Movies

Give Shaun Weiss this -- he's got a helluva sense of humor. Check out how the guy who played Goldberg in "The Mighty Ducks" announced checking into rehab.

Shaun posted an emotional but also hilarious message Tuesday on Facebook announcing he's checked into a long-term rehab center. TMZ broke the story ... Shaun was busted earlier this month for public intoxication. Shaun spent a few hours in the drunk tank and, though he wasn't cited, his arrest did produce this incredibly sad mug shot that had his fans feeling bummed for him.

Shaun wrote, "At this time, in an effort to break free from the self destructive patterns of behavior and drug abuse that have landed me at rock bottom, (to be real... BELOW rock bottom. Even rock bottom is like 'holy sh!t, how'd you get all the way down there?') I have checked in to a well reguarded, long term rehabilitation center. I have surrendered to the reality that without immediate treatment my life is in eminant danger. My spirit was until recently depleted, weak and shrouded by darkness has been renewedby the overwhelming out-pouring of love and support from fans of my early work as an actor."

Asia Argento will not go under the microscope of cops for the alleged sexual assault involving a 17-year-old ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

Argento settled with Jimmy Bennett for $380k for an incident that went down at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Marina del Rey, CA ... this according to the NYT. The paper cites documents showing when Jimmy was 17, Argento gave him alcohol, kissed him, pushed him on the bed, performed oral sex on him and then climbed on top of him to have intercourse.

Argento did not ask for an NDA because, as one of the first Harvey Weinstein rape accusers, she felt confidentiality documents protected the bad guy. Instead she bought the copyright to a photo of the 2 of them in the hotel bed wearing nothing on top. He also gave up his right to civilly sue her.

We're told the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. will only investigate sex crimes if the alleged victim comes forward and complains. A source from the Sheriff's Dept. told us if Bennett were still a minor and they learned of the incident in the media they would open an investigation, but since he's now 22 they will not.

Well, Jon Gruden hates Tom Cruise movies.

The Oakland Raiders coach was asked about his reported $100 million deal with the team -- and while trying to explain his high salary ... he randomly took a shot at Tom Cruise.

Here's the quote from his interview with Peter King ...

"I’m not making $100 million, just so you know. Well, I never thought Tom Cruise, never thought his movies were any good but he’s making plenty of money."

Weird and random Tom Cruise shot -- but alas, there's more.

"There’s a lot of things that I don’t understand. No disrespect to Tom Cruise. I’m sure he’s a great actor. But you know what? You just go about your life as hard as you can. You try to find something you love and you do the best you can at it."

No word on why Jon dragged Tom Cruise into the conversation -- maybe he finally got around to seeing "Rock of Ages" or "The Mummy" ... both trash.

But what Gruden's clearly forgetting in his weird Tom Cruise rant is "Top Gun" and "Jerry Maguire" and "Jack Reacher" (the first one) was actually pretty solid.

And several people in this office are adamant the new 'Mission Impossible' movie was "f**king awesome" and they're actually mad at Gruden for throwing shade.

By the way, Jon Gruden had a cameo in "DRAFT DAY" -- THE WORST FOOTBALL MOVIE EVER MADE!!!

Asia Argento -- one of Harvey Weinstein's first accusers and a prominent figure in the #MeToo movement -- reportedly paid off her own accuser, a then 17-year-old boy.

The NYT cites documents it obtained outlining an agreement between Argento's lawyer and her accuser's attorney to pay former child actor Jimmy Bennett -- who once co-starred alongside Argento in a 2004 film -- $380,000 over multiple installments.

The Times reports Bennett's attorney reached out to Argento's camp late last year -- shortly before Ronan Farrow's bombshell New Yorker piece -- stating an intent to sue ... and describing alleged "sexual battery" between Argento and Bennett in 2013 -- when he was only 17 years old. He's 22 now.

According to the Times, the documents claim Jimmy met Asia at a Ritz-Carlton hotel in Marina del Rey, CA on May 9, 2013 and that she proceeded to give him alcohol, kiss him, push him back onto the bed, perform oral sex on him ... and then climb on top of him to have intercourse.

Argento has photos of her and Bennett on her social media account from the day in question. One post shows a photo of the two of them with her caption reading "Happiest day of my life reunion with @jimmymbennett xox". The Times says Bennett's lawyer claimed his client had more photos, one of which allegedly depicts both of them lying topless in bed from that day.

According to the Times ... Argento agreed to pay Bennett $200,000 this past April as an initial installment for the copyright to the risque photo that was in his possession. The Times also cites an email written to Argento from her lawyer saying ... "Ultimately, you decided against the non-disclosure [NDA] language because you felt it was inconsistent with the public messages you’ve conveyed about the societal perils of non-disclosure agreements."

The alleged email ends with this ... "Bennett could theoretically tell people his claims against you. However, under this agreement, he cannot sue you for them. Nor can he post the photo of the two of you. At the very he is not permitted to bother you for more money, disparage you or sue -- so long as you comply with your obligations in the agreement."

