Middle-earth March Madness 2012 – Round 3!

March 27th, 2012 by newsfrombree | No Comments »

We’ve reached the Elite Eight in our inaugural Middle-earth March Madness tournament! The match-ups in the second round proved to be quite historic, but none more than the Rankin/Bass Division. The top seed (1)Gandalf, narrowly won by a single vote. Yes, one vote out of 19,405 is all that defeated the great (4)Feanor! Proving once again that even the smallest of things can make a difference. In the other match-up, (6)Smaug lost to (2)Galadriel by only 100 votes in a competition that saw 20,616 total votes! The rest of the divisions were competitive, but did come down to less than 100 votes. (see all results here) Ultimately we’ve ended up with the number 1 and number 2 seeded competitors facing off in the Elite Eight!

(1)Gandalf will take on (2)Galadriel in a battle of characters that will be returning to the screen in the upcoming ‘Hobbit‘ films! In the Ralph Bakshi Division, (1)Bilbo Baggins will test his muster against a crowd-favorite (2)Aragorn. In the Tolkien Family Division, heavily favored heart-throb (1)Legolas will face off against the hardened savior of Middle-earth (2)Frodo Baggins. The Peter Jackson Division’s final competition comes served with a bit of irony. Peter’s division is the only one to have a competitor that was not represented on-screen in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The match-up finds the top-seeded (1)Glorfindel versus a heavy crowd favorite (2)Samwise Gamgee.

Follow after the break to place your vote and see the latest version of the bracket. (download) Voting will remain open until March 30th at Noon ET. You may vote as often as you like, so please share with your friends and family.

Handicapping round 2 of Middle-earth March Madness

March 25th, 2012 by Garfeimao | No Comments »

With just one day left in the second round of our Middle-earth March Madness, it is time to summarize the competition and do a little cheerleading for the characters.

The first match up in the Rankin/Bass division is between Gandalf (1) and Feanor (4) and is running extremely close. You best get your votes in, this one could go either way. The second match up in the Rankin/Bass division is Galadriel (2) versus Smaug (6). Again, this one is extremely close, will it be the Lady of the Golden Wood, or Smaug the Golden, their fate is in your hands, so vote now.

In the Ralph Bakshi division, the first match up is between Bilbo (1) and Gollum (4). Bilbo has a little lead, but it is not to say Gollum couldn’t sneak up and take this contest, so get your votes out. The second match up in this division has Thorin (3) up against Aragorn (2) and it appears at the moment the current lead hero is besting the previous lead hero, so pick your favorite hero and vote, vote, vote.

Checking in on the Tolkien Family Division, Legolas (1) is taking on Pippin (4) and as you might expect, the Elf Prince has a comfortable lead. Pippin fans, where are you? The other contest in this division pits Faramir (3) against Frodo (2). Currently, the Gondorian heir to the Stewardship who could not be swayed by the ring is beating the Ringbearer, please vote for your favorite in this contest.

And finally, in the Peter Jackson division, Glorfindel (1) is up against Merry (5) and the Elf lord is handily beating out the Esquire of Rohan. Make sure this one ends the way you want it, so vote now to ensure your favorite wins. And the last contest is between Samwise (2) and Boromir (3) with Samwise beating out everyone’s favorite Son of Gondor. How will it all end, only you can determine that by voting.

Middle-earth March Madness second round voting

Celebrate Tolkien Reading today by, uh, reading!

March 25th, 2012 by MrCere | No Comments »

Join TheOneRing and the Tolkien Society, who started the event, by celebrating Tolkien Reading Day! Held annually since 2003, it is meant to encourage reading and is a great day to dust off a copy of one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s many works and dig in. (It also marks the downfall of Barad-dûr and the passing of Sauron, but that happened long before 2003.) Many schools mark the day with an in-class read, but since this year it falls on a Sunday, parents will be in charge of helping children celebrate but reading to pets, the infirm or yourself is also more than acceptable. Enjoy!

