Hobbit fan Lauren’s adorable crocheted Bilbo was featured on the official Hobbit Movie Facebook page and Twitter. Her next project? Crocheting all thirteen dwarves! (Evie Bowman)
Imagine possessing a skill that takes you to the Kremlin to film the inauguration of a Russian president or has you in New Zealand to work on The Hobbit films! Paul Maples is among a handful of people in the world working as a motion control operator, one of many ways to create visual effects in films. And he is good at it, having been nominated for three Emmy Awards. His story was recently chronicled by The Lansing State Journal. (Evie Bowman)
70 percent of New Zealanders believe Hollywood companies should pay back the $67 million Government subsidy to make The Hobbit. Rt Hon Winston Peters said, “The Hobbit has made more than $1 billion at the global box office. It will make much more when DVD royalties and film merchandise are taken into account. There is no reason why Warner Brothers needed the subsidy in the first place, other than wanting to maximise its profits. But as they were given the subsidy by the Government, they should do the right thing and hand it back.” (Evie Bowman)
“The craft knife is mightier than the sword” is the motto of Esty shop PaperCutWords. And with their unique paper tributes to The Hobbit (like the one above), it’s easy to imagine that J.R.R. Tolkien, himself, would be likely to agree. (Evie Bowman)
The Wichita State robotics challenge encourages middle school students to experience the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields in a hands-on competition. The theme, WuShock: An Unexpected Journey, was inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Participants’ tasks called for navigating through courses, climbing ramps, and displacing objects. The course was designed to imitate Bilbo Baggins’ journey through the Shire and the mountains. (Evie Bowman)
Warner Brothers is suing the Tolkien estate after they attempted to stop the film studio from featuring characters on online gambling websites and slot machines. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Warners are claiming that the estate’s actions have cost them millions of dollars. (Arwen Kester)
Paul Quinn is an acoustic instrumentalist building world-wide acclaim with his music videos on YouTube. Brought up in an Irish traditional setting, he developed a taste for intricate melodies and harmonies from a young age. His version of The Hobbit‘s Misty Mountains (above) was preceded by beautiful renditions of The Shire Theme and The Rohan Theme from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. (Lily Milos)
Every week, our Middle-earth News reporters seek out Tolkien/Hobbit/LOTR goodness and tag their finds with their names. If you have something to contribute, feel free to submit it using the Got News Precious link in the sidebar.
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