Singer Paloma Faith Pissed At New 'Little Mermaid' Over Ariel Giving Up Voice For Eric, 'WTF Is This S***?'

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Something about the new live-action version of "The Little Mermaid" isn't sitting right with singer Paloma Faith ... who says the movie's plot is a really hard one to explain to her kiddos.

Paloma took to social media over the weekend, first congratulating Halle Bailey for her performance in the new Disney flick -- before dragging the story's main focus, saying "I don’t want my kids to think it’s ok to give up your entire voice and your powers to love a man."

She added, "Wtf is this s***?! Not what I want to be teaching next gen women at all.” Of course, she's referring to Ariel giving up her own voice to become a human to be with her love interest, Prince Eric.

For those unaware, it's the same trope that was used in the original 1989 version, so it seems Paloma might've forgotten the story before watching this new adaptation.

However, Halle told Edition earlier this year that her new version "definitely changed that perspective of just her wanting to leave the ocean for a boy ... It’s way bigger than that. It’s about herself, her purpose, her freedom, her life and what she wants.”

Sounds like that claim either didn't make it to the big screen, or just went over Paloma's head.

'The Little Mermaid' Makeup Artist Calls BS on LGBTQ Criticism ... A Good Makeup Artist is a Good Makeup Artist

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The makeup artist who gave Ursula her look in "The Little Mermaid" says the blowback he's gotten from members of the LGBTQ community is ridiculous ... that only someone from that community should have been tapped for the job.

Peter King, a seasoned makeup artist, has been under fire from some LGBTQ members, who groused Melissa McCarthy's sea witch character -- inspired by drag queen Divine -- should not have been done up at the hands of anyone outside the community.

King went on the offensive, saying, "I find that very offensive. Why can't I do as good a job as a queer makeup artist?"

Mr. King is seasoned at his craft, doing makeup for "The Lord of the Rings," "Star Wars: Episode VIII -- The Last Jedi, and "Spider-Man." He said, "I personally don't get it. Yes, I'm very old now, so that's fine, I get that too, but you know, a makeup artist or makeup designer could design makeup, they don't have to have an attachment to the nature of what they're doing."

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Under the sea & undercover

Meanwhile, the #1 film this weekend -- expected to top $120M -- had a famous guest in one of the theaters ... Halle Bailey, who posted video of herself in disguise taking in the action.

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BIG MERMAID MELTDOWN

And, speaking of action, a fight broke out at one theater ... unsure what it was about, but fists were flying -- adult fists -- which is crazy, right?

A sign of the times.

We covered it all in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Leo DiCaprio I'm King of Sardinia!!! ... No Steerage for Me

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Leo DiCaprio may be as famous for yachting as he is for another, even bigger ship, but these days he's strictly upper deck!

The "Titanic" star was lounging this weekend on the top deck of a super yacht with some buddies ... along the coast of Sardinia.

There he was -- again -- a shirtless Leo lovin' life on the high seas. He was recently seen on another yacht in Cannes, where he was promoting his upcoming flick, "Killers of the Flower Moon."

The movie is a throwback -- an American Western crime drama -- directed by none other than Martin Scorsese.

Leo made an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival but still found the time to jump on a yacht with his pal, Tobey Maguire.

The 48-year-old heir apparent to Jack Nicholson knows how to live. We're waiting to see if he gets an invite to jump aboard Mr. Bezos's big boat.

Jane Fonda at Cannes Throws Palme d'Or Scroll at Winner ... You Forgot Your Accolades!!!

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Jane Fonda isn't chasing award show glory anymore, and she certainly wasn't about to chase the winner of one France's after a director took top honors ... see for yourself.

The actress was on hand Saturday at Cannes, where the the Palme d'Or was awarded to French filmmaker Justine Triet for her flick, 'Anatomy of a Fall' -- with JF announcing her as the winner and there to give her the actual prize ... a scroll/certificate with her name on it.

Watch ... after Triet accepted the award and gave a heartfelt speech, she started heading back to the nearby bleachers onstage where the rest of her team was, as she was prepared to give a round of hugs. Only problem -- she forgot the actual award at the podium!

Jane was right on it, grabbing the certificate and briefly running after Triet to flag her down so she could take her paper hardware with her, but it doesn't look Triet heard her at all.

After quickly realizing it was a lost cause and that Triet wasn't coming back for it anytime soon, Jane stopped in her tracks and chucked the thing at her ... and it made contact. 😅

Everyone in the audience saw it, and the moment was actually captured as part of the broadcast. Funny enough, a gent standing right there picked it up and also tried to giving it to Triet -- but even he was unsuccessful in getting it back to her. She was in the zone!

No harm, no foul -- the certificate is as light as a feather and it doesn't appear she even felt it hit her back when Jane threw it at her. All in all, it was hilarious ... and oh so very Jane.

On a more serious note, her speech about female directors at Cannes was moving ... and also very Jane. Congrats on the big win -- if you care about it, we mean. Take it or leave it.

Halle Bailey Live-Action 'Little Mermaid' Swimming to a Big Box Office Haul!!!

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Halle Bailey's 'Little Mermaid' got tons of backlash when it was first announced, but now that it's out -- it seems folks are more curious than angry ... 'cause they're flocking to see it.

Disney's latest live-action adaptation hit theaters this weekend -- a 4-day one at that -- and so far, 'TLM' is cleaning up in ticket sales ... projected to land on a record-setting box office haul, with an estimated $120 mil-$130 mil to its name by the time Monday rolls around.

Some analysts have the film pegged to make more than $130MM -- but Disney's hedging their bets, saying it'll probably be closer to $125 MM domestically. Overseas, the movie is said to likely draw an additional $80 mil ... so it could hit around $200 mil soon enough.

That's great for the Mouse House, as this movie reportedly had a budget of about $250 million -- so they need this one to continue doing numbers for a bit to turn a profit.

While there's certainly excitement for the debut weekend, time will tell if Ariel has legs to go the distance in the weeks thereafter. As we reported, "Aladdin" star Mena Massoud recently opined he didn't think it'd hit a billion like his movie did ... which came out pre-pandemic.

Funny enough, with these estimated figures, 'Mermaid' is actually on pace to overtake what "Aladdin" achieved in 2019 -- and it's on a new list of Memorial Day weekend titans. If all goes according to plan, 'TLM' should sit at fourth behind "Top Gun: Maverick," "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End," and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

Not bad for a singing lady-fish!

Cody Walker Honors Late Fast & Furious Actor ... Names Third Son After Him

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Paul Walker's memory is truly living on ... thanks to his brother Cody.

Cody Walker and his wife, Felicia, honored Paul by naming their third son after the late 'Fast & Furious' star, who died in a car crash nearly 10 years ago.

After the baby was born April 30, the couple quickly decided on the name, Paul Barrett "Bear" Walker.  They posted an Instagram photo of the baby held by his 2-year-old brother, Colt Knox Walker.

Cody told PEOPLE ... "This November will mark 10 years since we lost my brother, Paul, and I just felt now was the appropriate time (to honor Paul)."

Turns out Cody is the second member of the Walker family to celebrate Paul's memory. Their older brother, Caleb Walker, and his wife, Stephanie, named their 5-year-old son Maverick Paul Walker after the actor.

In the latest F&F installment "Fast X," which was released this month, Paul is briefly seen in a flashback at the beginning of the film.

We discussed Paul Walker's legacy in a recent episode of the Last Days Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Dolph Lundgren Happy My Cancer Battle Inspires Others ... I Feel Great Right Now

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SOURCE OF INSPIRATION

Dolph Lundgren is turning his pain into purpose ... saying he couldn't be happier to inspire others, after opening up about his 8-year battle with cancer.

We caught up with the "Rocky" icon Monday at LAX, where he gave us an update on how he's been feeling since revealing he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015.

