Tickets for "Ringers: Lord of the Fans", set to hold its world premiere in Park City, Utah as part of the independent Slamdance Film Festival, are now on sale! The feature-length documentary that demonstrates how, after 50 years, J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary work "Lord of the Rings" continues to spark the hearts and minds of millions.

After its world premiere in Park City on Friday, Jan. 21, it plays three times in Salt Lake City as part of the Slamdance festival. Advance tickets for the Park City show are sold out, although fans will be able to line up at the Slamdance headquarters in Park City (Treasure Mountain Inn, 608 Main Street) for a few tickets held in reserve for release the day before the show, Thursday, January 20 at 9 a.m.. Advance tickets for the Salt Lake City (Murray) showings are available now at http://www.slamdance.com/2005/festival/info.asp. (After navigating to the page, download and print the "Advance Tickets PDF" or click here: http://www.slamdance.com/2005/festival/info.asp to go directly to it. Fax the form to Slamdance to purchase tickets. Further details are available on the PDF file. Advance ticket sales end Friday, January 14 at 4 p.m. Mountain Time and it is anticipated that other screenings will also sell out of advance tickets.)

The Murray theater will begin selling tickets to all shows on Friday, Jan. 21, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. until they are sold through.

The Murray theater in a Salt Lake City suburb will host three screenings of "Ringers: Lord of the Fans." The classic-style theater is located at 4961 South, State Street and will also sell ‘day-of’ tickets while supplies last. Screenings will be held: Sunday, Jan. 23 at 8:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 24 at 5 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 27 at 9 p.m..

Fans in costume will be welcome and appreciated at any of the screenings but on the night of the premiere, fans gathering from the Park City/ Slamdance / Salt Lake City line party from TheOneRing.net (join here
http://www.theonering.net/movie/lineparty/displayList.php?id=1364) will compete for a small number of tickets to the premiere! Tickets to other "Ringers" screenings will be awarded at the costume contest as well.

The Line Party tradition - formed by ten-of-thousands of fans across the world using TheOneRing.net as a starting point to launch celebrations for the opening of the Peter Jackson "Lord of the Rings" films – will be active in celebrating the release of "Ringers" for each of its Slamdance screenings. Join the line for further information!

The creative team behind RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS share a common love of J.R.R. Tolkien's magnificent books.

In January 2002, playwright and Tolkien scholar Cliff Broadway enjoyed a chance meeting with director Carlene Cordova while standing in line to meet Sir Ian McKellen at a book signing. Aside from meddling in the affairs of wizards, two minds began burning brightly together that day, and a new writing partnership was born.

The timing of this meeting was fortuitous. It had been a mere month since the U.S. theatrical release of Peter Jackson's stunning Fellowship of the Ring, and the "newest wave" of fans made a clear showing. In attendance were several older folks who had been reading "The Lord of the Rings" since the 1960s -- standing alongside them were new Ringer fans many years younger. This combination of old-school fans with kids learning about hobbits for the first time caught Carlene's eye.

Soon the director was asking herself: "The Lord of the Rings" is nearly 50 years old -- how does such a huge, unwieldy book have such staying power? How did so many generations fall into its pages?

Carlene and Cliff starting working together to interview the stars for TheOneRing.net -- the most insanely popular Tolkien resource on the Net. Building on the momentum of Jackson's three-film release pattern, a genuine phenomenon was unfolding right before their eyes. Working with TheOneRing.net allowed the intrepid director and interviewer rare access to both the actors and the creative forces behind The Lord of the Rings Trilogy; but the road would carry them much farther as they explored Tolkien's ongoing pop legacy.

As the filmmakers researched myriad pieces of pop culture influenced by Tolkien, the idea to create RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS took shape. There was a long list of classic rock music one could point to that was Tolkien influenced. There was an entire "fantasy book" section in the bookstore that would never have been there if not for the breakthrough of Tolkien's trilogy. And there were parents doing the unheard of -- spending time reading to their kids while they awaited the next two films to hit their local theatres. Book sales reached record heights as the films reaped box-office gold. The time had come to put this whole thing into perspective, and nobody was in a better position than Carlene and Cliff at the time RINGERS started rolling film in earnest.

The director soon recruited Josh Mandel, a UCLA Film School graduate, to be the Director of Photography and Co-Producer. Long-time friend Danny Lukic (director/writer of the comedic short musical Dogs) came on board as producer, while Catherine Frizat became Associate Producer. A remarkable creative force was added with the inclusion of Editor Arnaud Gerardy (editor of the Joe Strummer documentary Let's Rock Again). The additional support of producer Jeff Marchelletta would complete the team.

