Movies

Tara Reid is coming back -- kinda sorta -- for the "Sharknado" sequel, according to producers, but it's not what they privately said less than a week ago ... TMZ has learned.

The honchos who made the shark flick had a big reaction to TMZ's story over the weekend, that Tara Reid won't be invited back for round 2. A rep for Asylum -- the production company -- tweeted, "@Tara Reid is awesome ... We'd be lucky to have her back for the sequel."

But we know there was a meeting last Wednesday in which Asylum exec David Latt talked about the sequel and zeroed in on the return of Ian Ziering -- and that's it. There's no script ... it's all conceptual, but the talk was all about Ian -- and NOT Tara. We're told the clear message was that she was out.

Latt now says if Tara doesn't do the flick it's because she's turned THEM down since the film has opened so many doors for her.

Don't get us wrong ... we really like Tara, and think she'd be fun in part 2.

The screenwriter behind family friendly movies like "Hop" and "Puss in Boots" says he was publicly "violated" in front of his 10-year-old niece when employees at an L.A. furniture store accused him of leering at women ... then kicked him out -- and now he wants an apology.

40-year-old Brian Lynch blasted his side of the story on Twitter ... claiming he was visiting World Market in Sherman Oaks on Sunday with his sister and her 10-year-old adopted daughter when it all went down. (FYI, Brian's niece is Korean-American.)

Brian said he was following his sister and niece around the store when his sister went off to look at something, leaving him alone with his niece. At that point, Brian says a store employee approached and said they'd received complaints he was following women and creeping them out.

He says he was then asked to leave immediately.

Brian protested, insisting he was just shopping with family, but since a crowd had already begun to gather around the heated exchange, he ultimately left ... with his niece.

Now, Brian tells TMZ, he wants a public apology from World Market for the public humiliation, acknowledging its narrow-minded employees jumped to horrible conclusions about him for no reason.

"Man of Steel" wasn't fun ... it was too dark ... and felt more like a Batman movie than a Superman flick ... so says Ilya Salkind, the guy behind the Christopher Reeve version.

Ilya is the guy who brought Superman to the big screen way back in the 1970s. He produced "Superman" and "Superman II" ... i.e. his opinion matters.

So when our photog caught up to him this weekend in L.A., he had to get his thoughts on the new, beefed up version ... which has grossed almost $300 million in the U.S. alone.

Salkind however is NOT a fan. First, he says the movie is "okay", trying to keep the peace. But a female friend blows up his spot, shouting out, "Tell the truth!"

Tara Reid's days of hunting airborne rope-climbing freeway-dwelling sharks are OVER -- 'cause we know producers are drawing up their cast wish list for the "Sharknado" sequel ... and she ain't on it.

Sources connected to the production tell TMZ ... producers had a meeting this past week to discuss plans for the New York-based sequel -- and the only actor they want back for round 2 is Ian Ziering.

Of course, Ian slaughtered more sharks than anyone in the original -- killing fish from Santa Monica to Beverly Hills and even into THE VALLEY!!

Tara played Ian's estranged wife in the flick -- and survived the massive shark attack (even when the sharks broke into her HOUSE!!) -- but Sharknado 2 is not in her future.

As for Ian, sources say both he and Tara scored around $50k for Part 1. Ian should rake in a lot more for the sequel. And good news ... we're guessing he's available.

Sadly, Tara knows a thing or two about rejection in Hollywood -- just ask the bouncers at Hyde.

Andy and Lana Wachowski -- the masterminds behind "The Matrix" and the cruel bastards behind its sequels -- are now firing back against the screenwriter who said they stole his ideas for Matrixes 2 & 3 ... insisting the full trilogy was their OWN terrible idea and no one else's.

TMZ broke the story ... screenwriter Thomas Althouse -- famous for writing nothing so far -- filed a $300 million lawsuit against the Wachowskis, claiming they ripped off his screenplay "The Immortals" to write "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions."

Althouse claims he submitted "The Immortals" to Warner Bros. in 1993 but never heard back -- then noticed glaring similarities between his movie and the Matrix sequels, like plugs in the back of characters' necks and robot-like "agents."

But the Wachowskis just filed legal docs denying his claims, insisting the entirety of both movies -- all the terrible dialogue, the random fight scenes, those ghost twins, and even the orgasm cake -- was their work and their work alone. A brave admission.

