TMZ.com Home

Cassandra Peterson -- best known as Elvira -- has an idea for a Halloween costume that could be this year's Joe Exotic, and it's a play off the Mistress of the Dark's recent coming out.

We got Cassandra at ABC Studios in NYC, and with spooky season right around the corner ... we asked what she thinks will be the most popular costume. For one very big reason ... she says Elvira costumes are poised to make a comeback, but with a gay twist.

It's a fitting costume ... Cassandra recently revealed -- in "Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark" -- she's been dating a woman for nearly 2 decades. Hence, the rise of "Gayvira" ... her word, not ours.

Sounds like there are a few celebs who might take her advice -- Cassandra says she's been getting a ton of support from her famous friends after sharing her truth in the book.

Couple other interesting topics we covered -- Cassandra tells us how her girlfriend's dealing with the newfound spotlight, and how the pandemic helped her write her book.

An L.A. Lakers fan is suing an LAPD cop ... claiming the officer shot him in the head with a rubber bullet while he was peacefully celebrating the Lakers championship last year, and now he wants the officer to pay up.

The fan, Kimberly Marroquin, filed the civil lawsuit Thursday in California … claiming she was peacefully and legally celebrating the 'ship against the Miami Heat on October 11, 2020 ... around 9:15 PM.

"Without warning or provocation", the suit reads, the officer "shot [Marroquin] in the head with a less lethal rubber projectile round."

Marroquin was "unarmed and never posed a threat," according to the lawsuit.

She’s going after an unnamed officer, the Captain she claims was responsible for overseeing the area where she was celebrating, and the City of Los Angeles.

As a result of the alleged excessive force, the plaintiff claims she "suffered severe pain and suffering, mental anguish, humiliation, and emotional distress, and incurred economic losses" from mounting medical bills.

The lawsuit also accuses the LAPD of failing to properly train their officers ... as well as refusing to punish cops who screw up.

Marroquin is asking for unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, medical costs, and attorneys' fees. The exact amount she's seeking is unclear.

We've reached out to the LAPD, who told us they don't comment on pending litigation.

Before this striped sweetheart was cracking jokes on television and showing off her ice-cold talent in film, she was just another blonde beauty messing around with makeup in Huntington Woods, Michigan.

This lipstick lady is best known for her sarcastic characters on television -- she's starred in two different series that premiered 12 years apart. Not shying away from film either, this all-star actress will not be forgotten.

Also, she's one half of a dynamic duo ... she's married to a famous funny guy who you can see on their new reality game show.

It's that time of the year again -- "The Masked Singer" is on a roll ... and wouldn't ya know it, there might be Kardashian clout among the contestants. You heard it here first, folks.

Production sources tell TMZ ... somebody in and around the Kardashian empire will be all costumed up for this season from head to toe, and if that manifests like we're hearing ... they'll be singing their heart out as part of next week's Group B premiere.

Kiiiinda makes you wonder if Kim K was on to something last week at the Met Gala ... or perhaps telegraphing what's to come on the big stage. She herself was fully covered in something very similar. 😅

Anyway, we know what you're thinking -- the Kardashian clan is pretty damn big, so it could literally be anybody. True ... but you gotta figure that if it's any one of the sisters (sans Khloe and Kendall, who are tall AF) the costume they get stuffed in might match that height.

One person we're sure it WON'T be is ... Caitlyn Jenner. She showed up last season as the Phoenix, and got the boot relatively early. So, yeah ... they ain't gonna be double-dipping there. It's gotta be someone else entirely -- only question is ... who???

Oh and FWIW, we've learned that one of the BEST singers this season will be unmasked in the first few weeks ... in what many backstage are calling one of the biggest upsets ever.

Brian Laundrie is now a wanted man by the feds ... an arrest warrant has been issued -- but NOT for Gabby Petito's death.

A Federal Grand Jury indicted Laundrie for the crime of Use of Unauthorized Access Devices. Specifically, prosecutors claim Laundrie used a Capital One Bank debit card. The document does not say it's Gabby's card, but that doesn't seem like much of a leap.

The indictment gives a timeline for the alleged unauthorized use of the card ... it was used from August 30 to Sept. 1 to purchase items totaling at least $1,000.

