Are you a convention fan? Have you been to a Lord of the Rings convention or taken part in a lining-up party? Perhaps you even organised one. If you have, join us this weekend and share your LoTR fan experience with us.

Perhaps you got to meet and talk to some of the cast or crew. You might well be an autograph hunter. Or perhaps you have a more scholarly bent. Or maybe, for you it's all about the fun of catching up with fellow fans and enjoying the atmostphere. [More]

Son of Aragorn writes: On Tuesday night (April 26th), Sean Astin appeared at a banquet at the National Conference on Family Literacy in Louisville, Kentucky. His wife, Christine, and their two daughters appeared with him. After the banquet he was available for autographs. [More]

From MTV: On Monday 2 May, Hollywood hunk Orlando Bloom could be answering your questions! The strapping star of Ridley Scott’s Crusades epic ‘Kingdom Of Heaven’ will be in London to attend the European premiere, and take part in an exclusive video webcast with all his MTV fans. Twentieth Century Fox and MTV will be there to cover all the action, hosted and promoted by RealNetworks. [More]

Lord of the Rings or Uzbekistani embroidery? No prizes for guessing which recent exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum attracted more visitors. The balance between scholarship and audience appeal is one of the topics 450 international and Australian museum experts will grapple with at Museums Australia's national conference, Politics and Positioning, which begins in Sydney on Sunday. Museums Australia is the professional association for museum and gallery workers. [More]

NEW YORK - A week before the much-anticipated film "Kingdom of Heaven" opens in theaters, the Crusades-era epic starring Orlando Bloom has sparked another battle. Acclaimed author and scholar James Reston Jr. claims the film swiped the story line from his 2001 book, "Warriors of God: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade." [More]

It gives me great pleasure to post news of leading Taipei fantasy fan Lucifer Chu, who contacted TORN way back in the mists of time to tell us about his translation of LOTR into Chinese. In a publishing deal not unlike Tolkien's own agreement with his publishers, Chu would take a percentage of the profits if the book did well. Five years later he's a millionaire at 30. Unlike most millionaire's he's asked himself "Did my wealth make me a better person?" and now spends his money on non-profit initiatives including his Fantasy Foundation. [More]

If you live round Baltimore, the Symphony there is doing a fundraiser (what orchestra doesn't need more money?) which includes visits to local stately homes. One house has a whole room dedicated to Middle-earth that Ringer fan Patricia says is "absolutely beautiful" and well worth a visit. [More]

It's the Rovers Return of the King as Sir Ian McKellen achieves his lifetime ambition of appearing on Coronation Street. This shot shows Limehouse resident Sir Ian in his first scenes on the ITV1 soap, in which he plays author Mel Hutchwright for 10 episodes to be screened next month. [More]

TORONTO (CP) - Just when we thought it was safe to go back to the shire, the Lord of the Rings has galloped forth to snatch up one last handful of awards. The Universal/Alliance Atlantis release of the special extended edition DVD of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King swept five categories at the second annual Canadian Entertainment Network Awards. The wins included best major studio and best boxed-set release, best special edition DVD, best sound/audio and the reader's choice award. [More]

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Brooding actor Sean Bean, whose recent successes include playing Boromir in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and Odysseus in "Troy", has signed on to star in "Silent Hill", the film adaptation of the best-selling video game franchise. Bean will play the husband of the female lead (Radha Mitchell) in the story of a mother and a daughter discovering the secrets of an abandoned town. Christophe Gans is directing, from a script by Roger Avary ("Pulp Fiction", "Killing Zoe"). TriStar Pictures will distribute the film. [More]

The northwest corner of UC Berkeley has the ugliest architecture, both on campus and off, until you cross Hearst Avenue and walk 10 feet up Spruce Street to Normandy Village. A blueprint copy of a village in rural France, the apartment complex spreads its irregular rooflines and arches across half a block. [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 in a while! 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]

Bernard Hill's latest film 'The Boys and Girl from County Clare' will be screened at a spotlight event tonight at the Newport Beach Film Festival. The Newport website describes the film; 'Three brothers from County Clare have played Ceili music since they were born, but after years of sibling rivalry, they've gone their separate ways. After 30 odd years, they're converging in their hometown to compete in Ireland's biggest Ceili competition and they're prepared to lie, cheat and steal to win.' [More]

Take a look at this life size talking Gollum replica available on eBay. Profits from the sale go to a good cause (a local LA school charity). Take a look! [More]

