Sideshow/Weta Collectibles announced in their newsletter this week that the Frodo's Orc Helm and Pippin's Helm are sold out. They have also set the edition size for their Gothmog on Warg figure at 4,500 pieces worldwide. Shop for these and other high-end collectibles at SideshowWeta.com. [Click Here]

Kelly writes: David Wenham has been nominated by the Australian Film Institute for male acting lead for his work in the Australian telemovie, The Brush Off. [More]

Hurricane Kailin writes: The last movie in this year's Santa Monica Drive-In at the Pier series will be the first in the Lord of the Rings series -- The Fellowship of the Ring. Due to the length of the film and earlier sunset times, the screening will start at 7:30. [More]

The folks from EA write: The Lord of the Rings: The Battle For Middle-earth's Senior Producer Harvard Bonin talks about the games HEROES in this edition of Inside the Battle. [More]

Enting writes: LOTR won the contest of the most beloved book of Germany. 250 000 people participated in this contest hosted by the second programm of German TV (ZDF). LOTR came in first with The Bible 2nd.

"Under the Mountain dark and tall, The King has come unto his hall! His foe is dead, the Worm of Dread, And ever so his foes shall fall."

"And ever so his foes shall fall" ... or so the Dwarves think. [More]

From our friends at NewLineShop.com (New Line's official Studio Store) -- they're now accepting pre-orders for the extended DVD of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King! Not only are they selling the DVD and gift set (with Minas Tirith statue) but they're also offering special pricing on bundles which add the Arwen Pendant from Noble, the Antioch Bookmarks, and The Lord of the Rings Monopoly. Check it out! [Click Here]

TheOneRing.net would like to give you a sneak peak at Sean Astin's upcoming book 'There and Back Again - An Actor's Tale' published by St. Martin's Press. Below is the entire first chapter of the book as well as an exclusive MP3 of Sean Astin's reading of an exclusive excerpt. We hope you enjoy both segments and pre-order the book through our affiliate links with Amazon. [More]

Exclusive: Mp3 Excerpt: [Click Here]

Pre-Order at Amazon.com. [Click Here] [Audio CD]

TheOneRing.net is teaming up with Creation Entertainment to bring you 'The One Ring Celebration' (or ORC), a three day party in Pasadena CA, January 14th-16th 2005. The event is TORn's way of bringing an 'Oscar' party together for fans every year! More details will be posted soon, but while you wait, check out our website and mailing list! [Click Here]

TheHutt writes: Organizators of the LOTR Symphony concert in Moscow have launched their official site with information about the concert. The site contains information about the upcoming two concerts on 17th and 18th November at the Kremlin Palace. The concert will be under conduction of Howard Shore himself; the Norwegian singer Sissel is participating as well. The performing orchestra is the National Philarmonic Orchestra of Russia (NFOR) under the lead of Vladimir Spivakov. The choir will be the Choir of the Academy of People's Art (Khor AHI) under the lead of V.S. Popov. [More]

NEW YORK, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholastic announced today that it was going back to press for 100,000 copies of its new breakaway best-seller, Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke, bringing the total to 250,000 copies in print...Cornelia Funke recently announced a deal with New Line Cinema who will develop her Inkheart trilogy as a potential kid's fantasy franchise. In a Variety article, New Line executive Vice President Mark Ordesky said, "It's the perfect segue from 'Lord of the Rings' to 'Inkheart.' Apart from Cornelia's huge status within Europe, her international popularity is only just beginning to crest." [More]

seanastin.com has released the entire booksigning tour dates and locations for next month. Sean Astin will be signing copies of his (first) new book 'There and Back Again : An Actor's Tale' at the following locations; New York, NY, Huntington, NY, Boston, MA, Chicago, IL & Bloomington, MN. For more details follow this link. [More]

Tauremorna writes: On October 5th, at 1-2 pm, Christopher Lee will sign copies of the DVD "Jinnah" at Harrods (87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge) in London. There will be a free exclusive documentary screening for the first 40 customers. Mr. Lee will only be signing "Jinnah" and no other items.

