Amazon to turn Lord of Rings into TV series
Stand aside, Game of Thrones. Another sprawling literary, fantasy saga is getting the TV series treatment.
Amazon has acquired the global TV rights to The Lord of the Rings.
The books by J.R.R. Tolkien, about the goings-on in Middle-earth, complete with hobbits, wizards, an evil spirit, an exiled king and, of course, Gollum, have already been made into three Oscar-winning blockbuster movies.
Amazon says it has a multi-season commitment for the adaptation, which will explore new storylines that precede Tolkien’s 1954 novel The Fellowship of the Ring and could include spinoff series.
The streaming service is undoubtedly hoping that fantasy series lightning will strike twice. HBO’s Game of Thrones, based on the Song of Ice and Fire novels of George R.R. Martin, has drawn many millions of viewers, won more Emmy Awards than any other scripted series and become a pop-culture phenomenon.
No casting or production schedule was announced for Lord of the Rings. Debra Yeo
Another woman accuses Seagal
Another actress has accused actor Steven Seagal of sexually harassing her at an audition; Rebel Wilsonhas joined the long list of actresses making sexual-harassment claims; and director Brett Ratnerwas reportedly the subject of a complaint to New Line Cinema in 2005.
Eva LaRue, who appeared on All My Children and CSI: Miami, says Seagal locked her in a room at his home in 1990 during an audition and then whipped open his kimono to reveal just his underwear.
She said she eventually bolted and called her agent, who she claims was in on what happened.
Meanwhile, Pitch Perfect star Rebel Wilson says she was sexually harassed by both an unnamed male star and a top director early in her career.
Wilson, 37, said the star asked her to put her finger up his butt while his friends tried to film it on iPhones.
Wilson also said she had a “hotel room” encounter with a top director, but nothing physical happened. In other news, a woman who worked as an assistant for New Line Cinema says she and other assistants filed a sexual-harassment complaint with the company against Ratner in 2005.
Terry Goddard told Variety that Ratner was known for ogling assistants and making them uncomfortable. Warner Bros, which now owns New Line, said it has “no evidence of any claim filed.” In other news, George Takei blamed Russian bots for spreading the story after Scott Brunton, an ex-model and actor, accused Takei of groping him in 1981.
Takei has denied the allegations. Star wire services
Michael Bublé to resume performing
Canadian singer Michael Bublé is returning to the stage next summer.
The Burnaby, B.C., native says he has booked shows in Dublin and London in July 2018. The announcement comes one year after Bublé and his wife, Luisana Lopilato, said they were putting their careers on hold while son Noah, now 4, underwent treatment for an unspecified form of cancer. The Canadian Press
Mendes named Artist of the Year
Shawn Mendes beat Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran to win the Best Artist prize Sunday at the MTV EMAs, while U2 were proclaimed global icons in a show that celebrated London’s diverse culture, from pubs to pirate radio.
Mendes, the 19-year-old from Pickering, also won the Best Song trophy for “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back.” He also took the prize for Best Fans.
The show, formerly known as the MTV Europe Music Awards, opened with a clip of Eminem performing his new single “Walk on Water” in a London pub. Eminem was also named Best HipHop Artist. Kendrick Lamar won Best Video for “Humble.” Coldplay was named Best Rock Act, while the Best Alternative prize went to Thirty Seconds to Mars.
British singer-songwriter Dua Lipa was named Best New Artist. The Associated Press