I haven’t yet seen The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, but what I’ve seen and read of the White Council sequence has intrigued me. Continue reading “Galadriel, political animal of Middle-earth”

If you have a Tolkien/Middle-earth inspired poem you’d like to share, then send it to poetry@theonering.net. One poem per person may be submitted each month. Please make sure to proofread your work before sending it in. TheOneRing.net is not responsible for poems posting with spelling or grammatical errors.

It is widely known that the novel called The Hobbit is supposed to be the journal, or autobiography of Bilbo Baggins, and his recollections of his adventures with Gandalf and the Company of Dwarves. In the beginning of both The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo is seen writing his story. That book is then passed along to Frodo to include his grand adventure, The Lord of the Rings, and then finally given to Sam to finish. But where does this love of storytelling come from?

Again, in the FOTR in the chapter called “Concerning Hobbits” not only does Bilbo describe every little detail of just what is a Hobbit, but he mentions their love of genealogy, biographies, nature studies and maps. And while it is made clear Hobbits do not like going on Adventures, they are not opposed to listening to stories of adventure. Later on in FOTR, in Rivendell, there is a Hall of Fire, where songs are sung and stories told and thus, it becomes clear that Elves love storytelling as well. And finally, in The Hobbit during the Unexpected Party, the Dwarves sing their own songs tell some tales of their own history. It is clear that while Professor Tolkien is telling us a tale, to make each culture richer and seem more real, he is giving them individualized stories of their own within his greater story.

Continue reading “Telling Tall Tales in the Hobbit: Just how was Golf invented anyhow?”

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]

Hobbit fans from across the US and around the World are now happily planning for a weekend of fun in Hollywood in late February. So here is your helpful guide to what is going on and how to best take advantage of the activities. On Friday, February 22 TheOnering.net will be hosting An Unexpected Art Show, featuring artwork inspired by Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and other realms created by J.R.R. Tolkien to take place in Downtown Los Angeles. On Sunday, February 24 TheOneRing.net will be hosting The One Expected Party in Hollywood. Please see their respective web pages for details.

Before you ask about Saturday, we’ve decided to leave that to the Fans to determine for themselves. Suggestions would be a Studio tour, a visit to the Griffith Observatory with it’s commanding views of Hollywood and Downtown LA, or a trip to the Getty Center in the Santa Monica hills, both a wonderful museum and one of the best views of the Pacific Coastline. And if you are from a cold clime, you might consider a visit to the Santa Monica pier and then a stop at one of a dozen Pubs in the area. But if you prefer to keep the weekend focused on movies and the Academy Awards, you might consider one of the many symposiums that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosts on the Saturday before the Oscars. Please check their website in early February, but typically they host the Foreign Language nominations at the Beverly Hills home for Oscar, while the American Cinematheque hosts two symposiums, usually either Editors or Cinematographers and then Art Directors. These symposiums are always free and very educational, offering you a view into movie making you just can’t get anywhere else. No matter what you decide to do on Saturday, there should be no shortage of other Tolkien fans willing to ‘Moot’ with you.

Here is a little checklist to help you plan your weekend:

1) Buy your tickets for The One Expected Party now. You could wait until the nominations are announced on January 10, but you risk tickets selling out. The party is scheduled to go on as planned, with or without nominations, this is a celebration of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” regardless of Hollywood’s attention.

2) Buy your tickets to An Unexpected Art Show now. For those traveling from afar, this is a great way to extend your vacation a little and see more of your Ringer friends. And for those not attending the Party on Sunday, this is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the joy of artists expressing the creativity inspired by Tolkien, and to hang with your Ringer friends from far and wide.

3) Make your travel arrangements, be it ‘trains, planes or automobiles’, figure out your travel dates and get yourself to Hollywood in time to celebrate with everyone. This includes making sure you have your hotel settled now, because they will sell out. Oscar time in Hollywood is very popular with foreign tourists, every hotel expects to be sold out. So check our Hotel and Lodging page on the hotels we’ve set up blocks with. Some have links to make booking super easy and instantaneous while others require you to call in, just make sure to use the Hobbit Oscar Party name for the group and you should be fine. If there are problems with booking into the group, contact us and we’ll get you sorted. Some of these rates are phenomenal for that time of year, and are selling quickly, so don’t delay. We do have to return unsold space in just a few weeks time.

4) Plan your attire. Most of you will find your own dresses, tuxedos or costumes, but if you find you need a little assistance, visit our Costumes and Attire page for assistance.

5) If you are coming on your own, or have never been to a TORn sponsored event or convention and don’t know many fans, fear not. You can find fans on our TORn Facebook page and here in our message boards. Those attending the Art Show and Oscar party should be able to find threads on the TORn Moots and other events, just look for the appropriate threads for each event. This will help you figure out how to fill up your Saturday and make sure you have the best possible Hobbity Weekend you could imagine.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Poster
In Theaters December 14th 2012!

As an early pressent, we are extending our giveaway for another few days! Get your entry in by Thursday, Dec 20th Midnight PT. Details below!

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Just when you thought the excitement level for all things Hobbity has reached a peak, we at TheOneRing.net are privileged to announced an giveaway to celebrate the release of ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey!’ Two lucky Ringers will walk away with a Troll’s horde of treasure from the film, ranging from a Fur Hat to a comfy travel throw! The prize list, like Bilbo’s contract with Thorin and Co., is long and diverse – check it out below. While the list of prizes is extensive, we’ve made it super easy to enter. Just fill out the form below and you are automatically entered for a chance to win. Winners are announced December 20th 2012 right here on TheOneRing.net. Good luck!

And of course, don’t forget to visit the official website, The Hobbit facebook page, and Twitter: follow @wbpictures!

Continue reading “We’re Extending our ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ Giveaway!”

Forbes.com: My wife and I took most of our kids to the first showing of The Hobbit at our local theater Friday morning. All but one of us was already a fanatically patriotic citizen of the Shire long before this movie, and all of us enjoyed the film quite a bit. This will not be the case for every Tolkien fan: I suspect the purists will be upset by the ways in which the films deviate from the book.

I, however, am not a purist. The Hobbit is a nearly perfect book from a literary point of view. That is no surprise, given the fact that it comes from one of the greatest literary minds of the 20th Century. But, books and films are different types of story-telling vessels and Peter Jackson was right in adapting the story to the newer medium. And he did so as someone who truly loved the original, who respected his source material, and who as a general rule carved it with the grain and not against it in his attempt to shape it into the needs of a big budget film trilogy.

[Read More]