The official TheOneRing.net webcam is now live! Our intrepid Ringers film crew are currently down in the heart of the action at the parade, relaying events as they unfold through our exclusive feed HERE!!! Check it out now!

UPDATE: Webcam issues have caused some interruptions in service. We are working to restore the cam.

Ringer Spy JPB shared some of his fantastic photographs from last night's "Return of the Ringers" party in Wellington. Happy party-goers, impressive costumes, and cool special-guests. Check it out! [More]

Richard has setup webcams all over the Wellington Premiere site near the Embassy Theatre. His team is ready to capture all things Rings for the ROTK Premiere set for later today (December 1st in NZ). Follow all the links according to your connection speed. [More]

UPDATE 1: Due to what must be overwhelming traffic, the web-cams are sporadically functioning. We'll report back as soon as we know more.

Ringer Spy NYCMerry sends along the January issue of Starlog Magazine which has this article on The Return of the King. [More]

With The Return of the King just around the corner the LOTR castmembers are once again all over the small screen doing interviews on chatshows and entertainment news shows all over the dial. Here is a rundown on who, what, where and when you can catch them all. [More]

Wellington, New Zealand, and the world have waited a year for this day. But Peter Jackson, the man at the centre of it all, finished The Return of the King only one week ago. [More]

The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson is suffering opening night nerves ahead of the star-studded world premiere of The Return of the King Monday night. Jackson and the film's stars are in Wellington for the premiere of the final instalment in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which is already being hailed as a sure contender for best picture at the Academy Awards. Jackson admitted to feeling "a degree of stress" about the hometown premiere. "For me it's going to be very stressful," he said. [More]

So often, by this time of year, an elite group of films has emerged as the chief awards-season contenders, which essentially means they have the goods to potentially win an Oscar. Typically, they're weighty meditations on life and death, elaborate character studies frought with drama and despair (Oscar might be a man, but he likes a good cry) -- and that's precisely why the Golden Globe Awards can be so utterly refreshing. [More]

The Lord of the Rings stars are in Wellington for The Return of the King premiere tomorrow. CATHY ARONSON talks to Sean Astin, the actor who plays hobbit Samwise Gamgee, loyal friend of the ring bearer Frodo. [More]

Scoop was delighted to accept an invitation from TORn to the Return of The Ringers Party in Wellington last night. The following photo essay illustrates just a small part of what was a very very excellent party [More]

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well this picture is worth a thousand spoilers! Beware the spoilers daemon in this link! [More]

Sanel writes: There’s a 2 min and 18 sec video report on the premiere of ROTK in Wellington. It’s up on onenews.nzoom.com on the right hand side there’s a ONE NEWS VIDEO window, just click the “First Screening of LOTR”. And there is ANOTHER 3 videos at this link it’s a story, but scroll down and right side has a “RELATED VIDEO” tab, and there are 3 videos in there.

Peter Jackson might be doing the filming, but the last instalment of Lord of the Rings is not only written by a Tolkien - it is starring one too. The great-grandson of JRR Tolkien, Royd Tolkien, plays a gondorian ranger in the final part of the epic, The Return of the King. [More]

On the eve of the final battle for Middle Earth, New Zealand revels in new confidence and a Ł2bn boost to tourism. Within less than 24 hours, the final battle for Middle Earth will have begun. The red carpet will be rolled out and New Zealand's capital city will be transformed into a shrine to The Lord of the Rings. [More]

Irascian sends along another report from New Zealand, the current hub of all things Rings. Take a look at his Howard Shore concert review with great pics! [More]

Whynni sends along these scans from the December issue of Film Review Magazine. [More]

Any Ringer picking up The Sunday Times in the UK & Ireland today will find with it the first in a series of three double-sided posters, an interview with Viggo Mortensen and a host of previously unseen photos from the set of The Return of the King. Worth the purchase price alone?

Right now, in Wellington New Zealand, hundreds of The Lord of the Rings fans are partying down at the Skyline Restaurant thanks to TheOneRing.net and Red Carpet Tours. R2 New Zealand has been running a live webcam and we've managed to snag a few shots! Check out Ian McKellen, Lawrence Makoare, Bruce Hopkins, Sean Astin, Gino Acevedo and more special guests! [More]

For those of you who forgot to bookmark the post from DAYS and DAYS ago, check out the Wellington City Council site for a guide to premiere events, and links to the city webcams.

Here is the schedule of events:
3.30pm Parade starts from the Beehive (Parliament)
4.30pm Parade arrives at Courtenay Place
7.00pm World Premiere screening starts
7.30pm Ring of Fire outdoor entertainment showcase, Taranaki Wharf
(All times are NZ local, and are approximate only)

Unsure of when it is 3:30 pm in New Zealand? Click here. As a basic guide, 3:30 pm NZ is 9:30 pm EST.

