'Stranger Things' Directors Apologize to Females on Set Sometimes Tempers get Frayed

"Stranger Things" writers and directors Matt and Ross Duffer are speaking out about claims they verbally abused multiple women on the set.

The Duffer Bros issued a statement ... "We are deeply upset to learn that someone felt uncomfortable on our set. Due to the high-stress nature of production, tempers occasionally get frayed, and for that, we apologize."

The statement, which was posted on E!, included a caveat ... "However, we think it is important not to mischaracterize our set, where we believe strongly in treating everyone fairly regardless of gender, orientation, race, religion, or anything else."

Netflix, which carries the hit show investigated the complaints and found no wrongdoing on the part of the brothers.

The investigation was triggered by Peyton Brown, a former grip on the show, who targeted the Duffers, saying, "I will not be a part of the filming of Season 3 of Stranger Things. Why, you ask? Because I stand with my sisters."

The Obamas Next Up for Us ... Netflix?!

Barack and Michelle Obama are reportedly saying screw politics and are joining an increasingly popular trend -- getting their own show on Netflix!

The 44th President and former First Lady are in talks with the streaming service to "produce a series of high-profile shows" and provide exclusive content on a global level ... according to the NY Times.

The focus of the shows will apparently be on highlighting inspirational stories, but there are other ideas as well. One is having Barack moderate conversations about topics that dominated his time in the White House ... like health care and climate change.

The terms of the deal are reportedly in advanced stages, but one thing seems clear -- the Obamas' content will not be used to bash President Trump or their critics.

That might be a bummer for a large portion of Neflix's 118 million subscribers.

Adam Sandler NYC Subway Busking With Raunchy New Songs

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SUBWAY SUPERSTAR
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If you ever wanted to see Adam Sandler sing about his daddy f****ng his eye with his penis ... ya shoulda been riding the subway Wednesday night in NYC. Also, you're a little twisted.

TMZ got this video of Sandler doing his thing, kinda incognito in a hoodie and looking like your everyday subway tunnel busker. People clearly recognized his voice though as he busted out some new songs, including one about walking in on his parents having sex -- hence the penis in the eye thing.

The subway performance came right after he shot at Comic Strip Live ... part of his lucrative Netflix deal.

At one point he warned the gathered crowd -- "Scary s**t is coming." They stuck around anyway, even though it doesn't seem like they tipped him much.

We think he'll be alright with a reported $340 mil in the bank.

Louis C.K. Not All Women Hate Me

Louis C.K. is out of hiding, and he's getting public support from a famous friend ... a female famous friend, mind you, in the wake of his sexual harassment scandal.

Parker Posey and Louis were out for a stroll Wednesday in NYC. Parker had a guest spot on his show, "Louie" ... and it appears she's sticking by her friend through his tough times. It's been about 4 months since Louis stepped up and apologized for sexually harassing multiple women with whom he'd worked.

The women coming forward prompted Netflix, HBO and FX to cancel all their C.K. productions, and his movie, "I Love You, Daddy," was shelved. No word on if he's attempting to get back to work.

That old "a friend in need" saying comes to mind.

Sam Smith & Brandon Flynn Smokin' Smooch Always Before a Stoge

Sam Smith and his boyfriend, Brandon Flynn, were burning up the UK this weekend in more ways than one ... but it was mostly by (tongue in) mouth.

Sam and Brandon were spotted out in London Saturday night with Sam's sister, Lily, taggin' along. As any couple would, the 2 lovers stopped for a peck in the street. Kidding ... it was more like a full-blown movie make-out sesh, actually. Awww, young love!

At some point, Brandon was seen with a lit cigarette in hand -- as was Lily. Can't blame 'em -- something this hot is often followed up by some tobacco and nicotine ... even though smoking is awful.

One thing's for sure -- these two aren't shy about showing affection in public ... as seen here, here and here.

'Seven Seconds' Star Race Relations More Tense in U.S. than England

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DIFFERENT ROOTS
TMZ.com

Clare-Hope Ashitey -- star of the new Netflix drama "Seven Seconds" -- is addressing the issue of race in America ... by pointing out the vast differences between the U.S. and her homeland.

We got the English actress at LAX Friday, and she tells us the racial atmosphere here makes her feel more uncomfortable and tense than she does back home ... and she has a few ideas why.

