Yoko Ono Sues Former John Lennon Aide ... He's Up to His Old Tricks!!!
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Yoko Ono's returning to battle with a former aide of her late husband John Lennon, claiming the guy's again trying to profit off them, even though he was ordered nearly 20 years ago to knock it off.
According to a new suit -- obtained by TMZ -- Yoko believes Frederic Seaman blatantly violated a court order when he sat down for a 23-minute interview "flanked by Lennon memorabilia" and discussing topics she says are legally prohibited ... like his old book about John.
Yoko and Frederic have been going at it in court for decades. She says Frederic pled guilty to stealing Lennon's journals back in 1983 but she had to drag him to court again in the late '90s.
Eventually, Yoko scored a legal victory in 2002 when a court ordered Seaman to stop using their family photos and such to profit off Lennon's legacy, and she even got an apology from him in open court ... so it seemed like it was resolved.
Ono now says he's back at it and claims Seaman's recent interview on September 10 proves it. Yoko claims he defied the order by again talking about his employment with John and Yoko, John's murder, and even worse ... his 1991 book, 'The Last Days of John Lennon.'
Ono says Seaman discussed his intention to revise and reissue an expanded version of his book, which she claims would "willfully and intentionally violate" the injunction laid down against him in 2002.
Yoko's suing Seaman for copyright infringement over the family photos and breach of contract, and wants at least $150k along with other damages ... and for Seaman to stop talking about her and her family.
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George Floyd Case Ex-Cops Want Change of Venue They Fear Angry Crowds!!!
The 4 accused ex-cops involved in George Floyd's death are asking for a change of venue for their trial ... saying the crowds of citizens outside the courthouse are terrorizing them.
Alexander Kueng filed a motion with the court seeking to change the venue out of Hennepin County ... claiming he, Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao and Thomas Lane as well as their attorneys were all subjected to a dangerous situation outside the courthouse following a hearing last month.
Defendants officers Kueng & Lane (rookie cops of the Minneapolis PD) surrounded by protesters, police escort & their attorneys leaving the Hennepin County Family Justin Center. #GeorgeFloyd #Minneapolis #HennepinCounty pic.twitter.com/t6DqfXptJD
— Brandon Bryant (@brandonbryantTV) September 11, 2020 @brandonbryantTV
In docs, obtained by TMZ, Kueng says there was no recognizable plan in place in advance of the hearing to ensure their safety and orderly entry. He adds Chauvin -- who pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes -- was subjected to "humiliation by being paraded in public dressed in jail clothes and body armor."
Kueng, who says the other cops have filed similar motions to move the trial, says they were also harassed going in and out of the courthouse. As we reported ... the ex-cops were met by angry protesters when they left court.
Kueng claims Thao, in particular, was followed for several blocks by jeering protesters when he left court. He also claims Lane was physically assaulted.
For these reasons, Kueng says it's not safe for any of them to stand trial in Hennepin County. Further, he claims they can't get a fair trial there because the jury would be swayed by the screaming crowds outside.
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Doc Rivers Lands Sixers Head Coaching Job ... After Clippers Exit
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Well, THAT didn't take long.
Doc Rivers is back on an NBA bench just days after leaving the L.A. Clippers ... agreeing to become the next head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The longtime L.A. coach mutually parted ways with the Clips earlier this week ... after a disappointing exit from the playoffs.
Rivers addressed the exit in a statement, saying, "While I was able to accomplish most of my goals, I won't be able to see them all through. Though it was a disappointing ending to our season, you are right there and I know what this team is capable of accomplishing with your support."
Rivers made it clear he wasn't ready to hang up his tie just yet ... and while an official announcement has yet to be made, it's only a matter of time.
Rivers -- who has posted a 943-681 record as a head coach -- beat out huge names like Mike D'Antoni and Ty Lue for the gig ... and is taking on a team with a ton of talent.
The Sixers have been hoping to get back into the Finals for years ... and now they got a guy who has won it all.
Story developing ...
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Harry Potter 'Hogwarts Express' Rare View Ruined ... By Passing Commuter Train
Harry Potter fans in Scotland waited at a train station for hours just to catch a glimpse of the rare "Hogwarts Express" ... and when it came by, another train blocked the view!!!
The hilarious moment was captured on video ... and you see the "Hogwarts Express" for a split second before a passing ScotRail train completely steals the show.
The famous train from the Harry Potter books and movies was traveling south through Scotland en route to its winter base, with tons of families camping out at train stations across the country for the rare sighting.
This unlucky lot, though, waited in vain at Drumry station. Talk about the wrong side of the tracks!
Too bad no one knew any magic spells to make the commuter train disappear. Oh well, there's always next year, kids!
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Tim Allen & Richard Karn Does Everybody Know What Time It Is?!? First Day Of Our New Show!!!
Tim Allen and his good buddy Richard Karn are providing a sweet dose of nostalgia for '90s kids ... filming together again for a show they'll co-host together.
The "Home Improvement" stars are working together again for the competition show "Assembly Required" on the History channel. Richard was so excited about the reunion, he posted a pic. If you have any doubts about how much fans wanna see 'em back together -- it racked up nearly 20,000 likes in just a few minutes!
Tim might have given just a smirk for the pic, but he's been excited about this since back in August when he announced they were gonna be doing the show. As he put it then, "I created a competition show with @History and my old buddy @TheRichardKarn to challenge the people who love to get stuff done!"
The series -- which doesn't have a premiere date yet -- will feature builders from across the country who are tasked to fix all kinds of household items.
For those of you too young ... Tim and Richard's "Home Improvement" was a hit sitcom on ABC from 1991 to 1999. Since then, Richard has guest-starred on Tim's "Last Man Standing" -- but this new series is the closest we've come to a "Home Improvement" reboot.
Shout out to Wilson, BTW ... he won't be peeking over a fence on their new competition series. Earl Hindman, who played the nosy neighbor on "Home Improvement," passed away in 2003. RIP
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Nicki Minaj I'm a Mommy!!! Gives Birth in L.A.
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Nicki Minaj is a first-time mom ... she and husband Kenneth Petty have welcomed their new child to the world!
Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Nicki gave birth Wednesday in L.A. We don't know the baby's name or sex.
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As you know ... Nicki announced her pregnancy back in July, posting a series of photos showing her looking at least 6 months along and captioning one post, "#Preggers." She did the photoshoot with famed photographer David LaChappelle.
Nicki's planned to become a mom for quite some time ... remember, last September she claimed she was retiring from the rap game to start a family. She eventually got back into music but also got married to her childhood friend.
Kenneth was right alongside Nicki when she gave birth.
Congrats to both parents. The barbs have someone new to fawn over.
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Pro Cyclist Quinn Simmons Suspended From Racing Team ... Over Pro-Trump Twitter Exchange
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A pro cyclist has been booted off his racing team indefinitely ... and the squad's honchos say it's all because the dude got into an aggressive Twitter exchange over opinions on Donald Trump.
Here's the deal ... 19-year-old Quinn Simmons -- a rising star in cycling -- commented on a Dutch journalist's social media post Wednesday, showing his support for POTUS.
In the original post (which has since been deleted) ... the journalist wrote, "If you follow me and support Trump, you can go. There is zero excuse to follow or vote for the vile, horrible man.”
Simmons responded by writing, "Bye" with an emoji of a dark-skinned hand waving. The cyclist later told a commenter "That's right" after the person had called him a "Trumper."
Turns out, Simmons' racing team -- Trek-Segafredo -- didn't like the exchange one bit ... and hit him with an indefinite ban.
But, the team says the punishment was NOT for Simmons' pro-Trump political views ... but rather, they say they just didn't like the way he went about expressing them.
"He was suspended for engaging in conversation on Twitter in a way that we felt was conduct unbefitting a Trek athlete," the team said in a statement.
