If you bought a copy of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, last night you were treated to a special live presentation of Peter Jackson talking about the upcoming sequel, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  In addition, Jackson was joined by stars Luke Evans, Stephen Fry, and Lee Pace as well as The Lord of the Rings cast members Orlando Bloom (who also appears in Smaug), Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan as well as special surprise appearance by Tolkien super-fan Stephen Colbert, who has a cameo in The Hobbit trilogy.  In the presentation, Jackson showed off new concept art, behind-the-scenes video, and a scene from the film.

Hit the jump for more including when we’ll see the first trailer.  The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opens in 3D on December 13th.

Update: WB has asked us to take down the images. 

Big Finish Audio has announced they have their own plans to celebrate the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary this year.  While most of the BBC’s plans for the celebration are still a secret, Big Finish has said they will be bringing together the Fourth (Tom Baker), Fifth (Peter Davison), Sixth (Colin Baker), Seventh (Sylvester McCoy) and Eighth (Paul McGann) Doctors together in a new 100-minute story.

The new adventure, which will be called Doctor Who: The Light at the End, will deal with the potentially imminent destruction of the Time Lord in his many incarnations.  For more on the special and who else will be included, hit the jump.

Technology will march forward.  That march usually involves something getting trampled along the way.  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is underfoot of  horrible 48fps 3D, also known as HFR 3D (High Frame Rate 3D).  Billed as a technology to sharpen 3D and reduce the headaches it can cause, HFR 3D has crippled Peter Jackson‘s return to Middle-earth.  Without the atrocious visuals, Jackson’s film is still slightly repetitive and bloated, but the magic mostly remains intact.  But under HFR 3D, the journey looks like a cheap soap opera on fast forward with crappy digital effects.

Tickets for both The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and theatrical marathons for the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings trilogy go on sale this coming Wednesday, and a new TV spot for Peter Jackson’s upcoming adaptation of the former has now landed online.  The spot highlights the advanced tickets sale and boasts a bit of new footage, but more excitingly a preview of Lord of the Rings composer Howard Shore’s score for The Hobbit has also been released.  We recently got a look at the full tracklisting, and now “Radagast the Brown” has landed online in its entirety.  It’s at once familiar and new, with some lighter/more playful bits reflecting the different tone of The Hobbit in relation to Lord of the Rings.

I’m eager to see Jackson’s three-part adaptation of The Hobbit on the big screen, but I’m almost just as excited to hear Howard Shore’s return to Middle Earth.  Hit the jump to check out the TV spot and to preview the soundtrack.  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens in 3D on December 14th. [Update: Warner Bros. has released 7 new high-resolution images which are now included after the jump.]

On May 30, 2010, we reported that director Guillermo del Toro was leaving The Hobbit because there was no start date in site.  On March 21st, 2011—295 days later—filming on The Hobbit is set to begin with Peter Jackson now at the helm.  The financial mess that kept the film from going in front of cameras has been abated and the movie has a full cast lined up and ready to shoot what will be a two-part film in 3D.  Part 1 of The Hobbit is set for December 2012 and Part 2 is slated for December 2013.  The One Ring reports that “[March 21st] has been chosen following practical considerations of the filming schedule requirements, actor availability and the NZ seasons. Shooting will take place at Stone Street Studios in Miramar and on location around New Zealand.

Hit the jump for a synopsis of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel.  The Hobbit stars Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, James Nesbitt, Aidan Turner, Jed Brophy, Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis, Mikael Persbrant, Sylvester McCoy, and Elijah Wood.

Cate Blanchett, Ken Stott (Charlie Wilson’s War), Sylvester McCoy (Doctor Who), and Mikael Persbrandt (Everlasting Moments) have joined the cast of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit.  Blanchett will reprise her role as Galadriel, the Lady of Lothlorien. Stott will play Dwarf Lord Balin, McCoy will play wizard Radagast the Brown, and Swedish actor Persbrandt will play shape-shifter Beorn.

Also joining the cast are actors Ryan Gage (Outlaw) as Drogo Baggins, and Jed Brophy (District 9) and William Kircher (Legend of the Seeker) as the dwarfs Nori and Bifur, respectively.  These actors will join Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Aidan Turner, Rob Kazinsky, Graham McTavish, John Callen, Stephen Hunter, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Adam Brown, and James Nesbitt.  Hit the jump for the press release.  The Hobbit will be released in 3D in December 2012 and December 2013.