Movies

Chris Hemsworth has turned Australia's one-time sleepy beach town of Byron Bay into the new Hollywood -- at least that's how locals feel about it ... and they're pissed.

A new report by news.com.au details the disdain longtime residents of Byron Bay have for the Hemsworths -- especially Chris, who's made the area his permanent home -- due to the fact he's drawing more and more celebs, and the baggage that comes with it.

Aside from Chris, other celebs who occasionally live and/or rent or own homes in town now include Zac Efron, Mark Wahlberg, Natalie Portman, Matt Damon, Olivia Newton-John, Nicole Kidman, Jack Johnson, Melissa McCarthy -- just to name a few. And don't get us started on those stars who visit early and often ... which runs the gamut of the rich and famous.

Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fischer have swung by of late, and so do Aussie stars like Sam Burgess, Katie Richie, Michelle Bridges. It's become a who's-who type place -- which many normie residents resent ... since the vibe of their once quiet town is now inundated with limos, tourists, paparazzi, soaring housing prices and commercialism like it's never seen.

One person described being kicked out of their home because their landlady wanted to turn the crib into an Airbnb -- which is emblematic of what a lot of Byron Bay locals say is happening ... they're getting priced out and pushed out of a town they know as home.

Ironically, the news.com.au article depicts Chris Hemsworth -- whose fortress of an estate has apparently become a landmark for navigation -- as a man who's not so much of the people. He's rarely spotted around town, and keeps his family and affairs private.

Jennifer Lawrence was injured on a movie set early Friday morning, after a "controlled glass explosion" went haywire ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the production tell TMZ, Jennifer was shooting "Don't Look Up" in Boston with Timothee Chalamet when they were filming the final scene at 1 AM. JLaw was inside a restaurant when a window was supposed to explode as part of the scene.

The explosion did not go as planned and we're told a shard of glass cut Lawrence's eyelid and it would not stop bleeding.

The extent of her injury is unclear, although we're told "it wasn't that bad." Nevertheless, we're told production was shut down for the scheduled Friday shooting.

SAG-AFTRA Prez and '90210' alum Gabrielle Carteris knows Donald Trump resigned to dodge punishment from the union, but says he could still get a rude awakening.

Gabrielle joined "TMZ Live" Friday to address the former President's letter to her, which as we reported contained the typical Trump beats -- petty insults, boasting and of course ... a claim he's been treated unfairly.

GC points out the timing of his resignation was just a day before he could have been disciplined and possibly expelled from the union -- so, she believes he simply didn't want to go through that.

Well, turns out Trump's not really in the clear just because he quit. Gabrielle laid out what SAG-AFTRA could still do to prevent him from ever rejoining the union.

Christopher Plummer -- who starred in "The Sound of Music" and so many other iconic films -- has died.

Plummer passed away peacefully at his home in Connecticut Friday, his family said in a statement. His wife of over 50 years, Elaine Taylor, was by his side. Lou Pitt, a longtime friend and manager of 46 years, said, "Chris was an extraordinary man who deeply loved and respected his profession with great old fashion manners, self-deprecating humor and the music of words."

Christopher, who started his acting career in the '50s, was featured in more than 100 films. His role as Captain Von Trapp in the 1965 classic, "The Sound of Music," cemented his status as one of the best actors in Hollywood.

He started his acting career at the Montreal Repertory Theatre. He landed his first leading role as Hal in "Henry V" at the 1956 Stratford Festival in Canada. He earned his first Tony nomination 3 years later for best actor in Archibald MacLeish's "J.B." He also landed roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the UK.

He won a Tony in 1973 for his title role in the musical "Cyrano" and then again in 1997 for the title role in "Barrymore." In total, he was nominated for 7 Tony Awards ... with his most recent nomination coming in 2007 for his lead role in "Inherit the Wind."

Among his other credits ... "The Thorn Birds," one of the biggest miniseries in TV history, which aired in 1983. He scored a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2010 for "Beginners." At the time, it made him the oldest winner ever in the acting category.