The fans themselves were to become an integral part of RINGERS. The summer of 2003 was spent pursuing and taping the original true-blue community that was the bedrock of Tolkien's popularity. The RINGERS team would visit the largest genre fan events in the world, including the San Diego Comic-Con International and the annual Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia. Soon additional events were recorded by other Units shooting in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Bonn, Germany.

The most effective means of recording fans' comments came in the shape of a "confessional booth." Inspired by a similar device used in reality T.V. shows, the confessional was designed to help interviewees close out the noise and distractions of the Convention Hall, so they could speak directly to the camera about their love of Tolkien. It was a magic key for many people. They could speak in private without interruption. They could speak straight from the heart. They could address everyone in the world of fandom from one point of view. The resulting footage was everything the filmmakers hoped it could be -- filled with genuine warmth, laughs, musings, surprises, bad puns, shameless self promotion, slapstick comedy, gentle tears, and creativity of every kind!

Building trust was important: Other documentaries have derisively portrayed genre fans as awkward nerds -- worthy of guilty laughter if not much else -- but Carlene and Cliff are two of the most serious Tolkien fans one could ever hope to meet, and their honest approach to documenting ‘Ringer fans' was respectful and generous in the utmost. After all, their undiluted love of Tolkien brought them together and would ultimately lift RINGERS up to a different class of film (indeed the generous spirit of fandom brought the first cautious investors to the table; it was by the grace of a small dedicated fan-base that the production received its earliest financial support).

Gaining interviews with the stars of Jackson's films was a certainty. The ensemble of actors were quite familiar with the RINGERS team. Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen had seen Cliff, Carlene and Josh holding microphone and camera on every red carpet in town. Having attended numerous "Rings" related events (and the spectacular Oscar Parties produced yearly by TheOneRing.net), the stars of Middle-earth relaxed into conversations with Cliff about nothing less than the sprawling creation of Tolkien's mind. The pleasure of more thoughtful discourse was woven on camera; covering the trilogy's thematic reach, spirituality for the modern world, and the heart of humanity as reflected in the Hobbits themselves.

RINGERS had the best access to "Rings" luminaries that any documentarian could hope for. As the scope of the film broadened to include the worlds of music and fantasy literature, efforts to secure interviews with the best and brightest of those worlds were met with "Yes, I'd love to!" from all quarters (Ralph Bakshi being a notable exception). Authors such as Clive Barker and Terry Pratchett offered exclusive interviews, bringing to the table their keen insight into Tolkien's literary legacy. While David Carradine provided a bracing portrait of the 60s generation and their adoration of Tolkien. Rock legends Geddy Lee (RUSH) and Lemmy Kilmister (Motörhead) quickly came on board, explaining first-hand how the Rock scene shifted under the weight of Tolkien's high-fantasy influence. Carlene knew the lines between pop culture and literary masterpiece had blurred together decades ago, but for the first time several key players in this phenomenon were able to explain how it happened.

The director's dynamic approach to her subject was to juxtapose the "professional" interviewees with the "fan confessionals" -- who uniformly supported each others' views -- highlighting the commonality that crosses generations of Tolkien enthusiasts. The earliest tapes were transcribed by an army of Ringer fans who volunteered their own time to help the production. As hundreds of hours of footage and transcripts came pouring in, Cliff wrote to the online fans about progress on the production: "Every day we look forward more and more to bringing this film together. It's really sparking our own excitement as we continue to work on it. This material is coming together so wonderfully, with the awesome contributions of so many spirited individuals, that we can't help it! Enthusiasm like this is infectious."

Throughout 2003, "Rings" events unfolded around the world, and the RINGERS team was there, cameras and enthusiasm in tow. By November of that year the production had been in full swing for almost two years without proper funding. The filmmakers had dedicated themselves full time without any compensation; but the time had come to fly around the world and back. The team arrived in London and then onward to visit Tolkien's world of Oxford, just in time for the U.K. Tolkien Society's annual conference.

Carlene noted that day's spirited shenanigans in her travel blog: "Cliff tried his first ever pint of Guinness at a quaint pub called The Rose and Crown. Our sound technician Mikey Murray and Cliff later joined in for the Hobbit Dancing seminar at Oxonmoot. Josh and I just filmed it and laughed at them."

