Travis Scott Wants Astroworld Lawsuit Dismissed Files First Response of Many

Travis Scott doesn't believe he should be tied to litigation when it comes to the tragedy that happened at Astroworld ... which is why he's asking a judge to nix one of the lawsuits against him.

The rapper just filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, denying the claims against him by a guy named Jessie Garcia, who's alleging he was in the crowd at the festival. Trav's asking that his suit be dismissed with prejudice ... specifically, as it pertains to TS himself, his company (Jack Enterprises) and his foundation/label (Cactus Jack).

Travis is issuing a "general denial," which is a legal term in civil suits that allows one to submit one blanket response to all the allegations against them.

11/5/21
CONCERT CHAOS
TMZ.com

In other words, Travis is making clear that the deaths and injuries are not his responsibility, and he's asking the judge to toss the suit against him and his entities.

BTW, sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Travis is planning to issue a similar response for every civil suit against him -- and trust us, there are many. He might be able to do it in one fell swoop though -- last week, there was a motion filed to combine all 275 cases that have been filed thus far into one "multi-district litigation," which would consolidate many of the suits.

11/7/21
TRAVIS' EMOTIONAL MESSAGE

The reason for the ask is because a lot of the claims are eerily similar ... so just for efficiency, they're asking one judge be assigned to the case. The court has yet to rule.

Anyway, now it's clear where Travis stands ... up until now, he's only denied liability through public statements -- saying he was unaware of what was going on that night -- but now, he's making it official for the courts.

Russell Westbrook Enjoys Day W/ Family At Disneyland

Russell Westbrook isn't letting the Lakers' early-season struggles put a damper on his spirit ... 'cause the SoCal native hit up the Happiest Place on Earth with his wife and kids.

The Lakers -- who last played Friday against the Clippers -- had the weekend off ... providing Russ the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with the fam.

Westbrook and his wife, Nina, took their kids to Disneyland in Anaheim on Sunday ... where they enjoyed some rides at the famous theme park. And yes, they had delicious Churros too.

The Lakers star rode the Radiator Spring Racers, where he sat in the front row (photo below). The 33-year-old also hit up the new Web Slingers Spider-Man attraction in the new California Adventures Park's Marvel Land.

The former UCLA product has been all smiles since being traded to his hometown Lakers ... despite a season that has been mired with inconsistency due to injuries and lack of chemistry.

Of course, Russ isn't the first celebrity to grace Disneyland with his presence. A host of A-list stars like Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, Halle Berry, Mario Lopez, Nick Cannon and Trey Songz have visited the park.

Disney was also a favorite of Kobe Bryant over the years ... who LOVED the park.

Russ and the Lakeshow look to get back in the win column when they take on the Celtics Tuesday at Staples.

Staples Center Sign Comin' Down ... Amid Crypto.com Arena Name Change

Anyone have a staple remover??

The iconic Staples Center signage is officially coming down on Monday ... with workers slowly removing the red letters off of the building to make way for Crypto.com Arena.

As we previously reported, the cryptocurrency company bought the naming rights to the venue last month ... which came with a whopping $700 MILLION price tag.

While the name change won't officially happen until Christmas Day, AEG wasted no time kick-starting the rebrand ... which will undoubtedly have some fans upset.

Of course, Staples Center was often referred to as "The House That Kobe Built," as a nod to the late Lakers legend, who played at the venue for the majority of his Hall of Fame career.

No matter what people officially call the arena, Vanessa Bryant made it clear all the history that Kobe made inside will always live on.

The new deal will see Crypto.com's logos on the building for at least the next 20 years ... so maybe people will get used to it by 2042.

Lil Wayne Allegedly Pulls Gun On His Security ... Cops Investigating, He Denies it Happened

Lil Wayne allegedly pulled an assault rifle on one of his own bodyguards during a dispute at his home, and now police are looking into the incident.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... one of the rapper's guards told cops he and Wayne got into a fight at Weezy's Hidden Hills, CA home, and cops say they were told the altercation escalated to physical violence and a brandished firearm.

We're told the guard claims Wayne told him to get outta the house after the initial dispute, but the guard went to the bathroom first and he claims that's when Wayne dramatically escalated things.

We've spoken with a source close to Wayne who strongly denies the incident even happened ... and tell us Wayne doesn't even have a gun.

