Welcome all, to the annual showdown in the realms of Eriador and beyond! Yes, it’s that time of year when hobbit must fight wizard, dwarf must battle elf, and man must face … erm … well, maybe himself.
Because this year we’ve thrown something new into the mix for March Madness. We thought it would be interesting to see if Sherlock could outwit the most cunning of dragons; or if Rudy has more heart than Samwise. What would fastidious Oscar Wilde make of the slovenly Master of Lake-town? Can Dwalin out-wrestle Dougal Mackenzie?
That’s right – our brackets contain actors in both their Tolkien roles, and a role they play in another film or TV show. So Luke Evans appears both as Bard and Gaston; and Billy Boyd is there both as Pippin and Barret Bonden (from ‘Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World’). This means that some battles will be between two characters from Middle-earth, some between two ‘outside’ characters, and some will be a mix; and yes, actors could find themselves facing an alter ego.
Are we crazy? Is there absolutely no way that the ape Caesar would stand a chance against Gollum? Is Magneto clearly no match for Gandalf? That’s for YOU to decide! Voting starts today – and the madness will run until April 5th. Here is the schedule for rounds:
- Round 1 – March 19th – March 22nd 10:00pm ET
- Round 2 – March 23rd – March 25th 10:00pm ET
- Round 3 – March 26th – March 28th 10:00pm ET
- Round 4 – March 31st 10:00pm ET
- Final Four – April 1 – April 3rd 10:00pm ET
- The Final – April 4 – April 5th 10:00pm ET
The brackets are divided as follows:
- Division I – The Lord of the Rings Fellowship, and counterpart roles
- Division II – The Lord of the Rings outside the Fellowship, and counterpart roles
- Division III – The Hobbit Company (wizards, dwarves, and hobbit), and counterpart roles
- Division IV – The Hobbit Lake-town and villains, and counterpart roles
Voting is simple – just click on your choice in each dual, below. You can only vote once – but feel free to share, and rally people to your cause! Speculate on the message boards, and head on over to Facebook to take part in some ‘exit polls’, and see who is predicted to win.
It’s all in fun – how you choose your choice of winners is entirely up to you. But if you’re keen to see someone in particular go all the way to final victory, start campaigning now!
Let the games begin!
Voting in Round 1 will remain open until March 22nd at 10pm ET. At that point, we’ll calculate the winners and post the next round on March 23rd. Follow after the break for a complete bracket image (download it), and to vote on all of our Round 1 match-ups! [Round 1 Bracket]
Continue reading “Middle-earth March Madness 2018 is here!”
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It’s that time of year – when hobbit is pitted against elf, man against wizard, curious fox against talking wallet…. Yes, March Madness is just around the corner! It’s almost time once more to vote for your favourites, and see who will be victorious over all.
Wondering what on earth we’re on about? Check out last year’s contest and result, here.
We have a new twist to our brackets this year, with some very interesting match ups as the result. Stay tuned to find out more, coming soon – and be ready to play!
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Welcome to TORn’s LotR: The Two Towers 15th Anniversary Redu
x of our TT Geeky Observations Lists. Last December (2016), we celebrated the FotR 15th Anniversary Redux of our FotR Geeky Observations Lists. This link will take you to that installment with the explanation of the madness that gives us “the lists!”
With the release of The Two Towers on December 18, 2002, TheOneRing.net’s Movie Discussion Board members continued the fun of gathering geeky observations for our TT list just as we did for FotR and RotK… and eventually for the 3 Hobbit movies; but we have about 11 more years to wait before they get properly reduxed 😉
As it happened with the FotR Geeky Observations List, the TT contributions began with the release of the trailers. We members poured over every frame and every utterance driven by the excitement of anticipating the movie’s imminent release. After we eventually got the extended DVD, we could really scrutinize every moment until the TT list grew to 468 items, with more to add!
Here are some examples of observations (lists do not include pictures):
While Sam and Frodo are sleeping and Gollum crawls down the mountain, their backpacks are on the wrong sides. Frodo is sleeping next to Sam’s backpack and vice versa.
There is a stool to the left of Théoden’s throne that is brought around to his right and used first by Gríma when the Fellowship arrives and then by Gandalf.
