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

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

Vote in the Middle-earth March Madness Final Four! Some like it ‘Hot!’

April 2, 2014 at 11:38 am by newsfrombree  - 
The Final Four are set! And in a stunning turn of events, Middle-earth has gone ‘Hot
!’ In an unexpected twist of fate, the final four combatants are arguably the most swoon-worthy group of Middle-earth combatants ever.
First up, we have Thranduil facing off against Aragorn. Some staff are already dubbing this match-up as ‘Team Sparkle’ (Thranduil) vs. ‘Team Stubble’ (Aragorn).
And with Legolas dispatching Gandalf in the Elite Eight, we now have a Hobbit (film) showdown of epic proportions – Legolas vs. Thorin Oakenshield.
Will this be the first year we have an all Elven final? Can Aragorn finally put Team Sparkle out of the competition? Will the Richard Armitage Army dispatch Legolas? All is up in the air as the final four voting has begun!
Voting will last until 10pm ET on April 5th in this round. So let the Middle-earth March Madness continue! Happy Voting!

Download the Brackets! [Final Four] [Round 4] [Round 3] [Round 2] [Round 1]
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 2, 2014 by newsfrombree

Final Hobbit Movie Changing Title to Into The Fire?

The remote server returned an unexpected response: (417) Expectation failed.
The remote server returned an unexpected response: (417) Expectation failed.
The One Ring is reporting a rather strange rumor that the final movie of The Hobbit trilogy will change its title from The Hobbit: There and Back Again to The Hobbit: Into the Fire. The There and Back Again sub-title has been associated with the movie since the then planned two movie adaptation of the novel. It is based on the "official" title as named by Bilbo in his memoirs from The Lord of the Rings. Basically it is the perfect title to use for the trilogy.

As a result this Into the Fire rumor comes at a bit of an time but The One Ring isn't in the habit of posting random rumors so its one you have to pay attention too even if your initial thought is to dismiss it as BS. But it is BS. TOR should have simply reported this as a "New Line registered new Hobbit title, purpose unknown" and then freely speculate on various purposes including title change. Their leap to changing the title of the final movie is a huge leap of logic with little support. Do not take is seriously. But since various mainstream websites reported this, I felt a need to post on it also.

Back to TOR, they apparently they decided the rumor was credible based on a few factors:
- New Line has registered the title The Hobbit: Into the Fire, exactly when isn't mentioned so can't place in any timeline for movie development.
- The Battle of Five Armies was another alternative title for the third film (or than second and final film) and New Line went far enough to register it at the same time they did The Desolation of Smaug. The main point is There and Back Again was one of several considered title options.
- No press, images or logo has yet to be released for The Hobbit: There and Back Again which means the movie studios have time to make title changes before the marketing machine kicks off and basically prevents them from making any title change.
- Studio execs have a history of assuming their audiences are so stupid that a title that might even be vaguely misinterpreted would negatively impact sales. "There and Back Again" might have been considered confusion by some executive (back from where, are they not already there". Probably whoever was this confused should probably be fired and clearly not qualified for their current job. This seems moronic...but studio execs really do think like this so the idea is entirely in the realm of possibility.
- Into the Fire fits the final story arc better. Besides being a simple, action orientated title, it also references Smaug the Dragon and the Battle of Five Armies that will be depicted in the movie.

My take is this is MGM making a registration for some future product that ties into the trilogy but isn't for the last movie. It is probably for a video game but could be for a contest, some new product, or any number of other things. I just don't see Peter Jackson signing off on a change. Nor do I see the MGM marketing department going for it considering the title has been out in the mainstream press for nearly two plus years now. If the concern is confusion, a title change pretty much guarantees it.

In addition, at this late in the game, the title change would cause all kinds of problems for tie-in products that are probably about to be or have already begun being manufactured for the final movie. Basically while 8 months seems like plenty of time to change and implement a title change, for something as expensive as The Hobbit trilogy with all kinds of related products, plans, marketing and other things already in motion, not only is a title change considered last minute, the window to make a changes probably closed mid-2013.

So again despite what other press sites report...treat this as a rumor and nothing more. Ignore it, don't even bother telling friends about it as just cause "I thought you said..." comments later.