Reader Response
Nailed On 'Fangorn'
hi Marty,
I want to correct something from your site today (today being 01-01-02) about the movie (responding to another fan)
You said:
'' 'Thanks, David. I thought you made a great point, but the resident Tolkien-fiend said to look in Book 2,
'The Two Towers'. The claim is that the 'Entwives' grew corn. Guess the Entwives got fed up with the Ents
and moved on. The chief 'Ent' is 'Faghorn', but he was known as 'Treebeard'. (No wonder the Entwives moved on.)
Guess when one makes up universes, any vegetation desired is possible. (But, I still agree with you.) ' ''
Actually, make that two corrections:
First, and most important, it is FaNgorn (with an N). (the forest itself is also called Fangorn, and
Treebeard is probably the oldest living thing at that time in Middle Earth).
The other is about the corn. While the movie is filled with what I call "continuity problems", your
resident Tolkien-fiend is right about the Entwives.
(from the chapter Treebeard in the Two Towers)
''After the Darkness was overthrown the land of the Entwives blossomed richly, and their fields were full of corn.''
So it is certainly possible there was corn in the Shire.
As for the film, Jackson had to take MANY liberties with the story to make it fit in a certain time frame on screen.
Some of them I understand, others I don't. For example, the Prancing Pony at Bree was too dark and not at all as Tolkien
described it. There was too much about the orcs and the uruk-hai and not enough about hobbits and the Shire. And Saruman
was NOT in cahoots with Sauron, at least not that he was aware of. He wanted the Ring for himself, not for Sauron.
Also, there was not an argument during the Council of Elrond. Not the way it was shown in the movie. In the film, they show
Frodo having to almost yell to get their attention to say he will take the ring. But in the book (and, imho, far more
effectively) it reads.....
' ''No one answered. The noon-bell rang. Still no one spoke. Frodo glanced at all the faces, but they were not turned on him. All the
Council sat with downcast eyes, as if deep thought.
''
Much more effective than having him have to yell it out.
And here is a side observation on Liv Tyler, Kate Blanchett and a number of other Hollywood "beauties". What's with the puffing up of
the upper lip???!!!
Did you ever see The First Wives Club? The part played by Goldie Hawn where she has her lips "enhanced" over and over? This seems
to be a trend in Hollywood where I keep asking myself....what are they THINKING???
Don't they have mirrors?? Roma Downey, Meg Ryan (look
closely), Joan Van Ark (who actually looks like a wraith herself...have you seen her infomercial? egads!), and others (including Liv and Kate) and
they all look...like someone hit them and they have a fat lip! Liv looks like a bunny with those lips and teeth.
(sorry....I digress.)
I have seen the film 1 1/2 times so far. (the 1/2 was because the stupid theater lost power...twice...during my second try). I fully recommend
the film but with the caveat that the viewer go to a GOOD theater to see it. Comfy chairs, good viewing sight line, and a good but not REALLY LOUD sound
system is a part of the experience. Not to mention power backup.
I plan on seeing the film again. When I do (since the closest GOOD theater is about 15 miles away, sheesh, it may be awhile), I will try to write a
full review.
ps....I used to live on the left coast and, if all goes according to plan, will be back again. It's hard for a left coaster like me to be in K-drag country. How
BC does it is a testament to his strength and stamina.
~~ ducks
ducks --
Fabulous review! My hearing is no-where what it used to be, and there was a bit of alcohol consumed, and I do apologize for the FANGHORN implied
slur. It was not intentional.
And I hate to say it, but Joan Van Ark no longer looks like Joan Van Ark!
The resident 9 year-old is off the rest of the week, and the resident 'Tolkien-Fiend' is intending to be 'sick'
on Thursday so we can see LOTR as a family unit. If that fails, we'll probably drive north on I-5 so the
young-one can experience snow.
So far as BC & 'the heartland', I concur...
Reader Response
Nailed On Fangorn II
More Reader Response
Nailed On Fangorn III
''You wrote
'''The chief 'Ent' is 'Faghorn'''
Why slur one of the gratest books ever written ??
