Simon Says…… entertainment and fun
This is a blog about fun thrills, entertainment and generally enjoying life to the fullest.
If you are looking at the book The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers and are feeling a little overwhelmed by how thick it is, you are not alone. Many people who have read The Hobbit and The Fellowship of The Rings have found that some portions are hard to get through. However, as it links together the first and third books, it is important for you to read since it answers many questions and provides information you need to make the third book, The Return of the King, make sense.
You will find that the book tends to be a study in contrasts. There are some portions that are filled with action, suspense and intrigue. There are also sections which focus more on the environment that the characters are traveling through and which tend to be a bit slower paced.
The 2002 screen adaptation of the book tends to make these slower portions more interesting. This is because you are able to see the landscape and it makes it feel more real and immediate than reading it may. Text can be hard to follow for some people but the visuals developed by Peter Jackson and his crew tend to reach out and draw you in more completely than you might ever imagine. The movie uses extensive make-up, elaborate sets and computer generated imagery to make the sensation of being in Middle Earth complete. Even people who have read the book will find they experience scenes such as the siege at Helm’s Deep more deeply and will truly feel that they are in King Theoden’s hall as Gandalf faces down Grima Wormtongue in order to free the Rohirrim from tyranny.
Many people miss the reference to the two towers. The first belongs to Saruman. He is a wizard who appears first in the Fellowship of the Ring. Although we are aware that he has sided with the enemy, the extent of his treachery becomes obvious as we see him creating fierce creatures known as Uruk-Hai in the caves below his tower. The second tower is that occupied by Sauron himself.
Throughout the movie, you are introduced to some of the other characters which do not form the Fellowship but which are no less important. They include Theoden of Rohan, a human king who is fighting to keep his people safe. You meet the Ents, giant tree-like creatures who can walk and talk and who are truly fearsome when angered.
You also begin to learn more about some of the motivations which affect the characters. Boromir, who is killed in the first movie, is from Gondor, a land on the border of Mordor and under constant siege from the forces of darkness. The movie delves into the motivations of the people of Gondor. We are introduced to Faramir, younger brother of Boromir who is desperate to prove himself to his father who serves as Steward of that country.
If you are someone who loves action, this book is filled with some of the most incredible scenes of any in fantasy literature. The main battle is that of Helm’s Deep, where humans hole up and are besieged by Orcs, Goblins and Uruk-hai.
Although The Two Towers is one of the least appreciated of the three books, it is definitely worth reading. It will help explain how things reach the point they do when The Return of The King begins.
3) If the song contains different tempos and returns to the original rhythm. Video Download The reason for this are quite simple: the PSP is a very versatile piece of equipment. They can teach you how to balance different skills in each lessons: strumming, note reading and music theories.
Paddy reckons the Wombles are returning
No stranger to a novelty bet or 20, Paddy Power?s grapevine has been well and truly quivering at the sound of various different types of music this week. In a week that has seen the release of the video of the Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow civil ceremony on Wimbledon Common, Paddy revealed that while he was there a strange animal approached him with some privileged information about one his mates apparently reforming a certain band for one last shot at the big time. The mysterious animal in question: a womble. Likelihood of them reforming: Head over to Paddy Power to look at all manner of novelty odds. Read more.
Chinese collusion ring caught on PokerStars
As if Chinese gamblers weren’t having a bad enough time of it in their own homeland, now they feeling the wrath of the Western world as well. Mind you, this time it’s with good reason as PokerStars has exposed a large scale collusion ring involving several dozen Chinese players, who profited by as much as $750,000 by cheating on the poker site.Talk about giving your fellow countrymen a bad name. It’s hard to feel sorry for the innocent victims of China’s gambling crackdown when this sort of thing happens but we have to remember not to tar everyone with the same brush.Most people in China just want to have a game of poker or mahjong without being given 20 years hard labour, but these reprobates will have only served to justify the country’s misguided, hard-line, anti-gambling stance. Read more.
Yankees looking to land another stud in Cliff Lee
It seems once a player reaches a certain level of super stardom the only place where he can play is where they?re wearing pinstripes and the Yankee blue. That?s just the way it seems to go in baseball. Now that Cliff Lee has established himself as one of the elite pitchers in the game the Yankees want him and they just might get their wish.Trade talks have been going back and forth between the Mariners and the Yankees over Cliff Lee in what would be a package deal going to the Mariners for the former A.L Cy Young lefty. Read more.Whether the Yankees get Lee in a trade is uncertain. What is certain is that Cliff Lee is a free agent at the end of this season and the Yankees already have to be considered front runners to scoop him up. The Yankees have the payroll, they have his friend and former teammate Sabathia and Cliff Lee clearly likes pitching in Yankee Stadium. Lee dismantled the Yankee lineup in last year?s World Series and seemed to enjoy pitching on the big stage. There?s no stage bigger than the Bronx.I can understand why Lee wouldn’t want to hang out in Seattle. Look how the Mariners team ran Griffey out of town, though, Griffey will probably never say a bad word against the team, someone on that snitched on him for sleeping in the clubhouse. That’s like baseball blasphemy for a guy of Griffey’s stature. He should be able to nail hookers in the dugout and no one should say a word about the Hall of Famer, considering all he’s done for that city. Can’t see why Lee would want to stick around in that clubhouse full of snitches. Loose lips sink ships and snitches get stitches, isn’t that what they say? Read more.If and when the Yankees land Lee, he will be another allstar pitcher in a star studded rotation. No doubt all of the Yankee haters will rise up yet again to denounce ?The Evil Empire? for spending the money to sign one of the game?s best. I?ve never understood that stance. You would think that people would applaud an organization for spending whatever it takes to make their team World Series contenders. I get the whole argument that it?s not fair to the small market teams and I don?t buy it. If owners don?t want to shell out the money or can?t afford to that?s just too bad, I don?t see the need for sympathy. Yeah, it?s not fair, but neither baseball, that?s been established. And the argument that other teams can?t afford to sign big name players for the most part to me is nonsense. There?s several teams that make plenty of money, but their owners are more concerned with the bottom line instead of putting a winning team on the field, like the Toronto Bluejays for example. You can?t tell me a team is committed to winning when they give away the best pitcher in the game.If the Yankees do pick up Cliff Lee, head to the nearest bookie or online gaming website and make bet that they win the World Series again, and then do it again next year, heck even year after that.
32Red headlines at July Festival races
Not sure which horse to back at Newmarket today? How about Red 32? Since acquiring Nedplay a few months ago, 32Red has been going about its business nice and quietly, cantering along tucked in the middle of the pack, if you will. But as if to prove that its race is far from run the online operator has cracked the whip and signed a four-year deal to sponsor three of the big races at the July Festival at Newmarket, which begins today. Let’s hope there’s not a faller there.Read more.
Slim Pickings to replace Roy Hodgson at Fulham
If Roy Hodgson has been handed a poisoned chalice at Anfield, God help whoever replaces him at Craven Cottage. By all accounts José Mourinho and Pep Guardiola turned the job down because they couldn’t possibly measure up to Sir Roy, and after Joachim Löw (pictured) wins the World Cup, he’ll find moving to Fulham too much of a step up, so the SuperWhites are now left with the likes of Gianfranco Zola, Alan Curbishley and, inevitably, Sven-Göran Eriksson. Hardly seems fair, does it? Read more.
© 2010 Simon Says……
Sportsbook Reviews by (DT)