Hugo Weaving... Grant Major... all these interviews... but THIS is the interview you've been waiting for... "He treats us like we not real, yes, like we are one of his precious special effects. But Gollum has feelings, Gollum hurts, but does the Master care? No, no he cares only for the Books. His precious precious." Thanks to Peace2 for this link from the New Zealand Herald! [More]

Matthew writes: Over the past couple of years, I have heard about various live concert performances of Howard Shore's music for the Lord Of The Rings films, and I've always been jealous of those who have been to those concerts. But I can now say that I have been to the best concert - short of a live performance of the complete score synchronised to the movie. The world premiere of the LOTR Symphony, six movements for orchestra and chorus, created from the twelve hours of music composed for the three LOTR films, performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO). While I understand some of the movements have been performed previously, this was the first performance of the complete piece. [More]

Sean Smith writes: Historically speaking, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” doesn’t stand a hobbit’s chance in Mordor of winning this year’s best-picture Oscar. No fantasy film has ever won, nor has the third part of a trilogy. (Gosh. Not even “The Godfather: Part III”?) And only two films that grossed more than $300 million domestically (“Forrest Gump” and “Titanic”) have snagged the top prize. [More]

Caitlin writes: Flipping through the Toronto Star I noticed a large full page poster of Gandalf the White, advertising Return of the King. At the bottom is states "Collectors Poster #1 (of 3) so more will be coming next weekend I presume. I just checked today's paper and found the exact same poster again. Today also brought in a RotK contest, to win a chance to see the Toronto Premiere. [More]

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Giant trolls and serpents swarm over buildings, fearsome warrior orcs prowl the streets, the childlike face of Frodo Baggins beams down from billboards. City officials expect up to 100,000 people - equal to a fourth of Wellington's population - to watch a parade of move stars and characters at Monday's premiere of "The Return of the King." The movie opens Dec. 17. [More]

The Aragorn & Arwen NZ Air Plane

SunnyJim writes: I'm traveling through NZ and heard on the radio yesterday that Air New Zealand is going to do a flyby of the Premier with one of their LOTR-painted 747's. To paraphrase the ANZ spokesperson: "Yes, it is rather unusual to do a flyby of a city with such a large aircraft, but New Zealand hosting a world premier is fairly unusual as well."

Irascian sends in his 5th report from New Zealand. He gives us the scoop on New Line premiere day plans, and gives us detailed reports on the Viggo photo exhibition and dinner at the Green Parrot. [More]

Matt writes: Just now on our TV3 news here in NZ, the lead story was the Australasia Press screening of ROTK. Although the reporter was sworn to secrey about the film itself, the reporter talked to Peter Jackson at the opening of Viggo's art exhibition last night. In the comment from Peter, he mentioned that he actually hasn't seen the whole completed film yet! Apparently, the film was finished in parts that were sent to New Line, and that he is actually waiting until Monday's world premiere to see the completed film in one sitting.

The folks from Sounds Music write: Howard Shore is signing copies of Return Of The King in our store on Sunday, we will have 50 copies availbale online should anybody wish to purchase. These will be on a first come first basis, we're expecting to sell out by Tuesday. It's Sounds Music Store at Lambton Quay in Wellington. [soundsnz.com]

The new Starburst Special # 60 has a 20-page special section of ROTK. The pictures are really spectacular, so hopefully you'll get some scans soon. 12 pages are devoted to this interview with production designer Grant Major. !!!Spoilers!!! [More]

Fanie writes: The magazine Safarir (Humor mag in Québec) have spoofed the LOTR in their latest issue. Check out their amazing cover of Gollum who've changed his interest of the Ring toward the little red-nose reinder. Run, Rudolph, Run! [More] And this is an Arwen and Aragorn comic, very funny! [More]

Sky News will be broadcasting a story throughout the day reporting on the impact that The Lord of the Rings Trilogy has had on New Zealand, both financially and geographically. The story includes a brief conversation with the author of 'The Lord of the Rings Location Book', Ian Brodie.

URUK HI THERE writes: I live in LA and work in the movie business, so I was able to go to the first Academy Awards screening of ROTK yesterday. Thanksgiving day, and they still filled a big theater - I think that says something about the enthusiasm of LOTR's many fans in the film industry! !!!Spoilers!!! [More]

Kris writes" There is a 5 mins audio report on The World today: The last movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy has its world premiere on Monday in Wellington, New Zealand, home of director Peter Jackson. Jackson transformed his homeland into Tolkien's Middle Earth for the big budget epic and its success has transformed the lives of many New Zealanders. Correspondent Colin Peacock reports. [More]

John Howe writes: "The Lord of the Rings: From Imagination to Image" will open at the Bibliothčque Nationale de Paris in two and a half weeks. The exhibition will run from December 14th 2003 to February 15th 2004, and is composed of 120 concept drawings and paintings by Alan Lee and I from the film trilogy. [More]

TheImagineTree writes: There is a short interview with Hugo Weaving in the December 2003 issue of Maxim magazine. [More]

Jennifer writes: There is an exhibition opening on Monday 12.30pm called JRR Tolkien and the First World War. It will be held at the Somme Heritage Centre, Conlig. Think they are going to have a lecture and discussions as well. [Somme Heritage Centre]

lilcritter writes: The Fall/Winter issue of the Hollywood Reporter was talking about innovative people, and Cate Blanchett and Peter Jackson were mentioned. [More]

Ataahua writes: One feature of the ROTK premier in Wellington will be a kapa haka performance - traditional Maori singing - which will be performed by a group from Waitara, Taranaki. The Taranaki group was chosen because of their tribal links between Wellington and Taranaki. [More]

The latest issue of one of my favorite movie mags, SFX, has a large article dedicated to ROTK. Take a look! !!!Spoilers!!! [More]

