MMA Fighter Iuri Lapicus Dead At 27 ... After Motorcycle Crash In Italy
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MMA fighter Iuri Lapicus -- who recently fought ex-UFC star Eddie Alvarez -- has died following a motorcycle crash in Italy last week, ONE Championship announced Monday.
He was just 27 years old.
The 14-2 fighter lost control of his motorbike in Northwest Milan on Friday, according to Milano Today, and was thrown several feet from the crash site. He was taken by helicopter to a hospital, the outlet reported, and had remained in a coma ... until he tragically succumbed to his injuries on Monday.
One Championship, the org. Lapicus began fighting for in 2019, said following the news of his passing that it's "heartbroken."
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones at this difficult time," the org said in a statement to ESPN.
Lapicus had fought five times in the ONE Championship, logging a 2-2 record. His April 2021 bout against Alvarez ultimately ended in a no-contest.
His last fight was against Zebaztian Kadestam on Aug. 26, 2022 ... but the Modolvan-Italian fighter lost, going down in Round 1 via KO.
R.I.P.
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Gisele & Jiu-Jitsu Instructor Enjoy Beach Day in Costa Rica
Gisele Bündchen and her jiu-jitsu instructor clearly have a thing for Costa Rica, but the same can't be said for jiu-jitsu -- they're still there together, having all kinds of fun minus the martial arts.
Joaquim Valente and Gisele are getting their feet in the sand, tossing a frisbee and taking a dip in the ocean. It looks like a pretty action-packed day for the third outing we've seen them have in CR over the last few months.
This time, Joaquim showed off his ripped body, while GB rocked a pair of shorts on the shore. And a few others seemed to tag along for the outing.
Of course, we most recently saw them taking a pretty chill walk together with a couple of pooches.
We've seen them do a lot down there ... just not jiu-jitsu.
As you know, Tom Brady's ex-wife has maintained the outings with the instructor are just friendly ... but it's hard to tell at this rate, given all the time they're spending together.
You'll recall, the duo went horseback riding through the jungle back in January ... and seemingly haven't slowed down since.
Gisele has previously said Joaquim is on hand for family trips to train her and her kids.
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UA Flight 23 Pilot Convinced His Was 5th Plane on 9/11 ... Was in Denial for Years
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A United pilot scheduled to fly on 9/11 says he lived in denial for years about the possibility hijackers targeted his plane that day ... but he's more convinced than ever now.
We talked to Tom Mannello Monday on "TMZ Live" about that fateful day, as well as a theory he's fully onboard with -- namely, that he and his crew from United Flight 23 were targeted by terrorists on Sept. 11 ... something he says didn't fully believe until very recently.
What changed his mind was a new documentary we produced that's airing tonight on FOX -- "TMZ Investigates 9/11: The Fifth Plane" (9 PM ET/PT, 8PM CT) ... which does a deep dive into all the suspicious circumstances surrounding the activity on the grounded flight.
It's a story the United crew hadn't previously discussed publicly, and hearing the perspective of the flight attendants is changing everything for Mannello.
As he explains to us, he was content to accept everything that unfolded was mere coincidence ... but after we did some digging and reporting, he says he's a believer.
There are several elements that point to United 23 being in the crosshairs of bad actors -- including a group of suspicious passengers who were eager to get off the ground ASAP.
Another red flag ... the fact that eyewitnesses saw uniformed persons running through the cabin after the plane had been evacuated and locked -- this after official word the World Trade Center was under attack.
Then the FBI discovered a mysteriously opened hatch on the plane.
Agents also interviewed all of flight 23's attendants afterward ... plus, box cutters were found in an adjacent plane -- and all of that is more than enough for Mannello to buy into the notion they were next. He says, for years, he didn't accept it due to seeming inactivity from the feds.
At this point, though, he says there's simply too much evidence not to accept the obvious. And yet, despite this, TM explains why he continued to fly in the aftermath ... unlike the others, who were so shaken up they never flew professionally again.
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'Vanderpump Rules' New Footage From Dramatic New Episodes ... Ariana Wants Tom 'To Die'
"Vanderpump Rules" is giving us a taste of all the drama between Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix with new footage -- and it's just as explosive as you might think -- with Ariana telling Tom he'd be better off dead.
Bravo dropped the trailer for season 10's mid-season episodes ... with the focus clearly shifting onto Tom, Ariana, and Raquel Leviss. Scheana Shay refers to Raquel as the new homewrecker -- something Raquel laughs off -- before showing how everyone else reacts to the affair.
Tom also tells Ariana he wishes they'd both tried harder in their relationship, but it's clear Ariana isn't wasting her emotions on him. There's even a brief look at Tom shedding some tears ... and it all ends with Ariana saying she wants him to die -- yikes.
It's obviously going to be a whirlwind of emotions when the show returns -- as we reported, sources close to production told us the show's higher-ups scrambled to document the drama that followed Tom and Ariana's split ... while they already wrapped the season prior, the new goal was to edit the scandal into the later episodes.
Our sources told us Raquel only shot one scene since the pickup, though ... with Tom at her NoHo apartment.
It's unclear how much of her stuff ended up on the cutting room floor, but it seems the juiciest parts made it in.
XXXTentacion 3 Men Found Guilty of Murder
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The 3 men accused of killing XXXTentaction have just been found guilty of murder in the 2018 shooting.
The verdicts came in Monday for Michael Boatwright, Trayvon Newsome, and Dedrick Williams. The decisions follow the jury's deliberations, which started March 8.
As we reported, 20-year-old XXX was at a South Florida motorcycle dealership almost 5 years ago when prosecutors say he became the victim of a robbery -- getting shot while in his vehicle. They say the men ran off with $50K in cash and a Louis Vuitton bag.
The 3 were charged with first-degree murder with a firearm and armed robbery ... and in closing arguments last month, defense attorney Joseph Kimok claimed evidence clears all 3 men from the crime -- saying the DNA found on the rapper's body and necklace didn't belong to them.
You'll recall, a 4th man named Robert Allen was also arrested in connection to the killing ... but he pled guilty last year to second-degree murder and agreed to testify against the other 3 suspects, adding he was hesitant about the robbery and even asked the others to ditch the idea in the moment.
In a discovery and bail hearing for Allen back in 2018, surveillance video from the dealership was shown -- which appeared to show the entire thing going down in real time.
The death of XXX shocked the rap community, with tons of fans still mourning his loss today.
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Taylor Swift Couple Gets Married at Concert ... We're Starting New Era!!!
Taylor Swift's Eras tour is already bringing people together ... until death, in the case of 2 of her fans ... who used her concert as the backdrop for their wedding!!!
The ceremony went down Saturday night while Taylor was performing the second of 2 shows at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ -- aka Swift City -- with the bride, Rene Hurtado, and groom, Max, saying "I do" from their floor seats.
Rene, who was wearing a tea-length wedding dress, says she and Max had been talking since the summer about eloping the day of Taylor's concert and then having the show serve as their wedding reception ... but they ultimately decided it would be cooler to actually get hitched at the concert.
Proposals have become a semi-regular occurrence at concerts and sporting events over the years ... but it's not every day you see an actual wedding in the middle of a show.
No word if Rene and Max are planning to hit up another Taylor concert for their honeymoon.
Mazel tov!!!
L.A. Marathon Podcast Host Smokes Joints While Running ... Finishes the Race!!!
One dude crossed the finish line in this year's L.A. Marathon with a pretty impressive feat, but he wasn't on a runner's high -- he was just high.
Podcast host Adam Ill took to the streets of Los Angeles with over 22,000 others Sunday morning ... but, we're guessing he was one of only a few smoking joints while on the 6-hour jog.
Adam documented a good portion of his trek, but he was mostly showing off his HIGHlights.
He didn't set any time records, coming in 954th out of 1,163 men in his age range -- but he was live on Twitch during his run and mentioned it was all going down on his birthday. One hell of a way to kick off another trip around the sun.
For those unaware, Adam calls himself "The Highest Host" and a cannabis celebrity ... and he hosts 'The OG Potcast', one of the longest-running Mary Jane-themed podcasts.
It's a lock he lit up more than birthday candles to celebrate finishing the marathon!!!
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Bennifer Drop Out of Escrow Yet Again ... On $64M Home Sale
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Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are out on their latest would-be new home -- the couple has pulled the plug on yet another real estate deal ... and they're once again on the hunt.
Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ that Bennifer has fallen out of escrow on the $64 million Pacific Palisades mansion they seemed to have their sights set on earlier this month -- which was an absolute beauty that would've certainly accommodated their needs.
It's unclear why they're bailing ... but we're hearing they're done with it, and are moving on.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's $55 Million Bel-Air Mansion Deal Falls Through
Now, if you're keeping count -- this actually marks the third home they've fallen out of escrow on in the past year. There was a $55 million Bel-Air estate they were set to buy way back in April, but that sale fell through. They were also set to buy another PP palace last month -- which was worth just $34.5 mil -- but they walked away from that property as well.
We haven't been offered any legit explanation for why J Lo and Ben keep changing their minds ... all we know is that they simply can't commit, and this is the most recent example.
Not wasting any time, Jen was actually pounding the pavement anew this past weekend -- cruising through Holmby Hills.
We're told she was taking a gander at this mansion above. The current owner is Max Azria, the founder of BCBG. From what we can see, it looks about as nice as everything else they've been perusing. It's listed for $65 million.
Ben and Jen might wanna pull the trigger on something soon, because there's a new mansion tax that's about to hit L.A. in April. The measure, which was passed last year, imposes a 4% tax on home sales above $5 mil and a 5.5% tax on sales above $10 mil.
The tax probably won't affect Ben and Jen directly -- they're not house hunting in the city of L.A., more so on the ritzy outskirts -- but it could seriously impact the market and L.A.-area home prices in general.
So ... act fast!
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Rick Ross My Pet Bison Mean No Harm!!! Feed 'Em Fruits & Veggies
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Rick Ross is grateful one of his neighbors is pointing out he has a problem with stray pets ... a few of his cattle and bison are roaming a little too freely.
Rick says he always manages to corral the livestock on his "Promise Land" estate ... no easy feat, seeing as how the property sits on 235 acres of land. Rozay compares it to the popular TV series "Yellowstone" ... AKA it's the wild wild west when it comes to the wildlife!!!
The level of damage the bison caused to the neighbor's yard doesn't seem like the equivalent of returning a lost pooch ... but the MMG rapper explained they're actually peaceful animals that will graciously accept carrots on request!!!
We broke the story -- one of Rick's neighbors of his Fayetteville estate grew INFURIATED his bison were destroying her yard ... but he urged his neighbors to be courteous and reminded them to keep collars on their pets.
Despite the debacle, Rick says all his animals were returned safely and used the opportunity to prop up his new Deacon Whisky venture ... which should bring additional revenue for fencing.
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Shaquille O'Neal Undergoes Hip Surgery ... On The Mend
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Shaquille O'Neal sparked concern after sharing a photo of himself in a hospital bed on Sunday ... but TMZ Sports has learned the NBA legend simply needed to fix a nagging injury, and he's now doing OK.
Our sources tell us the 51-year-old went under the knife over the weekend to have an issue with his hip corrected -- and everything went according to plan. We're told he's already on the mend.
In a caption Shaq posted along with the photo -- he tagged his "NBA on TNT" colleagues, Ernie Johnson and Candace Parker, saying even though he couldn't be at work, he was still tuning in to the show.
"Miss y’all," he wrote.
Parker, a two-time WNBA champ, responded, "Love ya big Fella ♥."
3/8/23
It's unclear when Shaq will return to his TV gig -- our sources say there's no set time frame -- but in discussing the upcoming procedure earlier this month on his podcast, "The Big Podcast With Shaq," he seemed to say he had April 16 in mind for when he could be active again.
He added on the pod that he was going to go on a diet to get "shredded" after the surgery ... and eventually reveal an 8-pack!!
Speedy recovery, Diesel!!
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Demi Moore & Fam Emotional Sing-Along For Bruce Willis' 68th Bday
Demi Moore is sharing a heartwarming family moment honoring Bruce Willis ... she was by her ex-husband's side to wish him a very happy birthday as he copes with dementia.
Demi posted a sweet video Sunday ... as Bruce's entire fam gathered around to celebrate his 68th birthday. Bruce and his current wife Emma Heming, Demi and a mix of their kids all sang to him and presented a candlelit pie.
Bruce was smiling, and seemingly mocking his family's attempt to harmonize. It's really the first time we've heard him speak since he was diagnosed last year with aphasia.
In her caption, Demi wrote ... "Happy birthday, BW! So glad we could celebrate you today. Love you and love our family. Thank you to everyone for the love and warm wishes -- we all feel them."
Of course, the birthday wishes come about a month after his family announced his original diagnosis of aphasia progressed to frontotemporal dementia.
Demi and Bruce share 3 daughters together -- Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah -- who all celebrated alongside their dad.
He has been married to his current wife Emma for about 13 years.
Their 2 children -- Mabel and Evelyn -- were on hand for the special day as well ... and Emma shared an emotional video as she opened up about their hardships since Bruce's FTD diagnosis.
Remember ... last year, Bruce family revealed he was also ending his acting career because aphasia would severely impact his ability to communicate.
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French Montana Sued Over FL Music Video Shooting
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10:17 AM PT -- French Montana's rep, Ted Anastasiou, tells us, "Carl Leon was never invited to the restaurant at the night of the incident. His interest in litigation is solely to exploit and benefit financially from it, and his re-imagining of his invitation and current statements are simply an egregious profit play and publicity stunt."
He continues, "Beyond rejecting Mr. Leon and his counsel’s claims, we implore them to take a good, long look in the mirror and ask whether their loved ones would respect them for trying to make a buck by blatantly lying."
What's more, French told us back in January he wasn't at the location to shoot a music video, instead, he said they were at the restaurant to celebrate the release of his mixtape and just so happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time when the shooting happened.
French Montana just got hit with a lawsuit stemming from a shooting that took place while he celebrated the release of his mixtape and filmed a music video ... an incident that left 10 people injured.
According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, French was filming the music video with fellow rapper Rob49 for their song, "Igloo," at The Licking in Miami Gardens in January.
The suit says French personally ordered the move to the restaurant after a robbery had occurred across the street involving production staff and unknown assailants. Plaintiff Carl Leon says he was asked to be an extra in the video and was present along with about 80 or so other crew members.
Leon says an "unknown individual caused severe injury to multiple people, including the Plaintiff."
He goes on to say the Miami Gardens PD investigated, concluding that French failed to get the necessary permits required by the city to ensure the set was safe and secure with proper police protection.
As you may recall, Police Chief Delma Noel-Pratt released a statement at the time, essentially blaming French and his crew for the shooting. The chief said French and Co. should have notified police beforehand so protocols would have been put in place to avert such violence.
French, his record label, Coke Boys, and the restaurant are all named defendants in the suit.
Leon's attorney, Josiah Graham of the Graham Injury Firm, filed the suit Monday. Leon is asking for more than $50,000 in damages, claiming the defendants were negligent.
Originally Published -- 8:15 AM PT
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'9/11: The Fifth Plane' Pilot, Flight Attendants Convinced ... Their Flight Was Targeted By Hijackers
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A 6-month TMZ investigation raises serious questions ... was there a 5th plane targeted by hijackers on 9/11? The flight attendants and pilot aboard United Flight 23 believe they were indeed targeted, and they make their case tonight on FOX at 9 PM.
United 23, a 767 aircraft, was scheduled to depart JFK at 9 AM, bound for L.A. Six passengers aroused the suspicion of flight attendants for various reasons. Among them ... they were convinced one of the passengers was a man disguised as a woman.
The plane was near the runway, ready to take off, when JFK was abruptly closed after the World Trade Center was hit. It taxied back to the gate and the plane was fully evacuated and locked. Twenty minutes later, people on the ground saw 2 uniformed people running in the passenger cabin. Authorities came, unlocked the door, and found the hatch leading from the belly to the cabin was open ... something that alarmed the FBI.
The flight attendants were interviewed by the FBI and even taken to a lineup to see if they could identify the 4 passengers.
Box cutters were found in the first-class seat pockets on a 767 parked next to United 23 ... that plane was not scheduled for takeoff at the critical time. The pilot was informed and believes those box cutters were meant for his plane, and someone on the ground just confused the 2 planes.
In addition to the flight attendants and pilot, the documentary includes interviews with the United dispatcher, a member of the 9/11 Commission and others.
"TMZ Investigates 9/11: The Fifth Plane" airs tonight on FOX at 9 PM ET.
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Diplo Crushes Marathon In Under 4 Hours ... Beats Oprah's PR!!!
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Diplo was among the thousands of runners participating in the L.A. Marathon on Sunday ... and his time was mad decent -- finishing the thing in under 4 hours!!
The famous DJ completed the 26.2-mile race in 3 hours, 55 minutes and 16 seconds ... which was 1,661st-best for men and good enough for 2,013th overall!!
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
The 44-year-old had made his target time known prior to the race ... saying, "tbh all that matters is that I can beat Oprah Winfrey time (she was pretty fast)."
BTW -- Oprah was a bit of a speedster herself in 1994, completing the Marine Corps Marathon with a time of 4:29:20.
Olympian Alexi Pappas -- who ran alongside Diplo during the race -- gave the producer his props in a congratulatory Instagram post ... saying, "We were total gazelles out there."
Diplo is a bit of a freak athlete -- he also ran the Miami Half Marathon with zero training in 2022 ... and proceeded to hit the club right after.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
It appears Diplo elected for a cig and some compression therapy boots this time around ... but we're sure he'll be back on his feet in no time.
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Adam Sandler Gets Mark Twain Award ... Chris Rock Jokes About Trump Arrest
Adam Sandler is the latest to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor -- which got just about every comedian to D.C., including Chris Rock, who dropped some new, timely Donald Trump material.
Sandler was on hand Sunday to get the prestigious award at the Kennedy Center ... with a packed house of celebs and politicians watching and joining the celebration. Some of the A-listers included Ben Stiller, Dana Carvey, David Spade, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Conan O'Brien, Steve Buscemi and more.
A lot of people got on the mic to sing the legendary comic/actor's praises -- including Drew and Steve -- highlighting his epic 'SNL' tenure and his prolific career in Hollywood. But, the recipient himself got major laughs during his acceptance speech ... he joked he was worried the award "might be the weapon used to bludgeon me to death."
One person who sorta stole the spotlight was his pal Chris ... who did a mini stand-up set and referenced the supposedly imminent arrest of the former prez. Chris humorously, we think, warned that doing so would make Trump more popular than ever.
CR also made a crack about Paul Pelosi -- who was in the audience next to his wife, Nancy -- by saying he was the only one who knew what it was like to get assaulted ... referring to the SF attack at his home. So yeah, Chris is still talking Oscars slap.
He also gave President Biden a back-handed compliment, saying he'd come "back from the dead" to become Commander in Chief. Edgy stuff, but it seemed to go over well enough.
Anyway, back to Sandler ... the guy's contributions speak for themselves, and he's certainly deserving of some recognition.
Some of his most notable movies include 'Billy Madison,' 'Happy Gilmore,' 'The Wedding Singer,' '50 First Dates,' 'The Waterboy,' 'Mr. Deeds,' 'Big Daddy,' 'Punch-Drunk Love,' 'Uncut Gems' ... just to name a few.
Adam joins an exclusive and pretty damn funny list -- other recent Mark Twain honorees include Jon Stewart, Dave Chappelle, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Letterman, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy and more.
Congrats!
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J.J. Watt I'm A Swiftie Now!!! ... Raves Over Taylor After 'The Eras Tour' Show
J.J. Watt has apparently turned into a music critic in retirement ... and Taylor Swift has passed his first assignment -- with the ex-NFL star absolutely raving over her following her shows in AZ over the weekend.
The former Cardinals pass rusher hit Saturday's "The Eras Tour" concert at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ with his wife and friends ... and in a full breakdown of Swift's performance the next day, he said he was blown away by what he saw.
In a 2:38 review that Watt posted on his social media pages, he gushed over Swift ... saying everything from the song choices to the outfits to the production had him in awe.
"First off," he said, "unbelievable."
Watt was floored by Swift's ability to rattle off 44 songs in 3-plus hours -- while never pausing for much longer than a few minutes.
"There was no intermission," he said. "There was no halftime. There was no TV timeouts."
"She crushed it," he added.
The show seemed to surprise the 33-year-old -- who just retired from the NFL in January -- as he joked before the concert on his wife's Instagram page, "Everyone send me your best wishes. Thank you."
Watt revealed he even grabbed a Taylor hoodie after the show!!!
"It was impressive to witness," he said. "And I did walk out with some merch. So, Swiftie life!"
No word on when Watt's next concert review will go down ... but Taylor's Tour does stop in Vegas -- just a few hours away from Phx -- this weekend, so maybe T.S. Round II is on deck???