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1:13 PM PT -- The Wolper Organization tells TMZ ... "While we would love to have him involved, we respect his desire to privacy and plan to produce a movie that honors him, celebrates him and tells a dramatic story."

They add, "We know he is deeply private and we would never want to invade that, how ever he is an amazing person, that changed millions of peoples lives and the effect he has had on the world needs to be recognized."

Richard Simmons wants to make it crystal clear he has absolutely NO involvement in an upcoming biopic starring Pauly Shore -- which is now officially in development and coming to a theater near you soon ... TMZ has learned.

Richard's rep reiterated to us Wednesday that Pauly's project -- which just recently got the green light -- isn't authorized, and notes Richard might not even be aware the movie's on the Hollywood conveyor belt at this point.

We're told Pauly and Richard's team spoke last year about PS portraying him in a film, but Richard's people told the comedian the timing wasn't right for Richard to get on board.

We already knew Pauly didn't have RS' blessing for this project -- something Pauly really sought -- and now ... we know Richard's position hasn't changed, though his rep says there will come a time when Richard wants to tell his story. Pauly's thing just ain't it, though.

Remember ... Pauly told us in September he was getting a pitch ready for Richard, and now Deadline is reporting a biopic is being developed over at The Wolper Organization, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. The rest of the deets on who else might be coming aboard to help make this thing a reality are unclear for now -- but Pauly says he's "excited."

Pauly is also portraying Richard in a short film called "The Court Jester," which is premiering this week at The Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

Richard has not been seen in public for years -- but, in 2022, TMZ released "TMZ Investigates: What Really Happened to Richard Simmons" on FOX and Hulu ... which drew a huge response and resulted in Richard posting a rare message to his fans.

Pauly and Richard have some connections ... they've known each other for decades, and Richard also knew Pauly's late mother, Comedy Store owner Mitzi Shore ... but, so far, they're not connecting for this flick.

We'll see what comes of it in the end, and whether Richard changes his tune once it's actually out. Considering his incredible story, it also sounds like an Oscar waiting to happen.

Avantika Vandanapu may wear pink on Wednesdays, but Tuesday is for work ... because she showed up for a shift at Raising Cane's looking totally fetch.

The actress/singer, who plays Karen Shetty in the new "Mean Girls" movie, hopped right into the line of fire at a New York City Cane's location ... taking orders and filling up drinks for hungry customers.

AV revealed she loves the lemonade at Raising too -- though she admitted the hardest part of the gig was getting the lid on a cup of it -- and called out an order of hot fresh chicken for Emilia before heading back to make some of the restaurant's famous Texas Toast.

The starlet seems to be following Regina George's lead too ... gobbling down a couple pieces of the delicacy (a little all-carb diet anyone?!?) dipped in a little Cane's Sauce.

Avantika's not exactly the new kid in school when it comes to this whole acting thing either ... she's got credits for Rebel Wilson's movie "Senior Year" and the Disney Channel Original "Spin" ... though it'd be fair to say "Mean Girls" is blowing those flicks out of the water.

But Vandanapu's not big-timing anyone ... giving all the normie Raising Cane's employees the OK to sit at her lunch table and taking a group pic with the gang!!!

Nicole Kidman says size matters ... at least she used to think so when she went in for auditions.

The Oscar winner shared she used to lie about her height during a recent interview with the "Radio Times Podcast" ... admitting she'd shave a half-inch off her stats when casting directors asked.

NK says despite being 5'11" she used to tell CDs she was 5'10" and a half ... not much of a difference, but a lie nonetheless.

The Australian star says people called her "stalky" when she first arrived on the acting scene, and was told a tall woman like her wouldn't have a career.

However, that's changed in recent years with Kidman saying, "Now, I get, ‘You’re so much taller than I thought,' or men grappling with how high my heels should be."

Another interesting anecdote ... NK was nearly turned away from an audition for the musical "Annie" when she was a kid, because she was 2 inches above the 5'2" cutoff line.

Kidman says she's trying to impart courage and resilience to her kids -- she has 2 with Tom Cruise and 2 with Keith Urban -- teaching them how to react when they hear the word "no."

Actress Lynne Marta – best known for her film roles in "Footloose" and "Joe Kidd" --- has died in California.

