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Ash Ketchum's 25-year arc in "Pokemon" is coming to an end ... and while it seems like a shock, maybe it's something we all should've seen coming -- at least according to Veronica Taylor, who originally provided the voice for the titular trainer.

Veronica tells TMZ ... she was hit pretty hard by the recent news that the popular anime was leaving Ash and Pikachu behind, but after the character was finally named top trainer in the world on the show, the exit kinda tracks.

She says an ending for Ash seemed so distant, but points out how "Pokemon" has taught us so many lessons, one of which is letting go ... and a departure like this would be another great example of that.

For those unaware, Taylor voiced Ash for the first 8 seasons of the show ... and it was announced this month that the new season will introduce 2 new main characters -- but not before 11 special episodes in 2023 to wrap up Ash and Pikachu's journey.

Taylor thinks a cameo in the future is possible, though ... and hopes longtime fans will be just as attached to this new generation.

English actor Jay Simpson was 39 years old when he was cast as the limo driver -- who is professional yet stoic, always looking sharp and constantly confused by Amanda Woods' erratic behavior -- in the romance/comedy classic "The Holiday" back in 2006.

Jay shared the big screen with A-listers Cameron Diaz as the successful movie trailer business owner, Amanda, Jude Law as the sensitive and romantic book editor and widower, Graham, Kate Winslet as the intelligent society columnist for The Daily Telegraph in London, Iris and Jack Black as the loyal movie composer, Miles.

Controversial and provocative influencer Andrew Tate and his brother have been arrested in Romania on human sex-trafficking allegations ... according to a report.

The publication Libertatea reports the two have been brought in on kidnapping and rape charges -- though the specifics of the allegations are not yet known. A video circulating on social media from a Romanian news outlet shows both Tate and his brother being led out of a building in handcuffs by police and into a waiting vehicle.

Tate became the a huge focus on Twitter earlier this week after he tweeted at environmental activist Greta Thunberg, mocking her efforts by listing off his collection of cars.

Thunberg responded with a burn of her own, writing, "yes, please do enlighten me. email me at smalldickenergy@getalife.com" and Twitter went wild.

What's more ... Tate then created a video response to Thunberg's tweet which featured pizza boxes from Jerry's Pizza -- a company with locations in Romania -- there's speculations the pizza boxes helped Romanian authorities track Tate down.

The person who concocted, recruited and ultimately turned on scores of parents who tried bribing their children's way into good colleges is about to get sentenced, and prosecutors say he's the worst of all and should be sentenced to 6 years.

Rick Singer will be formally sentenced next week, and TMZ has obtained a copy of document prosecutors just filed, saying Singer "was the architect of a massive, decades-long scheme to use fraud and bribery to secure admission of high school students to elite colleges and universities across the country."

Prosecutors say Singer profited from the scheme more than anyone and therefore deserves a much harsher sentence than the parents, coaches and others received.

As for comparisons ... more than 50 parents, coaches and associates of Singer's received sentences ranging from probation to 30 months.

Lori Loughlin received 2 months, and Felicity Huffman 14 days.

Prosecutors want an additional 36 months of supervised release, and restitution to the IRS in the amount of $10,668,841. They want millions more in other penalties.

Here's the thing ... 6 years ain't so bad, because the max was 65 years behind bars.

As for why the relatively light sentence ... Singer cooperated and was the key to convicting the parents and others. The docs refer to Singer making hundreds of recorded calls at the government's direction. He wore a wire as well to nail the targets. Prosecutors say if it wasn't for Singer, most of the parents who were convicted would have gotten off.

Vivienne Westwood -- whose fashion designs are largely credited for bringing punk styles to the mainstream -- has died.

A statement from Westwood's team announced she died Thursday peacefully and surrounded by loved ones in South London. The statement reads, "Vivienne continued to do the things she loved, up until the last moment, designing, working on her art, writing her book, and changing the world for the better."

It continues, "She led an amazing life. Her innovation and impact over the last 60 years has been immense and will continue into the future."

The statement says, "Vivienne considered herself a Taoist. She wrote, "Tao spiritual system. There was never more need for the Tao today. Tao gives you a feeling that you belong to the cosmos and gives purpose to your life; it gives you such a sense of identity and strength to know you're living the life you can live and therefore ought to be living: make full use of your character and full use of your life on earth."

Finally stating, "The world needs people like Vivienne to make a change for the better."

Westwood got her first recognition thanks to a boutique she and Malcolm McLaren, who managed the Sex Pistols, ran in the UK called SEX. From there, she continued to open shops in London and then around the world.

Later on in her career, she collabed with Pharrell Williams, wedding looks for Princess Eugenie and even designed uniforms for Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic crew.

Westwood was 81.

A father from Alaska missed a lifesaving opportunity to receive a new heart after his Alaska Airlines flight was canceled due to the historic U.S. winter storm.

Patrick Holland, who is battling congestive heart failure, was contacted by the University of Washington Medical Center on Dec. 22 saying he was next in line for a heart transplant.

The 56-year-old was given an 8-hour window to fly to Seattle for the heart transplant -- rushing to the Fairbanks, AK airport for an overnight flight -- according to CNN.

However, when he got to the airport, it was announced his flight was canceled due to weather. Alaska Airlines' staff tried to get him on the next flight, but it had to be rerouted. Unfortunately for Holland, that meant he'd miss the 8-hour window ... and the heart was given to someone else.

Holland spoke with King 5, saying, "I think I cried more that day than I have in my life, and exerted every emotion that I've never had. To get out of that funk, I immediately said, 'Thank God, there's going to be a family that is saving someone's dad, saving someone's brother, saving someone's, someone's uncle, you know.'"

Brazilian soccer legend Pelé -- arguably the greatest football player ever -- has died.

The three-time World Cup winner passed away at a hospital in Sao Paulo surrounded by loved ones following a lengthy battle with cancer.

Pelé was initially diagnosed with the disease in 2021, and had been in and out of medical facilities over the past year to help him fight it. But, sadly, his condition worsened recently ... forcing him to spend the last two months in a hospital bed.

Pelé was able to watch the 2022 World Cup in his final days ... and even penned a congratulations post on his social media page to Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe after the epic Argentina vs. France final last weekend.

He had also written an emotional note to Neymar after a huge performance for Brazil earlier in the famed tournament.

Pelé joined Brazil's national team when he was just 16 years old ... and won his first-ever World Cup at age 17 in 1958. He went on to lead Brazil to two more titles in the event, winning it all in 1962 and 1970.

He's widely regarded as one of the best goal scorers ever -- with Cristiano Ronaldo previously calling him "the greatest player in football history."

He was 82.

YFN Lucci is not a witness to be used against Young Thug in his RICO case ... this according to the rapper's attorney.

YFN Lucci’s attorneym Drew Findling, tells TMZ … Rayshawn Bennett, AKA Lucci, has not been named as a witness in the YSL case, whatsoever. He makes it clear that Lucci has never been interviewed or subpoenaed by law enforcement, the Fulton County District Attorney's office or any of the party's regarding the YSL case.

We're told, "Any party can announce for example that Abraham Lincoln is on their witness list, but those words alone are meaningless. So, to be 100% clear, Rayshawn Bennett (Lucci) will not be a witness in the YSL case."

In case you didn't know, Lucci is currently sitting behind bars and awaiting trial on murder charges. YT and YFN are both Georgia rappers, who are known to have beef for several years which caused folks on social media to suspect he might be working with Thug's prosecutors in order to cut his own plea deal.

However, Lucci's attorney says, "His focus, as it should be, is on his pending Fulton County case."

As we've reported, YT and fellow YSL rapper Gunna were arrested back in May on gang-related charges tied to a 56-count indictment.

Gunna was locked up for several months before taking a plea deal by pleading guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge. He was sentenced to 5 years with one year commuted for the time he's already served. The other 4 will be suspended and replaced with community service and other demands.

On the other hand, Thug has been in custody for 7 months and he's slated for trial in January.

Nick Cannon is likely already reallllly good at changing diapers, but he's about to get even more reps in ... as he just welcomed baby number 12 to the world.

Alyssa Scott, who Cannon previously had a child with, broke the news Thursday -- revealing their daughter, Halo, was born on December 14. Scott says, "I will remember the sound of Nicks voice saying "it's a girl" and the look of everything we've been through flash across his face."

She continues, "I will remember the sound of her crying out with her first breath and feeling her heartbeat against mine. My sweet girl, I got my surprise!! We love you Halo Marie Cannon!"

Previously, Nick and Alyssa had a baby boy together named Zen, who died at only 5 months after brain cancer.

Scott remembered Zen in the announcement of Halo, writing, "Zen is in every breath I take. I know his spirit was with us in the room that morning. I know he is watching down on us. He shows me signs everyday. I will hold onto this memory forever."

Young Thug might soon be fighting more than charges ... as a COVID-19 outbreak has hit several of his codefendants in his RICO case.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a bunch of the defendants and attorneys in Young Thug's ongoing case have tested positive for COVID. The court order states Young Thug could also be at risk of getting COVID and says he must get tested.

The court order, stamped on 12/28, does not have results from Young Thug's COVID test.

As we reported, Young Thug has been in custody for more than 7 months ... he was arrested back in May on gang-related charges tied to a 56-count indictment. He's slated for trial in January, with jury selection beginning on January 5.

A disgusting verbal attack on two TikTokers eating at an In-N-Out has led to charges for one man after the video went viral.

The clip, filmed on Christmas Eve inside a California In-N-Out shows a Korean male and his female friend sitting at a table and trying various menu items from the fast food joint.

You hear a man -- seemingly unprovoked -- ask if the pair are filming themselves eating and then ask if they're Korean or Japanese. When the TikToker says he's Korean, the man goes into a racist and homophobic tirade, accusing the TikToker of having sexual relations with Kim Jong-un.

After the verbal exchange, the TikTokers claim the man waits for them outside for quite some time -- you can tell just how freaked out the two are during the video.

Turns out, San Ramon Police Chief, Denton Carlson, got wind of the video and not only tracked down the TikTokers -- but conducted to an investigation to find the man who was allegedly making the disgusting remarks.

Mark Wahlberg is all sun, smiles and muscles this holiday season -- hitting the beach with his family in tow.

Mark and his wife, Rhea Durham, were spotted in Barbados this week getting a little rest and relaxation before hitting the water to cool off. The two seem to be recharging before 2023 -- and what better spot to do it than on the Caribbean island.

Always a health junkie, the 51-year-old recently revealed he's altered his workout routine ... now waking up at 2:30 in the morning instead of 3:30 to complete his daily exercise.

Customers at a Texas Waffle House were treated to their own private WrestleMania over the holiday -- as fists and chairs flew between customers and some employees.

The video is insane, starting with some type of verbal argument between a female customer and restaurant staffer. The employee is seen throwing a plate from behind the counter and then all hell breaks loose -- with the customer jumping up on the counter and falling on employees.

From there, punches are thrown -- including several from one of the employees that connect with the original customer's head.

Finally, things seem to get under control, but only for a few seconds.

In what's probably the most insane part of the video, the employee catches a chair thrown by one of the customers in midair.

Tyler Sanders, a teenage actor with roles in big shows like "9-1-1: Lone Star" and "Fear the Walking Dead," died from the effects of fentanyl ... according to his autopsy report.

According to the report, obtained by TMZ, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner also notes the 18-year-old's death was accidental.

As we first reported ... Tyler was found dead June 16 in his Los Angeles home. Sources connected to the death investigation told us he had a history of drug use and police found a plastic straw and white powder in the room where he died.

In the autopsy report, the ME says Tyler told a friend in text messages the night before his death he was using fentanyl. The report says Tyler did not answer phone calls from the friend after sending the text about fentanyl.

What's more, the coroner says Tyler had no known medical problems but had a history of drug abuse ... including heroin, cocaine, LSD, mushrooms and Xanax.

Michelle and Barack Obama have talked for years about a rocky period in their lives -- when she was shouldering way more than him when it came to raising their kids -- but she's never been this blunt, saying for a third of their marriage, she "couldn't stand" the ex-Prez.

The former first lady was on a panel courtesy of Revolt TV, talking about the struggles of raising a family and balancing a career, and here's what she said ... "People think I'm being catty saying this: It's like, there were 10 years where I couldn't stand my husband. And guess when it happened? When those kids were little."

She's talked before about how BO was often absent when he was a state representative commuting from Chicago to Springfield, Illinois. During the discussion, she said, "And for 10 years while we're trying to build our careers and, you know, worrying about school and who's doing what and what, I was like, 'Ugh, this isn't even."

Michelle talked about persistence in a marriage, and that some people give up too early ... "... guess what: 10 years -- we've been married 30. I would take 10 bad years over 30 -- it's just how you look at it. And people give up ... five years, I can't take it."

And, there was some faint praise, too ... "Do you like him? I mean you could be mad at him but do you still look at him and go, 'I'm not happy with you, but I respect you. I don't agree with you but you're still a kind, smart person.'"

Congressman-elect George Santos would not know the truth if it hit him in the face, because now it's come out he lied about his mom dying from the 9/11 attacks.

Santos saw a post last year about a ridiculous 9/11 conspiracy theory -- that it was a victimless crime -- and responded, "9/11 claimed my mother's life, so I'm blocking so I don't ever have to read this again."

Here's the thing ... five months after posting that, he posted this ... "December 23rd this year marks 5 years I lost my best friend and mentor ... Mom you will live forever in my heart."

So, in the latest tweet, he's saying his mom died in 2016, 15 years after the attack.

Santos claimed on his campaign website his mom was in the South Tower on Sept. 11, adding she survived but passed away "a few years later" from cancer. But, 15 years?

This is the latest in a string of fundamental deceptions by Santos, including lying that he went to NYU and Baruch for college yet they have no record of him. Ditto his claims he worked for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. And of course, there's the lie that he was Jewish and he explained it by saying he was Jew-ish.