Movies

Jacob Batalon looks and feels like a whole new man after dropping an astounding 112 pounds!!!

The "Spider-Man: No Way Home" star says he knew he had to make a change starting back in 2019, "I felt like I could barely walk upstairs without being out of breath, and this one day I kind of just saw myself without a shirt on and it was just ridiculous ...”

Jacob says COVID-19 and the lockdown that followed really helped him to work on himself, hiring a trainer and hitting the gym 6x a week for hour-and-a-half sessions.

Not only did Jacob hit the gym hard, but he says his girlfriend introduced him to a plant-based diet as well ... and the results have been huge for him.

Buzz McCallister is probably gonna be the one who's home alone for Christmas this time around -- because he got arrested for beating up his girlfriend ... and is already out of jail.

'Home Alone' star Devin Ratray was booked on domestic violence charges Wednesday after turning himself in to the authorities in Oklahoma City -- this after a warrant was issued for his arrest ... stemming from an alleged altercation with his now-ex from 2 weeks ago.

Ratray was booked for domestic assault and battery by strangulation, a felony, as well as misdemeanor domestic assault and battery. Ratray was released on $25k bond within 15 minutes after posing for a mug shot.

As we reported ... the alleged victim filed a police report on Dec. 10, claiming Buzz had gotten violent with her in a hotel room after a night out on the town. She told cops he'd pushed her, punched her in the face and pressed his hands against her throat and mouth.

There's more disturbing detail in the probable cause affidavit -- obtained by TMZ -- which says Ratray allegedly told her, "This is how you die." The GF also told police Ratray was really drunk -- downing upwards of a dozen drinks -- and then got pissed at her for giving autographed photos of him to fans for free.

The cops note the alleged victim appeared to have multiple injuries from the dustup, including bruises and marks on her face.

James Franco is speaking out at length for the first time since a wave of sexual misconduct allegations were leveled against him -- saying he's spent the last few years working on himself -- and making one thing clear ... he's still got love for Seth Rogen.

Franco spoke with SiriusXM's "The Jess Cagle Podcast" Wednesday, and talked everything from the allegations to his career and his fallout with Rogen.

If you hadn't heard ... Seth said in an interview this year he had no plans to work with Franco in light of the allegations made against his former friend. To that, James told Jess, "Of course, it was hurtful in context, but I get it, you know, he had to answer for me cause I was silent."

Rogen's comments seemed to really sit with Franco, given how close the two were, "We didn't have one fight for 20 years. Not one fight. He was my absolute closest work friend, collaborator."

While the pair don't have any projects lined up for the future, they've starred in massive movies together, including "Pineapple Express," "The Interview," "Sausage Party" and "The Disaster Artist."

Michigan local Jessica Cauffiel was in her mid-20s when her acting career was launched into the limelight with some big acting roles including playing the Hamptons hottie and best friend Tori Wilson -- whose cool clique gets raided by the undercover cops in drag -- in the 2004 work of art "White Chicks."

Cauffiel shared the big screen with the on-screen and off-screen comedy brothers Marlon Wayans as Agent Marcus Copeland... and as Tiffany Wilson and Shawn Wayans as Agent Kevin Copeland ... and Brittany Wilson.

Other notable roles from Jessica's Y2K credits are Margot in 'Legally Blonde' and Milan on "The Drew Carey Show."

Even when Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson look like they're going to the movies like a normal couple, there's nothing average about it ... not when they're renting out the joint for themselves.

If it wasn't clear before, things are definitely heating up between these 2, and there seems to be a common theme when they're in his neck of the woods -- Pete loves taking Kim to places he's gone his whole life.

Jesse Scarola, who owns Atrium Stadium Cinemas on Staten Island -- site of Kim and Pete's most recent date night -- says the lovebirds rented out a private screen to watch "House of Gucci."

Scarola tells us Pete hits the spot at least once a month with friends ... although, it was a slightly different experience with Kim, as her security team called ahead to make sure it was cool for the couple to enter through a side door.

Despite making a low-key entrance, Scarola says Kim and Pete chatted with staff and fans -- like PD usually does -- and they even took pics with folks. Point is, we're told Kim made an effort to get to know people at her BF's neighborhood theater.

