The Lord of The Slums?

The Lord of the Rings theaterical version will debut in Toronto on Feb, 2nd 2006. Of course I will be knee deep in research papers and plus I will probably be too broke to go. Not to mention the fact I don’t have a suit nor white skin. I think you need to have both to attend the theater these days.

So I will wait until it comes out on DVD 20 years from now. Oh wait.

You can watch the TV trailer & some behind the scenes footage for the show here.

In semi-related news, I found this piece interesting:

To coincide with the world premiere of the “Lord of the Rings” musical in Toronto in February, a city tenants’ group will crown a “Lord of the Slums.” The group also wants slumlords to line up for a chance to win the “Golden Cockroach” award, and is eyeing a “Slums Unlimited” safari for tourists.

The campaign by the Parkdale Tenants Association, which represents residents of a down-at-the-heels west end neighborhood, is taking aim at the city of Toronto and the government of Ontario over what it says are sub-standard living conditions for low-income renters.

“When the city and province brag about spending C$3 million on bringing tourists in, we thought we’d use it as an opportunity to show this dirty little secret,” association representative Bart Poesiat said on Friday. When the “Lord of the Rings” opens, the association will offer a tour of Toronto’s worst slums, which it hopes will shame governments into taking action to improve conditions. [Source]

Anywho, sometimes I get so bored with “stuff” that I dread it. Until something resurrects it and I become addicted to it all of a sudden. It could be a song I would not normally hear and suddenly I have to download…I mean purchase it legally from itunes. Other times it will be a movie or a tv show. I am a fan of the West Wing for example and spent the better part of 3 weeks watching the first five seasons on dvd back to back because I suddenly felt like it. It’s like suddenly craving sugar. Other past addictions include Family Guy, The Sopranos and The Godfather(s).

I am knee deep in papers and exams these coming days but as soon as winter break starts I am getting the 11 hour long extended version of The Lord of the Rings on DVD and watching them back to back, yes even the bonus footage on casting and costume design. And after it’s done I’ll play it again, this time with Peter Jackson’s commentary voice overs. Winter, you dreaded foe.

Speaking of Peter, the King Kong trailers have been all over tv as it’s opening night approaches. His homage to the original 1930’s one includes some of the biggest effects ever seen on the big screen. He actually wanted to make the movie which inspired him to become a director before Lord of the Rings but couldn’t get the funding. Funny eh? Well he went on to do the trilogy which I guess gave him a chance to experiment. He’s also been keeping a Production Diary for fans to keep up, complete with video. An actual 2 set DVD is coming out in December that shows the 6 month production process with the cast and crew.

I’m guessing Kong will be quite the popcorn movie of the year.