Movies

Burt Reynolds was able to live out his final years at his longtime Florida estate thanks to a loving landlord who helped him out of a financial crisis.

Here's the backstory -- Burt sold his home in 2015 to his friend and neighbor Charles Modica after years of money woes and a decade-long struggle to unload it, but Charles allowed him to stay there for the rest of his life ... similar to Hugh Hefner at the Playboy Mansion.

Modica tells TMZ ... he bought Burt's pad with the intention of letting the legendary actor continue living there, because moving would have been traumatic. Modica says he always respected Reynolds for all the good he did in Florida, so he charged him relatives pennies in rent. In fact, Modica says he doesn't even recall the exact amount -- his accountant handles it -- but it was a super small sum.

As for the waterfront property ... Charles has no plans to sell. Fact is, it's a good investment.

Burt bought the estate back in 1980 for $700k, and later lived there with his then-wife, Loni Anderson. He put it on the market in 2005, and it was priced all over the place -- as high as $15 million -- before he sold it in 2015 to Modica for $3.3 mil. Modica says it's now worth somewhere between $4 and $5 mil.

The 3.4-acre estate has a 12,000 sq. ft. main house and a 2-bed guesthouse, a movie theater, a pool decorated with the FSU logo, a dock on the water and a helicopter landing pad.

As we reported ... Reynolds died of a heart attack Thursday in Florida. He was 82.

1:52 PM PT -- In the 911 call -- obtained by TMZ -- a male caller tells emergency operators Reynolds is experiencing trouble breathing and chest pain. The caller also says Reynolds is awake but not answering questions. The call was made just after noon on Thursday.

12:54 PM PT -- Burt was cast in Quentin Tarantino's Charles Manson film, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," but a source connected to the project tells us Burt hadn't shot his scenes yet.

He was supposed to shoot for 2 days, playing George Spahn ... the owner of the ranch where the Manson Family lived and plotted the Tate-LaBianca murders. Back in June, he showed up for a table read in Hollywood with the rest of the cast, including Brad Pitt.

Burt Reynolds died of a heart attack Thursday morning at a hospital in Florida, according to multiple reports.

Reynolds was 82.

Burt was transported to a Florida hospital after going into cardiac arrest at home. His family was by his side when he passed.

Reynolds had heart problems for years -- he underwent major heart surgery in February 2010. His rep tells us Burt had appeared extremely frail recently, and was in and out of the hospital.

Burt was a star in movies and on TV -- appearing in classics like "Smokey and the Bandit," "Boogie Nights" and "The Cannonball Run."

Reynolds was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role as porn director Jack Horner in "Boogie Nights" in 1997. He won the Golden Globe that year.

He's survived by his son.

Reynolds was famously married to Loni Anderson in 1988 -- but they split in 1993 in one of the nastiest breakups in Hollywood history.

He accused her of sleeping around. She accused him of physical brutality. And there were drug allegations and lots of other things. The 5-year marriage officially ended in 1993, when Burt agreed to pay Loni $234,794.13.

Reynolds refused to pay off the full bill for years -- but finally caved in 2015 ... 22 years after the divorce.

Reynolds was a star college football player -- who played at Florida State. His roommate was Lee Corso.

One of the biggest moments of Burt's career was when he posed naked for Cosmo magazine in 1972 on a bearskin rug. The photo became a national sensation. However, Burt expressed regrets about it later, saying, "It was really stupid. I don't know what I was thinking. I really wish I hadn't done that."

Burt was the #1 box office attraction for 5 solid years back in the '70s -- starring alongside iconic actresses like Jill Clayburgh, Dolly Parton, Goldie Hawn and Julie Andrews.

Did you know ... ESPN's Lee Corso was Burt Reynolds' college roommate back in the day?

It's true -- the two lived together at Florida State when Burt was a member of the Seminoles football team. And, according to Lee, Burt would often help him out with the ladies!

Lee used to tell the story when talking to college athletes back in the day -- and recounted it at a football event back in 2007.

"We would send him out for bait," Corso said ... "He would go to the student union and bring two girls back. One was gorgeous and the other one was ugly."

"He always took the beautiful girl ... and gave me the ugly one."

"But, you know what I found out early? Burt Reynolds' ugly girlfriends were better than anything I could get on my own."

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts says it's reconsidering rolling out a new "popular" category for the Oscars, and putting the move on ice for 2019 ... and probably forever.

The AMPA said Thursday that the bemoaned category of "Best Achievement in Popular Film" merits further study ... and it won't be happening for the 2019 award show. As you'll recall ... the backlash to the announcement last month was swift and fierce, with cinephiles calling it the death of the Academy Awards and simply a way to pander to ratings.

