ELON MUSK Patient with Implanted Brain Chip Controls Mouse with Thought!!!

elon-musk-audio-1
PROGRESS IS GOOD
X

The first-ever human to be fitted with Neuralink's brain chip can now move a computer mouse with thought alone -- this according to the tech billionaire Elon Musk himself.

The patient was part of the neurotech startup's first human test group and received the implant last month -- with Musk telling journalist Katherine Brodsky in an X Spaces event Monday they've recovered well and the progress on what they set out to achieve "is good."

He adds the patient is suffering "no ill effects" the company is aware of ...and can apparently move the mouse up and down to drag boxes on the screen just by thinking.

Dr. Marcello Ienca SEPTEMBER 2023
ACCESSING HUMAN THOUGHTS
TMZ.com

The brain chip is called Telepathy ... and Elon previously explained it "enables control of your phone or computer, and through them almost any device, just by thinking."

The device consists of an electrode with more than 1,000 flexible conductors that can be etched into peoples' cerebral cortexes via a surgical robot. The electrodes are programmed to register thoughts related to motion in the truly groundbreaking technology -- and so far, it looks like it's doing its job!

costner_promo_kal
TMZ INVESTIGATES
TMZ Studios

Neuralink's first human trial involved a person who lost the use of his limbs ... after the FDA cleared the way for this trial back in May 2023.

Taylor Swift Her Flight Tracker Lawyers Up ... Sends Pop Star Annoying Legal Letter

Taylor Swift got a response from the college student to whom she sent a cease and desist letter for tracking her private jet on Instagram – and his words definitely don't fly with her.

On Monday, Jack Sweeney took to the social media app, X, and posted a two-page letter he sent to the pop superstar, claiming he did absolutely nothing wrong by showing her flight path to the world.

In the caption next to the January 25 missive, Sweeney quoted lyrics from Taylor's 2017 hit song, "Reputation," writing, "Look What You Made Me Do."

That must have really gone over well with Taylor after her attorney, Kate Wright Morrone, fired off a legal threat to Sweeney in December.

In her cease and desist ... Morrone claimed Sweeney was engaging in "stalking and harassing behavior" by revealing Taylor's flight information in real-time on social media. Morrone warned that if Sweeney did not stop putting her famous client's safety in imminent danger, he would be subject to further legal action.

But Sweeney and his attorney, James Slater, weren't scared off, composing their own letter and mailing it to Morrone.

022024_tmz_live_taylor_jet_kal
FIGHTING BACK
TMZ.com

Slater wrote that Morrone cited no law that supports her cease and desist, except for stalking, which does not apply since Sweeney has never made a "credible threat" against Taylor.

costner_promo_kal
TMZ INVESTIGATES
TMZ Studios

The attorney pointed out Sweeney merely uploaded publicly available data from the Federal Aviation Administration to track Taylor's plane movements.

In a nutshell, Slater said Sweeney -- a junior at the University of Central Florida – exercised his right to protected speech and has done nothing unlawful. He also noted Sweeney has posted online similar flight information for Elon Musk and some Russian oligarchs.

We'll be talking all things Taylor on the new "TMZ Swift-Tea Podcast" -- available on all podcast platforms.

Daytona 500 Huge Crash Wrecks Half The Field ... William Byron Gets The Win

022024_daytona_crash_kal
CHAOTIC CRASH
NASCAR

A massive crash marred the final laps of the Daytona 500 ... as 23 cars in total pinballed off each other in a wild mess toward the end of the famed race -- although the carnage ultimately allowed underdog William Byron to come out with the win.

The chaos happened with eight laps to go at Daytona International Speedway in Florida ... when Alex Bowman started the wreck by nudging Byron.

The bump caused Byron's No. 24 car to slide into Brad Keselowski's ... which set off a huge chain reaction of accidents.

Check out the replay from the race's broadcast ... more than half of the 40 vehicles in the field got caught up in the melee.

Somehow, Byron escaped it all unscathed ... and after another set of drivers wrecked a few moments after officials got the track all cleaned up, the 26-year-old was declared the winner.

Afterward, he celebrated like crazy ... telling reporters he couldn't believe it all was actually happening.

