Latest news with #LordOfTheRings
CNN
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
This aircraft mechanic is using social media to make flying – and grieving – a little less scary
Max Comer never set out to become a social media star. But somewhere between fixing landing gear in Oklahoma and raising two young sons on his own, the 33-year-old aircraft mechanic — known as 'Airplane Facts with Max' online — started gaining followers by the thousand. In his quirky, deadpan videos, Comer introduces aircraft components like speed tape, cargo doors and ice detection systems — often relating them to elaborate 'Lord of the Rings' references. In one video about titanium engine fan blades, for instance, he dives into an extended overview of the origins of Andúril, the sword carried by Aragorn, which was reforged from the shards of Narsil by the Elves of Rivendell. But it's not all Tolkien. Sporting metal-band tees and long, wavy strawberry-blond hair, Comer also helps demystify air travel by posting reassuring videos about common in-flight worries, from banging sounds during takeoff to the origins of the 'smoke' coming from overhead vents. A post shared by Max (@airplanefactswithmax) He also clears up misconceptions about things like 'duct tape' on planes (it's actually speed tape) or the 'black' box (which is actually two bright orange boxes). To his surprise, people have embraced his dry humor and mix of aviation facts and Middle-earth lore — a curious combination that's earned him over 1.2 million Instagram followers and nearly half a million more on TikTok. 'One thing I've learned from my page is that aircraft mechanics aren't talked about much — we usually work behind the scenes, so I'm glad to shine a little light on what we do,' he tells CNN. 'There are hundreds of thousands of us out there, working overnight in the dark and the rain, changing tires and brakes, getting covered in hydraulic fluid. It's not glamorous. It's dirty. It can be hard on your body. But someone's got to do it — and we do.' Growing up in Denver, Colorado, Comer had a lot of freedom to pursue hobbies and do his own thing. He recalls spending his youth skateboarding, playing guitar in local bands and helping his dad with repairs on the family ranch. After high school, Comer gave college a try for about a year and a half, but it wasn't a good fit, so he dropped out. It's not glamorous. It's dirty. It can be hard on your body. But someone's got to do it — and we do.' Max Comer, aircraft mechanic In 2013, Comer met his late wife, Jones, and they later welcomed their first son, Finn, a year later. At the time, he was bartending while searching for a more stable career with benefits. A friend's father, an aircraft mechanic, was about to start school for his Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) license and invited Comer to join him. So in 2015, he enrolled in a full-time A&P program while continuing to work nights at the bar. 'It was a grind,' he says. 'We were scrambling to make ends meet. But I knew it was just 18 months — and I could do it.' After graduating, Comer took a job with Horizon Air in Seattle, working on regional jets like the Bombardier Q400 and Embraer 175. 'I was really green,' he says. 'In school, you're working on engines that have been sitting there for 25 years. Then suddenly working on a live aircraft that's about to carry real people.' Thankfully, he was surrounded by veteran mechanics who showed him the ropes during overnight shifts when they would take care of whatever the planes needed, such as tire and oil changes or flight control checks. Sometimes, he worked on planes that carried his own family. He recalls one morning when he was stuck trying to fix a plane's cargo door. 'My wife, Jones, and my kid were actually on that flight,' he says. 'She's texting me from the terminal like, 'Fix the damn plane, Max! We're gonna miss our connection!'' And while it could be high pressure at times, Comer loved the job. 'There's a lot of stress in aviation for everybody in the industry. There's a low margin of error, so things have to be precise,' he says. 'The plane can't pull over. There's no side of the cloud where you can stop and check something. It makes me feel like what I'm doing on a day-to-day basis is important, because it is.' For the next few years, life was good for Comer — he had a fulfilling career, was deeply in love, and welcomed a second son. But then his world collapsed. In September 2022, Jones passed away unexpectedly. 'It was by far the hardest time in my life,' he says. 'She was the love of my life. A one-of-a-kind person who brought so much joy to our lives. I felt like my life was over. I couldn't sleep. I was spiraling.' As he struggled to stay afloat under the crushing weight of grief, Comer searched for distractions and comfort in literature. He turned to the world of 'The Lord of the Rings,' losing himself in Elvish languages, gruesome battles and the lore of Tolkien's magical realms. 