You've been asking this question of people who know you well?

Husband and workmates.

I'm just sayin'... If you were to start talking to me about the hobbit who was stroking his pumpkin, I'd be imagining a short guy with a bulbous orange member...

So, is there a Ballista Master for the big crossbows from Helm's Deep? That would be all different kinds of all right. If there isn't, I got dibs on the seige weaponry.

Hubby sighed deeply when the siege weapons opened up at Minas Tirith. That's the job he was offered when they were filming, if he could have gotten to New Zealand. Sigh.

Wow. I've exchanged words in a box with someone who's married to someone who was almost the Ballista Master. I think I need a moment here.

Judging from a clip I just saw on a Beyond the Movie special, Legolas may get hammered in the RotK EE. I'm a) glad it didn't make it into the theatrical and b) excited to see it whenever it shows up.

Couldn't watch the special itself -- just FFed through for clips I hadn't seen in the movie -- they also show a bit of Merry swearing fealty. I had the misfortune to read an interview with John Rhys-Davies which means I'm not quite comfortable listening to him narrate a history piece.

I have a slightly random question for anyone with quick access to an FotR transcript (I'm not at home, or I'd check myself) -- do they ever say "Weathertop" in that movie? Obviously the fans have always referred to it that way, but in the movie, I noticed that it was introduced by Aragorn saying "There is the great watchtower of SomeGuyIForget." And then in RotK, both Gandalf and Frodo call it Weathertop, but I can't remember an in-film reference to it that way in either FotR or TTT.

I liked this bit from the PJ interview linked to up above:

But the gruesome sensibility that has been honed since his days as a director of cult horror films such as 1987's aptly titled Bad Taste (about flesh-eating aliens) has changed little. He still retains a mirthful sense of the macabre, such as when the battalion of orcs in The Return of the King use catapults to launch severed heads at attackers. Tolkien wrote it, but Jackson captured the rain of noggins in all its gory glory.

"I remember that day," he says, smiling with satisfaction, "because the mayor (of Wellington) came down to the set. I thought, 'If he is coming, he might as well help out.' So we had the mayor throwing these severed heads at the crowd while we were shooting. He quite enjoyed himself."

I think one of the things that makes LotR so wonderful is that it seems as if Peter Jackson (and those who work with him) understand that movie-making really should be fun and exciting. I imagine that plays a huge part in why the whole cast and crew always seems so enthusiastic and inspired by the whole thing.

I've exchanged words in a box with someone who's married to someone who was almost the Ballista Master

Awww, I'm part of a LotR Kevin Bacon game

Today's geeky work moment: someone was asking how the stinger got through the armour. Someone else said "well, it was a +blah armour class, but Shelob had a +blah attack (insert # for blah)." To which I added, "And Frodo totally flubbed his roll.

At which point, one of the geeky coworkers said something along the lines of "Oh my G-d, I think you two have just hit geek bottom."

Speaking of which.