From MyMovies.com comes a new quote from Elijah Wood on "The Hobbit" and Peter Jackson: "If [Peter] ultimately doesn‘t come back because of what New Line has done I think it would be a great tragedy. I think it‘s ultimately quite foolish for New Line to move forward assuming they can create an equally wonderful film without Peter..." [More]

Thanks to our friend djdeathskiss for spotting this earlier!

In a recent report, The New York Times stated that "Theonering.net was among those calling for a boycott of any Hobbit film not made by Mr. Jackson."

We have not, in fact, called for a boycott of any party involved in the possible future production of 'The Hobbit.' We continue to encourage all fans who feel strongly about the recent events to contact the studios involved in a respectful fashion.

You'd think over $1 billion in U.S. box office and three Oscars would add up to something right? Not if you're Peter Jackson. The mastermind behind the "The Lord of the Rings" phenomenon is currently in the middle of a bizarre turf war over who controls J.R.R. Tolkien's prequel to the series, "The Hobbit." Not surprisingly, fans have been salivating at the idea of Jackson returning to helm an adaptation of the beloved novel. It didn't seem to be a real possibility until MGM announced a few months ago it was going to team up with New Line to make the movie. Complicating matters was that MGM has long owned the rights to release any feature adaptation of "The Hobbit," but New Line is currently the only entity who can produce it. Confused? Unfortunately, it gets more complicated. [More]

Pipkin Sweetgrass writes: Billy's Loons Charities is so excited to announce our latest charity project. After the Katrina Hurricane in Louisiana, one of our dear loons came up with an idea for a cookbook with Middle Earth influence created by Loons worldwide. All proceeds of this book will be donated to The Red Cross International Response Fund or The Red Cross American Disaster Relief Fund.. "Why a cookbook? Think of the times you may have sent a friend or neighbor a plate of cookies or a platter of chicken when they needed a little support, a little something to show that you care about them. Food is such a comforting thing, and preparing it for someone who needs a little love can be an act of faith that everything will be all right." You can find the book in our online shop. [More]

Just in time for Holiday gift-giving -- now on eBay we have original, authentic props & toys used in the hit documentary RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS,! Check out the "hobbit actors" from the Very Secret Diaries segment (hilarious mischief), a complete set of Burger King toys, a Cave Troll prototype, 1950's World Con pictures, and fantastic low-numbered collectible Medallions! Throw down your bids to own a piece of indie film history. [More]

In a story just published, the New York Times writes on the international outcry from fans regarding Peter Jackson's recent letter concerning the Hobbit, which appeared on TORn. Included in the story are comments -- of sorts -- from New Line Cinema, MGM, and Saul Zaentz. [More]

New Line Cinema: "We are in litigation with Wingnut Films, and have been unsuccessful despite a formal mediation, as well as discussions with Wingnut directly to settle the matter; therefore, we cannot comment at this point."

MGM: "We expect to partner with New Line in financing ‘The Hobbit. We support Peter Jackson as a filmmaker, and believe that when the dust settles, he’ll be making the movie. We can’t imagine any other result."

THE ONE RING CELEBRATION 2007 OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED

TheOneRing.net and Creation Entertainment join forces once again to present THE ONE RING CELEBRATION scheduled for March 9-11, 2007 at The Burbank Airport Hilton Hotel in Burbank, California. This unique weekend honors THE LORD OF THE RINGS and all things Tolkien and features celebrity guest appearances, scholar and art panels and presentations, fan films, displays, auctions, trivia and costuming competitions, autographs, photo opportunities, merchandising, music and non-stop partying.

Superstar ELIJAH WOOD (Frodo) has accepted ORC's invitation to headline the convention and additional guests and attractions will be announced in the months to come. Full up to date information on ORC is available at creationent.com/cal/one_ring.htm

Ringer LithQ sends along this exciting news regarding the original Hobbit film petition: "At 8:15 this morning, EST, The Hobbit Petition reached its original target goal of 50000 signatures. Thanks to everyone who signed, and special thanks to the fans in Scandinavia who appear to have stayed up quite late to nudge us over the top."[Sign the Original Petition] [TheHobbitFilm.com]

All the other Movie Chats we've done before were just rehearsals for this one, the big one, the one you never thought we'd have the stamina to try: Yes, the LOTR EE TRILOGY MARATHON!

That's right, we will be chatting our way through 11 hours of non-stop Tolkien action. (Don't worry, we'll take breaks!) Join us in TORn's chat room on Saturday, December 2 at 11 a.m. EST and see if you have what it takes to chat through Peter Jackson's three-film masterpiece, "The Lord of the Rings." [Details]

daniel from treknews.de writes: We have uploaded three videospecials with lots of interviews with LOTR actors as well as over 1900 pictures from the recent Ring*Con 2006 from Fulda, Germany. The videospecials feature interviews with: Sean Astin, Miranda Otto, Mark Ferguson, Craig Parker, Lori Dungey & Bruce Hopkins. We also have videos from the press conference, panels of Astin, Parker and Ferguson, presentation from the upcoming videogame 'elveon', a convention behind the scenes clip (in German). [More]

Am I sexy enough?

Ok, this may be complete hubris, but I am throwing my name in the ring to win the 'Sexiest Geek of the Year' award on Wired.com. Wired is looking for people to nominate a sexy geek for The 10 sexiest geeks of the year...and I'm geek enough to try!

From the website: Be they programmers, scientists, writers, architects or attorneys, please leave your suggestions in the comment space below. There are no rules for submission. The only guidance we can offer is: you know a sexy geek when you see, nay, experience one. We'll publish the finalists next month along with a space to vote for who you think is the smokingest geek. [Suggest xoanon!]

Still too depressed about The Hobbit to think about anything else? Well these new DVDs on sale tomorrow may cheer you up for a while. There is some cool TV on DVD coming out including: 'Bones - S1', 'Criminal Minds - S1' & 'St. Elsewhere - S1'. Be sure to take a look at 'Dane Cook - Vicious Circle', 'Ellen Degeneres Show: Dvd-Licious' & 'Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Even Harder'. And of course the big release of the week is 'Superman Returns', but not to be outdone by the latest man of steel, it seems Warner Bros. is releasing almost everything 'Super' tomorrow as well! There is the 'Christopher Reeve Superman Collection', all 4 Reeve films, the 1940's and 50's set with Kirk Alyn, the 'Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition', even Supergirl and Smallville season 5 on HD DVD. Personally I want 'The Usual Suspects (Collector's Edition)' & 'Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition' for Christmas! see the entire list of new DVDs available tomorrow right here. [More]

Fans of Peter Jackson's LOTR have been taking succor over the last couple of days from a snippet of an interview given by Tolkien Enterprises' Saul Zaentz. The interview, which first surfaced here on Elbenwald quoted Zaentz saying the Hobbit would "defitely be shot by Peter Jackson".

Now, WorldofKJ is reporting that the orginal source is German magazine Cinema, and that publishing lags mean the interview could well have been given several weeks ago. It's unclear what this means for the Hobbit. In the short term, it appears Jackson will have no involvement with New Line (since the break-up came after Zaentz's interview), but the production rights will still revert to Zaentz "next year". And that deadline could still be something that forces a compromise from New Line somewhere along the way. [More]

Last week TheOneRing.net asked you, the fans, to show your support for a Peter Jackson-directed adaptation of 'The Hobbit' in a funny and creative way. And you responded! Take a look at the first gallery of photoshop creations and caption contest-entries by clicking on the poster below!

Not all of the entries for the caption contest came with an apropriate picture though, so be sure to check out some of these other suggestions we received! [More]

So you still feel a little frustrated over all this PJ/Hobbit-news? Here are some things you can do:

Show us Peter Jackson's Hobbit: Channel that frustration into something fun and creative! Photoshop, cut and paste a scene, poster or screenshot based on The Hobbit or simply the current situation of the project. Let your imagination run wild! [More]

Peter Jackson Caption Contest!: You think you're upset? Join in on this caption 'contest' and let us know what you think Pete's thinking! [Download the image]

Letter-writing Campaign: With the revelations from Peter Jackson's letter to TheOneRing.net, the only way we are going to reach our goal of having a live-action version of 'The Hobbit' from Peter Jackson and his team, is by keeping after the studios who own the rights. [TheHobbitFilm.com]

Talk to other fans: TORn's chat room and message boards have been humming with activity since the news broke earlier this week. Join in on the fun by meeting other Ringers who are chewing over what might happen next. Please mind the rules, and remember that our discussion areas are family-friendly. [Barliman's chat room] [TORn message boards]

The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle Earth II: Rise of the Witch King

Mrcere writes: LOS ANGELES – Let me make this really easy for you: If you have played EA Game’s “Battle for Middle-earth II” and enjoyed it even moderately, the new expansion “The Rise of the Witch King” is spectacular! If you haven’t played it, you may find like I did, that crawling into Middle-earth in a game format is immensely fun and contains more of the ‘feel’ of Tolkien’s works that you thought possible. [More]

brokenmandible sends along word that all three LOTR films will be on TNT On Demand through Comcast, Standard and High Definition versions, dates TBD. [FOTR] [TTT] [ROTK]

