General jist of the article in Empire
*A lot of The Hobbit is being filmed indoors due to weather problems during LOTR's shoot. Only nine weeks of the 254-day shoot will be on location. "I've learned to trust the studio," PJ joked.
*The Dwarves enter Rivendell where the Fellowship left it in the EE.
*PJ says he is not overdoing the 3D, for him it's about texture, immersion and seeing more of Middle-earth, though he guarantees the "odd Orc arrow".
*There's a candid conversation between McKellen and Bret McKenzie that was overheard, where McKellen asked him if he was at the Council of Elrond, and McKenzie replied he was just an extra.
*
PJ elaborated part of his problem with The Hobbit and why he didn't want to direct it was because of the mass of Dwarves and slightly self-serving quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain's treasure. But soon PJ began to adore the book's tone and differentiate the Dwarves better, because he saw something of himself in them. "We are being more humorous than LOTR but that is the characters. I'm dealing with a bunch of extenuate and forthright Dwarves who are not afraid to say what they think: they have a healthy disregard for the icons of Middle-earth."
*The party's designs are inspired by Vikings, Picts, druids, heavy metal bassists and, erm, Obelix.
*There's a dwarf wedgie ("It's in the appendices", PJ claimed, uhuh) and a "snot gun".
*Elrond will search Dol Guldur's dungeons with Gandalf.
*PJ kept his distance when Del Toro was directing so he didn't see much of his concept art until he realised he would be replacing him. "There's definitely some GDT DNA in the mix, and so there should be, I love some of his designs," but overall he's moving away from GDT's steampunk and clockwork essence in some of his designs.
*PJ and GDT agreed on casting Martin Freeman.
*It was after watching the Sherlock season 1 finale that PJ called Freeman's agent to arrange for two ten-week gaps in The Hobbit shoot to allow Freeman to film season 2 of Sherlock.
Thanks to "Alien traveller",too lazy to type it myself