Michael Bay says, "Steven Spielberg axed Megan Fox from Transformers"

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Turns out it was Steven Spielberg who booted Megan Fox from the "Transformers" film franchise.Spielberg demanded the actress be fired from the latest Transformers film after she insulted director Michael Bay, comparing him to Hitler, says Bay.
Spielberg, who directed "Schindler's List," about a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees by employing them in his factory during the Holocaust, was reportedly outraged by the insult.

The actress was quickly dumped from the film and replaced by British model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Fox had tried to claim she left the third in the series of the films to pursue other acting opportunities. But ahead of the July 4 premiere of "Transformers 3," Bay revealed for the first time he was told to get rid of the actress. He explained the real reason: "You know the Hitler thing. Steven (Spielberg) said, fire her right now."

Spielberg is executive producer of the film in which Shia LaBeouf and Huntington-Whiteley star. But Bay also noted that "she was in a different world, on her BlackBerry. You gotta stay focused," GQ recounts in an excerpt of "Blow-Up: An Oral History of the Most Explosive Director of All Time" in its July issue.

He added, "I wasn't hurt, because I know that's just Megan. Megan loves to get a response. And she does it in the wrong way. I'm sorry, Megan. I'm sorry I made you work twelve hours. I'm sorry that I'm making you show up on time."

She had been cast in the third film but shortly before production began she gave an interview to the British magazine Wonderland. In it she said Bay wanted to be like Hitler on his sets. Other crew members from the film responded on a blog comparing Fox's acting to that of a porn star.In an open letter posted on Michael Bay's website the crew member wrote: 'Michael found this shy,inexperienced girl, plucked her out of total obscurity thus giving her the biggest shot of any young actresses' life.

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'He told everyone around to just trust him on his choice. He granted her the starring role in Transformers, a franchise that forever changed her life; she became one of the most googled and oogled women on earth.

'She was famous! She was the next Angelina Jolie , hooray! Wait a minute, two of us worked with Angelina - second thought - she's no Angelina. You see, Angelina is a professional.

'We know this quite intimately because we've had the tedious experience of working with the dumb-as-a-rock Megan Fox on both Transformers movies.'

Watch Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Unseen Hot Videos 

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Unseen Hot Pictures 

'Super 8' off to super start

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Hollywood's summer box-office streak has cooled a bit with a $37 million opening weekend for J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg's sci-fi tale "Super 8."

"Super 8" bumped off the previous weekend's No. 1 movie, 20th Century Fox's comic-book prequel "X-Men: First Class," which slipped to second-place with $25 million. "First Class" raised its domestic total to $98.9 million.

After a string of blockbuster debuts in May and early June, Hollywood's overall revenues dipped for the first time in a month. Domestic receipts totaled $140 million, down 7.5 percent from the same weekend in 2010, when "The Karate Kid" led with $55.7 million.

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The weekend's other new wide release, Relativity Media's family flick "Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer," opened weakly at No. 7 with $6.3 million. The movie follows a young girl's wacky summer adventures.

Two sequels passed the $200 million mark, including "The Hangover Part II," which came in at No. 3 with $18.5 million. It became the year's top-grossing domestic release at $216.6 million.

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Disney's action tale "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" was No. 5 with $10.9 million, raising its domestic haul to $208.8 million.

"Fast Five" finished at No. 10 with $1.7 million, lifting its domestic total to $205.1 million.

Hollywood Director Steven Spielberg to shoot Lincoln film in Va

A crew of Hollywood A-listers including famed director Steven Spielberg are coming to Virginia to shoot a movie about former President Abraham Lincoln.

An announcement about the production was made today by Gov. Bob McDonnell, whose administration worked to put together a $4.6 million incentive package of tax credits, in-kind contributions and other funds to lure the film.

The "Lincoln" motion picture helmed by Spielberg stars Academy Award winning actors Daniel Day-Lewis as the former president and Sally Field as his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln.

It is based on the book "Team of Rivals," which examines Lincoln's political ascent and leadership in assembling a cabinet of political foes during a time of turbulence that resulted in a fractured nation.

Lincoln, a Republican, presided during the Civil War. He was assassinated during his second term.

Filming in Richmond and Petersburg is expected to begin this fall, with a planned movie release sometime next year.

“We are honored that Steven Spielberg, an award winning and visionary film maker, has chosen the Commonwealth for this important film. It is especially notable coming during the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and emancipation,” McDonnell said in a statement.

“Steven is an exceptional storyteller who brings historic themes to life on screen, resulting in such important and influential films as Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List, Munich and the mini-series Band of Brothers," the governor added. "I have no doubt that Lincoln will quickly join the ranks of those famous works.”

In the same statement, Spielberg said the state's "rich historic legacy, coupled with the remarkable period architecture found in Richmond and Petersburg, make Central Virginia the ideal location for this production.”