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April 6, 2014 at 9:16 am by newsfrombree -
In what is possibly of the biggest boilovers imaginable, Middle-earth March Madness for 2014 has come down to a father-son battle for the title honours!
That’s right: it’s a Thranduil vs Legolas final.
After a very slow semi-final start, Thranduil clawed his way back through the field to eventually topple Aragorn out of the contest, while Legolas and Thorin waged a neck-and-neck battle for quite some time before the former pulled away in the vote.
In all 37,000 votes were cast in the semi-final.
Now we’re left with the ultimate Elven question: who really is the prettiest? (just joking!)
It’s a tough choice though: Legolas might be one of the Nine Walkers and a member of the Fellowship if the Ring, but Thranduil has reigned over Mirkwood for more than 3,400 years.
There can only be one (as they say in Highlander). So cast your vote now!
Voting closes 10pm ET on April 7. Happy Voting!
Download the Brackets! [Final Four][Elite Eight][Round 4] [Round 3] [Round 2] [Round 1]
Remember:
March Madness is all for fun and the criteria for voting is left to each individual. So everyone will have their own reasons for voting and that’s Okay! 
TORn is a home for all fans of Tolkien and all media and culture that has arisen from Tolkien. From the newest visitor to the most senior staff, people are drawn to different aspects and expressions of Tolkien fandom. Welcome to all of you. Civility, respect, and good humor go a long way for all endeavors in life. We applaud all who exhibit these qualities while visiting TORn.
Posted in Characters, Events, Fans, Fellowship of the Ring, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Movie, Lord of the Rings, LotR Books, LotR Movies, Movie Fellowship of the Ring, Movie Return of the King, Movie The Two Towers, Other Events, Other Tolkien books, Return of the King, Silmarillion, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, The Two Towers, Uncategorized on April 6, 2014 by newsfrombree
We’ve just heard the sad news that Blanco, the beautiful horse that played Shadowfax in the Lord of the Rings films, has died. We knew that he’d been ill and that his owner and friend, Cynthia Royal, was desperately trying to save him, sadly the decision was made to end his suffering. Cynthia announced this to his fans and followers in an open letter on their website. Our condolences and love go out to Cynthia and all her family. RIP Blanco, running free in the Undying Lands.
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The results are in! After three weeks of intense competition we can finally crown a winner! In the end, Thranduil — the Sindarin king of the Woodland Realm — has taken the crown in our 2014 Middle-earth March Madness contest! 
Today the Academy of Motion Pictures of Arts and Sciences officially announced the nominations for the the 86th Annual Academy Awards. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug received three nominations in the Visual Effects, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing categories. Congrats to the crew on the recognition of their fantastic work. Sadly odds are very long with them winning as suspect a Gravity sweep. The winners will be announced during the Oscar telecast on March 2nd. The full list of nominations is here.
Click below to watch Orlando Bloom as Legolas show off his knife skills in exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from Desolation of Smaug.
The little behind-the-scenes clip of Orlando playing with his knives was pretty cool, but this is just a whole ‘nother level of “wow”. Thanks to Ringer Smaug the Stupendous for the heads-up!
The official home video release date of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has been revealed. In the US, it will be out on April 8th while in other countries the range will be from April 7th to 17th (list at end). Per usual now, there will be multiple formats for the release, not including whatever store exclusives that are in the pipeline: a Limited Collector’s Edition Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy Combo Pack ($105.42), a Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack ($44.95), a Blu-ray Combo Pack ($35.99), and a 2-Disc DVD Special Edition ($28.98). All the combo packs will include UltraViolet Digital copy. The collector's edition includes two "Gates of Erebor" replica bookends created by the Noble Collection.
Witness the return of Sauron’s army to Mordor, the attack on the Black Gate and the origins behind Talion’s quest for vengeance in the Official Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Story Trailer – Banished from Death.
Here’s the second of our four semi-final contestants in our 2014 March Madness contest — Legolas, member of the Fellowship of the Ring. 
What would Legolas’ past conflict be? What sort of experience would an immortal Wood-elf have such that it would help define the character of Legolas as he revealed himself to the Fellowship? There is really only one moment of doubt for Legolas in the story that Tolkien did tell us. That was when he recognized the Balrog. That is not to say Legolas was always sure of what to do. In typical Elf fashion he does not give Aragorn clear advice on what to do when they and Gimli are pursuing the Orcs which have seized Merry and Pippin. “My heart bids me go on,” he says. “But we must hold together. I will follow your counsel.”
We’re into the semi-final match-ups in our 2014 Middle-earth March Madness contest. As part of it, I thought it apt to examine each of our four finalists in turn, starting with our questing Dwarf, Thorin Oakenshield.
To answer this question, it is first important to note that although Bilbo may be the main character, it is actually the lesser protagonists who move the plot along. The quest is organized by Gandalf (who has his own hidden motives), while the journey is driven forward by Thorin’s desire to reclaim his kingdom. Bilbo goes along for the ride, partly to live up to Gandalf’s recommendation of him as a burglar, but mostly because he is seeking something intangible; a connection to his ancestors via a discovery of his more adventurous self. 
In addition to the featurette posted earlier – showing Orlando Bloom practicing a Laketown fight scene – Warner Brothers UK has posted another sneak peek at the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD releases of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
Andrew Baker, one of the concept artists for The Hobbit trilogy, has posted some of his creature concepts on his blog. These include a look at Smaug, Bolg, Beorn and more. Click here to view them all.
The reviews are already in for most of main media for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Over all most seem to enjoy the movie, grading it around a B+ saying it moves at a much more exciting pace compared to An Unexpected Journey. Another common note is the action scenes are very well done and exciting but frequently compared to video games. As for the new characters Evangeline Lilly's Tauriel was complemented as a great addition to the cast and the story, Legolas is a shot of fun to the movie, while Bard the Bowman landed with a mild thud. Smaug himself was more on fence with many critics thinking he was visually stunning but a bit one note as a villain. A few highlights below. 
Posted in Christopher Tolkien, Creations, Fans, Green Books, J.R.R. Tolkien, Other Tolkien books, Silmarillion, Tolkien on April 19, 2014 by Demosthenes 
The One Ring is reporting a rather strange rumor that the final movie of The Hobbit trilogy will change its title from The Hobbit: There and Back Again to The Hobbit: Into the Fire. The There and Back Again sub-title has been associated with the movie since the then planned two movie adaptation of the novel. It is based on the "official" title as named by Bilbo in his memoirs from The Lord of the Rings. Basically it is the perfect title to use for the trilogy. 
BONN - HobbitCon 2, in Bonn, Germany is a few hours just to start with a hotel is packed with special guest lecturers and fans everywhere in the world.
The first HobbitCon