News Archive
Behind the Oscar-nominated sounds of ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’
March 1, 2014 at 2:08 pm -If pictures have 3D, then sound has Dolby Atmos. Academy Award-winning sound mixer Christopher Boyes tells CNET how he used the audio tech to give moviegoers a more engrossing experience. In an era when more people are watching movies at home or on their mobile devices, Dolby and Hollywood are hoping sound will lure people…
Ed Sheeran’s Oscar-snubbed Hobbit song ‘I See Fire’ tops Spotify list
March 1, 2014 at 1:54 pm -NME reveals that Ed Sheeran’s Hobbit soundtrack is the most streamed movie soundtrack of the last 12 months. Yahoo!’s Daniel Wood writes: The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug is up for three Oscars, however it’s missed out on several categories, such as costume, make-up and set design. However perhaps one of the strangest nomination snubs regarding…
China’s Desolation of Smaug poster in high-resolution
March 1, 2014 at 2:35 am -Folks who have been clamouring for a higher-resolution version of the fabulous Desolation of Smaug will love this. Thanks to Ringer DrLoc for the find! Click the image to em-biggen to the max.
Good Luck to all Oscar Nominees.
March 1, 2014 at 1:38 am -What do you get people who have everything? The extremely talented folks in front of and behind the camera in the film industry typically have very nice jobs. They get to travel all over the world, they make a decent salary, they are beloved by millions, and they get to create great art. Come awards…
Oscar Moot weekend is upon us. . .
February 28, 2014 at 11:09 pm -And it comes with lots and lots of water from the sky. Sorry, we’ve been in the midst of very long drought here in So Cal, so it was easy to overlook the fact that this is supposed to be our wettest month. Guess nature is trying to reassert herself here. That being said, we…
The Great Hall of Poets
February 28, 2014 at 8:44 pm -Welcome to The Great Hall of Poets, our regular monthly feature showcasing the talent of Middle-earth fans. Each month we will feature a small selection of the poems submitted, you can read all of the poems that we received here in our Great Hall of Poets. So come and join us by the hearth and…
HuffPost: Ten facts only Rings ‘super fans’ know
February 28, 2014 at 3:57 pm -Ten facts you probably know about Middle-earth. I’m not entirely sure they make one a “super fan” (which is, frankly, the sort of exclusionary title wielded to make others feel that they’re not real fans). Enjoying Tolkien is surely not some sort of contest to prove one is the biggest fan. Still it is a…
A field trip to the Marquette University Tolkien archives
February 28, 2014 at 9:01 am -The Raynor Memorial Library at Marquette University in Milwaukee is home to original manuscripts and working drafts for three of the J.R.R. Tolkien’s most celebrated works: The Hobbit, Farmer Giles of Ham, and The Lord of the Rings. It also holds the original copy of the children’s book Mr. Bliss and has, over the years,…
Today in Middle-earth, February [28] 29
February 28, 2014 at 1:00 am -The following event(s) took place in Middle-earth on February [28] 29th: February 28, 2019 (S.R. 1419) Éomer overtakes the Orcs just outside Fangorn (S.R. 1419) The Hunters on the trail (S.R. 1419) Merry, Pippin and Orcs (S.R. 1419) Frodo and Sam make their way into Emyn Muil (S.R. 1419) February 29, 2019 (S.R. 1419) Meriadoc…
Oakentoon #31 – Desperate Measures, Oakentoon #32 – He Knows Nothing of the Word, Oakentoon #33 – The Dark Days
February 27, 2014 at 11:53 pm -Welcome to this weeks episodes of the Oakentoons Don’t forget to check out the Oakenstills and Oakencrossovers while you’re there and to say hi to Peckish Owl. As always just click the images to see the full size ones. Also don’t forget to click on the images on Peckish Owls site to enlarge them there….
Building a better dragon in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
February 27, 2014 at 11:46 pm -Digital Trends takes a look at The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and the way director Peter Jackson brought the film’s fearsome, fire-breathing dragon to life. Building a better dragon in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug From the moment that plans were first announced for a live-action adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, fans…
How The Return of the King won best picture and 11 Oscars
February 27, 2014 at 9:32 pm -How exactly did New Line go about mounting its campaign that 10 years ago won The Return of the King a history-making 11 Academy Awards? Vanity Fair interviewed many of those at New Line who were involved in the multi-million-dollar campaign, and the effect that the commercial and critical success had on the way Hollywood…
Box office numbers show the Middle Kingdom loves Middle-earth
February 27, 2014 at 10:10 am -The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug delivered Warner Bros. its largest-ever three-day box office takings in China as the film finally debuted there over the weekend. Some media outlets speculate that the sudden popularity of The Hobbit in China is due to intense air pollution driving the populace indoors as the government advised people to…
Hall of Fire Return of the King chat this Saturday: The Siege of Gondor
February 27, 2014 at 6:46 am -Gondor is under seige and cut off from its allies as the forces of Sauron swarm Minas Tirith. Can the city hold? ‘Nay,’ they said, ‘not if the Nameless One himself should come, not even he could enter here while we yet live.’ But some answered: ‘While we yet live? How long? He has a…
Vote for The Hobbit in The 2014 Empire Awards!
February 26, 2014 at 8:32 pm -The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has snared seven nominations at the 2014 edition of The Empire Awards. The awards will be announced on Sunday March 30, 2014, in London. The awards The Hobbit has been nominated for are: Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Best Film Best Director – Peter Jackson Best Actor – Martin Freeman Best Supporting…
Sam Gamgee and Tolkien’s batmen
February 26, 2014 at 10:56 am -Readers are undoubtedly aware of the five-page handwritten letter from J.R.R. Tolkien to H. Cotton Minchin that recently went on auction. If you missed it, The Guardian picks the eyes out of it, while Tolkien Library has assembled a transcript of the entire contents. However, Tolkien scholar John Garth has also recently blogged about what…
Sneak-preview Cinefex Issue 137 and go behind-the-scenes on The Desolation of Smaug
February 26, 2014 at 9:41 am -We’re delighted to bring you this excerpt from Cinefex’s forthcoming behind-the-scenes account of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Written by Joe Fordham, the 25-page feature draws on in-depth interviews with key effects artists who worked on the film, and is accompanied by behind-the-scenes photos and frame clips — many of them exclusive. Here’s a…
Happy birthday to Sean Astin!
February 26, 2014 at 9:37 am -Born on February 25, 1971, Sean Astin turned 43 yesterday! Astin — actor, director, voice artist and producer — is, of course, best known to Tolkien fans as Sam Gamgee in Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, but has also made his mark in a career spanning more than 70 films roles,…
The Desolation of Smaug receives eight Saturn nominations
February 26, 2014 at 9:03 am -The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films has just released the nomination list for the 40th annual installment of the Saturn Awards, and The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug has tied with ‘Gravity’ for the most nominations. Both received eight. The gongs that The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug is up for are:…
Exclusive look at Weta’s new book ‘Smaug: Unleashing The Dragon’
February 26, 2014 at 5:14 am -This image was slipped under our door deep in our network of mines where TheOneRing.net staff labors to make the internet safe and interesting for Tolkienites. Unable to find the sneaky culprit, we have no choice but to share with the world this exclusive look at page 22-23 from Weta Workshop’s new book, “Smaug: Unleashing…