TV

David Kaufman's not going ghost on the conversation about who should play Danny Phantom in the live-action movie ... telling TMZ he's got some clear casting ideas.

The actor -- who voiced the titular character in all 53 episodes of the television show and reprised his role in subsequent movies and video games ... told us he's all for Tom Holland playing DP though he thinks Spider-Man might be all done with superheroes for a while.

Here's the deal ... Butch Hartman, creator of a whole bunch of well-known animated shows for Nickelodeon in the 2000s, recently spoke at MegaCon in Orlando and said if there ever was a "Danny Phantom" live-action movie, he'd only want Tom Holland in the role.

For those who don't know, "Danny Phantom" followed a teenager named Danny Fenton who gained ghost-like abilities after a portal to another world exploded and turned him into half-human, half-ghost.

A big if of course ... nothing like this has gone into production or even been announced as far as we can tell -- but it's still something Kaufman really put his mind to, and he decided TH is fine by him if he wants to do it.

DK pointed out Tom's headed to the West End for a production of "Romeo & Juliet" ... a fact David thinks is great for him since it's a departure from the superhero roles Holland has nailed to this point in his career.

Quite frankly, it's not difficult to imagine Tom wanting to pursue different kinds of roles moving forward either since the dude's a talent tour de force.

Kaufman wasn't just countering Butch's idea though ... he also came up with a couple casting calls of his own -- "Stranger Things" actor Noah Schnapp as Danny and Billie freakin' Eilish as his friend-turned-love-interest Sam.

David complimented Noah on his comedic timing, saying he thinks that's a huge part of Danny's character -- so any actor playing him needs to know their way around a joke. And, just look up some pics of the characters ... pretty perfect casting, at least appearance-wise.

Billie doesn't have much acting experience, but that's never stopped Hollywood before ... and she's up for her second Best Original Song Oscar, so maybe she'll be inspired to give acting a try.

Cynthia Bailey says her friend Kandi Burruss is gonna be just fine after leaving "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" ... but she adds the show itself needs some help.

We spoke to the 'RHOA' mainstay outside WeHo hotspot The Henry, just days after her friend and longtime costar Kandi announced at the Grammys she was exiting 'Housewives.'

CB says she's a little surprised, but noted she talks to KB a lot when cameras aren't rolling ... so, she kinda saw this coming.

Cynthia's not worrying about her pal -- who joined the show before its second season in 2009 -- adding Kandi does so well while still juggling the show, and Bailey can't wait to see how high the "badass bitch" will fly without it on her plate.

She also thinks Kandi has a safety net, telling us she's on great terms with Bravo ... so, returning to 'RHOA' will always be an option. As Cynthia sees it, the show's OGs can "come and go" as they please.

However, she does say the show could use a few fresh faces to improve ratings -- not a complete blow-up of the cast, but a little something ... a notion former 'Housewife' NeNe Leakes also thinks needs to happen.

She also shouted out Phaedra Parks' role on "The Traitors" -- a reality competition/murder mystery show taking the TV world by storm, and said she should definitely come back to 'RHOA' now that Kandi's eyeing greener pastures.

Remember ... Kandi and Phaedra had an epic falling out during their time on the show -- with Phaedra even going as far as starting a rumor Kandi wanted to drug and sexually assault Porsha Williams during season 9. PP was fired at the end of the season.

Cynthia says any issues between Phaedra and Kandi are their business, she just knows Phaedra is "great TV" ... so she wouldn't be opposed to her return.

Cynthia also touched on Kim Zolciak-Biermann potentially coming back ... and while she thinks Kim is also must-see TV, Cynthia says it hurts to watch the downfall of Kim's marriage to Kroy.

We'll have to wait and see which, if any, OG cast members get tapped for a homecoming.

Es domingo de Super Bowl y no hay mejor manera de terminar la semana que repasando lo que TMZ ha estado cubriendo en sus programas de televisión, muy en sintonía con la actualidad deportiva de hoy.

Comenzando con "TMZ Live", donde Harvey y Charles se metieron en una historia que cubrimos el viernes, y es que Usher ha estado conversando con Justin Bieber para hablar de la posibilidad de que actúen juntos en el show de medio tiempo del Super Bowl, lo que ahora suena como una posibilidad muy real.

Todavía no se sabe si Justin aceptó la proposición o no, pero sabemos que han estado charlando ... MUCHO.

