New 'Hobbit' Still: Bilbo Prepares His 'Unexpected Journey'

A brand new image from "The Hobbit" features Bilbo Baggins being surrounded by some very unexpected guests. The still looks to come from Bilbo's first introduction to his 13 dwarf companions at Bag End, and he isn't too pleased about it judging by the look on his face. The one character noticeably absent from this photo is Gandalf, who led the introductions between the hobbit and the dwarves. Then again, the image is also missing nine of the other dwarves, so it seems like we'll have to let it slide this time. Standing around Bilbo (Martin Freeman) from left to right are Bifur (William Kircher), Dwalin (Graham McTavish), Bofur (James Nesbit) and Oin (John Callen). The still comes courtesy of Yahoo! Movies and was included in a new interview with Evangeline Lilly about her role in "The Hobbit." Unsurprisingly, it was a bit harder for her to play Tauriel the elf than Kate the human on "Lost." "I can't just be spontaneous, because there is nothing natural about being an elf," Lilly said. "It's not human, so I have to study to learn what it means to be this other creature." That required a lot of additional training. Lilly had to relearn everything from fighting to walking and talking in order to give a convincing performance as Tauriel. "On top of my stunt training -- which I need to learn how to be proficient with the bow and arrow, and with daggers, and in fighting orcs that are, you know, ten feet tall -- I also have to learn the language of Elvish, and I have to learn an RP [Received Pronunciation] neutral English accent for when I speak English," she said, adding that she spent "four times as much time preparing as I do actually shooting." This interview comes hot off the heels of a chat Lilly had with Entertainment Weekly about "The Hobbit" last week. In it, she said Tauriel would have a lot more screen time in "There and Back Again" than she does in "An Unexpected Journey." Are you looking forward to "The Hobbit"? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!

Exclusive Video: Mad Mash-up: 2 Broke Powerpuff Women

MAD Individuals at Mad are getting a significant amount of fun. Monday's episode from the Cartoon Network series (in line with the legendary humor magazine) features "2 Broke Powerpuff Women," an imaginative mash-from the late, great, adorable cartoon The Powerpuff Women and CBS's bawdy new sitcom 2 Broke Women. Within the amusing sketch, Bubbles and Buttercup, a couple of the super-powered kids from 1998-2005 'toon, are actually difficult on their luck and also have switched to waiting tables in a dreary diner similar to Max and Caroline's 2 Broke Women place of work. (For the 3rd Powerpuff Girl, the narrator informs us "Blossom's doing great, incidentally.") This occurs the heels of other inspired Mad mash-ups, including "My Super Supernatual Sweet 16," "The Way I Met Your Mummy" and "Which Means You Think You Are Able To Train Your Dragon How you can Dance?" Mad airs Mondays at 8:30/7:30c on Cartoon Network. Read this clip from "2 Broke Powerpuff Women." Sign up for TV Guide Magazine now!

Early B.O.: 'Contraband' jumps into lead

Universal's Mark Wahlberg-starrer 'Contraband' could find yourself with $25 million within the lengthy Martin Luther King Junior. holiday weekend.Universal's Mark Wahlberg thriller "Contraband" comes with an early hop on a trio of weekend beginners, taking between $six million and $7 million in the domestic box office, based on early Friday estimations. Disney's three dimensional re-discharge of 1991's "Beauty and also the Animal" and Warner Bros.' musical-comedy "Pleased Noise" both opened up within the $4 million to $six million range. Box office experts established that "Contraband" could find yourself with $21 million at 2,862 locations for that 72 hours, and $25 million for that four days within the lengthy Martin Luther King Junior. holiday weekend. "Beauty and also the Animal" looks prone to finish in second with $17 million through Sunday and $22 million through Monday, then "Pleased Noise" with $14.5 million for that 72 hours and $17 million for that four. The Weinstein Co.'s aggressive growth of "The Iron Lady" to 802 engagements made an appearance to become headed for any three-day total of $5.5 million along with a four-day take of $6.5 million. Paramount's second frame of "The Demon Inside," coming off last weekend's stunning $33.7 million debut, was off dramatically on Friday and headed to have an $11 million require the 3 day-day frame. Studio's fifth frame of "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol," is searching prone to exceed "Demon" having a 35% decline to $13 million for that Friday-Sunday period and find yourself the weekend using its domestic cume topping $190 million. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Insider courts users

