Movies

Zac Efron was not too good-looking to play Ted Bundy ... in fact, the director says Zac's looks underscore the very, very dark point of the flick.

Joe Berlinger, the director of "Extremely Wicked, Shocking Evil and Vile," told our photog Wednesday in NYC ... Zac's looks were a plus, but they took a backseat to his acting chops. Joe clearly couldn't be more pleased with Zac's performance, echoing reviews that called it "career-changing."

That said, Joe notes Bundy was able to disarm people with his looks and charm, and the film makes a statement that people who seem desirable on the outside are capable of monstrous conduct.

Joe says Bundy was a testament to the notion of perceived normalcy ... everything you see on the outside may look acceptable, but it's often not what it seems.

The movie was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival and Netflix acquired the distribution rights. Berlinger also directed the series "Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes," so his Bundy knowledge runs deep.

Liam Neeson is on the ropes and ducking faster than a pro boxer -- he's reportedly pulled out of an interview with Stephen Colbert on the heels of his tale of seeking race-based revenge.

Neeson's backed out of a scheduled Friday night appearance on the 'Late Show' ... according to The Wrap. He's clearly doing everything he can to avoid any further questions about his confession this week that 40 years ago he went out trying to kill any "black bastard" ... to avenge a friend who'd been raped.

We've reached out to Liam's camp and 'The Late Show' for comment ... so far, no word back.

The cancellation comes on the heels of Lionsgate pulling the plug on the red carpet for the NYC premiere of Liam's new movie, "Cold Pursuit" -- again, effectively dodging questions.

Talk about a PR nightmare -- Neeson made the bizarre revelation to The Independent on Monday. His follow-up interview on 'GMA' didn't help cool things down ... in fact, the backlash only intensified.

Andy King -- the event planner who offered oral sex in exchange for Evian (lots of it) at the doomed Fyre Festival -- is ready for his close-up ... strictly above the waist.

Andy tells TMZ ... he's received offers from multiple networks for a reality series since his unforgettable scenes in the Netflix 'Fyre' documentary. He says cameras would follow him doing what he does ... hosting major events around the world.

Andy says his show will absolutely focus on the drama and stress involved in putting on huge events -- a la the Fyre Festival -- but will also show the fun side. Presumably when things do NOT implode ... a la Fyre.

As for Fyre villain Billy McFarland, Andy still thinks Billy's heart was in the right place and he's not a bad guy -- he just made some very bad decisions.

Understatement much?

Unlike Billy, Andy says the events on his show will give back to the communities where they take place. Don't get the wrong idea ... he means financially.

Jamie Foxx must be thinking J.J. Abrams is shooting a movie on the streets of Malibu -- 'cause why the hell else would he run into a real-life robot working security at the beach??

The actor was out for lunch with a pal at the Malibu Village shopping center Wednesday afternoon when he came upon the K5 Knightscope -- an autonomous surveillance machine, and possible distant cousin of R2-D2 ... we're checking.

Anyway, Jamie was pretty astonished by K5.

The Oscar winner gave the security guard a once over and even busted out his phone for a photo, 'cause y'know ... pics or it didn't happen!.

K5 is pretty new to the area, but spokespeople for the shopping center have said its purpose is to keep the community safe by thwarting criminal activity and assisting police officers.

The machine is capable of securing large outdoor areas like parking lots, malls, campuses, etc ... it's also great at making famous friends.

If only it could host the Oscars!

Alice Marie Johnson stole the show during President Trump's State of the Union speech -- but turns out that's not her only show.

The recently-freed prisoner told us about her book deal, her movie deal and her big plans for the future on TMZ Live. And, check out today's show, because turns out she's already dealing with the benefits and pitfalls of being a celebrity.

And, speaking of celebs ... she's clearly become good buds with Kim Kardashian, who is, in large part, responsible for her freedom.

J.Law is about to inherit some I-Laws -- 'cause she's newly engaged ... and not afraid to show off the ring on a date night with her fiance.

Jen was spotted flashing her new rock Monday night in NYC while grabbing dinner at Raoul's French bistro with art gallerist and soon-to-be-hubby Cooke Maroney -- who popped the question after 8 months of dating. Her rep confirmed they're set to be hitched.

Based on how much this thing shines ... something tells us it's a beaut up close, and probably pretty damn big. And, clearly, she's happy to flaunt it.

