In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ed Sheeran talks about his experience down in New Zealand working with Peter Jackson on “I See Fire” for the end credits of The Desolation of Smaug.
“He [Peter Jackson] was fantastic. At every point where I’d be adding something, I’d play him the song afterwards. I was there for three days, and at the end of every day he would come and listen to the song and give me notes.
He knows what he wants, but he doesn’t pretend to be musical in any way. He let me go on with it, but he also knows his movie, so he would tell me something needs to be less energetic, or more relaxed, or whatever. He knows the colors and templates of what the song should be rather than how the melody should go.”
Read the entire interview over at EW.com.
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We’ve started to see more and more products announced and launched tying into The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. One of the companies turning out some pretty cool stuff for film two is our friends at The Bridge Direct. The collectible we’re covering today is Radagast the Brown, from their 6” line of figures. After seeing this piece at San Diego Comic-Con this past summer, I was quite excited to get this; and I have to say this figure lived up to my expectations.
PACKAGING
The layout for the box design for Radagast is exactly the same as we saw with wave one of the figures, for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The new figures differ in the graphics, as well as the coloring of the box. The images show the company climbing what I would assume is the Lonely Mountain, with another view of that same Mountain in the background. You also have a blue tone to the coloring, which suggests the darker turn the movie will take, compared to how wave one and movie one matched up.
On the bottom of the box you have a cardboard slip with the character’s name and a picture of the character all rendered in the same coloring. The back of the box has a great little breakdown of the second movie. They not only do this in English but also in French, which I have to say I really got a kick out of. You also get a look at the three 6” figures in wave two: Radagast, Legolas, and Azog.
Accessories/Articulation
Radagast is simple when it comes to the number of items you get with him; he comes with his hat and his staff. However, this matches exactly what we see him with during the movie, so you get to create the exact look of what we saw.
The articulation on this figure as a whole is really good. You have great movement in the hands, elbows, shoulders, and ankles. The only area which I found had any kind of limited movement is the head, but that is due to his beard. Overall, you can have some real fun with this figure, creating some of the craziness we could imagine Radagast getting into.
SCULPTING
I love the sculpting job on Radagast. I really think the likeness on this figure is pretty darn close to a dead ringer for what we saw on screen. Within the facial likeness, the little bird’s nest is also there and can be shown or not depending on if you have him wear his hat. The detailing doesn’t stop there, as his outfit has some amazing fine points in it, even with little things I didn’t notice in the movie when I’ve seen it several times. Radagast comes with a couple of extras, which are the hat I just mentioned, and his trusty staff with the blue crystal that he uses to save Sebastian the hedgehog.
PAINT
As I’ve said before in other reviews, the paint can make or break the sculpting work. I really think The Bridge Direct nailed the paintwork on Radagast, giving the character the proper ‘on screen’ look. The skin tone looks like his movie counter part and has a nice natural, alive tone to it. His hair has the proper brown and grey mix as we saw on screen. That’s not my favorite part, though, of what was done to his hair. One of the things I don’t care for with Radagast is the bird poop in his hair – it’s just something I really wish they had left out. Luckily, the way it’s painted on the figure it just looks like a large area of grey hair, and I love it. Much better than what we actually got! His outfit is also painted very nicely, allowing for all the sculpted details to come screaming through.
Overall
Radagast is a fantastic figure. You get a great sized figure and tons of detail. You can get Radagast exclusively at Toys R’ Us for $14.99, along with Azog, Legolas, and the Mirkwood 5-Pack. We want to thank The Bridge Direct for this chance to give our readers a look at this pretty cool figure.
SPECIFICATIONS
Radagast costs $14.99.
PHOTOS
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Peter Jackson has written a lengthy post on his Facebook concerning Ed Sheeran’s end credits song for The Desolation Of Smaug, “I See Fire”, and the music video for it. A few excerpts follow:
“We have a tradition in our Tolkien films of having a song over the closing credits. It’s very important that the song feels right for the world of the movie – and also carries the emotional resonance of the end of that particular film. The Desolation of Smaug is no different. The ending of this film requires a voice and sensibility that will allow an viewer to process what they have just experienced.
Ed watched the movie at Park Road Post, immediately went into a room, and started writing and singing. Much of what you will hear on this song was recorded that same day, with a few overdubs and tweaks the following day. It was a great experience, and what you will see in this video are moments captured by our behind the scenes team during the creation of the song.
But the images are only supporting Ed’s wonderful song. This is his direct emotional response to seeing The Desolation of Smaug, written and performed on the same day he saw the movie.”
You can read PJ’s entire post and watch the video over at his Facebook. Or you can catch just the video on good ol’ YouTube.
The song features on the OST for The Desolation of Smaug, to be released on December 10, and is available for purchase on iTunes as of today.
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Look3D, the company who last year brought you the ‘dwarven’ styled special 3D glasses for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, have just announced their new design for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug; and they’ve allowed TheOneRing.net exclusively to reveal this fabulous item! Along with Warner Bros. and RealD, Look3D have created ‘Thorin Oakenshield’ inspired 3D Glasses, specifically for the new film. The beautiful design features a Dwarven sword in gold and silver along the arm of the glasses, with the movie logo embossed on it. They are packed in a cloth bag which also features the movie logo.
The glasses will be available in selected cinemas worldwide and also on Look3d.com. They will also be available in retail through Best Buy in the US; and possibly in some giveaways from your friends here at TORn! Get ready to watch The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in style!
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Middle-earth’s Diner is back! Denny’s new Hobbit menu is available in their restaurants from today. Judging by all the preparation and hard work Denny’s have been putting in over the past months, and to which we at TheOneRing.net have been privy, this should be a fun and tempting menu! In their official press release, Denny’s say:
“The quest for Middle-earth inspired adventure begins today at Denny’s, as America’s Diner celebrates the long-awaited release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM). A bold new menu features seven authentic dishes inspired by The Hobbit films, and a bounty of exclusive movie content available only in-restaurant …
“We’re thrilled to bring the taste of Middle-earth back to America’s Diner,” said John Dillon, vice president of marketing for Denny’s. “Last year’s menu attracted both Denny’s guests and fans alike with a combination of movie-inspired elements and traditional holiday flavors. This year we’re elevating the experience with the introduction of adventurous new flavors, exciting exclusive content and once-in-a-lifetime prizes, taking our guests on a truly authentic dining journey.”
Continue reading “Denny’s new Hobbit menu available from today!”
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In case the new one-sheet posters, new trailer, live fan event, streaming fan event, interviews, magazine covers and actors around the globe wasn’t enough, Peter Jackson has posted Production Diary #12. You can see it right here. It looks to have some up-front action and then focuses on post-production. The behind-the-scenes team, as always has produced an excellent look behind the curtain, this one checking in at eight minutes long. All the usual subjects are there, like Andy Serkis, Lee Pace, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Jed Brophy and on and on. Enjoy!
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