Fangorn would not be pleased.
~~ Paul
Holy crap, and mega-mea-culpa's! Kindly take into consideration it was New Year's Eve, and my hearing, after
too many years of abuse isn't what is used to be....Hey, how about the resident Tolkien-fiend mumbles...Yeah, that's it!
Or, any of the above.
I promise to listen better in the New Year...and if there's a question, and the 'net is slow, I'll pick up the damn
book and look it up. Or something like that.
And on that note, best of New Year's to all.
Weekly Review
from Harper's Magazine
WEEKLY REVIEW - 1 January, 2002
President George W. Bush held a news conference down at the ranch in
Crawford, Texas, and again defended his plan to use military courts to
try terrorism suspects: "One thing is for certain," he said, "whatever
the procedures are for the military tribunals, our system will be more
fair than the system of bin Laden and the Taliban." A reporter asked
the President whether the events of the last year had changed him.
"Talk to my wife," he replied. "I don't spend a lot of time looking in
the mirror, except when I comb my hair."
A Pakistani newspaper reported that Osama bin Laden had died "a peaceful, natural death"
near Tora Bora from a "serious lung complication." An Afghan
functionary said that bin Laden had escaped to Pakistan and was under
the protection of the extremist Jamiat-e-Ulema-i-Islam party. American
officials dismissed the claims, preferring to believe that the Evil One
had died of unnatural causes in a cave somewhere.
French police insisted that they had made no mistakes when they allowed Richard
Reid, the "shoe bomber," to board his flight to America. "We made no
error at any stage," a police official said. "And we did
everything we could."
The United States Department of Transportation
announced that it would allow current baggage and passenger screeners
to stay on the job, even if they lack high school diplomas, when the
government takes over security for American airports. A passenger in
Memphis, Tennessee, was arrested when he attempted to board a Delta
Airlines flight with a loaded 9-millimeter pistol in his carry-on bag;
the man had successfully boarded two previous flights before the gun
was found in a random search. Two English journalists somehow managed
to smuggle a miniature cleaver, a four-inch dagger, and a three-inch
stiletto onto a British Airways flight at Heathrow Airport.
In a fit of road rage, an Italian driver bit the little finger off a cyclist
who scratched his car.
American B-52s started bombing Afghanistan again. Afghan villagers were still digging
through rubble looking for their dead children.
India deployed short-range ballistic missiles, which are capable of carrying a nuclear warhead
and have a range of 150 miles, along its border with Pakistan as both countries prepared for war.
( continued at Weekly Review )
--Roger D. Hodge
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Watched a lot of Rose Parade....channel 5 (KTLA) in LA starts at 6 am, and does nothing but Rose
Parade til 10 pm! What a shame they missed the overhead shots of what the military sent....
Watched a lot of college football...Go Ducks!
Tonight, Wednesday, CBS starts the evening with '60 Minutes II', and follows it with
a repeat from last month of 'I Love Lucy's 50th Anniversary'.
NBC has 2 hours of 'West Wing' reruns, and then a rerun of 'Law & Order'.
ABC has 'The Fed-Ex Orange Bowl' and a rerun from '96 of 'Robinson Crusoe'.
The WB has a rerun 'Dawson's Creek' that includes a funeral.
Faux has a rerun of 'That 70's Show', followed by fresh episodes of 'Grounded
For Life', 'Bernie Mac' and 'Titus'.
TCM has 'Napoleon', a silent movie from 1927, resurrected by Francis Ford Coppola and
re-scored by his Dad. It runs nearly 4 hours.
HBO 2 is still re-running 'The Larry Sander's Show', which is one of the best TV
programs - EVER!.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Mayoral Inauguration In NYC
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., chats with former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, right, and former Sen. Daniel
Patrick Moynihan as they attend the inauguration of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg at City Hall Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2002.
Photo by Richard Drew
Updated!
BartCop TV!
Visit the site at BC TV
The 'Vidiot' never seems to rest - and doesn't let little things like laundry or
housekeeping get in the way!
Damn near every show on TV must is listed - days & days worth of great reading.
