You Might Want to Rethink

Mariah Carey didn't seem too amused by a small-time artist sampling her smash hit for his own remix -- telling him to get ready for a legal battle ... but it looks like she's just joshin'.

The singer responded to an A&R consultant who posted a music video from rapper/singer YTK doing his own version of "Shake It Off' -- only his take is a lot more ominous and street-friendly, 'cause he calls it "Let It Off" ... as in, let off rounds of gunfire. Still, it's catchy.

The video had started to catch fire online ... people appeared to be pretty down with it, and there was a mini viral campaign of sorts to help make it into a legally-cleared song.

So, the A&R guy wrote ... "Mariah Carey has 24 hours to respond." Welp, she responded alright ... but wasn't very receptive (on the surface, anyway). MC replied, "How about y'all have 24 hours to respond to my lawyers." She also posted a GIF of her saying, "GTFO."

Daaaaaammmmnn ... pretty feisty, huh??? Eh, not exactly -- apparently, Mariah was joking with her aggressive clap-back ... at least, according to the A&R exec who started this whole thing.

He elaborated on what was happening behind the scenes, saying he'd actually hit up none other than Questlove to help him get the song cleared for YTK ... and, apparently, Quest was on board to help make it happen. Also ... it sounds like Mariah's cool with them using the song, but the hold-up at this point might be Sony ... which appears to hold the rights.

Bhad Bhabie is calling BS on her critics who say she was way too young to post videos on OnlyFans, chalking it up to jealousy.

We got BB, formerly known as Danielle Bregoli, Friday at The Grove, and she launched on folks who want to change the age of entry on the OnlyFans site from 18 to 21, arguing at 18 it amounts to child grooming. Danielle says these folks are just bitter over her success, and success she has had -- at least monetarily.

BB pocketed a million bucks in just 6 hours in her OnlyFans debut and she thinks the criticism comes from people who are butt-hurt by her cash flow. By the way, OnlyFans confirmed she did indeed cross the million-dollar mark in 6 hours ... a record for the site.

LaKeith Stanfield's under fire for his involvement in a Clubhouse discussion about Louis Farrakhan's anti-Semitism that devolved into a cesspool of hateful conspiracy theories and comments about Jewish people.

The recently Oscar-nominated actor was a moderator for a discussion on the Clubhouse app Wednesday night, and although he's not accused of spewing any anti-Semitic speech himself ... many are outraged he did nothing to speak out against it either.

The Clubhouse discussion Stanfield was monitoring began when another chat -- titled, "Did Min. Farrakhan Tarnish His Legacy by Being Antisemitic?" -- got shut down by its moderator for becoming too inflammatory.

Instead of ending the convo, someone launched the second room titled, "Someone Ended the Room About Farrakhan" ... and that's where things got very disturbing, with one participant describing comments as "worse than things that I’ve read or heard about neo-Nazis saying."

When a Jewish woman in the room confronted Stanfield about why he was allowing the hate speech to continue unchecked, he skirted the issue and implied he was trying to remain neutral ... according to The Daily Beast.

For some people in the room that was inexcusable behavior from an influential Hollywood star with 79,000 followers on the Clubhouse app ... and they question his intentions.

Now, LaKeith did join another Clubhouse chat Thursday moderated by a panel of Jewish educators who wanted to address the hate speech they had witnessed ... and he admitted he fell short moderating.

He said if he continues to choose to be a moderator in a certain room, he needs to pay "attention to what is actually being discussed and determine if that’s a discussion that you really want to get into."

Stanfield also explained he lacked knowledge about "the origins of Judaism in Jewishness," but suggested he enjoys Clubhouse because he learns a lot from it.

He said ... "I've been in a couple rooms where a lot of s**t has been discussed and talked about, very heightened emotional states. It’s been very enlightening and interesting to me."

LaKeith's response was well-received within the room. Outside of it, however, you gotta wonder how a 29-year-old man didn't see the grossly anti-Semitic remarks for what they are ... hate speech.

State legislation meetings rarely go THIS off the rails -- in the middle of a debate, a Colorado lawmaker called a colleague "Buckwheat" ... pissing off another legislator who is a Black woman.

Richard Holtorf, a Republican legislator who reps the eastern part of the Centennial State, made the shocking comment while discussing military rules of engagement during a House session. But, as he tried getting to his point, Holtorf looked at a colleague, it's unclear who, and said, "I'm getting there. Don't worry, Buckwheat. I'm getting there."

He quickly followed that up with ... "That's an endearing term, by the way." The scene led to an immediate recess and a shouting match with Rep. Tom Sullivan, and Rep. Leslie Herod ... who is Black.

For you young'uns ... Buckwheat was an African-American character on the '40s and '50s film and TV series 'Little Rascals' -- also known as "Our Gang" -- which espoused stereotypes and racial gags. Eddie Murphy also famously portrayed an adult Buckwheat on 'SNL' skits in the early '80s.

The NAACP, as well as other civil rights groups, deem the character a derogatory portrayal of Black people.

Holtorf ultimately apologized and told FOX31, "I had no intentions of insulting, hurting anyone’s feelings, or being racial or using a racial slur in anyway."

He explained the term this way ... "Where I'm from in eastern Colorado, as a country boy, I’ve had people call me that term many times. Buckwheat. It has a different connotation where I’m from."

Italians now have an option for who makes their most beloved food -- their favorite neighborhood pizzaiolo or ... a machine!!! Yeah, some folks ain't happy about option dua.

A company called "Mr. Go Pizza" rolled out pizza vending machines Thursday in Rome -- offering 4 kinds of pie which take just 3 minutes to make, and cost as little as $5. The machine kneads the dough, puts on toppings and bakes ... all in a small glass window, so customers can see the magic.

Well, as you can imagine, in Italy ... not everyone thinks it's magic. A couple early reviews: "Acceptable" if you're in a hurry, while a student from Naples (birthplace of pizza) said it tastes like a bread wrap.

Look, it's one thing if machines/robots wanna take over the world -- we all kind of expect that -- but can't we keep A.I. out of our pizzas???

No word on Mr. Go Pizza's expansion plans, but if it's in Italy today, can Brooklyn, the Jersey Shore and Chicago be far behind?

Kyrie Irving's wallet is now $35,000 lighter ... and it's all 'cause the NBA says the point guard won't stop ghosting media members.

The NBA announced Wednesday evening it's hit Irving and his Brooklyn Nets team each with $35k fines for "violating league rules governing media interview access."

The NBA says Irving has repeatedly refused to show up for postgame media availability sessions -- a big no-no for players.

Of course, this ain't the first time the league has had to step in and slap Irving with a fine for this ... back in December, he was hit with a $25k fine for dodging media during training camp.

At the time, Kyrie famously appeared to react to the fine in a viral social media post in which he wrote, "I do not talk to Pawns. My attention is worth more."

Irving later explained his "pawns" comment was NOT a jab directed at reporters.

"Not even referring to you guys as pawns or media," Irving said. "It's just really how I felt about the mistreatment of certain artists when we get to a certain platform of when we make decisions within of lives to have full control and ownership."

The mother of the Florida 6-year-old paddled by her principal had the tables turned on her -- as investigators grilled her kids about alleged neglect at home.

The family's attorney, Brent Probinsky, tells TMZ ... the little girl and 2 of her siblings -- plus a cousin for whom the mom cares -- were yanked out of class Tuesday by officials with the Florida Dept. of Children and Families, and questioned one by one.

Probinsky tells us this was done without the mother's knowledge, and he only learned about it after the fact when the Dept. came to him seeking to talk to the mom.

As for what all the fuss was about -- we're told the kids were asked if their mother is abusive in the home ... to which the children said no. Probinsky says the investigators then told him they wanted to follow up with the mother to ask why she didn't step in and intervene during her daughter's paddling.

Apparently, investigators were acting on a tip about the mom allegedly being neglectful -- but so far, there doesn't appear to be any evidence of that. Probinsky says it's an outrage law enforcement would come after the mom, when the real culprit's on camera in the paddling video.

As Probinsky previously explained -- there's a number of reasons the mom didn't step in ... for one, she's undocumented and was afraid of repercussions.

There was also a language barrier, and the mother didn't know what was about to happen.

Chauvin's defense attorney is going to have a harder time of convincing a judge a new trial is warranted than he may think ... so says a noted law professor, Tamara Rice Lave.

Lave -- who teaches at the University of Miami School of Law -- came on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and explained why Brandon Mitchell going to the MLK rally in August actually wouldn't be grounds for a restart ... saying the devil is in the details on this one.

Watch ... she tells us the MLK event was NOT advertised as an anti-police demonstration, but simply a commemoration on Dr. King's historic March on Washington. The fact he was wearing a shirt that sympathizes with BLM is a footnote in her view, and one that wouldn't necessarily persuade an appellate judge to buck the trial court's ruling.

She also makes a good point about Mitchell's POV being communicated early and often -- he relayed that he supported BLM during questioning, and still wasn't ruled out at the time. And, as Lave notes, you can't just boot someone from a jury because of the color of their skin ... so, Chauvin's team might have their work cut out for them here.

The Derek Chauvin trial juror who was photographed at an MLK rally last year -- wearing a shirt with the words "Get your knee off our necks" -- will absolutely be a key factor in Chauvin's attempt to get a new trial ... TMZ has learned.

As you know, Chauvin's defense attorney Eric Nelson filed a motion Tuesday requesting a new trial. The docs made no specific mention of the juror, Brandon Mitchell, but did use the words "jury misconduct."

Sources familiar tell us the Mitchell issue is on the table and WILL be addressed during arguments in court to support the motion for a new trial.

If you missed it, Mitchell -- one of the only jurors from the trial who has since spoken out about the guilty verdict -- went to a BLM-organized rally last August in D.C. to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 March on Washington. Mitchell was photographed there wearing a shirt with MLK's photo and the words ... a pretty clear reference to George Floyd's killing.

Also highly relevant is the fact George's family members spoke at the rally. Now, here's why this could be problematic.

Mitchell told the Star Tribune he answered "no" on the early jury questionnaire when asked 2 questions about attending demonstrations against police brutality -- one specific to Minneapolis, and one asking generally.

Now, Mitchell defended his answers, saying the rally was NOT a protest against police brutality, per se, or even in support of George Floyd, but more so geared toward MLK.

He told the Star Tribune, "I'd never been to D.C. The opportunity to go to D.C., the opportunity to be around thousands and thousands of Black people; I just thought it was a good opportunity to be a part of something."

That's his side of the story, but Chauvin's defense will certainly see it differently -- that Mitchell was an activist who had very clear bias when he became a juror.

Remember ... Mitchell has been very outspoken since the all-guilty verdict came in -- a verdict he says that he and his fellow jurors reached fairly easily ... once they sorted through some legal jargon in the instructions. He also said there was no pressure to vote guilty.

Aaron Rodgers WILL sit out the entire 2021 season if the Packers don't make him happy ... so says Brett Favre, who made it clear his former teammate ain't bluffing about a holdout.

The Hall of Famer explained his thoughts on the Green Bay drama during his "Bolling With Favre" podcast this week ... saying the Packers better fix the issues with their QB -- or else.

"Knowing Aaron, and I think I know him fairly well, if he has a grudge, whether it be against the organization or a player or an arch rival or family, friends -- he ain't budging," Favre said.

"Whatever the issue is, if it's not resolved -- or even if it's resolved but he feels like they got one up on him -- he ain't going to play," Favre continued. "Knowing Aaron, he would sit."

Rodgers currently has a multitude of problems with the Packers org. ... most notably, he's reportedly in a pretty nasty spat over his current contract situation.

But, the QB is also upset over several personnel moves the team has made recently -- including when they picked quarterback Jordan Love in the 1st round of the 2020 NFL Draft instead of a top wideout.

Favre says he's not sure exactly what Rodgers' biggest gripe is with the team ... but he's warning his former squad to fix things ASAP.

"He would forgo a lot of money [by sitting out]," Favre says, "but he's also got a lot of money."

Jim Beglin -- one of the top soccer announcers in the world -- is apologizing after making an "inappropriate and unacceptable" remark when describing a Latino player.

Beglin was calling a Champions League semifinals match between Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City on Tuesday when PSG's Angel Di Maria received a red card for kicking an opposing player.

Di Maria -- who is from Argentina -- was being sent off the pitch, Beglin chalked up the player's outburst on his "Latino temperament."

Yeesh.

There was immediate backlash on social media -- and Beglin apologized during the broadcast moments later.

"When Di Maria was sent off, I described it by using the word Latino," Beglin said on-air ... "For anybody that's taken offense, I do apologize -- sincerely apologize."

After the match, Beglin expanded on his apology ...

"I apologise for my culturally insensitive remarks during the Champions League tie between Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain," Beglin posted on Twitter.

"I wrongly used a racial stereotype. This was inappropriate and unacceptable. Words have a strong impact, and I fully understand the severity of what I said when Angel Di Maria was sent off."

"I will learn from this and be better moving forward."

Pick a winner, Shaq!!

The NBA legend had a massive bat in the cave while working the desk for "NBA on TNT" on Wednesday ... and decided to go mining for the nose gold live on-air!!!

Shaq, along with Candace Parker, Dwayne Wade and Adam Lefkoe were wrapping up coverage on the Clippers vs. Raptors game ... when a giant green boulder rolled out of O'Neal's nostril.

Shaq's co-hosts tried to signal to the Big Man to wipe his face -- but O'Neal wasn't taking the hint ... and viewers started tweeting about the boogie during the show!!

Finally, the crew just TOLD Shaq to get rid of it -- and the moment he realizes he's been boogying down on-air is hilarious!

"That was the biggest booger I have ever seen in my entire life," Lefkoe told Shaq.

D-Wade pulled out a giant roll of paper towels and told Shaq there's no way in hell a typical Kleenex could handle that job!

Candace was DYING laughing!!!

"I didn't even know it was there," Shaq said ... "Y'all got me!"

Andrew Brown Jr. is being laid to rest -- but even as his family says goodbye, they're still pressuring the county for the video of his death ... and Al Sharpton helped lead the charge.

Scores of people gathered Monday at the Fountain of Life church in Elizabeth City, NC for Brown's funeral proceedings, and Reverend Sharpton was one of the people who delivered a eulogy.

He made it clear that while Andrew was being buried ... his loved ones were NOT going to let go or let up in their fight for Pasquotank County to release body cam footage showing him being killed by cops.

He had an interesting analogy to the games he perceives are being played by the county right now ... likening their tactics to an NYC con artist dealing a three-card Monte hustle.

The reverend is pretty irate here ... as is the crowd. Of course, this all comes less than a week after officials said they wouldn't even entertain posting the video until at least a month from now, following a judge's ruling that it isn't necessary or prudent for the time being.

BTW ... speaking of noteworthy speakers, one of George Floyd's own sisters, Bridgett, showed up to Monday's service as well and delivered some remarks for the Brown family.

Michael Flynn either forgot the words to the Pledge of Allegiance, or he's a master at working for the crowd with MC call-backs ... and a lot of people think it's the former.

President Trump's former National Security Advisor -- and a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, no less -- showed up Sunday at a pro-Trump rally down in South Carolina ... an event called "Bikers for Trump" which was held at the HonkyTonk Saloon.

At one point, Mike got on stage and led the audience in reciting the pledge ... and he kinda made a big show about it too, which made his weird silence look even worse.

Check it out ... Flynn starts out strong with the memorable words, but once he got past the initial sentence -- he seemed to have gotten his tongue-tied on the exact phrasing, and stopped talking altogether. Luckily, the crowd knew the rest ... and they finished it out.

MF hopped back in at "under God, indivisible." Unclear if he truly forgot -- or if he was doing that for dramatic effect ... but in any case, the pro-Trumpers didn't really mind. They gave him a big round of applause afterward, and it looked like they appreciated the gesture.

Of course, Twitter was having a field day with the awkward moment ... with many cracking jokes at Flynn's expense, saying a lot of guys from Putin's inner circle tend to have trouble with the pledge.

He was also accused of being a traitor -- which harkens back to his early tenure in the Trump WH ... when he was found to have been feeding intel to Russian operatives during the transition, something he lied about to Mike Pence (and the FBI) and ultimately got convicted for amid Robert Mueller's Russia probe.

Some things you never forget, even if you're losing your memory -- just ask an elderly Tennessee couple who broke out of an assisted living facility ... using Morse code.

A husband and wife -- each of whom reportedly suffer from either dementia or Alzheimer's -- were able to successfully escape from a secure memory unit in March out in the city of Lebanon ... all 'cause the hubby somehow was able to conjure his military experience.

According to the Tennessean, the guy would listen in on staffers as they punched in the security key for the front doors ... and he managed to figure out the exact combo using his trained Morse code ear. It appears they hatched a plan together and walked out on a Tuesday ... having gone undetected and unaccounted for about 30 minutes or so.

The paper says somebody found them walking down the street about a few blocks away -- and they were eventually returned to the facility in one piece. Still ... a helluva scheme!

Now, the facility -- known simply as Elmcroft -- didn't walk away from this without punishment. The Tennessean reports they got dinged by the state with a fine ... but it wasn't a whole lot. Just a couple thousand bucks for screwing the pooch here -- this coulda gone south fast.

They told state regulators that they'd make sure this doesn't happen again by checking in more frequently on their guests, and by changing the security keys early and often.

An elementary school principal went full 19th-century headmaster on a 6-year-old student -- paddling her a few times ... all while the mom recorded it.

This is coming out of Clewiston, FL ... where Central Elementary School Principal Melissa Carter and her clerk, Cecilia Self, were captured on video bending a little girl over and giving her a few whacks with an old-school paddle ... all in front of the kid's mom, who filmed it.

The student's mother says she was called to the school recently, with a claim that her daughter had damaged a school computer ... with a repair cost of nothing more than $50.

The mom says she was told by the school that her kid would be getting paddled as punishment, with her and a "deputy" present ... but says she didn't understand the process as it was being explained to her, as she doesn't speak much English.

Anyway, when the mom showed up to pay the fee and get her daughter ... she says she was led to a room where Carter and Self were present, along with her child. No law enforcement deputy was in sight. Before she knew it, Carter was meting out a beating.

The mom, who hasn't been ID'd for privacy, insists she didn't step in because she felt she would get in trouble ... and figured the only thing she could do was to document it to expose the abuse. So, that's what she did ... secretly filming the encounter and standing by.

The mom justifies her action -- or a lack thereof -- by saying she felt she needed to "sacrifice" her daughter to blow the lid on what was going on there.

If you thought Utah Republicans forgot all about Senator Mitt Romney turning his back on Donald Trump -- welp, they haven't. Exhibit A ... this tidal wave of boos.

The Utah U.S. Senator showed face Saturday at a GOP convention at the Maverik Center in his home state -- but not one of the 2,000 or so delegates on hand seemed all too happy to see him step to the podium ... and they made their displeasure known, very loudly.

Check out this brutal scene ... the entire building is straight-up booing the man, with no shame whatsoever. He was also reportedly met with taunts and jeers, likening him to a "communist" and a "traitor." Unfortunately for Romney, he got booed the hell off stage.

We'll give him credit -- he tried holding his own up there for a while, even bringing up Biden's first 100 days, seemingly in an effort to curry favor with the Utah crowd. They weren't having any of it, though ... and Romney eventually addressed the elephant in the room.

He said it's no secret he wasn't the biggest fan of Trump's "character" before someone came to get him. That's an understatement if we ever heard one -- and big-time downplaying.

Fact is ... Romney drew his line in the sand many times over, especially with his impeachment votes. You might recall ... he twice voted to convict Trump at his trials, agreeing that the guy had either 1) abused his presidential power or 2) incited an insurrection. Trump was acquitted in both instances.