Controversial S#!T

Kevin Spacey getting into character to address his real-life sexual assault allegations was a bad move, both in culpability and name-smearing ... so says a fellow Underwood.

We got Sheryl Underwood of "The Talk" Sunday at LAX, and asked what she made of Spacey's bizarre Christmas video, in which he delivered a monologue as Frank Underwood from "House of Cards," and suggested he was owed due process before a rush to judgment.

Considering the seriousness of the subject, Sheryl's got a pretty humorous take on the whole thing ... telling us Spacey has ruined the Underwood name for herself and other real Underwoods in Hollywood. She says this weird video of his definitely didn't help the cause.

As we reported, Spacey has been criminally charged in Massachusetts for allegedly groping an 18-year-old's privates in 2016 while at a bar in Nantucket. Spacey's lawyers tried to sink the charge by claiming no sexual assault victim would allow themselves to be groped for 3 minutes ... which is what they say the alleged victim told investigators much later.

His legal team failed in their bid to get the charge dismissed.

Spacey's set to be arraigned in court next week. He's resurfaced in the East Coast, and is clearly trying to lay low ahead of his hearing.

Cardi B did NOT like a swarm of paps in Australia making nasty comments about her relationship with Offset while demanding she show face ... and she let 'em know it.

The "Money" rapper took to Instagram Sunday to lay into a few pushy cameramen and women who bum-rushed her in Sydney Saturday when she landed at the airport. Cardi was covering her head and didn't want to stop to answer questions, take pics ... nothin'.

One of the male paps shouted at her as she walked by ... "You're in Sydney now, mate, you're in Australia. It's our rules, not yours, buddy ... be clear on that."

Cardi asked them to leave her alone, but a female photog shouted something even nastier at her, saying ... "No wonder your husband left you." Cardi B's publicist, Patientce, became irate and got in the pap's face ... threatening to hit her if she didn't ease up.

CB is now speaking on the confrontation herself, and it's pretty clear ... she's not going to play by anyone's "rules" of celebrity engagement. She says she stays true to herself, unlike other celebs whom she didn't name, and insists she'll continue to do so despite being dogged by the media.

Cardi also touches on drug use in Hollywood, and says she now understands why so many stars turn to substances, while some go on to kill themselves.

Kevin Spacey has resurfaced after nearly a year of living outside the public eye ... as various sexual assault allegations continue to dog him.

The actor was hanging on a balcony with his dog, somewhere on the East Coast.

Spacey was spotted for the first time on Friday ... shrouded in a face cover as he jumped in a waiting SUV.

Spacey's re-emergence doesn't seem uncoincidental to events this week, in which Massachusetts prosecutors filed sexual assault charges against the actor for allegedly forcing himself on an 18-year-old at the Club Car bar in Nantucket.

Spacey has been charged with a felony which carries a maximum 5-year prison sentence. His lawyers went to court trying unsuccessfully to fight the filing of the charge, calling an investigator on the case to the witness stand, who conceded the alleged victim never told Spacey to stop.

The investigator also said the video the young man sent to his girlfriend during the incident did not show groping in the genital area.

There are other allegations against Spacey, who was fired from his "House of Cards" gig after the various stories of sexual misconduct surfaced.

A Trump supporter who was refused service at a vape shop captured what might be one of the craziest meltdowns we've ever seen ... yeah, this is just nuts.

Georgia resident Ian Furgeson tried buying something at Xhale City this week in Tucker, GA -- about half an hour outside of Atlanta -- and was apparently told to GTFO by the store employee ... who didn't want to sell anything to a Trump supporter. Furgeson was decked out in MAGA gear, BTW.

Well, things escalated quickly from there. Furgeson started recording the encounter, and the employee told him to stop or he'd call the cops.

Furgeson egged the guy on, telling him to do it ... and then the employee exploded with a "F*** OFF!" The vape store worker's breakdown only got worse from there, but weirdly enough ... he eventually calmed down and agreed to sell to Furgeson just to get him out.

