Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE (born 25 May 1939), is an English actor of stage and screen, the recipient of the Tony Award and two Academy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is known to many for roles such as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy and as Magneto in the X-Men films.
He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1979, and knighted in the 1991 New Year Honours for his outstanding work and contributions to the theatre. In the 2008 New Year Honours he was made a Companion of Honour (CH) for services to drama and to equality.
In 1988, he came out as gay and became a founding member of Stonewall, one of the United Kingdom’s most influential LGBT rights groups, of which he remains a prominent spokesman. www.mckellen.com
Last week, Sideshow Collectibles revealed a small thumbnail of their upcoming Comic-Con 2009 Exclusive – ‘Mount Doom’ Sam and Frodo Diorama. In the latest edition of Sideshow TV (Sideshow’s video podcast), they have revealed many more views of the piece. While the podcast covers all of their Comic-Con 2009 exclusives, the Sam and Frodo portion is around the 4 minute mark. Check it out! [Feedburner] [iTunes] [Comic-Con Exclusives]
For those of you who may not be aware, each year at Comic-Con, collectible companies release specific items just for folks attending the show. This year, Sideshow is releasing seven exclusives, one of which is a special Lord of the Rings item titled ‘Mount Doom’ – The Sam and Frodo Diorama. While we only have a teaser pic (see right) – one can deduce the diorama will feature one of the most dramatic sequences in Return of the King, when Sam struggles to carry Frodo up the side of Mount Doom. If you are attending Comic-Con, you’ll need to participate in Sideshow’s Priority Pre-Order on May 21st to snag one of these collectibles. If you are NOT attending Comic-Con, you will have a shot of approximately 10% of the edition size on May 22nd. For complete details, check out SideshowCollectibles.com. [Comic-Con Exclusives]
During my association with TheOneRing.net I have often felt very fortunate to know great people and be in great places. Sometimes I have been lucky enough to have my camera along.
Out of that vast TORn photo library that includes digital images, and old scratched negitives, I put a few images together with some music from Arjan Kiel, (with thanks to fan film ‘Born of Hope,’) to pay tribute to the whole community of TheOneRing.net.
Click on the small triangle to play and to see the best fullscreen version, click on the box at the far right.
HOLLYWOOD giant Sir Ian McKellen offers tips to up and coming hopefuls. The Oscar-nominated superstar, who treads the boards tonight alongside Patrick Stewart in Waiting for Godot, made a secret visit at the People’s Theatre, Newcastle, yesterday. Sir Ian was given a tour of the Heaton-based theatre where he stopped by to watch rehearsals for forthcoming John Godber play Teechers. Sir Ian McKellen offers tips to acting hopefuls
Serkis’ most critically acclaimed roles have been Sméagol/Gollum, in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy (200103) and the title character in the 2005 version of King Kong, in which he provided the voice and movements for the CGI characters. Also in Peter Jackson’s King Kong, Andy Serkis played the ship’s cook. His performance as Gollum is ranked #10 on Premiere’s “100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time”.
His acclaimed work on the trilogy set off a debate on the legitimacy of CGI-assisted acting. Many critics felt Serkis should have been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance, since the movie used his voice, body language, and facial expressions. There is the argument that some of his CGI actions were partially, or in some cases fully animated, without his own movements, but the same can be said for actors in a traditional movie involving CGI. Some believed (incorrectly) that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ruled that he did not qualify because he never physically appeared onscreen. There is no such prohibition, however, and in fact Serkis appeared onscreen as Sméagol/Gollum in the third film, The Return of the King. He also voices the Witch King of Angmar in aforementioned film, although he is not credited. More about Andy…
Last week, Sideshow Collectibles revealed a small thumbnail of their upcoming Comic-Con 2009 Exclusive – ‘Mount Doom’ Sam and Frodo Diorama. In the latest edition of Sideshow TV (Sideshow’s video podcast), they have revealed many more views of the piece. While the podcast covers all of their Comic-Con 2009 exclusives, the Sam and Frodo portion is around the 4 minute mark. Check it out! [
