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Michael Che made a bad call when he did a "homegrrl" sketch on his HBO Max show, because he jacked it from a TikToker's "HomeGirl Hotline" bit ... or so she claims in a new lawsuit.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... Kelly Manno says she's a popular TikTok creator who came up with the fictional idea of a service where "people unable to cope with certain social situations can call a hotline and order a 'home girl'" to help 'em out.

Manno says she created and posted a video of her bit in August 2020, and it racked up a couple hundred thousand views on TikTok ... while a second one in September 2020 got more than half a million views.

Fast-forward to April 2021 and the release of "That Damn Michael Che" on HBO Max ... Manno claims the sixth episode of the comedy series included 4 segments about a fictional service where people order a "homegrrl" to show up where they are and help them out of uncomfortable situations.

According to the suit ... Manno says each segment ended with a character saying a variation of "Thank you, homegrrl" ... which she claims infringes on her copyright that includes the phrase "Thank you, HomeGirl Hotline!"

Manno alleges this is willful copyright infringement, and she wants maximum damages and an order blocking Che and HBO Max from using it.

Norm Macdonald -- a veteran comedian, actor, writer and producer famous for 'SNL' and more -- has died.

According to his team, Macdonald passed away Tuesday after a multi-year, private battle with cancer that he kept hidden from the public, fighting the disease behind the scenes for nine years.

His longtime producing partner, Lori Jo Hoekstra, says ... "He was most proud of his comedy. He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him. Norm was a pure comic. He once wrote that ‘a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.’ He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly."

The revelation is absolutely stunning ... as Macdonald was a household name in comedy, and has been for decades. He's perhaps most famous for being one of the OG 'Weekend Update' co-hosts on 'Saturday Night Live' -- among many other TV shows and movies over the years.

He starred on 'SNL' from '93 to '98 ... what many consider the glory years of the sketch comedy series. Like many other comedians, 'Saturday' gave Norm his jumpstart -- and his career only skyrocketed from there.

Norm went on to star in (and make a number of memorable cameos) in famous flicks like 'Billy Madison,' 'Dirty Work,' 'Dr. Doolittle,' 'Screwed,' 'Deuce Bigalow,' 'Man on the Moon' ... and several other Sandler flicks. He also had his own sitcom, "Norm" ... plus his own talk show at varying points. Speaking of late-night, Norm was a regular guest for David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Larry King, Jay Leno, Howard Stern ... and many other iconic hosts.

His TV resume is just as impressive -- he starred in (and wrote for) 'Roseanne,' 'My Name is Earl,' 'The Drew Carey Show,' 'Family Guy,' 'The Fairly Odd Parents,' 'The Orville,' 'The Middle,' 'Sunnyside,' 'A Minute with Stan Hooper,' and many, many others.

Norm was infamous for his edgy humor -- which, of late, was clashing with modern-day sentiments ... including PC/cancel culture. In fact, the last time we saw him -- just a few years ago -- he was telling us that he couldn't really be funny anymore because of political correctness.

Keep in mind, Norm famously claimed NBC exec Don Ohlmeyer got him yanked him off 'Weekend Update' in 1997 because he kept slamming Ohlmeyer's pal O.J. Simpson with jokes about the double murders.

The guy was still hitting stages even in the past year ... he was doing standup at the Improv, talking coronavirus -- and despite him battling cancer right then and there, he still looked sharp ... maintaining the same witty humor he'd always had.

Norm is survived by his son, Dylan. He was just 61.

Aaron Rodgers says one of the interceptions he threw against the Saints on Sunday was NOT his fault ... explaining the miscue was all entirely due to two New Orleans players hitting him in the groin during the play.

Seriously.

The Green Bay Packers star made the claim on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday ... saying two defenders careening on his family jewels just before he threw a third-quarter pass caused him to toss the ball to the opposite team.

"I don't like to make a lot of excuses for interceptions," Rodgers said. "There's some s*** ones. There's some ones you wish you had back. And, there's some ones that really aren't your fault."

Rodgers continued, "That one was entirely due to the double nut shot I took."

In video of the play, you can see what Rodgers is talking about ... 'cause just before he released his pass, two defenders' arms do appear to hit him just below the belt.

"Right before I'm throwing it I took a left kind of closeline," Rodgers said, adding, "and somebody on the right with a right kind of cross -- double nut shot."

Rodgers called it "painful" -- "they got their money's worth on that one," the reigning NFL MVP said -- but he joked he's "got to overcome that and throw a better ball in that situation."

Good to see Rodgers can laugh about it all now ... especially considering he and the Pack ultimately got obliterated, 38-3, in the season opener.

