TMZ.com Home

VP Kamala Harris was once AG Kamala Harris -- and it was during that time that she ripped Nina Simone's family from her estate ... so claims the late singer's own flesh and blood.

The Veep is under fire by Nina's daughter and granddaughter -- Lisa Simone Kelly and RéAnna Simone Kelly, respectively -- for what they say was Kamala's role in deciding how Nina's estate is now managed, and more importantly ... who's managing it (or not, rather).

The Daily Beast outlined the drama quite well -- noting it all started with RéAnna praising Chloe Bailey's rendition of Nina's song "Feeling Good," which she put out to celebrate Juneteenth. However, it caught some flak ... supposedly for being over-sexualized.

RéAnna defended Chloe, though, by saying ... "Everyone’s coming at @ChloeBailey for her performance of my grandmother Nina Simone’s song “Feeling Good." She added, "But what y’all don’t understand is that grandma was a free spirited woman herself!! She would’ve loved that performance  as much as I do! Relax. Chloe killed it. #NinaSimone"

Chloe seemed to appreciate the shout-out. But, things took a hard left turn, as someone asked RéAnna in her comments why her family would create a Twitter account for her grandmother, who passed away in 2003. That set off a looong stream of bashing.

RéAnna wrote this in response ... "Nina’s granddaughter here. My family doesn’t run her estate anymore. It was taken away from us & given to white people. Our family name was DRAGGED in the media. We get NO royalties, nothing. Wanna hold someone accountable?Ask Kamala Harris why she came for my family #NinaSimone."

You can check out the rest of the thread yourself to get into the nitty-gritty -- but essentially, RéAnna blames Kamala for barring her fam from access to Nina's estate ... not to mention rights to her image/likeness, royalties, creative decisions with the IP and everything else.

RéAnna says Kamala and co. gave all those powers to "white people" ... and she feels like her heritage and ties to her grandmother have virtually disappeared, all because of what Kamala's office decided when they were overseeing this estate/charity case back in 2013.

A bit of backstory -- RéAnna's mother, Lisa, was made administrator of Nina's estate upon death ... but some time later, she was accused of misappropriating funds that were tied to both the estate and a charity set up in Nina's name. That's how Kamala's office got involved -- and in the end, they reached a settlement ... the terms of which RéAnna is shedding light on now ... not to mention Lisa herself, who praised her daughter for "speaking her truth."

As part of the settlement, Lisa was prohibited from associating herself with Nina in what seems to be any capacity -- be it familial or otherwise ... in addition to a de facto gag order forbidding her from talking about Nina. That's why RéAnna is speaking up on the issue.

Victoria's Secret is doing both a good thing and kind of a dumb thing by replacing their "Angels" with strong female ambassadors ... so says noted Fenty model Slick Woods.

We got Slick -- who's famous for her preggo catwalk in 2018, and giving birth shortly thereafter -- out and about Friday night near Hyde in WeHo ... this during an UOMA Beauty event by Sharon Chuter. Good setting to talk fashion and sex appeal, no doubt.

Of course, our cam guy had to bring up VS's decision to rebrand themselves with new spokeswomen -- including Megan Rapinoe and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, among others -- while also doing away with their winged models, seemingly for good. Slick's take is ... interesting.

Check out her answer for yourself -- at first, she seems to be against the move ... wisely noting that, despite all the progress we've made as a society, sex sells at the end of the day.

BTW, that's not necessarily a bad thing either ... according to Slick, anyway. She says if you use that primal truth for good causes -- like what Victoria's Secret appears to want going forward -- then it's simply a means to an end. She's got a great example about getting people's attention.

We're not trying to put words in SW's mouth, but she *seems* to be saying what VS is doing with this new crop of women might not be the most effective way to get asses in seats for their goals big picture, in a manner of speaking. Then comes the curveball.

A now-viral video has been making the rounds of what many say is a real-life sighting of an actual werewolf in Africa, which was apparently shot dead ... but the whole thing is BS.

The clip that's got people buzzing surfaced seemingly out of nowhere this week, and it shows what appears to be the body of a lycan -- subspecies of a werewolf in monster mythology -- dead on the ground in the middle of the night, bleeding from its face ... lying motionless.

There's a man narrating, speaking in what seems to be Hausa -- which folks took to mean this alleged killing took place somewhere in Nigeria ... and it's freaking everyone out.

Different users saw this and spread it like wildfire -- warning locals in the area to be on the lookout, sounding the alarm without really questioning the source ... or its veracity. Luckily, somebody came to the table with the truth -- and that would be ... this is a big fat hoax!

