Author Archive
May 10, 2013 at 12:33 am by Garfeimao
The EMP Museum in Seattle is just about the coolest museum ever, playing host to exhibits on Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Icons of Science Fiction, The Art of Video Games, The Lure of Horror films, and now Fantasy: Worlds of Myth and Magic. The Fantasy exhibit just opened up a few weeks ago with loads of costumes, props and interactive experiences, and one true treasure. On loan for just the first 6 months are some borrowed pages from the original manuscripts of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” from Marquette University. Here are a few images of costumes from the exhibit, and in about 10 days this reporter will be visiting the museum and will post a full recap of all the things you can see and do while exploring all of the EMP Museum’s exhibits.
If you live in Seattle or will be visiting it in the near future, check their website for all the details on location, hours and entrance fees. The Iron Throne will be there for just the first 3 months of the exhibit, so if you wish to see either that or the Tolkien Manuscripts, plan carefully. EMP Museum.
Posted in Events, Exhibits, Fans, Fellowship of the Ring, Hobbit Book, Lord of the Rings, LotR Books, Return of the King, The Hobbit, The Two Towers
April 7, 2013 at 3:22 am by Garfeimao
Last weekend was the first really big Hobbit convention after the release of the film, and the perfect time for cosplayers to really show their quality. Ring*con normally holds a big convention in the Fall every year, but they decided to host a special HobbitCon in the Spring and invited the cast to join them, and join them they did. 9 major cast members from The Hobbit showed up in Germany to hang with the fans, and here is a little review from the event. (more…)
Posted in Uncategorized
April 6, 2013 at 1:41 am by Garfeimao
The Visual Effects industry in Hollywood is in the midst of a crisis that just seems to be getting bigger and bigger. Entertainment Weekly has been keeping on top of the issue and posted a story today that included Peter Jackson’s thought on the problem.
In this week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly, The Hobbit director Peter Jackson, a digital effects pioneer who co-founded the F/X company Weta Digital, says studios are taking advantage of an oversupply of F/X houses to drive down prices. “Competition between VFX houses, which the studios obviously use to their advantage, has resulted in VFX houses operating on tiny profit margins,” Jackson says. “And when we talk ‘profit,’ it’s not about the owners buying a Porsche at the end of a big movie — it’s about having a nest egg to ride out the slow periods.”
To read the full story and see links to other stories about the VFX crisis, head on over to EW.com
Posted in Director news, Peter Jackson, Production, WETA Digital
March 28, 2013 at 3:09 am by Garfeimao
Beginning this Friday, March 29 through Sunday, March 31 will be Wondercon, in Anaheim for a second straight year. TheOneRing.net will be hosting a panel on Sunday at Noon in room 207. The panel is titled “TheOneRing.net’s Unauthorized Sneak Peek: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”. Come join us for a lively discussion regarding all things Hobbit on Easter Sunday.
WonderCon is one of three conventions hosted by Comic Con International, the others being APE (Alternative Press Expo) and San Diego Comic Con. Wondercon follows the same general format as San Diego Comic Con, but on a much smaller size, making it easier to attend the panels you wish and still have time to shop. It is returning to the Anahim Convention Center for the second year while the Moscone Center in San Francisco is getting a major renovation. If you have had problems getting into San Diego Comic Con the last few years, this is a really great alternative. See you all on Sunday.
Posted in Calendar, Conventions, Events, Fans, Hobbit Movie, Meet Ups, The Hobbit, WonderCon
March 25, 2013 at 7:15 am by Garfeimao
Middle-earth March Madness round 2 ends at 10pmET tonight, so get your votes in. [Vote] [Round 2 Bracket]
Here is how Round 2 is shaping up right now…
The Shire Division
(8) Huan is being handed his walking papers by (1) Galadriel, while the most powerful of the Ainur (4) Morgoth has a solid lead over the eldest ent (5) Treebeard. (6) Luthien seems poised to take down (3) Bilbo Baggins. But the closest story in this round appears to be the match between the Mirkwood Elvenking (7) Thranduil with a slim lead over the head of the White Council (2) Saruman.