Media Watch: Empire Magazine's ROTK Suppliment

Peter Jackson fights the temptation of The One Ring

The Cheshire Cat writes: I wanted to send you these scans from the wonderful LOTR supplement magazine that came with this months UK Empire Magazine. The photos are wonderful and the articles are great. The whole thing is 32 pages long. It's a fantastic little booklet and I hope you'll post it for all the non-UK TORNsibs to see. [More]

Andy Seiler writes: Behold! The king shall not return until Dec. 17, yet already the Fans of the Rings are making their preparations. "The level of excitement has reached fever pitch," says George Beahm, author of The Essential JRR Tolkien Sourcebook. "If there was any doubt, look at what happened when tickets were offered online for 'Trilogy Tuesday' — a showing of all three films back-to-back. Computer servers around the world crashed as the surge of fans attempted to order online, creating chaos." [More]

Pregnant with child No. 2 and busy promoting the three movies she's in this holiday season, the critically acclaimed actress still remembers to pack "Goodnight Moon" when her son and husband join her on the road. [More]

To celebrate the UK premiere of The Return of the King, the Science Museum is offering half price entry to The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy - The Exhibition - to anyone who dresses up as character from the trilogy. [More]

Rebekah writes: My course on war and ethics in The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien's medieval sources at Duke University in North Carolina just got a write-up in the Durham Herald-Sun. Some of the quotes are neat, and I thought Torn might like to see this info. (I am adevoted Torn visitor and have a link to TheOneRing on our course website! My students visit all the time). [More]

Mark Ferguson (Gil Galad) and Craig Parker (Haldir) are set to be guests at an amazing looking con in the UK called Memorabilia Con. There a ton of interesting Sci-Fi and Fantasy guests from Star Wars/Trek, Doctor Who (Tom Baker is my hero), Red Dwarf and more! [memorabilia.co.uk]

Not all the LOTR cast are in New Zealand this weekend. You can catch Brad Dourif (Grima Wormtongue) at the Mid-Ohio Con in Columbus. Also in attendance are Walter Koenig (Commander Chekov from Star Trek) and Andy Hallett (Lorne, The Host from Angel) plus many others. Check it out! [midohiocon.com]

Gillian Monahan from Tourism New Zealand writes: Tourism New Zealand, Trade New Zealand and the New Zealand High Commission are holding a champagne breakfast function on December 1st at The Lord of the Rings Exhibition in the London Science Museum. [More]

Leggylass writes: I just returned from Viggo's Benefit Opening of his Photographic Exhibition at Massey University here in Wellington. After some delay, the ceremony began with a Maori welcome. Speeches from the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Peter Jackson and Viggo were intermingled with some lovely singing. Not to mention Viggo had a bit of a sing himself! [More]

Antman writes: On PrimeTime thursday on ABC, thanksgiving night they had a preview of next week's show that will be all Return of the King. They showed some clips of stuff from ROTK, if this is news you might like to know. [More]

Howard Shore concert tickets have now been discounted by 50%. The concert starts at 8pm tomorrow (Sat 29th) and will be held in the Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington. The stars are likely to be there, so be in there quick. Tickets are available through Ticketek. ($52.50 and $37.50 - tickets are limited). To get the discount you'll need to say 'orchestra discount'. [ticketek.co.nz]

Corporate Christmas Parties Book Out The Lord Of The Rings Movie Sessions. Three weeks before opening, 52 Village SKYCITY Cinemas are already full with corporate sales alone for the third instalment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. [More]

Shawna sends along this 5 minute clip from CNBC's 'Kudlow and Cramer' with Newsweek editor Jeff Giles. Giles was the one who wrote the big article talking about ROTK and its Oscar chances. The file is 6.6MB and you need Windows Media Player to view it. [Download Now]

Tomorrow night Annie Lennox will join a star-studded group of performers including Bono, Beyonce, Peter Gabriel and Queen in performing at the 46664 concert in Cape Town, South Africa. The concert will be broadcast live on the Internet and is a part of the Nelson Mandela Foundation's project to eradicate the worldwide AIDS problem. [More]

Empire are once again seeking the opinions of the movie-going public as they look to update their list of The 100 Greatest Movies Ever Made. The last poll taken in 2001 saw Star Wars beating off its sequel and The Shawshank Redemption to come out on top - but we all know that a couple of movies have been released since then that perhaps should figure in the reckoning. [More]

Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett and Liv Tyler have all earned the dubious honour of being named in The Erotic Review's annual list of 25 Sex God and Goddesses. It must be an immortality thing... [More]

AICN has a quickie review of ROTK posted. Since the screenings have starteed for press and guild members worldwide, I'm sure we'll start seeing more and more reviews out there. !!!SPOILERS!!! [More]

Media Watch: Total Film's ROTK Special - Cover

The December issue of Total Film magazine has a great article and tons of very cool pics from The Return of the King! Take a look! !!!Spoilers!!! [More]

Emiloy writes: For people who live in the Romande part of Switzerland, there will be a trilogy tuesday!!! here are the places and times! They also say hey'll have animations and surpises! [More]

In New Zealand, final preparations are underway for the world premiere of The Return of the King, the final film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Megan Neil examines how the films have propelled Australia's Tasman neighbour onto the world stage. Gandalf and the hobbits are here, along with Aragorn, the man destined to be king. But for the Kiwis, the real star of The Lord of the Rings is director Peter Jackson. [More]

