Movies

William Lucking, who starred as one of the staple characters in "Sons of Anarchy" has died at the age of 80.

Lucking, who played biker Piney Winston on the show died last month at home in Las Vegas. An obituary for the actor, written by his wife of 25 years, Sigrid, called Lucking a "giant of a man with the soul of a poet."

It's currently unclear how Lucking died, but "SoA" fans will remember his character, Piney, as the biker club's oldest member and most senior adviser. Piney carried an oxygen tank on the show, and had seemingly slowed down a bit as the series started.

Lucking's career started back in the late '60s, spanning both TV and film ... with roles alongside Faye Dunaway in "Oklahoma Crude" to the original Colonel in NBC's The A-Team in the 1980's.

Lucking leaves behind his wife, two daughters, grandkids and a sister.

His obituary requests fans "toast to his memory and celebrate his legacy."

If Hollywood memorabilia's your thing -- don't miss this chance to bid on relics from 'Anchorman,' 'Friends' and a George Clooney watch ... all in the name of helping vets.

Indeed, the cause is a great one. A nonprofit called Homes for Our Troops is holding its 5th annual Veteran's Day Celebrity Auction starting Nov. 4 and running through the 14th ... and they've got some neat stuff on the table here, which can technically be yours.

Among some of the coolest items ... Jockey briefs as seen on the set of "Anchorman 2," which are autographed by the great Will Ferrell himself. If you're not quite brave enough for that -- there's also something for 'Friends' lovers, especially fans of Rachel Green.

'Friends' autographed clothing from Jennifer Aniston's personal collection are also on the auction block.

There's more than just attire here though for bidding purposes ... other items that HFOT has in its collection this year include a "Suicide Squad" script signed by the cast, a special Snoopy watch from George Clooney's own collection, a guitar with Jon Bon Jovi's John Hancock on it ... and a WHOLE lot more.

All in all, we're talking upwards of 130 personalized items and experiences that can be yours to claim -- and of course, the money's going toward putting our brave men and women who've served and returned injured into specially adapted custom homes.

The husband of "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins has lawyered up, and is preparing to file a wrongful death lawsuit ... TMZ has learned.

Matthew Hutchins retained the services of Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi ... according to the L.A.-based law firm. The firm's website says its attorneys specialize in personal injury and wrongful death litigation ... so clearly, Halyna's tragic death is in their wheelhouse.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us the lawsuit will be filed on behalf of Halyna's spouse and their child, and there will be multiple defendants.

The Santa Fe County District Attorney and Sheriff's Department continue to investigate Halyna's death, and while no criminal charges have been announced ... they say all options are still on the table.

Halyna is survived by Matthew and their 9-year-old son, Andros. The law firm had no comment beyond saying it was now on the case.

As we reported, attorneys for the head armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, are now theorizing that a disgruntled cast member intentionally put one or more live rounds of ammo in a box of dummy rounds.

They admit Hannah loaded the gun Alec Baldwin eventually fired, accidentally killing Halyna ... but say she had no idea she'd placed a live bullet in the revolver's barrel.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed -- the armorer on for "Rust" -- didn't hear or see anything that would make her think target practice (with live rounds) was taking place ... so insists her attorney.

Jason Bowles joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" to clarify a few things he said earlier in the day -- the most important of which being his suggestion sabotage might've been at play here ... and that someone slipped a live bullet in a dummy rounds box on purpose.

We pressed him on that, asking what evidence -- if any -- he and/or his partners had to make a claim like that ... and Bowles seems to take a somewhat softer stance here.

Watch ... he explains they don't have a smoking gun, per se, and aren't pointing the finger at one person -- the possibility itself is there -- clear in the fact that a live round somehow made its way into a case that presumably only carried dummies, which are considered safe.

Of course, we also had to ask why the ammo was just out in the open if the weapons themselves were being guarded -- and Bowles has an explanation ... which makes sense.

He makes the point that dummies aren't dangerous, and don't necessarily need to be under a watchful eye at all times -- especially if no one is expecting a live round to enter the situation ... which he says is the case here. Namely, he's saying Hannah had no knowledge whatsoever of real bullets being anywhere near the set.

That leads to the final puzzling mystery of ... if target practice was, indeed, going down as frequently as we've heard it was during off-hours, how is it she didn't hear it or hear about it???

Bowles response is this ... if that was actually happening, it must've been taking place very far away from where she ever was, because he's firm that Hannah knows nothing about it.

There's some key differences to look for when checking a gun for live ammunition or dummy rounds ... and it sounds like it should be pretty hard to screw up ... at least in theory.

Steve Wolf, who has been working in SFX and props in films for several decades, joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and literally showed us what the armorer on the "Rust" set should have been looking for.

As Steve explains, it's pretty simple to spot the difference with the naked eye ... dummy rounds have a dimpled primer on the bottom, something live ammunition does not.

Steve says there's another way to check what is going into a gun ... shaking and listening for sounds.

He says the dummy rounds are loaded with BBs and the live rounds are filled with gunpowder ... and the dummy rounds make a distinct noise when shaken and the live ammo is basically silent.

The distinctions are important ... there was a fatal shooting on the "Rust" set ... and now lawyers for the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, are suggesting someone placed a live round in a box of dummy rounds ... and that live round bullet killed Halyna Hutchins.

Hannah's lawyers said she spun the revolver before the fatal shooting ... but it sounds like Steve is saying she should have noticed the live round, based on how the bullet looks from the bottom.

The armorer also claims she didn't know there were live rounds on the set ... despite what we first told you ... the gun from the shooting was allegedly used for off-set target practice with live rounds.

Some of L.A.'s biggest stars walked the runway for Gucci -- on Hollywood Blvd., no less -- but even more of them were front and center to watch 'em step in the name of fashion.

A gaggle of A-listers showed up en masse Tuesday to take in the Gucci Love Parade fashion show ... which actually topped some of the industry's top talent (movie and music-wise, that is) to model their getups -- including people like Jared Leto, Macaulay Culkin, Phoebe Bridgers and others.

Based on these photos of them cruising on stars along the Hollywood Walk of Fame ... you might say they were natural fits, and very much so in their element.

There were other hotshots who were on the sidelines watching -- including Salma Hayek, Lizzo, Miley Cyrus, Gwyneth Paltrow and Billie Eilish, among others.

The whole theme for this show, BTW, is the "dream factory" that is Tinseltown ... and the outfits reflect that. Very colorful and pretty dreamy at first glance -- especially when seen on some of the most famous faces around.

Kevin Hart isn't one to embrace controversy for kicks -- which is why a one-on-one between Netflix's CEO and him is all the more interesting ... especially as the Dave Chappelle drama's still swirling.

Check out this photo TMZ obtained of the rock star comedian chopping it up with Ted Sarandos Monday evening in Beverly Hills. They were at the Waldorf Astoria, where eyewitnesses say the duo had dinner and talked extensively for quite some time.

Although you can't see Sarandos' face in the pic ... other entertainment big wigs who were around confirmed it was him.

What they talked about remains a mystery, but the mere fact they had a private little chat like this, especially amid all the Chappelle drama at Netflix, can't be ignored ... as Dave and Kevin are good friends, and anyone cozying up to Ted right now (especially comics) might as well be cosigning what DC had to say and what Netflix decided to do.

Of course, Kev already has a major relationship with the streamer -- a multi-year deal for movies and specials -- so maybe this had absolutely nothing to do with Dave at all ... but something tells us the topic came up.

There's also this ... Kevin himself was embroiled in an LGBTQ-related controversy a few years ago -- one that ended up costing him his Oscars hosting gig, this after he waffled on apologizing for years-old tweets that some considered offensive and anti-gay.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed -- the armorer for "Rust" -- is making the bombshell suggestion that perhaps somebody intentionally put a live round in a box of dummy ammunition.

