LONDON - It's a hat trick for Tolkien.
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" - the third movie based on the trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien - has been voted best film of the year in a poll for the British Broadcasting Corp. television program "Film 2004," hosted by Jonathan Ross.
The two previous "Lord of the Rings" films, "The Two Towers" and "The Fellowship of the Ring," took the title in 2002 and 2003 respectively.
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," starring Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey, was at No. 2 this year, followed by another Winslet movie, "Finding Neverland," that starred Johnny Depp as Peter Pan creator J.M. Barrie.
"Lost in Translation," a quirky film that starred Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, was fourth, with "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" coming in fifth.
The low-budget British film "Shaun of the Dead" was at No. 6, followed by the Chinese martial arts epic "Hero."
Animated hit "The Incredibles," blockbuster "Spider-Man 2" and the Tom Cruise thriller "Collateral" completed the top 10.
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LOS ANGELES - Magicians Penn & Teller have conjured up a second annual blood drive they've tagged "Dreaming of a Red Christmas."
The pair will donate two tickets to their show at the Rio hotel and casino to anyone who donates blood through Jan. 1, they told a news conference this week at United Blood Services in Las Vegas.
"We know that the holidays are a hard time for UBS and blood (supplies) are low, so we thought it was the least we could," said Penn Jillette, speaking for silent partner Teller.
"You donate blood, you save a life and you get to see our stupid show," Jillette joked.
The same offer last year led to the donation of nearly $400,000 worth of tickets to their show at Rio's Penn & Teller Theater, they said.
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HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Film Awards in 2005 will celebrate the past 100 years of Chinese movies, and Taiwanese directors Ang Lee and Hou Hsiao-hsien have been invited to attend.
When the ceremony is held March 27, judges won't just be picking the best new movies, the South China Morning Post reported. A panel of film professionals also will choose the best 100 Chinese movies since the first one was made: "The Battle of Dingjunshan," in 1905.
Manfred Wong, chairman of the Hong Kong Film Awards Association, was quoted as saying that Lee and Hou had been asked to present awards.
Lee directed the Oscar-winning martial arts epic "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Hou made the historical drama "City of Sadness," winner of the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival in 1989.
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NEW ORLEANS - Sean Astin, who starred in "The Lord of the Rings" films, will play the role of a king in a Carnival parade on Feb. 6.
Astin, 33, will serve as king of Bacchus, one of the larger parades that roll during the city's six-week Carnival season.
He will ride in one of 38 floats along with his "Lord of the Rings" co-star Elijah Wood, who was king of Bacchus last year.
The parade, which falls on Super Bowl Sunday, will feature a float decorated in honor of each of the NFL's franchises, Owen "Pip" Brennan, captain of the Krewe of Bacchus, said recently.
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