Supanova Australian Hobbit fans will finally get a little bit of love in April. A team from Weta, and several folks from the cast of The Hobbit are making the trip across the Tasman to make an appearance at the Supanova Pop Culture Expo in Melbourne and on the Gold Coast, joining Karl Urban (Eomer) and Supanova MC Mark Ferguson (Gil-galad).

Supanova attendees will get the chance to see and listen to:

Graham McTavish as Dwalin the Dwarf Graham McTavish – Dwalin. Graham McTavish (born in 1961) is a Scottish actor who has played an impressive array of characters in a slew of Pop cultural franchises. He played the character Warden Ackerman in Red Dwarf in five episodes of series 8. McTavish has also had many supporting roles in British dramas and films such as Casualty, Jekyll, The Bill, Taggart and Sisterhood. Recently, McTavish appeared in the 2011 film The Wicker Tree, Robin Hardy’s sequel to his 1973 film, The Wicker Man. He has had an “Unexpected Journey” to International stardom playing Dwalin (Brother of Balin) the Dwarf in Sir Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit films.

Stephen Hunter as Bombur the Dwarf in The Hobbit Movie Stephen Hunter – Bombur. Stephen is a New Zealand actor and voice over artist, currently based in Sydney, Australia. His film and Television career started with Ladies Night in 1995 and has continued to include stints on All Saints, Love My Way, Spirited and Rescue: Special Ops. It was announced in 2011 that Stephen was to play the role of Bombur: brother of Bofur and one of the company of 13 dwarves who retake the Lonely Mountain in Sir Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy. He has since filmed Field Punishment No.1 in the Role of Aussie Bill which will be released in 2013.

Dean O'Gorman as Fili Dean O’Gorman – Fili. Dean O’Gorman is a photographer and artist based in New Zealand. He got his start in the television movie, The Rogue Stallion at the age of fourteen, and Raider of the South Seas, both of which were released in 1990. He then won the role of Nurse Harry Martin in the New Zealand soap opera, Shortland Street and has appeared in both Hercules and Xena multiple times. In April 2011 he was cast as Fili the Dwarf in Sir Peter Jackson’s three-part film adaptation of The Hobbit. Kili and his Brother Fili are the youngest dwarves of the 13 and are Thorin Oakenshield’s nephews!

1_Radagastjpg Sylvester McCoy – Radagast (as a Gold Coast exclusive guest). McCoy was starring at the National Theatre in “The Pied Piper”, a musical play written especially for him, when he learned that the BBC was looking for a new lead actor to replace Colin Baker in “Doctor Who” (1963). He later won the role as the seventh Doctor. Following “Doctor Who,” McCoy continues to work extensively in theatre, radio, opera, television and films. McCoy can be seen in the latest blockbuster film The Hobbit (as Radagast the Brown) and can still be heard playing the Doctor in the Big Finish audio productions of Doctor Who.

The dates for Supanova are:

  • Melbourne – April 12-14 at Melbourne Showgrounds
  • Gold Coast – April 19-21 at Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre

You can find out more and buy tickets here.

dominic-monaghan-wild-things-bbcaWe all know that Dominic Monaghan is a lover of all kinds of creatures, as shown in his latest television show, Wild Things.  He’s now lending his support, along with that of many other celebrities, to the Sumatran Orangutan Society and their Jungle VIP auction.

The auction, which runs until Sunday 10th March, includes various items signed by Monaghan and Middle-earth costar Billy Boyd, such as a Lord of the Rings Trilogy Blu-ray.  Other stars supporting the auction include Coldplay, Natalie Portman and Gillian Anderson.

If you’re interested, you can check out the auction here.

Ringer Amadine tells us that Billy Boyd’s alt-rock outfit Beecake are playing a fundraiser in support of the Scottish Association for Mental Health in Glasgow at the Art School on Saturday April 20, 2013.

If you’e in the vicinity, get along and support a worthy cause and catch some great music too!

[Event page] | [Ticket sales]

Billy Boyd’s alt-rock outfit Beecake headlined The One Expected Party the other night in Los Angeles. Boyd, performing with bandmates Billy (BJ) Johnston, Paul Burke, Rick Martin and David McAulay, entertained hundreds with a delightful set of rock and revelry. As well as performing songs such as Soul Swimming and Radio, the band was joined on stage by our own staffer greendragon, and Dominic Monaghan — who pulled no punches in exhorting the crowd to get up and dance. Click the photo below to check out our photo gallery!

Continue reading “Beecake at The One Expected Party”

Beecake+aWhew! After a party like that we all needed a couple of days’ rest! Fresh after their stunning  performance at our special Hobbit Oscar night, THE ONE EXPECTED PARTY, the magical musical darlings known as Beecake will join us *live* on our chat show TORn TUESDAY in just a few minutes! We are very glad to have Billy Boyd, Billy Johnston, Paul Burke, and Rick Martin join us at the Meltdown Comics Vault, from where we broadcast our live streaming video show every Tuesday at 5pm Pacific Time. Hosted by your congenial M.C. and TORn Staffer Clifford ‘Quickbeam’ Broadway, you can participate with the live chat by coming into our Barliman’s  Chat Room that is built-in to our Live Event Page here. Bring your questions and your mischeif! THE SHOW IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!  You can follow the exploits of Billy and Beecake on Twitter @OfficialBeecake and follow Cliff @Quickbeam2000

Beecake featuring Billy BoydSo you’re in LA for The One Expected Party; you’re going to An Unexpected Art Show on Friday night; you’re spending Saturday afternoon at the pub with fellow fans, old friends and new; but come Saturday night, on ‘Oscars Eve’, you still want to party.  Where are you going to go?

The answer is simple – warm up for Sunday’s party by going to see Beecake play at The Hotel Cafe!  Billy Boyd and his band mates will be on stage at 11pm at the venue in Hollywood; details can be found, and tickets can be purchased, here.  (Please note this event is 21+)

Then grab a few hours sleep before the big event on Sunday afternoon!  See you there!