Controversial S#!T

Sydney Sweeney's former acting coach is jumping to her defense after her talent and looks were slammed by a Hollywood producer.

Scott Sedita from Scott Sedita Acting Studios tells TMZ ... Sydney is a well-trained actress, whose career started when she was just a teenager. While he agrees Sydney doesn't have "supermodel" good looks, Scott does say she's beautiful for a myriad of other reasons.

As he put it to us, "Sydney is beautiful because she has inner depth, intellect, compassion, style and facial features -- eyes, smile, cheekbones -- that the camera angles pick up on. The camera loves her 'look' as well as the audience. Audiences love her because she’s relatable and approachable."

An Indiana Fever reporter is being dragged for how he interacted with Caitlin Clark on Wednesday ... with many fans blasting the journalist for the way he shot a cringeworthy comment at the WNBA's newest star.

The encounter happened just minutes after Clark was introduced to Indiana media members for the first time since she was drafted by the Fever ... when Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel stepped up to the microphone to ask her a question about her new hometown.

At first, things seemed innocuous -- he politely introduced himself -- but then he paused, and sent a heart-hand gesture to the 22-year-old.

Siggy Flicker's stepson has been arrested -- now facing charges for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot after authorities say his stepmom posted pics of him in the building.

Tyler Campanella -- the former 'Real Housewives' star's stepson -- was taken into custody in New York City Wednesday and booked on five misdemeanor charges, according to NBC News.

The feds claim Campanella's stepmom posted pictures of him from inside the Capitol Building alongside the caption, "I love patriots so much. Stay safe Tyler. We love you.”

Jontay Porter has just been banned from the NBA for LIFE ... after league officials say the Toronto Raptors player not only bet on his own team to lose, but also manipulated his play to tip the scales in his favor!

Adam Silver just announced the historic punishment on Wednesday ... explaining league investigators discovered that in March, Porter took part in a gambling scheme that ultimately called into question the integrity of the NBA's competition.

They claim the 24-year-old gave confidential information about his health to at least one known bettor. They say another bettor Porter knew then placed an $80K wager that Porter "would underperform" in the Raptors' March 20 tilt with the Sacramento Kings.

Riley Strain's family just dragged his fraternity brothers through the coals on national TV -- claiming they didn't seem to care that he'd gone missing ... allegedly going partying instead.

The late 22-year-old's mother, father and stepfather did an interview with NewsNation Tuesday night -- and much of the 15-minute segment was dedicated to slamming Riley's fellow Delta Chi members who were with him the night he went missing in Nashville.

According to the family, they didn't notify cops about Riley until the next day ... and they go on to claim that when the family showed up, they continued on with their itinerary.

Bill Maher se cuadró con Woody Allen, al decir que no cree en las acusaciones de abuso sexual y piensa que los actores que no quieren trabajar con él son "pu**ies".

Bill estaba conversando con Katie Couric en su podcast "Club Random" cuando salió el nombre de Allen. Maher dijo: "Respeto al artista y al hombre", y luego ahondó en las acusaciones de que abusó sexualmente de Dylan, su hija adoptiva, cuando tenía 7 años.

Bill cree que la historia fue diseñada por Mia Farrow para obtener una ventaja en su amargo divorcio, diciendo que Farrow fue motivada por la venganza.

Bill Maher went in hard for Woody Allen, saying flatly he doesn't believe the sexual abuse allegations and thinks actors who won't work with him are "pu**ies."

Bill was chatting it up with Katie Couric on his 'Club Random' podcast when Allen's name came up. Maher said, "I respect the artist and the man," and then he bore in on the long-standing allegations that Allen sexually abused Dylan, his adopted daughter when she was 7.

Bill believes the story was engineered by Mia Farrow to gain an advantage in their bitter divorce, saying Farrow was motivated by vindictiveness.

Katie Couric says Bryant Gumbel gave her a hard time back in the day over maternity ... which Katie thinks spoke to something deeper, even if he was joking.

The famed newswoman stopped by Bill Maher's 'Club Random' podcast Sunday ... in which she detailed the "prickly" relationship she had with Bryant during their tenure on 'Today' together.

Katie hinted she and Bryant were never close, referring to her coworker as a guy's guy -- but still applauded his broadcasting skills.

La primera Miss IA del mundo será coronada el próximo mes en el nuevo concurso de belleza para modelos generadas digitalmente y, ¡ofrece un premio en efectivo para la chica más sexy!

Como dice la organización World AI Creator Awards, que celebra a los creadores que están a la vanguardia de la inteligencia artificial, los genios detrás de las mejores influencers de las redes sociales serán recompensados en este concurso.

Y añaden: "La creadora de IA coronada como Miss IA recibirá un impresionante premio en efectivo de 5.000 dólares gracias a nuestro socio Fanvue, además de acceso al Programa de Mentores de Imagine Education por un valor de 3.000 dólares y apoyo en relaciones públicas por un valor de más de 5.000 dólares."

12:04 PM PT -- Actress and model Claudia Jordan joined "TMZ Live" today and ripped the AI beauty pageant saying, "It's hard enough being a woman in this society, the way it is and the scrutiny we already get. Now, we have AI highering the standard of beauty where they're just so perfect."

Claudia compares this to photoshopped images in magazines, saying these AI models are just adding to women's unrealistic beauty standards.

Jaleel White says he feels blessed over his child stardom after watching 'Quiet on Set' ... admitting he felt safe and well-protected while filming for his show.

The 'Family Matters' star told "Today" he feels lucky to have felt secure on the ABC sitcom's set, especially now that the harsh realities of the biz are coming to light and learning what former child stars allegedly went through.

JW -- who famously played Steve Urkel -- gave props to his mom for his smooth career early on ... acknowledging she wasn't perfect but crediting her for shielding him from the industry's pitfalls.

Courtney Love ain't showin' much love for Taylor Swift -- in fact, she's got some harsh words for her ... not to mention for Beyoncé and a lot of other ladies in the modern pop space.

The alternative rocker made her controversial remarks in a recent interview with The Standard, first zeroing in on Taylor by calling her "not important." Love accused Taylor of being a "safe space for girls" and the Madonna of this generation.

She then ends her thoughts by saying T-Swift is "not interesting as an artist."

Kendall Jenner's 818 Tequila brand has stirred up a storm at Coachella -- 'cause a local bar owner claims her team ruined a beloved mural of theirs ... even though we hear it's BS and have seen the contract saying they actively agreed to and acknowledged the potential for damage.

A watering hole in Indio, CA called Club 5 Bar let Kendall and co. set up shop at their establishment last week for a pop-up attraction to plug 818 ... complete with a bunch of custom decor and decorations ... including a massive decal-like sign on the outside.

It looks like they painted 818 branding all over the wall, but they didn't -- it's actually a separate piece they slapped on top of the wall ... which is why the owner is now pissed. You see, there's an AC/DC mural underneath that they recently had installed, which he claims is now damaged as a result of how the 818 team set this whole thing up and left it behind.

Hannah Waddingham scoffed at a photog who asked her to show more leg for his pics ... telling him to watch his mouth ... albeit in way spicier terms.

Check out the clip from Sunday's Olivier Awards at London's Royal Albert Hall ... the "Ted Lasso" star looks downright horrified when the dude requests she strut her stuff and show off more skin, furiously firing back, "Oh my God, you'd never say that to a man!'

The pap mumbles something back at her, but Hannah shuts him down ... replying, "Don't be a d***! Otherwise, I'm out of here. Don't tell me, 'Show me leg.'"

Hannah Waddingham se abalanzó contra un fotógrafo que le pidió que mostrara más pierna para sus fotos, diciéndole que cuidara su boca, aunque en términos mucho más picantes.

Echa un vistazo al clip de los Premios Olivier del domingo en el Royal Albert Hall de Londres. La estrella de "Ted Lasso" se ve horrorizada cuando el tipo le pide que muestre más piel, furiosamente respondiendo: "¡Oh, Dios mío, nunca le dirías eso a un hombre!

El paparazzi le respondió entre dientes, pero Hannah lo hizo callar y le contestó: "¡No seas imbécil! Si no, me largo. No me digas: 'Enséñame más pierna'".

Keyshia Cole's fans are rooting against her personal happiness -- the R&B superstar confirmed she's dating Atlanta rapper Hunxho on Monday, but the people are convinced she needs to let it go, already!

Hunxho hails from Atlanta and is one of the bright stars on 300 Entertainment ... who also happens to be 18 years younger than KC.

Keyshia tagged Hunxho on X claiming him to be all hers, and he reposted her message with a heart emoji.

Fans instantly accused Keyshia of entertaining an unserious relationship that she'll inevitably rant about in the near future, and simply end up blocking young Hunxho.

The 2 artists were recently spotted on a club date, and despite fan reaction ... all looks to be well, for now.

It's a cold game ... some fans/haters even wished for Hunxho to cheat and break her heart, simply to inspire Keyshia to write some heartfelt R&B.

Keyshia's doing her best to laugh 'em off, and told her critics she's hoping for the best.