Due to the overwhelming requests, we have put together a page to highlight the entries of this years Fan Film competition at ORC 2006. You can also submit additional fan films to be shared with everyone! Follow this link for more info! [FanFilms]

Strong mathematical minds at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology showed off their creativity and dexterity for the school’s fourth annual Student Origami Competition. The winning entries are on display at the school’s Wiesner Student Art Gallery through March 15. One of them, by Jason Ku, is an origami model of one of the Nazgul. Thanks to Peggy for the link. [More]

TORn’s film and fashion fans are currently hanging out in our IRC Awards Party channel, watching the red carpet antics and then all the awards excitement. We’re also choosing virtual fashions for ourselves, in the spirit of the occasion. Come and join us!

For information on IRC chat and how to take part in the fun, visit our FAQ. [Join the chat now!] (choose “Awardsparty” from the drop-down menu)

The nine Kiwis nominated for Oscars this year already hold nine of the coveted gold statues between them – but that won’t prevent a fresh adrenalin rush tomorrow night. “The show is just breathtaking,” says Upper Hutt sound mixer Mike Hedge. “The Americans really do those sorts of things well. Everything is taken care of.” Hedge, who has worked with Kiwi director Peter Jackson since Braindead, was making his third trip to the Oscars with wife Joanne, who will be draped in a shimmery purple gown and $20,000 worth of borrowed jewels. “It’s quite a busy time for us. A lot of work goes into meeting and greeting other potential filmmakers at the Trade NZ party. [More]

New Zealand’s Weta wizards compete for more Oscars in tomorrow’s 78th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. But four-time Oscar winner and Weta Workshop chief Richard Taylor, who flew to Los Angeles on Friday, says King Kong’s Naomi Watts also deserved a nomination for best actress. And he hopes that actors who play digital characters will one day be recognised in best actor categories. Watts played heroine Ann Darrow opposite the digitally-created gorilla played by actor Andy Serkis, who was Gollum in The Lord Of The Rings triology. Peter Jackson’s $US207 million ($NZ315.21 million) blockbuster of King Kong has five Oscar nominations for best achievement in makeup, art direction, achievement in sound editing, sound mixing and visual effects. [More]

The great ape King Kong has been at the centre of New Zealand’s movie industry celebrations in Beverly Hills. Oscar nominees from King Kong and The Chronicles of Narnia joined the cream of New Zealand’s film industry at the Beverly Hills Hotel to celebrate our industry’s continued success. The event has a King Kong theme, with a ballroom being converted into a virtual Skull Island. Minister of Economic Development Trevor Mallard has been mixing and mingling with the glitteratti, and says Peter Jackson has made a major contribution to making the world more aware of New Zealand. Mr mallard says that is what this event is all about: promoting New Zealand as a great place to make movies. [More]