Karen Name's a Dying Breed

Karen is canceled ... at least when it comes to baby names.

The name, which has become a slang term for an overly demanding or entitled middle-aged white woman, is fast becoming the way of the pet rock -- extinct -- because parents know the name's become toxic.

Honchos at Babynames.com tell TMZ ... none of their millions of website users have added the name Karen to their favorite name lists in the past year, and over the past decade, they've seen a 75% decrease in popularity.

Karen is trending in the world of baby names, we're told, but for all the wrong reasons ... babynames.com says it's seen a 10-fold increase in searches for the meaning behind the name, but expectant parents are running for the hills ... no Karen's in their baby reveals.

Kidz Bop Karen
HEEEERE'S KAREN!
Chelsea Klein

The moniker was originally a Danish form of the name Katherine, meaning pure, but that reference is now dated and irrelevant. We're told Karen was most popular from 1938 to 1968, but it's seen a steep decline in the past two years, as more and more examples of "Karens" flood social media.

Bottom line from parents ... Karen as a baby's name is OUT.

Cardi B Happy Father's Day, Offset!!! Celebratin' with the Kid

Offset got showered with love on Father's Day by the 2 very important ladies in his life -- his wife, Cardi B, and their almost-2-year-old daughter.

The family trio hit up Tao restaurant in Hollywood Sunday night to celebrate dear old dad's special day, and the parents looked super flashy while Kulture went with downright adorable ... in a plaid dress with matching shoes.

The kid was also holding some sort of toy she seemed real happy about.

Though Offset was the man of the hour, it was Cardi who walked out at the end of the dinner with a huge bouquet of flowers ... but it looks like Kulture snagged one of those for herself too.

You know the old saying -- happy wife (and toddler), happy life. Good work, Offset.

Jussie Smollett 'Attacker' Abel Wants Cops to Return His Stuff ... Used in Alleged Attack?!?

One of Jussie Smollett's alleged attackers wants some personal belongings back from Chicago PD ... including some stuff that sounds like the exact items used that infamous night.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Abel Osundairo had a number of personal items seized in February 2019 when cops executed a search warrant at his home ... and now he wants them returned.

Some of the seized items Abel wants are pretty interesting, because, if you've followed the case, this will sound familiar -- a black ski mask and a red hat. Yep, just a couple of the things Abel and his brother, Ola, allegedly bought and used on Jussie.

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TOOLS FOR THE CRIME
TMZ.com

You'll recall ... surveillance video days before the "attack" showed the Osundairos buying the gear. Remember, Jussie said his attackers were wearing ski masks, and cops seized red hats when they raided the brothers' residence.

070219_jussie_smollett_SUB_FULL_CUT_KAL January 2019
THE FULL CUT
TMZ.com

Abel, who was released from custody without any charges being filed against him, also wants police to hand over a script from "Empire" recovered from his place. He and Ola had been extras on Jussie's hit show.

Other notable items Abel wants returned include 2 firearms, 2 iPhones and 5 bottles of bleach -- relevant, of course, to the alleged attack.

In the new docs, Abel's lawyer, Gloria Schmidt, says her client's "been patient but has now been deprived of his personal property for over a year and there exists no good cause for any further delay in returning his items to him."

Abel's gonna have to wait a little longer for a final decision. A judge is giving the special prosecutor in Jussie's case at least another week to figure out if handing over the stuff would prejudice the case in any way.

'Once Upon a Time' Lana Parrilla Confronts Woman with Bat, Shotgun ... Gets Restraining Order

Lana Parrilla played an evil queen in "Once Upon a Time" ... so it's not surprising she's not afraid to confront trouble ... like pointing a shotgun at a woman who she claims went on an expletive-laced rant and accused her of murdering 13 children.

Lana beelined it to L.A. County Superior Court for a restraining order against a woman named Antoinette Hinckley, a 50-year-old who allegedly showed up to Lana's crib twice in 5 days. According to Lana's docs, Hinckley harassed her to the point the actress was forced to show force.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the bizarre incidents began June 9 when Antoinette was walking barefoot in front of Lana's home. Lana said hello and asked, "Are you just going for a walk?" Lana says Antoinette laughed and said, "I just wanted to look someone in the eyes" before asking Lana, "How do you sleep at night?" Lana says she responded she sleeps well. Antoinette scoffed, "f*** off!!" before walking away.

The second incident went down on June 14 ... Lana -- who says Antoinette is a friend of a former male friend -- claims Antoinette rang the gate bell that morning and things quickly got crazy. Lana claims Antoinette started yelling and making up stories ... like alleging Lana owed her $400,000. She says Antoinette threatened her before making this bizarre allegation: "I have video of you murdering my 13 children last night."

In docs, Lana says she was scared for her life ... she called cops but also "grabbed a bat and an unloaded shotgun and went to the porch." Lana claims she confronted Antoinette and told her she needed mental help and to "get the f*** off my property." That's when Lana claims Antoinette shot back, "f*** you. I'm going to jump over this fence and beat the s*** out of you."

It's at this point when Lana claims she pointed the shotgun at Antoinette, who yelled back but walked away. Cops were called and ultimately tracked Antoinette down, telling her she'd be arrested if she threatened Lana again. But, Lana says it didn't end there ... she claims 45 minutes later a homeless man came to her gate and called for her. Lana says she fears for her life and worries Antoinette will send people she knows to her house to hurt her.

Antoinette must now stay at least 100 yards away from Lana, her home and workplace.

The actress has appeared in tons of TV shows ... including "Spin City," "Boomtown," "Windfall," "Swingtown," "Miami Medical" and, of course, "Once Upon a Time" where she spent 7 seasons on the hit ABC fantasy drama series.

Joey Chestnut I'm Gonna Break Hot Dog Record ... Gunning For 77 Wieners!!!

Joey Chestnut is BUMMED there won't be fans at this year's Nathan's Hot Dog Contest, but there's a huge silver lining ... Jaws says the conditions are ripe for a NEW WORLD RECORD!! 6/22/20
RECORDS WILL BE BROKEN
TMZSports.com

Joey Chestnut is BUMMED there won't be fans at this year's Nathan's Hot Dog Contest, but there's a huge silver lining ... Jaws says the conditions are ripe for a NEW WORLD RECORD!!

Chestnut -- the greatest competitive eater of all time and 12-time Nathan's champ -- currently holds the record for most dogs devoured in 10 minutes ... 74 in 2018's contest.

But, Joey tells TMZ Sports come July 4 -- thanks to the competition being moved indoors without fans 'cause of COVID-19 -- he's primed for a record-shattering performance.

"There's a little bit of a bonus 'cause we're gonna be eating in air conditioning and they're less eaters, so they're making less hot dogs so they might taste better," Chestnut says.

"There's a good chance that we might have better conditions for a world record and I'ma be pushing for it."

FYI, the hugely famous contest usually takes place on NYC's Coney Island. New York City in July = insane heat and humidity ... making it difficult to scarf down pounds of meat.

But, with the changes, Joey's confident he will set a new record ... but how many more wieners can a human possibly scarf down in only 10 minutes?

"I'm breaking the record this 4th of July! This is gonna be a weird 4th of July, but I'ma make it memorable. My record 74, 75 just sounds like a good number but we'll see," Chestnut tells us.

"If I'm feeling it, if I'm in the perfect rhythm, 77 is doable."

Seventy-Seven ........... 😲

Guess Who This Smiling Sweetie Turned Into!

Before this grinning guy was the father of Latin Caribbean music and Spanish rapping, he was just another smiling sweetie growing up in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

This fashionable fella popularized a new genre of music that he likes to call Reggaeton. As a famed record producer, rapper, singer, and actor, you can't help but wonder how this busy media machine doesn't run out of Gasolina.

One of his singles gained so much popularity that it became the first Spanish song since "Macarena" to hit number 1 and was even remixed by Justin Bieber.

Can you guess who he is?

Teddy Roosevelt Statue at NYC's AMNH Coming Down Over Racial Insensitivity

A statue of Teddy Roosevelt that has greeted visitors for nearly a century at NYC's Museum of Natural History is set to be removed ... at the behest of the museum.

Honchos at the AMNH broke the news Sunday, saying a statue of the great trust-busting President that has stood at the foot of the entrance doors since 1940 will soon be gone.

In case you haven't seen it, the sculpture shows Teddy -- who once served as Governor of New York -- on horseback, with a Native American man on one side, and an African man on the other ... both of whom are below him.

Mayor Bill de Blasio says the museum asked the City for permission to remove the statue, because ... "it explicitly depicts Black and Indigenous people as subjugated and racially inferior." He added, "It is the right decision and the right time to remove this problematic statue." It goes without saying ... New York's City Council has approved the request.

The statue has been a hot-button issue for a while -- some folks saw it as promoting imperialism and colonization ... which was alive and well in Teddy's day.

The museum justified the move, explaining ... "Over the last few weeks, our museum community has been profoundly moved by the ever-widening movement for racial justice that has emerged after the killing of George Floyd." They added, "We have watched as the attention of the world and the country has increasingly turned to statues as powerful and hurtful symbols of systemic racism. Simply put, the time has come to move it."

While Teddy's officially out ... another historical statue in our nation's Capitol, no less, is currently on the hot seat -- and may very well be the next slated for removal, unless protesters get to it first. Out in D.C., the Emancipation Statue featuring Honest Abe is being discussed as the next to go ... because of racial insensitivity.

There's a slave below Abe breaking free from his shackles, with AL hovering above him. A petition's circulating to remove it.

Queens D.A. No Charges for Man Put in Chokehold by NYPD Cop

NYPD Chokehold 6/21/20
UNNECESSARY CHOKEHOLD
@NYScanner / Twitter
UPDATE

10:43 AM PT -- 6/22 The Queens DA reportedly says the man who was placed in a chokehold by an NYPD cop will NOT face any charges.

UPDATE

4:13 PM PT -- The officer who was caught on camera applying a chokehold to a man he and other cops were trying to detain has now been suspended from the force ... and won't make a dime while he's out.

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UPDATE

NYPD Commissioner Dermot F. Shea made the announcement Sunday, saying ... "Accountability in policing is essential. After a swift investigation by the Internal Affairs Bureau, a police officer involved in a disturbing apparent chokehold incident in Queens has been suspended without pay."

UPDATE

He added, "While a full investigation is still underway, there is no question in my mind that this immediate action is necessary. We are committed to transparency as this process continues."

UPDATE

3:52 PM PT -- The NYPD just released body cam footage of the minutes leading up to the chokehold out by Rockaway Sunday, and it's incredibly telling.

UPDATE

The face-off with officers actually started with three different men, two of whom were white, and they were all talking trash to the cops trying to understand why they were out there approaching them to begin with. The guy who ended up getting cuffed was among the group too, but he was the only one to get tackled and roughed up in the end.

UPDATE
UPDATE

It's not entirely clear why the cops decided to bum-rush him -- you hear in the body cam footage that one of the officers felt he "squared up" and got into a fighting stance, and apparently the cops felt threatened. It doesn't look like he did though from what we can tell.

UPDATE

In any case, after the police pounced ... one of the officers wrapped their arm around the guy's neck, which caused his buddies to scream in a panic. He was only held down for a few seconds, and it does not appear he lost consciousness during the ordeal.

UPDATE

You can also hear multiple people standing around and watching, openly asking why the black guy was the only one to get arrested -- when the other two guys (one in particular) was mouthing off just as much, if not more so. No clear answers for that one, but check it out for yourself.

Less than a week after New York City said no more chokeholds to cops, an NYPD officer used one while making an arrest ... to the point the person he's subduing loses consciousness.

A handful of NYPD officers were filmed Sunday near Rockaway Beach attempting to detain and arrest a black man -- with one of the cops wrapping his entire arm around the guy's neck and putting his body weight on him from the ground, while the others put cuffs on.

You hear bystanders -- who are filming the whole thing -- start to scream out in a panic, telling the officer to stop choking him, which eventually gets him to release.

At that point, it appears the man being arrested has gone limp and is unresponsive -- some of the folks standing around say "he's out." He had indeed passed out and was led away by police moments later.

It's unclear if and when he regained consciousness -- his current condition is also unknown.  We also don't know why he was being arrested, and the NYPD isn't saying.

The NYPD did say, "We are aware of the video and there is an active investigation underway by the Internal Affairs Bureau. This matter is taken extremely seriously and we expect to have an update this evening as the investigation unfolds."

Bear in mind ... the City JUST made it illegal for cops to do this, unless their lives are in immediate danger. They even named the law after Eric Garner.

Again, and again ... what is so remarkable about these encounters is that cops know they're being videotaped but it doesn't seem to deter much.

Originally Published -- 6/21 1:59 PM PT

Skate for Peace Protests Skaters Ride Together En Masse ... In Support of BLM

Skaters For Peace
ROLLIN' FOR RIGHTS
@HaidaPrincess, @alxce____, @HomelessnessSD / Twitter

Skaters from Cali to Texas hopped on their boards in unison this weekend to peacefully protest and show support for the Black Lives Matter movement -- and the scene is unreal.

This weekend proved to be another few days filled with anti-racism demonstrations to decry the death of George Floyd and others, but none were quite as creative as skateboarders coming together and going for a communal ride through the streets of S.D., L.A. and Austin.

They call it Skate for Peace, or Push for Peace. Pretty straightforward.

Sounds cool, right? Wait till you see it in action ... it's like something out of a movie, honestly. Nothing but the sound of wheels rolling across the pavement -- purely awesome.

Now, these types of get-togethers have been going on for weeks nationwide -- but this weekend's skate protest was especially noteworthy because of the sheer numbers -- and the fact that they took up entire streets without too much pushback, it seems.

Well done, everyone.

Ja Rule I'm Real ...ly Doing Private Parties!!! Fitty Goes to Clown Town

Ja Rule
LIVIN' IT UP
@queenjac_ / Instagram

Ja Rule has made his services widely available to the general public -- the dude's offering up private party bookings now ... something his old foe, 50 Cent, finds awfully hilarious.

The rapper made an appearance this weekend at a private house party in New Jersey, where it looks like he was hired by a bunch of hotties to perform a few hit songs and hang out for a bit. One classic jam of his that he got around to playing ... "I'm Real," featuring J Lo.

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Everyone was having a good ol' time, and Ja certainly had no shame in announcing that, yes, people CAN book him for gigs like this now. He's partnered up with ICONN, and there's an official way you can go about getting Ja to come to your shindig ... for a pretty penny.

Sounds neat, but of course ... there's always haters lurking in the back ready to pounce. In this case, Ja's nemesis, Fitty, came with a bag of jokes ready to fly at JR's expense.

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He took to IG and wrote, "if you don’t want to end up doing private birthday parties for 15 people. 🤷🏽‍♂️stay out of my way, OK." Some folks credit 50 with stunting Ja's career -- at least that's how 50 sees it -- and he rides that narrative to no end ... constantly clowning the guy.

We'll say this -- it ain't 2003 anymore, for either of these fellas. Now, play nice!!!

The Walmart 'Rona Shopper Old Dude Shoves His Way Past Employee ... LET ME IN, DAMMIT!!!

Florida Man is back with a vengeance -- this time, he's fighting his way into a Walmart, which has a mandatory face mask policy ... but FM NEEDS his discounts, 'rona be damned.

This wild scene went down Saturday in Orlando, and it starts off right in the thick of the action. An elderly man tries storming his way into a Walmart without a face covering -- but gets stopped by an employee at the front door. That wasn't gonna stop gramps here though.

He immediately got physical and started pushing his way through -- even shoving the masked employee out of his way ... to some success, at first. The guy did get by him -- after taking a tumble during the struggle -- and then started heading for some aisles. But, this Walmart employee (of the year?) caught up to him and held his ground ... give him a raise!

On the second go, he had backup with him -- just a regular Joe, it seems -- who chimed in and told the guy to get the hell out. He also noted the dude was getting his germs all over the place by making such a big fuss -- meanwhile, almost everyone else had coverage.

It seems the two-man press was enough for the old-timer to call it quits and scram, empty-handed at that. Guess he'll have to wait to get his weekly batch of $5 DVDs ... too bad.

Anyway, the whole time you can hear the cameraman laughing it up -- and while we'll admit it's pretty funny watching this absurdity unfold ... it's also pretty jarring and surreal.

People just do not wanna play by the rules, even if the public's health is at stake.

George Floyd Cop Charged in Killing Confronted at Grocery Store

One of the 4 ex-cops charged in the brutal killing of George Floyd was confronted by an angry shopper who bristled when he told her he was sorry she felt the way she did.

J. Alexander Kueng was shopping at Cub Foods in Plymouth, Minnesota Saturday when a woman spotted him. Kueng was captured on video standing by as Derek Chauvin mercilessly put his knee on George Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

Kueng acknowledged who he was as the woman recorded him, and when he told her he was sorry she was feeling the way she was ... she was more than eager to display her feelings.

Kueng is out on a $750,000 bond. He's charged with aiding and abetting, second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree manslaughter. He's expected in court, along with the other defendants, at the end of the month.

Tesla's Cybertruck Displayed at L.A. Auto Museum ... The Public Gets a Gander

Elon Musk's newest sweet ride has gone from the Tesla stage to the public stage -- 'cause his Cybertruck made what appears to be its public debut for the first time this weekend.

The Cybertruck was rolled out (literally) this weekend in L.A. and put on display for public viewing at the Petersen Automotive Museum -- where tons of cool and historic whips are featured for an up-close-and-personal viewing. And for now, the Cybertruck is one of them.

Sounds like this would be one of the few times anyone besides a Tesla employee has gotten to inspect this beast of a vehicle in detail and with their own eyes. Of course, Elon and co. did an up-and-down unveiling in November, but since then ... the car's been mostly MIA.

Welp, the good folks over at Electrek did the hard work of going to check it out for themselves ... and they did a proper write-up on what they found upon seeing it in person.

Long story short, they say it's about as cool as it looked the first time it was shown off -- and it's actually not all that intimating when you get a closer look. Electrek breaks down all the features that Tesla revealed in the fall -- and got some sweet close-up shots of the exterior.

They note it's pretty freaking big, but not all that imposing when you're right up next to this thing. Despite its out-of-this-world design, Electrek notes a lot of the car parts are very much so of our time and are quite practical. The steering wheel and side mirrors are bit different (or non-existent) which leads to questions about how it'll actually drive on the road.

Time will tell, we suppose. In the meantime ... LOOK 👀

AOC Way to Go TikTok ... You Punked Trump!!!

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez heaped praise on countless teens who punked Donald Trump and his campaign Saturday night in a big, big way.

Trump and co. had been touting that huge crowds -- 100,000 strong -- would show up for his Tulsa rally, yet he couldn't even fill a 19,000 seat arena ... it was only 2/3 full.

Enter TikTok users and K-pop fans, who started their own campaign, registering for tickets to the Trump rally with obviously no intention of going. This is why, in part, the Trump campaign bragged 1 million people had registered.

AOC was beside herself, saying ... "you just got ROCKED by teens on TikTok who flooded the Trump campaign w/ fake ticket reservations & tricked you into believing a million people wanted your white supremacist open mic enough to pack an arena during COVID. Shout out to Zoomers. Y’all make me so proud."

TikTok ... where some campaigns happen, and some don't.

Tom Petty's Family Outraged Trump used 'I Won't Back Down' ... At Tulsa Rally

Donald Trump's being accused of being petty again ... and this time it's got Petty written all over it.

Tom Petty's family is outraged the Trump campaign dared to use the song, "I Won't Back Down," Saturday night at his Tulsa rally.

Tom's widow, Dana, and other family members said the song is about all of us and it should not be played "to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense left behind”

The family said ...“Tom wrote this song for the underdog, for the common man and for everyone ... We want to make it clear that we believe everyone is free to vote as they like, think as they like, but the Petty family doesn’t stand for this. We believe in America and we believe in democracy. But Donald Trump is not representing the noble ideals of either.

And, the family added this ... "We would hate for fans that are marginalized by this administration to think we were complicit in this usage. Concurrently, we have issued a cease and desist notice to the Trump campaign.”

So, the family has fired off a cease and desist letter to the campaign.

The Petty family is not alone. Among the singers who have railed against Trump for using their music ... Elton John, Prince, Aerosmith, REM, Adele, the Rolling Stones, Guns N Roses, Rihanna, Neil Young, Pharrell, Queen and Earth Wind and Fire have also denounced the president’s use of their music.

Trump expected 100,000 people to show up for the rally. Turnout was not even close ... the venue seats 19,000 and it was only 2/3 full.

Black Lives Matter Gaming Co. Backs Off Trademark ... We Were 'Tone Deaf'

The founder of a gaming company is seeing the light -- she's aborting efforts to create a "Black Lives Matter" board game, and admits, despite good intentions ... there's a better way to fight racism.

Shari Spiro's the owner of AdMagic Inc., and last week she filed to trademark the 'BLM' phrase. Spiro told TMZ her plan was to help the organization create some type of educational tool -- possibly a 'BLM' card or board game -- to teach people about the movement.

Spiro added, she was not doing it for financial gain or publicity, and told us she was even going to donate the trademark -- if approved -- back to the Black Lives Matter org.

A couple days later, however, she reached out to tell us she's abandoning her application ... saying she now understands it was "tone deaf" to try it in the first place.

Spiro says even though her goal was to do good for the BLM movement, she recognizes "that 'good intentions' can still be unhelpful."

She adds ... "Moving forward, I will listen and learn so that I can be a better ally in the fight against racism." Spiro says her withdrawal of the trademark will be officially on the books within a few days.

It should be noted ... Spiro's not the first person to run to the trademark office since BLM protests started spreading after the death of George Floyd. Another businessman also recently withdrew applications for "Black Lives Matter" and "I Can't Breathe."

As we've reported ... Floyd's name has been in the trademark mix, as well -- for various reasons.