Australian actress Cate Blanchett discovered she was living in a grisly murder house in Sydney when she saw a news report about the crime that had taken place there before she made it home. The Lord of the Rings star was a struggling student when she moved into the sprawling Zetland home, and it didn't take her long to realise why her rent was so low. [More]

Orlando Bloom, star of blockbuster epics Troy and Lord of the Rings, is coming to Dubai for the gala opening of the Dubai International Film Festival, Festival organizers confirmed yesterday. The 27-year-old actor will be arriving on December 5, one day before the six-day Festival kicks off, with co-stars from the Rings trilogy, family members and actor friends. [More]

Elise writes: There will be an extended ”Return of the King” screening in Oslo (Norway) in Vika Cinema. The screening will be on December 7th. The ticets will be on sale today (December 4th) online, but you can buy them now directly in Vika Cinema. You can read about it (in Norwegian) here. [More]

Ringer Spy Celebriel alerts us to Sean Astin's interview with ESPN's Shane Igoe, in which he talks about past and future projects including Rudy, Goonies, the Hercules mini-series, and Things of Gravity, as well as Grand Prix racing, college football, and his book There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale. [More]

After four years of arguments among fans of The Lord of the Rings, the mystery of a photograph dubbed "wizard kebab" has been solved. During filming of Peter Jackson's trilogy in August, 2000, Dominion Post photographer Rob Kitchin, then working for the Evening Post, snapped a photograph during filming in a vacant lot in Peterkin St, Taita. The photograph showed (highlight to read!) a white-robed wizard, thought to be Gandalf, impaled on a giant spiked wheel.!!!SPOILERS!!! [More]

World-renowned artist Alan Lee, acclaimed LOTR illustrator and Academy Award-winning conceptual designer for the film trilogy, will discuss his long involvement in creating the visual world that accompanies the books and films based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Lee's visual presentation will include a slide show and a display of a dozen original illustrations. Today, (December 4th) Alan will be at 'Books of Wonder' in New York, NY. For the full list of his stops, click here! [More]

Sideshow/Weta Collectibles is counting down the days until the ROTK EE Collector's Gift Set with a 'Minas Morgul Environment' preview page. On the page you can enter for a chance to win the set and the exclusive companion piece environment. Sideshow has also announced that they will be producing a Gondorian Collection of helms, sold together with a rumored edition size of only 750pcs worldwide. And last, but certainly not least, for those of you who ordered the long-anticipated Sauron statue, Sideshow/Weta has posted a page showcasing its production. [Sauron Story] [Minas Morgul Countdown] [Minas Morgul Contest] Oh, and for those Star Wars fans out there...Sideshow has released its 1/4 scale Han Solo figure! [Click Here]

Humungous SPOILERS: Warren writes more on what he saw in the Extended Edition, answers some readers' questions, and expands on Robert's comments.[More] Meanwhile Robert has also answered some new questions about the EE on his Bad Taste site.[More] And Jeff tells of more early sales of the EE, which seems to be running loose in New York. [More]

Sound designers Mike Hopkins, Ethan Van Der Ryn and others bring us this exclusive behind the scenes look at the makings of The Return of the King: Extended Edition! Take a look at what goes into creating the right sounds for the deadly Orc Tower scenes in the middle of the film. Frodo is trapped, Sam is trying to rescue him, and all around him are the terrifying Orc sounds! Meet the masters of sound effects here! (QuickTime Needed) [High Res (11MB)] [Low Res (5MB)]

Pre-Order your Copy of ROTK:EE on DVD today!

Amazon.com
Platinum Series Special Extended Edition
Platinum Series Special Extended Edition Collector's Gift Set

Amazon.ca
Special Extended Edition (4 Discs) (Widescreen)

Amazon.co.uk
(Extended Edition)
(Five Disc Collector's Box Set)

Amazon.de
[UK IMPORT]
Die Rückkehr des Königs (Special Extended Edition, 4 DVDs)
Der Herr der Ringe - Die Spielfilm Trilogie (Extended Versions, 12 DVDs)

airearan writes: John Howe has put up Viggo Mortensen's insightful introduction to his new book, 'John Howe Artbook' at his website. [More]

Bjoern writes: Here's some news regarding Christopher Lee, it has been published today by GMX Online Magazine. Here is a translation (made by myself): For outsiders it is perhaps a bit bizarre, that actor Christopher Lee (Count Dooku, Saruman, Dracula) starts his musical career with a metal band. But as yesterday in cologne-ehrenfeld (germany) suddenly many musician, technicians and actors appeared, this seemed to be the most usual thing in world. [More]

