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Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme's allegedly threatened to kill his ex-wife's new boyfriend ... and now the guy just got court-ordered protection.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Josh allegedly started making death threats after Gunner Foxx started seeing Josh's ex-wife, Brody Dalle, back in 2020 ... and Foxx says things finally came to a head this past Christmas Eve.

Gunner claims he was doing some Christmas shopping at a mall in Thousand Oaks, CA when Josh approached him and threatened to throw him off a balcony.

In the docs, Gunner claims Josh first got in his face inside an Apple Store, telling him ... "I'm going to kill you, you f****** p****" ... and seemingly challenging him to a fight.

Foxx claims Josh approached him again outside the Apple Store, viciously berating him and threatening to kill him, and toss him over the second-floor balcony. He says at one point Josh actually grabbed his arm and tried to throw him over the railing.

In the docs, he claims Josh dug his fingernails into his hand during the altercation, and he truly believed Josh was going to throw him to his death.

Gunner claims he called law enforcement and cops responded, but not before Josh got the hell outta there -- still, he went ahead and filed a police report.

In the docs, Gunner says he lives with Josh's ex and their children in Malibu ... and thinks Josh broke into the home and even slashed his tires.

Foxx beelined it to court and a judge granted him a temporary restraining order requiring Josh to stay at least 50 yards away from Gunner and Gunner's 2 daughters.

Mark Rylance's turn as a deranged tech CEO in 'Don't Look Up' is a clear dig at our country's leading billionaire visionaries -- but the question ... who's it actually aimed at???

You've probably heard about this new Netflix flick -- but what you may not have known ... Rylance portrayal as chief of a revolutionary company is getting compared to guys like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook and others pushing the information envelope.

One thing the internet can't seem to agree on ... which of these billionaires serves as the true inspiration behind Rylance's Peter Isherwell, who ends up contributing to everyone on Earth (save a select few) getting killed by an incoming comet. Sorry, spoiler alert!

For those who've seen it, you know Isherwell runs a company called BASH, which seems to be a spinoff of Apple -- a la Cook/Jobs -- but it's way more advanced, in that it reads your every thought and mood, and predicts how you'll die ... all based on data it collects on its users. Isherwell, funny enough, also runs a space unit of some sort ... similar to Musk.

In the end, Isherwell's plan to blow up the incoming comet and collect the precious minerals found within it completely backfires ... having led Meryl Streep (the President) and the rest of the world's citizens astray. He high-tails it off Earth, before it blows up, in his own rocket, and attempts to colonize a new planet in the distant galaxy (which also hilariously backfires).

The point is ... the dude seems to be an amalgam of all these guys in one -- although most people appear to think he's most like Time's Person of the Year for 2021.

It sounds like Rylance himself sees a little Elon in his character as well ... although he's quick to point out Isherwell isn't necessarily a dead ringer for any one of the tech-y billionaires, despite him certainly being a farcical take on just about all of them.

As he explains, Isherwell's actions are premised on the idea that any of our world's problems can be solved with technology -- a testament to our times and where we're headed.

Nestor Carbonell, the weather guy on "The Morning Show," says his character is the new poster child for cancel culture -- and how out of control it's gotten -- which was the whole point of season 2.

Nestor plays Yanko Flores on the Apple TV+ drama, and when we saw him at LAX, he solved a tiny mystery about his storyline. Don't worry ... if ya haven't seen it yet, we're not giving away much.

In a nutshell ... Yanko was doing a report about famed groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, when he refers to the little guy as his "spirit animal." That sets off a "woke mob" backlash, his bosses get pissed and the weatherman meteorologist gets hung out to dry.

Fans have been debating whether the Yanko plot was mocking cancel culture or embracing it -- and, not to offend equestrian lovers -- but, we went straight to the horse's mouth for the answer.

Nestor tells us, "What [Yanko] was canceled for was kind of absurd, which is kind of the point." There ya have it ... straight-up satire!!!

Mitt Romney transformed into lovable soccer coach Ted Lasso for Halloween ... but the Utah senator might have gotten his fictional characters mixed up in the process, 'cause he used a quote from "Friday Night Lights" to show off his look.

The Republican out of Utah sported some AFC Richmond gear, a nice pair of khakis and a 'stache to resemble Jason Sudeikis' character in the Apple TV show ... posting several shots via Twitter on Thursday.

Senator Kyrsten Sinema joined in on the fun, too ... playing team owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham's role) as Romney hands her his daily delicious biscuit.

Romney shares one of Ted's best Lassoisms ... saying, "Your body is like day-old rice. If it ain't warmed up properly, something real bad could happen."

He also shared some non-Lassoisms ... saying, "If you believe in yourself, and have clear eyes and full hearts -- you can’t lose" ... which is actually a line delivered by coach Eric Taylor in 'FNL.'

Now, there are a few reasonable explanations here -- whoever runs Romney's social team may not have seen "Ted Lasso" yet and didn't do much research before sending out the tweet ... or maybe Romney himself hasn't tuned in and was just taking a shot in the dark.

Kanye West's long-awaited "Donda" album has been worth the added wait for the rapper ... it's Apple Music's top album in 130 countries, the most #1 entries in history.

As we reported ... after delaying the release of his 10th studio album for several weeks and keeping fans on pins and needles as he continued to hold "Donda" listening parties, it finally came out this weekend -- but not without drama.

First, Ye posted texts suggesting a recent holdup was due to DaBaby not signing the necessary releases to clear his verse for the song "Jail, Pt. 2" ... but that was later cleared up and his verse was added.

However, Kanye also claimed Sunday that the album was put out by his label, UMG, without his approval and they blocked "Jail pt. 2" from being included ... but it is included on both Apple and Spotify.

Speaking of Spotify ... Kanye's album's doing work there too -- his "Jail" track featuring Jay-Z and Francis and the Lights debuted at #1 on the U.S. Spotify chart with 4.277 million streams. That's the biggest debut for any song this year.

So, love it or hate it -- and we know there are plenty of people who certainly hate it -- "Donda" is a huge success so far ... and sets up a major showdown with Drake this week.

Well, it finally happened ... "Donda" is out!!!

Kanye finally released his long-awaited album ... this, after multiple listening parties and would-be release dates that came and went.

The album, which has 26 songs, hit Apple Music and Spotify Sunday AM.

The release was not without drama ... in the middle of the night, Kanye posted tweets which seemed to say the most recent hold-up was that DaBaby hadn't signed the necessary releases to clear his verse for the song "Jail." DaBaby is not on the track, instead, Jay-Z appears. You'll recall, Jay recorded his verse hours before the first listening party in Atlanta ... a sign their feud was squashed. It was confusing when DaBaby replaced Jay's verse at the Chicago listening party, but Jay is now back.

The album was initially supposed to be released July 23. That date got moved to August 6. Then it became unclear exactly when the album would hit streaming services. Kanye's manager promised it would be released following last Thursday's listening event at Soldier Field in Chicago ... and that promise was kept.

Ye famously tinkers with his albums even after their release ... e.g., "The Life of Pablo," so the same may happen with "Donda."

As for the songs on the album, it's heavily religious ... "Donda Chant," "Jail," "God Breathed," "Off the Grid," "Hurricane," "Praise God," "Jonah," "Ok Ok," "Junya," "Believe What I Say," "24," "Remote Control," "Moon," "Heaven and Hell," "Donda," "Keep My Spirit Alive," "Jesus Lord," "New Again," "Tell the Vision," "Lord I Need You," "Pure Souls," "Come to Life," "No Child Left Behind," "Ok Ok, Pt. 2," "Junya, Pt. 2," "Jesus Lord, Pt. 2."

Here's what's interesting ... Drake seemed to drop a clue last week his album will drop Friday ... so with the release of "Donda," Drake and Ye will be going head-to-head for #1 bragging rights.

And, the final mystery ... Kim Kardashian. As you know, she wore a wedding dress at the Chicago listening party. TMZ broke the story, the divorce is not a done deal anymore. Kanye and Kim have been seeing each other privately, and they seem to be trying to work things out ... whatever those things are.

L.A. Clippers rookie Jason Preston has made his first big purchase after becoming a pro baller ... and it's not a house or a car -- but a new iPhone!!

The 22-year-old former Ohio Bobcats star was the Clips' #33 overall pick in the NBA Draft last month ... which secured him a 3-year, $4.4 million deal.

So, naturally, when we ran into the hooper out at LAX this week, we had to ask if he's treated himself to anything nice after making it big time ... and he dished on his favorite new toy.

"This phone," Preston said while showing off the new gadget. "I had an iPhone 7 before. I got a 12 now."

BTW -- the 6-foot-4 guard shot 43% from midrange and averaged 9 points and 4.8 assists per game during Summer League play ... and said he was able to chop it up with new teammates Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, who were there to support their rookies.