A BIG Thanks to West of the Moon for the transcript! MICHAEL LANDSBERG (host): The wait is over. We have got that man. That's Andy Serkis who plays Gollum; as well, Billy Boyd and Elijah Wood from Lord of the Rings. It's the Lord of the Rings special with Ty Pennington from Trading Spaces, so bring it on. [More]

The folks from bigapplecon.com wanted me to remind all New York based ringers to check out the 5th annual Big Apple national, comicbook, art, toy, and sci-fi expo this weekend at the Metropolitan Pavilion (125 w 18th st. between 5/6 ave). They plan on having a ton of ROTK goodies! [More]

Silmarien writes: Viggo Mortensen was on 'Holmes' last night in New Zealand talking about his gallery showing in Wellington and his general philosophy on things. There was also another clip with Howard Shore talking about how Fran Walsh came up with the lyrics for "Into the West". [More]

Folks in and around Wellington are waxing nostalgic at the moment, it feels like the LOTR heyday back in 1999-2000 when LOTR stars could be seen all over town. Viggo in a clothing store here, the Hobbit boys playing around over there...ahh..to be in New Zealand this weekend... [More]

A Roxburgh's first vintage will be in a supporting role at the prestigious ROTK premiere in Wellington next week. [More]

Wellington City Council was kind enough to send this in: It is now just under a week until Wellington hosts the much anticipated World Premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King on Monday 1 December and there is a lot that Wellingtonians and Wellington businesses should know. [More]

Suzie writes: Ian Mckellen (Gandalf) will be in Sydney for the Sydney festival in January 2004. He's perfroming in a play called 'Dance of Death' in early January, and he'll be doing a 'talking culture' appearance as well, discussing his work so far. [sydneyfestival.org.au]

Rachel sends along scans from the latest issue of Spin Magazine featuring a look at Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan called 'Too Clever By Half' and a look at Gollum and his alter ego Andy Serkis. [More]

David writes: I was priviledged to be invited to the South African premier of the RoK. It is on the 10th of December. Tickets are not for sale it is only by invitation. The invite was in a large elaborate box. When opened flower like petals fold away to expose the invitation. [More]

At the recent Ring*Con 2003 I got the chance to catch up with Rohan-extraordinaire John Leigh (Hama). It was an early Saturday morning, yours truly was still recovering from the night before, spent talking about the fast and dangerous life of a Rohirrim! [More]

Ok, we knew it was gonna happen sooner or later, but it is still wickedly cool! [More]

Barliman's regular Bekah_The_Sheep came in tonight with a URL for some pretty nifty things to be found at xtramsn's website. "Celebrity-spotting is all the rage in Wellington with just four days to the world premiere of Return of the King." [More] Also to be found here is a short [interview] with LOTR producer Barrie Osbourne and the folks at Telecom about the challenges faced in getting four locations' worth of filming to Peter Jackson each day. Keep looking and you'll also find screensavers, wallpapers, e-cards... and the ROTK trailer!

Ringers continue to 'Show us Their Smeagol!' Check out the latest additions to our ever growing gallery. If you are interested in sending us a picture of your Smeagol Statue from the TTT DVD Gift Set, just send it to fanatics@theonering.net. [More]

Sideshow/Weta Collectibles is running their first ever sale on the very popular The Lord of the Rings polystone collectibles. To celebrate the beginning of the holiday shopping season, they have taken 25% off select items. Specifically Boromir, hobbits and orcs. [More]

Many fans have been asking for details about The Return of the One Party. On Dec 3rd we will post the location of the party, discount hotel offers and the date tickets will go on sale. We have taken many of your concerns and suggestions into mind and trust me when I say you should hold off on booking a hotel until our announcement! Please note we will ONLY be using PayPal to sell tickets this year, so you might want to set up your account now! [PayPal]

Holly sends along these scans from the latest issue of People Magazine. They list a few of our LOTR castmembers on the 'Sexy' list....no mention of me on there as 'Sexiest Web News Editor', sadly. [More]

smeagolfan writes: Based on the website schedule for Sunday December 14th, several LOTR related shows will air this date on Bravo: Inside the Actors Studio - Sir Ian McKellen, Profiles - Cate Blanchett & Page to Screen - Lord of The Rings [Bravo December 14th]

A few ringers have written in saying that Entertainment Tonight has been promoting Viggo Mortensen as a guest on their show on December 1st. Check your local listings!

