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July 09, 2006 - July 16, 2006

News for Jul. 16, 2006

SHOP: Morgul Lord Legendary Scale Bust Gallery

7/16/06, 2:08 pm EST - Celeborn

The Morgul Lord Legendary Scale Bust - Side 03As we reported on Friday, Sideshow Collectibles has started taking pre-sales for their inagural character in the 'Legendary Scale Lord of the Rings Bust' line-up: The Morgul Lord. Today we have some super-hires images of the piece available in our scrapbook. Enjoy! [Images] [ ]

EW: Samwise No. 7 Greatest Sidekick!

7/16/06, 1:45 pm EST - Celeborn

Ringer Crystal sends us a link to Entertainment Weekly's 50 Greatest Sidekicks in which our trusty companion Samwise Gamgee makes the list at No. 7. "Because Mr. Frodo's hairy hobbit heinie wasn't going to get to Mordor all by itself, was it?" [Read More]

'The Magic Ring' Booklaunch Photos

7/16/06, 11:21 am EST - Xoanon

Amy writes: Valancourt Books, publisher of The Magic Ring, has posted some great pictures of the Magic Ring launch and book signing at The Gathering of the Fellowship Tolkien event July 3, 2006.

Free Shipping Offer for 'Dork of the Rings'

7/16/06, 11:16 am EST - Xoanon

Tim Richardson, Director of "The Dork of the Rings" writes: Save money and be one of the first Dorkers to receive a copy of THE DORK OF THE RINGS which goes on sale to the rest of the world at GenCon on August 10. Pre-order by August 1 and get the 2-DVD set for $20.00 and pay NOTHING for postage. NADA. ZERO. ZILCH. So what do ya think of them apples? [More]

Fanboys run the show

7/16/06, 11:06 am EST - Xoanon

Are you a fanboy? If you are, you'll know just what to do with this article about a small cadre of comic-book, fantasy novel and genre-movie obsessives who have transformed Hollywood: among them Kevin Smith, Peter Jackson, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, the Wachowski brothers and Sam Raimi. Save it. It could be worth money. In mint condition, of course. [More]

LOTR Seminar at University of Toronto

7/16/06, 11:03 am EST - Xoanon

The week-long, in-depth seminar on The Lord of the Rings at the University of Toronto begins today. Part of Classical Pursuits, learning vacations with a difference, the seminar is being conducted by Dr. Glen Robert Gill, Professor of English at Troy University in Alabama, and promises to be exciting affair. [More]

News for Jul. 15, 2006

Peter Jackson gives $500,000 for stem cell research

7/15/06, 10:41 am EST - Xoanon

Wellington film-making couple Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh have donated $500,000 (US$311,000) to the University of California's research programme on human embryonic stem cells. "We have lost close friends and relatives to cancer and Parkinson's disease, and the level of personal suffering inflicted on patients and their families by these diseases is horrific," Jackson said today. "Stem cell therapy has the potential to treat a multitude of diseases and illnesses, which up until now have been labelled 'incurable'." [More]

LOTR Symphony Review

7/15/06, 10:40 am EST - Xoanon

attridge writes: I just went to the 100th performance of Howard Shore's The Lord of the Rings Symphony. It was a feast for the ears, eyes & heart! The soloists were wonderful. The young lady (16 years old) has been the featured soloist at 4 other cities already before San Francisco. The boy soprano soloist was a very talented local SF boy from the Boys Chorus of SF. The addition of the SF Girls Chorus was really exciting, as well. [More]

News for Jul. 14, 2006

LOTR Concert Series: San Francisco & North Carolina

7/14/06, 10:44 am EST - Xoanon

Both the Louise M. Davies Hall and the Koka Booth Amphitheater will swell with the music from Lord of the Rings this weekend. Tonight and tomorrow (14th & 15th of July) the San Francisco Symphony will be performing the LOTR score in San Francisco, CA. While the North Carolina Symphony will be doing the same performance tomorrow in Cary, NC. Follow this link for more dates and cities! [More]

