In Honor of 'Tower Heist,' the 6 Best Movie Heists

Last night, I received an urgent message from my editors: "With 'Tower Heist' coming out on Friday, you should write a piece on movie heists." "Sure," I replied. Now, I've been told that this topic has been written about numerous times -- which is surprising. Just like with Best Movie Baseballs, I don't quite understand why it's so popular; it seems very specific, and I can't imagine that there's a large audience for such a thing. Alas, I'm not going to disregard a direct order from a superior. Here's a list of Moviefone's six favorite times that a movie has been stolen in a heist! [Ed. note: We meant "heist movies"] 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' A work print of 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' leaked online on March 31, 2009, almost a month before it was released into theaters. Since the film was made readily available on the Internet for free, it doesn't appear that much money, if any, was ever made from this heist. Which seems to defeat the purpose of a heist. 'The Avengers' Earlier this year, Samuel L. Jackson's script for 'The Avengers' disappeared. The scenes that were stolen were rewritten to foil this heist. 'Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace' An entire movie, 'Fanboys,' was made about stealing 'The Phantom Menace' so that a terminally ill friend could see the film before he died. Back in May of 1999, someone in Wisconsin actually did make off with one of the reels to the film -- man, I really hope they got the reel with the Darth Maul lightsaber fight, because, if not, that had to be one very disappointed heist organizer. 'Little Fockers' For some reason -- that for as long as I live will never make sense -- reels of the movie 'Little Fockers' were stolen from a car in the UK. Now that's a great double feature of heisted movies, 'The Phantom Menace' followed by 'Little Fockers.' Yikes. 'Snow Falling on Cedars' A criminal named M.F. Jones bootlegged this Ethan Hawke classic. Thankfully, he was caught and sentenced to ten years in prison. [Ed. note: Not only did you get the assignment wrong, this didn't even happen. This is fiction: It's a plot point of the movie 'Horrible Bosses.'] 'Cry, Cry, Again' Noted comedian Jerry Seinfeld is strong-armed into bootlegging by a misanthrope named Brody. [Ed. note: Not only is this also fiction, 'Cry, Cry, Again' isn't even a real movie.] You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook [Photos: Universal/Fox/Disney/Lucasfilm/Universal/New Line] RELATED

Stallone Prosecuted Over Expendables Script

Sylvester Stallone continues to be prosecuted with a author who alleges the hit movie The Expendables copies a script and short story he filed using the U.S. Copyright Office in 2006. Marcus Webb states then he distributed around Hollywood galleries a script about mercenaries employed to defeat a dictator named General Garza. Webb alleges within the suit filed in federal court in Manhattan the script for that Expendables is “strikingly similar and occasionally identical” to his The Cordoba Caper. Webb seeks unspecified damages along with a order from the court preventing further violation by Stallone, his credited co-author David Callaham, Millennium/NuImage Films and Lionsgate. Expendables 2 is slated to spread out August 17, 2012. Stallone and Millennium/NuImage reps rejected comment, Reuters stated. Lionsgate couldn't be arrived at.

Exclusive! New Pirates! Trailer

Let's have An Adventure With ScientistsAh, Aardman, those comic geniuses from way out West (only not as West as Hollywood). The latest trailer for Pirates!In AnAdventure With Scientists gives us a few more clues about the plot, and by our rough count about seventy bajillion more gags, both visual and aural. HughGrant voices the Pirate Captain - seen here meeting the dastardlyQueen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) who is Not Amused - who leads his merry but less-than-totally-competent band of bucanneers around the seas in search of treasure and, preferably, the Pirate Of The Year award (modelled in this trailer by BrianBlessed's Pirate King). Things, it's fair to say, do not go entirely to plan.The cast also includes David Tennant, Brendan Gleeson, SalmaHayek, Jeremy Piven, Martin Freeman,AshleyJensen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and RussellTovey. It's all based on the first two of Gideon Defoe's Pirates!books, and directed by Aardman stalwart Peter Lord with co-director Jeff Newitt.You can read more from Lord himself on the film in the guest blogs he's written for us here and here. The film's out on March 28 next year, and we'll be following all the developments between now and then. This is some seriously funny stuff and, it almost goes without saying, gorgeous animation.

'Jersey Shore' Shuts Italia Season With 6.six million Audiences

"Jersey Shoreline" No records were looking for the growing season finale of Jersey Shoreline, however it still carried out well on Thursday evening. Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Mike "The ProblemInch Sorrentino and company stated goodbye to Italia and roughly 6.six million total audiences updated directly into watch their shenanigans on MTV. That's lower a lot more than two million in the record-setting season opener which attracted in 8.8 million audiences. PHOTOS: The Jersey Shoreline Hits Italia The "Ciao Italia" hour averaged a 7. rating within the persons 12-34 demographic, converting to five.4 million audiences. For that season, Jersey Shoreline has averaged roughly 7.3 million audiences each week and MTV touts that after Digital recording device amounts are thought, the show averaged a 9. rating for that first nine episodes. The episode saw Sorrentino toying with the thought of choosing from season five, however the finale ended with him announcing he would stay, which received mixed responses from his housemates. "Jersey, here' come," he stated. "I have always got something up my sleeve, and it will likely be a scenario.Inch PHOTOS: The Very Best and Worst Moments of 'Jersey Shore' At 11 p.m., Jersey Shoreline: The Reunion came a lot more than 5 million audiences and published a 4.8 rating within the cable network's core 12-34 demo. The 5th season of Jersey Shoreline, using the cast back on U.S. soil, is slated for any The month of january 2012 premiere. TV Rankings Worldwide MTV Jersey Shoreline

Ben Stiller Ascends The Mountain

Directing a literary horror storyNo, he hasn't taken over At The Mountains Of Madness from Guillermo Del Toro: The Mountain is a different kind of horror project and Fox has just picked it up for Ben Stiller to direct.It's a spec script by Helen Childress, a blast from Stiller's past, since she wrote Reality Bites, which he directed in 1994. The Mountain is described by Deadline as "a sophisticated horror premise in the vein of Rosemary's Baby". Very strangely, it's apparently based to some extent on Edith Wharton's 1917 novel Summer, which in no way, shape or form would seem a likely basis for a scary movie.Wharton's book is about Charity, making a rather more respectable living than her prostitute mother as a small-town librarian in New England. But her world is turned upside down when she starts an affair with architect Lucius Harney, who's engaged to a society girl. Charity gets pregnant, and flirts with the idea of returning to the poverty-stricken mountain community of her roots to follow in her mother's footsteps, until her protector Lawyer Royall steps in and marries her. The book shares many of Wharton's themes (women's place in early American society; sexual awakening and peer disapproval) with later works like The Age Of Innocence and The House Of Mirth, and has several plot points in common with Ethan Frome.It definitely isn't the story of "a young woman who struggles to confront her destiny after stumbling upon a mysterious object that forces her to examine the secrets of her past", although there is a brooch that serves a significant purpose. So quite what's going on here is unclear. Some sources are suggesting that Childress' script is somehow a sequel to Summer, while others assume it's just a very loose reworking of the book, or an entirely new story that for some reason uses Wharton's characters.When we know more, we'll tell you. The Mountain is some way off yet, since it's still at the development stage. In the meantime, Stiller and Childress are also collaborating on an adaptation of Ezra Jack Keats' 1960s kids' picture book The Snowy Day, and Stiller's also juggling The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, a David O Selznick biopic, Neighbourhood Watch and, believe it or not, Rentaghost.Have a read of Summer at Project Gutenberg, and tell us how frightening you think it is.

Steve Jobs' Dying Inspires Howard Stern to help Pancreatic Cancer Research

Jobs' dying within the youthful age 56 in the rare kind of pancreatic cancer has spurred Media King Howard Stern to help raise awareness and cash for research and control over this deadly disease. The well-known jewelry company -- RichRocks -- created a "Tree of Existence" necklace -- a universal symbol of encouragement, strength and protection in recognition in the Apple founder. Twenty-five percent of comes from the acquisition in the necklace visits the city of Hope's pancreatic cancer research and treatment departments. AUDIO: Howard Stern Bids Goodbye to Radio Alma Mater WYSP With Half-Hour Mobile Call The fragile necklace is patterned here by Jesse Stern, media king Howard Stern's model/actress wife. Stern -- that is passionate about photography -- needed photos of his wife wearing the "Tree of Existence" necklace and passed them along for the founding father of RichRocks and also the wife's dear friend, Robin Rothfeld to help provide the cause. VIDEO: Jobs Biographer States Professional Regretted Putting off Cancer Surgery The RichRocks "Tree of Existence" necklace (18") will be both blown gold and blown silver. It costs $35.00 which is only obtainable at internet.richrocksnyc.com. Among RichRocks longtime celebrity fans: Kim Kardashian, LIndsay Lohan, Blake Lively, Gisele Bundchen. Fashion Lindsay Lohan Blake Lively Howard Stern Kim Kardashian Jobs Gisele Bundchen

The Flowers Of War Trailer Online

Bale does his Christian dutyThough it does not yet have overseas distribution, Zhang Yimou's latest, war epic The Flowers Of War, has already been being joined by China since it's submission towards the foreign-language Oscar category. The trailer has showed up on the internet and could be viewed below.Christian Bale stars as missionary John Haufman, who's swept up within the chaos in Nanking because the Japanese Imperial Military overran china capital in 1937.Dealing with the guise of the priest, Haufman assisted several schoolgirls and hookers to flee the entering forces, at any given time when most of them were being wiped out or taken for use as escorts for that troops.Liu Heng modified the script from Yan Geling's novel 13 Flowers Of Nanjing, and also the film also stars Paul Schneider and Shigeo Kobayashi. In the looks from the end result, Zhang certainly did not skimp around the pictures, with Bale supplying a good core, this really is one we are wanting to see the moment it finds some distribution.