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An ex-principal -- who was forced to resign after her school showed off the naked David statue to students -- made the trek to Italy ... and was welcomed with open arms.

Hope Carrasquilla paid a visit to the famed Accademia Gallery museum in Florence Friday with her family in tow -- this after the city's mayor had invited her to come see David for herself following her unceremonious ousting last month ... which he called outrageous.

Cecilie Hollberg -- Accademia's director -- gave Carrasquilla and her brood a VIP tour of the place ... which, of course, included an up-close view of Michelangelo's iconic artwork.

She said hosting them was a pleasure, adding ... "I am happy to be able to welcome her and introduce her to the beauties of our museum, besides showing her the David, a sculpture that, I repeat as I have said, has nothing to do with pornography. It's a masterpiece, it represents a religious symbol of purity and innocence, the victory of good over evil."

Carrasquilla also met with Mayor Dario Nardella ... who spoke out on her situation in March, when she got the boot from Tallahassee Classical School. Nardella rolled out the red carpet for her, it seems, and again defended her amid the controversy.

He writes, "A few weeks ago she was attacked for showing her students Michelangelo's David. Today it receives from @comunefi an award in the name of art and culture. Art is civilization and whoever teaches it deserves respect. Welcome Professor Hope Carrasquilla!"

If you hadn't heard ... Carrasquilla stepped down after parents expressed outrage over their children being shown images of David's nude body during a lesson plan on the Renaissance in front of sixth graders. They felt it was inappropriate, and were mad they weren't given a heads-up. In the end, Carrasquilla took the fall ... telling local media she was "saddened."

It's just the latest instance of parents flexing their rights over their children's curriculum in public schools there in Florida ... which has been an ongoing issue for a few years now.

LeBron James knows a good reference when he hears it -- and after booting the Memphis Grizzlies out of the playoffs ... a classic Mystikal line came to mind, and it's perfect.

The King was feeling cocky Saturday after the Lakers crushed Ja Morant's team in decisive fashion Friday in front of the home crowd ... which ends their season and sends LBJ and co. into the next round, where they await either the Warriors or the Sacramento Kings.

Bron took to IG with a huge flex -- posting an epic in-game photo of himself after one of his many buckets, where he's roaring in Crypto.com Arena. His caption was just as badass.

He writes, "If you ever see me fighting in the forest with a Grizzly bear, HELP THE BEAR."

Of course, the line is a nod to two things -- one, it's the bar that Mystikal dropped back in 2012 during a freestyle on Invasion Radio ... which has gone down in hip hop history. It also, obviously, refers to the Grizzlies as a unit in general ... and their ferocious fluffy mascot.

And yes ... it's also very likely one final shot at SF Dillon Brooks, who was talking mad s*** to LeBron early on in the series -- and who famously said after their Game 2 win that he liked to "poke bears" when asked about his back-and-forth with LeBron on the court.

You'll recall ... Dillon brazenly called Bron "old" and said he doesn't respect anybody who doesn't give him at least 40 points. LBJ never quite did that but he owned the dude in just about every respect of the game ... not to mention the Memphis squad as a whole.

Dillon has mostly avoided talking to the media since then ... and his playoff performance was mediocre, to say the least. Seems like LeBron isn't letting him live it down just yet.

Mila Kunis may just be tapped to play The Thing in the new "Fantastic 4" movie -- that is ... if you buy a rumor that's running rampant on Twitter this morning.

A movie insider named @MyTimeToShineH -- who's credited with getting scoops before trade publications, and generally being in the know on superhero news -- sent the bird app into a frenzy Friday when they claimed Mila was in talks to portray a female version of Ben Grimm.

Grimm is the name of the dude in the comics who becomes The Thing ... a giant orange rock figure who fights crime alongside Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman and the Human Torch.

MTTSH writes, "They are looking at Jewish actors, both male AND female for The Thing in Fantastic Four. Mila Kunis is one of them." They added that the director of the upcoming 2025 flick, Matt Shakman, insisted Grimm be portrayed be a real-life Jewish actor ... as the character is explicitly depicted as Jewish in the comic books, albeit in later iterations.

Now, in case it went over your head -- The Thing is a male character ... and has always been portrayed as such. Whether it was Chuck McCann in the '90s cartoon, Michael Chiklis from the 2000s flick, or Jamie Bell from the 2010s version -- The Thing's known as a guy.

Now, however, based on this report -- or gossip, more like -- it sounds like Marvel's possibly looking to switch things up with a little gender swap ... or at the very least, considering it.

As you might imagine ... Twitter users, by and large, aren't reacting well to the news. The jokes are flying -- and the consensus seems to be, if Kevin Feige and co. go down this road, much of the fanbase will turn their backs on the studio ... as they view this as a step too far.

Of course, it wouldn't be the first time a woman replaced a role usually played by a man -- it notably happened in "Ghostbusters" ... and more recently, in 'Black Panther 2' and "She-Hulk." among other examples. Point is ... it's been done before, and sometimes with success.

As for Mila potentially being eyed for the job ... she wouldn't be half bad. Big star with name recognition and a good range of films under her belt, including action movies and comedies.

Sydney Sweeney and fiancé Jonathan Davino are still engaged -- at least publicly -- but after her costar's relationship just imploded, there's a growing mystery over when another shoe might drop.

Davino was photographed earlier this week leaving their home. Not a big deal, but he had bags packed as he left the house. Along with his luggage -- golf clubs and a dog bed.

It's entirely possible he was just going on a golfing trip. Also, earlier Tuesday -- the day the pics were shot -- he was walking Sydney's dog, Tank, so maybe the pooch is going on the golfing trip and all is well. Two theories -- either all is well and Tank's just going on a fun trip, or there's no one else to take care of him so Jonathan's just being compassionate.

On the other hand, Sydney was seen earlier this week without her engagement ring, and the timing is interesting. The photo of a ringless Sydney was shot Thursday, 2 days after Jonathan left with bags packed.

As you probably know, Sydney's costar, Glen Powell, is now a single man after his girlfriend Gigi Paris, very publicly said she's moving on.

Rumors have been swirling that there's more than a professional relationship between Sydney and Glen, and those rumors were, in part, fueled by the 2 of them after appearing on a red carpet earlier this week looking adoringly at each other.

Another mass shooting -- this time in Texas -- has claimed the lives of five people -- including an 8-year-old child -- after a gunman went on a wild rampage using an AR-15 style rifle, according to police.

The execution-style slayings occurred late Friday night in Cleveland, TX, where the suspect -- who apparently was intoxicated on drugs and/or alcohol -- opened fire inside a house with at least ten people inside, cops said.

After the smoke cleared, five people -- ranging in age from 8 to 40 -- were lying dead from their bullet wounds. Police say two female victims draped themselves over two children in a bedroom, saving their lives.

The gunman fled and was still at large of this morning. Police have not disclosed a motive, but said the assailant was armed with the AR-15 style rifle.

San Jacinto County Sheriff deputies responded to the home -- which is about 55 miles from Houston -- after receiving a harassment call. Cops cordoned off the crime scene and told locals to stay away so they could investigate

During their probe, investigators learned that the alleged gunman -- who lived in the area -- would practice shooting in his front yard, where officers found multiple shell casings.

Police described the suspect as a 5-foot-8 Hispanic man with short black hair who was last seen dressed in blue jeans, a black shirt and work boots.

A dangerous challenge on TikTok landed a North Carolina teen in the hospital with serious burns over nearly 80 percent of his disfigured body.

Grisly photos of Mason Dark have gone viral after the 16-year-old was dared by a group of TikTokers to make a torch out of a spray paint can and a lighter.

The TT users often meet online to create mini-flamethrowers, but this time their makeshift project went awry as Dark was engulfed in flames after the can exploded.

Dark ran to a river near his Wake Forest home and dove inside to put out the flames. When he emerged from the water, he had third-degree burns over 76 percent of his body, including his face.

His mom, Holli, told Fox affiliate WRAL News, “He is unrecognizable, unrecognizable." She also said her son was rushed to a burn center, where he has already undergone skin grafts, which are surgeries that replace damaged skin with healthy skin from unaffected areas of the body. Dark is expected to stay in the hospital for at least 6 months.

Holli went on to say her son's flaming, bunched-up T-shirt was seared into his skin while he was trying to remove it at the riverbed.

She added that his physical appearance has only worsened since the accident last week, explaining, “The way he looked when those kids saw him when he first came in, to what he looks like now, it’s 100 times different."

Amid rumors of health issues that keep him confined to his home, Jack Nicholson made his joyous return to the public eye Friday night, attending an LA Lakers playoff game.

