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Taylor Swift made some quality time for her pal amid her jam-packed schedule and sizzling romance with Travis Kelce ... linking up with Blake Lively for a night out in NYC Wednesday.

The duo hit up Lucali's Pizzeria ... Taylor wearing a crushed velvet green dress and thigh-high brown boots ... and the ex-'Gossip Girl' actress in a side-slit suede miniskirt.

It wasn't just the two of them ... later they were joined by Zoe Kravitz, record producer Jack Antonoff -- and comedians Mike Birbiglia and Jerrod Carmichael.

Taylor and Blake have been great friends since 2015 ... so it was only fitting the 'Karma' singer sought solace in her ... after she was the butt of a major joke at the Golden Globes.

TS made a swift exit after host Jo Koy poked fun at how the NFL has more camera shots of Taylor than the Globes -- leaving her visibly annoyed.

Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley came out swinging during Wednesday's fifth 2024 Republican Primary Debate with each trading barbs as the two emerged as Donald Trump's biggest challengers in the upcoming Iowa Caucus.

With just 3 days to go before the polls open in Iowa, DeSantis duked it out with Haley onstage at Drake University in Des Moines, while the former President stayed on the sidelines as he did for the other four debates.

DeSantis got things rolling as he stood at a lectern next to Haley, slamming her and Trump in response to questions by CNN moderators Dana Bash and Jake Tapper.

The Florida governor said, “Donald Trump’s running to pursue his issues. Nikki Haley’s running to pursue her donors’ issues. I’m running to pursue your issues and your family’s issues.”

DeSantis then isolated his attack to Haley, saying, “We don’t need another mealy-mouthed politician who just tells you what she thinks you want to hear.”

The ex-South Carolina governor landed some jabs of her own, calling DeSantis a liar at one point and needling him for losing his donors to her.

“He’s only mad about the donors because the donors used to be with him, but they’re no longer with him,” Haley said, adding, “His campaign is exploding.”

The insults didn't stop there. DeSantis mocked Haley for having a "problem with ballistic podiatry, shooting herself in the foot every other day."

Haley, as you know, stumbled over her Civil War comments, failing to name slavery as the trigger for the conflict and was roasted by the media as she had to clarify what she meant.

When they weren't at each other's throats, the two candidates discussed a range of issues, such as abortion, immigration, foreign affairs and the January 6th Capitol riots.

The Bill Belichick era in New England is over.

The head coach and the Patriots agreed to part ways with one another after 24 seasons on Thursday, this according to multiple reports.

New England has not yet confirmed the news ... though it did announce Belichick and owner Robert Kraft will hold a press conference later Thursday afternoon, presumably to talk all about the decision.

Belichick first joined Kraft's Patriots in the 2000 season ... and it didn't take long for him to build one of the greatest dynasties in sports history.

In 2001, he won his first Super Bowl with the team. He repeated the feat twice more in 2003 and 2004. He later won three more rings with the org. too.

Almost all of his success came with Tom Brady under center -- though when the best quarterback of all-time bolted for Tampa Bay, Belichick's teams suffered.

In his first year without Tom in 2020, Belichick went 7-9. In the ensuing three years, his teams were just 22-29 (including a 4-13 record this season).

Belichick went 266-121 overall in his New England career ... and he leaves Foxborough just 14 wins away from tying Don Shula's all-time mark of 347 wins by a head coach.

No word yet where either side will go from here. Reportedly, assistant coach Jerod Mayo -- a former star with the Patriots -- is a leading candidate for the job ... though ex-New England linebacker and former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel will no doubt get a long look for the gig as well.

As for Belichick, it's unclear whether he'll retire or coach somewhere else ... though many have speculated a spot like the Los Angeles Chargers could be a good fit for him.

Nicole Eggert says she's getting tons of support -- both financially and emotionally -- from many of her famous friends on the heels of revealing she's been diagnosed with cancer.

