TV

Hank Azaria feels awful about his years-long portrayal of Apu -- but there's still a way he can get right with the Indian community which he, and others, feel has been harmed by the character.

Shereen Bhalla -- a rep for the Hindu American Foundation -- tells TMZ ... Hank doesn't have to torment himself for his work on "The Simpsons," or at least he doesn't have to do it alone. Bhalla says she and the staff at HAF would love to have a sit-down with him.

She tells us coming to the table with them would help Hank do a lot of the learning he seems very open to at this point. Shereen says they can expose him to Indian people's lived experiences, and have a dialogue about his lingering guilt.

It's clear from Hank's comments on Dax Shephard's podcast that he does, indeed, have a lot of remorse about Apu ... even going so far as to say he feels the need apologize to every Indian person.

If Hank's concerned about "cancel culture" ... HAF does not want to see that happen to the veteran actor. We're told the group doesn't feel Hank needs to be excommunicated, and believes he's genuinely sorry and willing to educate himself ... which HAF would love to help him do.

As for how to proceed, there are a few options. For one, HAF is offering Hank a third-party facilitated dialogue with Indians across the nation, on or off the record ... his choice. Also, HAF has a podcast called "That's So Hindu" and would be more than happy to have him as a guest.

The cryptocurrency craze is not for Barbara Corcoran -- she's into tried-and-true methods of making boatloads of cash and advises everyone to listen up ... before it's too late.

The "Shark Tank" star was out Tuesday in Union Square in NYC, and she made it clear ... she couldn't care less about Bitcoin's price, Dogecoin surging again or any of the other cryptos ... she's all about property, baby.

Barbara says she's investing every spare dollar she has this year into real estate, because she says it's still very much a buyer's market ... and she plans to get even richer the old-fashioned way. BTW ... it may be a buyer's market in NYC, but it's the opposite in other cities like L.A.

There's a caution -- Barbara suggests striking while the iron's hot, because the market could be totally different by the end of the year.

As for the crypto market, Barbara says the trick is knowing when to get out. She thinks just as many people are losing $$$ investing in cryptocurrency as those who are cashing in.

El Paso, Texas actor Lydia Cornell was only 27 years old when she shot to stardom as the hot blonde daughter Sara Rush -- who lived downstairs from her parents with her sister, Jackie Rush -- in the classic '80s ABC family comedy "Too Close for Comfort."

Lydia Cornell shared the small screen with some cool character actors including Tony Award-winning Nancy Dussault as the matriarch, Muriel Rush, Deborah Van Valkenburgh as the other daughter and downstairs roommate, Jackie Rush ... and of course the classic comedian Ted Knight as the kooky cartoonist and father, Henry Rush.

Serena Williams just found something new to dominate ... 'cause the tennis legend just signed a first-look TV deal with Amazon!!

39-year-old Williams announced the big move on Tuesday ... saying she's pumped to put new and inspiring stories onto the screen -- including her own, via a new docuseries following her life on and off the court.

"I’m very excited to be partnering with Amazon Studios – they are developing some of the most inspiring and important content for a global audience," Williams said.

The deal includes scripted and unscripted content ... which will all be made available via Amazon.

"I have a lot of stories I’m eager to tell, including a continuation of my own, and I look forward to sharing those with the world."

Williams' docuseries -- title TBD -- will be produced by Plum Pictures, Goalhanger Films and Amazon Studios. Williams will also serve as executive producer on the project.

Of course, Williams is one of the best tennis players EVER -- she's won 23 Grand Slams, 73 championships and has won nearly $95 million in prize money throughout her career.

So yeah, Amazon is stoked to have her on board.

As Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke put it ... "Serena has transformed her sport and become one of the most inspiring athletes, entrepreneurs and women of her generation, admired not only for her unmatched prowess on the court but for her dedication to advocacy as well."

The couple that hosts together, educates America about COVID vaccines together?!

That's what Russell Wilson and Ciara are hoping to accomplish when they co-host NBC's "Roll Up Your Sleeves" TV special on Sunday.

The star-studded show will include huge stars and influential people from all walks of life ... from Barack Obama and Joe Biden to Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal.

Of course, Dr. Anthony Fauci will be involved because there will be TV cameras there.

Eva Longoria, Billy Crystal, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jennifer Lopez, Faith Hill, Ken Jeong, Matthew McConaughey, Demi Lovato and many many more are also slated to appear on the show.

Event organizers say the point of the special is to "educate viewers, raise awareness and dispel concerns surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines."

The show will also aim to "inform and encourage those who have vaccination concerns to learn the facts."

So far, there have been more than 30 million COVID cases in the U.S. -- with more than 560,000 deaths, according to The NY Times.

