Movies

Brad Pitt's new film "Moneyball" and Taylor Lautner's latest flick "Abduction" each premiered this weekend.

Question is ...

The producer of "Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father" has lashed out at Joe Pesci, claiming he's a has-been who is desperately seeking attention by trying to force himself into the movie.

The flick -- which will star John Travolta -- is now the basis of a suit filed by Pesci, who claims he had an iron-clad, $3 million deal to play the role of Angelo Ruggiero, Gotti's close friend and enforcer. In fact, Pesci says the deal was so firm, he actually gained 30 pounds for the role, only to be 86'd from the film.

As we previously reported, Pesci has sued Fiore Films, and now the movie company is fighting back in its answer to the lawsuit, saying, "It has been over 20 years since Mr. Pesci has been able to gather the attention he has by merely interjecting his role in this film."

Fiore claims it never had a deal with Joe ... there were discussions but no commitment. Fiore says sadly, "[Pesci] desperately wants to be part of this film project."

TMZ has learned ... Halle Berry broke her foot in Spain this morning, and it's creating problems for the movie she's shooting.

Sources tell TMZ ... Halle was on the property where she's staying and simply took a misstep. She heard a crack and then felt the pain. Halle went to the hospital, where doctors put her foot in a cast. She was taken out of the hospital in a wheelchair.

As for the movie she's currently shooting -- "Cloud Atlas" -- sources say the immediate plan is to shoot around her. We're told that will be a combination of things -- shooting her from the waist up, using a stunt double, and shooting scenes for the next week or two in which Halle does not appear.

"I Am Number Four" star Alex Pettyfer showed off his toned, hairless abs -- and boxer briefs -- while on set of that Channing Tatum stripper movie "Magic Mike" in L.A. on Tuesday.

Frances Bay -- famous for playing Adam Sandler's grandma in "Happy Gilmore" -- passed away Thursday at the age of 92 ... her agent confirms.

Bay spent most of her life as a housewife -- deciding to pursue a career as an actress in the 1970's -- when she was already in her mid-50's.

In addition to playing the grandma on "Happy Gilmore" -- she also guest-starred as the Fonz's grandma on "Happy Days".

The British rapper who dropped $37,500 on the very first pair of those AWESOME "Back to the Future" shoes tells TMZ ... he NEVER, EVER plans to put 'em on his feet!!!!

22-year-old Tinie Tempah was leaving an MLB event in NY last night when he told us his prized Nike Air Mags are en route to Michael J. Fox -- who's gonna sign 'em!!!

As TMZ first reported, Tempeh outbid EVERYONE for the kicks at a charity auction last week -- with every single cent going towards the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

Cliff Robertson, who won an Oscar in 1968 and became known to modern audiences for his roll as Uncle Ben in the "Spider-Man" movies, died yesterday. He was 88.

Robertson famously portrayed John F. Kennedy in the movie "PT-109," the first movie to portray a sitting president.

He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1968 for his portrayal of a mentally disabled man in the movie "Charly."

Mel Gibson has a passion for the story of Judah Maccabee, one of the greatest Jewish heroes of all time, but is not doing the movie as an act of contrition.

Sources very close to Mel tell TMZ ... Gibson does not feel the need to bridge a gap between himself and the Jewish community, because he doesn't believe a gap exists. They say Mel is adamant -- he does not hate Jews, noting that his lawyers are Jewish, his publicist is Jewish, and he has many Jewish friends and employees.

As for Mel's anti-Semitic rant during his 2006 DUI arrest, Mel has written two public letters of apology and also met with numerous leaders in the Jewish community to discuss where he went wrong.

Mel Gibson is facing criticism from some members of the Jewish community who think it's a travesty for him to do a movie about Judah Maccabee, a famous Jewish hero. Now that Warner Bros. has signed on, we gotta ask:

The British rapper who dropped $37,500 on the badass new Marty McFly kicks tells TMZ, he wasn't planning to buy them at last night's L.A. auction -- he just got caught up in the moment.

