Movies

Now that it's the weekend, it's worth a look back at what TMZ covered this week ... particularly on the tube -- where we had a lil' too much fun heading into Saturday/Sunday.

Starting with 'TMZ Live,' we just had to tackle this whole Alyssa Milano situation -- which was kicked off from her own doing. Basically, she tried fundraising on behalf of her son ... but got dragged for doing so, and you can imagine why.

The question is ... was she in the right, or in the wrong? Strong opinions from all on this one.

'TMZ on TV' was a riot to end the week ... and it's all thanks to the genius marketing people at Warner Bros. -- who trotted out this popcorn bucket for 'Dune 2,' which looks ... strange.

The crew had a blast trying to figure out exactly what this looks like -- take a guess yourself.

Somewhat of a serious and startling topic on 'TMZ Sports,' where Mojo and Mike analyzed the theft of a life-size Jackie Robinson statue from a youth baseball facility this week.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Diablo Cody's all about the dollar bills, and she'd give up seemingly anything for enough of them ... including her Oscar!

The writer/producer talked about Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig getting snubbed for Best Actress and Best Director respectively in an interview with People ... and insisted she'd give back her Academy Award for penning "Juno" if she'd get a "Barbie"-level box office return.

DC basically told the mag that of course Margot and Greta got snubbed ... but who cares about that when you just made 10 figures at the box office -- before adding she'd "trade my Oscar for a billion-dollar movie right now, if I could flip a switch!"

Cody said she meant to disrespect to the Academy ... though it kinda felt like saying "no offense" after you've low-key shaded a friend if we're being honest. But, let's be real -- a ton of stars would make that deal for a billion-dollar movie.

Another interesting note ... Diablo took a stance similar to a lot of people online -- mainly that both Robbie and Gerwig got nominated in other categories -- so not a total snub for either star.

To be fair, Cody's a bit of an expert in this field ... 'cause she worked on the "Barbie" project that was meant to star Amy Schumer way back in the day -- though hers never quite got off the ground, saying it's a hard IP to make believable.

Still, lots of fans are outraged at MR and GG getting left out of their biggest categories ... with some calling the voting sexist and even celeb fans like Hillary Clinton weighing in.

Welp, it seems there's only one way to settle this ... vote below!

Pharell Williams' life story is coming together brick by brick -- literally in this case ... 'cause he's collabing with LEGO to bring the vision to life.

The 50-year-old superproducer announced the big news Friday ... saying he's partnering with the toy giant to tell his tale -- and sharing a first look at the poster for the movie!

Check it out -- Williams' LEGO self's got his trademark camouflage on and looks ready to dominate the studio, the stage or the fashion industry ... the definition of a triple threat, one for each brick of his body!

Williams added a low-key emotional caption to the post ... saying he never dreamed he'd have his story told in LEGO when he was playing with the crazy popular toy as just a youngin'. Williams also shared the name of the film -- "Piece By Piece" -- so clearly no pun's going unused.

It's a pretty unique idea -- tons of people are having their stories told in movie form like Priscilla Presley, Diana Nyad, Leonard Bernstein, Robert Oppenheimer, Jose M. Hernandez ... and those are just from the last year alone.

But, not many filmmakers are going the animated route ... something the company behind the production, Focus Features, is crediting Williams entirely with conceiving.

Basically, in a joint press release with Williams ... Focus explains PW came to them with the idea five years ago -- and they've been building the project (pun very much intended) as a team ever since.

Sharon Stone's looking for love online, and she's finding out a lesson lots of millennials already know ... many people don't live up to their profile hype.

The superstar actress opened up about her online dating trials and tribulations in an interview with The Times Friday ... with Stone saying she's hoping 2024 will be her year to find true love.

So far though ... SS says it's leading to dates with lots of real sketchy dudes instead -- a fact not totally surprising to anyone who's used the apps over the years.

Stone's dates sound a heck of a lot worse than your average "guy lied about his height or job" catfishing ... Sharon actually seems to be attracted to some real stinkers.