Dolph told us, health-wise, he's feeling good at the moment, and he feels even better that his ordeal is inspiring so many others. He's had producers and other folks come up to him and ask for advice and says those exchanges are truly rewarding.

He's clearly focusing on the silver lining, saying even inspiring one person was enough, which is the reason why he talked about it in the first place.

As we reported, Dolph was on "In Depth With Graham Bensinger" earlier this month when he spoke for the first time about his cancer diagnosis.

He said he went into remission in 2020, but when the cancer came back, a doctor gave him a terminal diagnosis ... saying he had tumors in his lungs, stomach, spine, and kidneys and he only had a few years to live.

Thankfully, he got a second opinion from Dr. Alexandra Drakaki, who he credits for shrinking his tumors.

Seeing him in such good spirits, it's impossible to argue with the results!

Jamie Foxx Still in Rehab Facility As Friends & Family Visit

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Jamie Foxx is still on the mend ... getting round-the-clock treatment at a facility in Chicago while his family continues to stay by his side.

Foxx's daughter, Corinne, and his close friend, Dave Brown, were among Jamie's visitors over the weekend. Both looked serious, and seemingly showed up to the facility for their time with Jamie.

TMZ broke the story, Jamie was transferred to the rehab facility in Chicago earlier this month after he was first hospitalized in Atlanta.

It's not entirely clear what sort of treatment Jamie's getting in Chicago, but we know the facility offers services to people who are recovering from strokes, spinal injuries and even cancer treatment. There's no indication Foxx has cancer.

Remember, it was early April when Corinne announced Jamie had suffered a 'medical complication' while he was working in Atlanta.

We haven't seen any photos or video of Jamie since he was admitted, but things were serious enough for him to miss the tapings for a new season of "Beat Shazam" ... his friend, Nick Cannon, was tapped to take over those hosting responsibilities.

Ray Stevenson 'Star Wars,' 'Thor' Actor Dead At 58

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Ray Stevenson, known for his work in 'Thor' and the "Star Wars" franchise, has died.

Ray's publicist confirms the news to TMZ, telling us he died Sunday -- they say they have no further details surrounding his death at this time.

Ray first broke into the world of acting in 1993, appearing in various episodes of TV before landing a role in the 1998 flick, "The Theory of Flight" ... where he played a gigolo tasked with helping Helena Bonham Carter's character lose her virginity.

He went on to appear in a bunch of projects like "The Book of Eli," "Rome," "The Other Guys," and "Kill the Irishman" -- all before landing the role of Volstagg in Marvel's "Thor" in 2011, returning to the series in 2 sequels as the years went on.

"Star Wars" fans remember Ray lending his voice to the character Gar Saxon -- appearing in "Rebels" & "The Clone Wars." He's also playing a separate character in the upcoming "Ahsoka" series, premiering later this year.

Apart from that, Ray's been featured in "Divergent," 9 episodes of "Dexter," "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," "Black Sails," and "Crossing Lines." He also played Scott Buxton in the recent Indian hit, "RRR."

Ray was 58.

RIP

Will Smith & Martin Lawrence Guns Blazing on Atlanta Streets For 'Bad Boys 4' Shoot-Out

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GETTIN' BAD ON SET

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are bringing some scarily realistic-looking action to an Atlanta neighborhood, where cameras were rolling for a violent scene from "Bad Boys 4."

TMZ obtained this footage recorded from a building next to the ATL parking lot where the cast and crew worked on a shoot-out sequence for the upcoming sequel.

As you can see, it's action-packed ... with Will and Martin, AKA Detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Miles Burnett, respectively -- at the center of it all.

The movie's leading men are walking through the lot when they get ambushed with a hail of gunfire .. and try to take cover while firing back at the bad guys.

While at least 2 of their fellow cops get taken out in the violence ... Martin and Will appear to survive the action.

Hey, they are the stars of the blockbuster franchise, after all!

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BAD BOYS ARE BACK

Remember, we first saw them filming a scene last week in Atlanta, and they were fully in character ... with Will talking Martin off an 8-story ledge as he stood on the edge wearing a hospital gown.

