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I needed to take a break while I worked on my Nano project and through the insane holidays.  I am back and if you would like to write a guest blog, message me here, FB (Wendy Chiles) and Twitter (@FAccordions).

I'm BACK! - 'Not many things in your life take on mythical proportions': Martin Freeman prepares for launch of The Hobbit as a first look at the Middle Earth trilogy is revealed

Daily Mail

It's one of the most hotly anticipated movies of the year.

And Empire magazine has now treated fans to a first look at five characters from the upcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. 

Five separate covers show a sneak peek of Martin Freeman as Hobbit Bilbo Baggins, Richard Armitage as dwarf leader Thorin Oakenshield, Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Cate Blanchett as elven queen Galadriel and, of course, Gollum.

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Sneak peek: Martin Freeman admitted he is still coming to terms with the fact that The Hobbit will finally be unveiled to the public in December

Although the movie is set for release in December, Freeman admitted he is still coming to terms with the fact that the Peter Jackson adaptation of the J.R.R Tolkien fantasy novel will finally be unveiled to the world.

 

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• A new glimpse into The Hobbit: More Tolkien drawings emerge to celebrate the 75th birthday of the classic story

He told Empire magazine: 'There’s still a part of me that doesn’t quite believe it’s going to come out. Not many things you do in your life take on mythical proportions. Because of Tolkien, and because of Peter, it’s the most anticipated film I’m sure I will ever do.'

And the British actor was even shocked when he recently popped to the cinema and saw the trailer for The Hobbit. 

Gandalf: Sir Ian McKellen will reprise his role in the Middle Earth trilogy

The fiend returns: Gollum first appears in The Hobbit, when Bilbo Baggins stumbles upon his lair and finds the Ring

He added: 'It was like, f**k, I thought we were just doing it for ourselves.'

Meanwhile, Richard Armitage, who makes his debut as Dwarf leader Thorin Oakenshield in the movie, explained he had been a fan of the Hobbit trilogy as a child. 

He said: 'I’d read The Hobbit over and over as a kid. Then I got into the Lord Of The Rings as an adult, but sadly I was never in a position to even be considered for that trilogy.'

Ethereal beauty: Cate Blanchett returns as Galadriel, an Elf and the co-ruler of Lothlórien

Thorin: Richard Armitage, who makes his debut as Dwarf leader Thorin Oakenshield in the movie, explained he had been a fan of the Hobbit trilogy as a child

'There’s nothing that could have stopped me from doing Thorin. If I never do another piece of work again after this, I think I’ll be happy, genuinely happy. It feels like an arrival.'

Elsewhere, the first TV advert for the movie has been released, offering fans a tempting teaser of what is set to come. 

Showing sweeping views of Middle Earth that emphasize the epic scale of the film, Martin Freeman's Bilbo Baggins is seen embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. 

Sneak peek: The first TV advert for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has now been released, offering fans a tempting teaser of what is set to come as Bilbo Baggins embarks on his epic adventure

Epic: The teaser showcases sweeping views of Middle Earth that emphasize the grand scale of the film

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first installment in the middle earth trilogy, is due for release on December 13. 

The Desolation of Smaug will hit screens in December next year, while There and Back Again is scheduled for release in July 2014. 

Read the full The Hobbit editorial special in the December issue of Empire magazine, on sale Thursday.

They're back: Cate Blanchett and Sir Ian McKellen will reprise their roles of Galadriel and Gandalf in the trilogy

Making his debut: Richard Armitage appears on horseback as he makes his way through Middle Earth

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2222275/The-Hobbit-Martin-Freeman-prepares-launch-look-upcoming-movie-revealed.html#ixzz2AESZl2TT
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The Justice League Hopes To Compete With The Avengers 2 In 2015!

Perez Hilton 10/19/2012 3:05 AM ET | Filed under: Film Flickers • Comic Books

Nerds and blockbuster film enthusiasts everywhere are already counting down the months, days and hours until The Avengers 2 hits theaters on May 1, 2015, but we've got more good news…

The Justice League is going to be released the SAME summer!

Yeap. DC is going up against Marvel for the ultimate showdown at the box office, which will undoubtedly EXPLODE with record profit.

If The Avengers assembled to make over a billion, we expect Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman and the Green Lantern to do the same kind of business.

