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American artist Tommy Heath shot to stardom in the early '80s after he laid down the vocals for his band Tommy Tutone's now-classic track, "867-5309/Jenny" ... which found its way onto the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks charts and caused a phone-calling frenzy in search of the mysterious woman in the jam, Jenny.

While Tommy Heath was taking center stage as the singer in Tommy Tutone ... he was joined in creating the rock band by Jim Keller as the lead guitarist going all the way back to 1978.

Dr. Dre is back home, and back to doing what he does best in the wake of being released from the hospital ... making music, and looking healthy doing it.

Five-time, Grammy-winning producer Focus posted a photo Saturday of him, Dre and a bunch of other creatives hanging out in what appears to be a recording studio. Dre is front and center, giving a slight smirk, and everyone around him seems to be in high spirits too.

Focus writes, "𝗠𝘆 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗕𝗿𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱!!! We Working... I TOOK THE PIC SO IM HERE!!!" That seems to confirm what we've been hearing about Dre's condition -- that he's recovering nicely, and seems to be out of the woods, as far as immediate danger.

Ice-T said as much himself, taking to Twitter on Friday to let his followers know he'd Facetimed with Dre, and that the guy was back home, "safe" and "looking good."

As we reported, Dre was released Friday ... this after nearly a week in the ICU. Doctors had kept him there out of an abundance of caution following his brain aneurysm, in case he suffered another health scare that required immediate medical attention.

Phil Spector, the music producer responsible for some of the biggest hits in music and the architect of The Wall of Sound has died ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

We're told he died from COVID-related complications, after being transferred from his prison cell to a hospital. We're told he was diagnosed 4 weeks ago and went to the hospital but recovered well enough to return to prison, where he was serving a 19-to-life sentence for the murder of Lana Clarkson.

Our sources say he relapsed, had trouble breathing and was rushed back to the hospital, where he died Saturday.

Spector began his career early ... when he was still in high school, he produced his first big hit, "To Know Him is To Love Him," by the Teddy Bears.

And then, the floodgates opened. He produced a flurry of hits ... from The Righteous Brothers "You Lost that Lovin' Feeling," "Unchained Melody," "You're My Soul and Inspiration," The Ronettes' "Be My Baby," The Crystals' "He's a Rebel," and on and on.

Spector had a deep association with The Beatles, and produced their album, "Let It Be." Among the songs, "The Long and Winding Road," "Get Back," and the title track. He also produced John Lennon's solo work, including "Instant Karma," and "Imagine."

Phil's reach was far and wide. He also produced Ike & Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High."

When Phil produced The Ronettes, he went on to marry their lead singer, Ronnie in 1968, and had a tumultuous relationship. She accused him of tormenting her during their 4 years together by telling her she was nothing -- personally or professionally -- without him, forbidding her to leave their mansion alone, and pulling guns on her.

She eventually fled barefoot from him in 1972.

Spector's "Wall of Sound" was a technique he discovered in a tunnel near Hollywood Blvd. The sound created a roaring effect, which Spector called the "Wagnerian approach to rock 'n' roll" -- it involved overdubbing scores of musicians in an orchestral style to make a fuller sound.

The technique was mimicked by the Beach Boys and Bruce Springsteen.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

Spector ended up in prison for the second-degree murder of Clarkson, an actress he'd met in 2003 while she was working at the House of Blues in WeHo. They went back to his mansion, and he shot her ... although he'd claimed it was an accidental suicide.

His first trial, in 2007, was declared a mistrial, due to a hung jury, but he was convicted in a 2009 retrial.

In March 2013, Al Pacino played Spector in the movie "Phil Spector."

Spector was 81.

An autistic teenager died after being restrained by Sheriff's deputies following a violent episode between the teen and his dad, and now ... his parents are suing the department, claiming they suffocated the kid to death.

Donna Lou and Daren Parsa have filed a lawsuit against the Jefferson Parish Sheriff in Louisiana over an incident last January that left 16-year-old Eric Parsa dead ... which the parents allege happened because deputies on the scene sat on him for 9 minutes.

The lawsuit claims on January 19, 2020 ... Eric and his family were leaving a laser tag facility at a shopping center, when for some reason he started attacking his dad in what his parents describe as a "meltdown" related to his condition.

Cops were called while Daren tried restraining Eric, and eventually, a few deputies arrived and handcuffed him while also shackling his feet ... all the while holding him in a face-down position on the parking lot pavement as he continued to squirm and struggle.

