Movies

Before this smizing girl with blonde hair in her blue tank was showing some sass on magazine covers and appearing in music videos, she was just a little girl chowing down on some grub up in London, England.

For all you "Swifties" out there ... you may have seen her in Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" music vid or perhaps A$AP Ferg's "Dope Walk" vid. She's also taken on some starring movie roles including films, "Paper Towns" and "Suicide Squad" next to Margot Robbie and Jared Leto.

Need one more hint? Just ask her sister Poppy!

Jared Leto has just made his arrival at the Met Gala, confusing many to his identity at first ... that is until he removed the giant cat head he was wearing.

Check out Jared's wild getup for this year's fashion Super Bowl, if you will -- a tribute to the life and work of Karl Lagerfeld.

What's unique about the actor's furry 'fit is it's more of an homage to Lagerfeld's beloved pet,  Choupette, than the man himself.

Of course, there was plenty of confusion between photographers when Jared first hit the carpet -- as no one could possibly tell who it was, but everyone got super excited once he made his big reveal.

Leto's is likely the most bizarre look we've seen so far ... though Doja Cat also dressed like a feline, but less furry and far easier to identify.

Big celebs and hot couples, like Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny, are in NYC for the Met Gala ... and that means the city's luxury hotels look like fashion runways leading up to the big event.

Kendall and BB are just a couple of the A-listers in the Big Apple Monday ... and, interestingly, the lovebirds are crashing at separate hotels. Seems like someone, or both of 'em, don't want to share the spotlight.

Doja Cat pulled up to her hotel looking super casual and couldn't resist playing some Animal Crossing, which is why she brought her Nintendo Switch!

Priyanka Chopra was bearing some midriff before getting all done up for the glitz and glamor of the Met's iconic arrival ceremony.

As we reported, there are several other interesting guests tonight -- Gisele Bundchen's showing up solo for her first MG appearance post-Tom Brady, Ice Spice is a special guest of Vogue, and Lizzo's making her return ... despite dragging last year's event!

FYI -- celebs on the west coast brought their own Met Gala vibes to a Bev Hills dinner party Sunday night, which drew the likes of Austin Butler, Katy Perry, and Oprah.

Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell's flirty behavior on and off set of their new rom-com is very real -- real strategy, that is, cooked up for one purpose ... according to a guy who's a pro in this department.

Celebrity branding expert Jeetendr Sehdev -- who's written books on this topic -- came on "TMZ Live" Monday to break down what he thinks has been going on between Syd and Glen, lately. What we've all seen is a lot of sexy body language, and some not-so-happy significant others ... creating speculation their on-screen romance is now an IRL romance.

Check out his take ... essentially, Sehdev suspects this is just good old-fashioned public relations and organic viral marketing -- courtesy of the stars, their teams and the studio behind their film, "Anyone But You."

He makes compelling points. For starters, neither is a huge movie star, at this point ... and having them colead a seemingly run-of-the-mill "hard-R" rom-com probably isn't a recipe for the success Sony's hoping for at the box office.

Yes, they're both hot and on the come-up, but, according to Sehdev, the powers that be probably realized they need a little extra juice to get people interested in the flick. Think "Don't Worry Darling" drama ... but, this time, it's about 2 costars turned would-be-lovers.

If that is, in fact, what's going on ... Sehdev says SS and GP are going about this game all wrong. In his eyes, fans and potential viewers demand transparency these days -- and he feels being more forthcoming about the sitch would go a long way.

The strange thing about this theory is the movie won't come out for a while, as they just wrapped filming. So, any buzz for it now will almost certainly have died out when it eventually hits theaters.

Here's Katy Perry, Austin Butler and Sia making fashion statements worthy of a Met Gala appearance ... only they're not in New York, they're at a Bev Hills mansion party.

The guest list for a Sunday dinner party at investor Michael Kives' $14 million Bev Hills estate rivaled Anna Wintour's annual fundraiser ... with Katy, Austin and Sia being just the tip of the Hollywood icon iceberg. The party was to celebrate the start of Milken Conference, which is a big deal in the finance world.

Oprah and a very colorfully-dressed Gayle King were in the house ... breaking bread with Kris Jenner, Jimmy Kimmel and Chris Pine.

Austin had supermodel Kaia Gerber on his arm, and they were a bunch of other celeb couples ... we're talking Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Heather Milligan, Larry David and Ashley Underwood, plus Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld.

Michael's party, celebrating his investment firm, also welcomed L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez ... plus Bill Maher, Nicholas Braun and Matt Bellamy.

Most of the celebs walked out with what appeared to be SKIMS gift bags ... which makes sense, because Kris Jenner helped host the party.

Roman Polanski and his child rape victim, who's now an adult, are telegraphing just how tight they are now by posing for a very cheery photo ... almost 50 years after he drugged and molested her.

The infamous director posed with Samantha Geimer in a pic that was shared over the weekend by his wife, Emmanuelle Seigner ... who actually interviewed Geimer in a piece that ran in the French publication Le Point, where Geimer says she's over the whole saga.

In the article, Geimer said Polanksi has "paid his debt to society." She also says the encounter with Polanski in '77 -- when she was just 13 -- was "never a big problem" for her, and she laments it dragging on as a scandal for this long.

This is something Geimer has repeated publicly for quite a while now -- however, she did sue Polanski over the rape back in the '90s, which was reportedly settled out of court.

In the years that followed, Geimer has said the rape doesn't define her ... nor does she think Polanski should continue to be dogged over it, let alone be wanted by the authorities here in the States. He's attempted to get the fugitive warrant revoked, but it hasn't worked out.

As you might know ... Polanski pled guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor at the time, but fled the country before he could be sentenced, and has never returned. He has won Oscars since then, though.

The star of "Juwanna Mann," Miguel A. Núñez Jr., tells TMZ Sports a sequel to the 2002 hit basketball movie is in the works ... and NBA superstar Draymond Green has been asking for a role in it!!!

Miguel talked all about the new project out at LAX earlier this week ... promising the movie is, in fact, actually happening.

He said while he can't give away specific details of the new plot, they've already got some great ideas in mind for it.

"It will be coming," Núñez Jr. insisted.

The first movie was a smash hit -- you'll recall, it features Miguel playing a character named Jamal Jeffries, a star basketball player who decides to dress up as a woman and play for a women's pro league after he's suspended from a men's team.

The flick was adored by hoops fans ... especially since it boasted guest appearances from a ton of NBA players including Muggsy Bogues, Vlade Divac, Dikembe Mutombo, and Rasheed Wallace.

Núñez Jr. said he wasn't sure who all would be in the new feature ... but he did tell us Green definitely wants in somehow.

"I talked to him," Núñez Jr. said of the Warriors star. "He wants to be in it as well!"

No word yet when it will all officially hit the silver screen ... but Núñez Jr. did at least give us one detail on the planned feature -- saying his Jeffries character would likely be in the reboot in some capacity.

Mario just joined an exclusive club that started forming in 2020, when the pandemic started -- one that includes 10 figures at the box office ... which is a rare feat in this day and age.

Indeed ... the "Super Mario Bros. Movie" crossed a major milestone over the weekend -- having now racked up over a billion dollars in ticket sales globally ... this after only 3 weeks and change since its release date earlier this month.

The official numbers, as of Sunday, are $490 million in North America ... and $532 million internationally. So, all in all -- Mario and co. are at about $1.02 billion. In terms of the other four flicks that have reached this coveted threshold in pandemic times ... it's at the bottom.

There are only 5 films that have hit the billion-dollar mark since the spring of 2020 -- including 'Mario Bros.,' "Jurassic World: Dominion," "Top Gun: Maverick," "Spider-Man: No Way Home," and "Avatar: The Way of Water" ... which is at the top, at about $2.3B

'Mario' is far and away the most successful movie of the year at this point ... and it serves as yet another piece of evidence about the recipe to big-time success post-pandemic.

Michael J. Fox says he doesn't think he's going to be around in 20 years as he continues to battle Parkinson's disease -- which is making his life more difficult by the day.

The beloved actor -- who was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991 -- sat down with CBS Sunday Morning for a new interview that's hard to watch ... because he says, in plain terms, he honestly doesn't think he's going to live past the age of 80 the way things are going.

Check it out ... MJF heartbreakingly describes how the disease continues to wear on his body -- which results in more accidents, falls, and injuries as he gets older. Despite this, he actually calls Parkinson's a gift ... albeit, one that keeps on taking, as he puts it.

Mike says he's fortunate to have resources around him to help him deal with it -- but notes, not many people have lived with Parkinson's for as long as he has ... over 30 years.

And yet, the guy continues to keep up an incredibly good attitude -- maintaining his sense of humor ... and carrying a positive outlook, big picture. There's a telling mantra he upholds -- with gratitude, optimism is sustainable. In other words, he says if you have something to be grateful for ... you have something to look forward to. And Fox says he's grateful for a lot.

There's a touching story he shares about watching "Back to the Future" recently on TV ... which he hadn't seen in years. As he took the movie in anew, he says his wife asked what he was doing, and he told her. He says he quipped to her, "I'm really good in it."

Sydney Sweeney seems to want to put out the fire over the Glen Powell speculation-- so, after a lot of time apart from her fiancé ... they're finally in the same frame again.

The actress stepped out with Jonathan Davino in NYC Friday night, strolling down the street side by side after she attended an Armani Beauty event earlier that day ... giving each other knowing looks here and there, but mostly remaining stoic as paps fired away.

The photos mark the first time we've seen Sydney and Jonathan together in public for a minute -- over the past several days, we've either seen one or the other ... but not the two of them in one picture. Now, they appear to be trying to send a clear message.

Here's the thing ... while they, perhaps, think this should shut down any further rumors that there's trouble in paradise -- they didn't really do a good job at looking like a happy couple.

No PDA here from what we can see ... and, more importantly, still no engagement ring on Sydney's finger -- which is a look she's been sporting a lot lately -- aka, a bare digit. However, considering Jon's still walking her longtime pet on the regular ... it's hard to make sense of what the hell is going on. Like we told you, sources say they're still engaged.

Sydney and Jonathan being together doesn't translate for Glen's sitch ... whose girlfriend dumped him last week on the heels of a lot of flirtatious behavior between the two costars.

Not only were SS and GP looking hot and compatible on set for their "hard-R" rom-com, as Glen put it, but they sure seemed simpatico off-set as well ... whether it was him dipping Syd on the couch and catching her, or on the red carpet -- where they couldn't stop smiling.

At first, it honestly felt like nothing but conjecture from fans and media alike -- but after the Glen split ... some suggested there may, in fact, be flames under all this smoke.

If Sydney wants to extinguish all this full-stop ... she may have to pucker up and plant one on Johnny there. 'Cause a non-touchy-feely date in New York probably won't cut it.

While AI is sparking intellectual property debates, funnyman Bill Bellamy's making it clear ... he's not down with the tech using his jokes -- and the fact is, he's still feeling some kinda way about a different financial loss.

We linked with Bill out in NYC and tackled the ongoing discussion about artificial intelligence ... and he's unapologetically Team Human.

Bill not only thinks AI would have a hard time matching his joke-writing wit, he also believes deceased superstars -- like Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. -- would also frown upon their voices being remixed without legal approval.

We also talked to Bill about a golden opportunity he admits missing out on back in the '90s -- namely, not trademarking the "booty call" catchphrase he coined as a young comic on Def Comedy Jam.

The phrase has since been placed in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, and Hollywood also took advantage ... tapping Jamie Foxx and Vivica A. Fox for the 1997 rom-com.

Speaking of Jamie, Bill tells us his inner circle relayed positive news about the Academy Award winner's condition after he suffered a medical emergency in Atlanta.

Mercedes Moné is no longer the IWGP Women's Champion ... but the wrestling star already knows how she wants to get over the devastating loss when she returns to the United States -- by smoking a blunt with her cousin and WrestleMania 39 host, Snoop Dogg.

"I cannot wait to come back to the U.S.A. so I can roll up a big one, smoke one, roll one again, and go to Long Beach, baby, where you can go to my cousin's house, Snoop Dogggggggggg," Mercedes told Dean "Mojo" Muhtadi during an interview with TMZ Sports.

Moné lost her IWGP Women's Championship to Mayu Iwatani at the Stardom All Star Grand Queendom event in Tokyo, Japan. Still, despite dropping the title, Mercedes told us that wrestling fans in Japan treat her like royalty.

Mercedes -- formerly known as Sasha Banks in the WWE -- told us she got rocked early into her contest with Iwatani, resulting in her having difficulty seeing, and described the fight with Iwatani as the "hardest-hitting" match of her 13-year career.

"I got this big ass balloon on my face in the first five seconds, and I just couldn't believe it," Moné said. "But I told myself, 'Mercedes, you have to finish. You're in Japan. The fans are chanting for you.' This balloon in my eye, I couldn't f****** see. That's why I couldn't kick out."

Mercedes told us she has one match left on her contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) on May 21 in Long Beach at Resurgence, meaning she'll be a free agent again and have to decide where she wants to continue her wrestling career.

When we spoke to Mercedes in March, "The Mandalorian" TV star told us she recently inked a deal with United Talent Agency (UTA). Since then, Mercedes says her success inside the squared circle has translated outside the ring, and things are aligning for her as an actress.

Mila Kunis may just be tapped to play The Thing in the new "Fantastic 4" movie -- that is ... if you buy a rumor that's running rampant on Twitter this morning.

A movie insider named @MyTimeToShineH -- who's credited with getting scoops before trade publications, and generally being in the know on superhero news -- sent the bird app into a frenzy Friday when they claimed Mila was in talks to portray a female version of Ben Grimm.

Grimm is the name of the dude in the comics who becomes The Thing ... a giant orange rock figure who fights crime alongside Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman and the Human Torch.

MTTSH writes, "They are looking at Jewish actors, both male AND female for The Thing in Fantastic Four. Mila Kunis is one of them." They added that the director of the upcoming 2025 flick, Matt Shakman, insisted Grimm be portrayed be a real-life Jewish actor ... as the character is explicitly depicted as Jewish in the comic books, albeit in later iterations.

Now, in case it went over your head -- The Thing is a male character ... and has always been portrayed as such. Whether it was Chuck McCann in the '90s cartoon, Michael Chiklis from the 2000s flick, or Jamie Bell from the 2010s version -- The Thing's known as a guy.

Now, however, based on this report -- or gossip, more like -- it sounds like Marvel's possibly looking to switch things up with a little gender swap ... or at the very least, considering it.

As you might imagine ... Twitter users, by and large, aren't reacting well to the news. The jokes are flying -- and the consensus seems to be, if Kevin Feige and co. go down this road, much of the fanbase will turn their backs on the studio ... as they view this as a step too far.

Of course, it wouldn't be the first time a woman replaced a role usually played by a man -- it notably happened in "Ghostbusters" ... and more recently, in 'Black Panther 2' and "She-Hulk." among other examples. Point is ... it's been done before, and sometimes with success.

As for Mila potentially being eyed for the job ... she wouldn't be half bad. Big star with name recognition and a good range of films under her belt, including action movies and comedies.

Sydney Sweeney and fiancé Jonathan Davino are still engaged -- at least publicly -- but after her costar's relationship just imploded, there's a growing mystery over when another shoe might drop.

Davino was photographed earlier this week leaving their home. Not a big deal, but he had bags packed as he left the house. Along with his luggage -- golf clubs and a dog bed.

It's entirely possible he was just going on a golfing trip. Also, earlier Tuesday -- the day the pics were shot -- he was walking Sydney's dog, Tank, so maybe the pooch is going on the golfing trip and all is well. Two theories -- either all is well and Tank's just going on a fun trip, or there's no one else to take care of him so Jonathan's just being compassionate.

On the other hand, Sydney was seen earlier this week without her engagement ring, and the timing is interesting. The photo of a ringless Sydney was shot Thursday, 2 days after Jonathan left with bags packed.

As you probably know, Sydney's costar, Glen Powell, is now a single man after his girlfriend Gigi Paris, very publicly said she's moving on.

Rumors have been swirling that there's more than a professional relationship between Sydney and Glen, and those rumors were, in part, fueled by the 2 of them after appearing on a red carpet earlier this week looking adoringly at each other.

Amid rumors of health issues that keep him confined to his home, Jack Nicholson made his joyous return to the public eye Friday night, attending an LA Lakers playoff game.

The 3-time Oscar-winning actor got a hero's welcome of sorts as he sat with his son, Ray, courtside to watch the Lakers trounce the Memphis Grizzles -- 125 to 85 -- at Crypto.Com Arena in LA.

Several celebs approached Jack to welcome him back to one of his favorite pastimes -- cheering on the Lakers live from the arena's floor.

"Curb your Enthusiasm" star Larry David came over to greet Jack before the start of the first-round playoff game.

Lakers legend LeBron James took some time out of his warm-up to chat with Jack and give him a hug.

Tee, the father of Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, posed for photos with Jack, who gave a thumbs-up to the lensman.

A journalist also got into the mix, telling Jack, "Welcome back."

It was the first time anyone had seen Jack at a Lakers game since Oct. 2021. Stories began to surface in the tabloids that Jack had become a recluse due to mounting health concerns.

But, there was no hint of Jack's rumored demise last night. He appeared to be in great spirits, sporting his customary black shades and flashing his famous Cheshire grin.

Add Bruce Springsteen backup singer to Michelle Obama's list of milestones completed ... cuz she just hit the stage with The Boss overseas during one of his shows.

Check out the video, taken Friday night at Bruce's concert in Barcelona. You see Michelle and actress Kate Capshaw join Bruce's bandmate, Patti Scialfa, behind the mic to sing background on Springsteen's hit "Glory Days."

Michelle is all smiles as she belts out the tune, even jamming with a tambourine.

No sign of her hubby, former President Barack Obama, but you gotta imagine he and Kate's husband, Steven Spielberg, were watching in the wings.

As we reported ... Bruce, Barack, Michelle, Steven and Kate all grabbed dinner together in Barcelona Thursday night -- a day before the big show.

Patti appears to have been at the dinner as well, so it's possible they planned the special guest appearance over some good grub.