Marta passed away Thursday at her L.A. home after she was diagnosed with cancer, according to the Hollywood Reporter. It was not clear what type of cancer she had.

Born and bred in New Jersey, Marta moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in acting, landing parts in several big movies.  She snagged the role of Elma in the 1972 western classic, "Joe Kidd," starring Clint Eastwood and Robert Duvall. She also played Lulu Warnicker alongside Kevin Bacon as Ren in 1984's "Footloose."

As for her TV work, Marta appeared in producer Aaron-Spelling's "The Mod Squad," "The Rookies," "Starsky & Hutch," "Charlie's Angels" and "Matt Houston." Marta also had small parts in Quinn Martin-produced telecasts, such as "The F.B.I.," "Dan August," "Cannon," "The Streets of San Francisco," "Barnaby Jones," "The Manhunter" and "Caribe."

Her personal life was tied to her day job. Marta reportedly had an open relationship with "Starsky & Hutch" star David Soul while he was married to Karen Carlson.

In 1983, People magazine wrote, "All through the 'Starsky & Hutch' years, David and Lynne lived together but spent time with other people." Earlier this month, Soul died at 80 ... his cause of death was not disclosed.

Marta was 78.

Josh Duhamel has something new to celebrate ... he's a dad again!

The actor and his model wife Audra Mari welcomed their first child, Shepherd Lawrence Duhamel, on January 11, announcing the exciting news Tuesday night on Instagram with a photo of the little one's feet. As far as feet go, Shepherd is one helluva cutie!

As you probably know, Josh has another son, 10-year-old Axl, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Fergie.

In a September 2023 interview, Josh told Parade that Axl had a funny reaction when he learned he was going to be an older brother.

Axl wanted reassurance that he was still the firstborn and Josh was still going to love him after Shepherd was born.

Of course, Josh confirmed all of the above, adding that Axl is a "really sweet kid" and "loves babies!"

Sounds like Axl and Shepherd are gonna hit it off.

Taylor Swift fans have been convinced that their idol wrote the book that's being made into the "Argylle" movie -- but the director's throwing cold water on their hopes and dreams.

Matthew Vaughn recently did an interview where he addressed this rumor/theory that's been floating around for almost 3 years now -- namely, that T-Swift is the mysterious author who penned the manuscript for "Argylle" ... which is being made into a film of the same name.

The writer goes under the pseudonym of "Elly Conway" -- the same name of the main character in the flick -- and her real identity hasn't been revealed whatsoever. So, Swifties have been eating up perceived Easter eggs that they think point to Taylor (more on this in a bit).

Unfortunately for them, Vaughn's now saying it's all BS -- telling Rolling Stone ... "I'm not a big internet guy, and it was actually my daughter who came up to me -- this is the power of celebrity and the internet -- and said, 'You never told me Taylor wrote the book!'"

He adds, "And I’m looking at her going, ‘What are you talking about Taylor Swift wrote the book? She didn’t write the book!’ And I was laughing because I was like, ‘It’s not true! She didn’t write the book!’ But my daughter was convinced of it."

MV then says much more definitively ... "[T]here is an Elly Conway who wrote the book, but it’s not Taylor Swift. And I say that because I imagine Taylor Swift has a load of people trying to jump on her bandwagon left, right, and center. I don’t want to be a part of that club. I did read the conspiracies and I was like, ‘Wow, they don’t leave a stone unturned!’ But it’s not Taylor Swift. She definitely didn’t write the book."

Part of the reason Taylor's legion thought she might've been the author is because of all these subtle things they thought referred to her -- including the Scottish Fold cat featured (she has 2 herself), the fact she wears argyle sweaters, and other "hints" fans picked up on.

The armorer that's being prosecuted in the "Rust" criminal case was reportedly offered an ultimatum of sorts -- tell us how a real bullet made its way on set, or face more charges.

Variety cites emails that it says it's viewed -- which were supposedly sent to Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's legal team back in September from special prosecutor Kari Morrissey ... who's heading up the case after the D.A. recused herself.

According to the outlet -- which cites the emails that were allegedly sent -- Morrissey wrote ... "I feel very strongly she has some notion of how the live rounds came on set."

