Controversial S#!T

Melissa Barrera está redoblando su apoyo a Palestina mientras habla de las fiestas... recordemos que la franquicia "Scream" está en ruinas.

La actriz publicó un mensaje en su Instagram el domingo, justo antes de Navidad, y de nuevo puso el foco en la guerra en Oriente Medio, que se ha cobrado innumerables vidas en este momento, sobre todo porque Israel sigue tratando de cazar a Hamás.

Ella lanzó una caricatura de Santa en su trineo pasando por un carro que transportaba cadáveres envueltos -como comentario político, sin duda- y añadió un pie de foto muy directo.

Dice: "ESPERO QUE ESTA NAVIDAD SE SIENTA... RARA. ESPERO QUE NO PUEDAS IGNORAR EL HECHO DE QUE ESTÁS CELEBRANDO EL NACIMIENTO DE UN NIÑO QUE FUE PERSEGUIDO Y ATACADO Y SUS PADRES OBLIGADOS A HUIR A EGIPTO".

Melissa continúa diciendo que exactamente lo mismo les está ocurriendo a millones de palestinos en esa misma parte del mundo, todos estos años después "son bombardeados indiscriminada e implacablemente". Termina su mensaje con un simple y contundente "FELIZ NAVIDAD".

Por supuesto, su posición no ha cambiado, pero el hecho de que esté hablando en este momento es curioso, sobre todo porque el director que iba a dirigir la nueva película "Scream" de la que fue despedida por sus puntos de vista pro-Palestina, acaba de anunciar que está dejando el proyecto también.

Christopher Landon dio la noticia el sábado, diciendo que abandonó "Scream 7" hace semanas sin explicar por qué. Lo que dijo, sin embargo, fue revelador... "Fue un trabajo de ensueño que se convirtió en una pesadilla. Y mi corazón se rompió por todos los involucrados. Por todos". Y añadió: "Espero que el legado de Wes prospere y se eleve por encima del estruendo de un mundo dividido".

Suena como que podría haber sido a causa de todo este asunto de Israel-Palestina y muchos sospechan que Jenna Ortega también, a pesar de que se citaron otras razones no relacionadas.

Kevin Spacey is back for his annual Christmas-time Frank Underwood shtick, only this time he has big news ... teasing a presidential run, and breaking it to Tucker Carlson.

The actor showed up in TC's latest X interview, which just dropped Sunday -- and yes, he's completely in character as his former "House of Cards" anti-hero for the 7-minute video. While he never outright says he's running for POTUS, he certainly suggests he just might.

Watch ... Spacey (as Underwood) says he's not above stepping into the race at this late hour, explaining that he believes the country needs someone like him during this dark time.

Tucker asks him directly if he's running, but KS stops short of outright committing to it.

Per usual, it's very bizarre ... but it is consistent, which we suppose he gets some kudos for. Spacey's been doing this whole Frank Underwood thing for a few years now -- ever since he was effectively canceled during the #MeToo movement -- and each year, it's weird as hell.

Remember, Spacey's role was nixed from the final season of 'HOC' amid his scandal ... and he's been trying to mount a comeback ever since, with not very much mainstream success.

Melissa Barrera is doubling down in her support of Palestine while speaking on the holidays -- and the timing is interesting ... considering the 'Scream' franchise is in shambles.

The actress posted a message to her Instagram Sunday, just ahead of Christmas, and it again put a spotlight on the war going on in the Middle East ... which has claimed countless lives at this point, especially as Israel continues to try and hunt down Hamas.

She threw up a cartoon of Santa on his sleigh passing by a cart carrying dead/wrapped-up bodies -- as political commentary, no doubt -- and she added a very in-your-face caption.

It reads, in part ... "I HOPE THIS CHRISTMAS FEELS... WEIRD. I HOPE YOU CAN'T IGNORE THE FACT THAT YOU'RE CELEBRATING THE BIRTH OF A CHILD WHO WAS PERSECUTED AND TARGETED AND HIS PARENTS FORCED TO FLEE OT EGYPT."

