Controversial S#!T

A 45-year-old man is now in police custody after cops claim he stole and destroyed a beloved Jackie Robinson statue in Kansas ... but authorities say they believe his actions were NOT motivated by hate.

According to the Wichita Police Department, Ricky Alderete has been hit with four criminal charges -- including felony theft and aggravated criminal damage to property -- after authorities say he nabbed the famed JR monument from outside a youth baseball facility late last month and then burnt it down to a pile of rubble.

Cops say their investigation revealed Alderete committed the act in order to cash in on the figurine's metal scraps.

Officials added they believe there might be more individuals involved in the crime.

"Our detectives remain committed to gathering information to identify and charge all individuals involved in the theft and destruction of the Jackie Robinson statue," cops said in a statement Tuesday. "The WPD extends its gratitude to the community for their support, patience, and information related to this case."

City officials, meanwhile, have already said they plan to replace the Robinson sculpture with another one in the near future.

Un hombre de 45 años está bajo custodia policial después de que los policías afirmaran que robó y destruyó una estatua del querido Jackie Robinson en Kansas, aunque las autoridades piensan que sus acciones no fueron motivadas por el odio.

De acuerdo con el Departamento Policial de Wichita (WPD), Ricky Alderete ha sido golpeado con cuatro cargos criminales, incluyendo un delito grave de robo y otro de daños a la propiedad criminal agravado, después de que las autoridades dijeran que agarró el famoso monumento de Jackie Robinson desde fuera de una instalación juvenil de béisbol a finales del mes pasado y luego lo quemara entre un montón de escombros.

La policía dice que su investigación reveló que Alderete cometió el acto con el fin de sacar provecho de los restos de metal de la estatuilla.

Añadieron que creen que podría haber más individuos involucrados en el crimen.

"Nuestros detectives siguen comprometidos con la recopilación de información para identificar y acusar a todos los individuos involucrados en el robo y destrucción de la estatua de Jackie Robinson", dijo la policía en un comunicado el martes. "El WPD extiende su gratitud a la comunidad por su apoyo, paciencia e información relacionada con el caso".

Los funcionarios de la ciudad, mientras tanto, ya han dicho que planean reemplazar la escultura de Robinson con otra en un futuro próximo.

Dolly Parton says she feels no ill will toward fellow country singer Elle King for butchering a birthday tribute song for her -- despite fans being adamant Dolly would be mortified.

It was all captured on camera ... country singer Elle forgot a bunch of lyrics to Dolly's "Marry Me" while onstage in Nashville, with the performance quickly descending into a drunken, expletives-ridden mess. But the icon says it's no biggie ... putting Elle's behavior down to her navigating some hard things lately.

Dolly actually had nothing but gushing words for Elle ... telling "Extra" Elle's a great artist and a great girl who had just a little bit too much to drink.

She's also urging us all to "forgive that and forget it and move on, 'cause [Elle] felt worse than anyone ever could."

That might be, but the Grand Ole Opry audience that night certainly didn't care how Elle was feeling at that moment ... as the singer resorted to hurling foul language, and mocking fans for purchasing tickets.

Many vented their anger on X ... complaining their evening was ruined by her horrible, drunk, and profane performance.

Her antics were deemed so outrageous that even the Grand Ole Opry said they "deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used."

Dolly Parton dice que no siente rencor hacia la cantante de country Elle King por estropear una canción de homenaje en su cumpleaños, a pesar de que los fans insistieron en que Dolly estaría mortificada.

La cantante de country Elle se olvidó de la letra de "Marry Me" de Dolly, mientras estaba en el escenario en Nashville, y la actuación se convirtió rápidamente en un lío de borrachos lleno de improperios. Pero el icono dice que no es gran cosa y le pone paños fríos al asunto.

Dolly en realidad no tenía más que palabras efusivas para Elle, diciendo "Extra" Elle es una gran artista y una gran chica que tenía solo un poco demasiado para beber.

Ella también nos insta a todos a "perdonar eso y olvidarlo y seguir adelante, porque Elle se sintió peor de lo que nadie podría".

Eso podría ser, pero la audiencia del Grand Ole Opry esa noche ciertamente no le importaba cómo se sentía Elle en ese momento ... ya que la cantante recurrió a lanzar lenguaje soez, y burlándose de los fans por la compra de entradas.

Muchos ventilaron su ira en X, quejándose de que su noche fue arruinada por su horrible, borracho y profano rendimiento.

Sus payasadas fueron consideradas tan escandalosas que incluso el Grand Ole Opry dijo que "lamentan profundamente y se disculpan por el lenguaje que se utilizó".

Andrew Keegan está abordando los rumores de que era el líder de una secta, descartando la suposición como una noticia hecha para obtener clics. También dice que lo único que hizo fue fomentar una comunidad relajada para que la gente se reuniera.

La estrella de "10 cosas que odio de ti" hizo las declaraciones en "Pod Meets World", explicando que decidió iniciar un centro comunitario llamado Full Circle en 2014 para hacer cosas positivas después de sumergirse profundamente en la cultura de Venice Beach cuando se mudó al barrio cuando tenía 30 años.

Sin embargo, sus intenciones han sido malinterpretadas o eso es lo que Andrew Keegan está diciendo. Explica que se sorprendió cuando vio que había sido ungido como líder de un culto por los medios de entonces, después de que varios periodistas lo visitaran para ver qué actividades extracurriculares estaba haciendo en medio de su carrera como actor.

No mucho después, salió a la luz un sorprendente artículo de Vice titulado: "Una de las estrellas de "10 cosas que odio de ti" fundó una religión". En el artículo, el periodista afirmaba que Andrew era reconocido como el líder y la persona que tenía la "última palabra sobre todas las cosas", añadiendo que fueron recibidos por un hombre llamado Tercer Ojo y se toparon con un círculo íntimo de los miembros "iluminados".

Ahora Andrew dice que podría haberse preparado un poco mejor para lidiar con los medios de comunicación en ese entonces, pero es firme en decir que no fue el líder de ningún culto en el pasado. De hecho, dice que era todo lo contrario. La comunidad simplemente era un lugar para que las personas se reunieran y pasaran un buen rato.

No hace falta decir que Andrew todavía recuerda su tiempo en Full Circle con cariño, aunque dice que lo único que lamenta en retrospectiva es el nombre del grupo.

El actor reconoce que la comunidad podría haber dado lugar a algunas malas interpretaciones, a pesar de que su mensaje era bastante inocente, según él

Andrew Keegan is addressing rumors he's a cult leader ... dismissing it all as nothing but clickbait and saying all he'd done was foster a cool community for people to gather in.

The "10 Things I Hate About You" star gave the rundown on "Pod Meets World" ... explaining he decided to start a community center named Full Circle in 2014 to do positive things after getting deeply immersed in Venice Beach's culture when moving there in his 30s.

However, his intentions were misconstrued ... that's what AK is saying, anyway. He explains he was shocked to learn he'd been anointed a cult leader in media reports at the time -- this after journos visited him to see what extracurricular activities he was up to amid his acting career.

Not long after, a startling Vice article surfaced, entitled, "One of the Stars of '10 Things I Hate About You' Started a Religion." In the article, the journalist claimed Andrew was known as the leader who had the "ultimate say on all things" ... adding they were greeted by a man named Third Eye and found themselves in the inner circle of "enlightened" members.

Andrew now says he probably could've done with some media training back then, but he's adamant there was no cult-leading going on, as was implied. In fact, he says it was the opposite ... FC was just a place for a bunch of people to get together for a good time.

It goes without saying, Andrew still recalls his time with FC fondly ... although, he says the only thing he regrets in hindsight is the group's name.

The actor acknowledges that Full Circle could've led to some misinterpretations over its intentions ... even though his message was innocent enough at the time, according to him.

Kanye West dice que aún no ha sido cancelado por un par de diferentes razones, y también explica por qué no se retracta de algunos de sus dichos antisemitas.

Nos encontramos con Ye en el aeropuerto de Los Ángeles, después de que regresara de las fiestas del Super Bowl en Las Vegas y el tipo habló con nosotros sobre un montón de temas. Luego de que su esperado álbum "Vultures" fuera finalmente lanzado y alcanzara el #1 en iTunes, el artista se puso a indagar sobre cómo sobrevivió a su "cancelación".

Echa un vistazo, Kanye le dice a nuestro fotógrafo que capeó una tormenta el año pasado y salió del otro lado tal vez incluso más exitoso, al menos desde su perspectiva.

Eso es discutible, por supuesto, porque perdió un montón de negocios, por no hablar de cientos de millones de dólares y, sin embargo, piensa que logró sortearlo bastante bien y aquí explica por qué.

Kanye dice que tiene diferentes fuentes de negocios que le han ayudado a seguir siendo popular, incluso a un nivel masivo, y dice que mucho de eso tiene que ver con el hecho de que es increíblemente talentoso, con ideas únicas e interesantes.

Por supuesto, sus devotos fans también adoran su franqueza, algo de lo que Kanye también es consciente. Por eso dice que ha sido capaz de sobrevivir a este intento de derribarlo.

Cita luego su disputa con Adidas y explica por qué estuvo tanto tiempo en Europa el año pasado. Después de todo, era una cuestión más de negocios que de placer.

De todos modos, Kanye dice que el negocio está en auge de nuevo a pesar de los mejores esfuerzos de la industria. Así es como lo ve él.

En esta entrevista se puede ver que está en modo "nosotros contra ellos". Ataca a la industria musical y a los sellos discográficos, afirma que la estructura de streaming no es justa para los artistas y promete hablar de estos temas en nombre de todos los artistas.

Curiosamente, incluso se pone en el mismo barco que su archienemiga, Taylor Swift. Sí, dice su nombre y no de una manera despectiva.

Sobre el tema del antisemitismo ofrece una disculpa no disculpa por algunos de sus discursos de odio, pero cree que otros comentarios estuvieron bien.

También cita una defensa a menudo utilizada en cuanto a por qué no puede ser antisemita.

Míralo tú mismo, pero realmente la única disculpa que ofrece es a los niños judíos que tuvieron que escuchar una "conversación de adultos".

Kanye West says he hasn't been canceled yet for a couple different reasons -- and he also explains why he's not backing down from some of his antisemitic statements.

We got Ye Monday at LAX -- after he'd returned from Super Bowl festivities in Vegas -- and the guy talked to us about a bunch of topics. As his finally released new album "Vultures" hit #1 on iTunes, he marked that success by digging into why he survived his "cancelation."

Check it out ... Kanye tells our photog he weathered the storm last year, and came out the other side perhaps even more successful than ever ... at least in his eyes.

That's debatable, of course, because he lost out on a lot of business deals, not to mention hundreds of millions of dollars. And yet, Kanye thinks he's landed on his feet pretty well ... and he explains why.

Kanye says he's got a few different things in his utility belt that have helped him remain popular, even in a mainstream capacity ... and he says a lot of it has to do with the fact he's incredibly talented with unique, interesting ideas.

Of course, his devoted fans also love that he's outspoken ... something KW's well aware of too. All that is why he says he's been able to survive a modern-day teardown.

He cites his feud with Adidas in making this point, and also lays out why he was in Europe for so long last year. It was actually more business than pleasure after all.

Anyway, Kanye says business is booming for him yet again ... despite the industry's best efforts. That's how he sees it anyway.

You can tell from this interview, he's in full us-versus-them mode right now. He attacks the music industry and record labels, saying the streaming structure isn't fair to artists -- and vows to speak up on these issues on behalf of all artists.

Interestingly, he even puts himself in the same boat as his archenemy, Taylor Swift! Yes, he speaks her name, and not in a disparaging way.

