J.R.R. Tolkein

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Hobbit Precious in $84.8M Debut

But not quite as precious as experts predicted

(Newser) - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey sailed through its first weekend with an $84.8 million haul, shattering the previous record for December but rather underperforming expectations that had pegged the $250 million blockbuster at somewhere between $120 million and $140 million. The good news: Those who did turn out loved...

New Dinosaur Named After Tolkien's 'Eye of Sauron'

Beast IDed from eye-socket-containing fossil fragment

(Newser) - Paleontologists have identified a new 40-foot, flesh-eating dinosaur from a single fossil fragment containing a single eye-socket—and named the beast after an evil character from the Lord of the Rings, National Geographic reports. The Sauroniops pachytholus (or "Eye of Sauron" in Greek) apparently rivaled the Tyrannosaurus Rex in...

Trailer for the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Released
 Hobbit Trailer Has Arrived 

Hobbit Trailer Has Arrived

Long-awaited trailer reveals much about An Unexpected Journey

(Newser) - An early Christmas gift for Lord of the Rings fans: The first official trailer for the first part of Peter Jackson's two-part adaptation of The Hobbit has been released, reports Wired . An Unexpected Journey, one of 2012's most hotly anticipated releases, stars Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins and...

Blame Obama for Nutty Candidates
Blame Obama for Nutty Candidates 
Maureen Dowd

Blame Obama for Nutty Candidates

Maybe he needs to visit Christine O'Donnell's fantasy land

(Newser) - Christine O’Donnell—the “Palin Mini-Me” running for Senate in Delaware—is off in her own fantasy world, writes Maureen Dowd of the New York Times : Middle Earth, to be precise. “I aspire to be soft and gentle like Arwen, but realistically, I’m a fighter, like Eowyn,...

Jackson to Helm Hobbit
Jackson to Helm Hobbit

Jackson to Helm Hobbit

His Rings lawsuit resolved, Jackson embarks on prequel

(Newser) - Peter Jackson has resolved his lawsuit with New Line and plans to helm two much-hyped Hobbit films, the first due out in 2010, according to an Entertainment Weekly interview with MGM chief Harry Sloan. Jackson will co-write and may direct one or both films—unless he and New Line's Bob...

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