All posts containing the tag: "statement"
Posted Oct 26th 2009 5:28PM by TMZ Staff
Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson is in hot water with GLAAD -- after the former NFL Pro-Bowler reportedly dropped the homophobic f-bomb twice in the last 24 hours.
President of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Jarrett Barrio is calling for the NFL to take action against Johnson, saying "All too often this is the word that is used to ridicule and harass young gay and transgender athletes on local sports fields across America.
Professional athletes who use this word need to be held accountable for feeding a climate of intolerance toward our community. NFL officials need to take action and condemn this and future uses of this anti-gay epithet."
Earlier today, it was reported Johnson hurled the slur at a group of reporters after he had already used the same f-word to attack someone on Twitter.
Filed under: Talk Sports, Exclusives
Tags: gay bashing, GayBashing, glaad, homophobic, kansas city chiefs, KansasCityChiefs, larry johnson, LarryJohnson, nfl, slur, statement
Posted Oct 14th 2009 6:47PM by TMZ Staff
Just one day after Arnold Schwarzenegger promised "swift action" -- Maria Shriver has issued an apology for her repeated illegal use of her cell phone while driving.
"I'm sorry. I will be donating my favorite old cell phone to my Women's Conference partner Verizon through their HopeLine program that helps domestic violence shelters.
I invite anyone else who wants to recycle their old phone to join me.
That's my version of swift action with a higher purpose."
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Politix, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver
Tags: apology, arnold schwarzenegger, ArnoldSchwarzenegger, cell phone, CellPhone, maria shriver, MariaShriver, statement
Posted Oct 9th 2009 3:12PM by TMZ Staff
The president of The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) just personally issued the following statement, condemning Mickey Rourke for defending the use of the homophobic f-word:
"This is a slur that, regardless of what Mickey Rourke has convinced himself that it means, is often the last word that gay people, and gay youth in particular, hear before they're bullied, harassed or assaulted.
Rourke is showing himself to be painfully ignorant of how this vulgar, abusive slur feeds a climate of anti-gay hatred, intolerance and violence.
Rourke either needs to figure this out, or media needs to stop giving him a platform for promoting these kinds of slurs."
-Jarrett Barrios -
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Mickey Rourke, Exclusives
Tags: glaad, homophobic, mickey rourke, MickeyRourke, statement, The Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, TheGayLesbianAllianceAgainstDefamation
Posted Oct 8th 2009 4:50PM by TMZ Staff
A rep for Dr. Phil just sent TMZ the following statement vehemently denying the TV shrink did anything wrong to the woman accusing him of holding her captive in his offices, forcing her to stare at a naked man and grabbing her breast:
"All of Shirley Rae Dieu's claims are without merit. As with all of the occupants of the DR. PHIL House, Ms. Dieu participated voluntarily, having submitted her personal story with the hope that she could confront, and overcome, her individual issues.
Dr. Phil is never alone in the House with any of these guests and all of his interactions are captured on video and/or audio tape. All guests are, of course, free to come and go as they please and once Ms. Dieu expressed her discomfort, and producers ascertained there was nothing they could do to help her, they called a car service to return her to her home.
Ms. Dieu filed a claim with the Los Angeles Police Department some 9 months after the incident, which was investigated and ultimately not pursued by the Los Angeles City Attorney. All guests of the show are treated with dignity and respect and the show stands by the manner in which she was handled while participating on the show."
Dieu is suing Dr. Phil for an unspecified amount of money.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Dr. Phil
Tags: Dr Phil House, dr. phil, Dr.Phil, DrPhilHouse, lawsuit, shirley rae dieu, ShirleyRaeDieu, statement
Posted Sep 25th 2009 7:19AM by TMZ Staff
So we just got our hands on Randy and Evi Quaid's awesome mug shots -- check out Randy's dapper coat-over-the-shoulder move -- and just for kicks, the Quaids asked the Presidio County Sheriff to send specifically to TMZ two bonus gifts as well.
.
Bonus #1 -- A hand written statement The Quaids scribbled especially for us, which reads in part, "I promise the state of California, Texas does not bother people over hamburgers ordered by room service, supposedly burglarized."
