Volume 90/Issue 5

[caras_galadhon]

Volume 90/Issue 5

Circulation: One thousand and forty-seven. Welcome all!

Note from the Mods: Please encourage friends on your friends list to join and send their news. If you have an announcement you would like to make, a fic you'd like to promote, a question you'd like to ask, we invite you to simply format it according to the rules on the info page and email it to middle_earth_news@yahoo.com. You do not have to be a member to post but we are an open community and encourage everyone to join now. Only the mods may initiate new posts but comments are encouraged.

MEDIA NEWS:

• From TheOneRing.net:

~TV Watch: Bret McKenzie Is An Oscar Nom AND Tolkien Elf!
Bret McKenzie is a young man, and his bucket list is almost complete. [More]

~Wellington Movie Tour Video
Ever wanted to know what a Wellington Movie tour is like? Check out this episode on German TV, the story on Lord-of-the-Rings and Hobbit fans starts around 10:50. Treetop Media and their team followed a group of die-hard-fans to several film locations and the WETA Cave. They also filmed the Hobbit casting in Wellington, which caused major traffic jams on the motorways. Produced by www.treetopmedia.co.nz [More]

~NUREMBERG 2012: Now Ravensburger signs The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings
Warner Bros. Consumer Products has partnered with Ravensburger, for the upcoming films, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again, productions of New Line Cinema and MGM, as well as The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Under the terms of the agreement, Ravensburger has the rights to produce 2D and 3D puzzles and card games based on the two films being directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, with product on shelves in time for the December 2012 film release and for The Hobbit: There and Back Again that will follow in December 2013.

The licence also covers The Lord of the Rings trilogy -- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. [More]

~Billy Connolly Joins The Hobbit Cast! Official Release
Los Angeles, CA--February 8, 2012--Billy Connolly is joining the cast of Peter Jackson's highly anticipated film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic "The Hobbit." The announcement was made today by Jackson, who directed all three "The Lord of the Rings" films and is currently in production on "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" and "The Hobbit: There and Back Again," with the films shooting back-to-back in New Zealand.

In the films, Connolly ("The Last Samurai," "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events") will play Dain Ironfoot, a great dwarf warrior and cousin of Thorin Oakenshield. Peter Jackson welcomed the news of Connolly to Middle-earth: "We could not think of a more fitting actor to play Dain Ironfoot, the staunchest and toughest of Dwarves, than Billy Connelly, the Big Yin himself. With Billy stepping into this role, the cast of "The Hobbit" is now complete. We can't wait to see him on the Battlefield!" [More]

~Local News Coverage -- Casting Update
Check out these two video clips from local coverage of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit casting Billy Connolly as Dain Ironfoot, cousin of Thorin Oakenshield. His character is set to appear in both movies and this casting announcement completes the official cast. [Complete Cast] [Hobbit Section] [TVOne] [More]

~Why Dain and Connolly is good news for 'Hobbit' fans
The release and news arrived yesterday that Billy Connolly will play Dain II Ironfoot in the two forthcoming Hobbit movies, directed by Peter Jackson, and with that, all the pieces of the films are in place.

Here in the underground labyrinth that serves as TORn's offices (with doors leading to L.A., Atlanta, Kenosha and Wellington among other places) a big sigh of relief could audibly heard. Dain II Ironfoot will be included; a talented actor, somebody who already looks like a Middle-earth dwarf, and is a skilled performer will be handling the role. Awesome.

We have full confidence in Connolly -- who is best known for his comedy -- in what might be inspired casting. His credibility comes from small, dramatic roles (The Last Samurai) which he handles just fine but more from independent films, playing larger parts and lead roles, giving him a lot of experience in front of the camera. General audiences may only think of comedy (and there may be plenty of that in The Hobbit anyway) but they should recognize his considerable talent.

Much more central the sigh of relief was the clarity that the Dain character is in. The complete absence of this important dwarven hero from news or casting announcement was a genuine concern among those trying to piece everything together. It was a glaring omission. [More]

COMMUNITY NEWS:

Note from the Mods: We would like to invite the moderators of other fandom communities to become 'reporters' or 'scouts' for middleearthnews. All we ask is that you send us formatted updates on your own communities for posting here.