The Wachowskis want Althouse's lawsuit dismissed stat. They also want him to pay for their lawyers.

Calls to Althouse were not returned.

Ready to feel old? Here's the cast of "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" at some event in Germany today ... and they make Yoda look sprightly.

Hard to believe it's been 30 years since ROTJ was released in 1983.

FYI, from left to right, it's Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Warwick Davis (Wicket the Ewok), Ian McDiarmid (Emperor Palpatine), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), and Mark Hamill (Darth Vader's whiny son).

Not pictured: Harrison Ford (Han Solo). Because he's too rich.

OK, this is pretty cool ... it's weird ... but it's cool.

Jim Peterik -- the original lead singer of the band Survivor -- busted out his nicest guitar, and his tightest white pants, and jammed out an acoustic version of "Eye of the Tiger" in a basement ... and it was awesome.

It all went down Tuesday night at a home in Chicago, where the guys from "Hardcore Pawn: Chicago" were holding a live chat for their fans.

Jim -- who was born in Illinois -- stopped by to hang out ... and while he was there, the 62-year-old rock legend busted out a rendition of his biggest hit -- you know, the song from "Rocky III."

Now, watch the video ... put on your finest track suit ... and go run up some stairs.

If anyone knows about what it takes to be a superhero it's Henry Cavill -- Superman himself -- so when he arrived to LAX yesterday, we had to ask about the new life-saver in town ... George Zimmerman.

We asked Henry if it's possible for a guy to be considered a "hero" even after millions of people branded him a villain for life -- but ya gotta listen to the way our photog poses the question, it's incredible.

As we previously reported, cops say GZ helped rescue a family of 4 from an overturned car after the driver lost control on a Florida highway last week ... just days after he was acquitted in the Trayvon Martin case.

There's more ... our photog also asked Henry about the recently announced Superman vs. Batman movie ... and who he thinks would win in a fight between the two.

It's getting serious ... Julianne Hough's face-sucking new bf performed the walk of shame from her place this weekend -- but followed up like a champ by sending her flowers.

Ryan Seacrest's replacement is Ari Sandel -- an Oscar-winning director. We posted pics of the couple getting hot and heavy in a restaurant ... and it appears they've upgraded to sleepovers.

Shortly after Ari reportedly left Julianne's West Hollywood pad early Saturday morning -- which also happened to be her 25th birthday -- he was seen walking into a flower shop ... but leaving empty-handed.

Walk of shame sources tell us a short time later ... JH got a knock at her door and a fresh bouquet of red roses.

Dennis Farina -- who starred as Det. Joe Fontana on "Law & Order" -- died today in Scottsdale, Arizona after suffering a blood clot in his lung. He was 69.

Farina is a Hollywood legend -- who appeared in tons of classic films and TV shows including "Get Shorty," "Snatch" and "Midnight Run." He also appeared in HBO's series "Luck."

Farina -- who was born in Chicago in 1944 -- is survived by his 3 adult children from his marriage to Patricia Farina. They divorced in 1980. He also has two granddaughters and four grandsons.

Farina's rep says the actor is also survived by "the love of his life of 35 years, Marianne Cahill." It doesn't appear the two were ever married.

Before he became an actor, Farina was a cop with the Chicago Police Department from 1967 to 1985.

Story developing ...

Emma Roberts' recent domestic violence arrest came as a SHOCK to the public ... but not to some of her friends ... who fear the actress is headed down a deep, dark path a la Lindsay Lohan.

Sources close to Emma tell TMZ ... over the last year Emma has dug herself deep into the L.A. party scene. We're told it all started after she broke up with "Glee" star Chord Overstreet -- she began going out all night, hitting the clubs and surrounding herself with people who don't keep their noses clean.

Our sources say a lot of Emma's friends don't know how to help her because Emma won't acknowledge the change in her behavior.

Indeed, we're told after her arrest ... Emma wouldn't talk to her friends about it, acting like nothing happened. Her friends are convinced ... a night of partying contributed to the brawl and the arrest.

TMZ broke the story ... Emma was arrested​ in Canada earlier this month, after she allegedly gave her boyfriend a bloody nose during a blow-out fight. Sources connected with Emma say it was mutual combat. The matter was dropped after her BF chose not to press charges.