Théodred is buried with his helmet placed at his feet, holding his sword and also holding Simbelmynë in his hands. Théodred’s bier is made of shields lying across two long spears.
As with all of the geeky lists, one of the changes I made to the premise of the original list was to exclude any nit-picky or negative items. Considering everything Peter Jackson and the hundreds of people who made these films possible went through to create these three movies at one time… something never attempted before… I just didn’t think it was right. Those observations were for others to collect.
Because these lists are still active and growing all the time, feel free to share your own observations. Find me on the Boards where you can also access all of these links and more in the footer of my posts on The One Ring Forums Message Boards.
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Hobbits, Elves and Humans can toast together this Holiday Season!
Lot18 and Warner Bros. Consumer Products unveil the new Lord of the Rings inspired wine collection.
Just in time for holiday merrymaking, Winemaker Lot18 has teamed up with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to produce a limited-edition collection of wine inspired by New Line Cinema’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy.
Continue reading “Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Lot18 Announce “The Lord of The Rings” Wine Collection”
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The Dragon is upon us! It’s only Thursday and yet, even though DragonCon doesn’t officially start until tomorrow, there was merriment and partying even last night here in the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta. Deej and greendragon are at DragonCon to represent TORn, and we’re looking forward to a fun weekend with our fellow fans! Here’s what’s going on:
Even though the Tolkien Track has sailed into the West, there will still be lots of Middle-earth related happenings over the course of the convention. Check out the High Fantasy Track schedule for details! Some highlights:
Friday 10am: ‘Namarie: Farewell Tolkien Track’. TORn staff will be joining Track staff to reminisce and celebrate the Tolkien Track – and look forward to the continuation of friendships and community, for many years to come, even without the Track.
Friday 7pm: ‘Elf Choir’ – come along and join in!
Saturday 4pm: ‘Preciousss Moments with Gollum and Sméagol’ – lead by Constance Wagner, whose very popular panels are always fascinating and insightful.
Saturday 5.30pm: ‘Beren and Luthien’ – a closer look at the latest Tolkien publication.
Monday 10am: ‘Still Tolkien About It: 80 Years of Middle-earth’. Join TORn staffers deej and greendragon, together with scholar Constance Wagner, to look back on the past 80 years since The Hobbit was first published. What has made Middle-earth such an enduring passion – and to what can we look forward?
All of the above are in the High Fantasy Track Room – L401-403 in the Marriott (where the Tolkien Track was in the past).
In addition, on Friday night we have, of course, the ever popular Evening at Bree! This will be held in the Hilton Grand Ballroom West, from 8.30pm – be sure to get in line early! We have a party of special magnificence planned this year! Bands Toucan Dubh and the Brobdingnagian Bards will be providing live music, followed by a dance party hosted by our very own DJ, deej. We’ll also have the costume contest and the performance by the Elf Choir, plus this year you can expect one or two special surprises. With the theme of ‘Class of 3018 Prom – Enchantment under the Mountain’, we’ll say farewell to the graduating Tolkien Track seniors; and your host Prom Bombadil will be there to make the evening go with a ring a dong dillo!
On Sunday night you can hear the Brobdingnagian Bards again, playing Hobbit Drinking Songs in the Hilton Crystal Ballroom from 8.30pm.
And of course TORn has a table! Come and find us in our usual spot in the Hyatt. For shirts this year we’re bringing back an old favourite – the Lake-town Fire Department – and we have a fabulous new design, encouraging the races of Middle-earth to Coexist. We also have new buttons, fans, and lots of prizes you could win. Come and check out all the goodies – and be sure to say hi to deej and greendragon!
There may not be a Tolkien Track, but Tolkien fans are here in force, and we’re ready for a great weekend of fun and companionship. Half the Shire’s been invited – hope to see you, too!
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It’s that time of year again, when the Brisbane Tolkien Fellowship hosts it’s wonderful “Evening in Middle-earth”.
This year there is a special treat for everyone, with an extra day, so fans can enjoy Two Evenings in Middle-earth. Along with the extra day, there is an extra special treat in store for the fans.
Continue reading “An Evening in Middle-earth”
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Welcome all, to the annual showdown in the realms of Eriador and beyond! Yes, it’s that time of year when hobbit must fight wizard, dwarf must battle elf, and man must face … erm … well, maybe himself.
