Frodosam sends along the Feb/March 2004 issue of VLIFE Magazine, featuring Ian McKellen and Sean Astin. [More]

Michelle writes: Fans in the Madison, Wisconsin area with a desire to learn elvish might be interested to know that the University of Wisconsin has created a mini course on Sindarin to be taught by UW grad David Salo this spring. There are only a few spots left, so anyone wishing to enroll should check it out here. [More]

Rival studios must resolve distribution issues before the Tolkien classic can be made. Some key 'Lord of the Rings' stars indicate support for the project. The Hobbits have returned to the Shire, Gandalf has hung up his cloak and the Oscars are looming. But the battle for Middle-earth is far from over. [More]

Thea writes: Less than two weeks until the big night and I've been trying to come up with a way for “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” to break the all-time record for Oscar wins. I know, I know, with 11 nominations the best it could do is tie “Titanic' and “Ben-Hur.” As we all know, a tie is like kissing your brother and I'll have none of that. What we need is a good old-fashioned grassroots write-in campaign for Sean Astin and Miranda Otto. [More]

Brandon Gray from boxofficemojo.com writes: 'Return of the King' has eclipsed 'Jurassic Park' to become the 6th highest grossing movie ever domestically. 'ROTK' achived the milestone on Monday, climbing to $357.4 million versus 'Jurassic Park's $357.1 million. However, this could be the highest 'ROTK' will chart domestically -- #5 'Spider-Man's $403.7 million should prove insurmountable for 'ROTK.' When factoring in overseas grosses, though, it's a different story as 'ROTK' will ultimately be #2 on that front. [More]

What is better than a snow-made Isengard on your front lawn? A Helms Deep in your garage! [More]

There's a ring to his voice, but that's what you'd expect from The Voice of The Ring. Alan Howard has had a distinguished career onstage for 45 years, but the most successful project he's ever been connected with is his involvement with The Lord Of The Rings, in which he is heard, but never seen. Director Peter Jackson tapped Howard to play the all-important Voice Of The Ring in the incredibly popular trilogy, but he's still not sure exactly how it happened. [More]

Tracey sends along this link to a LOTR-themed ringtone. Take a look! [More]

Sean Astin is going to be on the PBS talk show "Tavis Smiley" today. [More]

Tonia writes: Concerning this article about a 2005 DVD Box Set, last month I went to a bookshop meeting with Jude Fischer and Brian Sibley here in London. One of the things that Brian said was that New Line will really release a trilogy box set next year and -- more important -- with a bonus disc containing many deleted scenes that didn't make even the extended editions.

Who says young Hollywood stars can't have long-lasting careers? From childhood right until the present day, Elijah Wood has injected youth and fun into the movie industry. Instead of struggling for an identity and seeing his share of controversy à la Macaulay Culkin, Wood has consistently found work and elevated his skills with every project. [More]

Paul writes: During our brief winter snow here in North Texas, some friends of mine bypassed building the traditional "Frosty the Snowman". Instead, they focused their efforts on replicating the Tower of Isengard. [More]

Not to point fingers, but it's Kevin Spacey's fault. Four years ago, when he accepted the Screen Actors Guild award for his performance in "American Beauty," Spacey dedicated the trophy to the residents at the Motion Picture & Television Fund retirement home, saying, "Tonight, they are not forgotten." [More]

TheKittyFromBree writes: AOL members can ask Viggo Mortensen questions by submitting them at 'AOL Movies'. Certain ones will be picked and asked.

Sideshow/Weta Collectibles is showcasing their very popular 'Gandalf on Shadowfax' statue at the International Toy Fair 2004 in New York City. This item has been on pre-order for the past few weeks, but this is the first time we have seen an actual picture! Check it out! [Scrapbook] [Pre-Order]

The Lord of the Rings is now even more of a racing cert for the best picture Oscar than Gladiator, according to our sophisticated Oscar predictor. With the important Bafta result on Sunday night, The Return of the King moved up to 6.5 Predictor Points, more than any film since Gladiator in 2001, and only beaten in the last six years by American Beauty, a runaway shoo-in with 9PPs. [More]

Tom Woodward from DVDAnswers writes: A reader of ours sent over an image of an advertisement which was apparently at the recent International Toy Fair 2004 event. It seems to suggest that the LOTR Trilogy will arrive in some kind of new package next year. [More]