The Academy's CEO, Dawn Hudson, says ... "There has been a wide range of reactions to the introduction of a new award, and we recognize the need for further discussion with our members." She continued, "We have made changes to the Oscars over the years—including this year—and we will continue to evolve while also respecting the incredible legacy of the last 90 years."

We'll take this a step further and predict this means the "popular" category will never see the light of day, especially after people stop talking about it when the 2019 show's over. Once the buzz dies down, our money's on the Academy never moving to reinstate it.

The Department of Justice is charging a North Korean spy for the infamous Sony hacking that sent shock waves around Hollywood.

The DOJ charged Park Jin Hyok as the mastermind behind the 2014 cyber attack that exposed tons of the studio's internal emails. It ultimately led to the ousting of several of Sony's top executives.

The attack also came just before the studio's release of "The Interview" -- the satirical flick depicting Seth Rogen and James Franco's characters' plot to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. A group that took credit, at the time, for the hacking made terroristic threats against theaters, and Sony blinked ... yanking the movie from a big screen release.

According to the DOJ ... Hyok conducted the hack on behalf of North Korea's spy agency. The FBI first pointed the finger at N. Korea back in 2014, but the DOJ charges make it official ... allegedly.

For hacking Sony and targeting others, Park was charged with 1 count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse and 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Of course, they have to catch him first.

The hack wiped data from thousands of Sony computers while also revealing super sensitive information ... like the fact Seth earned $2 million more than James for the same movie. Another email exposed a famed producer who bad mouthed Angelina Jolie.

The guy who'll soon be playing Freddie Mercury in a theater near you honored the iconic singer in the best way possible on what would've been Freddie's 72nd birthday.

Rami Malek was with a crew of pals singing his heart out at Wednesday night's Queen concert in Las Vegas. Of course, Rami's playing Freddie in "Bohemian Rhapsody," and he gave us a little preview with the way he rocked out in his seat to "We Are the Champions."

Based on how into the show he was -- and how much he looks like Mercury on camera -- Rami might as well have hopped onstage himself to give Adam Lambert (Queen's current lead singer) a breather. The cast and crew were also spotted living it up at celeb hot spot Intrigue.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" drops later this fall, and it's already getting a ton of buzz for Rami's performance. Good to see he hasn't let go of the character even after filming.

Anthony Anderson will not face charges for allegedly assaulting a woman ... TMZ has learned.

Anderson was accused of the attack earlier this year when a woman went to the LAPD. The specifics of her claims were unclear, but were enough to trigger a police report and then have the case shipped off to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Law enforcement sources tell us the D.A.'s office rejected the case Friday, deciding not to charge him with anything because the woman refused to cooperate and there was not enough evidence to go forward.

Neither Kevin Spacey nor Steven Seagal will face charges for alleged sexual assaults that took place about 25 years ago ... TMZ has learned.

According to new legal docs ... the L.A. County D.A. declined to file charges in the cases against the actors for alleged incidents that took place in the early '90s.

In the Spacey case, a man claimed he was sexually assaulted in 1992, but the D.A. concluded it was well beyond the statute of limitations, and "Therefore, an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence is not warranted."

The D.A. made a similar conclusion for Seagal, who was accused of sexual assault by a woman in 1993 ... so he won't face charges either.

Orlando Bloom is living proof ... you don't have to give up on your body when you turn 40.

Orlando hit the waters of Malibu Saturday with a buddy as they enjoyed the last vestiges of summer.

The 41-year-old strolled the beach as his furry little poodle tagged along for the ride. Orlando also hit up the Malibu Chili Cook-Off, which was being held in a nearby field.

No sign of Katy Perry ... It's unclear if she and Orlando are still together. The last time we saw them together was back in July. The 2 were in London at a club and it seemed like a date, but again, they go for periods of time when they're not together ... or so it seems.

Orlando just wrapped a play, "Killer Joe," in London.

The ex-girlfriend of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" actor Shelley Malil -- who was convicted of attempted murder after stabbing her 23 times in a fit of rage in 2008 -- is shocked and terrified he's been granted parole ... and feels the system let her down.

Kendra Beebe tells TMZ ... the 3 men on the California parole board who decided Malil is good to return to society have made a terrible decision, and sent a clear message that they don't value women or their safety.

Beebe claims Malil is still telling lies about what happened the night of her attack -- in which he stabbed her with a broken wine glass and a kitchen knife and also tried to smother her with a pillow while her 2 kids slept upstairs -- which proves he's not really remorseful or safe.

Kendra believes Malil just pulled off a big acting job, and wholeheartedly disagrees with the parole board's assessment that he's a low risk for committing future violence.

Kendra tells us she's still living in fear because of her attack, and she's going to ask for Malil to wear a GPS device to monitor his activity -- she thinks it's the least they can do.

