Movies

Peter Robbins -- the voice behind Charlie Brown -- has tragically died by taking his own life.

Peter's Agent, Dylan Novak, tells TMZ ... Peter checked himself into a mental hospital in California, shortly after Christmas. Novak says Peter was in a bad headspace, and the last time they spoke in Jan. Peter said ... "I really need your prayers."

We're told the hospital staff encouraged Peter to stay there for a few more weeks, but Peter refused ... instead, he discharged himself on Jan 18, 2022. He was found dead sometime after that.

Peter struggled with bipolar disorder. He spent some time in rehab, battling drug abuse and addiction ... and he also spent some time in prison for making threats to others.

Novak says he was very vocal about his own problems because he wanted to help others in similar circumstances ... it became his mission in life.

Robbins began voicing the Charlie Brown cartoon character, back in 1963 ... he also guest-starred in the 1968 sitcom "Blondie" and many other shows up until the '70s.

He was 65.

For viewers in China, there's a brand new ending to Brad Pitt's classic film "Fight Club" -- and shocker ... their version strikes a blow for the authorities, who come out on top.

We'd say spoiler alert, but the flick is nearly 23 years old ... and fans know the original ending is total chaos with bombs going off, buildings being destroyed and the narrator killing his imaginary alter-ego. But, viewers in China won't be exposed to any of that.

Instead, a message pops up that says, "through the clue provided by [alter ego] Tyler, the police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding."

And here's a spoiler alert for China -- Tyler gets sent to a "lunatic asylum."

China's ending is much more peaceful... and lotsa folks aren't happy about their happy ending. Like many other social media users, Chuck Palahniuk -- who wrote the 1996 novel that became the movie -- sarcastically voiced his disapproval.

Even U.S. Senator Ted Cruz had something to say about the Chinese government's decision. That said, it's pretty normal for Chinese censors to make edits to American movies, but not so normal for them to so dramatically change climaxes.

Peter Dinklage thinks ‘Snow White’ has a little person problem, and while Brad Willams doesn’t disagree ... he does have some suggestions on how to make it work.

We talked to the comedian/actor -- who was born with dwarfism himself -- and he gave us his take on Dinklage ripping Disney for what he sees as a fundamental issue with the story of SW and its depiction of dwarfs.

Check it out ... Brad says he isn’t here to refute Pete one iota, because he actually concurs ... ‘Snow White’ is problematic as it stands. However, he hits us with some solutions on how to make it even more progressive than what Disney’s done so far in the casting ... i.e. Rachel Zegler, a Latina, in the title role.

In Brad’s happily ever after, the princess actually ends up with one of the cottage dwellers!!! Watch ... he rattles off some impressive reasons for Happy and co. to play love interests for Snow. Yes, stand-up is Brad's thing, but we think he's only half joking here and makes some solid points. His way, everyone wins ... at least that’s how BW sees it.

On a more serious note, Brad discusses how Hollywood needs to do a better job for little people in the biz, noting that Dinklage is NOT killing roles for other actor’s by saying what he said. That responsibility, Brad argues, ultimately lies with producers and writers ... who should look to be more inclusive in their scripts.

One last thing ... Disney has come out and said it's going a different route with the 7 dwarfs for the upcoming film, one which they say won’t harp on stereotypes the OG animated feature played up.

Peter Dinklage thinks Disney going woke for "Snow White" misses the mark entirely -- ‘cause the story itself is offensive, especially toward little people.

The "Game of Thrones" star -- who was born with a form of dwarfism -- slammed the reboot that’s in the works right now ... telling Marc Maron on his podcast that he thinks the Mouse House is being hypocritical and disingenuous.

On the one hand, Dinklage says they’re clearly trying to be progressive by casting Rachel Zegler, who’s Latina, as Snow White ... but by the same token, he explains they’re still making a movie based on a "f**king backwards" story.

PD goes on to mention the fairy tale is, in essence, about seven dwarves who are painted as primitive and mystical creatures, saying they live in a "cave" ... which isn’t quite right (they live in a cottage in the woods) but ya get his point.

Of course, Snow White has also been called ableist over the years ... especially as it relates to Dopey, who’s portrayed as a naive idiot. In fact, all the dwarves are treated as children by SW, both in the movie and the OG fairy tale, which is what Dink’s beef really seems to be about.

He says, "Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough." Seems like he's half-kidding here, but still ... you can tell he's irked by this.

As you may know by now, Dinklage has made a name for himself over the past decade-plus ... turning in award-winning dramatic performances -- and really paving the way for little people to be taken seriously as actors.

Sounds like he thinks Disney is simply out to appease one group of people with their new take on "Snow White," but completely ignoring another ... and coming off as tone-deaf in the process.

One of the people involved in Arnold Schwarzenegger's multi-car wreck couldn't believe her eyes ... not only because of the movie stunt-like crash, but because she's a huge fan of his.

Habiba Muminova was one of the drivers who had a close encounter with Arnold's SUV in Friday's crash, and she tells TMZ ... she felt like she was "hallucinating" when Arnold exited his Yukon.

Habiba says Arnold's one of her favorite actors, and while she says, "God bless him," ... she's painfully aware this wasn't exactly a great way to meet him for the first time. Still, she says she's telling everyone what -- and who -- happened.

Habiba says she was just doing her job Friday -- driving patients to doctor's appointments -- when all of a sudden she was smack in the middle of an accident involving a movie star/former governor.

She says she was waiting at a red light to turn on Sunset Blvd when Arnold's SUV collided with a red Prius ... and before she knew it one of Arnold's back tires was smacking into her car, causing a harsh jolt.

Habiba says the initial impact was so strong, she thought she broke her spine.

With Arnold's SUV blocking her door, Habiba says she climbed out through the passenger side, where she was met by first responders and advised to get a ride to the hospital. Instead, she stayed put on the scene with the patient she'd been transporting.

She says she's now experiencing pain in her spine and back, from the shoulder down her left side and she's getting checked out by a doctor this week.

Habiba's concerned about her job moving forward -- she says her car is badly damaged, which will make it difficult, if not impossible, to drive patients around town.

She says she's reached out to an attorney for legal advice.

Kat Von D is saying goodbye to all things California -- she just listed her L.A. mansion, which also happens to be a famous movie location ... TMZ has learned.

Long before Kat moved in, the huge home was featured in the 2003 movie "Cheaper By the Dozen" -- but take a look around this pad ... ain't a damn thing cheap about it!!!

The 3-story, gorgeous crib is 12,565 sq feet with 13 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms.

Kat paid $6.5 million for it back in 2016 ... and she's put some work and money into the place since then.

We're told she completely restored the Victorian home which some unique features, like a library, hidden bar with hand-carved walls and 7 fireplaces!!!

You know you're living right when your living room has a title -- Kat's is called the 'French Ballroom' -- and one more bonus is the 2-bed, 1-bath carriage house over the garage.

It also has some more commonly seen luxuries ... like a pool and spa.

Jamie Sher of The Sher Group holds the listing.

Kat selling shouldn't come as a surprise -- back in October, she announced she was leaving Cali for good and putting down roots in Indiana.

Fans' demands for Idris Elba to play James Bond are NOT falling on deaf ears for those who can make it happen ... because he seems to be at the forefront of their minds.

Two producers who are key to the franchise, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, dished about Daniel Craig's final outing as the MI6 agent ... and gave a bit of insight into who could potentially succeed him in future installments -- and sure enough, Idris came up.

During an appearance on the 'Crew Call' podcast this week, Broccoli and Wilson were asked if they'd had any discussions with IE about taking on the mantle ... amid a massive push from the fanbase to get the guy in Bond's iconic tux.

Check it out ... BB says she actually knows Idris personally, adding they're friends -- which seems to answer the question. Namely, yes, she has presumably chatted with him about it.

She goes on to say that Idris has certainly been part of the conversation as someone who could possibly carry on the legacy -- but as for whose convo, exactly, she leaves it kinda vague. Obviously his involvement has been discussed at length among normies ... but Barb makes it sound like his name has been tossed around among the '007' honchos, too.

Of course, she totally hedges and pulls back (as she has often when asked about this lately) and says they aren't even seriously considering names just yet ... wanting to give DC his victory lap while "No Time to Die" is still in theaters.

Still, the fact that the host mentioned calls for Pierce Brosnan to be tapped back in the late '80s/'90s -- and the fact it actually manifested -- seems to confirm ... these Bond gatekeepers listen to what the fans want, age be damned!

We only mention that because some say Idris is too old to play JB, even though Craig is actually older than him at 53 ... not to mention Roger Moore playing Bond well into his '50s.

Regina King's only son has tragically died.

Ian Alexander Jr. took his own life Wednesday, according to law enforcement, the day he turned 26.

Ian is the son of Ian Alexander Sr., who married Regina in 1997. They were together 10 years before divorcing.

Regina said, "Our family is devastated at the deepest level by the loss of Ian. He is such a bright light who cared so deeply about the happiness of others. Our family asks for respectful consideration during this private time. Thank you."

Regina and her son would sometimes walk the red carpet together for events and it was apparent how proud she was of him.

As for tributes ... they are cascading in ... "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Garcelle Beauvais said, "My heart breaks for you @ReginaKing Ian was sweet & kind."

Marc Lamont Hill echoed that ... "Sending all of my love and condolences to Regina King. I pray that she's surrounded by love and healing energy."

Ian once said of Regina, "She's just a super mom. She doesn't really let bad workdays or anything come back and ruin the time that we have. It's really awesome to have a mother who I can enjoy spending time with."

When Regina turned 50 in 2021, Ian posted this on Instagram ... "Happy birthday to my co, so extremely proud of you and inspired by your love, artistry and gangsta. To be able to watch you take this lifetime by its neck and make it yours is something i will forever be grateful for. But to have you as my mother is the greatest gift I could ask for. To be all that you are while always having the time to be there, love and support me unconditionally is truly remarkable. The whole marvel universe ain't got s*** on you, your the real superhero! Love you mom! This day and everyday YO DAY!!"

And ... just a couple of months before he died, Ian posted a throwback pic of him, his mom and a friend, with the caption ... "My joys 🥰."

Ian was 26.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was just involved in a bad car accident  ... so bad his monster SUV rolled over on top of another car, and that driver was badly injured.

Arnold was driving a Yukon SUV when it collided with a red Prius at around 5:00 PM PT.  His SUV started to roll and ended up on top of the Prius, then continued rolling to the left into a Porsche Taycan.

One eyewitness says it was crazy ... it looked like a stunt in a movie. The collision was intense enough that the airbags deployed on the Yukon.

The woman who was driving the Prius was injured -- bleeding heavily from her head. We're told an ambulance took her to the hospital.

Arnold, we're told, is OK and is deeply concerned about the injured woman. An Arnold source tells TMZ he wants to personally check up on her.

Jake Steinfeld of "Body By Jake" fame was apparently at the scene at the time of the crash and that's him in the photo (above) with Arnold. The two are close friends. In fact, when Arnold was Governor of California, Jake was the Chairman of the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness.

One of the witnesses says it appeared the Prius was on Sunset Blvd and Arnold was on Sunset turning left in the opposite direction when the collision occurred.

At the time of this post, Arnold is still at the accident scene, which is about a mile from his home.

"Cool Runnings" actor Rawle D. Lewis says it's time for a reboot of the classic 1993 film -- telling TMZ Sports it should represent the Jamaican women's bobsled team this time around ... and Lupita Nyong'o should have the starring role.

Of course, the OG flick was a Disney adaptation of the story of the Jamaican bobsled team's appearance in the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Lewis tells us he wants to see the story hit the silver screen again -- with the focus on the women's team.

"People don't realize that women [bobsledders] also did well," the Cool Runnings actor told us this week. "I think the reboot might be like the whole women doing their thing."

And, Lewis is shooting for the stars with his idea ... saying he'd love to pass the "Cool Runnings" torch to Nyong'o.

"She can play anything," RDL says.

The whole movie convo came up after we spoke to Lewis about the four-man Jamaican bobsled team that made it to the 2022 Winter Olympics for the first time in 24 years.

RDL played Junior Bevil in the OG flick ... and he's ecstatic about the real team making it back to the Games.

"I was watching it and I was like, 'God, that is so f**king amazing,'" RDL said.

"There's no snow in Jamaica. Like, none! Like, I don't know if people understand the concept of what they're able to accomplish here, but that's amazing."

Meat Loaf deserves a heap of honors, so a very famous pizza joint is heaping a ton of meatloaf on its pies to celebrate the singer/actor's life.

Mulberry Pizza in Bev Hills -- owned by Richie Palmer (ex-hubby of Raquel Welch) -- is making a special pizza Monday to honor Meat Loaf.

Richie is a huge Meat Loaf fan -- his jam is "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" -- and he tells us it's the least he can do.

The pie looks delish -- it's got meatloaf, of course, basil, cheese and some spices.

Richie put a sign outside one of his Bev Hills locations that says, "Monday in honor of Meat Loaf, meatloaf pizza slice! RIP."

Universal Studios has pissed off some moviegoers whose jam is clearly Ana de Armas ... and they're outraged she was advertised as a star of the film, "Yesterday," but ended up on the cutting room floor.

Two consumers say they plunked down $3.99 to watch the movie about the dude who hits his head and wakes up to discover he's the only person in the world who knows the entire Beatles catalog.

Ana was originally cast to co-star in the film. According to the suit, although Ana appeared in the trailer and various advertisements, she was not in the flick. It's unclear why she ended up on the cutting room floor.

The 2 named plaintiffs are particularly pissed off ... in the trailer, the main character sings the song, "Something" to Ana, but it's nowhere to be seen on screen.

Well, now there's a class-action lawsuit for those who rented the movie in California or Maryland. The class is defined as everyone who purchased the movie, but fact is ... there are probably a lot of people who don't care one way or the other if Ana is in the flick.

What's more ... we're assuming each consumer would get a maximum of $3.99 -- the cost to rent the movie. The lawsuit is for $5 million, so the ones who will make out like a bandit -- the lawyers!

BTW ... the movie was a hit, grossing $150 million.

Louie Anderson's death has one of his comedy peers remembering what's now an incredibly poignant moment ... when Louie and Bob Saget came together with their friend Gilbert Gottfried.

All 3 comedians posed together in a photo Gilbert posted Friday morning ... reacting to the loss of both men in such a short period. Gilbert said, "This photo is very sad now. RIP Bob Saget and RIP Louie Anderson. Both good friends that will be missed."

It's unclear where and when they snapped the shot -- which shows Bob holding up a phone to take a selfie with his pals. Very meta.

As we reported, Louie passed away Friday morning in Las Vegas, where he'd been battling lymphoma. Bob died on Jan. 9 in his Orlando hotel room ... a few hours after doing standup in Jacksonville.

Louie actually appeared on Bob's podcast last May, and they shared some old stories from their gigs at L.A.'s legendary venue, The Comedy Store.

Iconic comedian Louie Anderson has died, after a battle with blood cancer ... TMZ has learned.

As we previously reported, Anderson had been battling this aggressive cancer. And, while it's not clear when he was diagnosed, the "Coming to America" star was recently being treated for Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in a Vegas hospital.

Unfortunately, he lost that battle Friday morning ... according to his publicist.

Throughout his career of over 30 years, the 3-time Emmy Award winner became known as one of America's most beloved comics ... He was named “One of 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians of All Time” by Comedy Central.

Louie made his network debut as a stand-up comedian on "The Tonight Show" back in 1984. And since then, he has become a household name, acting in lots of TV shows and movies ... like "Baskets" and "Coming to America" to name a few.

Louie also made a name for himself, by touring and doing his own specials and sitcoms. He was shown to turn the ups and downs of his childhood into laughter.

Just last year, Anderson made headlines when he opened up about his weight loss journey and losing 30 to 40 pounds during the pandemic ... which, he says was a result of intermittent fasting.

Louie continued to tour worldwide before being hospitalized ... doing what he does best, making others laugh. His legacy will surely live on.

He was 68.

Meat Loaf -- the singer with some monstrous hits -- has died at the age of 74.

The singer's manager, Michael Greene, confirmed Meat Loaf died Thursday night. Sources with knowledge tell TMZ ... he was supposed to attend a business dinner earlier this week for a show he's working on -- "I'd Do Anything for Love" -- but the dinner was canceled because he became seriously ill with COVID. Sources tell us that his condition quickly became critical.

Our sources say Meat Loaf has been outspoken about COVID, railing with folks in Australia recently about vaccine mandates. We do not know if he was vaccinated.

Greene added that Meat Loaf's wife and 2 daughters were by his side when he passed away.

Meat Loaf was one of the greatest rock singers of all time. His 1977 "Bat Out of Hell" album sold an astounding 65 million copies. That album produced several hits, including "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad," which charted at #11 on Billboard.

Meat Loaf followed up with a sequel years later -- "Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell" - which produced a number 1 hit, "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)." He won a Grammy for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance.

Meat Loaf also appeared in a ton of movies and TV shows, including "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," "Spice World: The Movie" and "Fight Club" He also performed in the musical "Hair," both on and off-Broadway.

His real name was Marvin Lee Aday. As for how he acquired the name of a delicious meal ... his football coach named him Meat Loaf because of his weight. His first band was called Meat Loaf Soul.

Now get this ... his first album was a duet with a singer named Stoney and it was released on Motown.

Meat Loaf appeared on "TMZ Live" back in 2014, promoting his new show in Vegas.

We last got Meat Loaf in NYC back in 2019, where he told us why his stage name should appeal to vegetarians and vegans alike.

Sofia Vergara really stands out on the set of her new Netflix show ... because she looks exactly like Sofia Vergara, and nothing like the infamous cocaine godmother she's playing.

Ya gotta see these shots of Sofia filming scenes in L.A. for "Griselda," a Netflix limited series about Colombian drug queenpin Griselda Blanco ... it might as well be a scene for "Modern Family" because Sofia pretty much looks like she always does.

It's pretty funny -- some folks who've seen Sofia on set claim she's "unrecognizable in costume" as Griselda. Ummm ... say what??? Look for yourself, this ain't fooling anyone.

She's reportedly wearing facial prosthetics for the role, and there is a slight difference in the nose and cheeks -- but c'mon ... that's Sofia.

For reference, here is what the real Griselda looked like back in the day -- she was assassinated in 2012 in Colombia.