Clare admits things are far from perfect across the pond, but she thinks her people have more empathy and, more significantly, she claims they aren't still recovering from the "gaping wound" that is America's history of slavery.

The actress also brings up another hot-button issue -- guns -- specifically regarding police, as another key factor.

The good news -- Ashitey thinks the addition of Meghan Markle to the Royal Family will do some good for race relations both in England and here ... seriously.

Btw ... "Seven Seconds" is available now on Netflix, and also deals with these same topics.

Claire Foy Separates From Husband ... Divorce Looms

"The Crown" star Claire Foy has separated from her husband, actor Stephen Campbell Moore.

Foy said in a statement that this was by no means a recent event ... "We have separated and have been for some time."

Although the statement says nothing about divorce, the words she uses loom large for an end to her 4-year marriage ... "We do however continue as great friends with the utmost respect for one another."

Foy's husband had a major health scare last year when he was diagnosed with a tumor on his pituitary gland. Fortunately, it was benign.

33-year-old Claire herself had a similar scare at age 17, when she was diagnosed with a tumor in her eye. Again, benign.

The couple has 1 child ... a 3-year-old daughter.

Chris Rock Won't Engage His Haters ... On White Kids Getting Shot Joke

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ROCK, OUT
TMZ.com

Chris Rock offered our camera guy a peace sign, but made it pretty clear -- and fast -- he was in no mood to laugh or talk.

We got the comedian at LAX Wednesday and first asked him about picking up the tab at Mastro's Steakhouse after dining with comedy legends Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart and Chris Tucker.

Rock wasn't having it ... just like he wasn't having it when our guy wanted to know if one of his jokes in his new Netflix special was untimely and insensitive. If you haven't heard ... Rock had joked, "I want to live in a world with real equality. I want to live in a world where an equal amount of white kids are shot every month. I want to see white mothers on TV crying."

Jerry Seinfeld Sued I Helped You Put Comedians in Cars ... Time to Pay Up, Jerry!

4:30 PM PT -- Jerry's attorney, Orin Snyder, said in a statement, "This lawsuit is delusional. Jerry independently created 'Comedians in Cars' and Mr. Charles only concocted this claim after the show became a commercial success. We are confident that this shakedown lawsuit will go nowhere."

Jerry Seinfeld's hit show about comedians, coffee and cars wasn't his idea at all ... according to the producer who's now suing.

Christian Charles says he pitched a show idea to Jerry in 2002, and claims it's the basis for "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee." In his lawsuit, Charles says Jerry turned him down, initially, saying he wasn't interested in doing the show.

Charles claims Seinfeld called him back in 2011, and asked about the original concept -- and they went on to shoot a pilot with Jerry in the driver's seat. According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Jerry and his team were totally into it, and came up with production budgets and marketing plans.

Now the plot twist -- according to the suit, Seinfeld got pissed Charles was claiming ownership interest in the show, and wanted to be paid like it. Charles says Jerry ditched him, and went on to produce the show without him.

He claims Jerry's earning $750k per episode of the Netflix hit, and he wants a "created by" credit and financial compensation.

'Martin' Star Carl Anthony Payne Down for Reboot Already Talking Netflix!!!

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PEOPLE ARE TALKIN'
TMZ.com

Carl Anthony Payne says the "Martin" show transcends time ... and since he's all in for the show making a comeback, there's no better place than Netflix.

We got Martin Lawrence's pal leaving Mastro's on Thursday night and asked him, first and foremost, if the reboot's gonna happen. Carl dances around the question for a bit before we ask him if he'd be into it. Carl says NO. QUESTION. ABOUT. IT.

He says Martin 2.0 is long overdue and even makes a strong pitch for Netflix to pick up the show. TMZ broke the story ... the "Martin" cast reunited at Morton's ... fueling speculation a reboot's in the works.

Kim Kardashian I Might Act with Millie Bobby Brown 'Stranger Things' Have Happened!

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KEEPIN' UP WITH THE UPSIDE DOWN
TMZ.com

Kim Kardashian has broken her silence with the paparazzi -- and the first words out of her mouth are gonna send "Stranger Things" fans into a frenzy.

