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MEDIA NEWS:
From TORn:
A Leisurely Jaunt With The Top Down: Quickbeam Reviews THE HOBBITFrom The Tolkien Society:
Sometimes words just pour out of me when I type. Other times, I hesitate. Reviewing THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY required an approach unusual for me after twelve years contributing to TheOneRing.net. I let things gestate for several days, really, so as to refine my thoughts. [Read more]
‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Rap’ – Warning! Not Work or Family Friendly!We just had to share this wonderfully naughty composition from Frog Island as part of the ‘Hobbit Week’ celebration. Titled ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Rap,’ this video will either have you busting out laughing or crying in offense. It will speak for itself, but please note, this is NOT for the feint of heart. [Read more]
Unspoiled for ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ – Arathorn’s Review
Editor Note: Arathorn was an original staffer of TheOneRing.net back in the early days of the site. His involvement in the site has waned in recent years due to professional and familial responsiblities. His perspective on ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ is unique as he has remained completely unspoiled and out-of-the-loop for nearly 10 years. [Read more]
TORn, Fictional Frontiers chat ‘Hobbit’ and scrutinize critics
There has been some noise from some corners that The Hobbit isn’t so great or even good. During Hobbit Week (#HobbitWeek on Twitter) those comments can be a little painful to fans hoping to go and love the movie. Fictional Frontiers radio host Sohaib Awan interviewed TORn staffer Larry D. Curtis “MrCere” this week. [Read more]
TORn on the Red Carpet at the New York Premiere of ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’
As part of our continuing coverage of Hobbit Week 2012, we've got coverage from the New York City premiere of 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey!' Ringer Ashlee took to the red carpet and sends in this report: This past week, I had the incredible honor of being asked by TORn to film at this exciting event! Interviewing Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens, Elijah Wood, Martin Freeman, Andy Serkis, Richard Armitage and almost all of the dwarves made it a thrilling experience I will never forget. I hope that you enjoy this video with words from all of our favorite hobbity friends! [Read more]
Ethan Gilsdorf’s Boston Globe Hobbit series
Our friend Ethan Gilsdorf, author of “Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks” has been running a series of articles on The Hobbit for The Boston Globe.com. The entertaining pieces include an annotated map of Middle-earth, a Hobbit movie ‘cheat sheet’ and “Hobbit by the Numbers” for those of us who can’t get enough geeky statistics about the making of the three Hobbit movies. [Read more]
Bilbo Baggins V. Thorin Oakenshield, et. al.: is the Hobbit’s Contract Enforceable?
Just when we think we’ve seen the geekiest of Tolkien/Hobbit geekiness, it gets even geekier! Ringer and international attorney, Scott Maucere, couldn’t resist applying his legal expertise to the analysis of Bilbo’s contract with Thorin and his party of dwarves in his legal blog. [Read more]
Hobbit TV Spot #12 officially available.
For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, Warner Bros. made TV spot #12 available on their facebook page today. This spot is mostly a re-shuffling of previously seen footage, but we do catch a glimpse of wargs being ridden and Gandalf striking the ground with his glowing staff. [Read more]
‘Hobbit’ knockoff release blocked by judge
From the L.A. Times: Warner Bros. has succeeded in blocking the release of a low-budget knockoff the same week that “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” hits theaters. A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order against Tuesday’s scheduled DVD and online release of “Age of the Hobbits” from “mockbuster” factory Global Asylum. [Read more]
JW’s Reviews The Hobbit Soundtrack
J.W. Braun here. Readers of my book, The Lord of the Films, sometimes comment that I must have a musical background and that it’s obvious I’m a big fan of Howard Shore’s music for The Lord of the Rings. Well, both are true! [Read more]
Tehanu’s Review: Thumbs Up to a Richly Dramatic Telling
Twenty-five minutes in to the film, I suddenly thought, “Wait, people said it takes this long to get used to the 48fpm and the 3D. I’ve only just noticed it – and it’s fantastic!” Perhaps there’s something wrong with my eyesight, but for me at Wellington’s Embassy at least, the colours glowed, the sparkling detail shone, and the screen showed a sumptuous feast of Middle-earth from the first frame. I was immersed in the reality from the first frame. [Read more]
