From mrgrooism: The Film Forum in New York City, in Association with The Sons of Kong proudly announce The Giant Monster Gala Event of 2008!

The 75th Anniversary Screening of KING KONG!

Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 1:00 pm

Attendant Events and Surprises are still to be announced, but celebrations and get-togethers are being planned for the entire weekend, culminating, of course, in a screening 75 years to the date of Kong's legendary NYC Premiere at Radio City Music Hall!

There are more announcements to come, but the screening itself is booked and official.

I need as early as possible an indication of how many people are seriously interested in attending. THIS IS NOT BINDING, give me maybes as well as yeses, including everyone you MIGHT bring, so I can block off enough tickets for our own use ASAP! More is better, unused tickets can always be released, so put in your bid NOW to make The List!

Remember, we are making this a Family Friendly Weekend, we want to meet you AND your long-suffering loved ones!

To find out more, send a private message to mrgroomism on the message boards!

One of the stunning images Gus created, inspired by his native Samoa.

From the folks at WETA: We sit down with Senior Designer Gus Hunter, the man responsible for many of the stunning visuals in King Kong.

When asked what his favourite movie is, Senior Concept Artist Gus Hunter refers to the 1933 version of King Kong as one of them. “I’ve always loved movies with dinosaurs and scary monsters”, he says. “I remember watching it as a kid, and it just blew me away.” Little did he know that one day he would be working as the senior concept artist on Peter Jackson’s remake of the classic.

Gus joined the team during The Lord Of The Rings trilogy in 2000, in the Visual Effects Art Department, where he forged a relationship with Jackson and Weta. Gus has worked on concept art for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and was a Senior Concept Artist on King Kong from the very start (pre-production) to the very finish (post-production). [More]

Kevin Johns, (Cult)u're Magazine Cinema Editor, writes: Over at www.culturemagazine.ca we've started a campaign called "Peter Jackson for The Hallows!". Under whelmed with the quality of the last Harry Potter film, we have decided that no one other than Peter Jackson has the skills necessary to make Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows the film it deserves to be. [More]

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - British scribe Steven Moffat, best known for writing the new "Doctor Who" series, is turning his hand to "Tintin," the DreamWorks movie trilogy collaboration from Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg. Tintin, created by late Belgian artist Herge, is a young reporter and world traveler who is aided in his adventures by his faithful dog Snowy. He later was joined by such colorful characters as Captain Haddock, Professor Cuthbert Calculus and bumbling detectives Thomson and Thompson. The books, hugely popular in Europe, have been translated into 50 languages with more than 200 million sold. Jackson and Spielberg are each directing an installment, with the helmer of the third movie to be determined. [More]

It's a project that will bring Sigourney Weaver and James Cameron to town and will be made, in part, in Wellington. Avatar is being touted as a futuristic, ground-breaking film, and as Weta digital's visual effects maestro Joe Letteri told ONE News, Weta, along with hundreds of Kiwi contractors are helping to make it happen. The film is Cameron's latest project. His last film was Titanic - the very same Titanic that was released 12 years ago and is still the highest grossing film ever made. [More]

Adrien Brody is slated to be a guest on 'Live! with Regis and Kelly' tomorrow morning to promote 'The Darjeeling Limited'. 'Regis and Kelly' airs on different channels and times locally, so check your local listings!

Susanne writes: 'In Business', a BBC Radio 4 programme, includes an interview with Richard Taylor on his approach to business. 'In Business hears from .. the man who created the special effects behind the movies of Lord of the Rings and King Kong.' [More]

Here with this week's news headlines from the wonderful world of Weta

Halo3 makes $170 million in sales in 24 hours
Third Halo short released online [Link II]
Hellgate: London giveaway at upcoming Horror Convention in US
Weta's WOW Winner revealed
Winner of F.M.O.M acronym contest announced
Sydney Convention Rayguns promotion
Further design work from Hercules revealed
Weta Limited in Australasia for convention season next month
Lord Cockswain online comic: Part Two now available
Indecipherable Rayguns testimonial from a sailor / pirate? You decide...
Registrations now open for NZ effects symposium

Today is Naomi Watts' birthday! Naomi Ellen Watts (born September 28, 1968) is a British actress known for her roles in Mulholland Drive, the film remakes of The Ring and King Kong, as well as her Academy Award-nominated role in the film 21 Grams. Happy Birthday Naomi!

Here is the latest word from geek HQ down in Wellington and the good folks at WETA: G'day from New Zealand, Weta supporters! Well it's been another busy month here at Weta HQ, with lots of exciting developments! [More]

It's time for Wellington to honour its home-town heroes says communications specialist Roger Ellis who is standing for the Wellington City Council in the Northern Ward. In recent years Wellington has produced some exceptional people. The whole world knows what Peter Jackson has almost single-handedly achieved - a major league movie industry right here in the suburbs of Wellington. He has received a theatre-load of awards from the good and the great throughout the world. "Yet to date the Wellington City Council has done little to honour this outstanding favourite son. The same could be said for Weta's Richard Taylor. [More]