The 2 men who sued Michael Jackson's estate and were the subject of the gut-wrenching "Leaving Neverland" documentary ... are set to get their day in court to press their sexual abuse claims against the singer's estate.
As you may know ... Wade Robson and James Safechuck sued MJ for sexual abuse, but their lawsuits were dismissed in 2017 -- partly due to the statute of limitations. Both men appealed their rulings and the cases have been stuck in appellate court ... until now.
We've learned the California Court of Appeal just issued a tentative ruling which would overturn the dismissals, on grounds a new California law extended the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse cases. That means Robson and Safechuck can have their cases heard before a jury.
It's not a done deal. As we said, the ruling is tentative. Oral arguments are set for this week, and the justices could change their minds, but typically the tentative ruling stands.
Now the MJ Estate has a number of other objections to claims, which will be addressed by the trial judge.
Wade and James' story aired on HBO in January, and their molestation claims sparked a movement to mute Michael Jackson and further tarnished his legacy. Jackson's family called "Leaving Neverland" an unfair "public lynching."
We reached out to reps from the MJ Estate and reps for the alleged victims. They all had no comment.
7:52 PM PT -- Kanye's Sunday Service at the Lakewood Church is winding down, and it was quite a show that the choir/collective put on ... with a late-game surge from Ye himself.
The performance went on for 2-plus hours, and the choir did a bunch of covers, including some of Kanye's tracks -- past and present -- as well as some other classic songs they remixed into gospel songs ... some of which worked perfectly, while others came off a little weird.
For example ... the choir covered Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed" -- which sounded just fine in a gospel setting. But when they turned SWV's "Weak" into a spiritual song, it was awkward. One of the big highlights was when the choir Destiny Child's "Say My Name" ... which translated pretty smoothly into a tune about calling God's name.
As we said, there wasn't much sign of Kanye being embedded into the performance to begin with, but he was certainly onstage and later did get on the mic for 'Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1' and finished strong by rapping his verses from 'Selah,' 'Follow God,' 'God Is' ... and a direct shout-out to Rodney Reed to boot. Ye even DJ'd, and free-styled a bit too.
He definitely took the reins in the second half of the show, and got more and more and more into his element. He closed things out with 'Jesus Walks' and 'Closed on Sunday.'
Joel Osteen got on stage to break up the music a bit, and shared several lessons about allowing God to guide oneself to greatness, despite haters along the way.
All in all, the the Osteen/Kanye Sunday Service experience can go down in the books as a resounding success.
6:03 PM PT -- Kanye's Sunday Service has started, and it kicked off with a bang. A spoken word poet delivered a powerful message to open the show, and the rest of the choir took it the rest of the way ... first going in on an operatic chant, then moving on to cover 'Every Hour' from the 'JIK' album, as well 'Ultralight Beam' and eventually performing a part of 'Power.'
There's no sign of Kanye quite yet, but ya gotta imagine he's in the building ... 'cause Kim and the kids are down below in the front row. The crowd seems to be loving so far, BTW ... and as expected, it's a completely packed house.
Kanye West is about to perform his Sunday Service at Joel Osteen's megachurch in Houston ... and TMZ is streaming it live.
As we previously mentioned ... Ye brought his choir out for the weekend trip, where they're set to take the stage at 7 PM CT (5 PM PT) at the Lakewood Church -- a place thousands of worshipers come out each week to hear Joel and co. preach from the pulpit.
It's bound to be a packed house again for Sunday's ticketed event, especially after Ye made an appearance in the morning ... standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Joel and talking God.
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You'll recall ... it was an eventful chat Kanye and Joel had onstage, with Ye touching on everything from his own upbringing in the church, to how he's an employee of God's now, and even going to bat and defending Joel and his reputation in the Christian community.
Ever since Kanye dropped his new album, 'Jesus is King,' he's been performing pretty consistently with his choir ... playing a bunch of his new songs too, of course. The format thus far has been pretty similar in style to what we've seen in Calabasas and elsewhere.
