The-Hobbit-Poster-2 A new survey shows New Zealanders are divided on whether the Government’s subsidy to ensure the Hobbit was made in the country was value for money.

A UMR Online Omnibus Survey asked 1,000 New Zealanders aged over 18 whether they thought the subsidy was worthwhile. A narrow margin 42% to 38% thought it did represent value for money, with men, older New Zealanders and those on higher incomes more likely to be in favour. Continue reading “Kiwis divided over value for money from Hobbit films”

Bonhams 1793 _ TOLKIEN (J.R.R.) The Hobbit or There and Back Again... Illustrated by the Author, FIRST EDITION, second impression, dust-jacket, 1937If you are a collector of unique and distinctive Tolkien memorabilia, including signed letters and first editions, you’ll want to pay attention to Bonham’s of London auction taking place on March 19th 2013. The four lots available are:

Book – TOLKIEN (J.R.R.) The Hobbit or There and Back Again… Illustrated by the Author, FIRST EDITION, second impression, dust-jacket, 1937 [Auction]

Letter – LEWIS (C.S.) Autograph letter signed (“C.S. Lewis”), to Father Dominic, concerning the success of ‘Lord of the Rings’ [Auction]

Letter – TOLKIEN (J.R.R.) Autograph Letter signed, 1971 [Auction]

Letter – TOLKIEN (J.R.R.) Typed letter signed, 1972 [Auction]

We’d like to thank the owner of the last lot for alerting us to these auctions! If you happen take home any of these amazing items, send us a note about it to spymaster@theonering.net!

[Auctions]

Dominic Monaghan in Wild-Things Dominic Monaghan’s Wild Things will be screening on ABC2 tonight in Australia at 7.30pm. If you’re not sure what it’s all about:

Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan is a travel-adventure show that explores some of the most remote corners of the globe. This documentary series follows actor Dominic Monaghan (Lost, Lord of the Rings) as he searches for the biggest, baddest and weirdest insects on the planet.

[ABC Synopsis] | [SMH preview]

A cool new infographic for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has just become available. This one details each of the key characters from the film, along with a succinct line that gives an insight into the personality of each character.

Still, I must nitpick. Galadriel is not “the oldest of all the Elves in Middle-earth”. At the time of the Third Age, the oldest of the Eldar still in Middle-earth (that we know of), is the Telerin elf, and Lord of the Grey Havens, Cirdan the Shipwright. And we do see Cirdan briefly in the film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings — initially in the prologue sequence where the Three Rings are distributed by Celebrimbor (see here) and then at the end of The Return of the King when he greets the departing Frodo, Gandalf and co as they take ship for Valinor (see that one here). So Cirdan the Shipwright certainly exists in the movie universe.

You can read a little about speculation about the age of Cirdan in this old Greenbooks post by Staffer Turgon. Basically, Cirdan undertook The Great Journey (but stayed in Middle-earth); Galadriel was born in Valinor after the Vanyar, Noldor and some of the Telerin elves finished The Great Journey and reached Aman. Ergo Cirdan is the older of the two.

Anyway, arguments over canon aside, this is cool. Enjoy!

Continue reading “The Hobbit: new ‘company of characters’ info-graphic!”

The Hobbit an Unexpected JourneyJust a gentle reminder that as of yesterday, you are now able to download a digital copy of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey from  iTunes, Xbox, PlayStation, Amazon, Vudu and CinemaNow. both iTunes and Amazon. Woo! And remember,  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to be available on Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack and 2-disc DVD Special Edition on 3/19. If you are like me, you’ll end up owning both a digital version and a physical version. One simply cannot get enough Middle-earth! Enjoy! [Amazon.com] [iTunes] [Vudu] [Xbox] [CinemaNow]

Hob_DVDContestToday, our friends at The Bridge Direct have a special contest to celebrate The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’s release on Blu-Ray and DVD on March 19. The contest, which runs through to March 26 at midnight PST has a fantastic grand prize pack plus six additional prizes for the runners-up.

So, what’s the grand prize? One Blu-ray™ Combo Pack with UltraViolet™* or HD Digital Download, Comic-Con 2012 Exclusive Bilbo, 1 Hero Pack, and 1 Beast pack. Consolation winners receive one of six Blu-ray™ Combo Pack with UltraViolet™* or HD Digital Download.

Enter the contest by following this link: The Bridge Direct The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Blu-Ray Contest