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Travis Barker had a momentous day ... flying for the first time since the deadly plane crash 13 years ago that killed 4 people and left him with third-degree burns on 65 percent of his body.

Travis and GF Kourtney Kardashian boarded a plane in L.A. Saturday ... and it had to be a terrifying moment for the Blink-182 drummer who had vowed never to fly again after the crash that took the life of 2 close friends, Charles "Che" Still and Chris Baker, along with the 2 pilots. DJ AM survived the crash but died a year later of an overdose.

Travis understandably seemed hesitant ... he and Kourtney, along with Kris Jenner and Corey Gamble, were headed to Cabo, but Travis was an hour late. It's unclear if he was just delayed or had second thoughts, but it must have been gut-wrenching for him.

Years before the 2008 crash, Travis was terrified of flying, and just before getting on the ill-fated jet, he called his dad and said he had a bad feeling about the flight. Although he vowed never to fly again, he recently softened his position and said he might give it another try.

To understand the gravitas ... Travis had multiple surgeries and skin grafts and spent months in a burn unit in tremendous pain. So, getting on a plane again must have been unbelievably emotional and, frankly, scary.

That he did, on Kylie's private jet, and the group left for a vacay in Mexico.

Mike Dean had the whole music world thinking he might've abandoned ship on Kanye West's forever-delayed album -- but the guy says he seeing it through, despite some weird tweets.

The legendary producer and hitmaker was the subject of a lot of conjecture over the past 24 hours due to what people perceived as warnings signs that things were amiss between him and Ye ... and the whole creative process behind "Donda" -- which still isn't out yet.

Mike had tweeted things like "F*** IT" ... and later responded to a fan who suggested Kanye's entire rollout for this is unhealthy by saying, "Toxic. That's It." He was also posting photos of himself outside, and people took that to mean he'd finally escaped KW's bunker.

After rumors swirled that he peaced out and left "Donda" behind ... the dude finally cleared the air, telling followers that he hadn't quit anything -- and that work on the album continues.

As for all the "toxic" stuff ... Mike has also since clarified that he's mostly talking about incessant fans who are badgering him about the release date, suggesting they themselves are the toxic ones. With that said, he also seems to think the Mercedes-Benz Stadium air might be a little poisonous too, and is just happy to be stretching his legs a bit.

BTW, Mike hasn't been held hostage there by any means -- he's made a point to address that as well in recent weeks.

Still, it has been a long and arduous journey to get this record out -- and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight at this point as Kanye continues to hole up in the stadium and burn the midnight oil to tinker with the final product. This, of course, after TWO listening events.

During the latest offering this month, Kanye was seen talking to someone on the phone ... right in the middle of the performance. Dean said it was actually him Ye was talking to ... apparently, over some sort of mixing request, Kanye wanted addressed then and there.

The Rams lost their game Saturday, and at least one of the fans lost a considerable amount of blood watching it happen ... after an insane brawl broke out in the stands.

Fans squared off during the Rams/Chargers game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood during a preseason game.

The game was close and tension in the stands was palpable during the second quarter. You see two fans square off ... first just jawboning and then the fists start flying, leaving the face of one of the dudes bloodied.

It's unclear what security was doing, but it took them a LONG TIME to mosey over and break up the fight.

The guy in the white shirt -- the one throwing the punches -- was escorted out and the game continued.

Tennis star Naomi Osaka has stepped up in a big way to help victims of the massive earthquake in Haiti ... she's opening her wallet to provide badly-needed assistance.

Naomi has pledged to donate whatever prize money she wins at next week's Western & Southern Open to the Haitian relief effort.

Naomi, whose dad is Haitian, said, "Really hurts to see all the devastation that's going on in Haiti, and I feel like we really can't catch a break," adding, "I'm about to play a tournament this week and I'll give all the prize money to relief efforts for Haiti.  I know our ancestor's blood is strong we'll keep rising."

The massive, 7.2-magnitude quake rocked Haiti Saturday. The casualty numbers are not final, but more than 300 people have died, hundreds have been injured and an untolled numb er have been displaced from their homes.

Naomi has been a fierce advocate of various causes, including mental health and social justice. She wore masks with the names of victims of police violence at last year's U.S. Open.

