Sir Peter Jackson has added a new entry to his official Facebook page confirming the casting of two actors and announcing the addition of two more. To sum, he confirms the casting of Luke Evans as Bard and Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock in the BBC TV series Sherlock)as Smaug (but not the Necromancer). As for the new additions, Lost's Evangeline Lilly has joined as Tauriel a Woodland Elf (not a character in the book) while Barry Humphries (Finding Nemo) will do the motion capture and voice for the CGI Goblin King.
From Peter Jackson:
I'm thrilled to announce two new cast members who will be joining us for our second block of shooting.
Evangeline Lilly will be playing a new character—the Woodland Elf, Tauriel. Her name means 'daughter of Mirkwood' and, beyond that, we must leave you guessing! (No, there is no romantic connection to Legolas.) What is not a secret is how talented and compelling an actress Evangeline is; we are thrilled and excited she will be the one to bring our first true Sylvan Elf to life.
I'm also highly excited that Barry Humphries will be portraying the Goblin King, in much the way Andy Serkis created Gollum. Barry is perhaps best known for his business and social connections as the long-time manager of Dame Edna Everage. He has also been an ardent supporter of the rather misunderstood and unfairly maligned Australian politician, Sir Les Patterson. However, in his spare time, Barry is also a fine actor, and we're looking forward to seeing him invest the Goblin King with the delicate sensitivity and emotional depth this character deserves.
Evangeline and Barry, along with Welsh actor Luke Evans as Bard and Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug, just about rounds out the major casting. I cannot wait to get stuck into these new scenes! More soon, including a flurry of answers to your questions. Sorry for the delay!
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· Black Swan (Fox Searchlight) A Protozoa and Phoenix Pictures ProductionMike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
· The Fighter (Paramount) A Relativity Media Production David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
· Inception (Warner Bros.) A Warner Bros. UK Services Production Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers)
· The Kids Are All Right (Focus Features) An Antidote Films, Mandalay Vision and Gilbert Films Production Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
· The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company) A See-Saw Films and Bedlam Production Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
· 127 Hours (Fox Searchlight) An Hours Production Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
· The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing) A Columbia Pictures Production Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
· Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) A Pixar Production Darla K. Anderson, Producer
· True Grit (Paramount) A Paramount Pictures Production Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
· Winter's Bone (Roadside Attractions) A Winter's Bone Production Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers
Performance by an actor in a leading role
· Javier Bardem in "Biutiful" (Roadside Attractions)
· Jeff Bridges in "True Grit" (Paramount)
· Jesse Eisenberg in "The Social Network" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
· Colin Firth in "The King's Speech" (The Weinstein Company)
· James Franco in "127 Hours" (Fox Searchlight)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
· Christian Bale in "The Fighter" (Paramount)
· John Hawkes in "Winter's Bone" (Roadside Attractions)
· Jeremy Renner in "The Town" (Warner Bros.)
· Mark Ruffalo in "The Kids Are All Right" (Focus Features)
· Geoffrey Rush in "The King's Speech" (The Weinstein Company)
Performance by an actress in a leading role
· Annette Bening in "The Kids Are All Right" (Focus Features)
· Nicole Kidman in "Rabbit Hole" (Lionsgate)
· Jennifer Lawrence in "Winter's Bone" (Roadside Attractions)
· Natalie Portman in "Black Swan" (Fox Searchlight)
· Michelle Williams in "Blue Valentine" (The Weinstein Company)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
· Amy Adams in "The Fighter" (Paramount)
· Helena Bonham Carter in "The King's Speech" (The Weinstein Company)
· Melissa Leo in "The Fighter" (Paramount)
· Hailee Steinfeld in "True Grit" (Paramount)
· Jacki Weaver in "Animal Kingdom" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Best animated feature film of the year
· How to Train Your Dragon (Paramount) Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
· The Illusionist (Sony Pictures Classics) Sylvain Chomet
· Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) Lee Unkrich
Art Direction
· Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney), Robert Stromberg (Production Design), Karen O'Hara (Set Decoration)
· Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Warner Bros.), Stuart Craig (Production Design), Stephenie McMillan (Set Decoration)
· Inception (Warner Bros.), Guy Hendrix Dyas (Production Design), Larry Dias and Doug Mowat (Set Decoration)
· The King's Speech (Paramount), Eve Stewart (Production Design), Judy Farr (Set Decoration)
· The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company) Danny Cohen
· The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing) Jeff Cronenweth
· True Grit (Paramount) Roger Deakins
Achievement in costume design
· Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney) Colleen Atwood
· I Am Love (Magnolia Pictures) Antonella Cannarozzi
· The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company) Jenny Beavan
· The Tempest (Miramax) Sandy Powell
· True Grit (Paramount) Mary Zophres
Achievement in directing
· Black Swan (Fox Searchlight), Darren Aronofsky
· The Fighter (Paramount), David O. Russell
· The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company), Tom Hooper
· The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing), David Fincher
· True Grit (Paramount), Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Best Documentary Feature
· Exit through the Gift Shop (Producers Distribution Agency) Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz A Paranoid Pictures Production
· Gasland Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic A Gasland Production
· Inside Job (Sony Pictures Classics) Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs A Representational Pictures Production
· Restrepo (National Geographic Entertainment) Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger An Outpost Films Production
· Waste Land Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley (Arthouse Films) An Almega Projects Production
Best documentary short subject
· Killing in the Name Nominees to be determined A Moxie Firecracker Films Production
· Poster Girl Nominees to be determined A Portrayal Films Production
· Strangers No More Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon A Simon & Goodman Picture Company Production
· Sun Come Up Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger A Sun Come Up Production
· The Warriors of Qiugang Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon A Thomas Lennon Films Production
Achievement in film editing
· Black Swan (Fox Searchlight) Andrew Weisblum
· The Fighter Paramount Pamela Martin
· The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company) Tariq Anwar
· 127 Hours (Fox Searchlight) Jon Harris
· The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing) Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter
Best foreign language film of the year
· Biutiful Mexico
· Dogtooth Greece
· In a Better World Denmark
· Incendies Canada
· Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi) Algeria
Achievement in makeup
· Barney's Version (Sony Pictures Classics) Adrien Morot
· The Way Back (Newmarket Films in association with Wrekin Hill Entertainment and Image Entertainment) Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
· The Wolfman (Universal) Rick Baker and Dave Elsey
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
· How to Train Your Dragon (Paramount) John Powell
· Inception (Warner Bros.) Hans Zimmer
· The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company) Alexandre Desplat
· 127 Hours (Fox Searchlight) A.R. Rahman
· The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing) Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
· Coming Home from Country Strong (Sony Pictures Releasing (Screen Gems)) Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
· I See the Light from Tangled (Walt Disney) Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
· If I Rise from 127 Hours (Fox Searchlight) Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
· We Belong Together from Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
Best animated short film
· Day & Night (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production Teddy Newton
· The Gruffalo A Magic Light Pictures Production Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
· Let's Pollute A Geefwee Boedoe Production Geefwee Boedoe
· The Lost Thing (Nick Batzias for Madman Entertainment) A Passion Pictures Australia Production Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
· Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary) A Sacrebleu Production Bastien Dubois
Best live action short film
· The Confession (National Film and Television School) A National Film and Television School Production Tanel Toom
· The Crush (Network Ireland Television) A Purdy Pictures Production Michael Creagh
· God of Love A Luke Matheny Production Luke Matheny
· Na Wewe (Premium Films) A CUT! Production Ivan Goldschmidt
· Wish 143 A Swing and Shift Films/Union Pictures Production Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite
Achievement in sound editing
· Inception (Warner Bros.) Richard King
· Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
THE HOBBIT is being filmed in 3D. Even wizards have to wear the glasses. Snapped by Peter Jackson in Wellington, 2011. Photo credit: zz-gandalf by ianmckellen, on Flickr
Elijah Wood as Frodo in Peter Jackson's live-action version of The Lord of the Rings.Image via Wikipedia
Deadline.com hinted first but TheOneRing.net has confirmed thatElijah Woodwill appear inThe HobbitasFrodo Baggins. According to TheOneRing.net, "As readers of 'The Hobbit' know, the tale of 'The Downfall of The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit or There and Back Again,' are contained in the fictional 'Red Book of Westmarch.' In Peter Jackson’s LOTR films, the book is shown on screen and written in by Bilbo and Frodo and handed off to Sam Gamgee. (Not explained on film are Sam’s progeny later having the book and being Wardens of the Westmarch — hence the book’s title.) The fictional book, and either the telling from it or the reading of it, will establish Frodo in the films experiencing Bilbo’s story. Viewers are to learn the tale of ‘The Hobbit’ as a familiar Frodo gets the tale as well."
