Did you know the creator of TMNT was a bigger fan of Tolkien than we ever expected? His wedding ring is actually a One Ring of Power! Today on our *LIVE* weekly webcast TORn Tuesdays, we have a very special guest: Kevin Eastman, creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (and also a dyed-in-the-wool Ringer fan)! We’ll talk about creating worldwide fan bases, Comic-Con experiences, and the power of mythology through popular culture. What is it like for a creator to deal with other people adapting / redoing his most famous creation? Come join the show via Stickam (account “theoneringnet”) using your own Skype login or come join us via our Live Event Page with our unique Barliman’s chat embedded in the show! Soon we will have live guests IN THE AUDIENCE at Meltdown Comics Theater in Hollywood for every weekly show!

Tune into our show at 5:00pm PDT (that’s L.A. time folks — click here to see when it is in your city!), and just click to our Live Event page.

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 11 2012”

All the details are still being hammered out, but TheOneRing.net is working furiously to plan a trip for fellow fans to travel with us to New Zealand and attend the red carpet event in Wellington for the world premiere of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” on November 28.

Since the date was announced, TORn has been in contact with groups in New Zealand trying to arrange the best possible trip with finances, time away and itinerary as considerations. Highlights of the trip include:
* A visit to Hobbiton Movie Set near Matamata
* Lining the ‘Red Carpet’ for a world-class Wellington premiere party
* A visit to the Weta Cave
* A TORn & Red Carpet Tours costume party
* Other Wellington movie-related experiences, time permitting

Speaking of Red Carpet Tours, fans also have the option of joining a longer Hobbit tour with the trusted tour group long associated with TORn. You can read the itinerary here for the 14-day extravaganza.

TORn expects to finalize details and require a deposit in the neighborhood of $300 for the late-November event. Funds will be used to secure hotel rooms and make other binding travel arrangements. It is expected that the final price will include round-trip air from Los Angeles to New Zealand. Details will be announced as soon as possible but expect to leave just after U.S. Thanksgiving and return about a week later.
UPDATE: Yes, there will be land-only prices available.
Stay tuned for details but make arrangements now for this one-in-a-lifetime event!

I live near Allentown, PA and rarely have an opportunity to partake in any special events that would interest the Tolkien community locally. Today was a bit different. You see, the Allentown Art Museum is currently exhibiting  ‘At the Edge: Art of the Fantastic,’ the most comprehensive and largest exhibition of fantastic art to date in the United States.  When I saw an ad featuring Donato Giancola’s The Hobbit, I just knew I had to go! The presentation is quite impressive – showcase fantasy art from hundreds of years ago to present. If you ever wanted to see works in person, but really didn’t want deal with going to a convention convention, this showcase is a perfect opportunity. Tolkien themed works on exhibit: The Hildebrandt Brother’s Smaug and The Gift of Galadriel, Ruth Sanderson’s Galadriel, Mark Zug’s The Sands of Gorgoroth, Matthew Stewart’s Battle of Five Armies, Stephen Hickman’s Siege of Minas Tirith (triple WOW factor in person), Darrell Sweet’s The Slaying of Glaurung, and last but not least, Donato Giancola’s The Hobbit (Absolutely stunning in person – and gigantic!). The exhibit runs through September 9th 2012 in Allentown, PA.  [Allentown Art Museum]

 

Congrats to the following winners in our ‘One Man Lord of the Rings’ ticket giveaway!

3pm Show – Nikos F.
8pm Show – Jaynie T.

Winner should check their email for details. If you did not win, please consider supporting the New Jersey Performing Arts Center by attending this amazing show! I don’t think we’ve ever heard a bad review, so you are guaranteed to have a wonderful time. You can purchase tickets for this show right now! [Buy Tickets] [Entry Form]

Fandalf visits the heart of Tolkiendom in America - Houghton Mifflin's HQ, Boston

You may remember this story from summer of last year: ‘Fandalf’ the travelling Gandalf statue (well, two of him actually…) was making his way around America and around Europe, stopping with fans in many different places and posing with famous landmarks.  With San Diego ComicCon 2012 being the final stop on Fandalf’s journey, he has just over a month to go; so we thought readers might like an update on his travels!

The statue (made by Sideshow/Weta) which is travelling around America made his way over to the East coast.  He was recently in Atlanta, followed by a few stops in New England (Rhode Island, Boston and Concord).  Right now he’s winging his way (courtesy of a friendly eagle!) over to Ohio.  The European Fandalf has been to various places in Germany, Belgium, France and Italy.  The wonderful pictures hosting fans have taken can be seen at flickr.com – search for images tagged ‘Gandalf World Tour’.  Many thanks to all who have hosted Fandalf – it’s great to think of fans all over the world mooting with the Grey Wizard!

As we draw closer to the release of the first Hobbit movie, San Diego ComicCon promises to be full of excitement and Middle-earth goodness!  Fandalf’s return from his travels and merry meetings with fans will be a wonderful part of these ‘Hobbit Eve’ celebrations.