Movies

A huge collection of Betty White's personal items are going up for auction, with pieces spanning over her 8-decade career.

The items are going on the block in September, courtesy of Julien's Auctions in Bev Hills, and the treasure trove includes signed scripts, wedding bands and her popular outfits.

The collection will be displayed in various countries around the world before ending up at Julien's ... countries like Chile and Ireland. The collection will also make its way aboard the Queen Mary 2's Transatlantic Voyage.

The auction house says, "We are honored to work with her Estate in this exclusive presentation of these precious artifacts and personal mementos from her storied life and career which will be offered for the first time at auction to the public, museum curators and her legions of fans worldwide."

Mark Wahlberg is getting out of Beverly Hills -- his massive estate there just hit the market ... and he is going to turn a HUGE profit considering what he first paid for it way back when.

The actor has listed his BH compound -- which includes a main mega-mansion with 12 bedrooms and 20 baths, plus a separate guest house -- for a whopping $87.5 million ... he first bought the land in 2009 for $8.25 mil and spent years building the home.

Overall, it's 30,500 square feet of living space ... covered in European limestone.

No matter what amount Mark settles for, he's obviously coming up big in the black ... we're talking tens of millions of dollars based on nothing but good old-fashioned real estate appreciation. Not bad!

As for the property itself ... it's literally Los Angeles luxury defined. It's got a full-blown library/study room, a waterfall pool, a grotto, tennis court, basketball court, a private spa, a 5,000-bottle wine cellar, a fully-equipped gym, a movie screening room -- and even separate quarters for any hired help, plus a media entry space!

There are other amenities that you should see for yourself ... seriously, this place rocks.

Like we said ... Mark's been soaking in this palace for well over a decade. Now, he seems ready to move -- because it's for sale and up for grabs. Whoever the new owner will be is someone that's gotta have deep pockets ... because this purchase is no walk in the park.

The house is listed by mega-realtor Kurt Rappaport.

Music legend Bobby Rydell, one of the first teen idols back in the 1960s, is dead.

Bobby, whose famous songs include "Volare" and "Wild One," died Tuesday. A person close to Bobby tells us he had some health issues over the last few months and was recently diagnosed with pneumonia ... which is believed to be the cause of death. We're told it was not COVID-related.

Bobby was a central part of the Philadelphia dynasty in music ... so big, streets were named after him. Paul McCartney famously said Bobby's hit, "Swinging School," served as the inspiration behind The Beatles' early mega-hit, "She Loves You."

Bobby toured as part of The Golden Boys stage production with Frankie Avalon and Fabian, and he was easily the most talented singer among the trio of teen idols.

While Bobby's mostly known for his music, he was also a talented actor ... starring on TV, stage and film, most notably a role in the movie version of "Bye Bye Birdie" with Ann-Margret and Dick Van Dyke.

There's even a nod to Bobby in the Broadway and film version of "Grease" ... the high school, "Rydell High," was named after him.

Bobby sold over 25 million records ... and his other hits include "Kissin' Time, "Sway," "I've Got Bonnie," "The Cha-Cha-Cha" and "Forget Him."

He was 79.

Shaun Weiss is back and better ... and now he'll be returning to the big screen ... 'cause the dude's just landed a role in a movie.

The 'Mighty Ducks' star tells TMZ ... he'll be in the film, "Jesus Revolution," starring Kelsey Grammer -- based on the true story of Lonnie Frisbee and the hippies he baptized in the '70s -- and the role is reflective of his own life.

Shaun tells us, someone from Lionsgate actually saw his sobriety story and wanted to offer him the role. He did a read for a director via zoom, and voila!

We're told, he plays a strung-out Vietnam vet who gets saved and sobers up. And, he's really gotten into the role ... even asking his dentist if he could temporarily take out the implants he just got, to look the part.

Well, that wasn't possible but, either way, Shaun says the role has taken him back to his own life and being drugged out ... so much so, he says, playing the role is almost like experiencing a relapse.

As we previously reported, Shaun has struggled with drug addiction for many years ... even losing most of his teeth from drug abuse. He's since turned his life around, gotten a new set of pearly whites and has been sober for 2 years!

Talk about a comeback ...

