[Lotr_announce] TheOneRing.net Newsletter - February 2008

Michael Regina xoanon at theonering.net
Sat Feb 2 22:41:27 EST 2008


TORN #361

February, 2008

---------------------------------------------------
Rings Roundup (Top headlines of major interest)
---------------------------------------------------

Ask..And Ye Shall Receive
Eventually
One of the email questions we often get, besides ‘Can you cast me in “The
Hobbit?”‘ is ‘Where can I see a LOTR blooper reel?’. Well, now thanks to the
folks at The Holmes Show, and the guys at WETA
here it is!
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/02/01/28340-askand-ye-shall-receiveeven
tually/

Tehanu’s Notes: My Vote’s with Guillermo Del Toro
I hope I wasn’t the only person jumping with joy at the news that Guillermo
del Toro is 99% confirmed to direct ‘The Hobbit‘. I’m hoping this will be
the start of the a similar ‘dream run’ to what we saw with LOTR, when so
many decisions, one after another, just felt so right. After seeing his work
on Pan’s Labyrinth last year, I’m incredibly excited to think of him
directing one or both Hobbit movies.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/01/31/28332-tehanus-notes-my-votes-with
-guillermo-del-toro/

TORN exclusive: Del Toro “99 percent certain” says NL insider.
Barring any earth-shattering or unforeseen changes Guillermo del Toro will
direct “The Hobbit.” However, the contracts are not signed and the deal is
not final according to a source close to the film. In a conversation with
TheOneRing.net, the source called it a 99% probability that del Toro would
be helming the double picture but in Hollywood nothing is final until it is
final. The official announcement, which - New Line Cinema will be eager to
make when all the t’s are crossed and the i’s are dotted - will come after
the writer’s strike is settled.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/01/30/28331-torn-exclusive-del-toro-%e2
%80%9c99-percent-certain%e2%80%9d-says-nl-insider/

“Guillermo will direct ‘The Hobbit’
”
The following YouTube video confirms that Guillermo Del Toro will be
directing ‘The Hobbit’ films. UPDATE An inside source has sent us an update.

See below for the video - The important part starts around :40

UPDATE Please note, in this video, you will see the Director of ‘The
Orphanage’, Juan Antonio Bayona is on the left - to his right is the star of
the movie, Belen Rueda - and Guillermo Del Toro is standing next to her.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/01/29/28329-introducing-the-director-of
-the-hobbit/


Del Toro doubling up for ‘The Hobbit’?
I know there are a lot of different opinions in the LOTR community about who
(if not PJ) should direct ‘The Hobbit’ films, but this reporter is hoping
Guillermo Del Toro is on the short list!
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/01/28/28325-del-toro-doubling-up-for-th
e-hobbit/

New Line & ‘The Hobbit’ Move to the WB? ‘Not True’
Contrary to previous reports on IMDB there is “no truth” to the rumor that
New Line Cinema’s Bob Shaye & Michael Lynne were being sacked, and all
projects, including The Hobbit were moving completely over to the Warner
Bros. camps. A New Line spokesperson stated via email to us today that the
story was false, and they are seeking a correction on IMDB.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/01/23/28309-new-line-the-hobbit-move-to
-the-wb-not-true/

1971 BBC radio interview with J.R.R. Tolkien
A great piece of Tolkien history was posted on YouTube recently that you
just can’t pass up. The Tolkien Library has published J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1971
Interview with Dennis Gerrolt of the BBC on YouTube, as well as the complete
transcript at their website. Besides the wonderful content of the interview,
there may be many in our audience who have never heard the professor’s voice
before!
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/01/18/28287-1971-bbc-radio-interview-wi
th-jrr-tolkien/

The Times Names 50 greatest postwar writers: Tolkien Comes in 6th
The Lord of the Rings has remained popular since the 1960s, and became a
hugely successful film trilogy. Tolkien’s themes of fellowship, sacrifice
and the importance of the natural world are traceable to his experiences in
the First World War, as well as to a love of folklore and of myth. John
Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in South Africa and educated at King Edward 1V
School, Birmingham, and Oxford. His mother, who inspired a love of
fairytales and Roman Catholicism, died when he was 12.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/01/14/28273-the-times-names-50-greatest
-postwar-writers-tolkien-comes-in-6th/

MTV.com - Elijah Wants to go back Again
Huge news is breaking as we head into the weekend. The MTV Movie Blog has
posted a feature with Elijah Wood, Frodo, discussing his willingness to go
back again for the ‘Hobbit’ films. Besides Elijah’s enthusiasm for reprising
his role as Frodo, he seems to imply that the majority of the LOTR cast can
expect to participate in the ‘in-between’ Hobbit film. Jump over to MTV.com
now for the complete story!
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/01/11/28260-mtvcom-elijah-wants-to-go-b
ack-again/

