Hobbit News Issue 6 Now Online

If you have been following our (almost) weekly publication schedule for the Hobbit News newsletter then you'll be glad to know that the 6th issue is now available online.

Stories in this issue include:

• Judge sanctions New Line Cinema in Peter Jackson lawsuit


• Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announces new Tolkien book


• C.S. Lewis Society sponsoring UK tour in May-June


• Author seeks sales by insulting Tolkien fans


• Historians feature Tolkien anecdote in WW I book


• Weta Ltd. launches new Web site

Read HOBBIT NEWS, Volume 2009, Issue 6, February 22.

SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.

SF-Fandom relaunches Middle-earth movies forum

We have renamed our "Lord of the Rings (movies)" forum to the Middle-earth Movies Forum in recognition of upcoming movies such as "Born of Hope", "The Hunt For Gollum", and the two Guillermo del Toro "Hobbit" movies.

The SF-Fandom moderators discussed this renaming with an eye toward future fan film productions, even though we anticipate a growing interest in "Hobbit" movie news and discussions over the next couple of years.

We applaud the efforts of the fan film groups who have come forward to tell portions of Tolkien's Middle-earth epic in special made-for-Internet movies while adhering to the highest possible production standards.

Xenite.Org and SF-Fandom have been supporting Tolkien movie projects since 1997 and expanding the scope of our forum to formally encompass all movies set in Middle-earth seems like the right thing to do.

We hope you'll join us there.

SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.

Cool "Watchmen" featurette offers sneak-peak

If you're a fan of the Watchmen graphic novel you have an idea of what to expect from the movie. But people who have not yet been introduced to the pulp-era world of "Watchmen" will enjoy watching this video.



SciFi Wire compared the graphic novel to scenes from the movie. It looks to me like some serious consideration has been made for following the graphic novel's look and feel.

Stay on top of the latest "Watchmen" discussions in SF-Fandom's Super Hero Movies Forum.

SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.

The Tolkien Forum and The Tolkien Forum

Xenite.Org has the distinction of being the home for the Web's oldest dedicated Tolkien discussion forum. We have long since moved our old message boards to the SF-Fandom domain (which is part of the Xenite.Org network). Today we maintain two Tolkien discussion groups and one archive.

The original Tolkien Forum was named The White Council when it was hosted on Xenite.Org. We renamed it to the Tolkien and Inklings Forum and that remains its official name today.

But though we still discuss many C.S. Lewis-related topics (and some occasional Inklings news), the SF-Fandom forum remains one of the Web's premier Tolkien Forums because we continue to host new and interesting discussions, as well as track news you won't find elsewhere. We follow plays, lectures, university studies, and many other topics that touch on the literary world of J.R.R. and Christopher Tolkien (as well as C.S. Lewis and the other Inklings).

Fans of Tolkien also enjoy subscribing to the Endor discussion group. Originally known as the Middle-earth Mailing List, I moved it to Google Groups and set up Endor as an alternative Tolkien Forum. Although subscriptions have grown discussion is more subdued. I'm not sure of what people expect from the discussion group, though many regular posters have claimed their lives were becoming busier.

Both the SF-Fandom and Google Groups Tolkien forums are moderated. We don't permit flame wars or off-topic advertising. We do cover many topics in depth. For example, we've hosted lengthy discussions of "Beowulf" (in SF-Fandom's Medieval European Studies Forum as well on Endor) and "The Iliad".

Okay, most fans probably don't get the "Iliad" connection to Tolkien but I thought I'd give it a try. Tolkien acknowledged considerable Greek influence, though you see little mention of that in modern Tolkien critical research.

I invite you to drop by and browse our archives. You have to apply for membership to Endor but most people are accepted. Unfortunately, we've had a few too enthusiastic self-promoters show up on Endor so the list is now restricted to protect members from unwanted commercial postings.

SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.

Super Capers Trailer and Preview

I just found out about this movie. I'm not sure I want to see it in theaters but I'll probably catch it on DvD at some point. Then again, maybe I'll see it in theaters. The movie is scheduled for general release on March 20, 2009.

Justin Whalin ("Dungeons and Dragons") stars as Ed Gruberman, superhero. He ends up on the wrong side of the law, however, and finds himself sentenced to a halfway house for super heroes. The previews make it look like there are plenty of stunt gags and dumb jokes, so the humor will depend on the execution of the low-brow material rather than on any inherent funniness in the gags.

