TV

Brian Austin Green is slipping into some dancing shoes ... we've learned he's the latest celeb to join the upcoming season of "Dancing with the Stars."

Brian's famous for starring on the original "Beverly Hills, 90210" and now we'll see if he's got any skills in the ballroom.

The official cast will not be announced until next week, but BAG is joining a loaded roster for 'DWTS' season 30.

As we first told you ... NBA baller Iman Shumpert is in the competition, along with Lori Loughlin's daughter Olivia Jade, 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star Kenya Moore and Team USA gymnast Suni Lee.

Brian's joining a historic season on the ABC dance show ... because singer JoJo Siwa is also on the roster, and she's paired up with another woman for the first same-sex pairing.

North Cambridge native Traci Bingham was in her 20s when she landed her breakout role as the lifeguard looker Jordan Tate -- who heroically saves beach-goers in distress along the sun-kissed shores of Southern California -- in the later seasons of the iconic slow-mo television show "Baywatch."

Bingham shared the small screen with some top-notch actors including Pamela Anderson as the blonde beach babe, C.J. Parker, Donna D'Errico as the seaside guardian angel, Donna Marco, Jeremy Jackson as the up-and-coming kid, Hobie Buchannon ... and of course David Hasselhoff as the man in charge, Mitch Buchannon.

Jeremy Piven is on deck, waiting for another at-bat to reprisie his role for a potential 'Entourage' reboot -- which, BTW, would be way different in 2021 ... as would his character.

We got the HBO vet Tuesday leaving a café in L.A., where we were able to shoot the breeze with him for a bit about all this chatter on possibly resurrecting his old fan fave show ... which none other than creator Doug Ellin seemed really interested in just last week.

Ditto for JP here -- who tells us he is, indeed, fully onboard like Doug told us last time -- and the same seems to go for his costars, including Adrian Grenier and co. So, with that in mind -- we had to ask ... is he pulling strings and twisting arms to make it happen BTS???

Check out the clip ... doesn't sound like Jeremy is part of the "full-court press" that may need to happen to get this revival off the ground -- but the dude's ready to hop on set again at the drop of a dime, it seems ... and pick up where Ari Gold left off all those years ago.

Speaking of Ari -- the powerhouse, tantrum-inclined agent who repped Vince on the series -- we asked Jeremy about what the man might look like in 2021 ... and if the show would explore that, considering the cataclysmic shift in Hollywood culture over the past decade.

JoJo Siwa thinks she's already got a leg up on her "Dancing with the Stars" competition ... she's one half of the show's first-ever same-sex pairing ... and thinks it gives her an edge.

We got JoJo heading into the 'DWTS' studio Tuesday in Los Angeles and asked her if there's a benefit in a pairing of two female dancers.

JoJo didn't hesitate, telling us there's an absolute advantage in a double helping of girl power ... she says women are just better dancers than men.

It's unclear who JoJo will be paired up with for the upcoming season, but there might have been a clue at the studio ... we got another celeb going, who we believe to be "The Talk" co-host Amanda Kloots, though it's not confirmed.

Whoever it was, they kept their face and body hidden under a reflective face visor.

John Schneider's production studio lot in Louisiana has been ravaged by Hurricane Ida, and while his life was spared, the actor needs some help.

The 'Dukes of Hazzard' star's movie/TV magic sanctuary in Holden, LA got torn up this week as Ida continues to rip through the area. Among the casualties on his property was a massive tree that toppled over, crashing down onto his orange "General Lee" stunt car.

Don't worry ... it ain't John's one and only -- he has several models on hand.

John's rep tells us he's doing just fine, but was off the grid for a while due to bad cell service ... he's leaving for Nashville in just a few hours.

With that said ... JS uploaded a video that's pretty sad to watch considering the devastation he -- and thousands of other Louisianans -- are going through right now. He's asking the public to give him a hand by going to his studio store and buying merch ... which is gonna go a long way to getting the place up and running again.

