As M.C. of tonight's "Return of the One Party" in Hollywood, I am holding a special toast in honor of Peter Jackson and his cast, crew, and supporters. The magic happens immediately when the Oscar telecast ends (after the Best Picture winner is announced). Whether you're at the Party, or at your own gathering with friends; folks at home and around the world can raise their glasses simultaneously. This is for the entire Tolkien community to share in a special moment. Feel free to toast with this text or in your own way!

Peregrinning Took writes: On Supermillionaire tonight, the $100k question was "What do the R.R. in Lord of the Rings' author J.R.R. Tolkien's name stand for?" The answers were (I believe) Randolph Rian, Roland Reine, Richard Rhys, and Ronald Reul. The guy walked without answering. After giving the correct answer, Regis said, "I'll be a ton of kids out there are screaming the right answer at their TVs." Too true!

Today, February 28th is Mark Feguson (Gil Galad) birthday! Mark was born on February 28th, 1961 in Sydney Australia. That makes him 43 today! Happy birthday Mark!

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (Reuters) - Not bothering to wait for those immortal words, "And the Oscar goes to...," New Zealand held an early celebration for three homegrown Academy Award contenders, led by the final installment in the "Lord of the Rings" series. [More]

The movie most people think should win the Academy Award for best picture is the third chapter of the "Lord of the Rings" saga, a poll found. Asked which movie should win the academy award for best picture, 42 percent picked "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," widely expected to win the award Sunday night. [More]

Bill Amend has done it again, he's captured the very essence of what it is to be a LOTR fan in the form of Jason. This time Jason tells his sister the result of an Oscar win...or loss. [More]

Oscar night is almost upon us and with 11 nominations Peter Jacksons 'The Return of the King' is the big favorite. Of course we will debate, speculate and discuss all about what chances 'our guys' have in #thehalloffire. Will 'The Return of the King' win the Best Movie award? Will Peter Jackson finally get his Best Director Oscar? And what's this years competition like?[More]

For the last three years, Paul Badali of Badali Jewelry has created a Good Luck Oscar pin for TheOneRing.Net. These pins have been presented to nominated members of the cast and crew of The Lord of The Rings trilogy each year at the New Zealand Consulate. Badali Jewelry is now offering these limited edition hand enameled pins for purchase on their site. Each collectible pin is numbered in a limited edition of 100. Each are cast in solid sterling silver, are hand enameled and have an alligator jaw clip for wear. The pins are offered for sale individually or as a set of three. If you would like more information, check BadAliJewelry.com! [More]

From Lomara: I just checked out Billy Boyd's site and was thrilled to see he is scheduled to appear at the London Film and Comic Con March 6-7. John Noble, John Rhys Davies, Andy Serkis, Thomas Robins, Bruce Hopkins, and Sala Baker are also scheduled to appear. [More]

From Ale: An extended preview of the upcoming "War of the Ring" boardgame has appeared on KAOSONLINE. [More]

From CNN.com: "If you believe the advance press, the last film in the trilogy, 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,' is going all the way Sunday at this year's Academy Awards." [More]

From The New Zealand Herald: "A Hawkes Bay man is so sure Peter Jackson will win an Oscar that he has staked $50,000 on the New Zealand film maker with an Australian online betting agency..." [More]

Gollum should have been nominated for an Oscar. Not Andy Serkis, the actor who played the conniving cave dweller in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, but the computer-generated character himself. [More]

KCET has announced the line-up for Cinema Series 16, the popular film series that will start its spring run on Tuesday, March 2, highlighting a hand-picked selection of new motion pictures and a nightly special guest who will discuss the behind-the-scenes of the films production and take part in an audience Q&A session. [More]

FredO writes: I found out that tickets for the Howard Shore concert in Pittsburgh, PA on Friday, July 30, 2004 and Saturday, July 31, 2004 will go on sale on Monday, March 1, 2004. You can buy them at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra site. [More]

HOLLYWOOD - The King will be a no-show Sunday night when "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" bids for 11 Oscars. But Viggo Mortensen insists it's not because he is upset that he didn't receive an acting nomination for his role as the hero and king, Aragorn. [More]

Bacchus parade photos, including floats, fans, doubloons (and Elijah), from Ringer Spy Farrah. [More]

Peter Bowes writes: If the buzz is to be believed, Peter Jackson is a "shoo-in" to win two of Oscar's top prizes. The New Zealand filmmaker is hotly tipped to take the awards for best picture and best director for Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Many feel Jackson's work on all three movies will be rewarded by the Oscars The epic fantasy is also likely to clean up in some of the technical categories. [More]

Ian McKellen is set to be a guest on the HBO chat show 'Real Time with Bill Maher'. Check your local listings. [More]

Amanda Morrison from the NZ Embassy Trust writes: The Oscars will be shown "live" at the Embassy Theatre in Wellington from 11.30am on Monday 1 March, and a few tickets are still available from the Box Office. This is a fun day, with prizes for Best-Dressed, Best Peter Jackson look-alike, Most Hobbit-like, that sort of thing. So dress up and come along to be in the right place (Peter's favourite theatre) at the right time (we HOPE). This is a fund-raiser for the Embassy Theatre Trust, so it would be really good to sell off the remaining tickets. Further details if required from amanda.m@morrimac.com.

