Movies

Ariel the mermaid just pounded real-life Aladdin into submission -- or, more accurately, her fans did ... this after the dude juxtaposed his flick with hers, which pissed a lot of people off.

Mena Massoud -- who played everyone's favorite street rat in the 2019 live-action adaptation -- just scrubbed his Twitter account due to a mountain of backlash he received Saturday for chiming in on the future box office prospects of Halle Bailey's new 'Little Mermaid' movie.

He was responding to an account that was reporting on how much 'TLM' was slated to make in its opening weekend -- about $115M, which it then compared to the $112M 'Aladdin' made in its opening weekend run. Mena had some thoughts on that ... some took it as shade.

MM wrote, "Our film was unique in that audiences went to watch it multiple times. It's the only way we reached the billion dollar mark with our opening." "Aladdin" went on to make $1.054 bil internationally ... and its initial box office numbers were considered a big win.

Then came a remark that got Mena attacked. He followed up and said, "My guess is TLM doesn't cross the billion mark but will undoubtedly get a sequel." Unclear if he followed that up with any clarification on what he meant -- but this alone got Halle fans up in arms.

You can hop into the "Aladdin" trend yourself and see what they're saying ... but basically, the reaction wasn't good. Some felt Mena's comment here was a cheap shot and suggesting 'Little Mermaid' wasn't actually worthy of any future success, including a possible sequel.

Others are also saying that Mena sounds a little salty over the fact that he hasn't been cast in much post-"Aladdin" -- and that he's still hung up on the criticism that movie received ... and there was a lot. Bottom line ... he was getting dragged through the coals over this.

As a result, Mena appears to have deleted his account. The OG Twitter comment is gone, and his page is inaccessible now ... so it seems the discourse may have gotten to him.

Part of the reason for this fierce response to his apparent slight might have to do with the fact that 'TLM' has been in the crosshairs of haters from day one ... ever since they announced Halle, a Black woman, would be cast -- which got a ton of flak in and of itself.

People are coalescing around this movie and hoping it does numbers, because of the larger implications -- namely, more POC getting cast in iconic roles ... and a shift in Hollywood.

DC may have found its next Man of Steel -- or at the least, a few options to consider ... and it sounds like the studio is looking toward a much younger Clark Kent than ever before.

THR reported Saturday that the casting search is on for "Superman: Legacy," and so far ... a few names have surfaced as top contenders to play both Superman and Lois Lane ... and maybe even supervillain Lex Luthor, depending on which trade you wanna believe.

For starters, we have 29-year-old David Corenswet -- who isn't really a very known name in the industry thus far ... but who apparently impressed James Gunn and co. enough to move on to the screen-testing stage ... which THR says will likely happen post-Memorial Day.

His biggest role to date was in 2022's "Pearl" -- where he plays a projectionist who falls in love with Mia Goth's serial killer protagonist. As you can see ... he's got the Supe-y vibe.

Other guys that are under consideration for Superman ... Tom Brittney and Andrew Richardson, a couple of British actors. Jacob Elordi was also apparently considered, but word is ... he never submitted an audition tape, so it seems he isn't interested in the role.

Now, as for Lois ... there's a handful of buzzy actresses who are reportedly in the mix -- including 27-year-old Emma Mackey ("Sex Education") ... who's said to be a front-runner. Other gals who are said to be in the running ... Emmy-winning Rachel Brosnahan, who's the star of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "Bridgerton" star Phoebe Dynevor and Samara Weaving.

While Mackey's name is swirling as choice #1 it seems, THR says Brosnahan churned out an epic audition -- although, apparently WB thinks she might be too old for the part. RB is 32 ... and Gunn is shooting for his characters to look like straight-up 20-somethings.

There's one other name that is being floated ... one Nicholas Hoult, who was just recently in the "Renfield" Dracula movie opposite Nicolas Cage. He was also in the 2015 'Mad Max' reboot, and it's his work there that left Warner impressed. THR says he's under consideration to play Luthor ... but Deadline's reporting he's actually a Superman contender too.

Either way ... it's clear WB's running with a youthful spirit here, very much in the vein of "Smallville," we suppose -- which chronicled young Clark Kent in his fictional hometown.

Another obvious telltale sign from all this news -- Gunn is definitely pivoting off of Henry Cavill and anything Zack Snyder-related. Time for some new blood ... that's the feeling here.

Jonathan Majors is still in the throes of a tricky legal situation, but he's been able to find some time for love ... TMZ has learned the actor recently started dating Meagan Good.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us, over the course of the last several weeks, Jonathan and Meagan have gotten close, and the relationship is “fairly new.” What's more, a witness tells us they were at the Alamo Drafthouse in L.A. last weekend to see a movie ... so it's not like they're hiding the fact they're hanging out.

It's unclear how serious the relationship is, but we've reached out to reps for Meagan and Jonathan. So far, no word back.

Of course, Majors continues to fight criminal charges in NYC -- 3 counts of attempted assault as well as assault, one count of aggravated harassment, and a separate count of harassment.

The actor is accused of slapping his ex-girlfriend in March in the back of a taxi after a night out partying in NYC.

Majors' attorney, Priya Chaudhry, has maintained her client's innocence from the beginning ... and has provided investigators with several surveillance videos, and text messages from the alleged victim in an attempt to prove Majors' innocence.

In one video, the ex-gf is drinking and partying in a nightclub, hours after the allegedly violent incident. Majors' team claims the images show she was not injured.

Majors had a court hearing earlier this week where his legal team hoped the D.A. would drop some, if not all, of the charges ... but they all remain.

After the hearing, Chaudhry called the entire case a racist witch hunt, adding, "When Mr. Majors showed a white police officer the injuries the woman caused him, the white officer got in Mr. Majors' face and taunted him, saying that if the officer were to slap Mr. Majors, the officer wouldn't break his finger."

The LA Lakers trounced the Golden State Warriors on Friday night to inch closer to an NBA Championship ... and a bevy of Hollywood stars came out to support their team.

Led by The King, Lebron James, the Lakers walloped the Warriors 122 to 101 to win Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinal matchup and advance to the finals in their division.

Needless to say, the celebs loved every moment of it as they rooted for the Lakers from their courtside seats at Crypto.com Arena in L.A. Among the boldfaced names were Leo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian, Michael B. Jordan, Jack Nicholson, Woody Harrelson, Orlando Bloom, Jack Harlow, Lewis Hamilton, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Bill Maher, Kendall Jenner and her boyfriend, Bad Bunny.

Kendall and Bad Bunny were seated side by side looking around and smiling ... Leo, as always, went incognito with his baseball cap pulled down over his face ... Jack Nicholson was enjoying the game with his son Ray ... Woody, Bill and Orlando all got together for a little chat on the sideline. And the rest of the stars were having plenty of fun, too.

This weekend is all about the Moms, so what better way to kick things off by guessing the moms who always look bomb! Look alive with these 23 Hot Hollywood Moms for Mother's Day 2023 ... they ain't playing!

Moms like Rihanna and Emily Ratajkowski always take a mom-ent to display their assets and Gabrielle Union -- who's been around the parenting block a time or two -- is bearing it all like no m-other!

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is a part of "Fast & Furious" franchise once again ... despite previously claiming he's permanently put the brakes on when it comes to Vin Diesel's flicks.

Spoiler alert, folks -- but according to TheWrap, Dwayne makes an appearance in a post-credit scene for the latest installment, "Fast X," which hits theaters next week. It's unclear exactly what goes down, or who he appears with, but it's safe to say good ol' Luke Hobbs isn't done drivin' fast cars.

It's a shocking cameo, though ... because as we reported, Dwanye wanted nothing to do with the franchise back in 2021 after Vin publicly begged him to come back to the 'Fast' family -- asking Dwayne to "not leave the franchise idle you have a very important role to play."

Dwayne called him out soon after, telling CNN the Instagram plea was just a bunch of "manipulation" -- adding he spoke to Vin privately about his decision and there was absolutely "no chance I would return."

Of course, there was some bad blood between the 2 over the years on set ... with Dwayne saying some of his male costars on those movies  -- with all signs pointing to Vin -- didn't act like "true professionals."

Jamie Foxx's daughter has had enough of the internet running wild with theories about her dad, saying he's now out of the hospital and "recuperating."

Corinne Foxx took to Instagram Friday, writing, "Update from the family: Sad to see how the media runs wild. My Dad has been out of the hospital for weeks, recuperating. In fact, he was playing pickleball yesterday! Thanks for everyone's prayers and support!"

She continues, "We have an exciting work announcement coming next week too!"

Unclear whether or not Foxx is doing any sort of rehab or physical therapy while out of the hospital -- and Corinne didn't include any new pics of her dad in the post.

Corinne's message comes on the heels of reports this week saying Foxx's family was preparing for the worst ... some even stating he was on life support.

TMZ broke the story last week, Jamie and Corinne were unable to perform their hosting duties on the FOX show "Beat Shazam" while he recovered and she stayed by his side. Nick Cannon has taken over those duties until Jamie is healthy enough to return.

It's been over a month since Jamie was hospitalized in Atlanta for a "medical complication." We've still not seen the actor since the incident.

Johnny Depp is being paid a record amount to be the face of Dior's Sauvage men's scent.

The actor's three-year deal with Dior is worth north of $20 million ... according to Variety. It's the most lucrative men's fragrance deal of all time.

TMZ broke the story ... Johnny signed back on with Dior in August, following his big-time legal win over Amber Heard. At the time, we were told Johnny and Dior agreed to a multiyear deal worth at least 7 figures ... and now there's more clarity on the contract details.

With his $20 million deal, Johnny overtakes Robert Pattinson as the highest-paid spokesman for a cologne. Robert set the mark in 2012, when he signed a 3-year, $12 million deal to promote Dior Homme.

Johnny's nearly tripling the amount Chanel paid Brad Pitt to be the first ever men's face behind Chanel N°5 perfume, Brad reportedly signed for $7 million in 2012 for a series of ads.

As we first reported ... Johnny's new deal with Dior was cemented last summer after famous fashion photog Greg Williams and honchos from the French fashion and cosmetics giant attended one of Johnny and Jeff Beck's rock concerts in Paris.

We were told Johnny did a photo shoot with Greg before and after the Paris show, and the content will be used in JD's new Dior ad campaign.

Johnny's got a long history with Dior ... he first signed with the company in 2015 as the face of the scent.

Shakira fans freaking out about her potentially dating Tom Cruise can all breathe a sigh of relief ... we've learned they're NOT a couple, and things were never heading that way.

Sources close to Shakira tell us she's very much single, and only happened to be around Cruise at the F1 Miami Grand Prix because they share a famous mutual friend.

Our sources say both Tom and Shakira were invited to the event by Team Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who, of course, is the biggest name in the sport -- so that's why they were together several times during the race.

As for the Page Six report Tom sent Shakira flowers ... our source didn't know whether or not that was legit, but did say Shakira's just not interested in dating right now.

Shakira was spotted on a boat with friends, including Hamilton, on Wednesday -- but again, we're told there's nothing romantic there either, it's all friendly.

Nothing about Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin screams nearly divorced less than a year ago -- instead, the couple is loving and playful with as they celebrate their new reality show. What a difference 8 months make!!!

Jennifer and Sly posed for photos with their daughters Sistine, Sophia and Scarlet at the NYC premiere of their Paramount+ series, "The Family Stallone."

At one point during the photo op, Jennifer playfully wrapped her hands around Sly's neck as if to choke him -- perhaps flashing back to that tattoo disaster.

It was a cute but poignant moment given that she filed for divorce in August after 25 years of marriage. But cooler heads prevailed, Jennifer decided not to go through with it ... and they look tighter than ever now.

After the event, the Stallones moseyed inside Torrisi Bar & Restaurant in Manhattan to keep the party going.

We got some video of the whole fam working the room with their guests.

Of course, Sly was the center of attention, with people coming up to the movie legend to chat and snap selfies with him -- but even he'd say his daughters are about to become big stars in their own right.

Before this cutie-pie in her pink leotard turned into a young Hollywood actress, she was just dressing up for gymnastics class -- red lipstick and bracelets in tow -- and growing up in Westchester, New York with her seven siblings!

In 2006, she made her film debut in the Christmas film "Deck The Halls" starring Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick, which was only the beginning for this shining star's bright future! She starred in "Transformers: Age of Extinction" playing the daughter of Mark Wahlberg's character.

Need one more clue? Just ask her Posh mother-in-law.

"The Bear" and "Shameless" star Jeremy Allen White's actress wife is bringing down the curtain on their marriage ... because she just filed for divorce.

Jeremy's wife, Addison Timlin, beelined it to court Thursday and filed for divorce after more than 3 years of marriage ... according to court records.

It's unclear what led to the split ... but the divorce could be complicated by the fact Jeremy and Addison have 2 young daughters together -- Ezer is 4 years old and Dolores is 2 years old.

Jeremy and Addison -- who acts in plays, TV shows, and movies -- first met when they were teenagers on the set of the 2008 film, "Afterschool." She hinted they were dating in 2013, and in June 2018 they announced her pregnancy.

Addison gave birth to the couple's first child in October 2018, and the following October they tied the knot at the Bev Hills courthouse.

When Jeremy won the best actor Golden Globe this year for his starring role in "The Bear," he shouted out Addison in his acceptance speech, saying ... "I love you deep in my bones. Thank you for all that you do, thank you for everything that you've done."

Paul Walker's only child, Meadow Walker, is taking the torch from her late father ... making a cameo in the latest chapter of the 'Fast and Furious' franchise.

Meadow is making her first appearance in one of the 'FF' movies, sharing a preview Thursday of her cameo in the upcoming "Fast X."

Paul's daughter was only 1 year old when the OG "The Fast and the Furious" was released ... and Meadow says she grew up on set watching her dad, Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris and others on the monitors.

Meadow says ... "Thanks to my dad, I was born into the fast family. I can't believe now I get to be up there too. With those who have been around to see me grow up."

Paul's daughter adds ... "I am so blessed to be able to honor my father's legacy and share this with him forever."

Meadow thanked director Louis Leterrier for getting her involved in the franchise. Louis is also set to direct 'Fast & Furious 11' so it will be interesting to see if Meadow gets another cameo.

Charlize Theron is sending a crystal clear message to anyone bashing drag queens for being themselves ... saying she'll "f*** up" whoever accuses them of being a danger to kids.

The actress joined dozens of celebs in the recent "Drag Isn't Dangerous" telethon, and while she offered up plenty of kind words of support to drag queens, she followed those up with a threatening message.

She highlighted several dangers in America -- especially gun violence -- as real reasons to panic ... and by contrast, says watching a drag queen lip sync for their life should only bring people some serious serotonin.

Charlize is a big advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, in general, but it's also personal. Her 11-year-old adopted daughter, Jackson, was born male before identifying as female ... which Charlize has fully supported.

For those unaware, "Drag Isn't Dangerous" is fighting back against numerous bills in various state legislatures that focus on banning drag -- like the one passed in Tennessee, shutting down drag shows statewide. Fourteen other states have also introduced similar anti-drag bills.

The org already crushed its original $250K goal on its GoFundMe and is well past $580K as of Thursday morning ... and all proceeds go to nonprofits focused on LGBTQ+ activism.

Will Forte says Hollywood writers might be on the picket line longer than anticipated if they can't get the kind of money they used to ... which has changed a lot due to technology.

The 'SNL' alum was showing support Wednesday with protesters outside of Sony's HQ in Culver City -- and he chopped it up with us about one of the key sticking points in the WGA's negotiations with studio execs ... namely, a sharp decrease in residuals earned in TV.

As Will explains, writers used to get extra cash every time their work aired -- that's on top of their going rate to do the job. However, in the era of streaming-first programming, those residuals have mostly gone down the drain.

Not just that, but Will says there are fewer episodes per season being made these days. Whereas a regular season on cable or a network back in the day used to run 20+ episodes -- streaming shows now are much shorter, clocking in at about 10 episodes a season or less.

Bottom line ... writers have gotten screwed on getting paid on multiple fronts -- which is one of the big reasons why this strike is happening ... among other factors, like AI, staffing, etc.

Considering the media landscape has changed drastically in the past 10-15 years ... Will predicts this impasse will last for a little while. There are some major corrections writers are demanding in any new agreement -- and the studios are gonna need to meet them halfway.

The question ... how long will this go on? Content is getting cranked out at a way faster pace than the last strike, so studios presumably have stuff in the vault and can hold a while.

Dolph Lundgren says he's locked in an eight-year battle with cancer ... revealing his diagnosis for the first time.

The Swedish actor opens up about his cancer battle on the nationally syndicated interview series, "In Depth With Graham Bensinger," revealing he was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015.

Dolph says he eventually went into remission but then the cancer came back in 2020, when a doctor gave him a terminal cancer diagnosis, telling him he only had 2-3 years to live.

When the cancer came back, Dolph's fiancée Emma Krokdal says doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center told him he had tumors in his lungs, stomach, spine and kidneys ... and Dolph was resigned to the fact he would likely die soon.

Fortunately for Dolph, he says he went for a second opinion with Dr. Alexandra Drakaki and her treatments are making his tumors shrink.