TV

Larry David went FULL Larry David on a gaggle of thirsty autograph hounds who really need to find a new gig, according to him -- and yet, in the end, he kinda encouraged them.

The "Seinfeld" co-creator and star of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" was leaving his season 10 premiere Monday night in L.A. ... and before he could get to his car, he was greeted by the John Hancock brigade. One of 'em told Larry he'd been waiting for 7 hours, and that set LD off on a 'Curb'-worthy rant.

Larry made it clear he didn't tell them to waste 7 hours ... and ripped the group, saying no celeb likes signing for these guys who follow them for signatures, which they turn around and sell.

Stan Kirsch -- better known as Richie Ryan on the original "Highlander" TV series -- was found dead in his L.A. home.

Law enforcement sources confirm Stan's wife, Kristyn Green, found the actor hanging Saturday afternoon in their bathroom. Paramedics responded, but we're told he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Stan had tons of acting credits, appearing on shows like "JAG," "General Hospital" and "Friends" ... in addition to his 6 seasons on "Highlander" in the mid-90s. However, he was also a renowned acting coach in Los Angeles.

A tribute to Stan on the show's official Facebook page said, "Without Stan Kirsch, Highlander: The Series would have been far less. He brought a sense of humor, kindness and youthful enthusiasm to the character of Richie Ryan for six seasons."

Welcome to the middle ground between light and shadow -- to an area where Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy's daughter finds herself in ... "The Twilight Zone."

Yes, Sophia Macy is set to appear in season 2 of the hit series recently revived by Jordan Peele. The 19-year-old, whose SAT was infamously rigged by Rick Singer and co., will make her 'Twilight' debut in an episode called "Among the Untrodden."

It'll be Sophia's third credited acting role, but they were relatively small gigs ... so, this'll definitely count as her big break -- and it couldn't come at a better time.

"Glee" star Dot Jones is lucky to be alive ... thanks to her quick-thinking wife, Bridgett, who rushed her to the same doctor who also once saved her life.

Dot tells TMZ ... she recently underwent emergency heart surgery after experiencing a severe burning sensation in her chest area that proved to be a much more serious condition than doctors initially figured.

We're told Dot saw multiple doctors in December after experiencing the burning feeling. She was ultimately diagnosed with bronchial spasms and asthma. But, not long after New Year's, Dot's experience grew exponentially worse while taking down her Christmas decorations.

We're told Bridgett rushed Dot to the hospital, where the same cardiologist who treated and saved Bridgett's life in 2017 following a stroke discovered Dot had what's called a widowmaker heart attack. The name says it all -- they're typically fatal. Dot's condition was pretty severe, with one of her arteries being 99% blocked.

The Critics' Choice Awards just got started, and the walk-in may or may not be worthy of some pro criticism ... some of the outfits were out there, and others were really safe.

Tons of celebs up for an award this year showed up flaunting their best style -- including Billy Porter, Olivia Wilde, Zendaya, Laura Dern, Adam Sandler, Mandy Moore, Kate Beckinsale, Jennifer Lopez, Kelly Clarkson, Seth Meyers, Joaquin Phoenix, Christina Applegate, Joey King, Sandy Powell, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, Ariel Winter, John Leguizamo and others.

A majority of the stars wore pretty bland get-ups as far as these fancy events go, with most opting for darker colors ... or just straight-up black. Meanwhile, a small handful of A-listers chose to spice it up, like Billy in this epic butterfly dress, Noah Jupe in the red pants, Seth and Sandy in the powder-blue suits, Zendaya in the pink two-piece or Laura in the orange gown.

And if you thought these famous faces were glowing from outside, check out what was going on in the background behind closed doors.

Spoiler ... it was a lot of feel-good vibes, critics be damned.

That said, they are catering to a crowd that judged the hell out of their movies and TV shows -- and Sunday, they barked up that tree with their bold or not-so-bold fashion statements.

Austin Rogers is freaking out over the stunning abilities of Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer ... the "Jeopardy!" sensation says these G.O.A.T.s are the LeBron's of trivia.

We got Austin -- who captivated America back in 2017 with an impressive 12-game winning streak on Alex Trebek's show -- in Harlem, and he couldn't stop gushing over the trio duking it out for a million-dollar prize.

Austin took home a whopping $411,000 during his run at the top, but he says he's been blown away watching Ken, Brad and James make some extremely difficult questions look like child's play ... and he's putting them on par with the greatest athletes on Earth.

Jennifer Lopez performing at the SB Halftime show will be HUGE for the Latino community -- but to make it truly momentous, others should join ... so says John Leguizamo.

We got the veteran actor Sunday at LAX, where he was touching down ahead of the Critics' Choice Awards later tonight. The guy's one of the nominees for his work on "When They See Us," and he was definitely in a chatty mood. Today's topic ... Super Bowl LIV.

Our camera guy asked if J Lo performing -- alongside Shakira and, possibly, Pitbull too -- is a good thing for Hispanics at large. John certainly seems to think so ... telling us every Latinx person watching will probably be at home doing a little dance in celebration.

He took it one step further though, offering up a bunch of other big Hispanic names who could show face during the performance and really amp things up. Among them ... Bruno Mars, Camila Cabello, Maluma, Cardi B and even Mariah Carey -- who comes from Afro-Latina descent. JL notes even if she doesn't usually identify as such, he's claiming her regardless.

Steve Harvey says he forgives Rob Gronkowski for Gronk-spiking the amazing LEGO statue of his head ... telling TMZ Sports he didn't want the thing anyway!!!

Our convo with the comedian was hilarious ... he tells us the sculpture was dope -- but there was no way in HELL his wife was going to let him keep it around the house.

So, when Gronk demolished it live on television during their New Year's Eve special last week ... he says he actually found it funny -- despite his on-air demeanor!!!

"That was an act, man," Harvey says. "Gronk's a cool dude. I like him."

Of course, that's been the sentiment surrounding the former Patriots tight end ever since he retired from football and entered the entertainment biz this past offseason

The future of Hall of Famer -- who's now a football analyst and a regular guest on a ton of different television shows and specials -- has been CRUSHING life after the game.

Everyone seems to be loving it too ... well, other than Tom Brady -- whose career plummeted after the TE bolted.

DJ Qualls -- who's been portrayed as America's quirkiest bro on the big screen for quite a while -- says he's gay ... and he's ready to go forward with the world knowing that.

The veteran actor -- who often plays nerdy straight dudes -- posted the news on Twitter late Friday night, saying ... "It is 11:20pm. I just came out on stage at a @jimjefferies show in San Diego." He added, "Yep, I’m gay. Been gay this whole time. Tired of worrying about what people would think of me. Tired of worrying about what it would do to my career."

It's interesting ... Qualls has starred in a ton of bro-ish type of movies through his 20-plus year career, which kinda got its start with 2000's "Road Trip" -- where he played Kyle, the loner college kid who turns out to be crazy party animal ... and popular with the ladies.

The "Property Brothers" are giving Americans one less thing to worry about in the country's ongoing conflict with Iran ... dishing out advice on how to feel at home underground.

We got Drew and Jonathan Scott in New York City, and our camera guy asked the brothers the best way for concerned citizens to deal with the prospect of spending 20 years in a bunker. They tell us it all comes down to making your shelter seem spacious.

As you know ... President Trump's beef with Iran is causing a surge in the number of Americans in the market for bunkers, as nuclear threats and missiles whiz around the Middle East.

The "Property Brothers" say the best way to not go crazy in your burrow is to choose light colors to make it feel bright ... and they're recommending a special type of plant.

Jonathan also tells us the single best thing for bunkers ... hopefully, Trump gets the message.

Oprah is pulling the plug on #MeToo documentary centered around Russell Simmons ... she's stepping down as executive producer, and blocking its path to Apple TV+.

O announced her decision to distance herself from the project Friday, this after getting dragged by 50 Cent and The Game, who said she was targeting black men accused of being sexual predators instead of their white counterparts.

