Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino Hey Chippendales ... Show Me The Money

IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT ...
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Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino is not willing to dance for Chippendales despite his rock-hard abs and background as a stripper ... Sitch says the male revue can't afford him!!!

We got the "Jersey Shore" star and ex-con in New York City, and our photog asked Mike if he's ever going to follow Vinny Guadagnino's lead and join the famous production in Vegas.

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Easy to see why folks think Situation and Chippendales are a match made in heaven ... the reality star is all about his abs.

There's also some history between the two ... Sitch judged a Chippendales competition back in October, but couldn't be coaxed into taking off his shirt.

WATCH AND LEARN
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And, there's this ... "Jersey Shore" alums have a history of bringing in huge box office numbers at Chippendales. Vinny was such a smashing success last year, they brought him back for an extra 6 weeks.

Situation isn't shutting the door on a potential run at Chippendales ... but he's channeling Cuba Gooding Jr.'s character in "Jerry Maguire" and telling Chippendales to show him the moola.

MMA Star AJ McKee Puts TMZ Staffer In Sick Armbar ... TAP OUT!!!

BAR EXAM
TMZSports.com

WARNING -- DO NOT TRY THIS MOVE ON ANYONE UNLESS YOU'RE A WORLD CLASS FIGHTER!!!

This is A.J. McKee -- one of the hottest young stars in MMA -- and he's REALLY good at submitting people.

So, when he came to the TMZ newsroom the other day, we had him put Lucas in the same crazy armbar he used beat Derek Campos at Bellator 236 in December ... and yea, it was AWESOME!

McKee is undefeated -- 16-0 as a pro -- with the most consecutive wins in Bellator history, including 5 wins by submission (the most in Bellator featherweight history).

Lucas -- who's locked horns with legends like Jon Jones, Brian Ortega, Henry Cejudo, Paige VanZant and Kayla Harrison -- offered himself up as a fight dummy for McKee and learned first hand what it's like to be in his grasp!

As for his fighting future, McKee is currently in the semi-finals of the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix ... where the grand prize is a $1,000,000 check!

SOMETHIN' TO PROVE
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We spoke with McKee about his career goals, dream fight ... and his favorite moments inside the cage.

Dude is an animal!!! And, don't worry, Lucas is fine!

Celebrity Scramble Guess Who!

Hidden within this mind-boggling pic is an Australian actress that has found herself playing roles across all genres. From comedies such as "Neighbors" and "Bridesmaids" to horror films such as "Insidious," this famous face is easily recognizable ... Just maybe not in this hot take.

This celeb currently has several future projects in the works from a new TV series to a couple of films.

Get up close and personal with this snap, use these clues to help you figure out if you've got what it takes to crack the case as to who is hiding within this warped photo!

Boosie Badazz Sorry For Kappa Gear ... But Don't Step To A Gangsta!!!

"I APOLOGIZE"
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Boosie Badazz says he meant no harm when he rocked Kappa Alpha Psi letters at an NBA game ... but he wants angry frat bros to chill out and stop talking gangster.

Boosie's apologizing for his fashion faux pas -- wearing a red sweater emblazoned with the black fraternity's Greek letters -- telling TMZ, he was just thinking about looking fresh, and didn't anticipate igniting a firestorm on social media.

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In case you missed it ... the rapper posted a selfie from his courtside seat at the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks game, and frat bros were quick to rip Boosie for his choice of clothing, calling it offensive and dripping with disrespect.

Boosie says he's got Kappas from all generations coming at him sideways ... but he says the keyboard gangsters need to cool it on the tough talk.

Traditionally, only frat members can don the letters on clothing ... but Boosie thinks it's funny Kappas dance to his biggest hit, so he's extending an olive branch of sorts.

Rich the Kid & NBA YoungBoy Teaming Up for New Album Calls For $weet Matching Bling!!!

Rich the Kid and NBA Youngboy are officially cementing their music collaboration ... with a couple of matching chains that cost the same as a modest home.

The rappers decided that ahead of their highly-anticipated project together they'd celebrate joining forces by flossing new bling. The flashy pieces are a mix of the rappers' logos -- YB's "Never Broke Again" tagline is replaced with Kid's music label, "Rich Forever."

