Chrissy Teigen Twitter's Too Negative For Me ... So I'm Saying Goodbye 👋🏽

Chrissy Teigen says she's leaving Twitter for good, because the negatives outweigh the positives on the social media platform ... for her, at least.

CT just broke her silence on her Twitter exodus, and she's pretty much chalking up her exit to all the negative energy she was getting from the tweets, replies and mentions she says were filling her timeline.

Chrissy says she's not leaving because of Internet trolls, bullies or Qanon followers that love to come after her ... she says she just can't deal anymore with letting folks down or upsetting them, which she feels she did over and over again.

She says it's been exhausting scrolling through Twitter day in and day out ... and she's just over it at this point.

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NO MORE PRESIDENTIAL PRESSURE
TMZ.com

Remember ... Chrissy amassed over 13.7 million followers since joining Twitter in May 2009 and really seemed to take Twitter to heart, so much so she requested an unfollow from President Biden so she wouldn't feel so bad about tweeting profanities and being herself.

Chrissy's not leaving social media entirely, though ... she's still got her Instagram.

Goodbye Jack Dorsey, hello Mark Zuckerberg!!!

Sean Hannity Vaping On Set? Me?? Nooo!!! 😲

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SMOKIN' SEAN
Fox News

Sean Hannity's guilty of breaking the golden rule: Puff, puff, put down the e-cig before coming back from commercial break, damn it!!! But, at least it created this priceless moment.

Not since the election has the Fox News anchor been this shocked -- looks like Sean was chilling, vaping and reading something during a commercial break of his show Thursday night. Typically, someone would give him at least a 5-second heads-up before coming back live to the studio.

You can tell, Sean totally missed the warning, and then -- looking like a teen caught in his parents' liquor cabinet -- made a poor attempt to hide the evidence. All you could hear for 5 seconds was the stage manager loud whispering, "Sean!" ... trying to get his attention.

He recovered, but the worst part had to be taking some crap from Laura Ingraham when his show wrapped, and hers began.

Remember that golden rule, Sean.

LeBron James Rips 'Coward Ass' Suspect In ATL Shooting Asian-American Athletes Speak Out

LeBron James says his thoughts and prayers are with the "entire Asian community" after a gun-toting maniac went on a shooting spree in Atlanta Tuesday night, killing 8 people including 6 Asian women.

"My condolences goes out to the families of all the victims and the entire Asian community tonight on what transpired in Atlanta at the Aromatherapy Spa," Lebron said in a statement late Tuesday evening.

LeBron then tore into the shooting suspect -- 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long -- calling him a "Coward a** young man!!"

Bron continued, "Just senseless and tragic!!"

Officials say Long opened fire at Young’s Asian Massage Parlor in Cherokee County, Georgia -- killing 4 people and injuring 1 more.

Then, officials say Long went to the Gold Massage Spa where he killed 3 more people.

Finally, Long allegedly went across the street to the Aromatherapy Spa and killed one more person.

In total, 8 people are dead including 6 Asian women.

Officials captured Long Tuesday night by using a pit maneuver on his SUV to stop his car.

He's since been taken into custody and charged with murder.

Investigators have neither confirmed the motive behind the shooting or confirmed if it was racially motivated.

After the incident, NBA star Jeremy Lin -- who's been speaking out against anti-Asian racism for years -- also weighed in saying, "This is sooo heartbreaking ... praying for our world."

"To my Asian American family, please take time to grieve but know youre loved, seen and IMPORTANT. We have to keep standing up, speaking out, rallying together and fighting for change. We cannot lose hope! #StopAsianHate #NOW."

Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo also released a statement Wednesday ... saying he's "deeply saddened" by the tragedy ... and went into detail about his own experiences with racism.

"As an Asian American, I have heard the jokes and name calling," Koo said. "I often dealt with it by ignoring what was said and minding my own business."

FYI -- Koo was born in South Korea but was raised in the United States.

He continued ... "I don’t have all the answers, but I realize now more than ever that this is an issue that needs to be addressed and that ignoring it won’t help us do that."

Koo says he hopes to bring awareness to all forms of racism ... and will do whatever it takes to prevent hate crimes.

Yo-Yo Ma Performs Concert at COVID Clinic ... After Receiving Second Dose

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JAMS FOR JABS
Berkshire Community College / Facebook

Yo-Yo Ma decided to do what he does best to celebrate COVID immunity ... he played his cello for those right behind him.

The famed musician received his second dose at Berkshire Community College in Massachusetts Saturday and you could call this bookends.

Exactly a year ago Yo-Yo Ma posted a recording of himself playing music with the hashtag, @Songs Of Comfort. This was posted at a time of fear, and now there are signs of hope.

It's interesting ... there are other clinics administering the vaccine where music is everywhere.  Doctors say it's calming for people who are anxious about getting the vaccine. Some clinics actually encourage dancing ... making the atmosphere friendly and celebratory rather than scary.

As for Yo-Yo Ma's latest performance ... as one State Representative said, it brought "hope and optimism through his beautiful music."

Fox News Host Greg Gutfeld 'I Gotta Pee' Song ... Funny Hot Mic Moment

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BATHROOM BLOOPER
FOX News

Fox News host Greg Gutfeld really had to use the bathroom, so he broke out in song about his need to relieve ... his bladder, and he did it live on the air.

Ya gotta see the hilarious moment ... Greg's on camera during "The Five," and his mic is hot as he starts singing about having to pee. It seems he doesn't realize they're back from commercial, and although his colleagues try to alert him ... oops!!!

Turns out, he had reason to sing ... after the fact he tweeted confirmation of what went down as soon as he got off-camera.

Greg is known for a segment about litter boxes, and his co-hosts cracked a few jokes about him needing one himself.

Funny stuff all around ... try not to laugh so hard you pee yourself.

Meghan Markle I'm No Bully ... She Denies Claims, Royal HR Team Investigating

UPDATE

10:45 AM PT -- The Queen's people say they are "clearly very concerned" about the allegations against Meghan ... and the HR team's looking into them.

UPDATE

According to Buckingham Palace ... staff members, current and former, involved at the time of the alleged bullying outlined in reports "will be invited to participate to see if lessons can be learned."

UPDATE

It adds that the Royal Household "does not and will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace."

Meghan Markle says she knows what it's like to experience bullying, but denies dishing it out ... something Kensington Palace staff have accused her of doing.

According to a spokesperson for Meghan and Prince Harry ... "The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself."

The spokesperson says Meghan's "deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma" and is "determined to continue her work building compassion around the world and will keep striving to set an example for doing what is right and doing what is good."

All this comes in response to UK reports Tuesday the Duchess faced a bullying complaint in October 2018 -- made by her former communications secretary, Jason Knauf.

Meghan allegedly drove 2 personal assistants out of her household with her treatment, undermined the confidence of another worker and would occasionally reduce staff to tears ... according to the reports.

A report from The Times also claims that during a trip to Fiji in 2018, Meghan wore earrings that were a wedding gift from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia ... the same man who has been accused of allowing the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan called the recent bullying report a "calculated smear campaign" by Buckingham Palace against the couple, and said it was no coincidence the report came out just days before their sit-down with Oprah.

A royal source reportedly told MailOnline the recent allegations were in no way an orchestrated attack, and that aides are currently focused on the declining health of Prince Philip.

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A SIT-DOWN WITH OPRAH
CBS

Despite what The Palace has said, it's hard not to question the timing of everything -- Meghan and Harry's potentially explosive sit-down interview with Oprah about dealing with the Royal Family and the British media is set to air Sunday.

The Duke and Duchess also recently made it official they will not be returning to their roles as senior royals after stepping back from their duties last year.

Originally Published -- 6:36 AM PT

Dr. Seuss 6 Books No Longer Published ... Due to Racist Imagery

Dr. Seuss books have been beloved by children and adults for generations, but 6 of them will no longer be published because they are racially offensive ... according to the business that preserves the author's legacy.

Dr. Seuss Enterprises says these 6 Seuss books -- including "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street" and "Scrambled Eggs Super!" -- "portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong."

The company says it made the decision to cease sales on these books -- which also include "If I Ran the Zoo," "McElligot’s Pool," "On Beyond Zebra!" and "The Cat’s Quizzer" -- after consulting with educators and reviewing its catalog.

The announcement was made on Tuesday, March 2 -- Dr. Seuss's birthday -- though the decision was made last year. The move comes as President Biden also omitted mention of Dr. Seuss on Read Across America Day ... which is held annually on the author's bday.

Dr. Seuss -- born Theodor Seuss Geisel -- has come under increased scrutiny over the years as his history of racist and anti-Semitic work has been uncovered. A study of 50 Seuss books in 2019 found 43 of 45 characters of color had characteristics aligning with "Orientalism" and 2 "African" characters had anti-Black qualities.

Of the 6 books being pulled ... "The Cat's Quizzer" and "If I Ran the Zoo" were cited in the study specifically for examples of Orientalism and white supremacy.

Amazon Fixes App After Design Furor ... Did Nazi Mustache Mistake

Amazon's done some much-needed trimming to its new app icon after users noticed it looked a lot like a very infamous mustache -- Hitler's.

The company just made a rather simple but effective fix to the new design, which was updated in January from the longtime blue shopping cart logo to a brown cardboard box-colored icon.

