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Richard Gere is recovering in Mexico this weekend after he caught a case of pneumonia -- this while vacationing with his family -- but the good news is ... he's gonna be alright.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... the actor is down near Nuevo Vallarta this week -- where he's celebrating the 40th birthday of his wife, Alejandra Silva, with their kids. Alejandra posted a photo Thursday showing her and the kiddos walking toward a beach.

We're told that, before the trip, Richard developed a bad cough ... and it continued while he was there as well. Our sources say it got so bad, he had to check himself into a hospital ... where we're told he was diagnosed with pneumonia and treated in an overnight stay. Unclear what day he went in, but we're told it was during his vacay -- which is ongoing.

Fortunately, he was out the following day ... and we're told Richard was given antibiotics to help keep the illness at bay. For now, our sources say he seems to be doing much better.

Interestingly, Alejandra herself alluded to a sickness that apparently continued to dog Richard. In the IG post from Thursday ... she said the whole family had been ill for 3 weeks.

However, her IG Story post from Saturday seems to confirm what we're hearing about RG's condition -- namely, that he's okay. You can see her, Richard and one of their kids walking ... and she notes it's another beach day for them. Richard is seen wearing a mask.

Lance Gross has no problem with Idris Elba refusing to call himself a "Black actor" ... and while he isn't necessarily hopping on that train, he's definitely not down with labels.

We got LG out in L.A. Thursday and got his thoughts on the whole "Black actor" discussion ... sparked by Idris declaring he no longer wants to be described that way because he feels it puts him in a box.

Lance tells us, he totally understands Idris' point, and said his personal stance is pretty similar -- "I'm an actor first, who happens to be Black." Basically, he's not parading the term either.

He also says he makes a point to tell his team to seek out roles that aren't written just for Black folks, and that means he gets the "best of both worlds".

For Lance, it's all about doing the job well, rather than talking about his race.

Idris initially made his remarks while talking to Esquire UK ... but he's since doubled down on social media, despite drawing mixed feelings from fans.

One user fired back, "You only became as popular as you are because of BLACK AMERICANS, but instead of using your platform to speak UP for US, you promote acceptance of the status quo. I am DISGUSTED with you. Then again, Black Americans have historically been the ONLY group with BACKBONE."

Bruce Willis' original diagnosis of aphasia has progressed, according to his family members ... who say the latest word from doctors is that he has frontotemporal dementia.

His daughter Rumer Willis posted that update and a statement from the family ... telling fans Bruce has now been diagnosed with a common cause of dementia, which is known as FTD.

The family says "Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD). Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis."

There are currently no treatments for FTD.

As we reported, Rumer initially revealed last year that aphasia would severely impact his ability to communicate, and, as a result, he would have to end his acting career.

Aphasia impacts the ability to comprehend words and/or speak. It can be caused by strokes, tumors or other brain damage, but it's not clear what led to his initial diagnosis.

Raquel Welch, who paved the way as both an actress and international sex symbol has died ... TMZ has learned.

According to family members, Raquel died this morning after a brief illness.

Welch first rose to fame for her back-to-back roles in "Fantastic Voyage" and "One Million Years B.C." -- both in 1966.

Welch only had a handful of lines in 'B.C.' but it was her wardrobe -- a simple and skimpy deerskin bikini -- that catapulted her to sex symbol status.

From there, Welch's profile blew up, and she was one of the most sought-after female stars throughout the '60s and '70s ... taking home plenty of hardware in the process, including a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her 1974 role in "The Three Musketeers."

Welch was named one of the "100 Sexiest Stars in Film History" in an issue of Empire magazine in 1995 ... and was ranked #3 in Playboy's "100 Sexiest Stars of the 20th Century."

She also appeared on "The Cher Show" in 1975 and performed "I'm a Woman" with Cher.

Raquel was married 4 times throughout her life -- James Welch ('59-'64), Patrick Curtis ('67-'72), Andre Weinfeld ('80-'90) and Richard Palmer ('99-'04) -- with 2 kids, Tahnee and Damon Welch.

Raquel was 82.

Sharon Stone is tearfully paying tribute to her late brother who just passed away this weekend ... and it has her reflecting on the "tremendous loss" her family's endured recently.

The actress confirmed Patrick's death, posting a video Monday evening with the caption "Godspeed Patrick Joseph Stone." In the short clip, she says he did, in fact, suffer a fatal heart attack ... and noted he's the father of the late River Stone.

River was Patrick's 11-month-old son who died in 2021 after his organs failed -- and Sharon tearfully expresses how difficult these past couple years have been for her family.

SS says she's thankful for all the love and support during this time, and appreciates the condolences she's received as well ... adding that the loss they've endured is just here on earth.

