Viral

Elon Musk says he fell under a government microscope after smoking weed with Joe Rogan ... claiming the feds randomly drug tested him.

The world's richest man sat down for a podcast Tuesday with the Nelk Boys, recalling the backlash he got from Uncle Sam over what he says was one measly rip from a blunt while on Rogan's show.

Remember, Elon blazed it up with Joe back in September 2018, sparking up on camera while talking about Tesla's plans for an airplane. The video went viral and then Tesla's stock briefly plummeted on the heels of the smoke sesh.

Elon says the federal response was "pretty nutty" ... explaining the problem is ganja is still illegal federally, and because he runs SpaceX -- which holds lucrative government contracts -- the feds tested him for a range of illicit drugs.

It's interesting ... Elon claims the real driving force behind the random drug tests were his SpaceX competitors, who he says pressured the feds to test his urine.

A hockey player from an adult league in Canada straight-up kicked an opponent in the face with his skate during a mid-game scuffle ... and the incident was so reckless, police now tell TMZ Sports they're investigating it all.

The scary scene happened during an Adult Safe Hockey League game on July 29th at Scotia Barn in Burnaby.

You can see in the video from the arena, two players from opposing teams were fighting each other in the 3rd period ... when, suddenly, one of the guys appeared to intentionally kick the other with the blade of his skate.

The player wearing a #90 jersey immediately fell onto the ice and covered his face. His teammates, meanwhile, went after the kick suspect before refs ultimately intervened. The guy was issued a penalty, and ejected from the game.

The Burnaby Royal Canadian Mounted Police tells us the victim received medical treatment for injuries he suffered from the kick -- adding that they've since launched an investigation.

"Burnaby RCMP is continuing to investigate the circumstances and actions that led to the player’s injuries," the officials said.

"Burnaby RCMP is in possession of video showing one angle of the incident, which has been collected as evidence. Investigators are still in the process of speaking with players and witnesses."

In addition to the ejection, the kick suspect also received an indefinite suspension from the ASHL, which said in a statement, "The conduct and on-ice behaviour depicted in the video in no way aligns with the values of our league and the rules of the game."

The pilot who mysteriously died just before a plane made an emergency landing last week -- allegedly "jumping" out of the aircraft -- may have actually fallen after trying to examine the damaged landing gear.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... one of the operating theories is that co-pilot Charlie Crooks went to the back of the cargo plane and opened the back cargo door to inspect the landing gear that was damaged and accidentally fell out as the plane headed for the airport.

As reported first by WRAL, the pilot radioed air traffic control that Charlie had "jumped" out of the plane. A close friend of Charlie's who has flown with him tells TMZ, the notion of Charlie jumping is absurd. The friend tells us, Charlie was excited a few days before the fatal flight at the prospect of being promoted to captain. The friend says he was in a great head space.

The 23-year-old told his friend, the day before he died, the chief pilot from the company that owned the plane was coming out from Colorado Springs to fly with him for 2 days last week ... to evaluate Charlie with an eye toward making him a captain.

As for Charlie jumping out of panic, the close friend scoffs at that notion as well, saying Charlie was cool as a cucumber in the air, recalling that there was a mechanical mishap in one of the planes a while back and Charlie landed it so well -- although the landing was rough -- the company he was working for at the time actually gave him a piece of the plane as a thank you.

The photo (above) shows Charlie at the back of the plane ... sitting on the very door that is being looked at as the one he possibly opened to look underneath at the landing gear.

He posted the pic on social media with a joke "If there's anything we can do to make your journey more comfortable, there is an exit ramp at the rear of the airplane that we will gladly open for you."

The NTSB and other federal agencies are currently investigating the fall and the plane.

Chuck E. Cheese has a hot mess on its hands -- and no, we're not talking about its pizza ... it's a possible lawsuit from the mom of the child who was snubbed by their mascot.

Naney D. Muhammad is the mother of the young Black girl who recently got the cold shoulder at a CEC in New Jersey -- and she tells TMZ ... yes, she's preparing to take legal action against the pizza chain for what she considers overt and blatant racist behavior.

Nancy says she's noticed a pattern of this sort of thing at amusement parks and indoor play areas for children -- and finds it heartbreaking she and her daughter were on the receiving end of it at Chuck E. Cheese.

She tells us CEC corporate fired off a standard statement she feels is empty and void of an apology ... and, as a result, says she's consulting with her lawyer for next steps so justice can be achieved. In her eyes, no kid should be made to feel how hers did that day.

Of course, this might just be the latest in what could become several lawsuits -- we've already seen things like this happen at Sesame Place. One class action lawsuit's already been filed against that Pennsylvania theme park.

Someone at Disney World is reading headlines, or so it seems based on how a Woody character went out of the way to engage Black children waiting along a parade route.

Check out this video posted by a proud dad who took his 2 young kids to Disney's Orlando theme park this week -- it shows the little ones shouting out to a costumed Jessie mascot from the 'Toy Story' franchise as the characters walk down the street lined with cheering fans.

Jessie was on the other side of the street and appeared preoccupied entertaining that part of the crowd, but her pal Woody notices some Black kids and actually responds to them.

Check it out ... Woody flags Jessie down, points to the young'ns ... and they both head over to interact with them -- which is obviously awesome, since they were desperately trying to get Jessie's attention and seem to be really big fans.

Not to turn this into a negative story -- because it's obviously very sweet -- but one can't ignore this happened in the midst of what's become a disturbing trend lately ... namely, mascots/costumed characters at theme parks and such snubbing Black children, allegedly intentionally.

It's been happening all over the country, it seems ... whether it's Sesame Place, Disneyland or even Chuck E. Cheese. All over, some messed-up videos have circulated appearing to show classic characters either ignoring or walking away from kids of color.

While most of the establishments have denied any overt racist intentions, people are having a hard time buying that.

A 911 call was placed by 2 FAA staffers after they got word a pilot of the cargo plane that was about to make an emergency landing had jumped from the plane.

One of the FAA employees is on the call telling the North Carolina 911 dispatcher, "This is from Raleigh Airport ... We have a pilot who was inbound to the field. His co-pilot jumped out of the aircraft. He made impact to the ground and here are the coordinates."

The employee went on to say the co-pilot, 23-year-old Charles Hew Crooks, "jumped out without the parachute, so he might have impact to the ground."

He went on ... "I am sure the pilot is going to be shaken up. I have no idea. He literally just said, 'My pilot just jumped out.'"

And, then there's this ... 'I guess at this point in time, all we can do is recovery. I don't know. I don't know. This is the craziest thing ever."

Presumably, the 911 call was placed so local authorities could recover the body, which they found in a backyard 30 miles from the airport.

The plane, which had landing gear issues, crash-landed ... the pilot suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital but released the same day.

There is something bizarre about this investigation ... It's been days, and the pilot who landed the plane still has not been identified and nobody -- the NTSB, FAA, FBI -- has said a word about interviewing him or what he said.

Demi Lovato has been more in touch with her feminine side lately ... so much so, she has decided to include "she/her" pronouns with "they/them."

It was a little over a year ago when Demi announced she was nonbinary, but just opened up about her own personal change on "The Spout Podcast" -- saying she now goes by the pronouns they/them/she/her.

Demi said, "Recently I've been feeling more feminine, and so I've adopted she/her again... But, I think what’s important is, like, nobody’s perfect. Everyone messes up pronouns at some point, and especially when people are learning, it’s just all about respect."

We're told Demi actually made the decision to include she/her back in April ... but this is the first time she's spoken about the change in depth.

Demi says last year she didn't necessarily feel like a woman or a man, when she was faced with a choice, like walking into a bathroom. Back then, she felt her masculine and feminine "energy" was balanced.

Paraglider Kevin Philipp is lucky to be alive after his glider lines became badly entangled while plummeting to the ground -- before literally getting his rescue parachute open about one second before impact!

And, the entire death-defying ordeal was caught on video.

Philipp shared the terrifying clip Monday ... showing him paragliding thousands of feet in the air when suddenly his lines become tangled. Badly tangled.

KP -- who's an aerobatic paraglider (think crazy stunts under a large glider) -- desperately tried to straighten out the lines, but the attempt was futile.

It appears Philipp attempted to deploy his reserve chute, but that wouldn't open, either.

Then, about a second before the would-be impact, Kevin ripped the bag containing the rescue chute, which then opened ... in all likelihood, saving his life, and at the very least, averting serious injury.

"Oh my God!" Philipp yells after landing (hard) into a small tree.

Philipp posted the video on YouTube, explaining "strong turbulence" caused the lines to tangle.

As for how close he was to disaster, Kevin wrote ... "The falling speed increased a lot due to the twisting wing. Very last chance was to manually open the rescue package. Estimated time left about 1 second This was not the day to die!"

Despite the close call, Philipp says incidents like this are uncommon.

Antonio Brown almost certainly won't be on an NFL field this year -- but his dance moves just might be ... 'cause the former Bucs wideout has created a new trend, and it's catching on!!!

Brown came up with a finger-pointing vibe for his song, "Put That S*** On" -- and as he's been performing it at music events across the country, fans have been eating it up.

In fact, the dance has grown so popular in the last few weeks, LeBron James and Draymond Green were just spotted in Canada hitting it. New Orleans Saints tailback Mark Ingram also did it during a training camp practice last week as well. Quavo was even seen hitting it this week, too.

Baltimore Ravens star QB Lamar Jackson, meanwhile, said on social media earlier this week he "can't wait" to do it during a game this season.

Brown -- who's at least temporarily ditched his NFL career to pursue a spot in the music and entertainment world -- has been soaking it all up, reposting vids of the dance all over his Twitter and Instagram pages.

As for how to do it, Brown says it's fairly simple -- "When they say 'Do Yo Dance', you say: 👈👈🕺🏿👉👉."

A spot on Airbnb that was listed as former slave quarters has been taken down from the platform ... this after the Internet put the owners on blast for using the space for profit.

A spokesperson for Airbnb tells TMZ ... they've removed the Mississippi listing from their platform, adding "Properties that formerly housed the enslaved have no place on Airbnb."

For those unaware, a TikTok recently went viral after a user stumbled upon the "bed and breakfast" with a description that read, "This particular structure ... is an 1830s slave cabin."

The small building was also used as a "tenant sharecroppers cabin" and a "medical office for local farmers and their families," according to the listing.

The comments went wild over the discovery -- many people finding it in poor taste, with one saying "How do you sleep there and not feel the pain in that room?"

Airbnb's spokesperson tells us they're removing listings that are known to have included former slave quarters on site in the U.S., and will be working with experts to develop new policies for properties that are associated with slavery.

Chris Brown has no problem getting cozy with fans -- female ones, especially -- during meet-and-greets ... even when they want some pretty suggestive pics.

The singer defended himself after a handful of photos went viral showing him in different poses with women who'd paid for a VIP package to get a little face time with their favorite singer. Some of the shots are a bit eye-opening, but CB says it's all kosher.

He writes, "PSA!!! When artist (everyone) do concerts, they all have something called a VIP package. I haven't done meet and greets in over 7 years..."

Chris adds, "I have the coolest fans on the planet... I appreciate the f*** outta them. These are memories that will last with them forever. Unlike most of the lame ass artist that won't make eye contact with the people who made it possible to even have a career. I only exist because these fans saw something in me I never thought was possible... So Ima go all out for my fans!!!"

It's unclear where and when these specific photos were taken, but Chris is currently on tour with Lil Baby ... promoting his new album, "Breezy," with stops all over the country.

One thing we'll say is ... the women look to be having a good time -- so ya gotta imagine all of this was done with their sign-off, and perhaps even at their request. Chris, it seems, doesn't have a problem using hands, or whatever else they want in the shots.

These VIP moments can reportedly cost upwards of a few thousand dollars for any given artist ... so folks are paying good money for the one-on-one experience.

Jon Stewart is fired up again in D.C. over the veteran bill he's fighting to get passed -- but this time, his anger was much more focused and raw than last week.

The former 'Daily Show' host got into a heated shouting match Monday just outside Capitol Hill, where he was facing off with conservative political commentator and media personality Jack Posobiec -- who apparently dropped in on Jon's ongoing lobbying efforts.

It's unclear what exactly precipitated Jon's wrath here, but one thing's for sure ... the dude is absolutely irate as he accuses Posobiec of acting in "bad faith."

A later video shows Jon in a much calmer state ... and Posobiec says cooler heads prevailed in the end. It sounds like whatever they were arguing over at first was resolved, because he actually shakes hands with Mr. Stewart.

Posobiec actually says he was on Jon and the veterans' side all along, and it seems Jon came to that realization too. What can't be denied is Jon Stewart's passion for this issue -- if his presence and powerful words alone weren't enough proof, take a look at the video.

Talk about inflation ... 2 McDonald's McMuffins are costing an airplane passenger nearly $2K, because Australia's dropping hefty fines to keep a certain non-Covid virus out of the country.

The unnamed passenger flew from Bali to Darwin, Australia last week, but committed a major culinary crime by leaving 2 undeclared egg and beef sausage McMuffins in their luggage ... according to Aussie officials. Even worse ... airport agents also found a ham croissant!

While the not-so-happy meal bust might seem funny to us, it's costing that passenger a $1,874 fine!!! The hero agent here is a biosecurity detector dog named Zinta ... part of Australia's crackdown on food safety and prevention measures following an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease.

Australia's Department of Agriculture says Zinta sniffed out a "range of undeclared risk products."

So yeah, those McMuffins ended up costing more than the flight!

Sylvester Stallone isn't pulling any punches over his dissatisfaction with where the 'Rocky' franchise is heading -- once again publicly lashing out at one of the OG producers.

Sly went on the attack for a second time this weekend, posting a very scathing message aimed at Irwin Winkler ... who helped get 'Rocky' off the ground way back in the day, and who apparently has an ownership stake in the IP -- while SS has none himself.

That's where Sylvester's beef lies, and he made it clear in yet another critique on Instagram ... throwing up art renderings that depict Irwin and others as animals and evil villains, who are stabbing Sly in the back, etc.

Sylvester writes, "After IRWIN WINKLER And FAMILY SUCK ROCKY DRY ! Presumed to be the most hated , untalented , decrepited , Producer in Hollywood and his cowardly children have found their next meal… Drago , RETURN MY RIGHTS BLOODSUCKERS!"

He's talking about the fact that Dolph Lundgren is reported to be starring in a spin-off film that'll see him reprise his character from 'Rocky IV' -- something Sylvester says he wasn't made aware of, and which he strongly disapproves of ... saying he never meant these precious characters of his to be milked to this degree in future projects.

Sylvester says he sees this as nothing but a greedy money-grab, and even calls out his old costar by name -- asking why he didn't reach out to talk about this before the word was out.

BTW, a couple weeks ago ... Sylvester was also venting frustrations about not owning any of 'Rocky' for himself ... and he pleaded with Irwin to do the right thing and hand over some of the rights, which he feels -- at least in part -- belong to him since he's the creator of 'Rocky.'

Sylvester has been speaking out about this more and more lately -- and it's starting to turn ugly. Some fans side with Sly ... while others are calling him out for acting unprofessionally.

As for Dolph, he's addressed Sly's concerns, writing ... "Just to set the record straight regarding a possible Drago spinoff. There’s no approved script, no deals in place, no director and I was personally under the impression that my friend Sly Stallone was involved as a producer or even as an actor. There was a press leak last week which was unfortunate. In touch with Mr Balboa - just so all the fans can relax…There ya go."

Ana de Armas has gotten buzz over her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in a forthcoming flick -- but some can't get over her in-character voice ... which still leans very Spanish-sounding.

Here's the deal ... ADA is starring in this Netflix movie that's coming out in September called "Blonde," which is an NC-17 depiction of some of Marilyn's life -- albeit through a hyper-stylized lens (it's based on a fictional book exploring MM's struggles, plus rape/abuse, etc.)

We'll get to the graphic content in a bit -- because there's outrage over that too -- but first, we gotta get into people griping about Ana's still-there accent ... which came to light in Netflix's latest trailer for the movie that came out this past week. It's got Twitter in a tizzy.

As you can see (and hear) for yourself, there are still pretty noticeable traces of Ana's native language coming through in her performance. She's from Cuba and came to the States in adulthood ... and pretty much all of her movies thus far feature her natural accent.

The problem here -- at least for bird app users -- is that it feels somewhat distracting, seeing how Marilyn had a typical American accent. Some say Ana not perfecting it for this Oscar-bait role is strange, especially since so many actors these days (international and otherwise) do accent crossover roles all the time, often to rave reviews and much fanfare.

Plus, Ana said early on that she underwent 9 months of professional dialect training for this part -- but now, a handful of people are wondering what she's got to show for it.

Of course, many are defending Ana as well -- saying any criticism of her accent is misplaced and misguided -- and perhaps teetering on xenophobic territory. Some say that there are tons of examples of American actors butchering foreign accents, but no one minds them.

There's also some who feel like the accent isn't make or break -- arguing it shouldn't be the single element that snaps folks out of their suspension of disbelief, especially since we do it all the time for superhero movies. In other words, Film Twitter is divided over this one.

While that debate rages, there's also a convo about this film potentially exploiting Marilyn's story and legacy ... all for the sake of shock value in depicting her suffering tremendously on camera, which many see as gross -- especially with the free reign of an NC-17 rating.

Kate Bush is having a moment in 2022, which couldn't be more clear than what's happening this weekend -- namely, thousands of people coming together to dance to one of her songs.

It's the singer's 64th birthday Saturday, which also happens to coincide with 'Wuthering Heights Day' ... an annual event where her legions of fans come flocking to different sites around the world to collectively boogie to her signature track of the same name.

Of course, they're all dressed in red ... a direct homage to KB's iconic music video -- in which she also puts on some killer hippy-dippy moves in a field, surrounded by woods.

Supposedly, this has been a thing for a while -- dating back to 2013, it seems -- but the yearly get-together was paused during COVID, and hasn't fired back up until now. Since then, Kate has seen a resurgence in pop culture ... thanks to "Stranger Things" using her song "Running Up That Hill."

Soooo, thanks to that renewed popularity ... this year's Wuthering Heights Day is insane, with pop-ups in Sydney, different parts of the U.K. and beyond -- the turnout might be higher than ever before, frankly.

Looks like Kate Bush's relevancy in society is stronger than it might've been in her heyday. When you got a 'Midsommar'-esque shindig like this -- it's hard to deny, she's still a thing.