TMZ.com Home

Forget the Happiest Place on Earth, Mickey Mouse is going off the rails -- the happy-go-lucky rodent is now running riot in a horror flick ... and get ready to see a lot more of this new Mick.

The copyright for the earliest version of the Disney character -- from the 1928 animated classic, "Steamboat Willie" -- expired Monday ... and filmmakers are already taking advantage by making him the villain in the new slasher film, "Mickey's Mouse Trap."

The British independent movie doesn't have a release date yet, but the plot has a group of teens fleeing for their lives as a knife-wielding man in a Mickey costume unleashes terror at an amusement park.

That's not all -- a new Micky-inspired horror game, "Infestation 88," has also dropped ... featuring a blood-stained version of the character.

Despite, the early version of MM now being public domain, both projects make it clear they're not affiliated or endorsed by Disney -- no doubt hoping to steer clear of Mouse House lawyers.

Disney is reassuring fans the wholesome modern version of Mickey remains unaffected by the copyright expiration ... so, he'll remain the Walt Disney Company's global ambassador.

"Let's gooooooooooo!!!!!"

Tom Brady started off the new year with a bang ... the former Michigan quarterback absolutely lost his mind as his alma mater beat Alabama in the Rose Bowl!

The 46-year-old retired signal-caller shared video on social media on Monday ... showing a topless Tom, rocking a gold chain, watching the final play of the overtime thriller from an unknown location.

UM stuffed Bama and punched their ticket to the National Championship game ... and it'd be an understatement to say Tom was elated!

“Let’s go, woo!” Tom yelled.

Brady captioned the video ... "OMFG" and "Go BLue @umichfootball"

Although Brady couldn't be in the building in Pasadena to watch the game in person, Tom's been supportive of the team all season.

In fact, before Monday's Rose Bowl, he tweeted a photo of himself wearing a Michigan vs Everybody wristband ... along with an incredibly expensive and rare Richard Mille watch.

Brady wasn't the only famous alum to express support for UM with the rubber accessory ... Michael Phelps also posted a photo wearing the yellow bracelet. The 23x Olympic gold medalist tagged Brady.

The win vs. Nick Saban's bama squad was huge, but the work isn't done yet ... Michigan will play Washington Monday night with a National Championship title on the line!

The ship has long sailed on "Starships" for Nicki Minaj ... and she's not letting it fly again for anyone, not even on New Year's Eve!!!

Watch in this TikTok clip ... just seconds after starting the iconic 2012 tune while performing at E11EVEN in Miami, the rapper abruptly signals the backing track to stop -- leaving fans outraged as she refuses to continue, but she couldn't care less.

"Hold on. Psych, psych, psych, psych. I don't perform that song no more, y'all," the rapper tells the crowd. With their cries of frustration heard loud and clear, Nicki explains: "I don't like it ... what y'all want me to do? Stupid song."

Thankfully, it was only a brief moment of disappointment for her fans ... Nicki quickly launched into another party pleaser, "Super Bass."

This isn't the first time Nicki's made her distaste for "Starships" known ... telling Pollstar Live in 2020 she hated it, and questioned why she even came up with that song in the first place.

But don't feel bad for "Starships" -- she also loathes "Your Love" and "Anaconda" -- so, it's in good company.

Five people were reportedly killed and several others injured Tuesday when a commercial airliner collided with a Coast Guard plane in Tokyo -- as the fiery aftermath was all caught on video.

The Japan Airlines jet carrying 379 passengers and crew was landing at Haneda Airport in the evening when the crash occurred with the Japan Coast Guard plane as it was landing, creating a massive fireball, according to media reports.

The Coast Guard pilot reportedly made it out alive, but five of his crew members died in the blaze, while another person was hurt.

At least 17 passengers were injured aboard the Japan Airlines flight as more than 100 fire trucks responded to put out the inferno, CNN reported.

Dramatic video shows the Japan Airlines jet engulfed in flames as it rolled down the runway. Other footage captured passengers using an emergency slide to escape the raging fire.

Investigators are trying to piece together the circumstances and the cause of the collision.