Exclusive: ‘Misty Mountains’ Clip from ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’
Hobbit week continues as we all await the arrival of ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘ in theaters December 14th! We are both honored and excited to share with you a TheOneRing.net Exclusive clip from the film! The clip features Thorin and company singing ‘Misty Mountains’ at the end of a long evening in Bag End. [Read more]
McKellen speaks out on cancer rumors, ‘no cause for alarm’Rumors started days ago the Ian McKellen, who plays Gandalf in some popular movies, had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The original source isn’t known for being especially reputable and later a spokesperson said the report was taken out of context. [Read more]
A Wee review of ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’
Another review from a staffer of TORN long ago, Wee Tanya brings her thoughts to you now. Warning before you begin: Spoilers abound in this review. Read it or not, it’s up to you. Tonight I had the extreme pleasure of watching a press screening of The Hobbit on behalf of TheOneRing.net. [Read more]
Hobbit Week: Video greetings from stars to fans at World Premiere of ‘Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’</b>
With the public screenings now on in New Zealand and England and a day away in the U.S. and Canada, it seems a good time to continue to celebrate Hobbit Week and share some of the footage we gathered on the red carpet in Wellington, New Zealand. [Read more]
12 Things You’ll Love about ‘The Hobbit’ (and 12 Things You Might Not)
I had the pleasure of seeing an advanced screening last night of ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’- in 3D but not in 48fps. In honour of todays date (12/12/12) I thought I would share the 12 things I loved most about the film, and 12 things I didn’t. [Read more]
Apple Hobbit clip featuring Bilbo and Gandalf
Spoilers! This new 1 minute, 15-second clip from apple Site features Gandalf and Bilbo in arguing about Bilbo’s Tookish heritage in Bag End at the beginning of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. A certain famous ancestor of Bilbo’s gets a mention, and so does an equally famous battle in Shire history! [Read more]
Behind the scenes of An Unexpected Journey
Tribute.ca brings us this behind-the-scenes special on the making of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. We hear from director Peter Jackson and many of the film’s stars about their journey back to Middle-earth. It’s also a good recap of Lord of the Rings with plenty of footage and scenes that you might have forgotten! [Read more]
Rooster Teeth pair talk about their “walk into Mordor”
Kerry Shawcross and Chris Demarais, two members of Rooster Teeth Productions (creators of the acclaimed machinima series Red vs Blue, as well as Immersion, and Achievement Hunter), are attempting to “walk into Mordor”. They’ve set themselves the task of trekking more than 120 miles across New Zealand. [Read more]
Collecting The Precious – Elessar’s take on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
In April of 2004 as I left the theater after seeing The Return of the King one last time I told my Dad: “Well, I guess that’s it.” I really wasn’t sold that The Hobbit would be made because of all the issues holding it up from being made before The Lord of the Rings. [Read more]
NZ Hobbit box office best ever for a non-holiday WednesdayBoxoffice.com reports that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey recorded the best-ever box office figures for a Wednesday that wasn’t a holiday. According to the site, The Hobbit pulled in $643,000 (Boxoffice fails to specify, but I’m assuming this is USD) around New Zealand. [Read more]
Watch The Hobbit: production video #10
Peter Jackson has just uploaded his latest Hobbit production video — #10! This one delves into the premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in Wellington and reveals that production vids will resume next year as the team ramps up all over again to complete The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. [Read more]
BoxOfficeMojo.com: ‘The Hobbit’ Smashes December Midnight Showing Numbers
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opened to an incredible $13 million from 3,100 midnight locations. That may not seem like much when compared to record-holder Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ($43.5 million) or this Summer’sThe Dark Knight Rises ($27 million), but for a December release that’s a massive figure. [Read more]
Washington Post: Is ‘The Hobbit’ a ‘Christian’ film? Yes and no.