Prominent Tolkien academics sat down to relay their side of the story, then it was off to gather footage of the countryside where a young lad named John Ronald Reuel Tolkien grew up. Carlene recalls the journey: "Our next stop was the Mosely Bog where we hiked a little while and shot flora and fauna alike. Mosely Bog was a place where I could imagine a young Tolkien leading his younger brother through the thick forest, telling him stories of Ogres and faeries in the woods. While on our travels in England we were frequently asked what we were filming. As a rule we always tell everyone that we're filming birds and buildings. That we're great bird and building enthusiasts. As luck would have it, on this day, all of our filming was entirely of birds and buildings. Some trees too. There will be lots of trees in this documentary. They were so very important to Professor Tolkien, and they are to me."

The filmmakers quickly arrived at their next destination -- New Zealand -- for the World Premiere of the highly anticipated The Return of the King. Transitioning from the revered halls of academia to a wild star-studded ticker-tape parade through downtown Wellington was a unique thrill. Carlene keenly recalls the uplifting energy: "Wellington reminded me of the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area. A lovely windswept, cosmopolitan city perched on the edge of a bay. The people couldn't be nicer. And let me just state for a minute how well we were treated by EVERYONE. I mean Ringers is a very small film. On a very small budget. We were staying in youth hostels and dining on the cheap with picnic lunches and so forth, yet we were treated like ROCK STARS by Village Roadshow -- New Line Cinema's Australasia Distributor. Many more people involved in the films went out of their way to be so nice to us. We were not even asking and things were being offered. It was very special. I'd like to think that everyone just got into the "spirit" of Tolkien and realized that what we're all doing is for the love of this story."

Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, and many others were asked the most difficult questions. "Rings" co-screenwriter Philippa Boyens touched a chord with the whole room as she reflected on the books' longevity. But the real star of Jackson's movies is the countryside of New Zealand itself. "Breathtaking" is the only word fit to describe the South Island -- where RINGERS shadowed a special tour bus of fans on a pilgrimage to visit the actual shooting locations. The journey to Middle-earth was complete, but a full year of post-production work was yet to commence.

The heartbeat of RINGERS is in its Rock soundtrack, and the director wanted nothing less than wall-to-wall music. As Arnaud carefully edited to the rhythm of Led Zeppelin's "Ramble On" and RUSH's "Rivendell" an entirely new sound was being created across town. Three classic songs from the 1970s Rankin/Bass animated The Hobbit and The Return of the King were given a vibrant new-rock spin by indie bands Arlo and World Without Sundays and the striking Australian singer Greta Gertler. The extremely talented drummer/composer Robin DiMaggio scored the film -- creating a chain of musical styles going all the way from jazz to folk to grinding psychedelia and a healthy dose of rock.

RINGERS spent 21 months shooting on three continents -- in 16 major world cities. As editor, Arnaud Gerardy's task was to reign in over 150 hours of taped footage and interviews, waiting patiently for Carlene and Cliff to finalize the script. It was a gargantuan effort; and the writers delivered one segment at a time. The film soon took shape as five decades of popular culture were condensed into 95 minutes. Dominic Monaghan (Merry Brandybuck) was delighted to step up as narrator, providing his own gregarious energy and love -- he is a natural born storyteller. Soon Executive Producer Tom DeSanto came on board, bringing his passion for fantasy and business acumen to help the project find the best possible audience.

RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS will make its World Premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival in January 2005. With little else besides love, goodwill, and years of dedication bringing it all together, the film serves as a remarkable dénouement to the past 50 years of the worldwide following of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings."

Much too hasty,
'Quickbeam'
Cliff Broadway
RINGERS Producer/ Writer/ Interviewer

TheOneRing.net and Creation Entertainment are proud to announce a Blood Drive on Sunday, January 16 at our event, The One Ring Celebration. This event is in response to the American Red Cross's emergency plea for blood donations in the Southern California area. We will also be taking monetary donations for Disaster Relief during the convention, which will then be presented to the American Red Cross at the end of the convention. Monetary donations will be collected at the Tolkien Forever booth in the exhibitors room.

Go to the following URL to make a donation appointment. If you have donated and signed up online before, simply login using oneringcelebration as the Sponsor code.

If you have not used the online registration before, select First Time User and create a profile. From there you can go back to the login page and select Oneringcelebration as the sponsor code to get to Our Sign up page.

