It’s one thing to just be a reporter who covered The LOTR Trilogy during it’s lengthy production — but it’s another thing entirely to be embedded in the mix for many years while publishing Sir Ian McKellen’s extraordinary stories on his evergreen website www.McKellen.com — and thus Keith Stern, webmaster and author, provides the goods in his NEW tell-all book: For Entertainment Only: Behind the Scenes of The Lord of the Rings. Next Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, there’s even a special Book Launch Party to be held at Hollywood’s famous geek destination Scum & Villainy Cantina!
Only someone who had been that close to the action, the many rehearsals, the Big-atures, and the gargantuan effort made by the Cast and Crew could have written such a revealing volume! What amazing stories Keith Stern has to reveal here!
In his words: “Delve into the captivating world of “The Lord of the Rings” with exclusive behind-the-scenes insights and anecdotes. Discover untold stories from the making of the iconic movies, featuring interviews and experiences ‘from one who knows,’ as endorsed by Ian McKellen himself. Available for pre-order now, this memoir by Keith Stern offers a unique perspective on the filming process and the journey of bringing Middle-earth to life.
Early KIRKUS REVIEWS are positively the best they could be — and they are known to be very tough critics:
A titillating, but never salacious, memoir from a music and movie insider’s perspective.
The above image is from May 25, 2011, Wellington NZ. Birthday party for Sir Ian McKellen. Peter Jackson previews some footage of THE HOBBIT for Stephen Hunter, Dean O’Gorman and Fran Walsh. Photo by Keith Stern “For Entertainment Only”
Continuing from their Kirkus Review: “As the author of the landmark 1993 book Queers in History, Stern has been at the forefront of promoting the biographies of LGBTQ+ luminaries, including that of his close personal friend Ian McKellen, who plays a central role throughout the book’s second half. The author’s stream-of-consciousness writing style offers an engaging read, and the text is accompanied by a high-resolution online photo gallery of snapshots taken by the author of Hollywood stars.”
Behind this nondescript door in Wellington, all kinds of amazing movie magic happened where KING KONG climbed and fell from the Empire State Building! Photo by Keith Stern: “For Entertainment Only”
As we get closer to the Party date (Nov. 12, 2024) more surprises and images will be revealed on Keith’s official FaceBook page here:
There are so many wonderful appearances in the pages of this volume from Rock & Roll stars and movie actors galore. What sets this remarkable book apart is the intimacy and self-awareness of the author himself — a man who worked hard to bring Sir Ian and his wisdom to all the fans waiting to hear from him during the earliest days of the Internet.
Clifford Broadway will be hosting an EXCLUSIVE interview with Keith Stern during next week’s broadcast of TORn Tuesday — so be sure to tune in for that livestream! If you are in Southern California on Nov. 12, 2024, then join us at Scum & Villainy Cantina, 6377 Hollywood Blvd. from 7pm until 9pm Pacific Time — for a smashing good party, free to attend! Books will be available and the author will be happy to sign copies.
The above photo shows us the 2001 Gandalf the Grey contact sheet. Photos by Pierre Vinet. Ian has marked with an X those that should not be used for publicity or marketing. His contract allowed him to reject a certain amount, about 1/2 but the rest were fair game for the studio marketing and publicity departments to use for posters, advertisements and illustrations.
The above picture: November 28, 2012, Wellington NZ: Elijah Wood on the red carpet for the premiere of “The Hobbit”. Photo by Keith Stern “For Entertainment Only”
