This Afternoon's Guest Blogger: Mistress Maleficent!

Darlings!

Ah yes, the things we Disney Villains do for publicity of late! I was, in all honesty, hoping Prince of Persia would rock everyone's world --- but I guess you Mortals are all too busy with Toy Story 3 and whatnot. There used to be a time when --- I think this was around the time of Aladdin --- Jafar had only to snap his fingers and .... huzzah! $100,000,000 domestic box-office gross; and one needn't even make so much as a wish!

Well, these days one finds oneself having to shill for a little bit of lovin' over at, say, San Diego's Comic-Con International or Atlanta's Dragon*Con. Believe me, the only time we Disney Villains ever get to really run amuck around the various Lake Buena Vista properties is Halloween. It does tend to bore one, you know. Why, in all the time I've discovered the web, I've visited Flickr.com and found very few photos, if any, of fans giving me some lust! Then again, that's just me kvetching.

Still, I'm looking forward to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, because if they're gonna turn Blackbeard into a mega-cool hunk of a villain --- Cruella, Tremaines, Ursula, know this: I saw him first!

Lustily yours (mwah!),

Maleficent

Hobbits Rejoice?

I'm reading this from the files of ScreenRant.com even as I type; please join me as I do so:

Goblins, Orcs and Wargs beware: Peter Jackson is reportedly returning to Middle-earth to direct The Hobbit.

Jacko is currently negotiating with Warner Bros., MGM and New Line to step in and replace Guillermo del Toro for the long-awaited two-part chronicle. Should said negotiations work out, it would at long last fulfill a longtime dream of Lord of the Rings fans who have long clamored for their beloved Academy Award-winning hero to pick up the reins of his beloved franchise once more.

That Jackson has reportedly agreed to take over as director of The Hobbit is no complete surprise. Previously, it was reported that Jackson would willingly take on the challenge but only if he could fit it around other contractual obligations. Further, during the search for a replacement director, it became apparent that Warners and MGM were not going to commit to another director unless they were absolutley certain that Jackson would not himself take on the duties.

Of course, none of it is as yet a done deal. Deadline source Mike Fleming further reports that there are still certain issues which must be worked out:

While Jackson's camp has been tight-lipped, I'm told that the case is being made to MGM's owners to loosen the purse strings and make the movies happen. The impetus for these talks is that Jackson would not only direct both Hobbit films, but that the two features would be shot back-to-back in Jackson's New Zealand backyard.


Well, this is all well and good, Mortals, but I would point out that nothing can happen for real unless and until Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer can properly solve its financial status. That must come first above all else! And if they fail .... well, we'll dwell on that later. Know ye simply, dearests, that there may be at long last joy in Middle-earth; and I have no doubt as to who will be first to celebrate: the goodlies of TheOneRing.net, who have practically kicked ass for this specific quest. May they indeed emerge triumphant!