Spoiler alert: They both survive this scene too. 😂

This 4th installment of the franchise is due in theaters next year, and the OG 'Bad Boys' came out way back in 1995.

Yeah, these guys have been at it for nearly 30 years, but they're not yet shying away from filming some of their action-packed scenes.

To partially quote another famous buddy cop film -- they're NOT too old for this s**t!

Robert De Niro Parties At Cannes With Girlfriend ... New Movie AND New Baby!

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Robert De Niro's got a lot to celebrate these days -- not only has he debuted his new flick at Cannes, but he's a father once again ... and the mother to baby #7 joined him in France for a bash at the prestigious film festival.

The 79-year-old actor and his GF Tiffany Chen hit up the Vanity Fair x Prada party Saturday night at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, and he looked as happy as ever as they strolled in for some late-night festivities.

Just hours before, Robert premiered his new Martin Scorsese-directed film, "Killers of the Flower Moon" ... getting an enormous roar of applause and a nine-minute standing ovation for the new movie -- which he stars in alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Jesse Plemons, and breakout star Lily Gladstone.

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PREGNANT PRECAUTION

As we reported, Robert and Tiffany welcomed their new daughter -- Gia Virginia -- earlier this month, shocking tons of folks while proving age is but a number.

Looks like De Niro's at another high point in his life -- ride that wave, Bobby!

Johnny Depp Taking Movie Comeback Seriously ... Health & Rest > Partying

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Johnny Depp knows this is a pivotal moment in his career, and a real chance to get back his A-list Hollywood status ... so, that's exactly why he's focusing on the important stuff to get his mind right.

Sources connected to the actor tell us his recent stop at the Cannes Film Festival -- where he premiered his movie "Jeanne du Barry" -- was different from years before. We're told, back in the day, Johnny would've attended every after-party and stayed up late.

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GRAND ENTRANCE

Our sources say after Tuesday's premiere, he made the decision to head back to his room early to make sure he got enough rest and to prepare for another day of media interviews.

We're told Johnny's experienced "an evolution in terms of prioritizing his health and rest" while also really picking things up with his work.

After Cannes, Depp flew to London to do Jeff Beck's tribute show with Eric Clapton and several other guitar greats -- and then he's hitting the road with his band Hollywood Vampires.

From there, he'll jump right into directing duties on "Modi," starring Al Pacino.

Depp's certainly been welcomed back by his adoring fans, and even corporations -- remember that new $20 million deal with Dior -- so it's no surprise he wants to strike while the iron's hot and capitalize on all the positive attention.

As for Amber Heard, she's hightailed it to Spain where she lives a much more quiet life with her kiddo.

The good news for her is ... 18 months ago, everyone had written off Johnny's career -- so, maybe there's an eventual comeback in her future too.

Daniel Day-Lewis There Will Be Tracksuits in Retirement ... Super Chill, Rare Sighting

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Daniel Day-Lewis doesn't do anything half-assed, and that includes dropping outta Hollywood ... because the highly acclaimed actor couldn't look more relaxed than he does on the streets of NYC.

In an extremely rare sighting, the reclusive actor was out Friday with his wife Rebecca Miller ... holding hands as they strolled around Manhattan's West Village.

DDL is the picture of chill in a ball cap and sweats, 6 years into his retirement from making movies.

He was also rocking a tracksuit Thursday while out and about in the Big Apple, and he's obviously decided to grow out his locks while away from the limelight. Truth is, Daniel bears a striking resemblance these days to his character from "The Last of the Mohicans."

Pretty sure that's a flip phone in his hand, too -- a fitting retro look for a guy who's rarely been photographed in public since 2017, when he starred in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Phantom Thread."

The 3-time Oscar winner announced his step back from acting months before the film's release, thanking his fans and collaborators over the years.

If he weren't retired, we'd say this new chill look is a prime case of his legendary method acting -- Daniel famously became his characters while preparing for roles, even off-camera.

