Iggy writes: I just got back from Games Workshop Gamesday in Baltimore. Here are some pics from the Lord of the Rings tabletop battles that were going on, including the (official names from the convention booklet) mega-battle "Battle of the Pelennor Fields", also the "Last March of the Ents", and "Osgiliath." Everything looked great, as expected. The Games Workshop painted up some nice stuff as you can see. Enjoy! [More]

Lord of the Rings actor reveals research trick. Sir Ian McKellen has revealed that his Gandalf costume was specially altered so that he could keep a copy of The Lord of The Rings close to his chest at all times. "I had lunch with [director] Peter Jackson and Christopher Lee," he told the Metro newspaper, "and Christopher greeted me by speaking Elvish and the black language of Mordor. [More]

Katherine writes: I was watching TV yesterday (May 23rd) and Billy Boyd was an announcer at the Laureus World Sports Awards on NBC. He announced the winner for The Alternative Sports category. [More]

Amaleen writes: Earlier last night (May 23rd) on Super Millionaire, there was a question concerning New Zealand and LOTR. The question was something like: "At the 2004 Oscars, host Billy Crystal said 'There is nobody left in' what country 'to thank'?" And the answer, of course, was New Zealand.

Viggo Mortensen, who played world-weary King Aragorn in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, will be the main speaker at Denmark's annual Fourth of July celebrations this year, organizers said Monday. Mortensen, whose father emigrated to the United States, will speak at the annual Rebild festival in northern Denmark, which is billed as the biggest Fourth of July party outside of the United States. [More]

Lexaqua writes: Tonight (May 24th) at the Fairview Heights Best Buy in St. Louis 105.7 The Point will be handing out prizes of all sorts, and Best Buy will be giving away Gandalf and Gollum statues valued at $300 and $200. There will be refreshments, good music. Here is a link to the Points web site. [More]

Roheryn writes: The current issue of Entertainment Weekly has this review of the theatrical release DVD of "The Return of the King," awarding it an A-minus. Notice at the bottom of the page a shout out to Ralphi Bakshi's "other" animated fantasy, "Wizards," from 1977, also now available on DVD. [More]

The latest edition of 'Penny Arcade' Comic features a goof on Orlando Bloom in 'Troy'. Watch the language here kiddies. [More]

Cybersyd writes: Here in the UK, many films are preceded in the cinemas by ads from the mobile phone company Orange. One such range of ads warns 'don't let a mobile phone ruin your movie.' ...who should appear in the latest Orange ad but the very lovely Sean Astin! [More]

Lord of the Rings star Sir Ian McKellen has revealed his only remaining acting ambition — to appear in CORONATION STREET. But Sir Ian — who played Gandalf in the hit movie trilogy — admitted he once turned down a role in the Street because he was intimidated by the cast. [More]

Founded in 2001, Master Replicas has made some of the highest-quality, officially licensed prop replicas for the two largest film properties ever: Star Wars and Star Trek. Among collectors, the items they have made are considered some of the best in the industry. So there is no surprise that a company of this caliber would choose to pick up, what we Ringers would consider the 'best' film property in history: The Lord of the Rings. [Full Review]

Ringer Bob sends along this tidbit about Ringers in San Diego CA buying extra copies of Return of the King on DVD to send to men and women in service throughout the world. Follow the link for more information. [More]

Irascian writes: My short review and photos from today's Howard Shore concert of the Lord of the Rings Symphony, as performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in London are now up at my site. [More]

Ringer Spy Krissy writes: Today on "Ebert and Roeper", the ROTK DVD was under review and got thumbs up from Roeper. Then, the fans were put under review by Ebert when a comment was made about buying the theatrical release, and the Extended versions, AND the trilogy set which is rumored to be available by next year. Roeper commented that many ringers would most likely buy all copies of the film due to the hardcore following. To which Ebert commented, and I quote "I have one piece of advice for them, it is time to get a life."

Oh my.

Ringer Spy Silivren-Gul writes: I had the privilege today to go to see Howard Shore conduct LOTR music at the Royal Festival Hall today with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It was nothing short of spectacular! The music was performed in six movements, two for each film. [More]

Among the other early release of ROTK reports we have had, we can now confirm that some local grocery stores (Specifically Ralphs in CA), have put the 2-disc theatrical edition in check-out lanes a little early...just like they did last year for TTT!

Ringer Spy Divina writes: "I am a French professor at the Sorbonne University currently conducting an international research project on the reception of Lord of the Rings. I badly need your help to help me contact French fans, who would be likely to fill-in an on-line questionnaire for the project." [More]

How many of us around the globe wanted to be in, or even part of, Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies? How many of us were actually in them? This funny, quirky short film is about exactly that: a few average Joes – ok, maybe not so average Joes—who heard about the films, got off their duffs and out of their garage, went hunting for the Man himself, and actually made it into the movies. More Bogans!