In a “Primetime Thursday” exclusive, correspondent Jay Schadler goes on the set and behind the scenes for an unprecedented look at how director Peter Jackson has made his incredible vision a reality. Jackson and the stars of the film discuss how the arduous process of making this big-budget movie is the culmination of a true labor of love. “PRIMETIME THURSDAY” airs THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4 (10:00-11:00pm ET) on the ABC Television Network. [More]

Mr. Mole pops up from the underground again with something cool for us. This 'window cling' should be in theatres near the start of the month, they were printed last week. He claims there are enough to cover every theatre in the US twice over. [More]

MarieMJS sends along these scans from France's Studio Magazine. Check out some of these great behind the scenes images! [More]

Leggylass writes: To possibly add to Irascian's great article about the opening of the Embassy - we just returned from the Seat Donor's Opening. Also included Orlando Bloom's Embassy seat! [More]

frodosam sends along scans from the latest issue of Maxim Magazine. You've gotta love the title of the article: 10 Reasons You'd Be a Complete Freakin' Idiot to Miss THE RETURN OF THE KING. !!!Spoilers!!! [More]

Steve writes: I thought I could make use of your excellent site to advertise Chelmsford Theatre Workshop [CTW]'s production of The Hobbit. [More]

Gillian Monahan from Tourism New Zealand writes: Tourism New Zealand, Trade New Zealand and the New Zealand High Commission are holding a champagne breakfast function on December 1st at The Lord of the Rings Exhibition in the London Science Museum. [More]

Ximena writes: Florida International University will be having a trilogy marathon on Dec. 17 with the first two extended versions of FOTR & TTT showing for free and then going to a theater to watch ROTK. The two first movies are free and tickets for the Return of the King are only $6 dollars. [fiu.edu]

Hernadez writes: I thought I'd send in the info I got today. They'll be doing Trilogy Tuesday at Kinepolis Ličge (Belgium). Tickets went on sale yesterday (November 26th). There's no mention of the first two movies being the extended edition or not. [More]

British actor Sir Ian McKellen had no sooner arrived in Wellington than he was dropping hints about a possible return. Sir Ian, who plays the wizard Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, touched down yesterday afternoon, just hours after fellow stars Elijah Wood (Frodo) and Billy Boyd (Pippin) arrived at Wellington International Airport. [More]

He is a long way from the United States, but Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen feels right at home in Wellington, and he has the photographs to prove it. More than 150 of his photographs are hanging at Massey University's Great Hall in Wellington for an exhibition opening this weekend. Another collection of his Wellington photographs opens at City Gallery on Saturday. [More]

At last our four heroes come back to their beloved Shire. One evening they reach the Brandywine Bridge wet and tired, but to their dismay they are denied entrance. The Shire is no longer the place they left behind. Shirriffs guard the gates and uphold new unreasonable laws, ugly buildings sprout everywhere, and there are evil Men in the Shire who are using the Hobbits as slaves. And all orders seem to come from Bag End, from the mysterious Sharkey.[More]

Dutch language community-site TheFellowship.nl got their hands on the technical specs for The Return of the King. Apart from a lot of numbers the info also gives us the exact running time and when PJ wants theatres to insert an intermission! [More]

Update!: TheFellowship.nl's server has been TORned so we have mirrored the text here. Please follow this link! [More]

Ringer Spy Katien writes: This is some news for the Australian fans. A special set of Return of the King collector pins will be available from this Sunday through the "Telegraph" newspaper. It also comes with a special album to hold all the pins..I think there are 18 pins in total and are $2 each. Looks quite nice from the pix in the paper.

Ringer Spy and TORn Friend Irascian has updated his personal website with a report of his third day in New Zealand - starring a visit to Weta and drinking a few beers with Cameron Rhodes and John Leigh! Be sure to check out the previous days as well if you haven't already! [More]

This one actually had me laughing quite a few times because it features some of the funnier parts of the weekend. Kathy S writes: I saw that you were posting some pics and reports from RingCon, so I thought that I'd send you my link. I know it's late, but it takes some of us a long time to get over jetlag and upload over 400+ pictures. [More]

Thanks to a TON of Ringers who sent in these character inserts available with a purchase of the ROTK Score on CD. Some of these shots are wonderful! [More]

Many people have asked us about easter eggs on the LOTR DVDs. For those of you who aren't familiar with the concept of 'easter eggs', think of them as hidden gems on your DVD that you would not be able to find with regular viewing. Thanks to one of my favorite websites dvdeastereggs.com we've compiled a list of DVD eggs according to release date and region. Take a look! [More]

Tim writes: I thought you may be interested in these, especially the council road closure sign. The Fell beast on the Reading Cinema is also included. Note the banners on the lamp posts, these are all over the city. [More]

This week we have two great releases for The Return of the King. MOUNTED THEODEN and RUINS OF MIDDLE EARTH. !!Spoilers!! [More]

This is probably not news for most of you rabid fans, but reports have been filling up the inbox today that tickets are officially ON SALE! Both Fandango and Cinemark Theaters have tickets on sale, and there is a link on the official site to purchase tickets. Go and order yours now!

Sir Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood and Billy Boyd inspect the Neiman Marcus Bag End window.

Torn Staffer Asfaloth reports: In sharp contrast to the skating polar bears, frolicking penguins, candy canes and dancing teddy bears one usually expects from holiday department store displays, the Neiman Marcus department store in Beverly Hills, California and New Line Cinema teamed up to create a one-of-a-kind storefront window display. [More] [More Pictures] [More images from Kevi-Wan]

The folks from E! write: Open casting call for all "Lord of the Rings" fans this Friday in LA! E! is looking for fans of "Lord of the Rings" for a new show in development. If selected for the show, you will get an opportunity of a lifetime! Auditions to be held this Friday from noon to 3:00PM at 5750 Wilshire Blvd. in LA. Be prepared to tell us why you are such a huge fan and two people you would take on an international trip! Please contact Jill at jbandemer@eentertainment.com. [Map to 5750 Wilshire, LA]

Richard Simpson writes: It has been the biggest movie event of all time - and now film fans are preparing themselves for the epic conclusion of The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. The first reviews of director Peter Jackson's The Return Of The King suggest it will be another triumph. [More]

Irascian sends along more photos and a full report from the Embassy Theatre Gala Re-Opening. Take a look! [More]

Tom writes: The new issue of Total Film has a massive 17 page section devoted to ROTK, including interviews with Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, Miranda Otto, Viggo Mortensen, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd. Theres also a two-page map of Middle-earth and an interview with Neil Young, executive producer of EA's ROTK game. [Totalfilm.co.uk]

Anyone with scans of the articles, send them along!

