Hobbit fans from across the US and around the World are now happily planning for a weekend of fun in Hollywood in late February. So here is your helpful guide to what is going on and how to best take advantage of the activities. On Friday, February 22 TheOnering.net will be hosting An Unexpected Art Show, featuring artwork inspired by Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and other realms created by J.R.R. Tolkien to take place in Downtown Los Angeles. On Sunday, February 24 TheOneRing.net will be hosting The One Expected Party in Hollywood. Please see their respective web pages for details.
Before you ask about Saturday, we’ve decided to leave that to the Fans to determine for themselves. Suggestions would be a Studio tour, a visit to the Griffith Observatory with it’s commanding views of Hollywood and Downtown LA, or a trip to the Getty Center in the Santa Monica hills, both a wonderful museum and one of the best views of the Pacific Coastline. And if you are from a cold clime, you might consider a visit to the Santa Monica pier and then a stop at one of a dozen Pubs in the area. But if you prefer to keep the weekend focused on movies and the Academy Awards, you might consider one of the many symposiums that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosts on the Saturday before the Oscars. Please check their website in early February, but typically they host the Foreign Language nominations at the Beverly Hills home for Oscar, while the American Cinematheque hosts two symposiums, usually either Editors or Cinematographers and then Art Directors. These symposiums are always free and very educational, offering you a view into movie making you just can’t get anywhere else. No matter what you decide to do on Saturday, there should be no shortage of other Tolkien fans willing to ‘Moot’ with you.
Here is a little checklist to help you plan your weekend:
1) Buy your tickets for The One Expected Party now. You could wait until the nominations are announced on January 10, but you risk tickets selling out. The party is scheduled to go on as planned, with or without nominations, this is a celebration of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” regardless of Hollywood’s attention.
2) Buy your tickets to An Unexpected Art Show now. For those traveling from afar, this is a great way to extend your vacation a little and see more of your Ringer friends. And for those not attending the Party on Sunday, this is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the joy of artists expressing the creativity inspired by Tolkien, and to hang with your Ringer friends from far and wide.
3) Make your travel arrangements, be it ‘trains, planes or automobiles’, figure out your travel dates and get yourself to Hollywood in time to celebrate with everyone. This includes making sure you have your hotel settled now, because they will sell out. Oscar time in Hollywood is very popular with foreign tourists, every hotel expects to be sold out. So check our Hotel and Lodging page on the hotels we’ve set up blocks with. Some have links to make booking super easy and instantaneous while others require you to call in, just make sure to use the Hobbit Oscar Party name for the group and you should be fine. If there are problems with booking into the group, contact us and we’ll get you sorted. Some of these rates are phenomenal for that time of year, and are selling quickly, so don’t delay. We do have to return unsold space in just a few weeks time.
4) Plan your attire. Most of you will find your own dresses, tuxedos or costumes, but if you find you need a little assistance, visit our Costumes and Attire page for assistance.
5) If you are coming on your own, or have never been to a TORn sponsored event or convention and don’t know many fans, fear not. You can find fans on our TORn Facebook page and here in our message boards. Those attending the Art Show and Oscar party should be able to find threads on the TORn Moots and other events, just look for the appropriate threads for each event. This will help you figure out how to fill up your Saturday and make sure you have the best possible Hobbity Weekend you could imagine.
As an early pressent, we are extending our giveaway for another few days! Get your entry in by Thursday, Dec 20th Midnight PT. Details below!
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Just when you thought the excitement level for all things Hobbity has reached a peak, we at TheOneRing.net are privileged to announced an giveaway to celebrate the release of ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey!’ Two lucky Ringers will walk away with a Troll’s horde of treasure from the film, ranging from a Fur Hat to a comfy travel throw! The prize list, like Bilbo’s contract with Thorin and Co., is long and diverse – check it out below. While the list of prizes is extensive, we’ve made it super easy to enter. Just fill out the form below and you are automatically entered for a chance to win. Winners are announced December 20th 2012 right here on TheOneRing.net. Good luck!
Our good friends of at The Noble Collection continue to provide us some great prizes from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Our last contest was for a Sting Replica and we are very excited to announce our winner…
Susi of Dayton, OH Congrats Susi and we hope you enjoy this awesome collectible.
We’re pleased to announce our third contest for The Noble Collection letter opener set featuring Sting, Glamdring, and Orcrist. [Seen here] This set with real metal, and superbly detailed pieces, costs only $55 and is a must for any fan of Middle-earth. To enter fill our this form. [Form] The contest runs from now to December 19th at midnight PST. One entry per person per email for this contest. Alas entry is for US residents only. Good luck!
This morning Weta Workshop added more amazing collectibles to their growing line of prop replicas from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Fans of Gandalf, Radagast, Thorin, and Fili are going to want to snag these limited edition collectibles before they vanish. Gandalf’s staff is a great representation of the character himself – weathered and worn by the years of mileage as he protects Middle-earth, but burning inside with a core of purity, power, and beauty. You will also notice the double G-Rune signifying Gandalf the Grey.
On the other hand the staff of Radagast has been fashioned from a sapling he found in the Greenwood, capturing the nature loving character we saw in The Hobbit. The twiggy protrusions give his fellow flying friends a place to rest as he makes his way through Middle-earth.
Both staffs are limited to 1000 pieces world-wide and a cost of $179, but since they will not ship until 1st and 2nd quarters of 2013, you’ll have a chance to save up. Each staff comes with a black metal bracket for display. The blue ‘crystal’ (acrylic) in the head of Radagast’s staff comes out of the staff – just as it does in the film – to create a bit of extra special magic.
Looking for a little bit of humor today? Check out the latest creation from Ian McKellen impersonator Hunter Davis! In his latest YouTube creation, we find Gandalf the Grey and Gollum performing the Queen classic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ with some very amusing results. You can see Hunter live in Hollywood at our ‘The One Expected Party,’ February 24th 2012 where he’ll share the stage with other great acts like Billy Boyd in Beecake, Emerald Rose, The One Man Lord of the Rings, Dorian Mirth and others! [Party Details] [Hunter’s YouTube Channel]
Forbes.com: My wife and I took most of our kids to the first showing of The Hobbit at our local theater Friday morning. All but one of us was already a fanatically patriotic citizen of the Shire long before this movie, and all of us enjoyed the film quite a bit. This will not be the case for every Tolkien fan: I suspect the purists will be upset by the ways in which the films deviate from the book.
I, however, am not a purist. The Hobbit is a nearly perfect book from a literary point of view. That is no surprise, given the fact that it comes from one of the greatest literary minds of the 20th Century. But, books and films are different types of story-telling vessels and Peter Jackson was right in adapting the story to the newer medium. And he did so as someone who truly loved the original, who respected his source material, and who as a general rule carved it with the grain and not against it in his attempt to shape it into the needs of a big budget film trilogy.
Hobbit fans from across the US and around the World are now happily planning for a weekend of fun in Hollywood in late February. So here is your helpful guide to what is going on and how to best take advantage of the activities. On Friday, February 22 TheOnering.net will be hosting An Unexpected Art Show, featuring artwork inspired by Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and other realms created by J.R.R. Tolkien to take place in Downtown Los Angeles. On Sunday, February 24 TheOneRing.net will be hosting The One Expected Party in Hollywood. Please see their respective web pages for details.