'Tolkien has always been a comfort story for me,' he says. 'Oddly enough, my wife didn't like 'Lord of the Rings' — she thought it was boring. So, it was one thing that didn't remind me of her. It felt like a safe space away from everything.' Around the same time, Comer began posting short, monotone videos about aircraft parts on his private Instagram. His friends thought they were funny and urged him to try TikTok. So, in November 2022, he gave it a shot. 'I posted on TikTok, then accidentally fell asleep on my lunch break,' he says. 'I wasn't sleeping much back then and just dozed off.' He never imagined that first 'airplane fact' would take off. 'When I woke up, it already had 20,000 views. My phone had exploded,' he recalls. 'It was wild.' About three months later, he posted his first Tolkien-themed airplane fact, just to see if he could connect two wildly different interests. 'I didn't think I could do it again,' he says. 'But then I came up with another one, and then another. And I realized — I could just keep going.' If it were up to him, he says he'd talk about 'Lord of the Rings' all day. 'But I realized most people don't know as much about airplanes as I do,' he says. 'So I figured, why not do both? It's a win-win.' For a long time, Comer didn't mention Jones on his page. But when he finally did, the outpouring of support caught him off guard. 'It was overwhelmingly positive,' he says. 'People shared their own stories of grief, and it made me feel less alone.' Looking back, he says, Airplane Facts with Max gave him something vital. 'During that time, I had a hard time wanting to just keep going day to day. It gave me something to look forward to — a creative outlet I really needed.' And what would Jones think about it all? 'She loved social media. I think it would blow her mind. Especially because it's about two things — 'Lord of the Rings' and airplanes — that she thought were so boring,'' he laughs. 'She'd probably be like, 'My dumb husband? This guy?' But I think she'd probably be a mix of proud and jealous.' While Comer occasionally shares more personal posts, the vast majority of his content is lighthearted — created just for the fun of it. He says he truly enjoys finding unlikely links between cargo bays or landing gear and obscure Tolkien plotlines. 'I don't script the videos,' he says. 'I tried once, but it looked like I was reading. Now I just visualize it and go.' A post shared by Max (@airplanefactswithmax) He's especially proud when his content helps viewers overcome a fear of flying or inspires a new career path. 'I've had people message me saying they're starting A&P school because of my channel,' he says. 'That's wild to me. I hope that the industry treats them as well as it's treated me.' Comer currently works in heavy maintenance on Boeing 737s, 777s and 787s, performing comprehensive 'C-Checks' that commercial aircraft undergo every couple of years. 'We take the airplane apart and put it back together. When it leaves, it's basically a brand-new aircraft,' he explains. 'That's why a plane from 1996 can still fly.' Beyond aviation and Tolkien content, Comer has also started sharing his original music — mostly heartfelt acoustic tracks written about his late wife. 'For me, it just kind of flows out, and it feels good to be able to take that emotion and create something,' he adds. Whether through his poignant music or humorous aviation facts, Comer hopes his content resonates on multiple levels. He aims to shine a light on aircraft mechanics, ease anxieties around flying, delight fellow Tolkien fans — and perhaps offer solace to those navigating grief. 'This all started when I was at the lowest point in my life,' says Comer. 'It helped me find myself again and made me feel like I had something of value to give. 'If I've brought anyone a little laughter or comfort over the past few years, that makes me feel really good about what I've been doing.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Our honeymoon money paid for my husband's funeral'
Two young widows who lost their husbands to heart conditions have launched a podcast about their experiences. Laura Burr, 31, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, and Gabby Evans, 32, from Burnley, have previously campaigned to lower the age of NHS health checks. Mrs Burr, whose husband died six months after their wedding, said the weekly podcast would deal with "raw emotions and real lives". She told the first episode: "I literally had to spend the money me and Ed had earmarked for a honeymoon on his funeral." Her husband fell ill on the day after their wedding in April 2024 and was diagnosed shortly afterwards with dilated cardiomyopathy, which inhibits blood circulation. He died in October at the age of 32 while waiting for a heart transplant. Ms Evans' partner Tom Brakewell, who was 34, died suddenly at home in January 2025 with an undiagnosed heart condition. The widows, who have never met in person, previously joined forces