HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
Need a little dwarvish influence in your Valentine’s Day? Then join Fili and Kili to learn how to make your own Dwarventines! (more…)
Posted in Fans, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Tolkien, Uncategorized
The Desolation of Smaug has won its first award, winning the VES Award for Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture for the most awesome of all dragons, Smaug! As previously noted, Smaug was the likely winner in this category for the Visual Effects Society’s 12th annual awards.
Congratulations to Eric Reynolds, David Clayton, Myriam Catrin and Guillaume Francois! View all the winners here.
Don’t forget to join us at the Cat and Fiddle for our ‘One Dragon, One Party’ moot for the Oscars where the mighty Smaug is going up against ‘Gravity’ in the Visual Effects category!
Posted in Fans, Headlines, Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, Meet Ups, Other Events, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, TheOneRing.net Announcements
There is just over two weeks remaining before the 2014 Academy Awards telecast and our own Feast of Starlight celebration at the ‘One Dragon, One Party’ event on March 2. Make sure you don’t wait to get your tickets, this is a much smaller venue than in past years and tickets are going fast. You can find all the party info at our previous Party Post.
Let’s take you on a little tour of our venue, the historic Cat & Fiddle Restaurant and Pub in Hollywood, just to put you in the proper party mood for this little moot.
Long before there was a restaurant at 6530 Sunset Blvd., there was a Spanish Shopping Court built by Fred Thompson, housing numerous shops including Travis Banton’s dress shop. Banton, the chief costume designer at the time for Paramount Pictures, was one of the most important Hollywood designers in the 1930′s. Fred Thompson was both a famed Western acting star with Paramount Pictures, as you can see in the photo above on the left, and was a leading business man in Hollywood, with the Thompson Building being one of his lasting legacies.
As you can see, the front entrance to the building has barely changed in the 85 years since it was built. Like so many buildings in the Southern California area, this is built in the classic Spanish style noted for it’s solid white stone walls, arched entrance, wrought iron fences and railings and the red tiled roof.
Once inside the arched entrance there is a brick lined courtyard filled with trees and other plants. Back when it was built, there was a functioning well at the center of the courtyard, but today the centerpiece is a delightful fountain. The Mediterranean climate of Southern California makes dining outside on the courtyard patio a real treat nearly year round. Weather permitting, we plan to have a large screen outdoors on the patio so that you may watch the Oscar telecast while sitting under the stars.
While very Spanish looking on the outside, the inside of the Cat & Fiddle Restaurant and Pub is every bit the English Pub you would expect, complete with warm, cozy hearth, a dart board and comfortable tables and booths. The room on the right is called the Casablanca Room and sits at the far end of the restaurant with a window overlooking the courtyard. And while you may think it only natural that a restaurant in Hollywood would name one of their rooms after a famous movie, in this case, it earned that name because part of Casablanca was actually filmed on location here.
In the 1980′s, a British rock musician and a New Orleans fashionista relocated to Hollywood and opened up the first British pub in the Hollywood area. The Thompson Building’s back area went from Mary Helen’s Tea Room to the Cat & Fiddle Restaurant and Pub, and is still run by the same family that opened it 30 years ago. It is this authentic British style pub and lovely courtyard setting has brought the Tolkien fan community back to this venue time and again for Golden Globes viewing parties, Tolkien Toasts and TORn moots and it is why it was the obvious choice for a smaller, more intimate party this year. The fact that the Cat & Fiddle is less than a mile from the Dolby theater, home of the Academy Awards ceremony doesn’t hurt either.
So don’t delay, get your Tickets now before they sell out. The beautiful LA weather on Oscar Sunday at a wonderful venue like this, you just never know who may show up.
The Merry Inn Song
by J.R.R. Tolkien, first two stanzas as sung by Frodo in the Prancing Pony
“There is an inn, a merry old inn beneath an old grey hill. And there they brew a beer so brown that the Man in the Moon himself came down on night to drink his fill.
The ostler has a tipsy cat that plays a five-stringed fiddle; and up and down he runs his bow, now squeaking high, now purring low, now sawing in the middle.”
Posted in Events, Fans, Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, Meet Ups, One Dragon, One Party, Oscar Parties, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
A new Happy Hobbit episode!
When Fili learns that a special guest is coming for dinner, and Kili is away in Mirkwood, she has to prepare a meal that is not only quick but delicious as well! (See below the video for the full recipe.) (more…)
Posted in Fans, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Tolkien, Uncategorized
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 active discussions. Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join the fun!
Calling all Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits and Wizards, you are hereby invited to ‘Ringers take Disneyland’ on Saturday, March 1 as part of the Oscar weekend festivities for fans of Middle-earth. Disneyland has been the site for Star Wars days, Potter Days, Browncoat Days and more, so why not fans of Middle-earth?
Here at TORn headquarters, we began to wonder what else we could do on Oscar weekend apart from our “One Dragon, One Party” that would be fun for locals and out-of-towners alike. LA and Hollywood are a popular tourist destination for dozens of reasons, but we needed a place that everyone wants to go to at least once in their lifetime, and is also family friendly and super fun. Disneyland fits the bill in oh so many ways, not the least of which is the fact that it has Dwarves, a Wizard and Mines, as well as many other Middle-earth-like realms and magical folk.
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The folks of the TORn message board Reading Room, the section of our forums devoted to discussion of Tolkien’s literary works, have just put out for a call for papers for the third TORn Amateur Symposium (also known as TAS3).
The first two TORn Amateur Symposiums last year published 22 essays on topics as varied as The Physics of The Hobbit, The Corrupting Nature of The One Ring, Concepts of Healing in Middle-earth, The Matter of Glorfindel, and Music and Race in Howard Shore’s Score.
TAS is an opportunity for those who love Middle-earth to share their ideas on Tolkien-related subjects in a longer written form. (more…)
Posted in J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Miscellaneous, Other Tolkien books, Silmarillion, The Hobbit, TheOneRing.net Announcements, TheOneRing.net Community, Tolkien
Vingilot leaving The Doors of Night by John Howe.
TORN’s latest library piece tackles the tantalizingly-enigmatic event of the Dagor Dagorath. Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of Tolkien’s fantasy world is its literal creation and ultimate destruction.
The Last Battle has found itself scattered in many of the author’s works but never before has it been compiled together as one tale. The following article has attempted such a task …
Posted in Christopher Tolkien, Green Books, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Other Tolkien books, Silmarillion, The Hobbit, TolkienIt’s here! February’s Rewrite Tolkien contest, where you, the fans, can rewrite your favorite passages or scenes in the style of a classic author or theme. We will select a theme each month, and then it’s up to you to put your spin on it.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, the theme for the month of February is:
The Hobbit in the style of Jane Austen
“You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope…I have loved none but you.” ~Persuasion
Using characters and settings from ‘The Hobbit’, put together a romantic tale in the style of ‘Emma’, ‘Pride and Prejudice’, ‘Persuasion’, or any of Ms. Austen’s other works. Get creative, but please keep your entry family friendly / PG rated!
Our judges will read through all of your submissions, and choose the best of the bunch. The Grand Prize Winner will get their entry read live on TheOneRing.net’s newest show, TORn Book Club as well as having it published here on TheOneRing.net. The runner-up will have their story published on TheOneRing.net.
The contest deadline is 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Monday, February 24th 2014. Please be sure to read all of the submission guidelines below and submit your entry to rewrite_tolkien_contest@theonering.net. Good luck!
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Posted in Contests, Events, The Hobbit
Thank you to everyone that participated in January’s Rewrite Tolkien contest – The Hobbit in the style of a newspaper article. We received some great entries from around the world!
January’s contest winner is:
”Lake-town Welcomes Thorin Oakenshield” by Sanni Kanta-oksa of Finland.
Sanni’s entry was read live on TORn Book Club (if you missed the latest episode, check it out on TheOneRing.net’s You Tube channel ), and has been reprinted below, along with the runner-up entry, “Disturber of the Peace” by Nancy Brown of England.
Congratulations to our winners, and stay tuned for information about February’s contest!
”Lake-town Welcomes Thorin Oakenshield”- The Lake-town Post
by Sanni Kanta-oksa (Finland)
The heir of Durin has arrived in Lake-town and promises to bring wealth back to the city.
Thorin Oakenshield, the leader of the company consisting of 13 dwarves and one hobbit, arrived in Lake-town in the autumn of T.A. 2941. The visit has been cited as ‘historical’, for the purpose of the party’s quest is to reclaim Erebor, which has been conquered by the dragon Smaug.
The company sought the Master of Lake-town and claimed Thorin to be the King Under the Mountain. The news was greeted warmly by the Master, as Thorin promised to grant a part of the treasure of Erebor to the people of Lake-town.
”This is actually really good news to us,” the Master told to The Post. ”Our people have suffered from hunger and poverty, but now we can put an end to all our troubles. The King Under the Mountain has promised to donate us, say, a big amount of money and riches.”
The citizens of Lake-town know very well songs of the King Under the Mountain who comes to take back his kingdom and consequently brings better standard of living to the city. The background of these prophecies remains unknown and there is no evidence about their reliability, but the inhabitants seem to be positive and confident.
