Well, there is not a lot that the Clerks II trailer has in common with Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings. In fact, the only reason we are mentioning it, is because the only spoken words in the trailer are portions of the Ring verse! [View for Yourself]

Christopher Nightingale doesn’t mind admitting that when he first heard London producer Kevin Wallace discuss plans for a stage musical based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, he thought “it was a really bad idea.” Of course, Nightingale is quick to add that when the notion was first broached three years ago, it was premised on an entirely different theatrical template than the $27-million show that will have its world premiere at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre on March 23 (after six weeks in previews beginning Feb. 2). [More]

Talking Tolkien – A podcast about the Tolkien Society Archives.

Since 1969 the Tolkien Society has been collecting all sorts of items that have been created or inspired by the writings of JRR Tolkien.

In their archives they hold a variety of objects, from paintings by Italian fans to key rings from fast-food chains.

In 2002 Xan Phillips interviewed the Tolkien Society’s archivist Pat Reynolds. Xan was making a two hour radio special which was to air just before the release of ‘The Two Towers’ the second film in Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy.

Thanks to the cinematic triumph of the films the globally perceived images of Frodo and Gollum were to change forever. So how would effect the literature and marketing ephemera surrounding the Professor? – it was an interesting point in ‘Tolkien time’.

The visit to the archives also brought up the opportunity to look at some of the previous items the society had collected, to delve into the history of the books and, of course, talk about Tolkien.

Podcast: Xan Phillips presents
Feature Title: Talking About Tolkien
Running time: 29 minutes
Link: http://www.xan.co.uk/volume_39.php
Web site: http://www.xan.co.uk/

The voting booth is open, and a large number of ballots have already been received! Make sure not to miss your chance to vote for the best of 2005’s Lord of the Rings creative and scholarly writing, and acting. Winners will be announced at the official One Ring Award Ceremony, taking place during the ORC weekend of January 20th-22nd 2006 from The One Ring Celebration in Pasadena CA. Don’t delay, award those people that have made a difference in the world of Tolkien this past year! Please note: Voting closes at midnight tonight!!!! [VOTE]

Toby and Cody McClure write: For the past eight months we’ve been working on an animated fan short called “The Lord of the Rings: The Sons of Elrond” and we would like to inform you that it is available for viewing from our website. As twin brothers, our road was changed forever after seeing the Fellowship of the Ring in theaters Christmas 2001. Since that day the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien have made a tremendous impact on our lives and in everything we do. For all the fans, we hope this short will be at least a small reminder of Middle-earth and the great inspiration it has made in all our lives. [More]

Dominic Monaghan will be on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ tonight (January 9th). He is there to promote the return of new episodes of ‘Lost’ on ABC. Be sure to set those TiVo’s as ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ airs at 12:05AM on ABC.