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March 21, 2007 - March 28, 2007

News for Mar. 28, 2007

LOTRO to serve as social hub for Tolkien enthusiasts

3/28/07, 3:24 am EST - MrCere

BOSTON – Reading a novel, with some rare exceptions, is a solitary experience. Reading “The Lord of the Rings” has been bringing fans together almost since the work was published by J.R.R. Tolkien in 1954 but the group experience was shared after the initial journey through Middle-earth. “The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar” game hopes to bring Tolkien enthusiasts together in real time to experience an immersive version of Tolkien’s fictional world as a social experience. Read more here.

News for Mar. 27, 2007

1 million to be invited to play Lord of the Rings Online

3/27/07, 11:40 pm EST - MrCere

We are finally able to let the cat out of the bag! Turbine announced today that it will invite 1 million players to try out its "Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar" game for free. TheOneRing will have a limited number of keys to give away so expect further details and further coverage of the game all week. Read the full press release from Turbine Inc. here

Tolkien Readings in Italy

3/27/07, 9:04 pm EST - Xoanon

Ian Collier, Tolkien Society Publicity Officer writes: I thought TheOneRing would be interested in the dates of some public readings happening in Italy. The Faggiorosso smial in Reggio Emilia, Italy are organizing literary events on the following dates in different venues: Thursday 29 March 2007, 9:15pm (Birreria Artù, via Tassoni 39A, Reggio Emilia) & Saturday 28 April 2007, 4:15pm (380 Art&Jazz Industrie, via Dante 11 (ex Stalloni), Reggio Emilia). The smial will be reciting selected readings from 'The Hobbit', 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'Smith of Wootton Major', including the mirror of Galadriel, Gandalf and the Balrog, and the arrival at the house of Beorn. All events are free, though the number of seats may be limited. The readings last about an hour / an hour and a half.

Viggo Mortensen Talks Alatriste

3/27/07, 9:00 pm EST - Xoanon

Mortensen Talks Alatriste Nimthiriel writes: I just wanted to send you this link to an interview Viggo Mortensen just gave in Chile, South America white promoting Alatriste. Sadly the interview is in Spanish only. [More]

"Rings" star Serkis playing Einstein in TV movie

3/27/07, 6:11 pm EST - Xoanon

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Andy Serkis, the English actor best known for playing Gollum in the "Lord of the Rings" films, will star as Albert Einstein in a TV movie about one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century: the creation of Einstein's theory of relativity. "Einstein and Eddington," a collaboration between HBO Films and the BBC, will co-star David Tennant, a household name in Britain with his starring role as the 10th Doctor on BBC's long-running series "Doctor Who." [More]

Massive LOTR Online Updates

3/27/07, 6:08 pm EST - Xoanon

Lorien "Ramen" Carney, Community Relations Specialist for The Lord of the Rings Online writes: It’s only Tuesday, but we’re already having a very busy week here on The Lord of the Rings Online. Last night marked our “End of Closed Beta” party, a night full of fun and mayhem. The Beta servers were taken down this morning at 9 AM Eastern, as we prepare for the exciting arrival of our Open Beta! Pre-order customers will gain Open Beta access this Friday, March 30.

Creatures of Middle-earth: Stone-trolls, Huorns, Boars, and Bears! [More]

Join the World Tour and Play Free - Join the World Tour of Middle-earth today for your free preview of The Lord of the Rings Online before the official launch on April 24th. [More]

Here, players can obtain a key for the public Open Beta, which begins on April 6. Open Beta keys can also be found in the latest copy of PC Gamer, along with an installation DVD. [More]

Sideshow Drawing for Message Board Members

3/27/07, 2:01 pm EST - Altaira

FrodoTo thank everyone who's re-registered on our new message boards, and all newcomers, TORn and Sideshow Collectibles are teaming up to give away a "Premium Format" Frodo statue! The second prize will be a Battle of Helm's Deep set by Play Along. Just go to the Login page, register on the new boards and post at least one message (or reply to a message) by midnight, Thursday April 5, 2007. A drawing will be held on April 6th from registered users who qualify. What a great way to celebrate joining the community! [More]

Children of Hurin NYC Event Update

3/27/07, 8:14 am EST - Celeborn

The Children of HurinAre you planning to snag a copy of THE CHILDREN OF HÚRIN signed by Christopher Tolkien and Alan Lee in NYC on April 17th? We hope so! If you were planning on getting more than one copy, we have one small update for you. We originally reported that there would be a five book limit per customer, however to prevent scalping and other general madness, that limit has been dropped to TWO books per customer. Hooray for giving everyone a chance! Also, TheOneRing.net will be at the Barnes and Noble with giveaways and other such merriment to celebrate this historic release! Details to come! [Original Details]

