TheOneRing.net is delighted to have Empire movie magazine on board as supporters at our One Expected Party on Oscars Night!  For those readers who don’t yet know, British publication Empire is now available in a US edition, downloadable on iPad; and our good friends at Empire currently have a special offer of a three month iPad subscription for only $0.99!  Offer expires on Feb 27th – so take this opportunity to get all the latest movie news for a bargain price!

 

EMPIRE US EDITION
WE BROUGHT YOU THE ULTIMATE HOBBIT ISSUE
The movie mag for move fans
Mellon, we bought you world-beating Hobbit coverage in October 2012, complete with groundbreaking covers, exclusive access and never seen before images, all brought to life on the Empire US Edition iPad….
Octobers amazing 3D covers
Get 3 month iPad subscription for only $0.99 DONWLOAD NOW!
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*Limited time only- offer ends 27th Feb 2013

Weta Digital's Simon Clutterbuck, James Jacobs, Dr. Richard Dorling won Oscars Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013.
Weta Digital’s Simon Clutterbuck, James Jacobs, Dr. Richard Dorling won Oscars Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013.
Most think of film as art form and much is made about those who dazzle at its highest levels, but science has always been a key component to cinema. A group who worked on “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” received early Oscar awards — for science — Sunday night. Those who perform such technical innovation rarely get even a sniff of the spotlight but Simon Clutterbuck, Richard Dorling and James Jacobs were recognized for their work bringing Gollum to life, especially for his skin and movement.

The new tech makes Gollum appear more lifelike in an approach the team calls “Tissue: A Physically-Based Character Simulation Framework.”

“The framework is used to construct and simulate the anatomical components of our digital creatures and characters,” Jacobs, a supervisor for creature special-effects told NBC. (Read the whole article right here.)

Reuters also has a story with details about the Weta Digital winners and others recognized Sunday night.

Congrats to those gentlemen and all of Weta Digital for its mastery of converting Andy Serkis’ performance to screen. TheOneRing.net will celebrate the Oscars, including other nominees for work on The Hobbit, in two weeks featuring on stage Beecake with Billy Boyd. Details to buy tickets are right here.

Software brought Gollum's skin to life for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," earning it an Oscar for technology and science.
Software brought Gollum’s skin to life for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” earning it an Oscar for technology and science

We are only two weeks away from the Tolkien weekend event of the year in Hollywood, CA! Both ‘The Unexpected Art Show‘ and ‘The One Expected Party(Tickets are still available!) can only happen with the generous support of our volunteer staff and some very generous sponsors. For the next two weeks we will be sharing with you the stories behind the scenes of the party as well as information about those companies who have decided to lend their financial support behind this unique event.

Today we’d like to feature our first sponsor, The Noble Collection:

The Noble Collection

The Noble Collection

The Noble Collection is a private held company based in the Washington DC metropolitan area. The Noble Collection has established the premier position in collectibles and movie props. By bringing heightened concept, detailed sculpture and design to each piece, the company has set new standards that have captured the loyalty of collectors, and brought a new generation of enthusiasts into this revered art form.

You are most familiar with The Noble Collection’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit collectibles, but they also create many other quality products from other licenses like Superman, The Dark Knight, Green Lantern, Harry Potter, Avatar and many more. Visit them online at NobleCollection.com.

Besides financially supporting the party, The Noble Collection will be both showcasing their products and then donating those items to be awarded to fans at the end of the evening. Attendees will have the chance to walk away with some marvelous items from The Hobbit.

[Purchase Tickets] [Art Show Tickets] [The Noble Collection]

 

 

 

Art by Jay JohnstoneTheOneRing.net is shining the spotlight on the diverse group of artists in ‘An Unexpected Art Show’. Over 30 artists will be showing off their work — using a wide variety of mediums, approaching their love of Tolkien from different perspectives and hailing from all over the world. We’re excited that U.K. based artist Jay Johnstone will have selected works on display.

Jay Johnstone has spent many years as a professional artist, but has only recently joined the ranks of the fine artists specifically associated with the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Inspired by the idea that The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings had been transcribed from ancient manuscripts appealed to Jay. Using techniques from religious manuscripts, icon and fresco illustrations from the medieval period, Jay’s artwork uses a variety of mediums — oils, watercolors, acrylics, egg tempera with gold powder and leaf. Striking detail and traditional techniques give the impression of artwork that could have been produced in the real Middle-earth!

Jay has been hailed by Cor Blok and Ted Nasmith as a creative force meant to be seen years to come. He has in his supporters other well-known characters such as Ian Brodie and Christopher Paolini, and is in residence in the collections of Bernd Greisinger (Greisinger Museum, Jenins, Switzerland), Sir Richard Taylor and others, worldwide.

Join us for a night of artwork celebrating the influence of J.R.R. Tolkien in Los Angeles, California on Friday, February 22, from 7 PM to 1 AM. Children 12 and under are free! A limited number of tickets are available for $15 online and $20 at the door. ‘An Unexpected Art Show’ will be held at Lot 613, a blank-canvas special events space in the Historic Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles, located at 613 Imperial Street. Skip the line and purchase art show tickets online.

It’s all part of our Middle-earth Celebration weekend culminating with ‘The One Expected Party‘! Party tickets are still available.

We asked fans to make box art for the forthcoming Blu-ray (and DVD) release and you responded! We received hand-drawn entries, lots that used featured go-to images of characters and scenes from the film and a few that did things a bit differently. Thanks to all of those who took the time and effort to participate. One entry even requires 3D glasses to see properly. Some entries came in for the extended edition cover as well.

While the official art is obviously solid and professional, we believe a lot of these submitted covers can go toe-to-toe with the official art work. Maybe Warner Bros. should turn these things over to fans and let the people decide the cover they are willing to pay money for! (At least one staffer was really hoping for the lenticular images viewed last year at Comic-Con.) Thanks to everybody who entered. If you click on any of the images below in a completely random display, you can see a larger version. We did reduce the published size to make them mostly uniform. The winner, selected by TORn staff (most of them haven’t seen all these either) will receive a TORn t-shirt package. The decision of the judges is final. Enjoy!

When it comes to award ceremonies, Rick Findlater is usually back at a hotel making stars look their best.
But the Australian hair and make-up artist will now be at the centre of the action after being nominated for both British and American academy awards for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

“I’m just going to suck it up and enjoy the whole thing,” Findlater says from the home he is renovating on four hectares at Georgica, near Lismore in northern NSW. Continue reading “Unexpected nomination puts make-up artist in Oscar’s sights”