News

A Virgin Atlantic flight that was supposed to leave the UK never took off after passengers spotted a potential safety hazard ... which makes up the nuts and bolts of this story.

Here's the deal ... last week, this VA plane that was due to depart from Manchester to New York -- but before it could even get on the runway, eagle-eyed guests onboard noticed something was amiss on one of the wings outside, and they flagged it to the staff.

Basically, they thought they saw some screws missing -- and as it turns out, there were, in fact, four missing fasteners that needed to be attended to by a maintenance worker.

That's the video you're seeing here ... the guy is literally drilling in the fasteners/bolts that had apparently fallen off -- and as you can imagine, everyone onboard was shocked by this apparent oversight. Now, in terms of the safety of all this ... VA insists nobody was at risk.

An Airbus rep clarified to TMZ Monday that the missing fasteners/bolts were actually part of a panel on the plane that only affected the aerodynamic levels of that specific piece -- and did NOT have any impact on the integrity of the aircraft at large.

Virgin Atlantic tells us, "The VS127 from Manchester to New York JFK on 15 January, operating on an Airbus A330, was canceled to provide time for precautionary additional engineering maintenance checks, which allowed our team the maximum time to complete their inspections. The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority and this was not compromised at any point."

The Airbus company that actually handles the plane itself tells us there are actually 119 fasteners on this part of the plane -- and notes the 4 missing ones wouldn't have made the flight any more dangerous ... with that said, they made sure it underwent additional maintenance just to be safe -- and they also note the fasteners were replaced.

Oakland residents will soon have to travel a little further for their double-double and animal-style fries ... cause their local In-N-Out Burger is shutting its doors over increased crime.

Chief Operating Officer Denny Warnick says a surge in car break-ins, property damage, theft, and armed robberies are just a few of the reasons the fast food joint's closing its only Oakland location after nearly 2 decades in business.

He also says this wasn't an overnight decision ... they made persistent attempts to create safer conditions for employees and customers, but all came up short.

Basically, they couldn't keep encouraging their clientele to visit high-risk places.

As for the staff at the burger joint, they'll be able to transfer to other branches or receive a severance package.

Justin Timberlake se subió al escenario en su ciudad natal de Memphis el viernes por la noche para mostrar su nueva canción "Selfish", y la multitud se volvió loca cuando los videos del concierto aparecieron en las redes sociales.

El actor y músico nacido en Tennessee actuó durante 90 minutos frente a más de 1.800 fans en el Orpheum Theater, en una actuación que trae un anticipo de su próximo disco "Everything I Thought It Was", el sexto de su carrera.

Como informamos, Justin había presentado los documentos para registrar el nombre del álbum, lo que indicaba que la música fresca estaba en el horizonte.

En cuanto a la actuación, echa un vistazo a las imágenes de Justin bailando sobre el escenario con la banda. Después de beber un trago de su botella de agua, Justin empieza a bailar con el público, que lo graba con un móvil.

En un momento dado, Justin se dirige a un fan que parece tener problemas con el teléfono y lo ayuda a arreglarlo. En otro video, el artista aparece cantando la canción que todo el mundo esperaba "Selfish" con la cara empapada en sudor.

Justin terminó el espectáculo dando las gracias al público de Tennessee y despidiéndose con la mano antes de salir del escenario. Al final del concierto, el equipo de Justin publicó un tráiler de su sexto álbum, que está narrado por el actor Benicio Del Toro.

Solo algunos antecedentes, la especulación de que Justin estaba a punto de lanzar nuevas canciones se había puesto en marcha desenfrenadamente el último tiempo, antes de que anunciara el concierto en Orpheum, que apodó "One Night Only".

Justin Timberlake hit the stage in his hometown of Memphis Friday night to showcase his new song "Selfish" -- and the packed crowd went wild as videos of the concert surfaced on social media.

The Tennessee-born actor/musician performed for 90 minutes in front of over 1,800 fans at the Orpheum Theater in great anticipation of the release of his upcoming sixth record called "Everything I Thought It Was."

As we reported, Justin filed docs to trademark the album name, signaling fresh music was on the horizon.

As for the performance ... check out the footage of Justin dancing out onstage to the band playing his music. After taking a swig from his water bottle, Justin starts grooving to the sounds with the audience members who are shooting cell phone videos of him.

At one point, Justin turns to a fan who appears to be having some phone trouble and helps him out with his glitch. In another clip, Justin sings the song everyone's been waiting for -- "Selfish" -- while his face is dripping with sweat.

Justin ended the show by thanking the Tennessee crowd and waving goodbye before walking offstage. At the end of the concert, Justin's camp posted a trailer for his sixth album, which was narrated by actor Benicio Del Toro.

Just a little background ... speculation had run rampant recently that Justin was about to drop some fresh tuneage before he announced last week the Orpheum concert, which he dubbed, “One Night Only."

Bill Maher is back for a new season, and he came out swinging against both the left and right extremes, saying both sides are so crazy they meet the standard for involuntary commitment.

The "Real Time" host bore down on both extremes Friday night, proclaiming 2024 as the year of sanity. He says enough of the extremes getting all the attention. And then, he gave them some attention, but clearly not the kind they want.

Bill went in hard on the right, noting the leading Republican candidate is kind of dictator. On the left, he noted 3 university presidents could not bring themselves to squarely condemn calls for the genocide of Jews. As BM says, "Can't anyone say f**k no?!?"

He scoffs at folks who are supporting Hamas, especially those Hamas would kill because of their views, race, sexual orientation, etc. Bill says people who are supporting causes that would ultimately kill them meet the standard for involuntary commitment ... i.e. a danger to themselves.

And speaking of extremes ... a Lululemon employee was fired for getting a shoplifter arrested, and Trump wants to shoot shoplifters. As Bill says, why can't we just find a middle ground?

'King of Kong' star Billy Mitchell is keeping score after Twin Galaxies reinstated his historical records ... after a multi-year dispute over cheating allegations.

Billy tells TMZ ... he's satisfied and relieved with the recent resolution in his defamation case against the video game database ... nearly 6 years after they suggested he fabricated his Donkey Kong record through an emulation software, banned him, and wiped his scores from their site.

He tells us when the investigation and claims began in 2018, his first order of business was going back to the arcade and beating all the scores, which he did.

For some people this wasn't good enough, so now that his name is cleared, he is going to get back to what he enjoys doing, which is playing games, breaking records, attending events, and being an ambassador for competitive gaming.

Billy's happy his history has finally been restored -- but doesn't get why people were trying to rewrite it in the first place ... especially 'cause Twin Galaxies ain't as relevant as it used to be, according to him.

"The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" was a 2007 documentary about competitive arcade gaming that followed Steve Wiebe attempting to take down Billy's high score record in Donkey Kong. Following the success of the documentary, he was told there was talk of a feature film with Tom Cruise and Jim Carrey being eyed as the lead.

As for now, Billy's taking the onslaught of movie offers his way seriously ... after putting them on the back burner while his defamation case raged on.

Billy's lead counsel, Anthony Ellrod tells TMZ... “This was an extremely hard fought case, and I am happy that the parties were ultimately able to resolve it. Cases like this where an individual’s credibility and veracity are at stake are very difficult to resolve short of trial. I credit the hard work of all parties and counsel in reaching a settlement.”

Suspected serial killer Rex Heuermann allegedly has a twisted internet search history ... but his lawyer says everyone Googles weird crap, and it doesn't make him a murderer.

Heuermann -- the alleged Gilgo Beach killer -- had his alleged internet search history revealed in new court documents, with prosecutors saying he was looking up autopsy photos, violent hardcore porn and deviant sex acts.

But his lawyer, Michael Brown, is pushing back ... telling reporters this week, "Searching the internet, ask yourselves what you search on your computers and your phones."

Brown brushed it off this way ... "One thing leads to another -- you see a show about something, you start searching, and they talk about how somebody got killed. You start searching, and then they talk about another way, and you start searching."

Prosecutors claim Heuermann's Google searches included ... "tied up fat girl porn," "medieval torture of women," "skinny black girl slave porn," "autopsy photos of female," "wooden pony porn," "skinny white teen crying porn" and "how I was raped audio" ... just to name a few.

What's more, Heuermann allegedly had over 200 searches about the Gilgo Beach murder case and other known serial killers.

But his lawyer says ... "Think about if they looked at your own personal search history, how all of a sudden you're guilty because of your search history?”

As we reported ... earlier this week Heuermann was hit with a fourth murder charge.

All four women worked as escorts near his home on Long Island ... and his internet history allegedly includes searches for all kinds of escorts -- running the gamut of identities ... racial, sexual and otherwise.

Japan just became the latest country to set up camp on the moon -- although, how hard it actually touched down is still a little unclear.

Yes, it's a big deal ... Japan is now the fifth country to get some kind of spacecraft up on the big ball of cheese in the sky -- landing their "Moon Sniper" explorer Friday ... part of which they streamed live to document the momentous occasion.

The question at this point, however, is whether the explorer crashed onto the moon ... or if it successfully made contact. There are conflicting reports on what the actual case is.

We suppose we'll know soon enough -- but in any case, it's cool to see the human race continue to try and explore our moon. This mission is called SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) and this launch of Japan's robot went down way back in September.

The other countries that have been to the moon ... Russia, China, India and, of course, the US of A. We're the only ones to get humans up there ... no one's been back since.

Japón se acaba de convertir en el último país en aterrizar en la Luna, aunque todavía no está muy claro hasta qué punto ha llegado.

Es un gran acontecimiento... Japón ahora es el quinto país en conseguir que una nave espacial llegue hasta el cuerpo celeste, con el aterrizaje de su "Moon Sniper" el viernes y parte del evento se transmitió en vivo para documentar la ocasión trascendental.

La cuestión en este momento, sin embargo, es si el explorador se estrelló en la luna o si hizo contacto con éxito. Hay informes contradictorios sobre la realidad actual.

Suponemos que pronto lo sabremos, pero en cualquier caso, alucina ver que la raza humana sigue intentando explorar nuestra Luna. Esta misión se llama SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) y el lanzamiento del robot japonés tuvo lugar en septiembre.

Los otros países que han estado en la luna antes son Rusia, China, India y, por supuesto, los Estados Unidos. Somos los únicos que hemos logrado llevar seres humanos hasta allí, nadie ha regresado desde entonces.

A cargo jet went up in flames as it was flying over Miami Thursday night, creating a frightening and potentially deadly scenario that was all caught on video, but, thankfully, nobody was injured in the end.

The Atlas Air Boeing 747 plane took off from Miami International Airport for Puerto Rico at 10:32 PM – and just minutes into the flight one of the engines caught fire.

As the airliner was streaking through the sky, one woman on the ground turned on her phone camera and started recording the fireball.

Check it out ... Sparks shoot out from the rear of the jet as the woman expresses utter shock, "Oh my god. It's on fire. Oh my god."

She then calls over her mom, while stating, "Holy s**t. I hope they're ok."

After a few more seconds, the video cuts off as the plane appears to be on a downward trajectory.

A rep for Atlas Air told TMZ that while the plane experienced an engine malfunction, the crew followed all standard procedures and safely returned to Miami International Airport.

Un avión de carga se incendió mientras volaba sobre Miami el jueves por la noche, creando un aterrador y potencialmente mortal escenario que fue grabado en video, pero, afortunadamente, nadie resultó herido al final.

El avión Boeing 747 de Atlas Air despegó del aeropuerto internacional de Miami con destino a Puerto Rico a las 22.32 horas, y a los pocos minutos de vuelo uno de los motores se comenzó a incendiar.

Mientras el avión surcaba el cielo, una mujer en tierra encendió la cámara de su teléfono y empezó a grabar la bola de fuego.

Echa un vistazo ... Las chispas salen disparadas de la parte trasera del avión mientras la mujer expresa su total conmoción: "Oh, Dios mío. Se está incendiando. Dios mío".

Luego llama a su madre, mientras dice: "Holly s**t. Espero que estén bien".

Después de unos segundos más, el video se corta mientras el avión parece estar en una trayectoria descendente.

Un representante de Atlas Air dijo a TMZ que mientras el avión experimentaba el mal funcionamiento del motor, la tripulación siguió los procedimientos estándar y regresó con seguridad al Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami.

Hay una cosa muy extraña sucediendo a lo largo de la frontera sur. Los migrantes que intentan entrar en Estados Unidos con sus perros se ven obligados a dejarlos atrás y eso está creando una crisis totalmente diferente.

El reportero de FNC Matt Finn está en el terreno de Eagle Pass, Texas, y se unió a nosotros el jueves en "TMZ Live" para revelar lo que está viendo y cómo él y otros equipos de televisión se están involucrando y haciéndose cargo de algunos perros ellos mismos.

Matt dice que toneladas de migrantes están intentando cruzar la frontera con sus perros, solo para que les informen que no pueden llevar a los cachorros con ellos a los centros federales de procesamiento, lo que resulta en cientos de perros callejeros vagando por la frontera.

