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.
The Official Facebook page for The Hobbit has recently put up a little Trivia Challenge that comes with some rather cool prizes. Here is what they say about the contest:
“Longing for a quest of your own? Test your knowledge of Middle-earth and its many inhabitants by taking The Hobbit Trivia Challenge! Score a perfect 10 out of 10 for a chance to win a special prize pack for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey from Comic-Con!http://bit.ly/HobbitTrivia
List of Prizes
SDCC Exclusive invisible Bilbo Baggins action figure from our Master Toy partner, The Bridge.
Limited Edition Thorin Oakenshield Bust from Gentle Giant
Limited Edition 1/6 scale Thorin Oakenshield statue from WETA
Limited Edition Art Print—An Unexpected Journey from WETA
First ever LEGO Hobbit minifigure – Bilbo Baggins from the upcoming LEGO The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey constructions sets releasing this December”
One word of caution, you do need to get all 10 questions correct, and this is a timed test, each question has its own timer. So, don’t dilly dally, take a deep breathe and go have some fun.
As you undoubtedly know by our grand adventure across the country, TheOneRing.net is set to invade Dragon*Con , the world’s largest Sci-Fi/Pop Culture convention, this Labor Day weekend (August 31st – September 3rd) in Atlanta, Georgia.
This years LotR/Hobbit guests feature a star-studded line-up: Billy Boyd, John Rhys-Davies, Craig Parker, and Sylvester McCoy.
Meet up with other Tolkien fans at the annual Evening at Bree event on Friday August 31st, hosted by Tolkien’s Middle-earth Track with music by Emerald Rose and a costume contest MC’d by Craig Parker. The Tolkien Track will also host fan film screenings, costuming panels, scholarly discussions, even open mic nights! Stop by TOR.n’s fan table to pick up a TOR.n t-shirt and try your hand at Tolkien trivia. And of course TOR.n staffers will be on hand to discuss all the latest information on ‘The Hobbit’ films.
Have you snagged your copy yet? One of our very favorite magazines and supporter of our Road to DragonCon Adventure, EMPIRE Magazine, has published their ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ edition and it is quite impressive! This special edition of the magazine features a detailing of their set visit in New Zealand, with a special focus on Gollum and Bilbo’s ‘Riddles in the Dark’ sequence. For those of you who can’t pick up a copy of the magazine locally, check out the iPad edition. The US iPad edition of EMPIRE is available in iTunes store, and it is a complete steal for only $20/yr, $1.99/mo or $4.99 an issue. EMPIRE is one of the best entertainment magazines out there and have always treated Tolkien fans to some amazing content. Make sure to pick up your copy! [iPad Editon] [iTunes] [EMPIRE Online]
DragonCon is nearly here, and here’s some news of a great giveaway which will be happening at TORn’s booth at the convention.
Those of you who have kids, take note! In addition to some big stars from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, DragonCon this year will also feature the little star authors of Nimpentoad, a children’s fantasy book. The furry bright-eyed little Nimpentoad is tired of being picked on by the bigger and meaner creatures of the ancient shadowy Grunwald Forest. He convinces his fellow Niblings to make the perilous journey to a castle where they hope to find refuge. Along the way, they are confronted by ravenous goblins, trolls, rhinotaurs, and other perils. But with teamwork and Nimpentoad’s leadership, the Niblings outwit these menaces.
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.)
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.’
