With tickets for The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug just hours from going on sale, we are now ready to open up our Line Parties for business. Well, sort of. The Line Party program has been having some quirky issues and not working for everyone. So this is a little list of what you can do with the Line Party section, and what you will want to supplement it with.
First off, let’s have a quick history on what a Line Party is. The geek in us all feels driven to attend the earliest possible screening, and with the Hobbit: DOS, that means the midnight screenings. And let’s face it, we all know we’ll head down to the theater hours before they actually open the doors, and stand in line, and stand, and stand, and stand. Unless, of course, there is a Line Party at your particular theater of choice. Because a Line Party means games, trivia, costumes, Fellowship and fun.
Anyone can host a Line Party, no special skills are required, and truthfully, prizes for the games are not necessary either because it comes down to the Fellowship and Fun. You simply decide which theater you want to host a Line Party at, talk to the staff there to make sure it is OK to do interactive games (some shopping centers and the like have rules about what can and cannot happen on their property), and then create a Line Party page here on TheOneRing.net.
To create a Line Party Page, go to the Community section, then click on the Line Party link at the bottom, and you will find a section with a list of existing Line Parties. Take a look to get an idea of what others are doing, then click ‘Start a Line’ to get the Line made. The information you will need to start a Line Party is the full name and address of your chosen theater, and if it is a multiplex, which screen or format you want everyone to get tickets in so you are all in the same Line. A few additional instructions such as when to arrive, what types of games, costumes or not, all this can and should go into your Line Party page.
We are going to add one more step, please create a Facebook Event page for your Line Party as well, and put the link at the bottom of your Line Party description there. This is simply because the ‘Join Button’ of the Line Party function has been having issues, so the Facebook Event page will be the only way for people to RSVP for your Line, and then you will be able to communicate with your Line Members. By creating the Line Party page here on TORn, you let others in your area find you, but by simultaneously creating a Facebook Event page for the same line, you are still able to communicate with your line until we get or functionality back. Win Win.
So here is where it get’s tricky.
Some people have experienced problems logging into their Fellowship account, which is required to start a Line Party. If you are already a Message Board member then you already have a Fellowship log in. But if you are new to this, you will want to register, and if you experience any type of problem with the registration process, please email me at: Garfeimao@Theonering.net and let me know of your problem, and then give me all the info you need for your Line Party and I will create it for you. For an example of a Line Party page with the Facebook event page included, please look at Irvine Spectrum line party.
We currently have just 4 Line Parties registered right now, let’s see if we can double and triple that by lunchtime on Thursday. Please email me at the above email address when you start your Line Party, even if you encounter no problems, so I can clear it from the Pending list as soon as possible.
Let’s get creative everyone, start your Line Parties and share your enthusiasm for the films and seeing them with fellow fans.
Hobbit fans catching sight of Peter Jackson at last year’s Wellington Premiere Party
Red Carpet Tours wants to invite Wellington fans to celebrate the release of the Desolation of Smaug with them in style: at Miramar’s Roxy Cinema, right in the heart of Wellywood. The Roxy Cinema complex has received accolades internationally for its authentic Art Deco design, and incredible sculptures and artworks that showcase Weta Workshop talent. Its co-owners include Richard Taylor, Tania Rodger, and Jamie and Anne Selkirk.
Jed Brophy (Nori) and William Kircher (Bifur) will be among the Hobbit film talent invited as special guests for this party.
There will be Costume prizes awarded, hearty Hobbit food and drink, great music and lots of Hobbit fun ! It’s a wonderful occasion to get together with like minded fans and celebrate the release of the ‘Desolation of Smaug’ along with an international party of fans brought to New Zealand by Red Carpet Tours !
Date: Wednesday 11th December, 2013
Time: 8:30pm – Midnight
Location: The Roxy Theatre, Park Road, Miramar-Wellington.
Cost: NZ$150 per person. (Strictly no door sales.)
Party ticket includes: Entry to the party, entertainment, hearty Hobbit fare, especially invited guests ~ Jed Brophy (Nori) and William Kircher (Bifur) and prizes for best costume. Tickets are limited.
To wrap up the week that saw an unprecedented live fan event where fans gathered in theaters around the world with cast and crew, here is a list of things that stood out for TORn staff.
During the event, fans were treated to costume displays, live Q&As, a preview of the end credit music video, and most importantly, 20 minutes of nearly complete, previously unseen footage. As stated in previous posts, this means movie spoilers are coming, so feel free to stop reading now if you wish to spend the next four weeks without knowing what’s to come. Continue reading “Thirteen things we love about The Desolation of Smaug footage”
Yes, this story will be riddled with spoilers in it, and some snark.
With less than 2 months to go before The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, we at TheOneRing.net thought you might like a little survival guide if you happen to be Arachnophobic or Drakonophobic. The Lord the Rings: The Return of the King was a little hard on many avowed Arachophobe Tolkien fans, this reporter’s sister being one of them. She watched the entire Shelob sequence from behind her purse every time she saw it on the big screen. It was only when she saw it on DVD that she could watch it unfettered.
