Titanic Rescue Brit. Billionaire Passenger's Stepson ... Attends Blink-182 Show During Rescue Mission

Published | Updated

The clock's ticking for rescuers to find the 5 people missing on a sub aimed at exploring the Titanic wreckage ... but that's not stopping the stepson of one of the passengers from enjoying his favorite band, Blink-182.

British billionaire explorer, Hamish Harding, is among those onboard OceanGate Expeditions' Titan, a carbon-fiber submersible. Harding's stepson, Brian Szasz, posted about Harding's disappearance on Facebook Monday ... writing, "Hamish my stepdad is lost in a submarine thoughts and prayers that the rescue mission will be successful."

Just a few minutes after posting about the rescue mission, Brian revealed he was attending a Blink-182 show in San Diego, posting a pic of himself outside the venue.

Clearly recognizing some people might take it the wrong way, Brian writes, "It might be distasteful being here but my family would want me to be at the Blink-182 show as it’s my favorite band and music helps me in difficult times!♥️🙏🏽"

As we reported, OceanGate lost communication with Titan almost 2 hours into its journey down to the wreckage. The submersible has a 96-hour emergency supply of oxygen onboard -- which has likely dwindled to about 40 hours remaining.

It's not yet known where the Titan is, or whether the 5 on board are even alive.

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Missing Submarine Lost on Titanic Expedition Made with Very Simple Parts

Published | Updated

The submarine that's gone missing trying to explore the Titanic was, partly, comprised of simple, store-bought parts ... but it's unclear if that has anything to do with its disappearance.

OceanGate Expeditions' underwater vessel, dubbed Titan, has been under the microscope and featured on news programs ... which dove into its construction, its technology and efficacy -- and all three seemed to be fairly solid, at the time.

oceangate sub 12/20/22
INSIDE THE SUBMARINE

What caught the eye of journalists then -- and what's certainly being scrutinized now -- is the fact this submersible features a lot of gadgets and gizmos built using very basic consumer products ... like game controllers, one-push buttons and home monitors you could buy at any electronics store, like Best Buy.

With that said, other key elements of the sub -- including the exterior and all its air pressure tech -- seemed to be top-notch, with designs and contributions from institutions like Boeing and NASA. At least, that's what OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush once told CBS News.

In fact, Rush gave a tour of this thing, and when the journo asked him if some of this stuff was MacGyver-y ... he rebuked that characterization, even though it sure felt that way.

Of course, the sub's components are getting a double-take now, because it's been missing for 2 days. As we've reported, it lost communication with its support team a couple hours into the expedition, and it didn't return to the surface at its scheduled time. Now, authorities have launched a full search and rescue.

The U.S. Coast Guard has launched a full search and rescue for the vessel with 5 passengers onboard, including OceanGate's honcho and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood and Hamish Harding ... these men were researchers, businessmen and explorers, respectively.

Again, there's no evidence at this point the makeshift elements of the sub have anything to do with it going missing. By all accounts, Titan and other OceanGate subs have carried out several successful voyages over the years ... including ones to the Titanic.

While the fact Titan has yet to be found might sound discouraging, reports have indicated it's actually capable of supporting life for up to 96 hours ... so there's still time, technically.

Julian Sands SoCal Authorities Continue Search Months After Disappearance Hiking Mt. Baldy

Published

The search for actor Julian Sands continued this weekend -- after he disappeared on a hiking trip back in January -- and the results were tragically familiar, with no signs.

The San Bernardino Sheriff's Dept. says they went out once again Saturday with a rescue team of about 80 volunteers -- including civilians and workers ... all in hopes of finding any sign of the British actor. Unfortunately, the agency says they came up empty-handed

police copter 6/19/23
AIR SUPPORT

SBSD says they used two helicopters and even drones to scour the Mt. Baldy region -- where Sands was hiking at the time. Ground crews were deployed as well ... but there was some tech used to reach inaccessible sections.

While it's now June -- when all the snow would presumably be gone -- the Sheriff's Dept. notes there are still portions of the mountain that are buried in powder and ice ... not to mention being surrounded by steep terrain and ravines that make it difficult to navigate.

The Sheriff's Dept. goes on to say they've conducted 8 separate searches -- consisting of both ground and air tactics -- and that their volunteer hours have crept up toward 500.

