Movies

Liam Neeson appeared on "SportsCenter" yesterday to talk football -- problem is, he doesn't know a damn thing about the sport ... and when he realized the interview was being aired live, he totally dropped an S-bomb.

Neeson is currenty on a hardcore promotional tour for his new movie "Taken 2" ... and someone thought it would be a good idea to let ESPN grill him about the NFL.

After the first question, a stumped Liam said, "Ok, we better start again -- can we? Are we live? Oh, sh*t."

When the anchor continued to press ... asking about Tim Tebow, the replacement refs and the 49ers ... Neeson responded, "See, you're speaking ancient Arabic to me buddy ... I swear to you ... I just don't understand the game."

The woman who produced the disgustingly sappy tearjerker, "Steel Magnolias" is suing over the upcoming Lifetime TV remake of the film -- claiming she's not getting the credit or the cash she deserves.

Victoria L. White -- executive producer of the 1989 film starring Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton, and Shirley MacLaine -- filed suit today against Sony Pictures and Lifetime Television ... producers of the new TV movie starring Queen Latifah and Phylicia Rashad.

In the documents, White claims she has a "Television agreement" that entitles her to a co-producer or co-executive producer credit on any TV project based on her hit film.

According to the suit, White also says she's entitled to some cash for the Lifetime remake -- including a $15,000 fee, plus up to 3.75% of net profits from the movie.

White further alleges Sony is fully aware of her TV deal ... because it gave her a co-producer credit and compensation the first time this happened. For those who don't remember (as in all of us), there was already a 1992 CBS TV movie based on "Steel Magnolias."

White is suing for compensation on the Lifetime remake -- and she wants an injunction to stop the film from airing ... unless she gets her on-screen credit. The movie is scheduled to air Oct. 7.

Here's what we can't figure ... why is this movie still being remade?

Lil Wayne ain't fazed one bit by the hilarious deposition tapes that surfaced this week -- telling friends, the footage makes him look like a BOSS ... and he's glad people got a taste of his twisted sense of humor.

TMZ posted the amazing clips on Tuesday ... in which Weezy answers multiple questions by a lawyer for Quincy Jones III -- the guy who Wayne's suing over a documentary film about the rapper ... a film Wayne called "scandalous" and wants to eradicate.

During the deposition, Wayne spouts off hilarious one-liner after one-liner -- calling one of the lawyer's questions "the stupidest ever," and recalling his own performance at some "crazy stupid thick" girl's birthday party.

Sources close to Wayne tell us, everyone in the rapper's camp thinks the tapes are hilarious.

We're told Wayne believes he answered the questions astutely -- and if anyone looks dumb, it's Quincy's lawyer ... who asked all the wrong questions in the depo.

An investigation has been launched into the shocking death of a crew member on the set of "The Lone Ranger" ... with a government agency vowing to leave no stone unturned until it discovers the truth.

TMZ broke the story ... a welder/water safety expert named Mike Bridger died on the L.A. movie set Friday while working inside a large water tank. Law enforcement sources tell us it appeared Bridger suffered a heart attack.

Now, we've learned Cal/Osha -- a workplace safety enforcement agency -- has launched an investigation to see if there was any negligence or wrongdoing on the part of Bridger's employer ... standard operating procedure following a death on a movie set.

In other words, Cal/Osha will look into how workers responded once they realized Bridger was unresponsive -- Did they follow proper emergency protocol? Was there a proper emergency protocol? etc.

A rep for Cal/Osha tells us the org. is also looking into the equipment and the tank ... and will also review the medical condition of the victim before his death. Cal/Osha will also conduct interviews with everyone who was on the set during the incident.

We're told there have been no official findings yet, and the final report could take up to 6 months to complete.

"The Lone Ranger" crew member who died on set last week worked alongside mega producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Johnny Depp for years, TMZ has learned.

Close friends tell TMZ the victim's name is Mike Bridger -- a welder and water safety guy who had 20 plus years in the biz ... and one of his biggest breaks was working with Bruckheimer on the set of the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie.

We're told Bruckheimer respected his work so much ... he hired him for every single "Pirates" sequel and then for "Lone Ranger." Our sources say he also became close with Depp while working on those films.

Close friends of Mike tell TMZ ... the family does not blame the production company for his death, and believes he died of a heart attack.

TMZ broke the story, Mike was working in a large tank on "The Lone Ranger" set when he passed away​. Law enforcement also believe his death was due to a heart attack. He was 48.

1:10PM PST Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the movie wasn't being shot today, and the person who died in the tank was prepping it -- possibly cleaning it -- when someone noticed no bubbles from the gear were surfacing. That's when they pulled the man out of the water.

A Walt Disney spokesperson just confirmed our story, saying, "We regretfully confirm that a Lone Ranger crew member has passed away after being taken to a local hospital," adding "our full support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this terrible event."

2:28PM PST Law enforcement sources tell us, it appears he had a heart attack. Investigators are treating it as a "natural death." An autopsy will be completed over the weekend.

A crew member working on the new Johnny Depp movie "The Lone Ranger" died this morning after drowning on the set and going into full cardiac arrest ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the man was a diver who was working in a tank on the Los Angeles set ... when something went wrong.

We're told someone on the crew called 911 to report a medical emergency ... and when responders arrived to the scene the man was in full cardiac arrest.

The actress who claims she was duped into starring in the anti-Islam movie "Innocence of Muslims" just LOST her battle in court -- a judge just refused to force YouTube to yank the film.

As we reported, Cindy Lee Garcia filed a lawsuit against YouTube and producer Nakoula Basseley Nakoula -- aka Sam Bacile -- claiming at the time of filming, she believed she was acting in a "historical Arabian Desert adventure film."

When the film was released, Cindy claimed it had been "changed grotesquely" to "make it appear that Ms. Garcia voluntarily performed in a hateful anti-Islamic production."

Garcia claimed her voice had been dubbed in the movie to include lines that insulted the Muslim prophet Muhammad, which she never uttered.

But today, an L.A. judge denied her request for an emergency injunction that would have required YouTube to remove the film from its site. The judge found Garcia's claims against YouTube are without merit.

Before her hearing, Cindy addressed the media (above), saying her family's lives had been threatened since the film's release, which is why she sought the injunction.

Garcia said, "My whole life has been turned upside down."

Garcia said YouTube should be required to take the movie down because it will cause more problems in the Middle East and for her own life.

During the media conference, Garcia's lawyer says the actress has been subjected to public mortification on a worldwide scale.

One of the stars of the anti-Islam movie "The Innocence of Muslims" -- which has sparked violent protests around the world -- is now suing the producer, claiming she was duped into acting in the "vile and reprehensible" film.

Cindy Lee Garcia filed the lawsuit today in L.A. County Superior Court against producer Nakoula Basseley Nakoula -- aka Sam Bacile -- claiming at the time of filming, she believed she was acting in a "historical Arabian Desert adventure film."

When the film was released, Cindy says it had been "changed grotesquely" to "make it appear that Ms. Garcia voluntarily performed in a hateful anti-Islamic production."

Garcia has claimed her voice was dubbed in the movie to include lines that insulted the Muslim prophet Muhammed, which she never uttered.

After receiving numerous death threats since the film's release, Cindy claims she's been forced into hiding. She says she has also been fired from her job as a result of the film.

In addition to the film's producer, Cindy is also suing Google and YouTube, demanding a court order requiring them to pull the film from their servers. Cindy claims Google/YouTube have already refused to do so.

Cindy is also seeking unspecified damages from Google, YouTube, and the producer.

Gene Hackman would make a lovely Ann Romney in a Hollywood movie about her life ... this according to Mitt Romney.

The Republican nominee and his wife appeared on "Live! with Kelly and Michael" this morning ... and endured a Rapid Fire line of questions ... one of which was, "Who would you pick to play each other in the movie?"

Mitt replied, "For me, my favorite actor is Gene Hackman ... so I'd like Gene Hackman."

Kelly Ripa quickly shot back, "You want Gene Hackman to play YOUR WIFE!?"

Mitt laughed ... and joked, "What was that movie he was in? The Birdcage?"

Don't worry, Mitt eventually corrected himself ... and picked a more appropriate star.

Seth MacFarlane says he's still making up his mind about doing a sequel to his smash hit "Ted" ... telling TMZ, "We're thinking about it."

Seth was hanging out in New York this weekend with his "Ted" co-writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild .... just a few days after NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke proclaimed, “We’d like to see a 'Ted 2' as soon as we can.”

This is the man whose anti-Muslim movie -- "Innocence of Muslims" -- has triggered a wave of violence in parts of the Muslim world.

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula -- who produced the low-budget movie -- is seen here with Anna Gurji, one of the actresses in the film. The photo was shot this year, during production.

Nakoula, who lives in Cerritos, CA., got backing for the movie from hardcore anti-Islam organizations. The flick triggered violence in Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan, Iran, Iraq, Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan are going to be in the new "Scary Movie" film ... and the guy who helped create the series says their scene together is going to be "a crack explosion."

Marlon Wayans, who co-wrote and starred in the first two "Scary" films, trashed the two most recent sequels last night ... which he did not have anything to do with. He said he would only watch the new one as part of a "bad movie night."

Director Nick Cassavetes tells TMZ, he isn't a politician ... he's an artist who makes movies -- and that's why his comments about brother-sister lovin' won't have a damned effect on his career.

As we previously reported, Nick recently spoke out in defense of ALL kinds of relationships while promoting his new film in Toronto this weekend -- gay, straight, incestuous, whatever -- saying, "Who gives a s**t if people judge you? I'm not saying this is an absolute but in a way, if you're not having kids -- who gives a damn?"

He continued, "If it’s your brother or sister it’s super-weird, but if you look at it, you’re not hurting anybody ... except every single person who freaks out because you’re in love with one another.”

He took a lot of flack for the comment ... but when we asked if he thought it would affect his career, Nick replied, "I make movies man. I'm not a politician. If people want to listen to me for theology, that's their problem. I'm about tolerance."

Blake Clark is an American hero ... not just because he starred in "The Waterboy" and "Boy Meets World" -- he's a military vet who served in Vietnam ... and knows first hand about the horrors of war.

Clark -- who's been in a TON of Adam Sandler flicks and also voiced Slinky the dog in "Toy Story 3" -- was at LAX this weekend when we started talking politics.

"I'm not a socialist," Clark told us ... "I killed socialists ... I was in Vietnam ... I was an infantry platoon leader."

Clark was involved in combat missions ... and says he did kill people during the war ... explaining, "That's what you do in combat ... you don't dart 'em and tag 'em and follow their migration ... you kill 'em."

Clark added, "I was a platoon leader ... so my job wasn't actually to shoot people, although I did. Mine was to command the platoon in combat, call in artillery and mortars and air strikes."

Gigi Levangie -- the best-selling novelist who also wrote the movie "Stepmom" -- says her life is in danger ... and the alleged threat is her kid's ex-basketball coach ... this according to docs obtained by TMZ.

Levangie -- the ex-wife of Hollywood mega-producer Brian Grazer -- recently filed a request for a restraining order against Anthony Jones ... claiming he's been stalking her for several months.

In the docs, Gigi admits things weren't always so crazy with Jones ... not only did he coach her kid, she also invested in his "small business" and even allowed him to live in her guesthouse for a few weeks back in April.

But according to Gigi, something went terribly wrong -- 'cause after he moved out, Jones began following Gigi to work ... harassing her at her home and maniacally calling her on the phone -- DOZENS of times AN HOUR. Gigi claims he once trapped her in her own driveway.

Gigi says the "frightening and erratic behavior" got so bad she was forced to hire a private security team to protect her family (she and Grazer have two sons, ages 13 and 9). Gigi claims she's afraid for the safety of herself and her kids.

She is asking the court to keep Jones 100 yards away from her and her children at all times. A hearing is set for September 12th.

Disgraced Penn State football coach Joe Paterno will forever be immortalized in a new movie ... and by a really good actor ... because the man who will bring his story to life, is reportedly Al Pacino.

The Academy-Award-winning actor attached himself to the new film -- based on the New York Times Bestselling book "Paterno," according to reports.