Long before Tolkien conceived of Sam fighting off Shelob to try and save Frodo, he placed an entire Colony of giant Spiders in Mirkwood to trap the Company of Dwarves for Bilbo to rescue. This was Bilbo’s first real challenge to help the Company and he rose to the occasion. Here you can see the fear on Bilbo’s face, but he conquers it to save the Dwarves, and you can conquer your Arachnophobia too.
As for Drakonophobia, that may have been made up word, not quite sure, but better safe than sorry. Now, to be fair, there are probably more Arachnophobes than there are Drakonophobes in the world simply because there are more spiders in the world than there are dragons. We have all those Knights in Shining Armor to thank for that. Except in China, where the dragons settled in the Rivers and became good luck symbols and come out every Chinese New Year. Gung Hey Fat Choy!!!!
Dragons as seen in Tolkien’s Middle-earth can easily instill Drakonophobia in man and beast alike , and Smaug is the most famous of those dragons. There was fear, mixed with anger and sadness when Thorin told the story of Smaug’s attack on the Lonely mountain, killing so many and driving out the few survivors. Thranduil would not risk his own people to help and Dale was completely destroyed. The entire area around the Lonely Mountain was called the Desolation of Smaug while the Men of Lake-town built their town on stilts over the lake in the hopes of surviving future dragon attacks. Smaug has not been seen in 60 years, and yet Drakonophobia is still affecting the people of Lake-town to this day. But no one is really sure he is still really alive since it’s been so long since he was last seen, at least not until Bilbo makes his fateful first burgal attempt.
So, without further ado, here are a few helpful pointers on how to survive your inner phobias when spiders and dragons appear onscreen.
1) Read The Hobbit before the film opens, familiarity makes it easier to handle shocks of this nature, at least the chapters in Mirkwood through Bilbo entering the Lonely Mountain.
2) Go with a really tall friend and sit behind them. If you have no tall friend, find a tall person in the theater and sit behind them.
3) If you prefer to see the film unfettered, then bring a jacket or purse to put in front of your eyes during the spider or dragon scenes.
4) Failing a jacket or purse, buy a soda or popcorn to raise up, my preference would be popcorn, because if you spill it from fright, it is less messy and certainly not cold or sticky.
5) Bring Litzi (Red Envelope with money or gold in it) purely to use as a Chinese New Year gift/bribe
6) Put on your Ring of Power and hide
7) Hold hands with your best friend, try not to cut off the circulation.
8) Run out of the theater during the scary bits (works for children)
9) If running out of the theater seems to be a waste of money, just close your eyes, but you may need to hold your hands over years ears too, those spiders seem to make some creepy noises. Smaug, on the other hand has a rather awesome voice.
Humphrey Carpenter’s excellent biography, Tolkien, was published way back in 1977, and it is still considered the best of its kind. I remember reading it shortly after it came out and learning that in 1911, when Tolkien was a young man of 19, he formed part of a group taking a walking tour in the Swiss Alps. It was his first and only experience of really large mountains, and as he later made clear in several of his letters, the experience inspired the mountain landscapes in his Middle-earth writings.
At the time, I vaguely thought it would be wonderful to take a tour of the places Tolkien and his companions visited, to see exactly what had fired his imagination. Over the years that vague thought occasionally resurfaced, but I never imagined that I would actually be able to do it. Not until December 1, 2012, when TheOneRing.net posted an announcement that there was to be a tour based on that idea: “In the Footsteps of Tolkien.” Continue reading “In Tolkien’s Real Misty Mountains”
Every fall, Los Angeles Ringers hold a fabulous Hall of Fire party that features all the things Hobbits, Elves, and Dwarves love most: food, drink, and fabulous costumes. The yard of a private residence in Glendora is transformed for the evening with pavilions representing the Shire, Rohan, and other regions of Middle-earth. You can visit Smaug’s Horde and Gollum’s pool, then relax with a drink at the Flaming Mumak Tavern.
Hosted by Tolkien Forever, the local smial of the Tolkien Society, “costumes are highly encouraged (though not required), and just like the Hall Of Fire from the book, people often bring games to play; sing and play music; and share the art and inspiration that Tolkien has given them.”
If you are in the Los Angeles area, join us this Saturday, October 19, at 6:00pm. Visit the event’s Facebook page and read the event details to RSVP and be sent the party address. The party is open to all, but it is being held at a private home, so you must email the host to receive directions. All ages are welcome, but please be responsible for your children. This a big backyard with a pool in the middle of it. Some parts of the yard are dimly lit. so please be aware of your surroundings. All party attendees must respect the wishes of the home owners at all times.
With tickets for The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug just hours from going on sale, we are now ready to open up our Line Parties for business. Well, sort of. The Line Party program has been having some quirky issues and not working for everyone. So this is a little list of what you can do with the Line Party section, and what you will want to supplement it with.
To create a Line Party Page, go to the Community section, then click on the Line Party link at the bottom, and you will find a section with a list of existing Line Parties. Take a look to get an idea of what others are doing, then click ‘Start a Line’ to get the Line made. The information you will need to start a Line Party is the full name and address of your chosen theater, and if it is a multiplex, which screen or format you want everyone to get tickets in so you are all in the same Line. A few additional instructions such as when to arrive, what types of games, costumes or not, all this can and should go into your Line Party page.
