Leonard Maltin Ending His Beloved Annual Movie Guides

It’s the end of an era for film buffs: Leonard Maltin, the critic whose movie guides have been a cineaste staple for more than forty years, has announced that the Leonard Maltin’s 2015 Movie Guide (to be released next month) will be his last. The news first appeared on a blog post Monday by film writer Joe Leydon, and was confirmed by Maltin to Yahoo Movies this morning.

Leydon quoted Maltin’s explanation from his advance copy of the guide, which will be available Sept. 2: “With ready access to information on the Internet, our readership has diminished at an alarming rate… The book’s loyal followers know that we strive to offer something one can’t easily find online: curated information that is accurate and user-friendly, along with our own reviews and ratings… But when a growing number of people believe that everything should be free, it’s impossible to support a reference book that requires a staff of contributors and editors.”

As Maltin told us, the reasoning behind his decision was disappointing, but simple: “It was no longer economically feasible to do it. That sounds very cold-blooded, but it couldn’t sustain itself financially. That says it all, really.” The film critic and historian, who said the series was compiled by a staff of 12 contributors and editors, added that the movie guide was “running at a bit of a loss for the past few years, but I didn’t want to give it up… I’ve been doing this my entire adult life, and that’s literal, not figurative.”

Shia LaBeouf And His Browless Girlfriend Get Handsy With Each Other

 

Looks like Shia LaBeouf and his lady love, Nyphomaniac co-star Mia Goth, need poquito mas of each other! The twosome, who have been dating since 2012, were holding hands as they left Mexican eatery Poquito Mas on Monday afternoon.

Despite the fact that the duo have been together since late 2012, it's not often that we spot them out and about. The actors met on the set of Lars Von Trier's Nymphomaniac, and there were reports that they had un-simulated sex during filming. That could explain how they connected so well!

On June 26 the 28-year-old star was arrested during a performance of Cabaret at Studio 54 after he yelled and allegedly struck fellow patrons at the theater. When cops tried to calm him down, he reportedly screamed, “I’ll f*ck you up!" Shia had reportedly downed four strawberry margaritas at New York’s Iguana Club prior to the incident, and days afterwards his rep confirmed that he had started seeking treatment for alcohol abuse.

Don Pardo, ‘Saturday Night Live’ Announcer, Dead At 96

Longtime “Saturday Night Live” announcer Don Pardo has died, a person with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap. Pardo was 96.

His death was first announced on CBS Radio News, confirmed by his daughter, Paula. He had retired from NBC in 2004, but continued as the voice of “SNL,” providing the weekly introductions — a job he did for 38 seasons.

“SNL” chief Lorne Michaels told the New York Times that his show will have a tribute ready for Pardo this season, the show's 40th.

Michaels told the paper: “It was a happy accident and in some great way our lives intertwined. It was always exciting. Whatever montage we did to open the show, whatever pictures we used it didn't really come alive till you heard him say it.”

Halle Berry Shows Off Son Maceo!

 

Halle Berry proudly propped up her baby boy Maceo, on Sunday, as she made her way to the Malibu Country Mart with some friends.

It's significant because it's the FIRST TIME the 48-year-old mom-of-two has shown off her adorable son in public.

The move comes amid recent reports she and French husband Olivier Martinez are having marital trouble. "The whole family was supposed to go on a make-or-break holiday, but that fell apart because neither Olivier nor Halle wanted to make it happen. They have drifted apart and only get together for the sake of Maceo. They’re just delaying the inevitable - announcing their split," a source reportedly told OK Magazine.

Berry just celebrated her birthday last Thursday and strangely, no photos emerged of a happy couple enjoying a romantic meal in Beverly Hills -- no luxe vacation in the Caribbean, no sign of Olivier jewelry shopping ahead of the big day.

Beyonce Tries To Prove Her Love For Jay Z In Trailer For On The Run HBO Special

Beyonce and Jay Z's "On The Run" HBO special is set to air on September 20th, but we got a sneak peek in this newly released trailer, and it seems like it's going to be a ratings hit. From the opening scene of the songstress serenading her rapper beau to all the various clips from prior performances, we have no doubt it's going to have many folks glued to the screen. Mostly because people want to analyze if their on-screen chemistry is the real deal or just a big cover up.

Even though they are rumored to be on the brink of divorce, the pair really know to entertain together so we hope they stay together.

Christina Aguilera And Fiance Matthew Rutler Welcome A Baby Girl

 

Christina Aguilera and fiance Matt Rutler welcomed a baby girl on Saturday, reports Us Weekly.

The 33-year-old singer gave birth via a C-section at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. This is the second child for Aguilera and the first for Rutler; she has a 6-year-old son, Max, with ex-husband Jordan Bratman.

Aguilera and Rutler got engaged in January and announced that they were expecting in February, and in March it was confirmed that the duo were having a daughter.

Xtina made headlines earlier this month when she posed nude for V Magazine, and she opened up about baring her naked and pregnant bod for the mad. "As a woman, I'm proud to embrace my body through all stages of life, staying fearless and confident in surrendering to the unknowns the future has in store," she said, adding on Instagram, "[Thank you for] giving me the freedom to bare my soul & body at this incredible, magical, transition time in my life. #Grateful."

Box Office: 'Ninja Turtles' And 'Guardians' Hold Off Newcomers

It was a bad week for Sly Stallone. Expendables 3 brought in a middling $16.2 million over the weekend — the worst yet for the franchise — perhaps because the film leaked online three weeks before the premiere.

In either case, its poor performance allowed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to retain the box office crown with $28.4 million and a cumulative gross of $117.6 million. Guardians of the Galaxy also demonstrated immense staying power, coming in third with $24.7 million, bringing its domestic haul to $222.3 million.

Will Disney Really Release The Unaltered Star Wars Trilogy On Blu Ray?

 

The Internet is abuzz with rumors that Disney intends to re-release the original, unaltered Star Wars trilogy in a remastered Blu-Ray box set – and in time for the release of Episode VII, no less. Could it really be true?

The speculation kicked of earlier today when Comicbook.com claimed to have it on good authority ("two independent reliable sources") that the plan to re-release the unaltered trilogy is already in motion:

According to sources, Disney has plans to release the original cut of the Star Wars trilogy on Blu-ray. Sources indicate that the project has been under way for quite some time, but it's been challenging because of some damage to the original negatives they are utilizing. The goal is to release A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of Jedi in their complete, unaltered, original form without the redone special edition SFX.

Exciting! But there's a glaring issue: Disney doesn't own the rights to the original trilogy. As Hollywood Reporter clarified back when Disney purchased Lucasfilms, those films belong to Fox:

Fox owns distribution rights to the original Star Wars, No. 4 in the series, in perpetuity in all media worldwide. And as for the five subsequent movies, Fox has theatrical, nontheatrical, and home video rights worldwide through May 2020.