Ginia Bellafante, in a review of HBO’s “A Game of Thrones,” that makes its television debut this weekend and stars LOTR’s Sean Bean, insinuates that women, or at least women in book clubs, aren’t passionate about “The Hobbit,” the beloved book by J.R.R. Tolkien. With over 10 years of experiences with fans of Middle-earth, and the many women that are passionate about it, Ms. Bellafante might be missing something. She said:
While I do not doubt that there are women in the world who read books like Mr. Martin’s, I can honestly say that I have never met a single woman who has stood up in indignation at her book club and refused to read the latest from Lorrie Moore unless everyone agreed to “The Hobbit” first. “Game of Thrones” is boy fiction patronizingly turned out to reach the population’s other half.
Readers of the interwebs, especially the females, are a bit miffed at the writer and there are several good female-authored blogs and responses, (read after the break for a list of some of the more notable responses) but most are from the perspective of “Game of Thrones,” readers. So, Tolkienites, do you agree or disagree with the above statement and the full review? Continue reading “Do women love ‘The Hobbit’? NYTimes says no”
Nuradar writes: Harper-Collins Canada has announced the winner of its 2011 March Madness book contest. This year’s winner is THE HOBBIT! It beat out Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express to win the top place as best book of all time. hccmarchmadness.ca
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces that award-winning composer, Inon Zur, has penned the musical score for The Lord of the Rings: War in the North video game. Zur recently conducted a full 70+ piece orchestra and the Pinewood Singers choir at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London to record the game soundtrack session.
To date, Zur has composed the music to more than 40 video games, 15 television shows, and 10 movies, as well as many movie trailers. Recipient of numerous accolades for his work within the video game space, including a Hollywood Music in Media Award for Dragon Age: Origins, Zur’s score sets the stage for this upcoming Action/RPG set in the brutal, war-torn unexplored lands of northern Middle-earth.
Developed by Snowblind Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North provides new story parallel to the Tolkien canon, exploring the only previously hinted at region to the North. Enriching the emotional storytelling, brutal combat, and epic exploration of the game, Zur’s composition provides the compelling soundtrack as new territory is forged for one of the most significant entertainment properties of all time. Continue reading “Inon Zur in as War in the North Composer”
Signed copies of this brand new 2012 calendar are now
available to US, Canadian, and UK residents shipped directly
from illustrator Jef Murray. The calendar is loaded
with Middle-earth inspired paintings from Jef’s collection,
and half of all proceeds go to directly support The Long Expected Party 2 gathering
in Kentucky later this year.
As promised not but two days ago, Peter Jackson’s very first video from the sets of The Hobbit is now up on his Facebook page.
Needless to say, our message boards have exploded with excitement, awe, wonderment, and questions that need answering. Believe us when we say this, you don’t want to miss out on the discussion of this much-anticipated video. Join in!