James Cameron’s “Avatar” has enjoyed huge commercial and critical success. It’s up for nine Academy Awards this Sunday, including best picture and best director. Even with all these nominations, there’s a glaring hole — none of its stars were nominated for acting Oscars. ABC’s John Berman chats with actor Andy Serkis
That snub from the Academy has renewed a long-running debate over what makes a performance award-worthy. If an actor works in a motion capture suit that records his movements, is it still his performance once an animation team has added all the digital effects? Directors, including Cameron and Steven Spielberg, liken the animation to digital makeup, but others in the industry aren’t so sure. More..
Michael writes: Just saw your fantastic and well informative RINGERS documentary, and have been a fan of your site for some time. I thought I’d let you all know of a telephone chat I had with Elijah Wood a few years back, its on the blog column I do for the Bay Area based fantasy novelist Tad Williams. Alert the troops, I mean Ringers, please! More..
From hollywood.com: Many critics called for Zoe Saldana to be nominated for a Best Supporting Actress prize at this year’s (10) Oscars for her turn as an alien in Avatar. The actress performed and voiced the role, with her movements and facial expressions translated on-screen with computer-generated imagery (CGI).
And Serkis, who shot to fame providing the movements for Lord Of The Rings character Gollum and movie ape King Kong, has dismissed suggestions Oscar organisers should hand out a trophy to “performance capture” actors. Continue reading “Serkis dismisses calls for CGI Acting Oscar”
Just when things seemed slow, we get a report on a possible casting rumor for Bard! The rumor comes from Ringer Enidan who suggests Clive Standen (Doctor Who, BBC Robinhood) is one of the names being considered for Bard in the upcoming Hobbit Films. Enidan writes:
I have heared that Clive Standen not Richard Armitage is on a list for Bard the bowma. They both appeared in BBC Robin Hood but Clive Standen who played Archer (Robin Hoods appropriately named brother) was an expert archer/swordsman and horseman. So it makes sense if you look him up on imdb you can see he is connected / linked to pirates of the Caribbean 4 so maybe he is in contention for the hobbit? I have not seen this list but i have a reliable source working in casting.
Take it for what is is, a rumor. What do you think of the possiblities? Is Clive a good choice for Bard? Discuss it in our forums and let your voice be heard! [Wikipedia Listing] [IMDB]
Tom from dvdactive.com sends along news the Peter Jackons’s ‘The Lovely Bones’ will be out on DVD and Blu-ray on April 20th. More details: Paramount Home Entertainment has announced 1-disc DVD ($19.99) and 2-disc Blu-ray ($29.99) releases of The Lovely Bones for the 20th April. We have no word on any extra material for the 1-disc DVD – if anything is included we’ll let you know just as soon as we hear anything. The 2-disc Blu-ray however will include an extensive production diary in 15 segments hosted by Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens that follows the film’s shoot and post-production work on the visual effects. More..
In an interview with BBC’s HARDtalk, Sir Ian McKellen shares his thoughts with show host Stephen Sackur on reprising his role as Gandalf the Grey, on whether he’s going to find his return to the role fresh and challenging, and on working with director Guillermo del Toro.
Just when things seemed slow, we get a report on a possible casting rumor for Bard! The rumor comes from Ringer Enidan who suggests 