But with such a big audience tuning in this time around -- and a just-announced opera on the horizon -- it'll be interesting to see what surprises Kanye and his team have in store for the Lakewood congregation.
Colin Kaepernick's team has sent the full video of his Saturday workout to all 32 NFL clubs, TMZ Sports has learned ... and now the waiting game begins.
Sources connected to Kap tell us turning the video around quickly was a priority and they had it out within 24 hours of the Atlanta workout.
We're told Colin also sent a note to each team saying he's ready, willing and able to visit with any team for an interview and/or workout (as teams usually do) if there's real interest.
Of course, the most important thing for Team Kap is making sure decision-makers get a chance to see Colin's skills for themselves so they can quickly evaluate him and hopefully make an offer.
The immediate reaction to the workout from the scouts who attended was reportedly good -- with one NFL exec telling ESPN's Adam Schefter his arm talent is "elite."
"We’re waiting for the 32 owners, the 32 teams, Roger Goodell, all of them to stop running. Stop running from the truth, stop running from the people. We’re out here, we’re ready to play, we’re ready to go anywhere."
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Not everyone was stoked about the workout -- several high profile media members including Stephen A. Smith felt Kap's decision to bail on the official NFL workout and hold his own open workout instead cut heavily against him.
Jay-Z felt the same way -- telling people he was disappointed with the way things went down because Colin "turned a legitimate workout into a publicity stunt."
Time will ultimately tell if Kap's decision will bear fruit -- stay tuned.
Alex Band -- lead singer of the rock band, The Calling -- is mounting a comeback after his infamous kidnapping ... and reintroducing himself to the world with a new set of chompers.
TMZ broke the story ... Alex was abducted in Michigan way back in 2013 when he was grabbed off the street, beaten severely and then dumped on some train tracks.
Alex's life spiraled into a deep and dark place after the horrifying incident, but now he says he's overcome the hard times and he's ready to make music again ... with the aid of a new smile.
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Alex recently traveled to Las Vegas with his wife and child for a 24-hour dental procedure to fully restore all of his teeth. Dr. Mike Golpa performed the surgery over 2 days, which included the removal of 11 teeth and over 10 implants in Alex's mouth.
Alex tells TMZ ... “As most everyone knows I’ve had a rough bunch of years to say the least; from battling to regain my health and then having to overcome being kidnapped and broken. In 2020 I will finally be back out performing consistently worldwide for the first time in 8 years, and releasing new music!"
The singer says he can't wait to perform in front of his fans again, and he says Dr. Golpa gave him the last thing he needed to regain his confidence ... a brand new smile.
Remember when Dwight Gooden charged the mound and PUNCHED PAT COMBS IN THE FACE?!
Doc sure does ... and tells TMZ Sports if there's anyone questioning his fighting ability, they need to watch that video!
Of course, the 55-year-old MLB legend is gearing up for a celebrity boxing match against 29-year-old comic Catfish Cooley on March 7 in Atlantic City.
Some people are concerned for Gooden since Cooley is a big dude who squats 600 pounds -- but Doc tells us HE CAN SWING, BRO!!
In fact, Gooden brings up that crazy brawl from August 1990 -- when Phillies pitcher Pat Combs threw at Doc and he charged the mound with bad intentions!
We found the clip -- and yeah, Doc's right ... he hit Combs with a solid right to the face that ignited a bench-clearing brawl! Good stuff!
Now, Doc says he's been training for his next fight and even hit up his old pal, Mike Tyson, for advice.
Turns out, Doc and Mike have been friends for decades -- remember when they kicked it together with Darryl Strawberry at Shea Stadium back in '86?
As for why Doc's fighting again, it's all about raising awareness for causes dear to his heart.
"I'm trying to do something positive to bring awareness to mental health as well as sobriety," Doc says.
"That's what I've been involved with for the last 15 weeks. Got myself better and I thought it would be a great thing to bring awareness."
