'The Rock' for President Early Poll Promising ... Nearly Half Back the People's Champ!!!

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If Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson does indeed run for U.S. President as he's hinted he might, he nearly has all the votes needed to win already ... at least based on a new poll.

The former WWE superstar turned Hollywood A-lister has the support of 46 percent of adult Americans if he were to make a Presidential run in 2024 ... according to a recent online poll of 30,138 potential voters between April 2 and April 4.

The same poll found 29 percent would support dual campaigns by The Rock for POTUS and Matthew McConaughey for Texas Governor ... something the actor's also suggested he's considering.

Other notable poll results include 30% support for Angelina Jolie for Prez, 27% for Oprah ... and a shockingly low 22% for Tom Hanks.

Overall though, nearly 2 out of 3 adults polled said they believe celebs make good politicians if they have a good team and possess "political aptitude."

As ridiculous as that may seem to some, it also makes sense. Ex-Prez Donald Trump still has major support in the Republican party, and several other past Hollywood stars went on to make big political splashes ... Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, Al Franken and Ronald Reagan, just to name a few.

As for the Rock ... he's been floating the idea of a White House run since 2016, and added fuel to the fire on 'Ellen' in 2017 and 'The Late Show' in 2018 by continuing to say he's seriously considering it.

More recently, he told a reporter he'd run for POTUS "if that's what the people wanted." Well, Rock ... it looks like you have your answer.

George Clooney & Ben Affleck Batter Up!!! Playin' Ball on Set

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George Clooney stepped into the batter's box in between takes on the set of his new movie, taking hacks while Ben Affleck tried shagging balls in the outfield ... and for one of them, it didn't go so smoothly.

George took a break from directing "The Tender Bar" Wednesday in Boston for a little batting practice on the softball field where they were filming ... and he was swinging for the fences.

The Red Sox probably won't come calling if any of their scouts see this video, but at least George makes contact and looks like he's having a helluva time.

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ANGEL IN THE OUTFIELD

Ben, meanwhile, tried tracking down George's deep fly balls in the outfield ... and well, let's just say the sun didn't play ball. Error, Affleck.

After struggling in the field, Ben took the mound while the cameras were rolling. As you can see, his orange softball uniform reads, "The Dickens," the name of the bar where his character works in the film.

Check out the videos ... lotta star power, even if the action isn't exactly All-Star caliber.

'Harry Potter' Actor Paul Ritter Dead at 54

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Paul Ritter -- best known around the globe for playing Eldred Worple in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" -- has died.

A rep for the British actor says Paul died of a brain tumor Monday night. He died peacefully at home with his wife Polly and sons -- Frank and Noah -- by his side. The rep added, "He was fiercely intelligent, kind and very funny. We will miss him greatly. Paul was an exceptionally talented actor playing an enormous variety of roles on stage and screen with extraordinary skill."

Some of Paul's bigger credits include appearing in the James Bond movie "Quantum of Solace" as government adviser Guy Haines. In his homeland ... Paul was best known for playing the family patriarch in the long-running Channel 4 comedy "Friday Night Dinner."

He was also a brilliant stage actor that landed him both Olivier and Tony Award nominations. Paul's work in "Coram Boy" earned him an Olivier nomination in 2006. His starring role in "The Norman Conquests" in 2009 snagged him a Tony nomination.

He was most recently in the HBO miniseries "Chernobyl" ... portraying Anatoly Dyatlov, the supervisor who was blamed for not following safety protocols leading to the nuclear disaster.

Paul was also set to appear in the upcoming World War II drama "Operation Mincemeat."

He was 54.

Christen Harper Goff's GF Lands S.I. Swim Photoshoot ... Dream Come True!!!

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Jared Goff is officially dating a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model -- the Detroit Lions QB's longtime GF, Christen Harper has landed a photoshoot with the S.I. Swim Issue!

26-year-old Harper made the announcement minutes ago ... saying it's always been her lifelong dream to be an S.I. Swim model -- and now it's a reality!!

"SI is the reason I became a model and for years I tried to get a casting with them but never quite made it," Harper said Monday.

"Instead of just accepting that and moving on I decided to take things into my own hands and chase this dream myself! This is a sign to go after your dreams and never look back!!!"

Harper earned the spot by entering the outlet's highly competitive "Swim Search" ... where people from all over the world audition to be part of the upcoming issue.

The California native -- who's been linked to Goff since early 2019 -- joins a stacked list of WAGs in S.I.'s lineup ... including names like Olivia Culpo, Kate Bock and Camille Kostek, who have already announced their return for the July 2021 issue.

No word from Goff, yet ... but we take it he's THRILLED!!

Congrats!!

Harvey Weinstein Appeals Rape Conviction in NY ... I Didn't Get a Fair Trial!!!

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Harvey Weinstein's appealing his rape and sexual abuse conviction in New York, and has a laundry list of reasons why he believes he got a raw deal.

According to new legal docs ... Weinstein claims he was deprived of a fair and impartial jury trial, which resulted in guilty verdicts and a sentence of 23 years in prison.

Weinstein's team claims the jury was influenced by sensational, prejudiced media coverage, special interest groups and the public's "magnified moral outrage over claimed sexual misbehavior of powerful men."

Weinstein's appeal highlights several points his legal team brought up during his trial, including the allegation one of the jurors lied about writing a book focused on older men preying on younger women.

In addition, Weinstein claims the jury was permitted to hear allegations of prior bad acts and uncharged crimes ... which he argues is a major error that deprived him of his right to a fair trial.

Weinstein also claims he was barred from presenting a defense against the prosecution's expert witness, and even alleges the judge showed his own bias when he harshly admonished Weinstein for using his cell phone in court.

Finally, Weinstein slams the trial court for allegedly influencing the jury's decision by essentially letting the prosecution put Mr. Weinstein’s entire life on trial instead of just focusing on the charged offenses.

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BIG DEFEAT

Even if the disgraced movie mogul's appeal is successful, he's still awaiting trial in another sexual abuse case in Los Angeles. He's currently serving his 23-year sentence in a NY state prison.

LisaRaye McCoy on 'Toast' Segment I wasn't 'supporting' Radio Host's Colorism Comments ... But Preference is Preference

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LisaRaye McCoy is clarifying what she said about the Buffalo radio host who compared Black women to "toast," saying she is NOT defending the guy -- but simply pointing out ... yeah, he can have an opinion on the subject.

We got the actress Sunday at LAX and asked if she was standing in support of broadcaster Rob Lederman -- this after seemingly coming to his defense last week on her show, 'Cocktails with Queens,' with co-hosts Claudia Jordan, Syleena Johnson and Vivica A. Fox.

ICYMI ... LisaRaye didn't appear all that bothered by what Lederman had actually expressed at its core -- namely, that he prefers lighter-skinned Black women over darker-skinned ones.

The other women took issue, saying there was colorism at play with that type of thinking ... but LisaRaye is standing firm, even now ... the dude has a right to express what he likes, even if he's white. She notes his word choice was awful and demeaning, but when you drill down to the core ... she doesn't find it all that triggering.

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TONE DEAF

LisaRaye says the reason some could've been more offended than others might have to with the climate we're in, and the fact people are way more sensitive these days.

BTW, she flatly denies being a colorist herself -- telling us she's got family members who are darker-skinned. That said, our camera guy asked her a provocative question ... and that would be, does colorism lend itself to racism by default?

LRM has an interesting answer. One thing's for sure ..., she thinks Lederman's race makes this all the more complicated.

Bruce Lee's Daughter Praises Steph Curry for Sneaker Tribute 'Honored He Chose My Dad'

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Bruce Lee's family LOVES that Steph Curry rocked a special pair of sneakers to honor the legend during Sunday's game ... especially since he's going to auction them off for a good cause.

The Golden State Warriors superstar teamed up with the Bruce Lee Foundation to create a custom pair of Curry 8s with Lee's image hand-painted on each shoe.

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One image is a solo shot of Lee. The other image is based off a photograph of Bruce with his wife and children.

Steph wanted to show solidarity to the Asian community in light of the recent wave of anti-Asian hate crimes -- so proceeds from the upcoming auction will go toward the families of the 8 people killed in the recent attack on Asian-run spas.

Bruce's daughter, Shannon Lee, who runs the Bruce Lee Foundation, praised Curry in a statement.

"I think Stephen’s gesture is a beautiful example of allyship and solidarity in action," Shannon Lee said.

"I am honored he would choose my father and my family as the symbol for the idea that we are all one family, as my father said, and therefore must all stand for one another."

After Sunday's game, Curry also talked about the collaboration and why it's so important to him.

