KiranHe’s a little guy with a HUGE resume: actor and stunt double Kiran Shah has starred in every one of the biggest fantasy / science-fiction films you can remember for the past 30 years! Ringer fans know him as the scale double for all 5 Hobbits (Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Bilbo) in the LOTR Trilogy, and he currently appears in THE HOBBIT: AUJ as scale double for Bilbo and also the memorable Goblin Scribe in the basket, capping off a terrific career working with Peter Jackson in Middle-earth. Kiran joins host Clifford “Quickbeam” Broadway for an exclusive live chat on our innovative weekly webcast TORn  TUESDAY! We talk with Kiran about his stunning list of film credits and the biggest names in Cinema Fantastique that he has worked with — James Cameron (ALIENS), Ridley Scott (LEGEND), Jim Henson (THE DARK CRYSTAL), Steven Spielberg & George Lucas (RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and STAR WARS), and he shares wonderful memories of working on the NARNIA and LOTR films in New Zealand with Richard Taylor, P.J., et al. Come join the chat on our Live Event Page here at 5:00pm today Pacific Time! You can join the Barliman’s chat room and enjoy a unique show experience with your fellow fans! Follow Kiran Shah on Twitter @LittleKiranShah and your host Clifford @Quickbeam2000. See you on today’s show!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey DVD The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Blu-Ray Combo PackBurbank, CA, February 5, 2013 – From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), arriving on Digital Download on March 12th  and on Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack and 2-Disc DVD Special Edition on March 19th  from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. All disc versions feature UltraVioletÔ and over 130 minutes of bonus content.The first of a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” which is nominated for three Academy Awards*, is an epic adventure that immerses audiences once again in the fantastical world of Middle-earth. The March 19th home entertainment release will be followed by an Extended Edition in time for the holidays.
In addition, Peter Jackson will host a live first look at “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” the second film in The Hobbit Trilogy, on Sunday, March 24th at 3:00PM Eastern/Noon Pacific. Content will be streamed live and an edited version will be archived on the Trilogy’s official website. Access to the live event will be limited to holders of an UltraViolet code available by purchasing “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack or 2-Disc Special Edition DVD. Select digital retailers will issue access codes upon purchase of the film.  Visit www.thehobbit.com/sneak for more information.
  Continue reading “Own The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on Blu-ray Combo Pack 3/19. Available for early download in HD 3/12!”

http://www.theonering.net/party/We are only 20 days away from ‘The One Expected Party‘ and we are very excited to share with you the preliminary list of auction and raffle items coming to the party. By far the highlight of the event will be a 2002 Sideshow/Weta Collectibles Balrog Statue – Artist Proof. Yes, THAT Balrog statue – the one that has sold on eBay for a small fortune. We’ve also got a Gollum statue from Weta Collectibles signed by Andy Serkis himself! And if you are looking for even more collectibles from the early 2000s…how about the Houghton Mifflin ‘No Admittance Except on Party Business’ – Bookends? Check out the Raffles/Auctions page for more items, but I’m sure we’ll have more to share as we get closer to the event. Remember, tickets are still available for both the party and ‘The Unexpected Art Show‘ – so snag your tickets today! [Auction/Raffle Listing] [Party Tickets] [Art Show Tickets]

Moonrise over Mt Victoria Wellington NZ

Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past week. If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights. Or if you’re new to TORN and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions. Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join in the fun!
Continue reading “TORN Message Boards Weekly Roundup – February 3, 2013”

minas_4110037Our sister site tolkienbrasil.com has posted and sent word of some very interesting verification that there is at least a possibility of a J.R.R. Tolkien inspired Middle-earth theme park. In records obtained by the website from the U.S. Patent office, the Saul Zaents Company, has registered in a goods and services document, several uses for Middle-earth properties that includes theme parks. When rumors of this first surfaced there was no credible source, or even really any source, that this was being explored. It didn’t even rise to the level of a rumor but now, those floating ideas are officially documented.

The Zaents Company owns Middle-earth Enterprises and that company gives Warner Bros. and other studios the right to produce Hobbit films and all that springs from them. The author, Tolkien sold his movie rights before his death to pay for medical expenses.

The found document is below, click it for a larger version:

Middle-earth

The document, dated January 22, 2013, could be the company simply protecting its rights to develop a theme park in response to the message board rumors late last year or it could be actively considering such a development as a real possibility. It isn’t clear if this park would be in New Zealand or in one of the established theme-park regions of the U.S., such as Flordia or California, or perhaps both. Warners recently had a successful port of its Harry Potter movie franchise to a well-received theme park experience. The possibilities of what to do with such a park, is a nearly limitless source of message board content.

