What were Gandalf from “The Lord of the Rings,” Holy Grail scholar Sir Leigh Teabing of “The Da Vinci Code” and Magneto from the “X-Men” series doing at the Freud Playhouse at UCLA last Sunday night? They were all being portrayed on stage by Sir Ian McKellen, the knighted award-winning actor who played them on the screen, at a benefit performance of his updated one-man show, “A Knight Out in L.A.” McKellen gave renditions of his other cinematic roles and also read from the Bible, Shakespeare, Roget’s Thesaurus (yes, Roget’s Thesaurus) and a new work by Armistead Maupin. [More]
Month: July 2006
The ever busy Ringer Spy Garfeimao sends along this report and images from our ELF convention in New Jersey this weekend! ‘The show opened with Daniel Reeve demonstrating some new Middle Earth fonts he will soon be releasing, and him showing everyone some of the letters and maps and things he created for the films. Michael Drout came on afterward and started his lecture by reciting the opening lines to Beowulf, in Anglo-Saxon, no less…’ [More]
The ever busy Ringer Spy Garfeimao sends along this report and images from our ELF convention in New Jersey this weekend!
ELF opened on Friday with a big line up at the registration table, as the exhibitors scrambled to get their booths up and running.
The show opened with Daniel Reeve demonstrating some new Middle Earth fonts he will soon be releasing, and him showing everyone some of the letters and maps and things he created for the films. Michael Drout came on afterward and started his lecture by reciting the opening lines to Beowulf, in Anglo-Saxon, no less. It was stunning and his whole presentation was very well recieved. This guy is definitely a keeper for future TORn events, I know the fans today enjoyed his lecture immensely.
At the same time Michael was on, Laura Cooper was beginning her Tengwar lessons. Photo ops with John Noble came next, and then he was on stage answering questions and telling great stories.
After John Noble and Daniel Reeve finished signing autographs, and got a bit of rest, the Dessert party started. Yummy little pastries and ice cream with loads of toppings were available, and everyone had a lovely sit down. It was a great time to chat, meet new people, and then John and Daniel wandered around the room meeting everyone. After they left, the fans stuck around in the room and hung out some more, and then slowly migrated out into the lobby.
After it was clear that the dessert party was over, many people migrated to the bar, including John Noble and Daniel Reeve, who did not mind hanging out with everyone.
As has become a long standing tradition at TORn events, and even other Tolkien events, the bar was closed by Tolkien fans. This tradition was always upheld by TORn staffer Balin (Greg Grieman), who passed in March. But it’s clear that other’s will continue to carry the party torch forward, and that is as it should be.
Ringer Spy Garfeimao sends along these images from San Diego Comic Con 2006. She was one of the lucky ones to attend! Take a look at the Lost ‘Charlie’ figure and some great new figures and busts from Sideshow! [More]
Electronic Arts officially announced today that they will continue to expand The Lord of the Rings universe with The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II, The Rise of the Witch-king. As the expansion pack to the fan favorite, The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II, this Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game will enhance every existing feature and offer players the chance to command the rise of evil in Middle-earth while experiencing the epic battles that took place before those depicted in the New Line Cinema films. Full of exciting content, including an entirely new faction, completely new single player campaign, and additional units for all six existing factions, The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II, The Rise of the Witch-king, allows players to explore the evil side of Middle-earth. The all new single player campaign’s innovative units will help to tell the story of the evil Witch-king’s rise to power, domination of Angmar and invasion of the great kingdom of Arnor, home to Aragorn’s ancestors. To fully experience the evil side of Middle-earth, gamers can now play as the Angmar faction in skirmish, multiplayer, and War of the Ring modes. [More]
Ramen, Community Relations Specialist for The Lord of the Rings Online writes: Today we present a new addition to LOTRO’s Creature menagerie: Shades, cursed spirits akin to those encountered on the Paths of the Dead. There is much to be discovered exploring the lands in LOTRO, but beware the cursed spirits that dwell in the dark places of Middle-earth. [More]