Movies

The ex-girlfriend of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" actor Shelley Malil -- who was convicted of attempted murder after stabbing her 23 times in a fit of rage in 2008 -- is shocked and terrified he's been granted parole ... and feels the system let her down.

Kendra Beebe tells TMZ ... the 3 men on the California parole board who decided Malil is good to return to society have made a terrible decision, and sent a clear message that they don't value women or their safety.

Beebe claims Malil is still telling lies about what happened the night of her attack -- in which he stabbed her with a broken wine glass and a kitchen knife and also tried to smother her with a pillow while her 2 kids slept upstairs -- which proves he's not really remorseful or safe.

Kendra believes Malil just pulled off a big acting job, and wholeheartedly disagrees with the parole board's assessment that he's a low risk for committing future violence.

Kendra tells us she's still living in fear because of her attack, and she's going to ask for Malil to wear a GPS device to monitor his activity -- she thinks it's the least they can do.

If you think you're excited about the inevitable sequel to "Crazy Rich Asians," you've got nothing on Singapore ... because its movie industry is poised to rake in a fortune from the next installment.

A rep for the Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority tells TMZ the first film was a huge boon to the nation's minuscule movie biz. Much of the flick -- which was shot on a relatively small $30 million budget -- was set in Singapore, and producers hired more than 300 local actors and crewmen to work on the flick.

Now -- after banking close to $100 million at the box office in just the first three weeks -- Warner Bros. is reportedly moving forward with a sequel likely based on the second book in author Kevin Kwan's trilogy, "China Rich Girlfriend." CRG will no doubt command a budget many times larger than the original ... meaning more actors, more crew and millions of more dollars for the Singaporeans involved in the film.

It may not mean much to Singapore's citizens as a whole -- the seventh wealthiest nation in the world -- but it's pretty good for the island nation's "industry" folks, who have reportedly supported a grand total of about 70 movies over the past twenty years.

Imagine a 6'6", 275-pound Super Bowl champ running around on a broomstick.

Thanks to Martellus Bennett, we now know exactly what that looks like ... and it's all in the name of QUIDDITCH!!!

The ex-NFL star teamed up with the Los Angeles Gambits to play the 'Harry Potter' sport for his new show, "Mostly Football," with Yahoo Sports and Complex (airing on September 6 at 4pm PT/7pm ET).

The show features the former NFL tight end trying his hand at various non-football sports including sumo wrestling while covering football with his own personal twist. It's good stuff.

TMZ Sports has a first look at the quidditch action ... and not only did Martellus get super into it, he might've forgotten he's not playing football anymore, 'cause he straight-up wrecked a dude while making a play.

Ice up, son!

And, for all you muggles out there who don't know how quidditch works ...

Gwyneth Paltrow isn't some stuck up Hollywood elitist, she's just like the rest of us ... 'cause she'd rather think about sex than listen to her friends' boring stories!!!

She's also hip to memes!!!

Gwyneth became an IG meme Wednesday, and her surprising response showed her funny -- and humble -- side. Seriously, who saw that coming???

The man behind the meme, Tucker Bellingrath aka @gaybestfriend, tells us he was SPEECHLESS when Gwyneth responded to his post, and he's glad she doesn't take herself too seriously.

It makes sense why Gwyneth's willingness to play along caught Tucker and everyone else by surprise. This is an Oscar-winning actress, for goodness sake!!!

Chris Pratt's the kinda G little homies wanna be like ... with a smoking' hot GF like Katherine Schwarzenegger, who's not afraid to get a little gangsta.

Chris and Katherine were out for date night Wednesday and hit up R+D Kitchen in Santa Monica. The couple rolled up on the restaurant in their casual best -- gym shorts, v-neck tee and ball cap for Chris ... and "spiritual gangsta" long sleeve tee for Kat.

They're clearly still in the puppy love stage ... sporting huge grins as they walked out after dinner. Last time we saw the love birds, they were riding ... Birds. Looks like they kept it on foot this time around.

Gwyneth Paltrow seems to know a quartz egg for your vagina just isn't for everyone -- so instead, she's Gooping up furniture, 'cause we all need an indoor swing chair, right?

Yeah, Gwyneth's caught a lot of crap over the years for her Goop lists -- plugging $250 Christian Louboutin shoes for babies and a $55 rose quartz vagina egg come to mind -- but now she's releasing a furniture line, and people mostly don't hate it.

Goop teamed with Crate & Barrel for the line of sofas, glassware, rugs, pillows and a lot of other stuff husbands will nod approvingly about when wives ask for their opinions.

