Meet Tom DeSanto, Carlene Cordova, and Cliff Broadway live in-person as the worlds of fantasy and strategy collide this weekend at the hugest of huge events! The legendary Gen-Con has opened its doors this weekend (Nov. 17 - 20) for Southern California gamers and fantasy enthusiasts. The filmmakers behind RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS will appear on Saturday, Nov. 18, at 2:00PM in the Anaheim Convention Center (in room 207B) to present special clips from their award-winning film. This special presentation on RINGERS includes audience Q&A and many surprises! [Click here for more info!]

Roheryn writes: Check it out, fellow Ringers! This week's TV Guide has this brief interview with Dominic Monaghan talking about the new DVD release of "Ringers: Lord of the Fans"! [More]
Pre-Order 'Ringers: Lord of the Fans' on Amazon Today!

Following last year’s sell-out success, Ian McKellen returns to The Old Vic as Widow Twankey, the ultimate pantomime dame. He’s joined by Roger Allam as Abbanazar and Frances Barber as Dim Sum. Sean Mathias directs this classic show for all the family. [More]

This weekend in Hall of Fire we'll be discussing the Seven Deadly Sins as they can be found in Lord of the Rings.

First there is Pride -- the excessive belief in one's own abilities. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity. Perhaps Boromir or Denethor could tell us about this fault?

Envy is the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, or situation. It's probably something Saruman knows a great deal about. [More]

Visit Playbill.com for the first look at the all-new THE LORD OF THE RINGS television commercial spot beginning this Sunday, November 20, followed by exclusive “making of” footage over the next three weeks. THE LORD OF THE RINGS is the biggest, most ambitious theatrical production ever staged by an international creative team led by critically acclaimed director Matthew Warchus, award-winning designer Rob Howell and celebrated choreographer Peter Darling, who have combined all three books into one unmissable theatrical event. With a thrilling score and spectacular design, THE LORD OF THE RINGS features an ensemble of over 70 actors, singers and musicians. [More]

EowynRohan writes: Just thought I'd write to you about the Maxim List of Short Men: Elijah Wood and Sean Astin are on it among many others like Martin Scorese, Napoleon Bonaparte and Yuri Gagarin! [More]

The London stage production of The Lord Of The Rings is planned to open a year after the world premiere in Toronto, says the show’s producer. The new stage adaptation of Tolkien’s books will open at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, Canada, on 23 March 2006, with previews from February. Preparations for a London version of the production will commence near the end of 2006, according to Kevin Wallace, the show’s British producer. The London production should preview in February 2007 and open a month later. [More]

Celevon writes: On Saturday, December 3, 2005, many of the contributing authors for "Lembas for the Soul: How The Lord of the Rings Enriches Everyday Life" will be signing the book at The Lord of the Rings Exhibit at the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana. The afternoon signing will be an informal "launch" party for the book, and all interested fans are invited to stop by and meet the authors. Some of the authors will be traveling across the country, even from overseas, to participate in the event. So plan your visit to see the LOTR exhibit on the first weekend in December, before it leaves North America, and meet these talented authors as well. For more information about the book, please visit our website,
whitetreepress.com.

Buy "Lembas for the Soul: How The Lord of the Rings Enriches Everyday Life" on Amazon.com Today!

L writes: I would like to alert you about the imminent "Perceval Press" publication of a non-fiction tome, name of "Skip." Viggo Mortensen and actor David Newsom have spent several months collaborating on this truly magnificent book, the visual and narrative catalogue of Newsom's mentally handicapped brother, Skip. Via spectacular images and lyrical prose, Skip's daily interface with his Idaho environ is shown with innocence, wonder, and respect. It's a loving portrait, as they say, with an assured and powerful message for *all*. This is David Newsom's first published work. I'm told the item will become available the first week of December. [More]

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has a new sweepstakes contest for all the Ringer fans out there, just days ahead of the Nov. 22 release of the award-winning RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS! The grand prize, courtesy of MovieWeb & ORBITZ, is two (2) domestic round-trip airline tickets good for anywhere in the U.S., so you can embark on your own “Quest for Adventure!” [ENTER TODAY!]

New Line has kicked off the holiday selling season by offering up to $20 off orders at newlineshop.com. It's a great way to save on LOTR items that aren't usually on sale, like One Rings, the ever-popular Arwen Pendant, other jewelry, and chess sets. Newest items at New Line include a 3D sculpture based on The Fellowship of the Ring poster and Elven Star earrings. We are told no coupon is necessary, the discount is taken at checkout. [Click Here]

Live in New York City? Want to be on live television? Now’s your chance! To help publicize the launch of RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS (released next Tuesday, Nov. 22nd), Fox & Friends would like to put some Ringers on national television! Fox & Friends is like the TODAY show on the Fox News Channel. Fox & Friends are looking for costumed hobbit lads & lasses to stand outside of their window in New York City from between 6:30 and 7:00AM (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, November 22nd. [More]

Rosie sends along these scans from Starburst Magazine, it features an article on Andy Serkis. [More]

jean writes: Emerald Rose will be at Megacon, from thier website: MEGACON is proud to announce the appearance of Emerald Rose Their music is featured in the Tolkien fan film "Ringers: Lord of the Fans" as well as the upcoming Firefly/Serenity documentary "Done The Impossible". [More]

Ringers: Lord of the Fans Premiere: Los Angeles

Ringer Celebriel writes: Ringers celebrated the November 22 launch of Ringers: Lord of the Fans with a Hollywood screening and party Wednesday night. The screening took place at the Vista Theatre on Sunset Boulevard, where so many Los Angeles Lord of the Rings events have taken place. The theatre itself even appears a few times in the film. Fans gathered outside for a line party featuring costumed elves, hobbits, and even a wizard. Two elves held up a sign to passing traffic that read “Honk if you love hobbits!” Lots of Ringers who appear in the film, some interviewed, others flashing by in montages, were also present. [More]

The Ringers: Lord of the Fans premiere drew fans and industry types from all over the LA area, and a few flew in from outside the area as well. KCOP channel 13, a local news station, covered the entire event, from arrivals and helping to introduce the filmmakers to covering the party afterwards. Here is a link to a video clip that will be up for the next 3 weeks regarding the film and the premiere. [More]

Peter Jackson has one film he wants to see this Christmas – and it is not King Kong. Jackson wants a ticket to the $NZ210 million adaptation of C S Lewis' children's story The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, according to its Kiwi director Andrew Adamson. Adamson said this week he was regularly in contact with Jackson. "He emailed me the other day and said it is the film he was looking forward to seeing over Christmas." Adamson returned the compliment, saying he had made a point of seeing the preview for Jackson's latest blockbuster and would be off to the movie. [More]

From sony-psp-review.com: EA have released some more screenshots from Lord of the Rings: Tactics, in advance of the PSP release next month. The game looks to be shaping up nicely with some beautifully rendered characters. LOTR: Tactics is licensed from the films (rather than the books) so you get to see Orlando Bloom and Vigo Mortenson on your PSP, as well as the rather scary Ringwraith. [More]

The mysteries of ABC's "Lost" are about to get bigger -- and smaller. The Emmy-winning hit is spawning a second series for mobile phones in a deal soon to close with a major U.S. carrier, sources said. About 20 episodes -- each several minutes long -- are being shot next month in Hawaii to hit phones sometime early next year. [More]

Denis writes: Comic strip "Get Fuzzy" goes geek today as we learn that Rob, Bucky's food provider, called his car "Volvo Baggins". Follow the link! [More]

Today is Harry Sinclair's Birthday! Harry played the pivotal role of Isildur in FOTR and ROTK. He was born on November 17th, 1959 in Auckland, New Zealand. That makes him 46 years old today, happy birthday Harry!

From Sony.com: Don't miss your chance to own a one-of-a-kind piece of celebrity memorabilia while helping fight hunger in America ! Sony VAIO teamed with some of today's hottest young Hollywood superstars and asked them to design their own unique, fashionable Sony VAIO FJ notebooks. Jessica Alba, Elijah Wood, Wilmer Valderrama and cool couple DJ AM and Nicole Richie joined in on the fun to create some great designs all in the name of charity. [More]

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - British screen heartthrob Orlando Bloom has been sued by his former management firm for 660,000 dollars in commissions allegedly owed for his work, including the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. The Firm Inc. sued the 29-year-old Bloom in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming he breached a verbal contract to pay his former management team 10 percent of his earnings from his hit movies, according to documents seen here Wednesday. [More]

People named their 'Sexiest Man Alive' today, and while he didn't win Viggo Mortensen came in at number 4.

And while not on the short list for sexiest man alive Orlando Bloom is one of the men they say has the 'sexiest hair'

Meanwhile...how was I not nominated as 'Sexiest Geek'?

Following in the Elven footsteps of Google Earth, "the globe that fits inside your PC", comes Google Middle Earth, the new lord of the satellite imagery-based mapping products. Google Middle Earth is a free, full-featured download that lets you explore the topographical majesty of the lands of Gondor, Rohan, and Mordor. Google Middle Earth's impressive geographic mapping software is definitely the one product to rule them all. [More]

Just a note to say that this is a joke, sadly there is no Google Middle-earth -Xo

From the Oneclick website: To help launch King Kong the game, Natalie got to chat with Philippa Boyens, screenwriter on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and King Kong the movie - and also the woman responsible for the drama of this game. Philippa works side by side with director Peter Jackson and his wife/creative partner Fran Walsh on all these projects and road-tested King Kong's gaming action on set in New Zealand - she also let slip she listened to Radio 1 when she was based in the UK doing post-production on Return of the King. [More]

Sony has released 4 clips from 'Ringers: Lord of the Fans', due in stores NEXT WEEK! Take a look at 'Hippies and Hobbits', 'Official Paperback', 'Hobbiton, USA' & 'Frodo Love' [More]

Pre-Order 'Ringers: Lord of the Fans' on Amazon Today!

'Lost', featuring Dominic Monaghan, is on ABC tonight at 9PM EST. [abc.go.com]

DeeDee writes: I just got my new issue of Giant magazine yesterday, and it features Andy Serkis as #10 in the "50 most important people and trends in entertainment right now." [More]

Sûlien writes: This has little to do with Tolkien, except for the fact that he loved trees and forests. However, I think many in the Tolkien community will find this of interest! Apparently, logging rights for some areas of giant sequoias in the Giant Sequioa National Monument were sold before the monument status took effect. A judge has placed a temporary injunction stopping the logging, but it is only a matter of time before the Forest Service and the logging companies try to overturn this. [More]

London — If you want to move the merchandise, you have to tease the customer with a sample. To that end, producer Kevin Wallace yesterday presented three songs from the world's most ambitious stage production, The Lord of the Rings, before 45,000 travel agents and tour operators at the 26th World Travel Market. [More]

Lisa writes: First of all, thanks again for posting about the Sean Bean auction... and thanks to everyone who bid... the bear raised $375 and helped me raise almost $28,000 this year!!!

I went to a screening of A History of Violence at Lincoln Center on the 9th and there was a panel discussion afterwards with David Cronenberg, Howard Shore and some of the cast, including Viggo Mortensen!

I managed to get a signature for a bear from Viggo (though no picture this time... they were rushing him out) and that auction is now live and can be accessed through my site. (proceeds from this one will actually go toward my fundraising for next year!)

WELLINGTON, NEW Zealand—“Come on in,” Richard Taylor said, leading a pack of journalists who had flown in from all over the world for a tour of his Weta Workshop. Weta, named after an insect that is found primarily in New Zealand, was established by Richard and his partner Tania Rodger 16 years ago. They had been active in the business for a number of years, but it was their work on the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy that did more than just put the spotlight on them. It also earned them an Oscar. The award is well deserved. After all, Taylor and his crew worked on the trilogy for seven years and made a whopping 48,000 props for the films. [More]

Once again this year, we are having a fan film competition, to encourage the creativity and sense of fun of all Ringers, and potentially discover some future Peter Jacksons…! All genres are accepted; submissions should be 5-15 minutes (ideally) and no longer than 30 minutes. Format: DVD (preferred) or VHS. [More]

Today is your LAST DAY to buy tickets to the RINGERS: LORD OF THE
FANS world premiere and party! In addition to screening our award -
winning film, we'll be having a silent auction with some fantastic,
one-of-a-kind prizes! (To benefit the National Center for Family
Literacy, one of Sean Astin's favorite charities.) [More]

Seekers of Dreams: edited by Douglas A. Anderson. Cold Spring Press, trade paperback, $14.00, 1-59360-048-8. Original compilation. Cover by Daniel Govar. A collection of twenty stories, one play and one poem which exemplifies the diversity of fantasy, in style and in form. Authors represented include Jonathan Carroll, Lord Dunsany, Peter S. Beagle, Clark Ashton Smith, Clemence Housman, and L. Frank Baum. The Baum is a short story version of his famous novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, never before reprinted. [More]

Mark writes: I just got my weekly newsletter from XM radio and Howard Shore will be featured on this week's "Reel Time Weekly" on CInemagic, their film score channel. I know he's no longer with Kong, but it may get mentioned during interview.

Reel Time Weekly: Howard Shore
Cinemagic - XM 27 - 11AM - 5PM Midnight ET
Chris Panico talks to Academy Award Winning composer Howard Shore about working with long time friend David Cronenberg, the start of his musical career with the band Lighthouse, and the 4 year journey he took in creating the music for Middle Earth.

David scoops me in that a recent online chat with Alan Lee at houghtonmifflinbooks.com had him saying that the issue of the Hobbit movie is "when" and not "if". Read the entire thing here! [More]

HIGHLAND HILLS --- On Thursday, November 17 at Cuyahoga Community College’s Eastern Campus, Tri-C professors Laura Blunk and Marueen Morley will deliver a lecture titled “Storytellers for Our Times: J.R. R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.” The presentation, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the publication of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and the forthcoming film of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, will take Place in the President’s Plaza of the E-3 Building at 4250 Richmond Road in Highland Hills from 6 to 7:15 p.m. [More]

Bob writes: My family and I went to the Spokane Symphony's LOTR concert last night ( Nov. 12th), and came away with a (for the most part) very enjoyable experience. While not exactly matching the scope and depth of the original score for the movie, the Spokane Symphony made up for it in feeling and expressing the music -- it still had all of its glory and majesty intact. The Spokane Symphony Chorale and Spokane Area Children's Chorus were excellent, Kaitlyn Lusk outstanding, under the heart-felt control of conductor Alastair Willis. [More]

UPDATE: Another report was submitted by gloryliberty, thanks!

The Collegiate Chorale and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s perform excerpts from Wagner’s “Ring” Cycle (and the Flying Dutchman) and Movements I and II – “The Fellowship of the Ring” – from the Lord of the Rings Symphony under the direction of Robert Bass. [More]