Movies

Goodwin filed name change papers in Los Angeles County Superior Court last month ... requesting to officially change her first name from Jennifer to Ginnifer. The name change became official yesterday.

Smith's double-decker luxury trailer was plonked down in the middle of a tiny street in Soho while the actor shot "Men in Black III" -- but after several residents complained it was blocking traffic, giving off fumes, and screwing up local businesses ... the studio towed it to a nearby parking lot.

And to give you an idea of how absurd this thing is -- the 53-foot trailer also boasts marble floors, a massive 100-inch TV, a bedroom, and several offices.

TMZ spoke with Mia's husband -- Michael Yard -- who told us the actress went under the knife Monday to correct an ongoing issue with her knee stemming from an old college basketball injury.

Yard -- who was in NY at the time -- tells us he spoke with Mia Tuesday morning and she sounded normal and in good spirits.

However, hours later -- Mike says he got a phone call from Mia's cousin informing him that she was taking Mia to the hospital because Mia had been suffering from a bout of dizziness.

Soon after, Mike says the unthinkable happened -- he got another phone call informing him his wife had passed away.

The details surrounding Mia's death are still emerging ... and so far, no cause of death has been released.

Sources connected to the production tell us ... filmmakers went to the Volo Auto Museum in Illinois last week and BOUGHT a pair of 1929 Duesenbergs and a 1929 Packard -- both intended to be used by DiCaprio's character, Jay Gatsby.

TMZ spoke to a rep from Volo who tells us three cars are valued at anywhere from $800 thousand to $3 MILLION each -- but the rep wouldn't reveal how much cash producers plunked down for the rides.

We're told the cars are scheduled to be shipped out to the movie set in Australia in the next few weeks.

It all went down at the Verizon Theater in Grand Prairie ... while Mike was in the middle of his set, a process server approached the stage and served him with a lawsuit stemming from an altercation inside of a Detroit nightclub in December.

Mike looked down and said, "White b*tch just threw some papers up on the mother f*cking stage ... b*tch, f*ck you."

Mike then admitted participating in the nightclub brawl ... saying, "This is from when I whooped that n*gga's ass in Detroit."

Mike continued to berate the process server as she made her way towards the exit ... saying, "B*tch, I don't give a f*ck ... suck my d*ck."

Marc Fiore -- the executive producer of "Gotti: Three Generations" -- tells us, "Pacino will portray Gambino crime family underboss and Gotti associate Neil Dellacroce (picture above)."

Fiore adds, "We are very pleased to have Al join the extraordinary team that we are assembling to make this movie."

FYI -- Dellacroce's mafia nickname was "The Tall Guy" ... presumably because he was tall ... and Pacino is only around 5'6". Thank god for special effects.

Animal Defenders International claims the video shows Tai, the elephant in the movie ... and several other elephants ... being trained with electric shock devices and bull hooks back in 2005.

ADI claims the trainers in the video are actually Tai's current owners -- a company called Have Trunk Will Travel.

The American Humane Association was on set during filming of "Water for Elephants" and says "no animals were harmed" ... and filmmakers used computer generated images for the scenes depicting animal abuse.

Calls to Have Trunk Will Travel were not returned.

UPDATE: A rep for AHA tells us, "We were not present when this video was shot in 2005. We are not clear about all of the content of this video."

Sources connected to the project tell us ... Duff will still get paid ... but producers are looking to find a new actress to play the role.

We're told ... producers have not yet decided who will replace Duff -- but "Gossip Girl" star Kevin Zegers is still slated to play Clyde.

UPDATE: After the casting director issued a press release confirming they were actively searching for Hilary's replacement ... the director of the movie, Tonya Holly, called TMZ and told us the casting director jumped the gun.

The 1920's colonial Georgian home -- located in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka -- is advertised as "Classic residence offers timeless and inspired family living."

Listing agent Marissa Hopkins thinks the home is definitely a film star, saying, “Very few homes have a leading role in a movie, in a sense becoming an additional character.”

Besides being a piece of movie history ... the home also boasts a four-room master suite, a carved marble fireplace mantle and the notorious "attic bedroom" -- where Kevin had to spend the night with his bed-wetting cousin.

Cooper -- who was nominated for an Oscar when he was 9-years-old -- passed away yesterday at a hospital in Beverly Hills after a sudden bout with illness.

Cooper was a highly respected director in his adult years -- winning Emmy awards for his work on "M*A*S*H*" and "The White Shadow."

Cooper famously played the role of The Daily Planet newspaper editor in the 1978 "Superman" film.

In addition to his long acting career, Cooper was also a decorated WWII vet, who served with the Navy in the South Pacific.

The docu-film, "Unlawful Killing," claims to have a recording of Diana on the phone -- a year before her death -- telling someone, "If you're a strong woman in my environment, you're a problem. I'm a Hell of a problem."

She continues, "No time for hobbies. Keeping alive is one of them."

TMZ obtained footage from the movie -- produced and directed by singer Lily Allen's father, Keith Allen -- which raises a bunch of new conspiracy theories ... including one about the doctor at the crash scene in Paris.

The film accuses the doc of waiting too long to remove Diana from the wreck to transport her to a Paris hospital -- and claims she would have had a fighting chance to live ... if not for that delay.

TMZ obtained Jaden's "KK" contract from June 2009 -- back when he was only 10 -- and according to the docs, his up-front fee was split into two installments ... one for $900,000 and one for $100,000.

But Jaden's back end deal was even more lucrative -- since the film topped $150 million in the domestic box office, the young actor locked down another $2 million bonus.

But $3 million is the bare minimum -- based on several additional in-contract perks AND the astronomical success of the film, Jaden likely pulled in even more.

Sources close to Jung tell TMZ ... producers from the National Geographic Channel show "Locked Up Abroad" have reached out to the infamous coke kingpin in the hopes of featuring him on a documentary-style special on his "experiences surrounding [Jung's] imprisonment and release."

We're told Jung -- who's still serving time in LaTuna Prison in Texas for drug smuggling -- was initially turned off by the idea ... but now, we're told, he's had a change of heart and wants to do it.

FYI -- "Locked Up" famously ran a similar movie-inspired episode last year -- featuring the real-life Henry Hill ... the guy who inspired "Goodfellas."

We're told Jung's business partners are slated to meet up with producers as soon as next week.