Hey folks, Harry here... We have a look at the World Premier from an outsider and an insider.... So experience the premiere, which I wasn't at... Because I'm doomed never to see FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, because life is cruel in some ways, kicking your teeth in, forcing you to eat gruel for the rest of your miserable non-LOTR film watching cursed life. I know, melodramatic, but dammit.... 2 days to go and I'm just not handling this well... I WANT TO SEE IT NOW!!!!
Hi Harry!
What a day!
I was in London yesterday for a bit of Christmas shopping and decided with my friend to head off to Leicester Square at 2 pm to see what was happening. On arrival the security were putting out all the crowd barriers. There were already quite a few fans gathered and I said to my friend that we had better get our place at the front or we would miss out. he said, " You gotta be joking!! It's 2 pm and we will be waiting for hours!" He is a Star wars fan and really cannot see what the fuss is about. He had never heard of the film until I bored him about it a few months ago and was not interested at all.
We secured our spot just down from the doors and directly across from the
gathering film crews. The weather was perfect. Not too cold, and no wind.
After half an hour the front row was full and then we realised we hadn't
eaten and need the loo! Chatting to the girls next to us that had come down
from Hartfordshire, they said they would spread out and save our places for
us. So we nipped off to Garfunkels around the courner for some grub and a
drink, and to have a pee!
When we came back, the crowd had grown dramatically. There werwe now two to three rows of fans, all there with the book, posters, cameras (everyone had one) and the buzz was building. We squeezed back into our places (which pissed off a couple of guys who throw a bit of abuse in our direction.) We then had a long wait. Security came out with load of posters on hard board, and attached then along the inside of the barriers. I said could I buy one off him for ten quid, and he said he couldn't do that but we could rip them off once all the crowd had gone in. With about 50 posters and 2000+fans, I had my work cut out! Still, 3 hours to go!
The TV crews were then trying to whoop a section of the crowd up and I was interviewed about several times, but GMTV, This Morning, The BBC, RTL, New Zealand TV, Italian TV and one other. I now know (on a smaller scal) what the actors feel like now as I gave the same chat every time! Don't know if I will make it on TV today but the video is READY!
So the scene was set. A hobbit apeared in the crowd and was chased down by a the TV crews. A guy dressed as Gandalf was walking about, and looked very good indeed.
I managed to get my hand on the celebrity list. Looked a very good one. All A list, not a TV chef or weathergirl in sight!
It's starting to get dark. The rings on the front of the theatre are lit and flames shoot up, lighting up the massive posters on the front of the building. the Howard Shore score is now playing, not too loud. Could have been a bit louder but it increases the buzz in the crowd. My feet are getting numb and cramp is setting in. Wish I had a thicker pair of socks on. My friends mood has improved as a couple of very pretty fans have settled next to him and he is working his crappy lines on them.
A couple of St Johns Ambulance men then walk the walk and the crowd give
them a big cheer. The look like they wanted the ground to swallow them up.
Very funny. Then a TV crew walk up and its obviously a spoof, because they
are tryng to whoop the crowd up as an actor waves to the crowd (he at first
glance looked like George Hamilton but wasnt) Obviously for some comedy show.
6PM. The first arrivals. They looked quite embarrased as everyone in the crowd was looking at them. Then suprise. The roar of the crowd went up further down and everyone suged forward, pinning me against the barrier. It was John Rhys-Davies! The big guy came up waiving at the crowd. Everyone was shouting his name. It was overwhelming. The TV crews were all shouting to him to come to them, but he walked past and waived to the crowd, then headed over to the wall of press photographers. A thousand cameras flashed at once and the show had started. A few minutes later and Christopher Lee apeared, very tall, reagal and elegant. For a guy apraoching 80 years of age he looked fit and well. He didnt sign anything, but walked through, stood for the cameras and then entered the cinema.
Suddenly theres a huge roar as Sean Astin appears with his wife. A minute later Billy Boyd comes down. He shook hands, signs pictures and books. Right behind him is Domonic Monaghan and he is taking pictures of the crowd and getting Billy boyd to take pictures of him with the crowd. Dom almost jumps into the crowd and is mobbed! My crappy digital camera is trying to get the stars but there always seems to be someone in the way! A minute later and an even bigger roar. Elijah Wood come down looking very dapper. The crowd are now whipped up to a frenzy. He waives but walks down the center. A guy near me has a pic signed by Billy, Dom and Sean but is desperate for Elijah so he has the lot. Doesn't get it and is pissed off. Three of the hobbits then pose for the photographers before entering.
Sean Bean is next and a girl next to me has his autobiography with her for
him to sign . He comes down the line and just as he gets to he he is called
over by his security and he misses her by a second. She is gutted.
Sir Ian Mckellen comes down next. Shaking hands and signing posters. He comes to me!! I get a good picture, then say to him that I cannot wait until the 19th, and can I come into the cinema with him. He laughs and says he can't help me on this occason but I am sure to love the film when I do see it. I SPOKE TO IAN MCKELLEN!!!!!
Orlando Bloom went through looking very cool. Many didn't recognise him at first, probably because they wer expecting long blond hair!
PJ then turns up, in trousers!! I shout out "where's you shorts PJ" and he laughs.
Liv Tyler then appears in a red suit, walking straight down the middle and in to the theatre after some posing for the cameras. She seemed to want to get through as quickly as possible.
Funnily enough what was clearly evident, was that the British actors went
to the crowd and signed and greeted the fans, (and in Dom's case jumped
into it!) while the American cast kept well away. Perhaps the fear of a
nutter in the crowd plays more on Americans minds than Brits.
Viggo Mortensen went through quickly. He didn't pay much attention to anything and the press had a problem in getting a pic.
Ian Holm was almost missed in the crowd, as was Bernard Hill.
Enya signed some pics and was interviewed by the TV stations. She looked
good in her black dress.
Other celebs had been arriving al the time. Bob Geldof, Mick Hucknall,
Cliff Richard, a few footballers, including David Genola, Gian Luca Vialli
and David James.
Gabby Roslin, Frank Skinner, Graham Norton, Richard E Grant, pop groups
Hearsay, A1, Liberty and some other boy bands went through. Ruby Wax
appeared to be last in, then it all went quite.
Well I thought it was time for one of those poster boards, so off it came and was in my clutches! YEEEHAA! Within seconds all the boards were off and gone!
I quicky headed off into the crowd before I got a tap on my shoulder from a copper. Well the guy said I could take one, didn't he???
On the tube back to Richmond a guy asked if I wanted to sell it. When I said no way he said I could probably get £500 on Ebay for it, more if the film is a monster hit. Great stuff but it's mine, mine I say, IT'S MY PRECIOUSSSSSSSSS!!!
Cheers
Steve Shovlar
And now we jump the fence, walk down the red carpet and duck into the screening of LORD OF THE RINGS.... not just any screening, but the world premiere!!!! Enjoy.....
Hi Harry,
Slartibartfast here. A few weeks back I was lucky enough to see the World Premiere of Harry Potter, but nothing could have prepared me for the excitement of going to Lord Of The Rings World Premiere and Party last night. So here is a short report, with a small review of the movie (I know you've had lots already so I have kept it short), and some details of an amazing party.
mmmmmmmm....a bit dull and a bit of a dissappointment really!
Of course not...it was FU^&ING FANBLOODYTASTIC. The movie itself was everything I wanted it to be and more. I guess what I wasn't expecting, and what came as a complete shock to me, was that it had an amazing emotional depth that you just don't see in big expensive blockbusters. But first things first...
I thought it would look fantastic, and it did.
I thought the special effects would be great...and they were (but in a much less obtrusive and more sophisticated way than many recent CGI heavy movies).