He's reportedly been laying low while living in the Dublin area. Gotta say, the relaxed retirement look fits him!!!

Issa Rae Hyped For 'Spider-Man' Entrance ... Longtime Comic Book Fan!!!

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Issa Rae is over the moon she's making her big Marvel debut in the world of animation ... because she tells us she's been a big comic book head since she was a lil' kid!

We got Issa Thursday at LAX, and we talked about her getting her spidey senses flowing for the upcoming flick "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" -- something she's stoked about for a couple of reasons.

For those unaware, Issa's playing Jessica Drew -- another variant of Spider-Woman ... and even though a majority of the film's plot is kept under wraps, one thing about her character is certain -- she's fighting crime with a bun in the oven!

Issa's all about representation, but she has a word of warning for any pregnant ladies out there ... don't be fightin'! Regardless, she's all for the bigger message -- that women's lives don't need to be put on hold just because they're having a baby.

And if ya don't know, Issa's character is just one of the many Spider-People in the new multiverse movie ... joining the Spider-Society with the likes of Oscar Isaac, Andy Samberg, and Daniel Kaluuya, to name a few -- and she sounds pretty damn hyped for it!

'Good Burger 2' First Look at Sequel Set ... Kenan, Kel Back in Action!!!

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"Good Burger" is returning to the big screen with OG stars Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell ... and we nabbed an early look at the new production's set as filming gets underway.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ ... the sequel "Good Burger 2" started shooting Thursday in North Providence, RI around 8 AM, and it's obvious the set designers put a lot of work into recreating the look of the classic '90s flick.

We're told production completely transformed a vacant Friendly's ice cream shop ('memba those?) into the new Good Burger joint.

The joint was originally painted red, but that all changed about 2 weeks ago when production gave the shop a major facelift ... just after notifying local businesses.

Sources say the crew went in and did a full paint job, added window decals and more. They even built a concrete wall in the parking lot, before finishing it off with some spray paint.

And, now it's time to get all that hard work on camera -- we're told they've been filming all this week ... with the cast and crew shooting a scene involving some actors at the graffiti wall.

Sorry, no sign yet of Kenan or Kel, who played the lead roles of Dexter Reed and Ed in the 1997 movie, and on Nickelodeon's "All That" sketch comedy show -- but, we know both guys are returning for the film which will debut on Paramount+.

PAUL WALKER'S BROTHER No Cameo For Me in 'Fast X' ... But Stoked for My Niece!!!

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Paul Walker's brother says there are no surprise appearances from him in the final chapter (allegedly) of the 'Fast and Furious' franchise ... but he's happy another family member is getting her shine.

We got Cody Walker Thursday right after Ludacris got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame -- and we asked him about the new "Fast X" movie, and Paul's daughter Meadow Walker appearing in it.

First off ... while Cody says there are no secret cameos from him in "Fast X", he acknowledges there's always been talk of it, and doesn't completely shut the door.

Fact is, it wouldn't be much of a secret if he told us!

As far as possible CGI scenes of Paul's character, Brian O'Conner ... Cody says he's not involved in those decisions. He does tell us Paul is referenced in it, as you'd expect.

As we reported, Meadow does have a small role in "Fast X" ... and she says it's a blessing to be able to honor her father's legacy.

Cody tells us he's stoked and it makes total sense his niece is taking the torch from her father for her first appearance in a 'Fast' flick.

The new movie is in theaters this week and is expected to make a ton of money at the box office ... which is no surprise to Cody. He tells us why Paul would have been pleasantly surprised at the franchise's direction since starring in the OG film back in the day.

Cody's still big on the car scene -- just as Paul was -- his FuelFest will be at Irwindale Speedway, outside L.A., on June 3 ... and he says the accompanying car show will showcase the top custom exotic cars from around the globe.

Add live music, drag races, and drifting and ya got the perfect party for diehard "FF" fans.

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Cody sounds like he's fine with not joining the franchise, preferring to leave the acting up to his niece.

We discussed Paul Walker's legacy in a recent episode of the Last Days Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.