George Floyd Cop Charged in Killing Confronted at Grocery Store
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One of the 4 ex-cops charged in the brutal killing of George Floyd was confronted by an angry shopper who bristled when he told her he was sorry she felt the way she did.
J. Alexander Kueng was shopping at Cub Foods in Plymouth, Minnesota Saturday when a woman spotted him. Kueng was captured on video standing by as Derek Chauvin mercilessly put his knee on George Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.
Kueng acknowledged who he was as the woman recorded him, and when he told her he was sorry she was feeling the way she was ... she was more than eager to display her feelings.
Kueng is out on a $750,000 bond. He's charged with aiding and abetting, second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree manslaughter. He's expected in court, along with the other defendants, at the end of the month.
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Tesla's Cybertruck Displayed at L.A. Auto Museum ... The Public Gets a Gander
Elon Musk's newest sweet ride has gone from the Tesla stage to the public stage -- 'cause his Cybertruck made what appears to be its public debut for the first time this weekend.
The Cybertruck was rolled out (literally) this weekend in L.A. and put on display for public viewing at the Petersen Automotive Museum -- where tons of cool and historic whips are featured for an up-close-and-personal viewing. And for now, the Cybertruck is one of them.
JUST NOW umm isn’t this the Tesla Cybertruck?! Arriving in LA to the car museum 🤩 #Tesla #CyberTruck pic.twitter.com/Hh3sfyGvnV
— Chad Hodge (@chad_hodge) June 20, 2020 @chad_hodge
Sounds like this would be one of the few times anyone besides a Tesla employee has gotten to inspect this beast of a vehicle in detail and with their own eyes. Of course, Elon and co. did an up-and-down unveiling in November, but since then ... the car's been mostly MIA.
Welp, the good folks over at Electrek did the hard work of going to check it out for themselves ... and they did a proper write-up on what they found upon seeing it in person.
Long story short, they say it's about as cool as it looked the first time it was shown off -- and it's actually not all that intimating when you get a closer look. Electrek breaks down all the features that Tesla revealed in the fall -- and got some sweet close-up shots of the exterior.
The Tesla Cybertruck at the Petersen Musuem pic.twitter.com/qz2071IpGo
— Fred Lambert (@FredericLambert) June 20, 2020 @FredericLambert
They note it's pretty freaking big, but not all that imposing when you're right up next to this thing. Despite its out-of-this-world design, Electrek notes a lot of the car parts are very much so of our time and are quite practical. The steering wheel and side mirrors are bit different (or non-existent) which leads to questions about how it'll actually drive on the road.
Time will tell, we suppose. In the meantime ... LOOK 👀
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AOC Way to Go TikTok ... You Punked Trump!!!
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez heaped praise on countless teens who punked Donald Trump and his campaign Saturday night in a big, big way.
Trump and co. had been touting that huge crowds -- 100,000 strong -- would show up for his Tulsa rally, yet he couldn't even fill a 19,000 seat arena ... it was only 2/3 full.
Enter TikTok users and K-pop fans, who started their own campaign, registering for tickets to the Trump rally with obviously no intention of going. This is why, in part, the Trump campaign bragged 1 million people had registered.
AOC was beside herself, saying ... "you just got ROCKED by teens on TikTok who flooded the Trump campaign w/ fake ticket reservations & tricked you into believing a million people wanted your white supremacist open mic enough to pack an arena during COVID. Shout out to Zoomers. Y’all make me so proud."
A thread of some of the TikTokers/Zoomers who reserved tickets to Trump’s rally to shrink the crowd today in Oklahoma 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/ITz4NAbeTD
— Jenna Amatulli (@ohheyjenna) June 21, 2020 @ohheyjenna
TikTok ... where some campaigns happen, and some don't.
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Tom Petty's Family Outraged Trump used 'I Won't Back Down' ... At Tulsa Rally
Donald Trump's being accused of being petty again ... and this time it's got Petty written all over it.
Tom Petty's family is outraged the Trump campaign dared to use the song, "I Won't Back Down," Saturday night at his Tulsa rally.
Tom's widow, Dana, and other family members said the song is about all of us and it should not be played "to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense left behind”
The family said ...“Tom wrote this song for the underdog, for the common man and for everyone ... We want to make it clear that we believe everyone is free to vote as they like, think as they like, but the Petty family doesn’t stand for this. We believe in America and we believe in democracy. But Donald Trump is not representing the noble ideals of either.
And, the family added this ... "We would hate for fans that are marginalized by this administration to think we were complicit in this usage. Concurrently, we have issued a cease and desist notice to the Trump campaign.”
So, the family has fired off a cease and desist letter to the campaign.
The Petty family is not alone. Among the singers who have railed against Trump for using their music ... Elton John, Prince, Aerosmith, REM, Adele, the Rolling Stones, Guns N Roses, Rihanna, Neil Young, Pharrell, Queen and Earth Wind and Fire have also denounced the president’s use of their music.
Trump expected 100,000 people to show up for the rally. Turnout was not even close ... the venue seats 19,000 and it was only 2/3 full.
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Black Lives Matter Gaming Co. Backs Off Trademark ... We Were 'Tone Deaf'
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The founder of a gaming company is seeing the light -- she's aborting efforts to create a "Black Lives Matter" board game, and admits, despite good intentions ... there's a better way to fight racism.
Shari Spiro's the owner of AdMagic Inc., and last week she filed to trademark the 'BLM' phrase. Spiro told TMZ her plan was to help the organization create some type of educational tool -- possibly a 'BLM' card or board game -- to teach people about the movement.
Spiro added, she was not doing it for financial gain or publicity, and told us she was even going to donate the trademark -- if approved -- back to the Black Lives Matter org.
A couple days later, however, she reached out to tell us she's abandoning her application ... saying she now understands it was "tone deaf" to try it in the first place.
Spiro says even though her goal was to do good for the BLM movement, she recognizes "that 'good intentions' can still be unhelpful."
She adds ... "Moving forward, I will listen and learn so that I can be a better ally in the fight against racism." Spiro says her withdrawal of the trademark will be officially on the books within a few days.
It should be noted ... Spiro's not the first person to run to the trademark office since BLM protests started spreading after the death of George Floyd. Another businessman also recently withdrew applications for "Black Lives Matter" and "I Can't Breathe."
As we've reported ... Floyd's name has been in the trademark mix, as well -- for various reasons.
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Megan Fox I Just Got Carried Away!!!
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Megan Fox didn't walk the walk a few days back ... and that's because she didn't have to, courtesy of Machine Gun Kelly!!!
The couple hung out at The Beer Hunter bar in La Quinta, near Palm Springs, with some friends at a table inside the bar.
Folks in the bar say there was no doubt ... Megan and MGK are together.
They split after just shy of an hour, and MGK helped Megan take a load off, and she loved it!
Megan and MGK have gotten super close ... he even declared his love for her on social media.
Megan and Brian Austin Green have split. He was seen recently with Courtney Stodden, but they claim to just be friends.
Life goes on.
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Dennis Quaid I'm Throwin' a Block Party ... And Look Who's Playin' Guitar
Dennis Quaid threw a block party Saturday ... and a legendary musician provided essential backup.
Dennis, whose job description can fairly read, "Actor/Musician," had all the trappings for his Brentwood neighbors ... food, drink and music.
Dennis and his band performed, with a special guest ... Robby Krieger from The Doors played guitar for the blues and rock set. Robby and Dennis aren't strangers ... they've played together before.
Dennis' fiancee, Laura Savoie, was cheering with approval from the sidelines.
The bad news ... not a lot of masks or social distancing, and California has seen a big uptick in COVID-19 cases.
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Animal Planet's Forrest Galante Biologists Hunting Murder Hornets ... The Time To Pounce Is NOW!!!
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Not only is the coronavirus still here, but guess what ... ditto for murder hornets ... and Animal Planet's Forrest Galante says the clock's ticking to eradicate them before it's too late.
The Animal Planet star tells TMZ ... murder hornets are such a threat to our environment, biologists are literally hunting down the invading species. It's no joke ... biologists may as well be called the Ghostbusters 'cause Forrest says they're hunting the hornets with sniffing dogs, heat sensing technology and all kinds of tools to track their whereabouts.
So, why's it important to find them? Forrest tells us the murder hornets are detrimental to the environment if they're roaming and foraging all across the U.S. of A. He says there's still a murder hornet population in Washington.
BTW, timing's huge, too, if biologists are going to find the hornets. Check out the video ... Forrest explains why NOW is the prime time to find them and get rid of them. And, that's just one of the obstacles biologists are dealing with.
As we reported ... the arrival of the murder hornet a little over a month ago -- coupled with the U.S. in the middle of a deadly pandemic -- seriously made 2020 that much worse. And, you'll recall a murder hornet was caught on video taking a mouse's life within seconds of striking it.
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Kobe Bryant Lakers Ring Gifted To Dad For Sale Expected To Fetch $250K!!
