The soundtrack for the Lord of the Rings Stageshow is to be released on February 5th.
The score is completely original, composed by A.R. Rahman, Värttinä and Christopher Nightingale.
You can order the CD from Amazon
However, I probably won't be buying this soundtrack because of the less than positive reviews given to the music of the stageshow that viewers have written. But, if you get the CD and would like to share your review go ahead and post it.
It has been reported that Peter Jackson has the rights to make The Hobbit. This is absolutely huge news for us Tolkien fans and a result that most of us wanted. Apparently the film will be in two parts. With rumours of a Hobbit CG movie I think a lot of us got a little bit frustrated but this is what New Line stated:
Los Angeles, CA (Tuesday, December 18, 2007) Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson; Harry Sloan, Chairman and CEO, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM); Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs of New Line Cinema have jointly announced today that they have entered into the following series of agreements:
* MGM and New Line will co-finance and co-distribute two films, “The Hobbit” and a sequel to “The Hobbit.” New Line will distribute in North America and MGM will distribute internationally.
* Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will serve as Executive Producers of two films based on “The Hobbit.” New Line will manage the production of the films, which will be shot simultaneously.
* Peter Jackson and New Line have settled all litigation relating to the “Lord of the Rings” (LOTR) Trilogy.
The film is set for a Christmas 2010 release. So not long then huh?
Truly awesome, I am, like so may others, so happy. THREE CHEERS MY FRIENDS!!!
I have realised that, though I may cover news about Tolkien, I rarely dive into the works themselves. Therefore I have decided to start with People of Middle Earth, a look at the background of certain people who may not play such a large role in the books. I'll eventually cover both good and evil creatures, including Wights, Trolls and Orcs.
Today I'm focusing on our favourite Innkeeper, Barliman Butterbur.
Barliman (or Barley man, meaning brewer or innkeeper)was born around III2968, which made him around 50 at the time of meeting the Hobbits. He probably died around III3018.
Butterbur is the fat, bald and bearded man from Bree but more importantly he is the owner of the Prancing Pony Inn where the Hobbits first meet the elusive Strider, who we all know as Aragorn, son of Arathorn.
Butterbur is known to have a pretty bad memory. After all, he forgot to send Gandalf's letter to Frodo, which made Frodo worried about where his friend was.
We don't really know much else about Barliman Butterbur but we know that he was certainly surprised to hear that 'Strider' had become King of Gondor.
Sideshow Collectables have begun taking orders for the new Twilight Witch-King Legendary Scale Bust.
Sideshow say:
Sideshow Collectibles proudly presents this fantastic new addition to The Lord of the Rings Legendary Scale Bust series. The Witch-king has been expertly sculpted to capture every detail of the ghostly minion of Sauron. Hand-cast of the highest quality polystone, each bust is hand-painted and individually numbered. The Witch-king Legendary Scale bust is the perfect addition to your The Lord of the Rings collection.
First of all, I hope my American readers had a happy Thanksgiving and stuffed themselves with turkey (yum). Secondly, I am finally on Lord of the Rings Online, yet another excuse not to do my work. I'm on the Laurelin server (english roleplay)and my name is Alderfroth so come find me if you have a character on the server.
As a result of me being on LOTRO (as us cool cats call it) I'll be posting developer updates as well as updates on new chapters added to the game. Bonus content is awesome!
According to my friends at onering.net Bulgarian readers have named The Lord of the Rings the top book of all time.
A total of 28,000 readers voted in a poll carried out by Helicon bookstores.
An obvious choice to me.
Crack out the wine and gather your friends, we are celebrating three birthdays today! The first is the publication of the Hobbit, the second and third are the birthdays of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins. So MEB would like to say a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
Tomorrow is 70 years since the publication of 'The Hobbit'! Not only that, it is also Frodo and Bilbo's birthdays. TORN have posted an article pondering the notion of New Line (or any other film company) announcing the Hobbit film on the upcoming anniversary. I don't think this is likely, although it would be so great.
So, how can we celebrate these two occasions? You could pick up The Hobbit again and read the day away. Maybe you could throw a party in honour of Frodo and Bilbo, seed cakes, mead and wine are a must. Also, crack out that Lord of the Rings soundtrack and have a costume contest on a 'catwalk'. However you celebrate, have fun.
On a seperate note, thanks to all those people who have added me as a link on their blog or on a blogroll. If you are going to do this then please contact me so I can add you to my links aswell (it's only fair). I am really delighted when I scour the Google and find blogs who have linked MEB, thank you.
