I love Middle-earth. I also love collecting items representing that world. As you’ve probably noticed through the reviews here, I’ve got more than a few items in my collection. It helps bring the magic Tolkien created and Jackson adapted home along with smiles every time I look at my items.

Now, TORn, as part of our super-secret project, wants to showcase you and your collection!

Starting today, through to next Wednesday, we here at TORn will be collecting submissions in search of Ringer Super Collectors at large. What we need are three to four good pictures of you and your collection, along with a brief write-up about why you are a super collector (write-ups must be 500 words or less).

Email your pictures and write-up to Elessar@theonering.net. We’ll start going through the submissions and you never know — you just might see you and your collection posted soon!

This weekend, we resume our Fellowship of the Ring read-through in Hall of Fire with Frodo still struggling toward the safety of Rivendell — and still pursued by Sauron’s minions.

With a great effort Frodo sat upright and brandished his sword.

‘Go back!’ he cried. ‘Go back to the Land of Mordor, and follow me no more!

FoTR: Book One, Chapter 12 — Flight to the Ford Continue reading “Hall of Fire this weekend — Flight to the Ford”

Many Ringers have wondered how much of Guillermo Del Toro’s conceptual work and vision we’ll end up seeing in The Hobbit. In a video interview with io9‘s Annalee Newitz, Peter Jackson provides the answer: not much. Del Toro had already invested 18 months in concept designs for the creatures and the world of The Hobbit waiting for movie to be greenlit. But in 2010 he left the project because of the delays, and Jackson eventually took over.

Jackson says: “I looked at his designs and I said: ‘The only person who can make a Guillermo Del Toro movie is Guillermo. It shouldn’t be me. I can’t put my head into somebody else’s idea — I have to generate it from the beginning.’ So really I redesigned the film pretty much. Some of Guillermo’s DNA is in there…”

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Living in a hole in the ground and living of the earth is nothing strange for a hobbit. Now in Denmark there’s a eco-friendy spin on the concept with a Shire-like village.

About an hour and a half by train from Copenhagen the eco-village has 74 sustainably-designed highly unique houses and apartment buildings that range from hobbit-style straw bale to high design.

The site also includes seven wind turbines, an impressive 66-foot-long bin system for recycling, chickens, gardens, and acres of green space -— all serving 118 people, 60 of which are children.

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Turin by Liga-Marta

TheOneRing.net has a bit of a secret – and well, we need to keep it safe, but we are looking for your help. No, no, no… we are not asking you for a donation, just your voluntary help seeking out information on some interesting Tolkien related topics. Today’s topic is Fan Art. We are looking to compile the World’s Best Tolkien Fan Art pieces of all time. Here’s how we define fan art: Artwork that is based on a character, costume, item, or story that was created by someone other than the original artist/creator. It can be physical or digital. If you have you see some amazing examples of Tolkien fan art in your lifetime, we want to know about it. Use the form at the bottom of this post to send us a much information about the artwork as possible. At this point, we do need to ‘see’ the artwork, so hopefully it is represented by an photo or image online somewhere. There is also an option to upload a small  version of it. Thanks for your help in advance and we look forward to seeing the best Tolkien fan art of all time! [Submission Form] (On the right is ‘Turin’ by Liga-Marta)

Continue reading “We’re looking for the world’s best Tolkien Fan Art!”

Fans will pay the same ticket price to see Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit,” at 48 frames per second as they will to see it at 24fps, the traditional projection speed of movies for decades. The first of three films, still titled “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” hits theaters world wide on December 14 with the world premiere scheduled in Wellington, New Zealand November 28.

It isn’t clear yet how many theaters will upgrade to the technology needed to display the film at the higher rate, at at an expense, The Hollywood Reporter sites a source “close to the situation,” saying that U.S. distributor Warner Bros. has received assurances from exhibitors that ticket prices will not go up for the screenings.

Film fans, including those at TheOneRing.net, have been known to prefer traditional 2D films to 3D and others have complained about higher prices for the extra visual dynamics. But unlike 3D vs. 2D screenings, prices will maintain the same rate. Jackson said months ago at CinemaCon where he screened the 48fps footage, that his intention was not to raise prices for the new screenings. Continue reading “‘Hobbit’ will cost the same in 48 or 24 fps”