Movies

Macaulay Culkin wants to make another big splash in Hollywood -- and he's shamelessly, and publicly, lobbying J.K. Rowling to help him do it.

The 38-year-old 'Home Alone' star tweeted the 'Harry Potter' author asking her to write him a role in the next movie in the 'Fantastic Beasts' series -- which is a prequel to the 'Potter' stories.

Macaulay's Hollywood game is still strong ... he starts with a suck-up of sorts, letting J.K. know he supports her casting an Asian woman to play Nagini ... Voldemort's snakey sidekick -- a move that's drawn criticism from some. Then he goes for the kill ... "Also, can you write me into the next movie? I'm Macaulay Culkin (From Home Alone: The Movie) and I was also a Pagemaster (experience in magic) ..."

J.K. has yet to respond, but Macaulay is not sitting around waiting. He's proactively also reached out to Dan Fogler, who plays Jacob Kowalski in the 'FB' series.

Sorry, Val Kilmer ... this town ain't big enough for 2 tumbleweed sculptors ... according to the artist who's suing the actor for copycatting his artwork.

The artist, Bale Creek Allen, thinks Val is smoking some serious tumbleweed if he believes he came up with the inspiration for his $150,000 "Tumbleweed" piece by himself. In his lawsuit, Bale says Val is passing off the high-priced art as his own idea, when it's clearly Bale's inspiration and idea.

Bale says he's been creating and selling golden tumbleweed sculptures for years ... and Val cut in on his action AFTER visiting Bale's New Mexico gallery and asking loads of questions about his methods.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Val was super interested in Bale's 3-D tumbleweeds ... until it was time to buy, and that's when Val told him he couldn't afford one!

Bale claims he has a copyright for the tumbleweed sculptures, and he never gave Val permission to make replicas. He's suing for damages and wants Val to be barred from whipping up anymore tumbleweeds.

Ben Affleck's not done with rehab yet, but he's still squeezing in studio meetings ... 'cause a guy's gotta make a living.

Ben was spotted heading into a Warner Bros. office Wednesday, and looked like a man who means business. In Hollywood, that means script-in-hand and that appears to be the case here. There's a report Ben completed rehab treatment in Malibu, but our sources say nothing's further from the truth.

We're told Ben's still getting treatment and -- much like when he took a workout break earlier this month -- the famed actor took a break to attend this meeting as well. We're told he's doing well with treatment.

Ex-boxing champ Victor Ortiz -- who appeared on "Dancing With the Stars" -- has been charged with 3 counts of felony sexual assault, including rape ... officials say.

The 31-year-old -- who also had roles in 'Expendables 3' and "Southpaw" -- surrendered to authorities in Oxnard, CA on Tuesday.

According to court records, the alleged incident took place inside of a home in Oxnard on March 19. The female accuser contacted police that same day and filed a report accusing Ortiz of sexual assault.

The Ventura County District Attorney's Office has charged the boxer with 3 felony counts -- forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and forcible digital penetration.

He was booked, posed for a mug shot, and bail was set at $100,000.

Ortiz is slated to fight Sunday night in Ontario -- but we're guessing that will likely be called off very soon.

We're assuming Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, Muggsy Bogues and Shawn Bradley won't be back for LeBron's "Space Jam 2" ... so the movie is gonna need some new Monstars.

And, NBA Hall Of Famer Ray Allen is gonna tell us who they should be.

If you remember, the Monstars were the alien race that sucked the talent out of those NBA stars, then used their skills to try to beat Michael Jordan, Bugs Bunny, and Bill Murray in a hoops game for the fate of the world.

We got Ray Allen out in NYC and wanted to know who the NEW Monstars starting five should be ... now that Jordan is out, and LeBron is in.

Tyler Perry is the boss you've always wanted, but never had ... because we've learned he gifted a house to the mother of a woman he worked with nearly 20 years ago!!!

Tyler dropped $350,000 on a home in Georgia … and gave it to the ailing mother of LaShun Pace, who worked alongside Tyler on a play all the way back in 1999.

Tyler stays in touch with a lot of his actors ... but this heartwarming story takes the cake. Watch the video and make sure you have a box of tissues nearby.