On the subject of antisemitism ... he offers a non-apology apology for some of his hate speech but believes other comments were spot-on.

He also cites an oft-used defense of his as to why he can't be antisemitic.

Watch it for yourself, but really the only apology he offers is to the Jewish kids who had to hear a "grown-up conversation."

Jermaine Dupri's defending his right to dress up his ankles anyway he sees fit ... after his Super Bowl wardrobe turned into a trending topic coming out of Usher's Halftime show blowout.

Social media relentlessly ribbed JD for his schoolboy uniform getup, complete with the type of ruffled socks that resembled the kind kids wore back in the outhouse days. Some critics suggested all he was missing was an apple for the teacher!!!

On Monday, Jermaine posted proof his footies were certified haute couture ... revealing them to be Louis Vuitton pocket socks worth hundreds of bucks!

The "Money Ain't A Thang" rapper said he was too drunk to combat the jokes in the moment, but has time today ... and also called in for backup from Pharrell, LV's current men's creative director.

The rich flex didn't help JD's case much -- fans are saying this designer drip should have stayed in the closet.

Ice Spice cabreó a muchos con su aparición en el Super Bowl, ya que algunos relacionaron el colgante que llevaba con el mismísimo diablo. Sin embargo, Playboi Carti no quería generar ningún tipo de polémica.

La rapera fue vista durante la transmisión del partido del domingo y una buena cantidad de gente se fijó en el collar que llevaba en el palco de Taylor Swift y compañía, que (y para mucha gente) parecía una cruz al revés.

Por supuesto, hubo acusaciones de "adoración al diablo" y símbolos "demoníacos" mostrándose en televisión frente a millones de personas. Un gesto que hizo con la mano tampoco ayudó.

Resulta que no hay nada de impío en este colgante, al menos eso es lo que nos han dicho.

Fuentes con conocimiento directo le dicen a TMZ que la pieza fue diseñada por el joyero Alex Moss, y es solo un dulce pedazo de hielo sin ataduras diabólicas detrás de él. Nos dicen que el colgante está hecho de oro negro, un nuevo material que se ha desarrollado y que Alex está utilizando en una próxima colección. La cruz también tiene zafiros rosa por todas partes.

Nuestras fuentes dicen que Ice es la primera estrella de su calibre en tener este tipo de pieza en su poder y tiene que agradecerle a Carti por ello, nos dicen que en realidad se lo regaló no hace mucho tiempo.

Mientras que el tipo está ciertamente entusiasmado por la honda gótica en estos días, nuestras fuentes nos aseguran que no había nada satánico detrás del significado. Nos dicen que el diseño de la pieza es un esfuerzo de colaboración entre Alex y PBC.

Es dificil saber si la gente se lo creerá... pero esa es la explicación que nos han dado.

Francamente, ¿quién diablos sabe lo que hay en los corazones de la gente? Lo que podemos deducir de esto es que la cadena es bastante cool en todo caso.

De todos modos, es solo una más de muchas estrellas que han tenido que defenderse contra las acusaciones de hacer un trato con el príncipe de las tinieblas.

Ice Spice pissed off many with her appearance at the Super Bowl -- as some interpreted a pendant she wore as pure evil ... even though, Playboi Carti meant nothing by it.

Here's the deal ... the rapper was seen a lot during Sunday's broadcast of the game, and a good amount of folks noticed the chain/necklace she was wearing in the suite with Taylor Swift and co., which (to a lot of people) looked like an upside-down cross.

Of course, that got some pearl-clutchers up in arms ... with accusations of "devil worship" and "demonic" symbols being shown on TV in front of millions. A hand gesture she made at one point -- quiet coyote -- certainly didn't help either with the unholy accusations.

Welp, as it turns out ... there's nothing un-godly about this pendant at all -- at least that's what we're being told anyway.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ that the piece was designed by celeb jeweler Alex Moss, and it's just a sweet piece of ice with no devil ties behind it whatsoever. We're told the pendant is made from black gold, a new material that's been developed and which Alex is using in a forthcoming collection this cross also has baby pink sapphires all throughout.

Our sources say Ice is the first star of her caliber to have this sort of piece in her possession -- and she has Carti to thank for it ... we're told he actually gifted it to her not too long ago.

While the dude is certainly known for his gothic/vampire vibes these days -- our sources assure us ... there was nothing satanic behind the meaning/design of the piece, which we're told was a collab effort between Alex and PBC.

Hard to tell if people will buy that ... but that's the explanation that's been provided to us.

Whether it leans toward the dark side or not -- 'cause frankly, who the hell knows what's in people's hearts -- what we can gather from this is ... the chain is freakin' dope, and it's rare.

Anyhoo ... it's just the latest star to fight off accusations of dancin' with the prince of darkness.

Usher y Alicia Keys se acercaron durante el espectáculo del medio tiempo del Super Bowl... y se acercaron bastante para el gusto de algunas personas, aunque el marido de Alicia no parece estar preocupado en lo absoluto.

Swizz Beatz no solo no se ofendió, sino que se ríe de todos los críticos que se indignaron en su nombre y les dicie que su enfoque está en el lugar equivocado, y que deberían preocuparse del abrazo por la espalda (de Usher a Alicia), Swizz dice ¡mira lo que hicieron!

Él escribe: "¡Todos hablando de la maldita cosa equivocada! ¡Todos ustedes no ven ese increíble vestido cubriendo todo el estadio ⚡️🚨😂😂😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨 La actuación de esta noche no fue más que increíble con dos Gigantes increíbles!"

Swizz continuó diciendo: "Felicidades @usher y mi amor @aliciakeys esa canción es un clásico 🤍 No hacemos vibraciones negativas en este lado hacemos historia ✌🏽 Vayan a ver GIANTS en @brooklynmuseum está abierto hasta julio bendiciones".

En otras palabras, él no está celoso, a pesar de lo que un montón de gente pueda sentir.

A propósito, la actuación de Usher fue muy comentada en las redes sociales por este momento en particular... él envolviendo a Alicia en sus brazos por detrás mientras cantaban a dúo, "My Boo".

Una persona notable que comentó al respecto fue la estrella del boxeo Gervonta Davis, quien sugirió que usaría sus habilidades de boxeo para enseñarlee a Usher una cosa o dos acerca de los límites. Boosie Badazz incluso le exigió Usher disculparse públicamente.

De hecho, hubo algunos que estaban realmente enojados. Pero incluso así, Swizz parece mantener una calma impresionante.

Claramente él está cómodo con Alicia, recordemos que llevan casados varios años.

El movimiento de Usher causó un gran revuelo, y algunos invocaron al marido de Keke Palmer para probar su punto.

De todos modos, publicamos la historia sobre el cameo de Alicia en SBLVIII, donde las dos megaestrellas de la música recordaron su canción multi-platino de 2004, recreando las escenas hot del video.

Usher and Alicia Keys got up close and personal during the Super Bowl Halftime show ... a little too close for some people's comfort, Alicia's husband is perfectly fine with it, it seems.

Swizz Beatz not only wasn't offended, but he's kinda laughing off all the critics who were outraged on his behalf -- and he's telling them that their focus is in the wrong place ... rather than zoom in the hug-from-behind (from Usher to Alicia), SB says look at what they did!

He writes, "Y’all talking about the wrong damn thing !!! y’all don’t see that amazing dress covering the entire stadium ⚡️🚨😂😂😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨 Tonight’s performance was nothing but amazing with 2 amazing Giants !"

Swizz went on to say ... "Congrats @usher and my love @aliciakeys that song is a classic 🤍 We don’t do negative vibes on this side we make history ✌🏽 Go see GIANTS at @brooklynmuseum it’s open until July blessings."

In other words ... he's not trippin', even though a lot of folks were.

ICYMI ... Usher's performance was buzzing heavy on social media for this particular moment -- namely, him wrapping up Alicia in his arms from behind as they sang their duet, 'My Boo.'

One notable person who commented on it -- boxing star Gervonta Davis ... who suggested he'd use his prizefighting skills to teach Usher a thing or two about boundaries. Boosie Badazz even got self-righteous and demanded Usher publicly apologize.

Indeed, there were some who were legit pissed. But even with those crying foul, you won't get what they're looking for here from Swizz ... he's telling everyone it's really NBD at all.

Cleary, he's comfortable in his relationship with Alicia -- they've been married for years now.

Still, Usher's PDA move caused quite a stir -- and some invoked Keke Palmer's husband to make their point.

Anyhoo, we broke the story on Alicia's SBLVIII cameo ... the two music megastars revamped their 2004 multi-platinum song -- recreating the hot/heavy vibes from the video.

Shawne Merriman is furious his good pal and former teammate Antonio Gates didn't make the cut for the Hall of Fame on Thursday ... and now, he's demanding an explanation from the committee.

Lights Out didn't hold back when TMZ Sports spoke with him about the Chargers legend's HOF snub ... saying point blank, "This is pretty much an embarrassment, man."

"This one needs an explanation," he said. "Because if you watch football, in the last two decades, there's no way in the world that Antonio Gates is not a first-ballot Hall of Famer."

Instead of Gates, the committee chose to put in Dwight Freeney, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Julius Peppers and Patrick Willis.

Clearly, Merriman thinks Gates got robbed ... adding, "I was shocked just like every other football fan was."

The sad part ... Merriman -- who played with Gates from 2005 through 2010 -- said he knows Gates is feeling down about it all.

"I know this has to bother him some," Merriman said.

Of course, Shawne is confident Gates will get his gold jacket sooner rather than later ... but in the meantime, he really wants to know why it didn't happen this week.

Bebe Rexha decided her performance in Las Vegas last night wasn't "Meant To Be" ... 'cause she bailed in the middle of a performance plagued by technical issues.

The singer-songwriter took the stage at Sports Illustrated The Party Presented by Captain Morgan Saturday night ... and apparently her mic wasn't working well 'cause she blated the poor sound quality.

BR said, "Hold up, hold up. I love you but you gotta figure out the f***ing mic system..." before saying she wanted to put on a "good f***ing show."

Clearly, Bebe didn't think that was possible, 'cause she stomped off the stage instead, putting an end to the whole performance.

It's not clear exactly how much she performed, but we know she did at least a couple songs, 'cause quite a few pics and videos are floating around of her on the stage.

We talked to her on the event's red carpet before the freakout ... and she didn't sound totally ready to hit the stage.

Rexha told us she'd actually gambled away a lot of freakin' money Saturday -- $3,000 in five minutes according to her -- and she was only taking on the performance for the paycheck.

Travis Scott's music is an aphrodisiac ... at least it seemed to be for one couple who got hot and heavy with their hotel room window wide open.

Here's the deal ... the rapper took the stage at the Hakkasan Nightclub at the MGM Grand Saturday night to perform a few songs ahead of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.

While busting out a few of his songs, fans there to watch TS got a totally different kind of show ... the kind you usually need to pay big money to see in L.V.

Check out the video ... it appears a couple was getting down and dirty in one of the hotel rooms overlooking the venue, and they weren't shy whatsoever about having an audience.

Unclear if the couple was aware they were so visible ... but it definitely seems like it'd be obvious that everyone could see them -- hotel room windows aren't usually tinted, people!

Some of the performers apparently addressed the erotic display on the mic ... with one of the performers straight up saying, "That boy's a legend."

People on social media, however, were up in arms ... calling the whole thing uncomfortable and expecting people to have a bit more common courtesy when it comes to those intimate moments.

We don't know if the couple's faced any discipline from the hotel or even the police ... but that wouldn't be entirely unexpected given how much the attendees saw.