Elijah Wood has defended his gory new horror movie following criticisms of the serial killer theme, insisting "Maniac" is not "irresponsible" and is more than just a "straightforward slasher movie."

The Lord of the Rings star is putting his Hobbit character firmly behind him to play Frank, a crazed killer with a fetish for scalps, in a remake of the 1980 film of the same name.

The movie includes grisly scenes of violence, but Wood is adamant there is more to the story than just bloody horror.

He says, "I think the film is playing with that concept (of the slasher movie). It doesn't feel ...

A couple of years ago Elijah Wood went through an acting slump and sought therapy to deal with some emotional problems.

The actor reveals he didn't work for two years and got professional help to get over some personal issues.

Wood, 32, told Britain's Live magazine: "I've had things that I had to overcome, like everybody does. I went through a period a couple of years ago where I didn't work for two years. When I was 29 and turning 30, I went to therapy for the first time. It was amazing. It made me learn to laugh a lot at myself, but I also learned a lot of groundbreaking things. It was ...

Elijah Wood isn't taking reports of animal abuse on the set of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" lightly.

Last week the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) suggested animal were mistreated during the making of the film and went public with the news after four wranglers reported allegations of abuse and incompetence.

A purported 27 animals died on a farm near Wellington, New Zealand, where they were housed between takes.

Director Peter Jackson vehemently denied the allegations, and now Wood, who plays Frodo in "The Lord of the Rings" prequel, has backed him up.

Wood ezpl...

Legendary author Maurice Sendak has passed away at the age of 83.

The writer, known for his best-selling children's classic Where the Wild Things Are, died in Danbury, Connecticut, on Tuesday due to complications from a recent stroke, his long-time editor Michael di Capua tells the New York Times.

Sendak penned 17 books and was also a talented illustrator, a skill which was mostly self-taught. His popular book Where the Wild Things Are was transformed into a Hollywood film in 2009.

A number of celebrities took to Twitter.com upon hearing the sad news to pay their respect to the late w...

There are a lot of great movies coming out this year, and every one of them wants you to believe it's the biggest film event of the decade. "The Dark Knight Rises"! "The Hunger Games"! The Avengers"!

But as fantastic as those films look, there's one movie coming out this year that is set to rule them all: "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." So before the onslaught of contenders begins, we thought we'd take a look at everything we know so far about this year's champ.

Release Date: December 14

Star Power: Many of the biggest stars from "The Lord of the Rings" are returning to reprise the...

The eagerly anticipated sequel to the Oscar-winning hit, "Happy Feet Two" finds tap-dancing penguin Mumble (voice of Elijah Wood) and his pals using their smooth moves to save the penguin nation.

Mumble and Gloria (P!nk) have started a family of their own, and their young son, Erik, is just finding his footing among his fellow emperor penguins when a dire new threat thrusts their future into jeopardy.

Just when it begins to look as if all hope is lost, the penguin nation bands together to dance the darkness away.

Writer/director George Miller and star Robin Williams both return i...

Peter Jackson has completed the star-studded cast of "The Hobbit" after signing up Billy Connolly to play a dwarf warrior.

The actor will tackle the role of Dain Ironfoot and joins Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood and Orlando Bloom in the director's "Lord of the Rings" prequel.

Jackson tells The Hollywood Reporter, "We could not think of a more fitting actor to play Dain Ironfoot, the staunchest and toughest of Dwarves, than Billy Connelly, the Big Yin himself. With Billy stepping into this role, the cast of The Hobbit is now complete. We can't wait to see him on the Battlefield!"

"The Hobbit: ...

Elijah Wood was honored for his tireless charity work at a glitzy ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The actor is a long-time supporter of The Art of Elysium, an organization which helps celebrities visit sick children in the hospital.

He regularly offers his services, along with stars including Ben Affleck, Courteney Cox and James Franco, and charity bosses praised his ongoing commitment at a gala in L.A.

Wood says, "I am constantly inspired by the work of The Art of Elysium and how they use the transportive power of art to heal and inspire children; elevating them beyond the confi...

The Hobbit director Peter Jackson is offering a fan the chance to visit the set of the movie in New Zealand to raise money for charity.

The filmmaker is currently shooting the Lord of the Rings prequel, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's classic novel, with stars including Martin Freeman, Hugo Weaving, Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood and Orlando Bloom.

Now Jackson is offering up the chance to visit the set of the film as part of the Stars Come Out Auction, which launched on Trademe.co.nz this week to raise funds for scientist Sir Ray Avery's charity Medicine Mondiale.

Other offers up for auction includ...

It's almost time to return to Middle Earth! On Tuesday Warner Bros. Pictures released the first official trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and you can check it out right here!

An Unexpected Journey follows the adventures of Hobbit Bilbo Baggins that took place before the epic Lord of the Rings trilogy. Bilbo joins 13 dwarves, led by the warrior Thorin Oakenshield, on a quest to reclaim a lost dwarf kingdom since taken over by the dragon Smaug. Along the way Bilbo encounters Goblins, Spiders, Trolls and Elves; and he finds the precious ring that once belonged to the evil Sauron ...

The Beastie Boys' "Fight For Your Right (Revisited)" video, featuring Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood and Danny McBride as the aging rap trio, has topped a new poll to find the music promo of the year.

The actors battle their future selves, played by Will Ferrell, Jack Black and John C. Reilly, in the hilarious short film, released to promote the rap group's acclaimed 2011 album "Hot Sauce Committee Part Two."

The video beat Ke$ha's "Blow" and Tyler, the Creator's "She" in Spinner.com's end-of-year round-up.

Lana Del Rey's "Video Games and Money" and "Run" by UNKLE featuring Nick Cave round out ...

P!nk, her husband Carey Hart and four-month old baby Willow attended the "Happy Feet Two" Los Angeles premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood yesterday.

The singer revealed that she and Hart are looking forward to expanding the family and giving Willow plenty of brothers and sisters.

"We want a basketball team. We want lots and lots and lots," she says.

In the sequel to 2006's Happy Feet, Mumble (Elijah Wood) and his pals use their dancing to save the penguin nation. Mumble and Gloria (P!nk) have started a family of their own, and their son finds his footing among his fellow ...

We caught up with Eljiah Wood at his campaign launch with Bushmills Whiskey to chat about his hit FX series Wilfred, what’s on his iPod and so much more. He even let us in on some of his DJ’ing skills! Check it out!

Starpulse: Tell me all about this partnership with Bushmills Whiskey.

Elijah Wood: I was sort of impressed with the simplicity of the campaign, the fact that it wasn’t overly celebrity driven and really a wide array of creative individuals. And just tying it into that notion of friendship and that also being complimentary into the brand itself—you know Bushmills has been aroun...

Evangeline Lilly fears "purist" fans will hate her role in The Hobbit because her character didn't feature in the book and was invented solely for the fantasy film adaptation.

The Lost actress' Sylvan elf Tauriel was created especially for director Peter Jackson's upcoming Lord of the Rings prequel, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's classic novel The Hobbit.

However, Lilly admits she is terrified Tolkien devotees won't respond well when the movie epic is released next year.

She says, "The Hobbit didn't include female characters at all. I can see why additional characters were needed to round ...

Lollapalooza is taking over Chicago August 5th-7th and a concert ticket isn't the only hot commodity, it's getting on the VIP party guest list. From Taylor Momsen to Topshop, Starpulse has put together your go to guide for the best events to snag an invite to this weekend.

Topshop Topman Exclusive After Party

Clothing megastore Topshop opens this Fall in the Windy City but the store is already making a splash. The brand is holding their invitation only party at Bar Deville on Friday August 5th with special musical guests Tinie Tempah, DJ Kid Color, and DJ Moneypenny.

The Hard Rock Ho...

Liv Tyler is eager to re-team with her Lord Of The Rings cast mates Ian Mckellen, Cate Blanchett and Elijah Wood by joining the cast of the highly-anticipated prequel The Hobbit.

The actress played Arwen in the first three films in the fantasy franchise, but she has so far been left out of the line-up for Peter Jackson's new epic adventure.

Tyler admits seeing the rest of the Lord Of The Rings cast get back together has made her long for a cameo role.

She tells Britain's Daily Express, "I've seen some of the other actors. I had such an amazing time making those films. I wish that I co...

Lost's Evangeline Lilly has joined The Hobbit.

"Evangeline Lilly will be playing a new character—the Woodland Elf, Tauriel," director Peter Jackson announced on Facebook. "Her name means 'daughter of Mirkwood' and, beyond that, we must leave you guessing! (No, there is no romantic connection to Legolas.) What is not a secret is how talented and compelling an actress Evangeline is; we are thrilled and excited she will be the one to bring our first true Sylvan Elf to life."

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Lost, The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, Barry Hump...

Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood became gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello's savior on the road - when his celebrity helped save the group from a time-consuming police investigation.

The actor joined his girlfriend, Gogol Bodello drummer Pamela Racine, on tour and he quickly proved he can be useful to have around - especially when your band is stopped by the infamously thorough cops in Arizona.

Band frontman Eugene Hutz explains, "They were really determined to find some drugs, so they're searching for, like, an hour until they obviously don't find any.

"One cop comes back with this shiny ...

Actor Chris Klein has signed up for another slice of American Pie following a two-month rehab stint last year.

The star has joined another original Pie favorite, Seann William Scott, who also sought treatment in rehab recently for "health and personal issues." Klein will return as Chris 'Oz' Ostreicher in the fourth installment of the teen comedy, titled American Reunion.

Following his success in the films, Klein fell from grace after twice being arrested for drunk driving - once in 2005 and again in 2010. After he was caught for the second time last year, Klein checked himself into a r...

The Beastie Boys have released a hilarious trailer to their 30 minute movie "Fight for Your Right - Revisited." Watch it below!

The trailer stars Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, Elijah Wood, Will Ferrell, Jack Black, John C. Reilly, Ted Danson, Stanley Tucci, Rainn Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Steve Buscemi, Will Arnett and Susan Sarandon.

The short film apparently takes place right after the original "Fight for Your Right" music video, and has something to do with the Beasties Brothers from the 80s meeting the Beastie Boys from today.

Their new album, Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2, comes out May 3...

Judging by the trailer to the Beastie Boys' "long ass video thing" -- otherwise known as "Fight For Your Right Revisited" -- MCA's short film that recently premiered at Sundance Film Festival, the group clearly has one of the deepest contact lists in the game.

The quasi-sequel to "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)" sees John C. Reilly, Will Ferrell and Jack Black as Beasties from the future who travel back in time to square off against current-day Beasties Elijah Wood, Seth Rogen and Danny McBride.

Look for additional appearances by Stanley Tucci, Susan Sarandon, Ted Danson an...

Actor Chris Klein will make a TV comeback this summer, following a two-month rehab stint.

The American Pie actor has signed on to star alongside Elijah Wood in the new comedy, Wilfred, reports People.com. The show, which will premiere in June, is based on an Australian sitcom of the same name.

The show will debut almost a year to the day after Klein was arrested after failing a sobriety test when his car was pulled over by cops on an Los Angeles freeway. It was his second DUI arrest in five years. He was busted on a similar charge in 2005.

Klein was charged with two misdemeanors and s...

Elijah Wood, Donald Sutherland and Eddie Izzard have been tapped to star in Syfy's Treasure Island.

Wood (The Lord of the Rings) will take the role of...

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Wedding bells are bringing together a group of old friends as well as reawakening some old rivalries in the comedy drama "The Romantics." Lila Hayes (Anna Paquin) and Tom McDevon (Josh Duhamel) first met when they were attending the same Ivy League college, and they became part of a circle of close friends who called themselves The Romantics.

Six years after graduating, Lila and Tom are getting married, and their friends are seeing each other for the first time in years as they come together for the wedding. Laura Rosen (Katie Holmes), Lila's college roommate, has been invited to b...

The last day of the TCA (Television Critics Association) Winter/Spring 2011 press tour was the one I'd had circled on my calendar, because it was all about FX. I have really fallen in love with this network and the people behind it over the past year. They gave me the highlight of my trip: a panel devoted to one of my all-time favorite series (Justified), putting me in the same room with one of my all-time favorite actors (Timothy Olyphant). I'll geek out about that later, though. First, let's talk about what else the cable net has up its sleeve...

Executive Session

I gained an enormous a...

James Franco was honored for his tireless charity work at a glitzy ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The actor has been a long-time supporter of The Art of Elysium, an organization which helps celebrities visit sick children in the hospital, ever since his Spider-Man co-star Kirsten Dunst introduced him to the cause.

He regularly offers his services, along with stars including Ben Affleck, Courteney Cox and Elijah Wood, and charity bosses praised his ongoing commitment at a gala in L.A.

Franco says, "I wanted a place where I could give back. I didn't know what I could give but I wa...

Elijah Wood is returning to Middle Earth - the actor has signed on to star in the "Lord Of The Rings" prequel "The Hobbit."

The actor will reprise the role of Frodo Baggins in the film, which will start shooting in New Zealand next month. Wood played Frodo in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Cate Blanchett and Ian McKellen will also reprise their roles from the trilogy.

Elijah Wood is joining the Tron franchise after signing up to voice a character in an animated TV spin-off.

The 1982 science fiction classic was rebooted with a big screen sequel, with the original film's star Jeff Bridges reprising his role as the software engineer who created the arcade game universe.

Tron: Legacy has proved popular with film fans, grossing more than $165 million worldwide since its release earlier this month, and now it has been revealed the sequel will be followed by a TV show featuring the voice of Wood.

Tron: Legacy screenwriter Adam Horowitz tells Boxofficemagazin...

Scottish actor Billy Boyd married his long-term girlfriend Ali McKinnon today in Glasgow. Guests included his "Lord of the Rings" co-stars Elijah Wood and Dominic Monaghan.

Boyd and McKinnon have one child together, son Jack William Boyd.

Elijah stars in the upcoming film "Happy Feet 2." The talented dancing penguin Mumble (Wood) returns in a sequel to its computer-animated monster-hit predecessor. Also back is Robin Williams as the smart aleck Ramon.

Dominic Monaghan recently starred in the now-canceled series "FlashForward."

Billy appears in the upcoming films "The Witches of Oz" and ...

Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood and Danny McBride are playing the Beastie Boys in a new short film based on the iconic rap band.

Rapper Adam Yauch, who recently took a break from music to battle cancer, has written and directed the movie, which focuses on the making of the trio's 1986 video for (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!).

Yauch will be played by McBride in Fight For Your Right Revisited, while Wood will play Adam Horovitz and Rogen will take on the role of Michael 'Mike D' Diamond. Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly and Jack Black will also take on the roles of the band members duri...