Oprah says, “I have decided that I will no longer be executive producer on The Untitled Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering Documentary and it will not air on Apple TV+."

The doc, which features a former music exec who accused Russell of sexual misconduct, is set to premiere next month at the Sundance Film Festival.

Oprah adds, "First and foremost, I want it to be known that I unequivocally believe and support the women. Their stories deserve to be told and heard."

TV might be President Trump's thing, but "The West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin says Donald would be a disaster even in a fictional White House ... for just ONE critical reason.

We got the award-winning producer/screenwriter Thursday night on his way out of Craig's in WeHo, and laid out a simple premise: would he consider a reboot of 'West Wing' with a Trump-esque Commander-in-Chief?

It's obvious Sorkin's already discussed it, if only privately -- because he didn't hesitate to fire off a response that's a direct shot at Trump's personality.

Aaron makes it clear his answer has NOTHING to do with politics, and explains why ... basically, Trump couldn't carry Prez Bartlet's water. Best part of the clip, though, might be Sorkin's own reaction to what came out of his mouth.

Take it easy, Aaron -- we don't think you're in George Lopez territory here.

Larry King and his estranged wife have taken a big step in their ongoing divorce proceedings ... by unloading their mansion in Beverly Hills.

We broke the story ... Larry and Shawn Southwick listed their massive pad in October for $16.995 million, in hopes of reaching a divorce settlement quickly and smoothly.

So far so good, because TMZ's learned it officially sold today for $15.5 million.

The ex-couple bought the 5-bed, Tuscan-style house in 2007 for just under $12 mil, so despite the drop in their initial asking price ... they still netted a nice profit.

The property is 11,000 square feet and features a master suite with twin bathrooms, a skylit foyer, a pool, a trophy room ... and comes with a 2-bedroom guest house to boot. Mega-realtor Kurt Rappaport had the listing.

Alex Trebek says he's gotten super close with Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer over the years ... and having them back on "Jeopardy!" feels like a family reunion.

The beloved game show host joined us for "TMZ Live" and told us he's enjoying the hell outta hosting the greatest "Jeopardy!" contestants of all time. Alex says they've got an incredibly strong bond, forged during their long runs on the show.

If you've tuned in to the tournament of champions, you've probably noticed how much fun Alex has been having. It's been a trying 10 months for Trebek, who's battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer, but he tells us he's really enjoying this special competition.

Alex says he's still hanging in there in his fight against cancer ... he has his good days and bad, but it seems this reunion of sorts is really lifting his spirits. Really puts a smile on your face.

Pat Sajak and Alex Trebek are in the same fam -- 'Wheel' and 'Jeopardy' are produced by the same company -- but they have very different end-of-game outlooks.

We got Pat, along with the permanent and temp letter turners, Vanna White and Pat's daughter, Maggie, Thursday night in WeHo leaving Craig's, and we asked the longtime host who he'd want to replace him when he hangs it up.

Pat's answer ... way different from Alex's. Harvey interviewed Trebek a while ago for the show, "OBJECTified," and Alex had 2 favorite replacement hosts -- L.A. Kings announcer Alex Faust and CNN legal analyst Laura Coates.

Seems Pat isn't keeping up with the awesome 'Jeopardy' G.O.A.T. tourney ... but he has love for Alex.

Katie Cassidy won't be blaring her dad's hit, "I Think I Love You" around the house anytime soon -- she just filed for divorce.

According to court records, "Arrow" star filed docs Wednesday in L.A. Superior Court to divorce Matthew Rodgers after only 13 months of marriage.

The exes didn't have any kids together ... so, that'll make the split cleaner. Seeing as how they were together just over a year, community property shouldn't be a huge issue either.

Katie, daughter of late singer and actor David Cassidy, plays superhero Black Canary on the CW's hit show.

As we reported ... Katie and Matthew announced their engagement back on June 5, 2017 and then tied the knot in December 2018 in a picturesque beach ceremony in Sunset Key, FL.