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The woman who the Barbie doll is named after is giving Margot Robbie her stamp of approval ... and she thinks the upcoming movie is going to please Barbie fans.

Barbara Handler, whose mother Ruth created the famous toy and named it after her, tells TMZ ... she's seen the "Barbie" movie trailer that just dropped and thinks Margot nailed the starring role.

Overall, Barbara thinks the trailer is super cute and she's especially liking Margot's voice ... and it's got her looking forward to the movie's July release even more. She says the rest of the cast, which includes Ryan Gosling, seems to be great together.

Barbara says her late mother, who also named the Ken doll after Barbara's late brother, never imagined her creation being turned into a Hollywood production ... and she thinks Ruth would be pleased to see the doll come to life on the big screen.

The Handler family wasn't involved in the film, but Barbara says it's great to see her mother's legacy live on.

Ben Affleck was looking light on his feet this weekend next to J Lo, and it might have to do with his new Michael Jordan movie ... even though it's not quite a money-maker just yet.

The couple was spotted out Saturday grabbing a bite for lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where they were both dressed up in snazzy duds -- BA was rocking a tan pullover sweater with jeans and matching sneakers to round out the ensemble. Nikes, specifically, mind you.

Jen, meanwhile, was wearing a Springtime colorful sun dress and some high-heeled boots.

It's Ben ya gotta focus on, though, 'cause the dude is absolutely radiating ... flashing a big smile to the paps who were shooting them and carrying a little extra pep to his step. The question ... what the heck is he so damn happy about considering his long grump streak???

Besides being married to Jennifer, he's got a lot to be cheery over ... including his latest flick, 'Air,' which hit theaters this week and which has garnered tremendous reviews and stellar word of mouth. By most accounts, it's 2023's first great flick and a crowd-pleaser.

The only (potential) problem is that 'Air' is not on pace to be a box office smash -- especially since it's up against Mario and co., which is taking the top spot this weekend by a mile.

Although his movie is on pace to rake in around $20 mil or so through Sunday -- depending on which projections you look at -- it reportedly cost a fortune to make ... around $90 mil, according to Variety. With that sorta budget, it's hard to say if Amazon Studios will recoup their investment in the short term ... but it's also hard to say what'll be considered a W here.

'Air' is Ben and Matt Damon's first project under their new production co., where they're sharing the wealth, and what's more ... this flick was made with a streaming-first mentality, even though it's hitting theaters initially. So, the formula for success on this one's wonky.

Chris Pratt took a lot of crap when he was announced as the voice of Mario for the new 'Super Mario Bros.' flick -- but now that the product is out ... the consensus is, he's aight.

The critics/amateur critics have sounded off on Twitter these past few days, weighing in on whether CP did the iconic video game character justice in the first animated feature-length film -- and from the looks of it, sounds like most everyone thinks he did a decent job.

Specifically, the term that keeps getting thrown around for his voice work is ... "fine."

As Polygon put it, Chris is "Aggressively Fine" as Mario ... and it would appear others feel the same. In other words, it ain't a groundbreaking performance ... nor does it move the needle in voice acting. But, the guy got the job done -- and wasn't distracting doing it.

If you're wondering what exactly he sounds like -- which has mostly been kept under wraps -- well, you can just go see it ... or look for snippets on Twitter. In either case, you'll see that Chris used a mash-up of accents ... mostly honing in on an Italian-American one that you might hear in Brooklyn. Throughout the film, he also slips into classic cartoonish Mario-isms.

While Chris might've been serviceable, the movie itself has gotten pretty awful reviews -- with some calling it soulless. Others, meanwhile, say it's a hoot ... especially for the kids.

Of course, all that matters to the studio heads are those box office numbers ... and so far, 'SMBM' is on its way to a stellar start. It's already on pace to hit $195 mil domestically through Sunday.

Heather Graham says she's A-OK with the fact that she doesn't have children ... something she feels like most women haven't been able to say up until recently.

The star dished her thoughts on the subject to People, telling them ... "I think we all have different paths. You just have to embrace the one that you're on. If, somehow, I had had kids, I'm sure that would've been cool."

She adds, "But at the moment, not having kids, I do feel free. And I get a lot of sleep. That is pretty great."

HG also had this to say about the notion of being able to own the fact one might not want little ones, especially as a woman ... "I do feel like as a woman, culturally, you're not allowed to say, 'I didn't want to have kids. Because it's like, what's wrong with you?'"

