Movies

Robbie Robertson, songwriter and lead guitarist for legendary rock group The Band, is dead ... TMZ has confirmed.

Sources close to Robbie tell us he died Wednesday in Los Angeles after battling prostate cancer for about a year. We're told he'd been doing ok, recently, but on Tuesday he told his wife he wasn't feeling well, and she took him to a hospital.

We're told his wife got a call from the hospital in the early hours of Wednesday informing her Robbie had passed.

Robbie's group first formed in Canada in the late '50s as The Hawks -- including the late Levon Helm and Rick Danko -- but they gained wide notoriety when they backed Bob Dylan on his 1966 tour ... and after that launched their own career as The Band.

Robbie wrote some of The Band's most iconic hits like "The Weight," and "Up On Cripple Creek."

He also had a solo career that included the 1987 hit song, "Somewhere Down the Crazy River."

The Band was the subject of Martin Scorsese's classic 1978 film, "The Last Waltz" ... documenting their final show. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

Robbie was 80.

Even one of the most famous athletes on the planet can geek out over celebrities -- 'cause Aaron Rodgers was giddy as hell after meeting Liev Schreiber at New York Jets camp ... calling him the "f***ing voice of God!!"

The "Ray Donovan" actor/"Hard Knocks" narrator made a rare appearance on the HBO series Tuesday night ... dropping in via helicopter to hang out with the team during practice.

The most excited player was easily Rodgers ... who told Liev he's a huge fan of his filmography.

The quarterback lost his mind to his teammates after greeting the movie star ... telling them to go say 'sup.

"He's the guy who narrates 'Hard Knocks,'" Rodgers told everyone who was willing to listen.

Rodgers even begged his offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett, to go introduce himself ... saying Schreiber was "nervous" and wanted to hang out with the players.

"Just say 'hi,'" Rodgers told coach. "Just be nice. Look at him, he got all dressed up for it. He looks great."

"Don't be an ass****," he added.

Schreiber's spot on the show was pretty hilarious ... as he narrated the whole thing, explaining he wanted to drive to practice, but producers thought the helicopter would be more dramatic.

Sandra Bullock's heartbreaking loss of her longtime partner is raising awareness for all ALS patients ... and spurring huge donations for an ALS organization.

Honchos at the ALS Association tell TMZ ... the group's seen a significant funding spike in the 24 hours since Bryan Randall died following a 3-year battle with ALS. We're told donations are up 500% over the same time last year.

Remember, Sandra's sister praised the actress for taking care of Bryan as he secretly fought ALS to the very end, and the family's asking for folks to donate to the ALS Association instead of sending flowers.

Sandra's fans are definitely heeding that call, and the ALS Association tells us it's "grateful for the amazing outpouring of support in honor of Bryan."

The org says the money pouring in will "help our urgent work to make ALS a livable disease through local care, national advocacy, and global ALS research."

Robert De Niro's grandson died from a lethal combination of illicit drugs, including fentanyl ... TMZ has learned.

According to New York City's chief medical examiner, Leandro De Niro Rodriguez died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, bromazolam, alprazolam, 7-aminoclonazepam, ketamine, and cocaine.

The Medical Examiner is ruling Leandro's death an accidental overdose.

As we reported ... Robert's 19-year-old grandson was found dead of a suspected overdose last month ... with cops saying investigators found one bag of cocaine, one straw with residue, two blue pills and seven rectangular tablets believed to be Xanax.

Police said Leandro bought counterfeit oxycodone and Xanax just days before his death ... and the fake oxycodone pills were laced with fentanyl.

The official cause of death also lines up with what Leandro's mother, Drena De Niro, has said on social media, "Someone sold him fentanyl-laced pills that they knew were laced yet still sold them to him."

Former child star Austin Majors died as a result of a fentanyl overdose ... in a trend that's become all too common.

The ex-"NYPD Blue" actor's autopsy results were released Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office -- and his cause of death is attributed to fentanyl toxicity. The manner is listed as accidental, and the place of his death reads ... "residence."