LeBron James enlisted his most famous friends like Jay-Z, Beyoncé and Anthony Davis to celebrate his birthday in Los Angeles on Monday ... but there was one guy on the guest list who was a bit of a surprise -- suspended Warriors star Draymond Green.

The King -- whose special day was on Dec. 30 -- hosted his buds at Hyde Sunset for his 39th trip around the sun ... and there appeared to be a fun theme for the night, as A.D. and Draymond showed up in flashy outfits.

Green -- who hasn't played since his Dec. 12 incident with Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić -- appeared to be in great spirits as he entered the venue alongside Davis, who was rocking an iconic 'fro.

Of course, Draymond is getting help during his time away from the team ... with reports saying he is seeking counseling before suiting up for the Dubs again.

He'll remain sidelined through at least the early part of January ... but his attendance at his good friend's shindig is proof he's not worried about staying lowkey during his ban.

Speaking of lowkey, Jay and Bey tried their hardest to stay hidden as they made their entrance ... with security putting up umbrellas and blankets in hopes of keeping cameras from getting a shot.

Ian Ziering is speaking out about his terrifying encounter with a bunch of biker brutes in L.A., saying that he emerged "unscathed" with his daughter, while calling on local officials to do something about the rising tide of "hooliganism" in the city.

The "Beverly Hills, 90210" actor posted a lengthy message on Instagram Monday, first calling the incident "alarming" before diving into what happened and giving his thoughts on what should be done to combat future lawlessness.

Ian explained that one of the mini bikers aggressively approached his car, leading to an "unsettling confrontation" when he got out to "assess any damage" to his vehicle parked on Hollywood Boulevard on New Year's Eve.

He said the encounter with the biker and others "escalated into a physical altercation," which he was forced to navigate to protect himself and his 10-year-old daughter, Penna, expressing relief they were "completely unscathed."

Then Ian took aim at L.A. officials, revealing he was "deeply concerned" about the "growing boldness of such groups," causing public safety issues and disturbing the peace.

He pointed out the broad daylight attack underscored a larger problem about "hooliganism on our streets and the need for effective law enforcement responses to such behavior."

Ian also wrote, "As a citizen and a parent, I find it unacceptable that groups can freely engage in this kind of behavior, causing fear and chaos, while the response from authorities seems insufficient."

He wrapped things up by urging city officials to take decisive action against this lawless behavior and provide more police resources to prevent it in the future.

Marvel actress Carrie Bernans was hit by a car while celebrating New Year's Eve in NYC ... and graphic images show the gruesome extent of her injuries.

Carrie is hospitalized and you can see her bloodied and hooked up to machines in photos her mom Patricia posted on Monday. She says Carrie had been walking with a friend when they stopped at food truck, and a car careened into it ... knocking Carrie unconscious and pinning her underneath.

Carrie, who was in "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Endgame," suffered broken bones and fractures. You can see her mouth is bloodied, she's chipped several teeth and sustained several cuts on her face.

The crash on West 34th Street and 9th Avenue was so serious, it was declared a mass casualty incident -- with 3 NYPD officers among 9 others who also were injured.

The cops were called to the scene around 1:40 AM Monday, and the driver -- a 44-year-old man -- is now in custody at Bellevue Hospital.

It's believed the police were chasing the car before the crash.

Dwayne Johnson returned to the WWE on Monday night, making a surprise appearance at RAW -- and it's safe to say following an electric few minutes on the mic and in the ring ... the crowd definitely smelled what he was cooking.

The 51-year-old -- who hasn't been seen in the WWE since September -- shocked fans at Pechanga Arena in San Diego when he interrupted Jinder Mahal's anti-American rant to open up a can of whoop ass.

The Rock slowly made his way to the ring after Mahal had bashed the U.S. in a minutes-long promo ... and when he eventually stood in front of the former WWE champ, Dwayne popped off insult after insult after insult.

In fact, at one point, Dwayne was able to get the crowd to call Mahal a "douche bag" over and over again in a unified chant.

Ultimately, a brawl between the guys broke out  -- but The Rock put an end to things quickly with a Spinebuster followed by his signature People's Elbow.