Added the team's manager, Luca Guercilena ... "We hold all Trek staff and management to a high ethical standard and our athletes are no exception."
For his part, Simmons released a statement on it all ... writing, "As an American rider, I have always been proud to represent my country. Riding for an American team has been a lifelong dream. A big reason I chose this team was because of the American values behind it."
Simmons continued, "To those who found the color of the emoji racist, I can promise that I did not mean for it to be interpreted that way. I would like to apologize to everyone who found this offensive as I strongly stand against racism in any form."
"To anyone who disagrees with me politically, that is fine. I won't hate you for it. I only ask the same."
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JoJo Debate Was Discouraging ... New Song's About Voting, Not Politics
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JoJo's coming through with an uplifting message for folks disillusioned by the first presidential debate ... and it's all in her new song.
The singer joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to download us on her track called "The Change" ... which was written by mega hitmaker Diane Warren. JoJo says it will remind you why it's so important to vote, and although it's not a political song -- she admits it has added meaning coming so soon after President Trump and Joe Biden's showdown.
"The Change" drops Friday, which is gonna be a huge day for JoJo ... she's been a huge fan of the Crash Bandicoot video game ever since she was a kid ... and Friday also marks the release of "Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time" on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Earlier this week, we surprised JoJo by getting Crash himself to make a cameo on Sunset Blvd, and ya gotta see her reaction!!! Yeah, you can tell she's ready to play the first brand-new Crash game in more than 10 years.
You can too, just hit up TMZ's Instagram page to enter our 2020 Gaming Sweepstakes. You'll get a chance to win 1 of 10 PS4 download codes for Activision’s 'Crash Bandicoot 4.'
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Van Jones New Probation Law is 'Transformative' ... Great Things Happening!!!
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Van Jones can't stop smiling about the REFORM Alliance's big win -- the new law he says will improve the lives of tens of thousands of Californians ... and it's just the start, he hopes.
The REFORM CEO and esteemed news commentator joined "TMZ Live" Thursday, still riding high after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the AB 1950 bill into law ... which Jones calls a "transformative" piece of legislation.
Van says it's all about giving people a fair shot and setting them up for success, and gives props to Newsom for working with REFORM to make a much-needed change to the state's probation system.
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As we reported ... the new law limits adult probation sentences to a maximum of 1 year for a misdemeanor, and 2 years for felony offenses. Van says ideally, this will lower petty probation violations and keep people from going back to prison when they're not even committing crimes.
More importantly, Jones says the law is set up to give people in the criminal justice system a "springboard to success, and not a trap door into failure" ... in order to lead productive lives after they've done their time.
Jones also believes this progress is a result of all the protesting for change, and even though the alliance was founded by big names like Jay-Z, Meek Mill, Michael Rubin and Robert Kraft ... everyone involved in the movement helped.
Van tells us this is real change happening right before our eyes, so don't sleep on it ... the tens of thousands of people it will positively affect sure won't.
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Tamron Hall Sued for $16M Over Vaccine Episode ... My Son's No Leper!!!
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Get a load of this ridiculous lawsuit -- Tamron Hall's being sued for a whopping $16 million after telling a mom during a nationally-televised episode she wouldn't want her own kid to hug the mom's unvaccinated son.
Jeanine DiAngelo just sued Tamron individually and on behalf of her son, claiming they were embarrassed after Tamron compared her son to a "leper" during an episode about vaccinations that aired on ABC back in September 2019 ... this according to docs obtained by TMZ.
In docs, DiAngelo claims Tamron said she would NOT let her son anywhere near DiAngelo's son much less hug him because he's not vaccinated. DiAngelo says Tamron violated NY law by discriminating against her and their religious beliefs.
What's more ... she claims Tamron wasn't prepared for the segment ... arguing Tamron's lack of education on the topic caused her and her son to suffer colossal emotional distress.
Thing is ... the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said, should parents choose NOT to vaccine their kids, they should be prepared for the risks and responsibilities that come with that. One of those risks ... parents with kids that ARE vaccinated are probably told to stay clear of kids who aren't.