Ringer Nethiel writes: "You can save up to $10 on the ROTK DVD or VHS at Walgreens with 2 $5 off coupons in their ad. If you use both( you have to buy a pack of Duracell batteries to get 5 bucks off one) the total come out to be something like 5.99!"

UPDATE: One of our Ringer spies writes in: "My fiance is a Store manager and has told me that the stores do carry LIMITED amounts of flyers in the store with these coupons, but to check your Sunday paper for the flyers advertising all of the sales each store is having for the week. Hope that helps."

Ringer Paul writes: "Cartoon Network will be showing the Bakshi animated 'Lord of the Rings,' Sunday Night at 7 p.m. (EDT). The following Sunday night the Rankin and Bass 'The Return of the King' will be shown." Check your local listings for more information.

Thanks to the *many* ringers who wrote in about the very funny LOTR reference in yesterday's 'Dilbert' comic strip! [More]

A Nuneaton woman has spent thousands of pounds transforming her home into a dead ringer for JRR Tolkien's Middle Earth. [More]

Sideshow/Weta Collectibles has just released a rather cool quicktime video of their Golden Hall environment. [Click Here]

If you wanted to own the Shelob statue or the Prince Isildur Bust from SIdeshow/Weta Collectibles, now would be the time to order. According to their last newsletter, under 20 pieces of these items are remaining for purchase. [Click Here]

Frodo and Sam, Turin and Beleg, Aldarion and Erendis, Cirion and Eorl, Gondor and Rohan, Feanor and his Silmarils, Melkor and Manwe, Gollum and the Ring. Which relationships expresses the epitome of love, loyalty and sacrifice? And which, the epitome of jeaolousy, hate and obsession?[More]

Shrek 2, opening this weekend in the US, has a nice little spoof of LOTR in its opening sequence. Shrek and Fiona are enjoying their honeymoon and among a slew of other scenes Shrek pulls a Ring out of a fire, finds it to hot to hold, and lets it fly into the air. The ring than gracefully falls over Fiona's finger, a la Frodo in Bree, and glows with the words 'I love you.' There were also some arm-wrestling tree type folks in another scene, but that might be stretching the Tolkien reference..:) As for the film itself, I would give it an A+. Enjoy!

This week, Stephanie Wegner and her fiancé will attend a symphony orchestra concert for the first time in their lives. The Scottsdale classic-rock fans - whose usual taste is for Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith - won't hear Beethoven, Mozart or Brahms. The composer whose music will fill their classically virgin ears: Howard Shore. [More]

Hollywood and Bollywood are set to collide cinematically, with Lord of the Rings producer Barrie Osborne and Elizabeth director Shekhar Kapur announcing Friday that they'll make two films in India together. [More]

The Iconfactory is offering 20 LOTR icons for Mac and Windows, in honor of the release of the ROTK DVD. "Richly detailed and painstakingly drawn, these miniature paintings will give you the chance to visit Middle Earth everyday - right on your desktop!" [More]

Have £1.5 million lying about? Then you could possibly put in a bid on the Oxford home where JRR Tolkien wrote most of 'The Hobbit' and 'Lord of the Rings.' [More] and [More]

Ringer Adrian writes: Just to let you know that the UCI Cinema in Norwich, UK is showing all 3 films back to back this Saturday and Sunday (22, 23) starting at 1:00pm. When I asked, they're the original theatrical releases and not the extended versions. Tickets only £7.50/£5.00 for concessions. [Contact for more details]

Ringer Lothlaurien writes: Attached are a few photos of the Frodo costume I made for my 11 year old son for Hallowe'en. I entered my son in the Toronto 1 Lord of the Rings Look-a-like contest with the attached photos. We won... [More]

Ringer The White Lady wrote to tell us that IMDB has a tidbit about Sean Bean's life in a hotel: "British actor Sean Bean has been forced to live in a London hotel for the last three months..." [More]

Lisa writes: I just wanted to let you know that we are hosting a giveaway for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" on DVDFanatic.com. [More]

Ringer Mario writes: Bravo has invited Sean Astin to play game four of this highly entertaining [Celebrity Poker Showdown] series. Up against Astin is Lauren Graham, Chris Masterson, Matthew Perry, and Sara Rue. The official air date is June 17. [More]

Ringer John writes: Just to let you know that there's an interview with Billy Boyd available to watch online on the Scotland Today website. He appeared on Scotland Today, the news programme on Scottish TV, yesterday (May 20) to discuss his work in the new film Instant Credit. [More]

An Anonymous Ringer writes: "Hi! Just saw the report showing ROTK for $15.97. Target will have it for $14.99. I only know because I climbed through the window of our Team Resources Office this evening so I could have a peak at next week's ad ;) Don't tell my boss!" Wee notes: The DVD is not on sale on the website, but in the store itself.

