In the real world is this awful story about
Gandalf Cres in Paraparaumu, north of Wellington. A lot of our streets are named after New Zealand political figures, native plants, or places in the UK. I think it's a bit ridiculous to name a street after a fictional character, but I suppose it will be a lasting testament to the whackiness of the last couple of ROTK-filled months down here in Aotearoa. I can't help but feel that Tolkien Ave or Jackson St would have been better, though.
Not really in the real world:
- New Zealand hip-hop group called Dark Tower (they suck!)
- South Park FOTR episode (total p*ss-take, they are NOT fans!)
- Blizzard game Diablo has Balrogs, and other creatures that look like Gollum and can turn invisible.
References to LOTR in fantasy games, movies and books go on and on, and probably deserve their own thread. I did an assignment in High School that showed how Terry Brooks' The Sword of Shannara was a thinly disguised rip-off of the LOTR tale.