Since 2004 Bragg Creek Community Association has operated a day camp in Redwood Meadows. At Camp Rivendell the children were organized into age groups of hobbits, elves and dwarfs. However, after receiving a letter from solicitors acting for the estate of JRR Tolkien, they have had to change their name — the alternative was facing legal action! You can read more here and here.
Dr Cory Olsen (The Tolkien Professor) has announced that his new book, Exploring The Hobbit, a companion to The Hobbit, will be published in September 2012 on the 75th anniversary of the publication of the original book. You can read the full story here.
In this brief audio clip on Fox allaccess Cate Blanchett speaks about reprising her role as Galadriel in ‘The Hobbit’.
The University of Wales is now offering two accredited online courses on the impact of J.R.R Tolkien on fantasy literature. The courses will run 10 weeks and will begin on May 1st. For more information check out the UWIC website.
Live on stage, the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario, presents the Canadian premiere of The Hobbit. The Play, adapted by Glyn Robbins from the J.R.R. Tolkien novel, will run from April 27th through May 26th. For More information, or to purchase tickets click here.
Book review site Biblioklept has just posted the fascinating BBC documentary, J.R.R. Tolkien, In His Own Words. This insightful documentary follows the author around Oxford while he discusses his work, his love of trees, and many other topics.
British readers should take note that from 21 – 22 May, Birmingham, England will celebrate J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth at its annual Middle Earth Weekend. The free event takes place at Sarehole Mill, within The Shire Country Park, and is being held to celebrate an area that greatly influenced the settings in JRR Tolkien’s books.
For more information see visitbirmingham.com.
In his blog at stuff.co.nz filmmaker Chas Harris gives his take on the labor dispute that almost led to production of The Hobbit being moved away from New Zealand.
CinemaBlend.com reports that Peter Jackson has just released the first of many video blogs concerning the behind the scenes work on The Hobbit.
The highly informative 10:39 video can be found here on Peter Jackson’s Facebook Page.
Do you recall last year’s labor dispute, when the Screen Actor’s Guild set up a boycott of The Hobbit, and PJ threatened to take the production elsewhere?
In this Scoop article Helen Kelly, President of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions, provides a comprehensive account of this contentious industrial dispute.