Ringer Unawen writes: Alan Lee at a private reception hosted by the Misty Mountain Smial, Denver chapter of the JRR Tolkien Society. Alan was gracious and granted us 90 minutes of his time prior to a booksigning at the Tattered Cover bookstore for the Lord of the Rings sketchbook. Pat (Altaira on TORN) set this up and kudos are definitely in order! We had a great time at the reception and at the booksigning, lots of "oohs and aahs" from the audience. He was very nice to all of us. [More]

The show has an exclusive nine-month run in Toronto Rehearsals began this month for the hotly anticipated The Lord of the Rings musical, scheduled to open in Toronto in March 2006. Based on JRR Tolkien's fantasy trilogy, it has taken four years to bring it to the stage and promises to be a theatrical extravaganza of unparalleled ambition. A three-hour epic, peopled with hobbits, elves and Black Riders, it will feature a 65-strong cast of actors, musicians and dancers, and at C$27m (Ł13m) is reported to be the most expensive musical ever staged. [More]

Vicki writes: "Greatest Ever Movies" show seeks Lord of the Rings fan to talk about "Fellowship of the Ring" which has been voted number 1 as the British publics all time favourite Blockbuster film. We are looking for someone who has a LOR costume and someone who can speak a few words of Elvish. If you are interested email me at vicki.kisner@diverse.tv

Readers are reminded that Alan Lee, the acclaimed LOTR illustrator and Academy Award-winning conceptual designer for the film trilogy, will join us in the Hall of Fire (on the TORn IRC server) on Saturday November 5 at 6pm EST for a live question and answer session. Alan will be answering questions on his work illustrating Lord of the Rings, his involvement with Peter Jackson and WETA as a conceptual designer for the Lord of the Rings film Trilogy and his new book The Lord of the Rings sketchbook. [More]

Meghan, Online Community Manager for The Lord of the Rings Online writes: At long last, the team is unveiling one of their game systems. It's been wondered, asked, and endlessly discussed; how can we work an MMORPG class system into Tolkien's world, in which magic classes are clearly limited and magic itself is quite subtle? Answer: The Morale System. Chris "Hakai" Clay explains how pondering one of the major themes in Tolkien's work, that of Hope, led to the creation of the Morale system. [More]

Meet Alan Lee tonight in Murray, UT at 'Borders Books' (132 E. Winchester). Alan will be signing copies of his latest book 'The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook' starting at 7pm. Alan is also keeping a travel blog of his book tour exclusively with TORN right here! [Alan Lee Travel Blog]

A BIG thank you to JPB for setting up the Blog for Alan's book tour, you did a great job!!

More tour dates and locations are available here. [More]

Readers are reminded that Alan Lee, the acclaimed LOTR illustrator and Academy Award-winning conceptual designer for the film trilogy, will join us in the Hall of Fire (on the TORn IRC server) on Saturday November 5 at 6pm EST for a live question and answer session.

Alan will be answering questions on his work illustrating Lord of the Rings, his involvement with Peter Jackson and WETA as a conceptual designer for the Lord of the Rings film Trilogy and his new book The Lord of the Rings sketchbook. [More]

After the third great battle between the elves and Morgoth (Dagor Aglareb), Beleriand settled into a watchful peace and the elves -- both Sindar and Noldorin -- established the boundaries of their kingdoms. This is all recorded in Of Beleriand and its Realms -- the 14th chapter of the Silmarillion.

We wonder, though, who is telling the tale? From what era? Could it be a Sindar elf, a Noldor lord? Or even a hobbit, perhaps? [More]

Alan Lee writes: Another day, another beautiful city. I’m met by my Texan guide –Kristen Holland – and given a tour of some of the outskirts of the city before checking in at the hotel. I like the place immediately. There is the sense of a quieter pace, an appreciation of lifes pleasures as well as evidence of a lot of cultural activity – music in particular. Yes .. I could settle down here – but I’ll leave a final decision until after I’ve had breakfast. [More]

If you haven't heard about Lost™, you're either been living under a rock or are planewrecked on a desert island. The ground-breaking show – that started with the most expensive TV pilot in history and then got more interesting – has become essential water-cooler conversation in the US and, since its arrivals on these shores, here too. Empire are giving you the chance to win your very own Lost™ weekend, with two nights in a twin / double room at the Watergate Bay Hotel near Newquay, full breakfast and dinner included and the chance to try a beginner's course in mountain-boarding (other extreme sports, such as waveskiing, are available for a fee). We also have Lost beach towels for 20 runners up, and fifty Lost car stickers. [More]

Lynnette writes: Dr. Thomas Shippey will talk about "Wisdom and the Wise in The Lord of the Rings" at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL, at 7:00 p.m. on November 9. The presentation is open to the public, so come early for a good seat! This presentation is part of the Honors Program Distinguished Speakers series. Dr. Shippey also will chat with students in the Honors seminar, who have been studying both Tolkien's master work and Peter Jackson's adaptation. For more information about Dr. Shippey's presentation, please call 386-226-6650. For more information about the Honors seminar about LotR, contact Dr. Porter, porterly@erau.edu.

