Movies

After enduring bronchitis, laryngitis and a fractured foot, Katharine McPhee emerged triumphant during her performance Saturday on the American Idols Live Tour at LA's Staples Center.

But vocal skills aside, we've learned Kat's big star turn may be on the big screen.

A well-placed source tells TMZ that Kat, who has the same theatrical manager as another ailment-prone hottie, Lindsay Lohan, is one of the lucky ladies up for the highly coveted lead role in the big-screen adaptation of "Wonder Woman."

Everyone from Sandra Bullock to Kate Beckinsale has been rumored to be in the running for the starring role in the movie, which will be directed by Joss Whedon, who created "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

While it's up in the air if she will be sporting those trademark red boots, tights and bracelets, you will still be able to see Kat wearing a lot less very soon.

TMZ has learned that Katharine, who has struggled with bulimia, will appear on the cover of an upcoming issue of Shape magazine, wearing a bathing suit. Now in a much healthier place, McPhee will show off her killer curves for all the world to see.

With all the prospects in her future, and despite coming in second on "Idol," It looks like Kat is no one-hit wonder, Justin Guarini be damned!

Depp was back in costume - wig, eyeliner, dreadlocks and puffy shirt- to continue filming parts of "Pirates of the Caribbean 3." The Oscar-nominated actor boarded a small transfer boat and made his way to the real (at least real onscreen) Black Pearl, currently anchored off the coast.

But not all of the movie is being filmed in the water, they have also recreated the famous ship on a Disney sound stage just beyond the Hollywood Hills in Burbank.

You're just going to have to be patient, however, to get your Sparrow fix. The third installment doesn't hit theaters till May of 2007.

Hollywood is buzzing about Tom Cruise and the end of his relationship with Paramount Pictures -- and even more so about the verbal butt-kicking that Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone gave Cruise on his way out the door. So what ticked Redstone off so much?

"Sumner used to wear the same pair of movie-theater-usher pants..."

TMZ spoke to eight Viacom insiders, spread diversely across the media giant's numerous divisions, including the television networks and business affairs. The consensus was a bit surprising -- that Redstone is as nutty as Cruise, and the combo was bound to blow.

One well-placed source said that Cruise, who demanded a huge percentage of gross profits off the top of all his movies, was simply too rich for Redstone's cheap blood. The source mused that "Sumner used to wear the same pair of movie-theater-usher pants -- you know, the ones with the stripe down the side -- day after day with an unmatched suit jacket."

Several other sources attributed Redstone's anger to his native personality. "He has this whole old-fashioned, New England thing and doesn't suffer fools, especially creative ones, lightly," says one source who has worked with Redstone. "It doesn't take much to get him angry and he's probably been keeping this bottled up." Once he got wind that Cruise was trying to raise funds, says the source, Redstone decided to lash out.

Still another source says that Redstone was trying to make an example out of Cruise. Specifically, you don't "screw" with The Man. Cruise and his producing partner, Paula Wagner, say they were the ones to shut down negotiations with Paramount, after a chance of a deal seemed futile.

Virtually everyone we spoke with agreed -- Cruise's departure is a good thing for morale at Viacom. As one source said, as they were suffering "budget-cutting indignities," Cruise was living high on the hog. Now Cruise has been sent out to pasture, or, if you will Green Acres.

After cleaning up at the Teen Choice Awards, Captain Jack Sparrow and his band of pirates headed back to the Black Pearl after a summer hiatus from filming "Pirates of the Caribbean 3."

The cast of next year's sure-to-be box office hit are now back on the ship off the coast of Palos Verdes, Calif.

After filming wrapped for the day on Tuesday evening, Orlando Bloom made a quick escape by jumping in his car and heading out. While Johnny Depp, on the other hand, found time to say hi and take pictures with the dozens of fans waiting to see the actor through a chain link fence that borders the set.

Though Owen Wilson definitely expected questions about co-star Kate Hudson at their new film's London premiere, one thing he probably didn't expect was a flasher.

After calling for Wilson's attention, a woman inside a bar located behind the "You, Me and Dupree" press line lifted up her shirt and flashed her breasts at the actor.

When asked what he thought of the gesture Wilson told one reporter, "Wow! I kind of lost my train of thought with that one."

His "Dupree" co-star Michael Douglas also showed some confusion when the woman then decided to flick "V" signs at him.

Sumner Redstone, chief honcho at Viacom, the parent company of Paramount, has ended the 14-year relationship with Cruise's production company, Cruise/Wagner Productions. According to The Wall Street Journal, Redstone cited Cruise's controversial conduct and behavior over the last year as the reason for the split.

Redstone reportedly believed Cruise's antics -- including his now infamous appearances on "Oprah" and "Today" -- had a negative impact on the bottom line for "Mission Impossible III." Redstone said, "As much as we like him personally, we thought it was wrong to renew his deal." Redstone told The Wall Street Journal: "His recent conduct has not been acceptable to Paramount."

Cruise/Wagner produced a string of hits for Paramount, including "Top Gun," "Mission Impossible" and "Days of Thunder."

UPDATE: Paula Wagner, Cruise's producing partner, responded angrily, claiming Redstone's comments were "outrageous and disrespectful." Wagner noted that her collaboration with Cruise has accounted for 15% of Paramount's theatrical revenues over the last decade. Wagner added that she and Cruise broke off negotiations with Paramount within the last few days. Finally, Wagner said her company has raised "a revolving fund of $100 million" from two hedge funds and that they will be making movies in the future.

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Jessica Alba's definitely known for being sexy, but after a run-in with co-star Dane Cook that left her toothless the actress is feeling anything but.

"We did all of our love scenes in one day and I chipped a tooth and I lost a tooth, isn't that disgusting? We're smashing our faces together, it's not the slowest, most romantic love scene."

Alba showed off the gaps left by her rough love scenes to "EXTRA" at an event for BeMoreYou.com, an organization which helps empower and improve the self esteem of teenage girls. While we think the gorgeous "Sin City" star has little cause for a low self-image she offered advice for those going through those awkward teen years.

The premiere for the new comedy "Beerfest" happened last night at the Mann Chinese Theater in Hollywood -- and it was swarming with actors you've never heard of.

A good comedy doesn't need to be full of big stars, just big laughs. Still, we offer a handy guide to Who The Hell These People Are.

Candace Smith was Miss Ohio 2003.

Gunter Shlierkamp was once Mr. Universe.

Jay Chandrasekhar (who also directs) and Erik Stolhanske were Campus Cops #1 & #2 in "The Dukes of Hazzard".

Also present were actors who played a Scuba Diver, an Amish Man, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jay's Mother in "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back".

Just when we thought the set of "Ocean's 13" couldn't get any hotter - funny man Bernie Mac and Oscar nominated actor Don Cheadle showed back to shoot scenes for the highly anticipated film.

Bits and pieces of Danny Ocean's famous crowd of charming crooks hit the streets of LA Monday to film scenes at a local REI store.

During their down time, Pitt and Clooney found a moment to chat, wave at the lingering paparazzi, smoke a cigarette, text message and read the paper.

The day wrapped with George and Brad slapping on their helmets and riding away.

Mark Wahlberg stars in the true story of an American football hero in "Invincible." The "Planet of the Apes" star plays Vince Papale, a 30-year old bartender who in 1976 won a place in an open tryout to play on his beloved hometown team, the Philadelphia Eagles. Having never even played college football, Papale ended up playing for the team for three seasons, inspiring an entire city along the way.

Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks and the real-life Vince Papale discussed their roles and their experiences on making the film in a sit-down interview.

Mark and Greg also sat down with each other on Moviefone's series "Unscripted," and the two actors went back and forth at each other, chatting about funny situations they were put into while making the film.

While promoting his new film, "The Last Kiss," Zach Braff opened up about the troubles of dating in Hollywood. The "Scrubs" star recently split with Mandy Moore, due in part to their nine-year age difference, and says the scrutiny put on celebrities can be overwhelming.

"A relationship is hard, doing it in the public eye is something that's very new to me. I was a waiter 5 years ago and when I was a waiter nobody was telling lies about me in the tabloids. But it's par for the course."

One recent tabloid rumor even linked him with Jessica Simpson but Braff insists the gossip isn't true: "Totally made up. I've met her a couple times, she's a sweet girl but I think I saw her two months ago at a bar in the Hamptons and that was it."

Will Shania Twain ever have a tour in South Dakota?

While anything's possible Andrea, it's not likely that Shania Twain will be stopping in South Dakota any time soon. Sources close to the country crooner tell TMZ that she has no tours currently planned and that she is on holiday for an indefinite amount of time.