Remember, Sharon lost her grandmother and godmother in 2020 to COVID-19. As she copes with all that death, she's encouraging people to continue being kind to one another.

TMZ broke the story ... Patrick went into cardiac arrest Sunday in Pennsylvania, and for now -- his death is being attributed to heart disease.

As Sharon pointed out, he's survived by his wife and 2 children. Patrick was 57.

Danny Trejo is filing for bankruptcy -- but it's not because the dude is broke or anything ... he's just got a nagging bill with the IRS that would best be resolved this way.

The legendary actor tells TMZ ... he's filing Tuesday for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which mostly has to do with reorganizing his assets to help deal with this debt he owes Uncle Sam -- which he says is about $2 million in taxes.

Part of the reason he fell into this hole ... Danny says he was mistakenly claiming deductions over the years that caught up with him. He even jokingly tells us he now realizes that dog grooming isn't a legit expense you can write off. 😅

A quick note -- while Danny is personally filing for bankruptcy, his many businesses -- including his record label, his coffee/donut shops and, of course, his famed Trejo's Tacos -- are doing just fine ... and aren't affected by this.

Those enterprises are owned by corporations and LLCs he's created to run them, and we've been assured his own financial woes are not a reflection of how those are producing. On the contrary, all indications suggest Danny's doing swimmingly in the free market.

Things are getting pissy on the set of the upcoming "Joker" sequel ... we're told extras are angry over the lack of bathroom access, causing tension with production.

Sources on set tell TMZ ... extras for the movie have been complaining about working for over 2 hours nonstop and not being allowed to use the bathroom or drink water during filming at Warner Bros Studios in Burbank.

We're told the potty problems are mainly cropping up when extras are on set for camera setups, which often last between 20 minutes to an hour. The background actors fear repercussions if they ask higher-ups to use the loo ... that's because they say some extras have already been berated.

Our sources say one extra had to use the bathroom "terribly" between camera setups, but in order to do so, they first had to "state their case" to the assistant director as to why it was really an emergency.

When the extra was on their way back to set after using the bathroom, we're told they grabbed a cup of water and an assistant director said to them, "Why are you drinking more water? So you have to go pee again?"

We're told another A.D. was overheard saying, "I've never had to go to the bathroom this much. What do they even do in there? Cause they definitely aren't using them."

With the shoot tentatively scheduled for 5 weeks, there's a lot of money and regular work on the table for extras during a normally slow period in Hollywood, which is why some don't want to ruffle any feathers over bathroom breaks.

We've learned SAG received a complaint about a break time violation and they investigated and spoke to production. We're told production's been cooperative and SAG will continue to follow up and monitor the set.

"Joker: Folie à Deux" is set to be released in 2024 ... and it's starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. Filming began in December.

It's the second time there have been bathroom issues on a "Joker" movie set ... as we first told you, during filming for the first movie back in 2018, extras were locked in a Brooklyn subway car for more than 3 hours and started peeing on the tracks.

James Cameron is facing off against James Cameron for the third spot on the list of highest-grossing movies of all time -- with two of his offerings within inches of one another for the honor.

Here's the deal ... we already know JC's newest flick, "Avatar: The Way of Water," has been steadily climbing these past few months -- blowing past film after film on the all-time box office record chart ... that is, until it hit a snag with "Titanic," which was securely at #3.

That briefly changed this weekend, with 'Avatar 2' replacing Cameron's crown jewel for the third spot ... if only for a day or so. As of Sunday, however, "Titanic" reclaimed its position.

In other words, the 2 movies (obviously, both Cameron's) were flip-flopping in ranking -- but for now, it looks like "Titanic" is holding firm at #3, and 'Avatar 2' is still #4 ... with the latest projections through the weekend for both movies being about $2.217B and $2.214B, respectively.

Although "Avatar" made more money than "Titanic" this weekend ... "Titanic" has still made more money long-term, but it's expected 'Avatar 2' will overtake it again in the coming days.

BTW, if you're wondering why we're saying "Titanic" was in theaters this weekend (as if it's 1997 all over again) ... that's because it was. The film is celebrating its 25th anniversary and got re-released, which means more ticket sales ... even in 2023. 😅

Three of Cameron's films are now all-timers. The first "Avatar" is still king with $2.92 billion, "Avengers: Endgame" is 2nd at $2.79 bil ... and you know the rest, for the time being.

The internet had good old George Clooney trending amid speculation he'd return as the Caped Crusader in James Gunn's DC Universe ... but the mastermind himself says it's BS.

The director and now-co-chief of all things DC shot down a rumor that started to pick up steam these past couple days ... namely, the notion that George could possibly come back and reprise his role as Batman in the new 'Batman' movie that was recently announced.