As we reported, Kim, Pete and Scott Disick all hit Atrium Saturday for movie night just hours before 'SNL' started. Unclear if Scott originally planned to watch Pete in action at 30 Rock before the show was scaled back, but he was at least able to tag along for the flick.

As you know, Kim started seeing Pete a couple of months ago. She'd filed for divorce from her Kanye West back in February.

Bradley Cooper's newest movie did abysmally bad at the box office -- and ticket sales were apparently so poor ... theaters actually started bumping BC for Peter Parker.

The flick -- titled "Nightmare Alley" and directed by Guillermo del Toro -- raked in just under $3 million over its opening weekend across a little over 2,000 theaters nationwide ... this with a reported price tag of about $60 mil to make it, and future projections looking grim.

Not just that ... but it would seem some ticket buyers had to nix their scheduled outing after getting word from the local theater that they were swapping a one-off "Nightmare Alley" screening to make room for yet another "Spider-Man: No Way Home" slot.

One person writes, "True s***. Just got an email from my theater asking if I wanted to cancel my tickets for NIGHTMARE ALLEY because they cancelled every other show to free up the screen for more Spider-Man showings."

It also appears 'NA' is getting yanked out of cineplexes pretty quickly -- if it was ever playing at all, that is -- in the wake of its terrible performance, with yet another person pointing out there's only one single screening for it this upcoming week at a Marcus Theaters location.

And where "Nightmare Alley" *was* playing ... not very many people were rushing in to see it. There are few photos online showing very empty theater rooms. Bottom line ... hardly anyone caught it. Ditto for 'West Side Story' ... which did worse this weekend than last.

Meanwhile, 'No Way Home' absolutely crushed ... pulling in over $250 million this weekend, even in the midst of the pandemic and a new variant causing COVID cases to rise again.

So the question ... what gives??? Many are lamenting the lopsided numbers -- pointing out that if Spider-Man can get asses in seats during a still-scary time ... it must mean the death of "real cinema" as we know it, with tentpole popcorn franchises fully taking over.

Marvel is putting Spider-Man fans at ease in the wake of their latest movie -- which leaves Tom Holland's future as the teen hero uncertain -- confirming ... nope, the story ain't over!

MCU Prez Kevin Feige got the word out early this week to the NYT, this during an interview alongside key Sony producer Amy Pascal -- who oversees all things Spidey for them ... as the two studios kinda share the rights to the comic book character at the moment.

On both fronts, they assured everyone ... yes, they're already working on a sequel to 'No Way Home' -- which presumably means Holland's along for the ride too.

When asked if Pascal spoke too soon last month -- when she prematurely revealed TH would be starring in a whole new trilogy -- she said, "We’re producers, so we always believe everything will work out," adding she hopes the Marvel partnership lasts "forever."

KF was a bit more direct about what was happening next ... "Amy and I and Disney and Sony are talking about -- yes, we’re actively beginning to develop where the story heads next, which I only say outright because I don’t want fans to go through any separation trauma like what happened after 'Far From Home.' That will not be occurring this time."

That's pretty big news, but not at all surprising ... seeing how 'NWH' whooped ass at the box office this weekend, on its way to grossing around $250M in its first few days in theaters.

No question ... there was going to be a sequel eventually, but what Kev and Amy here seem to be implying is that they're going to continue the Holland storyline -- which is major ...  considering what happens at the end of his latest adventure.

As you probably know by know, the dude forges on as Spider-Man by himself -- no longer having Aunt May by his side ... and not even MJ or his pal, Ned. May dies, and the latter have their memories wiped about who he is/was completely (thanks to Dr. Strange) ... something Peter opts to do to avoid putting them in any more danger.

In other words, the guy's single again and all on his own. And, if they continue with Holland as the lead ... it's almost like everything that happened in the previous 3 movies is wiped clean ... and they can start fresh again with new romantic interests, bad guys, etc.

Matt Reeves really said "come as you are" to Robert Pattinson for his new Batman movie -- and he meant it in every sense of the word ... because Kurt Cobain is on his brain.

The 'Batman' director spilled the beans this week in a new Empire interview about the inspiration behind his version of Bruce Wayne -- with Pattinson playing the billionaire playboy by day, and the Caped Crusader by night.

