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Gene Hackman will be honored during The Oscars on Sunday night ... and it seems an old friend will be speaking about the legend.

A Hackman relative tells TMZ ... the family has been told that Morgan Freeman will speak about Gene -- which will be an extension of the in memoriam segment.

Gene and Morgan of course starred together in the Clint Eastwood classic "Unforgiven" ... for which Gene scored his second Oscar. Morgan wasn't nominated for the flick, but took home his own Academy Award in 2005 for "Million Dollar Baby."

Harrison Ford has had a change of plans ... and he will no longer be presenting at the Oscars after being diagnosed with shingles, TMZ has confirmed.

The "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" icon is skipping Sunday's big event altogether so he can rest at home.

Ford dropped out of the event Saturday morning ... EW was first to report the news.

Julia Roberts is in The City of Light ... and, her smile can light up a room -- 'cause she was grinning wide while walking into the César Awards in Paris!

The famed actress stepped out Friday for the ceremony wearing a chic black ensemble ... and, she looked to be enjoying her European vacay.

Roberts flashed her grin for photogs on her way into the building ... before she went inside to accept her Honorary César -- a lifetime achievement award from the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma.

It's the biggest weekend for Hollywood ... and the stars were out in full force Friday night to kick off the Oscars celebrations before the big show on Sunday.

The were multiple big bashes around town ... including the CAA pre-Oscar party at the Living Room in Los Angeles and the YSL party, which was held at an undisclosed private residence.

Stars dropping by the CAA blowout were the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Kerry Washington, Eiza Gonzalez, Paris Jackson, Seth Rogen, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pine, Kevin Bacon, Khyra Sedgwick, Jesse Willaims, Anna Kendrick, Gayle King, Jon Hamm, Zoey Deutch, Joe Alwyn, Josh Gadd ... and new couple Channing Tatum and Inka Williams.

Michelle Trachtenberg's death shocked many in the film industry ... and, clearly she wasn't expecting it either -- 'cause she had plans for a major appearance in the coming weeks.

Jennifer Hutchins -- a producer on the film "Spyral," Michelle's final credit -- tells TMZ ... Trachtenberg was supposed to appear at a private benefit screening of the movie in Austin during SXSW on March 12 to support mental health nonprofits.

Hutchins says the "Spyral" team knew she was struggling with health issues ... but, if she was well enough, she planned to attend either in person or via Zoom.

Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dog's mysterious deaths have authorities searching for answers ... and they’ve confirmed they're not ruling out carbon monoxide poisoning.

Santa Fe fire officials spoke on "TODAY" Friday, stating that while their meters didn’t detect anything amiss during searches, that doesn’t mean carbon monoxide poisoning is off the table -- especially since the bodies may have been there for days or even weeks.

They pointed out Gene and Betsy’s New Mexico home had natural gas ... and a leak could have dissipated by the time their bodies were discovered.

Gene Hackman seemingly had no health-related issues prior to his mysterious death ... this according to the late actor's daughter.

Speaking with the Daily Mail, Leslie Anne Hackman says, "there was no indication that there was any problem," leading up to his tragic death. She also notes Gene did not recently undergo any significant surgeries.

While Gene was 95 years old, his daughter claims he was in very good physical condition, participating in activities like Pilates and yoga several times a week -- with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, playing an imperative role in his healthy lifestyle. As we reported, a close friend of Gene's tells us Betsy made sure GH stuck to a strict diet.

Gene Hackman's death and the deaths of his wife and dog are puzzling authorities, who have labeled his passing "suspicious."

According to a search warrant, obtained by TMZ, a Santa Fe detective who sought a search warrant wrote in his affidavit, he believes "the death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation because the reporting party found the front door of the residence unsecured and opened."

The detective continues, "Deputies observed a healthy dog running loose on the property, another healthy dog near the deceased female, a deceased dog laying 10-15 feet from the deceased female in a closet of the bathroom, the heater being moved, the pill bottle being opened and pills scattered next to the female, the male decedent being located in a separate room of the residence, and no obvious signs of a gas leak."