On Saturday, Gunn responded to a fan who flat out asked him if it was true he was going to cast GC in the 'Brave and the Bold' flick ... which features a much older Batman (and his son, Robin).

When someone pressed for further details -- asking if there was any truth to the idea he was going to cast an actor who'd previously played Batman, period -- Gunn again flatly denied that ... saying they were going in a completely new direction with a totally new actor.

The reason this began percolating at all is because a film journo claimed to have the inside scoop on DC's hopes when it came to who they wanted under the cowl in their latest reboot of the franchise ... suggesting it was either Clooney, Val Kilmer or Christian Bale, and that this person may even cameo in the new 'Flash' flick that's coming out this year.

She said she knew who the studio wanted -- noting a deal wasn't in place yet -- but refused to identify the alleged favorite in mind ... and Twitter handled the rest, making all 3 trend.

Considering plans for this new Bat-movie were literally just unveiled about a week ago, it's safe to say ... no one is cast until they're cast -- so it's probably best to just wait until this actually goes into production before diving head-first into conjecture.

Alec Baldwin is going after the "Rust" prosecutor ... claiming she is charging him with something that wasn't even a crime when Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed.

As we reported, Baldwin has been charged with involuntary manslaughter with a firearms enhancement. That firearms enhancement allows the judge to put Baldwin in prison for a MANDATORY 5 years.

Baldwin's lawyers filed legal docs Friday, arguing the firearms enhancement law was not passed by the New Mexico State Legislature until May, 2022 ... 7 months AFTER the incident.

Now, there's an old version of the enhancement law that was in effect at the time of the "Rust" shooting, but that law requires that a firearm be "brandished," and that term is defined as follows ... "displaying or making a firearm known to another person ... with intent to intimidate or injure a person." Under any scenario, Baldwin had no intent to injure.

If the judge throws out the firearms enhancement charge, it significantly changes the punishment. He would only face up to 18 months in prison, and the judge could grant probation.

Alec Baldwin has yet another lawsuit to deal with regarding the fatal "Rust" shooting ... family members of the late Halyna Hutchins are taking the actor and several others to court.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Halyna's parents and sister have named Alec -- as well as a slew of companies and individuals -- as defendants in the suit. Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is one of the many named.

The docs claim several safety protocols on set were ignored, including their insistence that Gutierrez-Reed should've been the only one handing Baldwin the gun -- NOT Assistant Director David Halls, who's also named as a defendant.

The family says Baldwin "cannot hide" behind Halls' alleged statement on set that the gun was "cold" ... adding a veteran actor like himself should've insisted that it was demonstrated to him or checked it himself.

What's more, the docs say the scene they were filming didn't call for Baldwin's gun to be cocked or fired at all -- and they say there was insufficient plexiglass in the building at the time of the incident, which could've ensured Hutchins' safety.

Hutchins' family is suing for loss of consortium, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and more ... and is seeking unspecified damages.

We've reached out to Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed -- Hannah's lawyer, Jason Bowles, had no comment ... no word from Baldwin's team.

Prized 'Star Wars' memorabilia that belonged to Peter Mayhew, the actor who famously played Chewbacca, is about to go up for auction ... and unrightfully so, according to the late actor's wife.

Angie Mayhew tells TMZ ... she's very upset an auction house in the UK is selling a ton of Pete's possessions from his 'Star Wars' days, including scripts, call sheets, signed photos and more.

The collection was given to Ryedale Auctioneers by a couple who moved into Peter's old home in northern England and found the items in the attic.

The couple didn't know the memorabilia once belonged to Peter, so they unwittingly gave it all up.

Angie tells us when they were moving out of the home, Peter attempted to snag his mementos from the attic, but couldn't get inside due to serious knee issues ... and he didn't want Angie to risk injury going up there herself.

She says Peter scooped up as many items within arm's reach as he could, but had to leave the rest.

Angie says leaving the memorabilia was one of her and Peter's "biggest disappointments" in life.

On Tuesday, Peter's wife saw the items were up for auction, and immediately got honchos at the Peter Mayhew Foundation to contact the auction house. Angie says she plans to speak with the auction house Thursday.

You'll recall, the iconic 'Star Wars' actor died back in 2019. Angie is hoping to reclaim the items and put them on display in the family's "Chewy" museum in Texas.

The woman who accused Armie Hammer of raping her says he's trying to gain sympathy and manipulate her by now claiming he tried suicide after she spoke out against him.

Effie Angelova took to Instagram Monday and said the actor told her about his attempted suicide before she publicly claimed he raped her in 2021.

Armie broke his silence Saturday about the rape allegations, saying he was hoping to drown or get eaten by a shark in the ocean, but he changed his mind, thinking about his kids.

