Celebrity Scramble Guess Who!

Hidden within this stretched out snap is a musical man who started his career on Broadway.

This talented star got his start in the musical "Rent" and later went on to land his career-defining role as Aaron Burr in the award-winning musical "Hamilton."

This famous face went on to win a Tony Award for his performance in "Hamilton," as well as winning a Grammy for best musical theater album, alongside his cast.

Take a really good look at the funky photo and use the clues above to see if you can figure out which celeb has been hiding in this warped photo!

Adrian Peterson I'm Helping Odell & Saquon With Knee Injuries ... Joe Burrow Next

AN UNFORTUNATE SITUATION
TMZSports.com

Very cool gesture from Adrian Peterson ... the NFL superstar says he's helping injured guys like Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley with their rehabs -- and he's got plans to assist Joe Burrow soon too.

The future Hall of Famer tells TMZ Sports ... after he went through a devastating knee injury in 2011 and recovered spectacularly, he's doing all he can to impart wisdom on others so they can follow down the same path.

The 35-year-old says he's already been in touch with Saquon and Odell after they suffered their respective knee tears ... and he's reaching out to Burrow soon too after the Bengals QB ripped up his knee Sunday.

And, Peterson says he's hoping his words and his story really make an impact on the guys.

"To be that poster child for [ACL recovery] is what I envisioned," Peterson said. "Because now people, they look at it, and they say, 'You know what? I can do that. I'll be able to come back.'" Adrian had an MVP season when he came back.

Peterson says part of his advice to the guys includes handing over some of his old rehab routines, workouts and milestones so they can follow along during their journeys.

The rest, Peterson tells us, is all about convincing the guys to have a positive mindset amid the adversity.

"I've always had the mindset of not allowing the world to box you in -- not allowing what other ones might see as hard or impossible," Peterson said. "Don't let that box you in where you can't open your mind to realize that we are incredible human beings that God has possessed with the ability to do some amazing things if we are able to allow our minds to go outside the box and do the impossible."

Herman Cain Assistant Battles His Widow ... He Promised Me Gold Bars!!!

Herman Cain's widow has a fight on her hands with her late husband's assistant ... who claims Herman promised her a severance package ... and had gold and cash stashed to cover it.

Lisa Reichert -- who says she was Herman's executive assistant for 9 years until his death -- filed docs in Henry County, Georgia opposing Gloria Cain's attempt to serve as administrator to Herman's estate.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Lisa claims Gloria grossly understated Herman's assets and failed to list gold coins and bars she claims were stored in Herman's safe deposit box, along with other cash.

So, why does she care? Well, Lisa claims the estate failed to acknowledge her severance claim, which she says Herman repeatedly promised to pay her when he was alive. Lisa fears if Gloria's appointed administrator of the estate she'll distribute the $482k in assets she listed without setting aside enough to cover her claim against the estate.

Lisa wants a court-appointed neutral administrator instead of Gloria to handle the estate.

As we reported, Herman died from COVID-19 on July 30, not long after he attended President Trump's Tulsa rally ... where he, and almost everyone else, was not wearing a mask.

Vikings' Justin Jefferson Cops Insane Diamond Jet Pendant ... Amid Breakout Season

DIAMONDS ON MY JET
@Leofrost

How's Justin Jefferson rewarding himself for ballin' the hell out during his rookie season?!

BLING, BABY!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the Minnesota Vikings star receiver just copped a new diamond chain featuring a jet pendant ... and it's AWESOME!!!

We're told the wideout hit up Leo Frost in Houston a few weeks ago to get the ice made ... and the famed jeweler sure as hell delivered.

LOOKIN' FLY
@Leofrost

The jet -- an obvious nod to Justin's "Jet" nickname -- is iced out ... while the chain features stars on the links.

All told, the piece is 14k gold with 37 carats of VVS diamonds!!

No word on what JJ paid for the drip ... but don't worry -- dude can afford it, he signed a 4-year, $13 MILLION deal this year!!

Yup, it's great to be rich AND a baller!

Megan Fox Good Genes or Good Docs?!

Megan Fox's good looks deserve to be put on display!

Here is a 17-year-old version of the "Transformers" star at a movie premiere in Los Angeles back in 2003 (left) just one year before she landed the role of Carla in "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen".

And, 17 years later ... The mother of three was seen lighting up the stage at an award show this past week in Los Angeles (right). Megan has gone on to star in a number of films including "Jennifer's Body", "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", and "This Is 40."

Foxy lady.

The question is ...

Megan Fox ...

Hermosa Beach MAGA Caravan 2 Trumper Vehicles Involved in Crash ... Civilian Car Flips Over!!!