Jennifer Aniston's sharing lots of stories with her old costars for the "Friends" reunion, but she did NOT reveal some life-changing news with them about having a kid ... as reports have claimed.

TMZ reached out to Aniston, and her rep tells us ... rumors of Jennifer being in the process of adopting a baby are "false and never happened."

Various European tabloids began circulating the story that Aniston made the adoption announcement to her "Friends" co-stars this past week while they were shooting the reunion.

That's not true, but as we reported ... Matthew Perry did confirm the gang was back together on their old TV set for the highly anticipated HBO Max special in a now-deleted Instagram post.

We also learned the reunion was shot over the span of 3 days at Warner Brothers Studios, and production utilized the original stage and the famous fountain from the OG series.

Hank Azaria -- who voiced Apu on 'The Simpsons' for years -- says his guilt after ditching the role is so great, he feels he has to say sorry to every Indian person he encounters.

The actor relayed this sentiment on the Armchair Expert podcast, telling hosts Dax Shepard and Monica Padman ... "Part of me feels like I need to go to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologize. And, sometimes I do."

Hank also said he learned about the impact of the character -- which many say is stereotypical and inherently racist -- after taking seminars and just talking to people on the ground, including kids he's met through his own son.

Hank described one interaction he had with an Indian teen, who was apparently in tears as he told the longtime 'Simpsons' star that Apu had had a devastating effect on him and his community at large ... pleading with Hank to deliver the message to Hollywood writers.

He says he's a big advocate of actors of color voicing characters of the same race -- which is exactly why he stepped away from the gig back in 2017, following the backlash of 'The Problem with Apu.' It's interesting, Hank even referred to Apu as a de facto racial slur on the podcast.

Of course, not everyone is on the same page with Hank ... including series' creator, Matt Groening, who recently said he was proud of what they'd done with Apu as a character.

Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis are getting protection from a man she claims keeps showing up at her home, imagining he's her boyfriend, and venting his frustration over Harry Styles.

Olivia's lawyer, Shawn Holley, beelined it to court Monday and got a temporary restraining order ... to protect her and her family, including Sudeikis, from a 30-year-old man named Eric Nathanial Fuhs, whom she claims has been harassing her for months.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Olivia claims she has security footage showing the man showing up to her home on multiple occasions to leave notes falsely claiming they're in a relationship. One note is addressed to Sudeikis, saying "how she [Olivia] was unhappy in her relationship, and how she wanted to start a new relationship with me."  He goes on ... "This continued almost every day ... until January, when Harry Styles got credit for what I was doing."

In the docs, Olivia says the guy initially barged in on a private zoom call she was on back in October and harassed her, and ever since he's gotten bolder by showing up at her home.

Olivia also says she's scared the man was able to find her home, because she's never shared her address, and she says one of his notes is ominous ... "I, as of March 19, 2021 am now struggling to stay sane whilst being hidden."

Ellen DeGeneres made quick work of the Beverly Hills home she just put on the market ... but she didn't cash in quite like she probably hoped.

The talk show host unloaded the massive, secluded property she bought just 2 years ago from Maroon 5 frontman, Adam Levine, for a whopping $47 million ... but she was asking for way more than that.

As we first told you ... Ellen listed the 10,000 square-foot mansion for $53.5 mil just over a month ago, which would have netted her a decent profit because she and her wife, Portia de Rossi, purchased it from Adam for about $45 mil.

Instead, it's more like a break-even transaction ... but we're told DeGeneres went ahead with it anyway because she spends very little time in L.A. outside of shooting her show. She's now living full-time up in Montecito.

As for the new buyer -- represented by Brian Lane & Bob Safai of Madison Residential -- they just scored a gorgeous, ivy-covered estate with a resort-style pool, outdoor kitchen and pizza oven, fire pit, dining room bar, 50-foot living room with stone fireplace, indoor gym, spa and a guest house.

There's also a sunken tennis court, as the home used to also be owned by tennis legend Pete Sampras.

Tennessee born comic Melanie Hutsell was in her early 20s when she landed one of the coveted roles as a regular cast member on "Saturday Night Live" -- which included her classic characters Di in the sorority sketches, Jan Brady on Weekend Update and other celeb spoofs like Tori Spelling and Tanya Harding -- in the early '90s seasons of 'SNL' from studio 8H.

Melanie was cast alongside some of the most well-known comedians in 'SNL' history including castmates Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Victoria Jackson, Chris Rock, Phil Hartman, Adam Sandler and David Spade.

'Friends' fans tuning in to the upcoming reunion special won't just see some familiar faces, they'll see familiar places too ... including the famous water fountain and original set.

