You Might Want to Rethink

Juvenile isn't taking news of being omitted from this year's Essence Fest lineup well ... and would rather New Orleans residents spend their money at the Donna Fest, where he and Mannie Fresh will be performing!!!

On Friday, Juve ripped the popular summer shindig a new one on Twitter for its tremendous artist lineup being devoid of any of Cash Money's flagship artists, i.e. the Hot Boys.

This year's EF is boasting a 50 Years of Hip Hop celebration with legendary acts such as Missy Elliott, Ice Cube, Big Daddy Kane, T.I. and Remy Ma -- but none of that matters to Juve, who encouraged fans to go with the less expensive Donna Fest, with tickets starting at just $25.

At the time we're posting ... 3-day EF passes are sold out, and the 1-day tix start around $90.

Rebirth Brass Band and the "400 Degreez" rapper's son, Young Juve, will also be performing. Both events go down during the first weekend of July so the city will be lively, to say the least.

A Premier League soccer referee and his family were mercilessly heckled, and even had a chair thrown at them, by out-of-control AS Roma fans ... and now local police have launched a criminal investigation.

The incident occurred in Budapest ... where 44-year-old ref Anthony Taylor, who is English, was in a cafe with his family, waiting for their flight. Unfortunately, several Roma fans recognized Taylor, and that's when things turned ugly.

Several videos show Taylor, who appears to be with his wife and several other people, getting shouted at by a large group of "fans" as airport authorities attempted to whisk them to safety.

At one point, a fan even threw a chair towards Taylor.

"The Italian citizen involved in the incident was apprehended by the police and criminal proceedings have been initiated on charges of affray," the airport later announced in a statement.

The Roma fans were upset their squad lost to Sevilla by penalty kick after ending regulation tied 1-1 in the Europa League final. Taylor handed out 13 yellow cards during the game.

After the game, but before the airport incident, Roma manager Jose Mourinho was seen confronting the referee in a parking lot, hurling expletives at him.

Mourinho could face a fine and/or suspension for his behavior.

As for the ugly behavior at the airport ... it's drawn widespread rebuke from everyone from the referees union to the Premier League itself who blasted the fans for the way they acted.

"[We're] aware of videos circulating on social media showing Anthony Taylor and his family being harassed and abused at Budapest Airport," the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) said.

"We are appalled at the unjustified and abhorrent abuse directed at Anthony and his family as he tries to make his way home from refereeing the UEFA Europa League final."

The Premier League also issued a statement, saying they were "shocked and appalled by the unacceptable abuse" Taylor and his family endured.

The PL added Anthony is one of their most accomplished and experienced officials, saying  "No one should have to suffer the inexcusable behavior they had to endure."

Damian Lillard agrees with former head coach turned broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy ... halftime's pointless, and the league would be wise to eliminate the 15-minute break!

"I’m w [Van Gundy] on halftime lol… I do not fw it," the 7x All-Star proclaimed on social media, responding to the former Knicks coach's proposed rule change.

It was during a recent interview with The Athletic that Van Gundy suggested several substantial ways to speed up/improve the game.

"This whole idea of what goes on at halftime, I think is so misunderstood," Jeff told the outlet. "It’s a lot of either praising what just happened or correcting. But you could do that in two minutes out by the bench in an elongated timeout."

Bottom line, Jeff feels halftime is too long and drawn out, describing it as "the biggest waste of time," adding players only need time to go to the bathroom and possibly make a few adjustments, which could be done within 5 minutes.

The 61-year-old analyst didn't stop at halftime ... JVG also said the NBA should save free throws for crunch time.

“So my most radical one is to eliminate free throws until the last four minutes,” Van Gundy said. "If you get fouled on a shooting foul, you just get the points. You don’t go to the line. And you don’t go to the line for technical free throws."

While the networks probably won't love Jeff's halftime idea (commercials!) -- likely making it a nonstarter -- Van Gundy is adamant his free throw rule change needs to be adopted.

SHEIN is taking swift action after being accused of selling knockoff Jordan 11s on its site this week ... with the company telling TMZ Sports the product has been wiped from its store.

The Chinese-based online fast fashion retailer recently featured athletic kicks described as "professional basketball sports shoes for men" ... which were selling for $49.99.

However, the shoes looked just like the Air Jordan 11s (which come with a $225 retail price tag) ... all the way down to the patent leather mudguard. The only key difference?? The obvious absence of the iconic Jumpman logo.

Sneakerheads got wind of the bootleg kicks ... and quickly went to social media to call SHEIN out for the item.

One person joked on Twitter saying, "SHEIN got space jam 11s y’all better get y’all a pair" while another person tweeted, "Fordan 11s to go with my Fucci bag and Folex watch."

We reached out to Shein about the matter ... and the company is placing the blame on an outside retailer.

"SHEIN takes all claims of infringement seriously and we have removed the product in question," a spokesperson said Wednesday.

"Third-party sellers are required to comply with our SHEIN Marketplace policies and certify their products do not infringe IP."

It's not the only issue the company has -- the site also appears to have bootleg versions of the MSCHF Big Red Boots, Yeezys, Balenciaga, and more.

Chrishell Stause wants fans of her show to get the message, once and for all, to stand down on making death threats against her to costar Nicole Young -- 'cause, like, it's just reality TV ... and not that serious.

The "Selling Sunset" realtor talked to us Tuesday in L.A., and we asked why she thought it was important to publicly speak up on Nicole's behalf and tell haters to cool it -- and she touched on the absurdity of modern-day fandom.

Watch ... CS says people in this day and age just take things too far, especially when it comes to keyboard catharsis -- which clearly spilled over into dangerous territory last week.

Like we reported, Nicole was getting death threats and other vile remarks in the wake of her onscreen feud with Chrishell ... and it was affecting her well-being. Chrishell spoke up on her own social platform and told everyone to simmer down.

While she goes to bat for Nicole on camera with us -- about the threats, at least -- it sounds like there's still no love lost between them. Chrishell tells us it's up to Nicole to repair their relationship.

Tyler Christopher went from "General Hospital" to a generally passed-out drunk guy who had a little too much and needed to sleep one off -- so say cops in Southern California.

Burbank PD tells TMZ, the longtime soap actor was arrested Friday at the airport after cops were notified of a dude snoozing on the ground near the American Airlines terminal ... which the officers suspected might've been alcohol-related.

We're told when the officers approached Christopher and woke him up, he told them he'd missed his flight. That apparently wasn't a good enough explanation for them though -- 'cause the cops ended up cuffing and booking him for public intoxication.

We're told Christopher displayed clear and objective signs of intoxication ... and he was unable to care for himself. Our sources say that was reason enough to bust him.

It's unfortunate to see him in this sitch ... as he was arrested for something very similar a few years ago when he got thrown in jail for passing out in the back of an Uber ... and the driver claimed he'd even urinated on himself too.

As for this airport arrest -- Christopher was ultimately cited and released with a date to appear in court.

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass apologized on Tuesday afternoon ... saying a post he made on his social media page earlier this week was "hurtful to the Pride community."

On Monday, Bass reshared a video to his Instagram Story from the account "dudewithgoodnews" ... which appeared to feature anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

The clip urged people to boycott "Target, Bud Light, and any other corporation that's pushing the things they're pushing" -- in light of their recent LGBTQ promotions.

Bass did not add any further commentary on the vid when sharing it ... though he was dragged by many MLB fans for re-posting it nonetheless.

But, during a short meeting with reporters at Rogers Centre ahead of Tuesday night's Toronto vs. Milwaukee game ... he said he was sorry for it.

"I recognize yesterday I made a post that was hurtful to the Pride community, which includes friends of mine and close family members of mine," said Bass, who has since deleted the Instagram post. "I am truly sorry for that."

"I just spoke with my teammates and shared with them my actions yesterday. I apologized to them, and as of right now I am using the Blue Jays' resources to better educate myself to make better decisions moving forward."

He continued, "The ballpark is for everybody. We include all fans at the ballpark. We want to welcome everybody. That's all I have to say."

The Blue Jays -- who are set to host a Pride night on June 9 -- said in a statement of their own that "individual player sentiments are not representative of the club's beliefs."

"The Blue Jays bring millions of fans together across Canada," the team added, "and are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming experience for all."

Tom Sandoval may want to choose his words more wisely, because some of the folks who run the City of Pittsburgh are not happy he trashed their fair city ... something Tom denies.

TMZ broke the story ... Tom was on a plane over Memorial Day Weekend heading for Pittsburgh, when a fellow passenger overheard him on the phone with Raquel Leviss, telling her he was headed for "f***ing Pittsburgh." There is no version of that which is complimentary.

Pittsburgh City Councilman Anthony Coghill tells TMZ, "He clearly doesn't know what he's talking about," adding, "Has he ever set foot in Pittsburgh?"

Coghill took a shot at Tom, saying, "I never heard of the guy, never heard of his show."

Another Councilman -- Bobby Wilson -- has indeed heard of the show, and says "It's unfortunate somebody who is having relationship problems is trying to take a swing at Pittsburgh," adding, "Why bring us down. Work on yourself."

Tom flew there because his band had a gig in the area, and speaking of the area, Councilman Coghill sings the virtues of his city, bragging about the beautiful cultural district, wonderful parks, a great downtown area, the best universities and hospitals, and on and on.

Despite Tom's slight, Coghill says Tom is still welcome there ... "We are welcoming, polite and help strangers with directions to get them where they're going."

BTW ... the fact that Tom was yakking on the phone with Raquel suggests the rumors they have broken up are bogus.

Tom tells TMZ he did not say "f***ing Pittsburgh," adding, "The show we played in Pittsburgh was sold out and the people were incredible."

Cousin duo Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar just boosted the stock of their pgLang label ... with a carefree new collaboration that spells free promo for Tyler, The Creator!!!

On Tuesday, Keem fired off the Neal Farmer-directed "The Hillbillies" music video ... which patches together tour footage from Kendrick's The Big Steppers Tour and other hijinks, including clowning around in hotel lobbies and binging on video games.

The zany clip leads them to post up in front of Dodger Stadium with Tyler, who officially reveals his Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival will return later this year after being unplugged since 2019 when Drake was mercilessly booed while performing.

CFG has boasted the likes of Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Snoop Dogg, SZA, and the late Mac Miller on its stage over the years, but Kendrick has never been a performer — and Tyler's teasing all but dubs K.Dot this year's headliner!!!

We reached out to the respective cliques just to be sure. It should be a doozy!!! 🎡

A North Carolina bus driver got into a shootout with a passenger while traveling along a designated route ... and the violent encounter was caught on video.

David Fullard was behind the wheel of a Charlotte Area Transit System bus when Omarri Tobias approached and asked to be let off between stops. The two began to argue after Fullard said Tobias would have to wait until the next stop, prompting each to whip out guns.

Check out surveillance footage from inside the bus, which shows the men aiming their firearms at one another and squeezing off shots at close range.

Tobias was hit in the stomach, but he managed to crawl to the back of the bus. Fullard, who was struck in the arm, stopped the bus and continued to fire at Tobias. But, Tobias was able to slither out the side door to safety.

Both men were treated for their injuries and expected to make a full recovery. Two other passengers aboard the bus were unharmed.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Police arrested Tobias and charged him with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injuries, communicating threats and carrying a concealed firearm.

Fullard has not been criminally charged ... but he was fired by RATP Dev, which employs transit system bus drivers in the region.

The Charlotte Area Transit System said Fullard failed to follow proper procedure, explaining he should have de-escalated the situation by allowing Tobias to exit the bus before arriving at the next stop.

Ryan McKenna, the Super Bowl selfie kid who snapped a viral photo years ago with Justin Timberlake, has pleaded no contest for allegedly going on a drunken rampage at a restaurant earlier this year ... and he's now on probation as he navigates adulthood.

The 19-year-old pled no contest on two charges -- resisting an officer without violence, and battery. The judge ordered the former selfie star to spend the next 12 months on probation.

Ryan's forbidden from consuming or even possessing alcohol -- he's not even allowed to enter places that primarily sell booze.

He's also been ordered to undergo substance abuse evaluation and submit to random breathalyzer and urine checks. He must also cough up $824 in court costs and fines.

We obtained body cam footage from February's incident ... which shows Ryan acting erratically before getting cuffed and taken to jail.

TMZ broke the story, cops got called to a Naples, Florida CPK on the eve of the Super Bowl after they were told Ryan was drunk and had hit his friend.

Another angle shows authorities slamming him to the ground before finally putting him in cuffs. Cops say he put his hands on an officer who was trying to calm him down.

Jewel sang the National Anthem at the Indy 500 this weekend, but there's no consensus for it online ... folks either thought it was the greatest thing ever or straight dog poo.

The singer was tapped as the talent to lead everyone while crooning the "Star Spangled Banner," which she did to kick off the festivities in Indianapolis ... except, she had a very unique take on the classic tune -- and it doesn't sound like everyone enjoyed it.

Check it out for yourself ... Jewel was strumming the guitar and pretty much rearranged the entire song, belting out a slower, more soulful take that had some country twang embedded.

Like we said, it was very ... different. You could argue it was in the same vein as Fergie -- or, on the flip side, maybe Marvin Gaye. Depending on how you interpret it will probably decide which camp you fall in -- as the reactions to Jewel's rendition were very love/hate.

One wrote, "Jewel butchered the national anthem at the Indy 500. People were trying to sing along but couldn't because of the way she sang it. What a shame." Another shared a similar sentiment ... "jewel’s national anthem for indy 500 might be the worst anthem rendition to date." There are tons of other responses like this ... likening it to Roseanne.

Of course, there were just as many who liked it ... with one person praising it mightily, writing ... "Jewel just did the best national anthem I’ve ever heard in my life I’m not exaggerating."

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Jewel's iteration definitely didn't follow the traditional structure of the Nat'l Anthem, but that's kinda what you want from these ... right? Anybody can come out and belt put the "SSB" right on cue, but that's been done a ton.

Bottom line ... Jewel took a risk and tried something new, and considering how much chatter it's spurred -- you could argue she succeeded. IndyCar Series wants eyeballs on their product, and it sounds like they achieved that with Jewel.

Billie Eilish has mostly ditched the tomboy style that she got famous with, and is dressing more like a grown-ass, sexy woman ... something her haters can't deal with, it seems.

The pop star addressed this ongoing annoyance head-on this weekend with some telling Instagram posts that dove into what she makes of a select few saying she's a "sellout" for switching up her style and looking more lady-like as she gets older. Her message ... get bent.

Actually, she had a bit more to say about it ... and she got pretty deep in her dissection.

In since-deleted IG Stories -- featuring close-up shots of her mug -- Billie wrote, "i spent the first 5 years of my career getting absolutely obliterated by you fools for being boy ish and dressing how i did & constantly being told i'd be hotter if i acted like a woman."

She goes on, "and now when i feel comfortable enough to wear anything remotely feminine or fitting, i CHANGED and am a sellout ... and 'what happened to her' oMg iT's nOt thE sAmE biLlie she's just like the rest blah blah ..." BE adds, "you guys are true idiots LOL."

Billie hits her point home ... "i can be BOTH you f***ing bozos. LET WOMEN EXIST!" She also threw up extra IG posts for good measure, noting femininity in and of itself doesn't equal weakness ... and that women just *might* want to express themselves differently at different times for a variety of reasons. In other words, she ain't a one-trick fashion pony.

It's unclear what exactly may have sparked Billie's latest thoughts on this -- she's addressed the same thing in the past many times over -- but it could be a recent IG where she's showing off some skin. She's been doing that quite a bit lately ... landing major fashion magazine covers and rocking a variety of outfits she hasn't traditionally been known to wear.

She's gotten a lot of praise for embracing new looks ... which was jarring at first, for some, considering how strongly tied her brand/artist identity was with her oversized, wacky clothes.

Billie's also aged and matured -- both physically and artistically -- right before our eyes over the years ... going from a teen goth pop queen to a nuanced, Grammy-winning musician with a ton of accolades/collaborations. So, even in that sense -- she's changed quite a bit.

Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable character is sparking a furious online debate over whether he should be named one of the top 10 TV dads -- this after all of his legal woes involving sexual assault.

Cosby played the role of Cliff -- the beloved doctor -- in the popular '80s sitcom, "The Cosby Show," and, as a result, became an instant icon to all families.

But all that came to a crashing halt in the 2010s when he was accused of drugging and raping multiple women. In one case, Cosby was prosecuted and convicted of aggravated indecent assault, and sentenced to 10 years in prison. But Cosby's conviction was later overturned, and he was released after nearly 3 years behind bars.

Twitter users have compiled a list of the 10 best TV dads -- starting with Danny Tanner (Full House), then Dan Conner (Roseanne), Tim Taylor (Home Improvement), Philip Banks (Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air), Carl Winslow (Family Matters), Phil Dunphy (Modern Family), George Lopez (The George Lopez Show), Andy Griffith (The Andy Griffith Show), Mike Brady (The Brady Bunch) and Al Bundy (Married... with Children).

People are asking whether Huxtable should be on the list for obvious reasons -- but it seems many on Twitter are arguing on his behalf, although they still have mixed feelings.

One person wrote, "So Cliff Huxtable is trending because he wasn't included in a list of top 10 TV dads. Who can't forget about a rapist who played an OBGYN that conducted vaginal exams in his basement?"

Another person said, "Cliff Huxtable was one of the greatest TV dads of all time. Bill Cosby is a sexual deviant who got away with rape because of a technicality. We can say one without compromising the other."

A third individual pointed out ... "Separating Cosby from Cliff Huxtable is a tough ask, but the character was undeniably a great one -- and an important one. He belongs on the list."

So we gotta ask ...

Roger Waters is clapping back at criticism over the Nazi-themed getup he wore during two recent Berlin concerts ... insisting he's not a fascist.

The rock star took to Twitter Friday, posting a lengthy statement detailing his defense of his Gestapo-like appearance during his May 17 and May 18 performances.

Berlin Police have opened a criminal investigation to see if Waters' outfit -- a black trench coat with a red armband -- incited the crowd by glorifying Nazis and, therefore, disturbed the peace. Waters was flanked by men dressed as Nazi stormtroopers firing toy machine guns.

Waters now says his critics have launched "bad faith attacks" designed to "smear and silence" him because they don't agree with his political and moral views.

He says his performances were trying to convey the opposite message in the fight against "fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all its forms." He claims Nazi-infused imagery has been woven into his music since the release of the 1979 record, Pink Floyd's “The Wall."

Waters went on to say he has spent his life condemning authoritarianism and oppression and reminded everyone his parents battled the Nazis in World War II. He noted his father died making the ultimate sacrifice.

Swedish tennis player Mikael Ymer temporarily lost his mind during a tournament Wednesday -- breaking both his racket AND an umpire's chair in a wild temper tantrum ... and the outburst was so bad, he was ultimately disqualified over it.

The crazy scene all went down during Ymer's during his round of 16 match at the Lyon Open in France ... when he thought his opponent, Arthur Fils, hit a ball out of bounds.

Ymer swore up and down the ball did not catch the line ... but the umpire disagreed.

For several moments, Ymer argued with the official ... imploring the man to come down from his chair to check the mark, but the umpire wouldn't -- insisting it was in-bounds.

A few minutes later, after the quarreling had stopped, Ymer lost the game to Fils -- and then Ymer went ballistic.

Video from the court shows the 24-year-old hit his racket not once, but twice, against the umpire's chair ... severely damaging both in the process.

Ymer calmed down and walked to his bench ... but soon after, he was DQ'ed, giving Fils the automatic win.