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New Zealand model and actress Rachel Hunter was 33 years old when she flaunted her smokin' bod and waltzed around in an itty bitty red bikini in Fountain Of Wayne's "Stacy's Mom" music video back in 2003.

Being a fan of the American rock band herself, Rachel was game to star in the music video. The song climbed to number 21 on the US Billboard's Top 100 and scored a Grammy nomination ... it's probably safe to say Rachel's 'hot momma looks' contributed to the song's success.

"Stacy's mom has got it goin' on!"

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez delayed making payments in regards to her Met Gala appearance two years ago -- this according to the findings of an ethics investigation.

The NY congresswoman has been at the center of a Capitol Hill probe for about a year, and this week ... the results were released. According to the fact-finders, it looks like AOC and/or her staff were quite slow in paying people back ... to the tune of thousands of dollars.

The House Ethics Committee came down hard in their report, saying they have "substantial reason" to believe Rep. Ocasio-Cortez might have violated ethics rules for members of Congress, and maybe even broken federal laws pertaining to gifts and perks she received at the time of the Gala, when she walked the red carpet in a loud "Tax the Rich" dress.

According to them, it's unclear if AOC was ever going to pay people back for the dress, the makeup services, the hotel costs, the accessories, or anything else she received as part of her appearance ... and they go on to claim that the launch of this investigation seems to have spurred her and her staff to act. AOC has since paid off the tab ... about $7,700 all told.

Apparently, several vendors involved in getting AOC all dolled up that day were hounding her for the cash for months ... including the designer of the dress, Aurora James. And, for a while, the circumstances under which she was invited were also murky. Apparently, she was a guest of Vogue's -- but the EIC, Anna Wintour, is obviously deeply involved in prepping the Met Gala ... so it seemed fishy, at first. While it might appear like a conflict of interest, at face value, the Ethics Committee found the invite itself OK ... and aren't dinging her for it.

As for how AOC is responding ... she's pleading ignorance. She says she wasn't aware that these payments were owed and regrets that it ever got to this point. Her attorney also notes that just because the Ethics Committee might've found evidence of possible malfeasance, it doesn't actually mean anything wrong was done ... especially since she's cleared her bill.

Erin Brockovich -- the famous paralegal turned activist who helped a massive PG&E scandal in the '90s -- has seen the aftermath in East Palestine ... and according to her, it's grim.

We got Erin at LAX Friday, where she'd just arrived from a visit in Ohio ... meeting and helping folks while surveying the damage and assessing the needs of the community. As she put it to us flatly, the situation is dire there ... and residents are without clear answers.

Based on what EB's seen, she says the area -- including groundwater and residential wells -- is very much contaminated ... despite government agencies and other politicians trying to tell the folks living there otherwise. Erin says there's contradictory information flying all over.

She even describes some symptoms of sickness she says she felt just by being in East Palestine for an extended period of time -- and it sounds very hazardous and dangerous.

So, on the question of next steps ... Erin says a lot of people living in the town have already lawyered up, which is her specialty. Apparently, there are massive class action lawsuits in the works, and it sounds like Norfolk Southern -- the company whose train derailed -- might have to pay out the nose for damages these people are alleging ... assuming they settle.

Pete Davidson and Chase Sui Wonders are still going strong -- now taking their Winter romance into the early part of Spring ... and showing off some skin for the season.

The couple is enjoying a vacay in Kauai right now -- where they're staying at a summer house, it seems, and were joined by friends Saturday. Eventually, the crew made their way to the beach ... but not before a little suck-face between PD and CSW on the front deck.

Before long, Chase hit the water with the group she was tagging along with ... but it doesn't look like Pete joined her in the water. He was all sweatered up ... she was in a 2-piece.

So, here's the thing ... we're being told this wasn't just a random getaway between Pete, Chase and some pals -- our sources suggest this was actually a meet-the-family trip. We're being told the folks with them might actually be siblings of hers ... but that's not confirmed.

