[dogscoff]

Barrow downs...

Yeah, they should have kept that.

Tom Bombadil

Nope, glad to see the back of him.

Elves turning up at Helms Deep!!

I thought this was in the books. Guess I have to re read.

but it seems like they're "together" at Aragorn's crowning ceremony, but no explanation is ever given in the movie.

I reckon the enhanced extended DVD might go into a little more detail here.

Irish music being played in Hobbiton, when they were English (OK OK minor gripe I know)

They're not Irish or English, they're Shirish.

used to wipe out the corsairs of umbar, the ships being loaded with the armies of Southern Gondor (as per the book), and Aragorn leading these to the Pelenno

Again, wait for the DVD. It's bound to be in there, IMHO.

(NOTE: I would wait to buy the special 3 set DVD edition that will have an additional few hours of material for the first two movies.)
...
so, when they release the extended Versions as a complete set, they'll be even longer? when'll they be out, though?

Oh if that is true then it is the biggest rip off ever. It's bad enough that they release the cinema-Version DVD in september for all those poor saps too impatient to wait until the extended one in december. To make us buy the same damn films all over again on the release of the third film is just criminal.

Elrond I think was unfairly treated. He never had the "Elves only" mentality in the book

Yeah, that seems like a fair comment. I'm also not entirely happy about the way Saruman became a slave of Sauron rather than a comeptitor for the ring's power.