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Any other year, these images wouldn't be a big deal -- people taking turns swiggin' from the Stanley Cup on a Florida beach.

But, we're in a FREAKIN' PANDEMIC -- with numbers surging in FL -- which is why a victory celebration over the weekend is now a major cause for concern.

The party took place at the famous Don CeSar hotel at St. Pete Beach (22 miles from Tampa International Airport) -- where a Tampa Bay Lightning asst. coach got to spend his 1 day with the trophy after the team won the 2020 championship.

The Tampa Bay Lightning tell us the coach who had the trophy that day is Jeff Halpern -- a former NHL player who spent 14 seasons in the league before joining the Lightning as an assistant.

You'd think Halpern would've learned after the backlash from a previous Stanley Cup celebration back in September -- when players passed the trophy around to random fans so everyone could take a drink.

This time ... we're told 44-year-old Halpern hosted a private celebration on the beach with family members and friends. Witnesses say there were about 50 people at the bash and at least 3 different people sipped from Lord Stanley's Cup.

Again, it happens ALL THE TIME in non-pandemic years -- but with COVID numbers on the rise, passersby tell us they were shocked at what they were watching ... because it did not appear anyone was making an effort to clean out and disinfect the Cup between drinks.

FYI, The Florida Dept. of Health reported more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases on Sunday -- the largest increase in months -- along with 29 resident deaths.

So far, the FDH says there have been more than 885k total COVID-19 cases in Florida since the pandemic began -- with more than 17k deaths.

Bhad Bhabie -- just dropped a new music video for her first single since finishing rehab ... and she's got some big names helping her out.

Here's the deal ... the 17-year-old rapper, previously known as Danielle Bregoli, made a quarantine version of her "Do It Like Me" music vid, featuring special appearances from her celeb support system, including Demi Lovato, Blac Chyna, Pia Mia, Chief Keef, Charlie XCX and Lexy P.

As you can see ... her famous friends are singing and dancing from home for the new track -- her first since a 30-day rehab stint in June.

Sources close to Bhad Bhabie tell TMZ ... she's had an amazing support system sticking with her through her dark time, and all the celebs in the video believed in her and stood by her during rehab, which helped her get sober.

As we first told you ... Bhad Bhabie was focused on music and business after getting out of rehab, and quickly went to work on her new single.

Our sources say her friends wanted to show support for her sobriety ... so they recorded the clips used in the music vid.

Jeff Ross is going after the woman who's accused him of statutory rape when she was 15 ... and he claims she's trying to extort him.

The comedian's filed a defamation suit against Jessica Radtke, who made headlines earlier this year when an article came out in which she alleged Ross began having a sexual relationship with her in 1999.

According to the legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Ross admits he was a work acquaintance with Radtke at a New York comedy club, and he did have a consensual relationship with her ... but not until 2002, when she was an adult.

Ross says all of her accusations of having sex with her when she was a minor are "completely false," echoing his public denial of the allegations in June.

The comedian claims Radtke has been on a campaign to publicly attack him since 2017, but when her efforts to smear him in tabloids failed ... he says she made up the story about his underage relationship with her.

According to the docs ... this culminated with her creating a Facebook page in late 2019 called "Iwas15hewas33," which he says was done to defame him and get attention. Ross says she also "made the preposterous claim that she was Ross’s 'date' at a number of  high-profile public events, including celebrity roasts, that were attended by thousands of people."

He adds ... "To make her false allegations as salacious as possible, Radtke also falsely accused Ross of frequently having unprotected sex with her while she was underage and claimed Ross proposed to marry her."

According to the defamation lawsuit ... Ross says he has multiple witnesses to corroborate him not dating Radtke until she was 18.

Retired MLB star Jim Edmonds is pissed at his estranged wife for being reckless with COVID -- he claims her partying and jet-setting ways put his family in danger.

Jim's estranged wife, "Real Housewives of Orange County" alum Meghan King, says she's isolating after testing positive for COVID-19. Jim's rep, Steve Honig, tells TMZ ... Jim thinks Meghan has a lot of explaining to do because she attended a major Halloween event in St. Louis before jetting down to Miami, where she continued to party.

So, he says Jim's hardly surprised she announced she tested positive ... but he is pissed.

Videos and pictures from the Halloween bash show Meghan rubbing elbows with tons of people, the vast majority of whom are not wearing masks.

And, photos from Meghan's trip to Miami again show her with lots of maskless folks. She says she loves feeding her "wanderlust spirit" ... even in a pandemic.

