MGM, the studio of The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Singin’ in the Rain and many other classic films, is expected to be headed to the auction block where its library and logo may go to the highest bidder.  The financially troubled company will manage to hold on to Guillermo Del Toro’s adaptation of The Hobbit, but it’s pretty much anything goes for the 85-year-old company.  Hit the jump for more about who would want to own a constantly growling lion.

We want to bring you more news every day, but unfortunately our robot army of writers who never need to sleep, to eat, or to love, is still under development (currently all they do is sleep, eat, and love).  In the meantime, we’re going to be making “A Fistful of News” a regular feature you’ll see every other day where we bring you some additional news stories we found but didn’t have time to write.  Until the Robot Army is ready to proceed (which is unlikely as we cut corners and ordered them from Belize, a country not known for quality robotics).

After the jump you’ll find ten quick news items including what’s next for Up director Peter Docter even though it’s not Monsters, Inc. 2, Guillermo del Toro’s monster cameo in The Hobbit, and Jeff Bridges’ behind-the-scenes photography on the set of Iron Man.

Writer-Director-Demigod Guillermo del Toro knows how much to reveal about “The Hobbit” and how much to withhold.  He’s been pretty tight-lipped but that’s partially been due to the long pre-production and it’s unwise to release information which will probably shift over the following year.  The pre-production for “The Hobbit” will continue as Del Toro doesn’t begin shooting its back-to-back films until late spring 2010 to make a release date of late 2011.  However, he did release some details of his work schedule, his relationship with Peter Jackson, and most interesting, the task of designing the big bad of “The Hobbit”, Smaug.  Hit the jump for details.

We missed some stories this past week.  We’re sorry.  But we did not forget them.  We never forget.  We’re like elephants and people who hold grudges.  With that in mind, here are some stories that are a little late but they’re still great.  You can enjoy them all after the jump.

At the San Sebastian Film Festival, Sir Ian McKellen was asked about the status of director Guillermo del Toro’s “Lord of the Rings” prequel “The Hobbit” and “X-Men Origins: Magneto”. What he said after the jump:

You know how last week I said that people who were freaking out about “The Hobbit” and the James Bond franchise going into limbo were idiots?  Yeah, that’s because they are and THR proves me right by saying that “The Hobbit” will stay at MGM.  The story goes on to say that “The Hobbit” remaining at MGM could bolster interest bidding on the studio which means that James Bond shouldn’t worry about losing his license to kill any time soon.  But the best part is that Nikki Finke over at Deadline had the balls to give this a “Toldja!” (for when you want that extra bit of obnoxious) while amending nothing about “The Hobbit” being “in peril”.   I guess the words “My Bad!” just don’t really work for her.

I woke up this morning and it turned out the sky was falling.  According to Nikki Finke, MGM is on the verge of bankruptcy and if the creditors don’t cough up come cash, then the 85-year-old studio would have to sell off projects like the James Bond franchise and “The Hobbit” just to begin paying off their debts bondholders and then creditors and the bank may only get a 7.5% return on their investment and then have to make a low-finance APR of $2,600 and all cars must go!  Understanding finance is scary but if there are a bunch of parties and numbers then something bad is happening!

So a bunch of movie sites seem to think that Bilbo Baggins and 007 are in the ICU and if MGM dies who knows when we’ll see these movies, IF EVER!  If you honestly believe that no one’s going to make these movies in the near future; that some producer or some studio is just going to sit on the rights to James Bond, shrug, and say, “Well, let’s just stick it in development hell,” or look at “The Hobbit” and think, “Yeah, those ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies were kind of successful but I think that was just a fluke; best not to chance it,” then you are an idiot.  You don’t have to be a lawyer or a financial wizard to figure this out.  I don’t know if MGM will survive or not, but as far as these properties are concerned, you should put down your inhaler and move on with your day.

During my “Sons of Anarchy” set visit, I had the opportunity to participate in roundtable interviews with members of the cast.  The legendary Ron Perlman talked to us about not really getting into the social aspects of the show, getting in touch with his character (Clay), and talked a little bit about the possibility of him appearing in Guillermo Del Toro’s “The Hobbit”.  Check it out after the jump.

