Kids

Ezra Blount, the youngest victim of the Astroworld concert tragedy, is suing Travis Scott and Live Nation for the horrific injuries he suffered -- injuries that still might cost him his life.

Ezra is the 9-year-old who was "trampled nearly to death" during the Friday night concert in Houston. According to the lawsuit, filed by renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump, Ezra was "suddenly forced to watch in terror as several concertgoers were injured and killed" during the crowd surge.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Crump says Ezra was "kicked, stepped on, and trampled" as people around him were lifting up "unconscious bodies of friends and strangers and surfed them over the top of the crowd, hoping to send them to safety."

The suit vividly describes many of the images we've seen in videos from the ill-fated concert, adding that many people were shouting for "help with CPR and pleading" with Travis and concert organizers to stop the concert.

According to the suit, Ezra remains in a medically induced coma and on life support after suffering severe damage to his liver, kidney and brain ... and the injuries will impair his quality of life and "ability to grow and thrive."

The lawsuit lays blame for Ezra's injuries squarely on Travis, Live Nation and several other entities ... saying they "egregiously failed in their duty to protect the health, safety and lives" of all concertgoers. Specifically, Crump says they didn't have enough security to implement crowd control measures and emergency medical support.

Critical Race Theory has folks all riled up, often for the wrong reasons -- so here's a breakdown of what it is, what it isn't and where it should be applied ... courtesy of Michael Eric Dyson.

The esteemed academic and author did a PSA of sorts with us Monday on "TMZ Live" over this hot-button issue that is quite literally swinging elections, as we just saw in the Virginia gubernatorial race a week ago. The problem -- folks seem to be misinformed about it.

You can find any number of interviews where people who claim to hate CRT can't actually articulate what it is. That ... or they think it all boils down to making white kids feel guilty as inborn oppressors/racists -- and pegging Black kids as perpetual victims, even today.

Michael says that's far from what CRT is, and definitely not what's being taught in schools right now. You gotta watch how he explains it, because it's nuanced and might take a couple listens to truly understand what he's getting at here.

First, he insists Critical Race Theory is something that's discussed and studied at the college level -- and is NOT being taught to kids in primary school anywhere.

What he says IS being taught to kids -- or at least what some districts are trying to do -- is a retooling of the history curriculum that's more inclusive of the roles African-Americans and other POC have played in making the country what it is today.

If that type of conversation is something parents would still be apprehensive about, even after understanding the distinctions -- well, that's a whole other debate ... but in Mr. Dyson's eyes, it's not radical ... and all it requires is some empathy and understanding.

Michael tackles these issues and so much more in his new book, "Entertaining Race: Performing Blackness in America" -- but he shoots down the notion advocates for the broadened history curriculum want kids to feel guilty about anything.

However, he does acknowledge these topics are not all cozy, and will require white folks to examine their privilege and act consciously if the nation is going to achieve true equity.

Saweetie says she wants children in her life -- and one Nick Cannon seems to be ready to deliver ... if she wants to take him up on it.

The rapper tweeted out her parental desires Saturday, writing ... "I want some babies." Short and sweet -- no real other context either, but on its face ... it sounds like she's ready to be a mom.

While there were a number of normies in her comments who offered up their services to get that done -- Nick actually stood out among the rest with a not-so-subtle offer of his own ... retweeting Saweetie's message and adding a few telling emojis.

There's a curious face emoji, a ninja emoji, a laughing emoji, and a guy raising his hand emoji. The hand-raising says it all ... NC seems to be down to provide, and as we know -- is very well-equipped to do so.

The man has fathered several children over the course of his life, including three just earlier this year -- his son, Zen, and twins Zion and Zillion ... the latter 2 having a different mother. He's got four more from previous relationships -- including a couple with Mariah Carey, a couple more with Brittany Bell.

He's talked about going celibate for a while, but seems to have backtracked on that ... indicated here in his volunteering -- not to mention what he told us the last time we got him out. Remember, Nick said he'll keep having kids ... just so long as the man upstairs keeps on allowing it.

No word from Saweetie yet if his proposition sounds appealing or not -- frankly, she probably has a lot of would-be suitors who'd be willing to give it a go ... and could have just about whoever she wanted for this mission.

A 14-year-old named John Hilgert is the youngest victim to lose his life at the Astroworld Festival.