In 2004 she released her "Greatest Hits" album, which peaked at number two on the the Billboard 200. And in 2005 she unveiled "Beginnings," an album which fans have warmly taken in.

To read more about Shania, click here.

Is it true that Channing Tatum is dating Jenna Dewan?

Christy, all signs are pointing to these two on-screen love birds being an item. Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan have been seen numerous times with one another since working together in the movie "Step Up." This isn't the first time Tatum has been linked with a fellow female worker. "She's the Man" co-star Amanda Bynes is the most recent before Jenna. But don't count Jenna out. The professional dancer, who has recently parted ways with Shane West ("A Walk to Remember"), has also been linked with Justin Timberlake in the past. Typical Hollywood triangles!

In any event, this duo makes Channing and Jenna two of the luckiest (and slightly unknown) Hollywood actors yet. And for more, check out some of their photos together.

It was a wild Saturday night in Phoenix this past weekend. The Phoenix PD responded to a call that there was a snake in a movie theater in north Phoenix. The theater -- you knew it was coming -- happened to be showing "Snakes on a Plane."

Police arrived and found one eight-inch baby rattlesnake in the hallway, not in the actual theater. The police think the snake probably came from a construction area nearby. The rattler was corralled and turned over to the Arizona Herpetological Association -- or folks who like snakes.

Police tell TMZ that rattlesnake calls are not all that uncommon in the Phoenix area and reports that the snake was intentionally put in the theater during the movie are not true.

After months of Internet hype via blogs (namely MySpace and Tagworld), "Snakes on a Plane" finally hit theaters this weekend. Besides solidifying Samuel L. Jackson's role as cult film hero, it's possible "SoaP" will help catapult some bands to stardom. We already know that getting your song on the right show or in the right movie can add substantial lift to a band's buzz. And, being in the "event" movie of the summer could do just that for the groups on the "SoaP" soundtrack.

Of course, not every band featured is in need of further attention. The "SoaP" soundtrack has some heavy hitters. Fall Out Boy, Cee-Lo, the All-American Rejects and Panic! at the Disco are among the big names providing some mood music for Sam Jackson's "f" bombs. But, there are a few other bands on the disc that you might not know as well that are worth checking out:

Gym Class Heroes - Besides having a great name, this New York band combines indie rock and hip hop for some very cool sounds. The band has been around awhile, even long enough to weather some personnel changes, but got a lift when they signed to hip indie label Fueld by Ramen's Decaydance imprint. For "SoaP," they contributed a very appropriately MySpace-themed tune. Check out their video for "New Friend Request" here.

Cobra Starship - These guys are probably the most likely to owe the most to "SoaP." Their "Snakes on Plane (Bring It)" has been heavily used in promoting the film and the video preceded the movie by around two months and has gotten well over a half a million plays on MySpace alone. Like Gym Class Heroes, these guys are on the Decaydance roster and have been on tour with their label mates this summer. Their danceable "breakbeat" style is an interesting choice for a key song in an action flick like "SoaP," but given the kitschy nature of the film it makes sense.

The Bronx - Despite the New York name, these guys are actually a Southern California band. The Bronx are a real deal punk band. They've got old school cred and whip a crowd into a frenzy with their intense live show. "Around the Horn" is their contribution to "SoaP."

Jason Statham's new flick "Crank" is getting thriller movie enthusiasts pumped as previews of the film promise non-stop action.

"Crank's" plot forces Statham's character to seek revenge on the men who poisoned him, but there's a twist; the only way he can survive is by keeping his adrenaline level through the roof. Once it drops -- he's dead.

Today is the day, finally, that Samuel L. Jackson's already cult classic "Snakes on a Plane" opens in theaters. Jackson showed he had no shame -- or sympathy for the snakes -- as arrived to the film's Hollywood premiere last night covered from head to toe with snakes.

The actor showed off his shoes, T-shirt and pendant inspired by the film's poster and admitted he had more "Snakes" memorabilia back at home. "I actually have Kangols that have snakes on them, I made those for the cast and crew for a wrap gift, so there is lots of stuff." To drill the fact home that the movie is full of the slithery serpents, in case you hadn't noticed via the title or the six months of relentless hype, Jackson also posed for photos with a 13-foot Burmese python.