Hobbit Happiness

I just saw this article online

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080328/ap_en_ot/people_ian_mckellen

McKellen hopes for role in `Hobbit'

1 hour, 41 minutes ago

Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf the Wizard in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, is hoping to reprise the role in another tale from Middle Earth.

A fan asked McKellen on the actor's official Web site if he would play the role of Gandalf in "The Hobbit," which is being produced by Peter Jackson, director of the "Rings" trilogy.

"Yes, I will, if Peter Jackson and I have anything to do with it, he being the producer and me being, on the whole, a very lucky actor," McKellen, 68, said in a reply dated Wednesday.

Jackson reached a deal with New Line Cinema late last year to make two films of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," a planned prequel to the blockbuster "Rings" trilogy. Jackson will serve as executive producer for the "Hobbit" movies.

Another fan asked: "Have you been approached yet by Peter Jackson or anyone else" to play the ancient Wizard?

McKellen replied: "Encouragingly, Peter and (partner) Fran Walsh have told me they couldn't imagine `The Hobbit' without their original Gandalf."

"Their confidence hasn't yet been confirmed by the director Guillermo del Toro, but I am keeping my diary free for 2009!" he said.

Del Toro's manager, Gary Ungar, told The Associated Press on Friday that del Toro, director of "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Hellboy," is being considered for the "Hobbit" films.

"It's still under discussion, (but) yes," he said.

He declined to give any details, but when asked about an announcement timeline, he said: "I hope it resolves soon. .... Everybody has to agree in everything."

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Associated Press Writer Sigal Ratner-Arias in New York City contributed to this report.

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New Line is a unit of Time Warner Inc.

Tree 1, Car 0

I got home Saturday night to find that all the wind had knocked a large branch down onto my car. It hit squarely on the tip on the passenger-side windshield wiper, bending the wiper and shattering the windshield.
The glass guy is here now repairing it. Should cost around $190, yay.

On the bright side, I think all of the big dead/loose branches came down over the weekend, so the new windshield should be safe for a bit.