Movies

Yaphet Kotto -- the longtime actor known for his roles in "Midnight Run," "Alien" and "Live and Let Die" -- died Monday near Manila in the Philippines ... according to his wife.

Yaphet's wife, Tessie Sinahon, announced his death on Facebook, saying ... "This is a very painful moment for me to inform you all fans, friends and family of my husband." No cause of death was given.

Kotto reportedly came from Cameroonian royalty on his father's side ... but was born in NYC and began studying acting as a teenager. He made his theater debut in the late '50s in "Othello" and appeared on Broadway's "The Great White Hope."

This led to his first film roles in the '60s in "Nothing But a Man" and "The Thomas Crown Affair," and a guest-starring role as Marine Lance Corporal on "Hawaii Five-O."

Then, Yaphet broke through in a big way by playing the famous Bond villain, Mr. Big, in 1973's "Live and Let Die" opposite Roger Moore.

He would go on to land tough-guy roles in several popular movies ... like the engineer, Parker, in the 1979 blockbuster "Alien."

Kotto's other big films include "The Running Man" with Arnold Schwarzenegger and "Midnight Run" with Robert De Niro. In the '90s, he co-starred on the TV series "Homicide: Life on the Street," and also had an appearance years later on HBO's "The Wire."

He and his wife, who is from the Philippines, wed in Baltimore in 1998. He had 2 previous marriages and 6 children.

Yaphet was 81.

Didn't see this coming ...

UFC legend Georges St-Pierre -- one of the greatest of all time -- says he actually HATED fighting during his 15 year MMA career.

... but he stuck around so long because he was addicted to the feeling he got after winning a match!

The 39-year-old superstar opened up about the situation recently on "The Complex Sports Podcast" ... and didn't mince his words.

"I don’t like the fighting. I hate it. It’s unbearable," GSP said ... "The feeling of stress. Not knowing if you will be humiliated or you might get hurt. It’s so hard."

"But when you win a fight, it’s really worth it. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. So that’s why I did it. Not because I love to fight. I love to win."

And one thing GSP did a lot during his career was win -- finishing his MMA career with a 26-2 record ... with victories over legends like BJ Penn, Michael Bisping, Nick Diaz, Matt Hughes and more.

GSP formally retired in 2019 -- 2 years after his last fight -- and has repeatedly said a comeback is most likely off the table.

Now, he's focusing on acting -- reprising his role as the French mercenary Georges Batroc in the upcoming Marvel series, "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier."

Georges says he uses some of his skills from fighting to help him as an actor.

"Like in fighting, acting requires a lot of repetition, a lot of preparation. In fighting, you do a lot of those as well and very often when you fight, you find out your opponent is never as good as you think he is and he’s never as bad as you think he is as well. It’s always different."

The main difference ... GSP acknowledges the stakes are much higher in fighting.

“In fighting, you only get one take. If you zig when you should zag --  boom! It can cost you not only a loss but it can cost you obviously cerebral damage. Damage that can cause your death. It’s very dangerous."

Chadwick Boseman's earned his first-ever Academy Award nomination ... nearly 7 months after he died from colon cancer.

Chadwick was the second one named early Monday morning when the nominations for Actor in a Leading Role were announced. Riz Ahmed for "Sound of Metal," Anthony Hopkins for "The Father," Gary Oldman for "Mank" and Steven Yeun for "Minari" are the other nominees in the category. It's incredible this is his first nom considering the iconic roles he's played.

Chadwick died in August while "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" was in post-production and 3 months before the film's release. He played Levee Green, an incredibly talented trumpet player. The Netflix film is about Ma Rainey ... the influential blues singer during the 1920s.

He had already won a Golden Globe, also his first, for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama last month. Chadwick's widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, accepted the award on his behalf and gave an emotional speech too.

Taylor had said, "He would thank God. He would thank his parents. He would thank his ancestors for their guidance and their sacrifices. He would say something beautiful. Something inspiring."

Reggie Warren -- one of the original five members of the R&B group TROOP -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for the group tells us Reggie passed away Sunday at his home in Pasadena, surrounded by family. We're told he's been dealing with health issues for a while now, and was even hospitalized for a couple months back in January.

The rep says Reggie was released from the hospital Saturday with the anticipation he would die. We're told his death is not COVID related -- but the family didn't want to discuss an official cause until an autopsy could be performed.

Reggie started out with TROOP when it first formed in the '80s, alongside childhood friends Rodney Benford, John Harreld, Steve Russell and Allen McNeil. Russell paid tribute to his longtime collaborator in an IG post on Sunday, writing ... "Job well done my brother I will see you on the other side🌹🌹😓😥😓😥😓RIP Reggie Warren. #DamnReggie."

The quintet signed to Atlantic Records and released their debut album in '88, which saw a hit in their lead single 'Mamacita.' They're more well-known for their 2nd album, 'Attitude,' though, which spawned two #1s in songs like "All I Do is Think of You" and "Spread My Wings."

Beyond their musical success, TROOP -- which stands for Total Respect of Other People -- might also be remembered as the a capella group singing a cover of "Living For the City" in the cult classic film "New Jack City" -- which they all briefly appear in during a montage.

'Living For the City' got mashed together with Queen Latifah's 'For the Love of Money' -- also featured in the movie -- for a memorable medley that came to be associated with 'NJC.'

The group went on a hiatus in the late '90s, but got back together and went touring in the 2000s and beyond ... having appeared in concert with notable acts like Boyz II Men, Keith Sweat, Jon B, Brian McKnight and other artists and groups that were popular in those days.

Looks like the fellas stayed on good terms through the 2010s, as they'd often appear together at different public events like the BET Awards and beyond.

Reggie was 51.

Elvis Presley is about to make someone the king of rock n' roll memorabilia -- that's if you make the winning bid on a guitar used for his famous 1968 comeback.

The folks over at Kruse GWS Auctions are handling the auction of Elvis' rare cherry red Hagstrom Viking II guitar. EP was slinging this axe when he shot the highly anticipated TV special on NBC, which marked his return to performing live music ... after a 7-year hiatus focusing on movie roles.

This guitar has tons of Elvis history attached to it beyond the special -- it was featured on the cover of his "From Elvis in Memphis" album cover, and it was once displayed at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum.

The winning bidder of this auction -- which kicks off March 27 at 10 AM -- will also get sheet music from the '68 TV special. It's a nice cherry on top, especially considering Kruse GWS anticipates the guitar will fetch somewhere between $750k and $1 million.

And, for those who get outbid on the guitar, no worries ... there's other cool Elvis memorabilia also on the auction block -- like his personally owned 14k yellow gold and blue enamel TCB (taking care of business) necklace.

In the non-Elvis department -- Elizabeth Taylor's personally owned earrings, broach and necklace ... as well as the 1950 Cadillac Fleetwood from "The Godfather."

James Cameron's blockbuster, 'Avatar,' has reclaimed its throne as the highest-grossing movie ever around the world, which appears to be kinda pissing off the 'Endgame' crowd.

Marvel fanboys/girls laid into Cameron Saturday on word that his 2009 behemoth of a flick had once again climbed to the top of the charts globally upon a re-release this weekend in Chinese markets, putting its new haul at just over $2.8B against 'Endgame's' $2.797B.

China's Film Bureau struck a deal that allowed for 'Avatar' to be re-released in theaters, seeing how they're testing re-opening cineplexes ... but are short on new material. Since 'Avatar' is an all-time great among viewers there, they greenlit its revival on the big screen.

Marvel was gracious in defeat, tweeting ... "Congratulations to @JimCameron, @JonLandau, and ALL of Na'vi Nation for reclaiming the box office crown! We love you 3000." Cameron responded with a blue heart emoji, y'know ... 'cause of the blue forest people.

While the studio is bowing down ... fans aren't. Many are pointing out 'Avatar' appears to be gaming the system with yet another re-release more than a decade later, and seemingly juking the stats in its favor. Yes, the movie has had a handful of re-releases over the years, including a significant one right after its OG one-month theatrical run in late 2009.

Here's the thing ... if 'Avatar' "cheated," so did 'Endgame' to get its huge numbers. That movie was in theaters for a whopping 20 weeks or so, which comes out to about how many months 'Avatar' has been left in theaters total on re-releases (give or take a couple months).

Paul Rodriguez -- one of the 'Original Latin Kings of Comedy' -- underwent heart surgery, but the good news is he's on the mend.

A rep for the legendary comic tells TMZ ... Paul recently had quadruple bypass surgery, but is recovering nicely at his home. They add, "Paul wants everyone to know he is grateful for all the amazing care he has received and will be back better than ever very soon."

While it's great to hear he's getting better, it's unfortunate to learn this is the latest setback for the actor/comedian. Just last year, he revealed to FOX26 that a house he'd once purchased for his late parents burned in a fire. The outlet reported that the home was uninsured, so Paul essentially lost the property.

Not only that, but he also told them he'd fallen on hard times financially as well -- saying an accountant he'd worked with for years told him he was nearly "broke."

Paul told FOX26 he was going to try to get back on his feet through a 40-acre lemon farm he owns in the valley.

Pepe Le Pew was never meant to be interpreted as rape-y, but the times have caught up with him to make it seem that way ... so says the daughter of the guy who first drew him.

Linda Jones -- whose father, Chuck Jones, is credited as the creator and original animator of Pepe and other Looney Tunes -- tells TMZ she strongly disagrees with the notion the suave skunk contributed to rape culture, as suggested in an NYT op-ed.

