Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 25-31
Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 25-31:
May 25: Actor Ann Robinson ('War of the Worlds') is 96. Actor Ian McKellen ('Lord of the Rings') is 86. Country singer Jessi Colter is 82. Actor-singer Leslie Uggams is 82. Director-Muppetteer Frank Oz is 81. Actor Karen Valentine is 78. Actor Jacki Weaver ('Silver Linings Playbook') is 78. Singer Klaus Meine of Scorpions is 78. Actor Patti D'Arbanville ('New York Undercover') is 74. Actor Connie Sellecca is 70. Singer-guitarist Paul Weller of The Jam is 67. Actor-comedian Mike Myers is 62. Actor Joseph Reitman ('The Perfect Storm') is 57. Actors Sidney and Lindsay Greenbush ('Little House on the Prairie') are 55. Actor Jamie Kennedy ('Scream') is 55. Actor Octavia Spencer ('Hidden Figures,' 'The Help') is 55. Actor Justin Henry ('Kramer Vs. Kramer,' 'Sixteen Candles') is 54. Rapper Daz Dillinger of Tha Dogg Pound is 52. Actor Erinn Hayes ('Kevin Can Wait') is 49. Actor Cillian Murphy ('Oppenheimer,' 'The Dark Knight') is 49. Actor Ethan Suplee ('My Name Is Earl') is 49. Actor Lauren Frost ('Even Stevens') is 40. Actor Ebonée Noel (TV's 'FBI') is 35. Musician Guy Lawrence of Disclosure is 34.
May 26: Sportscaster Brent Musburger is 86. Drummer Garry Peterson of The Guess Who is 80. Singer Stevie Nicks is 77. Actor Pam Grier is 76. Actor Philip Michael Thomas ('Miami Vice') is 76. Country singer Hank Williams Jr. is 76. Actor Margaret Colin is 67. Singer Dave Robbins (BlackHawk) is 66. Actor Doug Hutchison ('The Green Mile') is 65. Actor Genie Francis ('General Hospital') is 63. Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait is 63. Singer Lenny Kravitz is 61. Actor Helena Bonham Carter is 59. Drummer Phillip Rhodes of The Gin Blossoms is 57. Actor Joseph Fiennes ('Shakespeare in Love') is 55. Singer Joey Kibble of Take 6 is 54. 'South Park' co-creator Matt Stone is 54. Singer Lauryn Hill is 50. Bassist Nathan Cochran of MercyMe is 47. Actor Elisabeth Harnois ('CSI') is 46. Actor Hrach Titizian ('Homeland') is 46.
May 27: Actor Lee Meriwether is 90. Actor Bruce Weitz is 82. Singer Bruce Cockburn is 80. Jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater is 75. Actor Richard Schiff ('The Good Doctor,' 'The West Wing') is 70. Singer Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie and the Banshees is 68. Singer-guitarist Neil Finn of Crowded House and Split Enz is 67. Actor Peri Gilpin ('Frasier') is 64. Actor Cathy Silvers ('Happy Days') is 64. Comedian Adam Carolla is 61. Actor Todd Bridges ('Diff'rent Strokes') is 60. Drummer Sean Kinney of Alice In Chains is 59. Actor Dondre' Whitfield ('Queen Sugar') is 56. Actor Paul Bettany ('The Da Vinci Code,' ″A Beautiful Mind') is 54. Singer-guitarist Brian Desveaux of Nine Days is 54. Actor Jack McBrayer ('30 Rock') is 52. Musician Andre 3000 of Outkast is 50. Rapper Jadakiss is 50. TV chef Jamie Oliver is 50. Actor Ben Feldman ('Mad Men') is 45. Actor Darin Brooks ('The Bold and the Beautiful') is 41. Actor Chris Colfer ('Glee') is 35. Actor Ethan Dampf ('American Dreams') is 31. Actor Desiree Ross ('Greenleaf') is 26.
