LOS ANGELES, January 3 — LearnOutLoud.com, an online resource for audio and video educational products, presents the J. R. R. Tolkien Audio Resource Page (http://www.learnoutloud.com/tolkien). This web page is a one-stop portal for every audio book by the author. Included are multiple audio book editions of the books in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King). In addition, other popular Tolkien titles such as The Hobbit and The Silmarillion are featured. “J. R. R. Tolkien has produced such an amazing body of literature and we wanted to do our best to highlight the titles that are available in audio format,” said LearnOutLoud.com CEO and Founder Jon Bischke. “We’ve searched high and low to find 60 titles including multiple versions of The Lord of the Rings titles. It’s a great way to experience his work.” [More]

TORONTO — With rare exceptions, producers like to keep the media as far away from their rehearsals as possible. And the higher the stakes, the greater the level of secrecy. That conventional wisdom was turned upside down Dec. 12 when Kevin Wallace invited 150 journalists to watch six scenes from the upcoming stage version of “The Lord of the Rings,” which begins previews Feb. 2 at the Princess of Wales Theater prior to a March 23 opening. “It was essentially to get the core message out that we know what we’re doing here and that this creative team we’ve gathered together has truly found the way to bring Tolkien to the stage,” is how Wallace explained his unconventional action. What made this especially daring was the fact that “Lord of the Rings” is a show that relies heavily on a spectacular physical production. With a C$27 million ($23.4 million) budget, a cast of 55 and a 40-ton set that consists of three interconnected turntables with 17 lifts, not to mention numerous special effects, it took courage to offer up the work under fluorescent lights with the cast in sweatpants and T-shirts. [More]

Happy Birthday JRR Tolkien
114 years ago today, the late great Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born. On behalf of your fans around the world, male and female, young and old, we raise our mugs and toast your spirit, your life, and your great good works.