Netflix

Peter Berg's pumped about movie theaters finally making a pandemic comeback even though he's in business with Netflix, because as he explains ... it's good for the entire film biz.

The producer/director was heading to Gold's Gym in Venice when we got his response to the Memorial Day box office rebound thanks to "A Quiet Place Part II" ... and he seems as excited to head back to the movies as everyone else.

It might seem like Berg's biting the hand that feeds since he recently scored a first-look deal to produce and direct live-action projects for the streaming giant ... but he says that's not the case at all.

Peter points out Netflix can release movies in theaters first, and then on its platform ... and that's actually what they want. He calls it the best of both worlds.

Berg admits box office numbers might take a hit from folks who still opt to watch movies from home -- like millions did last year for his Netflix hit, "Spenser Confidential" -- but he suggests that's a small price to pay.

Erik Cowie, the former 'Tiger King' head zookeeper, might have gotten himself in more trouble after failing to appear for sentencing in his DUI case ... this according to law enforcement.

We’re told Cowie no-showed in court this week where he was scheduled to be sentenced after previously entering a guilty plea last month for driving under the influence.

Our sources say Cowie was likely looking at just a year probation, fines and fees and a potential alcohol education program for his sentence -- as is customary in Oklahoma for first-time DUI offenders -- but his no-show could change that.

The maximum sentence is up to a year in county jail ... and we're told that's back on the table. After Cowie failed to appear, the judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest and set his bond at $2,500.

Harry Jowsey says he's keeping things friendly with his ex, Francesca Farago, after they were spotted getting cozy in Mexico, but it sounds like he's open to a more romantic reunion.

We got the "Too Hot To Handle" stud outside Alfred Coffee in L.A. and asked him about the pics of him embracing his ex last weekend down in Cancun.

Harry says they're back on speaking terms after what he says was a "toxic" relationship ... and he says he crossed the border, strictly geographically, to make sure his ex is good after her split from Demi Sims.

TMZ broke the story ... Harry and Francesca are hanging out again as she waits in Mexico for her American visa to get approved -- she's Canadian -- and Harry's due to head back down there for his upcoming birthday, leaving open the possibility of a rekindling.

Harry admits "a lot of damage" happened between Francesca and him, and it feels good to be back on speaking terms ... so for now, he's taking a never-say-never approach to the notion of getting back together.

It's interesting, Harry actually thinks Francesca's angry at him at the moment and he doesn't know why -- but he's not kissing and telling about their Mexican rendezvous, despite telling us the chemistry was flowing.

"Rich Kids of Beverly Hills" star Dorothy Wang's in talks to jump from one rich show to another -- the incredibly wealthy squad over at "Bling Empire."

Sources close to the Netflix series tell TMZ ... Dorothy's been in communication with producers, who reached out to her because she's a close friend of 'Bling' star Christine Chiu.

We're told even though nothing's in writing yet ... Dorothy shot a couple scenes this week for Season 2 at Yamashiro Hollywood with Christine and co-star Kevin Kreider.

It's unclear if Dorothy will just appear in a guest role, or if she'll sign on to be a full cast member ... but it looks like the 'Rich Kid' is on her way to becoming a 'Bling' adult.

We actually got Dorothy out at Delilah in WeHo last week, and asked her about potentially joining the show. She played coy, but did admit it would be a lot of fun -- and expressed the importance of more shows giving exposure to Asian culture.

There are now two people on the planet who think Logan Paul will beat Floyd Mayweather next month -- Logan Paul ... and his friend Harry Jowsey.

In fact, the "Too Hot To Handle" hunk tells TMZ Sports he's SO confident in the YouTube superstar's chances ... he's dropping a MASSIVE bet on it!!

"I'm putting 10 grand on Logan. I'm putting 10 Gs on Logan!!!" the MTV star told us outside Alfred Coffee on Wednesday.

So ... why the hell would he put that kinda dough on an 0-1 Internet guy to beat the 50-0 greatest boxer of all time?? Jowsey's got his reasons.

"When I was talking to Logan about it, something in my heart says, 'this guy's got it,'" Jowsey says.

"Logan's gonna knock him out. This is it. Logan Paul is gonna knock out Floyd Mayweather within 5 rounds."

Jowsey says he knows it may seem crazy, but he's sticking to his gut feeling.

"Logan just keeps proving himself. He's a wizard. I don't know what's going on. If anyone can do it, I feel like it's gonna be him."

Harry Jowsey and Francesca Farago have been seen getting cozy in Mexico lately -- and TMZ has learned it could, indeed, possibly lead to them getting back together.

The "Too Hot to Handle" stars -- who hooked up on the show, only to break up after their season had aired -- were spotted embracing over the weekend down in Cancun, where we're told Francesca is currently staying as her American visa gets approved. She's Canadian, if ya didn't know.

Harry had his arm around her, and she was leaning into him in snug fashion ... leading many to believe they were for sure a thing again.

That's not quite the case -- at least not yet, per sources familiar with the situation. We're told that, yes, Harry went down there ... and that Francesca even picked him up at the airport -- this after he'd reached out to her not too long ago following her split from Demi Sims.

Long story short ... our sources say they're hanging out again, but that it's not really serious at this point. That said, we're told Harry is due to head back down there for his birthday next weekend, so the door to a full-blown rekindling is certainly cracked open.

You'll recall ... some 'THTH' cast members felt Harry and Francesca's relationship was a publicity stunt from the jump -- and that Harry was allegedly only after clout.

At this rate, NO ONE is gonna be Tiger King ... Jeff Lowe's "Tiger King" Park keeps losing attractions -- we've learned the feds showed up again to seize even more of his big cats.

The "Tiger King" star tells TMZ ... his zoo in Thackerville, Oklahoma got raided Monday morning by 40-50 federal agents. Jeff says they showed up at 7 AM with a search warrant and told him to stay inside his house or he'd be arrested.

According to Lowe ... the feds are in the process of seizing about 70 animals. Jeff tells us he believes they are looking for tiger cubs on the property, but he says they don't have any.

Jeff says the warrant -- which appears to have been issued by a federal judge in the Eastern District of Oklahoma -- cites the Endangered Species Act as the reason for the search and seizure.

What's going down Monday at "Tiger King" Park seems very similar to what happened earlier this month ... when Jeff told us the feds showed up to haul away several of his hybrid big cats -- animals he claims are NOT protected under the Endangered Species Act.

As we first told you ... the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was the lead agency for that raid -- but the USDA was also present during the seizure of the animals. It's unclear if that's the same situation for Monday's raid or if other agencies are involved.

Erik Cowie, one of the "Tiger King" stars who you saw caring for the zoo's exotic animals, was driving drunk when he crashed into another car ... at least according to cops.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Cowie was busted for DUI in Oklahoma after cops say they responded to a two-car collision on an interstate highway.

We're told Cowie was driving one of the cars involved in the accident last month, and responding officers say he reeked of booze and bombed field sobriety tests.

Our sources say he admitted to having 2 beers before getting behind the wheel, and his blood alcohol content came in at 0.11.

Our sources also say, Cowie was put in handcuffs on the spot, and taken to jail where he was booked for driving under the influence. He's already entered a guilty plea and will be sentenced on May 25.

A former prosecutor and super lawyer who reps celebs like Jay-Z and Mick Jagger now has a new client -- the family of Carole Baskin's first husband who wants him to crack the case.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Alex Spiro has been retained by the family of Don Lewis to investigate his disappearance back in 1997.

Our sources say Spiro's goal is to get to the bottom of the Lewis mystery before "Tiger King 2" drops.

Spiro has the chops to figure out what happened to Lewis. As a prosecutor, he was involved in the case of serial killer Rodney Alcala. He's also investigated the cold case of Robert Durst's first wife. His client list is long and impressive. Aside from Jay-Z and Mick, Spiro's clients include DeMarcus Cousins, Charles Oakley, Thabo Sefolosha and Julian Edelman.

We're told he's in the gathering evidence phase and has already interviewed a key witness who turned over information our sources call "key."

The Sheriff in the area where Don was last seen is convinced he was killed and has been investigating, but so far, no results.

Our sources say Lewis' family wants Spiro to identify a possible murderer and turn the information over to prosecutors.

As you know by now, a lot of people think Carole Baskin was involved in Don's disappearance ... something she has strongly and consistently denied. Don's assistant told TMZ the day he disappeared he told her he was filing for divorce and moving out of the country.

Carole Baskin's stepping up to try to rescue the tiger that got loose in a Houston neighborhood last weekend ... and punish the people allegedly involved in the transfer of the exotic animal, said to be a male named India.

The 'Tiger King' star's Big Cat Rescue in Tampa is offering a $5,000 reward "to the person responsible for the immediate, safe hand over of India the Tiger to a sanctuary that is accredited by the Global Federation of Sanctuaries."

Carole tells TMZ she's very worried about the tiger's well-being considering "the owners of the tiger have shown a serious lack of responsibility so far."

Baskin stipulates that in order to get the cash reward, whoever has India and turns him in must work with law enforcement, and those efforts must be "sufficient to convict both buyer and seller involved in the transfers of the tiger."

She adds that India would not be coming to her Big Cat Rescue, but another accredited big cat sanctuary that would provide lifetime care.

As we reported ... police arrested a man named Victor Hugo Cuevas for evading police after they say he's the guy who was seen on video wrangling the tiger Sunday -- after it was nearly shot -- and later hauling it away in a white SUV.

