Soccer Legend Diego Maradona Funeral Worker Sacked for Taking Selfie with Body

A funeral worker tasked with preparing Diego Maradona's body for the soccer legend's wake is out of a job ... after posing with the body for a disgusting selfie.

The funeral worker allegedly crept up to Maradona's open coffin and gave a thumbs up in the selfie ... sparking outrage from the owner of the Buenos Aires funeral parlor who promptly fired the guy.

The English tabloid Mirror Sport, which first reported the story, obtained the photo but opted not to post it on its website. As we reported ... the soccer legend died Wednesday after suffering a heart attack. He was recovering from emergency brain surgery earlier this month.

As mourners paid their respects around the world with touching tributes ... all hell broke loose Thursday in his native country where violence erupted as thousands of mourners tried to force their way into the presidential palace where Maradona is lying in state.

Cops tried stopping folks from entering the building following orders from the family. Fans clashed with police, who fired tear gas and rubber bullets to control the violent crowd.

we don't know if anyone was injured.

Alex Trebek Posthumously Tells Fans to Keep the Faith

ALEX'S THANKSGIVING MESSAGE
Jeopardy!

Alex Trebek left a Thanksgiving message behind ... a message of faith and hope as he valiantly fought his battle with cancer.

As we reported, Alex filmed his show almost to the end -- he was hosting "Jeopardy!" just 10 days before he died, and one of his final acts was to record a message that will air on Thanksgiving day.

The folks at "Jeopardy!" are eternally grateful ... the show's twitter page has a new post which reads, "High on our list of things to be thankful for this year:  Alex's Thanksgiving message from today's show."

Alex, whose voice was raspy and was suffering from the pain and exhaustion of stage 4 pancreatic cancer, tried to comfort viewers, telling them there are "many reasons to be thankful."  His optimism shone through, talking about the various acts of kindness that have emerged from COVID times.

His message -- "Keep the faith. We're going to get through all of this, and we will be a better society because of it."

11/19/20
I WANT YOU TO BE SAFE
Jeopardy!

Producers earlier aired another posthumous message from Alex, recognizing World Pancreatic Cancer Day.

TMZ broke the story ... Alex died earlier this month after a long battle with cancer. He became an effective spokesperson for the cause and helped an untold number of people in the process. By urging people to get tested, he may also have saved many lives.

We miss you, Alex.

Megan Thee Stallion Twerkin' Turkey Goes Afoul With 'Body' Challenge!!!

Megan Thee Stallion has inspired untold numbers of people, so add a turkey to the list.

Waiting for your permission to load TikTok Post.

This little gizzard -- posted on TikTok by one Joel Erkkinen -- couldn't stay still for Megan's "Body" challenge as it shook its rump and slightly spread its wings. Pretty hilarious, don't ya think?

The challenge is officially a thing. We knew that earlier in the week, when a Starbucks employee got down with it. MTS posted a video Tuesday of Hunter Gallagher doing the "Body" dance moves from behind the counter. Megan liked it so much she reposted it.

'BODY' ROCKIN'
@joiajohn, @loveebonique / Instagram

But, back to the bird. Megan's challenge has blown up, with thousands of people shaking their asses to the beat. But, none of them can hold a baster to this plump fella ... so all of you who tried but didn't measure up to this Wacky Zacky creature can stuff it!

Amazon Dishing Out $500M in Holiday Bonuses ... Frontline Workers Score Big

Amazon's buying lots of love this year ... by giving away $500 million in holiday bonuses to its frontline workers.

The shipping giant announced Thursday the one-time bonus will go to frontline employees in the US of A working the holiday season during the COVID-19 pandemic. Full-time staff working during the month of December will each get $300. Part-timers will get $150.

The news comes just days after Amazon veteran staffers grew furious over new hires getting as much as $3,000 in signing bonuses to work the holiday season ... while vets got measly turkey vouchers worth about 10 bucks.

This is the second time Amazon has rolled out a one-time bonus ... back in June it doled out another $500 million to its U.S. workforce. It's bittersweet, really. Remember ... Amazon's caught a lot of flak for reportedly overworking employees during a pandemic.

Making matters worse ... many workers said they did NOT feel safe from the virus. At the time, Amazon declined to disclose how many of its workers had been infected by the virus ... before finally revealing in October nearly 20k employees were either presumed or confirmed to have contracted coronavirus.

Amazon honcho Jeff Bezos crossing the $200 billion net worth has also riled up his critics. You'll recall protesters targeted his D.C. home back in June ... with a guillotine.

Joe and Jill Biden Thanksgiving Day Message Better Days Ahead

STILL LOTS TO BE THANKFUL FOR

President-Elect Joe Biden says he's celebrating Thanksgiving 2020 the way he's urging others to celebrate -- with a small group of folks who are part of his bubble.

Joe and Jill Biden went on camera to wish everyone a happy turkey day, saying, "I know this isn't the way many of us hoped we'd spend our holiday. We know that a small act of staying home is a gift to our fellow Americans. Yes, it's a personal sacrifice that each of our families can make and should make to save somebody else's life. But, it's also a shared sacrifice for the whole country."

Dr. Biden added this ... "This has been a year filled with heartache and loss. Yet, there's still so much to be thankful for. We're thankful for the millions of Americans who've been working on the frontlines throughout this pandemic. Those who care for our sick, who helped put food on our tables, who teach our children and who have put on a uniform to serve our nation and the families who loved them as well. We're thankful for everyone who met this moment with kindness, bringing groceries to neighbors or asking, How can I help."

The Prez-in-waiting was optimistic, saying "I know better days are coming."

11/25/20
UNITED WE STAND
Fox News

Biden's doing a lot better than some other elected officials who have urged their constituents to follow guidelines that they violated.

Mike Tyson My Thanksgiving Dinner?! I'M EATING ROY JONES JR'S EAR!!

DINNER IS SERVED

Mike Tyson is gearing up for his big Thanksgiving weekend fight -- BY EATING ROY JONES JR'S HEAD!!!

Sure, it's a cake "head" -- but Mike went straight for his favorite part, THE EAR ... and the video is hilarious!!!

The 54-year-old fighter got his own adorable kids to take part in some Turkey Day trash talk directed at Roy -- warning the fighter to watch his lobes, or he'll get the Evander Holyfield treatment when they clash on Saturday night!

In the clip, Mike starts off by acknowledging he has a lot to be thankful for this year -- like the reported $10 mil he's scheduled to make from the Roy Jones Jr. fight -- before taking some shots at his opponent.

"It's a turkey," Mike says while revealing the cake of Roy's head.

Once he slices off Roy's ear, Mike jokes, "Tastes so much better than Evander's!"

Mike and Roy have said it's all fun and games until the bell rings on Saturday night -- with both guys telling TMZ Sports they'll both be trying to KNOCK EACH OTHER OUT.

The fight is technically an exhibition match, but Roy and Mike -- who's planning to walk to the ring with the song he created with EDM group Tiki Lau -- have each said they're approaching the event like a pro ... and want to put on a violent show for everyone spending money to watch. (It's available on PPV via cable and satellite, and PPV streaming at Triller).

Mike has said the fight is the first of a long list of events he plans to run through his Legends Only League -- founded with John Ryan Jr., Kiki Tyson, Sophie Watts and Azim Spicer -- which will feature former star athletes competing again in various sports.

National Dog Show 2020 It's Ruff Out There ... But Show Must Go On Even w/ COVID!!!

The National Dog Show is giving us some sense of normalcy in 2020 ... COVID be damned.

The Kennel Club of Philadelphia kept the Thanksgiving Day tradition alive with its annual dog show ... though things did look a little different out there, and understandably so. There was no crowd to cheer on the pooches prancing and strutting their stuff on the floor.

The winner this year -- a Scottish Deerhound named Claire. Congrats to the doggie!!!

And, without a crowd, it looks like the KCP borrowed a page from pro sports teams ... using cutouts of dogs and their owners to fill the seats. Those who bought cutouts were also supporting a great cause ... with proceeds going to the AKC Pet Disaster Fund.

The show -- which aired on NBC after the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade -- complied with COVID-19 safety protocols to pull off the show, which is remarkable in and of itself.

The humans wore masks. As for the dogs ... there's usually around 2,000 competing, but this time around only 600.

Instead of two shows over the course of the weekend ... there was only one show split into two days, which were filmed on November 14 and 15. Despite all of these restrictions ... the show still managed to introduce 3 new dog breeds -- the Barbet, the Belgian Laekenois and the Dogo Argentino.

Donald Trump President Encourages Thanksgiving Gatherings ... SCOTUS Paves the Way

Donald Trump is clearly angry -- enraged -- which is the only explanation for the revenge he seems to want to exact on the American people, because he's goosing his followers to expose themselves to COVID, and the Supreme Court has just facilitated his wish.

Trump's Thanksgiving message ... "I encourage all Americans to gather, in homes and places of worship, to offer a prayer of thanks to God for our many blessings."

It's as breathtaking as it is reckless ... as doctors and scientists have PLEADED for people to either cancel 2020 Thanksgiving or keep it within quarantine-safe limits, Trump is subverting the message. It's especially heartless given his personal knowledge ... that large events like his Amy Coney Barrett South Lawn event became a COVID superspreader.

Trump got some backing from the U.S. Supreme Court, with decisive help from his latest SCOTUS pick. Amy Coney Barrett was the deciding vote Wednesday night in a 5-4 decision, ruling that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's restriction on religious services violated the First Amendment. Just last May and July, the Court ruled by a 5-4 vote -- with RBG still on the court -- that such restrictions were constitutional, but things have now clearly changed.

ICYMI ... we are heading into what most everyone believes will be the deadliest period during the pandemic -- precisely because people are gathering indoors.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Coronavirus Craziness UK Woman Goes On Rampage ... Breaks 500 Bottles of Booze

A woman went ham inside a UK supermarket ... obliterating the liquor shelves.

She apparently was acting erratically while waiting in the checkout line, and when one of the shoppers told her to calm down, she went nuts and started breaking more than 500 -- THAT'S FIVE HUNDRED -- bottles of booze.

The tantrum went on for 5 long minutes, according to The Sun. At one point she slips and slashes her right hand, but continues her rampage with her left.

The lady was arrested and taken into custody. A police spokesperson said she was taken to a hospital for treatment of her injured hand.

... If one of those bottles would happen to fall, 499 bottles of beer on the wall.

Drake Don't Be Shocked at Weeknd Snub ... Grammys Are Irrelevant

Drake almost finds humor in the Grammys which inexplicably snubbed The Weeknd, essentially saying those little trophies really don't mean crap.

Drake said Wednesday night, "I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards and just accept that what once was the highest form of recognition may no longer matter to the artists that exist now and the ones that come after."

And, then the zinger ... "It's like a relative you keep expecting to fix up but they just can't change their ways."

As we reported, on the surface it made no sense The Weeknd ended up with goose eggs when the noms were announced ... given the success of "After Hours" and especially "Blinding Lights." The Weeknd, who calls the Grammys "corrupt," believes he was snubbed because the Grammys did not want him to dilute his Grammy performance with a Super Bowl performance -- a ridiculous ask and one The Weeknd rejected. He thinks he was overlooked because of spite.

Thanksgiving 2020 Homeless Woman Hog-tied and Removed From Abandoned Home

REMOVED BY FORCE

A homeless woman was forcibly removed from her home on Thanksgiving Eve by the California Highway Patrol, and it has enraged folks who say the move is especially heartless during Thanksgiving 2020.

The woman appears to be hog-tied as she's carried out of an abandoned home, as a number of protesters expressed great displeasure.

The officers were there to remove a number of people who broke into some homes that had been boarded up. 170 homes were supposed to be demolished as part of a plan to expand a local freeway. That plan was abandoned after neighbors rose up and complained.

A group called Reclaim and Rebuild Our Community appealed to California Governor Gavin Newsom, saying the families who were squatting in the homes had mostly been living in their cars and are now "sheltering in place" in the abandoned homes.

The group's message ... "We feel that amid the global pandemic it is irresponsible and inhumane for our state to be hoarding over 170 homes."

It seems the government is unmoved, an official said their plan was to "remove trespassers so that properties can be re-secured and boarded up."

What about the old saying ... desperate times call for desperate measures?

Joe Exotic Sends Thanksgiving Wishes ... Now Lobby Congress and Get Me Outta Here!!!

Joe Exotic is making a plea to Americans -- enjoy Thanksgiving, and then tell your rep in Congress to pressure the Prez to spring him from the big house.

Joe wrote a long Thanksgiving message, telling folks to enjoy Thanksgiving Day but on Black Friday ... " ... please think about the last 3 holidays I have spent in here while all the people that lied to put me here and the people that made money off of films, products and so on with the people that put me here under false pretense enjoy their freedom and their families during the Holidays."

That said, Joe then makes his pitch ... "Please pick up a phone on Monday and call your congressman and ask everyone you know to support asking President Trump to sign my Pardon and make this right so I don’t have to miss another Christmas without my loved ones just as you wouldn’t want to. I would love for some of you that has the power to pick up a phone and contact some pretty influential people to do so, so I could go home before something happens to my father or Dillon."

we're pleading with you trump
TMZ.com

TMZ broke the story ... Joe's legal team traveled to D.C. recently to file their pardon application, and the team leader, Eric Love, says they've been getting encouraging words back from folks in the seat of power.

Trump's in a pardoning mood ... he just spared Michael Flynn from serving his prison sentence.

Eric says he's grateful to Trump and even suggests he and Joe have a lot in common ... he's asking for a pardon, and stat.

9/10/20
PARDON THE TIGER KING
TMZ.com

As for Joe, he says, "I have faith in my President," adding, "Those of you who work day and night to get me home, I will owe you my life ... I have faith in my God that some how some way this will end."

Lori, Mossimo, Kodak, Cosby Thanksgiving Prison Spreads ... Pass The Gravy ... Not the Corona

America's most notorious prisoners will sit down for a Thanksgiving like the rest of us in 2020 ... complete with turkey and the fear of catching COVID-19.

Lori Loughlin, Mossimo Giannulli and Harvey Weinstein are spending their first turkey day behind bars, and they're about to discover what Bill Cosby, Kodak Black and Bobby Shmurda know all too well ... the prison meal sounds better than it tastes.

We did some digging and found out what these famous convicts will be eating on Turkey Day ... here's a breakdown of their spreads, which are hopefully limited to food and not virus.

Lori at California's FCI Dublin:

  • Herb-roasted turkey with pan gravy, honey glazed country ham, garlic mashed potatoes, baked potato, candied sweet potatoes, savory cornbread dressing, southern style green beans or steamed green beans, cranberry sauce, fresh dinner roll with honey apple butter
  • If Lori wants to avoid the bird and the pig, she can choose the no-flesh entrée ... tofu stir fry with glazed chickpeas and stuffed bell peppers.

Mossimo at California's FCI Lompoc:

  • Turkey roast, baked turkey ham, soy chicken patty, mashed potatoes, green beans, chicken gravy, cornbread dressing, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls, pumpkin pie

Kodak at Illinois' USP Thomson:

  • Turkey roast or tofu stir fry, mashed potatoes, corn, cornbread dressing, turkey gravy, dinner rolls, pie or cranberry sauce

Weinstein at New York's Wende Correctional Facility:

  • Roast turkey with gravy, bread dressing, whipped potatoes, steamed carrots, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls and margarine, ice cream sundae

Shmurda at NY's Clinton Correctional Facility:

  • Same menu as Weinstein

Cosby at Pennsylvania's SCI Phoenix:

  • Roast turkey or garden burger, whipped potatoes, bread stuffing, green peas, gravy, dinner rolls, margarine, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie

Is it just us, or is Lori getting the bigger wishbone?

Guess Who This Sleeping Star Turned Into!

Before this sleeping beauty was casting spells in one of the largest film franchises in history, she was just another tired tot catching up on some rest in Paris, France.

This snoozing sweetheart received her debut role as a bookworm in a world filled with magic and wizards at the young age of 10. After numerous sequels and a starring role in a princess remake, she is now one of Hollywood's most popular actresses.

Try not to fill up too much on turkey this Thanksgiving ... or you'll be fast asleep just like this little woman!

Can you guess who she is?

A$AP Rocky Delivers 120 Meals to Families In Need ... At NY Shelter Where He & Mom Once Lived

A$AP Rocky's not one to forget where he came from ... which is why he personally delivered 120 meals to families at a homeless shelter where he and his mom once used to live.

The rapper personally turned himself into a Postmates delivery guy on the eve of Thanksgiving Day to deliver 120 hot meals from one of his favorite joints in Harlem ... Amy Ruth's Restaurant.

The two-time Grammy-nominated rapper delivered the grub to the Regent Family Residence ... a homeless shelter on the upper west side serving 83 families, including 111 kids. The org's part of the Volunteers of America - Greater New York ... which has provided affordable housing assistance since 1896.

Don't worry ... Rocky adhered to all COVID-19 safety protocols to contactlessly deliver the meals. This selfless act for this shelter, no doubt, tugged at the rapper's heartstrings ... he and his mother, Renee Black, stayed at the shelter back in the early 2000s.

We're told the fact Rocky and his mother benefited from the shelter's lifesaving services was a huge reason why he wanted to take part and give back to the place that provided them a temporary home when they needed it the most. The gesture was particularly meaningful during this time ... as families struggle amid a pandemic to meet their most basic needs.

Adrian Peterson COVID Season Has Extended My Career ... Might Play 'Til 40 Now!!!

KEEPIN' OUR HEADS UP
TMZSports.com

Perhaps the lone bright spot of the coronavirus pandemic??? IT POSSIBLY MEANS MORE ADRIAN PETERSON, BABY!!!

The NFL superstar tells TMZ Sports, with teams not having preseason games and not practicing nearly as much due to COVID-19 protocols ... he believes his career has been extended.

In fact, Peterson says the lack of wear and tear put on his legs this season might allow him to play until he's 40 now!!!

"It actually took a lot off the body," the Detroit Lions running back said of the NFL's schedule this year. "Because we really didn't have a real training camp or OTAs or minicamp or anything like that."

"So, in hindsight, it really kind of allowed me to be a lot fresher."

Peterson -- who had told us back in June he was aiming to play 4 more years -- added, "Maybe it's five years now!"

The 35-year-old is still going strong regardless of the unique schedule ... he's rushed for 389 yards and 2 TDs this season -- and he's been solid every time the Lions have called his number.

And, Adrian's hoping that continues on Thanksgiving against the Houston Texans ... especially because he's doing some really cool charity work for the holiday.

Peterson tells us he and his foundation have partnered with The Athletes’ Corner to donate 100,000 meals to a local food bank in Detroit to help those in need.

HELP IS ON THE WAY
TMZSports.com

To raise awareness for the situation, Peterson says he's going to be rockin' some custom kicks for the Turkey Day game against the Texans -- and check the spikes out ... they're AWESOME!!!

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