Our story so far: Peter Jackson made three Middle-earth movies and people loved them. Now he is making two more and people already love them too. MrCere, Senior Staff, Writer and Photographer at TheOneRing.net (Forged by and for fans since 1999) went to NZ to see what he could see. Landed in Queenstown, found lots of LOTR stuff, drove north to see the people of the ring, visited Hobbiton set and now is in Wellington, center of NZ’s cinematic empire.

It is pretty important while in Wellington for me to participate in what any visitor might and especially activities with a Lord of the Rings slant. The city is one of my favorites around the world, situated as it is on a bay of great natural beauty. I like the size because it feels pretty easy to get to know, but it has the advantages of a big city’s variety with excellent food and lots of travelers and plenty of full-time residents and all kinds of attractions.

This trip I enjoyed walking around the city and thumbing through vinyl records (ask your parents if those foreign objects are unfamiliar to you) checking out a variety of automobile dealerships including an upholstery shop with some interesting old cars, a comic book shop and a burrito joint with great architecture and melted candles. The nightlife here is crazy, including the Saturday morning I woke up early and discovered the Friday night revelry with its thumbing bass and cocktails hadn’t ended as I sought out breakfast.

It also, with its proximity to Peter Jackson’s filmmaking empire, was an important area in the making of The Lord of the Rings, but not just because of the production and effects studios across the harbor. I ended up heading out with
Wellington Rover
on its half-day tour to make a visit to filming locations. Continue reading “‘Lord of the Rings’ tours sparkle in Wellington”

FOTR premiere pic from Sydney

The Los Angeles staff of TheOneRing.net are throwing a party and we want you all to come. Really, we do, so we’ve set up a way for you to buy your tickets in advance for a discount. Just fill out our convenient little Ticket Form   and then show up at the party with a smile on your face. The advance discounted price is just $22 per person for a meal, 1 non-alcoholic beverage and tax. The price will be $25 per person at the door, if there is still availability, which is why advance purchase is your friend. If you have any questions, please contact me at Garfeimao@TheOneRing.net.

 

When: December 17 from 1pm-5pm

Where:  Ye Olde King’s Head in Santa Monica

116 Santa Monica Blvd.,

Santa Monica, CA 90401

310-451-1402

What: Not a FOTR viewing party, and sadly no Golfimbul, but there will be some fun and games, such as Trivia, and maybe a little reading of “Is this a Kissing Book”.

CNNMoney has featured a Hobbit themed house in their ‘Unique Homes’ section. Take a look at all the hard work put on this house, and thanks to all the fans who sent in this link!

You may have noticed we’ve added a small widget to the right side of our page titled ‘Instant Updates.’ Enter your email into this widget and anytime we post a news story you will be automatically emailed within minutes! So next time their is ‘The Hobbit’ movie news or a big-time Tolkien event is happening near you, you can be instantly alerted. Pretty neat right? Your email will never be used for anything besides these instant updates from TheOneRing.net. We will never look at the list, let alone give it a third-party. So enter your email on the right side of this page and start getting your instant Tolkien fix today! Of course if you don’t want to get every news post in email, you can sign-up for our official TheOneRing.net newsletter as well! Or heck, do both! You can never get enough Tolkien news! [Official Newsletter]

Join us LIVE at 5pm PT tonight as we welcome Ian McKellen’s webmaster and collaborator Keith Stern!

Keith Stern has produced some of the most popular biographical websites on the Internet. Since 1997 he has been collaborating with Ian McKellen on that actor’s autobiographical website, McKellen.com. He also has also produced websites for Lynn Redgrave (Redgrave.com), Sean Astin (SeanAstin.com), Andy Serkis (Serkis.com), Spinal Tap (SpinalTap.com), Gods and Monsters (GodsAndMonsters.net) and others for movie stars and movies.

Host Clifford Broadway, aka Quickbeam, will be discussing the HOBBIT production and possibly a few secrets from the set! We launch our program at about 5pm Pacific time — There’s a built-in Barliman’s chat room or come in via Skype. Check out the broadcast in our LIVE Event section right here every week: 5:00pm Pacific Standard Time! [LIVE Event Area] (See All Times)