It has been weeks now and this isn’t news. I have felt the loss personally and thought about the loss for so many.
Melissa Theresa Petrey Kern, 42, is gone. In her real traditional obituary, it says she was of Lawrenceville, Georgia. Respectfully, I disagree, or I want to state on the record, that while that may be true, it isn’t the whole truth.
More of the truth would say that Melissa Theresa Petrey Kern, 42, a notable figure in the Tolkien Community, died March 8, 2015, after a long battle with ALS. She lived among us, the fan community, and was our neighbor and shared her life with us and is missed by us, as she is missed in Lawrenceville. You could write about more places she lived and is missed too.
I remember, fortunately a few conversations we shared that didn’t seem especially significant at the time, but feel pretty lucky now. We talked about an artist that visited Georgia. We talked about the Tolkien Community in Atlanta. We even talked about specific people she wanted good things for. We talked about fandom, that included her own early love for the books of J.R.R. Tolkien. We shared some moments and I value them, as part of the beautiful experience of our community and they are just a tiny sample of many such moments she shared with many people.
More memorable than the things she said were the people she influenced. The Georgia costuming community, I think it is fair to say, wouldn’t have been so organized or so unified if not for Mel. The Arms of Middle-earth might not have existed at all without Mel, but I don’t pretend to know the reality of that claim. We can safely and accurately say, she was at the heart of the community.
There is a photo, I am sure dozens of people have it, where a significant number of Tolkien costumers were all gathered together in an impressive array of characters from “The Lord of the Rings.” It was during Dragon Con in Atlanta, before the convention had matured to quite the level it has now. Groups of costumers were less frequent and large numbers of themed costumes were rare. There, in that spot, was organized and gathered an outstanding display of fans, living their passions and forming a genuine fellowship. It was a very fine cosplay effort but it was a transcendent community effort. Continue reading “Tolkien community loses Melissa Petrey Kern”
Fans got their first glimpse of this prop during NYCC and now you can order this in-stock collectible to add to your collection.
Replicating The Black Arrow that Bard uses to kill Smaug in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is made from metal reinforced fibreglass with a urethane head and vinyl fletching and comes with two urethane hooks for horizontal display, in pride of place, on your wall.
This 1:1 collectibles is limited to just 1500 pieces worldwide and a great price of $199.00
Yesterday our friends at Weta Workshop had a nice surprise for us. The second statue in the relaunched The Lord of the Rings statue line is now available for order.
Faramir, a character so many of us have been waiting for, can now be yours to order for $249 at an edition size of only 1000 pieces worldwide.
If you hate waiting like me, then you’ll love that this is also in-stock and ready to ship now!
The likeness and detail on this statue are some of Weta’s best work. Having a chance to add Faramir to your collections will be one you won’t want to miss.
SALT LAKE CITY — It isn’t traditional convention season but Salt Lake City, that hotbed of nerddom, has invited TheOneRing.net to present a HOBBIT panel Friday at the Fan Xperience. The official title is: Behind the Scenes of The Hobbit: A Look at Hobbiton :: Room 250A but who knows what might happen? Friends may call, secrets may be revealed, photos might be shown and generally Tolkien mayhem is bound to happen.
We will take a deep look at the book and movie versions of Tolkien’s pastoral Hobbiton. They placed us in a pretty decent sized room so support is much appreciated.
Many of you will have seen the video Peter Jackson posted to his Facebook page back in December, as a thank you to and celebration of the fans. What you may not know is that TORn staffer Maura appeared in the video! Here are her thoughts on this epic journey of fandom:
We have all made top ten lists of our favorite Lord of the Rings moments. At the 2014 Comic-Con International a group of fans were given the opportunity to share their memories and hopes for the final installment on camera, including yours truly. The end result was a heart-warming video posted on Peter Jackson’s Facebook page on December 3rd, that has been viewed over a million times.
Despite my donning of the “I *heart* hot dwarves” tee shirt (had to represent for TORn) one of my favorite moments was the appearance of the Prince of Mirkwood in The Desolation of Smaug. I’m not going to lie; it’s a relief that they didn’t use my uncomfortably long gush about the beauty that is Legolas. That’s the kind of embarrassment that can come back to haunt you at, say, company holiday parties or family gatherings. Does anyone else experience this – the “Legolas Effect”? Once I start, I simply cannot stop.
It can’t be a coincidence that many of us believe the movies’ most enduring legacy is the friendships that have resulted. It was a point I myself had made during my interview. That’s why a site like TheOneRing.net is so important. It has been a haven for like-minded people to assemble, discuss, debate and celebrate our common admiration for an author and his books, as well as a filmmaker and his films. So as the campaign for The One Last Party draws to a close, won’t you consider making that pledge, leaving the comfort of your armchair and books, and joining us for one final adventure?
These bonds of fellowship we’ve forged over the years are strong and should be honored by hoisting a glass. Oh, and if you want to have a serious conversation about the silver blue intensity of Legolas’s eyes in the Hobbit films versus the Lord of the Rings films, I’ll be at the bar.
One Last Party fundraiser!
Our One Last Party fundraiser on Indiegogo is almost 90% funded and we’re pretty stoked!
If you’d like to join us as a Party of Special Magnificence in Hollywood in February — a toast to all SIX Middle-earth movies, then now is the time to throw in your support! Even if you can’t make it to Hollywood (or if you’ve already contributed), you can help out by retweeting or sharing our fundraiser across social media to get the word out.
We’re into the final week of The One Last Party Indiegogo campaign, and only 20% away from our goal! With a last push in these closing days we can get there – and hold a celebration of this journey of fandom we’ve been on together!
We’ve been eager, from the start, to provide ways for fans to be involved with this celebration, even if you can’t make it to Los Angeles. The campaign includes signed collectibles and stunning art work available as perks; an opportunity to get access to a live stream of the party; and a special ‘Thank You’ which we will send to Peter Jackson, with the names of all who pledge. There are also ‘Supporter of Special Magnificence’ tshirts available, which feature the words, ’17 years is far too short a time to party among such excellent and admirable fans’.
The One Last Party is about the Fellowship of Fandom, and we hope that everyone who enjoys TheOneRing.net will feel able to be a part of it in some way. Which leads us to the awesome GIVEAWAY we have to announce!
Thanks to one very generous supporter, who is keen to see the campaign reach its goal, we have got our hands on a Battle of the Five Armies poster, signed at San Diego ComicCon by:
Dwalin – Graham McTavish
Gollum – Andy Serkis
Tauriel – Evangeline Lilly
Thranduil – Lee Pace
Legolas – Orlando Bloom
Bard – Luke Evans
Smaug – Benedict Cumberbatch
Frodo – Elijah Wood
Galadriel – Cate Blanchett
This poster (measuring 13′ by 20′), together with the holographic wristband that was needed to get it at SDCC, will be given away to one lucky supporter, chosen at random from all the pledges of $10 and above that we receive THIS WEEK (Monday 12th to Sunday 18th January).
The poster will only be given away IF we reach our goal! If we get to $180k by (or before!) the deadline on Sunday 18th, one name will be chosen at random to receive this amazing poster and wristband. Each new pledge of $10 or higher during this final week will be a separate entry into the draw; the more times you pledge, the more chances you have to win!
(If you don’t want to run the risk of not winning, remember, you could pledge for the ‘Gimli, Son of Gloin’ perk and get a larger poster signed by 12 cast members!)
Help us reach our goal, be part of the celebration, and this fabulous signed poster could be on its way to you!
Huge thanks to the generous supporter who has donated this amazing item; and to all who have supported The One Last Party so far. Together we can make this celebration a reality! Click here to visit the campaign: theonelastparty.com
(Please note, the poster is displayed on a frame in the photographs; the frame is not included in the giveaway! Poster will be shipped carefully packaged in a tube.)
One Last Party fundraiser!
Our One Last Party fundraiser on Indiegogo is almost 80% funded and we’re pretty stoked!
If you’d like to join us as a Party of Special Magnificence in Hollywood in February — a toast to all SIX Middle-earth movies, then now is the time to throw in your support! Even if you can’t make it to Hollywood (or if you’ve already contributed), you can help out by retweeting or sharing our fundraiser across social media to get the word out.
It has been weeks now and this isn’t news. I have felt the loss personally and thought about the loss for so many.
Our One Last Party fundraiser on Indiegogo is almost 90% funded and we’re pretty stoked!