Musician and American actress Fairuza Balk was just 23 years old when she played Vicki Vallencourt - the girlfriend who's a ride or die for her 'geek' of a boyfriend -- in the 1998 football film "The Waterboy."

Balk was cast alongside some of the greats including Adam Sandler as momma's boy and H20 enthusiast turned all-star player, Bobby Boucher, Kathy Bates as Bobby Boucher's overprotective mother, Mama Boucher, Rob Schneider as the annoying yet supportive "you can do it" character, Townie and Henry Winkler as the convincing coach, Coach Klein.

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson's relationship continues to grow ... in fact, it's spreading to other parts of Pete's family now too!

Sources connected to Pete tell us Kim recently joined him on a trip to NYC. We're told Pete was there working on a movie -- so Kim came to check things out -- and the production happened to be close to Pete's grandparents' home on Staten Island.

After the shoot wrapped for the day, Kim and Pete dropped in to spend some time with his family ... and Kim got to officially meet his grandparents.

Of course, the meeting shouldn't be all that surprising -- the two have been together for several months now -- but bringing the family into the mix is always a big step.

We also know Pete's become more than familiar with Kim's family -- including her mom and sisters -- one of the first pics we saw of the pair together was snapped at Kris' home in SoCal with the Kardashian family matriarch and Flavor Flav.

Pete's also been openly accepted by Kim's closest circle of friends, who have all told us he's a great guy and a good addition to Kim's life.

Our sources say Pete has still not met Kim's kids, out of respect for Kanye, so it will be interesting to see if that changes down the line.

Estelle Harris, who brilliantly played George Costanza's mom, has died.

Estelle passed away Saturday at her home in Palm Desert, CA, just outside of Palm Springs.  Her son Glen says she died from natural causes, adding, "It is with the greatest remorse and sadness to announce that Estelle Harris has passed on this evening at 6:25."

Glen went on to say, "Her kindness, passion, sensitivity, humor, empathy, and love were practically unrivaled, and she will be terribly missed by all those who knew her."

Estelle played a loud, opinionated and confrontational mom who was quick to take on her hubby and George at the drop of a hat. Short story ... she was hysterical!

And, speaking of story ... Estelle played Mrs. Potato Head in the 3 most recent 'Toy Story' flicks. There's a lot more to her CV ... "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody," "Tarzan II," "The Pinocchio Shop," and tons of other voiceover work.

Estelle was a New Yorker by birth and got her big break on "Night Court."

She was married to Sy Harris from 1953 to 2021, when he died. She's survived by 3 kids -- Eric, Glen and Taryn, as well as 3 grandsons and a great-grandson.

Estelle was 93.

RIP

Actress Rosanna Arquette wrecked her car by crashing into the back of a UPS truck ... an accident that left her in real distress, according to law enforcement and witnesses.

We're told the 62-year-old was behind the wheel of her Tesla Tuesday at the Palisades Village shopping center in L.A. Witnesses say her car was parked about 10 feet behind the truck when it suddenly plowed into the back of the vehicle, causing her airbags to deploy.

Eyewitnesses say she got out of the car completely distraught, grabbing her hair while talking to passersby. We're told cops arrived on scene, but police declined to take a report and just helped the parties exchange info.

Rosanna was eventually driven away by estranged husband Todd Morgan, who arrived shortly after the crash. Witnesses say her Tesla was towed away and the UPS employee was able to continue their route with the truck.

As we reported, Morgan filed for divorce from Rosanna last month after 9 years of marriage. Todd, an investment banker, cited "irreconcilable differences.". Looks like he's still got her back though ... especially in times of stress.

Will Smith tried cleaning up his Oscars moment, but it may not be enough for some studios who've got projects planned with him ... as his career seems to be getting halted, for now.

THR reports that at least a couple films of his (as an actor) that were supposed to be in the works are, for the time being, getting kicked to the back burner at both Netflix and Sony -- with the former quietly pivoting away from firing up production on "Fast and Loose," and the latter hitting pause on getting things going for "Bad Boys 4," per sources cited by the outlet.

For "Fast and Loose," Will is set to play the head of a criminal organization who suffers memory loss and has to put the pieces of his empire back together. Director David Leitch was originally attached, but he stepped away a week before the Oscars last week ... and Netflix was reportedly scrambling to find a replacement -- that is, until Will hit Chris Rock.

