Family

The late Bill Paxton sadly won't be in the new "Twister" sequel, but his own flesh and blood is giving his seal of approval ... not just on the flick, but the fact there'll be a lady lead, too.

Bill's son, James Paxton, tells TMZ ... "Twisters" has his blessing and he's hopeful they make a great movie. He says he'd actually be open to being in the flick if producers were inclined and if they wanted to pay proper homage to his father -- who starred in the 1996 original.

James would actually be taken to the set way back when and hang in the famed red truck used on camera, we're told, so a cameo would go a long way for the Paxton family.

There's also this ... JP tells us his dad talked about doing a "Twister" sequel while alive and even liked the idea of a daughter character -- from his and Helen Hunt's characters -- taking on the mantle. James isn't sure if Bill's idea reached producers at the time ... but the idea's there now, because that's exactly the direction they're going in, with hopes HH comes back.

James says the OG is iconic, so whoever comes on board will have big shoes to fill -- adding, with the right people ... it can be special. He thinks "Top Gun: Maverick" is proof of that.

We broke the story ... Bill died suddenly in 2017 after suffering a fatal stroke after heart surgery. His death rocked Hollywood, especially since he was relatively young at just 61. BP left behind a storied career in films -- "Twister" being one of the biggest.

If there weren't enough proof the world has gone crazy and mental health is a critical issue for our survival ... check out this horrific story of a 23-year-old who allegedly stabbed his mother and dog with a samurai sword before he was Tased by police.

It happened Tuesday night in L.A. ... Eric Herrera is seen on video dazed, holding the sword as police implore him to drop it. In short order, a cop Tasers Herrera, and you see him fall to the ground.

Neighbors say the scene looked like it was right out of a horror movie, as they watched it all unfold. One neighbor says it appeared Herrera was in the midst of a mental health crisis.

The woman was pleading for help, screaming, "I'm your mother!"

There are conflicting reports about the fate of the family dog. The most recent report is that the dog seems to have survived the attack, but that's unconfirmed.

The mother's condition has not been released, but KTLA says a relative told the outlet the woman is in stable condition.

WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash's son, Tristen, who recently started working with his father's podcast, tragically passed away this week ... it was announced Thursday.

He was only 26 years old.

No cause of death has been revealed.

Sean Ross Sapp shared a statement on behalf of Tristen's parents, Kevin and Tamara, confirming the terrible news -- adding the family is asking for privacy during this difficult time.

Tristen's death comes seven months after Kevin lost one of his best friends in the wrestling industry, Scott Hall, who died earlier this year at 63.

Today actually would have been Scott's 64th birthday.

Rest in peace.

Festival organizers are working to put the legal fallout from Travis Scott's Astroworld tragedy behind them ... reaching a settlement with one victim's family, marking the first known settlement of all of the cases surrounding the deadly music festival.

Attorney Tony Buzbee, who reps the family of Axel Acosta, tells TMZ ... the family settled out of court after suing Travis, Live Nation and others.

Remember ... 21-year-old Axel died from injuries suffered at the November 2021 concert. Buzbee previously told us Axel traveled all the way from Washington to see the Houston festival and was a huge Travis fan.

Terms of the settlement are confidential, Buzbee says, and the family wants people to remember Axel as a "beloved son, brother and student" who was also "kind and loving" and is "greatly missed."

While Travis is done with the first of the many lawsuits against him ... the legal side is far from over. There were 10 people in total who died at Astroworld, and Travis is still dealing with lawsuits filed by others impacted by the tragic incident.

Steph Curry was so pumped for his bro-in-law's game-winner on Wednesday night ... he woke up everyone in his house -- and nearly everyone in his neighborhood, too!!

Curry spent part of his off-night from the NBA watching the Suns vs. Mavericks ... and when Damion Lee -- his former Warriors teammate and the husband of his sister, Sydel -- sank an improbable shot to give Phoenix the dub, he absolutely lost his mind.

The 4-time NBA champ and Golden State superstar let out a guttural yell ... before claiming he didn't mind that he was bothering his sleeping kids.

"Come on!!!!" he screamed as his wife, Ayesha, sat on the couch behind him. "Yeah, Dame! Stick with it! Stick with it! Stick with it!"

"The kids are asleep," he added. "I don't care! Stick with it!"

In the background, Curry's youngest child, Canon, could be heard crying -- but it still didn't stop Steph from praising Lee.

The two are obviously super close -- and have been officially family since 2018 ... when Lee married Sydel.