Ringer Ron writes: While EB Games are selling ROTK nationwide with each store having very limited copies, they are also running a special where by turning in 3 unwanted DVD's (complete with boxes) as trade, you can purchase ROTK for $9.99. Check your local stores for details.

Ringer sheri writes: "Just wanted to let you know that the ROTK dvd and the Trilogy boxset is already out in HMV Singapore. I work there and we've received about 700 of the dvds here today. It's available on vcd too."

Anya writes: The reasons for Ringers to come to Atlanta the first weekend of June keep multiplying. Being a sponsor of TheOneParty was not only fun for mega-conference and performance fest Mythic Journeys, but managed to attract one more exciting guest—"Last Unicorn" author Peter S. Beagle... They’d also like to offer all OneRing readers a special $25 discount on memberships. [MORE]

Arwen75 writes: here will be a live interview with Howard Shore on 'Front Row' this evening on BBC Radio 4. 'Front Row' airs from 7:15 to 7:45PM.

Ringer Spy Covenant sends in the following tidbit:
ROTK will sell for $15.99, and a limited number of buyers (min. 120 per store) will receive a special issue of Entertainment Weekly free with their purchase of either ROTK or the Trilogy three-pack. Both Fellowship and Towers (standard eds.) will be on sale next week, as well. The ROTK soundtrack album will be on sale for $12.99. [BestBuy.com]

Are you a fan of TheOneRing.net? Would you consider us one of the best movie fan websites? How about LordoftheRings.net? Are they the best official movie website? Movies.com is sponsoring the 'Moviesite Awards' and is now taking nominations for these categories and a few others. We'd love your support! [More]

Cassandra & Johanna send along reports from the recently held 'TolCon'. Follow the link for some reports! [More]

FrodoPip writes: Some great news for any Sean Astin fans! He will be attending the Origins gaming convention next month in Ohio! Sean will be the 'Media Guest of Honor', the Origins Website states 'At this point, Sean Astin will be signing autographs and speaking about his filming experiences on Saturday. Keep tuned to the Origins Web site for more details.' [Originsgames.com]

IRhobbitish writes: I came into work today and found this in my e-mail from Walmart. If this isn't the lowest price for ROTK - I'll eat my pouch of Old Toby and the pipe to smoke it in too!!! [More]

The Independent has run a Q&A session with Ian McKellen. Questions were sent in from fans via email. Take a look! [More]

Video retailer Electronics Boutique is in hot water for allegedly selling DVDs of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" 10 days before the official May 25 release date. Warner Home Video, the DVD distributor of the Oscar-winning title, has suspended all home video shipments to West Chester, Pa.-based EB, which controls about 1,000 retail stores in malls across the country and about 500 additional stores overseas. [More]

Kerewyn writes: On June 6th and 7th the fabulous art deco Astor Theatre will be screening Bad Taste, Meet the Feebles & Braindead back to back from 7pm. It'll set you back $15 for the lot. Take a friend and prepare to be splattered! Then come back the following 'Queens Birthday' weekend, the Astor will screen the LOTR trilogy on the 13th and 14th. On both days, the 'Fellowship' begins at 12 noon, 'The Two Towers' at 4, and the King returns at 8pm. $10 per movie. [More]

Tigger as well as a ton of other folks write: There was a quick reference to Tolkien during tonight's The West Wing season final. President Bartlet was about to address the US public after the killing of two Congressmen on a fact finding mission in Gaza. He was doing a quick lookover of his remarks when he started changing a couple of things. He said, "Terror mongering....What is this? Tolkien?".

