What a fun movie! Dominic Monaghan (Meriadoc Brandybuck) came on board to be our wonderful narrator! Actually this film is a time capsule of many decades of pop culture history — giving us the full story on how the world has embraced Tolkien’s masterpiece THE LORD OF THE RINGS over 50 years and more!

Winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival, RINGERS was produced in association with TheOneRing.net — this remarkable little film was forged BY fans and FOR fans, just like our website, with the production/writing talent of Clifford “Quickbeam” Broadway (who hosts TORn TUESDAY every week), Jeff Marchelletta, and supercool director Carlene Cordova. It was executive produced by X-Men/Transformers guru Tom DeSanto.

With a wonderful rock-driven score and detailing all the outpouring of love bestowed on Tolkien over many generations, this film is a must-have for your digital collection! Get it on iTunes now for only $9.99!

From the original Sony Press Release:

“RINGERS is comprehensive, entertaining and informative pop culture history.”
– The Toronto Star

“…Will always be a salient part of ‘LORD OF THE RINGS’ history…
See it, absorb it, love it.” – FilmThreat

Winner of “Outstanding Achievement” Award at the
Newport Beach Film Festival

RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS

FASCINATING DOCUMENTARY CAPTURES THE HISTORY, INFLUENCE AND PHENOMENON THAT IS LORD OF THE RINGS

CULVER CITY, Calif. (September 12, 2005) – Sony invites you to return to the Shire with the release of the feature-length documentary RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS, direct to DVD.  In association with the popular fan-site TheOneRing.net, Carlene Cordova produced, directed and wrote this award-winning film with executive producer Tom DeSanto(X-Men, X2: X-Men United and Transformers), which charts the incredible influence and ripple-effect that Lord of the Rings has had on worldwide pop culture over the past five decades.  Whether you are a fan or first timer, critics agree, RINGERS, stands as the most comprehensive film documenting the ongoing impact of J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary achievement.

Dominic Monaghan (star of ABC’s Lost and the Academy Award^® winning Lord of the Rings trilogy) narrates the documentary as it looks behind the curtain between Lord of the Rings and how it inspired so many artists of different mediums.  The film moves beyond “cult classic” and through different generations unearthing the way legendary rock musicians, filmmakers, professors, actors and authors all unite under the banner of ‘Ringer.’  Interviewees included in the film are Lord of the Rings trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson as well as Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin and David Carradine.  Infused with a dynamic rock-driven score, irreverent cut-out animation (á la Terry Gilliam), and a centerpiece audience sing-a-long, RINGERS is a genre-busting documentary that shows how a single literary work continues to spark the minds and hearts of millions.

RINGERS continues the momentum of the motion picture trilogy Lord of the Rings, a winner of 17 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Peter Jackson, who made history as the first person to direct three major feature films simultaneously. 

From the official synopsis:

Ringers: Lord of the Fans is a feature-length documentary that reveals the ongoing cultural phenomenon created by The Lord of the Rings.  Very funny and often moving, Ringers shows the hidden power behind Tolkien’s books — and how after 50 years a single literary work continues to spark the minds and hearts of millions, across cultures and across time.

Shot with groundbreaking new digital technology in 24P, Ringers explores the real foundations of Middle-earth; a community of true fans who share a common bond.  Moving beyond “cult classic” and over several different generations, the film unearths academics, musicians, authors, filmmakers, and a plethora of pop junkies — the people gathered under the banner of ‘Ringer.’  From the hippie counter-culture to the electronic age; from the Bakshi animated film to Jackson’s epic trilogy; this documentary brings together extensive footage from across the globe.  With units in Los Angeles, San Diego, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Bonn, Germany, Wellington, New Zealand, and Oxford, England, our cameras capture the most fascinating “Ringers” and Lord of the Rings events.

What began as the private amusement of a tweedy Oxford professor has now become a new mythology for the 21^st century. Ringers: Lord of the Fans shows how an adventure story published in 1954 has had dynamic ripple-effects through Western pop-culture.  Ringers carefully pulls away the veil between Tolkien’s book and the creations of art, music, and community that have been inspired by it.