Eric's parents allege one deputy placed all his body weight onto the kid in the face-down position for nearly 10 minutes, and that at one point ... another deputy reportedly put him into a chokehold, and never once moved him on his side so he could breathe properly.

The lawsuit claims it was only when Eric's body went limp and he urinated himself that deputies turned him over, but it was too late. Eric was taken to a hospital, where he went into cardiac arrest and died. The family says the cops used unreasonable and excessive force that directly caused Eric's death.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office denounced the lawsuit, saying it contained malicious and false claims about the deputies who tried to help that day ... and that they'll fight this in court.

The altercation was captured on surveillance video from afar ... so it's difficult to make out exactly what happens on camera. There was clearly a tussle that went on for several minutes, and it does appear some people -- including a shirtless man -- were on top of Eric, who's in the black shirt.

While the suit doesn't appear to mention training -- or a lack thereof -- the family does seem to imply deputies were ill-equipped to handle this situation ... which has echoes of Patrick Warren, another person with mental health issues who was fatally shot by police last week.

Joe Biden's getting sworn in as the 46th President of the United States in just a few days, but his dog's getting sworn in right now -- with none other than Josh Groban helping out.

Joe's second German Shepherd, Major, is being honored Sunday with a virtual celebration via Zoom, which has been appropriately tagged -- "inDOGuration." During the event, Major will get some serious screen time with ticketholders and partake in pooch-friendly activities, with Jill Martin from the "TODAY" show hosting, and Darius Brown appearing as a guest.

They won't be the only human faces to drop in though ... Groban was added as a bit of a last-minute booking for some live entertainment. He willed his desire to perform for the "inDOGuration" into existence, recently asking Joe's team to let him sing for it.

Looks like his wish was granted, because on Sunday Josh wrote, "IT CAME TRUE!! I am so happy. The world is a mess, but we can all agree dogs rule. Let’s celebrate Major’s Indoguration and raise $$ for his rescue shelter, Delaware Humane Association."

Tickets go for $10, and the show starts at 3 PM ET. As for what Josh is gonna be doing exactly ... word is, he'll be singing an original dog-themed song. Sounds about right!

As you might know, Joe adopted Major in 2018 from the animal shelter mentioned above ... making him the first shelter dog to occupy the White House. The Bidens have another German Shepherd, Champ, who's been in their family for well over a decade now.

It's been 4 years since we've had some canines in the White House. Trump infamously didn't have any pets ... despite it being a tradition for Presidents to have some furry friends.

Joe Biden's inauguration will still have some semblance of normalcy when he's taking his oath of office, because there's going to be a crowd out there watching him ... whose seating arrangement is now becoming crystal clear.

Construction for the inauguration stage -- as well as for the surrounding viewing area, as it were -- at the Capitol is in full swing, and on Sunday ... somebody captured a full front-to-back shot of what the layout is looking like thus far, just three days before Jan. 20.

As you can see, there will be butts in those chairs watching JB and Kamala Harris be sworn in ... which are spaced out for social distancing. They only go back so far, taking up just the first patch of grass on the west side of the Capitol. It's unclear if they're planning to set more before Wednesday, but probably not. It's gonna be relatively small crowd.

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies laid out the ground rules in December, saying only members of the 117th Congress were allowed to attend and watch in-person ... plus one guest for each member. All in all, that accounts for about 1,000 people.

As you might've heard, the National Mall and surrounding roads/bridges throughout D.C. have been closed ahead of the ceremony ... so you're not likely to see any normies out there trying to watch the festivities. That closure, of course, is because of the Capitol riot ... law enforcement's running a tight ship, so gatherings of any sort probably won't fly.

The way things currently stand, it looks like just members of Congress and other invited guests of Biden and Harris will be there in the flesh to witness the inauguration. The rest of it, including the traditional parade through the streets, will be broadcast virtually.

Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez are also set to perform that day, and it appears they'll also be there in person to put on a show.

Video has just surfaced -- the most dramatic and upsetting by far -- showing the Capitol insurrectionists storming the building as they told cops, "There's a f***ing million of us out there. We are listening to Trump, your boss."

And as they enter the Senate Chamber you hear someone say, "While we're here we must as well set up a government."

The video was shot by New Yorker war correspondent Luke Mogelson, who was covering the "Stop the Steal" rally.

The video is unlike all the others, in that you really see how determined the rioters were to invade the Capitol ... pretty clearly determined to do great harm. As they breach the Chamber, you hear someone say in frustration, "Where the f*** is Nancy." Someone else screams, "Where the f** are they?"

