Gandalf actor Ian McKellen euphoric after receiving COVID-19 vaccine

LONDON -- British actor Ian McKellen, who played the wizard Gandalf in the "Lord of the Rings" movies, said he was euphoric after receiving his first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and urged everyone who was offered the jab to accept it.

The state-run National Health Service (NHS), which is running Britain’s mass COVID vaccination program, posted several pictures of McKellen, in a blue T-shirt and a rainbow striped scarf, giving a thumbs up as he received the shot.

“It’s a very special day. I feel euphoric,” McKellen, 81, was quoted as saying in one NHS post which he retweeted.

“I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone. I feel very lucky to have had the vaccination.”

Nearly 140,000 people have received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine in Britain since roll out began on Dec. 8. People aged over 80 are in the highest priority group.

A star of British stage and screen since the 1960s, McKellen attained a new level of global fame in the 2000s when he appeared as Gandalf in the movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels and directed by Peter Jackson.

He was the latest British celebrity to go public about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, part of a collective effort to reassure members of the public who may be harbouring doubts about the jab’s safety.

The chef and cookery writer Prue Leith, 80, who presents the high-ratings TV show “The Great British Bake Off”, also posted a picture of herself receiving the shot.

It is not known whether Queen Elizabeth, 94, and her husband Prince Philip, 99, have had the vaccine yet. The Times reported they may “let it be known” once they have.

The queen is highly respected in Britain and her backing would be a powerful message to counter anti-vaccination misinformation.

-reuters-

'Lord of the Rings' and 'Alien' star Ian Holm, 88, dies

LONDON -- British actor Ian Holm, best known for his roles in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "Alien", has died aged 88, the Guardian newspaper said on Friday.

The actor, who received an Oscar nomination for his performance in the 1981 film "Chariots of Fire", had died from a Parkinson's related illness, the paper said.

"It is with great sadness that the actor Sir Ian Holm CBE passed away this morning at the age of 88," his agent told the paper. "He died peacefully in hospital, with his family and carer. Charming, kind and ferociously talented, we will miss him hugely."

Holm began his career on stage working as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company and gained international exposure when he was cast as android Ash in the 1979 "Alien" film.

His role as an athletics coach in "Chariots of Fire" won him a British Academy film award (Bafta) and an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actor, while he played Bilbo Baggins in two of The Lord of the Rings films, a role he reprised in the recent "The Hobbit" film series. 

-reuters-

Ashley Judd sues Harvey Weinstein for defamation, sexual harassment

LOS ANGELES - American actress Ashley Judd on Monday filed a defamation and sexual harassment lawsuit against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, alleging that he damaged her career after she refused his sexual advances.

The civil lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in Santa Monica, alleges that Weinstein caused Judd to lose a part in 1998 in the film "The Lord of the Rings" by making "baseless smears" against her.

The lawsuit, reviewed by Reuters, alleges that Weinstein "was retaliating against Ms. Judd for rejecting his sexual demands approximately one year earlier, when he cornered her in a hotel room under the guise of discussing business."

"Weinstein used his power in the entertainment industry to damage Ms. Judd’s reputation and limit her ability to find work," the lawsuit added.

Weinstein has denied non-consensual sex with anyone. His spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment on Monday.

Judd was one of the first women in October 2017 to make an on the record allegation of sexual misconduct against Weinstein, which soon afterward evolved into the social media #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault. The Oscar-winning producer has since been accused of sexual impropriety by more than 70 women.

Judd, a leading member of the "Time's Up" movement against sexual harassment in the workplace, is seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial.

Judd's representative did not immediately return a call for comment.

The actress said in a statement to the New York Times that any financial recuperation from the lawsuit would be donated to Time's Up "so that women and men in all professions may have legal redress for sexual harassment, economic retaliation and damage to their careers."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Amazon to produce 'Lord of the Rings' television series

Amazon.com Inc has bought the global television rights to "The Lord of the Rings," the company said on Monday, in what may be its biggest and most expensive move yet to draw viewers to its streaming and shopping club Prime.

Amazon said it will produce a multi-season series that explores new storylines preceding author J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Fellowship of the Ring," the first installment in the famed fantasy trilogy.

Three movies made of the trilogy in the early 2000s, filmed in New Zealand and based on Tolkien's novels, garnered nearly $3 billion at the box office and 17 Academy Awards.

New Line Cinema, which distributed the film trilogy, the Tolkien Estate and Trust, and publisher HarperCollins will work with Amazon to produce the television series.

Amazon did not say how much it was paying for the rights.

The project underscores a shift in Amazon's video programming. Its studio started in 2010 with a focus on unique shows beloved by critics, such as "Transparent," about a father coming out as transgender to his family.

That was a winning formula for attracting Hollywood talent, awards and buzz, though not Prime subscribers around the world.

Now, Amazon is looking for a dramatic show that could be a hit globally, much like HBO's popular fantasy series "Game of Thrones."

This puts Amazon in uncharted territory, with higher-than-usual production costs expected so it can transport viewers to Middle Earth.

Amazon justifies its spending on programming as a way to draw new sign-ups to Prime, whose members buy more goods more often from the world's largest online retailer.

"Amazon is committed to producing super high quality, recognized, branded entertainment," said Wedbush Securities industry analyst Michael Pachter. "That's a departure from shows like "Transparent" and "Catastrophe.""

"By definition this will be expensive," he added.

(Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in San Francisco, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

source: news.abs-cbn.com