Movies

Johnny Depp wants total victory over Amber Heard, and he's just filed an appeal trying to get it ... claiming the jury got it wrong when it ruled in favor of his ex-wife on a single count of defamation.

You'll recall, Johnny was the big winner, by far, when the jury came back in their landmark trial, saying Amber had defamed him and had to cough up $10.35 million dollars -- but it also ruled Amber was defamed, and awarded her $2 mil.

In docs filed Wednesday in the Virginia Court of Appeals, Johnny says the jury had erroneously ruled in favor of Amber ... when it said one of Johnny's attorneys, Adam Waldman, defamed Amber by telling a media outlet she had lied while describing a blowout fight that ended their marriage.

Waldman said, "So Amber and her friends spilled a little wine and roughed the place up, got their stories straight under the direction of a lawyer and publicist, and then placed a second call to 911."

In the appeal, Johnny makes the point that his lawyer said that, not him, and he shouldn't be held responsible for Waldman's remarks. He also says Amber's team failed to prove Waldman made those comments with malice ... a requirement to win a defamation claim.

Johnny wants the court to overturn the jury on that single count. Remember, Amber has also filed an appeal of the counts she lost.

So, scoreboard review: Amber's $10.35 mil check to Johnny is on hold and, likewise, his $2 mil check to her is on hold.

There's apparently a cocaine problem amongst employees working on a new Denzel Washington movie ... two caterers working on set were arrested after cops in Italy say they seized a bunch of coke following a man's death.

Italian paramilitary police say they seized 120 grams of cocaine during a Tuesday afternoon raid at a hotel on the Amalfi coast, near where Denzel and Dakota Fanning are filming "The Equalizer 3."

Cops say the drug bust was in response to the sudden death of the movie production's head of catering, a 55-year-old man who reportedly collapsed leaving a bar and died of a heart attack. Police say they found several bags of cocaine in the man's pockets, leading to suspicion of more drugs on the 'Equalizer' set.

A couple of catering workers from Italy were placed under house arrest on suspicion of drug dealing after cops say they seized cocaine from their hotel room during Tuesday's raid. They were reportedly detained by police away from the movie set.

And, get this ... a different caterer was allegedly in possession of a small amount of cocaine, reportedly for personal use.

Italian police say they also searched for drugs at a local port, which is serving as the main staging area for the movie Antoine Fuqua is directing ... but the sweep didn't turn up any cocaine.

Johnny Depp is a wanted man in just about every lane Hollywood has to offer these days, and he's about to make a guest appearance in a huge show -- orchestrated by Rihanna!

No, Depp won't be shredding his guitar with RiRi at the Super Bowl ... but production sources tell us he'll be a featured surprise guest in her Savage X Fenty Vol. 4 fashion show.

We're told JD won't be walking the runway, instead, he's going to be a focus of one of the show's "star" moments -- which has included the likes of Cindy Crawford and Erykah Badu in the past. Depp -- who will wear items from the men's collection -- will be the first male in Savage X Fenty show history to take the role.

Our sources say Rihanna and her team invited Johnny to be a part of it, and both sides were super excited to make it happen. We're told Johnny has already filmed his part, and it'll be included in the show's premiere on Amazon Prime Video November 9.

As for how Depp will look, we're told the vibe is "cool and chic" and works for all aspects of Johnny's artistry -- music, modeling and acting.

TMZ broke the story -- it was just a couple months ago when JD made his big return to TV after the Amber Heard trial, when he appeared as the Moon Person at the VMAs. One thing's for sure ... he's been welcomed back to A-list status with open arms.

If you've ever wanted to grab lunch with Paul Rudd, Zoom chat with Jason Sudeikis or go to work with Ben Stiller, here's your shot -- all those things are up for grabs, and all to our support veterans.

A ton of celebs are teaming up with Homes For Our Troops in honor of Veterans Day -- it's an annual online auction raising funds for injured vets, and this year's lineup is amazing.

A-list celebs like Whoopi Goldberg, Bryan Cranston and Jake Gyllenhaal are offering you a chance to link up for an online chat ... or maybe you'd prefer an in-person experience.

You could grab lunch in NYC with Rudd or Jake Tapper, or get a one-hour tennis lesson from Andy Roddick!

If memorabilia is more your thing ... bid on George Clooney's Omega luxury watch in an autographed case, Jennifer Aniston's designer Louis Vuitton bag and/or Kenny Chesney's autographed guitar. There's so much more you can peruse on their site.

The best part of this particular auction is 100% of proceeds go to Homes For Our Troops, which builds and donates custom homes for severely wounded post-9/11 veterans.

This is the 6th year of the Veterans Day Celebrity Auction -- bidding opens today and runs through November 13.

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson have moved on -- at least for the time being -- from being a couple ... and are not still in communication, despite some recent reports.

Sources close to the former pair tell us stories that Pete's been reaching out to Kim in light of Kanye's latest episodes are flat-out false. In fact, we're told the two have not seen each other or been in communication at all lately.

Our sources say Kim and Pete would remain friendly if they came face to face, there's no bad blood, but each has their own things going on right now ... Kim with her work and kids and Pete with various movie and TV projects.

As for whether or not the two will ever get back together as a couple -- we're told that scenario is "highly unlikely."

It was back in August when we reported Kim and Pete were calling it quits after dating for 9 months. During their relationship, we saw them date bi-coastal while Pete got closer to Kim's 4 kids, they attended big events together and shared cute pics through social media.

Kim has not been dating anyone, at least publicly, since the split ... and we're told her attention has fully been on her kids while Kanye West continues to fall from public favor after his antisemitic rants, dragging of George Floyd and his family as well as wearing a "White Lives Matter" shirt.

Most roosters only have eight toes, but this Rooster could end up with seven ... 'cause Miles Teller says he'd consider parting ways with an appendage in exchange for a Phillies World Series win!!

The 'Top Gun' actor and diehard Philly fan joined Guardians pitcher Triston McKenzie and Yankees outfielder Harrison Bader for a quick interview before the Phillies' huge Game 3 win over the Houston Astros ... and was asked what he'd be willing to do to secure his beloved team's third Fall Classic title.

"I feel like you don't need all your toes," Teller joked.

When McKenzie followed up and asked if he was talking about losing several piggies, or just one ... Teller explained his proposed sacrifice should be more than enough.

"Easy buddy, a toe is still important!! One toe is not enough?! Get out of here."

But, in case he doesn't want to walk with a limp for the rest of his life, Teller has another idea.

"Gallbladder, I heard you don't need that."

As for the game, Teller and the Phillies were losing their minds as their team whooped the 'Stros 7-0 ... especially after Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm's dingers.

The Phillies are now up 2-1 in the series ... which means just two more wins before Teller's gotta stick to his word!!

Disney and 2-time EGOT winner Robert Lopez are being taken to court by a songwriter that claims his 2001 track was stolen and used in "Frozen 2" ... and he allegedly came to the conclusion while in the theater with his kid.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, musician Daniel Grigson first heard the song "Some Things Never Change" while watching "Frozen 2" in theaters at the end of November 2019 ... and as the song was being performed, he says he got up out of his seat in shock.

The docs say the track's beat, rhythm, feel, theme, and words caught him off guard -- because Grigson claims it's basically IDENTICAL to his song, "That Girl," from decades ago.

Grigson says his eyes were wide open while standing in the theater -- once he sat back down with his head in his hands, he claims his 11-year-old daughter leaned over to him and said, "Dad, Disney took your song."

Grigson says he hired an analyst to compare the 2 tracks -- coming to the conclusion that not only do the songs sound alike, but both are also similar on a technical level.

Kylie Jenner dressed up as Elvira for Halloween -- and she's got the horror queen's stamp of approval, with one proviso.

Elvira tells TMZ ... "I didn’t get a heads up that Kylie was doing the costume, but she did the costume justice and it was very flattering." While it sounds like Elvira was digging the shout-out, she goes on to say an actual digital name-drop would've been appreciated.

She adds, "It would have been even more flattering if she tagged me."

Kylie threw up at least 4 different Instagram posts showing off her costume -- which was recreated to match Elvira's iconic look to a T. You can tell she respects the one and only, but as Elvira mentions ... Kylie never really connected the virtual dots for a notification.

She did tag the studio that shot these, and even gave herself a nickname ... "kyvira." Kylie got a lot of love in the comments, but it doesn't appear that Elvira herself said anything. It's also unclear if she officially "liked" any of Kylie's posts.

D.L. Hughley's got some strong words for Kanye West, and believes the only thing preventing Kanye from being in a conservatorship is his gender.

D.L. told his truth at LAX Monday, he thinks Kanye's gone off the rails, and believes his actions alone should be enough reason to put him in a conservatorship. The actor points out Britney Spears and Wendy Williams, saying if a woman was making the same claims as Kanye, she'd be put under court-ordered protection.

D.L. says he doesn't understand why Ye would compare himself to George Floyd or Emmett Till -- both things KW posted about over the weekend on Instagram, before getting silenced on the platform once again.

Kanye took to Parler, claiming he got a 30-day ban from IG after posting a text exchange between him and Russell Simmons ... one where he said he wants to "get the Jewish business people to make the contracts fair, or die trying."

FYI -- a spokesperson for Meta tells us they deleted content from Ye's account for violating their policies and put a restriction on his account. Restrictions can be placed when users repeatedly break the rules on the platform ... which can include an inability to post, comment and even send DMs.

Diddy's ultimate transformation into Heath Ledger's Joker this Halloween was so well done, his antics almost baited an actor into fighting him on the street!!!

The Bad Boy Records mogul was making his rounds in Los Angeles over the weekend ... when he almost came to blows with actor Michael J. Ferguson, who plays "2Bit" in 50 Cent's "Power" series.

You can see things get tense between the two, though it's unclear what the problem is. Michael is surrounded by plenty of Diddy's entourage, some of who are wearing the same clown masks as Joker's henchman from "The Dark Knight" ... but Michael doesn't back down.

Diddy cackles like a madman and it appears Michael doesn't recognize him, but challenges him to step. Finally, Diddy breaks character ... revealing his real voice ... causing Michael to laugh and the two men to embrace as cooler heads prevail.

Diddy invited Michael to cool off further at his after-party ... as he's all about spreading "love" these days ... much like his interaction with Tyler, The Creator earlier in the evening.

Tyler called Diddy's performance "next-level" ... mirroring reactions from the likes of Tamar Braxton, who 👑 him king of Halloween, to his own son Quincy, who couldn't believe the entire fight almost happened!!!

Zac Efron is blowing people away with his transformation in the upcoming film, "The Iron Claw" ... and he's got a seal of approval from a very important person -- Kevin Von Erich, the wrestling legend Zac's portraying.

Kevin tells TMZ ... not only does Zac's depiction get a big thumbs up ... it sounds like his daughters are on board with the casting choice, too.

As for Zac's physique, Kevin says that's no easy task to pull off -- telling us it was pretty time-consuming to stay in shape like that back in his prime ... giving props to the actor for lookin' that good.

FYI -- the upcoming film is all about the Von Erich legacy ... showcasing the family of wrestlers breaking into the game, starting way back in the '60s. Alongside Zac, Jeremy Allen White will be playing Kevin's brother, Kerry.

Kevin has had little to no involvement with the film, aside from talking to the director, Sean Durkin, a few times. He hasn't spoken to Zac about the role.

Canadian actress Aryana Engineer was just 8 years old when she was cast as Max Coleman -- the little girl who is hard of hearing and uses sign language to save herself from being killed -- in the horror film "The Orphan" back in 2009.

Aryana shared the big screen with Isabelle Fuhrman as the supposed gentle and sweet orphan who turns out to be extremely violent, Esther, and Vera Farmiga as the mother who resorts to drinking after losing one of her children, Kate Coleman ... and Peter Sarsgaard as the father and husband of Kate, John Coleman.

Leslie Jordan will be gracing the silver screen one last time ... because the last film he ever starred in is on its way to being completed.

Writer and director Tracy Pellegrino tells TMZ ... "Strangers in a Strange Land," Leslie's last listed film credit in post-production, is a small independent film made up of several shorts that focuses on foreigners around the world getting into hilarious situations due to their confusion and language barriers -- and it's the L.A. portion of the film where Leslie shines.

Leslie plays a southerner in Los Angeles who tries to help give directions to a Russian man at a bus stop ... someone he finds VERY attractive.

The humor is right up Leslie's alley, and that tracks -- we're told Tracy and her husband, Mark, wrote the part with him in mind ... totally unaware if Leslie would even sign on for the project. Tracy knew Leslie for more than 20 years.

Tracy says the movie was filmed over a long period of time -- it was shot in Paris, Cannes, Rome, Düsseldorf, London, Brooklyn and L.A. She says Leslie's part was shot around 2017. There is no release date yet for the film.

"Halloween" star Omar Dorsey isn't just dealing with spooky stuff when he's at work ... he says he's actually talked to ghosts during what sounds like a very freaky encounter.

We got Omar Thursday at LAX and he shared his crazy ghost experience, which he says went down while he was in New Orleans filming "Queen Sugar."

He says he was staying in a place called The Cotton Mill, and he could "feel spirits" hanging around him, every night.

He says it got to the point he felt the need to have a serious convo with them. Basically, he wanted to make sure he was in good graces with the ghosts during the 4 months he was staying there.

Omar's fully aware his ghost tale might sound kinda crazy to a lot of folks, but that's not changing his memory, and he insists it happened. He added, he's never been one of those people looking for this kinda thing ... he says given his Christian background, he's actually afraid of supernatural stuff.

Joyner Lucas creates some of the most cinematic visuals in hip hop music and he's taking his talents to the big screen for his first feature film ... alongside none other than Mark Wahlberg.

Sources close to production tell TMZ Hip Hop ... Mark personally handpicked Joyner for the cast of the film, which we've learned will be shooting for the next 6 months and is expected to be released in late 2023 or early 2024.

We're told Mark and Joyner sparked a fast friendship after the actor appeared in Joyner's "Zim Zimma" video back in 2021. They both hail from New England and have an affinity for good vibrational rap, so the pairing makes sense.

Mark praised Joyner's acting chops on Friday, suggesting his "skills" will help make the film a success.

Will Smith was in a dark place after he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, but he had a champion in his corner -- the actor says Floyd Mayweather called him every day for 10-straight days after the incident, just to make sure he was doing okay.

Smith made the revelation during a private screening of his new "Emancipation" movie at The London hotel ... and with Floyd in attendance, he took a moment to praise TBE for being there for him, even though they weren't exactly best buds at the time.

"I want to say something also about Floyd," Smith said in video obtained by TMZ Sports. "So, we've met each other, we've seen each other around, but we weren't like, friends."

"And, the day after the Oscars, for 10 days he called me every day," Smith added. "And, he was like, 'Ay, you know you the champ, right? You good? You know you the champ, right? I want you to hear my voice say it,'"

"That was every day he called me ... and it's like, that's my dude forever right there."

Smith has rarely spoken about the slapping incident -- he only released an apology video back in July -- so to hear him go into detail about the days following the incident is incredibly rare.

As for the film, Mayweather loved it.

“Emancipation captures an important time in history. The movie has me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire film,” Floyd tells us.

Producer Deon Taylor, Floyd's partner on his upcoming docuseries, "The GOAT," also spoke at the screening. Jona Rechnitz and James McNair, part of the production team, were also in the house for the viewing.