Mike Richards is reportedly leaving "Jeopardy!" altogether ... after stepping down as the host who would replace Alex Trebek, he's now also leaving his role as the show's executive producer ... TMZ has confirmed.

An email sent to staffers Tuesday read, "Mike will no longer be serving as EP of Wheel and Jeopardy! effective immediately.  We had hoped that when Mike stepped down from the host position at Jeopardy! it would have minimized the disruption and internal difficulties we have all experienced these last few weeks. That clearly has not happened."

Richards' departure ties a bow on a whirlwind month for him and the famous game show ... he was tapped as the new day-to-day host, then went on the defensive after controversial comments from his old podcast were dredged up.

The email, sent by EVP Suzanne Prete revealed Michael Davies from Embassy Row will take over Richards' duties on an interim basis.

Prete says, "I know this has been a challenging time for the entire team, and I want to thank you all for your cooperation and professionalism over these last few weeks ... I will be more involved in the day-to-day on our shows moving forward and I am looking forward to working closely with all of you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything."

As we reported ... Mike resigned as the show's new daily host after the remarks from "The Randumb Show" podcast resurfaced -- featuring misogynistic cracks to his female co-host, and a disparaging comment about Jewish people's noses.

Richards apologized a few times to the "Jeopardy!" staff ... but it obviously wasn't enough to save his skin. He initially remained as EP, but now he's completely gone from the show.

Deadline was first to report he's leaving the program entirely.

Louis Gossett Jr. isn't hanging up his acting career anytime soon -- so says the Oscar winner himself, and his reasons are interesting.

We got the acclaimed actor at LAX where we asked about his prolific and prolonged career ... even at this point in his life. Our photog pointed out the 85-year-old actually has quite a few things in the works right now -- 8 projects, in fact, which is wild.

He's been in notable productions of late too -- like the 'Watchmen' TV series. So, the natural follow-up, of course, is to ask ... ya ever gonna retire???

Watch how LGJ answers here -- it doesn't sound like he has any plans to stop in the near future. As for why, it sounds like he likes/needs to keep busy.

As he puts it ... once you hint you're done, the industry's quick to slough you off and move on -- and it seems he just doesn't want that to happen. Also, he says flexing his chops on camera is a helluva lot better than any other day job he could pick up right now.

The guy's a true legend in his field -- with more than 203 acting credits, an Emmy and, of course, his Best Supporting Academy Award for "An Officer and a Gentleman." And still, there's no sign of Louis slowing down.

Ellen DeGeneres just expanded her real estate portfolio ... scooping up a home in Beverly Hills.

Our real estate sources tell us the talk show host dropped a cool $8.5 million for the 5-bedroom, 4-bathroom home.

The place is 4,614 square feet and it looks like a fixer-upper. Real talk ... the home looks dated. It was built way back in 1961 and has been through at least one renovation.

Ellen closed escrow on the place Friday. It's got a pool, fire pit, chef's kitchen and lush gardens. Some of the rooms are even heated by furnaces.

She'll have some famous neighbors ... among them, Adele and Cameron Diaz.

It's the second home purchase in as many months for Ellen ... as we reported, she threw down $2.9 million back in June for a 2-bedroom pad in Santa Barbara.

Ellen's pretty familiar with Bev Hills real estate ... she recently sold a 2-story monster of a property she bought from Adam Levine.

Tony Dow, the former child star who starred in one the biggest sitcoms in American history -- "Leave It to Beaver" -- is in the hospital with pneumonia ... TMZ has learned.

Tony was taken to the E.R. Thursday. His wife, Lauren, tells TMZ Tony did not have COVID. In fact, she says he was tested 5 times in the hospital and all results were negative.

There is, however, a COVID connection ... Tony was in the E.R. for 24 hours because there were no beds -- a sign of the times with the Delta variant. Lauren says he's on the mend and his doctors think he could be released within a week. She adds, "On behalf of Tony and myself we thank you for your concern for him."

