Here's the Scoop...

What do 'The Lost Boys', 'Guardians of the Galaxy', 'Ben-Hur' and charitable donations have in common?

If you guessed that all of the aforementioned items are topic story topics featured in today's most wonderfully entertaining edition of Celebrity Nooz...then you are correct!

And if you didn't guess that, it's okay. With Celebrity Nooz, everyone is a winner!

Be Well,
Steve

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Amber Heard donates entire Johnny Depp divorce settlement to charities
Amber Heard has chosen to donate the entirety of her divorce settlement from Johnny Depp, totaling $7 million to charities.

"As described in the restraining order and divorce settlement, money played no role for me personally and never has, except to the extent that I could donate it to charity and, in doing so, hopefully help those less able to defend themselves," the actress said in an official statement Thursday.

"As reported in the media, the amount received in the divorce was $7 million and $7 million is being donated. This is over and above any funds that I have given away in the past and will continue to give away in the future," she continued.

"The donation will be divided equally between the ACLU [American Civil Liberties Union], with a particular focus to stop violence against women, and the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, where I have worked as a volunteer for the past 10 years alongside organizations like the Art of Elysium. Over the years, I have seen firsthand how more funding for staffing, better equipment and better medication can make the difference between life or death for a child."

"I know these organizations will put the funds to good use and look forward to continuing to support them in the future. Hopefully, this experience results in a positive change in the lives of people who need it the most," Heard concluded.

The ACLU thanked Heard stating that her donation will "help other women live safely and freely," with the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles adding that the funds "will support the lifesaving treatments and cures that Children's Hospital Los Angeles provides for critically ill children each year."

Heard was awarded $7 million Tuesday after she settled with Depp outside of court amid the pair's domestic violence case and divorce. As part of the settlement, the Justice League star withdrew her domestic violence case and did so with prejudice, meaning, she cannot re-file in the future. Heard's restraining order against Depp was also lifted.

Days before the agreement, Heard denied leaking a video online of the actor in a fit of rage as he was seen yelling and breaking bottles.

Depp, 53, and Heard, 30, met while starring together in 2011's The Rum Diary and tied the knot in February of 2015. The actress filed for divorce in May, just days after the death of Depp's mother, citing "irreconcilable differences."


'Guardians of the Galaxy' director James Gunn appears on 'Bachelor' spinoff aftershow
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn showcased his Bachelor knowledge in an appearance on the aftershow of the ABC spin-off Bachelor in Paradise on Tuesday.

The show's producer Elan Gale tweeted a photo of Gunn with twin cast members Emily and Haley Ferguson.

As a second-time guest on After Paradise, the live show that follows Tuesday night's spinoff episode, Gunn had a lot to say about this season's contestants.

Gunn called one cast member a "complete and total psycho," and said another looked like "he was created in a lab."

He also had strong feelings about Josh Murray, former Bachelorette Andi Dorfman's ex-fiance.

"I've been working in Hollywood for 20 years and I'm very good at judging a sociopath," Gunn said.

Gunn also promised that a trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy's much-awaited sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, would be out "soon."


LOOSE LIPS:
"Sometimes I look at a picture of my dad when she was a guy, and it makes me a little sad - I get emotional. You have to get past it - you've got a new person to love."
--Kendall Jenner, on her dad Caitlyn's transition, in the September issue of Vogue


??? Guess Who ???
Which Disney Channel star is rumored to play Mary Jane Watson in 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'?




'The Lost Boys' TV series in development at The CW
The Lost Boys is being reimagined as an anthology television series that is now under development at The CW.

According to Deadline, the network is interested in the property to replace the outgoing Vampire Diaries which is heading into its eighth and final season this fall.

The Hollywood Reporter notes that multiple networks entered into a bidding war for the project with The CW eventually landing the series.

The Lost Boys, based on the 1987 Joel Schumacher film of the same name starring Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Haim and Corey Feldman, will be written and executive produced by Veronica Mars and iZombie creator Rob Thomas.

Thomas is said to be planning a seven-season anthology-style run for the show with a story that spans 70 years with each season representing a different decade. The first season will take place in San Fransisco during the "summer of love" in 1967.

The setting, human characters and main antagonists will reportedly change from season to season while the vampires or Lost Boys will remain the same.

The Lost Boys enters development as networks prepare to launch a collection of shows based on famous films this fall including CBS' Training Day, Fox's Lethal Weapon and The Exorcist and NBC's Taken.


Jack Huston says chariot-racing in 'Ben-Hur' was 'a rush'
British actor Jack Huston admits he feared he might be "dead before lunch" the first day he began chariot-racing for his big-screen epic Ben-Hur.

"I've ridden horses for all my life and I feel very comfortable with horses, but that doesn't prepare you in any way for chariots," Huston said at a recent AOL Build discussion about the film in New York.

"So, there was quite a rigorous training process. It was about three months before we started shooting the chariot scene, where we started on a seated cart with two horses, then four horses on a seated cart and then two horses on a standing chariot. Finally, four horses on a standing chariot and that's something else. It's a rush... It is incredible. When in life do you get the opportunity to do that? I love that kind of stuff. It's, like, the funnest part about this job. You actually get to experience something that never in your life would you ever get to experience."

The actor went on to say the cast and crew worked hard to get the chariot-racing scenes perfect, in part, to pay homage to the classic, Charlton Heston-led, 1959 version of Ben-Hur, but also because a mistake could mean serious injury of either the human or equine variety.

"They built the arena to scale and we would go around that, 32 horses sometimes at a time, weaving in and out. It was insane. It seemed like everyone was like, 'Yeah, this is dangerous.' This isn't like, 'Oh, you're OK, you're an actor.' They were like, 'Yeah, no, no, no, you could die, so watch out,'" he explained.

Huston revealed director Timur Bekmambetov used an unlikely resource when learning about the ancient blood sport in preparation for the film.

"Timur did amazing research and a lot of the research was on YouTube, looking at NASCAR, looking at certain things like that," he noted. "He was very aware that he wanted to bring this to a modern audience and a modern audience who are so used to now -- which is so bizarre -- of seeing the most incredible effects and seeing the most beautiful CGI. And now we are seeing cars turn into robots and people living on different planets and it's the beauty of cinema. But [Bekmambetov] said, 'In this, you almost want to completely reverse that and go the other way because today's audiences are really smart and they are always looking for something.' ... He was like, 'For an audience, if there was even a moment that they felt like you weren't on this chariot, you'd lose them instantly -- because of the history of the previous race [in the 1959 film.]' So, we had to do everything and it was imperative that we were on those [chariots,] doing it.' ... You're going so fast, you don't turn the corners, you drift around the corners. The first day, you assume you are going to be dead by lunch."

Set in Roman-occupied Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, Ben-Hur is to open in U.S. theaters Friday. It co-stars Toby Kebbell, Morgan Freeman and Rodrigo Santoro.

Huston is also known for his work in HBO's Boardwalk Empire, as well as the films Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, The Longest Ride and American Hustle.


??? Guess Who ???
Which Disney Channel star is rumored to play Mary Jane Watson in 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'?

Zendaya's role in Spider-Man: Homecoming has reportedly been revealed.

Sources told The Wrap the 19-year-old actress will portray Mary Jane Watson, the love interest of Peter Parker (Tom Holland), aka Spider-Man, a role played by Kirsten Dunst in the three Spider-Man movies directed by Sam Raimi.

Insiders reported a recent draft of the film's script features Zendaya's character hinting at her identity as Mary Jane. Sony, which is co-producing the movie with Marvel, declined to comment.

Zendaya was first linked to the new reboot in March. Sources told Deadline at the time that the K.C. Undercover star had landed a "key role," but her character was said to be named Michelle.

Spider-Man: Homecoming follows Raimi's 2002-2007 Spider-Man trilogy with Tobey Maguire in the starring role and The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel, released in 2012 and 2014, starring Andrew Garfield. Holland debuted as the new Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War.

"There's going to be things from both Tobey and Andrew's character that I'm going to steal," the 20-year-old actor previously told Variety. "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and [criticism] just give me more motivation to prove them wrong."

Zendaya is best known for playing K.C. Cooper on Disney Channel's K.C. Undercover, which is in the midst of its second season. She also released a self-titled debut album in 2013.