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" added another prize to its collection Saturday by being named best period or fantasy film at the 8th annual Art Directors Guild Awards in Los Angeles. "Mystic River" took the other feature category for best art direction in a contemporary film. [More]

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" added another notch on its awards-season belt Sunday as the final installment of Peter Jackson's epic trilogy earned the American Cinema Editors' honor for dramatic feature. [More]

'It's an honor just to be nominated'. Likewise, it's a diss to not be nominated, especially for an actor who "stole the show" in the most-nominated, highest-grossing and, IMHO, best movie of the year. I'm talking, of course, about Gollum, a.k.a. Smeagol, a.k.a. Andy Serkis. Serkis was not nominated for Best Supporting Actor by the Academy, but should have won the award. [More]

A few days back I posted Juliet Waldron's essay discussing whether the movies downplayed Frodo's heroism relative to the role he played in the books. That touched a nerve with many people both for and against that view. Here's the counterarguments from those who felt strongly that the movies did not 'downsize' Frodo. [More]

HOLLYWOOD -- Elijah Wood and Jada Pinkett-Smith didn't get Oscar noms for their roles in last year's "Lord of the Rings" and "Matrix" sequels, but they may get a prize yet. [More]

Sean Astin is making the rounds on TV this week, you can catch him on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' this Wednesday February 18th.

Arwen writes: A new book of photography done by Viggo Mortensen has just been released. The title is "The Horse is Good". It can be purchased from Perceval Press. Horses as partners, as teachers, as fellow travelers asking no favors and returning respect for respect. The horse is good. These images by Viggo Mortensen are from Morocco, South Dakota, Montana, California, Iceland, New Zealand, Denmark, Brazil, Argentina, and perhaps from the view out your window. [More]

The Academy Awards may officially start on the red carpet, but the race for the green is already in full swing as many fans place bets on potential winners. Like racehorses rounding the final lap, nominees are cheered to nose out the competition and bring bettors the spoils of wealth and the glory of victory. [More]

Ringer Spy Maria send along these scans from the March 2004 issue featuring Viggo Mortensen. [More]

cyndi writes: Sean Astin is going to be on the PBS talk show "Tavis Smiley" on the 18th. He will apparently be sharing the show with one other guest to be announced, no word on whether it's a LOTR related guest. Check your local PBS affiliate for air times. In New Mexico it airs on KNME ch. 5 at 11:30pm.

Elizabeth writes: The March 2004 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine features this look at Peter Jackson and the Oscars. [More]

Celebriel writes: Here is a very candid interview with Viggo Mortensen from the UK's Unreel Magazine. Who knew Viggo's scenes were cut from Woody Allen's 'The Purple Rose of Cairo'? Or that he auditioned for 'Greystoke'? [More]

A 'Trailer Exclusive' of sorts has appeared on Apple's Movie Trailer section. Take a look at a few cool behind-the-scenes shots and, more importantly, PJ on a bicycle! [More]

Ron writes: Bernard Hill will be appearing the weekend of March 5-6-7, 2004 at RingCon... Seattle Airport Hilton. Also appearing will be Jed Brophy, who played several characters, including the orcs Snaga and Sharku in the films. Authors Barbara Hambly, Greg Wright and Robin Hobb will also be on hand to meet and greet. And on Friday night, a special "Mystery Guest" from the film trilogy will appear (to surprise Mr. Hill). [Ringcon.com]

Marianne writes: Movie critic Leonard Maltin offered his Oscar predictions on his show Hot Ticket this weekend. He and his counterpart Joyce Kulhawick offered their takes on who they believe will take home Oscar gold in comparison to who they think should win. [More]

No real surprises here, the ROTK DVD and VHS box set for the theatrical version of ROTK is available on lordoftherings.net. Take a look! [More]

Sideshow/Weta is now offering the Shelob statue for pre-order! The spawn of ancient evil, Shelob is an unholy terror lurking in the caves outside Cirith Ungol. Look closely and you will see a web-bound Frodo lying at her feet! *shudder* [Scrapbook] [Pre-Order Shelob]

Jay writes: I heard an interview with the Special Effects Supervisor Jim Rygiel on NPR's "Tech Nation" last night. He mentioned that the extended DVD would have "over 1 hour" of extra footage! It was a good interview, fairly long, and I would think anybody who wanted to hear it might be able to do so at NPR's website. [More]

theo writes: I got this from a Taiwanese website last month. It seems Return of the King is facing the possibility of a government ban in China because the content is too supersticious(ghosts etc). I do not know if it is accurate but ROTK has not been screned in China yet.