A TON of new DVD's are out today, among them is the Canadian made film 'Emile' with Ian McKellen. Follow this link for more info. [Shop]

Frodo_for_President writes: Well, since I can now count myself as one of the lucky few LOTR fans who have had the opportunity to see 'Ringers: Lord of the Fans' on the big screen, I figure that it is my civic duty to write up a report for TORn! I had a wonderful time, and of course can't remember much, but here are some highlights: I had the pleasure of attending the screening at the Regency Lido Theater during the Newport Beach Film Festival this past Saturday night. The day started out with a wonderful line party conducted in traditional TORn style. There was trivia, a costume contest, and candy for everyone! All the participants in the costume contest received a 'Ringers' t-shirt, kindly donated by Sideshow/Weta Collectibles. [More]

Dominic Monaghan is slated to be a guest on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' this Friday night. Be sure to set those TiVos! Jimmy Kimmel airs on ABC at 12:05AM EST! [More]

A downturn in sales of J R R Tolkien titles prompted a fall in both profit and turnover at HarperCollins UK in the year to 30th June 2004. Results for HarperCollins Publishers, the statutory entity which includes most of HC's UK operations, show a fall in turnover to £165.5m in the year to June 2004 from £166.4m in 2003. Operating profit dropped to £10.7m from £15.4m in 2003, while profit on ordinary activities before taxation was down to £9.7m from £20.4m in 2003. [More]

Ringer Spy Emma has sent along images of Ian McKellen at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. He is there to promote his film 'Asylum'. [More]

Residents of the southern Spanish town of Tarifa did a double take when the legendary sailor Captain Alatriste dropped anchor there recently. The officer was accompanied by a huge crew when he arrived, but it was cameramen and sound engineers, rather than able bodied seamen, who came ashore with the swashbuckling adventurer. At the centre of attention was Lord Of The Rings star Viggo Mortensen, who takes the title role in the movie Alatriste, currently being filmed in Andalusia. The 46-year-old actor gets to show off his linguistic skills in the Spanish-language film, which follows the iconic soldier as he does battle with the English during the Imperial Wars. [More]

Peter Jackson's cutting-edge, hi-tech film-making – used to great effect on The Lord of the Rings and King Kong – has been employed to restore the only film taken of the Anzacs at Gallipoli in 1915. The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Anzac Day that the restored film – held by the Australian War Memorial in Canberra – was as good as when it first screened in London in 1916. The 20 minutes of footage included soldiers from the Wellington Battalion in a trench. The original nitrate film was destroyed in 1967, and the best print that remained was scratched, fuzzy and low in contrast. [More]

The $10 million stage production of The Hobbit has been cancelled after just 10 shows. Poor reviews and ticket sales have forced the show's Auckland season to be cancelled just five days before its scheduled opening night. The show was a joint venture between New Zealand and Australia producers operating under the name Hobbit Productions. Promoters spared no expense flying journalists from Australia and Auckland to Wellington for the opening night performance. [More]

Ataahua adds: Let me just say that I’m really surprised about this. About 10 members of TORN’s discussion boards saw the last show of the Wellington season on April 23 and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. It has a very strong cast - particularly the actors who played Bilbo, Thorin Oakenshield, Gandalf and the narrator – and the character of Gollum was note-perfect. It’s a great pity that the season has been cancelled and no others will get a chance to see this story on stage.

Tolkien fan and harpist Asni will be presenting her programme “700 years of pop” in Te Awamutu, Tokoroa, Warkworth, and Motueka, as well as in Wellington. In addition, she will be performing her new programme “Travelling in Middle-Earth” in Hamilton, Dunedin and at Old St.Paul’s in Wellington. [More]

From ETonline The hunky Orlando Bloom, who plays a sword-wielding hero in the highly anticipated drama 'Kingdom of Heaven,' is taking on the role of hero in real-life as well. The 'Troy' and 'Lord of the Rings' actor is fighting for a cause near and dear to his heart -- a charity called Peace Games. To raise money for the good cause, Orlando came up with the idea to auction off two toy swords marked with his autograph and heartening words. [More]

Sarah writes: I just wanted you to know that my school (St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada) is offering a course called "Fantasy", and its centered around Tolkien and the Inklings. We're reading "The Lord of the Rings" in its entirety, along with "Tree and Leaf". We are also reading "Till We Have Faces" by C.S. Lewis, and "Lilith" by George MacDonald. Its set for a one semester class in the fall of 2005. [More]

