When Kili is excluded from Fili’s Easter party, she visits a friend to pick up a little revenge… in the form of a chick! Join the mischief and learn the basics of how to care for baby chickens.
Also, while it took us a while… we finally got our Blu-ray copy of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug! And no, we didn’t get it from Dodo Brushwater’s black market 
If you are a digital only buyer, then good news. iTunes and Amazon have posted the digital copy of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug early along with extras at a cost of $19.99. As a result of that price, I highly recommend just save your hard earned money and instead wait for the official April 8th Blu-ray release of the movie as can get the combo edition with Blu-ray disc, DVD and UltraViolet digital copy for a few dollars more. Now I will be the first to admit that UltraViolet is absolute crap compared to iTunes but regardless the physical copy is still more bang for your buck even if don't own a Blu-ray player. Even better the extra features are the same regardless if get iTunes or physical copy as both come with "Peter Jackson Invites You to the Set" and "New Zealand: Home of Middle-earth: Part 2." Still if you are needing that early The Hobbit hit, click the links to pick your virtual source: iTunes | Amazon.
From the Everything Wrong series, Cinema Sins has issued their take down of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
- Our earlier post suggesting a baker’s dozen of alternative titles for The Hobbit: There And Back Again proved quite the hit.
And because so many of you tossed in even more brilliant suggestions, we thought we might as well do a sequel.
Studios do it, so why not us?
So without further ado, here are another 13 options — including the seemingly compulsory Electric Boogaloo — to replace There And Back Again. Just for funsies.
Bootnote: We also loved Breaking Bard as suggested by Eol and many others, Game of Dwarves from arthum, Weekend at Beornies by Blade Runner, Bilbo and his Amazing Technicolour Arkenstone from Legolas Cuthalion plus the following hilarious poster for Bilbo and Thorin’s Bogus Journey by Fotwuny.
Credit goes to Gwydion Madawc for Exit the Dragon, and the inspiration for The Eagles Have Landed, and Bard Strikes Back. Many apologies if I missed anyone — not deliberate!
By the way, if you missed our original spy report that sparked all the title change speculation, you can read it here.
Posted in Creations, Fans, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Movie, MGM, New Line Cinema, Parodies, Peter Jackson, Studios, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, Warner Bros. on April 20, 2014 by Demosthenes
Today, our favorite master of motion capture performance – Andy Serkis – turns 50!
Born on April 20, 1964, Mr. Serkis has long held a special place in all our hearts. The extraordinarily talented actor was originally brought in to supply the voice of Gollum in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. However, Andy became a much more integral part of Gollum’s creation than he could probably have ever imagined. Re-imagined through the use of motion capture technology, Gollum became much more than a digital creation. Those of us who sat in theaters on December 18, 2002, witnessed the birth of a new form of performance. What we saw was Andy, transformed into Tolkien’s iconic character.
Speaking for myself, I still remember my eyes being transfixed on the screen, unable to process what I was seeing and feeling. Andy’s magnetic performance set the standard for all digital characters that would follow – many of which he would have a hand in creating himself. From Kong to Caesar, he has helped revolutionize the film industry, and given us some of the greatest performances of the last 10+ years (whether motion capture or not). And if that wasn’t enough, Andy has also shown his incredible strengths behind the camera as Second Unit Director on the Hobbit films, and is set to make his directorial debut on Warner Brothers’ The Jungle Book.
On this day, we raise our glasses to Mr. Serkis, and wish him a very Happy Birthday!
-.Here is a clip really interesting people behind the scenes at Weta Digital which dissects the virtual images of the desolation of Smaug.
Apparently, a quarter of the film is made entirely of shots all-CG, and this clip describes the typical work flow develop the camerawork, the improvement of the key frame and how the lighting choices were dictated by the mood of each scene. Thanks to ringer Sandesh for the heads-up!