However ... if this is, in fact, a familial thing -- as we've been told -- then it would signal Pete and Chase are getting serious. We know PD tends to cozy up to his SO's broods ... but that usually only happens when he's all in like he recently was with Kim Kardashian.

Speaking of her ... this trip actually has echoes of one he took with KK in a tropical setting while they were together -- only this time, if all holds true, it might be a family affair for his and Chase's first vacation ... and perhaps moving even faster than the last go-around.

King Charles has officially extended an olive branch to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle -- asking them to be among his guests at the Coronation, but the couple's saying ... eh, maybe.

His Royal Highness fired off the invite Saturday ... this according to the Times of London, which broke the story. It appears Buckingham Palace got word to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shortly after Harry's televised sitdown with Dr. Gabor Mate earlier in the day.

No word on what exactly the invitation said, but the message was clear ... roll through!

Here's the kicker, though -- Harry and Meghan are holding their cards close to the vest on their plans. Their rep says ... "I can confirm The Duke has recently received email correspondence from His Majesty's office regarding the coronation. An immediate decision on whether The Duke and Duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time."

In other words, it sounds like they have to think about it ... as there's been a lot of updates since their Netflix doc and Harry's book. Of course, they recently got word that they were getting evicted from Frogmore Cottage (although there are reports Charles is offering a full-blown flat on the palace grounds as a replacement). Plus, Harry just spilled more of his guts.

Harry took some roundabout shots at his family in the Mate interview ... saying he didn't receive enough love and affection as a child, and that he now suffers from PTSD. He also said that Meghan had "saved" him from his Royal life ... and suggested his family was out of touch and insensitive. Plus, Harry clearly said Royal life was inherently inauthentic.

PH didn't address the Coronation or where things stand between him and his brother/father ... but it was clear he feels the relationship is strained. Despite this, he also made sure to note that he felt what he was doing (sharing his story/problems) was worth it big picture.

In spite of all that, Charles sent the invite anyway -- right in the mix of more headlines and drama. It's fascinating timing ... and kind of a power move, no? Ball's in their court!

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck can't make up their minds ... they have dropped out of escrow again on a house they were about to buy.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... JLo and Ben have pulled the plug on the Pacific Palisades home which they seemed set on buying for $34.5 million.

Our sources say ... they were supposed to close escrow last Friday, but just before it was signed, sealed and delivered they pulled out.

As we reported, they were spotted at a nearby mansion last Tuesday -- while they were still in escrow on the other house -- so it looks like they weren't sure about the house they were about to get.

Our sources say they are now in escrow on ANOTHER house. We don't know if it's the same one they looked at Tuesday. We're told they looked at yet another house last week as well.

At least one of the estates they looked at last week was going for more than twice what they were spending on the one that just fell out of escrow.

Victoria's Secret hasn't hosted its annual fashion show in years, but it's coming back soon ... except now -- brace yourselves, cancel culture vultures -- it might return in a "woke" form.

Indeed ... the news came down Friday in an earnings call for the company, where CFO Timothy Johnson announced VS was bringing back their Angels to hit the runaway again -- this after a 4-year hiatus -- only this time around, the look and feel will be different.

Johnson is quoted as saying, "We're going to continue to lean into the marketing spend to invest in the business, both at top-of-funnel and also to support the new version of our fashion show, which is to come later this year."

The company further said their new "brand projection and mission" will be their guiding light -- although it's unclear what exactly that is. VS adds, "This will lead us into new spaces like reclaiming one of our best marketing and entertainment properties to date and turning it on its head to reflect who we are today. We're excited to share more later this year."

Considering Victoria's Secret has been mired in controversies for the past few years -- with everything from alleged toxic, misogynistic work environments being fostered to execs being tied to Jeffrey Epstein and a general convo about modern beauty standards -- it's probably a safe bet to assume that Victoria's Secret is aiming to be more inclusive going forward.

We've already seen VS change up the types of women they employ as models ... they've brought on transgender women and even women with disabilities onto the roster. With that said, it's not quite clear what folks can expect to see on the runway from here on out.

