Movies

Adam Levine just took a massive piece of property off the hands of recently divorced Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner ... plunking down $32 MILLION for their former family home.

Real estate sources tell us Adam and his wife, Behati Prinsloo, made the purchase at the end of 2018 for the 3-building compound. In total, the Pacific Palisades pad is a whopping 16,000 square feet ... complete with pool, basketball court, gym, screening room and art studio.

The 3.1-acre property never officially hit the market ... the sale was done privately with Kurt Rappaport representing Adam and Behati and David Offer representing Ben and Jen.

When Ben and Jen first split in 2015, Ben lived in a guest house on the property.

Wanna see a blind football player nail the best Bird Box Challenge ever?

USC long snapper Jake Olson didn't let the fact that he's blind stop him from getting in on the viral sensation surrounding the super popular Netflix movie, "Bird Box."

What's the BB Challenge? When ya blindfold yourself (a la Sandra Bullock) and (attempt) to perform an everyday task.

The videos have gotten so outta control -- with fans trying to complete dangerous tasks -- Netflix actually had to release a statement pleading with people to be safe.

Olson -- who's been blind since losing his sight to cancer at 12 years old -- hit up a field and snapped the football to his buddy while blindfolded ... and it was perfect.

Of course, dude's been blindly snapping for the Trojans for the last couple of years ... so he's had plenty of practice.

Sandra Bullock's latest hit movie is racking up record-setting Netflix views, sparking tons of memes ... and also turning a small California suburb into a tourist attraction.

Small spoiler alert ... there's a house in "Bird Box" where the film's stars take refuge from an evil force. The exterior shots of the property -- including the stone stairway entrance -- were not shot on a studio back lot, but at a real home in Monrovia ... about 20 miles Northeast of L.A.

The owner tells TMZ ... a handful of visitors have been showing up to take photos at the house every day -- including Christmas Day -- since the movie was released on December 13.

We're told everyone who's stopped by to snap a pic of the "Bird Box" house has been very polite, and some have even knocked on the door to ask for permission.

The owner says she got $12k for the exterior shots -- and despite her house's central role in the movie ... she has no plans to watch "Bird Box." She doesn't have Netflix.

The Hollywood thing's kinda old hat for her because she says her home's been featured in at least 3 other films in the past 20 years, although she couldn't remember specific titles.

The "School of Rock" nostalgia continued over the holidays as a bunch of kids who acted in the movie got together for a 15-year reunion ... but this meetup was missing 1 key person.

Becca Brown -- who played Katie, the bassist in the 2003 flick -- tells TMZ ... a bunch of the cast members stay in touch through a group text and a good chunk of them happened to find themselves in NYC over New Year's Eve weekend.

We're told seven of the now young adults from 'SoR' met up at Wilfie & Nell in the West Village for food and drinks ... and, of course, posed for group photos. The young rockers who made it include James Hosey (Marco), Brian Falduto (Billy), Becca Brown (Katie), Zachary Infante (Gordon), Aleisha Lanae Allen (Alicia), Caitlin Hale (Marta) and Angelo Massagli (Frankie).

Fun fact ... Angelo and Caitlin are now dating. So yes, Marta and Frankie became a thing in real life.

One notable absence was Jack Black, who played rocker-turned-teacher Dewey Finn. Jack's been touring lately with his band, Tenacious D, but he's still found time to reunite with the "School of Rock" kids lately. Just not this time around.

Wanna feel old? Just check out how much these kids have changed since the film came out.

Tiffany Haddish made the best of a bad situation during her tough New Year's Eve stand-up performance ... so says a fellow seasoned comedian.

We got comic Alonzo Bodden -- who won season 3 of "Last Comic Standing" -- out at LAX Tuesday, where he had nothing but good things to say about the way Tiffany handled her show in Miami the night before.

Seeing how she was bombing ... he says Tiff was wise to get in on the joke by cracking open a bottle of Ciroc and making a party of it. Alonzo tells us every comedian bombs, and her reaction was nothing short of classy and professional, considering the circumstances.

As we reported ... a lot of people were walking out on Tiffany in the middle of her set. She vowed on stage to never allow herself to be in that type of situation again -- and she wasn't talking about stand-up either. Tiffany appeared to be exhausted from partying the night before.

She addressed the failed set on Twitter, saying she wished it was better.

Kevin Spacey tried making peace with paparazzi who've been hounding him ahead of his criminal arraignment next week by breaking bread with them ... or crust, more like.

The disgraced actor was seen delivering a Domino's pizza he'd apparently bought to a photog in Baltimore Sunday, where he's been hiding out as he waits for his court hearing in Massachusetts next week.

In the clip, you hear Spacey tell the pap he appreciates what he's doing ... and goes on to wish him a happy new year and tells him to stay warm. Another camera guy follows him back to his car and asks if he'll be appearing in court himself, but Spacey's mum.

As we reported ... Spacey re-emerged over the weekend in the East Coast, but seems to be lying low and covering up as much as he can. He's been criminally charged for allegedly groping an 18-year-old's genitals in a Nantucket bar a couple years back.

On Christmas Eve, Spacey released a bizarre video of himself doing a monologue as Frank Underwood from 'House of Cards,' which appeared to be an attempt to address the multiple allegations of sexual assault against him.

Kevin Spacey getting into character to address his real-life sexual assault allegations was a bad move, both in culpability and name-smearing ... so says a fellow Underwood.

We got Sheryl Underwood of "The Talk" Sunday at LAX, and asked what she made of Spacey's bizarre Christmas video, in which he delivered a monologue as Frank Underwood from "House of Cards," and suggested he was owed due process before a rush to judgment.

Considering the seriousness of the subject, Sheryl's got a pretty humorous take on the whole thing ... telling us Spacey has ruined the Underwood name for herself and other real Underwoods in Hollywood. She says this weird video of his definitely didn't help the cause.

As we reported, Spacey has been criminally charged in Massachusetts for allegedly groping an 18-year-old's privates in 2016 while at a bar in Nantucket. Spacey's lawyers tried to sink the charge by claiming no sexual assault victim would allow themselves to be groped for 3 minutes ... which is what they say the alleged victim told investigators much later.

His legal team failed in their bid to get the charge dismissed.

Spacey's set to be arraigned in court next week. He's resurfaced in the East Coast, and is clearly trying to lay low ahead of his hearing.

Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx are on the waterfront ahead of New Year's Eve -- and on the issue of jet skis ... Katie's leading the charge into battle.

The couple mounted some WaveRunners Saturday in Miami, and made a splash cruising around Biscayne Bay ... where Katie served as the pilot, and Jamie her trusty #2. She was ahead of him for most of the ride, and really seemed to have a handle on things.

KH and JF have been in Florida on a romantic getaway since at least Friday, where they've been staying in a luxury yacht ... just the two of them, as far as we can tell.

Going out as a couple has been a gradual progression for them since last September, when they first went public with their longtime relationship. Since then, they've been seen out together more and more ... and this is just their latest display of being boo'd up.

Kevin Spacey has resurfaced after nearly a year of living outside the public eye ... as various sexual assault allegations continue to dog him.

The actor was hanging on a balcony with his dog, somewhere on the East Coast.

Spacey was spotted for the first time on Friday ... shrouded in a face cover as he jumped in a waiting SUV.

Spacey's re-emergence doesn't seem uncoincidental to events this week, in which Massachusetts prosecutors filed sexual assault charges against the actor for allegedly forcing himself on an 18-year-old at the Club Car bar in Nantucket.

Spacey has been charged with a felony which carries a maximum 5-year prison sentence. His lawyers went to court trying unsuccessfully to fight the filing of the charge, calling an investigator on the case to the witness stand, who conceded the alleged victim never told Spacey to stop.

The investigator also said the video the young man sent to his girlfriend during the incident did not show groping in the genital area.

There are other allegations against Spacey, who was fired from his "House of Cards" gig after the various stories of sexual misconduct surfaced.

Barack Obama had a busy year -- especially when it comes to entertaining himself -- because he's got a looooong list of his favorite songs, movies and books.

The former Prez just shared 3 year-end lists of his 2018 faves, including 22 songs (and a jazz album) that feature tracks by J. Cole, Janelle Monae, Cardi B and 2 from Jay-Z -- "Wow Freestyle" feat. Kendrick Lamar and "Apes**t" ... which obviously features Beyonce.

Noticeably absent from his tracklist -- Kanye West.

Barack also shares his top 15 movies of the year -- which range from blockbuster hits like "Black Panther" to critical darlings like "Eighth Grade" and early Oscar buzz films like "If Beale Street Could Talk." He also lists the Mr. Rogers documentary, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"

But, the standout on his trio of favorite lists is in his book roundup, for which he breaks his alphabetical format to list his wife Michelle's book, "Becoming," numero uno ... and includes the note, "obviously my favorite!"

Another notable book is Nelson Mandela's "Long Walk to Freedom" ... but there are so many more, including several he says appeared on earlier lists.

Seriously, how does the guy find the time?

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Emily Blunt are both A-listers with a long list of box office hits, but when it comes to their Disney paychecks ... he gets treated more than twice as nice.

The actors are set to costar in the upcoming "Jungle Cruise" movie, but according to our sources ... The Rock's hauling in way more cash for his role. We're told he's getting $22 million to play the lead male character, Frank ... Emily's only getting $9 mil to play the lead female, Lily.

As you know ... The Rock's a mega movie star and the second highest paid actor -- just behind Daniel Craig -- known for the 'Fast and Furious' franchise, "Moana" and several other huge summer blockbusters.

