We're in quarantine day number who-even-remembers-at-this-point ... and smokin' hot UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich is here to remind us of all the great views we're missing out on while stuck at home.
And, now we need all this isolation to be over ASAP.
Ostovich decided to give her followers a treat via Instagram heading into the weekend ... sharing some sexy shots in a neon green bikini while soakin' up some sun in the water.
Remember the ocean?? The good ole days.
The badass fighter even added some humor, saying "Anybody else gained that quarantine 15?" ... which clearly has to be a joke (see Exhibit's A & B above).
Ostovich has 4 pro wins under her belt ... and you can add a 5th to her dub column thanks to these shots.
And, for those of us who *have* put on that quarantine 15 ... thank you for the motivation, Rachael.
The White House is dealing with a second positive coronavirus test -- now it's Mike Pence's press secretary ... who's husband happens to be one of President Trump's top aides.
POTUS said Friday at the White House ... Pence's press secretary, Katie Miller, is the senior Pence staffer who tested positive. The President said, "She's a wonderful young woman, Katie, she tested very good for a long period of time and then all of a sudden today she tested positive."
Trump also said Katie has NOT come into contact with him, though she's in constant contact with Pence as his office's official spokesperson. Katie, BTW, is married to Stephen Miller, one of Trump's most trusted advisers. It's unclear if Miller he's been in contact with the Prez.
The VP's trip Friday morning aboard Air Force Two was delayed as staffers who'd been in contact with Katie had to leave the plane immediately after getting the news about her test results.
The announcement comes just one day after Trump's personal valet tested positive for coronavirus. The Prez says both he and his veep continue to test negative -- but you'd think the close calls would have them on edge.
Important to note, President Trump still refuses to wear a face mask -- and even though he's testing negative, it's still possible he could be transmitting the virus, because he could have been exposed. That's ditto for Pence now.
R. Kelly is offering an odd bit of reassurance ... informing the judge there's no danger of him harassing his accusers if he gets out of jail, because it's impossible for him to communicate with them.
Kelly's legal team fired off a letter that's basically a follow-up to their latest motion requesting Kelly be released on bond to avoid catching COVID-19 behind bars at MCC Chicago.
Kelly's attorneys, Steven Greenberg and Michael Leonard, say there are 6 alleged victims in his federal case out of the Eastern District of NY. We know one of them is Aaliyah ... and, in the letter, Kelly's team points out the obvious -- she's deceased, and therefore, out of even Kelly's reach.
According to the doc, obtained by TMZ, they also say prosecutors have only referred to 2 other accusers as Jane Does ... so Kelly and his team can't even ID them. Likewise, they claim prosecutors have only identified another accuser by a photo -- and team Kelly says it has no clue who she is.
They claim the last 2 women are beyond Kelly's sphere of influence, because they're publicly bashing him. The letter refers to one as a former girlfriend who blasts him daily on social media. They're clearly referring to Azriel Clary, and even include links to her social media posts.
They add that Jane Doe #6 has similarly gone on a negative media campaign against Kelly.
All of this to say, if the judge lets him out ... he'll be on his best behavior because he has no choice. Remember, the judge has already shot down 2 previous motions for Kelly's release on bond.
Michael Rubinis applauding Chris Pratt and David Blaine for going above and beyond with the All In Challenge, and says it's beautiful to see celebs commit their time to the cause.
The Philadelphia 76ers partner, and creator of the Challenge, joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" and couldn't stop gushing about the efforts of Chris, David and a host of others raising money to feed Americans in the pandemic.
Michael says David's a shining example ... the illusionist held an auction and offered to fly to the winner's home for a private magic show, and the winning bid came in at $220,000. But, David didn't stop with one show, he did it three times over -- getting the runner-up and second runner-up to match -- and raised $660k for food charities.
Chris caught the All In bug too ... offering the chance to get eaten by a dinosaur in the 'Jurassic Park' franchise, first as an auction and then again as a sweepstake you can enter for just $10.
Michael says golf icons Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelsonalso double-dipped with auctions and sweepstakes, with Tiger offering a trip to the Bahamas and putting lessons, and Phil offering the chance at a round with a Masters champion.
So far, the Challenge has raised over $33 million and Michael told us what's impressed him the most about celebs taking charge.
President Donald Trump will be tuned in to UFC 249 on Saturday to get some ideas on how to reopen the rest of the country amid the coronavirus pandemic, so says UFC honcho Dana White.
Of course, Dana and Donald are very close friends who go back decades -- and they talk all the time.