En "TMZ en TV" la pandilla volvió a hablar sobre el príncipe Harry, pero porque apareció en un evento muy inesperado, la NFL Honors de Las Vegas.

Hombre, Harry definitivamente no parecía encajar allí y parece que el personal se dio cuenta y lo comentó.

Es un gran día ara "TMZ Sports'", ¡esta semana tuvimos la visita del gran jugador de los Buffalo Bills Damar Hamlin!

Revisa la programación local para ver cuándo se emite TMZ en tu zona o ponte al día con los episodios anteriores aquí.

It's Super Bowl Sunday ... and there's no better time than now to brush up on what TMZ was covering on their TV shows to end the week, all of which was topical/timely.

Starting with 'TMZ Live,' Harvey and Charles got into a story we broke Friday -- namely, the fact Usher has been hitting up Justin Bieber lately to talk about the prospect of JB joining him during the Super Bowl Halftime Show ... which now sounds like a very real possibility.

Still no word on whether Justin agreed -- but we know they've been chatting ... A LOT.

When it comes to 'TMZ on TV,' the gang got back to talking about Prince Harry -- but only 'cause he popped up in the most random of events ... the NFL Honors in Las Vegas.

Dude definitely didn't seem to fit in ... and the staff certainly seemed to notice, and comment.

Big day on 'TMZ Sports' ... we had the great Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin stop by!

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Cheryl Hines isn't blaming Larry David for beating up Elmo ... saying producers should've known better than to put the two of them on the same set.

The actress -- who starred alongside Larry in 101 episodes of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" -- defended her television ex-husband during Wednesday's episode of "Literally with Rob Lowe," saying the people behind the show should've known something was bound to go down.

CH said quite frankly, "He doesn't care. He doesn't care about a puppet! He doesn't care about human beings" ... maybe a bit harsh, but Larry has cultivated a sourpuss persona over the years.

CH continued by saying Larry's made a career out of telling people he doesn't care about their feelings ... so obviously a puppet preaching mental health lessons was bound to set him off.

Cheryl made it clear Elmo didn't do anything wrong -- saying he didn't "ask for this" -- and instead pinning the blame on showrunners.

It's all clearly in good fun for Cheryl ... though others in the television industry didn't take the attack as well as she did.

As we previously reported ... Wil Wheaton completely torched David online after video of his appearance on 'Today' went viral. The 'Star Trek' actor blasted LD, saying his attack triggered traumatic memories of his own abuse at the hands of his father.

Larry's yet to respond to Wil's condemnation ... but if Cheryl or his on-camera "apologies" are to be believed, it's unlikely WW's getting a genuine "sorry" anytime soon.

El Super Bowl LVIII ya está atrayendo a las estrellas a Las Vegas, incluyendo los pilares de los reality shows, las KarJenners, quienes al parecer han traído con ellas a un cantante súper famoso.

El avión del clan Kardashian aterrizó en la Ciudad del Pecado temprano el sábado por la mañana, con Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian y Kendall Jenner bajando abrigadas de su jet privado.

Las chicas mantuvieron un perfil bastante bajo. Kim estaba cubierta con un gorro, mientras que las otras damas utilizaron sus gafas de sol para cubrir parte de sus rostros, mientras iban desde el aeropuerto hasta su alojamiento de lujo.

¡¡¡Gran revelación en el hotel, sin embargo, cuando apareció un hombre en un enorme abrigo puffy, gorra blanca decorada con una palmera negra y vaqueros azules... y por esas decisiones de estilo no puede ser otro que Justin Bieber!!!

Al menos, estamos bastante seguros de que es Biebs ... Echa un vistazo a las fotos. Definitivamente, se ve como Justin Bieber desde atrás y está llevando lo que parece ser un portador de perro de Louis Vuitton. Solo sabemos de una celebridad que suele andar con eso regularmente.

Por supuesto, Justin está muy unido a la familia Kardashian, en particular a Kendall y Kylie Jenner a través de su esposa Hailey, por lo que volar con ellas no es totalmente sorprendente.

Y, nosotros se los contamos primero, Usher ha estado en contacto personalmente con su protegido sobre la posibilidad de que actúen juntos durante el espectáculo de medio tiempo del Super Bowl. Sin intermediarios ni nada, solo comunicación directa.

Por lo tanto, parece que Justin aceptó la oferta de Usher o simplemente quiere disfrutar del partido con sus amigos. ¡De cualquier manera, estamos definitivamente probablemente seguro de que es Justin!