What's significant ... he returned to his parents' Florida home Sept. 1. And, the FBI first asked the public for assistance with Gabby's case around Aug. 28. She would later be reported missing on Sept. 11.

It's interesting ... the feds aren't linking the homicide to Laundrie, at least not yet. That's probably because there are still loose ends ... namely, there has to be probable cause to get a warrant for her death, and it's unclear if there's physical or other evidence at the crime scene linking Laundrie to the homicide. But, the indictment allows the feds to take Laundrie into custody ... that is, if they can find him.

The preliminary autopsy report has not been released, but it's expected any day. The manner of death will be critical in the investigation.

Former MLB superstar Darryl Strawberry says his teenage granddaughter went missing Wednesday in Nevada ... and the 8x All-Star is pleading for help finding her, and prayers to keep her safe.

59-year-old Strawberry took to social media to get the word out, writing ... "This is our granddaughter MyLisa who is missing right now! Please Please Pray for us as we desperately need your prayers! Thank You!"

MyLisa -- who was born in 2007 according to an online bio -- was last seen on September 22 around 7:15 AM. She was wearing all black at the time ... with a pair of white Jordans.

MyLisa's mom is Darryl's reality TV star daughter, Diamond Strawberry.

Diamond also went to Instagram to ask for help.

"PLEASE REPOST!! PLEASE SHARE!!!! Please help us bring MyLisa home!", she wrote, along with a description of MyLisa.

If you have any info on MyLisa's whereabouts, the Strawberry's are asking people to please call the Henderson Police Department at (702) 267-4555.

When Simon and Garfunkel sang that it's all happening at the zoo ... they weren't kidding, because 2 gorillas got busy in front of a throng of onlookers.

You gotta watch this video ... maybe the most hilarious this year. It -- and the primates -- went down Wednesday at the Bronx Zoo.

It started innocent enough ... one of the gorillas was perched on a rock when he caught the eye of a fellow ape. Seems like they're apes with benefits, because one of them immediately laid on its back, and the other assumed the position and went at it.

As hysterical as the gorillas were ... you gotta see the adults who quickly shielded their kids' faces and began screaming to make a run for it.

The day after Riddick Bowe was pulled from his fight with Lamar Odom, the former NBA star has a new opponent, and it happens to be a dude who knows what it's like to have an insanely famous wife ... 'cause he was married to J Lo.

TMZ Sports has learned 47-year-old Ojani Noa has agreed to fight the 41-year-old ex-hooper on October 2 at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, FL ... all part of a Celebrity Boxing card.

If you don't remember Noa, a former server, he was married to Lopez from 1997 to 1998 ... before they split.

Of course, Odom, the 2x NBA champ, was married to Khloe Kardashian from 2009 to 2016.

Odom -- who beat pop star Aaron Carter via 2nd round TKO in June -- was originally scheduled to fight former heavyweight boxing champ, Bowe.

However, after 58-year-old Evander Holyfield recently lost to Vitor Belfort ... and didn't look great in the ring, everyone from Celebrity Boxing to the Florida state athletic commission thought it best to remove him from the match.

Riddick isn't totally off the event ... Paulie Malignaggi is also boxing Corey B on the card. Bowe will referee that fight.

Ojani was actually scheduled to step in the ring against a much shorter opponent last year ... having inked a deal to scrap with Joe Giudice. However, COVID screwed up those plans.

LeBron James may not want to talk about it, but the NBA superstar did get -- or is getting -- the COVID-19 vaccine ... so says GM Rob Pelinka, who claims the whole Lakers roster will be fully vaxxed by the start of the season.

King James has danced around the question for months ... electing to keep his vaccine decision a family matter.

But, Pelinka revealed L.A.'s entire roster will, in fact, be at 100% vaccination status when the season kicks off ... and in case you didn't know, LBJ is on the Lakers.

"On opening night, all of the players that are currently signed on our roster will be deemed fully vaccinated," Pelinka told reporters Thursday. "We’re grateful for that."

Pelinka says it's a sigh of relief to know the team and staff members will not face any setbacks due to people within the organization being unvaccinated.