She finishes her thought by saying, "I think as a man it's like, oh yeah, cool, you didn't want to have kids. Now, women are getting more free to just make their own choices."

Graham says she believes if she was meant to have kids, she would've. Instead, she focuses on film/TV projects, which she says she views as her "little kids." She finishes by saying she's fulfilled with her life and happy with the journey she's chosen as an actress in Hollywood.

Jeremy Renner continues to amaze ... he's gone from an ever-so-close near-death experience to Six Flags ... in just a few months!

Jeremy took his fam to Six Flags on Good Friday ... and tooled around the park on a motorized scooter.

He posted the pics and video with the caption, "Leading the way Best I can Spring Break 2023!!!" ... adding, "Good Friday, made magic happen on the mountain with some of my amazing family!"

Jeremy's come back to the L.A. area where he's recovering at home ... this just three months after he was run over by a snowplow on New Year's Day. His injuries were massive ... more than 30 broken bones, a punctured liver, a collapsed lung and a lot more.

The 'Avengers' star described the pain and the enormity of the injuries to Diane Sawyer, and the animation that was created to show how he was run over is bone-chilling.

Jeremy said the snowplow began to slide, and he worried his nephew might be crushed between the plow and another vehicle, so he stepped out of the cab and put his foot on the track to look, only to fall to the ground. He believed his nephew might get crushed so he jumped back onto the track, but it was moving and sucked him under, running him over.

It's Easter weekend, so it feels fitting to take a look at some actors that had their careers rise from the dead after going through a bit of a dry spell -- what a miracle!

We all know about Brendan Fraser and Ke Huy Quan's recent renaissance periods ... but do you remember Winona Ryder's fall from grace, only to get picked back up as Joyce from "Stranger Things?"

And, who could forget Mickey Rourke's tumultuous ride, going from acting to boxing -- only to end up taking home awards years later for his iconic role in "The Wrestler" ... a movie that made some parallels to his own life.

Of course, there was also child star Neil Patrick Harris, desperately looking to shake the Doogie Howser vibes and become something bigger ... or Natasha Lyonne's step back from the spotlight, only to return as a triple threat.

You'd think Barbie fans would be more than satisfied with the latest trailer for the Margot Robbie flick ... but some have a serious question for those who worked on the movie -- where's the freakin' Aqua song?!?!

That's right, fans are scratching their heads at this week's new look at Warner Brothers' "Barbie" -- with many calling the absence of Aqua's "Barbie Girl" a HUGE missed opportunity.

Check out the responses to the missing 1997 hit ... one says it'll be heartbreaking if the song doesn't make the cut.

Another fan points out, the trailer starts with Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, shouting out "Hi Barbie!" ... with Margot responding, "Hi Ken!" ... just like in the Aqua track.

When the movie was first announced, Ulrich Møller-Jørgensen -- manager for Aqua lead singer Lene Nystrøm -- said the track wouldn't be used but never explained why.

Of course, there's been a legal battle between Mattel and Aqua. The toy company filed suit against MCA Records back in 1997 for distributing the track -- Mattel was concerned it would hurt the brand. Aqua came out victorious in the end.

Even Barbie is controversial these days ... jeez.

Here's a big shocker from señor Ben Affleck, who's breaking down his new movie, "Air" ... in perfect Spanish!!!

Ben threw social media into a tizzy Thursday as a lot of folks were shocked to learn he's bilingual ... despite the fact it's something of an open secret.

Ben sat down with El Cine En La Ser for an interview about his film ... explaining why Michael Jordan himself doesn't appear in the movie about his groundbreaking Nike contract.

If ya don't have the gift of gab en español, fear not, we did the translation, and Ben says there's not an actor in the world who could make an audience believe they're MJ, so the movie tells the story without focusing on Michael.

Still, Ben says he wouldn't have made the movie without Mike's blessing, which is why he had a sit down with the legend ... who told him the most important parts of the story were nailing 3 characters ... Howard White, George Raveling and MJ's own mother.

It's funny ... Ben says Jordan told him they had to get Viola Davis to play his mom, which Ben jokes is like asking someone to play basketball and they will only do so if MJ's on their team.

Ben's explained the same stuff in English, but it's impressive to hear him say it in Spanish -- which, btw, he learned in his youth ... pre-J Lo.

