Controversial S#!T

The artist who created a golden 3D sculpture of Chadwick Boseman's head as an NFT artwork is going back to the drawing board ... after some backlash over his decision to tie its release to the Oscars.

The artist, Andre Oshea, apologized Monday and added, "I now recognize that Chadwick's face is a triggering reminder of his death rather than his life."

Some fans took to social media to express their outrage -- one tweet read, "Creating a Chadwick Boseman NFT and not even giving him a posthumous Oscar is the best example of everything wrong today."

Another tweeter said, "Sooooooo lemme get this straight: They rushed the 'in memoriam' section to get to Chadwick's face last changed the order of the winners to tease Chadwick winning last and then at the end of the night everyone gets an NFT of Chadwick's head? This all feels wrong."

Well, they got that last part wrong -- Andre confirmed the NFTs were not included in Oscar swag bags, and he did have good intentions. He said he initially created the digital monument to embody Chadwick's influence "as a hero to all the Black kids everywhere while raising awareness about colon cancer and its impact on Black communities."

His redesigned NFT -- which was NOT commissioned by the Oscars -- will be auctioned off, with 50% of proceeds going to the Colon Cancer Foundation to fund 10,000 screenings to underserved communities.

Kim Mulkey kicked off her LSU coaching career by ripping off her COVID mask -- in yet another public statement against COVID regulations.

Mulkey recently left her gig as the head women's basketball coach at Baylor -- where she took the Lady Bears to THREE national championships since taking over the program in 2000.

But, before she left Baylor to take the LSU job, the 58-year-old made headlines for demanding the NCAA should STOP coronavirus testing at both the men's and women's Final 4s in the spirit of ensuring players' availability.

"They need to dump the COVID testing," Mulkey said back in March ... "Wouldn't it be a shame to keep COVID testing and then you got kids that test positive or something and they don't get to play in the Final Four?"

The NCAA strongly disagreed with Mulkey -- saying it was important to continue testing all the way through the end of the tournament in hopes of preventing an outbreak.

So, when Mulkey took the podium on Monday to be introduced as LSU's new women's hoops coach ... the first thing she did was rip off her mask in what seems to be another shot at what she considers overbearing COVID protocol.

"Well, I'mma take this damn mask off ... 'cause I have a lot to say."

She then flung the mask off the stage in dramatic fashion.

After that, Mulkey focused on basketball ... saying she came to Baton Rouge to win titles.

Wade Robson has taken another loss against Michael Jackson's companies -- a California court has once again thrown out his sexual abuse lawsuit ... but he says he's fighting the decision.

Judge Mark A. Young ruled in favor of MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures Monday, dismissing Robson's sexual abuse lawsuit on summary judgment ... something Robson had refiled in 2020 after California opened the door for alleged victims of sexual abuse with years-old claims.

In dismissing the case, the judge ruled that Robson couldn't prove the companies had the ability to control Jackson's conduct or that the companies had any fiduciary duty to protect Robson while he was with MJ in the '90s.

You'll recall ... another of Michael's accusers, James Safechuck, suffered a similar blow in his own lawsuit back in October of last year.

Like Safechuck, Robson's attorney, Vince Finaldi, plans to appeal this decision, saying ... "This decision of Judge Mark A. Young suffers from the same fatal flaws as the prior decision of prior Judge Mitchell Beckloff, which we were able to overturn on appeal."

He insists if the dismissal is allowed to stand, it'll set a "dangerous precedent that would leave thousands of children working in the entertainment industry vulnerable to sexual abuse by persons in places of power."

MJ's estate, of course, had a different reaction. One of the estate's attorneys, Jonathan Steinsapir, tells TMZ ... “Wade Robson has spent the last 8 years pursuing frivolous claims in different lawsuits against Michael Jackson's estate and companies associated with it."

"I'm going to rip his face apart. I'm going to hurt the kid. I will teach these kids not to continue to do this with people like me."

Daniel Cormier just UNLOADED on Jake Paul ... saying if the YouTuber-turned-boxer wants a piece of him, they can meet in the Octagon for an MMA fight -- and he's promising a bloodbath.

Of course, DC and Paul have been going at it ever since the 24-year-old wrecked Ben Askren at Triller Fight Club earlier this month ... with things getting heated when both guys crossed paths at UFC 261 this past weekend.

The 42-year-old UFC legend expanded on his hate for Jake on ESPN's "DC and Ariel" earlier today ... saying he will NOT step in the boxing ring with Paul.

"Floyd Mayweather is the greatest boxer of all time. So you go and play on his playing field. Why would I go and box Jake Paul?" DC said Monday.

"Who I am doesn't make me chase anything. I made my money as the heavyweight champion of the world. I don't have to chase a payday."

BUT -- if Jake REALLY wants to test his luck, DC says he's down to teach him a lesson in the Octagon ... and it ain't gonna be pretty.

"If he wants to actually fight with me, fight me in mixed-martial arts," Cormier said ... adding he'll even cut all the way down to 205 pounds for the bout.

"This is not going to be fun. I'm telling you right now, at 42 years old -- bad back and everything -- I'm going to torture him. I'm going to hurt him. I don't want to box him. I don't want to fight in a limited skill set of rules."

"If you really want to fight me, fight me in a mixed martial arts competition."

DC went on ... "I'm going to smash him and I'm going to hurt him and then he can go back to fighting these YouTube kids."

Andrew Brown Jr.'s family has finally seen the police body cam video of his fatal shooting at the hands of deputies in North Carolina ... and they're outraged by what they describe as an "execution."

Family members and their attorneys were enraged after the meeting with the Pasquotank County Sheriff and the County Attorney -- not only because of the content of the video, but because they were only shown a "snippet" ... 20 seconds of one deputy's body cam.

The family had demanded to see all of the full, raw video available to the Sheriff's Office, but instead, they saw the brief clip, which they say had blurred the faces of deputies.

Adding to their anger is the fact they were only shown a single deputy's body cam. Their attorneys say the 20-second clip made it clear there were 7 to 8 other deputies on the scene ... whose body cam's presumably show more of the deadly incident.

Bakari Sellers, one of the family's attorneys, says the County Attorney disrespected him and the family before the viewing by saying he "was not going to be f**king bullied."

As brief as the video was ... the Browns say it showed a lot. For instance, one family attorney says the clip begins with Andrew Brown sitting in his car in his driveway -- blocked in by cops -- with his hands on his steering wheel as several different deputies demand to see his hands.

The family says Andrew was getting shot at by multiple cops -- and they couldn't keep track of how many shots rang out. They say Andrew tried backing out of the driveway to escape the gunfire, but slammed into a tree. The Browns describe seeing Glocks and assault rifles on the scene ... and even some evidence shots were fired before the video started. They say they weren't shown anything that led up to the chaos.

The lawyers and the family are emphatic ... they believe the County is trying to hide something, and that the officers involved need to be arrested immediately.

Brown's family retained several attorneys, including Sellers, Ben Crump and Harry Daniels. They've all been very vocal about demanding transparency ... something they feel, more than ever, they're not getting after viewing the brief clip.

Brown was gunned down last Wednesday when the sheriff's office was executing a search warrant.

The mayor there, Bettie Parker, has declared a state of emergency ahead of expected unrest and demonstrations ... which will presumably give them access to state and federal resources. Folks have already taken to the streets over the past several days.

Attorney Bakari Sellers is fired up over the delay in releasing the body cam footage that shows the police killing of Andrew Brown Jr. ... and he's fed up with Congress, too.

Sellers, who along with Ben Crump and Harry Daniels, is representing Brown's family ... is in North Carolina waiting to see the police video of what happened to Brown Jr. last Wednesday ... when the 42-year-old was shot in the back and killed by deputies during the execution of a search warrant.

Sellers says he was promised to be shown the footage earlier on Monday, but it hasn't happened yet ... allegedly because the authorities want to redact portions of it.

The attorney clearly isn't happy about that, but he's on a mission to use the situation to take on the system as a whole. Instead of protesting, he wants people to pick up the phone and call their elected officials.

Specifically, Sellers calls out Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema for not signing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act ... something he feels is an important step to ending police killings of Black men in America.

Brown was fatally shot by cops last week in Elizabeth City, where witnesses say he was driving away when deputies opened fire on him. After the shooting, 7 deputies were placed on administrative leave and 3 resigned.

A lot of people feel like the late Chadwick Boseman was snubbed at the 93rd Oscars -- including a handful of celebs who were at the show ... and they didn't bite their tongues.

We ran into actress Andra Day -- the nominated star from 'The United States Vs. Billie Holiday' -- Sunday night leaving Spring Place in Bev Hills, not too long after the show, and asked if she thought the Academy had gotten better with diversity ... and she said yes. Well, at least partly.

Watch ... she makes it clear they're moving in the right direction, but have a long way to go -- and that pivot starts long before the Oscars get handed out. Of course, we also had to ask about Chadwick losing the Best Actor Oscar to Sir Anthony Hopkins in rushed, anti-climatic finish.

AD kept it real with her answer, and so did her 'Billie Holiday' costar Evan Ross ... although, he put it in more diplomatic terms. Model Winnie Harlow, however, just let it rip with her Chadwick hot take.

Speaking of Hopkins (who wasn't even at Union Station to receive his award) -- he posted a gracious thank you message last night, but also seemed stunned to have won, and gave a shout-out to Chadwick. Fact is, Sir AH was great as the lead in 'The Father' ... so, it's hard for anyone to say he didn't earn his win.

Here's why people thought Chadwick was a shoo-in to win, though -- one, his performance has been called stellar in 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' (his last role before he died).

But, more importantly ... the entire award show seemed to be heading in that direction -- show producer Steven Soderbergh literally bumped Best Picture ahead of schedule just for a Best Actor finale.

Regina King was the first presenter to kick off the 93rd Academy Awards -- and she instantly got into the Derek Chauvin trial ... with a powerful message to audiences at home.

The actor/director -- who's actually nominated for an Oscar this year with her film "One Night in Miami" -- made her way to the stage within Union Station in what looked like the opening of a film ... with a ton of "starring" credits being flashed across the screen.

Once she was in front of her audience, Regina didn't hesitate to talk about the big news of the week -- namely, that Chauvin had been found guilty of murdering George Floyd.

She said that the way that verdict went ultimately decided what she was going to be wearing on Sunday ... instead of heels, Regina says she might've been in marching boots had things gone a different direction. You could hear some in the crowd emphatically agree.

Regina also addressed viewers who were tuning in -- saying she knows folks might wanna change the channel when Hollywood starts to "preach" to them ... but she made a point that no amount of money will ever change how she digests these issues, or the fact that they are real in her own life with her own children. In other words, this is personal for her.

Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello's neighbors in the Hollywood Hills are spending big on increased security after a break-in at the celeb couple's home ... even adding armed guards.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Shawn and Camila's neighbors are dropping thousands of dollars on new security systems in the wake of last month's break-in, and others are signing up for a program offering armed, former law enforcement officers on patrol.

We're told folks who live near Shawn and Camila are spending $5,000 to $10,000 on new security cameras with floodlight censors designed to scare off burglars before they get too close for comfort.

As we first told you ... Shawn and Camila were inside their Hollywood Hills home last month when crooks broke in and took off with Shawn's Mercedes G-Wagon SUV.

Since the break-in, we're told neighbors are signing up for the armed guard service ... it costs $100 per month and the guards escort residents to their doors, check on properties when folks are on vacation and work closely with the LAPD and alarm companies.

We're told the neighborhood association launched a similar pilot program last summer in the ritzy bird streets above the Sunset Strip -- home to Ariana Grande, Leonardo DiCaprio and Bobby Flay -- and residents there saw a significant dip in crime.

"My message for Jake Paul is he's a massive p***y and he doesn't want to fight ... So, when he grows a pair of balls, come and see me. But until then, don't mention my name ever again."

That FIRE is coming from rising boxing star Tommy Fury, who tells TMZ Sports he's 100% down to fight the internet sensation ... but says Paul is too scared to make it happen.

21-year-old Tommy and the 24-year-old internet superstar have been going at it for MONTHS on social media ... with Tommy's 2-time heavyweight champ older bro, Tyson igniting the feud by mentioning Paul on Twitter.

Now that Jake whooped Ben Askren's ass last weekend, we spoke with Fury about the possibility of being next ... and he's ready to put him in his place.

"I'm here and I'm ready and I'm going to fight, but obviously, this man is not," Fury tells us ... adding he had ZERO interest in getting involved until Jake called him out for clout.

"In the boxing world, he's a nobody and he's just trying to use the Fury name -- the best fighter in the world is Tyson -- to try and get the boxing audience talking about him."

FYI, Fury is a monster in the ring -- he's 5-0 with 4 knockouts ... and would easily be Paul's toughest matchup to date.

Fury says he's down to fight Paul "anytime, anyplace, anywhere" ... and might get his wish -- Jake recently said he would fight Tommy if Tyson boxed Michael Hunter on the same card.

There's a strange scene unfolding in Blueface's world -- he's apparently got a bunch of girlfriends living under one roof ... whom he says need to get branded, or get lost.

That's definitely the vibe from a newly surfaced video that the L.A. rapper seems to have posted himself this past week ... which is just now bubbling up on social media. Blueface didn't post this on IG -- he doesn't have one these days -- so it might've gone up on Snap.

At any rate, what was captured here is pretty troubling to watch on its face ... you see Blue walking through bedrooms that are full of bunk beds with women sleeping in them. He's waking them up, announcing that today is the day they're all getting tattoos.

No joke ... dude goes around badgering these ladies, asking where they're gonna get their tattoo ... and some of the women actually show him -- and they seem all in. At one point, you see the artwork being inked in ... and it appears to be a portrait of some sort. You even hear Blueface say during the video ... "Tattoo or go home. Which one is it?"

Unclear if Blue was directing them to get "Blueface" tattoos, per se ... but some people seem to think that's what he was doing.

If that's giving you cult-ish vibes -- you're not alone ... that's the comparison most others are drawing online. Some are even cracking R. Kelly jokes at Blue's expense ... but that might be going too far. It doesn't appear anything illegal is going on here ... at first glance, anyway.

While he might not be breaking the law ... this clip doesn't fare well for his image, as Blueface has already been accused of being misogynistic. You'll recall that crazy stripper fight he hosted at his crib -- which he fully seemed to be egging on at the time.

Matt James might've walked away from Rachael Kirkconnell on national TV after the racism dust-up ... but he seems to have circled back with her in the real world for another go.

The former 'Bachelor' was seen hanging out with his ex Saturday in the City of Angels -- grabbing brew at a bar called JuneShine in Santa Monica, with some friends in tow. Matt was trying to be all incognito for the outing, but it's pretty obvious to us that's him and her.

His bottom-half attire pretty much gives it away ... so does the skateboard. The guy's often seen shredding and wearing short-shorts ... especially those green/blue ones. He even seems to have ran a marathon in NYC with them back in 2019, as you see here.

As for Rachael ... well, she's all about that sunglasses-resting-on-the-head look, and this gal who's with Matt in these photos sure bears a striking resemblance to RK from the side. Pair that with rumors they've reunited in recent weeks ... and there ya go.

There didn't appear to be any PDA between the two for Saturday's get-together ... but they were definitely leaving together. We got a shot of them walking away from the bar, and it's clear they were heading in the same direction, and possibly to the same next destination.

So ... what does this all mean??? Seems Matt has forgiven Rachael and/or gotten over the controversy ... maybe both. If that's the case, it certainly appears to be a full 180 from how he said he felt when he broke it off with her during the 'After the Final Rose' ceremony, when he explained why they couldn't be together.

It all goes back to social media posts and old photos of Rachael -- which many considered racist. She posed for pics with sorority sisters of hers at an antebellum-themed party -- which has racist roots in the South -- and liked racially insensitive pics on IG that featured the Confederate flag and white girls dressed in ponchos and sombreros.

There's also a claim that Rachael used to make fun of a white classmate for dating a Black guy back in high school. She copped to some, but not all, of the resurfaced behavior ... and apologized numerous times, while also telling people they shouldn't defend her actions.

We reached out to Matt's rep ... so far, no word back.

Elon Musk made a startling comment about the impending voyage to Mars, saying, "A bunch of people will probably die."

Elon was deep in conversation with Peter Diamandis, founder of the X Prize Foundation, when they talked about Musk's dream for humans to set foot on the Red Planet by 2026.  NASA's projection was 2033.

Elon waxed a little poetic, saying, "Going to Mars reads like that advert for Shackleton going to the Antarctic. You know it is dangerous. It's uncomfortable, and it's a long journey."

And then, he lowered the boom ... "You might not come back alive, but it is a glorious adventure and it will be an amazing experience ... Yeah, honestly, a bunch of people will probably die in the beginning."

Thing is ... he may be truth-telling, despite people not wanting to hear it.

Elon's take is that the upside justifies the downside ... "For the first time in the four and a half billion year history of Earth it has been possible to extend life beyond Earth and make life multi-planetary."

He went on ... "Humanity is the agent of life and we have an obligation to ensure the creatures of Earth continue even if there is a calamity on Earth, whether it is man-made or a natural calamity - if you look at the fossil record there are many mass extinctions. It is about ensuring we pass that threshold where it is self-sustaining if some calamity prevents the ships from going there."

Musk, who was barefoot during the interview, ominously asked, "What comes first - a self-sustaining city on Mars or World War Three?"

A confrontation between police and a black man got heated with an officer's response to the question ... Will they kill him like they killed Ma'Khia Bryant?

The incident went down in Washington D.C. ... as one of the officers responded, "Are you going to stab somebody like her?"

That set the man off, as he fired back, "No, but she called y'all for help!"

It's unclear if the man was stopped by police or if it was just a conversation, but the exchange has drawn heavy criticism. The Metropolitan PD is aware of the incident and is investigating.

As you know by now, Ma'Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old from Columbus, OH, was shot and killed by a police officer as she lunged at another girl with a knife. The incident has raised questions, including why police didn't use a non-lethal taser and why the officer fired 4 times.

Susan Sarandon and Cynthia Erivo are planning to draw attention to a little-discussed issue they want people to know about during the Academy Awards ... hospital pricing transparency.

TMZ has learned a PSA is set to air Sunday during ABC's broadcast of the award show -- which will star the two Oscar-caliber actresses doing a spot for a campaign known as Power to the Patients ... a national org that fights for patient rights when it comes to this issue.

We got a hold of the ad early, and it looks like Suze and Cynthia are fully on board with the effort ... noting that hospitals across the country are required by law -- as of this year -- to give patients a full rundown of what their services cost ... BEFORE using 'em on folks.

Most people who've been to the ER or who've had long-term hospital stays know this nightmare all too well ... you're in there getting treated for whatever it is you need, and not long after -- you get a FAT bill in the mail that amounts to tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of dollars you never knew you were agreeing to while being treated.

The whole idea here is educational ... basically letting people know they have a right to know going in, and not to be afraid to demand a hospital's staff to disclose that type of info.

Twitter is at it again -- calling the "Boy Meets World" spinoff, "Girl Meets World," "problematic" years after it went off the air ... all because of how it dealt with delicate topics.

For whatever reason, several different clips from the show -- which ran on Disney Channel between 2014 and 2017 -- were resurfaced over the weekend ... with many of them drawing the ire of random Twitter users who are criticizing the show with a 2021 lens.

One example ... a clip where the character Farkle expresses he doesn't necessarily believe in God because he can't "see" him, basically suggesting he might be agnostic. Cory Matthews (now playing a Mr. Feeny-esque character) chimes in and explains that just because Farkle can't see God, doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't exist, using ROYGBIV as an example.

Heavy-handed? Eh, maybe. Is it "problematic" and worthy of ridicule ... not at all. Still, Twitter truthers are crushing the show for "pushing" Christian beliefs -- when in reality, all that's happening is an adult is, at worst, trying to influence a kid. Which is ... fine. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Here's another "problematic" theme people are now finding vile and offensive. That same character, Farkle, once said he might be autistic with Asperger's -- which his friends try to deny and convince him otherwise ... which Tweeters *think* means Disney was suggesting being autistic is a bad thing and something to be looked down on -- that's a huge reach.

His friends were just showing concern ... which again, is fine. Just because they weren't throwing him a party for the news doesn't mean they were saying Asperger's is awful.

One last episode that's getting gutted some 4 years later ... 'GMW' touched on communism, of all things. Some of the kids in Cory's history class go full commie -- and they play up the stereotype that communists all think the same and want everyone to be the same.

Cory gives a corny speech praising the fact that differences are important ... kinda punching a hole through the so-called communism doctrine. People are now claiming that Disney intended to shove capitalism down kids' throats ... which yet again, is twisting things.