The former "Baywatch" star tells TMZ ... Kyle Richards is among the celebs who've donated to her fundraiser, with the 'RHOBH' star kicking in $1,000.

Nicole, who recently announced she's fighting stage 2 breast cancer, tells us she goes way back with Kyle ... they were childhood friends running in the same child actor circles in Hollywood.

Nicole's got a GoFundMe to raise money for her upcoming medical expenses -- she doesn't have family to lean on and her insurance won't cover everything, so she's hoping to raise $100K, and already has about $25K and counting.

One interesting side note about Kyle's donation ... she made it under the name Kyle Umansky, even though she's separated from Mauricio.

Anyways, Nicole says another 'Real Housewives' star, Bethenny Frankel, donated too ... with the 'RHONY' star chipping in $500 and her partner, Paul Bernon, matching that.

NE says she's thanked both women for their support, and Bethenny told her she's there for whatever Nicole needs.

She's also getting support from Alyssa Milano, with whom Nicole was childhood friends ... as they both appeared on the sitcom, "Who's The Boss?"

Nicole says most of her former "Baywatch" castmates have reached out, including David Hasselhoff.

Joseline Hernandez is gearing up for an unforgettable ride this year with her new reality show, "The Dancing Freakz" -- and it's all about turning up the heat with male strippers.

TMZ's scored this teaser, and you can expect a lot -- or very little, if you're talking clothing -- with a male dancer busting out his best strip skills on a female audience member.

These moves are provocative enough to make the dudes over at "Magic Mike" blush!

The show's out in July -- so for now, you gotta be satisfied with just the clip ... of a dancer rockin' a thin piece of cloth over his manhood with a whip in hand, showing a female customer a good ol' time.

The 'Love & Hip Hop' alum is hot under the collar herself ... wide-eyed and fanning herself during his performance, so we can only imagine how NSFW the content will be for viewers.

We're told 50 men are competing to be on Joseline's upcoming tour.

Each dancer is tasked with bringing up a woman from the 150-strong crowd, and sources close to the production tell us Joseline's not judging by sexiness or best body ... instead, it's based on who shows the ladies the craziest time.

Basically, it's a racier version of Chippendales, and she'll narrow it down to 15 dancers to join her on tour -- where she's made it clear the guys will go full Monty. That's your warning, front row customers!

Sen. Chuck Schumer is one of a handful of lawmakers signaling a major shift in the U.S. government's approach to UFO reports -- further evidence people in power believe the truth needs to be uncovered.

The third part of the docuseries event, "TMZ Presents: UFO Revolution" examines who's leading the charge in Washington, DC, why they're doing it ... and what it means to the public.

Schumer and Sen. Mike Rounds introduced bipartisan legislation last year -- the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) -- to increase the government's transparency on reports of UAP activity, and it was passed last month.

Another critical voice in the fight for disclosure is Stanford Professor Dr. Garry Nolan, and he says the very public involvement of prominent lawmakers, particularly Schumer, proves UAP (or UFOs) are no longer a fringe issue.

As Garry puts it in episode 3, available now on Tubi, Schumer wouldn't sponsor the NDAA and risk reputation -- especially in a presidential election year -- if he didn't believe there's something behind it.

Schumer was also a close friend of the late Sen. Harry Reid -- one of the trailblazers of the UFO movement -- and that's another reason he's pushing for transparency.

Filmmaker and journalist Jeremy Corbell, who's been leading our investigation, says getting DC "pit bulls" on board could potentially take this search for answers to places he never before thought possible.

The designer who created the bodysuit that Jake Browning's girlfriend made famous at a Bengals game this past weekend says business has been boomin' since the 'fit went viral ... telling TMZ Sports she's now "overwhelmed" by requests!!

Stephanie Niles rocked the hell outta the all-white look while she cheered on her man at Paycor Stadium on Sunday ... and so many were obsessed with it, Taylor Damron of Elle and B Creative says she now has people beating down her door to get similar pieces made for them.