Despite not having found him yet ... SBSD says Sands' missing person's case remains open and active -- but those search efforts will continue in a limited capacity going forward.

Some members of Sands' family have said they've already said their goodbyes.

Sands is best known for movies he did in the '80s and '90s -- including 'Warlock,' 'A Room with a View,' 'Arachnophobia,' 'Boxing Helena,' 'Naked Lunch,' 'Gothic' and many others.

Titanic Submarine That Tours Wreckage Missing in Atlantic Ocean

Published | Updated

A submarine that gives underwater tours of the sunken Titanic has gone missing during a recent expedition ... and now, authorities are on the hunt to find it somewhere in the Atlantic.

The deep-sea vessel vanished sometime over the weekend, with a full-blown search and rescue operation launched Monday, via the U.S. Coast Guard. Reports say inside the sub were 4 crew members and one tourist.

Unclear where exactly it lost touch with its home base ... but reports say the submarine had begun a 12,500-foot descent into the ocean to see the Titanic wreckage up close off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A famed (and rich) British world explorer, Hamish Harding, is said to be the lone civilian accompanying the crew ... as confirmed by his family.

Harding -- who once paid top-dollar for a ride in Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket -- posted a proud pic of himself Sunday, hyping up the fact that he'd be the last person to see the Titanic in '23. The org that owns and operates this submarine, OceanGate Expeditions, was actually set to resume voyages in 2024 -- and this one was going to be their last of the year.

OceanGate has said this sub belongs to them ... and that their team had yet to return from the mission. They're a private company that offers tours of the Titanic ... and tickets for this go as high as $250k.

Normally, these OceanGate Titanic trips last 8 days total and the dives to the Titanic can reach up to 10 hours apiece. OceanGate says they often rely on satellite tech to stay in touch with their subs -- but in this case, it seems all communication has been lost.

The company says their focus right now is "on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families." They add, "We are exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely." At this point, it doesn't sound like the search has turned up any signs of life.

Bebe Rexha Struck In Head By Phone ... Rushed Off the Stage

Published | Updated
bebe phone face 6/18/23
PHONE TO THE FACE
UPDATE

7:46 PM PT -- Nicolas Malvagna was reportedly arraigned Monday night on the following charges: two counts of assault in the three degree, one count of harassment in the second degree, one count of aggravated harassment in the second degree, and one count of attempted assault in the third degree.

UPDATE

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office claims he confessed, "I was trying to see if I could hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny."

UPDATE

7:57 AM PT -- Bebe Rexha just posted her injury pics, and they look brutal ... you can see the cut just above her eye where she needed stitches, and there's also significant bruising.

UPDATE

Bebe Rexha had an incredibly painful experience at her NYC concert Sunday night ... collapsing onstage after getting pelted in the head by a phone.

The singer was performing at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in Manhattan as part of her "Best F'n Night of My Life" tour when somebody tossed the phone from a packed crowd, hitting her directly in the face.

One video posted to social media shows Bebe crumbling to her knees and slumped over in pain. Her worried handlers quickly rush to her side to give her assistance.

A second clip shows Bebe holding her injured face with one hand while waving to her fans with the other as she's escorted off the stage by her crew. The audience responded by chanting her name in support.

Her fans also expressed their concern and disgust on Twitter. One wrote, "Absolutely great show ruined by a fan throwing their phone at @BebeRexha hopefully she is ok after that."

Another said in part, "We were all having a hell of a good time and so was Bebe, we were all having a blast, I mean who would even do that??? We hope you’re ok."

Reports say Bebe needed 3 stitches to close her wound.

NYPD officers responded to the scene and arrested the alleged culprit, Nicolas Malvagna, for assault. Police noted the charge was upgraded to a felony because Malvagna used the phone as a weapon.

Originally Published -- 6:13 AM PT

Shawn Mendes Stage-Ready Again After Hiatus ... Guests with Ed Sheeran!!!

Published | Updated
mendes sheeran
MENDES RETURNS

Shawn Mendes is dipping his foot back into the pool of live performances ... nearly a year after pulling the plug on his tour, the singer made a surprise appearance with Ed Sheeran.

Ed's own tour stopped in Shawn's native Toronto Saturday night, and fans were thrilled to see Shawn join him to duet on Ed's track, "Lego House."

