Lord of the .... Publicists?

The Wall Street Journal reported on December 12 that New Line Cinema has lined up five outside publicists and a "crisis-managment specialist" to help lead LoTR 3, Return of the King, to this year's Oscars podium. According to the Journal, "the studio's strategy is to position 'Rings' for Oscar consideration as a 'historical epic,' not a fantasy, says Russell Schwartz, president of marketing at New Line ... 'we don't use the dreaded 'F' word,' he says." Regarding the perceived impediment of the "sequel" factor, "New Line responds that the three 'Rings' movies are parts of a trilogy."

Nominations will be announed on January 27. Be watching February 29 to see if the golden ring will win the golden statuette. Past fantasy classics passed over by Oscar include "The Wizard of Oz" and "Star Wars."