THR says other projects of Will's may also be put on ice, which presumably means other Netflix movies he's been attached to as well -- including "The Council" and "Bright 2."

On the Sony side of things, they've reportedly put production of his next 'Bad Boys' sequel on hold indefinitely too -- this after Will had apparently received 40 pages of the script recently, with the movie chugging along full steam ahead pre-Oscars.

There are other Sony-tied films of his (either as a producer or actor) that might see the same fate -- including a 'Hancock' sequel and a 'Karate Kid' sequel. He's got a production company now ... so beyond just starring in films, he's heavily involved in making them lately.

One film of Will's that's got movie watchers anxiously waiting on is his forthcoming Apple offering "Emancipation" -- which is in the can at this point, and due to be released this year. Apple has yet announce an official release date -- so it's unclear what they're going to do.

The movie has gotten a lot of buzz, and was expected to possibly earn Smith yet another Oscar -- as he plays a runaway slave from a Louisiana plantation, portraying the man who infamously posed for a photo in which he shows off the many scars on his back.

As the Will Smith-Chris Rock feud simmers down, so too has another long-standing beef in Hollywood -- namely, the one between Mo'Nique and Lee Daniels ... which is awesome.

The two stars officially buried the hatchet Friday night at the Mo'Nique's comedy show in Staten Island, where she brought out Daniels as a surprise guest ... and even more surprising tender moment between them, where they put their problems to bed, at long last.

Somebody filmed a portion of their reconciliation on stage, and LD uttered moving words ... "I am so sorry for hurting you in any way that I did," which made Mo'Nique tear up.

Daniels went on to say that they were best friends before their very public falling out -- and that them working on "Precious" together, for which Mo'Nique won an Oscar, was God working through them ... while also saying they were going to do it again, before embracing.

BTW, he's not kidding there -- Mo'Nique was cast to replace Octavia Spencer in Daniels' new Netflix film "Demon House" ... so it would seem her problems with them are also resolved.

Both Lee and Mo'Nique also posted the same photo of them hugging and kissing backstage, with each of them saying that no caption was needed -- and that it was all love now.

Unclear what exactly precipitated this come-to-Jesus moment, but all we can say is ... thank goodness, because their fight has been one of the ugliest back and forths in Hollywood in a very long time -- and it's absolutely fantastic to see they've set their differences aside.

A refresher ... this started in the aftermath of "Precious" winning big at the Oscars in 2010, with Mo'Nique claiming Lee, Oprah and Tyler Perry bad-mouthed her, allegedly saying she was difficult ... this after she refused to do extra press for the flick without more compensation.

In light of that, Mo'Nique firmly believed it got her blackballed from the biz. Now, we've spoken to Mo'Nique at length about this throughout the years, and she not only doubled down ... but tripled down time and again about what she thought had happened.

Lee himself refuted her characterization in very strong terms -- saying it was she who blackballed herself for the nonstop finger-pointing. Even Steve Harvey echoed that.

Like we said ... really venomous stuff. Which is why it's so great to see they've mended fences and are now teaming up again for what sounds like an awesome movie.

Denzel Washington says he immediately turned to God after the Chris Rock Oscars slap -- which is, in part, why he invoked the wicked one when chatting with Will Smith.

The legendary actor explained what he meant Saturday when he told Smith, "At your highest moment, be careful, that's when the devil comes for you." It was during a leadership summit with author and pastor T.D. Jakes, in which DW had been invited to speak on his faith.

Per reports, the topic of the Oscars was obviously brought up -- with Jakes saying it was like Denzel had waded into WWII ... to which he responded by saying, it was totally necessary.

Denzel is quoted with this ... "There's a saying: When the devil ignores you, then you know you're doing something wrong. The devil goes, 'Oh, no, leave him alone. He's my favorite.'"

He adds, "Conversely, when the devil comes at you, maybe it's because you're trying to do something right. And for whatever reason, the devil got ahold of him that night." Denzel also explains others were quick to step in and attend to Will too -- whom he apparently felt was in need of spiritual counseling -- including Tyler Perry ... who prayed with them both.

Denzel declined to disclose what exactly was said among the trio, but he did say this ... "There but for the grace of God, go any of us. Who are we to condemn? I don't know all the ins and outs of the situation, but I know the only solution was prayer."

