Orlando Bloom Surprise Visit To Ukraine ... Meets With President Zelensky

POWERFUL MEETING

Orlando Bloom made a surprise appearance in Ukraine over the weekend and even popped in for a meeting with leader Volodymyr Zelensky at the Presidential Palace.

Bloom traveled for three days through the war-torn country still under siege by the Russian military while performing his duties as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF -- the United Nations org that provides international humanitarian aid to children.

During his trip, Bloom toured Irpin, Demydiv and Kyiv, where he entered the palace and gave a warm greeting to the Ukrainian President.

Check out video showing Bloom placing his hand against his heart before shaking Zelensky's hand while the two exchange pleasantries.

After that, they got down to business at a long table in a safe room, discussing how they could help the Ukrainian children as the Russian war rages on.

At one point, Bloom said, "To see the children, to see in their eyes - its palpable - the anxiety ... and yet the strength of the Ukrainian people is something that is really awe-inspiring."

He continued, "And of course, your messaging is the reason for that. So it’s remarkable to see how you are holding this country."

So far, 465 Ukrainian children have been killed during the war and approximately 14,000 more have been kidnapped and deported to Russia, according to Ukrainian officials. Only around 125 of them have been sent back to Ukraine.

BRINGING PEACE
UNICEF

Bloom told Zelensky UNICEF was seriously looking into the matter of the missing Ukrainian children while the men talked about the need for foster families instead of group homes for the kids.

Then Bloom turned to the topic of Vladimir Putin, referring to him as a war criminal. He summed up his feelings about the Russian president this way, "Of course, he who shall not be mentioned was made a war criminal because of this. And, it's so horrific what's going on."

Before leaving, Bloom presented Zelensky with a gift from his Buddhist mentor and a personal message from his mom ... "Your defeat would be the defeat of hope, hence you must win."

Prince Harry, Elton John Arrive in London to Battle Media in Court

3/27/23
the duke has arrived
AP

Prince Harry has made the trek to England, but not to make peace with his family ... he's there to wage war with a media org, and Elton John is joining him on the front lines.

The Duke of Sussex arrived Monday at London's High Court ... flashing a smile as he went inside to begin legal proceedings in his ongoing lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, which distributes The DailyMail and other UK tabloids.

He wasn't the only one there ... the Rocket Man himself was on hand. Harry and Elton have company ... EJ's husband, David Furnish, actress Sadie Frost, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Elizabeth Hurley. SF showed face as well on Monday, joining in the lawsuit.

Harry has already taken Associated Newspapers to court with his wife, Meghan Markle, and settled.

This time around ... Harry and the gang claim the publisher violated privacy laws, including allegedly bugging their cars and homes, tapping their phones, paying off cops for inside info, among other damning accusations that they say have crossed the line big time.

Associated Newspapers has denied the allegations ... so now, everyone's gonna make some preliminary arguments in front of a judge to see if this case can move forward.

Harry's already involved in a separate legal case with these folks. In addition to what Meghan sued them over a couple years back, he's sued them again for libel over articles they ran about his security arrangements.

The battle goes on.

For more royal drama, tune into our podcast Spilling Royal Tea, dropping every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts.

Wild L.A. Car Wreck Loose Tire Sends Car into Mid-Air Flip!!!

FLIPPED OUT
Storyful

Sometimes L.A. freeways look like action movie scenes, but this car flying several feet into the air and flipping over after a tire popped off a truck ... is painfully real, and crazy!!!

Dashcam video captured by Anoop Khatra's Tesla shows the entire accident go down on L.A.'s Ronald Reagan Freeway -- as you can see, the Kia Soul was passing a pickup truck last week ... when the truck's left front tire just comes loose.

Vehicles losing tires ... not that uncommon, but what happens next is -- the loose tire slams into the front of the passing Kia and absolutely launches it into the air!!!

The Kia does a flip mid-air, before landing.

And, just when the chaos seems to be ending ... the same rogue tire slams into the back of the Kia. Got it coming and going!

Meanwhile, the pickup truck driver managed to anxiously exit off the freeway ... on just 3 wheels. Astoundingly, the CHP says there were no major injuries.

Gotta be a real-life stunt person to commute in La La Land!!!

Bam Margera New Face Tattoo of Son's Name ... Written in Arabic

INK TO THE FACE
Instagram / @graywaketattoo

Bam Margera is the proud owner of some new ink, this time it's in honor of his son -- and the guy put it right on his face for all to see.

Gray Wake, Bam's tattoo artist, tells TMZ ... the former "Jackass" star came with a friend into Tribal Roots Tattoo Studio last week in Escondido, CA -- looking to grab a new tat.

