Join Kili and Mike the Guide for a tour of several Lord of the Rings filming locations, including…
Continue ReadingJoin Kili and Mike the Guide for a tour of several Lord of the Rings filming locations, including Isengard, Anduin, and Rivendell!
Book your own Middle-earth adventure with Mike the Guide, recommended by not only Kili but Ian Brodie, author of the official locations guidebook, himself! Click here to learn more.
Enjoy the photos below and remember to check out our Happy Hobbit YouTube channel for many more videos from New Zealand and the California shire! A great place to start is this playlist:
*Please Note: This was one of TheOneRing.net’s annual April Fools Jokes – We are not really being sued…yet?*
TheOneRing.net, the largest Tolkien-related fan-site on the internet, and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), professional wrestling entertainment powerhouse, have been unable to resolve recent legal disputes over TheOneRing.net name. TheOneRing.net’s desires to keep the communications private were dashed this week, with WWE breaking off discussions and proceeding with a copyright infringement claim in court.
“Clearly the ‘one ring’ refers to our wrestling ring,” said WWE Majority Owner and CEO Vince McMahon in a prepared statement, “and we are confident that any jury will recognize that. When someone is searching online for the ‘one ring,’ they want to find out more about WWE.”
Chris Pirrotta, one of the foundera of TheOneRing.net, disagrees. “While I respect the integrity and success of the world of professional wrestling and the WWE, I believe there are many different uses of the word ‘ring’ and reject WWE’s assertion of a monopoly over the term.”
WWE is no stranger to the courtroom, having lost their previous initials (WWF) in 2002 after the World Wildlife Fund sued the wrestling company over a broken agreement. Pirotta is quick to point out that he has no issue with WWE’s terminology. “They’re welcome to use the word ‘ring’. They’re welcome to call their ring the ‘one ring’. We just ask that we be allowed to keep our name. There’s never been any confusion in the past.”
McMahon disagrees, however, saying “our market research tells us that approximately 90% of first-time visitors to TheOneRing.net are looking for information about WWE superstars such as Roman Reigns or John Cena. Quite frankly, I doubt that many people have actually read Mr. Tolstoy’s books and even fewer know about the films.”
Cliff Broadway, who contributes to TheOneRing.net under the pseudonym “Quickbeam”, believes there is only one way to solve the dispute. “I am issuing a challenge to WWE Champion Seth Rollins for a match at Summerslam,” he says, referring to the upcoming wrestling event. “It will be the WWE Title versus TheOneRing.net name where winner takes all. And I think WWE will find Hell hath no fury like an Ent scorned.”
As of yet, WWE has not responded to the challenge, and TheOneRing.net continues to post news related to The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and the associated personalities.
Yesterday, March 25, was officially Tolkien Reading Day. Celebrated annually by the Tolkien Society since 2003, Reading Day is exactly what it sounds like: a day “to encourage fans to celebrate and promote the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien by reading favourite passages.” March 25th was chosen to commemorate the day in Middle-earth history of the destruction of the One Ring and the downfall of Sauron, but events are often held throughout the week surrounding the official date.
Fans worldwide celebrate Reading Day with a variety of events. Wheaton College’s Tolkien Society in Illinois and the University of New Mexico Hobbit Society in Albuquerque hosted gatherings this year to share their favorite Tolkien pieces. And tomorrow (3/27), the Israeli Tolkien Society will host a picnic in Tel-Aviv. In Los Angeles, the local smial of the Tolkien Society, Tolkien Forever, will host a Reading Day event this Saturday, 3/28, at the famous Last Bookstore.
The theme for this year’s Reading Day is Friendship, chosen not only to commemorate how Frodo and Sam’s friendship triumphed in Mordor, but also to “celebrate the deep friendships that Tolkien developed in his own life and in his work.” By extension, a shared love of Tolkien’s work has inspired countless friendships, traversing continents and oceans. So share your love of Tolkien by joining a Reading Day event, or simply sharing your favorite passage with a friend!
Earlier today, the music video for “The Last Goodbye”, the end credits song for the last chapter in The Hobbit Trilogy, premiered exclusively on EW.com.
