The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

Posted: 20 Jun 2011 07:55 AM PDT

SYDNEY, June 20 – Australian satirist Barry Humphries, best known for his characters Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson, is the latest actor recruited by Peter Jackson for the upcoming "The Hobbit" movies.

The Oscar-winning director announced on his Facebook page today that Humphries (picture) will play the role of the Goblin King.

"I'm highly excited that Barry Humphries will be portraying the Goblin King, in much the way Andy Serkis created Gollum," said Jackson, adding that while Humphries was best known as a comedian and satirist, he was also a good actor.

"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."

Also joining the cast is Evangeline Lilly, known for her role on the television series "Lost", who will be playing a new character, the Woodland Elf Tauriel.

Another recent signing is British comedian Stephen Fry, who will play The Master of Laketown.

"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," said Jackson.

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is due to be released in December 2012, while "The Hobbit: There and Back Again" is slated for release 12 months later.

After years of wrangling and delays, the US$500 million project, a two-part prequel to blockbuster "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, began filming in New Zealand in March.

Actors reprising their "Lord of the Rings" roles include Ian McKellen, who returns as Gandalf, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Orlando Bloom as Legolas, Christopher Lee as Saruman, Elijah Wood as Frodo, and Serkis as Gollum.

British actor Martin Freeman takes on the central role of Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. – AFP

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Paloma Herrera celebrates a life of dance

Posted: 20 Jun 2011 04:49 AM PDT

NEW YORK, June 20 – "To dance is my life," Argentine ballerina Paloma Herrera said as she celebrated 20 years this month with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre.

Modest and very un-diva like, Herrara (picture) is at 35 one of the symbols of the nation's foremost ballet troupes. She has been a principal dancer since 1995.

"At ABT, you learn so much from all the dancers who are there," said Herrera, who joined the company from her native Buenos Aires in 1991.

"We have cultures from all the world, dancers from all the world... To be 20 years with the company, you really have to love it. And I love it because it's always a place of inspiration."

Bestowed with extraordinary talent from a young age, Herrera began her ballet studies at age seven, and at 11, moved to the former Soviet Union to study at the Minsk Ballet School.

She later studied in London and at New York's School of American Ballet, where she was chosen after just six months to dance the lead role in "Raymonda" (1898) created by Marius Petipa, the maitre de ballet of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres, with music by Russian composer Alexander Glazunov.

At 17, she was promoted to ABT soloist and two years later, to principal ballerina.

As one of 17 principal ballerinas, Herrera is currently dancing in "The Bright Stream," which is set to music by Dmitri Shostakovich. But she will also perform in "Coppelia", "Swan Lake," "The Sleeping Beauty" and "Don Quixote" before the summer is over.

Argentina's consulate in New York provided a warm tribute this week, including a showing of the documentary "Paloma Herrera, Here and Now" before an audience that cheered her onstage prowess and relished an opportunity to speak with her.

"The truth is I'm not a great fan of competitions," she told the crowd, "but I have to say that they really helped me.

"I can't remember since I was seven years old not dancing," she said with a smile, adding that when she has precious free time, "I'm off to the movies, I go the theatre, I go to concerts, I go for dinner with friends."

When dancing, she said "everything else is out. The outside world is just different."

She prefers not to reflect too much on the future. "I live the moment," said Herrera.

"I try to enjoy 100 per cent today because you never know what can happen tomorrow." – AFP

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Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Isnin, 20 Jun 2011

The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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