Netflix

Nev Schulman wants to play matchmaker for a pair of folks who got catfished by people pretending to be Katy Perry and "Stranger Things" star Dacre Montgomery.

We got the "Catfish" star at Aces Pizza in New York City Friday, and our photog asked him about the Kentucky woman who divorced her husband and got swindled out of $10,000 by someone pretending to be the Netflix actor.

Nev says the newly single mother, McKayla, would make a great match for a guy from his old MTV show ... Spencer.

As Nev explains, Spencer infamously got catfished by a woman masquerading as the "Dark Horse" singer ... and their awkward meeting was featured on his show.

Needless to say, Nev thinks Spencer and McKayla have enough in common to strike up a relationship.

While lots of folks are dragging McKayla for thinking she actually had a shot with a celeb, Nev says not so fast ... and he tells us why it's not that extreme of a premise.

Still, Nev cautions anyone going online in search of love to beware of some big red flags ... like when your potential partner starts asking for money. Nev says that's a dead giveaway.

It's funny ... Nev thinks he's actually being catfished here in some ways ... as we reported, McKayla detailed her saga on a YouTube channel called "Catfished."

A woman's life turned upside-down when she sent a bunch of money to one of the stars from "Stranger Things" ... and even divorced her husband because the "actor" told her to.

McKayla, a single mom from Kentucky, claims she was catfished and scammed out of $10k by someone who claimed to be Dacre Montgomery -- known for playing heartthrob-turned-villain, Billy Hargrove, in the Netflix series.

She shared her wild experience on the YouTube channel, Catfished, saying the 2 met on an online forum and chatted for a year before he asked her to be his girlfriend -- for reference, McKayla was still married, but claimed her relationship with her husband was toxic.

BTW, the real Dacre has been dating model Liv Pollock since 2017, but that bit of crucial info didn't seem to stop McKayla from thinking this was legit. He told her to choose between her husband and him ... and shockingly enough, she ditched her husband!

He also told her he couldn't access any of his bank accounts, saying they were all controlled by Liv ... which led to her sending the $10k of gift cards, crypto, and cash through payment apps over time.

Taylor Swift is no stranger to signing huge deals, and we've learned there's another one on the horizon ... with camera crews following her "Eras" Tour journey throughout the world.

Camera crews have been present at just about every "Eras" Tour show thus far -- getting plenty of shots of Taylor, her fans and some behind-the-scenes content. It might seem standard for tours these days, but the scope of the crews with Taylor show she's got something more in the works.

We've spoken to sources who say there's not yet a plan for the project -- whether it'll end up on streaming or in theaters. It could be a multi-million dollar deal with Netflix, a company with which she has history.

While the details are sparse on how the footage will be used, you can bet Taylor's fans will eat it up ... especially those who couldn't attend "Eras" in person.

As we reported, plenty of stars came out for the first two of 6 L.A. shows -- and Taylor had a super sweet moment Thursday night with Kobe Bryant's daughter, Bianka, when she presented her with a hat and a hug in the middle of the show.

So Johnny Manziel walked into a bar ... 'cause he owns the place!!!

The former Texas A&M football superstar is getting into the hospitality industry ... opening up his very own watering hole in his old stomping grounds of College Station.

The place is called Johnny Manziel's Money Bar ... which is a clear nod to the famous nickname he was given after getting suspended for selling his autograph.

Of course, the business move makes perfect sense -- Johnny hasn't been shy about his love for having a good time ... and recently revealed in his upcoming Netflix project he once went on a $5 million bender.

"I thought I played better the harder I partied," Manziel said in the 'Untold' documentary.

He also previously opened up on his NFL experience ... saying he felt bad for losing the respect of his teammates for his off-field lifestyle during his time in Cleveland.

Manziel -- who had a stint in rehab in 2015 -- is content with how his career played out ... and appears to be in good spirits post-football.

Logan Paul says he was terrified his brother, Jake, would end his life over the incessant hate he got on the internet early in his career ... admitting he and his father were "both legitimately concerned" he was going to die by suicide.

The older Paul bro detailed his fear in the new Netflix doc, "Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child" ... where he explained the backlash Jake faced after a multitude of controversies had him at an all-time low.

"I mean, both my dad and I felt worried for my brother's life," Logan said. "Jake's always been pretty emotionally unpredictable, and volatile."

"There was a point where we were both legitimately concerned that Jake was going to kill himself."

Jake was low-hanging fruit for internet trolls during the start of his YouTube fame ... getting backlash for wild pranks and outrageous stunts that led to pissed off neighbors and losing his role on Disney's "Bizaardvark," as well as lucrative endorsement deals.

"It was easy to rip me apart," Jake said. "It became a thing to hate Jake Paul."

"It's not easy to be hated by the whole entire world and it creates a very dark mental place."

