Movies

Dear celebs, take a lesson from your God Al Pacino ... the legendary actor was slapped with a tax lien and then immediately PAID IT OFF ... like you're supposed to do.

The State of CA hit Pacino with the lien in May, claiming he still owed $31,706.04 in back taxes for the years 2009 and 2011. Rather than sit on the debt like some celebs, Pacino took action and cut a check ... like a champ.

The lien was officially released on July 31. And that's how it's done.

Now, let's all pay tribute to his greatness ...

Melanie Griffith brought a very interesting date to the premiere of her movie "Dark Tourist" this week -- her ex-husband Steven Bauer ... a guy she's BARELY been seen in public with since they divorced more than 20 years ago, TMZ has learned.

Griffith and Bauer (who famously starred in "Scarface" back in 1983) were all over each other on the red carpet ... which raised eyebrows considering Melanie's current husband, Antonio Banderas, was no where to be found.

According to our crack research team, the last time M & S were photographed on a red carpet together was back 1985 ... back when Ronald Reagan was President.

There have been rumors that Melanie and Antonio have been going through a rough patch ... which makes her decision to walk her ex down the red carpet even more curious.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... despite divorcing in 1987, Melanie and Steven have remained close over the years and have worked together to co-parent their son Alexander Bauer, who also attended the premiere.

We reached out to Melanie's people -- but didn't hear anything back.

August Schellenberg -- who played Jesse's Native American mentor in "Free Willy" -- has died Thursday in Texas after a long battle with cancer ... TMZ has learned.

Schellenberg's family tells TMZ ... August died peacefully surrounded by loved ones.

77-year-old Schellenberg had a long and storied career in Hollywood -- often playing Native American characters.

In fact, he was nominated for an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his role as Chief Sitting Bull in "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee."

August appeared in all 3 "Free Willy" movies. He also appeared alongside Christian Bale and Colin Farrell in the 2005 flick, "The New World."

Story developing ...

O.M.G. ... It's J.T.T. in L.A. ... AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

14 years after "Home Improvement" went off the air, TMZ spotted the elusive Jonathan Taylor Thomas at the Arclight movie theater in Hollywood ... as dreamboaty as ever.

Despite being mesmerized by his sparkling blue eyes ... we managed to compose ourselves for just enough time to fire off some questions about the "Lion King." Ugh, we're soooo stupid.

Of course, the hunky 31-year-old ... who once graced every single teen magazine from "Tiger Beat" to "16" to "J-14" to "Bop" ... answered our dumb questions and even cracked that adorbs smile.

He's so much hotter than Devon Sawa!!

Don't hold your breath for a "Breaking Bad" movie after the season ends ... 'cause EVERYONE IS GONNA DIE!!!!!!!

At least that's what Aaron Paul told us last night (please, please, please be joking).

Paul -- who plays Jesse Pinkman on the AMC series -- was leaving The Sayers Club with some friends last night when we asked if there was a chance the upcoming finale was just a teaser into a REAL finale on the big screen.

But Paul didn't just shoot down that idea ... he also may have spoiled the ending of the TV series.

Here comes the bride ... to-be ... at least, that's the way it seemed when Hayden Panettiere arrived to LAX yesterday with a HUGE DIAMOND on her finger.

Rumors have been swirling that the "Nashville" star finally said "Yes" to her massive heavyweight boyfriend Wladimir Klitschko ... but that bling on her hand pretty much put the rumors to bed.

So ... CONGRATS!!!!

Hayden was in a great mood on her way out of the airport yesterday (as usual) -- and there was only one topic to discuss ... weddings! Though it's unclear if she was referencing her own.

Check out the clip.

Oprah Winfrey says she's kinda sorta "sorry" for the fallout that ensued after she told the media about a "racist" encounter at a purse store in Switzerland ... saying, "I'm really sorry that it got blown up."

Yeah, right.

Oprah addressed the media at the premiere of "The Butler" in L.A. last night -- backpedaling after the shop in question started to refute O's allegations of racism during an incident last month.

The shop owner says the whole thing was a "misunderstanding" and had "nothing to do with racism."

Last night, Oprah said ... "I think that incident in Switzerland was just an incident in Switzerland. I'm really sorry that it got blown up. I purposefully did not mention the name of the store. I'm sorry that I said it was Switzerland."

Problem is ... O's full of it. What did she think was going to happen when she went on national TV and cried racism? The media was just going to ignore that??

Oprah once ragged on hamburgers and single-handedly CRIPPLED the beef industry. She knew damn well how the media was going to handle the Switzerland situation ... which is why she went to the media in the first place. Her mission was to destroy the shop.

There are some people who are saying Oprah's Swiss encounter wasn't really about race -- Oprah was just mad she wasn't treated like Her Royal O-ness because the shop employee didn't recognize her ... but now, after the employee told the media she's being unfairly attacked, O's feeling a little guilty.

But pretending not to know about the impact of her race allegations?? That's like Obama pretending not to know what's gonna happen if he pushes that big red button in the White House.

C'mon O ... you're smarter than that. And so are we.

Spike from "Little Giants" is no longer a tackling machine ... he's a DANCING MACHINE ... and TMZ has footage showing the guy poppin' and lockin' like a friggin' CHAMP!!

19 years after he tried (and failed) to obliterate Becky "The Icebox" O'Shea ... Sam Horrigan took over the dance floor at La Maison lounge in Studio City, CA ... and totally stole the show.

We're told it all went down at an event for Ken Due clothing -- when Sam, who's a manager at the lounge, started feeling the music and decided to bust out a few moves.

The leg strength is particularly impressive ... must've been the nightly "evaporated milk" massages.

Lindsay Lohan got a surprise visit while she was ensconced in rehab -- we found out Ben Affleck had a secret meeting with her as a show of support.

Affleck -- who himself was in rehab back in 2001 -- met Lindsay somewhere away from the Cliffside rehab facility in Malibu where Lindsay was getting treatment. We're told Ben gave her guidance on how to maintain sobriety after rehab for someone in Hollywood.

We're told Ben talked to Lindsay about how to make a comeback in Hollywood -- a subject on which he's an expert. Ben talked to Lindsay about her career -- on how talented she is and how she has the ability to turn things around.

Ben also told her how supportive the entertainment community is for people who make a real effort to get better and stay clean. Our sources say the meeting really touched her.

More than THREE DECADES after he went topless in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," Sean Penn struck a Spicoli pose in Spain ... and proved he's more JACKED than ever.

Check out this pic of Sean back in 1982 -- when he was 21 years old -- and then make a decision.

Fred Ward is one of the most successful character actors in Hollywood ... unfortunately he's not so good at staying married ... his second wife just filed for divorce.

Ward's wife Marie-France Boisselle filed divorce docs in L.A. County Superior Court on August 8th citing irreconcilable differences. According to docs, the couple married in December 1995. They have no minor children together.

Ward is a pretty famous actor with about a million credits to his name: "Escape From Alcatraz", "Naked Gun 33 1/2", "Sweet Home Alabama", "United States of Tara", "2 Guns", "​Tremors​" the list goes on.

So it's not surprising ... Marie-France is asking Fred to cough up the spousal support.

You'll never EVER see Matt Damon's name on an election ballot ... 'cause the actor tells TMZ he has NO desire to run for political office.

Damon is a super political guy -- he's been heavily involved with the Democratic party for a while (though he's been railing pretty hard against President Obama for the past year).

Hulk Hogan tells TMZ ... a movie about his shirt-ripping, leg-dropping, arm-flexing life is officially in the works -- and he's already got someone in mind to play the lead role.

We sorta stumbled into the movie bombshell ... after jokingly asking Hulk who he would like to see don the yellow bandana if a biopic is ever made about him.

"It's being worked on right now, brotha," Hulk said ... before revealing who he believes would be the "perfect" person to fill his boots.

Hulk's life story is definitely interesting -- from bodybuilder to wrestling champ to movie star to reality TV star ... and don't forget all of the family drama. It's pretty riveting stuff ...

Ding dong ... one of the last remaining Munchkins from the "Wizard of Oz" movie has passed away.

Margaret Pellegrini reportedly died this morning around 7AM near her home in Phoenix, AZ after suffering a stroke. She was 89.

Standing at 3 ft. 4 inches, Pellegrini played multiple "Munchkin" parts in the movie, including a "sleepyhead" and a Munchkin villager.

Pellegrini was one of three surviving Munchkins from the 1939 classic film, leaving only two behind: 93-year-old Jerry Maren, and 95-year-old Ruth Duccini.

R.I.P.

"Sandlot" star Tom Guiry (who played Smalls in the movie) has taken the name "Colossus of Clout" to a new level -- law enforcement sources tell TMZ. He was arrested for headbutting a cop ... after trying to kick him in the face.

The story is crazy. We're told Guiry was at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston over the weekend when a United Airlines employee concluded he was too drunk to fly.

Law enforcement sources tell us, the employee contacted an airport cop, who approached Guiry and gave him two options: a public intoxication arrest, or the drunk tank.

Guiry then made a terrible mistake -- allegedly becoming belligerent and verbally abusive ... and even threatening the officer. Guiry then allegedly tried kicking the cop in the face and then scored a headbutt.

Guiry was taken down and cuffed ... and booked for felony assault on a police officer. We're told the officer's injuries were minor.

Guiry posted $5,000 bail and was released.

We reached out to Guiry's people ... no comment.

The production company that owns the legendary, XXX movie, "Deep Throat" is suing the producers of the new movie "Lovelace" ... trying to block its release -- no pun intended.

Arrow Productions -- which owns the copyright to the most famous porn flick ever -- is crying foul play because "Lovelace" includes 3 scenes from the seminal skin flick -- no pun intended.

According to the lawsuit -- obtained by TMZ -- Arrow originally allowed producers of a similar film called "Inferno" to use scenes from the porn. Problem was -- funding for "Inferno" dried up. That's when the plan for "Lovelace" was hatched, but Arrow says it didn't give permission for that project.