Ramen, Community Relations Specialist for The Lord of the Rings Online writes: On Tuesday, our Screenshot Galleries were updated with the two new shots featured in our latest round of Desktop Calendar Wallpapers. [More]

The POI series continues in this week’s Thursday update with the great halls of Thorin Oakenshield! Read about their appearance in The Lord of the Rings Online, and take a look at the concept art. [More]

Ming writes: I attended the LOTR stage show in Toronto this afternoon, and I regret to say that the Helm’s Deep scene is still error-prone. During the performance I attended, Saruman’s orcs were scaling the walls of Helm’s Deep when, abruptly, they all left the stage (was there some kind of signal, I wonder?) and the raised platforms on the stage descended. I sat for a moment in bewilderness (though I had a very bad feeling about it, pardon the other-movie reference) before the voice of God announced that they were experiencing some “technical difficulties” and that we should remain seated. That announcement was repeated twice before the voice of God decided to have an “unscheduled intermission”.

During this break, I spoke to one of the ushers, who told me that this was the first time this had happened since the show officially opened last Thursday. I said I hoped they wouldn’t skip the scene entirely, and she assured me that they wouldn’t do that.

When we were called back into the theater soon thereafter, the voie of God thanked us for our patience and audaciously said “I’m afraid you will have to take my word” that Gandalf had returned and that, with his aid, the battle of Helm’s Deep had been won by Theoden’s army (I don’t think he even spelled it out so clearly, which must have left Tolkien virgins in a daze — though the confusing Khazad-Dum scene probably already did the job, as would the even more confusing destruction of the Ring).

During the second “scheduled” intermission, I asked to speak to the house manager, from whom I requested a free pass to see another performance of the second act. Unfortunately, he said he didn’t have the authority to grant such a request, and gave me TicketKing’s customer service e-mail address. I will be going back to New York on Saturday morning so if I don’t receive a favorable response by Friday, they’re going to have one very disgruntled hobbit. I have not come all the way to Toronto and spent so much money on an orchestra seat (no trifle for a college student!) to miss what I’ve heard is one of the most spectacular scenes in the show!

Rex Reed from observer.com writes: At the movies, there isn’t much to write home about, but compared with the violence and filth of today’s Hollywood action epics and the creeping deadliness of all the independent productions that look like they were made for $100, a sweet, unpretentious and heartfelt little movie like Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing and Charm School begins to look like a wayward valentine from the dead-letter office, lost in transit and delivered late. [More]

SILVER SPRING, Md., March 29 /PRNewswire/ — Best known for playing “Sam” in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and “Lynn McGill” in “24” Sean Astin has embodied everything from loyalty and bravery to arrogance and redemption. Now, Astin tries to embody two new character traits — small and furry — as he lends his considerable talents to narrate MEERKAT MANOR, Animal Planet’s new 13-part docu-drama that’s All My Children meets Wild Kingdom. With all the love, squabbling, self-sacrifice and rivalry found in any family, a group of Meerkats struggles to survive in Africa’s Kalahari Desert. MEERKAT MANOR premieres Friday, June 9, at 8 PM. [More]

Daily Variety reports Kevin Wallace, one of the producers of the big-budget Lord of the Rings musical that opened at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre March 23, confirmed the show will open in London in 2007. The reviews of Lord of the Rings, which began previews on Feb. 4, have been lukewarm thus far. However, Wallace pointed out to DV, “Our market research during previews indicated the show is scoring strongly with the ordinary man in the street.” When asked about the reviews, Wallace replied, “I knew this would always be a show that would divide people. They’d either love it or reject it and no one would offer a middle-of-the-road response.” [More]