Lord of the Ring
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Tolkien: A Biography
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE (pronounced /ˈtɒlkiːn/; in General American also [ˈtoʊlkiːn]) (3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of [...]
Continue reading...Meet Guillermo Del Toro
6. October 2009
Guillermo Del Toro is the man at the helm of The Hobbit. The Mexican-born director is setting up shop in Wellington to shoot the two movies, watched over by producer Peter Jackson. Del Toro is known for his creatures. From Blade to Hellboy to Pan’s Labyrinth, he’s a master at creating weird stuff. Which is all well and [...]
Continue reading...Reflections of “Real” Languages in Tolkien’s Tongues
6. October 2009
Many character and place names in The Lord of the Rings are related to words from old and modern languages. In his book Hobbits, Elves, and Wizards, Michael N. Stanton provides examples of the historical links for some of Tolkien’s characters and settings. A few examples follow: Saruman’s name derives from the Anglo-Saxon, or Old English, [...]
Continue reading...Humor: “50 Reasons Lord of the Rings Sucks”
6. October 2009
1. Crass Marketing. I’ve heard some students are being forced to read some novelization of the movies in their literature classes. Ridiculous. Does Hollywood run our classrooms now? 2. Greed. Hollywood can’t make a movie these days without crapping out a sequel the next year to squeeze more cash out of the proverbial sheep. After Two Towers made [...]
Continue reading...Peter Jackson Dishes on the Status of ‘The Hobbit’
6. October 2009
During Peter Jackson’s Comic-Con chat, the conversation quickly turned to the status of Guillermo del Toro’s two-part adaptation of The Hobbit, which he’s producing and co-writing. Some highlights: On the status of the Hobbit script: “I would say, give or take a little tailwind, we’re about three weeks from turning over the first script for the first [...]
Continue reading...Paying to Play
6. October 2009
What convinces you to pay for an online game? Not long ago I found myself thoroughly addicted to Lord of the Rings Online. It’s a good-looking game with a nice array of character classes, and it offers lengthy, satisfying quests. But the kicker for me was getting to take part in the story. Having read the books, [...]
Continue reading...History Channel Episode on LOTR; J.R.R. Tolkien
6. October 2009
As part of its “Clash of the Gods” series, the History Channel is airing an episode on what it calls “The greatest myth of modern times:” J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Similar to the other episodes in the series, this episode features an impressive array of experts on Tolkien and mythology, including Michael Drout [...]
Continue reading...Lord of the Rings Music Rockets to Radio City Music Hall
6. October 2009
How do you get to Radio City Music Hall? Practicing isn’t enough. You need to write the score to a film trilogy that gobbles up more Academy Awards than a Gollum eats fish. Howard Shore’s music for Peter Jackson on The Lord of the Rings trilogy won three Academy Awards, four Grammy, three Golden Globes and [...]
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6. October 2009
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