Los Angeles, March 28 – Showbiz hunks Clive Owen, Benicio Del Toro, Kanye West, Ashton Kutcher and "7th Heaven" cutie David Gallagher all turned out for the Hollywood premiere of "Sin City", but who got all the cheers from female fans that’d been camped outside the Mann Theater since noon? Bright-eyed Elijah Wood had them screaming and panting, rock star-style. [More]

Soloman Lam writes: Toronto's CityTV has some behind-the-scenes video footage of the LOTR musical's pre-production, including interviews with the creative team and workshop rehearsals for the Ents and Black Riders! Looks very exciting. [More]

Cystic fibrosis sufferer Shoshana Davidson had just one wish - to meet Peter Jackson. Yesterday that wish came true, thanks to the Make-a-Wish foundations in NZ and America. [More]

Happy Feet is a comedy adventure set in the land of the Emperor Penguins in the heart of Antarctica. These penguins sing, and each needs their own special song to attract a soul mate. Our hero Mumble (ELIJAH WOOD), son of Elvis (HUGH JACKMAN) and Norma Jean (NICOLE KIDMAN) is the worst singer in the world... but he can tap-dance something fierce! [More]

Dominic Monaghan's new hit show 'Lost' continues to get better with each episode. Catch 'Lost' tonight at 8PM EST on ABC. This is the first NEW episode since March 2nd! TORN's chatroom now has a special 'Lost' screening room, login to #lost at 8PM and watch with fans from around the country! [ABC.com] [TORN Chat]

Justin writes: Jim Rygiel did a chat on LOTR effects on Saturday. For 3 hours he showed progression composites, green screen, digital doubles, tests, everything - it was great. [More]

Eowyn writes: I wanted to let all you LOTR fans know that the LOTR Symphony is finally coming to town in the Washington D.C. area premiere!! The highly respected Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and Fairfax Choral Society choruses will be performing on May 27th, 28th and 29th at the George Mason University Center for the Arts. [More]

Ian McKellen has updated the LOTR 'E-Post' section of his website. Take a look! [More]

Randall Miller's "Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School," a new film starring Robert Carlyle, Marisa Tomei, John Goodman, Mary Steenburgen, Sean Astin, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny DeVito, has been acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films. The company secured North American rights to the film that had its world premiere at Sundance this year. The company will release the film this summer. [More]

(Indianapolis) - Hollywood actor Sean Astin is at the statehouse Monday meeting with lawmakers and the governor. The star of "Rudy" and "Lord of The Rings" is lobbying along with producer Angelo Pizzo for a bill that would create tax incentives for the film industry. [More]

Orlando Bloom has been tipped to play a young James Bond in a new movie series. The series which is backed by Miramax and DreamWorks would be based on a new series of young 007 novels which began this year with Silverfin. In the book set in the 1930s, a teenage James Bond spends a holiday at a remote castle where he soon comes upon a mystery involving killer eels and an arms tycoon conducting dangerous genetic experiments. [More]

Kahlen Burgwin writes: It would be easy to write off Peter Jackson’s earlier works as mere stepping stone to his cinematic holy grail, the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Low-budget splatter films about alien invasions or zombie infestations rarely gain fame as they age, and most directors or stars would often prefer that films such as those simply disappear from their resumés once they hit the big time. Not Jackson, though. He has repeatedly stated how fond he is of his earlier works. Listed below are Jackson’s essential early works, in order of essential viewing. [More]

A Line Party has been setup for the John Howe booksigning event in Toronto! Be sure to sign up and be the first in line! The first 45 people will receive a copy of EA GAME, “The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle–earth” a real time PC strategy game. We will also be giving away “Lord of the Rings Symphony” posters that John Howe can autograph. You are welcome to come in costume! Come April 23rd, Toronto goes Geek! Please note: The Line Party is for the April 23rd event ONLY, the EA Game and posters will be available at the 22nd event in Kitchener as well. Sadly, I will not be there myself. More info on the John Howe Booksignings. [Toronto Line Party]

SYDNEY -- International top-name actors are setting aside large portions of their usual multimillion-dollar salary requirements to put their considerable weight behind a new generation of Australian independent films. [More]

New to DVD today is Christopher Lee's 'Crimson Rivers - Angels of the Apocalypse' the film also stars Jean Reno (The Professional), take a look! [More]

A repeat airing of Sean Astin's guest appearance on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' will air today (March 29th). If you didn't catch it the first time, it's new to you!

