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George and Amal Clooney brought out some of their most famous friends in NYC to christen a new award show ... with guests including Michelle Obama, Drew Barrymore, Cindy Crawford and more.

The star-studded event went down Thursday at the New York Public Library. The Albie Awards, named after Justice Albie Sachs -- and hosted by George and Amal -- were about honoring folks who have taken a stand against injustice.

Of course, the power couple was front and center the whole night ... and they certainly looked the part. Amal wore a bedazzled Versace gown, while GC rocked a tux.

Unclear if she was at the show, but Michelle Obama was spotted entering The Albie Award's after-party at The Mark Hotel following the event.

Among the final celeb guestlist ... Clooney's co-star Julia Roberts, John Krasinski, Meryl Streep, Gayle King, Drew Barrymore, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber.

Dua Lipa and Lori Harvey also pulled up to the event. Of course, Dua Lipa recently made headlines with the soon-to-be former host of "The Daily Show" Trevor Noah as the two were spotted hanging out in NYC.

Sarah Jessica Parker had a lot of people concerned when she unexpectedly walked out of a gala in NYC ... and we've now learned she left to be by her dying stepfather's side in his final moments.

The Parker family tells TMZ ... Sarah's stepdad, Paul Giffin Forste, died unexpectedly Wednesday. We're told, he was surrounded by the love of his wife Barbara and his children, including SJP, who he's helped raise since she was young.

The "Sex and the City" star was in attendance at the beginning of Wednesday night's 10th Annual Fall Fashion Gala, but left without warning. Of course, her exit raised lots of eyebrows, but the family emergency was the reason why.

According to Page Six, those in the crowd were only told she had to leave because of a "devastating family situation."

The family's statement continues, "Paul will be remembered with the spirit of loving kindness which was his faith, his special delight in his 13 grandchildren, and his sustained belief in making the world a more charitable, tolerant, and beautiful place for all".

The iconic cottage from "Hocus Pocus" is coming to life ... the Sanderson Sisters are opening up their home to two lucky guests, who can try to cast some ancient spells.

In celebration of the upcoming release of "Hocus Pocus 2," the witches are hosting a super rare overnight stay at their Salem, MA home, which has been frozen in time for 300 years.

The famous cottage from the OG Disney movie is being recreated into an Airbnb for one night only ... and 2 guests can relive their favorite moments from the Halloween classic for only $31!!!

If you're lucky enough to snag the spot, a night inside the "Hocus Pocus" home will have you feeling like Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy.

The timeworn cottage is nestled in the woods and it will be pretty spooky ... the home's got creaky wooden floorboards and cupboards filled with ingredients primed for a witches' cauldron.

Winifred, Sarah and Mary Sanderson promise not to swoop in on broomsticks and kidnap children ... but overnight guests can still try their hand at a few enchantments in the ancient spellbook.

Salem's famous for its witches ... and guests will also be able to visit the town's most haunted properties, before a special screening of "Hocus Pocus 2" back at the cottage.

Actor Kadeem Hardison is a little hesitant about the "White Men Can't Jump" reboot ... but speaking as one of the stars from the OG flick, he sees some potential -- and even has his eyes set on who could play him in this new-gen version.

We got Kadeem in NYC Tuesday ... and he's got a reason to be timid about the new 'WMCJ" -- it's missin' Ron Shelton, the original film's writer and director, who's arguably the reason the movie's still big today.

But, there might still be hope ... the actor's been hearing good things about Jack Harlow, who's playing Billy Hoyle -- Woody Harrelson's role from 1992.

Kadeem puts it plainly -- the "First Class" rapper could be bringin' some serious flair to the new project.

He also knows who should be playing his role for the reboot -- RJ Cyler, or as Kadeem calls him, the "lightning with the blam blams" dude from Netflix's "The Harder They Fall."

Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh did NOT get into a war of words on the set of "Don't Worry Darling" -- despite a report claiming so -- according to dozens of crew members.

