Movies

Tyler Perry's part of a massive campaign targeting 25 counties and 250k Black residents in Florida ... in a push to get them to the polls.

The entertainment mogul's teamed up with a Black-led nonpartisan group called Equal Ground Education Fund on its half a million-dollar "Park & Praise" initiative. The campaign includes a series of events where voters can drop off mail-in ballots while hearing from church leaders, musical acts and gospel choirs.

Perry's helping fund the effort -- dubbed as bringing "Souls to the Polls" -- to increase Black voter engagement and turnout in the state. Equal Ground adds that its mission is to combat Florida’s long history of voter disenfranchisement and help build Black political power.

Of course for this election, the organization says it must adapt to the pandemic ... so it's retooling the popular voter tradition by taking proper precautions to "meet the moment of social-distancing."

The non-profit's founder, Jasmine Burney-Clark, says ... "Our work to provide robust voter education and ensure that accurate information reaches our communities is the highest priority and is exactly what this partnership with Tyler Perry is going to do."

An Atlanta man has been arrested and charged with murder of Thomas Jefferson Byrd ... the popular actor known for several roles in Spike Lee joints.

The Atlanta PD says they followed evidence and tips that led them to identify the suspect, Antonio Demetrice Rhynes. An arrest warrant was issued for Rhynes Wednesday and he was arrested Friday morning.

He's facing a felony murder charge for the shooting, which occurred near Byrd's Atlanta home. It's still unclear what led to the killing.

As we reported ... 70-year-old Byrd died on October 3 from multiple gunshot wounds to the back, and Spike broke the news himself on social media after learning of his murder.

Byrd had notable roles in several of Spike's films, such as "Clockers," "Get on the Bus," "Bamboozled," "He Got Game," "Red Hook Summer," "Chi-Raq" and more.

Oregon actor Erin Chambers was 20 years old when she landed the role of the super-smart Frances Bacon McCausland -- who is tasked with defeating the Boogeyman with her real (and imaginary) friends -- in the 1999 Disney Original Movie "Don't Look Under The Bed."

Erin Chambers shared the small-screen for the children's scary movie with Jake Sakson as the younger brother, Darwin, Nathan Stevens as the older brother, Bert, Steve Valentine as the trouble-maker from under the bed, Boogeyman ... and of course Ty Hodges as Frances' best imaginary friend, Larry Houdini.

The reboot of the Batman film franchise definitely has a new look ... because it looks like The Dark Knight's utilizing a Hefty bag.

We kid, sort of, but filming for "The Batman" Thursday in Liverpool, England provided an odd sight -- a stuntman made to look like the superhero perched on high atop the city's Royal Liver Building ... in some sort of black zipper suit.

The stuntman's obviously stepping in for the reboot's star, Robert Pattinson, for the dangerous shot above the iconic building's clock ... safely attached to a cable as a helicopter crew filmed nearby.

Despite the strange outfit, the guy's still rocking the legendary Batman mask.

Shooting for "The Batman" just started back up in the UK days ago following a COVID-19 shutdown after Pattinson tested positive for the virus.

A Holocaust survivor speaking with Sacha Baron Cohen for his new 'Borat' movie was callously duped, because she thought he was making a legit documentary ... so claims her estate in a new lawsuit.

The estate of Judith Dim Evans -- who, according to the legal docs, is a "well-known speaker and expert regarding the Holocaust" -- is going after the makers of the upcoming 'Borat Subsequent Moviefilm' for allegedly tricking her into doing an interview around the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020.

According to the suit ... Evans was contacted by producers under false pretenses and believed she was participating in a documentary about the Holocaust and Jewish culture.

Her estate says she traveled to Atlanta with a friend to be interviewed by Cohen and was never informed the movie was a comedy  -- a 'Borat' sequel -- and when she found out she was "horrified and upset."

Evans' estate alleges she never would have agreed to the interview if she knew the true nature of the film was to mock the Holocaust and Jewish culture, and she never consented for her name and likeness to be in such a movie.

The estate also claims the producers offered to pay Evans and her friend for their participation, but she turned them down flat.

