We recently sat down with a fellow collector and friend, Brian, to talk about a wide range of topics in regard to collecting. Brian filled us in on how he got started, some of his favorite pieces, his philosophy on collecting, Rings of Power ideas, etc. We had an absolute blast sitting down with Brian, and we’re thankful for the time he was willing to take to chat with us. So we hope you enjoy this episode; and thank you all for the support.

Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – CTP Podcast Episode 5”

Over the last four weeks, our friends at Weta Workshop have had one of their most stunning pieces up for pre-order. It’s the one piece that fans, like myself, have been asking to have made for the last 20 years. It also works nicely with this character having such a large part in Tolkien’s written lore, as well as The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power tv series.

Fans can finally place their orders in, but for only for the next 24 hours, for Elendil. This fantastic piece depicts how we saw Elendil in The Battle of the Last Alliance during Peter Jackson’s prologue sequence in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Elendil is priced at $549 and will be shipping in the second quarter of next year.

As with any open window pre-order, his edition size will be set by the number of orders placed as of tomorrow at 2 pm PDT. So get your order for Elendil in now!

At their panel today at New York ComicCon, Prime Video unveiled a new trailer, for The Rings of Power season finale next week:

This was the first Rings of Power panel appearance since the series debut, and included not only the trailer (which does not contain very much which hasn’t been seen before), but also a surprise sneak peek at some footage from the finale episode, which will be available to stream on Prime Video next week, at 12:00am ET on Friday, October 14th.

The one interesting reveal at the very end of the trailer is a glimpse of Celebrimbor’s forge in action. It seems strange that we have yet to see Annatar using his persuasive powers on the elves, and yet already they are thinking about forging rings. Will all be explained and revealed in the season finale? There are many loose ends to tie up; and presumably some will be left dangling for Season Two…

Rings of Power podcast

The NYCC panel was moderated by Felicia Day (The Guild, Supernatural), who also revealed that she is the host of a new The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Official Podcast. Prime Video tell us:

Fans will be able to go deeper into the canals of Númenor, the mines of Khazad-dûm, the halls of Lindon, and more, as host Felicia Day takes a fresh and insightful look at the groundbreaking series and what it takes to bring Middle-earth to life. Each episode will feature exclusive interviews with cast and crew, including Morfydd Clark, Owain Arthur, and the show’s creators, JD Payne and Patrick McKay, that will take us behind the scenes with jaw-dropping stories and Easter eggs you won’t want to miss. Fans can listen to all eight episodes of the podcast for free on Amazon Music.

The third Rings of Power reveal today was a clip of a song which will feature in the Season Finale, from Fiona Apple.

Further details can be found in Prime Video’s press release:

Today, in their first panel appearance since the debut of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, seven of the series’ cast took a bite of the Big Apple on New York Comic Con’s (NYCC) Empire Stage in a lively panel moderated by actor, producer, New York Times best-selling author, and newly announced host of the show’s official free podcast on Amazon Music, Felicia Day (The Guild, Supernatural). The panel also included a first look at an exclusive new season finale trailer, and a surprise sneak peek at some never-before-seen footage from the highly anticipated finale episode, which will be available to stream on Prime Video at 12:00 a.m. EDT, Friday, October 14.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been a global sensation in its first season, garnering over 25 million views for the first two episodes over the series’ premiere weekend. Additionally, according to Nielsen, The Rings of Power also delivered 1.25 billion minutes streamed in the U.S. during (or over) its premiere weekend, making it the No. 1 show on their overall and original streaming charts. This is the first time a Prime Video series has debuted at No.1 on the Nielsen chart, and The Rings of Power was also the only series that crossed the 1 billion minutes streamed threshold for the week.

Cast members Cynthia Addai-Robinson (“Queen Regent Miriel”), Nazanin Boniadi (“Bronwyn”), Charles Edwards (“Lord Celebrimbor”), Leon Wadham (“Kemen”), Benjamin Walker (“High King Gil-galad”), Daniel Weyman (“The Stranger”), and Sara Zwangobani (“Marigold ‘Goldie’ Brandyfoot”) participated in an hour-long panel that offered behind-the-scenes stories from the set, and some teases about the long-awaited first season finale.

Although showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay weren’t able to attend NYCC in person, they sent a special message from the show’s UK set, where production has just begun on Season Two of the series. In addition to welcoming fans to the panel, they also shared some behind-the-scenes footage and their excitement about the final episode of the season.

Fans were treated to an exclusive first look at a dynamic new trailer, recapping all of the key action to date and providing a sneak peek at what’s still to come in the epic season finale. The new trailer promises exciting payoffs for viewers next week, teasing Mordor will rise, heroes will fall, and all will be revealed, all to the sound of Bear McCreary’s score, titled “Sauron.” And was that a scene with Celebrimbor’s forge in action? Tune in on October 14 to find out!

