Several clips of Elijah Wood’s appearance last week on Britain’s Friday Night Project are now available on YouTube. If you remember, the staff of the Friday Night Project contacted TORn early last week in search of Tolkien Fans for the audience. Elijah definitely has a good time as the show’s guest host, takes a lot of good natured ribbing, and talks at length about both The Lord of the Rings movies and one of his latest projects, The Oxford Murders, set to open this year. Check out the clips and see if *you* could pass the “who knows the most about the guest host” quiz! Thanks to Garfeimao for the link. Watch the clips
Month: April 2008
From Variety.com: It’s the end of the line for most of New Line, with Time Warner cutting 450 jobs as part of its earlier decision to fold the studio into Warner Bros. The pinkslips, announced Monday afternoon, leave New Line with 40-50 employees. A Time Warner spokesman said about 40 New Line employees are being offered jobs within Warner Bros.
Notifications of the dismissals began Monday and will continue Tuesday. That decision ended New Line’s 40 years as an independent studio, with toppers Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne ankling. In mid-March, longtime production chief Emmerich was appointed to his new post at the scaled-down shingle. Two weeks ago, senior exec VP-chief operating officer Richard Brener agreed to stay on as Emmerich’s right-hand man, with a promotion to prexy of production. Other New Line production execs expected to stay include Sam Brown, Michael Disco and Michele Weiss. Thanks to diedye for the link. Read More
Sean Astin
Sean Astin, Giovanni Ribisi, Ron Perlman and Anjelica Huston are heading into the CGI-animated “Spirit of the Forest,” an eco-fairy tale for Fantastic Films International and Dygra Films. Astin and Ribisi play two gopher friends whose home is threatened when an evil businesswoman (Huston) plans to tear down their forest to build a highway. With the help of an old oak tree (Perlman), the animals and their friends fight back with a vengeance. “In ‘Lord of the Rings,’ my favorite element in the story was the Ents, these massive trees getting cut down that fought for their own survival; in ‘Spirit,’ the trees also come to life,” said Astin, noting the environmental message in both films. “It’s another way of telling a story that needs to continue to be told. Progress comes at a price.” Thanks to diedye for the link. Read More
Shire Productions alerts us to their upcoming ‘Middle Earth Weekend’ event taking place May 17th-18th 2008 at Sarehole Recreation Ground, Cole Bank Road, Hall Green, Birmingham, England.:
This popular event, formerly known as the Tolkien Weekend, takes place at Sarehole, the hamlet where J.R.R. Tolkien spent a very happy childhood. It will include all the usual attractions for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien (including Elvish speaking lessons and writing) plus new events and interests for all people of any age from the world of mortals, who appreciate a festival with an ‘old-fashioned’ air about it. The theme this year is ‘Myths and Monsters’ and there will be dragons patrolling the field and no doubt as targets with the Bowmen of Swanshurst. Visitors in costume will be very welcome and using giant puppets and live performances Shire Productions will be performing extracts from Beowulf in the atmospheric Moseley Bog. Tolkien made his own translation of Beowulf from the Anglo-Saxon, but this has, regrettably, not been published.
Sounds like a great event! For more information visit their website. [Read More]
Mary writes in that Marton Csokas can currently be seen in the off-Broadway production of Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra” put on by the Theater for a New Audience in New York. From the New York Times review: “Marton Csokas, a New Zealander making his New York stage debut as Antony, is likewise a well-trained classical actor with a dexterous grasp of the language.” The production is set to run until May 2, 2008. Read the full review
Viggo Mortensen is among the actors featured in Part 2 of Entertainment Weekly’s “50 People We’d Watch in Anything” series: “The man romanced Diane Lane, took down Russian mobsters and saved Middle Earth. What more does it take to love this dude, really?” Well, we could have told them that! Thanks to Mary for the tip. Read More