What will you be doing on your 91st birthday? If you are Sir Christopher Lee, you are releasing a heavy metal album based on the life of the French ruler Charlemagne. Recorded with Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner, Charlemagne: The Omens of Deathis the follow-up to Lee’s 2010 release Charlemagne: By the Swordand the Cross. One can only hope to be so active in their Nineties! [Audio CD] [MP3 Download] [Vinyl]
Lee was born in Belgravia, Westminster, England on May 27th 1922 – making him exactly 91 years old today. We all know his work as Saruman in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings films, but did you know Sir Lee holds the world record for most film acting roles ever ! We at TheOneRing.net would like to continue to offer a good pint of well-earned ale as a toast to a true master of his craft! A better portrayal of Saruman there will never be! Cheers!
TeamCoco.com, aka Conan O’Brien, one of America’s most popular late-night talk show hosts, got their hands on Willie Nelson’s audition tape for, what they call, ‘The Hobbit 2.’ In the video, Willie suggests to Peter Jackson that he may make a better Gandalf than Ian McKellen. (Strong language and content warning!) [Direct Video Link]
Why not cap off 2012 with a sweet giveaway? TheOneRing.net, with long-time supporter Badali Jewelry is offering five commemorative pins of Line Party celebrations FREE for those entering this nifty contest.
Cast in solid bronze, pins retail for $30 and are only available until midnight tonight in very limited quantities. The pin will stand a permanent reminder of participation in a world-wide celebration of Tolkien fandom.
You can order the pins directly from the source at http://www.badalijewelry.com/lineparty.htm before 2012 closes and we at TORn want to thank them for years of association, support and friendship. Remember, numbers are extremely limited. Badali also crafted the “good luck” pins from TheOneRing.net to Peter Jackson and his team wore to the Academy Awards and are visible in footage and in photos from that night. Badali holds the license to make jewelry from Tolkien Enterprises, as it has for many years.
The contest, open to users from the U.S. and Canada, is free. Simply click this handy, dandy contest link fill out the form and submit. We would also love to know what Line Party you attended in the note field.
Robb B. – NJ, US Deana B. – California, US Talytha B. – South Carolina, US Peter B. – LA, US Carmelita B. – NJ, US Joshua B. – IL, US Jody C. – UT, US Mike C. – Utah, US BreeAnn C. – CA, US Debbi C. – CA, US Natalie D. – Ut, US Judy D. – IL, US Ryan F. – SC, US Pete F. – MI, US Morgan G. – MN, US Randi G. – MD, US Kimberley G. – AL, US Megan K. – Ontario, Canada Logan K. – Ca, US Xavier K. – Montana, US Landon L. – AR, US Maura M. – NJ, US Roland M. – Washington, US Clare M. – GA, US Timothy M. – , US Adam M. – ma, US Joshua M. – VA, US Donna M. – New Jersey, US Georg N. – New York, US Sophia P. – WI, US Kenneth R. – MS, US Erik S. – Maine, US Robert S. – Illinois , US Elizabeth T. – Alabama, US Miranda T. – British Columbia, Canada Garret W. – GA, US Sheri W. – Tn, US Brett W. – Az, US Jeffrey Y. – NY, US Kay G. – Texas, US
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 in a show that airs at 5 p.m. ET in Philly today. But Fictional Frontiers has shared the extended chat with TORn listeners early right now, right here. MrCere quite liked the film and is okay with 48 fps but needing further review and both gentlemen are critical of the critics whom they feel are sometimes giving the show a bit of a raw deal, intentionally or not. These guys have opinions and maybe informed ones at that. Here is the extended chat: http://www.fictionalfrontiers.podcastpeople.com/posts/49058
Mind the dust! We’re undergoing a bit of a face-lift over the next few days and would greatly appreciate your patience as we finalize all the details. Once it is finally done we’ll make an announcement with an explanation of all the new exciting features! Thank you!
Word has been seeping out for a few weeks of some of the toy characters (on display at Comic-Con) being revealed through various channels of the pipeline that gets movie tie-ins to market. Now, made by Bridge Direct, they are for sale on store shelves in at least some locations including the new Toys-R-Us in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Not only is it exciting to see new products (Tolkienites make great consumers!) but there are some clues about “The Hobbit: A Long Expected Journey,” and, our staff thinks, some false leads. But true or false, except for some glimpses in Peter Jackson’s production diaries, we have our first clear look of Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel. For those wishing to avoid spoilers, don’t look beyond the break!