Coming off acclaimed work on Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy and Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, Hollywood composer Howard Shore has agreed to develop music for Webzen's upcoming fantasy MMO called SUN. "It is a privilege for Webzen, Inc. to work with such a talented composer like Howard Shore," said Nam Ju Kim, CEO of Webzen, Inc. "His composing legacy has spanned decades and we're excited to be a part of his video game debut." [More]

‘The War of the Ring’ Web Campaign for The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game to Launch Summer 2005. This summer, Games Workshop Hobbyists in the UK will get the chance to take part in “The War of The Ring” web campaign. The campaign gives hobbyists the chance to decide the fate of Middle-earth! [More]

Amy H. Sturgis writes: Registration is now open for my Fall 05 class "J.R.R. Tolkien in History, Political Thought, and Literature (LIS 3600.01)" at Belmont University in Nashville, TN, USA. This course will explore the works, inspiration, and influence of J.R.R. Tolkien. Students will consider the historical era that directly inspired the world of Middle-earth, the political movements that adopted and reinterpreted Tolkien's symbols in the mid-to-late twentieth century, and the questions of religion, environmentalism, and war that now make Tolkien resonate in the the twenty-first century consciousness. [More]

Faithful Spy REZ dropped me a line this morning: Good morning, I went to the theater to see Interpreter this weekend and saw the trailer for Flightplan staring Jodie Foster, with Sean Bean. Touchstone did not have the trailer up yet but it is on MSN today. [More]

Garfeimao writes: The Line Party was a blast. Some people showed up at 6am, and by the time I got there around 1:30pm, there must have already been about 30 people in line, or more. We had some 18 entrants in our Costume contest, and all entrants got a Ringers shirt, with the winners getting Ringers Steins, and the Best in Show got a LOTR boardgame. We had a trivia competition, and everyone was given raffle tickets, until we could get the shirts to pass out to them. We must have handed out an additional 50 Ringers shirts to the crowd. There was a basket of assorted candy, which went over quite well as I passed it around. The theater staff and festival staff seemed rather amused and bemused by us, but I think they had a lot of fun too. [More]

Ringer Spies Almarë-Sárë, Sytske & Glarawen send along these great images from the Elf Fantasy Fair in the Netherlands. Take a look at some great photos of John Noble, Lawrence Makoare & Alan Lee. [More]

Take a look at Gallery II here! [More]

Not one but two Hugo Weaving movies are being screened at the Newport Beach Film Festival today. You can check out 'Everything Goes', a short film about a young couple who end up with more than they bargained for when they offer to buy a middle-aged man's furniture.

You can also check out 'Peaches', a full length feature being shown today. Take a look at the Newport Beach Film Festival website today! [More]

Lyn writes: From the new Entertainment Weekly Elijah Wood is one of the narraraters of 'I'm still here: Real diaries of young people who lived during the holocaust'. It's something different from MTV 8pm Wednesday May 4.

Those stars may loll about in the limelight, but it is the men and women behind the camera that really matter. Barking orders into an oversized megaphone, attired in the latest in checked shirts, baseball caps and natty beards (and that's just the ladies) they're hardly the most glamorous workers in the business, but theirs is the god-given talent to create magic. [More]

Adele sends this in: On Bank Holiday Monday 30 May, Simon Bates will be counting down the Top 40 Movie Soundtracks, as voted for by you! And if you vote today, you'll go into the draw for a massive box of 41 CDs of the greatest movie music collections, courtesy of Silva Screen Records. The box will include boxed-sets of CDs featuring the essential music of John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, John Barry, Howard Shore, Max Steiner, Maurice Jarre, Star Wars and Stanley Kubrick films and much more. All you have to do is vote for your favourite movie music of all time. [More]

Turgon writes: Verlyn Flieger's new book on Tolkien, Interrupted Music: The Making of Tolkien's Mythology, is just out from Kent State University Press ($18.00, trade paperback ISBN 0873388240). Here's the publisher's blurb from the back of the book: The content of Tolkien's mythology, the Silmarillion, has been the subject of considerable exploration and analysis for many years, but the logistics of its development have been mostly ignored and deserve closer investigation. [More]

Viggo Mortensen is featured in this documentry about the band 'One Ring Zero'. Tickets are still available for the screening today. [More]


If you're in the area be sure to try to catch 'Ringers: Lord of the Fans'!

