Hobbitcon 3

Some Cosplay from Bonn, Germany Hobbitcon 3

Thranduil 2

Richard Armitage

I was asked to write my story of my Trip in London by My Friend Jenny from Australia's blog, here is my story

My Impressions on Meeting Richard Armitage @The Crucible

    Allow me a little background. I was never a fan of Richard Armitage!  I didn't know who he was that is until The Hobbit ! . Before the release of the Film, Peter Jackson every few months released picture of the Dwarves and I scrutinized the photos very carefully. I'm a huge Lord of the Rings Fan. film and since I was 7 years old Book fan too.  When they released the Thorin photo, I cried. He was so ugly, he looked like Worf from Star Trek and that's not a compliments. I hated the picture. The fan cry is overwhelming. I heard rumors that Jackson heard this complaint also, (don't know if that's true) but, something changed . I kept an open mind !  When Thorin turned around I gasped, He looked beautiful ! I could not believe how regal and majestic and unlike Worf he was. Armitage with his beautiful deep voice brought something to the screen that amazed me,,,,,    so after being disappointed in New Zealand trying to meet him for my Friend Jenny, I still wasn't a personal fan,, which means I love his work in The Hobbit but didn't take a personal stance with him either way.... then,,,, Juan died,,,, Juan was my partner at work for a long time. He was always kind, gentle and friendly, never had a bad thing to say to anyone. In a work place that has over a thousand people working in it,,I dare you to find anyone who didn't love Juan.  the night of his wake, I'm laying in bed reflecting and wondering what lesson could I learn from not only his death but his life as well... Life is so short, Juan got sick and died months later, he went that quick ! He never traveled, I don't know his reasons. I know he loved listening to my adventures traveling and my photos. So I thought I cant put everything off,, I need to enjoy my life and what would I do right now, I if I had a chance, and since its on my bucket list to meet everyone Actor who had a line of dialogue from LOTR/Hobbit movies, I would want to travel to England and meet Richard Armitage ! I knew he was starring in The Crucible At the Old Vic, I bought a ticket to the play the next day ! then worked my butt off for the other traveling expenses... 6 Weeks later,,,,,

 I bought a ticket to see the Crucible for Saturday night 30 Aug, for 2 reasons. I flew into London early Friday and thought I would enjoy a leisure day and be more relaxed on a Saturday night. Also Saturday night feels like Theatre night!  I thought I had a fantastic seat and the closer the date came the more excited I got. But then something happened , The Vic canceled a performance, and I heard Richard voice was going ! I panicked, what would I do if he canceled my show ? after traveling so far ! Life is so short ! money isn't important. I bought another ticket, for Friday 29th, double shot to see him perform, and 2x the chance to meet him.  I hatched a plan,, I would meet Richard, get a fabulous photo, take it to get printed and then Saturday have him sign it, Great Plan right ?!! But I never factored in the Army... The Armitage Army is a large group of Richards Fans. some are fanatical some not!  I left my hotel in my best suit, walked to the Theatre and went into the theatre. The usher showed me to my seat which was in the FRONT ROW! I couldn't believe my eyes,, The Old Vics production of the Crucible is in the round, meaning if you have front row, you feel like your siting on the STAGE !!!!  When the play started and Richard appeared I lost my breath, there he was, 3 ft from me, I could've kicked him. I was stunned.  There He was !!! He looked 12 feet tall !!! His voice is so powerful, I felt it. He commanded the Stage. I cannot stress enough how much his presence filled the room. the intensity of the play left me exhausted, I can only guess how he felt,,,,,,, but now nerves started I was going to meet him now.....

