NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon has posted the following update:

"Thought I'd give an update on my rib situation since there's been some of you asking how I´m doing. Thanks for asking.

Well, it still hurts and I do need to take pain killers. Can't do some things and lying on the side is still to painful, even if I try every night since my left side is my favourite sleeping side...

I am up, I am walking, I can go out for shorter walks but the pain gets to me after doing that. Still, its much better and I have learned that broken ribs can take a long time to really heal and that it might be hard to do some things for a long time.

I have felt more pain now after my bad cold since the sneezing and coughing 'pulled' it up again so that was a bit bad timing, but I do feel that singing next week will work really good with some painkillers and I am so happy to finally go over to the studio with Tuomas and do some magic!

So I´m stronger and I am happy things are moving in the right direction again."

Holed up in Finland's Petrax Studios for the better part of this spring, NIGHTWISH's new album is scheduled to be released early in 2012, followed by the movie after an indefinite time. The first single off the album as well as the trailer for the movie should appear well before the end of the 2011.

Nightwish bassist/vocalist Marco Hietala checked in with the following update from the studio last week:

"I've been here at the studio for a couple of days trying to sing. Amateur that I am seems to get nothing done right. I've been crying and laughing. I've been jumping down from the roof into the snowpiles. The guys have been whipping me on but the only thing left to show the world are the scars on my butt. Mikko shot a very nice picture of them.

To be honest I'm actually almost done. I've been spewing out words and notes like a radio station. Just one song left, an overall check if I need to fill in some places, and my work is over for now. The mummy's curse Tuomas mentioned seems to have lifted a bit. I sailed under it to Thailand and back and got better. Stand back please, I'm spitting over my shoulder! Trying to hit the undead curselaying old fart of course.

At the moment my responsibilities are writing this report and getting the sauna warm for the evening. So... Is there something else I should tell you about before we get all naked and sweaty? Ah-ha! No more questions! Hold that image!

Check out more photos from the studio at this location.

A recent Imaginarium movie update from Nightwish reads: "If you were to witness an unprecedented magic trick that could not be explained rationally, would you want to know how it is done?

A child experiences something new and unique each day. Something that is often impossible for the child to put into words without the guidance or explanation of an adult. Often the explanation has disappointed us. Sometimes it’s better not to know the truth.

If you had the chance to return to your childhood - just for a split second - when witnessing a magic trick, would you forfeit that chance and seek for a rational explanation?

Imaginarium is all about such questions. They have been answered by many people who have worked with the album and the movie already in the planning stages. As the final storyboard is being created, the producers, the director, the band, the production designer, the concept artists, and the casting director all work together to perfect their various arts for the movie. Contradictorily, they often have to ask the question: “How can we weave that kind of magic?”

The script has seen many improvements, more than ever before. The truth about movie production is that the script is often polished right until the first day of shooting, sometimes even during the shooting. At the moment, a lot of loose ends are being tied together, and a lot of characters are changed substantively to act as either a negative or a positive force in the story.

The SFX and prop design is underway, as well as the casting for the main roles. Storyboard drawing is interrupted momentarily, as concept art is needed to outline the characters and the environments.

We’ve experimented with arranging the background score with the actual songs off the album, and the best indicator of success is the amount of goose bumps the combination has raised.

?These are exciting times, because the decisions being made now largely shape the finished movie. We can only say that we’re already immensely proud of it.

We’ve travelled a long road, but not until the next crossroads can we distinguish a sign “Imaginarium, X miles”."

Nightwish recently announced that the very first show for the Imaginarium World Tour will take place at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA, on Saturday, January 21st, 2012.

This will be the biggest Nightwish show production ever on North American soil and strictly a one-off - there will be no US tour until later in 2012. Ticket sales will begin soon.