Many of you will have seen the video Peter Jackson posted to his Facebook page back in December, as a thank you to and celebration of the fans. What you may not know is that TORn staffer Maura appeared in the video! Here are her thoughts on this epic journey of fandom:
We have all made top ten lists of our favorite Lord of the Rings moments. At the 2014 Comic-Con International a group of fans were given the opportunity to share their memories and hopes for the final installment on camera, including yours truly. The end result was a heart-warming video posted on Peter Jackson’s Facebook page on December 3rd, that has been viewed over a million times.
Despite my donning of the “I *heart* hot dwarves” tee shirt (had to represent for TORn) one of my favorite moments was the appearance of the Prince of Mirkwood in The Desolation of Smaug. I’m not going to lie; it’s a relief that they didn’t use my uncomfortably long gush about the beauty that is Legolas. That’s the kind of embarrassment that can come back to haunt you at, say, company holiday parties or family gatherings. Does anyone else experience this – the “Legolas Effect”? Once I start, I simply cannot stop.
It can’t be a coincidence that many of us believe the movies’ most enduring legacy is the friendships that have resulted. It was a point I myself had made during my interview. That’s why a site like TheOneRing.net is so important. It has been a haven for like-minded people to assemble, discuss, debate and celebrate our common admiration for an author and his books, as well as a filmmaker and his films. So as the campaign for The One Last Party draws to a close, won’t you consider making that pledge, leaving the comfort of your armchair and books, and joining us for one final adventure?
These bonds of fellowship we’ve forged over the years are strong and should be honored by hoisting a glass. Oh, and if you want to have a serious conversation about the silver blue intensity of Legolas’s eyes in the Hobbit films versus the Lord of the Rings films, I’ll be at the bar.
One Last Party fundraiser!
Our One Last Party fundraiser on Indiegogo is almost 90% funded and we’re pretty stoked!
If you’d like to join us as a Party of Special Magnificence in Hollywood in February — a toast to all SIX Middle-earth movies, then now is the time to throw in your support! Even if you can’t make it to Hollywood (or if you’ve already contributed), you can help out by retweeting or sharing our fundraiser across social media to get the word out.
We’re into the final week of The One Last Party Indiegogo campaign, and only 20% away from our goal! With a last push in these closing days we can get there – and hold a celebration of this journey of fandom we’ve been on together!
We’ve been eager, from the start, to provide ways for fans to be involved with this celebration, even if you can’t make it to Los Angeles. The campaign includes signed collectibles and stunning art work available as perks; an opportunity to get access to a live stream of the party; and a special ‘Thank You’ which we will send to Peter Jackson, with the names of all who pledge. There are also ‘Supporter of Special Magnificence’ tshirts available, which feature the words, ’17 years is far too short a time to party among such excellent and admirable fans’.
The One Last Party is about the Fellowship of Fandom, and we hope that everyone who enjoys TheOneRing.net will feel able to be a part of it in some way. Which leads us to the awesome GIVEAWAY we have to announce!
Thanks to one very generous supporter, who is keen to see the campaign reach its goal, we have got our hands on a Battle of the Five Armies poster, signed at San Diego ComicCon by:
Dwalin – Graham McTavish
Gollum – Andy Serkis
Tauriel – Evangeline Lilly
Thranduil – Lee Pace
Legolas – Orlando Bloom
Bard – Luke Evans
Smaug – Benedict Cumberbatch
Frodo – Elijah Wood
Galadriel – Cate Blanchett
This poster (measuring 13′ by 20′), together with the holographic wristband that was needed to get it at SDCC, will be given away to one lucky supporter, chosen at random from all the pledges of $10 and above that we receive THIS WEEK (Monday 12th to Sunday 18th January).
The poster will only be given away IF we reach our goal! If we get to $180k by (or before!) the deadline on Sunday 18th, one name will be chosen at random to receive this amazing poster and wristband. Each new pledge of $10 or higher during this final week will be a separate entry into the draw; the more times you pledge, the more chances you have to win!
(If you don’t want to run the risk of not winning, remember, you could pledge for the ‘Gimli, Son of Gloin’ perk and get a larger poster signed by 12 cast members!)
Help us reach our goal, be part of the celebration, and this fabulous signed poster could be on its way to you!
Huge thanks to the generous supporter who has donated this amazing item; and to all who have supported The One Last Party so far. Together we can make this celebration a reality! Click here to visit the campaign: theonelastparty.com
(Please note, the poster is displayed on a frame in the photographs; the frame is not included in the giveaway! Poster will be shipped carefully packaged in a tube.)
One Last Party fundraiser!
Our One Last Party fundraiser on Indiegogo is almost 80% funded and we’re pretty stoked!
If you’d like to join us as a Party of Special Magnificence in Hollywood in February — a toast to all SIX Middle-earth movies, then now is the time to throw in your support! Even if you can’t make it to Hollywood (or if you’ve already contributed), you can help out by retweeting or sharing our fundraiser across social media to get the word out.
An anonymous benefactor has offered to give $5k to this campaign, IF we increase our total by $5k by 12noon EST TOMORROW, Jan 9th.
