“Lord of the Rings” checks in at #5 on The Telegraph’s list of top 100 movie masterpieces of the last ten years. “If there was one franchise to rule them all, it was surely this. A hugely risky commitment for its studio, the outlay paid off more than anyone could have dreamed. It’s the enduring quality of the first installment, leading us by the hand into Tolkien’s richly imagined world, that made our collective Hobbit-love possible. ” Read the full list

What exactly is going on with the two-part adaptation of The Hobbit? The world seems to be holding its breath in anticipation, including us, but as the calendar turned to November, we turned to a trusted rock-solid inside source and found a dragon’s treasure of updates. Read the rest of this entry »

Ashley (and many others) write: Check out this Lord of the Rings Comic. Not sure if you had seen yet. More..

Thanks to message board member Theodred for alerting us to this story from scifiwire.com: Ian McKellen, whom we expect will put on Gandalf’s gray robes in director Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming Hobbit movies, tells us he’s finally read the script for the films. And, no, he won’t tell us much about it, except that producer Peter Jackson (who co-wrote the script with longtime Lord of the Rings collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, as well as del Toro) wrote it specifically for him.

“As Peter has said, they loved writing Gandalf [for The Hobbit] because they knew who they were writing him for,” McKellen told us exclusively in an interview last week while promoting AMC’s The Prisoner. “There are a lot of characters in The Hobbit, including, crucially, Bilbo, and they don’t know who’s going to play Bilbo. So it’s extremely attractive that this part has been written for me. The other Gandalf was written for, well, just as Gandalf. There’s lots for me to enjoy, in all sorts of ways. And I couldn’t be happier. But I’m sworn to secrecy. I’m not to say anything at all about the script.” More..

Nice little piece on one the Elf Fantasy Fair in Utrecht, only this time from the viewpoint of one of the stars who was there to sign his autograph for the fans. Luckily he had time to look around and describe the fair too! [More]

Mel writes: We have just had confirmation that there will be a special debut performance of One Man Lord of the Rings on Thursday 12th November while Charlie Ross is in Sydney for the final performance of One Man Star Wars. Read the rest of this entry »

Shannon writes: Thanks to your reporting I found out about Sir Ian attending the Shakespeare Gala in DC. It was several days after my twenty-first birthday, so I approached my parents asking them if we could make the trek there from New York as my present, and much to my surprise, they agreed. They are well aware of my goal to meet the entire Fellowship and have helped me meet five so far, so it seemed like a great idea to them to help me meet such an awesome number six for my birthday. Read the rest of this entry »

stormcrow20 sends us word that Sir Ian McKellen is set to appear on both The View and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, November 5, 2009.

All of us at TheOneRing.net would like to offer our warmest congratulations to *Sir* Chrstopher Lee for this well-deserved honor! 

Finding oneself opposite a tall, baleful celluloid vampire would have most people reaching for a head of the most pungent Spanish garlic, a large crucifix or a sharp stake. The Prince of Wales, however, opted for a ceremonial sword, even as the 1.95-metre (6ft 5ins) vision of Count Dracula leaned worryingly close to the royal neck. Fortunately, the prince had little to fear. Christopher Lee – aka Counts Dracula and Dooku, not to mention Lord Summerisle and the Duc de Richleau – had been invited to Buckingham Palace today to receive a knighthood for his services to drama and to charity. The 87-year-old is one of cinema’s most prolific actors, appearing in more than 250 films over the course of a career that has so far spanned 61 years. More..

Thanks to many of you who sent in this story from Empireonline.com. I’m sure we’ll all miss John as part of The Hobbit cast. From Empireonline.com: John Rhys-Davies was, of course, Gimli the dwarf in The Lord of the Rings, and gave the series many of its funniest and most memorable moments. And while Gimli doesn’t appear in The Hobbit, his father Gloin does, so we asked him recently whether he’d be back for another go. “I’ve already been asked and to be honest with you, I wouldn’t. I have already completely ruled it out. There’s a sentimental part of me that would love to be involved again. Really I am not sure my face can take that sort of punishment any more.” More..