Controversial S#!T

MrBeast was almost one of the people who perished on the Titanic submersible -- but, lucky for him, he had the foresight to steer clear of the doomed trip under the sea.

The YouTube star made the revelation Sunday, taking to Twitter to write ... "I was invited earlier this month to ride the titanic submarine, I said no. Kind of scary that I could have been on it." He also attached a screenshot of a text message he says he received.

It reads, "I'm going to the Titanic in a submarine late this month. The team would be stoked to have you along. I'm sure you're also welcome to join." Unclear who sent it -- but, on its face, this presumably came from one of the five passengers who were killed onboard.

There's been a lot of reflection in hindsight following the tragedy -- a lot of people are bringing up stories and examples of experts who tried sounding the alarm about some of the Titan's safety features ... with some, including James Cameron, insisting it wasn't up to snuff.

Titan completed successful missions -- including some to the Titanic -- before ... but many say it was just a matter of time before the thing ran into trouble. Obviously, that manifested.

Other notable individuals have come forward to say they, too, turned down opportunities to ride OceanGate's ill-fated submersible ... including financier Jay Bloom and actor Ross Kemp. Even more online have been mocking what they say was a disaster waiting to happen.

OceanGate has tried defending its operation in the wake of all this -- but it's a losing battle, it seems ... most everyone appears to be on the same page here ... this was a bad idea.

Lance Armstrong wants to have his say on the transgender sports debate -- and he's partnering with Caitlyn Jenner to do it ... but people online are telling him to shut it.

The former champion cyclist -- whose accolades were, by and large, rescinded after he was found to have been doping through a decent amount of his career -- teased a new project he appears to have in the works ... one in which he's getting into the polarizing topic.

His key subject, it seems, is going to be Caitlyn ... who's been very outspoken on having trans women competing in women's sports, and who's obviously transgender herself.

Right off the bat, LA's tone to this whole thing has turned people off. He writes, "Have we really come to a time and place where spirited debate is not only frowned upon but feared? Where people’s greatest concern is being fired, shamed, or canceled? As someone all too familiar with this phenomenon, I feel I'm uniquely positioned to have these conversations."

He followed up with more tweets, sorta answering his own Q ... and plugging this new series he's got coming out. One tweet that's got a lot of reaction reads, "Is there, not a world in which one can be supportive of the transgender community and curious about the fairness of Trans athletes in sport yet not be labeled a transphobe or a bigot as we ask questions?

He continues, "Do we yet know the answers? And do we even want to know the answers?"

Now, Lance is trending on the Bird app ... for all the wrong reasons. You can hop into the trend to see what people are saying for yourself -- but it essentially boils down to ... dude, you're the last person who should be commenting on fairness in sports. Like, c'mon.

Of course, they're referring to his PED scandal in the early 2010s ... which he denied for a long time -- but ultimately confessed to. As most of us know, a majority of his titles between '99 and 2005 were stripped ... and his legacy as an inspirational winner was dinged.

GLC is looking back fondly at his time spent filming Kanye West's attempted HBO series ... despite the fact it never saw the light of day.

The Chicago rapper checked in with TMZ Hip Hop amid this week's puzzling leak of Ye's "Curb Your Enthusiasm"-style comedy, which was called, "A Little Inappropriate."

Ya might see that title as foreshadowing, considering Ye's remarks in recent years.

GLC tells us they shot 'Inappropriate' back in 2007, and filming the pilot episode broadened his horizons and gave him a Hollywood crash course -- he found himself doing improv alongside JB Smoove and Kym Whitley and his homie Don C.

Of course, the show didn't make the cut -- HBO pulled it after seeing the pilot episode -- but GLC openly admits some of the acting just wasn't good enough to carry on the HBO legacy.

GLC notes the GOOD Music crew was more in its music bag at the time.

Ye had just delivered his first 2 blockbuster albums "The College Dropout" and "Late Registration" -- GLC exclusively featured on both projects, giving him a claim to fame that still lasts today!!!

Earlier in the year, GLC and Wiz Khalifa linked up for the cross-promotional weed anthem "Kush and P" ... a spotlight for Wiz's "KK" and GLC's "Cronja" cannabis brands.

Jim Jones has words for Pusha T after the dude dissed him on Pharrell's high-fashion runway last week -- and it sounds like things are getting personal ... and possibly even ugly.

A new clip of what appears to be JJ's response to PT leaked online this week ... it's a brief snippet of Jim dropping bars, and perhaps even shooting a video. Like we said, it's just a small sample of the overall track -- but on its face, he's getting in the mud to fire back.

Check it out yourself ... Jim references/makes fun of Push's collaboration with McDonald's while going on to slam his last album, "It's Almost Dry," by essentially calling it trash.

He then mentions Clipse -- Pusha's rap group with his brother, No Malice -- and has this to say ... "Trying to bring the Clipse back // Talking ‘bout your brother, what happened to that boy? // It looking like they be selling crack to that boy."

Yeah, on its face ... Jim is accusing Malice of once being a drug user. Him and Push have made a name for themselves by rapping about selling drugs -- but Jim's suggesting at least one of them did more than that. Considering Malice has, by and large, left rap behind ... ya gotta imagine his brother is gonna take this one to heart, and most likely respond with more venom.

Now, as for how all this started ... it dates back to April, when Jim hopped on a podcast and said Pusha T shouldn't be considered a Top 50 rapper of all time -- pooh-poohing his music.

During Pharrell's debut LV men's line in Paris this past week ... Push and Malice dropped a new Clipse track, and many considered his bars aimed at Jim directly -- presumably in response to what Jim had said in the spring.

Henry Cavill apparently might've had the role of James Bond locked up in the 2000s -- and he would've gotten away with it too ... if it wasn't for that meddling Daniel Craig.

This revelation was made courtesy of Martin Campbell -- the director of "Casino Royale," which was the first new Bond movie to feature DC post-Pierce Brosnan. According to him, not only did Henry throw his hat in the ring for the coveted role ... but he was a real contender.

Here's what Campbell had to say about HC's audition way back when ... "He looked great in the audition. His acting was tremendous. And look, if Daniel didn’t exist Henry would have made an excellent Bond."

Campbell adds, "He looked terrific, he was in great physical shape … very handsome, very chiseled. He just looked a little young at that time back then."

Now, while Campbell notes that Henry wasn't his personal favorite at the time out of the final group being considered -- he still concedes ... the dude certainly could've done it. Unfortunately, Craig rolled through and gave it a shot -- and ended up landing the gig.

Now on the prospect of Henry potentially circling back and snagging the role of 007 now, Campbell addresses what most everyone else has said about HC at this point ... namely, he's kinda considered a geyser by Hollywood standards, especially for a multi-year commitment.

He explains that Craig spent a good decade-plus playing Bond -- and that sort of time could start to become noticeable on an actor like Henry, who's already in his 40s. MC continues ... "Henry’s 40, so by the time he’s done the third one he’s going to be 50 and anything beyond that’s two, three years per Bond. He’s in good shape Henry, he’s a good guy."

Gilbert Arenas says Ja Morant's NBA punishment does not fit the crime ... insisting the 25-game ban that Adam Silver hit him with earlier this month is complete BS.

The former Wizards star took aim at the Association in a passionate conversation with TMZ Sports earlier this week ... explaining he believes Ja's suspension for wielding yet another firearm on video should have been significantly less than what it ultimately ended up being.

"It's too harsh," Arenas said bluntly.

As for why ... he said he thinks it was all based on subjectivity -- not precedence.

Arenas told us ... most guys that he's seen get popped by the league in the past for gun-related offenses have only received 1 to 7-game bans -- making Morant's lengthy suspension super unfair.

"It's public perception," Arenas said. "The public wants him to be stopped. So, now the NBA comes in and says, 'All right, we have to make it look reasonable.'"

Arenas said Morant already suffered greatly off the court -- something he believes Silver should've factored into his punishment.

"He's already taken Ls," Arenas said, noting the small breaks that Nike and Powerade took from Morant. "He's taken Ls on his public image."

Arenas told us he thinks it's all so unfair, he expects Ja to appeal ... and win.

Of course, Gilbert has plenty of experience in this field -- you'll recall, he ultimately lost 50 games of his career following his infamous 2009 gun incident.

He said he's actually down to help Ja learn everything that he gained from that big ban ... telling us if Morant reached out, he'd definitely answer.

For the Memphis star's part, he apologized for his actions that led to Silver's decision ... saying to his fans, "I hope you'll give me the chance to prove to you over time I'm a better man than what I've been showing you."

We also talked to the former NBA star about the incoming rookies. Arenas offers advice to the young hoopers ... and gives his scouting report on Victor Wembanyama.

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.