Movies

Tim Story, the successful director of the 'Ride Along' franchise, is facing a lawsuit over a tragedy in his backyard ... the death of a 2-year-old boy in his hot tub.

The child's father, Miguel Raygoza-Castillo, is suing over what went down Nov. 18 at Story's L.A. home. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Miguel's son, named I'M, fell onto an un-fenced spa tub and suffered fatal injuries.

The boy's father says Story's hot tub not only lacked proper fencing, but it was also missing warnings and alarms. In the suit, he also claims there was no alarm to detect someone falling into the water. He claims Story -- who's also directed "Barbershop" and the 'Think Like a Man' flicks -- didn't have an exit alarm on his home's back door to the hot tub area.

According to a GoFundMe page started for I'M ... the child was hospitalized for 4 days before his family made the difficult decision to turn off life support.

Raygoza-Castillo is suing Story and his wife for damages including medical, funeral and burial expenses ... as well as pain, suffering and the emotional distress from losing a child.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous mug and iconic voice are being ripped-off by a Russian robot manufacturer, and he wants more than $10 million to make it right ... or for the robot to go hasta la vista.

Arnold's company is suing Promobot, which makes autonomous service robots consumers can customize to look human. The product's called the Android Robo-C, and can be made to look like a person of your choosing.

The problem -- according to the suit -- Arnold did not give permission to Promobot to use HIS likeness to promote it, and is generally very strict about his face being used for ads because "such activity diminishes his hard-earned and well-deserved reputation as a major motion picture star." However, according to the lawsuit ... he's become the "unwilling face" of the product.

Arnold's company claims Promobot is using the Arnold-like model at public events to promote and market the Android Robo-C. Even more egregiously ... Promobot allegedly asked Arnold to pose for a photo with its robot while he was in St. Petersberg to deliver a speech in 2019 ... and he refused.

However, according to the suit, Promobot kept using the Arnold android ... including at CES in Vegas in January. At that point, Arnold's attorney -- legal pit bull Marty Singer -- fired off a cease and desist letter to the robot company demanding it stop.

Singer made it clear to Promobot ... he's won cases like this in the past, including scoring a judgment for more than $2.5 mil for Priscilla Presley, who's "far less commercially valuable" than Schwarzenegger. In fact, Arnold says he would not have accepted anything less than $10 million for using his likeness.

Promobot allegedly assured Arnold's team it would cease using the Arnold-bot ... it popped up again at the New York Toy Fair at the end of February. Hence, a lawsuit's now been filed for misappropriation of Arnold's right of publicity.

Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight is a fan of classic American muscle cars, it seems, 'cause his Batmobile looks like it rolled straight out of a 1960's Detroit factory ... with custom touches, of course.

Director Matt Reeves just posted a few photos from the set of his forthcoming "The Batman" -- with RP in the suit, but more importantly ... showing off his sweet new ride. From a bird's-eye view, it kinda looks like a souped-up Chevy Camaro or maybe a Dodge from the late 60s.

You can see the top of it, and there are also shots from the rear and side ... putting the full body on display. Don't get us wrong, it looks cool and all -- but at the same time feels not-so-Batman-y???

It's like Bruce Wayne became a gearhead all of a sudden.

Reeves' flick is supposed to chronicle Batsy in his early years -- so it's reasonable to assume he's a young dude who likes sweet rides like this now but will eventually get a little more sophisticated in B'mobile taste.

It's certainly a different take than any previous iterations of the iconic whip, and hey ... it might just work out on the big screen.

Emmy Rossum is looking more and more like Hollywood icon Angelyne -- but it seems like it's taking a lot of magic in the dressing room and makeup trailer to get there.

The "Shameless" actress was seen Tuesday on set filming for the new Peacock show, "Angelyne," named after its titular lead. She definitely looks the part, with the help of a couple prosthetics.

She also had on a ton of makeup (like the real Angelyne would wear) ... and, of course, the massive blonde wig to really sell the look. She certainly passes as her -- even posing on the signature pink Corvette here for the full effect -- but frankly, she's not a dead ringer.

In case this is the first time you're hearing the name itself, allow us to school you in Hollywood lore for a minute here. Angelyne is a singer, actress, personality and all-around Hollywood socialite who mysteriously splashed onto the L.A. scene back in the '80s.

At first, she became famous from a series of massive billboards showing her posing on top of a pink 'Vette ... with only her name featured in giant lettering -- ANGELYNE. She later started getting booked for this, that and the other ... concealing her true identity for years.

The woman made a career of just being that ... big, flashy, seductive and iconic. People say she's like the OG Kim Kardashian. Looks like her story's coming to the small screen sooner than later.

It's Super Tuesday, when much of America chooses who they want to go up against President Trump, and Hollywood's making sure to get in its 2 cents.

Celebs also made sure to lock in their selfies -- along with their ballots -- as Americans across 14 states hit voting booths. On the national stage it's all about the Democratic Party primaries with former VP Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bloomberg still in the running. There are a few others technically in the running, but with little chance to nab the nomination.