"It's a significant opportunity to raise some money. We're gonna auction them off and obviously what Bruce Lee stood for in terms of unifying people, speaking on the collective harmony of everybody from different backgrounds, different races but especially his Asian heritage -- I think he has a lot of quotes and just narratives and themes that he spoke of consistently that still ring true today and I know his foundation do a lot to live that out, to impact people's lives and continue to spark change."

Gloria Henry 'Dennis the Menace' Mom ... Dead at 98

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Gloria Henry -- most famous for playing the mom character on the old 'Dennis the Menace' show -- has died.

The veteran actress passed away Saturday, just one day after her 98th birthday ... this according to her daughter, Erin Ellwood, who broke the sad news on Instagram. After posting some celebratory shots of her mother's milestone year, she said she'd died the next day.

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Erin threw up a photo of her mom posing at the Colette Miller angel wings mural in Hollywood, writing ... "She’s flying now, free of her body. She left on a countdown 4 3 2 1 @ 3:40pm. She was such an incredible woman in so many ways. This last year with her has been beautiful and heartbreaking. Thank you all for following me and supporting me on this journey - this beautiful land mine. Goodbye Momma, I love your guts forever ❤️"

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On Friday, Erin posted a sweet birthday card Gloria was sent from cartoonist Marcus Hamilton -- the guy famous for those Dennis the Menace cartoons that have appeared in newspapers for years now. He customized it for her, thanking for being the best "mom" Dennis could ask for. Erin says it made Gloria's day to see it.

Of course, Gloria played Alice Mitchell -- the titular character's mom -- on the CBS black and white sitcom for all four seasons from 1959 through 1963, having starred in 146 episodes. She was the epitome of the white picket fence parent ... often playing peacemaker with her rambunctious boy and his nemesis/neighbor, Mr. Wilson.

While she's perhaps best-known from 'DTM' ... Gloria had a long-running career in TV and film that dates back to the '40s, when she starred in B-films like "Adventures in Silverado," "The Arkansas Swing," "Johnny Alegro" and many others.

She made a splash in the '50s as Michelle Malone in 'The Files of Jeffrey Jones' ... and went on to have supporting roles in 'Mr. & Mrs. North,' 'My Little Margie,' 'Perry Mason,' 'Broken Arrow,' 'The Farmer's Daughter,' 'The Brady Brides,' 'Simon & Simon,' 'Silver Spoons,' 'Dallas' and countless other famous series. All in all, Gloria has 65 acting credits to her name.

She'll always be remembered as Dennis' sweet maternal presence though. Gloria was 98.

RIP

'Space Jam' Sequel Trailer 'Clockwork' Droogs Cameo ... Pepe Remains Sidelined

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While Pepe Le Pew's "rape-y" behavior was apparently deemed too problematic to include him in the 'Space Jam' sequel, a group of actual onscreen rapists is set to cameo.

The first official trailer for "Space Jam: A New Legacy" dropped this weekend -- and it shows LeBron James descending not just into the Looney Tunes world for a do-or-die basketball game ... but in a world full of classic movie characters, hand-drawn or otherwise.

In the new teaser, you see LeBron and co. on a basketball court in a stadium-like setting -- which is full of real-life human cameos from the likes of Damian Lillard, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson and Diana Taurasi, but there's also pantheon greats from the cinematic universe sprinkled throughout ... like 'Batman' characters, 'Mad Max' characters, 'Scooby Doo' characters, 'GOT' characters ... and strangely, "A Clockwork Orange" characters too.

Yes, we're talking Alex and his gang of Droogs -- famous for their all-white outfits and their bowler hats. And, even more famous (or infamous) is their brutal rape scene in the 1971 Kubrick film, which is depicted in graphic detail ... and definitely NOT family-friendly by any stretch.

A lot of people quickly noticed the Droogs' presence ... and questioned why they were even in the film at all, considering the nature of their scripted backstory. There doesn't seem to be much of an explanation at this point, other than 'Space Jam' cramming as many memorable movie characters into the plot as possible ... "Ready Player One" style.

Of course, the inclusion of the Droogs makes ya wonder ... if they're in, why is Pepe out?

