Soulja Boy Kanye Wasted My Time On 'Donda' And, He's a Coward for Not Calling Me

8/30/21
BE ACCOUNTABLE, YE
TMZ.com

Soulja Boy is still steaming over being left off Kanye West's new album ... telling us Ye is nothing but a time waster and a coward!

We got Soulja at a Shell gas station in Calabasas on Monday and asked him about getting cut from "Donda" ... and the rapper didn't hold back.

Soulja says Kanye totally wasted his time by reaching out to him for a collab on Ye's new track, "Remote Control," before ultimately leaving SB's verse on the cutting room floor.

What's more, Soulja is ballistic Kanye was, as he says, spinning fake stories on social media about the album's release.

He says he's especially ticked off Ye didn't have the courage to personally call him and explain why he was cut.

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Soulja says he's got plenty of better things to do than link up with Kanye for work that never sees the light of day ... but he tells us why he's still open to working with Ye in the future.

Kristin Cavallari Dating Chase Rice ... But Keeping it Casual

Jay Cutler might be having problems playing the field after splitting with Kristin Cavallari, but she's doing just fine ... TMZ's learned she's dating a big country star.

According to our sources ... Kristin and singer Chase Rice have been seeing each other for about 2 months now, though we're told it's pretty low-key and casual so far.

Our sources say they've been talking and hanging out pretty regularly, getting to know each other, but seem to be heading toward that territory best described as smitten with each other.

We're told Chase and Kristin were introduced through a mutual friend in Nashville -- where they both live most of the time -- and hit it off, but their relationship isn't exclusive just yet.

DATING DRAMA
Uncut with Jay Cutler/PodcastOne

As we reported ... Cutler recently admitted he's not had much fun back in the dating world since he and Cavallari officially called it quits in April 2020, describing the scene as "hard as hell."

Jay described the many challenges he's faced, including the major change of using apps and social media platforms to court women, adding ... "I'm at a different phase of my life now with kids and priorities are just changed."

Speaking of kids ... our sources with knowledge of Kristin's situation say Chase hasn't met hers yet.

As we first told you, Kristin also had a fling with comedian Jeff Dye after the Cutler breakup, but they broke it off after about 5 months.

Backpack Kid 'Memba Him?!

Georgia native Russell Horning -- or better known as Backpack Kid -- was a young teenager when he began to gain fame for his viral video comprised of original dance moves on social media ... but it wasn't until superstar Rihanna shared BK's vids on Instagram that the young dancer's popularity really caught fire.

Once Backpack Kid's signature dance move The Floss wiggled its way into pop culture the flossy teen was spotted on Saturday Night Live alongside Katy Perry as she performed her 2017 dance single "Swish Swish."

Backpack Kid is now a backpack adult and is focused on his fitness routine.

Guess what he looks like now shirtless and shredded!

Ellen DeGeneres Buys Beverly Hills Home ... Expensive Fixer-Upper!!!

Ellen DeGeneres just expanded her real estate portfolio ... scooping up a home in Beverly Hills.

Our real estate sources tell us the talk show host dropped a cool $8.5 million for the 5-bedroom, 4-bathroom home.

The place is 4,614 square feet and it looks like a fixer-upper. Real talk ... the home looks dated. It was built way back in 1961 and has been through at least one renovation.

Ellen closed escrow on the place Friday. It's got a pool, fire pit, chef's kitchen and lush gardens. Some of the rooms are even heated by furnaces.

She'll have some famous neighbors ... among them, Adele and Cameron Diaz.

It's the second home purchase in as many months for Ellen ... as we reported, she threw down $2.9 million back in June for a 2-bedroom pad in Santa Barbara.

Ellen's pretty familiar with Bev Hills real estate ... she recently sold a 2-story monster of a property she bought from Adam Levine.

Celeb realtor Kurt Rappaport repped Ellen in her latest purchase ... the home was sold by Tori Barnao and Aaron Kirman with the Aaron Kirman Group at Compass.