The Erebor Division
The current Cinderella seed (16) Pippin is soundly beating ‘Hot Dwarf’ (9) Fili, can the Heir of Durin put in a late push? Last year’s champ (12) Samwise Gamgee is facing an uphill battle with (4) Beren. The owner of the Last Homely Home, (6) Elrond, is currently leading against (14) Eowyn, unless she can get some support from other Warrior Women. Can she make to the Sweet 16, possibly against Aragorn!? Speaking of (7) Aragorn, he is soundly trouncing the windlord (2) Gwaihir.
The Mordor Division
(9) Gil-galad, the high kind of Noldor, seems destined to lose to the number one seed (1) Smaug. The Dark Lord (4) Sauron is handily beating his dwarven opponent (5) Dain Ironfoot. (11) Fingolfin has a slim lead over (3) Thorin Oakenshield, where is his ARmy? (2) Beorn seems ready to send (7) Shelob packing. If things keep going this way, we could have Smaug and Sauron in the Sweet 16.
The Angmar Division
Not quite a fair battle, but (1) The One Ring seems ready to abandon (8) Frodo Baggins. The Eldar King (12) Manwe, has a very solid lead over a descendant of Girion in (4) Bard the Bowman. Some call him ‘creepy’ and ‘sneaky’ (3) Gollum, but he’s got a lead over the imposing dwarf (6) Dwalin. And last but not least, (10) Merry seems rather outranked and outclassed by (2) Gandalf the Grey.
Voting continues until tonight at 10pm ET. [Vote Now!]
Posted in Characters, Events, Fans, Fellowship of the Ring, Gaming, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Movie, Lord of the Rings, LotR Books, Movie Fellowship of the Ring, Movie Return of the King, Movie The Two Towers, Other Events, Other Tolkien books, Return of the King, Silmarillion, The Hobbit, The Two Towers
March 24, 2013 at 3:52 pm by Garfeimao
The countdown, how exciting!
- Live Stream starts now… with Jed Brophy at the Post Production house
- Peter is reading the newspaper
- spoiler alert, it’s great weather on Monday
- Cricket scores shared for the English fans
- Motion capture stage visited, with Azog and another Orc, more fighting with the orcs, including orc archery
- Dam Busters, someone should remake it so Jed can be in it.
- James Bond walk of fame is rather cool
- Pre-vis department, Pre-visualisation (animated sequences)
- I see Smaug poster
- Rather comic version of Smaug on a computer screen (psych)
- the T-Rex with wings look a bit like Pete’s Dragon
- Rivendell library is rather cool looking, even if never used
- Jed loves Goldfinger
- And then we enter the Editing room with Jabez Olssen
- One Million years B.C was the poster over PJ’s bed as a kid
- Now to see editing happening
- Bard is taking the Dwarves and their barrels across the river, in a boat.
- Bilbo – I should never come along, we have a saying in the Shire “never venture east”.
- He seems rather miserable
- “I should never have left Bagend. We have a saying in the Shire, we learn it from birth, Never Venture East.”
- Peter and Jed agree that Aidan is one of the Hot Dwarves (Lisa)
- Jed looks very waterlogged
- We get the final cut – and it’s Bard saying “So Master Hobbit, why did you venture East?”
- Yeah Luke, sends a little message to say hello to the fans. The One Ringer, that’s us!
- Jed teases that Bard is out of the film but Peter says that Bard is one of the cool things about the next film
- Here come the video questions.
- Chris asks about problems with a middle film?
- PJ answers – middle films are complicated, but with multiple story lines different character arcs and plot lines take over.
- Thranduil on his throne, awesome.
- elf troop, with Legolas and Tauriel, fighting orcs
- Laketown and the Master looking smarmy, and his manservant looks a bit like Grima.
- Stephen Fry says he’s taking over from Orlando as the most desirable man in the films
- Stephen sends a video, and mentions that England is decimating NZ in Cricket
- Chinese girls ask questions about Legolas and Orlando and why he was cast and whether or not he’s similar to his Elf
- Orlando sends a video to ask PJ a question – he wants to know what image he is most excited to see onscreen.