The prices are reasonable too (thanks to C&B, we're guessing) -- the priciest item is a $1,999 pink sofa.

Danny Glover says he's got the perfect tune to sing at Aretha Franklin's funeral -- it's a gospel classic, but it doesn't appear to be one the Queen of Soul covered herself.

We got the "Lethal Weapon" star Wednesday at The Palm in Bev Hills and asked what should be performed Friday by the star-studded lineup -- which will feature Ariana Grande, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia, Faith Hill and others.

Danny's hoping to hear someone belt out a tune which served as both the lead single and title of the 1983 album "Peace Be Still" ... by gospel singer Vanessa Bell Armstrong.

It's been covered by lots of people but it doesn't appear Aretha ever recorded it for an album -- but some critics have described Vanessa's performance of it as Aretha-esque.

We're guessing the Queen's performed it live at some point in her illustrious career, especially because she got her start in gospel.

Speaking of that body of work, Danny says he's been playing Aretha radio nonstop since her death a couple weeks ago. Can't blame him -- some of the best music ever from the greatest voice.

Harvey Weinstein says Ashley Judd's playing a guessing game when it comes to why her career was derailed, and he insists she can't prove he blackballed her out of a huge role.

Weinstein filed docs asking the court to throw out the lawsuit Ashley filed against him earlier this year. In the docs, obtained by TMZ, he says her suit is based on a 2017 article where director Peter Jackson speculated Ashley wasn't hired for a 'Lord of the Rings' role due to Weinstein blackballing her.

In her suit, Ashley said the blackballing was the direct result of her rejecting Weinstein's sexually aggressive moves in a hotel room.

In his motion to dismiss, Weinstein says her whole case is based on speculation -- Jackson's and hers -- and she has no evidence the alleged blackballing is why she even lost the role. In fact, he says Ashley made no effort, at the time, to find out why she didn't get the part.

Who says guys in their 40's and 50's can't throw down?

Check out Leo DiCaprio, Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx getting super competitive Saturday during a volleyball match by the beach in Malibu.

Leo has spent his summer in the Bu, hangin' out on the sand and finding anyone -- with the right pedigree, of course -- to play V-ball with him.

The pairing was interesting ... Leo and Jamie vs. Butler and friend.

Lots of celebs hung with Leo, including his best friend Tobey Maguire and his new GF, model Tatiana Dieteman. Tobey and Tatiana played a fierce game of cornhole.

Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard have all roamed this land with the dinosaurs, but now it's in danger of being ravaged by Mother Nature ... so everyone's gotta get the hell out.

The Kualoa Ranch in Oahu, Hawaii -- a famous filming location known for "Jurassic Park" and "Jurassic World" -- has canceled all of its tours and closed its facilities as the island prepares to take a possible direct hit from Hurricane Lane.

The category 3 storm already dumped a ton of rain on Hawaii's Big Island Thursday, and is threatening to become the first hurricane to make landfall on the state since 1992 when Hurricane Iniki struck ... and interrupted filming of 'JP'!

Even if Hurricane Lane doesn't make landfall, residents are still being warned of life-threatening conditions, such as treacherous winds, flash floods and possible mudslides.

TV shows, like "Hawaii Five-0" and "Magnum P.I.," that film on the island have shut down production for safety purposes as well.

Along with being well-known for the 'Jurassic' movies, Kualoa has also been featured in films like "Godzilla," "50 First Dates," "You, Me and Dupree," "Mighty Joe Young" and some of Elvis Presley's 1960s classics.

Ben Affleck wanted to get back on the sober train -- badly -- days before his estranged wife staged an intervention and drove him to a rehab facility ... TMZ has learned.

Turns out, Ben had been attending wellness classes at a Los Angeles wellness center as recently as a week before checking into a live-in facility.

The center specializes in "Buddhist ethics" ... meaning meditation with a focus on a healthy body, mind and spirit. Our sources say Ben went on his own accord several times last week ... well aware he had fallen off the wagon and into a downward spiral.

We broke the story ... Ben's estranged wife, Jennifer Garner, staged an intervention Wednesday at his Pacific Palisades home and drove him to an L.A. County rehab facility where he will live for at least 30 days. We're told Ben didn't need much convincing because he knew he was in desperate straits.

We're told the trigger for Jen was on Monday, when she saw this pic (below) of Ben accepting delivery of a box full of beer and hard liquor.

The actor has been open about his struggles with sobriety over the years. After Ben completed his second stint at a rehab facility last year, he said, "I want to live life to the fullest and be the best father I can be. I want my kids to know there is no shame in getting help when you need it, and to be a source of strength for anyone out there who needs help but is afraid to take the first step."