to launch an online petition to lower the age - currently 40 - at which the NHS starts to invite patients for full health screening. Mrs Burr said: "I fully believe if health checks were mandatory and Edward had gone for a health MOT between 25 and 30 his heart issue would have been flagged and he would still be here." The pair released The Podcast That Shouldn't Exist on Wednesday. In the first episode, Mrs Burr told how she walked down the aisle at the wedding and the funeral to the same music, from her husband's favourite film series Lord Of The Rings. Ms Evans described her fantasy that her partner would leap up and "jump scare" her at the chapel of rest. The pair said the podcast was "a space we never asked to create about a club no-one wants to join". In response to the widows' campaign, the Department of Health and Social Care said: "Our deepest sympathies are with the families of Edward and Tom. "The NHS's life-saving health checks are targeted towards those at higher risk, preventing around 500 heart attacks and strokes every year and stopping people developing a range of diseases. "To increase availability and uptake of the checks, we are developing a new online service that eligible people can use at home to understand their risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Widow calls for health checks for younger people Plan for workplace health checks to curb heart disease GPs given freedom to order heart checks direct
Geek Tyrant
5 days ago
- Business
- Geek Tyrant
Embracer Transforms Into Fellowship Entertainment, Goes All-In on THE LORD OF THE RINGS — GeekTyrant
After years of buying up everything in sight, Embracer Group finally hit its breaking point last year. The once-expanding megacorp had grown too fast, too wide, and inevitably had to reassess its priorities before things completely fell apart. Now, in an interesting pivot, the company is rebranding itself as Fellowship Entertainment, with the future of Middle-earth at the center of its business strategy. Fellowship Entertainment is throwing its full weight behind The Lord of the Rings and the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. The company says its new focus will be on "creating and stewarding the works of J.R.R. Tolkien into different commercial and transmedia endeavors." That means everything from video games and merchandise to comics, movies, and who knows what else. The rebrand comes after a year of drastic restructuring. Embracer already spun off tabletop giant Asmodee in February 2025, and now it's making more cuts. The popular Coffee Stain Group (home to Deep Rock Galactic, Goat Simulator, and Satisfactory) will be spun off as a completely separate company by the end of the year. That division will also take Ghost Ship, Tuxedo Labs, and a few Amplifier Game Invest studios with it. But Fellowship Entertainment isn't just about hobbits and orcs. The company still retains the rights to major gaming IPs including Kingdom Come: Deliverance , Metro , Dead Island , Darksiders , Tomb Raider , and more. Studios like 4A Games, Aspyr Media, Crystal Dynamics, Dambuster Studios, Dark Horse, Gunfire Games, Limited Run Games, Middle-earth Enterprises, THQ Nordic, Tripwire Interactive, and Warhorse Studios all fall under this new umbrella. That said, the spotlight is clearly shifting toward Tolkien's legendarium and that comes with big expectations. The legacy of J.R.R. Tolkien has always been handled with extreme care by his son, Christopher Tolkien, and the Tolkien Estate. There's hope that this new commercial direction won't lose sight of that literary foundation. Fellowship Entertainment says: "The journey doesn't end here. Renaming the brand is just another path, one that different labels may take." The next age of Middle-earth has begun, and it's corporate. Let's just hope the new stewards of the One IP to Rule Them All wield it wisely.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘The Wheel Of Time' Deserves Another Season, Warts And All
The Wheel Of Time I understand why detractors of Amazon's Wheel Of Time series dislike the show so immensely. It runs roughshod over the source material, making too many changes to count. But it's also done something that I think is worth mentioning: The third season, which I liked a great deal, made me decide to get back into the books by Robert Jordan. Prior to Season 3, I had only read the first two novels. It took my half a dozen tries to get through the first one, The Eye Of The World, in part because I found it so derivative of Lord Of The Rings. The second book, The Great Hunt, was better but I still wasn't sure if I wanted to invest so much time into a new fantasy series, especially since I've heard from a lot of people that it drags to a slog somewhere in the middle. But Season 3, which had now moved past where I was in the books, rekindled my interest in the series. I burned through The Dragon Reborn (though I still think perhaps it should have been called The