Evans died this past summer, so her daughter -- the executrix of her estate -- filed the suit against Amazon and Oak Springs Productions ... seeking to have her mother's clips yanked from the final cut of the movie and other damages.

The 'Borat' sequel is set to release on Amazon Prime next week. Though Cohen is not named as a defendant in this suit, he's no stranger to being sued over his projects ... he's still in a legal battle with Roy Moore.

John Cena is a MARRIED MAN -- tying the knot with his girlfriend Shay Shariatzadeh in Tampa, Florida ... official records show.

The couple began dating back in early 2019, following Cena's high profile split with ex-fiancee Nikki Bella in 2018.

Cena and Shariatzadeh got very serious very quickly -- and were spotted making out all over town for the past year!

Apparently, the two got engaged on the down-low -- and filed for a marriage certificate in Florida in early October.

And, according to official documents obtained by TMZ Sports, they swapped "I Dos" on Oct. 12 in a ceremony in Tampa.  News of the marriage was first reported by PWInsider.

BTW ... Shay was born in Iran but is a Canadian citizen. She works as a product manager for a tech company in Vancouver.

Cena is a pretty famous wrestler, actor, rapper and male g-string enthusiast (seriously!).

We reached out to Cena's camp for comment -- but you know, he's probably off doing newlywed things.

Mazel tov!

This is Cena's second wedding, he was previously married to Elizabeth Huberdeau from 2009 to 2012.

Cena dated Bella for roughly 6 years but they split because he didn't want children at the time and Nikki wanted to start a family.

She has since had a son with new boyfriend Artem Chigvintsev.

The house where Linda Barrett caught Brad Hamilton, uh, enjoying himself in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" is now up for sale ... but don't f***ing knock if ya ain't got a fat check.

The San Fernando Valley crib with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms has hit the market for the first time in 20 years. It's listed at a cool $739,999. Pretty modest for the L.A. market. It's also, obviously, famous for the classic, 'Fast Times' film ... including the famous backyard pool scene that was recently recreated -- via Zoom, of course -- by Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.

The 1,250-square-foot home -- in a neighborhood which is part of a prestigious school district -- recently underwent renovations that include a new roof, water heater, dual pane windows and French doors that lead to the backyard. The house also features hardwood floors, a secluded backyard with a private patio, 2 wooden decks and a newly plastered swimming pool ... Phoebe Cates in a red swimsuit not included.

Margaret Nolan -- who served as the iconic golden-plated babe portrayed in the opening sequence of "Goldfinger" -- has died.

The legendary British artist and glamour model passed away last week, according to her son, Oscar Deeks. The news wasn't broken, however, until Sunday when director Edgar Wright -- who'd cast Margaret in a film of his set to be released next year -- posted on Twitter.

He writes, "It's my sad duty to report that actress and artist, the magnificent Margaret Nolan has passed away. She was the middle of Venn diagram of everything cool in the 60's; having appeared with the Beatles, been beyond iconic in Bond and been part of the Carry On cast too." Edgar went on to attach several photos of Margaret from her different gigs, and detailed different on-camera projects she'd been a part of over her six-decade-plus career.

Margaret led a pretty storied life ... besides being the model featured in the opening to 'Goldfinger' -- not to mention all the merch from the film that followed -- she was actually in the movie as one of the Bond girls, albeit in a smaller (but still memorable) capacity.

She played Bond's poolside masseuse, Dink, who was rubbing him up before Sean Connery introduced her to a colleague and then quickly shooed her away with a nice swat on the tush ... telling it was time for "man talk." Pretty sexist when you look back, but it is what it is.

Margaret also starred in another mega '60s-era flick -- the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" ... which they made after their hit song of the same name. She played an unnamed woman at a casino, and while her time on camera was relatively brief ... it too was everlasting.

She has a long list of acting credits ... having made appearances in shows like "Crossroads," "Secret Agent," "199 Park Lane," "Hugh and I," "Take a Pair of Private Eyes," "The Newcomers," "The World of Beachcomber," "Brian Rix Presents ...," "Budgie," "Fox," "Crown Court" and countless others. Margaret also starred in several films throughout her career, including recurring and also alternating roles in the 1970's 'Carry On' comedy franchise.

