Controversial S#!T

BTS fans had to get innovative in how to celebrate their favorite band -- with standing, singing and shouting prohibited at a recent concert -- but they were still able to bring the noise.

The supergroup just stepped off the stage after a massive show in South Korea Thursday night. While more than 15,000 were on hand for the show, everyone had to follow strict COVID protocols, set by the government.

In a statement before the show, BTS' management co. Big Hit Music said, "Cheering loudly, yelling, chanting and standing up during 'BTS Permission To Dance On Stage – Seoul' is strictly prohibited according to government guidelines."

However, fans were provided with "clappers" -- and they used them to full potential -- synchronizing claps to the songs, and making plenty of noise in the process.

Thursday's show was the first of 3 the group, who hails from South Korea, will have in their home country ... it's the first they've performed there since the pandemic.

Morgan Wallen's warm reception at the ACM Awards is proof country music is complicit in his use of the N-word ... so says the NAACP Nashville chapter president.

Sheryl Guinn -- president of the Nashville chapter -- tells TMZ ... by welcoming him back into their community, the genre's embrace of Wallen destroys artists' accountability.

The ways she sees it -- people in country music believe Morgan just needed to have enough time pass until people lose their outrage. However, Sheryl says time does not heal all wounds.

She thinks the Academy of Country Music banning Morgan from its 2021 ceremony had no impact ... they never addressed how the N-word is a symptom of the underlying inequality and bigotry. She points to the fact Wallen's album went on to do huge numbers.

As we reported, Wallen was caught on camera hurling the n-word during a rowdy night with friends back in February of 2021.

Sheryl tells us she hasn't seen the country artist make enough of an effort to show his fans why using the N-word is a bad thing. She acknowledges he donated $25K to her division of the NAACP, but says the money doesn't help his followers understand systemic racism.

The last time we spoke to Sheryl, she shared her thoughts on Wallen's 'GMA' interview with Michael Strahan back in July ... saying his words came from a place of embarrassment, and he was sorry for being caught, as opposed to being sorry for spewing a hateful word.

Russell Westbrook says he's done with fans calling him "Westbrick" ... telling reporters Monday night the taunt is now deeply affecting him, his kids and everyone else he closely associates with.

"A lot of times, I let it slide," the L.A. Lakers superstar said following his team's loss to the Spurs in San Antonio. "But now it's time to put a stop to that and put it on notice."

Westbrook has heard the heckle repeatedly this year -- both at home and on the road -- after he's struggled to put up good performances for L.A. on a consistent basis.

Now, though, he said it's gotten so bad ... he's worried about the potential impact it's having on him and his family -- and he says he's going to do everything in his power to stop it.

"Me and my wife were at teacher-parent conferences for my son," said Westbrook, following a a game in which he had 17 points and five turnovers. "And, the teacher told me, '[My son] Noah, he's so proud of his last name. He writes it everywhere. He writes it on everything. He tells everybody and walks around and says, 'I'm Westbrook.''"

"And, I kind of sat there in shock," Westbrook added. "And, it hit me, like, 'Damn. I can no longer allow people [to call me Westbrick].'"

Russ was seen Monday night in San Antonio appearing to shut down the taunt from a courtside fan, yelling at the person from the baseline, "Don't disrespect my name!"

"Every time I do hear it now," Russ said of the taunting, "I will make sure that I address it and make sure I nip that in the bud."

Westbrook's wife, meanwhile, has also urged fans to stop with the jeers ... urging people in a series of tweets this week to cool it -- claiming their family has even gotten death threats over the course of the season.

Brittney Griner's alleged mug shot was shared by Russian State media, marking the first time the WNBA star has been seen "publicly" since her detainment in February.

The 31-year-old center for the Phoenix Mercury was taken into custody last month at an airport near Moscow ... after Russian customs officials claim a drug dog alerted to her carry-on luggage, which allegedly contained hashish oil (for a vape).

Russian officials say they've launched a drug trafficking investigation ... and if convicted, Griner could face a decade behind bars in Russia.

