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They don't call him "The Great One" for nothin' -- Wayne Gretzky managed to end the year on a high note ... by smacking a hole-in-one on New Year's Eve.

The hockey legend had more reason to celebrate the end of 2020 than everyone else, because he hit his first ace on the golf course ... on the signature par-3 6th hole at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, CA.

Gretzky hit a 9-iron on the 140-yard hole, and though COVID restrictions kept onlookers away from his big moment ... word traveled pretty fast.

We're told the world's #1 golfer, Dustin Johnson, called him from Hawaii afterward to congratulate him. Johnson, of course, is engaged to Wayne's daughter, Paulina.

So, there ya go ... the man who holds the NHL records for goals, assists, points and hat tricks -- along with countless other records -- is also as good at golf as his future son-in-law.

At least for one hole.

Mariah Carey struggled at the end of 2020 with the same thing millions of Americans have struggled with ... the words to "Auld Lang Syne."

Mariah sang the song that makes no sense, but it wasn't easy ... not by a long shot. Despite her fumbling for the lyrics, her voice is on point.

Mariah dropped the bars just before midnight and posted it on social media. Ever the perfectionist, she didn't care the song was not flawless, but it was still light years better than what any of us could do.

Mariah ended her message with a universal ask ... "Let's hope for better, better days in 2021 and beyond."

Mariah spent part of New Year's Eve with Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper, both of whom had taken a number of shots (as in alcohol) before yakking it up with her.

There are certain traditions that persevere, even in COVID times, and one of them is jumping in freezing cold water on New Year's Day.

It went down per usual in the Isle of Man, where hundreds of folks said shrinkage be damned and jumped into water with temps below 50 degrees.

The tradition started back in covered wagon days ... 1983, where 4 dippers jumped in the icy water to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis.

Ever since then, there's been a growing number of dippers and more charities have been included in the mix.

This time around the folks ran into the water at Peel Beach, but there were new concerns -- COVID. Obviously, no masks and no real social distancing.

The island has handled the pandemic better than most. It went into total lockdown in March, and since June they have avoided massive outbreaks and the kids are back in school.

They've also closed their borders, to further protect the 85,000 residents.

Corey Harrison from "Pawn Stars" trashed an RV he rented, essentially wrecking it ... that's what the guy who rented him the RV told police.

Corey rented a 37-foot RV two months ago through RVShare (think Airbnb but for RVs) for a trip to a desert in California. But, what was supposed to be a 3-day rental from October 20-23 turned into a week-long nightmare, so says William Villafana who rented him the RV.

Villafana says he was contacted by Corey's assistant on the 24th ... saying they were involved in an accident and were going to have the RV towed back. The RV didn't show up until the 26th and Villafana says it was wrecked.

You can see from the pics ... the body of the RV is damaged ... the awning ripped off. The inside was a mess. Villafana says it was littered with empty bottles and eggs, among other things. He estimates the damages between $20k and $30k.

Villafana claims Harrison refused to pay for the damages ... this on top of the extra 3 days the RV was in their possession. The RV owner says as a result of the damage he had to cancel 10 reservations.

Villafana filed a report with the North Las Vegas Police Department, which he says was necessary in order to go after Harrison's insurance.

The pandemic no doubt made the year 2020 one of the saddest and most terrifying years ever on this planet. Losing legends like Kobe Bryant and Alex Trebek made it much worse.

The NBA superstar and TV host are just some of the many shocking celebrity deaths in 2020. Kobe’s death back in January got the year off on a terrible note. The helicopter crash that claimed Kobe’s life also claimed his daughter, Gianna’s, life and those of 7 others.

Trebek succumbed after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He fought valiantly until the end. “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman never let on to the world he was suffering with colon cancer. He was only 43 when his shocking death was announced.

Actress Naya Rivera and rapper Pop Smoke were also taken way too soon. She was 33 and he was a rising star at just 20.

The list of legends gone sadly went on … Regis Philbin, Jerry Stiller, Little Richard, Carl Reiner and Kirk Douglas.

What a year.

Another Asante Samuel is on his way to the NFL ... and this one could better than the previous one -- so says the original Asante Samuel!!

Here's the deal if you ain't aware ... ex-NFL star Asante Samuel Sr. has a college-aged son, Asante Samuel Jr., who's an absolute BALLER for Florida State.

So much so, the Seminoles defensive back just announced he has intentions of entering the 2021 NFL Draft!!

And, when we asked Dad about his son's potential ... the 2-time Super Bowl champ told us the kid could be an even better player than he was!

"It's definitely possible," Samuel Sr. says. "He can go to the right team, right situation and get a little technique things knocked off, get it worked on a little bit -- he definitely can rise up the ranks and have a great career."