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The L.A. Lakers 14k gold & diamond championship ring that Kobe Bryant gifted to his father just hit the auction block and it's expected to bring in a QUARTER-MIL!!
Here's the deal ... 20 years ago -- following Los Angeles' title-winning '99-'00 season -- Mamba bought 2 additional rings and gifted them to his parents, Pamela and Joe "Jellybean" Bryant.
The rings are IDENTICAL to the bling Kobe, Shaq, and the rest of the Lakers squad received.
We're talking real gold and 40 diamonds on each massive ring.
Goldin Auctions -- who recently sold Pamela's ring for $206k -- is now offering "Jellybean's" ring ... and GA tells us they expect it to sell for over $250,000.
FYI, Pamela and Joe sold the rings -- along with other memorabilia -- back in 2013 for a total of $280,000.
And, get this, there's more awesome Kobe swag for sale:
- Kobe Bryant worn and signed cast from when he broke his wrist during the preseason in 1999. Expected to bring in about $20k.
- A 1996-1997 Topps Chrome Refractors Kobe Bryant rookie card (a very rare card). Expected to go for around $75k.
- A Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant signed basketball. Expected to sell for $20k to $25k.
The market for Kobe collectibles has always been high -- but right now, enthusiasts are clearly motivated and willing to shell out the big bucks to have something special in their collections to remember the NBA legend.
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Emile Hirsch 'Into The Wild' Bus' Next Stop ... How About My Backyard?!?
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Emile Hirsch is hoping the abandoned bus made famous by his 2007 film, "Into The Wild," lands in a safer location than the Alaskan wilderness ... and he's got the perfect spot.
Emile played the main character, Chris McCandless, and tells TMZ ... if it were up to him, he would put the bus in an area for people to visit without fear of getting lost in the wild or losing their lives in a raging river ... somewhere like, say, Emile's backyard!!!
As we reported ... the abandoned bus from the film -- based on a true story -- was a major, and sometimes deadly, tourist attraction in a remote area of Alaska's Denali National Park. On Thursday, the National Guard airlifted the bus from its location in the interest of public safety.
While Emile says the symbolism around the bus made a huge impact on fans around the world, he knows it presented some dangerous problems for people making the backcountry pilgrimage. Five Italian tourists had to be rescued earlier this year, and a woman died last year hiking to the bus, which spurred local officials to call for its relocation.
Emile says the cautionary tales were tragic to see, and he hopes the bus ends up somewhere safer ... as long it's not broken down and sold for scrap parts. For now, it's being held in a secure location until authorities find a new home for it.
Watch the video, Emile seems pretty serious about the bus and his yard -- although, he admits it could cause some trouble ... and hangovers.
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Celeb Dads With Mini-Mes Happy Father's Day!!!
If dad's rockin' it, it must be cool ... At least that's how these adorable celebrity mini-mes seem to feel!
These cute kids have been posted proudly twinning with their famous fathers and we're sharing all the sweet snaps with you, in celebration of today!
From stars such as Andy Cohen and John Legend to Ryan Lochte and Trey Songz, there are plenty of pics of these dynamic duos to go around!
Take a look at all the other celeb kids having matching moments with their dads by scrolling through our gallery of celebrity dads with mini-mes!
Happy Father's Day!
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Brett Favre Kaepernick Similar To Pat Tillman ... 'I'd Assume Hero Status Will Be Stamped'
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Brett Favre says Colin Kaepernick's willingness to leave his NFL career to fight for social justice reminds him of Pat Tillman's ultimate sacrifice ... and now, he's telling TMZ Sports he thinks both will be remembered as heroes.
The Hall of Fame QB spoke with us about Colin this week ... and told us straight-up he believes Kaepernick will go down as a legend for what he's done to combat systemic racism.
"It's not easy for a guy his age -- black or white, Hispanic, whatever -- to stop something that you've always dreamed of doing, and put it on hold, maybe forever, for something that you believe in," Favre said.
Brett told us he believes it's all very similar to what Tillman did when he left the NFL to fight for his country in the Army in the aftermath of 9/11.
"I can only think of right off the top of my head, Pat Tillman is another guy that did something similar," Favre said. "And, we regard him as a hero. So, I'd assume that hero status will be stamped with Kaepernick as well."
It's lofty praise from the former Green Bay Packers superstar ... but Favre clearly believes Kaep gave up a legitimate NFL career to make his message heard.
