That's ridiculous. Some hobbits from Cottonbottom and other communities of the South Farthing almost certainly had a somewhat darker tone to their skin. That casting manager is an agent of Sauron...or at least of Saruman.

Oh, and about Jackson and the producers not knowing about it? YEAH RIGHT!

This is news? Filmmakers have done this since forever. Do you think Guess Who's Coming To Dinner would have worked if Spencer Tracy and Sidney Poitier had switched roles?

FUCK, this means Snooki won't have a cameo.

She could have played an ork, maybe?

Wait, WSH is only 5 feet tall?!? (This why I should actually read the article before I comment.)

From the original article:

Writer JRR Tolkien had not specified that all hobbits were pale-skinned. According to The Complete Guide to Middle-earth "Harfoots" are the most common hobbit and "browner" than other types. "Fallohides", who settled the Shire, which included Hobbiton, had "fairer skin".

Well, she should have tried out to be an Orc. The darker skinned people in the LOTR universe are evil. Its a universe where white = good and black = bad. The orcs are a dark skinned race that was born from evil, grows in the ground, are hideous, ferocious, and meant to be slaughtered. The book is pretty damn racist and if Chris Jackson is going to faithfully represent it he better have a sign that says "whites only" at the entrance to the casting line.

When it comes to artistic media, whatever the artist says goes. So race is relevant. It has always been the case that when a normally protected class is relevant for a job, that class can be used as a legitimate criterion by the employer. This is a news non-issue brought up by an ignorant society caught up in trivialities.

Kudos to Dragon Slave for not reading any of the comments above his own before posting his rant based on incorrect information.