Controversial S#!T

Here's video from one of Stockton Rush's final dives in the OceanGate submersible ... a failed expedition from weeks before the fatal implosion.

YouTuber Jake "DALLMYD" says he was on the Titan for a mission to the Titanic shipwreck earlier this year, and he recorded his experience with Stockton at the controls.

In this expedition, Stockton shows off the infamous video game controller he uses to maneuver the tiny submersible ... and the footage also highlights the cramped quarters inside.

The sub went into the water but the dive was ultimately canceled after a series of malfunctions and poor weather conditions ... on this trip, they never made it deep below the surface, and didn't get anywhere near the Titanic shipwreck on the bottom of the Atlantic.

Of course, Stockton took the same sub on another expedition Sunday with different passengers ... and it imploded.

"Titanic" director James Cameron blamed Stockton for the ill-fated journey ... saying he ignored safety concerns much like the captain of the real Titanic.

Jussie Smollett has a lot of balls in the air ... at the same time he's appealing his conviction in his hoax hate crime case, he's also directing a new movie with a big star, who just so happens to be one of his biggest supporters.

Jussie was in his element Thursday in Orange County on the movie set for "The Lost Holiday," an upcoming film starring Vivica A. Fox.

As you see, Jussie and Vivica worked closely together on set ... adding another layer to their long-standing working relationship.

Remember ... Jussie and Vivica both starred on "Empire" back in 2019 when Jussie was allegedly attacked in Chicago ... a claim that police said turned out to be a hoax and ultimately led to the conviction he's now appealing.

If the appeal fails, Jussie will have to spend 5 months behind bars. The appeal has been continued 5 times, and the court said no more ... the hearing is set for December.

Vivica has staunchly stood by Jussie's side throughout the entire saga ... telling us in 2021 she wanted to work with him again ... and now she's getting her wish.

Jussie had a huge smile on his face on set, though it's unclear if he's getting in front of the camera for this project or just directing.

As for his case, Jussie is appealing and his legal team is arguing the conviction should be overturned because his due process rights were violated.

Marcus Smart is proving goodbyes aren't easy ... the newly traded NBA star just penned an emotional letter to Boston fans after the organization traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies.

"Where do I even begin...as I start to think about the last 9 years I have a lot of emotions running thru me," the 29-year-old wrote Friday on Instagram. "Boston, you are a very special place to me."

The 2021-2022 Defensive Player of the Year was part of a three-team blockbuster trade on Wednesday, involving the Celtics, Grizzlies, and Wizards ... and Smart, who spent his entire 9-year career in Beantown, was sent to Memphis.

Kristaps Porzingis was shipped to the Celtics and Tyus Jones is headed to Washington.

"I grew up here and met some of my best friends here," Smart said. "I'll never forget my time here."

"Ultimately we didn't get that 18th banner but I'm VERY VERY proud of the success we had."

It wasn't just an emotional send-off for Smart ... as many Celtics fans were dismayed over the trade, and expressed their frustrations on social media.

"Marcus Smart has been my favorite player since he was drafted in 2014, and Boston made the playoffs every year since," a fan said on Twitter after the trade. "Regardless of return, I’m very disappointed."

Another fan tweeted, "I am literally dead inside. Not Marcus Smart. There’s no way we traded Marcus Smart. I refuse to believe it."

Unfortunately for Celtics fans, the trade's real ... and now Smart gets a fresh start in Bluff City.

OceanGate Expeditions is on the receiving end of even more scrutiny following the death of 5 in its Titanic-bound submersible ... because a job posting for a pilot was apparently live as the crew was MIA.

The internet's been blowing up with screengrabs of a now-deleted job posting by the company for a Submersible Pilot/Marine Technician to join the team ... looking for someone to "manage and operate our fleet of manned submersibles and support vessels."

It says OceanGate's seeking someone who can perform maintenance on the subs and operate the systems that deal with its dives -- calling it an "excellent opportunity for a high-energy professional."

The listing's since been scrubbed, but it's unclear when it was posted ... however, online records show the page being live from Monday to Thursday -- the days after Titan went missing in the Atlantic Ocean.

As you know, the 4 passengers -- along with CEO Stockton Rush -- died after the vessel apparently imploded near the Titanic wreckage.

Cole Bennett's "Lyrical Lemonade" compilation is paying tribute to Juice Wrld while coming in hot with the creativity -- an AI reimaging of the late rapper and Eminem!!!

On Friday, the pioneering music video director dropped the Juice and Cordae collab "Doomsday" to kick off his album rollout.

