Helmets off to Michael Noer at Forbes. He has written a tremendously funny and intelligent piece for Forbes as part of its “Fictional 15” look at fictionally rich characters, including everybody’s favorite worm of Middle-earth. He walks us through Smaug’s net worth:

We know from the novel that Smaug’s wealth comes down to three primary components, the mound of silver and gold that he sleeps on, the diamonds and other precious gemstones encrusted in his underbelly, and the “Arkenstone of Thrain,” which is depicted as something like the Hope Diamond on steroids.

Smaug The Unassessably Wealthy and 14 other fictional characters can be found here whiile the bit focusing on Tolkien’s creation can be found right here. Can two films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” (featuring Smaug) earn a sum equal to a dragon’s hoard? Enjoy and discuss!

Exclusive to The Hollywood Reporter:

Gollum Actor Andy Serkis to Serve as Second Unit Director on ‘The Hobbit’ (Exclusive)

“There is really a sense of Peter [Jackson] wanting people around him who totally understand the material and the work ethic,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter.

Andy Serkis, who played the iconic Gollum in Peter Jackson’sThe Lord of the Rings, is taking on a new role in The Hobbit 1 and 2. In addition to reprising his role as the tragic creature, Serkis also has been tapped by Jackson to serve as second unit director on the two films, which are now in production in New Zealand.

“I think I understand Peter’s sensibility and we have a common history of understanding Middle Earth,” Serkis told The Hollywood Reporter. “A lot of the crew from The Lord of the Rings was returning to work on The Hobbit. There is really  a sense of Peter wanting people around him who totally understand the material and the work ethic.” [Full Release] (Thanks to Ringer Kookie for the heads up!)

 

Thanks to everyone who sent this in. Stephen Colbert and James Franco have a Tolkien-geek-off (on the April 5th Colbert Report, minutes 19:45 – 21:00). Colbert wins. Take a look! More..

On our message boards, there was a note posted from Doug Adams’ official blog regarding Howard Shore and his future work on The Hobbit soundtrack. [Located here]

Doug Adams:

“Howard had his first extensive Hobbit conference with PJ last night. Incredibly exciting to see that ball beginning to roll . . .”

I know I found this to be very exciting news, more so than I could have anticipated. I’m sure I’m not the only fan of the films who considers the soundtracks to be one of the main points of enjoyment. And with the new films coming, we not only get to return to Middle-earth, but we get to re-enter that beautifully aural landscape as well. This got me thinking about what musical themes will carry over from the previous music, and what new themes we have to look forward to. Not being a musician at all, this is just an informal rundown, me thinking out loud, of what I hope to hear from the future The Hobbit score. (Please note, if you are unfamiliar with the story of The Hobbit, then this summary will contain spoilers)

Continue reading “Let the Music Begin – Thoughts on The Hobbit Score”

Today is the last day to pre-order your 2011 Spring Collection of T-shirts from TheOneRing.net. There are two designs in this collection: ‘TheOneRing.net Lousy T-Shirt 2011’ and ‘Mirkwood Pest Control – No Spider too Large!’  Reservations end today and we expect to start shipping on April 25th 2011. Reservations for your specific size and style are only $5 per shirt and most shirts are only $20. Proceeds from the sale of these shirts will go to our server costs, so Thank You in advance for helping keep TheOneRing.net online! If you don’t make today’s deadline, we will be doing another batch of shirts soon, so check back often! [TheOneRing.net T-Shirt Pre-Order]

 

Tolkien biographer Joseph Pearce and artist Jef Murray have collaborated on a new EWTN TV special on J.R.R. Tolkien that will be broadcast this week!. The production will include dozens of Jef’s illustrations of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, and it will focus on the Catholicity of Tolkien’s magnum opus. Air dates for the show, which should be accessible worldwide over EWTN and online, are Wednesday, April 6 at 10pm EST, Friday, April 8 at 1pm EST, and Saturday, April 9 at 5am EST. For more information, see the EWTN website . [Click here]