Last night was indeed a night of special magnificence here in Calgary! Calgary EXPO threw the event ‘Middle-earth EXPOsed’ – and what an extraordinary event it was. Sir Richard Taylor turned one lucky fan into an orc, applying his make-up on stage whilst the rest of the event took place. Host Mark Ferguson (Gil-galad) led conversations with actors Billy Boyd, Sean Astin, Craig Parker, Jed Brophy, Sadwyn Brophy (Eldarion), Dean O’Gorman, Mark Hadlow and Manu Bennett; special video messages came from Sir Peter Jackson and Richard Armitage; swordmaster Steven McMichael appeared on stage to fight with the gathered cast; songs were sung, hilarious improv acted out, and the audience were treated to two and a half hours of entertainment and laughter.
The fun continues in Calgary today and tomorrow! Don’t forget to stop by booth 2007 to say hi to the folks from TheOneRing.net, or to buy one of our con exclusive shirts. Staffer deej hosts a panel today in the Boyce Theatre, at 11.45, with Billy Boyd and Sean Astin; greendragon hosts panels on Sunday at 12noon and 2pm, with Sean Astin and later with the Hobbit cast members. Hope to see you there!
Even following our spy report last week that Warner Bros. (via New Line) had registered a new title for its trilogy of Hobbit films, I thought it unlikely they actually would follow through and make a change.
Mostly because There And Back Again seemed too established as a name and it seemed a bit irrational to toss away all that brand recognition.
On the other hand, it’s almost inarguable those two words The Hobbit are the true key that deliver all that goodwill (in an accounting sense) toward the films. And Warner Bros, with nothing more than the announcement of a mid-stream title change, have just scored the film millions of dollars worth of free editorial. That’s gold for any marketer.
Recovered from HobbitCon and/or WonderCon yet? Ready to do it all again? We’re about to get the party started here in Calgary, where the Calgary EXPO takes place this weekend!
The exhibition floor is open Thursday 4-8pm, Friday 12noon-8pm, Saturday 10am-7pm, and Sunday 10am-5pm. TheOneRing.net will be at Booth 2007 (which is in Halls DE); we’re just a few booths down from our good friends at WETA, who will be at Booth 2000. Come by and play trivia, meet some TORn staff, buy a tshirt or a button, and support the website! Our EXCLUSIVE shirt for this convention is ‘Keep Calm and Read Tolkien’. Movie titles may be changing all around us, but Tolkien remains constant, and a refuge from the storm of Real Life!
Our friends over at Cinefex recently posted a blog: ‘Dragon Smackdown! Game of Thrones vs The Hobbit’. Inquiring minds want to know – just who would win in a battle between Smaug and Daenerys’ trio? Cinefex asked TORn what we think, so staffer greendragon sent along a few thoughts, to go with ideas from other ‘experts’ on the subject, such as Joe Bauer, Visual Effects Supervisor on HBO’s Game of Thrones.
Read the blog post here, to see what the conclusion was. Would Smaug’s cunning be decisive, or would the brute force of Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion wear him down? Let us know what you think, in the comments below!
Well, well, well. Last week we exclusively broke the news that it seemed like there might be a change in the title of the third film in the Hobbit trilogy, previously referred to as There and Back Again. New Line had just registered The Hobbit: Into the Fire. Today, on his Facebook page, Peter Jackson revealed that the title has been changed – but not to Into the Fire. They’ve gone back to the title originally registered back in 2012: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
Jackson also shares some exciting information about The Desolation of SmaugExtended Edition, telling us that we can look forward to more than 25 minutes of new material when we get to see that cut, later this year. Let the speculation on what that might be begin!
Read what PJ had to say here. Personally, I’m disappointed that they didn’t go for The Beorn Ultimatum or Exit the Dragon… Let us know what you think of this new title, and what you hope to see in the Extended Edition of the second movie, in the comments below.
A little bird from Warner Bros. whispered some very exciting news to us that could benefit a lot of people, including a few Hobbit fans. On Thursday, April 24 in West Hollywood, there will be a charity fundraising event with a very cool live and silent auction, including vacation packages to places like Hawaii and New Zealand. Running parallel to the live auction is an online auction that includes 2 VIP tickets to “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” premiere in New York, currently scheduled for December 8. This is not a full travel package, just the actual passes to see the film and attend the after party. The charity is called ‘L.A. Family Housing’ and aims to assist families out of homelessness and poverty and on the road recovery. You can read more about them below:
The mission of L.A. Family Housing (LAFH) is to help families transition out of homelessness and poverty through a continuum of housing enriched with supportive services. LAFH provides housing and social services to 3,500 children and adults each year. Learn More at: http://www.lafh.org
LAFH is gearing up for another great event – their annual fundraiser – on April 24, 2014, and will honor Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky as well as the individuals and corporations who have contributed to eradicating homelessness and poverty in Los Angeles. More than 500 prominent community, business and entertainment industry leaders are in attendance; the event sells to capacity each year and features a signature cocktail reception with hors d’oeuvres and food stations hosted by renowned chefs, a celebrity red carpet, entertainment and auction. Funds raised help us make a difference in the lives of our community’s most vulnerable families and children.
Charitybuzz is proud to host an exclusive number of auction items as an extension of the live and silent auctions conducted at the event to help raise much needed funds for this amazing cause. Buy tickets and learn more about the event below. The Hobbit premiere ticket auction can be found here: http://www.charitybuzz.com/support/lafh
So whether you are a local in LA and able to attend this big ticket charity shindig, or in some far flung area and only able to participate in the online auction, know that it goes to a deserving charity.
greendragon notes: Looking at the date for this premiere in NYC, it seems unlikely to be the World Premiere, which will probably be a little earlier. Best guess is that this will be the American premiere; no word yet as to where the actual World Premiere of The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies will be. My money’s on London…
Last night was indeed a night of special magnificence here in Calgary! Calgary EXPO threw the event ‘Middle-earth EXPOsed’ – and what an extraordinary event it was. Sir Richard Taylor turned one lucky fan into an orc, applying his make-up on stage whilst the rest of the event took place. Host Mark Ferguson (Gil-galad) led conversations with actors Billy Boyd, Sean Astin, Craig Parker, Jed Brophy, Sadwyn Brophy (Eldarion), Dean O’Gorman, Mark Hadlow and Manu Bennett; special video messages came from Sir Peter Jackson and Richard Armitage; swordmaster Steven McMichael appeared on stage to fight with the gathered cast; songs were sung, hilarious improv acted out, and the audience were treated to two and a half hours of entertainment and laughter.
Well, that was a surprise.
