Movies

Brandon T. Jackson says he was on "thin ice" with God for playing a gay character in "Tropic Thunder" ... but says wearing a dress in "Big Mommas" was worse for him.

Jackson famously played Alpa Chino in the 2008 Ben Stiller flick -- a closeted actor who accidentally revealed feelings for a guy named "Lance" ... it was a hilarious scene.

But, Jackson is now a pretty religious Black Hebrew Israelite -- and playing gay doesn't jive with his religious beliefs.

"I was on thin ice then with the father," Jackson said on "TMZ Live" ... "But, he had his mercy and his grace was there."

Jackson says the bigger issue is when he wore a women's dress for his role in the 2011 Martin Lawrence flick, "Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son."

Jackson says he broke a religious law prohibiting men from wearing women's clothing -- "And, when you break a law you get punished."

So, what went wrong? Jackson says his career and his personal life took a serious hit and he even uses the word "curse."

"If you don't follow all the commandments that the Torah says to do, you'll be cursed."

Kevin Hart is slowly getting back to work and hanging with famous friends. But, his first public appearance will have to wait.

Sources close to the comedian tell TMZ ... Kevin and Eniko Hart are being honored Thursday night by the Los Angeles Mission for their work with the organization, but Kev and his wife won't be on hand to accept their award because he's still recovering from last month's horrifying crash.

Nick Cannon is hosting the L.A. Mission's 9th Annual Legacy of Vision Gala ... and we're told he will also accept the hardware on behalf of Kevin and Eniko when it comes time to recognize them.

Our sources say Kevin and his wife only recently found out about the gala, and it was the family chef who actually accepted their invite. We're told Kevin wishes he could be in attendance, but his body is not quite up to the task.

As we've reported ... Kevin continues to receive intensive outpatient therapy. He's been progressing enough to shoot promos for "Jumanji: The Next Level," and to grab dinner with Jay-Z ... but he's still not 100 percent yet.

Congressman Matt Gaetz sure is feeling himself after leading the blitz of House Republicans into private impeachment hearings -- delaying them for hours -- and he's glowing about scoring brownie points with POTUS.

We got the Florida Rep. on Capitol Hill, shortly after members of his Freedom Caucus ignored protocol and barged into a secure facility Wednesday, where Adam Schiff was conducting a closed-door deposition as part of President Trump's impeachment inquiry.

Gaetz compared his move to the Spartans in the the 2006 movie, "300." Seriously, you gotta see how pumped he was -- we fully expected him to shout, "This ... is ... Washington!!!"

Gerard Butler Matt adds that he thinks their mission was accomplished for now. He says they demonstrated the Prez deserves due process, and Dems should provide transparency.

As for Trump, Gaetz says he hasn't spoken to him yet about the stunt he pulled with fellow Republicans, but he expects a strong reaction from the Oval. He went beyond gushing when we asked about his and Trump's relationship.

We asked if he's planning more demonstrations, and if he's willing to get arrested. Gaetz didn't flinch and, in fact, made a laughing reference to his 2008 DUI bust.

One thing he was NOT down to joke about ... comparing his sit-in protest to the so-called Brooks Brothers riot during Florida's 2000 election recount.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is all for "Joker" putting a spotlight on a local NYC attraction she's known her whole life, but it sounds like she'd like to keep it a neighborhood secret.

We got AOC Tuesday on Capitol Hill and she dished on the famous Bronx stairs featured in the new flick. No spoiler here, but Joaquin Phoenix's Clown Prince of Gotham dances his way down the landmark to celebrate his transformation to the Joker.

The Congresswoman from the block says those stairs have been there since forever, and folks have been busting moves -- and maybe a few asses -- down them long before Joaquin made 'em trendy with tourists. AOC added it wasn't always the safest hang either.

If you haven't noticed, the stairs have been showing up all over Instagram -- as "Joker" fans anywhere near the borough wanna pull off their own versions of Arthur Fleck's dance.

As much as AOC appreciates the shine on her district, she also doesn't want locals to lose their sense of ownership. You gotta see AOC as she declares, "Keep your Instagram posts outside of the Boogie Down! This is for us!!!"

You can take the girl outta the Bronx, but ...

Maryland-born actress Kimberly J. Brown was only 14 years old when she took on the role of the witch in training, Marnie Piper -- who leaves the mortal world with her siblings to battle the evil warlock, Kalabar -- in the OG 1998 Disney Channel spooky movie, "Halloweentown."

Kimberly J. Brown was cast alongside some other young actors including Joey Zimmerman as the middle sibling and bus-hopping brother, Dylan Piper, and Emily Roeske as the youngest sister and tagalong troublemaker, Sophie Piper.

Brown was also in the cinematic sequels including "Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge" and "Halloweentown High," but was ultimately replaced by Sara Paxton in the 2006 final film "Return To Halloweentown."

"Halloween is cool."

Cuba Gooding Jr. is racking up new charges in NYC at an alarming rate -- the D.A. just announced he's been indicted on 2 more counts related to alleged sexual misconduct.

The Manhattan D.A. says the Oscar winner is now facing an additional count of forcible touching and another sexual abuse in the third-degree charge. After last week's indictment that brings Gooding's tally up to 6 charges related to 3 different accusers.

Prosecutors have not said when the new accuser's alleged incident went down. As we reported, the prior accusers are a TAO Nightclub server and a patron at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar and Lounge, both in NYC.

TMZ broke the story ... surveillance video appeared to show some contact between Cuba and the woman at Magic Hour Rooftop back in June, but he adamantly denied touching the woman's breast ... as she claimed to cops.

Gooding will be back in court on Halloween for yet another arraignment. His attorney, Mark Heller, tells us Cuba will plead not guilty ... just as he did for the 4 previous charges.

Elliott from 'E.T.' went from riding a bicycle under the influence of an alien ... to allegedly driving a car under the influence of a terrestrial substance.

Actor Henry Thomas was arrested Monday for DUI in Oregon. The Tualatin PD -- the agency that picked him up -- tells TMZ ... another motorist called 911 around 8:30 PM to report that someone was stopped in the middle of a residential intersection.

We're told that when cops arrived, they found Henry passed out behind the wheel, and officers had to wake him up. Although we're told that Henry's car didn't reek of booze to the police, they took him to the Washington County Jail on suspicion of DUI based on other signs of being intoxicated, which the Tualatin PD wouldn't clearly convey to us.

Either way, he was booked for misdemeanor driving under the influence of intoxicants. Of course, Henry posed for this bleary-eyed mug shot too. As of now, it doesn't seem like he's been released yet. Presumably, cops are letting him sober up in jail.

The guy is obviously most known for his lead role as young Elliott from Steven Spielberg's iconic 1982 film, in which he befriends an extraterrestrial. He's gone on to act in tons of other stuff over the years ... most recently, in Netflix's "The Haunting of Hill House."

When it comes to this though ... ya gotta wonder if Henry was given his one "phone home" call. We can only hope so!!!

Originally Published -- 9:36 AM PT

Kevin Hart's slowly but surely getting back on his grind, and that includes carving out time to hang with good friends like Jay-Z.

Kev and Jay were out Monday night in Bev Hills with an impressive crew at Avra. The mogul and the movie star kicked it with Murder Inc. honcho Irv Gotti and LeBron James' right-hand man, Maverick Carter.

They all hung out for about 3 hours inside the joint ... where they played poker, broke bread and exchanged hugs on the way out. We're guessing everyone was congratulating Kevin -- who seemed to be moving around well -- on his amazing recovery from last month's scary crash.

As we've reported, Kev continues to get intensive outpatient therapy, and based on this video ... it is definitely working.

Barack Obama, Tim Cook and Robert De Niro likely all have a spot on the list of celebs people want to have dinner with ... and the trio was seated at the same table Monday night in NYC.