Lil Xansaid he relapsed but what really scared him straight were the seizures he suffered ... the effects of quitting cold turkey in his attempt to beat his drug habit.
Rumors were swirling as to why the rapper had been out of the public eye for some time. But, Xan now tells TMZ he relapsed on pain killers -- specifically Xanax and hydrocodone.
He says he wanted to get back on track -- by quitting ... cold turkey. But, Xan says that was a TERRIBLE idea ... because the withdrawals resulted in several seizures while he was in the hospital getting detoxed.
NOVEMBER 2018
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The rapper says the seizures were a massive wake-up call. As we first reported ... Xan admitted last November he had an addiction problem. He vowed to kick the habit following the deaths of Mac Miller in September 2018 and Lil Peep in November 2017. Xan says he thought a lot about Peep as he was relapsing ... the late rapper's 2-year anniversary was fast approaching.
Xan ultimately went to rehab and got better ... until his recent setback. He says when rumors were swirling he wasn't ready to tell the world about him falling off the wagon.
But, the rapper says he's now sober ... and ready to let the world know he's not giving up on his fight to remain sober.
Safareeknows how to motivate his wife ... spending a fat stack of cash on a necklace for Erica Mena's birthday, a present that also serves as inspiration to restart her business.
Safaree's new wife celebrated her 32nd bday earlier this month, and we've learned he showered her with gifts, including a custom pendant and necklace worth $42,750.
The piece bears the name of Erica's clothing and jewelry line, Her. Safaree commissioned Eden Diamonds to make the pendant, which features rose and white gold alongside 28.5 carats of VS 1/2 clarity diamonds.
Sources close to Erica tell TMZ ... she's relaunching her jewelry line in the first quarter of 2020, this after she completely shut down the business in the wake of finding out one of her employees was allegedly embezzling.
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We're told after Erica discovered the manager's double-cross she just needed a break from it all. Now she's ready for a comeback, and Safaree's hoping the birthday bling will inspire her to get her brand back up off the ground.
Before she was rocking stages across the world, this tiny tot was rocking a tiara and a princess outfit in a flash pose that would eventually go on to mean something big for her in the music game.
Raised in England, this singer officially got her start in the biz back in 2010 -- after which she did collabs with Alex Metric, Odd Future, Blood Orange as well as different producers before releasing her a slew of singles and, eventually, her second mixtape, "Super Ultra."
She went on to release her debut album in 2013, and then followed with an even better-received sophomore record called "Sucker." At this point, she'd refined her style to electropop and synth-wave type of vibe -- and she's currently one of the most renowned young artists working today.
Big Sean and Jhene Aiko's on-again, off-again relationship appears to be very much so back on after they released a super personal song with a little TMI attached.
The rapper and singer -- who've dated and broken up at least a couple different times over the past few years -- were spotted grabbing dinner in Malibu Saturday at a fancy place called Geoffrey's ... where they looked like more than just friends and collaborators.
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TMZ obtained photos of Jhene sitting on Sean's lap at one point as they looked out at the ocean on the restaurant's patio deck. He's holding her pretty tenderly too, BTW.
This, of course, is a major development considering the new song they released together Thursday. JA's single, "None of Your Concern," caught fans off guard with a Big Sean feature.
The song is incredibly introspective, and touches on their relationship ... and a big takeaway from Sean's verse was how he pleases his lady in the bedroom. Apparently, he once made Jhene orgasm 9 times in a day -- and he doesn't think any average Joe deserves her.
Well ... it certainly seems the collab might've brought 'em closer than ever -- 'cause the homie-lover-friend wheel they often spin seems to be on the lover corner right about now.
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Oh, and if you're wondering who picked up the tab during this intimate meal ... it looks like BS did, as he's seen signing off on the bill here. Good man right there.
Justin Bieber caught a tennis match across the pond this weekend ... is what you might think at first glance with this photo. Turns out, it's another young famous guy with JB vibes.
David Beckham's second-oldest son, 17-year-old Romeo Beckham, was out Sunday in London watching pro tennis players Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas face off in the Nitto ATP Finals tournament ... where they were actually playing in the final round.