Thanks again to Tolkienbrasil.com for the heads up. You can read the story right here or below is a rough translation:

FROM TOLKIENBRASIL.COM:

Warner Bross and Univeral are already thinking of a theme park ride on Middle Earth and it looks like the rumors are true.

The first news about occurred in early January in a post on micro site Micechat.com. In saying only: “Great news in the world of theme parks. Universal is negotiating the possibility of bringing the sights and scenery of The Lord of the Rings at a theme park near you. Heated with the success of the magical world of Harry Potter, Universal is unwilling to let Disney take the reins of the market with parks Avatar or Star Wars. We will have an exciting time for fans of theme parks. ”

Many took no credibility with the post, why not present any kind of source on this information. And there is no announcement from Universal about. Thus, the information was taken as mere rumor.

Given the recent process of merchandising products on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Tolkien Estate promoted by the companies face in administering the films (Warner Bros, New Line and Saulz Company), started to think that a theme park would still be far from becoming reality.

However, recently the site parkrumors.com presented what appears to be a piece of a document relating to the transaction that is like a theme park. This is the trademark registration of the name “Middle Earth”, which is the company Saulz Company. But that was extended with the possibility of doing a theme park.

The document presented by Parkrumors site is authentic?

Well, the document that the site has not parkrumors has its source, ie, we do not know its origin, since it is not told what department this document originou.O that could still form the opinion that it is only a rumor from fact.

Lawyer Site Tolkien Brazil came into contact with the industry patent records from the U.S. government on this information and the veracity of the document. And it was confirmed as true in an email received this morning. In that email it was confirmed that no such document exists and can be found on-site records of U.S. patents (see HERE).
parquetemáricodoc

Click on image to enlarge

In this document we see that is dated on January 22, 2013, with the word mark “Middle Earth”. Taking as the record owner of the company The Saul Zaentz COMPANY (which is the company that holds the rights to produce adaptations of the hobbit, lord of the rings and that makes the licenses of any products derived from these stories). Below is the translation of the terms of the document:

IC 028. U.S. 022023038050. G & S: Amusement

IC 035. U.S. 100101102. G & S: Management facilities for camping; Providing consumer information services and making referrals in the field of entertainment services for products, services, events, activities, facilities and locations

IC 039. U.S. 100 105. G & S: Organization of excursions; Organization of sightseeing trips, providing information, news and commentary in the field of travel, providing links to websites of other guidebooks, transportation of passengers and / or goods by car, boat and rail, transportation services, namely, providing transport services by bus services travel information

IC 041. U.S. 100101107. G & S: Salas games, entertainment centers for children, interactive play areas; entertainment as amusement, entertainment services in the form of an amusement park to show, entertainment services, namely, arranging and conducting special events at an amusement park, entertainment services, namely, arranging for ticket reservations amusement park attractions; Organizing and organizing exhibitions for entertainment purposes; Providing amusement parks; Provide recreation facilities; Provision of park thematic

IC 043. U.S. 100 101. G & S: Reservation of accommodation for camping, camping facilities provide services Resort Hotel

The document is official. And we see clearly that this is a trademark registration document for the purpose of producing a theme park. It remains now await negotiations to be made quickly and it becomes reality theme park on the middle ground.

A pity that the park “Middle Earth” will have no character of Silmarillon stories …

Official?A fan’s version of The Hobbit’s Blu-ray cover.[/caption]A fan’s version of The Hobbit’s Blu-ray cover.[/caption]With Blu-ray / DVD box art floating around the internets of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” we suggested it would be fun if fans (and there are a lot of artistic and talented ones out there) made their own covers. A few souls responded immediately with some fun art and we thought a fun contest was in order. The best of the bunch will win a TheOneRing.net t-shirt with winners will be chosen by TheOneRing.net staff. More than the contest though, we just thought it would be great to make the imaginary marketing by fans, for fans. Still no word on the released art being official but no denials either. So, for the next few days, show us your best box art! Feel free to draw or sketch or photoshop or think outside the box and send your entries to SpyMaster@TheOneRing.net with subject BLU-RAY ENTRY. Click on any of the thumbnails below for a full box version and again for an even larger version. Have fun!