Michael Jackson Carried by Jesus ... Owning the Devil
An art exhibit featuring Michael Jackson right now is controversial enough, but when the King of Pop is depicted as a real king, a holy figure and gets mixed up with Jesus ... things get extra dicey.
Jackson is the focus of an art show at the Bundeskunsthalle museum in Bonn, Germany called "Michael Jackson: On the Wall" ... and the timing couldn't be more curious in the wake of "Leaving Neverland" and the #MuteMichael movement.
The artwork's provocative as hell, too -- literally -- with one piece by David LaChapelle called "American Jesus: Archangel Michael Jackson" showing MJ with angel wings standing on the devil.
Another one of the artist's 'American Jesus' pieces -- titled 'Hold Me, Carry Me Boldly' -- portrays Jackson being held by Jesus. It's akin to Michelangelo’s Pietà sculpture, which portrays the crucified Jesus being cradled by his mother Mary.
There's also a piece by artist Kehinde Wiley swapping out the face of Spain's King Philip II for Michael's.
You get the picture.
As you know ... Jackson's characterized as the opposite of a Christlike figure in the HBO documentary, which includes disturbing allegations from 2 of his accusers, Wade Robson and James Safechuck.
The impact of the doc has been wide-reaching, with many folks calling for an all-out Jackson ban ... and even his episode of "The Simpsons" has been pulled.
Not in Germany though.
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Adrien Broner Hit With Restraining Order ... Over Homophobic Threats
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EXCLUSIVE
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Adrien Broner has been ordered to stay away from social media star Andrew C. Caldwell after making a video implying he would shoot Caldwell in the face if he made a pass at him.
Caldwell filed a request for a temporary restraining order against the boxer Thursday morning in St. Louis -- which was granted by a judge. Broner must stay at least 500 feet from Caldwell.
As we previously reported, Broner threatened to "punch the testosterone" out of Caldwell earlier this week -- claiming Andrew had been contacting him online in an attempt to hook up. Caldwell has said Broner was the initiator.
Broner denied that -- and posted a "P.S.A." video online in which he threatened to shoot ANY gay person in the face who tried to make a pass at him ... saying he's aggressively homophobic.
Caldwell took the video as a personal threat -- and in court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, he wrote, "[Broner] says on social media that he coming to St. Louis to kill me."
The judge felt Caldwell had a reasonable fear and granted the temporary order -- which also requires both Broner and Caldwell from posting bad things about each other on social media.
A hearing on the matter is set for April 1 -- where a judge will decide if the restraining order should be extended.
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Hilary Duff & BF Matthew Koma Face Off with Intruder ... Police on the Hunt
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EXCLUSIVE
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Hilary Duff's home once again attracted an unwanted visitor ... but luckily she and her BF were home to scare his ass away.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Hilary and her baby daddy -- music producer Matthew Koma -- were home Tuesday night in the kitchen of her Beverly Hills home when, at around 8:30, they noticed a man lurking around their backyard.
It's unclear exactly how but we're told Hilary and Matthew managed to scare away the intruder before calling police. Cops showed up and, while doing a perimeter search, they noticed a window screen had been removed, though the intruder never actually made it inside the house.
Our sources say cops dispatched extra patrols around the area but cops continue to investigate since the man's still on the loose. Unsettling for sure, especially after what happened to Hilary back in 2017.
As we first reported ... someone broke into the same pad and the thief or thieves made off with bling worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Goes without saying ... Hilary and Matthew are more worried about an even more precious treasure in the home ... their 4-month old daughter.
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Tom Brady Bombs Down Ski Slope ... Pats Fans Freak Out
Well, this ain't what you wanna see if you're a Patriots fan ... Tom Brady bombing his way down a mountain on skis!!!
The 41-year-old QB is out in Montana with his family for their annual ski trip -- and decided to take a run down a pretty large mountain.
"A little downhill this morning," Brady posted along with the video ... "now we just need to find the jump."
It appears Brady is the skier in the blue jacket based on his size -- either way, everyone on the hill is going pretty damn fast.
So, how are Pats fans reacting? Just as you'd expect ... CONCERN!!!
"Hey. Stop," one fan wrote on Instagram. Here are some other comments ...
