The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘s premiere episodes attracted more than 25 million global viewers on its first day of release, Amazon announced Saturday. That number marks the biggest premiere in Prime Video history — though the streamer stopped short of declaring how much of an episode a subscriber must watch in order to be counted in its tally.
The Rings of Power‘s strong debut comes on the heels of HBO’s own big fantasy swing, the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, setting a premiere record for the streamer. At last tally, House of the Dragon’s series opener was approaching 25 million viewers in the U.S., after one week of availability.
“It is somehow fitting that Tolkien’s stories — among the most popular of all time, and what many consider to be the true origin of the fantasy genre — have led us to this proud moment,” Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke said in a statement. “I am so grateful to the Tolkien Estate, and to our showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, executive producer Lindsey Weber, cast and crew, for their tireless collaborative efforts and boundless creative energy. And it is the tens of millions of fans watching, clearly as passionate about Middle-Earth as we are, who are our true measure of success.”
The series’ first two episodes, which dropped Sept. 1 at 9 pm ET, earned an average TVLine reader grade of “B+.” Subsequent episodes will unspool weekly, Fridays at 3 am ET, culminating with the Oct. 14 season finale.
Following the screening, Swift will discuss “filmmaking and the visual aspects of her music” with TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey.
“In addition to music, Swift has long been a visual storyteller,” TIFF said on their website.
“From influencing the edits of her music videos, to writing the treatments herself and then making the jump to director, she has defined a distinct style that extends out of her songwriting.”
Tickets for the event, dubbed 'In Conversation with... Taylor Swift,' go on sale to the public on Sept. 5, while select TIFF members will have access to tickets on Sept. 3.
Anyone looking to attend Swift’s event will need to ensure they purchase a premium ticket.
Jane Fonda has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and has begun chemotherapy treatment, the legendary actress and activist said in post shared on her official social media account.
"This is a very treatable cancer. 80 per cent of people survive, so I feel very lucky," Fonda wrote. "I'm also lucky because I have health insurance and access to the best doctors and treatments. I realize, and it's painful, that I am privileged in this. Almost every family in America has had to deal with cancer at one time or another and far too many don't have access to the quality health care I am receiving and this is not right."
It's been over twenty years since movie audiences watched Frodo Baggins and the fellowship go forth on their quest to destroy the evil ring, and even longer since the release of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy novels, but the world of Lord of the Rings continues to endure as a major piece of pop culture.
"I think every moment is my favourite. There's not a part that I don't love," said fan Sydney Driscoll-Davies.
Ahead of the show's release, fans flocked to Toronto's Fan Expo, not to see some of the upcoming new faces from the streaming series, but to greet old ones. The event played host to the four actors who portrayed the hobbits in the movie trilogy released between 2001 and 2003: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan.
The actors were inundated with fans hoping to get their Lord of the Rings books or box sets signed. But Driscoll-Davies and her father, Greg Davies, took it a step further. The pair created an elaborate costume featuring themselves as hobbits Merry and Pippin being carried by orcs, soldiers of the Dark Lord.
Sydney Driscoll-Davies, right, and her father, Greg Davies, came to Fan Expo Canada this year dressed as hobbits Merry and Pippen being carried by orcs, a scene made famous in 2002's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. (Philip Drost/CBC)
"A lot of leather jackets were sacrifice for this costume. It's everything. Wood, metal, a lot of foam, Styrofoam, glue, a lot of paint, a lot of sweat, a lot of tears," said Davies.
For them, The Lord of the Rings has been a family affair for almost everyone, though Driscoll-Davies says her mother "doesn't get it."
Growing up, Davies would tell his two daughters the story of Tolkien's The Hobbit before bed, all from memory. He says part of what makes Lord of the Rings iconic is that the story isn't all about the great swordsmen and archers.
"They're a really good adventure story. But the heroes are the small people. It's not the fighter or the warriors that are the heroes. It's these small creatures doing the best they can. And that's what makes the difference in the world. And it's really impressive," he said.
