Movies

Leigh Steinberg -- the inspiration behind "Jerry Maguire" -- says there won't be a sequel to the classic film, but a movie about his life is very likely ... and the NFL super-agent knows which actor he wants to portray him.

It's not Tom Cruise (been there, done that) ... Leigh tells TMZ Sports he has his sights set on Zac Efron or Jake Gyllenhaal.

FYI, Steinberg currently reps Patrick Mahomes ... and is probably the most decorated football agent of all time. He's repped 12 Hall of Famers ... including Troy Aikman, Warren Moon, Bruce Smith, Howie Long and Steve Young.

"Jerry Maguire" hit theaters 24 1/2 years ago ... and Steinberg had a cameo in the film. But, his role was a lot bigger than just a few lines.

Director Cameron Crow shadowed Steinberg for about 18 months -- attending everything from Pro Days to the Draft -- to see how an NFL agent operated.

"[Cameron] went to Pro Scouting Day, USC, he came to some games with me, he came to the Super Bowl, he came to the Super Bowl Party. He spent time in my office and I told him a lot of stories."

As for a "Jerry Maguire" 2 ... Leigh says CC "doesn't make sequels," but adds he's "been approached about my own life story a number of times."

So, would Leigh be down??

"Yes, and I think eventually that will happen. We've talked to people about documentaries."

A giant statue of Marilyn Monroe in her iconic dress-fluttering pose is making a comeback in the California desert ... but now, people are finding new ways to be pissed about it.

The 26-foot tall stainless steel effigy -- aptly titled "Forever Marilyn" -- has returned to the city of Palm Springs after a 7-year itch hiatus ... and is here to stay for good as it towers in front of the entrance to the Palm Springs Art Museum, this following a recent city council vote.

The statue was in town back in 2012, and stuck around for 2 years ... serving as a major tourist attraction. The idea here is ... bringing her back will help PS get back on its feet.

Of course, some like it hot out there -- a small spread of party poopers say they're utterly outraged about the "Forever Marilyn" being resurrected ... but for wildly different reasons. NPR outlined it well -- citing folks' indignation over obscenity, sexism and basic geography.

First, there's concern about where Marilyn's ass is facing ... which is directly at the front doors of the museum. A local official says he worries about the thousands of students who'll have to bear witness to Marilyn's derriere annually ... which he finds unimaginable/offensive.

Next, there's supposedly a Change.org petition floating around ... demanding the statue be removed, as the folks behind that claim this is straight-up inappropriate -- as it encourages upskirting (snapping shots up a lady's dress) ... and, by extension, predatory behavior.

Finally, some argue that the placement of the statue allegedly goes against city codes and road/highway planning guidelines -- and they're making a stink on that front. Even more say there's no evidence this statue will actually make a difference in boosting the local economy.

However you wanna cut it ... people are finding reasons to be angry about this. But, in reality, it's literally THE most famous shot of Marilyn in existence, and sits high in the pantheon of pop culture.

Robert De Niro is headed home after suffering an injury while working on Martin Scorsese's highly-anticipated upcoming project with Leo DiCaprio.

Production sources as well as sources connected to De Niro tell us the actor hurt his leg during filming of "Killers of the Flower Moon" in Oklahoma. He boarded a flight late Thursday for his home in New York City and plans to see a doctor Friday. The extent of the injury is unclear.

As for whether it'll delay production, a source close to De Niro tells us the actor was already planning to go home for a few weeks, but a production source tells us crew members were told they'll have Friday off because of the injury ... so it's possible there were still a couple scenes for De Niro to shoot.

The Apple Original film -- based on the nonfiction book by David Grann about a series of murders in Oklahoma in the '20s -- is set to wrap late this year or early 2022. It's reportedly got a budget of around $200M with an impressive cast beyond DiCaprio and De Niro that also features Jesse Plemons and Lily Gladstone.

Terrence Howard's hired some big legal guns to wrestle with producers of his new movie, "Triumph" ... claiming they don't have his consent to use him in the film, which has already been released -- and that's a problem.

TMZ's obtained a cease and desist letter sent by Howard's legal team to employees at Cinemark, Digital Ignition Entertainment, Argonaut Entertainment Partners and others, alleging the actor's name, image and likeness have been used in connection with the feature film without his permission.

According to the letter, signed by attorney Michael Saltz ... Howard's involvement with the movie -- which co-stars RJ Mitte of "Breaking Bad" playing a high school wrestler with cerebral palsy -- was "conditioned upon the satisfaction of material monetary and non-monetary promises made by the producers, which never happened."

Howard's attorneys claim these producers acknowledged as recently as April 15 that Howard's consent had not been obtained and "Triumph" could not come out until they got a signed release ... but the movie was theatrically released on April 30 anyway.

On top of that, Howard's heavily featured in promos for the film ... which makes sense since he plays the wrestling coach.

The letter goes on to threaten Argonaut with legal action if it continues involving Howard with "distribution, advertising, promotion, and/or exhibition of 'Triumph' in any manner" ... claiming it's a violation of his publicity rights.

Digital Ignition Entertainment tells us, "The producers made this film with a mission to help advance awareness of Cerebral Palsy and to do our part to promote inclusion in film.  We couldn’t be more proud of the job our cast and crew did to highlight the remarkable accomplishments of the writer of the film, who has Cerebral Palsy, and the lead actor of the film, RJ Mitte, who is also diagnosed with cerebral palsy."

Blake Griffin's newest kicks will have you saying "Chicka, chicka, yeah, fake ID" ... 'cause the Brooklyn Nets star just rocked some awesome "Superbad" shoes -- complete with his own McLovin ID!!

The 32-year-old hooper debuted the dope Jordan "McLovin" 35s against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday ... drawing inspiration from one of the most iconic moments of the 2007 teen comedy -- Fogell's hilariously awful fake ID.

Griffin -- a huge comedy junkie -- decided to pay tribute on the tongue of his Js ... by including his own edition of McLovin's Hawaii driver's license.

The "McGriffin" ID is impressively detailed and features Blake's REAL height, weight and birthday ... unlike Fogell's fake ID.

In fact, it even includes Blake's real picture!!

The baby blue and white kicks also feature a rainbow stripe at the top of the tongue ... perfectly matching the Hawaii ID.

"Superbad" writer and star Seth Rogen showed Griffin some (mc)love for the tribute ... giving him a special shoutout on Twitter.

Legendary TV mom Phylicia Rashad is taking on a new important leadership role ... joining Howard University as Dean of its recently reestablished College of Fine Arts.

The iconic actress -- best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on "The Cosby Show" -- will begin her gig at the historically Black research university on July 1 ... according to the college.

Rashad's a Howard alum -- as well as a sister of Alpha Kappa Alpha -- who graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s in fine arts ... so it seems like a pretty perfect fit.

Provost Anthony K. Wutoh says ... "In this full circle moment, Ms. Phylicia Rashad will take the training and skills that she honed as a student at Howard and exuded in an outstanding performing career, and she will share those pearls of wisdom with the next generation of students in the College of Fine Arts."

Howard Univ. President, Dr. Wayne Frederick, adds ... "I can think of no individual better suited to take on this role than Ms. Phylicia Rashad."

Before joining the staff at Howard, Rashad had previously served as a guest lecturer and adjunct faculty member ... even conducting master’s-level classes. She also served on Howard’s Board of Trustees from 1996 through 1999 and then again from 2013 to 2016.

She also once served as the late Chadwick Boseman's mentor when he attended Howard -- and pulled some strings for him and other student actors by asking Denzel Washington to pay for a summer theater program that they couldn't quite afford on their own at the time.

Los Angeles local Ami Dolenz followed in her father's footsteps and shot to stardom in the '80s after landing some head-turning roles including the swan-story hottie, Katie, in "She's Out Of Control" and the eye-popping girlfriend, Sloane Peterson, in the television version of "Ferris Bueller."

Ami shared the big screen with Tony Danza as her confused father, Doug, in "She's Out Of Control" and the small screen with Jennifer Aniston as Jeannie in "Ferris Bueller."

Fun Fact: Ami's dad, Micky Dolenz, is also superfamous as the founding member of the '60s rock group, The Monkees.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez didn't just rekindle their romance within the last 2 weeks, instead, it's been building since February ... when he started flooding her with emails while she was filming in the Dominican Republic.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Ben and J Lo were in very regular contact by email starting in early February when she flew to the Caribbean to begin filming "Shotgun Wedding." We're told the tone of the emails wasn't just friendly ... but more loving and longing for Jen.

For instance, after seeing pics of Jennifer in the D.R., he wrote to tell her how beautiful she looked, and how much he wished he could be down there with her. Of course, he was busy at the time in Boston, shooting "The Tender Bar" with George Clooney -- and she was still engaged to Alex Rodriguez.

Our sources say the emails also referenced J Lo's love for Ben's writing, and included a line about him being able to "own her heart" with his pen.

We're told they continued emailing each other, back and forth, for the duration of J Lo's shoot ... which wrapped in late April.

As far as our sources know, there was no physical contact or rendezvous between them during this time, but the emails do add context to how they seemingly got together so quickly.

Remember, they were together in L.A. -- very publicly -- on the first weekend in May ... just 2 weeks after Jen and A-Rod called off their engagement.

Folks in Ben and Jennifer's world said they had always maintained a friendship since splitting up in 2004. However, as we first told you, they were together again in Montana this past weekend.

One more clue the exes have been in close contact for some time came with InStyle Magazine's recent J Lo cover story. It included a quote from Ben gushing about his ex-fiancee, saying in part ... "She has great talent, but she has also worked very hard for her success, and I’m so happy for her that she seems, at long last, to be getting the credit she deserves."

That story did not include a quote from Jen's then-fiance, A-Rod.

New York City native Nancy Allen has a long list of acting credits from the late '70s and early '80s, but is best known for her role as the cyborg police partner Officer Anne Lewis -- who helps Officer Murphy find himself within the law-enforcing robotic exterior -- in the iconic '80s sci-fi film "RoboCop" ... as well as the '90s sequels "RoboCop 2" and "RoboCop 3."

Nancy Allen shared the big screen of the futuristic film with some notable actors including Kurtwood Smith as the crime-riddled Clarence Boddicker, Miguel Ferrer as the cop-creator, Bob Morton ... and of course Peter Weller as the RoboCop, Officer Murphy.

There could be one less award show next year if the Hollywood Foreign Press Association doesn't get its act together, 'cause Tinseltown is threatening to not play ball anymore.

You mighta heard about the drama this week with the HFPA -- a non-profit made up of int'l journalists who put on (and vote for winners of) the Golden Globes each year. They've been under a barrel lately due to a major lack of diversity in their ranks -- and after coming out with a new plan to increase membership among POC ... they're still getting torched.

Netflix and Amazon spoke out over the past couple days and said ... they're not participating with anything HFPA puts on until they expedite this reform process beyond what they're already planning, which they say isn't doing nearly enough to address their issues.

Ditto for Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo -- who are saying the same thing ... specifically calling on their peers to "step back" from HFPA (and the Golden Globes by extension).

ScarJo's statement is especially harsh, as she alludes to sexual harassment issues the org has apparently fostered over the years, even invoking the name of Harvey Weinstein.

She told Variety, "As an actor promoting a film, one is expected to participate in awards season by attending press conferences as well as awards shows. In the past, this has often meant facing sexist questions and remarks by certain HFPA members that bordered on sexual harassment. It is the exact reason why I, for many years, refused to participate in their conferences."

ScaJo adds this ... “The HFPA is an organization that was legitimized by the likes of Harvey Weinstein to amass momentum for Academy recognition and the industry followed suit. Unless there is necessary fundamental reform within the organization, I believe it is time that we take a step back from the HFPA and focus on the importance and strength of unity within our unions and the industry as a whole."

If you're unfamiliar with what all the fuss is about -- HFPA was reported to have had ZERO Black members for several years now, something the hosts of this year's Globes show -- Tina Fey and Amy Poehler -- lampooned over and over during the NBC broadcast in February.

