You Might Want to Rethink

You can't judge a book by its cover ... is exactly what you might say when James Caan reveals himself to be a hip-hop head -- who's got a take on the G.O.A.T.s of the last decade.

Indeed ... Sonny Corleone himself waded into the now-viral music debate over who deserves the fourth spot on the Mount Rushmore of rap from the 2010s ... with RapCaviar already deeming Drake, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole as worthy for the first three slots.

A few different celebs have chimed in -- including one LeBron James -- but James got in on the discussion too this week ... nominating none other than Future as a possible fourth.

People couldn't believe James was privy to such knowledge -- and someone even accused his account of being run by someone else other than James ... but he shot that notion down with a swiftness, while also making sure to stick to his signature "End of tweet" postscript.

The guy wrote, "Party's over some social media dork is def running this account now :(" -- and JC responded, "Nobody speaks for me. End of tweet." Well then ... that settles that!

A bit of context on Caan's history with hip-hop -- he's got a son, Scott, who used to be in an actual rap group with famed producer The Alchemist way back in the day, which was called The Whooliganz. So yeah, Scott was a rapper ... which means James might know a thing or two.

James himself also dropped some insight into how/why he might be so in-the-know on this -- writing, "Guy acts like I don't have kids who play that stuff around here. End of tweet."

Cruella de Vil is painted as being traumatized by Dalmatians in Disney's latest offering ... supposedly, because these "mongrels" killed her ma, which is getting a lot of head scratches.

The villain from "101 Dalmatians" gets her own backstory in the new "Cruella" flick, which is headed up by Emma Stone ... and word on the street is that part of why Cruella has it out for this breed is that they were sicced on her mom ... in a release-the-hounds fashion.

Different clips and stills have surfaced showing the flashback scene, which shows kid Cruella having to watch the woman who raised her, Catherine, get pushed over a balcony ledge by three seemingly rabid Dalmatians, who go after her on Baroness von Hellman's command.

She plummets to her death ... and the implication is that Cruella's left scarred for life -- and partially explains her obsession with the pooches going forward. In case you forgot, the OG Cruella was notorious for literally skinning Dalmatians and using them as furs.

Disney apparently doesn't quite go that far in the movie -- although different reviews say they allude to Stone's Cruella having that idea on her mind. We should also note that the character has a voice-over moment where she explicitly says she doesn't blame Dalmatians, but a lot of folks just aren't buying that ... and are calling Disney's origin rationale lame.

What the studio heads/writers did here (according to PO'd viewers) is make Dalmatians the fall dog -- when, in reality, they're actually super friendly pooches ... and don't have a rep for attacking like the movie portrays. Folks say it's a cop-out explainer that's lazy and inaccurate.

A Nashville hat shop reeks of anti-Semitism after making light of Star of David patches Jewish people were forced to wear during WWII ... by giving it an anti-vaxx twist.

The place is called hatWRKS ... and they posted a since-deleted Instagram photo featuring a woman proudly rocking a yellow patch -- made in the same style as what Nazis used to brand Jews with in the midst of the Holocaust -- with lettering reading, "Not Vaccinated."

There's a cold-blooded caption attached too, which says ... "patches are here!!! they turned out great. $5ea. strong adhesive back .... we'll be offering trucker caps soon."

Of course, the post caused an uproar online and elsewhere -- and rightly so. People note that comparing what happened to Jewish people to what anti-vaxxers perceive is happening to them right now is absolutely ludicrous, asinine ... and downright wrong. They're not the same -- not even close, and trivializing that history with a patch like this is beyond offensive.

So, what do the owners of this mom-and-pop shop have to say for themselves??? Apparently nothing so far -- it doesn't seem they've responded to the mounting criticism, other than removing the grotesque photo.

Bill Maher has a message for all the celebs who are running for office or thinking about it ... "You're not good enough, you're not smart enough, and doggone it, it completely doesn't matter that people like you."

Maher's back after a mild COVID bout, with a blistering and, dare we say, dead-on attack. He's incredulous the likes of Caitlyn Jenner, The Rock and Matthew McConaughey, among others, are either running or seriously considering it.

As for The Rock entertaining a run for President in 2024 ... Maher says the fact that he thinks he can tackle the hardest job in the world is proof he has poor judgment.

As for Caitlyn ... Bill calls her a "background character in a reality show not about her."

And, poor Randy Quaid thinking of running for Governor of California ... Bill calls him a "guy rooting through your recycling bin."

And, Matt thinking of becoming the Guv of Texas ... Bills says "not alright, alright, alright."

Mr. Maher seems in disbelief Americans are still all in with celeb candidates after 4 years of Trump.

Cardi B claims she had ZERO involvement in the NYC beatdown of an autograph seeker ... and that's why she wants the guy's lawsuit against her tossed out of court.

According to new docs, obtained by TMZ, Cardi says autograph seeker Giovanni Arnold instigated the alleged attack in May 2018 following a Met Gala after-party. She claims Arnold can be heard on video verbally attacking her and Offset after unsuccessfully and aggressively trying to get her autograph.

The most incriminating part of the video, according to Cardi, is when Arnold shouts, "Please beat me up. I'll take all of your money."

In his lawsuit, Arnold alleged Cardi's 3 security guards dished the can of whoop-ass, but the rapper's calling BS. In docs, Cardi claims the unknown assailants did not work for her, nor did she give them directions or instructions to beat up anyone.

As for Arnold's allegation, he feared Cardi was going to slap him -- well, she's kinda laughing that off, saying she was 7 months pregnant at the time ... so it's highly unlikely anyone would legitimately fear her carrying out a physical attack.

Bottom line ... Cardi claims Arnold is a professional autograph hound who triggered the beatdown in order to get money from celebs -- but since she wasn't involved in the attack, she shouldn't be sued.

Susan Sarandon wants Americans to know they have a right to see what medical services will cost before you're treated -- it's the law now -- but she's ripping hospitals for keeping that hush hush.

The Oscar winner joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to shine a light on something most of us have no clue about -- the law that passed back in January requiring hospitals to give patients access to a full rundown of prices for procedures or treatments.

Susan told us hospitals aren't exactly going out of their way to volunteer that information -- and she says that prevents patients from being able to shop around for the best prices.

The problem's bad enough that the feds are warning dozens of hospitals to get with the program or else. Susan started banging this drum during the Oscars.

As we first told you ... Susan and Cynthia Erivo went after hospitals charging hidden fees in a PSA they debuted during the Academy Awards, letting patients know about their right to demand hospitals disclose pricing.

Susan tells us why hospital pricing transparency could actually make the market more competitive -- creating lower prices for patients -- and she's ripping corporate America for brainwashing generations.

Russell Westbrook was LIVID after a fan dumped popcorn on his head Wednesday -- calling the person's actions straight-up "bulls***" -- and even LeBron James is pissed over it all now too.

Westbrook was on his way to the locker room after injuring his ankle during the Wizards' playoff loss to the 76ers in Philly ... when a fan poured their bucket all over the NBA star.

You can see in footage of the incident ... Westbrook could not have been more heated as the kernels bounced off his head -- with the D.C. point guard trying HARD to get to the stands to confront the fan.

Russ, though, was eventually calmed down and ushered into the locker room ... but after the game, he said the fan absolutely crossed the line.

"To be blatantly honest, man, this s**t is getting out of hand, especially for me," Westbrook told reporters. "The amount of disrespect, the amount of fans just doing whatever the f**k they want to do, it's just out of pocket, man. It's out of pocket, seriously."

Russ went on to say if the incident had happened in "any other setting," he insinuated he would've fought the person.

"A guy wouldn't come up on the street and pour popcorn on my head because he knows what would happen," Russ said.

Westbrook then pled with the NBA to "start protecting the players" ... adding, "We'll see what the NBA does."

LeBron James rushed in to defend his pal on Twitter shortly after ... saying he wanted the fan ID'ed and punished ASAP.

"WE AS THE PLAYERS wanna see who threw that popcorn on Russ while he was leaving the game tonight with a injury!!" LeBron wrote. "There’s cameras all over arenas so there’s no excuse! Cause if the [shoe] was on the other [foot]. #ProtectOurPlayers"

So far, no punishment from the NBA has been announced yet ... though high-ranking Wells Fargo Center exec Valerie Camillo did call the incident "classless" and "unacceptable" after the game.

It's unclear, meanwhile, if Russ' ankle injury will keep him out of Game 3 ... the series is set to return to Washington on Saturday with the Sixers up 2-0.

Meghan McCain and Joy Behar's latest on-air blowup is prompting the new "sheriff" at ABC to step in and demand all of the 'View' co-hosts cool it with their personal attacks.

Production sources tell TMZ ... following Monday's heated exchange between Meghan and Joy over anti-Semitism, ABC News President Kim Godwin called a last-minute meeting with 'View' talent and producers, trying to improve the culture behind the scenes at the show.

We're told ABC was getting flooded with pleas to fire Meghan over her latest tantrum and attacks on Joy, and that's what sparked the virtual meeting.

Our sources say Godwin -- who just took the helm at ABC earlier this month -- told everyone things are getting too personal on TV lately, not with the issues they're debating ... but with the attacks between co-hosts.

Godwin told everyone it's coming off as toxic to the audience, and it's not the direction she wants for the show.

Remember, their competition over at "The Talk" just had to blow up their show, firing Sharon Osbourne after her very personal on-air battle with Sheryl Underwood -- however, we're told Godwin didn't mention CBS specifically.

It sounds like her message was not well received by MM, though -- we're told she stormed out of the meeting before it ended because she felt like she was being "attacked."

Tim Tebow's gonna need a miracle to make it in his NFL comeback ... so says Charles Barkley, who thinks it'll be "impossible" for the former quarterback to switch to tight end.

Chuck gave his honest opinion about the 33-year-old signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars with "Waddle and Silvy" on ESPN Chicago this week ... saying he likes Tebow as a person, but has serious doubts about his chances at making a real impact on the field.

"I think it's going to be very difficult for him to just pick up football, another position," Barkley said.

"Tim's such a good dude, but you know, a lot of people don't like Tim because his religion. He wears it on his sleeve. I don't care about that. I like the kid, but I don't think he can just come pick up another position."

Of course, Barkley has been outspoken about his hatred for the media frenzy that always surrounds the former Heisman winner -- he once admitted to being "Tebowed out" -- but regardless, the Hall of Famer thinks this is just too big of a challenge for Tebow.

"I think he'll just be disrespectful to jocks saying, 'Oh I haven't played football, but I can come and be a pro at it.' I just think that's impossible, personally," he said.

"Michael Jordan tried, he tried to play baseball. You can't just go play a pro sport."

A couple of L.A. radio vets are getting yanked off the air after they broadcast a horribly racist skit where they pretended to interview an Asian woman ... complete with a stereotypical accent.

KFI AM's Tim Conway Jr. and his executive producer, Sheron Bellio, have been suspended without pay this week for the stunt they pulled in early May. Bellio pretended to be Yuko Sakamoto, the wife of local sports radio personality Vic "The Brick" Jacobs.

What followed was a 5-minute skit that was more than just cringe-worthy -- seeing as how they did it as AAPI Heritage month was beginning, angry listeners demanded the station take action. KFI's parent company, iHeartMedia, sent both of 'em home for a week, and condemned their antics as "unacceptable."

As for the content itself ... it included a caricaturized Japanese accent, with Bellio blurting out words like "Hiya!," and they added karate sound effects for extra poor taste. Bellio also laid it on thick, saying "brought to you by Subaru" a few different times.

Bellio and Conway have also apologized ... with each admitting their suspensions were warranted.

The EP, especially, seemed embarrassed and said, "My words tonight will never convey the shame that I’m feeling because of my actions and I just -- I really want to apologize." Ironically, she'd just been named employee of the month!

Rap phenom Metro Marrs drew a loud ovation after making it rain at his high school graduation ... but the stunt ended up getting him detained by cops.

So, here's the deal ... Marrs graduated from Langston Hughes High in nearby Atlanta and when he crossed the stage Friday, he decided to go out with a bang. You can see from the video he took wads of cash out from his pants and made it rain ... to the delight of his fellow grads.

The crowd went absolutely nuts ... and grads were more than happy to raise their arms and catch all the green. But, school officials were not happy campers. You can see several of them get up off their seats to corral the 18-year-old rapper who just recently signed with Quality Control ... the label home to Migos, Lil Yachty and City Girls.

Marrs, though, had a can't-stop-won't-stop attitude ... 'cause he kept going into his waistband for more dough. All-in-all ... he threw around $10k in cash to his cap-and-gown colleagues.

Cops stepped in to escort him out of the ceremony ... and we're told he was detained for inciting a riot and disorderly conduct and then ticketed for the offense.  If you ask us, it's ridiculous -- inciting a riot because the grads grabbed some dough?  Really outrageous.

Kevin Spacey booking a new acting gig is not sitting well with one of his sexual assault accusers.

Mark Ebenhoch, who claims he was solicited on a movie set to have sex with Spacey, tells TMZ ... Kevin's new role in an Italian film, playing a cop investigating a man wrongfully accused of sexually abusing children, smacks of what he calls arrogance and irresponsibility.

Ebenhoch alleges Spacey had young male crewmembers working on 1995's "Outbreak" solicit him for sex with the actor, but he never brought his claims to police or filed a lawsuit.

As we reported ... Kevin is starring in an upcoming Italian movie called "L'uomo Che Disegno Dio," directed by famed Italian actor-turned-director Franco Nero.

Spacey's accuser tells us when he first learned the actor found work again, his first thought was, "What the hell?!?" Ebenhoch says he finds Spacey's casting "absurd," given an alleged history of sexual misconduct and the fact the movie deals with the same subject matter.

While Ebenhoch says he's still waiting for Spacey to publicly apologize and take full responsibility for his alleged misconduct, he hopes producers made sure Kevin's changed his ways and prays Spacey's alleged escapades with young men are a thing of the past.

The WNBA has suspended Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller over an "offensive" comment he made about an opposing player during a game ... when he complained to a ref that she weighs "300 pounds."

The player he was talking about is Las Vegas Aces star Liz Cambage -- who says she weighs 235 pounds and was deeply offended by the comment.

Here's the backstory ... Cambage -- the #2 overall picking the 2011 WNBA Draft -- claimed Miller crossed the line when complaining to the refs about her during Sunday night's game in an effort to get a call against her.

Cambage claims she overheard Miller saying something like, "C'mon, she's 300 pounds!"

Cambage unleashed a fiery post on social media ripping Miller -- saying she's "very proud of being a big bitch" ... and "I will never let a man disrespect me, ever, ever, ever, especially a little white one."

Miller apologized Monday morning -- saying, "I made an inappropriate and offensive comment in reference to Liz Cambage's height and weight. I regret what I said in the heat of the moment and want to sincerely apologize to Liz and the entire Aces organization."

He added, "I understand the gravity of my words and have learned from this."

Now, the league has dished out punishment -- issuing a 1-game suspension against Miller and tacking on a $10,000 fine.

Casey Anthony apparently had an ugly run-in with a woman she's been beefing with for a long time over a man they both previously dated ... this according to West Palm Beach PD.

The formerly accused and acquitted child killer appears to have called the police this weekend while out at a bar in town called O'Shea's Irish Pub ... where she told cops she'd had a heated argument with an archnemesis.

Per the police report, obtained by TMZ, Casey told officers the other lady -- who's identified as Thelma Moya -- was arguing with her at the bar and spilled a drink on Casey's leg when things escalated.

The report notes that the call came in as someone throwing a drink in another person's face. Casey went on to tell cops this was a longstanding feud because she and Moya once dated the same guy ... at the same time. No word on who the lucky fella is.

Anyway, the officer says he told Casey about how to go about filing a restraining order ... but she turned down that option, and simply wanted this alleged altercation documented. It doesn't appear Moya was arrested, or that she was even on the scene when the police arrived.

As for Casey ... looks like she's holding down the fort at O'Shea's. She was spotted at the exact same place a few years ago, chatting up the regulars.

A Missouri family's emotions had to be through the roof this weekend ... this after a car came smashing down through their actual roof, all thanks to some stupid teens.

Two high schoolers -- who had reportedly just come from a graduation party -- somehow lost control of their vehicle very early Sunday morning while cruising a street near Eureka, MO ... and came toppling down a hill, only to come to a crashing halt via somebody's house.

Yep ... their car literally torpedoed through the ceiling of a family home -- and the car landed mere feet away from where the mister and missus were sleeping in the master bedroom.

According to reports ... the 2 people in the car were actually able to crawl out of the wreck and walk out the front door, seemingly unscathed. And yes, thankfully the couple -- who had at least a couple of kids in the house too, BTW -- were miraculously left unharmed as well.

The local fire department was called ... which captured these gnarly photos of the wreckage.

No word on *how* exactly the presumed grads ended up barreling down an embankment this badly in the first place -- but ya gotta figure the local authorities are investigating, and looking into whether alcohol or drugs might've played a role.

If revenge is a dish best served cold, then The Weeknd has himself some well-chilled hardware from the Billboard Music Awards, which gave him what the Grammy heads didn't.

Abel walked away with the most wins at the BBMAs Sunday ... racking up 10 total at the end of the night (the most out of any artist nominated) with many of the statuettes among the top honors given out, including Top Artist, Hot 100 Song and more.

In other words, Abel made up for lost time at the Grammy Awards and then some ... which completely shut him out from this year's ceremony with zero nominations.

As you know ... The Weeknd's on a campaign of sorts to call out the Recording Academy as corrupt, crooked, outdated, out of touch, you name it. Interestingly, though, he refrained from any Grammy talk during the BBMAs ... and kept it classy.

Franky, he didn't have to say much, because the wins spoke for themselves -- as did his performance later in the show of his hit, "Save Your Tears," which he performed in a parking lot with some sweet coordinated car choreography ... one of the highlights of the night.

As for his postshow celebration, The Weeknd was one of several celebs to hit the Billboard party at The Nice Guy.