Gianna Bryant & Teammates Honorary Picks In WNBA Draft ... Vanessa Emotional

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4:21 PM PT -- WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert wasted no time with the league's tribute to Gianna and her teammates ... announcing them as the first three honorary picks of the 2020 draft.

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"While it brings us pain not to see their dreams come to fruition," Englebert said Friday, "I'm grateful and proud to announce them tonight as honorary draft picks."

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Family members of the crash victims recorded thank you speeches for the honor ... and when it came to Vanessa Bryant's time to speak, things got emotional.

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Kobe's wife -- who was wearing a WNBA sweatshirt that belonged to the Black Mamba -- said, "Thank you so much for honoring my GiGi and selecting her to be an honorary draft pick this year."

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"It would have been a dream come true for her. She worked tirelessly every single day. She wanted to be one of the greatest athletes of all-time, just like her daddy. So thank you, thank you for honoring my little girl."

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Vanessa, with tears in her eyes, added, "Kobe and GiGi loved the WNBA. This is his sweatshirt. Thank you. I want to congratulate all of this year's draft picks. So congratulations, work hard. Never settle. Use that Mamba Mentality."

Gianna Bryant and her Mamba Academy teammates will be memorialized in a big way Friday night ... the WNBA is set to make them honorary picks in the org's annual draft, according to Vanessa Bryant.

GiGi, Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester -- who all passed away in a helicopter crash with Kobe Bryant -- will get the honor at some point during the televised selection process.

Of course, it's a huge deal for the trio ... they all had WNBA aspirations before their tragic deaths in January -- and Vanessa praised the tribute on social media Friday.

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The league's show -- which is slated to be entirely virtual this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic -- is set to kick off at 4 PM PT on ESPN.

The WNBA becomes the latest in a long line of organizations, celebs and athletes that have paid tribute to the victims following the devastating helicopter wreck.

Remember, the Lakers held an emotional remembrance ceremony before their game against the Trailblazers on Jan. 31 ... while players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis got tribute tattoos.

Meanwhile, UConn -- Gianna's dream school to hoop at -- also paid tribute to Kobe's daughter by laying out a No. 2 jersey before its game in late January.

Others, like NBA stud Lou Williams, had murals of Kobe and GiGi painted to pay respects following the tragedy.

Originally published -- 2:14 PM PT

Twitch Remove Teddy Riley Concert Or Else!!!

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Twitch and Amazon have just been accused of intentionally and maliciously screwing with Omnis and Teddy Riley.

Jeff Bezos' companies -- yes, Amazon owns Twitch too -- are accused of blatantly ripping off Teddy's streamed concert April 2 on the Omnis internet platform by taking the entire event and putting it on Twitch.

The folks at Omnis have fired off a cease-and-desist letter to the Twitch folks, demanding they put a quick stop to the whole stealing thing.

According to the letter, obtained by TMZ ... "We further understand that Twitch and its affiliated companies, including Amazon.com, Inc., were fully aware of [Omnis'] rights in the Program at the time it was streamed, and that its infringement ... may have been intentional and in malicious disregard of [Omnis'] streaming platform.

The letter demands that Twitch take down Teddy's concert -- Teddy Riley & Blackstreet a Quarantine House Party -- and fork over any profits, or else a lawsuit's comin'.

Lori Loughlin Judge Calls FBI Alleged Misconduct 'Serious and Disturbing'

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Lori Loughlin just got a signal from the judge in her college admissions criminal case -- that the judge is about to open a can of whup-ass on prosecutors for allegedly coaching a key figure in the case to lie.

The judge just ordered prosecutors to get real over something prosecutors allegedly hid for months, but finally surfaced. TMZ broke the story, Lori claimed in documents that FBI agents were browbeating scammer and ringleader Rick Singer to lie, and when he wouldn't they screamed at him. Singer had told agents the money Lori and others paid were donations, but he claimed that agents -- including one named Liz -- told him he should say the money these parents paid were bribes. When he resisted, he says the started screaming at him.

The judge called the allegations "serious and disturbing," adding, "While government agents are permitted to coach a cooperating witness during the course of an investigation, they are not permitted to suborn the commission of a crime." The crime to which the judge refers is clearly that if Singer swore that which was not true, it would amount to perjury.

The judge is asking for answers from prosecutors. As we reported, Lori says they acted so corruptly, she wants the judge to dismiss the case outright.

Ranjit Chowdhry 'The Office,' 'Cosby' Actor Dead at 64

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Ranjit Chowdhry -- best known in the U.S. for playing Vikram on "The Office" -- has died in India ... according to reports.

The former Bollywood star lived in New York but reportedly traveled back to his home country to receive dental treatment months ago. According to Indian theater actor Dolly Thakore ... he was supposed to return to America, but couldn't due to the shutdown, and recently suffered a ruptured ulcer in his intestine.

Thakore says Ranjit underwent emergency surgery, but died Wednesday at a Mumbai hospital.

Chowdhry made a name for himself in Indian comedies in the late '70s and early '80s before moving to the U.S. for a Hollywood career.

He wrote the screenplay for the 1991 film, "Sam & Me" before becoming a successful character actor in the '90s.

Most notably, Ranjit played the role of Singh on "Cosby" and had a 2-episode arc on "The Office" as a telemarketer who worked with Michael Scott.

His other credits include "Prison Break," the Queen Latifah movie "Last Holiday," and most recently ... a guest spot on "Law & Order: SVU" in 2013.

Chowdhry was 64.

RIP

Jennifer Love Hewitt Check Out My Palisades Pad ... Yours For $4.2 Million

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Jennifer Love Hewitt is selling her Pacific Palisades home, and the palatial pad can be yours ... if you're ready and willing to break the bank.

The "9-1-1" star just put the home on the market for a cool $4,199,000 ... and the pics of the property are amazing.

JLH's former estate is tucked away in the picturesque neighborhood of El Medio Bluffs in fancy schmancy Pacific Palisades ... and it's 3,160 square feet of pure luxury, making it the perfect space to shelter in place.

The contemporary-style pad has 4 bedrooms in an open floor plan, and it's hard to miss with the wood-paneled siding and butterfly-style roof. The backyard is very zen, with a waterfall, pool, fire pit and outdoor fireplace surrounded by bamboo.

The master suite has an expansive closet and dressing room, and the suite leads to a private patio. The spacious main floor is surrounded by glass doors, offering pretty views of the surrounding bluffs and cool ocean breezes.

There's also high ceilings with steel and glass accents, plus an ultra-modern chef's kitchen with a large wine fridge.

Jennifer just bought a bigger property in Pacific Palisades for $6 million, so it makes sense she would list her old pad, which she bought back in 2013 for $3.25 mil.

Stamie Karakasidis of Rodeo Realty has the listing.

YouTube Star Steve Cash 'Talking Kitty' Guy Dead at 40 ... By Self-Inflicted Gunshot

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Steve Cash -- known to his millions of fans as the guy behind the "Talking Kitty Cat" videos on YouTube -- is dead by suicide ... TMZ has learned.

The social media star died Thursday morning from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Steve's wife, Celia DeCosta Cash, wrote on Facebook, "I just lost my best friend, my sidekick, my lover, my mentor, my absolute everything. It hurts me to share this. Please understand, give the family time to grieve, but know that Steve is no longer in pain."

Steve was open with his fans about his mental health battles. Back in September, someone replied to one of his posts saying, "You've been so active on social media lately that at first I thought you were hacked."

Steve replied, "Nah, just bipolar. I'm on a manic up right now. When I go back into depression I'll vacate everything."

He started his sketch comedy series (think "Garfield") on YouTube in November 2007. He voiced every episode in which he talks to his cats as if they were humans. The short but popular videos drew tons of fans ... with 2.43 million subscribers.

In nearly two decades, Steve racked up more than 770 MILLION views and counting. His most popular video is the "Bad! Bad! Bad!" episode from 4 years ago ... with 17 million views. His last video was posted on December 30.

Steve was 40. RIP

Harry & Meghan Feeding The Needy In L.A.!!!

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quietly delivered food to needy folks in Los Angeles ... marking the couple's first public outing since moving to Hollywood.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have kept an extremely low profile since relocating from Canada to California last month, and they ventured out Wednesday for a very good deed.

Harry and Meghan wore caps and face coverings while dropping off meals to needy L.A. residents impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Meghan took no chances with the virus, only touching surfaces with her gloved hand.

It's definitely not how you picture a Royal couple ... Harry and Meghan dressed super casually in pants and sneakers -- they looked like typical Postmates deliverers.

The Sussexes volunteered with Project Angel Food, an L.A. nonprofit that prepares and delivers medically tailored food to people suffering from chronic illnesses.

Our sources say Harry and Meghan dropped off the grub at a low-income housing unit for disabled and special needs residents and then made a few stops inside the building.

Welcome to the real Hollywood, where it ain't all glitz and glamour.

Mark Wahlberg Weirded Out By Fam ... What's This Carole Baskin Dance?!?

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Poor Mark Wahlberg ... the guy seems lost when it comes to the viral Carole Baskin dance, but he got a surprise introduction to it ... courtesy of his wife and daughter!!!

Mark was simply going downstairs for a snack when he ran into his wife, Rhea Durham, and 10-year-old daughter Grace getting down to the TikTok craze dance. He posted the video and posed just one question: "Could somebody please tell me what this is?"

But, it wasn't just that Rhea and Grace were rapping along to a remixed version of Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage." Check out the vid ... the mother-daughter duo dressed up for the part with flannel shirts and cap. Gotta give Grace bonus points for going the distance and channeling Joe Exotic himself by drawing a goatee on her face and fuzzy chest hair.

If ya missed out, like Mark, the remix was recently created by musician Caleb Jaxin, and so far it's been used in more than 1 million TikTok videos. The remix starts with a roar before you hear the lyrics, "Carole Baskin killed her husband, whacked him. Can’t convince me that it didn’t happen. Fed him to tigers, they snackin’. What’s happenin’, Carole Baskin?"

And, if those lyrics are still confusing to Mark ... someone hook him up with a Netflix password so he can binge 'Tiger King.'