Movies

The guy who created that freaky King Cake Baby character -- the New Orleans Pelicans mascot -- claims the movie "Happy Death Day" jacked his freaky face ... and now he's suing to get revenge.

The man behind the suit is Jonathan Bertuccelli -- an artist who created the intentionally weird looking mascot back in 2009. It's been seen everywhere from NBA games to Mardi Gras and even "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

In his suit, Bertuccelli claims he was shocked when he saw the killer in the movie "Happy Death Day" and the upcoming sequel "Happy Death Day 2U" wore a mask that looked just like his KCB mask.

Bertuccelli says NO ONE involved in the movie ever called him up to ask for permission -- or even credited him -- and he's pissed at Universal City Studios, Blumhouse Productions and everyone else attached to the film.

"A side-by-side comparison of KCB and Happy Death Day mask clearly shows that the visual attributes and aspects which have made KCB a celebrity mascot were copied and so substantially similar that the two are seen to be the same."

Bertuccelli also cites numerous people on social media who pointed out the similarity over the past few months.

So, what does he want?? Money. Lots of money.

In fact, Bertuccelli believes the movie has made more than $200 MILLION in revenue -- and he feels entitled to at least 50% of the profits.

Chris Pratt is squarely disputing Ellen Page's claim Hillsong Church -- to which he belongs -- is anti-LGBTQ ... but emphasizing he doesn't speak for the Church.

The actor responded to Page's tweet last week calling Hillsong "anti LGBTQ" -- she doubled down over the weekend, saying there's no excuse for anyone patronizing an org that hates.

But, Chris says nothing could be further from the truth, adding that Hillsong opens its doors to "absolutely everyone." He says that although the Bible teaches divorce is wrong, Hillsong was there through his every step of the way ... never judging him.

Hillsong's Senior Pastor, Brian Houston, said in 2015 ... "We do not affirm a gay lifestyle and because of this we do not knowingly have actively gay people in positions of leadership, either paid or unpaid."

Chris didn't address Houston's comment, and seemed to couch his support, saying, "[N]o church defines me or my life, and I am not a spokesman for any church or any group of people."

If Will Smith could grant wishes, there's a great chance "Aladdin" fans would wish to unsee his portrayal of the Genie ... 'cause Disney fans are PISSED.

The new trailer to the live action "Aladdin" movie dropped Sunday during the Grammys and fans finally got a chance to see what Will's gonna look like decked out as the blue Genie ... and it's safe to say practically nobody was impressed.

One fan tweeted, "It turns out that Will Smith's Aladdin Genie will haunt my nightmares." Another person said, "Will Smith genie is what appears in my room when I have sleep paralysis."

It gets worse ... "I just stepped outside and ... how are there not crashed cars? How are there not people walking around in a daze? Have they not seen the Will Smith genie yet? Dare I show them?"

Will's gotta feel like ... damned if I do, damned if I don't. Remember, back in December we got a glimpse of what Will's gonna look like as the Genie character but everyone dragged Disney for not making him blue. After the trailer dropped, Will posted a video and picture on Instagram and captioned it, "I told y'all I was gon' be Blue!! Y'all need to trust me more often!"

Some might argue he looked TOO blue. Safe to say everyone loves it when Will's bad ... but not this kinda bad.

Debbie Reynolds' famous dance studio, where tons of celebs rehearsed over the last 4 decades, isn't recognizable anymore -- because it's a giant pile of rubble now.

The building that housed Debbie Reynolds' Legacy Studios was torn down over the weekend ... and as you can see, all that remains on the North Hollywood site are mounds of bricks.

It's a super sad ending for a dance studio frequented by tons of A-listers ... Debbie opened the place in 1979, and it's where celebs like Michael Jackson, Cher, Bette Midler, Mariah Carey, Usher, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John rehearsed.

As we reported ... Todd Fisher, Debbie's son, planned on turning the building into a museum after she died of a stroke. Unfortunately, Todd's vision never materialized and in October the building was sold at auction.

Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio's marriage only lasted 9 months, but the memories of their honeymoon live on ... and you can own the photos!!

Hollywood's "it" couple for a hot minute in the '50s eloped in San Fran in January 1954 and took a plane to Japan shortly afterward to celebrate ... but there was also some baseball business to handle.

Their photo album from the trip features several shots of the couple, but there's also a running storyline of the MLB legend -- who was a few years retired at the time -- and his old baseball buddy, Lefty O'Doul, trying to get baseball up and running in Japan.

Looks like Lefty didn't mind being the third wheel either.

All in all, there are 30 honeymoon pics in the velvet-bound album, with each photo measuring 7x9 inches or larger. It hits the auction block on February 22 at Heritage Auctions with a bid of $5,520 to kick things off, but it's expected to fetch over $10k.

Carmen Argenziano -- who's perhaps best known from "Stargate SG-1" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Argenziano passed away Sunday, according to his personal appearance agency, Event Horizon Talent. His agent, who books him for conventions, confirms to TMZ that Argenziano had, in fact, died ... but the circumstances of his death remain unclear for now.

The Pennsylvania-born actor has starred in tons of TV shows and movies over the course of his 5-decade career, including "The Rockford Files," "Lou Grant," "Heartbeat," "Booker," "L.A. Law," "Melrose Place," "Sisters," "CSI: NY," "The Young and the Restless" and, of course, 'SG-1' ... where he played Jacob Carter from 1998 to 2005.

Argenziano also has lots of smaller roles in big productions like "Columbo," "Police Story," "The Godfather: Part II," "CHiPs," "The Greatest American Hero," "The A-Team," "Cheers," "Crime & Punishment," "ER," "Walker, Texas Ranger," "House" ... and many, many more. The man has 227 acting credits to his name on IMDb.

Argenziano is survived by his children.

He was 75.

Michael Jackson's Estate is slamming HBO, claiming the network is part of a grossly unfair hatchet job just to make a buck.

The Estate is lashing out after HBO announced "Leaving Neverland" will be broadcast on March 3 and 4.

The Estate's letter to HBO targets director Dan Reed, claiming he featured 2 admitted perjurers -- Wade Robson and James Safechuck -- and consciously refused to contact anyone who would discredit them. And, the letter makes it clear -- there are plenty of people who do just that.

The letter says, "The Estate spent years litigating with Robson and Safechuck, and had four different lawsuits by these two men dismissed with prejudice. Today, Robson owes the Estate almost seventy thousand dollars in court costs, and Safechuck owes the Estate thousands of dollars as well."

And, the letter goes on, noting that following MJ's 2009 death, Robson said Michael was "one of the main reasons I believe in the pure goodness of human kind."

As for why Robson changed his story ... the Estate reiterated what it's said before, that he became angry when the Estate rejected him as a choreographer for the MJ-themed Cirque de Soleil.

And, the letter says, "Robson is such a good liar that his own mother testified under oath at her deposition that she could not tell when he was lying; she even volunteered that 'he should have had an Oscar given how convincing his lies were.'"

The Estate blasts Safechuck, scoffing at claims that his memory of abuse was triggered when he saw Robson on the "Today" show, adding, "Safechuck's frivolous lawsuits were dismissed so early in the proceedings that significant discovery was never taken ..."

3:17 PM PT -- T.I. just weighed in on the controversy, saying he's going to stop buying Gucci and also calling on people to boycott the brand. The rapper says he's been spending seven figures on Gucci for several years, but that ends now.

T.I. went on a long rant, saying he's not accepting Gucci's apology and accusing the company of purposefully being disrespectful and racist. He ended his rant by saying, "I Don't Give a F*** if I gotta wear Target brand s***."

Spike Lee's had it with Prada and Gucci's racist blackface blunders ... so he's boycotting the luxury brands until they hire some black designers to keep them in check.

The "BlacKkKlansman" director announced he's no longer going to wear either Prada or Gucci Friday in wake of yet another blackface controversy from the Italian Fashion houses. If you missed it, Gucci got dragged this week over an $890 blackface sweater.

Spike says he's done with both brands "Until They Hire Some Black Designers 'To Be In Da Room When It Happens.''' He added ... "It's Obvious To Da Peoples That They Don't Have A Clue When It Comes To Racist, Blackface Hateful Imagery. WAKE UP."

Gucci apologized for its ridiculously offensive balaclava jumper and says it's been pulled from all stores. It also vowed to increase diversity across the company ... but Spike's clearly taking a wait and see approach.

As for Prada, you might recall its high-end Manhattan shop put a purse in its window in December with this "Sambo" figurine attached. It was also quickly pulled after cries of racism.

Still, both incidents beg the question ... who the hell's watching the shop???

Spike thinks he knows the answer, and says more black staffers have to be on board to help end the "coonery and buffoonery."

We reached out to both brands -- Prada has no comment and Gucci has yet to reply.

Wyatt Oleff isn't old enough to drive, but he can already afford any car he wants ... because we've learned the kid actor is raking in six figures for his next movie role.

Wyatt, who is playing young Stanley Uris in "It: Chapter Two," could make up to $500,000 for his work ... this according to Wyatt's minors contract, obtained by TMZ. That's a fat paycheck for anyone, but especially for a 15-year-old!

According to the docs, Wyatt is pocketing $150,000 in base pay, and has a chance to earn another $350k depending on how well the sequel does at the box office.

Of course, Wyatt will also get an on-screen credit during the movie's opening titles. Translation: the kid's a star, baby!

He's reprising the Stanley Uris role he played in the 2017 "It" reboot ... which, by the way, was a massive hit. It earned $327 million at the domestic box office, and $700 mil internationally.

Those numbers add up to the kid having a real good shot at his $350k worth of bonuses for the sequel.

Five-time Oscar nominee Albert Finney has died.

A family spokesman said the actor died after a short, undisclosed illness. Finney had kidney cancer back in 2011, but it's unclear if it was related to his death.

Finney was at the forefront of a British invasion of sorts ... a wave of British actors who hit the big screen in the '60s in the U.S.