"A lot of us aren't warrior princes, right? We're simple people, and it's an escapism and it's inspiring. It's just a great message."
A banner for the Amazon Prime series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power hangs at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto last month. The streaming series aims to capitalize on the passion that Lord of the Rings still ignites in many fans. (Philip Drost/CBC)
For fan and aspiring movie maker Lily Radford, Lord of the Rings is about friendship. When she watches the movies, extended edition of course, she can't help but notice the fellowship among the characters.
"There's something about the value of friendship, the fellowship of the ring, just a group of people going through life, no matter how crazy or funny or wild it is," she said.
"The adventure part of it is fantastic. I think that's often what grabs people. What keeps them there, I think, is the values that are … presented through those characters of friendship and what that's really like."
Influential work
Thalia Godbout attended the Fan Expo, reprising a role she first took on as a small child. When Godbout was three years old, she was dressed as Frodo Baggins for Halloween, with her father as the wizard Gandalf.
"My dad was a big fan of Lord of the Rings and he would lend me his books and I would read them," she said. "I would watch it with him every year."
Many years later, with a Frodo costume that was a bit more elaborate, Godbout is once again wielding the one ring to rule them all.
Friends Aria Guthrie, left, and Thalia Godbout came to Fan Expo this year dressed as hobbit friends Sam and Frodo. Furry slides to represent hairy hobbit feet didn't make the picture. (Philip Drost/CBC)
"Lord of the Rings and Tolkien was super influential on fantasy media and fiction now, even after so many years," said Godbout.
The movies certainly made their mark on the film industry. The trilogy won a total of 17 Oscars, and its finale, The Return of the King, took home best picture in 2004.
And the books influenced the fantasy genre as we know it, according to Anna Smol, who studies Tolkien's works, and is a professor at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax.
"A lot of fantasy stories followed on after The Lord of the Rings," said Smol.
Anna Smol has done research on author J.R.R. Tolkien's unpublished manuscripts in the Weston Library at the University of Oxford in the U.K. (Submitted by Anna Smol)
"It's such an expansive world that [Tolkien] built … there's room for everybody and all kinds of different interests. And I think that's one of the things that can draw people. And it's one of the things that interest scholars, because there's so much that you can work on."
From movie fellowship to real-life friendship
Actor Dominic Monaghan can attest to that aspect of the films. Monaghan was part of that fellowship, through the role of hobbit Merry Brandybuck. He starred alongside Billy Boyd, who played Peregrin Took, better known as Pippin.
As the two played the roles of best friends, the lines between acting and reality blurred. Now the pair are so close, they even have a podcast together called The Friendship Onion, which aims to "peel back the layers of their friendship, both on screen and off."
Monaghan said the films have been able to endure because they tell a classic story in a powerful way.
"Tolkien said there's only so many stories that you can actually tell. And this story, The Lord of the Rings, is just the classic hero's journey," said Monaghan.
"You have a diminutive lead character who cannot achieve a mission without surrounding himself with facets of his personality that he doesn't have; bravery, speed, quickness, guile, wit, sense of humour. And they fight a common enemy."
Actor Dominic Monaghan, who played Merry in the trilogy, signs an autograph at Fan Expo. He says the story of Lord of the Rings tells the classic story of the hero's journey in a complete way. (Philip Drost/CBC)
Monaghan says that while The Lord of the Rings is best in class, it's not a new type of tale.
"That story has been going on since we've all been telling stories. There are stories like that in the Bible; there are stories like that in every single culture that you can think," he said.
"Tolkien, being a master storyteller and a master of language, was able to create a very rich world that isn't our world. And we want to know those stories. It's simple in its essence."
Time will tell if The Rings of Power captures that same essence, but fans say they are cautiously optimistic, and ready for the new adventure.
The oldest son of Anne Heche has filed a petition to assume control of the late actress's estate.
Homer Laffoon, 20, is asking that he be awarded control of his mother's assets. Heche, who died last month after a car crash at age 53, did not have a will, according to a copy of the petition obtained by CNN.
The petition names Laffoon and Heche's 13-year-old son, Atlas Tupper as heirs.
