The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is set to premiere this Wednesday, December 19th.
Following the success of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, a ton of movie fans, filmmakers, and industry folks have gained a whole new appreciation for computer-generated effects.
Turns out, those fantastical visuals that used to live only in our imaginations can actually be brought to life with computer tech!
This isn't some cartoon—it's a perfect blend of live-action and CGI!
A month after its release, Narnia smashed through $220 million at the North American box office, with overseas earnings topping $270 million! Just the UK market alone chipped in $70 million!
And with The Lord of the Rings carrying even more fame and clout, it's no surprise fans are buzzing with excitement.
December 15th, Planet Six.
Through some connections, Dunn managed to snag a copy of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring from New Line Cinema. He screened it early in his private home theater.
The family theater's decked out in luxury, with just 12 seats. The centerpiece—the owner's chair—looks like a freaking throne. The backrest adjusts and reclines, turning into a bed if you want.
The wildest time? Right before 9/11, when Dunn screened Basic Instinct. He had Penelope Cruz on his left and Angela Lindvall on his right. Halfway through, he lowered the backrest and, well, things got pretty crazy in there.
The sounds, the visuals—it all mixed with the movie in this "mind-blowing" chaos.
But this time? No chance of that.
On Dunn's right was Scarlett Johansson, snuggled up close. On his left? The clingy little gremlin, Taylor Swift—or rather, little Tay-chan.
When the kid heard they were watching The Lord of the Rings, she insisted on tagging along. Dunn couldn't say no, so here she was.
"Can you even follow it?"
When it comes to pacing, The Lord of the Rings drags on a bit—three hours is a lot for a kid to sit through patiently.
Little Tay-chan tilted her chin up proudly. "Hmph, don't underestimate me! I've even read the books! Ask my mom if you don't believe me. My favorite's Harry Potter, but The Lord of the Rings is right up there too!"
Dunn chuckled and pulled her small shoulders closer. "Next year around this time, you'll get to see the Harry Potter movie! How about I bring Hermione and Harry over to watch it with you?"
Tay-chan shook her head instantly. "No way, that'd be no fun at all! Movie characters showing up in real life just ruins it. Last month, I rewatched Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, and every time I saw Natsu-nee, I couldn't stop laughing. Totally broke the immersion."
Dunn opened his mouth, nearly bursting into laughter.
This kid, acting all wise and grown-up, was just too adorable!
Scarlett pressed herself against Dunn, giggling softly. "You really spoil her, huh?"
Dunn paused, letting out a small sigh. "I feel kinda bad for her, honestly."
"Huh? Why?" Scarlett's eyes widened in confusion. She'd been living at the hillside estate for over two weeks now and knew a lot about Dunn's life.
Little Tay-chan used to be just a country girl. The fact that she's now living in LA, in a Beverly Hills mansion no less, was all thanks to Dunn.
Dunn lowered his voice. "Her parents… they're getting divorced."
"What?!" Scarlett's eyes popped open, and she sat up straight. "Did he sleep with her mom? Oh my God, Dunn, are you trying to go for a mother-daughter—"
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Dunn's forehead creased with exasperation. After spending enough time with Scarlett, he'd learned she could be pretty wild—both in actions and words. Just a week ago, he'd casually asked if she'd be okay with him bringing Anne Hathaway over one night to join them in bed.
He'd pitched similar ideas to Natsu tons of times, only to get shot down cold every time.
But Scarlett? She didn't even blink—just agreed right away and even threw in, "Why not call those two Aussie girls too? I'm cool with it!"
Safe to say, Scarlett had zero boundaries.
But this? This was way too out there.
Mother and daughter… cough cough. That's a dream he wouldn't touch!
The moral baggage was just too heavy.
Otherwise, Dunn would've already tracked down Liu Yifei, who'd drifted to the States, and "unified the empire" by now.
"Don't talk nonsense!" Dunn pulled her back into his arms and gave her perky backside a playful smack. "You and your wild imagination!"
"But didn't you say they're divorcing? And that you feel guilty…"
"That's because her dad's working for me, and it's kept them apart!"
Dunn shot her a glare.
Scarlett grinned mischievously, her voice turning sweet and teasing. "Okay, my bad! Don't be mad!"
They kept their voices low, but Tay-chan was right next to Dunn. She vaguely caught words like "parents" and "divorce." Her crystal-clear eyes turned red in an instant.
She might be young, but she understood more than people thought. She could sense the shifts in her parents' relationship with her sharp little heart.
Dunn felt a pang of sympathy and pulled her closer, kissing her hair gently. "Hey, sweetie, be a strong girl. You're the best, you know that?"
