TMZ.com Home

"Oppenheimer" finally has a theatrical release date set in Japan ... 6 months after it was released in the States -- though locals still have some more waiting left to do!

According to Indie distributor Bitters End, Christopher Nolan's blockbuster will arrive at Japanese cinemas on March 29 ... which will be 2 and a half weeks after the Oscars.

The 3-hour-long movie, starring Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt and more, is up for a mammoth 13 awards at the Oscars, including Best Actor, Best Picture and Best Director ... and it's a frontrunner to scoop them all.

The critically acclaimed movie was released in most countries by Universal ... though Japan's main sub-distributor, Toho-Towa, decided not to go ahead with its release in July 2023.

But, Bitters End says they've decided to pick up the film after months of thoughtful dialogue over the subject matter ... which is, obviously, especially sensitive for Japanese people.

"Oppenheimer" is about the creation of the nuclear bomb in the United States, culminating in a successful test of the doomsday weapon in July 1945.

Weeks later, America dropped 2 nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively, putting an end to World War II.

The villages were obliterated, with roughly 200,000 people killed.

50 Cent is nipping any notions he’s hopping on the celebrity Ozempic trend in the bud — he dropped pounds the ‘ol fashioned way!!!

The “In Da Club” rapper recently posted an IG flick rocking a noticeably slimmer frame — 43 pounds to be exact — and blew off accusations he binged on the diabetic drug to shred the pounds.

50 told his nosy fans he went from 253 pounds to 210 pounds — gym sessions and his recent Final Lap Tour also provided some much-needed cardio.

Fans mocked 50’s weight during his Super Bowl performance where he joined Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige on stage … and now they’re praising his natural bod from natural means.

Medical experts are still warning the public not to write off Ozempic completely ... Dr. Terry Dubrow recently told TMZ that the drug is still a viable weight loss option ... under a doctor's supervision, that is.

On the face of it, Fitty seems to be siding with Jillian Michaels on this issue -- namely, if you wanna lose weight, you're better off doing it the old-fashioned way ... with hard work.

Taylor Swift has been trending these past couple days for all the wrong reasons -- somebody cranked out a bunch of X-rated/NSFW AI photos of her ... and they're absolutely wild.

Here's the deal ... tons of different mockups and renderings depicting fake Taylor in a bunch of sexual situations have been flooding Twitter over the past 24 hours or so, and they all come from artificial intelligence programming. And yes, they do look somewhat real, too.

The "photos" show AI Taylor in graphic fashion -- whether it's her being groped and fondled by fans/players at a Kansas City Chiefs game ... or, in some instances, more explicit sex.

In all the AI KC renderings that are circulating, fake Taylor is basically being tossed around and used as a sex prop -- and she's depicted in red paint, and often fully nude as well. There are other AI offerings that are surfacing too ... and she's again being sexualized.

While some pervs are relishing in the images -- and trying to crank out even more, it seems -- more than enough Swifties have come out in fierce defense of their hero/idol.

In fact, that's exactly why "PROTECT TAYLOR SWIFT" is trending on X right now ... it's her fans who are denouncing the flood of AI photos, pointing out she's being victimized here.

Not just that ... but it looks like the Swifties are flagging accounts that are allegedly spreading all this -- and while X tends to let porn slide, it does appear that moderators on the site are flagging these and yanking them. Some accounts also seem to be getting dinged.

Of course, Taylor herself hasn't addressed this yet -- and frankly, she doesn't need to ... it's very much so beneath her. But the fact these AI porn pics made their way onto the internet in the first place signals a dangerous time for stars. Your image/likeness is in the wind!

We've seen other instances of AI trying to impersonate/replicate stars -- be it through music or otherwise -- and now ... deep-fake images showing them in gross settings is the latest.

Scary times we live in ... but at least T-Swift has her army fully behind her in this cause.

It isn't just listeners worried about T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach's awkward podcast feud -- T.J. himself is concerned about a racial backlash over their bickering, and hesitated to post the episode because of it.

T.J. says he feared the argument would be viewed as a "Black man beating up on a white woman" ... though Amy was shocked, saying on Thursday's episode, she'd never considered race an issue in their relationship.

She said the fact he's Black and she's white had never crossed her mind ... though she quickly acknowledged that's exactly the point T.J.'s trying to make.

Amy admits she didn't realize something seemingly as minimal as sharing a recording of their argument would come with a racial element -- though now, the lightbulb's gone off for her.

Basically, the new episode is the couple explaining why they're second-guessing the decision to record, and then post the heated discussion about the future of their relationship -- and, for T.J., race is a major factor.

He says he's learned over the years to keep his composure during confrontations with white women -- avoiding yelling or screaming so he doesn't come across as that old trope of the "angry Black man."

