Coronavirus

Emotions always run high for nominees ahead of the Oscars ... but fear is in the air especially this year, as attendees wait nervously for their COVID test results.

Everyone who wants entry to the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood must show proof of a negative COVID test and proof of vaccination -- well, with the exception of the presenters and the performers. For some reason, they don't have to show proof of vaccination ... just a negative test.

There's a lot riding on this ... the folks nominated want to attend -- badly -- and the nervousness surrounding testing has its own catch phrase ... swab sweat.

For some reason, the celebs who are required to be tested have to get not just one negative PCR test, but 2. This is way more restrictive than L.A. County's current guidelines.

Best Director nominee Kenneth Branagh is sweating it for sure ... he tested positive for COVID and is self-isolating. Unclear if he'll make the show..

After a long standoff with NYC vaccine mandates, Kyrie Irving will be allowed to play in home games once again ... as a new exemption will allow in-town athletes and performers to work indoors and on the court again.

Irving will be eligible to make his home debut at Barclays Center on Sunday when his Nets take on the Hornets, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

The new exemption -- which was just reported Wednesday -- will be effective immediately beginning Thursday.

Irving was sidelined for a majority of the season over his refusal to get jabbed ... but he's since been allowed to play in road games for the Nets.

The mayor previously expressed his desire to see Irving on the court, but said he would not change the rules just to accommodate Kyrie.

Irving has missed a substantial amount of games this season due to the current mandate that  required players to be vaxxed ... which, of course, he is not.

The NBA champ had been criticized from several high profile celebrities like Howard Stern and Chris Rock ... but he refused to cave in and get the shot.

NBA commish Adam Silver has called for Irving to get vaccinated ... but recently admitted he felt the current mandates in NYC made no sense.

The Nets were recently fined $50,000 by the NBA for breaking the NBA's COVID-19 protocol ... after Kyrie was spotted in the Barclays Center locker room after a game.

At the time, Irving was allowed to watch games in the arena, but NOT be in a workplace environment -- AKA, he couldn't be in the locker room. Silly, we know.

The change comes ahead of MLB Opening Day ... which means Yankees and Mets players are also breathing a sigh of relief.

No official announcement yet ... but it's just a matter of time.

BTW -- it's Irving's birthday on Wednesday ... so it's a pretty great gift.

Bob Saget's friends and family say he was his normal, happy and joking self in the days leading up to his death ... and allegations he was complaining about being sick with long-term COVID before his last show just don't add up.

We spoke with one of Bob's best friends, who was in touch with the comedian almost daily, and tells us Saget never mentioned feeling off or that he was still battling the after-effects of COVID. Not only that, we're told the friend, who saw Bob regularly, said he never exhibited symptoms of being sick either.

Not only that -- the Saget family attorney tells us Bob's wife, Kelly Rizzo, spoke to Bob the day he died -- and he never mentioned being sick or having hearing issues.

Of course, this goes against what the showrunner at the venue where Bob last performed told investigators in an interview after his death. The woman claimed Bob had mentioned he hadn't been feeling well -- battling the after-effects of COVID-19, including hearing issues and a sore throat.

There was also the valet driver at The Ritz where Bob died, who told investigators he was in good spirits, didn't appear to have suffered any head trauma, and kept his balance without issue. A photo the valet took with Bob showed him to be perfectly fine as well.

Bob Saget was not feeling well the night he went into his hotel room and ended up dying -- at least that's what one of the last people to speak with him is claiming.

A showrunner who works at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall -- where Bob's last show took place before he booked it to Orlando that fateful night -- told investigators Bob had disclosed to her and other stage crew that he wasn't well health-wise preshow.

The woman, whose name is Rosalie Cocci, said Bob had told them he was battling long-term COVID, and it had taken a toll on his body.

As far as what he was dealing with specifically ... the woman told cops Bob mentioned his hearing was off and he was constantly asking them to turn everything up.

In addition to hearing trouble, Cocci went on to explain Bob had said he was sick the day before, and his throat was sore ... she added he seemed to be "talking himself up" to get ready for his stand-up performance ... which he ultimately did.

In the end, Cocci says she and the crew were surprised he knocked it out of the park when push came to shove -- despite his earlier complaints, they say he didn't miss a beat and put on a great show, as if nothing was wrong.

If it's true that his hearing was off, that could cause balance issues ... it's unclear what exactly caused Bob's fatal brain bleed ... but a problem with balance could result in a fall or misjudging distance.

Now Bob's family tells TMZ, they don't believe he had long-term COVID, because he had only come down with the virus 2 weeks earlier and he never complained of hearing problems.

As you know, the authorities have said Bob bumped his head somehow while he was in his hotel room later that night -- and ended up dying as a result of a major brain bleed.

Hillary Clinton is the latest bigwig politician to come down with coronavirus -- but like many before her, she says she's gonna be just fine ... all thanks to being vaccinated.

The former Sec. of State and two-time presidential candidate made the announcement Tuesday, saying she'd contracted COVID-19. HC writes, "Well, I've tested positive for COVID. I've got some mild cold symptoms but am feeling fine. I'm more grateful than ever for the protection vaccines can provide against serious illness."

She adds, "Please get vaccinated and boosted if you haven't already!"

Of course, since Hillary's married to the former President himself ... everyone was wondering how he might be holding up -- and she answered their curiosity, saying Bubba's currently in the clear.

Hillary explains, "Bill tested negative and is feeling fine. He's quarantining until our household is fully in the clear. Movie recommendations appreciated!"

She's just the latest politico to be hit with COVID -- just last week, Barack Obama declared he, too, had finally caught it ... and over the past several months, different U.S. senators and congress members, including AOC, have announced the same.

The good news ... they've all recovered just fine, and have attributed their resilience to having gotten the jab. So, to be frank, it's not all that concerning when we hear news like this anymore ... albeit, still startling considering their stature in the country.

It's certainly not as scary as early on in the pandemic, when then-President Donald Trump caught the damn thing ... but vaccines weren't available yet, and he seemed to be in bad shape.

Bill Murray is being labeled as an old and out-of-touch guy after seemingly lamenting the fact we've had to wear masks during this pandemic ... likening it to a fear of death. 🤔

The actor recently did an interview with The Independent about his concert film that was shot in 2018 at the Acropolis of Athens, and while discussing it ... Bill and co. mention how it's like looking into a time capsule due to how carefree he and everyone else was.

With that in mind, the author says there's nothing quite like a pandemic to put the kibosh on spontaneous interaction -- and then right after, Bill is quoted as saying this ... "We just went out with our friend to walk the dog, and you're wearing a mask, everyone's wearing a mask. The dog is the only one who's completely alive!"

He adds, "He's living the dog's life. The rest of us are afraid to die, and afraid to kill, so we're masked up and we're injected, and so forth. It's the most challenging time of this life cycle for us."

Finally, BM compares how we've dealt with the pandemic with how previous generations dealt with global events, saying ... "We didn't have a world war or a depression, the things our ancestors had. This is the hand we got dealt and if you fold, you can't win."

Pretty cryptic on its face, but Twitter seems to know what Bill means here ... and they're tearing him apart over it, with many saying his comments are incredibly tone-deaf.

Bill might be misunderstood in this sitch, because he's spoken about COVID quite a bit over the past two years ... and not once has he come off as resentful about how the world reacted to the virus. If anything, he's been kinda optimistic and impressed.

Racial tension is simmering in the nation's capital where the so-called "People's Convoy" is taking a KKK-ish turn -- a protest leader invoked lynchings while promising to "take back" Black Lives Matter Plaza.

The convoy of truckers has been roving around Washington D.C. highways for about 2 weeks, purportedly to protest COVID restrictions. However, during a Friday rally, one of the truckers vowed to "tar and feather" BLM Plaza ... the street just a few blocks from White House grounds that was renamed in June 2020.

The trucker's pronouncement drew big cheers from the crowd, and the unidentified man also said they -- whoever "they" are -- were also going to "tar and feather delegates."

When the "People's Convoy" started, it sounded like America's version of the convoy in Canada earlier this year ... which made for some tense standoffs with law enforcement, but never turned violent.

Interestingly, BLM Plaza is currently undergoing renovations to make it a permanent installation. The big yellow lettering is still there, but it's been moved about a half block.

Vice President Kamala Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, has contracted COVID-19 -- and even though the Veep is still negative ... there's concern the White House could be at risk.

The Second Gentleman tested positive for coronavirus Tuesday, but word is ... he's feeling okay. Harris, for her part, has tested negative thus far -- and will continue to test regularly ... according to her office.

Both Harris and Emhoff were scheduled to attend a White House event later today that was going to be celebrating Equal Pay Day in honor of Women's History Month ... but both husband and wife skipped it -- DE for being sick obviously, and out of caution for Harris.

There's no indication that President Biden has caught the virus -- he last tasted Sunday, but the fact he spoke at the equal pay shindig indicates he's doing just fine.

Still ... the fact Emhoff is positive seems to imply that COVID has entered the White House, and that it could possibly reach the Prez and VP -- which would be bad, especially considering Joe is scheduled to take a trip to Europe next week to deal with Ukraine.

Of course, everyone is vaccinated and boosted -- so hopefully everyone is OK.

Barack Obama's recent positive result comes to mind -- although he says he's doing fine, it's still shocking anytime it affects someone of his stature ... and the same would apply to JB and co.

Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard are feeling anxious about her pregnancy ... because they're both fighting COVID-19 after testing positive for the virus.

The couple tells TMZ ... they are both concerned about Jill battling the virus while she's expecting, in part because of all the unknowns and shifting science.

The way Jill and Derick see things ... they're still unsure about the long-term effects of COVID, particularly for pregnant women, and while scientists are making strides in understanding the virus, the continuous developing nature of the pandemic makes things stressful.

What's more, the couple tells us Jill suffered a miscarriage last year ... meaning she's more on edge about this pregnancy ... and adding a COVID diagnosis to the mix only heightens their anxiety.

Jill and Derick, who both tested positive for the virus Thursday, tell us they are working with their doctor to ensure Jill and the baby are safe ... but the main health concerns for pregnant women like Jill are being more susceptible to developing blood clots and potentially not providing enough oxygen to the baby.

The couple says Jill, who is due to give birth in July, is taking baby aspirin to try and prevent blood clots ... and they're monitoring the baby's heart rate and keeping track of how many times the baby is kicking per day.

Jill and Derick tell us they are both fully vaccinated ... and they believe the mild symptoms they are experiencing could have been much worse without the shots.

While the couple tells us dealing with a COVID case, particularly right now, is disappointing ... Jill's thankful she didn't catch it during her first trimester, when she was dealing with a lot of morning sickness.

Barack Obama says he's contracted COVID-19 -- but the good news is that he's doing alright ... attributing that to the fact he's vaccinated.

The former President announced his status Sunday, writing ... "I just tested positive for COVID. I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise. Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted, and she has tested negative."

He adds, "It’s a reminder to get vaccinated if you haven’t already, even as cases go down."

BO is the second living president to have tested positive for the virus -- of course, Donald Trump caught it in 2020 (right in the thick of the pandemic) and seemed to be quite ill for a bit ... as he had to take a pause on campaigning to get treatment and to quarantine.

Luckily, Joe Biden hasn't contracted COVID himself -- neither has Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush or Bill Clinton, FWIW -- even though he was at a high risk of doing so due to Trump attending that September debate, at which point he'd reportedly already tested positive.

While it's pretty shocking to hear Barack is positive, it's not all that surprising or worrisome -- especially at this point in the pandemic ... when lots of people (including politicians) have also caught it, only to come back at 100% shortly thereafter.

We've seen fully-vaccinated senators and representatives announce their COVID breakthrough cases in recent months ... and just about every one of them kicked it quickly, attributing their mild to nonexistent symptoms to the jab.

Kyrie Irving is throwing NYC's vaccine mandate policy right back in its face on primetime TV -- taking in a home game, maskless, from the stands ... but not able to step onto the court.

The awkward scene played out live Sunday during the Nets' home game against Knicks ... which was being carried by ESPN. During the 2nd quarter, the camera panned to KI, who was shaking hands with people down near the bottom of the stands, and then going up to his seat a few rows up.

In this capacity -- as a spectator -- he's totally okay to not wear a mask and move about ... as that is now NYC's policy on events like this, regardless of vaccine status. However, their rule pertaining to private employees hasn't changed -- namely, those folks have to be vaccinated, and Kyrie isn't.

Still ... the irony of the sitch reeks of hypocrisy, but more importantly ... it reeks of a lack of common sense, something that Doris Burke and other announcers broached with trepidation ... because, if we're being honest, the regulations here just don't make sense anymore.

Kyrie's former teammate, LeBron James, was not as shy about expressing his indignation over NYC's backwards thinking. In response to someone pointing out what a joke this is, he wrote ... "FACTS FACTS FACTS!! It literally makes ABSOLUTELY ZERO SENSE!!! They say if common sense was common then we’d all have it. Ain’t that the truth."

LBJ has been outspoken on the pandemic, especially the further into it we've gotten. Remember, it was just in December that he suggested the latest strains were more like the flu or the cold than anything else ... something he was slammed for at the time, as some felt he was downplaying the seriousness of the virus.

Hailey Bieber was hospitalized with a brain condition that doctors think may be COVID-related ... sources close to Hailey tell TMZ.

We're told Hailey was admitted to a Palm Springs area hospital a few days ago after suffering a "medical emergency." We're told it affected the way she moved, and the symptoms are typical for much older people. Hailey is 25.

Our sources say doctors ran a battery of tests and are looking to see if the symptoms involve COVID. As we reported, Justin came down with COVID a few weeks ago and has since recovered. As you know, Justin had to postpone his Vegas concert after coming down with the virus.

We're told Hailey has been released from the hospital and doctors are still trying to determine what caused the issues.

Our sources say she's now doing ok.

BTS fans had to get innovative in how to celebrate their favorite band -- with standing, singing and shouting prohibited at a recent concert -- but they were still able to bring the noise.

The supergroup just stepped off the stage after a massive show in South Korea Thursday night. While more than 15,000 were on hand for the show, everyone had to follow strict COVID protocols, set by the government.

In a statement before the show, BTS' management co. Big Hit Music said, "Cheering loudly, yelling, chanting and standing up during 'BTS Permission To Dance On Stage – Seoul' is strictly prohibited according to government guidelines."

However, fans were provided with "clappers" -- and they used them to full potential -- synchronizing claps to the songs, and making plenty of noise in the process.

Thursday's show was the first of 3 the group, who hails from South Korea, will have in their home country ... it's the first they've performed there since the pandemic.

Justin Bieber's Justice Tour is back in full swing after the singer's bout with COVID-19 ... and his L.A. stop was full of surprises.

JB fans packed into Crypto.com Arena Monday night where the singer played all his hits. He also brought out some of his famous friends to share the stage -- including Leon Bridges, who played "River," Don Toliver for "Don't Go" and Quavo for "Intentions."

The show was nearly two hours -- with a 24 song setlist -- which included some of his newer stuff like "Peaches," "Ghost" and "Anyone" along with his classics like "Sorry," "Baby" and "Boyfriend."

Bieber also took some time to address the crowd, sharing a message that sometimes it's okay to not be okay ... and that even the world's biggest stars have their struggles.

Of course, Justin was referencing his struggles during his teenage years, including a DUI arrest back in 2014, and his more recent battle with Lyme Disease.

Queen Elizabeth seems to have bounced back from COVID ... because she hosted Justin Trudeau for her first in-person engagement since beating the virus.

The Queen seemed in good spirits as she welcomed the Canadian PM with a smile Monday at Windsor Castle.

The two shook hands and shared a warm embrace. He's in the UK to meet with PM Boris Johnson, Netherlands PM Mark Rutte and other allies to talk about the war in Ukraine.

The queen and Trudeau have known each other since he was a child and his dad served as the Canadian PM ... so it make sense he would stop to see the longest reigning monarch.

The 95-year-old monarch tested positive for Covid-19 back in February. Her symptoms were mild ... and she even performed light duties as the virus ran its course.

BTW, Queen Elizabeth moved to Windsor Castle at the start of the pandemic, back in 2020. Originally, she lived about an hour away in Buckingham Palace and visited the castle for weekend getaways. But, now she'll likely live permanently at the castle.

Matthew McConaughey has a head full of hair ... and in return, he's become a walking billboard for the company that helped him achieve his full mane ... a Co. that says he helped their biz during a dire time.

ICYMI ... Matt recently shut down rumors that a hair transplant was the culprit of his incredible hair transformation. Instead, he said that Regenix's daily hair ointment saved him. Well, we talked to the folks at the company, and they say it is actually Matt who saved their business.

Bill Edwards, CEO of Regenix tells TMZ ... McConaughey has been a customer of the hair ointment brand since 1999. It wasn't until he gave the company a shoutout on the 'Late Show' in 2001 that it began to see a huge uptick of customers from all over the world.

The 'McConaughey effect' increased demand to where the company had to initiate a new mail-order program for potential International clients. Under this new program, folks send hair samples in, and Regenix designs a tailored plan to regrow hair.

So, when the pandemic hit in 2020, Regnix's brick and mortar clinic in L.A. was forced to shut down ... and the company decided to go all-in on expanding their existing mail-order program. In return, Bill says they didn't lose a single customer.

Bill says, Matt helped the hair treatment company on multiple fronts -- getting more customers and giving them a new way to withstand the Covid-19 business doom.