Latest news with #Gandalf
Scotsman
5 days ago
- Scotsman
Scotland invented hills, but we have a rival at Lincoln Cathedral
Lincolnshire is very flat. I know this, because I was there last week. As we drove through it, I couldn't help but notice that the whole place looked like it had been ironed. Very handy for the RAF in WW2, who built airfields all over the place and gave it the nickname 'Bomber County'. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Bump-free wide horizons make Scots nervy. We do like a wee bit of hill and glen, if only to hide from invading enemies and most importantly, visiting families. The city of Lincoln itself, however, is an excellent workout for hill climbing muscles, and I know that because we took ourselves down to see the sights. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There's a show-stopper of a cathedral and a fairly decent castle, although I must be honest, Edinburgh has nothing to fear. We've got a better gift shop for a start. The street to the Cathedral is actually called 'Steep Hill'. This tells you all you need to know, really. It's a hill, and it's very steep. Also, it's the only serious slope for miles around. Fell runner training must be a challenge in Lincolnshire. You've basically just got this to run up and down. Hardly any Scottish city could get away with that snappy two word street name. Take Edinburgh. Imagine the chaos you could cause by naming every high gradient roadway 'Steep Hill'. That's the entire Old Town. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It's possibly that familiarity with urban hill walking that made me pretty dismissive at the start of our ascent. Have to be honest, I did eye-roll the sign. That cantankerous, carnaptious Dad's Army Private Fraser voice in my head positively sneered. 'Oh aye? Steep, is it? Let me tell you about steep. I'm from Scotland, slopes are in our blood'. Why, sometimes, in places like London, we fall over because we've been walking about in soft Southern flatness for so long. We lose our balance. It's possibly an inner ear thing. Or a booze in the blood thing. We had prepared for the challenge, of course, with what marathon runners call 'pre-loading' our diet. So that would be strong coffee for me, tea and marmalade on toast for himself. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He's taken to using one of those Nordic walking poles. They are very useful, but with his luxuriant white mane he does bear an uncanny resemblance to Gandalf. And then we hit the slope. Good people of Edinburgh, the signs did not lie. This hill is so steep it should be Scottish. Be of cheer, I did not let my nation down. I threw myself into the challenge, aided by the kind people of Lincoln who had thoughtfully placed any number of cutesy wee shops all the way up, each tempting me and pole-wielding Sherpa Tensing ever higher. This is the cunning of the sassenach. It's like being lured ever further up Ben Nevis by the twinkling windows of artisan candle and soap shops. We hit the summit, and by jingo, I wanted to slam a Saltire into the ground and claim this hill for Scotland. Couldn't, obviously. Cobbles. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It was worth it. The cathedral is sublime, although the mere sight of a stained glass window is enough to raise John Knox's chilly spirit to blast his monstrous trumpet at me. Ach, away, John, I've paid for my peek at glory by slogging up the hill, how presbyterian is that?
Hypebeast
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
You Shall Not Pass: LEGO Icons Unveil 'The Lord of the Rings' Balrog Book Nook
Summary Get ready to 'Fly, you fools' with theLEGO IconsThe Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook. The upcoming set pays tribute to a popularThe Fellowship of the Ringscene, which sees Gandalf go head-to-head with Durin's Bane, the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. Arriving with a total of 1,201 pieces, the build features a black Balrog figure with a fiery whip and flames on its back. Its posable limbs and wings also allows it to extend for a dynamic display. Standing across the Balrog is a detachable Gandalf the Grey minifigure, complete with his staff and sword. As he sacrifices himself for the Fellowship, the figure stands atop a platform with a plaque stating his famous line: 'You shall not pass!' Check out the set above. The LEGO IconsThe Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook is available for pre-order now via theLEGO webstore, and is set to release on June 1.