If you have any questions about nearly any tv program, check out
BC TV!
Closing For 3 Years - Renovations
Griffith Observatory
The Griffith Observatory will close Jan. 6 for a three-year, $66 million renovation and subterranean expansion that
will more than double its size. The extensive remodel will be the first for the city-owned observatory since it opened
on the flanks of Mount Hollywood during the depths of the Depression.
More people have peered through the observatory's 12-inch telescope - which pokes through one of the three domes
on that roof - than any other telescope on Earth. The observatory is also a sought-after film location, appearing
most famously in 1955's "Rebel Without a Cause." "It's been in more films than most stars," said Paul Pohlman,
who is managing the renovation project for Santa Monica-based Stegeman & Kastner Inc.
When the cast-concrete observatory reopens late in 2004, its exterior will look almost exactly the same as it
does today, save for the newly burnished copper that will top its trio of domes and a coat of fresh white paint.
Hidden under the front lawn, leaving undisturbed the bust of actor James Dean, will be a new underground chamber
that will help add 35,000 square feet of space to the observatory.
The buried addition will include a vast exhibit hall, complete with a 150-foot long wall covered with ceramic tiles
emblazoned with millions of stars. An open-air corridor will allow visitors to follow the trek of the sun through the seasons.
Also tucked inside the hall will be a new, 200-seat theater named for actor Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock
on "Star Trek" and donated $1 million to the renovation effort.
The Foucault's pendulum and Tesla coil will stay. But the Laserium show, a 1970s throwback that matched dancing
laser lights to the strains of Pink Floyd and the like, will be tossed. However, admission to everything
but the planetarium will remain free.
The impending closure has sent many scurrying to the hillside observatory to get in their last looks until
2004. On a recent night, crowds lined up to peer through the telescope and catch one of the last planetarium shows.
Griffith Observatory - Closing For 3 Years!
Griffith Observatory (www.griffithobs.org/)
More Griffith Observatory
The 'Rebel' Connection
The 1950s also marked Griffith Observatory's most famous brush with Hollywood. Although hundreds of films,
television shows, and commercials have used the picturesque surroundings of Griffith Park and the Observatory,
none have brought as much international attention as Warner Brothers Studios' production of Rebel Without A
Cause (1955). This landmark motion picture, which immortalized James Dean in his most remembered of his only
three films, captured both the interior and exterior of the observatory in several key scenes, one of which
portrayed students at a typical planetarium show. Decades later, in commemoration of the much-celebrated actor
and the use of the Observatory in the film, a bust of Dean was created and placed on the west end of the lawn.
A scene at the giant moon model from the scuttled black and white footage of "Rebel Without a Cause" in 1955.
This scene was not included in the completed color version. From left to right: Natalie Wood, Nick Adams, and
Corey Allen.(Photograph, Griffith Observatory collection).
Griffith Observatory History
And The Godmother Will Be Pamela Anderson
Elizabeth Hurley
Elizabeth Hurley has asked Pamela Anderson to be her unborn child's godmother.
"Pam's a great mom and a good friend," Hurley tells the British tabs. "I know we'll spend more time together after I become a mom."
Hurley, who is four months pregnant, claims the father is film producer Steve Bing. He, however, continues to
express his doubts in the press.
Hurley is saying now that she'll probably leave London to raise her child in Los Angeles, which is where Anderson lives.
"L.A. has it's problems, but it's a great place to have a child," says Hurley, who adds that she's looking for a male nanny.
And The Godmother Will Be Pamela Anderson
New!
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Britain's No. 1 Beauty
Kate Beckinsale
``Pearl Harbor'' star Kate Beckinsale has been picked as Britain's No. 1 beauty.
The actress, who once described herself as ``a hideous and awkward looking child,'' topped the list of 25
most beautiful women selected by the readers of Hello! Magazine and in the opinion of celebrity
hairdressers, designers and photographers.
Second came model Yasmin le Bon, third was actress Kristin Scott Thomas and fourth was model Kate Moss.
Designer Caroline Charles, who was one of the judges, said: ''Kate's classic yet contemporary beauty
translates so well into the parts she plays, making you believe in the character rather than the actress.''
