You Might Want to Rethink

Sam Mendes will be THE big winner at the Academy Awards -- at least that's what an ad that ran for a play he's directing wanted folks to think ... before it was called a mistake.

Here's the deal ... Mendes is signed on to direct a play called "The Lehman Trilogy," which hits Broadway in about a month from now. 'Lehman' already has got its own Instagram page, and on Sunday ... the account ran an ad calling Mendes the winner of Best Picture and Best Director for his "one-shot" war flick, "1917," which has gotten tons of love this award season.

FYI ... the Oscars haven't started yet, and the winners certainly haven't been made public. At least it appears they haven't, anyway.

The ad -- which was active on IG for at least a few hours -- read in part ... "From Sam Mendes, winner of the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Picture for his WWI epic '1917,' THE LEHMAN TRILOGY opens on Broadway March 26. Previews begin March 7."

Now, we talked to a spokesman for the 'Lehman' play, and a rep tells us the whole thing was a mistake, and that the ad is being taken down ASAP. We're told nobody at 'Lehman' knows the results, and they're simply hoping for Sam to win big.

Reading between the lines ... it appears somebody on the social team prepped an ad in anticipation of these results, and got ahead of themselves in running it prematurely.

We've reached out to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. So far, no word back.

President Trump was photographed Friday walking across the White House's South lawn in a photo that has since gone viral -- but the pic appears to have been edited.

DT was captured on camera by a guy named William Moon -- a self-described White House correspondent and photographer, who doesn't appear to be part of the official press corps. or White House staff, but clearly has access of some sort to snap shots like these.

The pic shows DT touching down in a helicopter after a trip to Charlotte, NC ... with the wind picking up his hair and the light seemingly showing a major tan line around his face.

In Moon's photo, the outer edge of Trump's mug seems to be in stark contrast to the rest of his face ... showing a color distinction between pale and what looks to be orange or tan. Getty Images has the same pic, though ... and it's not nearly as saturated as this.

Now, it's possible Moon caught the Prez at a different angle with different lighting than the Getty photog did ... perhaps the photo isn't edited at all. Doesn't seem likely, however.

We were able to boost up the color on our end to make the Getty image look pretty similar to what Moon put up ... so it's clear, anybody with basic Photoshop skills can do it.

Here's one more Getty shot of Trump from the same moment, unedited. Yes, he does seem to have a tan -- but it's not nearly as exaggerated as the "#Orangeface" pic would have you think.

Tank says some good old-fashioned bedroom lovin' is more than an acceptable gift from a woman come Valentine's Day -- but there's a catch ... it's gotta have a kick to it.

We got the R&B singer heading to Delilah in WeHo Friday night for Michael B. Jordan's birthday party, and as he was walking by with his wife, Zena Foster, our photo asked if sex counts as a solid V-Day present to reciprocate a man shelling out for his gal.

In other words ... is sex just as thoughtful as flowers, chocolates or any other item a guy might buy his significant other for the holiday? According to Tank, hell to the yes.

Check out his answer ... he says "cookie" is pretty much always the ultimate pay-off for a man -- and sure, he's probably right there. BUT, he says a big gesture from a man's gotta be met with just as much ... um, let's just say vigor and passion on the other side.

Tekashi 6ix9ine is being sued by a guy who says the rapper jacked his vocals to hype up a track right from the 0:01 mark ... and the proof seems to be online right now.

An artist named Yung Gordon filed suit against T69, his label 10K Projects and others claiming he recorded a radio drop -- a short audio recording used at the beginning of songs to plug a station, company or artist -- for an org. called Take Money Promotions ... which he insists contacted him in 2016 with the request. Yung Gordon says he happily obliged.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Gordon claims a couple years later ... Tekashi dropped a song called "Stoopid," which he says featured his 9-second drop -- something he claims he was never asked about, let alone signed off on through Tekashi or TMP.

Now, Gordon says some versions of the song that have since been published to different streaming platforms have actually ditched his drop. Others, however, haven't ... according to the docs. Case in point, per Gordon, is the current 'Stoopid' music vid on YouTube.

The video opens with a guy saying what Gordon claims to have recorded in his lawsuit ... "You already know, it be the boy Yung Gordon // You rockin' with Take Money Promotions // Aye Take Money Promotions, give 'em that new s*** no foo s***. Let's go!!" The TMP plug goes on for about 20 seconds, and blends into the start of Tekashi's song.

'Stoopid' has gone on to rack up over 180 million views and countless streams, meaning it's made a significant amount of money. Gordon wants a cut of that -- he's asking a judge for damages, and for all 'Stoopid' recordings using his voice to be yanked immediately.

Meghan and Harry want to keep the prying public at bay at their Canadian home, going to extreme measures to make it happen ... including cameras and tarps along the property.

TMZ has obtained photos of some new security features the Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently installed to ward off any curious peeping Toms who might wanna try to get a glimpse into their private life at their North Saanich villa on Vancouver Island.

The latest bells and whistles ... a giant tarp that's hanging in between trees, and at least one security camera along the beach, which we're told has a wandering lens. You might've also noticed the fence, the front gate cover and the Home Depot "No Trespassing" sign too.

Those have been there since they've moved in over the past couple of months, but we're told the camera and tree tarp are the most recent measures taken for privacy/security.

It's just another sign Meg and Har really don't want to be under the spotlight post-Megxit and will do just about anything to keep people away ... including pesky photogs. Remember, Meghan has already threatened to sue media outlets for using pics taken of her and Archie hiking the Canadian woods. She was out in public though, not on her own grounds.

Looks like they want to avoid a repeat situation at home. Cabin fever, anyone?

The smokin' hot model tackled on the Super Bowl field while trying to go streaking, claims stadium security roughed her up ... and she says she has injuries to prove it!!!

Kelly Green -- aka Kelly Kay -- tells TMZ Sports ... she's still hurting from her stunt gone wrong, and the bruises covering her arms are from security guards. She claims they manhandled her on the field.

Kelly says her adrenaline was pumping after jumping over a railing and trying to strip ... so she didn't notice the effects of the gang tackle until her adrenaline rush subsided.

The treatment allegedly got worse from there. Kelly claims she was held in a freezing-cold cell in the bowels of Hard Rock Stadium for 8 hours wearing nothing but her skimpy bathing suit ... waiting to be processed.

And, all those stories you hear about intense Super Bowl security are dead-on, according to Kelly ... who says FBI and Homeland Security agents even interrogated her.

The guy who made the foreign flick that's the talk of the town doesn't care if it wins big on Sunday -- he's tired of all the hubbub ... and just wants to get behind a camera again.

We got director Bong Joon Ho at LAX over a one-month time span, during which his Korean film, "Parasite," has been snowballing in popularity and positioning itself as a legit favorite in the Oscar race ... even for the top prize of Best Picture, which would be a huge deal.

You wouldn't know the importance though by the way Bong talked Tuesday about his chances at the Academy Awards. Dude seems like he's gassed from all the press he's been having to do ... not to mention all the other award shows where he's been killing it.

Just a month ago in January, he was just as humble with us ... saying he's not sure if "Parasite" will be a game-changer in helping foreign films break out with mainstream American audiences, but if it does ... he says it'll be incremental. A bit modest if you ask us.

Fact is ... "Parasite" is actually a fantastic movie, and if it wins BP on Sunday, it would truly open the door for other international projects to crossover and have widespread appeal.

'Vampire Diaries' actress Alice Evans lost her s**t on a YouTuber who claims she hit her car in a parking lot and drove away -- and the confrontation between the two is wild.

The vlogger is Kayla Lashae, and she captured the British star leaving her vehicle Monday afternoon in L.A. to berate Kayla after allegedly knocking her back bumper while trying to park next to her. Watch ... Alice goes ballistic over what she thought was Kayla's fault.

Alice's rationale ... Kayla had a massive vehicle parked in a compact space, and didn't allow Alice to easily get her vehicle in. Her actual breakdown of it is more ... well, impassioned.

FWIW, Kayla drives a Jeep Wrangler -- so yeah, it's a big car.

Now, Kayla tells us Alice actually backed into another vehicle during the botched parking job ... and then, allegedly, drove away without leaving a note or exchanging info with Kayla herself. Kayla says she filed a police report with LAPD as a result -- they're looking into it.

'Bachelor' contestant Victoria F won a major challenge during this week's episode, but she's not gonna reap the rewards today because of her White Lives Matter past.

ICYMI ... Peter Weber's current batch of ladies competed in a fun competition on Monday night's episode, in which they posed for Cosmo in Costa Rica for the chance to be featured in a future issue. Victoria F won, but Cosmo's had a change of heart.

Cosmo's editor-in-chief, Jessica Pels, wrote a letter Monday night explaining why Cosmo is NOT going to publish a digital cover of their March edition -- which would've had Victoria on the cover -- because she once posed in a "White Lives Matter" hat. The "white" was referring to white marlins.

Pels says she's aware the slogan was a pun to raise awareness about over-fishing white marlins -- but she says that's irrelevant ... the slogan is racist.

She says that's why Cosmo's not gonna give Victoria the pleasure of being published on their site. Their print edition is already in production, and the "Bachelor" shoot -- which includes pics of Victoria -- will be inside. Cosmo wasn't aware of the controversy in time to stop its presses.

Danielle Bregoli came THIS close to cashing a $450,000 check in exchange for speaking at a conference in Hong Kong ... but just like with Dog the Bounty Hunter, it was a total scam.

Here's the deal ... reps for Bhad Bhabie were contacted by people purporting to be from the office of Peter Woo -- a billionaire Chinese businessman -- offering her a massive payday to make a quick speech at a charity event in Hong Kong.

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

Bhad Bhabie's team says the scammers wanted her to cash a check for $450,000 and then wire them back $300,000. Another red flag -- the website for Peter Woo Philanthropies is a carbon copy of the charity websites used in the scams targeting Dog and other famous folks.

Other perks included private air travel, luxury accommodations and a $10,000 wardrobe budget. Yeah, too good to be true.

It's funny ... Bhad Bhabie kept up her end of the bargain, sending a wire upon receipt of the check. She wired $0.01 with this memo, "SUCK MY D***. LOVE, BHAD BHABIE."

Madonna should've been on time for her recent concerts in NYC, because her tardiness screwed over a bunch of fans -- financially and otherwise, according to a new lawsuit.

The pop icon is being sued by a couple guys named Andrew Panos and Antonio Velotta, who claim they were forced to wait 2 to 3 hours for Madonna to take the stage on Sept. 21 and Oct. 1 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, the start time was supposed to be 8:30 PM for the Madame X tour stops, but things didn't actually get started until 11:30 PM on the September date, and 10:40 PM in October.

Andrew and Antonio say they were left high and dry on more levels than one. They claim the value of their tickets was greatly diminished, and more importantly ... they say they were left stranded at around 1 AM because they'd missed their scheduled trains or other rides home.

The guys claim the unannounced delay -- which they insist Madonna admitted was her fault -- ruined their plans for work and school the next day. They say they weren't able to arrange alternative rides since their phones were confiscated during the show.

Adding insult to injury, they claim Live Nation -- the company that put on the event -- wouldn't issue refunds to them after the fact. They also allege that the rest of Madonna's September and October shows followed the same pattern of tardiness. You'll recall a very similar class-action lawsuit was filed against Madonna this past November in FL.

These new guys are suing for breach of contract, loss of value, false advertisement and negligent misrepresentation. They're asking for damages and lawyer fees.

Brad Pitt's string of hilarious acceptance speeches rolled on across the pond for the BAFTA Awards where he brought up Prince Harry and Megxit ... in front of Prince William.

BP didn't make it to the ceremony Sunday night in London, so his costar, Margot Robbie, accepted his BAFTA (it's like the British Oscars) for Best Supporting Actor, and read the speech he'd written.

Margot said, speaking as Brad, "I'm gonna name this Harry, 'cause (Brad) is really excited about bringing it back to the States with him. His words, not mine. Thanks!"

The line killed ... most people seemed to laugh, and then the camera cut to Prince William and Kate Middleton in the front row. They clapped and smiled, appropriately, but watch ... they clearly knew they were on camera. BTW, Will is the President of BAFTA ... so it's kinda his show.

Of course, it's no surprise Brad went for a timely punchline in front of an audience. He's been on a comedy tour of sorts these past few weeks, joking about his single status.

Looks like that material got a bit stale, and he tried something new and decidedly British.