NPR has something rather precious happening in Brooklyn next week. Ask Me Another, their energetic, borderline rambunctious quiz…
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NPR has something rather precious happening in Brooklyn next week.
Ask Me Another, their energetic, borderline rambunctious quiz show, is taking actor and director Andy Serkis from the big screen and putting him in the trivia hot seat at a live event on July 8 at The Bell House in Brooklyn. Continue reading “Andy Serkis to feature on NPR’s Ask Me Another”
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
FantasyCon is about to take over the airwaves here on TORn, but before it takes over completely, here is your friendly reminder about the Lake-town Luau taking place in San Diego during comic con. We are planning a number of fun and rather unique games for you all, giving everyone multiple chances to win prizes. So here are your 5 reasons to attend the Lake-town Luau.
1) Golfimbul – For the fans in LA who attend the Baggins’ Birthday Bash, you are all familiar with this game, and for those who aren’t local, you might recognize the name from the first chapter of The Hobbit. Anyhow, this game involves a baseball bat, a goblin head and some rabbits, and remember, there are NO SPECTATORS, ONLY PARTICIPANTS!!!
2) Pin the Black Arrow on the Dragon – This is a Middle-earth twist on an old game, come try your luck and see if you have what it takes to Be Like Bard.
3) Last Fan Standing – This is a trivia contest that creates pandemonium when played, especially when more than half the field is eliminated in the first question or two. Are you brave enough to try and be the Last Fan Standing?
4) Costume Contest – Speaks for itself, but you can enhance your chances for a prize if you can also quote a line or two of the character you are dressed as. This one is for the Hams out there.
5) Hobbit Hula Dancing – Well, we won’t turn down Dwarves, Elves or Orcs doing the Hula either. This event is pending until we find out if we can get an A/V system to play a little Hawaiian music.
So now that you know what is going on at the Lake-town Luau on Friday, July 25, get yourself your tickets, the prices go up after July 10. Lake-town Luau ticketing page
There is a lot of very important info. Please take note of the following:
-To join the TORn Cosplay group, simply email me at Garfeimao@TheOneRing.net to RSVP for everyone in your group, and then follow the below instructions on when and where to meet up. You can also stop by our booth #519/521 to sign up on Thursday.
-The parade is on July 4th at 8:30 am.
-Fantasycon goers get free parking at Gateway Center
– We will start staging at 7:30 am. Please arrive as close to 7:30 am as possible. I will be dressed as Bilbo after the spider fight (think cobwebs), so find me to check with me, and then I will check in for the whole group.
– If you are a walking group, you MUST be in the staging area by 8:10 am. *If you are not in the staging area by the allotted time, you will NOT be able to participate in the parade!
– You will only be allowed to drive up/down 50 North until 8:00 am.
– The staging will take place in the North-West corner of the parking lot on the corner of 50 North and 500 West.
– Every member who participates in the parade will be receiving one (1) free one-day pass for Friday, July 4th. You will receive them at the parade check-in.
**When marching, please keep 2 – 3 car lengths between your group and the group in front of you. Please also be aware that we have many varying groups that will be on roller blades, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, etc. that many need additional space to do tricks or performances.
Please see the FantasyCon parade webpage for a map of the location.
If you are confused, or need any help the day of the parade, find someone in a FantasyCon volunteer t-shirt. They will be more than happy to provide any needed assistance.
The parade line-up is as follows:
Police Car
Royd Tolkien
Bagpipes & Drummers
1 – Volunteers w/ Banner & Dragons
2 – FantasyCon Performers
3 – LARPERS
4 – Utah Film Commissioner
5 – Fear Factory
6 – Umbrella Corp.
7 – Mandalorians
8 – Jabba da Hutt
9 – Rouge Base Rebel Legion
10 – Ghostbuster
12 – Castle of Chaos
13 – Midvale Main Street Theatre
14 – NUAD
15 – VIP Limo & Voodoo Productions
16 – Fairy Cosplayers
17 – Loop & Hook
18 – Rose Court Guild
19 – Winter Faire
20 – Atomic Hype
21 – Rocky Mountain Muggles
22 – DrumBus
23 – MASK Costume
24 – Out of Shadows Theater Group & Salty Horror Film Fest/Convention/Productions
26 – Nihon Matsuri
27 – LOTR Cosplay Group
28 – Red Rockettes Roller Derby
29 – United Furry Fandom
30 – Steampunk Cosplay Group
31 – Nightmare on 13th
33 – ****Cosplay Chaos Group All solo cosplayers or small groups
****All solo or small group cosplayers, that are not listed above, will be in the “Cosplay Chaos Group”, which will be ending the parade.*** *
Collider recently spoke with Weta Digital senior visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri and visual effects supervisor Dan Lemmon about their work on The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
According to Letteri, their work is going great, and a lot of material has already been turned over to Jackson. Letteri also indicated that the group are trying to ensure titular battle has significant stakes for everyone, and builds a bridge to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Continue reading “Weta Digital’s Joe Letteri and Dan Lemmon talk The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”
Nori the Dwarf recently arrived to join our collections and brings us to nine of the thirteen Dwarves in Thorin’s Company.
The character design for Nori is one of the most unqiue that Peter Jackson went with when creating these characters for The Hobbit Trilogy. Our friends at Weta Workshop have done a fantastic job of taking that look and turning it into a great 1:6th scale representation of the character played by Jed Brophy. Nori is a limited edition piece with an edition size of just 1000 pieces world wide and can be purchased right now for $250.
Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Weta Workshop’s Nori the Dwarf Statue Review”
