TMZ Live

Rock icon Todd Rundgren is about to get what some call the ultimate honor in the music biz -- induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame -- and he couldn't care less, because he says the institution's a total crock.

Todd won't be saying (or singing) "Hello It's Me" to his fellow inductees -- who include Jay-Z, Tina Turner, Carole King and the Foo Fighters -- this weekend in Cleveland. He joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to explain why he'll be a no-show and ripped the Hall for even existing.

The way Todd sees it, halls of fame make way more sense in the sports world ... where it's all about competition, but that's just not how he views the music industry. The legendary performer and producer says, for him, music's not about being #1 -- it's just about making tunes his fans can enjoy.

Todd also echoed some of The Weeknd's complaints about the Grammys -- telling us the Rock & Roll HOF needs to be more transparent about how its "fan vote" really works. Check out the interview ... he says he, and his fans, got burned badly the first time he was up for induction.

That being said, now that TR's finally made it into the HOF, he doesn't wanna hobnob with millionaires at the induction ceremony. Instead, he wants to celebrate with real fans -- he feels the HOF honor is more for them, anyway -- which is why he'll be onstage, performing in Cincinnati.

President Biden is dead wrong about the effectiveness of community policing and the need to bolster police numbers and budgets ... at least according to author Derecka Purnell.

Derecka, who has a new book on abolishing the police, joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" and laid into the Prez over his pro-police rhetoric during Thursday's Biden Town Hall.

She says Biden's trying to distance himself from the 1994 crime bill, but is regurgitating some of what she sees as the same failed policies this time around ... and she's not buying what Biden's selling in terms of community policing.

The way Derecka sees it ... community policing doesn't work like most folks might think, and she says the fatal interaction between Derek Chauvin and George Floyd is a perfect example of why it doesn't make much difference if cops know those in the community they're policing.

Derecka is a bit of an expert on the topic ... she's got a new book out called "Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and The Pursuit of Freedom."

President Joe Biden has taken heat for his comments this weekend that he wants to spend MORE on policing -- not defunding the police as some have advocated -- and one of his top advisors says if Biden had his way several years ago, Alton Sterling would be alive today.

Cedric Richmond was on TMZ Live Thursday to outline the Prez's agenda when it comes to improvements he wants to make in training American police forces. Biden recently raised eyebrows among supporters when he said he did not want to defund the police, but instead, build them up.

Richmond says Biden wants to put more money behind cops, but spend it on things like body cams, better training and even mental health experts within departments.

Richmond tells us community policing -- where officers take the time to meet and learn about members of a community -- can potentially be life-saving ... using the killing of Alton Sterling as an example of a life that could have been spared with better policing.

Rick Ross says that his weed-smoking and overall health have changed for the better -- and it's all because of a hemp business he's gone all-in on ... which sounds revolutionary.

We got Renzel on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to talk shop about his latest business endeavor -- a company he calls Hemp Hop ... which, as you can probably tell, is a play on "hip-hop." It's a CBD biz, that also dabbles in hemp products ... especially when it comes to toking.

Check out the interview to see what we mean here -- RR tells us that ever since he ditched tobacco-laced blunt wraps and swapped them for hemp papers and other CBD spinoffs ... he's seen vast improvements to his well-being, visibly notable in his dramatic weight loss.

Rick explains why this new source is a miracle-worker ... beyond just blazing up. He's right, BTW -- CBD is used for so many things these days -- and is a great alternative medicine.

Speaking of healing ... Rick says the CBD products that Hemp Hop offers has even helped him with seizures he's suffered from over the years, so you're hearing it straight from the man himself -- this stuff works, and he's got it available to the masses with this new upstart.

Speaking of being a boss ... we had to ask about Rick setting his son up with his own Wing Stop franchise -- which is an empire that runs in the family ... one that Rick's been invested in for years and years now.

He tells us he's just trying to get his boy into the habit of running things early -- and what better way than getting him on the ground floor with something that's already in Ross's portfolio.

