Cate Blanchett and Sir Ian McKellen may decline Hobbit roles in pay row

September 27th, 2010 by xoanon | 7 Comments »

Seven global actors’ unions have instructed their members to walk away from roles in the two big-budget Lord of the Rings prequels because producers have allegedly refused to negotiate a deal guaranteeing wages and working conditions for performers in New Zealand. Unions in the US, Australia, the UK and Canada, acting under the umbrella of the International Federation of Actors (FIA), said Kiwi performers had “struggled on non-union contracts” for some years during filming of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. They said the contracts “provide no minimum guarantees of wages or working conditions”, no payment for future broadcasts and no cancellation payments. More..

Sideshow Collectibles releases peek at next LOTR PF

May 29th, 2010 by admin | Source: SideshowCollectibles.com | Discuss | Comments Off

Looks like Sideshow is going to be releasing a new premium format figure soon! If you can’t see the video above, click here to video it at SideshowCollectibles.com. And if you are new to collecting their Premium Format line-up, the Moria Orc and Galadriel figures are now instock. The Gandalf the Grey figure is currently pre-ordering.

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TV Watch: Blanchett on Letterman

December 17th, 2009 by xoanon Comments Off

Cate Blanchett is slated to be a guest on The Late Show with David Letterman tomorrow (December 18th) on CBS. Watch this spot for the video and check CBS at 11:35PM for the clip!

Peter Jackson Reveals Which ‘LOTR’ Stars Will Return For ‘The Hobbit’

December 8th, 2009 by Altaira | Source: mtv.com | Discuss | Comments Off

In an interview today with MTV, Peter Jackson revealed that three Lord of the Rings actors will be returning to reprise their roles in The Hobbit:

“Gandalf, being a 2,000-year-old wizard, is still around and plays a major role in ‘The Hobbit,’ and we’re having Ian McKellen reprise,” explained the filmmaker, who is executive-producing the flick and writing the screenplay. “There’s a couple of other characters: Elrond, who was played by Hugo Weaving [in the original films], and there’s a possibility of Galadriel, who was played by Cate Blanchett.”

Read the rest of the article here..

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Counting the Stars

November 8th, 2009 by xoanon Comments Off

Graphic representations of how movie stars and their critics rate, according to Metacritic.com. Metacritic.com is an acclaimed Web site that combines thousands of media reviews of entertainment offerings — movies, games, books and albums — into a Metascore, a sort of weighted average of critics’ reviews that ranges from zero to 100. Analysis of just a small subset of the site’s information shows the power of numbers to confirm — or defy — expectation. More..

On the star list: Elijah Wood (#1), Viggo Mortensen (#3), Ian Holm (#4), Ian McKellen (#31), Cate Blanchett (#38)

Robin Hood woos Cate Blanchett

February 25th, 2009 by xoanon Comments Off

Cate Blanchett will play Maid Marian alongside Russell Crowe’s Robin Hood in the Ridley Scott-directed adventure pic for Universal Pictures. The film, which had been called “Nottingham” but is undergoing a title change, begins production in early April. Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer is producing with Scott and his Scott Free banner. The drama, originally scripted by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris and then rewritten by Brian Helgeland, has evolved into a “Gladiator” version of the Robin Hood legend. Crowe starred in that film and Scott directed it. The film will be shot on a $130 million budget, benefiting from favorable exchange rates and tax credits that come from shooting in London. Scott will be aiming for a PG-13 rating. Robin Hood woos Cate Blanchett

Ultimate LOTR Poster Auction on Ebay

January 26th, 2009 by xoanon Comments Off

Kerrie from KOMPOLT sends this along: Lord of the Rings Cast & Crew Autograph Original Movie Poster for American Cinematheque – Movies have the power to not only tell a story – they fill our lives with emotions, make us see things differently, help us discover new ideas, or simply create an escape from the daily bustle of life. To mark the release of the all new step-by-step movie making guide “Filmmaking for Dummies” and to celebrate the movies we know and love, Wiley Publishing will be auctioning off autographed movie posters ranging from hilarious comedies, classic dramas, and every movie in between. Among the featured listings is an original Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings Movie Poster signed by Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen, Mark Ordesky, Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens, Ngila Dickson, Howard Shore and Robert Shaye. Decorating your walls has never felt so good because 100% of proceeds benefit the American Cinematheque, the cultural organization dedicated exclusively to honoring and preserving America’s favorite pastime: the movies! Head over to www.ebay.com/wiley to find out more! Ebay…

Blanchett Nabs Critics Choice Award Nom

December 9th, 2008 by xoanon Comments Off

Hot off the heels from her Star on the Walk of Fame announcement, Cate Blanchett has been nominated in the Best Actress category for the 2009 Critics Choice Awards, often seen as a preview of the Oscars (or so they say). Blanchett has been nominated for her work in ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’. She has tough competition from Kate Beckinsale (Nothing But the Truth), Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Angelina Jolie (Changeling), Melissa Leo (Frozen River) & Meryl Streep (Doubt). More…

Blanchett catches the light of Eärendil’s, errr, Hollywood’s star

December 6th, 2008 by MrCere Comments Off

Like 2,735 actors before her, Cate Blanchett has had her name cemented on a sidewalk in Hollywood, outside of the Egyptian Theatre. Steven Spielberg introduced the regal beauty who said, “This is utterly incredible to me,” during the footpath ceremony.

You can search for news stories and find a lot of options but I thought the Sydney Morning Hearld’s website seemed appropriate for the native Australian. Read one account right here.

Sideshow Unveils new Diorama – ‘Dark Council’ Theoden and Grima Wormtongue

May 15th, 2008 by Calisuri Comments Off

Collectors can look forward to a pretty realistic looking diorama coming soon from Sideshow Collectibles titled “‘Dark Council’ – Theoden and Grima Wormtongue.” From the looks of the piece, the sculptors have perfectly captured the likeness of Brad Dourif as Grima and Bernard Hill as the possessed Theoden. If Sideshow follows their regular schedule, we can expect this item to pre-order next week around 6pm PT. And if you are a Cate Blanchett fan, check out the Sideshow/Weta Polystone Statue of Galadriel, now listed at 35% OFF. [Dark Council Diorama] [The Lady Galadriel Statue]

Happy Birthday Cate Blanchett!

May 14th, 2008 by xoanon Comments Off

Catherine Élise “Cate” Blanchett (born May 14, 1969) is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning Australian actress and stage director. She has won various other acting awards, most notably two SAGs and two BAFTAs, as well as the Volpi Cup at 64th Venice International Film Festival. Blanchett came to international attention in the 1998 film Elizabeth, directed by Shekhar Kapur, in which she played Elizabeth I of England. She is also well known for her portrayals of the elf queen Galadriel in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator, a role which brought her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She and her husband Andrew Upton are currently artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company.

Congratulations to Cate Blanchett on baby #3!

April 13th, 2008 by Altaira | Source: News.com.au | Discuss | Comments Off

Cate Blanchett and playwright husband Andrew Upton welcomed Ignatius Martin Upton into the world yesterday. Initial reports were that the Sydney-based mother and child were both well. The baby boy weighed in at just over eight pounds (3.6kg). Blanchett and her husband, who have shared co-artistic director responsibilities at the Sydney Theatre Company since January, already have two sons: Dashiell, 6, and Roman, 3. The NIDA graduate will next be seen alongside Harrison Ford as Agent Irina Spalko in the fourth film of the highly anticipated Indiana Jones franchise, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The film opens nationally on May 22. Read More

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