By Steve Pond
TheWrap

The Academy screened the 1987 Rob Reiner comedy “The Princess Bride” in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Thursday night, but it was often hard to hear the film’s soundtrack over the sound of two people talking loudly throughout the movie.

Of course, the voluble duo weren’t rude audience members drowning out the audio on the new print created by the Academy Film Archive — instead, they were Reiner and moderator Jason Reitman, who provided a highly entertaining and entirely AMPAS-sanctioned live commentary while the movie was projected.

The evening was a first, with the Academy encouraging people to talk over the film in the state-of-the-art Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Even a sound system known for bringing out every nuance of a movie’s soundtrack couldn’t compete with anecdotes from Reiner and Elwes, or from the uproarious laughter that followed stories about Billy Crystal‘s improvisations, Mandy Patinkin‘s ever-changeable hair or Andre the Giant‘s bad back.  

Bing: More on Oscars Outdoors and other Academy programming

“Yes, movies are fun,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson as she introduced the evening, which grew out of a suggestion that Reitman made during a meeting with AMPAS officials.

That “movies are fun“ attitude is indicative of a changing programming strategy at Academy events. While AMPAS still screens unassailable classics like Charlie Chaplin‘s “Limelight,” Stanley Kubrick‘s “2001: A Space Odyssey,” David Lean’s “Lawrence of Arabia” and its just-announced, extensive tribute to Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray, it also has been having fun with its programming lately.

“I think we’re evolving,” AMPAS managing director of programming, education and preservation Randy Haberkamp told TheWrap at the screening. “We’re still doing silent Hitchcock and coming up with Satyajit Ray films, which we’ve been preserving for 20 years. So it’s not like we’re throwing our pedigree away.

“But I think the pool now is broader and more inclusive. Whatever excitement walks through the door, we’re able to do.”

As Haberkamp spoke just off the main lobby in the Academy’s Beverly Hills headquarters, he was surrounded by vintage posters from kung fu movies a donation to the planned Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, and one that inspired a spate of spring and summer programming that included the poster exhibit, a screening of Bruce Lee’s “Enter the Dragon,” a tribute to Jackie Chan and a showing of Wong Kar Wai’s new martial-arts epic “The Grandmaster,” with a QA with the filmmaker done by “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner.

Before that was a 21st anniversary tribute to “Wayne’s World,” announced in a press release whose headline was “The Academy to Host a ‘Wayne’s World’ Reunion … No way. Way.”

And the Oscars Outdoors summer program of open-air screenings in Hollywood, which takes place in a makeshift theater without actual seats nestled between a former Pic ‘N’ Save and the Arclight parking structure, is long on popcorn movies. This summer’s lineup included the 1933 “King Kong,” “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” “Groundhog Day,” “Clueless,” “Point Break,” “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and this weekend’s program of “Born in East L.A.” on Friday and “Rushmore” on Saturday. Rightly or wrongly, none of those films landed any Oscar nominations.

(To be fair, Oscars Outdoors is showing a few films that were nominated, including “Beetlejuice,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Big,” “Cinema Paradiso” and “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?”)

“Maybe I shouldn’t use this word, but the idea was to get more commercial,” said Tom Sherak, who was president of the Academy during the time when AMPAS events began to change. “The idea was to lighten up a very buttoned-down organization, and I think it has lightened up.

“It’s always going to be the Academy, but I think now it’s having some fun with itself, and with the movies that are made.”

Sherak attributed the change to the April 2012 promotion of longtime Academy staffer Haberkamp, and to the board’s approval of the Oscars Outdoor theater shortly after that. (At the opening of the theater in May 2012, Sherak showed that the theater was made for popcorn movies by manning the popcorn machine with former president Bob Rehme.)  

“When Randy got the job, he ran with it,” Sherak told TheWrap. “It’s his genius, and I use that word deliberately, that has helped us grow. He knows that there’s room for every kind of movie at our programs, and when I see something like ‘Princess Bride’ or ‘Blazing Saddles’ on the schedule, it puts a big smile on my face.”

Haberkamp agreed that the Oscars Outdoors venue was crucial, partly because it encouraged new kinds of programming and partly because it attracted a younger audience to Academy events.

“The outdoor venue really changed things,” said Haberkamp, who grew up going to a drive-in theater with his family. “When we talked about the programming there, people said, ‘Oh, let’s show “The Godfather.”‘ And I thought, ‘The Godfather’ belongs on the big screen indoors. But something like ‘Clueless’ or ‘King Kong’ or silent Buster Keaton movies, those can be outside.”

At the same time, he added, preparations for the Academy Museum, which is currently on schedule to open in 2017, made the Academy realize that its programming should play to a bigger audience.

“The museum project is making us look at everything with fresh eyes,” he said. “For many years, our programming has been more about members. I don’t want to say it’s been closed, but it’s had a particular approach that the museum by its very nature changes.

“Because when you’re suddenly going to be open seven days a week to the world, with the numbers of people that have to go through there, you need to create something where everybody can share in what movies can be.”

On Thursday night, “The Princess Bride” live commentary took the Academy in a new direction, with what Reitman admitted was an experiment in his opening remarks. “If you came here tonight to watch ‘The Princess Bride’ totally uninterrupted, you really should just leave right now,” he said.

When Reiner took the stage to a huge ovation, he looked into the audience. “How many people here are under 30?” he asked, nodding approvingly when about half the audience raised their hands. “So you’re used to multi-tasking and not paying attention to anything anyway.”

But the audience members paid rapt attention to the commentary, which covered the casting (“Robin Wright, Cary Elwes and Andre the Giant were the only three people in the world who could have played those parts”), the one condition Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler demanded before he agreed to score the movie (Reiner had to put something from “This Is Spinal Tap” in the film, which he accomplished by hanging his character’s baseball cap in the bedroom of Fred Savage’s character), and the pitch Reiner used to get Billy Crystal to appear as an ancient medicine man (“You wanna be Mel Brooks in a movie?”).

In another sign of the changing times, the Academy live-blogged and tweeted during the screening.

“There are lots of changes, and I’m exhausted by some of the things we’re doing,” said Haberkamp. “But it’s exciting, and it’s really fun.”

HELL YEAH! HE’S FING RIGHT! JUST TODAY OBAMA’S NO EXPERIENCE EPA NAZI POLICE

CAPT SAID THEY ARE GOING FULL BLAST ON GLOBAL WARMING REGULATIONS! YOU LIKE

4 BUCKS A GALLON AND HIGHER FOOD AND ENERGY PRICES GET READY HERE IT COMES!

AND THEN WE GOT OBAMA DEATH CARE WITH ‘DEATH PANELS’ JUST LIKE ROMNEY SAID

AND OBAMA AND PELOSI LIED! THEY LIED!!! WHERE’S THE MEDIA? BUT THEY DON’T HAVE

TO USE IT THEY GET TO KEEP THEIR INSURANCE THE REST OF US WILL BE FORCED INTO

SINGLE PAYER NAZI HEALTHCARE! AND THE LEFT TALKS ABOUT THE SPECIAL RICH 1%???

THAT’S FING THEM!!! OBAMA HASN’T FOLLOWED THE CONSTITUTION! HIM AND HOLDER

DON’T ENFORCE THE LAWS! THEY PICK AND CHOOSE ALL FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE! NAZIS!

DALLAS (AP) — Canadian-born actor August Schellenberg, who starred in the “Free Willy” films and appeared in numerous television roles, has died at his Dallas home after a fight with lung cancer, his agent said Friday. He was 77.

Schellenberg played the role of Randolph Johnson, a whale trainer in all three “Free Willy” movies. In 2007, he was nominated for an Emmy as a supporting actor for his role as Chief Sitting Bull in the HBO series, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.”

Schellenberg’s big-screen work also included appearing in the 2005 film, “The New World,” alongside movie stars Christian Bale and Colin Farrell.

One of his last notable works was in 2012, when he played the lead role in an all Canadian cast of Shakespeare’s “King Lear” at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, said his agent, Jamie Levitt.

“I got a call this morning from the NAC saying they have lowered their flags to honor him,” Levitt said. “He was a loving father and grandfather and a very good husband. He was a very well-known Canadian and an iconic actor.”

Levitt said Schellenberg, with whom she had worked for the past 15 years, died at his home Thursday.

According to his personal website, he taught acting workshops in Toronto at the Centre for Indigenous Theatre and at York University. He also was a former boxer, participated in various celebrity charity sporting events and served as a motivational speaker in Canada and the U.S.

Schellenberg, who was born in Montreal, was half Mohawk and half Swiss, according to his website. He was survived by his wife, actress Joan Karasevich, and three daughters.

Entertainment Tonight.

In what’s sure to anger some of her hardcore fans, Twilight author Stephenie Meyer says she is “so over” the franchise that made her a household name.

In a new Q A interview with Variety, Meyer reveals she is more interested in being a producer these days (she serves as producer for the upcoming film Austenland starring Keri Russell), and has no interest whatsoever in returning to the vampire phenomenon.

Pics: ‘Twilight’ Premieres Through the Years

“I get further away every day. I am so over it,” she says bluntly. “For me, it s not a happy place to be.”

