Movies

Hayden Panettiere is shrugging off any suggestion that she and her boyfriend were ever anything but a-OK -- despite the fact he got arrested for allegedly roughing her up.

The actress was at LAX Tuesday when we ran into her and asked for a life update, considering the last time we heard from her was in a very negative light -- her new-ish BF, Brian Hickerson, had been charged with felony domestic violence against her.

As we reported ... the couple allegedly got into a scuffle earlier this year at their home that left red marks on Hayden's body, and police took Brian in for it.

However, you'd never know anything was wrong by the way Hayden reacts here ... insisting the two of 'em never even fought ... comparing it to a squabble with the family dog.

We kept pressing her to make sure things were good, asking if family members were right to worry for her well-being -- especially after she's been seen with Brian again lately, including last week at the airport -- but Hayden doubles down ... noting she can handle herself.

A couple things oughta be noted here -- for one, Brian's criminal case in L.A. was recently dismissed for not being able to secure a "material witness" -- aka, Hayden. Also ... HP seems awfully nervous here as she boards a waiting car that seems to be driven by Brian.

Missouri-born Guy Torry is best known for playing the friendly prison workmate, Lamont -- who creates an important bond while folding bedding and penitentiary drawers -- in the 1998 film, "American History X."

Guy Torry was cast alongside Edward Norton who received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his work as the white supremacist, Derek Vinyard ... who is ultimately protected by Lamont after he changes his ways in Chino prison.

Fun Fact: Guy's older brother is comedian Joe Torry who's most notably Chicago in "Poetic Justice" and Stack in "Tales From The Hood."

Stan Lee's daughter is suing one of her father's former personal assistants for slander after he went on a podcast and claimed she grabbed Stan by the neck and slammed his head into a chair ... this according to a new $25 million lawsuit.

In the suit, obtained by TMZ, Joan Celia Lee claims her father's ex-assistant, Bradley Herman, appeared on a podcast published a few days after Stan's death and said, "JC Lee took her father by the neck and grabbed his neck and slammed his head back into the wood portion of the chair."

According to the docs ... JC claims Herman's statement was totally false -- she says she never struck her father and never tried to choke him. Stan's daughter says she believes Herman, who she claims was fired in early 2018, made the false statement because he was seeking revenge against her.

In the suit, JC claims Herman stole from Stan before being fired, and she claims Herman regularly forged Stan's signature on loans.

Also in the docs, JC claims her father denied she ever hit, struck or strangled him in multiple interviews with the media. She claims Herman knew the narrative was false when he relayed it on the podcast.

JC is also suing the podcast's host, Alan Duke.

John Legend has just joined the ranks of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Chris Hemsworth and Idris Elba as People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive.

The announcement was made Tuesday night, much to the excitement of John's wife, Chrissy Teigen, who tweeted, "my secret is out. I have fulfilled my dream of having boned @people's sexiest man alive!! an honor!!!!!" and "I cannot WAIT for people to get mad about John being the sexiest man alive. it's my new Starbucks holiday cup."

Legend's accomplishments include singing and acting -- to name a few -- and he most recently completed the cycle for an EGOT by winning a Tony award for co-producing the play, "Jitney."

John married Chrissy in 2013 and they have 2 kids together.

Sonic the Hedgehog looks a lot less frightening now after he got an eye job and a good mouth sanding -- which should hopefully put restless die-hard fans at ease.

A new trailer for the part-live-action 'Sonic' movie dropped on Tuesday, and our favorite video game hero underwent a major redesign since tremendous backlash from back in May -- when the blue furball looked more human than cartoon character ... and folks noticed.

Now, he's back to his normal self -- with larger eyes and significantly smaller teeth. And frankly, that's good ... nobody wants to see Sonic's fillings in the upcoming action flick.

Fans knew these tweaks were coming, BTW. The director of the movie, Jeff Fowler, forecast as much when he said he'd heard 'em loud and clear on the feedback, adding it'd happen.

David Foster's taking a trip down memory lane -- or rather, the Pacific Coast Highway -- 'cause he wants to revisit his scary accident when he hit "Roots" actor Ben Vereen.

TMZ has learned that the Grammy-winning producer and composer's camp recently made a formal records request from the LAPD from his June 12, 1992 accident ... when he accidentally crashed his car into Vereen as he was walking on PCH near their Malibu homes.

As for why ... sources connected to David tell us, he and his team are considering using the information in a new documentary about his life, called "David Foster: Off the Record." It's not a given anything he gets from the L.A. Officials will make it in the final cut that gets released in the U.S. -- but we're told the doc's director wants to review the deets for a fresh view.

Doesn't look like David's gonna get the 911 call from cops though -- his request was denied by the department, 'cause they say they don't have it ... referring him to L.A. Fire instead.

