Movies

Boy George says he doesn't care if the actor who plays him in a forthcoming biopic is of the same sexual orientation as him or not -- just so long as they nail the part.

The Culture Club frontman was at Rock & Reilly's Irish Pub Tuesday night in WeHo, where he tackled the issue of PC casting head-on while talking to paps. He told one photog that casting a gay man was NOT at the forefront of his mind as the movie ramps up.

BG notes they haven't cast the starring role yet, and while it's undecided if they'll look for an actor who is gay ... he says it's no biggie in his eyes.

There has been a very secret play by the U.S. Attorney to get more parents to plead guilty in the college admissions scandal, and what's especially interesting is that prosecutors are putting the squeeze on people who haven't even been charged with a crime.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, parents who hired ringleader Rick Singer received grand jury subpoenas recently for various documents that could lead to an indictment. Lawyers for the parents got in touch with the U.S. Attorney, who threatened to indict the parents in a similar fashion to Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin and dozens of others.

We're told the lawyers and prosecutors are either in the process of negotiating a guilty plea or have already negotiated it, even before any criminal charges are filed. We're told the U.S. Attorney will file criminal complaints and the parents will immediately plead guilty.

Jason Momoa's got a lesson on Dad Bod 101 ... eat, and eat a lot!!!

"Aquaman" had one helluva lunch Tuesday afternoon hitting up a couple of joints in WeHo. Jason first hit up a sushi spot, which begs the question ... is that considered cannibalism? Anyway, he later hit up Joe's Pizza for a few slices.

Jason really loves him some pizza ... and evidently the crust too. He had some fun with the paps too ... bringing out an employee with him and pimping the joint. Sure, he flipped the bird to photogs, but in a playful way ... and they all ate it up.

Actress Jessica Morris -- best known for her roles on "One Life to Live" and several Lifetime movies -- has been hit with a felony charge for allegedly taking a bite out of her married boyfriend's face.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Morris and actor Rib Hillis got into a fight back in May, and at some point, she went on the attack and bit Rib's lip -- almost all the way off!!!

We're told Morris turned herself in earlier this month after the L.A. County District Attorney charged her with one count of felony domestic violence with great bodily injury.

Hillis tells TMZ ... Morris got into a heated argument with him over relationship issues, which makes sense, because PLOT TWIST -- Hillis is married to Elena Grinenko, one of the pro dancers on "Dancing with the Stars."

Rib says the fight got violent when Jessica viciously bit and mangled his lip, but claims he didn't lay a hand on her during the incident. He says he went to the hospital afterward and the nurse notified the police. A report was taken and the LAPD investigated, leading to the criminal charge.

Hillis claims he had no say in the matter, but if it were up to him he "just wants everyone to heal and get on with their lives." He adds that he hasn't spoken to Morris since that night, but hopes she gets the help she needs.

Joaquin Phoenix's performance as the Joker in Todd Phillips' dark take on the Batman villain is getting huge buzz, but at least one theater in Aurora, Colorado won't be showing the film ... the venue where the 2012 mass shooting occurred.

The Century Aurora and XD is the remodeled site where James Holmes -- armed with an assault rifle and other guns and wearing full body armor -- attacked moviegoers at a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises," killing 12 and injuring 70.

Holmes became linked to the Joker because of his bright orange hair and reports he called himself that when he was arrested ... though those reports turned out to be false.

The theater reportedly will not be showing "Joker" -- there are currently no showtimes listed and a theater employee tells The Hollywood Reporter no advance ticket purchases are available because the multiplex won't be showing the film.

It's unclear if this is out of respect, or fear of a copycat incident.

Either way, the decision to pass on "Joker" comes as family members of the Aurora shooting victims are expressing concerns about Phoenix's portrayal of Arthur Fleck, who becomes the Joker, and the violence that laces the film ...  asking Warner Bros. to join the corporate leaders who understand "they have a social responsibility to keep us all safe."

The man convicted of wrecking Jaime King's car circled back to stalk her with pics of his junk and other weird stuff, according to cops. Now, he's going away for a while.