Sources familiar with production tell us the reunion was shot over the span of 3 days at Warner Brothers Studios last week. We've obtained a photo from the lot showing bleachers and equipment set up around the fountain where the show's opening credits were shot.

Our sources say a live audience participated in the reunion, but it appeared they were mostly union extras, COVID screened and hired for the gig.

Production took things inside as well ... using the show's old stage to film parts of the reunion as well.

As for what was discussed in front of the cameras, that still remains a mystery ... but we know all of the show's stars -- Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc -- participated.

In fact, Perry sent 'Friends' fans into a frenzy Saturday when he quickly posted then deleted a photo of himself in a makeup chair with the caption, "Seconds before eating a makeup brush. Not to mention reuniting with my Friends."

DMX was a man of many passions, and one of them was watching "The Golden Girls" reruns ... according to Gabrielle Union's hilarious, resurfaced anecdote.

Union was filming an episode of the popular food show "Hot Ones" back in 2017, when she told host Sean Evans that a "real fun fact" about the rapper is he used to love laughing along with Blanche, Rose, Dorothy and Sophia.

She claims she learned this while working with DMX on the set of the 2003 film "Cradle 2 the Grave." Union says there was a dog-biting incident with one of the PAs, so she was tasked with going to get the rapper because she's a dog person.

But, instead of coming right out, DMX would apparently invite her in for a drink and to join him in watching the popular '80s sitcom ... exclaiming, "This s**t is funny!"

Union says he would then "laugh hysterically" at the show as they enjoyed a drink ... and sounds like Gabrielle was a pal and a confidant.

Matthew Perry let the cat out of the bag -- the highly anticipated "Friends" reunion is really happening ... and his now-deleted Instagram post proves it.

Perry shared a silly photo of himself in a makeup chair Friday night -- mouth slightly agape -- captioned ... "Seconds before eating a makeup brush. Not to mention reuniting with my Friends."

The post was quickly taken down, but the shot of Chandler Bing about to get back in action was enough to get "Friends" fans in a frenzy.

As you may know ... the OG cast's announcement of getting back together for a special was a HUGE deal in early 2020, but then the COVID-19 pandemic happened, causing a major delay in shooting the reunion.

Bill Maher obliterated the Oscars Friday night ... musing that the choices the Academy is making for best films require a name change to the Debbies ... as in Debbie Downer!!!

The 'Real Time' host ticked off the nominees for Best Motion Pic, and viewing may require a serious dose of Prozac, 'cause they're all super depressing.

Bill goes down the list -- "Judas and the Black Messiah," "Promising Young Woman, "The Sound of Metal," "Nomadland," "The Father," "Minari" ... Bill describes each and then lowers the boom with this ... "The 2021`Oscars, brought to you by razor blades, Kleenex and rope."

It's a hilarious ride ... Bill wonders, "What happened to show business? Did they all decide to quit cocaine at the same time?"

It wasn't just funny ... Bill had a point -- “Academy nominations used to say, ‘What great movies we make. Now they say, ‘Look what good people we are.’”

If Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson does indeed run for U.S. President as he's hinted he might, he nearly has all the votes needed to win already ... at least based on a new poll.

The former WWE superstar turned Hollywood A-lister has the support of 46 percent of adult Americans if he were to make a Presidential run in 2024 ... according to a recent online poll of 30,138 potential voters between April 2 and April 4.

The same poll found 29 percent would support dual campaigns by The Rock for POTUS and Matthew McConaughey for Texas Governor ... something the actor's also suggested he's considering.

Other notable poll results include 30% support for Angelina Jolie for Prez, 27% for Oprah ... and a shockingly low 22% for Tom Hanks.

Overall though, nearly 2 out of 3 adults polled said they believe celebs make good politicians if they have a good team and possess "political aptitude."

As ridiculous as that may seem to some, it also makes sense. Ex-Prez Donald Trump still has major support in the Republican party, and several other past Hollywood stars went on to make big political splashes ... Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, Al Franken and Ronald Reagan, just to name a few.

As for the Rock ... he's been floating the idea of a White House run since 2016, and added fuel to the fire on 'Ellen' in 2017 and 'The Late Show' in 2018 by continuing to say he's seriously considering it.

Long Beach local Brice Beckham was only 9 years old when he landed the life-changing role as the youngest of the Owens family, Wesley -- who often looked to the butler for advice and comic relief -- in the classic '80s family sitcom "Mr. Belvedere."

Brice shared the small screen with an awesome list of actors in the Owens brood including Rob Stone and Tracy Wells as the older siblings, Kevin and Heather, Bob Uecker and Ilene Graff as the busy parents, George and Marsha ... and of course Christopher Hewett as the boss butler, Mr. Belvedere.