If you don't remember, David was cruising down PCH one night when Vereen wandered into the road out of nowhere, causing Dave's Chevy to strike him and put him in the hospital. He ended up suffering a broken leg -- and DF was never criminally charged for the crash.

As for how David handled the crash at the time ... a transcript of the 911 call shows he actually carried himself with grace, compassion and relative composure. He told the operator that he had to try stopping other oncoming cars out of fear Vereen would be hit again.

South Carolina-born Lurie Poston was only 12 years old when he was cast as the sharp singing son Tommy -- who nails his part in the family a cappella rendition of the Guns N' Roses jam "Sweet Child O' Mine" -- in the 2008 sibling comedy "Step Brothers" With Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.

Lurie Poston belted out the tune with his onscreen family including Elizabeth Yozamp as the on-key little sister Tiffany, Kathryn Hahn as the mom who wastes $1,200 a week on singing lessons Alice ... and of course the wild-driving dad who almost kills the solo Derek.

Justin Bieber seems to still have Tom Cruise on his mind, 'cause he unwittingly recreated an iconic movie moment made famous by the actor ... just without as much horse power.

JB was out with his wife, Hailey, Sunday riding around L.A. on what looks like a pretty nifty bicycle, which has a seat attached on the back. Hailey was riding top shotgun, holding on about as tight as Kelly McGillis did on Tom's Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle all those years ago.

Yes, we're referring to 'Top Gun' ... and if you check out the video of Mr. and Mrs. Biebs cruising around Bev Hills, it's reminiscent of Maverick and Charlie's ride through San Diego.

Of course, Justin himself might've had to work a little harder here than TC did in the flick. The bike doesn't look or sound motorized in any way, so he was definitely pedaling his heart out to get the missus off the busy main roads ... with traffic building up behind him.

Who knows if Justin actually knew he was harkening back to the '80s here with this joyride, but we'd like to think so ... assuming he still wants to go toe-to-toe with Tom, that is.

Rip Taylor put a lot of heart into his comedic gags for decades, but ultimately heart troubles did him in ... according to his death certificate.

TMZ's obtained the document, which lists Taylor's immediate cause of death as congestive heart failure. It also lists heart disease as an underlying cause.

As we reported ... Rip passed away last month in Beverly Hills. The certificate says he died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

We've also learned the famous comedian's ashes were to be scattered at sea off the coast of Honolulu ... no word if any confetti was involved.

Dubbed the "King of Camp and Confetti" and "The Crying Comedian," Rip will be remembered for his flamboyant style and appearance, countless appearances on talk shows and his brief stint hosting "The $1.98 Beauty Show."

He also guest-starred in flicks like "Wayne's World 2," "Indecent Proposal," "Tom & Jerry: The Movie," "Chatterbox!" and "Jackass 3D" ... and was a successful voice actor.

Taylor was 84.

Chanel West Coast says Sharon Stone shouldn't be suing her for thrusting her back into pop culture again with a song that invoked her name ... instead, SS should thank her.

We got the rapper and MTV host Saturday in Sherman Oaks and asked about the lawsuit the iconic actress just filed again CWC this past week, alleging Chanel wrongly used her likeness and exploited her name in the 2018 song and music video, "Sharon Stoned."

Chanel says she's just as shocked by the legal action as most people were when they heard about it -- but her reasoning is a bit different. Basically, she feels totally back-stabbed.

According to Chanel, Sharon was aware of the song and the effort to involve her in the video -- which apparently involved reps and managers going back and forth for a while, according to CWC anyway. Then, on the day of the shoot ... Chanel says Sharon did a full 180.

She claims Sharon's rep called her manager hours before filming was set to begin, allegedly telling them Sharon liked the idea and wanted to be in the video as well. Sometime later -- on the same day, it seems -- Chanel says Sharon suddenly backed out ... no clue as to why.

Now, Chanel's calling BS on the lawsuit -- saying she was simply paying homage to someone she considers a hero ... something tons of hip-hop artists do, as she rightly points out.

Then comes what may or may not be a little shade ... CWC says she made young people aware of who Sharon Stone is, and as a result ... kinda made her relevant once more.

Aleisha Allen was only 14 years old when she was cast as the mischievous and clever daughter, Lindsey Kingston -- who snapped a flash photo that caused a deer to go wild -- in the 2005 family comedy movie, "Are We There Yet?"

Allen starred in this hilarious adventure film alongside Ice Cube, as the determined romantic trying to win over her mother's heart, and makes their journey across the country much more difficult for him than he could have anticipated. After the film's success, Allen continued onto the sequel, "Are We Done Yet?"

Christopher Dennis -- a street performer known for portraying Superman on Hollywood Blvd. for more than 25 years -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Dennis was found dead Saturday in the San Fernando Valley. We're told his body was discovered lying headfirst in a bin that's used for clothing donations.

