Movies

Southern California child actor David Mendenhall was only 15 years old when he was cast as the long-lost son Michael Hawk -- who is uprooted from private military school to take a road trip with his arm wrestling trucker dad to visit his sick mother -- in the 1987 action-adventure film "Over The Top."

David Mendenhall shared the big screen with some flexing famous folks on the muscle movie including Robert Loggia as the meddling grandpa with money, Jason Cutler, Susan Blakely as the terminally ill mother, Christina Hawk ... and of course Sylvester Stallone as the wrist-bending father figure, Lincoln Hawk.

Australian actress Rebel Wilson hit a personal goal, dropping over 77 pounds ... but she admits her own team wasn't happy about it.

The "Pitch Perfect" star told "BBC Breakfast" she decided to lose weight for her health, but she got pushback from her own management ... They questioned, "'Why would you wanna do that?' Because I was earning millions of dollars being the funny fat girl and being that person."

Rebel says, although she was always comfortable with her weight, she found comfort in food to escape her emotions as she struggled to establish herself as an actress.

She says she knew that she needed to make a change... "I knew deep down inside that some of the emotional eating behaviors I was doing was not healthy. Like I did not need a tub of ice cream every night."

Last November, Rebel revealed she reached her goal weight of 165 lbs ... partially due to the Mayr Method diet plan, which cuts sugar and encourages slow eating. She's also become something of a gym rat ... working out 6 times a week.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the lead armorer on the set of "Rust" has one weapons specialist and Hollywood veteran on her side -- it's her dad, who is backing his daughter's training and claiming she was sabotaged.

Thell Reed, whose career in movies spans several decades says Hannah was raised around guns, and learned gun safety from an early age. Reed says his daughter complained she had to carry both armorer and prop duties on the movie, and it was because she was doing prop duties that she was unable to be inside the church set when Halyna Hutchins was killed.

Thell told "Good Morning America" Tuesday he believes if Hannah was inside the church during the fatal scene, she would've checked the gun's chamber one more time and discovered the live round, potentially saving Hutchins' life.

What's more, Thell echoes the same message Hannah's attorneys have previously claimed ... believing Hannah was somehow sabotaged on set with the live ammo. Though, he doesn't really get into how or why that might've happened.

Of course, it was just last week when Alec Baldwin claimed he never pulled the trigger on the revolver that killed Hutchins. Alec claims he cocked the hammer back and when he released it, the gun went off.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez did a little blending Saturday ... as the love train chugged through Westwood.

Ben and Jen hit up the Regency Theater with his kids, Seraphina and Sam, and her daughter, Emme.

They took in a showing of "Licorice Pizza" and looked like a fam out for a day of fun.

They got celeb treatment for sure ... an attendant was right there to escort them in through a side door and warn them all to step away from some puddles.

The kids have been seen more and more with J Lo and Ben ... over Thanksgiving, they were all involved in a food drive in L.A. ... loading and unloading sacks of food. The event was part of Rise Against Hunger ... a problem that has reached crisis proportions in L.A. and many other cities.

Jordan Belfort is the proud new owner of a piece of art history, because he bought it from the youngest person ever to have a booth at "Art Miami."

The "Wolf of Wall Street" dropped a fat stack on some artwork from rising artist Andres Valencia -- the 10-year-old responsible for a 29" x 11" work he's entitled, "King and Queen."

Jordan tells TMZ ... he paid $8,500 for the piece after being blown away by Andres' talent. He also says Andres sketched him something on the spot, a work Belfort describes as "shockingly interesting."

It's no wonder Andres is the youngest artist ever to have his work on display at the famous "Art Miami" gallery. Jordan says when looking at Andres' work he asked himself, "What on God's Earth is this kid seeing when he picks up his instrument to draw and paint?"

Art pieces are some of the hottest investments right now ... and Jordan says Andres' eye is "obviously something very different than the rest of us."

Channing Tatum also stopped by Andres' booth this week during Art Basel ... posing in front of his works the night before the Wolf swooped in to scoop some up.

Alec Baldwin's claim he's not responsible for Halyna Hutchins' death is not echoed by the woman leading the "Rust" shooting investigation -- instead, she says Baldwin, and several others, could still be charged for their roles in the tragedy.

During his sit-down with George Stephanopoulos, Baldwin said he didn't feel guilt over what went down. As he put it, "Someone is responsible for what happened and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me."

Well, Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies isn't ready to clear his name, criminally, just yet. She tells TMZ ... "Everyone involved in the handling and use of firearms on the set had a duty to behave in a manner such that the safety of others was protected, and it appears that certain actions and inactions contributed to this outcome."

Her Office, along with the Sheriff's Dept., hasn't completed their probe yet ... and she's making it clear no decisions have been made about exactly who could be charged. She says, "Once I have had the opportunity to review the complete investigation, certain individuals may be criminally culpable for his/her actions and/or inactions on the set of Rust."

And, there's this ... Baldwin's explanation for how he fired the fatal shot isn't holding water with weapons expert Steve Wolf, who says the "no trigger" theory IS possible -- but there were several other mistakes made on the set.

Steve's been working with munitions and props for TV and film for decades, so he was particularly interested in Baldwin's claim that the replica antique revolver he was holding fired without him pulling the trigger.

Steve was on Friday's "TMZ Live" when he held up a similar handgun and demonstrated exactly what Baldwin described. He pulled back the hammer on the weapon, but unlike Alec claimed ... Steve says it's just not possible for the hammer to strike and fire a bullet without the trigger getting engaged. Not normally, anyway.

He admitted there are 2 possible exceptions -- first, there could have been a mechanical flaw ... and the other possibility has to do with how the weapon was manufactured.

The Colt .45 Baldwin was using is a replica of an 1873 revolver, and it could have been made without a safety feature that is standard on such weapons now, but wasn't back in the 19th century.

George Clooney says he's so flush with cash that even a $35 million offer to do "one day's work" just wasn't worth it.

Clooney recently spoke with The Guardian and said at this point in his life, he's got all the money he needs and therefore has become more selective in the projects he chooses to do. Clooney says, "I was offered $35 million for one day's work for an airline commercial, but I talked to Amal about it and we decided it's not worth it."

However, Clooney went on to explain his reasoning, saying of the airline, "It was [associated with] a country that, although it's an ally, is questionable at times, and so I thought: 'Well, if it takes a minute's sleep away from me, it's not worth it."

60-year-old Clooney says he's chosen to act less over the last few years, not just because he's not into the parts, but he also wants to spend more time with his wife and twins.

Clooney is, however, still working, as The Guardian interview was to promote the new film he's directing called "The Tender Bar."

Alec Baldwin says he never pulled the trigger on the gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and followed her instructions to point the gun at her, not knowing there was live ammunition in the chamber.

Baldwin says he pointed the gun at her as directed ... cocked it and let go of the hammer and that's when the gun went off. He says he never touched the trigger. Assistant Director Dave Halls backed Baldwin up and says Baldwin never had his finger on the trigger.

Baldwin says the only issue for him is how live ammunition got into the chamber of the gun. He says he was told it was an "empty gun" -- meaning only dummy bullets.

When the gun fired and Halyna fell to the ground, Baldwin says he didn't know for 45 minutes to an hour she was hit by a live round. He thought maybe Halyna got hit by wadding typically found in blanks.

Baldwin felt people waited too long to get her to a hospital. A helicopter finally came and took her to a hospital.

The Sheriff eventually told Baldwin Halyna had died. The photos of Baldwin outside on the phone are when he called his wife to tell her what happened.

Baldwin says George Clooney didn't help the situation by commenting that he always checked a gun that he handled on set. Baldwin was clearly annoyed at Clooney. He says he's always relied on the experts -- like the armorer -- on the set that a gun was safe to handle.

Baldwin does not believe the live ammo on the set was an act of sabotage ... something claimed by the lawyer for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. He says this was an accident.

Baldwin says he hates that Reed and Halls have been villainized unfairly, he believes.

He also doesn't discount his brother Daniel -- who told TMZ he believed Baldwin was targeted for his political beliefs. He mentions Donald Trump, who went after Baldwin.

Baldwin said he was not a nuts-and-bolts producer who made hiring decisions ... rather, he says he was a "creative producer" -- meaning his role was more about content. This is significant ... given the allegations, Reed was way too inexperienced to be an armorer and Halls had safety issues on previous sets.

He says he was never told by the crew they had safety concerns ... he says the complaints were along the lines of grousing they wanted better hotels.

Sylvester Stallone and "Rocky" fans are gonna love this ... a bunch of memorabilia from his acting career and the movie franchise is hitting the auction block, including boxing gloves he wore in the franchise.

Julien's Auctions just announced the massive collection, and the highlights include Sly's boxing gloves used on camera in "Rocky III," and his training gloves from "Rocky Balboa."

The haul also includes the boxing mouth guard SS wore as Rocky in the iconic 1976 film ... and his original handwritten notebooks filled with story development ideas for the first four installments of the film franchise.

Hulk Hogan famously fought Sly in 'Rocky III' ... and the original artwork from their on-set fight is open for bidding.

The OG 'Rocky' won the Golden Globe for Best Picture in 1977, and the announcement card from the award show is up for sale ... along with original concept art for the film poster, and a shadowbox display with 'Rocky' themed boxing shorts produced for Planet Hollywood.

Sly's signed boxing training pad from "Creed" can be yours ... as well as his Air Jodan boxing boots from the movie.

The Stallone auction isn't just about 'Rocky' ... there's also memorabilia from his work on the 'Rambo' franchise.

The 'Rambo' gear includes ... knives, arrow quivers, headbands, scripts, watches, duffel bags, combat boots, prop guns and a machete.

The lawyer for the assistant director on "Rust" is backing Alec Baldwin's claim he did not pull the trigger on the gun that caused the death of Halyna Hutchins.

Lisa Torraco appeared on "Good Morning America" Thursday and actually went a step further, saying her client told her from day 1 not only did Baldwin not pull the trigger, he didn't even have his finger on the trigger.

Torraco said, “...that the entire time Baldwin had his finger outside the trigger guard, parallel to the barrel, and that he told me since day one he thought it was a misfire. I know, and until Alec said that, it was just really hard to believe, but Dave has told me since the very first day I met him that Alec did not pull that trigger.”

For starters, the word "misfire" is being used improperly. A misfire is when you pull the trigger and nothing happens because there's something wrong with the ammo.

The core issue, however -- can a gun discharge a bullet when someone does not pull the trigger? Weapons expert Steve Wolf tells TMZ, yes, if someone drops a loaded gun the inertia of the trigger hitting the ground could cause enough movement for the gun to discharge.

But, Wolf is clear ... if someone is holding a gun, he says it will not fire without the user pulling the trigger. He says some of these weapons have "very light trigger action" ... meaning a gentle tap could cause a discharge. But, he says there can't be a discharge without some trigger movement.

Jonshel Alexander, the former child actor who co-starred in the Oscar-nominated film “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” is dead after a shooting in her native Louisiana.

Jonshel -- who was 12 when she got the role in the 2012 film -- was sitting in a vehicle with a man last Saturday in New Orleans when someone opened fire on them. Jonshel was pronounced dead on the scene, her friend survived and went to a hospital for treatment.

Police have released a photo of a person of interest -- a Black male wearing a ski mask -- and are asking the public for help identifying and locating him.

Jonshel played Joy Strong in 'Beasts' ... a drama filmed in Louisiana about a struggling bayou community, which also had then-6-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis in the lead role. The movie got 4 Oscar noms, including Best Picture, and won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

Director Benh Zeitlin has said he pretty much created the role of Joy specifically for Jonshel. As he put it, “A lot of the lines were written by her, and so much of the character grew out of who Jonshel was. Her character in the film is named Joy Strong, which always seemed like a perfect description of Jonshel. She was a really bright burning light.”

'Beasts' was her only acting role. After graduating high school, Jonshel worked as a hostess in restaurants and had a daughter ... according to the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate.

Jonshel was 22.

Alec Baldwin says he didn't pull the trigger on the gun that killed Halyna Hutchins, the first time we've heard him make the new claim, and leaving many more questions to be answered.

The actor is speaking out about the 'Rust' tragedy in his first sit-down interview, which will air Thursday on ABC. The network just released a teaser for what is to be discussed, and there's a lot to unpack -- including his claim that he didn't squeeze the trigger.

In a nearly 2 minute clip, you hear anchor George Stephanopoulos peppering Baldwin with questions -- and it sounds like he's asking everything that most everybody has wondered about this story ... and Alec seems to respond to much of it, oftentimes in emotional terms.

One question revolves around the alleged fact that Alec pulling the trigger during the rehearsal that day was not called for in the script ... at least according to people who've sued over this so far.

Immediately in response, Alec is heard saying ... "Well, the trigger wasn't pulled. I didn't pull the trigger." GS seems stunned, but AB insists he'd never point a gun at someone and fire. Of course, this would mean Baldwin is suggesting the gun misfired on its own.

There's not much clarity on what Alec means exactly -- but we suppose everyone will get the answer when this chat hits the airwaves tomorrow.

Jen Shah wants the judge in her upcoming fraud trial to dismiss the criminal case against her, saying it's all because of what federal agents chatted about to Hulu cameras.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star says the streaming service interviewed two specials agents from Homeland Security for a new documentary, where they gave out details about the investigation that weren't publicly available and opined on Shah, offering lots of commentary on the "lavish lifestyle" of "fraudsters."

Jen claims Agent Rick Patel specifically commented on the circumstances surrounding her arrest ... and says Agent Agnieszka Norman made "highly prejudicial" statements about her allegedly hiding money in offshore accounts, even going so far as to suggest the origin of the case against Shah came from an investigation into a narcotics smuggling ring.

As we reported ... Jen was arrested back in March for allegedly targeting and scamming folks out of their money, with the feds recently accusing her of "greater culpability" in the scheme. The trial is scheduled to get underway in March, and she's claimed total innocence and pled not guilty.

In the docs, Jen says the agents' statements on the ABC News doc "The Housewife and the Shah Shocker" destroyed any chance of her getting a fair trial by tainting the jury pool because the program is full of opinions that will lead people to presume she's guilty.

Vivica A. Fox is a ride or die friend, because she made it clear Tuesday night ... she stands by Jussie Smollett in bad times as well as good.

Vivica was at the TCL Chinese Theatre for the premiere of her movie, "True to the Game 3." Our photog asked about her ties with Jussie, and Vivica showed Smollett mad love.

What's interesting ... she never said if she believed he was actually attacked on the streets of Chicago back in 2019. Clearly, prosecutors don't believe him, because he's currently on trial for allegedly staging the incident. He's charged with 6 felonies and could be sent to prison for years if convicted.

A jury has been selected and testimony has begun. It's unclear if Jussie will take the stand in his own defense. Typically, defendants in criminal cases stay mum, but this case almost demands Jussie tell the jury his version of what happened.

The iconic house from 'Home Alone' is ready to play host to some lucky guests ... and while folks spending the night won't have to ward off bandits, they can still set the booby traps!!!

In celebration of the upcoming release of "Home Sweet Home Alone," Buzz McCallister is hosting a super rare overnight stay at the family's Chicago home, while the McCallisters are once again away for the holidays.

The famous home from the OG movie is being converted into an Airbnb for one night only ... and 4 guests can relive their favorite moments from the Christmas classic for only $25!!!

If you're lucky enough to snag the spot, a night inside the 'Home Alone' crib will have you feeling like Macaulay Culkin.

The place will be decked out with holiday decorations, including twinkling lights and a perfectly trimmed Christmas tree ... one of little Kevin McCallister's favorites.

Don't worry about the Sticky Bandits, but have fun setting up the booby traps ... and laugh because you're not the one sidestepping them!

Of course, a night in the McCallister house wouldn't be complete without splashing aftershave and screaming in the bathroom mirror.

Pig out with all the '90s junk food you can stomach, plus plenty of Chicago's finest pizza and a candlelit dinner with Kraft macaroni and cheese.

Buzz is hosting, so naturally, there's a meet and greet with a real-life tarantula ... which probably won't crawl on your face. No crowbars needed.

The movie inside the movie, "Angels With Filthy Souls," isn't long enough to really make your night ... instead, enjoy a viewing of the film franchise's newest offering, "Home Sweet Home Alone."

If LEGO is your thing ... the place comes with a 'Home Alone' kit to bring home.

The big mystery in the fatal shooting on the set of Alec Baldwin's movie "Rust" remains ... how live rounds ended up in the weapon, and now investigators are taking a closer look at the film's ammo supplier.

According to a new search warrant, obtained by TMZ, detectives in New Mexico have interviewed a guy named Seth Kenney, one of the suppliers of the ammunition head armorer Hannah Reed used on set.

Cops also spoke to Hannah's father, Thell Reed, who himself is an experienced armorer who has worked with Seth. In the docs, cops say Thell told them he and Seth crossed paths on a different production ... a month or 2 before the "Rust" tragedy.

What's interesting about that is ... Thell claims Seth brought live ammo -- a can with about 200 to 300 rounds -- to that set for the purpose of weapons training. When the training was completed, Thell says Seth took back the remaining bullets, and claims that included some live Colt .45 ammo.

The gun Baldwin fired was a long barrel Colt .45. You see where Thell is going with this -- he told cops the leftover ammo from his production might match that which killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

That's his theory, anyway, and cops are willing to check it out -- the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Dept. got the warrant to search Seth's company, PDQ Arm & Prop.

Presumably, they want to see if the fatal round matches those in the can of live ammo from a couple months ago. The judge signed off, giving detectives the greenlight to scoop up the potential evidence.

And, there's this ... according to the docs, cops also spoke to "Rust" prop master, Sarah Zachry, who said she checked the ammo box -- after Halyna was shot -- and found some bullets that rattled, indicating they're dummy rounds, and others that didn't. That led her to believe there were even more live rounds in the ammo box.

Remember, Hannah's attorneys floated a theory that someone, perhaps a disgruntled crew member, intentionally brought live bullets on set to sabotage the production -- but D.A. Mary Carmack-Altwies has said she isn't buying that.