CNN.com - Searchers with the help of a sharp-nosed dog named Gandalf found a 12-year-old Boy Scout on Tuesday who had disappeared into the North Carolina wilderness over the weekend, authorities said. Aerial footage showed police carrying Michael Auberry from a white sports-utility vehicle into a ranger station in nearby Laurel Springs. Police held a large, white sheet over the boy as they carried him into the station. [Full Story]

Lorien "Ramen" Carney, Community Relations Specialist for The Lord of the Rings Online writes: Learn about the character customization possibilities of LOTRO’s Traits System! Traits are new skills, bonuses, and other enhancements that benefit your character, and may be discovered through the course of one’s adventures and explorations in the game. Traits add a fun level of discovery and purpose to many tasks, both mundane and heroic, and we think players will really enjoy discovering new Traits with which to enhance their characters. [More]

Marilynn writes: Minneapolis is one of three U.S. cities that actor Ian McKellen will visit with his portrayal of "King Lear," directed by Trevor Nunn for the Royal Shakespeare Company. It will run in repertory with Chekhov's "The Seagull."It's a very expensive operation, and we're going to have to sell out and subsidize with fundraising, but it's worth it," director Joe Dowling said Monday. "This is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." The tour's only other stops are New York and Los Angeles. For more information and tickets, call 612-377-2224 or go to guthrietheater.org.

Isabel writes: DC Ringers (The Fellowship of the Beltway) are getting a big group together to go to a Lord of the Rings Movie Festival on Sunday April 29th at the Arlington (VA) Cinema n' Drafthouse. Tickets are only $8 in advance which includes the films, and contests for Costumes, LOTR Trivia, and Gollum Impersonation Skills. For more information about the event click here.

Ashlee & Rachel Scott, Executive Producers - M.A.R.S. Productions write: M.A.R.S. Productions presents: Middle Earth Idols Part One & Two. We're glad the LOTR fans at ORC enjoyed our film so much and thanks for all the emails. The films are now available for everyone to view at www.marsproductions.net . Thank you for your patience! Thanks to Creation and TORn for hosting our premiere and thanks to our judges Kiran Shah, Daniel & Gareth Reeve, Michael Regina, Dean Haglund, Grant Wilson and Alexis Cruz for generously donating their time and talents. Also, to Emerald Rose for lending their music to our films. Special thanks to Andy Serkis for hanging around to watch Gollum's encore performance with us at ORC. Our celebrity guest judges tell us they've been receiving fan mail about their performances in our film. Thanks to everyone for sending your support their way. We know they love hearing from all of you! Enjoy the films!! More to follow soon!

Download them now!

Middle Earth Idols: Part One (Windows Media File 58:32) [Mirror]

Middle Earth Idols: Part Two (Windows Media File 39:56) [Mirror]

MrCere writes: BOSTON – Turbine wants non-gamers, like you dear TheOneRing.net reader, to try its game real, real bad. And why not? The beta testing of the “Lord of the Rings Online” game has been a strong success; the media attention has been coming fast and furious from places like the New York Times and the BBC news. And if visiting Middle-earth isn’t the first choice of fantasy realms you always wished you could visit, it is at least in the conversation. [More]

From wetanz.com: Weta Workshop will create the physical effects and miniatures necessary to fully realise the Peter Jackson produced film ‘The Dam Busters’. The film is based on the book The Dam Busters by Paul Brickhill and the 1955 Associated British Picture Corporation motion picture and will be directed by Christian Rivers. The Wingnut Films production will be produced by Jan Blenkin, Carolynne Cunningham and Peter Jackson, with Sir David Frost and Ken Kamins serving as Executive Producers. “This is one of the most remarkable true stories to come out of World War II”, said Peter. “When Michael Anderson made his thrilling version of this story in 1955, many details of the dams raid were still a closely guarded secret. It has since been declassified by the British Government, making the dynamics of the story and the people involved even more intriguing." [More]