Once logged in and on the Donor sign up site for the One Ring Celebration blood drive, simply look at the schedule of available appointment times and select one for yourself. It's that simple. It would make me very proud of my fellow LOTR fans to see that appointment schedule filled up before the event.

The Blood Drive will be held in the Sheraton behind the Pasadena Center. This will allow people not attending the convention on Sunday to donate just as it will anyone who is attending. Just head over to the Sheraton and look for Justine’s room, which is the Ballroom, on the lobby level. The blood drive will operate between 10am and 4:15pm on Sunday, January 16, 2005. This came up rather suddenly, so while I can say we will have a few giveaways, I can’t say yet exactly what they will be. Show up and find out.

Go to http://www.givelife.org and select “Being a Donor” to get questions answered about the donation process. Please DO NOT ask Creation or TORn staff about donation questions, other than simply how to find the location or help changing a scheduled appointment. You will find tips for a good donation experience, a donation FAQ, Donor Eligibility rules, and more. If you do have any questions that can not be answered by the Red Cross directly, feel free to email sludovch@yahoo.com with those questions.

"Then Ilúvatar said to them: 'Of the theme that I have declared to you, I will now that ye make in harmony together a Great Music… But I will sit and hearken, and be glad that through you great beauty has been wakened into song.'" (AINULINDALË)

In all of Tolkien’s created world, no power is greater or more evident than the power of music and song. Through it Ilúvatar and the Valar created the world. Through music Tom Bombadil controlled nature. Through songs the Children of Ilúvatar rejoiced and mourned and recalled their histories. Even the Enemies such as the goblins had their own songs.

Did Tolkien envision music as a power of itself, or was it merely the outward sign of the deeper powers within each being, or a reflection of the power of Ilúvatar? Who made the best music, and whose music had the most power? What are the most profound instances of the power of music? Join us this weekend in #thehalloffire when we will add our voices to the Music of the Ainur as we discuss "The Power of Song in Tolkien".

Upcoming topics:
1/16 and 1/17/05: The Silmarillion – Ainulindale & the Valaquenta

Place:
#thehalloffire on theonering.net IRC server. Need instructions? Go [here ].

Badali Jewelry Specialties, Inc. will have a booth at The One Ring Celebration on January 14-16, 2005. They have created a card of authenticity for their trademarked rings and have sent the following announcement for all ORC attendees.

Paul J. Badali, of Badali Jewelry Specialties, Inc., will be signing cards of authenticity for anyone who purchased Lord of the RingsTM jewelry from BJS, Inc. in the past. Just wear your Badali Jewelry One RingTM, NaryaTM, NenyaTM, VilyaTM, Dwarven Ring of PowerTM or your GollumTM Creature Ring to The One Ring Celebration and visit our table in the dealer's room. Or bring the card of authenticity you received with your jewelry. Paul will be happy to sign cards of authenticity for jewelry purchased at the convention as well.

They changed the face of movie making forever, and now the incredible beloved quartet of LORD OF THE RINGS' hobbits (ELIJAH WOOD, DOMINIC MONAGHAN, BILLY BOYD and SEAN ASTIN) are headlining an amazing weekend coming *January 14-16, 2005* to The Pasadena Center in Pasadena California.

Creation Entertainment has joined forces with our friends at theonering.net to bring worldwide fans of LORD OF THE RINGS the very first *ONE RING CELEBRATION* and you're invited to be part of the historic 3 day party that is sure to make fan history! With just announced support from New Line Studios we even have more to offer attendees including a full range of licensed gorgeous souvenirs available at the convention for the very first time!

With a score more of great guest speakers (including the genre's legendary JOHN RHYS-DAVIES), non-stop partying, kids, scholar and costume tracks of programming on top of the main theatre, auctions, food functions, autographing, photo ops, and did we mention parties: *YOU JUST GOTTA BE WITH US FOR THE FUN!*

Tickets will be available in advance at creationent.com until 5pm January 6th (Pacific Time). After Thursday advance tickets will be available at ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster Outlets and The Pasadena Civic Center box office.

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
Fri., Sat. & Sun. January 14-16, 2005
Pasadena Center
300 E. Green St.

