desolation-of-smaug The DVD-Blu-day release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on March 19 heralds our chance to get a “first look” at the second installment of the movie trilogy The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Peter Jackson will live-host the sneak peek, which will stream over the internet on March 24 at 3pm EDT.

TVNZ reports that it is believed the sneak peek of the second film will last somewhere between 10 to 20 minutes — but details are yet to be confirmed.

TVNZ says that there is no final word on whether an extended version of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released — but Jackson hinted one was in the works at the Wellington premiere of the film last year.

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Bootnote: Somewhat bizarrely, New Zealand Hobbit fans apparently have to wait until May 1 to purchase their copy, while it’s available in the UK from 8 April 2013.

There are several different versions available, all offering different goodies and extras. We recommend this excellent guide by TORn staffer MrCere and Ringer TheHutt if you want to compare the various versions and sets side-by-side.

the-hobbit-jrr-tolkienTolkien fans in Southern California will have an embarrassment of events to attend to share their love of all things Tolkien. From conventions and film screenings to enjoying the source material, here is a little rundown of events to attend and enjoy in the month of March.

First up is a Literary based Science Fiction convention in San Diego called Condor, taking place this weekend. TheOneRing.net will be hosting several discussions on Saturday and Sunday about The Hobbit, TheOneRing.net and Middle-earth. This weekend will be full of lots of interactive programming, so come on down and join in the fun.

On the following weekend, the American Cinematheque will be hosting a screening of The Hobbit and the LOTR Trilogy in a full day and night Middle-earth Marathon. This will be on Saturday, March 16 at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica. TheOneRing.net will be there to talk Tolkien, run trivia contests and play a game or two. And to help some lucky Tolkien fan to OD on Middle-earth, we have a pair of tickets to give away. Go to our Event Page on Facebook, RSVP to attend the screening and leave a message stating how you plan to survive the 15 hours or so that this marathon will take, and we’ll randomly award a pair of tickets to one lucky person. Hurry, this contest will close on Saturday at Midnight.

Just a week later, on March 23, Tolkien Forever will be hosting their annual Tolkien Reading Day event. This event is typically held on March 25, the Middle-earth New Year  after the Destruction of the Ring. But March 25 is a Monday, so the event in Los Angeles was moved to the Saturday before, and is going to be at what looks to be a wicked cool used bookstore in Downtown LA called The Last Bookstore. Selections of Tolkien’s wide range of works will be read to any and all who show up, spreading the love for his written word. Visit the Facebook Event Page to see more details.

The final event for So Cal Tolkien fans to attend and enjoy will be Wondercon in Anaheim at the end of the month. This convention is typically held in San Francisco, but moved to Anaheim last year and this year because Moscone Center in San Fran has been undergoing renovations. Wondercon is a spin off from San Diego Comic Con and is run in a similar manner, but on a much smaller scale, making it more accessible for fans to enjoy all that the con has to offer. TheOneRing.net will have a panel at Wondercon, but the schedule is still pending, we will announce when and where you can find as soon as we know.

And there you have it, 4 weekends of Tolkien fandom, fun and friendship. What more could wee little Hobbits hope for?

 

Tolkien shopWelcome to the latest “Getting to know…” questions that need answering. Based on the old Getting to know you threads that I used to post on the message boards here on TORn, so those familiar with them will know that the questions can be a little crazy and the answers even crazier.

This month we’re asking questions of uber fan from Brisbane Australia, Peter Kenny.

Hi Peter and thank you for joining in 🙂

Kelvarhin:  What piece of Tolkien ephemera began your collection?

Peter: My very first Tolkien Book was a single volume paperback edition of The Lord of the Rings given to me as a gift in 1976. I still have that original copy in my collection.

Continue reading “Getting to know Peter Kenny”

If you have a Tolkien/Middle-earth inspired poem you’d like to share, then send it to poetry@theonering.net. One poem per person may be submitted each month. Please make sure to proofread your work before sending it in. TheOneRing.net is not responsible for poems posting with spelling or grammatical errors.

With the public screenings now on in New Zealand and England and a day away in the U.S. and Canada, it seems a good time to continue to celebrate Hobbit Week and share some of the footage we gathered on the red carpet in Wellington, New Zealand. And this time instead of speaking to the media in general, they are speaking directly to you, the community that makes up TheOneRing.net. We have saved this footage for just the right time but here in the states it feels like ‘Hobbit Eve’ and there hasn’t been a lull in the media for weeks so it is now or never! Hope you enjoy some short visits and appearances by Adam Brown, Andy Serkis, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, James Cameron, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Martin Freeman, Peter Hambleton, Richard Armitage, Stephen Hunter and William Kircher. Enjoy!

Hobbit week continues as we all await the arrival of ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘ in theaters December 14th! We are both honored and excited to share with you a TheOneRing.net Exclusive clip from the film! The clip features Thorin and company singing ‘Misty Mountains’ at the end of a long evening in Bag End. The song ‘Misty Mountains‘ is now available for individual download or as part of the complete soundtrack worldwide. [iTunes: Special Edition or Standard] [Amazon.com: Special Edition or StandardEnjoy!

Continue reading “Exclusive: ‘Misty Mountains’ Clip from ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’”

THE TIME IS UPON US! Watch our online show for complete coverage and surprises that will make hair grow on your Hobbity toes! TheOneRing.net proudly presents our ultimate *live* webcast today as host Clifford “Quickbeam” Broadway reviews the film (wowza!), checks the rumors of Sir Ian McKellen’s cancer scare, reveals the New Zealand trip giveaway at L.A.’s historic Chinese Theatre midnight show, and reveals Warner Bros. final marketing push before the worldwide release of THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY. This innovative show allows you to watch and join chatters live in Barliman’s Chat Room, built into our Live Event Page here. It all begins at 5:00pm Pacific Time! You can also turn on your camera and join video chat here at www.stickam.com/theoneringnet