Well naturally The Lord of the Rings topped the Sunday Star-Times Top 50 books survey. But as books editor Iain Sharp discovered, there were a good number of surprises in the rest of the list. When we asked Sunday Star-Times readers to name their favourite books, the letters, emails and online responses came pouring in. The range of titles nominated (more than 2800) was extraordinary - everything from Summa Contra Gentiles by Saint Thomas Aquinas to Dav Pilkey's entertainment for small fry Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space (And The Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom Zombie Nerds). [More]

Nimfea writes: I was listening to WQXR, the New York Times' classical radio station, this morning when I heard about a one time event with the New York Philharmonic on April 12th called 'Music from the Movies'. The event is essentially made up of many famous movie themes, going all the way back to music like the love theme from Spartacus, the overture to El Cid and all the way to Far and Away, Schindler's List and....LoTR! What better way to conclude the night than a little bit of Howard Shore's genius? [More]

Video retail chain TS Group and its suppliers have been found guilty of infringing copyrights from the movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. On Monday, the High Court ruled that the company had to pay all legal costs, damages and punitive damages for its actions. The total amount is expected to be about $500,000. In July 2003, TS Group started distributing VCDs of the movie at its retail outlets. The company claimed that the VCDs were legitimate parallel imports. [More]

And while on the subject of conventions, next month another very interesting one will take place near Utrecht in The Netherlands. It is called the Elf Fantasy Fair and could be described as the European version of Dragon*Con, with the exception that instead of being hotel-based it all takes place in and around a real castle! This years guests include actors Andy Serkis, John Noble and Lawrence Makoare as well as artists John Howe, Alan Lee and Ted Nasmith! If you are nearby be sure to catch it! Details can be found here!

Undoubtedly Europe's best LOTR-convention out there Ring*Con is gearing up for its fourth installment this year. The convention will move to a bigger hotel this year, so expectation are high again. Among the first guests announced for this year are John Noble, Thomas Robbins, Stephen Ure, Peter Tait and (back for the fourth time!) Mark Ferguson with more exciting guests coming soon! [More]

FredO writes: I wanted to give you and your readers some advance notice about ticket sales for “The Lord Of The Rings Symphony” here in Pittsburgh, PA for July 22 & 23, 2005. Tickets will go on sale via the internet at the Pittsburgh Symphony web site, pittsburghsymphony.org and at the box office (phone 412-392-4900 or toll free at 1-800-743-8560) on Monday, March 28, 2005 at 9:00AM. Ticket prices are $75.00, $43.50 and $19.50. [More]

Celevon Elensar, a national award-winning author, wants to see your nonfiction LOTR-related short story. Modeled after similar anecdotal books, Lembas for the Soul will feature interesting, funny or moving stories written by the Tolkien fans themselves. [More]

Byrd writes: Today (March 25) the Internet Movie Data Base poll is about what was the biggest special effects movie of the past few years. All three of the LOTR movies are listed with "Return of the King" in the lead by a wide margin. [More]

Karen in Philadelphia writes: I wanted to let you know that the East Coast Premiere of Dominic Monaghan's film 'Shooting Livien' will be shown at the Philadelphia Film Festival on Saturday, April 16 at 4:45 pm and on Sunday, April 17 at 9:30. [Philadelphia FF]

Elrond's heart forbade him going with the Fellowship; Gandalf encouraged him to throw himself down a well as a preventative measure against stupidity. This weekend in Hall of Fire, we discuss Pippin Took: Bold, hard halfling or piece of luggage? [More]

Ringer fans rejoice! A very special event is being planned for the West Coast Premiere of "Ringers: Lord of the Fans!" The documentary phenomenon that made such a huge splash at Slamdance in Park City last January is now being screened again at an exclusive engagement with the 2005 Newport Beach Film Festival on April 23, 2005. This theatrical presentation of the hottest film in the Tolkien universe also includes a rare screening of Billy Boyd's short film "Instant Credit!" A huge after-party is scheduled at the Hard Rock Cafe immediately following. For full details and how to get your tickets to this fantastic event! Visit the NBFF official site. [More] [Ringers Official Site]

There's nothing like the story of a boy done good... And in terms of landing on his feet, Orlando Bloom is one person whose feet must be lined with lead.The 28-year-old star is believed to be searching for a plush pad in the Caribbean - after falling in love with the area whilst filming Pirates Of The Caribbean. Orlando, known to his buddies as Orli, is currently filming two sequels to the first Pirates movie, with co-stars Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley. [More]

TORONTO (CP) - Canadian actors who are feverish to play Frodo or gunning to be Gandalf in the upcoming musical version of Lord of the Rings will get their shot at open auditions next month. "The ensemble of actors we engage for The Lord of the Rings will come from different backgrounds," producer Kevin Wallace said in a release. "The text requires classical actors; the songs demand a unique vocal style from the company." [More]

Our very own Ostadan writes: Just letting you know again about the Spring Picnic for any & all lovers of Tolkien at Fern Dell, Griffith Park, on Saturday, March 26th. A photo shoot for lovers of costumery will start at 9:00 AM, and the event will commence at 1:00 PM. A potluck is planned for those who wish to participate in such (bring a favorite dish & drink), or you may bring your own picnic.