Tyler and LaShun stayed in touch ever since they worked on a play Perry wrote and co-produced two decades ago ... and his connection to the Pace family runs deep.

LaShun's family makes up a Gospel group (you hear them in the vid), and Tyler put one of their songs in "Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion."

So, when Tyler learned Bettie Pace had fallen ill and her dying wish was to own a home big enough for her large family ... he stepped up and bought a property close to where the Paces were born and raised in Atlanta.

Jesse Williams drew some major criticism after promoting his new Emmett Till film with memes that incorporated Nike's new campaign with Colin Kaepernick ... and it was so harsh, he pulled the pics.

News broke Monday that Jesse was tapped to direct a new film about Emmett's mother, Mamie Till. The film follows Mamie's fight for justice after her 14-year-old son was murdered in the South for allegedly whistling at a white woman. Jesse promoted the project by posting the pics below ...

The bunch of photos featured both Emmett, Mamie and others involved in the outcry following his death with Nike's new Kaep-led tagline, "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything." He also teased his new flick with "TiLL Coming Soon."

A lot of people were not amused by Jesse trying to conflate the two subjects, and he was quickly hit with a wave of backlash. Jesse then removed all but one meme he'd posted ... the one of Emmett's uncle pointing out the white men who killed him in court.

Jesse has been hailed as a modern day civil rights hero and was even given the Humanitarian Award by BET two years ago ... where he delivered a powerful speech about police brutality in America.

LeBron James says his move to join the Lakers was strictly a basketball decision -- and had NOTHING to do with his budding Hollywood career.

... so, you believe him?

King James just spoke with reporters at Lakers Media Day where he was decked out in his full #23 Purple and Gold uniform.

During the Q&A session with reporters, he was asked if he ultimately picked the Lakers over other (better) teams so he could be closer to Warner Bros Studio ... where he has a major development deal.

Remember, LeBron has movies coming out -- "Space Jam 2" and a new "House Party" flick -- and is working on other TV shows and a "Shut Up and Dribble" documentary narrated by Jemele Hill.

But, Bron says he's a ballplayer first -- and joined the Lakers because he felt it was the right fit for him on the court ... even though they sucked last season.

Asia Argento is breaking her silence on Anthony Bourdain's suicide … saying his death left a hole that can’t be filled, and anger was the only thing that kept her from taking her own life.

Tears streamed down Asia's face as she revealed her initial reaction to her boyfriend's death was anger. Anger because she felt he was "abandoning me, my kids."

Asia also told DailyMailTV -- in her first interview since Bourdain’s death -- her anger has now been replaced by an emotional hole that cannot be filled by anything.

Interestingly, Asia's initial interview -- which airs Monday and Tuesday -- comes just as CNN begins running the final 5 episodes of Anthony's hit show, 'Parts Unknown.'

What she says is also interesting because she had posted a cryptic message in the hours before Bourdain was found dead in a French hotel room. She was wearing a shirt that said, “F**K EVERYONE” and included the caption ... "You know who you are."

Asia's IG post led to speculation she got into an argument with Bourdain right before his suicide ... and there are rumors something happened that cut him to the core.

Jimmy Bennett walked right into a buzz saw when he sat down for an interview on Italian television ... getting skewered by the host over his claim he was sexually assaulted by Asia Argento ... and the central issue was ejaculation.

Jimmy was straight-up asked if he ejaculated during his sexual encounter with Asia, and the audience moaned when he answered yes ... suggesting someone who ejaculates must have enjoyed it, so it couldn't be rape.

The age of consent for sex in Italy is 14 ... and Jimmy was 17 when he had sex with Asia in a Marina del Rey, CA hotel room.

Just because Jimmy ejaculated doesn't mean Asia didn't take advantage of a minor. It's a crime in California for an adult to have sex with a person under 18 ... and Asia was 37 at the time.

Jimmy went on to describe his sexual encounter with Asia ... and the host said, "It's difficult to believe a woman can rape a man, an act of sex that is complete cannot be rape."

Jimmy was asked about the photo he took with Asia after they had sex. The interviewer says the pic looked like he enjoyed himself ... again missing the point about United States laws.