That's not however, what the guard told cops ... our sources say the guard claimed Lil Wayne pulled out an AR-15 ... and that's when the guard booked it out of the house to the gated community's guard shack, where he called police.

We're told cops went to Weezy's place to get his side of the story, but he was already gone. The guard told police the fight started with Wayne accusing him of taking photos and leaking them to the media.

Other law enforcement sources involved in the case tell TMZ ... cops have issues with the guard's story, and they say he did not have any marks on his body or injuries from the alleged physical confrontation.

We're told the guard also does not want to press charges against Wayne -- and while police have doubts about some of the allegations, they will nevertheless investigate.

We reached out to Lil Wayne's camp ... so far, no word back.

Jake Paul I May Never Fight Tommy Fury ... After He Pulled Out

FURIOUS WITH THE FURYS
Showtime
UPDATE

1:04 PM PT -- Tommy is breaking his silence on pulling out ... saying he's been dealing with the infection for months and was doing his best to fight through it, but the broken rib became the last straw.

UPDATE

Tommy even provides hospital scans to back up his reason for withdrawing from the bout ... saying in no way is he dodging Paul, and he's looking forward to rescheduling the fight.

UPDATE
THE DETAILS
@tommyfury / Instagram
UPDATE

12:04 PM PT -- Jake Paul won't be fighting Tommy Fury on December 18 -- or possibly ever -- 'cause the YouTube superstar says he may be slamming the door on rescheduling the bout after TNT pulled out due to medical issues.

UPDATE

Jake just spoke with the media after the new fight with Tyron Woodley was announced ... and he's doubling down on his claim that Tommy got cold feet and was looking for an excuse to back out.

UPDATE

Jake says he's pissed off over the whole situation ... and will have to think long and hard before agreeing to step in the ring with Fury, claiming he also did a terrible job at promoting the fight.

UPDATE

"I don't see a reason to come back next year and give him that big of an opportunity and that big of a payday," Jake says. "It would almost be more fun and more satisfying for me to just leave him in the dust and make him fight until he's 25-0, if he gets that far, to get the same payday that he was getting in his eighth fight."

UPDATE

10:19 AM PT -- Jake's brother, Logan, is getting in on the smack talk ... saying everyone should've seen Tommy backing out from a mile away.

UPDATE
TOMMY, TOMMY, TOMMY ...
UPDATE

"It's a good thing you're beautiful, you sexy blue-eyed beast," Logan said on Instagram. "'cause you are a p***y."

UPDATE

8:06 AM PT -- TMZ Sports has learned ... Tommy is backing out of the fight due to a bacterial chest infection and a broken rib.

UPDATE

"The beginning of my camp was going so incredibly and I never expected anything to come in my way from a victory on December 18th," Tommy said in a statement Monday.

UPDATE

"I can't express how disappointed I am and I really do hope we can get this fight rescheduled in the new year. I want this fight to happen more than anything. I'm now regretfully putting my focus on recovery and a further reschedule date."

Tyron Woodley's getting his rematch after all -- Jake Paul just announced Tommy Fury has backed out of their December 18 fight ... with the ex-UFC champ taking his place.

24-year-old Paul just posted a video confirming rumors of Fury pulling out on Monday ... saying he will go head-to-head against Woodley once again in less than 2 weeks' notice.

"When my team woke me up on Friday to tell me Tommy Fumbles was pulling out, I told them I’ll fight anyone on December 18th," Jake said. "Troy, Trey, Trevor, Travis,… I don’t give a f*** who it is."

Naturally, Jake also had some words for Tommy.

"Tommy’s pulling out because of a 'medical condition' called vaginitis," he added. "Unlike the Furys, Tyron actually has some balls, is stepping in, and contractually he is getting an extra $500,000 if he knocks me out."

RUN IT BACK

Of course, Paul and Woodley duked it out in Cleveland on August 29, with the YouTuber getting the split decision win over Tyron.

As we previously reported, Tommy agreed to fight Jake back in October ... after months of trash talk and failed contract negotiations.

Speaking of failed negotiations, Woodley initially lost his shot at the rematch after Paul claimed he took too long to get "I love Jake Paul" tatted on him.

Woodley eventually got the ink a month after the fight ... getting the phrase on his middle finger.

This time around, Jake is guaranteeing a different outcome.

"First time I outboxed him. This time I’m gonna punish him and leave no doubt."

It's a quick turnaround for Woodley ... but the dude's a pro, so we're sure he'll be fine.