Here is the trailer for "Super Capers":


This is Part 1 of "Behind The Scenes of Super Capers":


This is Part 2 of "Behind The Scenes of Super Capers":


I guess I'll start a discussion in SF-Fandom's Super Hero Movies forum but you're all perfectly welcome to share your thoughts right here.

SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.

Andromeda Message Board Archive restored

In March 2000 I learned that Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, starring Kevin Sorbo, had been green-lighted. I set up a simple Web-based forum for discussion of the show on Xenite.Org. Soon some of the writers of the show began posting mysterious comments (revealing details of background information) on the forum.

Within a year Xenite.Org had moved its forums to SF-Fandom and launched a completely new forum community using the popular VBulletin software. We've been hosting many discussions there for the past 8 years.

Through the years we've had our share of technical issues: server crashes, changes in hosting services, upgrades, redesigns, expansions, and forum retirings. Many of the original forums have been shut down, renamed, or merged into newer more relevant forums.

Still, I've tried to preserve as many of the old discussions as possible. I've always felt that archived discussions served useful purposes. Many is the time I have found references to facts, articles, and Web sites buried in old discussions. So for the past few months I've been upgrading the old forum archives on SF-Fandom and now I'm pleased to say I've just brought the original Andromeda forum archive back online.

There is one other ancient forum archive I hope to bring online, but in the meantime I hope fans who fondly remember the show find it interesting to browse the very first discussions for a dedicated Andromeda forum.

Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda Message Board Archive

SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.

Internet TV projects

Direct-to-Internet television projects have been around for years. Few of them have made much of a splash but at least one science fiction show, Sanctuary -- starring Stargate's Amanda Tapping -- successfully made the transition to cable television when the SciFi Channel picked up the show.

But there are many other shows out there that have not experienced similar success. Whether it be Sheldon Whittaker's proposed Barrier or Aaron Douglas' Emissary, some projects have languished for lack of funding and others are starting up in the hope of building an audience.

The Barrier project may join many other online productions in building a brave new direct-to-Internet television production industry. There is little difference between direct-to-Internet television and direct-to-Internet film-making, except that TV shows are episodic and require more than one episode.

A lot of Internet-only productions are just boring. The amount of work required to produce even simple fan films may be too much for amateur producers to build sustainable momentum. Instead, we may have to look for professional actors, writers, and directors to explore new opportunities on the basis of venture capital funding or their own speculative investments.

These types of projects may find a profitable revenue model -- perhaps through embedded advertising, or perhaps through the sale of downloadable media streams, or perhaps through the sale of DvD and Blu-Ray discs. We don't really know where it's all going.

But there should be no doubt about the fact that we're witnessing the dawn of a new age of creative exploration that has been enabled by the Internet. We may surprise ourselves with an abundance of creativity unlike anything our society has seen before.

SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.

Hobbit News and Middle-earth Talk Radio updates

Both Hobbit News and Middle-earth Talk Radio have run into some production scheduling delays (a common affliction in volunteer, fan-run efforts). But we've managed to pull the fat out of the fire this week after missing some deadlines.

Recorded on January 11, 2009, Episode 9 of Middle-earth Talk Radio covers:

• Other Minds Magazine Issue 5 status update


• Michael Martinez Article in Other Minds Issue 5 sneak peak


• Tolkien's influence on Beowulf's acceptance


• Mithril Miniatures


• Guillermo updates


• Tales Before Narnia, Tales Before Tolkien, Tolkien Bibliography, etc.


• Article of Barrow-wights Part II


• Etymology of draug... and Barrow-wights


• Tolkien, Wargs, Werewolves, Morgoth spirit enslavement


• Tolkien/Middle-earth Franchiseseseses


• David Haymen of Harry Potter Movies interview video


• More on the Tolkien Fan Movie "Born of Hope"


• Fan Hobbit scoring


• The Fan List in the Peter Jackson Movies


• Balrog Wings polls


• Hilary Tolkien memoirs


• Online Tolkien class offered for second time

Free registration is required in order to download the MP3 files for Middle-earth Talk Radio.

Issue 5 of HOBBIT NEWS, published a week late, includes:

• HOBBIT NEWS Missed A Week


• Middle-earth Talk Radio Episode 9 Now Online


• Abu Dhabi Celebrates Lord of the Rings Symphony


• Times Online mentions Tolkien/Lewis WW II POW Connection


• The Hobbit comes to stage in Surrey, BC Guildford Town Centre


• Christopher Lee says not likely he'll reprise role in "The Hobbit"


• Ontario town wins art contest with "Hobbit House" tree sculpture

You're welcome to discuss both the latest METR episode and HOBBIT NEWS issue in the Tolkien Forum at SF-Fandom.

SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.

Witch World site relaunched

Xenite.Org has completely redesigned, reorganized, expanded, enlarged, improved, and otherwise reshaped its popular Andre Norton's Witch World site.

Originally called The Witch World Page when it was first launched back in 1996, the Xenite site has grown through the years to span multiple pages and now multiple sub-directories. We've also added a new section for fan site listings.

Some of the essays on the site have been revised and updated with more recent information, although there are now so many Witch World books it seems unlikely the site will ever be complete or thorough. It's intended to provide a solid introduction to the Witch World and its lands, peoples, and history but nothing more.

Andre Norton fans still discuss the Witch World in SF-Fandom's Andre Norton Forum. There are many topics that interest Norton's readers. She was more prolific and inventive than J.R.R. Tolkien and her influence upon modern science fiction and fantasy was at least as profound as Tolkien's, if not more so.

We've occasionally discussed (at SF-Fandom) bloggers who mention Norton fondly on their blogs because she is still relevant to today's science fiction and fantasy. Her stories were about character more than about ideas, but she shaped some pretty interesting ideas.

The Witch World popularized the idea of traveling between worlds through gates -- sound familiar? Stargate fans should recognize the concept immediately. Norton's other SF franchises include the Forerunner books (future space-faring civilizations explore ruins of ancient space-faring civilizations that vanished millions of years in the past). The Galactic commonwealth books echo the themes of Asimov's Foundation and Galactic Empire franchise, Star Trek, and Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. In fact, Norton's future civilization suffers a collapse into chaos very much like the fall of the Systems Commonwealth.

Andre Norton's Witch World gave us powerful adepts who waged terrible wars (a concept touched upon in Babylon-5's Techno-Mages. She gave us the Kolder War, a conflict in which magic fought technology (and magic won, with the help of a technological warrior). She gave us the Dales of High Hallack, where every family with two sheep and a farm had the potential to rise to power and wealth. And she gave us a world rich with vast landscapes, ever-changing geological features, new cultures just beyond the horizon, and histories the depth of which would have made Tolkien weep with euchatastrophic joy.

If you have never read the Andre Norton books you have no idea of how much wonder you have missed. Discovering Andre's imagination for the first time is like opening King Tut's tomb and finding Rameses, Nefertiti, and King Scorpion standing beside the boy pharoah's sarcophagus.

The new layout of the Witch World site looks like this:

• Andre Norton's Witch World


• Andre Norton's Legacy


• The Witch World books used as sources


• Adepts of the Witch World


• Cultures of the Witch World


• Families of the Witch World


• Andre Norton Fan Sites Directory


• Chronology of Years in the Witch World

I hope you find the site worth browsing. It brought me much pleasure through the years, creating it, updating it, and sharing it with friends and strangers alike.

SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.

Hidden Frontier fan films launches "Frontier Guard"

I have never heard of Hidden Frontier, an archive for fan films set in the Star Trek universe. The site does not look like it's very old. Last year, apparently, they launched a new project set outside the Star Trek universe, Fontier Guard.

The second link goes to the special YouTube channel they set up for Frontier Guard. I don't know what the production status or schedule may be. I haven't found much information on the project. But you can view two trailers here.

The graphics look like they are of professional quality. I'll try to circle back to this project later and keep an eye on it.

Trailer 1 for "Frontier Guard"


Trailer 2 for "Frontier Guard"


SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.

Will Ferrell remakes "Land of the Lost"

On June 5, 2009, Will Ferrell's next movie, "Land of the Lost", will open in theaters. Ferrall is popular with some people but his acting career is uneven for me. I don't like his cheap slap-stick humor but he has done a few roles I was able to live with.

Land of the Lost was Sid and Marty Krofft's attempt to produce a serious science fiction show in the 1970s. It was one of the best-produced shows of the decade, as far as the science fiction and fantasy genres were concerned. David Gerrold ("The Trouble With Tribbles", Day of the Triffids, etc.) oversaw the scripts.

The show followed the adventures of the Marshall family, who found their way into a mysterious world both like and unlike Earth. The lost world had once been home to an advanced civilization but its people had declined to the point were they were semi-wild creatures.

Dinosaurs roamed the landscape, brought to life by a mix of claymation (stop-animation photography), puppetry, and state-of-the-art video effects.

The show ran for three seasons from 1974 to 1977 but then languished until 1991, when a new Land of the Lost was produced. The second show ran two seasons before it was shu down. Unfortunately, the second version of the show was not nearly as well-produced as the first.