A source close to the situation claims Meghan came over to Jim's house after her Miami trip to pick up their kids ... after allegedly being exposed to the virus. The source claims Meghan was hugging and kissing the kids, putting not only their children at risk, but also Jim's girlfriend.

Our source claims Meghan's lying about the timing of everything to make it seem like her reckless partying has nothing to do with her positive COVID diagnosis.

We're told after Meghan went public with her diagnosis Sunday, Jim reached out to her directly and expressed disappointment with her lack of responsibility.

New York could really use the COVID vaccine Trump's threatening to withhold ... the Big Apple's still seeing unsanitary practices in wet markets, and it's on video.

The latest gross-out spectacle was on full display in Queens, where folks with the animal rights nonprofit, NYCLASS, caught a glimpse of what's still going on in our domestic one-stop-shop slaughterhouses and live animal factories.

In the gnarly footage, you see an unattended dumpster absolutely overflowing with trash bags, which appear to be packed to the gills with cut-up animal parts ... you can see a severed chicken head in a bag at the top of the heap as the dumpster sits out in the open on a sidewalk.

Not only that ... check out the blood leaking from the dumpster and flowing into the street, filling up cracks in the pavement like a mini river and puddling up.

We're told the dumpster is outside the same wet market where a similar scene was filmed back in May, so it seems like nothing has changed.

NYC and the rest of the country are dealing with another COVID wave, so it's pretty harrowing to see these unsanitary conditions still in practice.

It goes without saying, this is a massive public health risk 8 months into the pandemic.

We've seen several of these wet market operations from coast to coast, like this stomach-turning scene in California.

Trump likes to talk about red states and blue states ... well remember, wet markets are also operating in ruby-red Texas.

Ya gotta wonder why these issues aren't being talked about on a national level ... this is supposedly how COVID got started in the first place, right? Seems most politicians don't wanna get near this, for whatever reason. So, the question is, why?

NYCLASS executive director Edita Birnkrant says she constantly files complaints with regulators and contacts politicians and health officials, but nothing ever happens.

Nathan Apodaca -- the viral Fleetwood Mac "Dreams" skateboarder -- can add a new title to his long list of monikers ... HOMEOWNER!!!

According to sources familiar with the deal ... Nathan paid $320,000 in cash for a 5-bedroom, 3-bathroom crib in his hometown of Idaho Falls. We're told Nathan gets the keys to the house next week and he's still in shock over the purchase.

Remember ... before taking social media by storm after posting a video of himself drinking Ocean Spray juice and vibing to Fleetwood Mac on his skateboard, Nathan was living in an RV with no running water. The RV was parked in front of his brother's house, where he'd use the shower and toilet.

Not long after racking up more than 11 million views on his TikTok vid ... donations started pouring in from strangers all over the place. His merch also started selling like crazy. He had said he wanted to save up for a new ride and RV ... but after Ocean Spray gifted him a truck, it changed his plans for the better, which now includes a new home.

We're told Nathan liked the house because it's got enough room for him and his family ... his new fiancée, Estela Chavez and his 2 daughters and stepson -- 15-year-old Angelia, 14-year-old Makyla and 15-year-old stepson Andreas Chavez.

As if Nathan wasn't already raking in 2020 ... the dude's got even more reason to grin after recently getting new veneers worth a whopping $40k, courtesy of Dr. Aamir Wahab.

Ledisi's giving Jussie Smollett a rave review as a first-time director, but more importantly -- she's going to bat for him as a human being ... regardless of what everyone else thinks.

The R&B artist and actress is starring in Smollett's upcoming movie, "B-Boy Blues," and she has nothing but glowing words for his debut behind the camera ... telling us she had a very fun time filming.

Ledisi also says she didn't think twice about signing on with Jussie -- and doesn't believe other actors did either -- because she loves him and he's always been there for her. She adds ... "He's a good human. He means well with everything he does."

Of course, we had to ask if she hesitated ... remember the January 2019 incident in which he allegedly staged a hate crime.

Though Ledisi clearly supports Jussie, she doesn't say he DIDN'T do what he's accused of. Instead, she tells us ... "He does good work. People make mistakes, and they do things around the wrong people."

She goes on to say Smollett's doing the right thing now by focusing on his work and insists his heart's in the right place.

Ya gotta think Jussie will appreciate his star's kind words, but he might take issue with her implication he made a mistake. As we've reported ... he still insists the "attack" was not a hoax, and says he has new evidence to back it up.

