Wow. This is exciting. All three films of Lord of the Rings were on TV in my area recently. Watched them again and was amazed once more at how magnificent they are. Also, I also noticed (perhaps because on the small screen the effects were not as powerful) that profound love between people (including humans, hobbits, elves, wizards, etc.) is a central theme. It starts with Sam's devoted love for Frodo, and goes on and on.

Have you never read the books? They loved loved their World, Middle Earth. They had to all work together to try and save it. Of course, working together for the same goal, they came to really love each other. I have always taken that to be a given.

I'm glad to hear that he's going to do "The Hobbit." Frankly, I've always wondered why he didn't start with it.

Outstanding! I absolutely loved The Hobbit, and when people who have not read Tolkien ask me about the Lord of the Rings trilogy I always point them toward The Hobbit first.

I too was thrilled to read that Jackson is going to do "The Hobbit", although I'm a bit concerned by what I've read as far as what exactly his role is going to be vs his and Fran's roles in doing LOTR. The article that I read seemed kind of ominous. I recommend to everyone who loves the movies to read the books. The first 50 to 100 pages are tough and you just have to persevere through it because then the writing style changes and becomes easier to read. The books are fabulous really. I am thrilled to have the Family Version of "The Hobbit". If you have kids, pick this up for them. The illustrations are great as is the story. Also, if you haven't yet bought the dvd trilogy, go for the special deluxe version as it has some differences from the less expensive version and its worth it.