Movies

"Mean Girls" star Jonathan Bennett's so down to give the 2004 classic another go-around ... and that's so fetch!!!

We got Jonathan out Tuesday afternoon in Hollywood where he surprised guests on the TMZ celebrity tour bus by hopping on. He told the passengers he wants to make happen what everyone seems to crave ... a reunion of the cast in one way, shape or form.

Check it out ... Jonathan -- who, of course, played Lindsay Lohan's BF, Aaron Samuels -- says he doesn't care if the reunion comes in the form of a reboot as a series, prequel or sequel.

Jonathan says the film brought a lot of happiness to LOTS of people ... not to mention all the classic memes and quotes. ICYDK ... October 3rd is unofficially "Mean Girls" Day thanks to the film's most famous scene. ☝🏽

Jonathan knows fans are split ... some think it's better to leave well enough alone, but others are all about the reboot. The doubters have one receipt ... "Mean Girls 2" -- which didn't feature the OG cast -- went straight to video in 2011.

Tina Fey, who wrote "Mean Girls," is also writing the script to "Mean Girls the Musical" film.

English actor Harry Melling was only 12 years old when he landed the small role as the muggle cousin Dudley Dursley -- who makes home life hard for Harry Potter before he starts his magical schooling at Hogwarts -- in the 2001 fantasy film "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

Melling continued to be included in the 'Potter' series ... photographed above in "Harry Potter and and the Prisoner of Azkaban" ... and shared the big-screen with A-listers like Rupert Grint as the school BFF, Ron Weasley, Emma Watson as the quick-thinking, Hermione Granger ... and of course Daniel Radcliffe as the magical young man, Harry Potter.

Harry made a resurgence in the streaming world when he was cast as the chess mate Harry Beltik in "The Queen's Gambit" last year.

William Shatner's space flight won't take a toll on his body despite his age ... so says Neil deGrasse Tyson who explained why, by dropping some serious science knowledge.

The famed astrophysicist tells TMZ ... he's not worried about the fact Capt. Kirk's all of 90 years old and off to space Wednesday morning. He says the kind of space flight Blue Origin's designed to take is not like the old days where astronauts needed strenuous physical training.

So, what's changed? Neil explains it's not even about advances in the spacecraft itself ... it's more about where the New Shepard capsule ends up.

He says the bottom line is ... Captain Kirk should have a cakewalk of a "mission" to space. As for being weightless up there -- Neil says it's not the lack of gravity Shatner needs to worry about, but the opposite.

TMZ broke the story ... William will be part of the second crew to take the space flight ... making him the oldest person ever to be launched into space.

He'll be joined by Chris Boshuizen, founder of Earth-observation company Planet Labs, microbiologist Glen de Vries and Blue Origin's Audrey Powers. They're scheduled to launch at 10 AM ET from West Texas ... and TMZ will be streaming live.

The new 'Halloween' flick features a frighteningly inspired performance from James Jude Courtney, who leaned on an old friend/real-life murderer to pick up tips on playing the legendary villain behind the mask.

The "Halloween Kills" star joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to reveal part of his process to portray Michael Myers -- something James has done more than anyone else -- and it was downright chilling.

He told us he prepped for one of his very first killer roles by living in a psych ward with paranoid schizophrenics who had killed people ... but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Later in his career, James says he lived with a guy who had done hard time for murders -- he'd been a hitman -- but apparently wanted to moonlight as an acting coach.

James told us his killer roommate actually critiqued one of his movies, and told him how to make his character more believable, more realistic. That sounds great for James' acting career, but there's still the matter of actually LIVING under the same roof as a cold-blooded killer!!!

Brooklyn born actor Mitchell Whitfield was in his 20s when he took on the role of the best friend Stan Rothenstein -- who was one of the two youts behind bars after they were wrongly accused of murder while on their way to college on the west coast -- in the 1992 court comedy "My Cousin Vinny."

Whitfield was cast alongside some bright stars including Ralph Macchio as the innocent nephew, Billy Gambini, Marisa Tomei as the auto expert and fiance, Mona Lisa Vito ... and of course Joe Pesci as the unconventional lawyer, Vinny Gambini.

A few years later Mitchell landed a reoccurring gig as Barry Farber on the sitcom "Friends."

Granville Adams -- famous for his ongoing role as Zahir Arif in "Oz" -- has died after a battle with cancer.

