Controversial S#!T

The police paid no mind to the teenage girl struck by a stray bullet in the fatal shooting at a Burlington Coat Factory ... at least according to her family.

Ben Crump is representing the family of Valentina Orellana-Peralta, the girl who was hiding in a dressing room when a bullet from a cop's AR-15 fatally struck her in the chest, and he just shared her family's harrowing account of what went down in the store,

Valentina's mother says they were in the dressing room when they heard shouting and screams -- a man was on a store rampage with a bike lock and chain -- and her daughter went to lock the door.

The girl's mother says they felt an explosion that sent them to the ground, and describes the graphic details of her daughter's gunshot wound ... and says police ignored her initial pleas for help and left her daughter's lifeless body on the floor when they finally came over.

As you know ... a cop with an AR-15 fired the fatal rounds that killed the suspect, but a stray bullet went through a wall and struck Valentina in the chest.

Timothy Williams Jr., a retired LAPD detective supervisor and expert on the use of force, says the cop with the assault rifle appeared to go rogue ... and he says police should not have used lethal force in this situation.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says LeBron James' use of a COVID Spider-Man meme was so reckless ... it could cost people their lives.

The NBA legend sounded off on the Lakers superstar in a scathing post on Monday ... ripping LeBron for sharing an image that showed three Spider-Mans pointing at each other.

In the meme -- shared by LeBron over the weekend -- the Spider-Mans were labeled "COVID," "Flu" and "Cold" ... and LeBron captioned the image by saying, "Help me out folks."

Abdul-Jabbar said he was so peeved by the implication of the post ... he straight-up called it all a "blow to [James'] worthy legacy."

"By posting the uninformed meme," Abdul-Jabbar said, "LeBron has encouraged vaccine hesitancy which puts lives and livelihoods at risk."

Abdul-Jabbar then implored James to urge people to get the vaccines ... saying his support for the shots "could save thousands of Black lives right now."

As we reported, LeBron is vaccinated ... although he's said he will not pressure people to do the same, telling reporters before the season "That's not my job."

The woman who was arrested for getting violent with an older man over masks on a Delta flight made a smart-aleck remark about Rosa Parks ... and it sounds like it triggered the incident.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the arrested air traveler, Patricia Cornwall, a realtor and former NFL cheerleader, was returning from the restroom at the back of the plane when she encountered a flight attendant working the beverage cart, blocking the aisle.

Cornwall allegedly asked the flight attendant for help finding her seat and was told to find an open seat until beverage service was over, because it was a short flight.

Well, that seemed to piss off Cornwall ... the docs say she responded to the flight attendant, "What am I Rosa Parks?" ... and that's when her alleged victim told her she "isn't Black ... this isn't Alabama and this isn't a bus."

The docs say Cornwall then turned her attention towards the man, who told her to "sit down Karen" and prompted her to respond, "sit down p****" ... among other derogatory comments hurled from both sides.

The docs say Cornwall then struck the 80-year-old male passenger with a closed fist, hitting him in the head and injuring him before spitting at him for bad measure.

As we reported ... video shows Cornwall going nuts last week on the Delta flight from Tampa to Atlanta, getting in the guy's face over his lack of a mask before punching him, spitting and needing to be forcibly restrained.

Cornwall's got an interesting career history too ... she's reportedly a realtor specializing in luxury properties who also used to be a cheerleader for the NFL's Raiders franchise back in the day.

The Atlanta Police Department tells TMZ ... cops responded to a disturbance call involving an unruly passenger and when they got to the gate for the arriving flight, passengers leaving the plane told them Cornwall caused a ruckus in the air.

Police say both passengers and Delta employees were injured in the in-flight scrap, and they detained Cornwall and contacted the FBI after gathering statements and observing visible evidence ... she was then taken into federal custody.

The docs say Cornwall has been hit with an assault charge ... and she can't travel on a commercial airline except to go home.

Boosie is ending a tough year (socially) on an even rougher note -- defending R. Kelly ... and doing so by suggesting the dude's just got a thing for young ladies, NBD. 😬

The Louisiana rapper recently sat for an interview with VladTV, in which Kelly's conviction was brought up ... and Boosie was asked about it. He didn't hesitate to let everyone know how he felt about the case -- and that feeling is ... bitter resentment.

Check it out ... Boosie says Kelly got railroaded on similar charges he was facing in 2008, and thinks much of that has to do with his race.

But, then Boosie took it a step further ... justifying Kelly's actions as it pertains to his victims, brushing it off by saying, "I just feel like R. Kelly like the young bitches." There's more ... Boosie goes on to say claims R. Kelly kept his victims under his thumb at all times is BS.

He adds, "If you leave a bitch at the house, and you go on tour for two weeks and she don't go nowhere -- that bitch ain't been kidnapped. She waiting on daddy to come home."

