Movies

Wilford Brimley -- an iconic actor who was the face of Quaker Oats for years, as well as a spokesperson for diabetes education -- has died ... a rep tells TMZ.

We're told Brimley passed away Saturday morning at his home in Utah. Sources with direct knowledge of Wilford's health tell us he was in an ICU wing of a hospital on dialysis, and very sick for days.

Wilford had a lengthy career on camera, dating back to the 1970s with over 70 acting credits. He's perhaps most known for roles in cult classic films like "Cocoon," "The Natural," "The Thing," "Hard Target," and countless other memorable on-screen appearances, big and small.

Brimley started out as mostly a TV actor, landing one-time roles on TV series like "How the West Was Won," 'Kung Fu,' "The Oregon Trail," and then eventually ... a recurring part on "The Waltons." He went on to star in a bunch of TV movies, such as "The Wild Wild West Revisited," "Amber Waves," "Roughnecks," "Rodeo Girl," 'The Big Black Pill,' and so on.

In the '80s, he started breaking out into more traditional films, appearing in flicks like "High Road to China," "10 to Midnight," "Tough Enough," "Jackals," "End of the Line," and a bunch of other B-movies where he'd often play an authority figure or a grandfatherly figure with his deep, comforting Southern accent. One of the best character actors without a doubt.

He went on to star in countless other movies and shows, notably on "Our House," in which he starred in over 40 episodes, as well one-off appearances in hit series like "Walker, Texas Ranger," "Seinfeld," and so many others.

Folks might remember Wilford more for commercials though over the years -- specifically, his campaigns with Quaker Oats through the '80s and '90s, and maybe even more memorable ... his classic diabetes ads for Liberty Medical -- which was often spoofed, but also beloved.

Wilford was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus in 1979, and managed the disease ever since then -- obviously, he was very open about it. The American Diabetes Association honored him for his lifetime of advocacy in 2008.

A rep for Wilford tells TMZ, one of his favorite quotes was from a sign at a blacksmith's shop. It read, "There is nothing made, sold, or done that can't be made, sold, or done cheaper. If price is your only concern, please do business with my competitor."

He's survived by his wife, Beverly, and his three children.

Happy Friday ... here's a filthy, but happy, Jason Momoa getting hosed down after riding on a dune buggy.

The Hollywood hunk and star of the upcoming "Dune" remake flaunted his hot bod in a series of photos ... where he's caked in mud ... giving a thumbs up while trying to clean him off.

Jason captioned the pics ... "like a pig in sh**." He added ... "hard to explain this one. but i had an amazing day. now i need a dune buggy. dune coming soon aloha j."

The actor's dune buggy escapades clearly are designed to promote the new feature adaptation of Frank Herbert's science fiction novel ... which costars Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Timothee Chalamet, Dave Bautista, Josh Brolin, Oscar Isaac and Javier Bardem.

But, who really knows -- or cares. Bloody Marys are a good idea for heading into the weekend ... but might we suggest Muddy Momoas instead?

Child actor Kelley Parker gained fame at a very young age after she was cast to play the little, blonde homeless girl, Katie -- who follows Michael Jackson around the city, dodges lethal injections from Mr. Big (played by Joe Pesci) and watches MJ turn into an epic, flying robot -- in the ground-breaking 1988 music movie, "Moonwalker."

Kelley Parker was cast alongside two well-known child actors ... musician and artist Sean Lennon (John Lennon and Yoko Ono's son) played Katie's homeless friend, Sean and Brandon Quintin Adams (of "Sandlot" and "Mighty Ducks" fame) played the mini MJ and gang leader in the Badder segment and the final homeless kid, Zeke, at the ending of the film.

Gary Busey can't make up his mind about quarantine life -- one minute he says it's the best thing to happen to him ... and the next, he's calling it prison.

We got GB Monday at the Malibu News Stand, where he chopped it up with us about how he's holding up during the pandemic ... and more specifically, how he's dealing with being locked down indoors (for the most part, anyway).

First, Gary here starts out by telling us quarantine shouldn't be viewed as a bad thing -- he says it's giving people QT with their loved ones, and he even has a new way to describe F.R.E.E.D.O.M. ... as only Gary could.

No more than a minute or so after his glowing review of quarantine, he seems to change his tune severely when we ask him about his kids and if they're going back to school in the fall.

Benedict Cumberbatch knows how to make friends and influence Marvel fans -- try walking off the street into a comic book store while in his full Doctor Strange costume.

Scott Derrickson, who directed the movie, posted a never-before-seen clip of the lead star popping into a Manhattan comic book store while filming back in 2016. It was all done in the spur of the moment, and you can tell no one in the store expected it by the way they reacted to seeing Doc Strange.

He kept it caj, chatting it up with shoppers and having a little back and forth with the guys behind the front desk, who were clearly starstruck. He even posed for a picture with them.

Benedict jokingly asked if he could have a job there if the movie flopped -- it didn't, "Doctor Strange" went on to gross over $670 million, in the U.S. alone -- and the comic boys said yes ... but only if he rocked an American accent. True pro that he is, Ben switched up right on the spot and got into character as Strange immediately. It's pretty freaking awesome to see.

Again, it's an old clip ... but Scott decided to share it just now, maybe to lift Marvel fans' spirits after a slew of blockbuster delays across the industry amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Because Gotham hasn't been through enough in 2020 ... the Joker's popping up his colorful head for some summer hijinks. Naturally.

Somebody dressed as the Clown Prince of Crime himself was spotted this morning riding a jet ski on the East River, in broad daylight no less. He cruised up to a group of bystanders who were recording him this weekend and flaunted his ride, his costume and makeup -- which we're on point -- then sped off.

As for which iteration of the Joker this fella went with -- probably the most popular among today's Batman fans ... Heath Ledger's portrayal from "The Dark Knight." He did it on camera more than a decade ago, but the look still holds up today.

If 2020 hadn't already brought a real-life pandemic that's killed nearly 20,000 in NYC alone, the sight of the Joker arriving in town might have fazed more citizens.

BTW, fun fact -- it seems like this jet skiing Joker has an annual tradition of hitting the water, assuming it was the same guy riding out on the East River with the same exact outfit in 2019.

He was spotted by some other New Yorkers around this time last year, and actress Olivia Wilde even seemed to confirm that she, too, had seen the Joker zipping along out there.

Any Jimi Hendrix collectible is significant, but this rare electric guitar oozes with so much history ... it's no wonder it'll fetch a HUGE sum of money when it goes up for auction.

The folks over at Kruse GWS Auctions are in possession of Buster's early 1960s Japanese Sunburst electric guitar that's expected to snag at LEAST a cool $50,000. That's the minimum bid but GWS expects to fetch a historic amount ... and here's why they just might.

Legend has it the guitar god used this exact axe shortly after he returned home from the U.S. Army in 1962 and moving to Clarksville, Tennessee. While he was there, Jimi played the Chitlin' Circuit with some incredible talent -- like Sam Cooke and Ike and Tina Turner.

Jimi's brother, Leon Hendrix, has said "that was the last time that Jimi sounded happy." Leon recalls, "I remember Jimi calling me from New York saying he so broke he can't even pay attention. He pawned his guitar and his friends got him one."

When Jimi moved to London in 1966, he left this guitar in NYC at the apartment of one of his best friends. Cut to 54 years later and the winner of this bid will also get a letter of provenance from Leon, who will also have a private lunch with the winning bidder.

BTW ... there will be TONS of other cool items up for auction, like Prince's custom purple boots, Elvis Presley's owned and worn Neo-style sunglasses, Tom Hanks "Cast Away" costumes -- and perhaps the greatest ... Muhammad Ali's custom white terrycloth "World Champion" robe!!!

Olivia de Havilland, the last surviving star of "Gone with the Wind," has died.

The actress played Melanie Hamilton Wilkes, who squared off with Scarlett O'Hara to gain the affection of Ashley Wilkes, played by Leslie Howard.

The 1939 movie became one of the icons in cinema ... played and replayed every year in movie theaters across the country. The movie has drawn constant and increased criticism over glorifying the South during the Civil War, and recently, when HBO Max released it on its streaming service, it provided context at the beginning.

Olivia starred in a number of other movies, including "The Adventures of Robin Hood." She won Oscars for her performances in "To Each His Own" and "The Heiress."

Olivia was also embroiled in a long-standing Hollywood feud with her sister, actress Joan Fontaine, and gossip mags couldn't get enough of it.

Olivia was angry over Ryan Murphy's miniseries, "Feud: Bette and Joan," because of the way she was portrayed, and sued FX but lost.

She also was important in putting an end to the archaic studio system in Hollywood. When she was under a long-term contract with Warner Bros., she put her foot down, refusing certain roles, which got her benched more than once. She ended up suing Warner Bros., saying the studio system amounted to "peonage," and the judge agreed and freed her from her remaining obligations under her contract.

The legal fight changed the balance of power in Hollywood, and actors were able to negotiate better contracts as a result.

Olivia has lived in Paris since 1960 and rarely attended public functions. There was a splashy party in Hollywood for her 90th birthday -- thrown by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences -- and she showed up.

And, check out the cool pic ... Olivia last year -- 103 years old -- riding a bike.

Olivia was 104.

Disney princesses are returning to work in the middle of the pandemic ... but they're not going back to Disneyland ... they're hitting the road to do social distancing gigs for kids.

Here's how the folks who dress up as children's favorite Disney characters are earning a living these days ... performing from 6-feet away, and traveling with a social distancing enforcer!!!

Check out this video of a mermaid-themed birthday party in Tustin, CA for 6-year-old Summer ... the family hired Ariel, and she's singing from behind a velvet rope and hitting the notes from under a mask.

The 'Little Mermaid' was booked through a party company that we're told is charging an additional $50 for a "distance friendly" staff member to tag along. Ariel, by the way, charges $135.

Ariel's coronavirus bodyguard makes sure everyone at the party socially distances from the mermaid, enforcing distancing during everything from song and dance to photo ops.

As we reported ... Disney princesses and characters were hit hard at the start of the outbreak, but now it looks like they've figured it out and adjusted to the new normal. Oh, and the "distance friendly" staffer is a textbook definition of job creation!!!

This tale has a happy ending ... we're told the kids loved Ariel even though it wasn't a typical party folks are used to.

Take that, Rush Limbaugh, young folks really can adapt to the coronavirus!!!

"American Crime" actor Johnny Ortiz is facing a real-life attempted murder charge for his alleged role in an L.A. drive-by shooting ... TMZ has learned.

We broke the story ... Ortiz and another man, Armando Miguel Navarro, allegedly tried to kill a man named Brian Duke in a gang violence-related incident. Though Navarro's the one accused of pulling the trigger, prosecutors also hit Ortiz with an attempted murder charge ... now we know why.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... witnesses on the scene gave a description of the car, which was pulled over about an hour later in L.A. with 4 people inside, and Ortiz driving.

We're told all 4 were taken into custody, but the D.A. only charged Ortiz and Navarro ... the other 2 were released.

Our sources say prosecutors have some video evidence linked to the shooting.

Ortiz has also costarred in "McFarland, USA" with Kevin Costner, and with Aaron Paul in "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie." He was arrested in late May and is still locked up, being held on $1,120,000 bail.

Marlon Wayans is remembering his late mother on what would have been her 82nd birthday, and revealing the Wayans family matriarch, Elvira, has died.

We're told Elvira passed away a couple weeks ago, but Marlon waited until her birthday to share the somber news. He posted a touching tribute to his mother Thursday, on what is usually a very special day for them ... they share a birthday, and Marlon says it's hard to celebrate another year knowing his mom is gone forever.

The comedian wrote ... "Losing you shattered me into 1000 pieces. I'm putting my life back together piece by piece. You will always be my glue. Miss you. Today I celebrate for the both of. In the midst of this hurt... i just love you ma."

Marlon adds ... "i accomplished so much, made you so proud... but now i got angel to lift me. #loveofmylife #bdaygotl s*** ma, i gave you all my bdays... wth do i do now 😂 millions of weetahs sugtas and homies #myfirstmylastmyeverything rest well."

Damien Wayans also commented on his uncle's post ... "1,000,000 weetahs Indeed!"

Let's face it, Hollywood owes Elvira a debt of gratitude ... the woman brought 10 Wayans children into the world, giving birth to one of the biggest and most successful families in show biz.

Elvira's kids -- Keenan, Damon, Shawn, Marlon, Dwayne, Kim, Nadia, Elvira, Diedre and Vonnie -- have written, directed, produced and starred in countless movies and TV series, including "The Wayans Bros.," often working together on their content.

Elvira was 81.

Somebody get Liam Neeson ... 'cause it's time to release the Kraken!!!

Seattle's new NHL team just revealed it's new name and look on Thursday ... officially going with the legendary sea monster.

FYI, a "kraken" is like a giant, angry octopus.

Other options were thrown around -- including the Sockeyes -- but the org. says it listened to the fans and gave them what they wanted.

"215,000 fan votes, 50+ fan forums & speaking engagements and over 12 months of social media listening have supported this phenomenon," the team said on the site.

The Kraken name pays homage to the city ... "Our maritime city with a proud history of adventure is deserving of a hockey club as untamed as the sea herself. The Kraken represents the fiercest beast in all the world," the team says.

It's also fitting because the largest octopus on planet Earth allegedly lives in nearby Puget Sound!!!

The Kraken also showed off its new threads ... and we gotta say, they look sharp.

The team's official colors are 4(!!) different shades of blue -- deep sea blue, ice blue, boundless blue and shadow blue -- and red alert.

Seattle has a rich history in hockey -- the Metropolitans were the first American team to win the Stanley Cup as part of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association ... but they folded way back in 1924.

The Kraken will be the first Seattle-based team in the NHL ... and fans are stoked to welcome in the new squad.

And, just for fun ...

Kim Zolciak says she's smoothed things over with Marlon Wayans over his infamous "White Chicks 2" diss ... it's all water under the bridge now, but masks almost got in the way!!!

We got Kim and hubby, Kroy Biermann, at LAX Wednesday and our camera guy wanted to talk about her Instagram post with Marlon, which shows them hugging and masked up outside Nobu in Malibu.

Kim tells us why she captioned the pics, "WhiteChicks All Love ❤️ @marlonwayans" ... she says they bumped into each other outside the fancy seaside restaurant, and Marlon asked if she was still mad about his old "White Chicks" dig.

It's kinda funny ... Kim says she almost didn't recognize Marlon because everyone's wearing masks due to the pandemic, but she doubled back and they had a productive chat.

Quick refresher on the Kim and Marlon beef ... Wayans came under heavy fire back in 2018 after posting a photo of Zolciak and making a wisecrack about her appearance with a reference to his 2004 flick with his brother, Shawn, where the pair played undercover FBI agents dressed as white women.

Fast-forward to this week, and Kim tells us things between her and Marlon are good, now that time's passed and he's made what her husband termed a "prideful apology."

Remember, Marlon didn't apologize for the joke at the time ... but now he's made nice with Kim and Kroy.

Jennifer Lopez said love don't cost a thing, but getting her dune buggies out of the tow yard's another story ... as she quickly learned when her trip to the beach got cut short.

So, here's what happened ... J Lo and her crew were dressed and ready for some fun in the sun Tuesday in the Hamptons but instead of soaking up some rays they all ended up needing a ride to the tow yard after the 3 dune buggies they drove in got towed.

It turns out J Lo, wearing her mask and riding in the lead dune buggy, didn't see the parking lot attendants at the entrance checking permits or she completely ignored them. It turns out ... ya need the proper permits to park at the beach. J Lo, it turns out, didn't have any permits to show.

According to eyewitnesses, cops were called and the dune buggies were towed away. J Lo and her crew barely enjoyed the scenery before they had to call a friend to get picked up -- in A-Rod's blue Bronco, no less -- for a ride to bail out the dune buggies.

A hostage situation in Ukraine ended safely when the country's president met one of the gunman's odd demands -- posting a video encouraging folks to watch a Joaquin Phoenix movie.

Here's the deal ... a heavily armed man took 13 people hostage on a bus in western Ukraine, leading to a tense, day-long standoff Tuesday with police.

The gunman told cops he rigged the bus with explosives and was holding the passengers hostage, and gave the government a list of demands. Sounds a lot like the plot of "Speed," right?!?

The hostage-taker, later identified as 44-year-old Russian-born Maksym S. Kryvosh, finally surrendered and freed all 13 people after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky fulfilled one of the demands -- posting a video on his official Facebook account recommending folks watch the 2005 documentary, "Earthlings."

Can ya believe it? The guy didn't even request "The Joker."

The documentary, directed by Shaun Monson and narrated by Joaquin, focuses on human exploitation of animals. Ukrainian officials explained Zelenskyy reached an agreement with the hostage-taker during a 15-minute phone call, with the gunman surrendering once Zelenskyy posted on Facebook.

Once the gunman was detained and the hostages were safe, Zelenskyy deleted the movie suggestion from his Facebook page.

Johnny Ortiz -- who starred alongside Kevin Costner in "McFarland, USA" -- is currently sitting behind bars after being charged with premeditated attempted murder charges ... TMZ has learned.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Ortiz and another man, Armando Miguel Navarro, allegedly tried to kill a man named Brian Duke "for the benefit of, at the direction of, and in association with a criminal street gang with the specific intent to promote, further and assist in criminal conduct by gang members."

Navarro is the one accused of pulling the trigger, and while it's unclear exactly what role Ortiz played in the crime ... prosecutors felt it warranted the attempted murder charge.

Ortiz -- who starred as one of the cross country runners in the based-on-a-true-story Disney flick, "McFarland, USA" -- was arrested in late May, and remains behind bars. The judge set his bail at a whopping $1,120,000.

His family insists he's not guilty, and is trying to raise his bail through crowdfunding. They wrote on the site, "Johnny is everything to our family. Johnny does everything to help the community and the Hispanic community especially ... he is in jail fighting for his case that he is innocent on."

The actor's also appeared in "Ali," "American Crime" and "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie."