Movies

Josh Richards is as happy as can be to go from in front of the camera to behind-the-scenes with his new production company ... something Mark Wahlberg is making a reality.

We got the TikTok star Tuesday on the streets of West Hollywood where we asked about his new joint venture with Mark's Unrealistic Ideas -- which is going to help create programming and content that Josh and co. come up with via their new project, CrossCheck Studios.

As for what exactly may end up on camera ... check out what Josh has to say. Sounds like he and the team will focus on unscripted content at first -- but he eventually wants to dive into full-blown scripted stuff ... movies and shows.

Of course, we had to ask about the prospect of filming with Marky Mark one-on-one -- and while it might be a ways away, Josh doesn't hide his enthusiasm at the idea. He'd love a shot to co-star in something.

George Clooney is so disgusted by the former Ohio State University sports doctor who allegedly committed rape at least 47 times ... he's producing a docuseries about the scandal.

Here's the backstory ... scumbag Richard Strauss was a doctor who was employed by the OSU athletics dept. from 1978 to 1998 and allegedly committed more than 1,400 sexual assaults in those 2 decades.

In fact, OSU commissioned an independent investigation to look into the allegations in 2018 -- which concluded Strauss committed at least 47 rapes and 1,429 sexual assaults on mostly male victims. A large number of victims were members of the OSU wrestling team.

Several athletes reported unnecessary genital and rectal probes under the guise of a typical medical examination -- it's all very similar to the allegations against ex-Team USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.

Strauss died in 2005 by suicide. He left a note, but it did not reference the allegations against him.

There are claims several OSU officials knew about Strauss' conduct -- including Rep. Jim Jordan, who was an asst. wrestling coach at OSU at the time -- but they didn't take proper action.

For the record, Rep. Jordan is adamant he was not aware of Strauss' conduct and did NOT try to protect him in any way shape or form.

As for Clooney, he was inspired to make the docuseries after reading an article about it in Sports Illustrated. His company, Smokehouse Pictures, is teaming up with S.I. and 1010 Studios to make the series.

The first episode of HBO's new documentary detailing Dylan Farrow's allegations of sexual abuse against Woody Allen is out -- and the famed director has choice words for it.

He and his wife, Soon-Yi Previn, blasted the doc in a joint statement ... calling 'Allen v. Farrow' a "hatchet job" that they believe had no interest in pursuing the facts.

Allen and Previn -- through his sister, Letty Aronson -- say the filmmakers "spent years surreptitiously collaborating with the Farrows and their enablers to put together a hatchet job riddled with falsehoods. Woody and Soon-Yi were approached less than two months ago and given only a matter of days 'to respond.' Of course, they declined."

The statement notes Dylan's allegations -- and at the time when she was a child, her mother Mia Farrow's as well -- have been known about and investigated several times for years now ... with no wrongdoing found on the part of Allen, or charges brought against him.

It unequivocally asserts no abuse ever took place, while adding ... "It is sadly unsurprising that the network to air this is HBO -- which has a standing production deal and business relationship with Ronan Farrow. While this shoddy hit piece may gain attention, it does not change the facts."

The first episode in the 4-part series chronicled how Mia met Woody and got involved with him -- eventually introducing and incorporating him into the lives of her many children (some biological, others adopted). Obviously, it also focused on Dylan -- one of Mia's adopted children -- and what the filmmakers, and others, deemed Woody's fixation with her.

The episode has a major cliffhanger, where it's alleged Mia found nude photos of her adult adopted daughter, Soon-Yi, at Woody's place ... and discovered a love affair between them.

The final scene shows current-day Dylan reflecting to the camera, "Oh, I'm not the only one," implying Allen had taken nude photos of her too.

James Franco's sexual misconduct lawsuit has been settled.

Franco, who taught an acting class at Studio 4 -- the film school he founded -- was accused by students of putting them in gratuitous and exploitive sexual situations.

Students filed a class-action lawsuit, saying Franco pushed the class into performing intimate and explicit sex scenes in an "orgy type setting" ... something that went way beyond the pale of shooting such scenes.

The class in question was called a master class on sex scenes.

Both sides announced the settlement to the trial judge, although the terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Specifically, there's no mention of money.

NBA Superstar Russell Westbrook is channeling his inner Ken Burns ... 'cause the Wizards guard is working on a new documentary in hopes of educating people about the atrocities of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre.

The former MVP and History Channel announced Thursday they're working on a two-hour doc titled "Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre" (temporary title) ... with Brodie serving as executive producer and Marco Williams and Emmy-Award winner Stanley Nelson on as directors.

The documentary is said to take a deep look at the events of a century ago and how the impact is still being felt today ... in hopes to educate millions on a 100-year-old tragedy.

If you aren’t familiar with the story, here is a brief run down -- In May and June 1921, a race war erupted in Tulsa, OK after a 19-year-old Black man was accused of assaulting a 17-year-old white woman in an elevator.

Black men went to defend the man after some in the city wanted him lynched ... and an ensuing altercation with white people ignited a massive race war.

This led to one of the worst acts of racial violence in American history ... in which mobs of white residents attacked and ultimately destroyed the Greenwood District in Tulsa, OK, which at that time was the wealthiest black community in the United States -- AKA "Black Wall Street."

Many historians believe the massacre has since been underreported and even covered up ... and Westbrook -- who played in Oklahoma for the Thunder for 11 years -- says he had no idea about the incident until he arrived in OKC in 2009.

"The Tulsa Race Massacre was not something I was taught about in school or in any of my history books," Westbrook said in a statement. "It was only after spending 11 years in Oklahoma that I learned of this deeply troubling and heartbreaking event."

"This is one of many overlooked stories of African Americans in this country that deserves to be told. These are the stories we must honor and amplify, so we can learn from the past and create a better future."

Director Stanley Nelson added ... "The horrific story of the burning of Black Wall Street has long haunted me -- I’m grateful to be working on this film with such wonderful partners."

Armie Hammer's ex-girlfriend is accusing the actor of some very disturbing behavior -- licking the blood from a brand he allegedly forced upon her.

Paige Lorenze -- who dated Hammer for a few months at the end of 2020 -- tells Dr. Oz the "Call Me By Your Name" star branded her with the letter "A" above her pubic area, then licked her fresh wound as it was bleeding ... causing her to worry about it becoming infected.

She says ... "He was licking it, drinking the blood, and then I basically just showered after, tried to clean it up as best as I could." She claims the brand has not healed properly.

In the 'Oz' episode airing Friday, Paige goes on to describe how the branding happened ... alleging she was tied up when Hammer asked her where he should put his initials on her. She says she didn't answer, and he just began carving her.

She claims Armie knew this made her uncomfortable, but he was in a position of power and she just wanted to please him.

Hammer's been embroiled in controversy since last month after some shocking, but unverified, DMs he allegedly sent to women began circulating online.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will get clobbered as a third-party Presidential candidate unless he's willing to stand up to billionaires and fight for everyday people ... so says the Green Party.

As you may have heard ... the WWE superstar-turned Hollywood megastar now says he'd seriously consider running for Prez "if that's what the people wanted" -- but Green Party spokesperson Michael O'Neil's not sure The Rock's got the stones.

O'Neil tells TMZ ... he doubts Dwayne is tough enough to deal with the dirty tricks both the Republican and Democratic parties would throw at him to "keep their guillotine chokehold on democracy."

O'Neil likens the Dems and GOP to "brutal cartels" that keep voters from any real alternatives, and says unless Dwayne's down with challenging billionaire elites and having his rich Hollywood pals turn on him ... he's not cut out for the Green Party.

However, O'Neil recognizes DJ has a tremendous fan base, so it's possible he could inspire enough voters ... IF his platform treats healthcare, housing, education and employment as basic rights for the people.

In that case, O'Neil says he'd be able to smell what The Rock's cooking, and would want him on the Green Party ticket to take down the country's political "duopoly."

As you may know ... The Rock's been pretty cagey for years about his political leanings, although he did endorse Joe Biden a month before the 2020 election.

Before that, you'd have to go all the way back to 2000 -- when he was the biggest name in wrestling -- and he made an appearance at the Republican National Convention.

John Travolta is getting rid of a hotel, or rather, a mansion that could double as a hotel ... 'cause his home in Maine has a whopping 20 bedrooms!

John's put the New England compound on the market for $5 million, which gets you all those bedrooms AND 7.5 bathrooms. The 3-story home features 14 guest rooms, all on the second floor, where they have to share a mere 4 bathrooms. Oh, the horror.

The third floor of the place is for kids -- it's been converted into a so-called Fantasyland ... featuring a classroom, library, diner, theater stage and 4 themed bedrooms, including a Peter Pan room and Princess room.

The mansion is 10,830 square feet, and it sits on nearly 50 acres ... on Isleboro, one of the many tiny islands off the Maine coastline.

FKA Twigs is opening up about the alleged abuse she suffered during her relationship with Shia LaBeouf ... claiming he'd force her to sleep naked and wake her up to berate her for no reason.

The singer-songwriter sat down for her first TV interview with Gayle King on the heels of the lawsuit she filed against LaBeouf in December for assault and sexual battery.

FKA Twigs tells Gayle that Shia would pick fights with her in the middle of the night, insult her by calling her "vile" and "disgusting" ... and essentially play disturbing mind games in an effort to control her.

She says the alleged domestic abuse built up little by little, to the point where LaBeouf made her feel powerless.

FKA also told Elle magazine, "It's a miracle I came out alive," referring to her relationship with LaBeouf.

As we reported ... she filed a civil suit alleging LaBeouf physically abused her, tormented her, and knowingly gave her an STI.

At the time, Shia told the New York Times ... "Although many of these allegations are not true. I am not in the position to defend any of my actions. I owe these women the opportunity to air their statements publicly and accept accountability for those things I have done. As someone in recovery, I have to face almost daily reminders of things I did say and do when I was drinking."

Bam Margera is off the "Jackass 4" project for good -- and it's all because he couldn't stay in line when it came to his addiction issues ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Bam tell us he was informed last week by producers that he would no longer be part of the movie going forward. The reason is he essentially broke his contract.

We're told the 'Jackass' family wanted Bam to be part of the movie from the get-go, but were worried things would go left because of his past substance use and erratic behavior.

So, in order to achieve what everyone wanted -- at first, anyway -- our sources tell us Bam was presented with a handful of conditions/restrictions he was told he needed to abide by in order to stay on the project. Long story short ... we're told he failed to meet his end of the bargain.

As for what he was supposed to do ... our sources say there would be routine drug tests -- including urine samples -- plus committing to staying sober, blowing into a breathalyzer, taking his medication and seeing a psychologist while on the job. It's unclear which specific condition was the final straw.

Bam alluded to some of these conditions in his OG rant, when he called for a boycott of "Jackass 4" and seemed visibly upset -- only to turn around 24 hours later and say he was getting help. Despite him suggesting things were fine again, we're told he's still fired.

Our Bam sources tell us they're quite worried about him, as the prospect of working on "Jackass 4" seemed to be keeping him on the straight and narrow for a good while -- now he seems to be off the rails again. We are told he now feels like he is being cut out of what he helped create. He's been posting/deleting disparaging "Jackass 4" posts on and off.

Get nervous, Shooter McGavin ... HAPPY GILMORE'S STILL GOT IT!!!

On the 25th anniversary of "Happy Gilmore" -- arguably the greatest golf movie EVER -- Adam Sandler hit the links to recreate his old protagonist's iconic swing -- and it was epic!!

Adam dusted off his clubs ... explained this was the first time he's taken the old 3-step approach to hit a tee shot in a quarter of a century -- and then he launched a golf ball into outer space!!!

The best part? ADAM TALKED SMACK TO SHOOTER WHILE DOING IT!!!

"Shooter McGavin, this is for you," Adam said, before piping the shot. "I'm not lying to you. That is smashed. Smashed. That went pretty well. You're dead, Shooter!"

Of course, back on Feb. 16, 1996 ... Happy came back from down 4 strokes to beat Shooter to win the gold jacket -- and the movie has been legendary in the sports world ever since.

In fact, if you go to a local Top Golf to hit shots, the rules there even state there's no Happy Gilmore swings allowed!!

"Happy loves you all!" Adam captioned his video on Tuesday. "Thanks for everything!"

Now if we could just find a way to get Bob Barker back on the course with Sandler ... we'd really bring back memories!!

Buffalo Bill was a terrible host for his basement well "guests" in "The Silence of the Lambs" -- so here's hoping the new owners of the home from the movie do a whole lot better.

That's right ... the creepy house where the fictional serial killer lived -- and tortured folks -- is now being converted into a bed and breakfast in Perryopolis, PA. It was recently sold after hitting the market back in October for around $300k.

The new owner -- theatrical art director Chris Rowan of NY -- says he's planning to give the property a makeover of sorts, but in a creepy way that's faithful to the movie.

What that means exactly ... installing decor that fans might recognize from the film, including a replica of a well -- JUST LIKE THE MOVIE! Don't worry, it's just for photo ops ... so no, you freaks can't pay extra to stay in there.

He says the film has become a staple of pop culture -- and that he and his fam are sure people will flock there to sleep in BB's new B&B.

As for specs ... the 4-bedroom house -- which is more than 100 years old -- is around 2,400 square feet and sits on nearly 2 acres of land. There's railroad tracks (complete with an old-timey caboose) just a stone's throw away, and you can also access the Youghiogheny River from the backyard. The one major renovation that's coming ... an in-ground pool.

Harry Styles is a rarity in Hollywood ... according to his director/GF Olivia Wilde, who's giving him props for gladly taking a backseat to female costars.

Olivia is applauding Harry for not trying to hog the spotlight in the upcoming film, "Don't Worry Darling." Olivia's directing it and explained, "Most male actors don't want to play supporting roles in female-led films."

Olivia added that Florence Pugh -- the lead in the psychological thriller -- gets to "hold center stage," and Harry was happy to let her do so.

The director says HS stands out because the industry raises guys "to believe it lessens their power (i.e. financial value) to accept these roles, which is one of the reasons it's hard to get financing for movies focusing on female stories."

Harry, who replaced Shia LaBeouf to play Jack in the 1950s flick set in California, is no stranger to championing women, in general. In a 2019 Rolling Stone interview, he credited growing up with women -- his mother and sister -- for his feminist values.

He also said he doesn't want credit for being a feminist ... but Olivia's happy to shout it from the rooftops for her guy.

New Mexico native Bryce Robinson was only 10 years old when he took on the role of the adorable elementary school student Edison -- who navigates the new world of love and Valentine's Day -- in the star-studded 2010 romantic comedy "Valentine's Day."

The holiday classic was jam-packed with A-list stars including Jennifer Garner as the school teacher, Julia, Ashton Kutcher as the laidback flower shop looker, Reed Bennett ... and of course Julia Roberts as Edison' Army mom, Captain Kate Hazeltine.

Bryce also had roles in "Marley and Me" and "The Switch."

Bam Margera acknowledged he needs help to treat his manic bipolar disorder ... one day after going on a "Jackass 4" boycott rant and opening up about suicidal tendencies.

The 'Jackass' star said he's visiting a bipolar specialist on Friday ... one day after, in his words, going "bat s**t bonkers f**king crazy." Bam said he didn't know for a year and a half whether he was going to be part of "Jackass 4" ... and it seems he got the answer he was looking for -- it's happening.

Bam said it's good news, for sure, and added that, in the end, everybody wins and there's no bad blood. This is a huge about-face after going on several rants Thursday morning ... from calling for a "Jackass 4" boycott to going into detail about having suicidal thoughts.

Bam posted 3 separate videos to Instagram, which have all since been deleted, claiming he had been shut out of "Jackass 4." Not the case, it seems.

The force ain't with Gina Carano anymore ... but Ben Shapiro sure is!

The former 'Mandalorian' star -- who's on the outs with LucasFilm after sharing an offensive post about Jewish people on Instagram -- announced she's signed a new movie deal with Shapiro's conservative media outlet, "The Daily Wire."

"The Daily Wire is helping make one of my dreams -- to develop and produce my own film -- come true," Carano told Deadine.com.

"I cried out and my prayer was answered. I am sending out a direct message of hope to everyone living in fear of cancellation by the totalitarian mob. I have only just begun using my voice which is now freer than ever before, and I hope it inspires others to do the same."

She adds, "They can’t cancel us if we don’t let them."

Carano -- one of the first female stars in MMA -- had a booming career as an actress after leaving the cage ... booking roles in flicks like "Deadpool" and "Fast & Furious 6."

She's most famously known for playing former Rebel shock trooper Cara Dune in the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian" -- but lost the role when her bosses at LucasFilm caught wind of a post comparing her perceived mistreatment of conservatives in the U.S. to the millions of Jews who were slaughtered in the Holocaust.

Shapiro -- who is Jewish -- says his company "could not be more excited to be working with Gina Carano, an incredible talent dumped by Disney and Lucasfilm for offending the authoritarian Hollywood Left."

"We’re eager to bring Gina’s talent to Americans who love her, and we’re just as eager to show Hollywood that if they want to keep cancelling those who think differently, they’ll just be helping us build the Xwing to take down their Death Star."