Another exciting week has come and gone!

An earthquake in New Zealand that troubled creatures of both land and air, more interviews of actors and the equally important behind-the-scenes sound-mixers and editors, and even a new poster!

Happy New Year!

As always, lots of stuff has happened this past week, including the beginning of a new year! 2014 has tons of new prospects and things to wait for - such as The Hobbit: There and Back Again, scheduled to be released on December 17. There should be a trailer sometime in the next few months! Back to the present, there are interviews, essays, and much more Tolkien related stuff to post about!

The highlights and things I didn't have time to post from this past week!

Following the tradition started at the end of November, here are the latest interviews, videos, news bits, and everything else from the world of Tolkien fandom!

Do you love The Hobbit? Do you love to draw? Then this contest is for you!

Harper Collins, the Tolkien publisher in the UK, is holding a contest for a fantastic prize. Use your artistic skills to create an artwork of Smaug for a chance to win a copy of your illustration on canvas and a collection of Hobbit books! So grab a piece of paper and some pencils and start drawing what YOU think Smaug looks like! The contest will run until December 13, 2013. You can enter the contest at this link. 

Has Peter Jackson given us a clue about Smaug?

This is just one of those touches that separates a great director from a mediocre one. The opening Warner Bros. logo in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has some interesting cloud formations behind it. It looks very much like the outline of a dragon. I have posted an image beyond the break, so you can see for yourself. 

Undoubtedly Smaug will be the highlight of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,

And there are a few things you may be interested in knowing about this vile wyrm, which may or may not be surprising. Peter Jackson is a master of leaking out just the right amount of information to stir up the greatest enthusiasm and annoyance among fans. Very little is known about Smaug, but it is worth knowing, nonetheless. 

Could this possibly be a statue of Smaug?

I personally think that this is nothing more than a false alarm, but there is no way I would pass this up, not matter unlikely it is. TheOneRing.net received a photo that may be a statue of Smaug set up in the foyer of the Roxy Cinema in Miramar, Wellington. It is not labeled, but it is in a spot that has hosted statues of past PJ films. MAJOR SPOILERS!

An interview with Joe Letteri, who reveals the secrets behind the visual effects of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 

Stuff recently posted on their website an interview with Joe Letteri, the VFX supervisor of Middle-earth. He tells us about the benefits of the new technology that has developed since The Lord of the Rings, and the challenges of filming in 3D and 48fps. We also get some interesting info on Smaug. To read the full article, go here. 

Learn more about Smaug and why there will be three films

In the first video, Andy Serkis, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt discuss Benedict Cumberbatch and his role as Smaug. In the second video, the same three cast members are interviewed once again and asked about the length of the movies. Enjoy!

A brief overview and discussion of the sneak peek to The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

MAJOR SPOILERS! Find out more about Smaug! Do you want to discover more about the mysterious character of Tauriel? What about Bard the Bowman? We have not seen the last of Radagast, nor has Azog finished his role. 

Poster by David Chalmer

Here is the second part to A (Guessed) Preview Into The Desolation of Smaug! Once again, I will give you summaries of the chapters in The Hobbit that I think will be covered in the movie, and then discuss various picturess. I tried to divide the posts equally (so there will be four chapters covered in this one also), but this one may be shorter as there are not very many photos left. However, do not let that discourage you from reading the rest of this post!

Here is yet another TV Spot, making a total of thirteen, although that is not what it is called. It, of course, shows more footage of Bilbo receiving his contract, and also of Smaug's invasion of the Lonely Mountain. (which happened before this film takes place) Enjoy!

Here is TV Spot #9! We get our first glimpse of Smaug! There is also a clip featuring the eagles, and what appears to be an epic battle between goblins and dwarves. TheOneRing.net speculated that it could be a flashback of the Battle of Azanulbizar. Also, at the end, we see the outside of Dol Guldur, the fortress of Sauron in Mirkwood.

Here is the official eighth TV spot for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. There is not too much new footage, but we do get some new insights of Bilbo telling his story to Frodo. Enjoy!
Note: TheOneRing.net reports that some of their discussion board members reported seeing, as they stated it  SPOILERS [Highlight to read] 'Smaug’s tail hurling what looked to be a fireball towards what looked to be Dale' while they were watching the Charlie Brown Christmas special on ABC. So keep your eyes peeled!

Benedict Cumberbatch, the actor who does the voice of Smaug, the dragon and main antagonist in The Hobbit, says that we will only get a glimpse of Smaug in the first film. According to him, all we will get to see is the eye of the red wyrm near the conclusion of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures again, but I didn't expect to find any, because Smaug appears at the end of the movie and he will be (I'm expecting) the main advertising theme for the next movie.