But ... Blunt is Mary freakin' Poppins. She's also a Golden Globe winner and 5-time nominee, and has starred in several other hit flicks herself ... like "A Quiet Place," "Sicario," "Edge of Tomorrow" and "The Devil Wears Prada."

It seems Johnson's "Jungle Cruise" pay rate matches his quote for another one of his 2020 movies -- "Red Notice," which costars Gal Gadot -- but it's unclear if her salary will also be dwarfed by his.

Despite the pay discrepancy, it appears The Rock, Emily and fellow cast member Jack Whitehall -- who's playing Disney's first openly gay character -- all got along really well.

BTW, the gender pay gap is nothing new for Hollywood. You'll recall Mark Wahlberg got paid $1.5 million for reshoots for "All the Money in the World" early this year ... while his costar Michelle Williams did them for free.

Mark decided to donate his salary after the public outcry.

Frank Adonis -- best known for his roles in some of Martin Scorsese's most famous films -- died after a long battle with various health issues ... TMZ has learned.

According to his wife, Denise ... the veteran actor died Wednesday night in Las Vegas. She tells us he'd been sick for a couple years, mostly kidney problems. We're told he'd been on dialysis and was on a ventilator for the past 9 days, but they waited until after Christmas to take him off it.

She adds ... "He will be missed. He was a great father and an amazing husband. He helped all his friends he could. Great writer, director and actor. He was my best friend."

Adonis had a long career in Hollywood with 40 credits to his name, including the role of Anthony Stabile in the classic 1990 mafia film, "Goodfellas."

Frank's also known for his roles in Scorsese's other legendary movies -- "Raging Bull" and "Casino." In addition, he appeared in a bunch of other popular flicks, including "Wall Street," "True Romance" and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective."

He is survived by his wife and their 2 children, and another daughter from a previous marriage

Frank was 83.

DMX can see the light at the end of the prison tunnel ... because we've learned he's going to be released in exactly one month.

DMX's attorney, Murray Richman, tells TMZ ... X will be released from Gilmer Federal Correctional Institution on Jan. 27, and he's excited about coming home to his family and resuming his rap and movie career.

DMX has a huge fam -- 15 kids to be exact -- and he's anxious to see his youngest son, 2-year-old Exodus Simmons, who we're told has had serious health problems.

Despite serving a 12-month sentence for tax evasion, DMX is still a wanted man in Hollywood. We're told X has been getting offers from movie producers for a biopic.

Some good news for DMX's music fans ... we're told X has been writing lots of songs in prison -- he's got plenty of time on his hands -- and he's planning on dropping a new album when he's released!

Disney is making strides by introducing its first openly gay character in the upcoming "Jungle Cruise" movie, which will feature a big coming out scene ... but there's one important step that's missing.

A test screening of the film took place last week -- it'll get a wide release in 2020 -- and sources who attended tell TMZ Disney avoids using the word "gay" when Jack Whitehall's character, McGregor, comes out to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

We're told, at one point, McGregor has a heart-to-heart with The Rock's lead character, Frank, about dating history ... and McGregor makes it very clear he isn't into ladies. Keep in mind, this flick isn't set in modern times.

McGregor explains to "Frank" his family had tried arranging marriages for him with several women, but he didn't wanna marry any of them -- or any woman, for that matter. He also says Emily Blunt's character, Lily (his sister in the movie), was the only one in his fam to accept him and support him regardless of the "person" he loves.

We're told the scene was well-received by the audience, but the glaring omission of a pronoun to describe McGregor's love interest did not go unnoticed.

Unclear if the scene will make the final cut -- but ya gotta imagine it will, given how significant a move it is for Disney to include a gay character in an action blockbuster.

There was already backlash from the LGBTQ community over Whitehall's casting earlier this summer -- he's a straight guy playing a gay character -- and now, it's obvious Disney's watching its step even closer as it tiptoes into the 21st Century.

He's already built like a superhero ... now MMA star Sage Northcutt has a real shot at landing a role in a Marvel superhero flick!

Northcutt recently parted ways with UFC after his contract expired and signed with the ONE Championship.

Sage says he has no bad blood with UFC and praised Dana White -- but says one of the perks of his new company is ONE is sponsored by Marvel, and they're hoping to take advantage of that relationship.

"[The people at ONE] were talking about, one of the incentives for me fighting for them was getting me into movies, commercials, all sorts of stuff like that."

Acting ain't new for Sage ... he told us in the past he was working with an acting coach -- and even campaigned to play Ivan Drago's son in "Creed II."

Marvel movies are HUUUGE -- "The Avengers," "Guardians of the Galaxy," "Black Panther" are just a few of their monster hits -- and a role in their movies could launch the MMA star's acting career.

"That'd be pretty sick."

Stay tuned ...