We got Kim Wednesday leaving her DASH store and fired off a bunch of questions to see if she'd finally bite for once. Turns out, Millie Bobby Brown got her talking.

Kim recently gifted Millie a set from her new fragrance line, Kimoji Hearts, and Millie was clearly grateful. The 2 ladies have kinda been fangirling over each other as of late.

In light of their newfound friendship, we ask Kim if she'd ever consider a guest spot on the hit Netflix show. It's possible ... apparently it's her fave. Well, 2nd fave ... Millie, too, actually.

'Black Panther' Star Pay Attention, Hollywood It Doesn't Have to Be 'All White'

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GAME CHANGER!
TMZ.com

"Black Panther" isn't just going to smash box office records, it's going to put Hollywood on notice about what kind of movies it should be making ... according to Sydelle Noel, who plays Xoliswa in the flick.

We got Sydelle -- who also stars in "GLOW" -- on Sunset Blvd. and asked how she's feeling about the extraordinary 'BP' buzz. In a word ... it's "amazing."

Sydelle was totally geeked about the movie's cultural importance -- but also about it being a game changer. The takeaway for studio execs, she hopes ... #HollywoodNotSoWhite.

'BP' comes out February 16, but get your tickets now ... they're already selling out.

Pablo Escobar's GF Sues Netflix Show Stole My 'Loving' Story

Pablo Escobar's girlfriend is suing a production company for a Netflix show, claiming it's based on her memoir about her love life with the drug kingpin.

Virginia Vallejo just filed suit against Caracol American Productions over the series, "Pablo Escobar: El Patron del Mal" -- alleging producers for the show stole specific stories from her 2007 memoir, "Amando a Pablo, Odiando a Escobar." That's "Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar" ... for the gringos.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Vallejo -- a former journalist -- says she was in negotiations with Caracol, but they never struck a deal to use her work. According to the suit, Caracol went ahead and lifted scenes and narratives from her book.

For instance, she says the scene of her getting an excessive amount of flowers from Pablo is a direct rip from her book.

She also says they changed her name in the show, but it's not clever. As she points out ... Regina Parejo blatantly rhymes with Virginia Vallejo.

We've reached out to Caracol for comment.

'Stranger Things' Kids Fat Joe, Cardi B Got Us Like ...

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LEAN BACK!
TMZ.com

The kids from "Stranger Things" got in each other's face ... for an awesome dance-off!!!

The kiddos were getting down Sunday night at the Sunset Tower Hotel for the Netflix SAG Awards after-party ... and leading the way were Millie Bobby Brown and Gaten Matarazzo as Fat Joe's "Lean Back" blared from the speakers.

Actors Lonnie Chavis ("This is Us") and Marsai Martin ("Black-ish") also joined in on the fun. The kids went wild when Cardi B's "Bodak Yellow" came on. Huge little fans for sure.

Tony Rock Hold Up, Mo'Nique ... What Have You Done Lately?!

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WORRY ABOUT YOUR OWN CHECK
TMZ.com

Tony Rock's calling out Mo'Nique for exercising extremely poor business etiquette in her beef with Netflix.

We got Tony at LAX, and asked what he thinks about Mo accusing Netflix of discrimination. Remember, she feels insulted by a $500k offer from the streaming service -- especially because Tony's older bro, Chris Rock, got $22 million.

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THEY ARE RACIST AND SEXIST
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Tony's not buying what she's selling ... and points out she's been off the stand-up scene too long to be comparing herself to Chris or Dave Chappelle. He also says she's got no biz calling out other people's salaries.

In his words ... "You get your weight up, you get your check to say what you want your check to say."

Mo'Nique vs. Netflix They Lowballed My Negotiations 'Cause I'm a Black Woman

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THEY ARE RACIST AND SEXIST
TMZ.com

Mo'Nique claims Netflix severely short-changed her during negotiations for a comedy special ... and she says the proof is in how much some other comedians got paid for specials.

The Oscar winner told us Friday ... Netflix offered her $500k, but she rejected the offer in light of the fact Amy Schumer, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock pocketed eight figures. Mo'Nique's not just walking away from the table though ... she's now calling for a boycott of Netflix.

She strongly believes this is case of racism and sexism -- especially because she'd stack her resume in comedy up against anyone else.

Netflix says it does not comment on contract negotiations.