Hammer has denied her claims and said this was all consensual role-playing and she's the one who suggested they meet at Starbucks, pretending they were strangers ... and then she would go home and leave the door unlocked for him to come in.

TMZ broke the story, law enforcement has already decided no criminal charges will be filed, but the LAPD has not turned the case over to the D.A. ... it's been with LAPD for more than a year and a half.

In several IG posts, Effie said she was so worried about Armie and only wanted to take care of him after he told her about his alleged childhood abuse and had disappeared for a couple days.

"Now he claims his ocean story happened after I spoke out publicly," Effie said.

She added, "It seems so manipulative because he knows his ocean story shut me up last time and evoked sympathy and it's like now he's trying it again."

As we reported, Effie claimed Armie violently raped her for four hours, during which he allegedly slammed her head against a wall and physically abused her in other ways.

Jack Harlow's acting debut got a first look this weekend in the new trailer for the rebooted "White Men Can't Jump" -- and the consensus on Twitter seems to be ... uh, yeah, no.

Indeed ... Hulu dropped the trailer for the flick Sunday, which is hitting their service exclusively in May. Everyone already knew Jack was attached to the project -- replacing Woody Harrelson's character from the OG -- and now ... the reactions are pouring in online.

While there are certainly some who were left impressed with what they saw -- specifically from Jack -- the honest truth is ... most don't seem all that interested in checking this one out, and they're voicing it in pretty passionate (and sometimes hilarious) terms.

The best way to get an unbiased read on how folks actually feel about it is to hop into the comment sections of film/rap/basketball blog accounts that reposted the trailer. It's there you'll see almost everybody echoing a similar sentiment ... this didn't need to be remade.

Then, there are the tweets specifically aimed at Jack's performance ... or at least what we've seen of it thus far. Those ones are little more harsh, especially since there are other white dudes that bird app users apparently would've liked to have seen more ... like Tristan Jass.

Others are harping on the fact that the studio here seems to have wanted to capitalize on Jack's music fame to boost this a bit -- which some see as gimmicky and unnecessary.

One Twitter user put Jack's performance this way in response to someone who said he doesn't come across as half bad in the role ... writing, "He's not white enough." 😅

The bigger takeaway is that people appear upset at the fact that Hollywood has rebooted yet another cult classic ... even when no one really asked for it. They did it again earlier this year with "House Party," and now there's this. Not to mention all the reboots of years past.

For the uninitiated, reboots are part of movie-making DNA ... so they'll be around no matter what. As for Jack, dude's probably too busy to listen to all the noise ... he's up for 3 Grammys tonight, so he's preoccupied. And besides, the film's done and it's coming out.🤷🏽‍♂️

James Cameron's 'Avatar' sequel has reigned supreme at the box office for weeks now -- but a new flick might be gearing up to take it down ... with Dave Bautista at the helm.

We're talking about M. Night Shyamalan's sci-fi thriller "Knock at the Cabin," which just hit theaters. The film's gotten mixed reviews, but it seems the movie-going crowd is eager to see it ... so far, it's made $5.4 mil and is on track to make about $14.5 mil through Sunday.

While lower than what early projections had it pegged at -- between $15M-$20M over the weekend -- that figure is still strong enough to knock off 'The Way of Water' ... which has been #1 for over a month now. The sequel has been cruising, without much competition.

Box office estimates have 'Avatar 2' coming in at around $10 million ... which, if it holds true, would actually drop it down to #3, below yet another new movie that's doing quite alright.

That would be the Jane Fonda-led '80 for Brady,' which is expected to fetch around $13 million this weekend ... not too far behind Shyamalan's highly-anticipated mind-twister.

This one's about a group of older women who take a trip to Foxborough to catch their favorite Patriots QB in action. It's an original comedy ... and considering those are kinda tanking these days in ticket sales, it's a nice surprise to see the strong showing -- especially since this is targeted toward a more senior-leaning audience.

In either case, it looks like 'Avatar's' time on top is coming to an end -- but it's not like Cameron and co. are complaining. The blockbuster has made more money than anyone could've hoped for ... now sitting as the 4th highest-grossing motion picture of all time.

Liam Hemsworth is clearly over Miley Cyrus, and the evidence is compelling -- locked in a passionate kiss with Laura Dern -- EXCEPT, it's just a movie!

The 32-year-old stud and the 55-year-old ageless beauty were filming "Lonely Planet" in downtown LA. Imagine driving down a street and seeing these 2 making out ... kind of awesome, until you realize it's all for Netflix.

Liam's been taking heat lately from ex-wife Miley, who recently dropped "Flowers" on his birthday, seemingly shading him.

Liam's been mum over the song ... probably because his mouth is otherwise engaged.