Celebrate 50 years of The Lord of the Rings with Alan Lee! World-renowned artist Alan Lee, acclaimed LOTR illustrator and Academy Award-winning conceptual designer for the film trilogy, will discuss his long involvement in creating the visual world that accompanies the books and films based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Lee's visual presentation will include a slide show and a display of a dozen original illustrations. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A with fans and a booksigning. Tomorrow (December 4th) Alan will be at 'Books of Wonder' in New York, NY. For the full list of his stops, click here! [More]

"I suppose hobbits need some description nowadays, since they have become rare and shy of the Big People, as they call us." (The Hobbit, Chapter 1) We have finished going through The Hobbit, but who, or what, exactly, are hobbits? Perhaps the only fantasy creature which can truly be called the creation of J.R.R. Tolkien, where did they come from and where did they go? [More]

If you have Tolkien inspired art work to share and sell, we welcome you to entry the ORC Art Gallery! Both professional and amateur artwork will be sold and displayed in the Art Gallery during convention hours on Friday and Saturday with a live auction on Sunday. Art awards for the Amateur artists will be given out during the Awards ceremony Saturday evening. If you are an artist interested in learning more, check out oneringcelebration.com

Also, don't forget The One Ring Awards! It's time to open the nominations for the One Ring Awards, to be held at The One Ring Celebration in Pasadena, CA on January 15, 2005. Half the awards will be for events held at the convention, such as the Art Show, Fan Film Festival and the Costume contest. The other half will be voted on by you, the best LOTR fans on the net. [More]

Anonymous writes: After months of on-line voting, and tens of thousands of votes, on their website, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation has determined Australia's Favourite Books and will be presenting the Top Ten in a nationally broadcast show. "My Favourite Book", this Sunday (Dec 5) evening at 7:30pm (AEST) on ABC. I can tell you will some certainty that "The Lord Of The Rings" will be one of those ten, but will it take the Number One position as Australia's Favourite Book? The results are being kept top secret so you'll have to watch. The full list of voting results will be available online after the show airs on Sunday: [More]

It would be impossible to argue that EA had done a bad job of its partnership with New Line and the Lord of the Rings films so far. The Two Towers and The Return of the King were shining examples of the handling of film licenses, if not the brightest instances, showing a commitment to the property's assets and the mirroring of the movies themselves in taking a full action stance. Everyone wants to be Ian McKellan in a huge beard with a death wish, don't they? It turned out they did. The games were huge successes, and rightly so. [More]

Abdullyne writes: Just to let you know that Mr. Shore will be on NY Public Radio tomorrow, on the 'Soundcheck' program. For those who can't get the WNYC station, the program can be heard online. [More]

Jeff Hrubiak writes: It has been just over a year since The Lord of the Rings Tradeable Miniatures Game from Sabertooth Games brought Tolkien’s Middle-earth to the gaming table with the all new Combat Hex® gaming system. Since the initial release of the 120 figure Base Set (BS) in October 2003 Sabertooth has brought avid gamers and Tolkienists alike such exciting new products as The Fellowship of the Ring (FE) Expansion, 2 Map Packs, and 3 Premium Line (PL) Figures. In addition, they have many new releases planned for Christmas Time 2004 and many more throughout 2005. [More]

The good folks from the Salvation Army writes: When these bears were donated to the Salvation Army, they knew that they'd had a great life with their previous owners. They also knew that they were ready to take on a more demanding role for the 10th Annual Teddy Bear Tea and Auction, which raises money for the North Central Brevard County Salvation Army Domestic Violence Program in Cocoa, Florida. [More]

From the folks at the Minnesota Tolkien Society: Sean Astin's down home goodness was no greater than when he spoke with and signed autographs for the crowd of over 700 people last night at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. [More]

These are a little late in coming, however here are a few choice images from the Armageddon Convention in Wellington. Here are a few images of Sean Astin, Andy Serkis, John Rhys-Davies and the always lovely Sarah McLeod! [More]

Laura writes: I just thought I'd send you my photos from when I went to the signing in London. It was all over pretty quickly once we got in, but I will say that Sean was very sweet and gracious when I met him, despite having a queue of 200+ to get through (plus the 500 pre-orders he had to sign too). [More]

Chris writes: On the German TV show :"Die besten Filme aller Zeiten"- or "the best Movies of all Times", The Lord of the Rings Trilogy came in as No. 1, voted by more than 30% of the Germans. Runner ups were "Star Wars" as 2nd and "Forrest Gump" as 3rd. Billy Boyd accepted the award and talked about the friendship that evolved between cast and crew. When asked to show the tatoo on his shin that the whole fellowship bears, he said that they swore an oath to never show it on TV. When he was asked why Elijah had then shown his on an American TV show, he answered that Elijah was in big trouble after doing that.