The group at times tries to compliment the cops and other times they attack, screaming, "F*** you police" and "f*** the blue" as they enter the building.

It's clear all members of Congress were at grave risk. You hear someone scream, "Start making a list, put all those names down and start hunting them down one by one." And then someone screams, "Traitors get the guillotine."

Jake Angeli, the "Q Shaman," is anything but chill, as he sits in Pence's chair and screams, "Mike Pence is a f***ing traitor." Angeli tries to act like the leader, chanting, praying, and screaming obscenities. Then he has someone take a photo of him at Pence's desk.

As they peruse Ted Cruz's notebook, someone says, "I think Cruz would want us to do this."

Kamala Harris's achievements are off the charts -- District Attorney, Attorney General, Senator, and soon-to-be Vice President, but thing is -- according to her husband -- she's a normal person who really loves her Chucks!

Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, were grilled by Jane Pauley on "Sunday Morning" about her penchant for Converse Chucks. She wore them a lot on the campaign trail and Jane seemed genuinely disappointed Kamala chose something more formal for the interview.

Jane wanted to know when it became a thing, and Harris said this was not just something she started wearing on the campaign or, for that matter, on the cover of Vogue.

She explained Chucks have been part of her life forever. Harris says she loves them because they're super comfortable.

Then Doug piped in, saying Chucks are a marker of who she is, adding when they met Kamala was all about Chucks and jeans.

But then, Doug got in a little trouble by suggesting Kamala has closets full of Chucks. The Veep-Elect squashed that. No Imelda Marcos for her!!!

Doug recently started his official Twitter account as the Second Gentleman.

This is a story of life and death -- two 911 calls a day apart to help a man with a mental disability, two different officers respond, and in the first case the man lives and in the second he's shot dead ... and the proof is in the 2 videos below.

Patrick Warren -- the unarmed Black man who was shot and killed in Texas after having an episode that required de-escalation -- was able to get the help he needed just one day prior to his death ... proving that training makes a world of difference in these situations.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9TH -- Patrick was behaving erratically so a family member called 911 for help. A Mental Health Resource officer with de-escalation training responds, greets Patrick and asks if they could sit on the sofa and talk. The officer listened to Patrick unload his feelings and he began calming down. They continued to talk, and then the officer told Patrick he was concerned about him and maybe it was a good idea to get checked out.

TMZ has obtained new Ring doorbell video from Patrick's family home, showing the officer and Patrick walk calmly to the car. The officer took Patrick to the hospital where doctors examined him and then he went home.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 10TH Another 911 call, but this time no Mental Health Resource officers were available, so police officers showed up. As you have seen from the video, this went the opposite of de-escalation. Patrick failed to follow orders, so he was tased and ultimately shot dead.

Mind you ... the 2,911 calls were for the identical problem with the same person, yet the techniques could not have been more different -- nor could the result.

BTW ... the Mental Health Resource Unit is part of the Police Department. Maybe one solution would be to increase the number of officers in that unit so they would be available whenever such calls come in.

"Teen Mom" star Jenelle Evans says she's regained custody of her son, Jace, but her mom begs to differ.

Jenelle posted a bunch of TikTok videos Saturday, claiming her eldest son is now in her custody. As you probably know, Jenelle's mom, Barbara, has had custody for years.

Jenelle said, "I have custody of Jace. He lives with me now full-time.  My [3] kids are happy, they're healthy. That's all that f***ing matters."

She went on to talk about how "stupid" she was as a young woman and all the mistakes she made, including with men ... but now, she says, things are very different.

Barbara tells TMZ she still has full custody of Jace. She got custody a decade ago when Jace was just a baby, because of Jenelle's erratic behavior. Jenelle has only had visitation rights ever since.

Barbara says Jace has recently been going back and forth between her house and Jenelle's due to the pandemic ... Jace goes to Jenelle's house for 3-4 days at a time, in part just so he has a change of scenery. He'll go over there to do his schoolwork ... then he comes back to Barbara's.

Barbara tells us she called Jenelle after her daughter announced she regained custody, and Barbara says Jenelle told her she "misspoke" and recognized Barbara still had custody.

Betty White is one step closer to a major milestone, and with insurrections, viruses and an economy that's tanked, at least we can all unite in this celebration.

Betty turned 99 today, and she waxed philosophical ... "I can stay up as late as I want without asking permission."

Well, maybe no philosophical, but Betty's awesome!!!

