‘The Hobbit’ Passes Two ‘LOTR’ Pics At Worldwide Box Office By THE DEADLINE TEAM

Warner Bros and Peter Jackson have taken heat (including from Deadline) for turning JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit into three movies, but if the first film’s box office performance is any indication they might not much care. This weekend The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey eclipsed both Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring and Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers in worldwide box office.

READ MORE: http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/hobbit-box-office-worldwide-passes-lord-of-the-rings-movies/

RICHARD ARMITAGE JOINED A CIRCUS WHEN HE WAS 19 (FANSHARE)

Richard Armitage is full of surprises, not least of which that he joined the circus when he was a young boy.  In a new interview with Nylon Guys, Armitage talks about his youth, and adds that while he didn’t run away as originally rumored, he did join the circus.  He says, “I did join a circus, but I never ran away. I was 19 and needed an Equity card.”

Armitage has become a familiar face to the global audience thanks to his strong performance as Thorin Oakenshield in ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’.  With two sequels coming out in the next few years, Armitage is here to stick around.  Of his work in ‘The Hobbit’, he says, “If this opportunity had come to me 10 years ago, I would not have survived.  I wouldn’t have known what to do with it. Now I feel like I’ve got an opinion to bring to it, my own interpretation of the character and the book, but other things as well, attitudes that I think we can make resonate with a contemporary audience: honor, loyalty, nobility, corruption.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=u6YV7mkqc1g#!

Read more: http://www.fansshare.com/news/richard-armitage-joined-circus-when-he-was-19/#ixzz2IR6ONlRn

Who's Richard Armitage? (ASIA ONE SHOWBIZ)

By Esther Ng
The New Paper
Sunday, Dec 23, 2012

Who's that guy?

Like most British actors, Richard Armitage, 41, started his career in theatre, performing in shows like the musical Cats, as well as theatre productions Macbeth and Hamlet, before moving on to television and film.

Where have you seen him?

He plays Lucas North, a spy in the acclaimed British espionage series Spooks from 2008 to 2010. Last year, he played a German spy, Heinz Kruger, a character in Captain America: The First Avenger.

Why him?

Peter Jackson, director of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, described Armitage as a "powerful actor with a wide range".

Considering the sum total of all the parts he has played in television and film - Cold Feet (comedy), Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (action, sci-fi), North And South (drama) - plus he plays the cello, the flute, and sings, you would agree with Jackson.

What's new?

Armitage hopes investors will come forward to fund the filming of Richard III, a project that he has been working to get off the ground for a few years.

Armitage intends to play the 15th century English king who was believed to have murdered his nephews in a bid to grab the throne. Richard III was the last English king to be killed in battle on English soil.

Incidentally, Armitage was named Richard as he was born on the anniversary of Richard III's death on Aug 22.

READ MORE OF ASIA ONE SHOW BIZ: http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20121221-391021.html

Martin Freeman talks to Digital Spy about John Watson's reaction to seeing Sherlock Holmes alive again.

http://www.digitalspy.com/video/v2035167955001/martin-freeman-on-sherlock-series-3.html?_tmc=kTxQ6efiELEExN2w0blsQxgj--SmHnnOKiVBEAn6Zyk


THANKS AGAIN TO SCOOP.IT DAILY

Benedict Cumberbatch on the future of Sherlock (DEN OF THE GEEK)

 Louisa Mellor Dec 18, 2012

Are Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman getting too famous to return to Sherlock?

Short answer? No. Not on your nelly. Speaking to Yahoo recently, Cumberbatch assured Sherlock fans that there's no reason the show "can't continue until we get too old".

Asked if he could ever get too big for Sherlock, Cumberbatch replied "I don't think that's a possibility because I love it too much. Making [Sherlock] is all about availability. Martin Freeman has the same kind of pressures on him now. It's a thing of quality not quantity that show - thank God. We started young with it. We started when they meet and we still are young for those roles. There's no reason why it can't continue until we get too old."

Phew.

READ MORE: 

http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/sherlock/23879/benedict-cumberbatch-on-the-future-of-sherlock?_tmc=2X5Cq5IeMEEV6_mjL0zP0gYrJhfmGCx3YeDFXNtUSmI

Richard Armitage, Martin Freeman - MAX 60 seconds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eLIK-DREmJA

The Hobbit: An Unexpected box office smash with $200 million global opening weekend (INDEPENDENT)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has set a box office record with the biggest December opening ever in the US, beating the three previous Lord Of The Rings films with a haul of $84.8 million (£52.4 million).

Peter Jackson's Middle Earth epic surpassed Will Smith's I Am Legend, which opened with $77.2 million (£47.7 million) in 2007, and Avatar, which opened with $77 million (£47.6 million).

Internationally, The Hobbit also added $138.2 million (£85.4 million) for an impressive debut well north of $200 million.

Despite weak reviews, The Warner Bros adaptation of JRR Tolkien's first novel in the fantasy series was an even bigger draw than the last Lord Of The Rings movie, The Return Of The King. That film opened with $72.6 million (£44.9 million).

READ MORE: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/the-hobbit-an-unexpected-box-office-smash-with-200-million-global-opening-weekend-8421955.html

Richard Armitage on The Hobbit, beard grooming and dwarf workouts (GQ)

By Oliver Franklin 14 December 12

"I just want to convince people I'm not 5"2 and hairy," smiles Richard Armitage, sitting back in a comfortable chair at London's Claridges hotel. "That'll be the biggest challenge." The 41-year-old actor's concern is understandable: as dwarf leader Thorin Oakenshield in Peter Jackson's long-awaited Hobbit trilogy, he's shrunken and wigged-up beyond all recognition. So, let GQ settle it: in real life, Armitage cuts an enviably handsome figure. He's easily 6"1, lightly stubbled and today clad in a sleek J. Lindeberg suit with a plaid shirt and tie. After almost two decades on British TV in the likes of Spooks, Robin Hood and Chris Ryan's Strike Back, The Hobbit marks a step up for Armitage - into the newly world of global franchises and screaming fans. Arriving nine years after the release of The Return Of The King, the film is a visually stunning return to Middle Earth, shot in ultra-clear 3D - but by the time Howard Shore's inimitable score sets in,  and Andy Serkis is shouting "precious", it feels like we never left. Ahead of the film's release this weekend, we sat down with Armitage over a glass of wine to talk beard grooming, Hobbit obsessives and why Brits work best in the shire.

GQ.com: We were at the Jack Reacher junket yesterday talking to David Oyelowo, who was also in Spooks. Do you think there was something about that show, or is this just a great moment for British actors? 

Richard Armitage: We were at the same year at drama school! I loved that show so much. I found it really challenging, it forced you to work at speed. I always said when they finished Spooks they should have made a movie of it. Actually my ultimate role is to play another spy…

READ MORE: http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2012-12/13/richard-armitage-the-hobbit-film-interview