En pocas palabras, las celebridades que no se llaman Taylor Swift también están llegando a Las Vegas antes de que inicie el partido a las 3:30 el domingo, y puede haber algunas sorpresas más en las próximas horas.

Super Bowl LVIII's already bringing the stars to Las Vegas ... including reality TV mainstays, the KarJenners -- and it seems they've brought a super famous crooner with them.

The Kardashian clan's jet touched down in Sin City early Saturday morning ... with Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian and Kendall Jenner all bundled up and clambering out of their private jet.

They kept a fairly low profile ... Kim covering up with a hat while all three of the ladies used big sunglasses to cover parts of their faces as they made their way from the airport to their luxurious accommodations.

Big reveal at the hotel though ... because a man in a huge puffy coat, white beanie decorated with a black palm tree, and blue jeans on -- and with style choices like those this could only be Justin Bieber!!!

At least, we're pretty sure it's Biebs ... check out the pics for yourself. It definitely looks like JB from the back, and he's carrying what seems to be a Louis Vuitton dog carrier -- and we only really know one celeb who regularly schleps that around.

Of course ... Justin's tight with the Kardashian family -- particularly Kendall and Kylie Jenner through his wife Hailey, so flying with them isn't totally surprising.

And, we broke the story ... Usher's personally been in contact with his protégé about performing during the Super Bowl Halftime show -- not handlers passing messages between the two, but direct communication.

So, it looks like Justin took Usher up on his offer ... or he just wants to take in the game with his pals. Either way, we're definitely probably sure that's Justin!

Bottom line ... celebs not named Taylor Swift are trickling into Vegas before Sunday's 3:30 kickoff -- and there may be a few more surprises in store for fans.

Bill Maher has a warning for all Republicans: you shouldn't take swipes at Taylor Swift 'cause she just might win the election for Democrats.

The talk show host made the bold prediction on his Friday show, 'Real Time,' during a panel discussion with Sports commentator Bob Costas, and Atlantic writer Caitlin Flanagan.

Bill kicked things off by turning the conversation to the pop star making international headlines recently with her super popular 'Eras' tour, four Grammys Awards this year, her romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and her upcoming appearance at Sunday's Super Bowl.

Bill didn't mince words, saying, "This is a national news story in the sense that this is a person who could literally swing the election. I don’t know what that says about this country, but I would just say to the ‘MAGA’ people, ‘You should be very careful attacking her because this is someone who transcends parties.'”

He didn't stop there ... going on to describe Taylor as a country girl from rural Pennsylvania who has tremendous influence over her huge fan base. He said that could pose real problems for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and "Make America Great Again" supporters at the ballot box.

Bill put it this way, “Her voters perhaps are not registered at all, and she doesn’t have to say who she’s voting for. All she has to say is get registered. They know who she’s voting for.”

Of course, Bill was implying that Taylor is voting for the likely Democratic candidate, President Joe Biden, adding, “So I think you could be awaking a sleeping until the afternoon giant.”

Bill Maher tiene una advertencia para todos los republicanos: no ataquen a Taylor Swift porque ella podría ganar las elecciones para los demócratas.

El presentador hizo la audaz predicción en su programa del viernes "Real Time", durante un panel de discusión con el comentarista deportivo Bob Costas y la escritora de Atlantic Caitlin Flanagan.

Bill empezó la conversación hablando de la estrella del pop, que ha sido noticia internacional recientemente por su popular gira "Eras", sus cuatro Grammys este año, su romance con el ala cerrada de los Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce y su próxima aparición en el Super Bowl del domingo.

Bill no se anduvo con rodeos: "Es una noticia nacional en el sentido de que se trata de una persona que literalmente podría cambiar las elecciones. No sé lo que dice esto del país, pero solo le diría a la gente 'MAGA', 'Deberías tener mucho cuidado al atacarla porque se trata de alguien que trasciende los partidos".

Él no se detuvo allí y pasó a describir a Taylor como una chica de campo de la zona rural de Pennsylvania que tiene una tremenda influencia sobre su enorme base de fans. Dijo que podría plantear problemas reales para el presunto candidato presidencial republicano Donald Trump y los partidarios de "Make America Great Again" en las urnas.

Bill lo expresó así: "Sus votantes tal vez no estén registrados en absoluto, y ella no tiene que decir por quién va a votar. Todo lo que tiene que decir es que se registren. Ellos saben por quién vota".

