Peter L’Official writes: Before Frodo and Sam, there were Beren and Luthien. A case for revisiting “The Silmarillion.” In the last dread days of disco-dûr, in the midst of the Seventh Age — known in perhaps a more familiar tongue as “the Nineteen Seventies” — there emerged from the House of Houghton Mifflin, and later from that of Ballan-tine, a great book of which much was expected, though few but the most ardent of devotees could wholly comprehend it. It has, in the Tolkienian spirit, valiantly returned. [More]
Month: February 2005
Sean Astin’s latest film ‘Bigger Than the Sky’ is out in limited release today. The film follows Peter (Marcus Thomas) who, after being dumped by his girlfriend, decides to audition for a small role in a local community theatre’s production of Cyrano de Bergerac. Despite having no experience as an actor, he lands the lead role, which wreaks havoc upon his life. Sean Astin plays Ken Zorbell. [Showtimes USA]
John Noble will be appearing at the “Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show”, opening today (February 18th). Take a look at the official site for more info. [hollywoodcollectorshow.com]


To start their Toy Fair 2005 offerings, Sideshow/Weta Collectibles has started taking pre-orders for The King of the Dead and The Battle Troll of Mordor. These pieces will probably sell out pretty fast. Check out SideshowWeta.com for the details. They have also added a great article detailing the creation of the King of the Dead from Senior WETA Workshop Designer Daniel Falconer. [King of the Dead Statue] [Battle Troll of Mordor Statue] [Daniel Falconer Article]
At the “Cinema for Peace” event in Berlin, celebrities who participated in the “Helping Hand” program printed their hand(s) into special modelling plaster. These unique casts are auctioned off on Ebay; the proceeds will go to UNICEF to help tsunami victims. If you’d like to own the imprint of Christopher Lee’s right hand and do some good at the same time. [eBay Auction] [Images]
From a distance it could be mistaken for one of the tripod machines in H G Wells’ The War of the Worlds. But Wellington is not about to be invaded by Martians. From November, Courtenay Place will feature a six-metre-high bronze, wood and steel salute to New Zealand’s film industry created by Oscar-winning special effects company Weta. A model of the sculpture a giant movie camera on a tripod made from what appears to be recycled materials is due to be unveiled today. [More]