>> More articles reporting Jack Black's words about Peter Jackson's King Kong. | MTV | Ananova | Empire Online |

>> Hollywood Reporter reports : "Ian McKellen Aaron Eckhart, Brittany Murphy, Nick Nolte and Alan Cumming are in negotiations for the indie drama Never Was. Marking the directorial debut of writer Joshua Michael Stern, the feature follows a Yale graduate (Eckhart) who gets a job at the mental institution where his novelist father (Nolte) spent the last years of his life. Once there, he meets a schizophrenic man (McKellen) who proves a mysterious link to his father's material. Murphy plays a reporter." | here |

>> HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Marton 'Celeborn' Csokas, who turns 38 today !

>> Brian Sibley, who wrote some of the official books accompanying the LOTR Trilogy, has just launched his official website. | here | Enter the author's gallery for it features a few pictures taken on the set of The Lord Of The Rings. | here |

>> NECA Online has just posted the first image of their upcoming Balrog figure. | here |

>> Movie Market has got three new LOTR posters available for purchase | France : 1 + 2 + 3 | Germany : 1 + 2 + 3 | UK : 1 + 2 + 3 | Not on the US site though.

>> The prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences inducts a select group of new members every year. Among the new invited is Viggo Mortensen ! | News.com.au and Yahoo! |

>> Stuff reports : "Some of Hollywood's brightest young things, hand-picked by director Peter Jackson, are expected to be among the first student intake at Massey University's new School of Film." | here |

>> Jack Black has recently talked about Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong, that is to be released on December 14, 2005 : "There are some funny things about my character but, yeah, it is a different thing for me. But I'm not approaching it differently. I'm approaching it with the same balls-to-the-wall attitude. I just read the script for the first time. It's so rad. And it's top secret. I can't tell you much, but I can tell you this. King Kong is going to be scary as hell, dude. He's not gonna be sweet and cuddly. It's not gonna be the cute kind [of movie]. He's a f---ing carnivore, as in, eats flesh !" | here |

>> Harry of AICN is collecting 20 questions on King Kong that he'll give to Peter Jackson. Submit your questions before July 11. | here |

>> SundayHerald.com has posted an article about the film Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd are planning to make together. | here | Thanks Anna !

>> NZ Post will soon release The Lord Of The Rings - Home Of Middle-Earth. This new set of gummed stamps is a tribute to the landscapes used in the Trilogy. | here and here |

>> Kristen informed us that Christopher Lee is heading to the UK in August for 2 weeks of filming for Star Wars : Episode III. | here |

>> TeenHollywood.com reports : "Peter Jackson was one of the first people to congratulate Liv Tyler on her pregnancy." | here |

>> Winners for the "NRJ Ciné Awards 2004" have been revealed. Without any surprise, The Return Of The King won in the category 'Top Of The Box-Office' and Gollum won for 'Meilleur Méchant' (Best Villain). | here |

>> New cards from Decipher's Mount Doom expansion. | here |

>> Viggo Mortensen is AskMen.com's Man of the Week. | here |

>> Irish Examiner reports that Orlando Bloom and other artists have joined a campaign to find a heart and kidney for a dying Californian woman. | here |

>> HoustonChronicle.com reports that "member of the Houston Symphony Chorus, Katia Baizan, and 150 other chorus members are practicing J.R.R. Tolkien's invented language for The Lord of the Rings Symphony, a unique live event scheduled for Thursday and Friday nights in Jones Hall." | here |

>> We have scanned the cover of the special Lord Of The Rings issue of the French Ciné Film(s) magazine, as well as a picture of Ian McKellen and Peter Jackson. | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | Orlando Bloom is on the cover of the new Magic Academy. | here |

>> A quizz on Viggo Mortensen and two on Orlando Bloom. | here | Thanks Anna !

>> Experts on the ancient city of Troy complain about Wolfgang Petersen's movie (that stars Orlando Bloom and Sean Bean) being different from Greek mythology... | here |

>> TeenHollywood.com reports that Liv Tyler plans to educate her child in UK. | here |

>> Natty reports that magazine Fantasy Worlds, August edition with Harry Potter on the cover, has a five-page interview with producer Barry osbourne, about the final days of shooting on The Lord Of The Rings and his next projects, and a four-page interview with Sala Baker, the guy that came in 'as an extra and left as the Lord of the Rings!' Natty also informed us about some new books to look for : Tolkien : A Cultural Phenomenon, by Brian Rosebury that examines LOTR and Tolkien's other creative writings, in face to art, religion, morality, and of course, Peter Jackson's adaptations; Peter Jackson : From Prince of Splatter to Lord Of The Rings, by Ian Pryor, a completely unauthorized biography of the director; and Tolkien's World from A to Z - The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth, by Robert Foster, whose title says it all.