Fridays with Frodo! The Fellowship Returns

March 23rd, 2012 by Garfeimao | No Comments »

The headline on their website reads: WE’RE BACK!!!  And with that, LA’s Tolkien fandom has a very good reason to smile again. It is safe to say that “Fellowship! The Musical” is a beloved part of local LOTR fan’s experiences after the films came out, and any chance to see it again is a reason to rejoice. So, it is with extreme pleasure that we announce the return of Fellowship to the local theater scene.

Performances will begin in April on Friday the 13th, and commence every Friday evening through June 29. Yes, you read that right, these performances will only be on Fridays. On the plus side, there will be two performances each Friday, at 8pm and again at 11pm. The show will run at the Trepany House at The Steve Allen Theatre at 4773 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90027 

For Tickets and further details, please visit their website at the Fellowship website

Middle-earth Madness 2012 – Round 2!

March 22nd, 2012 by newsfrombree | No Comments »

Round 1 of Middle-earth Madness is over and the results were surprising! Two of the match-ups were separated by approximately 30 votes: (5) Merry narrowly outlasted (4) Eowyn (results) and (4) Gollum barely beat out previous leader (5) Treebeard (results). The only ‘big’ upset in the last round was (6) Smaug taking down (3) Arwen. All of the match-up results can be seen on our ‘Round 1′ page (click here). In Round 2, the Sweet Sixteen, we have some historical competitions. In the Ralph Bakshi Division, the battle for the Ring takes on new meaning when (1) Bilbo faces (4) Gollum. Then we have the battle of manly actors as (3) Thorin Oakensheild takes on (2) Aragorn. In the Rankin/Bass Division, the only remaining Silmarillion character, (4) Feanor, will have his hands full with the top seed (1) Gandalf. And (2) Galadriel could possible feel the extreme wrath of everyone’s favorite Middle-earth dragon (6) Smaug. In the Tolkien Family Division, poor little ole (4) Pippin faces off against the top seed (1) Legolas, fresh off his too-close-for-comfort battle with Elrond. (3) Faramir may have been tempted by the Ring in TTT, but can he overcome the temptation to beat (2) Frodo? And finally, in the Peter Jackson Division. Non-film character (1) Glorfindel takes on yet another Hobbit (5) Merry! And we know (3) Boromir tried to snag the Ring from Frodo, but can he handle the onslaught of (2) Sam? These Round 2 match-ups are going to be close, so vote now, and vote often! This round ends on March 26th 2012 at Noon ET. Continue after the break for the updated bracket (download) and some additional notes!

Middle-earth Madness 2012 – Round 1

March 15th, 2012 by newsfrombree | No Comments »

Middle-earth Madness officially starts today! We’ve split our field of 32 characters into four divisions: The Rankin/Bass Division, The Ralph Bakshi Division, The Tolkien Family Division, and The Peter Jackson Division.

Voting in Round 1 will remain open until March 21st at Noon ET. At that point, we’ll calculate the winners and post the next round on March 22nd. Follow after the break for a complete bracket image (download it), and to vote on all of our Round 1 match-ups!

Selection Sunday – Middle-earth Madness soon to be revealed

March 11th, 2012 by MrCere | No Comments »

Middle-earth Madness and all the fun that implies, is soon to be released to fans of J.R.R. Tolkien everywhere. Readers and moviegoers will be able to vote as we pit character vs. character in a showdown to determine the 2012 Middle-earth character champion.

In the spirit of the U.S.’ NCAA college basketball tournament, known as March Madness, we will create matchups that pit the likes of Gollum vs. Treebeard and Boromir vs. Balin. Unlike the NCAA bracket, ours will be a 32 team showdown. Using voting fan input and finally our own selection committee.

And, because there are hundreds of great characters across the Middle-earth catalog, we know not everybody’s favorite character can fit in a field of 32 and just like in the NCAA tournament, some deserving characters may not get in. (Unlike the basketball tournament however, all of the characters are fictional and none will have his or her feelings hurt and they all have “next year” to be a contender.) So, we hope you will join us for our voting and enjoy Middle-earth Madness! The Bracket will be revealed soon!