Melissa goes on to say the exact same thing is happening to millions of Palestinians in that same part of the world all these years later ... all while "they are indiscriminately and relentlessly bombed." She ends her message with a simple and blunt "MERRY XMAS."

Of course, her position hasn't changed ... but the fact she's speaking right now is curious, especially since the director who was attached to the new 'Scream' movie she was fired from over her pro-Palestine views *just* announced that he's leaving the project as well.

Christopher Landon broke the news Saturday, saying he exited 'Scream 7' weeks ago without explaining why. What he did say, though, was telling ... writing, "It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare. And my heart did break for everyone involved. Everyone." He added, "I hope Wes’ legacy thrives and lifts above the din of a divided world."

Sounds like he might've bounced over this whole Israel-Palestine issue too -- and many suspect Jenna Ortega did as well ... even though other unrelated reasons were cited.

Lil Uzi Vert says a career change is inevitable ... he's done feeling the pressure of making albums and feels a life of creating women's clothes is his new calling.

Those were Uzi's sentiments when we talked to him at Terminal 27 this week ... just a few months from the last time we spoke to him. Perhaps it was the L.A. rain, but Uzi sounded pretty somber confirming to us that "LUV Is Rage 3" will be his final album.

Uzi says he still loves making music, but has lost his love for the craft. It makes sense ... if you recall, it took tooth and painted nail to get his latest album off the ground.

He tells us construction for his clothing company's home office has already started, but it doesn't sound like his girlfriend JT will be involved in the creative direction -- Uzi says she has her own fashion brand to promote.

If Uzi's really calling it quits, it'll be at the top of his game -- he was part of two colorful No. 1 albums this year -- his own "Pink Tape" and Nicki Minaj's "Pink Friday 2" ... and he won't fully retire until they deliver a video for their "Everybody" collab.

Lil Uzi Vert dice que un cambio de carrera es inevitable, que ha dejado de sentir la presión de hacer álbumes y que siente que una vida dedicada a crear ropa de mujer es su nueva vocación.

Estos fueron los sentimientos de Uzi cuando hablamos con él en la Terminal 27 esta semana, solo unos meses desde la última vez que conversamos. Tal vez fuera la lluvia de Los Ángeles, pero Uzi sonaba bastante sombrío al confirmarnos que "LUV Is Rage 3" será su último álbum.

Uzi dice que sigue amando hacer música, pero que ha perdido el amor por el oficio. Tiene sentido. Si ustedes se acuerdan, le costó muchísimo poder ver su último álbum en tierra firme.

Él nos dice que la construcción de las oficinas de su empresa de ropa ya ha comenzado, pero no suena como que su novia JT estará involucrada en la dirección creativa. Uzi dice que tiene su propia marca de moda para promover.

Si Uzi realmente desea retirarse, lo hará en la cima de su carrera. Fue parte de dos coloridos álbumes No. 1 este año, su propio "Pink Tape" y junto al "Pink Friday 2" de Nicki Minaj, y no se retirará por completo hasta que entreguen un video para su colaboración en "Everybody".

Britney Spears has yet to get on the horn and ring up her old man to make plans for Christmas -- and at this point ... it almost feels like a family reunion ain't happening.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Jamie Spears hasn't heard from Britney whatsoever in recent days, this despite the fact that it seemed like a coming-together was possibly imminent in time for the holidays.

Alas, we're told it's been radio silence from Britney's end ... although our sources say Jamie is planning on spending Christmas with his other daughter, Jamie Lynn Spears in Louisiana.

As far as where Britney might be, or what she'll end up doing ... it's not totally clear. We know her mother, Lynne, was hopeful her daughter might fly out and spend this weekend with her -- but again, there's no indication that's happening.

It's a bit of a downer to hear -- remember, after we broke the story that Jamie had his leg amputated ... Britney posted a photo of the two of them, seemingly signaling she'd come around and make amends.

It was just a few weeks ago that Britney and Lynne were together here in SoCal -- for Brit's 42nd birthday, no less -- but that sweet reconciliation appears to have been short-lived.

