Movies

Batman is SUPPOSED to be a master of all things mechanical -- but last weekend in Toronto, some bat-impostor ruined the Dark Knight's good reputation ... when his replica Batmobile overheated on the side of the road.

Law enforcement tells TMZ, it wasn't the REAL Batman -- though the man's receding hairline bears a striking resemblance to Michael Keaton -- it was some Canadian superfan with a lot of time on his hands.

The budget for "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises" might have just jumped up another six figures -- because last Friday, Catwoman's stunt double BARRELED through a super-expensive IMAX camera ... and TMZ has the crushing footage.

It's unclear who messed up -- the stunt-double or the cameraman -- but either way, the camera appeared to be blown to smithereens.

It was all shot outside some building at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh -- which, we're told, is supposed to be Gotham City Hall in the movie.

Thankfully, no one was hurt -- and with a budget of $250 MILLION ... a broken camera's just a drop in the bucket.

Sources close to production tell us both the camera and the cameraman were not injured during the incident -- but if you look closely, you can SEE camera shrapnel ... and fixing those things ain't cheap!

A rep for Warner Bros. had no comment.

It's not a good sign for "Bad Santa" fans hoping for a sequel when Billy Bob Thornton says he doesn't "know much" about the TWO scripts that are reportedly in the works.

Jesse Eisenberg's new movie about a pizza delivery boy who's abducted, outfitted with a bomb, and forced to rob a bank ... is PISSING OFF friends of a man who was killed under VERY similar circumstances ... TMZ has learned.

The movie -- "30 Minutes or Less" -- is being promoted as a comedy flick. But back in 2003, nobody was laughing when 46-year-old pizza man Brian Wells DIED when a bomb strapped around his neck exploded after he tried to rob a bank.

Wells insisted he was abducted during a pizza delivery in Pennsylvania -- claiming the bombmaker locked an explosive device around his neck and ordered him to rob a bank.

Cops placed Wells in handcuffs ... but backed away from the guy when they realized the bomb was REAL. The bomb exploded while news cameras rolled ... and Wells was killed instantly.

Years later, federal prosecutors alleged Brian concocted the plan with several other people. One of the plotters insisted Brian was under the impression an actual bomb would NOT be used.

TMZ spoke with one of Brian's closest friends who tells us he's outraged that Hollywood would mock Wells' death ... calling the movie "trash."

The friend tells us, "It's stupid the movie is even coming out ... producers can go jump in a lake for all I care!"

He adds, "Doesn't Brian have a right to die? They're blowing something up that should never have even happened in the first place and now they wanna make a joke out of it ... it's really tragic."

A rep for Columbia Pictures tells TMZ, "Neither the filmmakers nor the stars of '30 Minutes or Less' were aware of this crime prior to their involvement in the film."

If you ever wondered what happened to Mark Wahlberg's GIANT fake penis from "Boogie Nights" -- turns out he held onto it ... with both hands, we presume.

Corbin Bleu helped make "High School Musical" a huge hit, but the 22-year old star just got sued over a movie he made which raked in a whopping $463 its opening weekend.

The movie "Free Style" -- which clearly you probably never saw -- opened in 2009 with Corbin as the star.

The movie's financiers filed a lawsuit today in Los Angeles Superior Court against Corbin, Samuel Goldwyn Films -- and many others -- claiming Corbin failed to promote the project as promised.

Third Eye Capital and Strative Capital claim Corbin was contractually bound to promote and publicize the film -- but they claim he "refused and failed to perform those services" ... and as a result the flick bombed.

How do you define bomb? According to the suit, "Free Style" made $141,108 in just over a month -- and a worldwide total of $1,321,508. The financiers say they put up more than $8.5 million.

Annette Charles -- who played Cha Cha in the 1978 movie "Grease" -- died last night in her Los Angeles home ... her rep tells TMZ.

Her rep tells us, she passed away due to complications from cancer.

The family is planning to release a full statement within the next 24 hours. Annette was 63.

