TMZ.com Home

Tyler Perry isn't just concerned with including more Black people in TV/film, he's also worried about pollution in Black neighborhoods ... and he's willing to drop several million for a federal building to prove it.

The media mogul says he's considering buying the Forces Command building, a former U.S. military training complex adjacent to Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. The building's currently tagged to become an FDA laboratory, but TP's seen the proposed plan and has deep concerns about potential fumes ... according to ATL news blog, Saporta Report.

The building was reportedly approved to be sold to Easterly Government Properties in 2019 for $17M -- and the current plan is to lease to the FDA, which would have it up and running by 2025.

Tyler already offered to buy it for the same $17 mil, but the feds sold it to Easterly, instead.

He's not giving up that easily, because Tyler says he's willing to pay a premium for the property now, if that's what it takes to block the lab. He told Saporta, "To allow someone to put a laboratory in the heart of this development with smokestacks is not okay with me. They would not do it in Buckhead, so why would they do it here? It feels like environmental racism.”

An FDA official says Tyler's description of the lab's "smokestacks" is not accurate, and the facility's actually designed to clean all emissions. The building sits right next to land where Tyler's expanding his studio.

Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul is clarifying some things following his now-viral response to missing Gangsta Boo's funeral, but tells TMZ Hip Hop he was still on the frontlines when it mattered the most.

In a statement, the Oscar-award-winning rapper confirmed his absence, but did admit to helping foot the bill.

He says, "The fact that I had to even address negative things being said behind the scenes is really bothersome, I spearheaded the planning and paid for the majority of Boo’s funeral. Others reached out to assist as their way of showing Boo love. It was only right to include them, as we all loved Boo."

We're told others such as Juicy J, 8Ball & MJG, and other kin all chipped in for the services and Paul wants the entire ordeal to be water under the bridge.

He concludes, "I have previously stated why I did not attend the funeral and this is exactly why, as I think bringing the attention is not appropriate. Boo and my relationship was ours alone, she knew (and knows) where my heart was in it. I don't have to explain that to anybody."

Paul let out his fiery Instagram response to fans around 4 AM Sunday morning, Paul explained how his presence at funerals unjustly attracts groupies and freeloaders.

Paul also dug further into the trolls with a history lesson … revealing he discovered Gangsta Boo as a teenager and oversaw all her top records.

The funeral still had a huge turnout — hundreds of mourners including fellow artists Drumma Boy, La Chat and GloRilla, Hittkidd, Memphitz and Glitter Gloss were among the filled the Brown Missionary Baptist Church in Southaven, MS to pay their respects.

Gangsta Boo's close friends Juicy J, Yelawolf and DJ EFN also sent in videos to make up for their absences, clearly wearing their emotions on their sleeves in the clips.

Britney Spears did not have a "manic episode" in a restaurant this weekend -- as had been described to us -- nor did her husband run out on her, according to the man himself.

Sam Asghari explained things to a pap Sunday, who asked him about what went down Friday night in Woodland Hills ... where we got video of Britney covering up her face, and talking gibberish, after somebody tried recording her while she was dining.

Despite an eyewitness insisting she was acting erratically and that Sam had bolted in anger ... SA says all he did was briefly leave to go get the car.

Sam says folks get a little camera-happy when they see Britney in public and can't help themselves in attempting to film her -- something he says is unfortunate, but which he also acknowledges as coming with the territory for the type of fame BS has.

The main takeaway here, though ... he's saying things didn't go down the way they were initially characterized. He does say, however, Britney was frustrated ... and that's why she was acting the way she did.

The so-called "Puppy Bus" is already a viral sensation, and we got its founders to break down all the tricks and treats behind their suddenly booming dog walking/training service.

Mo and Lee Thompson joined "TMZ Live" to talk all about their biz, "Mo Mountain Mutts" ... after their dog bus unexpectedly became a social media phenomenon.

The husband/wife duo told us the bus is just one part of a day filled with dog training and dog walking around Skagway, Alaska -- and after those incredibly calm bus rides, the pups get out for an adventure, full of exercise and socializing.

They say the outings are planned to be physically and mentally engaging for their 4-legged clients ... like challenging hikes or a beach run.

The Thompsons admit their popular bus videos are the product of carefully choosing which pups have enough obedience training to go to their assigned seats without causing a ruckus. They added that the dogs' personalities, ages and manners are also factors.

As for how it all started ... Mo says at first she was just walking friends' dogs during work breaks, and then she started doing biking and hiking trips with 'em.

Juice WRLD's ex-girlfriend Ally Lotti and her boyfriend Carter Jamison were busted for shoplifting at an Arkansas Walmart over the weekend ... and cops say they found narcotics on Lotti during their search.

Ally was arrested by Crittenden County Sheriff's Office and booked on possession of methamphetamine or cocaine with the purpose to deliver at least 2 grams, possession of drug paraphernalia and theft of property.

Her lawyer, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ Hip Hop Ally and Carter tried to scan their items in the self-checkout aisle on Saturday ... and believed they'd rung up everything -- until a security guard detained them at the door.

We're told that's when the drugs were discovered.

Carter was booked for theft of property and released without bond later that day.

Ally has now also been released and is currently celebrating Carter's new purchase that was waiting at home for her -- a brand new 2023 Mercedes-Benz to drive her troubles away.

Kim Kardashian hasn't slowed down her efforts when it comes to prison reform ... as evidenced by her latest visit to a prison in California and the inmates she came face-to-face with during her trip.

A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ ... Kim spent a day at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent, CA earlier last week. We're told her focus was to meet with inmates in solitary confinement, speaking with them in depth about the toll the lockup can have on their mental stability.

Kim wasn't alone on her trip, actor Tobey Maguire and Scott Budnick -- the executive producer of "The Hangover" film franchise also joined. The three had a camera crew in tow, and back in 2016 Budnick did a documentary on teenagers in the prison system ... and we're told another documentary is underway.

We got a photo of Kim at a restaurant near Pelican Bay the same day as her visit ... she was deep in convo with several people as cameras rolled.

She also had some locals talking, as her custom private jet pulled up to the local airport.

As we've reported over the years, Kim's passionate about prison reform, even meeting with President Trump at The White House in 2018 in an effort to campaign for her cause and help pardon Alice Marie Johnson. She's also still working toward becoming an attorney, recently revealing she's still studying and trying to pass the California Bar Exam.

Kim has also helped Tennessee inmate Cyntoia Brown secure clemency, and played a huge role in freeing inmates like Matthew Charles and Jeffrey Stringer. In fact, Kim and her legal team wound up helping with the release of 17 prisoners over the span of 3 months.

The 28th annual Critics' Choice Awards went off without a hitch Sunday night ... and while celebs were takin' home gold all night long, they were having loads of fun when the cameras WEREN'T rolling,

Brendan Fraser and Ke Huy Quan hugged it out behind the scenes, marking another emotional get-together for the 2 since last working together in 1992's "Encino Man." They both were winners of the night -- Brendan for "The Whale" and Ke for "Everything Everywhere All At Once."

Award season frontrunners Austin Butler and Cate Blanchett -- who won for Best Actress -- buddied up for the camera backstage, too!

Angela Bassett, who took home the award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," was all smiles at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in L.A.

It was a 'Big Lebowski' reunion, too -- as good buds John Goodman and Jeff Bridges were cheesin' hard together ... as you know, John had the honor of presenting Jeff with this year's Lifetime Achievement Award.

ICYMI -- Brendan gave an incredibly emotional acceptance speech for his win, breaking down while telling the crowd he was recently "in the wilderness," and is grateful to have been rediscovered. What followed those remarks was just as powerful.

CJ Harris, the former "American Idol" contestant who made it to the top 6 in 2014, has died.

A family member tells us CJ suffered an apparent heart attack Sunday night in Jasper, Alabama ... he was taken to a local hospital by ambulance, but didn't make it.

Fans of the show remember the Jasper native auditioning for the judges back in 2014 in Salt Lake City ... blowing them away with his version of Allman Brothers Band's "Soulshine."

Judge Keith Urban told CJ, "You sing 'cause you have to sing, not 'cause you want to sing. And, I mean that in the deepest way. And, that's why it's so believable and real."

Following his incredible audition, CJ rocked America with powerful versions of "Too Close," "American Woman," and "Free Fallin'." He was chosen by the judges as a wild card in the semi-finals after not receiving enough votes, getting kept in the competition -- making it all the way to the top 6 before getting eliminated.

After "Idol," CJ performed with Darius Rucker at The Grand Ole Opry, someone he's said was a massive influence on his style. He even played for audiences in the competition show's season 13 tour.

He was only 31.

Chelsea Handler isn't afraid to let Prince Harry know how she feels about all the intimate details he's been sharing ... as she made his royal family jewels the butt of some icy jokes at the Critics Choice Awards.

The comedian took the stage Sunday night in L.A., and during her opening monologue she took some jabs at a ton of folks ... including Harry and his recently released memoir, "Spare."

Chelsea was talking about Niecy Nash-Betts' nomination for the Netflix series "Dahmer", but deftly segued to poke fun at the Duke of Sussex.

