After what seems like an eon of production hell, the teaser trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has finally materialized. The movie, of course, will be the first of two Hobbit films based upon J.R.R. Tolkien’s works and directed by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings; King Kong). I’m not a huge fan of the source material because, to be blunt, I didn’t go crazy about all of that Middle earth stuff during my childhood (I was more of a Nancy Drew chick), but die-hard fans have been waiting forever to see this movie. And even after this trailer, they’re still going to have to wait another year for the first movie itself, which releases in December 2012, and even longer for the second installment, which arrives in December 2013.

Naturally, the promotion has already started, and EW.com has released the first few stills of the film in conjunction with the new teaser trailer. As far as the main casting goes, Martin Freeman (“Sherlock”) plays title character Bilbo Baggins; Ian McKellan will be, to borrow an expression from Tom Cruise, “amazing” as Gandalf; Cate Blanchett plays Noldorin princess Galadriel; and Elijah Wood shall pop in as Frodo. Here’s that trailer:

At first, I was wondering whether the fanboys (and girls) would tear this sneak peek to pieces because they’re probably so frustrated at waiting so long for the actual movie. Seriously, there have been a million false starts, so fans would have to be really devoted to hang onto any semblance of hope. Well, the YouTube comments on the trailer range from “I NEED TO CLEAN MY SCREEN NOW” to “Teasing this film one year before the release is pure evil…” to “omg omg omg omg want to see NAOW.” Yeah, this film will make far too much money when it finally arrives.

Photos courtesy of EW.com and Coming Soon

This has been the winter of The Beard Club. It seems like every dude out there has been rocking a beard at some point over the past few months. Everyone from Jon Hamm, to Brad Pitt, George Clooney, James McAvoy, Robert Pattinson and Eli Roth has been doing it, and now it’s time for some of the older foxes to get in the bear game. Thus, I give you Anthony Hopkins, Sir Ian McKellen and Antonio Banderas. We’ve already seen Sir Anthony’s beard when he was belittling Paris Hilton, but I just decided to enjoy it once again. In Banderas’ case, I think his beard is for a movie. And it looks great.

I have no idea why Sir Ian is rocking his mangy beard, though, but his is kind of fabulous in its sheer deranged look. This is how I’ve always imagined Socrates would look like:

And Sir Anthony, just because:

Ian McKellen on March 2, 2010 in London. Anthony Hopkins in New York on February 9, 2010. Antonio Banderas on February 24, 2010. Credit: WENN.

Sir Ian McKellen has been making the publicity rounds the past week to promote his AMC miniseries The Prisoner. I only really know about the miniseries because AMC showed a million previews for it during the last two episodes of Mad Men (psst… didn’t the season finale knock your socks off? Sigh… I love The Hamm). The Prisoner is allegedly about some kind of utopian society gone wrong, like Brave New World with Sir Ian as the puppet-master or something. I saw the previews and I still didn’t get it.

Part of the reason I don’t really know what The Prisoner is about is because Sir Ian isn’t spending too much time talking about it. Instead, he’s giving interviews about gay rights! In Ian’s defense, it’s perfectly possible he is talking about his miniseries, but that the few and far between quotes about gay rights are getting most the play. True story – we like reporting the most controversial thing. Much like how we picked out Sir Ian’s “ripping out the pages of the Bible” quote from his extensive interview in Details. Today’s hot, gay topic is that Sir Ian believes in the destruction of property as a way to get gay rights. Sort of. It’s one method he’s advocating:

BRITISH actor Sir Ian McKellen is supporting aggressive tactics in the gay-marriage fight. In an interview on IMRU Radio in LA, McKellen said: “We’re . . . discovering who the enemy are, and I do think we do have an enemy. It means that everyone’s got to go on fighting. And in what way you fight, well, it depends who you are . . . You can write a letter, you can talk about it to your congressperson . . . you can talk to people in bars . . . Or you can go on marches, or you can go and break windows.”

[From Page Six]

Is Sir Ian promoting violence and the destruction of property? Eh… I think he was just listing all of the things that could be done, and destroying property was one of many. I could be wrong, though – maybe he truly believes in the violent overthrow of the heterosexual agenda. Good luck with that!

