Disney

Demi Lovato says she was sexually assaulted as a teenager and is opening up about it for the first time, publicly ... because it's taken her this long to process the trauma.

The singer made the shocking revelation in her new documentary, 'Dancing with the Devil' ... which premiered Tuesday night at SXSW. In the film, she says, "I lost my virginity in a rape."

The film infers the alleged assault occurred when she was 15 during her days as the Disney Channel star of "Camp Rock" and "Sonny With a Chance." Demi says she called the person back a month after the alleged rape and "tried to make it right by being in control and all it did was make me feel worse."

She says of the encounter ... "We were hooking up but I said -- hey, this is not going any farther, I’m a virgin, and I don’t want to lose it this way. And that didn’t matter to them, they did it anyways. And I internalized it and I told myself it was my fault because I still went in the room with him. I still hooked up with him."

Demi claims she developed a serious eating disorder to deal with the trauma, and beat herself up for years ... but she feels it's finally time to share her truth.

As we reported ... the new documentary details Demi's 2018 overdose -- including being declared legally blind in the hospital after she woke up -- along with her many other challenges and triumphs.

James Cameron's blockbuster, 'Avatar,' has reclaimed its throne as the highest-grossing movie ever around the world, which appears to be kinda pissing off the 'Endgame' crowd.

Marvel fanboys/girls laid into Cameron Saturday on word that his 2009 behemoth of a flick had once again climbed to the top of the charts globally upon a re-release this weekend in Chinese markets, putting its new haul at just over $2.8B against 'Endgame's' $2.797B.

China's Film Bureau struck a deal that allowed for 'Avatar' to be re-released in theaters, seeing how they're testing re-opening cineplexes ... but are short on new material. Since 'Avatar' is an all-time great among viewers there, they greenlit its revival on the big screen.

Marvel was gracious in defeat, tweeting ... "Congratulations to @JimCameron, @JonLandau, and ALL of Na'vi Nation for reclaiming the box office crown! We love you 3000." Cameron responded with a blue heart emoji, y'know ... 'cause of the blue forest people.

While the studio is bowing down ... fans aren't. Many are pointing out 'Avatar' appears to be gaming the system with yet another re-release more than a decade later, and seemingly juking the stats in its favor. Yes, the movie has had a handful of re-releases over the years, including a significant one right after its OG one-month theatrical run in late 2009.

Here's the thing ... if 'Avatar' "cheated," so did 'Endgame' to get its huge numbers. That movie was in theaters for a whopping 20 weeks or so, which comes out to about how many months 'Avatar' has been left in theaters total on re-releases (give or take a couple months).

Grace VanderWaal isn't seeing stars, she's seeing dollar signs ... because we've learned she's getting paid a nice chunk of change for her lead role in "Stargirl."

The 17-year-old singer is off to a pretty strong start financially in her acting career after securing top billing in the Disney+ movie, "Stargirl." According to her minor's contract, obtained by TMZ, Grace took home a base salary of $125,000 for the first film, and it looks like she's got a bigger payday on the horizon for the upcoming sequel.

Grace is in line to double her earnings for the second 'Stargirl' movie ... the contract says she'll get paid a cool $250,000 to reprise her role as Stargirl Caraway, and Disney says the sequel is already in development.

We'll do the math for ya ... Grace will earn at least $375,000 just in base pay for both films. And, if there's a third film, she'll rake in $500,000. Yes, it pays well to be a Disney star.

Jim Henson's sense of humor is getting a shout-out on the heels of his beloved series hitting Disney+ -- but as we look back, it's clear his puppets weren't always made just for kids.

The 'Muppets' creator used to work on TV commercials for Wilkins Coffee back in the day (from the late '50s through the early '60s) in which he used early versions of puppets he had to peddle java for the food brand. Millennials are just discovering them ... and are in awe.

One guy wrote, "can't stop laughing at these early jim henson commercials where one guy just kills another for not liking wilkins coffee." Yep, that's the gist of these throwback spots -- it's basically one Henson puppet murking another puppet who refuses to drink the Wilkins.