>> A small article for the Danish Ringers about Peter Jackson expanding the recording and sound studio in Wellington, where the Trilogy was shot. And it says a little about PJ being one of the film business' richest men now. | here | Thanks Anna !

>> Elijah Wood was at the E3 2004 show, the famous annual Electronic Entertainment Expo, in Los Angeles. | here |

>> Billy Boyd was lent some boots on the set of his new movie On A Clear Day. | here |

>> Hollywood Reporter reports : "Thomas Kretschmann is in negotiations to join the cast of Peter Jackson's update of the 1933 classic King Kong. Kretschmann would play the boat captain who transports the king-sized gorilla of the film's title to America." | here and here |

>> Virtual Katy, the software that was created in response to the demanding special effects needs of Peter Jackson's The Two Towers, has been sold to a major Hollywood post-production company, Creative Media Partners. | here |

>> French magazine CinéFilm(s) has published a special issue about LOTR.

>> Ian McKellen's official website has been updated with new LOTR E-Posts. | here |

>> AICN has reviewed Cate Blanchett's The Life Aquatic. | here |

>> CGNetworks.com has posted the part II of their CG VFX coverage of Troy, that stars Orlando Bloom and Sean Bean. | here |

>> Dafont.com has got lots of new fonts inspired by The Lord Of The Rings ! Make sure to go and have a look ! Download "Bilbo's hand" | here | or "The One Ring". | here | For more LOTR fonts, select "Runes/Elfique". To download a font, click on "Télécharger pour PC/Mac OS X" if you've got a computer or "Télécharger pour Mac" if you've got a Mac.

>> Billy Boyd said he felt humbled to be named as "Our Entertaining Hero". | here |

>> Teen Hollywood reports that "Orlando Bloom has adopted two abandoned canines while in the north African country while shooting his new movie Kingdom of Heaven." | here | "The chance to appear for a fleeting moment in an Orlando Bloom film generated enough buzz to attract hundreds to a recent casting call in Kentucky." | here |

>> Liv Tyler is reportedly expecting her first child. | Hello! | Yahoo! | Straits Times |

>> Anna informed us that you can vote for Cate Blanchett as this week's most attractive woman on Hello Magazine website. | here |

>> CBSNews.com has got a photo gallery of the ROTK premiere in LA. | here |

>> Not liking tabloids that much... Pics of Orlando Bloom hugging Kate Bosworth. 

>> The Fell beast that was placed on top of the Embassy Theater for the NZ premiere of The Return Of The King, has been moved to a secret location in Wellington to keep it safe from eager sightseers. | here |

>> News.com.au reports : "In what is shaping as a record-breaking winter at the Australian box office, Shrek 2 has just recorded the second-highest takings for an opening weekend. Only The Lord of the Rings : The Two Towers, which opened on Boxing Day 2002, netted a higher return in its first four days in cinemas." | here |

>> As we said in the news for June 18, Magazine Forbes has reported that "Peter Jackson has earned more than $US125 million ($NZ200 million) from his Lord Of The Rings Trilogy and is spending $US50 million of it expanding his Wellington studios." | Stuff |

>> Patty informed us that TedNasmith.com posted the cover of a new expanded version of The Silmarillion illustrated by Ted Nasmith. | here |

>> Ian Mckellen's official homepage reports that ITV in UK will be airing "A Year In The Life Of Ian McKellen", an extended 75-minute film, on Sunday 27 June, 2004 at 22:45. "Internationally acclaimed film star and one of Britain's foremost classical stage actors, Ian McKellen, allows The South Bank Show unprecedented and exclusive access to record a year in his life at work, on the road and at home." | here |

>> News.com.au talks about Mirando Otto's next role as Lindy Chamberlain. | here |

>> We came across those two pictures of the place that was Hobbiton, in NZ. | 1 | 2 |

>> French airdate : CinéFamily will air The Goonies with Sean Astin on June 29, at 20H45.