In one more piece of Sir Ian news, there was a little incident on “The View” that got some play last week. Sir Ian went on to promote The Prisoner, and faced inane questions from the ladies. Whoopi got to ask him the million-dollar question, though: “Now, are you coming back to ‘Harry Potter’?” Chuckle. I would have loved it if Sir Ian had replied “Yes, of course.” Here’s the AMC trailer for The Prisoner:

Here’s Sir Ian McKellen entering NBC studios in New York City on November 5, 2009. Credit: Patricia Schlein/WENN.com

It just occurred to me that I really don’t give Sir Ian McKellen enough love. I’ve always liked the man – the first time I think I was ever aware of his acting presence was in the 1998 film Gods and Monsters, where Sir Ian played James Whale, the director of the original Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein films. Which basically means I’ve been Sir Ian’s fan for more than a decade, but at least give me credit for knowing who he was before Lord of the Rings and X-Men.

Anyway, Sir Ian has a new interview in Details Magazine. It’s a lovely, charming interview with a man who has basically seen it all and done it all. The biggest headline out of this interview is slightly unfortunate, though, and I’m afraid Sir Ian might face the wrath of a lot of Christians. Just keep this in mind – he’s gay, and he’s not ashamed of his life, and he doesn’t think much of institutionalized and codified homophobia. Details asks Sir Ian, “Is it true that when you stay at hotels you tear out the Bible page that condemns homosexuality?” Sir Ian answers: “I do, absolutely. I’m not proudly defacing the book, but it’s a choice between removing that page and throwing away the whole Bible.” Here’s the full interview:

Details: I heard you were dreading turning 70. Why?
Ian McKellen: I don’t really like being with people my own age for long periods, because all we talk about is our decrepitude, how the world is changing for the worse even though it isn’t. When you grumble about a taxi being dirty, people your own age will absolutely agree with you, whereas younger people say, “You should be so lucky to have a taxi—I walk to work!” So I have lots of young friends, who fortunately don’t treat me as a guru, a person that knows all the answers. I’m just one of the gang—trying to get through it, you know?

Details: You didn’t come out until you were 49. Did having to put on an act make it easier to do so professionally?
Ian McKellen: That’s a very good point. I think that explains why a lot of actors of my generation are gay. Acting was a means to publicly display my emotions in a way that was illegal for me to do as a private person. Outside London where I lived, there was no gay pub or bar you could go to. And even if you found one, it was “Knock three times and ask for Louis.” It was horrible living this secret life. You could feel a little bit what it was like to be a Jew in central Europe during a certain period. It was horrible.

Details: Are there any real benefits to being a “Sir?” Do you get bumped up to first class when you fly?
Ian McKellen: No, I don’t. It’s actually more of an annoyance, that title. And I don’t think I’m a saint. It’s all nonsense really, but if you live in a society where there are civilian awards, it seems a little bit churlish to say “I don’t want it.” I’m just trying to think of one advantage and I don’t think there is one.

Details: There can’t be many gay knights. Do you all ever get together or plan outings?
Ian McKellen: Well, there have been many gay knights in the past—like Sir Noël Coward, or Sir John Gielgud. But the difference between them and people like myself and Sir Tony Sher is that we are out and they weren’t. But no—no, we don’t get together. I think we all find it slightly embarrassing. We should probably have said we won’t accept it—we only need one generation to do that and the tradition would wither away. What’s a little uncomfortable is you think the Establishment wants to absorb everybody. The problem with refusing the title is, if society decides that you are qualified for knighthood, then they have to take you seriously.

Details: Have you ever wanted to get married?
Ian McKellen: It’s never crossed my mind that it’d ever be possible for me. That’s the scar that I and so many others bear—we believed ourselves to be second-rate citizens for so long, the idea of being able to say “This is my husband, these are my children” was not an option. I remember Tom Stoppard saying to me when I came out, “I feel so sorry for you, because you’ll never have children.” These days I would say, “Well, why not, Tom?” But 20 years ago I accepted his judgment.

