Movies

N.W.A's former manager Jerry Heller just got most of his lawsuit over "Straight Outta Compton" shot down in court -- but the case is still going forward because of one implication.

Heller sued the film's producers, feeling it was filled with defamatory lies about his dealings with the group. A federal judge didn't see it that way, ruling most of the movie did NOT defame Heller ... so he dismissed the suit.

However, the judge did rule Heller might have a point when it comes to 2 scenes. The first shows Heller (played by Paul Giamatti) telling Ice Cube, lawyers "are paid to make trouble" and "create problems where none exists." He was discouraging Cube from getting a lawyer to look over a contract.

The second scene shows Ice Cube telling a reporter about the incident with Heller.

That part of the case will go forward, but Heller still must prove the interaction with Cube didn't happen and that it was written into the script with malice.

Make room for a new villian on the 'Star Wars' block -- Lucasfilm is finally prepping to cash in on the legendary "Death Trooper" character.

Lucasfilm just filed docs in Europe to secure rights to make and sell all "Death Troopers"-related gear -- clothing, footwear, toys, games, birthday party paper hats and favors ... even Christmas tree stands. Nothing says happy holidays like a DEATH Trooper under your tree!

The DTs first appeared in the 'Star Wars Legends' novel, but there's heavy fan speculation they'll debut onscreen in 'Rogue One.' No less an authority than Wookiepedia believes this brief image from the trailer is an actual DT.

The merchandising strategy seems to back up that theory -- plus, Lucasfilm pulled the same move earlier this year with the "Shadow Trooper."

"Top Gun" star Kelly McGillissays she was the victim of a scary home break-in and her intruder got physical.

McGillis tells TMZ she walked into her North Carolina home Friday night to find a woman standing in her kitchen with a young girl. Kelly says when she asked who the lady was ... she said Kelly had been stalking her on Twitter.

Kelly's baffled ... she says she's never met the intruder nor had any interaction with her.

The actress says she tried to escape, but the woman attacked ... knocking Kelly to the ground, scratching her and pulling her hair. During the struggle, she managed to set off her car alarm which scared the intruder just long enough for Kelly to break away.

She says she screamed for help from her front yard, but no one -- including a neighbor she says was home -- came to her rescue. Instead, she had to drive down the road to someone else's house to call 911.

Police arrived and busted Laurence Marie Dorn for burglary, larceny, stalking, assault and battery, and interfering with emergency communication.

Paige VanZant's blockbuster movie debut has just been put on hold -- she's officially pulled out of the upcoming 'Kickboxer' movie ... so she can focus on fighting.

As we previously reported, PVZ had signed on for "Kickboxer Retaliation" ... joining stars like Mike Tyson and the guy who plays The Mountain on "Game of Thrones."

A bunch of people thought it could be the role that launched VanZant's acting career.

But Paige just put the kibosh on the project -- claiming the filming schedule interfered with training for her next fight with Bec Rawlings at "UFC on FOX" in August.

"I’ve recently declined to be in the Kickboxer movie because I want to be 100% for this fight and train 100%," Paige told ESPN.

"That movie filming was kinda gonna get in the way. We couldn’t get a date set that worked with my schedule.”

1:05 PM PST -- Ben just addressed the interview on Twitter, saying, "For those of you keeping score at home, I gave exactly 18 f***s about my Pats. Upon reflection, 12 probably would have been sufficient. We Boston fans have always been known for our subtlety. One of my favorite interviews; hope you get to see the entire episode. #GoPats"

Ben Affleck as much as told Bill Simmons he was offered 'Star Wars' before J.J. Abrams and turned it down.

Ben doesn't come right out and say it but, in so many words, he makes it clear during the HBO show.

Barry Gesser, one of the real-life 'Wolf of Wall Street' guys, has been dead for months but his former landlord -- who's also one of the brains behind Tinder -- still has a score to settle.

Barry rented the Bev Hills home of Justin Mateen for $15k a month back in August. You would think when Barry died in December the 2-year lease would end, but not so ... at least according to Mateen.

The Tinder co-founder has now filed legal docs against Barry's estate, claiming it's on the hook for the balance -- $324k. But that's not all ... Mateen also wants loot for repairs, landscaping expenses and pool cleaning. That adds another $20k.

A little legal lesson. Mateen has a legal duty to make an honest attempt to re-lease the house, and once a new tenant starts paying, the tab stops running on the estate.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson says he missed out on kicking ass with Hugh Jackman to kick ass in the cage ... passing up a role in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" 'cause he had a fight.

