The CCD Podcast: Episode #37 - The Definitive Tolkien Film Retrospective Pt. 3 or "Damn This Has Been A Long Ass Retrospective... Are We Done Yet!!!"

So another great CCD Retrospective finally comes to an end (this one was a long, arduous journey just like the ones taken in the films!) and we use this third episode of the series to discuss the existing first two Hobbit films and talk about the anticipation of the third film that will cap off the film series. Jedi Rob, Joe Milazzo and Mike D are back for one more go round, and we discuss the highs and lows that Peter Jackson second trilogy go through. Whether you like the Hobbit films more than LOTR or less than LOTR you will definitely love to listen to what we have to say about everything. A perfect end to a fantastic look back at a great film franchise... check it out after the jump!

The CCD Podcast: Episode #36 - The Definitive Tolkien Film Retrospective Pt. 2 or "Even The Fucking Trees Walked In Those Movies."

So we are marching right along with part 2 of the Definitive Tolkien Film Retrospective and its sure to be a rocking good time. Join Jedi Rob, Joe Milazzo and Mr. CCD himself Mike D as we transverse the Shire all the way to the tops of Mount Doom in order to honor ole J.R.R. and all he has done for us!!!! The perfect Christmas gift one can get... a new episode of the CCD Podcast for all your laugh out loud shenanigans this holiday season. Check out the site after the jump...

The CCD Podcast: Episode #35 - The Definitive Tolkien Film Retrospective Pt. 1 or "There Was A Basement... And In That Basement There Lived A Podcast!"

It wouldn't be Christmas without another Hobbit movie, and this year we are getting the epic conclussion to the 3 part film series with Battle of the 5 Armies. In honor of J.R.R Tolkien, Peter Jackson and the 6 specatcular movies we know and love so much (and other ones we don't love that much at all) we our doing one of our patented "CCD Retrospectives" with a definitive look at the Tolkien cinematic universe. In part #1 we delve into teh books, our experiences with Tolkien, and the original animated films of the late 70s. We will be following it up with Pt #2 (the three Lord of the Rings films) and Pt #3 (The first two Hobbit films) next week. But lets start this thing off right. Join Jedi Rob, Mike D and Joe "monkey man" Milazzo as we roam the lands of Middle Earth giving our review. It is going to be epic!!!!

Lego's Abound - A Three-peat !!!

I have been getting so many Lego based stories into my inbox from my gang that I don't know what to do... so I decided to throw together a little 3 peat post. 3 different stories, all amazing in their own right. First up, we got an an Alien themed build. But this one is surprisingly simple and only requires a few pieces (only 20), which is rarely a featured property in Lego build posts. The second story comes from a more familiar place. How about a Hobbit/Lord of the Rings themed mega build that requires a bit of time... oh, and 200,000 pieces! And the final one is a crazy mosaic of one of my favorite characters in movie history... it kinda ties the room together, ya know? Check all three out after the jump..

'The Lord of the Crumbs' - A Hobbit x Sesame Street Collaboration

Sesame Street has been educating and entertaining children for over 40+ years, and the way they stay relevant is by taking the pulse of what is popular in the world and relating it to the children they are targeting with their programming. They have done so for years, and continue to do so in epic fashion. In honor of the upcoming release of The Hobbit 2: The Desolation of Smaug, Cookie Monster takes a trip to Middle Earth in The Lord of the Crumbs! Check out this awesome collaboration video that features Gandalf, Galadriel, and many other familiar facets of J. R. R. Tolkien's epic adventure. Sesame Street keeps it going once again... enjoy!

Fly Smaug Airlines... Wait, What?

There are cross promotions, and then there are killer CROSS PROMOTIONS. This falls into the latter. The main airlines of New Zealand, New Zealand Air, has decided to deck out their planes with full size decals of the legendary Smaug the dragon in lieu of the upcoming Hobbit 2: The Desolation of Smaug movie release. The role that the country and its magnificent landscape has played in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy and the first Hobbit film is immeasurable, and it helps that the side of a 747 provides a nice canvas for promotional material that comes in the size of a monstrous dragon! Very innovative thinking, and a great tie in to what is sure to be one of the biggest movies of the year. The Hobbit 2: The Desolation of Smaug hits theaters on Dec 25th... check out a really cool promo video from New Zealand Air and it's newest wing man (see what I did there... wink) after the jump...

Mike D's Favorite 11 Movies of 2012: A CCD Rant

The year is over and I was one happy camper when it came to movies released in 2012. I am a huge movie fanatic and this was an amazing year for films to me. Big blockbusters, small indy movies... we got good stuff from across the board of genres and film types. We also must celebrate the year of the geek, lead by Mr. Joss Whedon. Comic book movies reached an all time high, Sci Fi made a huge comeback, and smaller companies like Magnet Releasing  helped make it easier for us to see lesser known works. Thanks to streaming services like Hulu Plus, Video on Demand, Amazon Prime and my beloved Netflix Instant films were easier to access as ever and were right at our fingertips on all the electronic devices we love so much. So here is my top 11 fims of 2012. Not the best films, not the definitive list... just my favorite 11 films that I HAVE SEEN THIS YEAR. And I know it's 11, that is what makes my list better then those stupid ass Top ten lists out there!!!! Enjoy my rant after the jump...

'I Found Your Box!!!!' - Legolas

I love me some Lego action videos, and this cool ass video from the Brothehood Workshop is certainly no exception. Thanks to my man Joe Fletch for sending this one to me. In the wake of my recent Hobbit viewing, it is nice to take a trip back to Lord of the Rings and the Battle of Helm's Deep. Gotta love the comedy and cameos that the guys added to this one to make it even geekier. Great stuff all around. Check out the video after the jump...

