Simone Boyce is an entertainment reporter and host in Los Angeles. In a sea of hollow Hollywood headlines, celebrity baby news and too much reality TV, Simone is proud to be distinguished as a bonafide geek. A completely obsessive fantasy and sci-fi fanatic, Simone delights in a first and second breakfast on Saturdays with a heavy helping of mead. She’s currently losing sleep over where to stamp a “Firefly” tattoo and is fascinated with sword fighting, knighthood and all things medieval.

But she’ll never forget her first love: Tolkien. As a child, “The Hobbit” was the only summer reading book she ever fell in love with. Since then, she’s been known to break into Gollum and/or Ringwraith impersonations on first dates. And Peter Jackson’s epic, cinematic depictions of “The Lord of the Rings” are Simone’s favorite movies of all time (‘Fellowship’ has a permanent home in her DVD player).

Her LOTR fetish extends into her music choices as Led Zeppelin is her favorite band. Having read The Lord of the Rings series in its entirety, Simone believes it to be the greatest story ever told for its heroes, their sacrifices and its overall message of redemption. Continue reading “‘Hobbit in 5’ Host Found! Everyone Meet Simone Boyce”

Lissuin writes: The Roxy Cinema, Miramar, Wellington sent out this info in their newsletter today: LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY: SPECIAL SCREENINGS! – They’re back! We’re excited to announce that over the next three Mondays, we’ll be screening the original versions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, beginning with The Fellowship of the Ring at 3.00pm on Monday 19th September. Tickets are on sale now through the box office on 388 5555 extension 2. www.roxycinema.co.nz

Jim Beverly and his wife Holly Holt give a quick interview for the live broadcast of TheOneRing.net's coverage of DragonCon. A veteran of Iraq, Beverly credits J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings for helping him recover after war injuries in 2003.

Enraged, his knee and hands wrecked by shrapnel from the grenade that infamously disintegrated the hand of a Time writer, the 19-year-old private Jim Beverly lay in his hospital bed.

“It was almost like it was a personal insult that a guy would throw that grenade,” Beverly said.

Teeth were missing, bandages covered wounds from minor to devastating. His Kevlar vest and helmet undoubtedly saved his life, absorbing most of the pieces of metal that would have pierced a lung and skull. He still seethed as a 2003 casualty of the war in Iraq, recovering in Kaiserslautern, Germany away from what was left of his unit being profiled as part of Time Magazine naming the American Soldier the person of the year in 2003.

Michael Weisskopf, an embedded writer, became part of the story and the editorial team that chronicled the December attack: Continue reading “How a soldier found Tolkien to help heal his war wounds”

Sir Ian Holm, aka Bilbo Baggins, is turning 80 today! We’d like to wish Sir Ian an absolutely marvelous day and hope there are many more to come. Sir Ian was born in Goodmayes, a north eastern portion of London back in 1931. He will be reprising his role as the ‘older’ Bilbo Baggins for Peter Jackson’s upcoming two-film adaptation of The Hobbit! (Martin Freeman is playing the younger Bilbo) [More about Ian] (And happy birthday to our staffer Garfeimao as well!)

Attention Tolkien fans in the New York City area! We are excited to announce that TheOneRing.net will be hosting an exclusive, private party in NYC on Friday October 14th, during the New York Comic-Con.  Tickets for the event will go on sale in a couple of weeks; meanwhile, save the date and we hope you can join us in New York! For more information about the New York Comic-Con (NYCC) check out their official website. [NYCC]