Movies

Here's video from one of Stockton Rush's final dives in the OceanGate submersible ... a failed expedition from weeks before the fatal implosion.

YouTuber Jake "DALLMYD" says he was on the Titan for a mission to the Titanic shipwreck earlier this year, and he recorded his experience with Stockton at the controls.

In this expedition, Stockton shows off the infamous video game controller he uses to maneuver the tiny submersible ... and the footage also highlights the cramped quarters inside.

The sub went into the water but the dive was ultimately canceled after a series of malfunctions and poor weather conditions ... on this trip, they never made it deep below the surface, and didn't get anywhere near the Titanic shipwreck on the bottom of the Atlantic.

Of course, Stockton took the same sub on another expedition Sunday with different passengers ... and it imploded.

"Titanic" director James Cameron blamed Stockton for the ill-fated journey ... saying he ignored safety concerns much like the captain of the real Titanic.

Jussie Smollett has a lot of balls in the air ... at the same time he's appealing his conviction in his hoax hate crime case, he's also directing a new movie with a big star, who just so happens to be one of his biggest supporters.

Jussie was in his element Thursday in Orange County on the movie set for "The Lost Holiday," an upcoming film starring Vivica A. Fox.

As you see, Jussie and Vivica worked closely together on set ... adding another layer to their long-standing working relationship.

Remember ... Jussie and Vivica both starred on "Empire" back in 2019 when Jussie was allegedly attacked in Chicago ... a claim that police said turned out to be a hoax and ultimately led to the conviction he's now appealing.

If the appeal fails, Jussie will have to spend 5 months behind bars. The appeal has been continued 5 times, and the court said no more ... the hearing is set for December.

Vivica has staunchly stood by Jussie's side throughout the entire saga ... telling us in 2021 she wanted to work with him again ... and now she's getting her wish.

Jussie had a huge smile on his face on set, though it's unclear if he's getting in front of the camera for this project or just directing.

As for his case, Jussie is appealing and his legal team is arguing the conviction should be overturned because his due process rights were violated.

Beyoncé seems to be feelin' the power of the dark side ... cuz she's lookin' really 'Star Wars' villain-ish while traveling through Europe with her family.

Queen Bey -- or Darth Beyder, as she might prefer to be called -- touched down Friday in the south of France with her hubby Jay-Z, and their kiddo Blue Ivy in tow.

Her fam might be feeling Beyonce's force while cruising through the airport, though ... because she was completely bundled up with a pitch-black cloth covering everything but a sliver of her face.

Might remind ya of a certain big bad space villain called Darth Vader ... the younger version, anyway. Think hooded Anakin Skywalker from 'Episode 3' -- or maybe the all-powerful baddie, Emperor Palpatine from the same saga.

FYI, Bey's currently on the European leg of her Renaissance World Tour ... next stop is Saturday in Frankfurt, where she just might declare, "I am your mother."

Lots of folks' hearts are going out to the five people who died aboard the Titanic-bound submersible ... because they're playing Celine Dion's beloved "Titanic" theme song -- a lot.

Celine's track from the 1997 Oscar-winning movie, "My Heart Will Go On," is seeing a huge bump on streaming platforms in the wake of the sub tragedy ... with over 500,000 streams since the rescue of the missing sub came to an end.

The numbers are pretty incredible ... Spotify listeners have played the song 522,864 times since Thursday ... with Friday bringing even more streams.

As you know, the OceanGate sub set out for the Titanic shipwreck early Sunday morning but then it lost all communications, prompting a multinational, days-long search and rescue effort.

The search ended Thursday when a debris field was found on the ocean floor ... it appears the sub imploded Sunday morning during its dive down to the Titanic.

It's a sad and captivating story, and it seems folks are turning to music to cope with the tragic loss of more life in the Atlantic.

James Cameron's harsh criticism of the imploded OceanGate submersible, and its CEO Stockton Rush, is pissing off OceanGate's co-founder ... who says Cameron's just guessing what happened to Titan, and has no actual knowledge.

Guillermo Söhnlein is pushing back on the "Titanic" director's assertion the submersible was "too experimental to carry passengers" ... saying it's impossible for James to know all the details.