Lee Ann writes: I'm listening to Howard Shore being interviewed on NPR's Performance on NPR. He and interviewer Fred Child are discussing various themes in Return of the King, the various instruments and singers Shore used (he says singing in Elvish helped Renee Fleming with another recording she was making), and the Lord of the Rings Symphony. An extended version of the interview is available for listening at Performance Today's website, along with links to other NPR interviews with Mr. Shore. [More]

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Hollywood Reporter) -- New Zealander Peter Jackson has gone from making movies as a hobby to making movies about hobbits -- films that have helped him forge a filmmaking empire in New Zealand and build a reputation in Hollywood for pulling off the impossible. [More]

Sean Astin has lent his voice to an original Cartoon Network movie called 'Party Wagon', it airs tonight at 8PM. [cartoonnetwork.com]

Kurt Loder of MTV offers a very ROTK-centric view of how the Oscar race should be won. Among other reasons, Kurt provides this one: "...Shadowfax, Gandalf's great white stallion in 'Return of the King,' could probably kick Seabiscuit's skinny butt." [More]

Myron writes: Not sure if anyone else has submitted this, but the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has an article discussing ROTK's oscar-worthiness today. They're inviting readers to respond, and will print some of the responses on Saturday. [More]

Joseph wrote to say: Tonight on BBC World's "Hard Talk" Sir Ian McKellen was interviewed. He ... confirmed that he will for a short time be attending the "Return of the One Party" after the Oscars.

Andrea confirmed: [Ian] said he would be going to some parties afterwards and added, "I'll be going to the OneRing party which is a party by Lord of the Ring fanatics who have supported the movies through thick and thin over the years." He said it with a very acknowledging nod of the head like he clearly knew what he was talking about! So there you have it: Sir Ian advertising the OneRingParty on the BBC!

Thanks to everyone who wrote to let us know!

Edward Havens says: "Good afternoon. I thought some of your readers might be interested in checking out a new article up on FilmJerk.com, which shows that Return of the King is a statistical shoo-in for both Best Picture and Best Director..." Just what we want to hear! [More]

We'd like to congratulate our winner of the two VIP tickets to the 'Return of the One Party.' There are no longer ANY tickets available for auction on Ebay or any other website. It has come to our attention that an eBay seller is attempting to defraud our fans by posting another VIP ticket auction. DON'T BE A FOOL OF A TOOK! TheOneRing.net is not auctioning anymore tickets and names for current tickets cannot be changed.

Media Watch: Diana writes: The new Entertainment Weekly (February 27, 2004) features Viggo on the cover. The caption reads: Oscar Night Preview Will 'Lord of the Rings' Rule?

Logan writes: Emerald Rose will interview with public radio personality Martin Perlich on Friday afternoon, March 27th on KCSN 88.5 FM in the Los Angeles area. The interview is scheduled to be broadcast at 3:30 PM PST. The band will be discussing their upcoming performance at the TORn Oscar party and their new release, "Songs for the Night Sky". [More]

From Ringer Spy RoddyP: I was reading an article about the Cubs going to blow up the ball that made them lose the playoff last year when I was thinking "Boy that ball is evil incarnate, like the one ring." No sooner had I put the period on that thought than I read this direct quote... [More]

Marina writes: There will be a repeat interview with Viggo on Northwest Afternoon, a local talk show in Seattle, WA. The show will air 3:00 PM PST on Komo 4. [More]

From Oprah.com: Liv Tyler and Sean Astin will be on the Friday 2/27 show. Thanks to everyone who wrote to tell us! Check your local listings for times. [More]

All fans, attending the "Return of the One Party" or not, can now vote to help award TheOneRing.net's highest honor, "The Golden Gandalfs."

This year the award and categories concentrate on the actors, who were not rewarded by Oscar. There are 14 fun-loving categories and the "Spirit of Gandalf" award, given to the actor who has interacted best with fans. Voting will be open now until Sunday afternoon, before the official start of the "Return of the One Party." [VOTE NOW!]

