The Oscars

Oscar-winning actress Louise Fletcher, who played the iconic villain Nurse Ratched in "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest," died from natural causes Friday in France, this according to her family.

Her son, Andrew Bick, tells TMZ ... Louise passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in Montdurausee -- a commune in Southern France -- after she had overcome breast cancer several years ago.

Louise snagged the 1976 Best Actress Academy Award for her bone-chilling performance as Nurse Ratched in 'Cuckoo’s Nest.' The film, which swept all 5 Oscars in each of the major categories, centered around the tense relationship between Ratched and Randall McMurphy, a psych ward patient played by Jack Nicholson.

McMurphy was an anti-authority-free spirit who was a threat to Ratched's strict rules to keep the other patients in line. In the end, McMurphy won over the hearts and minds of the patients ... only to have a vengeful Ratched order him to be turned into a lobotomized vegetable.

The Nurse Ratched character was hand-picked as the fifth-greatest villain in movie history by the American Film Institute -- and she was runner-up to the Wicked Witch of the West as the greatest villainess.

After the success of 'Cuckoo's Nest,' Fletcher landed roles in other popular films and TV shows, such as "ER," "Picket Fences," "A Perfect Man," "Shameless" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." She was nominated for an Emmy for "Fences."

Louise was 88.

Will Smith may have unloaded with his bare hand, but Chris Rock says he was wearing kid gloves when he told "that joke."

Chris and Dave Chappelle launched their European tour at Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena in the UK Friday, and Rock squarely addressed his joke and the slap that ensued. ... “Did that s**t hurt? Goddam right… the motherf***er hit me over a bulls**t joke, the nicest joke I ever told!"

This is new info ... Chris has never really addressed the G.I. Jane joke himself, but he clearly thinks it was harmless, which may be why he never saw it coming when Will jumped on stage.

Chappelle chimed in about his own brush with stage violence. Referring to the guy who jumped on stage and attacked him at the Hollywood Bowl a few months back, he said, “That was some scary sh*t,” and then joking ... “Was that Will Smith?”

Chappelle had some biting commentary for Smith, calling the slap "a very strange choice," and then adding that Will “did an impression of a perfect man for 30 years.” Then he went in for the kill ... "I just hope he doesn't put that mask back on."

Chris Rock has the Internet up in arms over a joke he made comparing his possible return to The Oscars with Nicole Brown Simpson's vicious murder.

Rock performed Sunday in Phoenix where he reportedly told the audience coming back to host the 2023 Oscars would be like asking Nicole Brown Simpson to go back to the restaurant where she ate before she was brutally murdered in 1994.

Some people on social media have accused Rock of being misogynistic and cracking jokes at the expense of a woman, similar to the criticism he got for the Jada Pinkett joke. Others on social believe Will should have slapped Chris harder.

It was 6 months ago when Will Smith got up on stage and slapped Chris after the comedian made a joke about Jada's shaved head.

Chris Rock later said he was unaware Jada suffered from alopecia.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett put on a united front as they stepped out in public together for the first time since the Oscars slap -- and hubby was leading the charge with a smile.

The couple was spotted leaving Nobu in Malibu Saturday afternoon, with what appeared to be handler trailing them. Will was ahead of Jada -- wearing a casual outfit and a cap -- who was following closely behind ... apparently grabbing a hold of his shirt or pants.

It looks like she might've been grabbing his hand in some of these shots ... but upon closer inspection, you can see she's got him by his clothing and letting him guide her to their car.

Eventually, they got in their vehicle and drove off together ... with WS in the driver's seat. Before that, though, Will actually flashed a peace sign to a spectator who called his name. So, yeah ... it appears he's maintaining a good mood -- this after his recent apology video.

You'll recall ... Will explained his actions that night, saying Jada's eye-roll did not fire him up and spur him to storm the stage -- it sounds like it was just built-up bad blood between the Smiths and Chris Rock that led to it ... plus some internal trauma Will has from his past.

He said he wanted to talk with Chris -- but noted CR hasn't taken him up on that ... and may not in the long run. In the meantime, Will's getting a move on with his life -- as is Jada.

The fact the dude is out and about in daylight -- in L.A., no less -- says a lot about where he is personally ... and that seems to be in a much better place.

