Back in 2009 The One Ring posted a humorous video of ex-patriot John Dybvig explaining to talk-show host David Letterman about his adopted homeland New Zealand. For more than 20 years the San Francisco native has been making a name for himself in the entertainment and sports industries in New Zealand and has just released his autobiography “The Two of Me”. This book is a frank account of how Dybvig was able to turn around his life after years of self-centered, self-sabotaging behavior and find true contentment. Included is a chapter about working on the 2005 feature King Kong and encountering director, Peter Jackson. The audio book is narrated by the author and is available for download on iTunes. In case you’re interested, John offers a US accent workshop with The Equity Foundation for any Australasian actors out there.

THERE AND BACK: today on our *Live* webcast TORn TUESDAY, our intrepid host Clifford “Quickbeam” Broadway has just returned from New Zealand where many magical things were witnessed ON THE ACTUAL SET OF THE HOBBIT, but secrecy abounds! Be tantalized and teased with a unique 1st person account of travels to the real Middle-earth! We also pay tribute to our fallen friend and Memorial Day remembrance for our brave heroes abroad. Come join the show via Stickam (account “theoneringnet”) using your own Skype login or via our Live Event Page with our unique Barliman’s chat embedded in the show!

Tune into our show at 5:00pm PDT (that’s L.A. time folks — click here to see when it is in your city!), and just click to our Live Event page.

If you have a Tolkien/Middle-earth inspired poem you’d like to share, then send it to poetry@theonering.net. One poem per person may be submitted each month. Please make sure to proofread your work before sending it in. TheOneRing.net is not responsible for poems posting with spelling or grammatical errors.

Hot on the heels of Sir Ian McKellen’s fund raising money for Also Known as The Court Theatre Christchurch’s Isaac Theatre Royal now another fundraiser has this time for Christchurch’s The Court Theatre here’s the full press release:

From Hobbits to hip-hop stars, a range of international celebrities have come to aid The Court Theatre’s fundraising drive.

To assist in replacing numerous assets lost when the Christchurch theatre company was forced to leave its Arts Centre venue following the 22 February 2011 earthquake, a range of items have been donated for an online auction on Trademe that will be running from 24 – 30 May.

Beyoncé, Stephen Fry, Orlando Bloom and Court Theatre Fundraising Patron Dame Maggie Smith, as well as locals Hayley Westenra, Sir Peter Jackson and Mark Hadlow, have offered items to the fundraising appeal – from signed posters, prints and scripts to CDs, jewellery and DVDs. Continue reading “Peter Jackson, celebrities raise funds for NZ’s Court Theatre”

Welcome to this monthsThe Frodo Franchise “Getting to know…” questions that need answering.  It’s based on the old Getting to know you threads that I used to post on the message boards here on TORn, so those familiar with them will know that the questions can be a little crazy and the answers even crazier.

This month we’re asking questions of author of “The Frodo Franchise” and TORn Staffer, Kristin Thompson.

Continue reading “Getting to know Kristin Thompson”

It’s been more than a decade since the first of the films in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy was released, and although fans are now eagerly anticipating a return to Middle-earth with his upcoming Hobbit films, well, one does NOT simply walk away from where it all began.

Today, we feature an article written for TheOneRing.net by guest author Leslie Martinka, Marketing Manager at Hark.com, the world’s largest platform for pop culture quotes and images, on the phenomenon that is Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and the top 20 quotes from Peter Jackson’s films:

My Precious“, says Gollum through missing rotted teeth. His emaciated body is evidence of his life in Middle-earth as a slave to the One Ring. For the past 60 years, people have devoured the pages of The Lord of the Rings reading about characters such as Gollum, Frodo and Gandalf. Fans of the trilogy have made it one of the most beloved literary works of all time.

Continue reading “Top 20 Quotes From “The Lord of the Rings””

Just in case you missed the maelstrom this week, ten minutes of “The Hobbit,” was screened at CinemaCon to show theater types the wonders of the new 48fps exhibition of film.

Peter Jackson says the negative reaction this week over new technology he’s using to shoot “The Hobbit” won’t hold him back, and he hopes moviegoers will give it a try and judge for themselves.

“Nobody is going to stop,” he said. “This technology is going to keep evolving.”

He hopes critics of the format will change their minds when they see the finished film. There are also some interesting quotes from the theater industry and it doesn’t look like the negative reactions will hurt the film’s chances of being seen as it was intended. (And really, if the industry made up its mind on 10 minutes of unfinished footage shown to journalists, the industry would be in critical condition.)

You can read what our own Cliff “Quickbeam” Broadway had to say from his own viewing at CinemaCon right here and read the Entertainment Weekly story here.

While we are sharing links, Forbes wants Jackson to know that when it comes to “The Hobbit” and 48fps, he is just wrong.