He says he recognized Bam instantly because he grew up watching the series, but didn't know ahead of time he was coming in. Gray tells us Bam wanted his son's name, Phoenix, above his eyebrow, and he wanted it written in Arabic.

We're told Bam already had the design on his phone, Gray helped him out with the placement, and then they just went for it. He also got a small tattoo on his hand.

As you know, Bam's been dealing with problems lately on multiple fronts ... his wife Nikki Boyd filed for legal separation in February, calling it quits after she claimed Bam had a non-sober visit with Phoenix.

He was also arrested earlier this month for domestic violence after allegedly kicking a woman. Law enforcement said the victim referred to Bam as her "husband" -- although our sources told us it was NOT Nikki, but rather his current girlfriend. The D.A. told us he would likely not be charged.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

BTW -- looks like Bam also got a matching stomach tattoo with a fan after his face and hand ink ... so he's apparently on a tat spree right now.

Motown's Martha Reeves Raising $55K for Walk of Fame Star ... Before Window Expires

Motown singer Martha Reeves is once again calling out around the world ... hoping fans will help her secure the star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that was supposed to be hers 2 years ago.

The "Dancing in the Streets" singer was selected by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce back in 2021 after getting nominated by a former manager -- and she was clearly honored, saying at the time, "My wildest dreams are coming true."

But, the WoF plaque costs about $55K, and Martha didn't have that kinda cash-on-hand, according to Detroit Free Press. Costs for the hardware and ceremony are often covered by a record label or some studio, but the stars weren't aligning this time around.

Martha says her now-former manager assured her the funding was secured ... but that's not how it went down -- now, her new manager, Chris Roe, has launched a public campaign to raise funding before the June deadline.

Chris claims Martha's old manager didn't realize how tough it would be to get the job done, noting they "wasted a year of fundraising time." Regardless, he's gunning toward the $55K mark, working with corporations and private benefactors to hit the goal.

BTW -- Chris has successfully done campaigns for the WOF before ... with celebs like Malcolm McDowell in 2012 and George Romero in 2017, who sadly died before getting to see the honor set in stone.

As for Martha, she's also well deserving of the honor -- for those unaware, she's the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas, cranking out over a dozen hits during their long-running success. Her group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, and she's celebrating 60 years in Motown this year.

Seems like the perfect candidate for a star... good luck, Martha!

Chargers' Sebastian Joseph-Day I Was Sexually Assaulted By TSA

Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day -- a former Super Bowl champion -- claims he was sexually assaulted by TSA personnel on Friday.

The 28-year-old, who signed with the Chargers in 2022 after spending his first three seasons in the NFL with the Rams, said the incident all happened at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif.

He claims as he was going through security checkpoints, an agent touched him inappropriately. He alleges that when he asked the worker to stop -- he was then "swarmed" by three more TSA members.

"I'm all for people doing their job well," he wrote in a series of statements on his Twitter page Friday morning. "But it was extremely unnecessary and dehumanizing. I travel a lot, for personal and work reasons. I’ve never experienced anything like that @JohnWayneAir."

Joseph-Day says he immediately went to file a complaint ... but accused officials of "making me jump through hoops to do so."

"I'm not sharing this on Twitter for sympathy. I'm sharing this so this group of gentleman and staff aren't allowed to do this ever again to another human being."

TSA released a statement to Fox News on the matter on Sunday ... saying it was aware of the allegations and is investigating the claims.

"We are looking into the matter to determine if our procedures were followed and whether any corrective action needs to be taken," officials said.

"TSA remains committed to treating every traveler with dignity and respect while carrying out its security screening responsibilities."

Joseph-Day was picked by the Rams in the 2018 NFL Draft ... and has started 54 games in his career, logging eight sacks and 193 total tackles.

Rihanna Driver's Car Allegedly Snatched Outside Home ... What A Rude Boy!

Rihanna's home is on a streak, and not a good one -- turns out it was the scene of another recent crime ... a thief just shut up and drove off with one of her driver's cars.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... RiRi's driver told cops he pulled up to her L.A.-area home late last week, running inside to grab something while leaving the keys in the whip and the engine running. Big mistake. Huge.

We're told the driver came back out to find the 2012 Audi sedan was gone. For obvious reasons, he believes someone just jumped in and took off with it.

It's unclear if Rihanna was home at the time of the incident.

LAPD is investigating, but it appears the suspect made a clean escape.

The stolen car makes it 2 straight weeks of alleged criminal activity at the singer's home. TMZ broke the story, cops raced there Thursday after a man showed up claiming he wanted to propose to her.

