Movies

California actress Heather Graham was only 27 years old when she was cast as the hottie on eight wheels 'Rollergirl' -- who was a ride-or-die adult film actress for porn producer Jack Horner's '70s movie -- in Paul Thomas Anderson's iconic period piece "Boogie Nights."

The R-rated film included Julianne Moore as the motherly, Amber Waves, Burt Reynold's as the movie mastermind, Jack Horner, John C. Reilly as the boyish best friend, Reed Rothchild ... and of course Mark Wahlberg as the big, bright shining star, Dirk Diggler.

Heather Graham was also cast in other great films of the late 90s including "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me," "Lost in Space" and "Bowfinger."

There's a new Peter Pan movie that's about to take to the skies next year -- and wouldn't you know it ... their lead Wendy is getting paid handsomely, especially for her age!

Actress Ever Anderson, who's just 14 years old, stands to make at least six figures for her work on Disney's "Peter Pan & Wendy" flick ... a new live-action spin on the classic fairy tale that's due out sometime in 2022.

Like we said ... EA is playing a young Wendy Darling, PP's love interest and the oldest of the Darling children who join Peter on an adventure to Never Land. Unclear if there's a whole lot new or different they're doing this time around ... other than just rebooting the franchise.

In any case, TMZ got a hold of her minor's contract filed with the court -- which spells out what Ever is raking in for this movie ... as well as any sequels that get greenlit. For this film, she's guaranteed $100k ... and there's even a $50k bonus on the table if the movie is released straight to Disney+ without a theatrical run first.

Looks like Disney may have learned its lesson after the ScarJo and "Black Widow" fiasco and is addressing this scenario in the contract.

That's about all there is to be had for this first installment, but if a sequel comes about ... Ever's contract says she could earn at least $200k guaranteed on the next go-around, and if they're in the mood for part 3 -- it'd be a cool $400k right out the gate ... not to mention any bonuses that could be attached to those respective projects.

Matthew McConaughey is finally speaking clearly about his intentions on Texas politics -- saying he won't be running for Governor after all ... despite him being a favorite to win.

The actor made the announcement Sunday with a video he posted to his social media, starting out by pointing out all the problems he sees with the modern-day political landscape ... and after some philosophizing on his ultimate purpose, he finally says it flat out.

MMC says of political leadership, "It's a humbling and inspiring path to ponder. It is also a path that I am choosing not to take at this moment."

As for what he WILL do ... Matt says he'll keep supporting entrepreneurs, businesses, establishments and orgs he considers leaders and which can better propel people onto the road of righteousness (as he sees it) which starts with building trust among people.

It's pretty interesting ... his stance on things seems to come through loud and clear here, and it sounds like his vision for America (and Texas) is prosperity interlocked with service and community.

Even though McConaughey has led poll after poll when pitted against the incumbent, Greg Abbott, as well as Democrats who are for sure running, like Beto O'Rourke, it sounds like he finally went with what he alluded to in a rambling interview from a few months ago.

At the time, Matt said he was still "measuring" a run -- which really sounded like he wasn't going to run -- and now, it sounds like he's out of tape and came to a decision.

Faizon Love says a potential "Elf" sequel doesn't need the star power of Will Ferrell ... he says America is ready for a Santa's helper redo -- a Black elf.

The actor, who played the store manager in the original "Elf," tells TMZ ... he's surprised Will turned down a $29 million payday for a sequel, but it just opens the door for the movie to go in a new direction.

Faizon says with Will out of the picture, it's a perfect time to introduce a Black elf into the storyline ... and he thinks audiences will embrace the change.

It's pretty funny ... Faizon says America got warmed up with a Black president and then an "orange" president ... so a Black elf is just the next step.

Will says he turned down the huge payday because he didn't think the sequel would ever live up to the OG holiday classic ... a decision Faizon says few could make.

Alice Sebold's movie adaptation about her 1981 Syracuse rape has utterly fallen apart in the wake of the exoneration of the man she accused -- and one of the film's stars is out too.

