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The "Barbie" movie is getting mad props from an animal rights organization for dressing Ryan Gosling's Ken doll in a faux fur coat instead of the real thing.

Remember, Ryan's got a few scenes where his character is wearing a white fur coat -- which would normally get a huge thumbs down from PETA -- but now it's PETA-approved because as it turns out, the wardrobe piece is faux mink.

PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange tells TMZ … "From his fabulous faux mink coat to his rad vegan leather boots, Ken serves looks that mirror actor Ryan Gosling's own kindness to animals and refusal to wear fur."

Ken's coat is already being sold online as a Halloween costume, and Lisa tells us ... "PETA encourages everyone to be Kenough this Halloween by following in Gosling's footsteps and keeping animals' skins out of the mojo dojo casa house."

William Friedkin, the famed filmmaker who directed "The Exorcist," has died.

The news was confirmed Monday by his wife, Sherry Lansing, who says he passed in L.A. -- but the exact details of his death have yet to be revealed. It's a big hit to the film community -- as Friedkin was an influential force behind some of the 20th century's most iconic movies.

While he might best be remembered for his work on the 1973 horror flick -- which, by all accounts, changed the genre forever -- WF had several other notable credits to his name ... including the Oscar-winning "French Connection," which he also directed.

Other films he helmed included ... "The Brink's Job," "Sorcerer," "Cruising," "To Live and Die in L.A.," "Rampage," "Deal of the Century," "The Guardian," "Blue Chips," "12 Angry Men," "Rules of Engagement," "The Hunted," "Killer Joe" and lots of others.

He also directed a handful of episodes for memorable TV shows ... like "Tales from the Crypt," "The Twilight Zone," "Rebel Highway," "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour," "CSI" and more.

Friedkin was a diverse director ... dabbling in all types of flicks, from horror to drama, and even comedy. While some of his work is more well-known than others, he was respected in all regards -- and certainly carved out his own corner in pop culture.

The last time we saw him, he was out here in L.A. signing autographs and talking "Get Out."

Friedkin was 87.

RIP

"Barbie"s worldwide box office domination has expecting parents thinkin' plastic when it comes to baby names ... because folks are interested in naming their kids after the popular dolls.

BabyNames.com tells TMZ ... their site has seen a 300% uptick in searches for "Barbie" in the month of July. "Ken" has also blown up, with searches increasing by 200% in the same month.

Not as much as Barbie, but that holds up -- he's just Ken.

We're told a handful of users are also adding the titular names to their favorites list. According to the website, Barbie means "stranger," while Ken means "handsome." Barbie peaked in popularity in 1964, while Ken peaked in 1963.

As we reported, the Greta Gerwig flick has been crushing it in theaters -- it pulled over $162 mil in the U.S. alone in weekend one ... and it's already passed $1B worldwide.

The fan-favorite character, Allan -- played by Michael Cera -- has had a positive outcome on the Mattel reseller game ... because eBay listings for the rare doll have skyrocketed after the movie's release.

Sadly, we're told there's been no search increase for the name "Allan" when it comes to baby names. Sorry, dude.

Greta Gerwig achieved something pretty great in showbiz this weekend -- she's now the sole female director to have crossed the billion-dollar line ... and it's because of "Barbie."

Indeed ... the inevitable happened Sunday, with "Barbie" raking in over a $1 billion at the worldwide box office and once again taking the top spot here domestically. That's 3 weeks in a row that the flick has dominated, and at this point ... there's no sign of it slowing down.

Now, as for Greta ... like we said, she stands alone (as a woman) in this billion-dollar club -- which is a historical feat, and something that hasn't been done before "Barbie" came along.

Yes, there are other female directors who are technically in that 10-figure category -- including Jennifer Lee and Anna Boden, who co-directed the "Frozen" and "Captain Marvel" movies, respectively, alongside men -- but GG's in a league of her own now as a standalone.

There's a very large gap between Greta and the other solo female directors with box office hits -- #2 on the list is Patty Jenkins' "Wonder Woman," which made around $412 mil through its run. There's an even bigger drop-off with the next tier of films/directors ... Betty Thomas' "Alvin and the Chipmunks" ($219M); Catherine Hardwicke's "Twilight" ($192M); Elizabeth Banks' "Pitch Perfect 2" ($184M); Cate Shortland's "Black Widow" ($183M) ... and so on.

With Greta's milestone here ... it proves that women are pretty damn bankable, not just as actresses -- but behind the camera as well. Full circle, really, for the themes of 'Barbie.'

Considering her indie background, you could argue Greta's has had a meteoric rise over the past 5-6 years. And like we previously reported, there's currently no active plans for a sequel at this point -- which, if you know studios, is unheard of when this sorta success is had.

There's a report saying WB actually tried brokering a deal for Greta to direct 'Barbie 2' months before the film came out -- but her agents shot that down and insisted on waiting to see how it actually performed. Smart move in hindsight ... Greta can fetch a fortune now.

BTW ... Greta actually turned 40 a couple days ago, and Ryan Gosling surprised her with a flash mob performance full of Kens, complete with his signature song from the movie.

Nearly two months after Treat Williams died in a motorcycle crash, the investigation has taken a surprising turn, as police charged the other driver with negligence.

Ryan Koss surrendered to Vermont State Police Tuesday night and was issued a citation, charging him with grossly negligent operation with death for swerving into the path of the beloved actor.

Koss also posed for a mug shot and was given a September court date for his arraignment before the judge. If convicted, Koss faces up to 15 years in prison and/or a $15,000 fine.

What's more ... the New York medical examiner revealed Treat's cause of death, which was severe trauma and blood loss.

As we reported in June, Treat was riding his chopper in Dorset, Vermont, and made a left turn into a parking lot, colliding with a Honda Element driven by Koss.

The impact sent Treat flying off his motorcycle, causing him to suffer critical injuries, even though he was wearing his helmet.

Treat was airlifted to New York's Albany Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

In-fighting at Warner Bros. has the studio officially apologizing to its WB counterparts in Japan, who are outraged about what they see as an insensitive Barbenheimer meme on the U.S. "Barbie" Twitter account.

So, here's the deal ... "Barbie" is a WB movie, and the film's official U.S. Twitter account replied to some fan-created fun art of Margot Robbie (as Barbie) riding Cillian Murphy's shoulder (as Oppenheimer) with an explosion and fire in the background.

It's a Barbenheimer gag obviously, and seemingly innocent on its own ... that is, until the U.S. "Barbie" Twitter account chimed in with the comment, "It's going to be a summer to remember," adding some cutesy emojis to boot.

That didn't sit well with folks in WB's Japanese arm -- the official Japanese "Barbie" Twitter account blasted its parent company for co-signing on the joking atomic bomb imagery.

It wrote, "We consider it extremely regrettable that the official account of the American headquarters for the movie ‘Barbie’ reacted to the social media postings of ‘Barbenheimer’ fans. We take this situation very seriously. We are asking the U.S. headquarters to take appropriate action. We apologize to those who were offended by this series of inconsiderate reactions. Warner Bros Japan."

Yep, that's a big yikes. 😬

So, in response to that public call-out, Warner issued its mea culpa -- "Warner Brothers regrets its recent insensitive social media engagement. The studio offers a sincere apology."

BTW, Twitter/X itself didn't find the imagery very amusing, because the company actually slapped a fact check Twitter note underneath -- mentioning the hundreds of thousands of Japanese deaths that resulted from the U.S.'s decision to drop bombs during WWII.

There's been a lot of chatter about "Oppenheimer" and its handling of the depiction of the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings -- namely, the fact the movie doesn't show it whatsoever. Some feel like the film glossed over the impact of the bombings ... and have found it insensitive to the countless lives lost in Japan.

That appears to be the position of Japan as a nation, too ... because it has yet to set a release date for the film within its borders.