Bonus #2 -- A copy of a cashier's check from the Quaids to the San Ysidro Ranch -- the place they allegedly stiffed -- for $5,546.96.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Exclusives
Tags: evi quaid, EviQuaid, mug shots, MugShots, randy quaid, RandyQuaid, san ysidro, SanYsidro, statement
Posted Sep 7th 2009 9:12AM by TMZ Staff
San Diego Chargers superstar Shawne Merriman is finally speaking about the incident that got him arrested yesterday, telling FoxSports.com that his girlfriend Tila Tequila was drunk and he was only trying to keep her safe.
"On September 6, 2009 the San Diego Sheriff's Department responded to a citizen's complaint that was initiated by Tila Nguyen (aka Tila Tequila). I was taken into custody based upon that complaint. At the time, I was concerned about her welfare given the intoxicated state she appeared to be in and I encouraged her to stay until safe transportation could be provided.
"We would all do our best to help a friend if we considered their actions to be detrimental to their personal safety. I in no way caused any harm to Ms. Nguyen, however, paramedics were called and she was examined but no injuries were reported. She was released and has since returned to Los Angeles, California.
"There have been no charges filed against me. I want to thank the San Diego Sheriff's Department for their professionalism. I will continue to cooperate fully with the Department, and I look forward to clearing my name regarding these false allegations. I want to put this behind me so I can continue to focus on a successful season for the San Diego Chargers."
UPDATE: Tila has Twittered a response to Shawne's allegations -- saying there's no way she could have been drunk because, "I am allergic to alcohol. It has been publicly known for years. That is how I got the name Tila "Tequila" cuz the irony. I cant drink"
Filed under: Celebrity Feuds, Talk Sports, Tila Tequila
Tags: arrest, san diego chargers, SanDiegoChargers, shaun merryman, ShaunMerryman, shawn merriman, shawne merriman, ShawneMerriman, ShawnMerriman, statement, tila tequila, tila tequilla, TilaTequila, TilaTequilla
Posted Sep 3rd 2009 2:55PM by TMZ Staff
Oprah Winfrey is firing back at the comments Chris Brown made about her in the new People Magazine.
Here's the background: People had asked Brown about the fact that Oprah did "a show on abuse, inspired by Rihanna." Chris replied:
"I commend Oprah on being like, 'This is a problem,' but it was a slap in my face. I did a lot of stuff for her, like going to Africa and performing for her school. She could have been more helpful, like, 'Okay, I'm going to help both of these people out.'"
We called Oprah to see how she felt about Brown's statement, and her rep sent us the following response:
"Oprah is very appreciative that Chris Brown performed at her school but she takes domestic abuse very seriously. She hopes he gets the counseling he needs."
Filed under: Oprah, Chris Brown, Exclusives
Tags: abuse, Chris Brown, ChrisBrown, Oprah, statement
Posted Sep 2nd 2009 7:10AM by TMZ Staff
DJ AM's family is asking his fans to not spend their precious cash on flowers -- and instead donate to a couple of charities that were dear to the DJ's heart.
AM's family went to his MySpace page to issue the following statement:
"We appreciate the kind words and support for Adam over the past few days. Due to your inquiries, in lieu of flowers, AM's family would like to suggest making donations to the following charitable organizations: National MS Society, Southern California Chapter ... or Friendly House"
A rep for Friendly House -- an organization dedicated to helping women recover from alcohol and drug abuse -- told us AM "was a supporter of Friendly House and would show up at our luncheons. I am kind of glad we were even mentioned at this awful time."
Filed under: DJ AM
Tags: death, dj am, DjAm, donations, family, floweres, request, statement
Posted Aug 31st 2009 12:28PM by TMZ Staff
TMZ just received the following statement from Miss California USA honcho Keith Lewis, lashing back at the lawsuit Carrie Prejean filed against him this morning for religious discrimination:
"It appears that suits from both sides are now inevitable against the other.
I would guess Carrie sees it as a chance to get publicity for her upcoming book because in the interviews I have seen, she talks about the suit and the book in the same breath.
We have no problem with her selling lots of books - considering in the current situation we could stand to profit from every copy she sells.
For us, it has never been about her beliefs and we have always just wanted to move on.
But it seems like Carrie really has nothing new to talk about or anything new in her life so the impression is she just keeps looking for ways to rehash her position as a victim because of her onstage answer."
UPDATE: Keith just added a bit more ... "I guess hell hath no fury like a Miss without her crown. We're all looking forward to a less litigious party when we crown the next Miss California USA November 22."
