april-fools-day_GarfAs many of you might have guessed, there were a couple of stories posted today that were a few facts shy of truthfulness, courtesy of your very tricksy TORn staff on the occasion of April Fools Day. Currently, Warner Bros has no plans to move the release date of “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” to July 2015 or any other date, and no, Peter Jackson has not hired Leonard Nimoy to reprise his “Ballad of Bilbo Baggins” song for the closing credits. We also had a little fun over on the message boards, highlighted by this post by DanielLB. Turns out there were April Fools jokes all over the inter webs today, and even a few with actual advertising, such as the Cheeteau perfume, that smells like Cheetos. None for me, thank you very much. A quick google search should come up with some of the best, but this reporter rather liked the the PBS report on Dolphins shooting rainbows out of their beaks, or Westjet converting to Metric time and giving you a mathematical equation to figure out the time conversion. So if you were scratching your head, wondering if something we said was true or not, rest assured that the two stories mentioned above were not true, but the interview with Luke Evans and the spoiler analysis from Cinemacon were true. And if you would like a walk down memory lane to April Fools past, you can find them on the TORn Mathom-house Wiki.

And for anyone wondering why Garfield the Cat is being used here, the answer lies in my nickname.

PJNimoy It’s confirmed. It is most certainly not Enya. Instead, Leonard Nimoy, the world-famous actor who is perhaps best-known for his portrayal of Mr. Spock in Star Trek, will perform the end credits song for The Hobbit: There and Back Again.

The final film in The Hobbit trilogy might still be more than six months away, however we now know for certain that Nimoy will perform his cult song The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins over the film’s end credits.

This was an April Fool gag, and is not a true story. It is false, and all details have been invented. We hope that everyone enjoyed the joke.

While in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, women (Enya, Emilíana Torrini and Annie Lennox) performed each of the credits songs, Peter Jackson continues to employ male voices for The Hobbit. For An Unexpected Journey, the credits song was sung by Kiwi musician Neil Finn; on The Desolation of Smaug, it was the British singer Ed Sheeran. Now There and Back Again, will feature none other than Nimoy himself performing The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins. Continue reading “Leonard Nimoy confirmed to perform end credits song for The Hobbit: There and Back Again”

uploads_d08fee9f-5517-430c-9698-135855d7b943-the-hobbit-there-and-back-again In shocking news, Warner Bros. today announced that the release of The Hobbit: There And Back Again will be pushed back so the final film of Bilbo Baggins’ adventure can premiere at Comic-Con in July 2015. The new worldwide release date is July 29, 2015.

Premieres during Comic-Con International in San Diego are nothing new. “The 300” premiered in Petco Park a few years ago, heralded by bare-chested Spartans throughout the week-long convention. “Cowboys and Aliens” also held their premiere in San Diego during the convention, with DreamWorks booking an theater complex for the event.

This was an April Fool gag, and is not a true story. It is false, and all details have been invented. We hope that everyone enjoyed the joke.

Early details hint that Jackson and Warner Bros. are planning something on an even-larger scale: a massive week-long Middle-earth-themed carnival of events and activities that turn TABA’s debut into “the largest-ever world premiere of a film”. We’ve also noted that it sets Warner Bros. up for a strong one-two punch at the box office with the release of Pan just two weeks earlier.

Readers will, of course, recall that the date for The Hobbit: There And Back Again has, already been pushed back once from July to December 2014. I think we can all sincerely hope that this is the last shift in date for the film!

The official press release follows:

“The Hobbit: There and Back Again” to be released July 29, 2015 and will premiere at Comic-Con International

Continue reading “The Hobbit: There and Back Again release date pushed back to premiere at Comic-Con in July 2015”

James Nesbitt - BofurThe Jameson Empire Awards 2014 are taking place in London this evening, and folks from The Hobbit cast are there in force!  In fact, the host for the evening is none other than the very charming, smooth talking James Nesbitt.  The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has already taken the award for Best SciFi/Fantasy movie, with Richard Armitage, Adam Brown and Aidan Turner joining Nesbitt on stage to accept the award.

Turner was soon back on the stage to accept the Best Male Newcomer award (which seems odd, as even if we were only thinking of his career in terms of The Hobbit, this is already the second movie… but we’re happy to see any recognition for Hobbit cast members!)  Empire reports that Bofur was also delighted for Kili: ‘”A gorgeous, multitalented Irishman winning an award for The Hobbit. I couldn’t be happier for him,” says Nesbitt sourly. We’re not sure he’s really so curmudgeonly.’

Continue reading “The Desolation of Smaug takes over the Jameson Empire Awards”

DofS blurayBlu-ray.com has posted their review of the 2D Blu-ray release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. High marks are given for both video (4.5 out of 5) and audio quality (5 out of 5) – and we also get a closer glimpse at what bonus features are offered on this Theatrical Blu-ray/DVD edition.

Of particular note is the inclusion of last year’s The Desolation of Smaug Live Event, as well as a collection of trailers for the film (both of which were previously unadvertised for this release). Continue reading “Blu-ray.com reviews ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ 2D Blu-ray release”