   TORn Exclusive: Save $50 on One Man Lord of the Rings in NYC!
Student produces Middle-earth genealogy site
“I first read the Lord of the Rings when I was eleven years old, just in time for the first movie to come out. At that point it’s not fair to say I was passionate about it but rather that I found it a good way of escaping reality for a while. I was the kind of kid who lived a lot in my imagination. The first family tree I made was probably six years ago and consisted of two huge papers, 1 by 1 meters. I quickly realized this was something I wanted to share, but my knowledge of the web was too poor to allow it. I was not until November last year that I decided to give it a try. Even though much of the research already had been done, programming the site and adding the characters into the database have taken a lot of time. Too much for me to want to think about it. I still have a massive amount of work left before I’m finished and I will not give up until it is perfect.” The site is a MUST VISIT. There and Back AgainWhy did Bloomsbury U.K. eventually decide to offer “Harry Potter” books in disguised covers? Because people were ashamed to be seen reading about witches and wizards on the train. Fantasy had been made into a guilty pleasure, like pornography. It was immature, juvenile, escapist. As for all those Tolkien fans who liked to dress up as elves and orcs, the only explanation, spluttered Edmund Wilson in 1956, was that “Certain people . . . have a lifelong appetite for juvenile trash.” This, Michael Saler remarks, “from a man who liked to be called ‘Bunny.’ ” In “As If: Modern Enchantment and the Literary Prehistory of Virtual Reality,” a historical and cultural study of fiction fandom, Mr. Saler counterpunches vigorously against the whole edifice of literary snobbery. What he has to say is so self-evidently right that the fact he has to say it makes one wonder how the critical profession has managed, for so long, to cultivate such a large blind spot. His book should be essential reading in every graduate school of the humanities. But it’s much more fun than that recommendation suggests. More.. Supreme Court Rules For Copyright On Old Foreign TitlesTexts from J.R.R. Tolkien and George Orwell have been removed from the public domain in the United States, thanks to a Supreme Court ruling this week. On Wednesday, The Supreme Court upheld a 1994 law which gives copyright protection to body of foreign works that had previously been available for free in the public domain. Google hoped that the high court would overturn the law. The Wall Street Journal has more: “Google Inc. was the leading company challenging the law, in an echo of the separate battle in Washington over an Internet piracy bill that pits Google against movie studios. The search company, which didn’t respond to a request for comment, said in court papers that the restored copyrights could affect more than a million books it has scanned through its Google Books Library Project.” More.. TORn TUESDAYS Live Video Show Starts at 5pm Today!
The amazing LOTR Lego designs of Blake Baer
Well, Blake Baer is the brain behind a number of remarkable Lego dioramas that recreate famous scenes from the Hobbit. If you were excited about the announcement of the Lord of the Rings Lego series, you’ll love this. the full-resolution images of the scenes from The Hobbit that Blake has visualised in Lego are amazing. TheOneRing.net chatted with Blake about the inspiration for his Lego creations, and asked him to pick his three favourites from his Hobbit series. Wired: “Why the Hobbit Trailer Creeps Me Out”
What’s he on about? Well, he noticed something in the teaser (one that many other people did as well), but he’s gone a step further and drawn some interesting parallels to one of the most controversial and bizarre changes that Walsh and Boyens made for The Return of The King. Of course, this being the internet, your mileage may vary. Naturally, there are movie spoilers. Read the full article on Wired. Nobel Prize for Tolkien dashed by ‘poor prose’
TORn staffer Garfeimao interviewed on the Genre Traveler
Follow the link for the Podcast and supporting material for all topics discussed.
Spring Enrollment Open at Mythgard Institute for “The Making of Myth” and “Taking Harry Seriously” until January 13th
FOTR 10th Anniversary Exclusive: An interview with Plan 910 years have passed since the release of the first of the films in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and fans will surely recall Frodo’s “chicken dance” at Bilbo’s Birthday party, Merry and Pippin singing in the Green Dragon Inn, Frodo and Sam watching the Wood-elves leaving Middle-earth, and Éowyn singing a dirge at the burial of her cousin Théodred. The songs and the music for all these scenes, termed “diegetic” or “cultural” music, were composed and performed by Plan 9 (consisting of David Donaldson, Stephen Roche, and Janet Roddick) together with David Long, who also collaborated with them on certain aspects of the sound design for the Dead Marshes, the Ents, and the One Ring. In celebration of the The Fellowship of the Ring’s 10th Anniversary, TheOneRing.net brings you an exclusive interview with Plan 9.  "The Elvish Impersonators" (from L to R: David Long, Steve Roche, Janet Roddick, David Donaldson) working on The Lord of the Rings in December 2002 Join us as we talk to them about how they came on board Peter Jackson’s crew working on the three films, and how they approached composing, performing, and selecting instruments that would lend credibility to the fictional cultures that inhabited Tolkien’s Middle-earth. All this, and also some talk of their as-yet-unreleased music for the films. TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – December 11, 2011
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 in the fun! |
 
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Attention New York, and surrounding area, Ringers! The very impressive and wildly popular ‘One Man Lord of the Rings’ show is coming to the Midtown Theater in New York City, and we’ve got an exclusive discount available to TheOneRing.net visitors. Regular tickets sell for $79, but we are excited to offer you a chance to pick up tickets for only $30! ‘One Man Lord of the Rings,’ performed by Charlie Ross, will be at the Midtown Theater February 17 (7pm), 18(2pm, 8pm) and 19th (2pm, 8pm). We suggest you place your order asap, as all shows are expected to be very popular. Use coupon code 1RNG at checkout to secure your discount. [
Join us today for Live chatting and mischief with Quickbeam! We have a very interesting subject today: DEBUNKING GANDALF / GALADRIEL ROMANCE RUMORS, among other things, illuminated by host Clifford Broadway on our streaming video show – You can also join the broadcast via our BARLIMAN’S CHAT built right into our Live Event Area — showtime today at approx. 5:00pm Pacific Standard Time!
Wired’s Erik Wecks makes a compelling case for Tolkien fans to not get too excited about the Hobbit.
The Mythgard Institute will be continuing their look at the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien – while delving into new territory – by offering the course “The Making of Myth: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien” this spring. The 15-week course can be taken for master’s level credit or audited and will focus on examining the work of Tolkien and Lewis hand-in-hand. The class will engage in a careful comparison of Lewis’ and Tolkien’s fiction, paying close attention to those moments when they are both exploring similar ideas or undertaking comparable literary enterprises. Not only will the course look at what they shared in common, but will also examine their primary differences. Books and essays to be discussed include but are not limited to The Hobbit, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, “Ainulindale,” The Magician’s Nephew, “Leaf by Niggle,” Till We have Faces, “The Lost Road,” The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and “Smith of Wootton Major.” [