VANCOUVER - The man who turned the Star Wars trilogy into a hit fringe show last year will attempt the same treatment with J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. [More]

Seven films in three years have seen Orlando Bloom explode from ponytailed unknown into Trojan hunk who stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Brad Pitt, resisting the hordes of adoring girls. Chloe Fox meets an Errol Flynn for the 21st century. [More]

Roheryn writes: This essay "What Are We Losing?" appears in the current issue of the "Children's Writer" newsletter. Patricia Curtis Pfitsch makes some insightful comments about how current publishing practices may be preventing the next Tolkien from emerging. She makes specific references to details from Christopher Tolkien's "History of LOTR" series, and how fascinating it is to see the creative process with every painstaking revision. [More]

The last of the original film footage of The Lord of The Rings has left New Zealand for storage in the United States. The final reels of more than 2000km of film that was shot was packed up at the Film Unit's archives in Avalon, Lower Hutt, yesterday for shipment to owner New Line Cinema in Los Angeles. [More]

ThirdOrcOnTheLeft writes: Silva Screen Records will be releasing a 2-CD set of the music of the three LOTR films, done in a sort of suite rearrangement. Nic Raine and the City of Prague Philharmonic, who do many of that label's soundtrack recordings, will be the artists. [more]

More than 2,500 volunteer and national service leaders will gather in Kansas City on June 6-8 with a shared goal of motivating more Americans to volunteer and to make their service even more effective in meeting social needs in communities throughout the country. Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin, who serves on the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, will be the opening speaker for the conference on June 6. [More]

We have an update on the Dominic Monaghan autograph session on May 24th in West Hollywood. This brand spanking new Best Buy store has only just been completed, and is set to open late this week. As of yet there is not a phone number for the store, but the shopping complex is located at the intersection of La Brea Avenue and Santa Monica Blvd. So, once again, the information is as follows: Dominic Monaghan, 10:30 pm, May 24th, at the West Hollywood Best Buy, 1015 La Brea Ave. The ROTK DVD will be on sale just after midnight!

ComingSoon.net is running a story today about a King Kong-set built in the Universal backlot in LA. This would contradict previous reports that filming for PJ's next movie would only take place in NZ. Be sure to read it here!

Collectible center champion The Bradford Exchange sent me a little flier today describing a new collector's plate set featuring The Lord of the Rings in all it's glory! It certainly is a beautiful set! Check it out! [More]

Ringer Cthulhu sent this in: "Russia's cult video pirate rescripts Lord of the Rings as gangster film" [More]

A replica pre-World War II plane being built for Peter Jackson's King Kong movie will be housed at a new $3 million aviation museum in Blenheim when filming finishes in March next year. [More]

megamendong writes: Barrie M. Osborne will be speaking at the Singapore Science Centre, venue of the LOTR trilogy exhibition on 22 May 2004, 9.00am to noon. Those interested may purchase tickets on the day of event or call the Science Centre at 65-6425 2310

'Old is a state of mind,' says Sir Ian Mckellen, whose new film, 'Emile', is about ageing. He talks to Catherine Shoard about refusing to play a Canadian and rest homes for gay OAPs. [More]

Ronnie writes: The game show "Jeopardy!" featured an entire category devoted to Tolkien in yesterday's game. I run a site that archives all of the "Jeopardy!" games from this season, and the J.R.R. TOLKIEN category can be viewed in the first round here. [More]

Daniel Falconer from WETA Workshop writes: Just to clear up this Decipher Weta Card confusion once and for all, here's the deal. The person who wrote to you called HumbleSauron appears to be a little confused as well, and is certainly not someone from Weta, so, with all these rumours flying around, I felt compelled to write and straighten things out. [More]

Hey Dominic fans! TORn has learned that Dominic Monaghan will be on hand May 24th at Best Buy in West Hollywood, LA, at 10:30 pm for an autograph session. Fans should stick around, because at 12:01 am (that's just past midnight) on May 25th ROTK DVDs will go on sale!

* UPDATE: The Best Buy is located at the new West Hollywood Gateway development, 1015 La Brea Ave., at the intersection with Santa Monica Blvd. This store is brand new and might not yet appear on the Best Buy web site.

Dorian Mirth's GaladrielFinwe sent us this Narnia tidbit: "I have it from Jasmine Watson's own mouth that she has been hired to do the jewelry for The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe!! I was at TolCon in Seattle this past weekend, and managed to detain Jasmine for about an hour to talk about her work in Lord of the Rings. She told us this bit of news and we're all terribly excited! She says she is really looking forward to making all the crowns mentioned in the book."

Lucky Ringer Spy Nick writes: Ebgames stores across the Chicago area have been selling the ROTK [theatrical] dvd since Saturday May 15th!!! I picked up my copy at the Broadview Illinois store last night. They are selling it for the full price of $24.99, but to have it a week early made up for all the waiting. The manager at the Broadview store said they are doing it nationwide with each store having very limited copies. Call your local store to confirm. [More] Edit from WeeTanya: Apparently the DVDs are being sold at the store's discretion. Some are, some aren't.

Billy Boyd's webmaster Stewart Steel writes: Just to mention that we've put some details onto billyboyd.net about Billy's next role in the short film, "Instant Credit". More details here: [More]