Sauron by Sideshow

March 29, 2013

The Dark Lord Sauron from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film trilogy arrives, joining the Tolkien-inspired collection from Sideshow. He’s built at an incredible 1:4 scale, holds his massive mase and is cloaked in a real fabric cake. His design is based on the films, where he was crafted by Jerry Van der Stelt, and he looks absolutely incredible as he stands on the bones of his enemies.

If you’re a fan of the collection, the films or the book, you need to get your hands on this one. It’s a 3-foot treasure sure to inspire awe in any onlooker.

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Peter Jackson wows crowd with ‘Hobbit’ Movie Preview at San Diego Comic-Con 2012

July 16, 2012

The Hobbit at the Comic Con 2012

Peter Jackson brought about 12-minutes of footage from his upcoming “Hobbit” movie to an enthusiastic crowd at Comic-Con on July 14. The crowd gave the footage a standing ovation.  I will let the trailer speak on its own.

Here is the official text from the movie studio of:

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens in theaters December 14th, 2012.

Cast: Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Cate Blanchett, Stephen Fry, Aidan Turner, Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Evangeline Lilly, Bret McKenzie, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch and Barry Humphries

“The Hobbit” follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.

Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever.

Gollum.

Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities

A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

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Peter Jackson Debuts The Hobbit Footage

April 24, 2012

The Hobbit Movie

Article by Carolyn Giardina, The Hollywood Reporter

Warner Bros. showed 10 minutes of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey clips in 3D at 48 frames per second (fps)—after director Peter Jackson said in a videotaped message that he hopes his movie can be played in 48fps in “as many cinemas as possible” when it opens on Dec. 14.

The Hobbit—the first major motion picture to be made at the high frame rate of 48fps–closed the Warner Bros. slate presentation on Tuesday at CinemaCon.

Frame rate refers to the number of images displayed by a projector within one second. The cinema standard has been 24 fps for many decades. Jackson explained that in the early days of film, silent pictures were shown at an even lower frame rate—reducing the amount of film used—but it was bumped to 24 to support the requirements of sound.

Jackson asserted that with digital, there’s “no reason” to stay with 24, noting higher frame rates can result in smoother, more lifelike pictures while producing fewer motion artifacts.

In his message, Jackson stated that higher frame rates could make cinema “more attractive,” especially in 3D as it is “more gentle on the eyes.” He added that 2D at 48fps also looks “fantastic.”

The clips ranged from action sequences to quieter moments—includng a dialog sequence between Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and Gollum (Andy Serkis). The CinemaCon audience also saw the return of castmembers from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, including Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) and Orlando Bloom (Legolas).

The clarity Jackson described was visible in the presentation, but since the clips were described as “a work in progress” Warner did not screen footage that was fully color-corrected, or featuring completed VFX work.

During CinemaCon, digital cinema equipment manufacturers are on hand talking about plans to support 48fps exhibition.

Between Cinemark and Rave, there are nearly 4,000 screens in North America that have Barco Series 2 projectors with the required software update and a Doremi Integrated Media Block with beta software to make it capable of playing 48fps, Barco vp digital cinema entertainment Patrick Lee told The Hollywood Reporter.

On Tuesday, Sony announced that a software update for its digital cinema projection systems would support 48fps and be available in the Fall. Sony expects the majority of its 13,000 installed 4K digital cinema projectors to support high frame rates by the time The Hobbit is released.

Peter Jackson’s Rings trilogy resulted in an estimated $2.9 billion at the global box office and a total of 17 Academy Awards.

Part two of The Hobbit, titled The Hobbit: There and Back Again, is slated for a Dec. 13 2013 release.

Buy Lord of the Rings Action figures online at www.cmdstore.com

Lord of the Rings figures

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LOTRO – Costume Previews and Old Figures

March 1, 2012

From Kotaku comes a preview of the looks we can expect to see in Lord of the Rings Online. It’s already great to see that the men and women of Middle Earth get equal coverage when it comes to armor rather than the ladies getting metal bras and panties to the men’s full-body get-up. Massive Black is behind the looks.

Of course, with the Hobbit now on its way, we’re making room for the merch that’s sure to come with it. So if you’re looking for what’s left of the great Lord of the Rings figures, then look no further. We’ve got everything right here: Check ‘em out!

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Lord of the Rings Lego Toy Line Coming Soon

February 22, 2012

Lord of the Rings Dwarfs and Hobbit photosLego and Warner Bros. Consumer Products today unveiled images of its construction toys based on Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

The two companies signed a licensing deal late last year to giving Lego full access to the characters and stories and setting to not only the LOTR trilogy but also the two upcoming Peter Jackson adaptations of the J.R.R. Tolkien classics, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again.

The first wave of LOTR toys will start appearing in June with the Hobbit line closer to Unexpected Journey’s December 14 release.

The first line features the heroes of LOTR, ranging from Frodo and Aragorn to Gandalf the Grey and Gimli. Line two, whose images were unveiled today for the first time, features the baddies such as Orc and Ringwraiths…and of course Gollum.

Lord of the Rings Lego

Lord of the Rings Lego click here

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The Hobbit Movie Trailer in HD

February 9, 2012

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever … Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths ofguile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities … A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

Writers: Guillermo del Toro, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, Evangeline Lily, Andy Serkis, Richard Armitage

Lord of the Rings The Hobbit Action Figuresclick here

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Elijah Wood: ‘The Hobbit’ Is Going to Be an ‘Amazing Reunion’

January 24, 2011

Article by Bryan Alexander from The Hollywood Reporter.

