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Clay Aiken knows what it's like to go from beloved celeb to despised politician -- by half of the public, at least -- and he's not sure The Rock or Matthew McConaughey are up for it ... so he's sharing his experience with political haters.

As you may know ... the former "American Idol" sensation ran for a North Carolina Congressional seat in 2014, and though he won the Democratic primary, he got beat pretty soundly in the general election by the Republican incumbent.

Clay joined "TMZ Live" Wednesday to share just a slice of what the experience was like, and it doesn't sound pleasant ... and definitely not something a couple of universally cherished actors would want to go through.

Ultimately, he thinks neither Rock nor McConaughey will opt to run, like Caitlyn Jenner already has -- but Clay's adamant she's already experiencing the blowback ... just for different reasons.

As we reported ... Bill Maher blasted the stars running for office or considering it, and though Aiken's not nearly as blistering with his take, the 2 seem to be on the same page -- just don't do it if fame's what matters.

BTW, Clay's still taking on political and social issues ... on his podcast, 'How The Heck Are We Gonna Get Along.'

Even more people are diving in on "Friends" fever -- including one Robin Antin, the creator of the OG Ross and Monica dance ... who's here to give folks a proper lesson more than 20 years later.

The Pussycat Dolls founder got into her Playground LA dance studio Tuesday with Lisa Rinna and did her famous number that David Schwimmer and Courteney Cox performed at the turn of the century ... only this time, it's being served up to perfection by the maestro herself.

Check it out ... Robin and Lisa do what the Geller siblings did on TV back in '99 -- which Robin actually taught to the 2 actors back when she choreographed the iconic routine for the show. In case you didn't know ... RA was the in-house dance consultant for "Friends."

As you can see ... this is how the dance WOULD'VE been done, had pro dancers hit the floor. Of course, the comedy lies in Schwimmer/Cox not being as skilled ... which made for great laughs and a memorable "Friends" moment.

Still, it's fascinating to see "the routine" being done by the person who made it up from scratch in the first place ... because, honestly, it's not nearly as goofy as it was portrayed. It's actually pretty badass -- which should be expected since it's an Antin special.

It goes without saying, the dance went down in pop culture history ... and it even got a facelift courtesy of Courteney and Ed Sheeran -- who performed it while the reunion special was airing this weekend ... to much fanfare.

Machine Gun Kelly isn't sweating a couple tickets for riding dangerously -- not when he's got Megan Fox to distract him ... with her lips.

The lovebirds went zero to 60 shortly after getting pulled over by police Tuesday in Los Angeles ... they were spotted locking lips for a full make-out sesh on the sidewalk.

MGK even ripped a cig after the steamy PDA with his ride or die -- a sure way to lift his spirits after their motorcycle ride got interrupted by an LAPD officer.

As we first told you ... MGK and Megan got pulled over in Sherman Oaks because she was the only one wearing a helmet. Our sources said MGK also got dinged for not having the proper endorsement on his driver's license to operate a motorcycle.

But, the LAPD couldn't put a damper on MGK and Megan's afternoon, or their evening for that matter ... they went out for a nice sushi dinner at Matsuhisa in Bev Hills.

Millennia-old human remains have been discovered mere feet from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's estate ... and all signs point to them being early inhabitants of the area -- we mean the bones, not Meghan and Harry.

The Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office confirmed some veeeeerrrrry old bones were recently found buried on a neighboring property next to the couple's Montecito home ... this while construction crews were busy working on a landscaping gig.

The bones were buried three feet under the earth, and at this point ... it's suspected they might belong to a young indigenous person, perhaps someone from the Chumash tribe -- which has ties to the Santa Barbara area dating back thousands of years.

Authorities actually think the remains may be 11,000 years old. So yeah, we're talking way before any Euros came washing up onshore and wreaking havoc.

The Sheriff's Dept. notes they're consulting forensic anthropologists to make sure what they think it is is actually right ... which, if true, could potentially turn into a good old-fashioned fossil dig. The Chumash people are also being looped in, it seems, but have yet to comment.

Best practice EVER?!?!

