Famous Food

Ariana Madix is riding the 'Scandoval' wave into another big branding move, but this one's gonna require lots of stretching -- she's officially busting some ballroom moves for "Dancing with the Stars."

Ariana and Derek Hough, one of the judges on the long-running competition series, made the big announcement Friday on "Good Morning America" ... saying the 'DWTS' crew will be "going mad" for Madix on season 32.

DH said she'll be saying "goodbye to the drama and hello to the dance floor" -- before they both broke into a fun little shimmy together in Ariana's new sandwich shop, Something About Her.

Ariana and Derek were spotted hanging out together Wednesday, and it looks like that's when they recorded today's 'DWTS' announcement ... since they're wearing identical outfits.

ICYMI, Derek -- who's taking over for the late Len Goodman -- teased Ariana taking the stage earlier this week, telling folks to guess who is joining the new batch of contestants ... making the mystery message while inside Ariana and Katie Maloney's shop.

Lisa Vanderpump's iconic West Hollywood restaurant PUMP's doors are closed, but that doesn't mean the brand is done, according to Lisa ... who's filling us in on what's next.

Lisa tells TMZ ... she's not shelving the PUMP brand, and fans of the longtime hot spot could see it in a new location at some point in the future.

She says she's taking some of her longtime PUMP staff -- bartenders, the chef, and others -- over to TomTom, which she co-owns with Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz.

LV says she loves her crew and is thrilled to have them move just 3 doors down to TomTom. What's more, we're told some of the popular menu items from PUMP are coming over, too ... although it's unclear which ones will make the final cut.

BTW, Lisa says all of the bougie PUMP furniture will go to a warehouse she uses for personal belongings ... because none of it fits the decor at TomTom.

As we reported, the WeHo landmark restaurant started getting the ol' teardown on Tuesday, the day before its official closing date.

Armie Hammer is now a single man, because the judge just signed off on his divorce settlement with Elizabeth Chambers, and it seems they've resolved all conflicts.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Armie and Elizabeth share joint legal and physical custody of their 2 children.

As for child support, the docs say Armie will pay $1,500 a month in support. The docs go on to say he does not currently have an income, so presumably, that's why the support settlement is modest.

The parties both agreed to waive spousal support.

There was one conflict when it comes to social media. Armie did not want the kids to be included in either his or Elizabeth's social media posts. Elizabeth disagreed. They came to a compromise each parent could post using their discretion, in a "careful, appropriate and discrete manner."

And, there's this ... they agreed on candy! According to the docs, "It's not in the minor children's best interest to consistently have candy," so they agreed to lay off the sweets.

And, the docs say neither Armie nor Elizabeth shall introduce their kids to "a new romantic interest unless he or she has been in a significant and exclusive relationship with that person for at least 6 months."

Ben and Jerry's drew a line in the sand on the 4th of July -- turning the cold shoulder on blind American patriotism, and demanding the U.S. return stolen land dating back centuries.

The famed ice cream company -- which has gotten increasingly political over the years -- threw up a bold statement Tuesday for the holiday ... which, inevitably, pissed off about half the country, especially considering the occasion.

They took to Twitter, writing, "The United States was founded on stolen indigenous land. This Fourth of July, let’s commit to returning it." Pretty straightforward, but also ... polarizing.

B & J's website echoed a similar sentiment but hit the point home even further -- where they argued that Independence Day celebrations could, perhaps, "distract from an essential truth about this nation’s birth." As far as their game plan, they wanna start with Mt. Rushmore.

Here's what they have to say, "What is the meaning of Independence Day for those whose land this country stole, those who were murdered and forced with brutal violence onto reservations, those who were pushed from their holy places and denied their freedom."

Ben and Jerry's continues ... "The faces on Mount Rushmore are the faces of men who actively worked to destroy Indigenous cultures and ways of life, to deny Indigenous people their basic rights."

As you can imagine, their stance here drew the ire of many on social media ... some of whom accused the brand of being a traitor to the country for pushing out what they consider anti-American views on the biggest national holiday meant to celebrate America.

Lisa Vanderpump's self-named restaurant in L.A. is finally shuttering -- and it seems like the work crews are getting a jump on tearing it down before the official close date.

TMZ has obtained photos taken Tuesday which show PUMP pretty damn empty and abandoned ... albeit for some dudes who were busy throwing crap into a moving truck -- including some pieces of a gate that once lined the outside of the establishment.

As you can see, there's a lot being done ahead of Wednesday ... which is the day LV has said PUMP is closing its doors for good. Clearly, no one is dining there on the 4th.

Remember, the place was absolutely packed just a couple days ago ... which seems to have been the last time PUMP would serve anybody. The "Vanderpump Rules" cast and crew were there as well, and yes -- cameras were rolling to capture one last hurrah at the joint.

It's the end of an era for sure -- Lisa opened this place more than a decade ago amid her successful stint on 'Real Housewives' ... which went so well, she got her own show out of it.

When it comes to why PUMP is closing at all -- good old-fashioned cold-blooded capitalism, which Lisa and her husband, Ken Todd, were on the receiving end of year after year. Of course, we're talking about increasing rent prices ... which were tipping into a million bucks.

Lisa and co. have been waving people to their other restaurants in town ... including SUR and TomTom -- which she co-owns with Sandoval and Schwartz. Here's hoping you got your fill while you could ... 'cause PUMP's gone, baby. No more orders here, unfortunately.

11:45 AM PT -- Joey Chestnut easily won the hot dog-eating contest (again) for the 16th time, and while his performance this year was solid ... it still wasn't as good as years past.

JC ate 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes, which secured him the victory and the belt. Like we said, he's eaten more before -- but it's impressive, nonetheless. Congrats, bud!

Chestnut and the rest of the hot dog-eating machines WILL gorge themselves this year after all on a Fourth of July tradition, -- despite Mother Nature trying to torpedo their plans.

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest was almost canceled Tuesday at Coney Island ... all on account of a massive thunderstorm that rolled through, which dumped a ton of rain and lightning onto the area -- and sent patrons running for cover.

Footage taken by journos on the ground shows swarms of people looking to get out of the rain any way they can ... and some got creative, standing on outdoor tables under umbrellas.

It got so bad that the NYPD actually pulled the plug on the rest of the competition -- the men's race, specifically -- out of an abundance of caution. But Nathan's organizers waited it out a bit and decided to proceed once the storm cleared -- which it eventually did.

It's unclear when exactly the contest will get underway, but the legend himself is waiting in the wings and clearly ready. JC was seen walking around mingling with onlookers who stuck around -- and he was hyping himself up as they chanted his name.

Indeed, the guy's back to defend his title ... last year he ate 63 hot dogs and won, but that wasn't anywhere near his record set the previous year at 76 franks -- which he hoped to topple in 2023.

The glizzy champ wants another bite at the apple, er, wiener. At this point, it's looking like he'll get his chance -- and seeing how he's the odds-on favorite to win ... people will be counting the dogs he downs as the true marker of victory.

Go get 'em, kid!

Reality star Lisa Vanderpump's West Hollywood restaurant Pump is closing its doors in 2 days, and LOTS of folks want to bid it farewell!

Lisa's super popular joint is packed to the gills, with people 3 deep at the bar. She wisely used the moment to film a scene with Tom Schwartz for Season 11 of "VPR."

As for why it's closing, as someone once famously said, THE RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH!

Fear not for Lisa and Ken ... they're opening 2 splashy restaurants soon in Vegas. L&K are true restaurant moguls, with 37 under their belt and counting.

The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest might not be the toughest competition on Joey Chestnut's radar ... 'cause the greatest eater alive tells TMZ Sports he is down to go head-to-head with the Gronkowski brothers in an epic showdown!!

We spoke with the the 15-time champion ahead of the annual Fourth of July tradition ... and he says he feels healthy and ready to go as he looks to break his own world record of 76 franks.

"The goal is to win, but if the dogs are good, the weather is right, I feel like that record of 76 could definitively go down," Joey tells us.

In fact, Jaws says he's even broken 80 glizzys during preparation for the big event ... but notes that went down in "perfect" conditions, and anything can happen when it all goes down in Coney Island.

The last time we spoke with Chestnut, he said he was interested in taking on a fellow G.O.A.T. -- Tom Brady -- in an eating competition ... and while he didn't hear from the 7-time Super Bowl champ, his former teammate's fam wants to put him to the test.