A crew member working on the set of an upcoming Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg Netflix film suffered a horrific fall, with injuries so serious, paramedics were forced to use a defibrillator to get a heartbeat back.

LAFD sources tell TMZ, paramedics got a call for a "long fall" at Sunset Gower Studios just after 7 AM. A fire dept. source told us, a 38-year-old male fell from a catwalk about 60-80 feet in the air and did not appear to have been wearing a safety device ... he had fractures to his legs and arms. A production source says the fall was around 30 feet.

Our fire dept. sources say when paramedics arrived, the man didn't have a pulse and on-set medical workers were performing CPR. LAFD first responders used a defibrillator multiple times to get a heartbeat. A fire dept. official tells TMZ, when they arrived his condition was "grave" but after they got a heartbeat it was upgraded to "critical."

The patient was rushed to a nearby hospital, and a production source tells us at the time of this post, the person is being treated. We do not know his current condition.

The circumstances leading up to the accident are unclear. We do know the crew member was working on the production of the movie, "Me Time."

We've reached out to Sunset Gower Studios for comment ... so far, no word back.

Conor McGregor and MGK have no bad blood, according to The Notorious himself who says not only do the guys NOT have beef ... but the rock star is invited to his next UFC fight.

The 33-year-old UFC superstar was leaving his hotel in NYC ... when he was asked about the incident with Machine Gun Kelly at the MTV VMA's Sunday night in Brooklyn.

"I got to go to the Barclays Center again. I got to present an award. I was just going to have a good time, you know what I mean? That's it. All love, all love! It's all good," Conor told Adam Glyn.

That's when McGregor extended the invitation, saying ... "Come to the next fight and watch me perform any time. I perform, no problem. Everyone's more than welcome to come to my fights or come to the shows. No beef. I don't even know the guy."

Of course, Conor and MGK nearly came to blows on the red carpet of the award show ... with McGregor lunging at the musician and splashing a drink before being restrained by security.

Peace was eventually restored ... and McGregor presented an award to Justin Bieber at the show. MGK performed with Travis Barker.

But, the question still remains ... why the hell were they fighting?

Conor clearly didn't want to get into it ... but did drop this line before shifting topics.

"I don't know [MGK]. Who is he? Tellin' me he's been at the fights, Megan's been at the fights years, so I know Megan and then I don't know the guy. There's no problem. Come to the fights."

A dig? Possibly. Or, maybe he just ain't a fan of Kelz.

Conor also gave a health update (it's only been 66 days since he broke his leg) and it's going to be music to the ears of McGregor fans.

"I honestly feel like I could kick right now, but I just gotta listen to to the doctors, listen to the people that are guiding me. That's what I've done so far. I've committed myself to the work, and I'm back on the feet."

Nicki Minaj is fiercely defending herself after letting it be known she won't be getting the COVID-19 vaccine until she's done enough research.

Nicki responded to tweets practically all of Monday night after she'd posted an explanation for her absence from the Met Gala, which required all guests to be vaccinated. She declared, if she gets vaccinated "it won't [be] for the Met. It'll be once I feel I've done enough research. I'm working on that now."

Then, about 20 minutes later, she dropped the tweet that still has social media fired up today. Nicki said her cousin in Trinidad won't get the vaccine cuz "his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen." She added that "his friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied."

Nicki isn't pleased that anecdote is the one grabbing headlines. She's pointing out her critics are purposely ignoring her prior tweets encouraging people to get vaccinated, wear masks and be safe.

She also shared a screenshot of news headlines and called them all lies. Nicki wrote, "3 lies in a row from huge news platforms. I cited my young child as why I didn’t want to travel. But notice how NONE of them mentioned that? Ask yourself why that was."

Nicki also shared that she came down with COVID while preparing for this year's VMAs ... and she feared passing it to her son, who was born last September.

She tweeted, "Do u know what it is not to be able to kiss or hold your tiny baby for over a week? A baby who is only used to his mama?"

Apparently, Nicki's now satisfied with her research -- she relented she will eventually get the vaccine, because she'll have to travel and go on tour.

The Met Gala's the time of the year when celebrities dress up like royalty and whisk past their subjects to party the night together in elite fashion ... and this year did not disappoint.

Kim Kardashian showed up to the Balenciaga bash in a superhero-looking outfit Monday night at Cathedrale Restaurant in NYC. It's a Balenciaga getup that seems inspired by Kanye. We got her stepping out of her SUV looking like the lead in Marvel's next blockbuster.

Justin and Hailey Bieber followed. The Biebs is the poster boy for Balenciaga, so it kinda makes sense he hosted the party.

Machine Gun Kelly showed up in a black jacket with roses on his shoulders, and GF Megan Fox looked her typical amazing self in a red dress.

Linda O'Leary -- wife of "Shark Tank" star Kevin O'Leary -- has been found not guilty in her criminal trial for a 2019 fatal boat crash on a Canadian lake.

As we reported ... Linda had been charged with careless operation of a vessel, and was accused of drinking alcohol before the boat she was driving struck another, killing 2 passengers.

The verdict was just read in court -- not guilty -- and the judge rejected any suggestion O’Leary was impaired by alcohol at the time of the boat crash ... concluding that alcohol played no part in the accident.

An acquittal will be entered in the case, and Linda's off the hook for any criminal charges.

However, the O'Learys are still facing a wrongful death suit for the fatal crash. They were sued in late 2019 by the family of one of the victims, alleging Kevin and Linda were incapable of safely operating the boat because their judgment was impaired by alcohol, drugs or fatigue.

An Esports star celebrated a tournament win so hard this weekend ... he popped his shoulder right out of its socket -- and video from the scene is absolutely wild!!

The gamer's name is CakeAssault -- and after he earned a victory in a massive "Rivals of Aether" tourney in Sandusky, Ohio on Sunday ... he went ballistic.

You can see in footage from the event ... CakeAssault jumped up from his chair and flailed his arms so hectically, his shoulder separated itself from his torso.

The guy immediately crumpled to the ground in pain while holding the injured arm ... but then he got up and celebrated some more!!!

Afterward, he posted on Twitter that the wound was feeling "mostly" okay.

"i fell on the ground during that popoff cuz i dislocated my shoulder," he added. "lmao"

Of course, the injury could be seen as a small price to pay for the dub ... 'cause the Riptide event win now gives CakeAssault the ability to make an argument that he's officially the best "Rivals of Aether" player on the planet.

Kid Cudi boldly went where no man has gone before at the 2021 Met Gala ... with damn near a couple million in bling hanging from his neck!!!

The "Man On the Moon" artist was decked out in a vibrant Louis Vitton getup for the event, but the centerpiece of the look was his not-so-little man on the moon ... an opulent, one-of-a-kind piece designed by Ben Baller and KAWS.

We're told the chain and pendant -- museum quality diamond work titled "SPACE" -- is a whopping $1,600,000 piece ... featuring more than 24,000 clarity E color diamonds, and more than a kilo in 18k rose gold.

The celeb jeweler says, "This is the most detailed and intricate piece of jewelry I’ve ever created in my entire career," adding that he had to shut down his entire factory for 3 months to focus on completing it.

The piece is a miniature take on Kaws' famous "Holiday Space" astronaut figure, and Baller says the pendant's backpack has a secret compartment where Cudi can keep weed -- or other small stuff -- in it.

Billie Eilish had just one condition if she was going to wear an Oscar de la Renta gown to the Met Gala ... the company had to stop selling fur. And, it obliged.

The "Happier Than Ever" singer gave the company a shout-out for the "BEAUTIFUL dress" she wore to Monday's highly-anticipated event in NYC. She particularly thanked ODLR for "bringing my ideas and vision to life."

Those ideas and vision? She wanted the brand to ditch fur -- not just for her gown, but for the whole label. She said, "It was an honor to wear this dress knowing that going forward oscar de la renta will be completely fur-free!!!!"

She added, "I am beyond thrilled that ... the entire team heard me on this issue, and have now made a change that makes an impact for the greater good, not only for animals but also for our planet and environment too. i'm honored to have been a catalyst and to have been heard on this matter."

Billie, who is vegan and an animal rights activist, reportedly had a meeting with the label about all of this and, in the end, the company's chief executive, Alex Bolen, agreed.

It should be noted ... the company hasn't used fur for its runway designs for years but fur products were still available in stores. According to the New York Times, de la Renta's own widow, Annette, has said the practice of selling fur products is "barbaric."

Flavor Flav says Chuck D is actually the one stalling any sort of reunion for Public Enemy -- as Chuck's saying -- but now Flav is laying out a solution to their standoff.

We got him Monday at LAX, and asked for an update on where things stood with his partner in rhyme. Remember, we spoke to Chuck earlier this year, and at the time, he made it seem like FF was blocking the iconic group from rekindling things and touring.

That's not the case at all ... or so claims Flav, who tells us Chuck's the one stonewalling things -- and it sounds like it's all over business, and good old-fashioned dollars and cents.

Watch Flav break down the drama here ... he says there's a partnership agreement he wants CD to sign, but it doesn't seem that's happened yet -- which Flav says is preventing them from working together again. He seems totally transparent about their issues, but Chuck might view this as Flav airing the family biz in public.

Remember, we asked Chuck about this exact issue during a hip-hop celebration in the Bronx (sans Flav) ... and he was pretty vague about what their specific issues were. Flav isn't holding back at all.

Of course, all this drama stems from their years-long falling out -- and Flav's effective firing from the group last year.

Ciara wore something Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber and Grimes couldn't get their hands on for the Met Gala -- a Super Bowl ring, courtesy of Russell Wilson!!

The singer showed up to the big event Monday night channeling her hubby's day job -- decked out in a sparkly green dress resembling Wilson's #3 Seahawks jersey, which was designed by Peter Dundas.

Ciara also held a bedazzled mini football clutch ... just to make sure everyone knew the theme she was going for.

But, to complete the look, Ciara pulled out quite possibly the biggest flex of all-time -- Wilson's Super Bowl XLVIII ring he won in 2014!!!

"My Hubby’s color rush Seahawks jersey transformed into a dress + His Super Bowl XLVIII ring = EVERYTHING!" Ciara posted on Instagram.

So, where was Russ?? The Seattle superstar was busy bro'ing out with Peyton and Eli Manning during their "Monday Night Football" broadcast ... but don't worry, he was sure to shower her with compliments in the comment section.

"My queen. My Everything," Wilson said.

Britney Spears won't be walking down the aisle anytime soon -- but in the meantime, her giant diamond ring is all the rage for others looking to say "I do."

A rep for Forever Diamonds NY -- where Brit's fiance, Sam Asghari, had this puppy commissioned -- tells TMZ ... they received 500 inquiries Sunday following news of the proposal, with 95% of those inquiries being from people looking to purchase a version of the "Britney Ring."

You'll recall ... Forever Diamonds NY said they'd be naming this ring setting after the pop star herself, commemorating the thought they say Sam put in while making the purchase.

Despite everyone clamoring for a Britney ring of their own ... Forever Diamonds says no one will get the exact one she's got on her finger right now -- because that one was specially made for her, and they won't replicate it precisely.

That said, the jeweler tells us they're considering a version of the ring on display at a store they're opening soon -- so customers can see it up close. The fanfare makes sense ... Sam himself just spilled the beans on how unique it actually is, and what he had to do to keep it under wraps for so long.

As for the nuptials... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... BS and SA are in no rush to get hitched. We're told they're going to take their time and enjoy the engagement, and they're not even throwing around the word "wedding" among friends.

What celebs wear is only half the Met Gala game, the other half is how they party -- and Alicia Keys' post-gala event had plenty of that ... with the biggest names.

The singer threw a bash at Casa Cipriani in lower Manhattan late Monday night, and along with performing ... she played host to the likes of Michael Jordan ... who's still so damn popular, he seemed cornered by crowds at times.

Leonardo DiCaprio was in attendance in his going-out baseball cap, and Elon Musk was rocking a white suit to stand out even more.

Zoe Kravitz and Channing Tatum had folks sounding the new couple alert as they hit the dance floor when the DJ dropped "Poison." Vanessa Bryant and her daughter, Natalia, got some dancing in too.

Finally ... we're wondering if Serena Williams ever got on that elevator??? Watch the video, maybe you've got a guess.

As we reported ... a slew of stars put on their most eye-popping and extravagant outfits for the 2021 Met Gala, and did not disappoint as they arrived in style for the first time since 2019.

Of course, the event was canceled last year due to the pandemic. This year, all gala attendees had to be vaccinated.

"Jeopardy!" awkwardly fired up its new season Monday with short-lived host Mike Richards ... and it's evident from watching the clip -- the editors hacked away the opening pleasantries.

You gotta imagine ... when the episode was shot and Richards was expected to begin a long run as Alex Trebek's replacement, he had some words for the audience ... we're guessing something to the effect of, "I'm honored to have this job" ... something like that.

There was no such pronouncement ... Mike got right down to business. There's an odd shot of announcer Johnny Gilbert, and it looks like he was used for the edit ... hacking out any flowery intro that followed.

Before Mike came out, there was a tribute to Alex. His family was on hand as the show unveiled a plaque, dedicating the stage to the longtime, beloved host who passed last year.

As you know for Richards, he lasted a week before giving up the hosting gig in the wake of some old social media posts that didn't sit well with Sony. A short time later he gave up his Executive Producer job as well after the staff groused about him.