This is Jennifer's first engagement after some very public relationships in the recent past. She dated 'X-Men' costar Nicholas Hoult for a few years, and was most recently linked to director Darren Aronofsky ... with whom she also worked in 2017's "Mother!"

She was reportedly introduced to Cooke this past summer through her pal, Laura Simpson, and has been going strong with him behind the scenes since then.

It's like they say ... third time's a charm.

Liam Neeson's own words -- about looking for a "black bastard" to kill 40 years ago -- are derailing the NYC rollout of his new movie.

"Cold Pursuit" is premiering Tuesday night in NYC, but the studio's decided to cancel the red carpet event -- meaning Neeson won't have to face the media. That change was announced just hours before the premiere -- and a few hours after Neeson tried to soften the blow of his bombshell revelation.

He went on 'GMA,' attempting to further explain why he'd tried to avenge a friend's rape -- when he was in his 20s -- by seeking to assault random black men. Neeson didn't know the attacker's identity but only knew he was black.

Neeson first told the puzzling story to The Independent on Monday, and the backlash has been building ever since.

For instance, we spoke to Killer Mike outside SiriusXM's office in NYC and he said he's been dealing with people like Neeson all his life.

Mike ripped Neeson for his "incredibly racist, bigoted and wrong" comments, but added he's not worried about the actor because he doesn't have to work with him.

James Gandolfini's son couldn't stop grinning ear to ear at the thought of playing his late father's most iconic role, and his smile says it perfectly -- Michael Gandolfini's up for the challenge.

Michael spoke to Adam Glyn while out in NYC Monday night -- hanging out with "The Deuce" star Chris Bauer -- and talked a little bit about the upcoming 'Sopranos' prequel. Michael's playing young Tony Soprano in "The Many Saints of Newark."

It's easy to see why Michael got the role ... for starters, the resemblance is uncanny. And, he reportedly beat out stiff competition because he mastered his father's iconic character's mannerisms. Can't beat the genes, baby!

Awesome to see Michael carry on James' legacy. As we reported ... James died of a heart attack in 2013 while on a boys' trip with Michael in Italy.

2/5 -- A rep for PETA tells TMZ, "PETA has not, to date, received any communication from Paws for Effect and stands by its claim."

Shelby -- the adorable pooch starring in the movie, "A Dog's Way Home" -- is at the center of a defamation lawsuit against PETA, which flat-out lied about animal abuse ... according to Shelby's owners.

Paws for Effect is the company that adopted and trained Shelby for her starring role. She's reportedly a mixed-breed pup who was rescued from a shelter in Tennessee -- so, a true Hollywood rags to riches story. However, Paws for Effect says it was blindsided by what it calls PETA's smear campaign ahead of the movie's release.

In docs obtained by TMZ ... Paws says PETA first fired off an email to an exec at Sony Pictures, the distributor of 'Dog's Way Home' ... alleging Paws had racked up citations under the Animal Welfare Act. PETA allegedly repeated that claim to an "unknowable" number of film industry types.

Paws says PETA's email is a straight-up lie, and insists it's never received a single citation under the AWA. According to docs, PETA either knew its statement about Paws was false, or could easily have found out if it did the slightest bit of research.

In the suit, Paws says even now -- after PETA's been informed its statement is false -- it has yet to correct or retract it.

Shelby's owners say the potential fallout for them is no one in Hollywood will work with them in the future -- and, as a result, they want PETA to pay through the snout.

Ne-Yo is squarely in Michael Jackson's corner, and says he doesn't care if the accusers featured in the new documentary are lying or not.

We got Ne-Yo Friday night at LAX, and asked him about the doc, "Leaving Neverland," that was previewed at the Sundance Film Festival. Ne-Yo was clear ... he's not going to see it, adding, "I'm going to keep my memory of Michael Jackson the way it is."

As for whether he believes the 2 accusers in the docs, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, are lying, Ne-Yo pays no mind to it.

Channing Tatum's ditching the bachelor life by parting with his rented pad -- which might not scream "single" from the outside, but on the inside it's definitely an untethered man's dream.

Channing was renting this charming, colonial-style home in the San Fernando Valley between November and January in the aftermath of his split from Jenna Dewan last year.

We're told this was Channing's second crash pad -- he initially rented in L.A.'s Mandeville Canyon for 6 months. The Valley spot didn't come cheap either. Our sources say he shelled out a whopping $25k every month. Not quite Bieber rental prices, but still.

The 2-story, 5-bedroom crib has all the bells and whistles a single dude might want -- sweet pool out back, private movie theater, game room, sports court, dual-purpose office, and guest house. There's also an area that can easily be converted into a wine cellar or recording studio.

We're told Channing moved out a few days ago to snap up something more permanent.

We don't know where he's moving, but we'd bet his new GF, Jessie J, has the address, and maybe even keys ... if that's still going on.

Renewed interest in Ted Bundy has attracted tons of voyeurs to his former Utah residence -- which has become a giant pain in the ass for residents.

A tenant who lives in the 2-story, 5-unit home -- which continues to serve as a boarding house, of sorts -- tells TMZ, foot traffic at the crib has significantly increased since the release of Netflix's 'Ted Bundy Tapes' doc and Zac Efron's Bundy film trailer.

Bundy lived here from 1974-1975 -- and urban legend has it, he might've even brought some of his victims back to the home. We're told Bundy used to stay in Room #2, which has since been relabeled Room #5. The tenant says somebody currently occupies that space.

What's really upsetting ... the barrage of gawkers cropping up in increasing numbers. We're told many simply wanna snap photos of the pad, while others have the audacity to peruse the grounds to eyeball a fire escape he used to climb when he wanted to come and go unnoticed.

Juliette Lewis isn't down with the notion that Ted Bundy was a "sexy" serial killer ... and she's weirded out by anyone -- especially women -- who thinks that.

The actress and singer was at LAX Tuesday when we asked her about the "hot" buzz around Bundy -- due to the fact that Zac Efron is playing him in the new film, "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile."

Juliette thinks it's very gross, though she's got no problem with casting the stupidly handsome Efron as the infamous murderer. Her beef's with "weirdo women" who fall for a killer who happens to be charming and good looking -- when his heinous crimes are common knowledge.

As we've told you ... one of Ted Bundy's survivors, Kathy Kleiner Rubin, is fine with the hot take on Bundy in the new movie, as long as people learn a lesson about his evil ways.

Jerry O'Connell wants to play Billy McFarland in the worst way ... and his impression of B.M. makes him more than worthy.

We got Jerry and his wife, Rebecca Romijn, Tuesday at LAX and asked how they'd feel about a scripted reimagining of the "the best party that never happened" hitting the big screen.

Turns out Jerry and Rebecca are Fyre nuts, who've watched both the Hulu and Netflix documentaries.

We talked to McFarland shortly after his would-be music fest came crashing down, and at the time he explained how he and his team tried hard to make it work.

As for whether the models who were involved in promoting the Fyre Fest -- some of whom are still being indirectly roped in to the story, even now -- should feel bad about their role in all this ... Rebecca -- a former model -- actually comes to their defense.

One thing's for sure ... these two definitely know their Fyre Festival history!

12:55 PM PT -- A rep for Gwyneth tells us, "This lawsuit is completely without merit. Anyone who reads the facts will realize that."

Gwyneth Paltrow allegedly doesn't know the rules of the road mountains in Utah -- 'cause a guy claims she crashed into him during a ski trip and seriously jacked him up.

Utah resident Terry Sanderson just sued Paltrow -- as well as Deer Valley Resort -- where he claims the actress slammed into him in February 2016 as he was skiing down the mountain.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Sanderson says Paltrow was out of control as she hit him from behind, which knocked him over and left him in shock. He claims she simply got up, didn't say a thing, and kept on going while he was left lying there.

Sanderson also claims Paltrow knew that a downhill skier usually has the right of way on a slope, and that he was clearly downhill from her.

He goes on to claim that a ski instructor who was tailing Paltrow stopped off and accused Sanderson of causing the collision, allegedly asking, "What did you do?" ... and skiing away without getting help for the guy. Sanderson alleges the instructor also filed a false report casting blame on him in an attempt to protect Paltrow.

He says he suffered a concussion, a brain injury and four broken ribs -- going on to claim he's suffered physical and mental injuries, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress, disfigurement and medical expenses.

Sanderson is asking a judge to award him damages in excess of $3.1 million.