So, with Dana pushing forward with UFC 249 this weekend -- using teams of medical professionals to test all fighters and staffers -- we asked if Trump would be looking at the event as kind of a blueprint.
"Absolutely," White said Friday on "TMZ Live" ... "His whole philosophy was let's get sports back first, figure out how to do that safely. Then let's start figuring out how do you get people back in the office? How do you get people in cubicles? And, then how do you get kids back in school?"
"So, this is something we've been working on and yes, he's absolutely watching what we're doing this weekend."
White says his fighters, their teams and UFC staff have been undergoing multiple testing -- including swabs for COVID-19 -- and plans to keep it up during future events.
"Health and safety is something we worry about every single weekend ... there's gonna be a lot of testing going on here."
White says other sports should follow suit -- but they have to be willing to spend the money ... "it's really expensive."
Vice President Mike Pence hatched a PR stunt while delivering PPE supplies during a medical crisis that has claimed more than 75,000 American lives ... he didn't carry it out, but just saying it out loud is bad.
The VP's latest fumble went down Thursday while he and a host of other White House officials delivered PPE equipment from FEMA to a nursing home in Alexandria, VA, where you can see Pence carry and wheel in several boxes.
After delivering 8 boxes, he went back to the delivery van for more. A hot mic picks up someone telling the Veep, "Those are empty, sir. We're good to go." The VP then shot back, "Well, can I carry the empty ones? Just for the camera?" He smiled before someone responded, "Absolutely."
For the record, he didn't. And, also for the record ... a terrible joke considering the PPE shortage across hospitals and the troubling images of nurses, doctors and other health professionals forced to re-use face masks.
It was just last week when Pence showed up to the Mayo Clinic without a mask. His excuse for not wearing a mask? He said he's tested regularly.
BTW ... a member of Pence's team has tested positive for the coronavirus. As we reported, one of Trump's valets also tested positive. So far, both Pence and Trump say they tested negative.
Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber finally teamed up on a song, and made it worth the wait by dropping a new quarantine-friendly music video featuring fans, famous folks, and their significant others.
The pop duet premiered early Friday, and the theme of the music vid for "Stuck with U" is people everywhere making the most of these stay-at-home days as we all try to work together to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
These shots included girls flaunting their prom dresses, families dancing around together and having fun with their pets ... and signs and messages of love and support, especially for health workers taking on COVID-19.
It's loaded with celebrity cameos, too ... including Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, Michael Bublé, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ayesha and Stephen Curry,Chance the Rapper, Lil Dicky, Demi Lovato and Max Ehrich, Jaden Smith, and Kendall and Kylie Jenner.
Of course, Justin's shown in the video hanging out with his wife, Hailey, and Ariana's got a little dancing clip at the end of the vid with her new boyfriend, Dalton Gomez.
As we first told you, Dalton's a real estate big shot in L.A. The 2 have been self-isolating together since March ... but it looks like they've gone public with their relationship now.
BTW -- proceeds from "Stuck with U" will go to the First Responders Children’s Foundation, which funds grants and scholarships for kids of first responders on the front lines of the pandemic.
The broken meat supply chain has most Americans worried, but not hunters who are loading their freezers with game -- and it seems a lot more people want to do the same.
We did some digging, and in the past couple months, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic ... several Midwestern and East Coast states, where hunting is common, have seen a major increase in demand for licenses to bag open-range game, fish and fowl.
In Michigan, for example, turkey season kicked off with a bang on April 18 ... and the state’s Department of Natural Resources already sold 97,305 licenses to hunt the bird, far eclipsing the 83,072 number this time last year.
New York, which tragically had the biggest surge of coronavirus cases early on, also saw a surge of its residents going fishing and hunting. Between March and May, the number of licensed anglers grew 30 percent and turkey permit sales spiked about 60 percent.
Similar story in Virginia, where so far this year ... sales of hunting licenses have risen nearly 10 percent and its turkey harvest has perked up by 11 percent.
A couple of heartland states -- Indiana and Iowa -- have also experienced big spikes in hunting and fishing licenses, but officials there don't chalk that up to a potential meat shortage. Instead, they think it's because people have more free time to enjoy the sport of hunting along with the reward of food.
Of course, for those out there who aren't into the whole hunting thing ... there's always plant-based meats. As we told you ... that business is booming too.
WWE superstar Roman Reigns says he's champing at the bit to get back in the ring ... but can't take any chances with his health because he needs to "protect" his young children.
