Movies

The upcoming documentary "Deliver Us From Evil" will be released without a rating, after its trailer -- which makes reference to specific acts of child molestation by a priest and shows that priest watching children on a playground -- was given a "redband," or restricted, rating by the Motion Picture Association of America.

"Deliver Us" examines the child-molestation scandal that scarred the Catholic Church, and hones in particularly on the story of Father Oliver O'Grady, the northern California priest who has admitted (and does so on camera in the film) that he sexually abused numerous children over the course of 30 years. In the trailer, O'Grady talks about feeling "aroused" by the sight of children naked and in their underwear, and specifically mentions one incident with a victim.

The MPAA told Lionsgate, the film's distributor, that "the content is adult in nature, with overt comments about child molestation throughout," according to the Hollywood Reporter. And with its red-band rating, the organization, in effect if not by edict, excluded the trailer from playing in most theaters, which usually won't screen trailers with the tag.

Thus, Lionsgate has decided to release the film on October 13 without a rating. Says Lionsgate president Tom Ortenberg, "We're not looking to pick a fight with anybody...We owe it to our filmmaker, Amy Berg, and to the film to do whatever we can to get this movie seen."

The streets were filled with screaming fans outside the Chinese Theater in Hollywood for the premiere of "Jackass Number 2". Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Dunn, Preston Lacey, Bam Margera and even Bam's parents were all in attendance to celebrate the premiere of the boy's second feature film.

The classic theme from the James Bond films is ready to be 'Shaken and Stirred.'

DJ AM is teaming up with Smirnoff Vodka and new Bond film "Casino Royale" for a contest looking for the best remix of 007's iconic score. The winner will receive DJ equipment and the chance to open for AM at a Vegas nightclub.

"This contest will give aspiring DJs and musicians an opportunity to put their own spin on one of music's most iconic songs," said DJ AM. "As a long time Bond fan, I'm psyched to be a part of this contest and am looking forward to hearing and judging the final entries."

Wannabe DJs can download the theme song on the Smirnoff website. The entries will be judged on originality, creativity and artistic style. Online entries will be accepted until October 13, mail-in entries through October 17.

Stay tuned to TMZ for the winner!

A 69-year-old talking about sex is usually a little creepy. But when that 69-year-old is Jack Nicholson, we're all ears.

Nicholson is on the cover of the latest issue of Rolling Stone talking about his dating habits (he can't remember the word "monogamous"), his lack of protection (he claims to have never bought a condom) and his sexual partners (he says they have ranged in age from 21 to 69 in the last year).

"I do like company when I have it. That's always exhilarating," he told the mag. "I'm unattached for quite a while so I have varied company."

With Jackass Number 2 about to unleash it's vulgar fury on the world, we here at TMZ thought it would be appropriate to commemorate the momentous occasion with our own little Jackass montage, courtesy (of course) of our friend and Jackass alumni turned Wild Boy, Steve-O.

At any given moment you can find Steve-O acting crazy, spilling celeb dirt or even promoting the use of marijuana in order to prolong his 15 minutes of fame. All the while, TMZ has been there to catch it all. Here's our ode to Jackass and Steve-O.

Breaking News: Here's a thought. Try working for an actual Hollywood patron before you next kvetch about the stress of working on your overseer's cubicle plantation.

They might work for companies with obscure names, like Clyde is Hungry, or Saturn Films, but if we told you their bosses' names, you'd get it immediately: Saturn, of course, is Nicolas Cage's production company, run by Norm Golightly. Type A Films might not mean anything to you, but in Hollywood, you're talking about Reese Witherspoon's production company, headed by Jennifer Simpson.

And, of course, there's Bradford Simpson, who until today was the head of Leonardo DiCaprio's Warner Bros.-based production company, Appian Way.

Simpson is a well-regarded guy, who was lured to Hollywood after working as the head of production of the doyenne of indie film, Christine Vachon, and her New York-based Killer Films.

Having relocated, Simpson was charged with finding those quirky, interesting movies that the studios just don't usually make anymore for leading men with a brain. (He'd previously served as an associate producer on Kim Peirce's "Boys Don't Cry" and a co-producer on Todd Haynes excellent "Far From Heaven.") Appian made headlines over the summer by developing a movie for Leo about acid guru Timothy Leary, hiring playwright Craig Lucas ("The Dying Gaul") and Leary archivist Michael Horowitz to develop the screenplay. But part of the problem was that that deal came about because of Leo's dad, George, the underground comic book guru and longtime friend of Leary's. In short, lots of interesting stuff is in development, but little has come to fruition under Simpson.

Who's at fault for this?

That's a little more complicated.

