12-28-04 Latest News

One Ring Celebration: Hotel Rooms Still Available
Xoanon @ 12:11 am EST

Going to One Ring Celebration? need a room? Read below!!

There are still a few rooms left at some of the Pasadena area hotels and motels. Below is a list of hotels, with the Westin and the Pasadena Inn still holding group rates until this coming weekend. Use either One Ring Celebration or TheOneRing.net as the code word for the group rates, both appear to apply.

Don't be afraid to call the Hilton or the Sheraton either, even though they said they were sold out. You never know when a room might come available. The rest are just further out and have no group rates, but will put you in the city.

See you all in a little over two weeks!

Westin Pasadena
**Conference rate available thru 1/1/05**
191 N. Los Robles Ave. Pasadena, CA
(626) 792-2727
www.westin.com/pasadena

Pasadena Inn
**Conference rate available thru 1/2/05**
400 S. Arroyo Pkwy.
(626) 795-8401

Sheraton Pasadena Hotel
303 East Cordova Street, Pasadena, California
91101United States
Phone (626) 449-4000 Fax (626) 584-1390

Hilton Pasadena
168 South Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101
Tel: +1-626-577-1000 Fax: +1-626-584-3148

Old Pasadena Courtyard by Marriott
180 N. Fair Oaks Ave. Pasadena, CA
(626) 403-7600
www.courtyard.com/laxot

Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel & Spa
1401 S. Oak Knoll Pasadena, CA
(626) 568-3900
www.ritzcarlton.com

Best Western Colorado Inn
2156 E. Colorado Pasadena, CA
(626) 793-9339

Comfort Inn
2462 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA
(626) 405-0811

Pasadena Travelodge
2131 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA
(626) 796-9291

Saga Motor Hotel
1633 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA
(626) 795-0431

Tickets are still available for One Ring Celebration, get yours today!

Denver fans to Toast Tolkien
Xoanon @ 11:26 am EST

The Misty Mountains Smial Tolkien Society of Denver is planning a party of special magnificence to celebrate the birthday of J.R.R. Tolkien on January 3rd. Food, drink, readings (bring your favorite to share) entertainment and fabulous prizes for kids and adults alike are all part of the program.

The Misty Mountians Smial will host a celebration of J.R.R. Tolkien's birthday on Monday, January 3, 2005 at the Celtic Tavern, 1801 Blake Street, Denver, CO, 303-308-1795. The festivities will start at 6:30 p.m. and last until a little after 9:00 p.m., the traditional time to toast "The Professor."

We will be serenaded by Marianne Goodland on the harp, will learn how to sing "Happy Birthday" in Elvish and will toast the professor in both English and Mandarin Chinese in honor of our sister-smail, Tol Eressea, in Taiwan! A generous buffet of hearty appetizers will be served.

Best of all, there will be mathoms for all and fabulous prize giveaways! Our Grand Prize will be Sideshow/WETA's High Elven Infantry Helm (this is a sold out item!) donated by our good friends at The Mathom House (www.the-mathom-house.com) who carry some of the best deals on weapon replicas on the internet.

Other fabulous prizes include a copy of "The Atlas of Middle-earth," personally signed by Karen Wynn Fonstad to the winner of our drawing, a beautiful, hand-made Hillman knife from Angmar forged by our very own president Walt, t-shirts, toys, posters, movie passes, books, and more!

The cost is as follows:

$16.00 for teenagers & adults ($20.00 after 12/29 &/or at the door)
$11.00 for kids ages 8-12 ($15.00 after 12/29 &/or at the door)
Kids under 8 free

Payment can be made via Paypal to mistymountainssmial@gmail.com, or via check made out to Pat Dawson & mailed to "Misty Mountains Smial" P.O. Box 203, Lafayette, CO, 80026. We will also accept cash at the door, however payment in advance is greatly appreciated so we can guarantee everyone a mathom. Please give your name and be specific about the number of adults, kids, etc. in your party.

Questions? Email 'mistymountainssmial@gmail.com or visit our website at movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/misty-mountains-smial/

Hope to see all Denver-area fans and scholars there!

'Twas the Night before Yule
Jincey @ 12:50 pm EST

'Twas the night before Yule, when all through Bag End
No Hobbit was stirring, not even a Baggins;
The teapot was hung in the kitchen with care,
In hopes that Gandalf the Grey soon would be there.