JWB writes: CBS's gameshow "The Price is Right" gave away a Lord of the Rings pinball machine in their "showcase showdown" today. Needless to say, I'm jealous of the winner.

After years of snubs and near misses, screen goddess Katharine Hepburn may finally help Cate Blanchett win that elusive Oscar. Hollywood this week is buzzing about Blanchett's portrayal of Hepburn in the Martin Scorsese-directed The Aviator, a film about eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes. It's the type of industry talk that can push the chameleon Australian actress all the way to the podium and a best supporting Oscar at February's 77th Academy Awards ceremony. [More]

Sean Astin is preparing for his second tour of the US to promote his book 'There and Back Again : An Actor's Tale'. Tomorrow he will at 'Borders' in Westwood, CA at 7:00PM. Follow the link for more dates and locations! [More]
UPDATE: Apparently the 'Dark Delicacies' stop in Burbank, CA at 3:30PM is a private session, invite only.

Improving on almost universal acclaim is like carrying a powerful ring across dangerous territory to a distant mountain. Director Peter Jackson has tried just that - aiming for a more complete version of one of the highest-grossing movies in cinema history by adding 48 minutes to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Most filmmakers would move on satisfied after completing the epic trilogy so triumphantly. But before shooting King Kong, Jackson extended the three-hour 21-minute version that screened in cinemas last summer and won a record 11 Oscars. [More]

Warren wrote in today to say he'd seen the EE too. He disagreed with some of what Robert said in the review we posted yesterday, and he also had some additional information. Including the fact that at least one retailer in NY is selling the EE NOW! [More]

The Lord of the Rings movies and ABC's Lost are divergent tales, but they have more in common than meets the eye. Both are runaway hits. Each features filming on a verdant Pacific island that allows for adventurous off-day activities. "I love having the opportunity to surf," says Dominic Monaghan, 27, speaking from Hawaii, where he is part of the Lost ensemble. And, of course, both share Monaghan — who came to renown as the hobbit Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck in the Tolkien trilogy — and his exceptionally devoted fan base. [More]

Jenny writes: Sean Astin will be on London's LBC 97.3 on Sunday December 5th. He'll be chatting to Penny Smith about his new book and all things LOTR related. The show will be broadcast UK time at 12pm and repeated at 8pm. You can hear LBC in London on 97.3FM, on Sky Digital channel 927 or on the internet. [lbc.co.uk]

Jen writes: I just found out that they are showing the Fellowship of the Ring (I believe the regular version) at the AMC Fenway in Boston, MA as their midnight movie starting this Thursday night (12/2/04). Just thought the Boston fans might be interested in hearing about that!

Roberto Robert over at Bad Taste, the Italian LOTR site,has seen the Extended Edition - the Italian distributor sent him a copy. He's not that enthusiastic about all of the additional material. His full description, with lots of SPOILERS, is HERE This is going to heat things up, now! I'm sure everyone's going to have an opinion about this. !!! MAJOR SPOILERS !!! [More]

Irascian writes: I’ve just posted the transcript of Billy Boyd’s second Ring*Con panel along with a bunch of photo’s. Take a look! [More]

Elen writes: I want to tell you guys about a great charity auction going on right now that includes items from Orlando Bloom and Sir Ian Mckellen. It's called Blue Jeans for Genes, and it benefits the National Hemophilia Foundation. Hemophilia is a debilitating and incurable blood disorder where the patient's blood doesn't clot. It's treatable, but sometimes very hard to live with. Check it out! [More]

If you're even casually interested in the languages Tolkien created, you'll want to join us in Hall of Fire on December 11 at 5.30pm EST when we'll be joined by Tolkien language expert David Salo for a moderated question and answer session. David was the primary language consultant for Peter Jackson's adaptation of Lord of the Rings. David wrote Elvish dialogue, and created Dwarvish inscriptions for Moria, as well as the inscriptions for Aragorn's sword - Anduril - and Frodo's sword - Sting. [More]

A thumb-sucking boy, a bicycle cop, a pimp-turned-rapper and enough dysfunctional families to fill a therapist's waiting room - all are coming to Park City in January for the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. So are films with such stars as Naomi Watts, Keanu Reeves, Laura Linney, Liv Tyler and James Woods. [More]

Moffel writes: Billy Boyd will be on German TV Wednesday, Dec.1st. He will be on a show called "Die besten Filme aller Zeiten" (The best movies of all time) on Kabel 1(channel) at 20.15. The show will feature Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in its Top 20 and Billy will be there and talk about the experiences he made while shooting the movie in NZ.

