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Prince Philip was way sicker than the Palace led everyone to believe ... because they just revealed he underwent heart surgery.

Queen Elizabeth's 99-year-old husband is recovering from what the Palace describes as a "successful" heart operation for a pre-existing heart condition. They went on to say he'll continue to be hospitalized "for a number of days."

The whole thing is a little Trumpian. In case you forgot, when Trump contracted COVID and went to the hospital, his doctor said he was doing fine, when in reality his condition was so dire he was almost placed on a ventilator.

Well, in Philip's case, the Palace said on 2/17, “The Duke’s admission is a precautionary measure, on the advice of His Royal Highness’s doctor, after feeling unwell." “The Duke is expected to remain in hospital for a few days of observation and rest.”

On 2/19 -- "It is understood he had felt unwell for several days before royal doctors ordered him to hospital as a “precautionary measure."

On 2/22 Prince William said his grandpa was "OK."

The Palace never mentioned a heart issue until 3/1.

It's not unusual to downplay the severity of an illness when it comes to government officials, but the timing here is problematic. The Palace is in a brewing war with Meghan and Harry, and people are going to be taking sides after the Oprah interview this Sunday. If people feel the Palace was misleading on the Philip front, it could create doubt they're fessing up on the Meghan and Harry front.

The 'Jersey Shore' stars are back in a bubble to shoot the rest of their family vacation, but this time the gang is a lot closer to home.

"Jersey Shore: Family Vacation" has begun shooting the second half of season 4 ... and it appears Pauly D, Vinny, Ronnie, JWOWW, Deena, Angelina, The Situation and their family members are locked down inside Pennsylvania's Woodloch Resort.

Situation's wife, Lauren, dropped the first clue on their new home away from home this week by posting shots of a picturesque lake.

Pauly D's girlfriend, Nikki Hall, also posted a photo in front of a fireplace -- and we took their hints and lined them up to other pics from inside Woodloch resort.

TMZ broke the story ... the 'Jersey Shore' cast shot the first half of season 4 in a "Shore Bubble" at a fancy resort in Nevada, with production adhering to local, state and federal COVID-19 health and safety requirements to get the job done.

Our sources tell us production is taking the same approach for the second half of season 4, except in a new location. While Pennsylvania still isn't Jersey, it's a lot closer -- plus wherever this crew goes kinda becomes the Shore.

Kimora Lee Simmons is pissed about getting pulled over and ticketed in Bev Hills -- but thanks to a slightly impatient fan, she still managed to bat .500 on the day.

We got Kimora Wednesday afternoon as a BHPD officer was writing her up. She told us the cop wasn't being nice -- though we saw no evidence of that -- and made it clear she was upset about getting dinged for no plates on her Rolls Royce.

Watch the clip ... she had an excuse, one the cop clearly wasn't buying. She even tried playing the sympathy card -- mentioning she's recovering from a broken leg -- but no dice.

However, in a true Hollywood moment, a fan happened to walk by and refused to let the selfie opportunity go. We'll say this ... Kimora handled it like a pro.

In the end, she was still annoyed, but admitted getting the ticket was better than ... well, watch.

52-year-old Roy Jones Jr. says he's ready for ANOTHER boxing match after that war with Mike Tyson -- and he's eyeing a UFC legend.

Roy has his sights set on 45-year-old superstar Anderson Silva -- widely considered one of the greatest MMA athletes of all time.

So, why Silva ... and not a rematch with Iron Mike?

"I think [Mike Tyson is] gonna do a fight with Evander Holyfield," Jones said ... "what I'm thinking is I'll probably fight somebody else."

"Truthfully speaking ... my dream next fight will probably be Anderson Silva."

Roy says he's been trying to lock up a fight with Silva for years -- but the timing finally seems right.

"Anderson's available now, I'm available now. So, we've been wanting to box for the longest time. Why not me and Anderson go out there and put it on for the people?!"

Silva was an excellent striker in his heyday -- and as RJJ points out, Anderson had a stint as a pro boxer before he switched to MMA.

In other words, "He knows how to pro box."

Anderson racked up a 34 and 11 record in MMA -- with wins over guys like Dan Henderson, Forrest Griffin, Vitor Belfort, Rich Franklin and more.

