TMZ.com Home

Canadian actor Hayden Christensen was in his early 20s when he took on the role of the lightsaber-swinging Jedi, Anakin Skywalker -- who trains under the apprenticeship of Obi-Wan Kenobi and fathers twins with Padme Amidala before going to the dark side and becoming Darth Vader  -- in the 2002 sci-fi film "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" and the 2005 follow-up "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith."

The movie masterpieces were packed with big stars including Ewan McGregor as the young version of the level-headed Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Samuel L. Jackson as the Jedi Councilman with a purple lightsaber, Mace Windu ... and of course Natalie Portman as the Naboo queen and baby mama, Padme Amidala.

Hayden has been making headlines with the announcement of his return to the franchise in 2022.

Mark Few refused officers' orders repeatedly and appeared very annoyed and frustrated with cops during his DUI arrest in September, new police video obtained by TMZ Sports shows.

The Gonzaga men's basketball head coach was pulled over in Idaho at around 8 PM on Sept. 6 ... after authorities said he was swerving in his car and driving erratically.

And, in footage of the stop, you can see Few wasn't happy about any of it.

Few -- who told cops he was on his way home to Spokane from his vacation house -- initially refused to get out of his car when cops ordered him to ... and he then continuously stuffed his hands in his pockets despite officers telling him to keep them away from his shorts.

Later during the stop, Few refused to do any field sobriety tests -- claiming they were "totally subjective," and adding that previous injuries wouldn't allow him to do the tests properly.

Throughout questioning, Few grabbed his phone multiple times and attempted to call his attorney -- only to have cops tell him to put the device away.

Few told officers he had been swerving because he was trying to control the dogs in his car -- and he said emphatically that he believed he was okay to drive.

Video shows, though, the 58-year-old did admit to drinking beer earlier in the day.

After refusing to do the field sobriety tests, cops placed him in cuffs and put him in the back of a squad car.

Few later agreed to blow into a breathalyzer ... and cops say he blew a .119 and a .120 -- well above the legal limit of .08.

Few was eventually taken to a nearby medical facility to have his blood drawn ... and afterward, he was issued a citation and was allowed to be picked up by a friend.

Few was ultimately charged over the incident ... and pled guilty to misdemeanor DUI earlier this month. He was ordered to, among other things, perform community service and was placed on unsupervised probation for one year.

The gaffer from the set of 'Rust' who torched producers and the novice armorer over Halyna Hutchins' death is back in Los Angeles. ... and he's got some support waiting for him.

Serge Svetnoy touched down in L.A. Tuesday just a couple days after his scathing Facebook post squarely blaming Hannah Reed and others working behind the scenes for allowing this tragedy to unfold on set.

As you can see, Serge was greeted by a friend ... who was ready to welcome him with open arms. The 2 embraced in a hug, although the guy still looked pretty somber, and understandably so.

He also appears to be one of the first crew members back on the West Coast after last week's shooting incident in New Mexico. It could be a sign of where cops are in the investigation too -- presumably, the authorities are starting to cut people loose.

Like we told you ... Serge wasn't shy about sharing his criticism of what went wrong and whose actions he thinks cost Halyna her life. He explicitly mentioned the 24-year-old weapons expert ... while also throwing around words like "negligence" and "unprofessionalism."

In addition to his comments, he also posted what's believed to be one of the last photographs of her ... shortly before she died.

She and the rest of the crew were rehearsing a scene in a church, where Alec Baldwin was in full costume ... and where he ultimately did a cross-draw motion and fired the gun, not knowing it had a live round of ammo in one of the chambers. Serge says he was holding Halyna, and was covered in her blood before she was airlifted.

So far, there've been no criminal charges brought forth -- but the investigation is still underway, and this is far from over.

NBA YoungBoy is finally sprung from jail -- after several months behind bars in his federal gun case -- but he had to drop some serious coin to make it happen.

The rapper's attorneys, Drew Findling and Andre Belanger, tell TMZ ... NBA YB was released on bond Tuesday after forking over $500k in cash. The St. Martin Parish Sheriff's Office, which had the rapper in custody since March, confirms they've handed him his walking papers.

YoungBoy might be rejoicing about regaining his freedom until he stands trial ... but he's on a tight leash. He's gotta keep his nose clean -- or else he'll land right back in a cell.

