Movies

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are back, and they're done hiding it ... because the first clear shots of them together have surfaced, and they look all too pleased in each other's company.

BA flew into Miami Sunday to meet up with his old flame, trying to look incognito in a helluva getup. Dude was rocking sunglasses, a dad hat pulled down low and a face mask for good measure. Yet, even with all that, he kinda stuck out like a sore thumb ... and paps picked up on the scent. Good effort, though, Ben!

It became clear he was in town when he later surfaced at a waterfront mansion J Lo was at -- where Ben came out onto the balcony for a smoke at one point ... facing out towards the cameras, without trying to mask anything. There's no question, that's Ben Freakin' Affleck.

Jen popped in and out herself, but you could only make out her back, as she seemed to be trying to lay a little more low than her boo was. They never came out onto the balcony together -- but it's obvious ... they were sharing the same space, if only temporarily.

Eventually, they gave up the elusive act altogether and walked down a flight of stairs -- with Ben trailing Jennifer, who flashed a big smile ... and couldn't have looked happier. We'd like to say the same for Ben -- but he looked as aloof/pensive as he ever has (in memes and elsewhere).

Kevin Spacey is easing back into acting again -- but his first job ain't even here in the States ... dude's heading all the way over to Italy to get back to work.

The disgraced actor -- who has faced a mountain of sexual assault allegations since 2017, and essentially been exiled from mainstream Hollywood -- booked his first acting role since the accusations came to light ... this according to ABC News, who confirmed it.

Spacey is set to star in an Italian film called "L'uomo Che Disegno Dio," which will be directed by famed Italian actor-turned-director Franco Nero ... the guy who played the OG Django waaaay back in the '60s. The title translates to "The Man Who Drew God."

The synopsis says it's about a blind artist who has the God-given ability to draw portraits of people by just listening to their voice ... who then skyrockets to fame and becomes a TV star. It's unclear what role Spacey will play, but he'll be opposite Nero's wife, Vanessa Redgrave.

Of Spacey's casting, Nero tells ABC ... "I'm very happy Kevin agreed to participate in my film." He adds, "I consider him a great actor and I can't wait to start the movie."

KS hasn't been on camera -- besides his own weird home movies, that is -- since he parted ways with Netflix's "House of Cards" in late 2017 ... which revamped the entire final season, killing his character off from the outset and pushing forward with just Robin Wright.

A crazy post-crash site has a lot of people reminiscing on early 2000s horror -- because it looks eerily similar to a killer moment from the 'Final Destination' franchise.

A guy named Aaron Cox posted a video showing a giant wood log piercing the windshield of a white van, pulled over behind a transport truck on a freeway ... which of course, is ripped right out of "Final Destination 2," as any terrified viewer who remembers will tell you.

There's not a whole lot of context -- like where, when or what happened next -- but it's kinda funny ... 'cause the guy filming, presumably Aaron, literally mentions 'FD' as he captures the wreckage.

You don't see any blood inside of the van, which we think means (hopefully) nobody was seriously injured. Weirdly enough, the freakin' radio is still playing inside, something that seems to indicate it looks worse than it actually was.

Still, the fact that life imitated art here to a T is uncanny.

If you haven't seen the movie -- it follows the same beats as the OG ... starting with a mass death sitch where a bunch of people die from one incident (in this case, a highway pile-up that kicks off with the logs), which gets prevented by a character having a premonition ... only for the Grim Reaper himself to circle back to everyone who cheated death.

Spoiler alert ... everyone dies later in cool death scenes as the movie goes along -- but that's beside the point.

One last factoid about this -- "Final Destination 2" has scarred so many who watched it that this exact joke was made on none other than TikTok itself by content creator PatD Lucky ... who joked about being caught behind a big rig carrying a massive load of pipes, and immediately wanting to get out of the way out of fear of facing Officer Burke's fate.

A piece of movie history is going up for sale ... the iconic house from "Training Day" just hit the market.

The 3-bedroom home, tucked away on a cul-de-sac near Dodger Stadium, is up for sale at a cool $1,149,000 ... and it's where memorable scenes for the movie starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke were filmed.

If you've seen "Training Day" you'll remember Roger's home ... there are a few scenes inside, most notably the ones where Denzel's character, Alonzo, shoots Roger in his own living room and tries to frame Ethan's character for the murder.

The kitchen's the setting for another scene, where the dirty cops dig up the floor and steal a ton of cash. Dr. Dre's character is involved in both iconic scenes, which we're told were shot on location inside the home.

The home is 1,700 square feet and it has great views of the downtown L.A. skyline ... along with exposed beam ceilings and oak floors. There's also a separate studio guest house with its own deck, and a big yard.

Paul Hogan insists he didn't put up a sign on his house warning homeless people to scram ... in fact, he says the house isn't even his and he has empathy for people living on the streets.

The "Crocodile Dundee" star was getting lots of unwanted attention after a sign was plastered on his garage that read ...'THIS IS MY HOUSE NOT YOURS." Hogan is renting a $3.5 million house on the sand in Venice ... an area that has been completely overrun by the homeless. It's become both dangerous and heartbreaking to see people living in horrible conditions.