40 people who worked on the film have signed a letter, obtained by People, completely refuting the characterization put out by Vulture -- namely, that FP was angry with OW for allegedly being absent from the set and actually getting into a "screaming match" with her.

The letter reads, in part ... "As a crew, we’ve avoided addressing the absurd gossip surrounding the movie we’re so proud of, but feel the need to correct the anonymous ‘sources’ quoted in a recent article. There was never a screaming match between our director and anyone, let alone a member of our cast."

They went on to heap praise on Olivia, saying ... "We are happy to put our names on this, as real people who worked on the film, and who have witnessed and benefited from the collaborative and safe space Olivia creates as a director and leader. We're also thrilled that the movie is in theaters this weekend. We can't wait for you to see it on the big screen."

A producer for 'DWD' doubled down in a separate statement for good measure, saying any reports/rumors of a feud or screaming match between Olivia and Florence are unfounded.

BTW, the 40 crew members who signed this are big shots in the production ... everyone from the DP to the lead production designer and just about every key job in between -- including EPs and screenplay writers -- have attached their name to this. There are even a good amount of folks in smaller roles, like APs and gaffers, who've signed on as well.

While it's certainly noteworthy that this amount of people would publicly shoot down any notion of friction on set -- the fact is, 40 crew members don't account for even half of the people that worked on that flick. There's well over 100 people credited on IMDb.

Point being ... this doesn't really invalidate Vulture's story. It's possible these folks simply weren't aware of anything going on themselves -- that, or they're running cover for WB.

At any rate, the saga is over ... the movie did well at the box office this weekend -- raking in a little more than $19 million, higher than expected -- and everyone seems to be moving on.

Tyler Perry has long been dogged over his signature character, Madea, and stereotypes some feel she upholds -- but he's defending himself ... especially against Spike Lee.

The movie studio mogul sat for an interview with Chris Wallace as part of his new program on HBO Max -- "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace" -- which was scrapped from CNN+ ... and repurposed on their main streaming app.

Chris asks Tyler about a criticism that Lee once lobbed against him in describing his Madea movies -- in which he called the character and/or those movies "coonery buffoonery" in '09.

From Spike's POV ... Madea is a caricature of Black people, women in particular, and he thinks it's a cheap, over-the-top impersonation that Tyler has monetized with a lot of success. There are at least 10 movies of his in which the character appears.

While TP was once quoted as saying Spike can "go to hell," he's a bit more nuanced in explaining why he loves the character and the thinking behind her makeup. He says Madea represents women he grew up around, whose stories he wanted to convey in a humorous way ... with truth sprinkled in. In other words, he seems to see it as an homage.

Tyler also invokes Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance to reinforce his point ... noting this convo has been happening way before Spike's salvo.

Now, it should be noted ... this old beef, while still discussed today, seems to be long and buried. Back in 2019, when Tyler opened his movie studio lot in Georgia, Spike was actually among the many famous guests who came to check it out. And TP even named one of the soundstages after him ... telling us at the time that his legacy was bigger than their feud.

A new horror movie is coming out next week, and the studio found a creative way to let people know about ... sending background actors to live baseball games, front and center.

We're talking about Paramount's latest offering, "Smile," which drops next Friday ... and amid a lot of "Don't Worry Darling" chatter, it seems the mountain execs were trying to find a way to break through the noise and stand out ... and they chose MLB broadcasts to do it.

Several marquee matchups aired on big-time TV stations Friday -- including Dodgers vs. Cardinals, Mets vs. A's and Yankees vs. Sox. In all of them, there was at least one person prominently positioned behind home plate that held a super creepy smile the entire time.

It was perhaps most notable during the Mets game, where a woman in a highlight green shirt (with the word SMILE written across) was standing and smiling awkwardly ... that is, until a security guard told her to park it.

Another guy in green was also spotted at the Dodgers game, sitting in silence and holding a creepy smile for much of the game. Some of them stood up at times, but mostly sat still and just held the pose ... completely committed to the gag.

