Family

Dr. Seuss' books should NOT be yanked from shelves -- because all they need is a little context on page 1 ... so says a woman who was raised by the man himself.

Leagrey Dimond -- one of Dr. Seuss' stepdaughters -- tells TMZ she doesn't think his work needs to be censored or stored away from public view ... which is essentially what Dr. Seuss Enterprises did on Monday.

Instead, Dimond suggests adding a disclaimer to the 6 books in question ... something a lot of media companies have been opting for lately for questionable or outdated material with racist depictions. The same thing should happen here, in Dimond's eyes anyway.

She also has this to say about Seuss' work -- yes, some of his earlier publications and illustrations DID feature racist imagery, but his legacy shouldn't hinge on that alone ... as she insists the full breadth of his literature shows he's a good guy and evolved over time.

Dimond says Seuss publicly regretted some of his earlier work -- such as ads, comic strips and political cartoons he helped craft during the WWII era -- which featured blatantly racist drawings of Black people and Asian people.

But, there's a bigger reason the org bearing his name should hold off, per LD ... nobody who runs the place knew him personally.

Dimond says since coming into Seuss' care at age 9, she never once experienced any hatred, hate speech or bigotry of any kind ... which she says was emblematic of his character at large. The fact people are judging him in death, she says, doesn't sit right with her.

You'll recall -- the Enterprise announced it was ceasing further sales of 6 Seuss children's books -- including "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street," "Scrambled Eggs Super!" "If I Ran the Zoo," "McElligot’s Pool," "On Beyond Zebra!" and "The Cat’s Quizzer"

Some examples of the problematic imagery -- from 'Mulberry' and 'Zoo' -- feature Asian stereotypes ... like referring to one character as a "Chinaman ... with sticks."

Britney Spears got some quality time in with her teenage sons ... and shared a rare photo of them all together as a memento.

Britney posted the pic Monday of her and her 2 boys -- 15-year-old Sean and 14-year-old Jayden -- standing in an open field together ... and she looks happy as can be.

She marveled at how big her kids are now and how time flies, saying ... "it's very hard for any mama especially a mama with boys seeing them grow up so fast !!!!"

Brit's also very proud of her sons, adding ... "I'm extremely lucky because my two babies are such gentleman and so kind that I must have done something right !!!!"

The singer says she hasn't posted any photos of Sean or Jayden in a while because -- well, they're teenagers -- but they let her post this one ... including an edited version with a more intense background.

As you know ... Britney's relationship with her sons -- who she had with Kevin Federline -- has been rocky at times, and Kevin has custody of them the majority of the time.

Snoop Dogg is introducing his grandson to the culture -- the classic car culture -- while also staking his claim as the coolest grandpa on earth!!!

The Doggfather and his grandkid, Zion, hit up Mel's Drive-in on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood for some serious family bonding ... checking out the whips and jamming to Snoop's classic, "My Heat Goes Boom."

Little Zion here is the spawn of Snoop's oldest son, Corde Broadus, and he's already getting schooled in all things West Coast ... complete with low riders and g-funk music. Zion's Uncle Cordell, aka Snoop's 2nd born, was also there for the Sunday meet-up.

Abigail Breslin's dad had died from COVID, and the actress has shared her grief.

The "Zombieland" star posted 78-year-old Michael Breslin passed away Friday, adding, "Hard to write this. Harder than I thought. I'm in shock and devastation ... my sweet, perfect, amazing, heroic, wonderful dada passed away after my family and I said goodbye. It was COVID-19 that cut my sweet daddy’s life too short."

Michael had been suffering from COVID this month and his condition deteriorated ... he was eventually placed on a ventilator and several days ago lost consciousness.

24-year-old Abigail's siblings, Ryan and Spencer, also shared thoughts about their dad.

Michael worked in telecommunications and worked as a computer programmer and a consultant.

He was 78.

Vanessa Bryant just got the perfect assist from daughter Capri -- who gave a sneak peek of the new Kobe Bryant 6 Protro "All-Star" kicks ... weeks before they're set to drop.

"These shoes are about to be released next," Vanessa said on IG ... "They're Kobe's All Star drop."

The new sneakers are an updated "Protro" version of the Nike Zoom Kobe VI 'All-Star' shoes, which were originally released back in 2011.

Capri was rockin' mommy's size 7 -- just a little too big for the 1-year-old ... but she'll grow into 'em. Even [Uncle] Pau Gasol weighed in on the adorableness -- saying, "So Cute!"

The new Kobes will reportedly come with a $180 price tag and are set to drop on March 8 -- the day after the 2021 NBA All-Star game.

But, you can expect these shoes to sell out QUICKLY and then fetch monster prices on re-sale sites.

As we've reported, the demand for all things Kobe has exploded over the past year -- with collectors paying record prices for everything from autographs to jerseys to basketball cards ... even the car he used to drive around.

Prince Harry says he moved his family to L.A. to protect his family like any husband and father would -- and blamed the media for "destroying my mental health."

Harry's episode with James Corden for 'The Late Show' finally aired Thursday night and while riding an open-air double-decker bus -- COVID-safe -- he denied leaving the Royal family.

In his eyes, "It was never walking away. It was stepping back rather than stepping down. It was a really difficult environment. As I think a lot of people saw, we all know what the British press can be like, and it was destroying my mental health. This is toxic. I did what any husband, any father would do. I needed to get my family out of here."

Just last week, Buckingham Palace said Harry and Meghan had "confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family."

James and Harry, who are mates off-camera, also talked about Netflix's "The Crown" ... with Harry saying even though the series is clearly fictional it's loosely based on the truth.

Kim Kardashian made sure she stood out on her first night out as a single lady ... in a skintight dress ... and nothing on her ring finger.

Kim -- along with her sister, Kourtney, gal pals La La Anthony and Stephanie Shepherd and Jonathan Cheban for good measure -- hit up Matsuhisa in Bev Hills Tuesday night ... and Kanye West's ex looked ready to mingle.

Though she wasn't wearing her wedding ring, Kim was blinged up just a bit to accessorize with a super cool neon green dress ... and she looked pretty happy with her friends.

Of course, Kim's outing comes just days after we broke the story ... she filed to divorce her famous husband of nearly 7 years after several turbulent months that started right around the time he announced his run for president.

As we told you ... everything seems to be amicable -- Kim's asking for joint legal and physical custody of the couple's 4 kids, there's a prenup neither side is contesting, and Kim and Kanye are committed to co-parenting.

Mr. Potato Head is catching up with the times, he's now just Potato Head ... and it's all about getting rid of traditional gender norms.

Hasbro is dropping the "Mr." and rebranding its iconic spud toys this fall, giving children a blank canvas to create a potato family however they see fit.

The toy giant says it wants to move away from the nuclear family and give kids a chance to go with what feels natural to them ... build whatever kinda potato fam ya want, and those spuds can wear whatever they want.

It's a huge shift for Hasbro ... the company launched the OG Mr. Potato Head way back in 1952, and followed it up the next year with a Mrs. Potato Head complete with her own set of accessories. Plus, it was only 8 years ago that Hasbro celebrated the original potato couple's 60th anniversary with a special box set.

Now, Hasbro says the new toy sets won't present kids with the same family structure you played with as a tyke.

The Babe Ruth baseball card market is still ON FIRE!!!

Check out this rare 1933 Goudey #149 card-- signed by The Bambino himself -- that just sold for $761,100 at auction Sunday night ... more than DOUBLE the highest price ever fetched for this particular card!!!

The item was part of the legendary "Uncle Jimmy" collection -- an insane collection of ultra-rare cards that Jimmy Micioni had stashed away at his home in New Jersey since he was a kid.

Experts say Uncle Jimmy did such an amazing job preserving the cards, it's like they were printed yesterday!!

Micioni died in March 2020 at the age of 97 -- but his family has gone public with the incredibly valuable treasure trove of cards ... and they've been getting record prices at auction.

In fact, Jimmy had a SECOND signed Babe Ruth 1933 Goudey #149 that sold in 2020 for $325,000 -- which was a record at the time.

The 2020 card quality was graded at a 4.5 (very good to excellent condition) and the Ruth signature on the card got a 6 grading.

The card that sold Sunday night was PSA graded 4 with an 8 on the autograph.

Final gavel price ... $761,100 -- a record for that particular card and proof the sports card market is still as hot as ever!!

The card sold through Wheatland Auctions -- which only expected the card to fetch somewhere between $300k and $600k.

Memorabilia collectors have always been fond of Babe Ruth -- remember, in 2019 someone forked over $1 MILLION for the bat he used to smack his 500th home run in 1929.

Julio Urias' dad just made sure he'll NEVER forget his son's World Series win ... the star pitcher's pops just commemorated the Dodgers' title with a HUGE tat -- and it's awesome!

The artist who did the work -- Andres Ortega Rojas -- revealed the piece Sunday night ... showing off the new, incredible ink that runs from the top of Julio's dad's shoulder to just above his elbow.

The artwork features 24-year-old Julio celebrating inside the World Series trophy ... with "World Series Champions" inscribed at the bottom.

Of course, the depiction of Julio is now a famous image ... it's the pose he struck after closing out the Tampa Bay Rays in the 9th inning of Game 6 back in October.

"It was a pleasure to tattoo the dad of Julio Urias," Ortega Rojas wrote on social media.

Urias clearly approved of the ink ... he posed for a thumbs-up pic with his dad and Ortega Rojas after the tattoo was completed.

The thing is ... Urias and the Dodgers are the favorites to win this year's championship as well -- and it's got us all wondering, is there space on the other arm for portrait #2?!

Cristiano Ronaldo's pet cat is down to 8 lives ... it's currently recovering in Spain after being hit by a car.

The animal, Pepe, is a hairless Sphynx cat -- the beloved family pet who travels everywhere with the Ronaldos on private jets, fancy cars and stays in mansions all over the world. Pepe has been a part of the Ronaldo family for about 2 years.

But, Pepe was badly hurt recently -- after leaving the family residence in Turin, Italy and getting run over by a car.

"It was close to death and after a month and a half in intensive care at the vet’s, we’ve decided my sister Ivana should look after it," CR7's girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez told the Spanish magazine InStyle.

"Pepe’s now in Spain recovering ... now he's in the best hands."

Sphynx cats only have an average lifespan of 8 to 14 years ... and it sounds like the Ronaldos are doing everything they can to help little Pepe get to double digits.

The lawyer who killed the son of New Jersey federal judge Esther Salas had his sights set on Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor next ... according to Judge Salas.

Roy Den Hollander is believed to have posed as a FedEx delivery worker in July when he ambushed the home of Salas' family, fatally shooting her 20-year-old son and injuring her husband. At the time, Judge Salas was overseeing a case Hollander was arguing.

But Salas just revealed, on "60 Minutes" ... Hollander had more disturbing intentions.

After Hollander was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Salas says FBI agents found a locker belonging to him in which he had another gun, more ammo, and a manila folder with a "workup" of Justice Sotomayor ... including "her favorite restaurants, where she worked out, her friends."

The first episode of HBO's new documentary detailing Dylan Farrow's allegations of sexual abuse against Woody Allen is out -- and the famed director has choice words for it.

He and his wife, Soon-Yi Previn, blasted the doc in a joint statement ... calling 'Allen v. Farrow' a "hatchet job" that they believe had no interest in pursuing the facts.

Allen and Previn -- through his sister, Letty Aronson -- say the filmmakers "spent years surreptitiously collaborating with the Farrows and their enablers to put together a hatchet job riddled with falsehoods. Woody and Soon-Yi were approached less than two months ago and given only a matter of days 'to respond.' Of course, they declined."

The statement notes Dylan's allegations -- and at the time when she was a child, her mother Mia Farrow's as well -- have been known about and investigated several times for years now ... with no wrongdoing found on the part of Allen, or charges brought against him.

It unequivocally asserts no abuse ever took place, while adding ... "It is sadly unsurprising that the network to air this is HBO -- which has a standing production deal and business relationship with Ronan Farrow. While this shoddy hit piece may gain attention, it does not change the facts."

The first episode in the 4-part series chronicled how Mia met Woody and got involved with him -- eventually introducing and incorporating him into the lives of her many children (some biological, others adopted). Obviously, it also focused on Dylan -- one of Mia's adopted children -- and what the filmmakers, and others, deemed Woody's fixation with her.

The episode has a major cliffhanger, where it's alleged Mia found nude photos of her adult adopted daughter, Soon-Yi, at Woody's place ... and discovered a love affair between them.

The final scene shows current-day Dylan reflecting to the camera, "Oh, I'm not the only one," implying Allen had taken nude photos of her too.

Kris Jenner is taking a page from her daughters' playbooks ... 'cause she's tapping into the beauty business.

The Kardashians matriarch filed trademark docs to lock up rights to a couple different names for beauty and skincare lines she presumably plans to launch ... including "Kris Jenner Beauty," "Kris Jenner Skin" and "Kris Jenner Skincare."

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kris is looking to use her name on a wide range of products for hair, skin, nails and eyes, plus cosmetics and fragrances ... pretty much anything folks use to look and smell good.

Kris' daughters have already been down this road ... Kim has a massive beauty empire and makeup made Kylie Jenner a billionaire, while Khloe and Kourtney also have cosmetics lines with Kylie.

This is the coolest video ... a cop could have given an elderly woman a ticket, but instead, he gave her a gift card to get her car repaired!

Sgt. Wayne Costa, a patrol officer with Orlando PD, stopped a woman who was driving with her brake lights out.

It's apparent Sgt. Costa felt the great grandmother was struggling financially, so giving her a ticket where she'd have to pay a fine would create additional hardship and make it even harder to fix her brake lights.

So, Sgt. Costa, armed with a $25 gift card to Advance Auto Parts, surprised the great-grandma with the card. The lady was driving with her great-granddaughter, who was strapped in the back seat with a seat belt, and suggested she also buy a car seat.

The interaction is heartwarming and, well, pretty incredible.

Ted Cruz is back in the frigid cold, but his family doesn't have a lot of time to fret over the Senator's boneheaded move, because they're clearly enjoying fun in the sun in Cancun.

A bikini-claded Heidi Cruz is soaking up the sun on the beach with their kids ... you know, the ones their dad blamed for the trip.

Cruz's family clearly isn't letting the patriarch's troubles ruin a perfectly good vacay.

As you know, Senator Cruz did a quick turnaround after the s*** hit the fan, although he tried a lame excuse at first, suggesting this was just a quick turnaround to take his daughters south of the border. His suitcase tells the story -- hardly an overnight bag.

As if things couldn't get any worse ... Cruz also left behind Snowflake the family dog in their freezing home. The security guard was taking care of the pooch, but Heidi made it clear to friends in text messages before the family hopped on a plane ... their house was an icebox.