YNW Melly is facing a possible death penalty as he sits in prison awaiting trial for murder, but he's passing the time by producing an album behind bars.

Sources close to YNW Melly tell TMZ ... the rapper had been working on "Just a Matter of Slime" for the better part of the last 8 months. We're told he spent hours and hours on the phone ... securing collabs with other rappers like Young Thug, Future and Lil Uzi Vert. He's also spent lots of time talking to sound engineers.

Our sources say YNW recorded his verses long before he was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder over the shooting deaths of 2 friends.

YNW has been locked up since February 2019 ... and while he awaits trial in Broward County, Florida -- where prosecutors are seeking the death penalty -- the rapper's been grinding.

We're told YNW has been listening to arrangements of his music and giving engineers direction on tweaking the vocals.

The rapper hopped on the phone Thursday and someone from his team recorded him from prison ... promoting his new album. We're not sure how well that's gonna go over with the warden.

As for the meaning behind the album title ... here's the story -- YNW had been unable to get a trial date for the murder case due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down the courts.

The political divide over vaccines just got bloody.

Someone was stabbed Saturday during a massive brawl in downtown L.A. ... in the middle of an anti-vaccine protest.

People on both sides squared off and it didn't take long for fists to fly. The person stabbed is hospitalized in serious condition.

The protesters called the demonstration a "Choose Freedom March." They say they are protesting the "medical tyranny" of mandatory vaccinations and vaccine passports ... whatever that means.

As the Delta variant continues to wreak havoc in the U.S., more and more cities and businesses are either contemplating or implementing mandatory vaccination policies. There's a clear move to declare restaurants, concerts, sporting events and other gathering places off-limits to people who choose to turn thumbs down to the vaccine.

As for Saturday's confrontation, there were counter-protesters present, calling their mission "No Safe Space for Fascists" ... they are demonstrating against what they call "violent anti-vaxxers."

Korn pulled the plug on their concert Saturday night with a vague disclosure ... someone "within the Korn camp" tested positive for COVID.

This is what the band said just hours before the concert was supposed to start ... "Unfortunately, there has been a confirmed COVID-19 case within the Korn camp. The safety of our artists, crew, venue staff, and fans are our top priority, so we must postpone the show tonight."

The concert was supposed to go down at the Pavilion at Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA.

Korn wants to make good on the concert, saying, "We're deeply sorry for this unfortunate last minute news, but please hold on to your tickets while we work to get your rescheduled date sorted ASAP with Live Nation and the Pavilion at Montage Mountain. Thank you for your understanding, and stay safe out there. We'll be back soon."

Flea had the time, and the honor, of his life at a Native American wedding ... celebrating the nuptials of 2 close friends.

We're told the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist hit up the Earth Lodge on Thursday night at Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in New Town, North Dakota ... where Jocy and Trae Little Sky tied the knot.

Our sources say Flea's wife, Melody Ehsani, is good friends with the couple, and this video we obtained shows Flea having a blast during the intimate ceremony ... dancing his face off to a traditional drum beat. He also picked up a bass and performed with another guest who was singing and playing guitar.

Flea posted on Instagram a picture of the couple at the altar and captioned it, "Humbled by the infinite sacred beauty of it all! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ @jocy.bird." He also posted several pics and videos proclaiming his love for North Dakota.

Pretty cool moment when Jocy and Trea were accompanied by their 7-year-old daughter, Ataya, and 5-year-old son, Tokala, as they all walked down the aisle.

Jake Paul says Tyron Woodley training with "The Best Ever" could be the worst thing ever for the UFC star ... telling TMZ Sports it'll be a HUGE "disadvantage" for their fight this month.

Paul and Woodley are set to face-off in the ring in Cleveland on Aug 29 ... and "The Chosen One" has been in the gym with Floyd leading up to the bout -- something Paul believes he'll regret.

"I think it's a disadvantage for him, actually," Paul says. "Him like hopping around with different coaches, trying to learn different styles. That's not how you progress in this sport."

"Floyd didn't even have a strategy to go in and beat my brother. So, how is he going to tell Tyron what to do?!?"

Paul says the only reason Mayweather's even training TW is because he still feels some type of way about the "gotcha hat" incident ... as well as his jealousy over the YouTube superstar's rising success in boxing.

"He sees what I'm doing in the sport and he wants to put an end to it."

"He's a very greedy guy. He doesn't want anyone to be more popular or more claim than him."

Paul added, "I think he wants to see me lose. He wants to see this whole train get stopped."

But, the 24-year-old says that ain't gonna happen with this fight -- telling us he's gonna give Woodley the Nate Robinson treatment.

"Tyron don't let your kids this man, you're gonna be in the unconscious on the canvas bleeding out!!!"

"I said the same thing to Nate Robinson and I'm gonna say the same thing to you!"

Ben Affleck's good looks are major Deja Vu.

Here's a 30-year-old version of the movie icon making an appearance at his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez's restaurant opening in Pasadena back in 2002 (left). This was the same year the Hollywood power couple worked together to create the classic 2003 rom-com "Gigli."

And, almost 20 years later the father of three ... who is celebrating his 49th birthday today ... has rekindled the twosomes courting status and was photographed earlier this week smiling for very obvious reasons (right).

Ben's been making the most of his birthday month alongside J-Lo with shopping sprees in Capri, Beverly Hills date nights, 85 million dollar house hunting, fine dining with fam at Craig's and even hanging out on set.

The Jen-efits of true love.

The question is ...

"FBoy Island" star, or more accurately villain, Garrett Morosky says he's working on an apology for Sarah Emig ... and they're even talking about going on a date to hash things out.

We got Garrett and his fellow so-called "FBoy" Casey Johnson at Alfred Coffee on Melrose and asked Garrett if he's talked to Sarah since the dating reality show's shocking finale. If you're just starting to watch the HBO Max hit, this is where we scream ... SPOILER ALERT!!!

But, if you've seen it already, you know Garrett showed his stripes during the climax when he revealed he preferred a $100k prize over a relationship with Sarah.

Surprisingly, Garrett says the lines of communication between Sarah and him are very much open -- and they even crossed paths this week at a party in Los Angeles.

Garrett hints at a forthcoming apology, and seems to think he still has a shot at getting Sarah out on a date ... telling us he wants to get some alone time with her so he can explain himself. Translation: Once an f-boy, always an f-boy!

If you watched the show you know, the guys just looking to bang chicks were mixed in with genuine nice guys ... and the women had the unenviable task of figuring out who was who.

Garrett shocked Sarah by choosing the money, but producers got the last laugh by telling him the cash would go to a charity of Sarah's choosing.

He says it ended up benefitting an anti-human trafficking org -- and he also revealed being outed as a "FBoy" is NOT doing wonders for his dating life.

Some might call all that a win win.

Yet, somehow, Garrett's still got a chance to get the girl ... or, at least, that's what he wants us to believe.

This week's Summer Hot Shots come from a poolside paradise in Lisbon where male model Valter Silva stripped off his shirt and revealed his award-worthy abs while sunbathing at the Hotel Selina Secret Garden in Portugal.

When this 28-year-old hunk isn't spreading his good looks during his world travels and sharing the adventures on his Instagram ... Valter Silva spends his days surfing, playing guitar and expanding his career as a new business developer and strategic consultant.

Victor-ious!

We are continuing to whip up our Summer Hot Shots for 2021 from a distance and have collaborated with some mind-melting hotties from around the world for your viewing pleasure!

The star of Marvel's new superhero movie took offense to Disney calling it an "experiment" -- and now, his anger has roped in "Black Panther" comparisons ... and a larger convo on race.

Actor Simu Liu fired off a scorching tweet Saturday AM that seemed to be in direct response to what CEO, Bob Chapek, had said a few days earlier about the release of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" during an earnings call with investors.

Chapek was commenting on the fact 'Shang-Chi' -- unlike other Disney theatrical releases this year -- would get an exclusive 45-day window in theaters, as opposed to being released to Disney+ at the same time like other 2021 offerings ... which he said would make for an interesting "experiment" to see how it shakes out at the box office amid the pandemic.

Nothing derogatory about that on its face, it would seem, but Liu didn't take too kindly to the word choice ... 'cause he insists he and others who worked on the film -- other Asian actors, specifically, it appears -- are not part of whatever test Chapek and co. wanna run.

Liu writes, "We are not an experiment. We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise." He adds, "I'm fired the f*** up to make history on September 3rd; JOIN US."

Sounds like Liu might've misconstrued what Chapek was getting at ... but his interpretation of the remark might also speak to what fans have perceived about the marketing efforts and enthusiasm over the flick ... or a lack thereof, as some alleged in the days ahead of this blowup.

Some fans who are stoked about getting a first-ever Asian-led Marvel superhero film are sour over the lack of attention in the lead-up to its release, and/or possible box office numbers this movie may or may not generate ... with "Black Panther" juxtapositions springing up as a result. That, in turn, has led to debates over what that thinking actually means.

Others suggest that bringing up 'BP' to gripe about a lack of hype around 'Shang Chi' is actually counterintuitive to inclusivity as a whole ... and some have gone as far as to call it anti-Black. Kinda like bringing something else down just to bring yourself up type of a vibe.

There's a lot of layers to this one, but the point many are making is ... why can't we all eat without taking food out of another's mouth? Also, movie releases in 2021 can't really be compared to big ticket blockbusters of years past. It's a weird year with its own scorecard.

Lizzo says she name-dropped Drake in her new song to turn the tables on an age-old trope of rappers doing the same for women -- but it seems she's actually trying to bang the dude.

The singer told Zane Lowe she mentioned Drizzy on her new song, "Rumors," because she felt it'd be fun to give society a taste of its own medicine -- and in this context, that means flipping the script on rappers/male musicians name-dropping fine women in their tunes.

If you didn't hear the bar yet, it goes ... "Last year, I thought I would losе it // Readin' s*** on the internet // My smoothie cleanse and my diet // No, I ain't f*** Drake yet (Ha)."

The Drake thing seems to have come out of left field ... but Lizzo explained further in the ZL sit-down, jokingly saying she hasn't quite been able to manifest some bedroom boom with Toronto's Certified Lover Boy -- even though it sounds like she'd love to take a dip.

All kidding aside, Lizzo says she included the line as a way to turn what rappers have often done in music -- namely, name-dropping ladies/would-be sexual exploits -- upside down on its head. It's true ... fellas have done that for a long time in the genre ... see Biggie's "Dreams."

As far as their real-life relationship ... Lizzo says she kinda knows Drake, and that he's super cool.

Still, it seems she does, in fact, want some of what he's got -- at least based on her Twitter activity shortly after this interview aired. She tweeted right at Champagne Papi for the whole world to see, writing ... "Hey big head @Drake." Classic "wyd" vibes for modern dating.

George Takei is drawing a line in the sand on vaccines -- saying those who consciously choose not to get the jab should be refused priority care if they get sick from COVID.

The "Star Trek" star came out swinging with his hot take Friday, writing ... "The willfully unvaccinated who wind up in hospitals from Covid should not receive priority medical care over other very sick or injured people who are as much in urgent need of medical care."

GT followed by tweeting the following ... "Anti-vaxxers think they are owning us liberals by refusing to get vaccinated. But as the kids say, this is an epic self-own."

His sentiment has gotten some blowback because of the harsh do-or-die approach. Some have pointed out there's a number of people who are unvaccinated for a variety of reasons ... and instead of calling for them to get left out in the dust, as George suggests here, they argue there simply needs to be even more outreach/education on vaccine safety.

It would appear George -- and others who've also called for the unvaccinated to lose out on privileges -- is past the point of talking and convincing. Fact is, the data is out there.

Sha'Carri Richardson is getting a second shot at glory -- the U.S. track star will face-off against the Jamaican Olympics winners anew ... this after missing her shot at the games.

SCR is confirmed to be one of 9 competing in next weekend's Prefontaine Classic at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field -- where she'll run against Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson in the women's 100-meter sprint.

It's the first professional race Sha'Carri has participated in since being suspended for marijuana use before this year's Tokyo Olympics -- which resulted in her not racing at all.

The above-mentioned Jamaican sprinters all took home the top 3 medals in the titular event that Sha'Carri would've otherwise competed in ... placing 1st, 2nd and 3rd among themselves. Sha'Carri beat 'em all out during the trials ... and, now, has the opportunity to do it again.

Of the forthcoming moment to prove she woulda kicked butt in Tokyo, her rep says ... "Sha'Carri is focused on running a good race since she last competed at the US Olympic Trials," adding ... "She will be focused on executing her race to the best of her ability regardless of who is in the race."