Movies

Ariana Grande singing karaoke in any capacity might seem unfair -- but that's especially true when she gets a number that lets her show off her pipes as this famous duet did.

AG was filmed hanging out with friends and crooning along to "Suddenly Seymour" from "Little Shop of Horrors" ... in which she took up singing duties for Audrey (Ellen Greene) while a pal handled Seymour's lines (performed by Rick Moranis in the movie version).

Ellen was always the more impressive of the pair from the iconic scene -- and that proved to be true here as well. Not to say her friend singing for Rick was bad or anything ... but Ari just shined through for some weird reason. It's almost like she's a pro.

BTW, her hubby, Dalton Gomez, was by her side for the impromptu show ... cheering her on after she hit that final note on "SEYMOUR IS YOUR MAN."

Nia Long is showing some serious love for her fiancé Ime Udoka ... praising her soon-to-be hubby on becoming the new head coach of the Boston Celtics!!

The Cs officially announced the former Brooklyn Nets assistant as Brad Stevens' successor at a press conference on Monday ... and the "Boyz n the Hood" actress couldn't help but gas up her man.

"Today you are officially the Head Coach of the Boston Celtics," Long said on IG. "Big love to the entire staff for the warm welcome. I am beyond proud of this man."

Long is already getting used to rockin' the green and white -- sporting a #18 Celtics jersey, with the digits symbolizing Udoka becoming the 18th head coach in franchise history.

"The legacy continues. #coachudoka18."

FYI -- Long and Udoka have been together for 10 years ... and she's been by his side as he's moved around the league in hopes of someday getting that head coaching spot.

Long is confident Udoka will thrive in Beantown ... saying, "expect great things because that's what he does."

As for coach, Udoka raved about the gig, saying, "I look forward to having success with you guys."

"The relationships have been great. I look forward to building those. As far as the players and the roster, I'm very excited, honored to be a part of it and let's go for 18 [championships]".

This is Udoka's first gig as head coach ... he's been an assistant coach for 3 teams (Spurs, Sixers, Nets) since 2012 and won a championship in 2014.

In a matter of weeks, Richard Hutchins went from homeless to hosting his own art gallery show/auction in Beverly Hills ... and, pretty soon, he'll be coming to a theater near you.

Richard -- an artist who spent years living on the streets in L.A. after his art studio burned down -- joined "TMZ Live" on Monday alongside Charlie Rocket ... 2 Chainz's ex-manager who met Richard by chance on Easter Sunday in a grocery store parking lot.

The story's a rags-to-riches tale akin to the Golden Voice or "The Soloist" -- Charlie discovered Richard's an uber-talented artist, who in his heyday had been commissioned to do work for Muhammad Ali, Richard Pryor and Marvin Gaye, among others.

Richard had been down on his luck for years, but fast forward to last week ... when he was lauded as he strolled into his own gallery/auction featuring his work at the Sofitel. Around 500 people attended the shindig, including Damon Dash.

After Charlie got to know Richard, and his artistic skill, he helped set up Richard's art website so he can sell prints ... and Richard tells us he's hauled in more than $200k.

In fact, 2 Chainz was one of the first customers, and Steve Harvey also bought a painting for a cool $3,000.

So, what's next? Richard says he's already gotten an acting offer for a role as an artist. He also wants to give back now that he has the resources ... and tackle Skid Row.

The people have spoken, and they say Bow Wow beat Soulja Boy in a "Verzuz" -- which begs the question ... can Shad get a little respect on his name now??? Sheesh!

That's exactly what we asked BW Saturday in WeHo as he was leaving Catch ... this after his highly-anticipated showdown with his 2000s contemporary, which was put on in front of an audience at the Hollywood Palladium (where "Verzuz" battles have gone down lately).

Check out what Mr. Moss had to say when we asked if him (unofficially) winning the faceoff solidifies his contribution to music and culture ... something that's actually been in question in recent years, as Bow Wow's often been the butt of many online jokes/challenges.

Bow Wow had possibly the best answer to the question of relevance ... all you gotta do is punch his name into a search bar, and you'll quickly learn who he is. Well said, sir.

BTW, Lil Romeo came out as a surprise guest during the jam-packed "Verzuz" and gave both Bow Wow and Soulja their respective props ... which many say were long overdue considering their legacy and impact as it pertains to pretty much everything hip-hop.

It made for a sweet moment ... but it was just one of many highlights. At one point, Bow Wow busted out the Harlem shake -- which he made famous as a little tyke -- right around the time he was blowing up from his "Like Mike" role. We gotta say ... he hasn't lost a step!

The show ended up being an awesome walk down memory lane for pretty much anyone who was born in the '90s and grew up on Soulja and Bow Wow's music.

Liam Neeson is still saving the day onscreen -- even at the ripe age of 69 -- which is something he can't believe ... but might need a history lesson on, 'cause it's been done before.

The legendary actor -- whose legend only continues to grow with each new action flick he's cast in, including his latest for Netflix, "The Ice Road" -- did an interview with EW, in which he dissected the phenomenon of him getting tapped to play the hero time and time again.

He says, in part ... "I just turned 69 years of age, and the conversations I have with my agent now are, 'Liam, have you read this script? It's an action script,' and I say, 'Chris, let me ask you this, they do know what age I am, right?' 'Yes, they do.' 'Okay, that's all I want to know, thank you.'" So, yeah ... everyone seems to be in on the secret -- he's a senior citizen!

Liam adds, "That being said, I keep reasonably fit, and you just have to for some of these films. If you're playing the lead in any film, you have the responsibility; you're in practically every scene, it behooves you to be fit. You don't have to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger at the age of 35, but you have to have stamina."

Of course, Liam as the modern-day Stallone/Willis/Schwarzenegger can largely be attributed to his standout action film, "Taken," which became a cultural hit ... and apparently led to Hollywood honchos thinking LN would be THE perfect guy to whoop on baddies going forward.

And, hey ... the dude's not complaining either. Seems like he's taking this bizarro typecasting in stride -- but he'd be far from the first mainstream actor to be playing an older gun blazer.

Yes, we're aware Harrison Ford is once again donning the brown fedora for "Indiana Jones 5" -- and he's 78, so he might be the king in this convo -- but the one and only Charles Bronson seems to have been one of the early few to pave the way for both HF and Liam.

The man was acting in action flicks -- including a fifth installment of 'Death Wish' in 1994 at age 72/73 -- until he was in his late 70s, before passing in the early 2000s at age 81.

Quentin Tarantino was immovable Friday night ... standing firm on his desire to retire, despite persistent protestations by Bill Maher.

Quentin was awesome, bluntly telling Bill, “I know film history and from here on in, filmmakers do not get better."

Maher grilled the 58-year-old filmmaker like a cheeseburger, imploring him to keep making flicks ... even suggesting 58 is the new 57, but it was a no-go.

Q.T. caused quite the stir, briefly saying his next film -- which he says will be his last -- will be a "Reservoir Dogs" reboot, before adding he was just joking.

And then, Bill started talking about the PC world of film, and Quentin had lots of thoughts ... saying ideology now trumps everything else in cinema, including art and entertainment.

Bobb'e J. Thompson -- known for playing the foul-mouthed, trouble-making kid in "Role Models" -- is in some real-life trouble ... for allegedly having a stolen gun.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the actor was going through security at LAX when a Glock firearm was found in his baggage. We're told the gun was loaded too, but did not have a round in the chamber.

Our sources say during the airport police investigation, cops learned the gun was stolen ... and Bobb'e was arrested and taken to the station.

According to police ... Thompson -- also known for roles on "That's So Raven," "30 Rock" and 'House of Payne' -- was booked for felony possession of a stolen firearm.

He was released after posting a $35,000 bond.

You can't see him, but you WILL see John Cena back in the squared circle once again ... with the WWE Superstar confirming he's DEFINITELY making a wrestling comeback!!!

44-year-old Cena hasn't been in the ring since WrestleMania 36 last year ... when he lost to "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt.

But, the WWE legend hasn't hung up his spandex just yet -- Cena revealed he's 100% coming back to Vince McMahon's organization in the future.

"Those rumors are true," Cena said on "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon.

So, when's he making his highly anticipated return?? THE TIME IS NOW!!!!

Just kidding.

"I'll definitely be back to the WWE, I just don't know when," Cena told Fallon.

When pressed about his cryptic Instagram post of the WWE logo back in May, Cena said he was just feeling "pretty nostalgic" and wasn't trying to announce a big comeback.

"Some people took it as I was returning immediately, which that's not the case. I haven't had my last match and I can't wait to have my next match."