The clip that everyone is seeing is dubbed over, as the original is actually part of what seems to be a short film from Portugal called "Lobisomem Morto a Tiros" ... which translates to "werewolf shot to death." Very original, we know. It was thrown up on April 1 by a user named Cloud Wolf ... who's got an entire YT page dedicated to the legendary creature.

As for how the hell this thing *looks* so real ... you can chalk it up to great SFX work, courtesy of freelance sculpture artist Joseph-Rob Cobasky -- who's got photos up on his IG with his creation on the table (Frankenstein-style). Obviously, it's a top-notch job -- especially since everyone thought it was the real McCoy. A testament to the quality, indeed.

The makeup team from "An American Werewolf in London" are probably nodding with glee -- 'cause Joseph's take on a werewolf ain't all too different from what they cooked up in '81.

Kane Lim might've been doing more bad than good with his harsh words about Yamashiro -- whether he knew it or not ... this, according to his reality TV costar, Christine Chiu.

We got the "Bling Empire" cast member leaving Craig's in WeHo Friday night, alongside Dorothy Wang -- who's said to be filming for season 2, and should be featured on the show in the future. Of course, our photog had to ask about Kane's drama with Chef Vallerie.

Remember ... Vallerie accused Kane of spreading "Asian hate" when he called her sushi restaurant "disgusting" on camera -- but he pushed back, saying he was just expressing an opinion ... and that he didn't even know Vallerie or her work as head of the new grub.

That's where our camera guy picks things up -- asking CC straight-up ... who's in the right here??? Check it out -- she tries being diplomatic, but clearly sides with the chef ... telling us Asians need to band together and put on a united front, instead of bashing one another.

Dorothy hits that point home with an even more nuanced take -- saying it's fine to have preferences, and to even express those preferences ... but there's a way to say things, especially these days when topics such as this are delicate to talk about. Well said.

She also touches on another angle that rings true as well -- in light of restaurants now opening back up to full capacity on the heels of the pandemic. Watch ... she says Kane should've been mindful of that dynamic as well, before spouting off so recklessly.

Saweetie seems to be responding to Quavo's suggestion that he did, indeed, repo a Bentley he'd gifted her during their relationship ... by one-upping him with a new Rolls-Royce.

The rapper was photographed with RR's Client Experience rep Cassidy von Seggern -- with the two ladies posing in front of a Rolls that Saweetie appears to have just purchased, and which was being delivered to her in the Hollywood Hills, with champagne glasses in tow.

Cassidy captioned the pic ... "She a real bad bish, drive her own RR ✨#icy" -- which is a double-entendre ... referencing both Saweetie's song with Doja Cat, "Best Friend," while also alluding to a pickup line Quavo used to holler at Saweetie way back when. Well played!

Saweetie responded to Cassidy's post, writing ... "My girl ! 🤩❄️." Now, it's unclear if Cassidy posted this at Saweetie's behest, or if she did it of her own volition -- but in any case, Saweetie definitely seems to appreciate the gesture ... and the subliminal clap-back.

Now, for a bit of context ... because this Bentley chapter is long and winding. We're sure you remember the drama in the fallout of Saweetie and Quavo's messy breakup -- when it was reported that, in apparent retaliation for how things went down, Quavo repossessed the whip he gave her on her birthday last year. We were told by people in his camp there was NO truth to it -- but the man himself seems to have contradicted that ... with a new song.

In the Migos track "Having Our Way," Quavo raps a bar that goes, "Load up the bases, now I feel like Cal Ripken (Ayy) // She had it her way, now she out of a Bentley (Skrrt)."

While he didn't name-drop her specifically, he didn't really need to -- he's obviously referencing Saweetie's Bentley ... and appears to be hinting that, yeah, he took it back.

The country is officially back open!!! ... but Chrissy Teigen and Michael Costello remain locked inside a war of words. So, we gotta ask ...

Macy Gray thinks America's ready to walk away from its national flag, and even though we may stumble ... she thinks it's for the best, and that the time has come for a new design.

The "I Try" singer penned an op-ed this week for, of all outlets, MarketWatch ... in which she made the case for giving Old Glory a facelift -- because, as she puts it, the current version is "tattered, dated, divisive, and incorrect" ... just like the Confederate flag, apparently!

Macy's justification basically lies in a couple of points -- one, she says the American flag's rep was dragged through the mud (permanently, and beyond repair) due to the events of Jan. 6 ... when a bunch of MAGA truthers carried it high, alongside Trump flags, into the Capitol.

She also says that numerically ... the stars are off, and should be adjusted to 52, to take D.C. and Puerto Rico into account -- which have been lobbying for statehood for a good long while now. Lastly, she suggests some color changes ... to reflect modern-day America.