SM looked totally at ease as he harmonized with Ed, and both guys played acoustic guitars. It's exactly the kinda thing Shawn's fans have been jonesin' for since last summer.

As we reported, Shawn abruptly canceled his 2022 tour last July citing post-pandemic anxiety and mental health issues.

As he put it at the time, "The reality is I was not at all ready for how difficult touring would be after this time away. After speaking more with my team and working with an incredible group of health professionals, it has become more clear that I need to take the time I've never taken personally, to ground myself and come back stronger."

Shawn recently dropped a new song, "What the Hell Are We Dying For?" -- albeit with some controversy over the single's cover art -- but it's another sign the artist is poised for a full-fledged return to performing.

Twitter Debates Who's Got Funnier Movies Chris Tucker vs. Martin Lawrence

Published | Updated

A new viral debate has overtaken Twitter, and it's all about who's got the funnier slate of films under his belt ... with the contenders being Chris Tucker and Martin Lawrence.

The question was posed on the bird app this weekend, and it was asked in a hypothetical way ... namely, who would win in a Movie Verzuz in their prime -- which makes this poll all the more difficult to answer, as both of these comedy titans have great flicks to their name.

Twitter users have been sounding off the past 24 hours, and it seems the internet might be torn on this one ... if not giving Chris a slight edge, although the margin is razor thin.

Of course, they're citing four flicks in particular that Chris had between the mid-to-late '90s and the early 2000s which rocketed him into super stardom in Hollywood. Those cult classics would be ... 'Friday,' 'Money Talks,' 'Rush Hour' and 'Rush Hour 2' -- an incredible lineup.

Martin ain't a slouch though ... and he's got quite the stockpile in his corner too. For his "prime" movie run -- folks are pointing to 'Bad Boys,' 'A Thin Line', 'Life,' 'Blue Streak' and 'Big Momma's House' ... just to name a few. He's got a stacked roster.

While Martin certainly has more movie credits to his name -- and more comedies in general -- a good handful are suggesting that Chris' top films might actually take the cake here ... just because of how iconic his films/roles turned out to be in the grand scheme of things.

As one person eloquently put ... Chris could probably do 'Blue Streak,' but Martin probably couldn't have done Fifth Element as well or as uniquely as Chris did -- which seems fair.

Obviously, this question is very much in the eye of the beholder -- and it all really boils down to your personal taste and comedy sensibilities. Even if Chris' top movies are, perhaps, funnier than Martin's (which is very debatable) the fact is ... Martin still has 'Martin.'

It's his iconic sitcom that ran for several seasons in the '90s ... and it kinda puts him in another stratosphere of stardom. The guy did it all ... standup, TV and movies, a triple-threat.

Strangely enough, both dudes have somewhat faded from the spotlight in recent years -- but that doesn't mean they're not working. We know Martin is currently filming 'Bad Boys 4' with Will Smith -- and there's rumblings CT is teaming with Jackie Chan for 'Rush Hour 4.'

Clearly, everyone's entitled to their opinion ... and the Twitter-sphere has already weighed on. So, in that spirit ... we gotta ask here ourselves -- who you got between Chris and Martin in terms of gut-busting laughs, classic lines and overall entertainment?

'Memba, we're talking best movie lineup in their "prime" ... whatever that may mean. Vote!

Ezra Miller's 'The Flash' Off to Slow Box Office Start ... Despite All the Hype

Published | Updated

Ezra Miller's "The Flash" has been getting hailed as the greatest comic book movie of all time -- but it seems audiences don't really care ... 'cause, so far, they're hardly going to see it.

The 1st-day box office numbers are in ... and they're not very hot. Between Thursday's previews and Friday's haul, "The Flash" has only grossed $24.5 million domestically -- which means this flick isn't even close to hitting the original estimates of $70 mil+.

At this point, 'Flash' is pegged to hit between $55-$59 million through the 3-day weekend -- which is a huge disappointment considering how much good word of mouth it'd generated. BTW, The Rock's "Black Adam" performed slightly better last year on opening day ... and that film was largely considered a flop big picture. With that in mind, this is truly a disaster.

You might've heard about the buzz over the past several months -- tons of screenings were held by Warner Bros., and some were walking away calling it one of the best DC installments to date. There was even an anecdote about Tom Cruise recently seeing it ... and calling the director to praise him and the film. Like we said, it's been the talk of the town for a while.

Despite all this favorable publicity -- outside of Ezra's personal scandals -- it would appear your average moviegoer doesn't give a rip ... but it's hard to say why at this point.

Some might attribute it to Ezra themself ... who's been mired in controversies for about 2 years now. It might also be the lack of a traditional press run the studio opted for -- there were hardly any interviews in the lead-up -- but others are pointing to James Gunn.

Of course, Gunn is at the helm of DC now ... and he's strongly suggested he's going to be rebooting the entire DCU, and sorta doing away with whatever Zack Snyder established.

"The Flash" is one of the last few leftovers pre-Gunn ... so, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't seem like anything that happens in this movie really matters -- seeing how JG is going to start from scratch anyway. In other words, little to no stakes seem to be at play.

It's gotta be a bummer for the studio heads who were hoping cameos and reprisals would drum up excitement for "The Flash." Remember, Michael Keaton came to play Batman again ... and there's been word of lots of other Batman actors making an appearance as well.

In the end, though ... it doesn't seem like people were all that into it. Plus, if you watch the movie itself (which we have) then you'll come to realize -- there's a lot of time-jumping and universe rebooting ... and it's somewhat hard to follow what the hell is really going on.

For instance, the final question of who's Batman gets teased (and left as a cliffhanger). If you thought it'd be Keaton, Ben Affleck, or even Christian Bale ... you're dead wrong.

!!!SPOILER ALERT ... WE'RE ABOUT TO SPOIL "THE FLASH" ... SO LOOK AWAY NOW!!!

Anyone 'memba this guy??? Yeah, he's back too ... but again, to what end is anyone's guess.

Time will tell what the lackluster numbers mean for DC's future. For now, WB's just gotta eat it and move on.

Pres. Biden Ends Speech w/ 'God Save the Queen' ... Um, Sir ... QE2 is Dead 💀

Published

President Biden ended some remarks he gave this week on a strange note -- wishing health and prosperity on the Queen of England ... even though she's already kicked the bucket.

Joe was at the University of Hartford in Connecticut Friday, where he was giving a keynote speech for the National Safer Communities Summit ... where he was in front of a crowd featuring a ton of gun control activists. All was going well -- until the very end.

Watch ... JB starts to joke around with the crowd, and right before he leaves the podium -- he says, "Alright. God save the Queen, man." The crowd, weirdly enough, loved it.

Unclear why POTUS ended his speech this way -- for 2 reasons. One, he wasn't in England or across the pond, and definitely wasn't talking to a UK crowd. These were just regular old Americans. Of course, more importantly ... Queen Eliabeth II has been dead for months.

A lot of folks are circulating this clip/roasting Joe for it. On its face, it's just another gaffe.

While the Prez had kind words for the late monarch, her son probably would've appreciated Joe's well-wishes ... especially heading into the weekend, where he celebrated his first Trooping the Colour parade -- which is a celebration of his first year as the new King.

Charles was out there in his red military uniform, and even rode on horseback with one of those tall funny hats that cover your eyes. Indeed, he looked very Royal and prestigious.

The people of London packed the streets to see their new King, but in the end ... the spotlight wasn't totally on him the whole time -- thanks in large part to his grandson, Prince Louis. The kid goes viral from time to time for silly poses he does on the balcony.

As the people of Great Britain came to see on Saturday, he was at it again ... soaking in the glory. The little guy was having the time of his life -- and striking a lot of different poses.

When it comes to Joe and his sense of who's alive or dead -- somebody fill him in please!

Travis Barker Surprise Reaction to Kourt Baby News ... Caught on New Video

Published | Updated

Update

3:29 PM PST -- TMZ has obtained more footage that shows the moments before Kourtney started flashing her "I'm Pregnant" sign ... and yet a new angle of their passionate kiss.

061723_travis_kourtney_bts 6/16/23
BREAKING THE NEWS

Check out this video we got our hands on ... it's a new angle that shows what was going on ahead of the big reveal, and it looks like Kourt had a gang of support on hand ready for her to throw up the sign. Once she did, the Blink-182 guys saw it almost immediately ... and flagged Travis onstage. BTW, some of her sisters (and their kids) were there too ... a whole family affair, it seems.