The race, meanwhile, was delayed a full day ... after rain forced NASCAR officials to move it from its usual Sunday start time to Monday.

While Pitbull could not perform his scheduled pre-race concert as planned ... The Rock still made it out to the festivities -- and fired up the crowd when he told the racers to start their engines.

costner_promo_kal
TMZ INVESTIGATES
TMZ Studios

Bubba Wallace finished the race in sixth place ... while fan-favorite Kyle Busch ended up 12th. Jimmie Johnson -- a two-time Daytona 500 winner -- nabbed 28th place after a wreck knocked him out early.

Adele Explains Famous Courtside Meme ... Blames NBA Film Crew!!!

021824_adele_kal
I Was Sulking

Adele finally explained why she was making such a goofy ass face at the NBA All-Star game a couple years back -- and, apparently, it all has to do with film crews defying her wishes.

The singer got into the story over the weekend at her Vegas residency and explained what's become one of the most famous Adele memes. You've seen it by now ... the camera cuts to her sitting courtside, but she's awkwardly looking around avoiding making eye contact.

Adele says an NBA film crew on hand had asked ahead of time if it'd be okay to record her during the broadcast, which she says she politely declined because she "really doesn't like being famous" and was content with her boyfriend Rich Paul doing the schmoozing.

Well, they ended up circling back and filming her anyway ... and that ticked Adele off.

Adele says that rather than engage with the camera like she was supposed to -- or how others might in the situation -- she decided to play dumb and just scan the arena, all aloof.

In terms of her very full lips -- another observation people have made about the now-viral clip -- Adele insists it's all-natural, noting she doesn't need filler. Anyway, the bigger point here is that she says she was sulking in the moment ... and expressing defiance against the NBA.

It's pretty funny that Adele thought she could go unseen/unnoticed at a star-studded event -- especially when she was seated next to the most prominent NBA agent in the league ... the dude who literally reps LeBron James and a crap ton of other high-level players.

Since then, Adele has continued to be pretty camera-shy out in public with Rich -- but when she's in her own environment in Vegas ... she's an open book, and very chatty.

costner_promo_kal
TMZ INVESTIGATES
TMZ Studios

The many shades of Adele, everyone.

Taylor Swift Dinner Down Under with Sabrina ... Two's Company in Sydney

Taylor Swift doesn't have Travis Kelce around as she continues to tour in Australia -- but she'll be far from lonely as she ramps up for Sydney ... 'cause Sabrina Carpenter is there.

The two singers grabbed dinner Tuesday at a swanky hotspot in the city's Surry Hills neighborhood -- and as you can imagine, they were surrounded by fans and paps (and bodyguards) who were following their every move into the restaurant.

Taylor was dressed pretty casually, but was rocking some wavy hair here down under ... and SC wore a red getup, while rocking a big grin as she joined her gal pal for a meal.

Sabrina's been hired to open for Taylor for the next handful of shows -- including 4 in Sydney that start up Friday ... and another batch in Singapore, where they'll jet off to next. After that, TayTay's gonna switch up her opening act yet again ... and bring on Paramore for Europe.

In other words, she's back into the swing of things ... just like she was here in the States last year before she went public with Travis and started going to all his games in the fall.

Obviously, she rode that wave all the way to the Super Bowl ... which made for some memorable snaps -- but now, it's back to reality for her ... and thus far, Travis doesn't appear to have joined her on her international leg of the tour, and it remains to be seen if he will.

Of course, T-Swift still has Kansas City on her mind ... something she proved the other day by rocking a Chiefs SB hat -- so not all is forgotten as she delves deeper into the tour.

costner_promo_kal
TMZ INVESTIGATES
TMZ Studios

The big question ... when's the next time she'll see her boyfriend, who's 9,000 miles away???

Sam Mendes Set to Direct 4 Beatles Movies ... POVs from Each Member

Major Beatles alert -- Sam Mendes will direct four different movies from each band member's perspective ... and all of them are apparently supposed to come out the same year.

The famed filmmaker was announced as being hired to helm what can only be called a massive undertaking in the movie biz -- namely, making four feature-length films ... with each one focused on a different Beatle, including Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and George Harrison.

Sony is the studio getting behind this -- they'll finance and distribute these flicks -- and not just that ... but the two living Beatles and the families of the late members are all on board.

All 4 members/their estates have given Sam and Sony the life and music rights for the respective scripted films -- and what he says he'll do is intertwine all their stories in an intricate web of storytelling to bring the band's full legendary history to life on the big screen.

The craziest part ... Sam and co. plan on releasing all 4 films in 2027, which is crazy.

BTW, a multimedia company the Beatles started way back when -- Apple Corps Limited -- is going to be a partner in producing these ... so yeah, everyone's coming together for this.

It goes without saying ... this will be the first time the Beatles, at large, are depicted in a film as a unit that wasn't a doc. In other words -- the definitive Beatles biopic(s) has arrived.

costner_promo_kal
TMZ INVESTIGATES
TMZ Studios

Don't let us down!

Donnell Rawlings Goes Ballistic on Corey Holcomb ... Laugh Factory Showdown

021924_corey_holcomb_kal_v2 02/18/24
YOU'RE MILD!!!
TMZ.com

Donnell Rawlings lost it on fellow comic Corey Holcomb at a comedy club this weekend -- and it all seems to have stemmed from an insult the latter hurled at DR.

This wild scene unfolded Sunday night at the Laugh Factory here in Los Angeles -- where Donnell went up to do a set ... and Corey went on after him when we're told he started hurling wild claims and barbs at Donnell and Dave Chappelle's expense.

021924_cory_holcomb_sub_kal
"I'M A BEAST!!!"
TMZ.com

Donnell tells TMZ he wasn't going to let Corey torch his close friend -- the two of them were on "Chappelle's Show" together back in the day -- so he confronted him over it.

That argument is what you see here on video, obtained by TMZ, with Donnell going absolutely ballistic on Corey -- whom you can hear calling DR "mild" and a lame funny man.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

You can also hear Corey questioning Donnell's street cred ... and Donnell was ready to defend himself and his rep -- which he did from the audience level, right in front of everybody. Indeed, it must've been pretty surreal to see play out live.

Now, Donnell claims another inflammatory comment that Corey made played into how angry he got -- namely, Corey allegedly saying that anyone in comedy who has 3 movies or more under their belt has had to perform fellatio on someone in the biz.

021924_corey_holcomb_chappelle_kal
TELLING IT LIKE IT IS
Corey Holcomb 5150 Show

The reason Donnell says he got as fired up -- in addition to feeling insulted and hearing his friends get insulted -- is because he has 3 movies, and he insists he's never done anything like that in his career.

022024_tv_clips_donnell_rawlings_yells_at_comedian.01_00_27_18.Still002
EXPLOSIVE ENCOUNTER
TMZ.com

BTW, this beef between Donnell, Corey and Dave runs pretty deep -- Corey recently did a podcast where he trashed DC ... and suggested he simply wasn't funny, let alone a legend.

In terms of how this ended, Donnell tells us he ended up walking away from the situation before things escalated further. However, he says he'd still like to hash things out with Corey in a more calm setting and hopefully put their differences aside.

costner_promo_kal
TMZ INVESTIGATES
TMZ Studios

We've reached out to Corey's camp for comment ... so far, no word back.

Sylvester Stallone Don't Do Your Own Stunts ... 7 Surgeries a Warning!!!

Sylvester Stallone says he doesn't advise actors to do their own stunts in the movie biz ... and 7 surgeries oughta serve as a warning -- you listening, Tom Cruise???

The legendary action star made the revelation in an upcoming episode of his Paramount reality show, "The Family Stallone," where he said he'd undergone more than half a dozen back surgeries to deal with an injury he suffered on the set of "The Expendables" back in 2010.

Basically, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin -- who's also in the movie -- was body-slamming Sly on set ... and the dude was actually absorbing the blows, going take after take after take.

He says, "I did stupid stuff. I was directing 'Expendables' and like an idiot I’m doing take ten, take whatever, and I remember one slam and I could actually feel one bang. Steve knew. I never recovered from Expendables 1. After that film, it was never physically the same."

Sly adds .. "I’ve warned people -- don’t do your own stunts."

costner_promo_kal
TMZ INVESTIGATES
TMZ Studios

SS fractured his neck and needed a metal plate inserted to stabilize things -- and as he jokingly notes ... his next role might be Quasimodo in a 'Hunchback' flick.

While he might be discussing it in jest on his show -- the injuries/surgeries are quite serious ... apparently, Sylvester's doctors have told him he might need artificial discs popped into his lower spine down the line, and his wife Jennifer Flavin says on the show it's tough on the family.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

'Boy Meets World' Will & Rider Claim Ex-Guest Star ... Twisted Child Molestation Claims

021924-Rider-Strong-Will-Friedle--new---getty-
harrowing tale
Pod Meets World

Two actors from 'Boy Meets World' say they now have a warped view of a guest star from their show ... after the guy was later convicted on a child molestation charge.

Rider Strong and Will Friedle tackled this issue head-on alongside fellow costar Danielle Fishel on their 'Pod Meets World' podcast Monday -- where they discussed Brian Peck, an actor who was convicted on child sexual abuse charges back in the early 2000s.

At the time, he was accused of molesting an unidentified Nickelodeon child actor and ended up taking a plea deal and serving over a year behind bars. He's now set to be featured in this new documentary about the ugly underbelly of Nick that's airing in March.

Welp, as it turns out ... Rider and Will say they also knew this guy back in the day since he acted on their own show a couple times -- and even though he literally only guest-starred on two 'BMW' episodes with very minor roles, the actors now say he was deeply embedded into their lives ... and it's left them feeling creeped out and uneasy all these years later.

As they look back now, Will and Rider say his eagerness to be good pals with 'em back then -- hanging out with them a lot after work, apparently -- was wildly inappropriate and weird ... but at the time, they say they didn't suspect anything.

When allegations against him first surfaced in the early aughts -- which ultimately landed him in court -- Will and Rider say they bought Peck's story of falling victim to "jail bait" ... and even went to bat for the guy as he appeared before a judge, 'cause they believed him.

They say they now realize how twisted their relationship with this guy was ... and both express shame and regret for ever affiliating themselves with him, even as young adults.

costner_promo_kal
TMZ INVESTIGATES
TMZ Studios

We've reached out to Peck for comment ... so far, no word back.

'THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS' STAR JOSHUA MORROW LISTS LUXURY L.A. PAD Multi-Million Price Tag!!!

Soap star Joshua Morrow -- famous from 'The Young and the Restless' -- is unloading his L.A. pad, and you could step into his lap of luxury if you've got a few mil lying around.

The actor has put his extraordinary 6-bedroom, 6.5-bathroom Westlake Village estate on the market for a whopping $5,250,000 ... and you can imagine, at that price, the new owner will be getting a whole lotta perks.

First, it's all location, location, location ... the 5,900-square-foot private property sits on a sprawling 1.21 acre at the end of a cul-de-sac ... nestled within the guard-gated North Ranch Country Club Estates.

The two-story floor plan boasts a super lavish kitchen with a new center island that opens seamlessly to the family room -- and that's not all, it also comes with a media and a separate bonus room for all your entertainment needs.

JM's acclaimed interior designer wife, Tobe, who owns Morrow & Co. designed the whole inside ... so, it's no surprise every inch of this home is adorned with the finest finishes.

It's not just the breathtaking inside; the grounds are something else ... there's a detached pool-house, custom pool and spa, fire pit, and massive manicured lawns. That's luxury Southern California living right there!!

costner_promo_kal
TMZ INVESTIGATES
TMZ Studios

Josh, who's played Nicholas Newman on "The Young and the Restless" since 1994, and his wife Tobe lived there together with their 4 kids.

Jordan Cohen of RE/MAX holds the listing.

Antonio Brown Owes Celeb Jeweler $1 Million ... After Failing To Fight Diamond Heist Case

Antonio Brown has been ordered to cut a high-profile jeweler a check for over $1 million ... this after he failed to fight a lawsuit that the diamond expert slapped him with last year.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Shuki International -- a world-renowned businessman who's been the jewelry guy for high-profile celebs like Floyd Mayweather for years -- sued AB back in April 2023 after he claimed the former NFL star borrowed a bunch of his prized items in 2022 but never returned them or paid for them.

In his lawsuit, Shuki said he gave AB a pair of his "Shuki International" diamond fingers -- which the jeweler said cost $500K apiece -- under the premise that Brown would eventually give them back ... or simply cough up the dough for them.

Shuki said he also handed over a rose gold black diamond version of the finger piece, a white gold chain, and a ring -- all with the same expectation.

041323-shuki-diamonds-kal 04/13/24
COMPLETELY GHOSTED
TMZSports.com

Yet the jeweler claimed Brown failed to ever return the pieces or hand over the money ... so he asked a judge to force AB to fork over $1,095,000 for it all.

And, after Brown never responded to the suit, a judge issued a default judgment for Shuki last week.

Shuki told us he attempted to reach out to Brown over the decision on Sunday ... but the ex-Buccaneers wideout never returned his call. He added that he's disappointed over the whole matter -- considering the two used to be close.

021524_antonio_brown_kal_v2 2/14/24
AB BLINGED OUT
TMZSports.com

Brown, meanwhile, was just seen out in LA with one of Shuki's diamond fingers earlier this month ... showing it off to our photog on Rodeo Drive.

costner_promo_kal
TMZ INVESTIGATES
TMZ Studios

We've reached out to a rep for Brown for comment, but so far, we've yet to hear back.

TMZ TV Recap Taylor Slams Alwyn Inadvertently ... Billie Hates TikTok, Breece Hall Airport

We're starting off the week strong at TMZ -- but not nearly as strong as our TV segments.

TMZ Live

021924_tmz_live_taylor_swift_kal
ONE LONELY LADY
TMZ.com

Kicking things off on 'TMZ Live,' Harvey and Charlie tackled what amounted to a fairly startling confession from Taylor Swift in Australia this past weekend ... namely, that she was apparently "lonely" while she was dating Joe Alwyn during the pandemic.

The admission came out during a performance, and she made it clear ... she was just with her cat during those years, which is ... alarming to say the least.

TMZ on TV

021924_tv_clips_billie_eilish_award_hating.01_01_31_19.Still002
BILLIE'S BEEF
TMZ.com

On 'TMZ on TV,' the gang talked about Billie Eilish throwing shade at TikTokers who attended the People's Choice Awards ... apparently with the feeling of, they ain't really A-listers, y'all.

Her remarks got caught on camera ... and it wasn't well-received by all the young'ns.

TMZ Sports

021924_tmz_sports_kal
COOL YOUR JETS!!!
TMZSports.com

Finally, on 'TMZ Sports, Babcock and Mojo discussed Breece Hall's unpleasant airport run-in.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Actor Anson Mount 'Memba Him?!

At 28 years old, 2002 was a career high for American actor Anson Mount who found much success on the big screen with the big dogs in Hollywood like Britney Spears in "Crossroads" and Robert De Niro in "City By The Sea".

From movies to TV shows, Anson portrayed Jim Steele on the NBC series "Conviction" back in 2006 and starred as Cullen Bohannon on the western drama series "Hell On Wheels" in 2011.

Most recently, he played Captain Chris Pike on Star Trek's "Discovery, Short Treks" and Black Bolt in "Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Madness".

Guess what he looks like now!

Actress Cocoa Brown Georgia House Burns Down ... GoFundMe Started for Help

Cocoa Brown's home burned down in a devastating fire this week -- and her friends are now coming together to help her out ... understandable when you see the extent of the damage.

The actress/comedian -- famous from "For Better or Worse," and lots of other shows and movies -- suffered a massive blow Sunday when flames overtook her entire property in Fayetteville, GA ... where she lives with her young son, Phoenix.

In terms of how this even happened, sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Cocoa believes a lit candle may have fallen into some clothes in the house -- and by the time the fire alarm went off ... CB ran to the room, but it was quickly becoming an inferno.

We're told Cocoa tried her best to put out the fire with an extinguisher she had on hand -- but the fire started overtaking the whole house ... and she had to escape while she could.

Our sources say Cocoa was able to get her kid and her pets ... and they fled the home with nothing but the clothes on their backs -- and we're told they're lucky they made it out OK.

In the aftermath ... Cocoa's loved ones have started a GoFundMe for her -- with a goal of $50,000 -- and so far, a lot of people have come out to support her during this trying time.

Cocoa is a working actress and comedian, and while she has worked A LOT -- with over 60 acting credits to her name, plus a ton of comedy specials as well -- having your house go up in flames and it becoming as damaged as it clearly did here is a major setback for her.

As the GFM rightly notes ... "Cocoa Brown has brought laughter and light to countless lives with her talent and humor. Now, it's our turn to rally around her and show our support in her time of need. Together, let's shine a beacon of hope and happiness in this time of darkness."

Here's hoping she can get back on her feet soon. 🙏

Bryce Hall To Billie Eilish Sorry I Didn't Bow Down To You at PCAs ... Response To TikTok Diss

Bryce Hall is clapping back at Billie Eilish after she was heard wondering why a bunch of TikTok stars were at the People's Choice Awards ... sarcastically apologizing for her disgust.

The internet superstar responded to Billie on, where else, TikTok ... jokingly saying he was sorry for not acknowledging her greatness or bowing down to her at the award show they both attended.

021924-bryce-hall-billie-eilish-kal
THOUGHT YOU WERE COOL
TikTok / @brycehall

As we reported ... Billie was filmed chatting with fellow singer Kylie Minogue at Sunday's People's Choice Awards when cameras caught her pointing out that there was a bunch of TikTokers in the house.

Billie was clearly not a fan of the TikTok contingent ... which included Bryce, Tana Mongeau, Chris Olsen, Gigi Gorgeous, Alix Earle and James Charles ... among others.

021924_billie_eilish_kal
TALKIN' TIKTOK SMACK

Bryce says he and the rest of his TikTok pals were invited ... so Billie should direct her anger at the folks running the PCAs instead of the TikTok generation.

The response is dripping with sarcasm ... he also wipes away a fake tear and bows to Billie.

What's more, Bryce says he was a huge Billie supporter ... but now the incident has him rethinking his fandom, and he says he's not going to be posting TikToks with her music anymore.

022024_tmz_live_billie_eilish_kal
CLAPPING BACK
TMZ.com

Billie might be OK with that, though ... but it's pretty fascinating to see mainstream celebs and TikTok personalities clashing.

Travis And Jason Kelce Address Kansas City Parade Shooting ... Urge Fans To Donate

021924_travis_kelce_kal
We Love You Chiefs Kingdom
New Heights / Wave Sports + Entertainment

Travis and Jason Kelce took a break from their usual lighthearted banter to weigh in on the tragic Kansas City shooting this week ... thanking the first responders for springing into action and vowing to help those affected.

The two NFL brothers dropped a surprise video ahead of Wednesday's "New Heights" podcast episode ... with Travis explaining it "didn't feel right" to move forward with the pre-taped show without first addressing the incident after the Chiefs' Super Bowl parade on Feb. 14 that left one dead and more than 20 others injured.

Jason said their thoughts go out to all the victims, their families and Chiefs Kingdom ... also sharing his gratitude for local law enforcement officials and all those willing to step up during the unfortunate event.

The Eagles center spoke from the heart ... saying, "One of the things that's evident is how much Kansas City is coming together and rallying around the people that have been affected by this."

He added the Kelces are currently figuring out what they can do to get involved in the recovery process ... but in the meantime, he's hoping their fans will do what they can by donating to the Chiefs' fund for victims.

Travis ended the clip ... saying, "92%ers, we appreciate you. Kansas City and Chiefs Kingdom, we love you guys. We're with you guys and we'll see you guys soon."

As we previously reported, two juveniles are going to be charged as a result of the shooting ... including gun-related charges and resisting arrest.

Travis -- as well as his girlfriend, Taylor Swift -- each donated $100k to victims of the shooting ... and Patrick and Brittany Mahomes also contributed $50k to the team's campaign.