TMZ Live

Ben McKenzie says celebrities should not be selling digital currencies ... instead, he says they should stick to the usual stuff, like overpriced water, so folks won't go belly up.

The former "O.C." star joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and we asked him about the huge ad blitz from celebs who were pushing crypto during the Super Bowl and beyond ... only for the market to crash.

Ben's since written a book about the rise and fall of crypto, "Easy Money," and he's got some strong opinions ... like how celebrities should never be giving financial advice.

Ben thinks all the folks featured in those Super Bowl ads for crypto ... like Tom Brady, Lindsay Lohan, and Larry David, just to name a few ... would be better served selling car insurance, soap and H2O.

For Ben, the big difference here is the unregulated status of cryptocurrency ... plus the fact celebs are not licensed financial advisors ... and he feels Hollywood contributed to what he sees as the largest Ponzi scheme in history.

Tons of folks lost money when the crypto boom went bust and lots of folks got sued ... and Ben says fraudsters used the lure of celebrities to reel in marks.

A former detective who worked on The Notorious B.I.G. murder case -- which overlapped with Tupac's murder -- says Vegas PD might finally be able to close the infamous case ... especially in light of whose home they raided.

Greg Kading gained extensive knowledge of both Pac and B.I.G.'s murders while he was with LAPD, and joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" to offer insight into the Henderson, NV raid. We broke the story ... Vegas cops searched the home of Paula Clemons Monday night, and they say it was in connection with the still-open Tupac murder case.

Paula's husband is a guy named Keefe D, and Kading says Keefe has spoken openly about his involvement with Tupac's murder for years now -- alleging his nephew and fellow Crip Orlando Anderson was the trigger man that fateful night in 1996.

Kading says Keefe first confessed to this way back in 2009, during a police interview conducted by Kading. He says they struck a deal with Keefe, so they couldn't use the info he provided to prosecute him -- but he says that deal went out the window the moment Keefe started telling his story in public.

Kading suspects Keefe still thinks he's safe from prosecution, but the fact cops now appear to be zeroing in on him -- or at least, his loved ones -- will probably make him realize he's mistaken.

As for why Vegas cops are jumping on this now -- Kading tells us they might have been working on this in recent years, and only now have all the pieces lined up to prosecute someone.

The Miranda Lambert saga continues -- now, one of the fans she scolded mid-show is vowing to boycott Miranda's future performances, and also defending herself and her friends.

Adela Calin was one of the women taking photos this weekend during Miranda's Las Vegas residency, and says Miranda -- and probably some fans -- has the wrong idea about what she and her friends were doing. On Tuesday's "TMZ Live," she shot down the notion they were being rude or disruptive.

Check out her explanation ... Calin says the whole thing didn't last more than 30 seconds, and more importantly -- she insists their quick group pose wasn't blocking anybody.

She tells us their seats were actually somewhat lowered and below everybody else's seats, and that they weren't even right up against Miranda either -- so when they got called out, Calin says she and her crew were shocked ... as they felt they weren't doing anything wrong.

The way she describes it ... sounds like Calin was having flashbacks to her childhood, when a teacher would wag their finger at her. Basically, AC says she felt like she was being talked down to, and doesn't appreciate it.

There's also the question of whether Miranda might've been distracted by the group's camera flash -- but on that front, too, Calin pushes back ... saying it isn't very likely based on the angle that the photo was being taken from. In other words, she seems to be siding with a lot of other people ... who say Miranda overreacted in this sitch.

As far as how this experience will affect her going forward ... Calin tells us one thing she'll never do again, for sure, is buy another Miranda Lambert ticket. One less fan, it seems.

Dr. Terry Dubrow says weight loss surgery ultimately turned out to be a fatal decision for Lisa Marie Presley ... offering a warning to everyone in Hollywood, and beyond.

The "Botched" surgeon joined us on "TMZ Live" and explained how bariatric surgery eventually spelled doom for Elvis Presley's only child.

The good doc says Lisa Marie's weight loss procedure resulted in tons of scar tissue that ultimately blocked her small intestine -- which as we first reported, is her official cause of death.

Although there's no evidence LMP was taking Ozempic, Dr. Dubrow warns of issues with sudden weight loss.

And, get this ... Terry says Lisa Marie's digestive system was in such bad shape before she died, over 30 feet of her small intestine was already dead before she was rushed to a hospital.

Terry tells us Lisa Marie's health issues are widespread in America ... he says tons of folks are having weight loss surgeries, and many others are using Ozempic to manage their weight, a practice he says is prevalent in Hollywood.

Jeezy knows not all moguls are created equally ... which is why he feels the story behind his success probably resonates with the common man better than billionaires like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk.

The trap rap king joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday to explain why his new book, "Adversity For Sale: Ya Gotta Believe" offers better keys to success for the average American than most "get rich" books.

Jeezy's leaning in to his early days as a young hustler on the streets of Atlanta -- but says, even back then, he had an idea about where he wanted to end up ... and how music would help him get achieve that.

Along the way, he became one of the biggest forces to ever dominate hip hop ... yet, Jeezy told us he's always been entrepreneurially minded, succeeding in real estate, business ownership and philanthropy. He says rap just happens to be what got his foot in the door.

He hopes his book will influence inner-city youth living in violent surroundings, and show them there is a path to prosperity for them.

An eyewitness to the Britney Spears slap at the hands of security for NBA phenom Victor Wembanyama tells TMZ ... he clearly struck her and she was furious.

Brian Grajales, a Canadian who was outside Catch restaurant Wednesday night says he saw Britney approach Victor's entourage, clearly wanting to take a photo with him.

Brian says she "infiltrated" her way into his circle, leaned in, and in a British accent, said, "Excuse me, sir ... excuse me, sir." She then touched Victor's back, and that's when he says the head of Victor's security backhanded her right in the face.

One law enforcement source told TMZ, the security guy hit Britney's hand and her hand then hit her face, but Brian squarely disputes that. He says the security guy struck her.

Brian says Britney's sunglasses flew off, but he doesn't recall if she fell, but there was a lot of commotion.

He says Victor walked into the restaurant, and, in a British accent, Britney screamed, "This is f**king America!!!"

As we reported, the Metro PD is conducting a criminal investigation, they went to interview Britney this morning, and we're told the case will "likely" be sent to the D.A. for review.

Italians would riot in the streets if Rome's Colosseum staged a UFC fight between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg ... that's the prediction from a famed archaeologist over in Italy.

Darius Arya, a historian whose been on tons of TV programs about Ancient Rome, joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday from Italy's capital and we asked him about the Italian government contacting Zuckerberg about hosting his fight with Elon.

For Darius, the prospect of the billionaires doing battle at the same site as the ancient gladiators of old sounds super enticing ... telling us the Colosseum would come out on top of a list of potential venues, mainly because of its international fame as the ultimate arena of the ancient world.

Darius says there are inherent issues with staging a fight of this magnitude at the Colosseum, because it's a heritage site and tourist attraction ... and while he's confident it would never come to fruition, he's glad folks are talking about the venue and getting excited about history.

Logistics aside, Darius firmly believes Italians would take to the streets in protest if the nearly 2,000-year-old venue gets the green light to host the fight ... so that's another hurdle for Dana White.

There's been concerts and other events on the Colosseum grounds over the years, mostly outside the arena walls ... and we've been told Elon and Mark would love to fight there ... but it sounds like Las Vegas might be a more likely fight destination.

As we reported, the Ministry of Culture reached out to Mark Zuckerberg about the prospect of staging a Musk vs. Zuck fight at the Colosseum, and Zuck passed it on to UFC's Dana White, whose people were in touch with the Ministry. A Zoom call was set for next week.

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson's is livid six justices have upended affirmative action in this country, saying Black people are getting screwed all over again.

The Vanderbilt University professor joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and ... excoriated Chief Justice John Robert's and the 5 justices who joined him, ruling affirmative action violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution.

Dr. Dyson argues Black people have always been denied opportunities in America, specifically because of their race, so there's no way to right that wrong without taking race into consideration.

The impact of the SCOTUS decision is seismic ... private and public universities can no longer consider race as a factor in admissions. Many supporters of affirmative action fear white and Asian students will now be significantly favored in higher education, at the expense of other minority groups. The decision will clearly have repercussions in the workplace.

Tom Hanks had a relative go on national TV and melt down in dramatic fashion -- but the woman herself has no shame to her game ... and she says her uncle doesn't either.

We talked to Carly Reeves -- Tom and Rita Wilson's niece -- on "TMZ Live" Wednesday ... this after her freak out for the ages was caught on camera and aired Monday on a new ABC show called "Claim to Fame," which is all about finding who's related to a celeb.

Unfortunately for her, Carly was found out in episode one ... and when she got the boot, she didn't take it particularly well -- with her exit playing out in a full-blown temper tantrum.

You gotta see it for yourself ... she's cursing, hurling insults at fellow contestants and blasting showrunners for what she believes was a raw deal in exposing her connection to TH.

In the aftermath of this explosion of rage, Carly caught a lot of flak online -- with many people calling her entitled, overly dramatic and a bit of a drama queen/crybaby ... and some felt it, perhaps, even reflected poorly on Tom and Rita -- who are the real stars here.

Welp, we asked Carly about all of that ... and her response was essentially -- I am what I am, and this was what it was. As she explains to us, her emotions here were raw and authentic ... and she wasn't hamming it up for the cameras.

Carly does regret the way things played out in hindsight, but all things considered ... she says she's not ashamed -- because this is simply who she is sometimes ... something she says her famous uncle and aunt were well aware of when they cosigned her appearance.

As for how Forrest Gump reacted ... sounds like it ain't no thing for Tommy boy. She says this isn't gonna hurt his image -- and that's probably accurate. He's proven to keep it pretty real himself in recent years ... including his rare flash of anger at fans bombarding his wife.

Jason Derulo wants everyone to follow their dreams and not be bogged down by following the silly rules drummed into their heads by their parents!!!

The "Swalla" singer checked in with "TMZ Live" as his new book “Sing Your Name Out Loud: 15 Rules for Living Your Dream" is flying hot off the presses.

Jason thinks the key to success is not to be afraid of failure. He says failed at the majority of the risks he's taken ... but still, the failures don't define him -- the successes do.

Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are his inspirations — for the sheer volume of shots they missed to achieve greatness.

Jason says he's living proof being fearless in life works, and his book is the blueprint.

Maury Povich is taking his schtick to the next level ... launching a DNA paternity test company, offering at-home testing services for families in search of answers.

The TV host, famous for announcing the results of paternity tests on his show with his catchphrase "You are NOT the father" is now selling a DNA paternity test that can be done anywhere.

Maury is offering the at-home tests through his new company, which he's cleverly calling, "The Results are In."

The testing kits include materials and instructions for how to take a DNA sample, and then the samples are sent to a lab at DNA Diagnostics Center ... without the need for medical professionals or TV producers and their pesky cameras.

Maury's company promises results become available in 2-3 business days, with a 99.99% accuracy rate ... and they say it's all confidential.

In a statement, Maury tells TMZ ... "I've seen firsthand how DNA testing can change lives and bring families together. With 'The Results Are In,' we're making it easier and more affordable than ever before for people to get the answers they need."

Let the at-home drama commence.

Killer Mike believes any new gun control laws in America will hurt Black people before any other group -- but the rapper's telling us a few other ways he thinks the spike in gun violence can be flattened.

Mike joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" to discuss potential curfews for minors in Atlanta -- something he's all for as a measure to mitigate violence ... and, he says he had curfew when he was growing up in the area.

However, he remains firmly against the passage of new legislation as a means to reduce gun-related crime. Mike says he's a Second Amendment guy, first and foremost, but adds he has another problem with tighter gun laws.

He explains why he believes those laws would impact Black Americans "worst and first."

Mike tells us he'd rather see Black families armed, and better educated on the safer use and storage of weapons.

