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If you watched the 6 minute video Peter Jackson released today, you may have caught a big of an “Easter Egg” while he’s pulling out some artwork showing off Mirkwood.

121 years ago today, JRR Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, to Arthur and Mabel Tolkien. So, raise a glass in honor of the Good Professor and his works that have affected us all so profoundly!

Can’t say I’m not surprised.  The Tolkien Estate is known for doing anything and everything it can to “protect” anything and everything to do with Tolkien.

Some of you may know that last week we under took the big ol’ task of upgrading our messageboards… And now we’re seeing the fruits of the labor!

“Tolkien has become a monster, devoured by his own popularity and absorbed by the absurdity of our time,” Christopher Tolkien observes sadly. “The chasm between the beauty and seriousness of the work, and what it has become, has gone too far for me. Such commercialisation has reduced the esthetic and philosophical impact of this creation to nothing. There is only one solution for me: turning my head away.”

We’ve all been watching despairingly as the situations in New Zealand and Japan continue to play out. And now, Mad Dwarf Workshop and Dunedain Radio have announced their involvement with charities, giving us a chance to contribute to the relief efforts in these regions.

How should you mark Professor Tolkien’s birthday?

Check out this interesting interview with Simon Tolkien on NPR. He gets into some interesting details about his relationship with his grandfather, including some specific memories and influences.

With the release of Lord of the Rings on Blu-Ray in a little more than a month–April 6–the official Lord of the Rings website has finally gotten a much needed face-lift after these many years.