Sean Kirst from The Post-Standard writes: Another Tolkien Reading Day is upon us, as discussed in today’s column – attached in “extended reading.” We’re holding this year’s version Sunday at 1 p.m. on the second floor of The Palace Theatre in Eastwood. Admission is free, and the focus is participation, not fundraising, especially in these tough financial times. But if you want to throw any change into a hat, all proceeds will go toward a couple of local literacy projects: The Ted Grace Reading Grove, and a GED program at the Learning Place. We’ll be reading from “The Hobbit,” and we’ll go for as long as everyone holds out. Right now, we’re thinking three pages per reader. The point is certainly to honor Tolkien, but it’s also to recall the sheer joy of reading. Retired English professor Tony Annunziata, the focus of today’s column, recently noted that Tolkien exemplifies the power of reading: His work demands an intense creative process for anyone who flips open the books, and the payoff is a lifetime bond. Syracuse Tolkien Reading Day II
Category: Events
TheOneRing.net is teaming up with Galatia Films to celebrate the DVD release of ‘Reclaiming the Blade’ by giving away the ‘Late 15th Century Bastard Sword’ from Albion Swords! A prize worth nearly $500! Entering the contest is super easy – you don’t even need to answer any questions! ‘Reclaiming the Blade’ is narrated by John Rhys-Davies and features appearances by many LOTR veterans: Viggo Mortensen, Karl Urban, Bob Anderson, John Howe and Richard Taylor of WETA Workshop. The DVD will be released on March 30th, but you can place your pre-order today at the Galatia Films website. So after you enter the contest, secure your copy of the DVD today! [Contest Page] [Pre-Order the DVD]
Sir Ian McKellen hasn’t spent his entire acting career aching to play Shakespeare’s King Lear. “I thought it was beyond me,” the veteran English actor said, surprisingly. “It was never a part I wanted to play. I knew, from having seen other people play it up close, that it takes an awful lot out of you. “You can’t throw off a King Lear. You have to delve into it.” McKellen never too old to be young
morten writes: I just saw the news that Christopher Lee is going to be at the LOTR in Concert in Copenhagen. I am looking forward to it – the people behind it are the Tolkien Ensemble, who has created some beautiful and moody music for LotR and the illustrations for the LotR created by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe the 2nd will be a part of the experience. Just thought I’d let you know since I haven’t heard a mention of it on theonering.net so far. Here is the link, in Danish (sorry!). Christopher Lee At LOTR in Concert in Copenhagen
The March 20th edition of the WETA Newsletter mentions TORN and our ‘Cruise to Middle-earth’ vacation we posted about earlier in the year. Ringers on the cruise stopped by the WETA Cave for a very special treat. From the newsletter: “Our friends from T.O.R.N visit the Weta Cave – On a Cruise To Middle-Earth, a large group of Tolkien fans from TheOneRing.Net came to visit us. It was a real pleasure to have you here and to show you around. It takes a special kind of fan to travel all the way to little New Zealand. In the photo you also see Richard Taylor, Tania Rodger and Daniel Falconer who hosted the group on their visit.”
If you couldn’t catch Sir Ian McKellen on stage as King Lear, then tune in this week when the PBS program, Great Performances, features the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production. After airing March 25th on TV, (check the site for show times in your area), the play, originally staged in Stratford-upon-Avon in the spring of 2007, will be available online.