12:02 PM PT -- According to legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- cops discovered a lunch box in the vehicle that contained weed. The docs say Davidson's friend also had a "white/yellow substance in a clear plastic bag" that tested positive for marijuana.

Pete Davidson was pulled over by cops in Upstate New York ... but even though he was behind the wheel it was his boy who ended up going to jail.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Pete and his friend were driving in Syracuse around 4 AM last weekend where Pete was filming "Big Time Adolescence" with Machine Gun Kelly. It's unclear why, but cops ordered him on the side of the road. We're told officers smelled weed ... triggering a search.

Sources say Pete passed a field sobriety test, so he was in the clear. His friend, however, wasn't so lucky.

According to an arrest report -- obtained by TMZ -- the friend was booked for felony possession of a controlled substance and cited for unlawful possession of weed. As for the controlled substance ... cops aren't saying what they found.

Here's what we don't know ... there were drugs in the car, but we don't know why cops fingered the passenger.

Vivica A. Fox damn near choked on the word "No" when our camera guy told her she could play Omarosa in a movie, making it crystal clear -- not a fan.

We got Vivica A. at LAX where our photog mustered the strength to say she resembles President Trump's friend-turned-foe. The idea of playing Omarosa made her recoil. Our bad.

Of course, an Omarosa biopic hinges on how well her tell-all book sells. Vivica says if it flops, O's gotta ride off into the sunset -- on a donkey ... 'cause she attached herself to an ass.

Eddie George is singing the praises of his new boss -- saying it was a PLEASURE starring in Tim Tebow's new movie ... and he thinks the guy could win an Oscar one day.

FYI, Eddie is one of the main roles in "Run the Race" -- a story about two brothers who use sports to overcome personal tragedies in their lives.

It's a faith-based, feel-good story -- so, it's perfect for Tim Tebow who produced the flick with his brother, Robby Tebow.

Eddie -- who plays a college recruiter in the movie -- says the Tebows did a "tremendous job" behind the scenes and show real promise when it comes to the business side of movie making.

"There's no limit to what [Tim] can do ... who knows, he could write a story that could win him an Oscar one day!"

Ben Affleck's latest sighting shows all the signs of a bachelor lifestyle, which has us wondering ... has he broken up with GF Lindsay Shookus?

Ben was spotted Thursday night leaving Nobu Malibu rocking a very casual single-guy look -- loose jeans, jacket, t-shirt with a cig in hand -- after having dinner with a very hot blonde who's not Lindsay.

The chick is Playboy's Miss May 2018, Shauna Sexton.

It's interesting -- Affleck celebrated his bday Wednesday with his kids, and had a dinner date with Shauna last night ... but no sign of any celebrating with Shookus.

Ben and Lindsay haven't been photographed together in nearly a month. And, what's also interesting ... there was a moving van in front of Ben's home on August 9. We don't know if someone was moving in or moving out of his $19 million Pacific Palisades mansion.

We reached out to the "Justice League" star to see if perhaps Batman went through a pre-birthday breakup ... so far, no word back.

Nichelle Nichols is spry and lucid, and doesn't need to be controlled by a bunch of people who don't have her best interests at heart -- including her son-- so says a woman claiming to be her close friend.

According to new legal docs filed by Angelique Fawcette ... the 'Star Trek' icon's son, Kyle Johnson, doesn't really care about Nichols' well-being ... she says he's trying to use her health issues as an excuse to gain possession of her riches.

Fawcette claims Nichelle even wrote a note to her son in March 2017, letting him know she wants to amend her will because he allegedly told her ... "I can't wait to get rid of this sh*t and sell [your] house and property."

As for Nichols' recent dementia diagnosis ... Fawcette says it's not credible because the doctor who diagnosed is not a psychiatrist and lacks necessary qualifications. And, Fawcette says she's consistently observed Nichelle performing daily activities with no issues ... she just needs occasional reminders to pay her bills.

We broke the story ... Johnson claimed his mother needed court-ordered protection because people were taking advantage of her. A judge signed off on a conservatorship.

Fawcette claims it's all a ruse set up by Nichols' son, so he can get his hands on her money. She says Nichelle's doing just fine and wants to keep living her life and handling her own business ... and her 2013 video interview with Nichols is more proof.

Even cancer couldn't drain Aretha Franklin's optimism ... and the Queen of Soul was looking forward to getting back on the mic, as late as last week ... so says the producer of her upcoming biopic.

Aretha was intimately involved in the pre-production of her biopic, spending hours with producer Harvey Mason Jr.

Harvey says Aretha has signed off on the perfect person to play her ... Jennifer Hudson, who has the pipes and the acting cred to pull off the role.

The movie centers around Aretha's journey to discover her true voice and who she wanted to be as an artist. The film doesn't have a release date and there are no plans to speed the production in the wake of Aretha's passing.

Angelina Jolie is not blocking Brad Pitt from seeing their kids, but sources involved in the case say she continues to drive a wedge between them and Brad.

Sources with knowledge of the case claim Angelina continues to exert influence over the former couple's 6 kids ... and it's been effective. We're told Brad is having trouble connecting with his children ... some of whom don't even want to see him.

We're told the 3 boys are the ones who have been influenced the most. The girls are more open toward Brad.

The divorce judge issued a report criticizing Angelina for not allowing the children to properly interact with their dad. The judge laid down a cell phone policy in which Brad can call and text the kids at will, and Angelina can't monitor the conversations.

As we reported, the kids are now all in L.A., per the judge's order, where Brad has significant custodial time with them. Our sources say Angelina has not blocked Brad's ability to see the kids, but they say Angelina continues to drive a wedge between Brad and the kids and it's had a significant impact on his ability to restore his relationship with them.

We reached out to Angelina's rep ... so far, no word back.

One of the stars of 'Kill Bill' is ALL IN for making a 3rd installment -- with Vivica A. Fox telling TMZ Sports she thinks Ronda Rousey would be the PERFECT star.

Of course, Viv starred in the original flick as Copperhead -- one of the infamous Deadly Viper Assassination Squad members targeted by Uma Thurman's character, Black Mamba.

So, when she heard Ronda was campaigning to play Uma's daughter if Quentin Tarantino decides to make 'KB3' -- Fox LOVED the idea.

"I love Ronda Rousey," Fox said ... "So, you come join the 'Kill Bill' franchise, 'cause we love kick-butt chicks and it's excellent casting for you to play Uma's daughter."

"And you can fight my daughter! And then Uma can be in the background talking about throwing blows on it. All right, I think that's excellent casting."

Fun Fact: 'Hunger Games' star Amandla Stenberg has already thrown her hat in the ring to play Viv's daughter!

There is one pretty big hurdle ... Quentin isn't working on part 3 and hasn't announced any plans to do so in the near future.

Can you spot the $30 BILLION man in this crazy video?

Salma Hayek can't -- because the paparazzi went so crazy for the actress and her daughter outside of Madeo, she lost her insanely rich fashion mogul hubby in the madness!!

FYI, Salma's married to Francois-Henri Pinault -- whose family is worth around $30 BIL, according to Forbes. The Pinaults own some of the biggest high-end fashion companies in the world, including Gucci and Alexander McQueen. He married Salma in 2009.

The gang went out for a family meal Tuesday night -- and Salma's daughter, Valentina, was a natural in front of the snappers ... busting out crazy poses while her famous mama joined in!

Fun Fact: Valentina is 10 years old ... meaning it's been a decade since Salma shared her new mom superpowers to breastfeed a baby in Sierra Leone after the kid's mom ran out of milk.

As for Pinault -- don't worry, he eventually found his way back to Salma (lucky him).

11:13 AM PT -- We've obtained the 911 calls from the incident ... and Tarver can be heard asking to have Aziya escorted off his property before the alleged scuffle breaks out.

A neighbor also called 911, saying Aziya showed up on her doorstep with a bloody face ... claiming Tarver punched him in the mouth.

Ex-boxing superstar Antonio Tarver was arrested Monday for domestic battery -- after allegedly punching his 18-year-old stepson in the face multiple times, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to the police report, cops responded to a home in Florida on Monday around 4:45 PM -- after 18-year-old Aziya Taylor called 911.

When cops arrived, they say Taylor was bleeding from his mouth -- and said he had been attacked by Tarver, who he identified as his "stepfather."

Aziya told police the altercation with Tarver began earlier that day when they went to breakfast at Waffle House, but Aziya didn't have enough cash to cover the meal.

When they got back to the house, Aziya said Tarver "bum-rushed" him and struck him in the face.

Aziya says Tarver punched him again and then threw him into the garage and locked the door. Aziya says he escaped and called police.

Cops also spoke with Tarver -- who acknowledged an altercation with Aziya but denied punching him -- instead he says the guy busted his lip when he "tripped and fell" during the tussle.

Ultimately, cops didn't buy Antonio's story -- and arrested him for domestic battery.

The 49-year-old was booked Monday around 7 PM and spent the night in jail. He was released around 7 PM the next day.

According to his booking sheet, Tarver is 6'2" and 225 lbs. Bond was set at $1,000.

Tarver has had a history with the law -- he was arrested back in 2014 stemming from an unpaid gambling debt at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel and casino.

Tarver was a stud boxer back in the day -- winning multiple belts and chalking up impressive victories over stars like Roy Jones Jr.

Topher Grace is getting an ominous warning about his KKK role in the new movie, "BlacKkKlansman," and it's serious enough he's had to get police involved ... TMZ has learned.

Topher got a phone call from someone who called him a gay slur, and warned his role was going to ruin race relations in America ... according to our law enforcement sources. If you haven't seen the movie, Topher plays former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke.

We're told Topher described the caller as angry and aggressive. It's unclear how the person tracked down the actor's personal cell phone number.

Chadwick Boseman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt crossed comic book lines for a little POW wow while chowing down ... superhero costumes, sadly, not included.

The Black Panther and Robin grabbed a bite to eat Monday afternoon in L.A. and, judging by the huge grins on their mugs ... it hit the spot. We're guessing they didn't compare Marvel and DC box office numbers. Let's be honest, Joseph wouldn't be smiling if that was the case.