Movies

Ledisi's giving Jussie Smollett a rave review as a first-time director, but more importantly -- she's going to bat for him as a human being ... regardless of what everyone else thinks.

The R&B artist and actress is starring in Smollett's upcoming movie, "B-Boy Blues," and she has nothing but glowing words for his debut behind the camera ... telling us she had a very fun time filming.

Ledisi also says she didn't think twice about signing on with Jussie -- and doesn't believe other actors did either -- because she loves him and he's always been there for her. She adds ... "He's a good human. He means well with everything he does."

Of course, we had to ask if she hesitated ... remember the January 2019 incident in which he allegedly staged a hate crime.

Though Ledisi clearly supports Jussie, she doesn't say he DIDN'T do what he's accused of. Instead, she tells us ... "He does good work. People make mistakes, and they do things around the wrong people."

She goes on to say Smollett's doing the right thing now by focusing on his work and insists his heart's in the right place.

Ya gotta think Jussie will appreciate his star's kind words, but he might take issue with her implication he made a mistake. As we've reported ... he still insists the "attack" was not a hoax, and says he has new evidence to back it up.

Sylvester Stallone has an odd recommendation on how to make this already strange Thanksgiving even more bizarre ... ditch the turkey altogether!!!

We got Rocky in Bev Hills and asked about the many challenges families will be facing during their upcoming holiday get-togethers ... and it seems his visit to Mulberry Street Pizzeria was still very much on his mind.

Rambo tells us he thinks everyone needs to switch it up -- just for 2020 -- and dish out Chicago style hot dogs and pizza this year. He even says he's going to do this himself ... though we get the feeling he's fibbing.

Sly sounds sincere about one thing though -- he feels families should be left to decide what's best for them in regards to handling Turkey Day with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The guy who allegedly sucker punched Rick Moranis is now in police custody -- and his criminal charge is being pushed into a serious category because of Rick's age.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... NYPD officers arrested 35-year-old Marquis Ventura this weekend in connection to the attack that left Moranis knocked on his ass in Manhattan while walking through some scaffolding in the Upper West Side last month.

We're told Ventura was booked on a felony assault charge -- which applies since Rick is technically a senior citizen ... basically, if you attack someone who's 65 years old or above, any assault charge that would follow is upgraded. Believe it or not, Rick's sitting pretty at a ripe 67.

You'll recall ... the sucker punch was completely random and unprovoked when it happened. Moranis was walking by a man in a surveillance video that captured the incident -- and out of nowhere, he swung on the actor ... which made him topple to the ground.

Moranis went to the hospital for some pain in his head, neck and hip -- but later said he was okay. Still, ,it pissed off A LOT of folks in Hollywood -- including one Chris Evans, who said the culprit must be apprehended.

Chris Pratt is getting support from celebs who are incensed he's getting dragged on social media because he's conservative and religious, and the latest to chime in is his bro-in-law.

Patrick Schwarzenegger told Variety he was disgusted with Internet trolls labeling him "the worst Hollywood Chris."

Arnold's kid called the moniker "sad," adding, "Twitter is a junkyard right?" He went on to say, "People are so focused on putting other people down to make themselves feel better."

The Twitter smack talk started gaining steam last month. Chris' wife, Katherine, said, "There's so much going on in the world and people are struggling in so many ways ... Being mean is so yesterday. There's enough room to love all these guys.  Love is what we all need not meanness and bullying."

But remember, the big gun came out in the form of Robert Downey, Jr., who ripped into the trolls, saying, "What a world ... The 'sinless' are casting stones at my brother, Chris Pratt ... A real Christian who lives by principle, has never demonstrated anything but positivity and gratitude ... AND he just married into a family that makes space for civil discourse and (just plain fact) INSISTS on service as the highest value."

And, then the knockout blow ... "If you take issue with Chris ... I've got a novel idea. Delete your social media accounts, sit with your OWN defects of character, work on THEM, then celebrate your humanness."

Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis are no longer an item ... the couple's reportedly called it quits after a lengthy engagement, during which they started a family.

The actors secretly ended things at the beginning of this year, though they've been able to successfully co-parent their 2 young children ... according to People. The report also describes the breakup as amicable.

Sudeikis and Wilde first started dating in 2011, and Jason proposed the next year. Olivia said yes ... but, barring reconciliation, there won't be a walk down the aisle.

They were last seen together in September, and the pics of them on a Malibu beach appear to show they've remained friends after the split ... or maybe even tried to work things out. It doesn't appear their kids -- 6-year-old Otis and 4-year-old Daisy -- were with them on the beach trip.

We reached out to reps for both Jason and Olivia ... so far, no word back.

The Jumpman has entered the future!!!

The Jordan Brand has officially announced its first ever self-lacing sneaker ... and they look like they'd get Marty McFly's approval.

Dubbed the Air Jordan 11 Adapt, the sneakers are the first of Michael Jordan's iconic signature line to use Nike's electronically-controlled lacing technology ... and will mark the 25th anniversary of the original kicks released in 1995.

Remember, sneakerheads lost their minds when the Swoosh introduced the Nike MAG back in 2016 -- ya know, the "Back to the Future" kicks -- which also featured the Adapt tech.

While the self-lacing tech has showed up on other iconic shoes in recent years, it marks the first time it will appear on an Air Jordan shoe.

Fun fact -- shoe god Tinker Hatfield envisioned a lace-less design when he initially drew up the epic kicks years ago ... and now it's kinda finally happening!!

So, how do these things work?? The kicks are controlled by an app that will help customize the comfort ... as well as the color of the button on the side of the sneaks.

The kicks are set to be released next month ... and rumors say they will come with a $500 price tag.

Kevin Bacon's proud of American soldiers for serving their country, and he's shouting out a group of heroes for nailing his famous dance ... in their combat boots!!!

The "Footloose" star just shared this awesome video of 3 soldiers cutting loose to the famous song and dance routine from his classic 80s movie ... and Kevin is reminding America that our heroes also have moves.

Check out their choreography compared to Ren's in "Footloose" -- Kevin's right, they totally have it down!!!

Seems KB's really got the Armed Forces on his mind this Veterans Day ... he did some serious digging to find this funny video, which is from April, but hey, 'tis the season right.

Kevin's also honoring our vets for their service, saying all Americans owe them a debt of gratitude for fighting for our freedoms ... and he seems pretty humbled these soldiers decided to recreate his old school dance moves.

"Everybody cut, everybody cut ..."

The father of the late singer Selena and Netflix are being sued by a Hollywood producer who claims they left him out in the cold when it came to producing the new TV series.

Moctesuma Esparza filed docs suing Selena's dad, Abraham Quintanilla, claiming he broke an agreement they signed in 1995 giving him rights to the life stories of the Queen of Tejano's music and various members of her family.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Esparza says the deal included a motion picture as well as any other remakes. He says he helped produce the 1997 biopic "Selena" starring Jennifer Lopez ... and due to that success, he claims Abraham in 1998 spoke to him about the prospect of producing a TV series, mini-series or second film.

Esparza is also suing Selena's sister, Suzette ... and in the suit, he claims he met with her and Abraham to discuss a storyline he'd developed for a “Young Selena” project, but nothing came of it. He says he was shocked when he saw in 2018 that Abraham licensed the Selena rights to Netflix.

When he tried to get answers as to how Abraham got the green light from Warner Bros. -- the studio behind the film "Selena" -- Esparza says he got the cold shoulder from WB. Netflix is set to stream "Selena: The Series" next month.

Bert Belasco -- famous from BET's "Let's Stay Together" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Bert's father, Bert Sr., tells us his son's body was found Sunday inside a hotel room in Richmond, VA -- where we're told he was about to start on a project for a new movie role. Bert Sr. says Bert was required to quarantine at the hotel before he could come on set.