Stone Of Tear) and have been doing the same with The Shadow Rising. And I can finally say that the series has 'clicked' for me at long last. It has carved out its own space in the epic fantasy genre. Braid-tugging aside, Jordan's writing is engaging and his characters – especially Mat and Perrin – are compelling. The lore and magic and politics of the world grow more fascinating by the page. And I may not have picked these back up at all if Season 3 hadn't convinced me that this was, in fact, something special. Of course, now that I've read as far as I have, I see all the ways the show up to this point has mangled the story. Not because it's 'woke' (aside from a few casting choices, I think they've done a great job adapting a book series that was already very diverse with lots of strong female characters) but because they've taken out huge chunks of what actually happens, fast-forwarded a ton, and placed certain scenes down in completely different spots. Some characters are wildly different in the show and others get a lot of screentime that they probably don't need yet. Some choices, like making Moiraine and the Amyrlin Seat a romantic couple, feel out of place but not a huge deal in the big scheme of things. Others, like essentially taking away Mat's gambling and resistance to being part of the 'team', or effectively cutting the Stone of Tear and the sword Callandor, are frankly bizarre. Maybe it's because I don't have a lifelong love of these books that I can accept these changes. I don't like many of them, but I can accept them for two reasons: First, the show has gotten so much better since Season 1. Strip away the source material, and you have a really good fantasy show on its own merits – unlike Rings Of Power which is bad regardless of its fidelity to Tolkien. Second, I am able to say to myself 'This is just a different version of the story.' Specifically, this is a different version because it had to be. In a perfect world, Amazon would have greenlit fifteen seasons of this show from the outset with an unlimited budget and all the runtime they needed to cover the story. In the real world, that was never going to happen even if this was a hit. Live-action fantasy is too expensive. Even the most popular and successful fantasy show of all time, Game Of Thrones, was cut short. Even if they'd been given fifteen seasons, getting the cast to stick around that long would have been a miracle. They had to truncate and condense and make changes. Yes, we can question those changes, but the reality is even in the perfect scenario, what works on the page doesn't always work onscreen. This was far from the best we could have hoped for, but by Season 3 I think it was a lot closer. The cast was warming up to their characters. The writing was more confident. The special effects and costumes had improved. All across the board, The Wheel Of Time was headed in the right direction. And so of course Amazon canceled it, just when things were getting good. Fans have started a petition to save the series. It's a nice thought, though I've seen so many of these over the years and they almost never work. Occasionally another streamer will swoop in and save a show from certain death, but saving one that costs this much seems incredibly unlikely. The Legend Of Vox Machina I'll reiterate my own hopes, which are perhaps only a little less pie-in-the-sky: Let's start making animated versions of epic fantasy series instead of focusing so much on live-action. Live-action is expensive. Casting is hard and rarely not controversial (Game Of Thrones notwithstanding). Even strong series face all sorts of obstacles with budgets and cast down the road. Animated series can avoid so many of these pitfalls. They're cheaper, you can more easily replace a voice actor, children don't age out of their roles (looking at you, Bran Stark) and you can achieve the fantasy elements much easier and more effectively. A show like The Legend Of Vox Machina handles combat, dragons, magic and other fantastical effects so much better than Wheel Of Time or any other live-action fantasy. It just works better when everything is animated. CGI doesn't eat the whole budget up. Scale is less problematic. (Obviously this is not always true, as Netflix's Arcane was a wildly expensive show that went so far overbudget it was tragically condensed into two seasons, rushed awkwardly to an unsatisfying conclusion). I wish Amazon would reconsider at the 11th hour and decide to give The Wheel of Time another lease on life. I don't think they will, but the people behind the show and in front of the camera deserve another crack at it, and so do fans. In the meantime, I have a bunch more of these books to read and that makes me happy. Read my review of Joe Abercrombie's latest fantasy novel, The Devils, right here. And let me know what you think about all of this on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky or Facebook. Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.
CTV News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Man's Lego version of iconic northern Ont. ferry garnering attention
Ken Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. Ken Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. Ken Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. Ken Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. Ken Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. Ken Reid's largest piece to date is a seven-foot high, seven-foot long and seven-foot wide replica of Minas Anor from Lord of the Rings that required 220,000 Lego pieces. Ken Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. Ken Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. Ken Reid is seen with another of his creations – a Lego replica of Toronto's Casa Loma. Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. Ken Reid has been making Lego replicas for almost a decade, but he says his replica of an iconic northern Ontario ferry is getting the most attention. Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. Lego 2 Ken Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. (Photo courtesy of Ken Reid) It took 92,000 pieces and he estimates that on many days, he worked six to eight hours on what was clearly a labour of love. Reid said he and his late wife took the ferry several times over the years and he has thought about making a Lego replica of it for a while. 'I started thinking about it last year when it was (the Chi-Cheemaun's) 50th anniversary -- I kind of missed the boat,' he joked, on the phone from his home Wednesday. Took photos on the ferry 'Then in early February, I started downloading pictures off the internet and I figured, you know, it's been bugging me for a year. It's time to start building it.' Ferry officials let him on board to take photos of the interior of the ferry when it was docked in Owen Sound so he could get everything just right. The hardest part, he said, was the hull. He spent three weeks alone building and rebuilding it to get it right. He uploaded photos of the finished product in May, and it has gathered a lot of media and other attention since then. Lego 7 Ken Reid, a retired baker by trade from Owen Sound, created a nine-foot, eight-inch version of the Chi-Cheemaun between February and mid-May this year. (Photo courtesy of Ken Reid) In addition to radio and TV interviews, he said Science North in Sudbury has asked about displaying it as part of its Lego exhibit, the Chi-Cheemaun has asked to display it, as has the Tom Thomson Art Gallery in Owen Sound. He said he built it so it could be moved in four sections. He's not sure about sending it all the way to Sudbury, however, and he's unsure how it would fare on the actual ferry, since there's so much movement back and forth. 'The Owen Sound Visitor Centre happens to be at the Tom Thompson (Art Gallery), so I'm kind of leaning towards that one for a while because I've had a lot of interest from people,' Reid said. While he has built models all of his life, he got seriously into Lego replicas in 2016. Reid saw a TV show about adult fans of Lego and was soon hooked. At first, he dug out old Lego pieces that belonged to his children. Now he has around one million Lego pieces in all corners of his home. Reid said he was drawn to making replicas because he liked the idea of being able to enjoy his creation for as long as he wanted, then take it apart and build something new. 'You build a model and it just sits on a shelf forever,' he said. '(With) Lego, you build it, you enjoy it, and after a while, you can change it.' Lego Casa Loma Ken Reid is seen with another of his creations – a Lego replica of Toronto's Casa Loma. (Photo courtesy of Ken Reid) Another of his creations – a replica of Toronto's Casa Loma – also attracted attention. As did his largest piece to date – a seven-foot high, seven-foot long and seven-foot wide replica of Minas Anor from Lord of the Rings that required 220,000 Lego pieces. 'Unfortunately, that one's not movable because a lot of people wanted to see it,' he said. He also did a nine-foot version of the Titanic, which was good preparation for his work on the Chi-Cheemaun. Reid expects he'll enjoy his latest creation for a while before he gets the itch to make something else. 'Yeah, there'll be another project,' he said. 'I usually slow down during the summer on my builds. It's more of a winter hobby. But I don't stop – like, if it's a rainy day, I putter away in here.'