Kate Beckinsale
Snarky Award
Helena Bonham Carter
Page Six has paid special tribute to Helena Bonham Carter who befriended Lisa Marie during filming of "Planet
of the Apes," and then stole Marie's long-time boyfriend, Tim Burton, out from under her nose. The homewrecking
hottie did the same thing six years earlier to Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branaugh.
Snarky Award For Helena Bonham Carter
Specializing In Unattractive Characters
Peter Boyle
Peter Boyle made a name for himself in 1970 as the angry, drunken conservative in the film ``Joe,'' and he's still
working to make unattractive characters into three-dimensional human beings.
In addition to his recurring gig as the contentious dad on ``Everybody Loves Raymond,'' Boyle is
the nasty, racist father of a family of prison guards in the new film ``Monster's Ball.''
Boyle said he likes the stability the ``Everybody Loves Raymond'' job brings to his career, but doesn't like the
long trips to California because he misses his wife and two teen daughters back in New York.
``When I was a struggling actor, I was very lonely,'' he said. ``So now, it's those trips back home that keep me going.''
``Oh, my God, I'm gonna look like an unemployed philosopher,'' he said. ``You're gonna edit this stuff, right?''
Peter Boyle
Guns N' Roses
No Slash
Guns N' Roses made a rare concert appearance, but former member Slash wasn't allowed to see it.
Sunday night's sold-out show at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino was only the second U.S. gig that Guns have
performed in eight years. Former guitarist Slash was in town for the show, but was turned away at the door.
Speaking briefly with ABCNEWS Radio, Slash said he tried to get in, but couldn't. A security guard confirmed
his account, blaming band frontman Axl Rose for the exclusion.
Rose, the only member remaining from the group's classic Appetite For Destruction lineup, reportedly told
the venue he would walk offstage if he saw any of his former bandmates in the audience.
Most of those who made it into the venue, however, seemed pleased with the show, despite technical
difficulties that appeared to aggravate Rose.
According to those who saw it, the band kicked off the set with "Welcome to The Jungle." Axl dressed in a
Rich Gannon Oakland Raiders jersey and performed new material as well as classic Guns songs.
Axl & Roses
New! Updated!
(10 Dec., 2001)
The official BartCop Astrologer, Geneva, has done good, again!
Very interesting reading!
Proving His Dramatic Acting Skills
Jamie Foxx
Comedian Jamie Foxx says dramatic roles like Drew ``Bundini'' Brown in the new film ``Ali'' give him more
opportunity to prove his acting skills.
Foxx, 34, plays boxer Muhammad Ali's troubled aide in the movie directed by Michael Mann. Will Smith stars as Ali.
``Ali'' focuses on the boxer's prime, from his Cassius Clay days in 1964 when he wins the heavyweight crown
from Sonny Liston, through his return to glory 10 years later as he reclaims the championship from George
Foreman at the ``Rumble in the Jungle'' in Zaire.
``I've benefited more by doing drama right now because of the fact that it's not expected. Because if you get
a person who doesn't know that you do comedy and they still enjoy the performance then that means it's
genuine,'' Foxx said in a recent interview.
Jamie Foxx
Tuesday In Philly
Mummers Parade
Kelly Marie Mahon, the captain of the Irish American String Band, marches with her club up Market Street during
the 101st Mummers Parade in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2002.
Photo by Chris Gardner
Without a doubt, the Mummers Parade in Philadelphia offers one of coolest, and most spectacular, parades imaginable.
For more information on the Mummers, mummers.org/ OR
mummers.com
Polylinguist
Kristin Scott Thomas
Kristin Scott Thomas is a multinational star in the literal sense: She was born in England, lives in France
and appears in English, French and American movies.
But one of the films she's most proud of hasn't been widely seen in any of those places. The 1994 movie
known to American audiences as ``An Unforgettable Summer'' was shot in Romania, and Scott Thomas spoke
all her lines in the native language.
``The deal was they were going to dub me. ... But in the end they didn't bother because I was able to say
it with enough conviction,'' the 41-year-old actress told The Associated Press.
Scott Thomas didn't quite learn Romanian during the filming but she knew exactly what she was saying because
she had all the lines translated into French, which she speaks fluently besides English.
She'd like to learn Italian ``but I'm not brave enough.'' However, she adds, she can handle an Italian menu.
Kristin Scott Thomas
Fearless Elf Legolas
Orlando Bloom
Sword fighting anyone? That's one of the skills Orlando Bloom picked up while training for his role as the
fearless elf Legolas for ``The Lord of the Rings'' movies.
Training began two months before the start of filming, said Bloom. Besides sword fighting, he also learned
archery, horseback riding and how to paddle a boat.
``The first thing I had was a bow stuck in my hand,'' he told reporters recently. ``I started training with
a bow and arrow in order to get archery going. And horse-riding training. And then swordplay. ... And paddle training.''
Orlando Bloom
BC Entertainment Favorite Link
Moose & Squirrel Information One-Stop
http://geocities.com/mooseandsquirrel1
What a great site! Information and reference materials of the first order!
Between 'Moose & Squirrel'
and 'Google', who needs daddy drudge!
Pitching A Hissy In Havana
Mike Tyson
Boxer Mike Tyson lost his temper Tuesday with journalists in Cuba, shouting and tossing crystal balls at them,
and lightly hitting one cameraman on the head during a brief fracas in a Havana hotel, witnesses said.
Tyson, on a tourism trip to the Caribbean island, looked furious to see five journalists waiting for him when
he emerged from a lift in one of Havana's premier sea-front hotels.
The American heavyweight fighter, wearing jeans but no top, raised his fists in a threatening gesture and
yelled insults, according to witnesses and Reuters journalists at the scene.
Cuban staff at the hotel said Tyson had appeared to become steadily more irritated with unwelcome attention
from tourists and others since his arrival Monday night.
Mike Tyson
Jimmy Osmond Announces
Osmond Brothers
The Osmond Brothers theater in Branson, Mo, will be leased for the entire year to On Stage Entertainment
Inc., Jimmy Osmond announced recently.
He said his brothers Wayne, Merrill and Jay will announce the new location of their show soon, adding that
he might join them on various dates.
The Osmonds announced a deal last March with the Las Vegas-based entertainment company, which allowed the
Osmond Brothers to perform there October through December.
On Stage Entertainment plans to present ``Legends in Concert,'' a variety show featuring re-creations of
performances of entertainers from the past and present, at the Branson theater.
Jimmy Osmond Announces
Grand Marshal Of The 113th Rose Parade, Pasadena, CA
Regis & Joy Philbin
Regis Philbin, host of television's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" and his wife Joy wave to the crowd as
they make their way down Colorado Boulevard in his role as Grand Marshal for the 113th Rose Parade in Pasadena,
California January 1, 2002. The theme of this year's parade was "Good Times."
Photo by Jim Ruymen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Memory
Eileen Heckart
Eileen Heckart, the lanky, gravel-voiced actress whose skill with comedy and drama won her an Oscar for
``Butterflies Are Free,'' three Emmys and a special Tony for career excellence, has died. She was 82.
Heckart had been battling cancer for three years, her son Mark Yankee said Tuesday. She died Monday at
her home in Norwalk, he said.
Even in her early career, Heckart played character roles. She first drew attention on Broadway in 1953
as the love-starved Rosemary Sidney in ``Picnic.'' The following year she created the role of Mrs. Daigle
in ``The Bad Seed,'' and she repeated it in the 1956 film version, winning an Academy nomination as best
supporting actress.
Earlier in 1956 she had made her film debut in ``Miracle in the Rain,'' which starred Jane Wyman and Van
Johnson. In the same year she also appeared in ``Somebody Up There Likes Me'' (Paul Newman) and ``Bus Stop'' (Marilyn Monroe).
In 1969, she created the stage role of the domineering mother of a blind young man in ``Butterflies Are
Free'' and repeated it in the 1972 movie, which starred Goldie Hawn and Edward Albert. Variety commented: ``Miss
Heckart finally gets another role that enables her to display the versatility that has been evident for
a long time in her stage roles.'' This time she won the supporting actress Oscar.
