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Bradley Cooper is being dragged over his portrayal of legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, and one of the criticisms is at least worth talking about, while the other is utterly ridiculous.

Cooper stars in "Maestro," chronicling the life of the New York Philharmonic conductor, who happens to be Jewish.

One criticism is that Cooper wore a prosthetic nose for the role, which some folks online are calling a "Jewface" stereotype. Point of fact -- Bernstein did have a large nose, so we suppose that's a fair issue to debate.

The ridiculous criticism ... some folks are slamming Cooper, who is not Jewish, and producers for casting him in a role that could have gone to a Jewish actor.

Note to critics -- Bernstein became famous because he was a great conductor who HAPPENED to be Jewish. So if Neil Armstrong were Mormon, should producers only cast a Mormon actor to play him? Absurd.

BTW ... the movie was produced by Steven Spielberg ... 'nuff said.

A woman's life turned upside-down when she sent a bunch of money to one of the stars from "Stranger Things" ... and even divorced her husband because the "actor" told her to.

McKayla, a single mom from Kentucky, claims she was catfished and scammed out of $10k by someone who claimed to be Dacre Montgomery -- known for playing heartthrob-turned-villain, Billy Hargrove, in the Netflix series.

She shared her wild experience on the YouTube channel, Catfished, saying the 2 met on an online forum and chatted for a year before he asked her to be his girlfriend -- for reference, McKayla was still married, but claimed her relationship with her husband was toxic.

BTW, the real Dacre has been dating model Liv Pollock since 2017, but that bit of crucial info didn't seem to stop McKayla from thinking this was legit. He told her to choose between her husband and him ... and shockingly enough, she ditched her husband!

He also told her he couldn't access any of his bank accounts, saying they were all controlled by Liv ... which led to her sending the $10k of gift cards, crypto, and cash through payment apps over time.

A hairy situation unfolded during a furry meetup at the beach ... after things turned physical and one man was conked in the head with a megaphone.

The fist-to-paw scuffle went down in Huntington Beach Saturday -- according to the video, the furry donning a pirate hat used their megaphone to push up against the man who was filming, threatening to force them to leave if he didn't do so willingly.

Things turned ugly fast ... the furry whacked him in the head with the megaphone, and more folks rushed over to the scene as things were taken to the sand. Another furry even came into the mix as the crowd grew around them.

The man who took the beating started screaming after the brawl was over ... shouting, "This is what furries do to you!" Unclear exactly what led to all of this -- but some online claimed the guy filming them was what set the whole thing off.

Tan Mom is throwing her hat in the ring to become the next U.S. Senator from the state of Florida.

Patricia Krentcil, the government name we assume she'd use in D.C., filed paperwork Monday with the Federal Elections Commission to officially run for U.S. Senate in 2024.

Tan Mom's Senate campaign comes on the heels of her latest reality TV show, "Tan to 10," a docuseries following her attempt to quit tanning as part of what she calls an "extreme life makeover."

Patricia says she forged a bond with the LGBTQ+ community during her life makeover and she wants to use those connections to spark change in Washington D.C. with her Senate bid.

Tan Mom -- a frequent guest on "The Howard Stern Show" -- is going up against incumbent Senator Rick Scott, so she's fighting an uphill battle here ... but she's already launched her campaign website and is running as a Republican based out of Boca Raton, naming her producers Gregg Maliff and Adam Barta as her campaign managers.

A single mother to 5 children, Tan Mom says her campaign platforms include LGBTQ+ equality and bringing diversity back to the classrooms -- both hot-button issues in the Sunshine State -- and she's aiming to connect with voters during a slew of upcoming community appearances,

Tan Mom tells TMZ ... "I know that I am different. And I have suffered for it. But us all being different is what makes this country so amazing and unique."

The white apartment manager in North Carolina on video hitting a Black 11-year-old and pouring soda on him is being taken to court by the kid's parents.

Robert Eury and Joella Lee-Eury filed a federal lawsuit against Kimberly Jennings, claiming she got physical with their son and 8-year-old daughter because they were using the pool at the apartment complex she manages.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the parents claim their kids were swimming in the pool at an apartment complex where their friends live when Jennings ordered them out of the water.

The parents say their kids were attempting to leave when Jennings approached their son and "poured soda over his head and struck him in the face multiple times all because him and his little sister was swimming in a pool at the property she manages."

In their suit, the parents claim Jennings also pulled their daughter's hair and hit her after ordering the kids out of the pool. The parents even claim Jennings told their son "he was acting like a real n*****."

Jennings was later arrested on an assault charge, but the parents say their kids are still reeling from the pool incident ... so now they're suing for discrimination, assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Twitter is home to a lot of ridiculous opinions, but the latest trend involving Sandra Bullock might be the app's worst ... users are calling for her to lose her Oscar on the heels of "The Blind Side" controversy.

It's about as crazy as it sounds, especially since there's zero evidence Bullock -- who played Leigh Anne Tuohy in the movie -- had any clue of the drama behind the scenes with Michael Oher and the Tuohy family.

One user wrote, "So Sandra Bullock should have to give back her Oscar right, and man do we need to start checking these good feeling stories. The parents blocked $300 in earnings the movie from him getting any of it and gave the money to their real children? WOOOOOOOW!"

Another says, "If the Michael Oher allegations are true then we have to go AND TAKE THE OSCAR back from Sandra Bullock and give it to Gabourey Sidibe for 'Precious'" and "Sandra Bullock should give her Oscar back. She knows she didn't deserve that s***."

However, there's also people coming to her defense, writing, "Not y'all calling for Sandra Bullock's Oscar to be revoked. It ain't her fault the real life people were exploitative scammers and thieves," and "You know Sandra Bullock deserved her Oscar because she acted so well, she made the Tuohy family likeable."

As we reported, the former NFL star claims the Tuohy family never adopted him -- as the movie suggests -- but he was instead placed under a conservatorship. Oher claims the family made a ton of cash off his life story in "The Blind Side," while he got nothing.

Sean Tuohy is calling BS on Oher, saying the family's only option to legally make him part of their family was a conservatorship -- as he was over 18 -- and each family member made about $14,000 from the movie ... including Oher.

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

This may be one of the greatest catches you'll ever see in a baseball game -- albeit, totally unnecessary -- but still, amazing!

It all went down during the Savannah Bananas -- an exhibition baseball team known for their crazy and fun on-field antics -- world tour in Hartford, CT on Monday night.

The Bananas were taking on the Party Animals, who were at the plate in the 2nd inning. With the count 3 and 1, an Animals player hit a routine pop-up to center field.

But, the catch was anything but routine.

Centerfielder DR Meadows settled under the ball, but instead of simply making the easy out, Meadows busted out a backflip that'd make Simone Biles blush, catching the ball in the same motion, landing with the ball in his glove.

The Savanah Bananas are the most fun team in baseball ... and the catch is just the latest example. There was the bat on fire. Or, the hit by pitch. The in-field dance routine, and the list goes on and on.

Beyoncé is setting the record straight on her feelings toward Lizzo -- not only is she back to name-dropping the artist in song, she also singled her out with a loving shout-out.

Bey was bringing the house down, per usual, Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in ATL, and performed "Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)," which supports her fellow female artists -- including Lizzo -- by shouting them out.

You may recall, Lizzo was notably absent from the song's callout section during a Beyoncé show earlier this month, but she was back on the lineup a couple of days later. Bey took things a step further this time, though -- saying, "I love you, Lizzo!"

The crowd certainly took that as a sign -- one fan in the crowd even responded, "OK!"

As we reported, Beyoncé ditched Lizzo's name at a Massachusetts show on August 1 ... coming directly after the "About Damn Time" singer was slapped with a lawsuit from 3 of her former dancers, claiming she created a hostile work environment with alleged sexual harassment and fat-shaming, among other things.

Lizzo, for what it's worth, has denied the allegations against her ... and it looks like Beyoncé's got Lizzo's back, and then some.

Adele's got a habit of tearing up onstage while singing her love songs, but her latest sob sesh is for a gender reveal ... not hers, but for a couple of her fans in Vegas.

Chris Dare and his wife, Shantelle Lord, got the gender reveal party of a lifetime at Adele's residency show at Caesars Palace, getting the singer to answer the question: boy or girl?

Adele was filled with excitement from the get-go during the weekend, and eventually revealed the parents-to-be are having a baby boy -- which got the 3 of them, and the entire audience, jumping for joy.

After wishing them well, Adele breaks down in tears, apologizing to the crowd for getting emotional ... before jokingly asking Chris and Shantelle to do her next gender reveal "if and when" she gets pregnant again.

A pair of 20-somethings were on their way to a Lollapalooza concert, but ended up in the hospital instead ... this after they sat down on the third rail in an Illinois train station and got zapped.

What’s even more shocking … the horrifying incident was all caught on video, which was shared online. Check it out for yourself … the two were parked next to each other on the third rail in Chicago’s Ridgeland Station earlier this month.

People were milling about on the platform above … but no one seemed particularly concerned about their well-being. All of a sudden, the young man got electrocuted, his body was shaking and going rigid as he clung to the woman beside him. She, too, was jolted by the voltage -- and, subsequently, both went limp. A friend sitting next to them pulled them off the third rail before emergency service units arrived.

Oprah Winfrey was reportedly denied entry into a Maui shelter where wildfire survivors were seeking refuge ... but officials on the island are looking to clear it all up.

ICYMI, there were reports Oprah showed up to War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku last week with a CBS News crew, but was turned away ... and wasn't allowed in, until she told the camera ops to wait outside.

The County of Maui explained Sunday on Facebook ..."To clarify, Oprah was able to visit our shelter and we thank her for instructing media journalists and camera crews to remain outside."

In other words, Oprah wasn't singled out, she merely got the same treatment as all media showing up at the shelters.

The County went on to say, "Her visit inside of the shelter today was truly heartwarming and we appreciate her understanding of our policy of having no camera crews or reporters accompanying dignitaries and celebrities in our emergency shelters."

As we reported, video from inside the shelter on Thursday showed Oprah handing out pillows to the evacuees ... and she also passed around things like toiletries and even cots.

The part-time Maui resident took to Instagram Sunday -- after reports of her being denied entry broke -- sharing her experience with helping those in need on the island. She also says she'll be donating a big amount once the fires are out and rebuilding can begin.

A fighter jet crash landed in Michigan this weekend -- and while the aircraft going down is jarring itself, what's even crazier ... the 2 pilots were able to escape right in the nick of time!

The incident went down Sunday in Ypsilanti near the Willow Run Airport, where the Thunder Over Michigan airshow was being held ... and MiG-23s were doing their thing up in the sky, entertaining people down below.

Toward the end of the event, one of the fighter jets started to clearly lose control as it torpedoed toward the ground ... and it became evident that it was going down.

Smoke was seen emitting from the plane, and even some debris appeared to be falling off as it descended. Soon, it was nosediving ... and it eventually crashed, creating a loud boom and an explosion. Fortunately, the two dudes who were flying the thing ejected themselves.

The moment they were catapulted out was also caught on video ... and it's wild. Reports say the two pilots have since been recovered and are expected to be okay. It's unclear where exactly the jet ended up landing, or if there were any injuries or fatalities as a result.

The Rock and Jason Momoa are speaking up after the devastating wildfires in Maui -- and they're offering ways to help ... as well as some strongly-worded advice to outsiders.

The two Hollywood heavyweights -- both of whom have Hawaiian heritage -- have issued public statements this weekend, reflecting on the destruction left behind in Lahaina ... where the body count is now nearing the 100-person mark, with several still unaccounted for.

Jason has been posting about it all weekend, and he's plugging an organization called the Hawai'i Community Foundation ... specifically, a fund they've created to help the victims of Maui. In addition to the laying out a roadmap to resources, he's got a clear message.

To all tourists considering traveling to Hawai'i, especially Maui, JM is saying ... stay away.

He writes in no uncertain terms, "Maui is not the place to have your vacation right now. DO NOT TRAVEL TO MAUI. Do not convince yourself that your presence is needed on an island that is suffering this deeply. Mahalo to everyone who has donated and shown aloha to the community in this time of need."

Might sound like a no-brainer, but there've been on-the-ground reports of folks/tourists still frolicking in the area and enjoying their vacays, right in the middle of this disaster.

One video, in particular, has been going viral for what appears to be a group of tourists being taken out to sea near Maui by an excursion company ... this as the photog bashes the hell out of them for being insensitive about the deadly situation all around them. That company has since apologized, insisting they were gonna donate the funds from this to charity -- but vowing to halt operations for the time being. Safe to say ... that's a good call.

Now, as for Dwayne Johnson ... he, too, has addressed the crisis and is pointing people to the Hawai'i Community Foundation Maui Fund as well -- saying any donations and assistance will go a long way in helping restore the community, which is still reeling from the fires.

The Rock writes, "Heartbroken but our faith and mana is strong. First responders, health care teams, hotels, locals businesses, boots on the ground organizations and all our local heroes, stay strong - we love you and appreciate you."

He adds, "All our local families, our ohana, our aiga, stay strong thru this devastating time. Resilience resolve is our DNA. Our ancestors are in our blood. This is who we are. This is what we do. I love you. Stay strong. More to come."

Others celebs are chiming in as well -- including "Moana" star Auliʻi Cravalho -- who's been guiding people to helpful resources too. Of course, people like Jeff Bezos and Oprah are helping in a big way as well ... be it with major cash donations, or other means.

Britney Spears has a new stage to dance on, and a new prop too ... just take a look at her latest IG video, and you'll see what we mean.

The singer threw up a new clip of herself on the 'Gram, and it shows Brit rocking a skimpy bikini and strutting her stuff on a little black platform ... with none other than a stripper pole attached in the middle and shooting upright. Looks like there's a brand too ... "X-Pole."

BS' video has Nine Inch Nails' "Closer" track playing as the main audio -- a pretty good stripper song, no doubt -- and she's up there jerking around from head to toe ... full throttle.

Britney wrote, "Got this pole two days ago and last night was my first time on it." We gotta say, if this is indeed her inaugural pole sesh ... she seems to already have a knack for it.

On its face, this is just more of the same from Britney -- especially these days, where she's dancing around her house and busting out the moves (oftentimes revealing a lot of skin). The difference here, of course, is that she's incorporating some new toys into the routine.

Of course, there's another way to look at this ... and that would be a cringe one.

Remember, Britney's sons -- Jayden and Sean -- hightailed out of Cali recently to move to Hawaii with their dad ... this after publicly bashing their mom and her social media antics.

Drake made a startling confession to his fans in the City of Angels on night #1 of his L.A. stint -- telling them the debut show almost didn't happen ... but that he insisted it did.

The rapper was performing Saturday night at Kia Forum -- the first of 4 shows at this venue, and the first of 6 total that he'll be down here in Los Angeles. While onstage, he talked to the crowd ... and said there was some issues before showtime, which nearly derailed things.

Check out this video, obtained by TMZ, where he explains what was going down hours before the doors were set to open ... Drake says his team was saying there were some logistical issues they were facing in setting up the stage and the production at large.

Drake says due to this, they were telling him the show was probably going to have to be canceled -- but he put his foot down ... and demanded they find a way to make it happen.

Obviously, they did ... because the show went on as scheduled, albeit a bit late -- but which Drake and 21 Savage made up for by staying later ('til about midnight or so, we're told) to do their complete set. Based on what we can gather ... the concertgoers were appreciative.

It's cool to hear Drake talk about L.A. and what it means to him/why he moved mountains to make the show happen. He says this has been like a second home to him ... and that the city has a special place in his heart. Bottom line ... he didn't wanna let Angelenos down.

And, frankly, it's a huge relief The Forum gig wasn't nixed ... because it could've possibly spelled trouble for the other dates at this venue. Of course, the recent cancelation of his concert in Memphis comes to mind -- where there, too, were production issues that forced him to skip the show. It sounds like a similar situation almost unfolded here as well.

Fact is, Drake's concerts for his 'It's All a Blur' tour are pretty elaborate ... especially with the stage design and all the props he uses -- including a lot of giant/high-tech effects.

Tiffany Gomas, the woman from the viral in-flight freak-out, is apologizing for her epic meltdown ... telling us she let her emotions get the best of her.

Addressing the viral video for the first time on camera, an emotional Tiffany tells TMZ ... there's no excuse for freaking out on a plane full of people and causing everyone to have to deplane and be delayed.

Tiffany also says her rant could have done without the excessive profanity -- she infamously screamed, "That motherf**** back there is not real" -- and she's especially sorry to all the parents onboard who were left to explain the situation to their kids.

While Tiffany says she's laughed at all the memes being spawned from her worst moment, she says it feels invasive to have her lapse in judgment captured on camera and broadcast for the entire world to see.