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Before you visit theatres for the second installment of the film based on J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved "The Hobbit," brush up on your elvish and pack your "Baggins," because Tolkien Scholar Joseph Pearce is taking you on an extensive tour of the Catholic themes found in "the Hobbit" in a new hour-long special, "Bilbo's Journey!" Based on his popular book, Pearce takes you far beyond the surface of this classic tale's plot, and delves deep into a symbolic journey that truly finds the middle ground between Middle Earth and our own Catholic Faith. Begin your journey through Tolkien's fantastical world...

Peter Jackson lets us sneak a peek at work-in-progress; spy Martin Freeman as Bilbo, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, with the director's comments

I apologize if this has been posted before. Check this out. JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit was published in the USSR in 1976, with illustrations by M. Belomlinskij.The Soviet HobbitHere's a sample. More at the link.

On this episode of Hobbit in 5 The Dwarves and Bilbo make there first press appearance since arriving in New Zealand a month ago. Also Sir Christopher Lee receives a Bafta Award, location scouting, character studies and much much more!

Message board member ranger123 alerted us to a people.co.uk article from Oct 3 stating that COLD feet and Murphy’s Law star James Nesbitt is making plans to pack up his family and move to New Zealand, having secured a ‘major’ role in “The Hobbit.” Nesbitt, 45, and actress wife Sonia Forbes-Adam, also 45, have talked to their daughters Peggy, 12, and Mary, eight, about the benefits of staying on to make a fresh start. The Northern Irish star believes it will be good for his career and family life. A source said: “‘The Hobbit’ was always going to mean a...

We recently got our hands on what we think is some authentic Bilbo casting and production information which seemed to contradict something we knew with absolute certainty: The Hobbit production wanted Martin Freeman for Bilbo and has since as long ago as last year. Seemingly at odds with that fact was apparently concrete casting details about Bilbo and actors still giving audition tapes. Was the role sewn up or not? A spy has provided an exclusive clue or two about what the role of Bilbo will be like and even a plot detail and a production outline but we were...

overnor Blagojevich is at it again! He has defied his own party and appointed a successor to President-elect Barack H. Obama in the United States Senate. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has already announces that the Senate would not seat the new nominee, which raised the question, when was the last time that the United States Senate refused to seat an elected Senator. According to U.S. Senate historians, the last time was in 1947, when a coalition of Republicans and Northern Democrats refused to seat Hon. Theodore Bilbo of Mississippi (pictured left). Senator Bilbo was a real character of...

The alliance with Obama, combined with the turnout of top Democrats at the filibuster rally, is yet another indicator of MoveOn's growing presence on Capitol Hill. It also shows a strong alliance with Byrd, the 87-year-old senator who has taken the lead in the Democratic effort to justify the judicial filibusters. Byrd "is fighting an attempt by Republicans to change the 200-year old rules of the Senate that would allow Republicans to ram federal judges through the Senate with no regard for what others might say," Obama wrote in the MoveOn letter. "Above all, Robert Byrd understands just how sacred...

WASHINGTON, May 31 — After vowing to steer a greater share of antiterrorism money to the highest-risk communities, Department of Homeland Security officials on Wednesday announced 2006 grants that slashed money for New York and Washington 40 percent, while other cities including Omaha and Louisville, Ky., got a surge of new dollars.Homeland security officials said the grants were a result of a more sophisticated evaluation process

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So like Dude... I learned that the capitol of Texas is Cuba. That means that the capitol of Arizona is like, Brazil. WHOA DUDE! IT MUST BE! Uh Huh Huh Huh Huh Huh Huh...

I am utterly speachless over what I just witnessed. It's almost as bad as yatta.

I need help with LOTR. Two friends and I were discussing the books and movies last weekend. Friend 1 observed that the relationship between Frodo and Sam (in the movies) had homosexual overtones. Friend 2 retorted that the relationship is based on the master/servant relationship of old England and that Friend 1 was looking at it through American eyes, where rugged individualism is more prized. I--caught in the middle--had to admit that I thought that Sean Astin overplayed Sam at times but was great overall. So, was Friend 1 right about the gay overtones, or was Friend 2's explanation correct?...

Leonard Nimoy sings "Bilbo Baggins"

Why did Bilbo choose Frodo as his heir? Bilbo Baggins was gone for more than a year on his journey to the Lonely Mountain and back. When he finally returned he was surprised to find that not only was he presumed dead, but his home at Bag End was being cleared out by auctioneers. Either by legal will or common law, his luxurious hobbit hole was being passed down to his next of kin, the Sackville-Bagginses, and his belongings were being sold to the highest bidder. Because Mr. Baggins was obviously still among the living, the auction had to be...