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    “Hobbit” cast tease trailer, bloopers at Comic-Con

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1067 Views
    Benedict Cumberbatch, from left, Cate Blanchett and Orlando Bloom attend the Warner Bros. Pictures panel for "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" on Day 3 of Comic-Con International on Saturday, July 26, 2014, in San Diego. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

    By Derrik J. Lang, Entertainment Writer

    SAN DIEGO, Calif. (AP) --

    "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" launched a full-scale assault on Comic-Con.

    The cast and crew from the final installment of "The Hobbit" trilogy showed off the first trailer for the fantasy film at the pop-culture convention, as well as a blooper reel from both "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" movies.

    Stephen Colbert, dressed as the shaggy-haired character he cameoed as in "The Hobbit," enthusiastically moderated Friday's panel at the San Diego Convention Center.

    The trailer conjured up for the audience of 6,500 attendees gathered inside Hall H showed the dragon Smaug setting Lake-town ablaze, Cate Blanchett's royal elf Galadriel kissing the forehead of Ian McKellen's beleaguered wizard Gandalf and legions of elves and orcs racing into battle.

    "That was really just for you, Stephen," filmmaker Peter Jackson said to the talk show host and J.R.R. Tolkien super-fan. "I mean, these other people are here, as well."

    Jackson was joined by several cast members for Friday's celebration of all things "Hobbit," including Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans and Lee Pace.

    They were also joined by Benedict Cumberbatch and Andy Serkis, who portray the computer-generated Smaug and Gollum. Both actors imitated their fantastical characters when pressed by fans. When asked where he'd like Gollum to visit, Serkis joked "backstage with Stephen Colbert to see what he's got inside his costume, precious."

    At the start of the panel, Colbert introduced a lengthy blooper reel that highlighted several funny moments left on the cutting room floor during the 13-year history of the films. The bloopers mostly featured McKellen riffing on other actors, flubbing his lines and, in one instance, lifting Gandalf's robe to show off a pair of white briefs.

    "The Battle of the Five Armies" is set to debut Dec. 17.

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    Actor Anthony Head, known for “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Ted Lasso,” dies at 72

    Friday, June 5, 2026
    Anthony Head arrives for the European premiere of 'The Iron Lady' on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Jonathan Short, File)

    Anthony Head, the suave, smooth-voiced British actor known for roles in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Ted Lasso," has died, his family said Friday. He was 72.

    Head's daughters, actors Emily and Daisy Head, told the Press Association news agency that the actor passed away due to complications from pneumonia.

    The stage and TV performer became well known to British audiences in the 1980s as one half of a will-they, won't-they romantic couple in a series of ads for Nescafe Gold Blend instant coffee. The ads were later re-shot for a U.S. audience for Taster's Choice.

    Head achieved wider fame as librarian Rupert Giles, mentor to the title character in the cult-favorite supernatural series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which ran from 1997 to 2003.

    He most recently played Rupert Mannion, the villainous ex-husband of Hannah Waddingham's character Rebecca, in "Ted Lasso."

    "Our grief is far greater than the hole he has left behind, but we know his legacy will live on, in the shows he was a part of, and in the audiences that love them," his daughters said. "How lucky we are to know we are able to watch him doing what he loved, even when he is no longer with us."

    Head was born in London on Feb. 20, 1954 to Seafield Head, a documentary filmmaker, and Helen Shingler, an actor. His older brother, Murray, is also an actor.

    Other notable roles included playing Geoffrey Howe, the deputy to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, played by Meryl Streep, in the Oscar-winning "The Iron Lady."

    Head portrayed a prime minister himself in the sketch comedy show "Little Britain," as well as King Uther Pendragon, the father of Prince Arthur, in the "Merlin" TV series. He also appeared in "Motherland," Manchild," and "Silent Witness," along... Read More

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