Taylor Swift may be making a run at an EGOT, because she's apparently gunning for an Oscar during this award season ... all over her short film, which qualifies.

The singer's 14-minute video treatment -- which is part music video and film, starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien -- is eligible to be nominated for an Academy Award at the 95th annual ceremony next year ... in the Best Live Action Short, no less, according to THR.

The outlet reports TayTay and co. are actually consulting with a firm to guide the awards campaign -- so yeah, it seems she/the team behind the film do, in fact, want it considered.

There's more though ... THR says the short film might've actually been up for Best Picture, technically, had it come out in 2022 -- but because it was released in late 2021, it misses that window ... although, Best Short is still in play. 'ATW' was screened in an AMC theater in Lincoln Square for a week straight last year, and because of that ... it can get a nod.

Taylor may also be in the running for another Oscar nomination, potentially, because of an original song she did for 'Where the Crawdads Sing' -- but time will tell if it makes it in.

Still, it's just the latest signal that TS is pivoting toward movies. Remember, she did a whole Q&A at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year to talk about 'All Too Well' ... and she's also starring in some serious flicks that are in the works -- stuff where her chops will be tested.

Chris Rock made a joke of that slap during his stand-up show, but was mum on Will Smith's apology.

Chris took the stage in Atlanta at the Fox Theatre this weekend ... his first appearance since Will's apology, and his jokes were on point.

He kinda brilliantly took a big issue in our country and weaved it into Oscar's greatest hit ... "Everybody is trying to be a f---ing victim. If everybody claims to be a victim, then nobody will hear the real victims. Even me getting smacked by Suge Smith -- I went to work the next day, I got kids."

Chris wasn't done ... "Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face!"

As you know, Will apologized to Chris during his video apology, saying Chris wasn't ready to have a chit-chat with him. As we reported, our Chris Rock sources told us -- pre-Will Smith vid -- Chris was not going to talk to Will or accept his apology. We don't know if the video softened his position, but based on what we've been hearing ... Chris has moved on.

Will Smith has spoken out on camera for the first time over slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, and he clearly feels a lot of shame and remorse.

Smith posted his mea culpa on Facebook, answering questions from fans about the moment that shocked millions of people.

Smith says he didn't go ballistic because Jada Pinkett Smith rolled her eyes at Rock's joke ... he says he did it on his own because he felt the joke was insulting and disrespectful. He also made it clear ... he and Chris Rock had 'history," and clearly not in a good way.

Smith said he has suffered trauma, primarily for disappointing his fans and others, saying "I didn't live up to people's image and impression of me."

As for why he didn't apologize to Chris, he says he reached out but Chris wasn't ready to talk to him, but he apologized in the new video.  The 2 haven't spoken since the Oscars.

He went on to say ... "I am human and I made a mistake and I'm trying not to think of myself as a piece of s**t."

As for his former good friend Tony Rock, Chris' brother, Will apologized to him and conceded the damage done is probably "irreparable."

Paul Haggis -- famous for writing/directing 2006's Best Picture, "Crash" -- has been arrested in Italy for sexual assault ... this according to multiple reports.

Local media say the Oscar-winning filmmaker -- who also wrote "Million Dollar Baby," among other hit films over the years -- was busted Sunday in the city of Ostuni, where he's been accused of forcing an unidentified young woman to have sex with him over the course of 2 days. He's in town for a new film festival happening this week, called Allora Fest.

The woman, who's not of Italian descent, was taken to an airport by Haggis after the alleged assault and left in a state of confusion ... per law enforcement quoted by Italian reports.

The alleged victim is said to have been attended to by airport staff, who took her to a hospital ... where she eventually pressed charges against Haggis, naming him as the alleged culprit. He remains in custody, and his events have been nixed from the AF lineup.

Allora Fest honchos say, "The themes chosen for the festival are, among others, those of equality, gender equality, and solidarity. As professionals and women, they are dismayed and hope that the festival will help foster more information and awareness on such a topical and increasingly pressing issue." The authorities are investigating the incident further.

We've reached out to Haggis' reps, no word back yet. He's been accused of sexual misconduct by several other women over the past few years ... all of which he's denied.