-- "Please slow down. Stay inside" -- @hbennett3223
-- "Wtf are you doing man?!?! Be safe man" -- @cpeters1993
-- "I'm sweating watching this" -- @j_delano
-- "Killin it Tom just dont break anything especially those fingers gonna needem for another ring" -- @jasont1287
-- "Tom, my heart is beating faster then ever before. Be safe" -- @tomfckinbrady12
-- "Honestly, what the hell are you doing to us Tom!! Gonna have a heart attack" -- @livkirby
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Elizabeth Holmes Family Insists Deep Voice Isn't Fake
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EXCLUSIVE
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Elizabeth Holmes is being outed as a fraud of epic proportions in the business world, but there's nothing deceitful about her curiously low voice ... so says her family.
Elizabeth, the disgraced Silicon Valley hotshot, is the subject of a new HBO documentary chronicling the meteoric rise and spectacular fall of her company, Theranos ... all the result of Elizabeth falsely claiming she discovered a way to revolutionize blood testing.
Elizabeth wowed world titans like Bill Clinton, George Schultz and Henry Kissinger, partly with her intoxicating pipes. But, a Stanford professor featured on the doc and others say even Elizabeth's voice was BS ... they say she faked it. Viewers of the doc made "voice" the buzzword for fraud.
Her family, however, is calling BS on the doubters.
Elizabeth's family members tell us her voice is naturally low. We're told most people in the fam have low voices, including her grandmother, and Elizabeth will occasionally change her pitch to a higher octave -- especially when she gets excited or passionate.
As for Elizabeth's fraudulent business practice ... her family tells us they're standing behind her and remaining supportive.
Her company went from being valued at more than $9 billion to below zero. She's also been indicted for allegedly defrauding investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars and deceiving hundreds of patients and doctors with the bogus blood test. She's pled not guilty.
By the way, there's a new movie about Elizabeth called "Bad Blood." She's being played by Jennifer Lawrence ... and that's on the nose.
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YG Baby #2 on the Way ... It's A(nother) Girl!!!
YG and his baby mama are back at it -- the couple's expecting their second child together, and TMZ's learned their daughter is going to have a little sister!
Sources close to the rapper have confirmed with us ... YG's baby mama, Catelyn Sparks, is pregnant with a baby girl. We're told she's due this summer ... sometime in July.
The 2 have one child together already -- their 3-year-old little girl named Harmony.
YG and Catelyn have a couple of baby registries, like most expecting parents -- at Buy Buy Baby and Target -- and it's pretty much what you'd expect ... strollers, pacifiers, baby bottles, a rubber duckie -- you get the picture.
One more fun fact -- we're told DJ Mustard's baby mama, Chanel, who's also pregnant and due very soon, has been Sparks' companion to several maternity classes -- and that's ON TOP of each already having 3-year-old girls. We know the fellas like to hang out together too.
Best wishes to both sets of moms and dads!
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Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan Harvard Basketball Rules!!!
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Breaking News
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Who likes watching mediocre college basketball?? Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan!!!!
Judge Kagan was front and center at McDonough Arena at Georgetown University on Wednesday to watch her alma mater Harvard take on the Hoyas in the NIT basketball tournament.
Kagan's Crimson were the underdogs going into the game with a #6 seed -- facing a #3 seed in Georgetown, which also happens to feature college basketball star Mac McClung.
Oh, and the head coach at Georgetown is NBA legend Patrick Ewing. G.U. was a 6.5 point favorite going into the game.
So, why would Kagan choose a game where her team was facing almost certain destruction?
Because Harvard WON -- shocking the world to overcome the Hoyas in a 71-68 victory!! Maybe it was Kagan's Crimson blazer that inspired the team!
Harvard now moves on to face North Carolina State in the next round of the NIT tournament on Sunday in Raleigh.
The problem for Harvard now ... NC State is really good and JUST missed out on making the NCAA tournament, which people actually care about.
Good luck!!
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Waka Flocka Flame Daniel Caesar Can't Speak for Blacks in America ... He's Canadian & Blonde!!!
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EXCLUSIVE
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Waka Flocka Flame is going off on R&B singer Daniel Caesar for defending white people -- warning him he might get his Canadian ass kicked ... if he keeps talking about "American business."
We got Waka and his wifey, Tammy Rivera, outside Rolling Out Magazine in Atlanta Wednesday, and our photog asked them about Daniel saying black people need to stop being mean to white people. Ya gotta see Waka's reaction ... he's not just pissed, he's totally offended by Daniel's take and wants to throw down!
Waka and Tammy's biggest issue is Daniel's from The Great White North, so he's got no business speaking for black people in America, and his bleach-blonde hair doesn't help either. Their words.
The couple's certain Daniel's tune would change if he got pulled over by 2 white cops in the south.
Bottom line for Waka ... most white people are cool, but he's not giving everyone a pass -- and he sure ain't giving Daniel one for suggesting black people get over white people using offensive words.
As Waka puts it, "Don't you ever in your life talk about black people like that." Drunk or not.
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Kwame Brown Rips 1-&-Done Rule You Can Shoot A Gun But Not Play In NBA!?
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EXCLUSIVE
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Kwame Brown is callin' BS on the NBA's one-and-done rule ... telling TMZ Sports, "To tell a young man he can go shoot a gun but he can't go earn a living, that, to me, doesn't make any sense."
Of course, the infamous NBA rule is back making headlines this year after Zion Williamson made it emphatically clear in just a few weeks at Duke he was ready for the pros.
But, the league still has its draft rule in place -- saying players need to spend a year in college before they can play for one of its 30 teams -- and thus, Zion remains a Blue Devil.
Enter 37-year-old Brown -- who went straight from high school to being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft when he was selected by the Washington Wizards.
Brown thinks the 1-and-done rule is just ridiculous -- telling us there's simply no place for it in today's society.
"Free enterprise," Kwame says ... "Go and get that money."
As for Brown ... we had to ask if he regrets not going to college straight outta high school given his NBA career didn't flourish the way he expected it to -- and his answer was a big, fat HELL NO!!!
"Factor out the numbers, I know economics," Kwame tells us ... "I own four companies!"
Brown ain't lyin' ... dude did earn more than $50 MILLION in his NBA career!!!
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Flat Nose Curry in 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' 'Memba Him?!
Charles Dierkop made a name for himself in the '70s by playing tough guys like the outlaw Flat Nose Curry in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and the Hole in the Wall Gang member Floyd in "The Sting." Guess what he looks like now!
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Swae Lee Ex-GF Rips Him ... I Don't Need You Anymore ... Boy, Bye!!
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EXCLUSIVE
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Swae Lee's a womanizer who wanted to have his cake and eat it too ... so claims his now ex-girlfriend who just explained to us why she dumped his ass.
Marliesia Ortiz tells TMZ ... she and the Rae Sremmurd rapper had been dating on and off for about 4 years, but now she says she's done with him for good. She calls their relationship toxic and says he's not worth it because she's done putting up with his cheating ways.
She tells us the final straw came a couple of days ago when she was on FaceTime with Swae. You can hear the rapper unsuccessfully trying to convince Marliesia she's his main squeeze, and will one day be his wife.
Swae never explicitly cops to cheating, but says she needs to let him do his thing and NOT trip out.
It got worse ... Swae went on to throw Gucci Mane under the bus ... claiming his woman stood by him when he was "banging a million hos" -- and added Chance the Rapper's wife was there even when he was "broke as f**k."
Check out the vid ... Marliesia -- who might look familiar if you're a Le'Veon Bell fan -- says she never needed Swae, she just wanted him, but even that's over now ... so, deuces.
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Rudy Giuliani Defends Trump's Attacks On McCain ... It's All About The Dossier
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EXCLUSIVE
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Rudy Giuliani is coming out swinging for President Trump over his recent attacks on late Senator John McCain ... telling us Trump's furious over McCain's role in distributing the salacious Steele dossier.
We got Rudy at Reagan National in D.C. Wednesday, and our photog asked about Trump bashing McCain 7 months after his death. The President's personal attorney strongly defends his boss, and tells us why Trump's still pissed at McCain.
As you know ... Trump's been blasting McCain all week, even taking credit for the Republican's moving Washington funeral and complaining about not receiving a "thank you."
Trump's latest round of attacks allege that McCain turned over the dossier to the FBI and the media before the 2016 election. Rudy says that's what's further driving a wedge between Trump and McCain.
It's been a while since we've heard from Rudy ... he's been taken off the roster as a talking head for the Trump Administration, with his airtime severely cut.
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'Orange Is the New Black' Star Adrien Broner's An A**hole ... Condemns 'Hate Speech'
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EXCLUSIVE
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Adrien Broner is a homophobic "a**hole" -- and should be charged with a crime for threatening to shoot gay people ... this according to "Orange Is the New Black" star Lea DeLaria.
Lea -- who famously plays Big Boo on the show -- was leaving the Rolling Stone: Women Shaping the World event in NYC ... when we asked for her reaction to Broner's vile video.
And, since Lea is openly gay ... the issue of violent homophobia seemed deeply personal.
"How do I feel about someone using those kind of slurs? I have a bigger issue with anybody who's threatening gay people with violence simply for being themselves."
"F*ck all the slurs. I'll use any f*cking slur I want. What I'm talking about is that a**hole is talking about hurting gay people."
Of course, Broner made the hate-filled video during a spat with Andrew Caldwell -- a viral video star who claims the boxer had made passes at him.
During his rant (which he posted to social media) Broner said ... "If any f*g, punk-ass n**ga come run up on me, trying to touch me on all that gay sh*t, I'm letting you know right now if I ain't got my gun on me, I'm knocking you the f*ck out."
Lea says Broner's language should be considered "hate speech and should be a crime."
"Freedom of speech comes with responsibility," Lea added ... "You should not be allowed to incite people to violence against other people."
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737 Max 8 Boeing Sued For Lion Air Crash
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EXCLUSIVE
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Boeing is getting sued for wrongful death over the Lion Air crash of a 737 Max 8 in Indonesia ... a disaster that killed everyone on board -- and signaled the start of Boeing's troubles with the model.
The federal lawsuit was filed by the estate of Rohmanir Pandi Sagala, one of the 189 souls lost when the flight went down last October. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the 737 Max 8's problems stem from a system called MCAS -- Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System -- which is supposed to stabilize the plane during flight.
However, in the suit, Sagala's attorneys say the MCAS on Lion Air's Flight 610 tilted the nose into a dive without any input from the pilot ... due to a faulty sensor. Sagala's estate claims the pilots fought to pull the nose back up, causing the plane to seesaw more than 2 dozen times before crashing into the Java Sea.
The lawsuit says Boeing failed to warn the public and pilots about the "dangerous and defective design" of the 737 Max 8. It also references the March 10 Ethiopian Airlines disaster -- another 737 Max 8 -- which killed 157 people, and led the worldwide grounding of the model.
For the record, investigators blamed the crash on the pilot overcorrecting the nose when a sensor indicated the danger of a stalled engine.
Sagala's lawsuit happens to come the day after Bloomberg published new details about the doomed Lion Air flight.
According to the report, a different crew had the exact same problem -- the nose pitching wildly -- on that very same plane one day prior to Flight 610's crash. They were only able to save it with the assistance of another pilot who was flying as a passenger.
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Madame Tussauds No MJ Meltdown in Wake of 'Neverland'
Michael Jackson's wax figures at Madame Tussauds locations around the globe are NOT getting the #MuteMichaelJackson treatment ... despite renewed public outrage due to "Leaving Neverland."
A spokesperson for Madame Tussauds tells TMZ ... "The figures on display at Madame Tussauds reflect profiles that have had an impact on popular culture and that visitors expect to see. Michael Jackson has been and is currently a feature of Madame Tussauds attractions around the world."
The spokesperson added, "We regularly monitor our choice of figures on display based on external events and visitor feedback. It will be kept on display for the foreseeable future."
As you know, HBO's doc, "Leaving Neverland," triggered an outcry to drop MJ's music. Some followed suit -- including Drake and "The Simpsons" ... though not everyone agrees with that sentiment.
The documentary's had more serious ramifications ... like Paris Jackson attempting suicide due, in large part, to the fallout from 'Neverland.'
However, she seemed okay Tuesday night as she spent time with her godfather, Macaulay Culkin.