Details: Is it true that when you stay at hotels you tear out the Bible page that condemns homosexuality?
Ian McKellen: I do, absolutely. I’m not proudly defacing the book, but it’s a choice between removing that page and throwing away the whole Bible. And I’m not really the first: I got delivered a package of 40 of those pages—Leviticus 18:22—that had been torn out by a married couple I know. They put them on a bit of string so that I could hang it up in the bathroom.

Details: So did you?
Ian McKellen: It is in the bathroom, yes, but it’s too much of a curiosity to actually put to use.

Details: Does it trouble you that after becoming one of the great Shakespearean players you’ll probably be remembered as the wizard from a CGI blockbuster?
Ian McKellen: I’m well aware that when I go, the London Evening Standard billboard is going to say GANDALF DIES. No, it’s fine. Gandalf is a great character, and I ride on the back of his popularity, not the other way around. And you could say I’ve missed out on having kids but I’ve grandfathered so many children through the role.

Details: Your film Gods and Monsters deals with seduction across a big age gap. Seeing as you’re still single, has the art of seduction changed for you?
Ian McKellen: [laughing] Well, I’ve never been good at seducing, and I’ve never wanted to be seduced. You might be surprised by how interested young people are in older people. It’s always assumed that the older person is the predator, but in fact you see young people out at the pubs approaching older people.

Details: Why do you think that is?
Ian McKellen: Because they think the old people know more and they’re wise. The huge difference in my lifetime is that you can just go up to somebody and make a pass. You couldn’t do that in the 1950s if you were gay. There were secret handshakes, a secret language. There was nowhere you could go to be romantic outside of people’s houses.
Details:It’s rumored that you have a tattoo.

Ian McKellen: I do. It’s of the number nine in elvish, because there are nine members in The Fellowship of the Ring.

Details: Did getting it hurt?
Ian McKellen: I don’t remember. But Elijah Wood was holding my hand the entire time.

[From Details]

Oh, please don’t boycott him, Christians. He’s a good man! And he’s not defacing the whole Bible, just the one part of it that is used to disrespect his sexuality. Also, I love when he talks about all of the “young people” who hit on the older folks. I bet Sir Ian gets all kinds of the crazy, gay LOTR fanboys with a Gandalf fetish. Oh, I bet he gets the gay X-Men fanboys too! If I was a gay fanboy, I would hit it. He’s so cute!

Here’s Sir Ian McKellen at the Breakfast at Tiffany’s press night held at The Theatre Royal Haymarket in London on September 29th. Images thanks to WENN.com .

25-year-old actor Brad Renfro’s funeral and memorial service were held yesterday in his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee. Renfro was found dead last Tuesday morning by friends. He’d had a long history of drug and alcohol problems, and had been arrested several times, once in a highly publicized sting by the L.A.P.D. Though he’d been on probation, he was found to be in violation of it this past summer for failing to enroll in a long-term drug treatment program. Renfro first found fame when he was 12 after starring in “The Client” with Susan Sarandon. Unfortunately he went the way of many former child actors, and struggled with his addictions.

Renfro’s great-uncle Michael Earl officiated at the service.

An arrangement of red, white and yellow flowers adorned the closed casket, along with a photograph of a young, smiling Renfro, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. Approximately 600 well-wishers, including Renfro’s father and stepmother, Mark and Kim Renfro, and his mother, Angel Olsen, paid their respects. The actor’s maternal grandmother, Judy Hurt, half-sister Haley Olsen and stepbrother Dane Hoffmeister, also attended. His paternal grandmother, Joanne Renfro, who raised Renfro from the age of 5, was too ill to make it.

During his sermon, he [great-uncle Michael Earl] hinted at the actor’s past problems with drug addiction, according to the News Sentinel.

“Brad had problems just like I have problems, just like you have problems, just like all of us have trials and tribulations that we go through,” Earl said. “Was Brad perfect? Well, I can tell you, I’m not. Are you? He lived life, and he enjoyed it,” Earl later said of the actor. “Whatever he did, he did it hard as he could. … If he messed up, he’d go after it 100 percent. Yeah, I know him. And yes, I loved him.”