Back in 2018, another man was arrested at her house after allegedly crashing there for at least a day and telling cops he was there to have sex with her.

As far as this new incident goes -- yes, it sucks the driver's ride got jacked ... but, word to the wise in just about every major city in America: Don't leave your keys in a running car in the middle of the night!

Not if you expect it to be there when you get back.

Jim Jones Tekashi, Smakashi ... I'd Rather Dance Than Talk About Him!!!

PROTECT YOURSELF
TMZ.com

Jim Jones is a proud gym rat but when it comes to rats in the gym ... he doesn't have a whole lot to say!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the Dipset Capo promoting his new "Back In My Prime" album ... but he immediately burst out laughing and hit a meannnn Milly Rock when we asked his thoughts about 6ix9ine's now infamous lopsided brawl inside an LA Fitness gym.

JUMPED AT THE GYM

Tekashi 6ix9nine and Jim have a pretty contentious past ... thanks to 6ix9ine repeatedly attempting to get him arrested after the two clashed several years ago.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Jim finally did offer up some insight in between his hitting the whoa ... and suggested Tekashi's choice of a public gym wasn't the brightest and is certain that would never happen in the facilities he works out at.

The Harlem rapper is currently plotting his own line of Vamp Fitt gyms, and frequents New Jersey's Impact Zone with fellow artists Fabolous, Dave East and Maino ... but discouraged knuckleheads from attempting to pull similar stunts in his sanctuary. You've been warned!!!

BEFORE THE ATTACK
TMZ.com

The bottom line ... Jim is bulletproof when it comes to the shenanigans and can't wait for all his friends to be freed from the belly of the beast.

Todd Downing Arrest Video Ex-Titans OC Told Cop ... 'I Had A Victory Beer In Green Bay'

DOWNING'S DUI

Former Titans offensive coordinator Todd Downing admitted to drinking "a victory beer" before he was arrested for DUI last year ... new police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

The incident happened near Nashville back on Nov. 18, 2022 at around 2:30 AM ... just hours after Downing had helped lead Tennessee to a big "Thursday Night Football" win over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

In dash cam footage, you can see a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper pulled behind Downing's Mercedes on a freeway ... and said the 42-year-old was "hauling ass" -- going over 100 MPH "easily."

Body cam video shows when the officer eventually stopped Downing and began questioning him ... the coach apologized for being in a hurry -- explaining that he was trying to get home to his family because "I got a death threat tonight."

The officer, though, said he smelled an odor of booze coming from Downing's car. Todd responded that he hadn't been drinking, but when he got out of the ride for sobriety testing, he changed his story, saying, "I had a victory beer in Green Bay."

Downing then underwent several field sobriety tests, and according to the trooper, he failed them. He was placed under arrest for DUI.

When he was put in the back of a squad car, he made a call to a member of the Titans' organization, telling him what had just happened.

"Hey, man, I was rushing home and I got arrested for DUI," Downing said. "I was panicking because I was scared about my family -- and I had a victory beer."

Downing then told the man he'd prefer to tell head coach Mike Vrabel about the arrest himself.

Downing -- after pleading with the officer for "grace" -- was transported to a medical facility to get his blood drawn, before he was booked at a local jail.

He went on to serve a 48-hour sentence behind bars in January to close out the case.

As for his job with the Titans, he didn't miss a game despite the arrest ... though he was fired in January. He's since been hired to be the New York Jets' passing game coordinator.

Guess Who This Boy In Suspenders Turned Into!

Before this strapping young lad with his blonde bowl-cut hair turned into a reality television star and a musician, he was just growing up along the coast of sunny California and learning all about music from David Foster.

Aside from being an Olympian's son, this spiffy little kid turned into quite the musician! He made his reality television debut on "The Princes of Malibu", but it wasn't until he was on his steps siblings' show that viewers saw his guitar-playing skills and sultry-singing voice.

Need one more hint? He has 3 adorable kids!

Can you guess who he is?

Nicolas Cage I Vaunt to Strut My Stuff!!! Stylish Vamp 'Fit Pre-'Renfield' 🦇

Back in the Ny Groove
TMZ.com

Nicolas Cage is set to portray Count Dracula in a new horror-comedy flick that's coming out next month -- but it seems he might still be in character in the Big Apple ... take a looksy.

The legendary actor hit the town in NYC Sunday, where an eyewitness tells us he was dropped off at MUJI SoHo -- a Japanese department store - on Broadway ... where he cruised in to buy a few things, and then popped right back out to meet his waiting SUV.