News for Jul. 13, 2006

SHOP: Morgul Lord Legendary Scale Bust Pre-Order

7/13/06, 10:15 pm EST - Celeborn

Sideshow Collectibles has just posted the Morgul Lord Legendary Scale bust for pre-sale on their website. The 1/2 scale bust stands approximately 22-inches tall and is cast in polystone and fiberglass, hand finished and painted. If you are a Morgul Lord fan, you may want to check this one out! [ ]

WETA At Comic Con 2006

7/13/06, 9:29 pm EST - Xoanon

From Garfeimao & the folks at WETA: Weta will be out in force (at San Diego Comic Con) showcasing it's dynamic Superman Returns collectibles and unveiling the first of our new Hellgate: London statues, based on Flagship Studios' hotly anticipated new video game. Comic Con will also be your very first chance to view the amazing new Weta Originals. The Weta Originals are like nothing you've seen before. Not to be missed! At the stand will be Weta Originals creator and Weta Workshop designer, Greg Broadmore. Greg designed armour, weaponry and creatures for King Kong and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He will be at Comic Con every day, as will our impressive Kong and Narnia collectibles, so come and meet him and be the first in the world to see his incredible new pieces of art. [More]

Everything Is Illuminated to Receive World Premiere at London’s Hampstead Theatre

7/13/06, 9:25 pm EST - Xoanon

North London’s Hampstead Theatre has announced an autumn/winter season that kicks off with the world premiere stage adaptation of the award-winning novel "Everything Is Illuminated," by American author Jonathan Safran Foer. Everything Is Illuminated will officially open Sept. 19 following previews that begin Sept. 14. Adapted by playwright Simon Block, Foer’s debut novel follows a young Jewish New Yorker who travels to the Ukraine to find and thank the woman who saved his grandfather during the Second World War. [More]

EA Unveils the Lord of The Rings, The White Council

7/13/06, 9:23 pm EST - Xoanon

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., July 13, 2006 – Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today the development of The Lord of the Rings™, The White Council™, an all-new role playing game (RPG) for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and PC. The game, inspired by the New Line Cinema feature film trilogy that grossed more than $3 billion, will feature an original storyline derived from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings novels under an agreement with EA. The game is scheduled to ship in late 2007. “Our extremely talented and dedicated team is committed to creating an incredible new experience for fans of The Lord of the Rings and role playing gamers,” said Steve Gray, executive producer, The Lord of the Rings, The White Council. “With its next generation gameplay and epic new storyline, we think The Lord of the Rings, The White Council will be a huge success.” [More]

LOTR Online Update: Neekerbreekers!

7/13/06, 9:17 pm EST - Xoanon

Meghan, Online Community Manager for The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar writes: Today's update adds yet another creature to our Middle-earth menagerie – the infamous Neekerbreeker: Ah, summertime in the Midgewater Marshes; the moist nights, the gently swarming midges, and the soothing sounds of... Neekerbreekers! [More]

News for Jul. 12, 2006

Toronto Fellowship Con Images

7/12/06, 7:53 pm EST - Xoanon

Rosamunde Brownlocks writes: Folks who went to The Gathering of the Fellowship in Toronto (July 1-4, 2006) might be interested in photos taken of the participants and the guests. I’ve attached some sample photographs for the TORN scrapbook; for links to the complete photo albums, you can go here. Photos from the Sunday night banquet and costume contest are still to come.

For a complete list of photo albums from The Gathering as they’re added (as well as photo albums from ORC 2006 and other events), see my info page, underneath the photos. [More]

Lord Of The Rings Online Beta Approaches 100,000 Sign-Ups

7/12/06, 7:49 pm EST - Xoanon

Codemasters has today confirmed that the number of sign-ups to take part in the European beta tests of Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar is approaching the 100,000 mark. Currently in development for PC by MMO veterans Turbine, the game is being published by Codies' online gaming division in Europe, and by Midway in North America. As a result of the impending magic figure, Codemasters has announced that the 100,000th user to register for the beta will receive a 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings collected works and, when it it's launched, a special edition of The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. Runners-up (the four sign-ups either side of 100,000) will also receive a limited edition of the game. To register for the beta, and possibly be the 100,000th sign-up, go to http://lotro-europe.com/beta.

