TMZ.com Home

Turns out the Wisconsin teen school shooter may have had a partner in crime -- a California man has been detained for allegedly planning a mass shooting at a government building in a coordinated attack with her.

According to a gun violence restraining order obtained by San Diego's CBS 8, 20-year-old Carlsbad resident Alexander Paffendorf is accused of exchanging messages with Natalie Rupnow about opening fire at a local government building ... while she attacked the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison on Monday.

The emergency restraining order from the Carlsbad Police Department states, "During an FBI interview, Paffendorf admitted to the FBI agents that he told Rupnow that he would arm himself with explosives and a gun and that he would target a government building."

The first trailer for James Gunn's "Superman" finally arrived ... and it does not disappoint.

Packed with action, Clark Kent and some Lois Lane lovin', plus a ton of action -- fans were immediately freaking out with joy.

David Corenswet dons the red cape this time ... and from the way the trailer opens with a bloodied and beaten Superman -- seems he has his work cut out for him.

The French rape trial that's captured the world's attention has come to a close ... with the accused, Dominique Pelicot, being found guilty and hit with a hefty prison sentence.

A French court brought down the maximum 20 years in prison sentence for Dominique on Thursday, after he was found guilty on all charges brought against him in the case ... where he was accused of repeatedly drugging, raping, and inviting dozens of others to rape his wife, Gisèle Pelicot, while she was unconscious.

Dominique, who is currently 72 years old, could easily spend the rest of his life in prison given the lengthy sentence.

Move over, Santa ... Patrick Mahomes is winning Christmas these days in Kansas City -- he just dropped a treasure trove of gifts on his teammates for the holidays!!

The quarterback unloaded a Yeti cooler full of goodies for the offensive linemen who have kept him upright throughout most of this season -- and it's clear, he spared no expenses.

The guys got Rolexes, Oakley sunglasses, Lucchese boots and a pair of Normatec recovery leg sleeves. They also got some Whoop bands -- and some even appear to have been gifted an item or two from Louis Vuitton as well!

Luigi Mangione -- the suspected murderer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson -- has more headaches to contend with because he's reportedly facing federal charges.

According to the New York Times, Mangione was hit with the federal criminal case from prosecutors in the Southern District of New York in connection with the fatal shooting of Thompson in Manhattan on December 4.

As we reported ... Mangione had already been indicted on 3 state murder charges and other serious crimes brought by prosecutors in the Manhattan D.A.'s Office. Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg says 2 of the murder counts are considered acts of terrorism.

The NYT says as of now the federal charges are unclear ... but once a possible indictment is unsealed, SDNY prosecutors could pursue the death penalty, which was abolished in New York state in 2007, yet it remains on the books on the federal level.

Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, issued a statement. “The federal government’s reported decision to pile on top of an already overcharged first-degree murder and state terror case is highly unusual and raises serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns,” the statement said. “We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought.”

Mangione will appear in a Pennsylvania courtroom Thursday morning for a hearing in which he's expected to waive extradition to NYC to face the state charges.

Real Housewives of Potomac star Karen Huger has been found guilty of DUI and other crimes months after she crashed her car in Maryland.

A jury convicted Huger on 7 of 8 charges prosecutors brought against her, including driving under the influence, negligent driving, failing to control her vehicle’s speed to avoid a collision, and failing to notify authorities of a change of address.

Huger dodged a conviction on a reckless driving charge during her Montgomery County trial Wednesday ... but she now faces up to 2 years in prison when a judge sentences her on January 29.

Whitney Cummings says the support for Luigi Mangione makes a ton of sense ... because Americans love a good murderer.

We got Whitney in New York City and our photog asked her if it was too soon to make jokes about the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, in which Luigi is accused of pulling the trigger.

Whitney says it's never too soon to joke about anything, especially murderers in America ... because our country makes celebrities out of killers.

The student and teacher who were killed earlier this week in a horrific school shooting in Wisconsin have been identified.

According to The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office ... 14-year-old student Rubi Patricia Vergara and 42-year-old teacher Erin West died in Monday's shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison.

The medical examiner says Erin and Rubi "died as a result of homicidal firearm related trauma." The M.E. says their deaths remain under investigation by police and the medical examiner.

Tee Higgins says he's hasn't seen a change in Joe Burrow's demeanor despite the scary break-in at his place earlier this month ... telling TMZ Sports the QB "is handling it really well."

Burrow's Cincinnati pad, of course, was burglarized back on Dec. 9 -- while he was in Texas playing in a "Monday Night Football" game against the Dallas Cowboys.

The situation was disturbing -- as one of his windows was found smashed ... while one of his bedrooms was discovered ransacked. To make matters worse, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Olivia Ponton was on the scene -- creating more worries and questions for Burrow.

American actor De'voreaux White was in his early 20s when he played Argyle -- the jolly and chatty limousine driver transporting John McClane -- in the action/thriller Christmas film "Die Hard" back in 1988.

De'voreaux shared the big screen with Bruce Willis as the NYPD detective heading to his estranged wife's holiday party, John McClane, Bonnie Bedelia as John's wife and high-ranking executive, Holly Gennaro-McClane, and Alan Rickman as the cruel terrorist who breaks into the Nakatomi Plaza in attempt to steal $640 million in bonds.

Argyle was also in "The Jeffersons," "Little House on the Prairie" and "Places in the Heart."

TMZ may collect a share of sales or other compensation from links on this page.

Pop the champagne ... because it's time to say goodbye to 2024!

With a week and a half until New Year's Eve, there's still time to get all stocked up on party favors for that big year-end bash. From hats, glasses and tiaras to confetti poppers, champagne flutes, games and more, here's everything you need to throw the perfect celebration to ring in 2025.

It's up to you to find someone to kiss at midnight.

Planning a huge bash? This is the New Year's Eve set for you.

Cheryl Hines has thoughts about that pic of her famously health-conscious husband, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., digging into some McDonald's with President-elect Donald Trump.

We caught up with Cheryl Wednesday in Bev Hills, and asked her about a potential move to Washington, D.C. ... now that Trump's made RFK Jr. his nominee for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Our photog brought up the elephant in the room, wondering if CH is at all worried Trump's eating habits -- a passion for fast food and well-done steaks with ketchup -- will rub off on Robert.

Tory Lanez is firing back at Megan Thee Stallion as she seeks a restraining order against him ... and his legal team says she's not to be believed.

The rapper's legal team tells TMZ ... "Megan's claim that Tory filed legal docs to undermine her new Amazon Prime documentary is 'ridiculous.'"

Instead, Tory's legal team says the timing of the legal filing Meg is referencing had nothing to do with the release of her documentary and was filed simply to comply with legal deadlines.

Timothée Chalamet had a very special surprise guest at a screening for his new Bob Dylan movie ... and it was Tom Cruise!!!

The legendary actor dropped in on Timothée over in the United Kingdom for Tuesday's debut of Chalamet's new movie, "A Complete Unknown," at the Ham Yard Hotel in London, England

Tom and Tim shook hands and posed for some photos together ... in one shot of just the two of them, Tom is pointing at Tim and has one hand over his shoulder.

Britney Spears took her dancing to new heights, going harder than ever in one of her most intense performances yet -- so wild, you might need a second pair of eyes to keep up!

In an IG clip shared Wednesday, the bikini-clad singer treated fans to a high-energy mix of her signature moves -- butt slaps, thumbs in her underwear, chaotically strutting up to the camera, and twirling so fiercely she nearly loses her balance.

Her routine, filmed during her Mexican getaway, also introduced us to some fresh moves -- think unique hand shapes, a surprise stuffed animal cameo, and, of course, some intense body contortions.

Taylor Swift and her pals know style ... dressing up in honor of the pop star at an "Eras" tour-themed party -- with Brittany and Patrick Mahomes paying homage to a viral moment.

Mrs. Mahomes posted several photos from the party to her Instagram just about an hour ago ... showing off her silver outfit covered in fringe -- clearly an interpretation of T-Swift's own outfits on tour.

Brittany had Patrick dressed up too ... black tux with a white undershirt and bow tie -- complete with a black top hat hanging off his thick curls.