Can you believe it has been 10 years since we first gathered at Griffith Park to celebrate the birthday of not one, but two imaginary characters from a book and film? The Baggins’ Birthday Bash has always been a great way to celebrate Fellowship amongst LA Fandom, act a little goofy, and to farewell the Summer. This year the party comes just a day after the official 75th anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit back in 1937, so we’ll have more to celebrate than just Bilbo and Frodo. Here are the pertinent details:

When: September 22 from Noon till 6pm

Where: Griffith Park in LA, just past the Carousel turnoff. There are directions and a link to a map at the bottom of the description on the Facebook Event Page. Baggins’ Birthday Bash Facebook page

What can you bring?: Take a peek at the Facebook page, and open the description fully to see what food and beverage needs we have and what you can bring. The list will be updated when people RSVP, which can be done on the Facebook event page, or by emailing Garfeimao@TheOneRing.net

Activities: There will be some trivia, we will have fans taking turns to read The Hobbit aloud during the day, and there will be a rousing game of Golfimbul, followed by a Birthday Cake.

 

London2012’s Paralympics got started last night with an opening ceremony which included Professor Stephen Hawking, Queen Elizabeth II and Gandalf himself – only this time in the role of Prospero.  The Tempest has been a running theme for London2012 – the bell housed in the Olympic Stadium and rung in July’s opening ceremony  is inscribed with a line from Shakespeare’s play, ‘Be not afeard, the isle is full of noises,’ and in the Olympic closing ceremony actor Timothy Spall (as Winston Churchill!) gave the speech from which that line is taken.  Continuing the theme, Sir Ian appeared in a stunning blue and golden robe, holding one of Prospero’s books, and bid actress Nicola Miles-Wildin, in the role of Miranda, to ‘shine your light on the beautiful diversity of humanity.’

Diverstiy was appropriately and wonderfully represented in this ceremony, with 141 disabled performers taking part, including 27 wheelchair users – 6 of whom were flown into the stadium in golden chairs!  Sir Ian was quoted in British press as saying, ‘I’m the least sporty person I know, but thrilled to have a small part to play in  the Paralympic opening ceremony in praise of endeavour and enlightenment.’

You can read a description of the ceremony and Sir Ian’s role here, and can see some highlights here.

Patrick Acton's Matchstick Minas Tirith
Patrick Acton’s Matchstick Minas Tirith

TheOneRing.net is continuing on our journey, quest, thing and we’re on the hunt for super fans. Think you have what it takes to be called an “Ultimate Fan?” Maybe you know someone who can be give that title? If so, we want to hear from you.

Do you have an awesome Tolkien tattoo. Maybe you’ve turned your home into Middle Earth! Maybe you named your children after Tolkien characters?  Artist, costumer, musician, baker, you name it — if you, or an acquaintance, have a large body of work or an ultimate super project, we want to know about it.

To tell us what makes you, or someone you know, the biggest and best of Lord of the Rings fans, use one of the links below to send us as much information as possible. We’ll need to see what your submission is all about, so please submit a URL to an image or site. Or you can upload a small photo version. (Don’t worry, right now we don’t need super-big images and we will follow up if we need more information.)

We can’t wait to see what our fellow fans are up to as we continue our quest! [Submit Yourself] [Submit a Friend]

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!”

Thank you to all the supporters of TheOneRing.net’s 27/7 LIVE stream Road to DragonCon! We have nearly reached our goal, but need your support to push us over the edge. When we leave Monday, we hope that we’ll have reached our goal and have enough funds to stop along the way, visiting Tolkien fans nationwide!  If you are not familiar with the event, a company of staffers will embark on a road trip from Hollywood to Atlanta, GA and back. Fans at home can join the fun day and night with live streaming video, Barliman’s chat room, and TheOneRing.net mobile phone to share stories, recommend local Tolkien landmarks, and win prizes from our sponsors. We have set up a series of sponsorship levels at our GoFundMe.com page where you can get some great swag just for supporting this trip. And certain levels get your name in the short form documentary we will be producing about the trip upon our return. Even if you only have $1 dollar to send, please consider helping us on the adventure. (You can click the ‘custom donation‘ level link on the GoFundMe.com page to enter any amount). And did you know, the highest level of sponsorship will secure you a ticket to our 2013 Oscar Party in Hollywood?!  We hope you will consider supporting us! Follow the link for complete details on the sponsorship levels. [Donate Today!]

 

In 2011, fan volunteers MrCere, Quickbeam, Grimlock and Justin embarked on the first ever road trip across America streaming live from a TheOneRing.net themed truck the entire time and meeting fans at every stop. It was amazing to meet fans from all walks of life and was unforgettable to talk about how Tolkien impacts their daily lives. Fans at home came along for the ride day and night with live streaming video, Barliman’s chat room, and TheOneRing.net mobile phone to share stories, recommend local Tolkien landmarks, and win prizes from our sponsors. Over 3,000 fans met us in person and 250,000 fans watched online… which inspires us to do it again. But this year, we don’t have any corporate sponsors and we are leaning heavily on YOU the fans to make this year’s trip happen. As you know, not just gas is expensive these days. We have set up a GoFundMe.com page with levels of sponsorship starting at just $5! If you are willing to donate more, we have set up a series of perks (yea, just like PBS!) for each donation. For example, you can get an exclusive ‘Road to DragonCon’ t-shirt, or if you are insanely generous, you can snag an early ticket to our February 2013 Oscar Party! But wait…there’s more! We are going to be producing a short documentary available for free online after the trip in which we will highlight the supporters of our trip. We hope you will consider supporting us! Follow the link for complete details on the sponsorship levels. [Donate Today!]

Continue reading “Support our Journey on the ‘Road to DragonCon’ 2012!”