Join Kili for a walk in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and a hunt for a bear as she shares her knowledge of the forests, just like a Ranger or an Elf and start building your own knowledge of the woods!
Category: Happy Hobbit
SAN DIEGO — Warner Bros. definitely has something up its sleeve for Saturday at Comic-Con, but Thursday was left to the fans.
Staffers of TheOneRing.net were invited to to take the stage, in what has become a Comic-Con tradition, to talk Middle-earth movies from Peter Jasckon, and this year for the final Hobbit film. It was extra pleasing to follow the fantastic and ever-more-popular George R.R. Martin after his panel. Clifford Broadway made sure to sit in Martin’s chair.
Panelists were:
Chris Pirrotta — Co-founder of the site and a big part of TORn conventions for years, Calisuri was on hand to finish what he started.
John Tedeschi — A long-time staffer from New York, Thor moderated the panel keeping the rest of us in check.
Clifford Broadway — The site’s Quickbeam, Cliff adds a depth of knowledge or all the adaptations of Tolkien’s works, not just the latest from Jackson.
Kellie Rice — As a writer and unabashed fan known as part of the Happy Hobbit, Kellie added a feminine touch to the proceedings.
Larry D. Curtis — With several trips to New Zealand and five weeks on set during filming of the films, MrCere is a convention vet but was also silent during certain portions of the proceedings.
We hoped we were a fun and diverse group and we tried to strike a conversational balance on the panel. We also knew we had a little extra time because of the cancellation of the panel following ours. We focused on where we left off last and then went deep into spoiler territory with a lot of speculation but also content taken from clues from interviews, official photos and rumor.
The conversation also generated some laughs when members of the audience had not read the books and learned the most elementary of spoilers, such as about who lived and who died.
Our audience polls also highlighted the popular opinion of fans on many fronts. Forged by and for fans, TheOneRing staff was honored to be a part of the programming at San Diego Comic-Con. We were also honored to have LOTR guru Jim Rygel stop by to say hello to the audience!
Join Kili (who seems to be possessed by Martha Steward of Gondor) for an extra wacky episode and learn how to make whiskey from the store a little more exciting. Oh, and please drink responsibly.
Join us on our favorite convention adventure yet in the magical madness that was Fantasy-Con 2014! Elves, dragons, castles, goblins, and many a familiar dwarf or hobbit abound!
The first annual FantasyCon was an amazing weekend! Tens of thousands of fans from around the country and many actors from around the world traveled to beautiful Salt Lake City, Utah for an engagingly fun weekend of group panels, signings, photo ops and fireside chats. Here is a recap of some of the fun from several TheOneRing.net staff members who made the journey there.
Elijah Wood Hosts Kickoff Party
Starting off the week was an amazing dance night hosted by Frodo himself DJ ElWood!
Middle-earth Kick-Off!
To start FantasyCon with a celebrity blast, an all-star group of Tolkien guests took the stage including:
- Sean Astin (Samwise)
- Adam Brown (Ori)
- Billy Boyd (Pippin)
- Jed Brophy (Nori)
- John Callen (Óin)
- Peter Hambleton (Glóin)
- William Kircher (Bifur)
- Sylvester McCoy (Radagast)
- Graham McTavish (Dwalin)
- Mark Ordesky (Executive Producer LOTR)
- John Rhys-Davies (Gimli)
- Ken Stott (Balin)
- author Doug Adams (‘The Music of The Lord of the Rings’)
- artist Donato Giancola
- Badali Jewelry
- …and the staff of TheOneRing.net!
Wednesday in Salt Lake City was set up day for FantasyCon at the Salt Palace convention center. The FantasyCon people have been setting things up for days, and when you see some of the images of the sculptures, you will know why. They have gone all out to achieve a rocking cool Fantasy atmosphere, and with the various fan groups they’ve brought in, this promises to be a memorable weekend.
They then closed the hall today at 5pm to allow vendors to leave, or go eat and come back later for the charity event. At 7pm, the doors were opened again for numerous kids and their families who are beneficiaries of various charities, including Angel’s Hands Foundation, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Kids on the Move and Hope Kids. The children and their families were escorted in by a Piper past a processional of costumed warriors, fairies, stormtroopers, Hobbits and wizards. It made for a joyous entry as they were then lead to the main stage for the unveiling of Volos, the King of all the dragons attending the convention.
There are numerous costumed combat troops that will be demonstrating and teaching during the con, there is Dragon training going on, gaming, actors on panels, loads of cosplay everywhere, a Castle, numerous Dragons, giant Sentinels, and last but not least, a Rock Monster.
Panels begin in earnest tomorrow morning, with a Red Party capping off Thursday’s schedule. Friday opens with a Costume parade and Saturday ends the whole convention with a bang, and really really Big Bang of the Fireworks variety. Should you find yourself anywhere near Salt Lake City in the next couple of days, this may well be the funnest way you will find to spend your July 4 holiday. http://www.fantasycon.com