Furgeson mocked him by saying, "Capitalism wins again" and ordered the employee to ring him up ... which the guy must not have liked, 'cause he changed his mind and became even more enraged ... again telling Furgeson to leave.

Furgeson eventually left empty-handed and posted the video to Facebook, which went viral. He later went on to say that someone at the company reached out to apologize and assured him the employee had been fired.

Generally speaking, private businesses have the right to refuse to service to people, so long as they're not discriminating based on federally protected classes, like race, religion, national origin, etc. But, the employee's actions here clearly weren't in line with his former employer's policy.

The brutal decision wrestler Andrew Johnson was forced to make didn't have to end the way it did, because dreadlocks can be reattached ... but not in his case, because we've learned all the hair that was cut off was thrown in a dumpster.

Fact is ... dreadlocks can be reattached in a number of ways. It's a process that typically takes a few months to complete, but it's doable. Dreads can be fused together, even after some are cut off.

We're told almost immediately after the referee for Andrew's wrestling match gave him the impossible ultimatum, the dreads were swept up -- no questions asked -- and thrown in the trash.

Sources connected to Johnson's family tell TMZ, Andrew has done nothing with his hair since it was butchered at the meet. He's gotten a bunch of offers from various hair care professionals, but so far he's made no decisions.

As we reported, Andrew and his family have not decided whether to pursue legal action against the referee or the school. They're waiting for the results of the investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General's Division on Civil Rights.

Barack Obama had a busy year -- especially when it comes to entertaining himself -- because he's got a looooong list of his favorite songs, movies and books.

The former Prez just shared 3 year-end lists of his 2018 faves, including 22 songs (and a jazz album) that feature tracks by J. Cole, Janelle Monae, Cardi B and 2 from Jay-Z -- "Wow Freestyle" feat. Kendrick Lamar and "Apes**t" ... which obviously features Beyonce.

Noticeably absent from his tracklist -- Kanye West.

Barack also shares his top 15 movies of the year -- which range from blockbuster hits like "Black Panther" to critical darlings like "Eighth Grade" and early Oscar buzz films like "If Beale Street Could Talk." He also lists the Mr. Rogers documentary, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"

But, the standout on his trio of favorite lists is in his book roundup, for which he breaks his alphabetical format to list his wife Michelle's book, "Becoming," numero uno ... and includes the note, "obviously my favorite!"

Another notable book is Nelson Mandela's "Long Walk to Freedom" ... but there are so many more, including several he says appeared on earlier lists.

Seriously, how does the guy find the time?

Grover may have taken his "blue" schtick a little too far -- because it sounds like the muppet may have dropped an f-bomb on "Sesame Street."

... or maybe he didn't.

IT'S LIKE THE BLUE OR WHITE DRESS DEBATE FOR YOUR EARS!!

Here's the deal, Grover was talking with another muppet about cameras during a recent episode ... when he made a very excited comment.

Some people think he said, "Move the camera, yes, yes, that sounds like an excellent idea."

Others think he said, "Yes, yes, that’s a f*cking excellent idea."

So, is Grover's mouth dirtier than Oscar the Grouch's trash can? Or are people with dirty minds just hearing what they WANT to hear, instead of what Grover actually said?

It's just like the "Yanny" vs. "Laurel" debate all over again ... except this time puppets and kids are involved.

When a team gives you a guaranteed 3-year, $84 MILLION contract, you better give them a win in the playoffs -- at least, that's how Greg Jennings feels about Kirk Cousins' big contract.

The ex-Vikings WR tells us it doesn't seem like the QB's contract has been worth it to Minnesota based on the team's 8-6-1 record ... but there's more to his deal than wins and losses.

Jennings says what Cousins brings to the team in terms of leadership and other off-the-field qualities is valuable ... but the bottom line, he needs to get to the playoffs and win!

The Vikings are playing the Chicago Bears this weekend -- and it's an essentially must-win game.

There's more ... Jennings (who also played with Aaron Rodgers on the Packers) explains why the QB must share part of the blame for Green Bay's terrible season.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Emily Blunt are both A-listers with a long list of box office hits, but when it comes to their Disney paychecks ... he gets treated more than twice as nice.

