Coronavirus

T.I. and Killer Mike are looking out for their neediest neighbors ... helping them fill their bellies and wallets all while practicing CDC-approved hygiene.

The Atlanta rappers teamed up Wednesday to serve hot meals to 500 ATL residents who've been feeling the impact brought on by the pandemic and quarantine.

T.I. and Killer Mike partnered with PAWkids, a family enrichment center run by Latonya Gates, to bring smiles to the good folks in Atlanta's Grove Park community, serving food from the parking lot at Bankhead Seafood.

The Grammy Award-winning MCs kept up their good deeds after serving the 500 meals, dropping off 2 weeks' worth of food and hygiene products to needy families, and surprising folks as they opened their front doors.

They also topped it off by doling out $500 cash to several of those households.

It's not easy to get your hands on a Banksy, but the anonymous street artist took it upon himself to drop one off at a UK hospital ... to honor health workers/heroes.

Check it out ... the incredible black-and-white painting -- with an important splash of red -- depicts a child putting aside his traditional superhero toys to grab his new fave ... a National Health Service nurse.

Banksy reportedly left a note for workers at Southampton General Hospital, which read ... "Thanks for all you're doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if its only black and white."

The artist also shared some close-up shots of his handiwork on Instagram, with the caption ... "Game Changer."

The 1x1-meter painting will be on display at the hospital until the fall, and then will be auctioned off to raise money for the UK's NHS.

Paula Head, CEO of the hospital's NHS Foundation Trust, says it's a huge honor to be chosen by Banksy as the example of the "outstanding contribution everyone in and with the NHS is making."

She adds ... "It will no doubt also be a massive boost to morale for everyone who works and is cared for at our hospital."

BTW -- the cool gesture coincides with National Nurses Day here in the U.S., and International Nurses Day is on May 12 ... as if we needed any more reason to show them the love they already deserve.

We know Pauly D is a hot draw in the DJ booth, but we didn't know he was THIS hot -- as in, someone throwing down six-figures to watch him in action!!!

The 'Jersey Shore' stud is super pumped up about raising $200,500 for the All In Challenge -- raising money for food charities -- and he came on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to explain why it could be a great deal for the winner.

Pauly's gonna teach the high bidder how to mix it up on the 1s and 2s, plus take them and a few friends for a night on the town. Even he admits, he didn't know what he could offer for the All In Challenge, at first -- considering Meek Mill donated a freakin' Rolls-Royce!!!

But, the highly in-demand DJ told us the winner's not just getting a party experience for that $200k. Yes, there will be bottle service, custom jerseys and wild parties, but more importantly ... the DJ lessons he's giving could mean a new high-paying career for the winner.

Speaking of the Sin City party scene -- Pauly says he's got his ear to the streets in Vegas, hoping for a shred of good news about the future reopening. He also admits it's really hard to keep social distance in his biz.

While the pandemic's hitting lots of people where it hurts -- Pauly says he's already canceled 30 shows -- celebs are making a difference with the All In Challenge.

The brainchild of 76ers partner Michael Rubin has raised $32 million and counting. A chunk of that is thanks to David Blaine. The famed magician's fan experience -- flying to your home for a private show -- went for $220,000, but it was a 3-way tie. Blaine decided to go to all 3 winners' homes, so that's $660k for charity!!!

As for Pauly ... yes, the tuition at Pauly D U. is expensive, but it's for a great cause.

The Troubadour's doors have been closed since coronavirus shutdowns began, and there's a real chance they won't reopen ... but it's trying to get by with a little help from its fans and friends.

The historic venue in West Hollywood -- where Elton John's career got a huge boost -- has hosted live music, comedy and other entertainment since the late 1950s, and despite being a small, independently run business ... it's never faced a threat of permanent closure like it is now.

Ed Karayan, the club's owner, and his daughter Christine, the general manager, are very concerned about the Troub's chances of survival. They suggest with the way the pandemic is playing out, whenever they are finally allowed to reopen it will be too little, too late for the 500-capacity hot spot ... especially with social distancing rules.