Orange County, CA Teacher Suggests Students Pledge Allegiance ... To Pride Rainbow Flag

PRIDEFUL PLEDGE
@MrsGillingsworth / TikTok

A Southern California teacher is in the hot seat for suggesting her students pledge allegiance to the Pride flag ... instead of the American flag.

The lady's name is Kristin Pitzen, and she works for the Newport Mesa School District in Orange County -- which can lean pretty conservative compared to L.A. To that point, she apparently pissed off a lot of parents and Twitter users over this video she posted.

Check it out ... Pitzen says she packed away the U.S. flag in her classroom during COVID -- because it made her uncomfortable -- and hasn't been able to find it (nor does she seem to want to). The lady's giggling through her story pretty much the whole way through.

Fast-forward to the 2021 school year, where she says some students -- at least those who've chosen to partake, that is -- have asked what they're supposed to pledge allegiance to during the morning announcements ... seeing how Pitzen still hasn't gotten Old Glory back up yet.

She jokingly says she told one of the students who asked her that ... well, there's one flag they could pledge to if they wanted -- and pans to the rainbow flag behind her.

The video has reportedly triggered outrage in the community for a variety of reasons -- some feel like she's "indoctrinating" their children while others feel she was just outright disrespectful to the flag and the U.S. by extension ... especially hurtful during this Afghanistan moment.

The district says they're investigating and will be "taking action" -- as they pride themselves in teaching patriotism -- but it's honestly unclear what, if anything, they'll actually do to her.

Jake Paul I'm Retired ... After Beating Woodley

UPDATE

3:46 PM PT -- Sunday night was the last time Paul will EVER step back in the ring ... at least, that's what he's saying on Twitter -- claiming he's now a "retired boxer."

UPDATE

Take this with a grain of salt -- Paul's been known to take a page out of Conor McGregor's book ... and who knows how many times that guy's retired and un-retired.

UPDATE

Then again, there are reports the fight had INSANE Pay-Per-View numbers, which means Paul will get a fat paycheck ... but still, the guy's only 24 and is one of the top paid fighters in the sport.

UPDATE

So ... see you soon, Jake??

Jake Paul just beat future UFC Hall of Famer Tyron Woodley via a split decision victory -- and then the fighters seemingly agreed to a rematch in the ring.

24-year-old Paul fought a good fight ... and was the more active fighter over the 8 rounds.

Woodley had his share of positive moments ... stunning Paul near the middle of the 4th round.

After the fight, during the post-fight interview -- which went down in front of a packed house at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland (Jake's hometown) -- the guys came face-to-face and seemed to agree to a rematch.

The condition ... if Woodley got the "I Love Jake Paul" tattoo done.

The action wasn't just in the ring ... stars like Dave Chappelle, Dustin Poirier, Andre Berto and a bunch of Olympians from Ohio were in the building.

Chappelle was REALLY into the fight ... jumping up-and-down behind the ring for nearly the entire scrap.

Paul said Woodley put up a better fight than he expected ... but called the split decision "bulls**t."

And, Jake won in more way than one ... sharing a post-fight kiss with GF Julia Rose.

As for the rest of the card ... Tyson Fury's bro, Tommy Fury won a 4-round unanimous decision victory over Anthony Taylor.

After getting his 1st dub on American soil, Tommy called out Jake ... challenging him to a fight.

Originally Published -- 8/29 9:16 PM PT

Matthew Mindler Child Actor's Death Ruled Suicide

Matthew Mindler, the child actor known for his role in "Our Idiot Brother," died by suicide ... according to officials.

The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office tells TMZ ... Mindler's manner of death has been ruled suicide, but the cause of death is still pending toxicology results.

We broke the story ... Matthew's college, Millersville University in Pennsylvania, confirmed his death with an announcement to the student body Saturday. It said he was found deceased that morning in Manor Township near the campus.

The first-year student had not been seen since Tuesday night after failing to return to his dorm room, and was reported missing late Wednesday.

Along with his role in "Our Idiot Brother" alongside Paul Rudd, Mindler also appeared in a sketch on "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" in 2015 and had a few other acting credits to his name.

He was 19.

