Washington, Aug 3 (ANI): Michael Imperioli is all set to become a part of the star- laden cast of Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones’, a film adaptation of Alice Sebold’s best-selling novel. The Emmy award winner will be seen with Susan Sarandon, Rachel Weisz and Ryan Gosling, reports the Hollywood Reporter. The film is the story of a girl, Susie Salmon, who is brutally raped and murdered. But after death, she continues to watch her family from heaven. [More]

Star actors in Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Cameron’s latest film move to Wellington in October for their performances to be incorporated in fantasy worlds created by the Weta workshops.

Showbusiness newspaper Variety reported that Cameron had added two more cast members to the science fiction film Avatar, Stephen Lang and Michelle Rodriguez, who have joined Australian actor Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Wes Studi and CCH Pounder.

“In October, the company will move to Wellington close to Peter Jackson’s Weta Digital, which is supervising the film’s visual effects,” Variety reported today. Thirty-one days of live-action photography will be carried out on Weta’s soundstages. [More]

Last Monday Sir Ian McKellen was on the telly in his star turn in Extras. “I said to Peter Jackson, ‘you do know I’m not really a wizard?”‘ he said, to Ricky Gervais’ character. Now here he is in Melbourne where, the next night, I will watch his King Lear strip away the layers until he stands naked and tormented before us. His Lear got a standing ovation and he put his hand over his heart as he took his bow. Now, I do know he is not really a king but for 3 1/2 hours I believed he was. That’s the confusing, wonderful magic of acting. His Lear, and in almost everything written about it this is mentioned with varying degrees of rude innuendo, gets his pants off. This seems to be some big deal, but it’s not, he sighs, to him. [More]

Gandalf the Grey Lengedary Scale BustAmong the hoopla that defines Comic-Con 2007, Sideshow Collectibles announced three new LOTR Collectibles: The Sam and Frodo 12-inch figures and the Gandalf the White Premium Format Figure. The Sam and Frodo figures feature the newly developed ‘hobbit’ body allowing them to be displayed in scale with the other 12-inch figures. And of all the LOTR Collectibles we have seen to date, the portraits of Sean Astin and Elijah Wood are dead on! If you are interested in purchasing the exclusives of these items, you’ll need to take part in the Priority Pre-Order this coming Monday. Follow the links for complete details! [Sam and Frodo Info] [Gandalf the White Info]

Vanessa “Saffron” Price, Online Community Representative for The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, writes: Meet Boromir, son of Denethor and Captain-General of Gondor! [More]