TMZ.com Home

An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot is in big trouble after allegedly trying to take down a plane from a sister airline -- and you can tell by the dozens of charges he's now facing.

44-year-old Joseph D. Emerson -- who's employed by Alaska -- was arrested and booked Monday on 83 counts of attempted murder in Multnomah County, OR ... this after law enforcement claims he attempted to shut off the aircraft's engines mid-flight the night prior.

It's a strange story ... apparently, Emerson was hitching a ride on a Horizon Airlines flight -- which is owned by the same company that manages Alaska -- that was going from Seattle to San Francisco ... but which had to divert to Portland because of this alleged incident.

According to cops -- who cite crew members onboard -- Emerson pulled this incredibly dangerous stunt while sitting in the cockpit's jump seat ... but thankfully, the captain and first officer were able to subdue him and prevent the plane from going down.

ATC audio reportedly captured crew members discussing what happened over the airwaves -- with someone saying, "We’ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit and he doesn’t sound like he’s causing any issue in the back right now, I think he’s subdued. We want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and parked."

Well, Emerson was indeed met by officials ... and they're accusing him of a lot. In addition to the 83 attempted murder charges, he's also been hit with 83 counts of reckless endangerment -- plus, endangering an aircraft. No word on what possibly led him to do this.

No, Jake Paul was NOT doing bumps of cocaine in the ring after his brother Logan's boxing match last weekend ... so says the Problem Child himself, who's combating the allegations with comedy.

The 26-year-old internet superstar and pugilist was spotted on camera touching his nose as he stood behind his older bro following his win over Dillon Danis in Manchester ... with many going to social media to accuse him of sniffing the booger sugar in plain sight.

Paul addressed it all in his most recent YouTube video ... poking fun at the wild claims by surrounding himself with Coca-Cola cans and tossing a white powder in the air like LeBron James.

"Y'all want some Coke?" Paul asked his friends as he pretended to be drugged out.

After laughing it off, Paul got serious ... saying his gesture was the result of being a sweaty guy -- even zooming in on his nose to show how moist his skin gets from "five minutes of existing."

On top of that, his involvement in the post-fight scuffle certainly didn't help his perspiration problem.

"This is the thing, is I go to brawl in the ring to save my f***ing brother," Paul added. "Forty grown men around me, everyone's huffing and puffing, I'm yelling, 'You bitch, you're lucky I didn't kill you.' and I'm literally drenched in sweat."

"I come out, everyone knows I'm the most sweatiest person in the world. So I get into the ring to like, go be there for my brother and s***, and I put my hat on and I'm literally sweating down my face, so I'm just like this, trying to get the sweat off of my f***ing face."

Paul's girlfriend, Jutta Leerdam, backed her man ... saying she's seen first-hand how seriously he takes care of his body -- and all the haters need to quit trying to create a false image of him.

Rick Ross isn't buying Jay-Z's answer to that ol' question -- $500k or dinner with him -- because the MMG rapper says his personal experience with Jay netted him way more cash!!!

Jay-Z shot down all the folks who'd opt for the dinner, thinking he'd say something life-changing that would make the meal more valuable than a half a million dollars -- but Rozay begs to differ.

Ahead of the release of his "Trilla" album in 2008, Rozay says he had dinner with Jay at Philippe Chow in NYC, where the Roc Nation boss instructed him to write songs for their intended impact ... as opposed to just rapping over beats he liked.

Ross remembers cutting his workload in half and seeing his stock rise -- it pays to work smarter, not harder!!!

Jay hopped on the album as well ... kicking off the famed "Maybach Music" series and Rozay says his career catapulted to another level.

Now, that being said ... Rick walked into that dinner with Jay already being a talented artist ... so, he understands why a normie -- without that kinda head start -- would take the money and run.

Jennifer Lopez has finally unloaded her bachelorette pad in Cali -- officially cutting ties with the last part of her single life -- before marrying Ben Affleck last year.

Real estate sources tell TMZ, J Lo recently sold her Bel-Air mansion for a cool $34 million -- this after first listing it back in February. She made a nice profit, especially when you consider she first bought it in 2016 for about $28 mil.

Of course, it's not nearly as much as she would've liked -- the price tag on this place earlier in the year was $42.5 mil, so she had to take a bit off the top to get rid of it.

Still, we're told the sale was a record for the area -- so there's still reason to celebrate.

The estate features a huge main house ... including 9 bedrooms, 13 baths, an infinity pool, 30-seat screening room, a gym, a guest house, an extra 100-seat amphitheater and more.