Many surprises are in store for Ringer fans attending TORn’s big ORC event next January! The filmmakers behind Ringers: Lord of the Fans will be hosting a panel at the upcoming One Ring Convention (ORC) in Pasadena, CA. The panel will be held on Friday, January 14th, and will include an in-depth discussion, as well as sneak peaks at various clips from Ringers: Lord of the Fans. This will be the first and last opportunity to catch a glimpse of Ringers before the film has its World Premiere in Park City, Utah the following week. Joining the filmmakers on the panel will be our Ringers celebrity narrator, Dominic Monaghan. In addition to the Ringers panel on Friday, the filmmakers will be present at the convention throughout the entire weekend, welcoming fans to their booth on the convention floor. This will be a great opportunity for fans to meet and greet the filmmakers, and to purchase all kinds of merchandise from the film.

Everyone's favorite Master of Ceremonies will be on hand-- yes, Cliff Broadway "Quickbeam" himself, who hosted TORN's famous Oscar Parties. Cliff will be MC for several events throughout the ORC weekend. In addition, one of the indie rock bands on the Ringers soundtrack, World Without Sundays, will be performing live at the convention on Friday, January 14th. Don’t miss this opportunity to see the band tear up the stage with their new, alternative rock version of the cult classic song, “Where There’s a Whip, There’s a Way,” which is one of many updated LOTR songs appearing on the Ringers soundtrack click here for more details.

Several of the LOTR cast members featured in the documentary, Ringers: Lord of the Fans, will be attending the ORC as well, including Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, and John Rhys-Davies. The convention, which is being organized by TheOneRing.net and Creation Entertainment, should make for a fun filled weekend for Ringers everywhere.

From cbc.ca: It's not quite J.R.R. Tolkien's North Pole, but the 5th season of Quebec City's Ice Hotel will feature the work of a British sculptor and commercial artist best known for her work on Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Natalie Staniforth is swapping duct tape and styrofoam for ice and snow to be the first guest sculptor at Quebec City's Ice Hotel, due to open early in 2005.

Her Quebec work is a departure for Staniforth, who's sculpted for the advertising industry and for films like the Harry Potter series for years. She is preparing an ice and snow carving of Maud Watt, wife of a Hudson's Bay Company factor in Northern Quebec.

2004 has been a remarkable year for Lord of the Rings and Tolkien in general, it began with an award season no one will forget, and it ended with a DVD release to end all releases. Take a look as we run down the highlights of 2004 in Tolkien.

As a precursor to the Academy Awards the Golden Globes have always been the litmus test that tells us how Hollywood is going to choose a Best Picture and Best Director. This year was no different as 'The Return of the King' dominated the January 25th, 2004 awards ceremony.

First Howard Shore wins for "Best Original Score", he was there to receive the award and thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press, he said it was a great honor for him to work on the film. Immediately following this ROTK wins for "Best Original Song", Fran Walsh and Howard Shore both accept this award (Howard had to run back from behind the stage after just winning for best Score). Fran Walsh dedicated this award to Kiwi-filmmaker Cameron Duncan, who passed away before ROTK was completed. Peter Jackson then won for "Best Director", he stood up and gave Fran Walsh a loving kiss on the lips, hugged Producer Bob Shaye, and also thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press, he thanked Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, as well as Mark Ordesky. He said he felt supported all the way by New Line. He also thanked all the cast and crew, and he said he loved every single day he worked on the set. Completing the sweep of awards ROTK then won "Best Dramatic Picture". Accepting the award was Peter Jackson, along with Bob Shaye, Michael Lynne, Fran Walsh, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett and others. The stage was full and many people were cheering. Philippa Boyens, Dominic Monaghan, John Rhys-Davies was also spotted on stage. Peter Jackson thanked Tolkien and Saul Zaentz. It was a quick speech due to the time limits of the show.

At the 56th Annual DGA Awards the greatest film and TV directors gathered to honor their very best. The 2003 Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement for a Feature Film was given to Peter Jackson for ROTK. With great warmth and humility, PJ accepted the award by thanking J.R.R. Tolkien, saying "the book honors the ideas of courage, friendship, and faith."

'The Return of the King,' has become the second movie ever to break the $1 billion box-office mark worldwide, distributor New Line Cinema reported on Monday, February 23rd, 2004. The conclusion to director Peter Jackson's fantasy trilogy, based on the books of J.R.R. Tolkien, now ranks as the second-highest-grossing film of all time after the 1997 sea-going romance "Titanic," which cruised to $1.8 billion in global receipts. Through the weekend of February 20th, "Return of the King" had accumulated a worldwide total of $1,005,380,412 in ticket sales, New Line said. More than $361 million of that sum was generated at U.S. and Canadian box office.

