Movies

Paris Hilton's ex is back to calling his own shots now that he's riding fast in the single lane ... first order of business -- breathing life into his acting career.

Sources close to Chris Zylka tell TMZ ... the 'Leftovers' actor allowed his acting career to take a back seat to Paris while he was dating her. We're told Chris didn't film anything during the time they were dating ... especially after he popped the question earlier this year with a ring valued at 2 million bucks.

Fact is ... Chris' only priority during his time with Paris was ... Paris. He was all in supporting her global ambitions ... even if she once literally forgot about him. But, we digress. Not long after the breakup, we're told Chris was offered some acting gigs, which he's now pursuing.

He also has a movie coming out with Natalie Portman, "The Death and Life of John F. Donovan." He filmed it before getting involved with Paris and now that he's single, he'll have plenty of time to promote it.

As Kevin Hart once said ... you do you, boo boo.

D.L. Hughley is a HUGE boxing fan -- so, when he saw the clip where Michael B. Jordan said he could hold his own in the ring with Roy Jones Jr., D.L. had some thoughts ...

"Roy Jones Jr. ain't what he was, but he'd still beat the sh*t outta Michael B. Jordan."

There's more ...

"Even though Roy Jones Jr. won't remember his name, he'll beat the hell out of Michael B. Jordan."

Michael B.'s been training like crazy for years ever since he took the role of Adonis Creed -- and clearly believes he's built up the skills to compete with real world class boxers.

In fact, multiple pro boxers -- including his "Creed II" co-star Florian Munteanu -- have vouched for Michael's hands ... which might be why MBJ was so confident when we spoke with him last week.

As for Roy, he's not interested in talking, he wants to FIGHT -- challenging Michael B to call his camp and set up a real bout ... where the actor can test his skills once and for all.

Robert De Niro and his wife, Grace Hightower, are breaking up after more than two decades of marriage.

The split was first reported by Page Six, who say the couple is no longer living together and could publicly announce their split in the coming weeks.

Robert and Grace tied the knot in 1997 after dating for over a decade. They have 2 children together, 20-year-old son Elliot and 6-year-old daughter Helen.

Robert and Grace have been down this road before ... Robert filed for divorce in 1999, two years into their union, but they never went all the way through with it.

The couple instead renewed their wedding vows in 2004, in front of a star-studded crowd including Meryl Streep, Ben Stiller and Martin Scorsese.

J.K. Rowling was putting pen to paper for teaching gigs before 'Harry Potter' ever took off, and now one of her employment bids can be yours ... for the price of a modest home.

An application Rowling filled out in 1996 to teach in Scotland is currently for sale for $250,000. We didn't screw up the number of zeroes, you read correctly ... $2-5-0-0-0-0. The original app is being sold through Moments in Time.

The document -- part of a 12-page bundle -- is definitely a huge part of Rowling's story of success. She'd finished her first 'Potter' manuscript in 1995, but was still shopping it around to publishers before one of 'em finally bit in '97 ... and the rest, of course, is history.

Before that though, she had a brief stint teaching secondary languages to high schoolers at Leith Academy -- a result of her filing this application. It lists her employment and education history, as well as experience which she considered relevant.

It's interesting ... ya gotta wonder if her time at Leith (and the application process to get in) dictated anything she went on to write about Hogwarts in the books.

Michael B. Jordan's mouth might've written a check that his ass can't cash ... 'cause Roy Jones Jr. says he heard MBJ say he could beat Roy, and now he wants him to prove it in the ring.

In case you missed it ... we got Mike leaving Avenue nightclub in Hollywood Saturday, and asked if he if there are any real boxers he thinks he could beat with his 'Creed' fight training.

Jordan pulled Roy Jones Jr.'s name out of the sky ... saying the 49-year-old has slowed down just enough for him to beat him. We spoke to Roy, and not only does he disagree, but he's also anxious to prove it.

"If Michael B wants this real, contact Roy Jones Jr. and we'll make it happen."

Roy, who's still an active fighter, says he gives less than a damn about the age difference -- MBJ is 31 -- because his 30-plus years of ring expertise will be the difference.

"I know he can't beat me still. I know he's probably in better condition because he's younger ... but I'm an old school vet."