May 28: Actor Carroll Baker is 94. Singer Gladys Knight is 81. Singer Billy Vera is 81. Singer John Fogerty is 80. Musician Jerry Douglas of Alison Krauss and Union Station is 69. Actor Louis Mustillo ('Mike and Molly') is 67. Actor Brandon Cruz ('The Courtship of Eddie's Father') is 63. Actor Christa Miller ('Scrubs,' ″The Drew Carey Show') is 61. Country singer Phil Vassar is 61. Singer Chris Ballew of Presidents of the United States of America is 60. Singer Kylie Minogue is 57. Rapper Chubb Rock is 57. Actor Justin Kirk ('Weeds') is 56. Talk show host Elisabeth Hasselbeck ('Fox and Friends,' ″The View') is 48. R&B singer Jaheim is 48. Actor Jake Johnson ('New Girl') is 47. Actor Monica Keena ('Dawson's Creek,' ″Undeclared') is 46. Actor Alexa Davalos ('Clash of the Titans' ″The Chronicles of Riddick') is 43. Actor Megalyn Echikunwoke ('24') is 43. Singer Colbie Caillat is 40. Actor Carey Mulligan ('The Great Gatsby') is 40.
May 29: Actor Anthony Geary ('General Hospital') is 78. Singer Rebbie Jackson is 75. Composer Danny Elfman (Oingo Boingo) is 72. Singer LaToya Jackson is 69. Actor Ted Levine ('Monk,' ″The Silence of the Lambs') is 68. Actor Annette Bening is 67. Actor Rupert Everett is 66. Actor Adrian Paul (TV's 'The Highlander') is 66. Singer Melissa Etheridge is 64. Actor Lisa Whelchel ('The Facts of Life') is 62. Guitarist Noel Gallagher (Oasis) is 58. Singer Jayski McGowan of Quad City DJ's is 58. Actor Anthony Azizi ('Threat Matrix,' ″Lost') is 56. Guitarist Chan Kinchla of Blues Traveler is 56. Actor Laverne Cox ('Doubt,' ″Orange Is the New Black') is 53. Guitarist Mark Lee of Third Day is 52. Cartoonist Aaron McGruder ('Boondocks') is 51. Singer Melanie Brown ('Scary Spice') of the Spice Girls is 50. Rapper Playa Poncho is 50. Singer Fonseca is 46. Actor Justin Chon ('Deception,' ″Dr. Ken') is 44. Actor Billy Flynn ('Days of Our Lives') is 40. Actor Blake Foster ('Power Rangers Turbo') is 40. Actor Riley Keough ('Daisy Jones and the Six') is 36. Actor Brandon Mychal Smith ('Sonny With a Chance') is 36. Actor Kristen Alderson ('General Hospital,' ″One Life To Live') is 34. Actor Lorelei Linklater ('Boyhood') is 32.
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
May 30: Actor Ruta Lee ('High Rollers,' 'What's My Line?') is 90. Actor Keir Dullea ('2001: A Space Odyssey') is 89. Guitarist Lenny Davidson of The Dave Clark Five is 81. Actor Stephen Tobolowsky ('Groundhog Day,' ″Sneakers') is 74. Actor Colm Meaney ('Star Trek: The Next Generation') is 72. Actor Ted McGinley ('Hope and Faith,' ″Married… With Children') is 67. Actor Ralph Carter ('Good Times') is 64. Actor-filmmaker Tonya Pinkins ('All My Children') is 63. Country singer Wynonna Judd is 61. Guitarist Tom Morello of Audioslave and Rage Against the Machine is 61. Actor Mark Sheppard ('Supernatural') is 61. Film director Antoine Fuqua ('Training Day,' 'The Replacement Killers') is 60. Actor John Ross Bowie ('Speechless,' ″The Big Bang Theory') is 54. Guitarist Patrick Dahlheimer of Live is 54. Singer-actor Idina Menzel is 54. Singer Cee Lo Green (Gnarls Barkley, Goodie Mob) is 50. Rapper Remy Ma is 45. Guitarist James Smith of Underoath is 43. Actor Javicia Leslie ('God Friended Me') is 38. Actor Sean Giambrone ('The Goldbergs') is 26. Actor Jared Gilmore ('Once Upon a Time,' ″Mad Men') is 25.