Romeo had a great view sitting next to a beautiful blonde, and interestingly enough ... he was proudly rocking some Drew gear -- which is Bieber's popular unisex clothing brand.
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What's wild is that Romeo is a dead ringer for the Biebs, especially with that beanie on. As we've seen, Justin has rocked a similar style himself -- they could be twins, frankly.
Meanwhile, Justin was very much in L.A. this weekend ... enjoying himself a lazy Sunday with his two Savannah cats, his dog and a whole lot of Drew gear around the house. On Sunday, he kept plugging his line ... and even got around to plugging Kylie Jennertoo.
We might have to get a Drew emoji going pretty soon considering how much it seems to be taking off. In the meantime, though, this will have to do ... 😎
Kyrie Irving was in a giving mood before the rest of the Brooklyn Nets played the Chicago Bulls -- and it looks like karma paid him and his team back a few hours later.
The Nets' superstar point guard was greeted by a group of fans Saturday in Chi-Town, where we're told Kyrie took some time to chop it up with a group of youngsters. He went even further than that though ... handing out cold hard cash to the kids too.
TMZ Sports got ahold of video showing KI handing out what appears to be hundred dollar bills to the group that had congregated around the team bus. It looks like he dishes out a few bills he's got on hand, and toward the end ... seems to give away a stack.
Check it out ... Kyrie asks who's in charge of the group of kids -- and it seems like an adult answers him off-camera. Kyrie hands that person what looks to be more than just one hundred dollar bill ... and tells them to take care of the kids with it. Super nice, right?!
Well, it looks like the universe paid it forward soon afterward ... 'cause Kyrie's Nets squeaked out a win against the hometown team WITHOUT him being on the court.
He sat out for Saturday's game to due to a shoulder injury -- the first game he's missed as a Net since joining the team in the off-season. Good deeds equal good results ... noted.
12:19 PM PT -- We ran into Kanye and Joel after sharing the stage together, and asked Ye a pretty simple question ... what's next for him??? Check out the clip ... Kanye gives a pretty enlightening answer, telling us he's gonna let God decide the narrative of his next chapter.
When we pressed, asking what he envisions for himself as his next big challenge ... Kanye didn't hesitate and told us straight-up -- he wants to turn his attention to prison reform.
Ye gets pretty detailed about possible solutions that he thinks would have an immediate impact in helping poor folks -- who are often minorities -- stay out of jail unnecessarily.
We also asked if he was considering getting Joel on his next album. Watch ... doesn't sound like JO wants to hop on the mic, but Ye's not opposed to the idea.
10:23 AM PT -- Kanye West and Joel Osteen had quite the chat Sunday at the Lakewood Church in Houston -- and one of the big takeaways was Ye going to bat for Joel and his reputation in the Christian community.
The rapper-producer noted that Joel was responsible for converting thousands upon thousands of people to the right path of Christianity, and for that alone ... Ye said the guy should be more praised than criticized for everything he does in God's name.
They talked about a lot more too -- Ye touched on his upbringing in the church, explaining that he found going to Sunday service as a kid was pretty boring ... even though his parents were staunch believers, bringing the family to a megachurch in Chicago 3 times a week.
He also discussed his 2016 mental breakdown, and how after that ... he felt he needed to move away from most of the people in his inner circle because they weren't real Christians, and were simply yes men who were beholden to the almighty dollar.
Speaking of that, Kanye also pumped himself up a bit by saying that he was the greatest artist that God ever created ... and now, he was working for the man upstairs again -- instead of working for the devil, which he believes most of his contemporaries are doing now.
There was a lot more, but all in all ... it was a pretty moving interaction Ye and Joel shared onstage, with Ye coming across clearly and even ending on an uplifting prayer.
Kanye West's highly anticipated chitchat with Pastor Joel Osteen is about to go down at the Lakewood Church in Houston and we're live streaming the whole thing.
