Stars and Scars You Be the Judge

Travis Scott is getting sued left and right over the Astroworld tragedy, but is he the one at fault? And, Aaron Rodgers has been dragged all week -- has it taken the shine off his career? So, we gotta ask ...

Travis Scott And Astroworld Fiasco ...

Travis Was Aware Well Before Show Ended ...

I'm Now Afraid To Go To Big Concerts ...

Britney After Conservatorship Ends

Kim And Pete Davidson Will Last ...

Aaron Rodgers COVID Controversy ...

Alec Baldwin ...

Kyle Rittenhouse Crying On Stand ...

Dr. Oz For U.S. Senate In Pennsylvania ...

Negro League Museum We're Cool with Prez Biden ... Saying 'Negro' Was Respectful

There's nothing foul about President Biden using the word "negro" when referring to the old baseball league ... at least according to the steward of the league, who's defending and applauding him for saying the word.

No doubt you've seen the clip of the Prez speaking on Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery and flubbing in a big way ... saying he'd "adopted the attitude of the great negro at the time." Cringeworthy, for sure, but to be fair Biden misspoke, and eventually cleared it up intending to call out the great Negro League player Satchel Paige.

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ADOPTING THE ATTITUDE

Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, tells TMZ ... not only was it crystal clear to him what Mr. Biden meant to say, but it would have been "harmful" if he'd used any other word.

Bob says he was surprised at the online fallout -- people ticked off POTUS used such a dated term -- because he says there's a reason the word is still on walls of his museum. As Bob put it, they still use "Negro" to preserve the league's nearly 30-year history -- from 1920 to 1947. He compares it to the NAACP, which also hasn't changed its name, despite the fact (almost) no one uses the "C" word nowadays.

Further, he says "It was an honor that the President made a point to honor Satchel Paige, who happened to be one of the greatest pitchers" in the history of ANY baseball league.

As for the Prez calling Satchel a "great Negro" -- Bob says he knows the point Mr. Biden was trying to make and it was 100% complimentary.

Justin Gaethje Conor McGregor Wants My 'Sloppy Seconds' ... No Offense To Ferguson & Chandler

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IT'S JUST TOO EASY
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"I feel like we are in grade school and Conor McGregor is following me around trying to pick up my sloppy seconds."

That's Justin Gaethje blasting The Notorious, telling TMZ Sports Conor McGregor is attempting to fight all the dudes he's already beaten, and the UFC star thinks it's pretty comical.

"I hate to say it because it's disrespectful to the opponents that I beat," Justin says.

"I fought Cowboy [Cerrone]. Then he wants to fight Cowboy. I just beat up Chandler. Now he wants to fight Chandler. He'll never say my name. And, Ferguson is on the list now too."

Of course, Gaethje -- the #2 ranked lightweight -- beat Chandler via unanimous decision at UFC 268 ... in one of the greatest fights of all time.

And, just last year, Justin beat Tony Ferguson by unanimous decision ... which earned him a title shot against Khabib.

Over the last few weeks, Conor expressed interest in fighting both men ... Chandler and Ferguson.

Someone the Irish superstar hasn't called out (lately, at least) ... is Justin.

So, we asked Gaethje -- who has previously made it clear he wanted to mess up McGregor -- if he was still interested in the fight.

"Do I want to make [Conor's] face look like Tony Ferguson and Michael Chandler's? Absolutely. Will he ever allow that? No! He has way too many smart people around this dude and he's not a dumbass."

"He might knock me out. Olivera might knock me out, Poirier might knock me out but they have to pray to God that they land that shot."

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REACHING A BOILING POINT
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We also talked to Justin about his beef with Colby Covington (Gaethje trains with CC's rival, Kamaru Usman) ... and JG makes it known, he ain't looking for a fight in the Octagon with "Chaos."

But, if they see each other in the streets ... as Justin puts it, "It's f***ing on like Donkey Kong."

What's The Big Frigin' Difference?

Don't let these two almost identical images of Lady Gaga turn into a horror story! Put on your best poker face and play this (love) game made up of sneaky switches!

The singing superstar -- and newest A-list actress on the scene -- wowed the paparazzi earlier this week as she arrived at the UK premiere of her eagerly awaited film "House of Gucci" ... and we have made a few changes to the original pic! Put your little monster skills to the test and spot the differences between these two super similar snaps!

