You Might Want to Rethink

Jay-Z hasn't had a ton of famous faces come to his corner in the wake of his controversial NFL partnership -- but he just got a key vote of confidence ... from one DJ Khaled.

We ran into Khaled Sunday in NYC, where he was signing autographs and posing with fans -- and when we asked if he was up for some questions ... he was quick to note that he only wanted to talk about positive things, seeing how his son, Asahd, and wife were there.

Seems DJK knew were this was going, because our photog asks if he's down to talk football -- clearly, we want his take on the Colin Kaepernick beef. At first, Khaled says no, but he finally bites ... and we ask if he's talked to Jay's about which NFL team he might wanna own.

Khaled says he doesn't have a clue which squad might be in the stars for Jay, but he sings his praises here with us. Check it out ... it's pretty interesting.

TMZ broke the story ... Jay-Z is set to come up on a "significant ownership interest" in an NFL team pretty soon here, which just so happens to coincide with this newfound embrace of the league ... despite public stances he took against them earlier this year.

As we've reported ... a ton of people in Kap's corner have blasted Jigga for the seemingly change of heart, and even Colin himself appeared to take a jab at the rapper just this weekend.

That said, Khaled's clearly on team Jay, telling us the guy has done and continues to do a lot for people in his community -- and he suggests this NFL news is just more of that from Hov. Keep in mind, Khaled and Jay are tight -- they've done tons of music together.

Jay-Z may think folks are ready to move on from Colin Kaepernick's kneeling protest -- but Kap says otherwise ... shouting out players who continue his movement to this day.

The former 49ers quarterback posted a photo Sunday that appeared to be taking a swipe at something Jay said last week during his press conference with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell -- when he suggested "we've moved past kneeling" to "actionable items."

Doesn't seem Colin sees it that way, though. In his IG post, he included pics of Eric Reid, Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson -- all of whom have continued to kneel in the years since Kap first started his racial injustice protest -- and shared some kind words about them.

He also used similar verbiage to Jay's in making his point, writing ... "My Brothers @e_reid35 @kstills @ithinkisee12 continue to fight for the people, even in the face of death threats. They have never moved past the people and continue to put their beliefs into action. Stay strong Brothers!!"

ICYMI ... Jay was asked about kneeling directly during the Q&A, and said flat-out ... we're past it, and ready to take the next steps. He believes partnering with the NFL is a key way to do that -- but Colin and co. have been blasting him these past few days as a sell-out.

Now, it looks like Colin himself has weighed in on the controversy, and it's clear he ain't cool with Jay's new alliance ... and sees the issue much differently than Jigga does.

Chris Cuomo losing his s*** over being called Fredo deserves a Don Corleone slap in the face -- so says a guy who acted in "The Godfather," and thinks CC completely overreacted.

We got Gianni Russo -- who played the treacherous, wife-beating Carlo in the OG 'Godfather' -- and he tells us Chris made an ass out of himself, and his family, by flipping out over the insult ... not to mention suggesting it was an ethnic slur against Italians.

Gianni says that's nonsense ... all Fredo means is that someone's weak, there's nothing else to it. He also says Chris's dad, ex-Gov. Mario Cuomo, woulda smacked him over this.

Of course, Chris came out publicly and issued an apology of sorts after he was caught on camera  in a profanity-laced tirade, threatening to beat up a guy who called him Fredo. He said he shouldn't allow himself to be baited like that, and had to be better.

As for why Chris responded the way he did -- Gianni says he has no clue ... as he doubts his family would ever use such a term in referring to him. But, as our camera guy suggests -- it's possible Chris might have heard it from others throughout his life.

His older brother, Andrew Cuomo, is the current New York governor, after all.

Whatever the case, Gianni seems to believe Chris hurt his career by doing what he did. In his eyes, not even a plea to the Godfather himself could make this one go away.

Another day, another Yankees meltdown that ended with Brett Gardner and others getting ejected by the umpires. Gotta love those hot August baseball games!!!

This one was pretty wild -- the Yanks were playing the Cleveland Indians Saturday in a close game, which erupted in chaos around the 6th inning ... when Cameron Maybin was called out on a third strike he and his team felt was off the plate.

Manager Aaron Boone felt very strongly about it, in fact ... and was quickly ejected by home-plate umpire Ben May when he started losing it on the field. Over, right? WRONG!!!

Shortly after Boone was tossed, Gardner started banging a bat on the roof of the Yankees' dugout ... which got him ejected as well. Pitcher C.C. Sabathia was pissed too, and he got tossed almost immediately afterward after seemingly challenging the umpire.

Both Gardner and Sabathia had to be held back by their teammates -- luckily, things didn't escalate from there. Even luckier for the Yankees, they ended up winning the game 6-5, despite the ejections.

The umpire face-offs seems to be a regular thing for the boys in pinstripes lately -- Gardner was ejected last week after a case of mistaken identity. And, of course, Boone got ejected -- and subsequently suspended -- last month when he got in an ump's face.

Rob Zombie reacted violently to a female fan who reached across a barricade and grabbed his shirt in the middle of a show ... grabbing and pulling the woman's hair, then shoving her away ... and TMZ has the video.

The hairy situation went down on Wednesday night during the heavy metal rocker's set at the Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario.

In the video, you see Rob singing and walking down an aisle in the middle of the packed crowd when the overzealous fan reaches her hand over the barricade and tugs at his shirt. Rob flies into a rage, yanking on her flowing hair before pushing her back into the scrum.

After the hair pull and shove, Rob continues on his way ... with his body guard in tow.

Rob is touring with Marilyn Manson ... so you can imagine their crowds like to get rowdy.

Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid is blasting Jay-Z for his new partnership with the NFL ... saying it looks like the rap mogul is selling out and helping "bury" Colin Kaepernick's football career.

Kap's longtime friend and former teammate sounded off on social media late Wednesday night ... responding to a quote from Jay that read "... everybody knows I agree with what you're saying [in Kaepernick's underlying message]. So what are we gonna do? ... [Help] millions and millions of people, or we get stuck on Colin not having a job."

"These aren’t mutually exclusive," Reid wrote back ... "They can both happen at the same time! It looks like your goal was to make millions and millions of dollars by assisting the NFL in burying Colin’s career."

Of course, Jay-Z has taken plenty of heat for his partnership with Roger Goodell -- one where Hov will help the league with entertainment and social justice issues -- because some feel it undercuts Kap's cause.

Clearly, Reid is in that corner ... because he also retweeted several tweets that hammered Jay for the move, including one that read, "You don't 'move on' from riding for the people."

For his part, Kaepernick has yet to respond directly to the whole ordeal ... but he did write on social media Wednesday, "Today marks the three year anniversary of the first time I protested systemic oppression. I continue to work and stand with the people in our fight for liberation, despite those who are trying to erase the movement! The movement has always lived with the people!"

Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign's "Hot Girl Summer" got chilled down by LAPD who nearly torpedoed their music video -- but there's a happy ending. Ya like those, right?

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ, cops crashed Meg's attempt to shoot her video for 'HGS' last Friday, in the Mount Olympus neighborhood of L.A. -- right in the heart of the Hollywood Hills.

The reason? We're told she didn't have the proper permits.

Major drag too ... because our sources say Meg and her featured guests, Nicki and Ty, were all set to go at a house they'd booked as the main set for the shoot. Nicki and Meg were in costume, rocking matching neon striped outfits, which showed off all their good sides. As in, all of them!!!

The problem is ... someone snitched!!! Law enforcement sources tell us someone called the cops, and officers rolled up to find production didn't have the necessary paperwork. LAPD sent everyone packing, shutting down production.

Not to worry though, Stallionaires ... we're told Meg and co. improvised and were able to lock down another location about 50 miles East of L.A. in Chino Hills. It's just like the Hollywood Hills ... of Chino, anyway.

We're told the team was able to finish the scenes they needed without issues that same night, and the music video is scheduled to be released as planned.

Spoiler alert ... this thing appears to feature some wild animal cameos. Saddle up, folks!!!

Art really does imitate life -- the "Empire" crew is firing up its cameras pretty much exactly where their former star, Jussie Smollett, insists he fell victim to a racist and homophobic attack.

FOX had a bunch of crew members from the show setting up a shot Tuesday in Chicago ... literally within a stone's throw from where Jussie says the Osundairo brothers gave him a clobbering, poured bleach on him and left a rope around his neck.

The set is literally in the shadow of Jussie's apartment building ... it's the high-rise with the reflective windows.

There are only stand-ins in these pics, but it's clear "Empire" is getting ready to shoot something. No word whether they're incorporating elements of Smollett's real-life drama into the show -- but this can't be a coincidence ... they've gotta know the significance of the location.

You'll recall ... Jussie said he got jumped around 2 AM on his way home from grabbing a sandwich, just near his apartment building on the 300 block of East North Water Street.

That's where the "Empire" team had set up camp. To give you a visualization ... here's a side-by-side of the block where the attack allegedly happened, and where production trucks are now parked.

Of course, Jussie was eventually accused of lying and making the whole thing up, and got indicted by a grand jury too. He was cleared of all criminal charges though in a tit for tat with Cook County State Attorney's Office -- but he's not out of the woods yet.

The City of Chicago is suing him for the cost of the investigation and then some, and Jussie's currently in the middle of trying to fight it.

The Showtime drama "Billions" could be on the hook for stacks of cash for its portrayal of a Native American tribe and one of its honchos.

A real-life Cayuga Nation Council member Clint Halftown points out there's a character on the show named Jane Halftown ... who just happens to be a council member. In the suit, Clint calls out a scene where Paul Giamatti's character is discussing a land deal with Jane Halftown that reeks of corruption on the part of the tribe.

According to the suit, the Nation claims "Billions" makes it seem like the Cayuga are all about accepting "unlawful gratuities" and coercing politicians into getting their way.

In the suit, the Nation says "Billions" producers were lazy because they didn't bother to change names -- as in using a fictitious tribe and council member. They claim they DID do that for the main characters. For instance, the show's star, Damian Lewis, plays Bobby Axelrod ... and they claim he's widely considered to be modeled after real-life hedge fund manager Steve Cohen.

Halftown and the Cayuga Nation say Showtime and the show's producers can make things right in two ways: stop referring to the Nation and the Halftown character in future episodes AND compensate the Nation for the damage to its reputation.

Showtime along with producers Brian Koppelman, Andrew Sorkin and David Levien are named as defendants. We've reached out to Showtime, but no word back.

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo went nuclear on a guy who called him a derogatory name, threatening to beat his ass.

Chris was in NY Sunday when a guy approached him and called him "Fredo" ... the insulting name of a character in "The Godfather" ... a name that connotes weakness.

Chris is from a proud Italian family and it set him off, challenging the man, threatening ... "I'll f***in' ruin your sh*t. I'll f***in' throw you down these stairs."

Cuomo told the guy ... the name "Fredo" is as offensive to Italians as the n-word is to African Americans.

He's a popular anchor who's made a name for himself as a fair-minded guy, but everything dissolved into abject rage as he scoffed at the guy who claimed -- clearly falsely -- that he thought Chris' name was Fredo.

It escalated even further -- Chris was clearly looking for a fight ... challenging the guy to take a swing at him.

He did not anchor his show Monday night ... CNN says he was scheduled to be off.

President Trump's administration thinks it'd be a good idea to tweak this country's motto on incoming immigrants to something more specific ... self-sufficiency or GTFO.

That's not a stretch from what a prominent member of DT's cabinet said on NPR Tuesday when asked about his boss' new policy change for immigrants that use public benefits ... and how that reflects the Statue of Liberty plaque of taking in anyone and everyone.

According to Ken Cuccinelli -- the acting Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services -- that slogan should be updated to read, "Give me your tired and your poor who can stand on their own two feet, and who will not become a public charge." Seriously, he said that.

ICYMI, Trump and co. wanna make it harder for folks who legally migrated to the U.S. -- but aren't citizens yet -- to obtain permanent status if they receive food stamps, Section 8 housing or Medicaid ... effectively squeezing 'em out. It's called the "public charge" rule.

If you need a refresher on what Emma Lazarus' sonnet says -- here's the most important part ... "'Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!' cries she With silent lips. 'Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!'" It was mounted in the lower level of Lady Liberty's pedestal in 1903.

A$AP Rocky's first live show since his arrest overseas proves he still has swagger, showmanship and bravado -- but he's also been humbled, and his fired-up fans gave Sweden an earful.

Rocky performed Sunday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA, where he was headlining the annual Real Street Festival -- which also featured Cardi B, Future, Migos, 2 Chainz, Big Sean and lots of other superstars. A$AP brought out some special guests himself -- A$AP Ferg, Tyler the Creator, and YG were just a few.

In this footage from his set, A$AP shared some of his experiences in Sweden with the crowd and thanked them for continued support.

You can tell the audience wasn't happy over his predicament ... they literally chanted "F*** Sweden" at one point in the show, and Rocky didn't try to stop them. He did clarify that he's got nothing against Swedish people, though -- sounds like some Swedes there were holding it down and demanding his release, just like folks here at home.

Before he bowed out, Rocky asked the crowd to pray for him before a verdict is reached this coming Wednesday in his assault case -- which wrapped up about 10 days ago, giving Rocky a chance to finally fly home.

He was ecstatic to be home, and has been keeping busy with some of his staunchest supporters in the days he's been back.

Faye Dunaway was an absolute disaster onstage before getting canned from a play producers hoped to take to Broadway -- and now we know why she won't be part of the production, "Tea at Five," if it gets there.

TMZ has obtained show reports from "Tea at Five" and they spell out exactly how the Oscar-winning actress bombed in her starring role. Let's just say the opening performances in Boston -- gotta work your way up to Broadway -- went about as bad as possible.

