“When Manwë heard of the ways that Melkor had taken, it seemed plain to him that he purposed to escape to his old strongholds in the north of Middle-earth; and Oromë and Tulkas went with all speed northward, seeking to overtake him if they might, but they found no trace or rumour of him beyond the shores of the Teleri …” (The Silmarillion Chapter 8 — Of the Darkening of Valinor)

Having shown his true colours, Melkor has fled to parts unknown. Thinking Melkor hiding in Middle-earth, the powers appear to relax their guard when they throw a party. Stung at not having been invited, Melkor and his new ally Ungoliant gatecrash and proceed to trash the place. The Two Trees are destroyed, Finwe slain and the Silmarils taken.

Is this yet another instance of the Valar being inattentive and forgetful? Was Melkor’s attitude and plan obvious from his earlier confrontation with Feanor over the Silmarils, or did he simply go further than anyone could have thought possible?

And what of Melkor’s pact with Ungoliant? Why did Melkor believe he needed her assistance, and did Ungoliant accept his promise (lightly made as it was) too easily?

Who and what is Ungoliant? Why did Tolkien choose to make her a spider? Why could she not change form if she was a Maia? Or was she something else? And why was Melkor soon to lose his ability to change form at will?

These are just a few of the questions we’ll be discussing at Hall of Fire this weekend. So join us in #thehalloffire on Saturday April 9 as we continue our Silmarillion chats and discuss the Darkening of Valinor!

Time and date:
Saturday April 9

America:
5.30pm EDT
4.30pm CDT
3.30pm MDT
2.30pm PDT

Europe:
10.30pm UK
11.30pm Central Europe

Asia-Pacific:
7.30am (Sunday) Brisbane
7.30am (Sunday) Sydney
9.30am (Sunday) Wellington

Chats usually last 45 mins to an hour, and are very newbie friendly. Simply drop in and join the conversation!

Where?

Chat happens on #thehalloffire on irc.theonering.net – the TORn IRC server. You can connect instantly via our java chat client that works inside your web browser (find it here! ) or choose to install a dedicated chat program such as mIRC on your computer.

To find out more about using mIRC to connect to TORn IRC server, check out these instructions.

Upcoming topics:

“Silmarillion Chapter 8 – Of the Darkening of Valinor”
– Saturday April 9
– Sunday April 17

“Tell us your LoTR fan experience!’
– Saturday April 23
– Sunday May 1

“Silmarillion Chapter 9 – Of the Flight of the Noldor”
– Saturday May 7
– Sunday May 15

“Is LoTR unfilmable? Was Tolkien right?”
– Saturday May 21
– Sunday May 29

Got a topic? Let us know your idea!

If you have a burning desire to discuss something in Hall of Fire, drop us a line with your topic at halloffire@theonering.net. If we like it, we’ll probably give it a run in the coming weeks – you might even get to guest moderate the session!

Join HoF Announce!

Did you know that Hall of Fire has a mailing list? Join today and get topic announcements and news delivered regularly to your inbox!

Hof-announce@theonering.net
http://www.theonering.net/mailman/listinfo/hof-announce

Ancanar, an independent Tolkien-inspired film that seems to be coming up on its 4th year of post-production, has released a new trailer. Take a look at it here! No word on a release date, in any format. [More]

“The Good German” has captured the attention of George Clooney and Cate Blanchett. Clooney is in talks about the project, and Blanchett has entered into negotiations to topline the romantic thriller, which Steven Soderbergh is directing for Warner Bros. Pictures. Soderbergh and Clooney are producing through their Section Eight Prods. [More]

Premiere Magazine Talks 'Ringers'Frodo_for_President writes: So, I got my Premiere magazine in the mail today, and was quite excited because it’s all about Revenge of the Sith and upcoming summer movies. So I’m flipping through, and I see a caricature of Dom, so I screech to a halt. It’s a blurb about Ringers!! “Three Lord of the Rings movies and a year’s worth of DVD extras still not enough hobbit for you? Don’t worry, there’s a new documentary to take you back to the Shire…” [More]

Frodo_for_President writes: So, I got my Premiere magazine in the mail today, and was quite excited because it’s all about Revenge of the Sith and upcoming summer movies. So I’m flipping through, and I see a caricature of Dom, so I screech to a halt. It’s a blurb about Ringers!! I’ll type it up for you here:

Ringdom Come: Fans of Tolkien Lord Over Their Own Documentary

“Three Lord of the Rings movies and a year’s worth of DVD extras still not enough hobbit for you? Don’t worry, there’s a new documentary to take you back to the Shire.

“In ‘Ringers: Lord of the Fans’, film-makers Carlene Cordova and Cliff Broadway look at the influence the works of J.R.R. Tolkien have had on popular culture. Hobbitheads themselves, they raised money with the help of TheOneRing.net and sold LOTR collectibles on EBay to finance the documentary. Over more than two years, they interviewed Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, and Peter Jackson, as well as artists, musicians, and academics who love the tale.

“‘It’s great to see fans who are so invested in the books and Pete Jackson’s work that they now want to see what’s happened four or five years down the line,” says Dominic Monaghan, who played Merry in the trilogy and narrates the documentary. “It’s how normal people were swept up by this extraordinary film project that was based on these amazing books and how it changed their lives.’

“But don’t start lining up at your local multiplex just yet. Though the film premiered at Slamdance – a sideshow to the famed Sundance Film Festival – in January to an overflow crowd, it is still being shopped at the studios for distribution. You have to hope the studio execs saw the buttons the filmmakers were sporting at Slamdance: ‘Like Trekkies Only Sexier.'”

WOW!!! Premiere Magazine… that’s great for them.

Star Wars, a bit about Hitchhiker’s Guide, an article about Kingdom of Heaven… and RINGERS!!! It’s a geek’s dream magazine 😛

Jef writes: Andúnië, the Atlanta, Georgia smial of the Tolkien Society, will be holding its spring meeting this coming Sunday, 4/10, from 6-8pm at the Emory University Catholic center. Smial members will be be discussing the Silmarillion from “Of the Ruin of Doriath” (Chapter XXII of the Quenta Silmarillion) through the end of the book. All with a philosophical/theological interest in Tolkien’s work are welcome! [Directions]