Movies

A new horror movie is coming out next week, and the studio found a creative way to let people know about ... sending background actors to live baseball games, front and center.

We're talking about Paramount's latest offering, "Smile," which drops next Friday ... and amid a lot of "Don't Worry Darling" chatter, it seems the mountain execs were trying to find a way to break through the noise and stand out ... and they chose MLB broadcasts to do it.

Several marquee matchups aired on big-time TV stations Friday -- including Dodgers vs. Cardinals, Mets vs. A's and Yankees vs. Sox. In all of them, there was at least one person prominently positioned behind home plate that held a super creepy smile the entire time.

It was perhaps most notable during the Mets game, where a woman in a highlight green shirt (with the word SMILE written across) was standing and smiling awkwardly ... that is, until a security guard told her to park it.

Another guy in green was also spotted at the Dodgers game, sitting in silence and holding a creepy smile for much of the game. Some of them stood up at times, but mostly sat still and just held the pose ... completely committed to the gag.

Another man, this time in blue, was seen at the Yankees game ... and he got up occasionally -- with viewers at home certainly taking notice and noting it was freaking them out.

Unclear if there were more actors at other games, but these are the ones that people paid close attention to. Of course, this is good old-fashioned viral marketing ... and it would appear it worked, 'cause the stunt is getting some media coverage.

"Smile" is going up against Billy Eichner's rom-com, "Bros," next week ... not to mention any spillover from 'DWD' and other recent horror releases like "Barbarian" and "Pearl." Plus, "Avatar" is back in theaters, and it already seems to be doing well -- so tough competition.

Paramount's smiling through it all though, especially at the ballpark!

There's been more said about the off-set shenanigans on "Don't Worry Darling" than the actual movie -- and it looks like that'll actually help it at the box office ... go figure!

The early numbers are in, and all the whispers have apparently attracted the public's attention ... based on estimations thus far -- 'DWD' is on track to rake in about $21 million this weekend, a huge W for WB, seeing how the movie only cost around $35 mil to make.

On Thursday alone, the movie pulled an impressive $3.1 million in previews (with limited screenings). When it opened wide on Friday, however ... it cashed in another $6.3 mil.

As of now, the movie's made about $9.4M total ... and at this rate, it'll have beat projections -- which had this thing fluctuating in the mid-to-high-10s, considering all the negative publicity surrounding the project ... particularly between Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde.

Speaking of FP ... she actually went out of her way to post some behind the scenes shots from her days on set, and her collection make it seem like everything was super chill.

There's a photo of her and Olivia in there as well ... but it should be noted, it's a still frame from a scene in the movie -- as opposed to a true BTS shot, of which she has several with other castmates. At any rate, it seems Florence is trying to put out the fire here too.

She shouted out some crew members from the film -- not Olivia though -- and went on to say, "This film was such an epic story on such a large scale to shoot, all while during peak Covid times. For that I will always be grateful. To all of you who helped make this, your dedication and love was seen daily - thank you."

The timing of her post is interesting, because a bombshell report from Vulture on Friday alleged that all the rumored drama between Florence and Olivia was, in fact, real ... and it did, indeed, have to do with Olivia supposedly being absent a lot, going missing with none other than Harry Styles. Per Vulture, FP and OW got into a "screaming match" on set.

The report says it left Florence fuming ... and she had to go into negotiations with Warner to make sure she'd promote the movie at the absolute bare minimum -- which she has.

That -- coupled with #SpitGate and suggestions that Harry and Olivia have split (which don't seem to be true) -- is the ultimate cherry on this messy sundae. And yet, it's cleaning up!

Never mind the terrible reviews ... and the so-so plot/performances from everyone except Florence. Box office is still king in this town, and Warner probably loves to see it. 😮‍💨

Johnny Depp and his former attorney, Joelle Rich, have actually been a thing for longer than we first thought ... but there are no plans for the two to settle down as an exclusive couple any time soon.

Sources connected to the pair tell us ... Johnny and Joelle were very much an item during his nasty trial with Amber Heard back in the summer. In fact, we're told Joelle left her kids and estranged husband in the UK for 2 months while she was in Virginia supporting Johnny.

What's more, we're told Joelle had no role in Johnny's legal defense here in the U.S. ... so her appearance in court was strictly for pleasure, no business.

One thing our sources are adamant about -- Johnny and Joelle are NOT exclusive. In fact, a source connected to Johnny's new movie tells us he's recently been spotted on set getting cozy with a new woman while filming over in France.

Oscar-winning actress Louise Fletcher, who played the iconic villain Nurse Ratched in "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest," died from natural causes Friday in France, this according to her family.

Her son, Andrew Bick, tells TMZ ... Louise passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in Montdurausee -- a commune in Southern France -- after she had overcome breast cancer several years ago.

Louise snagged the 1976 Best Actress Academy Award for her bone-chilling performance as Nurse Ratched in 'Cuckoo’s Nest.' The film, which swept all 5 Oscars in each of the major categories, centered around the tense relationship between Ratched and Randall McMurphy, a psych ward patient played by Jack Nicholson.

McMurphy was an anti-authority-free spirit who was a threat to Ratched's strict rules to keep the other patients in line. In the end, McMurphy won over the hearts and minds of the patients ... only to have a vengeful Ratched order him to be turned into a lobotomized vegetable.

The Nurse Ratched character was hand-picked as the fifth-greatest villain in movie history by the American Film Institute -- and she was runner-up to the Wicked Witch of the West as the greatest villainess.

After the success of 'Cuckoo's Nest,' Fletcher landed roles in other popular films and TV shows, such as "ER," "Picket Fences," "A Perfect Man," "Shameless" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." She was nominated for an Emmy for "Fences."

Louise was 88.

Robin Wright has still not found Mr. Right ... because she just filed for divorce.

The former "House of Cards" star filed for divorce Thursday from husband, Clément Giraudet, after 4 years of marriage.

In the docs, Robin lists the date of separation as July 31st. The reason -- the standard "irreconcilable differences."

Robin and Clement, a Saint Laurent executive, did not have any children together.

As for assets, Robin says in the docs, "Pursuant to the parties' post-nuptial agreement, all assets are his/her separate property."

She also checked the box to block the court's ability to award spousal support to either of them.

Disso Queen Laura Wasser is repping Robin in the divorce.

The former couple began their romance back in 2017, and in August 2018 they secretly tied the knot in France.

It's the third divorce for Robin ... she married her first husband, the late Dane Witherspoon, back in 1986 after meeting him on the set of the NBC soap opera "Santa Barbara." Robin and Dane divorced in 1988.

Robin's second husband was, of course, Sean Penn ... they got romantically involved in 1989 following his divorce with Madonna.

Here's Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde on a casual date night ... more proof the breakup rumors are total BS.

TMZ obtained this photo of Harry and Olivia dining out Friday at Truck, a Mexican restaurant in the small town of Bedford, New York.

Nothing fancy here ... Harry's wearing an Adidas tracksuit, plus some Adidas sneakers, while Olivia is keeping it plain in a white T-shirt.

Folks who were there say Harry and Olivia ate dinner alone as a couple ... and it looks like they washed their food down with a Coca-Cola.

While breakup rumors have been swirling for a minute now, ratcheting up after they hardly interacted with one another earlier this month at the Venice Film Festival, Harry and Olivia have been hanging out this week in New York.

Harry played a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night, and Olivia was front-and-center as she danced to his music and supported her man.

Nia Long says she's gonna need all the support she can get after getting blindsided by her fiance, Celtics Coach Ime Udoka ... who we've learned kept her in the dark about his affair, even though the team busted him months ago.

Sources connected to the team and the couple tell TMZ ... Nia had moved to Boston with Kez, her 10-year-old son with Ime, just 2 weeks ago, and the couple was house hunting.

The sad twist for Nia is that when she moved, Ime was already fully aware his affair with a married front office staffer was about to blow up. We're told Ime knew way back in July the team was aware of the affair, and was launching an investigation.

Meanwhile, we're told Nia only found out about it in the last few days ... and only because Ime knew it was about to go public.

Nia tells TMZ, through her rep Shannon Barr ... "The outpouring of love and support from family, friends and the community during this difficult time means so much to me. I ask that my privacy be respected as I process the recent events. Above all, I am a mother and will continue to focus on my children."

The social media backlash against Ime, and support for Nia, was swift as soon as the Celtics announced on Wednesday they'd be punishing him.

On Thursday night, the Celtics officially suspended him for the entire upcoming 2022-23 season.

Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin are moving towards a settlement in their ugly divorce, putting a hold on court proceedings to hammer out a deal in private ... and shockingly, we're told there was no prenup in place.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Sly and Jennifer both requested an order of abatement -- which the court granted -- in their divorce down in Florida. This means filings have been put on hold, however, sources connected to the case say the divorce is still happening ... they just don't want the negotiations made public.

The docs state, "The Parties agree that is in the best interests of each of them individually, and more importantly collectively as a family, to resolve all issues attendant to the dissolution of their marriage in a dignified, amicable, and private manner out-of-court."

What's more, we're told the two did NOT have a prenup when they got hitched back in 1997, seemingly leaving hundreds of millions of dollars up for grabs as the earnings of both are community property.

Of course, Jennifer has her popular Serious Skincare cosmetic line, and Stallone's got a string of Hollywood blockbusters including the "Rocky" franchise.

Remember, Jennifer filed for divorce from Sly last month following 25 years of marriage, saying their relationship was "irretrievably broken." She also accused him of moving marital assets, something he's denied.

Ludacris' manager, Chaka Zulu, has been arrested for murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a man outside his restaurant -- but new video from the incident shows Zulu getting beaten by a group of men before he fired -- giving way to a self-defense argument.

We've obtained surveillance footage recorded June 26 outside Zulu's Atlanta restaurant Apt4B. A group of men, including Artez Benton -- who was killed in the melee -- arrive to Apt4B, park in the valet area and make their way inside. 10 minutes later, the men leave the restaurant after some sort of dispute.

That's where the video starts. Zulu, who was previously in the parking lot speaking to a friend, starts making his way back toward the restaurant ... when he gets into a heated exchange with Tre'mon Robinson, one of the guys who was told to leave the restaurant.

During the argument, a man named Corey Crawford is seen retrieving something out of a vehicle. A source directly connected to the case tells us Zulu's legal team believes Crawford was getting a gun.

Robinson motions to his friends to come over and then appears to chest bump Zulu ... and that's when all hell breaks loose.

Chaka grabs Robinson, but Crawford and Benton jump in and they all begin pummeling Chaka. At one point, Chaka's female assistant (in the orange shirt) attempts to help Chaka, but Robinson punches her in the face ... knocking her to the ground.

Crawford ducks for cover behind two vehicles, and that's when shots ring out. It appears Chaka is the first to fire, striking Benton ... a plume of smoke is visible from Chaka's gun. Another plume of smoke appears to emanate from Crawford's gun. It appears he fired several shots and one hits Chaka in the back.

Benton was hit in the chest ... you see him crawl away. He later died from his injuries.

As we reported, Chaka's been arrested for murder, aggravated assault, simple battery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. He turned himself into authorities last week, but from the beginning, he's maintained he acted in self-defense.

Turns out Johnny Depp is indeed dating one of his lawyers in his defamation case, but it's NOT Camille Vasquez.

Johnny is dating an attorney named Joelle Rich, who repped him in the UK trial that he lost. Apparently, Johnny didn't hold that defeat against her, because TMZ has confirmed they are indeed together.

Rich is married but now in the process of getting divorced. She and her estranged husband share 2 kids.

Rich was not part of the Virginia trial team that beat Amber Heard, but she was present in court for "support," this according to Us Weekly which broke the story.

Lots of folks who followed the Virginia trial were convinced ... Johnny and Camille were together, something that angered Camille who called the speculation "sexist."

As for Rich, she's a UK lawyer. Her bio says she "works to defend [clients'] reputations against false and defamatory allegations in print, online, and on social media." It goes on to say she has "particular expertise in protecting individuals' privacy from unwarranted intrusion and media attention."

Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde are still going strong, despite all the breakup rumors ... and she was her man's number one fan at his final show in NYC.

Harry's last show at Madison Square Garden was sold out, but somehow Olivia got a front-and-center view Wednesday night ... supporting HS and dancing to the music.

All the fans in the crowd got a feathered boa ... including Olivia, who rocked it around her neck during the concert.

As you know, there've been lots of breakup rumors swirling around for a while now. Folks suspected their relationship was on the rocks, especially after the Venice Film Festival earlier this month, where they hardly interacted.

Brittany Snow and Tyler Stanaland's separation might already be undone just days after they publicly announced their split -- 'cause the (ex-?) couple had quite a night together.

The 'Pitch Perfect' star was seen grabbing dinner with her estranged hubby Tuesday night in L.A. -- with their dog, Charlie, in tow -- and seemed more than chummy in the meetup. Paps got photos of them chatting it up inside the restaurant and looking cordial.

The biggest sign they're perhaps back on again, though, is the fact Tyler swung by Brittany's place afterward ... and we're told he was let in, only to end up sleeping over.

The next morning, they were once again photographed together ... this time grabbing some coffee in the neighborhood. BS was in a new outfit, TS was in the same clothes from the night before -- including a hoodie that he was wearing over his head.

It's an interesting turn of events ... remember, it was less than a week ago Brittany said they were seemingly ending their marriage -- this amid rumors he was hooking up with his Netflix costar, Alex Hall ... who's featured with him on "Selling the OC."

Not just that, but he and Alex were also snapped looking cozy the same day Brittany declared they were going their separate ways -- so it looked over on the face of things.

Pete Davidson's back in the Big Apple with a new woman on his arm -- yes, she's his costar, Kaley Cuoco -- but interestingly enough, his ex, Kim Kardashian, was also in town.

The 'SNL' alum was all smiles Tuesday night in Manhattan as he and Kaley attended the premiere of "Meet Cute" -- a rom-com they shot for Peacock. Pete went with his usual "just rolled outta bed" look -- white hoodie, green sweatpants and orange shades ... while Kaley rocked something more glittery and formal.

They looked pretty comfortable in front of cameras, with Pete wrapping his arm around KC and flashing a smile from time to time.

It's one of the bigger public events we've seen Pete attend since he and Kim split back in August. He's maintained a relatively low profile since ... so it's good to see him out and about and doing well.

PD had his mom and sis with him as well.

Kim was also in NYC Tuesday for an appearance on "Good Morning America" to plug the new season of her Hulu show, "The Kardashians." She was rolling solo while cruising around the city, and also rocked some goofy sunglasses.

Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde know how to keep us guessing ... amid rumors their relationship's on the rocks, the duo look to be on the same page in NYC and even got a little cozy at a "Don't Worry Darling" event.

Harry, Olivia, and a majority of the cast were at the AMC Lincoln Square Theater Monday night for the film's premiere -- and while everyone was supposed to be outside, rain came out of nowhere, forcing the group shot to be taken indoors. They played it cool in front of cameras, but still shared a quick word before entering the theater.

While they posed for pics far away from each other, we're told it was super tight quarters inside ... making it practically impossible for Olivia to move past Harry without spotting each other.

On a positive romantic note ... they did show up at the after-party together later that night ... and a source at the event tells us they were together the whole time, hanging out and talking to each other.

It seems like things are looking up, but as you know, their romance seemed on the rocks for a while -- the biggest sign being from the tension between them at the Venice Film Festival.

Not to mention ... they haven't been seen together all that much since Olivia's apparent feud with Florence Pugh -- a narrative Olivia's shot down before.

It's also worth nothing ... both Florence Pugh and Chris Pine were missing from Monday's premiere. Florence's team has already claimed she's busy shooting the latest "Dune" film in Budapest, but it's unclear why Chris passed on the event.

Adam Sandler's been walking around with a cane, and while it might look kinda swaggy, it's not for show -- it's part of his recovery from going under the knife a few weeks back.

We got photos of Adam out this past weekend in L.A.'s Pacific Palisades neighborhood with the cane in his right hand for support ... while he shopped with his wife, Jackie.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Adam's been using the cane because of a recent hip surgery he had around Labor Day.

We're told this wasn't due to a sudden injury, or any medical emergency -- Adam specifically scheduled the surgery to land between projects. Fans can rest easy ... we're told the Sandman will be all healed and ready to go for his upcoming comedy tour, which begins in late October.

Adam had been seen walking around town with a cane for a few weeks, but he hadn't said anything about why he needed it.

Our sources say the surgery was a success, and Adam -- who famously loves his pickup basketball games -- is already looking forward to getting on a court in the near future.

Talk show host and "Coming to America" star Arsenio Hall didn't have much to laugh about recently ... because cops say his L.A. home was the target of not 1, but 2 break-ins.

LAPD sources tell TMZ ... Arsenio was home Saturday at 11 AM when he heard a loud noise coming from downstairs. We're told he came down to discover someone had broken the glass on his sliding door ... attempting to get in. But, an incident last month was even scarier.

Cops say 2 people broke a window at his place back in August and entered the home. Arsenio was home when they broke in. We're told the burglars got spooked and took off before stealing anything.

Police responded both times, but the suspects beat it before they arrived. Detectives are now looking at surveillance video from the home and neighborhood to ID the suspects. They also want to know if Arsenio is being targeted. Specifically, they want to know if the same people were involved in both incidents.