Diane KamaheleIn Dec 2006, Sideshow Collectibles lost a good friend and collegue: Diane Kamahele. Since her passing, they have been holding semi-annual auctions at Comic-Con and Toy Fair to help raise for her three young children. This year’s auction features three highly prized LOTR related items. To learn more about the auction and the items, click on one of the items below.

  • The Balrog Legendary Scale Bust with Light-up Feature – Only 1 piece in the world – never produced [Auction]
  • The Aragorn Premium Format Figure Pre-Production Sample. [Auction]
  • Gollum Bust Prototype signed by Andy Serkis [Auction]

For all of the unique items being offered in this auction, please Click Here. [Learn more about Diane]

con2008-header_logoThere are lots of reasons to attend Comic-Con or even follow along at home as the San Diego Comic-Con becomes the very center of the popular-culture universe including a good dose of Tolkien-related material. The 2008 SDCC has a “Hobbit-centric” flavor and kicks off today (Wednesday) has plenty to keep the Middle-earth enthusiast busy including TORn’s very own sneak-peek of the forthcoming pair of movies centered around “The Hobbit.” Read on for everything you need to know about SDCC 08! Continue reading “Middle-earth is in the air at Comic-Con”

Frodo FranchiseKristin Thompson is going to be available to sign her book “The Frodo Franchise” during Comic-Con. “I’ve come up with three one-hour time-slots when I’ll be at the booth to sign your copies of The Frodo Franchise. (If you’ve got others of my books you want signed, feel free to bring ‘em along.) I imagine I’ll have time to chat, too, if you just want to drop by. And don’t forget to buy one or two of the T-shirts designed by Weta Workshop’s Daniel Falconer. All profits from the shirts and books go to support TORN, so it’s all in a good cause. Here are the times when I’ll be at the booth:

Thursday 1:30 to 2:30
Friday 11:30 to 12:30 (That’s shortly after the TORN panel)
Sunday 1:00 to 2:00.”

Copies of “The Frodo Franchise” will be available for purchase at the Slave Boy booth (booth #5424) where TORn will be located. If you’re going to Comic-Con, be sure and take this opportunity to visit with Kristin and have your copy of “The Frodo Franchise” signed! Read More

Lake Town Volunteer Fire DepartmentWe reported earlier this week that we would be featuring a brand new TORn and Weta t-shirt at Comic-Con. [Comic-Con Shirt] It should be noted however, that the Comic-Con shirt was not the only design TORn has been working on the last few months. So without further delay, we are proud to premiere our ‘Lake Town Volunteer Fire Department‘ shirt! The shirt, pictured on the right, is deep red with the TORn logo on the front and the LTFD logo on the back. We only have a limited amount of these shirts printed at this time, so if the demand is there, we will print another run in various sizes and styles. In fact, if you want a specific style, please email me directly at calisuri@theonering.net and I will keep a running list. While I wont’ be able to reply to all emails, I will keep them handy when deciding on our next printing. In the meantime, check out our latest shirt! [Lake Town Fire Department Shirt] [Comic-Con Shirt]

Ian McKellenDid you miss Ian McKellen in last year’s King Lear performances?

Theater Mania reports:

The RSC’s recent production of William Shakespeare’s King Lear, directed by Trevor Nunn and with Ian McKellen in the title role, is being filmed for HD TV. It will be broadcast on England’s BBC Channel 4 in December, as well as being broadcast on PBS in the autumn and a number of other TV stations internationally, including NHK Japan. Plans are also in the works to make the tape available on worldwide DVD. [Theater Mania]

1900
June – Mabel Suffield Tolkien converts to Catholicism, which shocks both the Unitarian Suffields and the Baptist Tolkiens. Despite being familially estranged and financially cut off due to this decision, she remains undeterred and begins her sons’ instruction in the Catholic faith, one that becomes especially deep-rooted in Ronald for his entire life.

1915
June 29 – At his army physical, Tolkien declares that he has never suffered from any serious illness or injury. Continue reading “June 29th-July 1st Flashback!”