”I have three children to feed and my house leaks, as there is a big hole in the roof,” Ingrid, from the western Lake-town, says to The Post. ”No one comes to repair the roof as I really don’t have anything to pay them. But if the legends are true and we are about to become richer than we’ve ever dreamed, then there is nothing to worry about. My children will be able to eat as much as they ever want and we don’t have to suffer from that leaking roof anymore.”
However, there are some who remain skeptical. ”In spite of the prophecies, I do not think it’s wise to go near that mountain,” remarked Bard, a father of one son. ”I think these are things that are supposed to be left alone. They are not for us.” The grim archer considers the whole quest as a doomed trial. ”If they [the dwarves] wake that dragon sleeping inside the mountain, then we will all be destroyed.”
The Master doesn’t seem to be too worried about the question whether the trial of the improvident dwarves and a hobbit, who has been described as ‘an official burglar’, will share opinions among the inhabitants. ”There will be some opposing, of course, as there always is,” The Master said mysteriously. ”But I think that will end as soon as everyone gets their share of the treasure. That will silent even the rest of the doubters.”
According to an assistant of the Master, the company will stay at the town for two weeks. They will be taken good care of, as the city offers them food and warm bed so they can rest before the undoubtedly most dangerous part of their quest.
The company will be expected to leave in two weeks. SK
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Disturber of Peace returns! – The Shire Telegraph
Gandalf the Grey has been seen in Hobbiton, Hobbit has gone missing.
by Nancy Brown (England)
Gandalf the Grey, a wizard who is well-known in these parts for causing trouble wherever he goes has been seen wandering the Shire again for the first time since the Old Took died. He was last seen bothering a Mr Bilbo Baggins at his residence on the Hill in Hobbiton yesterday morning, who has not been seen since we spoke to him later that same afternoon. We have paid a visit to his home but received no answer.
The wizard is said to be responsible for the disappearings of many Hobbits. There have been numerous cases of quiet lads and lasses going off into the blue for mad adventures after hearing the remarkable tales which seem to follow him wherever he goes in an extraordinary fashion. He is often spotted with fireworks, especially when there is a party involved, which has given him the name “the Disturber of Peace”. It was the Old Took himself, Thain Gerontius who encouraged these firework displays.
Gandalf is first said to have visited the Shire during the Long Winter nearly two hundred of years ago where he supposedly helped to save the lives of many Hobbits, but despite his good deeds he has since become a bit of a nuisance around these parts. A dreadful famine followed the Long Winter and his visits have eventually become something of concern, especially for parents who do not wish to see their children disappear and perhaps never be seen again.
We spoke to Bilbo Baggins later that afternoon when he visited the shops. Mr Baggins is a very wealthy and respectable Hobbit whose mother is Belladonna Took and is therefore part of the Took Clan, who are very well known for their strange behaviour, having had more disappearances than any other family in these parts. A source has told us that as a child, Mr Baggins attended several parties to listen to Gandalf’s mad stories about Dragons, Goblins and princesses but we were assured that he had grown up to become a more sensible and unadventurous hobbit like his father. The Tooks may be well-known for having adventures but a Baggins is not. Bilbo told us he had no intention of disappearing. He said, “Well I could not believe it. There I was minding my own business when this wizard calling himself Gandalf showed up on the door step trying to get me to go on one of his terrible adventures. So I told him right away no. I said no hobbit around here will be having any adventures thank you very much! It is ridiculous to even suggest a Baggins would run off on some silly adventure”.
But Mr Baggins has not been seen or heard from since. Early this morning we received several unconfirmed reports of Dwarves sitting in the Green Dragon as though they were waiting for someone. We have spoken to one witness who claims he later saw Mr Baggins join them as though he was a friend with an outfit fit for walking and a well packed bag. The group are thought to have since left the Shire.
It appears that Gandalf’s latest visit has caused even more trouble and strange sightings than they normally do but if you see him or Bilbo return or have any other strange happenings to add to this story then please let us know.
Posted in Contests, Events, Fans, Parodies, The Hobbit
Come join us for our Feast of Starlight celebration at the historic Cat & Fiddle Restaurant and Pub in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, March 2 for “One Dragon, One Party”. We will be taking over the place and watching the telecast of the 86th annual Academy Awards® Middle-earth style. There will be big screens available in both the main dining room and out on the patio, as well as the mounted televisions located throughout the restaurant. With the nice weather Southern California has been enjoying all winter long, it is a safe bet that viewing on the patio will be a delightful experience, but mind the spiders…
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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. Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join the fun!