Originally Published -- 7:34 AM PT

President Biden Age Roasted By Michael Che ... During Kennedy Center Honors

President Joe Biden welcomes back the Kennedy Center Honors, post-pandemic, and immediately gets totally roasted by ‘SNL’ star Michael Che ... who said, "There’s no way he is awake right?"

The age-appropriate shot was well-received, though, during a night of jokes, laughter and great music. President Biden slipped into his tux for the Sunday night gala honoring 5 legendary artists for their lifetime achievements -- Motown Records creator Berry Gordy, "Saturday Night Live" creator Lorne Michaels, famed actor Bette Midler, singer Justino Diaz and folk music legend Joni Mitchell.

This night was particularly special because the Prez and First Lady were in attendance --bringing back the tradition. President Trump had skipped the event since 2016 after honorees threatened to protest if he participated.

In fact, Biden got a standing ovation as he entered the event and praise from attendees such as late-night legend David Letterman, who also took a swipe at Trump, saying ... "It's quite nice once again to see the presidential box being occupied."

12/5/21
JOE'S GOT JOKES

The President also hosted the honorees before the event and cracked a few jokes himself ... foreshadowing the tone of the packed 44th annual event.

Canadian Football League Player Throws Punch At Fan In Stands ... Wild Scene At Game

Several members of the Toronto Argonauts went into the stands to confront fans on Sunday -- with one player actually throwing a huge haymaker at a man who got in his face.

The wild scene all went down at the end of the Argonauts' playoff loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, when a few Argos players leaped over some railing and got into an altercation with patrons.

According to witnesses, some fans had spilled drinks on the players, causing the initial commotion, and you can see in footage shot by bystanders, things quickly turned violent.

A fan dressed in Hamilton Tiger-Cats gear ran into Toronto defensive back Chris Edwards, who then threw a looping right hand at the man's face in response.

Argonauts wide receiver Dejon Brissett then jumped in to try to break things up, pushing the fan into a wall.

Fortunately for everybody involved, security quickly stepped in ... subduing the fan and allowing the Toronto players to return to their locker room.

Cops tell TMZ Sports they are investigating the incident. A CFL spokesperson, meanwhile, told Sportsnet the league is reviewing the matter as well.

Mountain Lion Comes Face-to-Face with Family Dog In Terrifying Video

JUST SAYIN' HI
Storyful

Things could have ended much worse for a family's dog had it not been for a pane of glass stopping a hungry mountain lion from making it dinner.

The video, taken by a woman in Colorado, shows her dog named Dash frozen in fear as the mountain lion spots it from outside. The mountain lion seems puzzled by the barrier, trying different ways to get in, even tapping on the glass with its paw.

You can hear the fear in the woman's voice as she records and tries to get Dash away from the door, without any luck. The dog is clearly terrified, not moving.

Finally, the mountain lion gives up ... walking away into the backyard, and that's when Dash finds his courage again, barking as the animal trots off.

'RHONJ' Joe Gorga Bombs During Stand-Up Comedy ... Wife Yanks Him Offstage

NIGHTMARE SET
TMZ.com

Joe Gorga might be great on reality TV, but he is definitely NOT killing it with his stand-up comedy routine ... at least not during a recent NYC gig.

The 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star bombed during a comedy set earlier this month at the Governors' Comedy Club, where Joe took the mic at one point and things went south quickly.

Check it out ... Joe tried telling a joke/story about some guy he knows, but it came out pretty incoherently -- and more importantly, not really funny at all. He ignored some light jeering and rolled on with his act.

It looks like the audience was trying to cut him some slack ... entertaining his repeated "Are you guys ready?" line, which he used to ad nauseam, but never really paid off with an actual punchline.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

We're told the crowd eventually turned on him when he started to curse at them, which you can also hear in the video. One of his pals tried pulling him off stage, but Joe wouldn't go -- that is ... until his wife, Melissa, came on and gave him the hook.

She had a message for the crowd on their way out, and all seemed mostly forgiven in the end.

Joe’s manager Mike Martocci tells TMZ … "Joe was sick that day. He had a cold. He took Sudafed and then had a couple of Scotches. It just hit him when he went on stage. We came back the next night and he made a joke about it."

Finnish Prime Minister 36-yr-old Hits Club 'til 4 AM, No Mask!!! Her Country's Super-Vaxxed

Yeah, it's good to be the King/Queen -- but Prime Minister's pretty badass too, especially when you're Finland's Sanna Marin out partying until the break of dawn!!!

