Ted Nasmith is a Canadian artist, illustrator and architectural renderer. He is best known as one of the world's most prominent illustrators of J. R. R. Tolkien's works — The Silmarillion, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. More than just an artist, Nasmith is also considered a Tolkien scholar who is well-read in ancient history, religion, and other areas. His talent and knowledge makes Nasmith a highly sought-after guest speaker at Tolkien-related gatherings and conventions — and he is a prominent member of several Tolkien-related organizations (such as the Tolkien Society, the Mythopoeic Society, and Mensa's Beyond Bree). Visit tednasmith.com

TheOneRing.net asked Ted to comment on the recent activity regarding The Hobbit, here is what he had to say: After King Kong came out I lost respect for PJ, unfortunately. I remember someone in our group raving at the time, hoping PJ would surely direct The Hobbit soon, but I wasn’t feeling quite so impressed. As it happened, I was having a difficult night then for unrelated reasons, and wasn’t well disposed in general. [More]

Anne Petty is a recognized Tolkien scholar and specialist in Mythology and Finnish folkore. She is the author of a dark fantasy novel, three books of literary criticism, and many essays on writing, literary analysis, and the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. She is also a published poet, with poems, articles, and photos appearing in arts and lifestyle magazines. Anne is a frequent speaker at literary conferences such as the Florida Gulf Coast Writers and Storytellers Conference, the Florida First Coast Writers’ Conference, Seven Hills Writers Conference, and Florida Literary Arts Coalition. Visit annepetty.com

TheOneRing.net asked Anne to comment on the recent activity regarding The Hobbit, she was more than happy to oblige: Would I prefer that Peter Jackson direct a film version of The Hobbit? Generally, yes, mostly because I'd like to see a continuity of the visual imagery and sense of place that Jackson established in the three Lord of the Rings films. I thought the way Jackon's Middle-earth looked and moved and sounded was breathtaking. It was also amazingly close to the way my imagination saw many of these places and events when I began reading the books so many years ago... [More]

utkarsh sends along these scans from Maxim India. They feature a map of New Zealand with the locations used in the Trilogy. [More]

Thomas Robins, the actor who played Deagol, writes: As much as I’d like to think of myself as an actor, the truth is I am more of a director/producer and have recently completed a TV horror series entitled “The Killian Curse”. This show played on air here in NZ and has just recently been available for sale on DVD. It is a series I created, produced and directed and we are currently in preproduction for series two which will begin shooting early next year. The series has some guest appearances from fellow LOTR actors (Jed Brophy, Nathaniel Lees, Stephen Ure and even myself!) and also has creatures designed by the team from WETA - Richard Taylor was incredibly supportive of the show.

Laura Michelle Kelly, who won a 2005 Olivier for her title role performance in Mary Poppins, will join the cast of Lord of the Rings when the musical spectacular opens at London’s Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on June 19, 2007. Kelly will play Galadriel, the character played by Cate Blanchett in the movie versions. Kelly joins British actor James Loye who, as previously announced, will reprise his Toronto performance as Frodo Baggins. The J.R.R. Tolkien-inspired musical received its premiere at Toronto’s 2,000-seat Princess of Wales Theatre on March 23. Matthew Warchus’ $27 million (Canadian), three-act production is the first stage adaptation of the literary epic and follows the hugely successful film trilogy. [More]

There are many views amongst LOTR fans on what should happen to make The Hobbit film a reality. TORN aims to provide a forum to all those opinions - and we believe the studios would benefit from hearing them too. [More]

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 'Married With Children - S6', 'Simpsons - S9' & 'The Sopranos - S6 Vol. 1'. Some great animation out today as well, 'Paradise Kiss, Vol. 1' & 'Super Gals'. Disney has also released a slew of DVD classics 'More Silly Symphonies', 'The Complete Pluto, Vol. 2', 'The Mickey Mouse Club Featuring the Hardy Boys' & 'Your Host, Walt Disney'. The big release of the week is 'Invincible'. Personally I'm interested in 'A Scanner Darkly' & 'When the Levees Broke'! Check out the whole list here! [More]

Another great Tolkien scholar voices his hopes for a Peter Jackson-led Hobbit. [More]

Today is Bernard Hill's Birthday! Bernard was born on December 17th, 1944 in Manchester, England. That makes him 62 years old today! Happy Birthday Bernard!

Robin writes: I just read in my San Francisco Chronical newspaper that all three Lord of the Rings movies will be playing next Saturday, Dec. 23 at The Castro Theater, 429 Castro St., San Francisco. Fellowship of the Rings begins at 1:30pm, Two Towers at 4:45 and Return of the King at 8:00pm with short breaks in between. [castrotheatre.com]

The Tolkien Society is hosting a special toast to Professor Tolkien on hist birthday, January 3rd, 2007. Check out how you can be a part of this special occasion! [Details]

Link to the Entertainment Weekly story, "What went wrong on The Hobbit?" summing up the situation with PJ and New Line. Thanks to Mike and Tolman Jr. [More]

Today is Miranda Otto's Birthday! Miranda was born on December 16th, 1967 in Brisbane, Australia. That makes her 39 years old today! Happy Birthday Miranda!

John Howe writes: I'll be signing books in Strasbourg from 14h30 to 16h30 today (December 16th) at a new bookshop called KAO BANG, dedicated exclusively to fantasy, 34 rue du Jeu des Enfants, 67000 Strasbourg. (That's in the centre of town, a few minutes from the Place Kleber and about 10 minutes from the train station.) VERY exceptionally, there will be both HarperCollins poster sets for sale: IMAGES OF MIDDLE-EARTH and MYTH & MAGIC. (For as long as they last.)

Kim writes: Our Rowing squad is fundraising for a trip, and one fundraiser we are doing is running a celebrity doodle art auction on the New Zealand online auction site Trademe (similar to ebay). Anyway one of the items up for auction is a genuine signed sketch of a Hobbit home drawn by Richard Taylor, multiple Oscar winner from Weta Workshops, the force behind the LOTR special effects and costuming etc. The auction finishes Sunday evening our time, so in about 20 hours from now. Just go to Trademe.co.nz, search 'doodle taylor'. [trademe.co.nz]

LinuxElf writes:"Looks like the LOTR 2-Disc Limited Special Editions are now finally available in New Zealand! This set contains one most important feature: Costa Botes documentaries! One on each DVD set! (One of which, FOTR, was played at the NZ film festival a few years back)" [More]

Look out for the Dec. 15 Entertainment Weekly - apparently it has a two-page article called "Hell on Middle-earth - the inside story on what went wrong on The Hobbit - and will it ever get back on track?" Questions that need answering....! Thanks to Deena for the tip.

As part of a Weta Christmas special, fans of Daniel's work are invited to ask him any question they like at Weta Holics. Daniel is one of the Weta design team who'll be 'blitzing' any unanswered questions throughout the day. Daniel's day on the forum is Monday, December 18 - that's Sunday in the US. [More]

Don't forget, tonight and tomorrow at 8 p.m. EST in the U.S., TNT will be showing "The Return of the King!" Last week there was a good crowd of Ring fans in TORn's chat room watching the movie and dissecting all their favorite bits. We'll be informally gathered again tonight and tomorrow for Round 3! [Join the chat] [About IRC chat]

Once you've joined the main chat room, type /join #moviechat to get in on the fun.

Some of the regulars have been opting to watch the EE version after the TNT showing concludes. You're all welcome to enjoy, we simply ask that you behave nicely and follow the rules.

ALSO: Join us Sunday at 5pm EST for our annual "Chatters' Choice Wacky Holiday Film" showing: This year it will be "Scrooged," starring Bill Murray.

Win 1 (of only 3) exclusive 'REVELATION' framed gold discs, including a commemorative plaque personally signed by Christopher Lee, and personalized with YOUR NAME!!! Just answer five skill testing questions, enter your personal information, and three winners with the most correct answers will be selected at random. The answers will be posted on Jan. 13, 2007, and Christopher Lee himself will conduct the winners draw which will be webcast live! [CLICK HERE TO ENTER!]

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]

Cate Blanchett has been nominated for a Golden Globe for 'SUPPORTING DRAMATIC ACTRESS' for her work on "Notes on a Scandal". The film, directed by Richard Eyre (Stage Beauty, Iris), revolves around a pottery teacher (Blanchett) who enters into an affair with one of her students, causing upheaval in her personal and professional lives. You can catch the Golden Globes live on NBC January 15th, 2007 at 8PM.