Here's what she has in mind -- in addition to adding a couple of stars -- for her vision of Old New Glory. For starters, she thinks the stark white stripes should be off-white ... and that the stars themselves should be changed to reflect every skin tone of melanin in our fine nation.

She says the blue square and red stripes -- which stand for vigilance/perseverance and valor, respectively -- can stay ... because she believes the U.S.A. is still very much that.

Monica Lewinsky -- the most famous intern of all time -- tried getting in on the fun over HBO's own intern screwing the pooch, but people are pissed because ... the Clintons.

The onetime White House aide, who was embroiled in a salacious affair with then-President Bill Clinton, tweeted out a "Dear Intern" message of her own ... this as scores of people did the same to console an anonymous HBO Max intern, who'd gone viral for the wrong reasons.

ICYMI ... a strange email was sent to a ton of HBO Max subscribers earlier this week -- which read, "This template is used by integration tests only" ... which many took as a mistake, perhaps at the hands of a newbie who made an error and hit the wrong button.

HBO Max came out and confirmed that was, in fact, the case ... saying they were "helping them through it" -- so no harm, no foul it seems.

Folks chimed in with "Dear Intern" notes, giving the HBO intern advice ... while also reflecting on their own intern snafus. Monica did the same -- writing ... "dear intern: it gets better. P.S.: don't wear a beret for a while, k?" Pretty funny, right?!? WRONG!!! Or so says Twitter, anyway.

Different users dogpiled ML for what they perceived as her making herself out to be the victim of a saga that's more than 20 years old at this point ... and not just that, but indirectly roping Hillary into the conversation -- which some take as subtle shade on Monica's part.

While scores of people defended HRC and the Clinton family at large against the seemingly innocent joke -- others were quick to point out that the anger aimed at Monica is misguided and totally misdirected ... as they say she WAS a victim, and the true culprit is ... Bubba.

Champ, the beloved dog of Joe and Jill Biden has died.

The German Shepherd passed at the White House Saturday ... and Jill says he went peacefully.

The First Lady tweeted, "'RIP to our sweet, good boy, Champ. We will miss you always."

Champ moved to the White House with the Bidens and their other dog, Major, in January when the president took office.

The President and First Lady issued a statement ... "Our hearts are heavy today as we let you all know that our beloved German Shepard, Champ, passed away peacefully at home. He was our constant, cherished companion during the last 13 years and was adored by the entire Biden family. Even as Champ's strength waned in his last months, when we came into a room, he would immediately pull himself up, his tail always wagging, and nuzzle us for an ear scratch or a belly rub."

They went on ... "Wherever we were, he wanted to be, and everything was instantly better when he was next to us. He loved nothing more than curling up at our feet in front of a fire at the end of the day, joining us as a comforting presence in meetings, or sunning himself in the White House garden. In his younger days, he was happiest chasing golf balls on the front lawn of the Naval Observatory or racing to catch our grandchildren as they ran around our backyard in Delaware."

They ended with this ... "In our most joyful moments and in our most grief-stricken days, he was there with us, sensitive to our every unspoken feeling and emotion. We love our sweet, good boy and will miss him always."

Champ and his brother, 3-year-old Major moved into the White House in January but went back to Delaware for additional training because of all the commotion at the White House.

Champ was born in Pennsylvania and the Biden's got him as a puppy. His granddaughters named him.

Champ was 13.

White people can't help lying and stealing everything in sight -- from entire countries, to cultures, right on down to vegetarianism and yoga ... so claims a controversial psychiatrist who openly admits to homicidal fantasies.

Dr. Aruna Khilanani went on the attack against ALL white people again ... calling them "psychopathic" due to what she sees as a never-ending stream of lies dating back to their so-called "discovery" of America.

Khilaniani, who practices psychiatry in Manhattan, told Marc Lamont Hill on his show, "Black News Tonight" ... "Every time you (whites) steal a country, you loot, you say you discovered something."

Khilaniani also said colonialism is all about "sanitizing the violence" that was required to steal from Indigenous people -- which is far from a controversial statement. However, she extrapolated even further, adding ... "You discovered vegetarianism, you've discovered yoga. Everything is a discovery and it's all actually stolen!"

Keep in mind, this is the same doctor who came under fire after an April lecture to Yale students, during which she admitted having violent fantasies about shooting and killing white people.

Her lecture, entitled, "The Psychopathic Problem of the White Mind" pissed off Yale educators, and unleashed a flood of negative reviews of her NYC practice ... some of which accused her of anti-Semitism.

Here's the thing ... Khilaniani has valid arguments about the violent nature of colonialism, but they're undermined by her overt embracing of violence, and ridiculous arguments ... about things like vegetarianism.

A Sheriff's deputy in Southern California is under investigation due to a video of him winding up and kicking a suspect in the head AFTER the guy appeared to surrender.

