Aaron Gordon Gifts Jamal Murray 'JM27' Pendant ... Ahead Of NBA Finals

ARROW BLING
Instagram / @milehighjewelers

Aaron Gordon is a helluva basketball player and apparently one whale of a teammate too ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the Nuggets star gifted Jamal Murray a sick diamond pendant before the start of this week's NBA Finals.

We're told AG was so thrilled over the way Murray's helped lead Denver this season ... he hit up Mile High Jewelers to make a custom piece to show his appreciation.

Gordon wanted the new bling to represent Murray's signature on-court celebration ... and the jeweler certainly delivered.

You can see the piece features a bow and arrow ... with Murray's initials and jersey No. 27 in it. We're told it's all filled with 10 carats of white and blue VVS diamonds.

We're also told it took 10 days to make, which is an expedited time as Gordon wanted to be sure Murray had it before the start of the NBA Finals on Thursday.

And, check out the video, Murray was pumped to receive it earlier this week!!

"[Aaron] wanted to show his appreciation for his outstanding play, effort and being a great teammate/brother during his time in Denver," the jeweler told us.

Murray is certainly deserving of the present from Gordon -- the 26-year-old averaged 20 points, 6.2 assists and 4 rebounds per game in the regular season ... and has absolutely balled out this playoffs.

Up next for Jamal ... pairing a new NBA championship ring with the necklace? Stay tuned!

Heat vs. Nuggets NBA Finals WAGS ... It's All or Nothing!!!

The NBA Finals are underway ... and while most of the sports world is focused on Nikola Jokic and Jimmy Butler, it's time to put the spotlight on the REAL stars of the series -- the wives and girlfriends of the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets!!

Jokic's wife, Natalija, has been supporting the 2-time MVP ever since he was in high school ... and continues to do so in the stands throughout her man's pro career (alongside his famous brothers).

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's pregnant wife, McKenzie, might pull up to a few games with her growing baby bump ... and DeAndre Jordan's "boo bear", Bethany, will certainly be pulling for her man as well.

When it comes to the Heat, expect to see Udonis Haslem's wife, Faith ... considering this may very well be her last chance to watch his games before he retires.

Kevin Love's model wife, Kate, knows her way around the Finals dating back to his days in Cleveland ... and there's hope Katya Elise Henry will get to catch Tyler Herro come back from injury and get some minutes.

It's not just the players with beautiful partners -- Erik Spoelstra's wife, Nikki, has been there every step of the way ... and we're sure she helped keep him calm throughout the Eastern Conference Finals.

The only downside?? One team -- and their ladies -- will go home without the Larry O'Brien trophy ... but hey, that's how the cookie crumbles.

Pete Davidson Good Genes Or Good Docs?!

Pete Davidson's looks over the years have made quite the 'transformation!'

Here is a younger 17-year-old version of the "Bupkis" star when he'd just begun his comedy journey ... already thriving on stage at a comedy club back in 2011 (left). This was just a few years prior to him scoring big on "Saturday Night Live."

And, 12 years later the comedian-turned-actor recently brought his charming smile to "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" just ahead of his next movie premiere, "Transformers: Rise Of Beasts" (right).

It's a fact, some of Hollywood's hottest stars are down for some Pete, but the question here is ...

Pete Davidson...

Tom Sandoval Fans Show Love in KY ... Screw Scandoval, Sign My Body!!!

6/4/23
SOMEBODY TO LOVE
TMZ.com

Tom Sandoval may be the most hated guy in reality TV, but he sure as hell is king when he's performing onstage ... as evidenced by his latest concert!!

Tom and his crew hit the stage Thursday at Headliners Music Hall in Louisville, Kentucky for the latest stop of the "Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras" tour -- and one eyewitness told us he brought the house down ... with fans showing him a ton of love during his hour-long set.

Throughout the night, he played a number of '70s, '80s and '90s hits ... including "Somebody to Love" by Queen and "Groove Is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite, and the fans ate it up.

Sandoval busted out his go-to moves -- going shirtless and snapping photos with fans, and before the night ended ... he signed "Stay Fancy" in marker on a woman's arm.

TRASHING TOM
bravo

Of course, all the love he's getting while performing is a huge contrast to the way things are going IRL.

As you know, the "Vanderpump Rules" star has been in very hot water ever since word got out he was cheating on his longtime partner Ariana Madix with their friend/costar Raquel Leviss.

Naturally, that put a hard stop on their 10-year relationship, and almost all of his cast members have been ripped left and right, in public and on the "Vanderpump Rules" reunion.

SIGN OF THE TIMES
BACKGRID

Despite all this, we were told he's still selling out shows. You'll recall, his security team kicked out one fan from his Pittsburgh show after she held up a #TeamAriana sign.

For the most part, though, ticketholders to his shows seem to be proudly #TeamTom!!!

Celebrity Scramble Guess Who!

Behind this altered image is a Dallas, Texas native who started his first band back when he was fresh out of high school, and even though he's toned down his spikey hair over the years, he's now rockin' a pink-slick 'do!

This guitar-playing-guy first became popular in the early 2000s ... you may have jammed out to his hit song, "On The Way Down" back in '04 or perhaps saw him make a cameo on MTV's "The Ashlee Simpson Show" ... can you guess the star behind the scrambled pic?

"On the way down, I almost fell right through, But I held onto you!"

Disney's Pixar Lays Off Galyn Susman ... Thanks for Saving 'TS2,' Now Get Out!!!

Galyn Susman -- the longtime Disney producer who's credited with saving "Toy Story 2" -- just got the boot alongside several other Pixar employees ... and fans are pissed.

The news came down Saturday from Reuters, which reported Susman was one of 75 Pixar workers who recently gotten the axe in mass layoffs. She was one of 3 key Pixar people to be let go ... the others included Michael Agulnek -- Pixar's VP of worldwide publicity -- and 'Lightyear' director Angus MacLane, who was involved in other Pixar flicks too.

The firings are reportedly tied to the bomb that was last year's 'Lightyear' ... a movie based on the "real" Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Chris Evans. It had a budget of about $200 mil, and only made $226 mil at the worldwide box office ... not to mention middling reviews.

While the film didn't do well, many are saying that scapegoating -- and ultimately canning -- the execs/producers tied to its development is cold-blooded ... especially as it pertains to Galyn, who played a very important in preserving what was left of 'TS2' at the time.

It's the stuff of legends -- and this story's been repeated several times by Disney execs over the years. There was some kind of glitch in Disney's computers that literally deleted upwards of 90% of the movie back then as it was about a year out from its imminent release date.

The studio was scrambling to preserve whatever was left, but from the looks of it ... they were going to have to start from scratch -- that is, until Galyn came to the rescue with a backup copy ... which she fortunately had in her possession due to her WFH/maternity leave.

In the end, Disney remade the movie anyway -- creating a different version from what Galyn had saved -- but her extra files undoubtedly saved them a lot of time/work/money.

Now, she's without a job ... and Twitter users think that stinks on the part of the Mouse House. As they say -- that's showbiz, baby. Loyalty and IOUs have expiration dates.

Gov. Newsom Takes Aim at SoCal School Re: Harvey Milk Ban

Gov. Gavin Newsom isn't happy that a SoCal school board banned lessons on the late Harvey Milk for kids ... and it sounds like he's going to do something about it.

California's top governmental dog sounded off Saturday in response to a report about the Temecula Valley School Board recently voting to nix any literature about the former SF politician -- who was openly gay, and who served a member of the Board of Supervisors.

Got milk?
TVUSD

Board president, Dr. Joseph Komrosky, was hearing out a fellow member ... who wanted to ban a biography of Milk -- which was apparently available to 4th graders at a local elementary school as part of their social studies teachings -- which touched on his homosexual lifestyle in the supplemental resources section ... as a footnote.

The board member who raised this issue says he was made aware of the material, finding the information in it to be highly inappropriate for children -- and Komrosky agreed.

In fact, Komrosky shocked many in the audience by calling Milk a "pedophile" ... which several people, including some teachers/faculty/board members, pushed back on by strongly denying that characterization. They explained that he was instrumental in achieving gay rights in the U.S. ... and that that historical fact shouldn't be hidden from grade school kids.

Komrosky held his ground ... arguing that Milk's private life -- and presumably his public life at large -- wasn't relevant and not worthy of being in their curriculum. In the end, the board voted 3-2 to get rid of the Milk literature ... and now, Gov. Newsom is aware of it.

He took to Twitter and wrote, "An offensive statement from an ignorant person. This isn’t Texas or Florida. In the Golden State, our kids have the freedom to learn. Congrats Mr. Komrosky you have our attention. Stay tuned." Newsom didn't elaborate further.

Of course, GN's spoken out against other states trying to limit the scope of education as it pertains to issues like these -- especially in Florida, where Gov. DeSantis has set a tone.

As for the whole "pedophile" claim ... it's unclear why Komrosky referred to HM as that. It's possible he might be referencing Milk's one-time relationship with Jack McKinley, which is believed to have begun while McKinley was a teen ... but that part of history is a little hazy.

In any case, there's no more Milk lessons there for the elementary schoolers ... for now.

Ezra Miller 'Flash' Sequel Already Written!!! ... Actor Will Skip Press

Ezra Miller may actually be back as The Flash soon enough, 'cause there's already a script for a would-be sequel ... which will presumably be activated based on how the 1st one does.

Variety reports that 'The Flash 2' is signed, sealed and delivered -- and on standby -- courtesy of "Aquaman" screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick ... noting Warner is inclined to use it if a sequel is greenlit, which we won't know until after "The Flash" debuts.

The outlet also goes on to say that Johnson-McGoldrick's script features continued cameos from Michael Keaton's Batman and Sasha Calle's Supergirl ... who are both in the upcoming flick. The word of mouth for 'Flash,' which is coming out in a couple weeks, is at peak levels right now ... with many hyping it as one of the greatest superhero movies of all time.

As for Ezra ... well, the director of "The Flash," Andy Muschietti, has already gone on the record to say he would recast them if a sequel was in the cards ... praising Ezra's work as Barry Allen as a one-of-a-kind performance that's made for them in any future installments.

4/6/20
YOU'RE GOING DOWN!!!

The problem -- at least from some fans' POV -- is that Ezra is very problematic ... on account of all the crimes/misdeeds they've been alleged of carrying out over the past few years.

Just to name a few ... alleged assault, alleged grooming, alleged breaking and entering, alleged harassment ... among other things. Several of these incidents have resulted in arrests -- and wild police body cam footage too -- as well as a plea deal for at least one of these.

3/28/22
THE CHAOTIC ARREST
MEGA

Of course, Ezra has also apologized for their erratic behavior ... and went on to cite mental health issues, as well as saying they'd seek the professional help they need to get better.

That ended up being good enough for Warner, which opted not to recast Ezra and move forward with the release of "The Flash" as is. Interestingly, Variety also reports that Ezra is going to skip all of the press ahead of the movie ... and will only make a brief appearance at the Los Angeles premiere the week of. Press for this movie, in general, has been virtually non-existent and it seems Warner will continue with that strategy ... opting instead for a bunch of ad buys and other promo, like screenings ... of which there's been several now.

Despite Ezra ducking their head and laying low ahead of "The Flash," the movie is projected to do pretty well at the box office -- at the moment, it's on track for a $75 mil opening.

Some are crying foul over Ezra getting this pass -- not to mention an almost guaranteed sequel -- and feel like they're being afforded an opportunity others who've been accused of wrongdoing, like Jonathan Majors, aren't enjoying. Granted, JM is with a different studio and hasn't lost his Marvel job just yet ... plus, his case is a bit different than Ezra's sitch.

Take it up with capitalism, we suppose. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Jemele Hill Pushes Back on Wanting Rogan $$$ ... Amid Spotify Exit

Jemele Hill denies that an alleged demand for Joe Rogan-level money from Spotify is the reason for her exit from the audio giant ... although, it seems clear she is, in fact, leaving.

The longtime sports reporter/media personality is said to be negotiating a split from Spotify, where she's exclusively hosted her all-issues podcast -- "Jemele Hill is Unbothered" -- since 2019. Several outlets are reporting that she's now seeking a new home for her show.

Jemele's 'Unbothered' podcast network -- which features other Black podcasters -- is also shuttering. Reports say Spotify might let her out of her deal early, or simply let it lapse.

Now, for the controversy ... a conservative outlet, Outkick, framed this parting of ways as Jemele getting the boot after "daring the company to pay her or another black host $100 million" ... the same way they'd paid Joe for an exclusive deal (it turned out to be $200M).

If you read the article, you come to find out that the writer is referencing an old quote she gave the NYT last year about Joe's big contract, in which she said ... "What I would like to see is for them to hand $100 million to somebody who is Black." The way Outkick and other right-wing sites are reporting this is ... Jemele asked for that $100 mil, and was told no.

Well, she's pushing back on that ... taking to Twitter to bat down any notion that she gave Spotify an ultimatum, especially one that pit her against Joe. Of course, her quote from 2022 has clearly been taken out of context ... and she's setting the record straight on what's what.

Jemele says, "People: A lot of what’s been reported just isn’t true. My podcast hasn’t been cancelled. I never asked Spotify for $100M. This s*** is truly comical."

She goes on to say her podcast, for now, will continue -- adding ... "Next week’s guest is: Sabrina Elba. In the coming weeks: Blair Underwood, Kasi Lemmons, JR Smith, Kenny Latimore and more." Finally, she says ... "When I have something to say, I’ll say it."

Jemele also clarified further in a back-and-forth on Twitter with someone who was pointing out the quote to her, to which she responded ... "You should probably comprehend better, or maybe read the original piece -- which was about me wanting to see Spotify make that investment in prominent Black podcasters. I never told Spotify or the NYT, that I deserved  $100M. My deal at Spotify is pretty fair. This was about investment and growth."

Part of the reported reason Spotify's moving on ... dropping stuff that doesn't bring in significant revenue. Jemele's podcast isn't one the better performing pods on the platform.

Ye & Ice Cube It's All Good Now ... Hug It Out After Antisemitism Controversy

Kanye West is making peace with Ice Cube ... 7 months after throwing him under the bus by claiming Cube was the one who turned him on to antisemitism.

The 2 rap icons met face-to-face Friday at Cube's home in the L.A. area -- and it definitely looks like they hammered out their differences. They hugged it out as Ye was leaving, and both guys were smiling.

You'll recall, late last year -- after Ye started his antisemitic rants -- he went on "Drink Champs" and claimed Ice Cube's social media posts inspired his dangerous bigotry.

For his part, Cube made it clear he had no idea what Ye was talking about. He tweeted, "I didn't put the batteries in his back. Please leave my name out of all the antisemitic talk. I'm not antisemitic and never have been."

10/15/22
CHAUVIN DIDN'T KILL FLOYD
REVOLT

"Drink Champs" eventually deleted the episode ... as it featured Ye making several offensive rants about Jews, Trevor Noah and George Floyd.

Since then Ye has claimed he no longer hates Jewish people, although his explanation for why -- watching Jonah Hill in "21 Jump Street" -- was, at the very least, bizarre ... and, at most, highly offensive.

It's unclear if Ye apologized to Cube -- but whatever was said, they clearly parted on good terms.

Sydney Sweeney My Dad Walked Out ... On My Nude 'Euphoria' Scenes!!!

Look away, dad!!!
NBC

Sydney Sweeney's dad apparently couldn't stomach his daughter's explicit scenes in "Euphoria" -- which kinda makes sense ... 'cause she bares it all and then some.

The actress dished to "TODAY" about how her folks took her early work on the hit HBO show ... where she's featured fully nude a number of times, not to mention straight-up sex scenes. As she puts it -- her father, Steven, wasn't up to watch his daughter in that context.

She says, "Yeah, I didn’t prepare my dad at all," going to explain that when her pops and grandad initially watched her in "Euphoria" -- presumably season 1 -- they "turned it off and walked out." Sydney rhetorically asked ... "I mean how do you bring up a conversation?"

It's interesting ... it sounds like Sydney looped her mom in on what she was doing on set, saying Lisa was prepped and knew what was coming -- adding that she'd come to visit her daughter on set regularly. Sydney says with her dad ... they just don't talk about work.

BTW, the way Sydney tells it ... it doesn't sound like her father/grandpa watched her in "Euphoria" ever again after seeing her naked -- but adds, her g-ma is a big fan!

Sydney has talked about her raunchy scenes -- of which she's done several between a few different projects of hers now -- and says she's not afraid to go there as an artist ... arguing that she's willing to do whatever the work requires of her, as long as it serves a purpose.

She has said, though, that pervs and trolls are constantly screengrabbing her nude scenes and tagging her family members -- including young cousins -- and she says that sucks.

In any case, she's skyrocketing as far as star power, quickly growing into one of Hollywood's most coveted on-camera talents -- despite off-camera speed bumps now and then.

Tennessee Anti-Drag Law Ruled as Unconstitutional As Pride Events Kick Off

A federal judge in Tennessee has found that the state's anti-drag law -- the first of its kind in the country -- is unconstitutional ... and the timing couldn't be better for supporters of Pride.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker handed down his ruling Friday, arguing the law is too vague and overly broad ... also saying it encouraged discriminatory enforcement. Parker says the law violates Americans' First Amendment right to free speech/freedom of expression.

Parker did make a distinction about obscenity -- which proponents of the law thought would help keep it intact -- but the judge struck that down, explaining ... "There is no question that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment. But there is a difference between material that is ‘obscene’ in the vernacular, and material that is ‘obscene’ under the law."

He adds, "Simply put, no majority of the Supreme Court has held that sexually explicit -- but not obscene -- speech receives less protection than political, artistic, or scientific speech."

In other words, it ain't illegal for adults to talk sex or dress in drag in front of kids ... which is exactly what this law was all about in the first place. As you'll recall, this law banned public drag/cabaret performances where children could see them, and that might've created problems with the Pride demonstrations going on throughout the state this weekend.

It's interesting ... the judge -- who's Trump-appointed, BTW -- brought up a hypothetical example of a woman dressing as/impersonating Elvis ... and said a situation like that could be prosecuted under this law. While Parker did say the State had an express and righteous interest to protect its minors, he said putting a law like this on the books isn't the way.

As you know ... local Pride organizers there in Tennessee have reported receiving threats from various hate groups in recent weeks as they were planning their parades and events.

Now that the courts have sided with their cause, you gotta imagine they'll be hitting the streets en masse and with some rejuvenated force too. Time will tell how the public reacts.

Taylor Swift My Show is 'Safe Space' for Pride ... Vote for LGBTQ Allies!!!

LOUD & PROUD

Taylor Swift isn't afraid to get a little political ... she's reassuring fans they can safely celebrate Pride at her concerts, but also reminding them to vote if they want to feel safe in America.

Taylor's latest Eras Tour stop is in Chicago, and on Friday night she took a moment to get serious about "harmful pieces of legislation" that she says put the LGBTQ community at risk.

As she looked into the audience, she shouted out the "brilliant crowds of people who are living their authentic lives" and told them ... "This is a safe space for you. This is a celebratory space for you. And one of the things that makes me feel so prideful is getting to be with you, and watching you interact with each other, and being so loving, and so thoughtful, and so caring."

Before she launched back into her set, she encouraged her fans to pay attention to elections, especially local ones ... do their research and vote for candidates who are advocates and allies.

In recent years, Taylor's used her tremendous influence to remind her army of Swiftees about important elections ... and has even endorsed candidates.

She's also remained a staunch supporter of the LGBTQ community for years -- and famously performed a surprise show at NYC's Stonewall Inn to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.

Wild Smackdown Angry Husband Slaps Doctor!!! Claims Doc Sexually Assaulted Wife

OUT FOR REVENGE

Video captures an enraged husband's mission of vengeance ... storming the stage during a medical conference to slap the hell out of the doctor he alleges committed sexual assault on his wife.

The dramatic scene played out right in the middle of the annual American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), last month in Baltimore -- and the furious man confronted the physician while he was standing at a podium delivering a speech.

The man grabbed the doctor by his shirt and smacked him across the face, yelling, "You know what you did!" You touched my wife 7 years ago in New York. Don't be an ass****, bitch!"

And it didn't stop there. The guy slapped the doctor again, and screamed, "You're lucky this is America, because if this was Brazil, I'd kill you!!!"

He then headed for the exit with his wife, but continued to scream and point at the doctor, who did not appear to be injured, but was totally in shock.

Onlookers were also stunned, and one woman called for security as the husband charged back toward the doctor, shouting profanities.

Police did respond, and while the doctor didn't want to press charges, he requested the cops remove the husband from the premises. The doctor was not named, but he's reportedly a gynecologic oncologist at a New York hospital.

Organizers of the ACOG conference issued a statement condemning the violence and apologizing to anyone traumatized by the incident.

Pete Davidson Stabs David Blaine with Ice Pick ... Gross, Baffling Magic Trick!!!

PICK TRICKS
TMZ.com

David Blaine got an assist from Pete Davidson for a magic trick Friday night at his Las Vegas show, and TMZ has obtained video of the most shocking moment.

Check it out for yourself ... David kicked things off at his Resorts World performance by escorting Pete and his friend from the packed crowd to the stage, where 4 cups were lined up across a table ... and Pete was asked to choose one of the cups ... which contained an object that would be used in the trick.

Pete picked the right cup and David uncovered the scary object -- which was a large ice pick. Pete and his buddy confirmed its sharpness by touching the spike, and told David ... "Yup, you're nuts."

Then, while Pete duct taped David's eyes closed ... Pete's friend arranged 3 of the cups on the table and placed the needle sticking upward under one of them. The now-blindfolded Blaine then put his hands over 2 of the cups, and crushed them -- and while the audience shrieked in horror ... David escaped injury.

Of course, the ice pick was in the 3rd cup ... otherwise, this would be a much different story.

The danger wasn't over, though ... David asked Pete to stab him with the ice pick, and he did -- pushing the needle through David's arm until it came out the other side. The crowd was grossed out, but also impressed ... and, no doubt, confused.

David didn't seem bothered by the ice pick dangling from his arm-- and even brought a boy on stage to have him pull the needle out of his bicep.

Fun times!!

BLM Co-Founder's Cousin Died of Cocaine and Heart Issues ... Coroner Reports on LAPD Taser Incident

Keenan Anderson, cousin of BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors, died because of cocaine and an enlarged heart ... according to the coroner's office, which was investigating his death following a controversial LAPD arrest.

Body cam footage of Anderson's arrest sparked protests in L.A. earlier this year -- LAPD officers had used a taser on him for 42 seconds, according to Cullors. However, the L.A. County Coroner's autopsy report, released Friday, says Anderson's cause of death might have been the effects of cocaine use on his enlarged heart.

The report notes that a manner of death has not yet been determined.

The police video showed officers tasering Anderson -- who had been a high school English teach -- at least 6 times while he was on his stomach.

In response to Anderson's death, LAPD Chief Michael Moore said the department would be taking a closer look at taser deployment.

THE DANGERS OF TASERS
TMZ.com

Patrisse told us, on "TMZ Live," she was deeply concerned about taser use, and said there's some alarming data about the effects of such high voltage on the human body.

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