She said, "Dahmer became the third highest viewed show on Netflix with a combined watch time of 1 billion hours, which apparently is the same amount of time we're going to have to listen to Prince Harry talk about his frostbitten penis. It's enough, already".

And, it seemed to go over well with a lot of the audience ... cause she got laughs all around the room.

Of course, she was referring to details from Harry's book, where he shares his John Thomas got frostbitten back in 2011 during a charity trek to the North Pole.

Prince Harry wasn't the only one to catch some strays from Chelsea ... she also made fun of James Corden and his restaurant debacle.

Nick Kyrgios is out of the Australian Open -- the tennis star officially withdrew from the high-profile tourney ... after he had some disgusting, ketchup-like fluid drained from his knee.

The 27-year-old called a press conference at Melbourne Park on Sunday to reveal the news ... announcing that a recent MRI scan showed he had a small tear and cyst in his lateral meniscus.

He shared on his IG story shortly before the announcement that the injury had led to a buildup of a gnarly substance in his knee that required a procedure to remove.

"I'm devastated," Kyrgios said. "It's brutal. This is my home tournament, and obviously, winning the tournament in doubles [last year] and playing the best tennis of my life. All I can do is my best to come back."

Kyrgios had faced Novak Djokovic, a nine-time Australian Open champion, in a charity match on Friday, but according to his physiotherapist, Will Maher, the knee didn't respond well to the action.

Kyrgios, the 19 seed, had been slated to go up against Roman Safiullin in the first round of the tourney on Tuesday.

Brendan Fraser delivered a rousing speech at the Critics Choice Awards after taking home a big win -- and by the end of it, he pretty much had the whole room in tears.

The actor was presented with one of the top honors of the night -- Best Actor for his role in "The Whale" -- and when he got onstage, he immediately got emotional as he thanked his costars, as well as the writer and director of the Oscar-buzzy film.

Eventually, BF dropped the most poignant line ... saying he was recently "in the wilderness," and is grateful to have been rediscovered. What followed those remarks was just as powerful.

Brendan broke down with his closing words, evoking a standing O and a lot of waterworks out in the audience. He's been a clear favorite throughout this entire awards season ... and you can tell folks are happy for him.

As you might know ... he's been absent from mainstream Hollywood for years, and until somewhat recently, had faded into obscurity -- only to bounce back now with "The Whale."

In the flick, Brendan plays a morbidly obese man who's trying to rekindle a relationship with his teen daughter -- while also struggling with his health and mental health problems. His performance had been getting rave reviews since 'Whale' first debuted last year.

Of course, he didn't win at the Golden Globes -- Austin Butler did for "Elvis" -- but some have speculated politics might have been at play there. Brendan didn't even attend the Globes ... the reason being, he publicly accused the HFPA's former Prez of sexual assault in 2018.

Gina Lollobrigida -- one the last mega celebs of old Hollywood and one of the most beautiful -- has died.

Her attorney says she passed away Monday in a Rome hospital. It's been reported she'd been receiving treatment for some time, but it's unclear for what.

Lollobrigida was a beloved and coveted movie star in the 1950s and '60s -- having costarred in films alongside Hollywood heavyweights like Humphrey Bogart, Rock Hudson, Anthony Quinn, Errol Flynn, Frank Sinatra, Yul Brynner and other leading men of the time.

While her acting career somewhat petered out post-'60s, she had a run for about a decade or so where she was one of the most in-demand A-listers, both here and abroad ... rivaling other starlets such as Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor and more.

Some of her most famous flicks include "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Solomon and Sheba," "Come September," "Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell," "Beat the Devil," "Beautiful But Dangerous," "Crossed Swords" ... and countless others.

Another element she'll be remembered for ... just how much business mogul Howard Hughes was infatuated with her. He'd signed her to a movie deal early on, but while she was under his employ ... he's said to have proposed to her several times, only to be rebuffed.

Post-acting, Lollobrigida had a successful career in photojournalism, and even tried her hand at Italian politics -- which didn't turn out to be as fruitful. Still, quite the life indeed.

She was 95.

Univ. of Alabama basketball player Darius Miles has been charged with capital murder ... after authorities say he and another man were involved in the shooting death of a woman near campus on Sunday morning.

According to Tuscaloosa Police Capt. Jack Kennedy, the fatal shooting happened on The Strip ... a popular stretch of road near the school that's lined by bars and restaurants.

Kennedy said authorities were alerted to the shooting at around 1:45 AM ... after officers had responded to a vehicle at the Walk of Champions at Bryant Denny Stadium.

Kennedy, in a news conference Sunday night, told media members a 23-year-old woman, Jamea Harris, was dead in the car. The driver of the vehicle, Kennedy said, told officers their car had been hit by gunfire earlier in the night ... adding that they shot back in self-defense.