Check out the 'fit that Nic was rocking as he was heading out ... dude's in a classic black suit with shades -- complete with a pair of high-heeled boots that'd make Prince blush.

It's nothing too out of the ordinary for NC -- who's always stylin' and profilin', and was doing exactly that as he touched down at JFK Saturday with his family. However ... considering his movie, 'Renfield,' is coming out in a few short weeks (where he plays the most famous vamp of all) ... it kinda makes ya wonder if he was intentionally telegraphing goth-y vibes here.

If nothing else ... it's just Nic Cage being Nic Cage, and certainly giving off big Nic Cage energy. BTW, the dude's having yet another resurgence online ... thanks to Pedro Pascal.

A clip from their 2022 film, 'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,' is all the rage on TikTok these days ... marking a new way Nic's broken through in pop culture, again.

Ya gotta love the guy. He plays a lot of characters on the big screen, but there's none quite like himself. Nicolas Cage, everybody!

Adam Levine Hits the Mall with Wife & Kids ... After Loving Vegas Shoutout

sunday morning ...
TMZ.com

Adam Levine is a man of his word -- in the wake of his sexting scandal, he publicly declared he was fully committed to his family ... and here's video showing exactly that.

TMZ obtained footage of the singer out doing a little shopping Sunday with his brood, hitting up the H&M store at the Forum Shops at Caesars in Las Vegas ... and rolling in as a tight unit. Both of his kiddos, Gio and Dusty, were there ... as was his wife, Behati Prinsloo.

Watch for yourself ... you can see Adam and co. cruising up the escalator, and when they reach the top -- Adam lifts his son off his shoulders as their daughter runs around near him. Seems they had a bodyguard with them too ... but it was a straight up Levine family outing.

The reason this is notable now ... on Friday -- during Maroon 5's debut concert for their new residency -- AL specifically shouted out Behati and his children during his performance.

During the sweet moment, Adam spoke candidly ... saying he used to be out here (onstage, it seems) for himself -- but at this point, he says he's out here for them. He also said his family is the only thing that truly matters to him in the whole world. Adam said he loved his fam, and looked to his left ... so it appears Behati and the kids were actually there.

The backdrop of all this, of course, is the fact that Adam was accused of cheating last year -- or, at the very least, emotionally cheating ... by allegedly DM'ing a bunch of women.

He denied getting involved with any of the women who claimed he was messaging them, but acknowledged he'd crossed a line and screwed up. It was a whole scandal for a while.

In the aftermath of that, Adam and Behati appear to have reconciled ... as they've been spotted out together and looking happy several different times now -- including here. Also, they just welcomed a third baby into their lives ... although, there's no sign of it in this clip.

Bottom line ... Adam seems to have a new outlook on life, and the crowd at his first show appreciated it -- giving a good round of applause, with cheers to boot.

So far, it seems M5's residency is going well in terms of ticket sales and critical reception. They're playing through April, and will return in July and August.

Jeremy Renner Walks in Anti-Gravity Treadmill After Snowplow Accident

ROAD TO RECOVERY
Twitter / @jeremyrenner

Jeremy Renner's recovery from his snowplow accident continues to go well -- so much so, in fact, that the guy is already walking again ... albeit, with a little help from technology.

The actor posted a video Sunday that shows him strutting his stuff in an anti-gravity treadmill. The reason we know that -- besides just looking at it -- is 'cause JR himself alludes to the fact that he's only using a certain percentage of his body weight as he works his legs.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Watch ... it sounds like he's getting quite a bit of assistance, but it's encouraging to see he's up and moving like this -- especially since the incident went down just a couple months ago.

Jeremy also has had a great caption that further elaborates on how he's doing. He writes, "I now have to find OTHER things to occupy my time so my body can recover from my will."

In other words, he wants to rehab harder than his body might allow at times -- but the fact he's going hard is, frankly, par for the course for him. The dude's a workhorse, and you can clearly see he wants to get back to normal ASAP ... and hopefully will be soon.

Again, it's remarkable how far along he's come since January ... when he was crushed by a massive machine that nearly killed him. Remember, he broke over 30 bones and needed major surgery. Since then, however, he's been on the grind ... documenting his journey as well.

Get better, bud. You're well on your way.

Mississippi Meteorologist Says Prayer On-Air ... As Tornados Touch Down

PRAYING FOR SAFETY
WTVA

A Mississippi meteorologist had a raw reaction to the deadly tornados that just tore through the state -- saying a prayer live on the air ... which has now gone viral.

WTVA 9 News' Matt Laubhan was bringing in weather updates Friday evening as word of massive storms touching down was starting to spread. He was explaining what the city of Amory -- in the northeast part of MS -- could expect to see when he took a pause.