We got Rampage out in L.A. -- gearing up for his fight at Bellator: Dynamite 2 on Friday -- and asked the 'A-Team' star what he thought of fellow fighter Holly Holm turning down a huge movie role to focus on her upcoming UFC fight.

QJ says Holly should definitely think twice about passing on all her silver screen chances, but admits he's had to say no too ... most notably to the 'Wolverine' movie that went on to make $373 million.

The Jeep that rolled backwards and killed 27-year-old actor Anton Yelchin was recalled because the shifting mechanism caused drivers to unintentionally leave it in the wrong gear.

TMZ broke the story ... the 'Star Trek' star was leaving his home sometime before 11 PM Saturday when he got out after clearing his security gate. The 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee -- which was on a steep incline -- rolled backwards, pinning him against the gate. His friends found him dead at 1 AM.

The 2015 Cherokee models were recalled because of the e-shift transmission. It lacks the grooves found in old school transmissions that allow drivers to feel the various gears. According to the recall notice, the e-shift provides "poor tactile and visual feedback to the driver," which makes unintended gear selection more likely. Translation: A driver could put a car in neutral thinking it was in park.

The 2016 models reverted to an old school shifter.

So far no word on whether the shifting device contributed to the accident.

Johnny Depp and the cast of "Alice Through the Looking Glass" -- along with hundreds of fans -- were exposed to a possible terrorist threat at the hands of a drone operator who flew his aircraft over the red carpet premiere ... this according to the LAPD.

A drone flew 50 feet above the crowd at the "Alice Through the Looking Glass" screening at the Dolby Theater on May 23rd in Hollywood. By law the drone must be 500 feet from the crowd and 400 feet in the air.

An LAPD chopper buzzed the area and spotted the 31-year-old drone operator in a nearby parking garage.

The man was arrested, but cops weren't satisfied. They got a search warrant -- obtained by TMZ -- which allowed them to seize the man's computers, cellphones, tablets, disks, hard drives, videos and other items, to determine if he had any terrorist connections.

Ron Lester -- the lovable heavyset man in "Varsity Blues" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

The man famously known for playing Billy Bob in the 1999 football flick had been hospitalized in Dallas for roughly four months. His health had been in a steady decline but turned for the worst Friday.

We're told Lester requested to be taken off life support and passed around 9 PM central time. His fiancée was by his side.

Lester -- who also appeared in "Not Another Teen Movie" and "CSI: NY" -- battled with liver issues as far back as November. We're also told he suffered from kidney problems.

Chris Pratt ain't no punk -- dude can REALLY fight ... telling TMZ Sports he was a competitive wrestler for more than 10 YEARS before he became a world famous actor.

Ron Lester -- who famously played Billy Bob in "Varsity Blues" -- is hospitalized in critical condition and it doesn't look good ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We've confirmed the 45-year-old actor is hospitalized in Dallas. Multiple people connected to Lester tell us he's been there for roughly 4 months and his health has been in a steady decline.

Lester had revealed he was hospitalized back in November due to liver issues. We're told there were also problems with his kidneys.

He also reached out to TMZ back in January and told us he was having complications with his heart ... but seemed to be in good spirits and even joked about the situation.

Lester shot to fame as the lovable heavyset lineman in the 1999 football flick ... starring alongside James Van Der Beek, Paul Walker and Scott Caan. He also appeared in "Not Another Teen Movie" and "CSI: NY."

Lester battled weight issues for years -- reportedly weighing as much as 508 pounds before undergoing gastric bypass surgery in 2001. He lost nearly 350 pounds after that.

Quentin Tarantino called BS on stories that have been circulating that he was casting for real-life whores.

We got Quentin Thursday at LAX and he scoffed at reports attributing a Facebook casting call to him.

The Dalai Lama's favorite Richard Gere movie is not "Pretty Woman."

Our photog spotted His Holiness in Georgetown and pulled a fast one on the 80-year-old, asking him to pick his favorite Gere flick. The 2 have known each other for years ... Gere's a devout Buddhist.

So what would His Holiness pick?

Omar Mateen went ballistic during the BP oil spill, telling someone near the disaster the clean-up crews were only in it for the money.

Mateen was featured in a 2012 documentary about the spill, when he was working as a security guard near the disaster area.

'Hunger Games' star Josh Hutcherson says it's VITAL that Bernie Sanders stays in the race for the White House ... even if he has no chance in hell of actually winning.

It's a big issue with democrats -- a lot of dems feel Bernie is damaging the party by refusing to drop out and continuing to go after Hillary ... when the focus should be uniting against Trump.

But Josh says it's not about winning ... there's a much BIGGER issue at hand.