Tom Ford's got high standards ... so high, his $40 million crib isn't quite up to snuff, but that's about to change.

The famed designer bought this incredible estate in L.A.'s tony Holmby Hills hood nearly 2 years ago, and according to building permits obtained by TMZ ... it's getting a serious facelift.

Tom's upgrades include converting the porch into habitable space, turning an existing pool house into a guest house, remodeling the second floor and creating 2 rec rooms on the first floor.

Tom's also got plans to install an elevator and wheelchair lift and gate -- plus his tennis court getting renovated and the swimming pool will be plastered and remodeled.

The mansion once belonged to the heir to Bloomingdale's. When Tom bought the place in December 2016, it was already incredible -- 9 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, wood-paneled library, billiard's room and a caterer's kitchen with a staff dining room.

Arnold and Patrick Schwarzenegger went back to their roots Saturday to celebrate Patrick's 25th birthday in Munich, Germany.

The famous duo decided to mark the occasion at Oktoberfest. It was a long trip for Patrick, but not so much for Arnold. The former Governator has been in nearby Budapest, shooting the yet-untitled Terminator 6.

They went all out ... wearing standard Oktoberfest issue.

Arnold's girlfriend, Heather Milligan, was also on hand and appropriately dressed. Lest there be any doubt, it's pretty clear Arnold has fully recovered from his recent heart surgery.

Arnold tweeted:

Joaquin Phoenix keeps giving us a little more as The Joker -- this time he's in full costume as The Jester of Genocide ... and he's all smiles about it.

Check it out -- it's the first look at Phoenix in makeup on set as the notorious villain of Gotham City. The filming was going down inside an NYC subway station in Uptown, Manhattan. You see The Joker get off the train in a mask ... which he really didn't need.

As we reported ... Joaquin's "Joker" look was revealed Friday by Warner Bros. in a short promo, showing the transformation from Arthur Fleck to the Clown Prince.

But, even when he's just Arthur ... he's still pretty creepy.

This flick is an origin film about Batman's archenemy. Announced costars include Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Marc Maron and Bryan Callen. Martin Scorsese is producing and Todd Phillips is directing.

Hilary Duff had to repeatedly ask a man to stop stalking her all day trying to snap photos ... and the whole situation is very creepy.

Hilary just posted a video of herself asking the guy, who's sitting in his car, to stop following her around because it's making her "uncomfortable." The man replies saying he hasn't taken any photos -- which is actually creepier -- before driving away in a huff.

Duff claims the guy was at her son's soccer game Saturday morning, then followed her to her sister's house and basically parked in her driveway to take pics. She says he continued to follow her while she ran errands, and even after she recorded this video she says "he continues to follow and stalk me."

Hilary points out she's 9 months pregnant and battling the flu ... and this is not okay. She adds ... "When people say that’s what you get for signing up to be a celebrity it honestly makes me sick."

J.B. Smoove LOVES "Space Jam" ... and he's pulling out all the stops to get in the LeBron-led sequel -- showing off his best basketball alien impression!!!

We got the comedian leaving Craig's on Wednesday and he was adamant he'd be perfect for a spot in the new flick.

"LeBron, if I don't get a part in 'Space Jam,' I would lose my marbles, man!" Smoove says.

That's when Smoove reveals he'd be the PERFECT Monstar ... and we gotta say -- his E.T. moves are LEGIT.

And ... just in case LBJ isn't moved by those -- Smoove says he'd make for a great assistant coach too!

Joaquin Phoenix is gonna make you remember -- if you'd even forgot -- why clowns are so damn creepy ... by revealing the new big screen Joker.

Filming for "Joker" just got started this month and Warner Bros. just pulled back the curtain on Joaquin in full makeup. The studio dropped this time-lapse video of him getting into character.

This flick is an origin film about Batman's archenemy ... so we'll get a new, closer look at how Arthur Fleck became Gotham's clown prince of crime.

So far, Joaquin's announced costars include Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Marc Maron and Bryan Callen. Martin Scorsese is producing and Todd Phillips, of "The Hangover" fame, is directing.

It's scheduled to come out next October. Bring on the creepiness.