Megan Fox & MGK Be Careful Drinking Each Other's Blood ... Vampires Caution Couple

Machine Gun Kelly's revelation he and Megan Fox drink each other's blood is drawing a warning from vampires -- yeah, the real deal -- and, believe it or not, they're reminding the couple ... safety first!

While MGK and Megan haven't explicitly used the V-word, many people on Twitter are labeling them that way, and now self-described vampires are weighing in on the famous couple's blood-drinking ritual.

Belfazaar Ashantison, the co-founder of The New Orleans Vampire Association (NOVA), is urging Megan and MGK to take proper precautions before drinking their lover's blood, including testing for potential diseases and blood-borne illnesses, from which he says vampires are not immune.

Megan and MGK have been together for nearly 2 years, which alleviates one concern, because Ashantison says most vampires do extensive research on their blood donors before using even the slightest drop. He says it took him 6 months to get to know his blood donor and feel comfortable drinking their blood, and they still get tested every 3 months just to be sure.

Soooo ... definitely not your grandpa's Hollywood vampire.

Father Sebastiaan, the founder of Endless Night Vampire Ball, is also urging Megan and MGK to be super safe with their blood drinking, specifically with regards to withdrawing blood.

MGK says he's willing to cut his chest with shards of broken glass to draw blood for Megan, but Sebastiaan says blood withdrawal should only be done through medical professionals.

While Ashantison and Father Sebastiaan admit they don't know all the ins and outs of MGK and Megan's blood ritual, they both agree -- no matter how weird it sounds to you -- if done safely, it's kosher for consenting adults.

Bottoms up???

Stagecoach Music Festival Celebs Boot, Scoot & Boogie ... Weekend of Country Music

This year's Stagecoach Music festival was one to remember -- just ask the flock of celebs who hit the desert -- throwing on their cowboy boots and hats for a weekend full of country music.

JoJo Fletcher, Becca Tilley, Diplo and Brielle Biermann were amongst a list of celebs to pull up to the star-studded fest and enjoy some good vibes.

Heather Rae and Tarek El Moussa clearly enjoyed their time on the festival grounds ... where they were spotted locking lips and wrapped in each other's arms.

Some other celebs included ... Sutton Stracke, Kyle Richards, and Dorit Kemsley, and Maren Morris. Of course, Maren Morris took the stage and gave a performance.

Carrie Underwood rocked the main stage with Axl Rose/Guns N' Roses and sang 'Sweet Child O' Mine' and 'Paradise City' ... a massive surprise for the audience.

JMU Softball Cancels Rest Of Season ... In Wake Of Lauren Bernett's Death

The James Madison Univ. softball team will not play another game this season ... the school announced it's canceled all of its remaining contests in the wake of Lauren Bernett's tragic death.

"This was an extremely difficult decision and one that was not made lightly," JMU head coach Loren LaPorte said in a statement Monday morning.

"We are so grateful for the support of our fans all season and for the love from the softball community during the past week. We will use this time to continue healing and to honor Lauren's memory while finishing the academic semester strong."

JMU had four games remaining on its schedule ... one against Virginia on Tuesday and three against Elon slated for this weekend. The school had previously canceled games against Longwood and Delaware after learning of Bernett's death.

"We're thinking about our graduating seniors whose careers have come to an abrupt conclusion," LaPorte said. "We will make sure that they are honored for the commitment and dedication they have made as student-athletes at James Madison University."

As we reported, Bernett -- who had just won Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week honors for her roles in games in mid-April -- died by suicide last week. She was just 20 years old.

If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK.

Tory Lanez TSA Snatches His Weed in Vegas ... He's Detained & Released

Tory Lanez might be on a good luck streak in Vegas -- he's still partying there after a run-in with the law ... over marijuana TSA allegedly found in his bag.

TMZ has learned Tory was stopped Sunday morning in the Las Vegas airport -- where he was attempting to board a flight outta town -- and according to law enforcement sources ... a TSA agent found a "large" amount of ganja in one of his bags.

We're told TSA temporarily detained him, but eventually let him go ... without the stash, of course. The feds are holding that. While marijuana is legal in Nevada, it's still not legal federally ... and that means ya can't fly with it.

Tory's not letting that little hiccup with the law ruin his weekend. Since he probably missed his outgoing flight, he's turned this into a biz opportunity ... and now he'll be onstage Sunday night for a performance at Drai's.

If he wants to get high beforehand, someone's gonna have to puff puff give ... 'cause Tory ain't got it!

As for any further legal consequences -- our sources say there is an ongoing investigation, so it's possible he could be cited ... but, the reality is the feds aren't prosecuting many minor marijuana offenses these days.

'The Shining' Jack's Axe Sells for $175k!!! Bid War With 12 Buyers

The famous axe from 'The Shining' horror film is now in the hands of someone else (thankfully) ... cause it just sold for $175K!

Dylan Kosinski, reps for GottaHaveRockandRoll auction house, tells TMZ ... a successful businessman, who's a big fan of the movie, snagged the axe after winning a bidding war among 12 prospective buyers.

We're told the total price tag was $175K, after adding in a $35K buyer's premium.  The axe is made out of foam and resin, so it's lightweight ... it's been up for sale in the past, going for $61K.

As we've told you, this piece of memorabilia was used throughout the Stanley Kubrick horror movie ... especially toward the end. It's the same axe used when Jack Nicholson's character uses it to break through a wooden door ... before he says his famous line, "Here's Johnny!!!"

The Kubrick film, based on the Stephen King novel, also features the axe in several other scenes ... including the moment Jack kills Scatman Crothers' character, Dick Hallorann, and strikes him in the chest with it.

Thankfully, it's in better hands.

Gwyneth Paltrow My Dad's Death Was Physically Painful ... I Thought I Was Dying

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"I THOUGHT I WAS DYING"
By The Light of The Moon Podcast

The pain Gwyneth Paltrow went through after her dad passed away was so physical, the actress thought she was going to die not long after his funeral.

Gwyneth opened up about Bruce Paltrow's death on the latest episode of Holly Willoughby's "By the Light of The Moon" ... she says the grief she went through felt like it was physically splitting her open.

The physical pain got so intense, she thought she was having a heart attack following his funeral in London. Gwyneth tried calling emergency services but she couldn't -- there was confusion over what number to call overseas.

She was only 30 when Bruce died from throat cancer in 2002, and the years passing makes everything seem odd to her -- things like your final phone call or the last meal spent together get pushed farther away.

Gwyneth doesn't know how she and her family got through Bruce's death since it was a really tough experience for everyone.

Jason Oppenheim I Didn't Fake Phone Call On the Show ... And, Here's My Proof!!!

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PHONEY SITUATION
TMZ.com

Jason Oppenheim is shooting down haters who say he faked a phone call on "Selling Sunset" ... and, he's got some pretty compelling proof to back it up.

We caught up with Jason, Tuesday at Sunset Plaza and asked him about what some 'Selling' fans saw as a fake phone call during a new episode. And, let's be clear ... although the screen showed his camera app, instead of the phone app (usually visible when you're on the phone), Jason says, he was in fact talking to a client.

Of course, we didn't let him go without showing some kinda proof.

So, we had him call a friend and show us the screen on his phone. Watch the video and see for yourself what happened.

ICYMI, folks on social media raised an eyebrow after they spotted Jason placing a call during season 5 of the Netflix hits series. While he appeared to be talking, the phone screen said otherwise, and doubters thought they'd busted JO being phony ... pun not intended, we swear.

The Twitter mob came for him, insisting Jason was faking the whole convo.

Well, now he's cleared the air, or at least, provided some evidence to support his side of the story.

Shaq I'm Trying To Go Meatless ... Breaks Down New Diet

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MEATLESS MUNCHIES
Urban Eats & Treats

Shaquille O'Neal is looking to fuel his 7'1", 320-pound body with NO meat -- the NBA legend says he's TRYING his best to go vegan!!

Shaq opened up about his health ambitions with comedian Rip Micheals at Slutty Vegan in Atlanta ... where he explained on the "Urban Eats and Treats" show how he's able to eat his favorite foods and still look out for his body at the same time.

"My friend introduced me to this place and it's healthy," the Big Aristotle said in the clip. "For example, I like cheeseburgers, right. But the way she cooks it, I can eat healthy, but still feel like I'm eating bad."

O'Neal -- who played over 20 years in the NBA -- says the "Slutty Vegan" joint in Atlanta allows him to eat his favorite foods without the guilt.

"Whenever I want to cheat, I come over here and cheat," Shaq added.

FYI -- 'Urban Eats & Treats' is a new food and travel series from Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud Studios ... where Micheals and his celebrity friends search for the best food and laughs in their respective cities.

Some of the show's featured guests include Shaq, DJ Envy, Bill Bellamy, Nick Cannon, Russell Peters, Deon Cole, Tamar Braxton and more.

The big fella says his healthy diet would usually consist of chicken salad, steak, and fish ... but now that he's trying to make changes, the S.V. restaurant helps him feel like he's pigging out.

Of course, Shaq is involved with multiple businesses as an owner -- Papa John's, Auntie Anne's, and Krispy Kreme to name a few ... but surprisingly, he says he doesn't go there for his junk food.

The Diesel also revealed what his go-to food to cook is ... and college kids will be able to relate!!

Sofia Franklyn To Alex Cooper We Can Squash 'Call Her Daddy' Beef ... But It Won't Be 'Kumbaya'

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COMMUNICATION IS KEY
TMZ.com

Sofia Franklyn is opening up about her falling out with Alex Cooper ... and while she says she's up for working things out between them, it won't be all sunshine and rainbows.

Sofia sat down on the "TMZ Verified" podcast and shared her side of her very public breakup with Alex back when they were co-hosting "Call Her Daddy."

Looking back, Sofia says there would be a few things she wishes they could have done differently ... like being less hot-headed and stubborn ... but even if that were the case, she thinks Alex was still willing to "stomp" on her on the way to a $60 million payday.

When the drama was going down, back in 2020, Alex publicly shared her side of the story which got a lot of attention ... but Sofia decided to stay silent.

Now that she's had some time to assess things and look back, Sofia says she would be open to working with Alex on a podcast or some other venture down the road ... as long as AC comes to her looking to make things right.

Don't get it twisted ... Sofia explains why any potential reconciliation and collab with Alex would not be a "Kumbaya" situation.

Bottom line for Sofia ... she and Alex have both moved on with their lives and careers, but she doesn't have any hate in her heart for her former podcast partner.

The full 'Verified' podcast drops Wednesday ... don't forget to subscribe.

DaBaby Posts Vid of Alleged Victim ... Hurling N-Word

The man that was allegedly beat up by DaBaby and his crew was apparently throwing the N-word around during his confrontation with the group ... at least according to new video.

The North Carolina rapper posted the footage himself Saturday, which appears to show Gary Prager pacing back and forth on the grounds of the mansion where the alleged beating took place in December ... and sure enough, you hear him scream "n*****s" in a rage.

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PRAGER THE RAGER
TikTok / @dababy

DB's caption reads, "On today's episode of 'Let's Make DaBaby Look Like a Bad Person'" ... going on to accuse Prager of being a "PROUD white supremacist" ... adding that he (Prager) was "lying to TMZ & LAPD. Not knowing that he's caught on camera."

Later it reads, "These are the type of people y'all validate & let assassinate DaBaby's character." DaBaby also says Prager spat in his face, but the vid doesn't seem to show that.

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MUSIC VIDEO VIOLENCE
BACKGRID

For starters, nobody lied to us about this story -- DaBaby has, in fact, been charged with felony battery as it relates to this case ... so his beef is actually with Prager and law enforcement officials. DaBaby will have a chance to confront Prager's claims in court.

As for the guy screaming out the slur ... yeah, that's bad. It's unclear if him saying this occurred before or after the alleged assault -- but we suppose it doesn't really matter ... no excuse for invoking racism in any event.

DaBaby apparently thinks this will help make him look better in the public's eye -- but he seems to have bigger issues beyond just this one event, if we're being honest.

Dude's under fire for a lot lately.

Guess Who This Little Blondie Turned Into!

Before this towheaded child became a pretty little liar, she was a young competitive dancer and a singer for her church in Anaheim Hills, California.

This little lady is best known for her role in a teen mystery drama series where she starred alongside Shay Mitchell and Lucy Hale. During this time, she also starred in films such as "Bring It On: In It To Win It" and "Spring Breakers."

Need another clue on who this starlet could be maybe you could ask some of her close friends including Cara Delevingne and G-Eazy.

Can you guess who she is?

Pete Davidson Kim & Kids' Names Tatted on Neck??? New Ink Seen After Ye Jokes

Pete Davidson appears to be a lot closer to Kim Kardashian and her brood than previously known -- because he's got a new tattoo that seems to suggest he loves her kids.

The comedian did some standup Friday in L.A. as part of the 'Netflix is a Joke: The Festival' event -- which has been ongoing for a few days now -- and for this particular set ... he was at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood.

Afterwards, he and Kim were seen spilling into a waiting SUV ... where PD's neck was exposed, and where some fresh ink was flashed for the cameras featured on his collar bone.

Internet sleuths zoomed in on this and made a big leap that may or may not be far-fetched ... a lot of people *think* they see initials there -- namely, KNSCP ... which has led many to think they stand for Kim, North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm.

We'll be honest ... it's hard to make out exactly what these letters say, but sure -- they certainly could be those initials in that order, and they certainly could stand for exactly what folks seem to believe they do. IF that is true, well then ... that's certainly interesting.

As you know, Pete is always adding more tattoos to his body -- while removing some at the same time -- and he's already gotten tatted up at least a couple different times that we're aware of to proclaim his love for Kim.

One new tat reads "MY GIRL IS A LAWYER" ... and another simply has her name. That one isn't even a tattoo though -- as Kim said, Pete branded himself (aka, burned it into his skin).

That's one thing, but if the guy went ahead and got ALL of Kim's kids' first name initials etched onto his body too -- in descending order of age -- that's a whole different story ... and it would actually be quite revealing on how familiar he actually is with them.

We already know he's hung out with North -- having her sit on his lap to drive around, no less -- but if this theory holds up ... it'd lead one to believe he's met all of the kids at this point, and seems to care deeply about them. Deeply enough to get a tattoo in their honor.

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Here's another element that can't be forgotten ... Kanye West. He's been silent for weeks now, and has kinda been invisible in the public lately. We know he was making a big fuss about introducing the kids to Pete, so it's unclear how he might feel about this now.

On that note, Pete's Friday set reportedly invoked Ye ... with him joking about Kanye spreading the AIDS rumor, and how he got checked out just in case it was true, among other references.

DJ Khaled Busts a Mission ... To Find a Happy Meal for Asahd!!!

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WE NEED HAPPY MEALS
Instagram / @djkhaled

DJ Khaled turned into Adam Sandler to appease his son who was in the mood for some Mickey D's -- looking far and wide for a burger/toy combo ... and finally scoring!

The music producer went on an elaborate mission, it seems, to honor a weekend tradition he and 5-year-old Asahd apparently have -- namely, going out to the Golden Arches and securing the kid a Happy Meal.

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Sounds like this is a tradition of theirs ... DJK calls is "Happy Meal Saturdays," and Asahd seems more than happy to tag along. Plus, just great father-son bonding right here.

Anyway, fast-forward to the hunt ... which was way harder than Khaled imagined. He filmed himself pulling up to a McDonald's that actually served Happy Meals ... telling both the drive-thru window workers (and his fans) that they'd struck out at 5 other locations.

He says this McDonald's was still serving Happy Meals ... and you can tell the staff was stoked to oblige, getting selfies with Khaled and asking him to drop some of his lines, which he happily did.

While Papa Bear was grateful to have gotten what he needed for his boy -- he was flabbergasted at how hard it was to come across a Happy Meal ... but there's a reason.

Word is ... McDonald's is phasing out current iterations of their staple menu item to replace the not-so-environmentally friendly plastic toys with biodegradable ones ... all in an effort to be more eco-conscious. So, it sounds like Happy Meals might be on pause at the moment.

Good thing Khaled tracked one down ... otherwise, this might've turned into 'Big Daddy.'

Floyd Mayweather Leaves Autograph for Influencer ... Ink Right on His Back!!!

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ADDING TO THE LIST
TMZSports.com

Floyd Mayweather helped a guy turn in his back into the biggest yearbook signature page ever -- etching his name right into his skin ... just one more out of hundreds already there.

The boxing great was on hand Saturday for The Parlor Games Celebrity Basketball Classic (presented by Celebrity Sports Entertainment), where he was one of many celebs in Vegas for star-studded game on the court.

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At one point, though, it appears he was approached by social media influencer Funky Matas -- who's kinda famous for all the writing on his body ... specifically, his entire back.

Stars like Will Smith, Gerard Butler, Steve-O, Michael J. Fox, Elijah Wood, Christopher Lloyd, Chris Rock, Usain Bolt, Tara Reid, Mike Tyson, Tony Hawk, Rob Schneider, Travis Barker and even the guy who voiced SpongeBob SquarePants ... just to name a few.

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All in all, he's got upwards of 300 signatures -- yes, he's world record holder -- and now ... Floyd's in the pantheon too. Dude did seem a little hesitant though, and we can't blame him.

About as neat as it is weird ... so, congrats???😅

Kid Rock Pitted Against Bruce Springsteen Who You Got, Musically?!?

Kid Rock and Bruce Springsteen are going head-to-head in a very unofficial fan poll taking place on the internet -- and wouldn't you know it ... it's politics as usual, yet again.

Somebody posed the strange question this weekend ... asking Twitter quite simply, "Bruce Springsteen or Kid Rock" -- and boy, did the bird app people give her a piece of their mind. Lo and behold, this turned into political mudslinging -- as these things often do.

Of course, Kid is much more so associated with right-wing views -- so as you can imagine, people who lean that way were coming out in fierce defense of KR ... dubbing Bruce as a leftist, etc. Ditto for fans of the Boss -- they too were name-calling.

Interestingly, the original question-poser tried to weed out the associations and connotations that each artist might carry outside of music, and answered her own question based solely on skill. In her mind, she doesn't think Bruce is all that he's cracked up to be.

Most music fans would probably disagree with her ... and the evidence is in the cold, hard numbers here. While musical taste is certainly subjective -- you can't deny that Bruce runs laps around Kid when it comes to hit singles, sales and overall popularity big picture.

On the Billboard Chart alone, Bruce takes the cake -- he's got a total of 26 songs that made it on the Billboard's Hot 100 list, 12 of which cracked the Top 10 ... with "Secret Garden" and "Dancing in the Dark" sticking around for 23 and 21 weeks, respectively.

Kid, meanwhile, only has 6 songs that made it into the Hot 100, and just one made into the Top 10. That'd be "Picture," which hung in tight on the chart for a total of 34 weeks.

And on pure numbers alone for units sold -- Bruce, again, beats Kid ... he's got about 150 million record sales worldwide, compared to KR's 27 million. So it's not really a contest or a matter of opinion in this regard ... Bruce has, objectively, outperformed the Kid.

Like we said, the discourse around this bizarre juxtaposition seems to have devolved into nothing more than a Democrat vs. Republican chat -- with each camp coming to their own artist's defense.

That's the way of the world lately, we suppose -- but again, to each their own. With that said, we'll put the question out there right here ... who's better, Kid or Bruce???

Who Ya Got -- The Kid or The Boss???

Leaving out politics altogether, naturally ... that's what we're curious about. Sound off!

'Doctor Strange 2' Alleged Leaks, Spoilers Galore ... Krasinski Footage Surfaces

WARNING: We're about to talk 'Doctor Strange' spoilers, so if you're NOT into that then beat it -- otherwise ... welcome, everyone, to Marvel speculation time ... starring John Krasinski.

The comic book Twittersphere was set ablaze Sunday after apparent leaked footage of the new 'DS' sequel -- which is coming out this week -- surfaced online and spread like wildfire ... with both grainy video and photo stills that appear to show JK as Mister Fantastic.

Funny enough, he's pretty spot-on compared to what people thought he'd look like in this role months ago ... tons of fancast mockups of Krasinski as Reed Richards have been made.

Now, while it's unclear if the new footage is, in fact, real ... it certainly looks legit (as it looks to have been recorded from a monitor of some sort) which is probably why a ton of that media is being yanked down left and right by Disney at the moment. That's always a tell.

We won't post any of it here -- but unfortunately for the Mouse House, it's already everywhere on Twitter ... and the cat seems to be outta the bag. Krasinski's suited up in the signature blue costume while confronting Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda -- with 3 heroes trailing.

Not the Fantastic 4, per se ... but other not-as-known Marvel characters, who make up the "Illuminati" (no, not that one).

That would be Captain Marvel (not the Brie Larson version), Captain Carter (female British Captain America) and some guy named Black Bolt (can't say we've ever heard of him).

Apparently, they face off against Wanda and seem to get their asses handed to them. Oh, and the other buzz is ... Professor X (Patrick Stewart) shows up too ... and maybe dies?

Anyway, that's the alleged latest for 'Strange' -- time will tell if any of these rumored spoilers come to fruition. The movie drops Friday, and it's angling to be about as big as 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' at the box office.

Based on all these cameos that might arise ... something tells us they'll get their money and then some.