This week in #moviechat we will be getting together to watch George Lucas' seminal blockbuster, 'Star Wars' (1977).

Join us this weekend Saturday May 6 on our IRC server a little before 5:30 pm EST when we pop our copies of the film into the DVD player. After the usual confusion, at around 5.30pm EST we'll all press play on our individual players and proceed to cheer and jeer (or discuss and argue, if you like!) the finer points of the film. [More]

Ian McKellen was a guest on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' early this morning (May 3rd) on ABC. He was there to promote his latest film 'The Da Vinci Code', they spoke briefly about is knighthood, working on King Lear, and American Idol of all things. They showed a brief clip from the film, it was a scene between himself, Tom Hanks and Audrey Tatou from the middle of the film. They also mentioned his website (McKellen.com) and how Sir Ian is the original 'Blogfather'. Take a look! (37.5MB MOV)[More]

KellyofLuthien writes: I just thought you might like to know that Kirin Shah has been listed as a guest for Dragon*Con 2006, September 1-4 in Atlanta, GA. [dragoncon.org]

Dominic Monaghan's Golden Globe winning show 'Lost' is on tonight at 9PM EST on ABC. TORN's chatroom now has a special 'Lost' screening room, login to #lost at 9PM and watch with fans from around the country! [ABC.com ] [TORN Chat]

Batman Begins and King Kong topped the winners at the 32nd annual Saturn Awards, taking home three statuettes each in ceremonies in Universal City, Calif., on May 2. Among the television nominees, SCI FI Channel's original series Battlestar Galactica dominated the winners, with three awards. The Saturns were given by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.

The Batman prequel took home awards for best fantasy film, best actor (Christian Bale) and best writing (director Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer).

King Kong won for best actress (Naomi Watts), best director (Peter Jackson) and best special effects (Joe Letteri, Richard Taylor, Christian Rivers, Brian Van't Hul). Star Wars: Episode III, Sin City and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe each got two Saturns. [More]

Celebrity Handprints is pleased to announce the release of 250 Limited Edition Prints of Orlando Bloom's handprint based on an original he created in aid of The BBC Children in Need Appeal. These Limited Edition Prints are now being sold in partnership with eBay and may be viewed here. Please help Orlando by featuring this sale on your website for Orlando Bloom and do all you can to help us make this a success.

AS SEEN ON THE DVD COVER OF RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS!!! Truly a One-of-a-Kind EXCLUSIVE Collector's Item. This item is guaranteed authentic, direct from the filmmakers at Planet BB Entertainment. You are bidding on the actual 'RING' held in hand by acclaimed star Dominic Monaghan, narrator of the award-winning documentary RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS. Own a piece of Movie History and the hottest Dominic collectible out there! [More]

Andrew writes to let us know about "One Morning Long Ago" Art Exhibition at The Redesdale Hall, in Moreton in Marsh Gloucestershire from Saturday 20th May until Tuesday 23rd May. This features the briliant work of Ted Nasmith and contrasting Styles of Ruth Lacon and both the artists are attending throughout. [More]

The 32nd annual Saturn Awards will be presented tonight. Winners will be announced on the internet after midnight tonight. Peter Jackson is nominated for 'Best Director', meanwhile King Kong is nominated for 'Best Fantasy Film' & 'Best Costumes'. Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson are nominated for 'Best Writer' and our pals at WETA Workshop Richard Taylor, Gino Acevedo, Dominie Till, Peter Swords-King are nominated for 'Best Makeup'. On the video game front 'Peter Jackson’s King Kong' (Ubisoft) is nominated for 'Best Fantasy Video Game'. Viggo Mortensen also has a nomination for 'Best Actor' for his work on “A History of Violence”. And our very own 'Ringers: Lord of the Fans' (Sony) is nominated for 'Best DVD Release'! Good luck team! Click here for a full list of nominees. [More]

Ian McKellen is slated to be a guest on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' tonight on ABC. Sir Ian is there to promote 'The Da Vinci Code' which opens in May 19th. 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' airs on ABC at 12:06AM. Watch this space tomorrow for a clip from the show!