John's family shared the photo of the boy who was apparently crushed in the stampede Friday night.

He was a 9th grader at Memorial High School in Houston.

The Houston Medical Examiner also released a photo of someone they have been unable to identify. The victim is a male in his 20s, stood 6'2" and weighed 498 lbs.

They obviously have released the photo so someone can claim the body.

Among the other victims ... 27-year-old Danish Baig, who was crushed to death while trying to save a relative, 21-year-old Franco Patino, a senior at the Univ. of Dayton in Ohio, 16-year-old Brianna Rodriguez, a junior high school student who loved dance, and 23-year-old Rudy Pena, a model who wanted to become a U.S. Border Patrol Agent.

In all, 8 people died and hundreds were injured. Astroworld and Travis Scott have been severely criticized for not stopping the concert when the tragedy unfolded. He stayed on performing for 40 minutes.

Get ready for a blast from the past ... Kirk Fogg says he's coming back as one of the faces of the rebooted '90s kids game show, "Legends of the Hidden Temple."

We got the former Nickelodeon host outside Starbucks in Studio City and he dished on what's to come in the rebooted CW version of 'Hidden Temple.'

Kirk doesn't want to let the cat out of the bag but he just can't hold his tongue ... telling us he's returning as a co-host Sunday alongside new host Cristela Alonzo ... and it doesn't sound like it's a one-episode deal.

Remember ... we also got Kirk back in May and he liked one of our photog's pitches on potential contestants.

Well, as it turns out ... Kirk says he was able to make the vision a reality ... and some contestants from the OG show, which he hosted for 3 seasons in the '90s, are getting a redo!!!

Big Bird is one of the first on Sesame Street to get protection against COVID-19 -- and while some might question why he's late to the party ... the timing makes sense for his audience.

The 8-foot costumed character made the big announcement on Twitter Saturday -- the first time he's tweeted from his account since March. So, yeah ... major development for the reclusive BB.

Big writes, "I got the COVID-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it'll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy." He adds, "Ms. @EricaRHill  even said I’ve been getting vaccines since I was a little bird. I had no idea!"

No photo proof or anything showing Mr. Bird getting his jab, but we'll take him at his word here ... and even give him props for spreading the word on vaccine awareness.

Now, if you're wondering why he mentioned CNN's Erica Hill specifically -- it's because she and other CNN personalities hosted a "town hall" Saturday morning called "The ABCs of Vaccines," which featured a number of 'Sesame Street' puppets talking 'rona and the shot.

Of course, that includes Big Bird too -- and the reason they're all being recruited to even talk about vaccines at all is because the Pfizer jab was just approved for kids between 5 and 11 the other day ... and the government is encouraging parents to inoculate their children.

So, no Big Bird hasn't been holding out or "doing his own research" with vaccine hesitancy -- it's just that his core demographic is now eligible, and he wants to encourage them (and their parents) to get it done. Also, he's apparently only 6 years old or something? 🤷🏽‍♂️

Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. made a champion-esque move this week ... by visiting and donating 113,000 face masks to an Atlanta children's hospital the day after winning the World Series!!

The awesome visit happened on Thursday -- right after Acuna's Braves took home the Commissioner's Trophy and beat the Houston Astros in Game 6 of the 2021 Fall Classic.

The outfielder popped up at the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta -- surprising fans including 11-year-old Nolan Madsen, who's a patient at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.

It turns out Nolan's hero is Acuna -- and he was in total shock when he came face to face with the superstar, who later handed him a signed #13 jersey and posed for pics with him!!

That wasn't the only thing Acuna gave away during his stop ... he also donated 113,000 masks to the hospital as a thank you for their hard work and dedication during the COVID pandemic.

"This day is for the kids," Acuna says. "I get to smile, and feel happy that I’m a World Series champion. They helped me get that. It’s only right if I can give that smile back."

The hospital thanked the 23-year-old via IG for the great gesture .. saying, "Thank you Acuna for making this incredible week even better for our kids! ⚾"

Welp, he was trying to do something nice ... but former President Donald Trump knocked a kid upside the head with a baseball at the World Series, and the video is pretty funny.

(The boy is okay!!)

#45 was in the house at Truist Park in Atlanta for game 4 of the World Series last Saturday night -- sitting in an open-air suite with Melania Trump -- a game the Braves won 3-2 over the Astros.