Though she doesn’t completely close the door on the series.

“What I would probably do is three paragraphs on my blog saying which of the characters died,” she says. “I’m interested in spending time in other worlds, like Middle-Earth.”

As for producing the highly anticipated Austenland, she admits that the experience was a lot different than producing the last two Twilight films (Breaking Dawn Part I and II) and The Host, since for once, she wasn’t the original author of the material.

Video: More ‘Twilight’ Tales Coming from Stephenie Meyer

“There was zero pressure, since this was not my novel. It s a comedy first and foremost, so there was a lot of laughter,” she says. “Keri was five months pregnant and the least pregnant woman I ve ever seen.”

And can her fans expect any new novels from her soon?

Not exactly.

“I m kind of decompressing and figuring that out,” she replies when asked about what she’s writing now.

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By Greg Gilman
TheWrap

Here’s another look at Cory Monteith in his final film role as a drug dealing addict in “McCanick,” which is making its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September.

Bing: Lea Michele pays tribute to Monteith at Teen Choice Awards

The deceased “Glee” cast member plays a pivotal role in director Josh C. Waller’s cop drama, which stars David Morse as the titular lead.

“McCanick” follows a narcotics detective who mercilessly hunts down a recently released convict, Simon Weeks (Monteith), for unknown reasons over the course of one long, hot day. The closer Mack gets closer to his prey, the clearer it becomes that his frenzy stems from a truth rooted in the past, which only Weeks can expose.

More from TheWrap: See video: Cory Monteith Plays Addict in the First Look at Actor’s Final Film Role (Video)

Monteith will also be seen at the festival in writer and director Gia Milani’s “All the Wrong Reasons.”  Monteith plays one of four main characters in the ensemble drama centering on everyday people struggling in the aftermath of trauma.

Monteith died last month due to a fatal mix of heroin and alcohol. The Canadian-born actor’s body was found in a Vancouver, British Columbia, hotel room.

 C’mon. Giver her another chance. After all, Look at Robert Downey Jr.’s turn around. If he could do it there’s hope for anybody.

By Brent Lang
TheWrap

Fireballs just don’t do it for Bruce Willis anymore.

Alas, the “Die Hard” star admitted in an interview with XLS magazine in Spain (translated by the Mirror) that the action movies that have made him rich and famous have also left him feeling “bored.”

Bing: Stallone disses Willis on Twitter

The comments come as Willis is making the rounds in Europe to promote the pyrotechnics-laden “Red 2,” and it’s a safe bet that they’re not what the studio had in mind when they sent him out on a publicity tour.

“Explosions are one of the most boring parts of my job,” Willis said. “When you have seen a few fireballs, it’s not exciting anymore. I know part of my audience enjoys the explosions, but to be honest, I’m a bit bored of it now.”

Also from TheWrap: Grumpy Bruce Willis Sabotages ‘Red 2’ Promotional Interview (Video)

It’s not the first time that Willis has seemed, well, a bit unenthusiastic to be running on the Hollywood hamster wheel. He was in full, grumpy form in an awkward interview with Jamie Edwards, an entertainment correspondent for London radio station Magic 105.4, while talking up “Red 2” last month.  He told Edwards that promoting a film wasn’t fun and said he could barely keep his mind on the interview.

When asked how he would sell the film, Willis replied, “I wouldn’t. I would slash my hooves.”

He also reportably got into a tiff with Sylvester Stallone recently. Stallone took their dispute public, implying on Twitter that the actor was “greedy” and “lazy” for asking for a reported $4 million to film four days of work on “The Expendables 3.”

In his interview with  XLS magazine, Willis was blunt about why he took on action roles like the one he won’t be playing in “The Expendables” sequel.

“I am very clear with who I am,” Willis said. “I work in all sorts of films, but the action movies are the ones that generate the most revenue. I like to earn lots of money from those, but I do all types: small productions, mega-projects, medium sized, even science fiction.”

By Brent Lang
TheWrap

“The Hunger Games” actor Liam Hemsworth is leaving District 12 and striking off on his own in this Friday’s “Paranoia.”

Studio executives are waiting to see if the corporate espionage thriller announces Hemsworth as a budding A-lister or crashes in a crowded summer field of movies, pulling his star to Earth with it.

Teen idols such as Daniel Radcliffe, Robert Pattinson and Jennifer Lawrence have tried to expand their brands beyond the young-adult franchises that made them famous. 

Bing: Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus on red carpet

Sometimes, as in the case of Lawrence’s Oscar-winning work in “Silver Linings Playbook,” the actors have demonstrated that they have more to offer than “The Hunger Games” or “Twilight.” But others, such as Taylor Lautner, have failed to find follow-up projects that generated much heat at the multiplexes.

