Special Report from Wellington, NZ: Ground Zero at "The Hobbit" World Premiere

Elven statues guarding the red carpet area

Maybe one day Red Dot Diva will get to attend a Hollywood red carpet premiere.

For now, she has only been to very few glitzy ones held here, and those were mainly because she was working the media beat during Screen Singapore last year.

Until the time when international media marketing folks warm up to the idea that Red Dot Island may be a suitable stage for such glamourous premieres (in reality, the tropical humidity and heat doesn't quite help!), she will probably keep on dreaming of such large-scale star-gazing opportunities.

Wellington native Elizabeth E. Scrivener though, is a lucky gal to be living right where fantasy movie-style Middle-Earth is being created.

Naturally, she was at the sidelines of the exciting red carpet premiere for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" this past week. Here's her report:

Special Report from Wellington, NZ: The Run-Up to An Expected Premiere for "The Hobbit"

Red Dot Diva is envious. Super envious, actually.

Native kiwis seem to have it all with regards to fictional Middle-Earth. After all, most of the sets seen in the "Lord of the Rings" (LOTR) trilogy and the upcoming movies for "The Hobbit" are based on New Zealand landscapes and landmarks.

With "The Hobbit" movies (there will be three parts!), Peter Jackson has returned as director, together with a host of very familiar faces from the LOTR trilogy, like Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Elijah Wood as Frodo and Andy Serkis as Gollum. Ok, well.... we don't get to see Andy Serkis' face in the movies, but his remarkable contribution to that precioussssss role is undeniably recognizable.

A fresh bunch of actors who have assumed roles in "The Hobbit" movies will soon join the long list of memorable Lord of the Rings cast members. Martin Freeman heads the cast as the younger Bilbo Baggins who will be going on the adventure of his lifetime. The accompanying dwarves on this journey include actors like the very nommy Richard Armitage (Thorin Oakenshield), James Nesbitt (Nofur) and Aidan Turner of "Being Human" fame (Kili). Plus, Red Dot Diva knows that many BBC Sherlock fans are still squeeing over the fact that Benedict Cumberbatch has lent his voice for Smaug the dragon.

SDCC 2012: Less Movie Madness This Year – Good or Bad?

... Let's just leave the Sparkly Vapid Vamps out of the blog post.

Precious squee time should be reserved for a certain Genius-Billionaire-Playboy-Philantropist, A Virtual Reality Mind Trip and possibly a pair of Furry Feet. Although it is highly unlikely there will be any Vulcans to ogle at.

In the last couple of years, regular SDCC-goers have long felt that the hype concerning movies was overpowering the "true meaning" of Comic-Con.

The Hollywood glitter invading the city for SDCC had led to unbelievably long lines, with some people even staying overnight in sleeping bags just to ensure they get good seats for the panels in Hall H or Ballroom 20.

Last year’s SDCC (which Red Dot Diva did not manage to attend) saw a number of studios promoting movies, like “The Immortals”, “The Amazing Spider-Man”, “The Avengers”, “Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” (ugh) and “Prometheus”. There was also a red carpet premiere for “Cowboys & Aliens” which starred Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. Unfortunately, that movie did not do so well at the box office when it was released later that year.

Three Squee-worthy Movie Trailers: #2 - "The Hobbit"

*gasp* Has it been already been 10 years since the first LOTR movie - "The Fellowship of the Ring" - was released??

Time seems to pass too fast sometimes!

The LOTR trilogy movies hold a special place in Red Dot Diva's heart because it was the first time, a fantasy movie actually looked like a fantasy story from the books. All thanks to Peter Jackson and his team's shared vision and the wonderful FX work by WETA.

She also made many good friends through the LOTR fandom. Some have remained loosely in touch, while others were always close by, especially during her times of need. The Fellowship of the Ring became a real fellowship of sorts in Red Dot Diva's own not-so-Middle Earth.

"THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY"

The movie adaptation for "The Hobbit" had so many stops and starts. In early 2010, Peter Jackson finally took up the role as director for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" after Guillermo del Toro left because of production delays. Fans breathed a sigh of relief when work for the prequel began to take shape and production kicked-off in New Zealand back in March 2011. The avid LOTR fandom was all abuzz with excitement again!