Google

Google launched this really great feature to let users pick which sites they want to get their content from earlier this year, and if you've been waiting for an opportunity to see more from TMZ and TooFab -- and why wouldn't you, really -- now's your chance!

The new feature's called Preferred Sources, and what it does is push relevant content from sites you trust right to the top of your search. Oh, and the feature's only available in the United States and India right now.

And just in case you're not exactly tech-savvy, we're going to walk you through how to set up your choices. There are two ways to do this, and both options are pretty easy.

The first method involves going directly to Google's Source Preferences page, and we included a link to the page way up in the second sentence. Click on the search bar and type the name of any news source -- we'd recommend TMZ, TooFab, or both.

Click the checkbox on the right side of the site's name, click "Take Me To Google Search," and you're all set.

The second way to set your Preferred Sources is by heading to Google and searching for a newsworthy topic. Once you have a search, an icon featuring a card with a star should appear next to the "Top Stories" section, which you'll have to click.

After hitting the icon, it'll be the same process as the first method, just type your sources -- we only had to hit the "T" key before we saw our name pop up -- make your selections with the checkboxes, click "Reload Results," and you're good to go.

Once your sources have been selected, you'll see more content from sites you've picked much more frequently in the Top Stories section. Otherwise, the content should show up in a section called "From Your Sources."

And just in case you were wondering, picking a site as one of your Preferred Sources won't stop other sites' content from showing up in your searches.

If you feel like going a little further with this process, you can actually customize your Google News feed to prioritize the sources you know and love.

What you're gonna do is head to Google News and type the name of a source into the search bar, which you'll identify by finding the magnifying glass icon.

Once you've picked a source from the drop-down bar, all you have to do is click "Following," which is located at the top right of the page and marked with a star icon, and that's it!

The Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight really was a global phenomenon ... as the two boxers were among the most-Googled athletes on the planet over the past year.

The massive tech company just released its search stats from 2024 ... and when it comes to sports, Mike and Jake's names were right near the top.

Mike came in at No. 2 worldwide ... while El Gallo landed at No. 5.

Donald Trump’s shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, sought inspiration -- or at least intel -- from JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald ... according to the FBI.

FBI Director Christopher Wray spilled the new detail Wednesday about Crooks while testifying in front of a Congressional Committee ... saying an analysis of Crooks' laptop shows he Googled "how far away was Oswald from Kennedy” on July 6 -- the same day Trump’s Butler, PA, rally was announced.

Wray also said July 6 was the same day Thomas signed up for the July 13 Butler rally ... adding his online searches were an obvious indicator about his state of mind.

Suspected serial killer Rex Heuermann allegedly has a twisted internet search history ... but his lawyer says everyone Googles weird crap, and it doesn't make him a murderer.

Heuermann -- the alleged Gilgo Beach killer -- had his alleged internet search history revealed in new court documents, with prosecutors saying he was looking up autopsy photos, violent hardcore porn and deviant sex acts.

But his lawyer, Michael Brown, is pushing back ... telling reporters this week, "Searching the internet, ask yourselves what you search on your computers and your phones."

Brown brushed it off this way ... "One thing leads to another -- you see a show about something, you start searching, and they talk about how somebody got killed. You start searching, and then they talk about another way, and you start searching."

Prosecutors claim Heuermann's Google searches included ... "tied up fat girl porn," "medieval torture of women," "skinny black girl slave porn," "autopsy photos of female," "wooden pony porn," "skinny white teen crying porn" and "how I was raped audio" ... just to name a few.

What's more, Heuermann allegedly had over 200 searches about the Gilgo Beach murder case and other known serial killers.

But his lawyer says ... "Think about if they looked at your own personal search history, how all of a sudden you're guilty because of your search history?”

As we reported ... earlier this week Heuermann was hit with a fourth murder charge.

All four women worked as escorts near his home on Long Island ... and his internet history allegedly includes searches for all kinds of escorts -- running the gamut of identities ... racial, sexual and otherwise.

Master P thinks Google confusing him for Luther Vandross is either a case of AI running amok or a grander scheme to bury his Snoop Cereal company!!!

Ok, he's joking about that second part, but the Colonel knows a great marketing opportunity when he sees it. TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Master P in Burbank, CA, outside Walmart -- the soon-to-be retailer of his and Snoop Dogg's breakfast venture -- and he said he'd better understand Google mistaking him for the cereal's mascot, instead of Luther. 😂

The No Limit rapper tells us he understands social media's fascination with the Google gaffe, but thinks the tech giant might be letting their AI bots run too much of the show behind the scenes -- something Questlove of The Roots seems to believe as well.

Google finally corrected its mistake but P says it needs to do more ... like using its algorithm to shine a light on his brand. He notes Google's vaunted search engine did get at least one thing right related to him -- crediting his and Snoop's Broadus Foods as the first Black-owned cereal company.

Google now has an AI program to sell just like everybody else in tech -- but its own top dog is still giving a blaring warning to society regardless ... saying we need to brace for impact.