“Travel along, if you dare, with Bilbo Baggins in “The Hobbit” — either in J.R.R.Tolkien’s beloved 1937 novel, or through the first installment of Peter Jackson’s film trilogy based on the book. If you do, you will, essentially, be traveling in a world constructed on Christian principles, says Devin Brown, a professor of English at Asbury University, a Christian liberal arts college near Lexington, Ky. [Read more]
Collecting The Precious – Weta Workshop’s Balin and Dwalin Stautes
As you all know, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has landed for audiences around the world and to go with that the amazing folks at Weta Workshop have a couple of brand new statues for fans to order. Balin and Dwalin are the next two characters released. [Read more]
FXguide.com: Weta returns to Middle-earth
“Weta Digital has grown to now define state of the art in visual effects worldwide. Its dedication to storytelling and realizing director’s visions has lead to the company working with some of the best directors in the world. For The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Weta Digital continued to employ its exquisite attention to detail. [Read more]
Peter Jackson and his ‘Hobbit’ cameo
Peter Jackson talks to Empireonline.com about his mysterious cameo. Needless to say, this is a spoiler for those of you who haven’t yet seen the film — and maybe even for those who have. So how about it — did you spot Peter? [Read more]
In their own words: Peter, Philippa & Joe
Last week the filmmakers and cast of The Hobbit took over the Waldorf Astoria in New York to talk about the much-expected film. For your enjoyment, here is a selection of questions and answers from the conversation with Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens and Senior Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Letteri. [Read more]
BoxOfficeMojo.com: ‘The Hobbit’ Breaks Another Record with $37.5 Million Friday</b>
Underscoring what seems to be a significant disconnect between fans and critics, early returns are in for our Ringers Reviews and ‘The Hobbit: AUJ’ is showing an average of 4.6/5 Rings with fans. The audiences seem to be just as excited based on this report from BoxOfficeMojo.com. [Read more]
‘The Hobbit’ Breaks US and Canadian Box Office Records for December
“The Hobbit” brought home a big box office treasure over the weekend, setting a December movie record with $84.77 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales as legions of fans turned out for the long-awaited big-screen return to Middle Earth. [Read more]
Collecting The Precious – Sideshow Collectibles Annouces The Hobbit license
Today is a day full of surprises. Our friends from Sideshow Collectibles have announced they have a license to make products from The Hobbit. At this time we do not know everything that is in store, but looking at their previous works it could be Premium Formats, Dioramas, Legendary Scale Figures, etc. [Read more]
Analyzing beyond the ‘Hot Dwarves’ syndrome
An insightful article appeared yesterday on “Heirs of Durin” about the appeal of Thorin, Fili and Kili beyond the physical response to the actors. It was originally written in German and then translated into English, but still makes for a good read. There are some minor spoilers at the end of the article. [Read more]
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – ChroniclesAs we’ve come to expect, Weta and Harper Collins have produced another sumptuous, richly-bound volume detailing the process of turning words and imagination into the films we see. It’s written by Daniel Falconer, who’s had a hands-on overview of the road to executing Jackson’s vision since the beginning of LOTR. [Read more]
Collecting The Precious – ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Chronicles, Creatures & Characters’Following the success of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey called The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Chronicles, Art, & Design, HarperCollins has announced another amazingly comprehensive and detailed offering. The book called The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Chronicles, Creatures & Characters explores the amazing cast of heroes and villains, beasts and beings that populate Middle-earth. [Read more]
Hollywood.com: The Fandom of Tolkien: How Diehard 'Ringers' Anticipated 'The Hobbit'
From Hollywood.com: In 1971, Jan Sterling was 19 years old, married, caring for a one-year-old baby girl, and living out of a 1961 Econoline Ford Van. She was driving around the country in a state that she describes as "quite homeless." She says that her life was forever changed when, one day, she happened upon an old set of The Lord of the Rings books. [Read more]
Dorian Mirth to play at The One Expected Party
What a line up we have for folks who join us at The One Expected Party to celebrate The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on Oscars night next February! Our live show (which will take place after the Academy Awards broadcast) already includes Emerald Rose, Charles Ross’ One Man Lord of the Rings, Hunter Davis - Ian McKellen impersonator extraordinaire, and Billy Boyd with Beecake. [Read more]
Book Review – The Wisdom of the Shire by Noble Smith
First off just let me say that, as an Aussie, I was a bit dubious at The Wisdom of the Shirebeing asked to review a self help book based on the Shire. We tend to be a bit wary of these sorts of books and part of me jumped to the conclusion that such a book could only be an attempt to cash-in on the new Hobbit films. I am very pleased to say that my initial prejudices were completely unfounded. The Wisdom of the Shire is an excellent, well written book, by a true fan of Tolkien. [Read more]
Tickets On Sale! Celebrating the inspiration of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth – ‘An Unexpected Art Show’
Join us for ‘An Unexpected Art Show’ in Los Angeles, California on Friday, February 22, from 7 PM to 1 AM. Celebrating The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, ‘An Unexpected Art Show’ will feature inspired art pieces — from paintings, drawings, and illustrations to prints — from a variety of artists. [Read more]
Testing times unearthed for ‘Hobbit’ author Tolkien
From independent.ie: PRE-exam nerves are bad enough, but if your examiner is JRR Tolkien, then you’d really have your work cut out. Well that was the case for students at NUI Galway more than 60 years ago when ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ author worked as an English literature examiner. [Read more]
IGN Quizzes The Dwarves – Humor, Exclusive Film Clips and More!
