Disney Star Coco Lee DEAD AT 48 BY SUICIDE
Coco Lee, famous for voicing Mulan in the Mandarin version of Disney's "Mulan," has died by suicide.
Coco's sisters, Carol and Nancy, say she attempted suicide at home Sunday and was sent to a hospital, where she slipped into a coma and died on Wednesday despite attempts to save her life.
Coco suffered from depression for years, her family says, and she sought professional help ... but her condition drastically deteriorated over the last few months and she ultimately took her own life.
In addition to her work with Disney, Coco performed an Oscar-nominated song, "A Love Before Time," in the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" as part of a three-decade career as a singer.
Coco was born in Hong Kong but attended middle school and high school in San Francisco, where she was crowned 1991's Miss Teen Chinatown.
She was the first Chinese singer to go big in America, with her song "Do You Want My Love" reaching No. 4 on Billboard's Hot Dance Breakout chart way back in 1999.
Coco's family is remembering her for working "tirelessly to open up a new world for Chinese singers in the international music scene, and she went all out to shine for the Chinese."
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She was 48.
RIP
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'Indiana Jones' Latest Flick Limping Out of the Gate ... On Track for $60M Opening
Harrison Ford's final rodeo as Indy doesn't seem to be drumming up much interest -- the box office numbers, so far, are looking bad ... and it might be Disney's own doing.
Disney's latest, "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," raked in a measly $24 mil Friday -- and that means the film is on track for just $60-$65 million through Sunday (and about $80 mil or so through Tuesday) ... which, by most accounts, is not a very good start at all.
#IndianaJones and #TheDialofDestiny dug up $24 million at the Friday box office for a projected weekend debut in the $60 million range, coming in at the lower end of expectations https://t.co/Pd9W1rAb3C pic.twitter.com/oefvicFSId
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) July 1, 2023 @THR
These tepid projections haven't wavered much since a couple months ago -- when the movie premiered at Cannes -- and that's a bad sign ... at least from the outside looking in.
'Dial of Destiny' reportedly had a budget of upwards of $300 million (not including promo/marketing) -- so it would have to have long legs at the theaters for Disney and co. to make their money back, let alone turn a profit on it. For now, it doesn't seem like that'll happen ... especially with a few huge blockbusters on the way for the month of July.
Tom Cruise's newest 'Mission: Impossible' is hitting the big screen soon, as is "Barbie" and Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" -- all of which are expected to do fairly decently.
As for why Harrison's flick appears to be primed to be a dud ... there are a lot of theories. Some say there's 'Indiana Jones' fatigue in 2023 (HF is reprising the role in his 80s), others say this movie caters to an older audience (who might be harder to get to a theater).
One interesting take has to do with the fact that Disney started letting the film -- which has gotten middling to bad reviews -- be screened pretty damn early ... and that, perhaps, bad word of mouth has caught up to it now. There's also the fact that Spielberg isn't directing this one ... although he did sign off and gave his blessing to the script/the new director.
Whatever the case, folks aren't itching to see an older (and, at times, a digitally de-aged) Dr. Jones take on Nazis anymore. The appetite for that adventure was left in the 20th century.
The dog days of summer are upon us ... and not everyone's storming through the finish line.
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'Wizards of Waverly Place' Star Happy to Be Working in Porn ... No Hate, All Love
Dan Benson -- a former star on "Wizards of Waverly Place" -- went from child star to porn star ... and he says he couldn't be happier over the career change.
The ex-Disney Channel actor -- who used to play Zeke Beakerman and work alongside Selena Gomez between 2007 and 2012 -- hopped on TikTok to provide a mental health update ... explaining he was feeling great about his pivot into adult entertainment.
He says he has no regrets about the kinda stuff he's doing on camera now, and that he was even surprised about some of the reactions he's gotten ... which have mostly been positive.
DB explains that while he thought he'd be met with shame and condemnation, he's actually experienced a lot of love and empowerment -- and he's glad the stigma associated with porn isn't being hurled his way. On the job front, there too he's found a healthy environment.
Dan goes on to say he's asked to do stuff all the time that he's not necessarily comfortable with, but now finds himself in a position to say no -- which he says is often respected.
And, the cherry on top ... him being supported, encouraged and, sometimes, approached by fans in public -- who he says have been nothing but lovely to him since he left the Mouse House. As he puts it, Dan feels like a "badass" these days ... so he's in a solid place.
