Architecture's LiveJournal

Another day, another site to take a quiz on: Who's your LOTR love? I refuse to answer who I got the first time I tried this, since I don't even much LIKE Aragorn, but the second time I got Frodo (hooray!).

Went to LotR Viewing #23 on Saturday night, on an IMAX screen in Addison, IL. Yowza, Frodo eyes are even more deadly on a big screen. Can't say I'll be able to tolerate that for TTT or RotK, but for FotR it was nice. The screen was actually very slightly wider than my eyes could easily see--I rather liked the feeling of "choosing" to watch a certain part of the screen.

And I also chose to watch the number of times Frodo could eat, but doesn't (as opposed to should sleep, but either doesn't or is woken up): He packs all that food in Bag End that we never see him eat; Sam hands him water when they first set out and are still in the Shire (but we don't see him drink it); we see them smoking and laying a fire in the Shire but no meal in evidence; he holds a tankard in The Prancing Pony but I didn't see him drink from it (and he's not eating, although Sam is); he is helping the other hobbits set up for second breakfast after they leave Bree (but of course Aragorn makes them move on); he passes on the offer of tomatoes, sausages, and nice crispy bacon in favor of putting out the fire on Weather Top; Sam brings him a whole plate of food while they are watching Boromir teach swordfighting to Merry and Pippin (he takes it but doesn't eat anything). Any more that I missed?


I'm making a lot of progress on updating my Sean Bean video collection. I'm up to 15 movies now, with two more on the way, plus the Sharpe episodes. I even re-watched Scarlett this week (see photo), which I think should count as "above and beyond the call of fandom." How can they make such an awful movie with such a fantastic cast?

I joined crappy blogs! (See link at right.) I just love that name. I've gone on a binge lately of reading at least a few new blogs and/or LiveJournals each day, so why not join a ring?

Today's Friday Five

1. What are the first things that you do in the morning to start your day?
On a workday? Why am I asking... this time of year every day is a worday for me. Turn off the alarm, assuming it has rung. Usually it doesn't, no matter how little sleep I've gotten--and these days, a "night's" sleep is 4-5 hours. Feed the cat and clean her litter box. Shower, wash my hair, and dress. Pack a lunch. Then off to the CTA train station for another wonderful morning's commute. I really, *really* miss working on North Michigan Avenue where the office was one pleasant bus ride away from home.

2. What are the last things that you do at night before going to bed?
I've normally spent the early evening either working, scanning, or taping, and updating webpages (much less often than I need to). So it's quite often midnight before I can check e-mail and ftp any webpage changes. FTP usually gets done first, the personal e-mail, then list mail. I'm mostly ignoring my skating lists these days in favor of LotR lists. While I'm downloading mail and/or FTPing, I usually start my ritual of checking the cat's box, taking my vitamins and melatonin, undressing and washing my face. If I have any large downloads scheduled in Star Downloader (a program I highly recommend), I will usually do those while I am reading listmail since it takes up pretty much all my bandwidth. If there's a new installment of the latest Lily Baggins story, I try to save that for last so I turn off the computer with a smile on my face.

3. What daily routine have you recently added to your day?
Boy, that depends on how you define "recently." I suppose the newst thing is doing the Friday Five, although that's only once a week. I would *like* to start updating this blog daily instead of several times a week.

4. What routine do you wish to get rid of?
Well, I think this will be my last cat for many years, as it's too worrisome and expensive to travel as much as I do and find decent catsitters, etc. But I don't begrudge the routine for now. I wish I didn't spend so much at Ebay, and so wouldn't have to check my bids, but since I don't want to stop buying what I'm buying, that really doesn't work either. I guess the one thing I do on a daily basis that I hate the most is that part of my commute that sees me scurrying through a dark, smelly, damp underground tunnel in downtown Chicago, when I change train lines. I loathe that.

5. What's the one thing that makes you feel like something is missing if you don't do it some point within your day?
Checking my e-mail. Sometimes when I work 16-18 hour days, I just can't bring myself to do it, knowing that even if I ignore almost all of it, it will still take over an hour. And then all the next day I wonder what I've missed, and dread seeing those hundreds and hundreds of messages waiting for me when I *do* log on.

