Father vs Son! The Middle-earth March Madness Final is set! Thranduil vs. Legolas!

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April 6, 2014 at 9:16 am by newsfrombree  - 

In what is possibly of the biggest boilovers imaginable, Middle-earth March Madness for 2014 has come down to a father-son battle for the title honours!

That’s right: it’s a Thranduil vs Legolas final.

After a very slow semi-final start, Thranduil clawed his way back through the field to eventually topple Aragorn out of the contest, while Legolas and Thorin waged a neck-and-neck battle for quite some time before the former pulled away in the vote.

In all 37,000 votes were cast in the semi-final.

Now we’re left with the ultimate Elven question: who really is the prettiest? (just joking!)

It’s a tough choice though: Legolas might be one of the Nine Walkers and a member of the Fellowship if the Ring, but Thranduil has reigned over Mirkwood for more than 3,400 years.

There can only be one (as they say in Highlander). So cast your vote now!

Voting closes 10pm ET on April 7. Happy Voting!

Download the Brackets! [Final Four][Elite Eight][Round 4] [Round 3] [Round 2] [Round 1]

Remember:

March Madness is all for fun and the criteria for voting is left to each individual. So everyone will have their own reasons for voting and that’s Okay!

TORn is a home for all fans of Tolkien and all media and culture that has arisen from Tolkien. From the newest visitor to the most senior staff, people are drawn to different aspects and expressions of Tolkien fandom. Welcome to all of you. Civility, respect, and good humor go a long way for all endeavors in life. We applaud all who exhibit these qualities while visiting TORn.

Posted in Characters, Events, Fans, Fellowship of the Ring, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Movie, Lord of the Rings, LotR Books, LotR Movies, Movie Fellowship of the Ring, Movie Return of the King, Movie The Two Towers, Other Events, Other Tolkien books, Return of the King, Silmarillion, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, The Two Towers, Uncategorized on April 6, 2014 by newsfrombree

In Memory of Shadowfax

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The remote server returned an unexpected response: (417) Expectation failed.

We’ve just heard the sad news that Blanco, the beautiful horse that played Shadowfax in the Lord of the Rings films, has died. We knew that he’d been ill and that his owner and friend, Cynthia Royal, was desperately trying to save him, sadly the decision was made to end his suffering.  Cynthia announced this to his fans and followers in an open letter on their website.  Our condolences and love go out to Cynthia and all her family.  RIP Blanco, running free in the Undying Lands.

Dear Family, Friends, Fans and Followers,

Over the past few months, my equine friend, partner, teacher and guide ‘Blanco’ – known around the world for his staring role as Shadowfax in the Lord of The Rings movies – suddenly and without warning fell critically ill. During this time, he required an array of urgent medical care and a lengthy stay in a horse hospital.

A battery of tests were performed which pointed to inconclusive, but none-the-less extremely serious issues with his intestinal tract and liver. To my dismay, this left the exact nature of his illness, as well as the best method of treatment, an illusive guess at best. As a result, a host of supportive therapies – from conventional to alternative – were provided, in addition, to an outpouring of healing energy, prayers and blessings that came in from his fans and supporters all over the world.

While Blanco was in the hospital, my family and I visited him daily, so he would continue to know that he was loved and supported even though he was away from home. Some days, he was distant – a physical shell devoid of the opinionated Blanco I’ve known so well. Other days he would rally as soon as he heard my whistle from afar. On those days we’d go on short walks together, allowing for scratches, hugs and a few nibbles of the green grass on the hospital’s lawn.

One day in particular toward the end of his hospital stay, Blanco returned to his old enthusiastic self, demonstrated by an alert ‘head’s up’ and a loud and joyful whinny to see me. After the hospital staff disconnected him from the IV, he snacked on carrots I’d brought him from home and we went for a long walk around the hospital grounds, even doing a little trotting in unison. When we arrived back at his stall, I told him if he continued to feel better, that we planned to bring him home the following day to continue his rehabilitation there.