Dan uses OnlyFans, among other X-rated platforms ... and has embraced his sensuality.
It just goes to show, there's lots of ways to make money these days -- and even the untraditional ways are being viewed in a different light than ever before.
Good on DB! Go get 'em, dude.
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Guess Who These Cool Bros Turned Into!
Before these two kids chilling in Wyckoff, New Jersey were front and center on the stage, they were just hanging around town with their other brothers, and from a young age ... they were hustling and jump-starting their careers in showbiz.
Yes, these guys have millions of fans who come and watch them perform on stage, but they never seem to get "jealous" of each other. And, even though their comical Disney days are no longer ... they still possess their goofy personalities on social media!
Need one more hint? "I'm A Sucker For You!"
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Rebel Wilson I'm Not Getting Married at Disney ... But Not Due to Past Ban
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Rebel Wilson is NOT planning a blowout wedding at Disneyland, despite a report to the contrary ... she says she's getting married somewhere else, and it's not related to an old Mouse House ban.
The actress, who attended the launch party for her new dating app, Fluid, on Thursday, tells TMZ ... she and her fianceé Ramona Agruma's decision to forgo a Disney fairy tale on their big day has nothing to do with the fact Rebel was once banned from Disneyland for 30 days.
It's pretty obvious Rebel holds no grudge ... she popped the question to Ramona while at the Happiest Place on Earth for Valentine's Day -- but she tells us she was never planning to exchange their nuptials there, despite a recent report she's planning a "no-expenses-spared wedding" at Walt Disney's OG park.
Instead, Rebel tells us she and Ramona will say "I do" somewhere else -- they don't know exactly where yet, but it won't be Disneyland.
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Rebel, who hosted the party with her best friend, Emmy-winning TV presenter Carly Steel, says their engagement was epic and special, and she's thankful park officials roped off a section on a busy day ... so she could propose in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.
As for that old ban -- if you're unaware, Rebel revealed earlier this year that she once snapped a selfie while inside one of the park's secret bathrooms -- a big no-no -- and was shut out for 30 days.
She says it was a few years back, and Disneyland honchos actually asked her when she wanted to serve the 30 days, and she picked a month when she was busy filming.
The party, which went down at Funke in Beverly Hills, was hosted by Casamigos featuring the newest Casamigos Cristalino.
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Elizabeth Olsen TBH, I Don't Miss Playing Wanda ... Doubles Down, I'm Over It
Elizabeth Olsen has been real honest about her time with Marvel -- namely, feeling like she invested far too many years working for them -- and now ... she's hitting that point home.
The actress -- famous for playing Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch throughout the 'Avengers' movies -- got candid yet again this weekend in a sit-down interview with Meghann Fahy, as part of Variety's 'Actors on Actors' series. One quote of hers is getting a double-take online.
Fahy asks Olsen if she stays up at night missing Wanda -- or playing her, presumably -- and EO's reaction is telling. She says she doesn't ... but you gotta watch *how* she says it.
There's a little bit of sass and saltiness in her response, and you can tell she truly means it. As she goes on to explain, she's played that character for the better part of 10 years, and she's more than ready to put Wanda's stories on the bookshelf ... at least for now.
Olsen adds that she's proud of the work she did with Kevin Feige and co. ... and feels content with letting those projects speak for themselves -- including "WandaVision," which was a huge Disney+ hit that focused solely on her role, with a full-fledged backstory.
So, her take here seems to be two-fold -- yes, she's over it and has no desire to link up again anytime soon ... but also, she's grateful for the opportunity to have been a superhero.
BTW, her response here about missing Wanda is very much in line with other comments she's made of late about Marvel. She's been on the record over the past year or so -- via several outlets -- saying that she wishes she would've only given the Mouse House one year of her services as opposed to several ... as there were times she was frustrated.
She's said she felt, at times, like she missed out on other interesting opportunities -- remember, she comes from an indie film background -- that she might've liked to have pursued. But, because she was under contract with Marvel, she had to pass on 'em.
Seems like her feelings about it all are mixed -- which is fine ... life ain't always black and white. However, FWIW, fans loved what she did. On to bigger and better things, we suppose.
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'Spider-Man' 'Across the Spider-Verse' Crushes at The Weekend Box Office
The new 'Spider-Man' movie went gangbusters at the box office this weekend -- hauling in a bundle ... and proving that having 2 studio parents for this IP might actually be best.
