Only 40 days remain until hundreds of Tolkien fans journey to Hollywood and celebrate the words and works of J.R.R. Tolkien at ‘The One Expected Party!’ On Hollywood’s most magical night, we will happily host a great feast to celebrate not only the three Oscar nominations for ‘The Hobbit: AUJ,’ but also the entirety of Tolkien fandom. And oh, what a feast it will be!  We are please to share with you our exclusive menu after the break. Tickets are still available for both the party on Feb 24th and our Hobbit themed art show on Feb 22nd. This is a weekend you simply cannot miss! [Party Tickets] [Art Show Tickets] [Party Website] Continue reading “Our Hall is Fair Once More, and the Feast Shall Indeed be Splendid!”

baftasThe British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) just announced its nominations for the best films of 2012, and “The Hobbit,” snagged 3 separate nominations. One each for Sound, Special Visual Effects and Hair & Makeup. “Lincoln” received the most nominations with 10, even though Director Steven Spielberg was not one of the directorial nominees. Following close behind were “Argo,” “Les Miserables,” “Life of Pi” and “Zero Dark Thirty,” all with multiple nominations and among the Best Film category, along with “Lincoln.”

In the Sound category, “The Hobbit” is nominated with “Django Unchained,” “Les Miserables,” “Life of Pi” and “Skyfall.” In my opinion if the voters were able to see and hear a Dolby Atmos screening, this would be in the bag, but that is still a fresh and technology with limited availability. In the Special Visual Effects category, “The Hobbit,” is nominated with “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Life of Pi,” “Prometheus” and “Marvel’s Avengers Assemble.” In the Hair and Makeup category, all the nominees except “The Hobbit” are period pieces, while “The Hobbit,” definitely has some fantastical creations. Not sure which is the advantage here. The other nominees are “Anna Karenina,” “Hitchcock,” “Les Miserables” and “Lincoln.”

One notable nominee in the Documentary category is “West of Memphis,” produced by Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson. Jackson appears in the film that looks at the arrest, conviction and release of three then teens for a murder in West Memphis, Arkansas. Many felt it was a wrong conviction. The British Academy Film Awards will take place on February 10 at London’s Royal Opera House. For a full list of the nominations, please check the BAFTA website

On a day usually marked by celebrations, we are very sad to report the untimely death of our Kiwi friend, Mike Hopkins, who worked alongside American compatriot Ethan Van der Ryn as Sound Editors on the LOTR Trilogy. Mr. Hopkins (pictured on the left with Van der Ryn) would go on to win Academy Awards for Sound Editing on two of Peter Jackson’s films: The Two Towers and King Kong. He and his friends were rafting in the Tararua Range when their watercraft capsized. The complete story can be found here at Stuff.co.nz.

Ringer fans have in the past met Mr. Hopkins at public events and our own Oscar Parties held for LOTR cast & crew, where he showed extraordinary humility and appreciation for the love showed by our unique fandom. The staff of TheOneRing.net are deeply saddened at this tragic news and extend their sympathy and prayers to Mr. Hopkins’ surviving family and friends. We wish him godspeed on his new journey, certain that he can make the thunder of Heaven sound that much sweeter to the ears of the Divine.

Rest in peace, Mike Hopkins.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Poster
In Theaters Now!

We are very excited to announce the winners in our ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘ Giveaway! But before we do, we want to thank our sponsor Warner Bros for providing these two amazing prize packs and affording us this wonderful opportunity to give them away to two lucky Ringers! Don’t forget to visit the official websiteThe Hobbit facebook page, and Twitter: follow @wbpictures!

To see the prizes and prize-packs, please see our original post here. Without further delay, the winners are…

Grand PrizeXavier K of Montana, US
Runner-up PrizeMelinda G of Kansas, US 

Our two winners will be contacted via email. Stay tuned to TheOneRing.net for upcoming giveaways!

Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers for sponsoring this amazing giveaway to promote the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Chronicles: Art & Design.

The 40 Randomly Selected winners are…

Robb B. – NJ, US
Deana B. – California, US
Talytha B. – South Carolina, US
Peter B. – LA, US
Carmelita B. – NJ, US
Joshua B. – IL, US
Jody C. – UT, US
Mike C. – Utah, US
BreeAnn C. – CA, US
Debbi C. – CA, US
Natalie D. – Ut, US
Judy D. – IL, US
Ryan F. – SC, US
Pete F. – MI, US
Morgan G. – MN, US
Randi G. – MD, US
Kimberley G. – AL, US
Megan K. – Ontario, Canada
Logan K. – Ca, US
Xavier K. – Montana, US
Landon L. – AR, US
Maura M. – NJ, US
Roland M. – Washington, US
Clare M. – GA, US
Timothy M. – , US
Adam M. – ma, US
Joshua M. – VA, US
Donna M. – New Jersey, US
Georg N. – New York, US
Sophia P. – WI, US
Kenneth R. – MS, US
Erik S. – Maine, US
Robert S. – Illinois , US
Elizabeth T. – Alabama, US
Miranda T. – British Columbia, Canada
Garret W. – GA, US
Sheri W. – Tn, US
Brett W. – Az, US
Jeffrey Y. – NY, US
Kay G. – Texas, US

Congrats to you all – you will be getting an email soon with confirmation of your prize. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Don’t forget to order your copy of  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Chronicles: Art & Design today! [Click here]