The Weeknd Keeps On Winning ... Eat It, Grammys

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It might be time for The Weeknd to invest in a new mantel -- he continues to rack up awards, despite the Grammys snub ... this time taking home the most trophies at the iHeartRadio Awards.

Abel was the winner of 3 pieces of hardware Thursday night -- including the coveted Song of The Year and Top Male Artist awards -- for his single, "Blinding Lights," and album "After Hours." The 3 wins tied him with BTS for the most of the night.

The singer was humble in accepting, thanking his team and his fans ... but you gotta imagine the last couple weeks have brought him great vindication after leaving the Grammys with goose eggs.

Fans and fellow artists were outraged when "After Hours" was snubbed. Abel vowed to never submit his work to the Recording Academy for Grammy consideration again, accusing "secret committees" within the org of getting it wrong.

However, just last week, the singer was validated when he took home 10 trophies -- the most of any artist -- at The Billboard Awards.

By the way, he also showed off his singing chops at iHeart with newly-married Ariana Grande, the two performed their version of "Save Your Tears" ... and of course, the crowd ate it up.

DMX Jay-Z, Bono, Lil Wayne, Snoop ... Pay Homage to X in New Album 'EXODUS'

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DMX lives on with his voice ... and with an assist from some very famous musical friends.

X's album, "EXODUS," just dropped, and it's filled with assists from folks like Alicia Keys, Bono, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Snoop, The Lox, Usher, Moneybagg Yo, Griselda and Kanye.

The album was produced by the man who helped engineer X's musical career -- Swizz Beatz.

This was meant to be X's comeback album -- the first in 18 years since he cropped "Grand Champ" back in 2003. As you know, the album was titled after X's youngest son, Exodus. The album cover is courtesy of photog Jonathan Mannion, who chronicled X's career for years with his camera.

Swizz paid homage to his friend and musical partner ... “My brother X was one of the most purest and rare souls I’ve ever met. He lived his life dedicated to his family and music. Most of all, he was generous with his giving and loved his fans beyond measure. This album, X couldn’t wait for his fans all around the world to hear and show just how much he valued each and every single person that has supported him unconditionally.”

TMZ broke the story ... X died after suffering an overdose back in early April.

'Tiger King' Zookeeper No-Shows for DUI Sentencing ... Lands In More Hot Water

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Erik Cowie, the former 'Tiger King' head zookeeper, might have gotten himself in more trouble after failing to appear for sentencing in his DUI case ... this according to law enforcement.

We’re told Cowie no-showed in court this week where he was scheduled to be sentenced after previously entering a guilty plea last month for driving under the influence.

Our sources say Cowie was likely looking at just a year probation, fines and fees and a potential alcohol education program for his sentence -- as is customary in Oklahoma for first-time DUI offenders -- but his no-show could change that.

The maximum sentence is up to a year in county jail ... and we're told that's back on the table. After Cowie failed to appear, the judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest and set his bond at $2,500.

We broke the story ... Cowie was busted after cops say he was driving drunk and crashed into another car on an interstate highway. Fortunately, nobody was hurt in the crash.

Liu Kang in 'Mortal Kombat' 'Memba Him?!

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Hong Kong based martial artist and actor Robin Shou (real name Shou Wan Por) is best known for his butt-kicking monk character, Liu Kang -- who battles it out with the Outworld to save the Earthrealm from impending doom -- in the classic 1995 action movie, "Mortal Kombat," and the 1997 sequel, "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation."

Shou kicked it with an awesome cast including Talisa Soto as the flip-flopping Outworld Princess, Kitana, Bridgette Wilson as the military fighter, Sonya Blade,  ... and, of course, Christopher Lambert as the lord of lightning, Lord Raiden.

Guess what Robin Shou looks like more than 20 years later!

Georgia Golfer Attacked By Big-Ass Swan On Course ... Wild Video!!!

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BIG BIRDIE

A golfer was nearly mauled by a monster-sized swan after sinking a putt on a Georgia course this week ... and the wild attack was all captured on video!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... John Walters was out on a round with his pals in South Georgia -- when the golf outing suddenly turned into a fight with a bird.

You can see in the crazy footage ... despite a massive swan parked on the green, Walters went ahead and putted out his 5-footer.

The problem? The made shot had serious ramifications -- 'cause the swan attacked!!

The bird nipped at Walters repeatedly, before the dude took off in a full sprint to get away!!

Walters' daughter tells us the bird has become famous on the course ... explaining it lives in a pond near the 9th hole and has a history of being protective of its green and fairway.

It's unclear what Walters ended up carding on the hole ... but yeah, go ahead and insert any eagle/birdie joke you'd like here.

