1285-subscribers-coverItching for a little bit more of The Desolation of Smaug ahead of its December release? These new stills from the film have been up for a couple of days at EW – but in case you missed them, here they are for your viewing pleasure.

There are several new images of our beloved main characters, as well as many new ones joining the cast for the first time – including Bard (with his son Bain in tow), Thranduil, Tauriel, and some very fearsome looking Gundaband Orcs. Continue reading “New Desolation of Smaug photos from Entertainment Weekly!”

Desolation  of Smaug soundtrack special edition Ringer Simon gives us a quick heads-up that Entertainment Weekly have 30-second samples of all 29 tunes from the special edition of the soundtrack for The Desolation of Smaug.

Howard Shore’s soundtrack is due for release on December 10, and you can pre-order the Special Edition on Amazon here, or the standard release here. My verdict: they sound great but the clips are too short! Continue reading “Listen to 30-second sneak previews of all 29 tracks on The Desolation of Smaug soundtrack”

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEYA difficult time on the set of Bag End – or rather a duplicate green screen version – left Sir Ian McKellen to consider that perhaps he would rather not continue on with the shooting of The Hobbit Trilogy. However, what soon followed reacquainted him with the joy he had come to experience during his previous journey to Middle-earth. It was a reaffirmation that even with the massive scale of the production, and all the complicated technology used to craft these cinematic stories – at the end of the day, there was a family dynamic at work on this journey, as there so often has been on Peter Jackson’s many films.

For those who have not yet heard this tale on the Extended Edition release of An Unexpected Journey, it goes a bit like this (bring the kleenex). Director Peter Jackson and his crew had developed a new technique on this trilogy for showing the actors in different sizes. While the proportions for actor Martin Freeman and the dwarf actors worked well enough for them to act in the same room, Sir Ian was required to be in a completely different area for his part of the scenes. Continue reading “Hobbit Family Bands Together to Help McKellen Through Greenscreen Difficulties”

Penkridge Tolkien - Oct 2013 032_smallerFor a time in 1918, a cottage at Gypsy Green on the Teddesley Park Estate was home to J.R.R. Tolkien and his family, when the young officer was posted in Staffordshire. Now, nearly 100 years later, a local library is celebrating the area’s ties to the renowned author.

Hobbit Festival Family Fun Day will be held this Saturday, November 16, 2013 in Penkridge, Staffordshire, UK from 10 A.M. until 4 P.M at Penkridge Library. Admission for the event is free, along with many fun activities. Only face painting will cost a small charge. Continue reading “Celebrate ‘Hobbit Festival Family Fun Day’ in the (Stafford) Shire!”