IGN.com has a great video interview with the dwarven cast of ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘ that is well worth 8 minutes of your time today. Watch the company squibble and squirm as they try to answer a variety of Tolkien trivia. In-between the humorous answers, you’ll see some great clips from the film. [Read more]
Noted Photographer Explains His Disappointment with High Frame Rates in THE HOBBIT
Reactions to the high frame rate (HFR) of 48 frames per second used for The Hobbit have ranged from love to hate, and everything in between. Now Pulitzer-prize-winning still photographer Vincent Laforet has weighed in. He undertook to see the film in 3D HFR, 3D, and 2D, all on the same day. [Read more]
Forbes: Peter Jackson Is Hobbit Forming: How A Halfling Becomes A Man</b>
Forbes.com: My wife and I took most of our kids to the first showing of The Hobbit at our local theater Friday morning. All but one of us was already a fanatically patriotic citizen of the Shire long before this movie, and all of us enjoyed the film quite a bit. [Read more]
Ian McKellen (Hunter Davis) Performs ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
Looking for a little bit of humor today? Check out the latest creation from Ian McKellen impersonator Hunter Davis! In his latest YouTube creation, we find Gandalf the Grey and Gollum performing the Queen classic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ with some very amusing results. [Read more]
Collecting The Precious – Weta Workshop Reveals Prop Replica Staffs and Pipes
This morning Weta Workshop added more amazing collectibles to their growing line of prop replicas from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Fans of Gandalf, Radagast, Thorin, and Fili are going to want to snag these limited edition collectibles before they vanish. [Read more]
Hobbit weekend in Hollywood
Hobbit fans from across the US and around the World are now happily planning for a weekend of fun in Hollywood in late February. So here is your helpful guide to what is going on and how to best take advantage of the activities. [Read more]
What Dolby Atmos means to ‘The Hobbit: AUJ’
Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has taken several leaps forward in how movies are presented. Some don’t like the 3D 48 fps that the film was shot in and the debate will likely rage for years. But another technology, just as much a leap forward but little talked about is the new Dolby Atmos sound system installed in dozens, not thousands of theaters so far. [Read more]
‘Female First’ magazine gives TH: AUJ fourth place for 2012
Online magazine Female First is counting down its ‘Best Movies of 2012?, and today it revealed that it has The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at the number four spot. They call it ‘an utter triumph … a film with real heart’; which makes one wonder, what could have beaten it and claimed the first, second and third spots? [Read more]
Can ‘The Hobbit’ maintain its top spot at the box office?
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will almost certainly retain its top spot at the U.S. box office this week as a host of new films seek to find cinema audiences. Tom Cruise and his drama Jack Reacher looks like the leader of the pack of new films, none of which will threaten Peter Jackson’s first of three movies back in Middle-earth based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s first writings to feature Hobbits. [Read more]
Happy Hobbit: Christmas Special – Episode 08
Join Kili and Fili, and a very special guest from WETA Workshop – Sir Richard Taylor, to learn how to make your yuletide as cozy as one in Middle-earth! [Happy Hobbit: Christmas Special - Episode 08]
[Read more]
Telling Tall Tales in the Hobbit: Just how was Golf invented anyhow?