Like we said, no idea on where Britney might be at the moment -- but she did just signal on social media she's still here in California ... 'cause she posted a video of herself posing in a white outfit, with a long caption recounting a story about something she saw at the gym.

On its face, it seems like she's rolling solo for Xmas ... which, if true, is a bit of a shame.

We know for a fact people in her family would love to see her, but for now ... the clock is ticking on being able to make that a reality. Granted there are still a couple days left.

Taylor Swift's loyal army of fans are coming after FKA Twigs over a perceived shot -- and it all has to do with an apparent reenactment of Kanye West's 'Famous' music video.

The indie artist posted a massive photo and video dump on Instagram the other day, recapping what she's been working on as an end-of-year tease of what's to come. It's a lot of random clips of her goofing around, as well as some snippets of her singing/recording, but one video in the mix got a double take from Swifties ... perhaps for good reason.

It features Twigs, multi-instrumentalist Eartheater and some other pals of theirs laying in a bed, with everyone looking like they're asleep. The camera angle is taken from above, and pans across everybody from left to right ... and at the end, they break character/laugh it up.

FKA didn't explicitly address the bed clip -- simply writing, "this year i have been making my album in cabs in berlin, huts in big sur, caves in ibiza, roads in hackney, i have written lyrics by lakes in prague and in the toilets of raves with a biro on the back of my hand."

On its face, it could just be a taste of a collab between herself and Earth -- and it could also be completely innocent/unrelated to Ye's 2016 song/music vid that looks awfully similar.

Unfortunately for Twigs, Swifites took offense to it ... as they seem to feel this is a dig that's mocking Ye's visual treatment -- which featured a fake nude Taylor right next to fake Ye/Kim.

Taylor herself never addressed it, but people in her camp have expressed outrage over Kanye putting her likeness in there ... and many have gone to call it a crude publicity stunt teetering on revenge porn. It was just the latest development in their longstanding feud.

Now that Twigs has seemingly referenced that old wound with a recreation, of sorts -- intentionally or not -- the Swifites are out in force in her comment section ... and elsewhere online, and they're tearing Twigs are new one with a lot of angry comments/insults.

You can hop into the FKA Twigs trend and see the discourse for yourself -- on the one hand, you have Taylor's base going to bat for their idol, but on the other ... you got FKA's army defending her as well, and labeling the Swifties a toxic and misguided bunch.

FWIW, Taylor has not spoken out on this yet ... frankly, she probably isn't even aware of it. There's been no bad blood between these two ladies either -- in fact, Twigs has spoken fondly of Taylor in the past ... but they're not necessarily good friends or anything like that.

Amber Heard fue, en efecto, marginada de la nueva película de 'Aquaman', tal como un ex jefe de Warner Bros confirmó bajo juramento el año pasado, y la verdad es que ella es apenas un personaje secundario.

"Aquaman y el Reino Perdido", la secuela del éxito de superhéroes de 2018 protagonizada por Jason Momoa, acaba de estrenarse en los cines este fin de semana y hay muy malas noticias en términos de taquilla y de críticas, pero quizás lo más interesante es el tiempo en pantalla de Heard.

Según Business Insider, Amber Heard solo aparece en cámara durante unos 20 minutos más o menos y aunque su personaje habla, apenas dice unas míseras 11 líneas, al parecer.

Business Insider dice que Amber aparece en algunas secuencias de acción al principio y al final, pero está mayormente alejada de la historia principal, a pesar de que su bebé junto a Jason Momoa, es un punto central de la trama. Algunas de las líneas que al parecer dice son también bastante risibles.

He aquí algunos de sus diálogos: "No ha habido brotes como este en años. ¿Por qué ahora?", "Asaltaron la bóveda de almacenamiento, no podemos dejar que se escapen", "¿Dónde está Jr.?", "¡No!", "Siento algo en el agua" y "Gracias." Hay otras líneas, pero también son mínimas.

En lugar de que Amber sea la protagonista, Momoa y Patrick Wilson acaban formando equipo y protagonizando la mayor parte del filme. Yahya Abdul-Mateen y Nicole Kidman también están en la mezcla.

No es de extrañar que el papel de Amber haya sido reducido, esto se remonta a 2022, cuando estaba en juicio después de que Johnny Depp la demandara. Walter Hamada, el ex jefe de Warner Bros, fue interrogado en una declaración y explicó que el estudio decidió marginarla por la falta de química percibida entre ella y Momoa, y porque querían una historia diferente.

Por supuesto, el equipo de Amber sospechaba que esto se debía a todo lo que estaba pasando con Depp en ese momento, pero el estudio lo negó. En cualquier caso, ella es una ocurrencia tardía en la película.

Una vez que Johnny Depp ganó el juicio, muchos se comprometieron a boicotear la película si ella no se retiraba de ella, pero a estas alturas, era difícil saber si el factor de Amber realmente jugó un rol en los números de taquilla a la fecha, que no son tan grandes, a pesar de ser la película número 1 en este momento.

"Aquaman 2" va camino a recaudar unos 40 millones de dólares hasta el lunes, una cifra pésima para los estándares de las películas de superhéroes. Dicho esto, liderará el fin de semana festivo, así que, ¿felicidades?

Amber Heard was indeed sidelined in the new 'Aquaman' movie -- just as an ex-WB honcho confirmed under oath last year -- and the word is ... she's barely even a side character.

"Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" -- the sequel to the 2018 superhero hit starring Jason Momoa -- just got released in theaters this weekend ... and there's a lot of bad news in terms of box office and reviews, but perhaps the most interesting is Heard's screen time.

According to Business Insider, AH only appears on camera for about 20 minutes or so ... and while she does talk in the film, it ain't very much -- just a measly 11 lines apparently.

BI says Amber shows up for a few action sequences toward the beginning and the end, but she's largely removed from the main story ... even though her and JM's movie baby serves as a central plot point. Some of the lines she reportedly delivers are also pretty laughable.

Here's some of her dialogue ... "There haven't been outbreaks like this in ages. Why now?" ... "They raided the storage vault, we can't let them get away" ... "Where's Jr.?" ... "No!" ... "I sense something in the water" ... "Thank you." There are other lines, but they're also minimal.

Instead of Amber taking center stage, Momoa and Patrick Wilson end up teaming up and leading most of the film. Yahya Abdul-Mateen and Nicole Kidman are also in the mix.

Not surprising that AH was downplayed -- that was being telegraphed dating back to 2022, when she was on trial after Johnny Depp sued her. Walter Hamada -- the ex-Warner Bros. boss -- got grilled in a deposition, and explained the studio decided to sideline her based on a lack of perceived chemistry between her and Momoa, and wanting a different story.

Of course, Amber's team suspected this was because of everything that was going on with Depp at the time -- but the studio denied that. In any case, she's an afterthought in the film.

Once JD scored his W in the trial, many vowed to boycott the film if she wasn't dropped from it -- but at this point, it's hard to tell if the Amber factor really played into the box office numbers thus far ... which aren't all that great, despite the flick being #1 right now.

'Aquaman 2' is on pace to make about $40 mil through Monday ... crappy by superhero movie standards. With that said, it'll lead the holiday weekend pack -- so ... congrats?

A North Dakota politician put his foot square in his mouth after he went on a xenophobic and homophobic rant while he was being arrested – and filmed! – for driving drunk.

Republican lawmaker Nico Rios was cruising around the district he represents in Williston the night of December 15, when police on patrol saw his car swerving and pulled him over.

The officers walked up to Rios behind the wheel and turned on their bodyworn cameras, leading to the shocking 21-minute encounter that has now gone viral.

Check out the footage ... the cops ask a series of questions to Rios who is slurring his words and getting caught in lies, falsely claiming at one point that he doesn't have an open beer bottle in his car.

Rios also gives an expired registration to the officers, who order him out of his vehicle for a field sobriety exam.

During the test, Rios becomes agitated and starts hurling threats at the officers, accusing them of "f—king picking on me" and promising they will regret it because of who he is.

Rios then rejects a request to take a breathalyzer from one of the officers, who promptly arrests him, placing him in handcuffs.

On the ride to the police station, Rios starts antagonizing the British-born officer, poking fun at his accent and claiming his country is being overrun by "f---king migrants and refugees."

In the stationhouse, Rios makes a homophobic remark to the officer, who informs his supervisor about the litany of derogatory comments from the lawmaker.

Pete Davidson has mysteriously pulled the plug on a number of his comedy shows that extend into the new year, leaving some of his fans disappointed.

The actor/funnyman nixed his performances at NYC's Beacon Theatre Friday and Saturday night. On Friday, mere hours before he was to hit the stage, the theater fired off emails to ticketholders announcing Pete wasn't going to make it and promising full reimbursement within 30 days for each show.

According to Ticketmaster, Pete also canceled his shows scheduled for December 26 through January 4 in Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Wisconsin. Several of the venues posted messages on their websites explaining that "unforeseen circumstances" led to the cancellations.

A few fans took to social media to express their disappointment after Pete was a no-show Friday at the Beacon.

One person wrote, “Was literally about to walk out the door for the pete davidson show just to see it was canceled 2.5 hours before the show started….. rip this week is not going my way."

Another complained, “Was excited to see Pete Davidson tonight but his show just got canceled."

So far, Pete hasn't said a peep about why he scrapped the shows ... but it's no secret that he has mental health issues and sometimes enters rehab to deal with his struggles.

Adam22 thinks Jack Harlow is way off with his criticism of podcasters, and thinks what Jack's really upset about is the guys talking about rap swiping attention from the guys actually rapping!!!

JH recently followed up his No. 1 smash hit "Lovin on Me" with a feature for Dave & Lyrical Lemonade's "Stop Giving Me Advice" track where he cracked on hip hop podcasters ...  "Have you ever spoken somethin' into existence?/Or do you just talk about other people's lives? ... All this unsolicited advice from the guys gettin' booked for a quarter of my price."

Jack's lyrical takedown aligns with sentiments from Drake and Lil Baby -- where they took shots at Joe Budden and Akademiks, respectively -- but Adam tells us podcasters, like himself, are exactly the type of armchair experts who need to take heed of their opinions.

Adam doesn't believe someone has to master the topic they analyze, and also agrees with the bulk of the rap community that 2023's output was fairly bland, and someone in the vein of Drake or Kendrick Lamar needs to up the ante.

Podcasting has gotten competitive and Adam notes several hip hop personalities are getting millions of views ... which would have been millions of music listens before the interview space became a hot commodity.

It's the same competitive nature that forced his beef with former "No Jumper" host AD and his manager Aceboy Pun before they jumped ship, but Adam recently buried the hatchet with those guys after tons of animosity.

He says he wants to get paid more money, not pay attention to a petty feud.

Peace and prosperity have been beneficial for all parties ... AD and Pun just celebrated with Figgumunity for the 100th episode of their "Cuhmunity" YouTube channel -- highlighted by O.T. Genasis' performance.

Tori Spelling says she's taken on a challenging task this holiday season, as the time for buying gifts is runnin' thin ... something she calls "single mom Christmas."

The actress posted on social media Friday, saying she's got 5 Xmas lists to knock out, with only 3 days left until the big day -- pointing out a nightmare for some gift-givers ... "Missed the Amazon Prime cutoff."

She says she now has no choice but to "brave the mall alone" ... adding, "Crushing this single mom Christmas."

As we reported, her ex-husband, Dean McDermott, posted about their breakup back in June ... saying they both decided to split and "start a new journey of our own." He took the post down but was still moving forward with the divorce.

Remember, there was speculation that Tori and her kids moved into an RV after they were spotted outside of a mobile home when she and Dean parted ways ... and they also briefly stayed in a motel after her place had a bunch of mold.

She's also ended up in the hospital, so it seemed to be a bit of a rough patch for her ... but Tori claimed in July that she's actually better on her own.

Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua is the biggest fight in boxing, period ... according to The Bronze Bomber, who says the two heavyweight stars are finally ready to deliver the fight fans have wanted for nearly a decade!

TMZ Sports talked to 38-year-old WIlder about the tentatively scheduled March 9 bout set to go down in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ... assuming Deontay and AJ can successfully navigate their fights this weekend against Joseph Parker and Otto Wallin, respectively.

"I'm looking forward to all this," Wilder told us. "It's a beautiful time for me."

Deontay then put the magnitude of the fight into perspective.

"Me and the Joshua talk has been something, like you said for a decade," adding ... "and that is the biggest fight in the world."

Despite the talk about AJ, Wilder (43-2, 42 KOs) knows he has to first handle Parker (33-3, 23 KOs) ... who's no average Joe. In fact, Joseph told us earlier this week that he plans on putting Deontay to sleep on Saturday.

"The only thing with words, you have to believe what you say," Wilder said in response to Parker's statement. "Now, Joseph can say what he wants but do he believe what he says?!"

"We know that when Deontay says things, he speaks it, he believes it, he receives it."

Deontay said it was a beautiful time for him ... and he's not lying. He has a ton of big things going on, including talk of a major crossover MMA/boxing event with Francis Ngannou ... something Deontay seems interested in.

"This is something I'm very serious about getting into and I wanna do," Wilder said.

2:54 PM PT -- Schneider just released another statement, saying, "Seriously, folks? This is my final comment on this. I neither said nor implied any such thing. Despite headlines claiming otherwise, in my post, I absolutely did not call for an act of violence or threaten a U.S. president as many other celebrities have done in the past. I suggest you re-read my actual post and pay attention to the words before believing this nonsense."

He continues, "It’s my position, which I am entitled to have, that some of our nations leaders in Washington have lost their way, and corruption runs rampant, both on our nation’s borders and abroad. Transparency and accountability must happen in order for our constitutional republic to survive. There is no threat implied or otherwise in that statement."

"Dukes of Hazard" star John Schneider's Twitter fingers just landed him in a whole lot of trouble ... his recent call for President Biden's execution has now caught the attention of the US Secret Service.

A rep for the SS tells us they are aware of the comments Schneider made -- when he stated Biden and his son "should be publicly hung" -- and while they don't comment on "matters involving protective intelligence," the SS "investigates all threats related to our protectees."

You don't have to read much between the lines to figure out the Secret Service will certainly have a chat with Schneider in the near future.

As we reported ... Schneider tweeted a direct response to President Biden Wednesday, writing, "Mr. President, I believe you are guilty of treason and should be publicly hung. Your son too. Your response is..? Sincerely, John Schneider."

Biden's original tweet, which triggered Schneider's response, was about former President Trump, where Biden said, in part, "Trump poses many threats to our country: The right to choose, civil rights, voting rights, and America’s standing in the world."

Unclear exactly why Schneider decided to take down his tweet, but it was gone by Thursday.

In a statement to TMZ, Schneider tells us he, specifically, didn't call for an act of violence ... instead, saying, "Seriously, folks? I said no such thing. Despite headlines claiming otherwise, I absolutely did not call for an act of violence or threaten a U.S. president."

Guess it's now up to Secret Service agents to get in touch.

Nirvana and Kurt Cobain's estate are being told nevermind when it comes to the dismissal of a child pornography lawsuit centered around a famous album cover ... 'cause the lawsuit is back on.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit revived the lawsuit Thursday, reversing a lower court's decision to toss the whole thing.

Remember ... Spencer Elden says he's the naked baby pictured on the band's "Nevermind" album cover. Of course, he's all grown up now and in 2021 he filed suit against Nirvana and Cobain's estate over the cover.

Spencer accused Nirvana of publishing child porn by using a nude photo of him on the album cover way back in 1991 ... when he was just four months old.

The suit was dismissed in September 2022 ... when a district judge in California ruled Spencer had waited too long to sue Nirvana.

Now, the appeals court says the suit can go forward because Nirvana republished the album cover in 2021 when the band re-released "Nevermind" and held that each republication of the cover may constitute a new injury to Elden ... clearing the way for Spencer to continue his lawsuit against the Seattle grunge band.