Jay Caspian Kang sees a big problem with lumping every Asian American into one big group ... he says the practice leaves a huge number of folks behind.

The author joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and told us about some of the topics he explores in his new book, "The Loneliest Americans," and why there are inherent problems in putting too many people in the same bucket.

Jay says the Asian American community is extremely diverse, but that same diversity becomes diluted when they're taken as a whole ... and the ones who get left behind or forgotten are those with the fewest resources.

The solution, Jay says, is getting back to celebrating diversity ... and understanding just how different people can be within larger groups, like the Asian American or LGBTQ+ communities.

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has turned his pizza obsession into a money-making machine ... revealing his One Bite frozen pies are flying off the shelves -- with nearly a quarter-million sold in just weeks!!

Of course, Portnoy became an extreme pizza savant about 5 years ago ... after a debate with a coworker over what food they could eat every day for the rest of their lives.

To prove his side of the argument, Portnoy started consuming pizza daily ... which led to making popular videos ranking 'za joints all over the country.

"El Pres" joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" to discuss his decision to join the pizza industry himself ... saying Stoolies have been asking him to start his own brand for years.

"When you're doing it organically for 5 years, you start to build trust," Portnoy said Thursday. "I don't want to say it was a logical step, but a lot of people were like, 'Hey, you should do your own frozen pizza.'"

"So, it was a while in the works. We finally got it out, and I don't want to say anything surprises me, but I think last call about a week and a half ago we sold close to a quarter-million of these things throughout Walmart. They're flying."

The new 'Halloween' flick features a frighteningly inspired performance from James Jude Courtney, who leaned on an old friend/real-life murderer to pick up tips on playing the legendary villain behind the mask.

The "Halloween Kills" star joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to reveal part of his process to portray Michael Myers -- something James has done more than anyone else -- and it was downright chilling.

He told us he prepped for one of his very first killer roles by living in a psych ward with paranoid schizophrenics who had killed people ... but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Later in his career, James says he lived with a guy who had done hard time for murders -- he'd been a hitman -- but apparently wanted to moonlight as an acting coach.

James told us his killer roommate actually critiqued one of his movies, and told him how to make his character more believable, more realistic. That sounds great for James' acting career, but there's still the matter of actually LIVING under the same roof as a cold-blooded killer!!!

The wild card for Wednesday night's 'Masked Singer' was able to put together a whole performance in just one day, in part because they've got a phone filled with some music biz heavy hitters.

The singer will appear as Pepper when they hit the stage, but came on "TMZ Live" sans the big red costume -- but still concealing their identity -- to tell us the crazy story of how they ended up on the show.

After another contestant had to drop out, producers dialed up our hot-headed friend here ... giving them very little time to get their act together. Pepper says it set off a whirlwind 24 hours filled with learning dance moves, trying on costumes and the big hurdle of getting clearance to sing famous songs.

Pep definitely made it seem like that last part -- getting the songs -- was easiest, because turns out they happen to know a bunch of big-time performers ... maybe even Bob Dylan, based on a little quip they dropped with us.

Look, we couldn't figure it out, but there were plenty of hints -- so, see if you can figure it out. Either way, Pepper will make its big debut on "The Masked Singer" tonight.

'15 Minutes of Shame' documentary subject Emmanuel Cafferty says he was canceled after fidgeting with his fingers got misinterpreted as him throwing up the "white power" hand gesture ... and he says his life's been derailed ever since.

Cafferty joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday ... 16 months after he was unceremoniously axed from his dream job at the San Diego Gas & Electric company, mere hours after someone took a picture of him while his arm was hanging out the window of his company truck.

The picture, Cafferty says, caught him cracking his knuckles one by one and fidgeting with them -- but the person who took the picture posted it, accusing Cafferty of making the "OK" sign that's been adopted by white supremacists.

The picture was also taken less than 2 miles from a Black Lives Matter protest, and just days after George Floyd was killed.