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Carrie Prejean, Exclusives
Tags: Carrie Prejean, CarriePrejean, lawsuit, Miss California USA, MissCaliforniaUsa, statement
Posted May 7th 2009 12:31PM by TMZ Staff
Manny Ramirez just released the following statement regarding his 50 game suspension for violating the MLB drug policy:
"Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me.
Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy, that mistake is now my responsibility. I've been advised not to say anything more for now.
I do want to say one other thing; I've taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past 5 seasons.
I want to apologize to Mr. McCourt, Mrs. McCourt, Mr. Torre, my teammates, the Dodger organization, and to the Dodger fans. L.A. is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I'm sorry about this whole situation."
According to the MLB Players Association, Manny has waived his right to challenge that suspension.
Los Angeles Dodgers CEO Jamie McCourt issued the following statement in reaction to today's statement: "We share the disappointment felt by our fans, our players, and every member of our organization. We support the policies of Major League Baseball, and we will welcome Manny back upon his return."
Filed under: Talk Sports
Tags: drugs, Los Angeles Dodgers, LosAngelesDodgers, major league baseball, MajorLeagueBaseball, manny ramirez, MannyRamirez, mlb, statement, steroids, suspended, suspension
Posted Apr 14th 2009 12:30AM by TMZ Staff
Fabio's "failed brakes" excuse didn't cut it with the owners of the Ferrari he crashed this weekend -- because they just released a statement saying the car wasn't to blame for the accident.
World Class Driving's statement: "After preliminary investigation, World Class Driving found the car was in excellent working condition prior to the incident and that brake failure was not an issue."
And to make matters more interesting, WCD also said: "The car in question also has computer data logging that is in the process of being checked to determine what caused the incident."
Filed under: Let's Get This Party Started
Tags: crash, fabio, ferrari, model, statement, world class driving, WorldClassDriving, wreck
Posted Mar 25th 2009 5:49PM by TMZ Staff
Kobe and Vanessa Bryant are striking back at the maid who accused Vanessa of various abuse on the job -- including an alleged incident where the maid was forced to stick her hand into a bag of dog crap.
The Bryant's lawyers, Loeb & Loeb LLP, just released the following statement on behalf of the couple:
We have learned that a former employee of the Bryants, Maria Jimenez, has filed a complaint against our clients. Ms. Jimenez's outrageous allegations of improper conduct are totally unfounded and patently false. The Bryants intend to vigorously defend against these untruthful allegations and are confident that the baseless nature of the allegations will be proven.
Filed under: Talk Sports, Kobe Bryant
Tags: kobe bryant, KobeBryant, lawsuit, lawyers, Loeb Loeb, LoebLoeb, maria jimenez, MariaJimenez, statement, sued, vanessa bryant, VanessaBryant
Posted Mar 3rd 2009 2:50PM by TMZ Staff
TMZ has obtained the THREE 911 calls by the woman who couldn't get a refund after a McDonald's in Florida ran out of McNuggets.
UPDATE -- A rep for McD's tells TMZ, "Satisfying each and every customer that visits our restaurants is very important to us. Regarding this isolated incident, we apologize for the inconvenience caused. In the event that we are unable to fill an order, a customer should be offered the choice of a full refund or alternative menu items. We regret that in this instance, that wasn't the case.
We want to correct our mistake. We will be sending the customer her refund, along with an invitation to return for her original order, on us. We never want to disappoint a McNuggets fan or any McDonald's customer. Customer satisfaction is our top priority."
Filed under: Wacky & Weird, Food Glorious Food
Tags: 911, 911 call, 911Call, apology, chickne mcnugget, ChickneMcnugget, happy meal, HappyMeal, mcdonalds, mcnugget, statement
Posted Feb 20th 2009 5:11PM by TMZ Staff
Reps for Rihanna released this statement today on her behalf:
"At the request of the authorities, Rihanna is not commenting about the incident involving Chris Brown. She wants to assure her fans that she remains strong, is doing well, and deeply appreciates the outpouring of support she has received during this difficult time."
Filed under: Music, Rihanna, Chris Brown
Tags: chris brown, ChrisBrown, rihanna, Rihannas camp, RihannasCamp, Robyn Fenty, RobynFenty, statement