Surveillance footage from a Toyota dealership in Victorville, CA captured Wednesday's violent interaction on camera ... you see the suspect roll out from under a parked car before he's confronted by a deputy with a flashlight, who appears to order the suspect on the ground.

The man complies, but then the cop takes a big step and unloads a couple kicks to the suspect's face.

Video shows the cop stand over the man for a few seconds before beginning to slap some handcuffs on him as another deputy arrives to assist.

The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department tells TMZ the incident started with an attempted traffic stop of a motorcycle. Police say the driver led cops on a high-speed chase, and ditched his bike near the dealership before fleeing on foot. Cops say they found the suspect hiding in the dealership lot, and admit there was a "use of force" during the arrest.

Arnold Schwarzenegger says his family HATED that he pivoted from movies to politics and gave an insight on his view of raising kids, and the word "military" comes to mind!

Arnold appeared on his daughter Katherine's IG show, "BDA Baby" -- which stands for Before, During and After Baby.

He said his kids were baffled when he decided to run for California Governor ... they apparently loved life on movie sets, which Arnold called "the perfect after-school program." When they moved to Sacramento, Katherine told him bluntly ... "Dad, I hate your job."

Maria, who knew a thing or 2 about growing up in politics, also had an intense dislike for politics, and she and Arnold agreed the fam wouldn't be used to advance his political career.

As for childrearing ... Arnold was a taskmaster. He says if the kids didn't make their beds he was known to throw the sheets out the window. He wouldn't let the housekeepers touch their rooms ... it was a privilege that, for him, went too far.

Bill Maher has some advice for Lin-Manuel Miranda ... stop apologizing to the bullies who take joy in making people crawl like a dog in shame for every move they make.

Miranda is taking heat for his movie, "In the Heights," a movie about the Washington Heights area of New York City. He got dragged because the cast did not have Afro-Latinx representation.

Fact is ... the cast has Latinx performers, a Black lead, but, as Bill says, "the committee" is outraged the skin tone of the cast is somehow off.

Miranda capitulated, saying, "I'm truly sorry. I'm learning from the feedback.  I thank you for raising it and I'm listening. I promise to do better in my future projects."

Bill was incredulous ...“You’re the guy who made the founding fathers Black and Hispanic! I don’t think you have to apologize to Twitter.” Maher doesn't believe Miranda really believes an apology is in order ... “I think that he just wants to avoid the news cycle, and I don’t blame him," adding, “This is why people hate Democrats; It’s cringey."

Maher wasn't done ... “People are going to have to stand up to these bullies, because that’s what it is, bullying. It’s ‘I can make you crawl like a dog and I enjoy it.'”

And, then the "Real Time" host went in for the kill ...“I mean he’s a Latino making a Latino movie with a Latino cast. Not good enough. Nothing is ever good enough for these people. They’re like children. We don’t raise our children right and it’s reflected in the media. No one ever tells their children, ‘Shut the f*** up. Sit down. Listen to your elders. Stop bitching.'”

Roc-A-Fella is knocking Damon Dash's hustle ... the record company is suing one of its own founders in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit, claiming Dash is trying to auction off one of Jay-Z's debut albums as an NFT.

The record company is going after Damon for allegedly trying to mint "Reasonable Doubt" as a non-fungible token (known as an NFT) and auction it off to the highest bidder ... a piece of hip-hop history RAF says is not Dame's to sell, because the company owns it.

According to the docs -- filed by powerhouse attorney Alex Spiro -- Damon planned to sell the album as an NFT at a since-canceled auction, but the company is worried DD will just try to find another platform to hold the auction.

In the suit, RAF claims Damon is "frantically scouting for another venue to make the sale" and believes DD is still looking to cash in ASAP on the recent NFT craze.

RAF's asking a court to step in and stop Damon from going through with the auction and it wants Dash to turn over any NFTs of "Reasonable Doubt" he may have already minted.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says the Republicans who voted against making Juneteenth a federal holiday have 3 things in common ... they're white, male and in denial.

We got AOC on Capitol Hill and asked her about the importance of recognizing the end of slavery in the United States with the new federal holiday. While she acknowledged the passage of the bill was an important first step, she was also sad to see opposition from GOP Congressmen.

While the proposal to make Juneteenth a holiday passed unanimously in the Senate, there were 14 votes against it in the House before it ended up on President Biden's desk.

AOC was quick to point out the GOP votes against it were all entered by white men.

She believes that lack of diversity ties in with the movement in several states to ban public schools from teaching students about America's history of slavery and systemic racism.

As we reported ... Biden signed the landmark bill Thursday, and both he and Vice President Kamala Harris said it's just the next step in the long journey to equality.