Lo and behold ... it was the late Nirvana singer that actually inspired RP's look -- which makes a ton of sense. The guy looks pretty grungy, and now we know why.

Reeves says of the process behind figuring out a new take ... "When I write, I listen to music, and as I was writing the first act, I put on Nirvana's 'Something In The Way.'"

He adds, "That's when it came to me that, rather than make Bruce Wayne the playboy version we've seen before, there's another version who had gone through a great tragedy and become a recluse. So, I started making this connection to Gus Van Sant's Last Days, and the idea of this fictionalized version of Kurt Cobain being in this kind of decaying manor."

That's a pretty sweet tribute to Kurt, no doubt. But, fans are pointing out Pattinson's Wayne appearance is perhaps less punk rock ... and more emo. Or at least it was before this new shot of Bob surfaced, where his hair is a little more messy -- and he gives off Cobain vibes.

Olivia Munn and John Mulaney are first-time parents, secretly welcoming a little boy into the world last month ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Olivia gave birth on November 24, the day before Thanksgiving, in Los Angeles.

It was back in September when John made the surprising announcement that he and Olivia were expecting, dropping the news during an interview on "Late Night With Seth Meyers."

The interview touched on the ups and downs of John's life over the last year, where he also shared that it was Seth and other close friends who staged an intervention and encouraged him to go back to rehab for several weeks.

Prior to Olivia, John had been married to Anna Marie Tendler from 2014 until they announced they'd split in May 2021, John filed for divorce in July. At the time, reports said Mulaney and Anna had broken up quite some time before the news was made public.

Little boy Mulaney is the first child for both Olivia and John.

Alec Baldwin's phone might contain crucial evidence in the "Rust" shooting investigation ... at least cops think so, and that's why they now have a warrant to comb through it.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Dept. got a New Mexico judge to sign off Thursday on a search warrant for Alec's mobile phone ... a move that comes nearly 2 months after the accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Alec told investigators about emails between head armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and himself, in which she showed him different styles of guns and knives for the film. He says he requested a bigger gun, and she showed him an antique Colt.

We know Alec was using a replica of an 1873 Colt 45 at the time of the shooting.

Remember, during his ABC interview ... Alec said he's sure he's not responsible for Halyna's death, although he wouldn't say who was. District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies begged to differ though ... saying neither Baldwin nor anyone else who had contact with the weapon was in the clear yet. She stressed the investigation was ongoing.

In the docs, cops say they're trying to gather information about the production from before filming started. They clearly feel Alec's emails and/or texts might contain some of that data. When they asked for his phone, they were told to get a warrant.

One interesting anecdote about Hannah -- during an interview with detectives, they say she said she didn't believe anyone on the "Rust" production would be malicious enough to bring live ammo on the set.

That's weird because, as we reported, her attorney told us he thinks someone sabotaged Hannah by intentionally mixing live rounds with dummy ammunition. The D.A.'s dismissed that theory.

Tyler Perry had a not-so-nice welcome to L.A. -- getting into a nasty T-bone car crash just minutes after leaving the airport, but thankfully, all involved were okay.

Sources tell us Tyler flew into Burbank Airport Wednesday night and was driving home through Sherman Oaks in his Bentley SUV when the accident happened.

We're told the other vehicle -- a Honda Accord -- cut across 3 lanes of traffic, right across Tyler's path, and he ended up smashing into the driver's side of her car. Our sources say the woman driving the Honda fessed up to causing the collision.

Luckily, there was already a police officer in the area who was able to divert traffic and make sure everyone was alright.

We're told no one suffered serious injuries, or even went to the hospital.

New York City native Dash Mihok has had a long career on a big list of television shows ... but he was only 22 years old when he scored the breakout role of 9mm toting cousin Benvolio Montague -- who stays true to family loyalties and protects his cousin Romeo -- in Baz Luhrmann's 1996 masterpiece of William Shakespeare's classic "Romeo + Juliet."

the timeless tragedy turned modern love story is jam-packed with celebs including John Leguizamo as the Prince of Cats and Juliet's killer cousin, Tybalt Capulet, Claire Danes as the balcony babe, Juliet Capulet ... and of course Leonardo DiCaprio as the cross-town heartthrob, Romeo Montague.

Mihok can be more recently spotted playing Ray's younger brother Bunchy on "Ray Donovan."

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez don't seem the least bit fazed by all the backlash for him laying, at least, some blame for his bouts with the bottle on Jennifer Garner -- in fact, he's getting ready to talk even more.

Bennifer 2.0 looked happy as clams Wednesday on Hollywood Blvd as they strolled into the El Capitan Entertainment Centre ahead of his talk show appearance tonight with Jimmy Kimmel.

Ben and Jen were holding hands, flashing those pearly whites and showing no signs of strife after his controversial radio hit with Howard Stern ... where Ben blamed his ex-wife, Garner, for helping kickstart his alcoholism.

As we reported ... Ben went on Howard's show this week and said he felt "trapped" in his marriage with JG -- because of their kids -- and he started drinking to cope, saying the feeling made him turn to booze.

Ben's comments rubbed a lot of people the wrong way online ... in part because Garner was very supportive during his struggles with alcohol, famously taking him to rehab in 2018.

J Lo's not a scheduled guest on Kimmel, so looks like she's just there for support. It'll be interesting to see if Ben addresses all the flak he's catching for the Garner remarks -- but at least publicly, his new boo is standing by him.

Jenifer Lewis is calling on Congress to open an investigation into the death of Kendrick Johnson -- a 17-year-old black boy -- whose body was found rolled up in a gym mat years ago.

"The Mother of Black Hollywood" author and exec producer of the Starz documentary "Finding Kendrick Johnson" joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and shared why she thinks his case is so important.

Jenifer told us, "This is the most important film I’ve ever worked on. What this family has gone through is unspeakable but we must speak it so the public knows the truth."

The controversial death was ruled "accidental" by the state of Georgia, although Kendrick's family hired a forensics specialist who said his death was caused by "non-accidental blunt force trauma." The case was closed, but reopened in March ... we're told the doc sheds light on new evidence in the case.

Jenifer's clearly outraged by the lack of action on the part of law enforcement, saying, "You know how much evidence the FBI has to have to storm somebody’s house with guns AK- 47s out? And then when they got in there and saw that it was an FBI agent, it was just pushed under the rug, just pushed under the rug. Another Black kid. So what?”

The actress also talked about her special connection to filmmaker Jason Pollock after his 2014 Michael Brown doc, since she grew up in a small town just outside of Ferguson ... and she now wants the people in Washington to do something about it.

'Black Panther' fans have spoken, saying Chadwick Boseman's beloved character should be recast going forward, and believe it or not ... the man's own brother concurs.

CB's bro, Derrick Boseman, tells TMZ ... yes, he does think T'Challa needs to live on in the 'Black Panther' franchise, and if that means tapping another actor to portray the king of Wakanda -- the role Chadwick made famous and legendary, then so be it.

Here's the thing ... Derrick tells us he believes his sibling would've wanted with this too -- explaining Chadwick thought T'Challa was bigger than just himself as one guy. Frankly, Derrick says Chadwick knew the power of the character, and the positive influence it carries.

Derrick says there's so much power in seeing a Black king -- especially in a superhero capacity, like in the Marvel flick -- which has a HUGE impact on African-American youth. DB tells us with Marvel killing off that character so quickly in the wake of Chadwick's death, they're kinda depriving black kids of a role model.

As you know, there's a major push among fans to #RecastTChalla amid all the speculated drama with Letitia Wright.

Derrick says there aren't a whole lot of positive influences for young black children these days -- he thinks hip-hop glorifies certain social ills, and Marvel has a chance to counteract that by bringing back T'Challa -- who he sees as a symbol of Black people's potential.

The guy speaks from experience, telling us his own nephew has told the family he wants to be a scientist and cites 'Black Panther' as his inspiration.

New Jersey native Ali Larter has had a long list of notable roles in the entertainment business ... but she was only 22 years old when she landed her breakout role as the quarterback's girlfriend and cheer captain Darcy Sears -- who surprises the up-and-coming QB (and viewers) by donning a whipped cream bikini -- in the 1999 teen movie "Varsity Blues."

'VB' was packed with up-and-coming actors including Paul Walker as the star QB and Darcy's boyfriend, Lance Harbor ... and of course James Van Der Beek as the guy who don't want your life, Jonathan "Mox" Moxon.