In four years, DiCaprio has made three pictures with one director: Martin Scorsese. His next film, "Blood Diamonds" for director Ed Zwick ("The Last Samurai") was something that Zwick and Warners had kicked around for years - not an Appian Way production at all. But it would be a little unfair to call DiCaprio a capitalist pig only interested in big paydays: Leo cut his fee substantially on three of his last four pictures to make them happen.

On the other hand, superstars' producing partners also have to gingerly negotiate some tricky waters every day: Get close to your star, and interest them in doing your homegrown projects, but not so close that you threaten the agents and managers who make such a fine living putting the big star into big paydays. ("Blood Diamonds" is said to have cost Warner Bros. some $100 million.) It can make getting things done challenging to say the least.

It's not clear whether Simpson sensed he was about to be pushed out by Leo's team for not making rain, or tired of waiting for Leo to become available, but one thing appear for certain: Now Brad's become "The Departed."

For two decades, Father Oliver O' Grady, by his own admission, molested scores of boys and girls in various parishes in California, becoming one of the most notorious pedophiles amongst the priests defrocked in the scandal that rocked the Catholic Church. A powerful new documentary tells O'Grady's story, and suggests that while his crimes were monstrous, the alleged cover-up perpetrated by the church was truly unforgivable.

"Deliver Us From Evil" tells the story of how the Catholic Church moved O'Grady from parish to parish in order to avoid liability and deflect criticism. Internal church documents prove that, beginning in 1973, Church superiors knew of O'Grady's actions and lied to parishioners and local law enforcement to protect him.

Some of the most remarkable moments of the film are the interviews with O'Grady himself. His dispassionate account of the hundreds of children he molested is disturbing enough; combined with the stories told by the survivors, filmmaker Amy Berg creates a moving, powerful, and unforgettable narrative. A never-before-seen taped deposition given by Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony and his former second-in-command Monsignor James Cain is also featured in the film.

The documentary has a limited release on October 13th and goes wide October 27th.

British actor Rupert Everett has admitted to being sperm-free.

Everett tells London's Daily Telegraph this is a result of being on alopecia (baldness) medication."I don't have any sperm left. If I stop taking the pills, all my hair will fall out, but I would rather have hair than sperm." What a choice!

Rupert is plugging his autobiography, "Red Carpet and Other Banana Skins," in which he makes some provocative comments on some of Hollywood's biggest stars.

Besides admitting to having a heterosexual affair with Susan Sarandon, the out and proud actor portrays his "My Best Friend's Wedding" co-star Julia Roberts as skittish and says Sharon Stone has become "unhinged." "Sharon Stone is an extraordinary character, extremely intelligent, totally controlling, really fun but...unhinged. And that's kind of fabulous." Nice cover-up Rupe!

But you won't catch Everett saying negative things about his good friend Madonna. As to why she gets off easy in his book, Everett says "Well. We all have authority figures." And her Madgesty appreciates it.

Rupert is even harsh on himself and believes that as he reaches closer to turning 50, "Now no one wants me."

The Santa Monica Pier was transformed Tuesday night into a drive-In straight out of the 1950s to celebrate the re-release of the legendary movie "Grease." TMZ cameras rolled as the original cast came out to show their support to all the fans, young and old. Fans in attendance got a special treat when Sha Na Na performed classic hits live like "At the Hop."

So how does Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson look after this many years? Um... it seems as if John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John had other plans and were not able to attend.

Adam Sandler and Kevin James are getting married... sort of.

Though the two are straight in the real world, their new film finds them playing heterosexuals pretending to be a firefighting gay married couple.

"I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" has the two posing as players for the other team to qualify for their fire department's domestic-partner benefits.

The film also stars Jessica Biel, as a love interest and possible complication for Sandler, and Steve Buscemi as a wary city official sent to keep an eye on the "couple."

"I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" will be released next summer.

Joe Eszterhas is a glutton for punishment.

Famous for writing such cinematic gems as "Basic Instinct," "Jade," and "Sliver," Eszterhas is now reportedly hoping to turn his most titillating work, "Showgirls," into a musical.

The film, which was supposed to make Elizabeth Berkley a star instead of a punchline, did succeed in raising the bar in the 'its-so-bad-it's-good' category at Blockbuster. "Glitter, "Gigli", and "Catwoman" send their thanks.

Despite the fact that the camp classic bombed at the box office when it was released in 1995, Eszterhas is now looking to take his ode to all things tacky and topless to Vegas.

Barring a minor miracle, the "Showgirls" musical is destined to recreate it's celluloid fate on the Sin City stage.

One thing the show does have going for it, according to New York magazine, is that Eszterhas hopes to resuscitate Nomi Malone with the help of producers from the musical "Urinetown."

Borat has touched down in Los Angeles and he's checking out everything America has to offer -- especially the women.

Borat, the character made famous by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, had a photo shoot in Hollywood yesterday and was snapped taking some pictures up a woman's dress at the Chinese Theater.