Check out the official trailer here:

There are no panels on Preview night, so this is the perfect time to explore the exhibit hall and visit all the vendors that will have LOTR and Hobbit related products. Here is a still growing list of booths to visit, including the booths that we will be sharing space with:

Badali Jewelry – #530/532 (and one home of TORn during SDCC)

Sideshow Collectibles – #1929

Warner Bros. – #4545

WETA – #3513B (second home to TORn)

Donato Arts – #4503

Gentle Giant – #3513

LEGO – #2829

Make sure to stop by and visit the TORn staff at both booth locations to purchase shirts and buttons, and have the chance to play any number of LOTR themed games. You will also  be able to get more information about TORn’s Hobbit Premiere Tour in November. And starting on Thursday the WB is going to have a full on fan experience located outside the convention center between Hall H and the Hilton Bayfront Hotel. Included in that experience will be some LOTR events such as video game play of Guardians of Middle-earth and LEGO the Lord of the rings: 3D Street Art. You will find all the details at http://comiccon.thewb.com/

THURSDAY:

Please accept our invitation to join TheOneRing.net in one of the convention’s opening panels. We will be in room 6DE starting at 10:15am, please pay attention to the convention center’s instructions on the proper entrances and exits for the panel room. Remember to wear your Tolkien themed costumes, we will be having a Cosplay meetup directly after the panel, out on the Terrace behind the Sails Pavilion. Later in the afternoon you will be able to choose from seeing Elijah Wood on the Wilfred panel, at 4pm in the Indigo Ballroom at the Hilton Bayfront, or of seeing Karl Urban moderate the Masters of the Web presentation at 4:30pm in room 24ABC.

FRIDAY:

This will be a fairly light day for Tolkien programming, but you can see a few LOTR cast members today. First up will be Sean Astin at 10:15am in room 6BCF for the Go Green: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles presentation. You can then have fun the rest of the day, enjoying the WB event outside, or wandering the exhibit hall, and then end your day with John Noble. At 7:15pm in room 6A, you can see a presentation for Dark Matters: Twisted but True, a show on the Science channel hosted by John Noble.

SATURDAY:

With the WB panel in Hall H in the afternoon, it is expected that some of you may line up, maybe even as early as Friday night. In that instance, TORn will be there to help you out. Maybe not the whole night, but don’t be surprised if we pop up from time to time to host a game or two, give out some goodies, and basically, turn the Line into a Line Party. If you feel like taking a break from waiting to get into Hall H, you can find John Noble signing autographs for an hour, starting at 1:30pm out under the Sails Pavilion at table AA19. But please do make sure you are inside Hall H by no later than 2:30pm for the WB panel. The schedule listing promises looks at Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo Del Toro, a quick look at Man of Steel, and a presentation for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey with Peter Jackson and numerous cast on hand.

SUNDAY:

The last item where you can find a LOTR connection is the Fringe Panel, starring John Noble, running at 10am in Hall H. After this, treat yourself to a complete run through the exhibit hall to ensure you have not missed any collectibles, games and fun before heading home. TheOneRing.net will be there till the very end, so please stop by, as often as you wish. Mae Govannon.

On this episode of Hobbit in 5, we tell you about the latest 3Foot7 casting call, Larry D. Curtis’s article for movies.com, John Rhys Davies wants to be in The Hobbit, John Nobel is hosting a new bizarre show, meet a crew member from Weta. We also plan a night at a Hobbit house in Montana and experience a blizzard in New Zealand.

