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A staple in the "Jersey Shore" franchise is officially no more ... the infamous Bamboo Bar is currently being torn down, and so are all the reality show memories that went on inside it.

Demolition crews were at the site of the infamous Seaside Heights joint early Friday tearing down walls and making way for the new condo complex to go up in its place. As you can see, the place looked pretty worn down to start with, so the tear-down isn't taking much effort.

If you don't remember, the bar served as the location to a legendary "J-Shore" brawl featuring The Situation, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, JWoww and Pauly D.

Bamboo Bar shut down a few years ago after filing for bankruptcy.

Morgan Wallen deserves the opportunity to prove he's a changed man ... at least according to Shawn Stockman, who says the country star's probably not the only one guilty of casually using racial slurs.

That might come off as a very backhanded compliment, but the Boyz II Men singer was genuinely calling for the music biz to let up off Morgan ... when we talked to him Thursday at LAX.

As we reported, the American Music Awards banned Morgan from attending their ceremony next month, even though he's nominated in 2 categories. Shawn thinks the move is purely about optics, but adds ... at some point they gotta "let the man live" and show he's grown up and learned from his mistakes.

Speaking of mistakes ... Shawn says the industry needs to stop pretending Morgan is the only country star who's used the n-word the way he did earlier this year. Watch the clip ... Shawn was laughing as he broached the delicate subject, but only half-joking.

The Country Music Association has also yanked Morgan from the guestlist for its award show next month, but Shawn's calling for more forgiveness in the world.

Erika Jayne is very much in the market for a new beau, and she's breaking down the qualifications to become her match with some specifics on what makes her dream dude.

The "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star was grocery shopping with a friend Wednesday when she was asked about her dating qualifications. And, here's how she lists them ...

#1 Intelligence.
#2 He's gotta have some money.
#3 Looks don't matter TOO much.

Erika is 50, but says when it comes to age, it's not a make or break for a new partner -- but she does have a limit to how young she'll go -- you'll have to watch the clip to hear her answer.

As you know, Erika is in the middle of a rocky divorce with her estranged husband Tom Girardi and has been sued for allegedly hiding assets through a "sham divorce" with Tom, who's accused of stealing money intended for families of the victims in the 2018 Lion Air Flight 610 crash.

Billiards star Jeanette "The Black Widow" Lee has come through her cancer treatments "like a champion," according to her agent, and now, her prognosis going forward has improved.

The 50-year-old pool legend was diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer back in the winter ... and her friends at the time feared she only had months left to live.

But, Tom George -- who's been Lee's agent for years -- tells TMZ Sports Lee handled her treatments so well ... doctors have now told her she could live several more years.

George says Lee's cancer treatments were extremely difficult ... they required 6 rounds of chemotherapy and a major surgery.

But, he says she was able to get through it all "remarkably well" ... adding that Lee is "in the upper five percent of the people that go through that regimen."

In fact, George tells us Lee was able to participate in a billiards tournament since wrapping up her chemotherapy -- competing in South Carolina earlier this month.

And, get this ... George said she did well, managing to cash out!

George says there are still challenges -- Lee does still have cancer in her system and still battles pain, fatigue and other issues daily.

Rock icon Todd Rundgren is about to get what some call the ultimate honor in the music biz -- induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame -- and he couldn't care less, because he says the institution's a total crock.

Todd won't be saying (or singing) "Hello It's Me" to his fellow inductees -- who include Jay-Z, Tina Turner, Carole King and the Foo Fighters -- this weekend in Cleveland. He joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to explain why he'll be a no-show and ripped the Hall for even existing.

The way Todd sees it, halls of fame make way more sense in the sports world ... where it's all about competition, but that's just not how he views the music industry. The legendary performer and producer says, for him, music's not about being #1 -- it's just about making tunes his fans can enjoy.

Todd also echoed some of The Weeknd's complaints about the Grammys -- telling us the Rock & Roll HOF needs to be more transparent about how its "fan vote" really works. Check out the interview ... he says he, and his fans, got burned badly the first time he was up for induction.

That being said, now that TR's finally made it into the HOF, he doesn't wanna hobnob with millionaires at the induction ceremony. Instead, he wants to celebrate with real fans -- he feels the HOF honor is more for them, anyway -- which is why he'll be onstage, performing in Cincinnati.

Britney Spears' fiance Sam Asghari certainly has a sense of humor when it comes to his bank account compared to his bride-to-be's ... saying his new movie role might help him get out of the financial dumps.

We got Sam leaving Bristol Farms Thursday in West Hollywood, and congratulated him on his new gig -- a movie called "Hot Seat," starring Mel Gibson. Asghari, obviously excited about the opportunity, tells us he loves working, and cracked a pretty good joke about just scratching by with pandemic stimulus checks.

Of course, Britney's worth an estimated $60 million, and from what we're told, Sam spends most of his time at her Thousand Oaks mansion.

Not to mention, he's always by her side in private jets and on elaborate vacations ... so the guy isn't really hurting that much.

It's not the first time Asghari has made light of his financial situation, when the couple first announced they were getting hitched, Britney fans flooded Spears' social media advising her to get a prenup.

Sam clearly saw all of the comments, because he joked the couple was getting an iron clad prenup to protect his Jeep and shoe collection.

Jokes or not, TMZ broke the story ... shortly after their engagement, Britney and team did start to take the necessary steps to draft a prenup.

Barry Bonds' historic 500th home run ball -- launched into McCovey Cove during the 2001 MLB season -- is on the auction block ... and is expected to bring in around a quarter-million bucks!

Of course, the 500 Home Run club is one of the most prestigious groups in all of Major League Baseball ... consisting of just 28 legendary sluggers like Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and the home run king himself, Bonds.

The ball Barry crushed off Dodgers pitcher Terry Adams on April 17, 2001 is now available for bidding at SCP Auctions (the same people who sold Ruth's 500th home run bat for $1 million!)

FYI, Bonds '01 season is arguably the greatest in the history of the sport. Barry slugged 73 home runs, had 137 RBI (even though he was walked 177 times, many intentional), had a batting average of .328, an on-base percentage of .515, and an astronomically high OPS (On-base + Slugging %) of 1.379.

Ridiculous, absurd ... there are no words for Bonds' domination.

Barry ultimately hit 762 home runs ... making him the all-time leader.

Regardless of the fact BB launched hundreds of more long balls after that night in April ... his 500th shot is still monumental because the mark represents admittance into an ultra-exclusive club.

If you wanna own the ball -- which is being consigned by the actual fan who scooped the ball out of the water in the San Francisco Bay -- you only have a few days left to bid.

BTW, speaking of exclusive clubs ... SCP is also auctioning off Affirmed's Triple Crown trophy from 1978 -- when the thoroughbred won the Kentucky Derby, The Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes.

Not a horse racing fan -- but also very wealthy? The Holy Grail of baseball cards, the Honus Wagner T206 card is also on the block ... and is expected to bring in OVER $2 million.

All of the auctions close on Saturday.

Alec Baldwin is surrounding himself with family in an off-the-beaten-path location in the wake of the fatal accident on his "Rust" movie set -- but his face shows the tragedy's still weighing on him.

We obtained these photos of Alec with his wife, Hilaria, and their kids grabbing a meal at a pizza joint in a small New England town. Witnesses tell us they were spotted out there on Sunday picking up a takeout order ... which Alec was carrying as his family followed close behind.

You can see, both Alec and Hilaria had their heads down and looked as somber as you'd expect considering the horrific events of last week.

As you know, Alec pulled the trigger on a revolver while rehearsing a "Rust" scene in Santa Fe, NM -- and the shot ended up killing his director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, and injuring director Joel Souza.

By all accounts, Alec didn't know the gun in his hand was loaded with live ammunition. Assistant director Dave Halls handed it to him and said it was a "cold gun." Halls later admitted to cops he had not properly checked the weapon.

Last Saturday, Alec met with Halyna's husband and son in New Mexico, not far from the movie set. It looks like Alec was wearing the same outfit the next day when he was in New England with his family ... and clearly had so much on his mind.

Halyna Hutchins is being honored in more ways than one by her Hollywood peers -- including financial help for her family, with a major A-list actress and a ton of fellow cinematographers donating.

Sarah Paulson is among the many high-profile people who've donated to a GoFundMe page set up on behalf of Hutchins' loved ones ... which is well on its way to hitting a quarter of a million dollars at this point, with a mere $10k goal to begin with.

The 'American Horror Story'/'Crime Story' star plunked down $1,000 of her own cash toward the cause a few days ago, but she's far from the only notable figure chipping in for the director of photography.

Big-name DPs have also contributed to the GFM account -- including Larry Fong ("Super 8," "Sucker Punch"), Niels Alpert ("Sleepy Hollow," "Iron Fist") and Reed Morano ("The Handmaid's Tale," "I Think We're Alone Now") ... just to name a few.

They donated $2,500, $2,500 and $1,500, respectively.

There's more these folks are doing behind the scenes too, BTW, including Sarah ... who signed and shared a Change.org petition that seeks to ban the use of real firearms on sets -- not to mention demanding better working conditions for crew members.

Gene Simmons is out with the old, and in with the VERY new after plunking down $10.5 million on a stunning modern mansion in the Hills of Beverly.

We've learned the KISS star actually got something of a deal for the 4-bed, 5-bath crib with close to 8,000 square feet of living space. The deal closed today, so Gene's personal belongings probably haven't even made it through the front door yet.

As for the home ... it's about as modern-looking as they come, with a pool complete with LED lighting, a home theater, built-in art installation and wine cellar fit to hold enough booze to get a small village wasted.

Simmons has been quite the real estate aficionado as of late ... he recently sold his long-time Beverly Hills home for $16 million and just listed his Vegas crib for $15 million.

Gene scored big on his most recent purchase, the home was first listed at $11.5 million ... so the $10.5 million Simmons paid to the former owner -- a billionaire Swiss steel magnate -- ain't too bad.

The family of the 6-year-old boy in Michigan who was shot outside their neighbors' home while retrieving his bicycle has lawyered up ... and they're dragging the neighbors to court.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Coby Daniel's father says his son is struggling to recover from the shooting, and the fam is anticipating some hefty medical bills in the future.

In his suit, Arnold Daniel claims his son is still in pain and shock from the incident, and will need to get professional help in the form of trauma counseling ... as well as psychiatric and psychological counseling.

Coby's dad says the neighbors, Ryan Le-Nguyen and Michael Inhmathong, should be liable for the damage because they knew children in the neighborhood played near their yard and had a duty to keep it safe for them ... and further claims Le-Nguyen had shown "aggressive behavior" toward the kids numerous times in the past.

As we reported ... Le-Nguyen allegedly shot young Coby in the arm after chasing him around with a sledgehammer. The neighbor was reportedly pissed Coby and a buddy left their bicycles on the sidewalk in front of his home.

Coby's dad is going after the neighbors for at least $4 million in damages.

Colby Covington says he'll have some pretty powerful and famous guests in the building when he rematches Kamaru Usman at UFC 268 ... telling TMZ Sports he's expecting Donald Trump's kids, Don Jr., Eric and Lara Trump Octagon-side.

We talked to the 33-year-old, #1 ranked UFC welterweight ... and asked him if former President Trump or his fam would be at Madison Square Garden on November 6.

"Yes, there will be some members of the Trump family there. You know, I was just talking to Donald Trump yesterday. He was at the golf course, giving me his well wishes," Colby says.

"I know he has a big rally that day so I’m not sure if he’s gonna be able to make it, but I’m sure that I’ll have my average phone call with him after my every fight. So, I’ll be talking to him."

Of course, Colby and Donald -- a big MMA fan who's also tight with Dana White -- have been friends for a while. Covington even visited DT at the White House a few years back.

So, likely no 45 ... but Covington expects 3 of the prez's children to be there for the stacked fight card, that also features Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler and Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili.

Great fights ... but, the biggest draw is Covington vs. Usman 2, the main event.

The first fight was electric (Kamaru won via 5th round TKO) ... and fight promotion aside, these guys still HATE each other.

And, Covington has revenge on his mind ... saying he intends to take back the belt (CC was interim champ),

"It’s amazing having [the Trump family's] support. I have this energy that I get from [Donald]. I call it 'dragon energy' and I’m gonna unleash that dragon energy next weekend," Colby says.

The national anthem has been used to protest against injustice, but Keke Palmer took it as an opportunity to honor her ancestors ... telling TMZ Sports she sang the "Star-Spangled Banner" at the World Series to show respect for those who came before her.

The anthem has been quite the hot topic in recent years ... from Colin Kaepernick's kneeling protest to lyrics mentioning slavery in the third verse.

We spoke with the 28-year-old singer/actress fresh off her anthem performance prior to Game 1 in Houston on Tuesday ... and she said taking part in the tradition was an easy decision.

