Movies

Los Angeles native O-Lan Jones is best known for playing the god-fearing neighbor, Esmeralda -- who warns the well-trimmed community of the evil surrounding Edward -- in Tim Burton's 1990 fantasy flick, "Edward Scissorhands."

O-Lan Jones was cast alongside some sharp stars in the dark film including Dianne Wiest, as the cosmetics salesperson and companion, Pegg Boggs, Winona Ryder, as the high school crush turned granny, Kim Boggs ... and of course Johnny Depp, as the man-made artist, Edward Scissorhands.

Jones also has had parts on other big-name movies like "Natural Born Killers," "Mars Attacks" and "The Truman Show."

Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan wanted to be single in the eyes of the law while they settled their divorce ... and a judge just granted their wish.

The former couple recently filed court docs asking the court to grant the divorce while they hash out a property settlement and custody agreement. As for why they wanted the divorce decree now ... we're told they're both in relationships and it just makes things easier. It also clears the path if they want to remarry.

According to the new docs, filed by Jenna's lawyer Samantha Spector, the divorce judgment became final Tuesday. So, now they have to work out custody and support issues involving 6-year-old Everly.

Jenna recently announced she and her new boyfriend, Steve Kazee, are expecting their first child together. Rumors of a coming engagement have been swirling ever since.

While it would appear Jenna is the one zeroing in on another marriage, that doesn't mean Channing hasn't moved on himself ... he's just as free to tie the knot.

As we reported ... he's been dating Jessie J as of late, but things don't seem to have been moving as fast as they have for Jenna and Steve.

There's whitewashing in Hollywood, and then there's this -- a studio exec thought it would be a good idea for Julia Roberts to play Harriet Tubman ... according to the writer of the NEW film, "Harriet."

Screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard says the ridiculous scene went down more than 25 years ago in a pitch meeting about the Tubman project. Howard says the exec told the room ... "This script is fantastic. Let's get Julia Roberts to play Harriet Tubman."

Roberts was widely considered America's Sweetheart at the time after starring in a string of hits like "Steel Magnolias," "Pretty Woman" and "The Pelican Brief."

Howard says when someone pointed out to the studio exec that Tubman was black and Roberts shouldn't play the role, he replied ... "It was so long ago. No one is going to know the difference."

Thankfully, the Hollywood honcho didn't get his way, and flash forward to 2019 ... Howard's movie about the legendary abolitionist who led hundreds of slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad is finally in theaters.

Of course, the casting of black British actress Cynthia Erivo was also criticized ... because she's not African-American. Can't please everybody.

Wanna see a home decoration that'll make Marty McFly jealous?!?

Boxing superstar Jermall Charlo just put a frickin' DeLorean INSIDE of his Houston mansion and TMZ Sports has the video!!!

Soooo ... why???

He calls himself "The Future of Boxing" -- and when you think "Future" you think "Back to The Future" ... hence the DeLorean!

We know what you're thinking ... does it have a flux capacitor? Can we get that bitch to 88 MPH? Where's the damn hoverboard?

We don't have all the answers ... but we do know Charlo -- the reigning WBC middleweight champ -- dropped $60,000 on the new whip! GREAT SCOTT!!!

He doesn't plan on driving it -- it's purely for show -- in other words, "Where we're going, we don't need roads."

Kevin Hart is hard at work on the road to full recovery, and it looks like he's diving back into a gym routine that looks grueling for someone who nearly died in a car crash.

The actor-comedian posted a video of himself working out in what appears to be his home gym with a personal trainer -- seemingly someone from this fitness/wellness company called VitaHustle ... which KH was happy to plug on his social media page.

In his post, Kevin made a point to say that he was trying to not only get back to tip-top shape ... but actually become better than he was before. He also said he was trying to achieve these new levels of fitness for himself, and not anybody else ... including fans.

He added, "I want to inspire & motivate people to challenge themselves to be great. We all have greatness within...it’s up to us to tap into it. Nobody knows what your are capable of more than YOU. I can’t wait to show ME the new levels that we are about to reach!!!!"

As for what exercises Kevin is partaking in these days ... one-legged dumbbell curls and shoulder presses, exercise ball planks, loose strap lat pulls, dumbbell squats, dumbbell single-arm rows and more. Pretty reminiscent of what he posted just last month, actually.

