Movies

Chris O'Dowd -- that funny Irish guy from "Bridesmaids" -- is doing what everyone does when they start to get famous in America ... spend their hard-earned US dollars on a swanky, new L.A. crib.

TMZ has learned ... Chris and his wife, Dawn Porter -- a famous British chick -- dropped $872,500 on an 1,800-square-foot house in West Hollywood ... a well known celeb-magnet.

As for the digs ... 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, pool, and spa ... but really, it's all about location.

And if you still don't know who Chris is -- he's awesome. Not only does he star in HBO's "Family Tree" and "Girls" ... but he was also in "Bridesmaids", "This is 40", "Dinner for Schmucks", "Friends with Kids", and "Despicable Me: 2".

As most people celebrate Independence Day weekend with a bar-b-que, ball game and some fireworks -- we'd like celebrate by paying homage to an often overlooked staple in this great nation.

With great anticipation we present Nicolas Cage... our "National Treasure."

Lindsay Lohan knows ... her stripper movie "I Know Who Killed Me" was so bad, no one should ever watch it ... EVER ... at least that's what she's telling her fans.

Lohan -- who's still in rehab at Cliffside Malibu -- was allowed to play around on the Internet yesterday (which happened to be her birthday) ... and responded to a fan who had tweeted her the following message:

"@lindsaylohan can you tweet me I seriously watched I know who killed me twice last night."

Lohan's response was classic -- "two times too many!"

For the record -- it's not THAT terrible ... as long as you watch it on mute (see below).

Just two-and-a-half months after "Oblivion" was released to some not-exactly flattering reviews ... Morgan Freeman tells TMZ he's already trying to reunite with Tom Cruise ... and it's obvious why.

Despite an unimpressive 55% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, "Oblivion" reportedly raked in $284 MILLION at the box office ... on a $120 million production budget.

Translation -- Tom Cruise still puts butts in the seats ... even after "Rock of Ages."

Director Brett Ratner has put his money where his mouth is -- on a lesbian.

You'll recall, Ratner had to resign from producing the 2011 Academy Awards, after proclaiming "Rehearsals are for f*gs."

Ratner -- who's directed a slew of films including "Rush Hour" and "X-Men" -- has done a 180, raising $28,400 for Christine Quinn, an openly gay woman running for Mayor of NYC.

As for City Council member Quinn ... she told the NY Post she holds no grudges -- "What Brett Ratner said when he was preparing for the Academy Awards was completely unacceptable. [But] he went about fixing it and making it better and making sure he never does that again."

Well, this photo freaked a few people out in our newsroom ... an image that appears to show Justin Theroux carrying the body of a lifeless dog through the streets of NYC.

BUT DON'T WORRY!!!! IT'S JUST A MOVIE PROP!!!

Apparently, the canine cadaver is being used for a scene in Justin's upcoming TV movie, "The Leftovers."

Coincidentally, Justin's fiancee Jennifer Aniston has also appeared in a dead dog flick ... "Marley & Me" (spoiler alert?).

If you're wondering what it takes to look like The Rock (aside from ridiculous genetics) the new "Hercules" star just revealed the diet he maintains to play the son of Zeus -- and it's unbelievable.

Rock just posted the breakdown on Twitter -- and it includes 7 full meals with ridiculous quantities of food, including rice, 14 egg whites, all kinds of vegetables, and more than 3 POUNDS of meat.

It's been working too ... Rock's been posting pics of himself during filming (above) and he's more jacked than ever.

Unfortunately, you can't just eat like The Rock to look like him ... you kinda have to go to the gym too.

Maybe tomorrow.

"Kick Ass 2" star Jim Carrey is confusing real-life violence with make-believe violence ... so says the film's writer, who's now firing back against Carrey for criticizing the movie's blood and guts.

As we reported, Carrey has officially withdrawn his support for the movie, claiming he can't advocate such a relentlessly violent film in the wake of the Sandy Hook Massacre.

But "Kick Ass 2" writer Mark Millar says Carrey's criticism is misplaced, writing, "Like Jim, I'm horrified by real-life violence (even though I'm Scottish), but Kick-Ass 2 isn't a documentary. No actors were harmed in the making of this production! This is fiction."

He posted the statement on his website, and hammered home his message to Jim by pointing out "Superman just snapped a guy's f***ing neck."