Cody Bellinger's season may be over, but the star Dodgers outfielder has a big reason to be happy -- he's having another baby with his model girlfriend, Chase Carter!!!

Bellinger's GF shared the exciting news on Wednesday ... posting a photo showing off her baby bump alongside Cody, Junior (the family's dog), and their daughter, Caiden, writing, "Sibling on the way."

Cody, 27, and Chase, 25, welcomed their first bundle of joy to the world last November ... with the Dodgers org. posting photos of Bellinger sleeping alongside his daughter.

Cody and Chase have been dating since 2020 ... and the couple seems more than thrilled about the newest addition to their growing family.

In July, the lovebirds celebrated their second anniversary ... posing for a pic with Caiden on the field at Dodger Stadium.

"2 years and many more," Cody captioned the pic.

Bellinger and Carter are one hot couple -- the MLBer has made nearly $40 million on the field during his career ... and the model has been featured in several magazines, most notably the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and Maxim.

Bellinger's season may have ended in disappointment ... but this news is sure to put a smile on his face.

Candace Owens just responded to what Gianna's legal team told us, saying, "What I love so much about George Floyd family's lawyers is how they keep talking to TMZ about "lies" in my documentary but keep neglecting to specify what the lies were! My documentary told NO LIES. They are simply angry that we exposed theirs and are running PR for BLM."

She continues, "The George Floyd story was the greatest lie ever spun by our media. My documentary successfully exposed their lies and people are understandably shocked at how twisted and sick our media is in their commitment to control the masses."

There may be more people who have to answer for what Kanye West said about George Floyd ... Candace Owens, N.O.R.E. and Diddy's Revolt TV could soon be in the legal hot seat, too.

The legal team repping Floyd's young daughter, Gianna, tells TMZ any and all possible defendants are on the table as they continue to explore their options in what will be a mega lawsuit regarding comments made on "Drink Champs."

One of the attorneys, Kay Williams, says Candace is an obvious would-be codefendant -- as the remarks Ye made were a direct reflection of stuff she put out in her new documentary, 'The Greatest Lie Ever Sold.' Williams says there are blatant lies mentioned in the film.

Nuru Witherspoon, another lawyer on the case says Ye's comments have retraumatized Gianna all over again, as she's being exposed to the new content.

Witherspoon notes that while they mentioned suing for defamation in their press release -- the actual suit would be rooted in intentional infliction of emotional distress and misappropriation ... because you can't legally defame a dead person, and Ye didn't mention George's family.

Still, both Williams and Witherspoon make it clear ... it's open season on anyone who perpetuated lies about George Floyd -- Candace and Kanye are the clear targets.

However, you have to imagine the folks behind "Drink Champs," REVOLT TV included, could be in their crosshairs as well.

One final member of the team -- attorney Pat Dixon III -- gets into even more detail about what exactly Gianna is going through emotionally, not to mention her mother. He tells us they're going down this road to preserve George's legacy for both him and his family.

Like we said, the suit hasn't been filed yet -- but Gianna's lawyers have already signaled an amount of money they want ... at least $250 million. FWIW, REVOLT TV has removed the controversial episode in question entirely -- and N.O.R.E. has attempted to apologize.

Olivia Wilde may not love the family dog, but she sure loves her children.

The actress was spotted being a good mom Tuesday on the heels of reports she upset the family by allegedly getting rid of the family pooch, Gordon, to spend more time with Harry Styles.

Olivia was having what appeared to be an emotional goodbye with her two children, Otis and Daisy, making sure to shower them with hugs and kisses before they climbed into a waiting limo.

The kids were traveling with backpacks and luggage ... which is interesting because their father, Jason Sudeikis, is across the pond in London.

As you know ... Olivia and Jason's ex-nanny is continuing to make nasty allegations against the estranged couple, even though they teamed up to call the nanny a liar. The latest salvo included claims Olivia gave up her dog within weeks of meeting Harry, allegedly so she could free up time to spend with the singer.

The nanny also claims Jason once told her Olivia only had the pup to keep up appearances and rarely looked after the pooch.

George Floyd's young daughter, her mother and their legal team are preparing to wage legal war against Kanye West ... announcing they'll sue him for a quarter of a billion dollars after his recent comments on Floyd's death.

Roxie Washington, the mother of Floyd's only daughter Gianna, announced Tuesday she's hired a team of lawyers to go after Ye, his business partners and his associates for harassment, misappropriation, defamation, and infliction of emotional distress. They're seeking $250 million in damages.

The family's attorneys also say they fired off a cease and desist letter, obtained by TMZ, to Kanye over his comments about Floyd's fatal interaction with Minneapolis police.