Bilbo and Frodo lay all snug in their beds,
While visions of mushroom-pies danced in their heads;
And Gaffer Gamgee next door, at Sam's behest,
Had just settled down for a long winter's rest,
When out on the Hill there arose such a clatter,
Sam sprang from his chair to see what was the matter.
Away to the garden he flew like a flash,
Fell in the potatoes and rolled on his back.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to all Bagshot Row,
When what to his wondering eyes should appear,

But a train of ponies, loaded with Dwarves and gear,
With a little old wizard, so lively and quick,
Sam knew in a moment it must be old Mith.
More rapid than Eagles his Dwarf-friends they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, called them by name;
"Now, Bombur! now, Dwalin! now, Bifur and Bofur!
On, Gloin! On, Gimli! on, Nori and Nar!
To the top of the road! Don't trip and do not fall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
As dry leaves before the hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to Bag End the Dwarves rode on through,
With a wain full of gold, and dragon-jools too!

And then, in a twinkling, Sam heard a loud "Oof!"
As Dwarves tumbled and ponies stomped on the hoof.
As Sam rose up to stand, and was turning around,
Through the round door Gandalf the Grey went with a bound.
"Now that won't do!" Sam cried as he stamped his foot,
The Dwarves all chuckled, and Sam sighed with an "Oh, shoot!"
A bundle of gold Gandalf had on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, and his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as grey as they go;
The stump of pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He was known for fireworks and a little mischief,
But, Great Goblins, now he seemed no more than a thief!
He was grimy and gruff, unlike Bilbo's High Elves,
And Sam wept when he saw Gandalf knock off a shelf.
But a wink of an eye, a twist of the head,
Soon told Sam he had much, much worse things to dread!
Gandalf spoke no word, but went straight to his work,
And ripped all the clean socks, oh! what a jerk!
And laying a finger aside of his nose,
He said, "Give 'em Hell, Sam! These rags have to go!"
And he sprang out the door, to the Dwarves he whistled,

And away they all fled like they sat on a thistle.
And Sam had to exclaim, ere they were all out of sight,
"No more Miruvor for you! Oh, what a long night!"

By Michael Martinez

ROTK winds BBC Film 2004 “Film of the Year” poll
Xoanon @ 2:55 pm EST

LORD OF THE RINGS IS KING OF THE YEAR'S FILMS By Anita Singh, PA

Showbusiness Editor The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King has been voted best film of the year.

The third and final instalment in the Tolkien trilogy topped a poll by viewers of the BBC's Film 2004 show, hosted by Jonathan Ross.

In a year which saw it win a record-equalling 11 Academy Awards, The Return Of The King was runaway favourite in the survey.

The two previous films in the trilogy, The Two Towers And The Fellowship Of The Ring, also took the title in 2002 and 2003.

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, starring Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey, was second in the survey.

Winslet appeared again at number three with Finding Neverland, the biopic of Peter Pan creator JM Barrie in which she appeared with Johnny Depp.

Lost In Translation, the quirky film which starred Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, was fourth.

Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban was in fifth place.

There was also room in the top 10 for a low-budget British hit and a foreign language film.

Zombie comedy Shaun Of The Dead was sixth and Chinese martial arts epic Hero was seventh.

Recent animated smash The Incredibles, blockbuster Spider-Man 2 and Tom Cruise thriller Collateral made up the top 10.

The results of the poll are being broadcast in a Film 2004 special tonight.

Film of the Year:

1 The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King
2 Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
3 Finding Neverland
4 Lost In Translation
5 Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
6 Shaun Of The Dead
7 Hero
8 The Incredibles
9 Spider-Man 2
10 Collateral

Easter (Eggs)? But It's Not Even Christmas?!
Xoanon @ 8:20 pm EST

Rasputin the Evil Balrog writes: I just wanted to make sure everyone knows that there are two Easter Eggs on the Extended Edition of ROTK. The bogus interview of Elijah Wood conducted by Dominic Monaghan (as German journalist Hans Jensen) that PJ mentioned at the Oscar Party was already confirmed by your earlier report from Britain and is found on the first disc of the film.