BTW -- this is not talk. Roy Jones Jr. wants to fight Michael B. Jordan. For real. Roy says the fight would be a perfect promotion for the movie, which comes out this week, although the fight would have to wait a little bit.

"[I'd] probably need, for him, about four or five weeks."

It's a doggy dog world in Hollywood, where Snoop Dogg was immortalized Monday with his own star on the Walk of Fame ... and he's got an idea of who (or what) should get one next.

The rapper was joined by Dr. Dre, Jimmy Kimmel and record producer Quincy Jones for the ceremony in front of the El Capitan Theater on Hollywood Boulevard. The Doggfather's star is No. 2,651 in the history of the Walk, which has been around since 1960.

We got Snoop after the ceremony and he didn't have a whole lot to say about getting the plaque ... but had an interesting suggestion on who should get a star next ... and they come in a pair.

Snoop's star comes just 4 days before the 25th anniversary of his debut album, "Doggystyle," which rose to the top of the charts and has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide.

Born in Long Beach in 1971, Snoop's rap career began in the '80s, when his unique voice started appearing on mixtapes with Nate Dogg and Warren G ... Snoop went on to release 16 studio albums and earn 16 Grammy nominations.

Snoop's legend goes way beyond rap ... he's co-hosted a VH1 show with Martha Stewart, made cameos in hit movies like "Training Day" and "Bruno," created and produced tons of TV shows and expanded into the legal marijuana business.

What's his motherf***in' name??

Angelina Jolie doesn't seem to be sweating her looming custody trial with Brad Pitt, at least not when she's with her kids ... or some of them, anyway.

Angie was hanging out with three of her children Sunday in Los Feliz -- where she, Shiloh, Vivienne and Knox took their pup for a stroll around the block ... with Shiloh leading the way.

No sign of Maddox, Zahara or Pax here -- the older 3 of the bunch -- but there were certainly no faces of distress on display within the dog-walking group ... in fact, it was nothing but smiles as far as we can see. Even the pooch seemed to be in good spirits.

The happy family outing comes amid a much darker backdrop -- Angelina and Brad are heading to court to decide whether Angie gets sole physical custody of the 6 kids, or if it'll be a 50/50 split ... like Brad wants. Their custody trial is set to begin on Dec. 4, which we're told could take anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks. The judge will sort it all out after that.

Michael B. Jordan is itching to step into the ring with former heavyweight champ Roy Jones Jr. ... because his insane training regimen for "Creed II" has Michael feeling unstoppable.

We got MBJ out Friday night in Los Angeles ... and he tells our photog he's been working out hard for the upcoming movie, so he's ready to throw down with one of his favorite boxers.

William Goldman -- the screenwriter who made tumbling down a hill romantic in the classic "The Princess Bride" -- has died.

Goldman, who also won Oscars for writing "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "All the President's Men," died Thursday night in his Manhattan home following complications from colon cancer and pneumonia, this according to multiple outlets.

He was surrounded by family and friends. Goldman's health had been deteriorating as of late but had worsened over the summer.

Goldman's hit 'Princess Bride' featured a star-studded cast that included Robin Wright, Billy Crystal and Andre the Giant. No doubt Goldman will be best remembered for concocting a battle of wits with a Sicilian, and imagining Westley the stable boy growing up into the Dread Pirate Roberts (spoiler alert) in the '80s ... however, his career stretched across decades.

The Oscar-winning screenwriter began his career as a novelist before writing his first screenplay in 1965. Goldman paired up with Robert Redford in 1969 for the western classic 'Butch Cassidy' ... earning Goldman an Academy Award for best original screenplay in 1970.

They paired up again a few years later for the political thriller ... earning him again another Academy Award in 1977 for best original screenplay. Goldman also wrote "Marathon Man," "The Stepford Wives," "Chaplin" and "A Bridge Too Far," and had a hand in "A Few Good Men" and "Indecent Proposal"

He was 87.

RIP

Sorry, Mike Trout ... Matt Damon says voters got it right -- Mookie Betts WAS the AL MVP!!!

"That's great," Matt says ... "Good for him. He deserves it!"

Of course ... Mookie went head-to-head with Trout and the Indians' Jose Ramirez for the award -- but dominated the voting thoroughly, winning in a near-unanimous decision.

