[Lotr_announce] TheOneRing.net Newsletter - March 2009

[Michael Regina]

TORN #374

March, 2009

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Rings Roundup (Top headlines of major interest)
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Weta launches new website
The team at Weta sent us word that they have just launched a cool new
website. Here is what they had to say: Weta has a brand new website! Please
check it out at www.wetaNZ.com It’s full of “never seen in public before”
images from our projects over the last 20 years. We hope you’ll enjoy all
these new features.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2009/02/20/31206-weta-launches-new-website/

Yahoo! ‘ROTK’ wins ‘Best Picture’
It has a lot of awards already, a record number of Oscars in fact, but Peter
Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King has won Yahoo!’s
“Ultimate Best Picture” prize as voted on by the people. While it isn’t the
most prestigious award, it does demonstrate that J.R.R. Tolkien and the
movies inspired by his works do indeed remain very popular and it beat out
the grand Godfather to earn the title. Read the story over at Yahoo!.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2009/02/19/31200-yahoo-rotk-wins-best-pictur
e/

HM Acquires ‘Sigurd and Gudrun’
>From AP and our friends at Houghton Mifflin: NEW YORK – An early,
long-unpublished work by J.R.R. Tolkien is coming out. “The Legend of Sigurd
and Gudrun,” a thorough reworking in verse of old Norse epics that predates
Tolkien’s writing of “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, will
be published in May by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. According to Houghton, the
book will include an introduction by Tolkien and notes by his son,
Christopher Tolkien. J.R.R. Tolkien, whose fantasy novels have sold millions
of copies, died in 1973. “The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun” was written in
the 1920s and ’30s, when the author was teaching at Oxford University.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2009/02/17/31194-hm-acquires-sigurd-and-gudr
un/

Christopher Lee on Saruman and The Hobbit
Message board member diedye found this IGN interview in which Christopher
Lee discusses his role as a Bond baddie in “Man with the Golden Gun,” and
speculates about reprising the role of Saruman in the upcoming Hobbit films.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2009/02/11/31124-christopher-lee-on-saruman-
and-the-hobbit/

Deadline Issued to Produce Documents for LOTR Lawsuit
LOS ANGELES — Members of “Lord of the Rings” creator J.R.R. Tolkien’s
charitable trust won two victories in court Friday in their lawsuit against
New Line Cinema claiming it is entitled to profits from the blockbuster
trilogy. Trust officials allege the film company cheated them out of at
least $150 million from the blockbuster movie trilogy based on the late
British author’s books. The London-based Tolkien Trust filed its lawsuit
Feb. 11, 2008. The most significant ruling for the Tolkien heirs during
Friday’s status conference came when Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ann I.
Jones set a March 3 deadline for both sides to exchange documents.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2009/02/07/31115-deadline-issued-to-produce-
documents-for-lotr-lawsuit/

Viggo Mortensen talks The Hobbit
Chris Hicks writes: Lord Of The Rings star Viggo Mortensen has spoken to
totalfilm.com about The Hobbit, addressing speculation as to whether he’ll
reprise his role as Aragorn. “I’d rather finish the job myself than have
another actor do it,” says Mortensen. “I’m interested in principle, but I’d
want to see it done in the right spirit of Tolkien.” Viggo gave a nod of
approval to new director Guillermo del Toro, saying, “He’s strongminded,
intelligent and probably just as stubborn [as Jackson]. “I don’t know if
it’ll be as big a circus [as the Trilogy] in terms of several people writing
changes at the last minute.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2009/02/06/31107-viggo-mortensen-talks-the-h
obbit/

Work starts on Hobbit-style park
Work has begun on a new £3m adventure world in a Devon city park. The
Hobbit-style playground, featuring different activity zones, is being built
in Plymouth’s Devonport Park. The Highlands will have a playhouse, nest
swing and toddlers’ carousel, while the Middlelands will include climbing
ropes and a zip-wire. A youth pod for chilling out will be based in the
Lowlands and a sensory garden will be planted with aromatic plants and herbs
for adults. Ideas for the adventure world were put forward by parents,
children, and local residents’ group, the Friends of Devonport Park (FDP).
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2009/02/03/31087-work-starts-on-hobbit-style
-park/

FanFilm: ‘The Hunt For Gollum’ Online May 3rd
Chris Bouchard writes: Just wanted to give you advanced notice that The Hunt
For Gollum will be released on May 3rd 2009 for online free streaming in HD.
Thanks for supporting this ambitious fan film! ‘The Hunt For Gollum’ is a
‘Lord Of The Rings’ Fan Film made by fans for fans. Inspired by notes in the
appendices from ‘The Lord of the Rings’ book, ‘The Hunt For Gollum’ follows
Aragon as he sets out to find the creature Gollum and discover the truth
about the Ring

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2009/02/02/31077-fanfilm-the-hunt-for-gollum
-online-may-3rd/

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Palantir Visions (Things seen from beyond the front page)
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TORn braves airwaves with bi-weekly segment on ‘Fictional Frontiers’

TheOneRing.net will be providing a segment on this Sunday’s broadcast of
‘Fictional Frontiers with Sohaib,’ on WNJC 1360 AM, Philadelphia at 11AM ET.
http://www.wnjc1360.com/Shows/Fictional_Frontiers/fictional_frontiers.html

TORN 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"

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   
PH: 514.947.5221
http://www.TheOneRing.net
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