Drat and phooey as well. I'm not surprised in some ways, but am very disappointed that this could/will, to a greater extent, affect seeing the final film with as many other NarniaWebbers as possible, who would otherwise have been able to come had the release remained in July . *sniff*

So, who is dashing out to purchase The Hobbit today? Not me ... which is quite different from my reaction when The Lord of the Rings films were released on DVD. I may buy the EE if/when it comes out later this year, but even then, I think I will be waiting until it drops in price. My interest in supporting PJ has waned a bit of late.

Not I, but I am planning on getting the EE later this year and that's why I'm not getting the DVD now. I only had the chance to see The Hobbit once in theaters and I'd like to see it a second time, so it's on my Netflix queue.

I am going to go ahead and get the Theatrical today.

1) I am in need of a mental break
2) If there is an EE, the behind the scenes stuff may be different
3) Who knows why.

And friend and I have been re-watching the LOTR trilogy lately, and it's been funny seeing connections between them and the Hobbit. I've seen the Hobbit, she hasn't, so every so often, we'll stop and I'll say something like: "It's so odd to see Bag End this way, in the Hobbit, Bilbo had a armchair in front of the fireplace that he sat in, and it was all clean and tidy with doilies and pictures in the room, and he got up and turned right and went into his bedroom..."

But since seeing both films, LOTR & Hobbit, I had some thoughts and have some questions:

1. First off, are Haldir & Thrandil related in any way? They look like they could. I mean, Elrond and Arwen are from Rivendell and they have dark hair, Haldir and Galadriel are from Lothlorien and have fair hair, and Thrandil and Legolas are from "the Woodland realm" and have fair hair as well. Just wondering...

2. What's the history of Moria & Erebor?In the Hobbit, Balin is the older dwarf who's good friends with Thorin (we see that in the prologue). And then in FOTR, we see that the Mines of Moria belong to Balin, where he is buried after the goblins attack. So when was Moria built and why was it built if they had Erebor?

3. I read on theOne Ring.net forums somewhere that at the end of the Hobbit

So then, who will rule Erebor? Who is the next heir? What about the arkenstone?

4. Are the Lonely Mountains and the Misty mountains the same thing?

5. What is Azog? And Orc? Why is he white?

6. And I remember when I went to see the Hobbit, when Bilbo asks Gandalf if there are other wizards, he says thee are 3 (?) more, but he can't remember their names. Everyone laughed. Why? I must have missed something...

And finally, while I've never read the Hobbit, the night before my theater viewing, I read the appendices to get SOME information, and if I remember correctly, it said that Thorin's father and a servant went to the cave of Azog, and Thorin's father was decapitated then, not on a battlefield. But then I thought later one Thorin and the army destroyed Azog at battle and then the main enemy of the book was his son, Bolg (?). So...what happened with the film plot? Azog is very much alive, and darn creepy!

2. What's the history of Moria & Erebor? . . . So when was Moria built and why was it built if they had Erebor?

Moria was the ancient dwelling place of the Dwarves. A lot of trade happened between Elves and Dwarves at that time and they were on friendlier terms. The Dwarves were driven out of Moria by Durin's Bane

Erebor became the main Dwarven stronghold after they lost Moria. After Smaug drove them out of Erebor, Thror (Thorin's grandfather) went back to Moria and was slain. There was later a battle at Moria where the Dwarves fought the goblins and Dain Ironfoot killed Azog. This is also Thorin's first major battle and the one where he gets the name Oaken-shield even though he did not slay Azog. Peter Jackson decided to keep Azog alive for the film probably to give Thorin a villain to fight before getting to the Lonely Mountain and to give more urgency to the quest. Several years after the Battle of Five Armies Balin takes a group of Dwarves to Moria to see if they can reclaim it. Their fate is of course discovered in LotR.

3. So then, who will rule Erebor? Who is the next heir? What about the arkenstone?

You'll find out. Either when the movies come out or in the book. Definitely not spoiling that. Unless you really want me to.

4. Are the Lonely Mountains and the Misty mountains the same thing?

The Misty Mountains are the main mountain range in Middle-Earth that separates the East from the West. The Shire and Rivendell are on the west side of the range. The Lonely Mountain is a single mountain on the far side of Mirkwood.

6. And I remember when I went to see the Hobbit, when Bilbo asks Gandalf if there are other wizards, he says thee are 3 (?) more, but he can't remember their names. Everyone laughed. Why? I must have missed something

There are five wizards in Middle-Earth. They are all given names in Tolkien's writings, but only Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast are named in LotR. The other two are given names in other writings which Peter Jackson did not have the rights to. So he could mention that there are five wizards, but he could not name two of them in the film.

I'm planning on getting the DVD eventually, but I'm not in a rush. Might ask for it for my birthday in a few months. Or else, I might wait for the EE. Is it confirmed that there will be one?

I did have the chance to see The Hobbit a second time in theaters -- this time in 3D. My perspective on it changed a bit when I managed to see it a second time and actually knew what was going on. The first time, at some parts I was too busy staring in confusion, trying to figure out what was going on, to know whether I liked it or not.