The letter reads, in part, "Mr. Floyd’s cause of death is well-settled through evidence presented in courts of law during the criminal and civil trials that were the result of his untimely and horrific death. Nevertheless, you have maliciously made statements that are inaccurate and unfounded, causing damage to Mr. Floyd’s estate and his family."

Kanye's taken a ton of heat for comments he made on an episode of "Drink Champs," claiming George died from a fentanyl overdose and pre-existing conditions, instead of Derek Chauvin's knee on his neck.

The Floyd family says Kanye's statements are "blatantly false" and "malicious" ... and they say Gianna is being "retraumatized" by Kanye's comments, which they say are "creating an unsafe and unhealthy environment for her."

In the cease and desist, the family's lawyers demand Kanye remove the interview and all of his similar statements on George from the Internet and keep Floyd's name out of his mouth.

Jeffrey Dahmer is all the rage this spooky season, and while full-blown costumes -- mimicking the serial killer and his crimes -- have been yanked offline, the homemade crowd still has an outlet.

Etsy, as it turns out, is hawking a ton of Dahmer-themed gear right now -- stuff from graphic tees to cutting boards and everything in between, it seems. The shirts, in particular, are distasteful ... especially because of the jokey messages blared across the fronts.

There are a few iterations of "Jeff Boyardee" tees that are cheap buys ... $8 to $20, more or less. Another leans in on the sadomasochism and invokes another serial murderer -- reading, "Choke me like Bundy and Eat me like Dahmer." Both of their faces are featured.

Dahmer shoes are also being sold, with a cartoon version of his face and a bunch of chopped meat all over the outside. The cutting board has Dahmer's name etched into the wood and a note that says, "If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em. - Jeffrey Dahmer."

The point here is ... Dahmer-fever's now reaching well beyond places like eBay ... which has removed a lot of similar items.

As we reported ... eBay says a lot of the JD-inspired costumes that were/are on their platform violate their terms and conditions, especially as it pertains to promoting violent content -- which obviously applies to Dahmer, who killed upwards of 17 boys and men.

You're definitely not gonna see Dahmer costumes in stores or anything, which might be why people are turning to places like eBay or Etsy -- but the fact is, a Dahmer outfit is not difficult to recreate whatsoever.

If people wanna dress up as Dahmer, they're probably gonna do it whether they can get it on the Internet or elsewhere -- this despite the outcry from the families of the slain.

While Diddy's turning his focus to R&B, he's leaving the door open for his heirs to control Bad Boy's hip hop empire -- and his son King Combs says he's boldly stepping up to claim it.

TMZ Hip Hop got Puff's not-so-mini-me out in NYC, where he admitted he was primed to takeover Bad Boy as his dad's career matures.

Team Combs is off to a fantastic start to their respective hustles ... back in the summer, they became the first father-son duo to hit the Hip Hop/R&B Chart's Top 10 at the same time.

Diddy released his Love Records intro "Gotta Move On" featuring Bryson Tiller, while King collaborated with Kodak Black for the new anthem "Can’t Stop Won’t Stop."

KC's record bridged a few generations ... sampling Lil Kim's classic "Crush On You" jam, and taking advantage of that time-tested Bad Boy energy at his fingertips!!!

The Prince of Bad Boy also addressed the naysayers and meme-makers ... especially the ones who accuse him of stunting with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Gisele Bündchen had a relaxing weekend amid her split from Tom Brady -- visiting her spiritual healer and spending time with her daughter -- while Tom took an L on the field.

Gisele was out and about Sunday in Florida, first visiting Dr. Ewa for a healing session. As we reported, GB paid the doc a visit earlier this month too, sans wedding ring.

After her one-on-one time with Dr. Ewa, Gisele switched gears and had some fun with her daughter, 9-year-old Vivian -- taking her to a horseback riding lesson -- snapping some cute pics of her kid.

Tom's Sunday was not so chill ... with the Bucs losing to the Steelers. T.B. was even seen screaming at his teammates during the game.

Thomas Markle insists he's too old and frail to pose any threat to famed paparazzo Jeff Rayner that would necessitate a restraining order ... but Jeff says he still needs the protection because he thinks Thomas has nothing to lose.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Thomas is asking a judge to terminate the 2-year restraining order put in place last month ... claiming Jeff is harassing him by, among other things, claiming Jeff lied about him having a gun.

In his request, Thomas writes ... "I am no threat to anyone because I'm 78 years old" ... adding he's had "2 heart attacks, one stroke, and have a cane for walking."

