Movies

Jimmy Bennett has yet to file a police report against Asia Argento for allegedly sexually assaulting him when he was 17 and cops haven't been able to reach him ... so the case is on ice.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... officers have tried contacting Bennett several times, but he's gone radio silent. Jimmy was last heard from in September when he sat down for an interview on Italian television, and got skewered by the host over his claims ... especially when he admitted to ejaculating.

We broke the story ... Bennett, who's now 22, vowed to go to the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. weeks before his TV appearance to file a sexual assault report against Argento.

We're told he never did, though ... nor has he indicated he still wants to.

As you'll recall ... Argento and Bennett had a sexual encounter in a Marina Del Rey hotel room back in 2013. Bennett snapped a photo of the then 37-year-old in bed with him, shirtless, after they allegedly had intercourse.

Argento, however, claims it wasn't consensual because Bennett jumped on her and she was "frozen."

Bennett later threatened legal action over the incident and, in April, Argento settled with him for $380,000 ... which her late boyfriend, Anthony Bourdain, paid.

It's a crime in California for an adult to have sex with a person under 18, and the maximum penalty for statutory rape in a case like this is 3 years in prison. It's a moot point, though ... unless Bennett contacts police.

Michael B. Jordan really doesn't want to believe Travis Scott's joining Maroon 5 for the Super Bowl 53 Halftime Show ... because he thinks it goes against what Trav should be standing for.

Much like Al Sharpton -- who flat out called Scott a hypocrite when we talked to him -- Jordan implies Travis is betraying the boycott against the NFL for how it's treated Colin Kaepernick and its handling of the kneeling controversy.

MBJ says, "We're still trying to stand behind something right now," and suggests by taking the Super Bowl gig ... the rapper's setting the cause back.

Disney didn't just commit cultural appropriation when it locked down the rights to "Hakuna Matata," the company actually stole the saying from an incredibly popular Kenyan band ... this according to the group's frontman.

John Katana is on the ground in Africa, and the singer tells us Them Mushrooms popularized the phrase way back in 1980, when the band released its hit song, "Jambo Bwana."

In Swahili, "Hakuna Matata" means "no problem" or "no worries" ... and you probably know it from 'Lion King' characters Timon and Pumbaa.

The original song went platinum in Kenya in the 1980s, but John says he and his bandmates didn't understand copyright laws back then, allowing Disney to swoop in and trademark the phrase in '94, coinciding with its movie release.

Disney is releasing a new 'Lion King' next summer, and the increased spotlight has led to a growing petition accusing the company of "colonialism and robbery" ... while calling on Disney to abandon its trademark. The petition has over 147,000 signatures.

Jason Momoa is having a ton of fun as "Aquaman" -- taking the onscreen gig to the beach in Hawaii with a huge trident -- and ya gotta see what he did next!!!

Jason quickly got into character when a bunch of kids came up to him Thursday in Oahu and asked him to play with their giant toy trident ... and then he channeled Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson and crashed a wedding!

The kids weren't the only ones making everlasting memories with Aquaman, because Jason and the trident sneaked up behind some unsuspecting newlyweds for an epic photobomb.

Steven Seagal won't be charged for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in 2002.

According to legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- the actor was accused of sexually assaulting the woman at some point between May 1, 2002 and August 31, 2002. Full details of the allegation were not included in the filing.

As for why Seagal won't be charged ... the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office says the statute of limitations has expired.

You'll remember, Steven walked out of an interview with BBC Newsnight in October after a reporter brought up the allegations.

Seagal was also accused of raping a woman back in the '90s -- a case that was also well beyond the statute of limitations -- and Portia de Rossi claimed Seagal sat her down on a couch during a casting for one of his films and unzipped his pants, so she fled the room.

Vincent LaRusso -- best known for his role as star player Adam Banks in "The Mighty Ducks" -- and his wife have filed for divorce.

Vincent married Kathryn Elizabeth Everard in 2015, and Thursday they filed docs to end things. According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, the couple never had kids and they don't list any community property.

Vincent starred in all 3 'Mighty Ducks' movies ... and you probably remember him as the Ducks' best player, who transfers to the makeshift team from the rival Hawks, after Emilio Estevez's character discovers Adam's home address falls inside the Ducks' district boundaries.

Since his recurring role in the 'Mighty Ducks' trilogy, Vincent has appeared in a handful of TV shows and short films, plus the 2008 action-comedy, "Superhero Movie."

As for Vincent's marriage ... it's unclear what led to the split, and the couple says they have been separated since March.

John Cena once again transformed himself into Make-A-Wish's biggest hero ... treating a bunch of kids to a private screening of his new blockbuster flick.

The WWE superstar (along with the good folks at Make-A-Wish) rented out a private theater for 21 kids to see "Bumblebee" in NYC on Thursday ... and judging from the footage, everyone was stoked!

Each kid got swag bags, snacks and drinks and some time to hang with their favorite action hero/wrestling star.

Some of the kids even busted out Cena's legendary "You Can't See Me" move with John right on the red carpet!!

Later on, Cena took some of the kids to the Empire State Building where they posed for more pics -- took in the sights -- and hung out with John's "Bumblebee" costar, Hailee Steinfeld.

Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra are giving Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson a run for their money as wedding aficionados, 'cause they've got a 3rd reception -- yes, it's STILL going -- for Bollywood.

Ya gotta believe Nick and Priyanka are tired of striking these poses, but Thursday they gave it one more go with a reception for Priy's Bollywood industry friends. The nuptials began more than 2 weeks ago with TWO weekend ceremonies ... and at least 2 pre and post receptions.

They also had a Wednesday bash for the media in India.

As if they haven't gotten enough attention ... they gave their fans and the media even more to talk about. Yes, everyone's taken note of Nick's hand over his bride's belly. We are NOT saying she's preggo, but we ARE saying ... they know how to start a buzz.

We also know for sure ... there will soon be another round of party pics like these once Thursday's festivities come to an end.

We're not even gonna make a guess as to whether this is THE final stop on their wedding train. Allegedly it is, but ya just never know with these 2.

Harvey Weinstein's got a date ... for his sexual assault pretrial in NYC, after the judge rejected his motion to dismiss the case.

Weinstein arrived at the courthouse Thursday morning, and got the bad news shortly thereafter. Once in court, the judge called prosecutors and Weinstein's attorney to the bench ... and said he was not dismissing the indictment.

The attorneys argued at the bench for about 10 minutes -- the media wasn't privy to their discussion -- but at the end the judge stated pretrial will begin on March 7.

The judge issued a written ruling addressing the defense's motion to dismiss -- saying the prosecution is not required to give the Grand Jury evidence that is favorable to the defense.

Translation: There's nothing shady about the Grand Jury not hearing evidence about relationships Weinstein might have had with his accusers. The judge also said the defense's argument the D.A. filed the charges due to "political pressure" was speculative.

Weinstein's legal team had fired off a letter earlier this month informing the judge ... they've found an email claiming to show one of the women alleging he raped her sure didn't act like it, because she went to HIS movie screening only hours after the alleged rape.

The movie mogul's defense has also pointed to a new female witness -- a close friend of one of Weinstein's accusers -- using her to paint a picture of a consensual relationship between Weinstein and his accuser.

Weinstein was greeted in court by several actresses, including Marisa Tomei, Jennifer Esposito, Nia Vardalos and Amber Tamblyn -- who were wearing Time's Up tees.

As we've reported, Weinstein's lawyers filed the motions to dismiss last month. His team also believed the whole case had been tainted ... because prosecutors admitted the lead detective, Nicholas DiGaudio, allegedly hid information about the witness in dealing with prosecutors and allegedly coaxed the witness into not disclosing what she knew.

Weinstein's attorney, Ben Brafman, tells TMZ ... "We are obviously disappointed, by the Court's decision to deny our motion to dismiss the Indictment. Judge Burke has however, ruled and we must accept his ruling. Nothing in the Court's ruling however, removes the flawed theory of this case that we intend to vigorously defend at trial, where we are confident that Mr Weinstein will be completely exonerated."