Cena's name has been thrown around as a possible guest for SummerSlam in August ... and Triple H recently told TMZ Sports he felt like the huge event could act as a "pretty big carrot" to get him to take a break from Hollywood.

But, as Cena points out, his movie contracts ain't exactly letting him go get beat up on the weekends while filming massive blockbuster flicks.

Britney Spears' ex-BF, Justin Timberlake, says she's being done wrong -- by her family, her conservators and the courts -- especially when it comes to controlling her own body.

Justin came out strongly in support of freeing Britney Wednesday, hours after her bombshell testimony for the judge in her conservatorship case ... saying, "No one should ever be held against their will ... or ever have to ask permission to access everything they've worked so hard for."

JT's support for Brit's efforts to end her conservatorship is especially interesting because he became a target of the #FreeBritney movement after the 'Framing Britney Spears' documentary came out. The film highlighted a moment when many feel he slut-shamed her by publicly bragging about having sex with Britney when they were dating.

The singer seemed to reference that low point in another tweet, when he said, "Regardless of our past, good and bad, and no matter how long ago it was ... what's happening to her is just not right."

As we reported, Britney told the judge in no uncertain terms she wants out from under the conservatorship, and without any further mental evaluation. She also said her conservators are forcing her to use an IUD, which she wants to remove because she said she wants to have another baby and get married to Sam Asghari, her BF of nearly 5 years.

Actor Eddie Deezen is being accused of harassing a waitress who claims he went scorched Earth on her over her eyelashes, of all things ... but he claims her peeps are cyberbullying him now.

So, here's the deal ... Deezen -- best known for playing nerdy Eugene Felsnic in the original 'Grease' films -- apparently went on Facebook earlier this week and wrote a lengthy post blasting the waitress in his hometown of Cumberland, Maryland.

So weird, but in a nutshell, he went on a rant about loving when she wears fake eyelashes on days he goes into her restaurant ... but hates when she doesn't wear them. Deezen even said he'd walk out if she didn't wear 'em.

The waitress, Kara Lashbaugh, called Deezen a creep for the repulsive Facebook post. Then, a couple of days after putting him on blast ... Deezen accused Kara of spreading rumors about him and getting him banned from a couple of restaurants in town.

Deezen also says he's been inundated with vile private messages from her friends. Even though he started this ridiculous beef, Deezen's claiming Kara just wants 15 minutes of fame because he's "a fairly well-known person."

Kara tells us she has not filed a police report, but is planning to meet with a lawyer to see what she should do going forward.

Deezen's attorney, Adam Hirshfield, tells us the actor feels like his life is in danger following the cyberbullying -- but police have told him he'll need to file for a no-contact order in court, if he's that concerned.

Coke Daniels is all for people comparing his film "Karen" to Jordan Peele's "Get Out," but to say he ripped it off? Coke essentially says get the hell outta here with that take!

The writer/producer tells TMZ ... they're 2 totally different films. His about an entitled white, racist woman who tries to run a Black family out of the neighborhood, while "Get Out" is about a mixed-race couple visiting her super-creepy family.

However, it didn't stop people from talking trash. One person said on Twitter, "Jordan Peele only has two films under his belt as a director and he already has people trying to copy his formula."

Now, Coke will cop to the idea that the films do share a similarity in genre ... and the director thinks THAT is what haters were really describing after the trailer dropped on Tuesday.

ICYMI, they slammed "Karen" -- starring Taryn Manning in the creepy lead -- as a wannabe "Get Out." The criticism was so intense, Jordan Peele's name started trending on Twitter.

Coke noticed all the social media buzz, took a screenshot of several posts and captioned it, "Trending on Twitter!! Keep comparing Karen to Get Out! We’ll receive that!"

Michael B. Jordan almost went the way of other celebs when it comes to booze and cultural appropriation -- but he saw the early warning signs, and decided to pivot.

The actor's been under fire since this past weekend for photos that leaked, apparently showing him at some sort of a launch party for a new rum line, with which he seemed to have a direct connection. The rum was called "J'ouvert" -- the name of a traditional Caribbean festival, akin to Carnival.

The photos seriously pissed off some people -- especially those with Trinidadian roots, where J'ouvert is said to have started -- who accused MBJ of cultural appropriation, exploitation and outright insensitivity in trying to commercialize something to which he has zero ties.

