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String of 'Rings,' DVD(CNN) -- Make a string of appointments at your movie theater to see all three "Lord of the Rings" films in December.
"Rings" distributor New Line Cinema recently announced it is planning a special screening series leading up the release of the final film in the epic trilogy. "Fellowship of the Ring" and "Two Towers" will roll into theaters across the U.S. in sequential order before the December 17 release of the "The Return of the King," so die-hard fans can catch all three films on the big screen in the same month. Frodo and Sam fight to eliminate the One Ring in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," released Tuesday on DVD. The second installment of "Lord of the Rings," based on the series of J.R.R. Tolkein books, won Oscars in the visual effects and sound editing categories. Filmed in New Zealand (with a little tweaking from the film's special effects department), the story flashes back and forth between three adventures, as members of The Fellowship face unimaginable obstacles and dangers, including a lethal army of 10,000 soldiers under the leadership of Saruman. "Two Towers" is already the top selling DVD on Amazon.com. Lopez Latin Grammy hostMIAMI, Florida (AP) -- Comedian-actor George Lopez will be the host for the fourth-annual Latin Grammy awards show September 3.
Lopez, a longtime stand-up comedian, is co-creator, writer, producer and star of the ABC sitcom "George Lopez." He'll introduce presenters and performers at the show to be held at the American Airlines Arena in Miami and broadcast at 9 p.m. EDT on CBS. Among the acts scheduled to perform are Ricky Martin, Alexandre Pires with Kelly Clarkson, Thalia, Bacilos and Molotov. Presenters will include television actors Jessica Alba of "Dark Angel" and Adam Rodriguez of "CSI: Miami," and model-actors Tyrese and Sofia Vergara. Lopez, 42, has received several honors for his contributions to the Hispanic community, including the Latino Spirit Award for Excellence in Television and the National Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Award. The Strokes make 'Room'NEW YORK (Billboard) -- The Strokes have finalized the major details of their highly anticipated sophomore RCA album. The set has been christened "Room on Fire" and will be released October 21. It will be preceded by the single "12:51," which went under the working title "Supernova."
"Room on Fire" contains a number of tracks that have already been debuted in live performances, such as "Meet Me in the Bathroom" and "The Way It Is." Other songs have just recently been given proper titles, including "Reptilia," "Automatic Stop," album opener "What Ever Happened?" and "Between Love and Hate." The new set was produced by Gordon Raphael, who was also behind the boards for the group's 2001 debut, "Is This It." The Strokes initially spent about 10 days in the studio with producer Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck), but amicably parted company without capturing any finished songs. A North American tour is likely to begin concurrent with the release of "Room on Fire." Aguilera joins SkechersNEW YORK (Billboard) -- Pop star Christina Aguilera has signed on as the international spokesperson for Skechers women's footwear.
The campaign, which will feature print ads and store displays, will launch in October to coincide with the European leg of her co-headlining Justified & Stripped tour with Justin Timberlake. "I agreed to be a part of Skechers' international marketing team because I like its image -- youthful but edgy," Aguilera says in a statement. "They have attitude and are willing to try new ideas -- refreshing." The U.S. leg of the Justified & Stripped tour has four dates remaining, beginning with Monday's show in Washington, D.C. Manhattan Beach, California-based Skechers was previously partnered with Aguilera's pop rival, Britney Spears. The two sued each other for breach of contract, and the suits were settled confidentially in May. 'Greenlight' film openingPORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- The filmmakers at the center of HBO's "Project Greenlight" say they didn't even finish watching the television series, which they thought portrayed them negatively.
Instead, Kyle Rankin and Efram Potelle began focusing on the theatrical release of the film the series chronicled them creating, "The Battle of Shaker Heights," which opened Friday in New York and Los Angeles. If the film earns critical praise or box office success, or helps land them other major movie jobs, then looking silly on national television will have been a small price to pay, they say. "The movie will be our redemption," Rankin said from Los Angeles. "We wished the show showed more of the fun we did have making (the film). But I think through this we've learned to have thicker skin." Rankin and Potelle, both 30, appeared in the HBO documentary series as a condition of winning the "Project Greenlight" contest, which Matt Damon and Ben Affleck established to help aspiring filmmakers. They were filmed 12 to 13 hours a day, and they knew there was a good chance they'd look like novices. Cameras caught the infighting, name-calling and backstabbing that sometimes takes place on film sets but is rarely seen in great detail in American living rooms. But the pair, who previously made independent films in Portland, got to direct a $2 million film. The story, set in the upscale Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights, Ohio, focuses on a teenage boy (Shia LaBeouf) who's obsessed with battle scene re-enactments. The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.
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