The process of merchandise hitting the market and spoiling some aspects of movies is inevitable and fun for consumers but maybe less fun for filmmakers who may want to keep a lid on every possible detail. Lilly’s character, a creation of the screenwriting team, has been mildly controversial as a character not created by J.R.R. Tolkien who wrote the children’s novel the trilogy of movies is based on 75 years ago. Many message board users at TheOneRing.net have taken a wait-and-see stance. (more…)
Thank you to all the supporters of TheOneRing.net’s 27/7 LIVE stream Road to DragonCon! We have nearly reached our goal, but need your support to push us over the edge. When we leave Monday, we hope that we’ll have reached our goal and have enough funds to stop along the way, visiting Tolkien fans nationwide! If you are not familiar with the event, a company of staffers will embark on a road trip from Hollywood to Atlanta, GA and back. Fans at home can join the fun day and night with live streaming video, Barliman’s chat room, and TheOneRing.net mobile phone to share stories, recommend local Tolkien landmarks, and win prizes from our sponsors. We have set up a series of sponsorship levels at our GoFundMe.com page where you can get some great swag just for supporting this trip. And certain levels get your name in the short form documentary we will be producing about the trip upon our return. Even if you only have $1 dollar to send, please consider helping us on the adventure. (You can click the ‘custom donation‘ level link on the GoFundMe.com page to enter any amount). And did you know, the highest level of sponsorship will secure you a ticket to our 2013 Oscar Party in Hollywood?! We hope you will consider supporting us! Follow the link for complete details on the sponsorship levels. [Donate Today!]
This week on TORn Tuesdays we were joined by animation legend John K., creator of Ren & Stimpy who is currently working on a new cartoon “Cans Without Labels.” Here he talks about working with Hobbit animation pioneer Ralph Bakshi, breaking into the business, and the inspiration behind his many famous characters. Remember the amazing toy LOG or Powdered Toast Man? Watch the entire interview with John Kricfalusi on YouTube and support his new show on Kickstarter!
If you haven’t already found it, then you’re missing a treat if you have a mobile device and haven’t yet got hold of our very own TORn resource, ‘ The Hobbit News App!’
We’ve been working hard behind the scenes the last month to continue it’s development and the most recent release is now in the App stores (the Apple App Store and the Android Market – or Google Play, as they now call it!).
So, what’s in the App?
Developer, and staff member Fizzit has the overview.
DAILY NEWS
Stuff happens almost every day with the Hobbit Movie, and the App tracks all of it, showing all the updating Daily News items from the OneRing.Net website.
The Today in Middle-earth Calendar is fun, and keeps track of relevant dates in Middle-earth as they come. (more…)
Note: This comes from our newest contributor Momosanla. Look for more great stuff from her soon.
If you’re looking for a good book to read on your summer holidays – fire up those digital readers because you’re in luck. The finalists for the 2012 Mythopoeic Awards were announced on Tuesday, May 22. Past award winners have included the Harry Potter series, Orson Scott Card for “Seventh Son” and Neil Gaiman for “Anansi Boys”. With a track record like that, you’re sure to find a quality read amongst the nominees.
The Mythopeoic Society, founded by Glen GoodKnight in October of 1967, is a group dedicated to the discussion of and the study of the literary genre of mythopoeia: authors who create an entirely “new and transformative” mythology or “incorporate and transform existing mythological material.” Specifically the society focuses on the works of Inklings members J.R.R Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams. Each year, since 1971, they have honored outstanding examples in both adult and children’s fiction and non-fiction studies. (more…)
What will you be doing on your 91st birthday? If you are Sir Christopher Lee, you are releasing a heavy metal album based on the life of the French ruler Charlemagne. Recorded with Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner, Charlemagne: The Omens of Death is the follow-up to Lee’s 2010 release Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross. One can only hope to be so active in their Nineties! [Audio CD] [MP3 Download] [Vinyl]
Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers for sponsoring this amazing giveaway to promote the release of 
