| The New York Observer October 17, 2001 Hollywood's Efforts to
be Relevant ... Mr. Shaye used the opportunity to plug New Line’s upcoming $300 million Lord of the Rings trilogy. “I just received a note that said, ‘What the world needs now is Hobbits!’” he claimed. Mr. Shaye then explained what was political about a series of movies featuring actors with pointy ears and characters with phallic names like Bilbo. Mr. Shaye said he was "fascinated to learn" that some readers consider the sought-after ring in J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1950’s trilogy to represent the quest to harness nuclear power during World War II. Thus, he explained, New Line had made a movie that incorporated politics, but by setting the pictures in Middle Earth, those politics had been made "palatable." ... |