KIKN Chatter Dave sends along word that Peter Jackson's Miramar Studios had to be evacuated yesterday (Friday) due to a patrol (gas) leak. There are massive tanks that store Wellingtons fuel and one of them started to leak. 6 fire engines were spotted, it appears no one was hurt. I have tried to locate news on the subject, it seems not to have registered on the radar.

Adrien Brody's latest film 'The Jacket' opens today in North America. The film also stars Keira Knightley & Kris Kristofferson and centers on a military veteran (Brody) who goes on a journey into the future, where he can foresee his death and is left with questions that could save his life and those he loves. Look for it to hit the UK shores on March 13th. [Showtimes USA] [Showtimes CAN]

Meanwhile check out these photos from the recent premiere of the film in Hollywood [Images]

From USA Today: We've got the perfect pick-me-up for those starved for a super-size tub full of cinematic snackability. Here's a preview of five big pictures that are sure to pop your corn in 2005. And when we say big, we mean big. Big budgets, big concepts, big directors, big effects - especially that hairy beast who goes ape in King Kong, and we don't mean Jack Black. Take a look at these 5 films : Batman Begins, War of the Worlds, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, King Kong [More]

Film industry players from around the world got their first glimpse of footage from the latest re-make of "King Kong" when they were flown to director Peter Jackson's native New Zealand. Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy was a huge source of pride for many in the Pacific island nation, whose raw beauty was the backdrop for much of the "Rings" series and now for the remake of one of the world's most famous monster movies, the 1933 classic "King Kong." [More]

HOLLYWOOD - Adrien Brody was making the rounds after the Oscars and saw Tom Cruise arrive at the Vanity Fair party. "He showed up on his motorcycle, and it was a really cool thing to see," Brody says. "I wish I'd ridden my motorcycle instead of being in a limo. That would have been more my style. "I really admire Tom. He's lived with fame for most of his adult life, and he handles himself like a true gentleman. I said to him, `I'm trying to learn from you.'" [More]

Day 103 brings us back to Alex Funke and his 'miniature' team. The term 'miniature' being a joke simply because his team is quite big..and so are the props! These BIGatures have been shooting for 200 days now, they began before the live action shoots and will continue well after them. The details that go into these shots are amazing! And who says CGI is the only way to go for special effects these days? Take a look! [QT6 240x132px 6Mb] [QT4 320x176px 12Mb] [QT6 480x264px 15Mb] [Bit Torrents!]

Email us your questions and PJ may answer them in a future Production Diary!

Like what you see? Discuss it in our Chat Room! [Click Here] Or the Message Boards? [Click Here]

Joe DeVito, author of KONG: King of Skull Island will be participating in the 'One Book' initiative, a nationwide effort to broaden and deepen an appreciation of literature. The intent is to bring people of all backgrounds and ages together to foster unity and literacy through sharing books and discussing the important issues raised by their reading. For the first year of this program in Bucks County, the Bucks County Free Library has chosen the graphic novel, Maus: A Survivor's Tale, by Art Spiegelman. [More]

Today's venue: Doylestown County Library
150 S. Pine Street
Doylestown PA 18901
Saturday, April 9 at 2:00 PM (registration: 215-348-9081)

It is time to come together and talk Kong! The chatroom has been a great success, however some people have been popping in at odd hours when there is no one to chat with. To that end I've devised a KONG Chat time, a set time and day of the week for all Kong chatters to meet and have fun! The weekly Kong Chat will be Thursday nights at 8:30PM Eastern Standard Time. World times are below, if you need more help click here. [Kong Java Chat Room] [irc chat settings: SERVER www.theonering.net ROOM: #kongisking.net]

8:30PM (Thursday) EST in New York, Montreal
5:30PM (Thursday) PST in Los Angeles, Seattle
1:30AM (Friday) in Greenwich
2:30AM (Friday) (Central European Time)
9:30AM (Friday) in Hong Kong
12:30PM (Friday) in Sydney
2:30PM (Friday) in Auckland, Wellington

WAIRARAPA has come in for high praise from Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody, in the latest edition of the prestigious American Way magazine. In New Zealand to star in the new Peter Jackson venture King Kong, Brody has handed out accolades to the Martinborough wine industry, a Martinborough bistro and a Greytown home stay. [More]

NEW YORK - Having written a symphony, Howard Shore — the prolific composer whose music spans from Middle-earth to Howard Hughes' Hollywood days — is now looking to opera. He's working on an opera version of David Cronenberg's horror film "The Fly" for a 2007 premiere by Los Angeles Opera, a collaboration with Cronenberg and librettist David Henry Wong of "M. Butterfly" fame. [More]

Lights..Camera...Kong! It is fitting that the 100th day of filming the new King Kong in New Zealand coincided with the 72nd anniversary of the Premiere for the original King Kong starring Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong and Bruce Cabot. On March 2nd, 1933 the premiere was held in the US, and while box office totals are not available...I wonder what would have been considered a 'blockbuster' back then?

So wherever you are, raise a glass to King Kong 1933...as we wait for King Kong 2005!