Paul Reubens -- the comedic actor best known for playing Pee-wee Herman -- is dead after a private battle with cancer.

Paul died Sunday night, according to a statement posted Monday on his Instagram account ... a statement that revealed, for the first time, the medical crisis with which he'd be dealing -- "Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit."

We're told he had a brain tumor 6 years ago, but doctors were able to surgically remove it ... and it was considered a successful procedure. It's unclear what kind of cancer he'd been diagnosed with most recently.

The comedic icon will forever be remembered for his Pee-wee Herman character, which Paul created in 1978 during an improv exercise with The Groundlings. Paul worked with another comedy legend, the late Phil Hartman, to develop the character.

That led to the eventual launch of the "Pee-wee's Playhouse" TV show in 1986 ... and although it was Saturday morning programming, it became a huge hit with kids and adults.

He also brought the character to the big screen with the film, "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," which was a huge commercial success.

The movie featured a scene with Pee-wee dancing to the 1958 hit song, "Tequila" by The Champs. The character, and that dance, were so beloved ... you can't hear that song without thinking of Pee-wee.

While Pee-wee is his most iconic role, Paul had been doing live comedy routines long before that. In addition to his time in The Groundlings, he made 14 appearances on "The Gong Show" back in the '70s.

He's also done a ton of acting unrelated to Pee-wee -- having roles in movies, like "Blow," "Batman Returns," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Doctor Dolittle" ... as well as hit TV shows like "Murphy Brown," "Ally McBeal" and "Everybody Loves Raymond."

As for his cancer battle -- Paul addressed it in a note he'd written, saying ... "Please accept my apology for not going public with what I've been facing the last six years. I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you."

Paul was 70 years old.

RIP

Sharon Stone says "Basic Instinct" turned her into a sex symbol overnight -- and people wanted a piece of her, it seems ... 'cause they were crawling all over her whip!

The actress dished to CNN's Chris Wallace about the impact of that film and how it affected her celebrity at the time. As she says, she went into that weekend as a relative nobody in Hollywood ... and emerged as a massive star come Tuesday, after everyone had seen it.

Of course, what she's referring to specifically is the infamous interrogation scene ... where she flashed her vagina on camera, and which undoubtedly went down in cinematic history.

As Wallace rightly notes, that changed her life forever ... but little did we know to what extent, until now. Watch -- Sharon describes going out to run an errand the week after 'BI' was released, and says people were literally leaping at her in the streets of Los Angeles.

Not just at her person though, as SS explains ... she claims folks were dogpiling her actual car at stoplights. It got so bad, apparently, that she didn't know if she should drive away!

Now, this is far from the first time Sharon's talked "Basic Instinct" -- which she's publicly said she had mixed feelings about. At the time, she says she felt duped into the vagina moment ... allegedly having been reassured by the crew/producers that they couldn't see anything.

Disney has another dud on their hands -- this time, it's "The Haunted Mansion" ... which paled in comparison to last week's big hits, including "Barbie" -- who reigns supreme again.

The Mouse House's latest offering -- featuring a star-studded cast, including the likes of Lakeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish and others -- got off to a bad start this weekend ... having only generated $24.6 million in North America markets.

Overseas, it did even worse -- raking in only $9.1 mil, meaning worldwide ... it's got about $33 million to its name so far. The problem, the film's budget was $150 mil -- plus tens of millions that Disney reported spent to market the movie. So, yeah ... way down in the red.

"Haunted Mansion's" poor performance at the box office is emblematic of how its premiere felt ... very empty/soulless. Granted that was SAG strike related, but still -- they run parallel.

It ain't the only Disney flick of late to disappoint. The new 'Indiana Jones' didn't do so hot either -- although, their other films have done somewhat decently big picture this year. It's a mixed bag ... but it's certainly nowhere near where Bog Iger would like to see the numbers.

Elsewhere in movie land ... "Barbie" cleaned up for the 2nd week in a row. Margot Robbie and co. still had momentum from just 7 days ago, with a massive $93 million haul domestically. Mind you, that's in addition to the $162 mil from the opening weekend. And don't get us started on the international numbers ... at this point. "Barbie" has made over $750M.

"Oppenheimer," too, is riding a second wave of success. It clawed an extra $46.6 million from ticket holders this weekend ... bringing its final domestic tally to $174 million. Not half bad!

Viola Davis might be setting a tone for A-listers -- because, despite recently receiving an independent film waiver, she's stopping down on her new movie ... all to support the strike.

The actress told Deadline Saturday that she was bowing out of her Amazon flick, "G20," for now -- saying ... "I love this movie, but I do not feel that it would be appropriate for this production to move forward during the strike."

She adds, "I appreciate that the producers on the project agree with this decision. JuVee Productions and I stand in solidarity with actors, SAG/AFTRA and the WGA."

It's a bold move, and speaks volumes on where Viola's priorities are. Like we said, just the other day ... the producers behind "G20" got the green light to go ahead and continue with production -- even though Amazon is obviously a major studio. The fact an independent production company, MRC, is also behind it appears to be the reason it got a pass.

In any case, it would seem moving forward while thousands of other actors are on the picket lines wasn't sitting well with her ... which is interesting, because a lot of other big stars are also attached to independent flicks right now that got SAG waivers as well.

Those names include ... Anne Hathaway, Jenna Ortega, Paul Rudd, Matthew McConaughey, Mark Wahlberg, Sigourney Weaver, Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Kingsley, Dave Bautista, Ice Cube, Dakota Fanning, John Malkovich, Sean Bean, Rebel Wilson ... to name a few.

Again, them being attached to indie films -- with no direct ties to AMPTP -- is why they can keep trucking (especially overseas) ... but some have raised an eyebrow regardless -- viewing their continued work as a betrayal. That's, perhaps, unfair, but it's a real POV out there.

Now that Viola is putting her foot down ... it may be a signal for other mega stars to do the same -- even though they can technically proceed through the SAG indie loophole.

The principle of the matter could be why Brad Pitt reportedly stood down on filming as well. There was word that his F1 movie, "Apex," was continuing to film in Hungary last week -- with some claiming BP himself even got behind the wheel at one point for some scenes.

Megan Fox is firing back at the people who are blasting her for sharing a GoFundMe for her friend's cancer-stricken father ... saying the haters don't understand the full story or her relationship with the friend.

The actress took to social media Thursday to explain why she is helping crowdfund for her nail technician's ailing father ... instead of ponying up the money herself, as some folks online think she should.

Megan says her nail tech didn't want her money because it would create an uncomfortable dynamic in their working relationship ... and ditto for the woman's other celeb clients.

In her IG story, Megan also questions her haters' emotional intelligence ... and ends by calling them psychos.

As we reported ... after Megan shared the GoFundMe, donations started to pour in ... but some folks questioned why Megan was asking other people for money instead of just covering all the medical expenses herself.

Kevin Costner's getting his chance to go on a summer vacation with his three kids ... and after his estranged wife took the kiddos to Hawaii, Kevin's bringing them to Colorado.

The "Yellowstone" star is in Aspen this week with his daughter and two sons ... with Kevin picking them up from the airport Monday, hauling their luggage around in cowboy boots and a cowboy hat.

Kevin and the kids beelined it from the airport to a grocery store ... presumably to stack up on supplies for their time together.

As you know ... Kevin and his estranged wife Christine Baumgartner are going through a bitter divorce, but the split means double summer vacations for their children.

Christine took the kids with her to the Big Island of Hawaii just last week ... staying at a swanky resort and also spending some time with one of Kevin's friends.

Kevin's got a place of his own in Aspen ... so the kids probably aren't staying in a resort like they did in Hawaii ... but they're getting a second vacay all the same.

The Rock dropped at least a million bucks to help working actors get through the SAG-AFTRA strike -- and if you're one of them ... here's a how-to on reaping the benefits.