It is widely known that the novel called The Hobbit is supposed to be the journal, or autobiography of Bilbo Baggins, and his recollections of his adventures with Gandalf and the Company of Dwarves. In the beginning of both The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo is seen writing his story. That book is then passed along to Frodo to include his grand adventure, The Lord of the Rings, and then finally given to Sam to finish. But where does this love of storytelling come from? [Read more]
Hilarious parody – One-expected Direction?
From ‘The Warp Zone’ – a brilliant (and family friendly!) parody based on One Direction’s song ‘One Thing’ – but called, of course, ‘One Ring’. Check it out: Thanks to riderofrohan410 for drawing it to our attention! [Read more]
Galadriel, political animal of Middle-earth
I haven’t yet seen The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, but what I’ve seen and read of the White Council sequence has intrigued me. Not because of the sniping between Gandalf and Saruman (although that in itself is worthy of a separate discussion), but for the superficially strange behaviour of Galadriel. [Read more]
Weta Digital Joe Letteri: 48 FPS Enhances 3-D, But ‘It’s A Choice’Talking to Shawn Adler from movieline.com, Weta Digital visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri talks about the use of 3D HFR in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. He explains why it takes some getting used to, and why he feels it’s a big step forward for films, like the transition from black and white to color. [Read more]
Ever wonder what it was like to be in New Zealand during Hobbit Premiere Week?
Many fans traveled to New Zealand from around the world in the days and weeks leading up to the Premiere, just to be there on that fateful day. One such person is Dr. Lynnette Porter, author of a new book “The Hobbit: The many lives of Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin”. [Read more]
Exclusive: Concerning Hobbit Extras
Many fans dreamed of being an extra in the ‘Hobbit’ films, but not many fans can say their wish came true due to the support of the worldwide Tolkien community. Here is the story of two fans, Chris and Melissa Kern, and their unexpected journey to Middle-earth. [Read more]
Collecting The Precious – Vanderstelt Studio: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Print Reveal
Thanks to the amazing artist Jerry Vanderstelt, we’ve been teasing for a few weeks now bits and pieces of what would be on his print for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Today, thanks to WB and Jerry, we get to show you - the fans - what the print will look like, pending licensor approval. [Read more]
A festive mathom for all readers of TheOneRing.net!
On 12th December staffer greendragon was lucky enough to attend the red (well, actually it was green!) carpet in Leicester Square, London, for the Royal Film Performance of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Many of the film’s stars – and other celebs who were there to see the movie – stopped by to say hi. [Read more]
The Hobbit: an essentially Christian story?
Readers who are skeptical after seeing the title of this piece have a right to be. English professors have been known to find all sorts of things in books which the authors never put there. In addition, at first glance Middle-earth seems a particularly non-religious place. [Read more]
Thomas Monteath critiques An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit would be better subtitled ‘Great Expectations’ rather than ‘An Unexpected Journey’, given the spectacular triple-act it follows, and the accumulated anticipation in the near decade since the Oscar-sweeping The Return of the King. This presents a problem for judging the film, for we are none of us objective. [Read more]
Royd Tolkien: why I love New Zealand
Royd Tolkien, great-grandson of the writer, is besotted with New Zealand. Here he explains why. [Read more]
The Hobbit boxes out all others in Australia
The first instalment in the Hobbit trilogy has led a record day in Australian cinemas as Peter Jackson beat his own mark to claim the largest Boxing Day release ever. Australia’s largest film exhibitor, Event Cinemas, posted its biggest day’s trading on record, with business up 69 per cent on Boxing Day last year and higher than any other individual day in the company’s 100-plus-year history. [Read more]
How Peter Jackson shrank The Hobbit’s cast
It’s no small feat to make the wizard Gandalf appear larger than his dwarf and hobbit friends. Over at Popular Mechanics, Eric Vespe explains how the filmmakers pulled off the illusion in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. [Read more]
Which Hobbit character are you?