Another man, this time in blue, was seen at the Yankees game ... and he got up occasionally -- with viewers at home certainly taking notice and noting it was freaking them out.

Unclear if there were more actors at other games, but these are the ones that people paid close attention to. Of course, this is good old-fashioned viral marketing ... and it would appear it worked, 'cause the stunt is getting some media coverage.

"Smile" is going up against Billy Eichner's rom-com, "Bros," next week ... not to mention any spillover from 'DWD' and other recent horror releases like "Barbarian" and "Pearl." Plus, "Avatar" is back in theaters, and it already seems to be doing well -- so tough competition.

Paramount's smiling through it all though, especially at the ballpark!

There's been more said about the off-set shenanigans on "Don't Worry Darling" than the actual movie -- and it looks like that'll actually help it at the box office ... go figure!

The early numbers are in, and all the whispers have apparently attracted the public's attention ... based on estimations thus far -- 'DWD' is on track to rake in about $21 million this weekend, a huge W for WB, seeing how the movie only cost around $35 mil to make.

On Thursday alone, the movie pulled an impressive $3.1 million in previews (with limited screenings). When it opened wide on Friday, however ... it cashed in another $6.3 mil.

As of now, the movie's made about $9.4M total ... and at this rate, it'll have beat projections -- which had this thing fluctuating in the mid-to-high-10s, considering all the negative publicity surrounding the project ... particularly between Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde.

Speaking of FP ... she actually went out of her way to post some behind the scenes shots from her days on set, and her collection make it seem like everything was super chill.

There's a photo of her and Olivia in there as well ... but it should be noted, it's a still frame from a scene in the movie -- as opposed to a true BTS shot, of which she has several with other castmates. At any rate, it seems Florence is trying to put out the fire here too.

She shouted out some crew members from the film -- not Olivia though -- and went on to say, "This film was such an epic story on such a large scale to shoot, all while during peak Covid times. For that I will always be grateful. To all of you who helped make this, your dedication and love was seen daily - thank you."

The timing of her post is interesting, because a bombshell report from Vulture on Friday alleged that all the rumored drama between Florence and Olivia was, in fact, real ... and it did, indeed, have to do with Olivia supposedly being absent a lot, going missing with none other than Harry Styles. Per Vulture, FP and OW got into a "screaming match" on set.

The report says it left Florence fuming ... and she had to go into negotiations with Warner to make sure she'd promote the movie at the absolute bare minimum -- which she has.

That -- coupled with #SpitGate and suggestions that Harry and Olivia have split (which don't seem to be true) -- is the ultimate cherry on this messy sundae. And yet, it's cleaning up!

Never mind the terrible reviews ... and the so-so plot/performances from everyone except Florence. Box office is still king in this town, and Warner probably loves to see it. 😮‍💨

Oscar-winning actress Louise Fletcher, who played the iconic villain Nurse Ratched in "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest," died from natural causes Friday in France, this according to her family.

Her son, Andrew Bick, tells TMZ ... Louise passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in Montdurausee -- a commune in Southern France -- after she had overcome breast cancer several years ago.

Louise snagged the 1976 Best Actress Academy Award for her bone-chilling performance as Nurse Ratched in 'Cuckoo’s Nest.' The film, which swept all 5 Oscars in each of the major categories, centered around the tense relationship between Ratched and Randall McMurphy, a psych ward patient played by Jack Nicholson.

McMurphy was an anti-authority-free spirit who was a threat to Ratched's strict rules to keep the other patients in line. In the end, McMurphy won over the hearts and minds of the patients ... only to have a vengeful Ratched order him to be turned into a lobotomized vegetable.

The Nurse Ratched character was hand-picked as the fifth-greatest villain in movie history by the American Film Institute -- and she was runner-up to the Wicked Witch of the West as the greatest villainess.

After the success of 'Cuckoo's Nest,' Fletcher landed roles in other popular films and TV shows, such as "ER," "Picket Fences," "A Perfect Man," "Shameless" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." She was nominated for an Emmy for "Fences."