 I always try to prep myself when meeting famous celebrities, and I know a couple of ladies who have been to see the play previously, so they clued me in, on where to stand to have an optimum chance of meeting Richard,, Enter That Army,,, I was conned,, Since I was by myself, and Beyonce has nothing on my Vanity,not to mention I love photography, I wanted a beautiful picture, !  Richard moves through the crowd quickly, very quickly. The couple of army ladies asked if I wouldn't mind snapping pics of them with Richard, I said sure but would they then take my picture, perfect deal, right ? Remember he moves very quickly,, they approached him I snapped beautiful pics of them, One snotty female asked him to sign her poster with her pen, not his pen, he made a face at her Then He approached me ! Goose bumps, Thorin looked me in the eyes !!! I politely asked him if he wouldn't mind taking a picture with me, he said sure but where's my camera? I  didn't have it, I had handed it to someone to take my picture and in the excitement, or what, they left!  with MY CAMERA. I shook my head to him and off he was again,, I was pissed, The lady realized she had my camera really it was my phone by the way, brought it back to me and then had the NERVE to complain to me about the quality of her picture that I took !!!! I snapped on her, and said Richard looks fantastic in that photo, why do you care what you look like, plus I didn't get a photo !!!! I stomped back to my hotel !  Calming myself I rationalized that like Germany when I had dinner with 11 of the 13 Dwarves and no camera then, that I should just enjoy the experience, enjoy the few words we had, and at least I got his autograph, and then plot and scheme for Saturday night !

    Saturday night came along, I walked to the theatre and tried to sit in the front row again, and was kindly removed, I thought Saturdays ticket was better than Fridays, and found out it wasn't! Thank God I bought a ticket for Friday !!!    but this seat offered my the opportunity to really enjoy the play. Richard wasn't that close to me, and I saw different aspects of it, being in a different seat and different point of view ! but then I saw the ugly !  after the intermission, and towards the end of the play, I saw people leaving the theatre ! I was appalled ! They were leaving to get a primo spot in line at the Stage Door! I had no doubt ! remember the night before I had front row, I was one of the first out the stage door, and I was about 30 people back, I did wonder then how could these old ladies beat me out,, Now I knew how,, They left Early.  Before the show I watched a Lady with a cane, carefully find her seat, and she literally took forever too walk 30 feet ! but yet there she was after the play in Front , before everyone else ! Shame people ! if you are truly his fan, WATCH his performance, enjoy his performance and the rest of the cast! How Rude ! This night I was about 100 people back, so seriously thought, ! oh well I at least enjoyed the show, its too bad I didn't get to have a picture with him. I almost turned and walked away ! but something stopped me! I thought just stay, its a beautiful night, hotel isn't far away and who know what will happen! There he is again, exiting the door, and just like the night before, moving through the crowd very quickly, never raising his head, siging and posing for photos very quickly ! and before I knew it, he was standing in front of me!  not trying to make the mistake I made the night before, I never spoke to anyone, but him ! " Richard would you mind a picture? " Surely he said, and I snapped a quick pic. My heart was in my throat. He looked directly at me and directly at the camera ! Giving a perfectly Thorin stare !  I was thrilled,, Rooted to where I was standing,, it was then I realized he was still close and I could take video ! Quickly I turned it on, as he was turning back at me,, as he walked past thanked him again, and he blessed me ! I was blessed by The King Under The Mountain ! What's more fantastic than that could happen to a Hobbit Superfan  than that ??!! Nothing ! Mission Accomplished ! Its not a great picture, I went for speed and knew I would lose quality, I practiced a couple of nights before,, but its a Great Picture of me and Richard Armitage to me !!!!

The Hobbit : The Desolation of Smaug Review

My yearlong anticipation ended last night with the premiere of The Desolation of Smaug ! I was lucky enough to be able to attend a Hobbit double feature in HFR and Dolby surround. Here is my Review! With Spoilers !

