Celebrate LOTR Tag

Over at her blog Classical Ramblings, Miss Jane Bennet is having a Celebrate LOTR blog party!
As a fan of LOTR, I thought it'd be fun to participate, and maybe get to know the series a little better in the process. Let's get started, shall we?

What was your first introduction to Lord of the Rings?

When I was little, my mom read me the books as bedtime stories. And then a short time after that, the movies started coming out, and I got to see those, too.

   

Have you ever read the book?

I've read the Hobbit all the way through(does that count?), and I've read all my favorite parts in the books, too. Sad to say, I've never been able to have a copy of the books handy for long enough to actually read them. They all get caught up in the quagmire of books that my bed consists of. I'd really like to read them all through someday though. :D

   

Which version of the movies do you prefer – the extended version or the theatrical release?

I don't know, the extended ones are a lot of fun to watch with the new scenes and such, and they kind of fill in stuff that they didn't have time for in the theatrical releases. I think that I like to actually watch the theatrical versions better though, since they're shorter, hence, we have time for them more often.

   

Who is your favorite character and why?

My favorite character, hmmm... For a while it was Legolas(For... obvious reasons), then it was Faramir(again... for obvious reasons), but right now I'd have to say that my favorite characters are Gandalf and Sam. Sam, because he's such a loyal friend, and pretty much everything you could want in a best friend. Gandalf, because he's a rockin' awesome wizard who gets some really good moments and lines. I can't forget Sméagol though, he's a sad character, and so important to the storyline. I like how things work out with him.

   

Which of the other books concerning Middle-Earth have you read?

I've flipped through the Silmarillion, and as I mentioned before, I've read the Hobbit. I also have an elvish dictionary, does that count?

   

If there was one thing about the movies you would change, what would it be?

I think I'd make more of an effort to show how Sauron had been breaking Denethor's mind with the Palantir. I also think that I would cut out all the Faramir being tempted by the ring stuff. But that's two and I have to pick one, so I think I'll go with the Faramir thing.

   

What is your favorite scene in either the books or the movies?

My favorite scene in the books, well, I've got a few. I like the scene where Faramir kisses Eowyn while they're recovering in Minas Tirith. That scene just struck me as being very sweet, and it shows how much of a romantic Mr. Tolkien was.
I also like the Barrow Downs from the Fellowship of the Ring. Really chilling, and so cool. I'm a little sad it didn't make it into the movie.

Speaking of the movie, my favorites scene in the whole series was the march of the Ents to Isengard. The music, the shot of all the Ents marching, everything was just awesome!

   

How would you rate your addiction to Lord of the Rings – Aragorn being the lowest and Gollum/Smeagol being the highest?

Erm... I'm going to say... Frodo. When he was at Mount Doom and said 'The Ring is mine!"

   

If you could be any Lord of the Rings character, who would it be?

Um... Gandalf? Or Legolas, and shoot a wicked awesome bow and arrow.

 

Well that was fun! :)

I'll see if I can think of anything to do for the LOTR week, but if not, I'll see you later!