From The Star:

Just back from a ‘top secret’ assignment with Wellington Weta Workshops, Fiona Thomson is happy to be back behind her work bench in her Glenview shop.

The In Hide Leatherworks owner is still excited at being part of the production of The Hobbit movie but everything she knows about the film and its wardrobe must be a secret till the official release in December.

All she will say about her four months stint in Wellywood is that she was involved in creating clothing and armour.

More after the break…

Continue reading “Leather worker finishes creating clothing and armour for The Hobbit.”

Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past week.Aragorn at Weathertop 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 – March 25, 2012”

With just one day left in the second round of our Middle-earth March Madness, it is time to summarize the competition and do a little cheerleading for the characters.

The first match up in the Rankin/Bass division is between Gandalf (1) and Feanor (4) and is running extremely close. You best get your votes in, this one could go either way. The second match up in the Rankin/Bass division is Galadriel (2) versus Smaug (6). Again, this one is extremely close, will it be the Lady of the Golden Wood, or Smaug the Golden, their fate is in your hands, so vote now.

In the Ralph Bakshi division, the first match up is between Bilbo (1) and Gollum (4). Bilbo has a little lead, but it is not to say Gollum couldn’t sneak up and take this contest, so get your votes out. The second match up in this division has Thorin (3) up against Aragorn (2) and it appears at the moment the current lead hero is besting the previous lead hero, so pick your favorite hero and vote, vote, vote.

Checking in on the Tolkien Family Division, Legolas (1) is taking on Pippin (4) and as you might expect, the Elf Prince has a comfortable lead. Pippin fans, where are you? The other contest in this division pits Faramir (3) against Frodo (2). Currently, the Gondorian heir to the Stewardship who could not be swayed by the ring is beating the Ringbearer, please vote for your favorite in this contest.

And finally, in the Peter Jackson division, Glorfindel (1) is up against Merry (5) and the Elf lord is handily beating out the Esquire of Rohan. Make sure this one ends the way you want it, so vote now to ensure your favorite wins. And the last contest is between Samwise (2) and Boromir (3) with Samwise beating out everyone’s favorite Son of Gondor. How will it all end, only you can determine that by voting.

Middle-earth March Madness second round voting

The folks over at nerve.com have posted this great article, where Academy Award winning song writer and Middle-earth actor Bret McKenzie picks his favourite songs-to-seduce-by.  If you ever wondered what an elf would choose for romantic music, now’s your chance to find out.  (Thanks to our friend Ethan Gilsdorf for bringing this to our attention!)

Our friends at herr-der-ringe-film.de have exclusive new images posted on their site!  An anonymous source sent them photos which supposedly show the set for Dale.  The pictures show tall structures and elaborate stonework; you can check out the images here.  A translation of the page follows after the break – read no further if you want to stay spoiler free!

Continue reading “First images of the DALE film set?”

The North Island of New Zealand has been experiencing some wild weather this week, with heavy rainfall, high winds and even some flooding affecting areas such as Northland, Taupo and Taranaki; and some folks have been wondering if The Shire has been affected.  Fear not for Middle-earth – TORn’s good friend Ian Brodie (author of The Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook), tells us, ‘Hobbiton had a windy night last night – but we are all fine. The wild weather has struck north of Auckland for the worst and has caused some flooding. Today The Shire even has sun!!!!’  So all is well in Matamata – and the latest weather updates show that the storms have passed over New Zealand, leaving just showers behind.

Of course the main location shooting has been completed for The Hobbit movies, so unless some really drastic weather hits the Wellington area, the shoot should continue unaffected.  (Remember the close escape at the end of location shooting, about which PJ told us in The Hobbit Production Video #6??)  We hope everyone on the North Island who was affected by these recent storms is safe and dry!