The new Lord of the Rings flick, The Two Towers, debuts tonight at midnight. Many hobbit hearts are beating out of their furry little chests. We go to very few movies in the theater anymore - unless they are suitable for a 3 year-old - but Dawn has insisted that I spring for this one pronto. The first in the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, was probably our favorite fantasy film ever.

USA Today gushes:

The attraction is clear: a rousing tale of good vs. evil, effects far beyond special, plus a three-hour escape from the holiday bustle.

But a goodly portion of the female contingent of the audience, as well as some men, have a different sort of excuse for immersing themselves in the magic of Middle-earth. Namely, the men of The Rings — as well as the elves, hobbits and, yes, even that grousing barrel-chested dwarf Gimli.

Devotees of Tolkien's books have been drawn to these literary heroes for nearly half a century. But a cinematic alchemy happened last year when, in The Fellowship of the Ring, virile Viggo Mortensen brought alive valiant human Aragorn, and pretty-boy Orlando Bloom embodied elf Legolas.

Call it a crush or outright lust. But plenty of smitten Rings watchers are ready to swoon again.