Movies

Dua Lipa's trading in one star-studded event for another -- the singer's missing out on the Met Gala ... because she's working on her big-screen acting debut.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the "Levitating" singer's among a slew of celebs invited to the famous fundraising ball in NYC this month, but she had to decline because she's busy filming for the upcoming action thriller, "Argylle."

The movie will be Dua's first acting role, and she'll be co-starring alongside some of the biggest names in Hollywood ... Samuel L. Jackson, Henry Cavill, Bryan Cranston, Bryce Dallas Howard, John Cena, Sam Rockwell and Catherine O'Hara, just to name a few.

We're told Lipa's currently in the UK shooting the film -- directed by Matthew Vaughn of 'Kingsman' fame -- otherwise, she'd be at the event. She previously attended in 2019.

The Met Gala will be held on Monday, September 13, and even without Dua, will feature HUGE names, with rumored attendees that include Beyonce, Kim Kardashian West, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Harry Styles, Lupita Nyong’o, Camila Cabello, Addison Rae and Lewis Hamilton.

Amy Winehouse's dad believes the production company planning to make a biopic about his late daughter is playing a losing game ... because it's "100 percent not allowed."

Mitch Winehouse, Amy's father and administrator of her estate, tells TMZ ... there's no way the recently announced project with Halcyon Studios can go forward, because the estate already has its own plans for a biopic and owns all the rights.

Mitch says Halcyon -- which is producing the film after it optioned Daphne Barak’s 2010 book, "Saving Amy" -- has not reached out to him, nor has it reached out to her record label, Universal, to use any of her music.

Amy's dad claims Halcyon needs permission from the estate to make a biopic because it controls her image -- and definitely hasn't gotten it -- and that Barak needs to do the same and has also failed.

For her part, Barak says the project is not a biopic, but rather her story with her footage featuring herself with Amy and Bill Gunasti. She claims ... "I have all of the releases and legal agreements needed. Just like the NFTs being marketed on OG2D, this material is also all legally my property to sell."

Mitch certainly seems to disagree, and tells us this isn't the first time something like this has happened -- where people and production companies try to use Amy's image in various projects ... but the estate has denied it.

Meanwhile, Mitch says there's an authorized biopic in the works with a large production company in the UK along with Universal ... with plans to begin filming next year.

As for taking legal action against Halcyon or Barak ... Mitch doesn't think it will get to that point. He says, "They can't be that stupid. Everyone knows proper licenses must be granted."

John Schneider's production studio lot in Louisiana has been ravaged by Hurricane Ida, and while his life was spared, the actor needs some help.

The 'Dukes of Hazzard' star's movie/TV magic sanctuary in Holden, LA got torn up this week as Ida continues to rip through the area. Among the casualties on his property was a massive tree that toppled over, crashing down onto his orange "General Lee" stunt car.

Don't worry ... it ain't John's one and only -- he has several models on hand.

John's rep tells us he's doing just fine, but was off the grid for a while due to bad cell service ... he's leaving for Nashville in just a few hours.

With that said ... JS uploaded a video that's pretty sad to watch considering the devastation he -- and thousands of other Louisianans -- are going through right now. He's asking the public to give him a hand by going to his studio store and buying merch ... which is gonna go a long way to getting the place up and running again.

Louis Gossett Jr. isn't hanging up his acting career anytime soon -- so says the Oscar winner himself, and his reasons are interesting.

We got the acclaimed actor at LAX where we asked about his prolific and prolonged career ... even at this point in his life. Our photog pointed out the 85-year-old actually has quite a few things in the works right now -- 8 projects, in fact, which is wild.

He's been in notable productions of late too -- like the 'Watchmen' TV series. So, the natural follow-up, of course, is to ask ... ya ever gonna retire???

Watch how LGJ answers here -- it doesn't sound like he has any plans to stop in the near future. As for why, it sounds like he likes/needs to keep busy.

As he puts it ... once you hint you're done, the industry's quick to slough you off and move on -- and it seems he just doesn't want that to happen. Also, he says flexing his chops on camera is a helluva lot better than any other day job he could pick up right now.