Check it out ... it's pretty shocking to see how he reacts to an incoming tornado that clearly has him concerned. He even pauses and invokes Jesus' name -- asking him to help them.

Even before he said his prayer, Laubhan was getting into the weeds and being fully transparent with viewers -- telling them that while he might predict what's gonna happen, they have to be prepared for the worst. He also pulled up helpful interactive tools onscreen.

His whole broadcast was coming from the heart, and you can see how much he cared about the folks on the ground. It's a humanizing moment ... the Internet certainly appreciated it.

As for the aftermath ... upwards of 26 people are reported dead after tornados tore through much of Mississippi, causing massive destruction. The gusts these tornados came with were at their highest ... going as fast as 166 MPH to 200 MPH. So, a full-blown natural disaster.

Now, the rebuilding process begins, President Biden has issued an emergency declaration for Mississippi, which means federal funds can be used to help them get back to normal.

CNN Writer Whites Using Black Memes Is 'Digital Blackface,' Stop It

A CNN writer has spurred a healthy debate about Internet culture, and has posed the question of whether it's okay for white people to use Black memes ... he says it isn't.

John Blake published a piece Sunday that's gotten a big reaction online. It's titled, "What’s ‘digital blackface?’ And why is it wrong when White people use it?" In the analysis article, he makes his argument -- namely, using these memes/GIFs is modern-day minstrel show fare.

For starters, he describes digital blackface this way ... "[It] involves White people play-acting at being Black," citing a Teen Vogue writer who defined it. He goes on to quote that author as saying, "[T]he Internet thrives on White people laughing at exaggerated displays of Blackness, reflecting a tendency among some to see 'Black people as walking hyperbole.'"

Blake continues to reference Teen Vogue in zeroing in further ... "[Digital blackface] includes displays of emotion stereotyped as excessive: so happy, so sassy, so ghetto, so loud… our dial is on 10 all the time — rarely are black characters afforded subtle traits or feelings."

Now for the haymaker from Blake, who says digital blackface is wrong and that it should be halted. The reason ... he says it's embedded in racist traditions of making fun of Black people -- and while Twitter users in 2023 might not necessarily see it that way from the outside looking in, that's certainly how it's being perceived by many ... intentionally or not.

There are countless Black memes that the Internet regularly recycles -- including some that feature famous people from TV shows and/or movies -- but there's one that Blake focuses on in particular as his Exhibit A ... namely, the 2012 Sweet Brown interview from Oklahoma.

Brown had just experienced a legitimate tragedy at the time -- she was dealing with an apartment fire -- and while her remarks were animated/memorable ... they were coming from a serious place of fear. And yet, the internet made a whole autotune song out of it -- seemingly discounting her real-life feelings and simply making a joke out of the whole thing.

Ditto for Antoine Dodson's TV news interview from years ago, where his family also had just gone through a truly terrifying encounter -- but his comments also went viral.

As you can imagine ... Twitter is having a field day with this. Some are calling Blake's take absolutely absurd, and just another "woke" request. Others, however, are saying he's right.

Elon Musk Twitter's Worth Just $20 Bil, Y'all ... <Half My Purchase Price!!!

Elon Musk says Twitter is now worth less than half of what he bought it for -- and, if you'll recall, that was like $44 billion ... so, yeah, a BIG drop-off indeed.

The Chief Twit made the new valuation in a company-wide email he sent to remaining employees -- this per the NYT, which says it got its hands on a copy. In the internal memo, EM says Twitter is currently worth $20 billion ... $24 billion less than his purchase price.

While that may seem abysmal, Elon actually told his workers that -- for a time -- things were at risk of being much worse after he took the reins ... explaining Twitter was 4 months away from running out of money and going bankrupt at one point over the past several months.

In his note, he reportedly goes on to say that "radical changes" he's imposed were necessary to save money -- including the mass layoffs and other cost-cutting measures (i.e. auctions, etc.). The Times reports EM also said Twitter should be looked at as an "inverse start-up."

Now, as for why he was spilling these deets to the Twitter fam ... the Times says he was explaining their new stock compensation package. Basically, Twitter employees will receive stock grants for the holding company he used to buy Twitter -- the "X Corporation" -- which will operate under the current $20B estimate. Workers will then be able to sell and cash in on their privately held stock every six months. His other company, SpaceX, acts similarly.

One last thing ... apparently Elon has high hopes for Twitter. He wrote that he believes the bird app could one day be worth as much as $250 BILLION! *Insert Dr. Evil laugh*

Old news is old news!
Be First!

Get TMZ breaking news sent right to your browser!