Ed says ... "The more I think about it, it’s just completely futile. At least a big seated venue has space where they can keep people apart. But, I don’t know how that works for a general admission venue. Are you going to stop them from using the restroom?"

On the bright side ... the nightclub launched a GoFundMe to raise money for its staff of 20, almost all of which have been laid off. The Troubadour's initial goal was $30k, but it cruised past that and set a new goal of $50k ... and as of now, it's raised over $55,000!

So, just how significant is the L.A. venue? Here's a quick history lesson -- in the mid-60s it began welcoming rising acts like The Byrds, Nina Simone and Judy Collins ... along with helping launch the stand-up careers of Richard Pryor and Steve Martin.

The late '60s saw it play host to big names like Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor and the Eagles ... all before 1970, when Elton John made his famous U.S. debut on the Troubadour's stage at age 20. The moment was captured in last year's "Rocketman" biopic.

Since then, it's been the general admission, standing-room-only venue for hair bands in the '80s, grunge and alt-rock in the '90s and '00s and everything in between ... up until March 11, when the band Glass Animals last played live for an audience.

Major League Soccer players are returning to their team's outdoor facilities Wednesday for individual workouts ... and you bet your ass everyone is undergoing medical screenings on the way in.

MLS officials say the league worked with medical experts to come up with new safety protocols to allow players to train while following government orders. The new changes went into effect on May 6 -- and a bunch of players are seizing the opportunity.

The MLS posted video Wednesday showing a number of Orlando City and Sporting Kansas City players wearing masks, using hand sanitizer and getting their temperatures taken as they arrive to practice.

FYI -- the league says all workouts are strictly voluntary ... so no one is being forced to leave their homes if they don't want to.

The league believes it's safer for players to work out in a controlled environment, rather than somewhere like a public park (we're looking at you, Tom Brady).

Players still won't have access to certain team facilities like locker rooms, gyms and training rooms ...but at least they can work out on grass again in a professional capacity.

Hungry consumers are looking elsewhere for a juicy bite as America starts to feel the crunch from meat shortages ... and it's a boon for plant-based meats.

Here's the deal ... with traditional meat processing plants and slaughterhouses getting hit hard by COVID-19, there's a looming shortage of traditional meats and poultry. Based on the numbers, more and more people are taking the opportunity to try new, healthier options.

Two of the country's biggest plant-based meat producers, Tofurky and Impossible Foods, both tell TMZ ... sales are up and they've already found ways to cut into the conventional meat industry's marketplace.

Tofurky CEO Jaime Athos tells us his company is selling more inventory to stores than ever before. It's a pretty stark change ... Tofurky says one of its retail partners fears conventional meat sales will nosedive 30 percent.

Tofurky is upping its supply to fill the void.

In response, Tofurky's upping its supply to fill the void, and capitalize on the Wendy's burger shortage ... it's about to roll out a new line of plant-based burgers.

Over at Impossible Foods, President Dennis Woodside says they had record retail sales in April and struck new deals with major grocery chains like Kroger. Impossible already jumped into the fast-food game by partnering with Burger King -- pre-pandemic -- and Woodside says those sales remain strong.

Beyond Meat is making a killing too ... with a whopping 141% increase in first-quarter net revenues, compared to last year.

Plant-based beef ... it's what's for dinner in 2020.

Nike is stepping up in a huge way to help healthcare heroes ... pledging to donate more than 130,000 pairs of shoes and socks to frontline workers who are battling to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The apparel giant made the announcement Tuesday ... recognizing the need for hospital staffers to have comfortable footwear while they spend hours on their feet daily dealing with sick patients.

"From one athlete to another," the company said, "Nike athletes recognize the physical and mental resilience of healthcare athletes."

