The Lord of the Rings Meet-up group in Chicago is pleased to announce a trilogy screening event on December 28th at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., Chicago, 773-871-6604. The screenings begin at 1 PM. Get there early, as the theater only holds 300. Admission is a mere $10 for all three movies. [More]

Celevon writes: 'Lembas for the Soul' author Catherine Kohman will be signing and discussing her inspirational LOTR fan anthology at The Library Center in Springfield, Missouri, on Saturday, December 9th from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.. She is also interested in forming a Missouri smial (chapter) of The Tolkien Society. Please visit whitetreepress.com for more information.

There have been a slew of rumors going around that the online petitions, actor talkback, and fan protests have prompted New Line/MGM to rethink their plans and invite Peter Jackson back on The Hobbit. We at TORN can state unequivocally that there is no truth to these reports and Peter has not been contacted by New Line or anyone else in relation to the Hobbit... Does this mean he will never be contacted? Certainly not, we just want to clear up rumors to the contrary. The status quo remains the status quo...for now anyways!

Brad from the Louisville Orchestra writes: I just wanted to say hello to you guys and let you know that the Louisville Orchestra is happy to announce that we’ve added a second performance of the The Lord of the Rings Symphony to our calendar. The demand for the tickets was so great for the January 19th, 2007 show that we went ahead and added a second show on the 20th. [Tickets]

Pieter Collier from Tolkien Library writes to tell us that the cover art for the Dutch edition of The Children of Hurin has been released. With The Children of Hurin, Christopher Tolkien brings to publication the tragic First Age tale that JRR Tolkien began in 1918 and revised several times, but never completed as an independent work. [More] [TORn Mirror]

Hot off the trail of her 'Tonight Show' stint, Cate Blanchett was on 'Live! with Regis & Kelly' early this morning (December 5th). She was there to promote her latest film 'The Good German'. Take a look! (33.6MB MOV)

Comingsoon's current poll asks: 'Who should direct "The Hobbit" if Peter Jackson doesn't?' Go give them your answer! [More]

Cate Blanchett was on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' last night to promote her latest film 'The Good German'. Jay and Cate spoke about working with both Brad Pitt and George Clooney, and even related a funny story that happened on the stage with Hugo Weaving. Take a look! (46.4MB MOV)[More]

Sideshow Collectibles has announced the exclusive accessory for their upcoming pre-sale of the Faramir 12-inch Figure. It will be the Cloven Horn of Gondor! According to their site, only the exclusive edition of this figure will come with the Horb. Follow the link for complete details. [Details]

The stunning Cate Blanchett will be on 'Live! with Regis & Kelly' today (December 5th). She is there to promote her latest film 'The Good German', a Steven Soderbergh directed thriller set during World War II. Check your local listings!

By the time it was all over, the 55+ people who made it to the final seconds of "Return of the King" could hardly contain their giddiness. For 14.5 hours they had laughed together, cheered together, and cried, together -- online -- while watching the entire "Lord of the Rings" Extended Editions trilogy from start to finish. [More]

TORN asked artist John Howe's opinion on the Hobbit/PJ situation. Here is his response: "Quite frankly, I do think Peter is obviously the best person to do the Hobbit, because he is the only one who would not feel the weight of LOTR on his shoulders. Kind of a paradox, but another director would likely feel obliged to prolong something not originally his, or break free of it entirely, neither solution being a good one. Peter, on the other hand, can have the creator's attitude towards his own work: complete freedom to use it or ignore it."

As someone who wouldn't be needed for at least the first of what is increasing looking like two precursor films, Elijah Wood has more room to comment than some of the LOTR cast, and spoke candidly to Empire Magazine. "I can't imagine any of the original actors would want to join it… how can you imagine a prequel that didn't look the same, and didn't have the same continuity after all that work?" [More] Thanks to Syed for the link!

The "Lord of the Rings" movies have been out of theaters and on DVD shelves for years. Howard Shore already composed a symphony based on the scores, and it's even been more than two years since the Oscar-winning film composer conducted that "Lord of the Rings Symphony" in Seattle's Benaroya Hall. But the story behind the music behind Frodo Baggins and his quest to destroy the One Ring is not over yet, as Shore is still completely immersed in the score he wrote for Peter Jackson's epic fantasy film trilogy. [More]

Angela writes: IMDb's daily poll asks "Would you go see a big-screen version of The Hobbit if Peter Jackson wasn't directing it?". [More]

A few Ringers spotted Peter Jackson in Los Angeles over the weekend. Could Peter be in town to talk more "Hobbit" with the powers-that-be at the studios? Only time will tell!

A ton of interesting new films are out on DVD this week. Take an early look on our 'DVD Tuesday' feature...every Monday! Check out some TV goodies like the 'Mission Impossible - S1', 'Roseanne - S6' & 'Saturday Night Live: Complete First Season'. Some great animation out today as well, 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol 6' & 'Animaniacs:Vol 2'. The big release of the week is Disney's 'Pirates Of The Caribbean - Dead Mans Chest', but also be on the lookout for some great box-sets like 'The Premiere Frank Capra Collection', 'Shades of Darkness' & 'Charlie Chan Collection 2'. Personally I'm interested in 'Pinky and the Brain:Vol 2' & 'Dungeons & Dragons: Complete Series'! Check out the whole list here! [More]

The stunning Cate Blanchett will be on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' tonight (December 4th) on NBC. She is there to promote her latest film 'The Good German', a Steven Soderbergh directed thriller set during World War II. The Tonight Show airs on NBC at 11:35PM EST.

