Benzino 50 Cent is 'the First 6ix9ine!!!' Brings Up 'Rat' Allegation 50's Denied

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HE'S A RAT
It's Tricky with Raquel Harper

Benzino says the bad outweighs the good when it comes to 50 Cent's track record in hip hop ... claiming when you talk "just the facts," the facts aren't great for Fiddy.

The former "Love & Hip Hop" star is the latest guest on the "It's Tricky With Raquel Harper" podcast, and he's addressing his 50 Cent beef head-on by strongly hinting he's about to drop a lawsuit on him and several others.

Then Benzino, who was co-owner of The Source, rips his nemesis, saying ... "He's the first 6ix9ine. Like, the first hip hop rat!!!"

As you know Tekashi 6ix9ine infamously snitched to the feds on fellow gang members to get a reduced sentence -- and Benzino's referencing an old allegation Fif ratted on former record exec Jimmy Henchman.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Benzino even references federal "paperwork" allegedly signed by 50 that would prove he snitched -- a claim often repeated by Ja Rule and others at Murder Inc. Records.

However, 50 Cent's always denied this, and as TMZ first reported ... law enforcement sources told us those documents were fake.

Here's the odd part ... Benzino reminded Raq he went out of his way, back in 2000, to help 50 -- and possibly save his life -- when he got stabbed at Hit Factory studios.

Clearly, things have gone way south between them since then, and Benzino's not backing down.

Make sure to follow "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper" on Apple, Spotify, Google -- or wherever you get your podcasts -- so you never miss any of Raq's episodes.

Jake Paul Amanda Serrano, Katie Taylor Both Making 7 Figures ... Potentially 'Biggest Fight Of The Year'

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CHANGIN' THE GAME
TMZSports.com

Jake Paul flipped men's boxing on it's head ... and now he's doing the same for the women, telling TMZ Sports stars Amanda Serrano AND Katie Taylor will both make OVER $1 MILLION when they fight next month, and the Problem Child believes it could be the "biggest fight of the year," man or woman.

"The history that this is making. First time women have ever headlined Madison Square Garden, which is massive, and two of the pound-for-pound best going at it, this is what boxing needs more of. I am counting down the days," Jake told us.

Serrano -- who fights for Jake's Most Valuable Promotions -- is 42-1-1. Taylor is 20-0. The women, along with Claressa Shields, are considered the three best active female boxers alive.

Typically, women's boxing hasn't received anywhere near the interest the men have ... but that's something Jake sees changing.

"I think it will shine a light that women boxing is just as good as men boxing. I think that's been a stigma for so long. 'Oh we don't wanna see that, we don't wanna see it. It's not as fun.' No! These women are awesome, they're legit, they are savages and you're gonna see a war April 30, and I think this is gonna open up a lot of doors for women's boxing in general."

It's not just eyeballs and media attention that are sometimes lacking when it comes to women's boxing ... there's also a pay disparity. But, Paul says Amanda and Katie are gettin' PAAIIIID.

"They're both getting 7-figure payday which is unprecedented and will knock down so many doors for the women that deserve this pay over the next couple of years. This is just historic for the sport in general."

And, JP's prediction for the scrap?

"Amanda Serrano is under Most Valuable Promotions where we're rooting for her big time but this is gonna be a tough fight. It could really go either way, I just think Amanda has a little bit of that edge."

Kevin Gnapoor in 'Mean Girls' 'Memba Him?!

New York-based actor Rajiv Surendra is best known for playing the role of Kevin Gnapoor -- captain of The Mathletes ... a club suited for so-called 'math nerds' at North Shore High School -- in the iconic 2004 film "Mean Girls."

Surendra shared the big screen with some of Hollywood's biggest names including Lindsay Lohan as the new girl, Cady Heron, Tina Fey as the calculus teacher and supposed drug dealer, Ms. Norbury, Rachel McAdams as the snobby, popular chick, Regina George, Amanda Seyfried as the not-so-smart girl, Karen Smith ... and Amy Poehler as Regina George's hot cool mom, Mrs. George.

Guess what 'Kevin G' looks like now!

Andy Dick Roomie Pulls Gun on Live Stream!!! Cops Make Welfare Check

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SUSPICIOUS STREAM
Wappy Flanker

Andy Dick got a visit from cops after a guy he's living with angrily whipped out a gun while they were live on the web.

Here's the deal ... Andy's been staying with a YouTube personality in Las Vegas, who calls himself the Wappy Flanker, and things went awry over the weekend during their live stream. We're told a third man went over to Wappy's place, and an argument broke out.

That's when Wappy pulls out a gun, and threateningly tells the visitor to beat it. In the video, you hear Andy telling his host, "Don't shoot the gun."

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police received a call from someone who was watching the live stream, and cops went to the home Saturday for a welfare check.

We're told police spoke to Andy and the man who pulled the gun ... and Andy told cops he was fine, and wanted to keep staying at the home. Officers left without citing or arresting anyone.

It appears this isn't the first time a gun has shown up in the live stream ... a day earlier, video shows the Wappy Flanker with a gun on his waistband while Andy shoos off a guy recruiting him to stream an RV trip.

The troubled comedian appears to be sleeping on a cot in the living room ... and the live stream is seeking donations for Andy. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Can't make this stuff up.

Lucky Charms FDA Investigating Reports of Illness ... Making People Sick?!?

Scores of people say they've fallen ill after eating a bowl of Lucky Charms ... and now the feds are investigating the popular cereal.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Monday the agency is looking into the hundreds of reports from folks who told them they got sick after eating the General Mills product.

The FDA says more than 100 people have complained about Lucky Charms through the agency's reporting system ... and that's not even counting the more than 3,000 folks who went to iwaspoinsed.com and claimed they recently got sick after eating the cereal.

Of course ... Lucky Charms, marketed as "magically delicious," is a frosted toasted oat cereal with marshmallows, and it's widely available across the country. The packaging says the cereal "contains bioengineered food ingredients" and brags about being gluten-free.

People claiming Lucky Charms is making them sick say they suffered from diarrhea, stomach pain, vomiting and nausea ... just to name a few.

General Mills says it's aware of the reports and claims an internal investigation found no evidence linking Lucky Charms to the reported illnesses.

Coachella 2022 Weekend 1 Arrests Up Since 2019 ... Drug & Booze Busts, Etc.

Weekend 1 of Coachella 2022 is in the books -- and after a 2-year hiatus, it seems folks were itching to land in some trouble with the law ... turns out, arrests were up!

The Indio Police Dept. just released hard numbers describing the alleged scoundrels they encountered Fri-Sun -- the first time Coachella had happened since 2019 -- and wouldn't you know it ... they slapped handcuffs on quite a few more people than the last time around.

There were a total of 112 arrests this year -- up 13% from the 99 arrests they made during Weekend 1 in 2019 -- and they issued a helluva lot more citations in 2022 as well ... 72 of them, in fact, which is 41% more than what they handed out in 2019 for the same window.

If you're wondering how exactly that data breaks down -- well, IPD has that info for you too ... there were 85 drug/alcohol/intoxication busts this year, 15 false ID arrests, 3 instances of folks allegedly possessing drugs for sale and 9 property crimes for which they hauled someone in.

On the citation front ... 54 slips were written for people cops say used bogus handicap placards, and 18 that were drawn up for attendees actually parking in handicap spots.

Now, the upside ... Indio Police say traffic congestion was kept in check -- thanks to a team effort from neighboring law enforcement agencies and partners -- and there were no major concert-related incidents.

So, all in all ... a pretty successful first weekend in the desert, minus all these other arrests they're mentioning. While they're not ideal, it doesn't seem like there were any crazy assaults or crimes of the like ... seems as though people were mostly getting trashed on their own accord.

Success!(?)

Tekashi 6ix9ine I'm Flashing Fake Money in Videos ... 'I Ain't Got it,' Judge!!!

DON'T START IF YOU CAN'T FINISH
TMZ.com

Tekashi 6ix9ine is all flash and no cash ... at least that's what he wants a judge to believe, because he's claiming to be broke at the same time he's flaunting $2 mil on camera.

Hip-hop's most infamous heel was on "TMZ Live" Monday when he copped to using "prop money" in a recent video where he boasted he has more cash on hand than a rival rapper's net worth. Most people took it as a subliminal shot at Fivio Foreign, though 6ix9ine never says his name.

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RETURN OF THE KING

All that money flew in the face of Tekashi telling a judge he's broke.

He still owes $1 million to robbery victims in the criminal case where he snitched on ex-friends to get a reduced sentence.

Claiming he's faking his riches because, "I'm an entertainer," won't help Tekashi's street cred -- but, to that point, he also told us he doesn't get why everyone blames him for ongoing beefs with Fivio, Lil Durk and others.

In his new music video for "Gine," 6ix9ine calls out Durk over the murder of King Von -- one of Durk's closest friends. It's a brazen and cold-hearted line, for sure.

Yet, Tekashi says everyone's got it wrong ... claiming he's not the one stoking the flames and -- love him or hate him -- he's just trying to finish the feuds others have started with him.

Mac Miller Drug Dealer Gets 11 Years in Prison

One of the drug dealers who supplied fentanyl-laced pills to Mac Miller just received his sentence after copping a plea last year -- and he's going to prison for a long time.

Ryan Reavis will be behind bars for 10 years and 11 months after pleading guilty in November to one count of distributing fentanyl. The sentence is longer than what Reavis himself had asked for -- 5 years -- but shorter than the 12.5 years prosecutors were gunning for.

Remember ... the feds say Reavis supplied the deadly oxycodone pills to Mac's alleged drug dealer, Cameron Pettit ... on orders from Stephen Walter, who also recently pled guilty to distributing fentanyl. Reavis said in court Monday that he was just a middle man.

More importantly ... he claimed he had no idea that the pills he was supplying were counterfeit. Despite this, the judge seemed to have dished out an even-handed sentence -- but not before hearing a statement from MM's mother, Karen Meyers.

It read, in part ... "He would never knowingly take a pill with fentanyl, ever. He wanted to live and was excited about the future. The hole in my heart will always be there." In other words, she insisted the alleged dealers/suppliers in this case were solely responsible for his perish.

As we reported ... Reavis was first arrested back in 2019 out in Arizona -- where authorities say they found a bogus doctor's notepad, from which he presumably filled prescriptions. They also claimed they found firearms and drugs ... including prescription-only pills and marijuana.

So, just to keep track ... Reavis (the alleged supplier) is the first out of three men charged who's received his sentence. Walter (the alleged runner) hasn't officially learned his fate yet ... neither has Pettit (the alleged dealer,) whose case is still pending.

Cristiano Ronaldo Baby Boy Tragically Dies 'We Will always Love You'

Absolutely devastating news from Cristiano Ronaldo and longtime GF Georgina Rodríguez ... the couple just announced their baby boy -- a twin -- tragically passed away.

Ronaldo and Rodríguez had been expecting twins.

Cristiano made the crushing announcement on Instagram Monday morning ... and it's difficult to read.

"It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy passed away. It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel," the 37-year-old soccer star wrote.

"Only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness."

The details surrounding the tragic incident are not clear.

Remember, Cristiano and Georgina announced they were expecting twins in October. Then, they shared their gender reveal in December (with help from the whole family) ... when they found out they were expecting a boy and a girl.

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THE GENDER REVEAL

Cristiano ended his post thanking the medical professionals who helped his family.

"We would like to thank the doctors and nurses for all their expert care and support. We are all devastated at this loss and we kindly ask for privacy at this very difficult time."

Blac Chyna's Kardashian Case Kim, Khloe, Kris, Kylie in Court for Jury Selection ... Rob Skips It

UPDATE

3:21 PM PT -- The jurors were asked if they've seen the Kardashian's shows, and one potential juror responded, "I've seen the Kardashian sex tape." It seems the juror wanted off the trial, because he said he would have the tape in his head and probably wouldn't be listening to the testimony.

Blac Chyna's civil case against the Kardashians is officially underway, and it seems the family at the center of it are quite invested right out the gate ... even for jury selection.

Indeed ... several of the Kardashian women are in court Monday as Chyna's lawyers and theirs pick men and women to weigh in once and for all. That includes Kris, Kim, Khloe and Kylie ... all of whom were present as the selection process got started.

Chyna's there too, obviously -- but one person who decided to skip today's proceedings ... her ex, Rob Kardashian, who was directly tied to BC during the initial run of their show.

We got eyes in the courtroom where they're ticking through potential jurors -- around 40 or so people have been brought in as prospects -- and besides the Kardashian presence ... it sounds like it's a pretty standard day as lawyers go through the motions with questions.

Fashion-wise, Kris is in a white pant suit ... the other ladies are in black pant suits.

As you know ... this case stems from Chyna's 2017 lawsuit, where she alleged the family torpedoed her and Rob's series, "Rob & Chyna," for what she claims was a personal vendetta against her. The suit's been stalled for years, but it's finally getting its day in court.

The Kardashians have denied her claims -- suggesting there were lots of reasons the show got nixed -- including the not-so-great ratings. They also insist they had nothing to do with that decision.

Despite all the back-and-forth mudslinging between both parties, we do know Chyna has been looking forward to her opportunity to make her case in front of a jury of her peers.

No better time to decide who that'll be than right now.

Kentucky Man Jury Awards Him $450k For Firing ... Over Unwanted Office Birthday Party

Sometimes it pays to be fired ... a Kentucky man who claims he was canned after suffering a panic attack over an unwanted office birthday party sued and a jury awarded him $450,000!

The jury awarded the loot to Kevin Berling ... who sued his employer for disability discrimination, claiming he was fired 10 months into his job over a birthday party gone wrong.

In his suit, Berling claimed he told his office manager NOT to throw him a BD party because he suffers from an anxiety disorder and a celebration would trigger bad childhood memories of his parents' divorce.

But, Berling says the company, Gravity Diagnostics, forgot his request and threw him an office birthday party anyway on Aug. 7, 2019 ... causing Berling to have a panic attack and spend his lunch hour in his car.

Berling claimed he was called into a meeting with company brass the next day, which he says triggered another panic attack ... and he says 3 days later he was fired via email. The company claimed they were worried about Berling being angry and possibly violent.

A few months after being fired, Berling sued ... and there was a two-day trial last month where a Kentucky jury awarded him $450k ... including $300k for emotional distress and $150k for lost wages.

An attorney for the company says it plans to challenge the verdict.

Vanessa Bryant Posts Msg To Kobe On Anniversary 'I Love You Forever, Baby'

Vanessa Bryant is remembering her late husband, Kobe, on their wedding anniversary, posting a throwback photo of the two with a heartfelt message on what would've marked their 21st year as a married couple.

On Monday, Vanessa shared a photo on her Instagram of her and Kobe from their younger days, paying homage to the love the two shared over the years.

"I love you forever, baby. Happy Anniversary @KobeBryant #21" she captioned the pic.

The Bryant's were married on April 18, 2001 ... so this would've been 21 years Kobe and Vanessa celebrated their matrimony.

It's been over two years since Kobe (along with eight other people including his daughter) tragically died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA ... and Vanessa has been doing everything in her power to keep Mamba's name and legacy going.

She recently announced the longstanding partnership between Kobe and Nike -- which temporarily ended last year -- was repaired, paving the way for the release of the "Mambacita Sweet Sixteen" shoe under the Swoosh brand.

Kobe and Vanessa were married for nearly two decades and had four children together ... Natalia, Bianka, Capri, and Gianna. Gigi, only 13 years old, passed away alongside her dad.

Elon Musk Yeah, I'm Rich ... But I Couch Surf Wherever I Go

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TAKE ME IN, PLEASE
Ted.com

Elon Musk might be the richest man on Earth, but he isn't consuming an absurdly large amount of stuff for himself -- in fact, it's the opposite ... because he's kinda homeless.

The Tesla chief made the startling revelation in TED interview that surfaced over the weekend -- in which he defended his many billions of dollars by arguing it actually isn't as problematic as some make it seem, because he isn't using any of that wealth on or for himself.

Watch ... EM says if he was spending upwards of a bil on himself with frivolous (and environmentally harmful) toys like a yacht or whatever -- sure, the criticism would be warranted. But, he says that's simply not what he uses his money for ... pointing out he doesn't even own a home at the moment.

That's absolutely shocking, but even more surprising is where he says he sleeps at night -- according to Elon, the dude bums it and couch surfs with his friends from all over the world.

He says he often stays in spare bedrooms of theirs rather than in any one house of his. This is a bit of a 180 from where he said he was living last year while discussing his Texas SpaceX headquarters ... where he was proud to shows off his 375-sq.-foot 1 bed.

Based on what he's saying here and now, Elon might've ditched that modest pad and opted for an even more stripped-down lifestyle ... AKA, no property at all.

One other point ... Elon argues that most his money, by and large, is going toward the greater good of mankind -- evidenced in the products and tech his companies churn out.

Jennifer Garner Gives Back For Her 50th Birthday ... Hosts Food Drive At Her Home

Jennifer Garner spent her birthday giving back to the community ... hosting a food drive at her house instead of throwing a traditional party.

The 50-year-old actress was all smiles Sunday as she turned her house into a drop-off spot for food ... boyfriend John Miller and her 16-year-old Violet helped her out.

The "13 Going On 30" star had her hands full of boxes but got the job done.

Big turnout ... among the group was Adam Scott, offering a helping hand while wishing his friend a happy birthday.

Two people that were MIA were ex-hubby Ben Affleck and his fiancee ... J Lo.

Ben and Jen hosted a food drive last Thanksgiving, working with Rise Against Hunger by turning his Pacific Palisades home into a food drive staging area.

Ben and Jen were unloading huge sacks of rice ... Ben was slinging 2 back over his shoulders at a time, while J Lo did it all in heels.

Happy birthday Jen ... Garner!

Missing Autistic Teen Video of Cops Finding Him ... Parents' Emotional Reaction

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FOUND FAR FROM HOME
CNN

The autistic teenager who was found after he went missing for 3 years was freezing his butt off in Utah when cops stumbled upon him ... a moment you can now see on video.

19-year-old Connerjack Oswalt was discovered earlier this month by Summit County Sheriff's deputies in Park City, where he was sitting outside a closed liquor store within a gas station in the dead of night ... shivering by himself and looking helpless.

As you can see, the officers approached him carefully and eventually took him to their car to warm up -- trying to figure out where his shopping cart had gone. Apparently, residents in the area had reported Oswalt before ... and he was on the Sheriff's Dept.'s radar.

The deputies scanned the guy's fingertips and that's where their search for his true identity began. Suspecting there might've been more to his story, they started running different searches ... finding that he'd run into some trouble in Nevada before landing in Utah.

They also perused missing children databases ... and before long, the Sheriff's Dept. realized he'd been reported out of Northern California dating back to 2019.

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THE EMOTIONAL PHONE CALL
CNN

After some time, they got in touch with his parents ... and Oswalt's stepfather drove all the way down from Idaho Falls -- where the family has since moved -- to make an in-person ID ... that moment, too, was captured on police body cam. Safe to say, it's emotional.

The stepdad, Gerald Flint, has Oswalt's biological mother, Suzanne, on the phone -- and after he realizes it's their kid -- she starts to break down on the other end ... sobbing.

Oswalt is said to be receiving care and is due to reunite with his family soon. Wild story, and one with a very happy ending for once.

Optical Illusion Shows Old Man or Young Woman ... What Do You See👀🤔???

A new optical illusion has emerged that apparently says more about you than the image itself -- depending on what you see ... you're either a geezer or a doe-eyed youth.

You've seen a million of these by now -- where there's two different depictions weaved into one drawing -- but this one's kinda interesting. Apparently, the 2 interpretations (either an old man or a young woman/girl) speak to someone's inner psyche ... and their mental age too.

Word is ... if you see the woman, you have an innocent spirit and view the world through a child's eyes and you may even be a kid at heart, regardless of how old you actually are.

Not just that, but seeing the girl also means you're curious and enjoy the simple things in life -- and you've also maintained your childhood innocence. Reversely, if you spot the elder man first ... you're more so an old soul, and see things with a more chiseled perspective.

What Do You See, Old or Young?

The bright side ... it supposedly means you're mature and think about things as such. That's the armchair psychologist diagnosis, anyway.

With that said, we gotta ask ... what sticks out more here??? Eye of the beholder.