As you know, there have already been more than 300 mass shootings in the U.S. this year ... putting the nation on track for the deadliest year ever.

Mike thinks another solution is more funding for community facilities -- such as YMCAs -- to give kids safe havens to avoid trouble.

The U.S. Navy is getting ahead of the game in the search for the Titanic sub that's gone missing ... sending a deep ocean lifting system in the hopes the vessel is found and can be retrieved.

According to a Navy spokesperson, the maritime force is deploying the Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System -- along with experts in the field -- to hopefully find OceanGate Expeditions' lost Titan vessel and strategize how to bring it to the surface.

The Navy's machinery is a lift system that's designed to provide "reliable deep ocean lifting capacity for the recovery of large, bulky, and heavy undersea objects such as aircraft or small vessels."

The Navy adds the experts and system should arrive in the area as soon as Tuesday night.

As you know, the Titan lost communication with the support crew a couple of hours into its expedition over the weekend ... with the Coast Guard launching a search and rescue for the vessel and the 5 passengers onboard.

A comedian's relatively mild joke about the missing Malaysia Airlines flight has landed her in hot water -- so much so, in fact, she's now worried about being apprehended internationally.

Jocelyn Chia, who has both Singaporean and American citizenship, is in the crosshairs of the Malaysian government right now ... this following a joke she cracked at a comedy club in NYC way back in April, referencing the doomed 2014 flight that was never found.

Her quip about it was honestly not even all that scathing or insensitive -- at least to Americans, but the Malaysian government apparently feels very differently ... to the point where it's now calling for her arrest and extradition to face potential criminal charges.

As insane as that sounds, it's true -- Malaysian officials have asked Interpol to help track down and haul in Chia so she can answer for what they call violations of online content laws they have ... which, for whatever reason, they believe can be applied to her -- even though she's not a Malaysian citizen. On its face, it would seem they don't have jurisdiction.

We got into some of that strange rationale with Chia Monday on "TMZ Live," and she told us she's genuinely concerned about law enforcement snatching her overseas and dragging her to Malaysia.

While Chia normally just worries about her material being funny, she now says she has another thing to consider while performing comedy -- especially internationally -- and that would be ... potential capture. Indeed, it's the stuff of nightmares and movies.

Marlon Wayans is letting off more steam after his beef with a United Airlines gate agent ... saying the company needs to do better in addressing future issues with passengers.

The actor/comedian joined us on "TMZ Live" Monday -- outside a Delta terminal -- and shared the details of his recent airline incident when he got kicked off his flight and hit with a citation.

Marlon tells the whole thing wasn't his fault ... saying the agent had an attitude with him from the jump, and it only escalated. Wayans said he had 3 bags, and was asked to consolidate them to two, once he did that, Marlon tells us the gate agent then told him he needed to check a bag ... which caused him to get upset.

Marlon says United did reach out to him -- behind the scenes -- but it was only to stand behind their policy ... which he says was insult to injury.

TMZ broke the story ... MW got into it with a gate agent for UA Friday, as he was trying to fly out of Denver. A spokesperson for Denver PD told us, they gave him a citation for disturbing the peace after hearing both sides.

Former President Donald Trump's indictments won't push him off the campaign trail ... he could use the legal drama to catapult himself back to the presidency, even if he's convicted.

Loyola Law School Professor Jessica Levinson joined us Friday on "TMZ Live," to break down the 37-count federal indictment -- it's the first ever against a former President, but she says if he plays it right, it won't block his path to a 2024 victory.

What's most shocking, perhaps, is Levinson says even if Trump loses in court -- he's also facing a NY state indictment -- there's nothing in the Constitution barring him from serving his term in a prison cell.

With all that in mind, Jessica thinks it should come down to a simple question -- do folks want to back a candidate who could be doing time while running the country?

She also clues us in on a potential tactic Trump's opponents could use to get some of his supporters.

As we reported, Trump was indicted once again Friday for allegedly taking boxes upon boxes of classified documents when he left the White House, and stashed them at Mar-a-Lago -- some of them were stored in a bathroom.

He's accused of breaking 7 different laws, including a whopping 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information.