Tag: hollywood

Famed sheriff Buford Pusser who inspired Hollywood’s ‘Walking Tall’ actually murdered his wife, investigators now say

A late Tennessee sheriff who inspired a Hollywood movie about a law enforcement officer who took on organized crime killed his wife in 1967 and led people to believe she was murdered by his enemies, authorities in Tennessee said Friday.

The finding will likely shock many who grew up as Buford Pusser fans and watched the 1973 “Walking Tall” movie that immortalized him as a tough but fair sheriff with zero tolerance for crime, authorities said.

There is enough evidence that if then-McNairy County Sheriff Buford Pusser were alive today, prosecutors would present an indictment to the grand jury for the murder of Pauline Mullins Pusser, said Mark Davidson, the district attorney for Tennessee’s 25th judicial district.

Investigators also uncovered signs she suffered from domestic violence.

Prosecutors worked with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which began reexamining decades-old files on Pauline’s death in 2022 as part of its regular review of cold cases, agency director David Rausch said.

Agents found inconsistencies between Buford Pusser’s version of events and the physical evidence, received a tip about a potential murder weapon and exhumed Pauline’s body for an autopsy.

Authorities acknowledged the news may shock many who grew up as Buford Pusser’s fans and watched the 1973 “Walking Tall” movie he inspired or the 2004 remake.

Many officers joined law enforcement because of his story, Davidson said.

The sheriff died in a car crash seven years after his wife’s death.

“This case is not about tearing down a legend. It is about giving dignity and closure to Pauline and her family and ensuring that the truth is not buried with time,” Davidson said at a news conference streamed on Facebook.

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Will Smith Accused Of Using AI-Generated Clips In Alleged “Fake” Concert Footage

Will Smith is facing backlash after fans accused him of using AI-generated footage in a recent Instagram post promoting his Based On A True Story Tour.

The video, shared on Aug. 12, shows Smith performing his motivational anthem “You Can Make It” in front of what appears to be a massive, adoring crowd, complete with waving signs and fans singing along.

In the clip, Smith is seen walking along the stage, eventually climbing a barricade as the camera pans to dozens of cheering concertgoers.

Many fans are holding signs, some featuring personal messages and tributes about how the star’s music and story have impacted their lives. Alongside the video, Smith captioned, “My favorite part of tour is seeing you all up close.”

However, viewers were quick to question the authenticity of the crowd, pointing out unnatural elements like extra fingers, distorted faces, and inconsistent hand shapes — hallmarks of generative AI content.

One skeptical user wrote, “Imagine using AI and generating a sign about Cancer. This is absolute [clown] behavior.” Another added, “An AI crowd being posted on the official page is maaaad embarrassing.”

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LA’s secret celebrity tunnel was just a rumor. Until workers found it.

In its near-century of existence, Chateau Marmont — a faux French castle perched on a hill near the entrance of West Hollywood’s Sunset Strip — has kept countless secrets for the artists, actors and other icons that have stalked its halls. It has also held a few mysteries of its own, including a long-rumored secret tunnel. 

Famously, the bohemian playground-slash-hotel doesn’t allow photos in its public spaces so that guests can unwind away from the outside world’s prying eyes. (Not that it’s ever stopped paparazzi from lurking on the sidewalk right outside.) As such, Chateau Marmont’s reputation as a comforting haven has made it a Hollywood favorite, with film director Billy Wilder once describing its appeal this way: “I would rather sleep in a bathroom than in another hotel.”

Every once in a while, though, fizzy tales do manage to trickle outside Chateau’s secretive walls, such as when Lindsay Lohan reportedly racked up a staggering $46,000 tab from her extensive stay there, or when Doors rocker Jim Morrison scaled the rooftops of the hotel’s bungalows late at night throughout the 1960s. 

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Senators Blackburn, Warnock team up on bill to give entertainment industry some tax relief

U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Raphael Warnock are usually on opposite sides of the aisle, but they are teaming up on a bill that would give the entertainment industry some tax relief.

The Creative Relief and Expensing for Audio and Television Enterprises Act, dubbed CREATE, would extend a $150,000 tax credit for production expenses incurred by entertainers, singers and songwriters through 2030. The credit is set to expire at the end of the year with an extension from Congress.

“Thousands of singers and songwriters call Tennessee home, and they should be able to write off recording production expenses that are critical to their work,” said Blackburn a Tennessee Republican. “The CREATE Act would support creators and keep America’s music industry strong by ensuring they can still count on this tax relief.”

Georgia has become a hub for filming television series and movies. More than 550 productions were made in Georgia in the past three years, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development. During fiscal year 2025, which ended June 30, film and television productions spent $2.3 billion.

“From productions like The Color Purple, to The Hunger Games, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Georgia has become a national leader in the arts and entertainment industry,” said Warnock, a Georgia Democrat. “Our continued investments in incentivizing domestic production for film, television, and music benefit our culture and our economy.”

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This Hollywood-Backed Bill Would Give Government Power To Block Websites

Lawmakers in Washington are once again attempting to give the United States a legal pathway to block websites, a power the federal government has never officially held on a broad scale.

The latest push comes in the form of the Block Bad Electronic Art and Recording Distributors Act, better known as “Block BEARD,” introduced in the Senate by Thom Tillis, Chris Coons, Marsha Blackburn, and Adam Schiff.

We obtained a copy of the bill for you here.

On its face, the bill targets foreign websites accused of piracy. But the mechanism it creates would establish something far more significant: a formal, court-approved process that could be used to make entire websites vanish from the American internet.

Under the proposal, copyright owners could go to federal court to have a site labeled a “foreign digital piracy site.” If successful, the court could then order US service providers to block access to that site.

The reach is broad. The term “service provider” here mirrors the broad definition in the DMCA, potentially covering everything from ISPs and search engines to social media platforms, and perhaps even VPNs.

Proponents say this is about protecting the entertainment industry. In reality, it’s about setting a precedent. Once the government has a tool to block certain sites, history shows the definition of “unacceptable” content can expand. Piracy today could easily become something else tomorrow.

The ramifications go beyond the music and movie business. If courts can order an ISP to make a site disappear from view, the same logic could eventually apply to other types of content deemed problematic.

And because the bill has no public transparency requirements, the public could be kept entirely in the dark about which sites are blocked, why they’re blocked, or how long the blocks remain in place.

Supporters in the entertainment industry, including the RIAA and Motion Picture Association, are openly cheering the bill, pointing to similar measures overseas they claim have worked without harming free speech.

But the US is not the same as other countries. The First Amendment’s protection of speech and access to information means this kind of censorship tool carries far more constitutional baggage here than it does elsewhere.

What Block BEARD really represents is a milestone. If passed, it would be the first time the US creates a standing legal process for cutting off access to entire websites at the network level.

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Blake Lively Wants Names and IP Addresses

Blake Lively has decided that the best way to respond to online gossip and criticism is with subpoenas, lots of them. With a move that suggests her legal team spent a weekend watching “Enemy of the State,” Lively is now targeting 36 content creators, from high-profile commentators to pseudonymous hobbyists, all over rumors she says were part of a smear effort.

Some of the targets have large followings. Others barely register on the algorithm. One runs a YouTube astrology channel with fewer than 300 subscribers at the time of the subpoena. All are now being asked to turn over a wide array of personal and financial data, as if they were co-conspirators in a criminal probe instead of people who post opinions from their bedrooms.

The case, Lively v. Wayfarer Studios LLC, is already a headache in itself, but this new front seems designed less to resolve the actual lawsuit and more to comb through the internet for anything unflattering.

We obtained a copy of the Google subpoena for you here.

We obtained a copy of the TikTok subpoena for you here.

We obtained a copy of the X subpoena for you here.

If you’re out of the loop, Blake Lively is suing Wayfarer Studios, its co-founder Justin Baldoni, and several others, alleging sexual harassment, workplace misconduct, breach of contract, and a coordinated retaliation campaign designed to destroy her reputation.

According to the complaint, Lively raised concerns about repeated inappropriate behavior by Baldoni and Wayfarer executives during production of It Ends With Us. After the film was completed, she claims Baldoni and his team launched a covert “social manipulation” campaign to discredit her using fake grassroots content, crisis PR firms, and anonymous online posts, which she describes as a well-funded digital smear effort.