AslansChild, you're not the only one who couldn't figure out what was up with Azog. I have decided that I don't like him very much, at least not in the movie version with his expanded role. In my opinion, his storyline with Thorin's is somewhat cliche. Thanks to daughter of the King's interesting explanation of him on the last page, I think I'm going to have to pull out the LotR appendices and read up on Azog a bit. If I understand correctly, they took mostly canon facts about him and then enlarged his storyline to make it relate more to Thorin's. In the book, as far as I can recall, he did not play a very big role. In any case, at least he wasn't a completely made up character (like Tauriel, for example, but I'll wait to decide what I think about her until after I see her).

AslansChild, you're not the only one who couldn't figure out what was up with Azog. I have decided that I don't like him very much, at least not in the movie version with his expanded role. In my opinion, his storyline with Thorin's is somewhat cliche. Thanks to daughter of the King's interesting explanation of him on the last page, I think I'm going to have to pull out the LotR appendices and read up on Azog a bit. If I understand correctly, they took mostly canon facts about him and then enlarged his storyline to make it relate more to Thorin's. In the book, as far as I can recall, he did not play a very big role. In any case, at least he wasn't a completely made up character (like Tauriel, for example, but I'll wait to decide what I think about her until after I see her).

Yes, Peter Jackson used quite a bit from the LotR appendices. Do read the part about Durin's People / the Dwarves. That's where you will find Azog - he's not a made up character, but he should have been dead by the time of the events of the Hobbit, as far as canon goes.
PJ chooses to keep him alive (and chooses to have him white, which he has not got from the book), and mixes up the chronology a little, too, after Smaug's attack on Erebor.

I found it a little unnecessary. Why not have Bolg come in earlier, if they must have an enemy that early? And why must they? Wouldn't the trolls and the goblins be enough? And the threat from the Necromancer?
Perhaps that part will make more sense when we see the next movie ...

So I presume from the lack of posts that I wasn't the only one who did not buy the DVD and thus did not have the code to watch the sneak peak of Desolation of Smaug online which is still not available for viewing without said code? There's lots of pictures going around including shots of Thranduil and Legolas, but I really want to see the entire video.

Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask on here... has anyone been obsessively listening to Peter Hollens' version of Misty Mountains besides me? I love it.

Am I the only one who has seen the toys in the stores? At least they resolve the mystery of the (in)famous "Tauriel" actress.

Tauriel is Thranduil's Captain of the Guard, sold as a set with Legolas and advertised on the box as a fierce fighter. Hints of Xenarwen: see also Lego Tauriel.

I always figured the Captain was male because Bilbo's plan would not have worked if not for the fact that so many of the Elves get drunk; As a rule the female characters written by the Inklings (Arwen, Susan & Lucy Pevensie, Eowyn) can get worked up into high emotional states, but they make their mistakes sober.

I know that's a lot of conclusions to draw from one toy, but I remember the fans fussing over the non-canonical female Elf for all of 2012. Anyway, now we know.

The Great Goblin. Enjoy.

I've been a terrible fan of late...

I've not noticed the toys in stores - partially because I tend to avoid the toy aisle in favor of the other things I'm shopping for.

Dot, I didn't get the DVD either, at least partly because I'm curious about any extended edition content.

I really do like the Misty Mountain song, so thanks, fantasia, for linking that excellent cover. I also enjoyed the violin accompaniment on the version Peter Hollens mentions in his video.

As part of a recent graduation gift, I received two boxed sets from the history of Middle earth series: Books 1-5 and the History of the Lord of the Rings. I've been reading the first book (The Book of Lost Tales, Part 1) and I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would at first. The writer/scholar in me is fascinated by the changes in the texts and the stories, particularly the way the mythology of the early days of ME changed from the BoLT to the Silmarillion. I'm not sure which presentation I prefer: the traveler listening to tales told by the Elves or the more objective history that forms the bulk of the Silmarillion.

Has anyone else read any of these books? What did you think? Are there particular volumes or sections you enjoyed more?

I've read most of Book of Lost Tales 1 & 2, and sections of several of the later HoME books.

One of my favorite parts is the story of Tuor and Gondolin in BoLT2.
Tolkien started rewriting it, in what is included in Unfinished Tales - but unfortunately he stopped before the main events and never finished.
BoLT2 has the whole story, but not in as much detail at the beginning.

Unfortunately the styles of the two versions are so different that Christopher Tolkien hasn't even tried to merge them into one book ...

There are some really good articles in HoME 10 and 12 as well. I haven't read the whole books - I usually bought one of the volumes when I had been discussing a point with someone and had got recommendations for one of the articles.

Did anyone see? We've got a trailer coming!

*NOTE: New poster included in link..not really spoiler-ish*

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/06 ... t-details/

& our first real look at Tauriel:

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/06 ... -of-smaug/

I'm iffy about the appearance, but we'll see...