Strangers in a Strange Land: Thranduil and Legolas

So, before I start this post, two funny things: first off, if you're hoping to find a good picture of this father-son elf duo, just be aware that googling "Legolas and Thranduil"will lead to a pile of garbage you'll have to dig through to get anything remotely resembling a descent photo; second, I decided to do a post about Thranduil and Legolas last night, and then to my surprise I found that Stephen Colbert had scooped me! Jump past the brea and take a look at this funny April Fool's video from Mr. Jackson (Colbert jumps on at 1:27):

Fridays at the Mathom-House: Jon Hodgson

¡Veliz viernes a todos ustedes! Get set for some excellent Tolkien artwork courtesy of your weekly Mathom-House. This week we're featuring the amazing Middle-Earth art of Jon Hodgson as seen in The One Ring fantasy RPG game. All of Hodgson's art is great, but I especially like his landscapes . . . he really manages to capture the feel of all the key locations in The Hobbit, from Rivendell to the Lonely Mountain. By far my favorite is this shot of Lake-town below:

Enjoy more of Hodgson's fantastic art after the break!

Bilbo Baggins, Burglar Extraordinaire

I probably owe the world an apology. So far, this blog has focused a whole lot on Thorin and his dwarves, and hasn't talked much about anything else (except Trolls, trailers and wizards who aren't falling in love), when in fact the hero of our story is most definitely not a dwarf (or a troll or wizard). Yes, it's about time we sit down and take a good look at the protagonist of this whole affair: a certain Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End, Hobbiton.

Bilbo Baggins, Esquire

Now, call me crazy, but I really like the animated version of Bilbo. My first exposure to this version of our esteemed Hobbit was from books-on-tape that my grandma had. I practically wore the tapes out listening to the story of Bilbo the Burglar over and over, and I was fascinated by the drawings of hobbits and dwarves, wizards and trolls, and especially the Dragon. And you know what? I still like the animated version. Not sure why . . . call it nostalgia, I guess.

Anyways, there's a new Bilbo on the block, take a gander after the break: