Coronavirus

Beverly Hills' La Scala restaurant is backtracking after word got out about their not-so-secret invites to an NYE shindig -- saying the invitation text was screwed up, and it was only happening IF the state and county gave the green light.

La Scala's IG account posted a new statement addressing the backlash they've received since photos of their invitations were posted online ... and they're apologizing for the misunderstanding, while also telling people who are outraged to kinda shove it.

Here's what the invite SHOULD HAVE said ... "With the dining ban set to expire on Dec. 28th we are hopeful of resuming some sort of table service and we are considering taking reservations for New Year's Eve. If this is something you would be interested in, please let us know. If allowed, and if there's enough interest, we'll contact you to secure a reservation."

That's much different from what made it on paper in the end. Remember, the invite played like a '20s-era Prohibition thing ... which included the word "speakeasy," suggesting their plans were on the DL. La Scala says that was a mistake, and the writer was just trying to have some fun. They insist they weren't planning on doing anything illegal.

With their intention cleared up, La Scala also says ... "If you can find fault in that, there is nothing more we can say. No harm was meant." They also say that while they're a famous establishment ... they're also just a local business trying to make ends meet in hard times.

The only problem with La Scala's thinking is they might've been too hopeful things would be getting back to normal anytime soon.

Lil Pump will NOT be flying with JetBlue anymore -- at least that's what the airline's saying, because it claims he refused to wear a mask while up in the air.

A rep for JB tells TMZ ... a customer on one of their Saturday flights from Fort Lauderdale to L.A. became verbally abusive with crew members, and also took off his face covering mid-flight ... and then failed to put it back on, even when asked.

We're told JetBlue called in to LAX to tell them to have cops on standby -- apparently he was that unruly -- but it doesn't appear Pump was arrested when they touched down. LAX Airport Police tell us they have no record of an arrest or incident involving the rapper.

TMZ has also obtained correspondence from the flight deck that day -- in which the captain was detailing exactly what LP was doing ... and what needed to happen when they arrived. At first, he says Pump was simply noncompliant with their mask policy, but later said he was sneezing and coughing into a blanket sans mask (perhaps on purpose) ... and that more than just a supervisor needed to meet them, as Pump had to be dealt with "firmly."

The last correspondence sent says Pump finally obliged and put on his mask -- but the dude wasn't finished with JetBlue at that point ... he later took to social media to cuss 'em out.

In a since-deleted video, Lil Pump says "f*** JetBlue," and goes on to say he will NEVER wear a mask in 2021. Seems like his pro-Trump vibes are still going strong post-election.

'Real Housewives of Dallas' star D'Andra Simmons is bedridden in a hospital due to COVID-19 -- the first cast member from the Bravo shows who's gotten this ill.

Simmons' condition was first announced by podcast host Kate Casey, who says ... "Just heard from D’Andra and she is asking for your prayers. She’s in the hospital and struggling."

A rep for D'Andra has confirmed she's in bad shape.

The rep says D'Andra's been admitted into the COVID ward at UT Southwestern Hospital. It's unclear when she contracted the virus, or how long she's been at the hospital ... but her team says her oxygen levels have been borderline, and she's starting Remdesivir.

That's one of the anti-viral drugs President Trump was given when he came down with COVID -- part of the cocktail of therapeutics he says helped him recover quickly.

Simmons' diagnosis and health status is noteworthy -- as she appears to be the only 'Real Housewife' who's had to get checked in and treated for coronavirus. Others have had it -- including 'RHOBH' stars Kyle Richards, Kathy Hilton and Dorit Kemsley, but none required hospitalization.

As we've reported ... Bravo production crews have taken several steps to help keep the different 'Housewives' sets as safe as possible. They're requiring masks on everyone who isn't on-camera, they're doing temp checks, they're mostly shooting outdoors ... and everyone's encouraged to spread out. Still, despite that, some stars and others on set have caught it.

Dwayne Haskins has been released by the Washington Football Team ... this after he was caught partying it up without a mask.

The announcement was made Monday following the team's loss to the Carolina Panthers. The poor record this season -- plus Dwayne's on-camera COVID-risky screw-up, we imagine -- were the final straw for upper management.

Bottom line, the former first-round draft pick is out.

The 2nd year QB released a statement saying, "My time with the WFT has unfortunately come to an end. I thank the team & fans for the opportunity to play for the team I grew up rooting for."

He adds, "I take full responsibility for not meeting the standards of a NFL QB & will become a better man & player because of this experience."

Of course, Dwayne is probably talking about the fact he was recently caught raging with strippers (sans masks or distancing) on the heels of his team's loss to the Seahawks.

Not only that, but Dwayne simply wasn't living up to expectations after Washington made him its top pick in 2019.

For its part, WFT management says they talked to Dwayne, and basically said ... it'd be best if they went their separate ways.

A couple's refusal to wear face masks inside a Sephora, spilled into a parking lot confrontation where one guy hurled Asian ethnic slurs.

In this video, you see the guy behind the wheel of a Jeep get out of his car as he's yelling "go back to China," and calling the person recording him a "stupid g**k."

According to witnesses, this all started Sunday inside Sephora in Irvine, CA ... and the couple in the video allegedly refused to wear masks, which upset nearby customers ... including the woman recording this video.

They met again in the parking lot just outside the store ... and on top of hurling epithets, the guy charged toward the woman in a threatening way, saying ... "Are you really that stupid? You know that recording doesn't do anything."

Doesn't look like police got involved this time, and the guy threw one more bigoted parting shot as he pulled away -- "Stay home, and thanks for giving my country COVID."

Kudos to the woman who got the brunt of this hate speech -- she's choosing to focus on positives, and posted ... "I understand there's always unfortunate people living in hate. It's pathetic."

Jillian Michaels loves that people used quarantine to focus on their health with at-home workouts, but she also stresses the importance of gyms will be obvious when we get back to "normal."

The fitness guru joined "TMZ Live" and said the silver lining in the pandemic-ravaged year is people at home found creative ways to stay in shape when the coronavirus forced gyms to shut down across the country.

That being said ... Jillian said there's something to be said about the benefits a gym offers. And, it doesn't matter if it's a huge gym, a boutique gym or even just a yoga class ... the benefits range from having a social environment to the intensity of in-person instruction.

2020 was the year of 'rona, but 2021 could be another year plagued with a new ailment that's apparently on the come up ... "super gonorrhea," which is getting a COVID assist.

The World Health Organization (WHO) told the Sun a mutant, more powerful strain of the burning STD is spreading worldwide ... partly because of the pandemic, which has gotten more people on drugs and antibiotics -- plus, limited their access to healthcare.

The WHO rep says, "Overuse of antibiotics in the community can fuel the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in gonorrhea. Azithromycin -- a common antibiotic for treating respiratory infections -- was used for Covid-19 treatment earlier in the epidemic."

This is true ... in the early days of the virus, docs and hospitals were prescribing azithromycin, thinking it could help ward off problems caused by COVID -- but the therapeutic has recently been debunked as mostly ineffective.

There's more though ... the WHO rep goes on to explain STI services have been severely curtailed due to shutdowns and all ... and because of this a lot of people have gone undiagnosed and untreated, which could have led to super gonorrhea spreading.

As a result ... the regular form of gonorrhea we all know and love has gotten stronger and more resistant to antibiotics that would normally kill it (like azithromycin). Not only that, but having it increases your chances of contracting HIV by at least 5 times ... so there are bigger ramifications.

So, what's the solution??? A few things, according to medical experts ... new treatments for one, less prescribing of antibiotics unless necessary, and maybe more protection during sex.

Jennifer Aniston has something in common this Xmas with chestnuts -- they're both getting roasted.

Aniston's getting dragged for posting a pic of an engraved, circular wooden ornament with the inscription, "Our first pandemic 2020."

Lots of folks felt Jen was trying to be inappropriately cute over a disease that has taken the lives of more than 300,000 Americans and steadily counting.

Aniston has not responded to the criticism.

It's the first blowback Aniston has gotten since joining Instagram in October, 2019 which shattered records for the fastest growing celeb on the platform.

Aniston scored nearly 5 million followers in just 12 hours after posting a selfie with Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Matthew Perry. Her followers have grown to 36 million.

Anwar Hadid will NOT get the COVID vaccine, despite the fact he has an underlying condition and is therefore more at risk for a bad outcome if he gets the virus.

Anwar, the little brother of models Gigi and Bella Hadid who followed in their footsteps down the runway, was asked on Instagram if he'd get inoculated, and he couldn't have been clearer ... "Absolutely not."

The 21-year-old was chatting with fans when he made it clear ... he's an anti-vaxxer ... "Either I just don't get it or I get it and god willing heal from it and get antibodies rather than do that process unnaturally, our bodies are made by the creator to do way more than we think."

Anwar has Lyme disease, which could put him more at risk for COVID complications than many of his 21-year-old contemporaries. To make it even dicier, some COVID symptoms are similar to Lyme disease symptoms.

An anti-masker pitched a fit at a CVS Saturday ... insisting she doesn't have to wear a mask because she's healthy and shows no symptoms ... and she dared them to call the cops.

It went down in L.A., where COVID is out of control. She approached the counter and got immediate pushback from staff who said she wouldn't get service unless she wore a mask.

The woman blanched at that, firing back it's "nonsensical" to treat healthy people like they're sick. The staff properly asked how she knew she was healthy ... she said she had no symptoms and felt fine. Of course, people with COVID can feel fine in the early stages and, for that matter, even as the disease progresses and still transmit the disease.

She seemed to be saying 2 things ... suggesting she has an underlying condition and can't be refused service, and then saying she's a perfectly healthy person.

A nurse who happened to be in the store tried explaining how bad COVID has ravaged L.A., but she wasn't having it, saying "asymptomatic spread has been shown to be a myth."

She claimed she's entitled to service. Fact is ... they have an absolute right to deny her service. If a store demands someone wear a mask and they won't, they can pitch a fit all they want ... they're not entitled to service.

One of the ritziest, most exclusive celeb joints in L.A. is secretly inviting people to an in-person New Year's Eve party, asking them to keep it on the low ... but to also spread the word.

The restaurant in question La Scala, and it's their Bev Hills location that's doing this "speakeasy" thing. They've apparently been slipping invites in to-go orders for a NYE dine-in event ... and they're being cutesy with it by slugging it as a '20s-era Prohibition blowout.

An invite of theirs was recently posted online, which reads ... "We are considering taking reservations for New Year's Eve Dinner. Inside. If this is something you'd be interested in, please let us know as soon as possible."

The message goes on ... "If enough interest we'll contact you back to secure your reservation. Please keep this discreet, but tell all your friends." So ... not a secret at all.

La Scala's plans are on the radar of Beverly Hills city officials -- who are issuing a harsh rebuke, but not much else at this point in the way of threats to shut this thing down.

The official rep for the City of Beverly Hills says, "We understand this is an incredibly difficult time for all of our businesses, however the County Order does currently prohibit indoor and outdoor dining, including in the City of Beverly Hills." Cool ... but is that it???

Time will tell if La Scala is able to move forward with their shindig -- you'd imagine cops would step in and try to stop it -- but at this point ... it could fall into a grey area, like so many of these lockdown measures we've seen defied this year, including around L.A.

BTW, La Scala is one of these legacy restaurants in Hollywood ... it's been around since forever, and some of the most famous faces in history have stopped by for a meal or two. People like Frank Sinatra, Cher, David Geffen, Khloe Kardashian, Lamar Odom, Barbara Walters and so many more have visited ... until recently, that is.

It's good to know ... Canadians are now as crazy as us folks in the U.S. of A.

A group protesting the COVID vaccines dressed like zombies, kinda ... they had white masks, white hazmat suits ... the works, as they proselytized at the Fairview Mall in Toronto.

With an assist from a loudspeaker, they screamed, “Everyone loves the pharmaceutical companies” ... "Obedience is love ... questioning vaccines is murder ...  you are not essential. Big business is essential. The government is essential. The government is life. ...  questioning masks is murder ... thinking for yourself endangers the common good.”

It was peaceful, as zombies tend to be sometimes. At the end of the protest, for unsafe measure, they hugged and screamed, "Good job, everybody!"