J writes: I'm LOTR fans in Hong Kong. About the rumors that ROTK banned in China, just wanna update you that the it was officially announced that ROTK will nationally release on March 18, 2004.

Phizzler writes: The Return of the King has won the ACE "Eddie" award for a feature film drama. This award recognizes achievement in film editing. [More]

jasmine writes: The total sales of the ROTK pre-order tickets was 16,272, it has broken the record of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" in Japan. [More]

Film critic Roger Ebert weighs in with his guesses on who will take home Oscar this year. Hint: if you're visiting this site, you'll probably like his top 2 picks (though maybe not his accompanying comments). [More]

Ringer Spy Susanne wrote to inform us that ROTK has a number of reviews listed on the Four Word Film Review website. [More]

JRD Fan Carpe_Gimli wrote: Last night the Princess Diaries (the original) was playing on tv, and I walked past as they were giving a sneak peek for the 2004 release of the Princess Diaries 2, and I swore I saw John Rhys-Davies's face, and I watched a little longer, and sure enough, he's there! I did a little research and according to IMDB, JRD will be playing Viscount Mabrey in the movie. [More]

Ringer Spy Hellekin wrote: I thought you might find the following article in today's UK Guardian interesting. In particular John Boorman refers to his own aborted effort to make a LOTR film: "'I'm happy I didn't make it because it would have prevented Peter Jackson from making his magnificent trilogy which couldn't have been done without computers. His is much better than my film would have been.'" [More]

Ringer Spy Phizzler wrote: Just wanted to let you guys know that Return of the King has won the Art Director's Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for A Feature Film: Period or Fantasy Film.  This guild also awarded The Two Towers last year. [More]
 

Ringer Spy Berengaria wrote: Greetings!  I saw a nice interview with Peter Jackson this morning on CBS News Sunday Morning, quite by accident.  They were even showing some of the films he did as a little boy on the family movie camera [...] Below is a link to the print version of the story on the CBS site, sadly you won't be able to see the home movies. [More]

Many of you wrote to inform us that a Tolkien allusion snuck its way into Doonesbury today. [Cartoon website] [More]

Cast Watch: Ringer Spy Bob Walters wrote that Sean Astin will also be on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday, February 18. [More]

Aelfwine writes: Sean Astin and Sir Ian McKellen will be on Larry King Live tonight. [Transcript]

Sideshow/Weta is invading the New York Toy Fair! They've been kind enough to give us a first look at some of the product they will be showcasing. Chief among them is the Shelob statue! They have also sent us a picture of the Haradhrim Soldier which has been pre-order for a few weeks. Check them out! [Scrapbook] [Pre-Order Haradhrim]

We've posted articles before (notably Quickbeam's here) about how Sam is the real hero of LOTR. Now to present the opposing view from Juliet Waldron, objecting to how Frodo's been 'downsized' to less than Tolkien's hero in the films. [More]

Selena writes: The March 2004 issue of Vanity Fair features this article about Peter Jackson. [More]

As if hobbits didn't have enough excitement this year, now they are planning to take over New Orleans during Mardi Gras! Elijah Wood and Dominic Monaghan, stars from the hit movie "The Lord of the Rings," will be throwing "precious" things to the crowds as part of the 147th celebration of Fat Tuesday in New Orleans. [More]

For fans of "The Lord of the Rings," Peter Jackson's blockbuster three-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic, it looks like just what they've been longing to see: a trailer for a forthcoming movie version of "The Hobbit," the book that introduces many of the characters in the "Rings" series. [More]

Peter Jackson will be in the latest issue of Rolling Stone Magazine (with Beyonce Knowles on the cover). Anyone with a scanner send it along!

