Saturday, September 09, 2006 I want to find out to what extent fantasy literature deals with topical issues and, above all, what makes Tolkien´s work, half a century after its publication, still so attractive for millions of people. Therefore, I have made up a survey for ‘The Lord of the Rings’-fans. It comprises 40 questions, which are to be answered either by putting a cross or by writing down a few notes (if a question is marked with *, more than one answer is possible). The survey is subdivided into 4 parts: A) General questions By analyzing the results of the survey, I want to find out what makes ‘The Lord of the Rings’ so attractive for fans and in how far it is part of their daily lives. In order to be able to write my school work I need about 100-200 replies. Please send your answers via e-mail to tobi.hock@t-online.de (Reference: LotR Survey). Of course, I am aware of the fact that answering the questions will take some time; yet I hope for lively participation, as the success of my school work and thus a part of my final graduation mark now lies in your hands. At the end of the survey there is space for critical remarks and additional comments. Thank you very much for your participation! Click here to download 'UMFRAGE_engl.doc' (WORD DOCUMENT)
LOTR Survey
- Xoanon @ 23:03 PST
Tobias Hock writes: I am a German student. For my graduation in 2007 I am about to make a school work with the topic "J.R.R. Tolkien´s THE LORD OF THE RINGS: A cultural phenomenon'
B) Concerning the books
C) Concerning Peter Jackson´s film adaptation
D) Concerning fan communities
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
ELF 2006 Review
- Xoanon @ 18:56 PST
LittleRinger writes: I would like to share my memories of ELF with other fans my age and older. I went to my first convention recently. I'm an 11 year-old LOTR fan and went to ELF with my parents (huge LOTR fans). I have grown up with LOTR around me in many ways. On Friday, I enjoyed watching music videos from fans and presentations by John Noble and Daniel Reeve. There were lots of fans in costumes, which I really enjoyed. That night we were treated to a concert by Emerald Rose. I really liked their music!
I made sure to wear my own LOTR costume the next day. Saturday began with my favorite music video of the weekend, "Middle Earth Idols" by two teenage girl filmmakers that were really nice and funny. It had some of my favorite LOTR characters singing to different songs like, "Thriller" and Disco Inferno." It was very funny. Everybody loved it! I think the music videos were my favorite things of the entire weekend! We got to see Sean Astin that day. He was very funny. It was so exciting getting my picture taken with Sam himself! The trivia contest was fun to watch and the fans did skits over the weekend, which were really funny! The guest speakers were very interesting too.
On Saturday night, a really cool costume contest and talent show were held. We saw all kinds of interesting costumes and performers. It was a lot of fun seeing LOTR fans express their love for LOTR in so many unique ways! All I could think about was I hoped the weekend would never end! I was having so much fun!
Sunday was just as exciting as the previous two days! I was so excited to be seeing Billy Boyd. He's my favorite Hobbit. We saw more funny skits and funny fan films this afternoon too. We got to see "Middle Earth Idols" again! Yeah! I loved that!! Time for Billy Boyd. He was every bit as funny and sweet as I hoped he would be. He was very nice and talked to the audience for a very long time. And, when it came time to get my picture taken with him I was very nervous, but Billy Boyd was so nice that once he started talking to me I was fine.
It was such a fun weekend and I got to meet so many nice fans. Thanks for not overlooking the younger generation of LOTR fans too. ELF was amazing and I can't wait to go to my next convention!
Wednesday, August 09, 2006 2. Which LOTR character do you most identify yourself with and why? 3. Which character do you most dislike and why? 4. Tell me something about yourself, e.g. age, gender, nationality, profession, how long you've been a fan etc.
Calling out to the Ringers of the world...
- Xoanon @ 12:17 PST
Pauliina writes: I'm a final-year psychotherapy student from Finland, currently working on my thesis "Going Home - Finding Myself Through Stories And Fantasies". I've been a LOTR fan for 18 years, and the impact it has had on my life and the person I am is just enormous. Now I'd like to call out to you, dear fellow Ringers in the world, and invite you to share your stories with me by answering the questions below. I will use your answers as background material and inspiration only, and without a separate permission will not publish any personal stories, names or any other information, and will treat them with the strictest confidence.
1. How has the Lord of the Rings affected your life and the person you are? Has it helped you to discover something about yourself, that was either new or forgotten, and how?
Please send your answers to me by email: meriliinu.salonen@kolumbus.fi If you want to know more about me, just visit my website.
Thank you so much - I am looking forward to reading your stories!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Toronto Fellowship Con Images
- Xoanon @ 19:53 PST
Rosamunde Brownlocks writes: Folks who went to The Gathering of the Fellowship in Toronto (July 1-4, 2006) might be interested in photos taken of the participants and the guests. I’ve attached some sample photographs for the TORN scrapbook; for links to the complete photo albums, you can go here. Photos from the Sunday night banquet and costume contest are still to come.
