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The explosion at Caleb Farley's home that took the life of the NFL player's father was so mortifying ... multiple people phoned cops in a panic, saying it "sounded like a bomb" had gone off in the neighborhood.

TMZ Sports has obtained several 911 calls from the night Farley's residence in Mooresville, N.C. blew up without a moment's warning ... and you can hear in the audio, people were terrified.

One caller told dispatch that the explosion was so loud, it woke them up ... and rattled their doors and windows.

"I'm telling you," the caller said, "it went off. You could feel it. Then it rippled all through. It sounded like thunder coming through."

Another person who had dialed 911 urged first responders to arrive quickly ... saying the blast was so violent, "I thought somebody was actually kicking my door in."

As we previously reported, Farley's home exploded just around midnight on Aug. 22. The Tennessee Titans cornerback's dad, Robert Farley, was found deceased in the rubble. Another man was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Before this cutie pie with space buns turned into a dancer and YouTuber, she was just decking herself out in Minnie Mouse attire, going to dance practice and growing up with her older bro, in Omaha, Nebraska.

Most notably recognized for her side pony and hair bows, this famous 20-year-old first showcased her dance moves on "Dance Moms," and years later it would come as no surprise she placed in the top 2 on "Dancing With The Stars." She's also released a couple of songs ... one being "Boomerang."

Need one more clue? North West on her YouTube channel!

Hurricane Idalia's trail of destruction across Florida includes a direct hit on Gov. Ron DeSantis' home, where a century-old oak tree came slamming down as his wife and kids were inside.

DeSantis' wife, Casey, shared the frightening news Wednesday evening, as the brutal storm made its way through Florida and Georgia -- she wrote, "100 year old oak tree falls on the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee."

What's worse, she says she was hunkered down in the home -- with their 3 young kids, Madison, Mason and Mamie -- when Idalia toppled the mighty oak!

Luckily, she says no one was injured, but it's safe to say it'll take a pretty big cleanup crew to get rid of the lumber.

The FL Governor was asked about the tree damage while giving the state updates on the storm ... reassuring folks his family was safe despite the close call.

He managed to find a silver lining for the fallen tree, though ... joking (we hope) his kids would now have more room to practice baseball.

Tom Cruise he's not ... a Russian stuntman's attempt to jump a car from one rooftop to another failed so badly, he plummeted to the ground ... yet, miraculously, he's lived to tell the tale.

The stuntman, Evgeny Chebotarev, let the world in on his disastrous stunt when he shared video Tuesday of himself revving up a white Lada Niva -- a Russian-made SUV -- and speeding up a ramp.

The plan was to land on the roof of an adjacent building, but instead, he fell way short and smashed into the side of the building ... putting his friends in an instant panic.

He and the car fell at least 50 feet to the ground, instantly wrecking the vehicle ... but somehow, he pretty quickly climbed out of the mangled wreck seeming relatively unharmed, all things considered.

Safe to say, being able to walk away from that mess is as impressive as landing the stunt would have been. Evgeny showed a close-up of the totaled ride, which ain't a pretty sight.

BTW, he did suffer some minor injuries -- he's got a bloodied leg and showed off an X-ray image, but it doesn't appear he broke anything. He doesn't have a cast on and was able to walk gingerly.

Josh Seiter says he didn't correct the fake death post about him for a full 18 hours because his priority was figuring out who hacked into his Instagram account ... it's all very puzzling.

The ex-'Bachelorette' star appeared on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and we peppered him with questions about the long, long period of radio silence ... both from him and his family.

Josh says he was trying to manage a ton of texts and calls from concerned friends/family, which raises the question ... why didn't someone he called tell media outlets -- including TMZ -- the death post was a hoax?

Fact is ... we called Josh just after the death announcement was posted, but didn't get a call back until the next day. We also called family members, and they either hung up or said "no comment."

He recognizes he's going to get scrutinized, but he says he handled it the best way he knew how and is standing firm -- he was hacked.

Nick Carter can celebrate winning a legal battle over Melissa Schuman -- the singer who's suing him for allegedly raping her back in 2002 -- but the war is still to come.

The Backstreet Boy singer had filed a countersuit against Schuman for defamation, but in response, she and her father filed a motion to block his legal action. Carter was in a Las Vegas courtroom Wednesday to hear a ruling on the matter.

The judge sided with Carter, denying Melissa's attempt to get the countersuit dismissed. The judge decided Carter presented sufficient evidence to warrant his defamation case moving forward.

As we reported, Schuman -- who sang in the girl group Dream -- claims Carter raped her back in 2002 at a friend's apartment in Santa Monica. She filed a lawsuit against him back in April, and shortly thereafter, Nick filed his countersuit.

Carter's attorney Liane K. Wakayama reacted to Wednesday's ruling, telling us ... “For years, Melissa and Jerome Schuman have been conspiring with anyone they could manipulate to drum up false claims against Nick Carter in a brazen attempt to get rich off of him. Today’s ruling confirms that Nick will be able to pursue that truth to its inevitable conclusion and expose the Schumans’ and their co-conspirators’ deceit and deplorable conduct.”

Senator Mitch McConnell froze yet again mid-sentence while addressing the media -- marking a second frightening episode like this that he's suffered in public.

The Kentucky legislator was talking to reporters Wednesday in Covington, KY, addressing a Chamber of Commerce matter and seemingly doing fine ... that is, until he wasn't. When a reporter asked him about running for reelection, he took a long pause.

Much like he did a month ago on Capitol Hill ... Sen. McConnell just stood there quietly, and appeared to zone out. Eventually, one of his aides stepped in and asked if he heard the question ... but he didn't even respond to her, only staring out into space and remaining frozen.

The aide asked the media for a moment of privacy, and that's where the video cuts out.

Obviously, this is deja vu -- and many suspect he might have experienced a medical episode ... although, the first incident was never officially described as such by his team. Now, there are almost certainly going to be even more questions and scrutiny over his health.

Remember, Sen. McConnell also suffered a nasty fall earlier this year that saw him hospitalized for a time. At the moment, he's the top-ranking Republican in the Senate.

Kim Kardashian isn't keepin' up with her former hubby, Kanye West ... because we've learned she isn't the least bit concerned about his recent wardrobe malfunction overseas.

Sources close to Kim tell TMZ ... she isn't staying up to date on Ye and his personal business -- unless, of course, it's on the topic of co-parenting.

For those unaware, there were reports Kim was embarrassed and disturbed after Kanye's naked butt was exposed while on vacation with his boo, Bianca Censori ... but our sources say any talk about Kim being concerned is simply untrue.

We're told she sees Ye's crack slip as an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction, but sources note Kim wishes him and Bianca the best as they continue to enjoy their Italian getaway.

As we reported, Kanye and Bianca were on a water taxi in Venice on Monday when he likely felt a breeze from behind ... but he didn't seem to care, because he wasn't doing a lot of adjusting while taking a ride.

Tom Brady channeled his inner Irina Shayk while chilling on his yacht this week ... ditching his shirt and showing off his shredded bod just days after his apparent new lady went topless on vacation with Bradley Cooper.

TB12 has been hanging in Miami as the model spends time with her ex on a luxurious Italian trip ... and he seemed to be totally relaxed as he soaked up the sun.

Brady -- who will have an open fall schedule for the first time in his adult life -- still looks ready to suit up right now ... as he put his athletic figure on display during the outing on his $6 million "Tw12ve Angels" boat.

The 46-year-old has been seeing Shayk since his divorce from Gisele Bündchen ... but her getaway with Cooper is reportedly N.B.D. to the 7-time Super Bowl champion, as their romance is still in the early stages.

Brady has also been in the news as fans speculate whether he could come out of retirement in time for the 2023 season, which kicks off next week ... but, judging by these pics, he seems entirely content with being off the field.

The future Hall of Famer spent his summer going on vacations with his kids ... but if he's ready to settle down again, he's got an open invite to find love on "The Bachelor," 'cause Jesse Palmer recently told TMZ Sports the QB would be a "legendary" lead on the dating show if he wants to Shayk it off.

Burger King's taking a partial 'L' in court ... a judge says they'll have to go to trial over a lawsuit alleging their Whopper ads are misleading -- AKA, size matters here, folks.

This has been cooking for about a year now -- a class action lawsuit was filed in 2022 taking aim at BK's signature hamburger and how it's been portrayed ... specifically its size, which the class action plaintiffs believe amounts to false advertising.

The suit alleges Burger King's been showing off massive Whoppers in just about all of their promotional material -- from TV spots to online pages and other forms of advertisement -- and that they've been duping customers by giving them itty-bitty Whoppers IRL, which pale in comparison to the ads.

As a result of this alleged deception ... the lawsuit claims Burger King has been getting rich off the backs of their patrons for a long time, which they say violates a ton of laws and regulations that food joints have to abide by.

Now, as far as the judge's ruling on how this is gonna shake out ... he signed off on parts of the lawsuit proceeding, but not others. Hizzoner says Burger King will NOT have to answer to the claims pertaining to their online/TV ads -- which the plaintiffs claimed were a big part of their alleged scheme ... nor will BK have to combat the consumer-protection law claims.

Those specific parts of the suit were tossed, at Burger King's request, but other parts of the lawsuit -- which BK also wanted dismissed -- have been given the green light to proceed ... which is bad news for His Royal Fry-ness.

The remaining claims that'll be brought before a jury are big ones ... breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation and unjust enrichment. Now, if you're wondering how that works (since the judge nixed the TV/online ads as part of the equation) ... remember, there's still print ads in the mix -- specifically, Burger King's in-restaurant menu photos of the Whopper, which these folks claim were also super-sized and a major part of BK's campaign.

A Black surfer in Florida says several of his white counterparts stole his board and nailed it to a tree in a racist act ... and the allegations are so disturbing, cops tell TMZ Sports they're now investigating the matter.

The surfer's name is Andrew Sherlock Mills ... and on Tuesday, he explained in a social media post that the incident went down last weekend in Jupiter.

He claimed that when he turned his back after riding in the ocean waters, his board was nabbed and then pinned high up on a nearby palm tree.

"This is how real the racism and hate is in Jupiter, Florida," Mills wrote in an Instagram post. "They can't stand to see a Black man in their waters. I was told I'm not welcome. Stole my board when I turned my back and they did this. Said it was a message. They nailed it to the tree like a lynching."

Mills said he did not call cops ... and instead, "took the board down, stayed and surfed the whole day with a small board to show face."

"A few locals that were there were apologizing and agreed it was wrong," Mills added. "They did said, after what happened, I'm welcome to surf their waters freely and no one will bother me. I'm just going to leave it in God's hands."

We reached out to the Jupiter Police Dept. for comment on the situation ... and a spokesperson told us officers were made aware of the claims through social media and have since launched a probe.

Drake's "It's All a Blur" tour stop in Vancouver got a healthy dose of "Utopia" last night ... as Travis Scott joined him as the night’s special performer!!!

The 2 megastar rappers performed their latest collab "Meltdown" live for the first time ever -- Timothée Chalamet diss and all -- and followed up by performing their Diamond-selling duet "Sicko Mode" for the Canadian crowd.

The show was originally set for Monday, but was postponed over issues with the new video board installed inside Rogers Arena.

Travis made a grand entrance into the stadium using WWE legend The Undertaker's theme music as his walk-up soundtrack ... fitting since the performance seemed to have the crowd in a chokehold.

Amy Sedaris celebrated Michael Jackson on his birthday this week -- but some aren't happy about her giving him a shout-out ... proving he's still divisive, even today.

The actress threw up a major bday tribute to the late entertainer Tuesday, which marked what would've been his 65th birthday if he was still alive. She attached a bunch of MJ clips, showing off his talent and iconic cultural moments in showbiz ... including music videos.

She wrote, "On what would've been his 65th birthday, let's all groove to some of the timeless music that @michaeljackson made." Amy also added the hashtag #heavenlybirthday.

Clearly, she's a fan of the guy -- at least on the professional front -- and felt it was appropriate to honor him 14 years after his death ... but many of her followers were pissed.

There's a handful of naysayers who don't approve of Amy giving Mike the spotlight ... and, yes, it all has to do with his controversial history of being accused of sexually abusing minors -- something MJ denied throughout his life, and for which he was famously acquitted.

Still, that doesn't mean people are over it ... and they let Amy know in her comments. One person wrote, "Let's not glorify him anymore." Another chimed in, saying ... "We still out here celebrating pedophiles, smh." Even Bravo's Andy Cohen commented, writing ... "Oops!"

Now, Amy doesn't appear to have responded to any of these folks ... but the fact a good amount of people are responding this way is a testament to an unspoken rule among A-listers in Hollywood -- don't talk about Michael, and just leave it to the normies. FWIW, Mike has many, many defenders online ... but not very many who are notable public figures.

Fact is, high-visibility stars tend not to address the topic one way, or another these days -- and it seems obvious why ... there are still countless individuals who believe all his accusers.

Seeing how Amy is bucking that trend and giving him love regardless is interesting ... she seems able to separate the art from the artist -- that, or she believes he's innocent, period.

The abuse allegations persist in 2023 ... namely, through the claims of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who are pushing lawsuits through the CA court system.

Kim Zolciak is, at least publicly, acting like there's hope she and Kroy Biermann can resolve things, and he'll pull his divorce docs again, but he's not seeing it that way at all ... TMZ has learned.

We heard from Kim -- who was still wearing her wedding ring -- Monday at LAX, and she gave off very optimistic vibes when asked if Kroy might have a change of heart about his second divorce filing.

Well, we asked Kroy's legal team if he had any plans on pulling the divorce ... and they didn't mince words. Kroy's attorney, Marlys A. Bergstrom, tells us, "No, at this time, he is still moving forward with the divorce action."

It's likely a devastating blow to Kim, and unless Kroy's holding back information from his lawyer ... the estranged couple is definitely not on the same page about their future.

TMZ broke the story, Kim and Kroy filed separate divorce petitions back in May, but eventually worked things out and decided against the split in July.

However, s*** hit the fan for the couple this month, prompting Kroy to file for divorce once again.

Paris Jackson is defending herself after not wishing her dad, Michael Jackson, a happy birthday on social media -- a choice that has some fans telling her to kill herself.

The singer did post Tuesday -- which would've been MJ's 65th birthday -- about the extreme reaction of fans, saying some had been coming after her all day for not paying tribute to her pops online, which she thinks is ridiculous.

She says her dad was never into birthday celebrations, and he'd go to great lengths to keep his big day a secret ... but despite her honoring MJ's past wishes over the years, Paris points out the drastic things she's been hit with when she doesn't post about him on his birthday.

FYI, Paris goes on to share a clip from her concert on Tuesday, where she actually paid tribute to Michael with the crowd ... before reminding her followers big celebrations are something he was totally against.

As we reported, actress Amy Sedaris caught flack for honoring Michael online for his birthday -- with many commenters taking anger in the fact that she's paying tribute to a singer who had a controversial past of allegedly sexually abusing minors.

A British guy is going to have to wait until the cows come home to shake this saga -- 'cause he's now known as the dude who got off with cattle.

25-year-old Liam Brown pled guilty this week to sexual penetration with a living animal and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal during a hearing at the Poole Magistrates Court ... according to the Daily Mail.

It reportedly all stems from an incident last summer when Brown was caught red-handed doing the deed with a young calf on a farm in the town of Burton. Apparently, he fell victim to some booby traps set by the farmers.

You see these landowners say they'd suspected for a while that their bovines were being abused, so they installed a bunch of alarms/surveillance cams to catch whoever was banging the livestock in the dead of night. Eventually, Brown crept onto the property, triggered the system and was apprehended.

The worst part ... they say they know this guy from years ago.

The farmers told the court that members of Brown's family had actually been employed by them several years ago -- so, they were familiar with him since childhood, it seems.

As for how prosecutors were able to prove it was Brown beyond a reasonable doubt ... DNA. Indeed, the report says samples from the cow were collected. and they matched his profile.