Boosie also claims a "bitch ain't been sexualized if she been in the bed with three, four women. You know, she hasn't been (taken) advantage of, because ... she is willing!" He ends by saying Kelly's only mistake was the "age part."

The host, DJ Vlad, finally stepped in and pushed back on Boosie's wild characterization ... pointing out that Kelly was dating -- and eventually married -- a very underage Aaliyah way back in the day ... and not just that, but had gone to court over this exact issue over a decade ago.

The Oregon man who blurted out to President Biden, "Let's go Brandon," has tried to clarify his remark, saying he was joking, but he's clearly not apologizing.

Jared Schmeck was on a call with the Prez and First Lady on XMAS Eve, and it was super cordial ... even jokey. The 35-year-old, former Medford cop talked with J&J about Christmas presents for his kids and other non-controversial stuff. At the end of the call, Schmeck says with clear intent, "Let's go Brandon," code for "f*** Joe Biden."

Biden weirdly repeated the phrase and then at least made it appear the insult rolled off his back, as he continued to wish Schmeck a Merry Christmas.

As for regrets ... not even a few. Schmeck says he meant no disrespect, but telling the Oregonian, “At the end of the day, I have nothing against Mr. Biden, but I am frustrated because I think he can be doing a better job."

If there's any question as to whether Schmeck meant it ... well, he posted the vid on his YouTube page.

Schmeck says he stands "100% behind what I did and what I said." He told the Oregonian he's not a Trumper but thinks Biden's way off base when it comes to federal vaccine mandates. He's also pissed off over inflation.

There's been a long, raging debate over whether the 1980s classic action flick "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie ... and Bruce Willis' mother is picking sides.

The debate has the potential to blow families apart this holiday season ... and even the TMZ office is split down the middle on "Die Hard" as an Xmas classic ... so to get to the bottom of this we went to Bruce's mom ... because mothers are never wrong, right?!?

Bruce's mom, Marlene, tells TMZ ... "Die Hard" is NOT a Christmas movie.

Her reasoning ... "Die Hard" is a movie set at Christmas time, but that's not an essential element of the flick. Seems the apple didn't fall far from the tree, because Bruce does not believe it's a Christmas movie either.

Still not convinced?!?

Well, one high-ranking TMZ staffer lays it out like this ... if you take "Die Hard" and move the setting to another time in the year, say Easter or Mother's Day or heck, even Halloween, the movie still works just the same.

It's an interesting point, but we still gotta ask ...

P.T. Anderson's newest movie, "Licorice Pizza," is getting unleashed to the masses this weekend -- and with it, so are uncomfortable themes of racism and would-be pedophilia.

The esteemed director's latest offering got a wide release Saturday -- this after a multi-week run in very select theaters throughout L.A. and elsewhere -- and now that folks are able to catch it for Christmas ... some are walking away saying what early viewers also echoed.

One of the big takeaways, it seems ... the movie is problematic, not just for its premise about a 25-year-old woman in a cat-and-mouse love dance with a 15-year-old boy, but just as cringe-worthy -- the fact there's overt mocking of Asian culture, depicted at length twice.

First ... the weird relationship. The flick's about this teen, Gary, who falls head over heels in love with a gal 10 years his senior, Alana, who then go back and forth pursuing each other amid a ton of misadventures ... all with the backdrop of the San Fernando Valley in the '70s.

At one point, she flashes her breasts at him ... and by the end, it's implied they get together as a couple. Folks online are saying the age gap is grossly inappropriate -- and that if the shoe was on the other foot (adult male and female teen), it probably wouldn't fly in 2021.

Perhaps just as bad is the fact that a white restaurateur in the movie -- played by John Michael Higgins -- introduces two different wives of his, who are Japanese and look similar. In both scenes, he speaks to them in a caricatured Japanese accent ... which a lot of people also found offensive and unnecessary for the story. Indeed, it reeks of blatant racism.

The latter criticism has become quite loud, especially among those who belong to MANAA -- the Media Action Network for Asian Americans. They penned an open letter to the Academy and other governing bodies during this award season, asking that 'LP' be snubbed.

President Biden heard what his haters have been saying in code for months now -- a "f*** you" jab that one guy had the gall to say right to POTUS' face, on Christmas Eve no less.

JB and the First Lady were making calls to military families and their kids Friday from all over the country ... talking Christmas, presents, wish lists and of course, Santa Claus. In fact, 46 and the missus were using the trusty NORAD Santa tracker to help in their discussions.

During one of the calls ... a father hopped on, and wished the Bidens a Merry Christmas. All seemed fine until his last words before hanging up ... as he clearly said, "Let's go Brandon."

Joe and Dr. Biden didn't seem to understand what it really meant, especially Joe -- who actually repeated it word for word himself and added, "I agree." Both even chuckled upon hearing it, which doesn't make sense on its face ... y'know, since it's super derogatory.

You probably know by now ... the phrase "Let's go Brandon" has become a joke in conservative circles. It actually means "F*** Joe Biden" ... and got flipped into 'LGB' because of a reporter's attempt to cover up what a NASCAR crowd was chanting during a live shot.

Even though the guy who unintentionally spurred the meme, Brandon Brown, has said he's not a fan of it at all ... that hasn't stopped lots of people from adopting it and using it in several different settings ... like on the intercom of an airplane, for example.

Some have called this a slur, and highly disrespectful -- but in light of Donald Trump receiving similar treatment from his own opposition throughout his presidency, others say it's fair game.

The NYPD rookie who was caught on video giving a lap dance to a married lieutenant at a holiday party is super emotional, apologizing to the lieutenant's wife and also saying if she were a man who did something similar it wouldn't be nearly as big a deal.

Vera Mekuli tells TMZ ... she hasn't spoken to the lieutenant since the party and hasn't been comfortable showing up at her precinct. She says her fellow officers at the station have been pretty understanding, allowing her to work from home. She wants to eventually return to the station house and then go back to duty on the streets.

The dance went down last week in a bar in Yonkers. The 26-year-old had only had worked at the 44th Precinct for 4 months before the incident. She says she had no idea the lieutenant was hitched and even apologized to him for the position he's now in.

Vera says she's often the life of the party and believes she can be 2 different people -- buttoned up at work and loads of fun off duty. She says she did the lap dance as a dare as the party was winding down.

She tells us she's so embarrassed she hasn't left her house since the video surfaced. Really sad, because she's really shaken to her core over this ... and for her, it was just a fun moment at a Christmas party.

A woman committed the cardinal sin in the wedding world -- she apparently looked better than the bride, and says that's why she became persona non grata at the ceremony.

Alena Yildiz from Germany shared her story ... "My close friend uninvited me to her wedding because she thought I looked too good in the dress she chose for me," immodestly adding, "Still took some fire pics in it though."

Now here's the thing ... it ain't the usual ugly bridesmaid's dress, so what gives? Yildiz opened up to Insider, saying she's being treated differently from the other bridesmaids ... "all of our other friends wore extravagant dresses as well, but she only had a problem with me."

We'd call it a humble brag, but the fact is ... she pulls off the look in spectacular fashion!

Yildiz claims the bride was honest and insecure, saying the dress was "too attention-grabbing." She thinks it's all the bride's screw-up ... if she thought the dress would be too sexy on any of the 6 bridesmaids, she should have chosen an uglier garment ... certainly not one with a thigh-high slit.

BTW ... the friendship between Lildiz and the bride is kaput ... "It made me feel like I had no value to her as a friend."

LeBron James is playing his hand on COVID, or at least it seems this way ... suggesting we've gotten a little crazy with panic over contracting the virus.

LeBron posted a meme called "Spider-Man Pointing at Spider-Man" ... featuring 3 Spidies -- one representing COVID, another representing the flu and the third repping the common cold.

When you break it down ... it seems LeBron is shading the NBA for protocols that have sidelined a bunch of players -- even some who have tested negative -- and canceled a number of games.

The Lakers have benched head coach Frank Vogel, along with Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore, Avery Bradley, Malik Monk and Austin Reaves ... all because of its COVID rules. There's a big game set for this weekend -- Lakers vs. Nets -- but Kevin Durant is out because of COVID protocols.

You'll recall ... LeBron played his cards close to the vest for a fairly long time before finally acknowledging back in September he was vaccinated, but he made it clear -- he wouldn't pressure other players to get jabbed, saying, "That's not my job."

Brett Favre says, at most, there are only 4 NFL QBs who have ever played better than Aaron Rodgers ... telling TMZ Sports the Packers star is a top-5 signal-caller of all time.

The Green Bay legend made the claim just days after Rodgers tied his Packers record for most passing TDs ... saying he thinks Aaron has just been that prolific in his 17-year career.

"You have to put Tom Brady and Joe Montana right at the top," Favre says. "And I think Aaron Rodgers falls in the top five."

Favre didn't elaborate on who the other two quarterbacks on the list would be ... but it's obviously high praise for Rodgers nonetheless.

A top-five ranking would mean Rodgers could be considered to be better than Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Dan Marino, John Elway, Troy Aikman, and a bevy of other Hall of Famers.

"I think Aaron should be in the top five," Favre said. "If he quit today, he's a top five guy."

Rodgers' resume is certainly deserving of the honor, he has a Super Bowl ring, 3 MVP trophies and he's been selected to 10 Pro Bowls.

The truck driver whose 110-year sentence outraged millions of Americans doesn't deserve ANY prison time at all, because the fatal crash was purely an accident ... according to justice reform activist Jason Flom.

Jason, who's on board of the Innocence Project, says Rogel Aguilera-Mederos getting such a severe sentence -- one even a Colorado prosecutor wants to be reviewed -- is purely about revenge, instead of justice.

As you probably know, Aguilera-Mederos was found guilty on 27 charges for the fiery interstate crash caused by his 18-wheeler smashing into multiple cars. 4 people were killed and more than a dozen more seriously injured.

Still, when Jason joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" he said, "If I were the governor I would sentence him to community service.”

His reasoning is Aguilera-Mederos had no intent to harm anyone that fateful day in 2019 -- the truck driver said his brakes had failed, and there was nothing he could do to avoid the tragedy.

The judge seemed to believe him, and after giving him 110 years -- the minimum under Colorado law -- said, "If I had the discretion, it would not be my sentence."

More than 4 million people, including Kim Kardashian, signed a petition for the case to be reconsidered. Jason says the justice system is flawed -- "Doubling down on the tragedy by destroying this young man’s life -- I believe he is a father as well -- how does that serve anybody’s best interest?"

James Franco admitting he slept with students at his acting school is a total sham, designed to make it look like he's apologizing when he really isn't ... at least according to the attorneys who sued him over the sexual misconduct.

Franco seemed to spill his guts during a SiriusXM interview this week, telling Jess Cagle ... "Look I'll admit I did sleep with students. I didn't sleep with anybody in that particular class, but over the course of my teaching I did sleep with students, and that was wrong."

It's also BS, if you ask attorneys at 2 different law firms -- Valli Kane & Vagnini, LLP and Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai, LLP -- which filed lawsuits on behalf of students, including Sarah Tither-Kaplan, who'd attended Studio 4 ... Franco's school.

A rep for the firms tells us, "In addition to being blind about power dynamics, Franco is completely insensitive to, and still apparently does not care about, the immense pain and suffering he put his victims through with this sham of an acting school.

During the interview, Franco denied having any "master plan" to have sex with students -- he claims he had no role in selecting them for his class, and didn't start the school intending to bed his students ... and that's infuriating to women like Tither-Kaplan.

Her lawyers' statement continues, "It is unbelievable that even after agreeing to a settlement he continues to downplay the survivors’ experiences and ignore their pain, despite acknowledging he had no business starting such a school in the first place."

As for why Franco's coming forward now ... 10 months after he settled the class action lawsuit for $2.2 million, and nearly 4 years after the women first came forward -- the attorneys believe the interview was intentionally timed to avoid making headlines.

Rachel Bush -- wife of Bills star Jordan Poyer -- is furious her husband didn't make the Pro Bowl this season ... going on a rant and calling for the NFL to change its ways.

"Said it last year, going to say it again lol," Bush said on Twitter. "Pro Bowl should have the PROS in it."

"Enough of this voting nonsense."

Currently, coaches, players and fans get to vote for the Pro Bowl. Each group counts for 1/3 of the votes.

With that being said, you can have the best stats and still not get in. For example, Poyer has 5 interceptions -- currently tied 4th in the league -- and 60 solo tackles.

That's more than Tyrann Mathieu's 3 interceptions and 51 tackles -- but he was selected for the Pro Bowl.

"Jordan and Micah [Hyde] are the best," Rachel added. "Simple facts. Can’t argue with stats. FIVE picks. Top graded coverage. Give me a damn break."

Bush also points out that Buffalo has one of the best defenses in the league -- and yet, not one Bills player made the Pro Bowl.

"#1 defense in the NFL and not a single defensive player from the Bills in the dang Pro Bowl," Bush says, "How is that a pro bowl then?"

Tesla is under fire and under federal investigation for a feature that allows riders to play video games while driving.

On Wednesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shared docs that say the video games that appear on the dashboard touchscreen are supposed to be for passengers -- hence its name "Passenger Play" -- but there is nothing stopping drivers from playing while the car's moving.

According to the investigation docs, this feature became available to drivers back in December of 2020 ... but before it only worked if the car was in park.

Well-known YouTuber AndrewSchrock made a video sharing this unique feature and playing all the video games in his Tesla ... you can see that he did have to wear his seatbelt, in order to play the video games. But ... despite precautions like this one, Tesla has gotten a lot of backlash over the safety concerns of its cars.

The high-tech vehicles known as "self-driving" cars have gotten criticism for features that allow drivers to slow down, speed up and switch lanes without even touching the wheel ... basically, without even having to be in the car!

Tesla insists that it intends for drivers to stay safe and keep their hands on the wheel, even when these features are on ... but their track record hasn't been all clean.