Hey folks.... UPDATE HERE: I got an email from Lincoln saying that he'll never do that line thing again. That it was a one time deal and won't be repeated by him. So everyone relax and breathe easy. Cool? Cool.

Hey folks, Harry here with a bit of a 'state of a source' update from Omega Prime. Now, folks... I can vouch a bit for Omega Prime. But he does work in the industry... but so far... not for one of the projects that he/she/it has covered. Also... at the end of this statement from him is also a bit about Lincoln and THE LORD OF THE RINGS... so... here's this badass autobot to tell you how it is on the inside of this transforming industry...

Well, I've been told by some of my comrades that people in the "talk backs" believe that my short, and to the point, reviews of "Titan A.E." and "M2M" (both of which I give four stars = very good) are calculated studio ploys to promote the films. Well, I must apologize for being a product of my environment. The career that I have chosen has shaped the way I read into things and the way I convey my feelings about them. Everyday I read both the Hollywood Reporter and Variety; probably influencing the critic within me. "M2M" is being released by Touchstone Pictures (Disney) and "Titan A.E." is being released by FOX. Additionally, my report about "M:I 2", a Paramount release, pertains simply to an ongoing battle between a film-maker and a studio. And, the latest report I sent to Harry is about the countingdown.com web-site, New Line Cinema (A Time-Warner Company), and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

I didn't write in a review about "Reindeer Games" because I didn't like it. John Frankenheimers' direction felt flat. The screenplay, by Ehren Kruger, is lackluster. The plot is boring, the settings are awkward, and the characters lack development. The pacing of the film is slow. The cinematography is gritty. The score doesn't promote any of the emotional beats that it should. Now, why should I waste time telling people about films that I don't like? I don't enjoy writing a mean review; and I feel bad about indirectly insulting some people I may or not know. I do have access to many screenplays and I could write in some reviews. Then, I might be attacked because they sound too much like professional coverage. I haven't read the screenplays for Hannibal, Pearl Harbor, Unforgettable, or Spider-Man yet; but I can and I will. I have recently read "Sum of All Fears" (great; cant wait for the revision), "Harry Potter" (great), "Minority Report" (good, but still needs work), and one for "The Rock 2" (its by Jonathan Hensleigh and it's actually pretty good). I get every screenplay, and I see every film before they open. The only time I'll review one is if I like it. All my film reviews will sound like a synopses in a press release or a review from the trades. All my script reviews will sound like coverage.

For the time being, I'll do my best to keep delivering insider reports about what the studios don't want you to know. If you think that the "M:I 2" scoop was interesting wait until I write in next week about what's going on with Episode II. I just have to confirm a few things first. And, if and when you read it you don't believe me just wait a few months and you will see I am not full of @#$%

Omega Prime

And here's his report on Lincoln and THE LORD OF THE RINGS....

Well, it seems that Lincoln Gasking and his countingdown.com web-site have decided what their next major publicity stunt will be. Before camp-outs for Episodes II and III transpire, Lincoln and company are going to launch a series of them for "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. However, this time Lincoln intends to be the first person in the world to line-up (Daniel Alter held that title for Episode One; Lincoln was first at the Chinese after Alter and his friends staked their position at the Village in Westwood, CA). Lincoln doesn't want a repeat performance by Alter or anyone else.

The original countingdown camp-out for Episode One was supposed to take place one month ahead of the opening of the film at numerous and varied locations. The four primary ones were Mann's Chinese and Mann's Village, The Ziegfeld, and The Coronet. Alter, however, lined up six weeks ahead of time at the Village. His actions were conceived as an embarrassment to countingdown by many. Some also felt that he had done this to spite the site and its charitable contributions. But, CNN news footage from two years earlier confirmed that Alter had been planning to do this before countingdown was ever in existence. Alter conveyed to Jim Moret in a June 20, 1997 interview, while standing first in line for "Batman and Robin" at the Village, that he intended to camp out for the new "Star Wars" epic for a whopping six weeks and went on to explain that he felt everyone else would be there for a month and this was the only way to secure first place. I guess Lincoln should have done his homework, huh?

Countingdown has approached New Line Cinema about making their "camp-out" the "official" line for the Lord of the Rings films. Their is no word on the length of the camp-out(s), an association with a charity, and whether or not it will be for the first installment or all three installments. I assume the only way New Line would even consider any sort of alliance with the web-site would be if their was an involvement with a charity. Furthermore, sources close to me have intimated that the web-site is interested in attaining exclusive details about the film before anyone else in the media or on the net. An agreement like this would mirror the one that theforce.net has with Lucasfilm. How will this affect the official site as well as all fan sites? And, isn't their already a "Lord of the Rings" fan site similar to theforce.net?