On the contrary, Linda says she doesn't think anyone who ever watched Pepe was inspired to go out and rape, or even harass, people. She gets pretty literal, saying Pepe never raped another character on the show -- which, okay ... that's a given.

Still, LJ just doesn't think Pepe should be canceled or shelved over this -- because the OG running gag with him was never meant to be predatory ... she says it was more about how much he stunk as a suitor, despite thinking he was desirable.

She does admit Pepe's grabby approach toward Penelope Pussycat certainly doesn't look good by today's standards ... but insists folks who were watching him in the '50s, '60s and '70s were NOT thinking of that dynamic as normalizing rape culture.

Perhaps that was wrong or ignorant of audiences back then, she muses, but that just wasn't the vibe, nor the intention -- as she explains her pops, Chuck, was a super liberal dude, and was never out to hurt people. Linda says the purpose of Pepe was pure comedy.

As for axing Pepe from the new 'Space Jam' movie entirely ... Linda tells us that's Warner Bros.'s prerogative -- and that if they choose to give him a break for a while, so be it.

She did suggest something interesting to rebrand Pepe and capture the spirit her father intended -- write him as a perpetual job-seeker who keeps getting rejected, but constantly changes up his routine thinking he's the perfect candidate.

HBO Max subscribers looking for some family fun were instead treated to an early look at Zack Snyder's "Justice League" ... with the streaming service leaking the film 10 days early.

Here's the deal ... folks who wanted to watch the PG-rated "Tom and Jerry" movie Monday on HBO Max were, instead, greeted with the R-rated "Justice League" thanks to a glitch on the streaming service.

HBO Max confirmed the accidental leak, saying the movie was "temporarily available" and "the error was addressed within minutes."

It appears a decent number of folks were able to catch a sneak peek of the highly-anticipated film ... including several Twitter users, who were quick to rub it in and crack jokes about staffers getting fired.

While HBO Max says the error was fixed "within minutes," some people say they were able to watch about an hour of the film before the feed was cut.

Snyder's version of the 2017 flick isn't set for an official release until March 18 ... so this is a pretty big oops.

Pepe Le Pew's problematic behavior appears to have been something Warner Bros. was well aware of before he was called out anew ... because he reportedly doesn't make a single appearance in the new 'Space Jam.'

A new Deadline report explains that the Looney Tunes character actually had a scene written into the movie early on in the production, when director Terence Nance was still at the helm. Apparently, there was a 'Casablanca'-like scene in which Pepe played a bartender and tried kissing the arm of a human character, portrayed by actress Greice Santo.

Deadline says Santo pulls back and slapped Pepe silly ... and LeBron James actually gave him a pep talk of sorts, letting him know it wasn't cool to get grabby without consent. The outlet also says Pepe referenced his longtime muse, Penelope Pussycat, and said she'd taken out a restraining order against him ... at least that's what was going to be in the flick before it was scrapped when Malcolm D. Lee took over as director.

Word is, the Pepe scene was axed entirely in the final cut of the film -- which is set to debut this summer -- and according to folks who've seen a screening of the movie, per Deadline, they say there's no trace of Pepe anywhere in what people will see on HBO Max.

Remember, Pepe IS in the original ... and has a few moments of screen time where he stinks up the place to score points -- and even jumps on an old woman to kiss her.

Now, whether this decision to lose Pepe altogether was made because of the NYT controversy -- in which a writer said the skunk normalized rape culture -- it would seem the two things are unrelated ... or so says Deadline. It's unclear why exactly he got nixed.

The sound mixer from the award-winning movie, "Nomadland," has died after taking his own life ... and his father thinks the coronavirus pandemic may have played a part.

Michael Wolf Snyder had not been heard from for several days, when his dad, psychiatrist Dr. David Snyder, went to check on him in his Queens apartment. David discovered his son's body.

Dr. Snyder says his son had battled severe depression for years.

35-year-old Michael, who went by his middle name, Wolf, had achieved a lot professionally. In addition to the Golden-Globe winning "Nomadland," he worked on the Emmy-nominated show, "Good Omens." He also worked on the 2017 sci-fi flick, "Imitation Girl," and the 2018 movie, "The Amaranth."

Frances McDormand, the star of "Nomadland," said, "Wolf recorded our heartbeats. Our every breath. For me, he is 'Nomadland.'"

Wolf worked as a boom operator and sound mixer with filmmaker Chloe Zhao for "The Rider," and Zhao said, "I always looked at Wolf after each take. I didn't wear headphones on the set so I heavily relied on Wolf to be my ears. He would nod at me with a happy grin, or tears in his eyes, or sometimes he would discreetly signal, 'one more.'"

Wolf's dad said he didn't know how deeply his son had been struggling with depression, saying, "I am a psychiatrist who was not able to save his own son, partly because he would not share the depth of his pain," adding, "For most people, this is an illness that waxes and wanes over the years. I'm sure it was difficult for Michael that he spent most of the last year alone in his small, Queens apartment, being responsible about dealing with the coronavirus." He went on ... "In spite of this, we all believed he was doing well, and for most of this past year I think he was."

Nicolas Cage is going back to the wedding well ... he got married for a whopping 5th time, and once again he tied the knot in Sin City.

The 56-year-old actor married 26-year-old Riko Shibata last month in Nevada, according to the Clark County Clerk's Office. The records show Riko took Nic's last name, and on Feb. 16 they said "I Do."

Nic, who lives in Las Vegas, announced his engagement to Riko back in August after proposing over FaceTime. Riko was in Japan when he popped the question, so Nicolas sent the engagement ring via FedEx.

It's the 5th marriage for Nicolas ... and the union comes less than 2 years after his last marriage to Erika Koike ended in divorce after only 4 days. DailyMail was first to report the news of his new bride.

New Space Jam, new Lola Bunny.

The director of "Space Jam: A New Legacy" has "reworked" Lola Bunny's role for the reboot -- claiming he wasn't comfortable with the "very sexualized" way she came off in the original back in 1996.

The man behind the film is Malcolm D. Lee -- who has worked on flicks like "Girls Trip," "Undercover Brother" and "Night School" ... he's also Spike Lee's cousin!!

Now that he's taken over the reins of the legendary "Space Jam" franchise, Lee wanted to make sure Lola Bunny would be a strong role model for young people.

"This is 2021," Lee told Entertainment Weekly. "It's important to reflect the authenticity of strong, capable female characters."

We went back and checked out the Lola scenes from the original 'Space Jam' and Lee has a solid point.

The scene where Lola first enters the basketball gym is scored with sexy bombshell music — and the rest of the Tune Squad players are so taken by her appearance, they are literally paralyzed.

Lola, after showing off her impressive basketball skills, saunters out of the gym and admonishes Bugs Bunny for previously referring to her as "Doll."

So, what can we expect in the LeBron James reboot? Gone are Lola's short shorts — replaced by typical workout gear with compression shorts underneath.

It seems the director was hoping to model Lola after a typical high-level female athlete -- which makes sense considering real-life WNBA superstars Diana Taurasi and Nneka Ogwumike both have key roles in the reboot.

As for LeBron, the Lakers superstar has spoken about how important the movie is to him ... and being able to share his own example of fatherhood in the flick.

Will Smith says his encounters with blatant racism all involved pure stupidity -- as in, really stupid people, but he also has a theory about smart racists.

The actor dished on the 'Pod Save America' podcast, in which he discussed his experience with racism both before and during his time in Hollywood ... all with the backdrop of a new Netflix series he produced about the 14th Amendment, 'Amend: The Fight for America.'

Will was asked about how his own personal run-ins with prejudice helped steer the project, and he didn't hold back ... saying he'd been called the n-word to his face at least 5 times before.

Then, Will got a bit philosophical ... saying everyone who'd said that to him wasn't very bright -- which he chalked up to ignorance. But, he goes on to distinguish that form of racism from its ugly "twin" ... evil.

Watch the clip to see how Will phrases it, but essentially ... he's saying ignorance can be treated with education, but there's no easy fix for evil, if that's what's at the core of someone's racism.

Hollywood sex symbol Mamie Van Doren was in her '20s when she became a household name -- with her platinum blonde hairdo and provocative figure -- MVD could be spotted on a long list of classic films in the '50s and '60s ... most notably her roles as Peggy DeFore in "Teacher's Pet," Jackie Adams in "Born Reckless" and Silver Morgan in "Girls Town."

Mamie shared the big screen with some serious A-list actors during her career including Tony Curtis in the 1953 film "All American," Mickey Rooney in "The Big Operator," Clark Gable in "Teacher's Pet" and Clint Eastwood in "Star in the Dust."

Questlove says Amy Poehler and Tina Fey calling out the Golden Globes organization for a lack of diversity doesn't amount to much more than a performance ... at least for now.

We got "The Tonight Show" band frontman heading into work Monday at NBC Studios in New York City and asked about Amy and Tina taking shots at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for having NO black members during the award show.

It certainly seemed strange for the show's own hosts, and other celebs, to openly raise the issue during the broadcast -- but Quest, for one, was not impressed.

He called the remarks purely "performative," and put it squarely on the HFPA to actually add Black members. Until then, he's basically saying ... spare me the lip service.

There's been a lot of backlash against the HFPA, whose members vote on the Golden Globes. As you might have heard ... it's got 87 members, and not a single one is Black.