Her plans for today ... feeding a couple ducks that hang at her L.A. home.

As for what's on the menu -- a hot dog and french fries, courtesy of her agent, Jeff Witjas.

ICYMI -- as in the last 80 years -- Betty's show biz career began in 1939.

Most actors and actresses are lucky if they get one gigantic hit during their careers, but after Betty got her first she did not rest. Her role as Sue Ann Nivens on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" was epic, and the show was one of the biggest hits in TV history.

And, as you know, she followed that up with "The Golden Girls" ... she played the character Rose for 8 years and 204 episodes.

Betty's fame has endured to this day. One of the great show biz stories is the groundswell that led to her hosting "SNL" back in 2010.

As for where it all began ... Oak Park, Illinois in 1922. She wanted to be a forest ranger but women at the time weren't allowed.

Betty was married to Allen Ludden, the OG "Password" host, from 1963 to his death in 1981.

State capitols aren't the only landmarks authorities fear might become potential targets for violence in the wake of Joe Biden's inauguration ... we're told law enforcement will pay special attention to other landmarks around the U.S.

In New York, we're told there will be heightened security at Trump Tower and other locations linked to the outgoing President ... with additional officers patrolling City Hall in the days leading up to the inauguration. We're told there are no specific threats targeting these buildings, but the NYPD and other agencies aren't taking any chances.

Our sources say in L.A., aside from fortifying government buildings, the LAPD is going to pay special attention to power structures, water treatment plants, communication towers, power grids and the L.A. Zoo. This isn't the first time the zoo got special protection. As for why ... police are concerned people who want to cause trouble would go in and release animals, which would turn the city upside down.

Likewise, Beverly Hills PD sources tell us they're pulling out all the stops in terms of police presence on Inauguration Day. You may recall, Bev Hills was the site of protests and some unrest in the wake of George Floyd's death -- lots of pro and anti-Trump activity.

"Monitoring the situation" is the mantra in San Fran, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Chicago, Atlanta and Miami as well ... according to our sources.

Hidden within this eyebrow-raising photo is an actress known for her leading role on an NBC sitcom. The series had its final season last year, but ran for a total of 11 seasons.

Aside from her work on television, this famous female has been in films such as "New Year's Eve," "Hot Pursuit," "The Smurfs" and several others!

She is currently a judge on "America's Got Talent," alongside Heidi Klum, Simon Cowell, and Howie Mandel.

Netflix left a controversial episode from one of MTV's most popular shows on the cutting room floor ... an episode infamous for some severe bullying.

Here's the deal ... the streaming giant just added 2 seasons of MTV's 'Real World/Road Rules Challenge,' but fans will instantly notice something's missing ... some behind-the-scenes clips featuring 3 female cast members going after another female contestant.

The episode was titled "To Hell and Back: Hot Gossip From The Inferno 2" ... and the troubling scene showed Veronica, Rachel and Tina ganging up on Tonya Cooley by snapping nude photos of her while she was sleeping.

They later showed those pics to other houseguests. That episode was the show's finale in 2005, and aired instead of the usual end-of-season reunions.

As for why Netflix cut it? Well, there's the obvious ... 2005 was just a different time, and things that might have been seen as funny or entertaining back then, just don't fly today.

We reached out to Netflix and MTV for an explanation, but neither responded.

Andrew Zimmern says folks in custody need better food options ... even the bare-chested insurrectionist with animal horns and face paint complaining about a lack of organic grub.

We caught up with the 'Bizarre Foods' host this week and talked Jake Angeli, the Capitol attack suspect who complained about not being able to eat in federal custody because there were no organic options meeting his strict diet.

Andrew says Angeli's beef shines a light on an issue he believes runs deep in America ... the food being served in public hospitals, schools and prisons is in desperate need of an upgrade.

While Andrew says Angeli is an "evil, disgusting, human" who should be served nothing but bread and water, he admits it's not fair to single the guy out of his crusade for better prison food for all.

Ralph Macchio's good looks are unbeatable!

Here is a 23-year-old version of "The Karate Kid" star rockin' long locks of hair at a movie premiere in Los Angeles, CA back in 1984 (left). This was the same year the first "Karate Kid" film was released. Its success landed two more films to follow, all starring Macchio.

And, 36 years later ... The actor is now starring in the spin-off television series "Cobra Kai" on Netflix. He was seen charming viewers everywhere with his good looks while on a late-night show just last week (right).

People would fight for looks like this!

The question is...