Michael Adams — From Elvish to Klingon: Exploring Invented Languages

March 6th, 2012 by Ostadan | Discuss | | No Comments »

Back in 2001, I wrote Glossopoeia for Fun and Profit (also reprinted in The People’s Guide to J.R.R. Tolkien), for our Green Books department, in which I discussed three examples of invented languages: Esperanto, Elvish, and Klingon. For those who found that necessarily brief article of interest, University of Indiana linguistics professor Michael Adams has now edited a new book, From Elvish to Klingon: Exploring Invented Languages (Oxford University Press, 2011), comprising eight essays (including his a general introductory essay by Adams) about linguistic invention, though not precisely the “invented languages” suggested by the book’s title, as we will see. Each essay is accompanied by an appendix by Adams that extends or clarifies some aspect of the essay.

Adams’s introductory chapter deals with the spectrum of linguistic invention, and considers the motivations for such inventions. He considers whether invented languages are an attempt to re-create “the language of Adam”, i.e., a perfected language as spoken by Adam before the fall (it appears that Adams takes the Biblical texts quite literally here), and considers slang and poetry as examples of human linguistic creativity; Adams is the author of Slang: The People’s Poetry(Oxford Press, 2009).

Discuss »

More about Books Publications, Fans, J.R.R. Tolkien, Languages, Lord of the Rings, LotR Books, Merchandise, Miscellaneous, TheOneRing.net Announcements, TheOneRing.net Community, Tolkien

Tolkien Reading Day in LA

March 5th, 2012 by newsfrombree | No Comments »

Tolkien Forever will hold our annual Reading Day on March 24, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., at the Cat and Fiddle, 6530 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles. Since 2012 marks the 75th year since the publication of “The Hobbit” and will also see the release of Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”, it is also not unexpected that the theme of Reading Day 2012 will be “The Hobbit”.

Editors note: The image links to a High-Res version, feel free to print and share with other fans.

TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – March 4 2012

March 4th, 2012 by grammaboodawg | No Comments »

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!

Announcing The Middle-earth March Madness Tournament!

February 22nd, 2012 by newsfrombree | Discuss | | 44 Comments »

In the US, tournament frenzy hits every March with the onset of the NCAA’s Men’s Basketball March Madness tournament. We thought this year would be a good opportunity for the entire Tolkien community to participate in a special tournament of our own. So without further delay we are announcing the Middle-earth Madness Tournament! The goal is to settle, once and for all, which character is favored most by Tolkien fans worldwide. To start off the process, the staff at TheOneRing.net compiled a list of 46 finalists. We need to weed this list down to 32 total contestants. To do that, we are going to ask you to vote for up to three characters in the poll below. Voting will be open until Feb 29th at Noon ET. We will then compile the results and create our tournament bracket with seeding based on total votes. It should be noted, much like the men’s basketball tournament in, our Middle-earth Madness selection committee does reserve the right to adjust results a bit in the spirit of competition. (and like the men’s basketball committee, some of the decisions are sure to be controversial!!) So without further delay, let the voting begin!

Discuss »

More about Creations, Events, Fans, Headlines, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Movie, Lord of the Rings, LotR Books, LotR Movies, Meet Ups, Miscellaneous, Other Events, The Hobbit, TheOneRing.net Announcements, TheOneRing.net Community, Tolkien

TORn Exclusive: Save $50 on One Man Lord of the Rings in NYC!

February 10th, 2012 by newsfrombree | Source: Midtown Theater | Discuss | | 2 Comments »

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. [Order Tickets] (Want to know more about the show, check out the official website.) 

Discuss »

More about Events, Fans, Lord of the Rings, LotR Books, LotR Movies, Other Events, Stage Productions, TheOneRing.net Announcements, TheOneRing.net Community, Tolkien