Christopher -- born Arthur Plummer in 1929 in Toronto -- was also nominated for an Oscar for his work in Ridley Scott's "All the Money in the World." Remember ... he's the actor who replaced Kevin Spacey following Spacey's ouster from the film stemming from the #MeToo movement.

For his role as J. Paul Getty ... Christopher earned a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination. He recently starred in "Knives Out" with Daniel Craig and Chris Evans.

His manager added, "He was a National Treasure who deeply relished his Canadian roots. Through his art and humanity, he touched all of our hearts and his legendary life will endure for all generations to come. He will forever be with us."

Interesting side note ... he was the great-grandson of John Abbott, Canada's third prime minister. He was appointed Companion of the Order of Canada in 1968.

Christopher was 91.

Casey Anthony will mark the 10-year anniversary of her acquittal by partnering up with a couple of producers for a documentary about her daughter's murder.

Casey -- along with producers Tamra Simmons and Ebony Porter-Ike -- is currently developing a documentary about the notorious Florida vs. Casey Anthony trial.

Casey will be an executive producer for what's being dubbed an "authorized" documentary in which Casey will offer her viewpoint of the gruesome death of her 2-year-old Caylee Anthony in 2008.

Of course, Caylee's mother was charged with her murder, but was acquitted in 2011 ... sparking outrage and condemnation throughout the country.

Casey and her co-producers say she's "finally ready to clear her name, bring justice to her daughter and begin the process of establishing her daughter's legacy in a different light."

The producers claim "many of the revelations will be shocking," and will answer questions much of the nation has had since the trial. Remember, Casey did not take the stand.

Donald Trump -- the man who is about to stand trial for provoking an insurrection that could have brought down our government -- has resigned from Hollywood's labor union ... calling it "un-American."

Trump fired off a letter of resignation to SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris Wednesday ... this after the union's board was in the process of holding a hearing to boot him from the org.

In his letter, which is everything you would expect from Trump, he writes ... "I no longer wish to be associated with your union ... You have done nothing for me."

As we reported ... SAG-AFTRA's board of directors overwhelmingly voted that Trump violated the union's constitution in the wake of the insurrection, setting the stage for a disciplinary hearing that could have resulted in the revocation of his membership.

Trump groused ... "I write to you today regarding the so-called Disciplinary Committee hearing aimed at revoking my membership. Who cares!"

Our SAG-AFTRA sources say the org hasn't decided if it will continue with the expulsion hearing in case he tries to re-apply. It's very much like the Senate's impeachment trial ... yeah he's gone, but they could still prevent him from ever trying to come back to 1600.

Trump takes tons of shots at SAG-AFTRA and its leader, saying he's "not familiar" with Gabrielle's work before rattling off his movie and TV credits, including "one of the most successful shows in television history, The Apprentice."

It's interesting Trump brings up "The Apprentice" ... he can't do the show again if he's out of the union.

On his way out the door, Trump also takes credit for helping the cable news biz and claims he created tons of union jobs at "MSDNC and Fake News CNN."

Kevin Hart's new muscle car is packing more power under the hood than his last one that wrecked ... and this souped-up ride's got some critical, upgraded safety features.

Kevin's new set of wheels -- a revamped 1970 Dodge Charger dubbed "Hellraiser" -- has an insanely powerful 1,000-horsepower Hemi engine. And, with all that HP it has potentially life-saving, 4-point racing seat belts and a roll cage.

Remember ... Kevin's 1970 Barracuda did not have a 5-point harness and roll cage, which car experts say could have spared him the horrendous injuries he suffered in Sept., 2019, when his friend crashed in the Malibu Hills. KH needed spinal surgery and lengthy rehab.

Sounds like the "Hellraiser" could leave Kevin's old Barracuda in the dust ... his new ride has power for days under the hood ... a 7.0-liter Hellephant 426 Hemi Crate engine with 950 lb-ft of torque routing through an 8-speed automatic transmission!!!

Chris Pratt's been trending for posting horribly bigoted tweets from back before his Marvel Universe days, but he says the backlash is unwarranted ... because the tweets are phony.

