You Might Want to Rethink

One of the men who was wrongfully convicted as part of the Central Park Five says karma's a bitch for ex-prosecutor Linda Fairstein, who's getting crucified on social media in the wake of a new show about the case and its aftermath.

Raymond Santana -- who was one of the teenagers arrested, prosecuted and eventually convicted in connection to the brutal 1989 rape and beating of a female jogger -- tells TMZ ... the online movement to #CancelLindaFairstein and boycott her books is warranted.

Fans have taken to Instagram and other platforms, calling for retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble to remove Fairstein's book collection from their shelves on the heels of Netflix's new series, "When They See Us" -- which covers the how the case was handled by Fairstein and others, as well as how it impacted Raymond and the rest of the so-called CP5.

He believes Fairstein -- who became a successful author of mysteries and children's books -- is facing her comeuppance right now, which he takes no issue with. In fact, he says it quite bluntly ... "Even if it's 30 years later, she has to pay for her crime."

Fairstein was head of the Sex Crimes Unit for the D.A.'s Office, and she reportedly got confessions from the boys under duress and pressure from police. All 5 men were eventually fully exonerated in 2002, despite having spent years behind bars.

Raymond also takes a jab at the many reporters and civilians who were quick to label them as criminals before a trial got underway, including Donald Trump ... who called for their execution in a newspaper ad that circulated quickly after the crime.

A massive cruise ship sent folks scrambling as it barreled into an Italian dock and bumped into a much smaller boat ... which looked like something straight out of an action movie.

The terrifying moment went down Sunday morning in Venice, where an MSC Opera cruise liner blared its horn as it roared its way toward a busy canal without any signs of slowing down. In video of the incident, you can see people fleeing the scene, realizing the ship wasn't gonna stop.

The ship eventually came to a halt after it pin-balled into the wharf, but not before it made contact with a much smaller tour boat along the way. Local media reports that at least 4 people sustained injuries in the crash -- none of them appear to be life-threatening, though.

As far as what caused this ... MSC Cruises is only saying the ship experienced a "technical issue" while attempting to dock, and an investigation is underway to figure out exactly what happened.

During coverage of the nightmarish collision, people couldn't help but compare the scene to the movie "Speed 2: Cruise Control" ... which ends similarly to the Venetian crash, albeit not nearly as dramatic.

5/31 8:00 AM PT -- According to the investigation files ... when cops showed Smollett photos of the Osundairo brothers, presented as his alleged attackers, he replied it can't be them because "They are black as sin."

He also confirmed he knew the men and their relationship was good, saying ... "They are straight so we don’t have any problems with women or men. They did not owe me any money, I don’t owe them any money."

The 2 brothers Jussie Smollett still insists attacked him were loaded for bear -- with a handgun and plenty of ammo ... this according to Jussie's just-released police files.

Chicago PD released the docs Thursday outlining, from start to finish, the investigation into the alleged hoax. Included in the nearly 500 pages is a record of items cops seized during a February raid at the home of Abel and Ola Osundairo. Officers found a GunVault safe, and inside it was a cache of weaponry:

-- a hipoint model C9, 9MM caliber semi-auto pistol

-- 9MM caliber magazine with live rounds

-- 45ACP caliber magazines

-- Boxes labeled Remington 22 Rounds

-- a box labeled Hornady 00 buck shotgun shells

Cops also said they found a paper packet containing 2 small plastic bags with white powder, but there are no specifics about what that white substance was. As we previously reported ... cops found 5 bottles of bleach, a red hat and 2 laptops during the raid but we never knew about the safe.

50 Cent may be cooling his jets a little after "Power" costar Rotimi agreed to fork over $100k toward repayment of what 50 is calling an unpaid loan.

Rotimi hopped on "TMZ Live" Thursday to explain what triggered 50 Cent to put him on blast for owing Fiddy a cool $300k. ICYMI ... 50 called out Rotimi after the singer bragged that his album, "Walk With Me," shot up to the top of the R&B Albums chart on iTunes.

Rotimi initially denied he owed 50 a cent but the rapper shot back with a video captioned, "My man you owe me a[n] outstanding $300,000 now WALK WITH ME to the bank." This apparently hit too close to home for Snoop Dogg, who offered to pay Rotimi's debt if it meant 50 wouldn't kill off Rotimi's character on "Power." Snoop clearly loves him some "Power."

When Rotimi joined us ... we straight-up asked him if 50's rant is true. Ya gotta check out Rotimi's explanation. Short story ... Rotimi chalked it up to a misunderstanding and says he paid the rapper $100k and will pay him the balance when the royalty checks start rolling in.

As for 50 ... he's straight with Rotimi now because moments after our interview Fiddy posted another video and captioned it, "I have no problem with @Rotimi in fact I wish him and his family the best God bless. POSITIVE VIBES."

The Cosmopolitan hotel will publicly apologize to Meek Mill for threatening him with arrest if he stepped onto hotel grounds, and Meek will accept the apology ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell us, the Cosmo will issue a "significant public apology" expressing regret and accepting fault when Meek was told last Saturday to leave the hotel ... or else.

TMZ broke the story, Meek's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, prepared a lawsuit he intended to file this week against the hotel, claiming racial discrimination and defamation. Tacopina claims there is a blacklist for black rappers at the hotel, but hotel sources say that's BS.

We've also learned the lawyer for O.J. Simpson reached out to Tacopina, saying O.J. had been mistreated by the hotel as well. In November 2017, hotel staff kicked O.J. out after the staff claimed he was intoxicated and unruly. He was permanently banned from the grounds.

We're also told Snoop Dogg's people reached out and claimed mistreatment by the Cosmo.

In the end, there will be no lawsuit and everyone is putting this behind them.

TMZ broke the story, Meek and his crew showed up to attend a party at Marquee Saturday -- located inside the Cosmo -- but security wouldn't let them in. In a video, obtained by TMZ, the security guard tells Meek he can't come in because of a prior incident ... but won't give Meek any specifics on what happened.

Cher insists she's not apologizing for tweeting President Trump should end up being someone's prison "toy boy" -- but she's definitely apologizing for making a joke of prison rape.

Cher went on a tirade late Wednesday night, posting her thoughts about Trump and impeachment. She tweeted, "I Would *love* 2 See trump Impeached,Brought 2 Trial, *locked* Up In *prison* & Toy Boy Big Bubba!!"

She added, "I WANT WHAT'S BEST 4 DEMOCRATS AND DEMOCRACY" -- but hours later deleted the tweet. Early Thursday morning she issued an apology that started with, "This is NOT Apology."

Even though she's chalking it up to a "Cher wtf Moment" ... it seems pretty clear she's apologizing for crossing a line.

Her initial Trump tirade came on the heels of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's news conference Wednesday when he said charging Trump with a crime was not an option because federal rules prohibit charging a sitting President. Still, Mueller said, "If we had had the confidence that the President clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so."

She also put Trump on blast following a report the White House and Navy exchanged emails about keeping the USS McCain out of Trump's sight during his visit to Japan. Cher accused Trump of having hero envy.

Mandy Moore is getting some super cool social media content on her way up Mount Everest, but Sal Masekela says she's also putting herself in danger ... and she might not make it down alive!!!

We got the former X Games host at LAX Wednesday and asked him about the recent deaths at Mt. Everest ... and Sal delivers a dire warning to rich people who are climbing just for the social media snap -- and for Mandy, who just reached Everest's base camp.

This climbing season has already resulted in 11 deaths in the Himalayas, with the latest casualty an American lawyer. The way Sal sees it, even the most elite athletes can succumb to Everest's harsh conditions ... so Mandy's gotta be extra cautious, even though she's being guided by experts.

Meek Mill's claim the Cosmopolitan Hotel keeps a blacklist of black rappers is BS ... according to sources connected to the hotel.

Meek's attorney, Joe Tacopina, made a bombshell allegation against the resort -- claiming he has knowledge of a list that specifically makes black rappers persona non grata, and he believes that's precisely why his client was ordered to leave the hotel without even getting out of his vehicle, or face arrest.

Our Cosmo sources insist the hotel has always been more than accommodating with celebs, including black rappers, and the VIP staff goes out of its way to make sure everyone is comfortable.

Meek clearly wasn't comfortable when he was confronted by security Saturday and told to get the hell out or else. The hotel told us they turned him away because the Marquee Dayclub was filled to capacity, but it doesn't jibe with Cosmo security telling Meek he was not welcome because of a "prior incident."

Security would not be specific about any such prior incident, but a Cosmo source claimed Meek got in a fight with security a while ago. Tacopina says it's utter BS.

The Cosmo has maintained it has "zero tolerance for discrimination."

The guy who freaked out Madison Beer at the BottleRock festival this weekend allegedly came back the next day, high on drugs ... which landed him in handcuffs.

Napa PD tells TMZ ... 28-year-old Jake Rutger Hanson was arrested Sunday just outside the festival grounds after cops were called for another disturbance. When officers arrived, we're told Hanson displayed signs of being under the influence, and cops say they found drug paraphernalia on him.

Hanson was busted on the spot and booked for being under the influence of a controlled substance, as well as for the paraphernalia. We're told cops suspect he was on some kind of hallucinogenic, but it's unclear which one.

Hanson caused quite a ruckus the day before his arrest ... when his movements in the BottleRock crowd caused Madison to abruptly halt her set and signal that there may have been a shooting threat in the audience.

He was whisked away by cops, who booted him from the event entirely -- although cops didn't find any weapons on him or any proof he'd committed a crime. Still, he wasn't supposed to come back at all. NPD says event staff found his behavior alarming -- and that was enough for them to tell him to get lost for good.

Yo Gotti just got slapped with a whopping $6.6 MILLION default judgment in a North Carolina court ... and it's all because the rapper blew off a recording session with another artist after pocketing $20,000.

According to a judge's order, obtained by TMZ, Gotti got $20k to sing on a Young Fletcher track back in 2016, but then refused to release the song, and instead recorded a similar one on his own. He then went so far as to try going behind Fletcher's manager, attempting to poach the artist for his own label with a $150k deal.

Yo Gotti was served with a lawsuit last year while onstage, but he never answered the suit. Fast-forward to Tuesday ... and the judge issues a $2.2 million judgment, but the figure was immediately tripled, because the judge found "willful, unfair, and deceptive acts."

It's not over yet ... attorneys for Young Fletcher's manager, Michael Terry, say they'll go after Gotti's cars and his Bel-Air mansion, if need be to collect the money.

Thomas Markle is giving Lifetime's new movie on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry a scathing review -- calling it awful and chock full of made up crap.

Meghan's dad tells TMZ ... he's incredibly disappointed in how the Lifetime TV flick portrayed the Markle family drama leading up to last year's Royal Wedding, and feels personally attacked by the network.

"Harry & Meghan: Becoming Royal" premiered on Lifetime over the Memorial Day weekend, and Thomas was NOT a fan.

Thomas insists he never bailed on the Royal Wedding -- contrary to how he thinks Lifetime made it look in the film -- and he's doubling down on his stance that he couldn't possibly attend the ceremony and walk Meghan down the aisle because of his heart surgery.

One of Thomas' biggest gripes is with the assertion he never told Meghan and Harry he couldn't make it to their wedding. He tells us that's simply not true, and he feels the movie is littered with tons of "dumb fiction."

Bottom line on Lifetime's movie, for Thomas, anyway -- it's light on facts, and heavy on fiction.

Pretty sure that's 2 thumbs down from him.

5:58 PM PT -- The photographer who shot Iggy for GQ Australia's cover that year says his photos were stolen from him and published without his permission.

He also mentions there's an investigation underway, and vows that the culprit will be prosecuted. The photog adds, "I empathize with any discomfort that this situation has caused to anyone that is involved." He didn't mention Iggy by name.

Iggy Azalea is equally pissed and hurt that someone betrayed her and leaked nude photos from a shoot she did for GQ years ago ... vowing to hold the guilty party responsible.

Topless photos of the Australian MC made their way around the Internet over the weekend, which prompted a flood of inappropriate comments aimed at her ... and, ultimately, it led to Iggy completely deactivating her social media accounts on IG and Twitter.

She later reactivated one of the accounts to issue a statement. It couldn't be more clear -- she's not happy about it, and she's gonna find out who screwed her over.

In her since-deleted remarks, Iggy says the photos were outtake shots from her 2016 GQ Australia cover shoot ... and that she was assured no fully topless photos of her would make the final cut. She says she also never gave permission for those pics to see the light of day.

Iggy goes on to write that there is no reason anyone who was working on the shoot that day should've saved the fully topless shots of herself, adding that she feels blindsided, embarrassed, violated and a whirlwind of other emotions over the invasion of privacy.

She ends with this ... "I fully intend on finding out where the leak originated from and pressing criminal charges in regards to this. It's important to me that someone actually be held accountable for their actions & the way it impacts my life."

We've reached out to GQ Australia for comment ... so far, no word back.

Would Donovan McNabb give up his legendary NFL career if he could have similar success in the NBA??

HELL YES ... so says the former Philadelphia Eagles QB himself, who told the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV Show (airs weeknights on FS1) he believes basketball is the better team sport.

"At the end of the day, it's about team ball and moving that ball around."

Of course, D-Mac nearly had the choice of the NFL or the NBA coming out of college ... the guy was a beast in both sports back at Syracuse.

In fact, McNabb was part of the Orange team in the 1995-96 season that nearly won the NCAA Tournament ... falling just short to Kentucky in the final game.

Ultimately, McNabb chose football -- he was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft -- and things worked out pretty well for him after that.

Moby is ready to move on from his claim that he once dated, or tried dating, a young Natalie Portman ... 'cause he's got another hot topic up his sleeve: the planet.

The musician was questioned Monday by a pap in L.A. -- just a couple days after he publicly apologized for including Natalie in his new memoir. He drew a ton of backlash when she denied ever dating him in the '90s, despite his assertion they were kinda-almost a thing.

The pap gets to the meat of what many feel was left unanswered ... are the details of what he alleged true or not? Moby fully deflects ... switching gears to climate change.

In his mea culpa, Moby said ... "As some time has passed I've realized that many of the criticisms leveled at me regarding my inclusion of Natalie in Then It Fell Apart are very valid." He went on to say, "I also fully recognize that it was truly inconsiderate of me to not let her know about her inclusion in the book beforehand, and equally inconsiderate for me to not fully respect her reaction."

Worth noting ... Moby did NOT retract his characterization of their relationship -- which came off as romantic in his book. He paints it like they were circling a full-blown relationship ... saying they kissed a few times and slept in the same bed together once, until Natalie eventually told him she'd started seeing someone else.

Meanwhile, Natalie responded by saying the brief time she knew him wasn't anything close to dating. In fact, she labeled their dynamic at the time as "creepy." FWIW, she didn't specifically deny any of his details either ... other than to say she was 18 and not 20, as he recalled.

DaBaby has a message for folks who want to keep testing him -- STOP ... or you will get your ass kicked. He ain't lying ... two dudes in two weekends kinda proves his point.

The NC rapper posted a video Sunday after what appeared to be another vicious beating he was involved in -- either directly or indirectly -- down in Charlotte the day before. It sounds like a warning shot of sorts to would-be future hecklers who wanna harass him.

People should take note ... DaBaby isn't afraid to engage, whether cops are called or not.

On Saturday, an edited clip made its way around the Internet in which a guy spots DaBaby inside a Louis Vuitton store at SouthPark mall ... with him proceeding to heckle the rapper from afar. The video then cuts to DaBaby's POV, with him inching closer and closer to the fan.

Eventually, a brawl erupts on camera. It appears three people are involved in the scuffle ... but as the edited video cuts to the next shot, you see the heckler on the ground bleeding from his nose and his pants around his ankles. DaBaby takes credit for the beating.

It's unclear if DaBaby actually handled the dude himself -- we doubt it, he's got a security team after all -- but it doesn't really matter. Point is, DaBaby and co. WILL attack.

Remember last weekend -- a guy was beaten to a pulp after insisting on a pic with DaBaby ... which led to his security team stepping in and pounding the dude's face in ... leaving him in a coma afterward and on the verge of death, according to his ma.

Someone really wants you to believe 50 Cent went crying to the cops about Jimmy Henchman back in the day, but a report that name drops him is complete BS ... according to officials who know the case inside and out.

Here's the sitch -- a document purporting to be a "Report of Investigation" by the U.S. Dept. of Justice's DEA Office has been circulating for a while that cites 50 as having called the feds in 2009 to tip them off to ex-music mogul, James Rosemond -- aka Jimmy H.

At the time, Jimmy was believed to be linked to the murder of 50's pal, Lodi Mack ... who allegedly beat up Jimmy's 14-year-old son in the streets of NYC. Jimmy was eventually charged and convicted for the murder -- prosecutors say he hired guys to kill Lodi.

Welp ... it would appear someone wants to paint 50 as a good, old-fashioned rat, 'cause the report's been making the rounds on the Internet and in newsrooms.

In the doc, it says 50 called in anonymously at first to say the cops should be looking into Jimmy as a possible suspect for Lodi's murder ... and allegedly went on to tell cops that he was afraid for his own life in the aftermath. The doc says 50 told cops he'd cooperate with the investigation

Thing is ... we've been told the document is a complete fake. Law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of Lodi and Jimmy's case tell us ... the alleged report was never taken, and 50 was never recorded as having talked to officers working on the matter at the time.

Funny enough ... 50's known for calling out real-life snitches, like Tekashi 6ix9ine, who he savagely roasted on social media upon news that Tekashi had cut a deal with the feds by diming out his associates in his racketeering case.