There is now one website to rule them all: the official Lord Of The Rings Trilogy site. The movie, which stars Elijah Wood as Frodo, Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf, and Liv Tyler as Arwen, isn't out until Christmas, but Web heads have been buzzing about the epic directed by Peter Jackson (''The Frighteners'') for the past year. Friday's relaunch of the website, which is so detailed it includes a discussion of the hair color on Frodo's feet translated into 10 different languages (not including High-Elven), marks the beginning of the most ambitious online movie promotion to date -- and it's growing like Dark Lord Sauron's army.
The interactive map of Middle Earth will continue to be updated -- and will be complete only when the last movie in New Line's $270 million trilogy, ''Return of the King,'' is released in 2003. Every crew member, right down to the 13th grip, will be spotlit on the site, which will include special areas that can be viewed only by visitors using a Hobbit friendly ''Rings'' browser. What's more, the studio is forming a digital age fellowship of the Rings with more than 400 fan run destinations around the globe in an attempt to rival ''Star Wars'' in popularity. But the hype could prove hard for even Gandalf to live up to, especially given the competition in the mystical entertainment world from a young wizard named Harry Potter. Still, the news breaking zeal found on Imladris: Lord Of The Rings Movie News or Ringzone will only become more frenzied as the release date draws nigh.
To begin your adventure through Middle Earth, you can begin with these sites:
•The Barrow-Downs
If you last read Tolkien's trilogy sometime back in the 20th century, all this talk of Orcs and Elves probably makes you feel as old as Gandalf the Grey. So before journeying into movie sites run by people who debate whether or not Balrogs have wings, refresh your memory with this site's book synopses.
GRADE Wizard (A)
•The Encyclopedia Of Arda
This alphabetical index will prove as invaluable a companion as Sam is to Frodo as you run across descriptions of Barad-Dur and giant Oliphaunts in the sites that follow.
GRADE Hobbit (A)
•Ringfaq
Once you're reacquainted with J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy world, this frequently asked questions page will serve as a primer to director Peter Jackson's movie trilogy. It explains where and how the film diverges from the original storyline, and sketches the history of the production from way back when Jackson was making a two part adaptation of ''Rings'' for Miramax. The Effects section also includes an excellent visual explanation of how Frodo will be made to look half the size of Gandalf.
GRADE Dwarf (D)
•The Lord Of The Rings Movie Site
The next stage of the adventure is told in pictures, and these galleries are stocked like a Hobbiton cellar. There are photos of Cate Blanchett resplendent in the robes of Galadriel, John Rhys-Davies decked out in the red beard of Gimli, armies of Orcs, and spoiler drawings of the vicious Gollum. Plus, there are pages full of seemingly unauthorized shots of set pieces and shooting locations.
GRADE Human (C)
•Kyriel's Middle-Earth Tours
The two most famous illustrators of the Ring are Allen Lee and John Howe, both of whom are creative consultants on the films. Kyriel's tour is not only one of the best archives of their work, but it's fantastically organized into three sections covering the people, places, and artists of the realm. The drawings (and recent photos) are often accompanied by passages from the books.
GRADE Hobbit (A)
•The Tolkien Guild
How organized are the Guild's six member sites? They got Starbucks and Krispy Kreme to sponsor those fans who paid for a ticket to ''Thirteen Days'' just to see the new trailer on Friday. Looking for some Rings fellowship in your home state? Find it here.
GRADE Elf (B)
•Sir Ian McKellen's Grey Book
Anyone who read McKellen's Magneto diary during the filming of ''X-Men'' knows this is a must read. In the January 25 entry, McKellen (Gandalf) hilariously writes of the costumers dressing him up to look like Shylock from ''The Merchant of Venice,'' and then Beatles' guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, until finding attaching an appropriately wizardly beard to his face.
GRADE Human (C)
•Geek's Adventure In Middle Earth
Ain't It Cool News' Harry Knowles spins 11 unbelievably long chapters out of his visit to the New Zealand set. A more coherent tour is supplied by E! Online, which is running a Force of Hobbit special that includes tales of Armani Elf (a nickname that the wardrobe department gave to the Elf Prince played by Orlando Bloom). One J.R.R. webmaster's dream came true when he was hired to work on the film as a production assistant for three weeks. Read about his experience here.
GRADE Dwarf (D)
•Hobbit: Two Feet Tall
This band formed because ''they shared common rock & roll influences and the powerful attraction to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien.'' Sample their ''Fantasy Rock'' CD here.
GRADE Hobbit (A)
•Stairway To Middle Earth
A handful of people have dedicated space on their hard drives to finding allusions to the ''Rings'' in the music of Led Zeppelin. And while similarities may be found, most of these folks have been smoking too much Hobbit butter. The creator of this page, for example, says that even though Robert Plant told an interviewer that ''Stairway To Heaven'' had absolutely nothing to do with Tolkien's work, ''I am convinced that he is not being completely honest.'' Dude, we get paranoid sometimes too.
GRADE Orc (F)
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