RIP

Lil Nas X Skatin' Around W/ Tony Hawk No Bad Blood Here!!!

Lil Nas X wants the world to know he has no beef with Tony Hawk -- 'cause the rapper hung out and skated with the legend ... just days after calling out the double standard between his Satan shoes and Hawk's blood-painted skateboard.

Of course, Hawk teamed up with Liquid Death to sell limited edition "Blood Deck" skateboards painted with his blood earlier this month ... which was met with not nearly as much backlash as LNX's kicks with bloody soles.

While Hawk's boards aren't laden with satanic imagery, LNX's shoes are ... but he still felt the outrage was actually for another reason, not the fact that they were demonic as hell (ha).

"Now that tony hawk has released skateboards with his blood painted on them, and there was no public outrage, are y’all ready to admit y’all were never actually upset over the blood in the shoes? LNX said on Twitter, "and maybe u were mad for some other reason?"

But, the two made it clear they are not about to get in an all-out bloodbath over the controversial items ... with LNX rocking his Satan Shoes and Hawk holding his blood board as they posed for a pic!!

Hawk even came up with a clever name for the duo ... saying, "blood brothers?"

Hawk and LNX made a TikTok together ... with the artist pretending to ride down a halfpipe.

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Despite the outrage over the blood, the guys aren't doing anything too groundbreaking -- after all, legendary guitarist Steve Vai did this way back in 2000 with his "JEM Y2K DNA" models, which are super collectible and painted with his own blood, too.

Maybe Hawk and Lil Nas X can bring him along for the fun next time??

'RHOA' Star Kenya Moore Hand Her Those Dancing Shoes ... Joining 'DWTS'!!!

Kenya Moore is going to be super busy soon, because she's about to join the cast of another TV show ... and show off her ballroom moves!!!

The 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star is joining the cast of "Dancing With The Stars" for the show's upcoming 30th season on ABC ... according to our production sources.

As you know Kenya has been a full-time housewife for the past 10 seasons on 'RHOA' ... so it will be interesting to see how she fares on the dance floor -- particularly compared to some of her contemporaries.

Kenya joins a long line of 'Housewives' who have been on 'DWTS' over the years ... including Nene Leakes, Lisa Vanderpump, Erika Jayne, Kim Zolciak-Biermann and Lisa Rinna.

'DWTS' has not revealed its full cast for the season yet -- but as we reported, 18-year-old Team USA medalist Suni Lee is joining the fold fresh off her gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Singer JoJo Siwa is also dancing this season.

Sharon Stone 11-Month-Old Nephew Dies ... After Organ Failure

Sharon Stone has lost someone near and dear to her -- her baby nephew, River, has died ... just days after she announced his organs had given out on him.

The actress provided a tragic update Monday, saying the 11-month-old had passed away ... and posting a video tribute in his honor. She lists his DOB as Sept. 8, 2020, and his death as Aug. 30 ... so the kid was just a week or so shy of his first birthday.

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It's unclear what led to River's organ failure to begin with -- but it was quite clear he was in dire need of immediate life-saving measures just last week ... when Sharon posted a photo of him hooked up to a ton of tubes in the hospital and asking for prayers.

All she wrote at the time about the circumstances was, "My nephew and godson River Stone was found in his crib w total organ failure today. Please pray for him. We need a miracle."

River is the son of Sharon's brother, Patrick, and his wife, Tasha. Sharon was a proud auntie -- posting pics of the newborn when he came into the world. It's been a rough year for the Stone family all around ... Sharon also lost her grandmother and godmother in the pandemic.

RIP

Dave Chappelle Loses It At Paul-Woodley FIght 'Do It For the Culture!!!'

DAVE'S TIPS
TMZSports.com

"Tyron, let your hands go! F*** it!!!"

If you were wondering what Dave Chappelle was yelling during the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley fight, TMZ Sports has you covered ... 'cause we just got video of the comedy legend in the stands Sunday night -- and it's hilarious!!!

Of course, DC had ringside seats for the big event ... which means his every move was picked up by cameras on the Pay-Per-View broadcast -- from yelling to clapping and REALLY getting into the fight.

No matter how loud Chappelle was cheering, there was no way the mics were gonna be able to pick up exactly what he was saying ... but after checking out these vids, taken by Anthony Jones, we wish they did!

Before the fight, DC led an Ohio State-classic "OH-IO" chant -- after all, the fight was in Cleveland ... so we're sure there were plenty of Buckeyes in the stands.

Next, he took his focus to the fighters ... giving out some hilarious advice.

"Jake, grab his cheeks!!!," DC said, which is a reference to Paul recently complimenting Tyron's "big booty" and saying he wanted to squeeze his ass.

DC was then shouting for Woodley to let his hands go and throw some punches ... saying, "From Ferguson, Missouri, let them hands go!"

"This is for the culture, this is for the culture!!!"

Chappelle's cheerleading didn't really help, though ... as Jake secured a split decision win.

But, DC didn't seem too worried about it -- he actually linked up with the Paul bros after the fight and said he wanted free tickets to the rest of their fights!!!

SWITCHING SIDES
@jakepaul / Instagram

KORN'S JONATHAN DAVIS Still Struggling from COVID ... Needs Oxygen Onstage

CRANKING UP WITH COVID
TMZ.com

Korn lead singer Jonathan Davis is gutting it out onstage as he continues to recover from the coronavirus -- he needed an oxygen mask onstage just to get through a performance.

Jonathan and Korn returned to the stage Friday night in the Chicago suburb of Tinley Park after canceling a bunch of shows when he contracted COVID-19 earlier this month -- and it's clear he's still struggling with the lingering aftereffects.

Video shows Jonathan taking occasional breaks to suck in SOME pure O2 between songs, and he spent the majority of the concert sitting down on a huge throne.

Korn guitarist Brian Welch says Jonathan's still feeling "physically weak and having a mental battle" ... and he's drawing on the energy from fans.

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Jonathan confirmed as much to the crowd, saying ... "I'm f****** feeling very weak but I f****** refuse to f****** cancel!!!"

Worth noting ... Cook County, Illinois recently issued a new indoor mask mandate due to surging COVID cases -- but bands are playing on, as you can see.

Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley Bomb Threat At Fight ... Caller Claimed 17 Devices Planted In Arena

An hour before Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley took the ring Sunday night, a man contacted police and said he planted 17 bombs around the arena and was going to blow the place up, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to a police incident report, cops got a call from a person claiming to be from Afghanistan around 10:15 PM ... stating he placed pipe bombs underneath the stage, in the bathrooms and under seats at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, where the fight went down.

The man -- who said the bombs were going to go off in minutes -- told cops he was targeting non-believers, who he believed should be killed. He told police Paul was a non-believer.

The caller stated he planted the devices 1.5 hours before the event started.

At one point, the caller told authorities they should evacuate the arena ... as the bombs were about to detonate.

FYI, there were reportedly about 16,000 fans in the buiilding.

Police dispatched the bomb unit -- including a bomb sniffing K9 -- and swept the building.

Thankfully, it seems it was an empty threat or terrible prank ... 'cause no explosive devices were located.

A police spokesperson told us no arrests have been made ... and the investigation is ongoing.

As for the action in the ring, Paul beat Woodley via split decision. The fighters seemed to agree to a rematch -- assuming Woodley gets a tattoo that says "I Love Jake Paul" on his leg.

Offset Rings the NASDAQ Bell in NYC ... To Celebrate RSVR's IPO

offset goes bull
TMZ.com

Offset is going from Main Street to Wall Street -- and he's doing it with his wifey by his side ... as they celebrate their music publishing company going public.

The rapper couple was on hand Monday at the NYSE in Times Square to do the honors of ringing the opening bell. Well, Offset did anyway ... but Cardi B was right there too for moral support. They posed for some photo-ops too as they hyped their new venture.

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If you hadn't heard, Offset and the Migos' music catalog now belongs to Reservoir Media -- or RSVR -- which has snapped up a ton of masters and rights for a variety of artists in recent months, this as they were ramping up for an IPO last month.