Cole had a 100-foot-long structure built lined with a 360° green screen to simulate an office hallway to perfect the shot ... and there's plenty of wackiness to see here. The biggest, obviously, being the AI face swap between Juice and Cordae, and the digital Eminem at the start.

He says Juice had the idea for the treatment before he died. The song's backstory goes ... Juice and Cordae linked in the studio on September 8, 2019, just months before his untimely death from a drug overdose.

Cordae says he's kept the track under wraps to prevent any leaks, but he adds ... Juice was always excited about it, and wanted it out to prove he wasn't just the "sad boy rapper."

The song uses the Dr. Dre and Mel-Man beat that Eminem used to make his 1997 banger "Role Model," just in case you were confused about the CGI Slim Shady at the start of the vid.

Cole and Cordae debated amongst themselves if reimaging their friend Juice Wrld with AI was the best move ... after all the technology isn't exactly favored in the music industry.

Starbucks baristas are preparing to go on strike at more than 150 stores in protest over allegations the coffee giant banned Pride decorations in some locations.

Union leaders for Starbucks workers announced the strike plan Friday, saying 3,500 workers will walk off the job next week all across the country.

The union is demanding all Starbucks locations allow workers to use Pride decorations to show support for the LGBTQ+ community ... and there's a new union contract they want Starbucks to recognize.

While the union claims Starbucks banned some stores from putting up Pride decorations and asked other locations to take down existing decor, the coffee company denies that, and is accusing the union of spreading a false narrative.

One hotbed for controversy is Oklahoma City ... where one store manager reportedly told union workers to trash Pride decorations as a result of a decision made at the regional level.

Hidden Hills isn't big enough for Nicki Minaj and her convicted felon husband ... at least that's what some of Nicki's neighbors think ... and they want the couple out pronto.

There's a petition circulating online from Hidden Hills residents worried about Nicki and her hubby, Kenneth Petty, moving into the fancy neighborhood ... and hundreds of folks have signed on.

The petition, which was started by Hidden Hills resident Beverly Bardan, takes issue with the fact Kenneth is a registered sex offender after being convicted in New York of attempted rape back in 1995 in a case that landed him in prison for more than 4 years.

As for why the new attention on Petty, he recently filed new legal docs changing his address on the Megan's Law website, so you gotta imagine the neighbors took note.

Nicki and Kenneth bought a mansion in Hidden Hills back in December, and as we first reported ... Kenneth is currently serving one year of home detention for failing to register as a sex offender in California.

The way Beverly seems to see it ... the mere presence of Nicki and Kenneth in Hidden Hills would hurt home values and create safety concerns.

Beverly is encouraging Nicki's neighbors to warn residents about Kenneth ... and she wants folks to sign the petition to "SHOW that you are against sex offenders in our Hidden Hills neighborhood!"

The petition, titled "SAY NO TO SEX OFFENDERS IN HIDDEN HILLS," was launched shortly after Nicki dropped $19.5 million on her estate ... but it's gained a lot of traction lately, with over 100 signatures in the last few days, bumping the number to 862 and counting.

Hidden Hills is becoming the new Beverly Hills ... other celebs with homes in the area include Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, and Kris Jenner, plus Will and Jada.

Originally Published -- 12:20 AM PT

James Cameron is putting the U.S. military on blast in the aftermath of the Titanic submersible disaster ... saying he knew right away the vessel imploded, and so did the military -- yet somehow, the search dragged on for days.

The "Titanic" director told CNN it didn't take him long, back on Monday morning, to gather all the facts about the missing OceanGate Titan sub -- saying it immediately had all the markings of something "catastrophic," like an implosion, had occurred on Sunday.

James says he knew it would have to be something like an implosion for the submersible's communications and navigation systems to go out at the same time -- plus, the U.S. military's microphones had picked up a sound right around the same time the sub lost contact.

While he doesn't directly call out the U.S. military ... the fact is, the U.S. Coast Guard was coordinating the search and rescue mission -- an operation James calls a "prolonged nightmarish charade" that did nothing but create "false hope."

As we reported, James also took the opportunity Thursday to point blame at the late OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who was the pilot for the fatal voyage ... drawing a grim comparison between the recent trip and the Titanic's tragic one-and-only travel.

Francis Ngannou is opening up about his recent face-to-face with Jon Jones -- where the two rivals got up close and personal -- and the former UFC heavyweight champ made it very clear it's still a fight he wants!

TMZ Sports talked to the 36-year-old MMA superstar days after the two towering men exchanged mostly pleasant, if not a bit tense, words at PFL 5 in Atlanta on Friday ... breathing new life into the fight fans want as much as any matchup in the sport.

"I think [it's possible]," Ngannou told us, adding a "cross-promotion" could be in store "in order to give the fans what they want."

"All the parties are down except for one," Francis said ... meaning the fighters and PFL are in, while the UFC is not (the promotion doesn't do cross-promotions with other companies).

Now that he's seen the bigger version of Bones Jones, we asked Francis about the heavyweight iteration of Jon.

"I will say I am more comfortable with a heavy Jon Jones than the Jon Jones of light heavyweight because of course, he gave an impressive performance against Ciryl Gane, but for the first minute, the first interaction and striking, he didn't look good."

Ngannou continued ... "He wasn't on point, as sharp as in light heavyweight, and for me that's the best -- I want Jon heavy! I want him heavier if he can put on more size."

Of course, Jones needed only half a round to beat Gane at UFC 285 in March, his first scrap at HW, but despite the win, Francis clearly wasn't impressed.

The Predator wholeheartedly believes Jon's in for a rude awakening if he thinks a fight with him would mimic the Gane bout.

"He never faced a guy like me, a real side heavyweight," Francis told us, explaining Gane was a perfect matchup stylistically for Jon.

"I think Ciryl was a perfect pro fighter to run into because there wasn't a threat. He's not a guy that's gonna knock you out with one shot."

James Cameron is going to catch a lot of heat for this ... he just blamed the Titanic-bound submersible tragedy on the captain, callously comparing it to the famous shipwreck.

The "Titanic" director shared his hot take on the submersible's deadly implosion, which killed all 5 people onboard, with ABC ... and it's shocking to hear.

James says ... "I'm struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship and yet he steamed at full speed into an ice field."

In short, James is blaming the tragedy on OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush .. who piloted the Titan submersible on the ill-fated mission.

James is considered a bit of an expert in this field ... in addition to winning Oscars for "Titanic," he also made 33 dives to the bottom of the Atlantic to see the shipwreck up close.

Some folks are critical of OceanGate and Stockton for exploring 2.5 miles below the surface in a tiny submersible navigated with consumer product parts, and James seems to be in that camp.

T.I. is slamming comparisons between his upcoming film and Ice Cube's game-changing comedy, "Friday" -- because why can't 2 things be great at the same time?!?

The trap music architect called the parallels "a thief to joy" ... responding to a meme that polled whether his "Da Partments" flick would top Cube's classic.

It's not the kind of talk you'd expect from a legendary rapper who's been as competitive as Tip, but proclaiming your film to be on the same iconic level as "Friday" is, undoubtedly, a pretty bold statement to make.

In a separate promotional IG clip, T.I. promised the film will deliver fans explicit "uns" ... uncensored, unhinged and unapologetic content, along with the best laughs Atlanta has to offer.

DC Young Fly helped produce the film alongside T.I., and Lil Duval and Karlous Miller serve as executive producers. T.I. says it's coming to Tubi's platform in the very near future.

DaBaby is frowning on the flying phone assault Bebe Rexha just suffered ... and yet found a way to turn the topic into a plug for his new song. We can't front, it was pretty damn clever.

TMZ Hip Hop chopped it up with the Diamond-selling rapper out in Bev Hills in the wake of Bebe’s comeback show following a fan hurling a phone, leaving her with stitches and a black eye.

DaBaby says it hurt his soul to hear about that kinda fan foul play.

He's no stranger to fan-on-artist violence himself ... he once had a shoe flung at him during Rolling Loud, but is now advocating for peace. Ya gotta see how he made a quick pivot from discussing onstage violence to his new 3-song EP “Call Da Fireman."

DaBaby suggests fans should never throw their phones, and instead offers a better alternative -- which is using them to push play on his project!!!

It's not exactly a cry for justice for Bebe, but it's a fact streaming music won’t leave anyone injured ... so, overall definitely a better option for phone usage.

On the justice tip, though, Nicolas Malvagna is facing felony assault charges. TMZ broke the story, his attorney says Malvagna never intended to harm Bebe when he threw his phone at her, and he was just hoping she'd use it to snap a selfie.

The writers' strike has no sign of slowing down, as a massive swarm of folks turned out for a rally more than a month and a half after members of the WGA decided enough was enough.