But Jake found a new purpose through boxing ... which has led to increased popularity and respect from legends in the sport like Mike Tyson.

Jake has since racked up wins over former UFC stars like Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva ... and will enter the ring against Nate Diaz this weekend, where he looks to bounce back from the first loss of his career.

Toosii thinks Nicki Minaj was totally snubbed in Netflix's female rapper documentary trailer, and says you don't have to be a woman to appreciate her greatness ... he literally grew up on her music!!!

We caught the "Favorite Song" rapper out in Hollywood, and he weighed in on the uproar over the forthcoming "Ladies First" ... which touted virtually every prominent rapper except for Nicki (and surprisingly Missy Elliott) in the preview scenes.

Toosii proudly reps Gen Z and remembers Nicki being the only woman in hip hop popping when he was a kid -- a sentiment J. Cole literally just shared with Kevin Hart.

Lil Baby also agrees and recently proclaimed Nicki to be the G.O.A.T. when it comes to female rappers, as her accolades speak for themselves.

Sources close to the production of "Ladies First" relayed to us that Nicki does indeed appear in the 4-part docuseries, but Toosii says producers screwed themselves by leaving her out of the trailer. He says they should be so honored to have the queen.

Netflix is celebrating hip hop's 50th anniversary with a documentary dedicated to all the women of the culture -- well, almost every woman, as fans have peeped the trailer and noticed it excludes Nicki Minaj!!!

On Tuesday, Strong Black Lead pushed out the first look for "Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop" ... which appears to be a gripping depiction of several female rappers' rise to stardom.

The trailer for the doc features commentary from a generations-spanning group of women -- Queen Latifah, Roxanne Shanté, MC Lyte, Coi Leray, Kash Doll -- while also highlighting content from Ice Spice, Young M.A., Latto, Saweetie and others.

However, the preview had zero sign of Nicki, and when her Barbz fanbase picked up on the snub they exploded on Twitter X.

Livid fans made Nicki the subject of several trending topics while accusing Netflix of intentionally trying to erase her from the history books.

The "Pinkprint" rapper is the highest-selling female rapper of all time by several miles with well over 100 million records sold, which you'd think would be enough for a prominent spot in the doc and its trailer. It's worth noting, the trailer opens up with a shot of Cardi B, so lines in the sand were probably drawn!!!

A miracle came down on behalf of one Hollywood show that can now continue to work with its actors amid the SAG-AFTRA strike ... and it benefits none other than Jesus, or at least fans of his story.

Showrunners for the popular Christian-based TV series "The Chosen" announced Sunday they'd gotten the green light to move forward with production ... including their main cast, several of whom are in the actors' union. It's the first show to catch this break.

The reason ... they received a waiver from the Screen Actors Guild, which essentially gives them an exemption to keep filming -- even though the rest of the major productions in town are shut down. Deadline was first to report the news.

The folks who run "The Chosen" Twitter account had actually been pleading with SAG to cut them some slack ... and luckily, it came in record time. They were worried they'd have to pause things in Utah -- where they're in the middle of shooting a new season -- unless they got the waiver ... and since they received it in just a few days, they're not totally off schedule.

Now, as for why they're getting the waiver while other productions have to wait in the wings ... it actually has nothing to do with what you may think -- namely, some kind of religious loophole. On the contrary, it has more to do with whether the show/movie is independent ... aka, not having major ties to a TV or movie studio as far as funding.

"The Chosen" certainly has a grassroots background -- it initially got off the ground via crowdfunding -- but has since kinda gone mainstream ... with licensing deals being struck among a number of major studios like Netflix, Amazon, CW, Peacock, and others.

Despite that, it'll be allowed to resume ... so, fans of the show gotta be stoked. Praise be!

Alex Murdaugh's two life sentences in prison are going by in a flash, and by that ... we mean the flash of a camera, 'cause the guy's apparently taking pictures of himself in the clink.

The convicted murderer -- who was found guilty of killing of his wife and son earlier this year -- has had selfies he's taken from inside his prison cell leaked to the public ... and they're quite something to look at, especially since a handful of them feature AM shirtless.

It appears he's using a smart tablet, which inmates in protective custody -- something he's been relegated to in a South Carolina maximum security facility -- get to use for leisure.

According to the YouTube account Phone Calls from Prison, which obtained these photos, Murdaugh appears to have snapped a number of selfies anytime he logged on to use the tablet ... and they run the gamut of cringe. There's a handful of ones where he's without a top -- and his bare chest is exposed -- and others where he's lying down making weird faces.

The pics are somewhat insightful into his current state of affairs ... his cell looks tiny, but it also seems he's made it his permanent home -- with homemade knickknacks hanging about.

Gotta say ... as far as prison goes, the guy appears to be quite cozy in his situation.

American actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead was 25 years old when she played the role of Ramona Flowers -- the sarcastic Amazon delivery gal with the capability of teleporting -- in the action/romance film "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" back in 2010.