Hogan says he did NOT write the sign, although it's weird he was seen with a red marker in his hand and the sign is written in red.  He does say when he saw the sign, he took it down.

Paul calls the homeless situation in L.A. sad, awful and embarrassing. State and local government have done little, if anything, to curb the problem up to this point, and it's become a full-blown crisis.

The 81-year-old Hogan has said he's homesick for his native Australia and can't wait for COVID-19 issues to be resolved so he can leave L.A.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's son already follows in his dad's footsteps when it comes to bodybuilding ... but now he's mimicking his pops in Hollywood.

Sources close to Joseph Baena tell TMZ ... on the heels of landing his first big acting gig earlier this year -- in the John Malkovich sci-fi flick, "The Chariot" -- he's hired a manager, Henry Penzi, and is booking more and more roles.

We're told Joseph just finished shooting an independent film called "Bully High" -- that's where these photos are from -- where he plays the school president ... one of the main characters. "Bully High" is directed by Bill McAdams Jr.

On top of that, our sources say Baena's set to appear in an upcoming project with Bruce Willis and another project with Cartoon Network. We're told there's lots of interest in booking him for other gigs, too.

Along with Joseph's professional life taking off in 2021, it's also been a big year personally. As we previously reported ... he was seen publicly hanging out with his half-brother, Patrick, for the first time in April.

Johnny Depp is fighting tooth and nail to uncover whether his ex, Amber Heard, actually donated millions of dollars to charity like she said she would ... suing the actual org who was supposed to get to the money to get to the bottom of it.

JD just sued the ACLU in an effort to obtain financial documents as he seeks to undo a judge's ruling in London late last year ... which concluded The Sun hadn't defamed him with their 2018 "wife-beating" headline.

That's where this ACLU drama comes in. Johnny and his legal team are attempting to prove Amber perjured herself in court when she claimed she donated $7 million total to the ACLU and Children's Hospital L.A. -- something she agreed to do as part of their divorce settlement.

Remember, it was in August 2016 when the ACLU put out a release thanking Amber for pledging to donate half of her $7 million settlement. A few months later, the organization announced Heard had donated $350,000 directly ... but Depp's team believe it was Elon -- whom Heard was dating at the time -- who paid that and anything else donated in her name.

Johnny believes the judge bought Amber's charitable deeds and it worked against him in the final ruling, so he wants the truth to surface about where that money actually went ... and who it came from. If it turns out she didn't fork over the loot, he believes it could help his second defamation case here in the United States.

Depp thinks Heard only donated around $450k total from her own pocket in the end -- and he claims the ACLU has refused to play ball and turn over docs on the issue. So, now, he wants a judge to step in and make it happen with the slam of a gavel.

Harry Potter fans can own some serious wizardry memorabilia ... but it won't be sold by Ollivander and it'll cost way more than seven Galleons.

The folks over at Prop Store will hold one of the world's largest live auctions of film and TV memorabilia in L.A. ... and leading the way are the glasses and wand used by Daniel Radcliffe in the 2010 and 2011 films 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.'

Radcliffe used the wand in Part 1 and the glasses in Part 2. And, whoever wants to cop these will need more than wizard currency. We're told each of the items is expected to fetch between $30k and $50k. That's cold hard cash, homie.

Prop Store, one of the world's leading film and TV memorabilia companies, will stream the auction online between June 29 and July 1. Not a Harry Potter fan? Don't fret.

There will be more than 1,200 rare and iconic lots up for grabs during the 3-day event. Such as ... the fedora Harrison Ford used in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." The fedora should pull in anywhere between $150k to $250k.

'Star Wars' fans can snag the R2-SHP remote control droid from "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker." That beaut could fetch as much as $120k. 'Batman' fans with $10k in disposable income can have Michael Keaton's utility belt.

Need something for the kids? Statler and Waldorf puppet heads from "The Muppets" can be yours for anywhere between $30k and $50k.

A man who says he bought a "This Smells Like My Vagina" candle from Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop company claims it could have killed him when it exploded ... and he's now filed a class-action lawsuit about it.

According to the legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the guy suing is a Texas resident named Colby Watson, and he says he purchased the 10.5-ounce 'Vagina' candle online in January.

Watson claims he lit the candle for the first time in February and placed it on his nightstand -- a level surface -- and insists there was nothing close to touching the candle and no open windows or drafts in his bedroom.

Watson claims, after burning for "an estimated three hours or less," the candle became engulfed in high flames and exploded soon afterward ... and the room was filled with smoke.

Watson alleges the candle also left a black burn ring on his nightstand and says the jar is charred and black.

According to the docs, Watson acknowledges the candle comes with a "limited warning" on Goop.com -- including cautioning not to burn the candle for more than 2 hours at a time -- but he says that warning is insufficient.

Watson claims Goop fails to warn that the candle could cause significant injuries when it explodes, and he calls the 'Vagina' candles "inherently dangerous."

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.