This amazing paper sculpture is by Deviantartist FarTooManyIdeas who created this piece just from the images in the trailers for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. It is a fantastic likeness of the dragon Smaug who is hunting for a tiny Bilbo who managed to escape the book’s pages. Click this link for more closeups of this stellar art. (Britta)
ArrantPedantry has posted a comprehensive article on the pronunciation of “Smaug.” Referencing the Appendices of The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien’s own letters, author Jonathon Owen concludes that the correct pronunciation is—nope, I’m going to make you read the article to find out! If you’re annoyed at the constant debate about the dragon’s name, this article should be a jumping off point for more discussion and debate. (Lily Milos)
On January 28, The Mason Library in Michigan will host an event called “Hobbit History.” Starting at 6:00 p.m., you can join the library’s resident Hobbit expert who will answer questions and explore the lore of hobbits. You needn’t have read the book or watched the movies to attend! (Lily Milos)
We’re looking for the rightful owner of the suspected stolen ring, already had to turn this man away: pic.twitter.com/2pC3rAx6Af
— Solihull Police (@SolihullPolice) January 13, 2014
Even police officers have a sense of humor. In their quest to find the owner of a stolen ring, the Twitter account for the Solihull Police tweeted this picture. The real missing ring more closely resembles Galadriel’s ring than Sauron’s, and police are asking for the rightful owner to step forward so they may return their “precious.” (Lily Milos)
In the January 2014 edition of DuJour magazine, Evangeline Lilly talks about fame and people’s reactions to her character in The Hobbit. She doesn’t seem bothered, saying, “There are a lot of forums online where fans are furious. They’re venting that anger and expressing themselves, and I just feel like, more power to you – get out there and express your opinions.” (Britta)
In another great interview by Art of VFX, we get an inside look at the visual effects of the Hobbit films through Eric Saindon, Weta’s Visual Effects Supervisor who is nominated for an Academy Award with The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug‘s visual effects team. (Evie Bowman)
We were anticipating the “How It Should Have Ended” treatment of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and we weren’t disappointed. It’s worth watching if only to see Radagast finally wipe that bird poop out of his hair. As always with HISHE, make sure to stick around through the credits. (Lily Milos)
Every week, our Middle-earth News reporters seek out Tolkien/Hobbit/LOTR goodness and tag their finds with their names. If you have something to contribute, please submit it using the Got News Precious link at the bottom of the page.