It took 10 days -- TEN DAYS -- but finally, the United Airlines passenger who hovered over a dying, COVID-infected man for 45 minutes administering CPR has been contacted that he was exposed to the virus.

Tony Aldapa tells TMZ, he got a call late Thursday from the L.A. County Dept. of Public Health ... informing him what we've been telling and showing for a week -- that the passenger he was trying to save had the virus and died shortly after the plane made an emergency landing.

It's a scary case of buck-passing. Despite the fact the COVID-positive man had lost his sense of taste and smell and had trouble breathing -- something his wife blurted out during the in-flight emergency -- United did not notify any of the passengers they might have been exposed.

A United spokesperson told us it wasn't their job to notify passengers. Instead, the airline gave its flight manifest to the CDC, telling us that agency would contact passengers.

Then the CDC told us they were passing the information along to local health officials. Finally, 10 days after exposure ... Tony was notified.

Tony, an EMT, had some COVID-like symptoms but tested negative and is feeling better.

NFL star Josh Norman says he expects to split $500k worth of donations ... and give it to hundreds of small businesses in Buffalo who have been devastated by COVID-19.

TMZ Sports talked to the 33-year-old star CB about the fundraiser he created to assist small businesses that have been decimated by the shutdowns associated with the pandemic.

Josh has donated $25k of his own money -- and countless hours of his time organizing the fundraising -- and says he's already received hundreds of applications.

"With Buffalo Business Blitz, what we're doing with that was pretty much helping out small businesses that closed down during the holiday season, during the pandemic time," Norman tells us.

So, in about 3 weeks, how many businesses have asked Josh for help?

"About 650 applications. It's crazy, but the thing is, a lot of people need help. A lot of people are struggling right now and it's pretty sad."

Of course, small businesses across the country have been badly affected by COVID-19 lockdowns ... and many are on the verge of going out of business.

Every dollar matters and Norman says BBB already has a healthy chunk of change in the coffers ... but believes there's a lot more on the way -- courtesy of some larger corporate donors across the country.

"Right now, we're probably at like $80 grand but that's just accounted into the box. There's other things that are coming on -- couple hundred thousand dollars, so we'll probably be at half a mil, probably a little more than that. Depends on if the donors come through."

Come January 1st, Josh will comb through the applications and select hundreds of businesses -- as many as the donations will allow -- and mail out checks.

Joe and Jill Biden are all about family, but they wanted to make it clear this year that the way to show real love for your family is to stay away from them this year.

The President-elect and the soon-to-become First Lady delivered a somber Xmas message, noting there are millions of people this year mourning the loss of a family member who succumbed to COVID.

The Bidens have said it before and they said it today ... they understand the pain of losing a loved one. They've been there.

They also said they typically have huge Christmas dinners with family, but not this year. The best way to show love in 2020 is to keep your distance to keep your family safe.

They end with optimism, saying brighter days are ahead.

Across the pond, Queen Elizabeth said she's inspired by all the Brits who have volunteered in their communities, saying, “In the United Kingdom and around the world, people have risen magnificently to the challenges of the year, and I am so proud and moved by this quiet, indomitable spirit.”

The Queen acknowledged the frustration of families who must be apart for the holidays, "when all anyone wants is a simple hug."

And, like the Bidens, the Queen's Xmas message ended on an optimistic note ... "Even in the darkest of nights there is hope in the new dawn."

One of the COVID vaccines is just swell for folks who dabble in face fillers ... but this is the bad kind of swell.

Turns out some people who got cosmetic facial fillers have had unique side effects to the Moderna vaccine ... swelling and inflammation.

A few patients had cheek fillers 6 months before getting inoculated. One patient had lip fillers 2 days after getting the vaccine.

As for why it happens, doctors say the vaccine puts your immune system into overdrive, and when it spots a substance that is not a natural part of the body it attacks, and that's what causes the inflammation.

Although this info is sure to send L.A. into panic mode, fear not, because the symptoms subside with steroids and anti-histamines.

Doctors say the side effects are not severe and should in no way inhibit people from getting the vaccine.