William Shatner Space Isn't All It's Chalked Up to Be ... BO Flight was a Drag!!!

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William Shatner called Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin space flight a profound experience upon landing back on Earth -- but now, he's saying ... it was actually a huge bummer.

The 'Star Trek' OG has a new book coming out -- titled "Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder" -- and Variety obtained an excerpt this week ... which sheds light on how WS actually felt as he was shooting up into the great beyond above our stratosphere.

Here's the quote everyone's mentioning -- it starts off with Will saying he thought rocketing into space would be a huge catharsis and illuminating ... thanks to Hollywood's portrayals.

Instead, however, Captain Kirk had the exact opposite feeling -- saying, "I discovered that the beauty isn't out there, it's down here, with all of us. Leaving that behind made my connection to our tiny planet even more profound."

There's more ... William says his space flight made him incredibly distraught with sorrow. He says, "It was among the strongest feelings of grief I have ever encountered. The contrast between the vicious coldness of space and the warm nurturing of Earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness." He says the idea of us humans destroying that filled him with dread.

Will adds, "My trip to space was supposed to be a celebration; instead, it felt like a funeral."

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ABSOLUTELY BEAMING

Remember, Will was visibly emotional when they touched down ... but as he was trying to relay something to JB, the dude sorta interrupted his thought by popping some champagne.

Later, Will certainly made it seem like it was a positive moment -- calling the Blue Origin flight "profound" and "extraordinary."

Now, though, it appears that was just him putting on a happy face for the cameras ... 'cause, as it turns out, he was actually pretty damn depressed!

Michael J. Fox at NYCC Wait a Minute, Doc ... Give Me a Hug Man!!!

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Marty McFly and Doc Brown are tearing up the space-time continuum again -- and it's just as emotional as ever ... especially all these years later.

Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd reunited Saturday in the Big Apple during a 'Back to the Future' panel at New York Comic Con ... and when the two former costars met onstage, they greeted each other with a big hug, which got thunderous applause from the fans.

Check out the clip ... you see MJF out there by himself at first, taking a seat on the couch then he pops back up when Chris walks out, and wraps him up with open arms.

It's a super cool moment, and you can tell it meant a lot to both of them -- especially by the way Mike went in for the embrace. Afterward, they sat down and chopped it up ... reportedly going on to tell old stories about the trilogy, but particularly about Pt. 1 (the classic).

Michael reportedly said at one point ... "You guys have given me my whole life," adding a poignant nugget about his Parkinson's. Mike said, "The best thing that happened in my life was this thing. Parkinson's is a gift. I've said to people it's a gift and they say, 'You're nuts.' I say, 'Yeah, but it's the gift that keeps on taking.' But it's a gift and I wouldn't change it for anything ... It's not about what I have, it's about what I've been given."

BTW, there's a 'BTTF' musical that's coming to Broadway next year. Word is ... it's great.

Lizzo Responds to Kanye's Comments ... During Toronto Show

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Lizzo acknowledged the fact Kanye West name-dropped her on primetime television to decry obesity -- but it sounds like she's taking the high road ... straight to Canada, apparently.

The singer was performing at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena Friday when she stopped at one point in the show to address Ye's comments about her during his appearance on Tucker Carlson's show this week -- and her response was to seek refuge there up north.

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I'M STAYING!!!

Lizzo says everyone in America has something to say about her, this while she just minds her business. She prefaced that with "fat, Black, beautiful" to hit her point home.

She then asks if she can stick around, to which the audience cheered. Lizzo openly wondered if she could marry someone for dual citizenship ... and got a good laugh.

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THEY'RE TRYING TO TAKE US OUT

She didn't mention Kanye explicitly ... which is a similar approach she took when Aries Spears recently trashed her. There, too, she didn't really lay into him ... but simply said she'd let her success do the talking -- despite people wanting her to "clap back." Ditto for Ye, it seems.

Remember, Kanye used Lizzo to make a point about folks supposedly booing the notion of bettering themselves through weight loss ... something he called "demonic" and the "genocide of the Black race."

He didn't elaborate further, but Lizzo clearly disagrees.

Adam Levine, Behati Prinsloo Life's a Beach!!!

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Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo look like they've put his sexting scandal in their rearview, at least it looks that way on the surface after eyeballing these beach pics.

Adam and Behati took their kids on a bike ride to the beach Saturday and they were all cuddles and smiles.

The kids tried their hand at surfing near their home in Oprah Country, AKA Montecito, CA.

Adam wore a Rolex Daytona Cosmograph rainbow on the sand, which goes for more than $400k!

Behati, who's pregnant with their 3rd child, was all smiles ... which has pretty much been how she's looked since the scandal erupted 2 weeks ago.

As we reported, Adam and his band, Maroon 5, performed at Shaq's charity fundraiser in Vegas last weekend, to thunderous applause.

Pregnant Behati attended to their children as Adam nestled up on a towel in a hoodie, the couple looked very much in love as they cuddled up on the sand as multiple women accused the singer of inappropriate behavior.

Kim Kardashian Hey, a Celebration of Life Can be Stylish!!!

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Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were among the mourners at a socialite's funeral, and one thing that's hard to ignore ... funeral fashion.

It was actually a Celebration of Life for J.R. Ridinger, a 63-year-old Miami socialite and co-founder of Market America. He died from a pulmonary embolism about a month ago while sailing in Croatia on his yacht.

At the event, held at Faena Forum in Miami Saturday night, Kim was dressed to the 9's in a Balenciaga gown with matching bag and shades.

J Lo and Ben were more traditional, arriving with interlocking hands and her 13-year-old child Emme in tow.

J Lo actually performed ... taking the mic with Alicia Keys playing the piano as they sang.

Other guests included Jamie Foxx, Benny Medina, Larsa Pippen and Emilio Estefan.

Actor Ray Buffer Accused of Stealing Comics ... Store Says It's on Video

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COMIC BOOK BANDIT

Actor Ray Buffer is being accused by a San Diego comic book store of stealing some pricey comics ... and the store says security footage appears to show him stuffing 'em up his shirt.

Southern California Comics in San Diego alleges it has Ray on video stealing $600 worth of comic books, and the store filed a police report with SDPD and is handing over evidence to police, including their security footage.

SDPD tells TMZ police took a report for petty theft and are investigating the incident.

The comic book store says it got even more evidence -- which it will be turning over to police -- after warning other stores about Ray in a Facebook post before he had been identified.

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Metropolis Comics

The owners tell us Metropolis Comics in L.A. sent them some eerily similar security footage from when Ray was there. In that video, the owner confronts him after seeing him pull the same move, and this time he puts the comics back and leaves as the owner threatens to call police.

Ray, who has appeared in TV shows like "ER" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," deleted all of his social media accounts after the comic book store posted the video online.

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Bookstores are always on edge about this kind of theft, because some comics are worth a lot of money -- we've reported about rare comics getting auctioned off for large sums. That's why most stores have such great security cameras.

We reached out to Ray ... so far, no word back.

Tom Cruise Life's a Blast at 60!!! Plans to Shoot First Movie in Outer Space

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Tom Cruise apparently thinks fighter jets are for chumps, because for his next flick he wants to go nose-up into space.

Cruise is in the process of making a deal with Universal Films Entertainment Group with an idea ... shoot a movie on the International Space Station. Of course, that would require Tom and others to be rocketed up there.

The idea's actually been talked about for years, but it was shelved during the pandemic.

Tom's got lots of power these days to make things happen ... 'Top Gun' receipts have gone north of $700M in the domestic box office, and $1.4B on planet earth.

Universal seems to be on board, with Chairman Donna Langley saying, "I think Tom Cruise is taking us to space, he’s taking the world to space," adding, "That’s the plan. We have a great project in development with Tom … Taking a rocket up to the Space Station and shooting."

The general plot is predictable ... a dude on earth is going to space, as Langley says, "to save the day."

Now here's the deal ... not only would Tom be the first actor to shoot a movie in space, but the hope is that he'll also be the first to do a space walk!

As you know, Tom famously does his own stunts ... some of which are jaw-dropping. The question ... if the space thing happens, what on earth -- or outside thereof -- is next?!??!

Wendy's Worker with Down Syndrome Fired Because He Wasn't 'Normal' ... Sister Claims

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The sister of the longtime Wendy's employee with Down Syndrome who was recently unceremoniously canned is lashing out at the franchise.

Dennis Peek worked at a Wendy's in Stanley, North Carolina for 20 years, was fired without notice a few days back, and now his sister claims managers at the fast food joint told her Dennis couldn't do his job like a "normal" person.

Dennis's sister, Cona Young Turner, wrote on Facebook, "I am heart broken to say they have fired him ... They told me was unable to perform the duties of a normal persons job."

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She went on ... "His dream was to retire from there some day and he was looking forward to a huge retirement party, we may just give him that party and tell him he has retired because he does not understand being fired."

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She now says Wendy's has offered Dennis his job back, but he's not biting. She also says she's looking into filing a wrongful termination lawsuit of a special needs worker.

Cona says Dennis was deeply hurt by the firing, but she's gonna throw him a big retirement bash.

We reached out to Wendy's ... The Carolina Restaurant Group tells TMZ, "We are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for our employees and customers. This was a very unfortunate mistake and lapse in protocol; we value Dennis, have been in touch with his family, and we are looking forward to either welcoming him back to work in the restaurant or to celebrating him in a big way should he choose to retire. Should Dennis retire and ever want to work again, we’ll also be happy to welcome him back."

'SNL' Kanye, Elon, Biden Drive Alcoholics to Drink ... Peace-loving Folks to Turn Violent

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'SNL' decided to tap into all the s**t that's going down in the U S of A with a game show called, "So You Think You Won’t Snap."

The game is all about temptation ... hurling problematic news stories to mild-mannered, chill contestants and seeing if they reach a breaking point ... and there are stakes!

Contestants who are off the bottle are challenged with a big glass of wine. A flight attendant becomes a potential human punching bag, and a hot iron sits on a table ready to scorch a man's face. In other words, high stakes.

Watch for yourself ... from Biden to Kanye and everything in between -- it's just too much to bare.

One thing we know ... don't get them started on Chris Pratt sans an Italian accent in "Mario Bros!"

Tommy Chong Biden's Weed Pardon Is A Good Start ... Here's What To Do Next!!!

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Tommy Chong sees President Biden's weed possession pardon as a big step forward in the world of cannabis ... but he isn't ready to celebrate until the government removes marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug -- pointing to his past legal trouble.

The comedian told us ... Biden's decision shows he's got the pulse of America ... but thinks a rescheduling would be a HUGE win for everyone involved in legitimate weed sales.

Tommy thinks marijuana sales will someday become the biggest industry in the world ... so rescheduling it could further validate the legitimacy of the biz.

He's a fan of Biden, and says he'll gladly vote for him again ... but he thinks the Prez can do more, especially regarding anti-paraphernalia laws, which got Tommy locked up back in 2003.

Tommy was sentenced to 9 months in a federal lockup, after pleading guilty to selling bongs through a family-owned business. He tells us he had no choice but to cop a plea.

Tommy says his plan of action is to head to the courts ... trying to erase his conviction.

Biggs Burke Kanye's Ex-Label Boss Condemns 'White Lives Matter' Tees!!!

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Kanye West's 'White Lives Matter' tees aren't gaining traction with his hip hop peers ... and count his former Roc-A-Fella label boss as the latest deflector!!!

TMZ Hip Hop recently sat down with Kareem "Biggs" Burke and picked his brain about Yeezy's controversial clothing, and there was no half-stepping -- right off the bat he said, "I condemn the shirt. I'm not with that."

Biggs says the fact Ye created the "WLM" shirt as a counter to BLM ... makes it potentially disastrous to the movement. He says he'd love to see Ye focus on repairing the community -- not harming it.

He notes it's important not to misconstrue the BLM movement with the corporation ... which has been under fire due to some execs allegedly misappropriating funds, including the purchase of a $6M mansion.

Aside from the fact others are already capitalizing and copycatting, Biggs says Kanye's shirt hurts the families of slain victims such as Trayvon Martin, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Breonna's mother has already fired back at Ye for looping her name into one of his 'WLM' rants.

Kanye and Biggs' relationship dates back to the start of Ye's professional career when he first signed to the Roc in the early 2000s.

Biggs co-founded the label with Jay-Z and Damon Dash, and it went on to sell millions upon millions of records -- many of those being Ye's creations. But, that past glory isn't getting Ye a pass with Biggs.

Biggs is far from alone with his thinking amongst music execs ... Diddy recently doubled down on his stance that Ye's "WLM" shirt was a dangerous concept.

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Puff is adamant we shouldn't cancel The College Dropout, but more so turn the page on this most recent chapter as quickly as possible.

Of course, Kanye's made it clear he doesn't care what they have to say, though.

Celebrity Scramble Guess Who!

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Behind this oblong figure is an egg-cellent model/singer who is free from the carton and has cracked into the limelight with this scrambled celeb's mantra of "Love Myself."

As a Los Angeles native, this Barden Bella found her way straight to the stage at just 10 years old and her poach pitch has been just perfect ever since! During the 2015 MTV VMAs, she iconically posed with Taylor Swift and the rest of her girl squad ... which was also the same year she dropped her debut album titled "Haiz."

Can you crack through this egghead and unscramble the star?

Tone Loc Feeling the Void After Coolio's Death

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LOSS OF A LEGEND

Coolio’s fellow old-school rapper Tone Loc says life on the road won't be the same now that he's lost his touring partner of nearly a decade!!!

We caught the "Wild Thang" OG outside of LAX, where he opened up about Coolio's death leaving an immense void in his life -- a painful absence he's already felt during his last few performances.

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Their friendship runs several decades deep -- Tone tells us Coolio, along with Young MC and the late Shock G, actually performed at his brother's funeral around 16 years ago.

Tone says he and Coolio were regulars on the "I Love The 90s Tour" circuit for the past 6 years, as was Vanilla Ice … who’s also been in mourning since Coolio’s death last week in Los Angeles.

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WE LOST A GOOD MAN

TMZ broke the story -- Coolio died suddenly on September 28 while visiting a friend's home.

At the age of 59, he was still an active hip hopper … with gigs in Vegas and television appearances on "Wild ‘N Out" and "Futurama" already scheduled before he passed.

Tone's DJ M.Walk also chimed in, telling us about his special bond with Coolio ... and it's clear they both miss him dearly, having linked up more than 20 years ago.

They'll see you when they get there.

Benjamin Bratt Good Genes or Good Docs?!

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Benjamin Bratt's looks over the years will straight-up demolish you!

Here is a 35-year-old version of the "Demolition Man" actor throwing some shade in a pair of retro transitional lenses while at an awards show back in 1999 (left). This was just one year prior to him playing FBI Agent Eric Matthews in "Miss Congeniality" alongside Sandra Bullock.

And, 23 years later ... the 58-year-old dishy father of two is still keeping things in order and recently looked confident at the premiere of "Dead For A Dollar" in Los Angeles (right).

He continues to play the Adonis roles, but the question is ...

T.J. Miller So Yeah, Ryan Reynolds Hates Me ... The Feeling's Mutual!!!

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Ryan Reynolds despises his one-time costar T.J. Miller -- at least according to T.J. Miller ... who's kinda giving the guy even more cause to not like him after these spicy remarks.

The ex-'Deadpool' star sat down for a chat on 'The Adam Carolla Show' -- where he revealed part of the reason why he believes he might not be in the forthcoming second sequel (aka, 'Deadpool 3') and, in his eyes, it all has to do with RR hating his guts for some reason.

He recounted a story in which he claims Ryan berated him during the filming of a scene in one of the first 2 films. He says Ryan, playing Wade/Deadpool, improvised some super mean lines while addressing him in character as Weasel ... but TJM thinks he was actually just operating under the guise of acting to take some pot shots at him personally.

Miller says Ryan, as Deadpool, told him/Weasel that no one really liked him and that he wasn't funny ... and that he only served as temporary comedic relief that nobody (including the audience) cared about ... basically calling him unnecessary for 'Deadpool' at large.

It was a pretty awkward exchange, so says T.J. -- who claims the crew was just as stunned by the on-set teardown which felt very real. Since then, he says, his relationship with Ryan has soured -- and, obviously, it has with the studio since he isn't going to be in 'DP3.'

But the way T.J. frames it here ... he makes it seem like he's the one who wants nothing to do with Ryan -- saying he wouldn't work with him ever again, going on to openly wonder why he dislikes him so much ... and going further by suggesting RR was jealous/insecure.

T.J. has a lot to say about what he perceives as flaws in Ryan's character ... especially as he got incredibly more famous with the Deadpool gig. He even makes some observations about Blake Lively and their image -- or "brand," as he and his pals call it -- as a couple.

It should be noted ... right as 'Deadpool 2' was coming out, Miller was dealing with very serious sexual misconduct allegations, which he denied. Still, you gotta imagine that may have played a part in either Ry and/or studio heads weighing his future involvement.

While T.J. is obviously out of the franchise ... a new face is being brought in with a lot fanfare. Hugh Jackman, of all people, is reprising his role as Wolverine -- which we're sure will satisfy fans in the wake of Weasel's absence. No love lost here, it seems. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Comic God Alan Moore Our Love of Superheroes Is Opening the Fascist Door!!!

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Comic nerds won't like this ... one of the greatest writers to dabble in the caped crusade industry says our fascination with superheroes is teetering on Nazi Germany territory.

Indeed ... we're talking about Alan Moore, who's written some of the most well-known comic books/series of the 20th century -- including "Watchmen," "V for Vendetta," "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," a VERY famous Batman installment ... and lots more.

The dude's an absolute legend in the biz ... but as he's gotten older -- and stepped further away from writing comics -- he's gotten more and more cynical about the craft he helped shape ... and these latest remarks are doubling down on what he views as a problem.

Namely, he's talking about fascism ... and how he feels like the superhero genre, at large, lends itself to the extreme political ideology -- and not just that, but how our utter obsession with them in Hollywood is a sign for the worst ... at least according to him anyway.

For starters, AM kinda craps on adults who love this stuff ... saying, "Hundreds of thousands of adults [are] lining up to see characters and situations that had been created to entertain the 12-year-old boys -- and it was always boys -- of 50 years ago."

He goes on to say there were a lot of headlines coming out in the late 20th century that said comics had "grown up," but he refutes that with this ... "It wasn’t comics growing up. I think it was more comics meeting the emotional age of the audience coming the other way."

Alan hits his point home with this comment ... "I said round about 2011 that I thought that it had serious and worrying implications for the future if millions of adults were queueing up to see Batman movies. Because that kind of infantilization -- that urge towards simpler times, simpler realities -- that can very often be a precursor to fascism."

He points to Donald Trump's presidency and the sheer number of superhero movies that were being pumped out at the time (and since). It's because of this, in part, that he says he's done with comics ... apparently because they do more harm than good, subconsciously.

As for what he's getting at with the whole superheroes-are-fascist thing -- it's an age-old argument that's been debated ad nauseam ... which you can read about here.

Basically, some argue that superheroes -- by their very nature and story arcs -- prop up the idea of one person wielding ultimate power over society ... but doing it for the common good. It's very in the weeds on a sociological level, but this POV's been around for a while.

And, obviously, Alan very much sees it that way too. Although ... he seems to still be proud of his Guy Fawkes creation, 'cause of what it stands for in the zeitgeist. Chew on that!