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James Cameron's harsh criticism of the imploded OceanGate submersible, and its CEO Stockton Rush, is pissing off OceanGate's co-founder ... who says Cameron's just guessing what happened to Titan, and has no actual knowledge.

Guillermo Söhnlein is pushing back on the "Titanic" director's assertion the submersible was "too experimental to carry passengers" ... saying it's impossible for James to know all the details.

Guillermo went on Times Radio Friday in the U.K., and defended OceanGate and Stockton, saying ... "It's impossible for anyone to really speculate from the outside ... I know from firsthand experience that we were extremely committed to safety and risk mitigation was a key part of the company culture."

Remember, James is blaming the tragedy on Stockton -- who was piloting Titan when it imploded -- claiming he ignored warnings from the industry about the safety of Titan's design, and then made matters worse by taking tourists aboard the vessel.

James, who made 33 dives to the famous shipwreck, said he and others in the submersible community voiced concerns about the Titan submersible, but Stockton pushed forward, undeterred -- kind of like the Titanic captain who went full steam ahead into an ice field.

Guillermo says James' views are not gospel -- he says there are differing opinions and views within the industry about every aspect of deep ocean dives and submersibles ... and, most importantly, he says James wasn't involved in the design, engineering, building, testing or diving on Titan.

Despite the 5 deaths aboard Titan, Guillermo says this isn't the end of OceanGate ... he says the company needs to investigate what went wrong, and apply those lessons moving forward.

Doja Cat is ready to paint multiple cities red on her Scarlet Tour which she officially announced on Friday.

The 24-date tour is produced by Live Nation, kicks off on Halloween 2023 and marks Doja's first-ever North American arena tour!!!

In the spirit of her blockbuster album, "Planet Her," the tour features red-hot female rappers Ice Spice and Doechii.

Ice's placement on the Scarlet Tour is just another example of her booming popularity.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... the "Princess Diana" rapper had to turn down this year's XXL Freshman cover when her performance bookings piled up!!!

Doechii was a Freshman in 2022, and the TDE signee just topped Billboard's Rhythmic Airplay list with her new track, "What It Is (Block Boy)."

The document the 4 passengers signed before getting in the ill-fated submersible could prevent their families from filing a wrongful death lawsuit, but there's one big exception.

The relevant jurisdiction according to the contract is the Bahamas. Bahamian law adopts many provisions of United States law, and in most U.S. states a company can absolve itself of liability for injury or death even if it was negligent, provided it fully discloses the risks to the participants.

There are other factors to consider, including lopsided bargaining power and the clarity of the language in the waiver. In this case, the passengers were all well-to-do and sophisticated, with access to counsel.

In short, even if OceanGate negligently constructed or operated the submersible, the families could very well be out of luck if they sue for wrongful death.

Now there's a big exception ... if a court were to determine OceanGate was "grossly negligent," the liability waiver would not be enforceable. Gross negligence is defined "a lack of care that demonstrates reckless disregard for the safety or lives of others." In short, a company cannot enforce a waiver if it engaged in reckless conduct.

That will be for a judge and/or jury to decide -- whether issues of design, materials, and operation crossed that line.

Some of the Louis Tomlinson fans pulverized in a hail storm are revealing the gnarly injuries they suffered ... and it ain't pretty!!!

Videos/photos of concertgoers' painful wounds were posted to social media after Tomlinson's Wednesday night performance came to a screeching halt due to the brutal weather conditions. One fan's back was covered with massive welts. 😱

Nearly 100 attendees suffered injuries as they were rushed out of the Red Rocks Amphitheater.

The footage shows one fan with golf-ball size red blotches on her back...another person with gashes to her fingers and a third individual whose leg looks like it was beaten with a club.

According to the fire department ... 7 people were taken to a hospital to be treated for cuts and broken bones while 80-to-90 others received medical attention at the venue.

As the balls of ice were falling, fans tried to seek refuge anywhere they could and many later wrote about their harrowing experiences on Twitter. One even called the ordeal the "scariest night of my life."

Louis says they're gonna give fans full refunds, or do a make-up show -- it hasn't been determined yet.

James Cameron is putting the U.S. military on blast in the aftermath of the Titanic submersible disaster ... saying he knew right away the vessel imploded, and so did the military -- yet somehow, the search dragged on for days.

The "Titanic" director told CNN it didn't take him long, back on Monday morning, to gather all the facts about the missing OceanGate Titan sub -- saying it immediately had all the markings of something "catastrophic," like an implosion, had occurred on Sunday.

James says he knew it would have to be something like an implosion for the submersible's communications and navigation systems to go out at the same time -- plus, the U.S. military's microphones had picked up a sound right around the same time the sub lost contact.

While he doesn't directly call out the U.S. military ... the fact is, the U.S. Coast Guard was coordinating the search and rescue mission -- an operation James calls a "prolonged nightmarish charade" that did nothing but create "false hope."

As we reported, James also took the opportunity Thursday to point blame at the late OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who was the pilot for the fatal voyage ... drawing a grim comparison between the recent trip and the Titanic's tragic one-and-only travel.

A Vegas tycoon didn't like the odds of surviving a trip aboard the ill-fated Titanic submarine -- and his intuition saved his life.

Jay Bloom says he could have been a passenger on the OceanGate-owned Titan submarine that claimed the lives of 5 people after the vessel imploded during a voyage to see the remnants of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean.

OceanGate chief executive Stockton Rush even offered Bloom and his son a sweet discount from $250K to $150K per person -- but Bloom still blew it off, which, looking back now, was a life-saving decision.

In a Facebook post, Bloom shared text messages from February he traded with Rush about going on the Titanic expedition.

One text exchange showed how Bloom's son was clearly apprehensive about going on the voyage with Bloom stating, "My son's friend researched what could go wrong and put a little scare in him. He's excited to go, but concerned about the danger."

Maury Povich is taking his schtick to the next level ... launching a DNA paternity test company, offering at-home testing services for families in search of answers.

The TV host, famous for announcing the results of paternity tests on his show with his catchphrase "You are NOT the father" is now selling a DNA paternity test that can be done anywhere.

Maury is offering the at-home tests through his new company, which he's cleverly calling, "The Results are In."

The testing kits include materials and instructions for how to take a DNA sample, and then the samples are sent to a lab at DNA Diagnostics Center ... without the need for medical professionals or TV producers and their pesky cameras.

Maury's company promises results become available in 2-3 business days, with a 99.99% accuracy rate ... and they say it's all confidential.

In a statement, Maury tells TMZ ... "I've seen firsthand how DNA testing can change lives and bring families together. With 'The Results Are In,' we're making it easier and more affordable than ever before for people to get the answers they need."

Let the at-home drama commence.

James Cameron is going to catch a lot of heat for this ... he just blamed the Titanic-bound submersible tragedy on the captain, callously comparing it to the famous shipwreck.

The "Titanic" director shared his hot take on the submersible's deadly implosion, which killed all 5 people onboard, with ABC ... and it's shocking to hear.

James says ... "I'm struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship and yet he steamed at full speed into an ice field."

In short, James is blaming the tragedy on OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush .. who piloted the Titan submersible on the ill-fated mission.

James is considered a bit of an expert in this field ... in addition to winning Oscars for "Titanic," he also made 33 dives to the bottom of the Atlantic to see the shipwreck up close.

Some folks are critical of OceanGate and Stockton for exploring 2.5 miles below the surface in a tiny submersible navigated with consumer product parts, and James seems to be in that camp.

The 5 passengers aboard the submersible that went missing while attempting to explore the Titanic wreckage are dead ... according to the expedition company.

OceanGate Inc. gave a statement Thursday, saying those aboard the Titan vessel "have sadly been lost" ... calling them "true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans."

Officials say they located a debris field about 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic wreckage. Within that debris field, there was 5 "major" pieces of debris discovered to lead them to believe the vessel imploded.

The announcement comes just hours after a debris field was spotted near the Titanic's wreckage Thursday, and experts quickly got to work on evaluating what they found ... while a friend of 2 of the missing men claimed it was a landing frame and rear cover of the vessel.

The 22-foot-long sub, dubbed Titan, was first reported missing Sunday evening by its parent company, OceanGate Expeditions. The org says it first lost communication with its deep-sea voyagers about a couple hours into their descent ... and flagged the authorities hours later when it failed to emerge to the surface when it was scheduled to.

Since then, the U.S. Coast Guard and even Canadian officials have engaged in a full-blown search and rescue effort -- deploying all sorts of teams and equipment in hopes of finding Titan ... not to mention its five occupants, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush -- who's said to have been piloting the submersible on this particular mission.

OceanGate offers tourism rides down to the Titanic for $250k a pop. The other people who were inside included British explorer Hamish Harding, researcher/diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, as well as his son Suleman.

The sub is reported to have limited life support ... including only 96 hours worth of breathable air which would have run out Thursday morning.

Search crews detected banging noises over their sonars during the hunt on Tuesday in the Atlantic Ocean, going off in 30-minute intervals ... and according to CNN, an internal U.S. government memo says the noise would help assist the crew in finding the vessel.

OceanGates' technology for its submersible has also come under scrutiny in recent days. While parts of Titan were made with top technology, other elements -- including several components on the inside -- were revealed to have been comprised of makeshift consumer goods ... including gaming remote controls, basic light fixtures, and other simple parts.

Reports have indicated that a former employee of OceanGate once tried flagging what he claimed were safety concerns about Titan to his bosses in 2018 -- only to be allegedly fired after doing so ... at least according to a whistleblower complaint detailing his allegations.

Experts have said the likelihood of the passengers' survival was slim to none, considering the circumstances.

Even former Coast Guard Captain Andrew Norris filled us in on the multiple miracles that would be needed in order to ensure the passengers survived the terrifying incident.

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

The 4 kids who survived a fatal plane crash in Colombia and then somehow made it out alive after 40 terrifying days in the jungle are not out of danger ... because they are now prime targets for kidnapping.

TMZ has prepared a documentary on their incredible survival story that airs tonight on FOX at 8 PM ET, and the doc ends with the question -- Where do they go from here? Fact is, the kids -- ages 13, 9, 4 and 11 months at the time of the crash -- are now national celebrities.

People on the ground in Colombia who know the lay of the land tell us, ransom is currency in their country, and insurgents frequently target high-profile people for kidnapping.

As the kids recover physically and emotionally, government officials are trying to figure out who should care for them, and safety is a big factor.

You'd think their father would become the caregiver, but a bitter custody battle has exploded between the dad and the maternal grandparents. The grandparents claim the dad, Manuel Ranoque, was physically abusive toward the kids' mom, even striking her with a machete. The father tells TMZ he has never abused his late wife or the kids.

A possible break in the search for the missing Titanic submersible, as rescuers have discovered a debris field near the site of the famous ship's wreckage.

A tweet from the U.S. Coast Guard Northeast account Thursday states, "A debris field was discovered within the search area by an ROV near the Titanic. Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information."

It's currently unclear what type of debris was found, or if there's reason to believe it has anything to do with OceanGate's missing Titan submersible.

In a press conference Wednesday, officials said other non-related debris had been found during the search.

The announcement comes one day after officials announced they'd heard underwater noise on several occasions during the search ... but that evidence has not yet yielded any results.

It was early Thursday morning when it became assumed the vessel's 96-hour emergency oxygen supply had run out.

As we reported, OceanGate lost contact with Titan about 2 hours into its trip Sunday morning. There's been zero sign of the vessel since.

The four children who survived a plane crash in Colombia last month and then fended for themselves in the treacherous Amazon jungle for 40 days, actually hid from their rescuers ... TMZ has learned.

The kids -- ages 13, 9, 4, and 11 months -- were onboard a Cessna that crashed in a Colombian jungle nose first, killing their mom, the pilot, and another man. Their survival story is incredible, and the subject of a TMZ documentary -- "TMZ Investigates: The Miracle Children of the Amazon" -- which airs tonight on FOX at 8 PM ET.

TMZ has had boots on the ground in Colombia since June 9, when the kids were rescued. As we report in the doc, military GPS shows rescuers were in earshot of the kids days before they were rescued, but the children hid from them. We're told they feared the rescuers were actually insurgent forces that would kill them.

There are two survival stories here -- surviving in the jungle amid wild animals, snakes, poisonous bugs, and deadly fruit, and surviving the plane crash itself. As for how they survived the crash, three of them were in the back of the plane, which remained relatively intact. As for the infant, she was cradled by her mother, who cushioned the child during impact.

"Simpsons" writer and producer Mike Reiss says he was super relaxed during his journey to the Titanic wreck aboard an OceanGate submersible -- but also scarily aware he might die down there.

Mike joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live," and detailed his experience on the Titan ... the sub that went missing this week in the Atlantic Ocean while attempting the exact same journey he made last summer.

For Mike, his trip included a few bumps and some technical difficulties ... but he says he kept his cool inside the cramped sub, even getting some shut-eye on the 2.5-hour descent to the ocean floor.

He says they stumbled upon the wreck and only had about 30 minutes to check it out from the tiny viewport ... but he got his pictures.

Mike was able to keep calm even in the face of some challenging conditions ... as he tells us, it's pitch black 2.5 miles under the surface and the sub creeps along in the dark looking for the wreck, usually without much help from the navigators back on the surface.

Plus, there's the fact Mike says the waiver he signed before the expedition made it very clear death was a possible outcome.

It's interesting ... Mike says he was actually comforted by the relative simplicity of the sub, including the video game controller steering the Titan.

As you know ... the Titan went missing Sunday during an expedition to the Titanic and a search and rescue effort is underway ... the clock is ticking and time is running out.

Our conversation with Mike is super interesting and insightful ... and he tells us why he went down there in the first place, and under what circumstances he'd actually go back again.

Search crews desperately looking for the five people trapped inside a submarine that vanished in the Atlantic Ocean might have gotten their first break -- after hearing possible signs of life coming from the vessel.

According to CNN, citing an internal U.S. government memo, the crews detected banging noises in 30-minute intervals over their sonars emanating from inside the North Atlantic Ocean Tuesday after the submarine disappeared two days earlier while on a tourist exploration to see the Titanic wreckage.

The internal memo said additional sonar devices were also deployed Tuesday, picking up even more banging, although it was unclear how long the second batch of sounds lasted.

"Additional acoustic feedback was heard and will assist in vectoring surface assets and also indicating continued hope of survivors," CNN reported, quoting the internal document.

What's more ... a Canadian P-3 military aircraft reportedly spotted a white rectangular object in the ocean, but the potential lead has yet to be investigated because crews were too busy probing the banging noises.

The U.S. Coast Guard tweeted ... the P-3 aircraft shared information about the rectangular object with the U.S. Navy "for further analysis which will be considered in future search plans."

As everyone knows by now ... the authorities are in a race against time to find the submarine and save its five passengers, who began with 96 hours of oxygen when they launched the voyage Sunday.

By Tuesday, that number was cut by more than half to 40 hours. Now it's Wednesday and the clock is still ticking.

Former Coast Guard Captain Andrew Norris told us on "TMZ Live" ... the submarine passengers would need an unprecedented miracle to survive this situation.

Cardi B is going off on the stepson of the British billionaire aboard the Titanic submersible, saying he pulled a wildly inappropriate move by going to a live show amid the drama.

The rapper sounded off on Brian Szasz for recently going to a Blink-182 concert in San Diego -- something he proudly touted and defended online, but Cardi sees it the way many others online have ... which is to say, that's messed up dude.

Of course, she says it the way only Cardi can ... asking the rhetorical question she figures Brian might have asked himself before deciding to go see Tom DeLonge and co. in the middle of a family crisis -- uh, should I really be doing this???

According to her, the answer is obviously no ... as she believes the dude oughta be at home crying and saying his prayers for his stepfather -- who, by most experts' accounts, has a slim chance at survival with less than 24 hours left of oxygen in the deep-sea vessel.

As we've reported ... Hamish Harding is one of the 5 people inside OceanGate's Titan. Brian acknowledged the family link online -- and then proceeded to let the world know he was ready to rock with Blink-182, arguing his family would want him to enjoy himself.

While he certainly seemed comfortable with the excursion, a lot of folks in the Twitter-verse were giving him an earful ... and calling him out for what they perceived as insensitivity.

And, of course, there were even some callous jokes cracked that Brian might be stoked to know he's got a fortune of inheritance coming his way soon.

As for CB, she's got a unique final takeaway.

In a nutshell, better to be poor and loved, than uber-rich and seemingly uncared for ... so sayeth, Cardi.

Originally Published -- 6:42 AM PT

The U.S. Navy is getting ahead of the game in the search for the Titanic sub that's gone missing ... sending a deep ocean lifting system in the hopes the vessel is found and can be retrieved.

According to a Navy spokesperson, the maritime force is deploying the Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System -- along with experts in the field -- to hopefully find OceanGate Expeditions' lost Titan vessel and strategize how to bring it to the surface.

The Navy's machinery is a lift system that's designed to provide "reliable deep ocean lifting capacity for the recovery of large, bulky, and heavy undersea objects such as aircraft or small vessels."

The Navy adds the experts and system should arrive in the area as soon as Tuesday night.

As you know, the Titan lost communication with the support crew a couple of hours into its expedition over the weekend ... with the Coast Guard launching a search and rescue for the vessel and the 5 passengers onboard.