Amy says she noticed T.J. has a very real point when she saw the comments on their argument episode and the media coverage of it.

As we reported Monday, the duo fueled split rumors following the very public tension in their relationship.

They laid all their cards on the table ... noting they hadn't slept in the same bed for several days, Amy mentioning career pressure, and T.J. questioning her communication skills.

Alec Baldwin is getting major support from his union -- with SAG-AFTRA coming out swinging against prosecutors in New Mexico who are gunning for him yet again with new charges.

The actor wasn't named by SAG specifically, but he was most certainly alluded to in this new statement they put out slamming the decision to prosecute him twice in this case. The union made clear ... knowing how to handle firearms is NOT an actor's job, from their POV.

They write, "To the extent that the charges filed on January 19 are based on an accusation of negligent use of a firearm predicated on this or any actor having a duty to inspect a firearm as part of its use, that is an incorrect assessment of the actual duties of an actor on set."

Then comes a haymaker, with SAG adding ... "An actor’s job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert. Firearms are provided for use on set under the guidance of multiple expert professionals directly responsible for the safe and accurate operation of that firearm."

SAG goes on to say that the procedure for safe use of firearms on set is clearly laid out in their rules and guidelines ... but they explicitly point out that a performer is not and should not be tasked with making sure the weapons used are dangerous or live.

Basically, there are experts for that type of thing on set ... and SAG is making that clear in no uncertain terms. It's a huge win for Alec as far as optics are concerned -- he's been making this point all along, and now ... SAG-AFTRA is confirming he is, indeed, correct.

You'll recall ... Alec was hit with a new involuntary manslaughter charge in the 'Rust' case -- and he's supposed to answer for it in court on Feb. 1 during an arraignment. Alec and his attorneys already responded to that, noting he has a right to speedy trial ... and wants to exercise that in this case, not wanting to drag it out further.

Meanwhile, the armorer from that movie -- Hannah Gutierrez-Reed -- is facing her own criminal charges in the matter ... although she too has pleaded innocence/ignorance over what led to Halyna Hutchins' death.

Herbert Coward -- who played the infamous Toothless Man from the film, "Deliverance," was killed in a car crash in North Carolina along with his friend and beloved pets, TMZ has confirmed.

Coward was making a left turn out of a parking lot after a medical appointment in Haywood County Wednesday, when his silver Nissan was struck by another vehicle that tried to avoid him, according to the North Carolina Highway Patrol.

The actor and his 3 occupants -- Bertha Brooks, a chihuahua and a squirrel -- were trapped inside the wreckage and had to be extracted from the car by first responders, police said. The four died at the scene.

The other motorist, 16, suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital out of an abundance of caution. Investigators did not charge the teenager because they determined no crime was committed.

In the classic 1972 thriller "Deliverance," Coward played the frightening role of a hillbilly with missing front teeth known as the "Toothless Man." In one of the movie's horrific scenes, Coward's character and his hillbilly sidekicks sodomized a man in front of his friend, who was tied to a tree in the forest.

Coward was 85.

Whoopi Goldberg knows a thing or two about being nominated for Oscars -- which is why her saying Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig were not snubbed this year is ... fascinating.

Despite all the pearl-clutching going on among "Barbie" fans after the lead star and director missed out on Oscar nods earlier this week, Whoopi kept it realer than real on "The View" Wednesday as the crew was discussing it ... saying flatly, they weren't entitled to anything.

WG said the obvious to kick off her thoughts, noting that "everybody doesn't win" when it comes to the Academy Awards, and more importantly ... not everyone can be nominated.

Whoopi then put it even more matter-of-factly, adding ... "You don't get everything you want to get. There are no snubs. That's what you have to keep in mind: Not everybody gets a prize, and it is subjective. Movies are subjective."

She then explained that just because "Barbie" was a fan-fave and moneymaker doesn't necessarily mean it was a shoo-in in and of itself, saying ... "The movies you love may not be loved by the people who are voting." Worth noting ... Whoopi's an Academy member.

Remember ... Whoopi's won an Oscar herself, and she's been nominated for a second too -- so she's been through the wringer before. Considering the wave of outrage on behalf of Margot and Greta ... it's interesting that she's taking a somewhat controversial stand here.

Jeffrey Wright says his indie movie, "American Fiction," most definitely has a fighting chance to take home top honors at the Oscars ... but don't go calling this a David vs. Goliath story.

We got the Best Actor nominee Wednesday at LAX, where we asked all about the fact 'AF' was nominated a ton on Tuesday -- racking up 5 Oscar nods on everything from Best Actor to Original Score and, of course, the big prize in Best Picture.