Investigators believe Christopher -- who was homeless -- was attempting to gather clothes for himself. Our sources say no foul play is suspected.

Dennis' story is both charming and tragic -- after 2 decades of entertaining folks in Hollywood by impersonating The Man of Steel, he was the victim of a vicious assault and robbery that nearly killed him and left him without a way to make money.

He was rendered homeless, but thanks to the help of friends and a Kickstarter campaign, he got a new suit that allowed him to get back on his feet ... and return to the Blvd for the Superman fans.

He also starred in the documentary, "Confessions of a Superhero," and appeared multiple times on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Sadly, it seems he fell on hard times again recently.

Christopher was 52.

RIP

Ben Affleck is trying to get past falling off the wagon by moving forward with work ... even if he looks a little worse for wear.

Ben was spotted Tuesday with a script in hand in New Orleans as he prepared to begin shooting his new film, "Deep Water." Unclear if Ben's disheveled look -- messy hair, scraggly beard, wearing sweats and a stained t-shirt -- was part of his role. It's worth noting ... he's supposed to play Vic Van Allen, an attractive husband.

Anyway ... it's the first time we've seen Ben on the set since he relapsed nearly 2 weeks ago. As we've reported ... Ben was spotted leaving a Halloween party and clearly had trouble walking. He damn near fell before catching himself on an SUV.

Ben later acknowledged he stumbled in his effort to maintain sobriety. After leaving that party ... Ben hit up a casino. And, while he pocketed $1,500 in winnings in just 12 minutes of gambling, Ben could barely stand and nearly fell out of his chair. The next day, he said he vowed to get back on the straight and narrow.

John Witherspoon was a magnetic figure ... so it's no surprise most of Hollywood showed up to bid him one last goodbye.

The late comedian's open-casket celebration of life went down Tuesday in L.A. in front of a huge gathering of friends, family and celebs alike. David Letterman commenced the celebration. He and John went way back ... they honed their craft together at The Comedy Store in Hollywood alongside Richard Pryor, Robin Williams and Jay Leno.

Ice Cube was one of several speakers and he paid a touching tribute ... saying he enjoyed the hell outta John for as long as he could remember.

Some other celebrity guest speakers included Cedric the Entertainer, George Wallace, Angela Gibbs and Bill Bellamy. Regina King couldn't make it but she did send along a video message that was played on the big screen.

Guests at the celebration of life received a colorful program adorned with John's infectious smile. The back-page included one of his most famous lines from "Boomerang" ... "BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!"

As we reported ... John died suddenly last week, at the age of 77, after he went into cardiac arrest at his home in Sherman Oaks, CA.

His career -- which started in stand-up comedy -- spanned more than 5 decades ... and included his unforgettable roles as Ice Cube's father in the "Friday" movies, Granddad on "The Boondocks" and Pops on "The Wayans Bros."

Ben Stiller wants to put you in his show, or send you to lunch with Bryan Cranston ... maybe hand you George Clooney's watch? Pay attention, it's all for a good cause.

Ben and a bunch of his celeb pals are recognizing Veterans Day by supporting Homes For Our Troops and raising funds with a huge online auction. Other items on the block include a guitar signed by Jon Bon Jovi, autographed scrubs from "Grey's Anatomy" and the spacesuit Ryan Reynolds wore in "Life."

The auction opens Thursday and it's being spearheaded by George, CNN's Jake Tapper and Wynonna Judd ... and a bunch of their famous pals are donating movie, music and sports memorabilia. Get in your bids before the November 17th deadline.

Anthony Mackie stayed true to his Marvel character when he flew under the radar in divorce court ... splitting from his wife, but leaving things nice and neat before anyone could notice.

We've learned the actor -- who plays Falcon in the 'Avengers' movies -- and his now ex-wife, Sheletta Chapital, are in fact dunzo ... and have been for a minute. We looked into it -- Anthony filed for divorce in late 2017 and finalized things last year.

Sources close to the former couple tell TMZ that the split was amicable. It's unclear why things went south between them, but it's good to hear they left on good terms.

Funny enough, Anthony first married Sheletta -- his reported childhood sweetheart -- at a low-key wedding back in 2014. Looks like he followed the same model on the way out too.

We're told Anthony and Sheletta share 4 kids together -- and they've decided to share joint custody of them. No official word on any spousal or child support though.

BTW, worth noting ... Anthony showed up to the "Avengers: Endgame" premiere earlier this year, and he didn't pose with a significant other on the red carpet. Relevant ... 'cause he and Sheletta have shown up to events together before, shoulder to shoulder.

Don't feel bad for AM either -- the dude is super busy at the moment, and seems to be beaming on the set of his new series, "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier." He'll be fine.