A spokesperson for the "Guardians of the Galaxy" star tells TMZ ... he never posted the offensive messages that began circulating Wednesday morning. They appeared to be from 2012 and 2013, with one saying "calling another n***a a 'n****r' is hilarous idc" ... and the other "Muslims scare me so much."

You can see why fans would be upset, but Pratt's rep says, "Chris never tweeted the offensive things that are being circulated today. Any suggestion that he did is not only totally false but also defamatory."

Twitter, where the fake tweets have trended all day, was also suspicious, and a senior exec for the platform says they "strongly believe these [tweets] to be fake."

There were 2 other tweets circulating, but they were relatively innocuous jokes. Pratt's rep confirms one of them -- suggesting all the Miss America contestants are super skinny -- is real.

Sean Penn's going full Sean Penn on a pair of anonymous whistleblowers who say they're part of his nonprofit helping in L.A.'s vaccination drive ... and are getting worked to the bone.

The Oscar-winner reportedly sent a 2,200-word internal letter to his CORE employees this week -- which was leaked to the L.A. Times -- and in it he unloads on them for remarks in the comments section of a recent NYT article about Penn/CORE's efforts at Dodger Stadium.

Penn reportedly went in on the 2 alleged CORE staffers who claim the work conditions at the stadium are exhausting, and possibly illegal ... as they allege they're barely getting breaks and grinding through near 24-hour shifts.

The Times says he referred to their comments as "shameful entries" and "obscene critiques." That was the kindest part, because Penn added ... "And to whoever authored these, understand that in every cell of my body is a vitriol for the way your actions reflect so harmfully upon your brothers and sisters in arms. I have taken counsel and here will refrain from using the words with which I would otherwise choose to describe the character of your actions."

Penn might have censored his language, but you can tell there's a Tom Cruise-esque rant simmering inside of him.

He did acknowledge some CORE workers might have been working longer hours lately, saying these are unprecedented times that call for extra manpower... and it was his call.

He also added this for any of his employees who are "predisposed" to complaining or "whining" ... "It’s called quitting. Quit for CORE. Quit for your colleagues who won’t quit. Quit for your fellow human beings who deeply recognize that this is a moment in time. A moment of service that we must all embody sometimes to the point of collapse."

Hal Holbrook -- the longtime, award-winning actor known for playing Mark Twain for more than 60 years -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Hal's son, David, tells us ... his father passed away of old age at his Beverly Hills home on January 23. We're told he had a number of medical conditions and was having trouble swallowing, but he did not have COVID-19 ... it was simply his time.

Holbrook's career began in the '50s when he developed and starred in the one-man stage show, "Mark Twain Tonight!" which earned him critical acclaim. He would go on to win the Tony for Best Actor in 1966, get his first Emmy nom in 1967, and played the famous American novelist for more than 6 decades ... and in over 2,200 shows.

Playing historical figures on stage -- along with TV and movies -- was a staple for Hal. Throughout his career, he also performed as Abraham Lincoln -- which won him an Emmy in 1976 for the miniseries, "Lincoln" -- and John Adams in the 1984 miniseries, "George Washington."

Most famously though ... Hal gained international stardom for playing Deep Throat in the 1976 classic, "All the President's Men," in which he uttered the famous phrase, "Just follow the money."

Holbrook more recently played Republican congressman Francis Preston Blair in Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" as well.

Along with all his historical roles, Hal also racked up 12 Emmy nominations and 5 wins. He was married to Dixie Carter until her death in 2010, and had a recurring role on her hit show, "Designing Women." He also directed a handful of episodes.

Hal also appeared in popular TV shows "Evening Shade," and "The West Wing" and starred on both "The Event" and "Sons of Anarchy" when he was in his 80s.

Then, in 2008 at age 82, he became the oldest person ever nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor at the time ... for his role in 2008's "Into the Wild."

Holbrook's other notable credits over the years include the miniseries "North and South," and films such as "Julia," "The Fog," "Wall Street," "The Firm," "Hercules" and "Men of Honor."

Hal was 95.

Kevin Hart isn't letting that horrific 2019 car wreck hold him back from one of his passions ... he's about to add another souped-up whip to his collection, and it's a BEAST.

