Abstractharmony writes: Showmasters, the premiere convention organisers in the UK have announced a new event for 11-13 November 2011. More..

Author Ethan Gilsdorf writes: The results of the geek poetry contest I co-sponsored with Geek Mom are in! Sample winning haiku (by Natalie Jones):

Samwise and Frodo:
You think they’re about to kiss,
But they never do.

Readers of geekmom.com were asked to submit a poem in any form of their choosing (haiku, rap, free verse, Klingon sonnet) on any geeky topic: Tolkien, Star Wars, Star Trek, gelatinous cubes, World of Warcraft war chants, hobbit drinking songs, odes to Harry Potter, ballads of Gary Gygax. Poems that somehow managed to work in the name “Ethan Gilsdorf” (which, according to legend, is either Elvish or Elvis) were hard to resist. Winners got autographed copies of Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks. Hope you enjoy! The bards’ fabulous works can be read here.

Beginning today (December 14th), the residents of Winter-home invite you to celebrate the season with them during this year’s Yule Festival – and what a celebration it will be!

The town of Winter-home is a beautiful new Winter Festival region and this year’s LOTRO Yule Festival is a winter wonderland of activities:

  • New Quests – Help the residents of Winter-home with the final touches for the celebration
  • Snowball Fight – Check out the Snowball arena where you can challenge your friends to a frosty duel
  • Theatre Event – Head over to the local playhouse to catch the seasonal show
  • Eating Contest – Get your fill of pies, eggs, mushrooms and more in the Winter-home eating contest
  • Festival Square – Check out the local vendor, meet up with your fellows, or raise a mug to toast the season

Continue reading “The Lord of the Rings Online: Yule Festival”

Ian Collier from The Tolkien Society sends this in: At 9pm (local times) on January 3rd fans around the world are invited to raise a glass and toast J.R.R. Tolkien’s Birthday.

The Tolkien Society has some webpages where fans across the globe can let other fans know where they’ll be celebrating if they’re hosting a party, or just what particular tipple they’ll be raising. Fans will be able to check the webpage and see who is celebrating where and if they wish to get in touch and join in. This news and an event page can also be found on Facebook.

The Birthday Toast event should be understood to consist of the saying of the toast and a drink (not necessarily alcoholic) of an individual’s choice. The information posted by anybody on the Birthday Toast web pages will not be sold or passed on to any third party (outside of the context of the web pages and the ‘Birthday Toast’ event). The organisers do not condone drinking alcohol if it endangers the health or safety of the drinker or others, or contravenes the law.

Janet sends this in from the folks at the Alamo Drafthouse: One night only, with proceeds benefiting KOOP 91.7 radio, Master Pancake resurrects their take on the ultimate road trip movie, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring (2001): the story of four country boys and their attempt to dispose of the most dangerous piece of jewelry ever. Will these brave LotR-men be able to bring soothing relief to the Crack of Doom? You won’t find out in this installment of the Trilogy. But you can bet your 12-sided die that we’ll have a blast as we rip on the overstuffed plot and the gigantic ensemble of actors in our lean, mean ONE-AND-A-HALF-HOUR EDIT of The Fellowship of the Ring! Featuring John, Joe and special guests Mac and David of Mascot Wedding. More..

BEN STANLEY – Waikato Times More than 700 would-be Hobbits turned out for a casting call in Hamilton. A large crowd was waiting at the Minogue Park netball courts when interviews began at 1pm yesterday. By 1.30, the line of people trying for a bit part in Sir Peter Jackson’s movie, snaked from the main building around the main court and back to the building’s door again. More..