Of course, we're talking about "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" ... which took the top spot by a mile over the past three days -- with a final tally of about $120.5 million in ticket sales domestically. That's the 2nd best box office of 2023 ... behind 'Super Mario Bros.'
It's easily the money-maker of the summer thus far ... and the good news is that it exceeded expectations by a ton. 'Across the Spider-Verse' was projected to bring in just $80M-$90M ... but it blew well past that, and lands as one of the best-performing 'Spider-Man' flicks ever.
Not just that, but the reviews are off the charts ... with many calling it the best 'Spider-Man' installment and 'Spider-Man' story told in modern times. So, what do we make of all this???
There's a couple takeaways -- which Twitter seems to somewhat agree with -- and the first is ... Sony holding on to some of the 'Spider-Man' rights over the years has, perhaps, turned out to be for the best. Clearly, they partner with Marvel for all things Spidey ... but many say they've kept the character/IP grounded, despite Disney's overly-grand CBM aspirations.
The other fascinating element here is that Sony/Disney has been able to achieve true diversity in a character that has long been considered a typical white male in Peter Parker.
With the Miles Morales character -- who's Black/Puerto Rican -- there's a new face to Spider-Man (not to mention all the other Spider-Men in the movie) ... and there was little to no outrage over it. Of course, a lot of that might have to do with the fact that Miles and co. are comic canon ... so shout out to the writers who created these characters a long time ago!
It's interesting ... there've been a number of actors who've played Spider-Man (both live-action and animated) over the years -- but Tom Holland says Shameik Moore's Morales might, in fact, be the best out of all of them. He said as much anyway in a recent interview.
Tom Holland is excited for the "Spider-Verse" sequel out this week and paid the first "Spider-Verse" film a surprising compliment while at the Apple TV+ premiere of "The Crowded Room." pic.twitter.com/7vjUqu3Sye
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 2, 2023 @AP
As it turns out, there is actually room for all. Take notes, Hollywood ... this is how you do it.
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Disney's Pixar Lays Off Galyn Susman ... Thanks for Saving 'TS2,' Now Get Out!!!
Galyn Susman -- the longtime Disney producer who's credited with saving "Toy Story 2" -- just got the boot alongside several other Pixar employees ... and fans are pissed.
The news came down Saturday from Reuters, which reported Susman was one of 75 Pixar workers who recently gotten the axe in mass layoffs. She was one of 3 key Pixar people to be let go ... the others included Michael Agulnek -- Pixar's VP of worldwide publicity -- and 'Lightyear' director Angus MacLane, who was involved in other Pixar flicks too.
The firings are reportedly tied to the bomb that was last year's 'Lightyear' ... a movie based on the "real" Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Chris Evans. It had a budget of about $200 mil, and only made $226 mil at the worldwide box office ... not to mention middling reviews.
While the film didn't do well, many are saying that scapegoating -- and ultimately canning -- the execs/producers tied to its development is cold-blooded ... especially as it pertains to Galyn, who played a very important in preserving what was left of 'TS2' at the time.
It's the stuff of legends -- and this story's been repeated several times by Disney execs over the years. There was some kind of glitch in Disney's computers that literally deleted upwards of 90% of the movie back then as it was about a year out from its imminent release date.
The studio was scrambling to preserve whatever was left, but from the looks of it ... they were going to have to start from scratch -- that is, until Galyn came to the rescue with a backup copy ... which she fortunately had in her possession due to her WFH/maternity leave.
In the end, Disney remade the movie anyway -- creating a different version from what Galyn had saved -- but her extra files undoubtedly saved them a lot of time/work/money.
Now, she's without a job ... and Twitter users think that stinks on the part of the Mouse House. As they say -- that's showbiz, baby. Loyalty and IOUs have expiration dates.
'Pirates Of The Caribbean' Actor Sergio Calderón Dead At 77
Sergio Calderón, who starred in numerous films, including "Men In Black" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," has died.
Calderón passed away Thursday morning surrounded by his family after he was previously hospitalized with pneumonia, a rep told "ET." His cause of death has not been disclosed.
Calderón enjoyed a long career in Hollywood, collecting more than 50 film and TV credits dating back to the 1970s. Two of his most notable roles were as Captain Vallenueva in 'At World's End' (2007) and Jose — a.k.a. the "head on a stick" guy — in 'Men in Black' (1997).
He also landed parts in "The Missing" (2003), "The Ruins" (2008) and "Little Fockers" (2010). He retired in 2022 after performances in his last three projects: "The Seven Faces of Jane," "Better Things" and "The Resort."