• tolkien_weekly (drabbles) updates:

Finding purchase & Gift economy/Debt (Gondorian OCs, Haradrim OCs; Teen) by dwimordene_2011

A Sunlit Absence (A woman in Rohan; G) by wormwood_7

• sons_of_gondor updates from co-mod., caras_galadhon:
Friday, Feb. 3 through Friday, Feb. 10 inclusive.

Icons! by housejackbuilt1
(Aragorn, Boromir, Gandalf, Balrog, Frodo, Merry, Pippin, Bilbo, Sam, Legolas, Gollum, Nazgul, Smeagol, Eowyn, Gimli; No Rating; [28] Lord of The Rings Icons, [03] Aragorn, [01] Boromir.)

Intentions (Part 9) by rubyelf
(Aragorn/Boromir, Faramir/Legolas, Arwen, Eomer, Hobbits, Elves; NC-17; Arguments and smut occur. Nothing else happens. But there's smut.)

Crescent by alex_quine
(Aragorn/Boromir; R; Boromir is caught between past and present.)

The Horseman by bluegerl
(Boromir, Aragorn; No Rating; Drabble.)

somewhere a clock is ticking by evocates
(Sean Bean/Viggo Mortensen; R; Nineteen-eighties, London. Sean meets a particular American in a club, and they ended up spending one-and-a-half days together before Viggo has to return to his own country. It's just a single weekend, isn't it? What difference can it make?)

A Missed Step by alex_quine
(Aragorn/Boromir; G; Boromir realizes that he should confess.)

The Kindly River by bluegerl
(Boromir; G; Drabble.)

While these are the LotR FPF and RPF fics/art that have been posted to sons_of_gondor this week, the mods would like to remind everyone that the comm also carries other FPF/RPF featuring the Gondorian actors in non-LotR roles.

CHALLENGES/WORKSHOPS/AWARDS:

Your friendly middleearthnews mods are constantly on the lookout for all things LotR-related, from fics to fandom events, comics to current news. Make them happy by emailing them at middle_earth_news@yahoo.com.

FIC/ART NEWS:

• Posted at Faerie:

The final two chapters of Left Behind! by curiouswombat
Chapter Five - One Of These Bodies Is Not Like The Others... and Final Chapter - Homecoming.
(Rumil/Tindómë [OFC - originally Dawn from Buffy the Vampire Slayer]; Adult; What was the role of the Ithilien Elves during the first Haradic War of King Elessar's reign?)

DISCUSSIONS OF INTEREST:

• From TheOneRing.net:

~Arwen's Scorn
The death of Aragorn is one of my favorite scenes and the one scene that is guaranteed to cause my eyes to well up with tears no matter how often I read it. Even so, it's always struck me as odd that it takes Aragorn's death for Arwen to turn her scorn to pity. After all, she just spent the last 600+ years living without her mother, and 120 without her father. At no point in that time did she stop and think, "Wow, losing a loved one really sucks. Maybe Men aren't such jerks after all"?

CLASSIFIED:

Your friendly middleearthnews mods are constantly on the lookout for all things LotR-related, from fics to fandom events, comics to current news. Make them happy by emailing them at middle_earth_news@yahoo.com.

RESEARCH AIDS:

• From estelanui:

~How Hobbit-Obsessed are You?
Quiz, created by Tinuviel.

TRIVIA:

• Wednesday's MOVIE question: How many members of the Fellowship carry bows?

Answer: Two: Aragorn and Legolas.

namarielorien, lindahoyland and frolijahfan all answered correctly.

More next week!

SEND MATHOMS:

• HAPPY BIRTHDAY, rakshi!

The mods would like to wish anyone having a special day the very best. Please send your special wishes to middle_earth_news@yahoo.com.

COMICS:
(Link contributions are welcome)

• From grimnir1:


That's it for this edition. Please send your formatted post for Monday's edition by 8:00 a.m. Monday (Eastern time) to middle_earth_news@yahoo.com. Thanks for joining us and tell your friends!