Titanic director visits Kong's lair

7/12/06, 7:45 pm EST - Xoanon

The director of the highest-grossing movie of all time has visited Wellington on a trip believed to be connected to a new film project. Titanic director James Cameron is in preproduction for a science fiction epic Avatar, scheduled for release in 2008, with mounting speculation that Weta Digital might provide the special effects. A spokesman for director Peter Jackson confirmed the visit but said last night it was "for nothing business-related with Peter". "I'm not aware of any connection between Avatar and Weta Digital." The spokesman also dismissed as "pure coincidence" that Cameron and Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington were in the city about the same time late last month. [More]

Exclusive Fine Art Lord of the Rings Release

7/12/06, 7:36 pm EST - Xoanon

Leslie from artinsights sends this along: Reston, VA - Famed cinema artist John Alvin, who has created art for over 130 movie campaigns including E.T., Star Wars, and Young Frankenstein, has just released the first limited editions created for a new exclusive collection representing images from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This is the first time ever this classic film phenomenon has been captured in fine art limited edtions. They are available at ArtInsights Animation and Film Art Gallery, and can be seen on their website at www.artinsights.com. [More]

News for Jul. 10, 2006

LOTROnline Chat with Jeffrey Steefel Posted

7/10/06, 9:59 pm EST - Jincey

TheOneRing.net was pleased to have Jeffrey Steefel, executive producer of Turbine’s new MMORPG in chat today for a Q&A session. The room was packed and we had no way of getting to all the questions! Jeffrey has agreed to answer some of the questions that were missed due to time constraints and we’ll post this as soon as possible. For now, we’ve posted a log of the chat for you to read [here.]

Old Disney magic in new animated logo

7/10/06, 8:59 pm EST - Xoanon

Moviegoers who saw Walt Disney Pictures' "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" over the weekend also discovered an unexpected bit of treasure. Buried beneath the usual movie trailers, just as "Dead Man's Chest" started, Disney unveiled a new, computer-animated logo that the Burbank-based studio spent a year designing...The execs tapped Disney producer Baker Bloodworth and director Mike Gabriel, both Oscar nominated in 2004 for the animated short film "Lorenzo." Gabriel devised three different treatments, created animatic storyboards, showed Aviv and Cook the frames and re-worked the designs until everyone was on board. Academy Award-winning studio Weta Digital in New Zealand was chosen to animate the story and add visual effects. "We chose to go to the world's best (visual effects) studio, where they specialize in live action/real-life simulation," Aviv said. [More]

San Fran LOTR Concert This Weekend

7/10/06, 8:57 pm EST - Xoanon

Celebriel would like to remind all San Francisco Bay Area Ringers that the San Francisco Symphony is performing The Lord of the Rings Symphony on July 14 and 15. Also, the Tolkien Friendship Society is meeting for food, conversation, and trivia right after the Saturday concert! All welcome, email tolkienfriends@earthlink.net for meeting place!

The Hobbit at Adventure Theatre in Washington, DC

7/10/06, 1:27 pm EST - Xoanon

Isabel writes: In Middle Earth in the quiet of the world, Gandalf convinces Bilbo Baggins to help Thorin recover the dwarves' stolen gold and treasure. Their adventure is filled with danger as they encounter goblins, elves and trolls. Along the way Bilbo finds a magic ring which makes him invisible, a definite advantage when he meets Smaug, the ferocious dragon. [adventuretheatre.org]

July 8-August 13, 2006
Adapted by Markland Taylor
From the Book by J.R.R. Tolkien
Saturdays & Sundays 1:30 and 3:30

DVD Tuesday: Marilyn Hotchkiss, Blackbeard, Negadon & More!

