Gandalf & Saruman at SLCC 2013

SALT LAKE CITY — Once scheduled for a smaller venue in the suburbs, the first ever Salt Lake Comic Con filled Utah’s capital city’s largest convention venue and had it bursting at the seams Saturday. For a time the hundreds waiting outside were not allowed to enter except at a 1-out-1-in rate. Word on the dealer’s floor said it was because the fire marshal closed the space but that rumor was never confirmed.

Reports in the media called the event “record setting” for a first-year convention, and that is possibly true, but such stats aren’t readily available. In any case, it was a massive event with celebrities that included William Kircher (Bifur) and Manu Bennett (Azog) and other pop-culture icons like William Shatner and Adam West.

Azog at Weta booth, Salt Lake Comic Con 2013

TheOneRing.net was part of the fun as well, with staffer (and this writer) Larry D. Curtis (MrCere) attending with the show in his (my) hometown. the SLComic Con invited TORn to present a panel about Smaug and serve on other panels as well, with topics including Fantasy Films, all things Tolkien, Geek Culture and film school.

Bennett and Kircher were kind enough to drop by TheOneRing panel that also included author and TORn friend Paul Genesse. He helped moderate the panel and showed incredible enthusiasm for the material.

TheOneRing also managed a booth on the at time very crowded floor supported by incredible friends at Badali Jewelry and Weta Workshop making its first U.S. appearance outside of the San Diego Comic Con. TORn helped back in a small way to staff the Weta booth and send those with questions about where to purchase The One Ring to Badali’s very nearby booth. Artist David Powell was also kind enough to sign posters of his art for fans.

The Salt Palace Convention Center can be expanded and the SLCC will return next year. TheOneRing.net hopes to be part of the show. Thanks to Dan McBride and Blonde Ninja for their support of the TORn booth. Thanks also to the many financial supports at the event and to Salt Lake Comic Con for letting us be a part of the show. If you attended and would like TORn to return, you can use the contact info here to let them know.

If anybody has images of Bennett and Kircher attending the TORn panel, please send them in! We were busy having a panel and didn’t get any photos.

We’ll have a table in the ‘fan tables area’ – please come by and see us!  Staffers deej and greendragon will be running the table, with expert help from staffer Thorongil.  We’ll have awesome t-shirts and posters for sale, as well as trivia to play and prizes to win!  Plus we love meeting fellow fans – so please swing by and say hello!  We’ll be in the Hyatt, Exhibition Level, across from the entrance to the Art Show.

TORn will also be presenting two panels at DragonCon: on Saturday, 5.30pm in the Hyatt International South will be The Hobbit: One book, three movies; and on Sunday, 1pm in the Hyatt Centennial 1 we’ll be Previewing The Desolation of Smaug!  Staffer MrCere will be joining deej and greendragon - and maybe a few others! – on those panels.  Otherwise, catch MrCere very busily running the Tolkien Track at the con this weekend!

Billy Boyd at TORn’s booth, DragonCon 2012

Justin and the Road Trip gang will of course be covering events and streaming from the Con!  Other exciting happenings include the Evening at Bree party on Friday night, 8.30pm in Hyatt Centennial 1, where The Tolkien Track have their annual shindig with costume contest and with our faves, Emerald Rose, rocking the house!  On Saturday night The Tolkien Track have a new event – a late night ‘Middle-earth goes retro’ dance party!  80s music all night long – come on down and party like it’s the Third Age!  80s attire optional but encouraged – what did elves wear in the 80s, anyway?  Come party with fellow fans and denizens of Middle-earth, as TORn’s own professional dj (hey, that’s why we call her deej!) spins the discs - 10.30pm Saturday, in the Hilton Grand Ballroom East.

And let’s not forget, of course, that there are some fabulous celebrities at DragonCon this weekend!  Already scheduled on panels are William Kircher (Bifur), Graham McTavish (Dwalin) and Sylvester McCoy (Radagast).  Manu Bennet (Azog) is also at the con, so we hope to see him on a panel or two, as well!  And our good friends from Badali Jewelry will have a booth in the dealers’ hall, in the AmericasMart Building 1, so say hi to them and maybe treat yourself to a gorgeous piece of jewelry!

