Movies

Ahmed Best -- the man who played the most widely loathed and mocked 'Star Wars' character -- says the wave of negative reaction was so hard on him, he considered suicide.

The Jar Jar Binks actor made the revelation Tuesday, by tweeting a pic of himself and his son on a bridge with the caption ... "This was the place I almost ended my life. It’s still hard to talk about. I survived and now this little guy is my gift for survival."

Although he doesn't name "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" specifically, but a reference to "20 years" ago makes it pretty clear he's referring to that Jar Jar role.

He's previously said the negative reaction from the public included death threats.

Kevin Spacey is now being investigated for 6 sexual assaults in London ... after 3 new men have come forward with allegations against the actor.

According to the Metropolitan Police ... a man came to them in April claiming he was sexually assaulted in Westminster in 1996. And we're told 2 other men came forward in February with allegations of sexual assault -- one claiming an incident occurred in Gloucester in 2013 and the other in Lambeth in 2008.

As we reported ... Spacey became the subject of a Scotland Yard investigation in January when an alleged victim went to police claiming he was sexually assaulted in Westminster in 2005. Cops in London were already investigating 2 similar complaints before that.

We're told, just like the Scotland Yard cases, officers from the Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command are involved in the 3 news cases.

There's also an active criminal investigation in Massachusetts involving a then 18-year-old male. And the L.A. County D.A. is reviewing other allegations.

Guy Pearce is strongly insinuating Kevin Spacey was sexually inappropriate toward him when they shot "L.A. Confidential."

Australian talk show host Andrew Denton was playing name association with Guy and, when he brought up Spacey's name, Guy said ... "He's a handsy guy."

He added it was a "slightly difficult time with Kevin" ... when they shot the 1997 film.

After some awkward silence in the studio, he made a clear reference to allegations Spacey molested actor Anthony Rapp when Rapp was a teenager. Guy said, "Thankfully I was 29, and not 14."

11:05 AM PT -- Weinstein's attorney, Ben Brafman, released a statement, saying, "Mr. Weinstein maintains that all of these allegations are false and he expects to be fully vindicated. Furthermore to charge Mr. Weinstein as a Predator when the interactions were each consensual is simply not justified."

Brafman says Weinstein will plead not guilty to the new charges.

Harvey Weinstein is facing 3 new charges for an alleged sexual assault of a woman in 2006.

Manhattan D.A., Cyrus Vance Jr., announced Monday a grand jury has charged Weinstein with a first degree criminal sexual act and 2 counts of predatory sexual assault.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the alleged incident happened on July 10, 2006, and Weinstein allegedly forced oral sex on the woman.

The new predatory sexual assault counts are felonies and carry a minimum sentence of 10 years, and a max of life in prison.

The D.A. did not reveal the alleged victim's name -- but the incident sounds very much like the one a woman named Mimi Haleyi described during a news conference last year ... with her attorney, Gloria Allred. Mimi claimed Weinstein attacked her in 2006.

Lee Daniels says he knows exactly who is responsible for Mo'Nique getting blackballed from Hollywood -- Mo'Nique.

The famed director tells us it's past time for Mo'Nique to quit bitching and blaming Tyler Perry, Oprah and himself for shutting her out of the movie biz. Especially because Lee played a key role in her winning an Oscar.

As we reported ... Mo'Nique went after Lee, Tyler and O during a stand-up special last year at the Apollo Theater -- telling the Hollywood power trio they "can suck my d***, if I had one!"

Lee fired back at her on "Raq Rants" ... telling Raquel no one should confuse the Mo situation with what went down with Damon Dash. He insists he gave Mo'Nique as much as she gave him when they made "Precious" -- comparing it to "making love without having sex."

It's clear there's ZERO love now. He says Mo'Nique is playing herself, and it would be best for her to quit complaining -- but that's putting it nicely. Watch how he actually said it.

And check out the full interview to see what he said about Diana Ross, Billie Holiday, and something he's never talked about before ... his sexuality.

Master P thinks a couple of young guys who are huge online will be mainstream stars in no time ... and his upcoming movie's going to be the catalyst.

We broke the story in December -- P was planning to cast some raw and unknown talent for the sequel to his 1998 movie, "I Got the Hook-Up," and he tells us he's stayed true to his word ... by signing social media stars Fatboy and Piola.

P says Hollywood's failed to recognize the power of social media and its big personalities, and believes by casting Fatboy and Piola -- who have nearly 7 million followers on Instagram combined -- he's connecting with an untapped audience.

To put it bluntly, Master P tells us ... "What we're doing with 'I Got the Hook-Up 2' is genius."

He's got high hopes for his new actors too ... telling us they're dynamic, natural talents with amazing chemistry because they're both great friends. P says he's going to add them to the mix with established actors in his sequel and let the sparks fly ... and has no doubt it will work.

Jack Dylan Grazer -- otherwise known as Eddie of the Losers' Club in the "It" movie -- has a good shot at making some scary money ... in an upcoming superhero franchise.

According to Jack's contract -- obtained by TMZ -- he's going to bank at least $150k for his role as Freddy Freeman in the 2019 DC Comics film "Shazam!" ... starring Zachary Levi.

It gets better -- he can make up to $200k more in box office bonuses ... and gets a cut of the movie's merchandise cash.

But get this -- if there's a "Shazam!" sequel, Grazer's pay more than doubles to $400,000 with up to $300k in bonuses ... and his salary will DOUBLE for every additional installment of the film franchise after that.

10:37 AM PT -- It appears Dame has accepted Lee's apology, saying, "We're good bro...appreciate the honesty...time to move forward let's forget the bubble gum sh*t and get the money."

Lee Daniels says Damon Dash gave him a big wake-up call -- a $2 million one -- and now, in full gratitude, he plans to pay off the debt.

The acclaimed director told us he's been thinking about what Dame did for him, and realizes he -- more than any Hollywood studio -- helped him launch his career. Lee admits it's a shame it took Dame accosting him in the middle of a Diana Ross concert for him to realize it, but now wants to do "the right thing."

Lee finally told his side of the story when he sat down for an episode of "Raq Rants" ... telling Raquel, "This black man gave me money when nobody ... would give me money. He did it."

He made it clear Dame's $2 million was an investment, not a loan, but because the 2nd movie -- "Shadowboxer" -- didn't make money, Dame didn't get repaid.

As we reported, Dash has sued Daniels for $5 mil -- the $2 mil plus interest -- but Lee says "We're gonna squash it -- and I feel good about it, he needs it right now and I'm happy to help him, 'cause he was helping me."

Michelle Obama + Kerry Washington + Spago = Biggest Power Lunch in Hollywood!

We got the former First Lady and the ex-"Scandal" star leaving the Bev Hills hot spot Thursday afternoon -- eat your heart out, Shonda Rimes.

The meeting is more proof Michelle's instantly become a big-time player in showbiz ... on the heels of the Obamas' deal to produce content for Netflix.

We asked Kerry if Michelle got her to sign on the dotted line for a project. Her answer was coy, and therefore ... interesting.

More evidence they were trying to keep the meeting on the DL -- they pulled the classic Hollywood move of leaving through separate exits. Michelle went out the front door, interestingly ... while Kerry slipped out the back.

The judge in the Kellen Winslow rape case just denied the ex-NFL star's request to be released from jail and put on house arrest because he's afraid Kellen could escape with some 'Mission Impossible' trickery.

Yes, we're serious.

Winslow's lawyer told the court that Kellen's house is equipped with a surveillance system -- and they'd be happy to give prosecutors full access to monitor the ex-NFL player at all times.

But, the judge shot that down -- in part because he saw Tom Cruise in a 'Mission Impossible' movie fool the Russians by tricking the cameras ... and he's worried Kellen could pull off the same move.

"So, what about all these movies I watch like Mission Impossible and stuff like that where they create this endless loop?" the judge said in open court.

"So the guy, like the Russians watching something ... he sees everything is fine and meanwhile, Tom Cruise and all his folks are going around the scene and doing all this stuff."

Yes, the judge is worried Kellen Winslow will use spy tricks.

Kellen's lawyer assured the judge, "Tom Cruise isn't on our team yet."

Ultimately, bail was denied. Kellen remains in jail until his next court hearing.

Zion Williamson did his best Michael Jordan impression Thursday ... throwing down a hammer dunk -- after taking off from the free throw line!!

It all went down at Zion's high school gym in Spartanburg, SC -- where he's put on a few dunk shows this summer.

