smaug tv spotAnother night, another Desolation of Smaug TV Spot! This latest sneak peek offers a closer glimpse at Bilbo and the dragon Smaug – as well as a new shot of Gandalf and previously unseen battle footage. The video is up on Warner Brother’s YouTube page in HD, and we’ve got it available for your viewing right Continue reading “The Desolation of Smaug TV Spot #7 is up!”

 

The Yiddish Hobbit Cover“In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit.”

One of the great joys of these words is that they are available in so many different languages, as are the countless sentences that follow. They are accessible to so many different cultures and nationalities. Now, for the very first time, Professor Tolkien’s brilliant classic “The Hobbit” is available in the official Yiddish translation, approved by the Tolkien Estate – through Harvard Book Store. Continue reading “Journey There and Back Again with the Official Yiddish Translation of ‘The Hobbit’”

HobbitDOSMirkwoodGaolKeyc2Last night Weta Workshop released two more prop replica items from The Hobbit Trilogy. The first is an item I have personally been looking forward to getting since the films were announced. The escape from Thranduil’s halls is one of the best parts of the book and this item plays a pivotal role in that escape. Fans can now own their own replica of The Mirkwood Gaol Key that Bilbo uses to rescue the Dwarves. As we all know the Dwarves were given seven rings of power and one of these rings went to Thoror who was the King of the Longbeards. Thanks to the craftsmen at Weta you can now bring home this ring of power. Collectors can snag The Mirkwood Gaol Key for $29.99 and Thror’s Ring of Power for $174.99

desolation of smaug poster As the live feed of the ‘Desolation of Smaug’ Fan Event ended, those of us who were lucky enough to be in a theater were treated to five extended scenes from the upcoming movie that totalled approximately 20 minutes of never-before-seen footage. And what we saw was truly spellbinding!

The theater-exclusive material began with a full music video for the new closing credits song, ‘I See Fire’. It was quite a good song, but it doesn’t quite capture the magic of, say, ‘May It Be’ or ‘Into the West’, but few songs can. It’s a folk/pop ballad about Thorin’s determination to win back Erebor at any cost. Continue reading “All the spoilery details from the 20 minutes of previously unseen footage screened at The Desolation of Smaug Fan Event”