"I just feel like my ancestors built this country," Palmer told us at LAX on Wednesday.

"So, I show love for their lives that were taken. I stand on this ground because they couldn't stand in certain places."

"For me, that's what it's about, you know, they built the country. They deserve their respect."

Palmer -- who's been a strong advocate for social justice -- says the gig was incredible despite the controversy around the song ... and also served as a special way to honor her grandma, who recently passed away.

Boosie Badazz doesn't hate gay people, in general -- he just hates Lil Nas X, which is why he went on a disgusting tirade against the guy ... so says Big Freedia, who's defending the former.

We got the NOLA-based rapper at LAX, who gave her take on the whole controversy over Boosie calling LNX the homophobic f-slur, while also telling Nas to off himself. This is interesting ... not only does Freedia back Boosie, but she explains away his behavior.

Freedia's definitely not as up in arms over Boosie's language as others in the LGBT community. She seems to think he's only directing those words at Lil Nas, despite the fact they're offensive to all.

From her POV ... Boosie and Nas X are in an endless back-and-forth of online trolling, and have been for a while. That's actually how this whole thing started -- LNX jokingly said he had a song coming out with Boosie, and Boosie went into outrage mode and fired away.

However, despite his clearly homophobic words ... Freedia simply doesn't think Boosie actually has malice in his heart toward the gay community, and her evidence of that has to do with his feature film, "My Struggle."

Boosie stars as himself in the biopic, and Big Freedia says the movie has prison scenes where gays are portrayed and represented in a positive light.

That might suffice for Freedia ... but, clearly, others have differing opinions. Some feel Boosie straight up crossed the line with his tweet, which Twitter has since removed.

The ultimate remedy might be an actual collab -- Nas X joked about one happening, but Freedia says for these 2 to truly bury the hatchet ... maybe they should really link.

It's time to drop the curtain on the Alec Baldwin movie "Rust" after the fatal shooting on set ... at least according to one of the principal actors.

Ian A. Hudson, a New Mexico-based principal cast member who plays an outlaw in the film, tells TMZ ... the show can't go on because slain cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was the vision behind the movie.

While Ian says it's ultimately up to director Joel Souza and the rest of the creative minds, he thinks the movie just wouldn't be the same without Halyna and Joel working in tandem ... and it's time to throw in the towel.

Remember ... Ian was smack in the center of some of the gun scenes in the movie, and he told us his shootout scene felt "life-threatening" because real firearms were firing blanks at him, resulting in him being struck by small bits of cardboard and a rush of air.

As you know ... Alec pulled the trigger on a gun that fired the fatal live round of ammo that killed Halyna and injured Joel.

Assistant director Dave Halls gave Alec the gun used in the scene, telling him it was a "cold gun" ... meaning it was not loaded.

There's an ongoing investigation into the incident and authorities say criminal charges are still on the table for all involved ... which could make it even harder for the movie to continue.

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast.

The head armorer on the set of "Rust" told authorities she took all the necessary steps to secure the gun that killed the cinematographer ... but the assistant director confessed the gun was not thoroughly checked before Alec Baldwin fired the fatal round.

According to a new search warrant, obtained by TMZ, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed told authorities the day of the shooting she had checked the ammo -- which she called the "dummies," meaning they were not live rounds. She added there were never live rounds on the set.

She went on to say the gun was locked up in a safe in a prop truck during the lunch break and taken out shortly before the fatal scene. The implication -- she's saying the gun appeared safe to her, because it wasn't messed with it during lunch. She did, however, say there were a few people who had access to the safe.

Assistant director David Halls -- the person who handed the weapon to Baldwin and called it a "cold gun" -- confessed when she showed him the firearm before rehearsal he could only remember seeing 3 rounds. He admitted he should have checked all of the rounds, and doesn't remember if Hannah spun the drum before she handed him the gun, and he, in turn, handed it to Baldwin.

After cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and director Joel Souza were shot, Halls says he inspected the chamber and he remembers seeing at least 4 dummy casings with the signature hole on the side, and one without the hole. He said the one without the hole didn't have a cap ... the implication is it was the remains of a live round of ammunition.

This all points to a lapse of safety precautions on the set, and that's something the District Attorney is now looking at in determining if criminal charges should be filed. The D.A. said charges are on the table for everyone involved. Authorities want to speak with Baldwin again and they want to review the employment history of both Halls and Gutierrez-Reed before making a filing decision.