- PJ says fans are most excited to see Smaug and Bilbo together and so is he.
- Stephen’s video has been running in the background because he’s so wordy, but he says he has no idea if he’s in the last film
- Marina in Canada – asks about new characters
- PJ answers – Thranduil, Bard (part of the family now), They’ve made Bard like Robin Hood, is he good or bad. And of course, Tauriel is new, a new creation. Yay for her costume, finally getting to really see it.
- Tauriel wears a leather
- Brazilian kids asking questions, call it LOTR and pronounce it as a word
- The kids ask about PJ’s favorite weapons, theirs is Gimli’s and Gloin’s axe.
- PJ loves Theoden’s sword, with the horse motifs.
- And back to London and Stephen Fry’s video still running
- PJ was punishing Stephen about his comments about the NZ Cricket team
- Twitter question about how difficult it is to stay on track or schedule
- They mention the Flood in Nelson as one thing that messed up shooting
- Surprise question with from Stephen Colbert – asks about the Sindar Elves and the Avari elves? PJ says yes about the Elves
- So PJ rags on Stephen Colbert about two different sizes of mugs on his show, and how the quality of the printing on the mugs is poor quality
- Twitter question – does he edit barefoot? Yes, he can be barefoot.
- Lee Pace, woohoo, looking rather fab, as usual. Lee is looking forward to seeing the animosity of Dwarves and Elves in his own halls.
- Twitter question – would Jed like to inflict any dwarf torture on PJ?
- Jed says maybe, but has to say no because he wants to continue to work with him.
- Great story about the Dwarves on the spit, and how Mark Hadlow got sick and asked to take a break and no one heard him. Poor thing
- Billy Boyd sends a video question – In FOTR, they went as far as the Misty Mountains, but he knows in The Hobbit they go further East. Billy wants to know about any new Wildlands.
- PJ answers about Mirkwood, and shows artwork the darkness and foreboding nature of Mirkwood. Misty and mirky and hard to walk through, to be sure.
- Evangeline sends a question – What will Thranduil’s realm be like?
- PJ mentions that Green Screens is why she does not know what the realm looks like. The artwork shows a bridge over a raging river to a structure like Rivendell, but inside the forest. The realm looks like Rivendell and Lorien mixed together, but underground.
- Dom Monaghan asks a question, he is holding the camera himself.
- What is the best PJ rumor you’ve heard that is not true?
- What are you happiest about in transferring book to film?
- PJ answers about the craziest rumor – people asked him if he was going to move his family to a ship off the coast to avoid paying Taxes. He gets too seasick to do that.
- Twitter question – will the Necromancer play a bigger part, and PJ says yes and nothing else.
- Here comes a look at the movie, but the Trailer is not ready yet.
- PJ says that Gandalf goes to see the tombs of the Witch-king
- Gandalf in a cavern, showing a dark doorway that appears to be blown open from within. He then goes inside, and sees a bird flies out of broken stonework, and then sees Radagast. The Nine tombs were broken open from the inside.
- The vlogs will be starting up again, even though this is very much like one.
- Sequence of action from throughout the film concluding with ‘We are the Dwarves of Erebor, we have come to reclaim our homeland’
- Ran for about 55 minutes
Remember, if you missed the Peter Jackson hosted first look at “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” or just want to watch it over again, a modified version will be archived on the Trilogy’s official website www.thehobbit.com/sneak. To access the footage, use your UltraViolet code on your copy “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack or 2-Disc Special Edition DVD.
Also, be sure to stay tuned to TheOneRing.net for a detailed analysis. Coming soon!
Posted in Billy Boyd, Cast Q&A, Characters, Dominic Monaghan, Evangeline Lilly, Events, Fans, Headlines, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Cast News, Hobbit Movie, Jed Brophy, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom, Peter Jackson, Stephen Fry, The Hobbit
March 22, 2013 at 11:36 pm by Garfeimao
The first official Tolkien Reading Day was held on March 25, 2003. A New York journalist was wondering if there was such a thing as Tolkien Reading Day and asked the Tolkien Society about this in 2002. It was decided that there should be a Tolkien Reading day, and then the only debate was ‘when’ should it be held? Please go to the Tolkien Society’s official page for Tolkien Reading Day to find out just how and why March 25th was chosen.
