Holidaze

Online shoppers hoping to score some Jeffrey Dahmer-inspired gear for Halloween are now officially out of luck ... because eBay has pulled the plug on costume pieces paying homage to the serial killer.

A spokesperson for eBay tells TMZ ... the company has policies that prohibit listings glorifying hate, violence and criminal activities -- and the Dahmer sales clearly fit the bill.

The official policy, listed on their site, says there's no space for "items closely associated with or that benefit violent felons, their acts, or crime scenes within the past 100 years."

We're told eBay is constantly sweeping the site ... looking for similar listings that also violate policies.

As we reported, tons of costumes inspired by Dahmer were up for sale on the website as the Nexflix series gained popularity -- everything from his distinct glasses, a blonde wig and a shirt similar to one worn by Evan Peters on the show.

Jeffrey Dahmer costumes seem to be all the rage for this year's Halloween season, but people are up in arms over the tone-deaf outfit choice ... so we're taking a look at some of the most controversial costumes worn by celebs.

Chris Brown took the terrorist route for an outfit on Halloween ... complete with a beard and a turban.

Shaun White caught some flack when he once dressed up as Simple Jack from the film, "Tropic Thunder" ... a character mentally disabled in the flick.

Several celebs thought showin' up in blackface would be alright ... like Colton Haynes as Kanye or Canadian PM Justin Trudeau -- but none might've taken the controversial cake quite like Julianne Hough, who got a ton of backlash for portraying Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren from "OITNB."

Jeffrey Dahmer costumes might not be on the shelves at major stores this Halloween ... but that isn't stopping folks from hawking the killer costume online.

Tons of costume items inspired by the serial killer are up for sale on eBay, despite outrage from folks who say the costume, given Dahmer's history, is just downright disrespectful.

Folks on the site are selling everything from Jeffrey Dahmer-style glasses to a shirt similar to the one worn by actor Evan Peters in the new Netflix series. Some of the props for sale are made for children's costumes ... like a JD-inspired wig.

One kid already had social media up in arms after his rendition of the killer went viral, with folks suggesting anyone in Dahmer gear should be beaten up.

Halloween costume retailers Spirit, Halloween.com, and Party City all are not selling any official Jeffrey Dahmer costumes.

Dahmer killed 17 people and was convicted of 16 murders and sentenced to life in prison in 1992. He was beaten to death behind bars.

These are NOT Charlie Brown's "Great Pumpkins" -- Customs agents uncovered a huge amount of meth tucked inside a bundle of everyone's fave Halloween gourds.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection revealed their big find in a statement Wednesday ... noting its officers have seen "just about everything and this Tuesday was no exception" -- saying they discovered more than $402K in liquid methamphetamine inside the pumpkins.

The 4 winter squashes, found at Eagle Pass Port of Entry in Texas, held a total of 44 pounds of the drug which was packed into 136 different condoms.

The officers seized the meth and the car that was carrying the pumpkins ... and the driver was turned over to Maverick County Sherriff's Office for further investigation.

The "Stranger Things" themed Halloween display taking the Internet by storm ... is also drawing too much attention for one neighbor -- that got it all shut down, but now the homeowners are striking back to turn it on again.

Aubrey Appel tells TMZ ... she and her husband, Dave, turned the lights off on their display Sunday, and took down the levitating Max figure after a neighbor called the police. However, no official complaint was filed.

For those unaware, the insane display in Plainfield, Illinois is highlighted by Max Mayfield from the Netflix series seemingly floating in midair ... a reference to the latest season of the show.

Their setup's gone viral during this Halloween season, apparently too viral for some! Aubrey says the neighbor in question called cops after someone pulled into their driveway and walked on their lawn to check out the Appels' home.

Aubrey and Dave tell us they had reached out to all their neighbors before putting up the 'ST' homage and had the neighborhoods' full support. After the one neighbor's complaint, they were planning on taking everything down this week -- but had a change of heart due to the overwhelming amount of support they were getting.

Dave met with City Manager James Capparelli Wednesday and was told they were doing nothing wrong and had nothing but support for their home haunt.

Moving forward, they'll only be in full operation on weekend nights ... people can still take a look during the day if they want, but the lights will be off. Max will be "levitating" as long as winds are below 10 MPH, otherwise she'll be at her stepbrother Billy's gravesite.

The iconic cottage from "Hocus Pocus" is coming to life ... the Sanderson Sisters are opening up their home to two lucky guests, who can try to cast some ancient spells.

In celebration of the upcoming release of "Hocus Pocus 2," the witches are hosting a super rare overnight stay at their Salem, MA home, which has been frozen in time for 300 years.