Forbidden Planet is delighted to announce a signing by Andy Serkis to promote his book Gollum: How We Made Movie Magic. He will be at the new Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2 H 8JR, on Thursday 18th December from 6pm. [More]

The stars are arriving in Wellington for the world premiere of the final Lord of the Rings film. Three hobbits and Gandalf the wizard flew in to join actor Viggo Mortensen, who is already in the capital. Elijah Wood, who plays Frodo Baggins, says he is delighted the world premiere is in Wellington. "It'll be a joyous occasion for everyone in New Zealand. I think everyone here is very proud of the film, so it's fantastic that the last one will be here." [More]

Debbie writes: Sir Ian McKellan was on the 6pm news tonight (Wednesday) and he commented that he had brought all his Christmas cards to Wellington so he could post them with a Gandalf stamp.

(Ian, my address is....-Xo)

Neale writes: Australian cinema chains Greater Union/Birch Carrol and Coyle, Village and Hoyts will be selling tickets to "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" as of tomorrow, Thursday Nov 27th. RotK commences it's theatrical run in Australian on Dec 26th 2003. Tickets can be purchased from any GU/BCC oh Hoyts cinema or from their websites. Gold Class sessions at GU/BCC cinemas will go on sale on Dec 11th.

Orlando Bloom (Legolas) is slated to appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Friday December 5th. This is 2 days after Elijah Wood (Frodo) will be a guest on the same show. The Tonight Show airs on NBC at 11:35 PM ET.

elvenarcherinarms writes: KFC ads for popcorn chicken ROTK promotion are now online. [More]

Cheryl writes: I just received next weeks TV guide and on PrimeTime next Thursday night Dec. 4th ABC there is a one hour look at the making of ROTK. [More] [Check Local Listings USA] [Check Local Listings CAN]

Observer writes: In the December 2003 issue of Brio magazine, there was an interview conducted in which the cast was asked this question: "While working on these movies, did you learn a particular life lesson that would be valuable for teens today?" [More]

Actor Dominic Monaghan (Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Purifiers, Spivs, Shooting Livien) employs his international stardom by becoming Spokesperson for Project Last Stand, an international effort bringing attention to the current state of the world's forests and raising funds by organizing a celebrity charity auction. [More]

Michael Jenkinson writes: I settled in last Tuesday night to watch The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers extended-edition DVD. Some 26 hours later, I left the couch and came to work. OK, I'm kidding. It took me three nights just to get through the three-and-three-quarter-hour extended version of the movie. I should be done the four commentary tracks and the two discs of documentaries by Christmas. Of next year. [More]

Tonight's ticket exchange offering is for TWO tickets to the Tinseltown Theatre in North Canton, OH.

UPDATE: We HAVE A WINNER. Elizabeth will be put in contact with the seller of this ticket, Josh. Ticket Exchange will resume on FRIDAY at 7 p.m.

Quickbeam was lucky enough to secure an interview with Andy Serkis where he discusses his preparation for his role as Gollum/Smeagol. He also talks about how fame has affected him and the physicality of the role. There's some footage of Andy's Comic Con appearance in there as well. This interview was directed by Asfaloth, photographed by "Ringers: Lord of the Fans" Director of Photography Josh Mandel with sound support by Mikey Murray and edited by Galaphil and Lyra. [TORN Digital]

Speaking of Andy Serkis, Sideshow Collectibles has informed us that their exclusive Gollum statue has already sold over a quarter of the worldwide limited edition 7500! This is only after one week of sales! If you don't want to miss out on this statue or the other Gollum items being offered from Sideshow/Weta, check out their Gollum Gala 2003. [More]

Wendy writes: Sir Ian McKellen will be chatting on SciFi.com on Friday, December 5th! [More]

Sudsie writes: Spike TV is hosting their first Video Game Awards Show (December 4), The Return of the King is up for best game based on a movie. Let's make sure it at least wins the one category it's nominated for! [More]

Matthew T. Dickerson, author of Following Gandalf: Epic Battles and Moral Victory in the Lord of the Rings, will give a lecture titled “J.R.R. Tolkien and the Real Battle in the Lord of the Rings” on December 4 at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York (Viggo’s alma mater). The lecture will be held at 8 PM in Room 113 of Griffiths Arts Center. [More]

In just over two weeks on 11 December, The Return Of The King will have its UK premiere in London. If that wasn't reason enough to grab your camping gear and Calor gas stove and head for Leicester Square right this minute, then the fact that it's the 300th film premiere to be held at the Odeon should swing the deal for you. [More]