Nicole Roberts walked away with the Grand Prize trip to New Zealand with her inspired and creative ‘Showgirl Balrog’ costume. (pics below) As you will see in our photo gallery, the competition was challenging and we’d like to thank all of the contestants for their talented entries!  Nicole’s costume was judged as the best by Academy Award Winner Sir Richard Taylor of Weta Workshop with help from Lead Designer Daniel Falconer. (We recently interviewed Daniel here)

The LA wing of TheOneRing.net staff was out in full force, and for those of us who could not attend, we’d like to thank them for their tireless efforts to make everything go smoothly! These volunteers spent nearly 15 hours yesterday! So a special thanks to Quickbeam, Cathy, Josh, Suvi, Justin, Peter, Alyse, Catherine, Michael, Echo, Alex, David and Cat from Alleycatscratch.com!

We’d like to thank Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Weta Workshop and Best Buy for making this event possible!

Click the ‘continue reading’ button to view all of the photos from the event as well as some videos. We’ll be updating them as more come in!

There will be NO onsite parking at the Best Buy, they need the remaining parking spots for customer parking during the day, the rest of the lot will be taken up by the stage and equipent trucks and press area, and some other surpr…ises. So, please look for alternative parking during the day. Here are a few options:

Commerce Plaza – 11340 West Olympic blvd.

Teleflora Plaza – On Tennessee between Purdue and Butler ave.

There is no guarantee that these lots will have space or what their limitations are, so please make sure to read before leaving your car.

There is metered parking on Corinth, Tennessee and Sawtelle, but remember to read all the time limit restricitons. I’m betting lots of people will be looking to swap parking spots during the day, so grab some friends and play Musical Parking Spots.

We’ve decided upon a Twitter Hashtag of #MEmadness (Middle-earth Madness), so please use that when discussing the event. Also, keep an eye on TORn throughout the day for streaming content from the event.

TheOneRing.net and fellow Ringers at Best Buy in Los Angeles on Monday, June 27th for the midnight launch and celebration of The Lord of the Rings The Motion Picture Trilogy Extended Edition on Blu-ray! The party starts officially at 12 noon on the 27th at Best Buy’s West side store at 11301 W. Pico. Blvd.

John Noble

For those of you living in the Los Angeles region, here’s something you can look forward to before a giant earthquake knocks you into the sea: an all-day-and-into-the-night LOTR event! Middle Earth Midnight Madness is happening at the Best Buy in West L.A. There’ll be a costume contest, trivia, lots of giveaways (including a trip to New Zealand), fireworks, lasers and a chance to meet Denethor, also known as John Noble. More..

The first 150 guests in line at the store on Monday, June 27th at Noon will have the opportunity to get an autograph from cast members of the films. Costume Contest entrants will be judged by your friends here at TheOneRing.net and finalists personally selected by the four-time Academy Award(R)-winning Sir Richard Taylor, co-owner and lead creative at Weta Workshop.

Entrants for the costume contest could win one of three incredible prizes. The Grand Prize winner and a guest will receive an all-expensive-paid trip to New Zealand (Auckland, Wellington, Queenstown) courtesy of Air New Zealand and Weta Workshop. Winners will take a VIP tour hosted by Hobbiton Movie Set Tours, visit The Lord of the Rings movie locations, a SKYCITY Grand Hotel VIP experience in Auckland and will be hosted at the Weta Cave by the crew from Weta Workshop (valued $7,428).

Two Second Prize winners will receive an Official 10k solid gold version of The One Ring from The Noble Collection (valued at $495 each). Three Third Prize winners will receive a life-sized replica of The Sting Sword, Frodo’s sword used through the films, also supplied by The Noble Collection (valued at $295 each).

For Official Rules, including costume guidelines, judging criteria, prize descriptions, restrictions and complete details, click here. [Costuming FAQ] [Best Buy Store Info/Map] [Press Release] [WBshop.com]

N1GHT21 writes: Just a point to a Game due out at the end of the month from producer Rockstar Games called ‘L.A. Noire’, the reason I’m pointing you in the direction of this game is because mainly the actor who played Lord Denethor in the return of the king John Noble is staring as Leland Monroe but in a way like you have never seen before. This game uses face capture, it is the first time we have seen it in the industry and you will be shocked at how realistic his ingame face looks this surely will be a great step forward and it is also great to see a reconcilable face within the game. More..