The actors are set to costar in the upcoming "Jungle Cruise" movie, but according to our sources ... The Rock's hauling in way more cash for his role. We're told he's getting $22 million to play the lead male character, Frank ... Emily's only getting $9 mil to play the lead female, Lily.

As you know ... The Rock's a mega movie star and the second highest paid actor -- just behind Daniel Craig -- known for the 'Fast and Furious' franchise, "Moana" and several other huge summer blockbusters.

But ... Blunt is Mary freakin' Poppins. She's also a Golden Globe winner and 5-time nominee, and has starred in several other hit flicks herself ... like "A Quiet Place," "Sicario," "Edge of Tomorrow" and "The Devil Wears Prada."

It seems Johnson's "Jungle Cruise" pay rate matches his quote for another one of his 2020 movies -- "Red Notice," which costars Gal Gadot -- but it's unclear if her salary will also be dwarfed by his.

Despite the pay discrepancy, it appears The Rock, Emily and fellow cast member Jack Whitehall -- who's playing Disney's first openly gay character -- all got along really well.

BTW, the gender pay gap is nothing new for Hollywood. You'll recall Mark Wahlberg got paid $1.5 million for reshoots for "All the Money in the World" early this year ... while his costar Michelle Williams did them for free.

Mark decided to donate his salary after the public outcry.

Antonio Gates disagrees with LeBron James saying NFL owners have a "slave mentality" ... 'cause the TE says players know what they sign up for and make a great living doing it.

Of course, LeBron went off on the NFL on his HBO show, "The Shop," last week, saying, "In the NFL they got a bunch of old white men owning teams and they got that slave mentality ..."

"And, it's a little like, 'This is my team. You do what the f*** I tell y'all to do. Or, we get rid of y'all.'"

When we got Gates out in Bev Hills ... he told us he ain't buying what LBJ's selling -- saying NFL players know what they're getting into when they ink their contracts.

"I don't know all the owners -- I know my owner. And, my relationship with my owner has been phenomenal. And, it's sports. You know what I mean? You get paid to play."

Gates added, "We all know what we sign up for."

As for the differences between the NBA and the NFL ... Antonio says he does hope one day his league can guarantee contracts like LeBron's -- but he still doesn't see NFL owners having a "slave mentality" at all.

Good news ... high school wrestler Andrew Johnson is doing well and in "pretty good spirits" after the haircut incident earlier this month -- but we've learned the family is still weighing their legal options.

Johnson has gone under the radar ever since the Dec. 19 wrestling match when referee Alan Maloney (who is white) told the 16-year-old black wrestler to either chop off his dreadlocks or forfeit the match.

But, a source closely connected to the family put it this way -- "Andrew is in pretty good spirits. He hopes for things to return to normal and he's looking forward to competing with his wrestling team again soon."

There are reports the family has already decided not to pursue legal action over the incident ... but sources with direct knowledge say those reports are inaccurate.

In fact, we're told the family is considering all options. One thing they want before making any decisions ... the findings of the NJ Attorney General's Division on Civil Rights. That Division is in the midst of its investigation into the incident.

Johnson's teammates at Buena Regional High School in New Jersey had a scheduled meet Thursday -- but Johnson did not participate because he's felt overwhelmed by the media attention.

Several huge stars have tried to reach out to Johnson to lend their support -- and some UFC fighters have offered to personally train him -- but it's unclear if Johnson has spoken with anyone yet.

As for the ref, sources connected to Maloney tell us he's adamant he was following the rules and race had nothing to do with the situation.

The Buena Regional High School wrestling team announced it will NOT compete in events refereed by the man who forced Andrew Johnson to cut his hair before a match earlier this month.

The Buena Regional school board held an emergency meeting in New Jersey on Wednesday with board members and concerned community members ... and that's where the announcement was made.

As we previously reported, referee Alan Maloney (who is white) told the 16-year-old black wrestler to either cut off his dreadlocks or forfeit the match during a Dec. 19 event.

Johnson -- who was only given 90 seconds to make his decision -- opted for the haircut ... and video of the shameful moment went viral.

Maloney's camp insists the ref was only following strict guidelines about hair maintenance -- and was not being racist.

As for Johnson, Buena has a wrestling match scheduled for Thursday morning -- but an attorney for the student says he will NOT compete because he's overwhelmed by the media attention.

Disney is making strides by introducing its first openly gay character in the upcoming "Jungle Cruise" movie, which will feature a big coming out scene ... but there's one important step that's missing.

A test screening of the film took place last week -- it'll get a wide release in 2020 -- and sources who attended tell TMZ Disney avoids using the word "gay" when Jack Whitehall's character, McGregor, comes out to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

We're told, at one point, McGregor has a heart-to-heart with The Rock's lead character, Frank, about dating history ... and McGregor makes it very clear he isn't into ladies. Keep in mind, this flick isn't set in modern times.

McGregor explains to "Frank" his family had tried arranging marriages for him with several women, but he didn't wanna marry any of them -- or any woman, for that matter. He also says Emily Blunt's character, Lily (his sister in the movie), was the only one in his fam to accept him and support him regardless of the "person" he loves.

We're told the scene was well-received by the audience, but the glaring omission of a pronoun to describe McGregor's love interest did not go unnoticed.

Unclear if the scene will make the final cut -- but ya gotta imagine it will, given how significant a move it is for Disney to include a gay character in an action blockbuster.

There was already backlash from the LGBTQ community over Whitehall's casting earlier this summer -- he's a straight guy playing a gay character -- and now, it's obvious Disney's watching its step even closer as it tiptoes into the 21st Century.

Deontay Wilder may have created a big-time movie role for himself -- because Michael B. Jordan tells us he LIKES the boxer's idea of playing Clubber Lang's son in "Creed 3."

Remember, Wilder -- the heavyweight champion of the world -- recently told TMZ Sports he's gunning for a Hollywood career ... and suggested playing the offspring of Mr. T's famous character in "Rocky III."

Hey, Michael B. is already playing Apollo Creed's son ... and "Creed II" was all about Ivan Drago's son ... so why not let Clubber's kid get in on the action???

"It's a good idea! It's a cool idea," Jordan told us in L.A. ... while praising Deontay Wilder.

Michael B. told us the 'Creed 3' storyline is still up in the air -- so it seems like Wilder has a real shot. Plus, Michael pointed out how Sylvester Stallone and his crew have always loved using real boxers in the 'Rocky' movies.

The one big issue ... Michael pointed out Deontay (at 6'7") is way bigger than Clubber Lang ... since Mr. T is only 5'10".

Kelly Oubre Jr. is laying down the gauntlet to Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, James Harden and all the other clotheshorses of the NBA ... saying it is he, NOT THEM, who is the best dressed.

Oubre was just featured on GQ.com for his fashion sense ... with the article praising him as being "on fire" this season and perhaps being king of the NBA closet.

We got him out in rainy D.C., and after asking how he felt about being traded from the Wizards to the Suns (it's just business to him), we had to ask straight-up who the best dressed in the league is.

"Kelly Oubre."

He's no doubt the hot hooper right now ... but the competition is FIERCE ... just last week, James Harden put it down in a Versace snakeskin short suit that had Twitter buzzing.

Just know Kelly, now that you've put it out there ... everyone is coming for YOU!

LeBron James not getting fined for his "Jewish Money" post was the right call ... so says NBA agent Daniel Hazan who is also Jewish.

We got the super agent out Monday night in NYC and had to ask him about LeBron's XMAS Eve Instagram post that sparked backlash. ICYMI ... LeBron posted a pic on IG with the caption "getting that Jewish money" which he THOUGHT was a compliment to Jews. It's not, so LeBron apologized.

Hazan -- the CEO and founder of Hazan Sports Management -- dropped a little knowledge on us about the term and why it's seeded with anti-Semitism. Hazan also explains what he thinks LeBron was trying to convey with the message. Bottom line ... LeBron shot and missed with his post but Hazan does give LeBron credit for one thing.