Irascian writes: I thought you’d appreciate these two pictures for those fans who’ve “purchased” seats through the Embassy Theatre Trust. One shows the typical name tag, but with a name many might recognise – half the fun of the naming is the way famous names are intermingled with those of ordinary fans. I’ve also attached a copy of the Roll of honour which appears twice – wrapped around each of two columns in the upstairs entrance area. Verdict on the refurbishment: fantastic job making this a fantastic cinema – I wish my local was like this. The seats are the most comfortable I’ve sat in, the sound system is awesome and the screen, apparently specified by PJ himself, is huge and clear. [More]

JovialNazgul sends along these scans from Seventeen Magazine. It features an article on Liv Tyler (Arwen), and also touches on the recent clash she had with producers who consider the tall former-model too 'fat'. You gotta love this quote "Just because I don't starve myself and I'm not a size four at 5'10" doesn't mean I have a weight problem." You tell 'em Liv. [More]

Today, November 25th is Bruce Hopkins' (Gamling) Birthday! Bruce was born on November 25th, 1955 in Invercargill, New Zealand. That makes him 48 today! Happy Birthday Bruce!

Eighteen cast members of the Lord of the Rings films rebelled against studio New Line over bonus payments, it has been reported. The unidentified actors complained that bonus payments for the second film were smaller than the first, magazine Newsweek said, but have secured a deal. [More]

Becca writes: The Radio 1 breakfast show in the UK is running a competition that began today and ends on Thursday to win tickets to the world premiere of ROTK in NZ. Also, the Jo Whiley Show next week will be offering tickets to the UK premiere and ALSO the week after that I think they're having competitions to win signed merchandise etc.

Megwen sends along two of the character cards that come with the ROTK soundtrack (which is out today!). This one features Aragorn and Legolas. [More]

Ringer Spy M sends along this great screenshot from The Return of the King video game. Take a look at the Witchking! [More]

Wired Magazine had a short article two weeks ago in which they took a closer look at the preciousses of Weta Digital. I guess we missed it but it does feature some rather cool numbers for the real geeks amongst us AND some spoilers as to which building we might see destroyed in The Return of the King! [More]

It's been over a week ago now but I'm still getting some reports on Ring*Con 2003. This last one is from centaurzee who sends in the link to her website which features some reports and quite a lot of pictures from all the celebrities! [More] Check back in a few days because there is more to come!

Popular Mechanics (en espanol

Monklova writes: According Peter Jackson in an exclusive interview to Popular Mechanics, he made 3 diferent endings wich are not revealed yet, but after watching a 20 minutes excluisive screeaning the hope of having one of the best fantastic films in the history is as good as wearing The One Ring. [More]

Newsweek has certainly gone ROTK mad, thier latest issue features an in-depth look at the whole of the ROTK trilogy. There is a great map showing the route of the Hobbits, the Fellowship and others take. My personal favorite section was with PJ explaining the bloopers seen in FOTR and TTT. [More]

filthylittlethief writes: I made an online LOTR advent calendar, of course it ends not on Xmas but on the 17th of December. Every day there is a picture of a major character with a quotation, some funny some sentimental. [More]

The Bemis Public Library in Littleton, Colorado will host a free program Saturday on all things Tolkien. The library will show the extended version of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Intermission will feature trivia, special activities and prize drawings. Costumes are encouraged. [More]

S writes: I work at a FYE and we recieved a movie calendar with coupons in it that customers get for spending $50 or more on movies. Curious by nature, I flipped through it. Not sure if there's much truth to it, because it would be breaking the "tradition" but it says on May 25th that ROTK will be released on DVD/VHS.

Eogwyn writes: Colin Duriez, Tolkien expert and author (as featured on the Disc 3 TTT EE DVD) is giving a talk on Thursday 4th December 2003, at Leicester Writers' Club, Leicester Adult Education College, Wellington Street, Leicester, UK, at 7-9pm. The title of the talk is "Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: their friendship and mutual influence" and will cover the story of their friendship and the enormous debt they owed to each other, without the friendship, the world would lack "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Narnia". [www.le.ac.uk]

Javier writes: LOTR fans in Spain will have a unique chance of seeing the special editions of both FOTR and TTT right before they witness the release of ROTK at midnight on December 16th. This screening will be offered in: Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Granada, Zaragoza, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Bilbao, San Sebastián, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Sevilla. [More]

elf ruril sends along these scans seen in and around Korea promoting ROTK. [More]

Emma writes: I have photos of the new Fell Beast (the one on the Reading Cinema) which I'm not sure you've posted shots of yet. I've attached one as well as my favorite of the new banners that went up yesterday. A Sam and Frodo Mastercard ad! [More]

Upper Hutt (not usually Nz'sbiggest tourist destination) is expecting its largest gathering of overseas visitors on any one day next Sunday 30 November because of the world Premiere of 'Return of the King ' says City Promotion Manager Paul Lambert. [More]

Shell writes, "I've just heard from Nicki - Morning Music and she said rang to say that Howard Shore is signing CD's at Sounds Music in Lambton Quay, Wellington on Sunday 30th at 2.00 pm."

