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Fireworks got started early in Maryland this weekend -- a good chunk of their stash went up in flames (and booms) well before the sun went down ... right at ground level, no less.

A truck carrying a crap ton of fireworks in Ocean City accidentally detonated Sunday AM, freaking out bystanders who were in the area ... but ultimately serving as an early indicator of what was to come. Seriously, it was like a full-blown firework show right there on the sand.

Of the mishap, the Ocean City Fire Dept. says ... "There was an unintentional discharge of fireworks that were being set up on the beach for the Town’s fireworks show." They added, "During the unintentional discharge, employees of the fireworks company received minor injuries and refused transport to the hospital by Ocean City Paramedics."

Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt ... but this could have turned ugly fast. In fact, it's eerily similar to another detonation gone wrong right here in L.A. from last week -- when the LAPD's bomb squad tried safely disposing of thousands of pounds of illegal fireworks they'd confiscated ... but ended up sending shockwaves through a southside neighborhood instead.

Joey Chestnut is again a hot dog eating-champion, breaking his own record for a stunning 76 wieners ... something that would've been great to see, but made impossible by ESPN.

The annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest was held once more Sunday -- a 4th of July tradition now -- and JC was gunning for an even higher count than last year's haul ... which clocked in at 75, a new world record at the time. In 2021, he surpassed it by one.

Joey was scarfing down dogs on camera, but when the crucial moment arrived for hot dogs 75 and 76 ... the broadcast glitched up big time, and a still shot of Joey stayed frozen on screen for a good few seconds. Moments later, time had jumped ... and everyone missed it.

As incredible of a feat it was for Joey, his performance was unfortunately outshined by the technical issue ... which is going more viral than even Joey is right now. Some folks captured the flub live and reposted it on the internet ... and yeah, it's as bad as they're making it out to be.

Anyway ... congrats to Joey for taking the big prize (again) and holding on tightly to the belt. It's not an easy task, especially when you're pretty much tasked with one-upping your own stomach year after year ... something he's done successfully for quite a long time now.

Henry Winkler thinks the world needs to go through a "cataclysmic event" to help bring people together since we're so dang divided -- but his idea is getting a big fat ... HUH?!?

The actor tweeted out the controversial sentiment Sunday, seemingly out of nowhere and without much context. He wrote ... "We are So divided as a country .. only a cataclysmic Event , that makes us depend on one another again , can bring us back together."

Like we said ... not a whole lot of info here to get a sense of what Henry's talking about exactly -- but it could be anything ... frankly, we ARE quite divided these days -- from politics to just about everything else.

With that said ... his call for a big boom moment is being called insensitive, tone-deaf and weirdly out of touch -- especially since we, you know, just went through (and are still going through) a worldwide pandemic ... which you would think fits HW's criteria for this.

People obviously pointed this out to Henry, and he received the message ... but responded somewhat cryptically, writing ... "The Pandemic pushed the world inside creating a world apart." What we think he's saying is ... this pandemic isn't the catastrophe he had in mind -- if anything, he seems to believe COVID has only pushed us further apart.

A spa in Los Angeles became the site of brutality this weekend after protests took place against a trans person ... who allegedly revealed themselves to women in the female section.

Several people took to the streets of Koreatown Saturday for what you may consider anti-trans demonstrations ... which were met by counter-protesters, with both groups clashing in violent ways -- much of which was filmed and circulated online and made for crazy video.

Some of the counter-protesters were likened to "Antifa" -- with a handful of them dressed head-to-toe in all black, while also covering their faces -- but it's hard to sort out who's with who. All we know is that the counter-protesters were NOT having the anti-trans sentiments.

In addition to accosting/provoking some of the protesters, they also reportedly tore up signage that they apparently considered bigoted and discriminatory. On the flip side ... some of the anti-trans demonstrators also allegedly threatened and/or committed violence themselves.

One person claims they had a Wi Spa protester pull a gun on them ... and posted video of a man who appears to take a firearm out of a backpack, and then tuck it into his waistband. When asked what it's for, he's heard on camera saying ... "Something to shoot you with."

The chaos all stems from a now-viral video from last week that shows a woman confronting the Wi Spa staff over what she claimed was a man who was sitting naked in the women's side of the spa ... allegedly exposing his penis and genitals to adults and children alike.

The Wi Spa staff seems to be fine with it ... explaining to her that they respect trans people's rights -- and that, apparently, includes letting 'em go to the part of the facility they feel most comfortable in. That didn't sit well with this woman -- who essentially said she felt violated.

She gets into with other patrons ... some of whom tell her to pipe down and to have some respect, but she stands her ground -- repeatedly saying the trans person had a "d***."

Pet owners might be able to rest easy soon now that a COVID-19 vaccine seems to be making its way to the animal kingdom ... as it's getting a mass trial run at a California zoo.

Oakland Zoo officials announced this week that they had received a substantial shipment of the experimental 'rona jab manufactured by pharmaceutical company Zoetis ... which presumably cooked their recipe up specifically for wild creatures, across the board.

We say that because OZ says it's already administered the vaccine to a good portion of their furry friends ... including their lions, tigers, bears and ferrets. Oh my, indeed!

The zoo was one of the first recipients of 11,000 doses Zoetis made (and tested) ... and apparently, more are being rolled out to other animal facilities in the coming weeks. This is a donation, BTW -- for this time around at least -- so very generous on Zoetis' part.

The USDA has said this vaccine -- which was reportedly first tested out on minks -- can be used on a case-by-case basis ... but it clearly works to a high degree, because Oakland is straight-up inoculating their animals seemingly en masse. It's unclear if more animal types will be included at some point -- but ya gotta figure they will be if the trial run goes well.

This is big news ... not just because different animals at zoos have contracted the virus -- including tigers and primates at places like the SD Zoo (which got a small shipment of Zoetis earlier this year to test on the latter) -- but it could have ramifications for dogs/cats.

Dan Schneider -- the ex-king of Nickelodeon programming -- has addressed a long-held theory that he's into feet, and channeled that on his shows ... something he says isn't true.

The one-time TV producer -- responsible for creating a number of hit series on Nick over the years, including "iCarly," "Drake & Josh," "The Amanda Show," "Zoey 101" and countless others -- did an interview with NYT ... which straight-up asked him about the foot fetish rumor.

Several people have compiled still shots from different shows of his, and they seem to find a common theme among his child actors ... they seemed to be in a lot of bare feet scenes.

Dan responded with this ... "The comedy was totally innocent," going on to say the foot fetish claims were "ridiculous" and chalked it up to kids finding feet funny/goofy ... insisting he never attempted to sexualize his stars.

Some of his on and off-camera behavior with said stars have been called into question -- suggesting Dan was, at the bare minimum, creepy and unaware of boundaries.

It's all much ado about nothing, though ... according to Dan, who also clarified his reasons for parting ways with Nick in 2018, after a historic 30-year run with the network -- saying he was simply attending to other personal matters in his life that he'd let "go by the wayside."

However, NYT reports an in-house investigation into Dan's workplace practices got underway around that time ... this after claims of verbal abuse from his ex-staffers. Apparently, the review found merit to some of those claims ... which made him seem high-strung and difficult.

What the HR didn't find any credence in ... allegations of sexual misconduct, something else that had been speculated about Schneider, especially amid the height of #MeToo and his coincidental departure around the same time, when allegations were flying like crazy.

The British influencer who underwent 18 surgeries to look like BTS singer Park Jimin says the K-pop band isn't their reason for identifying as Korean ... it's the country as a whole.

Oli London, who identifies as non-binary and changed their name to Jimin, tells TMZ ... they became transracial after falling in love with Korean culture while living in the Asian nation, and their BTS obsession is a physical inspiration that led to a load of plastic surgery.

While Oli tells us they worship Jimin the BTS singer like a god and aspire to be like him in every single detail, their transition is really more about a love for everything that makes up Korea ... the food, the people and the lifestyle.

As you know ... the influencer is identifying as Korean after going under the knife a whopping 18 times for a variety of plastic surgeries, including loads of work on their eyes, nose and jaw.

Oli says the transition started long before their first plastic surgery ... and they say Rachel Dolezal provided the inspiration to come forward with their truth.

TMZ broke the story ... Rachel, a white woman who infamously identifies as Black, is embracing Oli's choice to identify as Korean.

Howard University says it stands with survivors of sexual assault, but it's also standing by Phylicia Rashad following her controversial tweet about Bill Cosby ... which it acknowledges "lacked sensitivity."

As we reported, Rashad -- who was recently named Dean of Howard's College of Fine Arts -- responded to Cosby's stunning prison release Wednesday by saying, "FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted- a miscarriage of justice is corrected!"