For starters, Jeff told us he hates the fact the Oscars race turns art into a competition, and told us he's just happy to be in the mix of things with all those blockbuster hits that are considered Oscar darlings this year.

Yes, we're talking about "Barbie," "Oppenheimer" and some other big fish in the race -- but from Jeffrey's demeanor here, you'd never guess he's sweating it ... 'cause he ain't!

When we ask him straight up if "American Fiction" has a realistic path toward victory in any of its categories ... he puts it back on our camera guy, who Jeffrey says inadvertently answered the question himself.

Bottom line, the movie is absolutely amazing and even though it's "small" ... it's still mighty.

That's JW's takeaway, anyway, and he certainly seems confident in the work.

"Wizards of Waverly Place" alum Dan Benson knows he's being cut out of the Disney Channel show's upcoming reboot and says it's upsetting, but not shocking ... due to to his very adult career choices.

Dan tells TMZ ... he's disappointed over being unable to reprise the role of Zeke Beakerman, and also acknowledges he didn't really leave the show's bosses any real option to include him -- having gone from child star to OnlyFans porn star.

He totally sees things from their point of view ... telling us it'd be unreasonable to bring back his wholesome character, while he's also publicizing all his risqué personal life decisions.

Dan even imagines how discussions of his return went down in the reboot's first meeting ... wondering if some Disney exec Googled him to see what he's doing, only to learn he's been posting adults-only content since 2022.

BTW, Selena Gomez is an executive producer, which has Dan wondering just how much of his "body" of work his old costar's come across.

While he's sad his career choices affected his chance to be back on screen, he tells us he actually would've said no if the reboot bosses asked him back.

The reason being that life after the show got really hard for him, as he struggled to land another mainstream acting gig.

Now, Dan's over being dependent on someone else for opportunities ... something he doesn't have to worry about now cause he's his own boss and makes it happen for himself.

Ezekiel Elliott was at a Texas bar over the weekend when a violent fight broke out ... and now, cops tell TMZ Sports they're investigating if members of the NFL star's crew were involved.

According to Frisco Police Dept. documents we obtained, the disturbance happened at around 1 AM at Concrete Cowboy -- a nightclub located a few yards from the Dallas Cowboys' practice facility in Frisco.

Video shot by a patron at the establishment shows as Elliott was talking with a woman, several people got into a brawl just feet away.

You can see in the footage, at one point during the squabble, a man appears to throw a punch that lands squarely on another man's back.

Officers wrote in an incident report that "a male and a female were physically assaulted by a large group of males" in the fracas. An FPD spokesperson added in a statement that witnesses alleged "members of Elliott's group may have been involved."

Cops, however, said a probe into the allegations is still ongoing ... and detectives are "still working to confirm the details of the incident."

Elliott is, of course, very familiar with the Frisco area ... he played for the Cowboys for the first seven seasons of his career, before he joined the New England Patriots in 2023.

We're just past the mid-way point in the week, and we are rolling at TMZ when it comes to our television shows ... 'cause now, we're talking biting fetishes, and Hillary Clinton!!!

Let's begin with Armie Hammer -- who's bedroom fetishes and kinks got put on blast by a former flame who says they hooked up last year ... during which, he supposedly explained the whole "cannibalism" thing that consumed his rep for much of 2021 and beyond.

Check out the segment to see what she had to say about it ... and what he's (allegedly) into.

On the 'TMZ on TV' side of things ... we were back to talking 'Barbie,' but this time -- with a new voice chiming in on the all the indignation over the perceived snubs against Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig ... and that would be ... Hillary Clinton. Yes, the one and only.

Harvey had some hot takes about whether this is actually all about patriarchy or not -- in his mind, it's more like ... hey, sometimes you lose, kid -- guy or gal! He might have a point.

Over at 'TMZ Sports' ... Babcock and Mojo talked about Tyreek Hill and the fact that he says he's still married ... even though he and his wife have technically filed for divorce. Hmm ...

Lots of opinions and takes with this one -- take a look for yourself and see where you land.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

American actress Laura Ramsey was 23 years old when she landed the role of Olivia -- the girly, pretty blonde who is looking for a 'real' man -- in the comedic film "She's The Man" back in 2006.

Ramsey shared the big screen with Amanda Bynes as the Cornwall soccer player who impersonates and dresses as her brother, Viola, Channing Tatum as Viola's handsome roommate and fellow teammate, Duke and Alexandra Breckenridge as the pretty and full of herself popular girl.

Laura is also known for her roles in "The Covenant", "The Ruins" and "Middle Men."

Alec Baldwin just filed his first official response to the new charges being brought against him in the "Rust" case in New Mexico -- and the first thing out of his mouth is ... hurry up!

