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If you've lost one or more friends down the Disney+ wormhole today, here's why -- how freakin' adorable is baby Yoda??? Or terrifying ... depends on your perspective.

Yes, the infant/future Jedi master ... is just one of the 'Star Wars' characters introduced in "The Mandalorian," the new Jon Favreau directed series that debuted when Disney launched its stupidly hyped streaming service at midnight.

Look around you ... more people out "sick" from work? Here's why -- the service gives fans instant access to, not only 'Mandalorian,' but ALL VII 'Star Wars' episodes, ALL the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and TV shows today, and of course ALL of Disney and Pixar's smash hit animated movies.

That's right ... now you can hear "Let It Go" on repeat for $6.99/month. Sorry.

Of course, that all assumes you can login to the service. Disney+ soft-launched in the U.S., Canada and The Netherlands ... but many users (check your social media) are complaining about connectivity issues.

Bummer for Ralph of "Wreck-It Ralph" fame -- he pulled the short straw to get the honor of greeting users who couldn't log in to the service.

Still, the positive buzz is definitely outweighing the negative, so far.

Just ask longtime character actor Brian Posehn (you know that face) who totally geeked out binging 'Mandalorian' overnight. Looks like he scored an uncredited cameo in it, too! The Force is strong with this one.

Sonic the Hedgehog looks a lot less frightening now after he got an eye job and a good mouth sanding -- which should hopefully put restless die-hard fans at ease.

A new trailer for the part-live-action 'Sonic' movie dropped on Tuesday, and our favorite video game hero underwent a major redesign since tremendous backlash from back in May -- when the blue furball looked more human than cartoon character ... and folks noticed.

Now, he's back to his normal self -- with larger eyes and significantly smaller teeth. And frankly, that's good ... nobody wants to see Sonic's fillings in the upcoming action flick.

Fans knew these tweaks were coming, BTW. The director of the movie, Jeff Fowler, forecast as much when he said he'd heard 'em loud and clear on the feedback, adding it'd happen.

David Foster's taking a trip down memory lane -- or rather, the Pacific Coast Highway -- 'cause he wants to revisit his scary accident when he hit "Roots" actor Ben Vereen.

TMZ has learned that the Grammy-winning producer and composer's camp recently made a formal records request from the LAPD from his June 12, 1992 accident ... when he accidentally crashed his car into Vereen as he was walking on PCH near their Malibu homes.

As for why ... sources connected to David tell us, he and his team are considering using the information in a new documentary about his life, called "David Foster: Off the Record." It's not a given anything he gets from the L.A. Officials will make it in the final cut that gets released in the U.S. -- but we're told the doc's director wants to review the deets for a fresh view.

Doesn't look like David's gonna get the 911 call from cops though -- his request was denied by the department, 'cause they say they don't have it ... referring him to L.A. Fire instead.

If you don't remember, David was cruising down PCH one night when Vereen wandered into the road out of nowhere, causing Dave's Chevy to strike him and put him in the hospital. He ended up suffering a broken leg -- and DF was never criminally charged for the crash.

As for how David handled the crash at the time ... a transcript of the 911 call shows he actually carried himself with grace, compassion and relative composure. He told the operator that he had to try stopping other oncoming cars out of fear Vereen would be hit again.

Kevin Hart's getting back on his feet ... and he's got the support of Hollywood behind him.

Kevin made his first public appearance since his scary car wreck more than 2 months ago, to accept the Comedy Act Award at the E! People's Choice Awards Sunday night for his Netflix special, 'Irresponsible.'

The crowd gave Hart a standing ovation as he came out, and Robert Downey Jr. handed him the award.

Kevin said ... "First and foremost, man, thank God because I definitely don't have to be here." He went on to say he appreciates life more now after his accident, especially the things that really matter -- like his wife and kids.

Hart also thanked the people for their energy and support during his difficult time, saying ... "You have no idea the effect you have on us as entertainers."

As you know, Kevin was involved in a single-car crash on September 1 with 2 other people, and suffered serious injuries along with the driver. Hart's 3 spinal fractures required serious rehab and physical therapy ... which he recently updated his fans about.

Rip Taylor put a lot of heart into his comedic gags for decades, but ultimately heart troubles did him in ... according to his death certificate.

TMZ's obtained the document, which lists Taylor's immediate cause of death as congestive heart failure. It also lists heart disease as an underlying cause.

As we reported ... Rip passed away last month in Beverly Hills. The certificate says he died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

We've also learned the famous comedian's ashes were to be scattered at sea off the coast of Honolulu ... no word if any confetti was involved.

Dubbed the "King of Camp and Confetti" and "The Crying Comedian," Rip will be remembered for his flamboyant style and appearance, countless appearances on talk shows and his brief stint hosting "The $1.98 Beauty Show."

He also guest-starred in flicks like "Wayne's World 2," "Indecent Proposal," "Tom & Jerry: The Movie," "Chatterbox!" and "Jackass 3D" ... and was a successful voice actor.

Taylor was 84.

Christopher Dennis -- a street performer known for portraying Superman on Hollywood Blvd. for more than 25 years -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Dennis was found dead Saturday in the San Fernando Valley. We're told his body was discovered lying headfirst in a bin that's used for clothing donations.

Investigators believe Christopher -- who was homeless -- was attempting to gather clothes for himself. Our sources say no foul play is suspected.

Dennis' story is both charming and tragic -- after 2 decades of entertaining folks in Hollywood by impersonating The Man of Steel, he was the victim of a vicious assault and robbery that nearly killed him and left him without a way to make money.

He was rendered homeless, but thanks to the help of friends and a Kickstarter campaign, he got a new suit that allowed him to get back on his feet ... and return to the Blvd for the Superman fans.

He also starred in the documentary, "Confessions of a Superhero," and appeared multiple times on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Sadly, it seems he fell on hard times again recently.

Christopher was 52.

RIP

Ben Affleck is trying to get past falling off the wagon by moving forward with work ... even if he looks a little worse for wear.

Ben was spotted Tuesday with a script in hand in New Orleans as he prepared to begin shooting his new film, "Deep Water." Unclear if Ben's disheveled look -- messy hair, scraggly beard, wearing sweats and a stained t-shirt -- was part of his role. It's worth noting ... he's supposed to play Vic Van Allen, an attractive husband.

Anyway ... it's the first time we've seen Ben on the set since he relapsed nearly 2 weeks ago. As we've reported ... Ben was spotted leaving a Halloween party and clearly had trouble walking. He damn near fell before catching himself on an SUV.

Ben later acknowledged he stumbled in his effort to maintain sobriety. After leaving that party ... Ben hit up a casino. And, while he pocketed $1,500 in winnings in just 12 minutes of gambling, Ben could barely stand and nearly fell out of his chair. The next day, he said he vowed to get back on the straight and narrow.

John Witherspoon was a magnetic figure ... so it's no surprise most of Hollywood showed up to bid him one last goodbye.

The late comedian's open-casket celebration of life went down Tuesday in L.A. in front of a huge gathering of friends, family and celebs alike. David Letterman commenced the celebration. He and John went way back ... they honed their craft together at The Comedy Store in Hollywood alongside Richard Pryor, Robin Williams and Jay Leno.

Ice Cube was one of several speakers and he paid a touching tribute ... saying he enjoyed the hell outta John for as long as he could remember.

Some other celebrity guest speakers included Cedric the Entertainer, George Wallace, Angela Gibbs and Bill Bellamy. Regina King couldn't make it but she did send along a video message that was played on the big screen.

Guests at the celebration of life received a colorful program adorned with John's infectious smile. The back-page included one of his most famous lines from "Boomerang" ... "BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!"

As we reported ... John died suddenly last week, at the age of 77, after he went into cardiac arrest at his home in Sherman Oaks, CA.

His career -- which started in stand-up comedy -- spanned more than 5 decades ... and included his unforgettable roles as Ice Cube's father in the "Friday" movies, Granddad on "The Boondocks" and Pops on "The Wayans Bros."

Jennifer Hudson is ready for her close-up as the Queen of Soul herself -- 'cause she's already in character and filming -- as is her onscreen husband, Marlon Wayans.

The Oscar-winning actress and Grammy-winning singer was spotted on set Sunday in NYC, where she was in costume as a young Aretha Franklin for the upcoming biopic about the music icon called 'Respect.' Marlon plays her first hubby and ex-manager, Ted White.