Road rage
TMZ.com

A road rage incident that involved two vehicles decked out in MAGA gear and a third civilian car sent the latter toppling over after it lost control and crashed ... and the video is insane.

TMZ has obtained footage of the scary wreck that went down late Saturday afternoon in Hermosa Beach, CA -- which is thought of to be a pretty liberal part of town. Welp, for some reason ... there were two drivers who wanted to put on a mini caravan down the narrow beachside streets ... with Trump flags waving high and proud.

Eyewitnesses tell us while they were stopped at an intersection -- with both cars taking up the two lanes on the one-way road -- a third car (possibly a Mustang) pulled up behind them and that driver started jawboning at the MAGA convertible.

You even see the guy get out of his car for a bit and cuss out the MAGA convertible driver. He eventually got back in his car ... and drivers of the three cars gunned it, almost like they were racing each other.

The convertible went up ahead, and it was just the Mustang and the MAGA Jeep next to each other for a second -- all of a sudden, you see the Mustang lose control and clip a long row of parked cars on its left-hand side ... and then completely flip over. It's terrifying -- and you can tell in how bystanders reacted.

Cops responded quickly -- but even before that, eyewitnesses claim people standing by and watching jumped into action ... because there was supposedly a baby onboard. We're told one of the MAGA vehicles -- the convertible -- appeared to have fled the scene, while the Jeep stayed behind ... because it too was damaged.

We got a call in to Hermosa Beach PD to see how the crash victims are doing, and if there's any truth to the other vehicle fleeing or not ... so far, no word back.

Lil Wayne Out of Tyson/Jones Performance Snoop Dogg Tapped Instead

UPDATE

4:18 PM PT -- It's been confirmed -- sources tell us Snoop D-O-G-G is officially IN to perform at the Tyson/Jones Jr. fight, which will be a huge assist after Weezy stepped out so suddenly. Talk about eleventh hour drama, huh?!?

UPDATE

4:00 PM PT -- Lil Wayne has spoken out on his absence from the Tyson/Jones Jr. fight -- but hasn't explained exactly what caused him to bail other than to say it was unavoidable.

UPDATE

He writes, "Due to unforeseeable circumstances I won’t be performing tonight at the Tyson/Jones fight. Hope the event is still a success and much love to Triller. Love"

Lil Wayne will NOT be performing at the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. fight after all -- even though he signed a contract saying he would ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us ... organizers for the mega event this weekend had a flight booked for Weezy so he could take the stage Saturday ahead of the fight set to go down at Staples Center in L.A. in just a few hours. We're told LW simply never got on the plane.

Sounds like it was a last-minute cancelation -- we're working on getting more info about why that happened, but in any case ... it's a no-show for Wayne, and our sources say folks at Triller are working on adding another big name to the lineup.

So far, rapper SAINt JHN has stepped in and signed on to perform at the fight. We're told there's a real possibility Snoop Dogg could get on the mic, too. He's an investor at Triller, so it's feasible he'd do that.

NOVEMBER 2020
SO IT BEGINS
TMZSports.com

Even with Weezy out, there's a stellar entertainment lineup -- featuring performances from stars like Ne-Yo, Wiz Khalifa, French Montana and YG.

Plus, THE FIGHTS! Both Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. have said they're gunning for knockouts -- and they looked in incredible shape during Friday's weigh-in.

Plus, the undercard features Jake Paul vs. ex-NBA star Nate Robinson -- and those dudes HATE each other. Should be a good scrap.

As for Wayne, it's strange that he wouldn't follow through if it wasn't an emergency -- the dude was literally plugging his involvement in the fight just on Friday night (on the heels of him dropping his 'No Ceilings 3' mixtape, to much fanfare).

We've reached out to Wayne's camp as well for an explanation and to make sure everything's okay ... so far, no word back.

Originally Published -- 2:48 PM PT

'Saved by the Bell' Reboot Selena Gomez Kidney Jokes Fly ... Fans Are Infuriated

UPDATE

2:32 PM PT -- Peacock has apologized for their Selena jokes, saying ... "We apologize. It was never our intention to make light of Selena's health." They added, "We have been in touch with her team and will be making a donation to her charity, The Selena Gomez Fund for Lupus Research at USC."

UPDATE

Selena has yet to speak on the controversy.

Selena Gomez was the butt of a couple of jokes on the 'Saved By The Bell' reboot that many consider in bad taste -- and which even more are raging over.

Mega fans of the pop star found two references to Selena's 2017 kidney transplant in the new Peacock series that just dropped in full this past Wednesday ... and then made "RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ" trend online Saturday as a result of their fury.

