TMZ.com Home

Robert Downey Jr. returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Dr. Doom has some fans already bitching ... but one fellow actor who's worn the villain's iron mask is all in.

Here's the deal ... RDJ made a jaw-dropping appearance at Comic-Con where his MCU return after years as Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, was announced ... which of course led to some clutching their nerd pearls -- as if it would sully his Marvel legacy.

Joseph Culp, who played Dr. Doom in the infamous 1994 “The Fantastic 4” film-- which never got an official release over an epic rights fight and has been bootlegged all to hell -- tells TMZ the trash talk needs to stop ... 'cause RDJ was and is the Marvel man!

Britney Spears is getting a movie made about her life, Bianca Censori is not covering up and Bronny James is getting the video game treatment ... all this on today's TMZ hot takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Elex break down Britney's upcoming biopic and her role in the creative process.

Swimmer's take your mark ... and show 'em what you're workin' with! These famous fellas are the total PACKAGE and making quite the splash with these snaps!

The Olympics are in full swing and after seeing these pros in action, you yourself will be swimming circles around these sexy studs in speedos!

Keep an eye out for USA's Hunter Armstrong flexing poolside and Brazil's Guilherme Basseto is also making quite the flash splash!

We've assembled shredded swimmers from all over ... Australia, Brazil, France and let's just say: God Bless the USA!

The judge in Alec Baldwin's manslaughter case in New Mexico is ripping prosecutors for misconduct, which she says prevented the actor from preparing his defense.

In new docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge who dismissed the case against Alec says the prosecution "intentionally and deliberately" withheld evidence from Baldwin's legal team ... namely, live ammunition found on the "Rust" movie set matching the live bullet that killed Halyna Hutchins.

Remember ... during the trial, police investigator Marissa Poppell testified her superiors instructed her to create a report documenting that police had received ammunition and to file it under a different case number than the "Rust" case ... so it wouldn't be visible to the defense.

Bigfoot enthusiasts think they've spotted their man (or animal) in an old documentary that they're digging back up and taking a hard look at ... and honestly, it might be Biggie!

The clip is from the 2001 film "Great North" -- filmed near the Arctic Circle -- and it got posted/circulated on a Bigfoot lovers' Reddit page ... and people online are buzzing about a shadowy figure running upright behind a herd of caribou ... which they think is a sasquatch.

The reappearance of this scene has stirred up the old debate of whether it's real or not -- especially since the film’s director, William Reeve, admitted eight years ago on the YouTube page ThinkerThunker he didn’t notice the mysterious figure until 15 years after filming.

Aerosmith's officially finished touring -- the iconic rock band just announced they've made the hard choice to retire from the concert circuit ... 'cause Steven Tyler's voice finally gave out.

They broke the news in a heartfelt Instagram post Friday ... saying that after more than 50 years of shows, they've made the difficult choice to retire.

The main impetus behind the decision ... the group says Tyler's voice -- which they call "an instrument like no other" -- just doesn't sound the same anymore because of his vocal injury despite his months spent working with top doctors.

"Saturday Night Live" is shaking things up for its milestone 50th season ... as 2 castmates have officially exited the NBC sketch show.

Molly Kearney took to social media Friday to announce their departure from 'SNL,' after first joining the show in 2022. It's unclear if Molly -- who was the show's first nonbinary cast member -- left the show on their own terms ... but their statement indicated that they might not have been invited back.

MK signed off their message with a cryptic note ... "Head up and heart out."

An animal sanctuary in Hawaii is ramping up security after two men allegedly stole their beloved pet pig and killed it on camera ... TMZ has learned.

The Kitty Charm Farm -- an animal rescue and sanctuary on Maui that takes in and rehomes a variety of critters -- found itself on the wrong end of a tragic story recently, when two men allegedly broke in and stole Eddie The Pig.

Prosecutors say the men recorded a staged video of them "hunting" and killing the 250-lb domestic animal ... all so they could win a feral pig hunting contest and its $1,000 prize -- a hair-brained scheme that completely backfired on them, and which cost Eddie's life.

Jennifer Lopez might be on the outs with Ben Affleck -- but she's staying married to her engagement ring ... swapping it to the opposite side of her body.

The singer-songwriter stepped out in NYC Thursday at "Cats: The Jellicle Ball" ... and, eagle-eyed fans will notice she's still got her big ol' green rock ring on -- but on the wrong hand!

Check out the pics ... J Lo's rocking a floral-print dress and a red purse -- and there's the huge, glimmering band with the giant emerald gemstone perched on her right ring finger ... which is the ring Ben gave her to pop the question.

The Los Angeles Lakers honored Kobe Bryant with the second of three statues to memorialize the Hall of Famer on Friday ... with the most recent iteration featuring his daughter, Gianna.

Pics of the final product were leaked outside Crypto.com Arena on Friday. The sculpture replicates the image of Kobe and Gianna sitting courtside at a Laker game in December 2019.

Purple and Gold flowers surround the monument -- with a plaque featuring a quote from Bryant describing his daughter and how proud he was to be a girl dad.

Jerry Harris has completed one of his requirements as he does time behind bars ... paying off a judgment that it's in the ballpark of tens of thousands.

According to court docs -- obtained by TMZ -- the former "Cheer" star has paid a total of $45,200 ... which breaks down to about $35k to the AVAA crime victims fund and another $10k to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act fund.

Harris was also ordered to pay more than $135k in restitution to the victims themselves. It's unclear if he's paid that as well at this point.

*NSYNC is back in the zeitgeist thanks to 'Deadpool' -- and while there's renewed pressure for a reunion, it won't happen unless they're all on board ... so says Chris Kirkpatrick.

Here's the deal ... the '90s boy band's hit song "Bye Bye Bye" blasted into the Top 20 on Spotify's global chart this past week more than two decades after its original release -- all because Ryan Reynolds featured the tune in the opening credits of "Deadpool & Wolverine."

Since their names are being thrown around again as a result of the movie -- folks are yet again clamoring for the guys to get together for a tour (or even new music) ... but Chris tells TMZ there's a major hang-up that might prevent that from ever happening.

The locker Kobe Bryant used during his historic NBA career has found a new owner ... and the final price was a whopping $2.88 MILLION!!

The bidding for the extremely rare piece of Kobe memorabilia closed on Friday, August 2 ... the same day the Black Mamba is slated to be honored with a second statue outside the venue he made famous, with this iteration featuring his daughter, Gianna.

The final price for the locker -- which was removed from the Staples Center during renovations in 2008 -- was $2,880,000, far exceeding the estimated amount.

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe is attempting to deflect some of the blame regarding the Donald Trump assassination attempt ... claiming they weren't told a key piece of information beforehand.

The law enforcement expert addressed the shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania -- which left 1 attendee dead and the former prez injured -- in a new press conference Friday.

The Secret Service has been put on blast for letting the attack happen in the first place ... with former Director Kimberly Cheatle ultimately resigning after a tense testimony before Congress.

Todd Chrisley is praising his daughter, Savannah, for her speech at the Republican National Convention -- one he watched from prison, which he thinks she knocked out of the park.

The reality TV star's defense attorney, Jay Surgent, tells TMZ ... Todd tuned in from FPC Pensacola in Florida and came away pretty damn impressed by his daughter's convention appearance ... where she stepped up to the podium as one of the many guest speakers.

We're told Todd believes Savannah spoke well and was focused, not only talking about her incarcerated parents but also advocating against the way our criminal justice system currently operates, particularly on the federal level.

Paris really is the City of Love ... 'cause Chinese badminton player Huang Yaqiong got more than just a gold medal at the Olympics -- she also received an engagement ring after her teammate proposed to her on live TV!

The beautiful moment happened right after Yaqiong and her partner Zheng Siwei beat South Korea in the badminton doubles contest at the Adidas Arena in Paris on Friday.

You can see the 30-year-old right-hander receiving her award at the medal ceremony when her boyfriend, and Team China badminton star Liu Yuchen, popped up for the big moment.