"They've been great!"

Of course, if you haven't heard of Preston's story, it's pretty incredible -- he averaged 2 points a game during his senior year of high school and nearly pursued a career in journalism before enrolling at a prep school, where he blossomed into a baller.

He later joined Ohio, where he had huge games against some notable basketball programs in the country ... impressing the Clippers so much, they took him with their first second-round pick.

Bill Maher took a subject that, on the surface, doesn't seem debatable, and he then tore it apart ... Apple announcing it would scan customers' phones for child porn.

The "Real Time" host was incredulous ... calling it a shocking breach of privacy. Mind you, he was not pro child porn, but he said there's a much bigger issue. A phone, he argued, is no different than a wallet or a purse. No one would argue those items are fair game for others to peruse, so what's the different between a wallet and a phone?

He did get something wrong ... he called it a "blatant Constitutional breach" and a violation of the 4th Amendment's guarantee against unreasonable searches and seizures. Fact is ... that only applies to government intrusions -- not private companies. Nevertheless, we get the point.

Bill then went on to make a larger point ... the damage smart phones do to our society. As he says, "They turn people into assholes."

Kanye West packed the house for his 'DONDA' listening party -- but he packed in a whole lot more than just that ... dude set a record on Apple that no artist has ever come near.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Ye's album event this past week at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta broke the Apple Music Global Livestream record ... with 3.3 million viewers who tuned in on their screens.

That's a heck of a lot more than the previous record, we're told, which was set by Gucci Mane and Jeezy in their highly-anticipated Verzuz battle earlier last year -- at a reported 1.8 million viewers. Kanye practically doubled the number as a solo act!

BTW, the 'DONDA' moment was a one-time deal -- meaning it aired live for people to stream, but hasn't gone back up on Apple for folks to watch again. So, that figure -- 3.3M unique sets of eyeballs -- is a one and done. It'd be a little harder to calculate if the thing was in circulation.

Our sources tell us once Kanye releases Donda -- it's projected to drop August 6 -- the Atlanta performance will be posted to Apple for fans to watch again.

Like we first told you ... even though the event is over, the party's still going for Kanye himself ... who's moved into MB Stadium (temporarily) to finish the album. Apparently, he was so inspired by the energy around him Thursday -- he just nestled in and got back to work.

"Verzuz" is pulling out all the stops for its 2020 finale, and when Too Short and E-40 hit the stage it'll look like a full-fledged arena concert ... proving how much of a cash cow the show's become.

The Bay Area icons will face off on a soundstage in NorCal that will reflect the nearly $500,000 budget for this single event ... according to sources involved in the production.

TMZ obtained a blueprint of the stage setup for 40 and Short, and you can tell Swizz Beatz, Timbaland and Apple are thinking big.

We're told the MCs will be surrounded by concert-style lighting and some expensive props -- 2 classic old school cars will be on stage behind each of them. Makes sense, both Short and 40 have told us their battle will be an homage to the Bay's hip-hop scene.

Our sources say Apple -- which is now streaming all the "Verzuz" episodes -- realizes how much of a cultural phenomenon the show is, and they're spending like it.

In fact, Short and 40 almost squared off at the Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Campus, but due to COVID safety concerns, the show had to be moved.

Unlike Jeezy and Gucci Mane, the Oakland legends are longtime friends who come into the "Verzuz" beef-free. However, when they came on "TMZ Live," it was very clear they're both playing to win.

Steve Wozniak got incredibly sick after a trip to Asia in late December, and he's now sure it was COVID, but he couldn't get the attention of the CDC.

The Apple co-founder and his wife Janet were in Asia in December 2019, traveling through several spots where COVID-19 is believed to have first spread -- including China -- before returning to the U.S. on January 4. He took a selfie with someone from Wuhan, suggesting that's how both he and his wife contracted the virus.

Steve says he and his wife got incredibly sick -- worse than any flu by a long shot. He says they were coughing up blood, had diarrhea and other symptoms that lasted 3 weeks, subsided and then flared up again in March.

Steve says when he got back he gave his data to the CDC, telling them lots of people on the plane ride from Hong Kong back to the U.S. were coughing. The response from the CDC ... "They could care less about my story."

Steve says his case study proves the CDC was wrong when it said the first cases were in Seattle in mid to late January ... he thinks there was an untold number of people infected way before the alarm was sounded in the U.S.

Steve says from his vantage point, COVID was in the U.S. in December, and his theory is supported by a recent study.

