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The Simpsons easily could have been sued for its depiction of Mary Poppins, but a friendly creative saved them. Mary Poppins first appeared on the show in the form of her parody character, Shari Bobbins, in season 8, episode 13, "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious". Shari attempts to improve the family's relationship and work ethic by singing songs and teaching them cleaning strategies. The episode was a success, and, as The Simpsons awaits its season 37 renewal, its producers have been considering its long history.

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant about season 36, producer and writer Al Jean opened up about his favorite songs from the show's run. In particular, he cited the "Feed the Birds" parody, "A Boozehound Named Barney". While he was proud of the song, he reflected that they easily could have been sued, if not for Richard Sherman's love for the episode and the song. Check out his...

Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio have been Martin Scorsese’s go-to leading men, but which actor has starred in more of the director's movies? De Niro first collaborated with Scorsese on the filmmaker's third feature, Mean Streets, and has been playing tough-as-nails gangsters for him ever since, including roles in such acclaimed movies as Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, and The Irishman. After starring alongside DiCaprio in the coming-of-age drama This Boy’s Life, De Niro recommended the young actor to Scorsese (via /Film), who cast him in Gangs of New York and kicked off a decades-long working relationship.

Scorsese’s adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon marks the first time he has cast both De Niro and DiCaprio in the same movie. Killers of the Flower Moon is an epic Western about the Osage Indian murders of the 1920s. DiCaprio plays Ernest Burkhart, the prosecution’s star witness, while De Niro plays William Hale,...

As Bart Simpson would say, "Eat my shorts, Frank!" Almost 10 months after Frank Sivero sued Fox for $250 million over claims that The Simpsons stole the Frankie Carbone character he portrayed in Goodfellas, the case was dismissed. In a hearing Thursday morning in L.A. Superior Court, Judge Rita Miller issued a tentative ruling to toss the actor's complaint, first filed last October. "I think the tentative relied on some inaccuracies," said Sivero's lawyer Alex H. Herrera…...

Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson on the Oscars' Red Carpet Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson at the Academy Awards Eli Wallach and wife Anne Jackson are seen above arriving at the 2011 Academy Awards ceremony, held on Sunday, Feb. 27, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. The 95-year-old Wallach had received an Honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards in November 2010. See also: "Doris Day Inexplicably Snubbed by Academy," "Maureen O'Hara Honorary Oscar," "Honorary Oscars: Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo Among Rare Women Recipients," and "Hayao Miyazaki Getting Honorary Oscar." Delayed film debut The Actors Studio-trained Eli Wallach was to have made his film debut in Fred Zinnemann's Academy Award-winning 1953 blockbuster From Here to Eternity. Ultimately, however, Frank Sinatra – then a has-been following a string of box office duds – was cast for a pittance, getting beaten to a pulp by a pre-stardom Ernest Borgnine. For his bloodied efforts, Sinatra went on...

Exclusive: More than five months after Frank Sivero launched his mega-complaint against Fox alleging that a character from the Matt Groening co-created series was based on the role he played in the 1990 Martin Scorsese film, the studio has hit back – blunt and hard. "Defendant specifically denies that the character ‘Louie’ in The Simpsons television series was based on Plaintiff or any character that he has ever played," Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation said this…...

Disney’s Princesses are some of the most beloved cartoon figures in history, but even they have come under scrutiny as Hollywood pushes for more diversity in their films. Disney’s latest princess will be the first of Pacific Islander descent (unless you count Lilo of Lilo & Stitch as a princess). The CG-animated film is Moana, the story of a born navigator who travels through ancient Oceania along with a demi-God pal named Maui in order to find a secret island.

Deadline reported Monday that the film would be aiming for a November 2016 release date and would be directed by Ron Clements and John Musker (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Princess and the Frog). In the meantime, we’ll be awaiting Pixar’s Inside Out and Finding Dory, both anticipated for 2015. And Deadline reported back in 2013 several other slots for two other Disney and Pixar films in both March and...

