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Brie Larson can't catch a break in the world of Marvel -- something she acknowledged this weekend with a snarky answer ... for which the internet is once again criticizing her.

The actress was on hand Saturday at the D23 Expo -- where Disney showcased a ton of new stuff they got coming out. One of those projects, "The Marvels," involves Brie and her character Captain Marvel ... only this time, it'll include other ladies with Marvel-like powers.

While she was doing press outside the main stage area, she was asked a pretty straightforward question -- how long do you think you'll continue to play Capt. Marvel?

Her answer's telling. She says she frankly doesn't know, openly wondering/questioning whether people actually want her to take up the mantle any more than she already has. It was a little tense, and the interviewer tried lightening the mood ... to no real avail.

Now, the backlash ... Brie's catching flak from a good amount of folks replying to this video in the comments -- with their main gripe being, why is she making such a big passive-aggressive stink over such a layup of a question ... especially with this saga being years old.

We'll spare you the details of it all, but essentially ... when Brie was cast as Captain Marvel back in 2018 and with its release in 2019, there was a lot of seemingly random hate aimed at her -- for a variety of reasons not even we understand. Her haters say she's simply unlikable -- her advocates say she's the victim of blatant misogyny by a rabid fan base.

The apparent dislike for her wasn't just confined to Twitter either -- there were reports of her movie and others she was affiliated with around the time getting review bombed by people who simply wanted to spite her ... again, for reasons ill-defined and out of nowhere.

Some have said her support of more diverse casts/critic pools -- via inclusion riders, etc. -- might be a catalyst ... but in any case, Brie's obviously aware of the target on her back. FWIW, Brie's also getting a lot of folks rushing to her defense ... but it's a mixed bag.

Of course, she's going to do this newest movie -- which comes out next year -- where she'll reprise her character ... but with all the grief she's getting, we wouldn't be surprised if she hangs it up and moves on from the Mouse House.

The death of Queen Elizabeth II has caused confusion in America, because apparently lots of folks were wiping away tears thinking another queen had passed.

Queen Latifah is been trending for more than a day, according to Hip-HopDX   ... because lots of folks thought she was the one who left this earth.

Think about it ... if you were playing "Family Feud" and the clue was "Most Famous Queen," the #1 answer would clearly be QEII but Latifah would come in a strong second.

According to the outlet, the whole thing started after someone tweeted, “I told my mama the Queen died, she talking about ‘LATIFAH ????'” It became a game of telephone, and the rumor spread like wildfire!

Another group tried to reassure the panicked that the beloved, 52-year-old actress/rapper was alive and well.

Funny enough, Latifah told James Corden awhile back, after her 1996 hit, “Set it Off,” she put a “no death” clause in her acting contracts so she couldn’t get killed off in future flicks ... “When I first started doing movies, I always had these death scenes … and apparently I died too well. And then I caught on, like wait a minute, if I die in these movies, I can’t be in the sequel!”

The internet was wild on Thursday following the death of Queen Elizabeth, but one weird trend seemed to gain a lot of steam on Twitter, with users joking that Trisha Paytas was to give birth to a reincarnation of the Queen.

Paytas, a YouTube star, announced Wednesday night she was 1 cm dilated and believed she would soon go into labor. Fast forward to Thursday morning, when it was announced Queen Elizabeth's health was failing ... and the Twitter "theories" took off.

At one point, Paytas was trending #2 on the app -- only behind Queen Elizabeth herself.

On Friday, Paytas finally addressed the wild joke, saying she didn't think it would have been appropriate to acknowledge it on the day Queen Elizabeth died.

Paytas showed her pregnant belly, proving she hadn't yet given birth, and laughed off the social media speculation her baby was to be QE2 reincarnated.

D.L. Hughley says the folks who were celebrating Queen Elizabeth's death are pretty soulless, because even if they have a point about her legacy ... the timing is in poor taste.

We got the comedian Thursday in L.A. on the heels of QE2's passing, which sparked an unsympathetic response on Twitter -- a ton of memes and jokes flying at her expense. While it was trending under "Black Twitter," that by no means represents the view of all Black people.

Still, it was a thing ... and D.L.'s got some poignant thoughts about the notion of dancing on someone's grave. To him, it's a low blow and completely unnecessary ... regardless of how you might feel about any one person.

The complaints that were being aired out about the Queen had to do with her role in upholding the legacy of British imperialism, which often affected nations with Black and/or brown people -- and to some, the fact she was the figurehead for this old institution is something that just didn't sit well in 2022.

But, even if some of those critiques are warranted, D.L.'s point here is that there's a time and place to get it out ... and in his mind, that shouldn't happen right as someone dies.

Marjorie Taylor Greene has a lot of people thinking she might've flexed her pipes on 'American Idol' once upon a time -- based on a viral video -- but the speculation is bogus.

The Georgia Representative is getting talked about on Twitter right now, but not for the usual political reasons. This time it's about an old 'Idol' clip from Season 1 that's making the rounds ... showing a rambunctious woman's audition in front of Simon, Paula and Randy.

The lady's name is listed as Stefanie Sugarman, who told producers at the time ('02), that she was 23 and from Alta Loma, CA (Rancho Cucamonga area). Her tryout certainly left an impression with audiences and the judges alike ... not necessarily in a good way either.

SS was eliminated after singing 'Knockin' Da Boots' and some colorful commentary. Like we said, she's a feisty one -- but more importantly, she's also a dead ringer for MTG.

That's certainly what Twitter thinks, anyway, with many jumping the gun and suggesting this is, in fact, Rep. Greene performing under a stage name. We'll admit, they do look incredibly similar ... and they're both quite outspoken, it seems. Thing is, Stefanie Sugarman is real!

We looked her up, and public records show there is actually a Stefanie Sugarman with roots in Rancho/Alta Loma and San Bernardino County generally. She seems to have married since -- now going under a different last name -- and her age matches up too. She's now 43.

Kevin Federline says his sons haven't seen their mom, Britney Spears, in nearly 6 months, and we've learned the relationship continues to sour -- especially since Britney went after her boys online.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Britney's two boys, 16-year-old Sean Preston and 15-year-old Jayden James, aren't ready to go see their mom after she blasted their conduct as "hateful" in an Instagram post last month.

We're told Britney's post made an already frayed relationship even more strained, and there's a lot of anger built up against her.

Kevin's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan tells TMZ ... "While I will not comment on whether there were or were not regular custodial exchanges, one must consider that the comments about the boys such as those that were recently published hardly create a pro custodial environment. This is something that the parties involved will have to work out over time."

As we reported, Thursday Britney turned to Instagram to once again post about her boys after 15-year-old Jayden did an interview claiming he felt Britney gave him more attention than Preston. Britney wrote, ""Finally at 40 without the restraints of what my family did to me ... I say to my son Jayden that I send all the love in the world to you every day for the rest of my life!!! My love for my children has no boundaries."

As we told you last month, Kaplan claims the boys feel uncomfortable around their mom, and Kevin posted a series of videos the boys recorded under Britney's care where she disciplined them.

Remember, Britney's been beefing with Kevin recently over his tell-all interview that he shot a few months ago with a UK tabloid about their private lives, and the kids are caught up in the drama.

New clips from that interview are set to air Sunday on "60 Minutes: Australia."

Timothee Chalamet is no stranger to making bold wardrobe choices ... and his latest outfit has done just that, sending social media into a frenzy.

Timothee stepped out Friday for The Venice Film Festival's red carpet premiere of his new romantic horror film, "Bones & All", directed by Luca Guadagnino ... but, it's not just the movie that has people talking, it's Chalamet's red get-up.

The design is a backless/halter top style ... and while some on social media are dragging him with sexist comments, most are eating it up.

One user wrote, "I love #TimotheeChalamet's bold fashion choices and how he's unafraid to go against the grain. Clothes have no gender. Soft fabrics and bright colors doesn't turn someone into the opposite gender. If someone identifies as a man and wears a dress, he's still man."

Another user playfully commented, "yassified mr. krabs".

"Survivor" alum and "The Challenge: USA" contestant Tyson Apostol thinks he could wipe the floor with the OG's of the MTV program ... but series staple Johnny Bananas thinks he has no clue what he's talkin' about.

We got Johnny in New York Tuesday at RiseNY ... and he thinks Tyson's claims aren't holding up -- adding the reality star is a little too new to the series to be yappin' his mouth.

Simply put -- Johnny doesn't think TA's ready to run with the big boys.

In case you missed it, Tyson's been a standout contestant on the CBS spinoff, but last month he called out a majority of the cast on Twitter ... saying the face-off would be a cakewalk.

"The Challenge: USA" -- wrapping its first season -- takes recognizable faces from "Big Brother," "Survivor" and other CBS shows and pits them against each other, just like MTV's does.

Leave it to LeBron James to get Jay-Z to come outta social media hibernation!

LBJ -- fresh from getting crunk at Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem's The Big Steppers Vancouver show -- soaked up MSNBC anchor Ari Melber's deep dive into Jay's highly touted verse from DJ Khaled's "God Did."

The news bit hacked into the failed drug policies of ex-Presidents Richard Nixon and Donald Trump ... while highlighting how Jay lyrically details several of America's hypocrisies.

The NBA living legend equally praised Hov and Ari's poetic delivery … prompting a response from the Roc Nation boss, who took it all in stride, stating his primary focus is to give the voiceless a voice.

On the track, Jay raps, "I left the dope game with my record clean, huh/I turned the cocaina into champagne/I cleaned up la madrina with the same soap/Me and Loro talk 'bout how we slang dope/Now the weed in stores, can you believe this, Ty?" … the last line is a nod to his cannabis company Monogram.

Jay's highly touted verse has helped DJ Khaled secure next week's Billboard 200 chart crown … but that doesn't mean the Roc Boy will be lighting up IG or TikTok anytime soon.

While speaking with Kevin Hart over the summer, Jay explained he's down with everyone using social media to their heart's content.

DaBaby may not have sold enough tickets to put on a show in New Orleans, but he seems to be taking it in stride ... laughing it off with a social media GIF.

The rapper was supposed to perform at the Smoothie King Center Friday, but the show was canceled after he reportedly could only sell 500 tickets for the 14,000-seat venue. Of course, Twitter went into a frenzy, poking fun at the rapper ... and he surprisingly joined in.

DaBaby posted a GIF of himself, slyly looking around before smirking and taking a sip of a drink ... seemingly to acknowledge the social media buzz the story created.

Of course, DaBaby's slide in popularity has been pretty significant since his homophobic rant at Rolling Loud ... he's also faced legal issues as well.

7th Ward Shorty, one of the show's promoters and also on the lineup, told Nola.com he blames the low ticket sales on the fact they also booked EDM group Showtek to entice college kids attending this weekend's LSU vs. Florida State game.

He says once the event is rescheduled, it will be only hip hop and won't feature any EDM.

Sorry to kill all the fun, but Cleveland Browns player Martin Emerson, Jr. was NOT walking around with a bunch of weed during Saturday's preseason game ... as it turns out, it was a bag of sunflower seeds.

Shocker, right?!

Of course, some folks and/or trolls on Twitter tried to take a grainy picture of the Browns vs. Chicago Bears broadcast ... and play it off like Emerson was holding a bag of weed on the bench.

The pic quickly made rounds on social media ... with users cracking their "typical Browns" jokes for retweets and favorites, and playing it off like the players were getting ready to toke.

But, one intrepid account decided to find a much clearer image of the alleged weed ... and yeah, it's definitely a bag of seeds.

If you don't believe your eyes, our sources confirm it's not marijuana and there were several players clearly chewing in the same clip that made its rounds online.

FWIW, the NFL has softened its stance on weed recently ... but sunflower seeds, however, are not banned.

Britney Spears and Elton John have hit #1 on the streaming charts in more than 40 countries, but next, they'll have their sights set on smashing music video records too ... cuz they've got one in the works.

Sources close to Britney and Elton tell TMZ ... a music video for "Hold Me Closer" is underway in some fashion -- we don't know what it would look like and whether they're even in it.

The single has been hugely successful, once again bringing Britney to the forefront of music industry conversation. In fact, we're told she was invited to this weekend's MTV VMAs -- but had to turn the show down because of a scheduling conflict that keeps her in Los Angeles.

Of course, the project with Elton has Britney fans already begging for more music.

At this time, our sources say there's not a plan for Britney to release any additional songs, or to join Elton on stage to perform the hit during his current tour ... but Britney certainly appreciates all the love.

TMZ broke the story, Drew Barrymore and Britney exchanged some super-hyped-up video messages Friday after the song's release.

Former collaborators Freddie Gibbs and Benny The Butcher’s hostility toward one another is reaching nuclear levels … and fans couldn’t be more disinterested 😴!!!

The 2 rappers have been trading shots all week after Benny posted himself wearing a “G” chain -- presumably snatched from Freddie’s girlfriend’s neck during the Buffalo melee back in May, but the overwhelming reactions on social media have been negative towards both MCs.

Both Benny and Freddie enamored fans with guest appearances on each other’s 2020 projects … but things went downhill when Benny got shot in Houston later that year and they started exchanging disses on social media.

Benny's taunts prompted Freddie to make fun of the Griselda rapper's 2020 shooting injuries … and that just had more fans putting faces in palms.

Bottom line -- they ain't havin' it!!!

Despite instigation from Akademiks, fans are overwhelmingly calling them too grandpa-like to for the social media hijinks.

Benny also took extra heat by leaking nudes of Freddie’s girlfriend … getting defensive with fans while clarifying why he was spamming Freddie’s DMs from a couple of years ago.

TMZ Hip Hop uncovered the footage back in May ... Freddie and his entourage fended off dozens of attackers inside a Buffalo establishment while Benny allegedly looked on.

Offset’s legal filing against his ex-label Quality Control has opened up a can of worms … and they’re crawling in every direction!

Quality Control CEO Pierre "Pee" Thomas reacted to the breaking news that Offset was suing for solo independence with disdain — calling the estranged Migos rapper’s complaints "lame."

Offset — and his wife Cardi B sharply fired back at Pee … Offset claiming Pee had him blackballed for the past two years without even communicating.

Cardi echoed the lawsuit’s details … Offset paid QC millions to obtain his solo rights as an artist, but when he released his “5,4,3,2,1” single last week, he says QC tried to claim ownership, effectively ticking him off in the process.

Idris Elba says his own kid auditioned to play his onscreen daughter in his latest movie -- a part she didn't get ... even though her old man could've presumably pulled some strings.

The actor was recently on "The Breakfast Club" with producer Will Packer, plugging their new flick "Beast" ... which just hit theaters. During the convo, IE revealed that his 20-year-old, Isan, actually read for a part ... one of the two daughters featured in the film.

He says she didn't end up getting it because the chemistry just wasn't right ... and, as a result, Isan didn't talk to her dad for about three weeks. So, yeah ... some sour grapes.

In the end, though, Isan did make it to the premier and actually posed with Idris -- so it seems it's all water under a bridge now. Still, though ... the fact Idris didn't just make it happen simply because she was his daughter is getting some kudos in the film community.

Packer actually elaborates on this a bit more in the interview, telling the hosts that Idris insisted that Isan get put through the normal process that every other actress was going through ... and to judge her on merit. Packer says she was close to landing it -- but in the end, they went with Leah Jeffries and Iyana Halley to play Idris' children.

Apparently, Isan took the news gracefully ... and Will says Idris' anti-nepotism stance was appreciated by all who worked on the film. He's even getting props on Twitter right now.

BTW, Isan's actually got her own IMDb page ... it looks like she's only got one acting credit thus far -- a short film called "Crimson Ties" -- but something tells us she might be getting some more looks now that Idris has spoken out on her desire to get into the movies.

Holden Caulfield is a whiny little brat who's more of a punk than he is a literary hero ... this according to Jahkara Smith, who's got one helluva hot take that's got Twitter fired up.

The "NOS4A2" star posted a video this week that analyzes the lead character from J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" -- honing in on one scene in particular, where she says HC got what he deserved ... and that the kid actually sucks if you look at him big picture.

Jahkara explains Holden has idealistic views of women, but when it comes to getting busy, he's not actually up for it -- evidenced by an encounter with a prostitute, which he ends up paying for. JS POV ... serves him right, as he was wasting that working woman's time.

She goes on to suggest that he's actually the blueprint of a modern-day school shooter ... because as soon as he gets roughed up, he has visions of killing the hooker/pimp.

There's a lot more to her book review, so watch for yourself -- but let's just say, a handful on the bird app aren't taking too kindly to her analysis of what's considered an American classic. We'll spare you all the tweets, but basically ... some argue she's being simplistic in her breakdown of the character, and dissecting him without some much-needed context.

For starters, people are in her mentions defending Holden ... saying that he's obviously a troubled youth who's dealing with major trauma (death of brother) and likely sexual abuse.

Unclear if Jahkara processed that, but in any case ... she seems to think the novel just isn't all that it's made out to be. In fact, there are a decent amount of folks who actually agree with her -- saying the premise of this teen trying to preserve innocence is ... kinda lame.

The book has fallen under a lot of scrutiny in recent years -- with a lot of people claiming 'Catcher' is problematic at its core. That might be true ... under a 21st-century lens, that is. Remember, this thing was published in the '50s ... a very different time in America.