More notes from #21-22

Sir Ian talks about what he has learned from other actors in the "Face to Face" interview on Ovation (which I highly recommend--great interview). It's not a great deal--he has consciously learned more from directors than from actors. But he does admire Gielgud for his ability to speak difficult prose quickly--and I think he's adopted this. I have to remind myself sometimes, when he says something more quickly than one is expecting a line to be read, that it actually sounds *more* natural that way--it's just that we're used to some types of movies NOT sounding natural. In Moria, his enunciation of "Gimli!" when Gimli runs away from the fellowship into the area of Balin's tomb, not only reminds me of Gielgud in its speed, but he actually looks a bit like Gielgud there. I saw the resemblance a couple of times--must be the beard and nose.

I have to say, after Boromir's death, I start anticipating the trailer... It was nice to see it with friends this time. I noticed us all leaning forward, watching intently, determined to miss not one shot. Then the collective sound of held breath being released, and applause and shouts. Fantastic job, PJ.

For trailer viewing #3, I arrived WAY too early and decided to go watch "Time Machine." Made it through 15 minutes before I got antsy and left, so saw LotR from the boat landing on. Sat in the last floor row, far right end. The screen is HUGE from down there. If I don't get to the IMAX, I'll have to do a viewing from that row, more center, next time--if I can focus.

For viewing #22, I decided to mostly watch Elijah and Ian, not so much critically as just to enjoy their performances. Yeah, hard job, but after that many viewings, you can do yourself some favors. Unfortunately, my pen was acting up, so in addition to my usual "I can't write in the dark" scrawl I have the no-ink problem. I obviously wanted to make some comment about Ian's "there are none who can" line concerning the palantir, but I have no clue what it was...

I remembered to watch Viggo's face in Moria again. It's fine at the beginning of the scene, so it must only have been the fight sequences in Balin's tomb that they filmed after he tried to take out a cheekbone. It really looks bad. I ended up noticing odd things in Moria, like the way Boromir was so close to catching Gandalf's hair on fire with his torch when they're surrounded by the orcs.

Back to my Galadriel fixation. Does she try to separate Frodo from the fellowship? It seems like it to me, although she must have known Sam wouldn't be left behind that easily. She doesn't just warn him about Boromir, or they might leave Boromir behind and proceed with the rest. She has to go on to say that the ring will take them ALL, so that Frodo will feel that he must even abandon Aragorn in order to save him. I really do think that's as much of the motivation as the success of the quest is--he is thinking at *least* as much about sparing the others as he is that they might endanger the quest. IMHO, of course.

Really hoping I can see The Movie on an IMAX screen this weekend. Fingers crossed it works out one way or another. Of course, I especially want to see THE TRAILER on an IMAX screen, but that goes without saying. After 22 viewings, I don't think there's TOO much I will see in the movie itself that I haven't noticed before--although I'm still wondering whose boots those are that we see in the foreground when the fellowship is asleep in Lothlorien. Aragorn?

I guess since I found my notebook, I should type up my notes from #21-22. Won't bother much with the trailer since Harry's notes are so complete. I went early on Friday to try to make sure to see the trailer *before* I saw the movie, if possible, so that I wouldn't be so much on tenterhooks for the entire 3 hours. Got antsy waiting in the lobby for the rest of the group to show, so I went in a bit early--just in time to see Boromir die. Goody. Unfortunately, Karen was a bit later than she expected and I heard the door open behind me JUST as the final shot of the trailer (Frodo's eyes opening) faded out. I still had goosebumps. SO amazing. The mood PJ creates with that trailer is just fantastic. I could hardly wait to see it again--so, in effect, seeing it before the movie didn't really keep me from anticipating it at all! I did decide to sit on the right side of the theatre this time, so that different things in the soundtrack would be emphasized (for example, Boromir's "Frodo! I'm sorry!" is much clearer on the left side).

Now, back to your regularly-scheduled musings and dumb questions.

• Ian does a lot of acting with his eyes in this film--an incredible amount, considering the percentage of time he spends doing work in the theatre. I wonder if this took him a bit of time and feedback to learn, or did he immediately realize what he could do differently on the screen?
  
• Gandalf saying to Frodo "the name Baggins is not safe outside the Shire"--duh, it's not safe IN the Shire either.
  
• Was Boromir infected with ringlust when he cut his finger on the shards of Narsil? I don't think so, but it's an interesting concept. I think Boromir wants the ring totally aside from any ringlust: he truly believes that it is the last hope for his people. How could he possibly abandon that hope unless he has total faith in their ability to destroy the ring? Which he doesn't, of course. When Galadriel speaks to him in his head, and tells him that there *is* still hope, does she mean the ringbearer's quest? And does he know that? Or does he think that his taking of the ring is that last hope? Yeah, I'm still stuck on that "Galadriel precipated the crisis" thing.
  
• I love the way Orlando aims his bow as Legolas. That little head cock. It somehow makes it more believable that it's a slightly idiosyncratic way to shoot.
  
• Frodo immediately goes to Gandalf when he spots what turns out to be Gollum. Even though Gandalf is "thinking" and any of Aragorn, Boromir, or Legolas might be better options if the intruder turns out to be an enemy that needs to be eliminated. So I guess their bond hasn't been *too* much weakened by Gandalf's minor cases of "clay feet."
  
• As Karen and I have discussed many a time, Boromir is definitely the champion hobbit-catcher of the fellowship. He catches Frodo twice in Moria alone. Legolas gets to catch everyone else...
  

woo hoo! Found my notebook. v good

This photo of Pip is from TTT, but not from the trailer. I like it anyway. So there!
UPDATE: I thought the pillow here looked like the ones in Lothlorien, and Pam confirms this. Go, us! So the photo is not from TTT after all. Guess it's a cut scene?

I really should have posted over the weekend, but between the two viewings of LotR and four viewings of the trailer, working at Wrigley on Saturday, and then trying to get caught up on three days worth of e-mail on Sunday... It just didn't happen. And now i'm all depressed because I may have lost my LotR notebook--I hope it's at the Evanston Cinema and they saved it. But OF COURSE they don't have any phone number that is answered by humans, as I found out when I left a credit card there, so I'll have to taken an extra hour out of my evening and go there in search. **sigh*

Anyway, those are viewings #21 and #22, and trailer viewings #1-4. My movie notes will have to wait for my notebook to turn up (if that happens). I know that for #22, I tried to just mostly watch Elijah (yeah, I know, but *someone* has to do it) and not be quite so analytical. So, I was amazed all over again at the performance, which was JUST fine.

Thanks to Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News for the wonderful, complete notes on the trailer. It didn't rush by as fast as I expected it to, but still--knowing what I was seeing, and was about to see, was incredibly helpful. My overall impressions: More David Wenham than I'd have liked (still not the prettiest...), and an awful lot of Miranda Otto, too. Lots of Legolas and Aragorn--but that's just FINE. Sam and Gimli were nearly nonexistent. Not enough Frodo, but I expected that. Gandalf the White looks FANTASTIC. (Maybe Ian will WIN next year???) One shot of Karl Urban, and yet the New Line release about the trailer doesn't mention his name at all... Brad Dourif as Grima. Does he hold the patent on this kind of role now? I'm sure he'll be good, but most of the other casting was so original and often unexpected that it's a bit disappointing to get Brad here.

My favorite bits: for heart-clutching -- "The ring... it's getting heavier" (Frodo); for gorgeous -- Legolas fighting with his knives; for 'what does it MEAN?!?' -- The one of Arwen in the bier looking dead; for YES, I have two -- Aragorn fencing with Eowyn and Pip climbing Treebeard. I can hardly wait. Although I wonder if I'll be able to see TTT as many times as I have FotR, and as for RotK--boy, that will be hard to sit through.