Movies

The family of Brad Bufanda -- known for his role on "Veronica Mars" -- received individual letters from Brad the day after he died ... meaning the suicide was well-planned.

Sources close to the family tell TMZ ... Brad wrote letters to family and friends days before he committed suicide Wednesday, and those letters arrived the day after he jumped off a building. We don't know if any of the letters describe why Brad took his life, but at least one was limited to thanking the recipient for various kind deeds over the years.

As we reported ... Brad left a suicide note which cops found on or near his body that gave the names of his parents along with a "thank you" to people in his life.

And Brad left more than letters. He also sent his rep his MacBook laptop as an inside joke ... because the rep preferred PCs.

The family is in shock ... they say there were no signs of distress ... especially because Brad had just wrapped a leading role in "Stan the Man" and had recently auditioned for roles in "Avatar 2," "Black Jesus" and "iZombie."

Brad was 34.

"Sharknado" is big business and its producers aren't about to let some theater company bite their style ... so they're suing to shut down a stage version before its first run swim.

The Asylum Co. just filed suit against Theatre Row Studios and several other people for allegedly attempting to put on a staged reading/rendition of the instant cult classic TV movie series. Asylum says the stage folks are promoting their version as "Shark-nado" ... and planned to perform it in Southern Cali.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Asylum says Theatre Row's take is a straight ripoff which could hurt the real McCoy's bottom line if the court doesn't shut it down, stat.

The stage company isn't promoting the play right now on its website, but Asylum says the damage has been done with previous ads ... to the tune of $10 million!

We reached out to Theatre Row ... so far, no word back.

If you don't think 'Star Wars' and fashion go hand-in-hand, step back and watch Disney's marketing geniuses go to work ... with the likes of Kendall Jenner and the Hadid sisters!

Kendall, Gigi and Bella Hadid and Kaia Gerber all dropped into a galaxy far, far away for a spread in the November issue of Harper's Bazaar.

It's actually pretty cool -- Harper's Bazaar hooked up with longtime 'Star Wars' illustrator Brian Rood for the feature. Rood turned a Millennium Falcon landing port into a catwalk for the Hadids, and had Kaia strike back on the planet Hoth.

Kendall's lightsaber shot seems like an homage to Rey and R2-D2.

Expect 'Star Wars' promotions to keep coming at lightspeed for the next 6 weeks.

Jessica Chastain's doubling down and casting her vote for Robin Wright to step over Kevin Spacey, and become the lead on "House of Cards."

We got Jessica outside Catch LA Sunday night and asked if Netflix should give Robin the chance to run the show in its sixth and final season. Based on her response, there's NO doubt what producers should do.

You'll recall Netflix 86'd Spacey over the weekend following mounting allegations of sexual harassment. Ironically enough, Jessica was walking right past the wall that, for now, still bears Spacey's mug.

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson's relationship didn't weather the storm like their 'Twilight' characters, Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, but several pieces of memorabilia from the films did and will now be going to the home of the highest bidder.

Around 600 props from 'The Twilight Saga' films are hitting the auction block via the PropStore.com Monday, including Edward's baseball jersey and Bella's blue transition dress.

Some of the other cool items ...

-- Bella Swan's Crest Cuff
-- Bella Swan's Charm Bracelet Components
-- Bella Swan's High School Diploma
-- Bella Swan's Hooded Jacket
-- Dr. Carlisle Cullen's Volturi Note
-- Edward and Bella's Wedding Announcement

Kate Hudson's online retailer just cleared one of its legal headaches by settling its lawsuit against her.

Talitha Peters -- a former exec at Fabletics -- filed new legal docs obtained by TMZ to have her lawsuit against the retailer thrown out after striking a settlement for an undisclosed amount.

Kate is an owner of Fabletics.

As we reported ... Peters sued Fabletics and parent company JustFab last October claiming Fabletics gave her the ax because she went to rehab to treat her Ambien addiction.

Peters said the retailer was all good with her taking time off at first, but then stuck their nose in her biz and 86'd her the day she was supposed to return.

Case closed.

Bobby Brown and the estate of Bobbi Kristina have reached a settlement with TV One over the dispute about the biopic on her life ... according to new legal docs.

We broke the story ... the estate joined forces with Brown in September to stop the biopic from airing. Bobby claimed the portrayal of him as a bad dad was defamatory, and Bobbi Kristina's estate claimed the show violated her right to privacy. It aired anyway last month on October 8.

It seems ... even though they weren't able to block the airing of the show, Brown and Bobbi's estate were able to score some cash in the settlement. They wanted more than $2 million in damages, but it's unclear how much they got.

There's enough evidence to arrest Harvey Weinstein for allegedly raping "Boardwalk Empire" star Paz de la Huerta ... according to a report.

NYPD detective Nicholas DiGaudio told Vanity Fair "I believe based on my interviews with Paz that from the NYPD standpoint, we have enough to make an arrest." DiGaudio is leading the investigation.

As we reported ... de la Huerta alleges Weinstein raped her first in October 2010 after he offered to give her a ride to her NYC apartment. De la Huerta claims the second time happened a couple months later.

