Greetings all! As we come around the corner to the last two weeks before the Academy Awards, we are moving forward at lightning speed making preparations for THE ONE EXPECTED PARTY — and our friends down in New Zealand working hard on THE HOBBIT films have already won an award in the Science & Tech category (for creating Gollum’s skin software)! We will chat about these new developments and more on our *live* webcast TORn TUESDAY, hosted by your amiable entish friend Clifford “Quickbeam” Broadway and Justin (who will not make any comments about Jar Jar and Radagast in the same breath, we promise). Come join our show and bring your questions and comments via our Live Event Page here. It all starts at 5:00pm Pacific Time today (Tuesday Feb. 12th on this side of the world)… can’t wait to see you all there!
Category: Events
TheOneRing.net really does have some great friends. Yesterday we told you that Empire magazine is supporting The One Expected Party, and offering you, dear reader, a great deal on a three month subscription to their downloadable US edition. Today we can share that the fabulous René, owner of The Tolkien Shop, is also supporting our party! The Tolkien Shop is ‘the only brick-and-mortar shop in the world entirely dedicated to JRR Tolkien’! It can be found in the Netherlands, but thanks to the wonders of the internet, wherever you are in the world, you can take a visit to the store – and they ship worldwide. If you ARE lucky enough to be in Holland and want to pay them a visit, you can also see the wonderful Tolkien Museum located there.
Visit The Tolkien Shop here; and expect a gift from the shop in goody bags at The One Expected Party! It’s not too late – some tickets still remain, and can be purchased here!
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!

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.

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 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]
TheOneRing.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.