That means we have 27 hours to go from our current total ($123,470) to $128,470 – if we make it, we’ll get a matching donation of $5k from our generous supporter!
If you’ve been pondering getting that amazing Movie Guide signed by SIX cast members (Thrain perk), or snapping up the last Mirkwood Elves VIP ticket, or snagging the poster with TWELVE signatures (and which INCLUDES a VIP ticket – Gimli perk), then now is the moment!
There are just 12 days left in our Indiegogo campaign and we have passed the 60% funded mark and are very pleased at this point. We know our goal really is within reach, meaning we will get to throw a Party of Special Magnificence for this wonderful fan community. Here are a few little updates, with more to come in the next couple of days.
1) We are very proud to debut the design for The One Last Party attendee shirt. This shirt will specifically be for everyone pledging for one of the ticketed perk levels. This joins the supporter shirt we debuted two weeks ago, designed exclusively for the 4 T-Shirt pledge levels. The final version of these shirts might look a wee bit different, the design is being finessed in order to print properly, but this is pretty much what you are going to get.
2) The very happy winner of the ‘Children of Hurin’ book signed by Christopher Tolkien and Alan Lee goes to Patricia M. up in Northern California. Our thanks to everyone who participated in the lottery by pledging during J.R.R. Tolkien’s Birthday celebration this past weekend. Please look for a new Prize draw starting very soon.
3) The ‘Mirkwood Elves’ VIP ticket perk is back on the list, but just a few of them, we are trying to keep the VIP perk as exclusive as possible. Also, the ‘Gimli, Son of Gloin’ perk with the signed DOS poster does include the ‘Mirkwood Elves’ VIP ticket as part of the perk. So there are currently 5 tickets at this level available, and then 2 more ultra VIP tickets available at the ‘TORn Star’ level, which includes VIP tickets and Sponsor status at the party.
And finally, we really do want to thank everyone who has pledged at any and all levels for your support. We know not everyone can attend and we truly do hope that you value some of the other perks we have been offering, and will continue to offer. There are some exciting new items coming down the pike in the next few days, so keep your eyes on our website and social media channels and maybe you can take advantage of some awesome opportunities.
One Last Party fundraiser passes the 60% mark!
Our One Last Party fundraiser on Indiegogo has just passed the 60% funded mark and we’re pretty stoked!
If you’d like to join us as a Party of Special Magnificence in Hollywood in February — a toast to all SIX Middle-earth movies, then now is the time to throw in your support! Even if you can’t make it to Hollywood (or if you’ve already contributed), you can help out by retweeting or sharing our fundraiser across social media to get the word out. And there is some cool swag you can get if you are unable to attend.
As you will recall we teamed up with our friends at HarperCollins to give away a signed copy of this fantastic set of books covering the amazing work by the great folks at Weta Workshop & Weta Digital.
After going through all the submissions picking one person was a tough choice, but one very lucky fan of the talent in New Zealand is about to be very happy.
We are pleased to announce that Megan C. of Gallup New Mexico will be the lucky fan to recieve The Art of Film Magic – 20 Years of Weta from HarperCollins. We will be passing along your information and you should have your gift coming soon.
Thanks to HarperCollins for teaming up with us and all of you who took the time to enter.
Join us in Los Angeles in February at The One Last Party
We’re hosting a Party of Special Magnificence next February — a toast to all SIX movies, both LOTR trilogy and The Hobbit.
We have many supporters who are not able to attend the party, but have chosen to make a pledge to help make this party happen. And for that, we are deeply honored and grateful. Please continue to spread the word amongst your family and friends so that we can all make a proper send off to Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth cycle of films.
For the rest of you, we have a party to plan, and you have travel arrangements to make, unless you are a local. Oscar weekend in Hollywood can be a bit stressful and expensive, so here are a few suggestions to make things easy for you.
First off, as of the date of this update, we don’t have the venue locked in simply because we need a funded budget in order to put the deposit down on the venue. That being said, the venues being looked at are very near each other and very near several hotels, so there is a hotel list coming up shortly.
Secondly, while it is recommended that you make your hotel reservations now, we would advise against anything requiring pre-payment, both in hotels or flights, until our goal is met and we know the party will happen. As much as we all want this party to happen, it can only do so if the budgeted goal is met, and we just don’t want you to risk your hard earned money on non-refundable travel purchases. So reserve a hotel, but think long and hard before booking non-refundable flights.
Thirdly, as the Travel Agent on staff, all the hotels and motels listed below I have either stayed in, toured, had friends stay in or I have met the sales representatives and can recommend these to you. They vary in prices, and even the normally budget conscious properties may seem a little high, just know that Oscar weekend is a high occupancy weekend in Hollywood and the pricing reflects the demand.
Our One Last Party fundraiser on Indiegogo has just hit the $100K mark and we’re pretty stoked!
If you’d like to join us as a Party of Special Magnificence in Hollywood in February — a toast to all SIX Middle-earth movies, then now is the time to throw in your support! Even if you can’t make it to Hollywood (or if you’ve already contributed), you can help out by retweeting or sharing our fundraiser across social media to get the word out.