The actor received Oscar noms -- Best Supporting Actor for "Erin Brockovich," and Best Actor in "Under the Volcano," "The Dresser," "Murder on the Orient Express," and the titular role in "Tom Jones." He didn't win, but 5 nominations are pretty impressive. He did nab a Golden Globe and an Emmy for the 2002 miniseries, "The Gathering Storm."

Finney started his career onstage doing "Shakespeare," and his first movie -- "The Entertainer" -- hit big in 1960. That same year, he rose to fame playing Arthur in "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning."

He played the iconic role, Ebenezer Scrooge, in the 1970s film "Scrooge" ... for which he also won a Golden Globe.

Finney's most recent acting role was 2012's "Skyfall." He also had notable roles in the 'Bourne' franchise and "Big Fish."

His family says he passed away peacefully with friends and family by his side.

Finney was married 3 times and had 1 son.

Rocky fought Drago in the Soviet Union ... and Kelvin Gastelum's fighting Robert Whittaker in Australia -- and just like "Rocky IV," Gastelum says he's gonna beat the hell outta the home-country hero.

TMZ Sports talked to Gastelum -- whose favorite boxer is Rocky Balboa (yes, we all know he's a fictional character) -- days before fighting Whittaker, the UFC middleweight champ ... in his home country.

Gastelum lives in California ... and traveled 8,000 miles for this fight. So, he's expecting everyone on the continent to be rooting against him.

Sounds a lot like "Rocky IV" ... but Kelvin says he ain't worried.

"It's all good. Look what happens at the end. Rocky turns everybody over on his side, and he wins the fight."

Gastelum says that's precisely what he's gonna do ... but instead of a crushing knockout blow, he's gonna "rip his head off" and take his belt.

"I plan on taking that 12 pounds of gold. It's a long flight home. I don't plan on going empty-handed."

Sherri Shepherd says Liam Neeson should have NEVER let his "black bastard" revenge story outta Pandora's box ... and Michelle Rodriguez making excuses for Liam is just pathetic.

We got Sherri out in NYC Thursday afternoon and wanted to get her take on Liam's bombshell revelation that he -- after learning his friend had been raped by a black man -- walked the streets for days with a baton looking to kill a black man to avenge the crime.

Liam tried his hand at damage control by saying he's learned a lot about racism and insisting he's not racist. He called his behavior horrible ... but, the damage was done.

Not helping Liam's cause? Michelle telling Vanity Fair there's no way Liam's racist because he made out with Viola Davis in "Widows." Michelle said, "His tongue was so far down [her] throat. You can't call him a racist ever. Racists don't make out with the race that they hate."

Danielle Bregoli's star continues to rise, because her Snapchat series is bringing in tons of eyeballs to the screen, and she's looking to parlay the early success into even more projects.

Snapchat tells TMZ ... Danielle's new Snap Original, "Bringing Up Bhabie," generated over 10 MILLION unique views in the 24 hours after its Monday debut. We're told the first-day numbers give Snapchat tons of confidence that the show's a hit.

Look out Kardashians ... a rep for Danielle points out 'KUWTK' gets 1.5 million viewers per episode, adding, even though they're not in competition, Bhad Bhabie's numbers are WAY bigger.

Danielle's first-day viewership makes for one of the most successful premieres for this type of series, which started launching back in October. Snap honchos are super happy with the direction of their original content -- thanks, in large part, to Bhad Bhabie.

As you know, Danielle has been rapidly expanding her empire with a 25-city tour, a certified gold single, a futuristic billboard ad, and a lucrative beauty and makeup endorsement deal.

Taking into account all of her revenue streams ... Danielle's reps tell us she should easily surpass yearly earnings of $10 million.

So, what mountain will Danielle climb next? We're told she's looking for TV and movie roles.

Woody Allen says Amazon Studios got cold feet and backed out of a four-movie deal ... over the old molestation allegation about him and his daughter -- and now he wants MAJOR payback.

Woody filed a lawsuit Thursday against the studio for at least $68 million! In the suit, he says Amazon was all in, as of Aug. 2017, to distribute his movie, "A Rainy Day in New York" ... starring Selena Gomez and Timothee Chalamet.

Allen says the movie was shot, edited and ready for release -- but according to the suit, Amazon backed out in June 2018. He says he demanded an explanation, and the studio would only say it was due to "renewed allegations" and Woody's "controversial comments."

Even worse ... Woody says Amazon committed to distribute three other films as well, but reneged on all of them.

He says Amazon never spelled it out for him, but in the suit Woody says he thinks it's related to a "25-year old, baseless allegation" he molested his and Mia Farrow's adopted daughter, Dylan.

Matt Damon got dumped in Australia ... by the waves, not his gorgeous wife.

Matt hit up Byron Bay for a little surfing session and he got off to a pretty rough start. You can see the action star show off some beginner moves -- falling over and over and over, and ... ya get the point. Jason Bourne's stunt double was not on the beach.

Still, gotta give him credit for getting back up and giving it another go. Check out the clip ... there's no quit in Matt.