O.J. Simpson Forget My Trial ... L.A. Needs Cops!!!

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O.J. WEIGHS IN

Pigs are flying ... O.J. Simpson is supporting Los Angeles County law enforcement.

The ex-con took a stand (not THE stand) Wednesday for the L.A. County Sheriff's Department with a video rant ripping West Hollywood for voting to cut funding for the agency.

Simpson says the decision is all wrong, pointing  out his infamous history with the law in L.A. and saying, "Trust me, we need police, we need the sheriffs' department" ... referring to the time he spent behind bars during his murder trial.

Frankly, the fact O.J. is supporting L.A. County law enforcement is rich, and probably pretty galling to cops -- considering his murder trial defense team famously and viciously attacked LAPD for allegedly contaminating evidence and being racist.

They effectively made the trial more about LAPD actions than O.J.'s.

Now years later, Simpson says he's always been against defunding the police ... claiming he's always said instead of cutting funding, money should be redirected and used for better training and expanding Internal Affairs departments where police investigate other police.

Besides his eye-brow-raising thoughts on police, O.J. is also weighing in on Donald Trump's actions on January 6th and what's going on at the southern border.

The whole rant is bizarre -- it's as if he's auditioning to be a cable news talking head. Although, we guess stranger things have happened.

Travis Barker Daughter Posts and Deletes Pic from Hospital Condition Still Unknown

Travis Barker's family continues to be by his side during the drummer's hospital stay ... as evidenced in a photo shared by his daughter.

Alabama Barker posted and then deleted an image on TikTok of her holding Travis' hand while he lay in what appears to be a hospital bed. The 16-year-old included the message, "Please say a prayer" along with the image.

It's still unclear what has landed Travis in the hospital, but you can see in the photo he's got a brace on his left wrist -- though that's likely just a result of decades of playing the drums.

As we reported, Kourtney brought Travis to West Hills hospital Tuesday, near their home, before he was transferred by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai a short time later.

Travis tweeted, "God save me" during the medical ordeal, and in another post, Alabama wrote, "Please send your prayers."

Tom Brady, Gisele Share Ice Cream On Italian Vacay ... Is That Avocado?!?

Adorable moment between Tom Brady and Gisele on their Italian vacay this week ... the two lovingly shared an ice cream cone -- but it's got us all wondering, is that avocado flavor?!?!

You'll recall ... the NFL legend is famous for never putting away sweets, and turning to the ultra-healthy avocado ice cream alternative whenever he wants to be somewhat naughty with his diet.

But, it sure seems he deviated from that TB12 Method out in Portofino while on vacation with his wife and fam on Tuesday ... 'cause that definitely looks like a chocolate/vanilla swirl to us!!!

To be fair to the 44-year-old GOAT, it seemed he only had a couple bites of the treat ... so, breathe easy, Alex Guerrero and Bucs fans.

And, yes, if you were wondering, Brady is still working out despite the vacation ... he was spotted getting in a sweat sesh on a yacht on Tuesday before the QT time with his supermodel bae.

FYI -- as for Brady's trademark avo ice cream, our sources tell us it SUCKS.

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NFL season is just two months away ... hope ya enjoy the downtime -- and the cheat meals! -- while you can, Tom.

Video Shows Angry Bison Attacks Man and Family ... Sending Him To Hospital

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LARGE CHARGE!!!
Rob Goodell

A scary moment for a man and his family, when an angry bison charged the group, goring one person and sending them to the hospital.

It all went down on Monday, the 34-year-old man and his family were walking on a boardwalk near the animal at Yellowstone National Park. Apparently, the trio got a little too close for comfort to the bison, who charged them ... knocking the man and a child to the ground.

Officials say the man was gored, suffering injuries to his arm and sending him to the hospital for treatment.

Park reps say this is the second time this year a visitor got too close to a bison and was not only gored, but also tossed 10 ft into the air.

Actress Mary Mara Drowning Death May Have Involved Blunt Head Trauma

UPDATE

11:12 AM PT -- According to the Jefferson Co. Medical Examiner's Office, Mara's cause of death has been ruled an accident -- due to asphyxiation and water drowning.

Actress Mary Mara's drowning may have resulted from a serious head injury ... this according to her rep.

Mary's rep Craig Dorfman tells TMZ ... investigators informed her family about new evidence ... that she may have died after slipping and hitting her head following her swim in the town of Cape Vincent.

They say she took a dip in the St. Lawrence River Sunday morning -- one of her favorite places to swim ... and after getting out of the water, investigators think she slipped and hit her head, causing her to fall in the water and drown.

Their reasoning ... when they recovered her body she had face abrasions.

So far there's no working theory on what object injured her head ... but they believe the only logical explanation is she came in contact with some object that either rendered her unconscious or debilitated.

As we reported, her rep says investigators have ruled out foul play -- it's unclear why they are certain the trauma to the head was accidental. Dorfman says he and Mary's family believe drugs or alcohol did not play a role in her death.

Mary's family has deeply appreciated the outpouring of support they've received in the past two days.

Travis Barker Hospitalized in L.A. Kourtney There, Daughter Asks for Prayers

UPDATE

8:27 AM PT -- 6/29 -- The last time we saw Travis out was last Wednesday when he was leaving a studio in L.A. -- so it seems his medical emergency came on quickly.

UPDATE
UPDATE

5:14 PM PT -- Travis' medical emergency is starting to sound more serious ... because his daughter is asking for prayers.

UPDATE

Alabama Barker took to social media after her dad was hospitalized and asked folks to send prayers to Travis.

Unfortunately, the "in sickness" part of Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's vows is already coming into play ... the drummer was just hospitalized, with his new wife by his side.

Barker and Kourtney first showed up at West Hills hospital Tuesday morning for a health issue Travis was experiencing. Apparently, the medical crew at West Hills felt Travis needed additional care, because he was then taken by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Kourtney followed closely behind the ambulance, wearing black sweats and a hoodie.

It's currently unclear what Travis' condition is, or what medical emergency brought him to the hospital. Interestingly enough, during the ordeal, he tweeted, "God save me."

Of course, the health scare comes just a month after the two swapped vows during a multi-day ceremony in Portofino, Italy -- surrounded by their closest friends and family members.

Get well soon, Travis!!!

Originally Published -- 6/28 3:57 PM PT

Sam Asghari Being Married to Britney ... 'It's Just surreal'

Sam Asghari says he's still getting used to the fact Britney Spears is his wife, and to wearing a wedding ring -- but he's also keenly aware marriage has its benefits when it comes to his career.

Sam opened up about tying the knot with the pop star, calling their wedding day everything they'd imagined. He told 'GMA' ... he and Britney wanted a fairytale and that's exactly what they got.

The couple got hitched earlier this month at their former Thousand Oaks, CA home, and Sam says the intimate guest list of about 50-70 people was perfect -- "We wanted to celebrate with, you know, our loved ones, our close people. We wanted to just celebrate, and that's what we did."

As for why SA was doing this 'GMA' interview ... well, call it one of the perks of marrying Britney Spears -- he was promoting his role in an action film, where he costars with Mel Gibson.

Sam says he's grateful for any opportunities he gets because of Brit, but clearly doesn't want anyone thinking he's just riding her coattails. As he says, "Let's not take away from the fact I've been working hard, and I was already acting."

One thing's for sure ... whether it's the new wife, new mansion, new movie roles or the combo of all of the above -- newlywed life agrees with Sam.

Russell Westbrook Celebrates $47 Mil Lakers Payday W/ Kevin Hart ... All Smiles At L.A. Hotspot

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HIGH DOLLAR DINNER
BACKGRID

Russell Westbrook had the best Tuesday EVER -- because after he scored a $47 MILLION payday from the Lakers ... he celebrated with Kevin Hart at an L.A. hotspot!!

Russ opted into the final year of his Lakers contract early Tuesday morning -- making him richer than ever -- and hours later, he, Hart and some other buddies grabbed dinner at LAVO Ristorante, a swanky West Hollywood joint.

The two were in great spirits -- laughing and dappin' each other up outside of the eatery ... and while Russ didn't say too much, it's pretty clear he's fired up to be staying in L.A. for at least another year.

Of course, the 33-year-old's first year in Lakers purple and gold didn't go smoothly -- he was heckled daily over his play -- but he made it obvious with an impromptu Beyonce car karaoke sesh Tuesday morning that he's shaking all of that off in 2022-23.

BTW, no official word on who picked up the tab at Tuesday night's dinner ... but if we had to guess, something tells us it was probably Russ.

Westbrook and Hart have been tight for years -- remember, the duo were spotted out together right after the guard was traded to L.A. last year.

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WELCOME HOME
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Congrats on the day, Brodie!

Britney Spears Lawyer Calls Her Dad Shameless and Vengeful ... For Demanding to Take Her Deposition

Britney Spears is not going to sit willingly for a deposition ... that was made clear by her lawyer, who filed legal docs saying Jamie Spears is "shameless"  by, among other things, asking a judge for a depo date "shortly after his daughter's wedding and just before Father's Day."

Attorney Mathew Rosengart claims in searing legal docs ... "Mr. Spears refuses to simply go away, as he should and as any decent man or father would do." Rosengart goes on to say Jamie is piling up legal fees to rehabilitate his reputation.

Rosengart says there's no legitimate purpose to force Britney into a deposition and calls it "morally abominable" and "revenge."

Britney and Rosengart have accused Jamie of gross conflicts of interest -- among other things, alleging he approved unjustified fees requested by business manager Lou Taylor and used Britney's money to pay for unwarranted personal expenses.

On the other hand, among the abuses, Britney has alleged ... that Jamie illegally forced her into rehab and refused to allow her to remarry. These are alleged abuses that might convince a judge that he has a right to confront Britney over these claims. The counter to that is that Rosengart is simply asking for an accounting to determine if Jamie squandered Britney's money, and that can be determined without Britney's direct participation.

Rosengart has been trying to get Jamie to sit for a deposition for months, to no avail. He's even said he would travel to Louisiana if that makes it easier, but so far there's been no progress.

Drake $1M Offer To Box Fake Drake ... Willing To Drop Gimmick If K.O.'ed

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TMZ.com

Izzy Drake's career as a professional Drake impersonator is on the ropes ... a wobble he's looking to shake by challenging his idol to a $1M celebrity boxing match.

Damon Feldman of Celebrity Boxing tells us he signed the Drake imposter and booked a fight for an August 27th event ... whether the real Drake fights the fake Drake or not.

The stakes here are high ... fake Drake has agreed to stop impersonating the real Drizzy if he loses.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story of fake Drake's embarrassing VIP eviction from one of real Drake's favorite Houston nightclubs.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

We're sure $1M isn't much of an incentive to get real Drizzy outta bed -- but we have little doubt he'd be happy to see his "twin" simply go away.

Wildlife Trafficking 100+ Live Animals Found in Luggage!!! 2 Passengers in Custody

Snakes on a plane would've been just the tip of the iceberg on this flight out of Thailand ... where 2 women are in custody for stashing more than 100 animals in their luggage!!!

Security at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok had to take a second look at the suspects' bags after the X-ray machine set off some red flags -- which is when they discovered 50 lizards, 35 turtles, an armadillo, some snakes and several other species in their luggage. Many of them were dehydrated, and 2 animals were dead.

Among the reptile stash were yellow-spotted river turtles, which are on the international vulnerable species list.

The women, who were planning to take the critters back to India, were charged with violating the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act ... and face up to 10 years in prison for that. They were also charged with violating Thailand’s Customs and public health laws.

Wildlife trafficking makes $150 billion globally each year -- more than 70,000 animals have been found at Indian airports in the past decade, and over a third of them were spotted at the Chennai International Airport ... which is where the women were heading.

Officials believe the recent spike in wildlife trafficking is due to a relaxing of COVID travel regulations.

NY Yankees Throw Chewed Gum On Field ... 'Gross' Dugout Game

Several New York Yankees had a little too much time on their hands during their game Tuesday night ... 'cause they made a contest out of throwing dozens of pieces of chewed gum onto the field.

Seriously.

The sophomoric game all went down in the early innings of the Yanks' tilt with the Oakland A's ... when Nestor Cortes, Jordan Montgomery and Matt Carpenter all scooped up some bubble gum and hit the corner of the dugout to begin the weird event.

The players picked out a landmark on the field -- it appeared to be a sprinkler head -- then they popped a few pieces in their mouths, spit them out, and then got to throwing.

The side game lasted for about three innings ... and it went on for so long, both the game's home and away broadcasts caught it on camera.

Former Yankees outfielder Cameron Maybin talked about the game on-air ... and had the perfect description for it -- "gross."

"It's like golf," Maybin said. "It's like frisbee golf. They find a little marker on the field and they toss the gum and they act as if they're playing frisbee golf."

Yankees play-by-play man Michael Kay noted what a headache it must be for the NY groundskeepers to eventually clean up.

Some fans on social media found it funny -- but others found it disrespectful, calling it littering and disgusting.

Either way, it didn't stop the Yankees from continuing to hammer the win column -- they went on to beat the A's 2-1 ... moving them to a staggering 55-20 this year.

Outkast's Big Boi Divorced From Sherlita Patton

Outkast's Big Boi is divorced from Sherlita Patton, officially bringing their 20 years of marriage to a close.

Legal documents obtained by TMZ show the court entered the final divorce decree last month, making this a pretty quick dissolution. Big Boi just filed for the divorce in April.

In his filing, he said there was "no reasonable hope of reconciliation" between Sherlita and him -- noting they'd already separated and were living apart.

The two agreed to a postnuptial agreement in 2016, in which they divided up their assets and debts, and more recently agreed to a confidential settlement to tie up any loose ends. The exes also agreed to keep details of their finances private.

Both parties are looking to avoid any mud-slinging -- as part of the divorce, they agreed neither would make threats of "injury, maltreating, molesting, harassing, harming, or abusing" in any way shape or form.

Translation: Let's keep this above the waist and amicable.

As we reported, Sherlita filed for divorce from the rapper way back in 2013, demanding financial support and full custody. Big Boi responded she wasn't getting anything without a fight, but the couple reconciled.

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GUESS WHO
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We talked to Big Boi in 2014, soon after the divorce was called off -- a move for which he gave God all the credit, and even had some advice for other couples in troubled waters.

Ariana Grande Stalker Breaks Into Her Home on Her Birthday Repeatedly Violated Restraining Orders

A man who has already been arrested for stalking Ariana Grande has been arrested again ... this time after breaking into her Montecito home on her 29th birthday.

Aharon Brown has a history of dogging Ariana. He was arrested last September at her L.A. home after showing up with a large hunting knife, allegedly screaming at her security, "I'll f***ing kill you and her!" He was arrested for making criminal threats and a judge issued a restraining order prohibiting him from coming near Ariana.

That did not stop him. He violated the restraining order recently by trying to find Ariana and apparently got close. He was supposed to turn himself in Tuesday for violating the restraining order, but Sunday he traveled to Montecito and broke into her house.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... on Sunday, Brown somehow got into Ariana's Montecito home. She was NOT home at the time, but the security alarm went off and cops showed up and arrested Brown.

He has been arraigned on charges of stalking, burglary, damaging power lines, violation of a court order and obstruction. He pled not guilty. Brown is currently in custody.

Odell Beckham Finds Buyer For $3.3M Mansion ... Smell Ya Later, Ohio!!!

OBJ is getting out of O-H-I-O -- Odell Beckham has found a buyer for his $3.3 million Ohio mansion ... and it only took the NFL superstar exactly two months to sell it.

TMZ Sports has learned -- the lucky buyer is getting a sick deal for the 13,800-square-foot Columbia Station crib ... which is located about 20 miles west of Cleveland.

The two-story pad has 4 bedrooms, 7 baths, a decked-out kitchen, 3-car garage, movie theatre, golf simulator, a game room and game streaming room.

Yeah, pretty lit.

There's also a huge pool in the backyard and plenty of space -- 2.13 acres to be exact -- for some dope barbeques and outdoor kickbacks.

But, the best part of the place might be the custom-made walk-in closet ... which can hold about as many pairs of sneakers as a Foot Locker.

The mansion had a ton of interest after it hit the market in April via Megan Pettine of Keller Williams ... and an offer was accepted on Monday.

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CHECK OUT THE CRIB
EZ Media

Of course, OBJ's time in Ohio was short-lived -- he had a rollercoaster experience with the Browns for two and a half seasons -- and now he has no reason to live in the Buckeye state.

But as of now, the 29-year-old is a free agent and recovering from ACL surgery ... so ya can't count out a return to the Midwest just yet.

Congrats to the new homeowners!!

Daddy's Girl, Veruca, in Willy Wonka 'Memba Her?!

English actress and singer Julie Dawn Cole was just 13 years old when she was cast as Veruca Salt -- the spoiled and greedy daughter who demands everything 'now' and the second person to discover the Golden Ticket -- in the 1971 classic film "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

Julie shared the big screen with the late Gene Wilder as the colorful and gleeful Willy Wonka, Peter Ostrum as the sweet and humble, Charlie Bucket and Denise Nickerson as the selfish and vain gal, Violet Beauregarde.

"I want it now!"

Guess what she looks like today at 64 years old!