Turin Turambar writes: While watching the ROTK:EE trailer, I noticed Cirth runes on the helmet of the Mouth of Sauron. I paused the trailer and some runes were a little difficult to make out; but eventually, this is what I got: "LAMMEN GORTHAUR" (bottom) & "GORTHAUR" (top)

The language is Sindarin and is literally translated: "Voice" (lammen)" & "Dread Abomination (Gorthaur)"

Now, Dread Abomination was the Sindarin name used during the First Age of (you guessed it!): SAURON! (see The Silmarillion p. 23) So what do you get? "Voice (or Mouth) of Sauron"

Wegolas writes: The BBC is accepting nominations for its 2004 Film of the Year so everyone needs to go to bbc.co.uk and nominate The Return of the King. That is, of course, if ROTK is considered as 2004 even though it was out at the end of 2003. Better safe than sorry. As much as I like Potter, I don’t want Prisoner of Azkaban beating out my beloved LOTR. Mugglenet has already posted a similar message to it’s fans. [Vote!]

Mirabella in San Diego writes: In anticipation for the release of the new "The Battle for Middle Earth" on 12/6, Yahoo! is featuring an exclusive treat for all gamers! There are quite a few tutorials that feature some neat tips on the game as well as even more peeks of the game. Makes me all the more psyched!! [More]

Timothy writes: Thought you might want to know the results of the BFI compilation. The British Film Institute compiled a list of the top hundred films viewed in the UK, a genuinely interesting list of the films that sold the most tickets, that's actual bums on seats. [More]

Joey writes: I put together a pretty comprehensive report of Sean Astin's book signing in Philadelphia on the 22nd. Bits of it are about my personal experience with friends and getting to meet him, but most of it is simply what I remember from his talk and other little details about the night. [More]

April Orcutt writes: In New Zealand, place names drip from J.R.R. Tolkien's fountain pen -- Elfin Bay, Lake Truth, Mount Aspiring, Demon Trail, The Tower -- and "Lord-of-the-Rings" fans pilgrimage to sets for Middle-Earth. But the fans don't know what I know: Hobbits really do live in New Zealand. And they saved my life. [More]

Jef writes: I'm starting a new smial in Atlanta. Affiliated with the British Tolkien Society, we'll meet on a regular basis to discuss all things related to JRRT's writings. Tentatively named "Andúnië" (the haven of the Faithful in Númenor), this one will (hopefully!) be oriented toward fellow artists and writers interested in the philosophy and especially the theology of Tolkien's work. I'd like for us to meet monthly at a location to be determined.

Contact Jef for more information: [More]

It's time to open the nominations for the One Ring Awards, to be held at The One Ring Celebration in Pasadena, CA on January 15, 2005. Half the awards will be for events held at the convention, such as the Art Show, Fan Film Festival and the Costume contest. The other half will be voted on by you, the best LOTR fans on the net. Please send all nomination submissions to: OneRingAwards@theonering.net using the format asked for, thank you. Entries will only be accepted until December 10th, 2004. [More]

Best Tolkien based Lecture or Paper presented at an Academic function
Best Tolkien themed book published since the release of FOTR
Best Performance by a LOTR actor/actress in a Motion Picture
Best Performance by a LOTR actor/actress in a TV series, Made for TV Movie or Mini-Series on TV
Best Fan Fiction (PG-13 or lower, no Slash)

Best Fan site dedicated to a LOTR actor/actress

Ringer Spy WhiteLadyEowyn writes: Here's a mathom from me to all of you, as one of my early birthday presents. Enclosed in the link to my LiveJournal is the transcript from the Return of the King Extended Edition preview (the preview is available from the Official Site). [Read the transcript]

For those who can't see the trailer at Lordoftherings.net, try disabling your pop-up blockers first. The site automatically pops up the trailer. If you can't see it then, there's a blurb for it among the row of pictures below the headline, on the far left. Click there, it'll pop up the window again.

Ringer Spies Owen and Captain_Typho were kind enough to extract a link for the bigger version of the 6 minute preview! Right click and save the following: [More]

Dark Horizons has posted some of the artwork for the Narnia films which certainly looks dramatic.[More]

Roheryn writes: In this week's Entertainment Weekly, there is a feature article on the hit ABC TV series "Lost," which includes several photos of and quotes from co-star Dominic Monaghan. [More]

Sean Astin is preparing for his second tour of the US to promote his book 'There and Back Again : An Actor's Tale'. However tomorrow (November 29th) Sean will be crossing the pond and heading over to London. Visit him at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Ave. Follow the link for more dates and locations! [More]

Adele writes: UK fans should tune in to the second part of `The Ultimate Film' on Channel 4 tonight (November 28th) at 8.00pm. This programme features the top 100 UK box office successes of all time and no doubt the three LOTR movies will feature prominently in the final stages (hopefully in the top 10 if not higher!!) [More]