Wednesday, October 24, 2012

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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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

Friday, October 19, 2012

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.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

'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.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

World News - Killing witches not crime in Zimbabwe

The Zimdiaspora

THE Zimbabwe government has warned those who use witchcraft and other supernatural powers to harm others that they will not be protected by the state from public anger over their actions, a Cabinet Minister has said.

Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa said any person who is arrested for attacking wiches but could provide evidence to show that his civtim is a witch could escape criminal prosecution.

The minister said this yesterday in the Senate while responding to inquiries from Mutasa-Nyanga Senator Patrick Chitaka (MDC-T) who had asked why the Government was not repealing the Witchcraft and Suppression Act considering that the practice was rampant in the African culture.

The question was posed when Minister Chinamasa was steering for the ratification of a Swakopmund Protocol that seeks to protect traditional knowledge and medicine.

The minister said the Witchcraft and Suppression Act was repealed a long time ago and replaced by the Criminal Codification and Reform Act.

“Clearly if you point out that someone was a witch, it is defamatory.

“But if you can prove it that someone was found with a human hand that is enough proof,” he said.

“If you can open a grave and eat its contents, that’s enough proof.”

Minister Chinamasa said witchcraft allegations have in the past divided families.

Hardworking and wealthier families, he said, have usually been the target of such allegations.

The usual allegations, he said, were that these wealthier families were using poor families to work in their fields at night.

“If you can prove that, then it is witchcraft.

“But witchcraft is not the wisdom we want to protect.

“That power to make supernatural powers to cause harm to others is not what we want to protect under traditional medical knowledge,” he said.

On the Swakopmund Protocol, Minister Chinamasa said it was concluded pursuant to the mandate of the Lusaka Agreement to which Zimbabwe is a party.

The major objective of the Protocol, the minister said, was to legally protect and promote economic and social exploitation of traditional knowledge systems and expressions of folklore for the benefit of holders of such traditional knowledge and cultural expressions.

“This was borne out of the realisation that there was rampant illicit exploitation of the traditional knowledge and expression of folklore in the developing countries without any benefit accruing to the holders and owners of the knowledge,” he said.

Responding to questions from the floor, Minister Chinamasa said there was a need for Zimbabwe to come up with mechanisms to protect its cultural expressions such as mbakumba and jerusalem dances.

Sen Chitaka had asked what Government was doing to reclaim cultural artifacts that were taken away by colonialists.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

SPOILERS - "Thor 2 The Dark World"

From Twitter

Revealing that he'll be involved with the scenes, Chris Eccleston, the actor portraying Malekith the Accursed in the anticipated Marvel sequel, has confirmed shooting will take place in Iceland!

DCMarvelFreshman - 10/7/2012

Continuing tomorrow at London's Butlers Wharf, principal photography for Marvel's Thor: The Dark World is scheduled this month to “showcase London in a major way.” However, we've now received confirmation that filming will soon head north, overseas in Iceland, which was first reported back in early August. While attending The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival 2012, ‘Malekith the Accursed’ actor Christopher Eccleston discussed the villain role, confirming he'll take part in the scenes that'll be filmed in the Nordic European island country.

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Picture from Twitter.

According to sources, director Alan Taylor will return to Iceland, where he filmed parts of Game of Thrones, within the next two weeks for Thor: The Dark World. And the Marvel sequel's production will apparently consist of nearly 400 crew members. Also, several Londoners spotted the anticipated sequel's production crew shooting “effects scenes” at the famous Leadenhall Market earlier today. And as previously reported, shooting will continue tomorrow around Butlers Wharf. Then later this month, filming will move to the Old Naval College at Greenwich. And regarding where exactly in Iceland will filming occur, that's currently unknown.

Exploring Thor's relationship with the Asgardian all-father Odin, as well earthbound companion Jane Foster, “Thor: The Dark World” follows the God of Thunder to The Nine Realms beyond Asgard and earth. And as his evil half-brother, Loki, returns for Asgardian justice, a new threat rises. Also rejoining Thor are his fellow Asgardians, Lady Sif, gatekeeper Heimdall and Warriors Three, as they encounter mythical Norse creatures among evildoers.

“Thor: The Dark World” stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Jaimie Alexander, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano, Stellan Skarsgard, Ray Stevenson, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Rene Russo, with Alice Krige & Kat Dennings. And Alan Taylor (“Game of Thrones”) takes over directorial duties from Kenneth Branagh, who helmed the first “Thor” film. From a screenplay by Don Payne and Robert Rodat, “Thor: The Dark World” is set for release on November 8, 2013.

Monday, October 8, 2012

50 Beautiful Pieces Of Concept Art From Classic Disney Movies

BuzzFeed

These animated films didn't become masterpieces out of thin air; some of the paintings and illustrations created to inspire the creative direction of the early Disney classics are truly fine works of art in and of themselves. Mary Blair was an especially gifted illustrator whose work for Disney dictated the look of some of their most beloved classics.