Gutierrez-Reed's attorneys Jason Bowles and Robert Gorence appeared Wednesday on "Today" to outline their "sabotage" theory, and went so far as to consider potential would-be culprits.

They revealed the person who could have slipped in the live bullet would have had access and opportunity to do so between 11 AM and 1 PM ... when the ammunition was left unattended outside on a tray.

They also say Hannah wasn't even in the church during the incident because it wasn't a filming session, nor a rehearsal, but an opportunity to figure out camera angles.

What they did admit, though, was that the gun's chamber was indeed inspected and spun by their client -- and they say she put in 6 rounds (thinking they were all dummies) ... and did not realize a live round had been placed in the mix. After that, she pawned it off to assistant director David Halls ... who then went into the church with Alec Baldwin and the rest of the crew.

This is way more info than what she initially offered last week -- when she delivered relatively brief remarks that expressed condolences for Hutchins' family ... but insisted she did not know how live rounds of ammo made their way onto the set.

Gutierrez-Reed also insisted she and the head prop master gained control of all the guns on set each day, while saying she never saw anyone use the guns or put live rounds in them either. She says she never would've allowed that, as safety is her top priority on the job.

What's interesting about that claim is live rounds and dummy rounds do look the same from the front. In fact, the purpose of a dummy round is to be shown on camera when a scene calls for showing someone holding a bullet or to show a bullet in the chamber of a gun.

Gutierrez-Reed has also pointed out she was tapped for 2 positions on "Rust" -- which she says made it difficult to focus on her armorer duties ... something her attorneys say she fought back against, but was overruled by production.

Her attorneys made no bones about where the blame lies -- arguing it is NOT with Hannah. They say, "The whole production set became unsafe due to various factors, including lack of safety meetings. This was not the fault of Hannah."

Of course, there are a lot of eyeballs in her direction -- especially seeing how many believe she should've been the one to personally hand Alec the gun, and to also properly check it.

There's also the fact that she'd recently appeared to express some doubt about her abilities when it comes to the gig itself ... acknowledging she was pretty green to being a head armorer.

Alec Baldwin clearly doesn't believe the conditions on the set of "Rust" were chaotic or unsafe leading up to the fatal shooting -- he's shining a light on at least one crew member who insists the film had normal hiccups ... and one major accident.

Baldwin just reposted a long message from a woman claiming to have worked on the film, who's attesting to safety meetings and normal working hours on the set -- as well as defending the hiring of armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.

The post reads, "The story being spun of us being overworked and surrounded by unsafe, chaotic conditions is bulls**t." As we reported, the film's camera crew had walked off set just days before the accident after complaints of long hours and no provided hotel accommodations.

The crew member Alec reposted claims the crew had hotels, they just didn't think they were "fancy enough."

As for Gutierrez, the post says, "Was she the most experienced person? No. Were her qualifications typical for a Tier One? Yes ... But how do you supposed anyone will get that experience? We all had a first and second job at one point or another."

Finally, the reposted crew member speaks to what she wishes she had done differently that could have saved Halyna Hutchins' life. She says, "I'd call out an AD who was handing a gun to an actor. Not because that's my job, but because I never want to lose someone I love to this again."

Baldwin spoke with photogs over the weekend in Vermont, telling them the Hutchins accident was "one in a trillion" and that the "Rust" set was tight. He also said the Santa Fe Sheriff's Department warned him NOT to speak about the case.

While Alec himself isn't providing this account of the "Rust" set ... he's at the very least cosigning on it by reposting, which could tick off investigators.

Time heals all wounds, right?? Not for Scottie Pippen ... 'cause he's STILL going off on Michael Jordan over the 'Last Dance' doc, claiming the Bulls legend used the series as propaganda to prove he's better than LeBron James.

Pippen -- who's been outspoken against the mega-popular Netflix show -- is crapping all over it once again in his upcoming memoir, "Unguarded" ... saying MJ was so worried about younger fans calling LeBron the G.O.A.T., he decided to release the multi-part series to show off his greatness.

“Michael was determined to prove to the current generation of fans that he was larger-than-life during his day -- and still larger than LeBron James, the player many consider his equal, if not superior," Scottie said in an excerpt published by GQ.

Pippen criticized MJ for making the doc all about him ... essentially discrediting the role that Scottie and the other Bulls’ players had in winning so many championships.

"They glorified Michael Jordan while not giving nearly enough praise to me and my proud teammates," Pippen says in the book.

"Even in the second episode, which focused for a while on my difficult upbringing and unlikely path to the NBA, the narrative returned to MJ and his determination to win. I was nothing more than a prop. His 'best teammate of all time,' he called me. He couldn’t have been more condescending if he tried."

Pippen also says there's a reason why 'Last Dance' put so much emphasis on MJ ... saying, "Michael deserved a large portion of the blame. The producers had granted him editorial control of the final product. The doc couldn’t have been released otherwise. He was the leading man and the director."

When it rains it pours ... as Alec Baldwin reels from the fatal shooting on the "Rust" set, his wife just revealed a member of their family is MIA.

Hilaria Baldwin just posted, "We can't find our cat, Emilio. If anyone sees him, please help him get home. We are all so upset. He's microchipped but no collar."

Last week, Emilio was put in a car with the Baldwin kids and belongings and sent to Vermont where the Baldwins have been staying since the fatal shooting last month that left Halyna Hutchins dead.

Alec and Hilaria got Emilio for their 8-year-old daughter, Carmen, back in April ... when Emilio was just a kitten.

Emilio is an exotic-looking feline ... a Bengal cat to be exact. The cats are actually created by breeding domestic cats with Asian leopards. The kittens run between $1,500 and $3,000.

Turns out Alec is allergic to most cats, but Bengals are hypoallergenic.

No word on how the cat got away, but Bengals have a rep for having behavioral issues.

As we reported, Alec is heartbroken over the death of Hutchins, so this is just one more source of grief.

Rick Leventhal is digging his heels in over his decision to dress as Alec Baldwin in a cowboy costume with a gun for Halloween ... taking some serious jabs at the guy.

RL did NOT back down from his outfit choice for the holiday -- despite getting major heat, as many called it outright offensive and totally inappropriate considering the seriousness of the matter.

ICYMI ... Leventhal posted photos of him and his wife, Kelly, in costume -- pointing out she was celebrating her Native American heritage, while he was "celebrating the great American film actor Alec Baldwin." RL is pictured in rancher-like clothes ... with a fake gun in hand.

In response to all the outrage, Rick had this to say ... "In no way was I trying to offend anyone, except Alec Baldwin. He’s a jerk and deserves all the heat he’s getting."

He went on to explain he chose this getup at the last minute, while also arguing that if we dissected every costume in terms of who it might offend -- there'd be no Halloween. Rick says he of course feels bad for Halyna Hutchins' family, but adds ... "If Baldwin is anti-gun why is he waving them around in movies and pointing them at people and pulling the trigger? Focus your anger at him and the hypocrisy of that industry."

His wife's choice of costume is also getting backlash -- but chalked all that up to people being too sensitive, and not realizing she actually has Native American blood in her.

Kal Penn says he's sharing his life story -- including the fact he's gay -- to let others know that you can do anything while being true to yourself, like say ... being a gay NASCAR fan.

We got the actor, politico and now author leaving 30 Rock Monday morning in NYC, and asked how his coming out over the weekend is being received in Hollywood and beyond.

Check out this chat we had ... Kal says so far so good, and when our guy asks why he waited 11 years to share his truth -- he cracks a hilarious joke, but then opens up.

Kal explains his manager suggested he pen his adventures on and off camera -- y'know, seeing how he went from a successful actor, getting tons of work ... to a White House staffer working in the Obama administration. Obviously, he had good material.

On a philosophical level ... KP tells us he's coming out with all this now -- including his relationship with fiance, Josh -- in hopes of inspiring others to dream big, dare to do the impossible and push themselves.

Kal even dishes on some deets from the book, including the tale of how he came to meet his partner ... which entails an interesting tidbit about the "real revelation" here -- the fact that he's apparently super into NASCAR.

Halyna Hutchins' words to the "Rust" crew after being shot prove she had a wicked sense of humor -- albeit a dark one -- and maintained it right up to her tragic end.

The slain cinematographer uttered something in response to a boom operator after being struck by the bullet Alec Baldwin had just unknowingly fired. She said, "That was no good. That was no good at all," this according to the L.A. Times.

She was reportedly replying to the boom op, who'd said the exact same thing after seeing her injury, as someone else shouted for a medic to rush to her aid. Hutchins is said to have stumbled back and fallen into the arms of a gaffer, and director Joel Souza.

Souza, who was also injured, said something along the lines of, "What the f*** was that? That burns!" Alec, similarly, repeatedly said ... "What the f*** just happened?"

As we've reported, Alec and co. were rehearsing for a shoot-out scene inside a church. Alec, the lead, was using a .45 Colt revolver. Baldwin reportedly said, "So, I guess I'm gonna take this out, pull it out and go, 'Bang!'" -- at which point, he actually carried out the gesture and fired.

The gun -- which assistant director Dave Halls had just declared was "cold" before handing it to Alec -- was supposed to be loaded with nothing but dummy rounds ... but at least one real bullet was inside.

Santa Fe authorities are still investigating the circumstances of the fatal shooting, and have not ruled out criminal charges against anyone.

Production shut down, and it appears this movie may never see the light of day ... according to Baldwin anyway, who has since gone to Vermont with his family in an attempt to lay low.

He told paparazzi he was cooperating with the Sheriff's Office, and that he couldn't disclose too many details from the case. What he did say, however, was that Hutchins was his friend -- and that he and her family are devastated.

Hilaria Baldwin thinks her husband, Alec, will develop post-traumatic stress disorder after the shooting that claimed Halyna Hutchins' life ... which is partly why they fled New York.

The actor's spouse revealed the reason behind their family's travel to Vermont, saying they needed to get away from all the madness following the fatal accident ... this according to the NYPost, who snagged a one-on-one interview on Saturday, separate from their pap encounter.

It also sounds like she was tasked with finding a solitary place for them all, telling the outlet she drove around "an entire day" before settling on Manchester, VT ... and before Alec and co. eventually joined her. She says they needed to get away to "mourn Halyna's death."

She added, "Alec had a really traumatic thing happen, and I am trying to limit the PTSD."

HB went on to compare Alec's situation to that of a war vet or cop ... who might normally develop the affliction -- saying, "You look at what happens to soldiers and police officers when something like this happens, it's traumatic. We just came up here for quiet."

She also spoke on whether her hubby would ever act again, and the Post says she replied she was "hopeful but not certain." Hilaria also said, "He needs space for me to take care of him and his mental health. It's an awful thing that happened. Alec feels awful."

Hilaria also echoed something Alec himself said on camera -- that this sort of thing shouldn't have happened, and tighter regulations need to be in place. She's clearly standing by her man, taking to IG after their eventful weekend to post a photo of their hands intertwined.

Harry Styles killed -- not Freddy Krugger style, but still -- Saturday night in NYC, as he chose a throwback both in costume and in song.

Harry performed at a jam-packed Madison Square Garden and hopped on stage as Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz." He got it right ... right down to the ruby-red slippers. He called the night, "Harryween!"

And, then he sang the staple, "Over the Rainbow," and it was kinda awesome. Too bad Judy Garland's not alive ... she could've sung "Watermelon Sugar!" Speaking of ... does that song work as performed by Dorothy from 'TWOO?' We'll go with YES.

It's part of Harry's Love On Tour, and he has one more night at the Garden.