TV

Lukas Gage just wanted to audition for a part in a new project, but he had to deal with a rude director who talked crap on his apartment in a Zoom fail.

The video is equal parts awkward and, well, humorous ... the director thinks he's on mute as he starts picking apart Lukas' surroundings.

Thing is ... Lukas heard it all, and squarely calls out the director. But, the dude is super clever ... rather than getting angry, Lukas gets on board with the director, saying he could afford a better place if he gets the gig.

Lukas has appeared in big shows like "Euphoria," but like lots of folks these days he needs a job to pay the bills.

BTW, it's not even Lukas's apartment ... he's in a hotel on location in Hawaii for another gig.

When Will Smith and Janet Hubert, the OG Aunt Viv, squashed their beef on the "Fresh Prince" reunion ... it showed exactly how far they've evolved as individuals.

That's the deep analytical response from Daphne Maxwell Reid, who played v.2 Aunt Viv, and she tells TMZ ... her heart all but melted when Will and Janet buried the hatchet after not talking for nearly 27 years. Will and Janet came face-to-face during the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" reunion that aired earlier this week ... and finally talked it all out.

Daphne clearly couldn't be more proud of Will, whom she says showed growth of spirit to essentially tell Janet ... he didn't know any better. Daphne, who had never met Janet until the reunion, commended Janet for apologizing and admitting she trash-talked him for years.

Remember ... Janet, who played Aunt Viv for the first 3 seasons of the hit sitcom, was open about her hatred toward Will and blamed him for getting fired. She said back in 2011 "there will never be a reunion ... as I will never do anything with an a**hole like Will Smith." Ouch.

A "Wipeout" contestant is dead after being hospitalized following a go at the obstacle course ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell TMZ ... a male contestant needed medical attention Wednesday after completing the course, and he was tended to by on-site emergency personnel who then called paramedics.

We're told the contestant was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

Our law enforcement sources tell us they got a cardiac arrest call just before noon Wednesday, and medics on set had already started using a defibrillator on the contestant, who was experiencing chest pains after completing the course.

We're told there are precautions and safeguards in place on set. For example, every 'Wipeout' contestant undergoes medical exams before participating. There are also 2 paramedics on-site, plus a safety producer and paramedic coordinator.

'Wipeout' is getting an upcoming reboot on TBS after originally airing on ABC from 2008 to 2014, and TBS tells us ... "We are devastated to have learned of his passing and our deepest sympathy goes out to the family."

The production company, Endemol Shine North America, says ... "We offer our heartfelt condolences to the family and our thoughts are with them at this time."

Barack Obama's new memoir is flying off the shelves -- even more than Michelle's record-setting book in 2018 -- but he says he's not rubbing it in ... and she's fine with his success for her own reasons.

This came after the former President burned the outgoing prez, Donald Trump, during his interview on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Jimmy teed him up by asking Obama if he decided "A Promised Land" should be more than 700 pages long so Trump would never read it.

Obama quipped ... it wouldn't need to be nearly that long.

Regarding his book sales -- it reportedly sold more than 800,000 copies its first day, which is about 75k more than Michelle's -- he seems pleased to have bragging rights.

As for the book itself, 44 tells Jimmy he didn't set out for it to be so long, but there ended up being so many topics he wanted to address during his presidency ... many of which are relevant right now.

For instance ... Barack's book explains how during the Osama Bin Laden raid, he was also having to deal with the birther conspiracy theories fueled by Trump.

He tells Jimmy ... "We are planning this huge, risky, difficult operation that involves all the power and technology and skill and courage of the U.S. military and, at the same time, I'm dealing with a guy who's saying I wasn't born where I was born." Obama adds ... "It gives you an example of the weirdness of modern politics."

Gordon Ramsay did more than send "MasterChef Junior" star Ben Watkins well wishes when he was battling an extremely rare cancer ... he tried to help him get the best treatment possible too.

The TV chef quietly donated $50,000 to Ben in August to help cover the medical costs associated with his battle with cancer ... according to sources close to the situation.

This was right around the time Ramsay and Ben's fellow season 6 competitors sent him a heart-warming video, letting him know they were praying for him and helping raise money with a GoFundMe.

It's no secret Ramsay and the 'MasterChef' community were very fond of the 14-year-old, and we're told the reality cooking show is currently trying to come up with a way to honor him after his passing. Also, that GoFundMe is now at over $200k, and will be used to support his family.

As we reported ... Ben died Monday from Angiomatoid Fibrous Histiocytoma. He was diagnosed when he was 13, about 2 years after he competed on the Ramsay-hosted show and quickly became a fan favorite.

Holly Madison is gonna loooove this ... her BF, Zak Bagans, just dropped a fat stack on the famous clown from "Poltergeist," and wants to keep it in his bedroom!!!

The "Ghost Adventures" star tells TMZ ... he threw down a cool $80,000 at an auction, and snagged the original clown prop doll from the 1980s classic horror film.

The doll's supposedly cursed -- 4 cast members died either during or soon after filming. That folklore explains why Zak's been trying to buy the clown for over a decade.