DiAngelo's suing Hall, Disney and the production company for $16 million in damages. For what it's worth ... Tamron did hug DiAngelo's son.
We reached out to Tamron for comment ... so far, no word back.
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Aurora PD Hobbled Woman Screams for Help for 20 Mins 'This is Slavery S***!!!'
A Black woman arrested by an Aurora, CO police officer was cuffed, hogtied and thrown in a patrol car ... where she rode upside down, begging for help for 20 minutes, as she feared she would die.
The disturbing video shows 28-year-old Shataean Kelly being arrested on Aug. 27, 2019 on charges resulting from a fight. After Officer Levi Huffine cuffs her and puts her in the back of the patrol car, he claims she tried to escape by grabbing the door handles. Huffine then decides, "I'm going to hobble her" ... tying her handcuffed hands to her feet ... also known as hogtying.
While on the backseat, Kelly unloaded insult after insult on the cop, clearly feeling she should not have been arrested. But, the situation turned much scarier for her when she slipped off the backseat headfirst onto the floor with her legs up in the air.
Almost immediately she started pleading for her life, fearing she might break her neck or her arms ... or suffocate. At one point she sadly whimpered, "This is some slavery s**t," and "How many times I gotta beg you master?"
Aurora PD is releasing the footage because Huffine was fired in February over the incident, and is appealing his termination.
Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson points out that the backseat door handles are inoperable and she believes Huffine was "punishing" Kelly.
Chief Wilson says she believes this was a form of torture by the officer, and adds he's lucky Kelly didn't die of asphyxiation, "Because he would be -- in my opinion -- in an orange jumpsuit right now" if she had.
Despite Kelly repeatedly screaming, "Please don't let me die back here" ... Huffine never replied or stopped the vehicle to move her into a safer position. Kelly at one point is heard saying, "I never felt so much racism in my life."
All criminal charges against Kelly were eventually dropped, and Huffine's termination appeal is under review.
It should be noted ... this incident occurred just 3 days after the Elijah McClain incident in Aurora on Aug. 24, 2019, during which he was allegedly placed in a chokehold by police and sedated by paramedics.
McClain went into cardiac arrest while being transported to the hospital. He was declared brain dead 3 days later and died on Aug. 30.
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Rihanna Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2 ... Celebs Ready to Werk!!!
Rihanna's sharing a sneak peek into her annual Savage X Fenty show ... and it's got performances from top artists and sexy stars modeling lingerie.
Rihanna rocked the runway, where she was joined by the likes of Bella Hadid, Paris Hilton, Cara Delevingne, Irina Shayk, Erika Jayne, Laura Harrier, Alva Claire, Abby Champion and Willow Smith. Hot!
The new looks are great, and so are the performances ... we're talking Miguel, Bad Bunny, Roddy Ricch, Big Sean, Rosalía and Christian Combs.
The Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2 premieres Friday on Amazon Prime Video, so click through the gallery to see what's on deck.
Kobe Bryant Storage Locker Treasures Returned to Vanessa ... 'It's All Worked Out'
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The treasure trove of Kobe Bryant memorabilia found in an abandoned storage locker has been returned to the NBA star's family, TMZ Sports has learned.
We broke the story ... someone recently won an auction for an abandoned locker in L.A. -- like a scene out of "Storage Wars" -- which contained everything from Kobe Bryant shoes to jerseys and even a mink coat from a photoshoot.
In total, there were 35 pairs of shoes, jerseys, Lakers practice gear, a Lakers all-access badge that says, "Mamba," tax paperwork and more.
The buyer ended up selling the items to "Storage Wars" star Rene Nezhoda for roughly $13,000 ... and the original plan was to make a fortune on the open market.
But, we're told Vanessa Bryant learned about the auction and felt the items belonged with the Bryant family -- so her reps reached out to Rene before he put them up for sale in hopes of working out a deal.