Netflix's Victoria Pedretti -- who has a leading role in "You" -- is no longer associated with the project, "Lucky," which was set to depict the plot of Sebold's 1999 memoir of the same name ... this according to Variety. It's unclear who Pedretti was supposed to portray, but some are guessing it might've been the author herself.

In addition to losing Pedretti's acting talents ... the project has lost all of its financing, which had apparently been crumbling in the months leading up to Monday's incredible news.

The revelation ... the man Sebold pinned the rape on, Anthony Broadwater, was fully exonerated last week after one of the former EPs attached to the "Lucky" movie dug into the facts of the story ... this after having suspicions about the script and its source material.

Tim Mucciante actually left the project over what he perceived as holes in the story -- but not just that, he actually went out of his way to hire a PI and lawyers to delve even deeper ... and ultimately consult with the local D.A.'s office -- which agreed that the evidence was shoddy, and asked the court to vacate Broadwater's 1982 conviction this week.

Lo and behold, they did exactly that ... and the dude broke down in tears for what he called a travesty of justice that had besmirched his name (and his life) for decades now.

Here's the crazy thing ... the truth appears to have been hiding in plain sight. What put Broadwater away for over 15 years was Sebold's on-the-stand testimony that he'd raped her in '81, plus microscopic hair analysis which has since been debunked as illegitimate science.

Not just that, but even the process of ID'ing Broadwater as the guy was completely botched -- first, she says she saw an unidentified Black dude approach her in the streets months after her rape, and she felt that this person was her attacker at Syracuse University.

She notified the cops and they canvased the area, picking up Broadwater for fitting the general description. Sebold is said to have failed to pick him out of a lineup shortly thereafter -- zeroing in on another Black man -- but somehow, Broadwater became the prime suspect.

Once he was face to face with her in court that following year, she definitively said it was him ... and the rest is history. He was released from prison in '99, and has had a rough go since.

Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim, famous for his song writing and music compositions, has died.

Stephen died Friday at his home in Roxbury, CT ... according to a New York Times report citing his lawyer, F. Richard Pappas.

The cause of death is currently unclear ... but it sounds sudden, because Stephen's lawyer says he had celebrated Thanksgiving dinner with his friends in the area.

Simply put, Stephen is the godfather of the American musical ... writing lyrics for famous plays like "West Side Story" plus "Follies," "Into The Woods," "Pacific Overtures," "Sweeney Todd," "Company," "A Little Night Music," "Merrily We Roll Along," "Sunday in the Park With George," "Passion," "Assassins" and "Gypsy."

Stephen's decorated Broadway career includes three Tony awards, a lifetime achievement award from the Kennedy Center and a Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama.

In addition, his name now adorns the famous Broadway house in New York City formerly known as Henry Miller's Theater.

Stephen celebrated his 90th birthday in March 2020, but the pandemic postponed a Broadway revival of his famous "Company" ... though he was later honored by Broadway performers singing his famous songs.

SS recently got some movie love ... he's portrayed in the new Lin-Manuel Miranda movie "Tick, Tick...Boom!" which just dropped this week on Netflix ... with Bradley Whitford playing the role.

Stephen was 91.

Alec Baldwin is preparing for legal war ... hiring a lawyer for the civil lawsuits resulting from the fatal "Rust" movie shooting.

The "Rust" star and producer is lawyering up with Aaron S. Dyer of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman ... according to multiple reports.

Dyer, who spent almost seven years as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, will reportedly rep Alec plus Rust Movie Productions and the other production companies involved in the western.

As you know ... Alec pulled the trigger in the fatal shooting on set last month that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.

The revolver was loaded with at least one live round ... though assistant director Dave Halls announced it was a "cold" gun -- meaning no live ammo -- before handing it over to Alec inside a church where they were practicing for a scene.

TMZ broke the story ... the key gaffer on "Rust" is already taking legal action against Alec, Halls and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed ... Serge Svetnoy is suing over the shooting, claiming the defendants' alleged negligence caused him severe emotional distress.

Remember ... Svetnoy claims the deadly bullet nearly hit him too, and says he was one of the first people who tended to Halyna while she was bleeding from her gunshot wound, trying to comfort her and keep her conscious.

Alec is also named in another suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by script supervisor Mamie Mitchell, who claims she suffered emotional and physical injuries when AB shot Halyna.

Channing Tatum is logging some quality time with his daughter ... selling lemonade by the side of the road and serving a very famous customer in Zooey Deschanel!!!

The "Magic Mike" star helped his little girl, Everly, open a lemonade stand Friday in Los Angeles ... wrangling in customers with some homemade signs and balloons.

Channing and Everly, who he shares with estranged wife Jenna Dewan, are calling the pop-up stand Evie's Lemies ... and daddy was dancing around and twirling their painted yellow and purple sign.

The dude's got skills ... Channing's sign-twirling looks like it caught Zooey's eye ... the actress stopped by for some fresh lemonade with her boyfriend, "Property Brothers" star Jonathan Scott.

TMZ broke the story ... Channing and Jenna finally worked out a parenting schedule in February 2020, putting an end to one of the nastier parts of their divorce, and they alternate holidays.

Tiffany Haddish spent ThanksGIVING ... GIVING.

Tiffany served up some turkey dinners for some of the folks who were struggling this holiday at The Laugh Factory in WeHo. She knows their situation all too well ... Tiffany has been homeless and she's never forgotten people in her past situation.

Our photog wanted to know how the supply shortage is affecting her XMAS, and she has an interesting take. Tiff doesn't give traditional presents, because she thinks it misses the point.

When you listen ... it's clear her focus is on the less fortunate, and the things she gives are necessary and clearly appreciated.

Well, there's one present that's homegrown that may be for everyone in her life ... supply chain crisis be damned!

BTW ... lots of other comedians joined Tiffany at The Laugh Factory -- Dane Cook, Paul Rodriguez, Tom Dreesen, Thom Tran and Frazer Smith.

The Twitter posse is at it again ... this time trying to cancel Seth Rogen for daring to call out a YouTuber who called Seth's stomping ground a "crime riddled 3rd world s***hole of a city."

Seth saw a post from Casey Neistat, who groused that his car had been burglarized and then added some choice comments about the City of Angels. He said his 7-year-old daughter's birthday party decorations were taken and the burglar left bloody handprints on the car.

Rogan responded, "Dude, I've lived here for over 20 years. You're nuts haha. It's lovely here. Don't leave anything valuable in it. It's called living in a big city."

Neistat fired back, saying he felt violated and wanted to know if he's allowed to be mad. Seth's response -- "You can be mad but I guess I don't personally view my car as an extension of myself and I've never really felt violated any of the 15 or so times my car was broken into," adding, "Once a guy accidentally left a cool knife in my car so if it keeps happening you might get a little treat."

That sent some cancelers into orbit, slamming Seth for acting "privileged." True, not everyone can blow off a car burglary, but Seth was responding to someone who is also a multimillionaire.

Truth be told ... L.A. is getting hammered by crime, including a massive number of burglaries -- 10,000+ in 2021, with car burglaries up 10%.

A rare piece of memorabilia is hitting the auction block -- a concert ad signed by both Marilyn Monroe AND Joe DiMaggio ... and the item could sell for some serious coin!!!

Here's the backstory -- TMZ Sports is told an 11-year-old girl saw the couple having dinner at The Beverly Hills Hotel in 1952 ... and approached the Yankees legend for an autograph.

Shockingly, the girl had no idea who Monroe was ... so Joe asked if she wanted the model's Hancock as well.

Both Joe and Marilyn signed the inside of a folded concert advertisement that was on their dining table ... scribbling the words, "Warmest Regards, Marilyn Monroe" and "Best Wishes, Joe DiMaggio."

As for the ad, it's for Eddie Bergman and his orchestra at the hotel's Palm Terrace (we're assuming the dude had bangers).

Get this -- there are 9 holes in the old flyer, which came after the girl used a tack to pin her prized possession on her corkboard in her room!

Now, she's ready to part ways with the item -- it's hitting the market Dec. 11 ... and there's a chance it sells for a fortune!!!

