Kerrie from KOMPOLT sends this along: Lord of the Rings Cast & Crew Autograph Original Movie Poster for American Cinematheque – Movies have the power to not only tell a story – they fill our lives with emotions, make us see things differently, help us discover new ideas, or simply create an escape from the daily bustle of life. To mark the release of the all new step-by-step movie making guide “Filmmaking for Dummies” and to celebrate the movies we know and love, Wiley Publishing will be auctioning off autographed movie posters ranging from hilarious comedies, classic dramas, and every movie in between. Among the featured listings is an original Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings Movie Poster signed by Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen, Mark Ordesky, Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens, Ngila Dickson, Howard Shore and Robert Shaye. Decorating your walls has never felt so good because 100% of proceeds benefit the American Cinematheque, the cultural organization dedicated exclusively to honoring and preserving America’s favorite pastime: the movies! Head over to www.ebay.com/wiley to find out more! Ebay…

John Clark writes: Celebrities generally come in two sizes: large and small. Either they suck up all the oxygen in the room or you can’t imagine how they take up so much space on the screen. Viggo Mortensen somehow occupies a middle ground. He’s dressed down for an interview, looking at ease in a blue soccer shirt and blue jeans, but at the same time it’s easy to imagine him wielding a sword (the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy), a lethally hot pot of coffee (“A History of Violence”) or a pair of sinister sunglasses (“Eastern Promises”). Which is what makes Mortensen’s newest film, Vicente Amorim’s “Good,” such a change of pace. Based on the play by C.P. Taylor, it’s about a literature professor in 1930s Germany (Mortensen) who allows his academic work to be co-opted by the Nazi government. He soon follows suit, abandoning his wife and family for a younger woman, donning the uniform and allowing a Jewish friend to be swept away. Things are getting ‘Good’ for Mortensen

SARA STEWART writes: You have to wonder where Viggo Mortensen finds the time to act. In between gigs like the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and David Cronenberg’s movies (most recently “Eastern Promises”), the 50-year-old star is also a photographer, poet, musician, painter, publisher, activist and avid traveler. He’s fluent in Spanish, Danish, French and possibly Elvish. When we caught up with him, though, he kindly stuck to English, and to the projects at hand: first, “Good,” opening Wednesday, about a German professor who, through his passivity, unwittingly ends up a high-ranking member of the Nazi party. Early next year comes “The Road,” the adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel about a father and son traveling in post-apocalyptic America. Q&A with Viggo Mortensen

Heidi from Bloomberg Television sends this in: Friday on the BLOOMBERG TELEVISION® program “Night Talk,” host Mike Schneider talks to Actor Viggo Mortensen about his latest film “Good.”

He talks about the success of The Lord of the Rings. “I think that anybody that was involved in that project, or any fan even, that says ‘I knew it was going to be huge box office success,’ I don’t think they’re being honest. I think its revisionist thinking. Because when we were shooting that movie…it just wasn’t a known thing, and it wasn’t really noticed that we were down there shooting this all that time. It wasn’t in the papers here. It was only when they showed 20 minutes of it at the Cannes film festival in 2001 that the journalist started talking.” Continue reading “TV Watch: Viggo Mortensen on ‘Night Talk’”

Eowyn1971 writes: I just thought you might be interested in this: Time magazine’s “Ask Viggo Mortensen”. Readers can submit questions through the online form, then read an interview with Viggo in an upcoming issue of Time. Wanna ‘Ask Viggo Mortensen’?