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TORn staffer greendragon says: Continuing my ‘Inside the Middle-earth Actor’s Studio’ series of interviews, I recently had the great pleasure of a phone conversation with Peter Hambleton, who plays Gloin in The Hobbit movies. What a charming, erudite, intelligent and modest chap he is! He has nothing but praise for his fellow cast members, and for director Peter Jackson; I’d wonder if he was perhaps being too generous in his kind words, were it not for the fact that ALL the cast talk about each other, and their experiences on set, in such glowing terms. It’s really no surprise that all the cast talk about having a great time making The Hobbit movies; they’re all such nice people!Hambleton and I talked for an hour, and covered topics such as what he’s working on now, how he prepares for a role, what he thinks of Middle-earth fandom, and just why Peter Jackson is a brilliant director of actors. He also gives a little hint of something we might see in the third Hobbit movie, and spills the beans about another movie he’d love to do with PJ…greendragon: Tell us what you’re working on at the moment, Peter - I know you’re busy up in Auckland.Peter Hambleton: Well it’s actually working with students – student actors, performing arts students at a place called Unitech, which is a university course. It’s a three year degree in performing arts, and I’m working with a group of a couple of dozen young actors. I’m working with a co-director – a young woman called Laurel Devenie, who is the daughter of one of New Zealand’s finest actors, Stuart Devenie. Laurel is an emerging force as a director, and we’re co-directing a sort of in-house showing for the students’ training, of a wonderful New Zealand play called Homeland, by Gary Henderson. I’m about three weeks through that – I’ve got a couple more weeks to go – and I’m loving it!GD: Is this a new venture for you, or have you worked at Unitech or with students a lot before?PH: I haven’t worked at Unitech. I’ve worked with students a bit; it’s a thing which has just developed for me in the last ten, fifteen years, with doing a little bit of work directing students in scenes, and maybe a production either at the National Drama School, or local summer Shakespeare in the outdoors… It’s something I’ve done from time to time, when I’ve been able to fit it in, and I’ve always found it really rewarding; and after three years on The Hobbit it’s – well, I’m missing The Hobbit terribly! – but it’s really refreshing for me. Very inspiring as well – these young people are amazing, and because I’ve got a directing job coming up soon after that, on a production here in Wellington, it’s kind of getting that part of my brain working again.GD: Can you tell us what the show is in Wellington?PH: This is something I’m very excited about. It’s an American play called Equivocation, which is written by a man called Bill Cain. It’s an amazing, modern play about Shakespeare. I’m a huge fan of Shakespeare – in fact, I’m a bit obsessed with him, I’m very passionate about anything to do with Shakespeare! This is a very clever, modern play which explores the possibility of Shakespeare getting tangled up in the aftermath of the Gunpowder Plot. Shall I give you the quick version of the story?GD: Please do! It rings a bell with me…PH: Well, Bill Cain some years ago he was a real figure in Boston theatre, as an actor/director/writer, and he’s now becoming a real force as a writer. In fact, he wrote one of the episodes of House of Cards recently! Equivocation is basically Shakespeare and his friends at the Globe Theatre, and his daughter Judith is there as well, and Shakespeare is told he has to write a play giving the government version of the Gunpowder Plot – and he struggles with that. It’s a really fascinating piece; they’ve just done King Lear, and he’s working away on Macbeth, so all these things get tangled up together. It’s a fantastic play.GD: How do you compare directing a show versus being in it yourself? They’re obviously quite different experiences, but both enriching…PH: Oh yes. I’ve done a lot of theatre – thirty years of theatre as an actor – and the directing thing, as I say, has just developed over the last ten to fifteen years. I love it; I love both. One feels a great sense of responsibility in pulling a project together, and holding it together, and that responsibility can be quite hard; overwhelming at times… But equally the satisfaction of when a show goes well, and you get a sense that all the people involved are performing at their best – or getting near it – that’s really rewarding. I’m more and more fascinated by the process, also; and I love team building, putting together really strong groups of people and letting them fly. There’s nothing better to me! I’m just really itching to get into it; it’s been a while since I’ve been in a theatre rehearsal room, which is a very familiar environment for me, and I’m working with some really wonderful local actors, some people that I know and have worked with, and a couple of younger, emerging talents, so it’s all very exciting in every way!GD: It sounds fabulous! You talk about team building and bringing together strong groups of people – I think that is often overlooked as one of Peter Jackson’s great skills. We think of him as this technical wizard, pushing the envelope of cinematography, using all the latest equipment, but he also brings together an amazing team of people, and enables those people to act at the highest level. I think we tend to forget what a great actor’s director PJ is.PH: This is very true. That’s been fascinating to watch – to get a glimpse of that – because I hadn’t had any experience of any of his other films, but I knew people in them, like Jed Brophy. Jed was able to describe to me what a great director Peter is, but to see it first hand was really thrilling. Of course Pete’s got it going on in every department! [laughs] You know, he’s able to put people at ease in the middle of the vast machinery of all the technology, and all the resources put in place, and the huge number of people on the creative team; there’s a real calmness which comes from him, and a real sense of fun and challenge when you’re working with him.