Barack Obama was feeling nostalgic talking to Oprah about his new book -- reminiscing on what he missed most about being President ... and his answers might surprise you.

44 sat down for a chat with O on her Apple TV+ show, "The Oprah Conversation," in which they discussed his latest written project -- "A Promised Land" -- and also took a trip down memory lane about the perks that a Commander in Chief gets to enjoy.

He admitted flying on Air Force 1 and Marine 1 is an unmatched experience -- and one he sincerely misses -- because of the exceptional staff, and not having to wait around to get somewhere.

Barack also said he always took joy walking into the Oval Office -- where he says he could feel the ghosts of Presidents past all around him -- and he revealed his favorite view from the White House.

And, of course, BO says he got a kick out of the intimate White House performances they'd put on every now and then for free -- with some marquee acts swinging by, like Paul McCartney ... who famously sang The Beatles' "Michelle" to the First Lady in 2010.

Pablo Escobar's brother says his life was threatened because of lax security protocols on his phone ... so, now he wants Apple to cough up billions.

The notorious Colombian kingpin's bro, Roberto, is suing Apple for a whopping $2.6 BILLION, claiming someone hacked his smartphone and found his address through FaceTime, even though he claims an Apple employee assured him the iPhone X was the most secure on the market.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Pablo's brother bought an iPhone X back in April 2018, and he claims the security promise fell horribly flat. One year after buying the X, Roberto claims he got a life-threatening letter from someone named Diego, who said he found Roberto's address through FaceTime.

In the docs, Pablo's bro says he had to relocate for his safety, and lost a ton of money beefing up his security ... not to mention the emotional distress he says he suffered as a result of the security breach. Roberto claims he had several assassination attempts on his life before buying the iPhone X, and only bought the phone because he'd been assured his info would be safe from hackers.

In the suit, Roberto says he conducted his own investigation after receiving the letter, and found his iPhone had been compromised due to a FaceTime vulnerability.

Pablo's brother is not stopping at a lawsuit ... Roberto is also going after Apple's bread and butter.

Roberto just launched a limited edition gold-plated iPhone 11 Pro 256GB, which his Escobar Inc company is hawking for $499. Roberto says it's his way of fighting Apple -- selling their phones at a lower price, with gold-plating and sexy girls showing off the phones.

Pablo's brother says ... "Apple can never do that."

Roberto also bought and launched the domain name www.ripapple.com, which links to his gold-plated iPhone. He says the website will have "proof showing how the people of the world were scammed by Apple Inc, buying crap for crazy prices."

If he wins the lawsuit, Roberto says he will share the dough with people who bought iPhones and "ultimately donate it all."

We reached out to Apple ... so far, no word back.

Warren Buffett is getting with the times at the ripe age of 89 -- FINALLY buying himself a nifty smartphone ... but still using it like the flip phone he's left behind.

The billionaire Berkshire Hathaway CEO was chatting with CNBC Monday, talking about Apple and how great of a company it's turned out to be ... speculating about its stock value and that sorta thing. During the convo, he dropped a bombshell ... new phone, who dis?

Yep, ol' Warren says he's caved at last and purchased himself the latest edition of Apple's iPhone, which has apparently become his go-to mobile device. RIP to his notorious $20 Samsung flip phone, which he'd been using for at least the past several years.

Warren had some pretty good things to say about his new celly -- which he affectionately seems to think is called the one and only "Smartphone." Anyway, the guy says iPhones have permeated just about everyone's lives in modern society ... and are revolutionary.

He even likens it to when the original telephone was created way back when, explaining the iPhone has had that same sorta cultural impact ... perhaps even more so.

As for how he uses his cool new gadget, Warren says he's still basic AF ... just utilizing the lone the phone call function. Nice ... never change, WB!!!

THIS IS NOT A PHOTO FROM 2010!!!

This is Cristiano Ronaldo wearing an iPod Shuffle -- and it was shot TODAY!! In 2020!!!

The Juventus superstar arrived at Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy to take on Cagliari Calcio on Monday sporting the Apple music device, which was discontinued back in 2017.

CR7's being clowned on social media for the device -- no one can figure out why such a rich, powerful and stylish guy wouldn't update his tech! We did some digging, you can find a Shuffle on eBay for like $20.

Some people think he's using it as a distraction to take the attention off of his new top knot hairstyle!

FYI, Apple stopped updating the Shuffle in 2010 -- letting it die a slow and painful death after realizing most people were using their phones for music storage instead of a separate device.