In celebration of Frodo's birthday on September 22nd, the CoE Store will be featuring the new Frodo Plush doll available for pre-order now. This doll is adorable just like the real Frodo. He is 7 inches tall and cuddly, a must have for any Frodo fan.

Your orders through the CoE Store help to offset the cost of running our wonderful site. Thank you for ordering from us.

Today, 10th August marks the 7th anniversary of the CoE Realms. There are fourteen different Realms which are named after the Valar of Ilúvatar. You can find out more about the Realms here.

In this MTV interview, Guillermo del Toro proffered his thoughts on letting go of the project and whether he thinks Jackson will officially take over "The Hobbit."

You can read the full story here.

Since the news broke that the Peter Jackson is casting for The Hobbit rumors are starting about who might be cast in some of the roles. The latest is that ex Dr Who actor Sylvester McCoy might be up for a major role. You can read the full story here.

Issue 3 of Silver Leaves, the journal of the White Tree Fund, has been released. The theme for this special super-sized issue is “Tolkien / Fantasy Art and Artists,” and it features works by Tim Kirk, Ted Nasmith, Colleen Doran, Jef Murray, Hyatt Moore, Anke Eissmann, David Wyatt, Virginia Lee, John Dickenson, and more, along with the normal academic and creative content.

Issues can be ordered (either print or electronically) from here .

Even though there is as yet no production go ahead for the movies, Peter Jackson is in L.A. this week meeting with actors.

Meanwhile Warner Brothers is working on getting MGM to sign off on the films so that Warner Brothers can fund the films themselves.

You can read the full story here.

Ian McKellan is growing frustrated with delays and is considering backing out of The Hobbit. You can read the fully story here.

Have you been looking for a new way to relive your favorite story of all time? Look no further! This September a new LotR game will be released: The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest. The game follows Aragorn on his greatest quests and travels throughout Middle Earth, and will be available for ps3 and Wii platforms, as well as ps2 and Nintendo DS.

The official website with more information, videos and images of the game can be found here.

The June issue of our long running Realmer's Digest magazine has finally hit the stands. Featuring an exclusive peak inside Weta Workshop, huge 60 page special on Gondor, improved graphics and much more.

Be sure to download your copy here.

In what appears to finally be the light at the end of a Hobbit hole, Deadline reports that Peter Jackson is now negotiating a deal with Warner Bros, New Line and MGM that will set him as the director of the two Hobbit movies.

You can read the exclusive bulletin here.

Good news for all LOTRO gamers, the only Middle-Earth MMORPG will go free to play starting this fall! You can get more info about the game or sign up for Beta here.

Richard Taylor, the genius that co-founded Weta Workshop and collected 5 Oscars for their amazing work on the Lord of the Rings movies will be joining Peter Jackson as one of New Zealand's knights.

You can read the full story here.

Karl Urban was born in Wellington, New Zealand on 7th June 1972 and today Karl is celebrating his 38th birthday. You can read his cast bio here. In the CoE gallery there are pictures of Karl here and of Karl in the role of Éomer here.

Happy birthday Karl!

According to an article on AccessHollywood.com, Guillermo Del Toro is officially stepping down from the director's helm of "The Hobbit."
Del Toro says: "After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures…"

You can read the full story here.

Appears there is another hiccup in respect to The Hobbit Movie. The article can be read here where Guillermo Del Toro has stated that the Hobbit Movie has become tangled up in the MGM Studios problems.