News for Mar. 26, 2007

Trilogy Screening in Rhode Island

3/26/07, 10:15 pm EST - Xoanon

Steve writes: There will be a showing of the "Lord Of The Rings" Trilogy on Saturday, April 28th, at the CINEMAWORLD theatre. CINEMAWORLD is located at the Lincoln Mall on George Washington Highway in Lincoln Rhode Island. The three films will be shown at 12:00 noon, 4:00 pm, and 8:00 pm. The price to see all three films is $ 12.50. [cinemaworldonline.com]

'War of the Ring' Collectors Edition Talk

3/26/07, 10:13 pm EST - Xoanon

TORN Staffer Ostadan writes: "War of the Ring" is a strategic wargame with unpainted plastic miniature armies, played on a mapboard of Middle-earth (John Howe created the game artwork). It appeared in 2004 (published in the US by Fantasy Flight Games; it originated in Italy), and has been fairly successful for such a complex game, with one expansion set. According to Boardgamenews.com, Roberto Di Meglio, co-designer of War of the Ring, has opened discussion threads on BoardGameGeek as to what exactly should be included in the Collectors Edition of the game. [More]

'Lord of the Rings' pre-order packs online

3/26/07, 10:06 pm EST - Xoanon

Forthcoming online epic The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar can now be experienced ahead of its April 24 release after publisher Codemasters announced the launch of a unique pre-order pack. Available online and in retail stores the pack will include exclusive Lord of the Rings stickers, a copy of the game to play online from April 24, an exclusive Wayfarer's Cloak for use in-game and the chance to play the full game 10 days ahead of its official release. The pack will also include details of 'The Lord of the Rings Online Founder Programme', which offers players two different membership options including £99.99 (EUR 149.99) for a lifetime subscription or a 6-month subscription for £35.94 (EUR 53.94). [More]

Geek News: Weta Digital Ltd Chooses Mudbox for Film Projects

3/26/07, 10:03 pm EST - Xoanon

Toronto, ON (PRWEB) March 26, 2007 -- Skymatter Ltd, a high-end provider of 3D software tools, today announced that Mudbox, Skymatter's advanced 3D sculpting software, is being used by Weta Digital Ltd as part of the company's VFX pipeline. Weta Digital, one of the world's premier visual effects and computer animation companies, chose Mudbox because of the accessibility and power of its toolset. We're pleased that Weta Digital uses Mudbox for digital sculpting, detailing and designing in 3D. Mudbox was born in production, and it is gratifying to see Mudbox continuing to be used at the highest levels of digital content creation "With its great, intuitive user interface and the speed with which it processes very large geometric datasets Mudbox quickly became an intrinsic part of the hero digital modeling pipeline at Weta Digital," said Matt Aitken, visual effects supervisor at Weta Digital. "Mudbox is a next generation tool for digital modeling: its support for local subdivision and hard drive streaming of data allows the artist to work in very fine detail, and the ability to isolate separate aspects of a model's surface detail into layers facilitates the design process in a production environment." [More]

McKellen strips onstage

3/26/07, 10:01 pm EST - Xoanon

Veteran actor Sir Ian McKellen shocked theatregoers when he stripped completely naked midway through a new production of King Lear. The 67-year-old was performing in a preview of the William Shakespeare play in Stratford-Upon-Avon on Saturday. His strip surprised many in the audience, who were given no advance nudity warning. A spokeswoman for the Royal Shakespeare Company says a meeting is being held today to discuss whether to warn parents and school groups about the scene. [More]

Celebrating Tolkien

3/26/07, 7:57 pm EST - Xoanon

Despite the growth in the ranks of J.R.R. Tolkien enthusiasts since the "Lord of the Rings" films put his fantasy world of Middle-earth on screen, Tolkien's most avid admirers still risk being labeled geeks. But wearing elf ears or not, they are a force to be reckoned with. "The Lord of the Rings" has sold 200 million copies in 39 languages. The movies based on the novel broke box-office records. And while Tolkien, the Oxford don who created "Rings," "The Hobbit" and "The Silmarillion," died in 1973, this year will be another big one for him. [More]

Unfinished Tolkien due in April

3/26/07, 7:56 pm EST - Xoanon

An unfinished book by JRR Tolkien will be published in April after being completed by the late author's son. Christopher Tolkien has spent 30 years working on The Children of Hurin, which The Lord of the Rings author started in 1918 and later abandoned. Extracts from the novel, which is set before the events of the Rings trilogy, have been published before. It has been illustrated by Alan Lee, who won an Oscar for his artwork on The Return Of The King film in 2004. [More]

LOTRO ready to launch itself into MMO fray

3/26/07, 5:51 pm EST - Xoanon

MrCere writes: BOSTON – There is a war brewing, the forces many times larger than those gathered at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. The lines have been drawn, great resources have been allocated and very soon the trumpets will sound as two giant armies will clash. One of the principal generals in the upcoming clash is Turbine Entertainment’s CEO Jeff Anderson who took time to give the complete lowdown of his company’s entry into Middle-earth to TheOneRing.net. [More]

Easy Win Giveaway Winners Announced!