The famous cottage from the OG Disney movie is being recreated into an Airbnb for one night only ... and 2 guests can relive their favorite moments from the Halloween classic for only $31!!!

If you're lucky enough to snag the spot, a night inside the "Hocus Pocus" home will have you feeling like Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy.

The timeworn cottage is nestled in the woods and it will be pretty spooky ... the home's got creaky wooden floorboards and cupboards filled with ingredients primed for a witches' cauldron.

Winifred, Sarah and Mary Sanderson promise not to swoop in on broomsticks and kidnap children ... but overnight guests can still try their hand at a few enchantments in the ancient spellbook.

Salem's famous for its witches ... and guests will also be able to visit the town's most haunted properties, before a special screening of "Hocus Pocus 2" back at the cottage.

Halloween may be next month ... but the Dodgers celebrated early with some of their biggest superstars like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman wearing costumes for the team's annual dress-up travel day.

The team posted pics of the players following their 11-2 victory over the Padres on Sunday ... and they're pretty good!

The tradition dates back a few years ... the Dodgers typically made rookies dress up in silly outfits, but a few vets decided to expand the practice to include all players on the team.

Betts -- one of the best players in baseball -- paid homage to the golf G.O.A.T. Tiger Woods, wearing TW's signature red Nike shirt and black pants.

Mookie's caddy was none other than teammate, Freeman, who looked the part ... and even had a golf bag full of miniature golf clubs at Mookie's disposal.

Of course, the best outfit has to go to Andre Jackson, Justin Turner, Joey Gallo and Cody Bellinger ... who dressed up as Chippendales dancers.

(Who says baseball players are out of shape?!)

Jackson, Turner, Gallo and Bellinger took the assignment to heart ... they were all shirtless and wore black bow ties with black pants and cuff links.

Trae Turner dressed up as Jordan Belfort, who was busted back in the day for financial crimes. JB was played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie 'Wolf of Wall Street.'

In fact, Trae's infatuation with 'Wolf' led him to create a celebration the team uses now ... where he hits his helmet like DiCaprio did with the mic during one of the movie's famous scenes.

A bunch of the players, including second baseman Gavin Lux, dressed up as characters from the classic baseball movie "The Sandlot."

Infielder Max Muncy dressed as a beer keg.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez hit up the annual Malibu Chili Cook-Off Sunday, and try as they might ... they walked away empty-handed after a game of hoops.

The newly-blended fam were all the buzz at the shindig ... with twins Max and Emme in tow -- and they stopped at the hoops game. Ben's a sports nut, so you'd think he might score a basket or even 2, but he tried 4 times, fully suffering from empty net syndrome.

J Lo stepped in, and although she's a triple threat with singing, dancing and acting, she shot her shot 3 times and failed.

They're back from their second honeymoon, and getting back to "normal" life by going to a carnival in the sweltering L.A. heat ... 100 degrees plus in many areas, and Malibu was no exception.

The Cook-Off is a tradition in the Bu ... attracting Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Johnny Knoxville, Donald Faison, Jack Osbourne, Evan Ross, Lana Del Rey and Amanda Bynes.

The Kardashians represented with Psalm, Chicago and True ... looks like Khloe brought them and was hanging on the beach with the brood, including North.

It's that time of year again -- when people bring out their best baked beans and ground beef in the ritzy neighborhood of Malibu ... with A-listers all around, and 2022 being no exception.

Some of Hollywood's most famous faces were in attendance for the annual Malibu Chili Cook-Off Festival ... including Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Johnny Knoxville, Donald Faison, Jack Osbourne, Evan Ross, Lana Del Rey and Amanda Bynes.

There was Kardashian representation too ... at least 3 of the kiddos were there with what appeared to be nannies. Psalm, Chicago and True were photographed on the scene.

Khloe might've actually been with them here ... she was spotted hitting the beach with this bunch, plus other nieces and nephews of hers -- including North, who got in the water.

Anyhoo, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves in the hot L.A. sun -- that is, until nightfall ... when a crazy stampede broke out and cause a massive panic as people ran to flee the grounds. It was pretty scary ... and it all stemmed from someone reportedly saying there was a gun and/or shooting afoot.

That turned out to be complete BS ... cops say there was no evidence of firearms or a shooting of any kind that day -- and suspect it might've been a prank by teenagers.

Luckily, nobody was hurt in the chaos -- and least not seriously -- and it was back to fun times on Sunday, with more people trickling in ... celebs and otherwise.

Mariah Carey's bid to trademark the moniker, "Queen of Christmas" has been opposed by some pretty famous singers, including legend Darlene Love, but there's precedent on Mariah's side ... with the likes of Michael Jackson, no less.