7/10/06, 10:35 am EST - Xoanon

A ton of interesting new films are out on DVD this week. Take an early look on our 'DVD Tuesday' feature...every Monday! Check out Sean Astin's 'Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing and Charm School', National Geographic: Blackbeard - Terror at Sea, Negadon - The Monster From Mars and The HD DVD version of Pitch Black. [More]

TV Watch: McKellen on 'Carson Daly' Repeat

7/10/06, 9:23 am EST - Xoanon

A repeat airing of Ian McKellen on 'Last Call With Carson Daly' airs tonight on NBC. Daly, demonstrating his absolute lack of talk show host prowess, fumbles through most of the interview, calling himself a moron (rightly so) at one point. However Sir Ian was as charming as ever. He was there to promote his latest films, 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'X-Men: The Last Stand'. Unfotunately my TV connection did falter at a few points in the video, so it is NOT a computer error. Take a look! (29MB MOV)[More]

News for Jul. 09, 2006

LOTR Online Developer Chat Monday July 10

7/09/06, 8:25 pm EST - Xoanon

We are very pleased to announce a chat with Jeffrey Steefel, executive producer of the Lord of the Rings Online game. Join us in #TheHallofFire Monday, July 10th at 5:30pm to find out more about this exciting game!

Jeffrey Steefel joined Turbine, Inc in early 2004 and is currently the Executive Producer in charge of the upcoming MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. LOTRO will be the first and only online persistent world based directly on the literary works of J.R.R Tolkien and will host a world-wide community of fans and gamers.

Jeffrey has been a professional in the Entertainment and Technology industries for almost 20 years, serving as Executive, Director, Head of Production, Principal Designer and Business Strategist for multiple new-media, entertainment and technology organizations ranging from young start-ups to media and technology giant, Sony. [More]

A History of Lord of the Rings Video Games

7/09/06, 8:17 pm EST - Xoanon

From ugo.com: Unless you've spent the past decade burrowed deep within the dirt walls of a Hobbit hole (probably partaking in dangerous amounts of hobbit leaf and getting chunky on too many Second Breakfasts) you must know of the sprawling Lord of the Rings franchise and its effect on the world we live in. J.R.R Tolkein's epic masterpiece has inspired countless literary studies, college linguistic classes have taught the Elvish tongues, and an entire genre of fantasy entertainment rich with orcs and magic sprang to life from it (otherwise we'd have no Willow or The Beastmaster). [More]

In memory of Daniel Timmons

7/09/06, 8:12 pm EST - Xoanon

Carla writes: The Wellinghall Smial is proud to support an effort by Tolkien fans to assist the family of Dr. Daniel Timmons, a well known, very respected professor and Tolkien scholar, who passed away last December. We invite you to honour Dan by leaving your condolences and memories here. Dan had ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. He is survived by his wife and young son who have a very difficult road ahead. You can make donations to assist them at the website above.

Dan was the editor of J.R.R. Tolkien and the True Hero with George Clark, and also produced and directed the documentary film The Legacy of The Lord of the Rings, which has aired in Canada on both Bravo! and Space: The Imagination Station.

Hobbit in the Park

7/09/06, 8:06 pm EST - Xoanon

From sundaymail.co.uk: Lord of the Rings star Billy Boyd achieves a childhood dream as he takes to the main stage at T in the Park in front of 75,000 music fans. Billy was drumming up support for free trade for poor countries. He said: "On the stage it is beautiful. The atmosphere here is really special." Fans packed Balado to see more than 170 acts including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs.

Lavish Toronto production of Tolkien epic 'Rings' deserves chance to improve

7/09/06, 8:04 pm EST - Xoanon

TORONTO -- Don't believe everything you read. In spite of the assertion in last week's Associated Press story about the early closing of "The Lord of the Rings" that the show was generally trashed by critics, there are those who have had many good things to say. Normally, I try not to read reviews of shows I'm going to review myself. But "LOTR" opened three months ago, while I was planning an American theater critics conference at the Shaw and Stratford festivals, with a side-trip to Toronto to see "LOTR." So when Ben Brantley's zestful pan appeared in The New York Times, I wondered if I should cut back on my ticket allotment. [More]

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