GRR vs JRR: Who's Characters Would Win In A Fight?

George R.R. Martin was a successful fantasy writer up until HBO made his A Song of Ice and Fire series a household name. Then he became uber famous, probably the most sought after author by new readers in the past few years. JRR Tolkien is the benchmark of all fantasy writers, having composed The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Tolkien is legendary, and Martin is well on his way (if he ever finished books 6 & 7!!!) to joining him on top of the pantheon of fantasy writers. So when MTV Geek decided to ask George what he thought about some of his characters facing off with the legends of Tolkien lore, and the results are quite interesting. The video is very funny and any opportunity I get to see Martin wearing that stupid hat and giggling into a camera I eat it up. Jaimie Lannister vs Aragon, Saruman vs Melisandre, Frodo vs Tyrion... the possibilities are endless. Good thing they kept Khal Drogo out of it, cause he would whup every bodies asses! Enjoy the video after the jump ...

Gandalf Style.... Amazing!

Now that I am fully up on my Gangnam Style dance numbers, I am going to post every one of these videos that I come across. Today's parody video of Korean Pop Sensation PSY comes from the land of Hobbits & Wizards.... Middle Earth represent.... Wizard Gandalf Style!!!!!! Check the video after the jump...

And I Said To Myself... What A Wonderful World!!!!

People get attached to the settings in every type of entertainment they consume,whether it is movies, books, video games, comics or anything else. The setting is so key to the background story that it often overshadows a majority of characters in the work, save for the most important characters. I mean, think how much more you remember about Hogwarts as opposed to the literally 100s of non main characters in the 7 books by J.K Rowling. Or how about the fact that after 20 years I can still remember how to navigate Hyrule when I downloaded Zelda on my Wii, yet forgot ALL of the 8 final bosses names in the game except for level 9 baddie Ganon? The setting can often make the story what it is and be the driving force in a work of fiction. With that being said, this is the most complete map of fantasy lands that I have ever seen. I have not been able to locate the creator of this map (I hate not creating brilliance) but all the links I am finding around the web seem to go back to the I WASTE SO MUCH TIME blog. So check them out cause their blog is cool and seems to be pretty chill. Tell em CCD sent ya! Check out a larger version of the map after the jump and see if you can figure out oall of the locations and what properties they come from... enjoy your trip!!!

Adam James Takes On The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings Saga With Great Success

Lots of artists take the time to re-design movie posters for classic films. This is nothing new, especially on the Internet. But when an artist knocks out a killer minimalistic take on something as epic as Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy and the throws in a Hobbit poster just for good measure... well, they should be commended. SO that's what I am doing right now. Nice touch on the "O" as a ring!!! Check out Adam James's other work by clicking here, and then click after the jump to see the four LOTR/Hobbit posters...

What If Maurice Sendak Would Have Illustrated 'The Hobbit'?

Tony DiTerlizzi, author of 'The Spiderwick Chronicles', wrote a guest article for Hero Complex in which he unfolds the mystery behind the almost collaboration of J.R.R. Tolkien & Maurice Sendak. His article is amazing... here is a short excerpt talking about what went wrong:

"As Sendak noted passages for possible illustration and sketched in the margins of his copy of the book, the publisher prepared the art samples for Tolkien’s approval. The editor mislabeled the samples, however, identifying the wood-elves as “hobbits,” as Sendak recalled to Maguire. This blunder nettled Tolkien. His reply was that Sendak had not read the book closely and did not know what a hobbit was. Consequently, Tolkien did not approve the drawings. Sendak was furious.


In hopes that all could be smoothed over between the two, the publisher arranged for a meeting in Oxford while Sendak was in England touring for the U.K. release of “Wild Things.” The day before their meeting, Sendak suffered his first major heart attack. He was 39. Sendak spent several weeks recovering in a hospital in Birmingham. He never met with Tolkien, and the project was abandoned."

Well, I for one hope Sendak punched that dickbag editor in the face. The article supposedly contained the two illustrations discussed above, but only one is actually Sendak's. Here it is:

What do you think? Would you have liked to see Sendak take on Tolkien? Let us know in the comment section below!

There And Back Again

It's been quite the long road for 'The Hobbit'. There have been rights issues, union disputes, and of course the bankruptcy of one of the biggest movie studios in the world. It got so confusing, that even star Ian McKellen didn't have all the delays sorted out and showed up 5 weeks early. I guess sometimes a wizard is late eh? And there was of course the big Director switcheroo.

Part of me is is definitely disappointed that I won't get to see Guillermo Del Toro's version of Middle Earth, but he has like 9000 other projects that I'm salivating for as well so he's got plenty to keep himself busy.

In the end though, it makes sense that Peter Jackson is back in charge. He did such an excellent job with the trilogy why not have him finish (or begin) the story. It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since Fellowship of the Ring came out, but here we are and the cameras are about to roll on the 2 part movie version of "The Hobbit."

A few pics came out of Mr. Jackson relaxing in Bag End.





It's got to be pretty surreal for him being back in The Shire. He's come a long way, made some more movies, won some Oscar's, and lost about a person's worth of weight.

Here's ol' PJ in 1999 just as LOTR was getting underway...


Yikes!

A lot of things have changed since the trilogy came out. Much of that as a result of the films themselves. The trilogy showed there was a market for the fantasy genre and they've been cranking out the films ever since. Can Jackson and some hairy footed folk cause lightning to strike twice? I can't wait to find out.

The first part of "The Hobbit" is scheduled to release December 19th, 2012.