Thousands of writers gathered at Pan Pacific Park in Los Angeles Wednesday ... with a ton of them carrying their picket signs and donning their blue WGA strike shirts.

In case ya forgot, the big strike started back on May 2 -- and while the bigwigs in Hollywood are holding their ground as projects are now missing a writing staff, it seems the creatives aren't backing down either.

As we reported, there have been a ton of good times being had at picket lines throughout Los Angeles ... accompanied by a bunch of food donated by celebs like Jimmy Fallon, Snoop Dogg, and even Flavor Flav!

Speaking of celebs, a lot of A-listers have been spotted carrying picket signs left and right during the strike -- folks like Tina Fey, Bob Odenkirk, Susan Sarandon, and Pete Davidson.

We've even seen musical performances popping up at the various studios, including ones from Weezer and Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds!

The greatest basketball player of all time is NOT Michael Jordan OR LeBron James, according to future top lottery pick Brandon Miller, who says his NBA G.O.A.T. is none other than ... Paul George!

The former Alabama hoops star revealed his all-time favorite when asked about the MJ-LBJ G.O.A.T. debate during his pre-NBA Draft press conference on Wednesday, shocking mostly everyone.

"I actually don’t think LeBron is the G.O.A.T. of basketball," the 22-year-old said. "My G.O.A.T. of basketball is Paul George. I grew up watching him."

This comes after Miller met with Jordan several times ... as he's projected to be a top-three selection, and the Charlotte Hornets have the 2nd overall pick.

"My first time seeing him in person," Miller said. "It's definitely exciting."

Obviously, not exciting enough to earn a spot as the greatest hooper ever.

Of course, PG13 has a nice resume, and over his 13-season career, has been one of the best two-way players in the league. Still, the statement caused a lot of basketball fans to scratch their heads.

Some actually roasted Miller for his statement on social media ... with one fan saying, "He automatically drops to like 10th overall pick now".

But, it's more a subjective question, as opposed to objective (though, stats/career achievements do play a part), and there's nothing wrong with having your own opinion. In fact, Miller's such a huge fan of George that he even mimics the 8-time All-Star on the court.

"I think I compare myself to Paul George a lot due to the fact he takes pride in the defensive side," Miller told HoopsHype. "I steal some of his moves and put my own twist to it."

Drake’s glowing review of Bun B’s Trill Burgers isn’t impressing Foodgod … all because he thinks Drake’s Canadian taste buds have no clue what a great beef patty is!!!

TMZ Hip Hop checked in with the culinary critic out in Beverly Hills on Tuesday and he wasn't 100% certain Canada even has a burger culture for Drake to know the difference.

We'd bet the house they do, but even if not, Drake is a world-class artist -- who's about to go on tour, again ... so his knowledge of food is probably stronger than most!!!

FG tells us he's too had Bun’s burgers at Coachella this year and thinks it's really good but says it's disqualified from the overall "Best Burger" category because it's a Smashburger.

That honor he says would go to JG Melon but FG does think Trill Burgers could be in the running for "best Smashburger."

There was also some skepticism over Mario Carbone's Ravioli Sorrentina scented candle … which pairs the scent of Drake's Carby musk with one of MC's fancy recipes.

FG says they missed a golden opportunity not making a candle from MC's more popular dish rigatoni -- but tells us his personal dream collab would be something with Offset. Chicken and waffles maybe? The Waffle House could potentially have some competition!!!

Riley Gaines is taking her fight to keep transgender women out of women's sports to our nation's capital ... testifying for a Senatorial hearing about her encounters with lightning rod athlete Lia Thomas.

The former collegiate swimmer -- who competed for the University of Kentucky, and who also raced against Lia on the NCAA level -- described to U.S. senators what it was like having to change in the same locker room as Thomas ... who's a transgender woman.

She describes seeing Thomas' male genitalia and how jarring it was for her and others, saying nobody ever asked for their consent or input -- they, the NCAA, just let it happen.

In Gaines' eyes, this was a clear violation of their right to privacy, and she went on to pose the question -- what does this trend mean for women's sport? And, more importantly, does anyone care how it impacts cisgender women? By letting Thomas compete with them, she argues the powers that be have proven they don't.

Interestingly, Gaines says she's not advocating for trans athletes to be banned from sports altogether. On the contrary, she says they can and should be athletes -- but it sounds like she's suggesting they have their own classification and not be lumped in with cisgender competitors.

Now, as far as how the lawmakers reacted ... it pretty much fell along party lines. Dems pushed back on her characterization -- and Republicans, by and large, embraced her.