The video shows a young boy desperately attempting to get DT's attention. Finally, the ex-prez heard the kid, and asked him to throw a baseball for him to sign.

The boy complies ... and Trump -- who claimed he could've gone pro as a baseball player -- made a nice catch, snagging the ball, which was underthrown by the kid.

The 75-year-old politician grabbed a marker from a Secret Service agent ... and signed the baseball.

Then came time to toss the ball back ... and that's when Trump plunked a kid square in the dome, after an adult male who was with the kid failed to make the routine catch.

Thankfully, the boy appears to be okay ... and fans nearby were able to retrieve the baseball.

The silver lining ... we previously reported on Trump-signed balls that have sold for around a thousand bucks a pop.

As for Trump, he spoke about his baseball prowess back in 2004.

“I was supposed to be a pro baseball player. At the New York Military Academy, I was captain of the baseball team. I worked hard like everyone else, but I had good talent.”

Zayn Malik's confrontation with Yolanda Hadid -- the one that ended with Zayn pleading no contest to 4 criminal charges -- was all about boundaries ... boundaries he says she violated.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Zayn was at Gigi's home Sept. 29, where he was staying because he wanted to be close to his daughter. Our sources say on that day Yolanda "barged" into the house, without calling beforehand or even knocking at the door.

We're told this was an ongoing source of conflict ... Zayn felt Yolanda was acting like the house was hers and ignoring his position as the boyfriend of Gigi and father of their little girl. Our sources say Zayn made his feelings known once she entered, but Yolanda wasn't having it.

We're told Zayn typically works nights on his music and sleeps for part of the day, and Yolanda regularly disrupted his life by coming over as if she owned the place.

There were other sources of tension as well ... notably, Yolanda was posting photos of the baby, which pissed off Zayn because he felt privacy was vital.

TMZ broke the story ... Zayn was charged with 4 counts of harassment for allegedly berating Yolanda and pushing her into a dresser -- something he denies. He was also charged with harassing Gigi, who was in Paris at the time of the incident. And, he was charged with harassing the security guard, whom Zayn allegedly challenged to a fight. Zayn pled no contest, received a small fine and was ordered to take anger management courses.

Meghan Markle is lobbying hard for paid paternity leave -- an issue that could be a deal-breaker in the impending infrastructure vote on Capitol Hill -- and she's been cold-calling U.S. Senators ... but oddly, using her royal title.

Apparently, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand gave Markle the cell phone numbers of 2 key Senators -- Susan Collins and Shelley Moore Capito, both Republicans. Markle followed through with a phone call, which showed up as a blocked number.

Moore Capito told Politico, "I'm in my car. I'm driving. It says caller ID blocked. Honestly, I thought it was Senator Manchin, his calls come in blocked."

Moore Capito says she answered and the caller then ID'd herself ... "And she goes, 'Senator Capito?' I said, 'Yes.' She said, "This is Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex."

A similar call was made to Collins, who also answered. Collins said, "I was happy to talk with her, but I'm more interested in what people from Maine are telling me about paid leave."

Markle has been active behind the scenes, writing both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to push for passage of the bill. She wrote, "I'm writing to you at this deeply important time -- as a mom -- to advocate for paid leave ... on behalf of my family, Archie and Lili and Harry."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez thinks folks who oppose Critical Race Theory in schools are burying their heads in the sand when it comes to the country's history ... which ain't always pretty.

We got the U.S. Congresswoman from NY Wednesday on Capitol Hill, and asked for her thoughts on CRT -- a hot-button issue that played a role in several elections that went down Tuesday, especially Virginia's gubernatorial race.

Watch what AOC has to say about this ... in her mind, refusing to embrace a Critical Race Theory-based curriculum is akin to willfully ignoring how racism impacted the nation from its inception.

The one thing she hints at, but doesn't quite verbalize, is that CRT makes the leap of framing racial dynamics in the present ... discussing how some institutions are *still* steeped in racism, and how that affects people of color today.

Truth is, there are a lot of people who don't understand what Critical Race Theory is at all ... or have been misinformed about it. And, as AOC notes here, it's been weaponized to really trigger some people -- especially parents.

Scott Disick is processing Kourtney Kardashian's engagement with a little QT with his eldest son -- and also by navigating choppy waters at ludicrous speed... literally.

