Coronavirus

YNW Melly is begging a judge to let him out of prison ... because he says he's on the verge of dying from COVID-19.

The rapper's lawyer, Bradford Cohen, filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, claiming the rapper -- in prison awaiting his murder trial -- is suffering from severe chills, heavy labored breathing, headaches and body aches since he tested positive for the coronavirus.

Cohen says Melly weighs 114 pounds and has NOT been monitored by medical personnel every hour like they're supposed to. And, there's this ... Cohen claims Melly's been holed up in a cell with another inmate who also has COVID-19 ... and there's fear "if the virus can be mutated or passed reoccurring between individuals."

Cohen claims the there's a lack of preparedness by the jail for this type of epidemic ... as "they have not given them masks, or cleaning supplies that would be beneficial regarding his recovery. This is against all recommendations of the Surgeon General and CDC."

When the COVID-19 pandemic derailed their wedding plans, an L.A. couple didn't sulk or panic ... they Zoomed their way down the aisle.

Ryan and Andrea Valderrama Samaniego were originally scheduled to have an elaborate wedding Sunday, but the shelter-at-home order in place for weeks now put a damper on those plans. But, the Samaniegos -- after 16 months of planning -- decided the lockdown wouldn't stop them from saying, "I do."

The couple got married Sunday in their home and their immediate families and bridal party all watched from Zoom, the remote video service company gaining immense popularity as the majority of America remains on lockdown at least through the end of April.

Andrea said, "Today wasn't the day we've been planning for the last 16 months, but it turned out to be the wedding day I wanted -- no fuss, just love & laughter, and ending the day as Mr. and Mrs. Samaniego."

And, if ya thought that was one helluva optimistic way to look at things ... just wait until you see how she put a positive spin on just about everything else.

Andrea went on to say, "We weren't able to get married at our venue BUT we got married in OUR home and set up the ceremony ourselves. I didn't spend the day getting ready with my girls BUT Ryan and I got ready for our day together. I didn't wear my perfect wedding dress BUT so thankful for online shopping."

As we reported ... there have been tons of wedding cancellations across the country. It's triggered panic from couples looking for refunds and chaos from those scrambling to change venues. That being said, it's incredible how Andrea's not letting the pandemic bring her down.

She said, "We didn't have all the decor that was planned BUT thankful that grocery stores are open so that I could get flowers for the ceremony and my bouquet. We didn't spend the day hugging and dancing with our guests BUT we spent the afternoon playing Mexican Train and just enjoying a simple afternoon as husband and wife." Wow.

The Samaniegos' wedding was catered by a pizza joint and their wedding cake ... courtesy of Nothing Bundt Cake, which TBH, it's the perfect dessert for any occasion. And, talk about embracing the circumstances ... Andrea's dubbing herself #CoronaBride.

CONGRATS!!!

MMA meets T&A!!

Here's UFC star Paige VanZant and her MMA fighter husband, Austin Vanderford, making the best out of quarantine ... by getting naked and climbing on each other!!

Hey, ya got it? Flaunt it, right?!

Both Paige and Austin have been training their asses off at their Oregon home during the COVID-19 pandemic ... and they've clearly decided the best way to deal with the stress, is to undress!

So, they've basically become nudists in their own home -- they cook naked, the clean naked, the work out naked, they garden naked ... and now they're climbing on each other naked!

Of course, both Paige and Austin are itching for a fight -- Paige recently had her cast removed after suffering a broken arm. She hasn't fought since defeating Rachael Ostovich back in January 2019.

Austin is 9-0 as a pro after locking up another W at Bellator 234 back in November.

Tekashi 6ix9ine is vowing to be on his best social media behavior now that he's outta prison ... his lawyers say the rapper won't start beefs or troll other artists, because the feds are watching!!!

Tekashi's attorney, Lance Lazzaro, tells TMZ ... 6ix9ine has no restrictions regarding his use of social media, despite being on federally supervised probation for the next 5 years.

While 69's probation officer will be monitoring everything Tekashi posts on social media, we're told 6ix9ine will not post anything inflammatory and will use his discretion and common sense when he uses social media.

As we first reported ... Tekashi was sprung from prison early after a judge signed off on a request to get out to avoid infection from the coronavirus. 6ix9ine is now on supervised release in-home incarceration, which isn't that much different from the way we're all living.

Tekashi was notorious for being an online troll before he got locked up, but his other attorney, Dawn Florio, tells TMZ ... 69 will not be trolling or starting beefs online, and he won't be promoting gang affiliation on social media either.

He made his return to Instagram Sunday, commenting on a story about snitching by saying, "Coming to the rescue." A clear jab at himself, but it likely wasn't received too well by those locked up because of Telashi's snitching.

Instead, we're told Tekashi will be using his social media platforms to promote his new music.

Sounds like social is not a top priority for Tekashi, at least for now ... we're told he just wants to spend quality time with his fam after a lengthy prison stint.

A 3-time Ironman world champion lost a virtual reality race over the weekend ... and it's all because she says her husband tripped over the power cord that tied her to the event!!

"What an idiot," the losing athlete, Mirinda Carfrae, said.

Here's the deal ... with the world under lockdown -- world-class triathletes took part in a VR Ironman race on Saturday.

The event was pretty cool ... the women performed from their living rooms, with their movements being broadcast through avatars on a screen. It's like a video game powered by actual athletes.