Heckart created a memorable character on ``The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' as Mary Richards' Aunt Flo, a
high-powered, globe-trotting reporter. Mary was overawed by her aunt's achievements, and her boss, Lou
Grant (Ed Asner), renewed an old love affair with Flo.
In the 1979 miniseries ``Backstairs at the White House,'' Heckart offered a fresh take on Eleanor Roosevelt,
presenting her as bright, intelligent and even a bit sexy. She had experience portraying FDR's First Lady,
having toured in 1976 with a one-woman show, ``Eleanor.''
Because of her tall frame, sad-looking eyes and distinctive voice, Heckart throughout her career was often
cast as eccentrics. It was all an act, she explained in a 1989 interview: ``I am not one bit an eccentric.
I'm always on time. I know my lines. And I've been everything but eccentric for a whole lot of years.''
She was born Anna Eileen Heckart in Columbus, Ohio, in 1919. At Ohio State University she became deeply involved
in dramatics, and her instructors encouraged her to pursue an acting career.
At a school dance she met a business student, John Yankee, and they married after graduation. After his service
in World War II, they settled in Connecticut. While she took acting jobs in New York, he worked as an insurance
broker and later as an investment adviser. Besides Mark, the couple had two other sons, Philip and Luke.
Yankee died in 1995 at 76 after 53 years of marriage, and she remembered him as ``the nicest, kindest, sweetest
man I ever met in my life.''
Heckart's stage work began in 1943 as understudy and assistant stage manager of the long-running ``Voice of the
Turtle.'' She made her television debut in 1947 and appeared in many live dramas in such early series as Kraft
Suspense Theater and Philco Playhouse.
Her stage career blossomed with ``The Bad Seed'' and ``Picnic,'' and Hollywood sought her as a reliable character
actress. Among her other plays: ``The Dark at the Top of the Stairs,'' ``Our Town,'' ``They Knew What They Wanted,''
``A View from the Bridge,'' ``Barefoot in the Park,'' ``Mother Courage'' (her favorite role), and ``Time of the Cuckoo.''
The movies included: ``Hot Spell'' (starring Shirley Booth and Anthony Quinn), ``Heller in Pink Tights'' (Sophia
Loren, Quinn), ``My Six Loves'' (Debbie Reynolds, Cliff Robertson), ``Up the Down Staircase'' (Sandy Dennis),
``No Way to Treat a Lady'' (Rod Steiger), ``Zandy's Bride'' (Gene Hackman), ``Heartbreak Ridge'' (Clint Eastwood),
``Seize the Day'' (Robin Williams) and ``The First Wives Club'' (as Diane Keaton's mother).
Besides ``The Mary Tyler Moore Show,'' Heckart also joined the cast of such series as ``Out of the Blue,''
``Trauma Center,'' ``Partners in Crime'' and ``Murder One.'' She also made guest appearances in many series
including ``Gunsmoke'' and ``The Defenders.''
``I don't like sitcoms,'' she admitted in 1995. ``It's instant acting; it has nothing to do with talent. They
shoot everything close-up. ... It's very boring. You do television to make money so you can afford to act in the theater.''
Heckart said farewell to the theater in 2000. She had been appearing in a play, ``The Waverly Gallery,'' as
an Alzheimer's victim, and she told an interviewer: ``Look- I'm 81 years old. Eighty-one! And when you're 81
you don't have the energy or the stamina you had when you were 60 or even 70. ... The energy you're asked to
do a live performance and keep it sustained - well, it makes doing TV or movies seem easy.''
She took a dim view of the institution that had sustained her for 57 years: ``Now who can afford (theater)?
And people don't want to think. ... You never used to hear them talk during a performance. Now they talk.''
But she admitted there was hope: ``Things will turn around again. Greed is a phase.''
Funeral arraignments were incomplete Tuesday.
Eileen Heckart
Still MISSING
Marc Chagall's "Study for 'Over Vitebsk'"
