Breaking News

James Franco's sexual misconduct lawsuit has been settled.

Franco, who taught an acting class at Studio 4 -- the film school he founded -- was accused by students of putting them in gratuitous and exploitive sexual situations.

Students filed a class-action lawsuit, saying Franco pushed the class into performing intimate and explicit sex scenes in an "orgy type setting" ... something that went way beyond the pale of shooting such scenes.

The class in question was called a master class on sex scenes.

Both sides announced the settlement to the trial judge, although the terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Specifically, there's no mention of money.

Huge pieces of a plane started raining down from the sky and onto the front yards of a handful of Colorado residents, but luckily ... everyone seems to be okay.

Check out these photos that were captured and posted out in Broomfield, where police shared images of massive chunks of debris from what appears to be the turbine engine and other parts of the plane laid scattered about on the lawns of folks in neighborhoods below.

It's pretty freaky ... but it sounds like, for now, nobody was struck by any of this stuff falling from the sky -- which appears to have broken off from the wings and other parts of the aircraft.

Broomfield PD is instructing folks not to touch the debris and to leave it where it landed, so that the National Transportation Safety Board -- the federal agency that investigates situations like this -- can come out to take a look, and determine what's what.

BPD posted more photos of other parts of the plane, which seem to have landed at a park ... on a turf field, no less. Again, it's a miracle no one was hit by any of it -- just about anything falling from that high of an altitude could easily kill someone who wasn't paying attention.

It sounds like if you were in the area and outside, you couldn't have missed this ... because people captured footage of the plane when it first started going up in flames -- and it apparently made a loud boom noise. You can see a huge cloud of black smoke it left behind in the air too -- and it certainly disrupted neighbors in the area.

BTW, people on the flight itself caught some of the malfunction live ... and it looks terrifying. Imagine being on board and having to wait for this to be resolved ... not being able to do a thing about it.

This story has a happy ending ... the plane -- a United flight -- is said to have landed safely at Denver International Airport -- where it had departed on its way to Honolulu. Investigators are looking into what caused the engine failure.

NASA's Mars rover landed safely on the Red Planet ... and its 293-million-mile journey is just beginning.

The Perseverance rover touched down at 12:56 PM PT Thursday, and quickly sent back the mission's first image from Mars' surface. As you can see, there's lots of dirt, dust and rocks.

NASA's mission control cheered and fist-bumped from California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory when the rover survived the landing ... a fun payoff after tons of hard work. Normally there would be bear hugs, but the celebration was spaced out and masked up.

Perseverance blasted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral way back in July, and now it's set to start exploring Mars' Jezero Crater in search of signs of ancient life. The crater is the site of an ancient lakebed, which scientists say is loaded with the remains of long-dead microbes.

The SUV-sized spacecraft even brought a small helicopter along for the first time ever, so more space history is on the way. When the chopper takes flight later on in the mission, it will be the first such flight on another planet.

Tim Tebow's dream of becoming a major leaguer is coming to an end -- the football superstar-turned-slugger is officially retiring from baseball.

The 33-year-old Heisman Trophy winner joined the New York Mets in 2016 ... making it as far as the AAA level with the Syracuse Mets in 2019.

Tebow appeared in 287 games in 3 pro seasons in the Mets farm system ... earning 18 homers, 107 runs scored, 48 doubles, three triples, 107 RBI and 5 stolen bases.

Tebow released a statement on his decision to walk away from the sport Wednesday afternoon ... saying he's ready to pursue other dreams.

"I want to thank the Mets, Mr. Alderson, the fans and all my teammates for the chance to be a part of such a great organization," Tebow said.

"I loved every minute of the journey, but at this time I feel called in other directions. I never want to be partially in on anything. I always want to be 100 percent in on whatever I choose."

"Thank you again for everyone’s support of this awesome journey in baseball, I’ll always cherish my time as a Met."

TMZ Sports spoke to Tebow about his baseball career last month ... and he said he was still fully committed to baseball.

"For me, I'm super excited about spring training," Tebow said at the time. "So, that's where my focus kind of swirls right now."