Jeff fired back in his own legal docs ... saying Markle's age and poor health are the exact reasons why he's still worried -- simply put, he thinks Markle has nothing to lose because his time is running out anyway.

He points to Markle's OG threat which read, "If they tell me I've got terminal cancer, then I'll kill [Jeff] because I have nothing to lose."

How would Muhammad Ali, the undisputed OG of trash talk, feel about the slick-talking/fighting Conor McGregor?? He would've loved him ... so says The Greatest's grandson, MMA fighter Biaggio Ali Walsh.

24-year-old Ali Walsh, who recently signed with one of the top MMA promotions, PFL, tells TMZ Sports his grandpa wouldn't just have enjoyed mixed martial arts, he would've been a big fan of The Notorious!

"I think [my grandfather] would've loved it, especially when McGregor was in featherweight in UFC, when he fought [Jose] Aldo, that whole reign, he would've loved it, especially Conor's trash talk," Ali Walsh says.

"Poppy started the trash talk. He would've been super entertained. I think he really would've liked the sport."

Of course, Muhammad wasn't just known for his supernatural ability in the squared circle ... but also for his incredibly sharp tongue.

Ali made talkin' trash cool ... and though Conor may be a bit more vulgar, they're very much alike from the standpoint of getting inside their opponent's head.

Like his grandfather, Ali Walsh is a fighter ... but instead of choosing boxing like his brother Nico, he chose MMA.

Biaggio is new in the sport ... and has a 1-1 record as an amateur. He lost his first fight, but rebounded in his second fight, winning by first-round TKO.

Ali-Walsh will make his Professional Fighters League debut on November 25 ... and fittingly, it's going down at Madison Square Garden.

Of course, MSG was the site of many of Ali's legendary fights ... including the "Fight of the Century," Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier I on March 8, 1971.

We asked Biaggio about fighting under the same roof as grandpa ... and while he thinks it's pretty neat, he was honest in saying it's not a huge deal.

"I think it's cool but at the end of the day, a fight's a fight. It's me, the ref, and another guy who's trying to hurt me, whether it's Madison Square Garden or in the back of someone's barnyard. It's cool that it's at Madison Square Garden but I don't care, honestly."

Considering Biaggio clearly has fighting in his blood, we had to ask how his grandpa would've fared as an MMA fighter.

"I think he would've done great just because of how strong he was mentally. A lot of it is mental, a lot of fighting is mental and he had the mental part. He had the heart and he had the will, so if you have the will, you can definitely get the skill."

Kim Kardashian has been through the ups and downs of Kanye West's mental health episodes over the years, and while she's stepped in to help in the past ... this time is different.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us Kim has totally removed herself from the situation with Kanye ... and hasn't spoken directly to him in weeks. We're told in times past, even when Kim and her family were the targets of his attacks -- she'd be there to help him until he was mentally sound again.

We've spoken to sources close to Kanye who tell us they wish Kim was still in the picture to step in, but it just ain't happening. Our sources say there's concern Kanye could lose a lot of money while everything seems to fall around him, but there's no safety net.

Sources connected to the estranged couple tell us Kanye has made attempts to reach out, but Kim won't answer ... instead focusing her attention on their kids.

As we reported, Kanye showed up to North's basketball game last week wearing a 'White Lives Matter' shirt. Eyewitnesses tell us not only did Kim not speak to Kanye, she refused to look in his direction, and had her car moved in the parking lot in order to avoid any communication.

Akon is officially copping to using his brothers to stand in for him on stage at the height of his ascension in music ... and laughing about it now, due to the fact he never got caught!!!

TMZ Hip Hop met up with the real Akon walking into DASH Radio, and he told us the underlying reason for pulling those switcheroos back in the day was not wanting to disappoint all the fans worldwide. Put simply, he says he couldn't be in more than one place, and some days he needed to be.

All of this predated social media, and Akon says he was still fairly new on the scene -- shortly after his hit single "Locked Up" -- and raging fans couldn't tell the difference. Remember, he and his brothers are not triplets!

This wouldn't work today, seeing as how his brother Bu Thiam's become a big-time exec in the music industry.

As for his brother Omar, Akon says he would go rogue and do shows on his own, and never offered up a cut of his pay.

Neither brother has the ability to sing and Akon says the DJ gave them the royal Milli Vanilli treatment by pushing play on his songs so they could lip sync!!! 😂

Akon is more tycoon than musician these days ... but fans will easily remember when he was hot as fish grease ... dropping platinum singles left and right, and collaborating with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Styles P.