On the second disc there is a second Easter Egg, though, that I haven't seen anyone mention. It's this year's MTV Movie Awards skit featuring Vince Vaughan and Ben Stiller taking a meeting with Peter Jackson to pitch their ideas for a sequel to Lord of the Rings ("The Ring was destroyed." "But what if it wasn't?"). Not my fave of the three years of MTV Eggs, but still hilarious.

Oh, and FYI, the Eggs are accessed on each disc by going into the chapter selection menu, choosing the last chapter, then pressing the down arrow on your remote. A Ring icon will appear at the bottom of the screen, and you hit enter to access the egg. Very similar to the previous EEs.

McKellen's "Aladdin" Review
Xoanon @ 11:58 am EST

Claire writes: Just to tell you that my husband and I took our two children and a friend's daughter to the Old Vic in London last night (Sunday, 19th December) to see 'Aladdin'. Before we went, my 13-year-old son wasn't too keen - "Pantomimes are too babyish", he said. And at the beginning, while most of the audience were joining in with the traditional booing the villain and shouting "He's behind you!" and "Oh, no, it isn't!", he kept quiet. However, he soon loosened up and joined in too.

When Ian McKellen first appeared as the Widow Twanky, he and his sister were fairly squirming with excitement. He was quite brilliant, sang and danced like a real trouper - and we girls agreed that he had a pretty good pair of legs on him!

We all had a marvellous time.

Tolkien Themed Book Review
Xoanon @ 11:49 am EST

Elf_Maven writes: Here is the review I wrote for this new Tolkien-related book, 'The Battle for Middle-Earth: Tolkien's Divine Design in "the Lord of the Rings"'

Although I haven’t finished this book by Fleming Rutledge, I think it's going to be one of my favorites. The title is 'The Battle for Middle-Earth: Tolkien's Divine Design in "the Lord of the Rings"'.

Here is some background to her approach, in the author’s own words:

Tolkien did not intend his story to be about Good vs. Evil with clearly defined boundaries. It is significant that in his letters he often puts “good” in quotation marks as if to say “supposedly” good. The book is about the way that evil (understood as power over others) has the capacity to insinuate its way into the hearts and souls of absolutely everyone. Not even Gandalf is immune. That, for me, is the greatness and the subtlety of [LOTR].

My own conviction is that the theological structure of the book (what I call the “deep narrative”) pervades the entire work and is subtly disclosed by Tolkien by [his use] of the passive form of the verb in sentences (“Frodo was meant” to have the Ring) and the frequent references to “some other will.” The observant reader will gradually come to feel an overpowering sense of the presence of God, or — in an honored theological term now unfortunately less used — Providence. Tolkien uses the passive the way the Bible does, to indicate the active, shaping presence of God ("their eyes were opened,” “the rocks were split”).*

Tolkien calls God Eru, "The One," or Ilúvatar, "Father of All." In his own words, the One "intrudes the finger of God" into the plot at various identifiable points. It is this One whom Tolkien calls The Writer of the Story, quoting with obvious approval the words of a reviewer who referred to "that one ever-present person who is never absent and never named." **

What seems especially impressive to me is that the author developed most of her understanding and insight simply out of her own love of LOTR. It wasn't until after she had sketched out her book that she read some of the secondary materials. "I came upon Tolkien with virtually no presuppositions. . . . I had a hunch that I had uncovered something in the book that had not yet been sufficiently celebrated."

Rather than break down her commentary into separate chapters with different themes, since she is tracing a single “theme” throughout all of LOTR, Rutledge has chosen to present her material as part of a running “retelling” of Tolkien’s pertinent plot points, moving from chapter to chapter in sync with Tolkien’s original six books. She tells us in the Introduction: "Instead of identifying various themes and then analyzing them, I have chosen to be guided by Tolkien’s own professed trust in the revelatory power of narrative. This power is well known to all who have responded to Tolkien’s exceptional skill as a storyteller; it is part of the mystique of the beloved tale. In my discussion, I wanted to hold on to Tolkien’s narrative momentum, because it seemed to me that something of fundamental importance was being conveyed precisely through that momentum."

Inter-cut with the commentary and adding further richness to her insight are wonderful quotations from various other sources. This author is obviously well-read and well-rounded herself, and she elaborates on her discussion of LOTR with citations from numerous diverse sources: from Shakespeare to Joseph Conrad, from historical documents to poetry, from the Bible to George Orwell.

One of her reviewers commented: “Fear not! Fleming Rutledge has carefully avoided reducing Tolkien’s thrilling stories to doctrine or his characters to typology.” No, she has reduced nothing. She has expanded and enhanced and revealed depths I had only vaguely suspected.

Rutledge has said it is her hope that Battle will “give pleasure to those who may already have detected the presence of the sub-narrative, and insight to those who may have missed it on first reading.” Whether you fall into one of these categories or not, if you love reading not only what Tolkien has written but also what others have written about him and his works, I recommend that you add this book to your collection.

*Excerpt from roundtable discussion about Return of the King posted on belief.net 12/03.
**From the Introduction to Battle.

Dominic Monaghan Records 'Ringers'
Xoanon @ 6:54 pm EST

click for more images

Greetings fellow Ringers!

I've sent in some pictures that I took of Dominic Monaghan from our "RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS" narration recording session. We recorded at the same studio where he does the looping for "Lost." It's located in the mountains behind Honolulu and was quite lovely! Everything went well and I'm sure that the Ringers out there will love his narration. We had a lot of fun with it! Dom kept noodling away at a piano in the studio on breaks.

Dom is looking forward to seeing everyone at ORC, and is hoping that his "Lost" schedule will permit him to attend our "RINGERS" premiere in Park City, Utah on January 21st at the Slamdance Film Festival. (For tickets go to slamdance.com) Dom will be joining us on our ORC "RINGERS" panel, and we'll show a segment from the film and some clips and hopefully some behind the scenes footage!

For more info about "RINGERS," visit our website. For the list of our interviewees, click the Interviewee link!

Aloha!

Carlene Cordova
"RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS" Director

Talk RoTK EE This Weekend At HoF!
Demosthenes @ 7:19 pm EST

If you already have your copy of the Return of the King Extended Edition, you've probably worn it out by now.

And we bet you're burning to talk about the additional footage: how well it works, whether it fits in and how well it adds to the overall storyline.

That's why this weekend in Hall of Fire, we're having a special session on the Return of the King Extended Edition: 'Return of the King EE: Are you satisfied now?'

Come along and join and give us your opinion!

===
Upcoming topics

Dec 26 Only:
Share Your Story ­ What Tolkien Means to Me.

Jan 1 and 2:
Q and A with the Hall of Fire staff ­ You ask / we answer

Jan 8 and 9:
The Power of Song in Tolkien

Jan 16 and 17:
The Silmarillion ­ Ainulindale & the Valaquenta

===
Place:
#thehalloffire on theonering.net IRC server. Need instructions? Go here:
http://www.theonering.net/barlimans/instructions.html

===
Chat Times:

Saturday Chat:
5:30pm EST (17:30)
[also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 9:30am Sunday morning Australian summer time]

Sunday Chat:
8:00 pm (20:00) CET

[also 2:00pm (14:00) EST and 6:00am Monday morning Australian summer time]

EST = Eastern Time, USA's East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
AEST = Australian East Coast

_______________________________________________
Hof-announce mailing list
Hof-announce@theonering.net
http://www.theonering.net/mailman/listinfo/hof-announce

ROTK EE on a Big Screen in Minnesota
Xoanon @ 6:57 pm EST

Update from the Minnesota Tolkien Society: The Church of the Open Door who is having the Return of the Trilogy event on December 31st in Maple Grove, MN has heard from many fans who for one reason or another cannot attend the entire event and are interested in seeing Return of the King Extended Edition (ROTK EE) only on the big screen in surround sound. In response, on December 14th, they converted a LIMITED number of trilogy tickets to ROTK EE only. ROTK starts at 5pm and is $8.

For just $7 more, you are able to secure your spot for the Return of the King including the Two Towers, and the Fellowship of the Ring.