3/26/07, 4:37 pm EST - Celeborn

EASY WIN Giveaway!The time is here! We'd like to thank all of the participants of the giveaway, and we'd like to especially thank Sideshow Collectibles for generously donating such great prizes! So without further delay, follow the link to view the winner list! (Please note, winners have until April 2nd to claim their prize, otherwise new winners will be chosen!) [Winners List!]

DVD Tuesday: Children, Happy Feet & More!

3/26/07, 1:12 pm EST - Xoanon

Take an early look on our 'DVD Tuesday' feature...every Monday! Check out some TV on DVD goodies like 'Whose Line Is It Anyway - S1 & 2', 'The Shield - S5' & 'Jeffersons - S6'. There are a few compilations out tomorrow; 'Shirley Temple - America's Sweetheart Collection, Vol. 5' & 'The Errol Flynn Signature Collection, Vol. 2'. The big releases of the week are 'Children of Men', 'Happy Feet' & 'The Pursuit of Happyness'. Personally I'm interested in 'Hacking Democracy' & 'He-Man V02 Box Set'! Check out the whole list here! [More]

News for Mar. 25, 2007

Tolkien Course at University of Pittsburgh

3/25/07, 5:06 pm EST - Xoanon

Julie writes: There's a Tolkien and Lewis class being taught fall semester 2007 at University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. under ENGLIT- English Literature. A link to course description is here.

C.S. Lewis Lectures in Texas

3/25/07, 12:47 pm EST - Xoanon

Kathy writes: This is the first time I have submitted an item for TORn's news page, so I hope it is of interest. Here is the info from the 3/24 Austin American Statesman: C.S. Lewis Expert to Talk: C.S. Lewis expert Walter Hooper will give two public lectures in Central Texas next week and will receive an honorary doctorate from Concordia University in Austin... [More]

J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide joins ‘elite’ Tolkien publications

3/25/07, 12:41 pm EST - Xoanon

MrCere writes: It is an exhilarating time to be a J.R.R. Tolkien enthusiast. Yes the good professor has long since gone to his rest and the crazy days of movie adaptations are behind, but for readers, these are heady times. Grabbing headlines is “The Children Of Hurin,” a significant release of Tolkien’s own writings edited and presented by his son and literary heir Christopher Tolkien. But another significant work may have been missed by some in the excitement of new material and it is a piece of scholarship that needs to be considered. [More]

Middle Earth Idols Get YouTube Treatment

3/25/07, 12:34 pm EST - Xoanon

Ashlee Scott from Mars Productions writes: Don't know if you wanted to put any of the actual film on your site (as you did with the trailer), but the film is now on YouTube (in parts/due to their size restrictions). [More]

News for Mar. 24, 2007

TV Watch: Liv Tyler on 'Conan' Clip

3/24/07, 4:29 pm EST - Xoanon

Fresh off her interview on 'Regis', Liv Tyler was on 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien' on Friday, March 23rd, 2007. She was there to promote her latest film 'Reign Over Me' with Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle. Take a look at the clip here! [More]

TV Watch: Liv Tyler on 'Regis & Kelly' Clip

3/24/07, 4:12 pm EST - Xoanon

Liv Tyler was a guest on 'Live! with Regis & Kelly' Frdiay, March 23rd. She was there to promote her latest film 'Reign Over Me' with Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle. Take a look at the clip here! [More]

More ORC 2007 Images

3/24/07, 1:53 pm EST - Xoanon

ORC 2007 Images Ringer Spy obi donkenobi sends along his images from our recent ORC 2007 Convention in Burbank, California. Take a look! [More]
Take a look at all our images from the convention here! [ORC 2007 Gallery]

Sideshow Collectibles Newsletter

3/24/07, 1:32 pm EST - Xoanon

Be sure to check out our weekly Sideshow Collectibles update! Each week we provide an update on your favorite Sideshow goodies, from busts to premium figures and more! Take a look! [More]

LOTR Exhibit in Germany

3/24/07, 1:07 pm EST - Xoanon

LOTR Exhibit in Germany - LOTR Chopper Take a look at these images from the LOTR Exhibit currently being held in Germany. This is the same exhibit last seen at the Te Papa Museum in Wellington, New Zealand. One interesting addition is the LOTR Chopper! Take a look at all the images here! [More]

