Things that would not have happened if not for the movies

[littlemanpoet]

Yeah, it's a long title. I looked around a bit for a similar thread but there isn't any. So....

I was listening to sports radio and the mic jockey was talking about how Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings ought to be the MVP this year. Here's what he said:

"The only way to stop Adrian Peterson is to put Gandalf the Grey in the middle of the field and have him say, 'You shall not pass!'"

I laughed. .... and then considered that the analogy places a football running back on par with a Balrog.

Now, arguably, this simply would not have occurred except for the movies, even though the line comes straight from the books.

So..... if you have experienced something having to do with the Tolkien milieu, be it first, second or third hand, that you think would/could not have happened except for the movies, post it here.