What's crazy is that as tough as this workout of his looks, he's actually told us that it's not really at the peak of his usual fitness levels or what he was even used to pre-crash.

C. Thomas Howell is ready to spring into action and help his alma mater in Santa Clarita recover ... after the California school became the site of the 366th U.S. mass shooting this year.

Tommy tells TMZ ... he was absolutely stunned when he heard Saugus High School -- where he graduated from in 1984 -- had been placed on lockdown Thursday after a 16-year-old student opened fire ... shooting 5 students, killing 2 and then turning the gun on himself.

The actor -- star of the cult classic "The Outsiders" -- said the news of the shooting stopped him in his tracks because he grew up in the sleepy town ... a town he says is known for being a safe neighborhood and a city where anyone would wanna raise their family.

Tommy, who splits time between L.A. and his home in Georgia where he's currently at, says he's getting in touch with the school and will see if there's anything he can do to help out.

He says he would talk to the students to offer some comforting words and help in any other way possible. Tommy -- who currently stars in the AMC hit show "The Terror" and is known for his role as a brash LAPD cop in the hit show "Southland" -- says he's praying for the family of the victims and the community.

Jane Fonda's still walking the walk -- marching with and sitting in with environmental protesters in D.C. -- but now when the cops move in, Jane heads for higher ground.

The iconic actress and activist was there to stage the sixth consecutive Fire Drill Fridays protest on Capitol Hill. As you know, Jane's been arrested 4 times, but she did not end up in handcuffs this time. Police moved in when the group sat and chanted in the rotunda of the Capitol, and warned demonstrators they were about to be rounded up.

At that point, Jane was high above on a balcony ... still chanting along with her comrades in protest -- but steering clear of arrest. It's the second week she hasn't been arrested -- and as we reported last week ... that's exactly what the protest planners want.

The folks behind Fire Drill Fridays say Jane's best value to the group is remaining the weekly face of their activities on the Hill -- and they begged her to avoid a 5th arrest.

As we told you, due to a previous bust ... Jane already has an open court date, and if she's thrown in jail a fifth time she risks remaining behind bars for 30 to 90 days.

The last time cops took Jane into custody, on November 1, she had to spend a night in jail -- but for now, she's staying high.

Mo'Nique is finally taking her accusations against Netflix for discrimination to a court of law ... she's filed a lawsuit.

In the suit, the Oscar-winning actress and comedian accuses Netflix of race-based discrimination for how it negotiated a comedy special with her. She says Netflix offered Amy Schumer $11 million for an hour-long stand-up special (she eventually got $13 mil), but only offered Mo'Nique $500,000 for her stand-up special.

Mo'Nique never accepted their offer, and went on a public campaign ... which included coming on "TMZ Live" and calling for a boycott against the company.

According to the suit, she claims Netflix has a severe lack of diversity, which contributes to their discriminatory practices. Specifically, she claims one Netflix exec. -- the Chief Communications Officer -- used the n-word in a meeting with 60 people in 2018. Mo'Nique was not present for that meeting.

She also claims Netflix allowed Kevin Spacey to use the n-word while on the set of "House of Cards" without any consequence. In the suit, she alleges Spacey complained to his personal security guards, "I don't want [n-words] on my set anymore." She's not suing Spacey.

Mo'Nique also used a major pay gap on the Netflix hit, "The Crown," to illustrate alleged discrimination. She says the actress who plays Queen Elizabeth II was paid $14k per episode less than the actor who played Prince Philip -- and it only righted the wrong after there was a public outcry about it.

She's suing Netflix for unspecified damages, and for an injunction forcing the company to change its discriminatory policies.

We've reached out to Netflix and Kevin Spacey for comment.

Marlon Wayans says Jennifer Hudson kisses like she comes from heaven -- but he wants to keep it our little secret. And, what he especially wants to keep on the down-low ... he gets a woody when he hears her sing.

The actor-comedian broke down what it was like to plant one on his costar on the set of their new movie "Respect" -- which is a biopic about the late, great Aretha Franklin.

Last week, Marlon and Jen were seen sharing a smooch while filming, and as passionate as it looked ... it was apparently even better in person -- for Marlon, anyway. Check out how he intricately describes locking lips with JH ... it's almost too descriptive for comfort.

Our photog crossed the line -- at least according to Marlon -- when she asked who is a better singer ... Jennifer, or Beyonce??? He scolds us for trying to pit two black queens against each other.

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.