His costar, Kirk Acevedo, made the announcement Sunday ... writing, "I lost my brotha today after a long battle with cancer. I don’t do well with loss because I'm unfamiliar with it." He adds, "Yo Granny we'll be chopping it up on the other side one day. Until then… Rest easy my friend."

Adams appeared to announce his diagnosis back in December of last year, posting a photo of himself in a hospital bed, looking ill, and captioning it ... "F*** CANCER!"

His "Oz" family started a GoFundMe on his behalf shortly thereafter, explaining that the guy's hospital bills were mounting for both him and his family ... asking the public for help. At the time, they wrote ... "In this quarter alone, the unpaid bills have piled up to $69,550. We want to gather together and show Granville our love by clearing this quarter’s bills, giving Granville concrete support in his fight against this vicious disease."

The GFM also notes that Adams hadn't been able to work over the past year (2020) and that all funds would be donated directly to his loved ones. As of this writing, it's reached nearly $100k in contributions.

Like we said, GA is perhaps best known for appearing on 48 episodes of the hit HBO show, first appearing as a guest and then a recurring supporting role until it went off the air in 2003. Adams played Arif -- a Muslim inmate who served as a lieutenant to Kareem Said.

Adams had a few other acting credits under his belt ... including roles in "Homicide: Life on the Streets," the movie "Empire" and "Magic City Memoirs."

Granville is survived by his wife, Christina. He was 58.

Timothee Chalamet is set to douse himself in chocolate and meet Oompa Loompas -- he's playing Willy Wonka in his early days, and showing off his new look ... which is ... cool???

The actor just posted a photo of himself on set for this new flick he's been cast in ... simply titled, "Wonka," which is basically a prequel to "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." Of course, that means we're gonna see a young Bill ... and Tim's giving us the first glimpse.

It shows TC in costume, wearing a Wonka-esque burgundy coat, scarf and a brown top hot. A second photo features him reaching for a tiny little present. Tim's caption reads, "The suspense is terrible, I hope it will last ..."

He's staring slyly ... kinda mischievous-like, which is also pretty Wonka-y. It also seems he'll be rocking his signature long, wavy locks -- so this is certainly more in the vein of Gene Wilder's turn as the titular character than Johnny Depp's ... which was its own animal.

Of course ... you have to respect that Depp's/Tim Burton's take was totally different -- both in appearance and expression of the famed Roald Dahl character. Gene's depiction is the OG, obviously, but we must say ... the 2021 portrayal, at least thus far, seems a little ... plain.

That's not to say it won't be good by any stretch -- it'll probably be solid, considering there'll reportedly be a ton of dance and musical numbers ... for which Tim trained. Plus, the guy's got chops ... even though this will be a new role for him unlike any other he's taken on.

Most of his movie parts up until now have been dramatic and relatively low-key (ish) -- and he hasn't had an opportunity to get zany or off the wall ... which you'd think he certainly will have to be here. Gene did it to perfection, Depp held his own -- now, Tim's up to bat.

Word is ... Warner Bros. (which also distributed the Burton flick) has had Timmy in mind for this project for a while, and finally locked him down after a lot of scheduling issues. So, they obviously see something in him.

George Clooney is shooting down any notion of diving into politics -- saying he doesn't want the stress ... while also noting Joe Biden deserves a break after Trump's presidency.

The actor sat down with BBC's Andrew Marr Sunday to plug his new movie, "The Tender Bar," and eventually ... they got to talking about President Biden and ex-Prez Trump -- the former of whom GC says will need time to clean up the mess he says DT left behind.

Marr noted Biden's poll numbers are down -- in the wake of Afghanistan and other issues -- but George brushed those off as fleeting and ever-changing. He likened the U.S. today as a battered child, and that thinking they'll be okay on the first day of school is foolish.

Bottom line ... George says there's a lot of healing that still needs to happen, and that these repairs will take time. So, Biden not fixing things ASAP is NBD to him -- and he backs him.

Speaking of Trump ... Clooney also dishes on what Donald was like back in the day -- saying he was nothing but a knucklehead chasing girls. He also says Trump despises his staunchest supporters ... rural folks from middle America, who come out in droves to his rallies.

Tom Cruise may be one of the biggest movie stars in the world, but Saturday night he was just a fan at a baseball game.

Cruise hit up Oracle Park in San Francisco where the Giants squared off against the Dodgers, where he paid $1k for a seat. You gotta watch the video ... as fans notice him and start fawning ... Cruise handles it like a pro. He's gracious, even chatty with everyone.

At one point, he takes to a dude behind him and they talk about where the guy is from, and Tom is fully engaged.

There were celebs on hand ... Tom and Danny Glover hugged it out between innings.

He was also seen fist bumping fans, and everyone seems stoked.

BTW ... in one of the photos you see what looks like an injury on the side of his face, near his ear. Could be a remnant from the latest "Mission Impossible" movie.

The 'Captain America' actress who told cops she killed her mother in self-defense just days before Christmas has been found incompetent to stand trial ... TMZ has learned.

According to court records ... Mollie Fitzgerald was found to lack competency to stand trial in late September. Her attorney, Jason Billam, tells TMZ ... she'll be returned to a state mental hospital for treatment.

We're told things are on hold for now, and her mental state will be reviewed every 90 days to see if she can regain competency to stand trial.

Billam tells us 3 mental health doctors stated their case and the court was satisfied with their findings. He said 2 of the 3 doctors concluded Mollie didn't have the ability to assist her attorney in providing a defense and she didn't understand what's happening to her.

That said ... Billam did say Mollie understands she's been charged with the murder of her mother ... and she also understands the roles her attorney, prosecutors and the judge play but gets confused about how the overall judicial process works.

Matthew McConaughey says he's still not sure if he'll run for Governor of Texas -- heavily suggesting it's NOT in the cards for him, considering how little leg work he's done thus far.

The actor did a wide-ranging interview with the NYT's Kara Swisher for a recent episode of her 'Sway' podcast ... and it's pretty astounding how little Matt knows about current issues, and how unwilling he seems to be in committing to one side of the aisle or another ... or even expressing a clear cut, definitive view of what he considers right or wrong.

The one thing he did clarify -- after constant (and much-needed) follow-up questions from Swisher on where he landed/what he's going to do -- is that he's woefully unprepared for a serious gov run in the Lone Star State ... as he's only in the consulting phase right now.

Matt says he hasn't started forming committees, conducting polls or much of anything else yet that comes with getting a legit campaign started and rolling. Apparently, he's still just talking to certain people about the idea of running ... and the election is just a year away.

MMC also says this about the proposition ... "Who am I going to be? No, who -- who am I going to be? Where can I be most useful? Is politics an embassy for me to be of the most use to myself, to my family, to the most amount of people in my life moving forward?' He adds, "I could arguably have more influence as an informal leader than a formal leader."

He also called the current American political system (2 parties, seemingly extreme views on both sides) "broken" ... implying he was more of a centrist than anything, also saying in philosopher fashion that he continues to "measure" what avenue would be best for him.

What that measurement entails, exactly, is anyone's guess ... but Matt says he's "studying" the issue. Speaking of issues, he actually did end up weighing in on some concrete ones, after incessant badgering (and explaining of said issues) from Swisher. On mask mandates in TX ... for. On voter rights protections ... for. On the abortion bill ... against.

You can listen to the full podcast to hear how he explains his rationale for each -- some explanations of which are a bit of a doozy, and sorta hard to unpack. But, based on how he answers, McConaughey appears to lean center-left ... more than anything.

At one point, Swisher asks what he made of Beto O'Rourke saying Matt was an enigma, and hadn't made a lot of his positions clear -- something he thinks is essential to being a real contender in modern-day U.S. politics. Swisher said she perceived that as "shade."

Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury won't be the only stars in the building on fight night Saturday ... TMZ Sports has learned a TON of celebs are hittin' Sin City to take in the boxing match too!!

Actors Vince Vaughn, Michael B. Jordan and Michael J. Fox will have ringside seats at T-Mobile Arena, we're told. NBA ballers Draymond Green and Damian Lillard are set to be in attendance as well.

Rapper Fat Joe, TV star Mario Lopez and chef Wolfgang Puck are expected to be there too, while boxers Shakur Stevenson and Terence Crawford are set to watch their peers duke it out as well.

We're told Raiders owner Mark Davis, rapper Nas and cycling legend Lance Armstrong also couldn't stay away from Vegas, and will be at the fight too.

Of course, all of the guys are expected to see quite the show ... 'cause Fury and Wilder have both been promising a great fight in their third matchup.

Remember, Wilder and Fury fought to a draw back in 2018 ... but Fury demolished the Bronze Bomber in their rematch in Feb. 2020.

Wilder has said he's much improved since that fight, though ... and predicted a knockout within 3 rounds on Saturday.

Fury, meanwhile, laughed off that prediction and promised to inflict pain on Wilder.

Machine Gun Kelly's going to be more than okay ... he'll be ecstatic after learning he will NOT be prosecuted for allegedly beating up a parking lot attendant.

TMZ has learned the L.A. City Attorney's Office is rejecting the case ... declining to charge MGK because there was no reasonable likelihood of conviction. Translation: they just don't have enough evidence.

As we first reported, the parking lot attendant accused the musician/actor of battery -- claiming MGK pushed him in the chest near an L.A. location where he and his good pal, Mod Sun, were shooting their movie, "Good Mourning with a U."

Sources, however, told us the parking lot attendant's battery claims were completely false. And, clearly prosecutors didn't think they could prove his claim.

Even if he's off the hook criminally, he's still gotta deal with a lawsuit. The parking lot attendant, John Martin Tilli, filed the suit, alleging MGK and his production crew and staff became aggressive and surrounded him ... before MGK pushed him from the front, while the crew pushed from behind.

Renée Zellweger isn't ready to take one giant leap with her boyfriend -- despite putting her own home on the market, and the fact they're going strong ... she won't be moving in with Ant Anstead. Not yet.

Here's the deal, Renée recently listed her Los Angeles home for $6 million ... while Ant bought a home in Orange County back in May. You see how the planets were all lining up, right?

Fans of both speculated the couple was gearing up for that next big step in their relationship.

There was another sign back in July ... when Renée was moving some items into his house, but looks like that was just a weekend stay. TMZ has learned Ant and Renée have no immediate plans to live under the same roof full time.

Before the speculation begins they're on the outs, we should add ... we're also told their relationship is sailing along smoothly.

Ant quietly visited Renée last weekend in New Orleans, where she's filming a new movie, and we're told the lovebirds did lots of sightseeing in and around the Big Easy.

TMZ broke the story ... Renée and Ant started dating in June after his divorce from Christina Haack became official, meeting when they filmed an episode of his new Discovery+ show "Celebrity IOU: Joyride."

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel want to say bye, bye, bye to a significant piece of their L.A. life -- the couple's trying to offload their pad there ... and for quite a bundle, no less.

JT & JB have just listed their Hollywood Hills villa for a whopping $35 million -- which has served as Justin's L.A. headquarters since the dude first bought the estate waaaay back in 2002 (N'SYNC's heyday) for a mere $8.3 mil. Damn you, inflation!!!

Anyway, it proved to be a fantastic investment for him ... because since then, he met Jess, had a family -- and seriously spruced up the place with some major renovations over the years, including adding a monster pool in the backyard ... plus other bells and whistles.

The price tag -- especially with the market being what it is today -- is warranted, considering what's inside and out. First off, the property sits on a 10-acre lot, with 7-bedrooms and 13-bathrooms ... so anyone can take a poop at any time, without a worry in the world. 💩

There are other amenities too ... a private screening room, a personal gym, a tennis court (with lights), a gourmet kitchen, and a freaking guest house to boot. It's the epitome of Tinseltown luxury. Speaking of that ... it used to belong to none other than Errol Flynn!

If Justin gets anywhere near his asking price here ... he'll have cleared well over $20 million in profit -- which is freakin' awesome (for him and his fam).

'15 Minutes of Shame' documentary subject Emmanuel Cafferty says he was canceled after fidgeting with his fingers got misinterpreted as him throwing up the "white power" hand gesture ... and he says his life's been derailed ever since.

Cafferty joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday ... 16 months after he was unceremoniously axed from his dream job at the San Diego Gas & Electric company, mere hours after someone took a picture of him while his arm was hanging out the window of his company truck.

The picture, Cafferty says, caught him cracking his knuckles one by one and fidgeting with them -- but the person who took the picture posted it, accusing Cafferty of making the "OK" sign that's been adopted by white supremacists.

The picture was also taken less than 2 miles from a Black Lives Matter protest, and just days after George Floyd was killed.

Cafferty, who is Mexican-American, says he was swiftly suspended without pay before ultimately getting fired. He says he's furious this all happened even after the person who originally posted the photo deleted his account along with the picture, and later admitted he might have misinterpreted the gesture.

The ordeal Cafferty, and many other people, have gone through is the subject of the new HBO Max documentary produced by Monica Lewinsky. It's an in-depth look at what she calls the public shaming epidemic ... aka cancel culture.