Of course, LeBron previously brushed the topic off ... calling it "not a big deal" back in May.

"Anything I do off the floor is predicated to my family for the majority or 99.9% of that," James said at the time.

"It’s about the health and safety of my family," he added. "That’s what it came down to. Being available to my teammates on the floor is about taking care of my body and me doing everything I can to make sure I’m available both mentally, physically and spiritually as well."

"But, anything of that nature is all family talk."

There was strong indication Bron had been vaccinated prior to the first round of the NBA playoffs last season ... when the league explained he would not have to quarantine following an appearance at an outdoor event.

Had he not been vaxxed, James would have been forced to stay away from the team for a period of time.

The family of Brian Laundrie -- the main person of interest in the death of Gabby Petito -- has not retained the lawyer known for representing other notorious defendants like Casey Anthony and Aaron Hernandez ... despite swirling rumors.

Attorney Jose Baez tells TMZ ... he has not spoken to the Laundrie family or Brian himself. He says, "Therefore, I do not represent him or anyone else related to the case" and tells us his current caseload makes it very unlikely he'd be available for this case "given its current complexities."

Earlier Thursday, Laundrie's parents made a 2-hour trip to Orlando and people online noticed they were close to Baez's office ... which sparked speculation they were looking to hire him. But, we're told that's not the case, and the Laundries' lawyer says they were simply there for business.

As you know ... Baez was responsible for getting Casey Anthony acquitted in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.

Baez was also the lawyer for NFL star Aaron Hernandez's in both his 2012 double murder case and his 2013 murder appeal ... until Hernandez killed himself in prison.

As we've reported ... Laundrie is still missing roughly a week after his parents first told authorities he took his backpack and went on a hike. Before that, he was named a person of interest in the disappearance of Gabby, his fiancee, after returning home from a cross-country trip on Sept. 1 without her.

Weeks before that, the couple were involved in a domestic dispute in Utah, in which a 911 caller said he saw Brian slapped and hit Gabby.

'Harry Potter' star Tom Felton fell violently ill during a celeb golf tournament, collapsing and unable to leave the course on his own two feet.

Felton was playing at Whistling Straits in Kohler Wisconsin Thursday when he suffered an apparent medical emergency and passed out. Tournament medical staffers were quick to attend to the actor, load him up on a cart and take him for further evaluation.

It's currently unclear what triggered the episode or what his current condition is ... but the good news, Tom was conscious and appeared to be smiling when he was taken away.

Felton, who turned 34 yesterday, is competing in a celebrity-style Ryder Cup Tournament before the real deal kicks off this weekend. He's representing Ireland.

Felton rose to global fame as Harry Potter's foe Draco Malfoy in the popular book series turned film franchise. He's an avid golfer and has participated in several tournaments over the years.

We've reached out to Tom's rep for comment and to check in on how he's doing ... so far, no word back.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s name got dragged into R. Kelly's federal trial on multiple sex crimes in a pretty outrageous way -- his attorney says the singer should be acquitted because he's just like MLK.

Yeah, try to catch your breath. Closing arguments are going down Thursday in the federal court in Brooklyn, NY -- and defense attorney Deveraux Cannick drew the comparison by telling the jury Kelly is demanding prosecutors prove he's guilty beyond a reasonable doubt ... the same way Dr. King fought for Constitutional rights.

He went on to quote a part of MLK's "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, declaring ... "Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press."

His point seemed to be that Dr. King wanted the government to uphold the Constitution, and Kelly's doing the same ... in his sex crimes trial.

Mind you, Kelly's attorneys only called a handful of witnesses to the stand during the trial -- most of whom merely stated they hadn't seen Kelly doing anything illegal. The singer himself chose not to testify, although that's not uncommon.

Cannick also claimed prosecutors encouraged witnesses to lie on the stand.

Dwight Howard says his own mother was shocked while watching her fave show -- "The Masked Singer" -- because she found out her baby boy was the "Octopus!!!"

The NBA veteran, and current L.A. Lakers star, joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday to tell us all about his experience on the Fox show -- and why he went to great lengths to keep his appearance top secret from his mom.

It's super sweet ... Dwight says she was just like every other viewer across the country, watching his unmasking after he'd dropped a pretty good version of the Little Richard classic, "Tutti Frutti."