Guillermo went on Times Radio Friday in the U.K., and defended OceanGate and Stockton, saying ... "It's impossible for anyone to really speculate from the outside ... I know from firsthand experience that we were extremely committed to safety and risk mitigation was a key part of the company culture."

Remember, James is blaming the tragedy on Stockton -- who was piloting Titan when it imploded -- claiming he ignored warnings from the industry about the safety of Titan's design, and then made matters worse by taking tourists aboard the vessel.

James, who made 33 dives to the famous shipwreck, said he and others in the submersible community voiced concerns about the Titan submersible, but Stockton pushed forward, undeterred -- kind of like the Titanic captain who went full steam ahead into an ice field.

Guillermo says James' views are not gospel -- he says there are differing opinions and views within the industry about every aspect of deep ocean dives and submersibles ... and, most importantly, he says James wasn't involved in the design, engineering, building, testing or diving on Titan.

Despite the 5 deaths aboard Titan, Guillermo says this isn't the end of OceanGate ... he says the company needs to investigate what went wrong, and apply those lessons moving forward.

James Cameron is putting the U.S. military on blast in the aftermath of the Titanic submersible disaster ... saying he knew right away the vessel imploded, and so did the military -- yet somehow, the search dragged on for days.

The "Titanic" director told CNN it didn't take him long, back on Monday morning, to gather all the facts about the missing OceanGate Titan sub -- saying it immediately had all the markings of something "catastrophic," like an implosion, had occurred on Sunday.

James says he knew it would have to be something like an implosion for the submersible's communications and navigation systems to go out at the same time -- plus, the U.S. military's microphones had picked up a sound right around the same time the sub lost contact.

While he doesn't directly call out the U.S. military ... the fact is, the U.S. Coast Guard was coordinating the search and rescue mission -- an operation James calls a "prolonged nightmarish charade" that did nothing but create "false hope."

As we reported, James also took the opportunity Thursday to point blame at the late OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who was the pilot for the fatal voyage ... drawing a grim comparison between the recent trip and the Titanic's tragic one-and-only travel.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's youngest son pumped iron Thursday morning at the gym his old man made famous forty-five years ago, and then reminded us of the similar paths their lives have taken.

Joseph Baena visited Gold's Gym in Venice, which is the same spot featured in the 1977 documentary "Pumping Iron" that helped launch Arnold into superstardom. Photogs snapped a post-workout pic of Joseph just as he passed an enormous poster promoting a new Netflix documentary about Arnold's life.

It's a poignant moment ... 25-year-old Baena in front of a poster for a doc celebrating his father, reminding us all of the similar roads they’ve traveled. Like Arnold before him, Joseph overcame humble beginnings to make it big, first as a bodybuilder and now as an actor.

In fact, Joseph’s movie career is blowing up just like his dad’s did when he was in his 20s … the younger man starred in three projects in 2022 and has five more flicks due out in the next year.

Making the whole thing even more surreal… Joseph is the spitting image of his dad, whose smiling face is front and center in the poster behind him.

Gradey Dick is not in Kansas anymore ... but the former Jayhawk is still paying homage to his home state nonetheless at the 2023 NBA Draft -- rockin' a "Wizard Of Oz" inspired suit!!

The shooting guard pulled up to the annual event at Barclays Center on Thursday looking just like Dorothy's famous red shoes ... and he told media members at the venue that there was absolutely no coincidence there.

"So, I'm from Kansas," Dick said while showing off the 'fit. "Dorothy has her little slippers, I got my Dorothy suit!"

Dick paired the shiny blazer with a matching turtle neck, some black slacks, some Christian Louboutin red bottom shoes and some sunglasses.

He also revealed he got a custom chain made for the momentous occasion too!!

It won't be long before you'll get to see the outfit on television -- many draft experts expect him to go within the top 12 picks later tonight.

As for the rest of the draft's prospects ... they didn't go quite as outlandish as Dick -- though they still looked stylish.

Victor Wembanyama -- the projected first overall pick -- wore a classic all-forest green suit, while UConn's Jordan Hawkins -- who won the NCAA title in April -- also kept it lowkey, wearing a crisp black suit and tie.