She adds, "I certainly respect her right not to come forward with that information and to stay silent, however if she were to come forward and answer some of these questions that plague the victims in this case that would go a long way toward getting her a favorable resolution."

Variety says the emails go on to float what Gutierrez-Reed's lawyers perceived as a threat ... "If she chooses not to, while I respect her decision, I will proceed with the additional felony charges we spoke of." Mind you, HGR has already said she doesn't know how a live round got into the gun that was used that day by Alec Baldwin, let alone how it got onto set.

In response to this offer, her team invoked their client's right against self-incrimination -- and lo and behold ... Gutierrez-Reed was, in fact, hit with more charges shortly thereafter.

She was accused of carrying a gun into a liquor store about 10 days after the shooting ... a 4th-degree felony. Gutierrez-Reed is already facing involuntary manslaughter charges.

Michael Lohan is ripping the new 'Mean Girls' movie for taking a cheap shot at his daughter, Lindsay Lohan ... saying Tina Fey and Megan Thee Stallion went low, just like their box office numbers.

Lindsay's dad tells TMZ ... he's straight-up "pissed" over the "disgusting comment" in the reboot ... but he's finding some solace in the flick's opening numbers, which were far lower than the OG's debut weekend way back when.

Michael's talking about Megan's "fire crotch is back" line in the new movie ... which references a famous TMZ clip from way back in 2006, when Paris Hilton's oil heir buddy Brandon Davis called LiLo a "fire crotch" multiple times on camera.

Lindsay's dad is also pointing at the fact the new 'Mean Girls' musical made $28 million at the box office opening weekend as a bit of karma.

The original version made $24.4 million on its opening weekend in 2004 -- and while that's lower ... it's actually not bad when adjusted for inflation. By today's standards, it'd be closer to $40 million ... not to mention the $86 mil it grossed domestically through its theatrical run.

Basically, ML is betting the new 'Mean Girls' won't hold a candle to his daughter's initial take on it when it's all said and done. Michael also tells us he would never see the new 'Mean Girls' ... and while he says he'd love to clap back at Megan, Brandon and Tina, specifically ... he tells us he's taking the high road and not getting in the gutter with them.

Lindsay's father adds ... "I will say this however, NOBODY can replace Lindsay or the original cast in that film. Nor can Megan replace Lindsay in the new Planet Fitness commercial dressed like a stripper in a fitness commercial."

Of course, what he's referring to there is the fact that Lindsay did some PF commercials a few years ago ... and now, MTS is doing them as well -- the implication being, she's kinda riding Lindsay's coattails, and not doing it nearly as well as she did.

Bottom line for Michael ... back off from his kid, 'cause he's ready to pounce in her defense.

Ariana DeBose's former "Hamilton" costar is leaping to her defense ... after a Critics Choice Awards joke at her expense left her visibly insulted.

Christopher Jackson, who played George Washington alongside Ariana in the musical back in 2015, gushes over the "world-class artist" ... telling TMZ she represents every facet of tremendous skill and talent to the highest level.

He's imploring folks to find another artist out there who has delivered performances with Ariana's sheer skill -- basically, he's yet to see her do anything but shine.

Christopher's also reminding us the job of a Broadway star ain't easy, so much so they have to always consider the safe route -- but Ariana's got it all locked down cause she's a triple threat in every sense of the word.

He blasts the "lazy hack-ass" writers for the joke, but Victoria Theodore -- musical director for 'The Donna Summer Musical' in which Ariana starred -- is taking a direct shot at Bella Ramsey for delivering the quip.

She says Bella's scripted line was rude, and lumping Ariana in with "actors who think they can sing" was completely uncalled for.

Victoria also noted how challenging it is to sing live on Broadway while dancing and acting, but despite that ... she says it's no sweat for Ariana, because she can perform all aspects of musical theatre brilliantly.

Ariana's immediate facial reaction to the joke has gone viral ... and she later admitted on social media, she genuinely didn't find it funny.

Maximizing the awkwardness was the fact Bella was standing next to Anthony Ramos ... another one of Ariana's "Hamilton" costars.

Kate Beckinsale's stepfather Roy Battersby has died after a reported battle with cancer.