Nike says it will be donating pairs of Air Zoom Pulses to hospitals at several healthcare facilities across the U.S ... and its enlisted several superstar athletes, including Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant and Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson, to help deliver the goods.

Nike officials add the company will also come through with over 95,000 pairs of comfy soccer socks for the workers as well.

Of course, all of this is in addition to the thousands of protective masks Nike made and donated last month.

Novak Djokovic ... WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

The tennis superstar not only broke Spain's social distancing rules on Monday to play tennis -- he posted video of himself doing it!

The 32-year-old posted footage hitting balls back and forth with another man on a clay court in Marbella, Spain.

Usually, not a problem ... but Spain -- which was hit hard by COVID-19 -- has strict stay-at-home rules which specifically forbid tennis!

So, when Novak posted footage Monday showing a rally with another man, people were super upset!

"So happy to play on clay," Djokovic wrote ... "Well, just for a bit with my phone in the hands."

Spain has said athletes are allowed to work out by themselves -- but the back-and-forth exchange with another player appears to violate the policy.

Unclear if officials will take action against Novak. We're making calls.

It's not the first time Novak made headlines during the pandemic -- just last month he publicly announced that he's an anti-vaxxer who's opposed to a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine.

Two huge stars are joining forces to raise money for Holocaust survivors affected by the COVID-19 pandemic ... by kicking your ass into shape!

NFL star Julian Edelman and NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas have signed on to teach a Trooper Fitness virtual workout class to raise money for the 333 Charity and UJA-Federation.

The orgs say all proceeds will go toward providing meals for Holocaust survivors living in New York who are unable to leave their homes due to the health crisis.

"There are 36,000 Holocaust survivors living in the New York area, 40% of whom are living in poverty," 333 says.

Isiah Thomas explained his decision to join the event to Page Six ... saying, "Watching New York and the rest of the world get hit by the COVID-19 pandemic has been extremely difficult."

"Myself and my family are happy to work with 333 Charity and other organizations on Giving Tuesday to support meal deliveries for Holocaust survivors living in poverty during this difficult time."

The class -- $20 per person -- will take place over Zoom beginning at 3:30 PM PT.

Baseball might be back in Korea ... but traditional ceremonial first pitches sure as hell ain't!!

Check out how the Korean Baseball Organization adhered to social distancing guidelines while kicking off one of its games Tuesday ... a 9-year-old in a bubble did the honors!!

The unique scene all went down just before KT Wiz's game in South Korea ... when Lee Raon took the mound inside of an air-filled bag shaped like a baseball.

But, instead of the kid throwing out a pitch ... he walked his bubble to home plate, signifying the game's first throw -- and boom, that tipped off the action on the diamond!!!

Unclear how the kid was able to breathe ... but everyone sure seemed to enjoy baseball's return to the country amid the coronavirus pandemic regardless -- the little boy even got a through-the-bubble high-five from the catcher!!

Byron Allen says the news about people waiting in line for hours to feed their families motivated him to do something, and he got instant support from a slew of superstar comedians.

The famed TV mogul told us he hatched the idea for the "Feeding America Comedy Festival" just a couple weeks ago, and his first call to get it going was to Kevin Hart.

Byron was on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and said he followed up with calls to Tiffany Haddish, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, Adam Sandler and so many more ... and they all had the same answer -- let's do this.

Byron -- who's partnering with Funny or Die to produce the benefit -- says viewers can expect more than just cookie-cutter material from the comics and actors. He tells us he gave them free rein to get creative in 2-3 minutes ... and it's going to produce lotsa laugh-out-loud moments.

Some other big names set to appear on the 2-hour comedy special include Chris Rock, Sarah Silverman, Judd Apatow, Jack Black, Whitney Cummings, Whoopi Goldberg, George Lopez, Marc Maron, JB Smoove and Marlon Wayans.

'Feeding America' encompasses a nationwide network of 200 food banks, and Byron told us the majority of them are facing increased demand for food and supplies due to the COVID-19 pandemic.