NEWS

Guillermo del Toro has stepped down from 'The Hobbit' over delays surrounding 'The Lord of the Rings' prequel.

The director recently revealed that the film, which he had been attached to for two years, has not officially been given the greenlight by the studio following MGM’s financial troubles.

And he has now decided to leave the project, leaving fans fearing that the eagerly awaited two-part 'Lord of the Rings' prequel won't ever see the light of the day.

Del Toro released a statement on TheOneRing.net, saying, "In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming 'The Hobbit,' I am faced with the hardest decision of my life.

"After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien's Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures.

“The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project.”

Peter Jackson will still remain as the film's producer, but has ruled himself out of a directorial return to Middle Earth.

His manager told Deadline, “Peter has obligations and commitments to other films that would make it impossible for him to direct 'The Hobbit' at this time, even if it was offered, which it hasn't been. I've been quietly working on setting up a film for him to direct while Guillermo would have been directing 'The Hobbit'. All of that said, Peter's commitment to 'The Hobbit' is total and (he) will do everything necessary to protect the franchise and the investment made by New Line, Warners and MGM."

Del Toro will continue to co-write the screenplay for the films alongside Peter Jackson and his wife.

That Ars Technica on Natal is a good read.  Cuts through all the hype and bitching to lay out what we know about Natal and the details of the unveiling at E3 in a couple of weeks.

Next Harry Potter is a 3rd person shooter

gamingeek said:

NEWS

Paul McCartney's tour bus attacked in Mexico‎

Posted Tue 1 Jun 2010 10:32 BST by News Editor in Pop Gossip

Paul McCartney had to be rescued by police after his tour bus was besieged by thugs in Mexico City.

The former Beatle and his crew were driving through a 'no-go' area of the city when youths stopped the luxury coach, climbed onto the roof and began jumping up and down.

"At first his security team thought it was just swarms of fans but when people started scaling the bus, the situation changed in a flash," said a source. "Paul and the team were shaken up."

The police were eventually called to break up the mob.

McCartney, who has now reviewed his security situation, had been playing a show at the city's Foro Sol stadium as part of his current world tour.

The singer was unharmed, and last night travelled to Washington for a show at the White House. [The Mirror]

Steelo.... you hate popular music this much?

Is Paul stupid or what? I bet he thinks everyone knows him all around the world. There are places even I wouldn't enter here in Mexico.

Dvader said:

gamingeek said:

Steelo.... you hate popular music this much?

Hurting a Beatle is an act of war. Mexico better watch out.

I doubt there's anything Mexican banditos could do to him that Heather Mills didn't already do.

hamzik said:

Because I didn't have any intention of buying any games until SMG2 comes out. I have managed to resist Red Dead Redemption and No More Heroes 2 but HotD: Overkill was pretty cheap and I instantly felt like blasting some zombies as soon as I saw it at the store.

Just played for about an hour and shot my way trough the first two chapters and tried out the minigames. Awesome! Just awesome! Intense, bloody and fucking hilariously over the top. Seems to me this game will be another reason for me not understanding how some "hardcore" gamers still can say that there are no good games on Wii. There are so many gems on Wii it's ridiculous and so far this year this is my fourth purchase for the system. Gathering dust? My ass!

The prison level my favourite. This game is hilariously fun. We have a thread on it if you use the forum search box.

Did you guys see the giant sinkhole in Guetemala?

One person has reportedly died after a massive sinkhole swallowed a three-storey building and a house in Guatemala. Skip related content
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Storm Triggers Giant Guatemalan Sinkhole
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The hole, larger than a street intersection, opened up in the wake of Tropical Storm Agatha in the capital Guatemala City.

At least 146 people across Central America have been killed in the storm.

Among the dead in Guatemala are four children who had been in a house that was swept away in a landslide.

Guatemala's President Alvaro Colom told a news conference that 123 people have been confirmed dead and another 90 are missing as a result of the storm.

"I want to make clear that those are provisional numbers because new information continues to come in," he said.

"There are many villages that still have not been able to report their tragedies."

Agatha, the first named storm of the 2010 Pacific hurricane season, hit on Saturday.

More than a metre of rain fell in the west of Guatemala and in neighbouring El Salvador.

"I've got no one to help me. I watched the water take everything," said Carlota Ramos in the town of Amatitlan.

Her brick house was almost completely swamped by mud.

Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador have all declared nationwide states of emergency.

Over 94,000 people have been evacuated after the storm buried houses under mud and swept away a highway bridge near Guatemala City.

International aid is beginning to step up with some aid organisers turning to Facebook, Twitter and other internet social networking sites to appeal for necessities to send to populations or authorities.

France said it is sending humanitarian supplies and issued a statement expressing its condolences to the affected countries.

Guatemala City's response was hampered by a separate emergency - the eruption of a nearby volcano whose ash forced the closure of the capital's international airport.

Central America is vunerable to heavy rains due to its mountainous terrain while poor communication in rural areas can complicate rescue efforts.

Check out the Batman screens and trailer. Animated like a Boy and His Blob and made by Wayforward.