You'll recall ... Weinstein very publicly turned himself into the NYPD in May and walked out in cuffs on the way to court, where he was charged with rape, a criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct for incidents involving 2 separate women. A few days later, Weinstein was indicted by a grand jury on multiple rape charges.

As we reported ... Weinstein was slapped with 3 new sexual assault charges in July for an alleged sexual assault of a woman in 2006. A grand jury charged Weinstein with a first-degree criminal sexual act and 2 counts of predatory sexual assault, which are felonies carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Weinstein previously scored a huge victory when a judge dismissed one sexual assault count from the case involving actress Lucia Evans.

It's hard to tell if Gilbert Gottfried's truly bitter about not being asked to reprise his role in the "Aladdin" live-action film, because the comedian's response is classic Gilbert -- cracking crass jokes.

We got the voice of Jafar's sidekick parrot, Iago, from Disney's animated classic and asked if he'd be making a cameo in Guy Ritchie's live-action remake ... but no such luck. To add insult to injury, Gilbert tells us producers went out of their way to snub him ... yet managed to get Robin Williams in the film.

Yeah ... he went there.

Gottfried also predicts it'll prove to be a big mistake not including him ... but he's got a suggestion for how the filmmakers can make it right.

In case you missed it ... the first images of the new "Aladdin" cast -- including Will Smith as the Genie and Mena Massoud as the titular star -- were revealed Wednesday.

Many fans are up in arms about Smith not being blue and Aladdin wearing a shirt ... but some diehards are just pissed there's no Gilbert.

2:47 PM PT -- A rep for Forever 21 tells us, "Forever 21 takes feedback on our products and marketing extremely seriously. We celebrate all superheroes with many different models of various ethnicities and apologize if the photo in question was offensive in any way."

The image of the model has also been swapped for one of just the sweater.

This is definitely a "You Might Wanna Rethink" moment for Forever 21. The retailer's using a white model to try and sell you its "Black Panther" merch for Christmas. Oh, boy ...

The images are live on its site right now for Forever 21's Wakanda Forever Fair Isle Sweater. It's a blond-haired, blue-eyed white dude rockin' its custom Christmas sweater, with a "Wakanda Forever" slogan and a Black Panther mask on the front.

It's definitely not an oversight either -- someone at F21 really thought this would be a good idea, as they have the model's stats on the same page ... he's 6'1" and sports a medium fit.

We're not saying there's anything wrong with white people supporting "Black Panther" or even wearing something like this -- on the contrary, more power to 'em.

But, to not feature a black model for this Christmas sweater campaign seems out of touch and just dumb, if you ask us. Sometimes common sense just ain't all that common, is it?

Penny Marshall, the amazing actress, comedian and director, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Marshall died Monday night at her Hollywood Hills home. We've learned the cause of death was complications from diabetes.

Penny's first recurring role was playing Myrna Turner on "The Odd Couple," which was directed by her brother. She also appeared on "Happy Days" with Cindy Williams, and they became famous from their spin-off sitcom, "Laverne & Shirley." It became a monster hit in 1976 and ran for 8 seasons. Her character's moniker -- the "L" for Laverne on her sweater -- became one of the most famous logos in television.

Penny's accomplishments were only beginning. She directed Tom Hanks in "Big" in 1988. She was the first woman in history to direct a film that grossed more than $100 million.

Penny also directed "A League of Their Own," and "Awakenings" starring Robin Williams.

Penny's family says, "Our family is heartbroken over the passing of Penny Marshall. Penny was a tomboy who loved sports, doing puzzles of any kind, drinking milk and Pepsi together and being with her family."

The family notes Penny gave Mark Wahlberg his first acting job in "Renaissance Man."

"As an actress, her work on 'Laverne & Shirley' broke ground featuring blue-collar women entertaining America in prime time."

"She was a comedic natural with a photographic memory and an instinct for slapstick," her family added.

"We hope her life continues to inspire other to spend time with family, work hard and make of their dreams come true."

Penny was once married to Rob Reiner and once dated Art Garfunkel. She had an amazing lineage ... her brother was famed director Garry Marshall. She directed her daughter, Tracy Reiner, who played Betty in "A League of Their Own."

One of Penny's closest friends was Carrie Fisher. They had joint birthdays and Penny was godmother to Carrie's daughter, Billie Lourd.

Penny was a massive basketball fan and was a staple at Lakers and Clippers games for years.

Penny also famously directed the 1996 movie "The Preacher's Wife" starring Denzel Washington, and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" in 1986 starring Whoopi Goldberg.

Her producer credits ain't too shabby either -- with movies like "Cinderella Man" and "Calendar Girl."

The family says a celebration of Penny's life will be held at a later date.

Henry Winkler tells TMZ he worked with Penny even before "Happy Days," and knew from the start she was a very funny woman and an incredible talent. He says her comedic partnership with Cindy was akin to Lucille Ball, but more modern.

Many more celebrity tributes have been pouring in, with Albert Brooks posting on social media -- "R.I.P. Penny Marshall. So talented and funny. A big loss."

Katie Couric added, "I'm so sad to hear about the passing of Penny Marshall. #RestInPeace."

"The Simpsons" producer Al Jean said, "Penny Marshall our first guest star and a great talent. You will be missed!"

Busy Philipps said, "Oh Penny Marshall. Rest In Peace and thank you for everything."

'Law & Order' star, Vincent D'Onofrio shared a memory -- "I was invited by Penny Marshall to her house one afternoon to talk about a film she was doing. She was so kind to me. She was so smart and funny. I will never forget that afternoon. My heart goes out to her family and friends."

Melissa Joan Hart -- "Heartbroken to learn that #PennyMarshall has passed away!! The Marshall family holds a special place in my heart for being so kind and creative and encouraging to other artists. But she was a special role model for female comedians like myself. #RIP #ThankYou."

K. Michelle says she learned all sorts of business skills during her relationship with Idris Elba ... but the most important talents he showed her were in the bedroom.

The singer and 'Love & Hip Hop' star sat down with our Raquel Harper for Tuesday's episode of "Raq Rants" on BET, and the conversation suddenly turned to Idris' sexual prowess!

K. Michelle and Idris dated for 8 months back in 2014 before their relationship fizzled out, but it's clear his oral skills still have her head over heels. Sounds like Idris will always have a special place in Michelle's heart, and for good reason.

Quentin Tarantino had a scary run-in after a pair of burglars broke into his crib in the middle of the night ... and he ended up right in their faces.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the famed director was home Sunday around midnight when he heard 2 men in his L.A. house. Our sources say they believe the suspects broke in through a back window.

We're told Quentin looked around, found the guys and "confronted them." Whatever Quentin did seemed to work, because the burglars hightailed it out of there. The bad news -- they made off with jewelry and other property.

The LAPD is on the hunt for surveillance video in the neighborhood that could help them ID the burglars.

Quentin's just the latest celeb to get hit. You'll recall Magic Johnson's daughter, Elisa, escaped a home invasion earlier this month after 2 armed men broke in and made off with a Rolex, jewelry and cash.

Even "Aquaman" takes a cheat day ...

Jason Momoa took a break from the superhero diet on Friday to eat delicious human food ... stopping through Joe's Pizza in WeHo to get his face in some pie.

We're told Momoa rolled in with 4 dudes and ordered up a buncha slices including the Grandma Slice ... marinara, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil and topped with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Question -- if "Aquaman" orders anchovies ... is that like quasi-cannibalism?

Easy to see why Jason was smiling ... pictured here with the owner, Joe.

Abs are overrated anyway ...

Samuel L. Jackson practically had all of Hollywood under the same roof to celebrate his birthday ... the star-studded guest list was truly incredible.

Samuel doesn't turn 70 until Friday but he kicked things off over the weekend with a bunch of famous friends. The shindig went down Sunday night at Cipriani in NYC ... and the place was flooded with tons of celebrities -- LL Cool J, Cedric the Entertainer, Magic Johnson, George Lucas, Judge Judy, Whoopi Goldberg, Sugar Ray Leonard and Hall of Famer Dave Winfield are just some of the people who showed up to honor the legendary actor.