Tolian Productions

05/05/2026

Happy Birthday, John Rhys-Davies!

"I cannot tell you how many people I have met that have said 'Oh, by the way, I studied archaeology at University' or 'I became an archaeologist largely because of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' (1981).' And I still meet youngsters who are going up to read archaeology and history at University because of 'Raiders.'"

On the Bonus Features DVD, John Rhys-Davies talks about how when he auditioned for the role of Sallah, he was concerned since the script originally described Sallah as a "5-foot-2, skinny, Egyptian digger" (Steven Spielberg originally wanted Danny DeVito to play Sallah and DeVito was set for the role, but he had to drop out due to conflicts with "Taxi"). Spielberg mentioned that when he first heard Rhys-Davies speak, he reminded him of the Shakespearean character Falstaff.

Rhys-Davies spent up to five hours a day putting on makeup for the role of Gimli in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. It was discovered early on that he was allergic to the prosthetics, so he could only put them on and work about every third day. The first week, it burned off the skin under his eyes. After filming was completed he was given the appliance used and told to do what he wanted with it. One of the makeup artists claimed they had never seen him move so fast as he threw it into a nearby fire.

Rhys-Davies lost the end tip of his left hand middle finger to the knuckle while changing a van engine. During filming of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (2002), he was fitted with a gel tip for the finger. Rhys-Davies and the crew played a prank on director Peter Jackson by slicing the gel tip nearly in half and inserting prop blood inside. Rhys-Davies approached Jackson to tell him he was hurt and pulled open the tip, letting the blood flow out. (IMDb)

02/05/2026

Happy Birthday, Dwayne Johnson!

Each day on set of "The Smashing Machine" (2025) required makeup that took three to four hours to complete and 21 prosthetics, courtesy of Academy Award winner Kazu Hiro, to make Dwayne Johnson look like former amateur wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr. Johnson worked with a voice coach to turn his speech into that of Kerr's, a soft, tender voice. The result has been a performance that critics have lauded as one of Johnson's best, who looks almost unrecognizable on the big screen. "I've never worked harder, and we like hard work, it's what we all like to do," Johnson told ESPN during the roundtable. "But man, I had never worked harder for a role."

Co-star Emily Blunt was stunned when she first saw Johnson step into his role. "'Holy s**t,' is what went through my head," said Emily. "I was really staggered by it. It changed the air in the room. Everyone just went very quiet...The transformation seemed like water in the desert. It was so magical."

Johnson first met Kerr around 1997 when the wrestler began ascending, and Johnson's career as the Rocky Maivia character struggled to take off in the then World Wrestling Federation. During the late 1990s, Johnson and Kerr witnessed a sudden uptick in deaths of MMA fighters and pro wrestlers from pills and drugs. Both of them knew friends who suffered a similar fate. "My thought was just this man [Mark] and (director) Benny (Safide), your vision, you'll shoot the film how you want to and I know, I feel it's going to be special. But it was really just about Mark," Johnson said. "And I just wanted to write my own love letter to the men who are my friends that I lost. And to Mark's as well."

In the 2000 PRIDE Grand Prix fight scene between Kerr and Kazuyuki Fujita, Johnson insisted on being hit for real, a request which actor Yoko Hamamura initially refused. He was talked into it by Safdie, and ended up giving Johnson a concussion, to achieve that legitimately dazed look on Kerr in the movie. (IMDb/Wikipedia)

[source: Cinema Shorthand Society]

23/03/2026

Happy Birthday William Shatner, who turned 95 today!

20/03/2026

Nooooooo…. Chuck is gone. May he R.I.P. 🙏🏼

The martial arts grandmaster and action star Chuck Norris has died. His roles in “Walker, Texas Ranger” and other television shows and movies made him an iconic tough guy, sparking internet parodies and adoration from presidents.

18/03/2026

My spidey-sense tells me something good is coming!