               The film looked and sounded amazing? Having been in NZ twice and anticipating a 3rd trip it is so wonderful to see that once again Peter Jackson has used the countryside of New Zealand as almost another character! The landscapes are so beautiful and he really captures it beautifully!  I enjoyed the opening scene between Thorin and Gandalf at the Prancing Pony. In fact I really enjoyed the film including the New made for film only character Tauriel, up until Laketown. there the movie hit a wall. I got bored. Didn't care about Bards Family, nor did I enjoy the whole scene with the Dragon. I'm talking about the action sequences, not the Bilbo/Smaug interactions. Richard Armitage is fantastic, powerful and magnetic, I couldn't take my eyes off of him. Sir Ian Mckellan is once again simply  Great. One of the finest actors Ive ever seen. I love Gandalf ! Loved his scenes in this film ! I hope The next movie which as a longtime fan, I'm sure will be the best of all three. !

And so it Begins

Production has begun on the movie the Hobbit,, excited yet sad,, tried everything I could think of to get to be an Extra, but at least now I can look forward to visiting New Zealand in December to see the movie!

Dreams

Isn't it wonderful to have a dream and work towards it? If everyone believes this and wishes for it themselves. Why do people tear our dreams down? It really bothers me, when someone has a snide comment or rolls there eyes towards what others say about their dreams or aspirations. If you think they will fail, fine, But KEEP it TO yourself!!! Especially if you care about that person! Now I know why so many families stand by the participants in American Idol, those who cant sing, because they just want to support their loved ones. Let Simon destroy their dreams. But when ones dreams are not hurting anyone, including the dreamer, leave them alone, let them fail on their own. We just want support. I'm a grown man, I don't need anyone telling me about failure or how life works, if you love me, smile and offer a suggestion. I don't want to hear negativity, or guess what.. You will be a roadblock, I walked over to get where I want to go !!!!

An Unexpected Party

The Live Internet chat with both Peter Jackson and Guillermo Del Tor on Saturday May 24Th, went very well. At least I thought so. The twins were a little disappointed, that none of our questions were answered at least directly. Most of the questions we had were credited to other questioners. That's OK, They literally had thousands online with us, participating in the chat. Tom and I, wrote down the questions we wanted asked before the star of the chat, and all of those questions were answered. I'll add them here with the answers at the end. Timmy had a previous engagement, so he couldn't come over. But we had him on conference call with us, so he would not feel left out. I did not specifically ask, other than a comical question, about actually being in the film. I didn't think it would be fair to other participants and felt it would also be inappropriate to the forum. But at the end of the chat, Guillermo did comment about few asking to be in the film, which to me says that he is aware of my pestering and desire to work on the Hobbit. Here is a brief summary. New Zealand will again be used (perfect) as the setting for Middle -Earth. Both men prefer using actual sets as opposed to CGI. Guillermo commented on using both seamlessly as optimal. Jackson claims that Bilbo has NOT been cast (Internet rumour has Martin Freeman cast). And Sir Ian McKellen also has claimed he has already been approached. According to Guillermo, anyone in the LOTR Trilogy will be asked to reprise their roles in The Hobbit, if the script for F2 (film two) requires it. The scripts have not been written yet, so commenting on Cast news would be premature. Matamat will once again be used for Hobbiton, bigger and better than ever according to Jackson. Guillermo spoke eloquently when referring to bringing Smaug to life. Even going so far as to name Malificent as a favorite Dragon. (everyone knows she was/is my favorite Disney villain) . In ending. Del Toro said and I quote" But I can say that only a FEW asked "How can I be an extra?" so my heart swell with pride with the many questions that you were kind enough to submit-More chats and wandering in the message boards await us-See you soon. " Note. I submitted a question 2 weeks or so ago, asking how I can participate in the making of the movie, ie perhaps an extra or foot messager. Do you think this comment was a slap or derogatory comment towards me? I hope not. My intention was because of my love and passion for the story and all its characters. i read the Hobbit when i was 7 years old. LOTR soon followed soon afterwards.My favorite book of all time. I have read it more than any other. Period. The movies to me are perfection, lightning in the bottle. The look, the feel, the sound, the costumes, the casting even, simply perfection. I took the Twins to NZ, to be on a LOTR tour, that alone should prove my passion for Middle Earth. I just want to be involved somehow. What an incredible chance, perhaps a life altering experience. I will keep trying. I have a til filming starts in 2010, to save my money and make the long journey back to Middle Earth. You have to Dream it, To Live It....Here is a brief audition, lol .Namarie


