Sylvester McCoy, Middle-earth wizard Radagast The Brown, celebrated his birthday August 20, turning 70 years old. He was born in Dunoon, Scotland to an Irish mother and English father, killed in action in World War II a month before his son was born, in 1943. McCoy was on stage and in children’s television and then was, most famously, chosen as the seventh incarnation of the title character in the television series “Doctor Who.”
He is known for his comedy roles and most recently as the slightly wacky wizard — whom Gandalf considers a very great one in his own way — in Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” He is believed to play an important role in the next two films as well, helping Gandalf in the film trailer for the second flick, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.”
McCoy is scheduled to appear as part of the Tolkien Track at Dragon Con in Atlanta, Georgia, August 30 – September 2. He will appear twice as part of the Tolkien’s Middle-earth Track (click here for the full schedule) that includes Manu Bennett, William Kircher and Graham McTavish. TheOneRing.net will be on hand during all of Dragon Con along with a table to meet with fellow fans, sell t-shirts and deliver three panels about the films along with a good contingent of Tolkien fans. The programming features 28 Tolkien-themed panels, believed to be the largest in one place in North America in 2013.
Below is McCoy’s chat with Clifford Broadway, our own Quickbeam on TORn Tuesday. TheOneRing also hopes to publish an interview with McCoy from our embed on the set of The Hobbit in the near future.
Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the week ending August 18, 2013. If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch up on the highlights. Or if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the link 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 the fun!
And here’s new poster art for Desolation of Smaug, too! 
It feels like forever since we’ve seen new artwork for the Desolation of Smaug. Now, we have some — from the Barrels out of Bond scene with the company sweeping downriver towards away from Thranduil’s underground stronghold toward Esgaroth.