Amazon Studios also surprised the NYCC panel attendees with an exclusive first clip from the season finale, revealing how key storylines across the different realms of Arda have finally converged, leading to a moment that viewers across the globe have been waiting for since the series title was first revealed!

Panel moderator and Tolkien super-fan Felicia Day also had some exciting news of her own—she’s the host of the upcoming The Official The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Podcast—and she shared a special podcast trailer as well. In this groundbreaking new series, which will be available for free on Amazon Music, Day will share unique details, behind-the-scenes stories, and the most exciting and surprising moments through unprecedented access to the cast and crew, including showrunners J.D. Payne and PatrickMcKay. Listen to all eight episodes of the official companion podcast on Amazon Music beginning October 14. Download the Amazon Music app today.

Today, Amazon Studios also released “Where the Shadows Lie,” a new song performed by Grammy-winning artist Fiona Apple, from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season One: Amazon Original Series Soundtrack). Available exclusively through Amazon Music, the song was written by series composer Bear McCreary and appears in the season finale of the acclaimed new series on Prime Video. Set to McCreary’s powerful and ethereal score, with Apple’s haunting vocals at the forefront, the song is inspired by the iconic Ring-verse written by J.R.R. Tolkien in the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy. As written, the poem was composed by the Free Peoples of Middle-earth about the origins of the Rings of Power and their relationship under the power of the One Ring. The song was produced by McCreary, Apple, and Andrew Slater, and engineered by Jason LaRocca and David Way. Listen to “Where the Shadows Lie” (feat. Fiona Apple) HERE .

TheOneRing.net and Sideshow.com are throwing a party tonight at New York Comic-Con; there are still some tickets remaining, and we’d love to see YOU there!

Join us tonight, Friday, October 7th at 7:30pm as we bring back our annual NYCC gathering of fans! This time we’re teaming up with our friends at Sideshow and will be offering drinks, food and some amazing prizes.

Photo by Ashlee Rose Scott

This year we’ll be at Joyce Public House (formerly Tir na Nog) in Times Square (W 39th St), and the party will be on FRIDAY 7th October, 7.30-11pm.  

Tickets are only $25, and include your first drink, finger food, and two tickets for the raffle which will be drawn on the night.  (You’ll be able to purchase more raffle tickets; check out the amazing prizes, listed below!) Plus you’ll also get your ticket cost back in SIDESHOW.COM REWARDS if you set up a Sideshow account! 

Amazing prizes in the raffle include goodies from our good friends at Oscha – you might win one of their beautiful Rivendell mugs:

Or you could win one of the MANY other amazing goodies we have to give away!

The Rings of Power team are in town for New York ComicCon – and you never know, they may just come along to party with us… Grab your tickets now – see you there!

Pssst! When you order your ticket(s), check out the pins you can add to your order!

Join us Friday, October 7th at 7:30pm as we bring back our annual NYCC gathering of fans! This time we’re teaming up with our friends at Sideshow.com and will be offering drinks, food and some amazing prizes.

Photo by Ashlee Rose Scott

Finally we can all enjoy things like parties together again; so we’re back for another party in the Big Apple! TheOneRing.net is delighted to be teaming up with the official Sideshow ‘Let Your Geek Sideshow’ group to throw a splendid party!

This year we’ll be at Joyce Public House (formerly Tir na Nog) in Times Square (W 39th St), and the party will be on FRIDAY 7th October, 7.30-11pm.  

Tickets are only $25, and include your first drink, finger food, and two tickets for the raffle which will be drawn on the night.  (You’ll be able to purchase more raffle tickets; check out the amazing prizes, listed below!) Plus you’ll also get your ticket cost back in SIDESHOW.COM REWARDS if you set up a Sideshow account! 

The Rings of Power team are in town for New York ComicCon – and you never know, they may just come along to party with us… Grab your tickets now – see you there!

Raffle Items Include…

  • Mondo Rick and Morty 1:6 Figure Set
  • Sideshow The Dude Exclusive 1:6 Figure
  • The Wand Company Poke Ball Replica
  • Hot Toys Little Groot – GOTG
  • Hot Toys Knightmare Batman & Superman 1:6 Set
  • Hot Toys Ahsoka Tano 1:6 Clone Wars 
  • Sideshow The Child – Life-Size Figure
  • Octunnumi Prologue Custodian Book
  • Iron Studios Archer Orc 1:10 Statue
  • NZ Mint Frodo Chibi 1oz Silver Coin 
  • Asmus Toys Arwen In Death Frock 1:6 Figure Exclusive
  • Star Ace Morgul Lord Statue
  • Vanderstelt Bag End Unframed Print
  • Trick or Treat Studio Gollum Mask Prop Replica
  • Trick or Treat Studio Lurtz Mask Prop Replica
  • Ring of Gil-Galad by Into the Fire jewelry makers
  • ‘Rings of Power’ Concept Art Print, signed by John Howe
  • Beautiful Middle-earth items from Scottish designers Oscha
  • And more…!