The company hit the exchange in July, but now -- a month later -- the Wall Street heads invited Offset, Cardi and other Reservoir investors for a belated celebration ... and let 'em have some fun with the age-old bell-ringing tradition in the process.

HANDLIN' MY BUSINESS
TMZ.com

We got Offset on his way out, and he made it pretty clear that this is something he's excited to be a part of -- not just because it's one the first female-led businesses of its kind to put itself out there, but because there's something in it for him and other musicians.

The idea behind Reservoir, it seems, is putting the power of publishing and control back into the actual artists' hands, and based on what Offset says here ... he's all about that.

Good stuff ... and pretty wild to see worlds colliding like this. Congrats!!!

Veteran Sheepdogs of America Prez Pleads for Help ... Needs $1.6M to Get Pups Outta Kabul

THE CLOCK IS TICKING
TMZ.com
UPDATE

4:21 PM PT -- Joshua tells us they've reached the $1.4 million mark with two big donors to still come through, he's confident they'll hit their goal of $1.67 million.

UPDATE

10:19 AM PT -- We had Hosler on TMZ Live who tells us the group is essentially in the 11th hour, and desperate to raise the remaining funds and evacuate the dogs. If interested, you can donate here.

As people continue to scramble to flee Afghanistan, so too are a number of four-legged allies ... and one guy's nonprofit is in desperate need of a major donor to make it happen.

His name's Joshua Hosler, President of Veteran Sheepdogs of America ... which is working frantically right now to help evacuate dozens of military dogs used by U.S. service members and others in and around Kabul, which don't seem to have many options for getting out.

SAVE THE DOGS
@veteransheepdogs / TikTok

He posted a TikTok video explaining the dire sitch -- with a photo of a ton of carrying crates in front of a chopper. Josh says this is just a fraction of the dogs left behind in the mass pull-out. There are military personnel on the ground that Josh is currently working with to coordinate a rescue, but the bottom line is ... he needs resources (like a 737 plane) which ain't cheap.

JH shoots his shots with the multi-millionaires and billionaires of the world -- including guys like Musk and Gates -- who could presumably cut a check for at least $1.67 million to fund an aircraft that could accommodate all these dogs to land somewhere outside the country.

THE CURRENT SITUATION
@TommyAmenta / Twitter

Sounds like some active armed forces members are vouching for him online -- telling folks he isn't a fraudster or anything of the sort, and that he and his cause do, in fact, need all the help (and money) they can get ... thanking him for his sainthood in the process.

Based on @VetSheepdogsUS's tweets, it seems like things are coming down to the wire. The account last wrote some 8 hours ago, "We were told just now if the dogs aren't on the plane we will be forced to leave them in hanger! WE NEED A MIRACLE!"

Originally Published -- 7:09 AM PT

Kanye West 'Donda' Downs Competition on Apple Music #1 in 130 Countries!!!

Kanye West's long-awaited "Donda" album has been worth the added wait for the rapper ... it's Apple Music's top album in 130 countries, the most #1 entries in history.

As we reported ... after delaying the release of his 10th studio album for several weeks and keeping fans on pins and needles as he continued to hold "Donda" listening parties, it finally came out this weekend -- but not without drama.

First, Ye posted texts suggesting a recent holdup was due to DaBaby not signing the necessary releases to clear his verse for the song "Jail, Pt. 2" ... but that was later cleared up and his verse was added.

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However, Kanye also claimed Sunday that the album was put out by his label, UMG, without his approval and they blocked "Jail pt. 2" from being included ... but it is included on both Apple and Spotify.

Speaking of Spotify ... Kanye's album's doing work there too -- his "Jail" track featuring Jay-Z and Francis and the Lights debuted at #1 on the U.S. Spotify chart with 4.277 million streams. That's the biggest debut for any song this year.

AUGUST 2021
DONDA TAKES CHICAGO
TMZ.com

So, love it or hate it -- and we know there are plenty of people who certainly hate it -- "Donda" is a huge success so far ... and sets up a major showdown with Drake this week.

His new album, "Certified Lover Boy," comes out this Friday ... which could make for some more spicy beef.

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