Ostadan writes: Parma Eldalamberon #17 is now available from the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship. This issue is a commentary by Tolkien from the late 1950s and early 1960s concerning the words and names from his invented languages incorporated into The Lord of the Rings. This includes not only the Elvish languages, but Dwarvish, Black Speech (including some analysis of the words in the ring inscription), and the language of Rohan. It has been edited and annotated by Christopher Gilson, with the permission and guidance of Christopher Tolkien and the Tolkien Estate. This 220-page journal is available for $35. [More]

James writes: Around 3 weeks ago, we announced that the Association of Model Engineers in Malta will be organizing its annual exhibition from the 8th till the 16th of September, with the main centre-piece being a massive Helm's Deep Model. Finally, the day has come!

Today, the exhibition was opened and shall run for the entire week-end and the rest of next week until the 16th. The Helm's Deep diorama measures 2.5metres by 2 metres by 3.25 metres (triangular). Highly detailed Uruk-hai, Men of Rohan and Elves have been placed to re-created the climactic battle as portrayed in the film. Here are some photos of the model itself.

As was said in the first announcement, apart from the Helm's Deep diorama, a wide range of models (from Military to Science Fiction and Fantasy) are also being displayed. More photos shall be available soon, but in the meantime, check for updates on the AME website. [a-m-e.org]

Andrew writes: I go to Vancouver Film School doing makeup and Design for Film and Television, our current project is to make latex masks for background characters and I decided to make a Uruk-hai, thought someone there might apreciate it as I'm the only Lord of the Rings fan in my class. [More]

Tolkien fans everywhere will soon be able to buy into a legend by subscribing to the public appeal to finance a sculpture celebrating the internationally acclaimed author and his Birmingham roots. From October 1st, courtesy of EBay, fans can bid for a metal leaf with a personalised dedication and associate themselves with this most famous of writers.

The iconic controversial 20 ft high “Ent” will be located on Birmingham’s Tolkien Trail close to where the author lived in Moseley Village, and between his childhood home of Sarehole, later immortalised as “Hobbiton” and the Edgbaston of his youth. The Ent, a benign and friendly tree-like being, is depicted striding across a carpet of metal leaves towards Moseley Bog, the inspiration for the “Old Forest” in “The Lord of the Rings.” [More]

From the Kiwi geeks at WETA (does that make them Keeks? or Kiweeks?).

September Halo promotion announced
Weta illustrated kids book to be launched [Link II]
Rayguns anagram competition
New Rayguns stockist announced
Weta Bug chats to Weta Sculptor
Crazed fan dresses as character from the series
Dr Grordborts wonderful world grows
Making Boils and Bumps

Celebriel wants Ringers in the UK (or elsewhere) to know that there's a sale of Tolkien's furniture this Saturday and Sunday in Branksome in Dorset. Stephen Frankel, current owner of the bungalow in which the Lord of the Rings author retired, is selling off the contents of the home before it is bulldozed. Stop any time after 9.30am at 19 Lakeside Road, Branksome. Tolkien lived in the cottage from 1968 until 1972. [More]

If you missed attending DragonCon, then you missed TheOneRing.net's wrap-up of what is happening with the live-action film version of 'The Hobbit.' We've gone ahead and exported our presentation into a web format so you can take a look at what we showed the audience in Atlanta, GA last weekend. Please note, there is no commentary accompanying this presentation (which is semi-critical at times) and there are definitely some hiccups with how the presentation exported - but you'll get the hang of it! If you would like to discuss the presentation with fellow Tolkien fans, jump on over to our brand new forums or online chat! [View the Presentation] [Discuss in our Forum] [Discuss in Java Chat]

TheOneRing.net's very own Garfeimao has some intriguing updates for all those interested in going on the Middle-earth Cruise! She just found out that the cabin prices for all other passengers have skyrocketed, but not the ones set aside for us Ringers. Read the full details through the following link and check out the complete details of TheOneRing.net's and Red Carpet Tours Cruise of Middle-earth! [Cruise Update] [Complete Cruise Details]

TheOneRing.net and dragonworld.tv present The KNIGHT QUEST Contest! Win 2 tickets to participate as an audience member in the first episode of our new medieval-combat based reality TV series! The Tournament will consist of our Masters of Horse, Lance, Bow, Sword and Shield entertaining you with a demonstration of the chivalric martial arts, and you will also get to meet the Cast of our reality series on the very first day they begin their Quest to become a Knight. [CLICK HERE TO ENTER]

From Movie.com: The Lord of the Rings and Elijah Wood have been nominated in multiple categories on Movies.com’s 2nd Annual Readers’ Poll. Encourage your fan sites to go and vote! Visit movies.go.com/fanpoll to cast your votes in categories devoted to individual movies, actors and other quirky topics until September 25. Then come back and visit on October 2nd to see the results! [VOTE]

JOE MORGENSTERN writes: This fall Peter Jackson will be in Pennsylvania directing "The Lovely Bones," his screen version of the haunting Alice Sebold novel that inhabits both heaven and earth. For now, though, he's still working on preparations for the film at Weta, his production facility in the modest Wellington suburb of Miramar. On a New Zealand winter's day of brisk breezes and heavenly sunshine I visited him at Weta, which was named after a giant insect endemic to this country and has been fed by giant revenues from "The Lord of the Rings."

