[Lotr_announce] TheOneRing.net Newsletter - January 2008

[Michael Regina]

TORN #360

January, 2008

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Rings Roundup (Top headlines of major interest)
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Top Tolkien Stories of 2007
2007 has been quite an exciting year for Tolkien fans! There’s been an
abundance of news and events from across the globe including openings of
musicals, new book releases and new movies in the pipeline: something to
satisfy just about any geeky preference! As a thank-you for following all
the developments of the year with us, we thought we’d put together a
retrospective of the top Tolkien stories of 2007 in one convenient list. The
list below is in chronological order.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/12/31/28205-top-tolkien-stories-of-2007
/

Aragorn Premium Format goes up for Pre-Order
We mentioned last week that Sideshow Collectibles had previewed their latest
Lord of the Rings Premium Format Figure - Aragorn. Well, as expected, this
week they have started taking pre-orders for the exclusive edition of this
figure. The exclusive, only available online via the
SideshowCollectibles.com website, features an alternate interchangeable left
hand clutching Aragorn’s hunting knife. We don’t expect the exclusive to
last long, so if you are interested, jump on over to Sideshow’s website and
place your pre-order. (Just a tip from us collectors - you don’t actually
pay for the piece until it ships!).
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/12/28/28198-aragorn-premium-format-goes
-up-for-pre-order/

EW.com’s Top 20 Fansites
File this under ‘we really don’t want to toot our own horn, but a lot of
people are emailing about it.’ Entertainment Weekly has named TheOneRing.net
among the top fansites in their yearly ‘Best and Worst of 2007? edition, on
newsstands now. TheOneRing.net is deeply and humbly honored to be among
those listed. We know, as I’m sure you do, that the success of
TheOneRing.net is built on the passion and persistence of the entirety of
Tolkien fandom. We owe everything that we’ve done, are doing, and will do to
the genius of J.R.R. Tolkien and his devoted readers. So thank you (yes, you
reading this!) for your support through the years, and we hope that you will
continue along this journey with us as we move into a new ‘age.’
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/12/21/28182-ewcoms-top-20-fansites/

Variety.com: “Raimi expected to
” helm Hobbit!
In an article talking about Sam Raimi’s next film, ‘Drag Me to Hell,’
Variety seems to imply, with some authority, that Sam Raimi is going to be
taking the reigns of ‘The Hobbit’ after that films completion:
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/12/20/28174-varietycom-raimi-expected-t
o-helm-hobbit/

LOTR Online Nabs ‘MMO Game of the Year’
WESTWOOD, MA – December 18, 2007 - Turbine, Inc. announced today that The
Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™ was awarded PC MMO Game of the
Year of 2007 by the editorial staff of GameSpy, the web’s leading
destination for online information, entertainment and communities serving
the enthusiast gamer worldwide. The editors also named the critically
acclaimed massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) as one of
the PC Top 10 Games of 2007.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/12/19/28168-lotr-online-nabs-mmo-game-o
f-the-year/

MGM CEO Harry Sloan talks ‘Hobbit’
EW.com scored an interview with MGM CEO Harry Sloan after this mornings
announcements. The biggest highlight is, “Is there any chance that Peter
could direct the Hobbit sequel?”, which he answered with, “Well, he could
direct either of them.”
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/12/18/28155-mgm-ceo-harry-sloan-talks-h
obbit/

The Party is On! TORn celebrates Announcement
The Tolkien community is in hysterics today as we finally get the ‘official’
announcement concerning ‘The Hobbit.’ (Full Release) Now what? What can we
expect? Well, first off, join the Tolkien community discussion in our forums
and in Barlimans (IRC Chat). Then, strap on those seatbelts as we gear up
for a wild ride! Director speculation, casting speculation, and don’t forget
the infamous SPY REPORTS! Woo! We can’t wait!
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/12/18/28151-the-party-is-on-torn-celebr
ates-announcement/

PETER JACKSON AND NEW LINE CINEMA JOIN WITH MGM TO PRODUCE “THE HOBBIT”
Movie
ACADEMY AWARD-WINNER PETER JACKSON AND NEW LINE CINEMA JOIN WITH MGM TO
PRODUCE “THE HOBBIT,” EAGERLY-ANTICIPATED FANTASY ADVENTURE EPIC NEW LINE
AND MGM TO CO-PRODUCE AND SHARE WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS PETER JACKSON
AND FRAN WALSH TO EXECUTIVE PRODUCE TWO FILMS BASED ON “THE HOBBIT”
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/12/18/28150-peter-jackson-and-new-line-
cinema-join-with-mgm-to-produce-%e2%80%9cthe-hobbit%e2%80%9d/

Almost everyone Suing New Line Now

The Academy Award-winning producer behind the “Lord of the Rings” franchise
has sued the films’ distributor, New Line Cinema, to force it to disclose
its accounting for the multibillion-dollar epic. The lawsuit, filed on
Thursday in Los Angeles by octogenarian producer Saul Zaentz, was at least
the second involving profits from the trilogy against New Line, which is
accused in both suits of hiding profits.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/12/15/28138-almost-everyone-suing-new-l
ine-now/

ROTK Complete Recordings Snafued with Tech Issues?
Marilyn sends this in: After reporting my second defective copy of the
Complete Return music (there is a “hole” in the Grond music in the stereo
dvd that is not found in the cds or in the surround dvd track).
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/12/11/28131-rotk-complete-recordings-sn
afued-with-tech-issues/

‘Lord of the Rings’ voted Britain’s Favourite Children’s Book Adaptation’
Harry Potter’s magic was not enough to beat the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy
in a new list of Britain’s favourite children’s book adaptation. The movies
based on JRR Tolkien’s literary series of the same name, emerged the winner
in the poll taken to find which book’s adaptation kids liked best. The
movies based on JK Rowling’s books came next in line at the second spot.
Third place on the list went to the adaptation of Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory’.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/12/06/28118-lord-of-the-rings-voted-bri
tains-favourite-childrens-book-adaptation/

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

Coming Soon:

January 3rd: Tolkien's Birthday
January 13th: Orlando Bloom's Birthday
January 28th: Elijah Wood's Birthday

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!

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

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Michael Regina
Editor in Chief/Segment Producer
PH: 514.947.5221
http://www.TheOneRing.net
http://www.KongisKing.net
http://www.TheOneLion.net
http://www.gallifreyone.com
http://www.jonasmoore.com
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