HAPPY BIRTHDAY, J. R. R. TOLKIEN

J. R. R. Tolkien, the Oxford professor best known for creating "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "The Hobbit," was born on this day in 1892. (it's also my mom's birthday -- Happy Birthday, Mom!) Recently, after a long, drawn-out legal battle, LOTR director Peter Jackson announced he will indeed be directing "The Hobbit," though it will take years to get to the screen. I know, I sound like a geek but I really enjoyed these movies and I'm looking forward to seeing "The Hobbit."

THERE AND BACK AGAIN

Good news from Middle Earth. Peter Jackson just announced he will be making "The Hobbit." Following years of dispute with New Line, Jackson is finally amassing his creative armies to produce the J. R. R. Tolkien classic as two movies: the first dealing with the contents of the eighty year old book, and the second, imagined entirely by Jackson and creative partner Fran Walsh, linking the Hobbit to the beginning of "The Lords of the Rings." Given his current obligations to direct "The Lovely Bones," and a feature length adaptation of the French comic series "Tin Tin," fans of Tolkien and LOTR will have to be patient. According to the Hollywood Insider, "Jackson will develop the properties over the next year with hopes of entering into pre-production by 2009 for a 2010 and 2011 release."