Movies

LeVar Burton says he's deeply conflicted about the new "Star Trek" movie ... telling TMZ there's something missing from the flick ... something extremely important.

Burton -- who famously starred in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" from 1987 to 1994 -- says he's already seen J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek Into Darkness" TWO TIMES ... but that doesn't mean he approves.

"At the end of the movie, I really care about what happens to the characters ... but I'm pretty much missing Gene Roddenberry in J.J.'s interpretation ... and at the end of the day, that's just not OK for me."

For all you non-Trekkies out there ... Gene created "Star Trek" back in the '60s and was heavily involved in the storytelling until his death in 1991.

Jennifer Lopez FREAKED OUT in the middle of a radio interview ... when she learned (on the air) that she scored a big movie role ... then she proceeded to humblebrag about it.

FYI -- Urban Dictionary defines "Humblebrag" as ... "When you, usually consciously, try to get away with bragging about yourself by couching it in a phony show of humility."

Enter Lopez ... who was in the studio yesterday at Hot 99.5 in Washington, D.C. when she got a phone call (presumably from her agents) informing her she landed a movie role she really, really, REALLY wanted. First she freaks out ... then came the humblebrags.

Our favorite ... "It's a small movie ... but it's a great role ... and A LOT of people wanted it."

She also refers herself as just a "little actress."

Corin Nemec -- star of the '90s sitcom "Parker Lewis Can't Lose" -- is suing the filmmakers he claims are responsible for the boating accident that mangled his leg, insisting it's THEIR fault he suffered permanent injuries ... and now he's out for payback.

As we previously reported, the accident occurred in January in Belize -- Nemec was riding on board a boat to the set of B-horror movie "Rise of the Dinosaurs" ... when the vessel slammed violently into a submerged barge.

Nemec told us the crash sent him flying into the side of the boat -- and as a result, he broke his femur in 3 places, lost TONS of blood, and needed emergency surgery (including blood transfusions) to keep him alive.

Now Nemec has filed a lawsuit, claiming the filmmakers were negligent in hiring an operator who drove the boat recklessly. And to make matters worse, Nemec claims the filmmakers weren't even carrying required worker's comp insurance.

The suit says the accident left Nemec with permanent injuries ... and that six months later, he's still being treated. He's suing for unspecified damages, exceeding $25,000.

We reached out to the production company behind the film ... no word back so far.

Liberace's ex-lover Scott Thorson is a man with priorities ... his first stop after getting sprung from jail -- a doctor's office where he was pumped full of Botox.

The photos were snapped in Vegas ... just days after Thorson was released from the pokey where he'd been rotting since February 22.

Thorson -- portrayed by Matt Damon in the new HBO movie "Behind the Candelabra" -- pled guilty to burglary and identity theft in May. He was eligible to bail out while he awaited sentencing in July, but couldn't make bail until last month, with the help of Bunny Ranch brothel owner Dennis Hof.

Once free ... he made a beeline for the Botox doc. We're told the procedure cost $1,200 ... and famed Bunny Ranch prostitute Air Force Amy (above) footed the bill.

Pretty insane ... considering Thorson sued Liberace for cajoling him into getting so much plastic surgery so Thorson would look like Lee ... he got addicted to painkillers and other drugs. So getting more work done seems a bit strange.

A fire broke out on the Texas set of "Transformers 4" ... causing major damage to a 100-year-old home ... and officials believe it may have been caused by movie pyrotechnics.

A rep for the Pflugerville Fire Department tells us ... the fire started in the attic ... but emergency responders sprung into action and were able to extinguish the blaze before it had a chance to damage the rest of the home.

Unfortunately, the FD says the attic suffered "substantial damage."

The rep says, "There was one injury to a civilian who was transported to the hospital by Austin Travis County EMS. We have no other information on this person or their injury. "

We're told ... officials believe burning embers from pyrotechnics may have caused the blaze, but they're not sure at this point.

So far, the fire is being ruled as "accidental."

Philip Seymour Hoffman was all smiles at the 2013 Envision Awards in NYC yesterday ... the first major event the actor's attended since leaving detox for narcotic abuse 3 weeks ago.

Hoffman was clutching a bottle as he walked the red carpet ... but fear not, it was just some sparkling water.

We broke the story ... Hoffman entered a detox facility on the East Coast for a 10-day stint back in May ... in an effort to curb a drug problem that was spiraling out of control.

The 45-year-old Oscar winner had struggled with substance abuse in his early 20s -- but kicked the habit for 23 years -- only to fall off the wagon more than a year ago. PSH told TMZ the problems started with pills and escalated to snorting heroin.

Hoffman got treatment to nip the problem in the bud -- and went back to work on a movie a couple of weeks ago.

FYI -- Hoffman attended the event to honor Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, Co-Presidents and Co-Founders of Sony Pictures Classics (pictured above).

Matt Damon's gay sex skills are OFF THE CHARTS ... at least in his new Liberace movie "Behind the Candelabra" ... so says Liberace's real ex-lover Scott Thorson.

