Fans of J. R. R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” have nothing on the devotees of Wagner’s four-opera “Ring der Nibelungen.” Wagner Ringophiles may be an even more fanatical crew than the lovers of those hairy-footed Hobbits. Take Dr. Sherwin Sloan, a retired ophthalmologist, founder of the approximately 300-member Wagner Society of Southern California and founding editor of The Opera Quarterly. He has seen the “Ring” cycle performed more than 70 times. [More]
Month: May 2005
Julie Perry Nelson writes: Most Americans are unfamiliar with New Zealand until you tell them it is where The Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed. Even those wonderfully choreographed scenes cannot capture the beauty of the country. I met my first Kiwi (New Zealander) eight years ago when I hosted her visit. She showed me pictures of her country and I was hooked. I decided that is where I wanted to go for my honeymoon. Now, I just needed a husband. Eight years later, and two years after we were married, my husband, Darren, and I finally could afford our dream trip. [More]
Weta Workshop is helping its less glamorous namesake, one of New Zealand’s biggest and ugliest insects. The Wellington special effects company responsible for the props and make-up in Peter Jackson’s award-winning Lord of the Rings films is sponsoring research into Mahoenui giant weta in the central Waikato. The research, comprising hours of night surveys in the Warrenheip reserve, aims to determine whether efforts to save the threatened species are working. [More]
TORn staffer Balin is at TolCon in Seattle at the moment. He was able to invite WETA swordmaster Peter Lyon (maker of Anduril, Hadhafang and thousands of other swords used in LoTR) and stuntman and size-double Kirin Shah to wander onto the TORn IRC server for a quick chat with TORn regulars to talk about their experience with LoTR and what they’re up to these days. [More]
TORn staffer Balin is at TolCon in Seattle at the moment. He was able to invite WETA swordmaster Peter Lyon (maker of Anduril, Hadhafang and thousands of other swords used in LoTR) and stuntman and size-double Kirin Shah to wander onto the TORn IRC server for a quick chat with TORn regulars to talk about their experience with LoTR and what they’re up to these days. [More]
Tickets for The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy – The Exhibition will go on sale to members on July 1 and to the general public on August 1. Tickets are timed, which means that exhibit visitors will be assigned a specific date and time at which they may enter “The Lord of the Rings” exhibit. Once available, tickets will be sold at the museum box office, by calling 317.232.1637 or on the museum’s Web site. [More]