There's also Rich's trademark money bag being gripped tight by two gloves ... which is seamlessly centered on the pendant. The bling features emerald cuts, 25 carats VVS diamonds.

The price ain't for the faint of heart -- a cool $180k.

This isn't the first time the duo's worked together. Rich dropped "For Keeps" last year featuring NBA YoungBoy.

That track blew up, big time. In fact, the music video alone racked up more than 24.4 million views on YouTube.

With those kinds of numbers ... it's easy to see why they got back in a studio together. We're told they'll be releasing multiple tracks -- perhaps a full album, but at least an EP.

LeVar Burton Trump Didn't Make America Racist ... He Just Enabled Them!!!

DISAPPOINTIN' TIMES
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LeVar Burton is shooting down the theory that America's more racist now than ever before ... saying the difference now is President Trump's emboldened racists to come out of the woodwork.

We got the iconic "Reading Rainbow" host out Thursday at LAX and just had to know if he thinks America's more racist now than ever ... what with Trump's administration establishing divisive policies since being ushered into the White House in 2016.

You'll remember Trump once described African nations as "shithole countries." His anti-immigrant rhetoric also inspired a Texas man to kill Hispanics at an El Paso Walmart.

LeVar dropped some serious knowledge ... saying what we're experiencing now was ALWAYS lying under the surface champing at the bit to be out in the open. And, now they are.

He adds being black in America is not for the weak of the heart ... he tells us why and it's sad.

Patricia Arquette Good Genes or Good Docs?!?

Patricia Arquette's good looks are just as amazing as her onscreen performances!

Here is a 24-year-old version of the talented actress, dazzled in diamonds, at the ACE Awards at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood back in 1993. That same night she won the actress in a movie or miniseries award for the film "Wildflower" (left).

And 27 years later ... The now 51-year-old is still making waves in the industry, just this past week Arquette won the Golden Globe for best supporting actress for Hulu's "The Act." This weekend the leading lady is nominated once again for her role in "The Act," this time at the Critics Choice Awards (right).

What a winner!

The question is ...

Patricia Arquette ...

President Trump Tweets in Farsi Supports Iranian Protests

President Trump just did something you might never have expected him to do -- tweet in another language ... and that language happens to be aimed at the people of Iran.

DT took to Twitter Saturday with a message to the folks protesting in Tehran right now, decrying their government recently shooting down a Ukraine International Airlines plane by mistake ... and killing over 150 passengers, many of whom were Canadian citizens.

The Prez wrote, "به مردم شجاع و رنج کشیده ایران: من از ابتدای دوره ریاست جمهوریم با شما ایستاده‌ام و دولت من همچنان با شما خواهد ایستاد. ما اعتراضات شما را از نزدیک دنبال می کنیم. شجاعت شما الهام بخش است."

We know what you might be thinking if you're a native English speaker ... THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?!? Not to worry, 'cause 45 sent out an accompanying translation. En ingles, it means ... "To the brave, long-suffering people of Iran: I've stood with you since the beginning of my Presidency, and my Administration will continue to stand with you." He adds, "We are following your protests closely, and are inspired by your courage."

He wasn't done with the Farsi ... Trump followed up by tweeting the above message, which translates, "The government of Iran must allow human rights groups to monitor and report facts from the ground on the ongoing protests by the Iranian people. There can not be another massacre of peaceful protesters, nor an internet shutdown. The world is watching."

Don't worry ... we Google Translated it ourselves, and it looks like Donnie got it right here.

If you haven't seen the protests on the ground in Tehran yet, they're pretty crazy -- with thousands taking to the streets and demanding the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei resign after Iranian officials admitted they shot the Flight 752 in error ... mistaking it for a threat, this amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran after Soleimani's death.

Some folks were even reportedly chanting "Death to liars" during the demonstrations, in their own language of course.

Anyway, looks like Trump is with Iran after all ... or with their outraged citizenry, more like.

Lori Harvey Seems to Confirm She's W/ Future ... Post-Diddy, Amid Bday Trip

Lori Harvey seems ready to go fully public on her relationship with Future -- this after several weeks of online speculation that she'd moved on with him post-Diddy.

Steve Harvey's daughter is celebrating her birthday weekend right now in Jamaica, and on Saturday she posted a clip of Future giving her a kiss on the cheek -- seemingly confirming what Internet sleuths were so sure of for a while now ... they're definitely together.

She captioned the quick snippet, "Life is Good."

Armchair detectives linked Lori and Future a while ago, as clues of his presence have popped up on her social media here and there -- including shots of his shoes, etc. On Friday, Lori was documenting her trip to Montego Bay ... and, again, glimpses of Future surfaced.

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It's funny too ... it appears Future set Lori up with a super romantic entrance to her room, leaving a trail of rose petals leading to her bed -- which itself was covered in petals in the shape of a heart. However, nosey fans pointed out he'd apparently done something similar with other girlfriends of his -- namely, his baby mamas Brittni Mealy and Joie Chavis.

Some folks accused him of recycling the gesture.

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Even if it was, that doesn't seem to bother Lori one bit -- because she responded with the ultimate GF move ... confirming him as her new boo. You'll recall ... Lori was rumored to have been dating Diddy earlier in 2019, but it looks like things fizzled out between 'em.

New Year, new man.

Queen Elizabeth Bringing All the Boys Together ... To Talk Harry & Meghan

UPDATE

2:58 PM PT -- Meghan and Harry's path to financial independence might come easier than some thought, because the Duchess of Sussex has reportedly partnered up with Disney ... even though it doesn't sound like she'll be holding on to any of the cash.

UPDATE

According to the Times of London, Meghan recently agreed to do voice-over work for the Mouse House in return for a donation to a charity she supports ... Elephants Without Borders. Apparently, she's already done her part for the quid-pro-quo deal, reportedly having completed the voice-over work before the holidays last month.

UPDATE
UPDATE

The exact nature of the voice-over and the pay-out is unclear, but it could be a sign of moves to come for Meg and Harry. BTW, they've linked up with Disney before ... specifically, for the rebooted 'Lion King,' for which they attended the premiere earlier this year.

UPDATE

Just one more thing on Monday's agenda, probably.

Queen Elizabeth is having a face-to-face with the Royal men of her life to hash out what's next for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ... who wanna be part-timers.

TMZ has confirmed that Her Majesty has summoned Harry, Prince William and their dad, Prince Charles, for what's said to be an unprecedented meeting Monday at her country home of Sandringham, Norfolk to discuss next steps for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

It's the first time the immediate family has gotten together in person since the Sussexes said they were out (ish) and wanted to seek financial independence from across the pond.

DJ Qualls Yep, I'm Gay ... Been Gay All Along!!!

DJ Qualls -- who's been portrayed as America's quirkiest bro on the big screen for quite a while -- says he's gay ... and he's ready to go forward with the world knowing that.

The veteran actor -- who often plays nerdy straight dudes -- posted the news on Twitter late Friday night, saying ... "It is 11:20pm. I just came out on stage at a @jimjefferies show in San Diego." He added, "Yep, I’m gay. Been gay this whole time. Tired of worrying about what people would think of me. Tired of worrying about what it would do to my career."

It's interesting ... Qualls has starred in a ton of bro-ish type of movies through his 20-plus year career, which kinda got its start with 2000's "Road Trip" -- where he played Kyle, the loner college kid who turns out to be crazy party animal ... and popular with the ladies.

Ariana Grande Performing at the 2020 Grammys ... Despite Last Year's Beef

Ariana Grande appears to have buried the hatchet with the Recording Academy because she's ready to take the stage at this year's show ... even though there were issues last year.

The 'Thank U, Next' singer made the announcement Saturday, saying she was officially booked to perform at the 2020 Grammy Awards later this month. She wrote on Instagram, "OFFICIAL: #ArianaGrande will perform at the #GRAMMYs Jan. 26!"

Attached was a promo shot of her with the Grammy logo in the corner, and the words "GRAMMY PERFORMER" emblazoned along her back. So yeah, it's definitely happening.

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What's interesting ... Ariana had a big beef last year with the Grammys' longtime executive producer, Ken Ehrlich, who publicly made it seem like Ariana had backed out of last year's show because she was too frazzled and unorganized to pull it together on short notice.

We heard from people connected to the situation that characterization simply wasn't true -- in fact, we were told it was Ken who'd put her in an impossible spot by not allowing her to perform her biggest hit single at the time, "7 Rings," and then later recanting.

By the time Ken realized it'd be better to have AG perform than not, our sources told us he came back to her with the offer to do "7 Rings" when it was too late ... she'd already made up her mind on not doing the show at all, and that's how it ultimately played out. We're told the whole thing left a bad taste in Ariana's mouth, so she just watched from home.

Now, it looks like that's all water under a bridge -- and the reason might be more obvious than you'd think. Earlier this year, Ken announced he's hanging it up after this year's show, so it appears the direction of things is about to change hands -- if it hasn't already.

In Ariana's case ... probably for the better.

Trick Daddy Arrested in Miami DUI and Cocaine Possession

Trick Daddy had yet another run-in with the law ... this time getting busted for cocaine possession and driving under the influence.

According to the arrest report, cops say they found TD asleep behind the wheel early Saturday morning and asked him where he was going/where he was coming from. The officer says he told them he'd come from a club and had just dropped someone off.

Sure enough, the police say they asked Trick Daddy if he'd had anything to drink that night -- and they say he told them he'd had a few drinks hours ago. Cops say they saw him with bloodshot eyes and using slurred speech, so they conducted field sobriety tests.

The responding officers suspected he was driving under the influence, so they placed him under arrest. The cops say they transported him to a nearby jail, where he allegedly refused to offer a breath sample to determine how much booze might've been in his system.

Jeffree Star Confirms Split w/ Boyfriend Nathan

Jeffree Star has confirmed what the Internet was speculating very hard about over the last 96 hours or so ... he and his longtime boyfriend, Nathan Schwandt, are dunzo.

The YouTube star and beauty influencer posted a video Saturday titled, "We Broke Up." Jeffree says he and Nate -- who first started dating in 2015 -- had, in fact, broken up ... this amid much chatter over Twitter and Instagram among their respective fans.

Jeffree says it's been a few weeks since they've split and goes on to say they're both in a state of shock ... adding that Nathan -- his soulmate, he says -- is "going through it."

As for a reason why they broke up ... Jeffree kinda dances around a hard point of contention, BUT he does get into Nathan's supposed dislike of the public spotlight JS often finds himself under and alluded to that as a part of why they started growing apart.

That said, Jeffree says they remain friends ... but now, it's time for each of them to focus on one another.

BTW ... Nathan had apparently never been in a relationship with anyone but a female until Jeffree. They started talking over Instagram in 2014, and eventually ... got together. It should also be noted ... Nathan wasn't even remotely famous before his romance with Star.

Kaitlynn Carter Reunites with Ex Brody Jenner ... Grabs Dinner w/ His Ma

Kaitlynn Carter and Brody Jenner are back together ... for a quick few seconds on her social media, which means they're definitely on friendly terms after their breakup.

The two 'Hills' stars shared the same space Friday on Kaitlynn's Instagram story, where Brody made a brief appearance as he playfully flipped her off and then pushed away her camera. She captioned the clip, "@brodyjenner single and chic!!" The vid has no sound.

It should be noted, Kaitlynn goes out of her way to call Brody "single" ... which backs up our earlier reporting that there was no real chance of a romantic rekindling between them.

It appears Kaitlynn ran into her ex during a little getaway in Malibu -- where she's been hiking and lounging ... and also grabbing dinner with his mom, Linda Thompson.

Kaitlynn posted a photo of her and her former sorta-mother-in-law breaking bread at Nobu, with another friend in tow. She captioned the pic, "feelin’ super lucky to be part of this modern fam." We know Kaitlynn and Linda have remained close -- they were seen embracing each other at a Halloween party last year. Clearly, KC's on good terms with 'em.

R. Kelly Full Video of Brutal GF Brawl!!!

ENOUGH TALKIN'
TMZ.com

R. Kelly's longtime live-in girlfriends punched, scratched and screamed at each other -- way more than what you've seen -- before cops were called, and we got the entire violent scene.

You know Azriel Clary was live on social media when she and Joycelyn Savage came to blows at Kelly's Trump Tower condo in Chicago -- but turns out their fight went on much longer. In this video, you see it spill into the hallway with fists flying.

Azriel is in the lighter-colored sweater and Joycelyn in the black -- each landed solid blows on the other, and at one point Azriel dragged Joycelyn across the floor.

JANUARY 2020
Face-to-face
TMZ.com

There were several other people present during the fight, who eventually stepped in, but not before some serious damage was done.

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