Jennifer Hudson is in rare company today after winning a Tony award, she's joined some huge celebs who've won 4 major entertainment awards ... aka the EGOT.

The Jennifer-produced musical "A Strange Loop" took home the trophy for Best Musical during Sunday night's 75th Annual Tony Awards ... giving her the final piece of the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony pie.

Jennifer had previously nabbed 2 Grammy Awards, one for Best R&B Album in 2009 album and another in 2017 for Best Musical Theater Album for The Color Purple.

She won her Oscar in 2006 for Best Supporting Actress in "Dreamgirls" ... and a Daytime Emmy for producing the VR-animated film "Baby Yaga."

Jennifer is going down in history as the 17th person to get all 4 awards ... and she's the 3rd youngest ever to get it done, behind John Legend and composer Robert Lopez.

The former "American Idol" star's musical "A Strange Loop" follows a black, queer writer writing a musical about a black, queer writer writing a musical about a black, queer writer. Ya get the title now, right?

The meta-musical's been getting rave reviews since it launched off-Broadway in 2019.

Jada Pinkett Smith is finally addressing the infamous Oscars slap, but rather than apologizing ... she's saying Chris Rock and Will Smith both have to set aside their differences.

She opened the latest episode of "Red Table Talk" by saying, "My deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile."

Jada only had one more remark about the incident ... which was that she believes both her husband and Chris are needed now more than ever.

Her take is kinda shocking, because most people feel it's Will who really owes Chris a face-to-face -- or at the very least a personal convo -- where he apologizes for getting physical.

As you know, Will has been banned from the next 10 years of Oscars ceremonies after slapping Chris over a joke about Jada's bald head -- she's been open over the years about her struggles with alopecia.

In fact, if not for alopecia she might not have even addressed the slap -- the 'RTT' episode is about the challenges Jada and others face with the condition.

Amy Schumer is opening her comedy vault -- she just laid out another joke that Oscars honchos apparently said no to ... and this one's on video.

The comedian revealed her latest axed bit during a set for the 'Netflix Is a Joke' festival going on right now -- and at one point in her performance, she laid out what exactly it was that showrunners weren't really feeling from AS's pitched material.

Watch ... it's a gag that incorporates a bunch of the nominated films to make a sex joke about her husband. You can watch it for yourself -- we'll just say, it ends in pregnancy.

Whether it was funny or not ... well, that sorta depends on who you're asking, it seems. The joke seemed to land well for the live audience that received it -- they were laughing it up when she delivered it -- but if you go peep how folks online are taking it ... it ain't good.

This harkens back to last month when Amy revealed yet another joke she claims was scrapped ... which was about Alec Baldwin, something most folks didn't see much humor in.

The Baldwin joke wasn't caught on tape -- she talked about it during a stand-up show of hers in Vegas, where people's phones were locked away ... but it was reported on nonetheless. Whether any of these jokes were actually on the table is also anyone's guess.

She could just be making these up now/working them into her current set ... who knows. Either way, what did end up making it into her monologue that night worked extremely well. You'll recall ... she roasted everybody under the sun and got a great response at the time.

Chris Rock's mom just made it clear ... when Will Smith slapped her son, it was personal.

Rose Rock made her displeasure with Smith obvious during an interview with WIS TV in South Carolina, saying, "When he slapped Chris, he slapped all of us. He really slapped me, because when you hurt my child, you hurt me."

Rose wasn't done ... "You reacted to your wife giving you the side-eye, and you went and made her day because she was mulled over laughing when it happened."

And she seems to feel Will got some payback, saying, "No one heard his [acceptance] speech. No one was able to just be in the moment because everyone was sitting there like, 'What just happened."

Rose, like most of us, initially thought the slap was staged, but she knew it was real when Will started hurling obscenities at her son.

Will Smith resurfaced after that slap, but far, far away from Hollywood.

Will touched down at a private airport in Mumbai, India, and it was clear the paparazzi in India knew he was coming. They shouted out his name as he arrived at his hotel, and he was more than happy to give the paps, along with some serious fans, a wave and a smile.

No idea why he's there -- whether it's business or pleasure, but he didn't look the worse for wear ... posing with someone who looks like the pilot at the hotel.

He even stopped for a few fans who desperately wanted a selfie with the actor.