It’s all happening; it’s going to be a whirlwind of a weekend!  We always look forward to meeting fellow Tolkien lovers at all the conventions and events which TheOneRing.net attends – so we hope to see YOU this weekend at DragonCon!

• Bombur (Stephen Hunter) - https://twitter.com/StephenJHunter1
• Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) - https://twitter.com/EvangelineLilly
• Gandalf (Ian McKellen) - https://twitter.com/IanMcKellen
• Bard (Luke Evans) - https://twitter.com/TheRealLukevans
• Bard’s son (John Bell) – https://twitter.com/johnbell123 
• Master of Laketown (Stephen Fry) - https://twitter.com/stephenfry
• Azog (Manu Bennett) - https://twitter.com/manubennett
• Ori (Adam Brown) - https://twitter.com/BrownAds
• Nori (Jed Brophy) - https://twitter.com/BrophyJed
• Fili (Dean O’Gorman) - https://twitter.com/Deanogormano
• Dwalin (Graham McTavish) - https://twitter.com/grahammctavish
• Dain Ironfoot (Billy Connolly) - https://twitter.com/Billy_Connolly

Your favorite Lord of the Rings actors are also highly active on twitter and love responding to fans.

• Samwise (Sean Astin) - https://twitter.com/SeanAstin
• Frodo (Elijah Wood) - https://twitter.com/woodelijah
• Merry (Dominic Monaghan) – https://twitter.com/domswildthings
• Pippin (Billy Boyd) – https://twitter.com/officialbeecake

Folks that make middle earth come to life through the magic of cinema, words and music:

• https://twitter.com/wetaworkshop
• https://twitter.com/TheHobbitMovie
• https://twitter.com/WB_Home_Ent
• https://twitter.com/wbpictures
• https://twitter.com/watertowermusic (soundtrack)
• Royd Tolkien – https://twitter.com/RoydTolkien

TheOneRing.net also publishes unique twitter content, moderated by a select group, which is often more fun and reactive to trends than the home page. Our wide volunteer staff work in a wide variety of industries (and countries) which makes for a robust and diverse community, brought together by a mutual love of Tolkien.

TheOneRing.net primary account – https://twitter.com/theoneringnet

You can also follow us on Facebook or Google-plus if you desire!
* TORn Facebook
* TORn G+

If we missed any Hobbit and Lord of the Rings folks who are active on twitter let us know in the comments!

This week on the LOTR Movie board this week, Mciliel is leading us in a discussion on the many faces of Jed Brophy.

On The Hobbit board boldog wants to know which is the more fitting villain of the Hobbit movies, Azog or Smaug?  Which do you think?  Share your views here.

Fiesta Friday was especially busy this week, with Message boarders catching up with fellow TORnFolk caught up in last weeks’ madness, natural disasters, wild weather, factories exploding and the Boston Marathon. Here’s to a much quieter week this week!

Meanwhile on The Pollantir, sam90 would like to know how do you like your reading material; e-book or paper book?

We’ll share more topics next week and we hope you will come and join in the conversations!  Don’t forget, TheOneRing.net’s message boards have over 9,600 registered Tolkien fans, just like you.  Let your voice be heard!

“I was in the studio doing things for Azog four weeks before the premiere! In some ways I was the final ingredient to the whole thing,” he told Empire. Can we expect more Azog in the extended editions due for the holidays?

“No, because when I was brought in they’d already cut the film. For some of the scenes I had to move through frames.” He also confirms he will return for filming this year but hasn’t seen the script. The entire interview is available at Empire Online Thanks to the many spies who brought this one to our attention.

Bolg, son of Azog

Azog holds aloft the head of the Dwarven King, Thorin Oakenshield’s grandfather.

The Goblin King from “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”

Letteri talked to The Hero Complex recently and the information is good but perhaps a retread for TORn readers. However, the piece also has three making of videos that are outstanding. The three characters mentioned above each get his own showcase and it highlights the talents of Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman and the digital and design team among others. Anyway, the story is right here and of course the visual effects team must be considered strong favorites on Oscar night. And for 2013 they get to tackle a dragon.

The visual effects nominees are certainly invited to our big-event party that looks to be simply amazing.