Tinie Tempah tells us, "It was a total spur of the moment decision. I was really touched in the moment by the presentation and next thing I knew I owned these iconic sneakers."

Tinie -- a longtime sneaker-collector -- says he's also a HUGE fan of "Back to the Future" ... so the shoes "were an all-around great purchase that will go on to help [The Michael J. Fox Foundation]."

So ... what kind of a person drops $37,500 on a pair of crazy "Back to the Future" shoes??? A 22-year-old British rapper named Tinie Tempah ... that's who.

TMZ spoke with Tinie's rep ... who told us the London native is a serious shoe collector ... and he simply fell in love with the Marty McFly sneakers at the charity auction in L.A. last night.

We're told Tinie -- whose new song "Written In the Stars" has become a worldwide hit -- is on his way to South Africa at the moment.

No word if he's actually wearing the shoes on the plane ... but he should be.

Two powerful Jewish organizations are lashing out against the decision to hire Mel Gibson to produce a movie about biblical Jewish hero Judah Maccabee ... TMZ has learned.

The Anti-Defamation League has released a statement -- demanding Warner Bros. pull Gibson off the flick immediately ... saying, "As a hero of the Jewish people and a universal hero in the struggle for religious liberty, Judah Maccabee deserves better."

The statement adds, "It would be a travesty to have the story of the Maccabees told by one who has no respect and sensitivity for other people’s religious views."

TMZ also spoke with Rabbi Marvin Hier -- founder and Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center -- who tells us putting Mel Gibson work on a movie about a Jewish hero is "like having a white supremacist portray Martin Luther King Jr."

GREAT SCOTT!!!!!!!

The very first pair of the Nike Air Mag -- the Marty McFly shoe from "Back to the Future II" was auctioned off in L.A. last night ... and the winning bidder dropped $37,500!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The auction -- co-hosted by Joel McHale -- went down at the Montalban Theater ... and after an INTENSE stand-off between two shoe-a-holics ... the winner was eventually crowned.

Along with the shoes, the winner also received a "plutonium case" where he can store his "McFly's"

Oh, and McHale also promised to throw in a puppy ... we'll find out if he REALLY meant it.

So far, the identity of the buyer remains a secret ... we're guessing it won't be for long.

FYI -- all of the proceeds from the auction benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

The time has come ... Nike is FINALLY selling Marty McFly's futuristic high-tops from "Back to the Future II" ... 4 years before they're supposed to exist.

Here's the catch -- Nike is only releasing 1,500 pairs of the Nike Air Mag ... a shoe that Marty rocked in the year 2015 in the movie.

Nike has announced that all of the pairs will be auctioned on eBay ... with all of the proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation ... which helps fund research on Parkinson's Disease.

According to NiceKicks.com, the shoe contains an LED panel -- just like in the movie -- and is fully rechargeable ... with each charge fueling around 5 hours of awesomeness.

The shoes are great and all ... but seriously, WHERE THE HELL IS THE HOVERBOARD ALREADY?!

Michael J. Fox went on Letterman last night and talked about the shoe -- reminding people that the $$$ from the sale goes towards a good cause.

File this under ironic and interesting ... Mel Gibson is producing a movie that triumphs the Jewish struggle against tyranny ... a movie about the greatest Jewish hero of all time.

Mel's publicist Alan Nierob tells TMZ ... Mel is teaming up with screenwriter Joe Eszterhas (right) -- who wrote the Jewish-themed movies "Betrayed" and "Music Box" -- to produce a movie about Judah Maccabee, the Jewish warrior who defeated the Greek-Syrian armies in the second century B.C.

Mel -- who famously directed the arguably anti-Jewish "Passion of the Christ" in 2004 -- has signed on with Warner Bros., which won out over several other studios that wanted the project.

Nierob says Gibson has been working on the Maccabee project for a decade, but now it's about to become real.