He continued, "I'm lucky to have the love of my family and friends, including my co-parent, Jen, who has supported me and cared for our kids as I've done the work I set out to do."

Here's the reality ... most addicts relapse. It doesn't mean they can't eventually stay sober, but it's a long, difficult road and falling off the wagon is not necessarily game over. The most important thing ... it's clear Ben realized he had a problem and sought help, even before Jen staged the intervention.

The man accusing Asia Argento of sexual misconduct when he was 17 years old says he chose to keep the event private because he was afraid and ashamed to have his story heard.

In a statement to The New York Times, Jimmy Bennett says, "I did not initially speak out about my story because I chose to handle it in private with the person who wronged me. My trauma resurfaced as she came out as a victim herself. I have not made a public statement in the past days and hours because I was ashamed and afraid to be part of the public narrative."

He continues, "At the time I believed there was still a stigma to being in the situation as a male in our society. I didn't think that people would understand the event that took place from the eyes of a teenage boy. I would like to move past this event in my life, and today I choose to move forward, no longer in silence."

We broke the story ... a photo of Argento and Bennett in bed together -- shirtless -- suggests the 2 had a sexual relationship, along with several text messages between Asia and a friend in which she flat-out admits she had sex with him.

The bed photo is one of 4 that Bennett, now 22 years old, took in a Marina del Rey hotel room back in 2013. Sources tell us the pic was taken after the 2 had intercourse. It's a crime in California for an adult to have sex with a person under 18 ... and Asia was 37 at the time.

However, Argento released a statement Tuesday saying, "I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett" ... but claims Bennett was litigious and made exorbitant money demands, so she settled with him for $380,000.

Her boyfriend, Anthony Bourdain, paid Bennett the money because Asia says they wanted to "no longer suffer any further intrusions in our life."

In the text messages to her friend, though ... Asia admits to sex with Bennett but claims she didn't know he was a minor until he sent a "shakedown letter." She adds ... "it wasn't raped (sic) but I was frozen. He was on top of me. After, he told me I had been his sexual fantasy since was 12."

Kevin Spacey is the target of yet another sexual assault case in Los Angeles.

A rep for the L.A. County District Attorney's Office tells us they received a sexual assault case Tuesday from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department. It's currently unclear when the alleged event happened or details surrounding it.

TMZ broke the story earlier this year ... Spacey was under investigation in L.A. for another incident that allegedly happened in October 1992. The alleged incident involved an adult male. The case was ultimately rejected because the statute of limitations had expired.

Spacey's "Billionaire Boys Club" opened to a reported $618 over the weekend ... a career low for the actor.

Asia Argento says she did not have sex with then 17-year-old Jimmy Bennett, but a photo and various text messages between Argento and a friend tell a very different story ... she flat-out says she had sex with him.

This is one of 4 photos Bennett, now 22, took in a Marina del Rey hotel room back in 2013. The then 37-year-old Argento and Bennett are on a bed shirtless, their heads on a pillow and their arms entangled. Sources tell TMZ the pic was taken after the 2 had intercourse. It's a crime in California for an adult to have sex with a person under 18.

Bennett later threatened legal action and, in April, Argento settled with him for $380,000 ... which her boyfriend, Anthony Bourdain, paid.

Argento released a statement Tuesday, saying, "I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett."

Above are partial text exchanges between Argento and one of her friends. Argento and the friend went back and forth in the midst of the backlash from the New York Times story that ran Sunday about her and Bennett. Argento's messages are in grey ... her friend's are in blue.

Argento says Bennett wrote this note (above) on Ritz-Carlton stationary -- the hotel where they hooked up -- and said, "Asia, I love you with all my heart. So glad we met again and I'm so glad your in my life. Jimmy." She texts her friend the note, saying, "He wrote me this afterwards and kept sending me unsolicited nudes all these years up until 2 weeks before the attorneys letter.

She goes on to say ... "it wasn't raped (sic) but I was frozen. He was on top of me. After, he told me I had been his sexual fantasy since was 12."

Argento has accused Harvey Weinstein of rape and is one of the first women to come forward in the #MeToo movement. Weinstein's lawyer, Ben Brafman, lashed out earlier in the week, saying, "This development reveals a stunning level of hypocrisy by Asia Argento, one of the most vocal catalysts who sought to destroy Harvey Weinstein."

As we reported, the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. is reaching out to Bennett to determine if a criminal investigation is warranted.