[From Us Weekly]

Though I could find several articles say that Renfro was raised by his grandmother, none of them state why. It’s an unusual circumstance, considering both of his parents are alive and supposedly well. It sounds like Brad’s uncle did a good job eulogizing him. He was honest and still kind. Though you want to only say nice things after someone dies, everyone knew about Brad’s struggles, so there was no point in any BS.

Sir Ian McKellen, who worked with Renfro on “Apt Pupil” wrote a nice tribute to Brad on his website. It says in part,

I first caught sight of Brad Renfro when he was kicking a football around with Bryan Singer on the half-built set of Apt Pupil in Hollywood. He was a kid having fun and that’s how I shall always remember him. But he was more than that. He was a proper actor and when we worked together he was determined to be accepted as such.

In Hollywood he was a teenage charmer, chaperoned by his beloved grandmother and by his admirers who protected him as best they could from the dangers of being a child in a careless adult’s world. On set, he was blusteringly confident although it was obvious he would have benefitted from training as an actor. Yet, as Todd, the disturbed teenager in Apt Pupil, he tapped into an inner demonic world and carried the film on his young shoulders.

[From mckellen.com]

There’s a little bit of internet gossip claiming that the coroner’s report is going to say that Brad died as a result of complications from the giant “F*** y’all” tattoo he got on his back 24 – 48 hours before his death. Though that seems highly unlikely, freak things do happen, and there an incredibly tiny possibility of infection and sepsis. I would think that a back tattoo would be hard to reach and thus tend to with ointments like you’re supposed to afterwards. If nothing else, Brad Renfro’s life is truly a cautionary tale about the dangers of fame and addiction. It seems so rare that you hear a story about a child actor whose life isn’t in some way negatively affected by their early success. It’s hard to know if it’s the fame itself, or the lack of a traditional childhood. Some have claimed it’s due in part to the unusual role reversal where they become the breadwinner for the rest of their family. Hopefully Brad has some sort of peace now.

Sir Ian McKellen, best known for his portrayal of Gandalf in “Lord of the Rings,” is one saucy old cat. He is so deliciously gay and open about anything that is on his mind. His gay rights lobby group, Stonewall, fights for equality and has been a passion of his for years. But his current wish is to have Justin Timberlake portray him in a musical about his life.

“The ‘Lord of the Rings’ star is keen to see his eventful life played out on stage and thinks the pop heartthrob would be the perfect person to portray him.

‘Justin vaguely resembles people in my family, and I think he is really talented.’”

[Monsters and Critics]

While Ian is a Justin Timberlake fan, he is first and foremost fiercely protective of his sexuality. Jake Gyllenhaal didn’t make an impression on him while answering questions about “Brokeback Mountain” last year during an interview.

“I got very upset when one of the actors (Jake Gyllenhaal) said it was the most terrifying job he’d ever had because it involved him kissing another man. Imagine how rude that is. Suppose I’d said the most appalling thing I ever to do was kiss Helen Mirren!”

[From Female First]

This is just a prime example of his personal views on Hollywood and homosexuality. In his experience the industry encourages gay actors to keep their gender preference under wraps. At times he was even asked to deny any gay allegations.

“I think to myself, ‘Can people whose minds work like that make good films? And if at the heart of Hollywood there is that lie, how many other lies are there?’ And it’s the producers who have this problem – God knows what sort of people they are – who think that it’s impossible for you and me to fancy the same person. Well, what dull lives they must have.”

[Monsters and Critics]

It is no secret that his goal is to prove that who you love, despite their gender, should not be an obstacle in any career path. Ian has also lent advice to educate the young gay community is Britain. His thoughts, along with 19 other prominent homosexuals across the pond, have been printed in a booklet designed to educate, encourage and provide help for the target audience of gay adolescents.

He is such a talented actor. I am so glad that people like Ian are out there fighting for rights like a curmudgeon superhero.

Ian McKellan is shown at The Orange British Academy Film Awards on 2/12/07, thanks to Splash News.