You Might Want to Rethink

Halle Bailey finally showed the world what she looks like as Ariel in "The Little Mermaid" reboot, but per usual -- Twitter's found a way to ruin it ... by tearing down Jodi Benson.

Here's the deal ... Disney dropped the new 'Little Mermaid' trailer Friday, and while most everyone was in awe of the first look at Halle under the sea -- some couldn't help but draw comparisons to the original voice actor who played Ariel back '89 ... that'd be JB.

Some were grabbing clips from the animated film, including iconic singing parts, and putting them up side by side with Halle's -- going on to mock Jodi's performance, by saying she sounds "a little flat."

There was more mocking ... including folks posting shots of Halle's Ariel next to the animated Ariel and noting that HB has a ton of Grammys noms, while cartoon Ariel (aka, Jodi) had zero. FWIW, 'The Little Mermaid' did in fact win a handful of Grammys at the time.

Bottom line though ... they're besmirching the iconic work Jodi did all those years ago.

There was also someone who was trying to create drama between these two ... which appears to be completely manufactured. They posted a screenshot of what looks to be a post on Jodi's IG story, showing a photo of animated Ariel with the caption, "Love my Ariel."

The Twitter user who grabbed this is trying to make it seem like Jodi posted this in response to the trailer coming out -- and as a shot at Halle, but that's not the case ... it's an old post.

Fact is, Jodi has been nothing but supportive over Halle's casting -- something a good handful on the bird app noted as they tried to shut down this anti-Jodi narrative building among rabid Halle stans. The question ... why can't we celebrate each woman's take???

There's been some racist uproar over the fact Halle, who's Black, was cast at all in this role -- and now, this response seems to be extreme opposite reaction -- at the expense of Jodi.

Swedish House Mafia had their fans dancing in the pouring rain, despite their team begging them to cut things short in order to save millions of dollars worth of equipment.

The DJ trio sold out Banc of California Stadium Friday in LA while the rain poured down for almost the entire show. Sources close to the group tell us their team begged the guys to end things early on several occasions in order to preserve equipment, but they insisted to keep playing for their fans.

We’re told as a result, millions worth of audio and stage design equipment will need to be repaired or entirely replaced.

SHM has been rocking shows across the US over the last few weeks, and LA was the biggest outdoor show they’ve done on tour … they even added more effects for the venue.

Of course, the group headlined closing night of Coachella earlier this year, after dropping their album “Paradise Again.”

Nick Young is doing his best full-court press on LeBron James' son, Bronny -- telling TMZ Sports the basketball phenom should play college ball at USC instead of Ohio State.

The NBA superstar's oldest son had the sports world buzzin' after posing in a Buckeyes uniform this week ... just days after the James gang hit up the OSU-Notre Dame football game on Saturday.

Bronny has made it clear he still hasn't committed anywhere, but he seemed to embrace wearing the Scarlet and Grey ... evidenced by how happy he and his parents were during the photoshoot.

Young -- who suited up for the Trojans from 2004-07 -- says he has a better idea in mind for Bronny ... telling us the senior guard should stay close to his second home in sunny California.

"Back home!" Young said. "I went there. Plus, it's in L.A., it's in California. Why leave and you already out here comfortable? Dad's here. Dad can come watch you play. Mom can come watch you play."

Swaggy P even came up with a nickname for 17-year-old Bronny as part of his sales pitch ... saying James should go by, "Swaggy Bronny."

We also asked Nick if he thinks Bronny has a shot of ending up with his dad on the Lake Show ... and Young thinks it's a real possibility they could play together in the NBA someday.

Tyler Cameron has a bit of advice for all you horny athletes out there -- wait until AFTER a game to get freaky ... 'cause your legs will be absolutely shot!!

The Bachelor Nation star and former college football QB for Wake Forest shared the hilarious anecdote this week, saying he had been hanging out with a girl from Tinder before a game against Utah State ... and they decided to hook up with kickoff just hours away.

As it turns out, Mick in "Rocky" was right ... 'cause as Tyler puts it, "I remember going out to warm up before the game, I had zero legs."

Cameron -- who was a backup at the time -- says not only was he in awful condition, he almost had to go into the game!!

"All of a sudden, we're getting our asses kicked at Utah State. They said, 'Tyler, warm up. You're about to go in.'"

Cameron says his legs were wobbling like crazy as he warmed up on the sidelines ... but luckily, the action on the field switched back in WF's favor for a bit, so he was in the clear.

BYU athletics says the school did a thorough investigation into claims a fan hurled racial slurs at a Duke volleyball player last month ... and after checking hours of footage and interviewing dozens of spectators, it was determined there was no evidence to back the allegations.

Duke sophomore Rachel Richardson made the claims following a match on Aug. 26 ... saying a man in the stands was yelling racist comments toward her and several black teammates throughout the entire competition.

The fan in question -- who happened to be a Utah Valley University student -- was quickly handed a permanent ban, despite police and others in the stands being unable to support Richardson's account.

On Friday, the school announced the results of its investigation ... saying it has lifted the fan's punishment after determining he never said what he was accused of.

"From our extensive review, we have not found any evidence to corroborate the allegation that fans engaged in racial heckling or uttered racial slurs at the event," BYU said. "As we stated earlier, we would not tolerate any conduct that would make a student-athlete feel unsafe. That is the reason for our immediate response and our thorough investigation."

The school added ... "There will be some who assume we are being selective in our review. To the contrary, we have tried to be as thorough as possible in our investigation, and we renew our invitation for anyone with evidence contrary to our findings to come forward and share it."

Duke responded to the results of the investigation ... saying, "The 18 members of the Duke University volleyball team are exceptionally strong women who represent themselves, their families, and Duke University with the utmost integrity."

"Bachelorette" contestant Erich Schwer -- the last remaining candidate for Gabby Windey -- is owning up to wearing blackface as part of a Halloween costume in high school ... saying he deeply regrets his actions.

A photo from Schwer's old yearbook made rounds on social media this week ... showing him dressed as Jimi Hendrix, donning dark makeup and an afro wig.

The 29-year-old real estate analyst from New Jersey is now speaking out on his costume choice ... saying he wholeheartedly apologizes for what he thought was a gesture showing love for the artist, but admits it only showed ignorance.

"I was naïve to the hurtful implications of my actions to the Black community and those closest to me, and will forever regret my offensive and damaging behavior," Schwer said on Thursday.

"I am deeply ashamed by my actions and understand that my apology is only the first step in taking accountability."

Schwer is Gabby's final chance at love on this season of the dating show ... after she parted ways with Johnny and Jason during the Fantasy Suite episode.

A Virginia restaurant is doing some serious damage control after releasing a 9/11-themed seafood menu with items named after markers of the attack.

The Clubhouse restaurant came under fire Tuesday after manager George White posted the 'Patriot Day 2022' menu to Facebook with dishes that included a 'Freedom Flounder', 'Flight 93 Redirect' Crab Dip, 'Pentagon Pie,' '9-11 Oysters,' 'First Responder Flatbread' and the '2977 Chowder' -- a nod to the number of people who died on 9/11.

The 21st anniversary of the attack is Sunday, so it appears the restaurant thought the menu would act as a way to honor the victims ... but it clearly missed the mark.

White apologized shortly after, "I apologize for those I offended with the 9/11 seafood Sunday post. My intention was to bring attention to that horrific day 21 years ago. To honor those who lost so much as well those who gave everything that day. We will have a new theme tomorrow."

Angelina Jolie was apparently responsible for breaking the news about her relationship with Brad Pitt, according to the founder of Rolling Stone magazine ... who attributes her for getting the bombshell shots back in 2005.

Jann Wenner's upcoming memoir, 'Like a Rolling Stone,' is full of stories about the celebs he's encountered over the years, according to Page Six ... but this one might take the cake, putting to bed a 17-year mystery on who first blabbed about Brangelina.

Jann owned Us Weekly when rumors were flying about BP and AJ being an item ... when their photographer got a tip about the two staying at a resort on the coast of Africa.

He puts it plainly -- "the tipster was Angelina." Of course, this was all going down while Brad was still married to Jennifer Aniston.

Not only did Jann's photog know where to find them, but Angelina gave specific details about their daily walks, and even where they could secretly snag a pic of them.

Jann says they finally got the proof after Angelina's tip ... adding "we had the worldwide scoop, the debut of Brangelina."

The Fitzmagic has officially run out -- recently retired NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick tells TMZ Sports he's really done playing football for good ... even if a team in need comes calling.

39-year-old Fitzpatrick decided to walk away from the game earlier this offseason ... ending his career after 17 years in the league.

Of course, there's a history of guys retiring before getting the itch to come back -- we're looking at you, Favre and TB12 -- but Ryan says that's not the case for him.

"I'm retired," Fitzpatrick told us at the Empire State Building this week. "It's official. I'm done."

The journeyman signal-caller says that's going to stay his final answer even if there's demand for a fresh arm on a roster ... claiming his body wouldn't be too happy if he took any more hits.

"I don't know if my hip would be willing to and I'm comfortable what I'm doing right now."

So, what's he doing now?? Fitzpatrick will still be near the game as a TV analyst for Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video this season ... and he says he's going to give it all he's got in front of the camera.

"There's still a lot of work and preparation that goes into talking about football," Ryan said. "It's more of the mental side of it than all the physical and recovery. I don't get hit anymore which is nice."

If there's anyone Apple might wanna impress, it's Steve Jobs' daughter, but the fact is she's far from blown away by the new iPhone ... which she thinks is pretty much the same as the previous edition.

Eve Jobs, daughter of Steve and Laurene Powell Jobs, reacted to Apple's Wednesday announcement of the new iPhone 14 by posting a popular meme ... and adding her own twist of shade.

Eve is basically saying folks who upgrade from the iPhone 13 to the iPhone 14 aren't getting anything different from before.

Lots of folks in the comments are mostly in agreement with Eve ... some people are pointing out a lot of the tech specs between the iPhone 13 and 14 are the same ... including screen size, refresh rate, storage, CPU and the cameras.

The Washington Nationals are stepping in to make a girl and her family feel better after a man stole a ball from them at a game last week ... apologizing for it all and sending over a gift.

The incident initially happened during the Nats vs. A's game on Sept. 1 -- which was also Youth Champions Day.

For the occasion, the Nationals invited the Shenandoah Rec League Babe Ruth 10U All-Star Softball team ... and at one point, Washington outfielder Joey Meneses threw a ball to them so they could have a souvenir.

The problem? A man intercepted it -- and didn't give it back.

The 10-year-old girl who was in line to catch the ball was clearly upset by the dude's actions ... and her mother, Regina Hilliard, later pleaded with the Nats to make things right.

Turns out, the team did just that, because Hilliard says they reached out just a couple days later.

"They are sending something our way," Hilliard said, "and hope that this can serve as a symbol of a good experience at the park rather than a bad one!♥⚾"

Nick Kyrgios lost his U.S. Open match Tuesday night -- and then he lost his mind ... smashing two of his rackets on the court in an epic meltdown at the famous tennis tournament.

Kyrgios battled against Karen Khachanov for nearly four hours with a spot in the tourney's semifinals on the line -- but things started to go awry for the Australian in the fifth set.

Khachanov began taking over, and Kyrgios got frustrated by it -- at one point appearing to yell loudly at people in the stands.

Then, after Khachanov sealed the victory 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, Kyrgios exploded.

Video shot by spectators in the stands shows he hurled not one but two of his rackets onto the court -- blowing them to smithereens.

Afterward, a downtrodden Kyrgios said he was heartbroken over the L.

"I feel like s***," he said. "I feel like I've let so many people down. I just, I don't know."

"It's just devastating," he added. "Like, it's heartbreaking."

Kyrgios has become infamous for his meltdowns on the court -- in fact, he was just sued by a fan after he screamed about her during the middle of a Wimbledon match in July.

Operation FN Meka, Capitol Records' experimental A.I. rapper, might be resting in a virtual coffin now ... but one of its co-creators is lashing out one last time. We hope.

Anthony Martini, co-founder of Factory New -- the company responsible for unleashing FN Meka, tells The New York Times ... the digital rapper's critics are guilty of creating a double standard.

Martini says, “If you’re mad about the lyrical content because it supposedly was A.I., why not be mad about the lyrical content in general?"

The Georgia RICO cases against Young Thug and Gunna were already putting a spotlight on hip hop's lyrical content  ... and then FN Meka signed its contract in August, releasing a song titled "Florida Water" featuring Gunna and Clix.

The song featured FN Meka rapping about avatar Gucci and Rolexes while needing to find weed to smoke, and was pulled from streaming services when Capitol terminated the record contract after a wave of fan backlash ... especially from the Black community.

Following FN Meka flatlining, Martini released an extensive statement distancing himself from his company's business dealings ... an explanation that still doesn't do Kyle The Hooligan any favors!

Kyle actually voiced Meka's raps up to a point ... until he says team Factory New ghosted him and made their money moves without him. As we first reported, Kyle's now plotting a lawsuit against Factory New for money owed.

He's also denying having anything to do with FN Meka's last days when fans started railing against the project.

A man was caught on camera stealing a magician's costume in the dressing room of a comedy club ... and for his next trick, he decided to pleasure himself backstage while no one was around ... this according to cops.

This clip is insane ... a man appears to walk right into the dressing room of the Laugh Factory in Vegas, inside the Tropicana.

One performer loungin' on the couch seems to notice the man walk right toward the wardrobe rack, but didn't seem to think much of it.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, the man swiped a pair of pants, a T-shirt, and a hat from the show's headline act, Murray The Magician.

The report says Murray was told the suspect showed up again a few days later with someone else, seemingly scoping out the area.

After leaving, the same person who stole Murray's costume returned alone, sat on the dressing room couch, and appeared to masturbate under his clothes.

Murray stated no one at the comedy club recognized the individual, but to be on the lookout if he returns for an encore.

The action on the field during the Clemson vs. Georgia Tech game on Monday night wasn't the most thrilling ... but that certainly wasn't the case in the stands, 'cause a violent fistfight erupted between two fans, and it was wild!!

It all went down at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta ... when at some point during the Tigers' tilt with the Yellow Jackets, two guys lost their cool and turned the football game into a boxing match.

One bystander caught all of the action on video ... and in the clip, you can see the guy wearing a #16 Clemson jersey throwing a vicious right hook at a man wearing a black hoodie.

Then, all hell broke loose -- as the guys traded blows over and over again for several moments.

Some spectators nearby were encouraging the fight -- but others were shouting and screaming for the two guys to knock it off before someone got seriously hurt.

Eventually, the two were separated ... and the man in the Clemson jersey appeared to be bleeding following the altercation.

No word on if any arrests were made, we've reached out to cops but have yet to hear back.

Tiffany Haddish is responding to the lawsuit filed by two people who say when they were sexually abused when they were children in a comedy sketch, saying she regrets doing the sketch but can't say much more.

Tiffany went on IG Monday and said, "I know people have a bunch of questions. I get it. I’m right there with you. Unfortunately, because there is an ongoing legal case, there’s very little that I can say right now."

She went on to express remorse, saying, "But, clearly, while this sketch was intended to be comedic, it wasn't funny at all – and I deeply regret having agreed to act in it. I really look forward to being able to share a lot more about this situation as soon as I can."

The 2 plaintiffs, a male and female, say Tiffany and Aries Spears "groomed" the then 14-year-old girl and her 7-year-old brother, allegedly coercing them to film explicit skits. The boy says he was molested by both defendants.

According to the lawsuit, the girl says Haddish gained her trust and convinced her to film a sexually suggestive video, with Tiffany teaching her how to mimic fellatio for the skit.

Tiffany's attorney, Andrew Brettler, told TMZ the lawsuit was purely an extortion attempt ... "Plaintiff's mother, Trizah Morris, has been trying to assert these bogus claims against Ms. Haddish for several years."

Brettler went on, "Every attorney who has initially taken on her case -- and there were several -- ultimately dropped the matter once it became clear that the claims were meritless and Ms. Haddish would not be shaken down. Now, Ms. Morris has her adult daughter representing herself in this lawsuit. The two of them will together face the consequences of pursuing this frivolous action."

Both siblings say they have developed social disorders ... and the brother claims he is so afraid of being watched or recorded he places band-aids over all the cameras on his electronics.