It's unclear what changed his mind since we spoke to him a few weeks ago ... maybe he IS helping out Urban Meyer in Jacksonville after all??

Jeanette "The Black Widow" Lee -- one of the most famous billiards players EVER -- has been diagnosed with cancer ... and her friends say she now has less than a year to live.

The 49-year-old's awful diagnosis was revealed in a GoFundMe this week ... when Lee's family and friends explained docs recently discovered Lee has stage four ovarian cancer.

In the statement, Lee's family and friends said, "The cancer has fully metastasized into her lymph nodes and the prognosis is dire."

They added, "At this stage, her doctors say she has a few months to a year left to live."

Lee, though, says she's already started the process of fighting the disease ... and is vowing to take every step possible to ultimately beat it.

"I intend to bring the same resolve I brought to the billiards table to this fight," Lee told the American Poolplayers Association.

"Jim Valvano so eloquently told us to ‘Never give up.' I owe it to my three young daughters to do exactly that."

Lee began playing pool over three decades ago, and became one of the most dominant players in the sport in the 1990s. In fact, the former #1 ranked player got her spider nickname because her friends said she was such a killer on the table.

But, Lee -- who was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 2013 -- was forced to stop playing the game at a high-level years ago after battling the effects of scoliosis.

A high school in Wisconsin is following the Washington Football Team's lead and ditching its racist nickname ... with officials announcing the "Red Raiders" will now be known as the "RiverHawks."

La Crosse Central HS made the move during a school board meeting Monday night ... officially making the switch due to the old nickname's historically derogatory meaning towards Indigenous people.

FYI -- the school previously used a Native American in its logo until it switched to a knight on horseback in 1994 ... while maintaining the "Red Raider" name.

Now, Central is getting a fresh start altogether -- with the school revealing the new non-racist name and logo that was voted on by students and staff.

Central principal Troy McDonald spoke about the decision to rebrand ... saying, "The previous logo and nickname is one that all the previous alumni, I believe, should feel pride in, but I'm hoping they continue to support our move forward as we try and make Central a safe place for all students," according to the La Crosse Tribune.

The situation is similar to the controversy in pro sports and shouldn't come as a surprise -- the Washington Football team, the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos and the MLB’s Cleveland Indians all have recently decided to change their nicknames due to their racist and offensive nature.

Central is wasting no time ditching the old mascot ... with the plan to have the "RiverHawks" brand ready to go in time for spring sports.

Rush Limbaugh -- one of the most listened to radio personalities for more than 30 years -- has died of lung cancer ... TMZ has learned.

The conservative firebrand host and political commentator died Wednesday. Rush first announced he was battling advanced lung cancer about a year ago, but it took a turn for the worse recently ... resulting in him missing some shows and his producers asking for prayers. His wife, Kathryn, announced the news on Rush's radio show Wednesday morning.

Limbaugh, who started his radio career in the 1970s, is best known for hosting "The Rush Limbaugh Show" ... which has been in national syndication since 1988 and made him one of the premier voices of the conservative movement for 3 decades.

President Donald Trump awarded Rush the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the nation's highest civilian honor -- for his achievements in radio. Trump presented the award in an unprecedented move during the 2020 State of the Union address just days after Limbaugh revealed his cancer diagnosis.

Of course, Limbaugh's success in radio did not come without a lot of controversies, as his views on race, LGBTQ+ issues, feminism, sexual consent and climate change -- just to name a few -- have been widely criticized ... making him one of the most polarizing figures in America.

The same was true for Rush when he ventured to television, as evidenced by his very first appearance in 1990 as guest host for "The Pat Sajak Show." As Limbaugh was discussing affirmative action, he got jeered by the audience ... resulting in everyone being escorted out of the studio so he could finish the show solo.

Rush went on to host his own TV show from 1992-96, and during this time he was one of the most vocal critics of President Bill Clinton and influential figures of the "Republican Revolution," in which the party regained control of Congress in 1994.

Years later, in 2003, Rush found himself in the middle of a new type of controversy -- in the sports world -- after joining ESPN as a football commentator. Limbaugh made incendiary comments about Eagles QB Donovan McNabb, claiming he was overrated due to the media being "very desirous that a black quarterback do well." Rush resigned shortly afterward ... but there were plenty more controversies to come.

Rush joined "The Breakfast Club" this past summer to discuss George Floyd's death and the protests that followed, and he delivered more classic Rush takes ... including saying he doesn't believe white privilege exists.

Just months before that, in February 2020, Rush insisted COVID-19 was nothing to worry about, telling his audience ... "I'm dead right on this. The coronavirus is the common cold, folks." He claimed it was being weaponized to hurt Trump.

Among Limbaugh's other accomplishments in radio include his induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame and the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame ... and his show being named the most listened-to in the U.S. in 2019.

Rush also wrote 7 books ... his first 2 landing on The New York Times Best Seller list.

Limbaugh was married 4 times, the first 3 ending in divorce. He is survived by his current wife, Kathryn Rogers, who he wed in 2010.

Rush was 70.

Paris Hilton is celebrating her 40th birthday with some huge news ... she's once again engaged to be married.

Paris and her entrepreneur BF, Carter Reum, got engaged over the weekend on a private island where the couple kicked off her early birthday celebration. Paris celebrated the milestone Wednesday, and talk about one helluva gift -- Carter proposed with a ring reportedly designed by Jean Dousset ... the great-grandson of Louis Cartier.

Right after Paris said yes ... she posted a video showing Carter decked out in an all-white suit and down on one knee. She said, "When you find your soulmate you don't just know it. You feel it."

Paris and Carter, a Chicago native and venture capitalist, have been dating for a little over a year now but have known each other for 15 years. He's a longtime family friend ... so it makes sense why Paris' sister, Nicky, and Carter's brother, Courtney, were also on the island to celebrate the occasion. PEOPLE was first to report the engagement news.

This is Paris' fourth engagement. Her previous fiances were model Jason Shaw in 2002, Greek shipping heir Paris Kassidokostas-Latsis in 2005 and actor Chris Zylka in 2018.

We're told Paris will share more details about her birthday on her iHeartRadio podcast, "This Is Paris," on Monday.

Congrats, Paris!!!

"My mindset is I'm going to play again."

That's Florida Gators star Keyontae Johnson opening up about his battle to get back on the basketball court just 2 months after he collapsed during a game ... despite still not knowing exactly what caused his medical emergency.

It was on Dec. 12 when the 21-year-old star crashed to the hardwood during a game against Florida State. As fate would have it, there was a cardiologist sitting in the stands that day who raced over to Johnson to provide medical aid.

"I was passed out. I could have died," Johnson told FloridaGators.com ... "She jumped out on the court and saved me. If it isn't for her, I may not have had a second chance in life. You just can't take life for granted."

Johnson was eventually transported to a nearby hospital in Tallahassee before being moved back to the UF hospital in Gainesville. At one point, he was placed in a medically induced coma.

3 days after the incident, Johnson awoke from his coma -- and admits, he was very scared.

"I was definitely scared. I had just woken up. I was confused and wasn't sure what was going to happen next. My grandmother was there in the room praying for me. We all prayed together and left it in God's hands."

Johnson was released from the hospital on Dec. 22 -- 10 days after the incident -- and his recovery has been a miracle. He's been cleared for some stretching exercises, yoga and some limited shooting on the court.

So, what caused the collapse? The short answer is ... it's still a mystery. Johnson says he's still undergoing a battery of tests so doctors can try and figure out what led to the incident.

"I'm still taking tests and going to be taking a lot more tests," Johnson says ... "I'll have to get on a treadmill eventually and be connected to things. MRIs, EKGs, stress tests, all that, to find out what caused this. I'm going to the doctor every 2 weeks."

Fact is ... no one knows for sure if Keyontae -- one of the top players in the country -- will ever be cleared to play high-level basketball ever again. But, he's not ready to throw in the towel just yet.

"My dad is staying positive. My mom is, as well. I remember her saying, 'What happens if the doctors say you can't play again?' I told her, 'I don't know. We're not at that situation, yet.'"

When asked if Keyontae thinks he'll ever be able to get back to the skill level he was at before the incident, Keyontae stayed optimistic.

"I do. Right now, until the doctors say otherwise, I'm going to stick with the positive mindset that I'm playing again."

And, if he can't play again ... KJ already has a backup plan.

"I'd probably want to be a coach and take what I've learned from here and try to be a step ahead."

Tennis star Novak Djokovic absolutely lost his mind at the Australian Open on Tuesday ... obliterating his racket in a fit of rage and causing a delay.

Djokovic -- who's been on edge in the major tournament Down Under as he's fighting through an abdominal injury -- was in a heated quarter-final match with Alexander Zverev when he lost his cool.

Tennis' #1-ranked player returned a key serve in the third set into the net ... and then melted down.

He let out a massive yell, slammed his racket into the court three times ... and then walked to his bench and threw the destroyed piece of equipment down angrily.

The temper tantrum left such a mess on the court, a ball person actually had to sweep up all the debris. The court itself, meanwhile, had three scars in it!!

Djokovic, though, was NOT penalized for the outburst ... and he ended up battling his way to a victory. Afterward, Novak admitted he felt "drained."

Of course, the 33-year-old is no stranger to outbursts on the court ... remember, he was disqualified from the U.S. Open back in September after he angrily and haphazardly hit a ball at a lineswoman.

The LAPD is conducting an internal affairs investigation to determine which officers shared a photo of George Floyd with the caption, "You Take My Breath Away."

The cops in question appear to work out of LAPD's Harbor Division, where the image was being passed around at work. The Department believes the original post may have been the work of an LAPD employee.

It appears a member of the LAPD saw that the post was being shared and was so offended they contacted the brass, which then triggered the investigation.

Internal Affairs is now trying to get to the bottom of it, looking to see where it was posted and who shared it. It seems that shouldn't be too difficult if the post was being shared among some of the rank and file.

Donald Trump will not have to answer for the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol -- he's been acquitted during his latest impeachment trial ... and thus, can run for federal office again.

The final vote came in Saturday, with a tally of 57 guilty votes to 43 not guilty votes for one article of impeachment -- namely, inciting an insurrection against the U.S. government. There needed to be a 2/3 majority to convict, but fell well below that ... closer to 57%.

The votes were mostly cast along party lines -- a majority of Dems voted guilty, and plenty of Republicans held strong on not guilty. There were, however, a few exceptions for the latter group ... including Senators Collins, Burr, Cassidy, Romney, Murkowski, Sasse and Toomey.

Senators Burr and Cassidy came as surprises, as they seemed to be firmly in Trump's camp -- but appear to have had a change of heart during the proceedings, which ended up being a wild ride ... full of viral moments, mockery, jokes (mostly at Trump's team's expense).

The trial lasted less than a week -- things kicked off Tuesday with opening arguments ... and evidence was presented on both sides in favor and against conviction. Democratic House leaders had strong presentations, which documented everything from Jan. 6 and even before ... in terms of the former President riling up his base and inviting them to D.C.

Of course, there's the bombshell video of him on stage on the day of ... where he told them to "fight like hell" and to march toward the Capitol to let Congress know how dissatisfied they were with the certification process that was underway. It seemed clear that he was at least, in part, responsible for unleashing them and their fury -- but enough Senators disagreed.

Trump was slow to publicly call on his supporters to stop, and even when he finally did ... he was light on them, saying stuff like "we love you" and almost excusing the behavior. Eventually, after much backlash, he came out and condemned the riot and violence.

He came out with a new statement shortly after the results came down ... and would you believe -- he called it a "witch hunt" again! Trump says ... "This has been yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our Country. No president has ever gone through anything like it, and it continues because our opponents cannot forget the almost 75 million people, the highest number ever for a sitting president, who voted for us just a few short months ago."

He adds, "I also want to convey my gratitude to the millions of decent, hardworking, law-abiding, God-and-Country loving citizens who have bravely supported these important principles in these very difficult and challenging times."

Now that he's been acquitted (twice), the lane is clear for Trump to make another presidential run if he wants to. To be continued ...

WHAMMY! WHAMMY! WHAMMMMMMMMMMMY!!!!

The Oklahoma Sooners women's softball team kicked off its season with a BANG -- hangin' 29 runs on UTEP in the greatest college power-hitting display of all-time -- blasting 13 HOME RUNS in the process!!

Yeah, that's an NCAA record!

... and get this, the game was stopped in just 5 innings thanks to the NCAA's mercy rule -- so, who knows how many dingers the Sooners woulda hit!

Here's how it played out ... #4 ranked Oklahoma started things off Thursday with an insane 1st inning -- exploding for 13 runs!! And then hit just keep on coming!

In total, 7 different Sooners players went deep ... including freshman Tiare Jennings and junior Grace Lyons, who each hit 3!!!

FYI, the previous NCAA softball single-game home run record was 10 -- shared by BYU (2008) and UTSA (2004).

The Sooners pitching was strong too, earning a shoutout. Redshirt senior Giselle Juarez set the tone early with 6 strikeouts in 3 innings.

The game was part of the 2021 Miner Invitational -- where the Sooners already have 2 wins, including a 9-0 victory over Abilene Christian.

The Buffalo police officers who violently shoved an elderly man to the ground during the George Floyd protests are off the hook ... they won't be indicted for felony assault.

Erie County D.A. John J. Flynn announced Thursday a Grand Jury decided not to hand up an indictment in the case against Buffalo PD officers Aaron Torgalski and Robert McCabe.

As we reported ... Martin Gugino was hospitalized after the push and shove caught on video last June, and his lawyer claimed he suffered a fractured skull and couldn't walk.

Torgalski and McCabe, meanwhile, were suspended, arrested ... and the D.A. charged them with 2nd-degree felony assault. However, the Grand Jury's "no bill" decision means the charges are now dismissed.

You'll recall ... former President Trump suggested -- without a shred of evidence -- Martin had ties to Antifa and went to the protest to cause dissent and chaos. Martin denied being part of Antifa at the time, and now the D.A. says any notion the elderly man is part of the group is "utter nonsense."

Jockey Chris McIver was BANNED from racing for 1 year ... after officials say he KICKED a horse twice before a recent race.

Disgusting.

The Queensland Racing Integrity Commission found the 33-year-old jockey "twice forcibly stomped on the hindquarter" of a horse before a race last month in Queensland, Australia.

The commission slapped McIver with a 12-month racing ban.

"The penalty must not only deter Mr McIver but must also illustrate to the racing industry that these actions are not to be tolerated," the head of the QRIC said in a statement.

Sadly, it's not the first time the jockey has allegedly abused a horse.

In April 2020, McIver was given a 7-month suspension after he was seen on video in a race smacking his horse -- Absolute Bonanza -- in the head with his whip.

The suspension for the whipping incident just ended in November ... but it didn't take the jockey long before allegedly committing another abusive offense.

McIver's suspension is due to end in early 2022.

Taylor Swift's a businesswoman who knows how to sell, so she's giving fans more than just a re-recorded version of her "Fearless" album -- she's adding all-new songs to it.

The singer made a surprise announcement Thursday on 'GMA' that the first big step in her full album do-over -- "Fearless: Taylor's Version" -- is her new version of "Love Story" ... which drops at midnight, just in time for Valentine's Day.

That track was also the lead single when the OG "Fearless" album dropped in 2008, and Taylor says it was her favorite to re-record because she feels her voice is more mature now.

The bonus news is the full album remake will be different, because she's including never-before-heard "songs from the vault" ... 26 tracks total. The initial release of "Fearless" was 13 songs, and the platinum album had 19.

As you know ... Swift's vowed to independently re-record all 6 of the albums she originally released on her former label, Big Machine, so she will own the new master recordings. Scooter Braun purchased her original masters, along with the label, in 2019.