Claire writes: Don't miss your chance to own a world exclusive piece of Lord of the Rings memorabilia! A doodle of Gandalf drawn and signed by Sir Ian McKellen is up for auction in aid of the Parkinson's Disease Society. [More]

New Line Cinema has released some very nice high quality images from the ROTK Extended Edition. More images to be added soon, for now take a look at these great menu screenshots, and some pics of Gandalf, Sam & Frodo, and more! [More]

Robbi writes: There are still a few tickets remaining for the upcoming Chicago LOTR symphony performances being held on October 8 & 9. Howard Shore will be holding a pre-concert Q&A both evenings. Certainly NOT to be missed! [Tickets]

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA -- TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2004 Geddy Lee, bassist and lead singer for the seminal rock group Rush, has granted an exclusive interview to the producers of the feature documentary, RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS. His heartfelt comments on the power of J.R.R. Tolkien’s stories make it easy to understand how the world of Rock & Roll was forever changed by “The Lord of the Rings.” The fine connections between these two art forms is sharply drawn by Mr. Lee, as he explains the wonderful influence of Middle-earth on his early songwriting. The song “Rivendell” became Rush’s personal tribute to Tolkien, being written at a period when the most influential of rockers used Tolkien references in their most classic songs. [More]

If you're traveling to Boston for the Lord of the Rings Exhibition, book
this special package at the Wyndham Boston today. Offer includes deluxe
accommodations, tickets for two to the Lord of the Rings Exhibit, and
breakfast for two in Caliterra Bar and Grille. Click here to book your
reservation. [More]

They have come relentlessly. Like an army of Uruk Hai. Month after month, the fans have come to www.LOTR.com to hear the music. More than a million have come, downloading MP3 after MP3 of Chance Thomas' original music from Vivendi-Universal Games' Lord of the Rings series. [More] [Gaming Havens]

Anthea writes: James Galway, the flutist featured on the soundtrack of ROTK, will be appearing in concert tomorrow night at 7:00 in Rockford, Illinois with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra. Tickets are still available if any LOTR fans have taken an interest in this artist. Word is he will probably not be playing music from the movie, but it should be a great concert nonetheless. They can be purchased online or by phone.

Joshua writes: I am currently writting articles for a great web-based publication entitled Hall of Fire. This publicaton is desinged by, written for, and upkept by fans of Decipher's Lord of the Rings Role Playing Game. Hall of Fire includes articles with detailed information on gaming scenarios, character statistics, and rule alterations that are a must-read for any fans of the game. [More] [Gaming Havens]

Elfstone writes: I saw in that Howard Shore is going to be in Spain with the Rings Symphony on 5th and 6th of November. [More]

Folks from the National Theatre write: Unfortunately owing to sudden filming commitments, Ian Holm is now unable to do the Platform at the National Theatre scheduled for 5th October at 6pm. There is a possibility of another date before Christmas, but nothing definite at the moment. Apologies for any inconvenience. I will keep you posted. [nationaltheatre.org.uk]

The marks aren't the only ones fooled in "Spivs," a smart Cockney crimer centered on a band of grifters that keeps the audience on its toes plot-wise, even if its emotional underpinnings fail to convince. Though hardly household names overseas, the strong British cast, led by the reliable Ken Stott, shows good chemistry and helmer Colin Teague (co-director of "Shooters," 2002) assembles a smooth package in his first solo outing. [More]

New to DVD and video this week is the Elijah Wood film 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind', this film stars Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. Wood plays a small but important role in this film, from the writer of 'Being John Malkovich' and 'Adaptation' Charlie Kaufman, this one is not to be missed. [Widescreen Edition] [Fullscreen Edition]

Merry Hatebear writes: TV Guide is currently auctioning off clothes that were worn and signed by the stars. One of the items up for auction is Dominic Monaghan's tank top that he was wearing in their 2004 Fall Preview Issue's picture for Lost. So far it's the item with the most bids, already past $50 with 9 days still left! (Most items are still at $1) Crazy! All proceeds from this auction are going to the Women in Entertainment Foundation's Women's Breast Cancer Fund. [More]

Tom Woodward the editor from DVDAnswers.com writes: Hope you're well? Just to let you know that we've added a number of highres packshots for the new ROTK EE along with a few shots from the extended edition of the film itself. [More]

Auckland armour maker Warren Ormsby-Green gets some strange looks when he travels by plane. The master armourer for the Lord of the Rings and the Last Samurai usually wears a full set of armour when he flies to "cut down on excess baggage". "The reactions I get can be pretty amusing. Some people are very interested, some people laugh and some people can't even look at me," he laughed. [More]