However, Cuevas' lawyer denies his client is the tiger's owner and claims they don't know where India is ... and says Houston PD's made some false assumptions about the situation.

Victor's lawyer also stated they believe the true owner of the tiger is a man in his mid-30s, identified only as "Deandre" or "D."

Carole Baskin is putting Ted Cruz and John Cornyn on blast over the tiger that got loose in Texas, saying the Senators could have prevented it if they'd done their jobs in Congress.

The 'Tiger King' star squarely put the blame on the Lone Star state's Senators Wednesday morning ... saying exotic cat crises have become too common in TX. Earlier this year, there was another loose tiger in San Antonio, and a couple was also arrested there for having a tiger cub and a bobcat.

Carole says Cruz and Cornyn screwed up because the Senate failed to bring the Big Cat Public Safety Act to a vote in the Senate last year, after the House passed it.

The bill would prohibit cruel activities associated with the big cat trade but, more specifically, it would ban private individuals from possessing lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, cougars or any hybrid of these species.

Carole told CNN she hopes the senators change their tune this time around. The House reintroduced the bill earlier this year and, once again, it's back in the Senate's hands. So far, it has bipartisan support, and Carole says she hopes Cruz and Cornyn act this time around.

As we reported, the loose tiger this week in a Houston suburb was nearly shot by a neighbor who happened to be a cop. The owner of the tiger eventually showed up and stuffed the animal into a Jeep and fled before cops arrived.

'Tiger King' star Jeff Lowe says he received a creepy, anonymous letter from someone indicating they know where Carole Baskin's missing ex-husband is ... though it's similar to a theory she's already shot down.

Jeff tells TMZ ... the letter was sent to his Tiger King Park in Oklahoma in May 2020, but the envelope only had the zoo's address on it, no name or return address. He says all they know is it was postmarked in Providence, Rhode Island.

As you can see in video of Jeff and his wife, Lauren, opening the letter back then ... it contains a single piece of paper with a handwritten note -- "The corpse lies under Her House." It's signed by "The Faithful Witness."

We're told Jeff and Lauren were speaking with a federal agent about the letter, and she claims she also informed law enforcement in Hillsborough County, FL ... where Don Lewis went missing in 1997.

Jeff and the agent on the phone speculate about what exactly the letter is alleging, but the gist seems clear ... the person who sent it believes Don's body is buried somewhere on Carole's Big Cat Rescue property in Tampa.

Here's where things get a bit weird -- even though Lauren says Hillsborough County authorities requested the letter in May 2020 ... Jeff refused, saying 'Tiger King 2' producers advised him to hold onto it.

Jeff says filming's wrapped now, so they are finally sending the letter to the Hillsborough County authorities, where he claims cops are planning to test it for DNA and fingerprints. We reached out to the Hillsborough Co. Sheriff's Office, they say they won't talk about evidence.

As we previously told you ... there's a Facebook group that also believes Lewis is buried on Baskin's property -- specifically under a septic tank system -- but she posted a video in August 2020 attempting to debunk that.

There could be one less award show next year if the Hollywood Foreign Press Association doesn't get its act together, 'cause Tinseltown is threatening to not play ball anymore.

You mighta heard about the drama this week with the HFPA -- a non-profit made up of int'l journalists who put on (and vote for winners of) the Golden Globes each year. They've been under a barrel lately due to a major lack of diversity in their ranks -- and after coming out with a new plan to increase membership among POC ... they're still getting torched.

Netflix and Amazon spoke out over the past couple days and said ... they're not participating with anything HFPA puts on until they expedite this reform process beyond what they're already planning, which they say isn't doing nearly enough to address their issues.

Ditto for Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo -- who are saying the same thing ... specifically calling on their peers to "step back" from HFPA (and the Golden Globes by extension).

ScarJo's statement is especially harsh, as she alludes to sexual harassment issues the org has apparently fostered over the years, even invoking the name of Harvey Weinstein.

She told Variety, "As an actor promoting a film, one is expected to participate in awards season by attending press conferences as well as awards shows. In the past, this has often meant facing sexist questions and remarks by certain HFPA members that bordered on sexual harassment. It is the exact reason why I, for many years, refused to participate in their conferences."

ScaJo adds this ... “The HFPA is an organization that was legitimized by the likes of Harvey Weinstein to amass momentum for Academy recognition and the industry followed suit. Unless there is necessary fundamental reform within the organization, I believe it is time that we take a step back from the HFPA and focus on the importance and strength of unity within our unions and the industry as a whole."

If you're unfamiliar with what all the fuss is about -- HFPA was reported to have had ZERO Black members for several years now, something the hosts of this year's Globes show -- Tina Fey and Amy Poehler -- lampooned over and over during the NBC broadcast in February.