If you think you're excited about the inevitable sequel to "Crazy Rich Asians," you've got nothing on Singapore ... because its movie industry is poised to rake in a fortune from the next installment.

A rep for the Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority tells TMZ the first film was a huge boon to the nation's minuscule movie biz. Much of the flick -- which was shot on a relatively small $30 million budget -- was set in Singapore, and producers hired more than 300 local actors and crewmen to work on the flick.

Now -- after banking close to $100 million at the box office in just the first three weeks -- Warner Bros. is reportedly moving forward with a sequel likely based on the second book in author Kevin Kwan's trilogy, "China Rich Girlfriend." CRG will no doubt command a budget many times larger than the original ... meaning more actors, more crew and millions of more dollars for the Singaporeans involved in the film.

It may not mean much to Singapore's citizens as a whole -- the seventh wealthiest nation in the world -- but it's pretty good for the island nation's "industry" folks, who have reportedly supported a grand total of about 70 movies over the past twenty years.

Imagine a 6'6", 275-pound Super Bowl champ running around on a broomstick.

Thanks to Martellus Bennett, we now know exactly what that looks like ... and it's all in the name of QUIDDITCH!!!

The ex-NFL star teamed up with the Los Angeles Gambits to play the 'Harry Potter' sport for his new show, "Mostly Football," with Yahoo Sports and Complex (airing on September 6 at 4pm PT/7pm ET).

The show features the former NFL tight end trying his hand at various non-football sports including sumo wrestling while covering football with his own personal twist. It's good stuff.

TMZ Sports has a first look at the quidditch action ... and not only did Martellus get super into it, he might've forgotten he's not playing football anymore, 'cause he straight-up wrecked a dude while making a play.

Ice up, son!

And, for all you muggles out there who don't know how quidditch works ...

Gwyneth Paltrow isn't some stuck up Hollywood elitist, she's just like the rest of us ... 'cause she'd rather think about sex than listen to her friends' boring stories!!!

She's also hip to memes!!!

Gwyneth became an IG meme Wednesday, and her surprising response showed her funny -- and humble -- side. Seriously, who saw that coming???

The man behind the meme, Tucker Bellingrath aka @gaybestfriend, tells us he was SPEECHLESS when Gwyneth responded to his post, and he's glad she doesn't take herself too seriously.

It makes sense why Gwyneth's willingness to play along caught Tucker and everyone else by surprise. This is an Oscar-winning actress, for goodness sake!!!

Chris Pratt's the kinda G little homies wanna be like ... with a smoking' hot GF like Katherine Schwarzenegger, who's not afraid to get a little gangsta.

Chris and Katherine were out for date night Wednesday and hit up R+D Kitchen in Santa Monica. The couple rolled up on the restaurant in their casual best -- gym shorts, v-neck tee and ball cap for Chris ... and "spiritual gangsta" long sleeve tee for Kat.

They're clearly still in the puppy love stage ... sporting huge grins as they walked out after dinner. Last time we saw the love birds, they were riding ... Birds. Looks like they kept it on foot this time around.

Gwyneth Paltrow seems to know a quartz egg for your vagina just isn't for everyone -- so instead, she's Gooping up furniture, 'cause we all need an indoor swing chair, right?

Yeah, Gwyneth's caught a lot of crap over the years for her Goop lists -- plugging $250 Christian Louboutin shoes for babies and a $55 rose quartz vagina egg come to mind -- but now she's releasing a furniture line, and people mostly don't hate it.

Goop teamed with Crate & Barrel for the line of sofas, glassware, rugs, pillows and a lot of other stuff husbands will nod approvingly about when wives ask for their opinions.

The prices are reasonable too (thanks to C&B, we're guessing) -- the priciest item is a $1,999 pink sofa.

Danny Glover says he's got the perfect tune to sing at Aretha Franklin's funeral -- it's a gospel classic, but it doesn't appear to be one the Queen of Soul covered herself.

We got the "Lethal Weapon" star Wednesday at The Palm in Bev Hills and asked what should be performed Friday by the star-studded lineup -- which will feature Ariana Grande, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia, Faith Hill and others.

Danny's hoping to hear someone belt out a tune which served as both the lead single and title of the 1983 album "Peace Be Still" ... by gospel singer Vanessa Bell Armstrong.

It's been covered by lots of people but it doesn't appear Aretha ever recorded it for an album -- but some critics have described Vanessa's performance of it as Aretha-esque.

We're guessing the Queen's performed it live at some point in her illustrious career, especially because she got her start in gospel.

Speaking of that body of work, Danny says he's been playing Aretha radio nonstop since her death a couple weeks ago. Can't blame him -- some of the best music ever from the greatest voice.