LOS ANGELES - On Feb. 29, Billy Crystal will read wisecracks from a script in front of millions of Oscar telecast viewers while wearing a tuxedo on the Kodak Theatre stage. On Wednesday morning, he was improvising jokes in the theater lobby, wearing a sweater and faded jeans, playing to about 200 co-workers at the first major production meeting for the 76th annual Academy Awards. [More]

By any measure, "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy" is an astonishing success, the stuff box-office dreams are made of. And for fans, it has fantastic creatures, stunning special effects and bold heroes caught up in an epic battle between good and evil. [More]

From: Oscars.org: The Scientific and Technical Academy Awards will be presented on February 14, 2004, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Pasadena. Scientific and Technical Awards are given for devices, methods, formulas, discoveries or inventions of special and outstanding value to the arts and sciences of motion pictures that also have a proven history of use in the motion picture industry. To Stephen Regelous for the design and development of Massive, the autonomous agent animation system used for the battle sequences in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Massive takes a new approach in simulating behaviors of large numbers of computer generated extras (a.k.a.) "agents." Each "agent" contains a primitive software "brain" used to develop behavioral rules simulating a wide range of behaviors. In "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy,over 200,000 agents were controlled in several scenes.

BBC News Online assesses what impact Sunday's Baftas may have on Oscar voting in two weeks' time. When the prestigious best film Bafta is handed out in London on Sunday evening, US Academy members will be watching with their usual interest. But to what degree, if any, will the choice have an impact on their own decision two weeks later? [More]

Carissa writes: In the February 23rd issue of People Magazine on page 31 with Drew Barrymore on the cover, there is a short interview with Fran Walsh and Annie Lennox called Sound Off. They talk about the inspiration for the song, working together, and why audiences connect to the saga.

Anyone with a scanner, send it along!

Here are your questions answered by Lord of the Rings star Billy Boyd. Jordan Stewart, Birmingham: "Was Pippin the only character you auditioned for and which other character would you have liked to play instead?" [More]

If you've ever watched the Oscars at home (or while stuffing your face with party food as I've done the past two years) you can remember a small, rather dull segment where they mention 'scientific & technical awards given our earlier in the month'. Well today is that day, and it is certainly NOT going to be dull for the creators of MASSIVE, the computer technology that helped create hundreds of thousands of little tiny men in LOTR. The team behind MASSIVE is up for an award or two tonight at an dinner presented at The Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel in Pasadena. Good luck! [More]

The latest newsletter is ready to go! Do you want to receive our free weekly newsletter? Packed with tons of info to keep you up to date on the latest? Plus filled with exclusives from time to time! Join the crowd of over 20 300 mailing list members! Sign up now! [More]

Ringer Spy Achariya wrote: Filmstew has an article up about Bill Tondreau, who is "accepting an Oscar this weekend for his technical contribution to Lord of the Rings and countless other iconic movies." [More]

Ringer Spy Vintage wrote: If anyone's still in need of Valentines for the kids' school (or if you want to give them to your favorite elf or hobbit) there's a wonderful LOTR Valentine collection at The Crumpet Shop. Copy them off on photo-paper, clip them out, and enjoy. (Links submitted with permission from The Crumpet Shop.) [ROTK Series] [TTT Series] [FOTR Series]

Ringer Spy Matt writes: I don't know if you guys saw this yet or not. It's the last RoTK poster with Sam carrying Frodo. Just ordered it. Woo-hoo! [More]

Ringer Spy Cary informs us that ROTK has garnered eleven Golden Shmoes. What the heck are these? "'The Golden Schmoes' are the awards given out to winners of the JoBlo.com Movie Awards, an awards presentation which has the categories chosen by you, the movie fans..." [More]

Ringer Spy DiveTwin also sent us a link to a New York Times article (syndicated in the Alameda Times-Star) about the sticky issues surrounding a film version of The Hobbit. [More]

Ringer Spy DiveTwin writes: USA Today's Oscar Index has been updated - and says "With wins from more than 10 critics groups, Rings has accumulated more points than any film in the history of the Index, now in its fourth year." [More]

Ringer Spy Rebbeca sent us this link to a Hollywood Reporter article entitled "Can 'King' score bring Shore to Oscar dance?" [More]

Ringer Spy Julie writes: Sean Astin was on "Washington's 104" this morning. You can listen to the phone interview at their website (real player): [More]

Ringer Spy Brian sent us the following information: ROTK picked up ten Saturn nominations, and TTT was nominated for best special edition DVD. [More] Hollywood Reporter article here: [More]

ROTK was nominated in the following categories:

