In what is promised to be the "First of Many", one of the designers for Turbine's Lord of the Rings Online has started a blog. Today's entry looks frankly about more changes to the beginning areas of the game:

Now this is not some Lucasonian endeavour where I aim to remake the world in the image of a pile of refried turd. It is not a reimagining of the game itself. It is meant to be a cleaner presentation of the quests through Middle-earth.

It's pretty detailed, so I'd suggest you click here over and give it a read!