Elentariel writes: While still vacationing in Germany, I came upon the following Tolkien exhibit at the Frankfurt City library. "Tolkien's boyhood in Birmingham", an exhibition on loan from the Birmingham library, their sister city. The exhibition uses maps, and photographs, to show scenes from Tolkien's childhood in Birmingham, England. It's both in english, and german. Part of the exhibit are a few costumes, of Eowyn, and a Ringwraith. Also on display are all of Tolkien's books, and some of the movie stand-ups as in Aragorn, the hobbits, Legolas, Gandalph, and Gollum. You can also pick and chose from several free handouts of the british Tolkien society, the cities of Birmingham, and Frankfurt, regarding Tolkien and his works. Overall, a very informative and well done exhibit. [More]

Elentariel writes: I have some more awesome RingCon pics for you, from an incredible weekend filled with lots of entertainment around the clock. Everything from actor panels, swordfighting workshops, artshows, auctions, elvish dance lessons, an elvish choir, literary discussions, stage shows, a medieval market, medieval rock bands, autograph & sessions and lots of incredible costumes. [More]

The Melissa Gilbert and OurStoryTM Celebrity Charity Auction launching on eBay December 4th, will allow your fans the opportunity to support a wonderful cause this holiday season, in addition to the bidding some one-of-a-kind items and experiences. The fans of Sean Astin will be able to bid on his auction item, knowing that all the proceeds raised will benefit Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition. The auction features exclusively signed memorabilia items and VIP experiences from celebrities including; Cindy Crawford, Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Marcus Allen, Tom Hanks, Mandy Moore and many more. Just follow this link to see all of the auction items. [ebay]

Today is Bruce Hopkins' Birthday! Bruce played the role of Gamling in TTT and ROTK. He was born on november 25th, 1955 in Invercargill, New Zealand. That makes him 51 years old today! Happy Birthday Bruce!

From Will: The Scotsman reports that New Line Cinema initially wanted Sir Sean Connery for the role of Gandalf. They write, "Sean Connery turned down the largest paycheck in cinema history when he refused an offer to play Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it has emerged." [More]

In a story today the BBC writes extensively about fan reaction to Peter Jackson's announcement that he will not be directing The Hobbit. Users of TORn's message boards and chat room are quoted. Mention is also made of the boycottnewline.com petition which does not appear on TORn. TheOneRing.net would like to react to recent events without being negative, particularly while lacking a response from New Line Cinema, but we understand that many LOTR fans have strong feelings. [More]

So you still feel a little frustrated over all this PJ/Hobbit-news? Here are some things you can do:

Peter Jackson Caption Contest!: You think you're upset? Join in on this caption 'contest' and let us know what you think Pete's thinking! [Download the image]

In the Chicago Sun-Times today, Elijah Wood had this to say about a Jackson-less 'Hobbit:' "...I was very disappointed in the news. Peter Jackson is the man who worked over 10 years developing this world. Now, they might move forward on a new project with another director and it won't look or feel the same." Thanks to Ringer Mike for sharing this with us! [More]

J.R. Cortez writes: Tomorrow (Nov. 25), one of the local Alamo Drafthouse theaters will be showing all three LOTR movies with meals during the day! [More]

Be sure to check out our weekly Sideshow Collectibles update! Each week we provide an update on your favorite Sideshow goodies, from busts to premium figures and more! Take a look! [More]

So you signed every petition you could find and wrote lengthy letters to every New Line and MGM-adress you could find and you still feel a little frustrated over all this PJ/Hobbit-news? You still feel a little disappointed and glum? Let's try and channel that into something fun and creative! Because like Pete said; there is no positive value in bitterness and rancor. Check out our Photoshop and caption 'contests!' [More]

We've updated TheHobbitFilm.com with the latest contact details of all the parties associated with bringing The Hobbit to theaters - now including the Saul Zaentz Company details! (Thanks to LithQ) We encourage all Tolkien and PJ fans out there to use our letter and postcard templates to let your voice be heard - or at the very least sign a petition that fits your opinion on the subject. [See the Update]

TheOneRing.net community would like to wish all of you a healthy and safe Thanksgiving Holiday.

Saul Zaentz, the owner of Tolkien Enterprises, and ultimate holder of the film rights to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings was very recently interviewed about the Hobbit and Peter Jackson's involvement. His comments accord with what we learnt from Jackson and Walsh's open letter to the fans - New Line's right to produce the Hobbit will expire next year. [More]