Rae Dawn Chong says TMZ caused her a world of hurt by running only a portion of her tirade against Oprah Winfrey ... and her comments, including calling O a "field n**ger" were actually intended as a compliment.

RDC just released a video statement in which she does not apologize ... although she says she regrets using the N-word to describe her former "Color Purple" co-star.

As you know, Rae mused that Oprah wasn't fit to be a "house n**ger" but would be relegated to a "field n**ger" back in the day ...although Ray thinks "back in the day" is 60 years ago.

She also never explains how calling Oprah fat, ugly and a brown-noser is high praise.

11:00 AM PT -- Rae Dawn Chong just released a video response on YouTube, saying she meant the n-word as a compliment.

Oprah Winfrey's former "Color Purple" co-star Rae Dawn Chong just UNLOADED on the talk show queen -- claiming O is a self-centered fat "biotch" who would have been a "field n**ger" back in the slave days.

Rae Dawn -- who's part black -- appeared on "Matty P's Radio Happy Hour" and talked about how her personal relationship with O went from good to really REALLY bad back in the 80s.

RDC says Oprah was "lovely" to her back on the set of Purple in 1985 ... but when Rae moved on to her next movie, "Commando," that's when she says O became "a total biotch."

"I starred in Commando. And she just wasn’t having me. She’s competitive. She didn’t like me. She just wasn’t having me."

It's clear, Rae doesn't like O either -- 'cause for the next several minutes of the interview, she ranted on and on about how much she hates Winfrey -- and stooped so low, she even took shots at her appearance and invoked slave imagery.

"If you look at the way [Oprah] looks, she looks like 60 years ago she would have been a house keeper luckily. She would have not been a house n**ger she would have been a field n**ger."

RDC continued the attack for several minutes. Among the lowlights:

-- "She's so enormously insecure. If you wanna distill Oprah Winfrey down to like her most basic components. She wants to be beautiful."

-- "Imagine being [Oprah]. She has all of the world. All the power in the world ... and she only wants something that is only chemical, purely impossible."

-- "The thing that’s really great about Oprah that you can't take away from her is that she's a great brown-noser."

The rumors are true ... Number 5 is still alive!!! A remake of the classic 80s robot film "Short Circuit" is actively in development -- so says the actor who played the brownfaced, ambiguously Indian character Ben Jabituya ... and he tells TMZ, he might be back for more.

It's pretty crazy considering the film has taken a lot of heat for Stevens' character, even though the guy had some classic lines ... so we gotta ask ...

Look out Manhattan ... THE FLYING SHARKS ARE COMING TO THE EAST COAST!!!!!

Syfy has officially greenlit a sequel to "Sharknado" -- the Ian Ziering/Tara Reid flick about sharks invading Los Angeles -- only this time, the great whites will touch down in New York City.

One of the honchos at Syfy released a deliciously cheesy statement saying, "Every once in a while, there is a perfect storm – on television. The fans are clamoring for a sequel. Or perhaps it will be a prequel."

"What we can guarantee is that Sharknado 2 will be lots of fun. We’ll be announcing more details very soon. But we didn’t want our fans to worry they wouldn’t get their fill of more shark fin, I mean, fun next year."

Emma Roberts was arrested for a domestic violence incident in Canada -- after allegedly bloodying her boyfriend, Evan Peters ... TMZ has learned.

22-year-old Emma -- Eric Roberts' daughter and Julia Roberts' niece -- was taken into custody early July 7 in Montreal after getting in an altercation with Peters ... who stars in "American Horror Story."

According to Montreal law enforcement sources ... someone called police to report a fight in Evan and Emma's hotel room.

We're told when cops arrived ... they observed Evan with a bloody nose. Emma was immediately arrested. One law enforcement source tells us Evan also had a bite mark.

Emma was released hours later because 26-year-old Evan did not want to press charges.

Sources close to Emma tell TMZ ... Emma and Evan were hitting each other and she was arrested because he had obvious physical injuries. The sources deny Emma bit Evan.

Our sources also say the couple -- last seen in public at the "The Lone Ranger" premiere (above) -- is back together and both are working on "American Horror Story."