The first scene features one of the new characters roaming the hallways of the high school and passing 2 classmates discussing Selena's kidney transplant in an incredibly cavalier manner ... with one girl insisting Justin Bieber's mom was the real donor, while the other girl refutes that by saying it was actually Demi Lovato.

A Selena fan account responded by saying, "Saved by the Bell, that's disgusting. Selena almost lost her life, jokes about her kidney transplant is NOT FUNNY. Respect Selena Gomez." The second Selena dig is more subtle.

There's another scene where a football player is talking to a girl, and right behind him ... there's graffiti or paint on the wall that reads in big bold lettering, "DOES SELENA GOMEZ EVEN HAVE KIDNEYS?" The eagle-eyed fan who spotted this one noted the joke wasn't funny -- and went so far as to call it disgusting.

Here's what we'll say ... the Selena cracks are weird, and definitely cringe-worthy. Also, they're super dated. Selena had her procedure done three full years ago ... so bringing it up as a running gag in 2020 is tired, especially when everyone knows her friend, Francia Raisa, was the true donor ... which was well-documented.

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More importantly, her fans are right here ... Selena's kidney transplant was, in fact, a matter of life or death -- and something that probably shouldn't be joked about, especially on a new streaming service from a major network.

Peacock hasn't addressed the backlash just yet, and neither has Selena. Stay tuned ...

Originally Published -- 2:14 PM PT

Kevin Hart's 'Hoe' Daughter Joke Clubhouse Chat Was Chill ... This Wasn't About 'Black Women'

JOKES ARE JOKES

Kevin Hart's personal appearance in a mass public convo about his new Netflix special has received all types of interpretations -- but one that Kevin himself says isn't true is that the chat was in any way about Black women or belittling them.

The comedian hopped on Instagram to address the scrutiny and backlash he's received for joining a live Clubhouse chat room earlier this week titled "Is Kevin Hart funny??" and engaging with dozens of real people on the subject.

The reason the group was started in the first place is because of Kevin's new comedy special, "Zero F***s Given," in which at one point he jokes about his 15-year-old daughter, saying he's already seeing "hoe activity" from her.

Of course, Kevin referring to his daughter as a hoe -- even jokingly -- raised eyebrows, and folks on Clubhouse decided to have an honest dialogue about whether he was promoting, wittingly or unwittingly, the degradation of Black women by evoking a trope about none other than his own kid, who's still a minor.

Welp, Kevin caught wind of the Clubhouse chat room and joined himself -- and part of that conversation was captured by a third party and posted online. It looks like this thing went at least 15 minutes, if not more, and there's a lot of voices in the room ... sometimes all talking at once or over one another at various points.

There were lots of topics covered, but one that kept getting revisited -- and which was later dissected on Twitter as well -- was the idea that Kevin's male fans have a tendency to shut down, write off and silence Black women who criticize Kevin whatsoever ... which they felt was part of a toxic culture he perpetuates.

Fast-forward to Kevin's response ... and it's pretty clear he saw it as a constructive conversation with actual people who had different viewpoints on him and his comedy. He insists the narrative that the whole Clubhouse chat was aimed at Black women or meant to pit him against Black women is completely false.

You can listen to the conversation for yourself and decide what's what, but it seems like Kevin liked talking it out with people ... but just didn't enjoy the analysis that followed -- much of which was critical of him and his supporters.

BTW, Kevin also touches on why he got in on the Clubhouse chat to begin with, and says the pandemic has forced his hand in getting creative for marketing and promotion. We're all evolving, aren't we?

Vanderbilt Commodores Sarah Fuller 1st Female ... To Play in Power 5 Football Game

The Vanderbilt University football team made history this weekend by enlisting the athletic prowess of one its star soccer players for their own sport ... and this time it's not a man.

Sarah Fuller took the field Saturday in Vandy's NCAA match against the Missouri Tigers -- where she suited up and kicked off to the opposing team in the second half ... and etching her name in the record books while doing so.

She delivered an effective onside kick to the Tigers, and then jogged off the field to lots of applause. Her play marks the first time a female has played in a Power 5 college football game ... which is a huge deal. The first woman to play the game ever at the college level was Liz Heaston in 1997 ... but that wasn't NCAA.

In 2001, Ashley Martin did the honors there ... but as far as Power 5 (the most competitive tier of collegiate football), Sarah is the first to ever do it -- an historic feat.

Now, as for how this came to be ... word is a few players on Vanderbilt's squad -- including some kickers -- are out right now due to COVID-19, so they were in need of some emergency reinforcements from other athletic departments on campus.