Samuel has been a regular in FSU's defensive backfield since arriving on campus in 2018, playing in 31 games and recording 4 career INTs.

And while it's still early in the draft process ... many have labeled the 5-foot-10, 184-pound corner a possible first-round pick.

Samuel Sr. says watching him grow into that kind of player has been pretty special.

Before this world-wide singing sensation was top of the charts and shaking off the competition, she was just another bright-eyed young lady exploring the snow with an adorable dog in West Reading, Pennsylvania.

Don't let this seemingly normal shot of a gorgeous girl stump you ... try to fill in the blank space of who this blonde kid could be by listening to one of her hit songs.

If you're still struggling to guess the little girl maybe you can look towards the company she keeps, because her squad has run deep with celebs like Karlie Kloss, Blake Lively and Gigi Hadid!

2020's been a hell of a year -- mostly in the worst way imaginable -- but folks in L.A. swarmed to the beach to watch the last sunset of the year over the Pacific ... to say "GOOD RIDDANCE!!!"

Unusually large crowds descended on Venice Beach, applauding the sun setting on this miserable year ... one that's ravaged the entire world with COVID and destroyed lives in so many other ways.

Of course, here in the States, the country also went through one of its most contentious and divisive elections of all time ... following a summer of protests and unrest sparked by the killing of George Floyd and other unarmed black citizens.

Danny Masterson's rape accusers -- who sued him and The Church of Scientology for allegedly stalking them -- are facing an uphill battle ... because the church's own leaders will ultimately get to play judge and jury in their case.

According to a new court order obtained by TMZ ... Chrissie Carnell Bixler -- along with her husband, Mars Volta singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala -- and another rape accuser entered into a written agreement when they were still members of the church, which says "any dispute, claim or controversy" that arises between them must be resolved by the church ... instead of by the courts.

The L.A. Superior Court ruled on Wednesday that this agreement is binding, and requires them to "use Scientology internal Ethics, Justice, and binding religious arbitration procedures" for such disputes.

The arbitration clause goes on to say these issues will be resolved by "application to senior ecclesiastical bodies, including, as necessary, final submission of the dispute to the international justice Chief of the Mother Church of the Scientology religion."

As we reported ... Bixler and 3 other women who've alleged Masterson sexually assaulted them filed their suit in August 2019, claiming they've been mercilessly stalked by the Church of Scientology in an effort to silence them.

Watching this daring dog rescue might make you shiver, but the end result is heart-warming ... a much needed boost to end the year.

A Boxer found itself in peril Wednesday in the town of Cheektowaga, outside Buffalo, NY, stuck in an icy cold creek as temperatures were barely above freezing.

Cheektowaga PD says the super timid pup -- recently rescued from a puppy mill -- got spooked, ran from its owner and unfortunately headed toward the creek.

Cops had a hard time locating the poor pooch, but Patrolman James Rutkowski eventually spotted it and jumped into the chilly water -- up to his waist -- for the rescue mission.

Officer Rutkowski was slipping and sliding over trees to get to the cold doggie, but fortunately, it was already wearing a harness ... which allowed him to lift the dog out to safety and hand it to another cop closer to dry land.

Minneapolis Police just released body cam footage of officers shooting and killing a Black man Wednesday night, but they say he shot first -- a claim the video seems to support.

The incident began as a traffic stop of a man Minneapolis PD say was a suspect in a felony crime. When the video begins 3 cop cars are surrounding the man's vehicle in a gas station parking lot. You can hear one officer yell, "Drop your gun" as another charges toward the scene with his weapon drawn.

As officers yelled for him to stop and put his hands up, the man tried to drive away ... but the cops had him pinned in with their patrol cars. That's when it appears a bullet shattered the windshield of a cop car, and then multiple officers started shooting.

You can hear at least a dozen shots fired. The man was killed ... while his female passenger was not hurt. Police have not identified the man, but his family says it was 23-year-old Dolal Idd.

The 4 officers charged in the killing of George Floyd might have to wait a few more months to stand trial ... because the State of Minnesota believes it will be better for public health.

Prosecutors filed legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- asking to continue the trial to June 7 due to the recent approval of 2 COVID-19 vaccines. The State believes "moving the start of this trial to June 2021 would reduce the public health risks associated with conducting the trial during the COVID-19 pandemic" in light of this development.

Prosecutors add that moving the trial from March to June "would also reduce the likelihood that the trial will be disrupted by COVID-19 cases among court staff, lawyers, jurors, and witnesses."

The State makes a point to say it's ready to try the case March 8 as scheduled, but feels a 3-month delay would be in the best interest of public health ... especially in a high-profile case that may pose unique health risks.

According to the docs ... the trial involves "a larger-than-usual number of participants, including four Defendants, their counsel, and dozens of witnesses" and "is likely to be the subject of large public demonstrations, which may increase the risk of community spread of COVID-19."

A delay might work out for all parties, because just 2 weeks ago defense lawyers for the 4 former Minneapolis PD officers in Floyd's case argued for more time to prepare for the trial, because prosecutors revealed potential evidence after a court-imposed deadline.

Louis Gossett, Jr. can tell you how bad COVID is ... he has it, was hospitalized for it, but left because it's a s*** show inside.

Sources connected to the Oscar-winning actor tell TMZ ... the 84-year-old tested positive and was so sick he couldn't even stand. He was taken to a Georgia-area hospital, where he stayed for just a couple days before bolting. We're told he was put in an area with all the other COVID patients, and the wave of deaths freaked him out.

Hospital staff begged him to stay -- given his age and underlying conditions including cancer -- but Louis was determined to leave, and he did. He checked out Tuesday.

Louis -- best known his award-winning roles in "An Officer and a Gentleman" and on "Roots" -- tells TMZ and everyone else, "Please wear masks, social distance, isolate, pray and listen within. We cannot survive without one another."

Louis is now at home with his son ... and he is isolating.

Despite COVID-19 cases surging in Los Angeles, hospitals overrun and a rising death count, there's a sick group of people storming grocery stores without masks ... and it appears they are part of a group that is targeting stores to wreak havoc.

30-50 members of this group stampeded the Erewhon Market near The Grove shopping center a few days ago, demanding to be allowed to shop without their masks.

The anti-maskers were seen forcing their way in and harassing workers while flouting the city's face-covering safety guidelines. Some even tried to get the employees to join them ... encouraging them to remove their masks and "live their lives."

Their stupidity and recklessness cannot be overstated ... they are screaming, defying and pulling penal code sections out of their asses, none of which makes any sense. Watch how they confront cops ... the police exercise remarkable restraint.

They took their stampede to other stores in the area, including a Trader Joe's.

The demonstration seems to be linked to a Facebook group that describes itself like this -- "So here we are, shopping around LA maskless, witnessing the unraveling of hijacked minds right before our very eyes."

Other posts on the group's page include members at various locations around L.A. in recent weeks -- including a post office, a Ralphs and a Lassens store -- boasting about shopping maskless and attempting to get others to take off their masks as well.

It's all disturbingly similar to other anti-mask demonstrations across the country in recent months, including a march at a Target in Florida in September.

These stampeders claim they're protesting freedoms being taken away, but there's also a healthy dose of COVID-denial and outright stupidity in the mix.

Justin Bieber's first time taking the stage for a live show in 3 years will be seen online all over the world, but will have an odd feel to it ... which perfectly sums up the year for big musical acts.

JB's putting on a New Year's Eve concert Thursday night at the Beverly Hilton hotel, his first concert since his Purpose World Tour wrapped up in September 2017.

Bieber was seen rehearsing Wednesday on the custom stage with scaffolding. Though the show will be virtual, we're told there will be a small crowd in the balconies ... with social distancing and mask protocols in place, of course.

The NYE concert will begin streaming worldwide on the Moment House platform starting at 7:15 PST ... sponsored by T-Mobile. If you haven't heard of it, Moment House was founded in L.A. in 2019 by a team coming from the USC Jimmy Iovine & Dr. Dre Academy for the Arts.

The platform allows artists to create special, ticketed experiences -- AKA "moments" -- for their fans no matter where they are in the world ... which has become a huge deal in the year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Access to Bieber's concert will cost ya $25 ... except for T-Mobile customers, who can watch for free.

Speaking of money ... this is a way Justin and other musicians can make money during the pandemic, since live concerts are pretty much out of the question for the foreseeable future.

In the year of everything going virtual -- including the ball drop -- what more can you expect?

Men trying to cope with mental health issues need a place to go for support -- especially during the pandemic -- and Addison Brasil's building an online community of men who get it ... the struggle is real.

The actor's cofounded an app called Tethr, with a goal of combatting the idea that men who suffer from anxiety and depression are less masculine -- a stigma that keeps them from seeking help.

According to Addison, Tethr is welcoming because it's a peer-to-peer community of dudes who are already comfortable opening up ... so it's easy to find common ground.

On "TMZ Live" Thursday, he pointed out 3 out of 4 guys admitted to feeling stressed, anxious or depressed ... and that was BEFORE the coronavirus. So, having an outlet to seek guidance or simply vent is more crucial than ever now.