Filmmaker Del Toro to give 'Hobbit' new look
HONG KONG (AP) — One of Peter Jackson's frequent collaborators says the "Lord of the Rings" director passed the torch to Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro to give the trilogy's two-part prequel, "The Hobbit," a fresh look. After the huge success of the "Rings" series, Jackson is now working on adapting the J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy novel that takes place before the trilogy. But this time the Oscar-winning New Zealand filmmaker is producing and working on the script, relinquishing directing duties to Del Toro, whose credits include "Pan's Labyrinth" and the two "Hellboy" movies.
Wolfgang Wagner, longtime Bayreuth director, dies
BERLIN (AP) — Wolfgang Wagner, the grandson of composer Richard Wagner and the leader of the Bayreuth opera festival for more than half a century, has died, the festival said. He was 90. Wagner died on Sunday, the festival said in a brief statement on its Web site. It did not give further details.
`Alice' still reigns at box office with $34.5M
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alice remains the queen of the box office. Johnny Depp and Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" took in $34.5 million to remain the No. 1 movie for a third-straight weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Weisz, Rylance win acting prizes at Olivier awards
LONDON (AP) — Rachel Weisz added a stage accolade to Hollywood stardom Sunday, winning the best-actress prize at London's Laurence Olivier theater awards for her role in "A Streetcar Named Desire." The prize for a Londoner made good in the U.S. was fitting on a night that rewarded several Broadway-bound productions, including "Enron," "Red" and "The Mountaintop," a play about Martin Luther King by 28-year-old American writer Katori Hall.
Tang premieres new film after reported China ban
HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese actress Tang Wei returned to the red carpet on Sunday, promoting her first movie since the 2007 Ang Lee spy thriller "Lust, Caution," a politically sensitive production that reportedly prompted officials to ban her in her home country. Lee catapulted the then-unknown Tang to stardom by casting her as a student activist who seduces a Japanese-allied Chinese intelligence chief in World War II-era Shanghai to pave way for his assassination, only to fall in love with the traitor.
Cannes-winning director goes for emotion in 'Lola'
HONG KONG (AP) — Philippine director Brillante Mendoza says he hopes his new movie about two grandmothers will resonate with a broader audience than his dark Cannes-winning crime thriller "Kinatay." His best director win at the Cannes Film Festival last year earned him fame and a cash prize from the Philippine president, but Mendoza's works are still only shown outside of the commercial film circuit in his home country at informal screenings at schools and universities. His new project, "Lola," is no different, but the independent filmmaker hopes it will touch more people.
Court: Anna Nicole Smith gets none of oil fortune
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The elderly Texas billionaire who married Anna Nicole Smith in the last year of his life never intended to leave the former stripper any portion of his vast fortune, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with a Houston jury that said J. Howard Marshall was mentally fit and under no undue pressure when he wrote a will leaving nearly all of his $1.6 billion estate to his son E. Pierce Marshall and nothing to Smith.
Late Mass. monk's poems recall Khmer Rouge horrors
LOWELL, Mass. (AP) — During Buddhist monk Ly Van Aggadipo's final days, he wrote often in a notebook. Temple followers knew the nonagenarian spiritual mentor to many local Cambodian refugees was recording some sort of personal history, but they weren't sure what. "He told me, 'When I'm gone, make sure others read this so people don't forget what happened,'" follower Sokhar Sao said. "I didn't really understand until he was gone."
Earnhardt visits `Handy Manny' prime-time special
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The children's animated TV series "Handy Manny Big Race" is going prime time Saturday night with Dale Earnhardt Jr. NASCAR star Earnhardt voices the character of Chase Davis, who steps in to help Manny compete in the Wood Valley 500 auto race. The special, debuting at 7 p.m. EDT Saturday on the Disney Channel, stars Wilmer Valderrama as the voice of Manny.
Oprah, schoolgirls to testify at defamation trial
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Oprah Winfrey and several schoolgirls allegedly abused at her academy in South Africa are expected to testify in a trial over a defamation lawsuit brought by the school's former headmistress, whose performance Winfrey criticized. When news of the scandal broke in 2007, Winfrey said she had "lost confidence" in headmistress Nomvuyo Mzamane and was "cleaning house from top to bottom." Mzamane, who said she didn't know about any sexual abuse, had trouble finding another job afterward.