You will also see some very helpful tips on what types of activities can be done to celebrate Tolkien Reading Day, from discussions about common themes or settings, to fun games to engage children with. Tolkien Reading Day can be held at a home, a school, a library or a bookstore or you can even take it outside, maybe at a picnic and add a meal to the event. And while the Middle-earth stories tend to be the more popular at a Tolkien Reading Day event, his other works, such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Letters from Father Christmas or Roverandam can be just as enchanting.
The theme for this year is Landscapes, a subject that Tolkien was particularly adept at envisioning and describing in wonderful detail. Middle-earth must have had very successful travel agents, how many times have you wondered what it would be like to visit some of the realms described?
Tolkien Forever, the Tolkien Smial in Southern California, will be hosting an event this Saturday, March 23. True, it is not the correct day, but a Saturday works better for drawing more people to the event in the ever busy Megalopolis that is So Cal. For those in the Los Angeles area, stop by their Facebook event page for details.
If you have a Tolkien Reading Day event happening in your area, please let us know the details so we can post it and let others know where they can go in an area near them. You can drop a line to Spymaster@TheOneRing.net.
Posted in Events, Fans, Fellowship of the Ring, Hobbit Book, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, LotR Books, Meet Ups, Other Tolkien books, Return of the King, Silmarillion, The Hobbit, The Two Towers, Tolkien, Tolkien Reading Day
March 7, 2013 at 4:31 am by Garfeimao
Tolkien fans in Southern California will have an embarrassment of events to attend to share their love of all things Tolkien. From conventions and film screenings to enjoying the source material, here is a little rundown of events to attend and enjoy in the month of March.
First up is a Literary based Science Fiction convention in San Diego called Condor, taking place this weekend. TheOneRing.net will be hosting several discussions on Saturday and Sunday about The Hobbit, TheOneRing.net and Middle-earth. This weekend will be full of lots of interactive programming, so come on down and join in the fun.
On the following weekend, the American Cinematheque will be hosting a screening of The Hobbit and the LOTR Trilogy in a full day and night Middle-earth Marathon. This will be on Saturday, March 16 at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica. TheOneRing.net will be there to talk Tolkien, run trivia contests and play a game or two. And to help some lucky Tolkien fan to OD on Middle-earth, we have a pair of tickets to give away. Go to our Event Page on Facebook, RSVP to attend the screening and leave a message stating how you plan to survive the 15 hours or so that this marathon will take, and we’ll randomly award a pair of tickets to one lucky person. Hurry, this contest will close on Saturday at Midnight.
Just a week later, on March 23, Tolkien Forever will be hosting their annual Tolkien Reading Day event. This event is typically held on March 25, the Middle-earth New Year after the Destruction of the Ring. But March 25 is a Monday, so the event in Los Angeles was moved to the Saturday before, and is going to be at what looks to be a wicked cool used bookstore in Downtown LA called The Last Bookstore. Selections of Tolkien’s wide range of works will be read to any and all who show up, spreading the love for his written word. Visit the Facebook Event Page to see more details.
The final event for So Cal Tolkien fans to attend and enjoy will be Wondercon in Anaheim at the end of the month. This convention is typically held in San Francisco, but moved to Anaheim last year and this year because Moscone Center in San Fran has been undergoing renovations. Wondercon is a spin off from San Diego Comic Con and is run in a similar manner, but on a much smaller scale, making it more accessible for fans to enjoy all that the con has to offer. TheOneRing.net will have a panel at Wondercon, but the schedule is still pending, we will announce when and where you can find as soon as we know.
And there you have it, 4 weekends of Tolkien fandom, fun and friendship. What more could wee little Hobbits hope for?