Rapper Mo3 was desperate to get away from his killers before he was gunned down on a Dallas freeway ... a chase that allegedly started the minute he'd left a friend's house.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... the Dallas-based rapper left a female companion's house Wednesday morning and noticed he was being watched. It's unclear who the person tailing him was, but we're told they followed him in their vehicle from the home to a gas station.

Our sources say that's when Mo3 knew something was up, and jumped on I-35 in an attempt to lose the other vehicle. We're told he tried to get around traffic but ended up crashing on the side of the road.

That's when Mo3 got out of his car and ran for his life, before the trigger man gave chase and shot him in the back of the head. No one's been arrested for the deadly shooting, and police haven't identified a suspect yet.

TMZ broke the story ... Mo3 was shot and killed in his hometown where an innocent bystander was also shot and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Mo3 died at a hospital.

Sylvester Stallone has an odd recommendation on how to make this already strange Thanksgiving even more bizarre ... ditch the turkey altogether!!!

We got Rocky in Bev Hills and asked about the many challenges families will be facing during their upcoming holiday get-togethers ... and it seems his visit to Mulberry Street Pizzeria was still very much on his mind.

Rambo tells us he thinks everyone needs to switch it up -- just for 2020 -- and dish out Chicago style hot dogs and pizza this year. He even says he's going to do this himself ... though we get the feeling he's fibbing.

Sly sounds sincere about one thing though -- he feels families should be left to decide what's best for them in regards to handling Turkey Day with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hoop Kobe Bryant molded his jump shot on as a child is set to hit the auction block ... and it can be all yours -- if you've got a small fortune lying around.

TMZ Sports has learned that just before Bryant's childhood home in Pennsylvania sold for $810K this month ... the seller decided to pull the backboard and the rim from the listing after the buyer wasn't interested in paying more for its inclusion.

Instead, we're told the seller gave it to an acquaintance who handed it over to John Romani at Sales By Helen to have it sold at auction.

While it's unclear how much the hoop might fetch from bidders ... Romani tells us it wouldn't surprise him at all if the piece soared into six figures.

As we've been reporting, Kobe memorabilia has been in ultra-high demand since his tragic death ... with fans paying astronomical prices for signed basketballs, jerseys of anything else Kobe touched.

In fact, a signed piece of the hardwood from Staples Center that Kobe played on in his final NBA game recently sold at auction for more than $600,000!

As for the hoop from Kobe's Pennsylvania home, Romani says the plan is for it to enter Heritage's Platinum Night Auction on Feb. 20.

And, Romani says there will be a bunch more Bryant memorabilia collected from the house that will join the hoop there.

Romani tells us a Michael Jordan Sports Illustrated magazine addressed to Kobe will be sold. Other items, like Duke basketballs Kobe had when he was being recruited by the Blue Devils, will be included as well.

Romani says there's even some Italian magazines Kobe owned ... and one book that Kobe appeared to have written on as a kid.

Kate Gosselin is saying goodbye to the house where her 8 children grew up ... often in front of reality TV cameras.

Kate's found a buyer for her 23-acre estate in Pennsylvania, which became the setting of the TLC show "Jon & Kate Plus 8" after the couple bought the 6-bed, 7-bath pad in 2008 for $1.1 million.

The show later became just "Kate Plus 8" after she and Jon divorced, but she continued to live on the gorgeous property with her twins and sextuplets -- who, BTW, are now 20 and 16 years old respectively! Feeling old?

As you can see ... the 7,591-square-foot home -- about 70 miles outside Philly -- comes with a swimming pool and picturesque scenery. The pool also has a waterslide, and there's a nice patio and outdoor spa and kitchen.

The inside of the house features a chef's kitchen, fireplace, game room and a separate "man cave."

And, shout out to Jon ... the 3-car garage has its own private living quarters -- the perfect spot for an ex-spouse to crash, if needed.

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Eric Ebron is representin' his sons in an iced out kinda way ... with 2 brand new diamond chains with their names on it!

The 27-year-old is a proud father of 2 boys -- 3-year-old Oliver and 1-year-old Aiden -- and decided to have some pieces made up in their honor.

So, Ebron hit up Ari the Jeweler in Manhattan to get two personalized Cuban links -- and Ari delivered!

We're told each chain features 40 carats worth of VVS diamonds and 300 grams of gold!

Unsure on how much E plunked down for the duo, but we're told they're valued around $65k each!

Donald Trump's got a new way to pay off his massive debt after leaving the Oval Office ... there are huge sums to be made for speaking engagements.