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TMZ broke the story ... Kanye and Joel have been talking on the phone quite a bit since Ye committed himself to God, and it all resulted in Kanye and Kim making the trek to H-town this weekend.
We're told Kanye's gonna talk to Joel about his journey in rediscovering religion at 11 AM Central Time. There's another service Sunday night at 7 PM and that will feature Kanye's now-famous Sunday Service, complete with a choir of around 120 people. We'll also be live streaming that.
Kim's also in Houston and presumably will show up for the service at Lakewood. On Saturday Kim, Saint and North hit up an ice skating rink at The Galleria in Houston.
Jay-Z is unhappy with the way Colin Kaepernick handled his workout on Saturday -- our sources feel Colin "turned a legitimate workout into a publicity stunt."
As we previously reported, Colin bailed on the NFL's workout Saturday and held his own workout instead. Colin claims he wanted transparency -- insisting the NFL would not allow him to have media at the workout.
Sources close to Jay-Z tell us ... Jay is unhappy with the way things went down because he feels the league was genuine in trying to give Colin an opportunity.
Colin went through with his workout at a high school nearby and reviews are mixed. Some scouts are reportedly impressed with Kap's arms strength and talent. And, others are reportedly saying he looked average at best.
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Now, the waiting game begins ... and we'll see if an NFL team will pull the trigger and sign the 32-year-old QB.
Tyga's undeniably got game ... and you don't have to go further than this pic for proof.
Kylie Jenner's ex was leaving Delilah restaurant in WeHo Saturday night in a fire engine red Ferrari and a beautiful woman riding shotgun. Is it just us or does she resemble Kylie in a big way?
Several people at Delilah -- including our photog -- tell us Kylie was also there, but we have no evidence of that. The 2 were seen together at Hyde nightclub on the Sunset Strip last month, fueling rumors they were getting back together. They were also in Vegas together at the end of Summer. Hard to know ... but based on the photo it sure looks like Tyga's moved on.
Pete Davidson and Kaia Gerber sure seem like a couple ... of course they're a couple, and if there was any doubt, check out the photos.
A photog got the two turning in for the night -- 3:30 AM to be exact -- after Pete assumed the role of Michael Avenatti on "Saturday Night Live."
BTW ... Pete turned 26 Saturday, so his 18-year-old GF hit up the famed Magnolia Bakery in the West Village and scooped up a large, round birthday cake and banana pudding.
They entered her apartment together at 3:30 AM after his SNL performance and after-party in New York.
They've been pretty much inseparable for about a month. The first time we saw them together was at a New York City restaurant on Oct. 24.
Amber Portwood's in the clear with her probation officer over alleged threats she made against a YouTuber ... because that woman has no direct connection to her case.
TMZ broke the story ... Katie Joy -- the woman behind the Without a Crystal Ball YouTube account that's been documenting Amber's domestic violence case, including publishing video and audio of the entire blowout between Amber and Andrew Glennon -- contacted authorities after Amber allegedly directed some threats on Instagram Live toward her.
Without A Crystal Ball
Portwood's probation officer was notified of Katie's issue, but the Marion County Probation Department in Indiana tells us ... it doesn't amount to any sort of violation.
We're told Joy isn't listed on Amber's probation order, so any alleged threats in and of themselves don't constitute a probation breach. If Katie was listed, it would be a different story.
The MC Probation Dept. says the only way Portwood's probation would be affected is if Indianapolis PD arrested her or if she was convicted of making threats against Joy.
Considering Katie hasn't filed a police report in Indiana, that doesn't seem likely ... and our Indiana law enforcement sources confirm Amber's not under investigation. However, sources close to Katie say he HAS filed a report where she lives in Minnesota ... but was told by police there's not much they can do.
Without A Crystal Ball
As for why Portwood's on probation ... you'll recall she pled guilty to 2 felonies -- domestic battery and intimidation -- in her domestic violence case with Glennon. She got 906 days of probation, but if it's violated the judge can sentence her to hard time.
