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SoFi Stadium seemed a little too easy to slip into ahead of a big BTS concert -- so much so that many felt COVID protocols were being broken ... even though the venue refutes that.

The Korean pop band performed Saturday at the arena in L.A., and as the gates opened for ticketholders ... some say they saw laxed screenings by security and other personnel, which they believe also meant vaccination cards weren't being checked or enforced.

Ditto for bags ... tons of people online, who presumably were there, claim nobody was taking a look at anyone's personal belongings.

There's some video evidence that appears to support that, at least on the surface. As you can see -- a steady stream of fans are trickling in past security checkpoints ... and there doesn't seem to be much stop-and-go movement, it's all just go.

Of course, this drew some criticism and concern -- as SoFi's policy for entry is that you either present proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test taken within recent days. Naturally, the Omicron variant is at the forefront of everyone's minds too.

On their end, SoFi tells TMZ ... "The safety of our guests, staff and the artist are always our number one priority, and we coordinated with law enforcement to temporarily streamline guest entry at last night's show. Tonight, we will have increased security and guest entry points and will begin vaccination verification even earlier in the entry process."

Lindsay Lohan is engaged ... and she's over the moon!

LL made the announcement Sunday ... she's going to marry her BF Bader Shammas, and she has receipts to show their love -- a couple of romantic photos.

Lindsay told her nearly 10 mil Insta followers ... "My love. My life. My family. My future. @bader.shammas #love 💍"

Lindsay's ex-GF, socialite Courtenay Semel, added her 2 cents .. "the best!!" Lindsay's brother Dakota is clearly down with Bader, posting, "my best friends!!!"

Lindsay and Bader have been together for a while ... first spotted out as a couple in early 2020 ... just before the pandemic shut down the world. So, the relationship is already road-tested.

Congrats!!!

Ben and Jen aren't married -- they're not even engaged, yet -- but they are sure acting like a couple that already tied the knot.

B&J walked hand-in-hand to a music studio Saturday ... presumably JLo's recording new tunes. This follows spending Thanksgiving together, along with JLo's twins, Max and Emme.

Ben did double duty, also chowing down with his kids, Violet, Seraphina and Samuel.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Ben and Jen have been looking for a house together in the L.A. area, but so far they haven't sealed the deal. Nonetheless, they are not only spending time together, but they are also traveling all over the world together.

What's going to be interesting ... whether Ben and Jen get all the kids together over the holiday weekend. Since they're looking for a house together, that's probably already happened.

The Royal Fam is calling BS on a new book that claims Prince Charles wondered out loud if Meghan and Harry's child might have a dark complexion.

Christopher Anderson claims in a new book, "Brothers and Wives: Inside The Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan," that on the day Meghan and Harry announced their engagement, Charles wondered out loud to Camilla "what the children will look like?"

Anderson says Camilla was caught off guard and responded, "Well, absolutely gorgeous, I'm certain." Charles allegedly wasn't satisfied with the response, and shot back, "I mean, what do you think their children's complexion might be?"

A Palace spokesperson told The NY Post, "This is fiction and not worth further comment."

It is odd ... how would that convo between Charles and Camilla leak?

Anderson apparently does not say in the book that Charles is the Royal Meghan and Harry were referring to in their sit down with Oprah, but the intimation is certainly there.

As you know, Meghan said there were "concerns and conversations" regarding the skin tone of Archie, who had not yet been born.  The conversations were allegedly between Harry and at least one Royal.

Anderson also claims Queen Elizabeth 86'd a photo of Harry, Meghan and Archie from camera view during her 2019 XMAS message.

Kanye's not givin' up on love, and he's counting on God for Kim to see it his way ... And some big verdicts this week. So, we gotta ask ...

Sheree Whitfield's boyfriend isn't talking to her, but he wants a chat with the folks at Bravo ... because he's pissed off about his past appearances on his girl's reality show.

The "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star's BF, Tyrone Gilliams, had his legal team fire off a cease and desist letter to the TV network ... claiming the show's been using his name and likeness without his permission.

According to the legal threat, obtained by TMZ, Tyrone says he never gave the green light for him to become a recurring 'RHOA' storyline back in the day. Even when he wasn't actually on camera, he was often discussed by cast members, and he says the network's been profiting off him without permission.