Some of the pranks are harmless, like kicking the puppet off a tree they're both resting on -- but as you watch on ... you'll see some of the sketches become increasingly violent.

In some of the ads, the stockier puppet gets shot at with a gun, bonked over the head, cut with a razor, electrocuted, boiled alive, tossed off buildings and hot air balloons ... and a lot more. It's all in good fun -- but many are pointing out just how graphic they seem to be. Somebody uploaded a full 14-minute clip of all the Henson Wilkins ads, and it's eye-opening.

Henson also had a stint of doing ads with Claussen's Bread -- in which Kermit himself appeared -- and they too are pretty damn dark ... albeit somewhat watered down.

Of course, "The Muppets" is laced with a ton of adult humor too -- so it's no surprise, really, that some of Henson's material with his prized creations pushed the envelope. Just check out this early 'Muppets' toy commercial, where the dolls threaten violence onto the viewers if they don't buy them.

A lot of this stuff aired in the '50s, '60s and '70s ('Muppets' have been around a long time) ... so something tells us Henson and co. could get away with edgy scripts back then. By the time the '90s rolled around, though, 'Muppets' underwent major rebranding ... to be more kid-friendly.

Anyway, most episodes of "The Muppet Show" are now available to stream -- and folks are remembering the genius who brought it all to life. Henson died of pneumonia in 1990.

He was 53.

Ontario actor Michael Seater was still a teenager when he landed the title role of the easy-going older brother, Derek Venturi -- who would rather be playing in his band than studying for school -- in the classic Disney Channel show "Life With Derek."

He was joined on the family television program by Ashley Leggat as the book-smart older sister, Casey McDonald, Daniel Magder as Derek's sibling sidekick, Edwin Venturi ... and Ariel Waller as the adorable kid sister, Marti Venturi.

Michael went on to be on a bunch more TV programs like "Bomb Girls," "Murdoch Mysteries" and "The Wedding Planners."

The force ain't with Gina Carano anymore ... but Ben Shapiro sure is!

The former 'Mandalorian' star -- who's on the outs with LucasFilm after sharing an offensive post about Jewish people on Instagram -- announced she's signed a new movie deal with Shapiro's conservative media outlet, "The Daily Wire."

"The Daily Wire is helping make one of my dreams -- to develop and produce my own film -- come true," Carano told Deadine.com.

"I cried out and my prayer was answered. I am sending out a direct message of hope to everyone living in fear of cancellation by the totalitarian mob. I have only just begun using my voice which is now freer than ever before, and I hope it inspires others to do the same."

She adds, "They can’t cancel us if we don’t let them."

Carano -- one of the first female stars in MMA -- had a booming career as an actress after leaving the cage ... booking roles in flicks like "Deadpool" and "Fast & Furious 6."

She's most famously known for playing former Rebel shock trooper Cara Dune in the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian" -- but lost the role when her bosses at LucasFilm caught wind of a post comparing her perceived mistreatment of conservatives in the U.S. to the millions of Jews who were slaughtered in the Holocaust.

Shapiro -- who is Jewish -- says his company "could not be more excited to be working with Gina Carano, an incredible talent dumped by Disney and Lucasfilm for offending the authoritarian Hollywood Left."

"We’re eager to bring Gina’s talent to Americans who love her, and we’re just as eager to show Hollywood that if they want to keep cancelling those who think differently, they’ll just be helping us build the Xwing to take down their Death Star."

He told ya he was going to Disney World ... and Rob Gronkowski has already made good on his promise!!

The Tampa Bay Bucs superstar tight end rolled into the Most Magical Place on Earth in Orlando on Monday ... and immediately got into an awesome lightsaber battle!!!

It's all part of Disney's annual Super Bowl celebration -- where they (usually) parade the winners around the theme park just like Tom Brady did in 2002, 2004 and 2019.

There are reports Disney has scrapped the Super Bowl parade this year as part of its COVID protocol -- but Gronk will still get to enjoy the park as a super VIP guest, which is probably super awesome.

Both Gronk and TB12 did the post-game "We're going to Disney World" spot this year after beating the K.C. Chiefs on Sunday ... but Brady is reportedly set to visit the park at a later date.

