Iranians watching 'Lord of the Rings'

In an apparent effort to keep people indoors, the Iranian state television network is running a marathon of the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, according to Time magazine .

Speculation is that the Iranian government is hoping that the films' various messages and themes will pacify a rebellious populace.

"In normal times, Iranian television usually treats its viewers to one or two Hollywood or European movie nights a week. But these are not normal times, so it's been two or three such movies a day," an anonymous resident of Tehran wrote to Time.

At least 10 people have been killed and more than 100 injured since opposition supporters began protesting the country's election results last week.

Iranians may have movies but they won't have hotdogs this summer. The Obama administration said Wednesday it has rescinded invitations to Iranian diplomats to attend July 4 Independence Day celebrations at American diplomatic missions around the world.