Lance Reddick's cause of death has been revealed as heart disease ... according to the late actor's death certificate.

The document, obtained by TMZ, lists Reddick's immediate cause of death as Ischemic Heart Disease as well as Atherosclerotic Coronary Artery Disease. The death cert also states Reddick was to be cremated.

TMZ broke the story ... Reddick, best known for his role in "The Wire" and the 'John Wick' movie franchise, was found dead at his Studio City home on March 17. At the time, law enforcement sources said his death appeared to be of natural causes.

We know Lance's wife, Stephanie, was the one who dialed 911 after finding him collapsed in the backyard.

Just before he died, Lance was doing a press tour for the "John Wick: Chapter 4" film ... and he even had an appearance scheduled on Kelly Clarkson's show for the week after he passed away.

Lance posted a selfie video just days before his sudden death at home with his pups, raising questions as to why he wasn't attending the 'Wick 4' premiere in New York City.

Lance's castmates honored him by wearing blue ribbons to the movie's premiere in Los Angeles, and Keanu Reeves shared some touching words about his friend.

Outside of 'John Wick,' Lance was also famous for his work in HBO's "The Wire" where he played Baltimore Police Department officer Cedrick Daniels in all 5 seasons of the show.

Throughout his career he racked up a ton of credits including shows like "Fringe," "Bosch," "Oz" and "Lost" ... he also appeared in films such as "Angel Has Fallen" and "Godzilla Vs. Kong."

Lance was 60.

John Leguizamo is again crying foul over "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" -- complaining about the lack of diversity in the cast.

The actor was in NYC Wednesday -- the same day the new animated film hit theaters -- and we got him to sound off on whether he'd changed his opinion from last year ... namely, whether he'd be watching the new adaptation of everyone's favorite video game character.

As it turns out, John hasn't budged on his original position ... dude's definitely not catching it, and he's still pissed there weren't any Latinos to be cast.

In between photos he was taking with fans on the street, John reiterated what he's been going on about since the fall ... basically, he feels like Nintendo and the studio heads behind 'SMBM' took a step backward by getting Chris Pratt and Charlie Day as Mario/Luigi -- neither of whom technically have Italian roots ... unlike their made-up characters.

You'll recall ... Bob Hoskins and John played the roles, respectively, in the live-action version.

JL says he wanted to see a Hispanic actor in the lineup again, and is sour that nobody from Latin America got a shot. It's unclear if John is advocating for true/accurate casting -- for which there's been a big push -- or if he just wants to see more Latin representation.

Here's a close-up look at Lady Gaga's take on Harley Quinn for the upcoming 'Joker 2' movie ... and this version looks dark and sinister.

Director Todd Phillips shared the in-your-face photo Wednesday on social media, announcing filming has wrapped and it's time for him to hunker down and transform hours of footage into a movie.

Lady Gaga's hair and makeup seem to match up with a scene she filmed earlier this week ... when she was singing and dancing on the very same outdoor Bronx staircase Joaquin Phoenix danced on in the first "Joker" film.

Remember ... we previously saw Lady Gaga in full costume as Harley Quinn last month, but she was sporting a different look than this grimy version.

Before, LG was looking pretty clownish as HQ ... and both versions seem darker than Margot Robbie's take on Harley Quinn, which has been well-received in several different flicks.

Jeremy Renner says he was writing his final words to his loved ones after getting crushed by a snowplow earlier this year -- again confirming the guy thought he was going to die.

Jeremy got super emotional, telling Diane Sawyer dying alone would have been a horrendous way to leave this earth, and was incredibly thankful to his nephew for being there ... ironically, it was his nephew who Jeremy was trying to save that terrible day.

Then, he gets choked up ... saying that he was actually writing notes on his phone, which he intended to be his last sentiments to his family. Jeremy clearly believed he was at death's doorstep ... in fact, he was.

Fortunately, he survived ... getting airlifted to a hospital and undergoing extensive surgery. As you know, Jeremy suffered terrible injuries -- broken bones, ruptured organs ... the works.

ABC released an earlier clip, where Jeremy said he'd do it all over again, to save his beloved nephew..

His recovery has been miraculous ... and he almost looks like he's back to 100% -- a testament to his will and tenacity following a near-life-ending experience. Fact is, he still has a ways to go.

Safe to say that Russell Crowe won't be playing Donald Trump in a movie anytime soon  -- or ever for that matter.