Sundar Pichai said as much Sunday on "60 Minutes," where he sat down for an interview and offered startling insights into the rapidly evolving technology that's taking Silicon Valley -- and the rest of the world -- by storm ... which is only going to get more jarring, he says.

Check out this snippet from the chat ... where Pichai is asked if he thinks society is ready for what's ahead. He's pretty frank, saying ... no, not really. But, there's some optimism too.

SP goes on to explain that while he doesn't think everyone's quite prepared to deal with how advanced artificial intelligence/machine learning already is and where it's headed -- he does note that the concerns about AI have been widespread and frequent early and often.

To him ... that means everyday folks can see the dangers ahead of time, and he hopes that'll spur some to act in our best interest -- namely, elected officials who pass laws on this stuff.

Ironically enough, Google was sorta plugging their own AI tech on "60 Minutes" here ... including Bard -- which is their answer to Microsoft's ChatGPT -- albeit, with seemingly more guardrails in place, for now, than what the competition is rolling out ... aka, smart robots.

Pichai says Google's got other stuff they're tinkering with in this department -- but he promises to do so with humanity in mind ... while also calling on mass regulation of AI.

BTW, this issue goes way beyond just tech ... it's already starting to affect the music industry -- including big artists like Drake and others. It's bound to all come to a head in due time.

NFL Sunday Ticket has a new home -- the league's game broadcast package is moving to YouTube TV starting next season ... and the deal is reportedly worth a whopping $2.5 BILLION a year.

There was an intense bidding war to secure the rights to the popular subscription-based product ... with ESPN, Apple and Amazon pursuing an agreement.

The NFL made the move official on Thursday ... with commissioner Roger Goodell releasing a statement on the decision to go with Google, which owns YouTube TV.

"We're excited to bring NFL Sunday Ticket to YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels and usher in a new era of how fans across the United States watch and follow the NFL," the commish said.

"For a number of years we have been focused on increased digital distribution of our games and this partnership is yet another example of us looking towards the future and building the next generation of NFL fans."

Sunday Ticket will now be available as an add-on package with YouTube TV ... as well as standalone à la carte on the streaming platform's Primetime channels.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft -- the chairman of the league's media committee -- also spoke about the deal ... saying, "As the ways fans enjoy NFL football evolve in a changing media landscape, partnerships with innovators like YouTube will ensure that more games are available to more fan."

Elon Musk is denying a report claiming he had an affair with a fellow techie billionaire's wife -- and claims the truth is ... he hasn't banged anyone in a while.

The Tesla chief responded to a WSJ story from this weekend, which cited sources saying Elon had hooked up with Nicole Shanahan, the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin. The paper says they had a fling in December 2021, when Nicole and Sergey were separated.

But, Musk's calling BS -- he tweeted Sunday he'd just seen Sergey at a shindig this weekend, and that he'd only encountered Nicole a handful of times in person ... none of which he says were romantic in nature.

Elon also says he's so damn busy lately, working long hours, that he doesn't have time for "shenanigans" -- also noting to some in his Twitter replies that he hasn't had sex "in ages."

We're not so sure about that -- fact is, dude is popping out kids left and right these days.

In any case, Elon says the entire rumor is nonsense and chalks up the Journal putting this out as another effort to hurt him and his company, calling it a short-selling ploy.

Nicole and Sergey haven't commented on the story -- another factor Elon says is suspicious ... namely, no one going on the record or being interviewed for the piece.

There's no doubt Beyoncé's upcoming album will rock the charts -- but it's already got the Internet shook, and it's even educating the public ... in droves.

The folks over at Google tell TMZ ... searches for the word "renaissance," the title of Bey's album, increased 50% in the past day. What's more, searches for the phrase "renaissance definition" more than doubled.

Looks like the Beyoncé-curious are getting history refreshers while jonesin' for her music.

"The Beyoncé effect" is in full swing here, and Google can clearly see that in its data since Thursday's news about the singer's 7th album.

Yeah, she did tracks with her husband Jay-Z in 2018, and worked on Disney's "The Lion King" in 2019 -- but this will be Bey's first solo collection of original tracks since 2016.

Google could've seen this spike coming -- Beyonce started trending last week when the Beyhive noticed she'd removed her social media profile pictures. Nothing gets by her devoted fans.

Priyanka Chopra's finally speaking out about that awkward encounter with Rosie O'Donnell, -- and a subsequent apology -- and it's clear she's offended Rosie couldn't even say her name.

ICYMI ... Rosie posted a video talking about running into Priyanka and Nick Jonas at Nobu in Malibu, where she embarrassingly claimed she knew Priyanka's father, Deepak Chopra. Oops! That ain't her dad.

Rosie then attempted to apologize, but only referred to Priyanka as "the Chopra wife."

Priyanka's response at least starts on the high road, as she says ... "I have never taken myself so seriously to think everyone would know who I am, or my work for that matter."

But, it quickly becomes evident she's peeved -- she continues, "If you wanted to  make a public apology for a very awkward private encounter, I think probably best to take the time to google my name before doing it."