The former U.S. Prez, the Apple CEO and the movie star met up at Yves restaurant in the City's Tribeca neighborhood for a meeting of the minds ... and we're told they dined for several hours.

So, the big question here -- other than who picked up the check -- is what the heck did they talk about? Politics? Technology? Movies? Streaming services? De Niro's appearance on CNN last month?

Gotta think they reminisced about that last one for sure.

Anyway, Obama's New York visit's been pretty low-key other than the power dinner -- no big speeches or fundraising galas on the books -- and he's even crashing at a friend's place.

Selma Blair says she's coping pretty well with her multiple sclerosis a year after being diagnosed, but she got choked up talking about her battle helping others.

We got Selma Monday at LAX, where our camera guy told her just how big of an inspiration she's become since going public with her MS diagnosis. He's not wrong ... she's shared her highs and lows with her fans.

She tells us she's actually doing well with her treatments -- which have included chemo and a stem cell transplant -- and that, despite her sometimes choppy speech, she's generally been doing great. Selma revealed the toughest part of her public appearances now.

She also opened up about continuing to act. As our guy puts it, she's become a powerful voice for other MS patients. She's still acting FWIW -- Selma was just featured in the new Netflix show "Another Life."

Selma says she hopes she can keep going because she believes it's important for folks to see people with MS and understand ... there's room for all.

It'll just take one secret ingredient from folks ... and Selma shares that with us.

Jeremy Allen White from "Shameless" got married last week -- and Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin kinda stirred the pot themselves by attending.

The actress and the Coldplay frontman were spotted together Friday morning hitting up the Beverly Hills courthouse, where tons of famous folks go to get hitched, or at the very least ... to get a marriage license.

As it turns out, they were there merely to witness their good friends, Jeremy and Addison Timlin, say "I do" to each other in front of an intimate group of guests. Jeremy plays Lip Gallagher in "Shameless," and Addison played Lucinda in "Fallen."

Dakota was photographed inside the courthouse holding Jeremy and Addison's 1-year-old baby girl, Ezer -- who obviously had a front-row view for Mom and Dad's nuptials.

Jeremy and Addison, who got engaged in April, posed for some pretty cute photos as they sealed the deal. They wore matching black denim jackets with the words "Til Death" split between both of them, and what looks to be their pet names for each other outlined in hearts with arrows running through.

We know ... sickeningly romantic stuff.

Of course, Dakota and Chris posed with their friends -- and the happy couple also posted a photo with their baby with the caption ... "The big day."

The reason folks thought it was Dakota and Chris walking down the aisle is because Chris was in a black suit and tie, and Dakota was very done up herself. They've been dating for about 2 years now ... and things seem to be going swimmingly.

Oddly enough, one of Chris' exes was getting married herself across the country the same weekend. As we reported, Jennifer Lawrence married Cooke Maroney in Rhode Island, which proved to be a star-studded ceremony with tons of her friends coming out.

Boulder, Colorado-born Lucas Elliot Eberl was only 12 years old when he manifested into the role of Tunnel Boy -- who was the last incarnation of the Ancient Enemy before being wiped out by the bio-engineered bacteria -- in the 1998 freaky film adaptation of the Dean Koontz book, "Phantoms."

Lucas Elliot Eberl starred in the creepy flick alongside stars like Peter O'Toole as the super-smart Dr. Tomothy Flyte, Joanna Going and Rose McGowan as the sisters in distress, Lisa and Dr. Jennifer Pailey ... and, of course, Ben Affleck as the sharp-shooting sheriff who saves the day, Sheriff Bryce Hammond.

Stefon Diggs was one happy man on Sunday -- he and his team beat the Lions at home ... all while wearing a pair of cleats that the Clown Prince of Gotham would greatly approve of.

The Vikings wide receiver turned heads out at Ford Field, not just because he was playing like a stud -- 7 catches and 142 yards by the end -- but probably more for his footwear ... a pair of custom "Joker" cleats,  with Joaquin Phoenix's mug painted on the side.