Estas circunstancias dejan a los perros con necesidad de comida, agua y refugio y Matt dice que las tropas de la Guardia Nacional están cuidando de algunos de ellos. Él y su productor han ayudado también.

Algunos perros tienen garrapatas, pulgas y gusanos y Matt nos dice que al menos un veterinario en la ciudad está cuidándolos pro bono.

Matt ha visto esta tragedia antes en otras áreas de la frontera y ha conseguido realojar a un puñado de perros.

There's a crazy thing happening along the southern border -- migrants attempting to enter the United States with their dogs are forced to leave them behind, and it's creating a whole other crisis.

FNC reporter Matt Finn is on the ground in Eagle Pass, Texas and joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to reveal what he's seeing firsthand ... and how he and other TV crews are getting involved, and taking some of the dogs in themselves.

Matt says tons of migrants are trying to cross the border with their dogs, only to be told they can't bring the pups with them to federal processing centers ... resulting in strays roaming the border.

The circumstances leave dogs in need of food, water and shelter ... and Matt says troops with the National Guard are taking care of some of the doggos ... and he and his producer have helped out too.

Some dogs have ticks, fleas and worms ... and Matt tells us at least one vet in town is caring for them pro bono.

Matt's seen this tragedy play out before in other areas along the border ... getting a handful of dogs rehomed.

"The Daily Show" has been in a state of flux since Trevor Noah stepped down more than a year ago ... but it sounds like the uncertainty might be comin' to an end.

On Thursday, a spokesperson for Comedy Central told TheWrap the network was getting ready to reveal the show's "next chapter" ... and then promptly left fans on the edge of their seats -- saying the announcement's coming NEXT week.

This comes on the heels of an Emmy win for 'TDS' ... taking home Outstanding Talk Series at the awards show on Monday -- though even during the win the show's unresolved host issue took center stage.

Roy Wood Jr., a longtime correspondent of the show, expressed his displeasure with recent choices ... mouthing "Please hire a host" multiple times while TN lifted the award in triumph -- pretty funny parallel when you see the clip.

Noah left the show back in 2022 ... giving fans a tear-jerking goodbye when he signed off. A rotating panel of hosts has taken over in the weeks and months since -- and clearly, it's had its ups and downs.

Wood Jr. left the show back in Oct. after he was seemingly passed up for the full-time hosting gig ... no word on if he'd be open to a reunion with his former employer.

Cordell Patrick, the man ejected from a moving RV, says he's lucky to be alive ... because he thought he was going to die on that busy Los Angeles area freeway.

Cordell joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday from his hospital bed ... and he told us how he ended up being thrown from his RV onto the freeway.

It's pretty incredible ... Cordell says he was getting up to use the bathroom and took off his seatbelt in the 5-second window where his wife passed out behind the wheel and veered into the median.

Cordell says the impact sent him crashing through the driver-side window ... and his body flying over the median and landing on the other side of the freeway, inches away from the carpool lane.

As he lay on the freeway with his mangled ankle, Cordell says he thought he was going to be run over by a car ... telling us it's a miracle he was able to make it out of harms way.

Cordell says he and his wife had just gotten back from a trip and were heading to their storage unit when she suddenly blacked out and crashed.

She's getting medical attention too, and Cordell says they're still trying to figure out why she passed out.

Cordell Patrick, el hombre que salió expulsado de una caravana en movimiento, dice que tiene suerte de estar vivo porque pensó que iba a morir en la concurrida autopista de Los Ángeles.

Cordell se unió a nosotros en "TMZ Live" el miércoles desde su cama del hospital y nos dijo cómo terminó siendo arrojado desde su vehículo en la autopista.

Es bastante increíble. Cordell dice que se estaba levantando para ir al baño y se quitó el cinturón de seguridad cuando su esposa se desmayó al volante y se desvió hacia un costado.

Cordell dice que el impacto lo llevó a estrellarse a través de la ventana del lado del conductor y su cuerpo salió volando hacia un lado de la autopista, a pocos centímetros de distancia del carril de carro compartido.

Mientras yacía en la autopista con su tobillo destrozado, Cordell dice que pensó que iba a ser atropellado. Nos dice que es un milagro que fuera capaz de salir del peligro.

Cordell dice que él y su esposa acababan de regresar de un viaje y se dirigían a su unidad de almacenamiento cuando de repente se desmayó y se estrelló.

Ella también está recibiendo atención médica y Cordell dice que todavía están tratando de averiguar por qué se desmayó.