Robert Catto chimes in from Wellington with some lovely photos of the Fell Beast at the Embassy. He writes: "I've just added a page of Fell Beast photos from Saturday night at the Embassy Theatre. Okay, I'm not the first to get photos to you - but I'm one of the few who stayed ALL NIGHT to get them! More]

In the December 2003 issue of Brio magazine, there was an interview conducted in which members of the cast were asked this question: "While working on these movies, did you learn a particular life lesson that would be valuable for teens today?" Ringer Spy Observer sent us this interesting transcript of the answers. [More]

Ringer Spy Semuta sent us these scans from the Newsweek special on Lord of the Rings. Some major spoilers ahead! [More] !!!Major Spoilers!!!

The Age talks about arguably the biggest star of Lord of the Rings - the New Zealand landscape. Thanks to Ringer Helen for the link. [More]

TolkienOnline's original.wombat found a very interesting extract regarding Smeagol/Gollum in ROTK from Andy Serkis' forthcoming book, Gollum: How We Made Movie Magic. Spoilers!! [More]

The Ringers: Lord of the Fans crew is traveling to New Zealand for the world premiere of New Line Cinema’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Arriving in Wellington on November 28th, the crew will be covering the many Lord of the Rings events and decorations hosted by the capitol city of Wellington. [More]

TV Watch: TNS' Off the Record with Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd and Andy Serkis

TSN's 'Off the Record'

Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd and Andy Serkis were special invited guests on TNS' 'Off the Record' talk show in Canada. Take a look at the screenshots here. [More]

As a testament to the deep bonds formed on the New Zealand sets of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, actor/musician Viggo Mortensen has tapped three of his co-stars to contribute to his upcoming album, Pandemoniumfromamerica. [More]

Irascian writes: I've just posted my first daily weblog report from New Zealand, with pictures of the airport film set exhibition, sculptures in Courtenay Place etc. [More]

Bob writes: This is quite unbelievable. A developer wants to build a subdivision of homes called "The Shire" that will run about $500,000 each. Read about it here; The article mainly focuses on the fact that the developer wants to build on a polluted site. No mention of the home design but the street names are listed such as "Rivendell Drive, Misty Mountain Parkway and Lorien Court". [More]

Isle of Man Post has landed a major coup and will be issuing a set of eight stamps to coincide with the worldwide release of The Lord of the Rings – Return of the King' epic on December 17th 2003. [More]

Ringer Spy Mariló sends along the three different ROTK-themed covers from Spain's Cinemania Magazine. Their December issue features a look at The Return of the King. [More]

Salquendor writes: There was a sixteen month calendar posted on the 28th of Sept. 2003. I only saw the composite of the pics and the one of frodo. Attached is individual pics of this calendar. Note that February of Legolas, he is riding a brown horse instead of a white one. Also April's picture is interesting of Theoden, Gandalf, Eomer, Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn standing in water looking up at something. A trip to Isenguard perhaps. [More]

Tonight's ticket exchange offering is for TWO tickets to the Tinseltown Theatre in North Canton, OH.

UPDATE: We HAVE A WINNER. Sarah will be put in contact with the seller of this ticket, Josh.

Thanks to Josh and all of our ticket sellers, we will have another ticket opportunity posted at 7 pm tomorrow. Read the complete details HERE. Good luck!

Ringer Spy Jezabear captured and converted a LotR/TelecomNz advert that has some small footage from ROTK with Barrie Osborne talking about the technical help Telecom gave the production. [More] !!!Spoilers!!!

To mark the premiere of the third and final film in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, Te Papa will display the model of Sauron's Barad-Dur tower. Generously selected and loaned by Director Peter Jackson, Barad-Dur is one of Weta Workshop's spectacular models and was used in all three films. [More]

Set those VCR's! Elijah Wood will be on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on December 3. The Tonight Show airs on NBC at 11:35PM ET. [NBC.com]

Ian McKellen will be flying around LA today, step outside and you may be able to see him. First he'll be on the air on LA's KROQ (106.7) morning show (between 7 and 9AM). [KROQ.com]

Next you can spot him at the Neiman Marcus store in Beverly Hills (9700 Wilshire Blvd.) where he'll be celebrating the "Lord of the Rings" themed storefront, designed by Dan and Chris Hennah of 3foot6 fame. Stop on by and see our TORN Digital Crew there as well!

UPDATE: More information regarding the Neiman Marcus event: The Unveiling will be at 7pm PST. Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd will also be there. Dan and Chris Hennah may also be there and Sir Ian will be there too.

The first screening of ROTK has already sold out at the country’s largest cinema screen, the Mega-Screen, at SKYCITY Metro, Queen Street. So they decided to open up more cinema screens for the opening midnight sessions to accommodate demand. [More] Thanks to Scoop.co. nz for that. BTW If you want to join the same lineparty I'll be at for the trilogy marathon there's still tix to the EEs on the 17th. [More on the Auckland Line Party]

If you've been wondering what's spoilers lurk on Topps Return of the King trading cards series, wonder no more. There's a huge bunch of spoilers in this lot. Scans courtesy of Ringer Spy BeastyBunny. [More] !!!Major Spoilers!!!

Scoop.co.nz has a gallery of great images from different angles of the Fell Beast coiled on the Embassy theatre and at Reading Cinemas. [More]

When we posted a request for fans to send in a picture of themselves and their Smeagol statue (from the The Two Towers Extended Edition DVD Gift Set), we didn't realize we would have such a HUGE response! Here is the first series of images in the 'Show us Your Gollum' Gallery. [Gallery]