Anna Chapman, the almost stereotypical "Bond girl”, accused of spying for the Russian government appeared on Russian talk show “Пусть говорят” (Let Them Talk). The 60 minutes episode “Let them talk. New Year with a girl of the year” was dedicated to Anna Chapman and featured her mother, sister, grandmother, school teachers, friends and her first love.
Watch online "Let them talk. New Year with a girl of the year" Anna Chapman full video (1 hour, Russian language)
Anna Chapman also starred in a parody of a popular Soviet spy film.
Anna Vasil’yevna Chapman (Russian: А́нна Васи́льевна Ча́пман; born Anna Vasil’yevna Kushchyenko Russian: А́нна Васи́льевна Кущенко; February 23, 1982) is a Russian national, who while living in New York, United States was arrested along with nine others on June 27, 2010, on suspicion of working for the Illegals Program spy ring under the Russian Federation's external intelligence agency, the SVR (Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedki). Chapman pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the U.S. Attorney General, and was deported back to Russia on July 8, 2010, as part of the 2010 Russia–United States Prisoner Swap.
Chapman was born Anna Vasil’yevna Kushchyenko in Volgograd, according to US authorities, and her father was employed in the Russian embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. According to Chapman's British ex-husband, her father, Vasily Kushchenko, was also a senior KGB official, although this is unsubstantiated.Biography
London: 2001-2006
Chapman moved to London in 2000/1, working at NetJets, Barclays Bank and allegedly at a few other companies for brief periods.
She met Alex Chapman at a London Docklands rave party in 2001 and they married shortly thereafter in Moscow; as a result she gained dual Russian-British citizenship, and a British passport. After Anna was arrested in New York, Alex engaged media publicist Max Clifford, and sold his story to The Daily Telegraph newspaper.
New York: 2006-2010
She took up residence at 20 Exchange Place, one block from Wall Street in Manhattan's Financial District.Alex has stated that Anna told him the enterprise was continually in the red for the first couple of years, and then suddenly in 2009, she had as many as 50 employees and a successful business. Her LinkedInsocial networking site profile identified her as CEO of PropertyFinder LLC, a website selling real estate internationally.
She is reported to have been dating Michel Bittan, a prominent New York restaurant owner. She later described her time in the US with the Charles Dickens quote, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times".
International exchange
After being formally charged, Chapman and nine other detainees became part of a spy swap deal between the US and Russia, the biggest of its kind since 1986. The 10 Russian agents returned to Russia via a chartered jet that landed at Vienna International Airport, where the swap occurred on the morning of July 8. The Russian jet returned to Moscow's Domodedovo airport, where after landing the 10 spies were kept away from local and international press.
Russia: 2010-incumbent
Late December 2010 Chapman was appointed to the public council of Young Guard of United Russia. According to the organization she "will be engaged in educating young people".
Media coverage and popular reaction
After her arrest by the FBI for her involvement with the Illegals Program, Chapman gained overnight minor celebrity status while under custody. The media dubbed her the "flame-haired beauty", "femme fatale", "the modern day Bond girl" and "the stunning SoHo spy". Photos of Chapman taken from her Facebook profile appeared on the web, and several videos of her were uploaded to Youtube. Magazines and blogs detailed her fashion style and dress sense, while tabloids displayed her action figure dolls. Chapman was described by local media in New York as a regular of exclusive bars and restaurants. US Vice-President Joe Biden, when jokingly asked by Jay Leno on NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno, "Do we have any spies that hot?", replied in a mock serious tone, "Let me be clear. It was not my idea to send her back."
According to the news agency Interfax, effective 1 October 2010 Chapman is employed as an adviser on investment and innovation issues to the President of FundserviceBank, a Moscow bank that handles payments on behalf of state- and private-sector enterprises in the Russian aerospace industry.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger arrived in Moscow on Sunday at the head of a high-tech business delegation and immediately exchanged tweets with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
"Just landed in Moscow. Beautiful day. Can't wait to see Pres Medvedev @KremlinRussia_e," Schwarzenegger wrote on his Twitter micro-blog, including a link to a photo of himself with a cigar in the back of a car.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Just landed in Moscow. Beautiful day. Can't wait to see Pres Medvedev @KremlinRussia_e
"@Schwarzenegger, welcome to Moscow. Looking forward to meeting you and your delegation at @skolkovo," the Russian president responded on his Twitter site.
Arnold Schwarzenegger also rode Moscow subway. He took photos of passengers and wrote "People in Moscow apparently love their public transit".
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Riding the subway in Moscow with the Austria and the United States Ambassadors to Russia
Arnold Schwarzenegger: People in Moscow apparently love their public transit
Schwarzenegger is leading a delegation of top Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists to Russia to discuss investment opportunities in Russia's high-tech sector. The trip includes a stop at Skolkovo, the site of the high-tech research hub Russia is creating near Moscow.
The center has been dubbed Russia's Silicon Valley and Medvedev is keen to bring in U.S. know-how to spark the project.
He has made modernization the center of his economic policy agenda and visited Silicon Valley during his visit to the United States in June.
The president also met the California governor during the trip.
As well as exchanging tweets, the president and the governor started following each other on Twitter.
Konstantin Novoselov (left) and Andre GeimPhoto: PA
Two University of Manchester scientists, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, have won the Nobel Prize for Physics in recognition of their "groundbreaking experiments" with graphene, a two dimensional material.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences regognised Novoselov, who has joint British and Russian citizenship, and Dutch national Geim, for their work which could revolutionise the field of electronics.
Experiments with graphene, which is just one carbon atom thick, could lead to the development of new material and "the manufacture of innovative electronics," the citation said.
"Since it is practically transparent and a good conductor, graphene is suitable for producing transparent touch screens, light panels and maybe even solar cells," the academy said.
Geim, 51, and Novoselov, 36, were both born in Russia and started their careers in physics there.
The pair extracted the super-thin material from a piece of graphite such as that found in ordinary pencils, using adhesive tape to obtain a flake that was only one atom thick.
"Playfulness is one of their hallmarks, one always learns something in the process and, who knows, you may even hit the jackpot," the Nobel committee said.
The academy said that graphene offered physicists the ability to study two-dimensional materials with unique properties and made possible experiments that can give new twists to the phenomena in quantum physics.
"Also a vast variety of practical applications now appear possible including the creation of new materials and the manufacture of innovative electronics," it said.
Mentioning a few possible applications, the academy said graphene transistors were expected to become much faster than today's silicon ones and yield more efficient computers.
The prize of 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.5 million), awarded by the Nobel Committee for Physics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, was the second of this year's Nobel prizes.
Twitter introduces a new, re-engineered Twitter.com that provides an easier, faster, and richer experience.
On the site, you’ll see the familiar timeline, yet underneath each Tweet is a handful of information, deeper context and even embedded media. Simply click on an individual Tweet and a details pane slides out on the right and reveals this content.
You can find out more about the enhancements on this information page. Here are some highlights:
New design. The site has a cleaner timeline and a rich details pane that instantly adds more impact to individual Tweets while still maintaining the simplicity of the timeline. And, experience infinite scroll -- you no longer have to click “more” to view additional Tweets.
Media. Now, it’s easy to see embedded photos and videos directly on Twitter, thanks to partnerships with DailyBooth, deviantART, Etsy, Flickr, Justin.TV, Kickstarter, Kiva, Photozou, Plixi, Twitgoo, TwitPic, TwitVid, USTREAM, Vimeo, yfrog, and YouTube.
Related content. When you click a Tweet, the details pane shows additional information related to the author or subject. Depending on the Tweet’s content, you may see: replies, other Tweets by that user, a map of where a geotagged Tweet was sent from, and more.
Mini profiles. Click a username to see a mini profile without navigating from the page, which provides quick access to account information, including bio and recent Tweets.
These changes will roll out as a preview over the next several weeks starting with a very small percentage of registered accounts tonight. During the preview, you'll be able to switch back and forth so you have time to grow accustomed to the way things work. Eventually, everyone will have the updated version of Twitter.com.
An Indonesian volcano that was quiet for 4 centuries shot a new, powerful burst of hot ash more than 3 kilometres (10-thousand feet) into the air, sending frightened residents fleeing to safety. The tremor from the eruption - the strongest so far - could be felt 8 km (5 miles) away. The eruption of Mount Sinabung - which caught many scientists off guard - forced 30-thousand people living along its fertile slopes in North Sumatra province to evacuate to cramped emergency shelters in nearby towns.
Anna Chapman is a beautiful 28-year-old Russian with an IQ of 162, a diplomat father and a taste for the high life. She also has a romantic streak, having married her British boyfriend within a few months of meeting him. With such attributes it is hardly surprising that she has been called a real-life Bond girl.
And last weekend she was arrested in New York on suspicion of spying for Russia.
Anna Kushchenko, to use her maiden name, was born in the industrial southern Russian city of Volgograd, then Stalingrad, to a maths teacher mother, Irene, and a diplomat father, Vasily.
She does not appear to have had an especially gilded youth, having suffered from scoliosis - curvature of the spine - as a child and having lived with her grandmother there.
When she was 13 her father was posted to the Russian embassy in Kenya, but she remained at home.
After school she studied for a masters in economics at the People's Friendship University in Moscow, one of the top Soviet-founded colleges, graduating with first-class honours in 2004.
In the summer of 2001, during her first summer break, like so many well-to-do young Russians she went travelling. London was top of her list.
During a night at an underground rave in Docklands, the 19-year-old redhead caught the eye of Alex Chapman, a Berkshire public schoolboy,Mr Chapman, who was 21 at the time and working for a recording studio, described her as "the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen in my life".
He recalled: "I plucked up some courage and went over to her and said, 'I'm sorry, but you're the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen.' She turned around and looked at me and said, 'My God, so are you'." He described the encounter as "love at first sight".
They talked the night away but Anna was due to return to Russia two days later. Shortly afterwards Mr Chapman, now a 30-year-old trainee psychologist, arranged to visit her in Russia, where he proposed.
They were married at a registry office in Moscow in March 2002 without even telling their parents.
Mr Chapman described his ex-wife as "an extremely passionate, caring and loving woman" with an IQ of 162 "and it showed, because she was able to juggle so much at once and make them a success".
However in 2005 the marriage faltered, with Mr Chapman saying she started to become "very secretive, going for meetings on her own with 'Russian friends'. They divorced in 2006.
These meetings apparently transformed her, he said, from someone who had never been "materialistic" into someone "with access to a lot of money, boasting about all the influential people she was meeting". She became "arrogant and obnoxious," he claimed, and they divorced in 2006.
Despite telling him that she disliked Americans, she then moved there after a brief spell at home in Russia, saying she intended to make her fortune in New York.
FBI agents monitored Ms Chapman on 10 Wednesdays between January and June 2010 as she allegedly carried out elaborate communication rituals with her Russian handler in scenes straight out of a John Le Carre spy novel. The FBI has desc ribed her as a "highly trained intelligence operative".
The FBI believes she was sent to America to join a spy ring and infiltrate political circles.
She and nine other alleged Russian spies have been arrested.
According to the indictment, she was caught communicating with the Russian intelligence service, the SVR
A prosecutor has described her as a "practised deceiver" and she has been denied bail.
Family and friends have denied she is a spy.
Portrayed as a flame-haired, green-eyed femme fatale, a 28-year-old Russian businesswoman has emerged as a tabloid darling after an alleged Cold War-style spy ring was uncovered by US authorities. Sultry Facebook photos of Anna Chapman were plastered on the front page of the New York Daily News following her arrest along with 10 other alleged members of a sophisticated network of US-based Russian sleeper agents. "Spy ring's femme fatale," declared the New York Post, before elaborating: "Red hot beauty snared in Russian 'espionage' shock."
has added a new entry to his official Facebook page confirming the casting of two actors and announcing the addition of two more. To sum, he confirms the casting of Luke Evans as Bard and Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock in the BBC TV series Sherlock) as Smaug
(but not the Necromancer). As for the new additions, Lost
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