Remember, Majors passed away while staying at a homeless housing facility in L.A. back in February -- and we were told at the time that fentanyl was suspected to be in play.

It's a tragic end to Majors' story ... who was a successful actor in the early years of his life. He famously played Theo Sipowicz on the famed ABC drama series, starring in 48 episodes.

In addition to "NYPD Blue," Majors had worked on other big shows like "Providence," "How I Met Your Mother," "ER," "Hercules," "Threshold," "According to Jim," 'NCIS,' "American Dad!," "Desperate Housewives" and others. He'd also been in a handful of memorable movies.

His acting career appears to have slowed down in the late 2000s ... Majors doesn't have credit post-2009. The family released an emotional statement at the time of his death, remembering the best parts of his life.

The statement read, in part ... "Austin was the kind of son, brother, grandson, and nephew that made us proud and we will miss him deeply forever."

Majors was just 27.

Kevin Costner and his daughter hit up Taylor Swift's SoFi Stadium concert Monday, and it's safe to say, when she sang "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," they were experiencing 2 very different emotions!

Kevin and 13-year-old daughter Grace Avery were in a luxury suite as Taylor sang one of her most famous breakup songs -- Grace Avery was jamming to the song, singing along and dancing, while her more subdued dad took in the lyrics with an ever-so-slight grin.

It had to register ... Kevin's wife, Christine Baumgartner, has filed for divorce and it's become an all out war. Kevin just got Christine out of the house after a legal battle, but there's still a huge conflict over how much money she'll get in child support, not to mention that it seems she's going to challenge the prenup.

And there's this ... Christine was vacationing in Hawaii with Kevin's [former?] pal Josh Connor. Although our Christine/Josh sources say there was nothing romantic going on, our Kevin sources say he's "none too pleased" about it.

So, safe to say, the "Yellowstone" star saw the true meaning of art imitating life!

Sandra Bullock is getting major props for taking good care of her longtime boyfriend, Bryan Randall, as he battled ALS to the very end.

Sandra's sister, Gesine Bullock-Prado, posted an emotional message on Instagram, praising the actress for being there during Bryan's private, 3-year battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis -- a nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

Gesine started off by saying she's convinced Bryan is already casting his lure at the best fishing spot in heaven, teaming with salmon.

She then addressed Bryan's ALS fight, pointing out it's a "cruel disease," but "there is some comfort in knowing he had the best of caretakers in my amazing sister (Sandra) and the band of nurses she assembled who helped her look after him in their home."

Bryan died Saturday at 57. His family announced his passing Monday, thanking all the doctors who treated Bryan's health issues.

The model-turned-shutterbug first crossed paths with Sandra in 2015 when she hired him to photograph her son Louis' birthday party. The two soon began dating and came out as a couple later that year.

The "Barbie" movie is getting mad props from an animal rights organization for dressing Ryan Gosling's Ken doll in a faux fur coat instead of the real thing.

Remember, Ryan's got a few scenes where his character is wearing a white fur coat -- which would normally get a huge thumbs down from PETA -- but now it's PETA-approved because as it turns out, the wardrobe piece is faux mink.

PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange tells TMZ … "From his fabulous faux mink coat to his rad vegan leather boots, Ken serves looks that mirror actor Ryan Gosling's own kindness to animals and refusal to wear fur."

Ken's coat is already being sold online as a Halloween costume, and Lisa tells us ... "PETA encourages everyone to be Kenough this Halloween by following in Gosling's footsteps and keeping animals' skins out of the mojo dojo casa house."

Sandra Bullock's boyfriend, Bryan Randall, has died, after a private battle with ALS ... TMZ has confirmed.

Bryan's family tells us, "It is with great sadness that we share that on August 5th Bryan Randall passed away peacefully after a 3 year battle with ALS."

They say Bryan decided to keep his struggle with ALS a private matter, adding, "Those of us who cared for him did our best to honor his request."