It was previously on display at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Now that he's finally got it, Zak thinks his bedroom's the perfect place for a test spin. Although, he plans to eventually display it at his Haunted Museum.

The movie prop was used in the unforgettable scene when Oliver Robins' character, little Robbie Freeling, gets attacked by the clown doll in his bedroom.

Alex Trebek's heroism has never been more evident than it will be on tonight's episode of "Jeopardy!" -- it features a bittersweet message he made just for this day.

When the late host recorded the episode airing Thursday night he opened it by recognizing World Pancreatic Cancer Day ... but didn't make it about himself. Instead, Alex urged his audience to be wary of symptoms and get tested.

What's remarkable about his heartfelt plea isn't just the content, but it's clear from the raspiness in Alex's voice how much he was struggling at the time the episode was shot.

TMZ broke the story ... Alex died earlier this month after his long battle with stage-4 pancreatic cancer, but continued working up until about 10 days before he passed. The episodes he recorded will run through Christmas Day.

Matthew McConaughey is clearly flirting with running for Governor of Texas ... what's not clear is exactly when he'd do it.

The Oscar winner gave separate interviews this week in which he talked about mulling a run for office. On the "Hugh Hewitt Show" Tuesday, he said that "it would be up to the people more than it would me" ... when asked if he would consider a gubernatorial campaign.

MM also told Hugh, "Politics seems to be a broken business to me right now. And when politics redefines its purpose, I could be a hell of a lot more interested." Pretty open-ended response, right?

Well, Matthew didn't exactly clear things up Wednesday night on 'The Late Show.' When Stephen Colbert asked him about his political aspirations. Matthew laughed and said, "I have no plans to do that right now."

Keywords ... right now. It should be noted, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is up for re-election in 2022.

And, once again, the actor didn't quite shut the door on the idea, and simply repeated his politics being a "broken business" line. He's got his talking points, and he's sticking to 'em.

Sounds like a politician, right?

While he's noncommittal on politics, right now, Matthew still took a shot at unifying the country ... telling Hewitt, "No matter what side of the aisle you're on, or as I said earlier, denomination, we have broken those social contracts. I want to get behind personal values to rebind our social contracts with each other as Americans, as people again."

The only question remaining ... which side of the aisle? Well, he told Esquire, "The far left doesn't seem to want to ever be able to admit the evil that mankind can posses, and the far right doesn't want to think past tomorrow. I want to propose meeting in the middle as a dare. I dare you to meet in the middle, instead of like, 'Oh, that's a place of great compromise.'"

Kellyanne Conway's teenage daughter isn't gonna be getting any breaks on her 'American Idol' journey ... according to Ryan Seacrest, who says it's talent or bust.

We spoke to the 'AI' host Wednesday in NYC, and asked if Claudia Conway had gotten a free pass to be on the show (or a shot at it, at least) because of her family name and clout ... on TikTok and elsewhere.

Ryan tells us that's not the case -- or not to his knowledge, anyway. He does concede there was a lot to talk to her about because of her history and ties to Donald Trump ... but when we pressed, RS says however far she goes should be on merit.

With that said, he did kinda throw up his hands ... noting that he's just the host of the show and doesn't have a whole lot of say on her advancement. That'll ultimately be up to her, the judges, the audience ... and probably a lot of executive producers.

Another little tidbit he shared about his time with the kid ... her dad, George Conway, is apparently the one who was with her for this 'Idol' audition she went to recently. Ryan even says Claudia called her pops a great coach -- how 'bout that?!?

Claudia already put a spotlight on George during her trip, and he seemed more than game to get on one of her TikToks and play along with the lip-syncing and dancin'. So yeah, it's clear he supports her all the way -- no word if Kellyanne's on board.

Anywho ... when we tried opening the convo about what Claudia's 'Idol' audition might mean for her mom and Trump supporters, Ryan wisely bid us adieu 👋🏽.

Los Angeles native Karyn Parsons shot to stardom when she was only 26 years old after she landed the role of the ditsy cousin Hilary Banks -- whose shopping addictions and overindulged upbringing were the root of her comical character -- on all six seasons of the classic '90s family sitcom "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

Karyn Parsons shared the screen with an epic cast including Alfonso Ribeiro as the preppy brother, Carton Banks, Tatyana Ali as the little sis, Ashley Banks ... and obviously Will Smith as the Fresh Prince.

Parsons can also be spotted in the movies "Major Payne" and "Class Act."

Ben Watkins, famous for competing in "MasterChef Junior," is dead after a battle with cancer.

Ben, who was undergoing treatment for an extremely rare form of cancer at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, died Monday ... according to his family.

He was diagnosed with a soft tissue tumor when he was only 13 years old, and the family says doctors told them Ben was 1 of only 6 people in the entire world diagnosed with the rare illness called Angiomatoid Fibrous Histiocytoma.

An aspiring chef, Ben used to cook and man the front counter at Big Ben's Bodacious BBQ and Delicatessen in Gary, Indiana. with his late parents, who died 3 years ago in a murder-suicide. Ben's grandma and uncle remembered him as "the strongest person we've ever known."