As far back as we can remember, we always wanted to be a character on The Simpsons. But not everybody feels the same way.

Actor Frank Sivero, who played Goodfellas character Frankie Carbone, has filed a $250 million lawsuit against Fox Television Studios for basing one of The Simpsons's mob characters on his likeness.

Sivero alleges that he lived in a Sherman Oaks, California, apartment next door to writers of the show and that Simpsons producer James L. Brooks was "highly aware of who Sivero was, the fact that he created the role of Frankie Carbone, and that The Simpsons...

As far back as we can remember, we always wanted to be a character on The Simpsons. But not everybody feels the same way. Actor Frank Sivero, who played Goodfellas character Frankie Carbone, has filed a $250 million lawsuit against Fox Television Studios for basing one of The Simpsons's mob characters on his likeness. Sivero alleges that he lived in a Sherman Oaks, California, apartment next door to writers of the show and that Simpsons producer James L. Brooks was "highly aware of who Sivero was, the fact that he created the role of Frankie Carbone, and that The Simpsons...

Frank Sivero, Goodfellas actor, is suing The Simpsons and Fox Television Studios for $250 million, claiming that the character of Louie is based on his likeness.

Frank Sivero Claims Simpsons' Louie Is Based On Him

Sivero starred in Goodfellas as Frankie Carbone, a character he claims Louie was based on. In the suit, Sivero alleges that Simpsons writers lived next door to him in 1989, during the pre-production of Goodfellas, and purposefully studied him to create the Louie character.

“They knew he was developing the character he was to play in the movie Goodfellas. In fact, they were aware the entire character of ‘Frankie Carbone’ was created and developed by Sivero, who based this character on his own personality… Louie’s appearance and mannerisms are strongly evocative of character actor Frank Sivero,” reads the claim.

Louie, who is a member of the Simpsons mafia, debuted on the show in the 1991 episode, “Bart the Murderer,...

Now here's a number that's hard to fuggedabout. Character actor Frank Sivero, most recognizable from roles in The Godfather Part 2, Goodfellas and The Wedding Singer, has sued Fox Television Studios and parents company 21st Century Fox for $250 million, claiming that the character of wise guy Louie on The Simpsons is based on him—henceforth, he deserves several suitcases-full of cash for the use of his likeness. Seriously, that's a lot of simoleans. In a lawsuit filed yesterday in Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by E! News, Sivero claims that he is the "originator of the idea and character of Louie," who is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and is part of mob...

You may not know the name Frank Sivero but, if you’ve seen a mob movie, you know his face. He played Frankie Carbone in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, the afro-sporting mobster who buys his wife a mink coat and ends up on a meat hook. He’s also an extra in The Godfather and had a bigger role […]

The post ‘Goodfellas’ Actor Suing ‘The Simpsons’ For $250 Million appeared first on /Film.

The Simpsons' Louie acts a lot like Frank Sivero's character does in Goodfellas—and Sivero is filing a lawsuit against The Simpsons. In the lawsuit, filed Tuesday and obtained by Deadline, Sivero claims that he and some Simpsons writers lived next door to each other when Sivero was preparing for his role in Goodfellas, which came out in 1990. In 1991, The Simpsons debuted the character of Louie, a member of the Springfield mob who resembles Sivero in both looks and mannerisms. Louie has appeared in multiple episodes since then. The lawsuit acknowledges that "over the years, The Simpsons were known...

Frank Sivero, best known for playing mobsters in The Godfather Part II and Goodfellas, is suing Fox Television Studios for $250 million, alleging that "Louie," one of the "wise guy" mafia characters on The Simpsons, infringes on his likeness. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor claims that unspecified Simpsons writers modeled Louie on Sivero's Goodfellas character, Frankie Carbone.

Sivero alleges that, in 1989, he lived next door to the writers in a Sherman Oaks, California apartment complex. "They knew he was developing the character he was to play in the movie Goodfellas,...

