Ketanji Brown Jackson She's a Lock for SCOTUS ... First Republican Jumps on Board

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson should start cleaning out her drawers at the Court of Appeals, because she's headed to higher ground -- the U.S. Supreme Court.

Republican Senator Susan Collins just revealed she'll support the nom, which all but assures her confirmation. With a 50-50 split, Collins will provide the cushion so the Veep doesn't have to cast a tiebreaker. What's more, Collins could open the door for more Republican support, although don't count on it.

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PROPS TO THE FAM
Fox News

Collins said, "After reviewing Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's extensive record, watching much of her hearing testimony, and meeting with her twice in person, I have concluded that she possesses the experience, qualifications, and integrity to serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court. I will, therefore, vote to confirm her to this position."

Collins met with Brown Tuesday for a second time, and said after the meeting that the Judge had provided clarification on certain issues ... unclear what those issues were.

Brown would become the first female Black justice in the Court's history.

Paul Herman 'The Sopranos' & 'The Irishman' Actor Dead at 76

"The Sopranos" actor Paul Herman has died ... and on his 76th birthday, no less.

Paul's former "Sopranos" castmate, Michael Imperioli, confirmed his death in an Instagram post calling Paul a great dude and "one hell of an actor".

He continued ... “Paulie lived around the corner from me the last few years and I am glad we got to spend some time together before he left us. I’ll miss him. Lots of love to his family, friends and community of actors and filmmakers.”

No cause of death has been disclosed yet.

Paul was well-known for his role as Peter "Beansie" Gaeta, who was a drug dealer turned Pizza shop owner on the HBO hit drama.

Herman will also be remembered for his notable roles in many other films, including "The Irishman" and "Goodfellas" ... clearly he was in with Martin Scorsese.

He also starred in "Silver Linings Playbook" and "American Hustle" ... both directed by David O. Russell.

Aside from all his big acting gigs, Paul and his brother Charlie ran a popular cafe in Manhattan that was frequented by actors, gangsters, dancers and even FBI agents in the '90s.

Paul was 76.

RIP

Will Smith Doctor Portrayed in 'Concussion' ... I Like Him Even More Now!

The doctor who Will Smith portrayed in the 2015 film "Concussion" says the actor's physical outburst at Sunday's Oscars ceremony isn't indicative of who he is, and thinks when the dust settles, Will's image will be untarnished.

Dr. Bennet Omalu -- portrayed by Smith -- tells TMZ ... the actor transformed his life for the better, noting he's one of the most beautiful people he's ever met. He says the incident with Chris Rock doesn't sully the actor's reputation ... it simply shows a more human side of him.

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While the doctor doesn't condone violence, he thinks the slap was simply an impulsive act, which proved to viewers he isn't like other "superstars" ... he's way more authentic.

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He also attributes the outburst to pressure ... with the looming question of who will win Best Actor no doubt on Will's mind. Dr. Omalu says he loves Smith even more after the incident.

The doctor's views are clearly not those shared by most people ... sentiment seems to fall into a couple of categories -- hotheaded and unhinged are recurring themes.

'The Flash' Star Ezra Miller Cops Called For Other Bar Incident ... Weeks Before Karaoke Arrest

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TROUBLE IN PARADISE
TMZ.com

Ezra Miller certainly doesn't seem to be making friends in Hawaii -- not only were they just arrested for a karaoke bar dispute -- cops were also called for another disturbance at a bar just weeks before.

In the video, shot earlier this month, you see "The Flash" star get denied entry to a bar -- with a female employee physically preventing them from going inside the Chinatown-area watering hole. A witness tells us the confrontation went down after Miller was kicked out of another establishment across the street.

Things got so contentious between Miller and the female staffer that cops were called, and more than half a dozen officers showed up.

You can see Miller chatting with officers before they asked the actor to leave ... law enforcement sources say EM was given a trespass warning, but they were not arrested.

As we reported, Ezra was arrested Monday for disorderly conduct and harassment after an incident at a bar in Hilo on the Big Island. Cops say they responded to a report of a disorderly patron at a pub ... officers were told Ezra became agitated when folks at the bar started singing karaoke.

Ezra allegedly hurled obscenities and grabbed the mic from a woman who was singing ... and cops say they were told EM also lunged at a guy playing darts and refused multiple requests from the bar owner to calm down.

We reached out to Ezra's camp ... so far, no word back.

'Love & Hip Hop's Apple Watts Still Fighting For Her Life In Hospital Following Fiery Car Wreck

Apple Watts, former star of "Love & Hip Hop," is still fighting for her life after a violent car crash sent her to the hospital with severe injuries.

Sources close to Apple tell TMZ ... the wreck left her with 2 breaks in her neck, a shattered arm and a brain injury. While we're told she's able to breathe on her own, she's still getting oxygen in hopes it helps with the healing process.

We're told she still has not opened her eyes or been able to verbally communicate. Doctors are doing what they can ... she underwent a successful surgery Tuesday night on her neck.

As we reported, Apple was driving on the freeway last week in Baker, CA when her Mercedes collided with a Ford F250 pickup truck. Her car flipped multiple times, bursting into flames before it came to a stop.

The 36-year-old was pulled from the wreckage by the passenger of the truck and was life-flighted to a hospital in Nevada to be treated for her injuries.

The cause of the accident has not been determined. Apple's friends, family and doctors remain hopeful she'll make a full recovery ... though there's a long, uncertain road ahead.

Matt Stafford Recruiting OBJ & AD Back To Rams ... 'Doing What I Can!!!'

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HOLLYWOOD MATT
TMZSports.com

Matt Stafford ain't letting Odell Beckham Jr. and Aaron Donald leave L.A. without a fight -- the Rams quarterback tells TMZ Sports he's "doing what I can" to keep the stars on his team.

Both dudes could be headed toward the exit door this offseason -- OBJ is a free agent and AD is pondering retirement -- but when we got Stafford out in Beverly Hills this week ... he told us he's recruiting the guys hard to stay for the 2022 season.

In fact, Stafford joked with us that he was out shopping for gifts for them to try to get them to return to L.A.

As for how the recruiting is going, Matt seemed optimistic about getting the two back -- but he did add, "you're going to have to ask those guys" about their future plans.

We also asked Stafford about the return of Tom Brady ... and it's not hard to tell he's surprised the Buccaneers star is still making magic happen at 44 years old.

"It's crazy that he can still do it," Stafford said, "but he's doing it good."

Matt tells us despite the return of TB12, he's got hopes of running things back in '22 with the Rams ... telling us, "That's the plan."

Meredith Blake In The Parent Trap 'Memba Her?!

Actress Elaine Hendrix put us all in our seats when she played Meredith Blake like a true boss in "The Parent Trap" --  back in 1998.

With her iconic wardrobe and her disdain for children, she shared the screen with lead actress Lindsay Lohan, Natasha Richardson and of course was gold diggin' her way to Nick Parker's heart -- played by Dennis Quaid.

We must applaud her performance in the 1999 film "Superstar" playing the character Evian ... another sassy role that she nailed.

"And for your 4-1-1," she is still serving us diva greatness today on the series "Dynasty" playing Alexis Carrington Colby -- a character Elaine brought back to life.

Guess what she looks like today!

O.J. Simpson On the Will Smith Slap ... I Can Relate!!!

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almost one in the same!!!

O.J. Simpson apparently sees a little bit of himself in Will Smith after his Oscars slap -- saying that he, too, wanted to put hands on people back when he was in the spotlight.

The Juice sounded off on the whole saga, and his main takeaway is in his Twitter caption ... "He was wrong but I understand the sentiment." In the video, he elaborates ... explaining, yeah, Will made a mistake -- but he kinda sympathizes with him.

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Check it out ... O.J. says he's also been through a lot of "crap," and on the other side of that -- presumably in reference to his acquittal in the '90s -- was often the butt of tons of jokes.

He makes no bones about how he felt about those "O.J. routines," saying he wanted to "b-slap" at least a couple of those comedians -- but acknowledges he restrained himself, almost drawing the contrast between him and Will ... which, to many, is the ultimate irony.

Bottom line ... O.J. defends Chris Rock here, saying it's comedy -- and no matter how it makes you feel, you (and Will by extension) have to accept it.

Now, here's the kicker ... O.J. theorizes that if he woulda pulled the same stunt after his Las Vegas arrest/conviction -- he believes he would've gotten life in prison without the possibility of parole, seemingly pointing out that Will's getting a pass because he's Will Smith.

There may, in fact, be a parallel between giving someone the benefit of the doubt as it relates to O.J.'s story and Will's -- even though, really, they're not comparable -- but Mr. Simpson's hypothetical seems flawed ... there's lots of reasons why O.J. wouldn't be well-received if he slapped someone post-acquittal. Vegas would likely have little to do with it.

Amusement Park Death 14-Yr-Old's Harness Was Locked ... Despite Fatal Fall

The teenager who fell to his death in an Orlando amusement park was wearing a safety harness that was still locked after the tragedy ... according to Florida officials.

The new detail comes from an accident report that claims 14-year-old Tyre Sampson came out of his seat when "magnets engaged" during the free-fall ride's rapid descent. Here's the puzzling part ... Florida officials say Tyre was wearing his safety harness and it "was still in a down and locked position when the ride stopped."

The report, first obtained by People, says Tyre died from "multiple injuries and trauma."

As we previously reported, the terrifying incident happened last week when the Missouri teen fell from the "Orlando Free-Fall" ride, which stands 430 ft. tall.

The ride, which just opened in December, reportedly plummets at 75 mph.

Tyre's family has reportedly raised concerns he was too big for the ride ... or so they believe after checking the ride's safety manual.

Officials are still investigating the tragedy.

Bill Maher Will's Chris Rock Slap ... Was Twitter Personified

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TWITTER MOB COME TO LIFE
TMZ.com

While there's lots of POVs on Will Smith's slap -- one person has a take we haven't heard, and that'd be Bill Maher ... who sees it as a microcosm of society at large these days.

We got the HBO host and legendary comic Tuesday on "TMZ Live," and he kept it as honest as ever when dishing his thoughts on the whole Oscars saga. Long story short ... BM seems to think Will's reaction was literally faux Twitter outrage encapsulated in, well, 'Real Time.'

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Check out Bill's perspective ... because it really feels spot-on as far as what exactly happened, or at least what we all saw anyway.

Bill gives the play-by-play, explaining that Will laughed at Chris Rock's "G.I. Jane" joke at first -- apparently finding some humor in it, or so it would seem -- but then changing his tune on a dime, which looked to be in direct response to how Jada Pinkett reacted ... AKA, not well.

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It was then that Will got up and did what he did, which Bill says was a total overreaction -- not dissimilar from what he believes a lot of Twitter justice warriors do on the daily.

In his mind, a lot of folks might think something is funny at first (privately) but then look around the room and realize they aren't "allowed" to actually feel that way ... and then pivot accordingly, oftentimes resulting in overblown indignation.

That's what Bill thinks Will's episode amounted to -- him realizing Jada was more offended than he was, and taking on her cause in the most outrageous way possible ... going up and striking Chris, whom Bill defends to no end here -- even calling him the "hero" of the day.

There's more that Bill gets into here with us ... including the fact that he was actually at the same after-party that Will and co. eventually flocked to, and he's got some tea about how a prominent figure in the Black community analyzed Chris' reaction ... or lack thereof.

Fascinating insight from Bill, and it sounds like this is just a taste of other convos he'll have on his new podcast, "Club Random with Bill Maher," which is live and already off to a fantastic start.

Foo Fighters Cancel All Shows After Taylor Hawkins' Death

The show will not go on for the Foo Fighters after Taylor Hawkins' death ... not for now, at least.

The band just announced it's pulling the plug on its current tour, saying ... "It is with great sadness that Foo Fighters confirm the cancellation of all upcoming tour dates in light of the staggering loss of our brother Taylor Hawkins. We're sorry for and share in the disappointment that we won't be seeing one another as planned."

The band had more than 50 shows scheduled for the rest of 2022 -- with dates through The United States, Canada, France, The UK, Australia and others.

The announcement comes 5 days after Taylor was found dead in his Bogota, Colombia hotel room. Dave Grohl and co. had been touring South America, headlining several Lollapalooza festivals around the continent.

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As we reported, they returned to L.A. over the weekend ... when they'd been scheduled to play Lollapalooza Brazil. We didn't know when, or if, they'd feel ready to return to the road, but they're putting an end to any speculation.

The band says this isn't the time to worry about their next concert ... "Instead, let's take this time to grieve, to heal, to pull our loved ones close, and to appreciate all the music and memories we've made together."

As for the band's long-term future ... that remains to be seen.

Chael Sonnen Threw Woman Into Light Fixture During LV Fight ... Cops Say

Chael Sonnen allegedly threw a woman into a light fixture and struck her -- causing her to bleed from her face -- during a wild fight in a Las Vegas hotel in December 2021 ... according to new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the docs, officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. say they responded to the Four Seasons Hotel on Dec. 18 regarding an alleged fight between Sonnen and several other people, including security guards.

Cops in the documents say a Four Seasons Engineer told them the altercation all started as he was coming out of a room.

Cops say the man said as soon as he opened the door, Sonnen punched him in the jaw. Officers say the man told them he then closed the door and called for security.

Police in the documents say, though, that a short time later ... a couple told them they encountered Sonnen outside of the room and the former UFC star got aggressive immediately.

Cops say Christopher Stellpflug and his wife, Julie Stellpflug, told them Sonnen -- who was apparently wearing a white robe and a partially bloodied T-shirt -- knocked a glass out of Christopher's hand.

Then, cops say the couple told them, Sonnen flew off the handle, attacking Christopher and throwing him to the ground and hitting him repeatedly. Cops say Julie told them he then turned his attention toward her after she tried to intervene.

In the docs, the officers say Julie told them Sonnen threw her against a light fixture and socked her in the face. Christopher, according to police, told them the strike caused Julie's lip to split and bleed.

Cops say a witness on the scene told them security eventually arrived, but Sonnen punched the guard in the throat. Police say the witness was then attacked, with the man saying Sonnen elbowed him in the chest several times and shoved him.

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In the documents, police say the fight was eventually broken up ... and when they questioned Sonnen about it all, they say the former pro fighter told them he "did not have memory of anything."

According to the docs, Sonnen told them he and his wife took a sleeping pill hours before the alleged altercation and he "could not recall anything else."

As we previously reported, Sonnen has since been hit with 11 charges -- including felony battery by strangulation -- over the incident. He's also been sued by the Stellpflugs, who claim they both suffered concussions in the alleged attack.

Sonnen has a hearing in his criminal case scheduled for later this week.

Jim Carrey Slams Oscars Crowd for Standing O ... After Will Smith Slap

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CBS

Jim Carrey is verbalizing what a lot of people have on their minds after Hollywood collectively gave Will Smith a standing ovation following his Chris Rock slap ... saying the whole thing was disgraceful.

The comedian and actor tore into everyone who got on their feet Sunday after Will won for Best Actor ... and after delivering a lengthy and emotional speech, which touched on both his work in "King Richard," but also seemed to address the slap moment just minutes earlier.

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Check out Jim's take, he's got some pretty choice words while chatting with CBS's Gayle King -- calling the Academy/the attendees "spineless" ... and showing how stars often preach one thing but demonstrate another.

He doesn't finish there ... Jim says if he were in Chris' shoes, he'd sue Will.

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JC went on to call the whole thing sickening and sad, especially since it overshadowed pretty much the entire ceremony and everyone else who went on to win that night. And, as many have since argued -- Will could've opted for any other way to express his objection to Chris' words ... but that he had no right to resort to violence.

Jim also pointed out that there seemed to be something deeper bothering Will -- beyond just the joke about his wife's hair loss -- and it would appear most agree with that as well ... in other words, this was about way more than just being offended over a tasteless crack.

As we've reported, Will finally apologized to Chris and to everyone else -- but he did it in a social media statement ... as of Monday, our sources said the two had not spoken personally.

The Academy announced they've launched an investigation and plan to convene a Board of Governors' meeting this week to determine Will's punishment.

J.K. Rowling Attends 'Fantastic Beasts' Premiere ... After HP Reunion Diss

J.K. Rowling is back in the thick of the wizarding world ... hitting up the premiere for a new 'Fantastic Beasts' movie after being noticeably absent from the recent 'Harry Potter' reunion.

The author and creator of the wizarding franchise was front and center Tuesday for the world premiere of "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" ... wearing a plunging violet gown at The Royal Festival Hall in London.

It's interesting to see Warner Bros. embracing JKR again ... remember, she did not sit for an interview for HBO Max's 20th Anniversary 'Return to Hogwarts' reunion special, which hit the streaming service earlier this year, only appearing in old archival footage.

As you know, J.K. has been in the hot seat for a while ... as a result of transphobic remarks she's made throughout the past year ... comments she's since tried to clean up.

We haven't seen Ezra Miller at the premiere yet, he's in the movie, but he's dealing with legal issues in Hawaii after getting arrested over an incident at a bar.

Bottom line ... looks like Rowling is no longer cancelled, despite what Vladimir Putin thinks.

Will Smith Slap Happy ... Demonstrates Fake Slap on Young Fan

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TMZ.com

Will Smith is an adept face-slapper, even teaching youngsters the ropes on how to wind up and deliver.

TMZ has obtained footage shot back in November showing Will and his "King Richard" costar, Aunjanue Ellis, on a junket. There was a Q&A and a little guy named Chris -- yes, that wasn't lost on us -- asked how to fake fight in flicks.

Will decided to show Chris some movie moves, calling the kid up on stage and showing off his slapping skills. Of course, Will didn't strike this Chris ... rather, he repeatedly showed him how to make it appear that someone is slapped, narrowly missing each time.

We've seen Will before when he wasn't acting, and slapping seems to be his go-to when he's angry.

Back in 2012, Will was at the premiere of "Men in Black 3" in Moscow, when a prankster named Vitalii Sediuk tried to kiss Will on the lips. Will unloaded on him with a backhand slap ... not that he wasn't justified, but it shows slapping is in WS's wheelhouse.

Of course, everyone knows by now, Will unloaded on Chris Rock Sunday night. What's interesting ... you see Will walk up to the stage with clear intent, and it seems it was an intent to slap, because there were no hesitations in his moves.

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As we reported, the LAPD beelined it for Chris Rock after the incident and asked if he wanted to file a police report, because it was an undeniable assault and battery. Chris declined, so that should be the end of it.

Nevertheless, it seems Will has a penchant for putting hand to face when he's super upset.

'THE WIZARD OF OZ' $250k Lube Job!!! Tin Man's Oil Can Sold

Some lucky bidder is walking home with a cool artifact from "The Wizard of Oz" ... 'cause the Tin Man's oil can just sold for $250K!

The highly sought-after can went up for auction via Kruse GWS Auctions and was expected to fetch around $200k -- but ended up snagging another $50K when it was all said and done.

Still no heart, though. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Tin Man's can -- it's a real one, btw -- was used while filming the 1939 classic, and it's one of the only original items left from the character's costume ... the rest of it's gone missing. Jack Haley, who played Tin Man, got the oil can as a parting gift after filming wrapped.

The cool memorabilia was put up for auction for the first time ever, earlier this year ... so it makes sense why it was in such high demand.

The tin can was previously on display at the Academy of Motion Pictures Museum.

As movie memorabilia collectors know, 'Oz' artifacts always garner huge interest. One of the 4 existing pairs of Dorothy's ruby red slippers once sold for $2mil!!!

The oil can was included in the Artifacts of Hollywood & Music Auction -- which, BTW has some other really cool items. A solid gold Elvis Presley ring sold for $87,900 and one of his Army fatigue shirts sold for $30,000.