Movies

The 97th Academy Awards may have a hard time keeping up with legendary moments from the past but the night is young, so grab your seats and brace yourself for one of Hollywood's biggest nights!

Of course Will Smith slapping Chris Rock on stage quickly went viral back in 2022, as did the 2017 award mishap with "La La Land" and "Moonlight."

Heading back to 1963, actor and director Sidney Poitier became the first Black man to win an Oscar in the best actor category for his role in "Lilies of the Field."

The Oscars may be a time for celebrities to dress in their fanciest gowns and haute couture fashion ... but, The BRIT Awards are clearly a place for stars to play around with fashion -- and, many did just that.

While Sabrina Carpenter continued her award season style by channeling Old Hollywood glam and Teddy Swims wore an outfit completely comprised of stuffed animals -- though it may be hard for the star to use the restroom.

Millie Bobby Brown smoldered for the cameras in a low-cut silver gown ... pulling a hood from the outfit over her bleach-blonde hair.

Gene Hackman will be honored during The Oscars on Sunday night ... and it seems an old friend will be speaking about the legend.

A Hackman relative tells TMZ ... the family has been told that Morgan Freeman will speak about Gene -- which will be an extension of the in memoriam segment.

Gene and Morgan of course starred together in the Clint Eastwood classic "Unforgiven" ... for which Gene scored his second Oscar. Morgan wasn't nominated for the flick, but took home his own Academy Award in 2005 for "Million Dollar Baby."

Harrison Ford has had a change of plans ... and he will no longer be presenting at the Oscars after being diagnosed with shingles, TMZ has confirmed.

The "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" icon is skipping Sunday's big event altogether so he can rest at home.

Ford dropped out of the event Saturday morning ... EW was first to report the news.

Julia Roberts is in The City of Light ... and, her smile can light up a room -- 'cause she was grinning wide while walking into the César Awards in Paris!

The famed actress stepped out Friday for the ceremony wearing a chic black ensemble ... and, she looked to be enjoying her European vacay.

Roberts flashed her grin for photogs on her way into the building ... before she went inside to accept her Honorary César -- a lifetime achievement award from the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma.

David Johansen, the frontman for proto-punk band New York Dolls and actor known for his work in the Bill Murray classic "Scrooged," has died.

Johansen died Friday at his New York home ... his death was confirmed by his stepdaughter, Leah Hennessey to multiple outlets.

The iconic rocker with a deep, gravelly voice announced last month he was suffering from stage four cancer, a brain tumor and a broken back -- although his official cause of death has not been announced.

Gene Hackman shockingly does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for fans to grieve their loss ... but there is a restaurant in New Mexico where some are paying their respects to the legend.

Doug Lanham, a close friend and former business partner, tells TMZ ... fans have begun dropping off notes and flowers to his Santa Fe restaurant Jinja Bar & Bistro ... which was co-owned by Hackman for several years after he walked away from Hollywood a two-time Oscar winner and film icon.

In addition to being regarded as one of the best actors to ever grace the silver screen ... Hackman was also a prolific painter -- and did nearly all the amazing work that hangs from Jinja's walls.

It's the biggest weekend for Hollywood ... and the stars were out in full force Friday night to kick off the Oscars celebrations before the big show on Sunday.

The were multiple big bashes around town ... including the CAA pre-Oscar party at the Living Room in Los Angeles and the YSL party, which was held at an undisclosed private residence.

Stars dropping by the CAA blowout were the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Kerry Washington, Eiza Gonzalez, Paris Jackson, Seth Rogen, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pine, Kevin Bacon, Khyra Sedgwick, Jesse Willaims, Anna Kendrick, Gayle King, Jon Hamm, Zoey Deutch, Joe Alwyn, Josh Gadd ... and new couple Channing Tatum and Inka Williams.

Michelle Trachtenberg's death shocked many in the film industry ... and, clearly she wasn't expecting it either -- 'cause she had plans for a major appearance in the coming weeks.

Jennifer Hutchins -- a producer on the film "Spyral," Michelle's final credit -- tells TMZ ... Trachtenberg was supposed to appear at a private benefit screening of the movie in Austin during SXSW on March 12 to support mental health nonprofits.

Hutchins says the "Spyral" team knew she was struggling with health issues ... but, if she was well enough, she planned to attend either in person or via Zoom.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department held a news conference to give an update on the investigation into the deaths of legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, this afternoon -- and, it sounds like Gene was dead in the New Mexico home for a week and a half before he was found.

Sheriff Adan Mendoza led the news conference as deputies continue to look into the deaths they labeled "suspicious" in a department application for a search warrant this week.

During the press conference, Mendoza says Hackman's pacemaker shows its last event on February 17 -- indicating that's when it stopped and when he died. Mendoza said autopsies and toxicology reports were pending, but he said both individuals tested negative for carbon monoxide, according to the medical examiner.

Nepo babies are all over Hollywood .... and, we've got a few sexy snapshots of one superstar's offspring -- can you guess who it is?

This celebrity kid is all grown up ... and showing off every inch of her tanned bod to the camera -- and, it's clear she's hitting the lens with her best shot.

Just like her mother, this mystery woman joined the music industry ... dropping new songs, including her track "Reputation," last year.

Her hottest shots are certainly drawing a ton of eyes -- and, could lead to a whole lotta fans fighting for her love ... on a battlefield.

Millie Bobby Brown might have Hollywood at her feet, but she’s making sure past icons don’t get left behind -- paying homage to Gwyneth Paltrow’s '90s red carpet era in a major way.

Take a look -- Millie stunned in a sheer, pale-blue beaded Giorgio Armani gown at "The Electric State" premiere in Madrid … the very same look Gwyneth rocked back in '98!

Gwyneth wore it at the "Shakespeare in Love" NYC premiere -- serving up some timeless elegance as she posed for the cameras.

Blake Lively and her legal team need to narrow their request for Justin Baldoni's communications ... so says a federal judge who ruled on the motion.

In a new order issued Friday, a federal judge ruled on Lively's request for cell phone communications of parties named in a sexual harassment lawsuit, including Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and Jennifer Abel, among others ... partially granting part of the subpoena, while rejecting part of it.

Basically, the judge finds the subpoena simply too broad -- calling the subpoenas Lively's side wants from Wayfarer Studios "overly intrusive and disproportionate to the needs of the case."

Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dog's mysterious deaths have authorities searching for answers ... and they’ve confirmed they're not ruling out carbon monoxide poisoning.

Santa Fe fire officials spoke on "TODAY" Friday, stating that while their meters didn’t detect anything amiss during searches, that doesn’t mean carbon monoxide poisoning is off the table -- especially since the bodies may have been there for days or even weeks.

They pointed out Gene and Betsy’s New Mexico home had natural gas ... and a leak could have dissipated by the time their bodies were discovered.

An impromptu pre-Oscars party went down at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday ... with big actors like Timothée Chalamet and Ben Affleck snagging courtside seats for the Lakers' win over the Timberwolves.

LeBron James and Co. handled business for the Purple and Gold ... coming away with the 111-102 victory thanks to the King's stat sheet-stuffing night with 33 points, 17 rebounds and six assists.

Ball knower and "A Complete Unknown" star Timmy C was clearly loving the action ... giving a big smile as he took it all in. He seemingly had a bit of a costume change during his night out ... as he was spotted wearing two different shirts.

Gene Hackman's two dogs that were found alive when authorities searched his home are safe and in the care of local officials.

According to a sheriff's press release, Santa Fe County Animal Control is reportedly working with Hackman’s family to “ensure the safety of the two dogs.”

Gene and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, had three dogs -- one of which was found dead by deputies inside a bathroom closet. The German Shepherd was lying 10-15 feet away from Arakawa, who was also found deceased on the bathroom floor -- with prescription pills scattered nearby.