Elizabeth S writes: HAMBURG, N.Y. – Dressed in the likeness of infamous characters from the popular The Lord of the Rings trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkien’s final book in the series will be brought to life at an all-night reading marathon Oct. 15-16 at Hilbert College. [More]

Golightly sends along these scans from 'Playback' Magazine, featuring this article about Howard Shore. [More]

More news of general interest for fantasy film buffs. The mystery set I reported on looks like it will be part of the Hercules mini-series involving Sean Astin; meanwhile part of a set is visible above the soundstages of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I was able to ask what it was, this time. [More] Meanwhile, check NarniaWeb and NarniaFans as they have reports from the Narnia presentation at Armageddon on the weekend.

Cedco Publishing and TheOneRing.net have joined forces to provide fans worldwide with amazing prices on all types of LOTR products! We have setup a special "V.I.P. code" (6002) that you can use on cedco.com to get any or all LOTR items at a discount. [More]

Daniel adds: I just contacted them by phone and they accept the code (6002) over the phone. The number is 1-800-233-2624. Shipping is a flat 4.95 for US and Canada no matter what you order.

frodosgirl writes: After a somewhat rushed, middle of the night posting about the first day of Armageddon, I though I’d send in a much more thorough telling of the second day along with some pictures. [More]

The Dec. 14 home video release of director Peter Jackson's extended version of the Academy Award-winning "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" will feature 50 additional minutes of new footage, a new musical score and (highlight to read!) a cameo appearance of Jackson being felled by an arrant(sic) arrow. The 200-minute best picture theatrical version of "King" home video has sold more than 10 million combined DVD and VHS units since its May 25 release, according to several industry sources. !!!EE SPOILERS!!! [More]

Tauremorna writes: Christopher Lee will be signing copies of Jinnah (DVD #19.99) and The Dark Secret (CD #14.99) at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2 H 8JR Tel: 020 7420 3666, on Monday 27th September 5-6pm. Please note that Christopher Lee will only be signing Jinnah and The Dark Secret and no other film or TV related items.

This weekends edition of the Bill Amend cartoon 'FoxTrot' features the boys playing a different type of 'Fantasy Football'. [More]

For a good laugh on a Monday, take a look at our entire collection of FoxTrot's LOTR related cartoons. [More]

mcpsuit writes: I went to a lunch the other night of the Melbourne Theatre Company’s new season for 2005 and they said that David Wenham is to appear in the title role of ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ in February-April 2005, at the Playhouse, Melbourne. [More]

Lots of Narnia-news over the weekend. New Zealand pulp-culture expo Armageddon hosted a panel given by the movie's SFX crew. The New Zealand herald was there and wrote up an interesting article that can be found here! AICN's Quint was there as well, his report is here and they also feature a rumor about the possibility of Sean Connery's involvement in the movie... [More]

The one and only John Cook writes: Just some news you're welcome to share with your readers - I've posted a new Lord of the Rings cartoon parody. This one has a weeping Sam ask Frodo why he's leaving Middle Earth. Check it out Frodo's punchline here!

In this week's Sideshow/Weta Collectibles newsletter, the company announced it would be retiring these popular items: Gandalf the Grey Figure, Arwen Eventsar Figure and Legolas Greenleaf Figure. This means that once these pieces are sold, they will no longer be making any more. Also, the Balrog, Flame of Udun statue has officially sold out. [Click Here]

frodosgirl writes: I had a lovely time at Armageddon today in Wellington. It had increased in size by quite a bit, and the organizers are having some growing pains, but are managing to more or less pull it off. [More]

Pawe writes: I don't know if you already know, but the official Lord of The Rings site has added all necessary information concerning the release of Return of The King: Special Extended Edition. Pre-Ordering begins on October 1st, the discs go on sale December 14th. [More]

'A land was made for the Edain to dwell in, neither part of Middle-earth nor of Valinor, for it was sundered from either by a wide sea; yet it was nearer to Valinor ... And they called that land Elenna, which is Starwards; but also Anadűnë, which is Westernesse, Númenórë in the High Eldarin tongue.' So bright was the dream -- so bitter the waking. [More]