His legal team tells us a condition of YoungBoy's release includes home confinement in Utah, where his location is being monitored. How exactly they'll keep track of him isn't quite clear --  whether it's electronic or physical surveillance -- but we're told the authorities are keeping tabs.

TMZ broke the story ... cops had to use a K-9 unit here in L.A. to wrangle YoungBoy after he allegedly evaded a traffic stop and spurred a police chase.

Things are getting tenser than a lethal game of Red Light, Green Light -- "Squid Game" creator Hwang Dong-hyuk heard LeBron James bashing the show's ending loud and clear ... and fired back by clowning his panned 'Space Jam' movie!!

James was heavily critical of the Netflix series' final scene ... discussing his dissatisfaction with Anthony Davis in front of reporters after a preseason game earlier this month (don't worry, we won't spoil it here ... but seriously, why haven't you watched yet?!?)

Hwang was asked about James' review in a recent interview with The Guardian ... and his response is clearly dissing the King's recent "Space Jam: A New Legacy" flick, which currently has a 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

"Have you seen Space Jam 2?" Hwang asked in response to James' comments.

"LeBron James is cool and can say what he wants. I respect that. I'm very thankful he watched the whole series."

So, will Hwang roll out an alternate ending to appease James' critique??? Don't hold your breath.

"But I wouldn't change my ending," he added. "That's my ending. If he has his own ending that would satisfy him, maybe he could make his own sequel. I'll check it out and maybe send him a message saying, 'I liked your whole show, except the ending.'"

A haunting image showing Halyna Hutchins on the set of "Rust" helps paint an eerie picture of the DP's surroundings in her final moments after the fatal accident on set of the Alec Baldwin film.

The photo -- uploaded by the movie's chief electrician Serge Svetnoy -- claims to be the last photo with Halyna on set. Hutchins is wearing a tan beanie with headphones covering her ears.

The setting is what makes the photo so tragic considering it was inside the same church where she was shot and killed after the gun Baldwin was holding fired a live round that struck her in the chest.

According to the search warrant, obtained by TMZ, the fatal scene was supposed to depict Baldwin, sitting in a church pew, pulling his gun from his holster and firing into the camera. The warrant says Baldwin believed he was getting a "cold gun" without ammo from the assistant director, but that was not the case.

In a scathing Facebook post, Svetnoy blamed "negligence and unprofessionalism" on the part of the film's armorer and assistant director for Hutchins' death. He claims he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Halyna during the fatal shot, saying, "I was holding her in my arms while she was dying. Her blood was on my hands."

As we reported, the accident is still under investigation, but a lot of suspicion has been raised about the level of experience armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed brought to the project.

In a podcast recorded last month, Reed claimed she had only recently come off her first film as head armorer and almost didn't take the gig because she felt she wasn't ready.

The man prosecutors say supplied the deadly pills that killed Mac Miller has acknowledged wrongdoing -- copping a plea deal that could see him behind bars for a long while.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Stephen Walter entered a guilty plea with the feds on one count of distribution of fentanyl. The other drug-related charge -- conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance -- was dropped.

Prosecutors alleged Walter was the one who indirectly gave Mac's alleged dealer, Cameron James Pettit, deadly Percocet tablets that ended up causing MM to OD. As we reported, Pettit hit up Walter ... who then sent a runner to drop them off that fateful night.

As far as what's on the table for punishment ... the docs note there's a maximum sentence he could face -- more than 20 years in prison -- plus a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. Prosecutors are recommending 17 years in prison and 5 years supervised release.

There's also this ... prosecutors make a point to say that Walter pleading guilty here means he was fully aware of what he was pawning off that night -- counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl.

Jeff Bezos wants to get commerce going in the Milky Way -- something he's more than welcome to do, just so long as he pays Earthling taxes beforehand ... so says Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

We got the U.S. Senator Tuesday in D.C. where our photog asked what she made of Bezos' just-announced plan to get a space business park going via his rocket company, Blue Origin. Liz is totally good with that -- on the condition he ponies up to Uncle Sam first.

Check out this convo ... Sen. Warren says she doesn't care what JB does with his dough, but insists it should be money he has left over AFTER he gets fairly taxed on his wealth.

This is a hot debate right now, as Dems are trying to push through legislation that will see billionaires taxed annually on their unrealized capital gains -- which they say will help fund a lot of what President Biden is trying to accomplish with his infrastructure bill.