You'll recall ... Pepe's grabby approach toward Penelope Pussycat was recently put under a microscope and was even likened to perpetuating rape culture, which drew mixed reactions. Interestingly enough, it was reported that Pepe ended up getting axed from the new 'Space Jam' script entirely after some consideration. It's unclear if the "rape" criticism had anything to do with it directly ... but it seems likely WB execs might've already been thinking that.

Pepe was featured in the OG "Space Jam" -- but doesn't seem to be anywhere in the sequel, something that's got some people dumbfounded as far as priorities and decision-making, especially if the Droogs were given the green light to appear.

Titus Welliver's Divorce 'Bosch' Star Gets Harley, Ex Gets the Horses

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Titus Welliver can roar off into the sunset in the saddle of his motorcycle as the dust settles in his divorce -- and his ex-wife will be galloping away ... TMZ has learned.

The 'Bosch' star just finalized his divorce from Josepha Theodora Stemkens -- to whom he'd been married to since 2014 -- and the judge has now signed off on exactly who gets what in the division of their assets.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Titus gets to keep some property in Connecticut, some bank accounts, residuals and royalties from his TV and movie work. Now for the fun stuff -- he's taking some sweet rides for a cruise around ... including a Mini Cooper and a 2014 Harley Davidson.

As for Josepha ... she was also left with a pretty nice whip -- a 2017 Range Rover, and some equine mobility too. She's getting their 6 horses, named Kimba, Kid, Chief‚ Aslan, Jackson and Little Martha Grace.

She's also keeping her businesses and personal accounts, plus jewelry and furniture that's already in her possession.

Titus was also ordered to pay Josepha around $27k a month until the end of 2021, in addition to a lump sum of $50k to equalize the property split. The couple also came to terms on child custody -- Titus has a 14-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, and Josepha legally adopted her during their marriage.

The kid stays with dad ... in every sense. He gets sole physical and legal custody, while Josepha is supposed to attend some therapy sessions with their daughter at some point.

Margaret Cho Afraid to Go Outside ... I'm a Prime Target for Asian Hate

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Margaret Cho says she's afraid to leave the safety of her own home as an Asian-American woman ... telling us, "outside it's cloudy with a chance of racism."

Despite that humorous phrasing, the comedian made it clear her fear is very real when she joined us Friday on "TMZ Live." She says the rise in hate crimes against Asian-Americans has her feeling like there's a target on her.

Margaret says it's a really scary time in America, and she's especially rattled by the attacks on older Asian-American women.

While Margaret felt empowered by the Asian grandmother in San Francisco who fought off an alleged attacker last month with a piece of wood ... she says it was still a traumatizing moment for the Asian community, and yet another example of why she feels safer at home.

It's pretty shocking to hear an Emmy and five-time Grammy-nominated comedian/actress say she's afraid of becoming a hate crime victim, but Margaret says that's where we are today in this country ... and it's time for an awakening.

Until then, Margaret says, "I'm not going out!!!"

Bam Margera 'Jackass' Team, Rehab Put Me in Harm's Way ... Definition of 'Torture!!!'

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WHO'S THE REAL JACKASS?!

Bam Margera insists he tried everything he could to appease "Jackass 4" producers and stay on the project, but claims what they wanted almost killed him ... and he has no choice but to take legal action now.

The 'Jackass' star was out in Hollywood Thursday when we talked to him about getting kicked off "Jackass 4" after another stint in rehab ... one he says made his life much worse.

Bam claims Johnny Knoxville and others had strict terms for him, including a 90-day rehab stay for alcohol and Adderall. The problem, according to Bam, is he came out with a laundry list of 18 different pills the rehab folks wanted him to take. You gotta watch ... he actually names them all, and believes that's what led to his suicidal thoughts.

On top of that, he accuses Johnny -- or as he sarcastically called him, "Dr. Knoxville" -- of ordering him to stay off 2 drugs his own doctors had prescribed for him.

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BOYCOTT JACKASS

Ultimately, Bam says all those pills rehab put him on left him feeling like he was gonna die from an overdose or suicide ... which made a huge payday for 'Jackass' totally meaningless.

He's blaming producers for the whole situation, calling their treatment "torture" ... and he's very upset that something he's wanted to do for 10 years to honor his late friend, Ryan Dunn, has come to this.

We broke the story ... Margera got booted from the upcoming 'Jackass' film in February for not abiding by contractual conditions related to his addiction issues. Bam suggests to us that it was due to his continued use of Adderall.

