Del Toro to Direct 'Hobbit'

Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Blade 2, Hellboy)will direct The Hobbit and its sequel. Lord of the Rings Executive Producers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will act as producers and help to draft the script.

Del Toro will move to New Zealand for the next four years to work with Jackson and his WETA production teams. He will helm the two films back to back – telling the story of The Hobbit, and its sequel, which will deal with the 60-year period between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring.

New Line is overseeing development and will manage the production. The Hobbit and its sequel are being co-produced and co-financed by New Line Cinema and MGM, with Warner Brothers distributing domestically.

The first Hobbit movie is set for a 2011 Christmas release with part 2 the following Christmas.

P.O.D.'s 4th Top 10 debut

When Angels & Serpents Dance marks P.O.D.'s fourth Top 10 release coming in at #9

Gotee independent label again

The present day in the Gotee story is, curiously, much like the label's early days. On March 31 of 2008, Gotee announced a buyback of their minority stake from EMI Christian Music Group, making them a fully independent company. Elwood looks at it as starting over.

American Idol alum pay tribute to Smitty

The 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards will feature American Idol finalists Mandisa, Chris Sligh, and Phil Stacey with Idol winner Jordin Sparks and Amy Grant for a tribute medley marking the 25-year legacy of Michael W. Smith.

Shout to the Lord on American Idol

Highlighted by performances from Carrie Underwood, Heart and Miley Cyrus, American Idol's "Idol Gives Back" special raised $22 million for various charities last night. Notably, the special ended with the eight finalists performing the worship standard "Shout to the Lord"!

Jason Castro Inspires with Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Some have been questioning Jason's place in the competition. After his rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," he carved himself a new place in American Idol history.  His performance was extremely well received and he became the first contestant to play the ukulele on the show. He played the instrument while singing Over The Rainbow, after learning to play it in less than a week

Third Day, TobyMac performs at Pope Rally

Marking his third performance at an event with a Pope, TobyMac is joining Third Day, Salvador and others at a rally conducted by the Pope in his first visit to America.

Hawk Nelson is My Friend

Hawk Nelson is back and they've got the t-shirt to prove it.

Everybody needs a friend as confirmed by the modern phenomenon of social networking websites like MySpace and Facebook and as we gather to talk around the water cooler or chatter in the schoolyard. You'll see these themes played out in the new HN album.

"The album title is also what's printed across the front of our most popular tee shirt," according to Hawk Nelson bass player Daniel Biro. "And there's a little joke in there, because so many people still think 'Hawk Nelson' is some guy's name."

Interesting note: they've paired with '80s pop star-turned-hit songsmith Richard Marx on the mature "One Little Miracle."