Some high-profile members even trotted out during the show and committed to "doing better" ... but their current goals are pretty weak, according to the movers and shakers, who are the lifeblood of the Globes to begin with. Without studios or talent, there's no show.

Here's what HFPA plans to do ASAP -- admit 20 new members with a focus on Black recruitment, increasing membership by 50% over 18 months, losing the "must live in SoCal" requirement, opening membership to journos beyond print, no more promo gift handouts, a stricter code of conduct for press junkets and hiring a managing staff ... like CEOs and stuff.

'Tiger King' star Jeff Lowe's got trouble with the feds again ... but this time he says they're actually hauling animals out of his zoo.

Jeff tells TMZ ... the authorities executed a search and seizure warrant Thursday morning at his Tiger King Park in Thackerville, Oklahoma and began taking animals away, which he believes is a violation of his constitutional rights.

He says the feds are refusing to tell him exactly what's going on, but according to the warrant ... they're taking animals protected by the Endangered Species Act. We're told the warrant was issued by a federal judge this week in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

Jeff sent us video from the scene, where he says the feds are hauling away one of his liligers ... an animal he claims is NOT protected under the Endangered Species Act. BTW, a liliger is the offspring of a male lion and a female liger ... a lion and a tiger.

Jeff's wife Lauren is heard saying the feds are taking all of the zoo's hybrid animals, and she's concerned they are all going to be spayed or neutered.

Jeff tells us, "This is why Lauren and I are moving overseas to take over an animal refuge there. 'Tiger King' made the USDA look so incompetent that they have a vendetta against everyone that was featured on the show."

We broke the story in January that the feds were coming after Lowe's big cats at his park, allegedly over an unauthorized euthanasia of a tiger cub. According to legal docs at the time ... the authorities made it clear they wanted to seize all of Jeff's big cats that were a year old or younger, plus their mothers.

Love County Sheriff William Grisham tells us his office was alerted the feds would be executing a search and seizure warrant, and he was present for it. He says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was the lead agency, but the USDA was also there during the seizure of the animals.

Sheriff Grisham says the warrant was for 8 big cats, but he believes the feds only took 4. However, Jeff tells us they seized 6.

A movie about Dionne Warwick's incredible life could be collateral damage in film and theater producer Scott Rudin's workplace bullying scandal ... because biopic talks are on pause following the allegations against him.

Sources familiar with the project tell TMZ ... Rudin reached out to Dionne's team earlier this year after the singer playfully tweeted a pitch for a Netflix series about her life and career, but the Hollywood honcho had a movie in mind instead.

We're told Scott first met with Warwick's son to present his vision for the biopic -- something in tune with "The Social Network," another film he produced about a famous person -- then spoke with Dionne directly and they all agreed ... he was the right man for the job.

Our sources say since January, Rudin's been working on developing the movie and had even begun hiring writers, but before he and Dionne's team could ink a deal ... the story broke about Scott allegedly abusing his employees.

ICYMI ... Rudin's been accused of mistreating and bullying staffers for years. The allegations include sexist and racist behavior, as well as claims that he threw items -- like glass bowls and potatoes -- at his colleagues and assistants, causing injury.

In light of that news ... we're told Dionne and her team have backed away from the deal with Rudin for now, and are waiting to see how things pan out. We've reached out to Scott's team too ... so far, no word back.

Jeff Lowe claims Carole and Howard Baskin are spying on him with drones, and when he went to confront them, a fight allegedly broke out with his neighbors and the cops had to respond.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the Lowes called cops Tuesday morning to report a disturbance at their property in Thackerville, and when deputies showed up they discovered Jeff had gotten in a fight with a neighbor -- not Carole and Howard.

Jeff says it all started when his son saw a drone flying over the zoo, and when he went to investigate he claims he saw Carole, Howard and his neighbors, a couple, hanging with a film crew.

The way Jeff tells it ... the Baskins and his neighbors took off when they saw him, and when he tried to stop a car leaving the neighbors' property -- thinking Carole might be inside -- the neighbors' son got out and they tussled.

Our law enforcement sources say Carole was in the area, but was not on Jeff's property and she broke no laws.

Howard tells TMZ ... they were flying a drone in the area to monitor conditions at the zoo, and he says the initial drone footage shows a significant amount of what appears to be stress-related or "stereotypic" pacing among the animals.

Carole's husband says they had a film crew there to record what they were doing, and the Baskins were visiting with Lowe's neighbors for a different reason altogether.

Jeff claims it was the neighbor's son who started the fight, throwing coffee at his car and pushing him. However, Howard claims Jeff started the fight with the neighbor's son ... he says Jeff attacked unexpectedly and dragged the guy to the ground.

The incident is far from over ... our law enforcement sources say the police report will be sent to the local District Attorney, who will determine whether Jeff or the man he was fighting will be charged.