"We just had two newborn twins, twin boys," Reigns says ... "They're 8 weeks old so I had to make a decision for them."
As we previously reported, Reigns opted out of performing at Wrestlemania 36 back in April -- citing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
"A lot of people ... they think that it was based off of my heath and the history of my fight against leukemia. Talking to my doctors and stuff, I actually am fine and my immune system is good," Reigns explained.
"The drugs that I take to fight the leukemia, they don't attack your immune system."
Reigns says the decision was "bigger than me" -- "It's my family, it's my children, they are my legacy. No matter what I do in this world, my children are gonna be the ones to represent my name and carry our name forward. So I had to make that choice for them, to protect them being so young."
The 34-year-old says he misses wrestling like crazy -- "I wanna be out there, I wanna get back to work, I wanna get back to normal but I just feel like I have an obligation not only to my family and myself but to my community."
"Also, to set the example because at the end of the day, we can do a lot of different things and say a lot of different things but its through our actions that really speaks volume. That's what I'm trying to do."
Reigns says he's not sure when he will return to the ring -- but for now, he's in full "daddy mode" ... and that's okay with him!
There's more ... Reigns is also appearing in the WWE Network series "Undertaker: The Last Ride," which chronicles how Taker is wrapping up his legendary wrestling career.
Of course, Reigns famously battled Undertaker at Wrestlemania 33 in 2017 -- defeating the Dead Man, right before Undertaker symbolically left his hat, gloves and coat in the center of the ring ... which signifies retirement.
"I had no clue about the end ... like how he was gonna be laying his hat and his gloves and his jacket down," Reigns says.
"I didn't have any clue about that!"
And, get this ... Reigns, one of the toughest guys in WWE says he was even moved to tears during the match -- though he blamed his watery eyes on something else!
The series debuts Sunday night on WWE Network -- and Reigns says reflecting on that moment still gives him goosebumps.
The U.S. Mint's decision to put the American Samoan fruit bat on the back of 2020 quarters probably seemed perfectly innocent ... pre-coronavirus, but now it's kinda creepy.
Here's the deal ... the 2020 quarter, which was put into circulation in February, honors America's Pacific Island territory, and features a cheerful-looking mama fruit bat and her pup hanging upside down.
The National Park of American Samoa is home to the species ... hence the currency shout-out. Only problem is we're all a bit freaked out about bats, considering one widely held scientific belief that the virus jumped to humans from bats sold in Wuhan's wet markets.
Before its release, the U.S. Mint said ... "The image evokes the remarkable care and energy that this species puts into their offspring. The design is intended to promote awareness to the species’ threatened status due to habitat loss and commercial hunting."
Blah, blah, blah ... y'know everyone just see bats and thinks pandemic.
Ben Affleckdoesn't need silly things like house keys or a gate code to get into his home ... as long as he's got his limbs and agility, he'll be just fine.
Ben had to channel his inner 'Batman' -- sorry for the bad memory -- when he arrived home Thursday following a dog walk with GF Ana de Armas, only to find they were locked out... so he scaled the security fence and saved the day.
Check out the gallery ... it's not every day you see a huge celeb breaking into his own home.
Ben shimmied up the gate with relative ease, then hopped down on the other side and stuck the landing like a Russian gymnast. Ta-da!!!
Next thing you know, Ben's opening the door from the inside like a gentleman, and whisking Ana and the pups back inside.
Dr. Phil may be a famous psychologist, but he's also one of the most accomplished jury consultants in America, and he's worried the court system could collapse in the wake of coronavirus, and judges may be dismissing all sorts of cases.
Phil appeared on "TMZ Live" Thursday and he didn't mince words ... the courts are going to be in a major crisis once things start rolling back to normal. For starters, we all have a constitutional right to be judged by a jury of our peers, so how exactly will that work with 12 jurors in a jury box with no room for social distancing?
The figures are daunting. Dr. Phil notes there are upwards of 150,000 jury trials in America every year -- many of them criminal cases -- and if the courts can't figure out how to impanel a jury, lawyers for a lot of these defendants may request they just simply go free.
Phil raises another alarming point ... there are lots of people in jail right now awaiting trial, and a disproportionate number of them are minorities. A lot of inmates don't have the money to bail out, so they sit in breeding grounds for the virus. For some, it's effectively capital punishment.
In case you don't remember ... Phil was Oprah's jury consultant when she was sued by the beef industry and he won that case for her in spectacular fashion. O was so impressed she put him on her show, and as they say, the rest ...
