Movies

Aron Eisenberg, the actor who played Nog in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" is dead.

Eisenberg, who became famous in the spin-off, had been battling health issues ... he received 2 kidney transplants. He was born with one kidney, which failed and he went on dialysis at age 14. He underwent his first transplant when he was 17 and another when he was 46. His kidney issues stunted his growth -- he was 5' tall.

He was also featured in the TV movie, "Amityville: The Evil Escapes" and "The Horror Show," "Beverly Hills Brats" and "Playroom." In all, he has over 30 credits.

Although Eisenberg was known for "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," he was also featured in "Star Trek: Renegades" as well as "Star Trek: Voyager." He was also involved in the Star Trek video game back in 2010.

His widow, Malissa Longo, posted, "We didn't officially announce that we had eloped on December 28th, 2018. We were hoping to have a big shindig in celebration of our nuptials, but had to wait to save up the money."

She went on ... "There will never be another light like Aron's. The beauty that he was and the legacy he leaves behind is beyond words. I love him dearly and will miss him eternally. At the moment I'm not sure how to do life without him."

Aron was 50.

Tommy Chong says banning flavored vapes is a fool's errand, and the proper response to the recent spate of deaths has been right in front of us the whole time ... marijuana!!!

We got Tommy at the Daytime Beauty Awards in Los Angeles and asked about the federal government's potential crackdown on vaping -- and the avowed pothead said a ban won't do anything to curb use.

Tommy says bans just make things worse, equating the vape ban to the war on drugs. He says once drugs and vapes are forced to the black market, they actually become easier to buy.

The "Cheech & Chong" star also isn't buying the rationale for a ban. He questions why politicians are rushing to ban vapes -- after less than 10 deaths -- while refusing to address gun violence.

Kevin Hart has checked out of his inpatient rehab facility and is back home where he's receiving intensive physical therapy, but the big takeaway ... he's "grateful" and "shocked" he's alive.

Sources very close to Kevin tell us, he's looked at the photos of the car crash and can't believe anyone walked out alive. TMZ broke the story, Kevin messed up his back bad -- 3 spinal fractures that required fusion.

He spent 10 days in the hospital under heavy pain meds and was then transferred to the inpatient facility, but he's home now. He has a physical therapist coming to his house most days ... and he's doing lots of stretching and exercises with therapy bands.

He's still in a lot of pain but says he's handling it without all the meds that knocked him out.

We're also told he's not worried about the injuries torpedoing his career ... doctors and the PT have assured him he'll be pretty much back to where he was before the accident, and he had nothing immediate on his plate work-wise, so he can focus on bouncing back.

Kevin says he's grateful to be alive and has "a new perspective on life." We asked what that meant and were told, "He really cherishes the fact that he's alive, and wants to make the most of it in every respect. The crash had a huge impact on him."

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are teasing the hell out of their superfans ... giving us a glimpse into what never happened on film -- Wolverine and Deadpool just kicking it over coffee.

Can't ya just hear the witty one-liners looking at Hugh and Ryan chumming it up Thursday in NYC? The duo had just left Hugh's Laughing Man coffee shop in TriBeCa, and even snapped some pics with fans.

They were spotted talking and laughing for about an hour in a nearby park before Reynolds walked home and Jackman took off on his bike.

Seeing how well these guys get along in real life is kinda bittersweet if you're a fan. As you know ... Ryan tried, unsuccessfully, to get Hugh to return to his Wolverine character and do a movie with Deadpool -- a pairing fans desperately wanted.

They've been engaged in a faux social media war for years -- which is part of their charm -- but announced a truce back in February to pitch ads for each other's companies.

You'll recall, they agreed to make awesome ads -- for Hugh's coffee and Ryan's Aviation American Gin. Classic Hugh & Ry humor.

Little person porn star Bridget Powers -- who goes by "Bridget the Midget" in her movies -- got in a nasty fight that ended with her in handcuffs and her BF with a stab wound ... in the leg.

Law enforcement sources tell us they were called to a home in Vegas early Wednesday after a neighbor heard screaming and breaking glass. When officers arrived, they made contact with Powers and discovered she and her boyfriend just finished a vicious spat.

Cops say Powers stabbed him in the leg during the fight ... and he was transported to a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Unclear if his injury is below or above the knee.

She appeared in her first adult film in 1999, and by her own account has appeared in more than 50 projects since then. She's also made appearances on "S.W.A.T." and "The Surreal Life."

Bridget now faces charges of domestic battery with the use of a deadly weapon, burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon and assault with a deadly weapon ... all felonies.