From the December Minnesota Tolkien Society Newsletter:

How many of you remember Trilogy Tuesday? If you remember it with a smile, it's because you, or a friend, waited outside for 3+ hours to make sure you were one of the first 80 people in line to buy tickets. If you remember it with a tinge of regret, it's because you missed out on the best, single-day movie experience to date. – Don’t let it happen again! This time it is bigger (in terms of screen and seating capacity), and longer with 50 minutes of film footage never-before-seen on the big screen. Here it is, the event we have all been waiting for since Trilogy Tuesday: ALL THREE EXTENDED-EDITION MOVIES BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK!!! With Thanksgiving and the busiest shopping weekend of the year behind us, now is the time to prepare for the holidays and the new year. Do not let this opportunity pass you by: Secure your spot now.

Do not forget to reserve your seat(s) at the King’s Feast and Elevenses. Elevenses is a box lunch between FOTR and TTT. The King’s Feast is an event worth attending even if you can’t make the movies! You will be welcomed into the Golden Hall of Edoras (a large candle-lit medieval space) for a feast fit only for a King and his court. The catered menu includes roasted pig, chicken legs, green beans, baked beans, cornbread, fresh fruit, and more. With only an hour between movies this is the perfect option for dinner for any royal subject or guest of honor. Because both meals are catered, tickets will only be available until December 20th.

Tickets for either movie package and both meals can be purchased separately from www.thedoor.org/lotr

The Lord Of The Rings Tradeable Miniatures Game: The Balrog Unveiled
Xoanon @ 6:52 pm EST

Jeff Hrubiak writres: The newest offering from Sabertooth Games for their The Lord of the Rings Tradeable Miniatures Game is the mighty Balrog. He is the latest Evil figure to come to Middle-earth in the Premium Line (PL) of figures. This is one bad dude! Lucky for the forces of Good, he comes packaged with a very impressive version of Gandalf the Grey. They are hitting retailers’ shelves sometime this month, December 2004!

The Balrog will tower over the forces of Middle-earth. He stands 9 ½ inches tall on a base of 9 hexes (the standard figure stands on 1 hex!), and has a wing span of 12 inches wide. He is complete with flames coming out of his back and a flaming sword in hand. This guy not only looks great, but he is a one-man-army to be reckoned with for sure! The Balrog weighs in at a point cost of 1500 points. His 8 wounds and toughness of 5 will make this guy hard (but not impossible!) to kill, and his 10 action points (AP) will help him make sure that every one of his 7 attacks hits with deadly precision, and deals a maximum amount of damage to his enemies. With a movement of 12 this guy will get across the map in no time to join the battle. And should he choose, he can join the battle from a distance with his 7 shots at a range of 7 hexes. The Balrog also has a wealth of special abilities (SA) to help the gamer in his conquest of Middle-earth. These include:

Large: This has several benefits over standard figures such as kill zone and line of sight (LOS) advantages.

Fearsome: This forces an enemy to spend an AP to move into this figure's kill zone as well as spending an AP to stay there (if he dares!).

Flying: This new SA grants several benefits including movement over restrictive terrain and free attacks.

Terrifying: This awesome new SA makes the Balrog immune to free attacks and to being targeted by enemy SAs.

Volley Attack: This new SA allows the Balrog to assign damage to any figure within range and LOS without nominating a specific target.

With such power and prowess there are few in Middle-earth that have the courage and power to battle the Balrog. This is where the forces of Good can utilize their own one-man-army of Gandalf the Grey. This new version also comes in at a 1500 point cost to go head to head with the Balrog. Gandalf has an impressive 10 wounds and a toughness of 5 to help him withstand the awesome onslaught of the Balrog. He has 9 APs that will allow him to take full advantage of his 6 attacks and many special abilities. Gandalf can move 5 hexes per turn, and can attack at a distance from a range of 7 hexes with an impressive 14 shots! Gandalf has also been given a number of special abilities to help him in his efforts to destroy the Balrog. These include:

Initiative: This gives Gandalf an advantage in choosing to attack or defend.

Crack Shot: This allows Gandalf to utilize his 14 ranged shots and then move strategically into position.

Arrow Flurry: This will allow Gandalf to double his ranged shots from 14 to a whopping 28 shots!

Courage: Just like in the story, once Gandalf dies (his wound count goes down to 0), he can live on to fight for another round with this SA. Just enough to finish off the Balrog!

While the game can be played as a one on one, 1500 point battle between the Balrog and Gandalf, these guys can also be incorporated into larger armies of 2000 points or more for massive battles of epic proportions! For more information, check out the Sabertooth Games website.