In any case, check out the famous faces who exercised their right to vote. We got stars like Tyra Banks, Melissa McCarthy, Eric Andre, Ali Wong, Camila Cabello, Tracee Ellis Ross, Wilmer Valderrama, Kerry Washington, Ronda Rousey, Topher Grace, Laura Dern and many more.

Some of 'em wore their candidates right on their sleeves -- like Marissa Ross with her Bernie "Rage Against the Machine" tee -- but most kept their votes private.

Jeff Garlin thinks women should always come out on top in divorces ... and he says he's gonna put his money where his mouth is.

"The Goldbergs" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star opens up on his own divorce on Laura Wasser's 'All's Fair' podcast ... telling the Disso Queen he's nearing the end of an amicable split with his estranged wife, Marla.

As we reported ... Jeff filed for divorce back in September 2018 after nearly 25 years of marriage.

Jeff says he's still madly in love with Marla, and even though they don't want to be with each other anymore, he's going to make sure she's taken care of for the rest of her days.

Jeff's reasoning for not nickel-and-diming his ex -- the stress just ain't worth it, and he's got tons of female friends with horror stories about greedy ex-husbands.

Bottom line for Jeff ... women are better than men, and they should always win the divorce, even when the wife is the breadwinner.

New York City-native Tuesday Weld (real name Susan Ker Weld) gained fame in the '60s for an impressive laundry list of acting credits on smash shows, including Connie on "The Adventures Of Ozzie and Harriet," Kitten Lang on "77 Sunset Strip," Thalia Menninger on "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," Abigal Williams on "The Crucible" and many, many more.

Tuesday Weld was given a handful of awards for her hard work including a Golden Globe in 1960 for Most Promising Female Newcomer ... and later on ... and Emmy Award for her role of Margie Young-Hunt in "The Winter Of Discontent."

"Inside the Actors Studio" host and veteran TV writer James Lipton has died ... TMZ has learned.

Lipton passed away peacefully Monday morning at his New York City home. His wife, Kedakai Turner, tells TMZ James had been battling bladder cancer. She adds, "There are so many James Lipton stories but I’m sure he would like to be remembered as someone who loved what he did and had tremendous respect for all the people he worked with."

The man had a storied career in and around television and film. Of course, he served as the Dean Emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in NYC for several years. And, he was responsible for spearheading his famous talk show, "Inside the Actors Studio" -- James interviewed actors, big and small, to pick their brains about the craft.

It was filmed in front of a live audience full of student actors, some of whom got a chance to ask questions from time to time. He started the show in 1994 and finally retired in 2018 after 22 seasons. The program continues to this day, however, with other hosts.

Lipton has interviewed stars like Ben Affleck, Halle Berry, Jeff Bridges, Morgan Freeman, Ian McKellen, Eddie Murphy, Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall, Ron Howard, Anthony Hopkins, Jim Carrey, Al Pacino, Gwyneth Paltrow, Willem Dafoe, Brad Pitt, Henry Winkler, Betty White, Naomi Watts, Chris Rock, Whoopi Goldberg, Hugh Grant and on and on and on.

One of Lipton's more memorable guests was Bradley Cooper, who was once an Actors Studio student, and asked a pretty good question to Sean Penn about revisiting a character he'd played before. He asked that in 1999 and returned as the interviewed guest in 2011.

Lipton said it was one of his favorite interviews because it was so emotional and great to see one of his students make it big. He appeared on more than 250 episodes.

He had other claims to fame as well -- perhaps most notably, his many TV head writing credits on shows like "Capitol," "Return to Peyton Place," "The Doctors," "The Best of Everything," "Another World" and several TV specials he contributed to as a writer.

JL also had regular appearances as an actor on "Arrested Development," playing Warden Stefan Gentles ... the bumbling lawman who aspired to be a big shot screenwriter and was kinda obsessed with the Bluth family.

His other acting credits included roles on "Bewitched," "Guiding Light," "The Goldbergs," "Cold Squad," "You Are There," and even offering up his voice talents to the Disney movie "Bolt." Lipton also went down in 'SNL' history for Will Ferrell's regular spoof portrayal, which was a staple character on the show in the 2000s.

We last got him on camera in 2015 talking about any possible snubs he might have received over the years. Turns out, no one ever turned him down for 'ITAS.' Go figure.

Lipton was 93.

Steven Spielberg's daughter was arrested in Tennessee this weekend after an altercation with her boyfriend -- and it all started because he said something rude to her ... so say cops.

Mikaela Spielberg got busted Saturday night in Nashville, after returning home with her BF from a bar. Cops were called after an apparent argument erupted between them after the dude said something "rude" to her, which allegedly resulted in Mikaela hurling objects at him ... one of which struck him in the hand and left damage.

The responding officers saw a visible injury on the BF which looked fresh -- they say there was dry blood on his hand and that his wrist looked swollen. The police say both parties admitted to a physical dispute but determined Mikaela was the aggressor.

One of the reasons they ended up booking her on domestic assault charges is because cops say her story on what exactly happened constantly changed, while cops say the BF's story remained consistent. They make a point to say the guy didn't want Mikaela prosecuted, but the officers say their department is still moving forward.

Mikaela was booked and held on $1,000 bond, and has since been released.

Of course, the arrest comes shortly after news broke that Mikaela's forging a solo career in porn.

Marilyn Monroe's time behind-the-scenes of the 1953 film, "Niagara," was captured by a photographer, and his huge set of photographic negatives is up for grabs ... but it won't come cheap.

The pics -- 227 total, 198 of which depict Marilyn -- were snapped by Canadian journalist and photog Jock Carroll in 1952, while she was preparing for her first top billing as Rose Loomis in the noir thriller.

The set of photos is mostly comprised of black-and-white negatives but includes some color positive transparencies. And, along with shots of Monroe, there are several of the sets, scenery and of course ... Niagara Falls.

The negatives could become much more than just a collector's item too ... because they include the copyright to the images. Carroll signed the rights over to his son before he died, and the son will grant them to the buyer.

This means the highest bidder at the auction will have the right to print and even sell copies from the negatives, which could lead to big bucks. Commercial use requires permission from Monroe's estate, however.

Tyler Perry's family now has almost complete certainty his nephew took his own life, and was not murdered in prison.

Tyler tells TMZ ... they got the autopsy results back from Dr. Michael Baden -- the world-renowned pathologist he hired to look into 26-year-old Gavin Porter's death in a Louisiana prison. We're told Baden says he's 98 percent sure there was no foul play in Porter's death.

That seems to confirm what prison officials told the Perry family ... that Tyler's nephew hanged himself using bedsheets while in solitary confinement. The family wasn't convinced, which is why Tyler hired Baden to conduct an independent 2nd autopsy.

Tyler says, "The answers don't take away grief, but it surely gives room for grieving to take its course."

Porter was doing 20 years for manslaughter after killing his father -- in front of his mother, who is Tyler's sister. He'd been placed in solitary after getting into a fight last weekend. He was found dead Tuesday night.

Will Smith's gotta share the spotlight now with Serena and Venus Williams -- or at least the young actors who are costarring with him as the tennis phenoms.

Will's been digging into the role of Richard Williams in "King Richard" all week in L.A., but on Thursday we got our first look at his onscreen daughters. Saniyya Sidney is playing Venus and Demi Singleton is Serena in the biopic.

Demi and Saniyya are playing young Serena and Venus -- in their teens, it seems -- but we still don't know who will be playing them as adults ... when they really dominated tennis.

The film, about how the Williams sisters' father raised and coached them to become superstar athletes, is slated to come out in November ... so, ya know the studio behind it is thinking it's gonna be Oscar worthy.

Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Adam Driver are dialing things way back -- to the 1300s, that is -- for their next film.

The trio are on the set of Ridley Scott's next period drama, "The Last Duel," in Sarlat, France. The film -- set in Medieval times -- stars Matt and Adam playing real-life knights and best friends, Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris. You 'memba them, right?

The revenge thriller has a pretty insane storyline ... after Jean returns from the war, he accuses Jacques of raping his wife. Jean turns to King Charles VI to do something about it and he orders a duel to the death. It's a double whammy for Jean because if he loses, not only is he a goner but his wife will also be burned to death.

Ben, rocking a blonde 'do, plays a supporting role in the film, which is expected to come out in late 2020 or early 2021. He was initially set to play the role of Jacques before Adam joined the cast.

This is also the first time Ben and Matt are working together on a film since 2004's "Jersey Girl." If that's less than encouraging ... the BFFs co-wrote this script -- along with Nicole Holofcener. It's their first time doing that since their 1998 Oscar winner, "Good Will Hunting."

Ethan Suplee knows what it's like to have a diet forced on him, so he thinks President Trump's never gonna fall for covert cauliflower ... until he's onboard to change his diet.

We got the "Remember the Titans" star Tuesday at LAX, and his own incredible body transformation was apparent ... so we asked him about Trump's former physician saying they tried to improve his health by "putting cauliflower into the mashed potatoes."

Ethan tells us back when he was overweight, his family tried to put him on all kinds of diets but it never worked ... it just made him sneak unhealthy foods. He believes the same will happen with POTUS -- he'll seek out Popeyes and Chick-Fil-A later.

According to Ethan ... the only way a diet or exercise regimen will work for the Prez, or anyone else, is if they really want it, and it can't be forced.

Case in point, the actor tells us chef Andre Rush -- a guest on Ethan's "American Glutton" podcast -- has said Trump can have any healthy meal he wants 24/7, but tends to fall back on his fast-food habit.

When and IF Trump decides to change on his own, Ethan Suplee believes he won't regret it.