TMZ.com

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.

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.

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.

Francis Ford Coppola’s trailer for his new movie "Megalopolis" just got yanked by Lionsgate ... the company is now owning up to their screw-up with a public apology, after it turned out the trailer included a bunch of fake critic quotes.

The trailer dropped Wednesday ... kicking off with quotes from big-name critics like Pauline Kael and Roger Ebert commenting on Francis' past films.

But things quickly went sideways -- Kael’s quote said “The Godfather” was "diminished by its artsiness" -- a total head-scratcher since she made it clear she actually loved the movie in her OG review.

Brad Pitt's getting back on the horse, or in this case, a hog -- taking a motorcycle adventure just weeks after an e-bike accident landed his son Pax in the hospital.

TMZ got video and pics of Brad in Iceland, prepping for his ride and covering his face with a black ski mask for warmth -- it's summer on the Nordic island, but far from balmy -- then slipping on his helmet and mounting up.

Check out the video -- he pulls out of the parking lot and throttles up his speed, rolling out through the city.

Good news for Alicia Silverstone … it's unlikely she'll die from munching on poisonous berries recently, experts say.

But the toxic Jerusalem cherries the “Clueless” star was seen chomping in a viral TikTok video after plucking them from a London yard ... are not to be messed with.

While there's no evidence in medical literature that anyone has ever died from ingesting these decorative cherry-tomato-looking berries … they can leave healthy adults writhing with stomach pains.

Blake Lively's "It Ends With Us" costar Brandon Sklenar is coming to her defense ... slamming the ongoing gossip about the actress, which has painted her in a negative light.

Brandon addressed the drama Tuesday head on, calling for a ceasefire in the "vilifying" narrative against Blake, "It Ends With Us" author Colleen Hoover, and other women in the cast.

As Brandon put it ... hating on the women of "It Ends With Us" defeats the purpose of the film, which features Blake's character, Lily Bloom, navigating an abusive relationship.

Rob Lowe's frat class is pretty star-studded ... 'cause he says he's forever part of the "Outsiders" fraternity -- with all his costars from 1983 flick in the brotherhood.

The actor reflected on making the iconic Francis Ford Coppola movie back in the day during an interview with People ... touching specifically on turning 18 around a bunch of other guys his age -- and feeling a special kinship with them.

He says the guys on set with him were all his "homies" and "frat brothers" ... and, they brought out super compeitive sides of one another -- especially Tom Cruise who RL says was simply on another level work ethic-wise.

John Aprea, one of the stars of "The Godfather Part II" and "Full House," is dead of natural causes ... TMZ has learned.

His manager Will Levine tells us ... the actor passed away on August 7, at his home in Los Angeles, with family members by his side.

John called his role as young Salvatore Tessio his greatest career achievement. He had originally auditioned to be Michael Corleone in the OG 'Godfather,' which of course went to Al Pacino. But, Francis Ford Coppola called back Aprea for the 1974 sequel.

A cool piece of Hollywood history just changed hands ... the original contract Al Pacino signed for his iconic role as Michael Corleone in "The Godfather Part II."

The contract -- dated May 12, 1972 -- locked Pacino into his return as the infamous mob boss for the sequel. It called for him to be paid $500,000 ... a big bump from the $35,000 he made for the first film.

Pacino's signature, in bold black ink, stands out here ... and the document was drafted by Chal Productions and Francis Ford Coppola Productions.

Brian Cox ain't holding back on superhero flicks ... saying guys like Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds are too talented for 'em -- but, he can't knock them for taking the cash.

The actor spoke at a panel for the Edinburgh International Film Festival in Scotland Saturday ... and, he took a similar line to many Hollywood legends -- saying cinema's gone downhill in recent years, and Marvel's at least partly to blame.

The way Cox puts it, the grandiose nature of the movies has led to a loss of plot ... and, actors are treating it more like one big party than a real challenge.

Blake Lively won't be speaking out about her "It Ends With Us" drama with Justin Baldoni -- no matter how much everyone else keeps squawking about it .. TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Blake is trying to put the beef behind her, and she's instead focusing on the people who've been supporting her through the very public conflict ... namely, cast members and loved ones, including husband Ryan Reynolds.

The movie is an early hit at the box office, but the media tour has been full of drama between Blake and Justin for a slew of reasons.

Sydney Sweeney’s solidifying her Hollywood sex symbol status with a day out on a lake, and despite all that water ... she's feeling thirsty, and damn proud of it.

The actress rocked a super cheeky athletic swimsuit, zipping it down just enough to flaunt her famous cleavage -- but for once, she's shining the spotlight a little further south ... on her booty!

The pics -- taken during a boat outing with friends -- are pretty freaking hot, and intentionally taken from every angle.

Reporter Kjersti Flaa says Blake Lively's "It Ends With Us" drama wasn't on her radar, or at least it wasn't when she uploaded their cringe interview -- instead, she insists it's pure coincidence.

We spoke with Kjersti in the aftermath of her video blowing up ... and she shared further insight into the tense convo, and made it clear she had no ulterior motive when posting the interview online.

Most viewers of the viral clip assumed Kjersti posted the 8 year old exchange in response to Blake's "It Ends With Us" drama with costar and director Justin Baldoni ... but she says it was more innocent than that.

Blake Lively’s dealing with the "It Ends With Us" scandal by putting damage control on ice and turning up the volume on her BFF Taylor Swift's fandom ... 'cause priorities, right?

The actress quipped about her wish for 47-hour-long Tay Tay concerts Wednesday, when a caller on BBC Radio 1’s "Unpopular Opinion" segment suggested cutting "Love Story" from the set list to make room for another lesser-known track from her "Fearless" album.

Blake wasn’t having it ... grilling the caller, asking if they just hated happiness, joy, or even their own ears, with that dry humor of hers ... which hasn't exactly translated well in her past interviews -- but we’ll dive into that tea later.