Garfeimao writes: Billy Boyd has just signed on to appear at The One Ring Celebration (ORC) in Pasadena, CA. on January 20-22, 2006. Since he had to cancel out at the last moment from ELF, due to filming commitments, this should make up for that loss. Billy will be joining John Noble, Sean Astin and Charles Ross, and yes, there are numerous others still in the works, so stay tuned. We feel that we will be bringing you an even better show than last year, but you will have to wait a little longer to find out why!

Click here to book tickets!

Meet Alan Lee tonight in Denver, CO at 'Tattered Cover' (1628 16th Street). Alan will be signing copies of his latest book 'The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook' starting at 7:30pm. Alan is also keeping a travel blog of his book tour exclusively with TORN right here! [Alan Lee Travel Blog]

A BIG thank you to JPB for setting up the Blog for Alan's book tour, you did a great job!!

More tour dates and locations are available here. [More]

The battle for Middle-earth comes to the PSP, and we take on the forces of evil in this preview. The epic battle over the fate of Middle-earth has been waged across many a venue in the video game realm, and now the fight comes to the PSP in the form of Lord of the Rings: Tactics. Covering the events of the entire trilogy, this turn-based strategy game brings back all the familiar faces and places for some tactical action. We ran through both the single-player and multiplayer games to see how the old enemies duke it out in the small-screen realm. [More]

Pre-Order 'PSP The Lord of the Rings: Tactics' for the Sony PSP on Amaon.com today!

The Lord of the Rings film trilogy got some of the credit for helping lure world tennis No 10 Nadia Petrova to January's ASB Classic in Auckland. The Russian was announced today as the first big name player signing for the $US140,000 ($NZ200,630) women's tournament from January 2-7. "I think you should be very thankful for the Lord of the Rings," Petrova said. "I didn't know anything about the country. The Lord of the Rings really influenced my decision. "I have seen the movie and really want to see the country now." [More]

A series of three documentaries connecting Peter Jackson's film trilogy of The Lord Of The Rings to environmental challenges facing New Zealand will be launched today. The three films, called The Middle-earth Connection, are directed and produced by Auckland film-maker David Jacobs, and focus on forests, agriculture and cities. Jacobs has used clips from Jackson's films as a frame of reference. "The author of the Rings, J R R Tolkien, was an environmentalist and there are clear environmental values in the Rings," he told NZPA. "The books promote what we would nowadays call sustainability. [More]

Lilia writes: I am so glad I live in Atlanta. Last night’s meet up with Alan Lee was so much fun! It was fun to think that my experience with meet up’s and getting to know other Ringers began with the Atlanta Moot back in June 2004 when I met Alan Lee for the first time. I arrived two hours early due to my astronomy lab getting out early and had a clear way all the way downtown. So I just hung around till about 5:45 when Shuya arrived. We both already had our books, so we didn’t need to get them. About 6:15 we took our seats in a little area they had set up for Mr. Lee to do his presentation. [More]

Rebekah writes: Join us for a costume party with Alan Lee at the University Bookstore, October 31st! Come dressed in your hobbity finest for a grand time with Alan Lee, compliments of the University Bookstore and the Northwest Tolkien Society! The celebration begins at 7pm with games, a costume contest, food, & prizes! What better way to spend a halloween evening than in the company of one of the greatest illustrators of our time? [washington.edu] or [nwtolkiensociety.org]

Meet Alan Lee tonight in Austin, TX at 'BookPeople' (603 N. Lamar). Alan will be signing copies of his latest book 'The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook' starting at 7pm. Alan is also keeping a travel blog of his book tour exclusively with TORN right here! [Alan Lee Travel Blog]

A BIG thank you to JPB for setting up the Blog for Alan's book tour, you did a great job!!