TheWrap pulls out its grade book to take a look at how the top teen idols have fared at the box office — outside their franchises. Since Hemsworth is newest to the game, we’ll save him for last.

Also from TheWrap: The Summer’s 6 Biggest Payoffs — and 5 Biggest Bombs

KRISTEN STEWART

Franchise role: Vampire-obsessed Bella Swan in four “Twilight” films

Follow-ups: Stewart mixed in indie fare such as “The Runaways,” “On the Road” and “Adventureland” with big-budget offerings such as “Snow White and the Huntsman” with mixed results. After grossing nearly $400 million worldwide, “Snow White” will likely spawn a sequel and helped prove that audiences could accept her in other roles. However, the fall-out from her affair with director Rupert Sanders hurt her with Twi-hards who wanted her romance with Robert Pattinson to mirror their on-screen love story. Plus, those indie movies received respectful reviews, but barely made a ripple at the box office.

What’s next: More “Snow White” along with grittier roles in the Guantanamo Bay drama “Camp X-Ray” and the backstage indie “Sils Maria” opposite Chloe Moretz.

How the strategy worked: The logic is sound, and Stewart gets credit for finding a second franchise. However, she still has to convince critics that her slouching, often affect-less delivery is a stunning display of naturalism instead of simply a case of indifference.

Grade: B

More: Young idols all grown up

DANIEL RADCLIFFE

Franchise role: Bespectacled boy wizard Harry Potter in the eight films that carry that name.

Follow-ups: Most of Radcliff’s biggest splashes have been in the theater, where he memorably bared all in “Equus” and proved he could carry a show in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” But he has mixed in a few idiosyncratic offerings such as the horror film “The Woman in Black,” which earned a decent $127.7 million worldwide.

What’s next: The horror film “Horns,” about a man who wakes up with some funky headgear, and “Kill Your Darlings,” which will feature Radcliffe as Beat poet Allen Ginsberg. He’ll also play Igor in an untitled Frankenstein project.

How the strategy worked: He’s proved he’s more than just a cute kid by taking the stage, but he needs to keep tending to the movie star part. “The Woman in Black” proved he can open a film; now he has to repeat the trick with “Horns” and “Kill Your Darlings.”

Grade: B

JOSH HUTCHERSON

Franchise role: Peeta, the adversary and occasional love interest of Katniss Everdeen, in “The Hunger Games.”

Follow-ups: Voice work in the animated film “Epic” and a role as a guerilla fighter in the long-delayed “Red Dawn,” which he actually completed before “The Hunger Games,” didn’t hurt him exactly, but also didn’t rise or fall on his performance. Prior to playing Peeta, he appeared in “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and its sequel and showed he could be a sensitive sceen presence in “The Kids Are All Right.”

What’s next: Three more “Hunger Games” sequels interspersed with a role as a young surfer who tangles with Pablo Escobar’s niece in “Paradise Lost” opposite Benicio del Toro. There’s also the possibility of another sequel to “Journey to the Center of the Earth.”

How the strategy worked: It’s hard to adequately assess whether Hutcherson has the chops to carry him beyond “The Hunger Games.” A lot is riding on “Paradise Lost.” If he goes toe to toe with del Toro, it will demonstrate he’s an actor and not just a second banana.

Grade: C+

ROBERT PATTINSON

Franchise role: Brooding bloodsucker Edward Cullen in the “Twilight” films.

Follow-ups: Aside from a brief detour into heartthrob territory with 2011’s largely forgettable “Water for Elephants,” Pattinson has favored edgier vehicles such as David Cronenberg’s “Cosmopolis” and the Belle Epoque romantic drama “Bel Ami.” It’s earned him points for stretching, but critics have been cool to the films themselves — and audiences have steered clear.

What’s next: More of the same. Teaming up with Cronenberg on “Maps to the Stars,” facing off against Guy Pearce in the Australian drama “The Rover,” getting taken advantage of by Carey Mulligan in “Hold on to Me” and playing T.E. Lawrence in “Queen of the Desert.”

How the strategy worked: After “Twilight,” Pattinson had his pick of roles, and he’s used that opportunity to prove that he’s more interested in finding offbeat roles than in cashing paychecks. That’s admirable. However, he needs to find a part that gets the critical raves he clearly covets. Perhaps his second collaboration with Cronenberg will prove more memorable than the first.

Grade: B-

More: Hit-Girl of ‘Kick-Ass 2- and other bad, mad teens

EMMA WATSON

Franchise role: Brainy spell-caster Hermione Granger in eight “Harry Potter” films.

