Dominic Monaghan is helping bring attention to both his film “I Sell The Dead,” and the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City Utah where both opened Friday.  He spoke to MTV here, is talked about in one Salt Lake City paper here and the other daily SLC paper covered his appearance at Slamdance here along with several photos and here with more photos. Enjoy!

From Adam B. Vary of EW.com: Before the 2009 Sundance Film Festival began, the talk was that, thanks to the economy, this year’s fest could be the most sedate in years…One group of guys who had no problem at all keeping their spirits up: The amigos of Rudo y Cursi, a comedy about brothers and Mexican soccer produced by cinema heavyweights Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo Del Toro, written and directed by Alfonso’s brother Carlos Cuarón, and starring Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal. Luna couldn’t make the festival due to a commitment in Mexico, but the rest of the crew happily plopped down in the loft to talk about the welcoming, easy-going community of movie lovers that makes Sundance so appealing for indie filmmakers. Mostly, though, the group just reveled in taking the piss out of Del Toro for his next gig: Cowriting and directing a little movie called The Hobbit. (Del Toro had left working with Peter Jackson et al on the script in New Zealand specifically to promote Rudo y Cursi.) But rather than describe just how charming and hilarious these four were, I’d like to show you. Last night, I hopped in the van with them as they drove to the Rudo y Cursi premiere after a dinner in which the wine flowed freely. Sundance: Guillermo del Toro gets teased about ‘The Hobbit’

From Ian Collier, Tolkien Society Publicity Officer: Edited by Angela Gardner (a long-standing member of the Tolkien Society) this book describes the childhood adventures of Hilary and JRR Tolkien. Hilary was JRR Tolkien’s younger brother and this book uses Hilary’s own words from recently discovered notebooks and previously unpublished letters between the brothers. Illustrated in colour by Jef Murray. 80 pages, Hardback with dustjacket, available from end January.

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So much of what Weta does is terribly secret until it’s finished (who knows what they’re up to in preparing for The Hobbit? But next month they’re inviting people in Wellington to visit the Weta Cave to enjoy their work on their own series, Jane and the Dragon. It’s a free day of medieval fun and a chance to meet both the author of the book, Martin Baynton, and master swordsmith Peter Lyon, who did so much work on The Lord of the Rings. Read More