According to the reports, Faye brazenly asked for lines in front of a live audience, stopped the show to complain about lighting, and railed on backstage staff from the moment she walked into the theater.

It's pretty incredible ... the show reports say Faye used an ear piece to get lines fed to her, but still managed to screw 'em up!

And, get this ... the reports also say Faye exclaimed, "Where am I? Line?" As for why she was flubbing so badly -- she asked someone sitting in the front row to take a hat off their knee because it was distracting her. Stupid hat!

Faye was ultimately canned from the production, which is no longer Broadway-bound. Not yet. Instead, it's going to London's West End next year. No word on Faye's replacement.

To be fair, she actually got a favorable review from one Boston publication. Officially, the Hollywood legend was fired for allegedly slapping crew members and throwing objects at them -- NOT for forgetting her lines.

Nothing comes between Rick Ross and a plate of his delicious wings ... unless, of course, it's a NYC cyclist barreling down the street who damn near took out Da Boss!

Rick was on his way out of a radio station this week when he almost got TRUCKED by a New Yorker on one of those rent-a-bikes, and she was PISSED!!!

Check out the clip, which is pretty funny now ... since everyone walked away without a scratch. Rick definitely got on the biker's last nerve because he failed to look before strolling out into the clearly marked bike lane.

We're guessing Rick had his mind on his money, and his money on his mind. He was beelining it for a Wing Stop truck parked on the street. Rick owns more than 2 dozen Wing Stop branches across the country.

No clue who the peeved cyclist was -- she kept rolling -- but we know who won't have any such problem ... Jerry O'Connell. Rick's cycling encounter is the perfect excuse for us to roll this hilarious footage of JO failing to rent a Citi Bike.

Cycling in the big city ain't easy ... for a bunch o' reasons.

Priyanka Chopra heard an earful from a frustrated fan who called her a hypocrite for seemingly advocating for peace ... but clearly choosing sides in the India-Pakistan conflict.

The tense moment went down Sunday in L.A., where Priyanka was attending the Beautycon event and fielding questions from the crowd during a Q&A. A woman, who called herself Ayesha and identified as Pakistani, says it's difficult to hear her talk about humanity, when she clearly feels a certain way about recent violence in her home region.

The woman called Priyanka out for a tweet she posted in February that translated to "Long live India" -- the same day an Indian fighter jet bombed a militant training camp in Pakistan.

She went in on Priyanka, saying ... "So, it was kinda hard hearing you talk about humanity, because as your neighbor -- a Pakistani -- I know you're a bit of a hypocrite." The woman points out that Priyanka is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and that in her eyes ... the tweet was encouraging nuclear war against Pakistan.

Security rushed over and yanked the mic away from the woman, but she continued with her thoughts ... saying she was a longtime fan of hers and her Bollywood career.

Priyanka's response has raised some eyebrows, as she asks if the woman is done venting ... and then chastised her for yelling. Before that though, Priyanka said she has many friends from Pakistan, and that war's something she's not really fond of -- but she is patriotic.

Priyanka says we all have to walk a middle ground, but then told the girl not to embarrass herself by making such a scene ... adding, "we're all here for love."

The actress caught flak initially after sending out her tweet, with some calling for her to resign from UNICEF, which many believe is supposed to be neutral in international squabbles.

'Million Dollar Listing L.A.' star Madison Hildebrand came THIS close to putting pen to paper for a $300k deal to speak at a conference in Dubai ... but like with Dog the Bounty Hunter, it was a total scam.

One of Malibu's most sought after real estate agents tells TMZ ... he got a fake $300k offer from the office of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan -- the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates -- to speak at a charity event in Dubai. The deal included first-class air travel for Madison and accommodations in the presidential suite at Dubai's most iconic hotel ... the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. But, it turned out to be a total scam.

If this all sounds eerily familiar ... it should, because these are the same scammers who targeted Dog the Bounty Hunter last month. And, just like Dog ... Madison saw all the red flags.

He says the scammers wanted to wire transfer the dough, which at a glance seemed normal ... except for the clause in the contract, which gave the scammers 5 days to cancel the transfer.

Long story short ... if the scammers backed out of the deal and forced Madison to wire the money back ... the scammers would essentially be getting Madison to pay THEM back out of his own pocket because the fake wire transfer would never actually hit Madison's bank account.

Madison tells us real estate agents had previously been warned about the dangers of wire transfers, and because they deal with escrow accounts all the time, they're easy targets.

Madison says 2 days before we reported Dog's story, he decided it all seemed sketchy and pulled the plug on the deal. He calls the contract, "the best scam contract I've ever seen."

Other perks included first-class travel for 2 of his guests, $10k for wardrobe, a hair/makeup team, security escort and luxury transportation. Yeah, too good to be true.