Ben competed in season 6 of the Gordon Ramsay-hosted cooking competition show, "MasterChef Junior," when he was only 11 years old and quickly became a fan-favorite.

Gordon and Ben's former "MasterChef Junior" competitors sent him a special video earlier this year when he was battling cancer, letting him know they were praying for him and helping raise donations for a GoFundMe, which is now a memorial fund.

Ben was 14.

Barack Obama was feeling nostalgic talking to Oprah about his new book -- reminiscing on what he missed most about being President ... and his answers might surprise you.

44 sat down for a chat with O on her Apple TV+ show, "The Oprah Conversation," in which they discussed his latest written project -- "A Promised Land" -- and also took a trip down memory lane about the perks that a Commander in Chief gets to enjoy.

He admitted flying on Air Force 1 and Marine 1 is an unmatched experience -- and one he sincerely misses -- because of the exceptional staff, and not having to wait around to get somewhere.

Barack also said he always took joy walking into the Oval Office -- where he says he could feel the ghosts of Presidents past all around him -- and he revealed his favorite view from the White House.

And, of course, BO says he got a kick out of the intimate White House performances they'd put on every now and then for free -- with some marquee acts swinging by, like Paul McCartney ... who famously sang The Beatles' "Michelle" to the First Lady in 2010.

Norfolk native Tim Reid has had a long and prosperous acting career but may be known best for his role as the hard-nosed (and sweet 'stached) father figure Raymond "Ray" Campbell -- who doted over the adoptive twin daughters -- in the classic '90s family sitcom "Sister, Sister."

Tim Reid shared the show with Tia and Tamera Mowry as the double-trouble identical siblings Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell ... and of course Jackee Harry as the fun-filled mother, Lisa Landry Sims.

Tim Reid is also famous for playing Downtown Brown on "Simon & Simon" and Mike Hanlon on the OG "IT" movie.

This wide receiver is rockin' custom cleats to honor Alex Trebek on "Monday Night Football" ...

If that were a clue on "Jeopardy!", the answer would be "Who is Adam Thielen?" ... 'cause the Minnesota Vikings star decided to pay homage to the late game show host by wearing the amazing footwear for his game against the Chicago Bears on Monday.

The cleat artist, Dan "Mache" Gamache, posted pics of Thielen's new spikes for the evening ... and they're pretty incredible.

On one of the cleats, there's an image of Trebek with a halo and the dates 1940-2020.

On the other, there's a painted-on, "Jeopardy!"-style answer that reads, "We Will Miss You, Alex" with a price of $19,000 -- a nod to Thielen's #19 jersey number.

"For #MNF pregame tonight my guy @athielen19 will be honoring the legend Alex Trebek who passed last week," Mache said of the cleats on social media.

"I feel like no matter where you were from I feel like Jeopardy was a part of all of our lives in some way."

As we previously reported, Trebek tragically died at 80 years old earlier this month after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.

Tributes from all over the world have rolled in since his death ... with officials in his hometown of Greater Sudbury, Ontario already kicking around the idea of building him a statue.

Sinbad's recovering from a recent stroke ... according to his family.

The veteran comedian's family said ... "While he is beginning his road to recovery, we are faithful and optimistic that he will bring laughter into our hearts soon."

The 64-year-old Sinbad is known for his stand-up work and starring in sitcoms like "A Different World" and "The Sinbad Show," along with a string of '90s comedy films like "Jingle All the Way" and "First Kid."

Sinbad's loved ones say in a statement to the AP, he's "a light source of love and joy for many generations," and add ... "Our family thanks you in advance for your love and support and ask for continued prayers for his healing. We also ask that you please respect our privacy during this time."

Kellyanne Conway seems to be on her way out at the White House, but she could still ride the coattails of her 16-year-old daughter ... who might be the next "American Idol!"

Claudia Conway just teased the fact that she's trying out for the reality singing competition show -- posting a video on TikTok in which she says she's about to audition and was in the process of filming her confessional. Claudia also says she's already met Seacrest 👀.

In her brief clip, Claudia turns the camera around and sure enough ... there's a film crew there. You can also see the 'Idol' logo behind her in what appears to be a soundstage setting -- so yeah, it seems legit. Word is 'AI' is, in fact, filming right now -- out here in Cali, no less.

A couple things about this ... for starters, welcome back to TikTok, kid!!! Remember, it looked like Claudia got grounded from using the app a little while ago after spilling alleged tea on Trump's COVID diagnosis, which her mom did NOT like ... as we saw first-hand.

Looks like Claudia's been back online for a minute now -- but the other question this brings up ... who the hell knew she could sing?!? While we mostly see Claudia lip-syncing and dancing to songs on TikTok -- like so many other users -- she actually has some videos of herself where she shows off her pipes. We gotta say ... she ain't half bad!!!

Now that she's 16 and meets the minimum criteria to try out ... it seems Claudia's gonna get some face time with Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Katy Perry soon enough here. Considering her rebellious streak, you also gotta wonder if mama bear knows about this 😅.

Anyhoo, something tells us she's got a TV career in the making -- and we might very well be seeing her get some air time when the new 'Idol' season kicks off next year. Stay tuned!