The new icon featured its well-known smiling arrow with a piece of blue tape -- resembling one of its packages -- but problem was ... people thought the serrated edge of the tape looked like a Hitler-esque mustache.

Obviously, Amazon had no choice but to correct this major design flaw ... so the blue tape's is flat now, with a corner folded back. Looks more like an innocuous nose now.

Hopefully, innocuous ... said the Amazon design team.

Angelina Jolie Sells Her Churchill Original Painting For $11.5 Million!!!

Angelina Jolie has parted ways with a very unique painting by one Sir Winston Churchill ... fetching her a whopping $11.5 million at auction.

Christie's in London sold the Moroccan landscape painting Monday for a cool $11,590,715. The actress, who along with Brad Pitt bought it in 2011, had a rare piece of art ... it's believed to be the only wartime painting by the legendary Prime Minister of Great Britain.

The story goes ... Churchill painted the "Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque" after the January 1943 Casablanca Conference, where he and President Franklin D. Roosevelt planned how to defeat Nazi Germany. Churchill gave FDR the painting as a memento.

The painting itself's a beaut ... depicting a 12th-century mosque in Marrakech at sunset. The Atlas Mountains serve as the picturesque backdrop. The painting was later sold by Roosevelt's son after FDR died in 1945. The painting then went through several owners before Brad and Angelina got their hands on it.

It's unclear who bought the painting. BTW ... the $11.5 million price is a new record for a Churchill original ... smashing the previous record of around $2.5 million.

'I-5 Strangler' Roger Kibbe Found Dead in Prison ... Lying Next to Cellmate

Roger Reece Kibbe -- one of America's most notorious serial killers -- was found dead in the prison cell he shared with another inmate ... and authorities say it could be homicide.

Kibbe, infamously known as the 'I-5 Strangler,' was found lying unresponsive in his California state prison cell around 12:40 AM Sunday ... and law enforcement says his cellmate, Jason Budrow, was standing next to the body.

Kibbe's body was transported to the prison's health care facility, but life-saving measures were unsuccessful and by 1:23 AM he was pronounced dead ... according to authorities, who say they are launching a homicide investigation.

81-year-old Kibbe was serving multiple life sentences at Mule Creek State Prison after pleading guilty to raping and murdering 7 people, with some of the killings dating as far back as the 1970s.

The cellmate is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder.

George Floyd Murder Trial Courthouse Barricaded ... Barbed Wire, Fencing, Etc.

The courthouse where Derek Chauvin will be tried for murdering George Floyd looks like the same fortress that's around The U.S. Capitol right now ... heavily reinforced to block out the general public.

Construction crews have been hard at work over the past week fortifying downtown Minneapolis with de facto forcefields, including areas where protests and unrest are expected as Chauvin's murder trial gets underway in the coming weeks.

The blockade's going up around the Hennepin County Courthouse, the Minneapolis City Hall building and the Hennepin County Jail -- and it includes concrete barriers, non-scalable fencing and barbed wire down below.

The precautions aren't too surprising considering the City Council just carved out a piece of their budget to hire 6 social media influencers to help spread their message during the trial as well.

City Council members say it's only meant to help spread information more readily and to as many people as possible, but many see it as a PR tactic to help control the narrative.

As for the new exterior look -- we know that's not the only thing that'll be different in this case. The inside of the courthouse got a COVID-safety facelift that includes lots of plexiglass installments.

Jury selection is set to begin March 8, and opening arguments are expected toward the end of the month.

Travis Scott Cactus Jack Does it Again ... Huge Crowd at WeHo Pop-Up!!!

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GATHER 'ROUND
BACKGRID

Travis Scott's whipped up another frenzy over the launch of one of his new projects ... this time it went down in front of a newsstand.

The rapper surprised fans Tuesday by announcing a pop-up shop in WeHo to promote his new "i-D Magazine." As you can see ... it drew a HUGE crowd clamoring to see him, and maybe get an autograph.

Eventually, Travis had to be escorted from his excited fans by security to his getaway ride ... but not before hyping them up one more time.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

The shop was apparently selling limited edition Cactus Jack merch to go with the 'Utopia Issue' magazine collab with Spike Jonze and Robert Rodriguez.

As you may recall ... Travis was promoting another one of his Cactus Jack projects -- a combo meal at McDonald's -- back in September when he drew another massive crowd that nearly mobbed him before he was whisked away.

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McMOBBED

He was ultimately fined a couple hundred bucks for that incident -- which was clearly not COVID-safe -- and it looks like he was willing to risk getting into more trouble to pull off this WeHo stunt.

COVID-19 U.S. Deaths Surpass 500,000

COVID-19 has claimed an astonishing number of American lives -- surpassing half a million Sunday -- more than we lost on the battlefield in three combined wars.

Compare the numbers .... there were 291,000 American deaths in WWII. There were 47,434 American battle deaths during the Vietnam War. There were 33,739 American battle deaths in the Korean War.

Compare those numbers to COVID ... as of this post 502,000 Americans have died, and the numbers keep going up. Despite the vaccines, some doctors and scientists believe there could still be a new, devastating wave of deaths because of highly-transmissible variants.

The good news, of course -- the vaccines are going into arms at a rapid pace .... lately around 1.5 million per day. Still, we are nowhere close to vaccinating enough people to achieve herd immunity. Around 70% of Americans -- possibly even more -- must be vaccinated to achieve that goal.

As you know ... there's a lot of skepticism over the vaccine for various reasons. Some people think it was rushed, and others -- especially African-Americans who endured shocking abuse in the disgraceful Tuskegee experiment -- just don't trust it or the government when it comes to vaccines.

There has been a slew of stories about the vaccines, suggesting they may not be effective as variants arise ... and lots of people resistant to the vaccines seem to be saying, what's the point?

In any case, we've lost more than half a million Americans to COVID.

RIP

'SNL' Michael Che Called Out Over Jewish Joke Critics Blast Him for Anti-Semitism

UPDATE

12:55 PM PT -- The Conference of Presidents -- a coalition that speaks on behalf of several Jewish orgs, including the Anti-Defamation League -- put out a strong statement against Che's joke.

UPDATE
UPDATE

They say Israel's vaccination rollout is being distributed equitably, regardless of gender, race, or religion ... and their efforts have included Palestinians living in the area too. COP goes on to say that what Che did was piling on to anti-Semitic tropes, which they find deeply troubling.

"Saturday Night Live's" Michael Che is getting dragged for what some are calling an anti-Semitic joke.

Che was at the anchor desk for "Weekend Update" Saturday night, when he quipped that half the folks in Israel have already gotten the COVID vaccine, adding, "I'm going to guess it's the Jewish half."

True enough ... Israel's faced criticism for not yet inoculating around 100,000 Palestinians who work in Israel. That said, Che did not say the Israeli half was vaccinated ... he said the Jewish half. By saying that, he made it about religion, not the government.

Fact is ... Israel is inoculating Jews, Arabs and Christians. They were slow on the uptake with Palestinians, but they're correcting that.

Twitter went crazy after Che dropped the joke, calling him out, but he has yet to address it.

Originally Published -- 12:58 PM PT

NASA Mars Rover Sticks Landing ... Time To Explore!!!

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TOUCHDOWN CONFIRMED!
NASA

NASA's Mars rover landed safely on the Red Planet ... and its 293-million-mile journey is just beginning.

The Perseverance rover touched down at 12:56 PM PT Thursday, and quickly sent back the mission's first image from Mars' surface. As you can see, there's lots of dirt, dust and rocks.

NASA's mission control cheered and fist-bumped from California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory when the rover survived the landing ... a fun payoff after tons of hard work. Normally there would be bear hugs, but the celebration was spaced out and masked up.

Perseverance blasted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral way back in July, and now it's set to start exploring Mars' Jezero Crater in search of signs of ancient life. The crater is the site of an ancient lakebed, which scientists say is loaded with the remains of long-dead microbes.

The SUV-sized spacecraft even brought a small helicopter along for the first time ever, so more space history is on the way. When the chopper takes flight later on in the mission, it will be the first such flight on another planet.

Gotta love science!!!

Kodak Black Honors Parkland Victims on Anniversary ... Unveils Scholarship for Meadow Pollack

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MAKIN' AN IMPACT
TMZ.com

Kodak Black visited Marjory Stoneman Douglas High on the third anniversary of the deadly mass shooting there ... and he came bearing gifts of education.

The rapper was in Parkland, FL Sunday for a memorial to honor the 17 victims claimed during the 2018 shooting rampage -- with upwards of 100 guests in attendance, including the Mayor and other town officials. Kodak was there for Meadow Pollack -- one of the students killed.

Kodak's attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells us KB was Meadow's favorite recording artist -- something he caught wind of and wanted to commemorate her with a scholarship in her name.

We're told Kodak established a $100k scholarship fund in Meadow's memory at the Nova Southeastern University Law School, for students wanting to study justice reform. That's where her brother, Hunter, is attending. Of course, Hunter was also at the ceremony, front and center.

Check out the video of Kodak discussing his intentions, and the warm reception he receives afterward ... not to mention a hug from Hunter. They later walked up to a table together to light a candle for the Parkland victims -- it's pretty moving to see up-close.

Kodak seems to have a whole new attitude these days -- a charitable and uplifting one -- since being released from prison early ... after President Trump commuted his sentence.