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Author Kate Andersen Brower is shedding some light on the frustrations Michelle Obama felt while she was First Lady ... something the former Prez even admits took a toll on their marriage.

Brower -- who's written several books on The White House -- describes a lunch event Michelle held early in Barack's first term to help launch her Let's Move campaign ... where it didn't turn out the way she hoped.

Kate says Michelle's initiative to fight obesity in America was overshadowed because instead ... the media chose to focus on her offhand comment about her husband quitting smoking.

It was a microcosm of her tenure as First Lady, according to Brower, who says ... despite Michelle's admirable drive to make a difference in the country, she regularly took a backseat to her husband or got tied to gossipy headlines.

The author of "First Women: The Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies" says it was frustrating and depressing for a modern woman like Michelle ... something Barack echoes in his upcoming memoir.

As for the current White House ... Kate's an expert on what's going down right now as President Trump's on his way out and Joe Biden's on his way in. Or at least, she's an expert on what NORMALLY goes down during this transition period.

There's nothing normal about this administration though, and Brower believes the usher's office -- responsible for moving First Families -- is having to work covertly.

As we first told you ... the White House residence staff is already walking on eggshells around Trump, and Brower hints it could get a lot worse depending on how Trump and his Chief Usher handle things as Inauguration Day approaches.

Good news for the WNBA ... Patrick Mahomes' unborn daughter already has a basketball hoop in her room!!!

The NFL superstar's fiancee Brittany Matthews is already putting together the nursery for their baby girl -- complete with 2 bassinets and a crib -- and it looks awesome!

There's a marble side table, pink drapes, some cool wall decor -- and a pink hoop by the door!

Unclear exactly when the baby is due -- but if she was 12 weeks when they announced the pregnancy in September, the kid would be due around April 2021.

The Kansas City Chiefs QB began dating Brittany back in high school and they've been together ever since.

Brit and Patrick -- who got engaged earlier this year -- recently said the wedding won't take place until 2022.

"We have a few dates nailed down but we'll be having baby in 2021 and we plan to do a wedding and all wedding things in 2022."

Matthews said the two weren't "trying" to get pregnant this year -- but admitted they weren't exactly "being careful either."

Phil Collins says his ex's accusation about him reeking like hell is a blatant lie, and a cheap attempt to smear his name to get millions out of him.

The famed hitmaker filed legal docs calling Orianne Cevey a liar after she claimed Phil became a hermit and completely secluded himself from the world. In docs, obtained by TMZ, Phil calls it "a litany of demonstrably false, immaterial, impertinent, scandalous and scurrilous allegations which have nothing to do with the legal claims in this case."

In short ... Phil says Orianne's allegations have a clear malicious motive ... trying to extort him. He claims she lied about his depression to cast doubt about his mental capacity all to "deliberately make sensationalized and/or false allegations in an effort to extort money" from him.

Phil says it's all either lies or gross exaggerations, pointing out that much of it is contradicted by the fact that he says he's currently preparing to tour with Genesis again after the pandemic passes.

TMZ broke the story ... Orianne's beefing with Phil claiming he's going back on his word to give her 50-50 ownership of the home he's now trying to evict her from. To that end ... Phil argues Orianne's lies have nothing to do with the issue of whether her claim that he ever made such a promise is true. Remember ... she also claimed he stopped brushing his teeth and was not capable of performing sexually.

Tyga's no stranger to lawsuits -- particularly over unpaid bills -- but he added a new wrinkle this time, according to his landlord who says he failed to pay rent AND trashed the pad.

The landlord is suing the rapper, claiming he stiffed them on $32K in rent when he left the place back in April, after renting it for about a year. But, that's not even the worst part.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, the landlord claims Tyga left gouges in the kitchen's white oak flooring ($27,650), damaged marble flooring and counters ($15,575) and damaged walls with murals and wallpaper ($103,160.25).

What's more ... the landlord claims Tyga installed a basketball hoop that damaged the driveway, and new locks that destroyed the entry door. The landlord says Tyga never had permission to install any of that stuff.