They add, "We are immensely grateful to the tireless doctors who navigated the landscape of this illness with us and to the astounding nurses who became our roommates, often sacrificing their own families to be with ours."

People was first to report the news.

Sandra and Bryan first met back in 2015 when he photographed a birthday party for her son, Louis -- they went public later that year. Despite keeping things between them mostly under wraps, she called him the "love of my life" in 2021 during her time on "Red Table Talk."

She even said at the time that they shared her 2 kids together -- 13-year-old Louis and 10-year-old Laila, both of whom she adopted.

There were reports that the couple was on the rocks and were allegedly living separately last year ... although his battle with ALS could've contributed to living apart.

Bryan was 57.

William Friedkin, the famed filmmaker who directed "The Exorcist," has died.

The news was confirmed Monday by his wife, Sherry Lansing, who says he passed in L.A. -- but the exact details of his death have yet to be revealed. It's a big hit to the film community -- as Friedkin was an influential force behind some of the 20th century's most iconic movies.

While he might best be remembered for his work on the 1973 horror flick -- which, by all accounts, changed the genre forever -- WF had several other notable credits to his name ... including the Oscar-winning "French Connection," which he also directed.

Other films he helmed included ... "The Brink's Job," "Sorcerer," "Cruising," "To Live and Die in L.A.," "Rampage," "Deal of the Century," "The Guardian," "Blue Chips," "12 Angry Men," "Rules of Engagement," "The Hunted," "Killer Joe" and lots of others.

He also directed a handful of episodes for memorable TV shows ... like "Tales from the Crypt," "The Twilight Zone," "Rebel Highway," "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour," "CSI" and more.

Friedkin was a diverse director ... dabbling in all types of flicks, from horror to drama, and even comedy. While some of his work is more well-known than others, he was respected in all regards -- and certainly carved out his own corner in pop culture.

The last time we saw him, he was out here in L.A. signing autographs and talking "Get Out."

Friedkin was 87.

RIP

"Barbie"s worldwide box office domination has expecting parents thinkin' plastic when it comes to baby names ... because folks are interested in naming their kids after the popular dolls.

BabyNames.com tells TMZ ... their site has seen a 300% uptick in searches for "Barbie" in the month of July. "Ken" has also blown up, with searches increasing by 200% in the same month.

Not as much as Barbie, but that holds up -- he's just Ken.

We're told a handful of users are also adding the titular names to their favorites list. According to the website, Barbie means "stranger," while Ken means "handsome." Barbie peaked in popularity in 1964, while Ken peaked in 1963.

As we reported, the Greta Gerwig flick has been crushing it in theaters -- it pulled over $162 mil in the U.S. alone in weekend one ... and it's already passed $1B worldwide.

The fan-favorite character, Allan -- played by Michael Cera -- has had a positive outcome on the Mattel reseller game ... because eBay listings for the rare doll have skyrocketed after the movie's release.

Sadly, we're told there's been no search increase for the name "Allan" when it comes to baby names. Sorry, dude.

Greta Gerwig achieved something pretty great in showbiz this weekend -- she's now the sole female director to have crossed the billion-dollar line ... and it's because of "Barbie."

Indeed ... the inevitable happened Sunday, with "Barbie" raking in over a $1 billion at the worldwide box office and once again taking the top spot here domestically. That's 3 weeks in a row that the flick has dominated, and at this point ... there's no sign of it slowing down.

Now, as for Greta ... like we said, she stands alone (as a woman) in this billion-dollar club -- which is a historical feat, and something that hasn't been done before "Barbie" came along.

Yes, there are other female directors who are technically in that 10-figure category -- including Jennifer Lee and Anna Boden, who co-directed the "Frozen" and "Captain Marvel" movies, respectively, alongside men -- but GG's in a league of her own now as a standalone.

There's a very large gap between Greta and the other solo female directors with box office hits -- #2 on the list is Patty Jenkins' "Wonder Woman," which made around $412 mil through its run. There's an even bigger drop-off with the next tier of films/directors ... Betty Thomas' "Alvin and the Chipmunks" ($219M); Catherine Hardwicke's "Twilight" ($192M); Elizabeth Banks' "Pitch Perfect 2" ($184M); Cate Shortland's "Black Widow" ($183M) ... and so on.

With Greta's milestone here ... it proves that women are pretty damn bankable, not just as actresses -- but behind the camera as well. Full circle, really, for the themes of 'Barbie.'

Considering her indie background, you could argue Greta's has had a meteoric rise over the past 5-6 years. And like we previously reported, there's currently no active plans for a sequel at this point -- which, if you know studios, is unheard of when this sorta success is had.

There's a report saying WB actually tried brokering a deal for Greta to direct 'Barbie 2' months before the film came out -- but her agents shot that down and insisted on waiting to see how it actually performed. Smart move in hindsight ... Greta can fetch a fortune now.

BTW ... Greta actually turned 40 a couple days ago, and Ryan Gosling surprised her with a flash mob performance full of Kens, complete with his signature song from the movie.

Jamie Foxx felt he had to apologize for his controversial social media post, but many in Hollywood are saying there was no need to do that ... and it's stirring a massive debate.

As you know ... Jamie's IG sparked outrage ... especially from people who felt Jamie's statement was antisemitic -- seeing how, on its face, it seemed to refer to a trope about Jews being responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. That's how many took it anyway.

Amid the mounting backlash, Jennifer Aniston distanced herself from Jamie's post, which she appeared to like.

Eventually, Jamie said he was sorry and that he meant no harm ... but like we said, there are a ton of folks who think he was forced into an apology that wasn't even warranted, as some are arguing that his language wasn't in any way aimed at Jewish people.

This comes down to cultural differences -- and there's a lot of takes referencing AAVE when breaking this down -- but the bottom line here is ... people are defending Jamie and lamenting the fact he was seemingly cajoled into a clarification -- including a lot of stars.

Among the famous faces who are standing in his corner ... Winnie Harlow, Waka Flocka, Jay Pharoah, and others -- all of whom explicitly questioned why he was apologizing at all.

TBH, this is part of a larger conversation relating to marginalized groups and the levels of outrage/reverence some feel are mustered among certain identities versus others. We'll leave that discussion for the internet to fight over, though.

FWIW, the Anti-Defamation League welcomed Jamie's apology with open arms.

Paul Reubens was a busy man before his sudden passing this week -- as he privately battled cancer, the guy was hard at work almost right to the end ... and there'll be something to show for it in the near future.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the 'Pee-wee Herman' star had been actively involved in various different film/TV projects in the final months of his life, including an upcoming HBO documentary (focused on his titular character) that was announced in 2021.

The doc is being helmed by the Safdie brothers, and we're told producers were able to get all of the interviews and insights from Paul himself before he died Monday.

Our sources say Paul had good and bad days toward the end, but when he was feeling up to it ... he was able to get quite a bit done ... spending upwards of 40 hours on interviews he did for the HBO doc. Between that and other interviews from over 25 different friends/collaborators, our sources say the 'Pee-wee' doc has over 1,000 hours of footage.

In addition to this documentary ... we're told Paul was working on his memoir ... a first draft of which Paul completed prior to his death. So, yes ... we'll get to hear his story from his POV somewhere down the line.

Ryan Gosling's still in Ken-mode amid 'Barbie's' continued success -- he took his real-life brood to the sandy shores of Cali ... and was leaning heavily on the matriarchy, it seems.

The actor hit up a beach near Santa Barbara Friday, and the whole Gosling household was in tow -- including his partner, Eva Mendes, and their 2 daughters. There were other adults tagging along, however ... including what appears to be somebody's mother or grandmother.

Eyewitnesses tell us Ryan was actually very focused on this older woman, helping her get through the sand in her walker ... and carefully assisting her down to the actual water.