Take an early look on our 'DVD Tuesday' feature...every Monday! Check out some TV on DVD goodies like 'Batman Beyond - S3', 'Deadliest Catch - S1' & 'Justice League Unlimited - S2'. There are a few compilations out tomorrow; 'Family Favorites 4 Movie Collection' & 'W.C. Fields Comedy Collection, Vol. 2'. The big releases of the week are 'Rocky Balboa', 'Eragon' & 'Blood Diamond (Two-Disc Special Edition)'. Personally I'm interested in 'Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner' & 'Newsradio - S5'! Check out the whole list here! [More]

Penny writes: Check out the BBB's newest Ebay item! A beautiful 10x12 autographed picture of Billy and his bandmates. All proceeds of this sale are going to a special birthday donation at the Trees for Life on Jacks Page in honor of Jack Boyds first sweet baby birthday next month! As much as I hate to let go of ths beauty I am! Billy Boyd remarked to me that he was pleased to see how many trees had been planted when I saw him at ORC. I asked him if he visited the site and he said yes! A very special post will be made on Jacks page with compliments to the winner of this beautiful photograph. [BBB] [Trees for Life, Jack Boyd's page] [Ebay listing]

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – March 17, 2007 – MMO DB announces the official launch of its Lord of the Rings Online Database. The largest and most update to date Lord of the Rings Online Database on the Internet. With only a few weeks to go until the launch of the much anticipated Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, from Turbine, MMO DB is here and ready to serve. [More]

Linuxelf sends this in: Cate Blanchett is to star in the fourth Indiana Jones movie. The Australian actress will star alongside Harrison Ford, who is reprising his role as the intrepid archaeologist. It is unclear who Blanchett will be playing as details of David Koepp's screenplay are being kept under wraps, although it is believed the 36-year-old star will have a major role. The current working title of the film is Fourth Installment of the Indiana Jones Adventures. [More]

From the West End to Broadway to Hollywood (via Coronation Street and Widow Twankey), he has been hailed as one of the finest actors of his generation. Now he is taking on the role that could define his career - Lear. The most curious aspect of Ian McKellen's long-awaited debut as King Lear this week, in a production directed by Trevor Nunn for the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford, is how obvious a part it is for him. For decades, McKellen, 67, had not done the obvious. While contemporaries such as Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt and Michael Gambon made their lives before the cameras, McKellen stuck, for the most part, to the stage. [More]

Most studio presidents save the ink for their stars and directors. Not Bob Shaye, who now is a director of the kid flick "The Last Mimzy" and has been in the news for a near-death experience and a Middle-earth mess. Shaye is the controversial studio president of New Line cinema -- the folks who brought you the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. He's in a battle of bucks with director Peter Jackson over a proposed "Hobbit" film that Jackson wants to do after the studio pays him what he feels is more back-end money for "Rings," while Shaye says he has been paid in full. The bottom line is someone else might direct "The Hobbit," which has fans hopping mad. [More]

I was browsing through this month's edition of 'Fine Homebuilding' Magazine when I came across an amazing discovery on the back cover: "Asked to design a fitting repository for a client’s valuable collection of J.R.R. Tolkien manuscripts and artifacts, architect Peter Archer went to the source—the fantasy novels that describe the abodes of the diminutive Hobbits." [Read More]

As part of their monthly giveaway (Film, Food and Figure Friday) Sideshow Collectibles is giving away a prize pack including a Frodo Premium Format figure, a Fellowship of the Ring DVD (featuring both the theatrical and extended cut of the film), and a big box of crunchy, buttery popcorn! You can only enter between 9am-6pm PT today! For complete details of the giveaway, visit Sideshow. [Enter]

Be sure to check out our weekly Sideshow Collectibles update! Each week we provide an update on your favorite Sideshow goodies, from busts to premium figures and more! Take a look! [More]

Claire writes: Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, UK, is hosting a triple bill of all the Lord of the Rings films on Saturday 7th April. Visit the Centre's website and you can find contact details and access information here. Getting there by bus from the central train or bus station is really easy. Details of the showings aren't on the website yet, but they're already being advertised in the print version of the April magazine. As a Special Easter Offer, you can see all three films for the price of two. You needn't worry about eating and drinking between movies. Chapter has a cafe and a excellent bar with an amazing range of beers - and Pago fruit juices, my daughter's absolute favourite!

digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that actor, writer and comedian Stephen Fry has confirmed he is working on a script about the World War II 'Dambuster' raids for Peter Jackson. Fry, who has written for UK shows like "Not the Nine O'Clock News" & "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" (with Hugh Laurie) is working on 'The Dam Busters' remake with veteran broadcaster David Frost as executive producer. The last thing heard about 'Busters' from Peter Jacksons camp is that is it still 'very much a go'.

