Kevin Costner Refused to Shorten Whitney Eulogy ... Even After CNN Asked

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TAKING MY SWEET TIME
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Kevin Costner was determined to give Whitney Houston a proper sendoff after her death ... and nothing was going to get in his way, not even a major TV network.

The actor recalled his "The Bodyguard" costar's 2012 funeral during an appearance on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast, revealing an unfortunate moment he had while preparing for his friend's farewell.

Costner, who was one of 8 people to speak at the singer's funeral, was asked ahead of the ceremony to shorten his speech ... so CNN and other networks could air commercials during the broadcast.

Sydney Sweeney Buying Nearly $20 Million FL Home!!!

Sydney Sweeney will soon have the keys to a new estate in South Florida ... a lavish, oceanfront mansion, and we've got pics of her already hanging out in her new 'hood.

TMZ obtained these photos of Sydney down in the Sunshine State -- we're told she was grabbing a cup of java at a local coffee shop over Memorial Day weekend, and word in the area is she was in town for a housewarming party.

Sydney stands out anywhere she goes ... and her custom blue Fiat 500 makes it even easier to spot her. She's big into cars, of course, and she's posted some social media videos showing her tooling around the new property.

ACTRESS MASSIEL TAVERAS Cannes Security Guard Needs Jesus ... I Had To Stand My Ground

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SETTING MY BOUNDARIES
TMZ.com

Massiel Taveras is still fuming at the security guard who tussled with her at the Cannes Film Festival ... telling TMZ the woman needs to take her butt to church, or at least open a Bible.

We got the Dominican actress Tuesday in Los Angeles and our photog asked her about her incident with the Cannes security guard -- which, as we all saw, got a little testy ... not to mention handsy.

Massiel tells us she was just trying to get a photo of her dress, the one with a huge image of Jesus Christ, when the security guard intervened ... rushing her along up the stairs.

Will Smith Watch Me Handle a Gun & a Camera ... At The Same Time!!!

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TWO JOBS, ONE WILL
Instagram / @willsmith

Will Smith has picked up a thing or two in his decorated Hollywood career ... because he's now able to film himself starring in his blockbuster action movies!!!

Fans are going gaga over some new, behind-the-scenes footage from Will and Martin Lawrence's new flick, "Bad Boys: Ride or Die." The BTS video shows Will handling a firearm and also working the camera in a hectic shootout scene ... yep, doing both simultaneously.

It's pretty incredible ... Will's got a camera strapped to his waist and films himself shooting up some bad guys. At one point, Will flips the camera around to show his POV and then goes back to his face.

Tyrese All Smiles at Dinner with Ben Crump ... Amid Legal Battles

Tyrese is looking calm, cool and collected amid a slew of legal woes ... but maybe that's because he just got some great advice from famed lawyer Ben Crump.

The actor/singer was all smiles Monday night at Catch LA, where Tyrese broke bread with the powerhouse civil rights attorney.

Remember, Tyrese is taking on Home Depot ... having filed a $1 million discrimination lawsuit against the corporation -- a case that would seem to be right up Crump's alley. Tyrese claims an HD staffer racially profiled him and 2 Latino men who were working with Tyrese.

Alec Baldwin Getting Reality Show w/ Wife & Kids ... Amid 'Rust' Trial

Alec Baldwin is about to head to reality TV -- this while he's also about to head to court and face manslaughter charges, which could land him in prison ... talk about bizarre timing, huh?

The actor and his family -- including wife Hilaria Baldwin and their 7 children -- are starring in a new series called "The Baldwins" that'll be airing on TLC sometime in 2025 ... something they all just announced together with a splashy new promo and sizzle reel.

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WELCOME TO OUR HOME
TLC

The clip that Alec and Hilaria (and TLC) posted together shows a snapshot of their family life -- which looks sweet, fun and goofy ... and they play it up with a ton of humor and charm.

'Friday the 13th' Actor Erich Anderson Dead At 67 After Cancer Battle

Actor Erich Anderson, best known for his roles in "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter" and "Felicity," has died.

Erich's devastated wife, Saxon Trainor, confirmed the tragic news over the weekend ... revealing in a social media post, he had passed away Friday following a brutal struggle with cancer.

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She wrote, "I am sharing my brother-in-law Michael O'Malley's words as I am too bereft now to write anything."

CHRISTINA APPLEGATE TALKS DEPRESSION BATTLE OVER MS ... 'Trapped in Darkness'

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Trapped In Darkness
MeSsy with Christina Applegate & Jamie-Lynn Sigler

Christina Applegate's always been open about her MS struggles ... and now she's also revealing her battle with deep depression, which has left her with no joy in living.

On the latest 'MeSsy' podcast episode, Christina told her buddy Jamie-Lynn Sigler her current bout of depression -- which hit after her 2021 multiple sclerosis diagnosis -- is so intense it's something she hasn't experienced in years.

Hear it out in her own words ... she describes it "like a real, f*** it all depression where it's kind of scaring me too a little bit because it feels really fatalistic. I'm trapped in like this darkness right now that I haven't felt like ... I don't even know how long, probably 20-something years."