In the meantime, more theme park snacks for Gronk and his family!!!

Disney World had been shut down for a while due to COVID -- but reopened in July with new safety protocols to keep people safe.

Irene Bedard, the actor who voiced "Pocahontas" in the classic Disney film, was disturbingly vocal during 2 November arrests cops referred to as wildly drunken incidents.

We broke the story ... Bedard was arrested twice over the Thanksgiving weekend in  Beavercreek, OH, and police body cam of the first arrest shows her immediately getting hostile with the officers who showed up to talk to her.

Bedard had a belt in her hand as she repeatedly yelled at the "white man" cops, and then started jumping and screaming, "I'm so crazy" they put her in cuffs.

As we first told you ... the arrest went down at her ex-husband's home, after police responded to a possible domestic violence situation. Cops say she was yelling at her 17-year-old son ... which you can see in the video.

Bedard's second arrest, a couple days later on Nov. 30, was at a hotel where she allegedly harassed an employee. The police footage, once again, shows her get aggressive and refuse to leave.

She got even more out of control ... wildly running around the lobby, and eventually charging at the officer, who managed to take her down and arrest her.

Screw being a thorn in someone's side. Bella Thorne's embracing the sentiment with shiny diamond thorns around her neck.

The one-time Disney star hit up Avi Davidov from Pristine Jewelers at the start of the new year and commissioned him to hook her up with a Cuban link necklace with thorns. It's the first of its kind from Davidov.

We're told Bella dropped close to six figures for the 55 carats and 7 green stones. It's pretty intricate ... took him around 3 weeks to make.

It's one helluva piece of bling, and Davidov's no stranger to creating these beauties. He was the jeweler behind Cardi B's 7-figure diamond ring.

Southern California local Bradley Steven Perry was only 12 years old when shot to stardom after he landed the role of the mischievous middle child Gabe Duncan -- who liked to annoy the neighbors and play pranks on his huge household -- on the family-friendly Disney Channel sitcom "Good Luck Charlie."

Bradley Steven Perry shared the small screen with some cool child actors including Bridgit Mendler as the older sister, Teddy Duncan, Jason Dolley as the big bro, PJ Duncan  ... and of course Mia Talerico as the title character in the show, Charlie Duncan.

Ron Dominguez -- one of Disney's homegrown executives, quite literally -- has died.

Dominguez, also known as "Mr. Disneyland," passed away Friday ... this according to the Disneyland Alumni Club. A cause of death wasn't revealed, but the guy's rich history with the Mouse House was ... and his roots stem back to where the park actually broke ground.

An official "Disney Legend," RD's family was one of the original property owners of several acres of land and orange groves that Walt Disney and Co. snapped up back in the '50s to construct what is currently known as Disneyland and California Adventure in Anaheim, CA.

Story goes ... Walt actually turned Dominguez's two-story family home into one of the original Disneyland administration buildings in a backlot on the park grounds, and not only that -- but Dominguez stuck around and started working for them as one of the first Cast Members.

The guy started working as a ticket taker and eventually became familiar with every attraction. He worked his way up the company's ranks over the years, until he became the head of park operations in 1970. It wasn't long until he became the VP of Disneyland altogether, and later in the '90s ... the Executive Vice President of Walt Disney Attractions in the West Coast, before retiring from Disney in '94. Talk about a Cinderella story, huh?!?

Dominguez is credited as being integral in negotiations for getting Disney California Adventure built -- the park opposite of Disneyland, which is seen as more so for grownups -- and was a juggernaut in the Orange County/SoCal business world. He was inducted as a Legend in 2000, and even has his own window on Main Street (nearby where his OG home stayed intact). Safe to say ... Disneyland wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Ron and his family.

He's survived by his wife, Betty, to whom he was married for decades. The Disneyland Alumni Club says a small family gathering is expected due to COVID restrictions.

Ron was 85.