In this scene -- which is supposedly set in Harlem during the mid-60s -- you can see Marlon talking to a group of prostitutes, before collecting money and roughing one up a bit. Jennifer (as Aretha) looks on from a waiting car, and when Marlon gets back in ... they share a passionate kiss. Gotta say ... the production value seems to be pretty high here.

BTW, Jennifer was reportedly hand-picked by Aretha before her death in 2018. She probably couldn't have chosen a better person to play her in a movie. Jen's got the chops on both ends to pull it off -- and so far, she certainly has the early Aretha look down.

And, while Marlon usually plays the funny guy, he comes off as menacing and serious here. That jives with the real-life Ted, who's remembered as a notorious Detroit pimp ... who allegedly abused Aretha before they finally parted ways in 1969.

Bradley Cooper and Dave Chappelle seem to have kept their onscreen friendship in "A Star is Born" going strong in real life ... with the help of some youngsters to bring 'em even closer.

The actor and comedian were spotted hanging out Saturday in NYC's West Village, where Brad was seen holding his own daughter, Lea, in one arm and the hand of another little girl who was rolling with him, Dave and some other grownups tagging along.

It's unclear if the other kid is Dave's -- we know he's got a 10-year-old daughter of his own, but this girl here looks a bit younger than her. Either way, Brad seemed happy to play chaperone twice over while Dave hung back and looked on with a big grin.

Of course, Brad and Dave starred opposite each other in last year's Oscar fave 'ASIB,' with the two of them playing old pals reuniting at a difficult time in Brad's character's life.

While their chemistry on the big screen might've felt palpable and even lifted from a real-life relationship ... it turns out that BC and DC hadn't known one another all that well prior to filming. Dave said Brad recruited him hard to be in his movie, and Dave finally caved.

Prior to that, the two stars had apparently only met in passing ... but it looks like working together made 'em good pals. Brad was even on hand last week in D.C., where Dave was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and gave a speech on Dave's behalf.

Kevin Hart must enjoy living dangerously, 'cause he's already getting into another muscle car similar to the one that nearly killed him ... seemingly without a safety harness, at that.

The comedian was out at a shopping plaza Saturday in Calabasas with a friend, where it looks like he was sent out to make a food run. He ran into a pap on the way out -- walking on his own two feet, no less, and looking pretty solid -- and gave the guy a health update.

Kevin says he's grateful to be alive, and that he'll be getting back to work slow and steady ... seems he's in no rush to get on the grind again, enjoying time with his fam.

Then comes a pretty eyebrow raising moment ... Kevin walks to his car -- a 1969 Camaro, he tells the photog -- and gets in the driver's seat ... and then pulls away like it's nothing.

Even more troubling ... it doesn't clearly look like he pulls a shoulder harness over himself, at least from the angle we're seeing here -- which is a straight-on shot through the windshield. We looked into it, and shoulder belts were a rarity in the '69 model. Lap belts were there, but not all these old cars had the newly-enforced safety harness all cars have today.

Obviously, this is a big deal for a couple different reasons. The fact that Kevin's driving at all should be a little worrying, but driving another souped-up oldie like this might as well be a death wish, considering what he just went through about a month ago with the crash.

Remember, Kevin's 1970 Plymouth Barracuda also didn't have safety harnesses. Had they been there ... we're told it could've helped alleviate the injuries Kevin and co. endured.

Brian Tarantina has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us that the veteran actor was found dead early Saturday morning in his Manhattan apartment from what we're told appeared to be a fatal drug overdose to the officers and first-responders who came out.

Our sources say Brian's niece went to check in on him at his Hell's Kitchen residence at around 12:30 AM, and discovered her uncle unresponsive on the couch. We're told the niece told cops she'd last talked to him late Tuesday night. Upon finding him, she called 911, and we're told when officers and paramedics arrived ... they found a white powdery substance near his body, believed to be alleged narcotics. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

It's unclear at this point what the white substance might've been. We're told the NYC medical examiner's office will conduct an autopsy to determine an official cause of death.

Brian has been working in the biz for a long time, often playing supporting characters through the '80s and '90s, and even into the 2000s and onward. He's perhaps best known for tough guy roles in flicks like "Jacob's Ladder," "Uncle Buck," "The Jerky Boys," "Summer of Sam," "Knight and Day," "Carlito's Way," "Donnie Brasco," "City By the Sea" and others.