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the actor has been ordered to appear before a judge in NM to answer to the involuntary manslaughter charge being filed against him (again) ... and he's gotta do so on Feb. 1 at 11 AM through an official plea.

The paperwork notes that AB can show up to court via phone or video conference -- but he's gotta let the judge know one way or the other ... guilty or not guilty. Based on the last time this happened, something tells us Alec's gonna go with the latter.

In fact, his attorneys filed a response to this almost immediately -- submitting documents that make clear ... he wants to get this over and done with, stressing his constitutional right to a speedy trial.

One of the reasons his legal team cites as wanting to get the show on the road here is because it'll "minimize public vilification and suspicion." Plus, he wants to "avoid the hazards of proving his innocence that often arise after a lengthy delay in prosecution."

Remember, Alec was slapped with new charges last week -- namely, involuntary manslaughter through negligent use of a firearm, or in the alternative ... involuntary manslaughter without due caution or circumspection. Before the charges were dropped the first time, he was facing something very similar ... and the entire time, he vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

Of course, this all has to do with the fact that Alec was using the prop gun on set -- which somehow fired and sent a live bullet through the late Halyna Hutchins, who was the DP.

Patrick Mahomes says dating a popstar and hosting "Saturday Night Live" hasn't changed Travis Kelce one bit ... telling reporters Wednesday his best bud has remained even keel despite all the newfound fame.

The Chiefs quarterback praised his tight end for not letting all the attention get to his head during his weekly meeting with media members ... explaining Kelce has "just been himself the whole time."

"He's still Travis Kelce," Mahomes said. "He still will walk through the stadium and treat every single person like they're his best friend. And he's going to be like that in the locker room every single day."

"It hasn't been any different."

Of course, Kelce's life has completely changed since he won his second Super Bowl last February. He drew a ton of laughs on "SNL," earned features in a bevy of new commercials ... and, as you already know, he got into a relationship with Taylor Swift.

But Mahomes was adamant that "Travis has always been Travis" throughout it all.

The 28-year-old signal-caller also had a bunch of nice things to say about Kelce's "SNL" appearance ... telling reporters he was super happy to watch Kelce live out a lifelong dream.

Alexis Bellino's headed back to "The Real Housewives of Orange County" ... but there's one cast member who probably isn't looking to reconnect anytime soon -- Shannon Beador.

Production sources tell TMZ ... the 47-year-old is officially returning to 'RHOC' as a friend of the show -- more than a decade after walking away from the series in 2013 as a fan fave.

We're told Bellino -- who starred in seasons 5 through 8 as a main cast member and appeared as a guest in season 14 -- started filming Tuesday evening with the other housewives as production on Season 18 just began.

The biggest news going into this season down in the O.C. ... producers are obviously ready to jump all over the drama between Bellino and Beador -- who now have one thing in common ... dating the same dude in John Janssen.

Here's the deal ... Alexis recently started dating John who Shannon was in a relationship with from July 2019 until November 2022 -- when she says he broke up with her one week after filming on Season 17 wrapped.

SB said she felt blindsided by the breakup ... and AB dating her former flame probably isn't making her feel much better. They're taking getaways together and Alexis seems to have a good relationship with John's kids ... something Beador has publicly said she did not.

And, that's just the tip of the iceberg ... because even before Bellino and Janssen got together, Beador had been quite clear about her dislike for her new castmate.

TMZ broke the story ... just before Shannon's DUI arrest in September 2023, she was overheard trash-talking Alexis at a restaurant -- which Bellino says was over a defamation lawsuit Beador's ex-husband filed against her and Tamra Judge. Bellino also told us she's not involved in that lawsuit.

Bottom line ... it stands to reason there's a lot of messy and complicated feelings between these two, and Bravo knows exactly where to put them -- on a hit TV show, of course!

Jim Harbaugh is back in the NFL -- the University of Michigan head football coach has reportedly accepted the same role with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Harbaugh is fresh off winning a national championship with his alma mater ... taking down the Washington Huskies earlier this month, 34-13.

This won't be the 60-year-old's first time leading NFL sidelines -- he also coached the San Francisco 49ers to a 44-22-1 record from 2011-14, including a Super Bowl appearance in 2012 against his brother, John, and the Baltimore Ravens.

This is the fifth head coaching gig for the former NFL QB -- he also had stints at San Diego and Stanford before jumping to the pros the first time around.

It's another full-circle moment for Harbaugh -- he played for the then-San Diego Chargers from 1999-00.

Harbaugh was expected to meet a second time with the Atlanta Falcons this week regarding their coaching vacancy ... but that interview was reportedly scrapped earlier Wednesday.