After Mahal ran away, The Rock electrified the crowd further ... calling out Roman Reigns.

Casey Anthony has blamed her father for her daughter's death ... and now George Anthony is taking a lie detector test ... and it got emotional.

Casey's dad broke down when taking the polygraph test on camera ... choking up when he was repeatedly asked if he concealed Caylee Anthony's whereabouts.

George agreed to get hooked up to a polygraph for an upcoming A&E special on Lifetime, "Casey Anthony’s Parents: The Lie Detector Test," after Casey accused him of molesting her and Caylee and being responsible for Caylee's death.

While George says he didn't know where Caylee's body was when she was missing, he appears to be struggling with the question ... but says it's because he's picturing the wooded area where her dead body was ultimately found.

Remember ... Caylee disappeared in June 2008 and her body was found a few months later in December, when her death was ruled a homicide. Casey stood trial in 2011 and the jury acquitted her of murder, manslaughter and child abuse. She was found guilty of lying to cops, but that's it.

During the trial, Casey accused George of sexually abusing her when she was a child, and of disposing of Caylee's body ... claims he vehemently denied in court. In 2022 Casey doubled down in a Peacock docuseries, where she also accused George of staging Caylee's death to make it seem like it was Casey's fault.

Now, George is taking his denial a step further with the lie detector test ... and TMZ has the sneak peek.

The head of South Korea's Democratic Party was brutally stabbed by a knife-wielding suspect during a press conference ... and the horrifying attack was all caught on video.

Lee Jae-myung was at a public event surrounded by a gaggle of reporters and TV cameras in South Korea's port city of Busan Tuesday when the assailant approached him for an autograph before suddenly plunging a knife into his neck.

Check out the crazy clip ... Lee grimaces in pain as he collapses to the ground after the stabbing. The crowd jumps on the suspect, who's wearing a blue, paper crown around his head, tackling him to the pavement.

Other footage shows Lee lying face up on the ground with his eyes closed as someone applies a handkerchief to his neck wound to stop the bleeding.

Lee was rushed to a hospital in Busan, where he was given emergency care for his neck injury, which was not life-threatening, according to Reuters. He was then airlifted to a medical facility in the capital city of Seoul for additional treatment.

South Korean Democratic Party spokesman Kwon Chil-seung held a press conference, saying that medical staff believes Lee suffered damage to his jugular vein.

Abigail Ratchford had a terrifying situation unfold this weekend -- when cops say 3 goons broke into her freaking house ... this while she was still INSIDE!

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the longtime Instagram model -- who has over 9 million followers -- was hanging out at her L.A.-area property Saturday evening when her house alarm went off while she was in there.

We're told 3 men had attempted to burglarize her home ... smashing through a large window from her backyard and slinking on in -- but running away before having their way with the place. Our sources say it appears either the alarm or the sounds from inside scared them off.

Cops took a report and are now investigating. BTW, this was all caught on surveillance video taken from a camera Abigail set up on her patio ... and the footage, obtained by TMZ, is wild. You can see these dudes brazenly smash the glass, and all enter the premises.

Now, in terms of how AR herself experienced all this -- sources close to her tell us she's totally freaked out and for good reason ... as this could've gotten ugly fast.

We're told Abigail was upstairs at her house and watching a movie when the guys came crashing through her sliding glass door ... but she luckily never came face to face with them. Still, our sources say the idea of her coming downstairs for a drink that evening and running into the three men absolutely terrifies her.

If you're a baseball fan with a quarter of a million dollars lyin' around -- you're in luck ... 'cause an ultra-rare bat that Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente once used and signed is about to go on sale!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Hillerich & Bradsby signature model U1 bat that Clemente swung during the 1971 season is hitting Heritage Auctions in February -- and it's awesome.

The 36-inch, 35.5-ounce relic has been photo-matched ... and it's also been autographed by Clemente himself.

The inscription -- which Clemente made out to famed memorabilia collector Carey Diab -- reads, "To my friend Carey, Best Wishes Always, Roberto Clemente." It also has the No. 21 written on the knob.

