Neosoulman 09:05:04 AM Feb 15 2008

I would guess New Line needs to get off its fanny and pay Tolkien's estate. You hear the stories all the time: unfortunately, it is worth it to movie studios and record labels to hoard the money and cheat folks until some (and only some) of the people who are owed come with lawyers and accountants, to do audits and claim what they should have just been given in the first place. Meanwhile they've earned interest and had working use of these other people's money, and continue to hold onto the money they've shortchanged others who never had the resources or financial acumen to claim. I'm sad to say it, but it is deliberate, and pervasive.

GreekwriterBC 01:27:14 AM Feb 15 2008

From THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, (p. 216f.), I quote:

There is an inn, a merry old inn
beneath an old grey hill,
And there they brew a beer so brown
That the Man in the Moon himself came down
one night to drink his fill.

The ostler has a tipsy cat
that plays a five-stringed fiddle;
And up and down he runs his bow
Now sqeaking high, now purring low,
now sawing in the middle.

Let's get this thing resolved so that Smaug will be no more, and everything will return to normal. A dragon's hoard is worth a large fortune - certainly enough for everyone involved.

GreekwriterBC 01:06:39 AM Feb 15 2008

"'I can hear a pony or a horse coming along the road behind,' said Sam."

"He rose clumsily and bowed in dwarf-fashion, saying: 'Yet more fair is the living land of Lorien, and the Lady Galadriel is above all the jewels that lie beneath the earth!'"

The main thing is, "Frodo lives!"

msakapp 10:13:15 PM Feb 14 2008

I wish everyone well and as an avid LOTR fan as well as JRR Tolkien fan I want all to work out I was waiting to hear news about when the Hobbit would come out and hope everyone remembers to cross the T's and dot the I 's this time so that all this can be avoided. It would be a shame if no one could work this out and a loss for the fans

SDiogene19 04:21:41 PM Feb 14 2008

i hope this all works out, I'm looking forward to seeing "The Hobbit"

Jawsmn45 02:16:26 PM Feb 14 2008

sounds like there are some criminal charges that should be filled here as well. This is shocking news. you made 6 billion and would not pay your 7.5 percent? that should be chump change to you at this point in time. Now New Line is gonna pay royally! and possibly lose the rights to a fim they are already in pre-production for.....

Venturasheri 10:48:02 AM Feb 14 2008

ericself: do your research. Hollywood is NOT controlled by restrictive unions. Unions are in place to help protect the "real talent" from the massive conglomerates that control Hollywood. They are greedy corporations that dont care about the actors or the crew that put in 16 hour days to make their movies that make them billions! I agree with maibaci: we need to send a message!

MWN560 04:36:33 AM Feb 14 2008

new line studio should have to pay a punitive damage fine so big that it would scare all others out of not paying. Then the people responsible should do time like 5-7 years. That may fix it.

Thedukeantiques 05:33:37 PM Feb 13 2008

money money money money......money

is that how the song goes.

KilRydLoad 02:42:43 PM Feb 13 2008

This is exactly why Peter Jackson isn't going to direct The Hobbit. He claims that New Line owes him residuals from DVD sales and things like that. The fact that the Tolkien estate is suing furthers proof of New Line not ponying the dough they legally have to. Now The Hobbit will probably never see the light of day. Damn shame, too, because I wouldn't want anyone else directing The Hobbit other than Jackson.