The designer -- who actually happens to be Niles' cousin -- says sales for the one-piece have been non-stop since the cameras spotted Niles in it.

"We never thought it would blow up like this," Damron said. "I'm overwhelmed with requests for similar bodysuits."

Damron -- who ended up making three Bengals bodysuits exclusively for Niles -- said the high demand is mostly coming from female gamegoers who want a similar look. She also said socialites have been hitting her up too.

Damron says the pieces take about an hour each to make ... and she's hoping one day Taylor Swift might be a customer.

"I would faint making one of Taylor," Damron said. "Maybe I'll slide in her DMs."

American actress Michelle Trachtenberg was only 14 years old when she first started playing Dawn Summers -- as Buffy's immature and klutzy younger sister -- in the TV version of 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' from 2000-2003.

Michelle was part of an ensemble cast including Sarah Michelle Gellar as the friendly and ultimate vampire slayer, Buffy Summers, Alyson Hannigan as Buffy's shy and nerdy friend, Willow Rosenberg and Nicholas Brendon as Buffy's funny and brave pal who does not have supernatural abilities, Xander Harris.

Michelle also starred as Jenny in the comedy/adventure film "Euro Trip."

A prominent Hollywood editor is getting the cold shoulder, professionally, due to his recent arrest for child endangerment -- and despite speculation he'll continue working on a big-time Amazon Prime show ... TMZ can confirm he's out.

Thirty-nine-year-old Christopher Charkowski was arrested in L.A. County last week on a felony charge of willful cruelty to a child causing possible possible injury or death -- and a video is circulating online allegedly showing him brutalizing a kid inside of a house.

Law enforcement sources tell us this clip -- home surveillance footage that's been making the rounds on social media -- has been submitted to authorities as part of their investigation of the case. Court records list the date of the alleged offense as June 2022.

The case was filed back in November, but Charkowski wasn't hauled in and booked by law enforcement until Jan. 4. What's depicted in this video is disturbing, to say the least, and could be a key piece of evidence as this case proceeds.

In the clip, you see a man losing his mind and going after what appears to be a little boy. You can see him putting his hands on the kid, throttling him and possibly even throwing some punches.

It's unclear what the relation might be between the adult and child here, but on its face, it appears law enforcement had enough reason to believe it's Charkowski in the video.

BTW, he's been released on bail -- and future court dates are scheduled.

Now, as far as who Charkowski is in showbiz ... he's worked in post-production for a lot of big TV shows. Most recently, he edited video for "Jury Duty," which was the talk of the town last year, and was even nominated at last weekend's Golden Globes.

Charkowski is listed as part of the editorial department for that series -- and after this video got out, people have been clamoring for Amazon to drop him ASAP. Welp, a source with direct knowledge tells TMZ that Charkowski is no longer affiliated with the studio.

We're told his role on "Jury Duty" -- which spanned 8 episodes -- came and went once they wrapped production nearly a year ago, and our sources say he was an outside contractor on the show, not a permanent employee of Amazon/Freevee.

Since then, our sources say he hasn't been employed at Amazon whatsoever -- and safe to say ... he won't be back.

Another show he's worked on for a long time is Bravo's "Below Deck Mediterranean," but a production source points out to TMZ .... he hasn't been with them for about 2 years now.

Robert Downey Jr.'s joking about Robert De Niro's reaction to RDJ's win at the Golden Globes and hooking us up with a great soundbite -- even just for the sake of being glib.

We got the "Oppenheimer" star Wednesday outside "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and our photog asked him about De Niro mistakenly standing up when the winner for Best Supporting Actor was being read. It was a quick little mix-up on Bob's part -- but people definitely noticed.

In case you missed it ... RDJ and RDN were both up for the same award -- Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture -- which went to "Robert ... Downey Jr." When De Niro heard "Robert" though, he started to stir in his seat ... almost as if he'd won ... only to be let down when a different last name followed.