Now for the legal language: Winners will be announced at TheOneRing.net sometime following the big party, after the staff recovers and can get them posted. Voters who submit more than one ballot will have all votes thrown out. Open to legal residents of the world with a sense of humor or at least fun. Anybody taking the awards too seriously will be reported to the fun police.

The auction for the two (2) VIP tickets to The Return of the One Party is almost over! [More]

The March 2004 issue of The Radio Times (UK) features Peter Jackson and the hopes for ROTK at the Oscars. [More]

Sara writes: My Dad sent me this article from a Royal Mail newsletter about the UK Stamps so I thought I'd send it on to you. Shame they aren't film images like the New Zealand ones but still cool! [More]

LOS ANGELES -- Viggo Mortensen came into the room bearing gifts and carrying a terracotta cup with some sort of strange metal straw sticking out of it. The gifts: His new self-published photo book on horses and a DVD exploring the relationship between Native Americans and horses. [More]

Turgon writes:

Today's Green Books also includes my new column, "The Cream of the Crop-- Recent Tolkienian Books," which discusses a number of cool books. [Turgon's Bookshelf]

I'd like to call special attention to Olog-Hai's new Special Guest column, "The Science of Middle-earth: O, for the Wings of a Balrog," taking a look at a familiar controversy from a new perspective. Olog-Hai writes that while he's taking a short break from these columns, he is still interested in hearing from readers who might have new ideas or suggestions for future columns. [Special Guest]

I'd also like to point out our recent Tributes, one from publisher Robert Godwin, and another from author Lillian Stewart Carl - if you missed it before, here's another chance to see it! [Tributes]

Want a lasting memory of the Return of the One Party? TORn has made arrangements to have a professional photographer at the event to help you cherish this special night! There will be a photographer set up to take photographs of couples and friends. For only $25, you will get two 5"x7" photos along with 8 wallet sizes with a special Return of the One Party theme. Packages can be purchased the night of the party at the TORn store and the photographs will be mailed to you after the party. Don't miss out on a unique and personal souvenir at this once in a lifetime fan celebration!

This Sunday will be a big day for all the PC gamers out there. The lucky fans who will be attending the Return of the One Party on Oscar Sunday are in for an extra treat. EA Games will be having their worldwide premier for a 2-minute, 100% gameplay trailer for their upcoming The Lord of the Rings(tm), The Battle for Middle-earth(tm) PC game. [More]

We have just posted parking, driving directions and some other important information in the Return of the One Party FAQ area. We are also happen to announce the addition of a few more exclusive items to the silent auctions: A silver plated, one of a kind, Ringwraith on Steed Statue from Sideshow/Weta Collectibles, a professionally framed Korean Language ROTK poster, and exclusive art from Monte Moore (MAVARTS.com) and Colleen Doran. [Click Here]

Nikki C. writes: Liv Tyler is scheduled to be on Jay Leno on March 2. [More]

Keith writes that Ananova.com has posted a small Q&A with Dominic Monaghan. [More]

TORn Oscar Party Staffer Garfeimao writes: Liv Tyler and Ian McKellan have been announced as Oscar presenters. [More]

Media Watch: Carissa Mirra writes that on Sunday, February 29, A&E's Breakfast with the Arts will include a chat with Peter Jackson. [More]

Media Watch: Ringer Spy Angie writes that Viggo and Orlando are on the cover of next week's Oscar preview editions of TV Guide.

Brywier writes: At the AOL Moviegoer Awards, ROTK won three awards including Best Picture, Supporting Actor (Sean Astin), and Unforgettable Moment (Eowyn fights the Witch King). Orlando Bloom won best kiss for Pirates of the Carribbean.

Ringer Spy Holly Davis says that as of yesterday, Oscar ballots are all at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, ready for counting. [More]

Billy Boyd's webmaster Stewart writes: Just to let you guys know that we've updated Billy's website with a new look and some fresh content. Different look, same place. [More]

Today is Sean Astin's Birthday. Sean was born on February 25, 1971 in Santa Monica, California. That makes him 33 today -- which means that he's finally out of his 'tweens' in Hobbit reckoning!

And the Oscar Goes To � Green Books!

Har, har. But seriously, here are a few nuggets to chew on between now and The Big Night!

Twelve new Q&A discussing Elves in Middle-earth, pronunciation of names, and the origin of Narsil!
Two new Special Guest articles!
Quickbeam�s Open Letter to SAG decrying their passing over of Christopher Lee!
A new Tribute from Robert Godwin!
All new Moon Letters created by the fans!

I won�t see you on Oscar night, because I�ll be at home with my wee bairn. But you can say hello to Quickbeam for me! Cheers, all!

-- Anwyn

So many great responses came in to this topic that I couldn't resist posting more. Is Frodo in the film less of a hero than in the book? Opinions vary and there are many interpretations worth considering. [More] I will be travelling for the next fortnight so my involvement in this topic must end here, unfortunately. So don't write to me about it - Tehanu.

Bruce Hopkins [Gamling the Old] is in LA for the Oscars and is taking time out to support a literacy scheme called Project Read. He writes, "I don't know if you have heard of Project Read, but it is a brilliant initiative that came from the LOTR films." [More]

It's true! We have confirmation that Bogans is legit and now there is an under-construction website for more details on this mocumentary short about three actors trying to get work on the LotR films: [More]

Daniel "Frodo" sends in his review from the actual Howard Shore concert last night in Montreal: Yesterday's concert of Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings Symphony was a resounding success and M. Shore was greeted with much applause prior to the performance. [More]

I will have a TON of Mardi Gras images to post soon, but for now read what Neyuki has to say: Sunday at seven was the start of the Orpheus ball. The parade didn't end up getting there until about 8:30 or 9:00, though. When Elijah's float came in, it was pretty obvious he was having a blast. He was grinning and throwing stuff. When the parade was about halfway over, he came walking down the parade isle and was giving people hugs before going up into the VIP stage area. [More]

Mercedes writes: I was watching CNN's Paula Zahn show and they briefly mentioned that on Wednesday 2/25 they will have an interview with Tolkien's grandson about the films. They didn't mention his first name, but I'm assuming it would be Simon Tolkien. [cnn.com]

Lord of the Rings beauty Liv Tyler says she didn't believe in marriage until she met her husband - British rocker Royston Langdon. With Aerosmith frontman Steve Tyler as her dad and former Playboy model Bebe Buell (who counts Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart amongst her exes) her mum, Liv's genes practically make her rock royalty. [More]

Lord of The Rings actor Sir Ian McKellen has said he is surprised to be still wowing filmgoers after more than three years on screen in the fantasy epic. Sir Ian plays the good wizard Gandalf in The Return of the King, the final part of director Peter Jackson's trilogy, which is tipped to sweep the board at the Oscars on 29 February. [More]

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," has become the second movie ever to break the $1 billion box-office mark worldwide, distributor New Line Cinema reported Monday. [More]

Xoanon here, I had the immense pleasure of seeing Howard Shore rehearse with 103 musicians and a chorus of 100 singers yesterday at Place des Arts in Montreal. KayJay and I were 2 of about 10 people in a theatre made to fit at least 600. We were treated to the entire show plus a lesson or two from Howard as he instructed the chorus and the orchestra on exactly how he likes his music played. It was a once in a lifetime experience! More about that later however as I have this from Didi: I just thought you might want to post the program schedule for the �The Lord of the Rings Symphony: Six Movements for Orchestra and Choirs� for those who were lucky enough to get tickets. [More]

Those Ringers that will be in the LA-area this weekend and still have a hole in their schedule on Saturdaynight: here's what Q-Beam from the highly entertaining hip hop crew The Lord of the Rhymes wrote in to tell us: For anyone traveling to LA from out of town or just looking for a way to get psyched up for Sunday's Return of the One Party, come join fellow Tolkien lovers this Saturday night at The Echo in Echo Park. [More]

TheOneRing.net is proud to offer for auction two VIP tickets to 'The Return of the One Party!' This opportunity is a fundraiser for a select literacy charity. You and a guest could be the lucky winners to attend Hollywood's biggest night at the American Legion Hall, where 1100 happy people will celebrate the nominations (and many wins) for Peter Jackson's magnificent final film in the LOTR trilogy. The auction ends in just a little over two days! [More]

Georgia band Emerald Rose, headline musical act at the "Return of the One Party" at the American Legion Hall in Hollywood on Oscars night, will release a new Enhanced CD: "Songs for the Night Sky" produced especially for this event! [More]

Ringer Spy Anonymous drops this tantalizing tidbit our way: Have you heard about a DVD soon to be released called 'Bogans?' It's made in New Zealand .....the story line is about 3 Bogans who want to be in the film of Lord of the Rings. It runs just over 20 minutes long... several (LotR) actors made it into the film... even PJ makes an appearance... [More]

Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings: Return of the King rides past the $1,000,000,000.00 worldwide mark, the second film in history to do so! [More]

Have you ever attended an Oscar party? If not, now you can say you know someone who has. Paul Badali, local jeweler and president of Badali Jewelry Specialties Inc., is attending the Oscars with style.
[More]