>> From enzedff.co.nz : Wellington filmmaker Costa Botes, a long-time associate of Peter Jackson, assembled a small team in July 1999, three months before cameras rolled on principal photography for The Lord Of The Rings, to shoot and compile a behind-the-scenes video record. By the time production of the trilogy finally ended late in 2003, they had over 800 hours of footage. In the first of the three documentary features to be cut from this material, there’s a much fuller and more playful appreciation of activity behind the scenes than you might have seen on the more formal, guided tours provided by the excellent DVD extras or Te Papa show. Costa Botes said : "It was never designed to be part of a marketing effort. It wasn’t even meant to be seen for another couple of years, when it and its two companion pieces are provisionally earmarked for release as part of a DVD box set. It is presented here, exclusively to [The 2004 New Zealand International Film Festivals], as a work in progress, and a taste of things to come." | here |

>> CBBC Newsround has posted a short interview with Andy Serkis. | here |

>> A business-talking article about Peter Jackson's The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy and the upcoming King Kong. | here |

>> More articles about Orlando Bloom as magazine People's number 1 'hottest bachelor' this year. | Ananova | Yahoo! | TwinCities.com | Zap2It | Sky.com |

>> Liv Tyler confesses her favourite on-screen partner is Ben Affleck. | here |

>> HAPPY BIRTHDAY to us ! A Hobbit's Tale is two years old today, as we popped up online on June 17, 2002. Thanks so much to all of you, who come and visit the site, thank you for your sweet comments and for your precious contribution to the news page (especially Patty, Natty and Anna). We'd like to announce already that updates will be sporadic after The Return Of The King Extended Edition is released (rumours talk about this December). The Trilogy has come to an end, and soon the news about The Lord Of The Rings will become too occasional to keep on running the way we do now. Anyway, we will not disappear for we aim to be a source of informations for the current and future Ringers ! Happy Birthday to us again ! *throws confettis*

>> The new issue of the French magazine Star Club magazine features two pages about Orlando Bloom, including a full-page picture. | here |

>> Orlando Bloom tops People's annual 50 Sexiest Bachelor List. | Extra | Yahoo! |

>> The Daily Herald reports that "The Associated Students of Utah Valley State College will show all three "Lord of the Rings" movies back to back Monday beginning at 4 p.m. in the UVSC McKay Events Center. The movie marathon is open to the public." | here |

>> Sylvain Caruso, the actor who does the French voice of Gollum/Sméagol in The Lord Of The Rings was on the French TV today. He explained he does the voice of Donald Duck as well, and that, when the time had come to find the right voice to dubble Gollum in all the countries, Peter Jackson specially asked for actors who were able to speak like Donald. After he proved his talents, Sylvain Caruso was chosen. He said he then tried to imitate Andy Serkis to be as close as possible to what Gollum's voice should be.

>> TOR.n has posted pictures of Dominic Monaghan backstage at the MTV awards.

>> TOR.n has posted a report about the production of Peter Jackson's King Kong in New Zealand. | here |

>> Moviehole.net talks about Hugo Weaving's next two film projects : "First up, he'll play a - polar opposite to his Matrix persona - swagging hero in a new Jackie Chan vehicle called The Myth. An adventure film in the vein of Indiana Jones. Next, Weaving has a role in Little Fish, Rowan Wood's new film about a troubled woman in Sydney's little Saigon district. Martin Henderson and Cate Blanchett will co-star." | here |

>> DarkHorizons.com reports : "Las Horas Perdidas have posted a new scoop about Viggo Mortensen's upcoming Las Aventuras del Capitán Alatriste. Filming will start on March of 2005 in Úbeda (Jaen, Spain). This is just after Viggo wraps work on filming of A History of Violence. The director and crew have been searching some historic locations in that city this week and they will be casting 300 people in the next few months. Gael García Bernal (Y Tu Mamá También) and Elena Anaya (Van Helsing) are also in its cast, and it will be directed by Agustín Díaz-Yanes (Without News From God), based on the novels by Arturo Pérez Reverte." | here |

>> Decipher will soon release a new extension for its Lord Of The Rings cards game. The extension, called Mount Doom, is available on July 7, 2004. | here and here |

>> Orlando Bloom has been voted Britain's sexiest actor. | Irish Examiner | Ananova | Daily Record | itv.com | Straits Times | CBBC | Sky.com | This is London |