May 31: Actor-director Clint Eastwood is 95. Keyboardist Augie Meyers of the Texas Tornadoes and the Sir Douglas Quintet is 85. Actor Sharon Gless ('Cagney and Lacey') is 82. Actor Tom Berenger is 75. Actor Gregory Harrison is 75. Actor Kyle Secor ('Homicide: Life on the Street') is 68. Actor Roma Maffia ('Nip/Tuck,' ″Profiler') is 67. Comedian Chris Elliott is 65. Actor Lea Thompson ('Caroline in the City,' ″Back to the Future') is 64. Singer Corey Hart is 63. Rapper DMC of Run-DMC is 61. Actor Brooke Shields is 60. Country bassist Ed Adkins of The Derailers is 58. 'The Amazing Race' host Phil Keoghan is 58. Jazz bassist Christian McBride is 53. Actor Archie Panjabi ('The Good Wife') is 53. Actor Merle Dandridge ('Greenleaf') is 50. Actor Colin Farrell is 49. Trumpet player Scott Klopfenstein of Reel Big Fish is 48. Actor Eric Christian Olsen ('NCIS: Los Angeles') is 48. Drummer Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy is 45. Rapper Waka Flocka Flame is 39. Actor Curtis Williams Jr. ('Parent'Hood') is 38. Singer Normani Hamilton of Fifth Harmony is 29.
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CTV News
28-05-2025
- CTV News
Man's Lego version of iconic northern Ont. ferry garnering attention
Ken Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. Ken Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. Ken Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. Ken Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. Ken Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. Ken Reid's largest piece to date is a seven-foot high, seven-foot long and seven-foot wide replica of Minas Anor from Lord of the Rings that required 220,000 Lego pieces. Ken Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. Ken Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. Ken Reid is seen with another of his creations – a Lego replica of Toronto's Casa Loma. Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. Ken Reid has been making Lego replicas for almost a decade, but he says his replica of an iconic northern Ontario ferry is getting the most attention. Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. Lego 2 Ken Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. (Photo courtesy of Ken Reid) It took 92,000 pieces and he estimates that on many days, he worked six to eight hours on what was clearly a labour of love. Reid said he and his late wife took the ferry several times over the years and he has thought about making a Lego replica of it for a while. 'I started thinking about it last year when it was (the Chi-Cheemaun's) 50th anniversary -- I kind of missed the boat,' he joked, on the phone from his home Wednesday. Took photos on the ferry 'Then in early February, I started downloading pictures off the internet and I figured, you know, it's been bugging me for a year. It's time to start building it.' Ferry officials let him on board to take photos of the interior of the ferry when it was docked in Owen Sound so he could get everything just right. The hardest part, he said, was the hull. He spent three weeks alone building and rebuilding it to get it right. He uploaded photos of the finished product in May, and it has gathered a lot of media and other attention since then. Lego 7 Ken Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. (Photo courtesy of Ken Reid) In addition to radio and TV interviews, he said Science North in Sudbury has asked about displaying it as part of its Lego exhibit, the Chi-Cheemaun has asked to display it, as has the Tom Thomson Art Gallery in Owen Sound. He said he built it so it could be moved in four sections. He's not sure about sending it all the way to Sudbury, however, and he's unsure how it would fare on the actual ferry, since there's so much movement back and forth. 'The Owen Sound Visitor Centre happens to be at the Tom Thompson (Art Gallery), so I'm kind of leaning towards that one for a while because I've had a lot of interest from people,' Reid said. While he has built models all of his life, he got seriously into Lego replicas in 2016. Reid saw a TV show about adult fans of Lego and was soon hooked. At first, he dug out old Lego pieces that belonged to his children. Now he has around one million Lego pieces in all corners of his home. Reid said he was drawn to making replicas because he liked the idea of being able to enjoy his creation for as long as he wanted, then take it apart and build something new. 'You build a model and it just sits on a shelf forever,' he said. '(With) Lego, you build it, you enjoy it, and after a while, you can change it.' Lego Casa Loma Ken Reid is seen with another of his creations – a Lego replica of Toronto's Casa Loma. (Photo courtesy of Ken Reid) Another of his creations – a replica of Toronto's Casa Loma – also attracted attention. As did his largest piece to date – a seven-foot high, seven-foot long and seven-foot wide replica of Minas Anor from Lord of the Rings that required 220,000 Lego pieces. 'Unfortunately, that one's not movable because a lot of people wanted to see it,' he said. He also did a nine-foot version of the Titanic, which was good preparation for his work on the Chi-Cheemaun. Reid expects he'll enjoy his latest creation for a while before he gets the itch to make something else. 'Yeah, there'll be another project,' he said. 'I usually slow down during the summer on my builds. It's more of a winter hobby. But I don't stop – like, if it's a rainy day, I putter away in here.'