Winstead shared the big screen with Michael Cera as the sweet and awkward Scott Pilgrim, Aubrey Plaza as the snarky and rude Julie Powers and Chris Evans as the antagonistic skateboarder who loves action movies Lucas Lee.

In March 2023, Netflix announced an animated version, "Scott Pilgrim The Anime", is in the works, and the OG cast will be reprising their roles.

Hollywood is officially shut down ... the union representing actors is now on strike, which means actors will join writers on the picket lines for the first time in more than half a century.

SAG-AFTRA's national board met Thursday morning and voted unanimously to strike after its contract ran out Wednesday night, following a 2-week extension at the end of June to keep negotiations with the studios going.

Both sides of the battle agreed Tuesday to have a federal mediator join negotiation talks in a last-ditch effort, but that failed to get the union and the studios on the same page.

You'll recall, roughly 98% of union members voted in favor of a strike last month if a deal wasn't struck ... and that vote came weeks after the Writers Guild stopped working.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher called the studios' responses to their demands "insulting and disrespectful" after the contract expired ... adding, “Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal.”

There are some pretty strict rules that come with this strike ... starting at midnight tonight, actors cannot work on film and TV projects across the globe -- actors also aren't allowed to do any promotions for upcoming projects ... which includes press junkets and premieres.

The big London premiere for "Oppenheimer" happened Thursday, and the studio pushed the event up an hour so stars like Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, and more aren't going against union rules.

The massive cast stepped onto the red carpet, but they weren't present inside the theater -- with director Christopher Nolan saying they left to gear up for the strike.

Actors also can't participate in panel discussions, including those going down at the ultra-popular San Diego Comic-Con, which kicks off next week.

Actors and writers last joined forces on the picket line way back in 1960 -- for context, Ronald Reagan was the president of SAG at that time.

FYI, actors are asking for fair streaming residuals, improved working conditions, and increased minimum rates, among other things ... and as you know, the WGA began fighting for much of the same when it put pencils down at the beginning of May.

Disney CEO Bob Iger took a shot at writers and actors Thursday morning, saying they're demands aren't realistic -- adding the challenges they're adding to the industry are "very disruptive."

Adam DeVine's looks over the years are "Bumpin!"

Here is a 28-year-old version of the "Workaholics" comedian flashing his charming smile and throwin' a thumbs up at the "Pitch Perfect" premiere in Hollywood, California back in 2012 (left). This was just the beginning of his a cappella role as Bumper.

And, over a decade later Adam is still at it with his impromptu personality -- recently attending the premiere of Netflix's "The Out-Laws" in Los Angeles -- ditching the tie and opting for a more casual carpet look (right).

His ball and chain, Chloe Bridges, thinks he's "perfect,' but the question is ...

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Hollywood future is in a precarious state right now -- but you wouldn't be able to tell by the way they're carrying themselves ... happy-go-lucky.

The ex-Royal couple were flashing nothing but smiles Friday as they left an office building in Santa Barbara -- where they were holding hands on the way out and radiating positivity ... well, at least Meg was anyway. Harold was a bit more stoic ... keeping his head low.

No matter ... because they were clearly putting on a united front as a guy -- who's presumed to be a bodyguard of some sort -- trailed closely behind and they entered a waiting SUV. As far as their outfits go ... perfect for a sunny SB day, complete with shades to boot.

The message they seem to be telegraphing here is ... nothing wrong over here, we're fine!

Of course, all the reporting about them lately has been anything but. As we know, they got the boot at Spotify ... and were labeled "grifters" by one of the top dogs at the company.

Not just that, but there are rumblings of Netflix not being happy with them too ... and supposedly giving them an ultimatum that demands higher-quality content, and pronto. Pair that with Meghan's recent no-deal at Dior ... and it would seem there's turbulence ahead.

It's interesting that their demeanor here is so positive. You could argue that's very much in line with the latest story being pedaled about their alleged mindset -- namely, that they're sorta burying their heads in the sand and pointing the finger elsewhere for their woes.

There's word of a new doc about Africa that Harry's working on for Netflix, and you gotta figure Meg's busy cooking something up too. Based on their vibes here, perhaps they're confident those projects will work out and get 'em back in Tinseltown's good graces.

It's been Friday the 13th nonstop at Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's house -- at least that's how the couple is viewing their recent misfortunes ... according to a new report.

The Daily Mail says it's hearing from "insiders" that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex feel like they've been hit with a lot of bad luck over the past few years after they left the Royal Family/institution ... and it's because of this, apparently, that things haven't worked out.

If this report is to be believed ... it would seem they're pointing the finger elsewhere, and not at themselves. Specifically, Meg and Harry are reportedly blaming COVID, the death of the Queen and the death of Prince Philip for overshadowing their achievements -- which they supposedly think would've made bigger splashes under a different set of circumstances.