Once Trav reached Kourtney in the front row, they started kissing ... or making out, rather. The angle we saw earlier didn't quite show what we have here -- a straight up lovefest.

Yeah, he's stoked to be a daddy again. Good stuff, indeed.

1:06 PM PST -- Travis Barker was truly stunned when he learned that his wife, Kourtney Kardashian, was expecting a child ... which you can now see in full view in new video obtained by TMZ.

Check out this footage that shows the moment TB got the announcement communicated to him onstage. He seems to be genuinely confused at first, not really realizing the news is for him -- but once it all clicks, you can see his reaction ... shocked and overjoyed.

Just like other videos show, he hops down to embrace KK ... and they smooch. Sounds like the whole thing was just as much as a surprise for him as it was for everyone else.

Congrats again!

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Kourtney Kardashian brought down the house at the Blink-182 concert Friday night with some earth-shattering news ... she's pregnant!!

The reality star was standing in a packed crowd watching her hubby Travis Barker and his bandmates perform Friday night at BMO Stadium in L.A. when she raised a large sign bearing an even larger message ... "Travis, I'm Pregnant."

Video of the super happy moment went viral ... showing Kourt smiling and jumping up and down with joy while holding the sign over her head.

After seeing the message, Travis stopped slapping the drums and jumped off stage to plant a big kiss on Kourt, celebrating their first child together.

Of course, everyone in the stadium -- fans and Trav's bandmates -- were cheering for the lovebirds. Kourt's sign, BTW, recreates a scene from Blink's "All the Small Things" music video.

And, no, it wasn't just for show ... Kourt later confirmed the pregnancy on her Instagram story.

As we reported, Kourt and Trav got hitched at a Santa Barbara courthouse in May 2022 after their decade-long friendship blossomed into a romance. A week later, they threw a more lavish wedding at the Dolce & Gabbana mansion in Portofino, Italy.

Around this time, Kourt started documenting her struggles with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) -- a technique used to help people with fertility problems have babies.

Kourt even talked about it on her family's Hulu show, "The Kardashians," revealing her experience with IVF wasn't great and calling it "awful" at one point. Worse, Kourt said her prescribed medication for her IVF treatments caused her to go into menopause and, as a result, she fell into a depression and gained some weight.

She then put a pause on IVF altogether while freezing her eggs in the hopes of having her fourth child. While we don't know for sure, it's probably a good guess Kourt's egg freezing did the trick this time around. No word yet on No. 4's gender or name, but that should be forthcoming.

Kourtney shares three children with her ex Scott Disick: Mason Disick, 13, Penelope Disick, 10, and Reign Disick, 8. Travis, on the other hand, has 2 kids with his ex-wife Shanna Moakler: Landon Barker, 19, Alabama Barker, 17, plus his stepdaughter Atiana De La Hoya, 24.

Now the couple can add one more kiddo to their enormous blended family list. Congrats you two!!

Originally Published -- 5:19 AM PT

Amanda Bynes Mental Health Evaluation in L.A. ... Amid Recent Troubles

Published | Updated

Amanda Bynes found herself in police custody again this weekend -- she was just thrown into handcuffs for another mental health evaluation ... this amid her ongoing struggles.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Bynes was intercepted by LAPD officers Saturday morning after a call came in for a woman who was in distress. That woman, as we've learned, is Bynes. We're told she was taken to a police station where a professional medical unit was standing by to check her out and determine if she needed further treatment.

As you can see, as part of this process ... Amanda was detained. Eyewitnesses tell us she was calm during the interaction with cops, and looked defeated as they dealt with her. We're told she was placed in the back of one of the 3 cruisers that arrived to her location.

It's unclear if Amanda was escorted out of her home, or if she was just found on the street here. We also don't know if she was ultimately taken to a hospital for a full-blown 5150 hold, or if she was released by LAPD. We're working on getting more info now.

This latest stumble follows a downward spiral the former Nick star has been on since being admitted into a mental hospital earlier this year -- this after she was found roaming the streets of DTLA completely naked, at which point she was placed on a psych hold.

Amanda has since been released from that mental health facility, but we've heard from people with direct knowledge that she hasn't been doing so great in the aftermath of that.

As we've reported ... AB has been living alone and doesn't have many people in her orbit. She tends to keep to herself, and we're told her attitude lately has been despondent. However, we do hear she's been good about taking her meds and seeing therapists.

Of course, her on-again-off-again fiance, Paul Michael, told us they split about a week before her breakdown in the spring ... and it doesn't appear they're back together at this point.

The larger backdrop to all of this is Amanda having been released from her multi-year conservatorship in 2022. Leading up to that, she appeared to be doing quite well for herself -- attending fashion school and seeming focused and relatively healthy amid a career change.

It's heartbreaking to see her going down an all-too-familiar road after all of her progress.

Kylie Jenner Plays Tory Lanez Song on TikTok?!? ... Fans Surprised

Published | Updated

Kylie Jenner used a Tory Lanez song as background music in one of her latest social media posts ... and it's got people doing a double take -- perhaps rightly so.

The KarJenner influencer threw up a goofy TikTok Friday, where she's recording herself in the car and using a silly filter that makes her face look a little man-ish ... not to mention cartoonish. She's obviously enjoying it, hamming it up for the camera and posing.

061723_kylie_jenner_kal JUNE 2023
EMBRACING THE TORY TREND

It appears Kylie actually posted another video (without the filter on), but deleted it after.

Here's what's got folks scratching their heads ... a snippet of Tory's song, "Hurts Me," is playing over Kylie's vid -- and, yes, it would appear she chose it herself. We should note ... this filter is being used a lot right now -- and it's being coupled with TL's song ... for reasons beyond us. This appears to be some sort of a new challenge ... and KJ got in on it.

Waiting for your permission to load TikTok Post.

Of course, the reason Kylie's getting a little side-eye over her use of the song is the fact that she was tangentially tied to the Megan Thee Stallion shooting ... at least at first, anyway.

You'll recall ... the shooting took place after Tory, Meg and some other friends were hanging out at Kylie's house back in 2020 -- where they were chillin' in the pool and partying it up. In fact, attorneys during Tory's trial actually suggested he was flirting with Kylie that night.

As the story goes ... Meg appeared to be angry with Tory for seemingly trying to get with Kylie, and she left the kickback early ... with Tory staying behind. Eventually, Meg and her pal Kelsey came back for him -- and everything went downhill from there in the SUV.

As prosecutors argued in court, Tory allegedly shot at Megan ... and she was injured as a result. A jury found that to be true, and he was convicted on felony gun and assault charges.

Seeing how this whole thing kicked off at Kylie's crib ... some feel it's strange that she's publicly embracing Tory's song, even if it is in jest. On its face, at least to some, it almost feels like she's taking sides ... this after remaining relatively neutral throughout the saga.

The other weird thing here is ... Kylie actually made a cameo in Meg's 'WAP' music video with Cardi B -- and that, at the time, seemed to be a sign of solidarity with MTS.

Kylie's video with Tory's song attached is still up as of this writing ... so it seems like she's perfectly fine with the reaction it's spurring, even the negative takes. To each their own. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Bill Simmons Trashes Meg & Harry as 'Grifters' ... Amid Spotify Exit

Published | Updated
0617-bill-simmons-meghan-markle-prince-harry-audio-art-desktop-1
GIVING UP THE GRIFT

Bill Simmons called Meghan Markle and Prince Harry de facto charlatans amid their Spotify exit -- and he clearly believes they brought little to nothing to the table there.

The longtime sports media personality and Ringer founder -- who made a boatload of cash in a mega-sale to Spotify a few years back, and who oversees a sea of podcasts under The Ringer brand there at Spotify as well -- trashed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in one of his latest podcast episodes ... where he did not mince words on how he felt about 'em.

BS launched into a quick and mini tirade about the Royal couple ... jokingly saying he wished he was part of their deal to leave Spotify, and then proceeded to call them "grifters."

Check it out yourself ... not only does Bill call them virtual phonies in the podcast game, but he actually drops what sounds like an F-bomb too. Adding insult to injury, he teases a story he says he has about trying to pitch PH a podcast idea over Zoom once upon a time.

Doesn't sound like that went well ... 'cause Bill obviously isn't a fan of them or their content.

Speaking of that content, reports have suggested that Meg and co. simply weren't cranking out enough of it to meet their end of the $20 million bargain. As such, some media outlets are saying they won't get paid out in full on their contract -- which is ... not great.

BTW, Harry and Meghan aren't the only people at Spotify getting kicked to the curb. It appears there's a lot of fat-trimming going on for pods that aren't producing -- Jemele Hill's losing her Spotify deal, and the Obamas lost theirs as well in the not-too-distant past.

As they say, capitalism prevails.

Ms. Jacky Oh!'s Plastic Surgeon My Practice is Safe, 'Highest Quality' ... First Post Since Her Death

Published

Ms. Jacky Oh!'s plastic surgeon Dr. Zachary Okhah is breaking his silence, and while he isn't mentioning her or her death ... he is trying to reassure clients his practice is safe and open for business.

In his text-only post Friday -- his first since Jacky's May 31 death -- Dr. Zach, as he's commonly known, says ... "To all my past, current and prospective patients, PH-1 Miami remains devoted to the highest quality medical care."

He added, "All aesthetic procedures are performed in a hygienically safe environment to universally recognized medical standards."

Dr. Zach reportedly performed a so-called "Mommy makeover" for Jacky in Miami at some point before she was found unresponsive. It's unclear how much time passed between the procedure and her death -- Dr. Zach hasn't publicly addressed her case.

A photo of Dr. Zach with Jacky had been posted on his IG on May 30, referring to her impending procedure, but it was quickly removed after she died.

Comedian and actor DC Young Fly, with whom she had 3 children, paid tribute to her in an Instagram post earlier this month, calling her the "GREATEST MOTHER I KNOW."

As we reported, DC Young Fly honored her with an elaborate and beautiful funeral service in Atlanta.

And while there's been no official linkage between Jacky's makeover and her death, Dr. Zach is doing his best to ease any fears amongst his clientele.

As he said in his post, "Our mission is to help our patients achieve the best possible results in the safest and most medically appropriate way possible."

TRANS INFLUENCER ROSE MONTOYA Sorry I Went Topless At White House Pride Event

Published | Updated

Trans influencer Rose Montoya is apologizing for taking her top off at a Pride event at the White House ... admitting her actions were unbecoming of an invited guest.

Rose broke her silence Friday, saying she regretted flashing her boobs on the lawn at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue ... and uploading a video of the act to social media.

061612-rose-montoya-kal
TAKING RESPONSIBILITY

The apology comes on the heels the White House banning Rose from future events for her stunt. She previously defended her conduct, but that was before the ban.

061623_rose_montoya_white_house_kal 6/10/23
FEELIN' FREE IN D.C.

As we reported ... Rose was among the hundreds of guests invited by President Biden to a Pride event at the White House, causing outrage when she pulled down her dress to expose her boobs on the South lawn, with the Truman Balcony and a Pride flag in the background.

061323-rose-montoya-talking-kal 6/13/23
FREE THE NIPPLE

In announcing her ban, the White House ripped Rose's actions as "inappropriate and disrespectful for any event."

Rose seems to agree with that assessment, and she's promising to do better moving forward.

Flavor Flav No Shame in My Swiftie Game ... See You in L.A., Taylor!!!

Published | Updated

Flavor Flav isn't shy about his Taylor Swift fandom. After going super viral for attending her concert in Detroit, the Public Enemy legend says he can't wait to see Taylor live again.

TMZ Hip Hop checked in with Flav Thursday on the heels of his grand appearance at Taylor's 'Eras' show. The 64-year-old couldn't understand why people were so surprised to see him enjoying the sounds of TS in person.

As far as Flav is concerned, Taylor's a mega-popstar who's sold over 100 million records ... so of course he's gonna appreciate her greatness!

Flav and Taylor first linked up at the iHeartRadio Awards in March, and he tells us he was bumping her music wayyy before that ... as he's a fan of all genres.

Flav says iHeart's invited him and Chuck D to perform as Public Enemy at their upcoming iHeartRadio Music Festival in September ... and Flav says the group's got a new album on the way.

The project will mark album #16 from the legendary act, and Flav says they've enlisted the services of their OG production team The Bomb Squad for the beats.

Outside the studio, Flavor says his recent trip to Harvard inspired his life for the better and he owes his newfound energy to 3 years (and counting) of sobriety.

Flav and Chuck will also be at the Rock Hall on June 29 to kick off the HipHop50 Exhibit.

Yeahhhh, boyeeeee!!! He's still Public Enemy #1!!!