Cafferty, who is Mexican-American, says he was swiftly suspended without pay before ultimately getting fired. He says he's furious this all happened even after the person who originally posted the photo deleted his account along with the picture, and later admitted he might have misinterpreted the gesture.

The ordeal Cafferty, and many other people, have gone through is the subject of the new HBO Max documentary produced by Monica Lewinsky. It's an in-depth look at what she calls the public shaming epidemic ... aka cancel culture.

Ashleigh Banfield just opened up about Katie Couric's memoir, in which the former "Today" show host revealed she was threatened by the rising star ... and Ashleigh clearly thinks Couric's jealously may have derailed her career at NBC ... and she's still not over it.

Ashleigh appeared Friday on "TMZ Live" and reacted to a passage from Couric's new memoir, in which she wrote, "For a minute there, Ashleigh Banfield was the next big thing; I'd heard her father was telling anyone who'd listen that she was going to replace me. In that environment, mentorship sometimes felt like self-sabotage."

Fact is ... Ashleigh was a big star at the Peacock network. Her 9/11 coverage stood out from the pack, and NBC rewarded her with her own primetime show.

But suddenly, without explanation, in 2002 her show was canceled and she says things just unraveled from there, to the point they took away her office and put a desk in a tape closet, which is where she sat until NBC got rid of her.

Listen to her speak ... it's very clear she's still not over it, telling us "It broke my heart, it broke my soul."

As for whether she believes Katie was behind the sabotage, Ashleigh's a class act and wouldn't say directly, but she did say she heard rumors that's exactly what happened ... as she said, "I got a sense" Katie was the culprit.

Kevin Smith says people were so sick of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez back in 2004 that her role in "Jersey Girl" got cut in half, but now everyone's loving the reboot ... Bennifer 2.0 that is.

No, there's no "Jersey Girl" sequel in the works, but the film's director joined "TMZ Live" Wednesday and revealed just how much the public's feelings for Ben and Jen have changed since their first go-round.

Kevin tells us after Bennifer's "Gigli" notoriously flopped, the outlook for his movie was suddenly no-so-good. So, executive producer Harvey Weinstein -- hey, we told you times have changed -- wanted to chop as much of J Lo out of "Jersey Girl" as possible.

According to Kevin ... Weinstein justified that because test audiences -- even one in New Jersey -- made it clear they were sick of seeing 2004's version of Bennifer in the news all the time.

Flash-forward to present day ... folks seem to be loving the fact Lopez and Affleck have rekindled their old flame, and you'd have to believe a movie starring them would sell tickets.

On the other hand, Kevin points out how things can unexpectedly change ... with an anecdote about Ben and Jen's canceled engagement and wedding.

Dwight Howard says his own mother was shocked while watching her fave show -- "The Masked Singer" -- because she found out her baby boy was the "Octopus!!!"

The NBA veteran, and current L.A. Lakers star, joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday to tell us all about his experience on the Fox show -- and why he went to great lengths to keep his appearance top secret from his mom.

It's super sweet ... Dwight says she was just like every other viewer across the country, watching his unmasking after he'd dropped a pretty good version of the Little Richard classic, "Tutti Frutti."

Keep in mind, he pulled that off while being 6'10" and draped in his heavy costume and headgear.

Unfortunately for the Howard fam, Dwight was eliminated at the end of Wednesday night's season premiere, but it sounds like she'll continue watching even though he got the boot.

"The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain" star Frankie Faison says he hopes the new Morgan Freeman-produced film brings justice to the family and sheds light on what really happened.

Frankie joined "TMZ Live" on Thursday and explained the film's purpose is to highlight the horrific 2011 police shooting of Kenneth -- a U.S. Marine, whose family is still fighting for a sliver of justice in the case ... after the cops involved were acquitted.

Frankie, who plays the title character, says bringing accountability and opening eyes to those who don't know the complete story is the goal here ... and perhaps a lesson on how to avoid such a tragic thing from happening again.

If you don't know ... Kenneth, a 68-year-old Black Marine veteran who suffered from bipolar disorder, accidentally set off his medical device alarm necklace in his White Plains, NY home in the early hours of November 19, 2011.