The demise of one of New Zealand's oldest production companies has dragged under a subsidiary company specialising in special effects and animation. Geoff Dixon, owner of Silver Screen Productions, in liquidation owing millions of dollars, said post-production company Oktobor, which worked on Lord of the Rings, would close its doors in eight weeks. It was not known if all creditors would be paid until after the sale of assets. Oktobor worked on post-production of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and is credited on a number of local and international ads - including the animation behind Fresh n' Fruity's "loving" pottle of yoghurt, two bulls driving a farmer's ute in a Toyota commercial, and the National Bank "green couch" campaign. [More]

Lorien "Ramen" Carney, Community Relations Specialist for The Lord of the Rings Online writes: We bring you good tidings on this, the Ides of March! Check out the brand new Titles Overview in the Gameplay section of the official LOTRO site! This system allows players to literally “make a name for themselves,” acquiring various titles through the course of their adventures. You can even be adopted and choose to display your titles as “Son of” or “Daughter of” a fellow player: Let everyone know of your great deeds with the LOTRO Title system! Today’s overview will show you how. [More]

Lorien "Ramen" Carney, Community Relations Specialist for The Lord of the Rings Online writes: We’ve just added a new Character to our LOTRO Characters section – Thorin Oakenshield. Adventurers in LOTRO will have the chance to meet one of Middle-earth’s most famous Dwarves! [More]

The Guadalajara International Film Festival will present in its parallel section Vox Office, the full-length films that have obtained the leading numbers in their countries for box office success in 2006. Some of the films that will be screened are the Mexican film Una historia de huevos, by Gabriel and Rodolfo Riva Palacio; the Columbian production Soñar no cuesta nada, directed by Rodrigo Triana; and the Spanish film Alatriste, by Agust'n D'az Yanes, and Viggo Mortensen as leading actor. [More]

Thanks to Bibtecaria for the link!

Rosamunde Brownlocks writes: I took more than a thousand photos and will be posting them as they're edited on my live journal website. Right now I have videos up from both the Beecake show at the Hotel Cafe and the Beecake show at ORC. I also have photos up from the Beecake show at the Hotel Cafe. I'm hoping people will enjoy the photos and the memories they bring back - thank you, TORN! [More]

Roheryn writes: Did you catch this past Sunday's new episode of The Simpsons? There was a scene towards the end in which Lisa and Bart are defending a rather large castle they have built from cardboard shipping boxes from a besieging army of UPS-type delivery men and vans. The siege is very much based on scenes from LOTR, complete with a Nazgul-on-Fell-Beast type aerial attacker. The real kicker is that they used the actual music and choral vocals from ROTK's Siege of Gondor scene, up to and including the triumphant Ride of the Rohirrim music! Great fun --- but I was disappointed to see that -- even after careful scrutiny with the pause button -- there did not appear to be any credit given at the end to Howard Shore or even New Line. Orcses!!!

Take an early look on our 'DVD Tuesday' feature...every Monday! Check out some TV on DVD goodies like 'I Love Lucy - The Complete Seasons 7-9', 'Laguna Beach - S2' & 'Without a Trace - S2'. Animated DVDs out tomorrow include; 'Baby Looney Tunes:Vol 3', 'Loonatics Unleashed - S1' & 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - S4'. The big releases of the week are the latest James Bond film 'Casino Royale' and the ligh hearted romantic comedy 'The Holiday'. Personally I'm interested in 'Shogun Assassin 2: Lightning Swords of Death' & 'Hellbenders'! Check out the whole list here! [More]