As far as the pandemic's concerned, DM says their sources claim H&M believe it generally screwed 'em on getting stuff out in an efficient/consistent manner ... not to mention setting them back time-wise, as it did for basically everyone else in the entertainment industry.

When it comes to why they're (reportedly) holding QE2 indirectly responsible ... DM's sources claim they felt like her death coincided with the launch of MM's podcast, 'Archetypes,' and essentially stole all her thunder ... as the world focused more on that a week or so later.

Ditto for the Queen's late husband, Prince Philip, who died about a month after their interview with Oprah aired. Apparently, they think that should've had longer legs than it did ... and that the Duke of Edinburgh's passing overshadowed their big moment.

Speaking of that interview, a separate report from The Times (UK) has some juicy new gossip that they're pedaling ... including the alleged notion that Kate Middleton and Prince William were actually the ones behind that "recollections may vary" line that Buckingham Palace released in their official statement responding to Harry and Meghan's racism claims.

The word is ... that statement was a lot more mild than how it finally came out, and that Will and Kate wanted to toughen it up to push back on H&M's characterization of things.

In other words, things are still icy between Harry and his family -- and not just that, but it appears Hollywood isn't all that interested in his other ideas either ... a double-whammy.

Lump in the fact Harry and Meg were finally booted from their Frogmore Cottage home just earlier this week, and it sure sounds like they're finally out here on their own now without a lifeline -- and clearly no further connection to the Royals ... besides blood, we suppose.

The wreckage from the Titanic submersible tragedy hasn't even settled yet, but some are jumping at the opportunity to get Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet back on screens ... including Netflix.

The streaming giant recently announced James Cameron's 3-hour epic is hitting their service starting July 1. Of course, it's not entirely clear if "Titanic" was already scheduled to be part of their new offerings ... or if this is in response to OceanGate.

If you look online ... people definitely have their opinions, and many believe Netflix added this as a last-minute play to capitalize on all the interest in the story -- and there's a lot.

Indeed ... many are accusing Netflix of doing this way too soon. Despite all the jokes and mockery that's been aimed at the victims of the submersible, it would seem there's still a fair amount of people who feel like their memory should be honored -- at least for now.

BTW, "Titanic" isn't the only deep-sea project they're airing in July -- there's a new doc they're also promoting called "The Deepest Breath" ... and that too is getting a double take.

Now, while many suspect Netflix did this as a way to jump on the submarine saga ... some reports have suggested the licensing deal for "Titanic" was already set -- and that it was actually known it would be part of their July slate even before the sub went missing.

If that is, indeed, true ... another question being posed -- would it be appropriate to yank 'Titanic' for sensitivity purposes??? Something tells us Netflix isn't primed to do that.

As you know -- 5 people onboard the Titan submersible died after authorities said the vessel imploded underwater ... and much sooner than everyone initially thought. There's been a lot of scrutiny about the safety concerns in the lead-up to this ill-fated dive.

The irony of "Titanic" resurfacing for at-home viewing is the fact that its director has been so outspoken about the Titan's voyage ... sounding off and suggesting hubris was afoot.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are being put over a barrel at Netflix -- 'cause they're apparently on the verge of losing millions unless they pivot ... so says a new report.

According to The Sun, Netflix honchos have recently had a convo with the ex-Royal couple ... supposedly telling them to make better, must-see content -- or risk not getting the rest of their $100-million-plus contract ... which they've already gotten about half of at this point.

Indeed ... the reported conditions have been set -- namely, Meg and Harry must produce higher quality shows, docs, and/or movies to claim the rest of their bag ... and if they don't, Netflix is apparently prepared to cut their deal short and refuse to pay 'em out in full.

The Sun goes on to say -- citing an unnamed source claiming to be plugged in -- Netflix was happy with the results for their bombshell doc ... but have been disappointed about everything after that, which presumably includes PH's forthcoming Invictus docuseries (which is still happening and coming out around August). Anything else though is nowhere to be found.

The report notes Meghan pitched an idea for an animated series about a girl inspired by historical female figures -- but that got dropped by Netflix. It would seem they didn't think it was compelling ... a recurring theme we're now hearing about them as creatives.

Now, on the prospect of potentially cutting 'em loose unless they deliver ... The Sun's source says the streaming giant wouldn't do it as publicly/humiliatingly as Spotify did. However, they do concede it would grab big headlines in and of itself ... and probably be a bad look.

No word on a timetable for them to make good on their deal, but it sounds like the clock is ticking for them. Gotta say ... this is not great news for Harry and Meghan. It would seem that wherever they've inked big-time deals ... the companies have been unsatisfied.

They're already filthy rich as is -- but if their Hollywood prospects are cut short ... that could seriously impact their financial futures in the long run. So, they kinda gotta get with it on ideas.