Jones says there's no doubt he would DESTROY Silva if the two fought during Roy's prime years -- "but now that I'm older and I'm older than him ... it's something good to look at now because I think his chances are better now than they ever were before."

Before this sweetheart in stripes was singing for audiences all across the world, she was just another cute kid attending the Glastonbury Festival in England.

This little lady has been popular in the public eye for almost two decades ... she has had no shame about talking openly about her struggles within the music industry. Now, this talented star has more to smile about -- last year she married her boyfriend, a hilarious actor who stars in the "Stranger Things" series on Netflix, in an epic Las Vegas ceremony with an Elvis Presley impersonator.

Elon Musk has some expensive bugs to fix -- another unmanned test flight of a SpaceX rocket he hoped would go to Mars went up in flames.

SpaceX nearly completed the successful test flight Wednesday at its facility in South Texas. The plan is for this prototype spacecraft, called SN10, to eventually venture all the way to Mars -- but several minutes after a clean launch and return trip to Earth ... it exploded.

SN10's launch was delayed due to a sputtering engine earlier in the day, but fired up for lift-off around 3 PM PT. It completed its route -- which wasn't meant to go too far up -- and touched down again, seemingly without a hitch.

The official SpaceX broadcast cut out before folks at home could see it blow up, but other streams that were monitoring the action live sure caught the blast.

You can hear someone who was watching it talk about a methane leak, but SpaceX has not said what caused the blast.

We've seen this before with SpaceX's Starship test flights -- this exact thing happened last year at the same facility ... with the same result.

They gave it another go just last month, and the results were identical ... fireballs. Again, these were all unmanned launches.

Machine Gun Kelly's drummer got attacked, robbed and hit by a car ... according to law enforcement sources, but he says he's going to bounce back.

We're told JP Cappelletty -- better known as Rook, MGK's drummer -- was walking down a street in the Hollywood Hills Tuesday night around 8 PM, when 2 guys jumped out of a vehicle to rob him.

Our law enforcement sources say there was a physical altercation, and Rook had thousands of dollars worth of property stolen from him. We're told at some point, he was also hit by a car, which injured his foot and arm.

Rook posted a pic from his hospital bed Wednesday showing his right arm and hand in a cast, and another with MGK visiting him. Rook says, "Don't Worry I'll Bounce Back."

Our sources say the suspects got away, and while it's unclear if they were armed ... they certainly used force to rob the drummer.

Dr. Fauci is gonna sleep well tonight -- officials in Florida have determined Super Bowl LV was NOT a hotspot for COVID-19 ... with just 53 confirmed cases reported in the weeks following the game.

The Hillsborough County health department in Florida released its preliminary report on Super Bowl-related COVID-19 cases on Wednesday ... with chief epidemiologist Michael Wiese announcing case levels were just "a little bit higher" compared to the rest of the state.

Wiese says that small spike was believed to be a result of house parties and gatherings at restaurants and bars -- NOT fans in attendance at the game.

"While we didn’t really have a lot that was associated directly with the Super Bowl, we do know that the community kind of celebrated and got together in response to the events, which did show some increase in the transmission during the weeks afterward," he said.

Super Bowl host committee president and CEO Rob Higgins says more than 280k fans and workers took part in the game and related activities ... but just 1 out of every 4,700 attendees reported a positive test for COVID-19.

During that same time, the health dept. reported 1 in every 99 citizens in the county tested positive for COVID-19.

"Plain and simple, our collective job was to work together to mitigate risk, and the results shared today show that's what happened," Higgins said. "The Super Bowl was not a super-spreader."

Paris Hilton's feeling proud and thankful about the passing of a Utah bill she testified to support, calling it a huge step in the right direction for survivors like herself.

As you'll recall ... Paris testified last month about the alleged abuse she suffered while attending Provo Canyon School as a teen in the '90s, and she says Utah's Senate Bill 127 passing makes much of what she went through back then illegal.

SB127 prohibits Utah's youth treatment centers from certain punishments of children, such as denying food or water, spanking, hitting, or other treatments "intended to frighten or humiliate."

Paris says this includes strip-searches, seclusion, use of chemical restraint and peer restraint and gender-based discrimination ... and adds that the bill does so much more to ensure the well-being of thousands of kids in these Utah facilities.

She says back when she was at Provo she dreamed of making a difference like this, adding ... "The teenage version of me would be so incredibly proud to know I accomplished my goal of protecting youth who are experiencing abuse in the name of treatment. Survivors, this is a BIG step towards systemic change!"

Paris also thanked Utah lawmakers for "listening to us survivors, prioritizing this issue, and taking the necessary steps to protect our future generations."

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are giving their children some much-needed stability during their divorce ... Kim may be keeping their 4 kids in the only home they've ever known.

Sources close to the former couple tell TMZ ...  Kim has been staying with their kids in the family home in Hidden Hills ... and that may be permanent as well.

It's an interesting decision for several reasons. Kanye designed the home ... it's pretty spectacular though very austere -- almost museum-like. You might think Kanye would want to keep the home since it's a multi-year passion project of his, but the fact is Kanye doesn't have any real ties to that area. On the other hand, most of Kim's family live within a block of her in the same community, and family is important to the kids in the middle of the divorce.

We're also told Kim really likes the house, so it's not like she wants to pick up stakes and move.

It's unclear where Kanye will take up his permanent residence, but it's no secret Wyoming has pretty much become his home over the last few years ... it's where he's got a massive ranch, and where he moved his Yeezy brand.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim filed to divorce Kanye last month after nearly 7 years of marriage, and we're told the split is amicable.

Elon Musk hasn't taken over the world yet but, for now, he'll settle on taking over a piece of Texas ... 'cause he approached officials about founding his own city and calling it Starbase.

The Tesla chief and SpaceX honcho is so serious ... he hit up Cameron County, Texas officials about incorporating the City of Starbase, Texas. It's familiar territory for him ... SpaceX has a private launch site and rocket production facility there.

The idea is ...the rocket man will expand the unincorporated region currently known as Boca Chica Village. His plans aren't all that far-fetched ... county judge Eddie Treviño, Jr. has now weighed in, saying, "If SpaceX and Elon Musk would like to pursue down this path, they must abide by all state incorporation statutes. Cameron County will process any appropriate petitions in conformity with applicable law."

That's politics talk for ... go for it, but you'll play by our rules. Elon's ambitions know no bounds. He previously tweeted about founding Starbase ... adding the town's leader "shall be The Doge" ... a nod to the cryptocurrency DogeCoin he backed last month.

Elon's slowly but surely making his mark in the Lone Star State. For starters, he said last December he was moving from California to Texas ... and SpaceX has other facilities in Brownsville and McGregor.

What's more ... his company reportedly wants to break ground on a new manufacturing facility in Austin ... and his other company, The Boring Company, went on a hiring spree in the Austin area back in November.

Mariah Carey's estranged brother says she's falsely accusing him of being a violent person ... so now he's suing her over the claims she made in her memoir.

Morgan Carey claims in new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Mariah damaged his reputation when she wrote about an allegedly violent struggle he had with their father, and an alleged attack against their mother, in her 2020 book, "The Meaning of Mariah Carey."

According to the suit, Mariah's book includes a passage that reads ... "It took twelve cops to pull my brother and father apart. The big bodies of men, all entangled like a swirling hurricane, crashed loudly into the living room. I was a little girl with very few memories of a big brother who protected me. More often, I felt I had to protect myself from him, and sometimes I would find myself protecting my mother from him too."

Morgan says her description of the struggle paints him as a violent man ... he claims actual fights with his father never happened when Mariah was a child. In any event, he says there's no way 12 cops would respond to a domestic violence report.

According to the docs, Mariah's book also alleges ... "Suddenly there was a loud, sharp noise, like an actual gunshot. My brother had pushed my mother with such force that her body slammed into the wall, making a loud cracking sound."

Morgan claims this is another lie ... he claims tons of folks witnessed the "deep affection" between him and his mother -- and he adds, Mariah contradicted herself later in the book when she recounted her mother once saying, "Morgan is the only one I love."

He's suing his baby sis for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and it looks like he wants big damages.

Kellen Winslow Jr. is now slated to spend the next decade-plus behind bars ... a judge sentenced the ex-NFL star to 14 years in prison Wednesday, and blasted him in the process.

The former Cleveland Browns Pro Bowler appeared in a San Diego-area courtroom via video conference for a sentencing hearing in his rape case ... but did not comment.

The judge in the case did, however ... saying Winslow can be described with "two words and that is sexual predator."

The judge continued by saying the 37-year-old ex-tight end preyed on his victims because of their ages and their living situations ... and that Winslow thought he "would get away with it."

As we previously reported, Winslow was accused of sexual misconduct -- including multiple allegations of rape -- by 5 different women.

He was initially hit with 12 charges over the allegations ... and faced up to life in prison if convicted on all counts.

But, a jury in 2019 found him guilty of several charges, and Winslow cut a plea deal on the remaining charges to avoid further prosecution and help secure a lighter sentence.

Governor Andrew Cuomo is emphatically denying touching anyone inappropriately amid sexual harassment allegations ... and a new photo of him grabbing a woman's face.

The Gov. of NY held his first news conference Wednesday since former staffers, and others, accused him of making them feel incredibly awkward -- including claims he gave a woman an unwanted kiss, put hands on the face of another and asked super personal questions of a third.

Cuomo insists he never made inappropriate contact with anyone -- doubling down on his denial from a statement he put out over the weekend. With that said, he did once again acknowledge he might've been a little too chummy for comfort at times.

Still, he says he had no ill intent and didn't know he was making folks uneasy. Cuomo apologized for any times that might've happened.

He also said he completely supports a woman's right to come forward with their truths, and restated his commitment to cooperate with an independent investigation. New York's Attorney General has called for a third party to run the probe.

The first piece of physical evidence publicly presented against Cuomo was a 2016 video, resurfaced last week, showing him jokingly telling a reporter to "eat the whole sausage" in front of him at the New York State Fair. That woman isn't an accuser, but many found the video cringe-worthy in light of the allegations.

Bill Cosby's contributions to Black culture cannot be ignored just because his legacy's tarnished ... that's what Cedric The Entertainer believes anyway.

According to the comedian, Cosby was THE role model for Black people for so many years -- paving the way for others to follow his lead -- so it's impossible to ignore the positive impact he's had on the community.

Cedric lists many examples of how the guy once referred to as "America's Dad" was a trailblazer not only in entertainment, but in life ... and even suggests today's moguls like Jay-Z and Tyler Perry have Cosby to thank for their status.

Cedric's remarks come after he shared a video series called "Black History in Comedy" -- in which he gave props to comedians like Bernie Mac, Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy along with Cosby.

Ced makes it clear his feelings have nothing to do with Cosby's current situation -- as you know, Cosby's currently in prison for a sexual assault conviction -- and he's not pushing for redemption.

The comedian seems to simply believe the good should be taken with the bad when it comes to Cosby, and he's able to compartmentalize.

Cosby's responded to Cedric already on Twitter, saying ... "I plan to do more, too. Thank you very much for feeling, knowing & keeping the legacy alive through your great work."

Cosby's rep, Andrew Wyatt, tells TMZ ... he has another not-so-humble message for Cedric, which is that ... "Cedric is a king of comedy but I'm the original king of comedy. When I get out -- I can't wait to show him how's it done."

Will Smith says his encounters with blatant racism all involved pure stupidity -- as in, really stupid people, but he also has a theory about smart racists.

The actor dished on the 'Pod Save America' podcast, in which he discussed his experience with racism both before and during his time in Hollywood ... all with the backdrop of a new Netflix series he produced about the 14th Amendment, 'Amend: The Fight for America.'

Will was asked about how his own personal run-ins with prejudice helped steer the project, and he didn't hold back ... saying he'd been called the n-word to his face at least 5 times before.

Then, Will got a bit philosophical ... saying everyone who'd said that to him wasn't very bright -- which he chalked up to ignorance. But, he goes on to distinguish that form of racism from its ugly "twin" ... evil.

Watch the clip to see how Will phrases it, but essentially ... he's saying ignorance can be treated with education, but there's no easy fix for evil, if that's what's at the core of someone's racism.