Sarah's actually the goalkeeper for Vanderbilt's women's soccer team, which just won the SEC championship. The Vanderbilt football coach reportedly was considering different options amid his team being down a handful of guys, and thought of Sarah because of how good she was with the soccer ball. One thing led to another, and they had her practice with a football. Obviously, she was a fit.

Some folks -- including certain media personalities -- criticized the move and questioned Vandy's motives for recruiting a female soccer player instead of a guy ... wondering if it was all for publicity and more for PR than actual merit.

Of course, those people are getting dragged through the coals, with many replying ... is it possible that she was the most qualified to play in this spot? Yes, yes it is.

Tristan Thompson I Just Became a U.S. Citizen!!!

Tristan Thompson is all about changes these days ... and he's just changed his citizenship to the U.S. of A.

Tristan was sworn in as an American citizen earlier this week ... shortly after deciding to join the Boston Celtics.

Tristan was a Canadian citizen and came to the United States to study at the Univ. of Texas back in 2009. He was only there a year, before joining the NBA draft.

Tristan says, “I came to the U.S. on a student visa and have always had big dreams. I’m now truly living the American dream.”

Dude's got a lot to celebrate. The Boston deal's netting him $19 mil over 2 years.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

The athlete’s U.S. citizenship comes after news broke on November 21 that he reached a two-year, $19 million deal with the Boston Celtics as its new center.

Thompson began his professional basketball career in 2011 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he played for nine seasons.

On the home front, Khloe says she and 2-year-old True are staying put in L.A. ... she just bought a new home right next to her mom. Presumably, there will be lots of commuting.

Khloe and Tristan got back together during the pandemic, and from all accounts, they're going strong.

Congrats Tristan!!!

Police Misconduct Cops Attack, Slug Man Videotaping Police Stop

UPDATE

9:45 AM PT -- Police Chief Richard Sanders tells TMZ, his Dept. is conducting an internal affairs investigation into the incident, and the officer involved in the incident has been placed on administrative leave pending the results. The Chief would not comment on the words the officer used to allegedly say he was suspected to be the getaway driver -- as you hear in the video, the cop tells Bennett he was "involved" but doesn't say involved in what. The Chief added, "I don't think he was involved [in bank fraud] but that's what I'm trying to find out."

A man who was videotaping cops who stopped a black driver was ordered to stop taping, and it ended with the guy getting assaulted.

Waiting for your permission to load the Facebook Video.

Joe Bennett was driving home in Jeffersontown, Kentucky when he saw a number of police cars swarm a car. Bennett decided to live stream the stop on Facebook ... as he said, he was doing his "due diligence as a citizen."

Joe is at least 50 feet away, and maybe further, saying "I just wanted to observe, so I tried to give them distance."

He actually says the video is "the most boring live video ever," when at the 3-minute mark a cop walks ominously toward Bennett and orders him to stop filming, coming up with an excuse that it's a crime scene investigation -- as if that's a justification.

Bennett refuses to stop, so the cop asks for his ID. Now, technically, if a cop asks for ID -- even if the request violates the law -- you're supposed to comply, but Bennett says he did nothing wrong so he refuses. That's when the cop attacks, grabbing for Bennett's phone and slugging him.

A police official told Spectrum 1, "Officers were in the area investigating and making arrests related to a check fraud scheme thwarted at the Citizens Union Bank across the street from the McDonalds." What's unclear ... cops reportedly say a suspect claimed Bennett was the driver in the check fraud scheme. You do hear the cop say, "you are involved," but Joe tells us he was never told he was being accused of a check fraud scheme.  "You're involved" could mean he's involved because he's videotaped the stop.

Joe tells TMZ the citation says, "Officers were investigating a case where fraudulent checks were being cashed at a local bank. Officers were informed that there was a gray Jeep involved. Officers were told that the gray Jeep was picking up offenders after they attempted to cash the fraudulent check. This officer was informed that the above subject [Joe Bennett] at which time was standing on the side of his vehicle was the driver of the gray Jeep. Officer approached the subject and asked him for identification. Subject refused. Officer told the subject he was named in the investigation and the subject still refused to identify himself. Officer attempted to put handcuffs on the subject before things escalated. Subject tensed up and started to pull away. Officer delivered one empty strike to the subject and took the subject to the ground."

Bennett says he was cited for resisting arrest and menacing. Bennett tells TMZ officers cleared him at the scene in the check fraud scheme.

We reached out to the police department ... so far, no word back.

Originally Published -- 6:01 AM PT

Demi Lovato's Ex-Fiance Max Ehrich Hits the Beach with New GF

Demi Lovato's heartsick ex-fiance has found love again -- or maybe it's just a rebound -- but he's definitely trying to make it look like he's moved on.

Max Ehrich hit the beach with blazing hot Mariah Angeliq. They took a sunset stroll at the South Pointe Park Pier Friday in Miami Beach and looked, well, cozy. They were there with singer Lele Pons.

Last we saw Max, he was fretting in the sands of Malibu, appearing crestfallen in the wake of his breakup with Demi ... a breakup which he claims he only became aware of through tabloids, although she strongly denies it. Max, like Trump, seemed to have trouble letting go.

MOVIN' ON

Demi seemed super annoyed by Max's post-breakup antics, and even leaked a song about their breakup.

We're guessing Demi's feeling relieved.

Kim Kardashian Death Row Visit Brings Big Boost For Julius Jones' Family, Supporters

Kim Kardashian's visit with an inmate on death row in Oklahoma is being hailed as a big morale boost for the folks already fighting for Julius Jones' freedom.

Kim brought a lot of extra attention to Julius' case when she met with him face-to-face in Oklahoma City ... and we're told it's got his family excited and supporters energized.

Folks at the "Justice for Julius" campaign tell us their website has seen a tenfold traffic increase, and thousands of emails from all over the world are flowing into the site and into the inbox at the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, urging a commutation of his sentence.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Jones, a Black man, was only 19 when he was arrested for the shooting death of a 45-year-old white man named Paul Howell back in 1999. Jones was convicted of 1st-degree murder in 2002 and sentenced to death, but lots of folks say the case was racially charged with little evidence tying him to the scene. Julius claims he was framed and it was racial.

Julius filed a clemency petition last year and is waiting on the parole board to recommend his sentence be commuted ... a final decision is in the hands of Governor Kevin Stitt.

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We're told since Kim's visit Cleveland Browns quarterback, Baker Mayfield, who's been wearing Julius' name on the back of his helmet all season and has been wearing custom cleats with Julius' face on it, is fully on board the Julius team.

But, more than anything, we're told Kim's visit brought renewed hope and energy to the folks on the ground in Oklahoma who have been working tirelessly on the case.

Julius' sister, Antoinette Jones, tells TMZ ... Kim provided the family with a sense of optimism moving forward, making good on her word to fight for Julius. Antoinette says Kim's drive reminds her of Robert Kardashian Sr.

It's pretty heartbreaking ... Julius' sister says he told Kim he's still broken up about not being able to take her to junior and senior prom because he was locked up, and he told Kim he wants to make it up to his sister. She says Kim feels that's another reason why Kim wants to fight for his freedom.

Not everyone is feeling great about Kim's visit though.

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter called her out for advocating for Jones, claiming "every criticism surrounding his case has been disproven" and railing against "celebrity endorsements."

Nevertheless ... Kim's making an impact on Julius' case one way or another.

Drake and Adonis Picture Perfect!!!

Drake is in love ... and it shows.

Drizzy posted this super sweet pic of him, asleep on the shoulder of his son, 3-year-old Adonis, and it kinda melts your heart.

Adonis lives with his mom, Sophie Brussaux, but Drake definitely spends time with his son. When Adonis turned 3 last month, Drake celebrated with him at his Toronto estate. He and Adonis are partying hard, around a swarm of white, black and silver balloons.

Drake was initially coy about his parental status with Adonis, but he officially disclosed their relationship on his 2018 album, "Scorpion."

It's nice to see something this chill and sweet during some pretty awful times ... don't you think?

Nelly 'DWTS' Shoes Go To The Teen Project Expected to Raise $50k!!!

Nelly's custom-made dance shoes were all the rage on this season of "Dancing with the Stars," and now they're going to a great cause -- helping young women who are survivors of human trafficking.

As we told you ... the rapper wowed 'DWTS' fans and the judges with his slick moves and his hip hop-inspired footwear, but now that the dancing competition's wrapped up, he's sending his shoes to The Teen Project to be auctioned off.

Our sources say Yung Swivel's donating at least 10 pairs to the organization -- which also aids young women who've suffered trauma and homelessness -- and his entire collection is expected to fetch $50,000 ... if not more.

Nelly's been a major advocate of The Teen Project over the last few months, helping the org raise $820k overall in 2020 ... which is about $300k more than last year.

The rapper's been working to raise funds for Vera's Sanctuary, a rehab facility operated by The Teen Project for victims of sex trafficking. Our sources say the money raised by Nelly has already been used to send women who've been through Vera's to college.

Along with the $50k Nelly's 'DWTS' shoes are expected to haul in at the upcoming auction, we're told the organization anticipates an additional $30k in donations to come in this week from Nelly's efforts.

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