One of our favourite geeky Middle-earth sites, LOTRProject, has a couple of new fun and interesting features to check out! The first is a short quiz. Discover which character from The Hobbit you are most similar to. A Dwarf? A Hobbit? You may be surprised at the answer. [Read more]
Purchase sheet music from The Hobbit
Musical types will be interested to learn that Howard Shore’s Dreaming of Bag End and Neil Finn’s Song of the Lonely Mountain are both now available as sheet music. [Read more]
Parody: listen to the Hilltop Hobbits
Hobbit parodies must be the new black. Here’s a new one, this time of I Love It, a tune by Australian Hip Hop outfit Hilltop Hoods. Director Alex Gabbott tells us he and his crew spent two months making the video, with a solid three weeks spent on on digital effects. [Read more]
Watch all four episodes of A Simple Walk Into Mordor
You may recall A Simple Walk Into Mordor, the 120+ mile journey of Rooster Teeth Productions’ Kerry Shawcross and Chris Demarais across New Zealand from the filming location of Hobbiton in Matamata to that of Mount Doom on Mount Ngauruhoe. Their goal? Proving that one can, indeed, simply walk into Mordor. [Read more]
Happy Hobbit: Line Party – Episode 09
Join the fun of Kili and Fili’s Hobbit Line Party on December 13th, 2012 from Scott’s Valley Cinelux Theater! [Read more]
Kiwi catapults to Hollywood
Kiwi actor William Kircher returned from a whirlwind 10 days at Hobbit world premieres to news he has landed a lead role in a new Hollywood movie. Kircher — who plays dwarf Bifur in the latest Peter Jackson fantasy hit — returned to Wellington on Wednesday after mingling with the stars on the red carpet. [Read more]
The Hobbit and Gandalf’s backstory
At the New York Premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Vulture spoke to Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson about the absence of Gandalf’s backstory from the film. In particular, they delved into why there’s no insight into why Gandalf assists the Dwarf company, and how he obtained the map and key of Thrain. [Read more]
Collecting The Precious – The Noble Collection’s The One Ring Sterling Silver Edition Contest
Today marks the final contest in the ‘contest extravaganza’ brought to us by our friends at The Noble Collection. The final collectible giveaway is a sterling silver version of The One Ring from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The ring has been laser inscribed with the elvish writing that only fire can tell. [Read more]
TORN Message Boards Weekly Roundup – December 27, 2012
Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past week. If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights. Or if you’re new to TORN and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions. [Read more]
TORn Christmas Exclusive: Interview With Hilary Summers
Christmas brings to mind the timeless, poignant image of a mother cradling her newborn child. At this rather apt time of year then, TORn’s music geeks are pleased to bring you an exclusive interview with Hilary Summers. An alto hailing from Wales, UK, Hilary recorded “Gilraen’s Song” that plays over the scene where Aragorn kneels in reverence before his mother Gilraen’s memorial in Rivendell, and whose lyrics hark back to the words once spoken by Gilraen herself. [Read more]
UPDATE: No Desolation of Smaug teaser just yet
Spanish Tolkien website El Anillo Único is reporting that a teaser for The Desolation of Smaug will begin showing in theatres in Spain from January 4.
UPDATE: A few readers have informed us that December 28 is a traditional day of pranks (Called inocentadas) and jests in Spain in a similar way to April Fool’s Day. So best to take a huge grain of salt with this one. Well, that’s a bit of a pity. [Read more]
The Hobbit hits half a billion
Warner Bros., New Line Cinema and MGM have announced that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has surpassed the $500 million benchmark at the worldwide box office. To date, the blockbuster has earned an estimated $179.7 million in the USA. [Read more]
Tolkien Society, fans to celebrate author’s birthday
The Tolkien Society has issued a press release today detailing its plans to celebrate J.R.R. Tolkien’s birthday on January 3rd with world-wide festivities. This is the 12th such annual event and the Society is using its platform to urge the public to read Tolkien’s The Hobbit with so many getting exposure to the work from Peter Jackson’s film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, in theaters now if you haven’t heard. [Read more]
Middle-earth: these worlds take a lot of work
Production designer Dan Hennah and Joe Letteri from Weta Digital spoke to Medakdo Murphy from the New York Times about the challenges of bringing The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey HFR 48fps to the big screen by using a combination of digital sets and normal sets and merging the two together. [Read more]
Connolly is no fan of ‘Tolkien People’ – or so he jests
Despite his everyday physical appearance mimicking that of a wizard in Middle-earth, it looks like Billy Connolly, playing Dain in ‘The Hobbit‘ films, is not a fan of Tolkien or Tolkien fans. In a statement to MSN UK Connolly admits: “No, I never read it. And I probably never will. It’s not my cup of tea. Youthful society when I was younger was divided into Tolkien and non-Tolkien and I was a non-Tolkien and I didn’t like the Tolkien people,” he said. [Read more]
TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – Special New Years Edition!!
Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past year. We’ve collected together some of 2012?s most popular posts on 10 of our Message Boards. You’ll be surprised at what captured the attention and imagination of our members. [Read more]
Breaking News: LOTR Oscar-winning Sound Editor Mike Hopkins Dead at 53
On a day usually marked by celebrations, we are very sad to report the untimely death of our Kiwi friend, Mike Hopkins, who worked alongside American compatriot Ethan Van der Ryn as Sound Editors on the LOTR Trilogy. Mr. Hopkins (pictured on the left with Van der Ryn) would go on to win Academy Awards for Sound Editing on two of Peter Jackson’s films: The Two Towers and King Kong. He and his friends were rafting in the Tararua Range when their watercraft capsized. [Read more]
CNN: ‘The Hobbit’ One of the Top Ten Worst Movies of the Year?!
The following is a small editorial from co-owner and staffer Calisuri. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of TheOneRing.net: CNN.com writer Tom Charity has posted his ‘The 10 worst movies of 2012‘ and decided to controversially include ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ on the list. [Read more]
NZ tourism surge coincides with The Hobbit
New Zealand is expected to see a surge in tourism following the release of The Hobbit movie. Travel websites have reported a significant growth this month in searches and bookings to the country following the launch of the JRR Tolkien-inspired film. [Read more]
In defence of spoilers
Movie spoilers get a bad rap. Even the word itself, spoiler, comes with connotations of bad. Reminders of food that’s gone off. Anything that spoils entails less enjoyment, not the same amount. And certainly not more. Or so it’s traditionally held. [Read more]
On 3rd January, Tolkien fans from across the world will join together to celebrate the Twelfty-First Birthday of the late Professor J.R.R. Tolkien CBE.COMMUNITY NEWS:
Tolkien aficionados in Brazil, USA, Canada, Spain, Australia, Japan, Italy, and the Netherlands will be uniting with events up and down the UK to hold birthday parties in honour of J.R.R. Tolkien. In the UK events are going on in many cities, including Brighton, London, Oxford, Bristol, Milton Keynes, and York. This is the 12th annual Birthday Toast and it will take place at 9pm on the 3rd January 2013.
This year, for Tolkien’s 121st birthday, the Tolkien Society is encouraging the public to read J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1937 book The Hobbit in light of the monumental success of Sir Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. This year’s Birthday Toast will tie together the man, the books and the films - the Society will be encouraging people to talk about all of these on facebook.com/TheTolkienSociety, Twitter (@TolkienSociety) and on its website, www.tolkiensociety.org.
