From the Scott girls at M.A.R.S. Productions: We’re just a few weeks away from Dragon*Con 2007. The M.A.R.S. Productions film “Middle Earth Idols” is the feature film at the Tolkien Track film festival this year. “Middle Earth Idols” stars Kiran Shah (LOTR), Daniel Reeve (LOTR), Michael Regina (TheOneRing.net), Dean Haglund (X-Files), Alexis Cruz (Stargate), Grant Wilson (TAPS/Ghost Hunters) as celebrity guest judges, with special musical guest, Emerald Rose. [More]

On the Saturday evening of DragonCon, the Tolkien Track is pleased to present the first Tolkien’s Middle-earth Fan Film Festival. The highlights of our evening will be the screening of ‘Middle-earth Idol’ by MARS Productions and the video documentary ‘Ringers: Lord of the Fans’. We are looking for short fan produced films to show leading up to our featured presentation.

That is where you come in! Maybe you have a movie camera and a backyard with lots of trees, perfect for hunting Elves. Perhaps your artistic skills in drawing Hobbits and animating them are finely tuned, and you have been itching for the chance to show off. Some of you might already have a film that you just want to share with everyone at the track. Here’s your chance!

For additional information, please go to the Tolkien Track site and click here then click on the fan film link, or contact Zhie at zhiester@gmail.com.

The all-Tolkien-all-the-time portion of DragonCon 2007 wants your fan-films. The massive annual event held in Atlanta each year wants to showcase the many talented fan films out in the world made as an ode to the LOTR books or films. If you know of anyone making Tolkien-related fan films (or happen to be a Tolkien fan film maker yourself) please nudge them (or yourself) in the general direction of the Tolkien Track for Dragon con found here. Thanks!

djdeathskiss writes: This year I was fortunate enough to be selected as a staff member for the Tolkien Track at this years DragonCon, held every Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. I am very, VERY happy to announce our first ‘LOTR’ guest – Sean Astin! He will be joining the always popular Tolkien scholar Anne Petty and performances by Emerald Rose. [More]

Jean, director of the Tolkien Track at Dragon*Con writes: I wanted to let you know that we are already revving up for this year’s Dragon*Con this fall. Our site has been updated and we are anxiously awaiting word from Dragon*Con on our guests for this year. For more information, check out this website or contact tolkientrack@gmail.com

TORN Staffer MrCere writes: DragonCon in Atlanta starts this weekend and as it has been for several years now, TheOneRing.net will be in the house! I will be at a fan table in the basement of the Marriott where we will be selling our new, but as yet unrevealed t-shirts. (Hint: it has a reference to elves from another currently popular fictional universe).

But besides supporting the not-for-profit TORn, every Lord of the Rings fan should come by the table and pick up a gift card from Sideshow Collectibles while supplies last. Each person attending the show can claim a card until my supply runs out and each card is worth between $10 and $100 on Sideshow’s in-stock supply. This includes several very cool Lord of the Ring items.

Each person wanting a prize will roll two dice and generate a number between 1 and 100. (2d10 for geeks like me). Every number is a winner but each day we will feature a “GRAND PRIZE” item from Sideshow that will astound and amaze your friends and neighbors if you win. Better still, Sideshow will ship the item directly to you at home so there will be no need to carry it away from Atlanta or lug it around the convention. We will also give away some TORn shirts and some grand but non-“GRAND PRIZE” LOTR items from SideshowCollectibles.com at the table each day for those lucky enough to roll specific numbers.

The Tolkien schedule is here and we are honored to have Friday’s annual “Evening at Bree” dedicated to our friend and staffer, the late Balin. See you at the show!