Sienfeld Gone Wrong

Seinfeld's Kramer (Michael Richards) Racist Tirade

A sad letter written by Peter Jackson

Dear One Ringers,

As you know, there's been a lot of speculation about The Hobbit. We are often asked about when or if this film will ever be made. We have always responded that we would be very interested in making the film - if it were offered to us to make.

You may also be aware that Wingnut Films has bought a lawsuit against New Line, which resulted from an audit we undertook on part of the income of The Fellowship of the Ring. Our attitude with the lawsuit has always been that since it's largely based on differences of opinion about certain accounting practices, we would like an independent body - whether it be a judge, a jury, or a mediator, to look at the issues and make an unbiased ruling. We are happy to accept whatever that ruling is. In our minds, it's not much more complex than that and that's exactly why film contracts include right-to-audit clauses.

However, we have always said that we do not want to discuss The Hobbit with New Line until the lawsuit over New Line's accounting practices is resolved. This is simple common sense - you cannot be in a relationship with a film studio, making a complex, expensive movie and dealing with all the pressures and responsibilities that come with the job, while an unresolved lawsuit exists.

We have also said that we do not want to tie settlement of the lawsuit to making a film of The Hobbit. In other words, we would have to agree to make The Hobbit as a condition of New Line settling our lawsuit. In our minds this is not the right reason to make a film and if a film of The Hobbit went ahead on this basis, it would be doomed. Deciding to make a movie should come from the heart - it's not a matter of business convenience. When you agree to make a film, you're taking on a massive commitment and you need to be driven by an absolute passion to want to get the story on screen. It's that passion, and passion alone, that gives the movie its imagination and heart. To us it is not a cold-blooded business decision.

A couple of months ago there was a flurry of Hobbit news in the media. MGM, who own a portion of the film rights in The Hobbit, publicly stated they wanted to make the film with us. It was a little weird at the time because nobody from New Line had ever spoken to us about making a film of The Hobbit and the media had some fun with that. Within a week or two of those stories, our Manager Ken Kamins got a call from the co-president of New Line Cinema, Michael Lynne, who in essence told Ken that the way to settle the lawsuit was to get a commitment from us to make the Hobbit, because "that's how these things are done". Michael Lynne said we would stand to make much more money if we tied the lawsuit and the movie deal together and this may well be true, but it's still the worst reason in the world to agree to make a film.

Several years ago, Mark Ordesky told us that New Line have rights to make not just The Hobbit but a second "LOTR prequel", covering the events leading up to those depicted in LOTR. Since then, we've always assumed that we would be asked to make The Hobbit and possibly this second film, back to back, as we did the original movies. We assumed that our lawsuit with the studio would come to a natural conclusion and we would then be free to discuss our ideas with the studio, get excited and jump on board. We've assumed that we would possibly get started on development and design next year, whilst filming The Lovely Bones. We even had a meeting planned with MGM executives to talk through our schedule.

However last week, Mark Ordesky called Ken and told him that New Line would no longer be requiring our services on the Hobbit and the LOTR 'prequel'. This was a courtesy call to let us know that the studio was now actively looking to hire another filmmaker for both projects.

Ordesky said that New Line has a limited time option on the film rights they have obtained from Saul Zaentz (this has never been conveyed to us before), and because we won't discuss making the movies until the lawsuit is resolved, the studio is going to have to hire another director.

Given that New Line are committed to this course of action, we felt at the very least, we owed you, the fans, a straightforward account of events as they have unfolded for us.

We have always had the greatest support from The Ringers and we are very sorry our involvement with The Hobbit has been ended in this way. Our journey into Tolkien's world started with a phone call from Ken Kamins to Harvey Weinstein in Nov 1995 and ended with a phone call from Mark Ordesky to Ken in Nov 2006. It has been a great 11 years.

This outcome is not what we anticipated or wanted, but neither do we see any positive value in bitterness and rancor. We now have no choice but to let the idea of a film of The Hobbit go and move forward with other projects.

We send our very best wishes to whomever has the privilege of making The Hobbit and look forward to seeing the film on the big screen.

Warmest regards to you all, and thanks for your incredible support over the years.

We got to go there - but not back again ...

Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh

Fantasy Football

Let me just say that I rule at fantasy football. I am 9-2 baby and going strong. I think i can go all the way this year. If only i were a little better at regular football I might have something.

Elections and my after thoughts

First let me say that I am a republican and generally a conservitave. But the thing that makes me the most upset about this past weeks election is not that the democrates now have control of the house and the senate, but something else entirely. The overwhelming issue I have with the election is the number of people who voted all democrate, with no knowledge of the canidates simply becuase they dont like the current president and he is a republican. I just heard people talking about how they were so happy that they went out and voted all democrate. They should not have voted if they did not know anything about the canidates. No one of either party should vote without knowing something. Voter turn out was better than it has been in several years simply becuase people hate our president and want to send the republicans he represents a message.

I say vote with knowledge about the people running and dont let one person in washington sway the vote of an entire nation. I think good republican canidates lost their seats simply becuase of a bad president.

Thoughts?

Taxes and Tolls

Everyone complains about the high taxes and the high tolls that we have. The government is merely charging what it needs to, in order to pay the bills. Rather than bitch that tolls and taxes and other governmental charges are too high, we should be complaining about what they are spending money on. There is a one to one relationship. The government is not a profit organization.

We should all focus the anger we have for high tolls, taxes, etc and focus on government officials wages, money spent in bad fashions, and other wastes of money.

Our government needs to be held accountable for the way they spend money. So this election day please, if you want lower taxes, don't vote for the guy that says he is going to lower taxed. Please vote for the guy who gives a plan for how he is going to save money in order to lower taxes.

There is a lady running in New York that has promised to lower her salary for her position from 70k a year to 40K a year. That is quite the stand and quite the statement.

Choose wisely.

Work and relaxing.

Its amazing how the two go together hand and hand. You can't really have one without the other. You can't in my estimation be truely relaxed without some work having been performed prior. What would you compare it to otherwise? Can you really do nothing for 4 months and then sit and watch tv and call it relaxing? Sure you can but most of us would feel unsettled and feel no sense of accomplishment. Some of the slothier amongst us might feel differently but for the most part I think I have it right.

I might be an extreme case. For instance I only really relax when my house is completely clean, all walls painted, everything in order, and everything in place. The laundry has to be done and so does anything else I have set for myself to accomplish that day. Once I have done that and gone to the gym and really worked out hard, then come home and had a shower, I can finnaly truely relax. If I wake up on a sunday I need to do something first before I can feel relaxed.

The only exception to this is when I can spend time with my girlfreind sarah or some of my other close freinds. I can relax and watch football and some other things as well. But for the most part i can't relax without the work.

Which brings me to my overall point. Relaxing is impossible without having worked at some point in your life to have something to compare it to. Sloths dont consider hanging in a tree relaxing, they do it all day.

Some people are lucky enough to have jobs that allow for relaxing while accomplishing things. There is little to no stress and the job makes you feel good about yourself as well. Those are the truely lucky people. They can relax knowing that have accomplished somethings but in a lot of cases do not have to.

What do you think?

Toll booth attendants

So my co worker and I were driving around in the company truck the other day and had to cross a toll bridge. We pulled up into a toll lane after crossing the bridge and Said Hi to the toll booth attendant. She maid no response, which in my book is ok if you plan on saying thank you at the end of things. She then continued to give us our change and a receipt that we had requested for business records. We said thank you and she maid no attempt to even make eye contact with us. To make sure she was not deaf I asked basically shouted thank you to which she responded my lifting her head and putting it back down.

These people are lucky to have jobs. They could be replaced tomorrow by issuing a state law that everyone had to have an easy pass in the entire nation. So there would be a nation wide RFid tag that would work in any state not just a few. We are close to this happening and she has the nerve not to be polite. She makes good money. I checked it out. She makes over $12.00 and hour and has state benefits (best you can have) for being a cashier. Even a cashier at tops making minimum wage and getting brought back and forth from work by their mother, has to be polite to customers or they get fired. I tried to find a place online to issue a complaint but there is only a place to complain about getting the incorrect change.

Perhaps she had a bad day, but does she need to spread her bad day to me. Just say thank you the 3000 times you have to in a day and go home. That is all I ask. What the hell?

Am I crazy? Does a no response on a thank you piss you off? Do you like toll booth attendants that don't speak?

Let me know.