Keep in mind, he pulled that off while being 6'10" and draped in his heavy costume and headgear.

Unfortunately for the Howard fam, Dwight was eliminated at the end of Wednesday night's season premiere, but it sounds like she'll continue watching even though he got the boot.

"The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain" star Frankie Faison says he hopes the new Morgan Freeman-produced film brings justice to the family and sheds light on what really happened.

Frankie joined "TMZ Live" on Thursday and explained the film's purpose is to highlight the horrific 2011 police shooting of Kenneth -- a U.S. Marine, whose family is still fighting for a sliver of justice in the case ... after the cops involved were acquitted.

Frankie, who plays the title character, says bringing accountability and opening eyes to those who don't know the complete story is the goal here ... and perhaps a lesson on how to avoid such a tragic thing from happening again.

If you don't know ... Kenneth, a 68-year-old Black Marine veteran who suffered from bipolar disorder, accidentally set off his medical device alarm necklace in his White Plains, NY home in the early hours of November 19, 2011.

Cops ultimately rushed to his home, but a confrontation ensued ... culminating with cops tasing Kenneth before fatally shooting him. At the time, cops initially said Kenneth came at them with a butcher knife ... but an autopsy report later concluded Kenneth's arms were at his side when he was shot.

Soon after, a grand jury decided the cops wouldn't face criminal charges ... and in 2016, the family lost a $21 million wrongful death lawsuit.

Drake went all out for a shin dig down in Miami ... renting out an entire Dave & Buster's and partying the night away with tons of celebs and scores of twerking hotties.

The fun and games went down Wednesday night at the D&B in Miami's Dolphin Mall ... and other celebs in attendance included Future, Yella Beezy and Alexis Skyy.

Folks who were there told us everything was free, courtesy of Drake, and the rapper played his number one album, "Certified Lover Boy."

As you can see, Drake's party people were having a blast ... the tunes were bumping and there were about 1,000 ladies in the house, many of whom got up on the arcade games and started twerking!!!

After 6.5 years away, Nick Diaz is about to make his return to the Octagon, taking on Robbie Lawler ... but Dana White admits he doesn't know if the star from Stockton will fight again after UFC 265.

TMZ Sports talked to the UFC prez on Wednesday, days before Diaz is scheduled to fight for the first time since January 2015 (a no contest vs. Anderson Silva) ... and we asked if the comeback meant Diaz was back now as a full-time fighter.

"I don't know. I never know that either. We'll take it one fight at a time," Dana told us.

FYI, it's not the first time the men have fought. Diaz beat Lawler via 2nd round knockout way back in 2004.

Despite the long layoff, Nick's one of the most accomplished MMA fighters of all time... with wins over everyone from B.J. Penn to Frank Shamrock.

But, with over 2,400 days between fights, will it take time for Nick to reacclimate himself to the Octagon?

"Ring rust is absolutely real and especially when you haven't been in here that long, but you never know what to expect from the Diaz brothers. You know what everybody does though? On Saturday, they show up and they fight -- that's it!"

Valentina Shevchenko is also on the card ... where she's a MASSIVE favorite over Lauren Murphy.

Last week we asked The Bullet if she was interested in a trilogy fight with Amanda Nunes ... and she said she was definitely down.

We asked White about making Nunes-Shevchenko 3 ... and he warned that no one should overlook Woods.

"Obviously, you can't look past Lauren Murphy and start looking at Amanda Nunes again. Lauren Murphy has a lot of knockdowns and submissions in her career. So, when you have women that are that size that can actually knock out other women, it's impressive."

But, with that said, Dana made it clear he isn't against pairing arguably the 2 best female MMA fighters in the world against each other.

"Listen, Valentina Shevchenko is a savage. I mean, her and Amanda Nunes are two of the greatest female fighters to ever walk the face of the Earth and if she gets through Lauren Murphy on Saturday, maybe there is a fight for them down the road."

We couldn't let Dana go without asking about Conor McGregor's (terrible) 1st pitch at the Cubs game earlier this week ... the epitome of the reason White says he ALWAYS says no when he's asked to throw the ceremonial pitch.