Evangeline Lilly joins The Hobbit

Evangeline Lilly and Barry Humphries have joined the cast of 'The Hobbit' movies, director Sir Peter Jackson has confirmed.

 

 

Evangeline Lilly has joined the cast of 'The Hobbit' movies.

The former 'Lost' actress has signed on to play a new character, Tauriel, but director Sir Peter Jackson refused to give any further details about the woodland elf.

The filmmaker revealed on his Facebook page: "Her name means 'daughter of Mirkwood' and, beyond that, we must leave you guessing! (No, there is no romantic connection to Legolas.)"

Also joining the cast for the start of the second block of shooting is Australian actor Barry Humphrie s- best known for his female comedic alter ego Dame Edna Everage – who will portray the Goblin King, with extensive use of motion capture technology.

Peter said: "We're looking forward to seeing him invest the Goblin King with the delicate sensitivity and emotional depth this character deserves."

Last week, it was announced Luke Evans and Benedict Cumberbatch had joined the cast of the two movies, playing Bard and Smaug respectively.

'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' and 'The Hobbit: There and Back Again' will be released in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Both releases will star Martin Freeman as the titular character.

Read More

Premier League clubs get real with home shopping

English Premier League clubs are spending big on home-grown youngsters in what could be the first indication that they are finally coming to terms with reality.

















With UEFA's financial fair play rules looming and a new quota system in place, Jordan Henderson and Phil Jones are poised to join Liverpool and Manchester United respectively for nearly 40 million pounds.
Although more big-name foreign players are likely to be recruited before next season, early activity in the transfer market indicates a possible change of approach as part of a long-term strategy.
Encouraged by Chris Smalling's assured first-team displays after signing him from Fulham last year at 20, United have targeted 19-year-old Jones, Atletico Madrid goalkeeper David de Gea, 20, and perhaps Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell.
These players do not come cheaply as Liverpool found out when when they had to pay 35 million pounds for 22-year-old striker Andy Carroll in January but once wages are included in the equation, such deals are better value than signing established players who command much higher salaries.
There is also a sensible business reason because a 20-year-old is likely to retain or increase his transfer value five years on, whereas a player bought at his peak at 28 or 29 becomes a less of an asset once into his 30s.
Clubs are also now operating in the shadow of UEFA's financial fair play rules which will only allow them to take part in European competition if their expenditure is covered by generated revenue.
This has increased the pressure to feed players from their own academies into their first team, something that happens all too rarely with the leading teams at the moment.

Read More