As much a farewell to Peter Jackson’s entire Middle-earth filmography as the Hobbit films themselves, the video features our beloved Mr. Boyd singing his wonderful tune to images of the entire saga.
Including footage ranging from the incredibly familiar to the previously unseen, the music video is a beautiful reminder of the journey we’ve all been on and a celebration of everything the cast and crews from both trilogies have accomplished. Continue reading “Music Video for Billy Boyd’s “The Last Goodbye” in High Definition”
You asked for it. We listened.
When TORn’s new book, Middle-earth Madness, came out last month for Kindle and Nook, some fans were delighted, like Elizabeth Trogden who gives the books five stars at Amazon saying, “Just as the movies led me to the books, TheOneRing.net informed me of the many fans and their activities. This book wonderfully complements all of them.”
But there were others lit up Facebook and message boards with a clear request: “We want a printed version!” As Ithilwen commented, “I hope for printed version as well, it just seems way more fitting to read about Middle-earth from a paper book. Or maybe I’m just a bit old fashioned.”
Well, here it is. Real pages packed with hobbity goodness for you to hold in your hand and set on the shelf with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movies the book is all about. It’s a little piece of TORn you can keep as a collector’s item and look back on as the years go by.
– Which creature design in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey the filmmakers weren’t satisfied with and secretly changed for the extended edition DVD
– Which Hobbit movie includes an item with J.R.R. Tolkien’s name written on it
– Which item Bilbo takes from Beorn’s house and takes home
– How Peter Jackson could make an adaptation of The Silmarillion without obtaining the rights from the Tolkien Estate
– and lots more, including interviews with Richard Armitage (Thorin), Sylvester McCoy (Radagast), Richard Taylor (Weta Workshop), Mark Ordesky (LOTR Exec) and many more of your favorites.
Want to read a sample chapter and see what all the fuss is about? Here you go!
Update: thanks to DanielLB on our discussion boards for pointing out that the book is also available on some Amazon sites for countries other than the U.S. (amazon.uk, amazon.fr). So check out your country’s site in case you can save on some shipping.
Once again the fine folks at American Cinematheque will be privileging us with the chance to watch all twelve glorious hours of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Extended Editions on the big screen. The screening will take place at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, California, on Saturday, August 30, and the first film kicks off at 1:00pm. There will be a 20-minute intermission between each film, and your nominally awesome TheOneRing.net staffers will be on hand to provide trivia contests and prizes during the breaks. The Meat in the Middle food truck will also be on hand for your elevnses, tea-time, supper, and dinner needs.
Tickets are available online now for $15 ($10 for Cinematheque members). TheOneRing.net is also giving away one pair of tickets to this special screening. How do you win? You show us your #MiddleEarthLife!
Put on your favorite Middle-earth “lifestyle” and upload the best photo of yourself living a #MiddleEarthLife! We are looking for more than just costumes; show us how a Ranger, an Elf of the Woodland Realm, a Dwarf, or a happy Hobbit might enjoy their leisure time at home (or even in the garden). Even Wizards, Orcs, Eagles, or shape-shifting bear men can try their hand at this contest. One winner will receive a pair of tickets to the August 30 LOTR Trilogy screening at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica.
Imagine if Esquire or Vanity Fair magazines came by to do a “lifestyle interview” of you as a Middle-earth character — what kind of image would be shown as a splash page for your interview? Whether you are shown sporting, relaxing, cooking, gardening, or even other activities like horseback riding or climbing trees to see huge purple butterflies, we are looking for fandom to show us their creativity!
Use hashtag #MiddleEarthLife when you submit your images to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Feel your creativity flow and show us what your lifestyle is like as a character in a casual, fun setting. We will judge entries on how creative the costuming, how appealing the setting, and how closely it ties to the theme. You have until 12:00pm (PST) Wednesday, August 27, 2014, to post your submissions, and the winner will be notified by Thursday, 8/28.
Be sure to use the hashtag #MiddleEarthLife and tell us about your entry!