Follow-ups: A stint at Brown University, interrupted by a heart-tugging turn in the acclaimed and successful “Perks of Being a Wallflower” and a hilarious send-up of her goody-two-shoes image in “This Is the End.” She also had a small role as a C-list-celebrity-obsessed criminal in Sofia Coppola’s lackluster “The Bling Ring.”

What’s next: Holing up in the ark along with Russell Crowe in Darren Aronofsky’s biblical epic “Noah.”

How the strategy worked: She aced this exam. Watson has sought out a diverse range of projects that play to her strengths but also highlight a sense of humor that was only hinted at in the “Harry Potter” films. “Noah” represents her biggest challenge yet, but Aronofsky worked wonders with Natalie Portman, another former child star, in “Black Swan,” so you have to like those odds.

Grade: A-

TAYLOR LAUTNER

Franchise role: Vulpine and frequently shirtless Jacob Black in four “Twilight” films.

Follow-ups: The lamentable action film “Abduction,” which flopped at the box office, and a barely-there cameo in “Grown Ups 2.” Lautner’s resume is notable as much for the films that never happened as for the ones that did — a long list that includes “Stretch Armstrong” and “Cancun.”

What’s next: The parkour thriller “Tracers” presents a good chance to showcase Lautner’s physicality and physique.

How the strategy worked: It’s a career running on fumes. In the midst of “Twilight” mania, studio executives thought they had found a budding action star. “Abduction” demonstrated that it takes more than muscles to open a movie.

Grade: F

LIAM HEMSWORTH  

Franchise role: Gale Hawthorne, the BFF of Katniss Everdeen in “The Hunger Games.”

Follow-ups: Hauled around artillery in “The Expendables 2” and dabbles in white-collar duplicity in this Friday’s “Paranoia.”

What’s next: “The Expendables 3,” where he’ll round out a cast of ’80s action icons and bring the average age down by four decades; robbing an armored car in “Empire State” opposite Dwayne Johnson; playing a former athlete in “Cut Bank” with a cast that includes Billy Bob Thornton and John Malkovich. Plus, three more installments in “The Hunger Games,” where his character begins to take a more important role in the action.

How the strategy worked: A lot hinges on “Paranoia.” If he goes toe-to-toe with heavyweights such as Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman and impresses audiences, then Hollywood has a new leading man. If not … well, just ask Skeet Ulrich.

Grade: B-

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Victoria Albert Museum says it has acquired the archive of “Gone With the Wind” star Vivien Leigh, including personal diaries and letters to her husband, Laurence Olivier.

The London museum said Wednesday it bought the archive from Leigh’s grandchildren for an undisclosed sum.

Bing: ‘Maltese Falcon’ statue to be sold at auction

The trove includes photographs, annotated film and theater scripts, and thousands of letters from Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Noel Coward and others.

There are more than 200 letters exchanged with Olivier, to whom Leigh was married for 20 years.

The British-born star won an Academy Award for playing iron-willed Southern belle Scarlett O’Hara in the U.S. Civil War epic “Gone With the Wind.” She died of tuberculosis in 1967 at age 53.

Some of the material will go on display at the museum this fall.

By Brent Lang
TheWrap

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer implied to analysts Friday that despite some intemperate comments from Sylvester Stallone, it may be too early to count Bruce Willis out of “The Expendables 3.”

Without mentioning the “Die Hard” actor by name, the studio boss said that deals on star-studded projects like “The Expendables 3” are often being negotiated right up to the day cameras start rolling.

Bing: Interview with Bruce Willis turns awkward

“You just never know,” he said. “Even on that part.”

On Tuesday, Stallone, the driving force behind these aging action star reunions, announced on Tuesday that Harrison Ford had joined cast and said that Willis would not be a member of the troop this go-round, despite appearing in the two previous installments. The actor reportedly wanted $4 million for four days of work.

“Greedy and lazy…a sure formula for career failure,” Stallone tweeted.

It was a rare display of pique in an industry where talent is tightly controlled — their every public utterance massaged by an array of handlers and support staff.

Feltheimer noted that in the case of “The Expendables” franchise, the producers oversee much of the casting decisions. However, he said that Lionsgate does play a role in keeping all the parties under control and happy.

“These are really talented and creative people, and part of our job is to manage,” Feltheimer said.

Despite alleged Willis’ exit, Feltheimer said that the action film follow-up will have plenty of fresh blood. In addition to Ford, Nicolas Cage, Jackie Chan, Wesley Snipes and Milla Jovovich are among the newcomers slated to fill out the cast of mercenaries.