John Rhys-Davies has lent his voice to the short animated film 'Catching Kringle', the film is being screened today at the Newport Beach Film Festival (same place that 'Ringers' in screening!). The short, about Santa Claus being declared a national security threat, screens today. Tickets are still available. [More]


If you're in the area be sure to try to catch 'Ringers: Lord of the Fans'!

Sideshow/Weta Collectibles has just placed the Bucklebury Ferry miniature Polystone Environment on pre-sale at their website. It is $100 and limited to 2,000 pieces worldwide. We've also added some high resolution images to our scrapbook for your viewing pleasure. [Scrapbook Images] [Pre-Order]

Vancouver-born JOHN HOWE, whose books and images of Tolkien’s world including Gandalf, Gollum, Orcs, Black Riders, so inspired film director Peter Jackson that he hired him to bring The Lord of the Rings trilogy to life, will do an exclusive signing for his book Myth & Magic-The Art of John Howe, published by Harper Collins today (April 23rd) World’s Biggest Bookstore, Toronto, Saturday, April 23 at 2:00 p.m. [More]

HOLLYWOOD, CA -- APRIL 22, 2005 -- The huge buzz continues to build on the much-awaited feature documentary RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS which has been added as a special Closing Night film at the U.S.A. Film Festival in Dallas, Texas. The film will screen Thur., April 28th at 7:00 p.m. Tolkien fans have only this one final chance to catch the ultimate documentary covering 50 years of a cultural phenomenon! This special added engagement for RINGERS will be ONE NIGHT ONLY! [More]

The costumes are nowhere near as glamorous as the gear he sported to play Widow Twankey in pantomime last Christmas. But Sir Ian McKellen's cloth cap and brown corduroy jacket are the Coronation Street wardrobe department's idea of what the best-dressed dodgy author is wearing these days. [More]

Rachael writes: Thought Auckland/New Zealand fans would like to know, if they haven't seen it already: as part of the Auckland Writers & Readers Festival, Philippa Boyens will be speaking on the 21 May at the Hilton about adapting LotR for the screen. [More]

Tolkien fans in the LA area will have two events they can attend this weekend. Most already know about the West Coast premiere of Ringers: Lord of the Fans, at the Lido Cinema on Saturday as part of the Newport Beach Film Festival. But there is another event on Monday night, which will be a fundraising event for Make a Wish. [More]

Are you a convention fan? Been to a Lord of the Rings convention or taken part in a lining-up party? If you are, join us this weekend and share your LoTR fan experience.

Maybe you got to meet and talk to some of the cast or crew. Maybe you're an autograph hunter. Perhaps you prefer have a more scholarly bent. Or maybe, for you it's all about the fun of catching up with fellow fans and enjoying the atmostphere. [More]

Greg Stacy from the ocweekly.com writes: Carlene Cordova is the director of the new documentary Ringers: Lord of the Fans, a loving look at the worldwide cult that’s sprung up around J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings novels. Cordova is herself a world-class geek for all things Tolkien, having fallen in love with the books in her early teens. She met her pal Cliff Broadway (the film’s onscreen interviewer) a few years ago when they were both working for the Rings fan site, www.theonering.net, and what began as a short film for the site eventually transformed into a feature that was sometimes as trying, in its own way, as Frodo’s trip to Mount Doom. [More]

Vancouver-born JOHN HOWE, whose books and images of Tolkien’s world including Gandalf, Gollum, Orcs, Black Riders, so inspired film director Peter Jackson that he hired him to bring The Lord of the Rings trilogy to life, will do two exclusive signings for his book Myth & Magic-The Art of John Howe, published by Harper Collins: Chapters Kitchener, tonight (April 22nd) at 7:00 p.m. [More]

Ian writes: I thought you might find this interesting as I am sure that there are many New York University students who are fans of this site. Flight of the Conchords (Jemaine Clement and Brett McKenzie aka Figwit) will be performing in a FREE taping of HBO One NIght Stand at New York University's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. IT IS ONLY OPEN TO NYU STUDENTS. They will be performing tonight (April 22nd). [More]

John Rhys-Davies latest film 'The Game of Their Lives' has been released in select cities today. The film is about the true story of the 1950 US soccer team who, against all odds, beat England 1 - 0 in the small town of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Take a look at the following link for cities and showtimes. [More]