Actor Frank Sivero has filed a $250 million lawsuit against Fox Television, arguing that Simpsons character Mafia Louie (a member of Fat Tony’s crew) was based on his likeness and personality and was specifically inspired by the character Frankie Carbone, whom he played in 1990’s Goodfellas. According to Deadline, Sivero — who also played a mobster in The Godfather Part II — claims he lived next to Simpsons writers in an apartment complex back in 1989, and they knowingly ripped off the character he was developing at the time. The suit goes on to allege that James L. Brooks was "highly aware of who Sivero was, the fact that he created the role of Frankie Carbone, and that The Simpsons character Louie would be based on this character," and notes that "Louie's appearance and mannerisms are strongly evocative of character actor Frank Sivero." While it might seem strange to file a...

In what might be the wildest lawsuit of the year, actor Frank Sivero has filed a $250 million lawsuit against Fox Television Studios over one of the "wise guy" characters on The Simpsons. Sivero is notable for playing mobster roles in The Godfather Part II and Goodfellas, and has lived up to his onscreen persona in various ways, such as reportedly being arrested for gun possession earlier this year. He's also very protective of his rights, suing a restaurant a few months ago over a sandwich named after his Goodfellas character. In his latest lawsuit, Sivero alleges that in 1989,

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"The Simpsons" pulled off a major heist when the mafioso character Louie rolled into Springfield -- and now a "Goodfellas" star wants a cut of the action.Frank Sivero played Frankie Carbone in the classic 1990 film ... and says "The Simpsons" created a Carbone copy of that character when Louie first appeared in an episode entitled "Bart the Murderer" on Oct. 10, 1991.Louie, who is Fat Tony's henchman on "The Simpsons" ... is hardly a regular. According to Sivero's lawsuit against Fox,...

Frank Sivero -- who played Frankie Carbone in 'Goodfellas' -- is suing a guy he says is a real badfella ... a deli owner near the Mexican border.Sivero claims he went to Deli Belly in El Cajon, CA in March ... where he posed for pics with fans.According to the lawsuit ... the owner got hold of one of the pics and plastered it all over his website, advertising a Frank Carbone sandwich which...

"Goodfellas" actor Frank Sivero must still have friends in high places ... because he was sentenced to 90 days in jail on Wednesday -- but served less than a week. It's a little sketchy what happened ... Sivero told TMZ at the time of his arrest ... he was escorting a lady friend out of an apartment building and when he got to the lobby -- to his surprise -- cops were there waiting for him, found he was...

Frank Sivero -- known for playing pistol-packing mob guys in movies -- got pinched for real by L.A. cops for carrying a loaded weapon in public ... but the actor tells TMZ something's fishy.Sivero was busted March 17 at his North Hollywood apartment building.  He says he was escorting a lady friend out of the building just after 2 A.M. ... and happened to grab a jacket that had a gun in the pocket -- a...

David Lynch, Meg Ryan and Jim Jarmusch all have one thing in common--for some reason, coffee has been a recurring set piece over the course of their careers. The ubiquitous caffeinated beverage's power to stimulate the brain and draw people together over conversation has propelled storylines in many of their films, and they are not alone.

For a while back in 2006, it even looked like Tom Hanks and Gus van Sant might make a movie about the international coffee peddler Starbucks' ability save down-and-out families. We have yet to see the "How Starbucks Changed My Life" film go into production, but countless other actors and directors have slipped in sips of java to keep scenes percolating.

Here are ten of the most memorable examples.

10. Agent Kujan makes a mess, "The Usual Suspects" (1995)

Nothing punctuates a moment of surprise in a movie quite like a coffee cup shattering on the floor -- except,...

Francis Ford Coppola didn't just stun his fans when he told TMZ he only should have made One "Godfather" movie ... he also shocked the hell out of one of the actors who starred in "Part II.""TMZ Live" spoke with Frank Sivero -- who played Don Vito's consigliere Genco Abbandando in the flick that's widely regarded as the greatest sequel of all time. Sivero tells us he regards the Academy Award winning movie as a...

Francis Ford Coppola has everyone baffled -- why would he say "Godfather II" was a mistake?? Even Frank Sivero, who played Genco in GF2, is challenging Coppola -- calling in to figure out ... why the bitterness over a masterpiece? Plus, wedding stress sent Heather Locklear and Jack Wagner to splitsville -- so maybe Harvey The Wedding Grinch has a point when he says ... Just Elope?  And, did Matt Damon make a huge mistake by going to a bullfight in Mexico?...

Goodfellas star Frank Sivero had links to real life mafia bosses and hitmen, a mob informant has testified in court.

On Wednesday, a New York court was shown photographs of Sivero posing with Charles Carneglia, who is on trial charged with five murders, including the slaying of an off-duty cop.

Prosecution witness Kevin McMahon claims Sivero - who played Frankie Carbone in the 1990 movie - was a regular visitor at the Brooklyn junkyard where cops believe Carneglia dissolved the bodies of his victims in acid.

And he suggested the 57-year-old actor, who is not accused of any crime, used his underworld connections to settle vendettas. McMahon, a former associate of jailed New York crime boss John Gotti, told the court, "(Sivero) had some kind of problem with somebody in jail, I am not exactly positive."

When approached by the New York Daily News, Sivero's agent Mitchell Shankman declined to comment.

In the enjoyable, raunchy "Foolish", wiry stand-up funnyman Eddie Griffin ("Armageddon") and hip-hop Big Man Master P ("I Got the Hook Up") play brothers trying to make it in the comedy business. With many sequences featuring the story-spinning Griffin on stage as the lovably cranky title character, director Dave Meyers' feature debut should score solidly among African American moviegoers.

Commercial and music video director Meyers and screenwriter/co-star Master P amiably flesh out the 84-minute Artisan release with a semi-serious plot revolving around the woes of promising club comic Miles "Foolish" Waise (Griffin), who takes pride in his "storytelling," and Quentin "Fifty Dollah" Waise (Master P), who pulls a stupid prank and becomes entangled with gangsters.

A popular attraction at a local club run by a spooky Italian (Frank Sivero), Foolish is vicious but funny and knows how to entertain a crowd. Unfortunately for his girlfriend, he is angry most of the time. She leaves him after a nasty fight, and he eventually has a falling out with Fifty, who has problems with a humorless mobster (Andrew Dice Clay).

Further complicating matters is the reappearance of Desiree (Amy Petersen), Foolish's high school lover who is dating Fifty and helping the pair start their own comedy show. While Foolish remains unlucky in love, he's further discouraged by the passing of his grandmother (Marla Gibbs). In a goofy sprinkling of mysticism, he talks to "ghosts" who tell him of the "blue light" that shines from the genuinely talented, protecting them when the blues hit.

Filmmaker-actor Bill Duke appears in an amusing scene where Foolish turns down a potential movie deal at Paramount, and "Baywatch" beauty Traci Bingham is featured in many club scenes. There are generous amounts of T&A and enough rude jokes to satisfy any fan.

While executive producer Master P is also present on the soundtrack, the film belongs to Griffin -- and the veteran of several HBO specials and UPN show "Malcolm and Eddie" can be hellaciously crude. But many of his profane rants have bite, and Griffin is quite good in nonperformance scenes. "Foolish" is directed confidently by Meyers, a Loyola Marymount alum.

FOOLISH

Artisan Entertainment

A Shooting Star Pictures production

A Master P/No Limit film

Director: Dave Meyers

Screenwriter: Master P

Producers: Jonathan Heuer, Andrew Shack

Executive producer: Master P

Director of photography: Steve Gainer

Production designer: Chuck Conner

Editor: Chris Davis

Costume designer: Jhane Isaacs

Color/stereo

Cast:

Foolish: Eddie Griffin

Fifty Dollah: Master P

Desiree: Amy Petersen

Giovanni: Frank Sivero

Charisse: Daphnee Lynn Duplaix

Odetta: Marla Gibbs

El Dorado Ron: Andrew Dice Clay

Running time -- 84 minutes

MPAA rating: R...