Winnipeg Free Press
19-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 25-31
Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 25-31: May 25: Actor Ann Robinson ('War of the Worlds') is 96. Actor Ian McKellen ('Lord of the Rings') is 86. Country singer Jessi Colter is 82. Actor-singer Leslie Uggams is 82. Director-Muppetteer Frank Oz is 81. Actor Karen Valentine is 78. Actor Jacki Weaver ('Silver Linings Playbook') is 78. Singer Klaus Meine of Scorpions is 78. Actor Patti D'Arbanville ('New York Undercover') is 74. Actor Connie Sellecca is 70. Singer-guitarist Paul Weller of The Jam is 67. Actor-comedian Mike Myers is 62. Actor Joseph Reitman ('The Perfect Storm') is 57. Actors Sidney and Lindsay Greenbush ('Little House on the Prairie') are 55. Actor Jamie Kennedy ('Scream') is 55. Actor Octavia Spencer ('Hidden Figures,' 'The Help') is 55. Actor Justin Henry ('Kramer Vs. Kramer,' 'Sixteen Candles') is 54. Rapper Daz Dillinger of Tha Dogg Pound is 52. Actor Erinn Hayes ('Kevin Can Wait') is 49. Actor Cillian Murphy ('Oppenheimer,' 'The Dark Knight') is 49. Actor Ethan Suplee ('My Name Is Earl') is 49. Actor Lauren Frost ('Even Stevens') is 40. Actor Ebonée Noel (TV's 'FBI') is 35. Musician Guy Lawrence of Disclosure is 34. May 26: Sportscaster Brent Musburger is 86. Drummer Garry Peterson of The Guess Who is 80. Singer Stevie Nicks is 77. Actor Pam Grier is 76. Actor Philip Michael Thomas ('Miami Vice') is 76. Country singer Hank Williams Jr. is 76. Actor Margaret Colin is 67. Singer Dave Robbins (BlackHawk) is 66. Actor Doug Hutchison ('The Green Mile') is 65. Actor Genie Francis ('General Hospital') is 63. Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait is 63. Singer Lenny Kravitz is 61. Actor Helena Bonham Carter is 59. Drummer Phillip Rhodes of The Gin Blossoms is 57. Actor Joseph Fiennes ('Shakespeare in Love') is 55. Singer Joey Kibble of Take 6 is 54. 'South Park' co-creator Matt Stone is 54. Singer Lauryn Hill is 50. Bassist Nathan Cochran of MercyMe is 47. Actor Elisabeth Harnois ('CSI') is 46. Actor Hrach Titizian ('Homeland') is 46. May 27: Actor Lee Meriwether is 90. Actor Bruce Weitz is 82. Singer Bruce Cockburn is 80. Jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater is 75. Actor Richard Schiff ('The Good Doctor,' 'The West Wing') is 70. Singer Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie and the Banshees is 68. Singer-guitarist Neil Finn of Crowded House and Split Enz is 67. Actor Peri Gilpin ('Frasier') is 64. Actor Cathy Silvers ('Happy Days') is 64. Comedian Adam Carolla is 61. Actor Todd Bridges ('Diff'rent Strokes') is 60. Drummer Sean Kinney of Alice In Chains is 59. Actor Dondre' Whitfield ('Queen Sugar') is 56. Actor Paul Bettany ('The Da Vinci Code,' ″A Beautiful Mind') is 54. Singer-guitarist Brian Desveaux of Nine Days is 54. Actor Jack McBrayer ('30 Rock') is 52. Musician Andre 3000 of Outkast is 50. Rapper Jadakiss is 50. TV chef Jamie Oliver is 50. Actor Ben Feldman ('Mad Men') is 45. Actor Darin Brooks ('The Bold and the Beautiful') is 41. Actor Chris Colfer ('Glee') is 35. Actor Ethan Dampf ('American Dreams') is 31. Actor Desiree Ross ('Greenleaf') is 26. May 28: Actor Carroll Baker is 94. Singer Gladys Knight is 81. Singer Billy Vera is 81. Singer John Fogerty is 80. Musician Jerry Douglas of Alison Krauss and Union Station is 69. Actor Louis Mustillo ('Mike and Molly') is 67. Actor Brandon Cruz ('The Courtship of Eddie's Father') is 63. Actor Christa Miller ('Scrubs,' ″The Drew Carey Show') is 61. Country singer Phil Vassar is 61. Singer Chris Ballew of Presidents of the United States of America is 60. Singer Kylie Minogue is 57. Rapper Chubb Rock is 57. Actor Justin Kirk ('Weeds') is 56. Talk show host Elisabeth Hasselbeck ('Fox and Friends,' ″The View') is 48. R&B singer Jaheim is 48. Actor Jake Johnson ('New Girl') is 47. Actor Monica Keena ('Dawson's Creek,' ″Undeclared') is 46. Actor Alexa Davalos ('Clash of the Titans' ″The Chronicles of Riddick') is 43. Actor Megalyn Echikunwoke ('24') is 43. Singer Colbie Caillat is 40. Actor Carey Mulligan ('The Great Gatsby') is 40. May 29: Actor Anthony Geary ('General Hospital') is 78. Singer Rebbie Jackson is 75. Composer Danny Elfman (Oingo Boingo) is 72. Singer LaToya Jackson is 69. Actor Ted Levine ('Monk,' ″The Silence of the Lambs') is 68. Actor Annette Bening is 67. Actor Rupert Everett is 66. Actor Adrian Paul (TV's 'The Highlander') is 66. Singer Melissa Etheridge is 64. Actor Lisa Whelchel ('The Facts of Life') is 62. Guitarist Noel Gallagher (Oasis) is 58. Singer Jayski McGowan of Quad City DJ's is 58. Actor Anthony Azizi ('Threat Matrix,' ″Lost') is 56. Guitarist Chan Kinchla of Blues Traveler is 56. Actor Laverne Cox ('Doubt,' ″Orange Is the New Black') is 53. Guitarist Mark Lee of Third Day is 52. Cartoonist Aaron McGruder ('Boondocks') is 51. Singer Melanie Brown ('Scary Spice') of the Spice Girls is 50. Rapper Playa Poncho is 50. Singer Fonseca is 46. Actor Justin Chon ('Deception,' ″Dr. Ken') is 44. Actor Billy Flynn ('Days of Our Lives') is 40. Actor Blake Foster ('Power Rangers Turbo') is 40. Actor Riley Keough ('Daisy Jones and the Six') is 36. Actor Brandon Mychal Smith ('Sonny With a Chance') is 36. Actor Kristen Alderson ('General Hospital,' ″One Life To Live') is 34. Actor Lorelei Linklater ('Boyhood') is 32. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. May 30: Actor Ruta Lee ('High Rollers,' 'What's My Line?') is 90. Actor Keir Dullea ('2001: A Space Odyssey') is 89. Guitarist Lenny Davidson of The Dave Clark Five is 81. Actor Stephen Tobolowsky ('Groundhog Day,' ″Sneakers') is 74. Actor Colm Meaney ('Star Trek: The Next Generation') is 72. Actor Ted McGinley ('Hope and Faith,' ″Married… With Children') is 67. Actor Ralph Carter ('Good Times') is 64. Actor-filmmaker Tonya Pinkins ('All My Children') is 63. Country singer Wynonna Judd is 61. Guitarist Tom Morello of Audioslave and Rage Against the Machine is 61. Actor Mark Sheppard ('Supernatural') is 61. Film director Antoine Fuqua ('Training Day,' 'The Replacement Killers') is 60. Actor John Ross Bowie ('Speechless,' ″The Big Bang Theory') is 54. Guitarist Patrick Dahlheimer of Live is 54. Singer-actor Idina Menzel is 54. Singer Cee Lo Green (Gnarls Barkley, Goodie Mob) is 50. Rapper Remy Ma is 45. Guitarist James Smith of Underoath is 43. Actor Javicia Leslie ('God Friended Me') is 38. Actor Sean Giambrone ('The Goldbergs') is 26. Actor Jared Gilmore ('Once Upon a Time,' ″Mad Men') is 25. May 31: Actor-director Clint Eastwood is 95. Keyboardist Augie Meyers of the Texas Tornadoes and the Sir Douglas Quintet is 85. Actor Sharon Gless ('Cagney and Lacey') is 82. Actor Tom Berenger is 75. Actor Gregory Harrison is 75. Actor Kyle Secor ('Homicide: Life on the Street') is 68. Actor Roma Maffia ('Nip/Tuck,' ″Profiler') is 67. Comedian Chris Elliott is 65. Actor Lea Thompson ('Caroline in the City,' ″Back to the Future') is 64. Singer Corey Hart is 63. Rapper DMC of Run-DMC is 61. Actor Brooke Shields is 60. Country bassist Ed Adkins of The Derailers is 58. 