Movies

Danny Masterson had 2 of his "That '70s Show" costars in his corner ahead of his sentencing ... Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis wrote letters of support for the actor.

The letters, obtained by Tony Ortega, were sent to Judge Olmedo before Masterson received his 30-year to life sentence in L.A. -- and both outlined the long-running friendship they've shared with the actor, going back to them working together on the sitcom.

Ashton says, "Danny has been nothing but a positive influence on me. He's an extraordinarily honest and intentional human being." He goes on to gush over Masterson's ability to be there for him over the years, citing Masterson as the reason why he never slipped into the "typical Hollywood life of drugs."

He even recalls a time when Masterson came to a random woman's defense as she was getting berated by her boyfriend at a pizza parlor, ending the letter by saying, "having his daughter raised without a present father would [be] a tertiary injustice in and of itself."

Mila echoed Ashton's claims, adding it has been a "privilege" to be a part of Masterson's life ... and saying his role as a dad and husband has been "nothing short of extraordinary."

As we reported, Masterson was sentenced to three decades behind bars on Thursday for his two rape convictions.

His team told us they spotted "a number of significant evidentiary and constitutional issues" in the trial and will be bringing up these arguments on appeal. We also learned he's being watched like a hawk while locked up for signs of mental distress.

We covered the story on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Do you believe 30 years is a fair sentence for Danny Masterson? Sound off by answering the question in our game below.

Las cartas —obtenidas por Tony Ortega— fueron enviadas al juez Olmedo antes de que Masterson recibiera su sentencia de 30 años a cadena perpetua en Los Ángeles. Ambos destacaron la larga amistad que han compartido con el actor, la cual se remonta a cuando trabajaban juntos en la comedia.

Ashton dice: "Danny no ha sido más que una influencia positiva para mí. Es un ser humano extraordinariamente honesto y bien intencionado". Continúa elogiando la capacidad de Masterson para estar a su lado a lo largo de los años, citando a Masterson como la razón por la que nunca cayó en la "típica vida de drogas de Hollywood".

Incluso recuerda una ocasión en la que Masterson salió en defensa de una mujer cualquiera que estaba siendo reprendida por su novio en una pizzería, y termina la carta diciendo que "criar a su hija sin un padre presente sería una injusticia terciaria".

Mila hizo eco de las afirmaciones de Ashton añadiendo que ha sido un "privilegio" ser parte de la vida de Masterson, y diciendo que su papel como padre y esposo ha sido "nada menos que extraordinario."

Como informamos, Masterson fue sentenciado a tres décadas tras las rejas el jueves por sus dos condenas por violación.

Su equipo nos dijo que habían detectado "una serie de importantes problemas constitucionales y de pruebas" en el juicio y que plantearán estos argumentos en la apelación. También nos enteramos de que está siendo vigilado como un halcón mientras está encerrado para detectar signos de estrés mental.

Sylvester Stallone met one of his biggest fans during a family trip to the Vatican ... the Pope!!!

The 'Rocky' star spent his Friday touring Vatican City, and was actually granted an audience with Pope Francis, who went full fanboy ... telling Sly it's an honor to meet him because he grew up watching the actor's movies.

The video of their interaction is awesome -- Sly was bold enough to shadowbox the Pope, who even threw a few left hooks himself. Seriously, it's almost like the Pope is more thrilled about the meeting than Stallone.

The whole thing was a family affair ... Sly also introduced the Pope to his wife, Jennifer Flavin, and their three daughters, Sophia, Scarlet and Sistine. You'd think the pontiff might have been impressed by Sistine's name, but was more focused on the movie star of his younger years.

Sly went to the Vatican last September too, when he got to hold the keys that open every door in Vatican City, including the Sistine Chapel, and this time he got to meet His Holiness.

Al Pacino and Noor Alfallah have called it quits after more than a year of dating ... and now they're in court trying to iron out child custody issues.

Alfallah got the ball rolling, filing a petition in L.A. Superior Court in which she asks a judge for full physical custody of their 3-month-old son, Roman Alfallah Pacino.

In the docs, Alfallah says Pacino should have reasonable visitation with Roman and joint legal custody, which means both parents would have a say in major decisions impacting the child from education to medical needs.

Alfallah also attached a Voluntary Declaration of Parentage to her petition, proving she and Pacino are the mother and father of Roman.

She went on to request the legendary actor pay for all of her attorney fees and other legal costs. Child support payments were not addressed in the court filing, but it's almost certainly going to become an issue.

The sudden turn in their relationship -- which began in April 2022 -- stands in stark contrast to where they were just a few months ago.

TMZ broke the story in June ... 83-year-old Pacino became a daddy after 29-year-old Alfallah gave birth to their son at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in L.A. The two were ecstatic over their new bundle of enjoy, hitting the town for a celebration dinner at Sunset Tower in West Hollywood.

Now, the celebration is over, and a new reality has set in.

Bill Maher is wondering why California's Governor is standing on the sidelines during Hollywood's economy-crushing labor disputes, and he's calling on Gavin Newsom to help hammer out a deal.

The 'Real Time' host joined us on "TMZ Live" and we asked him about the strike that's put his, and every other TV host's, staffs out of work for months now. Bill says this should be Gov. Newsom's time to shine by getting both sides in a room to find a quicker path to ending the work stoppage.

He also pointed out the obvious -- showbiz is one of California's biggest industries, so Gov. Newsom absolutely has a vested interest in fixing it.

Now, Bill says he is supportive of the writers -- hell, he IS one, and says he's not shooting his show out of solidarity -- but he also tells us some of the union demands get under his skin ... and lays out exactly why.

The HBO host also has strong thoughts on what's going on at college campuses around the country ... explaining why he's not surprised Harvard was just ranked the worst school for free speech.

Bill says it's part of an ever-growing echo chamber of sorts, calling it an extension of what has been playing out at corporate media outlets for decades, but he's got some solutions.

As always, Bill is equal parts funny, practical and blunt, and he's got a lot to say before he heads out to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for a series of standup shows on Sept. 15-16 and Nov. 3-4.

Joe Jonas made a point to mention he was the one taking care of his daughters in filing for divorce from Sophie Turner ... providing more evidence of that with a breakfast date.

The singer was in dad mode Wednesday at Sweet Butter Kitchen in L.A. with his little ones -- 3-year-old Willa and her 1-year-old sister -- along with another friend who was helping to take care of the girls.

Joe kept a happy face for the kiddos, making them smile and trading high-fives as everyone ate and chatted. In other words, the 34-year-old certainly didn't look like he was in the middle of a divorce.

As you know, Joe filed for divorce from Sophie Tuesday, asking for joint custody of their kids. The docs said Joe wants a judge to establish a parenting plan that sets up frequent contact between him and Sophie.

TMZ broke the story, the couple's relationship had been rough for at least 6 months due to their different lifestyles -- we learned through multiple sources in contact with Joe that he saw something on a Ring camera that made him realize he should pull the plug.

Lil Rel Howery says an ill-timed trip to the men's room almost spoiled his marriage proposal during Beyoncé's concert ... and he's thanking her for stalling long enough for him to pop the question.

The comedian joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and told us all about how his engagement went down ... and why nature called at the most inopportune time.

Lil Rel proposed to his GF Dannella Lane at Beyonce's concert Monday night at SoFi Stadium, and he says Jay-Z and Beyoncé's mom, Tina Knowles, advised him to do it when she sang "Love On Top" ... and they arranged to get the moment on the stadium's big screen.

It's funny, Lil Rel says he was waiting for the song for so long, he finally needed to break the seal ... and as soon as he got to the bathroom, "Love On Top" started playing.

Lil Rel says he finished his biz, and rushed back to his woman ... but he couldn't find their seats!!!

With the clock literally ticking, Lil Rel says he had to go back out and retrace his steps, and when he finally got back to his seats a cameraman was waiting ... and Beyoncé was motioning for him to get on with the proposal because she was dragging out the song. 😂

It all worked out, since Dannella said "Yes," and he tells us how the plan to propose really came together at the last minute. As for whether Bey's forgiven his tardiness ... we'll let him tell it.

Drew Barrymore's alleged stalker, a man named Chad Michael Busto, now has a warrant out for his arrest after failing to show up to get a GPS monitor from authorities.

Southampton Town Justice Court Clerk Heather Drapal tells TMZ ... a judge has issued a bench warrant for Busto in connection with last month's case when Busto was arrested after cops say he showed up uninvited to her Hamptons home.

We're told Busto was set to get fitted for a GPS monitor by cops but never showed ... so now police are looking to apprehend him again.

As we reported, cops say Busto went house-to-house in her Hamptons neighborhood a couple of weeks ago, eventually finding her $6 million property and walking onto some steps outside before he was cuffed. We're told Drew wasn't home at the time.

Of course, that arrest came just 2 days after video showed Busto rushing the stage during a 92NY interview she was holding with singer/actress Reneé Rapp. You can hear him demanding to see Drew and claiming she knew who he was.

Gary Busey was chased down by a woman who claims he rear-ended her car in Malibu and then just beat it ... and she's got some hardcore receipts in the form of video.

The woman tells TMZ ... she was driving down PCH Wednesday and Busey whipped out of a shopping center, slamming into her back bumper. Rather than pulling over, she says Busey fled the scene.

She went into hot pursuit mode, following him on PCH, and that's where the video begins. She screams at him that he rear-ended her, but Busey blows her off and keeps driving.

The woman follows Busey to a parking lot outside a restaurant, where she's just incredulous ... schooling him on the law requiring him to stay put and exchange information.

Busey's response was, to say the least, unsatisfactory. He simply told her, "I'm private."

He does volunteer his insurance carrier is Progressive, but that's about it. Busey drives away as the woman is screaming at him.

Here's the thing. She obviously doesn't have video of the crash, but his reaction is more than telling. Plus, you see the damage on her car and his as well.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... the woman filed a hit-and-run report and detectives will investigate. BTW, leaving the scene of a car accident that results in property damage or injury is a crime.

"Brady Bunch" movie star Olivia Hack claims her boyfriend's estranged wife is "unhinged" ... and now she's getting court-ordered protection.

Olivia beelined it to court recently and filed for a temporary restraining order against a woman named Sabine Spekreijse, whom she claims got physical with her during an August incident.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Olivia says she was over at her boyfriend Paul Hogan's place when Sabine showed up and started screaming obscenities at them. Olivia says the alleged behavior "could only be described as unhinged."

Olivia claims Sabine sat down next to her on the sofa, digging her fingernails into her thigh as hard as she could, leaving a cut and scratches. Olivia says she didn't fight back out of fear of provoking Sabine, who she says is way bigger than her at 6'1".

The actress, who played Cindy Brady in the "Brady Bunch" movies, says she called police, but Sabine left before cops arrived. She claims Sabine came back the next morning, banging on the door until they told her to leave.

Olivia also claims Sabine calls her boyfriend relentlessly when they are together, even though she says they've been separated for 3 years.

Ashley Tisdale is getting dragged into court over a car crash she allegedly caused ... but her team is calling BS.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a woman named Lina Gonzales is suing the actress for injuries she claims she suffered from the accident that occurred in September of last year. As a result of the crash, Lina alleges she's suffered wage loss, medical expenses ... and, interestingly, loss of love and protection -- now seeking damages from a judge.

Her attorney, Michael R. Parker, tells TMZ ... the accident went down as Lina was driving on Hollywood Blvd., waiting for her turn to make a left in the left turn lane. However, while waiting, he alleges Ashley changed lanes and collided with Lina's car.

According to Parker, it didn't end there ... he says Lina told him Ashley made a big fuss about the situation and even allegedly called her names.

Lina's attorney says the accident caused her severe neck and back injuries ... and to make matters worse, she's facing roughly $140k in medical expenses. Parker says he made a demand $600k to Tisdale ... but it was rejected, hence this new lawsuit.

Woody Allen says he doesn't consider himself "canceled" after allegations of sexual abuse made by his adoptive daughter -- but he does say he might hang it up in the movie biz.

The famed, controversial filmmaker is at the Venice Film Festival, where he's debuting his latest project -- "Coup de chance" -- and while there ... he did a wide-ranging interview with Variety, in which he addressed a number of topics including the issue of cancel culture.

The interviewer asks him if he feels like he's been canceled, and here's how he replied... "I feel if you’re going to be canceled, this is the culture to be canceled by. I just find that all so silly. I don’t think about it. I don’t know what it means to be canceled. I know that over the years everything has been the same for me."

Woody adds, "I make my movies. What has changed is the presentation of the films. You know, I work and it’s the same routine for me. I write the script, raise the money, make the film, shoot it, edit it, it comes out. The difference is not is not from cancel culture. The difference is the way they present the films. It’s that that’s the big change."

Of course, what he fails to mention is that his movies these days, by and large, aren't getting major distribution here in the States -- so, on that front, he has been kinda canceled.

Now, on the issue of what Dylan Farrow has alleged about him -- detailed in an HBO doc that Woody labeled as fiction -- he basically brushed it off here in this interview once again ... pointing out it had been thoroughly investigated at the time, and nothing came of it.

He adds, "The fact that it lingers on always makes me think that maybe people like the idea that it lingers on. You know, maybe there’s something appealing to people. But why?"

That whole saga was very much so on people's minds at Venice ... evidenced in the fact that protesters showed up to denounce Woody's presence and the screening of his French film. Nonetheless, it's getting screened right now -- with WA front and center and tuxed up.

Anyway, there's more Woody addresses in this sit-down ... including the prospect of retiring, something he'd floated about a year ago -- only to walk it back.

Now, he sounds a bit more serious about it -- explaining, "I have so many ideas for films that I would be tempted to do it, if it was easy to finance But beyond that, I don’t know if I have the same verve to go out and spend a lot of time raising money."

"Coup de chance" is Woody's 50th film ... but it was made in France, and it remains to be seen if the guy has much of a future in debuting American films to a wider audience here.

Priscilla Presley is once again denying she and Elvis Presley were intimate while she was a minor -- this amid a new movie that spotlights their relationship ... controversy and all.

The ex-wife of the late icon was front and center Monday during a presser at the Venice Film Festival, just before Sofia Coppola's new film -- "Priscilla" -- was screened. During a Q&A, Priscilla was lobbed a question directly ... and she answered it head-on.

Check out what she says about their relationship -- which began with her meeting Elvis at the age of 14, and him at 24 -- but at which point, Priscilla insists, hadn't yet turned sexual.

She says what made Elvis drawn to her was the fact she would listen to him and let him pour his heart to her ... something that led to them continuing to see each other even after Elvis came back to the States following a deployment in Germany, where they first linked.

Priscilla says the fact he could confide in her and trust her was at the core of their relationship -- and while she says many might assume they were sleeping together at this time, she says that's not true ... and that Elvis respected the fact she was just a teen.

Now, despite that ... she's confessed in the past that Elvis would kiss her at this age -- and even at age 17, she went to go visit him for an overnight stay with her parents' permission.

With this larger picture ... many have criticized Elvis after the fact, alleging he was a scummy guy for zeroing in on a young girl -- but, clearly, Priscilla has no regrets ... even now calling him the love of her life, and saying she was drawn to him even after they divorced.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is chronicling his comeback after open heart surgery in his own words -- while also giving folks a peek at how he did it ... with never-before-seen footage.

The movie star and former bodybuilder blasted out a new newsletter item to members of his health and fitness group, Arnold's Pump Club ... which has some Monday Motivation to get them active and on their feet. For today's catalyst, he shared a very personal story.

He gets into the 2018 medical scare that almost claimed his life. You'll recall, AS was supposed to go into a routine, non-invasive procedure at the time ... but quickly turned much more serious after something went wrong and required full-blown open heart surgery.

Somehow, Arnold was able to recuperate from that procedure in record time -- as he describes in this new video of his, he had a movie to shoot -- and we're getting a chance to see how he went about doing it for the very first time on camera. It's quite something.

As Arnold himself explains ... there were a few things he needed to ensure he left the hospital -- and it all started with a clear vision and a plan of action, which started with him showing he could walk on his own two feet. With the help of friends, Arnold did just that.

We'll let him explain the rest, but essentially ... Arnold's trying to spark some inspiration into anyone who needs motivation to turn their life around and to bring about new lifestyle.

It's pretty inspirational -- as is just about everything the guy does -- and it's also vulnerable.

Smash Mouth's lead singer, Steve Harwell, has died ... TMZ has learned.

The rock band's longtime frontman -- who was one of the original founding members dating back to 1994 -- passed away Monday morning at his home in Boise, Idaho as a result of liver failure -- this according to his manager.

We're told he was surrounded by family and friends and passed peacefully and comfortably.

TMZ broke the story ... Steve had been in hospice and was given only days to live this past weekend. As such, he was receiving end-of-life care at home with friends/family. We'd been told he succumbed to his health battles over alcohol abuse, among other ailments.

Remember, SH announced he was retiring from performing a couple years ago following a show in which he was found to have been slurring his words and acting erratic onstage.

His passing marks a tragic day for Smash Mouth fans -- of which there are many. His band skyrocketed to fame in the late '90s and early 2000s, on account of their album "Astro Lounge" ... which featured some of their most famous songs, like "All Star."

Of course, their involvement in the "Shrek" film put them on another level of fame -- as did their cover of The Monkees' hit song "I'm a Believer." Around this time, they were huge. Other notable tracks that Steve contributed to ... "Walkin' On the Sun," "Then the Morning Comes," "Can't Get Enough of You Baby," "Pacific Coast Party" and "Why Can't We Be Friends."

Steve dealt with hardships through much of his life -- his infant son died at only 6 months due to leukemia -- and he himself had been diagnosed with illnesses over the years too.

Despite this, he carried on with a smile and did what he loved in music and performing ... bringing joy to many, many listeners throughout his career. Steve was only 56.

Joe Jonas has been shopping for divorce lawyers, as TMZ first reported, but he's not giving up the symbol of marriage ... he was wearing his wedding ring Sunday night at his concert.

Joe and his bros performed at the Moody Center in Austin, and the gold band on his ring finger was impossible to miss.

It's unclear what message he's sending, but it comes after fans noticed he had not been wearing the ring recently and people began to wonder if the marriage was in trouble.

TMZ broke the story ... Joe and wife Sophie Turner have been having problems for the last 6 months and Joe's team has contacted at least 2 divorce lawyers over the past few days for the purpose of ending his marriage.

Sophie was rocking out at Yankee Stadium at the Jonas Brothers’ kickoff concert last month but has been MIA ever since.

As we reported, Joe has been caring for the couple's 2 young children most of the time over the last 3 months, even as the band toured the U.S.

TMZ also noted that regardless of whether he rocks the ring or doesn't ... our sources are firm on this much -- their marriage is circling the drain and on its way to family court in due time.