Meanwhile, Villanova's Cam Whitmore -- who's projected to go in the first round -- also wore a black suit ... but paired it with some custom kicks that have his high school and college jerseys painted on the side.

James Cameron is going to catch a lot of heat for this ... he just blamed the Titanic-bound submersible tragedy on the captain, callously comparing it to the famous shipwreck.

The "Titanic" director shared his hot take on the submersible's deadly implosion, which killed all 5 people onboard, with ABC ... and it's shocking to hear.

James says ... "I'm struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship and yet he steamed at full speed into an ice field."

In short, James is blaming the tragedy on OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush .. who piloted the Titan submersible on the ill-fated mission.

James is considered a bit of an expert in this field ... in addition to winning Oscars for "Titanic," he also made 33 dives to the bottom of the Atlantic to see the shipwreck up close.

Some folks are critical of OceanGate and Stockton for exploring 2.5 miles below the surface in a tiny submersible navigated with consumer product parts, and James seems to be in that camp.

2:38 PM PT -- Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's attorney, Jason Bowles, tells us, "Something is rotten in Denmark. It is shocking that after 20 months of investigation, the special prosecutor now throws in a completely new charge against Ms. Gutierrez Reed, with no prior notice or any witness statements, lab reports, or evidence to support it."

He continues, "This comes on the heels of the state letting its lead investigator go, and the investigator raising serious concerns about the investigation in an email. This stinks to high heaven and is retaliatory and vindictive."

"Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has found herself in the crosshairs of prosecutors once again, this time for allegedly transferring narcotics the day Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed on set.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Reed's been charged with tampering with evidence after prosecutors claim she, "did transfer narcotics to another person with the intent to prevent the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of herself."

The documents do not state what type of narcotic Gutierrez-Reed allegedly had in her possession, but the development is significant in light of other allegations prosecutors have made about the disgraced armorer.

In another filing last week, prosecutors accused Reed of drinking and using marijuana after working on the set ... explaining she may have shown up on the job hungover and lacking proper alertness and awareness to perform her duties efficiently.

At the time of the allegations, Hannah's attorney, Jason Bowles, told us, "The prosecution has so mishandled this case and the case is so weak that they are now resorting to character assassination tactics to further taint the jury pool. This investigation and prosecution has not been about seeking Justice; for them it’s been about finding a convenient scapegoat."

Hannah's also been charged with involuntary manslaughter for Hutchins' death.

T.I. is slamming comparisons between his upcoming film and Ice Cube's game-changing comedy, "Friday" -- because why can't 2 things be great at the same time?!?

The trap music architect called the parallels "a thief to joy" ... responding to a meme that polled whether his "Da Partments" flick would top Cube's classic.

It's not the kind of talk you'd expect from a legendary rapper who's been as competitive as Tip, but proclaiming your film to be on the same iconic level as "Friday" is, undoubtedly, a pretty bold statement to make.

In a separate promotional IG clip, T.I. promised the film will deliver fans explicit "uns" ... uncensored, unhinged and unapologetic content, along with the best laughs Atlanta has to offer.

DC Young Fly helped produce the film alongside T.I., and Lil Duval and Karlous Miller serve as executive producers. T.I. says it's coming to Tubi's platform in the very near future.

Eric Bellinger has no qualms with Jonathan Majors and Meagan Good's whirlwind romance, something he's seen up close and personal ... because he's Meagan's brother-in-law!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the R&B maestro in NYC ... he's been married to Meagan's sister La'Myia since 2015, and he informed us he's not only met Jonathan, but thinks he's a helluva swell guy to be around!!!

We broke the story back in May ... the 2 actors officially became a couple amid Jonathan's assault case with his ex-girlfriend, and Megan was recently spotted supporting him in court, an indication the 'ship is sailing strong.

Eric admits he hasn't inquired about the details of the case, but insists he's seen no reason to grill him ... due to Jonathan's character.

His stamp of approval echoes the thoughts of Meagan's longtime friend and former castmate Robert Ri'chard ... who vouched for her decision-making when we spoke to him on the subject.

The upcoming movie on Elvis and Priscilla has enraged some members of the Elvis Estate, who say the flick is a travesty.

Multiple officials connected to the estate tell TMZ, the film, "Priscilla," was produced without the Estate's knowledge or consent ... and they're ripping it as another Priscilla money grab.

The movie is written and directed by Sofia Coppola and its based on Priscilla's famous 1985 memoir, "Elvis and Me," telling the story of their early romance. Jacob Elordi plays Elvis opposite Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla.

One Estate official who saw the film describes Coppla's writing and directing as "horrible," adding "It feels like a college movie. The set designs are just horrific, it's not what Graceland looks like."

Priscilla has a very different take ... she tells TMZ, "I am very excited to see the interpretation of my book by the masterful Sofia Coppola. She has such an extraordinary perspective and I have always been such an admirer of her work. I'm certain this movie will take everyone on an emotional journey."

It sounds like the movie does take the Elvis officials on an emotional journey ... just not a good one.

Money has been a bone of contention with the Presley family lately ... as we reported, Priscilla settled her legal beef with her granddaughter Riley, who paid Priscilla a lot of money -- we're told millions of dollars -- to end her beef over who will control Lisa Marie's trust.

Amanda Bynes will be spending an extended period of time getting psychiatric care ... and her loved ones are concerned about her repeated cycle of breakdowns.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... once Amanda completes the mandatory 72-hour psychiatric hold -- which started last weekend -- she will be committed for at least another week while doctors work to stabilize her with medications and therapy.

We're told Amanda does well when she takes her medication, but she's stuck in a cycle that many folks with mental illness go through ... where they stop taking their meds once they feel better, leading to the next incident.

It's unclear if Amanda stopped taking her medication before she called police on Saturday, which led to her latest psychiatric hold.

Our sources say when Amanda was under her conservatorship, her mother Lynn was responsible for making sure she took her meds ... and she was always compliant. We're told medication was never an issue during that period.

Of course, that conservatorship ended in March 2022 ... and Amanda is now on her second psychiatric hold in 3 months, which is concerning to those around her.

We're told there isn't much Amanda's family and friends can do for her now, however, because of the judge's decision to terminate the conservatorship.

Our sources say it would be incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to bring a whole new conservatorship petition ... which would be heard in front of the same judge that ended Amanda's conservatorship.

American actor Michael Angarano was just 12 years old when he was cast as the young William Miller -- who would later become a journalist for Rolling Stone magazine, tagging along with the band, Stillwater, for their cross-country tour -- in the 2000 movie "Almost Famous."

Angarano shared the big screen with Hollywood greats including Patrick Fugit as the 15-year-old version of William Miller, Billy Crudup as the lead guitarist of Stillwater, Russell Hammond and Kate Hudson as the #1 groupie of the band who is in love with Russell, Penny Lane.

Michael also played the role of Nick alongside Meryl Streep in the 1999 musical film "Music of the Heart."

Kevin Costner's estranged wife wants him to fork over nearly a quarter of million dollars a month to care for their kids ... but Kevin makes it clear from his legal docs, he thinks his estranged wife's ask is highway robbery.

Christine Baumgartner filed new legal docs in which she asks a judge to force KC to shell out $248,000/month in child support for their three kids. She claims that an eye-popping amount is the only way Christine and the children can "live at a standard somewhat approaching the standard that the children will be enjoying while in Kevin's care." BTW, she says that doesn't include private school tuition, health care and sports-related expenses, which she also wants him to pay.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, Kevin is already paying 100% of the kids' expenses. In addition to the expenses, Costner has filed legal docs saying he's willing to kick in an additional $38k per month.

Christine says Kevin's enormous wealth is more than enough to cover her ask ... claiming Kevin's total income last year was $19.5 million. Their family expenses, she claims, were $6.6 million. Kevin clearly thinks the money has nothing to do with child support.

BTW, it sounds like they live large ... CC lists regular trips to places like Hawaii, Aspen and the Caribbean -- where she says they often hire caterers and chefs to entertain their guests.

The upkeep of their many properties ain't cheap either ... about $2 mil/year ... says Christine.

As we've reported ... this divorce is getting uglier by the week. Recently, Kevin filed court docs of his own in which he claimed Christine refused to move out of one of his properties ... despite clear terms in their prenup that he insists required her to move out by a certain date after she filed for divorce.