HobbitShop.com is having a Grand Opening Sale! In addition to Hobbit T-shirts, bookmarks, and action figures, serious fans can get one of these two panoramic posters (the character poster goes up to over 12 feet!) (Lily Milos)
An elven cloak, along with the accompanying elven brooch, from The Lord of the Rings films is up for bidding on TradeMe.co.nz. Director Peter Jackson has signed the cloak in two places, and it was donated by Stansborough, the company that created the woolen cloth for this and many other costume pieces for the films. All funds raised will go to UNICEF’s work in the Sahel Food Crisis. (Evie Bowman)
Sir Ian McKellen is often recognized by fans of The Lord of the Rings when he goes into London on the Tube, and he enjoys the chance to connect with his audience. He told Reader’s Digest, “I remember a friend in Hollywood, just before Lord of the Rings, saying, ‘You know your life is going to change forever.’ It has, but entirely beneficially. I’m a rather shy person, but now, because people connect me with Gandalf, that gives me a sense of security.” (Evie Bowman)
Barnes and Noble has compiled a list of Tolkien related “chat up lines” in preparation for the upcoming release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Please, don’t try any of these at home. (Evie Bowman)
Etsy shop RefrigeratorProse offers this set of Hobbit word magnets in a unique Middle-earth font. Take an adventure with Bilbo Baggins and the dwarves with this Hobbit magnet set. The Hobbit magnets will be a perfect addition to your Lord of the Rings set as well! (Lily Milos)
Mark Hadlow, who plays Dori in The Hobbit films, will perform a play written by six local schoolgirls to raise funds for ChildFund New Zealand. Hadlow was also one of the judges who picked “Mary’s Christmas Yarn,” saying, “I was immediately convinced that these girls had the drive and creativity to handle this project, and it’s a credit to them that they’ve had the confidence to see it through to this level of production.” The performance is December 3rd at St Matthew-in-the-City, and tickets are available through Ticket Direct. (Evie Bowman)
Linen woven by Scalpay Linen in Scotland has been sent to New Zealand to create costumes for The Hobbit film trilogy. “The linen we supplied is grey and white speckles – a lighter fabric than our usual,” said weaver Sheila Roderick. “The makers may have dyed or otherwise coloured the cloth, but we will definitely be looking hard to see if we can spot it when the film is released.” (Evie Bowman)
If you aren’t lucky enough to get your hands on the Hobbit commemorative stamps being printed by the New Zealand Post, you could always mail your letters with this Thorin stamp from Zazzle. (Lily Milos)
Tourism operator Reg Turner said he will continue to use a reference to The Hobbit films on his website to promote his lodge in the Aorere Valley in New Zealand. “The film company just rented a bit of land here to make a movie. We own the land,” he said. “Taxpayers’ money has been used to subsidise all these concessions given to Warner [Bros]. I’m a taxpayer. What do I get? How can a film company start dictating to our citizens how they can handle their product?” (Evie Bowman)
Continuing their partnership, Warner Bros. and IMAX have committed to releasing up to 20 of the studio’s films to the giant screens over the next three years. Middle-earth lovers can expect to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug to be released to IMAX screens on December 13, 2013.
A Tolkien scholar known as Ligandil has compiled translations of the famous “Ring Verse” from The Lord of the Rings in 55 different languages, including Gaelic, Arabic, Chinese, and Hebrew. (Middle-earth News Contributor Tolkien Britta)
Enjoy this amazing re-enactment of The Lord of the Rings and remember, “One Does Not Simple Trot Into Mare-dor.” (Middle-earth News Contributor Bandoras)
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, feel free to submit it using the Got News Precious link in the sidebar.
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