76-year-old Dow is best known for playing Beaver's older brother, Wally Cleaver, for the show's entire run from '57 to '63 ... having acted in all 234 episodes. Word is ... Tony landed the role with almost no acting experience, even though his mom worked in the biz.

He often played the straight man to the other quirky characters ... like his TV pals, Eddie Haskell or Lumpy, or even his kid brother himself, the Beave -- who was always creating problems somehow.

TD reprised his role as Wally in other 'Beaver' spinoffs and revivals in later years ... always keeping that all-American boy charm about him when playing the character.

He's also starred in shows like "The Greatest Show on Earth,' 'Never Too Young,' -- on which he had a significant role as Chet -- 'Lassie,' 'Mr. Novak,' 'Charles in Charge' and other hit series over the years.

His guest roles are also notable ... having appeared for one-off performances in 'Knight Rider,' "Quincy ME,' 'Murder, She Wrote,' 'The Love Boat,' 'Mod Squad,' 'Emergency!' 'My Three Sons' and more.

He's got quite the directing career too ... his credits include episodes of 'Babylon 5,' 'Harry and the Hendersons (the show), 'Swamp Thing,' 'Coach,' 'Star Trek,' 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,' among others. TD's also had a hand in producing a couple TV movies, and has even dabbled in visual effects work too -- including for shows like 'Doctor Who.'

The guy's a noted sculptor as well -- some of his work has been featured in the Louvre. Word is ... he's focused on the latter a lot these days at his Topanga Canyon home.

Ed Asner -- one the most prolific actors to ever have done it -- has died.

His reps confirm to TMZ that EA passed away Sunday surrounded by family. No other details about the circumstances of his death have emerged.

The family issued a statement saying, "We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully. Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head- Goodnight dad. We love you."

Ed was a veteran actor, having gotten his start in showbiz way back in the '50s, and finding critical success in a recurring role with "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" by playing Lou Grant ... Mary's TV station boss. He starred in 166 episodes of the series, for 7 long years.

He even got his own spinoff out of it ... with a show called "Lou Grant" which ran for nearly as long -- and of course, Ed took on the lead role there for over a hundred episodes. He's the most decorated male actor when it comes to Primetime Emmys ... the guy won 5 alone for his portrayal of Lou Grant, and two others for different roles in other TV shows.

"Lou Grant" was a decorated series in and of itself -- racking up 13 Emmys and Golden Globes too along the way. It was actually the third spinoff off of 'TMTMS' ... and perhaps the most successful.

Other notable TV series he was involved in with recurring appearances -- "The Bronx Zoo," "The Trials of Rosie O'Neill," "Hearts Afire," "Thunder Alley," "The Closer," "Center of the Universe" and others. His voice acting career is actually even more impressive ... taking off in the '90s and beyond.

Of course, Ed is also quite famous for his role in "Roots" ... for which he won an award as well.

But, even for brief roles ... the dude literally touched just about every major television series that was out at the time -- including shows like "The Fugitive," "Iron Horse," "Mission: Impossible," "The F.B.I.," "Ironside," "Mod Squad," "Rich Man, Poor Man," "Hawaii Five-O," "Police Story," "Insight," "Tender is the Night," "American Playhouse," "Fish Police" "Roseanne," "Mad About You," "Ask Harriet," "The Closer," "Hercules," "The X-Files," "ER," "CSI: NY" and more.

He's lent his talents to shows like "Batman: The Animated Series," "Superman: The Animated Series," "Animaniacs," "Freakazoid!," "Captain Planet," "Max Steel," "Zorro," "Jumanji," "Spider-Man: The Animated Series," "Gargoyles," "The Simpsons," "The Cleveland Show" and several more over the years. He even played the lead voice of Carl Fredricksen in Disney's classic Pixar flick "Up" ... so that just an idea of how far and wide his work is known.

Ed's movie work was just as impressive -- he's been in flicks like John Wayne's "El Dorado," "Elf," "The Gathering," "JFK," "O'Hara's Wife," "Hard Rain," "The Christmas Star," "Gus," "The Fanatics," "Basil," "The Bachelor," "The Animal," "Gigantic," "Saving Christmas," "Faith, Hope & Love," "Too Big to Fail," "Let Go" ... and dozens and dozens more.