Louise was 88.

"Black-ish" actor Allen Maldonado says his people in Puerto Rico are suffering after a catastrophic 1-2 punch from mother nature ... so, he's urging folks to do whatever they can to help.

We got the Afro-Puerto Rican actor at LAX, where he told us about his visit to the Caribbean island earlier this year -- and he says he what he saw makes him even more concerned about Hurricane Fiona's recent path of destruction, which left millions without power.

Allen says folks in P.R. were still recovering from the previous hurricane before this one hit, and he's stressing just how desperate the situation is down there.

The 'Last O.G.' star says a recent string of disasters -- natural and otherwise -- are reminding him how important it is to spread love around the world, and that's why he's calling on everyone to donate anything they can to help families -- but not just in Puerto Rico.

Allen made a point to shout out the citizens of Jackson, Mississippi ... who are still dealing with the water crisis there.

Pete Davidson's back in the Big Apple with a new woman on his arm -- yes, she's his costar, Kaley Cuoco -- but interestingly enough, his ex, Kim Kardashian, was also in town.

The 'SNL' alum was all smiles Tuesday night in Manhattan as he and Kaley attended the premiere of "Meet Cute" -- a rom-com they shot for Peacock. Pete went with his usual "just rolled outta bed" look -- white hoodie, green sweatpants and orange shades ... while Kaley rocked something more glittery and formal.

They looked pretty comfortable in front of cameras, with Pete wrapping his arm around KC and flashing a smile from time to time.

It's one of the bigger public events we've seen Pete attend since he and Kim split back in August. He's maintained a relatively low profile since ... so it's good to see him out and about and doing well.

PD had his mom and sis with him as well.

Kim was also in NYC Tuesday for an appearance on "Good Morning America" to plug the new season of her Hulu show, "The Kardashians." She was rolling solo while cruising around the city, and also rocked some goofy sunglasses.

Adam Sandler's been walking around with a cane, and while it might look kinda swaggy, it's not for show -- it's part of his recovery from going under the knife a few weeks back.

We got photos of Adam out this past weekend in L.A.'s Pacific Palisades neighborhood with the cane in his right hand for support ... while he shopped with his wife, Jackie.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Adam's been using the cane because of a recent hip surgery he had around Labor Day.

We're told this wasn't due to a sudden injury, or any medical emergency -- Adam specifically scheduled the surgery to land between projects. Fans can rest easy ... we're told the Sandman will be all healed and ready to go for his upcoming comedy tour, which begins in late October.

Adam had been seen walking around town with a cane for a few weeks, but he hadn't said anything about why he needed it.

Our sources say the surgery was a success, and Adam -- who famously loves his pickup basketball games -- is already looking forward to getting on a court in the near future.

Sylvester Stallone is raising some eyebrows with his latest post ... dropping old photos with his estranged wife Jennifer Flavin as they go through an ugly divorce.

Sly posted the pics Monday on IG -- the first one appears to be an old pic of Jennifer and him holding hands. In the second pic Sylvester, Jennifer and their 3 daughters are smiling and looking happy together as a family ... it's obvious it was taken many years ago.

He seemed to be taking a trip down memory lane ... adding a simple but vague caption, "Wonderful…"

It's interesting timing for sure ... you'll recall, Jennifer filed for divorce from Sly last month after 25 years of marriage, noting their union was "irretrievably broken."

She also accused the actor of moving assets from marital funds ...  and he's fired back, denying that.

As we've reported, Sly told us he and Jennifer had just grown apart -- though he acknowledged they also argued about his Rottweiler, Dwight -- making it clear the marriage was dunzo and saying they wanted to work deal with everything privately.

Viola Davis' new movie has sparked a fierce debate about Hollywood covering hard truths through a lens -- including slavery ... resulting in some calling for a boycott of this one.

