The folks from Radio NZ write: Just letting you know that contrary to your article (‘Radio NZ Talks to ‘Queen of the Geeks’’) the audio for the interview with Philippa Boyens will available indefinitely from here. There are now download links on the page, but please note that this is for personal use only. Most of the audio on the Radio NZ site is now available on this basis. The best way to link to these persistent pages is via the date encoded URL which can be obtained from the archive box on the left side of those pages.

Philippa BoyensJack M writes: On Sunday 25th of October, Radio NZ broadcast an extended interview with Philippa Boyens; An extended interview with Philippa Boyens, an integral member of the trio of filmmakers who put New Zealand on the map with the Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong. Philippa talks about the trio’s dynamics and looks ahead to the release of Peter’s next film, The Lovely Bones. (duration: 24′41″). The interview is available for streaming on here or on Apple iTunes PodCasts by searching for Radio NZ’s Arts On Sunday program. Be quick though, it’ll only be available for a couple of weeks.

Philippa BoyensOscar-winning Kiwi screenwriter Philippa Boyens has revealed that she introduced The Lovely Bones to Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, but she did not believe the novel could be turned into a film. It was only after Walsh and Jackson had read the book and both believed it could be a film that Boyens, who co-wrote The Lord of the Rings and King Kong with the couple, changed her mind. Boyens discussed details about The Lovely Bones and The Hobbit, the script for which she is also co-writing, at a writers talk at Te Papa yesterday just hours before she was to watch a final cut of the film, to be released in December. More..

From Scoop Books: Philippa Boyens, MNZM, co-wrote the screenplay for the Lord of the Rings trilogy with Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, for which the trio won an Oscar in 2004. She also worked on the screenplay for King Kong and the adaptation of Alice Sebold’s novel The Lovely Bones, and is collaborating on The Hobbit. She talks to Ken Duncum about her scriptwriter’s dream run. Where: The Marae, Level 4, Te Papa, Cable Street, Wellington (please note that no food may be taken onto The Marae). The Writers on Mondays series is presented by the International Institute of Modern Letters and The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Each session is open to the public and free of charge.

The Lovely BonesThanks to Diane and Justin for sending word that the first trailer for Peter Jackson’s “The Lovely Bones,” is now available. Jackson’s adaptation of Alice Sebold’s novel is due to hit theaters December 11, just in time for Oscar season. It is the first feature he has directed since “King Kong,” in 2005. Jackson introduced the clip looking pretty much exactly like he did at the Comic-Con geek summit. Our guess is he filmed the intro while in California last week. Watch it right here.

Peter Jackson(Note: This is the first of several stories details what Peter Jackson told a select group of journalists about ‘The Hobbit’.)

Peter Jackson made the most of his first trip to Comic-Con by inviting 40 or so journalists, including TheOneRing.net and internet reporters to sit and chat in a room about “The Hobbit,” “The Lovely Bones,” “District 9,” and various other projects and passions.

For fans, the good news: ‘The Hobbit’ is progressing and Jackson and the writing team of director Guillermo del Toro, Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens are close to have a finished screen-play for the first of the two movies, allowing the studio to give the film a green light. The bad news for the impatient: Casting isn’t being talked about much as the focus is firmly on nailing the story on the page. Continue reading “King Jackson holds geek-court at Comic-Con”