Now’s your chance! The latest casting call for extras has gone out for The Hobbit movies; they are looking for people based in the Wellington area, who are tall and of slender build. That can mean only one thing – more elves! Find details here – and be sure to let us know if you’re lucky enough to be cast!
Category: Events
2012 will be a watermark year for the movie business but this week looks a lot like the 1990s and presented some problems for TheOneRing.net’s Film Friday. I didn’t want to watch “Titanic,” or “American Reunion,” which are likely this week’s biggest new releases. In each case, I feel like I have been there before.
I have been much more interested this week in a discussion with some Facebook friends about which films will rule the 2012 box office numbers. “The Hunger Games,” is proving to be a powerful financial force. Some of these friends are fans of “The Hobbit,” but don’t think the film can win the finally tally for the year’s biggest moneymaker. I disagree. (Oh and while we are talking about the film, any media member who writes that it is a prequel is lazy, inaccurate and deserves a gentle kick in the shins. The story stands alone, came first and is so much more than just a lead-up to LOTR.)
While studios care deeply about the financial returns, fans are a lot more interested in art and a thrill at the movies. Still, there is some fun in watching the box office derby and it seems like a dozen websites have sprung up devoted to doing just that.
Lets take a look at one man’s predictions of the final top 10 box office films released in 2012. Continue reading “Film Friday: Can ‘The Hobbit’ rule them all in 2012?”
Interested in learning about Tolkien and fantasy literature in more depth? We have been asked to spread the word about an online course that spans fantasy from its roots to modern works. Here is the info we were asked to share with all the links after the break:
During the summer semester Cardiff Metropolitan University will run an online course titled Fantasy Literature: Tales Before and After Tolkien, designed and taught by Dr Dimitra Fimi.
The course will examine fantasy literature, from its roots in Victorian fairy tales to modern imaginary worlds. Some of the key texts we will explore include J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books, Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea series, Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy and J.K. RowlingHarry Potter series. The course is open to students and adult learners all over the world. It is delivered entirely online via Blackboard, Cardiff Met’s Virtual Learning Environment, so it does not matter where students are physically. The course will begin on Wednesday 9th May, and will run for 12 weeks (10 teaching Units plus 1 reading week and 1 essay-writing week), until the end of July. The course carries 20 credits at Year 3 undergraduate level if students choose to do the assessment. Continue reading “Online course offered in Tolkien, fantasy”

The results are in! After many weeks of intense competition we can finally crown a winner! In the end, Samwise Gamgee, a sturdy and faithful Hobbit from The Shire takes the prize in our first annual Middle-earth March Madness!
Sam defeated his worthy opponent Aragorn with 65% of the votes!
We’d like to thank you all for participating in this year’s event, and look forward to next year’s competition in which we will institute a few of the changes that you have suggested in comments/facebook posts, etc. For a review of each round, click on the following links: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Final Four , Championship
After weeks of competition and a series of amazing match-ups, it all comes down to this! The final two combatants in our inaugural Middle-earth March Madness are Samwise Gamgee and Aragorn! Just when it looked like Legolas was simply unstoppable, Samwise proved his muster by soundly defeating the elf by nearly 13 percentage points! Gandalf was primed for defeat when he barely advanced (by one vote) against Feanor in round 1, so it was no surprise to see Aragorn pull away and beat him by 9 percent. Both characters were number two seeds throughout a tournament that seemed to heavily favor the number 1 seeds. (Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Final Four )
Samwise Gamgee: The Trilogy starts and ends with him, the coolest landscape architect ever. After a stellar turn as Frodo’s backbone he came home to a beautiful family and a rewarding political career. “Well, I’m back,” he said.
Aragorn: This man claimed the Crown, brought powers of healing through strange herbal remedies, and kept the lovefires burning for a certain Elven Princess… He had it all, even choosing his own exit on his own terms. Now that’s why it’s good to be the King.
This historic match-up will last until April 4th at Noon ET. If you are passionate about either choice, please take a moment to share with your friends and family! We’ll keep you updated on the match-up throughout the week.
Middle-earth March Madness is down to the Final Four! Coming out of the Rankin/Bass Division, battered and bruised by some close calls, is none other than everyone’s favorite wizard, Gandalf! From the Ralph Bakshi Division, with a final match that was not nearly as close as one might expect, is Aragorn! From the Tolkien Family Division is the solid number one seed Legolas, coming hot off his latest victory over the Ringbearer himself, Frodo. Last, but certainly not least, out of the Peter Jackson Division, is tournament dark horse, and the only remaining Hobbit…Samwise Gamgee! Voting in for the Final Four will last until April 1st at 6pm ET. Check out the results from the previous rounds: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3.
Follow after the break to place your vote and see the latest version of the bracket. (Download) Good luck to all of our competitors!
Continue reading “Middle-earth March Madness 2012 – The Final Four!”