Mariah has filed legal docs with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to own the title, "Queen of Christmas." There have been objections ... singer Elizabeth Chan filed an opposition to Mariah's petition, claiming no one can "monopolize" the word "Christmas."

Darlene Love, whose XMAS song "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" is inarguably one of the best, posted on Facebook, "Is it true that Mariah Carey trademarked 'Queen of Christmas?'" She noted David Letterman bestowed the title on her 29 years ago so it's not available to Mariah.

No one, other than Mariah, has petitioned for the title, but that doesn't mean she'll get it. Michael Jackson never tried to register "King of Pop" during his lifetime, but others tried and failed, because it was so identified with MJ it would cause confusion in the marketplace. BTW, the Jackson Estate did register the title after MJ's death and blunted efforts by others to use the same title.

As for Elizabeth Chan's opposition that no one can monopolize the word "Christmas," that doesn't seem to be the case. We found trademarks where someone was allowed to register "Thanksgiving" for a line of wine, "Happy Valentine's Day" for fruit juices, and there's even "Christmas Spirit" -- yeah, it's booze! So, the path may be clear for Mariah.

Mariah, truth be told, has one of the most if not the most popular XMAS song ever -- "All I Want For Christmas Is You" -- but she has not been identified as "Queen of Christmas" like MJ was with "King of Pop." So, it would seem she needs the trademark to secure the title.

There's a lot on the line for Mariah ... she wants to use the title for fragrances, lotions, nail polish, jewelry, cups, mugs, chocolate milk, coconut water, ornaments, toys, dog clothing, masks for protection against viral infection, lingerie and sweatshirts.

BTW ... Mariah's also trying to register "Princess Christmas" and "Christmas Princess."

An age-old debate about Bruce Willis' signature film seems to have finally been resolved once and for all by his own flesh and blood -- and yes, Santa's coming to town!

We got Rumer and Scout Willis Tuesday in Beverly Hills, and while they seemed to be in a hurry -- they were nice enough to quickly answer a burning hot question that we just had to ask on behalf of the public and cinema lovers everywhere.

Namely ... is 'Die Hard' a Christmas movie??? That's what our photog was trying to ask, anyway, but Scout cut us off before we could even get the words out with a firm answer.

Check it out -- SW doesn't just say it once, but twice ... seemingly clarifying that this isn't just how she feels personally, but that this might be the position of the Willis family at large ... including Bruce himself. Ya gotta imagine they've talked about it as a unit.

This is a pretty big deal, frankly -- people have gone back and forth on whether 'DH' is actually a holiday-time classic. The plot takes place on Christmas Eve, but it came out during the summer of '88 ... and became a box office hit. Plus, it takes place in always-sunny L.A.

Also, Bruce recently revisited the Nakatomi Plaza building where the flick was shot -- overlooking the city from the top, just like he did all those years ago. So, yeah ... full circle.

Scout's position is different than Bruce's mother, though, we spoke with her back around Christmas and she said she didn't think "Die Hard" was a Christmas movie.

The greatest rivalry in competitive eating could soon be reignited -- Joey Chestnut just revealed it's possible he lines up against Takeru Kobayashi in an eating contest again ... saying, "there's a chance" an epic showdown happens as soon as next year!!

Of course, Jaws and Kobi haven't faced off in more than a decade ... thanks to a nasty breakup between Takeru and Major League Eating that kept the two from competing against each other.

As it turns out, Joey says his own exclusive contracts with MLE and Nathan's hot dogs will be up at the end of the year ... paving the way for a matchup for the ages.

"The end of this year is going to be a weird year for me because my contract with Major League Eating and Nathan's is going to be over," Joey told Big Cat and PFT Commenter on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take."

"So, it'll be my first year in a long, long time that I can actually eat against Kobayashi," he added. "So, me and him could find a way to compete because he'll never compete with Major League Eating again because they have just a childish contract dispute ... but there's a chance that I might be able to eat against him."

Chestnut beat Kobayashi three times in the 4th of July matchup ... but the Japanese superstar is responsible for bringing the entire sport to the mainstream after winning the hot dog contest six times in a row.

Chestnut -- who just secured his 15th Mustard Belt this past Independence Day -- admits he has no idea how much money a contest against Kobayashi could rake in, but says he's down to let his nemesis name his price -- as long as it's even.

Here's something we're sure Jerry Jones isn't exactly thrilled to see ...

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch straight up fed a fish to a wild bear on a vacation this weekend ... and video of the feeding is intense!!

LVE -- the Cowboys' first-round pick back in 2018 -- was on a fishing trip with his family and friends for the Fourth of July holiday ... when a wild bear showed up, and Vander Esch apparently decided it'd be a good idea to throw a fish its way.

Video shows the 26-year-old football star holding up the snack -- as the bear edged closer and closer to him.