Will hasn't said anything publicly since his apology after slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars ... a slap that earned him a 10-year suspension from Academy events, including the Oscars.

Several of his movie projects have been put on ice in the wake of the slap. It's unclear if they'll be canceled altogether or whether the movie companies are just waiting for all the hubbub to die down before things get reset.

Kris Jenner says she fully thought Blac Chyna was going to kill Rob Kardashian when she pointed a gun to his head ... and in no way did she think it was a joke.

Kris was back on the stand Friday for a second day of testimony in Chyna's trial, claiming she thought BC tried to murder her son back in December 2016. Rob's mom hurled the allegation almost right out of the gate, with Chyna's lawyer asking her if she believed Chyna attempted murder on her son. Kris responded, "I do."

Kris says she came to the conclusion after looking at everything going on back then between Rob and Chyna ... claiming Rob had marks on his body from the phone cord Chyna wrapped around his neck, in addition to his torn shirt.

What's more, Kris says she felt Chyna had animosity and hatred towards her family ... saying alcohol was involved when Chyna pointed the gun at Rob's head and wondered what it would be like to be in Rob's situation at that moment.

As we reported ... Chyna claimed she pointed the gun at Rob as a joke, and insisted the phone cord she put around his neck was also done in jest.

Kris was asked why she didn't call the police if she thought Chyna was going to kill her son. She said she thought BC had enough problems with cops and figured her own security, made up of former LAPD officers, could get the situation under control if necessary.

And, get this ... Kris was asked about a text she sent where she wrote, "He (Rob) is devastated, and he needs to ditch the bitch."

Kris told the jury she sent the text in anger when she was very upset, adding ... "I probably could've used a word that was nicer."

Chyna's lawyer asked Kris why she would want to use a nicer word to describe someone she believed tried to murder her son Kris said, "It's just really not the way I like to talk about people."

Kris was then shown another text message she sent to the showrunner behind Rob and Chyna's reality TV show, where Kris wrote, "Let's take her off the show and just make it Rob raising his daughter."

Asked why she sent the text, Kris explained ... "This is my son that has been traumatized and I was just trying to figure out what to do." She started crying on the stand as she compared Rob having a gun pointed to his head to Kim Kardashian being tied up in a bathtub in Paris.

Kris was also asked about another text, where she claimed Chyna beat the crap out of Rob's face, and the meaning behind it.

In her explanation, Kris drew a laugh from the courtroom crowd when she referenced the Will Smith and Chris Rock moment at the Oscars, saying ... "It's like if I was at the Academy Awards and got hit in the face, might say I got the s*** beat out of my face.”

Jada Pinkett Smith's "Red Table Talk" is returning with all-new episodes, but their lineup is glaringly missing Will Smith as a guest ... or any mention of that slap.

Season 5 of Jada's Emmy-winning series will premiere weekly starting Wednesday ... it'll feature celebrities like Janelle Monáe and Kim Basinger, but Will seemed to be left off the guest list.

Many speculated he'd join his family on camera to address the viral Oscars moment ... he's used the platform to talk about their marital issues in the past, sitting down with Jada in 2020 to openly discuss his wife's entanglement with musician August Alsina.

The promos for this season highlight a variety of topics, but it looks like Will slapping Chris Rock isn't one of them.

Also on board ... the parents of Miss USA Cheslie Kryst ... as we reported, Cheslie tragically jumped from her high-rise apartment in New York back in January.

Chris Rock's younger brother wants to do more than slap Will Smith ... he wants to lace up the gloves and climb into the ring for a boxing match!!!

CR's brother, Kenny, just signed a deal with Celebrity Boxing founder Damon Feldman for a fight this summer down in Florida ... but he doesn't have an opponent yet, and he's calling out Will.

Kenny says the size difference wouldn't be an issue for him ... even though Will's taller and once played Muhammad Ali on the big screen ... he's confident he could score a victory over the Oscar-winner.

Remember ... Kenny slammed Will for slapping his brother at the Academy Awards, and now it sounds like he wants to take things to the next level and get physical.

The clock's ticking on Kenny to find an opponent, be it Will or some other celeb ... he's scheduled to fight June 11 at the Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines, FL.