Ed's been a part of so many iconic shows and movies ... it's difficult to even attempt to list all of them. All in all, the guy has 416 acting credits to his name ... including stuff that's still being worked on right now for future release.

The last time we saw Ed in person, he was as jovial and nice as ever ... happily signing autographs and chatting it up with us while being pushed in a chair. That's just the kind of guy he was!

He was 91.

Not even Oprah is safe from a years-later look back at questionable behavior -- including an interview she did with Dolly Parton that's now under the microscope ... with a 2021 lens.

Clips from the 2003 sit-down with the iconic country singer resurfaced this weekend, and it seems some people have questions about what Oprah was asking Dolly, how she was asking ... and what exactly her goal was by probing for what some might consider personal deets.

In the first video, Oprah asks Dolly how she's able to look so good for her age ... and Dolly gives a jokey answer. O follows up, though, and presses ... noting she's been open about having cosmetic work done -- but Dolly rolls with the punches, and cops to it openly.

Dolly even says she'll probably continue going under the knife - and some people are pointing out that Oprah looks sorta disappointed that Dolly flipped it in her favor. Frankly ... that's kinda reaching -- but that's how some fans are interpreting the body language.

A 2nd clip from that same interview popped up as well, and Oprah dives right in on a heavy subject ... saying she heard Dolly fell into a huge depression at age 40. Yes, she's pretty flip and cavalier about it -- almost in a "gotcha" sense -- but DP is graceful.

There, too, she's nimble, and jokes she wasn't depressed about her age -- but about her whole look in general, to which she got a laugh. In other words, she expertly batted off Oprah's "tough questions" with the utmost charm ... that's what Twitter's saying, anyway.

Now, some analysis ... people are either coming to drag Oprah over this (yes, seriously) or racing to her defense -- pointing out that she's a champion for so many good things, and that this interview doesn't make or break her legacy. And to that point, it certainly doesn't.

With that said, Orpah's sometimes-abrasive style of interviewing is no secret -- she's used this head-on approach throughout her career (including recently with Harry and Meg), and has been called out for not being as sensitive as she perhaps could've been. More often than not, though, she's gotten a pass ... 'cause she's Oprah Winfrey ... and her goodwill with the public goes a long way. Also, a lot of people love her for the no-holds-barred attitude.

This could be the dumbest, most ridiculous woke move ever ... Sarah Paulson is getting dragged for wearing a fat suit portraying Linda Tripp in "Impeachment: American Crime Story," because some critics think the role should have gone to someone with Tripp's body shape.

Yes, there are people who think an actor of Linda Tripp's size was denied a role that rightly should have gone to her.

Now, this is not to say it's not legit to debate actors wearing fat suits. But, is it essential to the role? As Sarah says, "There's a lot of controversy around actors and fat suits, and I think that controversy is a legitimate one. I think fat phobia is real. I think to pretend otherwise causes further harm. And it is a very important conversation to be had."

But, saying size matters in casting a role ... that's another thing altogether. What about actors who use prosthetics? What about a blonde actor who plays a redhead? Or an actor who gains or loses a lot of weight for a role ... a la Christian Bale or any other method actor???

Sarah brilliantly shut down the haters ... "I do think to imagine that the only thing any actor called upon to play this part would have to offer is their physical self is a real reduction of the offering the actor has to make."

She goes on ... "I would like to believe that there is something in my being that makes me right to play this part. And that the magic of hair and makeup departments and costumers and cinematographers that has been part of moviemaking, and suspension of belief, since the invention of cinema. Was I supposed to say no[to the role]."

Sarah was vague at the end, saying now that she knows what she knows, she would respond differently if offered the Linda Tripp part. She says, "I think the thing I think about most is that I regret not thinking about it more fully ... Should I have known? Abso-f***ing-lutely. But I do now. And I wouldn't make the same choice going forward."

