Simone Boyce is an entertainment reporter and host in Los Angeles. In a sea of hollow Hollywood headlines, celebrity baby news and too much reality TV, Simone is proud to be distinguished as a bonafide geek. A completely obsessive fantasy and sci-fi fanatic, Simone delights in a first and second breakfast on Saturdays with a heavy helping of mead. She’s currently losing sleep over where to stamp a “Firefly” tattoo and is fascinated with sword fighting, knighthood and all things medieval.

But she’ll never forget her first love: Tolkien. As a child, “The Hobbit” was the only summer reading book she ever fell in love with. Since then, she’s been known to break into Gollum and/or Ringwraith impersonations on first dates. And Peter Jackson’s epic, cinematic depictions of “The Lord of the Rings” are Simone’s favorite movies of all time (‘Fellowship’ has a permanent home in her DVD player).

Her LOTR fetish extends into her music choices as Led Zeppelin is her favorite band. Having read The Lord of the Rings series in its entirety, Simone believes it to be the greatest story ever told for its heroes, their sacrifices and its overall message of redemption. Continue reading “‘Hobbit in 5’ Host Found! Everyone Meet Simone Boyce”

Jim Beverly and his wife Holly Holt give a quick interview for the live broadcast of TheOneRing.net's coverage of DragonCon. A veteran of Iraq, Beverly credits J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings for helping him recover after war injuries in 2003.

Enraged, his knee and hands wrecked by shrapnel from the grenade that infamously disintegrated the hand of a Time writer, the 19-year-old private Jim Beverly lay in his hospital bed.

“It was almost like it was a personal insult that a guy would throw that grenade,” Beverly said.

Teeth were missing, bandages covered wounds from minor to devastating. His Kevlar vest and helmet undoubtedly saved his life, absorbing most of the pieces of metal that would have pierced a lung and skull. He still seethed as a 2003 casualty of the war in Iraq, recovering in Kaiserslautern, Germany away from what was left of his unit being profiled as part of Time Magazine naming the American Soldier the person of the year in 2003.

Michael Weisskopf, an embedded writer, became part of the story and the editorial team that chronicled the December attack: Continue reading “How a soldier found Tolkien to help heal his war wounds”

Attention Tolkien fans in the New York City area! We are excited to announce that TheOneRing.net will be hosting an exclusive, private party in NYC on Friday October 14th, during the New York Comic-Con.  Tickets for the event will go on sale in a couple of weeks; meanwhile, save the date and we hope you can join us in New York! For more information about the New York Comic-Con (NYCC) check out their official website. [NYCC]

TheOneRing.net, with major sponsor The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, is returning the Road! While DragonCon may be coming to a end today, the journey continues for our fellowship of drivers as they take the long road back from Atlanta, GA to Los Angeles, CA. The road warriors will begin their trip at approximately Noon ET and will drive straight through over the next few days, stopping along the way to meet up with fans and see some famous places. So while we had occasional non-live elements to DragonCon, we will be back to our LIVE as much as humanly possible for the remainder of the trip. If you have not been following the news, we are on a multi-day road trip to (and from!) DragonCon and, for the first time ever, broadcasting the entire trip 24/7 LIVE via Stickam.com. You can interact with the travelers in our Barliman’s chat, as well through twitter and Facebook. And of course, you can email them atroadtrip@theonering.net. And even better, we’ve set up a special phone number so you can call and text our travelers: 970-210-6130. We have a special sub site set up to follow their progress – just follow the link. [LIVE] And don’t’ forget to support our sponsors: The Lord of the Rings: War in the NorthBadali Jewelry and Anglotopia!  [Roadtrip to DragonCon Sub Site] [Support the Trip – T-Shirts]

Since the last panel was packed and standing room only, DragonCon has added another segment of our Hobbit panel today at 5:30pm ET.  Like the one from Comic-Con, we will LIVE stream the entire panel, including any questions and audience participation. [TheOneRing.net LIVE] [DragonCon.org]

Join us tonight for DragonCon’s ‘Evening in Bree’ celebration, taking place right now (8:30pm ET). Watch the LIVE coverage in our TheOneRing.net Live section and join in the conversation and celebration via Barliman’s Chat or Twitter (#tornlive). Tonight’s emcee is none other than our own Quickbeam and the music will be provided by TheOneRing.net’s good friends Emerald Rose! [TheOneRing.net LIVE] [DragonCon.org] [Emerald Rose]