His firing came shortly after Bam's troubling online rant in which he called for a boycott of "Jackass 4" and talked about suicidal thoughts.

We've reached out to Knoxville and MTV about Margera's comments ... no word back yet.

Sharon Stone My Manager Said I Wasn't 'F***able' ... Then I Got 'Basic Instinct'

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Sharon Stone claims her manager back in the day told her she wasn't sexy enough to get hired in Hollywood, then 6 weeks later ... she was cast to play one of the sexiest characters ever.

The actress says before she landed her famous role in "Basic Instinct," she was pretty shy and introverted. Stone claims this prompted her manager to tell her she wasn't "f**kable."

It's all detailed in her new autobiography, "The Beauty of Living Twice," and Sharon goes on to say her acting coach also badgered her to loosen up, asking ... "If you keep leaving your sexuality at the door, how do you expect to play anyone at all?"

She says 6 weeks after that, she was cast to star alongside Michael Douglas in the 1992 erotic thriller. Guess the acting coach did the job.

As we reported ... Stone previously revealed she was tricked into performing her notorious no-underwear scene in the movie by members of the production team.

She claims they ensured her "we can't see anything," and she didn't learn until later that she was duped ... and describes the experience as humiliating.

Aaron Rodgers Wheels up with Shailene Woodley ... After Mexican Getaway

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Here it is ... Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley in the same place at the same time, for the first time since they got engaged -- which might be what they were celebrating down in Mexico.

The happy couple was on the tarmac Monday in Costa Careyes ... moments before boarding a private jet. The Green Bay Packers QB and "Big Little Lies" star were with a group of friends getting ready for takeoff. It's unclear if they're continuing the vacay somewhere else or heading home.

We know what fans desperately wanna see -- Shailene's engagement ring, so here's the best we can do. Even zooming in, it's hard to tell if she's wearing one on that left hand.

We do know the ring exists, but up to this point, the only time we've seen it was when Shailene was on the 'Tonight Show' in February, talking to Jimmy Fallon about the engagement.

Still, looks like they enjoyed the warmer weather down south after they were together earlier this month in freezing Montreal ... where Shailene was shooting the cop thriller "Misanthrope" and sending Aaron out to walk her dog.

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THINKING OF THE FUTURE

As we reported ... Aaron announced his engagement to Shailene back in February after winning the NFL's MVP award for the 2020 season, and he's since gushed about their relationship and set his sights on having a kid with her.

But, until then ... travel the world while ya can!!!

Hawkins in 'Predator' 'Memba Him?!

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Pittsburgh born producer Shane Black is a big name in the movie industry as a writer and director with a long list of action movie credits ... but Black's on-screen role that he's best known for as the young glasses-wearing cadet Hawkins -- who is quickly killed by the unknown alien creature -- in the classic 1987 action film "Predator."

Shane was joined on the gun-toting jungle film by epic actors including Carl Weathers as the indestructible, Dillon, Jesse Ventura as the man with a minigun, Blain ... and of course Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Vietnam vet, Dutch.

Guess what he looks like now!

'Talladega Nights' Houston Tumlin Depression and PTSD Led to Suicide

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Houston Tumlin -- the kid who played Ricky Bobby's son in 'Talladega Nights' -- grew up to proudly serve his country, but sadly suffered from PTSD and depression as a result, which led to his suicide ... his mother tells TMZ.

Michelle Tumlin tells us ... her son honorably served in the U.S. Army for nearly 6 years, earning many accolades as an E-4 specialist in the 101st Airborne Division.

Houston's awards include the Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, but Michelle says he was most proud of earning his Air Assault wings.

Michelle says, "Houston received a different set of wings" this week, and while the family is hurting from the loss, she says they want to stress to anyone who is suffering to reach out and get help.

She says ... "Houston Lee Tumlin was so much more than a child actor from 'Talladega Nights.' My beautiful boy brought joy to everyone he encountered and made them feel special. Houston fought his battle for years, and we will continue to fight for him."

We're told Houston will have a full military funeral, and his family marched in an event over the weekend in Helena, Alabama to raise awareness for veteran suicide and PTSD support.

We broke the story ... Houston died by suicide Tuesday at his home in Pelham.

Along with his military service, he was best known for playing the foul-mouthed Walker Bobby, the eldest son of Will Ferrell's character, in the 2006 comedy, "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."

Houston was 28.

RIP