The Finnish PM was all up in the VIP at Butcher's Nightclub in Helsinki over the weekend -- she was seen hanging with her husband and some friends at a private table. NBD, right?

Well, keep in mind Marin, at just 36 years old, is the Nordic country's youngest Prime Minister ever -- and the glamorous world leader's clearly not letting the gig hold her back from doing regular 30-somethings activities.

PM Marin reportedly stayed out until 4 AM and as you can see, neither she nor anyone else in the club was wearing a face mask ... so, they don't seem too worried about COVID-19 or the Omicron variant.

There's a good reason for that. Under PM Marin, who took over 2 years ago -- just before the pandemic -- Finland has achieved a staggering 72 percent vaccination rate! For comparison, the U.S. is still under 60 percent.

We'll pass on President Biden clubbing till sunrise ... but the 72 percent vaccinated sounds damn good!

UFC's Julianna Peña Amanda Nunes Isn't Taking Me Seriously 'I'm Not A Sacrificial Lamb'

IN THE ZONE
TMZSports.com

Julianna Peña is less than a week away from the biggest fight of her life against Amanda Nunes ... and the "Venezuelan Vixen" has a message for the doubters, telling TMZ Sports she isn't satisfied just being here -- she's gunning to win.

"I feel like a lot of people are sleeping on me and they think I'm a sacrificial lamb but I definitely think that, you know, I know that I'm definitely not a sacrificial lamb and everyone loves an underdog," Peña told us.

32-year-old Peña is the #3 ranked bantamweight in the UFC -- and has been all but demanding a title shot with the 33-year-old champ, Nunes -- because she truly believes she will get the W when they fight at UFC 269.

"I'm ready. I am in the zone. I have never felt more physically or mentally prepared in my life and it's my time. It just feels so great to know that I have literally left no stone unturned. I'm ready to go. I'm in the zone!"

Peña's been with the UFC since 2013 ... and has a professional record of 10-4. She's beaten some badass women like Jessica Eye and Cat Zingano.

Despite the impressive resume, Julianna's a big underdog against Amanda. In fact, bettors have to wager about $900 just to win $100 on Nunes.

And, it's not just the oddsmakers who doubt Peña can win ... 'cause Julianna told us she feels Amanda isn't taking her seriously.

"[Nunes] called me delusional. She said that I'm reckless. I don't think that she's taking me seriously at all and you know, that's fine."

The best part ... these women step into a locked cage together on Saturday.

DaBaby LAS VEGAS BATTERY CASE DISMISSED

DaBaby is putting his Sin City battery case behind him -- we've learned the charges against him have been dismissed.

According to online court records, the misdemeanor battery charge was dismissed with prejudice ... meaning the case is over and done, and can't be refiled.

The Clark County District Attorney's Office tells TMZ ... the charges were dismissed because DaBaby satisfied everything prosecutors asked him to do in order to resolve the case, including paying the alleged victim $7,500 and staying out of trouble.

TMZ broke the story ... a driver in Las Vegas came forward with allegations against DaBaby back in February, claiming the rapper attacked him during a ride in November 2020. DaBaby's camp described the allegations at the time as a "money grab."

DaBaby's attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, tell TMZ ... the rapper denied the allegations and was prepared to fight the case in court.

The case never made it that far, and now it's in DaBaby's rearview.

Neely Capshaw on 'Baywatch' 'Memba Her?!

Minnesota model and actress Gena Lee Nolin was only 24 years old when she slipped into the iconic red swimsuit and slow-mo jogged along the silver shores of Los Angeles as Neely Capshaw -- who went against the normal flow of the life-saving cast -- on the babe-filled '90s drama "Baywatch."

GLN shared the small screen with an awesome squad of lifeguards including Pamela Anderson as the Malibu archetype, C.J. Parker ... and of course David Hasselhoff as the fuzzy frontman of the beach brigade, Mitch Buchannon.

Gena also got in the Holiday spirit back in 2001 by posing in the Christmas edition of Playboy.

Guess what she looks like now at 50 years old ... and in a teeny black bikini!

President Biden Restarts Tradition ... Hosts Kennedy Center Honorees

President Biden resumed what had been paused for a good while in D.C. -- namely, POTUS being in attendance for the Kennedy Center Honors ... and hosting them afterward.

