Leicester Mercury from thisisleicestershire.co.uk: the Tolkien Society is currently holding festivities at Loughborough University to celebrate the 75th…
Leicester Mercury from thisisleicestershire.co.uk: the Tolkien Society is currently holding festivities at Loughborough University to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first publishing of The Hobbit . The one-off, five-day event — The Return of the Ring — features talks, story-telling sessions, and for a massive exhibition of art inspired by JRR Tolkien‘s works.
There will also be a Hobbit-style banquet, a metre-wide sponge cake in the shape of a dragon, lessons in writing names in Elvish, costumed masquerades and recreations of classic Tolkien scenes. “We want people who like the books to come and have a bit of fun,” said Shaun Gunner, trustee of the Tolkien Society and deputy chairman of the event.
Tolkien’s grandson, Michael, will also make a rare appearance. He will read out some stories of his own and take questions from the audience.
Malaprop’s Bookstore and cafe in North Carolina will be a hosting a party of special magnificence on Hobbit Day, September 22nd at 3pm it also happens to be a 75th Anniversary celebration since the publication of The Hobbit, they’ll have prizes and are holding a costume contest.
Hobbit Day was first proclaimed by The American Tolkien Society in 1978 to be on the 22nd September to celebrate both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins birthdays, it also falls on Tolkien Week which is in the same calendar week in September. There is some debate however on the actual date to celebrate Hobbit Day due to discrepancies between the Shire Calendar and the Gregorian Calendar with some celebrating it on September 14.
At the end of the second week in September a cart came in through Bywater from the direction of Brandywine Bridge in broad daylight. An old man was driving it all alone. He wore a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, and a silver scarf. He had a long white beard and bushy eyebrows that stuck out beyond the brim of his hat. Small hobbit-children ran after the cart all through Hobbiton and right up the hill. It had a cargo of fireworks, as they rightly guessed. — From A Long-Expected Party, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
In Peter Jackson’s LOTR film, the first moment of Gandalf arriving in Hobbiton and finding Frodo waiting on the trail were critical because it established two essential characters and the setting of Hobbiton. It also introduced audiences to the scale of Hobbits with human-sized characters including forced perspective of Frodo riding in Gandalf’s cart.
The meeting serves as the entry point for Lord of the Rings LEGO as well with set 9469 introducing important characters in an easy-to-build kit that is also easy to afford at $12.99 retail in the U.S. It will likely find itself as birthday present to and from friends many times over. Because it is recommended for ages eight to 14, I enlisted Logan (8) and Dresden (10), to assist with the build of the kit. Continue reading “Product review: LOTR LEGO ‘Gandalf Arrives’ set”
Author Elizabeth M Stephen‘s new book focuses on Aragorn the hero-king of The Lord of the Rings, although he is one of the pivotal figures of Tolkien’s mythology, a detailed examination of this popular character has been a notable omission from the spectrum of existing study. The book is published by ADC books.
Hobbit to Hero: The Making of Tolkien’s King, is a uniquely detailed study of the character “Aragorn” unraveling his evolution from hobbit ranger to Numenorean King and exploring how this unexpected transformation enabled Tolkien to fulfill some of the profound functions of his wider mythology.
Thanks to ringerspy Liz for the heads up. For details on the official book launch and for pre-ordering read more here.
Part 2 (see Part 1) of our Weta Workshop Comic-Con 2012 coverage is an comprehensive video of their booth. This is an official booth tour given by Tim Launder, Business Manager of Weta Workshop. In the video below, you get a great explanation of the entire booth layout and the products that Weta featured, including items from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films. Thanks to WETA for providing this unique opportunity! [Weta Workshop]
For those attending viewings of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ this weekend, you may find yourself listening to the end of Howard Shore’s ‘The Bridge of Khazad Dum’ playing as part of the brand new ‘Man of Steel’ teasers. If you have seen The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, you know (SPOILERS) that when Gandalf falls at the bridge, we have an amazingly emotional and dramatic score to accompany this significant event. I get chills just thinking of the scene. Now, for better or worse, that same theme is used to build emotion for the next attempt to revive the Superman franchise. How do you feel about it? Share your thoughts in the comments, our forum and on Facebook! If you somehow managed to go through the last 10 years without owning Howard Shore’s award-winning score, we highly suggest you pick up today! (There are obviously many versions of the score to own, so browse around a bit) [LOTR:FOTR Score] [Kevin Costner Voiceover Teaser] [Russell Crowe Voiceover Teaser]
Leicester Mercury from thisisleicestershire.co.uk: the Tolkien Society is currently holding festivities at Loughborough University to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first publishing of The Hobbit . The one-off, five-day event — The Return of the Ring — features talks, story-telling sessions, and for a massive exhibition of art inspired by JRR Tolkien‘s works.
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