ICYMI ... Courtney B. Vance -- who heads up a private, SAG-adjacent foundation, and oversees an emergency fund tied to the union -- fired off a letter this month at the start of the strike ... with the correspondence sent to some of the highest-earning talent in the biz.

It essentially outlined the great need for financial assistance during this precarious time -- namely, for the not-so-famous actors ... who might be out of work for a while now.

In response to that, Dwayne Johnson's people followed up ... saying he wanted to donate 7 figures to back their cause -- something Courtney says proved to be an historic boost, and which will go a long way to keeping striking actors afloat. Again, most of 'em aren't A-list.

It's a super cool move on The Rock's part, obviously -- and for the thousands of actors out there who might need it ... there's an easy way to go and apply for funds, just hit their site.

There are some eligibility requirements one has to meet in order to be considered -- including being paid up on your SAG dues through Oct. 2022, and providing proof that you're in need of emergency financial support, among other things -- but all in all ... it seems simple.

BTW, if other big earners are inclined to donate to the fund ... they can do that here.

One last noteworthy thing about The Rock stepping up in this situation. Fact is, it's kinda fitting considering he's reportedly in line for a massive payday.

All that glitters must not be gold -- or pink, for that matter -- because a white-hot argument during a "Barbie" screening took a physical turn, and fast!

The beef went down in Brazil as the credits were scrolling for the Margot Robbie-led film, ironically as Billie Eilish's moving "What Was I Made For?" was playing in the background.

According to folks online, someone in the theater was letting their kid watch videos on a phone during the movie ... and the post-movie blowup is a direct result of that.

It's unclear which person's being accused, but the girl in the pink jacket certainly gets the short end of the stick ... 'cause she was slammed to the ground after one of the angry women stormed up the steps.

It's a pretty wild scene, especially after a flick like "Barbie" ... but as we reported, a separate fight at an AMC movie theater in Florida resulted in a police search.

Remember, police released a video from the Pompano Beach brawl earlier this month, where the MIA suspect shoved a man into a railing, then started beating him while on the ground.

Cops said the victim asked the man in question to switch seats, claiming he was sitting in their preassigned spot ... which is what allegedly sparked the beatdown.

Michael Cera made quite an impression playing the long-forgotten Allan doll in the new "Barbie" movie, and it fans are responding ... by making a fortune selling their own.

The Allan character is turning out to be a fan fave since the movie's release -- probably because he turns out to be an unsung hero in the plot -- and as you can imagine, folks have been wondering if Mattel has plans to re-release the toy.

For those unaware, the Allan doll was first rolled out in '64 as a friend of Ken's, but was discontinued a couple years later. Despite his newfound Hollywood relevance, Mattel recently announced its keeping Allan off store shelves. Bad news for all you Allan stans.

However, that news has impacted Allan's value in the open marketplace. TMZ did some digging, and there's been a major price surge over these past few days. On Thursday, we saw several eBay listings for old Allan dolls going for cheap ... about $35 to $76 a pop.

Come Monday, however ... a lot of those prices have multiplied. The vast majority of Allan's eBay listings are now at least $150, if not a lot more. There are some going for $300 and up.

It's basic economics -- the flick was hugely popular this weekend, and now that we know Mattel ain't putting any new Allans out into the world ... the demand is at a peak right now.

While the re-sale market won't really help Mattel's bottom line -- there are a lot of private sellers who stand to ride the "Barbie" movie's coattails and clean up as well.

Minnie Driver went to the beach in Malibu with her son, but their day took a dark turn when a man allegedly started masturbating nearby ... and police got involved.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... sheriff's deputies responded Sunday to Paradise Cove Beach Café just before noon for a report of a man pleasuring himself, and Minnie was one of the witnesses who told them the guy was cranking one out in a cabana.

Our sources say the alleged masturbator was gone by the time cops arrived ... and we've got video of Minnie and another woman speaking to deputies.

We're told Minnie and the other beachgoers didn't want to press charges, and simply wanted to make police aware of the situation.