Welcome to this months “Getting to know…” questions that need answering.

Julie and her daughter at Queenstown Feb 2012
Julie and her daughter at Queenstown Feb 2012 Tour

It’s based on the old Getting to know you threads that I used to post on the message boards here on TORn, so those familiar with them will know that the questions can be a little crazy and the answers even crazier.

This month we’re asking questions of Red Carpet Tours Julie James.

Continue reading “Getting to know Julie James of Red Carpet Tours”

Today Justin and Cliff host our *Live* webcast, covering all the exciting happenings in the world of Tolkien fandom! We just hit Chicago this past weekend at the C2E2 show, where our staffers Corvar & Entmaiden stood before record crowds to give a presentation on THE HOBBIT films in a larger room! Also on the hit list, we are excited that our reporter Larry Curtis is embedded on THE HOBBIT set down in New Zealand. Needless to say, we have many surprises up our sleeves for the coming year! Come join the TORn TUESDAY chat show and be part of the mischief. As always, you can participate and present your questions to show hosts Justin Sewell and Clifford Broadway (Quickbeam) starting at 5:00pm PDT — There’s a built-in Barliman’s chat room or come in via Skype in TheOneRing.net’s Stickam page. Check out our LIVE Event section right here every week! [LIVE Event Area] (See All Times)

 

The official The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit shop, WBShop.com, is at it again! They’ve just added 14 new styles to their t-shirt store and some may be a bit hard to resist! Among the highlights: The White Tree of Gondor, a Treebeard quote, a ‘lost Ring’ design and many others. Check them out! BTW – We do hope to have some new TheOneRing.net T-Shirts in the near future! [WBShop.com] [Official Hobbit Shirt]

For the fans of Tolkien who wish they could visit Middle-earth, New Zealand is, in many regards, the closest they will get.  Certainly the Lord of the Rings movies created a huge boost to New Zealand tourism; it would be fascinating to know how many readers of TORn were inspired to visit – or even to move! – down under after watching Peter Jackson’s films.

Now the New Zealand tourist board is getting ready for another influx of visitors, and businesses are being encouraged to embrace The Hobbit in order to attract tourists.   Last year, the Rugby World Cup (which happens every four years) was hosted – and won! – by New Zealand; but the tourism created by that event is as nothing compared with what The Hobbit will bring, says George Hickton, the man who led the ‘100% Pure New Zealand’ campaign.  You can read what he has to say here; if it makes you want to hurry off for an Aotearoa adventure, don’t forget your passport – and maybe a pocket-handkerchief…

Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past week. If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights. Or if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions. Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join in the fun!
Continue reading “TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – April 15, 2012”