In the docs, Tyrone is threatening legal action if Bravo doesn't stop using his name and image STAT ... and he's going even further, demanding the network scrub every trace of him from 'RHOA' footage and social media posts, as well as putting the brakes on any marketing or advertising involving him.

Tyrone's been upset lately ... as we first told you, he's not on speaking terms with Sheree because 'RHOA' filming almost put him back in prison due to Sheree's plans to shoot scenes with him at a restaurant. That would've been a huge problem because he's currently sentenced to home confinement.

Faizon Love says a potential "Elf" sequel doesn't need the star power of Will Ferrell ... he says America is ready for a Santa's helper redo -- a Black elf.

The actor, who played the store manager in the original "Elf," tells TMZ ... he's surprised Will turned down a $29 million payday for a sequel, but it just opens the door for the movie to go in a new direction.

Faizon says with Will out of the picture, it's a perfect time to introduce a Black elf into the storyline ... and he thinks audiences will embrace the change.

It's pretty funny ... Faizon says America got warmed up with a Black president and then an "orange" president ... so a Black elf is just the next step.

Will says he turned down the huge payday because he didn't think the sequel would ever live up to the OG holiday classic ... a decision Faizon says few could make.

"Do I think he can win it? No. I know he can win it!"

That's LaVar Ball telling TMZ Sports he knows his son, LaMelo, can win NBA's MVP this season ... which would make him the youngest player to ever win the award.

The 20-year-old is already a star -- he won 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year, was selected All-Rookie First Team and became the youngest player in Hornets franchise history to have a 30-point game.

But, can LaMelo -- who's averaging nearly 20 points, 8 rebounds and almost 8 assists in his second season -- really win the trophy over guys like Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo?!

LaVar says "yes" ... but there's something he's gotta do first.

"Here it is ... they're not gonna give Melo the MVP unless he makes it to the Finals," LaVar said at Cool Kicks L.A. "Then you gonna make MVP."

"You know why? The NBA -- what do you need? You need the next superstar, and you know who he is?! My boy! And, I got a bunch of 'em!"

FYI -- the current youngest MVP was Derrick Rose, who won it at 22 years for the Bulls.

The Hornets are currently in the middle of the Eastern Conference ... but it's still pretty early in the season, so who knows what'll happen.

There are so many Thanksgiving leftovers it's hard to keep up ... that's why we are filling you up with these gorgeous gals to curb your appetite for Kardashian content!

Whether it's a homemade meal, fast food or a lavish night out at a five-star restaurant, these famous snacks will never miss the opportunity to snap and serve you up their selfies enjoying the meal!

Belly up to the table and take a bite out of this delicious gallery of these nutritious Kardashian food photos to really hit the spot ... if you have expensive taste, that is.

Bebe Rexha might not be your regular Grammy darling -- but she doesn't need any of the trophies to confirm the most important thing in this biz ... namely, people love her music.

Here's the deal ... BR has three songs that have now broken a billion streams each -- including her hit with G-Eazy, "Me, Myself & I" -- which clearly means fans dig the content and then some -- but as Bebe herself noted, she doesn't have the hardware to prove it.

That's what we talked to her about this week at LAX ... where we asked why she thought the numbers don't necessarily translate to awards, even when the consensus among listeners is overwhelming.

Watch what she had to say ... in Bebe's eyes, there's a lot more at play behind the scenes when it comes to collecting accolades -- including politics and money, and it sounds like she thinks her music, for whatever reason, doesn't sway the powers that be.

No matter, though ... 'cause Bebe tells us she's got everything she needs to be happy -- including enough dough to take care of her family, and the love and support of her label/team ... not to mention her adoring fans, which is all that matters to her.

Great perspective here, and it might actually be a trickling down philosophy courtesy of Champagne Papi ... who's been snubbed many a time at award shows.

Hidden underneath this big grinning guy is a fashion-forward actor who has deep dived into his intense characters on screen.

This stretched-out star is best known for his iconic roles in film, including his rendition of a chaotic villain who battles against Batman in an epic superhero franchise. Not shying away from his musical abilities as well, this multi-talented celebrity formed an out-of-this-world band with his brother nearly two decades ago ... and they are still rocking out together to this day.