Chicago-born signer and actor Tommy Sands first made a name for himself in the music industry in the late '50s with smash singles like "Teen-Age Crush" and "Going Steady" ... but it wasn't until after he took on the acting role of Tom Piper in Disney's 1961 Christmas musical "Babes In Toyland" that Sands became a classic holiday staple.

Tommy Sands was in the merry musical with Hollywood icons like Ray Bolger as the evil, Barnaby, Tommy Kirk as the tinkering toymaker, Grumio ... and of course Annette Funicello as the sheepish damsel in distress, Mary Contrary.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Chris Paul are goin' full Mickey Mouse -- with the NBA superstars getting Disney movies based on their lives!!

The entertainment company made the big reveal during its Investor Day live stream minutes ago ... saying "Greek Freak" will begin production in 2021.

The flick will follow the inspiring story of the Antetokounmpo family's rise from poverty as undocumented immigrants in Greece to helping Giannis reach the NBA, according to Sean Bailey, the Mouse's president of motion picture production.

Disney also announced the CP3 project is officially in development for Disney+ ... which will focus on the All-Star's "deeply moving story on family, legacy, and destiny that helped make him who he is today."

Spectacular Blue Smith won't be having a spectacular time, or any kinda time, inside Disney World -- the mouse folk are pissed the rapper allegedly socked one of its employees.

Sources with direct knowledge of the situation tell TMZ ... the Pretty Ricky member is now prohibited from entering all of the Walt Disney World Resort properties in Florida following his Monday night battery arrest at the park.

As we reported ... the rapper allegedly fake sneezed and said "coronavirus," presumably as a joke, while standing in a line for a ride. A park employee overheard and said something to Smith about his bad humor, and they got into an argument.

When the staffer asked him to step out of the line, and blocked Smith with his arm ... the rapper allegedly punched him on the right side of his jaw/temple area.

Cops say Smith's son claimed his dad only hit the man accidentally as he lost his balance. Not shockingly, that excuse didn't fly and Spectacular got arrested.

Noted Trekkie Sen. Cory Booker's praising a 'Star Wars' franchise, but cut him some slack -- his GF, Rosario Dawson, was in "The Mandalorian" ... and he still wants her to beam up to the USS Enterprise.

The U.S. Senator was on Capitol Hill Thursday when we grilled him about Rosario's debut on the hit Disney+ series as Ahsoka Tano. Not shockingly, he said she was phenomenal, but not only in the role.

CB says she was great at keeping set secrets from him while she was shooting -- including a big one about Baby Yoda. Doesn't sound like he's holding a grudge though (smart man) ... because he's already pulling for her to expand her sci-fi range by jumping to a 'Star Trek' project.

Yes, as a Trekkie, Cory's kinda pulling for the home team ... but he explained why Rosario's already set a big precedent that makes doing 'Star Wars' and 'Star Trek' not so far-fetched.

Irene Bedard, the actor who voiced Pocahontas in the Disney film, is way too familiar with the back of a police car after what cops call 2 wildly-drunken incidents over 3 days.

Her first arrest went down at Irene's ex-husband's house in Beavercreek, OH -- where cops responded to a possible domestic violence situation on Friday night. According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, officers found the actress with a belt in her hand.

Police claim Irene, who is Native American, said something to the effect of, "Look, they sent the white man to come get me!" The report also says she appeared incredibly intoxicated, reeked of booze and had trouble standing straight.

Her ex told cops Irene showed up pounding on his door and when he let her in, she started yelling at their 17-year-old son ... and allegedly kicked him as he tried to restrain her. Cops claim that continued as she kicked and screamed while they tried to get her into their cruiser.

BPD notes her son didn't want to press charges and just wanted his mom to get help -- but they took her to the station and booked her for domestic violence, assault and resisting arrest.

She posted bond ... but a few days later, on Monday, Irene was arrested again when Beavercreek PD was summoned to a hotel where Irene was allegedly harassing the front desk clerk.

The officer on that case says he tried talking Irene down, but again she appeared wasted and was combative. So much so, he claims she charged at him, and he had to pin her down to cuff her. Cops also say it took several officers to drag her into jail.

The second time around, Irene was only booked for disorderly conduct before she was released, once again, without bail.