The 3-time Oscar-winning actor got a hero's welcome of sorts as he sat with his son, Ray, courtside to watch the Lakers trounce the Memphis Grizzles -- 125 to 85 -- at Crypto.Com Arena in LA.

Several celebs approached Jack to welcome him back to one of his favorite pastimes -- cheering on the Lakers live from the arena's floor.

"Curb your Enthusiasm" star Larry David came over to greet Jack before the start of the first-round playoff game.

Lakers legend LeBron James took some time out of his warm-up to chat with Jack and give him a hug.

Tee, the father of Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, posed for photos with Jack, who gave a thumbs-up to the lensman.

A journalist also got into the mix, telling Jack, "Welcome back."

It was the first time anyone had seen Jack at a Lakers game since Oct. 2021. Stories began to surface in the tabloids that Jack had become a recluse due to mounting health concerns.

But, there was no hint of Jack's rumored demise last night. He appeared to be in great spirits, sporting his customary black shades and flashing his famous Cheshire grin.

Two-time NFL Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce threw a huge festival in Kansas City on Friday night, and he got some big names in music to entertain the raucous crowd.

The Kansas City Chiefs star tight end hit the stage for the debut of his "Kelce Jam" music and food festival with the likes of Machine Gun Kelly and Rick Ross.

Kelce kicked things off in a big way, strutting out in front of 19,000-plus fans and giving them a warm welcome as he spiked his 2023 Vince Lombardi Super Bowl trophy.

Then Kelce got into "Beastie Boys" mode and, with the help of MGK, cranked out the band's 1986 hit song, "Fight For Your Right." Kelce and MGK didn't miss a beat together, jumping around on stage while getting the crowd all riled up.

At one point, Kelce gave a massive hug to MGK and lifted his feet off the ground. They also did an encore performance but played the same song, which went on for nine head-banging minutes.

There were some tender moments as well. MGK invited a couple of 7-year-old girls on stage to help him sing his tune, "my ex's best friend." The musician also autographed their T-shirts as Kelce led the crowd in chanting "MGK."

Elon Musk has taken nothing but heat for a while, but he had an ally Friday night -- one Bill Maher.

Elon appeared one-on-one with the 'Real Time' host, and Bill was more than complimentary. He essentially said, like him or not, Elon Musk is changing the world in profound ways.

As Bill says, the most transformative things in society have come from technology ... the printing press, the light bulb, the phone, the internet, flying, and on and on.

BM gave Elon mad props for his work with reusable rockets, electric cars, the Neuralink, just to mention a few.

Elon was actually funny in the interview, getting laughs and applause from the audience.

As for Twitter, Musk explained he bought the platform because it was censoring too much. As he said, it's easy to allow speech you agree with -- the point of free speech is to allow people to make remarks you may find abhorrent ... presumably still within limits.

They get into cancel culture, politics, the works.

Bam Margera didn't lose his appetite after surrendering to police to face charges for allegedly assaulting his brother ... getting right back to normal life with his girlfriend and her kid.

TMZ obtained these photos of Bam breaking bread with his chick and her 8-year-old daughter Thursday afternoon in West Chester, PA ... only hours after turning himself into cops and a subsequent court appearance.

Folks who were there say Bam hit up a restaurant called Stove & Tap ... with his group chowing down on french fries, plus macaroni and cheese.

We're also told Bam was very respectful to restaurant staff, generally coming off as being very mellow ... and ducking outside a couple times to smoke some cigarettes.

Bam was right back to normal life after being on the run from police for a few days ... as we reported, he had a warrant out for his arrest after allegedly getting into an altercation with his brother, with police claiming Bam threatened to put a bullet in his sibling's head.

Bam's brother, Jesse, also claimed the former "Jackass" star has been using meth, making the allegations on social media ... and the judge ordered Bam to stay away from Jesse and complete a drug and alcohol assessment.

Friday, Bam posted a series of photos on Instagram, claiming he was finished drinking alcohol and saying he'd recently taken a drug test to prove he wasn't on meth. Bam also vowed to get Jesse removed from a home he's allegedly been renting from Bam.

TMZ broke the story ... Bam allegedly called his family while on the run, accusing them of stealing money from him and telling them how much he hated them for putting him in a treatment center.

Chance the Rapper and his wife Kirsten have had fans fearing they're heading toward a split for the last couple of weeks ... but that couldn't be further from the truth.

A rep for the Grammy winner acknowledges there's been some drama involving videos of Chance and twerking dancers, but summed it up by telling TMZ Hip Hop ... "Everyone has their moments, but they're all good."

If you recall, it was Chance's 30th birthday celebration during Jamaica Carnival on April 16 that got us to this point. He was all smiles in a viral video of a woman grinding on his lap.

Kirsten later posted a cryptic Maya Angelou quote about married people failing to grow up, and Chance fanned the flames by rapping about his love for twerking on Vic Mensa's newest song.

Chance opted not to face his internet critics head-on, and instead, posted a Bill Burr stand-up clip about the complexities of marriage, and how guys are typically a step behind women!

Chance and Kirsten tied the knot back in 2019, and he frequently shouts out his wife, and his love for her, in his songs.

Mike Tyson was a BEAST in his day, but he would've been an even bigger problem in the ring if he'd used psychedelics in his prime, so says the legend himself!

The 56-year-old recently joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) and spoke all about his experience with the drugs ... and he made it clear he wishes he would've done hallucinogens when he was competing for titles back in the day.

Tyson said they help alter his mind and perception and affect cognitive processes in a way that has really changed him for the better ... all things he could've used in his 20s.

"Psychedelics is an enhancement more than a de-enhancement," he told us. "It allows you to go in that realm of just comfortability, relaxness, and prepare to reach your highest level. It's just an amazing feeling."

Tyson loves psychedelics so much that he used them during a recent training session and told us that if he had used them in the 1980s and '90s, he would've been a far superior pugilist (amazing when you consider Mike's one of the most dominant fighters of all-time).

In fact, Tyson recommends all athletes should try mushrooms or weed, saying he's living proof that they work.

"I'm capable of talking to everybody in the sporting world because that's basically where it's needed," Tyson said.

If there's anyone who can score an A+ on lookin' like a boss while making their way through a crowd full of fans... of course it's Kim Kardashian! Study the two images and see if you can pass the test by finding the altered changes!

Leave it to Kim K. to strike her signature "peace pose" wherever the light might shine! The money-makin' mogul made a dash for a fan selfie on the trendy streets of Soho NYC, but some things are amiss ... Put your best foot forward and see if you can turn these frigin' differences right side up!

The hits keep coming for Crazy Town singer Shifty Shellshock ... because a few days after getting into a fistfight with a bandmate, cops say he was driving drunk.

Shifty was arrested for driving under the influence early Tuesday morning in South Carolina.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, cops in Myrtle Beach say they were told to be on the lookout for a black SUV with California plates swerving in and out of lanes.

Police say they then got a call about a driver falling asleep behind the wheel of a black SUV at a red light. When they found the black SUV, cops say Shifty was driving and showing signs of being impaired.

Once they pulled him over, the officers say he was lethargic, slurred his words and bombed a field sobriety test. Shifty, who's publicly battled addiction for years, was arrested and charged with DUI.

As we reported, Crazy Town was in Myrtle Beach last weekend for a show, but the lowlight turned out to be Shifty and fellow bandmate Bobby Reeves brawling on video.

This entire month was filled with stars lookin' nothing like an (April) fool, but instead full of hot shots by the water that will make you drool 😜! As things are heating up heading into summer, the celebs are already in pure bliss!

Lookin' good as always ... Lizzo took things easy on a yacht in the Bahamas, while singer Daniel Seavey was feeling breezy, flashing his 6-pack in Jamaica. And, Kylie Jenner was a blissful bombshell, posing poolside in a hot pink bikini.

Add Bruce Springsteen backup singer to Michelle Obama's list of milestones completed ... cuz she just hit the stage with The Boss overseas during one of his shows.

Check out the video, taken Friday night at Bruce's concert in Barcelona. You see Michelle and actress Kate Capshaw join Bruce's bandmate, Patti Scialfa, behind the mic to sing background on Springsteen's hit "Glory Days."

Michelle is all smiles as she belts out the tune, even jamming with a tambourine.

No sign of her hubby, former President Barack Obama, but you gotta imagine he and Kate's husband, Steven Spielberg, were watching in the wings.

As we reported ... Bruce, Barack, Michelle, Steven and Kate all grabbed dinner together in Barcelona Thursday night -- a day before the big show.

Patti appears to have been at the dinner as well, so it's possible they planned the special guest appearance over some good grub.