Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past week.  If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights.  Or if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions.  Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards, Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join in the fun!

This week saw the return of the one and only Nomad with “a limerick I just wrote while sitting in a MSSQL 2012 class“, which spawned a limerick challenge here on Main, some hilarious, some groan-worthy, but all worth a look 😀

Continue reading “TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – June 25, 2012”

Always dreamed of visiting beautiful New Zealand? Join us for festivities of the world premiere of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” this November for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We are busy ironing out the nitty-gritty, but we have some dates and cost estimates ready and want to keep potential travelers up to date. In a few days TORn will be taking deposits that help us secure all the necessities to make this happen. We will ask for $300 (non-refundable after all trip details are announced) with the balance due closer to the travel dates, probably about 45 days prior to the event.

The trip will be a seven-day, six-night affair happening mostly in Wellington, site of the World Premiere of The Hobbit at the Embassy Theater. To be clear, that theater holds 750 people in its main auditorium and we are just not getting in there with cast and crew. (In fact, numbers of cast and crew will be far too large to all be in there either.) But we will be in the city of Wellington celebrating the grand event that promises to be at least as amazing as the similar event for “The Return of the King.” We expect to be along the city’s lengthy Red Carpet, although details have not been finalized.

As part of the excursion, we are also planning a trip to the Hobbiton Movie Set which simply cannot be missed. (Details after the break, please click on!) Continue reading “Join TheOneRing.net in Wellington for ‘Hobbit’ world premiere event, further adventures in New Zealand”

Now is the time to dig out all your Hobbit, Elf and Rohan gear, clean up your Orc armor and grab your Wizard robes. It has been at least 8 years since we’ve had a chance to wear our Middle-earth finery, and now with just 3 weeks to go, San Diego Comic Con 2012 will kick off. With both TORn and WB doing panels about the Hobbit, and companies like WETA, LEGO and Gentle Giant, among others, selling Hobbit themed merchandise, Middle-earth will be everywhere. Here at TORn, we know that no comic con is complete without costumers, so we would like to officially invite all past, present and future Tolkien costumers to pack up their gear and plan to wear it on Thursday.

 

The TORn panel will be at 10:15am on Thursday at the con, and while it would be nice if all Tolkien costumers could attend the panel, we know some of you may not get in. What we would really like to do is a mass a big group shot after our panel, out on the Outdoor Amphitheater behind the Sails Pavillion, overlooking Coronado Bridge. Our panel will end around 11:15am, so given the typical chitter chatter that always follows such events, lets plan for about 11:45am out on the Sails Terrace area. If you have older costumes you’ve got in storage, please pull them out and bring them. If your costume is book based rather than film based, no worries. If you have a costume based on Tolkien artwork, or the Silmarillion, bring it to San Diego. And if you are working on a new Hobbit era costume, wear that too (unless you are entering it into the Masquerade, don’t want you getting into trouble). All Tolkien themed costumes are welcome and encouraged, TORn would love to show that our community is large and creative and enthusiastic. If you have any questions, please contact Garfeimao@TheOneRing.net.

With only a few weeks before the San Diego Comic-Con, TheOneRing.net is excited to formally announce that we have been invited to present a “Hobbit” panel at SDCC. The website also has extensive plans to bring the experience to fans who can’t attend.

With a time slot that has become something of a tradition, the fansite will open the show on the first hour of the first day. Thursday, July 12, from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m., in room 6DE, TORn will talk Hobbit. The room holds 1,000, and like every year, especially this year, a capacity crowd is expected with many unable to get in. Being the first event of the day also means that if the room is full early, we can start early and stretch our hour into more if possible. Another great feature of being the first event of the day, the convention is more liberal about giveaway items.

TORn will also be present at not one but two table locations on the 500,000 square foot dealers floor where supports can buy shirts, buttons and talk to a large contingent of staffer. (More details later, but one table next to Badali Jewelry and one table with Weta Workshop! Expect new tshirts, details to follow!)
But what to expect from a TORn presentation?
* It will be 100% re-written, not a duplicate of any previous presentation
* An audio and visual extravaganza (not people just talking)
* It is expected to feature video content from Weta Workshop
* It may contain pictures from New Zealand
* It will feature around 6 TORn staffers (the most ever) with several more in the audience if we need them
* Special guests have been invited
* Two panelists have been on “The Hobbit” set
* A significant segment of Q&A, time for fans
More about Comic-Con after the break including info for audience at home: Continue reading “TheOneRing.net, ‘Hobbit’ stuff at Comic-Con: Full details!”

Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past week.  If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights.  Or if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions.  Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join in the fun!

Continue reading “TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – June 17, 2012”

Welcome to this months Cruise Middle Earth“Getting to know…” questions that need answering.  It’s based on the old Getting to know you threads that I used to post on the message boards here on TORn, so those familiar with them will know that the questions can be a little crazy and the answers even crazier.

This month, in the lead up to ComicCon, we’re asking questions of the other stripey TORn Kitty and intrepid traveller, Garfeimao.

Thanks for joining us this month Garf.

Me: What, in your opinion, are the best places to visit in California?

Garfeimao: Hah, that’s funny, since I’m at just about the most touristy spot in all of California, Disneyland, right now. In fact, if you put these answers up pretty quickly, you may well get a bit of a scoop, since I’m at the Press Preview of the new Cars Land at Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim, California. The’ve added Radiator Springs, a 12 acre park with 3 full rides and loads of shops and restaurants and new entertainment options, and it’s just adorable. They built up the background to look like the desert mesas and mountains you see if the film, including the waterfall and bridge sequence from the film. It’s really cool and very immersive, and the opening night party tonight was awesome. I ran into Andy Garcia, twice, Larry the Cable Guy (who voices Mater in the Cars movies) and I ran into Scott Hamilton, the Olympic Figure skater, among several other celebrities that were here.

Continue reading “Getting to know Garfeimao”