The problem? Carfrae's hubby, world champion triathlete Timothy O'Donnell, entered the room to show off some trophies as inspiration for the camera -- when he accidentally unplugged his wife from the race!!

"He decided to bring my trophies in here for motivation and when he walked around the back, he kicked out the plug!" the 39-year-old said. "What an idiot!"

Carfrae -- who was immediately disqualified due to the disconnect -- took her husband's gaffe in stride, writing after the race, "Really enjoyed taking part in the @ironman VR1 this weekend."

"Might take a few more days to forgive @tointri for the colossal stuff up 🤦🏼‍♀️😂. Of all the things that could have gone wrong, TO kicking out the cord was definitely not on our radar."

No guests? No problem!

Jameis Winston tied the knot to his longtime girlfriend, Breion, in a VERY private ceremony at their home ... despite the chaos from the coronavirus pandemic.

The two were supposed to have a massive, lavish ceremony with a TON of guests from all around the country.

But, with the stay-at-home orders in place, the NFL quarterback and his bride-to-be were faced with a choice ... postpone or improvise.

They chose door #2 ... and on March 27, they decided to move forward with the ceremony with the help of an officiant and a well-decorated back yard!

"A week when nothing was going as planned," Breion said.

"Our initial wedding had just been postponed and I was in a funk. But [Jameis] came through and put together a beautiful intimate ceremony in the privacy of our own home."

"And it seemed it was meant to be this way all along... #MrAndMrsWinston."

The two have known each other since high school and have been dating for years. The former Tampa Bay Bucs star popped the question back in 2018, just a few months before they had their first child together.

Congrats!

People with extra time on their hands are turning to creative outlets during coronavirus isolation ... learning to play new instruments and getting tailored voice lessons.

Here's the deal ... some of the biggest providers of online music lessons and voice coaching are telling us the same thing, business is booming during the pandemic.

Music To Your Home, which provides music lessons in NYC and online, tells TMZ ... they're seeing a 20% increase in their online lesson service compared to the same time last year, and new clients are streaming in from all corners of the globe.

We're told people are taking multiple lessons a week, an increase from before the outbreak, and parents are signing up their kids. The most popular lessons -- piano, guitar and voice.

Music To Your Home says most clients have mentioned wanting to learn a new skill while in isolation ... and some folks have expressed a desire to come out of the pandemic with a new sense of accomplishment.

Ultimate Voice Builder, operated by celeb voice coach Gary Catona, tells TMZ ... people are coming in droves seeking to work on their voices for presentations, singing and tone, and the waitlist is backed up for the next few months for personal online classes.

And, over the past two weeks, UVB says downloads for voice lesson eBooks have increased 100%. BTW, Gary's the guy who helped Renee Zellweger sing like Judy Garland.

Lessonface, which offers musical and voice lessons, tells TMZ ... the number of sign-ups have increased 10-fold since March 19, and lessons have doubled overall.

We're told the new clients are mostly teachers and schoolchildren, with a few senior citizens sprinkled in. The old folks say they want to connect with others and finally learn an instrument.

Donald Trump just did something jaw-dropping ... he shut down the leading infectious disease specialist in the United States of America -- stopped him from exposing a dangerous lie the President had just told.

Trump held a coronavirus briefing late Sunday and made a long pitch for people to use the drug hydroxychloroquine to battle the disease. He looked in the camera and said, "What have you got to lose?" There's actually an answer -- side effects include mild problems like nausea, but doctors say there's also a risk of stroke and major heart issues.

Fact is ... the drug is unproven. There have been very limited tests and results are a light-year from conclusive, and as you see, the side effects are significant.

A reporter then asked Dr. Fauci about the drug. He's spoken about it before, and there's no way he was on Team Trump, and the President knew it. You gotta watch the video.

Elon Musk's Tesla ventilators are a thing of engineering beauty and ingenuity, 'cause he's got his workers making 'em from scratch with stuff they got lying around their factories.

Tesla just posted a tutorial video of sorts, giving folks a sneak-peek at how exactly it's making the 1,000-plus ventilators it's already donated to Los Angeles ... plus more they're apparently cranking out right now. It's fascinating ... they're literally re-purposing car parts.

Elon's brainiac employees give a step-by-step walk-through of the first prototype the team built to donate to hospitals, and from what we can gather ... it's a massive contraption that, indeed, filters oxygen and CO2 in and out of a patient. We'll let the experts explain how.

There's more though ... one guy goes on to explain that Tesla's Model 3 vehicle and all of its internal systems are what power and keep track of these makeshift ventilators, which is crazy! They figured out a way to rewire stuff and make their operating system work for this cause.

Tyler Perry is an angel, and he proved it once again when he went to a Houston's restaurant in Atlanta Sunday and left a $500 tip for each of the 42 out-of-work servers.

Tyler's a big fan of the chain and has been driving over to the one on Northside Parkway pretty frequently to pick up some delicious grub.

He showed his appreciation in a big way ... with way more than a 20% tip ... $21,000!!!

It's a lifesaver for these out-of-work employees. The federal money for fired workers is supposed to get maybe delayed ... in some cases up to 20 weeks, and that just doesn't cut it.

Tyler is one of the most charitable guys in entertainment. When there's a disaster anywhere in the world, Tyler's the one to fly in supplies. As we reported, Tyler had a plane flown down to the Bahamas after it was devastated by Hurricane Dorian.

With millions of people out of work and things looking like they're only going to get worse this month, the generosity of everyone is about the only thing that's gonna get us through this.