Thorson was out in NYC yesterday when we asked about the famous sex scene in the movie -- when Matt unleashes the fury on a buck-naked Michael Douglas -- and Thorson replied, "Matt sure can pound!!!"

Thorson says he was pleased as punch at the way Matt portrayed him in the movie -- but there was some collateral damage ... Thorson says, "I bet you Catherine [Zeta-Jones] is a little jealous."

Nicolas Cage is a man of mystery ... which is why we have NO EXPLANATION WHATSOEVER for the extra pair of sunglasses he was wearing around his neck last week.

The photo was taken inside a supermarket in Alabama, but other than that ... we got nothing. For what it's worth, he's down South for a new movie (and no, he does NOT play a four-eyed mutant).

Maybe he was holding the sunglasses for a friend, maybe he's got a second pair of eyes somewhere on the back of his head ... the world will never know.

Still ... it's not that weird considering everything else Cage has done in his life ... such as collecting shrunken heads, owning cobras, buying a dinosaur skull ... and oh yeah, the pyramid tomb.

Dolph Lundgren is a walking piece of Hollywood history because the "Rocky IV" scene where he kills Apollo Creed is one of the greatest of all-time -- if you exclude about 400 others ... and why wouldn't you?

"If he dies, he dies." Solid gold.

Paris Jackson will not miss a beat in her fledgling movie career, because we've learned producers of her first flick will do "anything it takes" to keep her on the project.

Paris and grandma Katherine Jackson have inked a deal for the 15-year-old to appear in "Lundon's Bridge and the Three Keys." Sources connected with the project tell TMZ ... producers are well aware Paris' attempted suicide and subsequent 5150 psychiatric hold could result in a skyrocketing insurance premium for the movie.

A source connected with the animated flick tells TMZ, "There's a policy that we will have to buy now that we would not have had to buy prior to the incident." The source goes on, "We're prepared to pay a large amount of money for the policy," adding, "Fortunately, we have a big budget."

Paris won't be needed for 6 months, and producers feel that's enough time for her to get her life back on track.

We're told producers are solidly behind Paris doing the project. Fact is ... it probably helps the movie more than it helps Paris.

Kate Upton's bra was battle tested yesterday ... pushed to its ultimate limits ... and unfortunately for us, it emerged victorious.

Kate was hangin' out on the set of "The Other Woman" in Westhampton, NY ... when for some glorious reason, she began to jump around ... bouncing ... and bouncing ... and bouncing some more.

In the end, the bra -- like anyone else in its position -- refused to surrender its grip.

Paris Jackson has been in meltdown mode for nearly a year ... this according to sources connected to her exclusive private school.

Our sources from the exclusive Buckley School in the San Fernando Valley tell TMZ ... school officials were aware Paris was dealing with a "major family trauma" when the school year began last September. Based on the timeline, it appears the issue involved Katherine Jackson's mysterious "disappearance" last July.

There were reports Michael Jackson's siblings were holding Katherine as part of a money grab -- something they deny. Paris confronted several of the siblings in a heated argument outside the family's Calabasas home.

Sources connected with Buckley tell TMZ ... when Paris came back to school in September, her grades started dropping and, as one source said, "she stopped caring."

A school official told one of our sources ... what really sent Paris over the edge was when she got an offer to do a movie but certain family members went on an all-out campaign to block it. The source says a school official said, at that point "Paris broke down."

There have been reports Paris was bullied at Buckley and that's what caused her downward spiral. We're told a top school official is adamant ... Paris was NOT bullied and she made the claims to get attention.

Esther Williams -- the HUGE movie star who became internationally famous with her spectacular, synchronized swimming routines -- is now making a splash ... in heaven. She died today, at 91.

Williams starred in countless swimsuit spectaculars in the 40's and 50's -- "aquamusicals" as they were called -- where MGM honchos made any excuse to get her girl-next-door good looks and bangin' bod into the water. Movies like "Neptune's Daughter" and "Dangerous When Wet" were every guy's wet dream.

Esther started as a legit competitive swimmer, smashing records in her late teens ... but she missed the 1940 Olympics because of the outbreak of World War II. So she joined a music, dance and swimming show in San Fran ... where for five months she swam alongside Olympic swimmer and "Tarzan" star Johnny Weissmuller ... and that's where she caught the eye of Hollywood scouts.

In her later years, Williams lent her name to swimwear and other pool-related products, and was a commentator for synchronized swimming at the '84 Olympics.

That chick really knew how to sync and swim.

"Now You See Me" star Dave Franco has big bro James beat ...when it comes to adoring fans -- because you gotta see how one chick reacted when DF accidentally passed up her autograph request.

Dave, if you're out there ... it's time to make things right.

Michael Keaton left little to the imagination this weekend on the set of his new movie "Birdman" ... running around Times Square with nothing on but socks and a pair of tighty whities.

Jennifer Lawrence was spotted in her head-to-toe body paint for the next "X-Men" movie -- which means some lucky devil's been busy filling in every crack and crevice. But ... how?