Papa bear was out with his kid, Mason, Monday in Miami -- and at some point he went cruising in a vessel out in the ocean blue. It's unclear if Mason was onboard, but what's clear is ... SD put the pedal to the metal!!!

By that, we mean the guy was going super fast -- upwards of 115 MPH, which you can see in a video Scott posted with the caption, "115 with room to go," later adding ... "Gotta love Miami." It appears Scott's pal, graffiti artist Alec Monopoly, was the one recording the video.

Scott and Mason were later seen on land, with the former wrapping his arm around his boy and looking caj. Ditto for Mason, who had his hands in pockets as he stood by his old man.

This may well just be some good old-fashioned father-son bonding -- but it could also be a good way to get his mind off of his baby mama's recent news - namely, that she's set to marry Travis Barker ... something she was never willing to do with the Lord.

Alessandra Ambrosio apparently has an issue with trick or treaters showing up at her house -- because she literally told them to "f*** off."

Ya gotta see the signs the retired Victoria's Secret supermodel posted by her front door on Halloween -- one reads, "No Trick-Or-Treat Sorry :( "  ... and the other drives the point home further, saying "AKA F*** OFF :) "

The handwritten notes are taped right next to the doorbell ... so ya couldn't miss it, and Alessandra's even standing guard outside, pointing trick or treaters in another direction.

It's unclear what Alessandra's beef is with candy-seeking kids, because she's not against Halloween or trick or treating at other folks' homes -- she and her man, Richard Lee, dressed up the family in "Squid Game" costumes and took her son door-to-door asking for candy.

Ben Affleck's worlds are colliding, especially as it relates to the Jennifers in his life ... and it all came together on Halloween.

Ben and J Lo were trick or treating with their kids Sunday in the private, gated Malibu colony ... where her son, Max, and his son, Samuel, were decked out in costumes. We're told Max is the one in black, and Sam is the one in the blonde wig.

Unclear if their other children were present, but one person we know was in the same vicinity was BA's ex-wife, Jennifer Garner -- so presumably, the other kids were around as well ... as this appears to have been a private Halloween event in that community.

The photo agency that obtained these pics says both parties "bumped into" each other ... but they were never actually photographed together.

It is interesting though -- ya gotta figure there was some pre-Halloween planning between the co-parenting exes ... which means, Jen (Garner) and Jen (Lopez) are cool with sharing the same space. Oh, and Ben too.

Tristan Thompson just started his NBA season with a new squad, but his busy schedule isn't stopping him from making sure some underprivileged kids have a memorable Halloween.

The Sacramento Kings' power forward is teaming up with Alexandria House Friday to provide costumes, candy, games and prizes to children experiencing homelessness in L.A. We're told there will also be arts and crafts, face painting and special treats for those in attendance.

TT won't be able to attend the event in person -- the Kings are on the road -- but his generosity is helping to make the event possible.

Tristan has nothing but praise for Alexandria House, telling us, "This is a small way to express my support for the work Alexandria House does for our community, and I am grateful to be in a position to help my community celebrate the holiday."

Judy Vaughan, Founding Director of AH, tells us, "... it is a major significance that Tristan Thompson is not only providing a fun day for impoverished families but is also giving a national platform on homelessness, the housing crisis and the difficulties in healing from trauma and becoming stable."

WARNING TO CERTAIN KIDS: LEAVE YOUR TRACK SUITS AND SLIP-ON VANS AT HOME THIS HALLOWEEN!!!

Three elementary schools near Syracuse are banning "Squid Game" costumes this week, because they say it sends a message of violence to impressionable students.

The principals justify the prohibition because of what they call "the potential violent message aligned with the costume."

Parents from the 3 schools received emails saying, "We have observed some students at recess have been playing a version of [Squid Games] ... which is intended for mature audiences ages 16 and older. Due to concerns about the potential violent nature of the game, it is inappropriate for recess play or discussion at school" ... this according to WSTM, which obtained the emails.

The Superintendent of the school district, Craig Tice, told the Washington Post, "Because of this activity our principals wanted to make sure our families are aware that it would be inappropriate for any student to wear to school a Halloween costume from this show."

BTW ... "Squid Game" costumes are topping the list of Halloween getups ... at least on Insta.