"The Estate consists of two (2) intestate heirs—Homer Heche Laffoon and Atlas Heche Tupper," the petition statess "Homer Heche Laffoon is an adult and the proposed Administrator. Atlas Heche Tupper is a minor."
Heche's car crashed into a Los Angeles home and erupted into flames on August 5. She experienced a "severe anoxic brain injury," depriving her brain of oxygen, among other critical injuries, her family and friends said in a statement to CNN at the time.
She died days later after being taken off life support.
"My brother Atlas and I lost our Mom. After six days of almost unbelievable emotional swings, I am left with a deep, wordless sadness," Lafoon said in statement to CNN on Aug. 14. "Hopefully my mom is free from pain and beginning to explore what I like to imagine as her eternal freedom."
Lea Michele is addressing the allegations against her.
If you don’t remember, back in early June 2020, Lea wrote a tweet to support the Black Lives Matter movement and she said, “George Floyd did not deserve this. This was not an isolated incident and it must end.”
Her former Glee co-star Samantha Warelater responded on Twitter, “LMAO remember when you made my first television gig a living hell?!?! Cause I’ll never forget. I believe you told everyone if [you] had the opportunity you would ‘sh-t in my wig!’ Amongst other traumatic microagressions that made me question a career in Hollywood…”
Avril Lavigne tapped into her trademark teenage angst on Wednesday as she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Napanee, Ont., native became the latest entertainment industry personality to receive a star on a stretch of sidewalk that runs down Hollywood Boulevard.
The career benchmark came as the 37-year-old toasts the 20th anniversary of her debut album Let Go, which launched her career with the single Complicated and memorable hits Sk8er Boi and I'm With You.
Look Mom. I got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ⭐️ <a href="https://t.co/u3Cozv7lc2">pic.twitter.com/u3Cozv7lc2</a>
Lavigne's public ceremony was attended by Colson Baker, better known as singer Machine Gun Kelly, who told his tour mate she was "an inspiration for a generation of kids" like himself.
The pop-punk singer opened her speech by revealing a blown-up photograph of her 16-year-old self at the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
WATCH | Lessons learned and Love Sux:
Avril Lavigne on her new album and lessons learned over her 20-year career
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Duration 8:06
It's been 20 years since Avril Lavigne stormed onto the pop scene, with a pop-punk sound and look that helped shape a generation of teens. CBC Radio Q host Tom Power sits down with Lavigne to talk about her career and her new album Love Sux.
The photo showed the adolescent aspiring singer laying across the sidewalk beside one of the celebrity stars while dressed in a hoodie emblazoned with "skateboarding is not a crime."
The eight-time Grammy nominee proclaimed she was channelling "good luck and good vibes" as she slipped into what appeared to be the same hoodie.
WATCH | Lavigne performs at the 2022 Junos:
Avril Lavigne performs her medley of hits | Juno Awards 2022
4 months ago
Duration 4:43
Avril Lavigne performs "Complicated", "Bite Me", "Girlfriend", "Sk8er Boi", "I'm with You" at the Juno Awards 2022
"Today I love making music more than ever. I feel so inspired," she said, thanking her family and her fiance Derek Smith, who performs as rapper Mod Sun.
Lavigne said she hopes her star will inspire the next small-town 16-year-old who "comes to Hollywood one day full of hopes and dreams."
"Live your passion. Express yourself," she continued. "Be real. Work hard. Keep your head up. Believe in yourself."
"Thank you so much for this honour," she said as she wrapped up her speech.
"I'm so grateful — to party with you all after."
Lavigne poses atop her star. A photo of herself at 16, during an earlier visit to the Walk of Fame, is visible behind her. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/The Associated Press)
Q23:30Avril Lavigne on her new album Love Sux and 20 years as a pop punk icon
Avril Lavigne burst onto the scene in 2002 with her signature sound and look on the record Let Go — a cultural touchstone for some of today's biggest stars. Now, she's back with a new album called Love Sux, which marks a return to her pop punk roots.