It seemed fitting that such a magical night that was Oscar Night 2004 took place on a day that doesn't normally exist. As if by magic the love of these movies by the fans conjured up the entire evening, the nominations, the wins, the CLEAN SWEEP by the entire cast and crew of Lord of the Rings. Winning 11 out of 11 awards for the night, it seemed almost too good to be true. As each category was announced you could hear a pin drop in a room filled with 300 people, as the LOTR crew took to the stage to accept their awards the massive loudspeakers were no match to the cheers by the crowd at The Return of the One Party, barely a stones throw away from the Oscars themselves. Which leads us to number 6 on our list.

What can be said about this amazing evening that hasn't already been reported? This will be a night I will NEVER forget, follow these links for some amazing photos and stories.

On April 16th, 2004 co-CEO/co-Chairman of New Line Cinema, Robert Shaye, sent an official response to the LET THE HOBBIT HAPPEN campaign. Take a moment and be encouraged by the first official statement from New Line Cinema on the making of The Hobbit!

Thank you very, very much for the incredible outpouring of support for LOTR, and your eagerness to see THE HOBBIT.

We, at New Line, are most touched and appreciative of your compliments, and your passion for the remarkable work of the author, the filmmakers, talent, and craftspeople.

On July 29, 1954 publisher George Allen & Unwin published the first edition of The Fellowship of the Ring in Great Britain, an edition of 3,500 copies. An American edition from Houghton-Mifflin followed in October, 1954. On behalf of the staff and readers of TheOneRing.net, from fans world wide, from all those lives that have been touched by this work we celebrate this remarkable book that only improves with age. Happy Golden Anniversary!

On November 11th, 1954 publisher George Allen & Unwin published the first edition of The Two Towers in Great Britain. This continuation of 'The Lord of the Rings' story has been lauded as the best of the 3 books in some circles.

2. 'Ringers: Lord of the Fans' to premiere at Slamdance - December 13th, 2004

The Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, will launch its 2005 slate with the world premiere of RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS on its opening Friday night (January 21, 2005). The producers also announce the final addition to their remarkable project, the voice of Dominic Monaghan (Merry Brandybuck from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, now starring on ABC’s Lost) will be heard as the film’s Narrator, relaying the dynamic story of J.R.R. Tolkien’s pop-culture legacy. [More]

1. 'Return of the King: Extended Edition' Released on DVD - December 14th, 2004

The final installment of Peter Jackson's 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy is released on DVD. This 'extended edition' features 51 minutes of new footage as well as hundreds of new special effects shots. The DVD is packed with hours of behind the scenes footage and 'making-of' documentaries. A complete, 15 disk Trilogy box set is also released on this day, culminating over 10 years of work for Peter Jackson and his crew.

Hundreds of Tolkien fans send along images of themselves with their own copy of the DVDs, and their entire LOTR collection. This yearly ritual began with the 'Fellowship of the Ring' DVDs and has collected thousands of images of fans. [More]

Here is an email we received from a friend at the Indonesian Tolkien Society. As most of us prepare for a New Year celebration, we ask that you remember the countries that have been devestated by the enormity of human lives lost. Please take a moment to support your preferred relief organization in anyway possible. Whether it is organizing a local relief drive, or sending money...any little bit will help. Follow this link for a listing of relief organizations that are providing support to the affected areas. [Click Here]

Dear TORn,

First of all, let me introduce myself. My name is *** ****** from Eorlingas, the Indonesian Tolkien Society. I would like to thank you for posting the tsunami tragedy in TORN, asking for ringers from all over the world to help the victims.

As you know, Sumatra (Indonesia), is the most devastated part. The waves swept the towns clean, leaving only small numbers of houses and buildings standing. One fishermen village was completely destroyed and is no more. No survivors, no more houses. It is dead. It becomes a huge graveyard for its inhabitants. Until now, I have not seen any tv stations or newspapers showing the picture of the village. Perhaps no one dares to go there. Perhaps no one will ever go there. As for myself, I live in Jakarta, Indonesian capital city. My town lies far from the epicentre and is perfectly safe. But we can feel the pain. We surely cannot enjoy our time for new year's eve. This is the gloomiest new year eve I've ever had in my life.

Until now I still cann't believe that this disaster is real, that it is not a movie, that it is not part of the Middle-Earth stories. This is like the Akallabeth, but in our real world.

Through this e-mail, I would like to thank the ringers who have shown their sympathy for the victims. However small, it means a lot for them.

Best wishes and happy new year,

*** ****** (Luthien)

Eorlingas, the Indonesian Tolkien Society