NBC Today show.

[Ysgarran]

I was watching the NBC today show (looking to see if the local schools would be closed or not). Katie Couric was interviewing Liv Tyler this morning and was showing just how little she knew about LotR. I'm paraphrasing the interview, but it shows the point.

Katie: You have a love interest in the movie by the name of Eric?
Liv: Aragorn
Katie: And you speak a strange language called Elvis?
Liv: Elvish.

Katie was asking these questions very hesitantly, she obviously had no clue about LotR. It seems she didn't even watch any of the previews to prepare for the interview...

Ysgarran.

 

[KenM]

ok, I can see where Katie gets elvis from elvish, but Aragorn/ Eric?

 

[Mr Fidgit]

maybe she was thinking Elric?

 

[KnowTheToe]

It is common fact she has been a long time lurker on this site and is infatuated with Eric Noah. It was nothing more than a slip of the tongue.

 

[EricNoah]

I'm sorry ... who slipped me the tongue?

 

[Airwolf]

I'm sorry ... who slipped me the tongue?

Well, I sure hope it was Mrs. Noah in her Katie Couric disguise.

 

[Storm Raven]

Katie was asking these questions very hesitantly, she obviously had no clue about LotR. It seems she didn't even watch any of the previews to prepare for the interview...

Katie Couric is a typical news bimbo: chosen for her apperance and "bubbly" persona, but with limited actual knowledge of any substance. As a result, I am always unsurprised when she has limited knowledge of the subject at hand.

 

[LrdApoc]

You would at least expect that she would do research before an interview.. as is standard Journalistic procedure.

Ah well.. I guess it doesnt matter when you get paid that much.

 

[jester47]

I don't know if it is just me but it seems that there are people who have a very hard time with the idea of fantasy. They are very into the "real" and seem to lack the ability to enjoy the unreal. These people seem to be attracted to journalism as a profession in general, not to say that all journalists are like this. The attitude is "Its not real, so therefore it does not really deserve attention because it simply does not matter."

Aaron.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Well, I remember Couric interviewing JK Rowling right around the time the first Harry Potter film was released. She has kids, so it makes sense she would know more about Potter than LotR, but she seemed as enthused and geeky about HP as any kid. She pronounced all the names correctly, just to contrast with what was posted above. To be honest, I never would have guessed what the proper pronunciation of "Hermione" was.

Couric is actually a pretty decent journalist, for the kind of show she's on. I've seen some pretty hard-nosed interviews done by her. However, if what was posted above was directly quoted, she definitely should have done her research better.

The point about people eschewing fantasy as unimportant is correct, I believe. I get the feeling that's why so much of it that makes it to the screen has to have strongly "realistic" ties, like the protagonists being from modern day Earth, or technobabble being used to explain away any and every supposedly fantastic occurrence. Actually, I think it's more a bias of the TV and movie industries, which seem to have had little confidence in the public accepting "pure" fantasy. Maybe LotR will change that.