'Return of Jedi,' 'Selena' added to National Film Registry
This year’s inductees into the National Film Registry include an epic Star Wars and Lord of the Ring films, projects starring Jennifer Lopez and the late Cicely Tyson along with films that took on racially motivated violence against people of color.
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New 'Lord of the Rings' edition to include Tolkien artwork
Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, left, and a 1967 photo of Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media announced Thursday, March 25, 2021, that the new version will come out Oct. 19. (Houghton Mifflin via AP, left, and AP Photo)NEW YORK – An upcoming edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy will include paintings, drawings and other illustrations by the British author for the first time since it was published in the mid-1950s. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media announced Thursday that the new version will come out Oct. 19.
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Sean Parker OK'd to buy stake in Peter Jackson's VFX studio
FILE - In this May 6, 2017, file photo, Sean Parker arrives at an event in Culver City, Calif. Tech billionaire Sean Parker has been approved by New Zealand authorities to buy a one-third stake in film director Peter Jackson's visual effects studio. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)WELLINGTON – New Zealand authorities have approved tech billionaire Sean Parker’s purchase of a one-third stake in film director Peter Jackson’s visual effects studio. Parker needed special permission from the Overseas Investment Office because he isn’t a New Zealand resident and the Weta Digital studio is worth more than 100 million New Zealand dollars ($71 million). Weta will issue new shares for Parker, diluting Jackson's stake. In 2016, Parker and Akkaraju founded a video-on-demand startup called Screening Room, which this year relaunched as SR Labs.
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Court says Judd can sue Weinstein for sexual harassment
LOS ANGELES A federal appeals court on Wednesday restored a major part of Ashley Judds lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein, finding that the producer had power over the actor which should make her able to sue under a California sexual harassment law. Circuit Court of Appeals found that Judd should be allowed to pursue both parts of her lawsuit against Weinstein. A lower court judge dismissed her sexual harassment allegations but left intact her claim of defamation. Judd's attorneys had sued Weinstein under a California law that prohibits sexual harassment by people, other than employers, with professional power, including teachers and landlords. This is an important victory not only for Ms. Judd but for all victims of sexual harassment in professional relationships," Judd's attorney Theodore Boutrous Jr. said in a statement.
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Peter Jackson to make original animated content for Weta
Weta Digital, the Academy Award-winning visual effects company that made The Lord of the Rings and Avatar possible, is making original animated content for cinemas and streaming for the first time in its 25-year history. Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, the married filmmaking team behind The Lord of the Rings and majority stakeholders in the company, plan to write, produce and direct several of the projects for Weta Animated. Its also been one of the rare filmmaking companies that has been able to continue functioning safely throughout the pandemic. In addition to the Avatar sequels, Weta Digital is also working on Jungle Cruise and The Batman.Akkaraju co-founded SR Labs with Sean Parker, who recently invested in the company and joined the board as vice chairman. Im thrilled to be joining Peter, Fran and the extraordinary team at Weta as we enter into a hypergrowth stage with the launch of original content, Akkaraju said.