Later in the panel interview, Denzel is reported to have talked about the idea of just sitting this one out -- to which he said ... no way, not on my watch.

DW described the moment right afterward, "I couldn't have sat in my seat. No way I could have sat in my seat. That's just not who I am." This was evident right away, because Denzel was photographed getting in between Chris and Will in the immediate aftermath.

As you may have guessed by now, Denzel is very religious ... often referencing his Christian faith -- and it seems it came in handy on Sunday, especially since Will shouted him out during his acceptance speech, when he was in tears kinda apologizing and kinda not.

Will Smith stole the Oscars spotlight away from "CODA," the Best Picture winner and, in the process, he tarnished a major milestone in the deaf community ... so says the Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness.

Dr. Patricia Hughes tells TMZ ... deaf people have been overlooked for so long, and their moment on a huge platform like the Academy Awards came and passed too quickly. Instead of people talking about the historic victory for "CODA," the majority of buzz was about Will slapping Chris Rock.

She thinks we should be focusing on the impactful moment for the hearing-impaired ... especially the heartfelt acceptance speech that gave the filmmakers a unique opportunity to appreciate the hearing-impaired.

Dr. Hughes says both of her children serve as her CODA -- child of deaf adult -- and the movie shows their community as a culture, something that doesn't happen often. The film also serves an educational purpose, teaching how kids can help deaf adults, and how deaf and non-deaf people can coexist.

Dr. Hughes would like to see more discussion in society about those issues moving forward -- something that could have been sparked by the film's big moment at the Oscars ... if not for Will.

Bruce Willis is educating the world about aphasia by opening up a discussion that wasn't there before ...  according to organizations that support the cause.

The National Aphasia Association saw an unexpected 30,000 hits on their website just one hour after the Willis family broke the news on Instagram ... so says Darlene Williamson, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors.

The goal of NAA is to make those with aphasia feel accepted in the community, and Bruce's family's announcement is decreasing the stigma behind the disease. Darlene says they've received several modest donations since the news of Bruce's diagnosis ... some of the donations came with personal notes in Bruce's honor.

Justine Knight, the Executive Director at Triangle Aphasia Project Unlimited, tells us one of the worst things those with the disease could do is stay isolated ... but now, people are opening up about their experiences after seeing a celebrity in the same position as them.

Justine says they've seen a recent uptick in visitors online too with their Facebook page reaching over 4,000 users a day -- compared to less than 100 before Bruce's news broke.

Will Smith has resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after slapping Chris Rock ... TMZ has confirmed.

Will wrote the following to the Academy's disciplinary committee ... "I will fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct. My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable."

He goes on ... "The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home. I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken."

And, there's more ... “I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film. So, I am resigning from membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and will accept any further consequences the board deems appropriate."

He concludes by saying ... “Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason.”

The Academy is expected to hand down its disciplinary decision in a few weeks.

Chris Rock might have a lot going on right now, but that hasn't stopped him from takin' a trip to the movies to watch a flick.

Chris showed up by himself Thursday at the AMC Boston Common in MA -- the day after his first standup show since the Oscars. Chris got some popcorn, a hotdog and a water bottle to fortify him as he watched a film ... sorry, we don't know which one, though we're guessing it wasn't "King Richard."

The other dude in the pic -- Gerard Cole -- asked Chris for the photo, and Chris happily obliged.

As we reported, Thursday night was Chris' 2nd show at the Wilbur Theater in Boston ... fans were more rowdy than usual, with several getting kicked out. Some even shouted "F*** Will Smith," which Chris shut down right away.

"Anchorman" star David Koechner has been charged with DUI and hit-and-run ... following his arrest on New Year's Eve that had him ringing in the new year behind bars.

The Ventura County DA's office tells us ... they've charged the actor with one count of DUI and one count of hit-and-run -- both charges are misdemeanors.

We're told Koechner's case is due in court in a few weeks, and each count carries a possible penalty of up to 6 months behind bars. The reality ... first-time offenders almost never do time, so he'll almost certainly get probation and a mandatory alcohol ed course.

As we reported  ... police were tipped off after they got a call that an erratic driver allegedly hit a street sign with his car. Cops found him and say he failed the field sobriety test. He was arrested and booked into the Ventura County Jail.