'The Amazing Race' host Phil Keoghan is 58. Jazz bassist Christian McBride is 53. Actor Archie Panjabi ('The Good Wife') is 53. Actor Merle Dandridge ('Greenleaf') is 50. Actor Colin Farrell is 49. Trumpet player Scott Klopfenstein of Reel Big Fish is 48. Actor Eric Christian Olsen ('NCIS: Los Angeles') is 48. Drummer Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy is 45. Rapper Waka Flocka Flame is 39. Actor Curtis Williams Jr. ('Parent'Hood') is 38. Singer Normani Hamilton of Fifth Harmony is 29.
National Post
05-05-2025
- National Post
A giant sculpture of Gandalf riding an eagle departs Wellington airport for good
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — For more than a decade, passengers at New Zealand 's Wellington Airport have boarded flights below the figures of two giant, hovering eagles from the Hobbit films, one bearing a bellowing wizard Gandalf. Article content Article content With 50-foot (15-metre) wingspans and weighing 2,600 pounds (1.1 ton) each, the sculptures that hover in the terminal have delighted tourists and scared children since 2013. Their tenure was eventful — one became unmoored from its fixings during a severe earthquake in 2016, and plummeted onto the terminal floor below. No one was hurt. Article content But this month the majestic creatures, which underscore the capital city's connection to Peter Jackson 's 'Lord of the Rings' and Hobbit films, will depart the terminal for good, Wellington Airport announced Monday. Article content Article content 'It's been quite a Lord of the Rings-heavy storytelling theme in here,' said airport chief executive Matt Clarke. 'Now we're looking to change that to something new.' Article content 'It breaks my heart,' said one traveller, Verity Johnson, who sat beneath a grasping eagle claw in the food court on Monday. The sculptures had impressed her since she was young. 'Please, please reconsider.' Article content 'Taking them away is un-New Zealand,' joked another airport visitor, Michael Parks. Article content The eagles were crafted by the film props and effects company Wētā Workshop, which created tens of thousands of props for the Oscar-winning fantasy films directed by Jackson — one of Wellington's best-known residents, who lives on an isthmus near the airport. The movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien 's beloved novels generated billions of dollars in tourism revenue for New Zealand and employed thousands of people in Wellington over the 15 years of the movies' production. Article content Article content But during the years the eagles have hovered in the terminal, Tolkien tourism has waned in Wellington — although the city will perhaps always be synonymous with Jackson's films. Guided tours still convey fans to the settings of famous scenes from the films and to visit production companies such as Wētā, which will create a new display for the airport, to be unveiled later this year, Clarke said. Article content Travellers have until Friday to admire the birds, which will then be put into storage, Clarke said. He hopes the creatures — which each feature 1,000 3D printed feathers — will find a home at a museum. Article content
