Exclusive

JaMarcus Russell knows a thing or two about Lane Kiffin and LSU football, and the former number one overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft is pumped to see what the polarizing head coach has in store for his alma mater!

TMZ Sports chatted it up with Russell and Dwayne Bowe -- former star teammates at LSU -- about their school's hiring of Kiffin, and both are pumped to see how he makes his mark on one of the country's top programs.

Russell, in particular has a unique view of the 50-year-old ... since Lane was his head coach in Oakland with the Raiders until Al Davis fired him four games into the 2008 season.

Lamont Roach is totally unbothered by rival Gervonta Davis ... the boxing star tells us he's completely focused on putting Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz's lights out, and doing it quickly!

"Nobody wants to be in there for a long time, so hopefully I catch him with one that's gonna make him go to sleep. If not, I'll just beat him up for 12 rounds straight," 30-year-old Roach (25-1-2), told TMZ Sports ahead of Saturday's highly anticipated bout.

27-year-old Cruz (28-3-1) is no walk in the park, and Roach knows it.

Klay Thompson might be having a slow start to his season, but it's by no means due to his love life -- so says Isaiah Thomas, who tells TMZ Sports the outside noise means nothing to a Hall of Famer like the Mavericks hooper.

Klay's averaging just 11 points on 37% shooting so far in his second season in Dallas ... career lows in both categories.

Some folks think the slump could be due to his high-profile relationship with Megan Thee Stallion (we're looking at you, Jason Williams) ... but I.T. says there's simply no way.

Merab Dvalishvili began his UFC career with two consecutive losses before winning an astounding 14 straight fights (and counting), putting him among the very best MMA fighters ever ... a fairy tale The Machine describes as the "American Dream."

"This is unbelievable," Dvalishvili told TMZ Sports ahead of his UFC 323 main event fight against Petr Yan.

"I am the American Dream. Now, when I see other Georgians also willing to come here to America, they think they can do like I do, but it's very hard. It's not only hard work, you have to get lucky, too, and I'm lucky. I'm lucky."

12/8/25 -- 1:18 PM PT -- Attorney's John W. Harris tells TMZ ... "Unfortunately, Mr. Frost's characterization is entirely misleading and factually incorrect. Despite the defense attorneys' attempts to distort the record, these devices are being provided by our clients pursuant to a voluntary agreement between the parties, not under compulsion.

He adds, "As we have consistently stated, the Robinsons' victims have nothing to hide. They look forward to their day in court and to seeing justice served."

Smokey Robinson's attorney Christopher Frost tells TMZ ... "We are pleased with the Court’s ruling. Plaintiffs’ motives have been clear all along. File a vile and salacious complaint, and then bring these plaintiffs out a handful at a time so it looks like there are new and independent allegations, when the truth is that these people all worked together to contrive this lawsuit."

He continues, They are now keeping the public in the dark about the truth by hiding behind a confidentiality order and refusing to produce any documents at all. We know the types of communications these plaintiffs had with our clients prior to deciding to sue them, so we are pleased to finally be able to access information that will help the court, a jury, and the public know the truth.”

Smokey Robinson won a legal battle in his legal war against his sexual assault accusers ... a judge granted the singer's request for the anonymous accusers to turn over their cell phones.

"Vanderpump Villa" star Marciano Brunette is suing "Secret Lives of Mormon Lives" star Demi Engemann for defamation ... he says her sexual assault allegations against him are a bunch of baloney.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Marciano claims Demi is damaging his reputation by falsely calling him a "sexual predator" and accusing him of sexual assault.

He says she's lying about their interaction last year at the "Vanderpump Villa" in Italy ... claiming the kiss they shared off camera was totally consensual, despite how Demi has been portraying things on social media and TV.

Brandi Glanville says she finally has a diagnosis for why her face was suddenly disfigured ... and it sounds like a huge relief.

We got the former 'RHOBH' star in Sherman Oaks on Friday at the grand opening for goGLOW DJ'd by Klypso and our photog asked her about the face parasite that's been bothering her for a couple years.

Brandi says she finally got a medical diagnosis just yesterday, and when she called her mom to tell her the news, her mother started bawling.

Savannah Chrisley is back in the Cayman Islands with a mystery man ... and this time she's on dry land, wining and dining at a waterfront restaurant.

TMZ obtained a new photo showing the reality star at Casanova Restaurant in George Town ... and she's seated for dinner across from a mystery man, enjoying some live music before their food comes.

Folks who were there tell us Savannah and her mystery man sat down around 6:30 PM Thursday night, getting a table in the corner.

Bianca Censori is hiding by the seat of her pants ... literally, because she used her shorts to cover up her face while walking into an appointment.

Kanye West's wife was spotted walking into a doctor's office Thursday ... wearing a strapless black top and just leggings, which did little to cover her impressive backside.

Apparently, she wore a pair of spandex shorts while driving to the place ... but decided to strip them off to give herself a little anonymity -- because nothing says "Don't look" like a beautiful woman without pants on, right???