Zendaya's diving into the swamp ... 'cause she's just been cast in "Shrek 5," bringing some more star power to the ogre-filled franchise.

Zendaya's taking on the role of Shrek and Fiona’s daughter Felicia in the beloved animated series -- and Universal’s already teased her appearance with a sneak peek in the cast announcement vid.

Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz are returning to their roots as Shrek and Fiona -- who they've been playing since the first film in 2001.

Former actor Gideon Jacobs was just 11 years old when he played Aaron -- the smart young camper who gives Gail, played by Molly Shannon, advice about men -- in 2001's satirical comedy, "Wet Hot American Summer."

In addition to acting alongside Molly Shannon, Jacobs shared the big screen with Michael Showalter as the cheesy comedian from the Catskills, Alan, Paul Rudd as the cool counselor at Camp Firewood, Andy, and Amy Poehler as the choreographer for the camp's talent show, Susie.

Today, Aaron writes for publications like The New York Times and The New Yorker.

Was Blake Lively trying to recreate a scene from a 2011 film in last year's "It Ends with Us" that's led to controversy and jealousy? One fan's conspiracy theory has taken off online, and others are noting similarities.

In the 2011 comic book flick "Green Lantern," Blake's character dances with the hero -- her future husband, Ryan Reynolds -- and it seems to resemble a disputed scene in "It Ends with Us" that's part of a harassment lawsuit.

Blake is suing her "It Ends with Us" castmate and director Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment, and her lawsuit describes one scene in which the two slow-dance in a bar -- she says Baldoni nuzzled her neck and whispered into her ear, making her uncomfortable ... and no one was aware of the comment.

Filming for Christopher Nolan’s next movie “The Odyssey” has set sail, and TMZ has photos of Nolan on set for the first time!

Shooting started a couple weeks back, with the crew currently in the village of Aït Benhaddou in the country of Morocco -- and from the looks of this set, just like the story itself, this thing is going to be epic!

The news Nolan is tackling this ancient text has prompted some folks to dust off their copy of the tale that's surely been collecting dust since high school, to refresh their memory before the film’s release in July 2026.

Timothée Chalamet now has the elusive Hollywood award he couldn't seem to get, winning for his role as Bob Dylan -- and his record-setting victory came after his SAG Awards night got off to a rough start.

TC was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor for "A Complete Unknown," Sunday night, and he joined his costars Elle Fanning, Edward Norton and Monica Barbaro early in the evening to introduce clips from the film ... but reading the teleprompter was, apparently, harder than playing a legendary songwriter.

After flubbing his line and laughing at himself, Timothée joked ... "Shoulda done a rehearsal." It was a pretty smooth recovery, and he got to redeem himself again later in the night.

Jane Fonda used her Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Award speech to warn her fellow actors about impending political decisions ... saying they need to look out for one another -- 'cause a whole lot of bad is headed their way.

The veteran actress spoke at Sunday night's ceremony ... and, while the at-times rambling speech touched a number of different topics, the crux of the speech was a warning to her fellow stars.

Jane focuses on empathy in the address ... saying actors get to open people up to a variety of new ideas and concepts, and stars would need every bit of their empathy in the days ahead.

Kieran Culkin gave the first thank you speech of the SAG Awards ... or, at least he meant to -- but, he just couldn't get over how heavy the trophy was.

The actor accepted the trophy for Male Actor in Supporting Role in a Motion Picture ... and, while it seems he may have meant to give an actual speech, when he grabbed the trophy that went out the window.

Check out the clip ... Culkin receives the trophy and begins talking about it's weight -- and, he just can't stop.

The Film Independent Spirit Awards might be for smaller budget flicks ... but, the stars certainly aren't spending less on their outfits -- 'cause they're looking chic at this year's show.

Demi Moore -- who is up for Best Lead Performance for her role in "The Substance" -- may also win the award for Cutest Award Show Date ... 'cause she brought one of the smallest puppies we've seen with her, a chihuahua named Pilaf!

Sebastian Stan, Emma Stone and Elizabeth Olsen all stunned on the blue carpet as well ... though they didn't bring furry little friends with them.