There were rumblings he might have partnered with someone with a Trinidadian background for this venture -- but even still, it didn't look good ... and Michael was silent for days over it.

Now, he's finally speaking out and promising to rebrand in the near future, writing in part ... "I just wanna say on behalf of myself and my partners, our intention was never to offend or hurt a culture (we love & respect) & hoped to celebrate & shine a positive light on."

Pope Francis may be a superhero in the Catholic church, but he came face-to-face with a guy who's a hero to children everywhere ... including kids in hospitals he visits to cheer them up.

The Pope met with an amazing young man dressed in a full Spider-Man suit Wednesday in Vatican City. The costumed character was seated in the VIP section of the audience in the Vatican's San Damaso Courtyard.

That's because Spidey -- who's really 27-year-old Mattia Villardita from northern Italy -- was being honored for the work he does dressing up as superheroes and visiting sick children at hospitals to raise their spirits.

Villardita did his best to blend in while sitting in the crowd, but c'mon ... this is a sighting that definitely makes front page of the Daily Bugle.

After His Holiness finished with the general audience event, Spider-Man got an audience with him -- they shook hands, and the webbed wonder handed the Pontiff a mask of his own. He didn't put it on. Not immediately, anyway.

Canadian triplets Gerry, Leo and Myles Fitzgerald were only 5 years old when they were cast as the scientifically created super baby Sly -- and then Sly's long-lost twin brother Whit who was raised in the real world -- in the 1999 kid comedy "Baby Geniuses."

Gerry, Leo and Myles stuck around Hollywood for a few years for the "Baby Geniuses" 2004 follow-up film "Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2" as the potion drinking hero kid, Kahuna.

The stud siblings, who no longer work in the entertainment biz, still live north of the border and play hockey and golf together regularly.

Warriors fans didn't have to wait for the new 'Space Jam' movie to see Klay Thompson return to action ... 'cause after 2 devastating injuries, the NBA superstar is back on the court!!!

Remember, 31-year-old Klay hasn't suited up for the Dubs since tearing his ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals.

Right when he was getting back to 100%, Thompson then tore his Achilles while playing a pickup game in November 2020 ... which kept him from playing in the 2020-21 season.

But, Thompson had a breakthrough this week ... running up and down the court and working on his jumper at Chase Arena -- and yeah, he's THRILLED to be back at it.

"DubNation, I still have a really long, long, LOOOONG way to go," Klay said Tuesday. "But my goodness, it felt so dang good to get up and down and see the ball go thru the net."

"Can’t wait to burn em down next year 👌🏽 💦 🔥 !! Big milestone for me this week"

Klay kept busy while sidelined with the previous injury -- he's starring as "Wet Fire" alongside LeBron James in "Space Jam: A New Legacy" next month.

This time around, his free time was spent off movie sets ... and you can tell he's been busting his ass to stay in shape.

Paul Walker's supped-up Toyota Supra that he drove in "The Fast and the Furious" has gone to one super-charged fan ... who snagged the fast whip at an auction for $550k.

The 1994 car was auctioned off in Las Vegas this weekend ... and the winning bid came from a phone bidder for Brian O'Conner's original 10-second car. The Supra's auction had been one of the most anticipated ones in recent memory.

'F&F' fans know this car all too well -- it's the one he fixed up before smoking a Ferrari while racing down PCH in Malibu.

The car was also featured in the second installment ... 2003's "2 Fast 2 Furious." The new owner will get all the extensive documentation of the car's origin plus a certificate of authenticity. BTW, the car was built at The Shark Shop in El Segundo, CA.

Under the hood, the Supra's got what's billed as "perhaps the most renowned engine to ever come from Japan" -- the 2JZ-GTE. Remember ... Dominic Toretto's crew guy, Jesse, famously said in the first installment "2JZ engine ... this will decimate all."

As we reported ... the late actor's baby brother, Cody Walker, wouldn't even venture to guess what this car would go for at auction ... but he knew it would rake in some serious cash. And, he was right.

He also told us he thinks Paul would have thought the auction itself for a car like this is kind of hilarious.

Cody was in middle school when the OG 'F&F' film came out ... and he said folks stop him all the time to tell him his bro is what got them into loving fast cars. There's a legion of 'F&F' fans that have grown exponentially thanks to the enormous success of the franchise.