Volume 95/Issue 3

This is empy posting in caras_galadhon's stead as she gets some well-deserved rest. Hitching a ride on Gwaihir's back is more tiring than you might think, particularly when crossing oceans!

SDCC is coming, what’s a Hobbit to do at comic con 2012?
There is just one week until Comic Con 2012 starts with Preview Night on Wednesday, July 11. But aside from the TORn panel and WB’s panel for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, you may be wondering what else there is for a Hobbit fan to do. The Official SDCC website has put up schedules for panels, autograph sessions, films and portfolio reviews (aspiring artists, please take note). So here is your handy, dandy TORn guide to all things Hobbit and Lord of the Rings related at comic con this year (after the break)
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Collecting The Precious – Weta Workshop Barad-Dur Update
The Folks at Weta Workshop via their Facebook page Weta Workshop delivered a great teaser image of the upcoming environment Barad-Dur: Fortress of Sauron. This sure-to-be-amazing collectible will be unveiled to the world at Comic-Con in just a little less than a week’s time. Until then Weta is allowing fans to follow the process in bringing this collectible to the market place with a series of articles entitled Overcoming the Fear: Barad-Dur-Fortress of Sauron. Stay tuned to TORn as we bring you all the pictures, video, and information on what will be a must have for any The Lord of the Rings fan.

Discovering The Hobbit app, now updated!
If you haven’t already found it, then you’re missing a treat if you have a mobile device and haven’t yet got hold of our very own TORn resource, ‘The Hobbit News App!’

We’ve been working hard behind the scenes the last month to continue it’s development and the most recent release is now in the App stores (the Apple App Store and the Android Market – or Google Play, as they now call it!).

So, what’s in the App?
Developer, and staff member Fizzit has the overview.
DAILY NEWS
Stuff happens almost every day with the Hobbit Movie, and the App tracks all of it, showing all the updating Daily News items from the OneRing.Net website.

The Today in Middle-earth Calendar is fun, and keeps track of relevant dates in Middle-earth as they come.
[Read more]

Collecting The Precious – The Bridge Direct’s ‘The Hobbit’ Bilbo Baggins Comic-Con exclusive giveaway!
Today, only on TORn we’re pleased to introduce collectors to The Bridge Directs The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey exclusive figure for this years San Diego Comic-Con. The figure will be of the character Bilbo Baggins himself! This version of the loveable Hobbit will be in his “invisible” state while wearing The One Ring. As you can see Bilbo comes in a great looking display box with what appears to be a scene from Gollum’s cave. This 6? figure will be available at the Gentle Giant Booth #3513 and Entertainment Earth Booth #2343 for $25 all while limited to just 3,000 pieces world wide. We here at TORn are also pleased to announce that because of the awesomeness of The Bridge Direct we will be giving away not ONE but TWO of these figures. Starting today and running through the end of Comic-Con on July 15th at midnight PST. Send your entries to my email Elessar@theonering.net to get yourself in the running. Please include your name and shipping info in the email in case you are one of the lucky, random winners. As the subject of the email put: The Bridge Direct’s Hobbit Contest

The official press release after the break: [Read more]

Per PJ: It’s a wrap!
Peter Jackson posted the following message on his facebook page a little while ago: “We made it! Shoot day 266 and the end of principal photography on The Hobbit. Thanks to our fantastic cast and crew for getting us this far, and to all of you for your support! Next stop, the cutting room. Oh, and Comic Con! Cheers, Peter J.”

As if our fingernails weren’t already bitten to the quick, now we start the long wait until the editing, soundtrack, etc. come together and the lights go down in theaters on December 14. Luckily, as PJ said, we have Comic-Con to look forward to, as well as new trailers and previews (please!), more production diaries (please! please!), the big premier in Wellington and all the publicity leading up to it. Be sure and stay tuned here at TORn for all the latest!

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:
A Recipe For Disaster (Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir, Celebrian; rated K) by littlemouseno

* From oeam:
Night Moves (4/7) (Viggo/Ian; rated NC17) by nverland

* From libraryofmoria:
Play Dead 14/? - Haldir, I've got a feeling we're not in Rivendell anymore. (rated M) by azzy & erestorjunkie

* sons_of_gondor updates from co-mod., caras_galadhon:
Friday, June 29 through Thursday, July 5 inclusive.
Evil never sleeps (Boromir & Theodred; rated G) by peersrogue

The current challenge at tolkien_weekly is Writing: Poem or Poetry

From zhie:
NEW FANDOM AWARDS
A new awards to recognize exceptional fan works in the Tolkien Fandom (fan fiction, fan art, essays, etc.) is in the works! If you are interested in adding your input or would like to volunteer, head over to tolkienawards or contact zhie for more information.

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.

* Via the TORn forums: Reading Room:
What is the moral of the story in The Hobbit?
First of all, does it have a moral? Maybe not, but likely so. Tolkien was a teacher and a thinker, and he gave up on a sequel to LotR because it was turning into a "mere thriller." So it is unlikely that The Hobbit was a mere thriller.

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Via lotrips_finders:
wickedblackbird is looking for a particular fic:
There was a story I had read years (really, years) ago, and cannot for the life of me find it again.

The story took place after the events of LotR, and a fair portion of he beginning was told in flashbacks from various characters' third-person perspectives (including Faramir, Aragorn and Gimli, I think) of Legolas' death. He had sacrificed himself to save the world from some evil, and there was mention of him having gone blind. There was rather more to it than that, though at the time it was an unfinished work. Does this sound at all familiar to anyone?

From estelanui:
The Wise Old Man
Gandalf as Archetype in The Lord of the Rings. An essay by Jason Clarke

Wednesday's MOVIE question: How many sides does the deep well in Balin's tomb have?
Answer: Eight.

frolijahfan answered correctly.

More next week!

All comments are screened so that only the mods can see the answers. Comments will be unscreened when the next edition is posted. Any comments on a different subject will be unscreened ASAP.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, etoile_du_soir AND soultoad AND HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY, aspenjules AND half_elf_lost! Enjoy your weekend!

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.

(Link contributions are welcome)

From Set Phasers to LOL:
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