'The Hobbit' Trailer Scurries Out of Middle Earth: VIDEO

The beard budget on this adaptation of JRR Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' prequel, 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Adventure', had to be out of control.

MTV sums up the clip:

The trailer opens with an elderly Bilbo (Ian Holm) explaining to Frodo (Elijah Wood) that he might not have shared all there was to know about his adventures, followed by a quick cut to young Bilbo (Martin Freeman) being recruited to come on a new journey with Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen). It then introduces a slew of Dwarves and Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), who begin an eerie foreshadowing chant that provides backing for quick clips of this new fellowship on their journey. After that, it shows brief glimpses of Cate Blanchett reprising her role as ethereal Galadriel and a shadowy appearance of Andy Serkis as Gollum muttering about his "precious."

Check it out, AFTER THE JUMP...

Movies: Super 8's Nostalgia, Hugh Jackman's Singing, Magneto's Sexuality

 J.J. Abrams directs Super 8. The plot is secret but expect lens flares!

NATHANIEL ROGERS
...would live in the movie theater but for the poor internet reception. He blogs daily at the Film Experience. Follow him on Twitter @nathanielr.

 
NOW PLAYING
This week's big ticket opener is a slice of nostalgia pie called SUPER 8. Director JJ Abrams (Star Trek) attempts to channel late 70s / early 80s Spielbergian wonderment in the sci-fi adventure about a group of young filmmaking kids who witness a deadly train crash which sets strange and inexplicable events in motion. The marketing has been tightlipped about what actually occurs which you have to respect given our current "give the game away" movie culture. But this secrecy has pundits debating whether the film will flop or open soft but win moviegoer's hearts anyway.

All I know is that the second I see Kyle Chandler as Daddy/Sheriff, I'm going to tear up... Friday Night Lights forever!

ALSO OPENING: Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer which is based on the bestselling kids' book; the British road comedy The Trip stars Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon; Trollhunter is a would be cult film about a group of students eager to catch actual trolls on camera in Norway; and the documentary Just Like Us details the emergence of Middle Eastern comedians and perceptions about Arabs having no sense of humor.

BONUS SCENES

Hollywood still hasn't given Hugh Jackman a movie musical, so he decided to take his show on the road. He went to China!

Find out more AFTER THE JUMP...

Movies: Sally Field Marries Well, Sir Ian Robes Up, "Catch Me" Transfers Over

Ghostface is no fan of "Cougar Town".

NATHANIEL ROGERS
...would live in the movie theater but for the poor internet reception. He blogs daily at the Film Experience. Follow him on Twitter @nathanielr.

 
 OPENING

 This weekend's box office showdown is between the colorful animated plumage of RIO and the reemergence of the Scream franchise with SCREAM 4. (Neve Campbell's "Sidney" isn't dead yet? Quite a final girl, that one.) The other big opening is Robert Redford's Lincoln assassination courtroom drama THE CONSPIRATOR which features a parade of stars including Robin Wright, James McAvoy, Evan Rachel Wood, Jonathan Groff and Kevin Kline. Please note: This is the first but not the last in a mini Abraham Lincoln movie craze. More on that after the jump.

BONUS SCENES

What are Sir Ian McKellen and Director Peter Jackson laughing about (below) on the set of THE HOBBIT?

Find out AFTER THE JUMP...

(Plus: Sally Field, Broadway's Catch Me if You Can, and Cannes Film Festival News.)

Ian McKellen On Closeted Hollywood Stars

Ian McKellen, who has been out since he was 49, has always had a lot to say about being openly gay in Hollywood. He tells Popeater:

"I don't think any gay person is going to be happy and bring joy to themselves and other people unless they can be honest about their sexuality, and if other people don't like that honestly, that's a comment on them and not on the person who is being honest. That might seem a harsh thing to say to a young actor who is being advised by an agent to stay in the closet. There are no openly gay stars in Hollywood, so someone is telling them to shut up."

He adds: "If you're going around telling a lie you may get by but you won't be half as happy as you would be if you came out. If that means you have to give up hopes of being one of the three or four young sex symbols in Hollywood so be it. You probably weren't going to be one of those anyway. That happens by chance and it doesn't last for very long. There is a difference between living a private life and being in the closet. Being in the closet means you're lying about your life but just because you come out doesn't mean you have to talk about every affair you have. You don't have to talk about what you do in bed anymore than I have to talk about the food I eat."

Watch: Elvira's Scissor Sisters Halloween Special

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, shows off the Scissor Sisters' spooky Halloween plans. Featuring a cameo by Ian McKellen.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

News: Chelsea Hotel, Hudson Taylor, Saudi Prince, Bristol Palin

Nate Silver: Consensus points to 50-seat GOP gain in House.

Politico: 99 Dem House seats in danger. "The number of Democrats in danger is more than double the 39 seats Republicans need to seize control of the House. It reflects an elastic electoral environment that favors the GOP by every measure: money, momentum and mood of the country — in this case, sour on Democratic incumbents."

Nine-foot fiberglass polar bear greets guests at South Beach's newest "gay" hotel, Lords.

Bristol Palin dancing in a gorilla suit. Yes.

Tom Cruise and Jeremy Renner get soaked together for MI4.

Photos, report: The Elton John AIDS Foundation's 9th annual soiree in NYC.

Kanye West talks to Ellen about the Taylor Swift incident: "I feel like in some ways I’m a soldier of culture."

Gay expo attracts 15,000 in Torremolinos, Spain: "The event included exhibitors who were promoting travel and tourism to companies selling insurance. There was a huge outdoor patio area that features a wonderful selection of restaurants and was a huge party with music and outdoors dancing."

GQ can't help but get in on the Glee action.

Unfortunately, he wasn't Santa and you couldn't sit on his lap.

New York's Chelsea Hotel is for sale.

Michelangelo Signorile interviews HRC's Joe Solmonese, who says "DADT is in the President's hands.

Taylor Swift's new single "Mean" may just as well be an "It gets better" anthem.

Gay Saudi prince found guilty of murdering his servant in London: "Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud was found guilty at the Old Bailey of murdering Bandar Abdulaziz in a 'brutal' assault at their five-star hotel suite. The prince was fuelled by champagne and 'sex on the beach' cocktails when he bit the 32-year-old hard on both cheeks during the attack in February. They had just returned from a Valentine's Day night out when Saud launched the ferocious assault."

Opening arguments heard in trial of John Katehis, who stabbed and smothered NYC newsman George Weber during a sexual liaison arranged online.

Straight wrestling ally Hudson Taylor joins the NoH8 campaign.

Legendary Harlem gay bathhouse for rent.

British woman who dumped cat in trash bin pleads guilty.

Caitlin Breedlove, who was kicked out of a Raleigh-area mall for kissing her girlfriend, will appear on The Joy Behar Show tonight with Raleigh native Clay Aiken.

Sir Ian McKellen makes visit to Cambridgeshire school to educate about homophobic bullying: "Until I visited secondary schools recently, I hadn’t realised how much anti-gay bullying goes on, throughout the education system. By talking frankly about my own life as a gay man and listening to the concerns of staff and students, parents and governors, I hope the visit arranged by Stonewall may make a difference in the classroom and the playground and also give confidence to gay students about their lives in the future."