Thanks to many of you who sent in this story from Empireonline.com. I’m sure we’ll all miss John as part of The Hobbit cast. From Empireonline.com: John Rhys-Davies was, of course, Gimli the dwarf in The Lord of the Rings, and gave the series many of its funniest and most memorable moments. And while Gimli doesn’t appear in The Hobbit, his father Gloin does, so we asked him recently whether he’d be back for another go. “I’ve already been asked and to be honest with you, I wouldn’t. I have already completely ruled it out. There’s a sentimental part of me that would love to be involved again. Really I am not sure my face can take that sort of punishment any more.” More..
Category: LotR Movies
Tim writes: Thought you’d be interested to know, Sean Astin just did another comedic NASA video, again for the Spitzer Space Telescope. This time, he provides a voiceover role to support Felicia Day, as she explains some of the science behind what happens when galaxies collide with each other. We have YouTube links as well as Quicktime/iTunes HD files here.
Lisa writes: This year, I walked in my 16th and 17th Avon Walks for Breast cancer… each walk is a 2-day, marathon and a half (39.3 miles) walk to raise money and awareness to fight breast cancer. Since 2002, I’ve raised more than $130,000 for the cause. Continue reading “Breast Cancer Auction Featuring Billy Boyd”
Oscar-winner Guillermo Del Toro may be a big guy in Hollywood circles but the director of The Hobbit is only too happy to help some of the local film industry’s “little guys”. He has pledged his name and support to a Q&A fundraising event for Wellington producer Bonnie Slater and director Sam Kelly’s first feature film, One for the Road. Billed as New Zealand’s first musical drama, it’s slated to shoot early next year and follows the fortunes of a struggling, small town band.
“We’re thrilled to have Guillermo’s support,” Slater says. “He has not done any event of this kind in New Zealand before and it’s a coup to have attracted him to headline our fundraiser and help promote our cause. More..
Say whatever you wish about James Cameron or his movies (“Terminator 2,” “Aliens,” “Titanic” “The Abyss”) but he doesn’t play things safe. He showcased some 3-D footage of the upcoming “Avatar” (December 18) at this summer’s Comic-Con and then in one of the convention’s all-time highlights, took the stage with Peter Jackson to talk about technology, film and the future. Our friends at Weta have been heavily involved and will share some credit or blame for the success or failure of his latest, risky $230 million film. Dana Goodyear at The New Yorker has an excellent profile of the film director with a dose of Weta thrown in. Read it here
From telegraph.co.uk: Tolkien’s books have been irresistible to generations of teenage boys, but until Jackson’s triumphant trilogy of films, all attempts to bring Middle Earth and its hairy denizens off the printed page had fallen flat. While owing much to advances in CGI, it is Jackson’s skill as a visual storyteller that gives the films their pulling power. More..