You may recall that in November we posted about the team of academic researchers from the University of Waikato (New Zealand) and Ryerson University (Canada) that is conducting a research project exploring audience engagement with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

The team — which tells us to expect preliminary results of their first survey soon — is following up their initial research with a followup survey seeking audience responses to Peter Jackson’s film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Continue reading “International research project seeks your views on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”

Balrog by Hogan McLaughlinTheOneRing.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.

Today’s spotlight turns to Hogan McLaughlin. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Hogan began drawing at an early age. He eventually was given the opportunity to produce fashion pieces based on his highly detailed illustrations. The pieces were later featured in the windows of Barneys New York department store and on exhibit at The Museum at F.I.T. In September 2011, he released his first fashion collection to wide acclaim. Hogan has gone on to create custom pieces for Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way Ball” promotional images and garnered interest from various actresses, musicians, and models.

Galadriel by Hogan McLaughlinWhile fashion is happily his priority, Hogan continues to illustrate and has gained a following for his original pieces, as well as conceptualized interpretations of beloved characters created by J.R.R. Tolkien, George R.R. Martin, and many others. The work of Tolkien continues to be a driving inspiration in McLaughlin’s own work, in both art and fashion. Original illustrations by Hogan will be on display at ‘An Unexpected Art Show’.

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. 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.

TheOneRing.net is shining the spotlight on the diverse group of artists in ‘An Unexpected Art Show’. Luthien by Cat MallardOver 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.

Today’s spotlight turns to Cat Mallard. Cat is an artist with a lifelong love of mythology and fairy tales. Tolkien’s work is especially dear to her and she has created numerous ethereal pieces inspired by Middle-earth. Her illustrations and mixed media work have been featured in several publications including Somerset Studios and Better Homes and Gardens. Cat will have prints and originals for sale at “An Unexpected Art Show”, including a new watercolor “Luthien”, created for the show.

Join us for ‘An Unexpected Art Show’ 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. Purchase art show tickets online.

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

http://www.theonering.net/party/We are only 20 days away from ‘The One Expected Party‘ and we are very excited to share with you the preliminary list of auction and raffle items coming to the party. By far the highlight of the event will be a 2002 Sideshow/Weta Collectibles Balrog Statue – Artist Proof. Yes, THAT Balrog statue – the one that has sold on eBay for a small fortune. We’ve also got a Gollum statue from Weta Collectibles signed by Andy Serkis himself! And if you are looking for even more collectibles from the early 2000s…how about the Houghton Mifflin ‘No Admittance Except on Party Business’ – Bookends? Check out the Raffles/Auctions page for more items, but I’m sure we’ll have more to share as we get closer to the event. Remember, tickets are still available for both the party and ‘The Unexpected Art Show‘ – so snag your tickets today! [Auction/Raffle Listing] [Party Tickets] [Art Show Tickets]

TORN-Tuesday-300-250Welcome aboard Tolkien fans, Ringer fans, Jackson fans, and all those other fandoms inbetween who love Hobbity goodness! Join us today for our weekly live chat show (last week’s streaming video was a screaming laugh riot; indeed a mob-scene of obscene comedy thanks to our special guests Dominic Monaghan & Billy Boyd!)…. join your host Clifford ‘Quickbeam’ Broadway and Star Wars Expatriate-turned Ringer fan Justin as we highlight the recent news and fun parodies starting to appear in the aftermath of THE HOBBIT: AUJ having taken the box office by storm these past two months! Watch here on our Live Event Page and join in Barliman’s chat. The action starts live at 5:00PM Pacific Time. You can also turn on your camera and join via Stickam here.

Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit MovieWelcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past week. If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights. Or if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions. Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join in the fun!

Continue reading “TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – January 27, 2013”

If you have a Tolkien/Middle-earth inspired poem you’d like to share, then send it to poetry@theonering.net. One poem per person may be submitted each month. Please make sure to proofread your work before sending it in. TheOneRing.net is not responsible for poems posting with spelling or grammatical errors.