RDJ's having fun with it all here, telling us ... "Nothing's better than losing."  Mind you, he was doing this in the middle of signing autographs and shooting the s*** a bit.

He's joking, of course, and the reason we know that is because we asked what he meant -- with Downey Jr. adding ... "I just wanted to give you a good quote." Indeed, it was!

Looks like RDJ's still in good spirits after the big win for his role as Lewis Strauss in "Oppenheimer" ... he didn't just bless us, but he also gave autograph hounds what they wanted too. He also walked away with a big fat peace sign for the whole gang.

Lil Nas X's claim of being accepted to a Christian college was a fib of biblical proportions -- at least according to the higher ed institution itself ... who says they've never heard of him.

A spokesperson for Liberty University tells TMZ Hip Hop, "We can confirm that Liberty University did not issue the Montero Hill 'acceptance letter' posted yesterday to social media, and we have no record of Montero Hill applying to the University. Liberty University exists to glorify God by equipping men and women in higher education in fidelity to the Christian faith expressed through the Holy Scriptures."

"We continue to pray for America and for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be proclaimed across this land. We welcome all to apply and join us at Liberty University."

LNX posted the phony placard as part of his new song rollout that's hellbent on convincing fans he's not the devil-worshipping dandy that Dave Chappelle made him out to be in his newest Netflix special.

Many people noted the letter he posted was edited/old ... 'cause the ex-Prez whose John Hancock is on there died a long time ago -- so it was easy to spot the fake. Still, now we got LU officially shutting it down ... and sending prayers Nas X's way too to boot.

Of course, this stunt is just the latest LNX has pulled over the past few weeks to plug this new single of his -- 'J Christ' -- which is very much the opposite of his devil song from a few years ago ... "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)." Now, he's trying to seem holier than thou.

Speaking of this new track ... Lil Nas X dropped a teaser of the music video for it on Wednesday -- and there's a bunch of celebrity lookalikes heading up to the pearly gates.

Funny enough, we saw photos of these same actors a couple months ago doing a shoot -- and while we didn't know what this was for at the time ... we certainly do now. You can take a peek and check out the photos yourself to see what was happening behind the scenes.

Montero may not be a holy roller on campus next semester but he's still pumped to take his fans on a divine journey ... judging from his upcoming "J Christ" music video that spoofs several celebrities walking up the stairways to heaven.

We got a hold of some pics from the shoot ... doppelgängers of everyone from Taylor Swift to Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jackson, Kanye West -- even Queen Elizabeth can be seen Nasing it up!!!

It's true ... the NBA is better with Draymond Green on the basketball court, according to Charles Barkley, who tells us the 4x champ is at a crossroads, and it's time to knock off the "antics."

TMZ Sports caught up with the Hall of Fame hooper in NYC Wednesday morning ... where we asked Chuck about 33-year-old Green's return to the Warriors following last month's squabble with Suns center Jusuf Nurkic.

“It's great to have Draymond back, great to have him back," Barkley said.

"He's a very good player, he's good for the NBA. I hope he gets rid of the antics because he’s a very good player and a good dude, but like I said, he's got to stop putting himself in bad situations."

Of course, aside from the 4 rings he won with Golden State, Green is a 4x NBA All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year ... but, there have also been a handful of ugly incidents, many occurring on-court during games. There was also the Jordan Poole punch.

In fact, before the Nurkic hit, Green was suspended five games for putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock during an in-game fight with the Timberwolves.

Because of all that, Charles says Draymond must keep his nose clean going forward.

“Obviously, two big suspensions are a big deal. He’s got to walk a straight and narrow line. He’s just not been fair to himself and to his team.”

FWIW, it sounds like Green has gotten the message ... recently speaking about how he's grown during his month off.

There's more with the NBA legend ... we also talked to Barkley about NBA vet Dennis Schroder finally explaining how he fumbled an $84 million bag a few years back.

Michael Lohan -- father of Lindsay Lohan -- underwent a cancer procedure today on his hand ... TMZ has learned.

Michael tells TMZ ... he's been fighting skin cancer for a while, being diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma about 4 years ago and "recently had a suspicious lesion on my hand" that prompted doctors to do a biopsy.

Things changed Tuesday night when he got a call regarding the biopsy and that he needed to get the patch removed ASAP -- and Wednesday, that's exactly what happened.

He tells us the cancer had "deep roots" and needed a lot of digging, but we're told they thankfully were able to get it all out.

Michael admits the type of cancer he has is "aggressive" and he's constantly monitoring it ... adding it likely will return at some point.

Lindsay's father posted about his new scar on Instagram Wednesday, writing, "A scar means the hurt is over, the wound is closed, you endured the pain, and God has healed you."

BTW, we're told his son, Michael Jr., was the only one who knew about his medical situation -- and Michael tells us he didn't want Lindsay to worry or affect her work, which is why she was unaware.

Taylor Swift will have to walk herself through a winter wonderland if she wants to watch Travis Kelce play on Saturday ... 'cause Arrowhead Stadium is already covered in snow -- and the forecast for the weekend isn't looking much warmer at all.

The Chiefs shared photos of their home field in Kansas City on Wednesday afternoon ... and as you can see, it's already looking awful chilly three days before their postseason kicks off.

And, according to meteorologists ... it's going to stay that way for the Dolphins game Saturday night, with temps expected to hover right around 8 degrees Fahrenheit.

There's been no official word yet if Swift will indeed make the trek through the snow to catch Kelce's playoff game ... but given that she's been to most of his tilts since September, it seems she'll find enough coats to stay warm while watching her man.

Kelce and the Chiefs, meanwhile, are 4.5-point favorites for now ... though considering the Dolphins play an up-tempo style of ball in weather that's normally closer to 70 degrees -- that number could certainly rise by the time the two squads clash.

Chris Christie has officially bowed out of the race for President ... but just before he did, he was caught talking trash about Nikki Haley.

The former New Jersey Governor was picked up on a hot mic Wednesday ahead of announcing he's pulling out of the presidential race ... talking to someone about who can potentially hold their own in the primaries.

You can hear him say, "She's gonna get smoked" and "She's not up to this," referring to Haley.

This was Christie's 2nd attempt at the White House. BTW -- he went up against Donald Trump in 2016, but pulled out after his approval rating was simply anemic.

This time around, he went up against Trump, Haley, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy -- and things got heated between the candidates on the debate floor.

Vivek fat-shamed CC in December, shutting him down on the topic of foreign policy by saying, "Just walk yourself off that stage, enjoy a nice meal, and get the hell out of this race."

While Trump was absent from all debates, Christie let him have it nonetheless -- calling him Donald Duck, citing how often the former President was "ducking" the debates.

Legendary college football coach Nick Saban is calling it a career ... he just told his Alabama players and staffers he is officially retiring, according to reports.

72-year-old Saban is undoubtedly the most dominant to ever grace the college sidelines ... winning seven national championships over the course of his career.

Saban joined the Crimson Tide program in 2007 ... going 206-29 and winning national championships in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020.

He also had massive success at LSU ... leading the Tigers to a title in 2003.

Saban briefly took his talents to the NFL in 2004 ... joining the Miami Dolphins for two seasons, where he struggled to have the same results at the professional level.

Most recently, Saban led the Tide to a 12-2 record before losing to Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

Over the course of his college coaching career -- which spanned from Toledo to MSU, LSU and Bama -- Saban led several high-profile players who went on to exceed in the pros ... including Trevon Diggs, Jalen Hurts, Najee Harris, Tua Tagovailoa, Amari Cooper, Julio Jones, Mark Ingram, Joseph Addai, Michael Clayton, Andrew Whitworth, Marcus Peters and many more.

Bama honored Saban with his own statue at the Walk of Champions outside Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2011.