A youth football team in Chicago got the ultimate surprise visit on Tuesday  ... when none other than President Barack Obama came through to give an epic pump-up speech!!!

#44 popped up at Jackson Park to visit the Chicago Southside Wolfpack football team ... and naturally, the kids and coaches lost their minds when they saw the local legend in the flesh.

Barry O gave some solid pointers to players about life on and off the field ... saying, "Sometimes, you’re going to have some doubts. Sometimes, you’re going to make mistakes. Sometimes, you won’t get what you want right away."

"But the key is, can you build that strength in yourself to come back?"

Truly awesome stuff!!

Obama even met with all the kids -- taking pictures and shaking hands.

Now, this is Obama we're talking about ... so you better believe there were some dad jokes thrown in.

FYI, the Wolfpack's practice field is the future site of the incredible $500 million Obama Presidential Center, which will begin construction later this year.

But, don't worry about the Wolfpack -- they're getting a brand new field!!

Khloe Kardashian is fed up with the harassment from a woman claiming Tristan Thompson is her baby daddy, saying her attempted 15 minutes of fame are up ... and Khloe's threatening to sue the woman if she doesn't shut up.

Khloe's attorney, Lynda Goldman, fired off a cease-and-desist letter to Tristan's paternity accuser, Kimberly Alexander, Tuesday ... calling her out for recently admitting to faking DM's from Khloe.

The legal threat, obtained by TMZ, reads, "You put words in her mouth that she never said and that she wouldn’t say. You faked the whole thing. And you have now publicly admitted it."

Goldman lays out a timeline, saying Alexander's son was 7 at the time she asked TT for a paternity test, which he took twice, and according to Goldman, the results were clear -- he was NOT the dad.

Goldman also addresses Alexanders past claim the lab that did the test was a “Kardashian affiliated facility,” saying, "It is no such thing. It is one of the most reputable labs in the country, and your own lawyers approved it and accepted the test results."

It's the second cease-and-desist letter Khloe sent to Alexander. As we first told you, Khloe and Tristan's lawyer, legal pit bull attorney Marty Singer, fired off a legal threat back in May 2020, claiming Tristan took a paternity test at a reputable lab approved by both parties that proved he's not the father.

In Tuesday's legal threat, Khloe's lawyer claims Alexander refuses to accept the paternity results and instead keeps harassing Khloe.

Miles Teller isn't the only one recently in the sights of a Hawaiian wedding planner and her husband, because just weeks before the alleged attack on the actor, the two were smack dab in the middle of drama at ANOTHER wedding ... ending in the planner's arrest.

TMZ has obtained video of an enraged Lorrie Nielson outside the Four Seasons Lanai. We're told the trouble started inside the venue, at a wedding Nielson worked on, before spilling out to the parking lot, and that's where our video picks up.

A wedding guest films as she comes at him, witnesses hold her back and you hear Lorrie yell "Russell, get him!" to her husband ... the same man who allegedly punched Teller in the face inside a Maui restaurant last week.

Russell appears to be the peacekeeper this time, telling the man behind the camera to stop escalating the situation with Lorrie.

Cops came to the scene, and drove Lorrie away in the back of a police SUV. You hear officers ask the man behind the camera to keep his distance from Lorrie's husband, Russell, for the rest of the night.

TMZ broke the story, Teller was eating at Monkeypod Kitchen in Maui when he was allegedly attacked in the restroom by Russell. Lorrie was the wedding planner for Miles and his wife, Keleigh's 2019 ceremony, and the couple allegedly still owes Nielson money. A witness tells us Russell mentioned he's owed $60k.

Nielson's attorney, Tre Lovell, told us, "It is my understanding that the altercation was a dispute over money pertaining to the couple's wedding. We are currently evaluating my clients' legal claims that may exist surrounding the incident, statements made about the incident and the parties previous business dealings."

Ellen DeGeneres is never one to spare any expense for glitzy properties ... which makes this $2.9 million buy all that more interesting.