Will Ferrell's take on the story is a comedic production that plays to his strengths and which should appeal to his many fans. However, hard-core land of the Lost fanatics need to brace themselves for a jarring change.

I'm not saying the movie will be bad -- just different from the early show.

SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.

New Harry Potter fan site

I've been promising for years to create a Harry Potter fan site. Of course, all the books have now been published and most of the movies have been made. The Harry Potter fan community is pretty well established.

So why bother at this late stage in the game?

First of all, I think it's worth the effort to say something on Xenite.Org about the Harry Potter franchise. Secondly, I enjoy making speculative connections.

So with that joyous pursuit in mind, I've cobbled together a little Harry Potter fan site (okay, maybe it's not so little). You'll find information about the books and movies, sure. But you'll also find videos, some brief articles discussing connections between Harry Potter and literature or history you may not have known about, and other information.

When time permits I'll update the site with additional content. It's been under development for a long time now and I decided I'd better just put up what I have done and worry about the rest later.

I hope you'll enjoy browsing the site and watching the videos. Hey, I enjoyed doing the research!

SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.

Why SciFi fans cannot depend on Wikipedia

How many times have you linked to a Wikipedia article in a blog post, forum discussion, or some other online resource?

Have you ever gone back to see if the article you linked to is the one Wikipedia still shows to people?

The Wikipedia Middle-earth articles have been repeatedly used to present a very biased point of view (in clear violation of Wikipedia guidelines) and, in fact, constitute original research (also in clear violation of Wikipedia guidelines).

The latest example of Wikipedia propaganda creep underscores just how little we can trust the "information" provided by Wikipedia.

Since the "documented facts" are always changing at Wikipedia, why on Earth would anyone want to promote them? You might just find your links are now pointing to "facts" that -- instead of supporting whatever points you made online -- contradict them.

SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.

Hobbit News Issue 4 now online

If you like to read eclectic Tolkien-related news, you need to take a look at the Hobbit News newsletter. I've just published Hobbit News, Volume 2009, Issue 4, February 1.

You can read the following news items in this issue:

• Turbine lets fans play LOTRO for free


• Royd Tolkien cleared of libel complaint


• Tolkien's American publisher in financial distress


• Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable features Tolkien lecture in Interfaith Week


• Elzabeth Town Community and Technical College to discuss Tolkien's racial diversity


• From TheOneRing.Net: Tolkien 2005 Conference gift to City of Birmingham


• Empire kicks off coverage of "The Hobbit" movies

Something I should have included in the newsletter but forgot to mention was that Dr. Dimitra Fimi has just published TOLKIEN, RACE AND CULTURAL HISTORY: FROM FAIRIES TO HOBBITS. She examines the racial and cultural contexts that may have contributed to Tolkien's Middle-earth.

From Dr. Fimi's Web site:

Tolkien, Race and Cultural History explores the evolution of Tolkien's mythology by examining how it changed as a result of Tolkien's life story and contemporary cultural and intellectual history. The book considers Tolkien's creative writing as an ever-developing 'legendarium': an interconnected web of stories, poems and essays, from his early poems in the 1910s to his latest writings in the early 1970s. Consequently, the book is not restricted to a discussion of Tolkien's best-known works only (The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion) but examines the whole corpus of his legendarium, including the 12-volume History of Middle-earth series, which has received little attention from critics. This new approach and scope brings to light neglected aspects of Tolkien's imaginative vision and addresses key features of Tolkien's creativity: the centrality of the Elves and the role of linguistic invention in his legendarium, as well as race and material culture in Middle-earth.

I'm going to say right here that I am not very familiar with her work but Dr. Fimi's use of "Legendarium" does raise some red flags for me. There has been an increasing trend among Tolkien scholars and critics over the past few years to treat all of J.R.R. Tolkien's stories as if they were intended to be part of a combined whole -- and such a thing never existed.

It would be unfortunate if Dr. Fimi's book perpetuates that misunderstanding, but I can certainly hope she helps break the myth. I intend to buy a copy of the book and read it in the near future. I've just got to find time in my schedule to do so.

SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.

Interview with Jamie Chung from "Dragonball: Evolution"

IGN caught up with Jamie Chung at ComicCon and she raves about the upcoming "Dragonball: Evolution" movie, hinting at a possible/probable sequel.



SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.

Star Trek Superbowl television promo

It didn't take long for someone to get this one online.

Shows some new brief clips from the upcoming "Star Trek" movie. And I think this is the first one where we meet Leonard McCoy.



SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.