Again, we're not sure who this woman was exactly -- but it could very well be Eva's mother, Eva Perez Suarez, who's been in ailing health of late ... according to her own daughter, anyway. We know Eva is incredibly close with her family, and also values privacy.

As for the other 2 adults ... no idea, but they were certainly rolling with Eva and Ryan, and keeping a watchful eye over the kids. Speaking of the two girls ... we're told they had paddleboards with them. And with Mama and Papa Bear -- they chatted, but no PDA.

Anyhoo, this really is an example of life imitating art. If you haven't seen 'Barbie' yet ... there's a running joke about Ken (played by RG) and his job, described as just "beach."

Seems like Ryan took that theme right off the script and manifested it in the real world -- only here, he's much more reverent of the women in his life ... unlike his onscreen character.

BTW, 'Barbie' is expected to cross the billion-dollar mark at the worldwide box office this weekend -- not to mention three-peating as the #1 movie folks are flocking to see. The crazy thing is ... there's no sequel in the works just yet, which is unheard of in this day and age.

Interestingly, Ryan and Margot Robbie didn't sign a deal for movie #2 in their OG contracts with Warner Bros. -- so if they do agree to do it at this point, they're in for a fat payday.

Jamie Lee Curtis is setting the record straight on her stance on the SAG-AFTRA strike ... she took to Instagram to clear up the confusion, writing, "On Thursday I attended a beautiful charity event celebrating the groundbreaking for the new campus of @projectangelfood and I was inevitably asked about the strike and I made a comment about wanting to be like Switzerland. All of a sudden the clearly desperate news cycle machine is all over me to clarify those comments."

She continues, "I FULLY SUPPORT the @sagaftra strike, have volunteered making signs multiple times and have donated to the relief fund. I SUPPORT the leadership and SUPPORT our demands. I'm a rank-and-file union member. I am not on any negotiating committee. I believe we have to look at all sides in any conflict in order to find resolution, solution and a fair and equitable settlement."

She concludes her post by asking the public, "Can we end this now and not turn this into some ridiculous news cycle story AND GET BACK TO THE TABLE AND NEGOTIATE?"

Jamie Lee Curtis seems to be walking that line of unwavering support for the SAG-AFTRA strike and taking an ambivalent stance on it ... you can be the judge on where she lands.

The actress made a bunch of remarks about the strike Thursday, when she showed up to a charity event in L.A. and was asked for her thoughts on it. Here's what she said, in part, to Variety, "I’m hopeful that we can all see all sides. I’m more Switzerland. I’m not a polarized person here. I don’t like the rhetoric on both sides."

She adds, "Any settlement means nobody’s happy. So there will be a settlement and not everyone will be happy. I don’t like the them vs. us. The fact that there’s a them and an us bothers me. It’s one industry and I hope that all of the sides can recognize the oneness of our industry, and that we are interdependent, and that AI is not interdependent, that human beings are and at the end of the day our interdependency with each other will prevail."

In a video interview with Reuters, she echoed that ... saying she's hoping she can be "Switzerland" in all this, and that both sides can see the benefit in continuing conversations.

That same day, she said this to Collider ... "Streaming completely eviscerated that old idea, and the new idea has taken place and people are making fortunes on it, and denying the artists a chance to make a living. That's where we are. It is a crossroads. We have hit it."

JLC continues ... "And this dual Writers' Guild and Screen Actors Guild strike is to say we are taking this stand now, for the future. So our sacrifices today are for the future of the industry, future of artists, future of other storytellers. And it's just crucial."

This last remark is much less equivocating, and comes across as clear support/solidarity for SAG -- but based on what she said to other outlets, it's clear she has mixed feelings about the whole thing -- the same way Stephen Amell also does ... which he, too, expressed.

His sentiments, by and large, weren't received well, and even though he clarified ... it still didn't sit right with certain folks. So far, Jamie isn't receiving the same level of backlash.