The landlord says he tried to settle this mess through mediation in May, but claims Tyga refused to play ball. He's now suing for breach of contract and wants more than $200K in damages.

Remember, Tyga was also sued in 2018 for failure to pay rent at a Bev Hills pad. So, ya gotta wonder, who keeps renting to this guy?

We've reached out to Tyga for comment, so far no word back.

Former "Days of Our Lives" star Cody Longo came home drunk and shoved his wife ... at least that's what she told cops in Tennessee, who arrested him on a domestic assault charge, an allegation he denies.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the actor's wife told officers Cody was intoxicated when he arrived late to his Clarksville home last Thursday night, accusing her of being unfaithful. According to the arrest warrant, the couple started arguing and it turned physical.

Cops say Cody's wife told them he shoved her face with his forearm, and while there were no visible bruises at the time, she claimed her jaw and neck were both sore.

Cody tells TMZ ... his wife's allegations are not true, and he calls their dispute a private matter.

He was arrested on a warrant the following day and posted $2,500 bond. Cops say there's no violent history between the couple.

Huge news ... The Weeknd has officially announced he's doing the Super Bowl halftime show in February!!!

... as long as there's still a Super Bowl in February!!!

The superstar broke the news Thursday morning -- "We all grow up watching the world's biggest acts playing the Super Bowl and one can only dream of being in that position. I'm humbled, honored and ecstatic to be the center of that infamous stage this year."

Weeknd was booked through Jay-Z's Roc Nation agency -- which has a partnership with the NFL.

Jay also weighed in -- saying, "This is an extraordinary moment in time and the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show is going to be an extraordinary experience with an extraordinary performer."

The game is set to take place on Feb. 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, home of the Buccaneers.

As for fans ... the NFL has previously said it was "hoping" to have thousands of spectators on hand for the game -- but nothing is set in stone because of the COVID pandemic.

League reps have said they are preparing for all possible scenarios -- which includes few to no fans.

Obviously, that would make things weird for The Weeknd -- performing in a massive stadium, on a massive stage with no live crowd reaction.

But, even if there aren't fans in the stadium, the Super Bowl draws a MASSIVE global audience on TV -- Super Bowl 54 (Chiefs vs. 49ers) back in February pulled in 102 MILLION viewers!!

Of course, the halftime show for that game was epic -- Shakira and Jennifer Lopez!!

So, how does The Weeknd plan to follow those legends??

He's got a pretty great catalog -- with hits like "Can't Feel My Face," "Starboy," "The Hills Have Eyes" and many many more.

Barack Obama's time in The White House was full of challenges ... not the least of which he says was his relationship with the First Lady.

The former Prez opens up about his 8 years in office in an upcoming memoir called "A Promised Land" ... and one of his most interesting anecdotes is about how the Presidency took a toll on Michelle.

Obama says he could sense an "undercurrent of tension in her, subtle but constant," despite her own achievements and growing popularity ... and their roles in America's First Family amplified all of the stress involved.

Barack says ... "It was as if, confined as we were within the walls of the White House, all her previous sources of frustration became more concentrated, more vivid, whether it was my round the clock absorption with work, or the way politics exposed our family to scrutiny and attacks, or the tendency of even friends and family members to treat her role as secondary in importance."

He adds that he became wistful many nights while he was lying next to Michelle thinking about the time before he was Prez "when everything between us felt lighter, when her smile was more constant and our love less encumbered, and my heart would suddenly tighten at the thought that those days might not return."

A Trump supporter threatened to punch a woman who flipped him the middle finger over Trump flags on his pickup truck -- a frighteningly tense confrontation that shows just how divided America remains.

Their heated exchange went down in Dunedin, FL, and the video starts with the man charging out of his truck like a bull toward the woman. He immediately threatened to knock her phone out of her hand, and begged her to touch him ... presumably, so he'd be justified in knocking her out.

The video is intense as he shouts, "Touch me. I dare you. I'll remove your f**king head." He also hurled homophobic insults at the woman, and she continued to taunt him over Trump losing. She tried to record his license plate, and he tried to back his truck over her.

The insults keep getting worse, and then an older woman with an accent shows up, and the woman recording yells, "Go back to your own country, b*tch."

Well here's a new one -- Kayleigh McEnany punted a question about President-elect Joe Biden getting access to intelligent briefings, saying it's a question for The White House ... even though that's literally HER job!!!

The WH Press Secretary's absurd moment went down Thursday morning on "Fox & Friends," when they asked her if President Trump's considering looping Biden in during the transfer of Presidential power.

McEnany says she hasn't spoken to the Prez about that topic, but ... "that would be a question more for The White House."

Puzzled? Yeah, us too. So, we asked a different White House rep what gives, and got this -- "Kayleigh appeared in her personal capacity as a private citizen. She advises the campaign on a voluntary basis."

Oooookay! Now, Kayleigh's paying gig is still Press Secretary -- for the White House -- so, she essentially said ... that would be a question for ME, but at some other time. Welcome to the Twilight Zone. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Talk about awkward situations ... Melania Trump's preparing to spread Christmas cheer at the White House while a ticked off President Trump appears to be in full Grinch mode. Good luck!

A rep for the First Lady tells TMZ ... Melania is, indeed, planning on decorating 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. again this year for Christmas, as is tradition. Might seem like a no-brainer -- First Ladies have been doing it for decades -- but the difference now is ... we know it's not one of MT's favorite things.

You'll recall, Melania was recorded in 2018 -- by her then-adviser, Stephanie Wolkoff -- trashing the White House decorating tradition. She said, "Who gives a f*** about Christmas stuff and decoration? But I need to do it, right?"

At the time, the First Lady was frustrated because the media was focusing on child separations at the border, and she apparently felt like no one would give a Fievel's ass about the decorations.

Well, cut to 2020 and there's a new hot button distraction -- her husband seems convinced they're staying put for another 4 years, despite losing the election to Joe Biden.

That begs the question ... does Melania think this will be her final Christmas bow in the White House? It'll be interesting to see her 2020 theme, as it could give some insight into how she's dealing with all this drama.

In light of all that's happened this year, maybe pass on repeating last year's white Christmas. Just a thought.

There's never been a chance to literally rent out THE 'Bachelor' pad ... until now.

The famous mansion featured on "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" has hit Airbnb for a whopping $6,000 per night ... roses and ladies/gentlemen not included. But, you do get a ton of other goodies for that dough.

Villa de la Vina, its official name but more commonly known as "The Mansion," sits on 10 acres within the Santa Monica Mountains of Malibu. The Mediterranean-style pad -- which has been HQ for the reality series since 2007 -- has 7 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms on 10,000-square-feet. The entire place sleeps 13 guests.

Bach fans will easily recognize the famous archways in the swimming pool ... the same pool where Nick Viall entertained, among other ladies, Alexis, who showed up in a shark suit. Fans who have the dough can also relax in jacuzzis, slay away at a pool table or simply sit back and enjoy the canyon, mountain and vineyard views.

Fun fact ... an actual family lives in the mansion, but vacates twice a year for around 42 days so ABC and co. can do their thing.

If walls could talk, right?

Steve Kornacki's election map coverage did more than inform America, it energized America ... to dress like Steve, and it's paying dividends for the Gap.

The MSNBC "Map Daddy" became an unexpected star during the vote-counting chaos, as he won over viewers with his energy, commitment and his wardrobe ... especially his khakis.

After several media outlets reported they were Gap brand trousers, the company's sales got a huge boost within the first 24 hours.

According to a Gap spokesperson ... the clothing retailer saw a "dramatic increase in online traffic and within a day, we saw around 90% unit sale increase online."

For those who really want the fast track to being more like Steve -- aka the "Chart Throb" -- it was further discovered he wears the "palomino brown" pair ... of which he says he has several. No one's surprised.

Now on the tee ... A BIG-ASS ALLIGATOR!!!!!

A Jurassic Park-like beast interrupted some golfers during an outing in Florida on Wednesday ... and video of the reptile crawling around the course is WILD!!!

Check out some footage that golfers in Naples shot this week ... you can see the gator -- roughly 10 FEET LONG -- was just cruising through tee boxes without a care in the world.

"Holy ...," one golfer said while seeing the animal on the course. "This guy out for a stroll -- oh, my God!"

Gators haven't been shy about making appearances on golf courses over the past year ... remember when two beasts brawled on an 18th hole in South Carolina?

Also, who could forget the gator that stole some dude's ball in Louisiana!!!

Kodak Black's not letting imprisonment stop him from putting food on the table for thousands of folks in Florida this Thanksgiving.

The rapper dropped $15k to provide more than 1,000 frozen turkeys for families in Pompano Beach ... according to his attorney, Bradford Cohen.

We're told Kodak arranged for the birds to be sent to the E. Pat Larkins Community Center on Wednesday, where hundreds of people waited in a long line of cars to get their free food -- including a bag of chips and sodas -- courtesy of the incarcerated rapper.

As you can see ... Kodak's team members were at the community center to safely place the frozen turkeys in recipients' trunks before they drove off. We're told KB's giveaway lasted from 11 AM to 1 PM, and his people were responsible for the huge turnout by putting up flyers in local neighborhoods.

Cohen tells us another community leader who focuses on feeding the needy also helped spread the word for Kodak. We're told the rapper's working with the man on future outreach projects.

Kodak himself will be spending Thanksgiving in his new prison cell at USP Thomson, a high-security prison in Illinois. As we first told you ... he got transferred there last month from the Kentucky prison where he claimed he was being tortured.

Blueface is offering up his home for rent, but you can't exactly live like the rapper does ... because quarantine stripper parties aren't allowed!!!

Here's the deal ... Blueface just put his 3-bedroom mansion in the San Fernando Valley up for rent on Airbnb for a cool $2,500 per night, but there's a catch.

The listing says the host doesn't allow pets, parties or smoking.

Remember ... the rapper caught a ton of heat for hosting a party at his Chatsworth crib early on in quarantine. Video from the bash showed a bunch of women in g-strings and bikini tops getting into an all-out brawl.

Maybe Blueface learned a lesson and started listening to Dr. Fauci ... unlike some people.

Anyways, Blueface's pad looks super modern ... it's decked out with a pool, hot tub, indoor fireplace, grand piano, pool table and a basketball hoop.

Everyone wants to know why UFC star Paul Felder is volunteering to fight a killer like Rafael dos Anjos on just 5 days' notice.

Well, Paul just gave us the answer -- and it's about as gangster as it gets.

"This is the crazy stuff that will either set me up for a major fight and move my career forward or I'll prove that I got balls that are bigger than anybody else's in the division."

No lies detected.

Paul -- who hasn't fought since February -- stepped up to replace Islam Makhachev in the main event on Nov. 14 ... after Islam was forced to withdraw this week due to a staph infection.

Felder says UFC firmed up the fight on Monday night -- giving him less than a week to prep himself for war.

Fortunately, Felder says he's been training like a maniac recently for a triathlon -- which means his cardio is insane at the moment.

So, he weighed the pros and cons of fighting a legend like dos Anjos -- and quickly came to the decision that it's worth the risk.

"If he beats me, he's a former champion! I don't give a sh*t! It's Rafael dos Anjos!"

Felder continued, "I mean, I've got nothing to lose other than some brain cells and some broken bones and things as usual but I will heal up and I'll be fine."

Don't get it twisted, Paul says he wouldn't have taken the fight if he wasn't 100% confident he can win.

"I'm fully capable of beating him, that I will make everyone clear of! I'm not coming in here to get a payday."

Felder says there's a real chance this could be the last fight of his career -- but he's not worried about that. He's just getting himself ready to fight.

Dos Anjos is the former UFC lightweight champ -- with signature victories over stars like Nate Diaz, Robbie Lawler, Kevin Lee and "Cowboy" Cerrone.