Box office numbers be damned, Jennifer Lopez failed in her "Hustlers" role because she didn't do her homework ... at least according to the real-life strip club host who inspired J Lo's character.

We got Samantha Barbash in NYC Tuesday and she went nuclear about the deal that was NOT made before the movie was made. She says a "Hustlers" producer, not Jennifer, contacted her to see if she would sign away her rights.

She claims the offer was downright disrespectful, but ya gotta hear how Samantha describes it -- especially if you know anything about Hermes handbags!

She's also pissed because J Lo never spoke to HER about playing HER -- and she thinks it shows in the movie. One scene in particular really rubbed Samantha the wrong way, and she walked out of the movie super early.

"Hustlers" grossed over $33 million in its opening weekend, and Samantha thinks that's just because people wanted to see J Lo on a stripper pole, which ... TBH, actually sounds like a perfectly good reason to buy a ticket.

As for getting screwed on the movie deal -- Samantha's now cashing in with her own book about her story.

San Jose-born Kate Sargeant kicked her career off in Hollywood with the striking character, Emily -- who is the friendly neighbor girl and subject of the classic line, "Rocky loves Emily" -- in the OG 1992 kids karate movie, "3 Ninjas."

Kate Sargeant was alongside the butt-kicking cast including the three martial arts experts, Max Elliott Slade as the fast-moving Jeffrey "Colt" Douglas, Chad Power as the youngest boy who will eat anything, Michael "Tum Tum" Douglas ... and of course Michael Treanor as the solid love interest, Sam "Rocky" Douglas.

After "3 Ninjas," Sargeant was in one episode of "Sister, Sister" as well as the TV movie "Freaky Friday."

One of Eva Mendes' former rides is hitting the market ... and it means you could scoot around in the car Eva was driving when she and Ryan Gosling sparked their romance.

The whip is a rare 1982 Honda Prelude, and you might remember it from the 2012 film, "The Place Beyond The Pines" ... starring Eva, Ryan and Bradley Cooper.

Eva and Ryan logged a bunch of screen time behind the wheel in the flick, and the car just went up for auction on eBay, with the bidding starting at $5,000.

The car's current owner, Leon Ferri, tells us he scooped up the ride about 5 years ago off Craigslist, and he's totally fixed it up. The two-door silver whip has 84,000 miles and a brand new engine, plus a sunroof and a snazzy red interior.

The ride brought Eva and Ryan together in the movie ... and in real life. Eva's said they knew each other before filming, but while onset in 2011 it sounds like that's when things got serious. They've been together ever since and have 2 kids together.

Jeremy Meeks is going full Hollywood, making his acting debut, and he insists there's one role he's keeping -- fiance to billionaire heiress Chloe Green, even though she's been making out with someone he calls a "friend."

Jeremy was out in L.A. Sunday when he finally broke his silence on Chloe hanging out with Monte Carlo polo captain Rommy Gianni. You'll recall a topless Chloe was all over Rommy back in August while aboard her father's $150 million yacht in the Mediterranean.

Jeremy thinks the media is blowing Chloe's yacht encounter out of proportion -- especially because, according to him, Rommy is a friend of theirs. Looking at the pics, it seems like he's a bit closer to Chloe than he is Jeremy.

If nothing else, so-called "hot felon" turned actor is sticking to his script -- last month, he doubled down saying don't believe everything you see when it comes to Chloe and him ... and other men.

We'll say this ... Jeremy seems way more concerned with his acting career than his relationship status. He's been shooting a movie called, "True to the Game 2" -- based on Teri Woods' NY Times Best Seller and produced by Manny Halley. Appropriately, Jeremy plays the dangerously hot muscle in a criminal organization.

As you know, Meeks jumped into modeling when he was released from prison in 2016 -- but now, it sounds like he's caught the acting bug. Bad.

Brian Turk -- who starred in HBO's "Carnivale," and had countless appearances in hit shows -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

The veteran actor passed away Friday due to complications from cancer, according to his rep. We're told he was diagnosed a year ago, but that his cancer recently became terminal.

He's acted in some of Hollywood's biggest shows and movies over the years, including supporting roles in series like "Two and a Half Men," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "The Jamie Foxx Show," "Step by Step," "Wings," "Beverly Hills, 90210," "Boy Meets World," "ER," "Criminal Minds," "General Hospital," "Animal Kingdom," "NCIS" and others.

Brian also had smaller roles in flicks like "American Pie 2," "A.I. Artificial Intelligence," "Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles," "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," "Big Fat Liar" and more. He had 42 acting credits to his name, per his IMDb page.

He's perhaps best known for his starring role on "Carnivale" in the early 2000s, in which he played strongman Gabriel, who was part of the travelling circus depicted on screen.

