A Nuneaton woman has spent thousands of pounds transforming her home into a dead ringer for JRR Tolkien's Middle Earth.

Lynn Pallett, a self-confessed Lord of the Rings nut, is transported to Rivendell, the home of Tolkien's elves, every night thanks to the amazing transformation.

Read the full story here!

Thanks Adele for the news tip! :o)

Film producer Barrie Osborne, whose latest movies, the Lord of the Rings fantasy trilogy, took five years to complete, gave a master class at the Science Centre on Saturday. The Fellowship of the Ring did not just rescue Middle Earth from the dark forces, but also swept up numerous Oscars. One of those behind the magic is Mr Osborne, a film producer for the past 15 years.

"You're telling a story -- you need a good story, a good script. And then you need a cast that are appropriate and can play the role in the script. If you have those elements, you're going to have a great movie," he said......more

Hullo Folks,

I am pleased to announce that we have two brand new artists on display in our Art Gallery today, two artists that have submitted work from completely different ends of the spectrum!

First we have Jeff Glass with his rendition of Gollum and the Ring, and then we have Monique Groleau with her vision of The Lady Galadriel.

Please stop by the gallery and check out these, and all the wonderful artists that have submitted their work for your viewing pleasure. :o)

Thanks to both Jeff and Monique for your submissions!

Three times married Hollywood hunk and Lord of the Rings star Sean Bean is in no rush to find the fourth Mrs Bean - he'd much rather stay single. The rugged star currently in Troy has remained unattached since divorcing his third wife Abigail Cruttenden four years ago.

And after a string of failed marriages, he'd rather enjoy the bachelor life than rush into another relationship.

Bean, 45, says, "There isn't someone special. I'm taking people out but I'm just enjoying myself at the moment."........more

"I'm really excited about doing this production with Shekhar, and also about doing it in India," Osborne said on the sidelines of the International India Film Academy awards festival being held in Singapore......more

A comfortable family home in north Oxford was the inspiration for the best-selling works of JRR Tolkien. Richard Wilcock enters the Hobbit's lair, now up for sale.

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." So begins one of the most famous books of the 20th century, The Hobbit, published in 1937. The description of Bilbo Baggins's burrow is short: "Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole and that means comfort." And so began the author, John Ronald Reuel (JRR) Tolkien, as he read to his three sons, seated on the floor of the study at 20 Northmoor Road, Oxford, at the start of an evening of family entertainment......more

Dvdfanatic.com is hosting a contest to win the Return of the King DVD. You must be at least 13 years of age and a resident of the United States to enter. Contest ends June 3rd. ONLY ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. For more details and a complete list of the DVD's features go here.

Ian McKellen has called Quentin Tarantino's recent remarks about greedy British stars being responsible for the collapse of the U.K. film industry "disingenuous."

At a news conference in Cannes last week, Tarantino remarked, "As soon as people become stars in Britain they get the hell out of there and go to Hollywood."......more

Actress Kate Bosworth refuses to allow jealous fans of her boyfriend and Lord of the Rings star Orlando Bloom bring her down - because such bitter people are "not worth bothering about". The Blue Crush beauty accepts she's the subject of resentment for many of Bloom's lusty followers, but learned from an early age to ignore those with such shallow view.......more

British actor SEAN BEAN has been forced to live in a London hotel for the last three months after a burst water pipe flooded his house.

The 45-year-old TROY star abandoned his luxury pad in north London's Belsize Park for the comfort of a trendy hotel in Covent Garden - and he has become so accustomed to being pampered by hotel staff, he's reluctant to return home now his house is fixed.......more

Yes, it nabbed 11 Oscars this year, including one for best picture and the best-director award for Peter Jackson. But you have to suspect those were cumulative honors, acknowledging the breathtaking scope and triumphant tone of Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic trilogy.

Which isn't to suggest The Return of the King is a bust. Far from it. It's filled with the same glorious production values as its predecessors, and there's no denying the compelling performances as the battle for Middle-earth heads toward its climax. What's missing is the sense of wonder that greeted the first films, the feeling they could never be topped........more

More than 2,500 volunteer and national service leaders will gather in Kansas City on June 6-8 with a shared goal of motivating more Americans to volunteer and to make their service even more effective in meeting social needs in communities throughout the country.

Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin, who serves on the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, will be the opening speaker for the conference on June 6. Former President George Bush will deliver the keynote address June 8, and will present the Awards for Excellence in Workplace Volunteer Programs. He also will present the George Bush Corporate Leadership Award to Robert Haas, chairman of the board of the Levi Strauss & Co.......more

Video retailer Electronics Boutique is in hot water for allegedly selling DVDs of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" 10 days before the official May 25 release date.

 Warner Home Video, the DVD distributor of the Oscar-winning title, has suspended all home video shipments to West Chester, Pa.-based EB, which controls about 1,000 retail stores in malls across the country and about 500 additional stores overseas.

"Violations of street date are all too common in the highly competitive home video industry," WHV senior vp domestic sales Jeff Baker said, "but what makes this case unprecedented is that EB and its store managers not only refused to pull the DVD from the shelves, but the company's executives have refused to cooperate or even discuss the issue......more

Who would you most like to get into an on-screen clinch with?
Iain Sands, Edinburgh

Meryl Streep, Judi Dench, Penelope Wilton - three of the actors whom I would most like to work with again at close quarters. But also Robert Downey Jr, Marton Csokas and Hugh Jackman, for much the same reason.

Was Quentin Tarantino right to criticise British actors for running away to Hollywood?......more

The last of the original film footage of The Lord of The Rings has left New Zealand for storage in the United States.

The final reels of more than 2000km of film that was shot was packed up at the Film Unit's archives in Avalon, Lower Hutt, yesterday for shipment to owner New Line Cinema in Los Angeles.......more

ABC hopes we’re ready for the return of the prime time soap.

A new show this fall, Lost, is a cross between Peter Benchley’s Amazon and Survivor. Here a plane goes down in the middle of a Pacific island, forcing 48 survivors to fend for themselves. It’s from Alias creator J.J. Abrams and features Dominic Monaghan (Lord of the Rings) and Matthew Fox (Party Of Five).......source

A report from Comingsoon.net has the scoop on PJ's King Kong set in LA:

Just wanted to let you know that filming for King Kong has started on the Universal backlot, as of yesterday. While I was roaming around, I was able to see all the trailers for the cast. I wasn't aware that they had got back from New Zealand to film, so it may also be that they are filming some exteriors. New York st. has been decorated to look 1930's. The crew was tearing down a section of buildings to be replaced with 1930's New York looks. Mostly they were only replacing the top of the buildings. I got to see PJ's trailer, as it said "PJ" on the door. Other decorations included broken telephone poles, phone booths, exposed wires everywhere, and blocks of concrete.......source

A pre-World War II plane being built for Peter Jackson's King Kong movie will be housed at a new $3 million aviation museum in Blenheim when filming finishes next March.

Plans to build the Aviation Centre and Business Park at Omaka Aerodrome took flight yesterday, after it received a $2 million grant from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.......more

"I can imagine what it's like to kill someone," says Sir Ian McKellen, slicing up his haddock and smearing it with mash. "I can imagine what it's like to cast spells or have superpowers. But imagining what it's like to be Canadian? No. You'd need experience for something like that."

It's a strange stumbling block. McKellen has mastered most roles - in costume as Gandalf, Magneto, Richard III; off screen as the international movie star, the impassioned gay rights activist and "the leading British actor of his generation", as his official website puts it.

But he won't attempt anyone from north of Maine, and he won't really explain why......more

This week's featured item from Arms of Valor is one that both Frodo and Bilbo cherished, and one that saved both their lives on many occasions during their journey.

Sting (LoR-001) - The sword carried by Frodo Baggins on his epic journey to destroy the ring. The blade is 420 J2 stainless steel engraved with elven Tengwar runes. It has a hardwood handle, and a solid metal guard and pommel with an antiqued silver finish which is also engraved with elvish runes. A hardwood plaque with silk-screened runes is included.
Overall - 20-1/2 inches Blade - 14 inches.

Get yours today and be sure to check back here each and every Monday as we bring your favorite weapons and armor courtesy of the nice folks at Arms of Valor! 

Based on the novel "Sheep," by Simon Maginn, "The Dark" stars Bello and Bean as parents who lose their daughter in a tragic drowning accident at an ancient site. The same night, a seemingly harmless young girl shows up at their remote farmhouse showing remarkable similarities to their dead daughter.

John Fawcett ("Ginger Snaps") will direct. Shooting will take place in London and the Isle of Man. Bello recently starred in "Secret Window," while Bean plays Odysseus in "Troy," which opens around the world on Friday........source

Wanted - short people for a new Australian film about hobbits.

According to Indian casting director Sameer Bhardwaj, an Australian company is interested in making a film about hobbits, the mythical creatures who play a central role in JRR Tolkien's book The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

An advertisement posted on Internet websites, looking for people of short stature, has created a buzz among the Indian film community.......more

Hullo Folks,

We are pleased to be able to bring you a new artist and some new art from a couple of our resident artists this evening as well!

Lauren Karpoich has sent in a couple of her sketches and we are proud to be able to include her in our 'Original Art' category. Also...Jared Van and Ivyetta Grubb have sent in more sketches to be added to their existing galleries. Jared has sent in quite a few new ones, and Ivyetta's new ones are really rather special as she has drawn herself into scenes with some of our favoritest Hobbits!! :o)

Do stop by the Art Gallery and check out these latest additions, along with all of the other outstanding artists that have submitted thier work for your viewing pleasure.

After doing the voice for a shy and sensitive shark in the animation movie "Shark Tale," Black is off to New Zealand to star in a remake of "King Kong."

He was picked for the part by New Zealand director Peter Jackson, whose "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was garlanded with Oscars, and Black thinks he has Jackson's son to thank. . . . more

Warner Bros.' $150-200 million production loosely based on Homer's The Illiad waged an estimated $45.6 million weekend on a massive 8,000 screens across 3,411 theaters. Launched with far more hullabaloo than a 1,000 ships would ever merit, it performed admirably for a genre known for relatively modest openings followed by long legs and profitable ancillary life, but, like Van Helsing, didn't quite live up to the modern perception of an enormously budgeted May event picture... More

Did you explain the offside rule to him, with swords and breastplates? "Didn't need to. We talked mostly 'bout cricket. Yorkshire cricket." Sean's a big fan of the old-school stars: Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Robert Stephens. "They lived life on their terms, and why not? There are no rules saying you have to do this and you have to do that. They did it on their own terms and had a great time doing it." Anyone left like that, apart from O'Toole? "John Hurt. Really fabulous actor. He's got that wonderful quality. That elegance, charm, humour, wit and passion. All those qualities combined. "..........more