For example, Sharon pulled one dude who she later found out was a convicted felon -- and another who she said was "clearly 20,000 heroin injections later than the picture he sent me" ... definitely not hubby material.

And, as for her good matches ... they happened during the pandemic, and Sharon said she never actually met the dudes IRL. Basically, Stone says she mainly acted as a "therapist" of sorts to a recent divorcee and another man who'd been through a breakup after his GF had an abortion -- conversations SS called "rewarding."

One big challenge ... the 65-year-old says she's not on dating apps like Bumble to hook up -- adding she thinks men will basically get it on with anything, like a "warm can of beans," so she doesn't really need to try for sex.

Instead, she's looking for a partner -- Sharon says she doesn't have a set list of criteria, but basically, she'll know it when she feels it. She's not rushing into love -- she's been married twice and has three kids to think of as well -- so she says she's gonna take her time with it.

Dominique Dunne was a rising star -- delivering the iconic line in "Poltergeist" -- before her life was tragically taken at the hands of her then-boyfriend ... and there's a woman who was not allowed to testify who could have changed the outcome of his trial.

The decades-old case against John Sweeney -- the man who strangled the young star back in 1982 -- is being reexamined anew in a documentary produced by TMZ Studios ... which puts a fresh light on the trial, the aftermath .... and presents shocking new evidence.

At the time, prosecutors charged Sweeney with first-degree murder case. He was convicted of manslaughter, and he was back on the streets after only 2 1/2 years behind bars.

The jurors you'll hear from in the documentary were stunned when we showed them our interview with Sweeney's prior girlfriend, Lillian Pierce, telling us had they heard from her they would have thrown the book at Sweeney.

Pierce was not allowed to testify during the trial ... the judge felt it would be unfair to Sweeney if she explained how he had repeatedly brutalized her. Pierce has never spoken publicly about the abuse she suffered at the hands of Sweeney, until now.

Check out the video ... what Pierce went through was horrific, and it mirrors some of what Dominique experienced.  She says Sweeney was wired to attack his girlfriend when he got mad.

What's more, we found yet another girlfriend whom Sweeney brutalized AFTER he was released from prison.

It's the weekend, and best believe we finished strong at TMZ -- especially on the TV front ... where we covered everything from the ongoing Ozempic wars ... to shower eating. 😅

'TMZ Live' was yet another slug fest between Dr. Terry Dubrow and Jillian Michaels -- who seem to be at war with one another over the hotly-debated issue of Ozempic ... and whether it's actually healthy for people who wanna lose weight.

The latest shot was fired by Dubrow, who told Michaels she oughta get her M.D. before weighing in on medication -- but Jillian's been holding her own, and isn't backing down.

On 'TMZ on TV,' we ended the week on a bit of a lighter note -- namely, diving in on whether Jessica Biel's self-confessed "shower snacking" was efficient ... or downright gross.

Lotsa people in our newsroom had different opinions on this one ... just watch for yourself!

Finally, we get to 'TMZ Sports' ... where Mojo and Mike entertained the possibility of the famed L.A. Clippers fan, Darrell Bailey, of changing his allegiance to the Lakers.

The reason they're even talking about it ... Snoop Dogg is encouraging him to jump ship!

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

The Ferrari Michael B. Jordan crashed in a Hollywood street race is on the open market, but it's an "as is" situation ... and the sports car is still a mangled mess.

The "Creed" star's ride is being auctioned off to the highest bidder ... and the minimum sale price is $58,000.

Remember ... Michael wrecked his blue 2021 Ferrari 812 back in December ... video shows him racing another Ferrari down Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, with MBJ ultimately crashing his whip into a parked KIA.

Michael ended up being the subject of a police investigation into the incident, but, as we reported, the case has been closed and he won't face any criminal repercussions.

The damage on the Ferrari looks the same as the night of the crash ... so it seems there haven't been any repairs made.

If $58,000 -- at a minimum -- sounds steep for a wrecked sports car, you should keep in mind that exotic ride costs about $400K out of the showroom.

