Last week TORn staffer greendragon spoke to Richard Armitage on The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies red carpet in London. After apologizing that he had not been able to join fans at TORn’s pub moot the night before, Armitage went on to say how he’d like to be at TORn’s The One Last Party in February. He has this message for fans considering buying tickets:

Tickets are available NOW from our Indiegogo campaign! This will be the only way to purchase tickets for this Party of Special Magnificence; Richard Armitage hopes we raise our goal so he can join us at the party! Will you be there? February 21st 2015 – full details here.

A reminder – none of the money raised will go into TORn’s pockets! IF we reach our goal, every penny we receive will be spent on throwing an extraordinary evening for fans and cast to celebrate together. If we don’t reach our goal, no-one will be charged – so there is no risk in buying your ticket now. Questions? Contact partyadmins@theonering.net

Purchase tickets or pledge to make the party happen here.

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WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND — TheOneRing.net visited the set for a brief time during the final segment of filming, nearly entirely focused on the third film, “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.” On the day of this interview Peter Jackson was putting his characters through a highly emotional scene toward the end of the film when one or more characters was in grave peril, perhaps the gravest of peril. In fact, the scene puts the grave in grave peril.

But the production wasn’t filming the action sequence. The camera was on the other half of the scene so instead the camera was focused on Martin Freeman playing Bilbo Baggins watching the grave peril unfold. Freeman’s face and voice spoke volumes about what Bilbo was experiencing. As of press time, I haven’t seen the film so perhaps those who have will know what we watched or perhaps it didn’t make the final cut. Either way, it was an acting lesson from a genuine professional.

The year previous I spent extensive time on set and for a myriad of reasons Freeman was the sole interview of the main cast that I failed to get so I was pleased to finally be able to sit down on set, in a tent on a sound stage and interview the guy who played the title character. There were perhaps five other reporters as well. If any of the following questions from the Q&A are bad, please blame them. A foot massage* for those who can spot the questions for TheOneRing.net (hint, it wasn’t the ones about the ring or feet.) A personal observation is that Freeman is often a thoughtful interview who doesn’t deliver canned answers but I find his words here to be particularly engaging. Sadly, the interview, while reasonable in length left us wishing for more. Continue reading “Martin Freeman talks ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ with TheOneRing.net”

Studio_20141207_154915Tonight in the heart of Wales a very special event happened that brought together the family scions of Tolkien while also raising money for ALS; which by way of the viral Ice Bucket Challenge became one of the notable internet phenomena of 2014.  Motor Neurone Disease touches closely on the family, as Royd Tolkien’s brother Mike struggles with its effects.  Continue reading “Royd Tolkien Holds ALS Fundraiser: Advance Screening of BOTFA Wows In Wales”

The winners of last month’s Hobbit Fan Contest that got to go to New Zealand and watch an in-progress cut of “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” and experience the beautiful scenes of the north and south islands and the hospitality of Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand, won their spots by producing short films.

As reports from the experience suggest, there was a great bonding of the 75 winners and their guests during the week-long tour of Middle-earth. These bonds are on display in a “thank you” video that the group organized to give to Peter Jackson and all the many folks who helped make the trip amazing. There is even a nod to TheOneRing.net which honestly touches us.

Turns out that crew can make a pretty great video with parts from all around the world. Their sincerity and appreciation really comes through and will make all fans proud. Enjoy! #HobbitFanContest

Wellington FerryOne of our spies deep inside the film gave us this, very non-secret heads up:

“In a partnership between two franchises with strong ties to Wellington, New Zealand, December 13 will see the Wellington Phoenix take the field in a special one-off jersey.

The jersey, specially designed with the Wellington Phoenix and the team behind The Hobbit Trilogy, commemorates the opening of The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies in cinemas December 11th. The custom, film-themed jersey will only be played in once to recognise the exclusive nature of the partnership.

You can read the rest of the article to find out about the game and jersey if you click right here!

Bilbo stingThe awards season is upon us with almost daily news about a critics group or association announcing nominations or awards. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have announced the 10 contenders that remain in the running for a Best Visual Effects nomination at the upcoming 87th Academy Awards. The contenders will present an effects reel to Academy branch members who are eligible to vote on January 10, 2015. The final Oscar nominations will be announced on January 15. This is now the 3rd time that “The Hobbit” has made the short list. It was previously nominated in 2012 and 2013 for “An Unexpected Journey” and “The Desolation of Smaug”. “The Lord of the Rings” took this Oscar home in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

“The Battle of the Five Armies” is up against stiff competition with the likes of “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and “Interstellar”. Here’s the list of the final 10 films:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Godzilla
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
Maleficent
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
Transformers: Age of Extinction
X-Men: Days of Future Past

Yesterday, the Grammy nominations were also announced. “The Desolation of Smaug” was recognized in the category Best Song Written for Visual Media for Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire”. Congratulations to Ed Sheeran for also being honored with Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album nominations for “X”.

Sources: Oscars.org, Radio.com


Join us in Los Angeles in February at The One Last Party

one last party logo We’re hosting a Party of Special Magnificence next February — a final toast to all SIX movies, both The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy.

We’re inviting you to join us and make it happen through our Indiegogo campaign — so we can all celebrate Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth movies together!

Visit our campaign page and find out how you can get involved!