December 1 - 7 Weekly Recap

What has been happening in the world of Tolkien fandom!

I have decided to make this type of post a weekly series, in order to cover all the little things that do not justify a post of their own or that I simply do not have time to write about. Only five more days until we get to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug! And lost has been happening in anticipation of this event. 

• LOTRProject has a fun little quiz, much like the one last year, where you can find out which character from The Hobbit you are!

• A possible lost set location for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was found by Aaron Nicholson while traveling the Takaro Road. 

• TIME Magazine declares The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug to be one of the top 10 films of the year! The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is #10, to be exact. 

• Jerry Vanderstelt has made another stunning piece of artwork: The Balrog - Bane of Durin. You can buy copies of it on his website. 

• On December 14, the art tribute exhibition "Out of the Shire" will open at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, CA, with artwork from all your favorite Tolkien artists! Find out more here. 

• A new clip from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has been released by Movies Coming Soon [YouTube]. Watch it below if you dare - it's 100% SPOILERS!

• The Google+ hangout with Richard Armitage, Peter Jackson, and Evangeline Lilly was fantastic! If you missed it, fear not. You can watch it below. 

• An interview with Benedict Cumberbatch, also from Movies Coming Soon [YouTube]. 

• TheOneRing.net compiled a collection of highlights and images from the world premiere of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. 

• Take a virtual journey through Middle-earth - NewZealand.com presents 'Take a Flight through Middle Earth.' 

• Another interview with Benedict Cumberbatch, this time with HitFix [YouTube]. 

• BoxOffice.com offers a very detailed analysis of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug's potential at the box office. 

• 'Whose feet are those?' - a very humorous press interview with the cast of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug brought to us by Yahoo! Movies. 

• The Embargo has lifted! Anyone and everyone is free to post reviews of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - and many have, including Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Empire.  

• Finally, as always when leading up to a movie, there has been a flurry of interviews with just about every member of the cast and crew. A very complete list is kept and maintained by ThorionOakenshield.net. Feel free to jump over there and check out all the interviews!