This case, according to Vanity Fair, is the most compelling for prosecutors because it happened within New York's statute of limitations for first degree rape. De la Huerta is one of scores of women who have accused the former movie mogul of rape, sexual assault or harassment.

Harvey Weinstein showed up in a not-so-effective disguise at a Phoenix restaurant Thursday night, because everyone in the joint made him.

Weinstein was wearing a blond wig, orange makeup and a baseball cap when he showed up with a male companion at Chestnut restaurant. We're told he asked for a private room ... problem was, the room was all glass so people in the restaurant could see him.

Weinstein's hat was inscribed 2:24. There's a 2:24 Bible verse that reads, "But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him."

10:00 AM PT -- Law enforcement tells TMZ, Bufanda jumped off a building in L.A. and a transient found his body laying on the sidewalk around 1 AM Wednesday. Bufanda left a suicide note that was found on or near his body which gave the names of his parents along with a "thank you" to people in his life.

10:48 AM PT -- Bufanda's manager, Kirsten Solem tells us his suicide comes as a complete shock ... Solem says the actor didn't struggle with substance abuse and never showed any outward signs of an emotional struggle.

Brad Bufanda -- an actor best known for his role on "Veronica Mars" -- has committed suicide ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for Bufanda confirmed with us the actor committed suicide Wednesday. The details of his death are unclear.

Brad had a recurring role as Felix Toombs on "Veronica Mars" during seasons 1 and 2. He also appeared on other TV shows like "CSI: Miami," "Malcolm in the Middle," "Boston Public" and "Days of our Lives" ... and had a part in the 2004 film, "A Cinderella Story."

He was 34.

Mark Wahlberg doesn't need God's forgiveness for playing a porn star in "Boogie Nights" because there's nothing wrong with porn ... so says William H. Macy.

Wahlberg, a devout Catholic, said in a Chicago Tribune interview this week that his Dirk Diggler role was up there on his list of poor career choices. It's a pretty far out statement considering the role turned Wahlberg from rapper to Hollywood A-lister.

Macy played Wahlberg's co-star Little Bill in the '97 film and when we got him at LAX Thursday he praised Wahlberg's work in the film ... as did a random dude in the airport security line.

Macy stopped short of calling "Boogie Nights" his favorite flick, but sounds like he thinks Walhberg nailed the role.

Brett Ratner is suing a woman who claims the director raped her in L.A. over a decade ago ... calling the allegations a total lie.

According to the suit ... Melanie Kohler claimed in an October 20 Facebook post, "Brett Ratner raped me" and continued by calling him "a rapist on at least one night in Hollywood about 12 years ago."

She claimed he "preyed on me as a drunk girl [and] forced himself upon me" ... according to the docs.

Ratner's lawyer tells us Kohler said she had met the director at an L.A. club in either 2004 or 2005, and he took her to Robert Evans' home where Ratner was living at the time. She says he forced her to have sex.

Ratner's lawyer threatened to sue if if she didn't take the post down immediately, and we're told she did, but recently started putting the same story out in various ways.

Six women, including actresses Natasha Henstridge and Olivia Munn, claim Ratner sexually harassed or assaulted them.

A 36-foot-tall effigy of Harvey Weinstein will go up in smoke, flames ... and then down in ashes as part of a British tradition.

The Edenbridge Bonfire Society unveiled the giant figure Wednesday in preparation for Saturday's annual Bonfire Night celebration in London. It's an yearly tradition for Brits in memory of Guy Fawkes' 1605 failed plot to blow up the Parliament.

So, why fry Harvey? The simple answer is the Society always chooses a well-known figure in pop culture who they believe deserves a good torching. Weinstein's facing a mountain of sexual assault allegations in Britain alone, sooo ...

Some of Chris Pratt's best characters have become awesome Halloween costumes ... so you'd think he'd whip one up for some incognito trick-or-treating with his kid.

But nope ... Chris went the normal dad route -- v-neck sweater -- to take 5-year-old Jack candy hopping Tuesday night in West Hollywood. Jack opted for Captain America 'cause ... he's gotta be sick of Star-Lord references, right?

Despite the split from Anna Faris this summer, both parents have kept Jack their priority.

We'd say this is divorce done right -- but neither has filed yet.

Another city is officially probing Harvey Weinstein -- Beverly Hills PD says it's now looking into multiple complaints against him ... as well as director James Toback.

BHPD says they recently got the complaints and launched an investigation against Weinstein. Police were not more specific about how many allegations surfaced, but we all know Bev Hills is home to the Peninsula Hotel ... where several of Weinstein's accusers claim he assaulted them.

As we told you, police in London are also looking into 11 allegations Weinstein raped women there.

David Koechner agrees with Will Ferrell ... there's a similarity between Ron Burgundy and Donald Trump.

We got David at LAX Tuesday, and he can't say enough bad things about the Prez ... from him being a fake Commander in Chief, to his involvement in Russian election meddling, to sexual harassment.

Koechner gives his prediction on when the curtain will fall on the Trump presidency. Actually, he waffles on the month -- even the year -- but it's clear what David wants for Xmas.