>> The Elf Fantasy Fair, that it held in Lisse (40 km near Rotterdam) in the Netherlands from June 18 to June 20, will welcome actors from The LOrd Of The Rings, including Andy Serkis, Craig Parker and Jorn Benzon... | here |

>> We came across a digital painting inspired by The Lord Of The Rings. | here |

>> We've done a new wallpaper featuring Viggo Mortensen. The shot is from the cover of HoBo magazine. Resolution 800x600. | here |

>> Mariana reports that there is an interview with Karl Urban on TeenHollywood.com. He talks about his roles in The Chronicles of Riddick and The Bourne Supremacy. | here |

>> AICN has posted a review on Cate Blanchett's The Life Aquatic. | here |

>> Sideshow/WETA unveiled its new Balrog statue | here | as well as Gandalf On Gwaihir Over Helms Deep by Alan Lee, that is a limited edition signed by Alan Lee, Ian McKellen and Richard Taylor. | here |

>> AICN has posted a review on Karl Urban's The Chronicles Of Riddick. | here |

>> There are 2 pages about Orlando Bloom in the new issue of the French mag Salut.

>> Andy Serkis will not only provide motion capture reference for the character of Peter Jackson's King Kong, he also "has been cast as Lumpy the cook, a member of the crew of the Venture, the tramp steamer that sails to Skull Island." | Hollywood Reporter | Ananova | BBC | Cinescape | Coming Soon | Digital Spy | Empire Online | EW.com | Stuff |

>> Some news about one of Orlando Bloom's next films, Elizabethtown. | here |

>> Viggo Mortensen was at a Fahrenheit 9/11 special screening, in Beverly Hills. | Wire Image + 2 | Getty Images | Daily Celeb |

>> Orlando Bloom is nominated in the NRJ Ciné Awards 2004 in the category Acteur Le Plus Sexy (in other words, Sexiest Actor, it's no surprise). Gollum is nominated for Meilleur Méchant (Best Villain) and The Return Of The King is nominated for Top Of The Box-Office. Votes are closed on June 20. | here |

>> Fossil.com launches the first women's watch in their Lord Of The Rings Collection.

>> Lulop.com has posted a video of Sean Astin, who talks about who he is. | here |

>> The Hollywood Reporter reports : "The Return of the King was the No. 1-selling DVD and VHS for the second consecutive week, making it the top-selling DVD title of the year." | here |

>> Prnewswire.com writes : "Chicagoans will take a musical journey to the realm of Middle Earth as more than 200 musicians and singers take the stage in a spectacular performance of Academy Award-winning composer Howard Shore's 'The Lord of the Rings Symphony : A Symphony in Six Movements' featuring the World Festival Symphony Orchestra, an adult and children's choir, guest vocalist Sissel, and a special appearance by Shore." | here |

>> Get ready for the unmasking of The "Lord Of The Rings"... planet Saturn. | here |

>> Viggo Mortensen is reportedly in negotiations to star in A History Of Violence, directed by David Cronenberg, at New Line Cinema. | Yahoo! | RTE.ie | Ananova | ComingSoon | Empire Online |

>> Judy Greer and Paul Schneider are to join the cast of Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown, that will star Orlando Bloom. | here |

>> More informations about the Extended Edition of The Return Of The King that would be moving to December. | here |

>> LordOfTheRingsGuide.com reports that the Extended Edition of The Return Of The King will feature 40 minutes of additional footage, and that the "Saruman scene (showing the wizard confronting the Fellowship after the fall of Isengard) is in it." | here |

>> Yahoo! Movies has added 8 new clips from The Chronicles Of Riddick, with Karl Urban.

>> Yahoo! reports : "G4TechTV has tapped Jamie Kennedy to host, Elijah Wood to present and Public Enemy to perform at its second annual G-Phoria vidgame awards." | here |

>> Patty informed us about ClimateStar.org that has got very useful informations about environment as well as some stars like Orlando Bloom, who help out spreading the word about the global warming. | here | OBM has got a scan of the ad. | here |

>> Sean Astin has presented the 2004 National Family Volunteer Award on behalf of the Points of Light Foundation and Volunteer Center National Network on June 6, at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri. | here |

>> Ted Nasmith reports he's finished the artwork for a new expanded Silmarillion, that will be published the first week of September. | here | Thanks Patty for the head up !

