I’m not too sure where this comes from, but the video originated here on YouTube. It shows the original scripted ending with Aragorn at the Black Gate, fighting Sauron. This was in the original screenplay I received back in 1999-2000. It was conceived, story boarded, shot and edited and it almost made the final cut. However in the end Sauron was edited out and a CGI cave troll was added in. This was either done to keep in line with the books or for some other unknown reason. Take a look at what would have been!

Thanks to Alientraveller for this one: Game of Thrones, HBO’s adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s first book in his bestselling series, premieres April 17. From Ladyhawke to Raiders of the Lost Ark to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Martin curates his list of all-time favorites…Fans of the books should also read “10 Secrets of HBO’s Game of Thrones,” to find out about casting direwolves, forging the Iron Throne, creating the Dothraki language, and many other behind-the-scenes details.

1. Fellowship of the Ring/ The Two Towers/ Return of the King: “I suppose I could list these as my Top 3, but they are really one long movie (very long if you watch the extended cuts with their extra footage, which are my preferred versions) just as the Tolkien “trilogy” was actually one long novel sliced into three parts by publisher fiat…” More..

Lord of the Rings fans will see a small LOTR reunion when the May 6th season finale of  FOX’s FRINGE hits the airwaves. Actor John Noble (Denethor) has been one of the highlights of the sci-fi series, winning critical praise for his unique and always captivating role as Dr. Walter Bishop. According to TVLine.com, joining the cast for the season finale is actor Brad Dourif, who played Grima Wormtongue in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Mr. Dourif will play Moreau, a brand new character for the series. Follow the link to for the exclusive report from TVLine. [Read More] (Thanks to Ringer Irfon for the heads up!)

Gimli may not be in The Hobbit, but we all know his father, Gloin, will be playing a big part! Continuing their series of The Lord of the Rings statues, Sideshow Collectibles has just starting taking pre-orders for both the exclusive and regular editions of Gimli, son of Gloin. The exclusive edition is limited to 500 pieces and features an additional ‘felled Orc’ base at no extra cost over the regular. The exclusive is only available for purchase through the SideshowCollectibles.com website. And from what we can tell, they still have quite a few other The Lord of the Rings items available to ship today, including the Aragorn as Strider Exclusive statue!  [Pre-Order Exclusive] [Regular Edition] [LOTR Items]

Troika writes: Just a heads up that the St.Louis Symphony Orchestra will be performing the score to Fellowship of the Ring live to the film this coming April 1st, 2nd & 3rd. The very exciting news is that numerous original props from the Trilogy (over 30 items, from Frodo’s sword Sting to a complete Ringwraith costume, pretty much stuff from every major character) will be on display as well.

I’ve been collecting original props from the films since 2002 and as far as I know, this is the only collection of it’s kind outside of the Wingnut/Weta Archive. This will be the first, and most likely only time the collection will be on display. More information on the show and tickets can be found here.

Check out WBShop.com today for an exclusive offer when you pre-order The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Blu-Ray! Besides the set itself, you will also exclusively get a set of stunning 5″x7″ character portraits with your purchase, and save 10% on all official Lord of the Rings merchandise. This special offer ends on June 27th 2011, so act today!  [WBShop.com]