Amy writes: The website for the "'Past Watchful Dragons': Fantasy and Faith in the World of C.S. Lewis" conference to be held November 3-5, 2005 on the campus of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, USA (which will include The Nashville Symphony's performance of Howard Shore's The Lord of the Rings Symphony) has been thoroughly updated to include the specific details about the event. Online registration and ticket sales begin April 1, 2005. The Call for Papers remains open through May 1, 2005. [More]

Elijah Wood was on the Ellen DeGeneres show today (March 24th), we have the clip for you to download in Windows Media Format. The short interview mainly dealt with 'Sin City', there was also a very small mention of 'Everything is Illuminated' and 'Hooligans', as well as a funny mention of LOTR and the zen limo ride into Burbank. MAC and other non PCers can download DivX to watch it. [Elwood on 'Ellen']

Tau writes: To help fight illiteracy, Montblanc and UNICEF have asked 149 celebrities to donate hand-written statements. For each of those statements, Montblanc donated $4,810 to UNICEF, the number representing the height of the mountain Mont Blanc (4,810 m). The statements, along with a photo of the celebrity and the pen actually used to write the statement, are auctioned on Ebay, with the proceeds going to UNICEF. Christopher Lee also contributed a statement. [eBay Auction]

Calling all teenage Hobbits. On Thursday, March 24, the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library will host a 12-hour "Lord of the Rings" trilogy marathon. Youth between the ages of 12 and 18 are encouraged to dress up in cloaks and pointy ears for the epic viewing. The first film begins at 11 a.m., and the evening caps off at 11:30 p.m. [More]

The much anticipated Lord of the Rings MMORPG may be finally on track after the VU/Turbine deal. The US based developer/publisher Turbine has announced that it has purchased the licence from Vivendi-Universal to produce Massively Multiplayer Online titles including the highly anticipated MMORPG based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary masterpieces, The Lord of the Rings and its ‘prequel’ The Hobbit. [More] [Gaming Havens]

Out good guy Sir Ian McKellen is in negotiations to return to the role of mutant bad guy Magneto in X-Men 3 for 20th Century Fox and Marvel Entertainment, according to Daily Variety. With Hugh Jackman set for Wolverine and Halle Berry and Patrick Stewart in talks to return, the major new element in the mix is British director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake), who's been tapped to direct the next installment of the comic-based action franchise. Filming is set to start in early summer. [More]

Elijah Wood will be a guest on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' today (March 23rd). He is most likely there to talk about his new film 'Sin City', perhaps he will mention 'Hooligans' a film that took in a prize at the recent SXSW Film Fest. Be sure to check your local listings for the time and channel.

Adam writes: Dom Monaghan has been nominated for a Prism Award for his portrayal of ex-drug-addict Charlie on Lost. [More]

Sharon writes: "One Night with the King," an epic motion picture of the story of Queen Esther, opens in limited release March 25th. Among the cast are John Rhys-Davies, John Noble, Peter O'Toole, and Omar Sharif. [More]

Sharon writes: On April 15th, 2005, on the eve of the Marathon, meet friends and fellow LOTR fans at the Toronto Marathon Pub Moot! Isometric Projections and The White Tree Fund are proud to be hosting the Moot at the Office Bar, 3313 Bloor Street West in Toronto. [More]

The folks from Computer Games Magazine send this in: Computer Games Magazine got a chance to chat briefly on the phone today with Turbine's Vijay Lakshman to get a few more tidbits on their plans for the MMO title Middle Earth Online now that they are developing and publishing the long awaited game. [More] [Gaming Havens]

Europe's summer conventions are starting to gear up on their news. Thomas Robbins (Deagol) is the latest addition to this years Fellowship Festival. He joins the previously announced Craig Parker and Mark Ferguson, who are back by popular demand. The Festival will take place from August 27th to the 29th in London. Read all about it here!

A Line Party has been setup for the John Howe booksigning event in Toronto! Be sure to sign up and be the first in line! The first 45 people will receive a copy of EA GAME, “The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle–earth” a real time PC strategy game. We will also be giving away “Lord of the Rings Symphony” posters that John Howe can autograph. You are welcome to come in costume! Come April 23rd, Toronto goes Geek! Please note: The Line Party is for the April 23rd event ONLY, the EA Game and posters will be available at the 22nd event in Kitchener as well. Sadly, I will not be there myself. More info on the John Howe Booksignings. [Toronto Line Party]