The Centers for Disease Control is a total "clown show," and people need to trust the advice of their local doctors instead ... so says a respected pediatrician.

Dr. Paul Offit joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday to talk after the Centers for Disease Control vaccine advisory committee voted to remove the recommendation that all newborns get the hepatitis B vaccine.

Offit says he is outraged by the CDC's vote ... claiming more infants and toddlers will suffer from the disease because of the new, uninformed recommendation.

TMZ Sports has obtained the 911 call made regarding Elden Campbell's death ... with a man telling the operator he spotted something washed up on the shore that "looks like a human body."

In the audio, the caller sounded confused about what he initially saw on the beach on December 1 ... but after zooming in on his camera, he told the operator, "It looks like a dead person on the floor."

When police arrived, we were told they found Campbell's body alongside a jet ski on the beach around 8 PM ... and he was pronounced dead at 8:03 PM.

12/8 11:10 AM PT -- Tara Reid tells TMZ ... "I’ve been honest about the fact that I don’t remember anything after my first drink. All I said was that I felt something was wrong and that I felt I may have been drugged, because I have no other explanation for why I woke up in a hospital gown with no memory of how I got there.

Seeing the media twist my words and attack me for not remembering has been incredibly painful and is severely affecting my mental health. I feel bullied and judged for something I cannot recall. I’m trying to heal, but the public scrutiny is making that very difficult, and I’ve been afraid to even leave my house.

No one ends up in the hospital for around eleven hours from drinking wine alone. I hadn’t taken any medication that day, and I know something wasn’t right. Whether I had additional drinks after that doesn’t matter, the fact is I don’t remember anything.

I’m asking for privacy, compassion, and space to heal. I’ve shared the only truth I have: what I remember, and what I felt."

Tara Reid was slugging wine at the hotel bar where she claims she was drugged ... and she looked pretty chummy with the man whom she pointed out in a police report.

TMZ obtained the surveillance video from the Chicago-area hotel where Tara claims someone slipped something in her drink that made her black out and wake up in a hospital bed ... and all you see in the video is Tara guzzling wine at the bar and talking to folks.

At first, she's sitting at the bar with a glass of wine, surrounded by four men. She's wearing a coat and beanie, and her purse is on the bar. It looks like two different bartenders bring over a glass of wine, and she slugs them both. Tara had said she only had one drink.

Taylor Swift can leave a "Blank Space" on a check all she wants, but she still wouldn't be able to buy her perfect wedding date from another couple at her fave venue ... so says the venue itself.

Here's the deal ... a recent report claimed the singer-songwriter wants to marry Travis Kelce on June 13, naturally, next year at Ocean House in Westerly, Rhode Island -- but that date was already held for another bride and groom.

According to the report, Taylor unzipped her wallet and dropped a bag to claw back her chosen date ... because money can't buy you love, but it might buy you a lovely, romantic venue.

12/5 10:52 AM PT -- Officials in Florida tell us they received a report of an unresponsive adult male on the beach at around 8 PM on December 1. When they arrived, they found Campbell next to a jet ski on the beach, later pronouncing him dead.

"At this time, there is no foul play suspected, and the death investigation is ongoing."

NBA champion Elden Campbell's cause of death has been revealed ... with officials telling TMZ Sports the former Laker died due to an accidental drowning.

The medical examiner in Florida says Campbell -- who was 57 years old -- was pronounced deceased at 8:03 PM on December 1.

The news of his tragic death was first announced by his former teammates and professional and college organizations.

12:11 PM PT -- A rep for Charlie tells TMZ ... "Brooke has been in and out of rehab for the past 15 years, while Charlie has had 100% custody of the kids, which is why she is not entitled to any child support."

Charlie Sheen's ex-wife Brooke Mueller is banging down his door, ready to collect on the huge bill -- about $15 million -- she claims he owes her for unpaid child support.

Brooke informed an L.A. County judge she wants Charlie to cough up the money ASAP. In docs filed Thursday, and obtained by TMZ, she says the ex "Two and a Half Men" star owes her $8,967,600 in child support plus another $6,418,643 in accrued interest.

And, the kicker ... mama wants it paid in full in 30 days!

Brooke explains Charlie was ordered to pay her $55,000 per month in child support in April 2010, and there were no issues until July 2011 ... when he started sending either partial payments or failed to make any payments at all. So, she wants the court to make him pay what she's rightfully owed, plus $25,000 in attorney fees and costs.

Da'Vine Joy Randolph is giving some sage advice for folks who are feeling down as the holiday season gets in full swing ... and it's not a case of misery loving company -- quite the opposite.

We got the Oscar winner at LAX and our photog asked her what she had to say to folks who may be going through some things as Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year's all approach.

For Da'Vine, the remedy sounds pretty simple ... don't go through it alone. She's not saying you have to go out to functions, holiday parties or be in large groups ... nope, just one other person to talk to or be around can make a world of difference.