Step into Alan Lee’s Dartmoor cottage, and it’s a bit like walking into Tolkien’s imaginary world. Alan lives and breathes the work of JRR Tolkien. It’s not just his job…it’s his life. Everywhere, there are paintings, drawings, and sculptures from The Lord of the Rings. On the coffee table, there is even a Lord of the Rings mug, from which the world-renowned artist sips his coffee. Most of the pictures on display are Alan’s own creations. [More]

Pungolo writes: Hey Xoanon! Today I had a good chat with Mr. Alan Lee, who was presenting his new book here in Milan! We spoke mainly about Kong, but he said some interesting things about LOTR too (even if we are going to publish a report of a conference he gave after our interview, in which he showed a lot of interesting material – we’ll send you the photos for TORN). [More]

CHICAGO, Aug. 18 /PRNewswire/ — Fans of the music of Academy Award-winning Howard Shore will have two opportunities to interact with the composer during the Chicago performances of “The Lord of the Rings Symphony: A Symphony in Six Movements” on October 8 and 9 at the Auditorium Theatre. Mr. Shore will host a 45-minute question & answer session prior to each performance from the Auditorium Theatre Stage; the Q&A sessions are only open to patrons holding tickets for those respective nights. Mr. Shore will also host a 90-minute post-show dessert and champagne reception each night immediately following the show. The reception tickets, which are $75.00, are limited to 100 patrons per night and may be purchased by calling (312) 951-0080.

The performances each night begin at 8:00 p.m. Fans wishing to interact with Mr. Shore at the Q&A session may arrive at the Auditorium Theatre at 6:00 p.m.; seating will be general admission. Mr. Shore and Doug Adams, author of the upcoming book The Music of the Lord of the Rings, will take questions from the stage beginning at approximately 6:30pm. Upon conclusion of the Q&A session at 7:15 p.m., patrons will be reseated in their ticketed seat.

The post-show reception will be in the Auditorium Theatre’s 2nd-floor dress circle lobby. Mr. Shore will sign autographs, pose for pictures, and otherwise mingle and interact with attendees. Dessert from Eli’s Cheesecake and champagne are complimentary. Other cocktails and soft drinks are available via a cash bar.

“The Lord of the Rings Symphony: A Symphony in Six Movements” features more than 200 musicians and singers performing music from all three films in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. The presentation will also feature original concept and storyboard artwork from the films by artists Alan Lee and John Howe. Projected images will chronologically align with the music as the story of the hobbits’ journey unfolds. Tickets, which range from $35.00 to $80.00, are on sale now, and may be purchased at the Auditorium Theatre box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, or by calling (312) 902-1500.

“The Lord of the Rings Symphony: A Symphony in Six Movements” is presented by Jam Theatricals.

And while we are on the topic of John Howe and Alan Lee: Ringer Spy Elderhobbit chimed in with the following: John Howe and Alan Lee have been nominated For a World Fantasy Award in professional category for the art work they did for Lord of the Rings. World Fantasy is an international and annual conference of fantasy authors agents and publishers. This year’s World Fantasy Conference is in Tempe Arizona at the end of October with the World Fantasy Awards to be announced on October 31st. [More]