Veteran character actor Jeffrey Wright dodged a bullet today when New York prosecutors dropped his DWI case.

TMZ broke the story ... Wright -- who's been in about a million movies (roughly) -- was popped by cops back in April on suspicion on boozing while driving. Cops claimed he failed a field sobriety test ... failed miserably.

Sources close to the case tell us ... NY State prosecutors decided to drop the case, because of a lack of evidence.

Jim Carrey doesn't care if he torpedoes his new movie "Kick-Ass 2" ... he's speaking his mind ... bashing the film's extreme violence in the wake of last year's massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Jim -- who plays Colonel Stars and Stripes -- tweeted his sentiments today, saying, "I did Kickass a month b4 Sandy Hook and now in all good conscience I cannot support that level of violence.”

He added, "My apologies to others involved with the film. I am not ashamed of it but recent events have caused a change in my heart.”

The film, due out in August, is a highly anticipated sequel. The first one grossed almost $100 million worldwide. Make no mistake, to have Carrey -- by far the movie's biggest star -- drop his support is a huge blow.

Samuel L. Jackson's looks are off the chains.

Here's the foul-mouthed 47-year-old "Pulp Fiction" gangster hanging out in Beverly Hills back in 1995 (left) -- and 18 years later the 64-year-old "Django Unchained" actor at a benefit gala earlier this month (right).

"Reservoir Dogs" actor Michael Madsen has a really bad booze problem that needs immediate attention -- so says the judge in his DUI case ... who just ordered Madsen to check in to a live-in alcohol treatment facility.

Madsen appeared in court in Van Nuys today sporting a nasty black eye. It's unclear how he got the shiner ... but the actor has bigger problems.

The actor had been ordered to appear in court today after the judge revoked his probation stemming from his 2012 arrest ... when he was popped on PCH in a gleaming red hot rod with a blood alcohol level over twice the legal limit (allegedly).

Madsen had struck a plea deal in the case, in which he agreed to attend AA classes -- but we're told he blew them off, so the judge revoked his probation.

Today ... the judge decided he needed some extra help with his alcohol problem ... and ordered him to enroll in a residential treatment facility for at least 30 days.

The judge ordered Madsen not to leave the facility without court approval -- and said the court would reevaluate the situation after the 30-day period based on a progress report from the facility.

The sun wasn't the only thing that was hot in Bali yesterday -- Ashley Greene and Vanessa Hudgens went two pieces on the Indonesian island.

The actresses sunned themselves in barely-there bikinis while attending the Oakley Pro Bali surf competition. Ashley even took some surf lessons herself.

We'd say more ... but a picture is worth a thousand words.

James Gandolfini -- who famously played Tony Soprano on "The Sopranos" -- died earlier today in Italy ... TMZ has learned.

Gandolfini is believed to have suffered a heart attack. He was 51.

Gandolfini was in Italy to attend the 59th Taormina Film Festival in Sicily -- and he was scheduled to participate in a festival event this weekend with Italian director Gabriele Muccino.

Gandolfini shot to fame playing a hitman in the 1993 hit "True Romance" ... and quickly became a Hollywood legend when he was cast as Tony Soprano in 1999. He won 3 Emmy awards for the role during the show's 6 season run.

'Sopranos' creator David Chase tells TMZ ... "[James] was a genius. He is one of the greatest actors of this or any time. A great deal of that genius resided in those sad eyes. I remember telling him many times, 'You don't get it. You're like Mozart.' There would be silence at the other end of the phone."

Chase added, "He was my partner, he was my brother in ways I can't explain and never will be able to explain.”

Gandolfini also appeared in a ton of huge movies including "Get Shorty," "The Mexican" and "Zero Dark Thirty."

We last spoke to Gandolfini in May in L.A. -- he was in great spirits, making funny faces and joking about a "Sopranos" movie.

His 'Sopranos' co-star Joseph R. Gannascoli -- who played Vito -- tells us, "James is one guy who never turned his back on me. He was the most humble and gifted actor and person I have ever worked with ... and I will forever be indebted to him."

Gandolfini is survived by his wife Deborah Lin, who gave birth to the couple's daughter in October 2012. He also has a teenage son from a previous marriage. R.I.P.