"The Woman King" hit theaters this weekend, but almost as quickly as the hype for the flick started soaring ... the pushback also began -- with some calling for an outright shunning because of what they perceive as whitewashing the history of the subjects depicted.

The criticism ... the African tribe shown on screen, the Dahomey, as well as their all-female military regiment, the Agodjie, are presented as righteous, empowering liberators in all the marketing thus far ... when in reality, they were knee-deep in the Atlantic slave trade.

The record isn't pretty ... Dahomey was one of a handful of tribes in the 17th/18th/19th centuries that captured and sold off Black slaves to Europeans -- a means of trade they continued for a good while ... until the Brits actually forced them to stop in the mid-1800s.

The trailer doesn't allude to any of this whatsoever ... it just shows Viola training a new wave of recruits for the Agodjie and battling against what appear to be white colonizers in a showdown. Because of this, it seems, a good handful of folks are crying foul -- alleging the studio, Sony, is attempting to rewrite history and downplay the Dahomey's part in all this.

While some have made it clear they're against glorifying anyone who facilitated the slave trade, white or Black, and appear dead set on boycotting ... others are arguing people should see the film for themselves, saying it DOES in fact tackle the issue with nuance.

However, there've been some historians weighing in -- who are both educated on this subject and have seen the movie -- and they say ... yeah, 'TWK' does blur the lines a bit by making the Dahomey look more like victims of circumstance than willing participants.

We haven't seen it yet, so we can't say for sure what is or isn't shown. What we do know is that the reviews are glowing -- but many critics aren't showing their cards on this specific issue of the slave trade and how the Dahomey's relationship to it is handled in the movie.

With that said, it seems reasonable to have folks go see it with their own two eyes and make up their own minds. While it's within everyone's right to boycott/call for a boycott -- it seems sorta silly without having absorbed the material and debating it after the fact.

"Toy Story" could be getting a new sequel ... because of a mysterious breakfast date.

Check out these pics of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen chowing down low-key and somewhat undercover at a somewhat out-of-the-way restaurant in L.A.

They had breakfast at the restaurant inside the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel on the Sunset Strip a few days ago -- the pics just surfaced. They were both wearing shades and sitting away from the normies.

As you know, Tom was the voice of Woody, and Tim voiced Buzz Lightyear in the 1995 flick. There have been several sequels since, but neither were in the last one -- "Lightyear" -- which was released in June.

Tom took a shot at "Lightyear" producers during an interview, saying he wanted to do the sequel with Tim but "they didn't let Tim Allen do it. I don't understand that." It's clearly politics -- Tim's don't align with most of Hollywood, but Tom clearly doesn't think that matters.

Some of Anne Heche's family members are duking it out in court over the late actress' estate ... and it's getting nasty.

Here's the deal ... Anne, who had 2 sons with 2 different men, died without a will and her oldest son, 20-year-old Homer Laffoon, wants to run the estate. He also wants his younger half-brother, 13-year-old Atlas Heche Tupper, and himself listed as Anne's sole heirs.

That would've been clean and simple, but enter James Tupper -- Anne's former "Men In Trees" co-star and Atlas' father says Anne wanted him to be in charge of her estate.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, James claims Anne emailed him and 2 other people a copy of her will back in 2011, when they were still dating. James says in the email Anne stated she nominated him as the executor of her will so he could carry out her financial wishes.

Meanwhile, Homer's recently doubled down on allegations James is trying to manipulate him ... with Homer claiming he can't get in touch with his half-brother because James is controlling Atlas' phone.

James is firing back in this latest legal filing ... claiming Homer "is not suitable" to run the estate, claiming he's only 20, is unemployed, dropped out of school and was estranged from Anne at the time of her death.

What's more, James claims he's trying to meet up with Homer, but says he's being ghosted ... and James also accuses Homer of locking him and Atlas out of Anne's house as soon as she died.

As we reported ... Anne lost consciousness shortly after last month's car crash and never regained it, dying from her injuries days later in a hospital from thermal injuries and smoke inhalation.