He's got a much more extensive resume than that though. The guy's been in tons of stuff over the years ... shows like "Law & Order," "Miami Vice," "Spin City," "Oz," "NYPD Blue," "ER," "The Sopranos," "Gilmore Girls," "Heroes," "The Black Donnellys," "The Blacklist," "Madame Secretary," "Blue Bloods" and most recently in "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" playing Jackie.

He was 60 years old.

RIP

Eddie Murphy is deep into filming "Coming to America 2" and it's gettin' everyone plenty excited.

Eddie was on set in ATL in full Prince Akeem garb. He's proudly wearing a New York Mets bomber jacket, with proclamations of his love of the Big Apple. You see Eddie hold a wad of cash ... presumably from scalping tickets.

Above you can see Arsenio Hall, who plays Semmi, and Paul Bates, who plays Oha, is also on-hand.

The movie is maybe the biggest remake in the works this year. People have been clamoring for the flick for years. It's scheduled to open wide in theaters in December 2020. Lots of people says it's gonna be worth the wait.

John Witherspoon, who made his mark in comedy and in films like "Friday" has died.

Witherspoon's family announced he died suddenly Tuesday at his home in Sherman Oaks, California. The statement reads, "It is with deep sadness we have to tweet this, but our husband & father John Witherspoon has passed away."

The statement continues, "He was a Legend in the entertainment industry, and a father figure to all who watched him over the years. We love you 'POPS' always & forever."

Witherspoon's career -- which started in stand-up comedy -- spanned for more than 5 decades, with his most notable role being Willie Jones, father of Ice Cube's character, Craig ... in all of the "Friday" movies.

John did voice work as Gramps on the animated series "The Boondocks," which is being revived for HBO. He also played Pops on "The Wayans Bros." and made appearances on "The Tracy Morgan Show" and "Black Jesus."

We last spoke to Witherspoon earlier this month at LAX where he told us he was excited about Eddie Murphy getting back into comedy and hoped to see him doing stand-up soon.

He is survived by his wife, Angela, and sons JD and Alexander.

John was 77.

RIP

John Singleton's estate and the fortune it claims is aboutta get little more flush -- because the studio that distributed one of his biggest films is ponying up some belated cash.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Sony Pictures has agreed to fork over a little more than half a mil to the late director's film company, New Deal Productions. The money -- $515,472 -- is tied to John's 2001 flick, "Baby Boy." Unleash the behind-the-door Rodney memes!!!

In case you haven't seen it, 'BB' stars Tyrese Gibson, Taraji P. Henson, Ving Rhames ... and, of course, Snoop Dogg playing a gangster who's out to square things with Tyrese's character, Jody, who's got a kid with Taraji's character, but still lives at home with his mom.

It made $29.3 million in the U.S. box office, with a budget of around $16 mil. Sony and its subsidiary, TriStar Pictures, were the primary distributors.

Based on the docs, it appears John had requested a formal audit for money the film made a while back, and now in wake of his death ... Sony is settling up with this dough. The company says the settlement was agreed to prior to John's death in April.

Lady Gaga's dress from the 2019 Golden Globes is headed to auction ... but turns out, it could be a case of stolen goods.

A maid at the Beverly Hilton found the dress Lady Gaga wore to the 2019 Golden Globes, where she won an award for her work in "A Star is Born," while cleaning the celeb's room after the show.

Lady Gaga left the gown behind, and we're told the maid claimed she took it to lost and found where it sat until the hotel honchos gave it to the maid -- finder's keepers and all that. And, now the maid's trying to cash in by auctioning it off.

Here's the thing. Our Gaga sources say #1 -- the dress didn't belong to Gaga. It's a Valentino that was loaned to her for the event. We're told Valentino believes someone outright stole the dress and has either gone to police or plans to go to cops.

As you can see, Gaga's dress is a beautiful Valentino Haute Couture periwinkle blue gown ... designed specifically for Lady Gaga with cascading silk faille and a 10-foot train -- an homage to the dress worn by Judy Garland in the 1954 version of "A Star is Born."

The dress comes with a note from the maid ... explaining how the gown came into her possession. She says she's been employed by The Beverly Hilton for 24 years, and always works the Golden Globes.

Gaga's dress is going up for sale on Halloween via Nate D. Sanders Auctions, and bidding opens at $8,000 ... that is, unless the auctioneer gets cold feet given what we've found out.