Brett tells us even despite a 3-year-plus layoff, he thinks Colin can STILL be an effective QB in the NFL today.
"I thought he was a dynamic player when he was playing in his prime," Favre said. "He's still young and hasn't been hit in several years, so there's no reason to think that he's lost that much of a step."
For Colin's part, we're told he's training like a maniac to get back in the league ... and at least one team -- the L.A. Chargers -- has said it'll consider giving him a tryout this season.
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Ty Burrell Good Genes or Good Docs?!
Ty Burrell's good looks are no joke!
Here is a 36-year-old version of the famous father looking spiffy at the premiere of "Dawn Of The Dead" back in 2004 (left).
And, 16 years later ... this famous father is now 52 years old and is spending this weekend celebrating Father's Day!
Burrell is best known for his role as Phil Dunphy on the award-winning ABC sitcom, "Modern Family". The show aired their final episode in April after an 11-season run. He was last spotted out rockin' these sweet specs at an iHeartRadio event earlier this year (right).
He's got it goin' on!
The question is ...
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D.L. Hughley Passes Out, Collapses During Comedy Set ... Overnight Hospital Stay
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6:48 PM PT -- D.L. just posted further explanation for his collapse, and says he's tested positive for COVID-19.
7:12 AM PT -- D.L. is gonna be okay. His rep tells TMZ ... he was "suffering from exhaustion after all the week's work and travel, and was kept overnight at the hospital for tests under doctor's orders. He is awake and feeling better, and wishes to thank everyone for the very kind prayer and thoughts."
Comedian D.L. Hughley had some sort of medical emergency Friday night ... he was performing at a Nashville club when he went limp and passed out cold.
D.L. was performing at Zanies Comedy Club and a sold out crowd was enjoying his jokes when suddenly, at around 11 PM, it appeared something was amiss. His speech became labored. A security guard handed D.L. a bottle of water, and a minute later he just passed out cold while he was leaning against a stool.
The comedian's manager was at the ready and grabbed D.L. to break his fall. The manager carried him off stage and that was it ... no one told the crowd what happened, but it was serious enough for an ambulance and fire truck to show up. D.L. was put on a stretcher and taken to a nearby hospital.
We've tried contacting D.L.'s rep ... so far, no word back.
Originally Published -- 6:45 AM PT
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Tulsa Trump Rally Newborn Baby Brought Out ... Unmasked, Big Crowd
An apparent newborn baby got dragged out to the crockpot of potential disease festering in Tulsa -- and like mother, the kid too is unmasked ... and surrounded by hordes of bodies.
This screenshot is from a video that was filmed and posted on social media Saturday outside of the BOK Center in downtown, where Trump is hosting a rally -- the first one he's held in months since the start of the pandemic, and which promises to be packed.
The person who posted this was documenting her day ahead of the actual rally later this evening, and one of the last posts on her IG story shows this woman with what looks like a recently born child. The woman who posted says 3 weeks old -- tagging it #BabiesForTrump.
It looks like she had a convo with the mother -- in her original story, the woman comes over and seems to mouth some words to her.
Needless to say, it's sad that the kid was brought out there ... as he/she has no say in the matter. Of course, newborns are susceptible to falling ill from COVID-19, as their immune systems are not fully formed.
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Baton Rouge School Board Member Caught 'Online Shopping' Mercilessly Called Out by Activist
A Louisiana city official who resisted taking Robert E. Lee out of a school's name got taken to task by a black activist, who forced her to leave a meeting in utter shame.
This epic take-down of words went down Thursday during a Baton Rouge School Board meeting, where District 8 member Connie Bernard was publicly called out by Gary Chambers Jr., who stepped to the mic and unloaded on what he described as her inherent racism.
A bit of context ... part of the purpose for Thursday's meeting was to circle back to an issue that'd been discussed recently in the community -- namely, taking the "Lee" out of Lee High School, which was already a stripped-down version of Robert E. Lee High School.
Several members of the community have been calling for a full-blown name change of late, and School Board Member Bernard said last week folks offended by REL needed to brush up on their history. Welp, Mr. Chambers Jr. here had some things to say about that.
For starters, he addressed the fact that it appeared Ms. Bernard was captured on camera online shopping from her laptop during the meeting, while members of the public were airing out their grievances on the topic.
Chambers Jr. said her behavior and comments proved she was racist, and he demanded that she resign immediately. Ms. Bernard then got up and walked out of the room. She later apologized for her comments about Lee, and insisted she wasn't online shopping ... but simply came across a pop-up ad, which she wasn't able to close fast enough.