Her modeling career was second to none, and she even tried her hand as a graphic visual artist -- to which she sometimes received criticism for her photo montages and displays. Nonetheless, the woman was a dynamo in showbiz and entertainment.

Margaret is survived by her two sons. She was 76.

Dr. Ian Malcolm is back to grace our screens with a partially-open shirt almost 30 years after he made 'Jurassic Park' nice and steamy ... and it's all a way of encouraging folks to vote.

We're talking, of course, about Jeff Goldblum's character from the OG Spielberg dinosaur flick, who at one point was laid out on a table after being injured by a T-Rex and striking quite the provocative pose ... with his bare chest half exposed and sweat dripping down his torso.

You've probably seen it a million times now as the iconic scene has gone on to become a meme since its 1993 debut -- now, JG has recreated it at the ripe old age of 67.

He says it's a gift to fans who followed his instructions and registered to vote through HeadCount for the upcoming election. Jeff writes, "WOW! Thank you to everyone who used my @HeadCount page to make sure that you’re #GoodToVote! Nearly 3,000 of you are ready for this November’s election. Here’s your reward…how time flies. @jurassicworld 🌋🦖🇺🇸."

Jeff still looks great by the way -- but we did notice he kept more of the shirt on this time around. All good though -- Dr. Malcolm will get another opportunity to shine in the supposed last 'Jurassic' installment in the franchise, 'Dominion,' which now won't come out 'til 2022.

Tatum O'Neal was allegedly suicidal at a Los Angeles area home, so cops responded and she was placed on a psychiatric hold ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

We’re told police and fire responded last month to a call for a suicidal person, after Tatum allegedly threatened to jump off a balcony.

Our sources say the 'Bad News Bears' star was transported to a local hospital once help arrived, and she was eventually placed on a psychiatric hold for further evaluation.

It's a pretty scary situation, especially considering Tatum's well-documented struggles over the years with addiction.

As you know ... Tatum has battled drug problems after separating from ex-husband John McEnroe way back in 1992.

Tatum, the youngest actress to ever win an Academy Award, eventually got clean and got her life back together, but in 2008 she was arrested for allegedly trying to score drugs. Other than that, she's remained sober by all accounts.

Katy Perry just got a little peace of mind -- a judge granted a permanent restraining order against the man she claims has been stalking her and directing threats at her family.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... 38-year-old William Terry must stay 100 yards away from Katy, her fiance Orlando Bloom, their newborn baby girl, and Orlando's son Flynn from his previous marriage to Miranda Kerr for the next 3 years.

Terry's also prohibited from trying to contact Katy, her family or her staff on social media or posting anything about her ... and has to stay away from her concerts or live performances.

We broke the story ... Katy sought protection from Terry after he allegedly jumped the fence at her Beverly Hills property in September and was busted by cops for trespassing.

Katy claimed Terry tried to do this in August as well, after posting alarming messages on social media for months leading up to it. She feared he'd try it again if she did not get court-ordered protection.

Terry's troubling online behavior allegedly included numerous graphic and sexually explicit posts about Katy, comments about killing dogs and cops, threats to "snap Orlando Bloom's neck" and wishing Flynn and Miranda would "catch covid and die."

The latest 'Jurassic World' flick just got hit with a viral meteor, of sorts, and it's putting things on ice behind and in front of the camera, yet again.

Director Colin Trevorrow made the announcement Wednesday, saying a new batch of COVID-19 cases were discovered on the set of "Jurassic World: Dominion" ... and, as a result, production is going on a brief hiatus.

He writes, "Woke up to the news we had a few positive Coronavirus tests on Jurassic World: Dominion. All tested negative shortly after, but due to our safety protocols we’re going to pause for two weeks. Back soon." So in other words, potential false positives here.

In any case, it's enough to give Universal Studios pause. The studio says its rigid protocols don't allow for them to resume, even if the cast/crew tested negative right afterward -- emphasizing they'd rather be safe than sorry. Those affected have gone into self-isolation.

