Guillermo del Toro Quits “The Hobbit”

Guillermo del Toro announced today on the OneRing.net that he won’t be directing the two film versions of JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit, though he will continue to collaborate as a writer. This is yet another (possibly fatal) nail in the coffin of this project. As one who saw first hand the battle between the parties over the profits from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, I can say that there is absolutely too much greed on all sides attached to these projects. Whatever the problems, The Hobbit will not happen unless Peter Jackson takes the directing helm (which he claims that he can’t do). Also, Mr. Jackson should put the project first this time instead of his big, fat wallet (which has not lost any weight). Read the Deadline Hollywood story here:

http://www.deadline.com/2010/05/del-toro-leaves-the-hobbit-and-evidently-peter-jackson-wont-be-next/#more-44536

R.I.P. Dennis Hopper

One of the most versatile actors of all time passed away last week. Dennis Hopper was more that a great actor. He was a visionary. In front of the camera, behind it, as a photographer or painter, Hopper went beyond the boundaries. A few years ago, I attended a talk he gave at the Guggenheim Museum to discuss his painting and photography. It was apparent to me that his objective in life was to elicit a reaction from his audience. It didn’t matter what the reaction was, so long as it was powerful. That was the way he lived until the end. I, for one, will miss him.

Betty White Delivers!

Well, looking for young, hip hosts may not be where it's at for SNL. Maybe they should rethink their business model. Many articles were written today, but here is a good one...

http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/46685211.html#cutid1

Betty White ratings doubters, look away! Her preliminary 5.1 adults 18-49 rating topped even Sir Charles Barkley’s episode that followed the Dallas/Philadelphia NFL Wildcard Game, which was this season’s top so far.

“Saturday Night Live” has scored its highest metered-market household rating in a year and a half, since the pre-election telecast of November 2008, according to in-home viewing figures from the 56 local markets metered by Nielsen Media Research.

With a telecast hosted by Betty White and featuring musical guest Jay-Z, last night’s “Saturday Night Live” averaged an 8.8 household rating, 21 share in the metered markets, highest for the series since November 1, 2008 (9.0/20 for a telecast hosted by Ben Affleck with musical guest David Cook and guest appearances by Republican Presidential nominee Senator John McCain and Tina Fey as Governor Sarah Palin just prior to the 2008 election).

In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, the May 8 edition of “Saturday Night Live” averaged a 5.1 rating, 20 share in adults 18-49, also the show’s highest rating since November 1, 2008 (5.2/18).

“Saturday Night Live” was the #1 telecast of the night, topping all primetime programs on all major networks in metered-market results. In households, “SNL” doubled the #1 telecast in primetime, ABC’s coverage of the NBA Playoffs (4.4/8 in the metered markets).

Versus the same night last year, “Saturday Night Live” is up 66 percent in metered-market households (8.8 vs. 5.3).

The May 8 telecast of “Saturday Night Live” featured performances from show alums Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Molly Shannon.

National ratings, including viewer totals, for last night’s “Saturday Night Live” are due from Nielsen on Thursday, May 13.