Kim Kardashian & Kids All Got COVID, Shut Down Production ... During Baby Bar Crunch Time

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UPDATE

6:34 AM PT -- 5/28 -- It wasn't long after the episode aired that Twitter users started to accuse Kim of getting the virus on her 40th birthday trip to Tahiti.

UPDATE

However, she was quick to shut them down, saying, "False. Nobody caught Covid from the trip. Saint was the first to have it in our family and he caught it from school from another student who tested positive first. I then developed symptoms and got it a few days after he coughed on me while caring for him."

Kim Kardashian had a really bad case of COVID-19 along with her kids, which shut down production of her show for 2 weeks ... and she says it disrupted her studying for her second crack at the baby bar.

A teaser for "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" already revealed Saint had tested positive for the virus -- but on Thursday night's episode we find out the health crisis went far beyond her oldest son, and affected her whole brood.

Kim says Saint tested positive after an apparent outbreak at his school, and she was really worried about him because he was crying and coughing a lot ... on her. Of course, with 3 other kids in the house, she was also concerned about it spreading, and that's exactly what happened.

North started feeling sick soon after, and eventually both she and Kim discovered they had COVID too. At that point, producers decided to shut down all 'KUWTK' shoots for 14 days while the family quarantined.

Kim says she had some severe symptoms, like a 104-degree fever ... exactly when she was supposed to be putting in 12-hour daily study sessions to retake the baby bar exam -- which as we reported, she'd previously flunked.

Fortunately, everyone in the fam recovered okay, but it seems Kim failed on take 2 of the test. Earlier this week, she said she was studying to take it again.

It's still unclear exactly when COVID hit Kim and her kids since the show was filmed months ago, but we know Khloe contracted the virus sometime in 2020 and revealed on 'KUWTK' that her symptoms were so bad ... Kris Jenner called every doctor she could think of for help.

Kim previously stated Kanye West also had it in the very early days of the pandemic.

Originally Published -- 5/27 6:05 PM PT

Guy Fieri Partying With Shaq, Gronk & Diplo ... For Huge Restaurant Reboot Special!!!

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DISHIN' OUT SOME HELP

Guy Fieri smells a comeback in the restaurant industry ... and to celebrate he's throwing a huge party with the help of some famous friends.

The official Mayor of Flavortown will be on "TMZ Live" Monday and says he hopes America's reached the point it can finally be done talking about restaurant closures due to the pandemic ... and begin looking forward.

Enter Guy's Restaurant Reboot ... a live stream special set for June 12 at 7 PM across all of Guy's social media platforms. America's favorite chef calls it a celebration of local restaurants across America.

It's pretty sweet ... Guy and his team got huge backing from LendingTree and Pepsi to support the festivities. Shaq and Gronk will visit their favorite joints in Atlanta (Park Tavern) and Tampa Bay (Datz Restaurant) and actually cook their favorite items.

Diplo and Old Dominion will provide the music. And, $300k will be given away to restaurateurs and entrepreneurs to keep their businesses afloat.

Guy's on a mission to get restaurants up and running again after the pandemic pummeled the industry. More than 100k restaurants either temporarily or permanently closed.

Back when the pandemic ravaged the country ... Guy raised over $20 million for folks adversely affected by the pandemic.

Stars Back At Disneyland Masked & Magical!

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There's no better way to escape reality than by taking a magic carpet ride down to the happiest place on Earth ... with Disneyland opening up to the public again, stars have been taking full advantage!

From stars such as Lizzo, Vanessa Bryant, Nikki Bella and Brie Bella, to Ciara, Russell Wilson, John Stamos and Caitlin McHugh Stamos there have been so many famous faces that have gone to see how Mickey and Minnie have been holding up!

Take a trip through our gallery of stars back at Disneyland to see all the other celebs that have made the trip to the park!

Experience the magic!

Russell Westbrook Heckler's $100 Mil Lawsuit Dismissed ... Defamation Claim Rejected

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Russell Westbrook just scored another W over an NBA heckler -- the $100 million lawsuit filed against the NBA superstar has been thrown out ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to court docs, a judge ruled in favor of Westbrook on Thursday ... saying he didn't defame anyone by clapping back at a couple who harassed him during a 2019 game in Utah.

As we previously reported, Westbrook was sued by Shane Keisel -- a U.S. Army vet who got into it with the then-OKC Thunder player during a March 11, 2019 game against the Jazz.

In his suit, Keisel admitted he tried to heckle Westbrook by telling the NBA star “that he should just sit down and ice his knees.”

But, Keisel claimed Westbrook misheard him ... and interpreted his words not only as a homophobic insult, but also "racial."

Westbrook said he thought he heard, "get down on your knees like you used to.”