**HINT -- There are THREE differences in the above photographs!**

Sean Kingston You Punched Me, Pulled Gun ... Video Director Files Police Report

UPDATE

1:55 PM PT -- A rep for Kingston tells TMZ ... any allegations made against Sean in the past few days, including those from the videographer, whom the rep describes as "terminated," are false -- adding, "All claims will be disproven."

Sean Kingston allegedly punched and pulled a firearm on a music video director who had been staying in his home ... and we're told cops are now involved.

The music video director, who works under the handle GXDLIKE, tells TMZ ... he had been working and living at Sean's Los Angeles-area home for about 3 months when Sean allegedly assaulted him.

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The guy claims Sean summoned him from the downstairs area of the home around 2 AM on Nov. 5 and wanted him to film something for the singer, but he says his phone was dead. He claims he then went downstairs to grab his camera and returned upstairs, but couldn't remember the name of the app to transfer the files.

The music video director alleges Sean got frustrated and punched him in the face, then dragged him into the hallway and pulled out a firearm ... telling him to pack up and get out. Law enforcement sources confirm that GXDLIKE has filed a police report with the LAPD for the incident.

The director claims the alleged attack left him with cuts on his face, but no major injuries.

We reached out to Sean's camp ... so far no word back.

Colton Underwood I'm $elling My Colorado Crib

Colton Underwood is moving on from his bachelor pad ... we've learned he's selling his place in Colorado.

The former 'Bachelor' recently listed the 4-bedroom home for $1.35 million ... and we're told he accepted an offer from an interested buyer just 5 days after the home hit the market, though the deal hasn't closed yet.

It's a quick turnaround for Colton ... he only just bought the home back in December 2020.

The place is laid out with a ranch floorplan, complete with a gourmet kitchen, sprawling lawn and 2.5 car garage.

The primary bedroom is on the main floor, and it comes with an oversized closet with access to the laundry room!

The place, which is about 25 miles south of Denver, is decked out with a game room, media room and a home gym, outfitted with high-end fitness equipment.

The backyard is tricked out with an oversized gas grill built into the covered porch, plus a hot tub and a gas firepit.

We don't know where Colton is heading ... whether he's staying in Colorado or not.

Donna Burkard of HomeSmart holds the listing.

Apple Picking Celebs Hard Core!

These festive celebrities are taking a break from city life and heading out to the orchard this fall! Goodbye Big Apple, hello Apple Picking!

Each one of these seedy stars has their own style when they get to harvesting, but we aren't trying to compare apples to oranges! Vanessa Hudgens and Martha Stewart have pazazz as they pick, while Elle King and Jesse McCartney are joined by some sweet company!

There are so many treats to enjoy in this fall favorite activity including sipping on cider,s chowing down on donuts & pie, and -- of course -- bringing home a bounty of fruit.

Worm your way into this gallery of celebrities at apple farms to see all the Honeycrisp candids!

No bad apples here!

Britney Spears Conservatorship Terminated ... Britney is Free

UPDATE

2:57 PM PT -- Britney just posted on Instagram, not holding back her excitement at all, saying, "Good God I love my fans so much it's crazy 🥺❤️ !!! I think I'm gonna cry the rest of the day !!!! Best day ever … praise the Lord … can I get an Amen 🙏🏼☀️🙌🏼 ???? #FreedBritney". Sam Asghari also posted and said history was made today.

UPDATE

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Britney Spears is now a free woman, because the judge has swiftly ended her conservatorship ... effective immediately.

The judge terminated the conservatorship without requiring any further mental evaluation ... something Britney was adamant about.

The hearing started with Britney's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, quoting Britney's June testimony ... in which she said, "I just want my life back."

The judge then went around to all the lawyers and others assembled both in court and online, asking them whether they had any objections. Not a single person -- lawyers and all -- had a problem with ending the conservatorship.

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#FREEBRITNEY BOP
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Both the conservatorship of Britney's person and the conservatorship of her estate have been terminated, with minor exceptions. Rosengart wanted the estate conservatorship to remain solely to execute the necessary documents so the assets she has in the conservatorship can be transferred to a trust controlled by Britney.

The judge then read her order ending this saga ... and it took just around 30 minutes start to finish.

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BRITNEY IS FREE
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This doesn't end the dispute over the way the conservatorship was handled, because Rosengart has made it clear ... he wants a full accounting from everyone involved in the conservatorship, especially Jamie Spears and business manager Lou Taylor, to show how much money they have moved from the conservatorship to their accounts. Now all that said, Rosengart said ultimately it's up to Britney on whether she wants to pursue Jamie and Lou Taylor.

Rosengart did make one thing clear ... he said after the hearing, "This conservatorship was corrupted by James P. Spears."

Rosengart believes there has been misappropriation of assets by various people in the conservatorship, at the expense of Britney. As we reported, her estate is worth an estimated $60 million ... and Rosengart believes it should be much larger and would be but for lawyers, Jamie, Lou Taylor and others taking cuts and salaries from the estate.

As for Britney, she has her life back in full, and as you know ... the decks are now cleared for her to marry Sam, have a baby if she wants and to buy a new house -- something we know they want. We're told Britney has bad memories in the house where she's lived during the long-running conservatorship.

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wedding bells?!?
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Rosengart has put in place what he calls a "safety net" so Britney gets support on both personal and financial matters.  Her personal conservator, Jodi Montgomery, has agreed to stay on and work for Britney, and Rosengart has put a financial manager in place to protect and grow her assets.

And, TMZ broke the story ... Britney wants to get back in the studio and record music, although she has not selected a producer or the material for a new album.

We're told she has no plans to perform again ... at least at this time.

The FreeBritney folks were front and center on the courthouse steps as the hearing began. They are going nuts right now ... elated with the decision.

Originally Published -- 1:10 PM PT

Britney Spears Wants to Record Music Again ... No Plans to Perform

Britney Spears is already making plans once her conservatorship ends, and they involve recording music ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

Our sources say Britney has made her intentions clear ... she wants to go back in the studio, but there's a lot that has to fall into place before that happens. We're told she hasn't picked a producer and there are no writers tapped to pen the songs, but she wants back in the game.

We're told she has no plans -- at least for now -- to perform in Vegas or anywhere else.

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One more thing ... we're told Britney wants to take dance lessons, and toward that end ... she's already gone to a public dance studio and loved it.

Britney is waiting to hear her fate Friday ... whether the judge ends her conservatorship which has now run for 13 years. The judge in the case has 4 options -- end the conservatorship today, refuse to end it, order a medical evaluation or agree to end it but only if there are guardrails in place.

We know her personal conservatorship, Jodi Montgomery, will stay on to tend to Britney's personal needs, and her lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, has a financial advisor on board to help Brit with money matters. And, as Britney said in court back in June, she will continue with therapy.

The hearing is at 1:30 PM today and TMZ is all over it, so stay tuned.

Travis Scott Locked Away in His Home ... Giving Victims' Families Space to Grieve

Travis Scott has locked himself away in his Houston home, still devastated by the events that took place one week ago ... according to his attorney.

Ed McPherson joined "TMZ Live" Friday to talk about Travis and what happened at Astroworld. While McPherson says there's still a lot of work to be done in terms of the investigation, he remains adamant Travis had no clue as to the dire circumstances -- 8 people dead -- continued to perform.

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FOCUSED ON THE FAMILIES
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McPherson tells us Travis is devastated, especially because the tragedy happened in his hometown of Houston, and he has not left his home there since.

Travis was supposed to perform in Vegas this weekend -- a show he's since canceled -- and a petition is growing online to stop his headline event at Coachella next Spring.

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CHAOTIC CALLS FOR HELP

Ed says performing is the last thing on Travis' mind right now. He wants to give the families of the victims time to grieve, and has set up an email account through his team for them to reach out to him when they're ready. He's promised to pay funeral costs for the 9 people who died as a result of the show.

TMZ broke the story, cops were seen casually watching and recording Travis' set 25 minutes after it was reportedly declared a mass casualty event. It's hard to imagine he knew the severity of what happened in the crowd if first responders were apparently oblivious as well.

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin Man Who Went to Space with Shatner ... Dies in Plane Crash

UPDATE

3:25 PM PT -- Bezos just honored Glen with a heartfelt post on social media, remembering him as "warm and full of life."

UPDATE

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UPDATE

Jeff calls Glen's death a tragic loss and adds ... "Glen made us laugh and lit up the room. He was a visionary, and an innovator – a true leader. ... The world lost you too soon, Glen."

One of the men who went to space aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin ship -- and was joined by William Shatner on the voyage -- has died in a plane crash.

Authorities say Glen de Vries died Thursday in a small plane crash. De Vries and Thomas P. Fischer were the only two involved and killed in the crash. The plane reportedly went down in Sussex County, New Jersey ... the FAA is still investigating what happened.

Blue Origin released a statement, saying, "We are devastated to hear of the sudden passing of Glen de Vries. He brought so much life and energy to the entire Blue Origin team and to his fellow crewmates. His passion for aviation, his charitable work, and his dedication to his craft will long be revered and admired."

As we reported, Shatner was part of the second group of non-Astronauts to take flight on a Bezos-backed ship.

Captain Kirk and crew took off and landed in the Texas desert October 13. The voyage made Shatner the oldest person to go to space at 90.

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BOLDLY GOING TO SPACE
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Prior to their flight, Bezos, his brother Mark and two others had gone up in a Blue Origin test mission.

De Vries was just 49.

RIP

Originally Published -- 12:12 PM PT

Jon Gruden Sues NFL & Roger Goodell ... You Destroyed My Career!!!

Jon Gruden is accusing the NFL and Roger Goodell of conducting a "malicious and orchestrated campaign ... to destroy [his] career and reputation."

It's all spelled out in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, filed in a Nevada court on Thursday ... in which Gruden says the Goodell and the NFL obtained his private emails with his friend and former coworker Bruce Allen.

The former Raiders head coach accused the NFL and its commish of holding the emails for months ... only to leak them when they could cause maximum damage to Gruden.

Gruden characterizes this as a "soviet-style character assassination."

In the docs, Gruden points out that the NFL uncovered hundreds of thousands of emails as part of a larger investigation into sexual harassment allegations against the Washington Football Team ... but the only emails that he claims the NFL leaked are the ones that implicate Gruden.

The 58-year-old, meanwhile, says Goodell and the league have kept all of the other ones under wraps.

Gruden also claims the NFL initially only released a single email -- the one containing the reference to NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith's lips -- and immediately began pressuring the Raiders to fire him over it.

But, when the Raiders refused, Gruden claims the NFL then released a batch of other emails, saying the league "weaponized" them, and ultimately caused the Raiders to pressure Gruden into resigning.

Gruden notes in the suit that the NFL has historically tried to appear transparent, by issuing written reports on a host of past investigations, including Deflategate, the Ray Rice incident, and the harassment allegations against the Miami Dolphins.

The former coach says the leak is an attempt to distract from the NFL's failure to properly handle the sexual harassment allegations against the WFT.

Gruden is suing for unspecified damages -- including punitives -- claiming the NFL's actions caused him to lose his sponsorships and recognition (including his place in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Ring of Honor).

It should be noted -- nowhere in the documents does Gruden deny sending the offensive emails.

For its part, the NFL has denied Gruden's allegations ... saying in a statement they "are entirely meritless and the NFL will vigorously defend against these claims.”

Story developing ...

Olivia Munn Sued For Wrongful Death ... Worker Fell From Roof

A man replacing the roof at a house owned by Olivia Munn fell to his death ... and now she and her mom are being sued by his family.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Olivia and her mother, Kim Schmid, hired Celso Merida to work on replacing the roof at the home back in May, but on his 4th day on the job he fell from the roof and suffered a bunch of injuries.

The suit says the man died a couple weeks later, the cause of death was blunt force traumatic injuries.

According to the docs, Olivia and her mom hired an unlicensed contractor named Fernando, who in turn hired Merida ... and the late worker's family says Olivia and Kim were negligent in pawning things off to an unlicensed contractor.

The man's family also claims Olivia and her mom instructed him to work on the roof, even though the required safety guards and fall protection were not in place ... creating what the family claims was an unreasonable risk of injury.

Olivia actually featured the home in a 2014 project with Vogue.

According to the suit, Olivia and her mother did not give Merida the proper tools for him to work safely on the roof, and they didn't participate in a workers' compensation program.

The family is suing Olivia and Kim for wrongful death ... and going after them for damages.

We reached out to Olivia's camp ... so far, no word back.

Adele Gushes Over Rich Paul Relationship 'Incredible, Openhearted'

There's a fire starting in Adele's heart -- the singer is opening up on dating NBA super-agent Rich Paul ... saying it's the most "incredible, openhearted, and easiest" relationship she's ever been in.

The "Easy On Me" artist -- who started dating LeBron James' right-hand man this year -- detailed her new romance with Paul with Rolling Stone this week ... saying they first met on the dance floor at a mutual friend's birthday party years ago.

But, the couple didn't hit things off until June of 2021 ... and were spotted together a month later.

"I didn’t really tell many of my friends at the beginning because I wanted to keep it to myself," 33-year-old Adele said.

The couple made things official shortly after ... and have been nearly inseparable ever since.

In fact, they attended the NBA Finals in July, LeBron's wife's birthday party in August and more recently, the Los Angeles Lakers' season opener against the Golden State Warriors.

Now, Adele is happy with her new man ... and is even so comfortable with Paul, she was "proud" to introduce him to her 9-year-old son, Angelo.

While she's known for heartbreaking ballads, it sounds like some happy love songs are on the horizon.

Paris Hilton First Photos Inside Wedding Kim K, Dancing & More!!!

Paris Hilton is a married woman -- walking down the aisle and saying her "I Do's" -- with Carter Reum in a celeb-studded ceremony ... with plenty more wedding celebrations to come!

Hilton and Reum tied the knot Thursday night at Paris' late grandfather's sprawling Bel-Air estate. Paris looked stunning in an Oscar de la Renta wedding gown, and the setup was immaculate with thousands of white roses lining the aisles and a white rose arch over the couple as they exchanged vows.

Paris' sister, Nicky, served as maid of honor while Tessa Hilton, Halle Reum, Brooke Brinson, Whitney Davis and Farrah Aldjufrie were her bridesmaids. One of Paris' longtime friends, Kim Kardashian, was in attendance and helped Paris get her dress situated. Nicole Richie, who starred in "The Simple Life" with Paris was also there.

After the serious stuff, the guests were treated to a performance by Demi Lovato. BTW ... in true Paris fashion, she had 4 outfit changes throughout the night.

Speaking of over-the-top, so was the guest list, which included Paula Abdul, Kyle Richards, Bebe Rexha, Emma Roberts, Evan Ross and a ton more.

The ceremony kicks off a weekend-long worth of festivities, including a carnival-themed party at The Santa Monica Pier Friday, followed by a black and white tie event on Saturday ... so ya, there's a lot still to come.

The newlyweds got engaged on a trip to a private island to celebrate Paris' 40th back in February, but dated for quite sometime before that.

Reum marked Hilton's 4th engagement ... she never made it to the altar with any of the previous dudes -- who included actor Chris Zylka.

Of course, in true Paris fashion, the whole shindig will be profiled on an upcoming documentary.

Congrats!!!

Britney Spears Lobbies for Freedom ... With #FreeBritney Shirt!!!

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#FREEBRITNEY READY

Britney Spears is not playing her cards close to the vest ... in fact, she's wearing them on her t-shirt -- she wants out of her conservatorship, and it could happen today.

Britney and her fiance, Sam Asghari, mugs for the cam with the words, "#FreeBritney, It's a human rights movement" front and center.

It's no secret Britney wants the 13+-year conservatorship to come to an end at Friday's court hearing. That could happen, but it's by no means certain.

Terminating the conservatorship is squarely before the judge. Her attorney, Mathew Rosengart, has presented his case ... that it's incongruous for someone to be under a conservatorship who is also able to work and function day-to-day. He's also alleged a slew of misdeeds on the part of conservators and others, including Britney's dad, Jamie Spears.

The key to the hearing will be whether the judge orders a mental evaluation ... something that has been regularly done and evaluated every year of the conservatorship. Britney has made it clear, she does NOT want such an evaluation, and even Jamie Spears has done a 180 and said his daughter's conservatorship should end without such an evaluation.

The judge could still order a mental evaluation, but she's given no indication which way she's leaning.

One thing is clear ... Judge Penny is sympathetic to Britney. After the singer unloaded in court last June -- laying out in detail how the conservatorship has been torturous for her -- the judge complimented her bravery in speaking out.

The hearing is set for 1:30 PM and TMZ will be all over it.

Stay tuned ...