The exact release date is not known and it could always change if their is any kind of production trouble. However, Warner Bros. just won the legal rights to continue using the Man of Steel in movies, so execs arepushing hard for their biggest superhero extravaganza ever to be unveiled ASAP.

It's cool that such big projects from rival comic book companies are coming out the same summer, but if Warner Bros. really wanted to prove a point, The Justice League would go head-to-head with The Avengers 2 during the SAME WEEKEND!

C'mon! Roll the dice. It will be fun, we promise.

'Buffy's' Tom Lenk Joins Lifetime's 'Witches of East End' (Exclusive)

The Hollywood Reporter


He'll play the gay best friend to Rachel Boston's Ingrid on the cabler's supernatural family drama.

Lifetime Orders 'The Secret Lives of Wives,' 'Witches of East End' Adaptations to Pilot 

The actor, who currently appears in Ben Affleck's Argo, has booked a recurring role on Lifetime's Witches of East End pilot, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.

Witches revolves around Joanna Beauchamp (Mad Men's Julia Ormond) and her two adult daughters Freya (American Horror Story's Jenna Dewan-Tatum) and Ingrid (In Plain Sight's Rachel Boston), both of whom have no idea that they're the family's next generation of witches.

STORY: Lifetime Orders 'The Secret Lives of Wives,' ' Witches of East End' Adaptations to Pilot
They lead uneventful lives in a quiet secluded Long Island town of North Hampton but when Freya becomes engaged to a newcomer Dash Gardner (Black Swan's Patrick Heusinger) a series of events prompt Joanna to admit that her daughters are both powerful and immortal witches.

Lenk will play Hudson Rafferty, Ingrid's fellow librarian and gay best friend who helps her cast a fertility spell on one of their pals.

Maggie Friedman (Dawson's Creek) penned the pilot and will exec produce the pilot, which hails from Fox 21. 3 Arts Entertainment's Erwin Stoff (The Matrix) will also executive produce.  He joins a cast that also includes Madchen Amick, Glenne Headly and Daniel Ditomasso.

In addition to recurring on Joss Whedon's Buffy, Lenk's credits also include Whedon's Cabin in the Woods and Much Ado About Nothing. He's repped by Pakula/King and Vanguard Management.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit

'We are all Malala': Why Angelina Jolie felt compelled to tell her children about brave 14-year-old Pakistani activist's tragic shooting

Daily Mail

Angelina Jolie has composed a beautiful essay about how she discussed the tragic shooting of 14-year-old Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai with her brood of children children.

'I felt compelled to share Malala’s story with my children. It was difficult for them to comprehend a world where men would try to kill a child whose only “crime” was the desire that she and others like her be allowed to go to school,' Angelina wrote in the Daily Beast.

Beautiful tribute: Angelina Jolie has penned an essay about the moment she told her children of Malala's brave stance 

'Our 8-year-old [Pax] suggested that the world build a statue for Malala, and fittingly create a reading nook near it. 

'Our 6-year-old [Shiloh] asked the practical question of whether Malala had any pets, and if so, who would take care of them? She also asked about Malala’s parents and if they were crying. 

'We decided that they were, but not only for their daughter, also for children around the world denied this basic human right.' 

She continued: 'The following morning, the news showed pictures of children across Pakistan holding up Malala’s picture at vigils and demonstrations, and praying in schools. 

Keeping them informed: The actress and UN ambassador wanted her children to know about Malala and other children who denied their human rights 

'My son worried that girls were going to be shot for standing up for Malala. I told him that they were aware of the danger, but publicly supporting her reflects how much Malala means to them. Malala’s courage reminded all Pakistanis how important an education is. Her bravery inspired their own.

'Still trying to understand, my children asked, “Why did those men think they needed to kill Malala?” I answered, “because an education is a powerful thing.”'

Malala was airlifted to Birmingham, England, where she's said to be in a stable condition at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. 

The hospital confirmed Malala had a 'comfortable' night and doctors had been impressed by Malala's resilience.

But the Pakistani teenager needs 'prolonged care' to help her recover from the physical and psychological effects of the attack and it seems likely her treatment will take more than six months. 

It is unclear whether it will ever be safe enough for Malala, whose name means 'grief-stricken', to return home. It is likely she will remain in Britain.

UN ambassador Jolie also says she hopes Malala will be in contention for a Nobel Peace Prize.