I don’t think there were any real worries that “The Hobbit” would be stopped from going forward thanks to the long ongoing legal disputes between New Line and The Tolkien Trust.  In case if you were worrying though, you can now breathe and sleep easily tonight.  News has now come out that everything is settled and that “The Hobbit” will still go along as planned.  You can read all about it when you follow me after the jump.

I had a chance to speak with Ron Perlman today on the set of the FX show “Sons of Anarchy”.  He talked about not being interested in what people say on the internet and never reading blogs because he doesn’t want anyone to dictate his own opinion of himself and his craft.  It came as a surprise to him (or so it seemed) that rumors are floating around that he will be in Guillermo Del Toro’s “The Hobbit” films, and that the films have been added to his IMDB.com page (albeit listed as “rumored”). Is there any credibility to the rumors?   “If that’s what Guillermo wants, then that would be nice”.  More after the jump.

With the abundance of “Lord of the Rings” fans, whenever anything related to “The Hobbit” happens, it’ll be online five minutes later. So when Ian McKellen stopped by at a special screening of “Lord of the Rings” last night in London, it’s no surprise everything he said is now online. The big news is he knows who is going to play Bilbo, filming begins in March on TWO movies, and he’s getting the script next week! More after the jump:

First off, we must be clear that this is all strictly RUMOR material.  Nothing is confirmed, and while this rumor has been attributed to a credible source, things are always subject to change.

At Comic-Con, Steve had a chance to talk to Peter Jackson about his upcoming projects, and he briefly touched on “The Hobbit”.  Though he said no casting decisions had been made, he did say that “The Hobbit” would be in two parts, with the first to release in December 2011 and the second in December 2012.  My, how things change in a matter of two weeks.  MarketSaw has it on good faith (again, rumor) that a THIRD hobbit movie is now scheduled, which will act as a bridge to the Lord of the Rings series.  More rumor info that you’re going to want to read after the jump.

Thursday night at Comic-Con was insane. For some reason, all the studios decided to throw massive parties and hold insanely cool stuff on the same night. I was invited to about 7 things that would normally be a fantastic night, but due to time and schedule, I could only do a fraction of what I was offered.  So what ended up winning out? Some guy named Peter Jackson.

So if you’re a fan of his work, after the jump you can read some updates on “The Hobbit”, the “Lord of the Rings” Blu-rays, “District 9″, and “The Lovely Bones”.

If you’re a fan of “The Lord of the Rings” movies and cannot wait to see Guillermo del Toro’s “The Hobbit” in two years,  the news you’re about to read is going to make you very happy.

The re-building of Hobbiton has begun!

Yes, the village where Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee live has begun being rebuilt for the upcoming movies. So if you’re interested in seeing what work has been done so far, after the jump are two pictures. I’m sure you want to see them!

According to LA Times’ Hero Complex, James McAvoy, Daniel Radcliffe, and David Tennant are all in contention to play Bilbo Baggins in Guillermo del Toro’s “The Hobbit”.  Moreover, there are whispers that we’ll get the casting announcement next week at Comic-Con.  Some folks are trying to put two and two together by saying that if David Tennant is there for “Doctor Who” and producer Peter Jackson is there for “District 9″ then maybe the two will rush the stage at Hall H right in the middle of the “New Moon” presentation, announce the casting, and then get murdered by a horde of tweenage girls.  Sorry, got carried away with a fantasy there.

Hit the jump to get my thoughts about these casting rumors.

I’m a huge fan of Doug Jones. While a lot of you probably don’t know his name, you have definitely seen his exceptional work. In the last few years he’s played Abe Sapien in the “Hellboy” movies, the Silver Surfer in “Fantastic Four 2,” and both the Faun and the Pale Man in Guillermo del Toro’s brilliant “Pan’s Labyrinth.” So, as I said, you’ve seen his great work.

Anyway, I’ve interviewed Doug many times and at this year’s Saturn Awards I got to speak with him again. Doug updated me on what he’s working on, and I tried to find out what part he will be playing in “The Hobbit”. Take a look at the interview after the jump: