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Debro writes: I'm from Argentina, and i own a videoclub. Some days ago Vanilla Sky came to the store, and i was the first one to see it. My surprise was seeing the FOTR trailer in it. That was great, AVH (a home video company) anounced the upcoming release of both VHS and DVD versions of Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring. I thought that the DVD release was going to be months later than the US release, but it seems to be like the same exact date.

Samantha writes: I thought this was a pretty cool sand sculpture done on Texas beaches I found in the paper. [More]

Ringer Spy Nilcamiel sends along these scans from Poland's 'Film' Magazine. Take a look! [More]

Dan Timmon's wide-ranging documentary on Tolkien is nearing completion and will have its first public showing at the Mythopoeic Society's conference in Boulder, Colorado on July 26th. [More]

Byron Baggins writes: I Was at my local Wal-Mart today and spotted some very cool Lord of The Rings FOTR Pins for employees to wear that promoted the Aug 6 release of FOTR on DVD and VHS. The sales clerk was nice enough to give me one of only a few complete sets.

Ringer Spy Ecthelion sends along this great report from the Viggo Mortensen booksigning event in New York City, with pics! [More]

LONDON –– First edition books by Beatrix Potter and J.R.R. Tolkien were sold for tens of thousands dollars at a British auction, while a signed Harry Potter book drew a respectable $16,660. [More]

Mcfly writes: For those who live in Wellington, Whitcoulls on Lambton Quay will be holding an event for the release of the FOTR DVD & video at midnight on August 6th. Peter Jackson will attend and will be signing DVD's and videos.

From: laurelinthegolden: I Just got back from the Robert Mann Gallery opening of Viggo's work in NYC. It was a thrill to meet him and be able to view many of his works. [More]

From TheForce.net Sompeetalay from www.teekay-421.be tells us about a cool event in Belgium coming up: I would like to let you know that our PR Manager Mark has been able to arrange a "members-only" private autograph signing with Sir Christopher Lee (Saruman). So I'd like to say to all the Belgian visitors who are not members of TeeKay yet.

Terry Pratchett has picked up the most prestigious award in children's literature. He has won the Carnegie Medal for his book, The Amazing Maurice And His Educated Rodents. But he could not resist a swipe at fellow fantasy author JRR Tolkien as he accepted the award. [More]

What a week it's been. We've been exposed to the beginning onslaught that will be the Two Towers explosion, we've seen the Deluxe DVD Card inserts, and we've been exposed to another interview from your friendly neighborhood havener. Where to begin this second installment of Week in Gaming for the week of July 7th-13th? [More] [Gaming Havens]

For all and sundry who are planning to attend Barlibash in Seattle, there is a very important meeting tomorrow at 12 pm EDT. It is quite important that you attend. If you cannot, please email a friend and ask them to log it for you, as some vital details may be discussed. To get in the meeting, go to Barliman's chat and type /join #barlibash. See you there!

From staffer Flinch and the Gaming Havens crew:

You've heard about him, you've read about him, now take a look at a recent interview with Twilight Pool demi-god Tom Lischke, Game Designer from Decipher's Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game. [more]

Jess writes: I was watching Foxtel In Australia by the way and on channel V (channel 15) this Sunday about 6-9pm I not quite sure what time but I figure around where they have music and movie news on the informer, channel V they'll be showing the TTT trailer.

Narie writes: Blockbuster in Brazil has made the 2-disk DVD available for pre-order, and they now also sell a sludge of the official action figures. [More]

Thanks to Ringer fan Jessie for the heads up on this great deal at Allposters.com. They are selling the Two Towers teaser poster for about 10 bucks. [More]

The Sideshow Orc Hide Helm can now be purchased individually. Made of stretched skins, bound with sinew, Hide Helms were a light weight alternative to the clumsy metal bowls typically employed by Orcs. Many of Saruman the Wizard's Orc servants wore Hide Helms of varied design during their daily existence in the grounds of Isengard. 5" H (126mm). [More]

Cousinit Greenleaf sends along this clipping from 'Yahoo! Internet Life', checkout the Buzz Watch around Figwit! [More]

