Those of you who have been around since last summer may be happy to hear the following...

I can officially announce that the legal issues that plagued us early last fall and prevented the release of the book at RCMH have now been resolved. We've been cooperating with all interested parties and working with them hand-in-hand over the past few months. Today, with our trip to the printers mere days away, our approvals have come through!

A few last design issues to tweak with Gary Day-Ellison and manufacturing can begin.

...and then I'm going to take a nap! :)

Just in case you wondered.

THR link.

It has been decided that our fine readership should proceed with an en masse review/discussion of The Hobbit. This series of Hobbit Talk threads will now refresh bi-weekly as a new chapter of the book is introduced.

For the sake of clarity, let's please use this thread solely for Hobbit Talk, and the Ongoing Discussion for our general chitchat.


And now, on with Chapter Fourteen, Fire and Water!

Have a wonderful time at Royal Albert Hall.

I'm seething with jealousy, but I'll see you all in September ... with some 'friends'!

-Doug

Just a quick reminder that I'm still here, and haven't abandoned the blog! Working with movie studios and estates this week, which means we're in our final stages of prep work. The printers will be knocking on our door soon.

And we're still coordinating work in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Michigan, London and New Zealand ... I'll fill you in on the exciting progress as quickly as I'm able.

In the meantime, keep your eyes open for an upcoming Hobbit Talk, and I'll try to hop on the Discussion Boards when I'm able.

Thanks for your patience, and please accept my apologies for the dearth of recent updates. Apparently making a book is a lot of work! :)

I'm often asked A) if the written LOTR scores are available for purchase, or B) if I have the scores here with me and would be willing to secretly email them out for 'study purposes.' The answer to both is 'no,' of course ... well, actually the second answer generally has 'and I don't want to go to jail, thanks!" tacked on the end. However, if you're still looking to slake your thirst for Howard Shore sheet music, you may be interested in The Howard Shore Collection from Alfred Publishing. This collection doesn't include full conductor's scores -- though you can see some of HS' sketches in it -- however, it does present a fine assortment of his varied material arranged for piano, with vocal parts and guitar tabs where appropriate.

Included are:

Gollum's Song (from "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers")
Into the West (from "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King")
America's Aviation Hero (from "The Aviator")
Mrs. Doubtfire (Main Title)
M. Butterfly (Main/End & Cues)
Silence of the Lambs (Main Title)
Billy's Theme (from "The Departed")
The Departed Tango (from "The Departed")
The Mandala (from "The Last Mimzy")
Saturday Night Live (Closing Theme)
Prelude to a Kiss (Main Title)
Goodbye (Theme From "Big")
Nobody’s Fool (Main Title)
Eastern Promises (Main Title)
The Fly (Main Title)
Doubt (Main Title)
Ed Wood (Main Title)
Believe (CTV Promotional Theme - Winter Olympics 2010)
Saturday Night Live (Opening Theme)
Meet the Boys (from "The Client")
In Dreams (from "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring")
Precedent (from "Philadelphia")

If you're interested, please see the bottom of the "Now Available" sidebar to the right of your screen and order away!

And yes, you'll see some full LOTR score pages in the book this fall. But until then ... :)

It has been decided that our fine readership should proceed with an en masse review/discussion of The Hobbit. This series of Hobbit Talk threads will now refresh bi-weekly as a new chapter of the book is introduced.

For the sake of clarity, let's please use this thread solely for Hobbit Talk, and the Ongoing Discussion for our general chitchat.


And now, on with Chapter Thirteen, Not at Home!

Azgard checks in with the following:

***

Hi Doug

Just thought you should know, Howard Shore (and the Lord of The Rings) was voted the top film score (at position 44) in the ClassicFM (UK classical music radio station) top 300 classical music pieces.

Every Easter the radio station counts down (over 4 days) the top 300 classical music pieces as voted by its listeners.

More info at www.classicfm.co.uk

***

The 'pros' have had their say, feel free to have yours. If you're picking up the LOTR Blu-rays today, let everyone know what you think by posting your review in the comments.

...And at the very least, you'll be providing me a useful service, since I'm still on the fence regarding whether or not I'll pick these up!

As you probably know, people in creative fields tend not to be morning people. The muses sing with stronger voices at night, I guess ... or maybe it's just that the demons do the bulk of their caterwauling well before noon. Trouble is, these ephemeral characters tend to operate locally. When your neighborhood muses have bedded down at daybreak, others are just hitting their stride somewhere else in the world. Likewise, it's fair to say that there's always some demon of discontent howling in some corner of the globe.

All this is a very flowery way of saying ... I ain't getting much sleep right now! :) While I'd prefer to make my decisions in the wee small hours of the midnight, I'm trying to coordinate these decisions with New York, Los Angeles, England and, yes, New Zealand -- which, seems to exist in a timezone that's approximately a week and a half ahead of Chicago.

I'm having the time of my life, and am working with a crew at the absolute top of their disciplines. It's just physically wearing, and I apologize that I haven't been faster to respond to Message Board posts, emails, Facebook notes, Twitter direct messages, etc. I'll try to get back to everyone, I promise. And if I miss you, please send me a gentle reminder. I promise I'm not ignoring anyone on purpose!

Don't worry too much about my health, though. We're awfully close to a bit of respite. In fact, we should be off to the printers in the not-too-distant future. After that, responsibilities should start to slowly shift back toward press. An interview here, a speaking engagement there. And that will feel especially welcome because, for the first time in the history of this project, I'll be talking about a product that actually exists! No more interviews where I talk about what we're planning--now I'll talk about what we did! FYI, I believe my next appearance will be in Krakow in May. Don't think I'll be anywhere other than my office before then.

For right now, however, it's back to proofing/reviewing for me. We're talking external designs today--covers, disc art, etc. But before I crawl back to the muses and demons, a quick 'thank you' to the crew. I still can't believe that I'm in the midst of such a brilliant group. And believe me, if you think I'm sleep-deprived, I can guarantee the rest of the group has it worse. There have to be some seriously dented alarm clocks out in world right now! But we're almost there, and there isn't a morning where I'm not giving thanks for my incredible co-workers ... as I'm gulping a pot of coffee and prying my eyes open with toothpicks! :) So a huge thank you to:

Joe Augustine
Elizabeth Cotnoir
Alan Frey
John Howe
Alan Lee
Howard Shore
Sue Sinclair
Sue Viccars

...and, of course, the man who endures literally hundreds of emails from me on a daily basis, Gary Day-Ellison!

I'll try to establish a somewhat more regular update pattern this month. I've missed the regular back-and-forth with the bloggees! Exciting times around here, so I'll do my best to share what I can in the near future.

Doug

It has been decided that our fine readership should proceed with an en masse review/discussion of The Hobbit. This series of Hobbit Talk threads will now refresh bi-weekly as a new chapter of the book is introduced.

For the sake of clarity, let's please use this thread solely for Hobbit Talk, and the Ongoing Discussion for our general chitchat.


And now, on with Chapter Twelve, Inside Information!