The Duke commit took a running start from one side of the court ... planted his toes on the free throw stripe -- and stretched out like M.J. in Space Jam for the throwdown.

FYI ... it's 15 feet from where Z took off to where he landed ... and for good measure -- he put down a left-handed windmill to show it was no fluke.

The guy who sentenced the 'Seinfeld' squad to a year behind bars in the series finale -- and who helped turned Willem Dafoe into the Green Goblin -- has died.

Actor Stanley Anderson passed away Sunday just six weeks after being diagnosed with brain cancer, according to a family statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

Anderson is perhaps best known at Judge Arthur Vandelay, who presided over Jerry Seinfeld and co.'s criminal trial in season 9's final episode, where the gang was thrown in jail for violating the "Good Samaritan Law" in a fake town in Massachusetts.

He also played General Slocum in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" -- who told Norman Osborn he was gonna cut his funding if he didn't try his ability enhancing serum on a human subject ... thus forcing Norm to try it on himself and become Spidey's arch nemesis.

Anderson has starred in a number of other movies and shows over the years, including parts in "RoboCop 3," "Armageddon," "Runaway Jury," "NYPD Blue," "The Drew Carey Show," "Law & Order," and many, many others. His acting career dates back to the '50s.

He tended to play men of authority -- doctors, judges, psychiatrists ... the President. Makes sense too ... he had quite the on-camera presence.

Scarlett Johansson's fired up about a former Scientologist making a claim -- on live TV -- that she once auditioned to date Tom Cruise ... and she's not letting him get away with it.

The 'Avengers' star put Brendan Tighe -- who says he used to work on Cruise's Scientology security team -- on blast after he appeared on Megyn Kelly's NBC show Wednesday and claimed she was on a list of women who auditioned to date him after his split from Nicole Kidman years ago.

Johansson tells The Hollywood Reporter, "The very idea of any person auditioning to be in a relationship is so demeaning. I refuse for anyone to spread the idea that I lack the integrity to choose my own relationships."

She added ... "Only a man aka Brendan Tighe would come up with a crazy story like that."

Tighe also claimed Scarlett's audition must not have gone well, because actress and Scientologist Erika Christensen had to distance herself from her afterward.

Damon Dash says Lee Daniels had no problem asking him for money and exploiting his goodwill, but he has a major problem keeping his word to pay it back ... and Dame's sick of it.

The Roc-A-Fella mogul told us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" ... Daniels ended up millions in the hole to him after making 2 movies -- 2004's "The Woodsman" and 2005's "Shadowboxer."

According to Dame ... Daniels promised him he'd get his money back no matter what, but then blew him off -- which is why Dash started suing Daniels in 2014. As we reported, they struck a settlement deal, but Damon tells us Lee's sticking to his "culture vulture" ways ... and still hasn't squared up.

Before he filed a new suit, Damon confronted Lee at a Diana Ross concert about getting stiffed ... and Daniels appeared to be contrite. Apparently, not enough to please Damon and keep their issue out of court.

Ron Howard is taking issue with reports Disney is putting future 'Star Wars' spin-offs on ice after his flick fell short, money-wise.

We got the director of "Solo: A Star Wars Story" Tuesday in Bev Hills just days after it was reported Disney was suspending all pre-planned 'Star Wars' story movies because 'Solo' failed to deliver the studio's desired box office numbers. That includes the Obi-Wan movie. Ron seems to say there are inaccuracies in the reporting, but he's not specific.

You'd think Ron would take the news to heart, considering his flick is being blamed for the rumored decision, but that ain't the case. As far as he knows, 'Solo' got good reviews and a generally decent turnout in ticket sales. Maybe not what Disney wanted ... but he's satisfied.

Damon Dash is going after Lee Daniels once again, this time for screwing him out of a movie producer credit and some big time cash ... according to a new suit.

The Roc-A-Fella mogul claims Daniels promised to try to get him on as an EP for a Richard Pryor biopic ... along with 5 percent on Daniels' backend profits.

According to the docs, Daniels bailed on the project ... and didn't deliver on his promises to Dame.

Dash is suing for $5 million.

It's interesting, Dash was seen confronting Daniels at a Diana Ross show at the Hollywood Bowl last week, informing him he's about to hit him with another lawsuit if he doesn't get paid soon. Daniels seemed to agree he was in the wrong.