As for Rosie never even saying her name, she says ... "We ALL deserve to be respected for our unique individuality and not be referred to as 'someone' or 'wife' especially in a sincere apology." Burn.

Maybe the best suggestion Priyanka makes to Rosie was to simply "reach out directly" ... instead of doing it on social media. That's a novel idea.

One of the rioters who died during the Capitol insurrection was clearly ready for violence, because just weeks before his death he posted a photo of himself with 2 AR-15's with the caption ... "I wish these motherf****** would come to my hood!"

Kevin Greeson, from Alabama, died during the Capitol takeover. So far authorities are only saying his death was caused by a "medical emergency," but they did not provide details.

The 55-year-old was a big fan of Parler, a right-wing site that has just been yanked off the Google Play Store after receiving information the site was used to plan the attack. Apple is also threatening to pull the site from the App Store.

Kevin's family says he did not travel to Washington to engage in violence or rioting. His family says Kevin had high blood pressure and believes he suffered a heart attack.

Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard is outraged because she claims Google has silenced her ... so she says in a new lawsuit, but Google says not so fast.

Gabbard's campaign filed the lawsuit claiming in the hours after the first Democratic Presidential Debate last month, the tech giant suspended her Google ads without notice.

Gabbard says her campaign worked frantically to find out why, but she claims Google fed her BS answers and to date has "not provided a straight answer or let alone a credible one."

Gabbard -- an Iraq War veteran -- says the suspension came at the most crucial time in her campaign ... because immediately after her performance at the debate, Gabbard became the most searched candidate after entering relatively unknown.

Making matters worse ... Gabbard claims Google's sending campaign emails into people's spam folders. She says this is not happening with other candidates and calls it censorship.

Gabbard's suing because she says it's a violation of her First Amendment rights.

We've reached out to Google, and a spokeswoman tells TMZ ... the search engine has "automated systems that flag unusual activity on all advertiser accounts -- including large spending charges -- in order to prevent fraud and protect our customers."

Okay, you don't have to be an "Avengers: Endgame" fanatic to think this is SUPER cool -- 'cause it just is -- but if you are a Marvel die-hard ... Google's got your back.

You know how everyone associated with the blockbuster -- which opened Thursday night -- is panicked about spoilers hitting the Internet once people have seen it? Well, take a second and Google "Thanos" (for the uninitiated, he's the movie's villain).

Now, turn up the volume ... and on the right side of your screen click the gold glove with all the Infinity Stones in it. Watch and listen as Google cuts your search results in half -- a very Thanos move, if ya know movie -- and thereby reduces your chances of finding spoilers to the movie!!!

If you don't want to go through the process ... we recorded it so you can see how it works.

Everyone from the film's directors, Anthony and Joe Russo, to the cast of roughly 97 superstars have begged fans to avoid blowing the movie experience. Hell, we got Thanos himself, Josh Brolin, making his plea.

We don't know if it will work -- there are a lot of jerks out there -- but kudos to Google and Disney for coming up with this.

11:37 AM PT -- A source close to Gaga tells us the singer is furious the song is still on the Google service. We're told she was under the impression everything had been taken down, and this one, somehow, slipped through the cracks. Her team blames Google's switch of most of its music operations to YouTube for the lapse as Play dramatically cut staff.

10:35 AM PT -- IGA tells TMZ, "We are working on taking this down now."

Lady Gaga hasn't completely followed through on her promise to remove her song with R. Kelly from streaming platforms, because their collab is still available for purchase on Google Play Music.

As of this post, you can still throw down $1.29 to buy Lady Gaga's song, "Do What U Want (With My Body)" featuring R. Kelly.

Gaga said 6 days ago she was pulling the collab from iTunes and other streaming services as an act of solidarity with the women Kelly allegedly abused.

It HAS been disabled on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube. It's unclear if Google Play was overlooked, or if the purge just hasn't gotten to the platform yet.

As you know, Celine Dion, Ciara, Chance the Rapper and the Pussycat Dolls followed in Gaga's footsteps and pulled or are in the process of pulling their collabs with R. Kelly in the wake of Lifetime's docuseries, "Surviving R. Kelly." Still, it's interesting that Gaga and Kelly's song hasn't been completely scrubbed.

We've reached out to Google and Gaga ... so far, no word back.

No, LaVar Ball did NOT found the NBA -- despite some Google search results -- and now the company admits they "dropped the ball" when creating an online bio for the Big Baller.

Backstory ... if ya searched for "NBA founder" on Google on Tuesday morning, the results kicked back a photo of Lonzo's dad. Kinda funny.

The gaffe was reported across the sports news landscape -- and some people were wondering if it was an intentional "Easter Egg" thing, like Google's been known to do from time to time.

Fun Fact: Type in "Super Mario Bros" in the search bar and when you see the "?" box, click on it -- and you get a coin and 200 points! Keep clicking, you'll eventually get a 1 UP!

But, alas, Google says no Easter Eggs with LaVar ... telling TMZ Sports it was a simple mistake.

"Clearly we dropped the ball. Our team worked to address this issue quickly and within hours of being notified, we were able to fix the issue."