The 45th President of the United States would easily command upwards of $1 million to speak in front of crowds in America and overseas ... according to folks who help celebs get such deals. Trump could make even more abroad, where his booking fee could reach as high as $2 million.

Lots of famous folks get paid huge sums to speak, and Trump will soon be in high demand ... as will Melania and Ivanka, once the whole lot is out of the White House.

Heavy hitters in the biz tell us Melania will fetch between $75k and $125k to speak in the U.S. and between $125k and $175k abroad. Those estimates assume she stays married to DT, and we're told they would increase if she ever divorces him or writes a tell-all book. How's that for added incentive?!?

Ivanka, we're told, will command the most among Trump's kids ... in part because she was already a published author with her own product lines before entering the White House. Ivanka should rake in between $75k to $100k to speak in the States, compared to $100k to $125k internationally.

Sorry, Don Jr., Eric and Tiffany ... we're told they're only gonna rake in about $75k to speak in the U.S. and there's unlikely to be an international market for them. It's peanuts compared to papa.

Trump will be an easy sell in America, where over 72 million people just voted for him ... and industry insiders expect him to mostly appear at Republican or right-wing events. Internationally, we're told Trump will likely have his first few speaking engagements in places where he's got lots of friends, like Israel and Russia.

The speaking engagements for Trump and his family will likely be very thick on NDA's, we're told, and the agreements would allow Trump to prevent speeches from being recorded.

The money's there for speaking engagements, but we're told PR firms and talent agencies aren't lining up to sign the Trumps as clients ... they fear it would piss off existing clients and spark a mass exodus.

Trump loves the bottom line, and he's also gonna like this ... we're told he will get first-class accommodations and golf trips wherever he gets paid to speak.

One of the most famous houseguests in "Big Brother" history says CBS committing to casting more people of color on reality shows is coming way too late, but adds ... it doesn't have to be too little.

Marcellas Reynolds was the first Black gay man on 'BB' way back in its third season in 2002, and he tells us he's shocked it took the network this long to address what he calls inherent biases on so many of its hit shows ... including "Survivor" and "Amazing Race."

Reynolds says CBS is on the right track now, but a pledge to have unscripted show casts that are 50 percent Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) isn't good enough.

The reality show alum says more focus needs to be put on making sure there's proper representation behind the camera. He says until this happens, those biases will remain ... and true diversity won't be achieved in the stories being told.

The good news -- CBS did touch on this subject as part of its diversity pledge, vowing to also commit at least 25 percent of its unscripted budget to projects created by minorities ... and set a target of 40 percent BIPOC representation in writers' rooms.

Earl Thomas' wife is clearly done trying to make things work with the NFL star after the two were involved in that wild April incident ... TMZ Sports has learned she just filed for divorce.

According to court records, Nina Thomas put in the paperwork on Nov. 3 ... citing adultery as the grounds for ending the marriage.

Nina added in the docs that the couple has such a strained relationship ... there's zero "reasonable expectation of reconciliation."

It's interesting ... because Earl has seemed to put in a ton of effort to make things work since Nina was arrested for allegedly pointing a loaded gun at him back on April 13.

We broke the story, cops say Nina SNAPPED after she allegedly caught the former Baltimore Ravens safety cheating on her at a rented home in Austin, Texas.

Police say Nina busted in the home angrily ... and eventually held Earl at gunpoint.

Nina was ultimately arrested ... but shortly after the incident, Earl announced the two were trying to work through things.

And, it all seemed to be going smoothly ... he posted on social media several times the past few months praising her -- and even celebrated her birthday last month with a photo and a mushy "I love you" note.

But, Nina -- who married Earl in a well-publicized, extravagant wedding in April 2016 -- makes it clear in the docs ... she wants out.

The couple has three kids together ... and in the court filing, Nina is asking for Earl to only have limited access to the children until "he takes a parenting course and can show evidence that he is able to care for the children for an extended period of time."

Vinny Guadagnino's got a reason to fist pump -- a new place to get all of his GTL done after dropping a few mil on a new L.A. pad.

The "Jersey Shore" star dropped a cool $3,510,000 for a slick crib above Sunset Plaza in the Hollywood Hills. The 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom crib features breathtaking panoramic views overlooking West Hollywood, Century City and all the way out to the Pacific Ocean.

Vinny's new 2,685 sq. ft. home is pretty private too ... sitting on a cul-de-sac street.

Each room includes incredible views ... especially the soaking tub in the master suite. There's an awesome picture window showcasing a pool, quaint courtyard and city views.

Seriously ... the place is definitely land mine proof. True GTLers know what's up.