Celebrity sparkle will help to raise money for less fortunate children this Christmas. Between the 11th- 18th December, Christmas tree baubles customised by stars such as Andy Serkis, Dame Shirley Bassey, Lemar and Jacqueline Wilson will be auctioned on e-Bay to raise funds for the children’s charity Barnardo’s. [More]

Lion2b writes: Bernard Hill will be starring as Pharoah in a new film called Exodus (aka: The Margate Exodus). Exodus is a drama which portrays a modern day version of the Book of Exodus. It is the story of Moses and his search for the promised land and Identity. The film will be shown in two parts on Channel 4 in 2007 and will have a UK cinema release at the same time. The official website is here. [More]

Boston Globe editorial: Could anyone else but director Peter Jackson do justice to a film involving hobbits, elves, and wizards? It's about time all the actors and fans of the "Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy insist that he, and only he, direct the film version of "The Hobbit," which recounts the early doings of Middle Earth folk. The production company, New Line Cinema, ought to settle its lawsuit and let him get to work. [More]

After Dan Hedaya's memorable appearance as Monk's dad on the recent holiday episode, the award-winning series will return with even more guest stars for its fifth season, which kicks off in January. Among the illustrious actors joining Tony Shalhoub is "Lord of the Rings" hobbit Sean Astin. On the show, Astin will play the son of a wealthy couple (Holland Taylor, Michael Cavanaugh), neighbors of Natalie's parents. When the couple mysteriously dies, Monk questions the son while investigating the possiblity of foul play. [More]

xsibase.com: Recently posted an interview with Marco Di Lucca, senior modeler at Weta Digital. In the interview Di Lucca talks about creature modeling, his work on King Kong, X-Men 3 and XSI. Take a look! [More]

Lisa Spodak writes: In 2007, I'll be walking in my 13th Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in 6 years. I'm trying to raise $20,000 to bring my fundraising total over the years to $100,000. All proceeds from these auctions will go toward that goal. I've currently got Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin and Hugo Weaving auctions live... along with 50+ others from other shows and movies. All of the bear auctions can be reached here. [lisawalks.com]

Tinuvielas writes: I just talked to editor Jochen Schuetze from the German magazine "Cinema" about the Saul Zaentz-interview (in the current issue) and about "The Hobbit". According to him, the interview was given around October 15th when Zaentz was in Berlin.

Xoanon here, this interview was done well over a month before we released Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh's letter, setting off a firestorm of controversy online and in Hollywood. My hope it to get Mr. Zaentz to comment now regarding this, in lieu of these new revelations!

Elijah Wood will be on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' tonight on ABC. He is there to promote his latest films 'Bobby' and 'Happy Feet'. 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' airs on ABC in the wee hours of the morning at 12:05AM.

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]

Sideshow Collectibles has just previewed their next The Lord of the Rings 12-inch figure: Faramir, Son of Denethor. As many of you know, Faramir was left out of the Sideshow/Weta statue collection — we're happy to see this Steward of Gondor get his props in the limited edition collectible world! Check out the preview, and don't forget to get your free $20 Gift Card! [Preview] [$20 Gift Card]

Have you been to one of our Movie Chats before? Well, all the other chats 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]

Don't know what we're talking about? Movie Chats are when fans get together online to watch and discuss (praise or nitpick) in real time their favorite films. Intrigued now, aren't you?

Our show your support for a PJ-directed 'The Hobbit'-contests are still going strong. We received some truely brilliant entries the last couple of days, so be sure to check them out in our new gallery by clicking on the picture below!

Also, the captions for our picture of Pete in his Bag End are still finding their way to my inbox. More of those, and information on how you can join in on this photoshop-extravaganza, can be found here! Keep sending us your stuff!

Thanks to 'Tunic' for this bigtime discount tip - Sideshow Collectibles.com is offering every visitor a $20 Gift Card for any instock purchase on their website, including all of their LOTR instock items (They are only giving away these Gift Card Codes for one day). They are also adding a FREE Helm of the Mouth of Sauron with every instock LOTR order. We doubt either promotion is going to last very long - so if you have any LOTR fans on your xmas list this year, now may be the time to pick something up! [Sideshow Holiday Guide] [Free Helm Offer] [Free $20 Gift Card Offer]

IGN indulges in some rampant speculation and does a round-up and evaluation of a select few it considers could be worthy of directing the Hobbit. [More]

Before anyone has a heart attack, this is merely IGN's thoughts, not a shortlist. But if you feel like discussing the names put forward - which are crazy, which are not - feel free to drop by our chatroom or head for the messageboards to discuss the list with your fellow fans. However, please mind the rules, and remember that our discussion areas are family-friendly. [Barliman's Chat Room] [TORn Message Boards]