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"The Colbert Report will kick off a week-long tribute to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey tonight (December 3). Stephen Colbert - a lifelong fan of JRR Tolkien - recently hinted that he had shot a cameo for The Hobbit while visiting the movie&amp;#039;s New Zealand set.   He will be promoting the film&amp;#039;s upcoming cinema release with four shows featuring The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey&amp;#039;s cast and crew. Sir Ian McKellen is to appear on The Colbert Report this evening to discuss playing Gandalf, with Bilbo Baggins actor Martin Freeman guest starring on Tuesday. Wednesday&amp;#039;s episode will feature an interview with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey director Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis is to stop by The Colbert Report on Thursday. Filmmaker Jackson recently joked that Colbert is the biggest &amp;quot;Tolkien geek&amp;quot; that he&amp;#039;s ever met, adding: &amp;quot;I have to say, his encyclopaedic knowledge of Tolkien is spectacular, and points to a deprived childhood in some respects.&amp;quot; The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens in cinemas on December 14. Comedy Central airs The Colbert Report at 11.30pm ET on Mondays through Thursdays. Watch a trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey below:  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/the-hobbit/news/a442649/colbert-report-launching-week-long-hobbit-tribute/>