According to Kennedy, police reviewed surveillance video and interviewed multiple witnesses -- and identified Miles and 20-year-old Michael Lynn Davis, who's not affiliated with the Univ. of Alabama, as the suspects.

Both Miles and Davis were charged with capital murder ... and arrested Sunday evening.

Miles was seen sobbing outside of the Tuscaloosa County Jail following the arrest, telling someone at the scene, "I swear, I love you more than you imagine."

Kennedy said Miles and the alleged victims did not previously know each other ... explaining, "At this time, it appears that the only motive was a minor altercation that these individuals had with the victim as they were out on The Strip."

Miles played in six games for the Crimson Tide this season, logging nine points and nine rebounds. On Saturday, just hours before the shooting, the school had ruled him out for the season due to an ankle injury.

By Sunday evening, his player profile page had been removed from the university's website.

"First and foremost, we extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the victim from last night’s incident," UA athletics said in a statement Sunday night. "We were made aware of the recent charge against student-athlete Darius Miles, and he is no longer a member of the Alabama men's basketball team. Athletics, in conjunction with the University, is fully cooperating with this investigation."

The school added in a statement of its own, "We are grieved by the incident that occurred near campus last night and extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends."

Diddy's son Christian "King" Combs isn't accepting the "nepo baby" label critics keep tacking onto his name, but he's fully up to the challenge of upholding his dad's legacy!!!

We got King Wednesday at LAX and got his honest feedback on people automatically thinking he has a silver spoon in his mouth -- due to his father's bank account -- and he says that's one criticism he shrugs off.

KC tells us he understands the notoriety that comes along with being a rich kid, but calls his birthright as the Bad Boy heir apparent nothing short of a blessing.

Successful offspring of rich and famous parents have been under the microscope as of late, but as it turns out ... King's been earning his keep in the rap game lately.

He and Diddy made father-son history in November when their songs both hit No. 1 on different Billboard charts and the title of Christian's song, "Can't Stop Won't Stop," is now his life mantra.

Except when it comes to the haters, who KC says need to cease and desist their activity!!!

He recently posted another so-called "nepo baby" -- his new baby sister, Love Sean Combs. Could there be a #1 hit in her future???

Listen up, pro tennis players ... Rich Paul is offering some free business advice -- explaining to TMZ Sports he believes a career switch to pickleball could yield huge benefits for athletes if they officially traded in rackets for paddles.

Paul broke it all down for us at LAX this week ... about a month after he, Patrick Mahomes, Naomi Osaka, Nick Kyrgios and others joined forces to own a Major League Pickleball team.

The founder of Klutch Sports Group said he believes the sport is awesome and about to take off -- and noted that if a pro tennis player made the switch over now, it might lead to a big windfall of cash and fame later on.

"Those that play tennis that may be, you know, average or a little bit above average could be really great at this," Paul said. "It may be a little more lucrative."

He continued, "If I was someone who played a different sport that was kind of, what I would say would be an evolution or somewhat similar to another sport, and it was new, and it was hot and lucrative, I would take a look at it myself."

MLP began in 2021 with just eight teams -- but as the sport, played on a smaller version of a tennis court with paddles and a plastic ball with holes in it, has grown ... the org. expects to have 24 teams this year.

Paul's new squad will be one of the '23 additions to the league ... and he told us he's stoked for the potential it has, and the influx of talent that could be headed its way when people realize it.

As for his best friend LeBron James -- the King has also invested in MLP ... and is scheduled to actually compete against Paul's team this year.

Zedd probably doesn't need it, but he's about to get a little extra change in his pocket -- he finally found someone to take his snazzy Beverly Hills mansion off his hands.

Our real estate sources say the famed DJ has a buyer for his $18.5 million palace in Benedict Canyon, which is just above Bev Hills. The home spent quite a bit of time on the market before he relisted it last year.

And, while it has a hefty price tag ... it's actually a discount from its original listing of $26.5M back in 2021. You'll recall, he scored the baller mansion back in 2018.

Now the new homeowner is gonna enjoy some pretty cool features including ... a master suite with wrap-around glass walls, a soundproof theater, indoor/outdoor gym and a gorgeous infinity pool.

And, ya can't forget the incredible views overlooking the hills!

The kitchen has 2 built-in smokeless hibachi grills and high-end appliances -- and there's a ton of outdoor space, including a private outdoor terrace.

No word if he got his asking price, but we're told Zedd's accepted the buyer's offer, and the home went under contract earlier this month. Both sides are just waiting to finalize the sale.