A massive amount is not unusual for the celebrity couple ... just this summer, an autographed baseball by Monroe and DiMaggio sold for $384k.

DiMaggio was one of the greatest MLB players ever ... some of his accolades during his 13-year career with the Yanks include winning 9 World Series, 3-time AL MVP and 2-time AL batting champion.

East Coast comedian and actor Tim Kazurinky was in his early 30s when his life changed forever after his work in Improv swung open the doors to a career as a writer and character on "Saturday Night Live" alongside comic greats like John Belushi, Joe Piscopo and even Eddie Murphy.

Shortly after his ride on the late-night sketch show ... Kazurinsky then landed the role as the nerdy up-and-coming copper Officer Carl Sweetchuck in the iconic funny franchise "Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment," "Police Academy 3: Back in Training" and "Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol."

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is spreading some holiday cheer -- and jokes -- this Thanksgiving, surprising an unsuspecting group of fans with a funny warning.

The WWE superstar turned Hollywood megastar posted a video Thursday of himself driving up on a Hollywood tour bus. You can see, the passengers are stunned, everyone's got their phones out ... and Rock asks, "Have you seen my house yet?"

The bus responds with a resounding "no" ... to which Johnson jokes, "Good, keep it that way! Happy Thanksgiving!"

It's not the first time Rock has surprised and interacted with a tour bus, we got him a few years back on The TMZ Celebrity Tour where he was just as gracious, chatting it up with passengers for a while before heading into a meeting in L.A.

It would make sense for Johnson to continue to act as a man of the people, remember it was earlier this year when a poll suggested nearly 50% of people asked would be happy to have him as President.

Cedric the Entertainer is in Bill Maher's corner when it comes to cancel culture, as in he thinks it's gotten ridiculous.

We got Cedric out Wednesday in L.A., and asked about Dave Chappelle and Louis C.K. both getting Grammy noms, despite calls for their cancellation. Cedric is clearly pleased the folks over at the Grammys paid homage to both.

Cedric says things have gotten so out of hand it's unclear what people get canceled for, but he lays it on groups on social media ... all of whom think they embrace the truth with a capital T.

He never uses the word "mob," but that's certainly the sentiment as he talks about gaggles of outraged folks who band together on Twitter to zero in on their perceived enemies.

Cedric also seems to think the majority of folks have had it up to HERE with cancel culture.

Michael Blackson is ready to lay down some serious roots now that he's officially a citizen of the United States of America ... and he's got plans as big as Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The comedian, who was born in Africa before moving to New Jersey when he was 13 years old, was sworn in as an American citizen Wednesday ... a life-changing moment he says is a dream come true.

Michael says America's made him a bigger, better person whose ready to help the world ... and he says the country has been nothing but a blessing to him since he came over as a teen.

For MB, citizenship is a "privilege" and just the latest piece of his American dream ... and he's ready to take full advantage of all the opportunities now being afforded to him ... even joking about applying for welfare.

While Michael will never be eligible to run for President, he sounds just fine with the prospects of becoming a mayor or even a governor ... saying he's going to hit up Arnold for advice.

Britney Spears fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the singer in The Weeknd's new project with HBO won't have their way ... because she's simply not involved, TMZ has learned.

Britney set social media on fire Tuesday when she announced, "I just shot a movie titled “THE IDOL“ … it’s guaranteed to have hits and a lot bright pics to put in my beautiful family’s faces !!!!!"

Spears' announcement came hours after it was announced The Weeknd's show "The Idol" was getting the green light from HBO and singer Troye Sivan had joined the cast.

Of course, fans were quick to connect the two, believing Britney was signed on to the project as well, but sources with direct knowledge tell us it's just not the case.

Our Britney sources say she's not been asked to be a part of the HBO show, and her team is unsure as to what movie she's referring to in her caption. Britney's been very creative with her social media posts lately, so it's always possible she's producing a movie on her own at home.

Britney also sent a message to her fans about the upcoming holiday season, saying, "I hope you guys are having a merry ole jolly time cause I sure am !!!!"