News from the Winnipeg Free Press on the Tolkien Trust’s donation to an inner-city clinic there. It will be able to fund holistic health initiatives over the next five years thanks to a donation from a charitable foundation set up in honour of the late author of the Lord of the Rings. The Tolkien Trust will donate £60,000 (about $93,000 Cdn.) to the Winnipeg Interdisciplinary Student-Run Health (WISH) clinic. [Read More]

The Hobbit movie due to begin filming in Wellington will be made in 3D, industry sources say.

But a spokesman for producer Peter Jackson would not confirm the move, saying it was still only being talked about.

The decision follows the box-office success of three-dimensional films such as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland. It comes after The Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro dropped the hint on a Lord of the Rings fan website earlier this month.

Del Toro said the film’s studio backers were making inquiries about filming the adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit in 3D and discussions had begun.

An industry insider was adamant The Hobbit would be filmed in 3D and Weta Digital – which won an Oscar for its work on Avatar – would be working on the project. Continue reading “Weta Planning On 3-D Hobbit, Says Insider”

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Sideshow Collectibles is continuing their Fantacular 2010 celebration with a special St. Patrick’s Day giveaway. To enter all you have to do is send a St. Patrick’s Day card and you will automatically entered to win their popular Legolas Premium Format Figure. Follow the link to share your St. Patrick’s Day greetings today! [Send a Card] And if you didn’t know, Sideshow is hosting a day long chat with every single department at their website. If the chat’s end up like other ones, you’ll get some news on upcoming products and have great odds in winning free stuff! It doesn’t officially start until 9AM PT Today.  [Sideshow Chat]

Ataahua sent in the tip: But British actor Sir Ian McKellen – best known for his role as Gandalf in the Rings sword and sorcery epic – said on his website that he would reprise the role of the grey-haired wizard and expected shooting to begin this June. More..

We’re pleased to have internationally acclaimed artist Ted Nasmith on the show this weekend! Tune into TheOneRing.net Radio Show on BlogTalkRadio at 2pm Eastern for your chance to chat with Ted and ask him questions about anything from his love of LOTR, to his long history on the Tolkien calendar and more! Be sure to check out our BlogTalkRadio page and set yourself a reminder for this Sunday at 2pm!