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An Unexpected Meeting (Nerdanel/Feanor; rated G) bysilverstarspray
Another Question of Linguistics (Eldarion & Firiel, his governess; rated G) by
Unexpected Guests (Thranduil, Legolas; rated G) by
The Morning After the Night Before (The Elven-King's guard-captain and Galion, his butler; rated PG) by
More Dangerous, Less Wise (Thranduil, Legolas; rated G) by
The Stranger (Eowyn, Elboron; rated G) by
Green and Grey (Nerdanel/Feanor; rated G) by
Reforged (Elrond, Glorfindel; rated G) by
It's Not What You Say, It's The Way That You Say It... (Éowyn & Faramir; rated G) by
Artwork (Nerdanel/Feanor; rated G) by
Retreat (Elrond, Elros, Elladan, Elrohir; rated G) by
Refuge (Elrond, Elros, Elladan, Elrohir; rated G) by
If I Could Hold Back Time... (Éowyn & her daughter; rated G) by
Around the Rock the Ragged Rascal Ran… (Gollum and Bilbo; rated G) by
Kazâd ai-Menu! (Thorin Oakenshield; rated G) by
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Triple Drabble: The Question (Kili, Thorin, Elrond; rated G) by
The Hobbit and The Dwarf: Prologue (Thorin/Bilbo, Fili/Kili; Extreme AU, incest, swearing, mpreg; rated PG-13) by
Belladonna's Gift (mention of Bungo/Belladonna; rated G) by
Quietly (Kili/Bilbo; rated G) by
Storyteller (Thorin, Dis, Fili, Kili; rated G) by
An Unexpected Idyll (Bilbo/Thorin; rated R) by
The Bargain (Kili, Elrond; rated G) by
Concerning Dwarf Hair (Fíli, Kíli, Thorin Oakenshield, Dís; rated G) by
Dog-Watch (Bofur/Kili, Pre-slash, implied Bilbo/Thorin; rated PG-13) by
‘Tis the Season: At the end of the day. (Bilbo Baggins; rated G) by
The Reveal (Fili, Kili/Elrond; rated PG-13) by
Concerning Dwarf Hair, chapter 2 (Dís/unknown husband, Glóin/unknown wife; rated G) by
Beneath the Mountains Music Woke -- Chapter One (Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield; rated R) by
An Unexpected Sight (Bilbo/Thorin, Kili/Bofur; rated NC-17) by
‘Tis the Season: In with the new (Bilbo Baggins; rated G) by
Concerning Dwarf Hair, chapter 3 (Fíli, Kíli, their unnamed father, Dís, Bofur; rated G) by
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Step by Step, part 7/8 (Éowyn/Elgarain; rated NC-17) by
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Art: Far to the East (Thorin Oakenshield; rated PG) by
Christmas Joys for Grown-Up Boys (Viggo/Orlando; rated NC-17) by
OEAM Archive Updates for the Week of December 28
The current challenge atFIC/ART NEWS:
FromDISCUSSIONS OF INTEREST:
The LotR Secret Santa Holiday Exchange 2012 Masterlist can be found here!
From
18 The Hobbit trailer icons by
9 The Hobbit icons by
30 LotR icons in a Multi-fandom post bypartitioning
40 The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings icons by
Links from
The Circles of Power Book Five: Through the Valley of Death by
Links from
Links from
‘Tis the Season: At the end of the day. by
‘Tis the Season: In with the new. by
Links from
Magnificat of the Damned. Book II. Chapter 44 ~ A Clouded Gem by
NC17. Pairing. Various. No sex in this chapter but definite hints of incest. Fëanor and Fingolfin speak to Maeglin.
* Via the TORn forums:CLASSIFIED:
How did Prof. Tolkien write?
Did Professor Tolkien write with pen on paper, or did he use a typewriter?Or, did he prefer Microsoft Word 2010?Just wondering. Considering the sheer magnitude of what he wrote, it must've been incredibly tiring to write with pen and paper.
The changes that were made in Lord of the Rings
If they were to include ''the scouring of the shire'', ''Tom Bombadil'', ''More of the easterlings during the battle of Pelennor'', ''The dead army haunting the corsairs and Aragorn bringing allies from Gondor province to crush Mordor's, would the movie be a successful as it has?
Middle Earth New Year's Resolutions
Radagast... Try to keep this place tidier.
Smaug.... I've real got to get out more and eat people.. erh meet people, meet people!
Your friendlyRESEARCH AIDS:.
FromTRIVIA:
The Calendars of Middle-earth by Celandine Brandybuck.
Monday's BOOK question: Who wanted to see whether Saruman looked like Gandalf?SEND MATHOMS:
Answer: Gimli.
Today's MOVIE question contributed by
All comments are screened so that only the mods can see the answers. Comments will be unscreened when the next edition is posted. Any comments on a different subject will be unscreened ASAP.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY,COMICS:
The mods would like to wish anyone having a special day the very best. Please send your special wishes to middle_earth_news@yahoo.com.
(Link contributions are welcome)That's it for this edition. Please send your formatted post for Friday’s edition by 8:00 a.m. (Eastern time) to middle_earth_news@yahoo.com. Thanks for joining us and tell your friends!
From FoxTrot:
