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The Tennessee Volunteers football team is seeking help to replace the goalpost fans tore down after their upset win over Alabama on Saturday ... by starting a fundraiser for the cause.

They're serious, too -- the Vols shared a link to their campaign via Twitter ... one day after Tennessee fans threw the goalpost into the river to celebrate the victory.

"Y'all remember how we tore the goalposts down, hauled em out of Neyland and dumped em in the Tennessee River? Yeah that was awesome," the team said.

"Anywho, turns out that in order to play next week's game, we need goalposts on our field. Could y'all help us out?"

FYI, Tennessee will need that goalpost to play their Oct. 22 home game against UT Martin.

The team even found a way to troll the Crimson Tide on the donation page -- including using the final score as a dollar amount.

"Give $52.49. Final score of the breathtaking game."

There's also a $16 option -- the number of seasons since Tennessee beat 'Bama -- and a $1,019.15 choice ... which is the number of fans who sold out the Vol's stadium.

Of course, many ripped the team for the launch ... one person saying, "Is this real? You have a $130,000,000 budget. Get a new set. Problem solved. Good win."

As of Monday morning, the fundraiser has already received over $75k -- half of what they need -- from over 1,911 donors.

Some big rappers are starting to rail against the very social media platforms that boosted their celebrity -- a move that comes as Kanye West is flaming out on Instagram and Twitter.

"Drink Champs" has been teasing their Boosie Badazz episode for days, and the latest clip finds the Lousiana rapper clearly blaming IG for wrecking marriages and relationships.

Boosie says before social media, men and women had limited access to other people's lifestyles and arrangements, but now they're more tempted than ever to cheat ... given the number of opportunities at their fingertips.

Not to be outdone, Freddie Gibbs tackled social media's impact while on "The Breakfast Club," and said he doesn't believe in monogamy, so his polyamorous relationships are in good order.

On the other hand, he says social media culture makes people abandon their true character for clout. The Gary, Indiana-born rapper compares social media addiction to crack.

In fact, Freddie's new album, "$$$" has a track called "CIA" -- an acronym for "Crack, Instagram and AIDS" -- and says he aimed to showcase detrimental things in the Black community with this record.

Freddie also rivals Boosie for the title of rapper with the most Instagram accounts being banned ... so it's understandable they're calling for a changing of the guard.

Interesting that they're dropping these warnings amid Kanye getting restricted on social media for posting anti-Semitic remarks ... which included accusing Diddy of being controlled by Jewish people.

As we reported, LeBron James' just axed an episode of "The Shop" he shot with Ye due to the rapper allegedly spewing "dangerous stereotypes" during their convo.

No telling if he thinks he has a social media addiction or not ... but in response to IG and Twitter putting the clamps on him, Ye's revved up his Facebook account.

Trouble on the waterfront in Ohio -- a couple of fishermen have been accused of cheating to make their catches seem heavier than they were ... and the video proof is damning.

Chase Cominski and Jake Runyan -- both locals -- were apparently caught stuffing their walleye with weights and other debris ... with things coming to a head on Friday as their fish were being weighed, and then cut open to expose the truth on Lake Erie.

As you can see, tourney officials started pulling out these little metal balls from the insides of the fish that Cominski and Runyan had up for consideration -- some are saying they're made of lead, but in any case ... they seem to have been jammed in for extra poundage.

There are also slices of what some claim are fish fillets -- in other words, these guys are alleged to have cut pieces of other fish and stuffed them inside as well, clandestinely.

Some outlets are reporting that these two fellas were actually the frontrunners of this tournament -- dubbed the Lake Erie Walleye Trail in Cleveland's Gordon Park -- but that obviously came to a screeching halt when everyone caught wind of what had happened.

You can hear the utter outrage from people on the ground ... they were screaming at these guys, demanding answers and even threatening to call the police. Runyan was asked on camera if he had anything to say for himself -- but he stayed silent and just looked on.

There are reports of the fisherman going on to win other contests in and around the area -- and now, all of the accolades (and prize money) they've racked up are coming into question.

The official event page on FB had a harsh statement, calling out these gentlemen as straight-up cheaters. They write, "Disgusted guys and gals, I’m sorry for letting you down for so long and I’m glad I caught cheating taking place in YOUR LEWT at the same time."

Mark Zuckerberg's Little League "career" is worth a lot of money to some folks ... because a baseball card from when he was a kid sold at auction for six figures!!!

The Facebook honcho's autographed Little League card from back in the day hauled in $120,750 in a fierce, five-day long auction.

The folks at ComicConnect.com started the bidding at $1 ... so the final sale price shows there was a ton of interest in the card.

The anonymous buyer told the auction house the Zuckerberg card would join a collection already featuring rookie cards for MLB legends Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle, plus an Action Comics #1 ... summing up Zuck as "the Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Superman of social media rolled up into one."

The signed card -- which is from 1992 -- was also sold as an NFT, and that went for $1,345.

Mark played Little League in Westchester County, NY ... where the trading cards were a novelty offered to families.

The card previously belonged to Mark's former camp counselor, Allie Tarantino, and Zuckerberg signed it when he was 8 years old. Allie says he sold the card to help pay for his kids to go to college.

Mark even posted about the card last month on social media, fueling speculation he might try to swoop the card for himself. The buyer is anonymous, but as far as we know, Zuck doesn't own Babe and Mantle cards ... so, seems like someone else got it.

Memphis is under siege by a gunman going on a shooting spree across town with at least 5 people hit at the time of this post ... cops are reporting multiple shootings and large parts of the city are going on lockdown.

Police in Memphis says the suspected shooter is 19-year-old Ezekiel Kelly and he's considered armed and dangerous. Cops say he's been changing cars and moving around the city, in a scene that sounds straight out of a video game.

The alleged gunman went live on Facebook, where he claimed to have shot numerous people ... with video showing him going into an auto parts store and aiming a gun at someone and pulling the trigger.

Cops say Kelly is the man in the video and he's wanted for multiple shootings in Memphis earlier Wednesday.

There was previously a shooting at a gas station, and another minutes later just down the road, which cops say left a woman critically injured.

Police are urging residents to remain indoors ... and the University of Memphis is on lockdown after shots were reported in the area.

Mark Zuckerberg might be the most eccentric of the tech billionaires out there ... 'cause the dude's apparently diving into mixed martial arts, with some skills to boot.

The Facebook founder posted a video Saturday, which shows him training with a fighter named Khai 'The Shadow' Wu ... who's got his UFC debut coming up on Fight Pass. To ring in the milestone, Mark honored his buddy with this clip of them throwing blows.

Check it out ... you see MZ all padded up an going toe to toe with Khai, and wouldn't you know it -- it actually looks like he knows what he's doing. Peep that vicious leg kick!

Mark writes, "One of my training partners, @khaiwu, is making his debut on @ufcfightpass tonight. Looking forward to a great fight." So it seems Zuck's the one who's getting a workout in with Khai -- and not the other way around. On the face of it, the sessions are paying off.

Of course, some can't help but notice that Mark recently sat down with Joe Rogan for a chat on his podcast ... where they talked more serious issues than they did Octagon fighting.

After seeing this demonstration, though ... maybe JR has more in common with the Meta boss than he thought. And perhaps we'll even see Zuck ringside one of these days! 😆

Richard Simmons is feeling the love, more than 8 years after he disappeared from the public eye, thanking fans for their support and well wishes on the heels of TMZ's documentary about his life and his disappearance.

Simmons, who hasn't posted a message directly from himself on Facebook in years, broke that streak Wednesday, saying, "Thank you, everyone, for your kindness and love! ❤️ Love, Richard."

Richard's post comes just a couple days after the premiere of "TMZ Investigates: What Really Happened to Richard Simmons" on FOX and Hulu. An in-depth look into Richard's life, his success and his disappearance from public life.

We're told Richard watched the special and is extremely moved by the reaction of thousands of his fans who have sent well wishes.

While Richard's official Facebook account regularly posts old clips and workout vids -- usually getting a couple hundred comments -- the direct note from Richard clearly had fans excited, with close to 5,000 comments in less than 48 hours.

Mark Zuckerberg was apparently a baseball star for a very small part of his life, and a signed piece of that history is hitting the auction block.

The card's being sold at auction by ComicConnect.com in September ... it's allegedly been held by one of Mark's old camp counselors all these years.

Allie Tarantino remembers Mark standing out amongst the rest at Elmwood Day Camp in Westchester, NY back in 1992. Allie had an extensive baseball card collection, so when the 9-year-old kid came up to him with one of his own, he knew it had to get signed.

Since Mark's rise to the top, Allie's used the card as a big talking point in conversations, of course -- he decided to sell it off to help with his kids' college funds.

Collectibles expert Stephen Fishler, says it's tough to value because there's nothing like it --they're opening the bid at $1, but it'll be an unpredictable fight to the top. It will also be auctioned as an NFT.

Rookie cards seem to be all the rage right now, at least as far as price points go -- one of Lebron James recently sold for a whopping $5.2M!!!

FYI -- Zuck's stats are great, too ... the 48-pound infielder hit 23 of 25 at-bats that season, cleaning up with an impressive .920.

Will Smith has spoken out on camera for the first time over slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, and he clearly feels a lot of shame and remorse.

Smith posted his mea culpa on Facebook, answering questions from fans about the moment that shocked millions of people.

Smith says he didn't go ballistic because Jada Pinkett Smith rolled her eyes at Rock's joke ... he says he did it on his own because he felt the joke was insulting and disrespectful. He also made it clear ... he and Chris Rock had 'history," and clearly not in a good way.

Smith said he has suffered trauma, primarily for disappointing his fans and others, saying "I didn't live up to people's image and impression of me."

As for why he didn't apologize to Chris, he says he reached out but Chris wasn't ready to talk to him, but he apologized in the new video.  The 2 haven't spoken since the Oscars.

He went on to say ... "I am human and I made a mistake and I'm trying not to think of myself as a piece of s**t."

As for his former good friend Tony Rock, Chris' brother, Will apologized to him and conceded the damage done is probably "irreparable."

"Naked and Afraid" contestant Melanie Rauscher has died under mysterious circumstances in Arizona -- her body was recently found near cans of dust cleaner, TMZ has learned.

Melanie, who appeared on 2 seasons of the popular Discovery Channel show, was dog sitting at a residence in Prescott, AZ while the homeowners were away on vacation, according to Corey Kasun, a rep for the Prescott Police Department.

The homeowners returned on the afternoon of July 17 and found Melanie deceased on the bed in the guest room, Kasun said.

We're told several cans of compressed air -- which can be used to clean dust off computers -- were found near her body. It's unclear if Melanie consumed the contents of the cans.

Cops say there were no obvious signs of foul play, and they did not find a suicide note or drug paraphernalia. The dog was okay.

The Yavapai County Medical Examiner will determine Melanie's cause of death.

Melanie was mainly a contestant on "Naked and Afraid" in 2013 and the spinoff show 'XL' in 2015. Close castmate Jeremy McCaa posted a touching tribute to Melanie on his FB page, saying he was "feeling broken."

Melanie was 35.

Boosie Badazz says Twitter is the only social media platform he has left ... and he's using it to fire off a series of hate-filled messages to the FB and IG honchos he blames for banning him.

In the rants, which continued Friday after an initial wave on Thursday, Boosie IDs Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram's Adam Mosseri for shutting down his @americasmostwantedig handle -- and he drags their families into it too, while spewing some pretty foul things.

He went so far as to wish they died in a helicopter crash, instead of Kobe Bryant.

Boosie thinks body cam video in Georgia prompted IG's latest deletion of his account, and he's vowing to get revenge by starting a new Instagram account.

As of the time we posted, his 62 followers don't exactly represent the rallying cry he's hoping for, but maybe the weekend will bring in more support?

TMZ broke the story ... Boosie's been fuming since he was handcuffed earlier this week in Georgia during a traffic stop where he was the passenger.

While in cuffs, he ranted the cops were targeting him. The cops say they weren't rapper profiling, just following protocol.

Jada Pinkett Smith is finally addressing the infamous Oscars slap, but rather than apologizing ... she's saying Chris Rock and Will Smith both have to set aside their differences.

She opened the latest episode of "Red Table Talk" by saying, "My deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile."

Jada only had one more remark about the incident ... which was that she believes both her husband and Chris are needed now more than ever.

Her take is kinda shocking, because most people feel it's Will who really owes Chris a face-to-face -- or at the very least a personal convo -- where he apologizes for getting physical.

As you know, Will has been banned from the next 10 years of Oscars ceremonies after slapping Chris over a joke about Jada's bald head -- she's been open over the years about her struggles with alopecia.

In fact, if not for alopecia she might not have even addressed the slap -- the 'RTT' episode is about the challenges Jada and others face with the condition.

Facebook teaming up with a major Republican consulting firm to turn public opinion against their fiercest rival reeks of desperation ... so says Taylor Lorenz.

The Washington Post columnist joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to break down her bombshell report on the ways in which Mark Zuckerberg's FB and Meta are playing dirty in their war with TikTok.

Taylor says Facebook looks incredibly weak for paying operatives at Targeted Victory -- a GOP consulting firm -- to carry out a calculated smear campaign to damage TikTok's standing in America and drive teens over to their social media platforms.

As for the Republican role in all this, Taylor says Targeted Victory is trying to drum up anti-Chinese sentiments and link TikTok to the Chinese government because the app is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance.

But, she says there's no evidence TikTok is in bed with Communist China ... despite claims by former President Donald Trump and others in the GOP.

Facebook is determined to beat out its biggest rival, TikTok ... going so far as to hire a major political consulting firm to smear its competitor with an elaborate nationwide campaign.

Facebook's parent company, Meta, is paying Targeted Victory -- a GOP consulting firm -- to turn Americans against TikTok and ultimately steer young users back to FB ... according to the Washington Post.

In an internal email obtained by WaPo, one of the firm's directors says Targeted Victory needs to "get the message out that while Meta is the current punching bag, TikTok is the real threat, especially as a foreign-owned app that is #1 in sharing data that young teens are using."

The firm's tactics include targeting TikTok through op-eds and letters to the editor in regional news outlets, recruiting politicians, political reporters and public relations firms to help turn the public against TikTok and planting negative stories about the Chinese-owned app.

You might have seen some of the negative press ... like stories about the so-called "slap a teacher" TikTok challenge, which actually started on Facebook.

Targeted Victory is a huge digital consulting firm within GOP circles ... receiving $237 million in Republican campaign spending during the 2020 election cycle. It's unclear how much Meta is paying the firm.

Facebook went face down Thursday ... losing more than 20% of its value, and it's not only a sign TikTok is steamrolling Mark Zuckerberg's baby, but he seems to be acknowledging it.

Check this out ... in the last 3 months of the year, FB lost about 500k daily logins. To put that in perspective, it now only has about 1.93 billion users checking in daily.

It's still a big number for sure ... but when you're talking about the Benjamins, it makes a huge difference.

Meta took a huge hit Wednesday -- sinking 22.6% in value on the stock exchange.  That translates to a $200 billion loss.

Zuckerberg chalked it all up to folks spending more time on other apps, like TikTok. And that's gotta hurt because Zuck alone took a $29 BILLION hit.

Facebook's been on the ropes lately, with Congress breathing down its corporate neck. It's also lost traction with the youngins.

Mark Rylance's turn as a deranged tech CEO in 'Don't Look Up' is a clear dig at our country's leading billionaire visionaries -- but the question ... who's it actually aimed at???

You've probably heard about this new Netflix flick -- but what you may not have known ... Rylance portrayal as chief of a revolutionary company is getting compared to guys like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook and others pushing the information envelope.

One thing the internet can't seem to agree on ... which of these billionaires serves as the true inspiration behind Rylance's Peter Isherwell, who ends up contributing to everyone on Earth (save a select few) getting killed by an incoming comet. Sorry, spoiler alert!

For those who've seen it, you know Isherwell runs a company called BASH, which seems to be a spinoff of Apple -- a la Cook/Jobs -- but it's way more advanced, in that it reads your every thought and mood, and predicts how you'll die ... all based on data it collects on its users. Isherwell, funny enough, also runs a space unit of some sort ... similar to Musk.

In the end, Isherwell's plan to blow up the incoming comet and collect the precious minerals found within it completely backfires ... having led Meryl Streep (the President) and the rest of the world's citizens astray. He high-tails it off Earth, before it blows up, in his own rocket, and attempts to colonize a new planet in the distant galaxy (which also hilariously backfires).

The point is ... the dude seems to be an amalgam of all these guys in one -- although most people appear to think he's most like Time's Person of the Year for 2021.

It sounds like Rylance himself sees a little Elon in his character as well ... although he's quick to point out Isherwell isn't necessarily a dead ringer for any one of the tech-y billionaires, despite him certainly being a farcical take on just about all of them.

As he explains, Isherwell's actions are premised on the idea that any of our world's problems can be solved with technology -- a testament to our times and where we're headed.