From Mrcere
PASADENA: The pieces are moving, the board is set and ORC is on the verge of going wonderfully wild! TheOneRing.net and Creation Entertainment have all the necessities in place to kick open the doors to the Pasadena Conference Center and begin the One Ring Celebration.
Thursday was the calm before the storm of fandom, scholars, stars and TORnados launch the first of the likely annual event that celebrates the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and all the related pop-culture phenomenon, including the Peter Jackson films based on the book.
Preparation for the event was extensive as TORn staffers, vendors and Creation prepared the Conference Center for the swam of fans who arrived all day and settled in for the weekend. Hotel lobbies were consistently busy as fans from all over the world converged in Los Angeles in preparation for the events.
Internet friends met in the flesh, often for the first time, while others renewed long-time friendships with handshakes and hugs. Reports of celebrities made the rounds as so-and-so caught sight of so-and-so in such-and-such hotel or restaurant. Friday night after local eateries disgorged hundreds of ëRingers’ back into the thankfully dry and moderate temperatures, a line formed at the Conference Center for the optional pick-up of weekend passes. Soon the line stretched down a long entry hall and through the doors, up the stairs and onto the street. The optional event lasted two hours and also offered patrons a chance to get pictures of stars, tickets for signings and ORC clothing.
TheOneRing.net already has a wealth of images to show you (we are kinda busy, be patient!) and will be covering the event for TORn readers. We appreciate the support countless on-line friends have given us over the years allowing us to help throw this little party. We salute all of you at home that couldn’t attend and hope to bring you the best possible coverage so that you too can participate in the One Ring Celebration.
TORn opens the first panel Friday at Noon to welcome on-line friends and discuss the unique experience of belonging to an internet community. Other highlights include actors Bruce Hopkins, Sandro Kopp, Jarl and Jorn Benzon, Peter Tait, Dominic Monaghan, the ëRingers: Lord of the Fans’ crew, and scholars such as Greg Wright, Katreyla Angus, Mike Foster, Paul Badali and famed artist Ted Nasmith. In addition there is a kids program and extensive costuming content that all combine to provide an almost overwhelming array of ways to spend a day immersed in the world of Tolkien and Tolkien fandom.
To top it off (with a cherry even!) Friday will feature a celebration party of the 50th Anniversary of the publication of the Lord of the Rings consisting of honorable toasting of the good professor from Oxford, fan entertainment, a jam from TORn favorite ìWorld Without Sundaysî, and finally, a fan karaoke session ñ a tradition forged by and for fans!
Friday also features the arrival of scads more friends and TORn staffers coming in to shore up the front line of the fancentric celebration.
We wish you all were here but promise to deliver the best information we can in our attempt to share the fun. (And photos too!)