A.L. Sirois writes: It's tempting to say that this boxed set does as much for the Lord of the Rings saga as Peter Jackson's movies. That would be wrong. What Jackson did was to re-envision (and in some cases edit) the trilogy in order to smooth out the dramatic flow and, of course, simplify the story. The degree of his success is arguable, and beyond the scope of this column. One thing, however, is obvious: In seeking to trim the action down into manageable chunks, Jackson saw fit to omit certain things, including most of the songs and poems. This four-CD set breathes new life into the poetic and lyrical material, not by re-purposing it but by bringing it to literal life as Tolkein wrote it. The release represents a most impressive achievement. [More]

Order 'The Lord of the Rings: Complete Songs and Poems' on Amazon.com today!

Fans with MTV will be able to catch Elijah Wood tonight on 'Punk'd'. Apparently Wood will be a victim of the practical jokes star Ashton Kutcher plays on his celeb friends. Catch it tonight!

Ian Collier at The Tolkien Society write: "More Fun in The Shire Park" (13th-14th May 2006). This is the seventh Tolkien Weekend event, and the theme for this year's event is “The Shire” is now an annual item in the Birmingham calendar. Sarehole Mill itself was the “original” for the Mill at Bywater in the Shire in The Lord of the Rings and is a central point in the Shire Country Park that covers the River Cole, Chinn Brook, as well as Moseley Bog, the Dell and the Dingles where JRR Tolkien played as a child. [More]

Garfeimao writes: I was quite surprised at how much I liked "Three Dollars". I'd heard of the film, but was not sure if it was a story I was going to like, but it was quite charming. It's a real basic family drama, but is wonderfully acted by David as the husband, Francis O'Connor as his wife and an adorable young Joanna Hunt-Prokhovnik as their daughter. The little girl was just so natural and the two main adults worked so well together and with her that it felt like a real family. That was the charming bit. [More]

Actor Sean Bean is struggling on the Indian set of his new TV series Sharpe's Challenge after suffering a bout of food poisoning. The Lord Of The Rings star was among a number of cast and crew members to be struck down with the notorious 'Delhi belly' while shooting the period war drama - a reprisal of the character that made him a household name. [More]

He's a national treasure: an acting colossus whose extraordinary repertoire has taken in everything from Alfred the Great to Zebedee. And with the Da Vinci Code and X-Men 3 due for release next month, Sir Ian McKellen is showing no sign of putting up his feet. Here, he talks to Simon Garfield about American homophobics and English eccentrics, and why doing Corrie proves 'he can't be a star'. [More]

Rosie writes: The latest issue of Empire features Andy in it's monthly "Pint of Milk" interview, where he reveals his 'criminal' past, nicking stuff from hotel rooms and how much he expects to pay for a pint of milk. [More]

Actor Christopher Lee has agreed to put aside his differences with Kiwi director Peter Jackson - but will never forgive him for axing his scenes from The Return of the King. Speaking exclusively to the Herald on Sunday at the Rose d'Or festival in Switzerland last night, Lee revealed that while he was still upset by the decision to remove his character, Saruman, from the third instalment of the Lord of the Rings series, it was now time to move on. "When the third film came along and I wasn't in it, I didn't understand," he said. "And I still don't. "However, you can have a difference of opinion in any walk of life but you can't have ongoing arguments. I like Peter very much. He's a brilliant director. I just don't know why he did what he did." [More]

Stewart writes: Billy and Ali are delighted to announce the birth of their son, Jack William Boyd. Jack was born on the 26th April and weighed in at very healthy 6lbs 10oz. Both mother and child are doing very, very well and Billy is exceptional proud of them both. Great happiness!

TORN and her fans all wish Billy and Ali the best!

The folks from Billy's Loons Charities write: We would like to announce an auction of a super cool, orginally designed baseball-style shirt ("The World is Joyful with Trees") from the Project-Monaghan store, signed by Billy Boyd. All proceeds from the auction will go to the Scottish Youth Theatre, www.scottishyouththeatre.org, where Billy Boyd is a Patron, and Billy's Loons Charities is a Sponsor. Many thanks to Billy Boyd for signing the shirt at the One Ring Celebration (ORC) 2006 in Pasadena, and to Auntie Nu for the photograph! Click here to see the shirt and bid. [More]