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Actor Jeff Daniels Hopes Trump Supporters Suffer Financially “I Hope You’re Losing Tons of Money”

Far-left actor Jeff Daniels is living up to his role as the inept and bumbling Harry Dunne from ‘Dumb & Dumber’ with his latest screed on anyone who dares to embrace beliefs outside of Hollywood’s radical left orthodoxy.

In a new interview with Nicolle Wallace for her podcast, “The Best People,” Daniels says he hopes Republicans who voted for President Donald Trump will lose a lot of money.

Daniels also fantasized about what could have been with a Kamala win, including the horrifying longing of having Liz Cheney as Secretary of State.

“I still think about Kamala, and how I think she would have been a good choice. I don’t care what they say, because she would have done what Lincoln did. Liz Cheney would have been Secretary of State.”

“But when Mitch [McConnell] started stacking the courts 25 years ago, I said it on your show once, they can see it coming,” Daniels said.

“The new America that is diverse and treats everyone with equality and respect and dignity, you know, kind of like Jesus did. We’re ready for that.”

“And Mitch and company could see it coming. They were going to be the minority, so they just started and then here we are, and now you got it, and now you’re losing money,” Daniels continued.

“I hope you’re losing tons of money, those of you who thought this would be OK,” Daniels went on. “My question is, what are you guys going to do about it?”

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‘American Idol’ Double MurderSuspect Arrested in Wild New PhotosMore Than a Dozen Cops Surround Him

The man suspected of killing an “American Idol” music supervisor and her husband was taken into custody yesterday … and, TMZ has obtained pictures of the arrest.

The photos show 22-year-old Raymond Boodarian standing in front of a row of garages at a residential complex, with numerous cops surrounding him … no shirt on and his hands cuffed behind his back.

The pictures are all taken from behind Boodarian, so you can’t see his face. One garage door behind the group is open … though it’s unclear if that’s where he came from.

As we told you … Boodarian was arrested Tuesday after law enforcement sources told us they found fingerprints at the house of Robin Kaye and her husband, Thomas Deluca, that matched the suspect.

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‘American Idol’ boss, husband executed in their $4.5 million home in gory double murder

A boss on “American Idol” and her husband were executed in a suspected double murder inside their $4.5 million Los Angeles home, cops said.

Robin Kaye, an award-winning music supervisor for the hit competition show, was found slaughtered along with her musician husband, Thomas Deluca, after an apparent break-in at their house in the upscale Encino neighborhood, a Los Angeles Police Department source told TMZ.

Both were 70.

The couple’s bodies were found during a “welfare check” Monday afternoon after they had not been heard from in four days, the LAPD said.

Both victims had what appeared to be gunshot wounds to the head. 

“There is no suspect information at this time. LAFD responded and pronounced the victims deceased at scene. The motive is unknown. The investigation is ongoing,” the department told The Post.

Kaye was found dead in the pantry, and Deluca in the bathroom, NBC Los Angeles reported.

Officers also found blood in the entryway and a broken window, which the killer possibly used to get inside.

The home was apparently not ransacked, pointing away from the possibility of a burglary, authorities told TMZ.

Aerial footage of the house from ABC 7 showed what looked like a smashed sliding glass door.

The cops were called to the house Thursday after neighbors spotted a suspicious person hopping the fence, but officers found no evidence of foul play.

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Eco-Hypocrites Take Hundreds Of Private Jets To Bezos Wedding

Around a hundred private jets carrying celebrities have descended on Italy to deliver eco-hypocrites including Leonardo DiCaprio, Oprah Winfrey and Bill Gates to the wedding of tech billionaire Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez.

Bezos is holding a three day event, yes three days, in Venice at a cost of somewhere in the region of $50-100 million.

While the exact same people lecture you about taking the occasional economy flight for a family getaway, they’re literally chartering their own carbon spewing flights just for themselves to attend a piss up.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez are getting married in Venice, and the three-day wedding celebration will bring in nearly 100 private jets and a guest list full of billionaires and celebrities, including Oprah and Leonardo DiCaprio, Mercury News reports.

Streets have been closed, boats rerouted, and security teams stationed across the city for the event, taking place from June 26-28. Now, people who live there — and plenty of others online — are calling the whole thing over-the-top and extremely out of touch.

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