Por supuesto, Bill estaba dando a entender que Taylor está votando por el probable candidato demócrata, el presidente Joe Biden, añadiendo: "Así que creo que podría estar despertando a un gigante dormido".

Kylie Jenner is mother's girl ... and she now has the look to prove it.

Kylie uploaded a photo of herself, showing her freshly cut black hair in a bob just like her mom Kris Jenner, who's been rockin' that style forever.

Kylie wrote in the caption, "Kris Jenner is quaking."

Of course, Kris didn't seem worried at all and played along with her daughter. In fact, Kris made a joke about the hairy situation in the comments section, telling Kylie, "You're not even the fart," which are some of the lyrics to rapper Ice Spice’s song, “Think U The S*** (Fart).”

Pretty cute stuff from the Jenners and their fans thought so too, bringing Kylie's actor-boyfriend, Timothée Chalamet, into all the fun.

One person wrote in the comments, “She and timothee really twinning now,” referring to Chalamet's short-cropped hair.

Another said, “Boyfriend effect screaming in."

A third added, “She’s turning into timmy."

Kylie Jenner es la niña de mamá... y ahora tiene el look para demostrarlo.

Kylie subió una foto suya mostrando su nuevo corte de cabello de estilo bob, igual al de su mamá Kris Jenner, quien ha estado llevando ese estilo desde siempre.

Kylie escribió en el pie de foto: "Kris Jenner está temblando".

Por supuesto, Kris no parecía preocupada en absoluto y le siguió el juego a su hija. De hecho, hizo una broma sobre el corte de cabello en la sección de comentarios, diciéndole a Kylie: "Ni siquiera eres el pedo", que es parte de la letra de la canción de la rapera Ice Spice, "Think U The S*** (Fart)".

Muy lindo lo de las Jenner y sus fans también pensaron lo mismo, metiendo al actor y novio de Kylie, Timothée Chalamet, en todo el asunto.

Una persona escribió en los comentarios: "Ella y Timothee realmente se están hermanando ahora", refiriéndose al pelo corto de Chalamet.

Otro dijo: "Efecto novio gritando".

Un tercero añadió: "Se está convirtiendo en Timmy".

Shane Gillis has some explaining to do when he hosts "Saturday Night Live" ... according to Asian advocacy group reps who say it's not too late to make amends for his racist remarks.

The comedian is scheduled to host on February 24 ... this after Lorne Michaels fired him from the show in 2019 for making distasteful jokes directed at Asians.

Shane made the comments during a 2018 podcast, referring to noodles as "nooders" and using a derogatory term for Asians in an expletive-laden discussion about Chinatown. Many people remain outraged by Gillis' jokes .. but the comedian is now being offered a path forward if he wants to right a wrong.

Jo-Ann Yoo, the executive director of the Asian American Federation, tells TMZ ... Shane getting tapped to host is bad timing, considering the Asian community has been devastated by a wave of hate that started during the COVID-19 pandemic. She says people in the community don't need to be reminded of the type of rhetoric that caused that trend.

However ... if Shane's serious about making amends, Yoo invites him to cut a check to the org's Hope Against Hate campaign, and join their food tours for a real Asian cuisine experience.

Yoo says she's planning to tune in ... not for Shane, but rather for what she proudly calls the Bowen Yang Variety Hour. Of course, Bowen Yang is the first Asian-American hire at 'SNL.'

Over at The Asian American Foundation, CEO Norman Chen says he hopes Shane has learned from his experiences and expects him to issue a "genuine" apology on 'SNL.'

Chen tells us his org was "disheartened" to hear Shane was invited to host, saying ... "Asian Americans are not the punchline of a joke. While these jokes may result in cheap laughs, they also result in real-world, deadly consequences for Asian Americans."

Now, Shane did apologize on social media after his 'SNL' firing, saying ... "I'm a comedian who pushes boundaries. I sometimes miss. If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of it bad, you're going to find a lot of bad misses. I'm happy to apologize to anyone who's actually offended by anything I've said. My intention is never to hurt anyone but I am trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires risks."

However, Chen says that apology seems to be scrubbed from Shane's X (formerly Twitter) account, and his foundation wants to know if the apology still stands -- and, if so, a global stage like 'SNL' would be a great place to reaffirm it on camera.

Time to settle into the weekend, and what better way than to catch up on what we talked about TMZ???

Kicking things off on 'TMZ Live,' we talked about Kanye West's latest listening event for his new album, 'Vultures,' which didn't get released digitally ... but did get played live.