Russia's state-owned news channel, Russia 24, aired a photo of Griner's mug shot. State media reported the booking photo was taken at a Russian police station, according to CNN.

The mug shot is significant because Griner has not been seen or heard from publicly in weeks.

The arrest couldn't come at a worse time for the WNBA superstar. Russia is in the midst of a full-out assault on Ukraine, and the United States and many other countries have sanctioned the Russian government, seriously ratcheting up tensions.

Now, the Russian government has a high-profile American prisoner ... and could become a pawn or bargaining chip for Putin.

As for the efforts to bring Brittney home -- we recently spoke with longtime U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham who told us the State Dept. is doing everything in its power to return the star hooper to her family and friends in the States.

Brittney Griner's detainment in Russia is drawing a strong reaction from the family of a U.S. Marine who's also imprisoned there ... and they're not buying what the Russians are selling.

The family of Trevor Reed, a retired Marine from Texas who's been locked up in Russia since 2019, is "highly skeptical" of the allegations surrounding Brittney, because they've seen the Russians fabricate criminal cases.

That's why Reed's family rep, Jonathan Franks, tells us the family believes the claim Brittney was traveling with hashish oil could be totally bogus ... and they're accusing the Russians of manufacturing criminal charges against other Americans, including Trevor.

As we reported, Russian officials have opened up a drug trafficking investigation after customs officials at an airport near Moscow claimed to have found vape cartridges in Brittney's carry-on.

Franks says he'd bet his car Griner was NOT in possession of cannabis, and the facts surrounding Trevor's case might explain why.

For those who don't know, Trevor was convicted in July 2020 and sentenced to 9 years in a Russian prison for allegedly endangering the life and health of Russian police officers during an altercation in Moscow.

The U.S. ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, says the alleged crime never happened and has even described Trevor's case as "theater of the absurd."

The Reeds deny the allegations against Trevor, and recognize Brittney's situation as tragic. We're told they hope her circumstances, and Trevor's, will wake up folks to the danger of being an American in Russia.

We're told Trevor's loved ones are reaching out to Brittney's family ... offering to provide any support and insight from their dealings with Russia.

Sen. Lindsey Graham told us the State Dept. is working on securing Brittney's release ... and the Reeds say Trevor could use help too, because he might have been exposed to tuberculosis in prison.

Morgan Wallen is back in the house for a big country music award show ... getting a big warm welcome for his return following last year's ban.

Morgan was all smiles Monday night at the Academy of Country Music Awards, sitting right in the thick of the ceremony at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, looking dapper and getting a ton of hugs.

There's a big reason for Morgan to smile ... remember, he was banned from a ton of award shows, including these same ACMs last year, in the wake of video surfacing of Wallen using the n-word ... but now he's back on the rise.

It's got to feel good for Morgan, being welcomed back to country radio and the award circuit. He also got a ton of love back in October when he was a surprise guest at an Eric Church concert in Philadelphia.

Morgan's also got Lil Durk in his corner now ... the two collaborated on a song together, "Broadway Girls," and Durk says Morgan is no racist.

Hoda Kotb has a hard time viewing devastating images of Ukrainian children and families fleeing the war -- she calls it "disturbing" -- but feels it's important the world sees it.

We got Hoda Monday outside NBC Studios, and she shared her emotional response to the gut-wrenching images coming out of Ukraine as Russia's gruesome attacks continue.

This harrowing video of a young boy alone and crying is a painful reality for most children throughout the country ... as they are left to fend for themselves.

The 'Today Show' co-anchor tells us it is especially heartbreaking to see photos from an orphanage, being a mom herself. Hoda adopted her first daughter, Haley, back in 2017 and her second, Hope, in 2019.

She says every mom can look at what's happening and think it "could be any of us at any time."

Senator Lindsey Graham caught some heat for suggesting someone needed to assassinate Vladimir Putin to end this Russia-Ukraine conflict ... and now, he's doubling down.

We got LG Monday at Reagan National Airport in D.C., and asked him to respond to the backlash he received last week after floating the possibility of Russians taking Putin out.