In what's sure to get me some hate mail, I'm posting the news and showtimes for the new David Wenham film 'The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course', Roeper gave this film a '2 thumbs up' by the way. [Showtimes]

A lot of people have emailed me over the past few days in reply to my newspost about the premiere being held in Paris, so allow me to set a few things straight... [More]

Darth Cleo discovered this link to a group of people working on a Nazgul replica costume -- right down to the gauntlets! Go and check out the quite startling results! [More]

Red Carpet Movietours has made some LOTR fans' dreams come true already, organising tours to LOTR film locations around NZ. There's a demand for tailormade tours to fit in with the specific things people want to do and see most while they're in NZ.[More]

Ringer Spy ~*~ Rochelle ~*~ was lucky enough to meet LOTR stars Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) and Karl Urban (Eomer) in Wellington recently. [More]

DarkHorizons has some pics from the new Karl Urban (Eomer) film 'Ghost Ship' [More]

Sir Doris writes: While we were out looking for What DVD we stumbled upon this. The August edition of DVD NOW is out and it includes a feature Lord of the Rings. The article talks about Tolkien, the making of the movies and has an interview with Producer Barrie Osbourne and Executive Producer Mark Ordesky, talking about the August DVD, a little about the November edition and a little about TTT and ROTK.

Crackshot Archer Elf sends along this report on marching bands using Middle-earth music to make magic. [More]

Daddy Twofoot writes that Ian McKellen has updated the LotR section of his site, as well as Bits and Bobs. He also has a contest going to win an autographed picture of him as Magneto! [More]

A while back we reported that a ballet based on the story of Beren and Luthien had been commisioned and would premiere in April 2003. More information is now available on the Butler Ballet site. [More]

Mary adds that you can also read additional comments from Stephan Laurent, the choreographer, that were recently posted at Critical Dance. [More]

TORn Staffer Flinch writes: "For those lucky enough to get the Ovation Arts Network, tune in next Tuesday, July 16th, for a special on the professor himself: J.R.R. Tolkien. Vapors and I caught a bit of it Wednesday afternoon and were amazed by the information presented, not to be missed by any Tolkien fan." [More]

Han writes: Bret McKenzie has released a new song on Capital Recordings' latest compilation, it's track 8 - "Dawnskate 88" [More]

Don't forget the LOTR Look-a-Like contest is still up and running! Please, We've gotten many entries, but alas, we are greedy and want MORE!. So if you even look slightly like Sean Bean, or a touch like Liv Tyler, give it a whirl! What have you got to lose? You might win a wicked prize! So enter today! [More]

Sir Ian McKellen mentioned it a few weeks ago in his entry in The White Book, but the rumors are getting stronger that the premiere for Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers will be held in Paris this year! Sarah emailed us today asking if we happened to know any more details about the premiere, and to be honest; no, we don't know a thing, but... [More]

PONTIAC, Mich. — Jim Bird was looking for loot in Cass Lake when he stumbled upon someone else's lost treasure. Bird, a 54-year-old retired mechanic from Clarkston, found a man's platinum and gold wedding band, engraved with the words "Cross My Heart," the initials RSF and CAF and the date, 5-9-98. [More]

(It's interesting to note however that Mr. Bird has since taken to talking to himself and eating fish -Xo)

Donna writes: Several of us from the message boards are planning a TORN gathering. The gathering will be held outside of Dayton, Ohio at the British Isles Festival on July 20th. [More]

Sasha writes: The new What DVD magazine has just been published in Australia and contains an 18-page A-Z of the LOTR DVD. It also has a competition to win a copy of the DVD, t-shirt and other really cool stuff. Also has an interview with the films producers, Peter Jackson and shows you some of the special effects for the cave troll. Just something else to drool over for the next few weeks while we bide our time.

