FredO wrote to let us know that Billy Boyd is rumored to be a guest vocalist at the July 22 & 23 performances of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Lord of the Rings Symphony. There is currently nothing on the PSO website about this.

ShelaghC wrote about Amazon.com‘s 10th Anniversary Bash which will feature behind-the-scenes footage from “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.” [More]

From Dagorhir.com (via Ossiriand Elf): ‘Ragnarok’ is Dagorhir’s famous annual war. For one week each year, the Realms of Dagorhir throughout the country gather for the final glorious battle: Ragnarok! Leave the real world behind and enter a realm of mighty heroes. A realm of the fantastic where warrior maidens and grizzled veterans fight side by side with Elves and Orcs. Ragnarok is a week-long extravaganza of mass melee and fun. Ragnarok is a living, breathing celebration of Tolkien’s works and of the European history that inspired those works. This event draws hundreds of Tolkien and medieval combat enthusiasts from all over the United States. Triumphs and defeats, parades and parties, tournaments and pit fighting, belly dancers, song, friendship, bloody battles and more lead up to the final battle and celebration!” [More]

48 Hours is officially New Zealands largest film competition. Teams have just 48 hours to create an entire short film – this means writing, shooting and editing – or die trying. 48 Hours started in 2003 with 44 teams in Auckland only. The following year it grew to 80 teams in Auckland and 45 teams in Wellington. In 2005, it became a truly national competition with Christchurch and Dunedin joining the chaos. In total 270 teams entered this year! The best short from each city (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin) has been selected and will compete in a live TV National Final on C4 – Sunday June 12 at 9pm – alongside two wildcard entries selected by none other than Peter Jackson! [More]

It’s less than a week until our live Q&A session with LoTR stunt and body-double Kiran Shah. This Saturday, June 18 from 5.30 EDT Kiran will be answering your questions on the TORn IRC server. In Lord Of The Rings, Kiran doubled as – and did stunts for – all four of the main hobbits at one time or another. He worked most closely with Elijah Wood, doubling for Frodo.

So, if you want to get your question to the front of the queue, submit it to us early! [More]

London Film and Comic Con, is being held at Earl’s Court on 25th and 26th June (this month). Billy Boyd fans, in particular, may be interested, since he’s going to be attending. Other celebrity guests include: Val Kilmer, a former Batman to tie in with the release of the new movie; Ron Perlman, star of the recent hit Hellboy; Xander Berkeley and Sarah Clarke, stars of hit drama 24; and Kate Mulgrew, the Captain from Star Trek Voyager. [More]