Experts at Heritage Auctions expect it to go for $250K when it ultimately sells ... explaining, "It is one of a tiny handful of known photo-matched Clemente gamers."

Clemente was the first Caribbean and Latin-American MLB player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame after playing 18 seasons in the pros. In his career, he logged 3,000 hits and 240 home runs.

He also won two World Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates and became a 15-time All-Star, a four-time NL batting champ, and an NL MVP. Clemente also won 12 Gold Gloves.

The Burger King employee who went viral for getting a mediocre goodie bag in recognition of 27 years without missing work is finally seeing his dedication pay off ... in a massive way.

Kevin Ford tells TMZ … he bought a house on Dec. 13 with money raised from the GoFundMe his daughter set up for him in the wake of last summer's online fame.

Kevin says he walked away with about $350,000 from the crowdsourcing fund -- it raised almost $500K but GoFundMe took a sizeable chunk -- and he used about half to buy a place in Pahrump, Nevada for $177,000.

Kevin's new place has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and is 846 square feet ... with a covered front deck, fenced-in yard and views of the surrounding mountains. He says he's gonna invest more money into the place too.

With the rest of his GoFundMe cash, Kevin says he gave his daughter a chunk so she could put it toward a home for herself and his grandkids ... and he put the rest away for retirement.

Remember ... Kevin went viral back in June 2022 when his employer gave him a goodie bag with random candies to celebrate him going 27 years without missing a day on the job.

Kevin's daughter piggybacked off his viral moment and set up a GoFundMe so he could visit his family in Texas ... and David Spade was among the big-money donors.

Naturally, Kevin is still working at BK, but there's been a big change -- he says he's now missed one day ... for an appearance on the "Today" show.

Kevin says his new digs are about an hour away from work, but he likes driving so he doesn't mind the long commute.

It's pretty incredible ... Kevin tells us the viral fame literally saved his life. He says he was depressed and the support from strangers not only put a new roof over his head, but also saved his life.

Before this cute kiddo was "breaking and entering" into the entertainment industry as an actor, he was dressing in his finest red overalls, starting his career at just 6 years old and becoming a member of the National Youth Theatre while growing up in London, England.

While he's been in a handful of movies, like "Children of Men" with Julianne Moore ... he's probably most known for his breakout role ... playing Chuck Bass on "Gossip Girl." He's also passionate about music and was a member of the rock band The Filthy Youth.

Angela White, formerly Blac Chyna, is going for a new look ... and she says reducing the size of her breast implants has been a painful process.

Chyna says she recently decided to decrease her breast implants, with multiple plastic surgeries leading to some health complications.

BC says she made the change because she no longer felt large fake boobs fit her body type ... but because she's had so many implants over the years, she needed to gradually reduce the implants to get to her desired size.

Chyna says she's had two recent surgeries to go from 585cc implants to 190cc ... and one procedure resulted in her left breast being encapsulated. In other words, her muscle contracted around the implant.

Thing is ... Chyna says it's the first time she's dealt with side effects from breast implants, calling it the worst possible outcome.

While Chyna says it's been painful, she's on the mend ... and she's loving her new look and happy about her future.

Blake Shelton is being dragged online for his prerecorded New Year's Eve performance ... and some are saying it's an embarrassment to country music.

Here's the deal ... Blake was featured on CBS's "New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash" in what was billed as a live show, but folks figured out it was prerecorded and then trashed him.

Blake and Trace Adkins reunited for the CBS show, singing some of their oldies like "Hillbilly Bone" and "Hell Right."

Thing is ... Blake's performance aired only a few minutes before he took the stage in real life at a casino in Oklahoma.

Fans quickly caught on and ripped the network and Blake for double-booking ... firing off some angry tweets.

One user said Blake was "an embarrassment to country music" ... while another said Blake and Trace's duet was "one of the dumbest songs."

Blake's legit live gig went down at Oklahoma's WinStar Casino ... where he performed his hits to much better reviews.

Meanwhile, Blake's wife Gwen Stefani was working too ... she had a gig over in Las Vegas ... and it was live.