In Regards to the alleged print of THE TWO TOWERS that leaked online!

Folks, Harry here... Well after Drudge made his premature declaration on his site that the 2nd LORD OF THE RINGS film had leaked online - without checking it out for himself it seems - I contacted various unsavory barbarians in the cyber trenches. The folks that are the scourge that traffic in this sort of travesties. In my line of work... Movie Spying, I happen to meet all sorts of types, not all of which stay on the side of Truth, Justice and the American Way.

I personally am against the pirating of films online, but that doesn't stop folks from mailing me VCDs and emailing me locations of files. Just because I don't like these things, because I don't traffic in these circles doesn't mean I don't stay on top of what is happening in the field. To anyone that has been scouring the shires in search for this flick, they'll attest that it is not online. There are files of enormous length purporting to be TWO TOWERS - but they are garbage files that do not contain mediocre video and audio for the upcoming epic. These are 'false echoes' tar baby's placed to trap unsuspecting fools that think this thing is online.

After consulting with these folks, I came to the conclusion very quickly that Drudge had no clue what he was talking about.

However, the bug had been put in my ear... Would it be possible to get a print of TWO TOWERS now? So I began contacting my sources that know the exact state of New Line's greatest treasure and where every single bit of the film may be. Yes... I do have sources that good (remember, I'm the guy that saw Episode 2 early)!!!

Right now - as we speak - this is the state of what is going on with THE TWO TOWERS. In the United States there are currently two video tapes (in two different formats) containing the first 5 reels of THE TWO TOWERS. These copies have intense burn ins - and they are being used to work up and get a head start on Subtitles. The MPAA saw a check print of THE TWO TOWERS recently, but it was sent back to New Zealand on Labor Day.

Now that Print is Handcuffed to a human being that entire journey and the cannister is marked with a title (NOT TWO TOWERS) that I won't mention here, because that'd be laying down the cards for all the players to see.

So... What does this mean? If you were to get a print of TWO TOWERS at this point, you'd have to get it from 3 FOOT 6 in NEW ZEALAND. You'd have to pull it out of their computer system, which has INTENSE log ins and security checks. Is it impossible? No, but are the pirates that good? No. Am I that good? ... Not yet, but I'm in training.

Fact of the matter is this though. I've seen some of TWO TOWERS - some that I saw in New Zealand two years ago when I was there, some at Cannes, some at the tail end of THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING and some in the trailers and some... that I shouldn't have seen.

If there was a print that had escaped, I would have seen it. I'm not trying to see it early, because frankly... Unlike any other series in the known world, I have total faith in THE TWO TOWERS and the crew making this film. I don't worry that they're fucking it up, that the writing is bad, that it will have a character that will burn hatred into the very souls of fandom. I don't feel the urge to check the homework or second guess the filmmakers. There is no doubt in my mind that Peter Jackson and his crew are making a pure and total classic.

That means I'd love to see it early. But that also means I want to see it one way only. On the big screen, lit from behind on celluloid and in digital sound. Would I watch a work print? Only if screened for me in a theater with at least 75 other people. Is this going to happen? Not bloody likely.

So for now, put away your greedy thoughts of acquiring your precious in a semi-precious state. It doesn't exist. And if it does, then somebody's kung fu is better than mine... And frankly... when it comes to movies like THE TWO TOWERS - I'm the Kung Fu Master!