Mona Lisa Splattered with Pumpkin Soup at the Louvre
Protesters in France tried to make a point with the Mona Lisa, throwing soup at the world-famous work of art — but, thankfully, it was protected by impenetrable glass.
The two female demonstrators were caught on video Sunday standing in front of Leonardo da Vinci’s 16th Century portrait hanging against a wall at The Louvre in Paris.
As art enthusiasts milled about, the women suddenly tossed pumpkin soup at the painting, showering the glass in front of it with the tan liquid.
The pair then turned to the crowd that had formed around them, filming the incident with cell phone cameras.
One of the women ripped off her jacket to reveal her white t-shirt emblazoned with a message in French, “Riposte Alimentaire,” which, in English, translates to "Food Response."
Both women also started yelling in French, "What is more important? Art or the right to healthy and sustainable food?” They added, “Your agricultural system is sick. Our farmers are dying at work.”
Security guards quickly put up black barriers to shield the Mona Lisa while escorting people out of the general area.
Museum officials were planning on filing a complaint even though the painting did not appear damaged ... the current status of the protesters was not immediately known.
After the incident, a group by the name, "Riposte Alimentaire," issued a statement, admitting to the ugly deed and promising the "start of a campaign of civil resistance with the clear demand ... of the social security of sustainable food."
No soup for you anymore.
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Justin Timberlake Unveils Second Song from new Album on 'SNL'
Justin Timberlake reunited with his "Social Network" costar on "SNL" and performed a second song from his new album.
JT was the musical guest on the show hosted by Dakota Johnson, and he unveiled his single, "Sanctified," which appears on his new album, "Everything I Thought It Was."
He also performed "Selfish," which was the first single from the album to drop.
Justin also appeared with Dakota and Jimmy Fallon in the latest edition of "The Barry Gibb Talk Show."
As you probably know, JT's been dragged by Britney Spears' supporters, who have been going wild buying Britney's 2011 single "Selfish" to drag down Justin's version.
This is a huge album for Justin. His last one did not come close to cracking the 1 million sales number and if this one doesn't do well he may well become a legacy performer.
The album is due out March 15.
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Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Burglars Invade Their Montecito 'Hood ... Targeting Safes In Lavish Estates
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may want to beef up security around their $15 million Montecito mansion ... after a series of break-ins at their neighbors' lavish homes.
The couple traveled to Jamaica last Wednesday for the opening of the new Bob Marley biopic, an organized band of thieves burglarized an estate about five minutes from their royal compound, according to DailyMail.
The criminals were intent on stealing a safe containing cash and/or other valuables, but it was unclear what, if anything, was taken.
It was the latest in a string of burglaries plaguing the fancy neighborhood, where the likes of Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, Oprah, Ellen, Rob Lowe and other celebs live.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff spokesperson Rachel Zick issued an alert to area residents, explaining that police have received several recent burglary complaints "with notable similarities in the resident layouts, times of occurrence and items taken."
Zick said the crooks are always looking for safes, while targeting unoccupied homes that "back up into open spaces such as golf courses as well as creeks, streams or the ocean." Usually, the break-ins have occurred between 6 PM and 10 PM.
The Monticeto Association, a local advocacy group, has offered tips to the community on home protection.
Harry and Meghan have a team of security guards watching over their estate, but maybe it's time for them to hire an army. Seems like things are getting really dicey in their 'hood
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Farrah Abraham Kids on Social Not Problematic ... Ban Predators Instead!!!
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Farrah Abraham's not happy about a proposed bill in Florida that would ban kids from social media, saying the legislation targets victims instead of addressing the real issue.
Here's the deal ... a new bill passed through the Florida House of Representatives Wednesday that will cut off anyone under the age of 16 from getting a social media account with the hope that it will protect kids' mental health.
We talked to Farrah on Friday, and she thinks the total opposite is true -- that social media's great for kids, and limiting their access could limit their creativity ... not to mention affecting their branding and potential income.
She's also worried blocking kids from social media will put a dent in their mental strength and training ... arguing that putting children in a bubble ain't doing them any favors.
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If lawmakers want to moderate social media, FA says they should focus on predators who make social media unsafe. Her point is ... kids, like her daughter Sophia, shouldn't be kicked off a platform when the "criminals" preying on children are allowed to run rampant.
For instance, she says her 14-year-old -- who has more than 800k followers -- gets DM'd by grown men on social media, and on Cameo they ask her for feet pics.
She suggests instructional online modules should be created to educate more kids on Internet dangers.
FWIW, Farrah says she's taken online safety courses which have really helped her, and she's passed those lessons on to Sophia.
After we spoke to her, Farrah posted a video reiterating several of the points we covered about making social media safer for kids.
Bottom line Farrah's all for children maintaining their online presence ... and opposes the proposed legislation in Florida.
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Kevin Von Erich Zac, Jeremy Play Great Wrestlers In 'The Iron Claw'... But Too Small For Real Ring!!!
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Wrestling legend Kevin Von Erich is praising the way Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White portray him and his famous brother in a new movie about their life ... but he says there is no way they would make it in a real ring.
Kevin, the subject of "The Iron Claw," tells TMZ ... Zac, Jeremy and Harris Dickinson did a great job bringing him and his brothers Kerry and David Von Erich to life ... though the actors are way too small to cut it as pro wrestlers.
Don't get it twisted, Kevin's not hating here ... he's just keeping it real.
In fact, Kevin has nothing but love for 'Iron Claw,' which tells the story of his famous wrestling family.
Kevin says the film does a pretty good job boiling down so many stories into a 2-hour movie ... and it's pretty much historically accurate, at least by Hollywood standards.
One thing Kevin says 'Iron Claw' took some liberties with is his relationship with his father ... pro wrestler Fritz Von Erich. Kevin says his pops never wanted him to get into wrestling, unlike the way it's portrayed in the flick.
Kevin also understands why the director left his brother Chris Von Erich out of the movie ... and he wants folks to know he never would have risen to such heights without Christianity ... something the movie omits.
But hey, it's Hollywood ... and Kevin knows the name of the game.
Overall, it sounds like Kevin's pretty pleased with the final project ... but he says don't let the camera fool you, Zac and Jeremy aren't that big.
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Ex-SF DB Donte Whitner Niners Are Gonna Blow Out Lions ... Brock's A Top 3 QB!!!
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Good news, Niners fans ... former San Francisco DB Donte Whitner says he's expecting a walk in the park for his ex-team on Sunday -- telling TMZ Sports the 49ers will beat the Lions by more than three touchdowns!!
Whitner says he's anticipating the final score to be 37-14 ... and it's all, in part, due to his confidence in Brock Purdy -- who he says is a top three or four quarterback in the NFL right now.
"I'm not expecting it to be close," Whitner said of the NFC Championship Game.
Of course, Purdy and the Niners didn't look their best last weekend against the Green Bay Packers ... they needed a late score in the fourth quarter to pull out the win despite being a heavy favorite heading into the game.
But, Whitner tells us he thinks the rain played a huge role in that ... promising, "You won't see that same 49ers football team this week vs. the Detroit Lions."
Whitner -- who logged snaps for the Niners from 2011 to 2013 -- also praised the hell out of Purdy during our conversation ... saying he has no idea why the 24-year-old signal-caller gets so much criticism from national pundits.
"When I go back and I analyze the film on Brock Purdy, he does everything you want him to do as a quarterback," Whitner said.
"How can you continue to beat this kid down when he was the last pick in the draft and he's shown all the qualities and capabailities to be a top franchise quarterback."
Kickoff for the big game is slated for 3:30 PM ... and while Whitner will certainly be watching -- given his faith in his old team, don't expect him to be sweating much!
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Dominique Dunne KILLER BF TERRORIZED New Girlfriend AFTER Murder TRIAL
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The trial of the boyfriend of actress Dominique Dunne -- one of the stars of "Poltergeist" -- stands out as one of the most appalling miscarriages of justice ... and what unfolded in the aftermath of the 1982 murder is especially unsettling -- all exposed in our new FOX primetime special ... which unearths shocking new evidence.
In the harrowing doc airing Monday night, we confirm Griffin Dunne's lingering suspicion his sister's killer, John Sweeney, had committed more domestic violence after the trial -- one particular case from 2000 ... when a woman filed a restraining order against him, alleging shocking brutality.
Too scared to speak on camera, the woman speaks directly to Harvey Levin ... recalling how he dragged her by her ponytail through a hotel lobby, shoved her head in a bathtub, pushed her against a wall, and put his hands on her collarbone near her throat.
She escaped with their infant child and hasn't seen him since ... and despite getting the police involved, Sweeney wasn't charged with a crime.
Charles Wessler, an Oscar-winning producer and family friend of the Dunnes, says the recent revelations don't come as a surprise ... claiming Sweeney still caries the same volatile rage to this very day. Dominque's devastated pal Gloria echoes the sentiment, saying he was never cured ... calling him a caged animal.
Harold Johnson, the lead detective in the 1982 case, is equally disturbed ... saying it's a travesty a man as violent as Sweeney is still going around choking women.
"TMZ Investigates: Killing a Movie Star: Grave Injustice" premieres Monday January 29 on FOX at 9/8c and the next day on Hulu.
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Nick Carter Good Genes Or Good Docs?!
Nick Carter's looks over the years are your one desiiiiire!
Here is a fresh-faced Nick posing at 14 years old for a Backstreet Boys photoshoot -- looking oh so bold with his bowl cut in NYC back in 1995 (left). This was just a few years before the boy-bander's hit song "I Want It That Way" became a worldwide banger!
And, nearly 3 decades later Mr. Carter -- who's celebrating his 44th birthday today -- recently snapped a sweet selfie showcasing those baby blues mid-flight!
Yes, his angles are still hittin' just right, but the question here is ...
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TMZ TV Recap Alyssa Milano Tries Raising $$$ for Son 'Dune 2' Bucket, Jackie Robinson Statue
Now that it's the weekend, it's worth a look back at what TMZ covered this week ... particularly on the tube -- where we had a lil' too much fun heading into Saturday/Sunday.
TMZ Live
Starting with 'TMZ Live,' we just had to tackle this whole Alyssa Milano situation -- which was kicked off from her own doing. Basically, she tried fundraising on behalf of her son ... but got dragged for doing so, and you can imagine why.
The question is ... was she in the right, or in the wrong? Strong opinions from all on this one.
TMZ on TV
'TMZ on TV' was a riot to end the week ... and it's all thanks to the genius marketing people at Warner Bros. -- who trotted out this popcorn bucket for 'Dune 2,' which looks ... strange.
The crew had a blast trying to figure out exactly what this looks like -- take a guess yourself.
TMZ Sports
Somewhat of a serious and startling topic on 'TMZ Sports,' where Mojo and Mike analyzed the theft of a life-size Jackie Robinson statue from a youth baseball facility this week.
Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!
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Celebrity Scramble Guess Who!
Grinning from ear-to-ear in this altered image is a reality TV star who may or may not have found herself in the middle of lots of drama ... Put down your crispy chicken, pick up your boozy potion and see if you can guess who's heatin' up behind this smiley scramble.
She may not be seen on the upcoming season of "Vanderpump Rules" but this (former) waitress showed up for the Scandoval of it all and fans are thrilled to watch her TV comeback on Bravo's new show "The Valley."
Can you SURve up this 'Witch Of Weho'?
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Vogue Ent. Director Shades Megan Thee Stallion ... In Feud with Nicki Minaj
UPDATE
7:19 PM PT -- Sergio's trying to clear up his statements ... saying he loves Nicki and Megan, and the comments he made during Minaj's IG Live were "taken the wrong way." He added he didn't mean to mock anyone, and apologized to those people he may have offended.
Nicki Minaj has a controversial ally in her war against Megan Thee Stallion ... Vogue's entertainment director.
Here's the deal ... Nicki took to Instagram Live Friday, to fire back after Meg seemed to diss NM and her husband Kenneth Petty on her new track "Hiss."
Tons of people were commenting on the vid ... including Sergio Kletnoy -- a user with almost 60k social media followers who's also Vogue's entertainment director.
Among his duties ... booking all celeb interviews and photo shoots for the mag and all its video franchises -- basically, saying he's the main point of contact for getting celebs to work with Vogue which makes his comments about Meg, a shooting victim, pretty dicey.
The ones we've seen ... a series of foot emojis, clearly in reference to MTS' shooting at the hands of Tory Lanez followed by "Not 'fragment foot' lol not even a whole foot?" Nicki called Megan a "bullet fragment foot bitch" during the session.
Another interesting note about these comments ... Nicki was on the cover of Vogue just two months ago -- which seems like it would've been set up by Kletnoy based on his duties -- and the duo have taken a pic together as well.
As we previously reported ... the two rappers have been going back and forth since the release of "Hiss" with Nicki even cracking a joke about Megan's mother who passed away in 2019.
We've reached out to Vogue for comment ... so far, no word back.
Originally Published -- 7:06 PM PT
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'Juno' Writer Diablo Cody Oscars Are Cool I Guess ... But Gimme 'Barbie' 💰!!!
Diablo Cody's all about the dollar bills, and she'd give up seemingly anything for enough of them ... including her Oscar!
The writer/producer talked about Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig getting snubbed for Best Actress and Best Director respectively in an interview with People ... and insisted she'd give back her Academy Award for penning "Juno" if she'd get a "Barbie"-level box office return.
DC basically told the mag that of course Margot and Greta got snubbed ... but who cares about that when you just made 10 figures at the box office -- before adding she'd "trade my Oscar for a billion-dollar movie right now, if I could flip a switch!"
Cody said she meant to disrespect to the Academy ... though it kinda felt like saying "no offense" after you've low-key shaded a friend if we're being honest. But, let's be real -- a ton of stars would make that deal for a billion-dollar movie.
Another interesting note ... Diablo took a stance similar to a lot of people online -- mainly that both Robbie and Gerwig got nominated in other categories -- so not a total snub for either star.
To be fair, Cody's a bit of an expert in this field ... 'cause she worked on the "Barbie" project that was meant to star Amy Schumer way back in the day -- though hers never quite got off the ground, saying it's a hard IP to make believable.
Still, lots of fans are outraged at MR and GG getting left out of their biggest categories ... with some calling the voting sexist and even celeb fans like Hillary Clinton weighing in.
Welp, it seems there's only one way to settle this ... vote below!
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Pharrell Williams Watch Me Become The Man I Am ... One LEGO Brick At A Time!!!
Pharell Williams' life story is coming together brick by brick -- literally in this case ... 'cause he's collabing with LEGO to bring the vision to life.
The 50-year-old superproducer announced the big news Friday ... saying he's partnering with the toy giant to tell his tale -- and sharing a first look at the poster for the movie!
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Check it out -- Williams' LEGO self's got his trademark camouflage on and looks ready to dominate the studio, the stage or the fashion industry ... the definition of a triple threat, one for each brick of his body!
Williams added a low-key emotional caption to the post ... saying he never dreamed he'd have his story told in LEGO when he was playing with the crazy popular toy as just a youngin'. Williams also shared the name of the film -- "Piece By Piece" -- so clearly no pun's going unused.
It's a pretty unique idea -- tons of people are having their stories told in movie form like Priscilla Presley, Diana Nyad, Leonard Bernstein, Robert Oppenheimer, Jose M. Hernandez ... and those are just from the last year alone.
But, not many filmmakers are going the animated route ... something the company behind the production, Focus Features, is crediting Williams entirely with conceiving.
Basically, in a joint press release with Williams ... Focus explains PW came to them with the idea five years ago -- and they've been building the project (pun very much intended) as a team ever since.
The movie's set to come out on October 11. The only question now ... who's gonna step up and tell their story using Lincoln Logs???
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Annemarie Wiley 'RHOBH' Star Blasts 'Racist' Drawing ... Says Cyberbullies Target Her
Annemarie Wiley's speaking out about the cyberbullying she says she's had to deal with recently ... and it was sparked by a controversial drawing.
The 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star shared the pic Saturday ... a caricature of herself with huge muscles and a bottle of propofol -- used as general anesthesia -- hanging from the neck. AW's a "Nurse Anesthetist" according to her profile, explaining the propofol.
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In her caption, Wiley blasted the photo ... telling her more than 34k followers that she'd had to deal with a ton of racism and cyberbullying recently -- pointing to the pic as a major example of that.
She started by saying she was a collegiate athlete who still worked out every day... adding she's proud to show young women you don't have to be a size 0 to be beautiful and love yourself.
Wiley added, "Drawing a black woman as a gorilla is disgusting and completely unacceptable!" before mentioning the historical context of Black women being "villanized" and called "animalistic."
She added she's dealt with microaggressions and name-calling through the years ... but said the picture's a totally new level of "hatred," and she called out the artist who made it by account name.
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FWIW ... the artist's intent is difficult to judge here. The account "drunkdrawn" has posted a ton of these kinda pics through the years and uses a very specific style to portray these individuals -- some that share a ton of similarities to the Wiley snap, like this one of 'RHOSLC' star Meredith Marks.
In any case, Wiley was clearly hurt and offended by the picture and "drunkdrawn" seems to realize it stepped over a line ... 'cause it appears the post has been deleted.
We've reached out to Annemarie ... so far no word back.
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Sharon Stone Looking For Love on Tinder, Apps ... Dates w/ Duds, Not Studs
Sharon Stone's looking for love online, and she's finding out a lesson lots of millennials already know ... many people don't live up to their profile hype.
The superstar actress opened up about her online dating trials and tribulations in an interview with The Times Friday ... with Stone saying she's hoping 2024 will be her year to find true love.
So far though ... SS says it's leading to dates with lots of real sketchy dudes instead -- a fact not totally surprising to anyone who's used the apps over the years.
Stone's dates sound a heck of a lot worse than your average "guy lied about his height or job" catfishing ... Sharon actually seems to be attracted to some real stinkers.
For example, Sharon pulled one dude who she later found out was a convicted felon -- and another who she said was "clearly 20,000 heroin injections later than the picture he sent me" ... definitely not hubby material.
And, as for her good matches ... they happened during the pandemic, and Sharon said she never actually met the dudes IRL. Basically, Stone says she mainly acted as a "therapist" of sorts to a recent divorcee and another man who'd been through a breakup after his GF had an abortion -- conversations SS called "rewarding."
One big challenge ... the 65-year-old says she's not on dating apps like Bumble to hook up -- adding she thinks men will basically get it on with anything, like a "warm can of beans," so she doesn't really need to try for sex.
Instead, she's looking for a partner -- Sharon says she doesn't have a set list of criteria, but basically, she'll know it when she feels it. She's not rushing into love -- she's been married twice and has three kids to think of as well -- so she says she's gonna take her time with it.
Well, good luck to you, Sharon ... just be wary of wardrobe malfunctions on the first date -- especially with the matches you've been getting!
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Georgetown-Providence B-Ball Video of Chaos Outside Arena ... Shouting, Shoving Pregame
A chaotic scene went down before the Georgetown-Providence basketball game Saturday ... with videos flooding social media of fans pushing and yelling outside.
Here's the deal ... students were lined up, ready to head into the Amica Mutual Pavillion in Rhode Island for the Big East Conference showdown -- where they'd reportedly been since 7 AM, almost three hours before tip-off!!!
These dedicated students seem to have gotten overexcited 'cause it appears some started pushing their way forward ... which led to several students on the ground -- and a metal barricade standing almost totally vertical on the side.
Check out the vid -- several people are on the ground while their fellow students seem to be trying to hold the crowd back ... clearly in an effort to keep them from being trampled.
It's a tense scene ... with security screaming at students to stop pushing and shoving a couple students away from those who fell -- the person taking the video didn't come away unscathed either, tilting the camera down to reveal their shoes were taken off in the melee.
The mood in Providence today after a dramatic win over Ed Cooley’s Georgetown Hoyas: pic.twitter.com/rWcqf9Mgsy
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) January 27, 2024 @John_Fanta
Ultimately, the people working seemed to calm things down and let students into the game slowly. It's not clear if anyone was injured ... but regardless, it's a pretty scary scene. BTW, Providence ended up winning the game 84-76 -- and videos from inside the arena show the sheer magnitude of the crowd.
Glad everything seems to have worked out OK ... despite some very early scares.