While it remains to be seen when this is all gonna roll out, it seems the days of old are done. The 2017 and 2018 VS fashion shows can be seen here ... where the ladies are adorned in the traditional bra/panties/wings getups. That might be getting scrapped too.

If that comes to pass -- namely, losing the scantily-clad outfits -- it'll be interesting to see how VS finds the right balance in representing their models ... and more importantly, their products. Fact is, they're a lingerie company ... and they gotta move merchandise somehow.

Of course, we are living in a time of body positivity and all ... so maybe they'll just trot people across the stage from all walks of life and continue to bare it all. Time will tell.

Anyhoo, old VS was fun while it lasted -- and certainly introduced us to some mega stars who, hopefully, stand the test of time. In any case, sentiments are a-changing, folks.

Rolling Loud got off to a somewhat choppy start this weekend with stop-and-go performances by some big-time talent ... including Travis Scott, who had his set end early.

The rapper was the headlining artist Saturday for the L.A. music fest, and while everything seemed to be going smoothly through his performance ... the dude's background tunes started to fade as he was in the middle of running through his hit song "Goosebumps."

Then, everything just stopped ... and Travis came on the mic soon afterward to say that "they" were making him cut things off early. No further explanation was offered.

There's rumblings that Travis was late for his gig, which may explain the strict time limit -- but, on its face, it feels like the Rolling Loud promoters might've not wanted things to get too crazy ... a la, Astroworld. It's hard to say ... the RL crowd didn't look to be in danger.

Anyway, that's far from the only technical issue that went down ... another huge star, Nicki Minaj, also had to deal with missing backing tracks and audio -- which she actually addressed in the moment as well. Frankly, she was pissed about it ... calling out the DJ.

It was pretty harsh ... she kept saying "kill the DJ" and was firing off death stares as the guy continued to struggle playing the right song behind her. Also awkward ... Lil Wayne -- her former mentor -- was standing right next to her, as he'd brought her out as a special guest.

Nicki was none too pleased with the screw-up ... and she seemed to take it personally.

In lighter news (maybe) ... Justin Bieber popped up at Rolling Loud too, which took a lot of people by surprise. Obviously, the crowd was super pumped when he rolled up next to Don Toliver (who was scheduled to perform) and helped sing their joint song "Private Landing."

Thing is though ... his cameo appearance here comes on the heels of the Biebs canceling the rest of his world tour, without a proper explanation. You'll recall -- JB pulled the plug on tour dates spanning all across the globe, including several counties in Europe.

Most assume it's because of his health struggles -- which have forced him to hit pause in the recent past -- but this time ... he didn't speak on it at all ... just kinda threw in the towel.

Now, here he is onstage looking just fine ... which might raise an eyebrow with his fanbase. If he can do this ... why not come on the road for us? It's interesting for sure. Justin, meanwhile, didn't seem to bat an eyelash over it at all ... he was in the zone and chillin'.

Elsewhere at Rolling Loud ... more artists hit the stage, and most everything else appeared to go pretty well. Rappers like Kodak Black, Tyga, Playboi Carti, Lil Baby, Lil Yachty, 2 Chainz and looootttts of others performed, and by most accounts ... it was all gravy in Los Angeles.

"Vanderpump Rules" star Tom Sandoval is speaking out amid his cheating scandal that led to his break-up with longtime girlfriend and castmate Ariana Madix, but he's not apologizing...to her, at least.

Instead, Sandoval only showed sympathy for his friends and family in a statement released Saturday on Instagram after his affair with ‘VR’ cast member Raquel Leviss leaked out and became headline news.

Sandoval said, “Hey, I fully understand an deserve ur anger & disappointment towards me, but please leave Schwartz, my friends and family out of this situation."

He continued, "Schwartz specifically only found out about this very recently, and most definitely did not condone my actions. This was a very personal thing.”

What's more, Sandoval and Schwartz co-own LA-based Schwartz & Sandy's Lounge, which has been flooded with terrible reviews ever since the scandal broke, prompting Yelp to pause any more write-ins.

In his IG response, Sandoval said, “Also, Schwartz & Sandy’s might have my name on it, but also there are 3 other partners and 20 employees, who especially rely on the restaurant for income for them and their families."

He added that he's a "small part of a much bigger thing and to "direct ur anger towards me and not them," pointing out, "They did nothing wrong.”

Then Sandoval apologized -- not to Madix -- but to his business partners and employees for all the controversy surrounding him.  He also promised to take a "step back & taking a hiatus out of respect for my employees & partners.”

As we reported...Sandoval blew up his nearly 10-year relationship with Madix last week after a series of sexually charged text messages surfaced, revealing his affair with Leviss. We're told Madix read the messages, leading to an ugly confrontation with Sandoval.

Kelsea Ballerini wasn't distracted by her "SNL" performance Saturday night... because just hours before she was lovin' it up with BF Chase Stokes.

Kelsea and Chase were strolling through Manhattan Saturday afternoon, holding hands, stealing a smooch from time to time.

We obviously knew they were together ... they haven't been able to keep their hands and other parts off each other for weeks, but Friday they verbally confirmed their relationship on the Today show.

Morgan Evans is clearly in Kelsea's rear view, although it's also pretty clearly top of mind for him still. One of his songs -- "Over for You."  Kinda says it all.

Rock addressed the elephant in the room Saturday night during his live Netflix special, "Selective Outrage," leaving no doubt that he's still pissed at Smith for smackin' him on live TV as the world watched.

The comedian launched into the segment this way...“You all know what happened to me, getting smacked by 'Suge' Smith, everybody knows, everybody f--king knows. I got smacked like a year ago… And people are like ‘Did it hurt?’ It still hurts. I got ‘Summertime’ ringing in my ears.”

But, don't ever ask Rock to sit for an interview with Oprah Winfrey or Gayle King 'cause he ain't doing it. “I’m not a victim baby, you will never see me on Oprah or Gayle crying. You will never see it…. It’s never going to happen. F--k that s--t, I took that s--t like Pacquiao" -- a reference to boxer Manny Pacquiao.

Rock also compared his situation with Smith to David and Goliath. He said Smith was a lot bigger than him and even played Muhammad Ali in a movie. "You think I auditioned for that? I played Pookie in ‘New Jack City.’ I played a piece of corn in ‘Pootie Tang,'" Rock joked.

Then Rock skewered Smith's wife, Jada, accusing her of doing something "f--king lowdown" by having an affair with her son's friend -- and then discussing it with her husband on her Red Table Talk.

Rock said, "We’ve all been cheated on, everybody in here been cheated on. None of us has ever been interviewed by the person who cheated on us on television… Why the f--k would you do that s--t? She hurt [Will] way more than he hurt me."

Continuing along those lines, Rock said, "Everybody called [Will] a bitch. And who’s he hit? Me! A n**** he know he can beat. That’s some bitch ass sh--!”

Rock said he didn't strike Smith back "because I’ve got parents! And you know what my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of white people!”

The funnyman wrapped it up with...“They say, ‘words hurt.' You gotta watch what you say because ‘words hurt.’ Anybody who says ‘words hurt’ has never been punched in the face."

Sounds like Will still has more work to do to patch things up with Chris.

Travis Kelce just took the stage at Studio 8H ... and the Kansas City Chiefs superstar crushed his "Saturday Night Live" monologue -- hilariously mocking Patrick Mahomes in the process.

Kelce -- wearing a sharp double-breasted suit -- had the crowd laughing from start to finish ... with jokes about getting busted for weed in college, his infamous dating show, his QB's unique voice and, of course, beating his older brother, Jason, in the Super Bowl.

The Philadelphia Eagles star was in the front row for the whole thing ... and cameras even cut to him multiple times as Travis talked about growing up together.

"Jason and I have actually been playing football together since we were little kids, and he was always better than me at everything," Kelce said.

"In high school, he was an honor student, and I got kicked off the team because I failed French ... and English too, but French sounds way better."

"Then when we were in college, I actually got kicked off the team because I tested positive for marijuana. So, it just goes to show you if you smoke weed and you're bad at school, you can win the Super Bowl twice."

Travis' family -- including Mama Kelce -- were also present for the monologue.

Kelce explained it was an emotional moment for him ... as he grew up watching Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler on the same stage.

Jason also made an appearance in a skit later in the show ... just as 'SNL' producers previously told us they were trying to make happen.

One of the oldest men living in the U.S. had the celebration of a lifetime, ringing in his big 109th birthday with the help of a belly dancer!!!

Thomas Markoff tells us ... his grandpa Morrie Markoff turned 109 back on January 11 and he celebrated at his downtown L.A. condo.

It's pretty hilarious ... the dancer comes out in a white bedazzled getup and gramps was grinning ear-to-ear.

The dancer really puts on a show ... serenading the birthday boy to a song as he watches from his chair and he even provides some funny commentary.

Thomas says it was especially memorable because his granddad is up there and doesn't get out much.

Morrie isn't the first centenarian to be entertained by the ladies ... a man in Texas celebrated his 100th birthday surrounded by a bunch of strippers, courtesy of his daughter ... worth the wait, right?

Andrew Tate is getting dragged after claiming he's grown a "full head of hair" while behind bars ... but his rep says people should focus on him getting justice instead of hair issues.

A rep for Tate tells TMZ ... "The peculiar online fascination with Andrew's hair has proven, as a society, we care less about the potential dangers of false accusations and more about how people look."

You'll recall, Tate's been spending the last few months in a Romanian jail after being accused of rape and running a human trafficking ring ... and his recent tweet at the end of February has been picking up steam.

He wrote about being shocked by his reflection, adding "I barely recognized myself A long beard, a full head of hair" ... but a recent pic of him overseas with thinning hair had people going hard on his claims.

One Twitter troll says he's stretching the truth, while another jokes Andrew might've seen the reflection of his brother Tristan, who's also been arrested, and just got confused.

He's been in his feelings a lot lately online, even tweeting about when he "almost cried" while behind bars.

Could an epic showdown between the Pauls and Furys happen at WrestleMania 39?! The Miz says he's totally for it ... telling TMZ Sports Logan, Jake, Tommy and Tyson are all welcome at the huge event this year.

Miz will be hosting both nights of the WWE's annual spectacle being held at SoFi Stadium in April ... and he says he's leaning into the theme "WrestleMania Goes Hollywood" -- telling fans to expect surprises throughout the weekend.

"You never know what's going to happen at WrestleMania," Miz told TMZ Sports. "Especially at SoFi Stadium. Los Angeles. We want to make some splashes. Make some noise."

When we brought up the possibility of seeing Logan tag team with Jake against the Furys on the heels of the younger bros' recent boxing match ... he welcomes the idea.

It would make complete sense -- after all, three of the four guys have history with WWE ... with Jake and Tyson participating in previous events, and Logan already being a Superstar.

Miz told us preparing to host WrestleMania is drastically different than when he's gearing up to fight inside the squared circle ... and called the opportunity a "dream come true."

The tradition of hosting WM isn't new ... Miz will join The Rock, Hulk Hogan (twice), Alexa Bliss, Rob Gronkowski, The New Day, and Titus O'Neil as superstars who've hosted.

Miz -- who's familiar with hosting thanks to his own show "MizTV" -- says he knows there's pressure to keep the crowd involved, but he's looking forward to the challenge.

Ultimately, Miz said his job is to make sure the show is "upbeat" and "fun" ... and encouraged fans to tune in on April 1 and 2 as WWE tries to create "buzz-worthy" moments.

Pedro Pascal's looks over the years will grow on you like a mushroom!

Here is a 30-year-old version of the Hollywood hunk at the opening night after party for "Macbeth" in New York City back in 2006 (left). This was a decade into Pascal's acting career, when he took the stage as a murderer and a bloody sergeant in the classic play.

And, 17 years later ...  the now 47-year-old glowing actor brought his sexy scruff to the Los Angeles premiere of "The Last Of Us" and topped off his look with a pair of slick specs (right).

He may be a fungi, but the question is ...