The first screening of ROTK has already sold out at the country’s largest cinema screen, the Mega-Screen, at SKYCITY Metro, Queen Street. So they decided to open up more cinema screens for the opening midnight sessions to accommodate demand. [More] Thanks to Scoop.co. nz for that. BTW If you want to join the same lineparty I’ll be at for the trilogy marathon there’s still tix to the EEs on the 17th. [More on the Auckland Line Party]

If you’ve been wondering what’s spoilers lurk on Topps Return of the King trading cards series, wonder no more. There’s a huge bunch of spoilers in this lot. Scans courtesy of Ringer Spy BeastyBunny. [More] !!!Major Spoilers!!!

Scoop.co.nz has a gallery of great images from different angles of the Fell Beast coiled on the Embassy theatre and at Reading Cinemas. [More]

When we posted a request for fans to send in a picture of themselves and their Smeagol statue (from the The Two Towers Extended Edition DVD Gift Set), we didn’t realize we would have such a HUGE response! Here is the first series of images in the ‘Show us Your Gollum’ Gallery. [Gallery]

Random_Hobbit writes: A while back you posted info about a ROTK screening in Palm Springs, CA with special guest Andrew Lesnie. The KCET’s site now says that Sir Ian McKellen will also be there. Just spreading the info! [More]

At the core of the story in The Lord of the Rings are the cultures that make up Middle-earth: Hobbits, Dwarves, Humans, Elves, Wizards, Trolls, Ents, Orcs, Ringwraiths and Uruk-Hai. Each culture has its own rich way of life, its own customs, myths, ways of dress and even style of fighting. Each is fully developed in The Lord of the Rings, creating the essence of a living, breathing world just beyond our own history. [More]