Norin Bronzeear sends word of another fascinating look at the world of Middle-earth. This week's topic is dwarves. You can listen to the show on air if you live in Sherbrooke, Quebec, or online anywhere, between 4 and 6pm Eastern time. [More]

Australian actress Cate Blanchett will play Mata Hari in a made-for-television film about the infamous World War I spy. [More]

I've learned that transcript is the better term for these works by such dedicated Tolkien/Jackson fans. If you're still hungry for more, check out our community site The Quintessential Lord of the Rings Website. Complete with the transcript are scene-by-scene pictures! Thanks to Colleen for the heads up. [More]

From Havens honcho Flinch!

Looking for a way to learn the Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game? Live anywhere near the Westminster Mall in Westminster California? If so then come on down July 20th for some great LOTR Gaming hosted by our very own Lao of Gondor! [More]

How loud can the lion roar? Rosslyn sends along this interesting bit of infodata: After last weekend, FOTR is now only $305,782 below the Lion King on the all time domestic gross chart. LOTR:FOTR took in $150,369 last weekend for a total U.S. gross of $312,549,779. The Lion King stands at $312,855,561 [More]

Around the world fans of all ages and backgrounds have come together for their love of Tolkien's works. With the release of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings Trilogy many new lives have been touched by the Fellowships quest to thwart evil. With these new films we're also introduced to a wonderful expanse of gaming properties based on the lands of Middle-Earth, these gaming properties have brought more people together in gaming communities, through leagues of card gamers and role players, and those who fight massive battles with tiny miniatures, Tolkien's work continues to bring fans together in a way that few things have ever been able to accomplish. [More] [Gaming Havens]

crowhawk60 sends along this info on a few job shifts at New Line, how will this effect Lord of the Rings? Only time will tell. [More]

Last week we posted about our first exclusive product offering with Sideshow/Weta Collectibles: The Orc Legion Helm. Since then they have been shipping like crazy! The run is limited to 2500pcs, so if you wanted one, act fast. The helm, available only online through TORn and the Sideshow/Weta website, is $25 US and is now shipping. Follow the link to see close up images of the helm and additional info. [More]

This one came in from Ringer DMacL. If you have something Tolkien Funny, send it right here! We're accepting humorous Tolkien writing, pictures, jokes, Top Ten lists, multimedia or video clips, websites, you name it! Check out our growing list of ticklish links and this fresh one from DMacL: [More]

This just in from Kai-lin Yu and Jason:

On Saturday, August 10th, fans from across the country (and some from around the world) will descend upon the Hollywood Bowl for the second night of the LA Philharmonic's series, Musical Mythologies featuring music from the Academy Award-winning score of The Lord of the Rings. [More]

We've heard that the new theater trailer for TTT is showing in England (Richmond, Surrey, UK - Odeon w/ Spider Man) and in Sweden with The Count of Monte Cristo. FotR still going strong in Sweden, too! Thanks to Jenny & John for the news.

Airen writes: Thought all the Orlando Bloom (Legolas) fans out there might be interested in a Sunday Telegraph "Body and Soul" feature on him. [More]

Shawna writes: A really annoying guy from MuchMusic interviewed Elijah Wood (Frodo) at the Try 17 wrap party. A bit of LOTR info here. Watch the foul language here kiddies. [More]

From SR: For the benefit of the readers, I found a site with the FOTR movie script. It is complete, all the lines are there, one you can read the script with images, the other it is plain text. There is also a text version of TTT trailer. Check out The Seat of Kings website here: [More]

Note: I've seen the script myself, and while this isn't quite what I held in my hands, it will surely please you!

New note: We may have overwhelmed this page with traffic. We'll try a solution but you may want to just tuck that site away for future accessing...

Ringer Spy She-Elf sends in word on possible pick-up shots for LOTR:ROTK next year: while I was in NZ last month, in Wellington I talked with an extra who was working on the pick-ups for TTT and he told me that they would be doing 4 months of pick-ups next year for ROTK! (Hey, I'm in NZ next year, please hire me PJ! -leo)

As Wellington, NZ-based Weta geared up for the second installment of The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, New Line Cinema, backers of the trilogy had already grossed over $800 million — and that’s before the first of two DVD releases hit the streets... [More]

Thanks to Jason for the link!