As the 45th President prepared for his criminal arraignment on Tuesday in Manhattan, Crowe sat down for a TV interview to talk about his lead role in the new film, "The Pope's Exorcist."

Near the end of the interview, Channel Seven Sunrise Host Natalie Barr mentioned that Trump was the story of the day and asked Crowe if he would ever play the former commander-in-chief in a movie.

Crowe's reaction was priceless. The legendary actor peered down at his wristwatch, smiled and jokingly said, "I'm really busy now. I've got lots, lots and lots of things to do."

Translation: Hell no!!!

As we reported, Trump was indicted last week by a grand jury over an alleged $130,000 hush money payment he made to porn star Stormy Daniels to silence her in the final days of the 2016 Presidential election. Daniels claimed she had an affair with Trump -- an allegation he has long denied.

Raquel Welch suffered a cardiac arrest ... according to her death certificate.

The document, obtained by TMZ, also says one of the underlying causes of her death was Alzheimer's disease. The actress had not publicly revealed she was battling Alzheimer's.

We broke the story ... Raquel died Feb. 15 at her home in Los Angeles after what her family described as a "brief illness." The death certificate says she passed away at 2:25 AM, and she's since been cremated.

According to the National Institutes of Health, 90% of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die, typically within minutes.

82-year-old Raquel's long and successful Hollywood career is noted on the certificate ... the doc says she spent 60 years as an actress in the entertainment industry.

Lady Gaga is busting out her pipes for her role as Harley Quinn in the new 'Joker' sequel -- and since they're shooting out in the open ... the whole world's getting a sneak peak.

The singer was on location in NYC this weekend shooting 'Joker 2,' and yes ... she and the team revisited the famous outdoor Bronx staircase that Joaquin Phoenix danced upon in the first flick. Based on these photos and videos -- it would appears Gaga does the same.

She and director Todd Phillips were seen one day going through the scene, and eventually the cameras were rolling ... with LG in full costume and makeup, and showtunes to boot.

You can hear Gaga singing her heart out as bystanders recorded nearby. The film crew tried their best to cover her up and block folks out, but the cat was way out of the bag on this one ... you could probably hear her from a mile away based on how loud she was crooning.

Seems like the whole musical element for 'Joker 2' is in full swing ... and Gaga is bringing it with her natural talent. As for her costar, he made it on set eventually -- and they were shot together in their comic book signature clown gear. Pretty cool to see 'em fully realized.

Based on Gaga's shorter hair ... it would appear her character goes through quite the transformation. Remember, we saw her with a slightly different look a couple weeks ago.

And, of course, based on all the set photos and clips that have leaked so far (a lot) -- we kinda get the plot too at this point ... Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum, and Gaga's Harley falls in love with the dude ... presumably joining him in his criminal mischief once out.

It's a bummer that everything's getting spoiled well before the film will come out, which won't be for at least another year and change. But it's pretty fun to see it all in action.

Chris Pine has the right stuff for movie magic -- his latest flick, 'Dungeons & Dragons,' just swiped the top spot at the box office ... stealing the spotlight from Keanu Reeves.

The actor and his rag-tag team of costars -- Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Rege-Jean Page, etc. -- cleaned up this weekend in theaters ... where 'Honor Among Thieves' came in first ahead of 'John Wick 4' by quite a bit, a whopping $38.5 mil compared to $28.2 mil.

That's pretty surprising considering the huge momentum KR's action-packed blockbuster had behind it last weekend -- not to mention the rave reviews. Chris, however, had just as much good word of mouth about his fantasy adventure film ... which everyone seems to be loving.

We've seen it ourselves ... and yeah, it's pretty freaking awesome. You don't even have to be a real D&D nerd to enjoy it either -- which is sorta the genius of it ... mass appeal for all.

If you're unfamiliar with what it's about ... 'D&D' follows a rescue-the-kid plot -- with Hugh Grant playing a hilariously snobbish bad guy. Rege is great too ... and the humor throughout is top-notch. CP honestly might be on Ryan Reynolds' level with comedic timing and delivery.

There's also a wildly unexpected cameo that pops up about midway through ... from yet another handsome leading man in Hollywood, for whom no role is too small. Literally.

Chris is on a roll with his projects lately ... dude doesn't seem to be in anything objectively bad, and 'Dungeons & Dragons' is no exception.