Damon tells TMZ Sports that's the way it shoulda been ... and he ain't wrong -- Betts batted .346 this season with 32 home runs and 30 stolen bases.

BTW ... it's not like Mookie was in much need of the confidence booster -- dude just won the World Series, had a new baby girl AND nabbed a Silver Slugger Award last week.

Verne Troyer's estate is getting a harsh reminder about the high cost of medical care, because it just got a hefty bill for his final days in an L.A. hospital.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Valley Presbyterian Hospital slapped Verne's estate with a $364,797.05 invoice for his nearly three week hospitalization. Verne eventually died there from alcohol abuse.

It might sound like a move straight outta Dr. Evil's playbook ... the fact is, creditors have a limited amount of time to file claims after someone dies. We've seen this happen with Michael Jackson and several other celebs.

We broke the story ... the 'Austin Powers' star was rushed to a hospital after cops got a call Verne was extremely upset, drunk and suicidal. He was placed on life support, and remained in the hospital until he died.

Forget a freakin' piggy bank ... Jacob Tremblay needs a team of accountants 'cause the little kid is making SERIOUS CHEDDAR with his next movie.

The 12-year-old scored a whopping $900k to star in "Good Boys" ... this according to his minors contract obtained by TMZ. The flick's an R-rated comedy produced by Seth Rogen about four boys who skip school and embark on a crazy adventure. Think "Superbad" meets "Sausage Factory."

The kid's been on a real tear ever since he entered Hollywood just a few years ago. As we first reported ... Jacob scored a $100k deal to play a part in the sequel to "The Shining." That movie's tentatively titled "Doctor Sleep" and its star-studded cast includes Ewan McGregor.

Jack Black was in full rock god mode Tuesday night in Chicago during a Tenacious D set -- which served as the perfect setting for a "School of Rock" reunion with one his "students."

Professional drummer Kevin Clark -- who played Freddy, aka Spazzy McGee in 'SoR' -- tells TMZ ... he got in touch with Jack when he heard TD was playing a gig in town, and that Jack made sure he was given tickets and backstage access at the Riviera Theatre.

Perhaps, unsurprisingly, the reunion made for some epic nostalgia ... almost like it was 2003 all over again. We're told Jack and Kevin hadn't seen each other in a while.

Fun fact: Kevin hasn't acted since starring in the film, and says he only got the role at the time 'cause he could actually play the drums. Freddy plays in his own band now -- Dreadwolf -- and gave Jack one their custom shirts, which he threw on immediately.

BTW ... the actress who played Katie -- the bassist in the film, Rebecca Brown, attended Jack's TD show Wednesday night.

Aaron Rodgers and Danica Patrick are a happy, loving couple these days ... and they can thank Jim Carrey for that -- so says the ex-NASCAR driver herself.

Danica was delivering a motivational speech in North Dakota on Wednesday ... and afterward, she fielded some questions about her relationship with the Packers star QB.

One of the questions ... what was Aaron Rodgers' first line that got you to (eventually) go on a date with him?

That's when D.P. said the future Hall of Famer went straight to the "Dumb and Dumber" quote well to catch her attention.

"He was at the bar, puttin' out the vibe -- 'Dumb and Dumber,' you know?" Danica says.

"And, I remember he was doing movie lines! And, people that love movie lines, LOVE movie lines. So, I think we had a dialogue in movie lines, and I was like, 'This guy is really funny!'"

Danica says that all went down at the ESPYs back in 2012 ... and it helped lay the foundation for their future relationship, 'cause they kept in touch until they got serious about a year ago.

As for the actual first date ... Danica wasn't spillin' many beans there, but did say, "We were cooped up. We were cooped up. We weren't out in public."

In other words .... touchdown, Rodgers?!?!

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is floatin' our boats with a new lineup for 2018 ... including, at least one, on a half shell!

The "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" will make its debut at the 92nd annual parade next week in NYC along with a score of others -- like a new Kinder Chocolate Factory float. There's also a new giant and colorful elephant which has a pretty cool feature ... it shoots confetti outta its trunk.

Don't worry, the oldies but goodies like Tom the Turkey are still there. Tom's been in the game since 1971 (ride or die) ... and for the first time ever he'll be self-propelled.