Sources familiar with the deal tell us Kevin recently bought a new muscle car from SpeedKore in Wisconsin, dropping several hundred thousand dollars on an old Dodge Charger that's been completely revamped.

SpeedKore calls the car the "Hellraiser" and it looks pretty sick, under the hood alone.

We're told Kevin's getting it delivered next week, so keep an eye out for the full unveiling. Unclear how much horsepower this one will be packing, but we know Kevin likes 'em fast.

As we first reported, Kevin was in the passenger seat, and a friend was driving, when they crashed in the Malibu Hills. Kevin's 1970 Barracuda was totally mangled. Ditto for his back ... KH needed spinal surgery, but fully recovered after a lengthy rehab.

West coast actor Madison Eginton was 10-years-old when she was cast as the adorable daughter Helena Hartford -- who is the naive little kid of the lust-torn couple Dr. William and Alice Hartford -- in Stanley Kubrick's final film "Eyes Wide Shut."

Eginton is accompanied in Stanley's sex-filled flick with some big named stars including Nicole Kidman as Helena's erotically day-dreaming mom, Alice Hartford ... and of course Tom Cruise as Helena's orgy attending escort-hiring physician father, Dr. William Hartford.

Madison Eginton went on to be cast on TV shows like "ER" and "Touched By An Angel."

Chucky abducted his son and is on the run while wielding a huge kitchen knife ... is what some Texans were led to believe after a faulty Amber Alert was released.

The Texas Department of Safety accidentally sent out the alert Friday morning ... featuring the "Child's Play" horror series character and his "Seed of Chucky" son, Glen Ray.

The Amber Alert blared this out ...  the "Abducted Child" Glen -- all 2'3" of him -- was last seen Thursday morning in Henderson ... and the 28-year-old "Suspect" Chucky was wearing blue denim overalls and was carrying a knife.

Clearly ... it was just a horrific mistake.

The Texas DPS tells TMZ ... "This alert is a result of a test malfunction. We apologize for the confusion this may have caused and are diligently working to ensure this does not happen again."

Torrey Pines looked more like the set of "Happy Gilmore" on Friday ... 'cause Brooks Koepka hit a tee shot that landed INSIDE a shoe -- and it had everyone wondering, should he have to play it as it lies?!?!?!

The wild scene all went down during the 2nd round of the Farmers Insurance Open, when Koepka smashed a drive down the right side of the fairway that crash-landed into the back of a golf cart.

As Koepka strolled down the North Course's 16th hole ... the 30-year-old quickly realized the ball actually came to rest IN a shoe that was sitting on the back of the vehicle!!!

EVERYONE was immediately reminded of the scene in "Happy Gilmore" ... where Shooter McGavin lost his mind after having to hit a ball "off Frankenstein's fat foot!"

But, fortunately for Koepka, golf's rules actually allowed him to take a penalty-free drop and continue on.

The issue, though? Koepka did NOT want to retrieve the ball from the camera guy's shoe ... saying straight-up, "I ain't sticking my hand in there. You can grab it out of your nasty-ass shoe."

Koepka eventually got everything squared away and he was able to save par.

The bad news ... Koepka's round is currently sucking -- and he's now in danger of missing the cut.

Wendy Williams is beaming about Lifetime's movie and documentary covering her life and career, and not only because they're helping her get revenge on her ex-husband.

The talk show host joined "TMZ Live" Friday and in true Wendy fashion was not afraid to throw equal amounts of shade -- for Kevin Hunter -- and praise ... for the cast of her biopic.

Wendy tells us she developed a friendship with Ciera Payton -- the actress playing her in "Wendy Williams: The Movie" -- and says she really put her all into the role. Same goes for Morocco Omari -- who Wendy says she hand-picked to play Kevin.

As you know ... Kevin and Wendy were together for more than 20 years, have a son together and worked together, but things ended very bitterly. Actually, as she explained, it was bitter long before the end.

"Wendy Williams: The Movie" and the companion documentary, "Wendy Williams: What a Mess!" premiere Saturday night on Lifetime -- and yes ... she'll be watching.