Jennifer Lopez New Movie Hits it Big in Streaming ... Amid String of Woes

Jennifer Lopez has had a rough time lately with all the negativity in her life ... but she's coming back with a vengeance, scoring big streaming numbers with her new Netflix film.

The singer/actress stars as Atlas Shepherd -- a data analyst distrustful of Artificial Intelligence -- in the Sci-Fi thriller "Atlas" ... and, according to Variety, the movie is beating the competition when it comes to viewership despite terrible reviews.

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The trade reports that "Atlas" ran away with the most streams for the six-day period beginning May 24 -- when the movie dropped -- to May 30.

KEVIN COSTNER DESPISED COCAINE ON FIRST TRY!!!

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MY FIRST TIME
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Kevin Costner reflected on his first encounter with cocaine early in his career -- and by the sound of it, he didn't stay sniffing for very long.

On Monday's episode of Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert," Kevin revealed this whole experience went down during his stage manager days at L.A.'s Raleigh Studios back in the '80s, while he was still searching for his big break as an actor.

Kevin recounted how a team of electricians arrived to rewire a stage at the studios for a higher-budget project, and he pitched in to help during the 3-week-long job.

'Star Trek' Actor Zachary Quinto Spock Allegedly Went Nuclear at Restaurant ... Banned Until He Says Sorry

Zachary Quinto allegedly had an epic fit in a Toronto restaurant 'cause he had to wait for a table, and the joint is still waiting for an apology ... enforcing a ban until they get one.

Here's the deal ... the 'Star Trek' actor was name-dropped by an eatery called Manita -- who claimed he was an awful customer to their staff recently ... with ZQ allegedly yelling at workers because he wasn't able to sit down and eat as quickly as he wanted.

They wrote, "Zachary Quinto - an amazing Spock, but a terrible customer." The restaurant went on to claim he made their host cry and the rest of the brunch diner uncomfortable.

Actor Jonathan Tucker Gets Neighbor & Kids to Safety ... In Scary L.A. Home Invasion

Jonathan Tucker usually plays misfits and bad guys on TV and in movies -- but he became a real-life hero this weekend ... rescuing a neighbor and her kids after a home invasion.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the actor -- famous from "Kingdom," "Hostage," "The Ruins," and other shows/films -- called 911 Sunday evening to report a suspicious man who was going around banging on doors and talking to himself in his L.A. neighborhood.

We're told after Jon got off the phone with cops, he went outside after losing sight of the guy -- and when he got out there ... he saw that one of his neighbors' front doors was wide open, so he raced over to make sure everything was okay.

Richard Dreyfuss Tried on 5 Different Dresses ... Before Anti-Trans Rant

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shop till you drop
TMZ.com

Richard Dreyfuss' transphobic rant was seemingly premeditated -- 'cause the guy was at a store right before he hit the stage and was trying on dresses ... and we got the video.

TMZ has obtained surveillance footage from the end of May ... showing Richard being helped by a number of staffers at Worthy Girl Consignment in Beverly, MA -- where he later got onstage and made a number of controversial remarks, including against trans folks.

As you can see -- the employees are seen helping the Oscar winner as he tries on 5 different looks ... smiling and laughing with those in the store before finally picking one.

Ben Affleck & Jennifer Lopez Not Locking Lips in Public ... Air Kisses in Santa Monica!!!

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are keeping a little breathing room between them ... quite literally it seems, 'cause they're opting for air kisses over real smooches in public!

The couple -- who have been through the wringer in recent weeks -- stepped out with Ben's mom Chris in Santa Monica Sunday but avoided any lip contact whatsoever.

We're not just talking mouth-to-mouth either ... 'cause they straight up avoided pecks on the cheek too -- choosing instead to go with the classic socialite air smack.

'Hidden Figures' Editor Calls Out Glen Powell's Pukey Response to Rough Cut

Glen Powell had a strong reaction to a rough cut of "Hidden Figures," but an editor for the Oscar-nominated movie is saying his story doesn't add up.

Peter Teschner tells TMZ ... there were several screenings of the historical drama during the editing process ... but he doesn't remember a screening where music was missing. According to Peter, they always had music in the film for screenings ... including original songs by Pharrell Williams, as well as a temp score.

This directly contradicts Glen's claim, which he made on the "Therapuss with Jake Shane" podcast a couple weeks ago.

Rebel Wilson Sexuality-Based Casting 'Nonsense' ... Straight Actors Can Play Gay Characters, Vice Versa

Rebel Wilson's blasting the idea of determining casting by sexual orientation ... saying straight actors should be allowed to play gay characters and vice versa.

The actress sat down for a chat on BBC Radio 4's "Desert Island Discs" -- a talk show that includes music the celebrity guests find personally significant -- when Rebel's sexuality came up.

The funny woman reflected on edgy jokes she's told in the past, adding she thinks she's gotten away with it because she is gay -- something it appears she kinda agrees with because then she mentions actors playing only characters who align with their own sexuality ... something she blasts.