For a complete list of photo albums from The Gathering as they’re added (as well as photo albums from ORC 2006 and other events), see my info page, underneath the photos. [More]
Tuesday, June 06, 2006 Canada's newest High Definition Channel devoted to Collectors and Collectibles is looking for people who like to collect things to do with LORD OF THE RINGS Or Narnia. ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT FANTASY? DO YOU LIKE TO COLLECT ANYTHING OR EVERYTHING TO DO WITH FANTASY FICTION ? WOULD YOU LOVE TO SHOW OFF YOUR COLLECTION ON TV? ARE YOU READY TO PUT YOUR FANTASY AND TOLKEIN AND SC LEWIS KNOWLEDGE TO THE TEST FOR A CHANCE TO WIN AN AMAZING PRIZE ! WE ARE LOOKING FOR TWO KNOWLEDGEABLE AND OUTGOING FANTASY FICTION COLLECTORS WHO WANT TO TAKE PART IN AN EXCITING NEW TV SERIES ABOUT COLLECTORS AND COLLECTIBLES. Greater Toronto area residents only please If you are interested in, please call 416-646-4435 or e-mail us at Casting@HiFiDHTV.ca
A Call to Fans for 'Collector Showdown'
- Xoanon @ 20:37 PST
Natasha from Treasure HD TV writes: Upon the recommendation of those at the NY Tolkein Society, I m passing you some information about our new HD TV series called Collector Showdown. We are currently seeking participants for our upcoming episode on LOTR and Narnia Collectors. As the show’s researcher, I would be thrilled if you could send out our ‘casting call’:
Monday, May 15, 2006 Although our guestbook is already filling up with fantastic comments from all over the world, I am very keen to start really spreading the word about this project to see what interest it generates and I thought that theOneRing.net was the best place to start.
LOTR Fanfilm 'Born of Hope' Coming Together
- Xoanon @ 19:06 PST
Kate Robinson, Director/Co Producer of 'Born of Hope' writes: I wanted to talk to you about my project Born of Hope. Born of Hope is a Lord of the Rings fan film that I think is like no other. Unlike most fan films it is not a spoof or parody, but a serious drama. A prequel to the Trilogy, it tells the story of Aragorn’s parents and the Dúnedain. Currently the project is already in development and we spent 5 days at the beginning of April shooting test footage and promotional material. I am hoping that a trailer will be up on our website within the next week or so.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Vacaville's Middle Earth Festival 2006
- Xoanon @ 19:08 PST
Celebriel reports: Vacaville’s second Middle Earth Festival, April 21-23, 2006, offered a weekend full of varied activities to appeal to both die-hard Ringers and novices alike, including music and song, crafts, Tolkien discussion forums, and fun stuff including a costume contest, trivia contest, Hairy Foot contest, Gollum impersonation contest (one entry form to be shared by both personalities), evening party, and slide show of the New Zealand film locations. Also on scene were lots of Ren-Faire type vendors, food vendors, and, of course, Downtown Vacaville’s own many shops and restaurants.
In addition to buying new Lord of the Rings’ apparel, weapons, jewelry and collectibles, visitors could beautify themselves with temporary tattoos, henna designs, and a choice of elven hair braid styles.
Town Square free concerts included Celtic rock band Avalon Rising and the Sylvan Choirs and Tintinnabulist English Handbell Choir from Vacaville’s Will C. Wood High School, directed by David Barthelmess. The choir performed, among other songs, “O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!” in an arrangement by Mr. Barthelmess.
The Tolkien forums Friday night and Saturday were attended by small groups of knowledgeable and interested fans who discussed a wide range of themes, including hope, Middle Earth’s multicultural society, environmentalism and respect for nature (appropriate for Earth Day weekend), loss and separation, family relationships, and Tolkien’s female characters.
Audience members challenged panelists with questions ranging from how the afterlives of Middle Earth’s races differed to whether Tolkien’s interest in languages was influenced by having spent a few early years in South Africa. Panelists included Kevin Roddy (Professor of Medieval Studies at UC Davis), Craig Caven (history and drama teacher at Vanden High School), and David Bratman (Tolkien scholar/reviewer and library consultant).
I missed the costume contest results (because I was giving the New Zealand slide show at the library when they were announced), but the Other category was won by a group costumed as Northern Rangers.
Tom Bombadil (aka Chris Wait) in his blue coat and yellow boots entertained at the festival, together with Goldberry. Chris said he enjoyed talking with people about Tom and listening to their theories about his character and why they liked him so much.
As always, there were some terrific costumes and costumers to see. Christopher came down from Seattle to debut his character Yusiran, a warrior elf of Rivendell and distant cousin of Legolas. He made all the elements of Yusiran’s costume, including the engraving on his bow and sword.
Jennifer, her husband Karl, and her parents came from Woodland, with all four in costume. She had made lembas bread, wrapped each piece in an artificial leaf from a plant store, and carried them in a wicker basket. Jennifer is also a creative costumer, who made elf ears from bandaids and elven brooches from baked polymer clay, formed on the back of a spoon and finished with acrylic paint and clear nail polish. She also made Karl’s Gondorian tunic from the back of an old leather jacket and painted on the emblem of Gondor.
The Festival is hosted by the Downtown Vacaville Business Improvement District and organized with support from a wide range of volunteers from retail businesses, schools, libraries, churches, and other community organizations. Based on the positive response to last year’s first festival, this year’s event expanded to include a full day of activities on Sunday.