The basis of the criticism ... such talk is dangerous, and certainly not something a U.S. public official should be spewing -- even if it is something that's been on folks' minds.

Well ... Sen. Graham not only stands by what he said, but expands a bit on the subject -- saying just about everybody in the world sees what the Russian president is doing, and can clearly see the guy's a war criminal who must be stopped.

Graham notes Putin's been getting away with atrocities for years -- so, yes, he doesn't see anything wrong with musing about the possibility of his own people removing the man ... one way or another.

Our photog took the opportunity to ask about WNBA star Brittney Griner, who's being detained by Russian authorities on a drug charge.

They say time heals all, but that's not the case when it comes to Kyrie Irving and Celtics fans ... 'cause the NBA star just compared the Boston fanbase to "a scorned girlfriend" after getting heckled during Sunday's matchup.

Celtics fans chanted "Kyrie sucks" late in the 4th quarter in Boston's 126-120 win ... and Irving addressed the hate during his postgame interview.

"It's like the scorned girlfriend who wants an explanation on why I left, but still hoping for a text back," Irving said of the jeers. "I'm just like, 'It was fun while it lasted.'"

Of course, the relationship between Irving and Celtics fans soured when KI declined an option to return to the franchise after playing only two seasons for the team ... despite previously saying he was planning to stay long-term.

Since then, C's fans have made it a point to boo and show their disproval for Irving every time he returns to Boston ... making sure he's well aware they haven't forgotten how he left them hanging.

Despite the remarks, Irving did say he was grateful for the time he spent as a Celtic ... and he still remains close with a lot of the guys he played with, like Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown.

The relationship with JT appeared to shine through ... as Tatum tried to quiet the fans from saying "Kyrie sucks" as Brown shot free throws.

Bill Cosby's breathing a deep sigh of relief -- the U.S. Supreme Court is refusing to weigh in on the Pennsylvania ruling that set him free.

SCOTUS voted 4-3 Monday to leave in place the PA Supreme Court's decision from last summer ... which nullified Cosby's 2018 conviction for aggravated indecent assault of Andrea Constand.

Cosby was immediately released from the Pennsylvania prison where he'd been serving a 3 to 10-year sentence.

The PA Supreme Court ruled Cosby's right to due process had been violated, because prosecutors had ignored the deal the previous Montgomery County D.A. made to not prosecute Cosby if he sat for a deposition in Andrea's civil case.

Cosby's prosecutors asked the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on the decision to overturn, but the high court declined ... which means Cosby is free and clear in the criminal case.

He is still facing a lawsuit filed by Judy Huth for sexual battery.

Joe Rogan didn't mince words when defending Cain Velasquez in wake of the UFC legend's arrest last week ... saying straight-up he wishes the fighter had beaten his relative's alleged molester "to death."

The UFC analyst explained his stance on a recent episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience," telling Michael Bisping he's firmly on Velasquez's side.

"I mean, my only wish is that he did it with his hands," Rogan told Bisping during a conversation about the allegations against Velasquez.

"My only wish is that he just ran the car off the road, pulled that guy out of the f***ing car, and beat him to death. F*** you."

Bisping wholeheartedly agreed, telling Rogan, "And even that would have been too good for him."

As we reported, Velasquez is accused of attempting to murder Harry Goularte on Feb. 28 after authorities said Goularte molested one of Velasquez's "close" relatives days before.

Cops say Velasquez tried to chase down Goularte and two of his family members on the road in San Jose, CA. ... claiming the 39-year-old rammed his truck into their car, and fired several rounds into it in an attempt to kill Goularte.

Velasquez was eventually arrested and hit with 10 criminal charges over it all, and has been sitting in a jail cell for nearly a week. He's set for a bond hearing in court later Monday afternoon.

Rogan isn't the only one defending Velasquez following the arrest ... UFC fighter Derek Brunson made "Free Cain Velasquez" t-shirts, while Ronda Rousey also backed the former UFC star.

Britney Spears says she finally set foot in Las Vegas again after years of being away following the shuttering of her residency there -- and her message is ... this place is neat!

The pop star revealed Sunday that she'd returned to Sin City for the first time since 2017 -- when she wrapped up her 'Piece of Me' show that had run for 4 years ... and which also served as the last time she publicly performed in town.

Now, coming back in a normal setting -- where she's just a regular person as opposed to a show pony -- Britney says she loved it, but also resents her years of slaving away onstage.

In a lengthy IG post, Britney says her family used to get the VIP treatment because of the work she was doing there ... while also suggesting she never got the luxury of that high life herself, but was instead subjected to harsh conditions and a grueling schedule.

BTW, there were hints she might've dropped in ... because her fiancé, Sam Asghari, was posting a lot from his hotel at Resorts World Las Vegas -- looks like they were both there for the UFC fight ... and it would appear they got the red carpet rolled out too.

In that spirit, Britney writes, "It was absolutely lovely being treated like an equal in Las Vegas for the first time in 13 years ... huge difference." Brit goes on to say, "Moments like this all I do look up and say 'REALLY GOD??? ALL THIS TIME???"

Britney goes on to slam her family yet again, saying she no longer has to be their performance puppet -- and she wasn't done with bashing them just yet either.

In a separate post, Britney detailed what sort of hours she was working -- seemingly referring to her time in the entertainment industry at large ... saying she was on the clock 7 days a week, on an 8 AM to 6 PM schedule, with little to no privacy.

She explains ... "this happened to me for 4 months after I worked for my dad and my family for 13 f*****g years … I gave my all when I worked only to be literally thrown away … I was nothing more than a puppet to my family yet to the public I just performed on stage and did what I was told to do … but it was worse than that because it was accepted and approved by the people I loved the most."

Britney goes on to say that she's bringing all this up because she feels her parents have gotten away with what she deems criminal behavior, and vows to not stop the fight until they're held accountable ... even in the wake of her conservatorship ending.

KISS' Gene Simmons has stern words for bands still on the fence when it comes to their Russian concerts -- what are you waiting for? Cancel it!

We got Gene at Kings Road Cafe Thursday in Los Angeles ... he says bands should stick together in solidarity and take Russia off their tour schedules -- something KISS is doing.

He tells us there are more important things happening in the world that should take priority over a simple rock concert -- obviously referring to the war in Ukraine.

Gene thinks an American band that travels and puts on a show for the Russian people would be giving a thumbs up to President Vladimir Putin and his current attack.

Ever since the war began, artists have been pulling out of their Russian performances -- Imagine Dragons, Eric Clapton, Gorillaz, and Louis Tomlinson are just a few.

While Robert Pattinson's turn as "The Batman" is being praised by many, a small group of conservatives are clutching their pearls ... claiming the flick is too woke for its own good.

Here's the deal ... the new movie about the Dark Knight takes place in a modern world (aka, the 21st century, post-2000) and some of the plot elements certainly reflect that ... for better or worse. If you look at what some mostly right-leaning critics are saying, it's the latter.

BTW, we're gonna get into spoilers here -- so if you're not into that ... stop reading now.

For starters, there's one scene, in particular, that's got Twitter trolls all up in arms -- it's when Batman and Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz) are chatting about who the Riddler is targeting ... rich, corrupt politician types ... all in the name of social inequality and justice. More on that later.

Catwoman is arguing that the people getting knocked off might actually deserve it, calling them "white privileged a*****es" ... including Bruce Wayne -- who's right in front of her.

The phrase is getting some eyerolls online, but it also leads to another criticism about the stars themselves ... namely, the fact that director Matt Reeves tapped a number of Black actors for significant roles, including Catwoman, James Gordon and the Mayor-elect.

You'd think that'd be a positive ... but lo and behold, there are a handful of critics bashing it, calling it "woke casting," etc. In response, many are calling such criticism racist, perhaps rightly so. For the record, everyone kills it in their respective parts ... regardless of race.

There's more representation in the film too, including for the LGBTQ+ crowd -- confirmed by Kravitz herself, who said she interpreted and played her character as bisexual ... and which gets alluded to quite a bit early on in what appears to be a romantic relationship between her and a Russian escort friend she's trying to help flee Gotham (who ends up dying, sadly).

Lastly, Paul Dano's Riddler is also being seen as an eerie reflection of society ... both in his crusade against corruption and the wealthy class (speaking to real-life larger convos these days about rich vs. poor/"eat the rich," etc.) ... but also, in his radicalization of people.

Without giving too much away ... the movie ends on a somewhat ominous note when it becomes clear Riddler's message is being embraced by a fringe social media crowd -- which leads to a would-be mass shooting situation ... something that was actually feared when Joaquin Phoenix's "Joker" came out a few years ago ... but is literally depicted in this take.

George Takei thinks Americans need to be willing to tighten their belt and shoulder bloated checkout tallies in solidarity with Ukraine -- but he's kinda catching heat for the suggestion.

The 'Star Trek' actor took to Twitter Friday with his sentiment, writing ... "Americans: We can endure higher prices for food and gas if it means putting the screws to Putin. Consider it a patriotic donation in the fight for freedom over tyranny."

Sounds innocent enough -- fact is, there is bound to be more inflation as a result of this conflict and the sanctions President Biden has imposed ... whether we like it or not.

If anything, it sounds like GT is telling folks to have a better attitude about it rather than actually proposing they act on it ... 'cause, frankly, there isn't much to do at the moment. Now, as you can imagine ... his idea is being embraced by some, but rejected by others.

The pushback ... namely, that George is a rich celebrity, and he comes off a bit tone-deaf here telling ordinary people to chip in for a good cause -- at least in his critics' eyes. Essentially, it's sounding like an elitist POV (to them) ... and talking down to "little people."

Big picture ... this convo is turning into rich vs. poor, which is a raging debate in this country -- as it seems there's a growing hatred of the 1%, whom many feel could be/should be contributing more to help society. In this case, George is on the receiving end of that.

Of course, the flip side of this is ... who the hell knows what George may already be doing and/or donating to help the cause in Ukraine? He could be pouring tons of cash and other resources toward the effort without anyone's knowledge -- and if he is, would he still be considered an opulent snob up in the ivory tower??? If we're being honest ... probably not.

As Ukrainians try fleeing while Putin wreaks havoc -- one group that's been all but forgotten is ... unborn kids in the form of embryos, which some docs are fighting hard to save.

Word of a brave practitioner named Birol Aydin -- who runs an IVF clinic called IVMED in Kyiv -- has spread to the community online, and the story goes ... this man has attempted to remove a number of cryogenic tanks containing precious would-be life out of the country.

As one Yale professor puts it on FB ... Aydin supposedly tried smuggling upwards of 17 cryo tanks on day 1 of the Russian invasion, and after 5 days of travel -- he finally reached the border and was apparently able to get at least five of the tanks out of Ukraine in the first trip.

The professor, Cihan Halicigil, says he's hearing that Aydin had to go back for the rest shortly thereafter ... also noting he's a Turkish citizen, and under no obligation to do this.

As for the rest of the clinics in town, it's said to be very dangerous right now ... with a majority of the tanks being stored in bunkers with a low supply of liquid nitrogen (needed to keep them cold) and not a great outlook of viability the longer this conflict lasts.

Even more troubling is the fact that any male IVF docs and/or staffers are reported to have taken up arms in the military there to help fight ... leaving the facilities unmanned and mostly abandoned as Russia continues to move in on the capital.

Halicigil -- who's in the loop on all this from here in the U.S. -- tells TMZ ... these tanks contain anything from eggs and sperm to full-blown embryos that must remain at -196 degrees Celsius, or perish. The conflict has created a supply issue for the liquid nitrogen needed to help keep these tanks up and running -- and that the best of them can stay up and functioning for up to a couple months, assuming all other conditions are favorable.

As for Aydin, it sounds like he was able to get all 17 tanks to a safe place in a bordering country -- but Hilicigil wouldn't give that up for security reasons. Scary stuff, indeed.