Gizmodo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Lego's New ‘Lord of the Rings' Set Decides What Shall and Shall Not Pass Your Bookshelf
Ever since Lego returned to making annual Lord of the Rings set, the company has gone big, with high price, high-parts-count sets that bring bits of Middle-earth to life on as grand a scale as possible. Its next one, however, is a little different. We already got our annual big Lord of the Rings set this year with the release of The Shire, but Lego is bringing Lord of the Rings into another of its toy lines with today's announcement of a buildable book nook recreating Gandalf's confrontation with the Balrog in Moria from Fellowship of the Rings. Following on in the vein of the Sherlock Holmes book nook revealed last month, the $130, 1201-piece Lord of the Rings set can either be displayed entirely unfurled, or folded up into a compacted version of the iconic scene that can be easily slotted into a book shelf (presumably one you've stuffed with plenty of Tolkien tomes). Lego Lord of the Rings Balrog Book Nook The Balrog Book Book includes, of course, a minifigure of Gandalf wielding his sword and staff, as well as a brick-built Balrog, which comes with a recreation of its flame whip as well as massive wings that unfurl outwards when the set is folded out, framed by columns of fire. And, of course, on the front of the set whether it's in the folded or unfolded configuration is a brick printed with Gandalf's legendary 'You shall not pass!' quote from the scene, guaranteeing you doing your best Ian McKellen impression whenever you look at it. It's an unusual move for Lego to bring Lord of the Rings to some of its other product lines after it's spent the past few years exclusively treating it as a yearly one-off, and hopefully a sign that we might see more of Middle-earth than just one massively pricey set each year. An architecture set of Minas Tirith? An buildable art piece replicating the painting in Rivendell of Sauron and Isildur's battle? What about a botanicals set of the White Tree of Gondor, or a bundle of athelas? Hell, I can't be the only one thinking that the fellowship sailing past the Argonath might have made just as good as a book nook idea as Moria, honestly! It might not be a return to the full-throated Lord of the Rings line that some fans might have wished for, but it lets us hope–even if it's just a fool's hope–that we might start seeing Lord of the Rings pop up on Lego shelves a little more regularly. The Lego Lord of the Rings Balrog Book Nook is available to pre-order now, ahead of a release on June 1.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hero dog honored after legendary career catching criminals: 'He's responsible for putting a lot of people in jail'
A heroic dog in Australia has been rewarded for his work in helping fire investigation teams and boosting the safety of his human co-workers. Gandalf the detection dog is a more seasoned pup passing on his wisdom to the next generation of service animals — and now he has an award to prove he is indeed "a very good boy," as Australian Community Media (@australiancommunitymedia) highlighted on TikTok. Australia's Fire and Rescue New South Wales announced in April that Gandalf, who has been with the department since 2018, was honored as the 2025 Canine Hero of the Year in the Service Dog category at the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Sydney Royal Easter Show. The team credits Gandalf with fearlessly going into hazardous areas and quickly pinpointing how the fires started. His work means investigators spend less time in those fire-ravaged areas, which can contain toxic chemicals that threaten human health. Gandalf is able to quickly identify fire accelerants, helping him find evidence in arson and homicide investigations. "This award is a fitting tribute to the work Gandalf has done for our team and the community," Tim Garrett, FRNSW canine team leader, said. "Gandalf has an incredible ability to work through chaotic, post-fire environments and identify the smallest traces of ignitable liquids." The veteran pup's work is all the more essential as Australia grapples with the effects of rising global temperatures. In 2020, as bushfires devastated southeastern Australia during "Black Summer," World Weather Attribution found that human activities associated with a warming climate — such as the burning of dirty fuels — had raised the country's bushfire risk by at least 30%. While upgrading to energy-efficient appliances and unplugging wallet-draining "energy vampires" are among the ways to reduce the heat-trapping pollution you generate at home, Gandalf's nose remains a powerful deterrent for potential fire-starting perpetrators, as he has worked a number of high-profile arson and homicide cases. "He's actually responsible for putting a lot of people in jail," an announcer honoring the canine noted during the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Sydney Royal Easter Show. At the end of the year, Gandalf is retiring from the Fire Investigation and Research Unit. However, Siren, one of the veteran's mentees, is in the newest class of detection dogs. What type of food do you feed your pets? Conventional kibble Canned Fresh Insect-based Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "He's been incredibly tolerant and patient with his new excitable sidekick, Siren," Garrett said. "He's passing the baton in the best possible way." Gandalf's prize money from his Canine Hero of the Year award will go toward Fire and Rescue NSW's Beat the Burn — an event focused on raising funds for the burns unit at the Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation, per the department's Facebook. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Hindustan Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Internet is shocked to learn Tom Cruise (62) is as old as Ian McKellen was when he played Gandalf in LOTR: ‘Great genes'
Tom Cruise really has no such competition when it comes to mounting an action spectacle in his movies. The Hollywood star has spent years trying to champion action and thrilled fans all over the world with his Mission Impossible franchise. Now, at 62, he is challenging himself anew with the release of his upcoming release Mission Impossible- The Final Reckoning. A movie page on Instagram has now made a post which shared that at 62, Tom Cruise is older than Sir Ian McKellen when he starred in Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Users did not react favourably to this comparison and commented against the unnecessary pitting of two actors. (Also read: Tom Cruise tears up as Mission Impossible The Final Reckoning gets a 5-minute standing ovation at Cannes 2025. Watch) The post caption read, 'Tom Cruise is defeating nature! Tom Cruise recently performed his most death defying stunts in 'Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning' and it makes it easy to forget he is in his 60s!' A post shared by Jesse Grant | Movie Magic (@moviemagick) Reacting to the post, a user commented, 'What's the point of this?' A user said, 'You're telling me he could just play Gandalf and it would be age accurate?' Another said, 'He has been running and exploring his limits for over 40 years. Man's a symbol of dedication and hard work.' 'But could Tom play Gandalf like Ian?' asked another. 'Great genetics,' said an impressed fan. 'He has maintained his fitness. That's so great,' wrote another. " A second user wrote, 'I would still rather see a movie with Sir Ian, or a stage play, comedy etc. his range is far more vast than the other guy.' Another said, 'Maybe, but no-one could've played Gandalf better than Ian McKellen.' 'Throwing a photo of Ian as Gandalf doesn't really help him look his youngest,' wrote another. Sir Ian McKellen played Gandalf three times in the Lord of the Rings franchise. The veteran actor, who is 85 now, recently said that he has no plans of retiring from acting and is open to work in the new Lord of the Rings trilogy. Meanwhile, Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning will hit theatres in India on May 17, ahead of its worldwide release.