Intel and Warner Bros. co-sponsored a campaign for Harry Potter and the Dealthy Hallows: Part 2. A year after Intel used CES to launch a chip Hollywood has embraced as a way to distribute its movies digitally in high-definition, it now faces the challenge of marketing the technology's capabilities to consumers. Intel Insider, which comes standard with computers that feature the second-generation core processor, code-named Sandy Bridge, was designed to protect HD digital copies from piracy. The software safely transfers full 1080p resolution files obtained through specific Insider-supported services from the cloud to a PC. Although Intel does not have stats regarding active use of the feature, the company estimates 15 million systems with Insider have been shipped in the U.S. One downside for Intel -- beyond the few content partners -- is that its current distribution partners have yet to use the proactive queue, a feature which allows consumers to download HD copies prior to their release and then access the files without delay when they are officially available. With this feature, consumers can watch the movies directly from their hard drive rather than streaming 1080p content that requires buffering. As of the end of 2011, those majors only included Best Buy's CinemaNow, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. and its Flixster service. "This is really a way to improve the user experience and really support the business model of the pre-sale window," Chris Cukor, marketing director of Intel Insider told Variety. "You'll see over the course of (2012) a real push to have both great content and a great user experience coming to products with Intel Insider." According to Cukor, distributors have not implemented this feature simply because "bringing new technology to market happens in phases, and certain features are launched before others." Intel's next big push is expected to be for its Ultrabook line of thin, high-performance laptops, for which 60 of the devices from various manufacturers will feature the company's chips this year. Intel coined the term Ultrabooks to create a new sector of the electronics biz to integrate its chips after the netbook market didn't catch on as hoped. Kevin Sellers, Intel's VP of sales and marketing and director of the advertising and digital marketing group, said Monday at CES that the company would spend more money promoting the laptops -- that are similar to Apple's MacBook Air -- than any other product this year. In fact, it will be the largest promo since Intel's Centrino campaign in 2003 that associated laptops and Wi-Fi with quick Internet access, upping the chipmaker's marketshare. "By April, the marketing engines of Intel will turn on" to promote Ultrabooks, Sellers said. The effort will also promote Intel's new Ivy Bridge microprocessors, out this spring. Intel is also designing the devices for gaming in mind, with the company showing off the ability to control movements on a game by moving hands and fingers a few inches from an Ultrabook's screen without the need of a mouse. Nuance, which many automakers turn to for voice controls in cars, will soon also integrate voice controls in Ultrabooks and support eight languages. And touchscreen functionality is also being designed into new Ultrabooks, even when the laptop is closed. As for Intel Insider, getting computer users to take advantage of its capabilities is now mainly up to content distributors, but Intel is expected to launch a separate marketing push to promote the service. Additional Insider features to be introduced this year could help distinguish the service from its content protection forebears -- which harmed the user experience through limiting or glitchy software. Currently, Insider enables Best Buy's online streaming service, CinemaNow, to provide consumers with digital copies of movies from Warner Bros. and Fox in full 1080p resolution. The feature is also used by Hungama Digital Media to present HD files of Bollywood films. Warner Bros. in particular has embraced the Intel Insider technology, which also allows for downloads of HD files through the UltraViolet digital rights locker. Nearly 300 Insider-enabled titles are available through the distributor's online WBshop. WB and Intel co-sponsored a campaign for the digital release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," made available through the social movie community Flixster. "Both companies have always shared a common goal of using technology to enable a better consumer experience for media and entertainment," said Thomas Gewecke, prexy of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. Intel's marketing strategy thus far has focused on raising awareness of the content services. "This campaign reached millions of consumers through various online and in-store properties by showing them that they could download the full HD version of Potter from CinemaNow," Cukor said. "Going forward, you should expect to see movie offers bundled with new PCs, similar to the offers you see from Netflix and Amazon when you buy a new TV or Blu-ray player." Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

'The Hunger Games' Unscripted: Request Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Elizabeth Banks an problem!

The options in your favor, 'Hunger Games' fans. On Wednesday, Jan. 11 in La, Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Elizabeth Banks -- sometimes known for you personally as Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark and Effie Trinket -- will be a part of Moviefone's patented Unscripted. Meaning they'll be reacting to your queries, small and big, about 'The Hunger Games'! Prior to deciding to faint from excitement, leave your burning query inside the comment module below! 'Hunger Games' fans might have until Monday at 8 p.m. EST to request an problem. Go back to Moviefone closer to the 'Hunger Games' release date in March to look for the completed video. Starring Lawrence, Hutcherson, Banks, Liam Hemsworth, Woodsy Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci and Jesse Sutherland, 'The Hunger Games' hits theaters on March 23. Can't start to see the EventBox? Follow The Link.Seems Heard Media [Photo: Lionsgate] 'The Hunger Games' Photos See All Moviefone Galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook