TMZ.com Home

Garth Brooks opened the 2018 Country Music Awards with a dedication to the 12 people who were shot dead last week in the horrific massacre at a country bar in California.

Garth began the evening by lovingly dedicating the award show to the dozen people who were killed at Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks during last week's College Country Night.

Garth told the audience the show would celebrate the lives of the men and women who were shot dead, and asked everyone to let music unite them in love in their enduring memory.

11/15 -- Platt has broken his silence and apologized for the incident ...

"What I did is totally unacceptable and not justified in any way. I got frustrated and lost control over my behavior. I know these words cannot undo my wrongdoings. In the future I promise to make better choices.

"I’m not only apologizing to Nate Tenaglia but also to my teammates, the coaching staff, the University and the whole basketball community."

10:07 AM PT -- Fitchburg State has suspended Platt and barred him from campus for an unspecified amount of time.

"The Fitchburg State community is appalled by the conduct displayed during Tuesday night’s home basketball game."

"His behavior is antithetical to our community values and good sportsmanship. Fitchburg State does not tolerate behavior that violates those standards. The case is being reviewed at the student conduct level for consideration of further sanctions."

9:57 AM PT -- We spoke with the athletic director at Nichols College ... who says Tenaglia was able to return to the game and is doing fine ... and says the Fitchburg State athletic director called him to apologize for the incident and will hand down punishment accordingly.

This could be the dirtiest play in sports history ... a scumbag college basketball player straight-up elbowing an opponent in the FACE after shooting a 3-pointer ... and the video will piss you off.

This all went down on Tuesday night ... when Division III teams Fitchburg State and Nichols were playing in Massachusetts.

The guy who throws the 'bow is Fitchburg junior guard Kewan Platt ... ironically enough, he's a criminal justice major.

The man on the receiving end of the punch is Nichols guard Nate Tenaglia.

People are RAGING about the video on social media ... and Michael Rapaport is calling for Platt to be arrested.

Platt was called for a flagrant foul ... and Fitchburg ended up losing the game.

We've reached out to Fitchburg State, Nichols and the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Commission for comment ... so far, no word back.

The Weeknd's superhero alter ego, "Starboy," was an idea stolen from another comic book creator ... according to the lawsuit the author's filed against the singer.

Eymun Talasazan, the comic book writer, says he created a comic book universe in 2014 that revolved around R&B and rap stars. According to the suit, Talasazan had convos with The Weeknd's people in 2017 about folding "Starboy" into his comic book universe.

Remember, by that time Weeknd already had the hit song and album with the same name.

Talasazan -- who is repped by entertainment attorney Kirk Schenck -- says they never ended up working together. However, he says he did file for a trademark on "Starboy" -- as a comic book hero -- right around the time of his discussions with Weeknd's peeps. The singer was aware of that, and as we reported ... filed an opposition to the trademark.

Cut to 2018, when The Weeknd debuted his own comic book, "Starboy" ... in connection with Marvel. Talasazan says the Marvel comic had a "near identical premise" as the one he pitched to Weeknd's people the year before.

The Marvel connection is interesting because Talasazan says he began collaborating with Stan Lee in 2016 on a story arc and additional characters for his Starboy universe.

Schenck tells us, “This is not a case about who created or first used the term 'Starboy.' This case will decide if a songwriter automatically (without filing a trademark application) obtains trademark protection for all later uses of a word, even if those later uses have nothing to do with albums, song titles, music or lyrics.”

Aaron Rodgers and Danica Patrick are a happy, loving couple these days ... and they can thank Jim Carrey for that -- so says the ex-NASCAR driver herself.

Danica was delivering a motivational speech in North Dakota on Wednesday ... and afterward, she fielded some questions about her relationship with the Packers star QB.

One of the questions ... what was Aaron Rodgers' first line that got you to (eventually) go on a date with him?

That's when D.P. said the future Hall of Famer went straight to the "Dumb and Dumber" quote well to catch her attention.

"He was at the bar, puttin' out the vibe -- 'Dumb and Dumber,' you know?" Danica says.

"And, I remember he was doing movie lines! And, people that love movie lines, LOVE movie lines. So, I think we had a dialogue in movie lines, and I was like, 'This guy is really funny!'"

Danica says that all went down at the ESPYs back in 2012 ... and it helped lay the foundation for their future relationship, 'cause they kept in touch until they got serious about a year ago.

As for the actual first date ... Danica wasn't spillin' many beans there, but did say, "We were cooped up. We were cooped up. We weren't out in public."

In other words .... touchdown, Rodgers?!?!

President Trump put in years of secret planning to get CNN's White House correspondent kicked off his detail ... at least according to Omarosa.

Trump's former aide was in D.C. Wednesday when a photog asked her about Jim Acosta and CNN suing POTUS for revoking his press pass. Omarosa was pretty nonchalant about it, because she claims the Prez held "private meetings" about Acosta back when she was still in the White House.

Omarosa claims booting Acosta, in particular, has been on Trump's agenda for a long time.

For his part, Acosta walked into a federal courthouse in D.C. on Wednesday, seeking an emergency order that would grant him immediate White House access. The court hasn't ruled yet.

Omarosa's got an opinion on how the battle will play out for CNN and Acosta.

Granted, she has plenty of beef with 45 about how she was 86'd, but IF Omarosa's right about the alleged "private meetings," it confirms the media's biggest fears: That the President is trying to crush Freedom of the Press if he doesn't like your reporting.

WWE Superstar Becky Lynch just ripped Ronda Rousey ... saying the depression she had after losing to Holly Holm in 2015 proves she's a weak-minded person.

ICYMI ... Rousey and Lynch have been feuding for weeks ... and were set to fight this weekend at WWE's "Survivor Series" to settle things.

But, Lynch had to pull out of the tilt after suffering a "broken face" on Monday's RAW ... which pissed Rousey off.

"I’m really sorry to hear The Millennial Man will not be showing up for her legally arranged ass whooping on November 18th at the Staples Center," Rousey wrote in a lengthy post on her Instagram.

Lynch responded shortly after ... and didn't hold back, saying, "When I got my face broke I got up, owned you THEN showed up the next day looking to fight some more."

"When you got your face broke you hid for a year under your blankie. Your mind is as weak as your jaw, & I’m going to move heaven & earth to come destroy them both."

Of course, she's referencing TMZ Sports' video from '15 ... where Ronda covered her face with a pillow after returning from the Holm fight.

We know ... storylines are scripted -- but this one feels personal.

Rousey has called the post-Holm fight period the lowest point of her life ... saying she had suicidal thoughts after the loss.

Unclear when the Lynch-Rousey match will be rescheduled for ... but one thing is clear -- there's some pretty bad blood between these two.

The guy who's been arrested for Tekashi69's kidnapping and robbery is one of the rapper's disgruntled ex-crew member ... and it appears he wanted revenge.

Sources with knowledge of the situation tell TMZ ... Anthony Jamel Ellison used to be part of 6ix9ine's management crew. He was fired after the infamous LAX brawl. We're told he'd been very involved in Tekashi's career in the early days, and felt he should've been paid more for the work he did.

Our sources say Ellison felt he wasn't getting a fair cut of the money Tekashi started making when his career took off. We're told it was a feeling Ellison had been sitting on for a while, and things finally boiled over with the July kidnapping ... allegedly.

We broke the story ... Tekashi was pistol-whipped and robbed blind by goons -- crimes for which Ellison was arrested and indicted last week. Law enforcement sources tell us they believe Ellison had "real beef" with Tekashi.

And, get this ... there's another suspect who's still wanted, whom we're told was also tied to Tekashi, and might've had similar motives.

It turns out Jennifer Lopez's love does cost a thing, MILLIONS in fact, because we've learned the singer is raking in an insane amount of cash for quick appearances at private Qatar-related events.

Sources with knowledge of the deals tell TMZ ... J Lo performed in Qatar last week for a 20-minute set and a question-and-answer session at the grand opening of a super fancy mall. For that, she scored $2 MILLION, plus another million for expenses, including private jets.

We're told J Lo talked with the crowd about women's rights ... a big, evolving issue in the country, and she's one of the few female entertainers invited to the country.

J Lo isn't just rolling in the dough overseas ... next week, she's supposed to perform at the Qatar Airways party at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, where she will have another 20-minute set and earn $1.2 million! But, there's a hitch. Qatar may have stepped over its skis, because check out the invite for the event, naming J Lo as the performer. Our sources say the $1.2 mil fee is Qatar's offer, but it's still under negotiation. By sending out invites, the airline just lost its leverage.

Jennifer's run of cashing huge checks for light work at private parties continues a trend among huge celebs ... such as Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and The Weeknd.

And, don't forget Migos, who performed at a birthday party for Dana White's 16-year-old kid.

Hey, can't knock the hustle.

A Dallas woman who went to Mexico for a nose job is now fighting for her life after the botched procedure put her in a coma, and her family is desperately trying to get her better medical care.

Real estate agent Laura Avila traveled to Ciudad Juarez last month to save some cash on the plastic surgery, as it's significantly cheaper there. Her attorney, Larry Friedman, tells TMZ the anesthesia used on her was administered incorrectly ... and way too early.

We're told the clinic staff left Laura under anesthesia for hours because the head doc was running late. As a result, Laura suffered severe brain swelling and went into a coma.

Laura was stuck in Mexico for 8 days before her family could finally transfer her to a hospital in El Paso, TX, where doctors revealed she'd have to be kept alive with breathing tubes and machines, or be taken off life support. The family now wants a second opinion in Dallas.

The problem ... we're told they're having trouble getting Laura admitted to a facility in Dallas, because she reportedly lacks insurance. The family has created a GoFundMe page to help with medical costs.

Cardi B shook things up Tuesday night in NYC, headlining an event for Pandora and twerking in Gold Medal Olympian fashion.

It makes sense Cardi was the star of Pandora Beyond ... she's got more than a billion streams on Pandora. "Bodak Yellow" has been played over 214 million times. And, get this ... 8.1 million people have created a Cardi B station on Pandora.

She's popular everywhere, but her strongest market is New York City and her biggest growth market is Houston.

Cardi's on fire right now. She's one of the judges on the upcoming Netflix hip-hop music competition series, "Rhythm + Flow." The other judges are T.I. and Chance the Rapper. John Legend is the Executive Producer.

She's clearly figured out how to juggle her career with mommyhood ... Kulture is now 4 months old ... they grow up so fast.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is floatin' our boats with a new lineup for 2018 ... including, at least one, on a half shell!

The "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" will make its debut at the 92nd annual parade next week in NYC along with a score of others -- like a new Kinder Chocolate Factory float. There's also a new giant and colorful elephant which has a pretty cool feature ... it shoots confetti outta its trunk.

Don't worry, the oldies but goodies like Tom the Turkey are still there. Tom's been in the game since 1971 (ride or die) ... and for the first time ever he'll be self-propelled.

Tekashi69's lawyers should be hosting "Let's Make a Deal" ... 'cause they struck another sweet one for him in his alleged assault of an NYPD officer.

The rapper actually showed up for court Wednesday morning in Brooklyn and entered a guilty plea to disorderly conduct and, in exchange, prosecutors dropped the misdemeanor assault charge he'd been facing.

TMZ broke the story ... cops busted Tekashi in May because he was driving on a suspended license. During the arrest, he allegedly squeezed an officer's hand. Gotta say, of all his cases ... this was the least gangsta.

For the disorderly conduct, the judge gave Tekashi a conditional discharge. His attorney, Lance Lazzaro, tells us that condition is 6ix9ine's gotta stay out of trouble for a year. If not, he could face immediate jail time.

He's been clearing the decks on several of his legal issues. The judge in his child sex case told Tekashi the same -- stay out of trouble -- 3 weeks ago when he got probation.

Of course, a few hours after that, Tekashi's crew was involved in a shooting -- and then there were the shots fired at his Bev Hills music video set.

It's no longer just me, myself and I with G-Eazy -- he's got a cute little blonde babe hangin' off his arm now ... and all signs point to a successful rebound post-Halsey.

The Bay Area rapper was showin' off a bit of PDA Tuesday night with this mystery girl in Los Feliz, where they certainly looked like they were on a date. The two of 'em were seen holding hands and coming in for a big bear hug. Check out her smile ... is that amore?

It's good to see GE getting out there again -- for real this time -- especially after his seemingly unsuccessful night out at Drake's birthday party a few weeks ago. Remember, he left the shindig by himself ... with just a bodyguard in tow.

As we reported ... G-Eazy and Halsey broke up for the second time this year, and even unfollowed each other on social media. She's been rockin' and rollin' since then, showing out for Halloween and, most recently, performing with Weezy on 'SNL.'

Steelers fans ain't the only people pissed off at Le'Veon Bell today ... here's David Spade giving up on the Pittsburgh superstar completely after he destroyed his fantasy season!!!

ICYMI ... Le'Veon's held out all year looking for a new mega-deal from the Steelers -- but decided to officially quit on the season Tuesday when he failed to report at the league-imposed deadline.

This, of course, crushed fantasy owners who not only picked Le'Veon in the first round in summer drafts -- but kept him on the bench all year waiting for his return!!

Spade happened to be one of those unlucky people ... and unleashed his hatred for the running back outside of Craig's on Tuesday night.

"I gave up on him today when the rest of the world did too," David says. "He's got to win me back!"

Lady Gaga is walking the walk when it comes to helping California's wildfire victims ... and she's doing it with arms full of pizza.

Gaga hit up a Red Cross Shelter in the L.A. area Tuesday night to deliver goodies -- food, coffee and other items -- to hundreds of people displaced by the Woolsey fire. No tip necessary. She's all good.

Can't say she's not a woman of her word. Remember, Gaga -- who was also forced to evacuate -- went to a shelter over the weekend and told evacuees she'd stand by them through the crisis.

Kinda perfect timing that Tuesday happened to be World Kindness Day, and Gaga encouraged others to follow in her footsteps.

The federal government just released a photograph of the aftermath of the blizzard that struck Washington, D.C. last week, and which left a blanket of thick snow over one side of Capitol Hill. Just a single woman survived.

A close distance away, however, the left side of Capitol Hill fared much better, where some light flurries mixed with some colorful landscape to give things a sign of real life.

The long-term forecast calls for considerably less snow on Capitol Hill in the coming years.