"FBOY Island" star Jarred Evans is reimagining the old adage "nice guys finish last" ... 'cause in the end, co-star CJ Franco chose him and their relationship's on 🔥🔥🔥.

Jarred tells TMZ ... he and CJ are most definitely still in a relationship since the HBO Max reality dating show finale aired 2 weeks ago, though the show was filmed in March and April in the Cayman Islands.

We're told, for now, Jarred and CJ are trying the whole long-distance thing. She's visiting him in Miami very soon. They've sporadically posted stuff on social media since the finale, but Jarred tells us that's all going to change soon ... vowing to post more on TikTok with CJ and pictures of them together.

Jarred makes it clear ... he and CJ are still very happy together. But, have they exchanged the 3 words every person in a relationship wants to hear? Not yet ... but Jarred did reveal a move to L.A. is imminent. Get ready, CJ!!!

For the uninitiated ... CJ had an up-and-down relationship with Casey Johnson, dubbed the "FBOY." When Casey got the boot from the show ... fans had a feeling she would still pick him. Nevertheless ... Jarred "the nice guy" entered the pic and CJ chose him.

The prize? Well, besides the blossoming relationship ... Jarred and CJ split the $100k pot. We're told he used it for his high-end tea company called Le Bon Thé.

James Corden hit the streets with Camila Cabello Friday for a skit that was fun and funny, but maybe not COVID-safe.

James and Camila were in West Hollywood for a Cinderella spoof. James played the mouse, Camilla was Cinderella and Billy Porter was the Fairy Godmother.

When the skit was over, James grabbed a blunt from a passing driver and took a hit. Not a great idea with the Delta variant raging in L.A. County and pretty much everywhere else in the country.

And, there's this ... you gotta see James/the mouse thrusting his hips to "Let's Get Loud" ... as an onlooker captures it on video.  Pretty hilarious.

Hopefully, James is OK. The skit will presumably air next week.

BTW ... James appears in the upcoming flick, "Cinderella," which was in production back in February 2020. It was shut down for months due to the pandemic, but it's in the can now.

Bill Maher was true to form Friday night, accusing conservatives of "over-romanticizing" America while liberals do just the opposite ... and his words were blistering.

The "Real Time" host drew a contrast between immigrants who fled brutal conditions in their own country, only to come to the U.S. and hear our own citizens rail against our country ... "If you knew about the country I [immigrants] came from, you'd stop sh**ing on your own."

Maher made a compelling case that conservatives have a monopoly on "I love America no matter what." As he says, it's in their DNA. On the other hand, he says liberals think of America as irredeemable, racist, homophobic, oppressive. He says that's why we can't even find a host for the Oscars ... or "Jeopardy!"

Maher contrasted his experiences with others who make similar critical comments in other countries. He points out an Afghan comedian was tortured and murdered for his comments. By contrast, he notes he's been called out by 2 presidents -- W and Trump -- and the Trump dustup is hilarious. 45 sued Bill for his side-by-side pic of Trump and an orangutan!

And, he had a lot more to say ... that there's a reason an Afghan mother handed her baby to U.S. soldiers to get them out of the country.

"Entourage" creator Doug Ellin says it's about time his famous show got the reboot treatment ... and he's got the main cast on board for another go around ... but it's Mark Wahlberg who Doug needs to make it happen.

We got Doug leaving his "Hollywood Wayz" podcast Friday in Los Angeles and asked if "Entourage" is going to get a second life like a lot of shows from the same era.

Doug says he's gotten word Adrien Grenier, Jeremy Piven, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara are all down to reboot the HBO series ... and he's written lots of new material.

It sounds like the ball is in HBO's court right now ... Doug says there haven't been any formal meetings but he's ready to pitch HBO honchos and just needs Mark Wahlberg to make a call to HBO to get the ball rolling.

Doug's happy to point out "Entourage" was well-received by lots of folks, including Barack Obama, during its first run ... and he thinks a reboot will do just as well.