I figured the acting would be pretty good, but it was universally top notch. EVEN Sean Beans performance. He's an actor I rarely like in anything and who I find to be quite irritating sometimes, so I groaned when I first read that he had been cast. But like EVERYBODY else in the movie, he gives a pitch perfect performance. Same with Liv Tyler, thought she'd be a weak link..she wasn't. Ian McKellen was amazing as was Elijah Wood...in fact suffice to say that I'm normally very picky when it comes to actors, and I really couldn't imagine a stronger cast.
BUT, and this is the thing, this is what I've woke up thinking this morning and just can't get out of my head...the film had a heart. Such a heart. The heart of the book is not in all the fantastic battles, the incredible settings or the rich history. It is fundamentally a story of friendship. An extraordinary friendship, no doubt about that...but still just simple human values. And for me at least, the movie kept that emotional resonance, the heart of the novel. And that could have been no easy task. What makes this even better...but agonising in terms of having to wait for another 12 months, is that for those who have read the book....we know this is just the beginning, and my mind can't comprehend just how amazing the second and third movies will be.
I will be stopping off at Odeon Leicester Square tonight to buy some more tickets....and that is the best compliment I can give it. My expectations for this one were VERY VERY high, and all of them have been met.
ONTO THE PARTY....OMG THE PARTY...
My Evening With Mr Frodo Baggins and assorted friends....
So....shall we begin at the beginning? Or maybe at the moment we arrived at the party. That seems like a good place to start.
From the moment we turned the corner and saw the venue you just thought WOW and knew you were in for something special. Outside amid all the flames shooting into the sky were some huge spit roasts, with many a fine succulent pig and chicken being prepared for feasting later....vegetarians really needed to look away at this point.
Once inside the doors...there was the hundred metres or so of red carpet with what seemed like at least a hundred different TV crews from around the world, lined up and ready to do interviews. After downing a nice warm shot of something delicious which was given to warm you from the cold, we made it into the entrance proper. There we were given programmes, whch included a MAP. Yep, it was on that kind of scale. Everything looked simply AMAZING....with about ten different large rooms, but all kind of open plan or totally glass fronted, so you could see inside everywhere...creating a huge sense of one big space but with different areas and themes. After walking past the amazing huge statues of the Stone Trolls from the Hobbit, started to have a look around.
There were trees inside, people offering you food and drinks at every turn. So many people working there, and all dressed to perfection straight out of the movie (and all the girls were VERY good looking to boot). The detail was incredible, too much to talk about here...but for example 'The Prancing Pony'. This is the Inn in the book, and they had a HUGE wooden bar in there, but when I say HUGE I mean really really big...so the stools were about 5 feet tall, and you felt the size of a Hobbit when ordering drinks from the looming bar staff above (yet again they chose very big guys so the sense of scale was even better). The whole place was full of details like this, statues, sculptures, a museum section that had glass cases full of props from the film (including The One Ring).
Food.....mmmmm delicious food. There were about six different places to eat from, ranging from a sit down meal, to the lovely roast pork baguettes courtesy of the earlier spit-roast.
A band played initially in the disco that was downstairs, yet again very open plan, so you could look onto it from the balcony above and the stairs down were covered with hundreds of candles...in fact the candle count must have been well into the thousands for the whole place.
So much merriment and drinking ensued...all of whom were very gracious and friendly as I watched on. Few more drinks later and in a quieter moment I pounced on Elijah Wood...apologised for disturbing him and then ranted on how I thought it was a life changing movie and that I couldn't have imagined a better Frodo. He seemed genuinely happy and responded by saying what a fantastic experience it has been for him. Later did pretty much the same thing with Ian Holm. All of the cast were there (Liv Tyler looking particularly gorgeous) with the exception of Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving. And more importantly the whole cast seemed genuinely very happy to be there and were most resceptive to the many well wishers. And there was no VIP area, which was great for us commoners as the stars mingled freely. A few other famous faces around, but to be honest if they weren't in the movie I wasn't really paying attention. Many more drinks and some drunken dancing later...it was time to leave for home after an unforgettable experience.
Now, MUST see this movie again....and again....and again..this will be the longest twelve months of my movie going life.
Your friend and mine
Slartibartfast