Of course, there were some controversial things said during the performance -- in lyrics, no doubt -- and some of it touched on antisemitism ... which got Ye censored at his own show.

Over at 'TMZ on TV,' it was the battle of the Brads at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

Brad Pitt presented Bradley Cooper an award and heaped on praise for his A-list counterpart -- delivering some bad jokes to get his point across ... although, he looked great doing it.

Travis Kelce already hosted 'SNL,' and now ... his brother says he'd be down to give it a go. Jason Kelce talked to us on camera and communicated as much -- he wants his turn!

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Ryan Seacrest is literally diving right into his new gig as the "Wheel of Fortune" host ... filming promos in Hawaii for the upcoming season, and going underwater.

Ryan and Vanna White are on Waikiki Beach right now on Oahu, where they are filming the Hawaii episodes for the upcoming Season 42.

In one take, Vanna and Ryan are talking to the camera as they stand in ankle-deep water ... and then Ryan, in full snorkel gear, dives under.

Imagine Pat Sajak doing this!!!

Of course, Pat's now retired and Ryan's taking the reigns ... and ya gotta imagine he's enjoying his new gig. Hard to beat on-location filming in Hawaii.

Ryan and Vanna also filmed a couple promos on land -- he's wearing flip-flops and a Hawaiian shirt as they shoot at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort.

Folks who were there say RS and VW seemed to have great chemistry together and were getting along between takes.

They must have been in a good mood, because they were also happily taking selfies with fans ... in that aloha spirit.

Katt Williams and Mo'Nique's sharing their "truth" on "Club Shay Shay" was the worst possible move for the Black community ... at least in Judge Mathis' eyes.

The man has been paid to have an honest gauge on uneasy situations -- legal, ethical and otherwise -- and according to Hizzoner, he rules that all this mud-slinging stinks. On Friday, Mathis held court on his IG page and called for an end to the recent missiles launched in the public eye amongst Black entertainers.

He didn't single out Katt and Mo by name but the social media space has been in shambles since Katt's interview aired on January 3 ... and Mo followed suit this week -- even joining KW's nationwide tour with other comics who seem to have bones to pick.

Judge Mathis didn't bite his tongue -- he called the feeding frenzy an embarrassment to Black culture and feels it his gut that big H'wood execs and studios are silently laughing on the sidelines.

He also pointed out he doesn't see other cultures tearing each other down in public ... just Black people being the sideshow spectacle -- that's how's he framing his argument here.

The 63-year-old justice admitted he doesn't always keep his cool in his own courtroom but notes those outbursts are spun into entertainment for his TV shows.

Judge Mathis concluded by stressing that these stars' issues should be hashed out in private settings ... instead of setting bad examples.

We'll see if Shannon Sharpe takes a breather with these interviews -- or if he keeps on bringing celebs with more grievances to air. On its face, he seems inclined toward the latter.

Wil Wheaton says Larry David "attacking" Elmo on TV last week might've been funny to some -- but it was no laughing matter to him ... 'cause it triggered old, ugly memories.

The 'Star Trek' actor had a strong reaction to the 'Curb' star putting his hands on the "Sesame Street" puppet on the 'Today' show -- taking to Facebook to write a lengthy essay that slammed LD ... while in the same breath explaining why it rocked him to his core.

He writes, "What the f*** is wrong with that guy? Elmo is, like, the best friend to multiple generations of children. In the Sesame Street universe, ELMO IS A CHILD, who is currently putting mental health and caring for others in the spotlight."

WW adds ... "And Larry F***ing David ... did ... that? And thought it was going to be ... funny? What? What an ass****. What a stupid, self-centered, tone deaf ass****."

Wil goes on to say that his dad used to abuse him as a kid -- shaking him by the shoulders and screaming in his face, among other things, and he says seeing Larry do that to Elmo had his heart racing as it dredged up internal trauma in his mind. He's quite serious, too.

He finishes by saying what Elmo means to so many kids -- especially in that segment, where he promoted mental health awareness -- makes Larry's attack all that much more sickening.

Wil ends with ... "A man who would belittle and mock that isn't much of a man at all. Shame on you, Larry David." This tirade of his, BTW, ended up being some 900 words on FB.

FWIW, Larry did "apologize" to Elmo shortly after his outburst ... and clearly thought it was all in good fun. Apparently not, though, from Wil's POV -- dude is straight-up outraged and hurt.