One thing that I picked up really early on was that he tells you exactly what you need to know, about what he needs from the shot; he’s very articulate, he’ll put it in terms you can understand, and he’s inspiring. Often the technical demands, or the physical and emotional demands, of a shot will be really challenging for people; and he will – well, I was going to say push, but it’s more lead. He really, at times, asks a lot of people, but they’re prepared to go there. It’s a lot to do with trust, and you can see it on-screen. I mean, I’m saying this a lot, when I get to talk about this: I think Martin Freeman’s performance will stand up over time as one of the great screen performances. It’s been a privilege to watch it close up; the way, emotionally, he’s taking us through the story and holding the high stakes of the story – it’s just enchanting. So to confirm what you’re saying – Peter Jackson is a great, great director of actors, for sure.GD: That’s my impression from what I see on the screen, and it’s my impression from talking to others in the cast. Everyone has said, ‘It was hard, but we would do it ten times over for Peter, because we trust what he’s asking us to do.’PH: I mean, there’s a lot of time of lots of fun and kooky jokes – which helps you get through the very long days! It’s a very positive working environment on set – grindingly hard, but something keeps you going, and having an inspirational leader is a really big part of it.Posted in Hobbit Cast News, Hobbit Movie, John Rhys-Davies, Lord of the Rings, LotR Movies, Peter Hambleton, Peter Jackson, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: There and Back Again on April 18, 2014 by greendragon - 
Bard Archer played by Luke Evans.Here, Luke Evans discussed with IGN on the Hobbit in playing the new video game from Lego Hobbit as his own character - Bard. IGN makes it awful hard pulling him questions about the film and his character while playing!
He mentioned that the primary motivation of the Bard is his family, and then adds:
In the third film, it is not only his children he has to deal with, but I can't talk about it more or I'll spoil.
Thanks to the ringtone for the heads-up alientraveller!
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Convention season is upon us, and the first big shindig on the TheOneRing.net Calendar is Wondercon in Anaheim. Tickets are still available if you find yourself in So Cal this weekend, so head on over to the Wondercon site and register to attend. There is a full schedule of panels, screenings, an artist alley to visit, the exhibitors hall for all your geeky shopping needs, and plenty of cosplay going on. We will be reporting on the Warner Bros. panel on Saturday morning, so follow our tweets for live reporting from the con, and a post later that afternoon for any and all Hobbit details. TheOneRing.net will have it’s first big panel of the year on Saturday afternoon at 5:30pm in Room 300DE.
For the collectors out there, don’t miss some of the wonderful exclusives that will be at Wondercon throughout the weekend. You can find the list at Wondercon Exclusives where you will see TORn’s own Wondercon Dragon shirt and Badali Jewelry’s Gold plated Dwarven battle axe. TORn’s booth is #1504 and Badali is just two booths away at booth #1404. And there are some wonderful exclusives offered by a number of other vendors as well, so happy shopping.
-.It may be that Warner Bros., New Line and MGM are currently reviewed exactly what they should call the last film in the trilogy by Peter Jackson's Hobbit films. Or maybe they aren't. It is perhaps for some related thing (a video game connection, by chance?). We are not quite sure yet.
However, if a title change is in the air, the smartmouths of the internets would put in their two bob and suggest alternatives that might prove to be a hit with punters.
So, in no particular order, here are 13 additional options for Warner Bros., new line and Peter Jackson brain trust to mull over before settling indiscriminately on what any final:
BOOTNOTE: The credit goes to the inhabitants of r/reddit/films for 2Smaug2Furious, derived from the Middle-Earth and desolation of Smaug 2: sorry more difficult. In case you're wondering, the font for the subtitle seems to be Albertus MT Std uppercase, while the title font is a nifty custom work (probably developed in house at Weta) who goes by the name of Sauron.
Posted in creations, Fans, Hobbit Movie, MGM, New Line Cinema, Parodies, villas, Peter Jackson, the Hobbit, Bilbo the Hobbit: the desolation of Smaug, the Hobbit: there and Back Again, Warner Bros. on April 18, 2014 by Demosthenes