Karl Urban Chimes in on ‘The Hobbit’
Karl Urban, Eomer, has chimed in on his thoughts about the upcoming ‘Hobbit’
films in a recent TVGuide.com interview. When asked if he can imagine a
Hobbit film in any other director’s hands, Karl answers, “Well, he (Peter
Jackson) did such an overwhelmingly fantastic job with that trilogy, it’s
hard to conceive of anybody laying their fingerprints on it.”
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/01/11/28259-karl-urban-chimes-in-on-the
-hobbit/

Howard Shore - The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King - The Complete
Recordings
Chad Grischow writes: January 3, 2008 - Poor Howard Shore. With most
moviegoers busy ogling over the amazing visual work Weta created for Peter
Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings trilogy, it is easy to forget just how equally
fantastic they each sound. Newly issued five-disc mega set, featuring nearly
four hours worth of cd audio and another four hours of DVD audio in full
surround sound, is here to refresh your memory. Having worked on scores for
Martin Scorsese (The Departed) and David Fincher (Se7en and Panic Room), not
to mention his long-standing working relationship with David Cronenberg,
Shore knows drama and tension. This experience serves him well in the
inevitable battle sequences, but he proves equally capable of pulling off
delightfully wistful fare throughout. It is the well balanced, always
compelling, sound that makes this rather lengthy collection worthy of your
ears from start to finish. Despite just how long it will take you to hear
all of Shore’s work, there is not much fat to be found. Like the film
itself, there are a few lulls, like plodding “Marshalling At Dunharrow”, but
thankfully no repeated false endings or moments where you wish the credits
would start rolling already.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/01/06/28233-howard-shore-the-lord-of-th
e-rings-the-return-of-the-king-the-complete-recordings/

Ian McKellen Talks ‘The Hobbit’ in Podcast
Howard writes: Factory: the film industry magazine celebrates its fifth
birthday with the launch of a radical, online edition at
www.factory-publishing.com packed with world-exclusives and free iPod
downloads. Ian McKellen recently recorded an interview for us which you can
download, in it he talks about his desire to work on ‘The Hobbit’!
http://www.factory-publishing.com/sir-ian-mckellen.html

Want your design featured on TORn?
When we redesigned TORn a few months ago, we did so with the intention of
being able to swap out designs with ease. To that end, we were hoping to
have Ringer submitted designs that we could occasionally feature. If you are
handy with Photoshop/Illustrator and have some free time, we’d love to see
what you come up with! The following link will download a .zip file that
contains our official logo and a Photoshop file of the site template. The
Photoshop file has a layer included that should make the designing process a
bit easy. If you don’t know how to handle the Photoshop file, chances are
you won’t be able to submit a design! But for those of you who do, give your
best shot and send it to me at calisuri at theonering.net. Please include your
nickname, the source of the assets (original imagery) you used and if you
would like to have your email/website displayed. The TORn staff will choose
the best entries and randomly post them on the site. Have fun!
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/01/04/28224-want-your-design-featured-o
n-torn/

Tolkien Birthday Cruise Deal
To Celebrate Professor Tolkien’s birthday, The Lord of the Rings Cruise and
Tour are offering a 1-category upgrade for new bookings on January 3, only.
So if you were on the fence, don’t delay - book today!
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/01/03/28216-tolkien-birthday-cruise-dea
l/

---------------------------------------------------------
Palantir Visions (Things seen from beyond the front page)
---------------------------------------------------------

Coming Soon:

Feb 25th: Sean Astin's Birthday

MIDDLE EARTH CRUISE UPDATE:

On January 3, 2008, there will be a One Day only sale for the Cruise to
Middle-earth. This sale will consist of a 1 category upgrade and only new
bookings will be eligible. If you have been considering the cruise and were
still on the fence, this is the day to jump over to the other side and join
our Fellowship. Consider this MY Mathom to all good folk of Middle-earth
wishing to step out on the Road again.

What does a 1 category upgrade mean? It means you would pay for one
category, and would be automatically upgraded to the next highest category.
You could pay for the lowest level Interior cabin and be upgraded to a cabin
on a higher deck or more centrally located. Or you could pay for a balcony
on a mid-level deck and be upgraded to a balcony cabin on the top deck. This
1 category upgrade is for upgrades within specific levels, interior to
interior, ocean view to ocean view and balcony to balcony. None of the
suites categories are eligible. I only have specific categories set aside in
my group allotment, but this Sale will allow for you to purchase one of the
in-between categories as well. Here is a breakdown of the categories and
which falls into which level.

Categories 12-9 are interior cabins
Categories 8-4 are ocean view cabins
Categories 2C-2A are Balcony cabins

Feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email to ask specific questions
about pricing, category location on the ship, etc. You can do that now, then
just call back on January 3, 2008 and book your dream vacation to
Middle-earth. After you book, you will be in a celebratory mood, so head on
out to your local pub, bar or restaurant with some of your Ringer friends
and raise a glass to the Professor in honor of his birthday. Oh, and then
you can engage in a lively debate about the upcoming Hobbit movies, what fun
we’ll have for the next few years as we gear up for these films.

Visit www.theonering.net/cruise for more info!

Join us at the 'Hall of Fire'

Times:
Saturday Chat:
5:30pm ET (17:30)
[also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 9:30am Sunday (09:30) AET]

Sunday Chat:
7:00 pm (19:00) CET
[also 2:00pm (14:00) ET and 5:00am (05:00) Monday morning AET]

ET = Eastern Time, USA's East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
AET = Australian East Coast

Do you have a possible topic for Hall of Fire? Drop us a line at halloffire
at theonering.net

TORN's Own Books:

The People's Guide to J.R.R. Tolkien

The People's Guide is written by five contributing writers of
TheOneRing.net -- the leading fan website devoted to Tolkien, his books, his
lore, the New Line Cinema movies, and the fan community that centers on
Middle-earth. TheOneRing.net has always been distinguished by the quality of
the original articles appearing on its Green Books and Tehanu's Notes pages.
This book adapts some of the most popular articles on the TheOneRing.net as
well as offering readers completely new articles that are not available
online.
http://www.theonering.net/perl/newsview/6/1046309473


More People's Guide to J.R.R. Tolkien

Following last year's successful The People's Guide to J.R.R. Tolkien, this
volume continues in the best tradition of Green Books and Tehanu's Notes to
explore the words and worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien through essays, Q&A from
readers, and interviews with special guests.
http://www.theonering.net/perl/newsview/1/1098932815


The Tolkien Fan's Medieval Reader, edited by Turgon

Over the years Tolkien's fondness for and indebtedness to medieval
literature has often been mentioned. His special devotion to older Germanic
literature, including Beowulf and the Eddas, has long been known, for as a
professor he taught these works in addition to teaching the languages in
which they were written. This anthology has been compiled in the hope of
sharing the pleasures of these -- and other -- classics of medieval
literature that were part of Tolkien's professional life and inspirations to
him in his creative work.
http://greenbooks.theonering.net/turgon/files/032504.html

Ongoing EXCLUSIVES from "Ringers: Lord of the Fans"

Get breaking news on TORn! As the "Ringers" team completes work on this
exciting project, you can follow post-production and get EXCLUSIVE
announcements of who is starring in the film! Ringers: Lord of the Fans is a
feature-length documentary that reveals the ongoing cultural phenomenon
created by The Lord of the Rings. Very funny and often moving, Ringers shows
the hidden power behind Tolkien's books -- and how after 50 years a single
literary work continues to spark the minds and hearts of millions.
http://www.ringersstore.com

ADVERTISE ON THEONERING.NET

TheOneRing.net is happy to announce we are finally 'selling' our own ad
space on all pages of TheOneRing.net. If you are interested in reaching the
largest audience of Tolkien fans online, visit our advertising page. No
campaign is too short and no business is too small to advertise.

Do YOU Have Any Cool Contest Ideas?

We're always looking for interesting contests to have fun with all the LOTR
goodies we get everyday. Do you want to submit your ideas and see them come
to life?! Send along any ideas to gamgee at theonering.net and who knows!
You may just win a prize from a contest you invented!

--------------------------------------------------------
Scouring of the Site (Breakdown of our various sections)
--------------------------------------------------------

-The Official Peter Jackson Fanclub (TBHL)- The Lord of the Rings Director's
very own fanclub! Stop on by to learn more about the man, the myth, the
beard. If you are a Peter Jackson fan, then 'TBHL' is the place for you!
GOTO: http://tbhl.theonering.net/index.shtml

-Shop.theonering.net- is THE place to find all your Tolkien items available
online! From Tolkien cards to weekly ebay items, you should keep clicking on
over to our shop section for all your Tolkien needs!
GOTO: http://www.theonering.net/torwp/category/merchandise/

That's all for now, keep clicking, have fun and keep sending in those
letters! We love to hear from you!

See anything you want to add to the site? Have any suggestions as to chat
guests, content items, or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at theonering
at theonering.net, do you want to speak with a specific person? just type in
their handle (i.e. Jincey = jincey at theonering.net).

----------------------------------------------------------
Michael Regina
Editor in Chief
PH: 514.947.5221
http://www.TheOneRing.net
----------------------------------------------------------




More information about the Lotr_Announce mailing list