JB held a reception Sunday at the White House, with this year's recipients of the lifetime achievement award being in attendance, front and center. Among those who were honored -- Lorne Michaels, Bette Midler, Berry Gordy, Justino Diaz and Joni Mitchell.

There were a lot of other high profile people on hand as well -- including First Lady Jill Biden, VP Kamala Harris, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Steve Martin, David Letterman and others.

Biden -- who was suited and booted in a tux, delivered some remarks -- highlighting each person's contribution via their art -- going down the list one by one and singing their praises. He also shouted the late Stephen Sondheim, who recently passed away.

Each honoree showed off their rainbow-colored ribbons that were placed around their necks, and they each stood when called upon. The whole reception lasted a little less than half an hour -- but even so, it meant a lot to folks who hadn't seen this since 2016.

President Trump snubbed the ceremony for the first three years in office -- and never hosted any of the recipients after threats of a boycott came down in 2017, his first year in office

Seems everyone was happy to get this going again in the presence of our Commander in Chief.

Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff Dedicates 1st Win To Oxford Shooting Victims

MORE THAN A WIN
Detroit Lions

The fallout from the Oxford High School shooting was at the forefront of the Detroit Lions' collective minds Sunday -- which made for an emotional moment after their big win.

The Lions won their first game of the season on Sunday in a thriller of a match against the Minnesota Vikings. Prior to this, their record was 0-10-1, meaning they hadn't won a single game all season.

THIS GAME IS FOR YOU
Detroit Lions

Turns out, their victory meant more than just what appeared on paper ... and the team's QB, Jared Goff, made that clear in the post-game interview  -- making sure to point out that the game was dedicated to those affected by the deadly tragedy ... which claimed 4 lives.

Check it out ... he gets pretty emotional talking about what happened this week, saying sometimes certain moments are bigger than just sports ... and this was one of them.

The Lions coach, Dan Campbell, echoed that with his own remarks ... bestowing the game ball to the township of Oxford, and reading off the names of the deceased, among others.

Authorities allege the shooter was 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley ... whom they suspect brought a gun from home, one which was purchased by his parents. Speaking of them, they too have been arrested and charged in connection to the deaths -- this after going on the run.

Chris Cuomo Accused of Sexual Misconduct ... Amid CNN Exit

UPDATE

3:50 PM PT -- A rep for Cuomo tells TMZ ... "To the extent that they were sent to CNN to negate what Chris Cuomo told his audience, he fully stands by his on-air statements about his connection to these issues, both professionally and in a profoundly personal way. If the goal in making these false and unvetted accusations was to see Mr. Cuomo punished by CNN, that may explain his unwarranted termination."

It is now clear what forced CNN's hand in firing Chris Cuomo -- the guy was accused of sexual misconduct this week ... this is as he was already on thin ice.

Attorney Debra S. Katz came forward Sunday to reveal she'd been retained by a woman who wanted to go public with an allegation against the ex-anchor ... something she was apparently inspired to do after hearing about his involvement in his brother's own scandal.

She says while Gov. Cuomo's mess played out in public, Chris came on the air for his own show and said, "I have always cared very deeply about these issues and profoundly so. I just wanted to tell you that." Katz adds, "Hearing the hypocrisy of Chris Cuomo’s on-air words and disgusted by his efforts to try to discredit these women, my client retained counsel to report his serious sexual misconduct against her to CNN."

According to NYT, the woman -- who is remaining anonymous for now -- is a former junior colleague of Chris' from another network, and her claims are unrelated to Gov. Cuomo.

Katz goes on to describe how she contacted CNN on Wednesday -- a day after he'd been suspended -- to report her client's allegations against Chris ... and by Friday, she says she was already in discussions with the network to provide evidence and making the woman available for an interview with CNN's outside counsel.

She finishes by saying, "My client came forward at this time because she felt in sharing her story and related documentation, she could help protect other women. She will continue to cooperate with CNN’s investigation into her allegations. Given the nature of her allegations, she wishes to remain anonymous, and we ask that you respect this decision."

It's not yet clear what exactly the woman is alleging against Chris, but his rep says the "apparently anonymous allegations are not true." CNN says they already had cause to terminate Chris, but when they were made aware of this woman's claims, they saw no reason to delay any further.

Old news is old news!
Be First!

Get TMZ breaking news sent right to your browser!