According to the MTV Movie Blog Cate Blanchett has expressed great interest in returning to Middle Earth in The Hobbit movie but only if Peter Jackson is at the helm.
"I haven't heard a thing [about a potential 'Hobbit' film]," she declared. "But, oh God, I would love to work with Hugo [Weaving] and Peter [Jackson] again."
News for all you South Californian Tolkienites, you are invited to go along to TheOneRing.Net's Annual Baggins Birthday Picnic which takes place on 23rd September at noon in Griffith Park near the merry-go-round. Attendees are encouraged to dress as elves, hobbits, orcs or anything Tolkien. Prizes will be handed out to the best dressed. There will be games, an impersonation contest and various trivia. Don't forget to bring food to share with your fellow Tolkien fans.
Apologies for the month long haitus everyone, but rest assured MEB will be regularly updated from now on as I'm back at university. Just a little bit of news today, Viggo Mortenson has expressed interest in the potential Hobbit movie saying that he wants to be a part of it but has been left out of the loop. There have also been rumours of British actor Martin Freeman (The Office, Hitchhikers Guide) joining the cast but we are all still very much in the dark about the whole project.
Again sorry for the short posting, I'll have more up later. Until then, stay safe and have a great day.
Here is a review someone wrote about the recent Lord of the Rings Symphony event:
I just wanted to let everyone know that I attended the LOTR Symphony performance at the Blossom Festival in Cleveland this past weekend and it was brilliant!! I have now seen the symphony 5 times around the midwest and this was the best every performance. Perhaps this can be attributed to the talent of the Cleveland Orchestra and their attending choirs, perhaps it can be attributed to the fact that this orchestra and performed it before, or perhaps we can attribute it to the passion of the conductor, none other than composer Howard Shore. I have a feeling it was all three of these factors plus the incredible setting of the outdoor venue that really enhance the feel of the music.
I met my two wonderful friends from Toronto there, whom I first met at ORC three years ago. We enjoyed a beautiful day exploring the area, including a trip to Brandywine Falls, fittingly enough. We saw no Buckleberry Ferry, but there was a Brandywine Bridge. We arrived early for the concert in order to explore. Unfortunately, there was no LOTR Symphony related merchandise available, however, the setting was marvelous. The Blossom Festival is situated at the south end of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, so the outdoor venue is surrounded by the forrest and many lovely gardens. Perfect for a Tolkein inspired event. Also, the weather was nearly flawless, warm without being hot, no humidity (a rarity in Ohion in July!), and by the end of the night, downright cool!
I knew as soon as they began that the performance was going to be special. All of the sections were extremely sharp and crisp sounding, but still blended beautifully. The choir was miked, so there would be no problem of not enough volume as there was in Louisville earlier this year. There was some problem after the first movement as Howard paused while latecomers were allowed to get to their seats. (this concert started at 9PM for heaven's sakes, how hard is it to arrive on time?!!). You could tell this delay slightly distracted the orchestra and choir as they began the Rivendell music, but they quickly got over it. The Mines of Moria section was incredible and well really, everything was incredible. Soloist Kaitlyn Lusk was as usual incredible and heart-moving. The flute soloist had the purist tone I've ever heard and the violin was gorgeous. My friends and I were moved to goose bumps so many times they were perpetual. Howard and the orchestra received much applause and standing ovations after the show. I thing the whole audience really enjoyed the performance, even those who were no Ringers!
This review was taken from theonering.net
So, it seems that Christopher Lee is the voice for the Children of Hurin audiobook. As most of you know, Lee played Saruman in Jackson's The Lord of the Rings, and is a lifelong fan of Tolkien's works. Lee's voice is so cool and deep so it should fit in well with the story which is dark and commanding.
No, not that one. Virgin Atlantic Airlines are offering Lord of the Rings amenity kits on economy flights inbound to the UK.
Passengers will get a LOTR wallet with a LOTR bag-tag, "precious sleep" eyeshades, Gandalf quote socks and limited edition gold pen. Cool, huh?
The pack is to celebrate the opening of the musical in Drury Lane London and will be available for the next 6 months.
Do you enjoy fantasy and sci-fi fiction? I have launched a new blog called Star and Steel where the imagination thrives. Each week a story is told, whether it be fantasy or science fiction. What's more is that you, the reader, can submit your own fiction to be put up each week. Once I have a good collection going I will be publishing the stories.
The website can be found here www.starandsteel.blogspot.com and on the links page.
My blog is worth $3,951.78.
How much is your blog worth?