Some high-profile members even trotted out during the show and committed to "doing better" ... but their current goals are pretty weak, according to the movers and shakers, who are the lifeblood of the Globes to begin with. Without studios or talent, there's no show.

Here's what HFPA plans to do ASAP -- admit 20 new members with a focus on Black recruitment, increasing membership by 50% over 18 months, losing the "must live in SoCal" requirement, opening membership to journos beyond print, no more promo gift handouts, a stricter code of conduct for press junkets and hiring a managing staff ... like CEOs and stuff.

Tawny Kitaen, the actress who starred in "Bachelor Party" and whose personal life was filled with radical ups and downs, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Kitaen died in Newport Beach Friday. The coroner has yet to determine cause of death.

Kitaen, whose credits include 'The Perils of Gwendoline' and "After Midnight," was a precocious child who got the showbiz bug at 14, when she saw Peter Frampton at Balboa Stadium in San Diego. She got a backstage pass and saw the All-Access VIP treatment Peter's GF, Penny, received, and that was it. She was hooked.

Tawny started out on a game show back in 1976 -- "To Tell the Truth." She migrated into movies and achieved some success with her roles, especially "Bachelor Party."

And, Tawny famously was featured in some music videos, notably Whitesnake's "Is This Love," and "Here I Go Again."

Kitaen dated Ratt guitarist Robbin Crosby while she was still in high school and even followed his band to L.A. in the late '70s. She was featured on the album cover of the band's album "Out of the Cellar" and their debut EP "Ratt."

Tawny's personal life was rocky. She married Whitesnake's lead singer, David Coverdale, back in 1989, but the marriage only lasted 2 years.  She went on to marry baseball star Chuck Finley -- with whom she had 2 daughters -- and the end of that relationship proved disastrous.  Finley claimed she repeatedly kicked him in the face with her high heels and she was charged with domestic violence. Those charges were later dismissed. He filed for divorce 3 days later.

She also had substance abuse issues and was arrested for drug possession and DUI ... which was well-chronicled in the media.

Tawny was 59.

RIP

Jay-Z could be in the process of starting his own production company ... at least it seems that way based on the trademark application his company has filed.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Hova's company, S. Carter Enterprises, filed to trademark "2/J" on May 3 for "entertainment services in the nature of creation, development, and production" of television programming, TV series, movies and similar projects.

Too early to tell, but it sure seems like Jay's laying the groundwork to start a production co.

It would be rather fitting if Jay-Z, a music and business mogul, starts his own production company. He's already made a fortune on his own cognac with D'Usse, the streaming service Tidal and, of course, his massively successful entertainment firm, Roc Nation. And, just last year, he launched his own premium cannabis brand, Monogram.

Jay would be following in the footsteps of entertainment moguls who have their own production companies ... like Spike Lee's 40 Acres, Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions and LeBron James' SpringHill Company, which reportedly has already amassed an impressive portfolio of deals and partnerships in the media world.

LaKeith Stanfield's under fire for his involvement in a Clubhouse discussion about Louis Farrakhan's anti-Semitism that devolved into a cesspool of hateful conspiracy theories and comments about Jewish people.

The recently Oscar-nominated actor was a moderator for a discussion on the Clubhouse app Wednesday night, and although he's not accused of spewing any anti-Semitic speech himself ... many are outraged he did nothing to speak out against it either.

The Clubhouse discussion Stanfield was monitoring began when another chat -- titled, "Did Min. Farrakhan Tarnish His Legacy by Being Antisemitic?" -- got shut down by its moderator for becoming too inflammatory.

Instead of ending the convo, someone launched the second room titled, "Someone Ended the Room About Farrakhan" ... and that's where things got very disturbing, with one participant describing comments as "worse than things that I’ve read or heard about neo-Nazis saying."

When a Jewish woman in the room confronted Stanfield about why he was allowing the hate speech to continue unchecked, he skirted the issue and implied he was trying to remain neutral ... according to The Daily Beast.