p.s if you care to read the Entire Trancript go here

2 More Days/Variety

Two more days, until the Internet hour, with Guillermo and Peter Jackson. It's Saturday at 3, and I'm nervous and excited. If I get the chance, I'm going to ask Jackson, why he felt the need to have a scene in Return of The King, Where Gandalf and The Witch King have an encounter, and The Witch King basically instill fear and breaks Gandalfs Staff! Never happened in the Book. And while I understand for filming purposes, the need to embellish or add something to move the story along. But was that really necessary? I don't think so. The only small blemish in otherwise a perfect movie. I'm thinking of putting out an Ad in Variety. Does anyone know how expensive that is? An open letter to Guillermo del Toro,,,,Can I be in the Hobbit? Then I can list my reasons. That idea has a certain appeal, can you imagine who will read it. And who will read my name and my story. All of Hollywood reads Variety. Next I will write Guillermo a letter and post it to his blog. I will definitely post it here also,, Namarie for Now.

An Unexpected Party

Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro are inviting fans to a live Internet chat about The Hobbit on May 24 (May 25 in Australia/NZ).
Peter and Guillermo will answer questions and hear comments about the new adventure into Middle-Earth.
Weta are excited to be hosting this one-hour live online chat on their website www.wetaNZ.com. The start time for the different time zones are below:
Los Angeles (Pacific) - Saturday, 24 May 1:00 p.m.
New York (Eastern) - Saturday, 24 May 4:00 p.m.
London - Saturday, 24 May 9:00 p.m.
Paris, Berlin, Rome - Saturday, 24 May 10:00 p.m.
Sydney - Sunday, 25 May 6:00 a.m.
Wellington, Auckland - Sunday, 25 May 8:00 am

Text of PJs letter follows:

Several years ago - it seems a lifetime now - I invited 20 questions from fans right at the start of embarking on The Lord of the Rings trilogy. For me, it was an important and enjoyable moment, when I was able to begin a relationship that helped define our attitude to that unique project. It gave me a sense of responsibility that stayed etched in my brain for the next 5 years.
Well, the time has come again! With us right on the cusp of beginning pre-production on The Hobbit, and its companion movie, it seems fitting to do the same thing again.
It’s also fitting that our director, Guillermo Del Toro, will join me in answering the questions, since he will be bringing his considerable personal vision to these two movies. It’s my moment to hand the baton to Guillermo. It’s time for him to address your concerns.
So this is how it will work: we ask fans with an interest in The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings to send one question to this website. Ask us anything! Guillermo and I will select and answer the 20 most common questions, so we can both attempt to address the key issues as best we can.
Our answers will be released during a one hour live web chat, hosted by Weta, with both Guillermo and myself logged on. In addition to answering your 20 questions - for the entire hour, we’ll take additional live questions and chat about the projects with anybody who’s interested.
Please send us your questions and Register for the live chat - and we’ll talk to you in a couple of weeks.
Cheers,Peter Jackson *
*information obtained THEONERING.NET


I don't need to mention that I registered for the live chat. thank God I'm off that day. I also submitted a question. Can anyone guess what my question was? I felt a little guilty asking it. I'm not the type to be pushy or force myself on anyone. But this is really important to me. And I can't help but remember the old adage " Squeaky wheel gets the oil!". So here was my question.
What can I do, to become an Extra? I also added that I could carry coffee, make breakfast, message tired Directors feet. Being very versatile, I can pretty much do anything. I'm very good at sitting/standing around in the hot sun, cold snow or torrential downpours, doing absolutely nothing! End of Question. I think I was the first question submitted. I'm beyond the moon excited . I'm also going to send a letter to Guillermo's website, asking for the job. I will posting my letter here probably tomorrow or next. You have to register and they get back to you with a special code in order to do this. Fingers Crossed. You have to dream it, To live it. Namarie