Guy Fieri knows better than anyone that restaurant workers are the lifeblood of that industry, so he immediately sprung into action to help those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
The official Mayor of Flavortown joined "TMZ Live" Thursday and explain how he quickly managed to get $20 million into a relief fund. Guy says he partnered up with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation ... and they launched the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund.
Pretty incredible what he's done in less than 2 months. As Guy told us, he had no problem getting on the phone to some major corporations involved in hospitality and food services.
He says they've already awarded more than 40,000 grants -- worth $500 each -- to workers facing extraordinary hardship due to the pandemic. Anyone who wants to donate to the cause or apply for a one-time grant can go here.
We also asked Guy how the industry can survive under our "new normal" of social distancing. He said it's gonna be tough, but it can be done ... for a certain type of restaurant.
6:29 PM PT -- 5/8 -- A law enforcement source tells us the whole incident started after the woman was told by a Walmart employee to put on a face mask. The woman allegedly refused and a verbal spat started ... the officer then got involved after things got heated and took the woman down when she started to resist.
An off-duty Birmingham, AL cop working security at a Walmart is under investigation after body-slamming a customer for allegedly refusing to wear a face mask.
The incident went down Tuesday, and the video starts with the security guard struggling to detain the woman. Moments later eventually he lifted her from under her legs and slammed her to the ground.
A nearby woman, also not wearing a face covering, was pissed and shouted at the security guard for slamming her friend's head on the ground.
The video, posted online, prompted Birmingham PD to launch an investigation into the use of force.
For what it's worth ... Alabama's stay-at-home order only recommends -- not requires -- residents to wear face coverings while out in public. We called the store, who said they do require shoppers to wear face coverings inside.
A Birmingham PD spokesman said, "Our records indicate we have not issued any citations or made arrests as it relates to the shelter in place ordinance or the face covering ordinance. We have made a valiant effort to gain voluntary compliance and we will continue to work cohesively with the community."
President Trump's personal valet has tested positive for coronavirus, and even though Trump has tested negative, doctors tell TMZ that doesn't mean he's virus-free ... and if he does have it he could have exposed many others.
The valet -- a member of the US Navy dedicated to working at the White House -- had COVID-19 symptoms Wednesday morning, and his test came back positive for the virus.
Trump was reportedly informed about the situation afterward and not happy about it, and CNN says the news is "hitting the fan" in the President's administration.
According to the White House ... both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence "have since tested negative for the virus and they remain in great health."
Here's the problem ... several doctors, including an ER physician who treats COVID patients in the ICU unit of a major L.A. hospital, say someone exposed to the virus one day may test negative the next day, even if they have the virus. The ER doc says his unit will admit people suspected of having coronavirus, and even if they test negative they will be retested for 7 days.
The reason ... the virus needs time to absorb into the body before a test will reveal the person is positive. However, that person could transmit the virus to others even if they haven't tested positive yet.
As you know ... Trump went to Arizona Tuesday and did NOT wear a mask, so if he were to have the virus he could have infected others.
2 Chainz couldn't hold off any longer, he's reopened his Atlanta restaurants for dine-in service ... and while he's trying to keep patrons safe, most don't seem too concerned.
After waffling the past 2 weeks, both of the rapper's Escobar Restaurant and Tapas locations fully opened back up Tuesday ... and 2 Chainz dropped by to make sure everything was running smoothly.
Bentley Didier, a spokesperson for Escobar, tells TMZ they're operating under new guidelines to protect against COVID-19, which is great ... since people are flocking to the joint. He says employees, friends and customers admit they've been dealing with depression due to self-quarantining and social distancing.
Point is, most people are just thrilled to be back. Even if customers aren't worried, we're told both spots will practice social distancing, work within the regulations in place ... and listen to guidance from health officials and the government.
Didier says some new safety precautions include sections being limited to 4 people or less, ALL food served in a to-go box, masks and gloves provided if requested, and customers being instructed to wash their hands in the restrooms as soon as they enter.
People ordering hookahs will be provided with disposable hoses, and the hookahs are sanitized after every use.
In addition, each location has a back patio open so people can spread out, and staff is still limited to keep capacity as low as possible for now. DJs haven't returned yet either -- they're just utilizing playlists -- and dancing is limited to a party's section with the people they came with.
After the reopening, Escobar posted some video of folks dancing inside -- hard to say if the rules are being followed.
Didier insists they're trying, though, and says even though nobody knows how long the coronavirus pandemic will last, they want to thrive through it.
