Movies

Scott Thorson -- who dished on his romance with Liberace in his 1988 memoir "Behind the Candelabra" just a year after the famed pianist’s death -- has died.

Thorson died on August 16 -- he'd been a patient at an L.A. healthcare facility, where he had been dealing with cancer and a heart condition.

Thorson was hired as Liberace's personal friend and companion when he was 18 and the icon was 57 -- which kicked off their 5-year romance.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's divorce is messy and VERY complicated ... TMZ has learned.

Here's the deal ... because the estranged couple has no prenup, everything they acquired over their roughly 2-year marriage is community property, which means the assets acquired during the marriage are divided equally. But, that's not as easy as it sounds ... not by a long shot.

One of the biggest assets in play is Ben's hugely successful production company, Artists Equity (AE), in which he's partnered with his best bud, Matt Damon. As a result, Damon could get dragged into the ugly divorce, since he's a major stakeholder in the company.

Ben Affleck is leaning on friends during his divorce from Jennifer Lopez ... recently hitting the town with longtime bestie Matt Damon.

Damon and his wife, Luciana Barroso, hit up the Italian restaurant Toscana in Los Angeles with their kids Sunday night ... where BFF Ben tagged along for the family night out.

Ben's facial expression was notably neutral, but he did have a discernible pep in his step as he made his way into the hotspot.

Tyrese Gibson is sharing a difficult time he experienced as a kid ... revealing a scheme concocted by his mother in an effort to help out the family's expenses.

The singer sat down with King Gillie for a new interview, where he confessed his mother, Priscilla Murray Gibson, made him pretend to have special needs when he was about 8 years old ... so they could collect a hefty check from Social Security.

Specifically, the 'Fast & Furious' actor claimed Priscilla made him "play r*****ed" in order to get an extra $762 from the government to help his hard-working mom support the family.

Quentin Tarantino's making some controversial claims about the shooting on the set of "Rust" ... saying Alec Baldwin's not completely responsible for Halyna Hutchins' death -- but, it's partially his fault.

The director sat down with Bill Maher for an episode of his "Club Random" podcast published Sunday ... and, the two got into the "Rust" shooting -- with Bill calling it BS prosecutors charged Alec.

QT shares a slightly different view ... saying it's 90% on the armorer -- Hannah Gutierrez-Reed -- but, the rest of the blame lies with the actor.

Blake Lively's getting by with some help from her friend Taylor Swift, who's hosting a celeb-packed weekend celebration for Blake's 37th birthday at her Rhode Island seaside mansion.

TMZ got the first shots of Taylor and her man Travis Kelce chilling at the $17 million pad on Saturday. It looked like a romantic weekend getaway for them but turns out they were also prepping for their big-name guests to arrive.

Later in the day, birthday girl Blake showed up with hubby Ryan Reynolds -- and the couple shared a smooch outside on one of the home's many sun-kissed decks.

Kamala Harris is inspiring a possible superhero crossover ... 'cause "Wonder Woman" actress Lynda Carter may soon face off with "The Boys" character Homelander in support of the Democratic nominee.

Here's the deal ... a few days ago, Lynda tweeted she was putting up a Bat Signal for "Geeks and Nerds for Harris Walz" -- telling her fans to get behind the Dems for the upcoming election.

Welp, Eric Kripke -- creator of "The Boys" and hit fantasy show "Supernatural" -- responded to the tweet Sunday morning ... introducing himself, résumé first, to Lynda.

Chris Hemsworth's trading in Thor's hammer for a pair of drumsticks ... wielding the wood as he learns to play drums -- and testing his skills out behind Ed Sheeran.

The actor joined Ed during his show in Romania Saturday night ... and, Ed shared a vid to his IG detailing how their collab came to be -- explaining the actor reached out to him back in December.

ES says Chris has really been diving into cognitive health on his docuseries 'Limitless' ... and, he started learning an instrument because of the benefits that come along with it.

There's a simple reason you won't find Jenna Ortega on X/Twitter ... AI generated sexual images of herself forced her to flee the social media platform, and soured her on the technology.

Jenna, who's 21 now, says the visual assault started years ago when she was in her teens, and was encouraged to get on then-Twitter to boost her profile as an actor -- but it immediately became a nightmare.

She told The Interview podcast, "I hate AI. Did I like being 14 and making a Twitter account because I was supposed to and seeing dirty edited content of me as a child? No. It’s terrifying. It’s corrupt. It’s wrong."

Jennifer Garner is not leaving her man for Ben Affleck, Kamala Harris is ripping Donald Trump, and a couple NBA Anthonys are walking Floyd Mayweather into the ring ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Charles and Babcock explain why Jennifer is not going to break up with her boyfriend John Miller just because her ex-husband is getting divorced from another famous Jen.

Joey Lawrence's estranged wife's speaking out after filing for divorce ... saying pain leaks out with every tear -- and crying's always good for the bladder!

Samantha Cope -- who filed to divorce the actor earlier this month -- posted a video to Instagram Saturday filled with shots of her bawling her eyes out ... seemingly showing the emotion of her split.

Added in the vids were moments of pure joy ... dancing with her daughter, Dylan, in her arms and petting a horse on a ranch -- the emotional rollercoaster is real.

Ryan Reynolds is dishing on why Rob McElhenney doesn't appear in the new 'Deadpool' flick ... saying they couldn't make his scene work -- which wasn't Rob's fault at all.

The movie star posted about his close friend and fellow Wrexham A.F.C. co-owner Friday on Threads ... acknowledging his buddy did film a scene for the flick -- but, they couldn't figure out how to fit it in the final cut.

The way RR explains it, the sequence itself didn't work ... and, the only reason it didn't immeditaly end up on the cutting room floor was because of Rob's performance.

The remake of "The Crow" is in theaters this weekend after critics absolutely demolished it ... and a star of the original flick is pissed the new project was ever conceived.

Here is the deal ... Brandon Lee, the son of legendary martial artist Bruce Lee, was shot and killed on the set of the 1994 film in an accident eerily similar to the more recent "Rust" tragedy involving Alec Baldwin.

For years, fans have been outspoken the movie shouldn't be remade, as it could tarnish the legacy and honor of Brandon.

Mr. Big Daddy himself, Adam Sandler, is here to make you chuckle and stump you with some switch-ups ... Do you think you've got the skills to track 'em down and pull the rabbit out of the hat?

Earlier this week, Adam made the press rounds in New York City for his Netflix comedy special, "Adam Sandler: Love You" and was serving up two clothing staples from the menu: bball shorts and of course a putt-putt golf tee!

Before "Happy Gilmore 2" comes out, can you swing the changes into the hole?

Dua Lipa and Callum Turner are turning up the heat on an exotic Spanish island ... all over each other during a romantic vacation to Ibiza.

The hot couple is soaking up the sun from a private perch along a rocky coast in Cala Llenya ... making out above the Mediterranean waves.

Dua's teasing Callum with a skimpy, multicolored bikini ... and he's showing off his toned muscles, wearing nothing but shorts and a bucket hat.

Taylor Swift's saying people may never want to close their eyes again after seeing "Blink Twice" ... and, she adds the movie might be triggering for some people.

The pop star took to her Instagram Story Friday to shower praise on her close friend Zoë Kravitz ... and Kravitz's new movie starring Channing Tatum, on its opening day ... and she doesn't hold back, calling the project "incredible."

She specifically mentions Kravitz's effort ... saying her close buddy wrote the movie, obsessed over every detail -- and created a masterpiece.