Paul Francis Floyd recently pled no contest to one count of felony stalking -- a charge he was slapped with after flooding the actress with messages via social media, email, snail mail and texts.

All of that was a major no-no, of course, because back in April 2018 he terrorized Jaime by leaping onto her Mercedes-Benz and using a skateboard to go to town on her windshield and rear window ... all while her then 4-year-old son was in the car.

Floyd ended up getting sentenced to a year behind bars and 3 years of probation, but as soon as he got out he attempted to contact Jaime again.

Law enforcement sources tell us the messages included threats to Jaime, her family and her staff's family. He also allegedly sent pics of his genitalia and vids of him fighting people.

After the car smashing incident, Jaime had vowed to show up at Floyd's court hearing to stare him down to honor her son, who she says suffers PTSD from the incident.

The real-life stripper who inspired Jennifer Lopez's character in "Hustlers" wants the studio to ante up some serious cash ... or else.

Samantha Barbash's legal team just fired off a letter to STX Entertainment -- the studio behind the hit film -- demanding it pay up for its use of Barbash's likeness, personality, biography and identity in connection with the promotion of the film.

According to the letter, obtained by TMZ, Samantha's lawyer Bruno Gioffre reminds the studio Barbash "unequivocally rejected all offers to be included in the film." Barbash wants STX to resolve "the flagrant violation of her rights."

Sid Haig -- best known as Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie's "House of 1000 Corpses" trilogy -- has died.

The horror icon's wife, Suzie, shared the news Monday on Sid's own social media account, writing ... "On Saturday, September 21, 2019, my light, my heart, my true love, my King, the other half of my soul, Sidney, passed from this realm on to the next."

She went on to say, "He has returned to the Universe, a shining star in her heavens. He was my angel, my husband, my best friend and always will be." Suzie added, "He adored his family, his friends and his fans. This came as a shock to all of us. We, as a family, are asking that our privacy and time to mourn be respected."

Sid had recently been hospitalized and transferred to the ICU after he was involved in some sort of accident -- this per screenshots of his IG account, which was apparently run by his wife. On Sept. 6, she was asking for prayers.

Sid's rep would only tell TMZ that the accident was something that took place at his home.

The exact circumstances of his death remain a mystery, but the outpouring of love from the horror community has been overwhelming -- including from Rob Zombie himself, who shared a brief remembrance of his longtime collaborator.

Sid has starred as the patriarch of the Firefly family in "House of 1000 Corpses," "The Devil's Rejects" and most recently, "3 From Hell," which just hit theaters last week.

Aside from acting in Rob's films, he also starred in several other horror flicks over his 50-plus-year career, including roles in "Bone Tomahawk," "Hatchet III," "The Lords of Salem," "Devil in My Ride," "Night of the Living Dead 3D," and tons of other films.

He also starred on TV shows like "MacGyver," "The Fall Guy," "Jason of Star Command," "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," "Mission: Impossible," "Get Smart," "Gunsmoke," "Star Trek," "The Lucy Show," "The Six Million Dollar Man," and countless others.

Sid had 149 acting credits to his name, and was considered a fixture in the cult horror genre. We last talked to him in 2017, he was catching us up on projects he was working on at the time -- saying he had 4 projects in the can. Dude clearly stayed busy.

He's survived by his wife, Suzie. Sid was 80.

Oklahoma native Cindy Pickett was in her late 30s when she took on the role of the gullible and loving mother, Katie Bueller -- who can't believe her ill son could be absent niiiiiine times?! -- in John Hughes' 1986 classic movie masterpiece, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

Cindy Pickett was in the sick flick with an epic cast including Alan Ruck as the Ferrari-kicking Cameron Frye, Jeffrey Jones as the highly suspicious Principal Ed Rooney, Jennifer Grey as the pissed off sister, Jeanie ... and, of course, Matthew Broderick as the sly skipper, Ferris Bueller.

Pickett was also the hot mom, Connie, in the funny 1993 farm film, "Son In Law," with Pauly Shore.

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."