Cops ultimately rushed to his home, but a confrontation ensued ... culminating with cops tasing Kenneth before fatally shooting him. At the time, cops initially said Kenneth came at them with a butcher knife ... but an autopsy report later concluded Kenneth's arms were at his side when he was shot.

Soon after, a grand jury decided the cops wouldn't face criminal charges ... and in 2016, the family lost a $21 million wrongful death lawsuit.

Daymond John says Black Entrepreneurs Day is going to be HUGE the second time around ... because the event is going live from one of the most famous stages in the world!!!

The "Shark Tank" star joined us on "TMZ Live" and filled us in on all the new happenings for the second annual venture -- he has tons of celebrities coming out to The Apollo Theater to inspire the next wave of entrepreneurs.

It's pretty cool ... Daymond says Kevin Hart, Tyra Banks, Shaquille O'Neal, Rev Run and Michael Strahan will be sharing biz tips live from Harlem, with a special performance from Khalid.

The celebrity backing is nice, but Daymond also tells us which major corporations are stepping up to help folks get a free $25,000 to help their small businesses.

Daymond and co. are streaming live for Black Entrepreneurs Day on Oct. 14 and you can tune in and take notes on Facebook.

Check out Daymond on Friday's "TMZ Live" in his weekly "Follow the Money" segment. He'll have more on those $25k grants -- which you can apply for at blackentrepreneursday.com -- and why, in some ways, they're a better deal than what he typically offers on "Shark Tank."

Nancy Grace says determining Gabby Petito's cause of death could be hampered by the wildlife of Wyoming -- but, adds, the fact her tattoos were ID'd offers a glimmer of hope.

The author and Fox Nation host joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday and said she's not sure Tuesday's autopsy will ultimately determine how Petito died ... or if her fiance, Brian Laundrie, was involved.

Her theory? The site where authorities found remains matching Gabby's description experiences such intense weather elements, it could have caused decay or damage to the body that might conceal markers the coroner would use to determine cause of death.

Nancy -- who's special, "A Gabby Petito Investigation" is streaming now on Fox Nation -- points out there's also a lot of wild animal activity in that area, and it's possible the creatures could have damaged the corpse.

That being said, Nancy says there's hope Gabby's body was found somewhat, if not fully, intact. Remember, the FBI said the body they found was "consistent with the description" of Petito.

Nancy says, that if authorities were able to immediately identify Gabby's tattoos -- on her left arm and right forearm -- it's possible her skin was still intact ... meaning the body could offer clues about what led to her death.

With all we know at this point, she sees 3 possible explanations for Gabby's disappearance and possible death. She also tells us why she thinks cops never named Laundrie a suspect.

As for Laundrie ... he's been missing for days now but a trail cam set up in the wilderness in Baker, FL may have spotted him. The FBI is investigating the possible sighting.

Darnell Ferguson has come a long, long way to become a Food Network star and big-time restaurateur -- success not a lot of people would've predicted when he was living out of his car.

The man best known as SuperChef joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" to break down his new competition show, "Tiny Food Fight." No, contestants aren't throwing raisins at each other, they're cooking real food, but on a nearly microscopic scale. It's freakin' wild, and DF says it takes a ton of skill.

The new show -- streaming now on Discovery Plus and hosted by comedian Mamrie Hart -- pits contestants facing off in tiny food-themed challenges. The winners take home $5k and a trophy. A tiny one, at that.

Darnell's no stranger to food and food competitions ... having won Giada De Laurentiis' "Ultimate Thanksgiving Challenge" and Guy Fieri's "Tournament of Champions."

They don't call him SuperChef for nothing!

'Tiny Food' is just the latest success for Darnell who told us what it took for him to overcome homelessness to launch his own culinary empire ... starting with a breakfast pop-up joint he almost seemed embarrassed to operate.

Watch the video ... SuperChef explains why it was so humiliating, and also reveals how he got himself outta several bad decisions and into really good ones.