Cohen's new film, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" (yes, that's the real title), is slated for a November release and is already garnering negative attention from the Eurasian nation over its portrayal in the film. While stunts like these probably won't help the situation much, we're hoping Cohen shows up as Borat in public more often.

First things first: "Yuma" had been ready to shoot over the summer at Columbia Pictures, but was put into turnaround last and was suddenly all hat and no cattle. That is, until Relativity Media agreed to finance it last month.

Then, late last night, a deal was inked for Lionsgate Films to release Mangold's new take on the classic Western, whose casting is rapidly firming up.

It's a major coup for Lionsgate, which has made piles of cash on low-brow fare like "Saw" and "Crank," but also won Oscars on more literate titles like "Monster's Ball."

By now, Mangold's probably used to this kind of drama in making serious films: His last movie, "Walk the Line" had been at Sony for years, but was ultimately dumped and then snapped up by Fox 2000, where it won Reese Witherspoon the Oscar for Best Actress last year.

Meanwhile, Mangold also recently sewed up the life rights to three characters from the wrenching-but-poignant doc about quadriplegics who play full-contact rugby -- in seemingly indestructable wheelchairs: Team USA wheelchair rugby captain Mark Zupan; Team Canada coach Joe Soares, and Christopher Igoe, Zupan's childhood friend.

For those familiar with the wrenching but fascinating doc, Zupan needs no introduction. A collegiate soccer star, the charismatic goateed athlete passed out drunk in the bed of his pal Chris Igoe's pickup. He was awakened by being plunged into a canal after his friend crashed the truck. His neck broken, Zupan would have to cling to a floating tree branch for fourteen hours before he could be rescued.

Facing life in a wheelchair, with only limited use of his four limbs, Zupan would battle years of agony and depression before transforming himself into a fearless athlete in a wheelchair rugby league and lead his Team USA to the Paralympics in Athens, Greece last year. Mangold also has the life rights to Joe Soares, one of the most winningest rugby players in the league, who famously defected to coach Team Canada after not making the cut on Team USA.

It's not hard to see how this all went down: Mangold is a mentor of sorts to "Murderball" co-director Henry Alex Rubin. Rubin had served as the second unit director on both "Cop Land" and "Girl, Interrupted." Having just directed Reese Witherspoon to an Oscar for her performance in his most recent film "Walk the Line," it was a cinch that Fox 2000 would jump on Mangold's latest idea.

Happily, you need not wait until Mangold wraps on "Yuma" to learn more about indomitable spirit of Mark Zupan: His new book, "Gimp" -- co-written by Premiere magazine West Coast editor Tim Swanson -- hits stores next month.

The film stars Zooey Deschanel as a rebellious young woman who has a chance encounter with a lonely older man.

Julia hopes the film expresses "how the seemingly simple act of getting dressed shapes one's identity."

The 25-year-old Columbia University grad admits she has been imagining this story for a while but "never in a million years thought I'd be directing."

"Raving" is the first in a series of original fashion based content that the mag has developed for TV, VOD, online and mobile phones.

The film will be available for viewing on Elle.com.

She might be the sweetheart of Namibia, but it looks like Angelina Jolie doesn't quite carry the same weight in Pakistan.

A Pakistani newspaper is reporting that a production crew from Jolie's upcoming movie "A Mighty Heart" was recently caught filming scenes in Karachi and Islamabad, as well as the Pakistani countryside, without permission from the government.

"A Mighty Heart," is based on Mariane Pearl's account of the terrifying and unforgettable ordeal of her late husband, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

A press minister from the government issued a statement to the Pakistan Daily Times saying, "No request by the film unit to shoot in Pakistan had been made to the embassy." He said all documentary and feature filmmakers must obtain permission and an appropriate visa from the Pakistani government before they begin shooting. Any unauthorized attempt to film without permission and without the knowledge of government authorities is "illegal and regrettable," he added. The minister said he would be making inquiries, starting today, both here and in Islamabad.

TMZ contacted Paramount, the studio producing the film. Our calls were not immediately returned.

Natalie Maines obviously isn't out to make friends with President Bush anytime soon -- expressing her embarrassment towards #43 and calling him a "dumb f**k" in a new documentary.

Though the Dixie Chicks initially set out to make a rockumentary, "Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing" quickly became more politically charged after the group's frontwoman told a London audience, "We're embarrassed that the President is from Texas," at a 2003 concert.
"We felt like it was time to have cameras follow us around for a little while and just show the next cycle of touring," says Emily Robison about the filming, "and then when Natalie said what she said it turned into a totally different animal. It was one of those things where we knew it was important to continue filming."

The documentary, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, depicts the backlash towards the Chicks and their new album, "Taking the Long Way," which had difficulty getting airplay on country radio stations. The film will open this month in limited release.