Remember, Ben also got rid of his own spot, right around the same time he married Jen.

Jen and Ben have moved on up from their respective individual properties they owned before getting hitched -- having purchased a massive mansion in Bev Hills that reflects their collective wealth ... a whopping $60 million.

Blueface was lucky to only get probation for his involvement in a shooting at a Vegas strip club, but he's now been ordered to pay an astonishing $13 million in damages to the club's owner.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Euphoric Gentleman's Club sued Blueface over the incident, claiming his business was ruined because of the shooting incident ... and just won summary judgment in the amount of $13,072,482.

If you missed it, the club's owner erupted following the shooting, calling for Blueface's arrest and then some ... and now the court agrees he's gotta pay up.

The whopping bill is broken down into several categories ... $12.6 million in lost revenue, lease damages of $198K, $84k in payroll expenses to employees who had to be paid following the club's Nov. 2022 shutdown, and more.

BF received a suspended sentence after taking a plea deal in the criminal case related to the incident, meaning he'll only have 3 years of probation and won't be serving any time behind bars if he keeps his nose clean.

Taylor Swift planted one on Travis Kelce this weekend -- the first time we've seen her pucker up to her boyfriend in public ... though it's still very PG-13.

The singer was photographed after the game Sunday next to her man, posing with Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. and his girlfriend, Chariah Gordon. In one of the shots, you can see TayTay kissing Travis on the cheek, with her hand on his chest.

Like we said, this marks the debut of any kind of affection at this level -- thus far, we've only seen them hold hands in public ... so, it would seem their PDA is growing by the day.

TBH, this is a side of Taylor we haven't really seen until now. Before getting with Travis, she's tended to be quite private and away from the spotlight as it relates to her significant others ... particularly while she was dating Joe Alwyn. They were practically in the shadows.

Now, however, Taylor seems to be embracing the public nature of this relationship ... and she's loving it. Not only have we seen her express herself at games full throttle, but even when it comes to stuff like this -- it doesn't seem like she and Trav are all that shy.

As for TK ... he, too, seems ready for all the scrutiny -- something that undoubtedly comes with the territory of what he does professionally. If anything, this attention is nothing new.

Gotta say, the more we see of these two ... the more it feels like they could have real legs as a couple. Their lives are certainly blending at a fast rate -- and the people are all about it.

Paul Costict, one of the original members of the rap group B-Rock and The Bizz -- famous for the single "My Baby Daddy" -- is dead ... TMZ has learned.

Paul died unexpectedly Saturday at his home in Norfolk, VA ... according to a family member. The cause of death is unclear.

While it's unclear exactly how he died, the family member tells us they spoke to Paul Wednesday, he seemed to be in good spirits ... but mentioned recently being sick.

As hip hop fans may know ... B-Rock and The Bizz are a one-hit wonder, thanks to their 1997 single, "My Baby Daddy," which peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard charts back in the day.

The song earned gold certification and Paul eventually ended up in a bitter dispute over his gold album with his ex-wife, Lasancious ... the exes fought over his plaque in a TV episode of "Divorce Court."

In addition to being a member of the band, we're told Paul was also the group's road manager.

Fellow band member Thaddeus "T-Bird" Maye grew up with Paul in Alabama and is remembering him as "a very funny and Kool brother."

Paul was 57.

Mauricio Umansky might have turned his dance partner into a real-life romantic partner -- 'cause he's out here looking real cozy with Emma Slater ... or so it seems.

The 'Real Housewives' star -- who's currently separated from his estranged wife, Kyle Richards -- hit up a restaurant in Bev Hills Sunday night with Emma ... who he's sharing screen time with right now during his stint on "Dancing With the Stars" as her celeb plus-1.

Welp, it looks like they're taking their ballroom connection into the outside world -- that is, if these photos on their face are to be believed -- 'cause the 'DWTS' pair walked away from their one-on-one dinner hand in hand, coming across awfully couple-y.

No other signs of PDA between 'em that we can see ... but this feels telling on its own.

Mauricio and Emma have actually been hanging out a lot lately -- dressing up for Halloween as recently as last week. So, yeah ... they've been chummy for a good while now.

Now, our sources with direct knowledge tell us the hand-holding was spurred on by a deep convo the duo had over dinner -- namely discussing their upcoming dance on this week's episode. We're told the theme is "most important year of your life" -- and Mauricio opened up to Emma about why 1996 was so pivotal for him.

Our sources say Mauricio actually revealed a lot to Emma last night on this topic -- '96 was the year he and Kyle married, he was fired from the fashion industry and he pivoted to real estate -- and we're told that, as a result, they felt far more connected and closer than ever ... which, we suppose, explains why they looked like this while exiting.

As for whether this is blossoming into a romance ... the sources couldn't say one way or another.

Of course, there's been tons of speculation about Mauricio and Kyle, whose marriage has come under a microscope this year amid KR's friendship with Morgan Wade.

Kyle has long insisted they're simply partners on a project right now ... as Kyle is producing a documentary on Morgan's life -- but some have still suggested a romance might be afoot.

Meanwhile ... Mauricio and Kyle haven't really cut each other out of their respective lives. They've gone on vacation together with the rest of their family -- and have hung out on a number of occasions for holiday get-togethers and the like. It's been ... interesting.

Chris Brown could be the next California resident to pack up and find some new surroundings -- the R&B megastar says he's moving on from the Golden State.

Chris posted Monday ... "LA it's been FUN. Cali will always be my second home but I think it's time for me to try something different." He buttoned his farewell note with a 💗, so it doesn't appear there's anything too heavy behind the move.

Breezy's time in Cali has been the backdrop for virtually all his major headlines -- good and bad.

He's fended off noise and party complaints from neighbors for years at several of his residences -- and also dazzled fans with yard sales, liquidating rare clothing and memorabilia items.

Of course, he's also been pinched under the state's criminal justice system a few times -- most infamously for the 2009 Rihanna beating.

Mary Lou Retton has just taken a huge step in her fight to beat pneumonia ... she's been released from the ICU -- and is now at home recovering.

One of the Olympic legend's daughters, McKenna, shared the good news on her Instagram page on Monday ... thanking doctors, nurses and fans for everything they've done to get her to this point.

"We still have a long road of recovery ahead of us," McKenna wrote, "but baby steps."

Retton was first admitted into the ICU earlier this month after contracting a rare form of pneumonia ... and while initially her family was pleased with her progress, they said she suffered a "pretty scary setback" last week.

Seems, though, Retton has battled past that ... something her family is obviously overjoyed about.

"We are overwhelmed with the love and support from everyone," McKenna said. "Grateful doesn't scrape the surface of the posture of our hearts."

Busta Rhymes is demanding all the lights, camera, and action for his upcoming eleventh studio album so much, he's naming it "BlockBusta" and handpicked the 3 best producers EVER ... to craft his latest project!!!

On Monday, Busta assembled his version of the Avengers ... Pharrell Williams, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz to hold down the executive production of the "BlockBusta” album.

Busta's team tells TMZ Hip Hop the album is dropping in just one month, November 24 to be precise, via The Conglomerate Entertainment and Epic Records.

Of course, the legendary rapper is excited about the legion of soundmen he's put together. In fact, he's dubbing the album a royal affair ... nicknaming Pharrell as "The Pharoh," Timbaland as "The King," and Swizz Beatz humbly refers to himself as "The Student."

Nick Bosa is certainly doing his part to bring attention to SKIMS and his other assets this Monday morning ... taking off as a trending topic less than an hour after the company's new campaign launched.

We've got more new photos from the San Francisco 49ers' star's shoot wearing the brand -- posing for shirtless underwear pics and showing off some of SKIMS tees and tanks.

As with just about everything Kim Kardashian and team push out ... social media was quick to notice, shooting Nick up the Twitter trends, hitting spot #16 overall as SKIMS reached #9 on the trend list.

The comments were also good as gold ... including, "the way my mouth just watered????" "I WILL BE BUYING......" "OH KIM YOU KNOW WHAT UR DOING," "she knew she had to feed the gays too" and "yes yes yes yes yes and more yes."

Of course, Nick's not the only one in the first-ever men's campaign ... international soccer icon Neymar Jr. and Los Angeles Clippers star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also posed in SKIMS.

John Stamos claims he once caught a girlfriend of his in the '80s cheating on him with Tony Danza ... but the woman says John's got it all wrong.

Teri Copley, the ex-gf John's accused of an alleged affair, denies cheating on him ... she says they were already broken up when Stamos found her in bed with Danza.

The model/actress confirms part of John's story ... that he came over to her place to find her naked in bed next to a passed-out Tony ... but she told People she and John had already ended their relationship.

Teri told the outlet, "I wondered, 'What was John doing there?' because we had broken up. He just looked at me and shook his head, and walked away."

As we reported ... John reveals the alleged affair in his upcoming memoir, "If You Would Have Told Me," claiming he also peeked into Tony's Porsche, which was parked at Teri's place, and saw an autographed poster of her half-naked with a note that read ... "My Dear Tony, I'll love you forever. XO, Teri."

John said he was madly in love with Teri at the time ... but it sounds like she didn't feel the same way.

Britney Spears has revealed a lot ahead of her new memoir's release -- so, just to get you ready for its Tuesday release ... here's a look at her biggest bombshells, so far.

Of course, the biggest truth dropped in "The Woman in Me" is the fact Brit had an abortion in the early 2000s while dating Justin Timberlake -- something she seems to mostly pin on him, saying JT "didn’t want to be a father" and he "wasn't happy about the pregnancy."

Britney says she regrets giving up the baby, in hindsight. She says having the abortion devastated her, at the time ... and she says Justin tried to soothe her during the process by strumming a guitar.

There are more JT claims she's making in the book ... including the allegation he cheated on her with an unnamed celebrity. Britney also acknowledges she cheated on Justin with Wade Robson, but insists it was just a kiss. However, one of Britney's writing partners tells us the Wade relationship was much more than that.

Brit also addressed other elements of her private life, including the fact she'd started having sex at 14 -- with a friend of her older brother -- and that her drug of choice in her heyday was Adderall ... which she says helped make her feel less depressed.

Speaking of doing the dirty ... Britney says she had a hot fling with Colin Farrell back in 2003, where they were banging as if they were fighting, at least that's how she puts it.

Britney also reflected on her brief acting career ... saying her starring role in "Crossroads" was fun and all, but noting she didn't like the experience of having to pretend to be someone else. In that same breath, Britney also claims she almost snagged a HUGE role.

As it turns out ... Brit had actually auditioned for the lead female role in "The Notebook," opposite Ryan Gosling, and it sounds like she was in the running for a good while. In the end, though, she lost out to Rachel McAdams -- something BS says she's happy about.

There've been countless other revelations that have leaked out thus far -- including the fact Britney says she posts so many nude photos of herself as an act of liberation ... this after being under the constraints and control of a conservatorship for so many years.

Britney has also spoken at length about that conservatorship in her book ... and one of the latest nuggets she opened up about, as it pertains to the legal apparatus, is that she only "went along" with it as a way to get back to her children -- whom she'd lost custody of in 2007.

Paris Hilton is firing back at folks online who are poking fun at the size of her baby boy's noggin ... saying there's absolutely nothing wrong with him.

Mama P shared some snaps Friday holding Phoenix ... while she got some love from her followers, she also heard from lots of trolls -- with jokes flooding the comment section about Phoenix's head.

People have taken to TikTok to point out all the rude things being said ... and Paris responded to one of the people defending her, writing, " 🥺😢There are some sick people in this world.☹️My angel is perfectly healthy."

She went on to say, "And yes, of course he has been to a doctor, he just has a large brain."

As we reported, Paris announced at the beginning of the year she had Phoenix with her husband, Carter Reum ... and she's been sharing some pretty adorable shots of her new bundle of joy while navigating motherhood for the first time.

Georgetown women's basketball head coach Tasha Butts has tragically died following a battle with breast cancer, the school announced Monday.

She was just 41 years old.

In revealing the heartbreaking news, school president John J. DeGioia called her death "a devastating loss."

"She was extraordinary," DeGioia said. "Tasha was a person of character, determination, vision, and kindness. She will be deeply missed by our community and by so many people around the country who have been inspired by her life."

Butts starred on the court at Tennessee from 2000 to 2004 -- playing forward for Pat Summit ... before she was picked by the Minnesota Lynx in the second round of the 2004 WNBA Draft.

She eventually got into coaching following her one season in the league, beginning as an assistant with Duquesne in 2007. She later coached for LSU and UCLA, before landing a promotion to the associate head coach role at Georgia Tech in 2021.

She found a ton of success as the leader of the Yellow Jackets, this despite being diagnosed with breast cancer during the 2021 season ... and in April, she was named Georgetown's head coach.

She stepped away from the team last month, however, to continue her fight with cancer.

"When I met Tasha, I knew she was a winner on the court, and an incredible person whose drive, passion and determination was second to none," Georgetown AD Lee Reed said. "She exhibited these qualities both as a leader and in her fight against breast cancer. This is a difficult time for the entire Georgetown community, and we will come together to honor her memory."

The school announced Darnell Haney will be the interim head coach for this upcoming season. It also said Monday it and the Big East will continue to raise funds and breast cancer awareness through her "Tasha Tough" initiative.