Pssst! When you order your ticket(s), check out the pins you can add to your order!

A week has gone by since we gathered with fellow fans in the belly of the beast for Dragon Con 2022 – a return to pre-Covid type revelry; though with slightly reduced numbers this year.

This year’s convention was a great success – and it has to be said, the reduced numbers make a BIG difference. The event still felt crowded, but it was possible to move around without getting stuck in a crowd and coming to a complete standstill.

For Tolkien fans, there was plenty to love. On Thursday 1st September, staffers deej, Madeye Gamgee and greendragon started us off with a look at what we might expect to see in Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Folks then dispersed to various room parties to watch the first two episodes, as they released that evening.

Staffers deej, greendragon and Madeye Gamgee at Thursday’s panel
Very Special Guests

Friday 2nd brought what was for many the most exciting panel of the weekend – a chat with dialect coach Leith McPherson and artist John Howe. Hosted by greendragon, this conversation could have gone on for much longer than an hour. McPherson and Howe are both passionate, insightful and charming – and had much to say! Their love for Tolkien, and their desire to respect his creation whilst bringing something new to the screen in The Rings of Power, was evident. Listening to them speak, noone could doubt the earnest desire of the showrunners to honour and cherish Middle-earth, and all that it means to people, in this new manifestation. (Whether they have succeeded or not remains a matter of opinion and personal taste; but the sincere wish not to break something beautiful, as McPherson put it, cannot be doubted.)

After the panel, DragonCon TV caught up with the two guests:

Friday – An Evening at Bree

That evening, TORn joined the High Fantasy Track to host a long-standing Dragon Con tradition – An Evening at Bree. This year we had three musical acts: The Brobdingnagian Bards, Beth Patterson, and Landloch’d. All had partygoers up on their feet, dancing and swirling. The Elf Choir sang as beautifully as ever, providing a moment of ethereal calm in the revelry.

The highlight of Bree is always the costume contest, and this year was no exception! McPherson and Howe joined us to judge the entries – and were joined by experienced cosplayer Joshua Duart, in full Thranduil regalia! They had their work cut out for them – with 30 entries of a very high standard, it was not easy to choose winners!

The judges for An Evening at Bree’s Costume Contest

In the end, decisions were made, and prizes awarded. (Big thanks to our friends at Oscha, Mythologie Candles, NZ Post, Cave Geek Art, and Into the Fire Jewelry for giving us some incredible goodies to give to the winners!) Feast your eyes on some of the winning entries:

Group costume winner: The Fellowship!
Movie/tv inspired costume winner: Galadriel from The Rings of Power
Book inspired winner: Disa, complete with light up shield
Band’s choice winner: The Sexy Eye of Sauron!
Best in Show winner: Eowyn/Dernhelm
Special guests John Howe and Leith McPherson join all the costume entries at An Evening at Bree
Around the rest of the Con

On Saturday morning, some hardy souls were up early, to march with the Arms of Middle-earth in the Dragon Con parade! Further Tolkien panels in the High Fantasy Track included a discussion of ‘Underworlds of Middle-earth’ and ‘Gandalf vs Sauron – Angels at War’. We also explored the upcoming anime film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim – and during that panel, we shared a special video message for fans at the con, from Philippa Boyens and Richard Taylor!

Hobbit Drinking Songs with the Brobdingnagian Bards drew the usual crowd on Sunday night; but we were back at it bright and early Monday morning, for a TORn panel discussing what we had seen in Episodes 1 and 2 of The Rings of Power – and speculating what might be to come…

There was just time for folks to stop by our table and buy a button or shirt before the con drew to a close on Monday afternoon. The Dragon has returned to its lair for another year! But Tolkien fandom is alive and well, and Middle-earth was well represented at Dragon Con 2022.

See you next year!

We must thank Amazon Prime Video for arranging for Leith McPherson and John Howe to join us this year. We hope for more exciting guests next year! Thanks of course to the High Fantasy Track, and Dragon Con in general, for continuing to invite TORn to participate. We look forward to seeing our fellow fans again next year!

Photographs by Geek Behind the Lens photography.