A Brand New Day starts now.Watch the official trailer for - exclusively in theatres July 31.After the record-breaking global success of...

16/02/2026

R.I.P. Robert Duvall 😢

Legendary actor Robert Duvall has passed away at the age of 95, his wife confirmed in a statement. NBC News' Chloe Melas reports on Duvall's seven-decade career, which earned multiple accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Actor in the movie "Tender Mercies."

07/02/2026

Who’s in the market for an awesome property?

06/02/2026

ROOSTER is an upcoming HBO comedy series led by Steve Carell as Greg Russo, a celebrated novelist who arrives at an upper‑crust college for a reading and gets pulled into campus life. His reason for staying becomes personal: his adult daughter Katie, a professor at the school, is in a crisis, and Greg believes he can swoop in and fix things.

Instead, he discovers her problems are messier than he expected and that his presence complicates as much as it helps. On campus, students latch onto him as “Rooster,” the name associated with a popular character from his books, and the nickname turns him into an accidental mascot.

The trailer leans into the comedy of Greg trying to maintain dignity while gradually giving in to collegiate peer pressure and the weird rituals of college culture. The show is created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, with a 10‑episode first season premiering March 8, 2026 on HBO and streaming on Max, releasing weekly. The main cast also includes Charly Clive, Danielle Deadwyler, Phil Dunster, John C. McGinley, and Lauren Tsai.

It’s pitched as a heart-forward, character-driven sitcom about parenting an adult child, identity, and reinvention amid academia’s chaos and loud students.

[source: The Unseen Office]

31/01/2026

Tragic and sad.
R.I.P. Catherine O’Hara

We mourn the loss of Catherine O’Hara, a titan of comedy and a global icon. From Delia Deetz to Moira Rose, she taught us that authentic, truthful performance is the heart of every great story. Thank you for the laughter and the light.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Pfluger for The New York Times.

28/01/2026

Seeking Castle Rock’s future Black Belts. We only have 9 spots available. Learn more at CastleRockATA.com

24/01/2026

Sheldon Cooper meets Dwight Schrute!!

Sheldon: “Hello. I’m Sheldon Cooper. I possess an IQ of 187, a PhD, and a strict aversion to irrational behavior.”
Dwight: “Identity noted. I am Dwight Kurt Schrute III. Assistant to the Regional Manager. Trained in survival, combat, and beet-based agriculture.”

Sheldon: “Beets are an inefficient crop. Potatoes yield more calories per square meter.
Dwight: False. Beets build character. Potatoes build weakness.”

Sheldon: “Interesting. You appear to have confused agriculture with personality development.”
Dwight: “And you appear weak. Could you survive a winter with only root vegetables and discipline?”

Sheldon: “I could survive indefinitely if provided with Wi-Fi, Thai food on Tuesdays, and my designated spot on the couch.”
Dwight: “Pathetic. My designated spot is wherever I declare dominance.”

Sheldon: “That’s not dominance. That’s loud insecurity wearing glasses.”
Dwight: “Careful. I once pepper-sprayed a coworker for less.”

Sheldon: “Fascinating. I once filed a noise complaint against myself to prove a point.
Dwight: …respect.”

Sheldon: “You claim authority without credentials. I am the authority.”
Dwight: “I follow a higher authority: Schrute law. Rule one: never trust a man who knocks.”

Sheldon: “Rule one of Cooper protocol: never sit in my spot.”
Dwight: “Then we are enemies.”

Sheldon: “Temporary enemies. Statistically, you’d be useful during an apocalypse.”
Dwight: “Finally. Someone who understands me.”

Sheldon: “Don’t get excited. You’re still wrong about beets.”
Dwight: “And you’re still wrong about strength.”

Sheldon: “Agree to disagree?
Dwight: No. But I will tolerate you.”

Sheldon: “That’s the nicest thing anyone like you could say.”
Dwight: “Identity confirmed: Ally… for now.”

[Source: The Unseen Office]