Michael's not the one auctioning off the car here though ... the owner is listed as a Cincinnati insurance company, which clearly took ownership after the MBJ wrecked it.

The Ferrari shows a salvage certificate was issued Dec. 2, the same date as the crash, and the auction website is exclusively for salvaged cars.

Ha aparecido un nuevo envase de palomitas de maíz para promover la próxima secuela de "Dune", y si esta cosa es legítima, está levantando dudas por razones muy obvias.

Estas fotos del supuesto balde temático, cuya película aún no ha llegado a los cines, al parecer están circulando en línea, y el problema es que estos mismos cubos podrían ser repartidos al público en general junto al lanzamiento de "Dune 2" en marzo.

Si no estás seguro de lo que estás viendo, no eres el único. Si eres fan de la franquicia, reconocerás que el cubo es como la boca de uno de los gusanos de arena gigantes que aparecen en la primera película, con el que Timothée Chalamet tiene que luchar/escapar en su épico universo de ciencia ficción.

Básicamente, quien quiera que haya diseñado esto, parece haber pensado que sería divertido que los fans metieran las manos en la "boca" del gusano de plástico para llegar a las palomitas de maíz que hay debajo.

No hay daño, no hay ninguna falta en la idea, pero en la ejecución del diseño ... Los creadores no se dieron cuenta de que este cubo de gusano podría ser interpretado de varias maneras diferentes, y sí, todas son bastante traviesas. Al menos eso es lo que piensa la gente en Internet, donde abundan las bromas.

Vamos a dejar volar su imaginación con esto y suponemos que vamos a hacer la pregunta...

There's a new popcorn bucket that's apparently been made to promote the upcoming 'Dune' sequel -- and if this thing is legit ... it's raising a lot of eyebrows for very obvious reasons.

These photos of the purported movie-themed bucket -- which has not hit theaters yet, apparently -- are circulating online ... and the rub, it seems, is that these may in fact be trotted out to the general public in conjunction with the 'Dune 2' release in March.

If you're unsure what you're looking at here, well ... you're not alone. If you're a fan of the franchise, though -- you'll recognize this as the mouth of one of the giant sandworms in the first flick, which Timothée Chalamet has to fight/escape from in his epic sci-fi universe.

Basically, WB (or whoever the hell designed this) seems to have thought it'd be fun to have fans reach their hands into the "mouth" of the plastic worm to get to the popcorn below.

No harm, no foul in concept -- but in the execution of this design ... the makers didn't realize this worm bucket thing could be interpreted a few different ways -- and yes, they're all pretty freaking naughty. At least that's what the Internet thinks, anyway ... jokes galore.

We'll let your imagination run wild with this one -- and we suppose we'll ask the question ...

Barbie collectors can start counting the Benjamins, 'cause the movie's Oscar noms are about to blow up the Barbie resale market ... according to one toy expert.

We talked to "America's Toy Scout" Joel Magee -- a frequent "Pawn Stars" guest with more than 20 years experience in the collectibles world -- and he says he's expecting prices to just keep on climbing since the movie picked up 8 noms for this year's Academy Awards

JM says all the buzz around the movie and awards season is indoctrinating the young generation into collectible culture. So, whereas a few years ago the biggest buyer of Barbies might be your nostalgic Grandma Sue, it's now fashionable among the Gen Z crowd to buy Barbie.

And, Magee pulled out his magic 8 ball to make a prediction for us ... saying the mass producer of Barbie, Mattel, is really smart and loves its limited-edition drops -- so keep your eyes peeled for an Oscar-themed Barbie possibly hitting the market very soon.

Now, of course, Ryan Gosling was nominated for an Oscar while Margot Robbie missed out in the acting category, but Magee says the breadwinner has always been, and will remain, Barbie. Sorry, Ken.

Joel tells us collectors go out to buy different Barbies -- Astronaut Barbie, Doctor Barbie, Birthing Dog Barbie, etc. -- and they'll get the accompanying Ken to complete the set, but he's not the draw.

Translation: He's just Ken.

That said ... an Academy Award for Gosling will jack up those Ken prices -- Magee's talking doubling or tripling the value. And, if he's not Kenough for the voters, Joel still sees a 40 or 50% increase for the nomination alone. Cha-ching!!!

Magee's final piece of advice for collectors -- buy those limited-edition Barbies, like the Oscar Barbie he predicts could be coming down the pike.

Los coleccionistas de Barbie pueden empezar a contar los billetes, porque las nominaciones de la película a los Oscar están a punto de hacer estallar el mercado de reventa de Barbie... según un experto en juguetes.

Hemos hablado con Joel Magee, invitado habitual de "Pawn Stars" y con más de 20 años de experiencia en el mundo del coleccionismo, y nos ha dicho que espera que los precios sigan subiendo desde que la película obtuvo 8 nominaciones a los Oscar de este año.

JM dice que todo el revuelo en torno a la película y la temporada de premios está adoctrinando a la generación joven en la cultura del coleccionismo. Así que mientras que hace unos años la mayor compradora de Barbies podía ser tu nostálgica abuela Sue, ahora está de moda entre la generación Z comprar Barbies.

Magee sacó su bola mágica 8 para hacer una predicción para nosotros, diciendo que el productor masivo de Barbie, Mattel, es muy inteligente y ama a sus gotas de edición limitada así que mantengan los ojos bien abiertos para una Barbie temática Oscar posiblemente llegando al mercado muy pronto.

Ahora, por supuesto, Ryan Gosling fue nominado a un Oscar, mientras que Margot Robbie se perdió en la categoría de actuación, pero Magee dice que el sostén de la familia siempre ha sido y seguirá siendo Barbie. Lo siento, Ken.

Joel nos cuenta que los coleccionistas salen a comprar diferentes Barbies: Barbie Astronauta, Barbie Doctora, etc. y comprarán el Ken acompañante para completar el conjunto, pero él no es parte del sorteo.

Traducción: Él solo es Ken.

Dicho esto, un Oscar para Gosling hará subir los precios de los Ken y Magee está hablando de duplicar o triplicar el valor. Y, si no es Kenough para los votantes, Joel todavía ve un aumento del 40 o 50% solo por la nominación.

El último consejo de Magee para los coleccionistas: compren esas Barbies de edición limitada, como la Barbie Oscar, ya que él predice que podría ser una gran inversión.

Ginnifer Goodwin is all about a good Prince Charming ... and she trusts Disney to make the right call when it comes to his role, or lack thereof, in the live-action "Snow White."

We got Ginnifer at Porta Via in Los Angeles on Thursday and our photog asked her how Prince Charming fits into the Snow White fairytale.

Ginnifer famously played Snow White in the ABC fantasy series "Once Upon a Time" ... and she says Prince Charming was pretty important to her.

Of course, Ginnifer's talking about her husband, Josh Dallas ... she says Josh was her Prince Charming in real life ... they got married and plan to live happily ever after.

The 'Snow White' live-action remake might do away with the love story altogether ... which is causing a bunch of uproar, on top of the controversy surrounding the original Seven Dwarfs.

Personal experience aside, Ginnifer's leaving it up to Disney to decide what's best for this movie ... she says the studio's track record speaks for itself.

The director of a 'Road House" reboot is mad the movie won't run in movie theaters -- potentially costing Jake Gyllenhaal an Oscar -- but Patrick Swayze's widow says that's a highbrow aim compared to the OG film ... which was never meant to win Academy Awards.

Lisa Niemi Swayze tells TMZ ... the original "Road House" wasn't really Oscar-worthy material and it never tried to be ... it was just supposed to be a guilty pleasure.

Doug Liman directed the new 'RH' with Jake playing Patrick's main character role of John Dalton ... and he's ripping Amazon for sending it straight to its Prime Video streaming service, instead of giving it a theatrical run first.

Doug says Amazon is depriving Jake from being recognized come award season for what he says is a career-best acting performance ... and he's boycotting SXSW, where the film is set to debut.

Patrick's wife isn't bashing Doug or the new movie when she says the original wasn't geared at winning Academy Awards, though ... she's just saying the 1989 film was really just for pure entertainment.

In fact, Lisa says Patrick truly respected Jake as an actor and thought he was a great talent.

As for the raging debate over the benefits of a theatrical release versus a straight-to-streaming release ... Lisa says she's not qualified to give a hot take.

Masuimi Max -una actriz y modelo que apareció en grandes publicaciones como Playboy y Maxim- ha muerto... TMZ ha indagado.

Fuentes policiales le dicen a TMZ que recibieron una llamada justo antes de las 8:30 AM esta mañana y respondieron a la casa de Max en el área de Las Vegas, donde encontraron a Max. Nos dicen que una investigación a fondo se llevará a cabo.

No hay más detalles sobre las circunstancias de su muerte por el momento.

Max comenzó a modelar el año 2000 según su LinkedIn, y a lo largo de los años apareció en numerosas publicaciones como Maxim, Alt Magazine, Bizarre Magazine y una serie de otros puntos de venta en los últimos años.

Los aficionados pueden recordarla por las veces que posó para Playboy. Además participó en muchos eventos en la Mansión Playboy a finales de 2000 y principios de 2010.

Tiene algunos créditos en IMDb, aunque en su mayoría películas de serie B como "Cornman: American Vegetable Hero" y "Giantess Battle Attack". Tuvo un papel no acreditado en "xXx: State of the Union" protagonizada por Samuel L. Jackson y Ice Cube donde interpretó a la novia de Zeke, el papel del rapero Xzibit en la película.

Los últimos años se ha dedicado sobre todo al modelaje alternativo... gravitando hacia espectáculos de terror/cabaret cargados de maquillaje y videos de YouTube. Había acumulado una sólida base de fans en línea, con más de 300k seguidores en Instagram.

Masuimi tenía 45 años.

Masuimi Max -- an actress and model who appeared in big publications like Playboy and Maxim -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops got a call just before 8:30 AM PT this morning and responded to Max's Las Vegas-area home where they found Max. We're told no foul play is immediately suspected ... though a thorough investigation will be conducted.

No further details about the circumstances of her death were immediately available.

Max started modeling back in 2000, according to her LinkedIn ... over the years she appeared in numerous publications like Maxim, Alt Magazine, Bizarre Magazine and a number of other outlets over the years.

Fans may remember her from the times she posed for Playboy -- MM also hit up events at the Playboy Mansion throughout the late 2000s/early 2010s.

She's got some credits on IMDb ... though mostly B-movies like "Cornman: American Vegetable Hero" and "Giantess Battle Attack." She did have an uncredited role in "xXx: State of the Union" starring Samuel L. Jackson and Ice Cube ... where she played the girlfriend of Zeke -- rapper Xzibit's role in the movie.

She's mostly been into alternative modeling in recent years ... gravitating toward make-up-heavy horror/cabaret shows and YouTube videos. She'd amassed a solid fanbase online, with more than 300k dedicated IG followers.

Masuimi was 45.

The investigation into Michael B. Jordan's violent Ferrari crash is closed, and he won't face any criminal repercussions ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement tells us there's just not enough evidence to prove what happened during the December crash in Hollywood ... despite a video showing Michael racing another driver -- also in a Ferrari -- moments before Michael careened into a parked KIA.

Cops say the video is part of the puzzle of what happened during the accident, but it's not enough to complete it -- especially as it doesn't capture whether MBJ was behind the wheel.

If a crime had been committed, we're told it would be street racing, and because that's a misdemeanor ... an officer would need to witness Jordan driving. That didn't happen as cops only responded after the fact.

Ditto for speeding -- we're told it isn't clear from the vid just how fast Michael's car was going as he apparently raced the other down Sunset Blvd.

So, when you put it all together ... just too many question marks to prosecute.