The guy's a true legend in his field -- with more than 203 acting credits, an Emmy and, of course, his Best Supporting Academy Award for "An Officer and a Gentleman." And still, there's no sign of Louis slowing down.

Matthew Mindler's mom says he struggled with severe anxiety issues for years, and yet ... prior to his suicide, she says he seemed to be enjoying his 1st week of college.

The late child actor's mother, Monica Mindler, tells TMZ ... Matthew moved into Millersville University on Aug. 19, and things seemed to be going very well, until he disappeared.

Matthew's mom says he kept in constant contact with her during his first few days on the Pennsylvania campus, and he was busy. Monica says her son told her he met with an advisor about starting a campus computer/programming club, had an upcoming job interview with the IT department and was making friends.

As we reported ... Matthew, who starred in "Our Idiot Brother," never returned to his dorm room Tuesday night, was reported missing Wednesday, and found dead Saturday near campus. The coroner says he died by suicide.

Matthew's mom says their last text message exchange was Tuesday night, when she told him she was planning to pick him up Friday to spend the weekend at home. She wanted him to come home and relax for a few days, knowing he struggles with "crippling anxiety."

Monica tells us she texted him Wednesday morning, but didn't get a response -- her messages went through as texts instead of iMessages, suggesting his phone was off or in a bad service area.

Monica says she later contacted Matthew's dorm at MU for a wellness check, and got in touch with his roommate Wednesday evening, but she was told no one had seen her son and people at school were concerned.

By Thursday, Matthew's mom still hadn't heard from him and she drove to campus and got the police involved.

Matthew Mindler, the child actor known for his role in "Our Idiot Brother," died by suicide ... according to officials.

The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office tells TMZ ... Mindler's manner of death has been ruled suicide, but the cause of death is still pending toxicology results.

We broke the story ... Matthew's college, Millersville University in Pennsylvania, confirmed his death with an announcement to the student body Saturday. It said he was found deceased that morning in Manor Township near the campus.

The first-year student had not been seen since Tuesday night after failing to return to his dorm room, and was reported missing late Wednesday.

Along with his role in "Our Idiot Brother" alongside Paul Rudd, Mindler also appeared in a sketch on "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" in 2015 and had a few other acting credits to his name.

He was 19.

Sharon Stone has lost someone near and dear to her -- her baby nephew, River, has died ... just days after she announced his organs had given out on him.

The actress provided a tragic update Monday, saying the 11-month-old had passed away ... and posting a video tribute in his honor. She lists his DOB as Sept. 8, 2020, and his death as Aug. 30 ... so the kid was just a week or so shy of his first birthday.

It's unclear what led to River's organ failure to begin with -- but it was quite clear he was in dire need of immediate life-saving measures just last week ... when Sharon posted a photo of him hooked up to a ton of tubes in the hospital and asking for prayers.

All she wrote at the time about the circumstances was, "My nephew and godson River Stone was found in his crib w total organ failure today. Please pray for him. We need a miracle."

River is the son of Sharon's brother, Patrick, and his wife, Tasha. Sharon was a proud auntie -- posting pics of the newborn when he came into the world. It's been a rough year for the Stone family all around ... Sharon also lost her grandmother and godmother in the pandemic.

Ed Asner -- one the most prolific actors to ever have done it -- has died.

His reps confirm to TMZ that EA passed away Sunday surrounded by family. No other details about the circumstances of his death have emerged.

The family issued a statement saying, "We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully. Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head- Goodnight dad. We love you."

Ed was a veteran actor, having gotten his start in showbiz way back in the '50s, and finding critical success in a recurring role with "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" by playing Lou Grant ... Mary's TV station boss. He starred in 166 episodes of the series, for 7 long years.

He even got his own spinoff out of it ... with a show called "Lou Grant" which ran for nearly as long -- and of course, Ed took on the lead role there for over a hundred episodes. He's the most decorated male actor when it comes to Primetime Emmys ... the guy won 5 alone for his portrayal of Lou Grant, and two others for different roles in other TV shows.

"Lou Grant" was a decorated series in and of itself -- racking up 13 Emmys and Golden Globes too along the way. It was actually the third spinoff off of 'TMTMS' ... and perhaps the most successful.

Other notable TV series he was involved in with recurring appearances -- "The Bronx Zoo," "The Trials of Rosie O'Neill," "Hearts Afire," "Thunder Alley," "The Closer," "Center of the Universe" and others. His voice acting career is actually even more impressive ... taking off in the '90s and beyond.

Of course, Ed is also quite famous for his role in "Roots" ... for which he won an award as well.

But, even for brief roles ... the dude literally touched just about every major television series that was out at the time -- including shows like "The Fugitive," "Iron Horse," "Mission: Impossible," "The F.B.I.," "Ironside," "Mod Squad," "Rich Man, Poor Man," "Hawaii Five-O," "Police Story," "Insight," "Tender is the Night," "American Playhouse," "Fish Police" "Roseanne," "Mad About You," "Ask Harriet," "The Closer," "Hercules," "The X-Files," "ER," "CSI: NY" and more.

He's lent his talents to shows like "Batman: The Animated Series," "Superman: The Animated Series," "Animaniacs," "Freakazoid!," "Captain Planet," "Max Steel," "Zorro," "Jumanji," "Spider-Man: The Animated Series," "Gargoyles," "The Simpsons," "The Cleveland Show" and several more over the years. He even played the lead voice of Carl Fredricksen in Disney's classic Pixar flick "Up" ... so that just an idea of how far and wide his work is known.

Ed's movie work was just as impressive -- he's been in flicks like John Wayne's "El Dorado," "Elf," "The Gathering," "JFK," "O'Hara's Wife," "Hard Rain," "The Christmas Star," "Gus," "The Fanatics," "Basil," "The Bachelor," "The Animal," "Gigantic," "Saving Christmas," "Faith, Hope & Love," "Too Big to Fail," "Let Go" ... and dozens and dozens more.

Ed's been a part of so many iconic shows and movies ... it's difficult to even attempt to list all of them. All in all, the guy has 416 acting credits to his name ... including stuff that's still being worked on right now for future release.

The last time we saw Ed in person, he was as jovial and nice as ever ... happily signing autographs and chatting it up with us while being pushed in a chair. That's just the kind of guy he was!

He was 91.

Kevin Spacey is back on a film set on American soil for the first time since several sexual assault allegations against him came to light.

The actor -- who was essentially exiled from mainstream Hollywood after the accusations starting coming out in 2017 -- is filming a new movie called "Peter Five Eight" ... and he was shooting scenes this week in Dunsmuir, CA.

Spacey's walking around set dressed in all black ... all smiles and lighting up a cigarette.

Sounds like Spacey's hard at work ... we're told he's been filming in the small NorCal town around the clock.

As we reported ... Spacey booked his first movie role since the scandal erupted, but he had to go all the way to Italy to do it. He filmed "L'uomo che disegno Dio." The movie title translates to "The Man Who Drew God."

Now, Spacey's back on an American film set ... and he looks happy to be there.

Jennifer Coolidge's good looks were meant to be seen on-screen!

Here is a 40-year-old version of the beautiful babe at the premiere of "Legally Blonde" in Los Angeles, CA back in 2001 (left). That same year Coolidge also starred in "Down to Earth," "Zoolander" and "American Pie 2."

And, 20 years later ... the actress -- who is spending this weekend celebrating her 60th birthday -- is currently starring in HBO's 'White Lotus,' and was recently seen looking platinum at the premiere of the show in Los Angeles just last month (right).

"Best In Show."

The question is ...

Matthew Mindler, the child actor who went missing earlier this week, has died ... law enforcement tells TMZ.

The college he attended confirmed his death with an announcement to the student body ... "It is with a grieving heart that I let you know of the death of 19-year-old Matthew Mindler from Hellertown, Pennsylvania, a first-year student at Millersville University. A search had been underway for Matthew since Thursday, after he was reported missing. Matthew was found deceased this morning, Saturday, August 28, in Manor Township near campus."

The official did not disclose the cause of death or whether foul play is suspected.

Matthew starred opposite Paul Rudd in "Our Idiot Brother."

Matthew had not been seen since Tuesday night after failing to return to his dorm room. He was reported missing late Wednesday.

Police say Matthew was last seen walking away from his dorm at 8:11 PM Tuesday, wearing a white Millersville University hoodie with black stripes on the arm, a black backpack, jeans and white sneakers.

Cops say Matthew went to classes Monday and Tuesday but hadn't returned on Wednesday.

Matthew's credits include an episode of "As the World Turns" and "Frequency." He also appeared in the 2016 TV movie, "Chad: An American Boy."

Matthew was 19.

Matthew Mindler, the former child actor famous for starring opposite Paul Rudd in "Our Idiot Brother," has gone missing from his college in Pennsylvania ... according to police.

A freshman at Millersville University in Millersville, PA, Matthew has not been seen since Tuesday night and was reported missing late Wednesday after not returning to his dorm room and not returning calls from his family ... according to cops.

Police say Matthew was last seen walking away from his dorm at 8:11 PM Tuesday, wearing a white Millersville University hoodie with black stripes on the arm, a black backpack, jeans and white sneakers.

Cops say Matthew went to classes Monday and Tuesday but hasn't entered a classroom since.

We're told police are being flooded with tips and cops are following up on all leads.

Matthew's famous for his work as a child actor in 'Idiot Brother' and "Frequency" but he has not been acting for several years and just enrolled in college.

Sharon Stone's dealing with another heartbreaking family situation -- she says her baby nephew was found in his crib with total organ failure ... and he needs a miracle.

The actress is asking for prayers for her 11-month-old godson, River Stone, who is in the hospital hooked up to machines as he fights to survive.

Sharon's plea has been received loud and clear by lots of folks on social media ... among them, Kate Hudson, Ruby Rose and Sharon Osbourne.

River is the son of Sharon's brother, Patrick, and his wife, Tasha. He was born in September 2020. Sharon announced his birth on Instagram by sharing a photo of the newborn. She also posted a cute pic of him back in January.

As we've reported ... Stone's family has experienced a lot of tragedy lately due to COVID-19. Last year, Sharon tearfully revealed her grandmother and godmother both died in the pandemic. Her sister and sister's husband, Bruce, also battled the coronavirus, but thankfully survived.

Florida native Alexa Vega (now Alexa PenaVega) was only 12 years old when she landed the breakout role as Carmen Cortez -- who teams up with her brother to thwart Floop's evil plans -- in the 2001 family action film "Spy Kids" and the follow-up films "Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams" and the 2003 finale "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over."

The classic kids movie was filled with other notable actors including Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino as the supportive spy parents, Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez ... and of course Daryl Sabara as the butt-kicking spy bro, Juni Cortez.

Zoë Kravitz is starting a new chapter as a single lady ... because her divorce has been finalized.

According to court records ... Zoë and Karl Glusman's divorce judgment has been signed by a judge. It brings an end to a short-lived marriage. The good news ... the dark cloud of a divorce case no longer hangs over her as she dates Channing Tatum.

As you know ... Zoë and Karl started dating in late 2016 and got married in June 2019. But, Zoë filed for divorce just 2 days before Christmas 2020 ... after just 18 months of marriage.

The Paris wedding was pretty spectacular ... and it included a star-studded guest list, including the likes of Denzel Washington, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Marisa Tomei.

Meantime ... seems Zoë and Channing have been getting cozy. They were first seen in public together in early August after a swirl of dating rumors. Things got a bit more serious last weekend when they were seen carrying traveling bags and jumping in a car for an out-of-town trip.

Letitia Wright was injured during an overnight shoot for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," and while it's not super serious ... it's serious enough that she's been taken to a hospital.

Wright got hurt in an incident with a stunt rig while filming a scene in Boston, and a spokesperson for Marvel told Deadline she was hospitalized with minor injuries. She's expected to be released soon.

Wright's injury will reportedly not have an impact on the shooting schedule for the upcoming sequel to "Black Panther," in which the actor's reprising her role as Shuri.

As we reported ... Wright was on set in full costume this weekend with Danai Gurira, as the 2 were filming scenes together at the MIT campus in Cambridge, MA.