GameDaily Talks LOTR Online

3/24/07, 1:00 pm EST - Xoanon

MrCere writes: The guys over at GameDaily.com attended the same press event in Boston that TORn did last week. Our associate delivers a simple and informative look at what Turbine is accomplishing with its massive Lord of the Rings on-line experience. Here is a great and easily digestible look at "How to build a better MMO." [More]

MST3K Goofs on LOTR Score

3/24/07, 12:57 pm EST - Xoanon

Melissa writes: For those of us LOTR fans and who also like to watch the shenanigans of the boys of MST3K, our dreams have come true. Mike Nelson has continued his ways at a site called RiffTrax where he has made new soundtracks for new movies. And yes they have taken on LOTR Fellowship of the Ring. We have just watched this at our house and it is ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS!!! Thought I would pass it on to other TORN fans. [More]

NY Times Talks All Things Tolkien

3/24/07, 12:55 pm EST - Xoanon

Jean writes: In the March 23rd Travel section of the New York Times, you can find an article mentioning the upcoming release of 'The Children of Húrin' and 'The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar', as well as information pertaining to upcoming Tolkien conferences and conventions. It also includes a photo from the parade at last year's Dragon*Con. [More]

Get Fuzzy Talks LOTR

3/24/07, 12:49 pm EST - Xoanon

Get Fuzzy Talks LOTR

Darb Conley and his characters on 'Get Fuzzy' have refrenced LOTR once again. Take a look here.

News for Mar. 23, 2007

National Library Week Poll

3/23/07, 1:58 pm EST - Xoanon

Vicki writes: I'm a student at Western Illinois University. In honor of National Library Week April 16-20, our libraries are hosting a program called "Feeding on Reading". You can nominate your favorite book until March 26. For the top ten selections of favorite books, the dining services will provide food reflecting those books. I'm asking for everyone's help here to nominate Lord of the Rings. You can go to here and nominate it. For affiliation, just select "friend of WIU libraries".

TV Watch: Liv Tyler on 'Regis' & 'Conan'

3/23/07, 1:56 pm EST - Xoanon

Liv Tyler will be on both 'Conan O'Brien' and 'Live! with Regis & Kelly' today to promote her latest film 'Reign Over Me'. You may have missed 'Regis & Kelly' depending on your time zone, but 'Conan O'Brien' airs tonight on NBC at 12:35AM. Watch this space for the clips later this weekend!

Last Day to Enter EASY WIN Giveaway!

3/23/07, 9:59 am EST - Celeborn

EASY WIN Giveaway!Don't miss out on entering the EASY WIN Giveaway - submissions end today! We'd like to thank Sideshow Collectibles for providing some great prizes: The Legendary Scale Cave Troll, a Legolas 12-inch Figure and the highly sought after Minas Morgul Environment! This 'Easy Win' giveaway couldn't be more simple. Just follow the link and enter your information into the form. That is it! Winners will be posted on the frontpage of TORn on March 26th. [Enter Now!]

News for Mar. 21, 2007

Peter Jackson helps build the buzz around Hot Fuzz

3/21/07, 6:26 pm EST - Xoanon

PJ helps build the buzz around Hot Fuzz

The boys behind Shaun of the Dead and the new hit action-comedy Hot Fuzz talk to Margaret Agnew about staying true, Tarantino, homo-erotica, and Peter Jackson's cameo. The most action-filled, splattery fun to be had at the movies since Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz is the latest movie sub-version made by a clever trio of comic Brits. Actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and their director Edgar Wright were in New Zealand recently to launch Hot Fuzz, with the help of their mate "PJ" – or Peter Jackson to less stellar mortals.

With jetlag setting in, Frost and Wright down Nurofen during our interview (they show me the packet to prove it isn't something illicit). They all look tired, having flown from England the day before to attend the New Zealand premiere of Hot Fuzz at Wellington's Embassy theatre. [More]

NYC Ringers - Barnes and Noble Exclusive Opportunity

3/21/07, 11:25 am EST - Calisuri

The Children of HurinTalk about being lucky to live in NYC! Houghton Mifflin has just alerted TORn to this unique opportunity:

A Barnes & Noble Exclusive. A **LIMITED QUANTITY** of THE CHILDREN OF HÚRIN signed by Christopher Tolkien and Alan Lee will go on sale at 12:00 noon on April 17, 2007.

Make your plans for a chance to be one of the lucky few to get your hands on a signed edition of the first complete book by J.R.R. Tolkien in three decades!! The books have exclusive bookplates previously signed by Tolkien and Lee. Books will be sold on a first come first served basis. Limit 2 books per customer.

DATE: April 17, 2007
TIME: 12:00 noon
PLACE: Barnes & Noble, 5th Avenue & 46th Street, New York City (212) 697-3048 [Map]

Don't forget to enter TORN's The Children of Hurin TORn giveaway! [Enter the Giveaway] [Pre-Order]


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