Quint from Aintitcoolnews.com has posted another set report from New Zealand. Be sure to catch all the goodies, tied in with our Production Diaries! [More]

Adrien Brody, who stars in Peter Jackson's upcoming King Kong remake, told SCI FI Wire that he sees his character as a departure from the emotionally charged roles he's played in the past in such films as The Pianist. "King Kong is really wonderful, because it's a chance to not subject myself to the emotional torment," Brody said in an interview. "Now I am physically abused. I'm spending 11 hours on a harness shooting stunts and doing these things that you can't put somebody else in there.” [More]

Last Sunday I was interviewed by the folks at Sithclan.net, my friends Dany and Seb run an internet radio show called Star Wars En Direct. The topic of the evening was big studios versus fan run sites. Click on the following link for my portion of the interview, where I talk about our involvement with New Line Cinema and Universal. Be sure to download the whole 4 hour show at swendirect.com it is really worth the listen! [MP3 File (21MB)] [WAV File (58MB)] [swendirect.com]

Gandalf writes: After watching the latest PD and seeing PJ working in the studio again, I expect the New York set is ready for dismantling with filming there apparently finished. When I visited today all the cast/crew caravans were gone and the marquees are coming down - compare the first photo in this update with this one from late January. Much of the "snow" has now been cleaned up and a few rubbish skips are visible in what probably marks the beginning of the end for this incredible movie set. [More]

Oscar winner Adrien Brody, star of Peter Jackson's upcoming King Kong remake, told SCI FI Wire that he performed opposite an imaginary giant ape, but played it as if he were real. "You take it seriously, and it's not a joke," Brody said in an interview. "It's not like, 'Oh, my God, there's the monkey again!'" Brody plays Jack Driscoll, a fighter pilot who squares off against King Kong several times while trying to rescue Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) in Jackson's remake of the classic 1933 SF movie. [More]

Mulholland Drive star Naomi Watts always aims to be on Hollywood's worst dressed lists because they tend to feature the most original ladies. The actress admits she'd prefer to keep company with the quirky dressers at red carpet events than with glamour queens like her best pal Nicole Kidman. She explains: "I was wearing this fantastic Stella McCartney top with feathers (to one event), and it got totally panned. But hey, at least I showed some personality. [More]

Eddie writes: Adrien Brody and the rest of the cast where on hand at the Special Screening that took place at the Archlight Theater in Hollywood last night. He shared his thoughts on his current release and also on the upcoming Peter Jackson film King Kong. [More]

If there was a best penny-pinching film category in Oscar awards King Kong writer, director and producer Peter Jackson's team would be likely winners, according to the New Yorker. The 80-year-old magazine has said the King Kong producers could be named as some of the "stingiest" ever. A recent issue carried a report on the New York Historical Society that looked at some of the odder requests from the public, including an approach by researchers of King Kong seeking plans of the facades for every building on the stretch of Fifth Avenue featured in the movie. [More]

Day 100 on the set, certainly something to celebrate. We know eager fans have been waiting for Production Diary Day 100, and here it is! We have been asking folks to send along what they'd like to see in these diaries, some mention more of Naomi Watts, some want to see some pre-vis Kong, still others want to see Andy Serkis or at least hear his voice...well you are ALL in luck today! Day 100 takes us into a day in the life of Peter Jackson...directing, editing, co-ordinating, napping...and more! [QT6 240x132px 13Mb] [QT4 320x176px 26Mb] [QT6 480x264px 32Mb] [Bit Torrents!]

Email us your questions and PJ may answer them in a future Production Diary!

Like what you see? Discuss it in our Chat Room! [Click Here] Or the Message Boards? [Click Here]

Spotted in The Hollywood Reporter apparently directly from AP: The Associated Press says that director Peter Jackson’s production company, Wingnut Films, has sued New Line Cinema over profits from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. [More]

From figures.com: At Toy Fair 2005, Playmates' head of boy's toys - Michael Rinzler - spoke with Figures.com about their new and highly anticipated upcoming film series of toys: Kong: 8th Wonder of the World! [More]

Dani from Kretschmann Online writes: Thomas Kretschmann is in negotiations to join "Butterfly, a Grimm Love Story," an independent feature based on the Internet cannibal movement, which involves hundreds of Web sites for cannibal fetishists. The feature is being produced by Marco Weber ("Igby Goes Down") through his Atlantic Streamline banner. The psychological horror-thriller was written by newcomer TS Faull and will be directed by Martin Weisz, who is best known for directing music videos for Korn and Sean Combs. [More]

Joe DeVito, author of KONG: King of Skull Island writes: It has been an extremely hectic couple of months following the release of my book KONG: King of Skull Island. Many, many thanks for all of the incredible e-mails I have received regarding it. I have not yet been able to follow up on my last post detailing my visualization of Kong because I never anticipated just how much needed to be done after the book was released. I hope to post in that regard once I am able to catch up. In the meantime, I wanted to send information on some upcoming signings and the like for all those who may be interested. [More]

LOS ANGELES - "Million Dollar Baby?" Old news. Jamie Foxx? Ancient history. It's time to set odds on which films will dominate next year's Academy Awards, based on what's visible in Hollywood's ever-changeable lineup for 2005. Granted, no one's seen these movies, and some haven't even started shooting, so who knows which might have that touch of Oscar gold, or which won't manage to be ready in time to qualify? [More]

Oscar winner Adrien Brody, who stars in the upcoming SF film The Jacket, told SCI FI Wire that the upcoming film is a melange of genres ranging from drama to psychological thriller to time-travel adventure. "In a way it's kind of indefinable," Brody said in an interview. "And that's part of what attracted me to the film as a whole and what attracted me as an actor to [this] character." [More]

Laura writes: Last night's episode of MI-5 on A&E featured Andy Serkis as an aging, drug and alcohol-riddled rock star whose child is kidnapped. He even got to play the guitar and sing!

In the annual presentation of actors who have passed on the previous year, Fay Wray was mentioned and the clip shown was from King Kong. Nice to see Wray and Kong on the big screen at the award show!