Suddenly, the bear raised up -- 'causing a tense few moments -- but, fortunately for Vander Esch and all of Cowboys nation, it took the fish politely without incident.

Vander Esch's teammate, Dalton Schultz, couldn't believe the vid ... writing on the LB's social media page, "DUDE 🤯."

But, Vander Esch clearly believed it was no big deal ... confirming he kept all his fingers and limbs -- and had a hell of a weekend trip.

"Not often you get to feed a wild bear and get a picture with two sturgeon in the same frame," Vander Esch said as a caption on the vid. "Amazing weekend with family making memories that will last a lifetime!"

The alleged Highland Park shooter appears to have slipped through the cracks that Congress recently tried patching up with new gun legislation ... with his dad helping him to obtain a gun, even with a ton of warning signs he wasn't fit to own one.

Authorities say Robert Crimo received help from his father in obtaining a gun permit in 2020, who allegedly sponsored his then 19-year-old son for a FOID (firearm owners identification) card, which he needed to buy the semi-automatic weapon, despite alarming incidents just months earlier.

Authorities revealed Tuesday that they’d had a couple run-ins with Crimo in 2019 — one in which he threatened to kill himself, and another where he threatened to kill his own family. Cops say the latter resulted in him having multiple weapons (knives) temporarily taken by law enforcement after his parents refused to press charges and Crimo told them he wasn't a danger to himself and others.

Cops say Crimo was able to get his hands on the weapon used in Monday’s killing because there was technically no reason to deny him. No charges had been filed from the 2019 incidents — which might’ve otherwise barred him — and the only thing on his record in 2020 was a minor ordinance violation.

Plus, he had his old man’s sign-off … nothing outwardly stood out, at least on paper, telling anyone not to treat him like anyone else. Of course, there have also been reports of his disturbing social media activity -- which some say should've been caught and flagged, but wasn't. Sadly, all of this seems to have led to a massive tragedy … leaving at least 7 dead and several others injured.

Crimo’s parents issued a statement, saying they empathized with everyone affected and that their thoughts and prayers were with the victims’ families.

This exact type of scenario — where Crimo was able to legally purchase a weapon despite the past incidents — is one that a gun safety bill that President Biden just signed into law is supposed to address and fix.

The bipartisan effort significantly tightens up red flag laws and background checks for would-be gun buyers … and if mental health issues are found, it disqualifies that person. It seems the bill was too late though — Crimo apparently had this gun for a couple years before allegedly carrying out his act.

Travis Barker has resurfaced after his scary hospitalization last week, and he didn't look the worse for wear.

Travis and his wife Kourtney Kardashian took a ride in a vintage orange truck on the 4th, with Penelope and Reign in the back.

They looked super chill, as they listened to Bruno Mars' "Grenade."

Travis has said he's feeling a lot better after landing in the hospital.

TMZ broke the story ... he had a colonoscopy which triggered pancreatitis -- a serious problem that kept him in a hospital bed for days as doctors ran tests and treated the ailment.

Travis took to social media last weekend and said "I went in for an endoscopy Monday feeling great. But After dinner, I developed excruciating pain and have been hospitalized ever since."

He went on ...  "During the endoscopy, I had a very small polyp removed right in a very sensitive area, usually handled by specialists, which unfortunately damaged a critical pancreatic drainage tube. This resulted in severe life threatening pancreatitis."

Michael Rubin is one of the few people on earth who can get Hollywood's richest and most famous in one place at one time -- and this year was no exception in his patriotic blowout.

The Fanatics CEO hosted his annual 4th of July White Party in the Hamptons this weekend, where all sorts of talent (musically and sports-wise) flocked to rage and share in a good time ahead of the big holiday.

Per usual, it was a who's-who of fame -- the performers were top-notch ... including appearances from Drake, Travis Scott, Meek Mill, 21 Savage, Lil Durk, Lil Baby and others.

Speaking of Champagne Papi, he actually carried a toast of sorts to honor the get-together ... shouting out Mike for pulling it off once again. It sure looks like everyone was having a good time ... especially the Philly boys themselves, aka Joel Embiid, James Harden and P.J. Tucker.

Indeed ... tons of basketball stars were in attendance. Not just these guys above, but Devin Booker was there, as was Draymond Green, Immanuel Quickley, Carmelo Anthony, Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, CJ McCollum and more. Just about everybody in the league!

BTW ... that was just the tip of the iceberg as far as celebs. Others in attendance ... Jay-Z and Beyonce, Kendall Jenner, Charlie D'Amelio, Robert Kraft, Fat Joe, Yo Gotti, Emily Ratajkowski, Kaia Gerber and Ryan Seacrest, no less. Like we said ... hella star-studded.