Calderón was 77.
RIP
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Serena Williams' Daughter Goes Insane After Getting Halle Bailey Doll ... It's 'The Little Mermaid!!!'
Safe to say Serena Williams' 5-year-old daughter is a big fan of "The Little Mermaid" ... Olympia LOST IT after she got a Halle Bailey "Ariel" doll, and the entire adorable reaction was captured on video!
The video, which was shared on Olympia's Instagram, shows dad Alexis Ohanian handing his daughter a package from Amazon.
"Momma and poppa wanted to get this for you," Ohanian said.
When Olympia realized it was Bailey as Ariel, she (literally) jumped for joy ... and started screaming hysterically.
"Yay! 'Little Mermaid!'" Olympia yelled. "Thank you!"
Olympia explained it was her first LM doll ... and even broke down how she was going to play with Ariel for Mom and Dad.
The 2023 live-action version of "The Little Mermaid" has been a hit at the box office ... with Bailey recently celebrating the movie being number one in the world.
The movie reportedly grossed over $164 million globally over Memorial Day weekend, according to Deadline.
The moment Serena Williams shared her pregnancy news with daughter Olympia is a grand slam. ❤️ (🎥: YouTube) pic.twitter.com/F9pfITXzFM
— E! News (@enews) May 27, 2023 @enews
Of course, Olympia also made news a few days ago, losing it when Serena told her she was going to be a big sister!
The 23-time Grand Slam champ said Olympia had wanted a baby brother/sister ... and she's finally getting her wish.
New sibling and a 'Little Mermaid' doll?!
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Singer Paloma Faith Pissed At New 'Little Mermaid' Over Ariel Giving Up Voice For Eric, 'WTF Is This S***?'
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.
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Jennifer Garner Disney Bound With Her Daughter ... Jennifer Lopez's Kid, Too!!!
Looks like Jennifer Garner is mixin’ pretty well with her ex Ben Affleck and his new boo Jennifer Lopez -- because she took to the happiest place on Earth over the weekend with not only her daughter, but J-Lo’s kid, too.
The actress was in full chaperone mode at Disneyland Sunday, wrangling a group of teens at the beloved theme park ... having some fun with her youngest daughter, Seraphina, and some of her pals -- as well as Lopez's 15-year-old kid, Emme, whom the singer shares with Marc Anthony.
Seems to be no issues over here with the new family dynamic ... JG even got them all to snap some pics in front of the castle -- with Emme and Seraphina cheesing right next to each other!
As you know, Affleck and Garner pulled the plug on their decade-long marriage back in 2015, with Ben and J-Lo tying the knot last year.
Of course, Garner and Affleck have had seemingly no big issues in the co-parenting department, with this family affair being a great example ... mark that as a joint family outing!!!
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'The Little Mermaid' Makeup Artist Calls BS on LGBTQ Criticism ... A Good Makeup Artist is a Good Makeup Artist
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."
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.
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.
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Jodi Benson Good Genes Or Good Docs?!
Jodi Benson's looks over the years are out of this world!
Watch and you'll see ... a 38-year-old version of the first 'Little Mermaid' looking absolutely fin-tastic at the premiere of "The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea" in Hollywood, California back in 2000 (left). This was over a decade after the release of the original Disney classic film.
And, 23 years later, the stunning actress recently ran a dinglehopper through her hair and hit the premiere for the live-action, "The Little Mermaid," where she looked like no time had gone by (right).
Jodi has shined like a trove full of whozits and whatzits for decades, but the question is ...
Jodi Benson...
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Celebrity Scramble Guess Who!
Underneath this mashed-up photo is a comedian and actress who's all about the "girl code," and back in 2018 ... you may have seen her hosting an 'SNL' episode! Grab your shiniest snarfblatt and see if you can play with this unknown star!
Somewhere above the sea, this girl has cracked many knee-slappers in her day like playing Rachel Chu's bestie, and while she may not be the tallest gal on the block, she sure is mighty ... just ask her 'Jumanji' costar Dwayne Johnson.
Can you say "farewell" to this scrambled face before they go after the sea witch?
You've got this!
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Halle Bailey Live-Action 'Little Mermaid' Swimming to a Big Box Office Haul!!!
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.
Box Office: ‘The Little Mermaid’ Sprinting to $125M-Plus Memorial Day Debut https://t.co/B2JKJkBsrt
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 27, 2023 @THR
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!