Best Fanatasy Film
Best Actor (Elijah Wood and Viggo Mortensen)
Best Supporting Actor (Sean Astin, Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis)
Best Supporting Actress (Miranda Otto)
Best Director
Best writing
Best Music
Best Costume
Best Makeup
Best FX

The focus of thehalloffire for the next months will be JRR Tolkiens 'The Hobbit'. But before starting with the book we will take a closer look at the events prior to the Unexpected Party at Bag End. How did the most succesfull business enterprise of the Third Age get started? What were the motivations of the founders of Thorin & Company? We shall begin with Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield running into one another on the Road to Bree. A chance-meeting as we say in Middle-earth.[More]

Ringer Spy (and renown One Ring Circus performer) Wyvern attended the P.E.E.R.S. Return of the King Ball on February 7th. She's written up a report with excellent photos of even more excellent costumes. [More]

Zoe writes: It looks like ROTK won "Film of the Year" award from the UK magazine, NME. Billy Boyd accepted the award. "Ahead of anticipated Oscar glory, 'Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King' was NME Film Of The Year. Billy Boyd, the Hobbit hero Pippin in the movie, picked up the gong from Sadie Frost." [More]

LONDON — The seafaring epic "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" won three awards, including best film, from the London Film Critics' Circle. But the group's 100 critics gave no awards Wednesday night to another major Oscar contender, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," the final installment in the trilogy, which had been nominated for best film and best director. [More]

Pippin's Scarf writes: NPR will be doing its annual analysis of the Oscar-nominated film scores on Weekend Edition Sunday. The series will air on Feb 22 & 29. No word on which date the ROTK score will be discussed. They split the scores up and spend about 5-10 minutes per score and discuss relevant themes, etc. Critic Andy Trudeau picks his favorite and his prediction for the win. In 2002, he picked FOTR as both.

(Burbank, California-AP) -- From "Lord of the Rings" to lord of the slots. Sean Astin has a guest spot coming up on NBC's "Las Vegas." He'll play a guy who wins a huge jackpot at a slot machine. Then, he grabs his money and fakes his own death before his greedy wife finds out about the winnings. The episode airs March first.

John Howe's exhibit, 'The Lord of the Rings: From Imagination to Image' will be closing this weekend in Paris. Follow the link for more information if you want to catch it before it's gone! [More]

UPDATE:Several people have written in telling me that the show has actually been extended until Feb 29th. So there you go!

Jenny writes: Apparently Orlando Bloom is the 12th most influential person on British culture! The full list will be revealed on BBC Three on Thursday evening at 2100 GMT. [More]

Merzouga writes: Peter Jackson was on a public radio program called 'The Treatment' today on KCRW in LA. Here is the link to listening to the show. [More]

Elijah Wood has said he is determined to avoid the Mark Hamill route when it comes to charting his post-Lord of the Rings film career course. Translation: No 'Corvette Summer' for the artist formerly known as Frodo. But unlike the onetime Luke Skywalker, an unknown when cast in 1977's Star Wars who fell victim to typecasting, the hero hobbit, 23, built a solid résumé (The Ice Storm, Deep Impact) before his Tolkien odyssey and may avoid the curse of the blockbuster. [More]

Hired for a relative pittance to toil for at least four years in three movies, the cast of The Lord of the Rings can't afford to turn down free advice. USA TODAY's Susan Wloszczyna asked Hollywood columnist Anne Thompson, E! Online celeb dirt-digger Ted Casablanca, Teen People's Laura Morgan and Adam Sternbergh of fametracker.com for career tips. [More]

Jo writes: Tiny, tiny bit of useless info from Skansens Zoo in Stockholm. The otters Majken and Samson has had a little baby and the tiny, tiny two month old otter has been named Gollum. The zoo director says since it was born last year when all the new babies in the zoo had names beginning with G and the baby looked a bit unshapely and disturbing he thought it was a good name. There's been mentions of rings mysteriously disapearing near the otterhome but it has not been linked to Gollum, yet.

bethany writes: Brad Dourif will be in Orlando, FL for MegaCon 2004, March 5-7th at the Orange County Convention Center. [More]

The demand for the offical TORn t-shirts far out-paced our production. In one day we sold through our entire stock! We are still selling the shirts but the time to receive your shirt might be a little longer. Thanks for your patience! And look for the 'Don't make me get my Ring' shirt to be announced next week! [Shirts]