It's unclear who within the production -- cast or crew -- might've contracted coronavirus. Chris Pratt is the lead and Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill are all reprising their role from the original "Jurassic Park."

None of them are discussing their health ... but all have been plugging the movie over the past 24 hours.

This 'rona development is the most recent setback for the film. It also shut down back in March due to the pandemic -- and earlier this week, Universal pushed its release date a full year to June 2022!

Netflix is being dragged into a criminal courtroom in Texas over the controversial film, "Cuties" ... a film a grand jury believes shows young kids in sexual situations.

The grand jury in Tyler County, TX just handed up the indictment ... and according to the docs, Netflix is being charged with promotion of lewd visual material depicting children. By streaming "Cuties," Netflix allegedly promoted the lewd exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child younger than 18, appealing to the prurient interest in sex.

The criminal indictment -- a rare move against a company -- also says the movie offers no serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value, and alleges the head honchos at Netflix recklessly authorized and/or tolerated its dissemination through its platform ... and, therefore, should be held accountable.

Critics have been very vocal about the controversial film -- some feel it encourages the sexual exploitation of pre-teens ... some have even used the word "pedophilia" to describe "Cuties."

The film is about a group of prepubescent girls who form a dance squad and practice moves they see in music videos. At one point, they even dress in revealing outfits and carry themselves like adults.

Ironically, the film's creators have said they intended the film to be a critique of the hypersexualization of kids ... but that message has been lost on many viewers.

There was a whole #CancelNetflix movement in the wake of the film's release. Netflix picked up the distribution rights after "Cuties" debuted at Sundance earlier this year.

If convicted, Netflix isn't going to prison. Most likely, the company would be forced to pay criminal fines, and possibly pull the movie from the platform.

Thomas Jefferson Byrd -- who appeared in several Spike Lee joints -- has been murdered in Atlanta ... according to Spike himself.

Lee says ... "I’m So Sad To Announce The Tragic Murder Of Our Beloved Brother Thomas Jefferson Byrd Last Night In Atlanta, Georgia." Spike shared a photo of Thomas as the character Errol Barnes in his 1995 film, "Clockers."

Along with "Clockers," Byrd also appeared in "Get on the Bus," "Bamboozled," "He Got Game," "Red Hook Summer," "Chi-Raq" and more.

He was also a successful theater actor, nominated for Broadway's 2003 Tony Award as Best Actor for a revival of August Wilson's "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."

He has starred in numerous regional stage productions including the San Diego Repertory Theater's award-winning performance of "Spunk".

Story developing ...

Tom Cruise could be a little strapped for cash these days, because we're thinkin' he had issues paying for a train ticket, so he just rode from the top!!!

Tom was in Norway filming the 7th installment of the "Mission Impossible" franchise, and he was true to form, riding on the top of a speeding train as some very impressed Norwegians followed the train in their car.

The guys actually got Tom's attention. The 58-year-old waved to the guys as he was riding high above the tracks, but that will pale by comparison to his latest plan -- getting hurled into space courtesy of Elon Musk and SpaceX to shoot scenes for an undisclosed movie project.

Tom's expected to blast off in October 2021.

Pretty cool.

October 3rd is "Mean Girls" Day and the stars of the movie are getting back together for a surprise virtual reunion ... and helping rock the vote.

Tina Fey, Rachel McAdams, Lindsay Lohan, Tim Meadows and Amanda Seyfried are among the cast members sitting down for the reunion, and they're reminding folks there's one month left to vote ... and the clock's ticking.

Katie Couric joined the fun, moderating the reunion and filling in for Amy Poehler by dressing in character as Regina George's mom. Ya gotta see Katie nail a few of Mrs. George's famous lines.

Tina teased the reunion Friday in a special video encouraging folks to make sure they are registered to vote and to request a mail-in ballot. She also challenged fans to volunteer as poll workers.

Aside from voting, the 'Mean Girls' cast takes turns sharing their favorite memories from being on set, examining the teen comedy's pop culture impact and of course, dropping their character's famous movie quotes.