Posted in Contests, Conventions, Events, Fans, Film Screenings, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Movie, Lord of the Rings, LotR Books, LotR Movies, Meet Ups, Movie Fellowship of the Ring, Movie Return of the King, Movie The Two Towers, New Zealand, Other Events, The Hobbit, TheOneRing.net Community, Tolkien Reading Day, WonderCon
February 22, 2013 at 6:23 pm by Garfeimao
Hollywood is in full Oscar mode right now, with street closures around the Hollywood & Highland complex, just two blocks from our party location, and every news channel talking non-stop about Oscar predictions. There are fans wandering around everywhere, taking photos of the life sized Golden Oscar statues lining the Red Carpet that is being put down. And TheOneRing.net is in the middle of all this, with our own set of decorations that will soon fill the inside and front facade of the American Legion Post #43, right here in Hollywood.
You will find here links to all the events, helpful hints on what to print and what to bring with you, and a timeline. Further attendee information will be given out with your registration materials when you arrive on Sunday afternoon.
(more…)
Posted in Artwork, Collectibles, Costuming, Events, Fans, Headlines, Hobbit Movie, Meet Ups, Oscar Parties, Other Events, The Hobbit, The One Expected Party, TheOneRing.net Community
January 17, 2013 at 7:55 pm by Garfeimao
For those of you coming to Hollywood for this party, especially those of you from outside the Southern California area, you already know you need a hotel. But I’d like to make sure all you locals are able to take advantage of these great deals we have with these hotels. After all, with the closure of all the streets surrounding the newly dubbed Dolby Theater at the Hollywood and Highland Complex, you won’t have to worry about being late to the party when you are staying at one of the neighboring hotels.
Please check out our Accommodations page for details on all the hotels. A few have already closed the books on our group block, and a few will remain open for another two weeks, but all the details can be found on that page. I have personally inspected all 5 hotels, so if you have any questions, email me at Garfeimao@TheOneRing.net and I’d be happy to assist you.
Posted in Events, Fans, Hobbit Movie, Meet Ups, Oscar Parties, The Hobbit
January 9, 2013 at 3:20 am by Garfeimao
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) just announced its nominations for the best films of 2012, and “The Hobbit,” snagged 3 separate nominations. One each for Sound, Special Visual Effects and Hair & Makeup. “Lincoln” received the most nominations with 10, even though Director Steven Spielberg was not one of the directorial nominees. Following close behind were “Argo,” “Les Miserables,” “Life of Pi” and “Zero Dark Thirty,” all with multiple nominations and among the Best Film category, along with “Lincoln.”
In the Sound category, “The Hobbit” is nominated with “Django Unchained,” “Les Miserables,” “Life of Pi” and “Skyfall.” In my opinion if the voters were able to see and hear a Dolby Atmos screening, this would be in the bag, but that is still a fresh and technology with limited availability. In the Special Visual Effects category, “The Hobbit,” is nominated with “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Life of Pi,” “Prometheus” and “Marvel’s Avengers Assemble.” In the Hair and Makeup category, all the nominees except “The Hobbit” are period pieces, while “The Hobbit,” definitely has some fantastical creations. Not sure which is the advantage here. The other nominees are “Anna Karenina,” “Hitchcock,” “Les Miserables” and “Lincoln.”
One notable nominee in the Documentary category is “West of Memphis,” produced by Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson. Jackson appears in the film that looks at the arrest, conviction and release of three then teens for a murder in West Memphis, Arkansas. Many felt it was a wrong conviction. The British Academy Film Awards will take place on February 10 at London’s Royal Opera House. For a full list of the nominations, please check the BAFTA website
Posted in Events, Headlines, Hobbit Movie, Other Events, The Hobbit
January 3, 2013 at 11:06 am by Garfeimao
The Huffington Post recently posted a story about why many critics currently savaging The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will regret it in the long run. It has more to do with the fuller history of Middle-earth, of which most critics are completely unaware, and less to do with them reviewing the first part of a trilogy that has yet to play out. This article gives a run down of the pertinent bits of Middle-earth history before The Hobbit, and the time between the two stories, to more fully connect them and give a proper perspective to character motivation.
Please note that there are some SPOILERS in this article for those who have not yet read the book.
Read for more
Posted in Characters, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Movie, Lord of the Rings, LotR Movies, The Hobbit, Tolkien