More tour dates and locations are available here. [More]

'Lost', featuring Dominic Monaghan, is on ABC tonight at 9PM EST. [abc.go.com]

Garfeimao writes: Ok, since most of the TORN staff were in PA for Calisuri's wedding, those on the East Coast missed Alan Lee's NYC appearance and I was the only one who made it to the signing in Philadelphia. The signing was sponsored by Joseph Fox bookshop, but was held at the Friend's Select school in the auditorium there. The acoustics were nice, so when the Q&A session began, it was easy to hear most people's questions. [More]

Alan Lee writes: What a lovely city! Fine buildings; sculptures and murals everywhere. Friendly people .. I was given lunch, and a show and tell of their artwork, by a group of art majors at the Friends Select School. Then delivered my presentation in the school hall, ably assisted by Ann Deeley-Mattes, who I’d met on visit to the city last December. She is one of the succession of people who’ll be ferrying me around all the various stops on this trip. The school is beautiful – quiet and relaxed, and you get the sense that the pupils appreciate it and are making the most of their time there. [More]

A lecture series on the work of author J.R.R. Tolkien begins today at the University of Notre Dame. Ralph Wood, a professor of theology and literature at Baylor University, will speak at 7:30 p.m. today in Room 138 DeBartolo Hall on the topic: "J.R.R. Tolkien: A Catholic Writer for Our Uncatholic Age." Tolkien wrote "The Hobbit" and the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. The series is titled "Valor, Fellowship and Sacrifice: Tolkien's Catholic Myth." [More]

Bruce from coolshite.net writes: Thanks for posting on TheOneRing and KongisKing websites about the podcast with Richard Taylor. We do have a few more coming over the next couple of weeks with Richard, I'll throw you an email when they are up. I have just posted another one you might be interested in with John Rhys-Davies, he talks about Lord of the Rings and other bits and pieces. [More]

totalfilm.com has compiled a list of the 100 greatest films of all time. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy ranks in at number 9, between 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'His Girl Friday'. [More]

Meet Alan Lee tonight in Atlanta, GA at 'Chapter 11' (Peachtree Battle Shopping Center). Alan will be signing copies of his latest book 'The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook' starting at 7pm. Alan is also keeping a travel blog of his book tour exclusively with TORN right here! [Alan Lee Travel Blog]

More tour dates and locations are available here. [More]

A repeat episode of 'The Late Late Show' with Dominic Monaghan will air tonight at 12:35AM...if you missed it the first time, it is new to you!

Liv Tyler talks exclusively to Vinita Bharadwaj while in Dubai to launch a new perfume. Having just read an essay by American writer Joseph Epstein that mocked the modern-day trend of celebritydom, I was secretly worried about meeting Liv Tyler. What if she embodied all that is negative about celebrities? What if she didn’t want to answer anything personal, as one of the PR persons had indicated? [More]

Meet Alan Lee tonight in Philadelphia, PA at 'Friends Select School' (1651 Benjamin Franklin Parkway). Alan will be signing copies of his latest book 'The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook' starting at 7pm. Alan is also keeping a travel blog of his book tour exclusively with TORN right here! [Alan Lee Travel Blog]

More tour dates and locations are available here. [More]

A group of LOTR fans have come up with another great book "for and by the fans" and it's generating good reviews.

"Lembas for the Soul, the new LOTR Fans’ Anthology, is now available to pre-order!

The much-anticipated collection of The Lord of the Rings fans' true experiences will be released December 1, 2005. Ringers from all over the world have shared their Lord of the Rings experiences with editor Catherine Kohman. Deeply-felt tales of newly forged friendship, courage and inspiration, joy and loss fill the pages. [More]

LONDON - Tomorrow morning, The Lord of the Rings, the biggest production in Canadian theatrical history, starts full rehearsals at a downtown Toronto warehouse. But if you don't hear any noise from the 55 cast members, it's probably because they'll be holding their collective breaths in anticipation. And it's also likely that the most anxious one of all will be the relatively unknown 26-year-old actor who'll be playing the wide-eyed hobbit, Frodo. [More]

Alan Lee has updated his travel blog! Take a look at his latest entry here! Breakfasted with Megan Wilson from Houghton Mifflin - the organizer of this two week tour of the US - and John Tedeschi of theonering.net. It was a pleasure seeing them both again, and renewing my aquaintance with a good American breakfast - ham and eggs (over easy) - before heading off to Houghton Mifflin’s New York office to sign copies of the Sketchbook... [More]

Bruce writes: Just a quick note that Richard Taylors talk from Friday Preview Night at Supanova is now out. [More]

Today is a very special day for one of the founding members of TORN (and KongisKing, and TheOneLion and EVERYTHING else you see us do online!). Chris 'Calisuri' Pirrotta is getting married today!! Many TORN staffers are attending the event, as we have become more than partners or friends..we are all family. Congrats Cali!!!

Coxhm writes: Sydney's Supanova Pop Culture Convention was on the 15-17th October. Richard Taylor and John Rhys Davies were there to represent Lord of the Rings and WETA. Richard was his normal chatty, friendly informative self. He indulges the Ringers present but also talked about King Kong and Narnia. [More]

Meet Alan Lee today in New York, NY at 'Books of Wonder' (18 West 18th Street). Alan will be signing copies of his latest book 'The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook' from Noon to 2pm. Alan is also keeping a travel blog of his book tour exclusively with TORN right here! [Alan Lee Travel Blog]

More tour dates and locations are available here. [More]