For some people in the room that was inexcusable behavior from an influential Hollywood star with 79,000 followers on the Clubhouse app ... and they question his intentions.

Now, LaKeith did join another Clubhouse chat Thursday moderated by a panel of Jewish educators who wanted to address the hate speech they had witnessed ... and he admitted he fell short moderating.

He said if he continues to choose to be a moderator in a certain room, he needs to pay "attention to what is actually being discussed and determine if that’s a discussion that you really want to get into."

Stanfield also explained he lacked knowledge about "the origins of Judaism in Jewishness," but suggested he enjoys Clubhouse because he learns a lot from it.

He said ... "I've been in a couple rooms where a lot of s**t has been discussed and talked about, very heightened emotional states. It’s been very enlightening and interesting to me."

LaKeith's response was well-received within the room. Outside of it, however, you gotta wonder how a 29-year-old man didn't see the grossly anti-Semitic remarks for what they are ... hate speech.

Henry Golding says the latest heinous attack in San Francisco makes it painfully obvious America needs more awareness about Asian hate -- but he's hopeful we can put an end to it.

The "Crazy Rich Asians" star was in Beverly Hills when we asked him about the recent attack on 2 elderly Asian women, which he calls horrific and cowardly.

As terrible as that situation was -- thankfully, both women survived and a suspect's been arrested -- Henry tells us people are standing up to Asian hate and violence more and more ... and he believes it's making a difference.

Sadly, the harsh reality is that these attacks keep happening, so the actor says there's still a need to educate loved ones about the dangers and keep spreading awareness. To that point, we also got his take on what Hollywood's doing to help the movement.

WWE Superstar The Miz says he's 100% down to play the legendary Johnny Cage in the next "Mortal Kombat" movie ... telling TMZ Sports he'd put his blood, sweat and tears into perfecting the role.

Of course, the beloved Cage was left out of the iconic video game franchise's reboot movie that dropped last month ... but SPOILER ALERT: the ending teased the hell out of him being in a possible sequel.

M.K. nerds have started a social media campaign to see the WWE Superstar play the sunglassed badass in a future flick... with Miz tweeting out for M.K. producers to call his agent.

But, the champ tells us he's not kidding about wanting the role ... telling us he'd love to give the fans what they want.

"Honestly ... if I have a shot at it, I would definitely want to make sure that I give everything that I possibly can to make sure that not only the production company, the director are happy with the character that I get, but also the fans because they are the ones that are so adamant about Johnny Cage being in the movie," The Miz told us at LAX this week.

"This is an iconic character in the 'Mortal Kombat' franchise and it needs to be done right. If I'm the person to do it, then so be it. I'm ready to go!"

We know what you're thinkin' -- Miz is more of a wrestler than a karate guy like J.C. ... but he says he'd do whatever it takes to execute each move like the real Cage would.

The role would be a full-circle moment for The Miz ... who says he spent countless hours playing M.K. while growing up.

"I remember playing this game when I was a kid. Sega Genesis, I would never play Super Nintendo because it didn't have the blood, but I always played the Sega Genesis version and I remember playing as Johnny Cage."

"And, to see this kinda all happen, it'd be like a dream come true."

Miz could have some competition, though -- it sounds like Ryan Reynolds is also trying to throw his hat in the ring.

Jim Carrey is taking a page from Oprah's playbook, giving away a brand new car ... and the lucky winner is a crew member on his upcoming Sonic movie.

Production sources tell TMZ ... Jim has been up in Vancouver shooting 'Sonic 2' and he wanted to do something fun for the crew and show his thanks for their hard work, so he held a raffle ... and the grand prize was a Chevy Blazer RS.

We're told the winner was picked Friday morning ... and the crew member, who worked as a grip, is getting the keys to their new ride.

Jim's making a pretty big gesture with the free car giveaway ... the base model Chevy Blazer RS retails for just over $40,000.

As you know ... Jim starred in 2020's "Sonic The Hedgehog" as Dr. Robotnik ... and now he's bringing back the evil character for the upcoming sequel.