Where do Tolkien fans gather on Tuesdays for the hottest live chat “call-in” show covering all things Hobbity? Join the fun with TORn Tuesdays LIVE with Quickbeam! Be part of our live streaming show with Cliff discussing (A) the newest HOBBIT set pics, (B) external shooting near Marlborough, (C) upcoming 10-year anniversary of the LOTR Film Trilogy (D) exciting news from the LOTR: WAR IN THE NORTH video game & much more! As always talk with folks in Barliman’s chat room LIVE and we can even bring you in via Skype. Check out the broadcast in our LIVE Event section right here every week: 5:00pm Pacific Daylight Time! [LIVE Event Area] (See All Times)

The latest episode of the BBC2’s “Planet Word” has Stephen Fry, cast in the role of the Master of Laketown, speaking with Peter Jackson about Tolkien’s use of languages in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Roads go ever, ever on, under cloud and under star,
Yet feet that wandering have gone, return at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen, and horror in halls of stone,
Look at last on meadows green, and trees and hills they long have known.

Stephen Fry’s recital of Tolkien’s poem sets the tone for his little discussion with PJ in a most apt setting – the Bag End set down in New Zealand, where filming for the upcoming Hobbit films is currently on in full swing.

Folks in the UK can watch the stream via bbc.co.uk, while those located internationally can catch a snippet over on YouTube (4:17 into the video).

A transcript is also up on our message boards courtesy of board member QuackingTroll.

Middle-Earth appears to be returning to the Wakatipu if construction in a remote valley is anything to go by. A three-storey wooden set and smaller structure are being built on private land beyond Glenorchy, 66km from Queenstown.

Security staff guarding the gate are turning away tourists and telling them the road does not give access to the nearby unsignposted Paradise estate. Continue reading “Hobbits Could Be Coming Soon!”

Film crews are now at Matamata’s Hobbiton film set as location shooting on Peter Jackson’s two-part fantasy epic The Hobbit begins in earnest – and the movie’s stars might not be far away.

One of two convoys laden with film gear arrived in Matamata’s Buckland Rd at the weekend, while the other headed to Queenstown from Sir Peter’s Miramar studios.

While production company 3 Foot 7 retains a tighter grip on information than Gollum on a certain ring, one nearby resident who declined to be named said the convoy started arriving on Saturday afternoon. Continue reading “Hobbit journey starts in Matamata”

Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past week. If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights. Or if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions. Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join in the fun!
Continue reading “TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – October 24 2011”

Hobbit fans, it looks like we’ve got us a convoy – a couple of them, in fact. Two convoys, each of about 200 vehicles, will leave today from Sir Peter Jackson’s Stone Street Studios in Miramar to transport vital gear for location filming. The New Zealand Transport Agency said it had been made aware that one fleet of 200 vehicles, mainly smaller trucks with caravans, but also some bigger trucks, would head to Hamilton for location shooting at Hobbiton in Matamata. The other convoy is off to Queenstown. It is possible to shoot at different locations at the same time because there are two Hobbit production units, one led by Sir Peter and the other by Andy Serkis. Hobbit publicist Melissa Booth declined to comment about the production going on the road. More..