Drake's bucket list is one item shorter Wednesday morning, now that he's got a super blinged out cross around his neck -- "as a Jew." His words.
Drizzy's grin Tuesday night in NYC was almost as bright as the massive diamond-covered cross around his neck ... he was THAT thrilled about his latest piece of jewelry. It might be his most interesting also.
We all know Drake is Jewish -- Bar Mitzvah'd and everything -- so rocking a decidedly Christian symbol, even one reportedly worth 6-figures, is, umm .... not common.
He even acknowledged it when he posted a video with the caption, "I always wanted to rock a icey cross as a jew thanks for making one of my dreams come true ... who dat fuh?"
Drake was clearly NOT thinking about religion, though, while he was shopping for his cross at Jacob & Co.
Nancy Pelosi took a page out of President Trump's playbook ... and then ripped it up, and now she's explained why.
Status: Pelosi stole some of the President's thunder when she played to the camera and tore up her copy of the State of the Union address. She said in a Congressional hallway following the address she did it because the speech was a pack of lies ... what she called "a manifesto of mistruths."
The evening was about as partisan as ever before on both sides ... with chants of "4 more years" from the Republicans and protests from the Democrats.
After the speech, reaction to Pelosi's move was swift and predictable. Former California Rep. Katie Hill was in DC and felt Trump got off easy -- Pelosi should have used the gavel on him.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz was outraged, calling Pelosi's move "pitiful" and "disgusting."
It was acrimonious from the get-go ... Trump blew off Pelosi's gesture to shake hands, and then she introduced him by simply acknowledging "the President of the United States." She did not hold to tradition and say, "I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the President of the United States."
Jay-Z says he and Beyonce sitting through the "Star Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl was absolutely NOT a protest of any sort ... it was simply 2 moguls hard at work.
Jay was at Columbia University Tuesday and addressed the video TMZ Sports first posted Sunday ... showing Jay, Bey and Blue Ivy seated as Demi Lovato belted out the National Anthem. A Columbia professor asked him if he remained seated to "convey a signal," and Jay quickly replied, "It actually wasn't. Sorry."
He said Beyonce told him she was thinking what Demi must have been going through in the seconds before starting the Anthem, because, as Jay put it, Beyonce's "performed at the Super Bowl before, and I haven't."
He said they got to their seats and were laser-focused on Demi's performance, but from a business standpoint -- "We immediately jumped into artist mode."
Jay added, "I'm really just looking at the show. The mics start. Was it too low to start?" He went on to make the point he was concerned about the audio and all aspects of the show for a very good reason.
Remember, Jay-Z's Roc Nation is now producing ALL of the entertainment at Super Bowls as part of the deal Jay struck with the NFL last year. That included Demi's Anthem, Yolanda Adams singing "America the Beautiful" ... and the Halftime Show with Shakira and J Lo.
Jay said there was no need for a "silent protest" -- as some speculated they were doing -- because we were "making the biggest loudest protest of all" by selecting such a diverse group of artists to perform at the game.
He also joked about people thinking they had Blue Ivy in on the alleged protest -- saying, there's no way their 8-year-old could possibly play it cool ... especially on camera.
Also worth noting ... the Carters attend sporting events regularly -- Jay was a minority owner of the Brooklyn Nets -- and we're told they always stand for the Anthem. We found photos and video to back that up, including the 2017 NBA All-Star Game.
Sources close to the situation tell us Jay knew revealing the real reason he sat might spark new criticism from Colin Kaepernick supporters -- some of whom took Sunday's video as a sign Jay was backtracking on his "We've moved past kneeling" remark.
We're told he still opted to address it during the Columbia Q&A session because he didn't want anyone to misconstrue his actions.
Kevin Hart has not filed a lawsuit in the wake of his near-fatal car crash. He hasn't been sued either. And, the driver and passenger haven't sued or been sued either. In other words, not a single lawsuit has been filed in what everyone thought would be a flurry of legal action.
TMZ broke the story, Kevin was in the front passenger seat last September when his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda crashed into an embankment in Malibu. Kevin, the driver and the driver's fiancee were all hospitalized and Kevin required spinal surgery. Investigators concluded no one was wearing a seat belt and there were no safety harnesses in the car.
Law enforcement says the driver was at fault, he allegedly gunned the vehicle's 720-HP engine and lost control.
As we reported, everyone immediately lawyered up, but then there was silence. It seemed almost certain the driver would get sued, and Kevin as well since he was the owner of the car and owners are responsible when they allow someone to take the wheel and their negligence causes an accident.
There was also talk the company that customized the car would be sued since there were no safety harnesses in the vehicle. The fact is though, since no one even had a seat belt on, the harness would have gone unused and done no good.
Our sources also say no money has changed hands as part of a settlement. In other words, when it comes to lawsuits resulting from the crash ... crickets.
Now it's true ... everyone involved has 3 years to file a lawsuit, so it could still happen, but typically, these suits are filed pretty quickly.
As for Kevin, we're told he continues to undergo physical therapy and he hits the gym regularly. He's very involved in work again as well ... hosting a Super Bowl gig in Miami and doing plenty of promo for 'Jumanji.' And, check out the latest issue of Men's Health that comes out Wednesday ... Kev's on the cover.
Rush Limbaugh is gonna need a few days to recover from the shock of receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- that's clear from his stunned face last night on Capitol Hill.
We got the famed conservative talk show host Tuesday night as he was leaving President Trump's State of the Union address, where he became one of the surprise moments of the night -- getting the nation's highest civilian honor.
Rush confirms he had no idea it was coming, telling us, he's in a "state of disbelief" and didn't expect it at all. He says he's as honored as he can be, though ... and he's definitely not turning it down.
As we reported ... Limbaugh was recently diagnosed with advanced lung cancer and will be taking time off from his show to receive treatments. Trump addressed the situation while presenting Rush with the honor, saying it's not good news ... but the good news is Limbaugh is the "greatest fighter and winner you will ever meet."
Clearly, the medal hanging around Rush's neck has him feeling like even more of a winner as he prepares for his upcoming fight.
Manu Ginobili has turned into a straight-up SUPERHERO in retirement ... 'cause the NBA legend sprang into action and helped rescue a grandma who fell down a sand dune!
Here's what went down ... Twitter user @almumansi (who goes by AM) says her grandmother was at the beach in Blanca Bay, Argentina when she decided to try to climb a sand dune, but fell.
That's when 2 men -- including 42-year-old Manu -- sprinted to help the lady, picked her up and carried her to safety.
AM says by the time she got to the scene, she noticed her grandma was taking a pic with one of the heroes ... and realized it was MANU FREAKIN' GINOBILI!!!
Of course, Manu is from Argentina and spends a lot of time in his home country during retirement.
Ginobili was a helluva ballplayer during his career ... and is a shoo-in for the basketball Hall of Fame. But, stories like this are much better than any highlight on the court.
Mel B's ex-husband is fresh off a major court victory but again he's coming for a pound of flesh in his custody war with the Spice Girl.
Stephen Belafonte's asking the court to grant him full legal and physical custody of their 8-year-old daughter, Madison, claiming Mel B's all but abandoned her after moving to the UK ... this according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ.
Mel's ex claims he's been the sole caregiver of Madison for the majority of 2018 and much of 2019. He says Mel's ensconced in England and absent from Madison's life. Stephen also wants Mel to have access to Madison but only in L.A. and only supervised visitation.
As we reported ... Stephen -- who has had custody issues with Mel since settling their heated divorce -- got a judge last December to block Mel from taking their daughter to the UK for the holidays. At the time ... he claimed Madison was afraid Mel would hurt her. He also claimed Mel's asking their daughter for dirt on him.
Stephen claims he doesn't want to subject Madison to Mel's alleged verbal and psychological abuse. He claims he couldn't get a hold of Mel for days last Thanksgiving and when Mel's nanny dropped off Madison with Stephen, Madison told him "her mother would make her sit in a dark room and repeatedly question her over and over and demand answers from her."
Stephen claims this is why Madison "also told me that she was afraid her mother would hurt her." Moving forward, Stephen wants to make all parental decisions (medical care, schooling, etc.) when it comes to their daughter.
The judge has yet to sign off on Stephen's request.
12:51 PM PT -- Shareef just posted pictures of the nearly-finished tattoos ... and they feature Kobe's brand logo, a silhouette of Kobe mid-jump shot, the #8 and #24, Gianna's "Mamba" jersey and the words, "Mamba Mentality."
UPDATE
Shareef says the art will be getting background ink soon.
Shareef has been deeply affected by their deaths and has been searching for ways to pay tribute to the Bryants. He's been posting a lot on social media. He went to the Bryant tribute at Staples Center. And now, he's inking their numbers on his leg.
Check out the pic ... you can see Gigi's #2 jersey she rocked for her Mamba Academy team. He also added Kobe's #8 and #24, the two numbers he wore with the Lakers.
7:13 AM PT -- Police say a search of the vehicle revealed no weapons ... and they claim there were no indications of this being a terrorist attack.
UPDATE
Cops added that the driver is currently under investigation for impairment ... although a motive for the incident is still unclear.
UPDATE
A Kansas City PD spokesperson said the parade route is "once again secure" ... and the Chiefs' title celebration is expected to continue later today.
Unbelievable moment at the Chiefs' Super Bowl parade Wednesday ... a car blew through barriers and led cops on a wild police chase before it was ultimately halted by a PIT maneuver.
The crazy scene just went down minutes ago in Kansas City ... where, according to witnesses, a silver sedan plowed into the parade route and drove through it at high speeds.
You can see in the video, at the end of the chase, the beat-up car was hopping curbs and avoiding officers ... until one cop car finally stopped him with an epic PIT move.
The scene was chaotic ... 'cause once the driver's vehicle was disabled -- DOZENS of officers ran to rip the suspects from the car.
Oh my god a car flew threw the barriers ON THE KC PARADE ROUTE and a chase ensued down the route, hope nobody got hurt pic.twitter.com/cG54Y3oUf5
Nicki Minaj teased a new song invoking Rosa Parks' name -- on the eve of the legendary civil rights icon's birthday -- but the Queen didn't plan to flex when she did and meant no disrespect either.
Sources connected to the femcee tell TMZ ... Nicki's aware of the heat she's been catching from folks after releasing a snippet of a track she's been working on called "Yikes" -- which includes the line, "All you bitches Rosa Parks // Uh oh, get your ass up."
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Some people found it humorous, but lots of others didn't ... and actually thought it was a slap in the face of a civil rights legend, who would've turned 107 Tuesday.
Fact is ... we're told Nicki was NOT in any way, shape or form attempting to diss the great Mrs. Parks -- she was just using her in what she thought was a clever metaphor aimed at her haters. It's about as simple as that ... our sources say it wasn't a slight at all.
As for the date -- again, right before Rosa's born day -- we're told Nicki didn't arrange that on purpose. It was a coincidence and in hindsight ... we're told maybe bad timing. Our sources say Nicki was excited to give her fans new tunes, and everything came together by chance.
We're told Nicki would never undermine the work Rosa did, and she hopes her fans know that too.
Ross Mathews is slamming the Iowa caucus-goer who wanted to take back her vote for Pete Buttigieg after finding out he's gay ... calling her a homophobe and grossly uninformed.
We got Ross in New York City and asked about the woman's anti-gay rant after discovering Pete is married to a man.
Ross says he's blown away that someone did NOT know Pete's sexual orientation ... as he points out, presidential hopefuls like Buttigieg have only been campaigning in Iowa for 2 freakin' years!!!
The TV personality adds the woman needs to get a clue, and says everyone should do their homework on the candidates.
Ross is also questioning the woman's attempt to take back her vote for Pete ... he says a same-sex marriage should not be a deal-breaker for Prez.
While Pete's still got a long road to make it to the White House, Ross predicts there will absolutely be a gay President one day ... and he tells us why it would spell good news for the Oval Office.
Mendeecees is back on the outside after more than 5 years in prison, and he can check off #1 on his 'To do" list ... seeing his kids again.
The "Love & Hip Hop New York" star was released from prison a week ago, on January 29, and shortly afterward he reunited with the 2 children he has with Yandy Smith-Harris. These pics show the fam's first public outing on Monday, shopping at a Walmart ... with Mendeecees looking every bit the proud papa.
As we reported, he was sentenced to 8 years in a minimum-security Pennsylvania prison for drug trafficking. That ended up getting knocked down, but he still ended up doing 5 years and 3 months.
When he got out last week, Mendeecees did it in a grand fashion -- tossing his old clothes in a trash can. Now, he's on parole and set to report to a halfway house for the next several months ... while also participating in a work-release program, with passes to see his family.
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His lockup was a big storyline on the show. 'L&HH' documented Yandy's journey as a de facto single parent, and now Mendeecees is almost guaranteed to be reintroduced. He and Yandy have also adopted a daughter, and he has 2 other kids from previous relationships.
Point being, he's gonna have his hands full -- so good to see Mendeecees getting back in the groove of fatherhood.
New York-native Eddie Kaye Thomas was still a teenager when he was cast as the mochaccino-loving, ladies man, Paul Finch -- who has an explosive fear of public bathrooms -- in the classic 1999 teen comedy, "American Pie" ... as well as "American Pie 2" and "American Wedding."
Eddie Kaye Thomas shared the big screen with a great group of young actors including Jason Biggs as the awkward main character, Jim, Seann William Scott as the beer-chugging Stifler, Shannon Elizabeth as the eye-popping exchange student, Nadia ... and of course Jennifer Coolidge as the sultry love interest, Stifler's Mom.
2 Chainz, Offsetand YGshould not be proud of one of their hit songs ... so claims another artist who says the rappers straight-up jacked his work!!!
Solomon Clanton claims in a new lawsuit -- obtained by TMZ -- he released a song called "Proud" way back in 2015 ... 3 years BEFORE 2 Chainz, Offset and YG collab'd on their own track called "Proud."
Clanton -- who goes by the stage name Slugga -- claims in his suit, the 2 songs include similar lyrics and music, including the hook and thematic elements.
Slugga notes the 2 songs have identical hooks, "I'm just tryin' to make my mama proud," as well as the same call-and-response technique in the lyrics and a spoken-word intro.
According to the suit, Clanton also claims the 2 tracks have the same climactic moment and the same 2/4 time signature of two beats per measure.
Clanton wants profits from the Def Jam song, as well as an order from a judge prohibiting 2 Chainz's "Proud" from getting spins.
We reached out to reps for 2 Chainz, Offset and YG ... no word back, so far.
Bob Harper says what makes the 'Biggest Loser' reboot a big winner is what happens AFTER the contestants go home ... when the real work begins.
The host of the new 'BL' was on "TMZ Live" Tuesday, and while they're still going to have weight loss competitions ... he says the contestants will also be getting a huge helping hand whenever their time on the show ends.
The fitness guru also emphasizes the reboot's done away with "temptation challenges" and vote-offs. Bob explained there's a concerted effort to give contestants the necessary tools to continue a healthy lifestyle at home and on their own.
Arguably, that's the toughest part for most of the 'BL' cast ... according to Bob. The show's now airing Tuesday nights on USA and, overall, he says you can expect a "kinder, gentler" approach to slimming down.
BTW ... Bob's got no beef -- literally and figuratively -- when it comes to the term "weight loss" and he explains why it's NOT taboo to say so ... for him, at least.
'Vampire Diaries' actress Alice Evans lost her s**t on a YouTuber who claims she hit her car in a parking lot and drove away -- and the confrontation between the two is wild.
The vlogger is Kayla Lashae, and she captured the British star leaving her vehicle Monday afternoon in L.A. to berate Kayla after allegedly knocking her back bumper while trying to park next to her. Watch ... Alice goes ballistic over what she thought was Kayla's fault.
Alice's rationale ... Kayla had a massive vehicle parked in a compact space, and didn't allow Alice to easily get her vehicle in. Her actual breakdown of it is more ... well, impassioned.
FWIW, Kayla drives a Jeep Wrangler -- so yeah, it's a big car.
Now, Kayla tells us Alice actually backed into another vehicle during the botched parking job ... and then, allegedly, drove away without leaving a note or exchanging info with Kayla herself. Kayla says she filed a police report with LAPD as a result -- they're looking into it.
The funny nugget out of all this ... Alice actually once starred in a movie called "Dangerous Parking." Ah, life imitates art yet again.