The actress announced his passing on Instagram Monday, posting a heartfelt message to Roy with a video celebrating his life.

Kate wrote, "I have no words yet. Thank you@katebeckinsale_slovakia2 for making this beautiful thing. I fought for you everything I had. Oh Roy I am so sorry I lost."

The video slide show featured Roy through the years with Kate and her mom, Judy. In 1997, Judy married Roy after Kate's dad, actor Richard Beckinsale, died from natural causes.

Last month, Roy was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital after he suffered a stroke while reportedly fighting two unspecified types of cancer, with which he was diagnosed in 2023.

Like Kate, Roy made a living in the visual arts, directing popular British TV shows, documentaries and films.

Roy was 87.

Fantasia is just one of several people calling out the grub at the Critics Choice Awards -- 'cause the bagged pizza they dished out just wasn't cutting it for hungry celebs.

Here's the deal ... the food that was handed out at Sunday night's show included slices that were bagged, and prepped to be served on an individual basis. When the pizza was handed out at Fantasia's table ... cameras caught her less-than-pleased reaction.

Check it out ... as the wait staff was handing out the pizza to her "Color Purple" costars, Fantasia looked right at the photog and asked ... "Where's the lamb chops???"

You can see Taraji P. Henson and some others start to chow down right away ... but Oprah herself holds off, saying she doesn't wanna ruin her lipstick. From the looks of it, an extra box of snacks was also handed out to those in the room ... with fruits and whatnot inside.

Now, while Fantasia and co. might've been poking fun at the menu ... others were a little more straightforward in their criticism of the food, including film producer Jen D'Angelo. She posted photos of the pizza, calling it "absolutely revolting" and "3D printed."

Even Paul Giamatti remarked about the food during his acceptance speech, saying ... "Serious guys, I need that endorsement. So let’s all just pray for me,” Giamatti continued. “Everybody get their pizza in a bag, by the way? I think that’d be a good endorsement. Paul Giamatti for pizza in a bag."

For the record, Baja Fresh and Cold Stone were the official food vendors for this thing -- but it appears their chow was served either before or after the show ... and not inside the venue itself. Baja and CS aren't known for pizza, so it's unclear who baked the pies.

Lindsay Lohan was on the receiving end of a personal dig in the new "Mean Girls" movie that references one of the most infamous insults hurled her way ... and yeah, she's pissed.

Of course, we're referring to Paris Hilton's oil heir buddy, Brandon Davis, once calling her a "fire crotch" gal -- a line that actually made its way into the rebooted flick ... which LL apparently had no idea about -- at least that's the indication from her team's response.

Lindsay's rep told The Messenger ... "Lindsay was very hurt and disappointed by the reference in the film." The outlet also reports that Lindsay was surprised last week when she watched the movie for the first time at the premiere.

It's pretty shocking that the line even made it into the film -- y'know, considering Tina Fey wrote it ... not to mention the fact that Lindsay herself cameos in the flick as well.

On its face, it seems she had no idea it was coming ... meaning she either didn't receive the full script, or didn't peruse it. Ya gotta imagine that if she saw this ahead of time ... she would've talked to Tina about it, because LiLo has famously spoken out about the dig.

The context of how it's used in the new movie features none other than Megan Thee Stallion -- who shows up as one of many people singing the praises of the new popular girl, Cady (once played by Lindsay), as they flee Regina George. MTS says "fire crotch is back."

You'll recall, the way it was originally used dates back to a TMZ video from back in 2006 ... when Davis was being a bit of a "mean girl" himself in talking trash about LiLo at the time. Like we said, Lindsay's been fairly vocal about how hurtful that was back then.

That's why Tina's decision to include it in the movie -- even in jet -- is shocking ... and now even more so with LL speaking out like this. Tina gushed about working with Lindsay, so you know she loves her  ... perhaps this was just an innocent mistake or an oversight.

Melissa Barrera's been screaming her support of Palestine from the rooftops -- which led to her getting 86'd from the 'Scream' franchise -- but it looks like her former cast members still have her back.

The actress reunited with her former costars Sunday night at the Motion Picture and Television Fund's 17th Annual Evening Before Gala ... and Jenna Ortega was standing right by her, literally and figuratively.