For Elijah Wood, shooting Peter Jackson‘s The Hobbit is going to be like a Middle Earth family reunion.

Many of the actors who shot the original Lord of the Rings saga with will be returning to New Zealand for the Hobbit shoot this winter. Wood himself confirmed he was reprising his character Frodo.

“(Ian) McKellen is back, Cate Blanchett is back, Andy Serkis, and Orlando (Bloom),” Wood tells The Hollywood Reporter at the Art of Elysium ‘Heaven’ gala on Saturday evening. “It’s going to be like going back in time.”

As for who else might be joining the cast, Wood insists he doesn’t know. He wouldn’t even say if his Rings onscreen sidekick Sean Astin was coming back. “I haven’t even read the script,” he says.

Wood does know his part will be small and it will be shot in February. Wood’s character Frodo doesn’t officially appear in J.R.R. Tolkien’s book The Hobbit, He did not say how Frodo would be worked into the movie. But Wood assured fans that he only took the part knowing that it would respect the work.

“There only would have been reservation about taking the part if there had been something that had infringed upon the integrity of the original book,” he says. “But that was never going to be the case.”

While the ‘Rings’ reunion is happening, the actor does not believe it will be a repeat session where the main actors opted for bonding tattoos during the filming of the original series.

“This time around, I don’t think so,” says Wood. “But you never know.”

Lord of the Rings The Hobbit

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Two pieces of Hobbit News

November 20, 2009

The One Ring (theonering.net) is a little concerned that Hellboy director Guillermo Del Toro could go kid-oriented when he directs the upcoming Hobbit movies. Personally, I don’t think anyone who’s seen The Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth or even Hellboy 1 or 2 would think Del Toro the type to go that way, so it’s clear TheOneRing is playing this one tongue-in-cheek, but the list it’s come up with is awesome. You can read the whole thing here, but here’s an excerpt…

3. Keep Leonard Nimoy Away From the Soundtrack!
Yes, Nimoy’s version of “Bilbo Baggins” is the greatest music video in history (except perhaps for the DaVinyls “I Touch Myself”). But it’s also exactly the wrong note for the new Hobbit movie.

 

This is exactly the light-hearted silliness that makes The Hobbit fun to read as a child, but hard to sit through in a feature-length film. Unless Nimoy plays Gandalf. No offense to Ian McKellen, but that would be awesome.

 

Naturally, they include this video as a chilling reminder…

And in other Hobbit news, remember those bones that were found a couple years back? Small and humanoid, they were dubbed ‘hobbits’ and had even archaeologists and their ilk scratching their heads. Well, a little bit of the mystery has been solved: They weren’t humans at all! The Mirror explains…

Hobbit-like creatures who lived 18,000 years ago were a lot less like us than we thought, say scientists.

Researchers have decided the 3ft 6ins tall tribe from the Indonesian island of Flores are an unknown sub-species of modern man. Their remains caused a sensation when unveiled five years ago and they were dubbed Hobbits after the elf-like creatures in JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.

Some researchers argued they were modern humans with a disorder called microcephaly accounting for their tiny brains.

But analysis of the most complete skeleton, of a female called Flo, suggests she was a different branch of human. Anthropologist Dr Karen Baab said: “Dwarfing syndromes and microcephaly bear no resemblance to the unique anatomy of Homo Floresiensis.”

It is thought the little folk were wiped out 12,000 years ago by a volcano.

And that’s all, it seems, for real-life Hobbit news and the fantasy Hobbit-news we’ll of course be keeping up on–especially when WETA starts sending out the merch! ‘Til then, we do have a wide selection of Lord of the Rings figures and collectibles still available, which of course feature a couple Hobbit/LOTR crossover characters. Look out for ‘em.

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Middle-Earth Meets New York City!

September 3, 2009

This just in from the organizers behind the New York Comic Con (see our post about this year’s NYCC here): The Lord of the Rings is coming to New York, presented in the form of the first film’s score played live over the movie itself. But that’s not all! What’s even better is that fans are invited to take part in a number of ways outlined below. And maybe the best part of all? There are prizes: props, costumes and replicas will be given away over this 2-day event. If you’re in or near the city, don’t miss it!

On October 9th and 10th, Radio City Music Hall is hosting a concert experience unlike anything you’ve seen or heard — a live performance of the entire score to The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring beneath an immense projection of the film. Previously performed in London and Munich, the concert is now coming to NYC, and the combined effort of over 300 world-class musicians, it’s sure to transform a little bit of Manhattan into Middle Earth. For tickets and future information, please visit theradiocitylotrconcert.com.

And to help celebrate, New York Comic Con is hosting a series of contests and special events in the month leading up to the Radio City concert.

Photo Contest
Look at all that is familiar to you through the lens of Middle Earth, and photograph it. From The Shire and Isengard, to Helm’s Deep, Mordor, and the Eye of Sauron, take photos that are inspired by Lord of The Rings or depict locations or essentials of the story. Be subjective, be creative, and find Middle Earth all around you!

Fan Art Contest
With pen and paper, water color, oils, chalk, inks, or Photoshop, create a piece of art hearkening back to you favorite characters, locations, scenes, elements, or themes of the Lord of The Rings trilogy.

AintItCool.Com Contest
Gandolf the Grey bested the fiery Balrog with an amalgam of magic and ingenuity. How would you do against Balrog? How you fight the monster? In 1,000 words of less, let the good folks at AintItCool.com know! Be creative, be clever, and use proper spelling, and you could win tickets to the concert and more!

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