Early the next morning, I received a call from one of the many vets overseeing Blanco’s case, informing me that he had taken a turn for the worse overnight and that I should come to the hospital right away. When I approached Blanco’s stall, he was in an obvious state of shut-down and distress – a situation I know well from recent experience with my own life-threatening illness. So, after stepping into his stall, I laid my head on his back and placed my hand over his heart for a few moments of meditative connection. Then, while kneeling down by his side, I asked Blanco if it was his ‘time’. Without a second of hesitation, he turned his head to me, looked me straight in the eye and at that moment, I knew he was ready.

While the decision was made to help Blanco transition, due to safety concerns the hospital had a strict policy of not allowing non-staff to be present during euthanasia. This was something I was simply unwilling to accept, as I knew my duty to to Blanco and our extraordinary relationship would not be complete without being able to be present to support him during this final leg of his earthly journey.

Instead of allowing him to be taken away to an isolated room to die with strangers, they agreed to euthanize him in his stall and allow me to be by his side – as long as I could persuade him to lay down on his own. Although it took several tries and lots of encouragement due to his severely weakened state, Blanco gave me the gift by laying down for me one last time in response to my gentle request. Although my heart was breaking, as my final gift to him, I stayed strong, balanced and focused, gently repeating, “Relax Blanco. Let go. Walk into the light. Relax and let go” as the Blanco I’ve known so well and loved so deeply slipped away.

While this leg of Blanco’s journey has passed and my heart still aches, I will live in peace knowing we gave our all to aid in his recovery. We spared no effort nor expense, even though doing so in conjunction with the on-going expenses of my own health challenges has placed an additional financial burden on my family.

So, if seeing Blanco in the movies or in one of our many videos, clinics or appearances has touched your heart or inspired you in any way, I invite you to make a donation in memory of Blanco that will help us pay for his extensive medical care. In doing so, your show of support will mean Blanco’s message that we have love and compassion not only toward our horses, but with each other, will truly come full circle.

In gratitude ~ Cynthia Royal and family

Our thoughts and love are with you during this time, in the words of Gandalf “I will not say do not weep for not all tears are an evil”. *hugs & love* Kelvarhin

Congratulations to our 2014 Middle-earth March Madness champion: Thranduil!

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The remote server returned an unexpected response: (417) Expectation failed.
April 12, 2014 at 12:32 am by Demosthenes  - 

The results are in! After three weeks of intense competition we can finally crown a winner! In the end, Thranduil — the Sindarin king of the Woodland Realm — has taken the crown in our 2014 Middle-earth March Madness contest!

We received more than 20,000 votes in the final, and Thranduil (Thrandy to his nearest and dearest?) soundly defeated his worthy opponent Legolas (aka Leggy) with 64.18% of those votes! I guess it is good to be king!

We’d like to thank you all for participating in this year’s event and hope you had a fun time discussing the finer points of your favourite Middle-earth characters and objects, regardless of whether you viewed the contests as a physical battle, a game of wits, or a popularity contest (all valid ways to vote!). It’s also a neat way to explore what makes these characters such interesting and vital parts of Tolkien’s Middle-earth.

We’re already looking forward to next year’s competition — and introducing a few of the changes that readers have suggested in comments/facebook posts. For a review of each round, click on the following links: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Elite Eight, Final Four, and the Championship.

EDIT: Please feel free to leave comments and suggestions for next year below — we’re open to your ideas (and as mentioned we already have a few of our own!). Fan bashing, however, will not be tolerated by the mods.

Posted in Events, Fans, Fellowship of the Ring, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Movie, Lord of the Rings, LotR Books, LotR Movies, Movie Fellowship of the Ring, Movie Return of the King, Movie The Two Towers, Return of the King, Silmarillion, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, The Two Towers on April 12, 2014 by Demosthenes

The Hobbit Production Video #14 - The Music

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The remote server returned an unexpected response: (417) Expectation failed.

In time for Christmas, Peter Jackson has posted the 14th production video for The Hobbit trilogy and last for this year. The remainder will start sometime in the new year with the focus being on filming The Hobbit: There and Back Again. In the video below, it focuses entirely on creating the beautiful soundtrack for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug as composed by Howard Shore.

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