Remember, Melissa was fired back in November from the 7th installment of the horror franchise over her Israel-Palestine posts.

Jenna appeared to like a post on Melissa doubling down on her pro-Palestine stance at the time of her firing ... and she too dropped out of the new 'Scream' movie -- though it was apparently due to a schedule clash with Netflix's "Wednesday" and not cause of MB's firing.

But Jenna's support was loud and clear in the new IG snaps shared by Melissa ... where she was also joined by her other  'Scream' costars Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Liana Liberato, Tony Revolori, Skeet Ulrich, and Jack Quaid -- who all appeared to have her back, too.

As we reported ... Melissa doubled down on her pro-Palestine stance over Xmas while the 'Scream' Empire collapsed with director Christopher Landon also walking away from the new movie.

While Spyglass lost their 2 big leads and their director ... Neve Campbell recently teased a possible return to the franchise as Sidney Prescott -- only for the right amount of money, though.

She initially left the franchise due to pay disagreements, so that doesn't come as a shock -- but she ain't biting the hand that feeds her ... saying at Saturday's BAFTA Tea Party in L.A. she was sad the higher-ups at 'Scream' were struggling.

Harrison Ford is feeling grateful, lucky and more than a little emotional about his storied career, but he's still able to poke fun at himself as he accepts an award for his entire catalog of work ... from "Star Wars" to "Indiana Jones."

The Hollywood icon choked up a bit while onstage Sunday night at the Critics Choice Award, where "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" director James Mangold presented Harrison with the Career Achievement Award.

He thanked all the directors, writers, and filmmakers he's worked with over the years ... and also had a special shoutout for his wife Calista Flockhart.

The 81-year-old legend got a good laugh out of the crowd as he gave Calista props for supporting him ... adding, "I need a lot of support."

HF also expressed he was happy to see Hollywood giving opportunities to talented people who wouldn't have gotten them back in the 60s when he was starting out in acting.

Pretty solid vote in favor of DEI on Harrison's part.

Harrison added he was enormously lucky for his career ... having his final outing as Indy Jones last year.

Robert Downey Jr. won big at the Critics Choice Awards this weekend -- and to pay back the favor ... he rattled off some of the worst reviews he's received throughout his career.

The superstar went onstage Sunday to receive his statuette for Best Supporting Actor -- honoring his work in "Oppenheimer" -- and while he was going through his thank-you's ... he ended up acknowledging the group that was voting on that night's winners ... critics!

RDJ said he had a soft spot for this noble profession -- while also pointing out he'd received not-so-nice reviews from said critics over the years ... some of which he wanted to read.

It was hilarious ... Rob pulled out a list from his coat and started going through what he considers the nastiest and/or most humorous feedback he's gotten for his on-camera work since he's been in the biz. He didn't name any names, but the words spoke for themselves.

Just a few of the reviews that left a mark ... including a haiku of sorts that read "Sloppy, messy and lazy." The next one was more metaphoric, as he puts it ... "Like Pee-wee Herman emerging from a coma." Finally, one that stayed with him ... "Amusing as a bed-locked fart."

Again, Downey Jr. didn't elaborate on when these reviews were dished or for what movies/performances of his -- but we're sure a simple Google search can track 'em down.

Carmen Electra made a massive life change this past week -- filing to ditch her birth name to formally go by her long-known stage name ... and now we know exactly why.

Sources close to the "Baywatch" star tell TMZ ... there's really no big reason behind the decision -- we're told it's just something she's been thinking about for a while and finally took the plunge, since there's no better time than the New Year to start fresh.

We should note, she hasn't gone by her birth name -- Tara Leigh Patrick -- in decades.

TMZ obtained the legal docs earlier this week ... revealing she wants to formally change her name to "Carmen Electra" ... so looks like this is officially goodbye to Tara! It's also just formalizing what everyone has known her as for decades now.

Fun fact -- CE didn't come up with the zippy stage name herself -- it was actually birthed as a result of the late icon, Prince ... who bestowed the name upon her when she auditioned to be part of an all-girl group he was assembling in the early '90s.

Unfortunately, she didn't make the cut ... but she went on to make a splash on TV and elsewhere, and she kept the cool moniker for herself.