The Beeb, as part of its commemorations of WWI, have assembled this multi-part online educational guide exploring how — and where — World War One influenced JRR Tolkien and his writings.
Narrated in part by John Rhys-Davies, and including a short interview with Tolkien scholar and Cardiff Metropolitan University lecturer Dr Dimitra Fimi, it’s worth a look. Continue reading “How The Lord of the Rings was influenced by WWI”
Posted in:
Share:
It’s a tradition that goes back years for a great many of us – downloading the latest Tolkien movie trailer on Apple’s Quicktime Site. In the years before Facebook and YouTube, this was where we all turned to in order to get our first (second, third, fourth…) glimpses of Peter Jackson’s epic adaptation.
While the rise of the aforementioned social media venues has seen them become the premiere locations to catch trailers, video blogs, etc. – you still can’t beat the high quality presentation (and superior video compression) of Apple’s Quicktime Trailers.
Now, weeks after the premiere of the teaser trailer, the first look at the final chapter in the Hobbit Trilogy is finally available to view in high quality 480p, 720p, and 1080p video on Apple’s website. Continue reading “‘The Battle of the Five Armies’ Teaser now available on iTunes Movie Trailers”
Posted in:
Share:

Join Fili to learn how to make a sweet summer treat that even elves will devour… or will they? See recipe below!
STRAWBERRY SHORTBREAD PIE
For the crust:
Remember — this exact recipe may end up being a little more than enough for just one pie. If this happens, use the extra dough to form shapes to decorate your pie! This makes a great cookie, too!
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
2. Mix together the cold butter, flour, and confectioner’s sugar. Using a pastry cutter to mix it all together will help. Once it is mixed together into an even crust, take the amount you need to evenly cover the bottom of the tin. Make sure it is not too thin on the bottom or else it will burn, and not too thick on the edges.
3. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Always set the bake time lower in case your oven is acting up!
4. Remove from oven and let it cool completely before you dress it up with the berries!
For the filling:
Ingredients
1 quart fresh strawberries (or more!)
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup water
Instructions
1. After the crust has baked and cooled, arrange around half the whole strawberries until the crust is covered.
2. Mash the remaining berries in a bowl before adding the sugar. Once mixed, cook it together in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it boils. Be sure to stir it the entire time!
3. On the side, whisk together cornstarch and water. Once the berry mixture is boiling, stir the cornstarch mixture in and reduce heat to low. Stir constantly until it thickens into a gelatin-like substance. This could be 5 to 10 minutes depending on how your stove cooks, eyeball it!
4. Once it is ready, pour it over the strawberries that are already in the crust. Place any decorations such as the hearts we did above on the pie before it sets up too much. Then last, put it in the fridge for several hours before eating!
5. Eat it all! Whip cream or not, this pie will be gone in a night! Especially if you have Legolas around ;).
Enjoy!
Posted in:
Share:
Over the last few weeks I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with Shaun Gunner, Chairman of The Tolkien Society. We discussed what he thinks of the Peter Jackson films and where he sees the Tolkien Society heading to in the 21st Century. And because he said he didn’t mind answering some silly questions, I just couldn’t resist putting grammaboodawg’s favourite question from our Getting to know you Q&A’s to him.
Continue reading “TORn talks to Shaun Gunner, Chairman of The Tolkien Society”
Posted in:
Share:
Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past week. If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights. Or if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links 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!
Continue reading “TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – August 3, 2014”
Posted in:
Share:

Join us in the mad journey of SDCC 2014, through the Exhibit Hall to TheOneRing.net panel, a life-sized Smaug, and a hula-dancing Kili!
Posted in:
Share: