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Tag: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

  • Cate Blanchett, Andrew Upton Adopt Baby Girl

    Cate Blanchett and her husband Andrew Upton have added a fourth child to their brood. The couple adopted a baby girl they’ve named Vivienne.

    “The Upton family [Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton] have adopted a baby girl. No further details will be provided,” a rep for the actress said in a statement to E! News.

    Cate Blanchett and her husband live fairly private lives and she isn’t in the habit of suggesting that her children watch her films. She will star in the upcoming movie, Cinderella, however, and they will no doubt watch that one.

    “My children are completely in the stage where I’m an utter embarrassment,” she said. “I don’t force them on a Saturday night to sit home and watch mummy’s movies, wire coat-hanger in hand, but they’ll see this one for sure.”

    In addition to baby Vivienne, Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton are parents to Roman Robert Upton, Ignatius Martin Upton, and Dashiell John Upton. Blanchett said in a recent interview with W magazine that she was going a bit crazy with three boys (plus her husband) taking over her home. A little girl is no doubt a most welcome addition to their family.

    “It’s true you do get a bit demented [with three boys],” she told the publication, before adding, “The chaos of it is great.”

    Cate Blanchett shared her immense talent with three films in 2014, including The Monuments Men, How to Train Your Dragon, and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

    Congratulations are certainly in order to both Cate Blanchett and her husband on the addition of their adoptive daughter to their family.

  • Evangeline Lilly Talks Hobbit Role

    Evangeline Lilly dished recently about her role as Tauriel in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. And even though her role doesn’t shine quite as brightly as those of fellow costars Liv Tyler and Cate Blanchett, who play Arwen and Galadriel, respectively, she’s still incredibly proud of her character’s place in the film.

    The film picks up where the tale of The Hobbit left off–as Bilbo Baggins and his 13 dwarves head to the Lonely Mountain, which is guarded by a fire-breathing dragon whose name is Smaug.

    Evangeline Lilly plays a working class Silvan elf. She guards the Elven kingdom, and her character wasn’t featured in the original Tolkein book. She was beyond excited when asked to play the part.

    “The Sylvan elves were my favorite characters in the book and it would be a dream come true to play one. I jumped at the opportunity and picked up the phone very quickly,” she said during a recent event in L.A.

    Even after being told her character didn’t appear in the original book, Lilly jumped at the chance to be part of The Hobbit.

    “The most important thing I wanted to bring was a sense of femininity, because I think one of the dangers in modern-day entertainment is we project this idea that female power is in embracing or copying violent men,” Lilly says.

    The trilogy of Hobbit films is based on Tolkein’s The Hobbit, which was first published in 1937. The book has become a literary classic, and the films are on their way to achieving huge merits in the movie world. Evangeline Lilly is likely quite honored to play a small role in that success.

    Image via Wikimedia

  • Evangeline Lilly On Her Role In Smaug

    Evangeline Lilly On Her Role In Smaug

    Evangeline Lilly revealed to reporters, at a recent Los Angeles event, that The Hobbit was one of her favorite books as a child, and that she was thrilled when asked to play a part in the new movie The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

    “The sylvan elves were my favorite characters in the book and it would be a dream come true to play one. I jumped at the opportunity and picked up the phone very quickly,” Lilly recalled.

    Despite Lilly’s enthusiasm, many were upset, and concerned, that Peter Jackson, the writer/director/producer of the movie, was adding a character that wasn’t originally in the book. However, Lilly stands behind Jackson’s decision and explains why adding a female heroine adds to the film.

    “And then they said, ‘Your character is not in the book.’ And I took great pause. As a great fan of Tolkien, I gulped and went: ‘What? Everyone’s going to hate me.’ And it didn’t take long for them to completely convince me that it was the right thing to do and it was a good idea,” she said.

    “I think, in his defense, Tolkien was writing in 1937 and the world is a different place today,” she continued. “I keep repeatedly telling people, ‘In this day and age, to put nine hours of cinema in the theaters for young girls to go and watch and not have one female character is subliminally telling them you don’t count, you’re not important and you’re not pivotal to story.’ And I just think [the filmmakers] were very brave and very right in saying, ‘We won’t do that to the young female audience, who will come watch our films.’ And not just the young female audience, but even women of my own age. I think it is time that we stop making stories that are only about men, especially only about heroic men, and I love that they made Tauriel a hero.”

    What do you think about Jackson’s choice to add Lilly’s character? Leave your comments below.

    Image via Twitter

  • ‘Dhoom 3’ Breaks Box Office Records

    ‘Dhoom 3’ Breaks Box Office Records

    Director Vijay Krishna Acharya’s “Dhoom 3” starring Bollywood heavyweight Aamir Khan is approaching $31 million at the global box office, raking in roughly $16 million in India alone, after opening on Friday.

    Dhoom 3 has set a box office record in North America for a Bollywood film, garnering $3.3 million so far, after opening in 236 theaters. The Yash Raj Films distributed title came in at no. 9 in the U.S., following “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” and “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues,” which held the first and second spots respectively. Dhoom 3 is also doing well in Dubai, Malaysia, Kenya and the U.K.

    The trailer for Dhoom 3 promises playing card sorcery, crotch-rocket jousting, inexplicable Elvis-impersonation, running down faces of buildings through whirlwinds of loose USD, holographic computer manipulation reminiscent of “Minority Report,” Windy City chase scenes reminiscent of “The Dark Knight,” multigenerational orphan-teachings, a “yes-man” and novelty baseball bats aflame:

    Stars of “Dhoom 2”, Bollywood legend Hrithik Roshan and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai, who incidentally is married to Dhoom 2 and Dhoom 3 star Abhishek Bachchan, are sadly not featured in Dhoom 3.

    Dhoom 3 concerns buddy cops Jai Dixit and Ali Akbar, played by Bachnan and Uday Chopra respectively, as they face off against an antagonist duo of thieves played by Khan and Katrina Kaif. Heists, chases and dancing ensue, in what is said to be one of the most expensive Indian movies ever produced. Dhoom 3 is also the first Bollywood film to be released in IMAX.

    IMAX Entertainment CEO Greg Foster commented on Dhoom 3, “This was a fantastic movie by very skilled filmmakers and we’re thrilled that this is our first venture into the Bollywood world. Given its success, we’ll be doing more.”

    Image via YouTube.