Tay-chan sniffled, her voice trembling with hurt and defiance, tinged with a sob. "Dunn, am I gonna be an orphan?"
"Cough cough!"
Dunn nearly choked, his face stern. "Don't say stuff like that! Your dad's still your dad, your mom's still your mom. Just grow up happy, got it?"
"Oh."
Tay-chan's reply was faint, her soft, fragile voice carrying a hint of fear.
Dunn sighed softly and pressed his forehead to hers. "Remember, you've still got me."
…
Juno is two weeks away from hitting theaters. Tonight, Natsu's appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live to kick off the first wave of TV promo for the film.
Dunn's pumped because Natsu mentioned ages ago that she'd teamed up with the show's crew to create a special song!
Scarlett was draped over Dunn, playfully feeding him fruit mouth-to-mouth, having a blast.
"Alright, enough fooling around. Keep this up, and I'll get too fired up to watch the show."
Dunn lifted Scarlett off his lap and set her beside him. He glanced at the time—five minutes until the show started.
"I've been feeling it for a while, heh…" Scarlett teased with a laugh, then switched gears, asking casually, "Oh, by the way, have you told Natsu about us?"
"Nope," Dunn replied offhandedly.
Scarlett's expression faltered slightly, and she turned to him. "Why not?"
Dunn grinned. "Relax, she's not that petty. Plus, she's my number-one girlfriend. You… you've gotta respect her, okay?"
Scarlett pouted a little. "What if she picks on me?"
"She wouldn't dare!" Dunn thought for a second. "If she does, just tell me. But don't fight with her, got it? If you two start arguing, it'll be a mess. She's stubborn as hell—never backs down."
"Oh, fine," Scarlett said, shrugging it off. These past few nights, she'd been crashing with Anne Hathaway and Dunn, long past any initial shyness or awkwardness.
Life here was amazing!
It was like paradise.
No way was she going back to how things were before.
And she could feel how much Dunn doted on her—that was enough.
Right then, CBS's The Tonight Show kicked off. Sure enough, this episode had a little twist from the usual.
The first shot was a VCR clip.
The host sat poised, starting the chat with tonight's guest: "Our star tonight—Natsu Portman."
Natsu stepped out in a sleek black dress, all elegance and grace. "Hey there."
The host asked lightly, "So, Natsu, what's a day in the life of 'Natsu Portman' like?"
Natsu raised an eyebrow. "You really wanna know?"
The host chuckled. "Of course, tell us!"
The screen cut instantly, switching to an MV-style segment.
Dunn, watching from home, got a little hyped, squeezing Scarlett's hand. "Here we go! Haha, let's hear Natsu's singing!"
Scarlett muttered under her breath, "I can sing too, you know…"
On TV, Natsu dropped the good-girl act entirely. Hands and feet moving, she launched into a fierce, rhythmic beat—not singing, not quite speaking, but shouting!
Dunn's jaw nearly hit the floor.
Wait… was this rap? A freestyle?
Holy crap!
A bad feeling hit him like a truck.
And sure enough, Natsu's familiar voice came blasting through, wild and unstoppable: "No booze, no pills, I ain't sleeping tonight! Drink 'til I'm dizzy, party hard, then peel out at a hundred miles an hour!"
The screen flipped to a backup rapper, hamming it up: "Whoa, Natsu, you're one crazy chick!"
Natsu snapped back, fierce as hell: "Shut your damn mouth and get down there to lick me! One punch from me's like lightning—kick CBS to the curb and tell Sumner Redstone to kiss Hollywood goodbye!"
"Natsu, what're you up to?"
"Boozing and brawling!"
"Natsu, what do you need?"
"All-night chaos!"
What followed was a flood of filthy lyrics: "Drop dead, who told you to yell my name? … All you little brats who worship me, get over here and lick me! Big sis is Portman, chugging like there's no tomorrow! Big sis is Portman, popping pills nonstop! … All you Jews, yeah, I'm talking to you, you're a bunch of jerks! … Back in college, I was drunk, high, and screwing around every day—cheated on every test, snorted every drug, whatcha gonna do about it?"
…
Dunn's eyes were wide, staring at the screen, too stunned to speak.
Scarlett was floored too, muttering, "Dunn… didn't you have those 18 rules? How can she…"
Dunn gritted his teeth, fuming. "Idiot, this is a TV show—it's dirty rap! Damn it, this Natsu's gonna kill me! I thought she was gonna sing a real song, not drop some filthy rap with this kind of edge. She's lost it—this girl's absolutely lost it! Natsu, why don't you just ascend to the heavens already?!"