>> ComingSoon.net's latest report will throw all of us into despair. The Return Of The King EE DVD would be released in December only ! | here |

>> Peter Jackson was at the after party for the Benefit Premiere of Broadway, The Golden Age. | Wire Image | Getty Images + 2 |

>> ComingSoon.net talks about Karl Urban's two new films, The Chronicles Of Riddick and The Bourne Supremacy. | here |

>> HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Karl Urban, who turns 32 today !

>> Master Replicas has announced the release of their Sting Sword FX Collectible.

>> Have a first look at the new Sideshow/Weta statue of the Balrog. | here |

>> IconFactory.com has got LOTR - Armoury Of The Third Age icons for Mac and PC.

>> Patty informed us that the MTV Awards ceremony was held yesterday night, though it will be aired next thursday, June 10. The Return Of The King has won 2 awards : Best Movie and Best Action Sequence for the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Sean Astin was there to pick up the prizes. | Zap2It | Fox23 | BBC | Ananova | Pictures : | Wire Image + 2 | LFI + 2 + 3 | Daily Celeb + 2 | Film Magic + 2 |

>> Elijah Wood hopes The Hobbit gets filmed, but he wouldn't want a part in the film : "I wouldn't want to play Bilbo having already played Frodo - it would be strange for the fans and for me. Also, I don't think you can out do Ian Holm's performance. Any actor would be afraid to approach the role after seeing what Ian Holm did with it as it truly is perfect." | BBC | Digital Spy |

>> Moviefone has got a first look at the new trailer for Cate Blanchett's The Aviator.

>> According to TeenHollywood.com, Orlando Bloom is reportedly set to propose to Kate Bosworth. | Yahoo! | Teen Hollywood |

>> Christopher Lee told German mag Bunte that "today's '20-year-old actors' don't deserve top roles as they don't have the experience to do them justice." | here |

>> Sorry Ringers, no update today. Computer is being re-formated.

>> TheZReview.com has posted 12 new pictures of Orlando Bloom on the set of director Ridley Scott's Kingdom Of Heaven, which is scheduled for a May 6 release next year.

>> The June/July issue of the French One magazine features an interview with Orlando Bloom and Liv Tyler, two pages on Viggo Mortensen and posters of Frodo and Troy.

>> The Return Of The King reigned supreme during its first week on home video, selling more than $6.3 million combined DVD & VHS units to consumers and video rental stores in US. The movie also generated an estimated $9.79 million in gross consumer rental spending during the week ended May 30. | here and here |

>> Speakers for the VES Festival 2004 have been announced. Visual Effects Supervisors for The Day After Tomorrow (with Ian Holm) and for Van Helsing (with David Wenham) are amongst them. | here |

>> Sky.com reports that Orlando Bloom has been told he must wear a chest wig in his new movie, Kingdom Of Heaven, for he is not "manly enough for the role". | here |

>> We've added some more pictures in the ROTK gallery. | here |

>> LatinoReview.com reports : "Latin heartthrobs Gael Garcia Bernal and Elena Anaya will topline Agustin Diaz Yanes' Spanish period piece 'Alastriste,' (NB : the movie will star Viggo Mortensen) the most expensive Spanish-language production to date. The film is based on Alastriste, the protagonist of a five-novel series 'Las aventuras del capitan Alatriste,' written by one of Spain's bestselling novelists, Arturo Perez Reverte." | here |

>> Director Shekar Kapur is working on a sequel to Elizabeth, that starred Cate Blanchett in 1998. It "is going under the working title of Golden Age. Blanchett is expected to take the throne again and star in the epic although Kapur says 'it depends on Cate's schedule and my schedule as to when we start shooting.'" | here and here |

>> Some pictures of NZ locations used in The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy. | here | Some pictures of the ROTK premiere in Wellington. | here and here |

>> New opening picture. Have a look at the previous ones. | here |

>> ComingSoon.net reports that MTV will be airing the first 10 minutes of The Chronicles of Riddick, starring Karl Urban, next Sunday night (June 6) at 11pm, following The Sunday Stew. | here |

>> The French Magic People magazine has published a special LOTR issue.

>> Anna reports that Liv Tyler and Cate Blanchett are Hello Magazine's second and third most naturally beautiful women of all time. | here and here |

>> The Boston Museum Of Science will host The Lord Of The Rings Motion Picture Trilogy - The Exhibition from August 1 to October 24, 2004. | here |

>> Vote now to The Teen Choice Awards Poll 2004. The Return Of The King, Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom and Liv Tyler are amongst the nominees. | here |