The Senator alludes to that here ... saying Bezos doesn't have an annual income that's easily taxable, which is why she says we've gotta be able to tax his overall wealth for true equity.

As you know, Bezos has been in a space race of sorts with other billionaires, who all seem eager to get the hell outta Dodge and conquer a new frontier.

Here's a firm lesson that alligators are NOT the slowpokes they're often made out to be -- especially when they're in their liquid turf ... these bastards are fast and furious!

Check out this wild video of a guy who was swimming in a lake down in Campo Grande, Brazil over the weekend, when he had a freaky run-in with the apex predator that was on his ass as he was trying to swim to shore.

It seems the man had no idea he was being scoped out by the gator -- but once he did realize he had company ... he tried to book it.

As he's approaching the shore, you see the alligator torpedo its way toward the poor dude -- and it actually takes a chomp on his torso, only to release him as he continues to flee. Give credit to this fella for keeping his swim going, 'cause the animal could've easily latched on and taken him under.

Looks like the gator pierced some skin, as the man was indeed bleeding when he emerged. Hard to tell how bad the injury is -- but he's lucky to have walked away in one piece.

The gun scenes in the Alec Baldwin movie "Rust" were considered dangerous enough to provide certain protections ... but not protections for people, but rather the expensive camera.

Ian A. Hudson, a New Mexico-based principal cast member who plays an outlaw in the film, tells TMZ ... his last scene in the movie on October 8 was a shootout where he was killed, and he says he was terrified that there were 20 rounds from pistols and rifles that were unloading blanks, and the only protection against a mishap was some sort of shield around the camera.

Hudson describes what he says was something like a 3X2 foot shield, with the only part exposed being the lens. He was standing 6 feet in front of the camera, and wondered why there was a need to protect the camera as he stood there exposed. He adds there were people standing behind the camera, something gun experts say should not have happened.

Hudson says he felt the scene was "life-threatening," because real weapons were being pointed at him and blanks discharged, creating a rush of air that struck him multiple times. He also said he was hit by small pieces of cardboard.

The actor told us he didn't complain because he was new in the business and felt he would be viewed as trouble if he voiced concern.

And, Hudson says, he and his fellow actors were alarmed enough to reference the accidental killing of Brandon Lee back in 1993. He told us they discussed the fact that it didn't seem like much has changed in the last 30 years.

Hudson says the other, more experienced actors checked their weapons 2 or 3 times after they received them from the armorer, and it didn't matter whether they were told the gun was "cold" or "hot." Baldwin did not check the weapon, but rather relied on the assistant director who assured him the gun was "cold."

The armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is now under the microscope because of her inexperience ... something she talked about in a recent podcast. But, Hudson says director, Joel Souza, praised Hannah when Hudson was on set, telling her she was doing a good job.

As we reported, Souza was shot along with director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, who died from her injures after being hit by a live round.

Ian's character was killed in a shootout with Jensen Ackles' character ... and he says it was extremely unsettling.

Britney Spears has more to get off her chest as it relates to her family -- whom she says have caused irreparable harm ... which she's not going to be quiet about anymore.

The singer took to IG Monday with a not-so-cryptic message ... one that was aimed directly at her blood relatives, it seems. She explains how every person she's ever opened to immediately abandons her in a time of need -- which she finds screwed up and is over with.

She adds, "This message is to my family ... for hurting me deeper than you'll ever know !!! I know the conservatorship is about to be over but I still want justice !!! I'm only 5'4" and I've played the bigger person my entire life ... do you know how hard that is ???"

Unclear who exactly this might be about, per se, but it seems to perhaps be for her younger sister, Jamie Lynn, who's been making headlines of late ... and not for great reasons.

As we've reported ... JLS is taking major heat for releasing a book right on the heels of her older sibling's conservatorship drama, which many find to be exploitative. Britney, too, appears to agree with that -- and has issued a broader warning shot at her brood ... saying they better pray she doesn't do any interviews, where she might really spill the beans.

And, of course, Britney has already expressed anger toward her parents, Jamie and Lynne Spears, so her reference to "family" seems all-inclusive.

Brian Laundrie fled into the woods looking incredibly upset -- but his parents still don't know why, or what may be written in his recovered journal ... so says their attorney.

Steve Bertolino tells TMZ ... Brian's parents, Chris and Roberta, have no idea why their son fled with such angst the day he went missing in September. he would only say they felt he was "out of sorts."