The point guard then went nuclear on Keisel and his girlfriend, Jennifer Huff -- and it was all caught on video.

"I’ll f*ck you up," Westbrook was heard saying. "You and your wife. I’ll f*ck you up."

Keisel said he was only not only banned from Utah Jazz games for life, but was fired from his job, kicked out of a pilot training program and received death threats.

Keisel and Huff sued Westbrook and the Jazz for $100 MILLION for defamation, among other things, claiming he was wrongly being painted as a racist homophobe.

But, in court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, the judge in the case rejected the arguments, explaining Westbrook's statements were just opinions, not defamation.

The judge explained, "whether a person is racist or whether a statement is racial is a matter of opinion which cannot be verified as true or false."

The judge added, "It is only in the free expression of these ideas that the nation can hope to heal the historic wounds of slavery and racial injustice that fester still today. That healing cannot occur if public dialogue about racism is silenced under threat of defamation liability."

The court also noted Westbrook’s in-game threats were "coarse and offense" ... but were not extreme and/or outrageous enough to recover damages.

The judge also said Keisel and Huff remained in the arena to watch the rest of the game and there was never any real risk that Westbrook would make good on his threats.

Long story short, Keisel (though he can still appeal the ruling) will get nothing from either the Jazz or Westbrook ... in yet another reminder to fans -- watch your mouth when you trash talk pros at a game.

Bill Cosby Denied Parole

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Bill Cosby struck out on his attempt to get released from prison ... the parole board denied his request.

Cosby was denied parole this month, with the Pennsylvania Parole Board saying a lot of factors went into its decision to rule against the comedian. For instance, they say he didn't participate in a treatment program for sex offenders and he failed to develop a parole release plan.

The Board says strike 3 against Cosby is the fact he got a negative recommendation from the Department of Corrections.

Cosby's rep, Andrew Wyatt, tells TMZ ... Bill isn't surprised by the denial because members of the parole board told him he would be denied if he didn't participate in the sex offender program.

He's not giving up hope in his quest for parole, though ... Wyatt tells us Cosby is hopeful the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court will vacate his conviction and potentially grant him a new trial.

As you know ... in Sept. 2018 Cosby was sentenced to 3-to-10 years in prison after being convicted of aggravated indecent assault of Andrea Constand at his home his 2004.

Darth Vader House Hits Market in Houston ... Join The Dark Side for $4.3 Million!!!

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There's a massive estate in Houston that just hit the market ... and it's out of this world 'cause it's dubbed the Darth Vader house.

The 4-bedroom, 5 bathroom house has 7,040 square feet of living space, which is awesome, but it's the unique front structure that stands out ... thanks to its near-spitting image of the onyx helmet donned by the most famous 'Star Wars' villain.

The house -- yours for a cool $4.3 million -- was built by a surgeon back in the early '90s and "modeled after the mask of Darth Vader."

The home is super sleek ... with laser blue backlighting throughout that may have some people thinking they're inside The Devastator.

The contemporary masterpiece is planted in the prestigious West University neighborhood ... and it's truly fit for a king supervillain, despite a row of skylights near the top of the structure that glistens with natural light.

Got toys? There's space in the 4-car garage too.

Wade Knight and Nadia Carron from Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty are the co-listing agents.

Lisa Marie Presley One Signature from Being Single ... And Ready to Mingle!!!

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Lisa Marie Presley's wish is about to be a judge's command -- she hopes, because it's the final hurdle to complete a critical step in her divorce.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the court has granted Lisa's request to bifurcate her divorce -- which means she and Michael Lockwood can change their marital status to single now and deal with other issues, like divvying up assets, later.

So, once the judge signs off on the order, they'll both be officially single.

TMZ broke the story ... Lisa wanted the judge to speed along her divorce case claiming Michael's been dragging his feet since she filed for divorce nearly 5 years ago.

Lisa said she's ready to start a new chapter in her life, and her bifurcation request was one way to get things going.

Despite the slow process, there's one huge issue that's already been hammered out ... a judge ruled back in 2018 she doesn't have to pay Michael any spousal support based on their 2007 postnuptial agreement.

Diddy Masterful Troll of Bennifer 2.0??? Posts Throwback w/ J Lo!!!

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Diddy's at it again, seemingly shooting his shot with his ex, Jennifer Lopez, while she's with another dude -- or maybe he's just trolling both of them.

The hip-hop mogul just posted a #tbt of him holding hands with J Lo back when they were dating. We don't know the exact date, but they dated from 1999-2001.

Hard to argue this is just an innocuous throwback from Diddy, considering it comes at the same time she's making huge headlines for rekindling the romance with one of her other very famous exes, Ben Affleck. BTW, Ben started dating Jen about a year and a half after she split with Puff Daddy ... as he was known back then.

Whatever Diddy's motive may be, it's not the first time he's posted something provocative about Lopez while she's in a relationship with someone else.

You may recall ... back in early 2019 he slid into her comments section to reply "OMG" with a heart-eyes emoji to one of her sexy photos while she was dating Alex Rodriguez.

Fans accused him of being thirsty, and A-Rod even responded to Diddy's comment with, "Lucky me." J Lo later revealed that Diddy apologized to A-Rod for the comment.

Too soon to tell what the reaction will be to Diddy's latest social media maneuver ... or if he'll eventually say sorry to Affleck as well.

Cardi B I Had No Role in Fan Beatdown, Judge!!! Wants Lawsuit Tossed

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Cardi B claims she had ZERO involvement in the NYC beatdown of an autograph seeker ... and that's why she wants the guy's lawsuit against her tossed out of court.

According to new docs, obtained by TMZ, Cardi says autograph seeker Giovanni Arnold instigated the alleged attack in May 2018 following a Met Gala after-party. She claims Arnold can be heard on video verbally attacking her and Offset after unsuccessfully and aggressively trying to get her autograph.

The most incriminating part of the video, according to Cardi, is when Arnold shouts, "Please beat me up. I'll take all of your money."

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THE VIOLENT BEATDOWN

In his lawsuit, Arnold alleged Cardi's 3 security guards dished the can of whoop-ass, but the rapper's calling BS. In docs, Cardi claims the unknown assailants did not work for her, nor did she give them directions or instructions to beat up anyone.

As for Arnold's allegation, he feared Cardi was going to slap him -- well, she's kinda laughing that off, saying she was 7 months pregnant at the time ... so it's highly unlikely anyone would legitimately fear her carrying out a physical attack.

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BEATDOWN AFTERMATH

Bottom line ... Cardi claims Arnold is a professional autograph hound who triggered the beatdown in order to get money from celebs -- but since she wasn't involved in the attack, she shouldn't be sued.

Important to note, though ... Offset's a separate defendant in the lawsuit, and Cardi's only speaking for herself.

Shia LaBeouf Judge Says Go to Therapy, No Guns ... Battery, Theft Charges Could Be Dropped

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Shia LaBeouf has an avenue to get the charges dropped in his battery and petty theft case ... as long as he keeps his nose clean for the next year.

The "Honey Boy" star appeared in court Thursday and was placed into a judicial diversion program, which lays out several conditions he must satisfy in order to get his misdemeanor charges dismissed.

Here's the boxes Shia's gotta check off over the next 12 months ... attend private therapy for anger management at least once a week, continue with his alcohol monitoring, no attempts to use or obtain a weapon and no attempts to use force or violence.

TMZ broke the story ... Shia and a man got into some kind of verbal spat before the altercation allegedly turned physical back in June. Our sources had said when the dust settled ... Shia took the man's hat and left the scene.

It was unclear what led to the verbal altercation, but the man filed a police report and cops ultimately determined Shia was the aggressor. The case was ultimately handled by the L.A. City Attorney, who charged the actor with misdemeanor battery and petty theft charges.

Shia's also been ordered to stay 100 yards away from the location of the alleged incident, and he's gotta stay 100 yards away from the alleged victim, who he cannot contact.

The court's gonna check in on Shia's progress in 3 months, and if he's a good boy for the next year the charges will be dismissed. If he screws up, though, Shia could face trial.

Susan Sarandon Hospitals Must Publicly List Prices ... No One's Telling You, but It's the Law!!!

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THE SYSTEM MUST CHANGE

Susan Sarandon wants Americans to know they have a right to see what medical services will cost before you're treated -- it's the law now -- but she's ripping hospitals for keeping that hush hush.

The Oscar winner joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to shine a light on something most of us have no clue about -- the law that passed back in January requiring hospitals to give patients access to a full rundown of prices for procedures or treatments.

Susan told us hospitals aren't exactly going out of their way to volunteer that information -- and she says that prevents patients from being able to shop around for the best prices.

The problem's bad enough that the feds are warning dozens of hospitals to get with the program or else. Susan started banging this drum during the Oscars.

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#PowerToThePatients

As we first told you ... Susan and Cynthia Erivo went after hospitals charging hidden fees in a PSA they debuted during the Academy Awards, letting patients know about their right to demand hospitals disclose pricing.

Susan tells us why hospital pricing transparency could actually make the market more competitive -- creating lower prices for patients -- and she's ripping corporate America for brainwashing generations.

Important stuff we all need to know, even if you're insured -- and you can see more with Susan on Thursday's "TMZ Live" (check local listings).