Blac Chyna's advice on the new 'rona variant is about the same from when she was screaming in an airport not too long ago -- everyone's gotta get vaccinated, and now.

We spoke to the influencer and reality TV star at LAX Friday, where she gave us her thoughts on what scientists are calling Omicron ... a new strain of COVID that's apparently spreading from South Africa to other parts of the world.

Chyna agrees it's pretty scary, but she stays on message ... saying folks have gotta get jabbed up. When we ask why she thinks many haven't yet -- she's got an interesting answer.

Watch ... BC seems to think this might be about perception and proximity -- namely, if no one in your immediate circle is affected, you're less inclined to believe how dangerous the virus is.

To her, it's nothing to take lightly ... and she, unfortunately, knows that first-hand -- as Chyna tells us she's lost loved ones to COVID, noting it's not a game and absolutely lethal ... especially now that there's this new variant that's threatening to break loose.

Yoko Ono's name has been cleared of a tired old narrative that she was solely responsible for breaking up The Beatles ... at least according to Yoko Ono, and maybe Peter Jackson.

John Lennon's widow tweeted out an article recapping Beatles fans' theories that Yoko is, indeed, vindicated in the new 3-part 'Get Back' docuseries that was just released on Disney+ ... which features lots of unseen BTS footage from their 'Let It Be' movie in 1970.

The first part of the 8-hour saga was released a few days ago, and so far ... people are pointing out how unassuming Yoko is during the 1969 rehearsals at Twickenham Film Studios.

While she is very much so present during a lot of their jam sessions -- cozying up right next to John and sitting among the other band members -- she's often seen minding her own business ... be it knitting, writing, reading newspapers or just eating/drinking or rolling joints.

PJ -- who was tapped to comb through the footage anew, and who spent the last few years piecing together a new project from it all -- even noted in a recent '60 Minutes' interview that Yoko never imposed herself or her opinions into what the guys were doing ... at least from what he'd seen.

Of course, there are still some who think there's no denying she played a part in the The Beatles' demise ... arguing that her mere presence alone proved to be a distraction for John, whom many say was mentally checked out by the time they reunited for their final album.

That doesn't hold water though ... 'cause as the new doc shows, there were a lot of people who were hanging around that month, including Paul's then-GF, Linda, and her kid -- plus some of George's friends and others, who just sat in and took it all in (seemingly) quietly.

At one point during the first few hours of 'Get Back,' Paul was filmed saying ... "It's going to be such an incredible, comical thing in 50 years time ... they broke up because Yoko sat on an amp."

PM himself has acknowledged Yoko isn't to blame ... nor is anyone else, really. That said ... he has appeared to lay some direct blame on John himself, pushing back on the idea that Paul wanted everyone to go their separate ways.

The doc paints Paul as fighting hard to keep it all together -- demanding they get more organized and on schedule, while also coming up with a lot of the iconic melodies for 'LIB' -- despite a number of forces that seemed to signal ... their time was coming to an end.

The reporter who botched an interview with Adele for not listening to her new album just made a mea culpa over his own airwaves ... and even described what we'll never see.

Aussie journo Matt Doran, of Channel 7's "Weekend Sunrise," ended one of his segments this week with a full-blown apology to both Adele, her Australian fans and his viewers at large ... over what he called a blown opportunity, all because he didn't properly peruse his inbox.

Doran reiterated what he'd already said this past week ... namely, that the reason he hadn't heard "30" prior to the sit-down is because he didn't check out a link Sony had emailed him in the 11th hour, which ended up being a preview of the album in full.

While they were chatting in early November -- well before it dropped -- Doran says he admitted to Adele he hadn't heard the full thing yet ... but clarified what happened after.

Unlike some reports that claim she abruptly left the interview upon hearing this -- apparently insulted by his lack of knowledge -- Doran insists the opposite happened ... according to him, they finished the interview, which he says ran over time, and that Adele was delightful.

He also recapped what exactly they'd discussed -- seeing how the interview will never see the light of the day, reportedly thanks to her label, which put the kibosh on it.

Sounds like they got into some heavy stuff, so it's a shame we'll never see it. Anyway ... here's hoping Adele can forgive him -- like he asks for here -- 'cause it seems MD has gotten well into the weeds of the album and then some since his blunder.