Obviously, everyone wants to know exactly what the parents knew and when -- but Bertolino insists they were in the dark on what the heck was happening with Brian as he fled from the house and vanished.

He says ditto on what might be in Brian's journal, which authorities found near his remains at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. Bertolino says cops haven't made the Laundries aware of its contents yet -- but says he has heard some of it may not be salvageable.

Of course, that leaves a lot of unanswered questions. Like, for example, how did Brian die, and what involvement, if any, he had in Gabby Petito's disappearance and death.

Keanu Reeves knows how to treat his movie crew right -- the guy handed his 'John Wick' stuntmen new watches as a thank-you for their services. Oh, and they were Rolexes!.

The veteran actor, who's beloved in Hollywood, kept his nice-guy rep going strong over the weekend ... when he dished out brand-new 2020 Submariners to 4 guys in Paris, who went to the mat for him on camera -- this as "John Wick 4" completed filming.

One of the stuntmen, Jeremy Marinas, took to social media to post photos of the Rolexes ... writing "Best wrap gift ever." He showed closeups of the timepiece, which was even engraved with a custom message, courtesy of Keanu and co.

Looks like each stunt guy got his own name etched in, as well as being assigned a number ... Jeremy here appears to have been the fifth "John Wick," as it were. KR is probs #1.

JM also got a shot of all the stuntmen (plus Keanu) holding their watches close together in unison -- and it's pretty freaking awesome, especially when you consider the retail price tag here comes in just under $10k a pop.

Like we said, this makes for a great gesture from Keanu -- and speaks to how much he appreciates folks who work behind the scenes and help bring his projects to fruition.

Here's something new ... Dr. Anthony Fauci getting grilled, but not over COVID-19 -- instead it's allegations his agency used taxpayer dollars to fund torturous dog research ... and a congresswoman's turning up the heat.

Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina explained why she fired off a letter to Fauci last week ... in which she and 23 of her colleagues (from both sides of the aisle) asked him to sit for a hearing on the subject.

The Congresswoman told us on "TMZ Live" ... Fauci handles a lot of the National Institutes of Health's distribution of grants, and, therefore, he should step up to explain why it's backing such a brutal study.

As we reported ... a watchdog group claims to have obtained documents linking NIH/NIAID-funded animal testing overseas -- in which around 44 beagle puppies were gruesomely killed during experiments with sandflies.

Rep. Mace notes that most Americans would NOT be okay with their taxpayer dollars going toward such awful research ... so, she simply wants to find out why that's allegedly happening.

Kodak Black's failed drug tests came back positive for pot and ecstasy ... and yet he's now asking a judge for permission to hit up a big concert where drug use might be rampant.

As we first told you, the rapper violated the terms of his supervised release in his federal gun case by failing drug tests earlier this year. According to new legal docs, he tested positive for marijuana in February and then MDMA in August.

The judge ordered Kodak to complete a 90-day treatment program ... and he recently got permission to spend 30 of those days outside of Florida, after claiming it would give him a better chance at success.

Now, Kodak has his eye on a multiday music festival in New York.

According to the docs, KB asked the court to let him attend the Rolling Loud NYC music fest this weekend, and says it's strictly for business.

The judge signed off on it and gave him permission to perform at the festival -- he'll be on stage Friday in Queens -- as long as he keeps in touch with his Supervised Release Officer.

Ja'Marr Chase's early NFL success is no fluke ... so says Michael Irvin, who tells TMZ Sports he believes the new Bengals star is a "more talented" wideout than The Playmaker ever was.

"Ja'Marr Chase is off the chain, man," Irvin said of the Cincinnati rookie.

Michael told us out in NYC on Monday that he's been particularly impressed by Chase's ability to respond from a terrible preseason, one in which he dropped so many passes that people wondered if he'd be a 2021 bust.

"To make the switch to playing like one of the best receivers in the NFL right now, it's incredible," Irvin said.

The Cowboys legend added that Chase, who put up 201 receiving yards and a touchdown on 8 catches in a win over the Ravens on Sunday, is "way more talented than I ever will be."

"Now," Irvin continued, "let's see if he can get more rings than I ever had."

As for Michael's former team ... we asked Irvin about what Dallas should do in the offseason if offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore, gets a head coaching offer from another team.