A family member tells us, "Annette had recently started having difficulty breathing ... and when she went to the doctor she learned that she had a cancerous tumor in one of her lungs."

We're told doctors only learned about her condition a few months ago.

Steve Guttenberg just released a statement to TMZ about the passing of his good friend and "Police Academy" co-star Bubba Smith.

"Bubba was my friend. His generosity was far larger than his physical stature."

He adds, "Only his gift for caring about his friends and family could compare with his achievements on the football field, film and television. He also laughed like no other."

Bubba Smith's final movie role was a spoof of the character he made famous during his run of "Police Academy" flicks ... but TMZ has learned it may never be released to the public.

Back in 2009, Smith finished shooting a movie called, "Daze: Vol. Too" -- described as a "post-modern avant-garde dramedy musical non-musical" starring Gary Busey.

TMZ spoke with Executive Producer Miller Uwanawich who tells us Smith's character dons a police outfit and participates in a musical number that spoofs the "Police Academy" series.

The film is complete -- but has yet to go public because producers haven't locked in a distributor. However, Uwanawich tells us he's had some recent meetings with potential buyers and seems fairly optimistic.

Uwanawich says producers plan to add an in memorium tribute to Bubba at the end of the flick ... and will also pay tribute to the late Andrew Koenig, who also had a role in the movie.

Former NFL great Charles "Bubba" Smith -- who later starred in the "Police Academy" movies -- was found dead today in his Los Angeles home. He was 66 years old.

Law enforcement officials tell TMZ ... LAPD received a 911 call at 12:54PM today -- and officers responded to his home in the Baldwin Hills area. The fire department also responded and we're told Smith was dead when authorities arrived.

The L.A. County Coroner is on the scene investigating. We're told, at this point, authorities think he died of natural causes.

According to the L.A. Times, Bubba's caretaker discovered the body and called police. His autopsy will be performed later this week.

Bubba -- a towering 6'7" -- spent 9 seasons as a defensive end in the NFL, playing for the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders, and Houston Oilers.

He won Super Bowl V with the Colts -- but is most famous for his role as the giant and lovable Moses Hightower in 6 of the "Police Academy" movies.

It's basically knockin' on death's door ... but TMZ has learned there's still HOPE for the heavily damaged Ohio oak tree featured in the movie "The Shawshank Redemption."

The tree was essentially split in half when a strong wind storm ripped through north-central Ohio last week -- and officials in Mansfield were pretty pessimistic about its fate.

But now, a rep for the Mansfield Convention and Visitors Bureau tells us area leaders are scrambling to figure out a plan to "somehow preserve it" ... because the tree has become a MAJOR tourist attraction in the area since the movie and NO ONE wants to see it die.

Still, the rep adds, "We highly encourage folks who want to see the tree in its natural location to visit now, while part of it remains standing."

Mark it AWESOME, dude -- because the main cast from "The Big Lebowski" is REUNITING in New York this month during the annual Lebowski Fest!!!!

Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi and Julianne Moore are all scheduled to appear at the fest on August 16 ... where they are all set for a Q&A session with fans before watching a screening of the flick.

If you haven't been to a Lebowski Fest -- it's kind of like a Trekkie convention ... with way more pot.

Finally, a wedding album worth flipping through -- thanks to a cameo from the cast of "The Dark Knight Rises." Now, who's gonna tie those annoying cans to the Batmobile?

The iconic Ohio oak tree where Andy Dufresne buried a secret stash for his prison pal Red at the end of "The Shawshank Redemption" ... is ON DEATH'S DOOR -- after a brutal windstorm last week.

You remember the tree -- it was at the end of the trail ... and there was a rock that had no earthly business being in a hayfield ... and Red picked up said rock, opened the box and realized that Andy was in Zihuatanejo. Great flick.

Anyway, the damn thing nearly split in half Friday during a crazy windstorm. According to MansfieldNewsJournal.com, the owners of the property have not announced if they plan to remove the tree.

But remember ... "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies."