Lord of the Rings or Uzbekistani embroidery? No prizes for guessing which recent exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum attracted more visitors. The balance between scholarship and audience appeal is one of the topics 450 international and Australian museum experts will grapple with at Museums Australia’s national conference, Politics and Positioning, which begins in Sydney on Sunday. Museums Australia is the professional association for museum and gallery workers. [More]
Day: April 28, 2005
NEW YORK – A week before the much-anticipated film “Kingdom of Heaven” opens in theaters, the Crusades-era epic starring Orlando Bloom has sparked another battle. Acclaimed author and scholar James Reston Jr. claims the film swiped the story line from his 2001 book, “Warriors of God: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade.” [More]
It gives me great pleasure to post news of leading Taipei fantasy fan Lucifer Chu, who contacted TORN way back in the mists of time to tell us about his translation of LOTR into Chinese. In a publishing deal not unlike Tolkien’s own agreement with his publishers, Chu would take a percentage of the profits if the book did well. Five years later he’s a millionaire at 30. Unlike most millionaire’s he’s asked himself “Did my wealth make me a better person?” and now spends his money on non-profit initiatives including his Fantasy Foundation. [More]
If you live round Baltimore, the Symphony there is doing a fundraiser (what orchestra doesn’t need more money?) which includes visits to local stately homes. One house has a whole room dedicated to Middle-earth that Ringer fan Patricia says is “absolutely beautiful” and well worth a visit. [More]
Patricia writes: “I just came back from a decorator show house tour that benefits our Baltimore Symphony Orchestra here in Baltimore, Maryland. In one of the bedrooms upstairs in a beautiful house located in our city a decorator had done the entire bedroom with a Middle Earth theme!! It was absolutely beautiful! One little nook was entirely dedicated to Bag End. The ceiling was painted with a map of Middle Earth! I was able to speak with the artist and she is a huge Lord of the Rings fan and told me she was so excited to be able to decorate this particular room. If you live in or near Baltimore, I highly recommend touring this show house. I wanted to hide in a closet to spend the night in this bedroom!!”
Information on the tours here