There was also a recurring theme from the hit movie written in as well ... "Put On a Happy Face."

What makes these Adidas even cooler is the fact that Stefon had them colored in to match the Joker's actual costume from the flick -- when he finally transforms, that is.

BTW, Stefon has a bit of a history of rockin' pimped out cleats -- literally wearing themes from Starbucks to-go cups to SpongeBob memes and almost everything in between. Props to his cleat guy ... always up to date on the latest trends, and with a nice touch.

Dennis Quaid seems ready to walk to the altar again -- the guy's reportedly engaged to his WAAYYY younger girlfriend ... and we got what looks like the first photo of the ring.

TMZ has obtained a photo of Dennis with his 26-year-old GF (and now, apparent fiancee), Laura Savoie, holding up her left ring finger, which has a giant rock on it. We're told this photo was taken Friday night minutes after DQ proposed to her at Turtle Bay in Oahu.

Apparently, a wedding party was happening nearby, and a couple that had just gotten hitched invited Dennis and Laura to pose for a pic to celebrate the dual occasions. Mazel!!!

Laura's a grad student at the University of Texas. She and Dennis have been going out since the summer, so Dennis -- who's 65, BTW -- must truly be head over heels for this gal.

As we reported ... Dennis and Laura were spotted vacationing in Hawaii just earlier this week, where they were getting their paddleboard on at Waikiki Beach. They've been seen out together a lot, notably in August while boating on Lake Como in Italy.

This would be Dennis' fourth marriage -- he's been hitched to Kimberly Quaid, Meg Ryan and P.J. Soles, and had children with the former two women.

Jennifer Lawrence is hours away from saying "I do" on the Eastern Seaboard -- but until then, the meat and potatoes of her wedding venue are still being worked out ... literally.

Preparations for J.Law's nuptials were underway early Saturday morning at the historic Belcourt of Newport estate-turned-museum in Rhode Island -- where the actress will be tying the knot with hubby-to-be Cooke Maroney later today in front of 150 guests.

Caterers for the event were hard at work getting ready for the ceremony -- unloading supplies and wheeling them through the massive doors of the property. But, more importantly ... it appears the actual food that'll be served up was being worked on as well.

From the looks of it ... these guys brought over a slaughterhouse's worth of meat, and it seems they were getting ready to fire it all up in a wood-burning barbecue.

Assuming, J.Law and Cooke didn't make any last-minute changes to their extravagant menu, this would probably be the 5-week-aged leg of beef with forager's sauce -- just one of the two meat options folks can choose from for the main course of their meal.

Based on the size of this one slab here, we're guessing no one will go hungry. Save your appetite, dinner's almost ready!!!

Rosario Dawson is being sued by a former employee -- a transgender man who alleges the actress and her family assaulted and disrespected him.

Dedrek Finley, who previously went by Deidre before coming out as transgender, says he moved to L.A. from NYC in 2017 at the request of Rosario's mother, Isabel. Dedrek says he knew the Dawson family for decades on the East Coast, but only came out to them after moving West.

In his lawsuit, Dedrek claims his coming out didn't sit well with the family. He claims Isabel, her husband Gregory and her brother Gustavo ... regularly referred to him by his old name and used female pronouns. Dedrek claims he complained to Rosario about this repeatedly, but she never did anything about it.

He claims Rosario also engaged in transphobic abuse because when Dedrek complained, Rosario allegedly said, "You're a grown woman." He claims he corrected her, but she replied, "Whatever."

Dedrek says he had been living in a separate home on Rosario's North Hollywood property. He claims he didn't have to pay rent, but agreed to do renovations on Rosario's house.

According to the suit, things went south, though, in April 2018, when his hours were drastically cut, and then he was informed he needed to move out.

Dedrek claims Isabel knocked on his door on April 28, and when he refused to discuss the issue with her ... she got violent. He alleges she threatened to kill his cat, and then ripped the screen off a window and pulled him outside through it. Dedrek claims she then started punching him and screamed, "You're not so much of a man now."