A GoFundMe has been created on Brian's behalf -- funeral arrangements are currently being made and donations are being solicited to assist his family.

Brian is survived by his wife, and his 8-year-old son. He was 49.

J Lo celebrated the premiere of her new movie, "Hustlers," in grand J Lo fashion ... with back-to-back parties and a surprise trip to a Miami theater.

J Lo hit up South Beach Saturday night and partied at David Grutman's newest restaurant, Papi Steak. Grutman presented J Lo with a massive cake ... it's the second one she scored in 2 days. The first was courtesy of her fiance, A-Rod. BTW, the cake sounds delicious from Divine Delicacies Cakes -- 5 tiers of chocolate -- Godiva and Nutella. And, there's vanilla rum, coconut, guava cream cheese and other stuff. That's what $4k will get ya.

After the party, she went to a nearby movie theater in Miami Beach showing her flick and surprised everyone.

The flick did well -- $33.2 mil for the weekend, and it's expected to come in second, behind "It Chapter Two." Her movie also stars Constance Wu, Cardi B, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart, Lizzo and Julia Stiles.

BTW, seems like there's a party everyday for J Lo ... the shindigs for her 50th birthday went on longer than Nick Jonas and Priyanka's wedding.

These sexy stars are ready to start makin' money moves this weekend with the release of their new film, "Hustlers."

Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, Lili Reinhart, and Constance Wu are just some of the Hollywood hotties that are strippin' down for their roles in this flick.

We're giving you a sneak peek of all the sexiness to come onscreen!!! Take a good look through our gallery of "Hustlers" babes to see sexy shots of all the ladies featured in the film ... Try your best to guess the lovely ladies in these pics!!!

Pete Buttigieg is down with a revolution ... in the Marvel Universe.

On the heels of the Democratic debate Thursday night, Mayor Pete joined "TMZ Live" Friday to discuss some major issues like diversity and inclusion ... which led to talk about comic book movies.

We ask the presidential hopeful what he thinks about Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige's potential plan to recast the iconic roles of Professor X and Magneto with African-American actors.

Pete says the beauty of classic comic book stories is the ability to reimagine them onscreen, and he's all for film portrayals better reflecting American culture ... i.e. more diverse and representative of the population.

Ultimately, though ... Buttigieg says the color of the cast shouldn't be what makes a movie buzzworthy -- it's all about whether or not it's any good.

So, actors of color willing and able to fill the shoes of Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender ... Pete says go on and unleash your superpowers.

Robbi Morgan is best known for taking a stab at the role of the dog-loving camp cook, Annie -- who gets her throat slashed before she can even make it to Camp Crystal Lake -- in the classic 1980 fright film, "Friday the 13th."

Robbi Morgan killed it in the movie alongside other great actors including Kevin Bacon as the hot jock, Jack, Mark Nelson as the camp counselor cadaver, Ned Rubenstein, Adrienne King as the long-living Alice who makes it out with a machete ... and of course Betsy Palmer who plays the crazy murdering mother, Mrs. Vorhees.

Ben Stiller wants America to get something out of this 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that it hasn't had in several years ... and that is the unity we all felt after that tragic day.

We got the actor Wednesday in his native NYC, and he shared what the day means for him ... even after all these years. Ben tried hard to describe how New Yorkers processed the terrorist attack, but he struggled to find the right words.

One thing he did make clear was how the city's residents came together to heal -- just as the rest of the country did too.

Ben said there's a lesson to be learned from what we all felt back then, and he urged 2019 America to be more like the nation it was in late 2001. There's just one major hurdle, in Ben's eyes, but he believes we can overcome it ... IF President Trump starts leading the way.

Daniel Franzese says it's time to usher in a new season of celebrating bigger gay dudes -- on the heels of Hot Girl Summer -- because it's long overdue, especially in showbiz!!!

The "Mean Girls" actor was leaving LAX Tuesday, where we asked about a recent social media clip of him diving into a pool shirtless. Daniel's captioned it, "Reclaiming my childhood spent wearing a shirt in the pool growing up in Florida. Not giving a F**K what people think feels so good."

Daniel broke down the post for us, and said it was about more than body positivity -- it was about getting heavier-set gay men off the sidelines.

He says gay men in the media are often portrayed as trim, fit and with a certain look, but he says he's living proof gay comes in all sizes ... and all deserve some visibility.

Or, as Daniel put it on IG, "It's #bigboysummer and soaking up every last minute until #bigandtallfall. #BellyOutchallenge."

He tells us if bigger people were featured more often on TV and the big screen, he'd probably be working a lot more, and the way folks view fat people would change for the better.