While the circumstances of his death are unclear, we do know Bert's girlfriend couldn't get a hold of him and eventually asked hotel staff to check on him. We're told when he was discovered, there was blood on the sheets -- the family is awaiting autopsy results.

His father tells us he believes his son suffered a fatal aneurysm.

Bert's career was well on the way up -- even at his young age, he's already racked up 23 acting credits and had starred in a bunch of shows and movies. Obviously, he's perhaps most well-known for playing Charles Whitmore on 'LST' for 52 episodes between 2011 and 2014.

He also appeared on several episodes of "Pitch," "I'm Dying Up Here," and has lots of one-off roles in series such as "American Princess," "Superstore," "The Mick," "The Soul Man," "No Names," "The Big Show Show," 'NCIS,' 'Key and Peele,' 'Justified' and others.

Bert had just turned 38.

This has gotta be the best -- THE BEST -- messaging so far in the election ... the reimagining of "The Avengers" ... telling the story of an army of Joe Biden supporters who inspired millions to vote Donald Trump out of office.

It's so good ... you see the sun rise as Stacey Abrams, Barack Obama and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms emerge from the shadows. As the video's villain -- yes, you guessed it -- urges an end to the vote count, others emerge in their fight for democracy -- Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Corey Booker, AOC, Nancy Pelosi, Gretchen Whitmer and many, many more.

Batman was first revealed in a comic book way back in 1939, and though kids could have bought it then for 10 cents ... a collector just paid $849,999.90 more to get his hands on one.

Detective Comics No. 27 is the vintage comic in which the Caped Crusader makes his first appearance, and there are fewer than 70 copies still remaining in the world ... according to online auction house ComicConnect.

One of those copies just sold for a whopping $850k, making it the second-highest sale price ever for that particular issue ... and one of the top comic book sales of all time.

Vincent Zurzolo -- co-owner of ComicConnect, which managed the sale -- says the comic probably would have gone for even more if it was in better condition, but it's only a 6 out of 10 on the CGC grading scale.

By contrast, another copy of No. 27 that was graded an 8 sold for a staggering $1,075,500 in 2010 ... setting the record for the Batman comic.

Zurzolo says the recent $850k sale reflects how the collectibles market is booming right now. As we've reported ... that's been evidenced by a Mike Trout rookie card netting a stunning $3.9 MILLION in August, and a LeBron James rookie card fetching $1.8 mil in July.

As for comic books ... Superman still reigns supreme. A copy of the 1938 edition of Action Comics No. 1 where the superhero debuted sold for $1.5 million, smashing all previous records.

Spider-Man's not taking any chances ... he's got a mask on over his mask, and he's encouraging everyone else to follow his lead.

Tom Holland just whipped up a frenzy on social media with his latest post -- not only is he promoting responsible behavior amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic ... but he provided a first look at his character in 'Spider-Man 3.'

Holland's photo shows Spidey in an action pose, in front of a blue screen, wearing a medical facemask over his suit. Tom says ... "Wear a mask, I'm wearing two..."

The pic's also notable for another reason -- it's got diehard fans of the film franchise clamoring to find out who that is standing next to Spider-Man.

Holland and his costars -- including Zendaya and Jacob Batalon -- began filming the upcoming sequel in Georgia this week ... though plot details of the Marvel movie have been kept under wraps.

Johnny Depp's suffering a huge blow to his career on the heels of losing his wife-beating case ... he's no longer starring in 'Fantastic Beasts.'

The actor says Warner Bros. asked him to step down from his recurring role as Grindelwald in the Harry Potter spinoff franchise, and he's agreeing to walk away.

Warner Bros. confirmed the drastic change in a statement to TMZ, telling us ... Johnny is leaving the 'Fantastic Beasts' family, and with the third-installment already in production, Grindelwald's character will be recast.

As we reported ... Johnny lost his libel lawsuit in the U.K. against The Sun ... which had called him a "wife-beater" in reference to his ex-wife, Amber Heard.

