Elijah Wood, star of the film 'The Lord of the Rings,' speaks to undergraduates at a Jan. 13 event where Wood was named 'Best Actor of All Time' by the Harvard Lampoon. (Photo by Seshu Badrinath)

HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

Wood partied with the Lampoon staff at a private dinner at the Lampoon Castle Saturday night. Prior to dinner, he was made an honorary Lampoon member, joining a diverse cohort that includes Winston Churchill and the members of Aerosmith, in a secret ceremony.

On Sunday afternoon, he greeted more than 300 fans - mostly Harvard undergraduates - at an award ceremony in Sever Hall. In addition to receiving the Lampoon's immodest "Best Actor of All Time" award, Wood was crowned "Lord of the Wings" after winning (by disqualification) a chicken-wing-eating contest.

Fielding questions from the audience, the good-natured Wood admitted his crush on "Rings" co-star Cate Blanchett and declined an offer to participate in Harvard's pre-exam Primal Scream ritual, according to The Harvard Crimson. He also showed off a secret tattoo he and his co-stars received.

The Lampoon chose to honor Wood "because we had this long-standing connection with 'Lord of the Rings,'" said Dennis Mak '03, a Lampoon editor and event manager. Eight years ago, the Lampoon poked fun at J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy in a parody called "Bored of the Rings."

Mak said that Wood enjoyed his time with the Lampoon, sharing an interest in music and pop culture with the staff. "He promised that he'll return sometime this spring," said Mak, adding that Wood's honorary Lampoon membership guarantees that "whenever he comes to Boston or Cambridge, he'll always have a place to stay and food to eat."

Copyright 2002 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College