Her comment swiftly drew backlash and outrage, and although she followed up by saying she fully supports sexual assault survivors ... she did not apologize or back down from her support of Cosby.

Howard University seems to be okay with that, while also distancing itself from her comments. A University rep tells TMZ ... "Personal positions of University leadership do not reflect Howard University’s policies."

Howard U. says "Survivors of sexual assault will always be our priority," adding ... "We will continue to advocate for survivors fully and support their right to be heard. Howard will stand with survivors and challenge systems that would deny them justice."

As for Rashad, the school says "her initial tweet lacked sensitivity towards survivors of sexual assault." That's it for admonishment ... at least so far.

Rachel Dolezal has no problem with Oli London's decision to identify as Korean after having surgeries to look Asian, but her bigger point is live and let live ... something that didn't happen to her.

We talked to Rachel about what Oli calls "coming out as transracial" ... asking her on "TMZ Live" how it landed for her when Oli said they felt trapped in a white man's body.

Check out her response -- it's a very interesting take from someone who's been through the wringer for making a very similar claim. Remember, Rachel is a white woman who infamously identifies as Black.

The long and short of her answer here is ... doesn't society have bigger fish to fry than someone -- whether it be her or Oli -- claiming to be transracial? Specifically, she says our time would be better served stamping out institutional racism.

Rachel also makes a distinction between cultural appropriation, and just being true to oneself. For her, the difference lies in one's intentions. You can see our full interview with Rachel on Thursday's "TMZ Live" (check local listings).

While she doesn't feel she's owed an apology, Rachel says she just wants to be treated with kindness and compassion, instead of being mocked and ridiculed for the choice she's made ... and, clearly, continues to make 6 years after her story blew up.

Interestingly enough ... Oli, who now goes by Jimin -- after the BTS singer they attempted to emulate through surgery -- has a bit of a different take on the Dolezal comparison.

The LAPD bomb squad's attempt to detonate illegal fireworks turned into a catastrophe when one of its trucks exploded ... injuring 17 people and obliterating a neighborhood.

According to the LAPD, its bomb squad officers were in the process of seizing over 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks Wednesday night in South L.A. Cops say some of the fireworks were being stored in its bomb squad semitruck for precautionary reasons.

It's unclear why, but when the bomb squad detonated the fireworks inside the iron chamber of its semitruck, LAPD chief Michel Moore said there was a "total catastrophic failure of that containment vehicle."

Moore added, "Clearly protocols were followed and pursued, but something happened in that containment vehicle that should have not happened and we don't know why."

The blast was caught on video, and you can see it wreaked havoc. At least 17 were injured -- 10 officers and 7 civilians ... including 3 with serious, but not life threatening injuries. The blast also damaged several homes and displaced as many as 9 families.

Keyon's mother, Katty Rodriguez, reacted to the news moments after the indictment. She was flanked by Rev. Al Sharpton and family attorney Ben Crump, who said thank goodness Keyon's father was there at the time of the incident ... because god knows what would have happened.

Miya Ponsetto, who's been labeled "SoHo Karen," has just been indicted on a slew of charges -- including 2 hate crimes -- over the infamous iPhone incident in a hotel lobby.

According to court records, a grand jury indicted Ponsetto Wednesday, hitting her with 2 felony counts of unlawful imprisonment in the 2nd degree as a hate crime ... and 2 misdemeanor counts of aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child.

Ponsetto's attorney, Paul D'Emilia, pled not guilty on her behalf. D'Emilia railed on Manhattan D.A. Cy Vance, telling TMZ that "instead of helping to foster a civil and enlightened resolution to an unfortunate incident between two young people, DA Vance chose a craven and opportunistic path in indicting, with felony hate crime charges."

D'Emilia believes the charges are an overreach, calling it absurd and shameful.

Remember, the family wanted Miya to be charged with a hate crime ... and now she has been. She's due back in court in October.

As we reported ... the indictment stems from a December 2020 incident when Miya's seen on video attacking 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. at the Arlo Hotel in SoHo after falsely claiming he stole her iPhone.

She denied racially profiling Keyon.

The British influencer who elected to undergo 18 surgeries to look like BTS singer Park Jimin says they're facing tons of backlash ... including threats against their life.

Oli London, who identifies as non-binary and changed their name to Jimin, tells TMZ ... they're getting flooded with death threats and they're scared for their life.

Jimin -- the influencer, not the singer -- tells us they're also getting hateful comments from folks telling them to commit suicide, and claims others are threatening to gun them down.

As you know, Jimin is identifying as Korean after going under the knife 18 times for a variety of plastic surgeries including extensive work on their eyes and a brow lift.

Wild scene from the Tour de France on Tuesday ... when all the riders staged a 1-minute protest to demand safer racing conditions.

The event has been laden with gnarly crashes over the past 3 days ... including a massive pileup caused by a spectator's cardboard sign on Saturday.

Yet another crash went down during Stage 3 on Monday ... and riders believe it could have been avoided if race organizers would have listened to their concerns regarding the curvy and narrow finale.

The riders decided to show just how pissed they are about the dangerous racing conditions with the strike ... coming to a complete stop 1 kilometer into Stage 4 in hopes of bringing changes to the event.

The riders then resumed the race at a slow pace for the next 10 kilometers.

The Cyclistes Professionnels Associés released a statement in response to the crashes on Monday ... saying the riders want their concerns to be taken seriously.

"Their frustration about foreseeable and preventable action is enormous," the CPA said.

"The riders wish to stress their respect for their sponsors, their sports groups, the organizer, their international institution," the statement added. "Supporters are very important to them -- and this is why they will be riding today."

"In return, the riders of the Tour de France ask for the same respect – respect for their safety."

The riders are asking organizers to implement a "3-kilometer rule" ... which means times would be taken 3 kilometers from the finish in case of future crashes or other issues similar to what went down on Monday.

Ariana Grande singing karaoke in any capacity might seem unfair -- but that's especially true when she gets a number that lets her show off her pipes as this famous duet did.

AG was filmed hanging out with friends and crooning along to "Suddenly Seymour" from "Little Shop of Horrors" ... in which she took up singing duties for Audrey (Ellen Greene) while a pal handled Seymour's lines (performed by Rick Moranis in the movie version).

Ellen was always the more impressive of the pair from the iconic scene -- and that proved to be true here as well. Not to say her friend singing for Rick was bad or anything ... but Ari just shined through for some weird reason. It's almost like she's a pro.

BTW, her hubby, Dalton Gomez, was by her side for the impromptu show ... cheering her on after she hit that final note on "SEYMOUR IS YOUR MAN."

A British influencer elected to undergo surgery after surgery after surgery so they could look like BTS singer Park Jimin -- and says they no longer feel trapped, and identifies as Korean.

Lots to unpack here, but Oli London -- who identifies as non-binary -- said Monday they've been trapped in the wrong body for 8 years, but can now "be myself" because "I'm finally Korean."

London's changed their name to Jimin, and says some of the 18 surgeries included extensive work on their eyes, and a brow lift.

They even spoke in Korean in parts of the video, and added ... "I know it's a little confusing, nobody has ever come out as Jimin or Korean, but this is something you guys know ... I've really struggled with identity issues with who I am."

Jimin -- the wannabe, not the singer -- said Korean is their culture, their home country and now they're happy to look Korean ... after at least $150k worth of surgeries over 8 years.

The racial transition, as Jimin puts it, is drawing lots of criticism -- to which they say ... "Being Transexual is the same as being TRANSRACIAL because you are born in the wrong body."

In a matter of weeks, Richard Hutchins went from homeless to hosting his own art gallery show/auction in Beverly Hills ... and, pretty soon, he'll be coming to a theater near you.

Richard -- an artist who spent years living on the streets in L.A. after his art studio burned down -- joined "TMZ Live" on Monday alongside Charlie Rocket ... 2 Chainz's ex-manager who met Richard by chance on Easter Sunday in a grocery store parking lot.

The story's a rags-to-riches tale akin to the Golden Voice or "The Soloist" -- Charlie discovered Richard's an uber-talented artist, who in his heyday had been commissioned to do work for Muhammad Ali, Richard Pryor and Marvin Gaye, among others.

Richard had been down on his luck for years, but fast forward to last week ... when he was lauded as he strolled into his own gallery/auction featuring his work at the Sofitel. Around 500 people attended the shindig, including Damon Dash.

After Charlie got to know Richard, and his artistic skill, he helped set up Richard's art website so he can sell prints ... and Richard tells us he's hauled in more than $200k.

In fact, 2 Chainz was one of the first customers, and Steve Harvey also bought a painting for a cool $3,000.

So, what's next? Richard says he's already gotten an acting offer for a role as an artist. He also wants to give back now that he has the resources ... and tackle Skid Row.