Deeeeaaaaattttthhhhh!!!! We’re halfway there! Last weekend we watched The Two Towers Extended Edition. This Sunday (December 1) from Midday ET (that’s New York time), we’ll be continuing our LOTR and Hobbit marathon fun in the Barliman’s chat as we haul out our copies of The Return of the King Extended Edition and all press “play” at the same time.

Click here to join the ROTK EE viewing party in #moviechat!

Mark it in your calendar and come join us for an entirely geeky viewing of The Return of the King where you can share thoughts and observations with fellow fans!

Continue reading “Join us as we watch the The Return of the King Extended Edition this Sunday in the Barliman’s chat!”

Barliman's Chat Our chapter-by-chapter discussions on the middle installment of J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings are coming to a close. Later today in Hall of Fire at 5pm EST we’ll be discussing the chapter that takes Frodo, Sam and Gollum to the edge of Ithilien as the Black Land itself broods and gathers its strength for some vast assault upon the Free Peoples of Middle-earth.

My scouts and watchers have all returned, even some that have crept within sight of the Morannon. They all find a strange thing. The land is empty. Nothing is on the road, and no sound of foot, or horn, or bowstring is anywhere to be heard. A waiting silence broods above the Nameless Land. I do not know what this portends. But the time draws swiftly to some great conclusion. Storm is coming.

Continue reading “Hall of Fire Two Towers chat today: The Journey to the Crossroads”

Unexpected PartyIn expanding on Professor Tolkien’s text in his film adaptation, director Peter Jackson allows us to follow Gandalf the Grey into areas that remain secret to us within the text of The Hobbit. As we look forward seeing these events unfold before our eyes next month, this essay by Tedoras examines Gandalf’s journey into the dark fortress of Dol Guldur, what he found there, and the impact that this event had on the fate of Middle-earth. Continue reading “On the Finding of Thror’s Map and the Key to the Lonely Mountain”

If you have a Tolkien/Middle-earth inspired poem you’d like to share, then send it to poetry@theonering.net. One poem per person may be submitted each month. Please make sure to proofread your work before sending it in. TheOneRing.net is not responsible for poems posting with spelling or grammatical errors.

100_percent_middle_earthA very unique art installation is about to open in LA, brought to you by Whybin/TBWA, Tourism New Zealand and 3 Foot 7 Ltd. The concept is that of a Pop-up book that shows four different New Zealand filming locations, along with the four corresponding actual film sets from the upcoming film ‘The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug”. This event is mostly by invitation only, with a big Press Opening on Saturday, November 30 and running for 5 days. Luckily, on Wednesday, December 4 there will be a Public Day for fans to see. The point of the whole art installation is to show off the beauty of New Zealand, the fun to be found in New Zealand, and on occasion, the Middle-earthness of New Zealand. To see more details regarding this event, you can read more about it at: Yahoo NZ

So far, the only way to get into that public day appears to be by heading over to the TCL Chinese theater box office and uttering the ‘secret password’. This will get you an entry to win a pass to the event. Make sure to head over this weekend because they will do the drawing on Monday and contact winners then. See the image below for details.

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Luke Evans as Bard The Bowman and John Bell as his son Bain.
(Luke Evans as Bard The Bowman and John Bell as his son Bain.)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Ever wonder what you gave Luke Evans for his birthday?  Few realized it, but the staff and readers of TheOneRing.net gave him a present back in April of 2011.

Evans celebrated his 32nd year with a party at Gas Works, a bar and grill just walking distance from Stone Street Studios, the movie lot where Peter Jackson makes movies, including the forthcoming “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.”

In the mess tent of that set, on the white refrigerator that holds cream and milk and sundry items, near the always playing iPod, there hung a solicitation for all eyes to see: An open invitation from Luke Evans to celebrate his birthday on a Saturday night.  (Regrettably I didn’t take a photo of the fridge.) The invitation was right there in perhaps the most trafficked spot on the lot, available for all, specified for none.

Are on-set reporters invited to cast and crew events?  Advised by somebody from costume that it was absolutely okay (Jasmine I think, a real favorite), I decided to go only if could find a suitable gift from all of us, readers and staff of TORn.  What would you buy an actor on behalf of the largest online Tolkien community?  What does a guy making a living acting in New Zealand and away from home really want or need anyway? Continue reading “Luke Evans talks Bard the Bowman and Bard the family man in ‘Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug’”