I'd been told by his people that it was to be a social visit. Freely translated, that meant he didn't want to sit still for yet another interview or profile, and understandably so. Translating more freely, I took it to mean he also didn't want to discuss his legal disputes with New Line, the Hollywood studio that produced the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. All of that was fine with me, since I had no agenda, apart from hearing what the reigning master of fantasy might have to say about the movie business and its foreseeable future -- maybe even its unforeseeable future -- and getting some idea of the scope of Weta, which has become a one-of-a-kind cauldron of creativity, as well as raw computing power. [more]

WizardUniverse.com is reporting that Sam Raimi is definitely NOT involved with the film version of 'The Hobbit.' In a late report from Comic-Con about the '30 Days of Night' film, Sam Raimi answers the question about his involvement with Hobbit: "I am not involved. I respect the director [Peter Jackson] a great deal and he may do it some day, so no." Why this specific information has not been reported from a well attended panel discussion at Comic-Con, we don't know. We will try to confirm this information and report our findings ASAP! [Read Full Report]

UPDATE After checking around a bit with some sources, it seems Raimi is still potentially available to direct 'The Hobbit.' His answer to the question during the Comic-Con panel was intended to diffuse more 'Hobbit' questions and concentrate on the '30 Days of Night' questioning. One source tells us that he was in fact not involved with The Hobbit at that point, as there are ongoing talks about making the Hobbit happen. So his answer of 'No' is accurate.

Discuss this in our Forums!

STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, England: By imagining King Lear's age as "four score and upward," Shakespeare gave an end-of-career ring to a taxing role that he could hardly have written for octogenarian actors. After all, Richard Burbage, the star of Shakespeare's company, the King's Men, was only 39 when he created the part in 1606. And centuries later, in the 1960s, Paul Scofield was a memorable Lear at just 40.

Yet what makes many regard "King Lear" as Shakespeare's greatest mature tragedy is its unforgiving portrayal of an old man raging against the gods as his power, sanity and life gradually expire. And since actors too suffer the agues of aging, it is always touching to watch a master of the stage take on the role in the autumn of his career. [More]

TORN Staffer Arwen writes: Tolkien Forever and TheOneRing.net invite all Los Angeles Ringers to come and join us for a weekend of special magnificence: Tolkien weekend 2007, with two fantastic fun filled events for Tolkien fans one and all!

First we have Tolkien Forever's Annual Hall of Fire on Saturday Sept 22nd starting at 4pm in Glendora. It will be an enchanted evening filled with fun, food and fellowship. There will be music, art, poetry, and costumes are encouraged. The dinner is potluck, so please bring a dish to share. Please RSVP to Saystine@att.net for specific directions to the event.

Next we have TORN's Annual Baggins Birhday Picnic on Sunday Sept 23 starting at noon in Griffith Park near the Carousel. There will be fun, games, trivia and prizes. The picnic is also potluck so bring something to share. RSVP to Arwen@theonering.net

So come join in the Fantastic Fellowship of Tolkien Fans!

Viggo Mortensen will be a guest on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' on Wednesday, September 12th. He is there to promote his latest film 'Eastern Promises', a new thriller again directed by David Cronenberg, who worked with Mortensen on 'A History of Violence'. 'The Late Show' airs on CBS at 11:35PM Eastern. 'Eastern Promises' is set to be released on September 14th.

A Poole bungalow once the home of JRR Tolkien is to be demolished. The bungalow in Lakeside Road was where Tolkien retired with his wife Edith in 1968 after his two best-known works, The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, had already made him famous. An application by Cranbrook Homes (Southern) Ltd for outline planning permission for two four-bed family homes on the site breezed through planning at Poole council on Monday. James Dean, director of Cranbrook Homes said he was not aware of the building's history. He said: "It's going to be replaced with two superb contemporary houses. In the light of what you've just told me, perhaps one of them should be called Tolkien." [More]

The first children’s picture book to be illustrated by artists from the award-winning Weta Workshop is due to be launched in September, New Zealand Book Month. Featuring a little rescue helicopter, Champ the Chopper is the first book in a series written by local author Rebekah Palmer with the illustrations done by artists from Weta Workshop, Daniel Falconer and Chris Guise. [More]