The talk show host just copped this modest yet modern Santa Barbara bungalow ... a stone's throw from the coveted Montecito Butterfly Beach and the famous Biltmore Hotel.

It's a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom contemporary jewel with huge glass doors that open up to lush landscaping. There's a cool water feature and fire pit on the sun-drenched patios.

There's also enough room for a pool or even a guest house. Either way ... privacy reigns thanks to fortification in the form of noise-reducing acoustic fencing.

The single-level home was built in 1954 and it's gone through several renovations. It's probable Ellen's buying this as an investment property.

Matthew Perry and Molly Hurwitz have ended their 6-month engagement, and it begs the question ... could this BE any sadder?

The "Friends" star and Molly got engaged back in November 2020 after a couple of years of dating. It's unclear what exactly led to the breakup but Matthew told People, "Sometimes things just don't work out and this is one of them. I wish Molly the best."

The 51-year-old actor spoke glowingly about the 29-year-old literary manager back when they got engaged. He told People he decided to get engaged and "luckily, I happened to be dating the greatest woman on the face of the planet at this time."

Prior to his relationship with Molly, Matthew had been linked to "Masters of Sex" star Lizzy Caplan. They dated from 2006 to 2012.

The news comes on the heels of the highly-anticipated "Friends: The Reunion" special coming out last week. When the nearly 2-hour special was shot, it was only the second time the main cast had reunited since the show's epic finale nearly 2 decades ago.

The Oakland A's have FIRED the food vendor responsible for serving its minor league players meals that look WORSE than the Fyre Festival, the team announced.

Look at these terrible meals -- this is the crap players, coaches and staffers in the A's minor league system were served up during recent road trips ... and the players couldn't take it anymore!

Photos of the insultingly bad meals were posted on the Twitter page for the Advocates for Minor Leaguers group -- a watchdog group for minor league players.

The group explained, "Players in the Oakland A’s organization shared these photos of their recent post-game meals. No employer would serve these meals to employees they care about. Why are the A’s serving them to their future Major Leaguers?"

Great question, right?!

Enter Dave Kaval, president of the A's ... who claims the team was PISSED when it found out about the food situation -- and insists team honchos took immediate action.

"This was totally unacceptable," Kaval said ... "When we found out several weeks ago we terminated the third party vendor."

"We apologize to our players, staff, and coaches. We will redouble our efforts to provide the best options for our team at every level."

Note to players, if the team ever tries to screw you out of food or bottled water in the future, you know who to call ...

DaBaby is being questioned by Miami police following a shooting late Monday night that left 2 people injured -- one critically ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement tells us ... cops interviewed the rapper as part of their investigation into the incident, which went down near several popular Miami Beach restaurants just before midnight.

We're told detectives are actively following leads in the shooting, and though several people were initially detained ... so far no arrests have been made. Anyone with possible info is urged to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305.471.TIPS.

Our sources say one of the shooting victims has been treated at the hospital and released, but the other remained hospitalized and is listed in critical condition.

Earlier this year, TMZ was the first to report that DaBaby was arrested in Beverly Hills for allegedly carrying a loaded firearm.

We've reached out to the rapper's team ... no word back yet.

James Dean's "cursed" Porsche has been stripped for parts ... and a crucial one is now in the hands of Zak Bagans, who paid a fortune for the hunk of metal.

The late actor's 4-speed transaxle -- part of the Porsche 550 Spyder Dean was driving when he crashed and died in 1955 -- recently hit the auction block and sold for a whopping $382,000 ... but the winning bidder was anonymous, until now.

We've learned it was Zak who snapped it up, which makes total sense ... knowing his knack for collecting the most macabre memorabilia on Earth.

The "Ghost Adventures" host tells TMZ ... the transaxle's rep as an eternally doomed piece of equipment is obviously what drew him to the purchase -- he notes it's known as one of the only items from Dean's wreck that's still intact and in circulation. That means it's one of the final items around that might still carry the "curse" that's supposedly responsible for Dean's fatal wreck.

There's A LOT of occult-linked history behind James' crash -- not to mention what followed his death in the subsequent reselling and reuse of different parts from the car James drove that fateful night.

Short story long, several of those parts were refurbished/recycled ... and went on to help cause other crashes over the years -- including one that killed another guy who slammed into a tree.

The axle -- which was acquired by another private owner in 2020 before getting hawked again this year -- was put in a steel display stand that rolls on casters ... presumably to show it might still have some functionality.

It features a magnesium case that can house 4 forward gears, a reverse gear and a differential gear. The axle display also comes with a hydraulically-activated clutch release lever, swing-axle tubes, aluminum drum brake assemblies and a starter motor. Awesome, as long as ya don't believe in curses!

Paul Anka's gained a new generation of fans thanks to one of his classic songs being used for TikTok's "Silhouette Challenge" ... and he's capitalizing by re-releasing it, with the help of Olivia Newton-John.

TMZ's got the first look at the music video for Anka's "Put Your Head on My Shoulder," featuring the "Grease" star and fellow legendary singer.

Paul and Olivia released the re-recorded track in May as a duet, and it debuted at #1 on Amazon's Adult Contemporary chart ... but they're keeping the momentum going with this fun little animated music vid.

It's all part of an upcoming new album from Anka -- "Making Memories" -- that we're told will also include a cover of Frank Sinatra's "My Way" ... featuring Michael Buble and Andrea Bocelli.

If ya don't know ... Anka's 1959 song experienced a modern revival of sorts in early 2021 thanks to a Doja Cat remix used in the #SilhouetteChallenge. The challenge involves TikTokers dancing in normal lighting, and then ... the beat drops, the light goes red and things get sexier.

Several celebs got in on the action -- including Lizzo, Jason Derulo and Tiffany Haddish and Common did the challenge together -- and it gave Cardi B a reason to bring back her stripper skills.

More great news for UFC superstar Henry Cejudo ... not only is he engaged to a Brazilian model -- he's also gonna be a daddy!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... Triple C and his fiancée, Ana Karolina, are expecting their first child together -- a baby girl due in November.

Of course, Cejudo and Karolina first went public back in November 2020 ... and have been inseparable ever since.

Fun fact -- Cejudo previously said Ana was his crush for 4 YEARS before he finally got a chance to meet her through a mutual friend.

Now, the couple is set to welcome their baby girl in just a few months ... and have already decided on a name -- America.

We're told despite announcing their engagement on Instagram on Tuesday, 34-year-old Cejudo actually bent the knee in front of Ana's family in Sao Paulo back on April 29 ... and of course, she said "yes!"

The couple hosted a gender reveal party to share the big news with all their family and friends ... celebrating with some music and pink decorations.

Cejudo -- barring a UFC comeback (which he's flirted with) -- will have PLENTY of time to help with the baby prep ... he announced his retirement from MMA in May 2020 after beating Dominick Cruz at UFC 249.

Before this cool kid was stealing the spotlight in your favorite television shows streaming online, she was just another trendsetting tot flashing peace signs for the camera in Pitman, New Jersey.

This jean jacket girl is best known for her outstanding performances in multiple Emmy award-winning shows featuring an ensemble cast of talented women ... whose matching colored costumes play a large importance to their respective series. Even though her popular Netflix series ended in 2019, you can still catch her in a thrilling drama on Hulu with new episodes premiering every week.

Blessed be the fruit!

Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox might be a ride or die couple on a typical day, but in this case they're more like ... ride and get fined.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... MGK was driving his motorcycle Tuesday afternoon in Sherman Oaks, CA with Megan on the back seat when an LAPD officer pulled 'em over.

We're told Megan was wearing a helmet -- you can see she still had it on as she sat off to the side during the traffic stop -- but her rock star BF apparently was not, and that's why the cop busted him.

During the stop, our sources say the officer also discovered MGK didn't have the proper endorsement to operate a motorcycle on his driver's license ... so he was cited for that along with no helmet.

Kinda hard to argue against either ticket, and we're told Machine Gun and Megan were both friendly and cooperative with the officer.

As you probably know ... the duo's been pretty inseparable since May 2020, when word first got out they were dating.