Filing the case was a huge miscalculation on Depp's part -- since the judge agreed he was a "wife-beater" -- and the move by Warner Bros. to cut ties is evidence of that.

Vivica A. Fox says Joe Biden's running circles around Donald Trump when it comes to being a true leader ... and he's not even officially the president-elect yet.

We got Vivica at LAX Thursday and she told our photog she's liking what she's seeing and hearing from Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris.

Vivica says it's refreshing to see Biden acting like a true president by doing his part to help the country remain calm as folks wait on edge for ballots to be counted and a winner declared.

Biden and Harris received briefings on the coronavirus pandemic and economy Thursday while votes were still being tabulated in key states like Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and Pennsylvania, with Biden preaching patience and assuring the public our democracy is still working, albeit slow and steady.

Vivica says it's a welcome change of pace after 4 years of Trump, who by the way, kept claiming the pandemic would magically disappear after the election. The opposite's happening -- infections are skyrocketing.

Wanna play Kenny Chesney's guitar? Or slip on George Clooney's watch? How about a designer bag from Jennifer Aniston's closet? You've got a shot and it's all for a good cause.

Here's the deal ... Kenny, Jen and a bunch of other celebs are marking Veterans Day this year by supporting Homes for Our Troops and raising funds with a massive online auction. Other items going to the highest bidder include a dress worn by Mindy Kaling and a chance to hang on set with Jake Gyllenhaal.

The auction opens Tuesday -- the day before Veterans Day -- and it's being spearheaded by George, Mindy, CNN's Jake Tapper and Wynonna Judd. This year's auction looks a little different due to the pandemic, and a bunch of famous folks are offering zoom hangouts in lieu of meet and greets.

George's watch, Jen's Louis Vuitton tote and Kenny's guitar are all autographed ... and there's a bunch of signed sports memorabilia from NFL players like Jimmy Garoppolo, Baker Mayfield, Chandler Jones and Jimmy Graham.

Get in your bids before the November 17 deadline, and you could win a zoom chat with celebs like Ben Stiller, Bryan Cranston, Dave Matthews, Elizabeth Banks, Jerry Seinfeld and Olivia Wilde.

An infamous claim Amber Heard dropped a deuce in her and Johnny Depp's bed has been shot down as unlikely by none other than a judge, but the truth may never be known.

Judge Nicol -- who presided over Depp's libel suit against The Sun -- weighed in on the crappy sitch, which has long dogged Amber after Johnny alleged either she or a friend shat on their bed and tried covering it up ... which sparked the nickname "Amber Turd."

Hizzoner's official two cents ... it probably was NOT Amber who made brown on their own bed, and the offense likely came from their notorious Yorkshire terrier, Boo, whom the judge concluded -- based on evidence, it seems -- ate a nug of bud and had an accident.

The judge writes Boo, "had an incomplete mastery of her bowels after she had accidentally consumed some marijuana." As for why it couldn't have been Amber, he says the supposed prank would've been ineffective and harmed her before Johnny (y'know, since she slept there too).

If you're unfamiliar with this tale, it goes something like this ... back in 2016 before Johnny filed to divorce Amber, she was having a birthday party at their DTLA apartment -- which Johnny showed up to late, and ultimately bailed on, something he says seriously ticked her off.

The next day, their maid called Johnny up to say she found caca in their bed -- and Johnny assumed it was Amber who'd done it as a way to "get back" at him for skipping out. That ended up being the last straw ... shortly after that, he dumped her and the rest is history.

What's funny -- and what the judge appears not to have addressed -- is the fact that we're told this maid attested a while ago that she knew Boo's poo inside and out ... claiming it was usually quite small, and what she found was what Johnny described as a "whopper."

The feces was tossed out, so there was no realistic way to test the DNA to confirm who the culprit actually was. As it stands, though, seems like Amber's rep is no longer in the toilet.