We spoke with Rene who tells us, "Everything has been worked out. A number of personal items, worn items, and paperwork were sold directly back to the Bryant family."
Rene wouldn't tell us the sale price because of the terms of the agreement -- but sources close to the deal say it wasn't about turning a profit, it was about getting the items back to the family in a fair way.
That said, Rene was able to keep some of the items that were NOT worn by Kobe -- some cool shoes and shirts ... and he is planning on selling those for profit.
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Chrissy Teigen & John Legend Share Devastating News ... They Lost Their Baby
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Chrissy Teigen and John Legend just suffered an unimaginable loss ... their son has died.
Chrissy shared the devastating news Wednesday, saying their son, who they'd named Jack, couldn't survive complications. Chrissy said, "We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain we’ve never felt before."
Teigen was recently hospitalized for severe bleeding during her pregnancy and revealed their baby boy was in the "danger zone." In her post, she said, "We were never able to stop the bleeding and give our baby the fluids he needed, despite bags and bags of blood transfusions. It just wasn’t enough."
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She continued, "We never decide on our babies’ names until the last possible moment after they’re born, just before we leave the hospital. But we, for some reason, had started to call this little guy in my belly Jack. So he will always be Jack to us. Jack worked so hard to be a part of our little family, and he will be, forever."
Driving home from the hospital with no baby. How can this be real.
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) October 1, 2020 @chrissyteigen
Jack was the couple's third child ... they have a daughter, Luna, and a son named Miles.
Chrissy ended her post saying, "We are so grateful for the life we have, for our wonderful babies Luna and Miles, for all the amazing things we’ve been able to experience. But everyday can’t be full of sunshine. On this darkest of days, we will grieve, we will cry our eyes out. But we will hug and love each other harder and get through it."
As we reported, John and Chrissy made the surprise pregnancy announcement when he released his music video for the song "Wild" in August ... revealing a pregnant Teigen at the end.
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Towanda Braxton Shocks Family with Engagement ... 'Are You Messing With Me?!'
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Towanda Braxton apparently didn't tell her family she's getting hitched ... which explains the shock her sister, Trina, and mom, Evelyn, had when a photog broke the news to them.
Trina and her mother were at LAX Wednesday when they found out about Towanda's secret, apparently, engagement to family friend and music producer Sean Hall. Check out the video ... the photog tells Trina, and the absolute surprise is written all over her face -- and then she had to break it to the Braxton matriarch.
Ya gotta see Evelyn's reaction too!
Now, the reason the photog had this info is he'd seen Towanda and Sean on Tuesday, and they let the cat out of the bag about getting married.
Somehow, it slipped their minds to clue in Trina and Evelyn ... and we gotta wonder if anyone else in the fam got the engagement alert.
Speaking of the other Braxtons ... Tamar's feud with her now ex-BF, David Adefeso, and the ensuing restraining order are still weighing on the family. Naturally.
Trina says she's got her sister's back -- but when it comes it comes to David, well ... Trina's pleading the Fifth.
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Bonni Lou Kern Original Mouseketeer Dead at 79
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Bonni Lou Kern -- one of the original 'Mickey Mouse Club' Mouseketeers in the '50s -- has died ... TMZ has learned.
Bonni died Monday in Wooster, Ohio ... according to the Wayne County Health Dept. We're told she died of natural causes.
As a Mouseketeer, the very first episode of "The Wonder Mouseketeers!" was named after her -- titled, "Save Bonni Lou Kern!" -- in which the other Mouseketeers help her out because she's caught in a fishing net.
Bonni appeared alongside famous Mouseketeers like Annette Funicello, Judy Harriet and Eileen Diamond, and was also seen in the film, "Save the Wonder Mouseketeers!"
According to her family ... Bonni was given the Mousecar Award, the highest award Disney gives out, as well as the key to Fantasy Land.
She went on to be known as Bonni Carr after marrying Harold "Bud" Carr in the late ’60s in Hawaii -- and is survived by 3 daughters, 6 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Bonni was 79.
RIP