"The Gronkowski brothers, they reached out," Chestnut tells us. "That might even be better, eating against the Gronk brothers, the Gronk clan. Those guys are beasts and maybe we can make that happen."

When we pitched the idea of Joey going up against Rob, Dan, Gordie, Chris and Glenn all at once ... he seemed 100% in.

"Those are big boys. That would be fun. I think that is gonna happen."

Can you imagine not one, but TWO competitive eaters staying under the same roof after downing dozens of hot dogs in a matter of minutes??

That's power couple Miki Sudo and Nick Wehry's reality when every Fourth of July rolls around ... and they're telling TMZ Sports exactly how they avoid bathroom catastrophe following the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest!!

Of course, the annual tradition is a lot of fun for the fans ... but what they DON'T see is how the world's best eaters deal with the aftermath. Naturally, we had to ask The Hungry Couple how it all plays out.

"We force a lot of water, we stay away from each other," Nick (who has the third-best odds to win the mustard belt on Tuesday) tells us.

"I don't know what's more unpleasant -- our moods toward each other or the G.I. distress, but we do a good job of kind of avoiding both."

Miki -- the 8-time hot dog champ -- added ... "I don't blame anybody for not wanting to be around me after I eat four dozen hot dogs and equally, I don't really feel like being around him after he competes in events."

As for the actual contest, Miki -- the #1-ranked female eater on the planet -- says she's hoping to break her world record of 48.5 glizzys on Independence Day ... and revealed she has a new strategy she's been working on in hopes of making that happen.

Miki tells us she has no plans of slowing down anytime soon ... and sees herself competing for another 10 years.

Cupid's arrow won't hit the Target bullseye any time soon -- the megastore is getting hit with a lawsuit from a guy who claims some missing marshmallows tanked his Valentine's Day.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Donte Cross is comin' after the retailer for false advertising, which he says traces back to a bag of S'mores Bark Crisps -- a $4 online item.

Cross says he picked up the sweet treat for a loved one, but "discovered the absence of visible marshmallows" when the bag was opened -- adding the grub didn't resemble or taste like what was described on the packaging.

He claims his loved one was filled with disappointment and chucked the bag at Cross ... telling him, "This has no marshmallow."

Cross says the sticky situation upended his Valentine's Day celebration, not to mention the embarrassment it caused. He feels deceived by what he says is Target's false advertising.

The unhappy customer says he's suffered emotional distress over the whole ordeal and is coming after Target for unspecified damages.

Lisa Vanderpump's not getting into the middle of the contract negotiations going on between Raquel Leviss and Bravo ... at least not publicly.

We got Lisa at TomTom Restaurant & Bar in West Hollywood, and we asked her where things stand between Raquel and the network ... and the whole conversation played out in front of the TMZ Celebrity Tour!!!

Lisa was very chatty about the final days of her flagship eatery, Pump Restaurant Lounge, but she playfully tried to leave once our photog asked her about Raquel's contract discussions and 'VPR' filming a new season.

TMZ broke the story ... Raquel and Bravo recently started negotiating her new deal, but the clock is ticking because "Vanderpump Rules" is already filming the new season, fresh off her cheating scandal with Tom Sandoval.

While Lisa is mum on dollar demands and contract details, she says a return date is squarely up to Raquel, who we've been told is getting close to leaving the mental health facility she's called home for more than 2 months.

Lisa says it's also going to be up to the other 'VPR' stars on how they welcome Raquel back into the fold after the Scandoval ... pointing out, they clearly all do their own thing already and don't necessarily listen to her.

Starbucks baristas are preparing to go on strike at more than 150 stores in protest over allegations the coffee giant banned Pride decorations in some locations.

Union leaders for Starbucks workers announced the strike plan Friday, saying 3,500 workers will walk off the job next week all across the country.

The union is demanding all Starbucks locations allow workers to use Pride decorations to show support for the LGBTQ+ community ... and there's a new union contract they want Starbucks to recognize.

While the union claims Starbucks banned some stores from putting up Pride decorations and asked other locations to take down existing decor, the coffee company denies that, and is accusing the union of spreading a false narrative.

One hotbed for controversy is Oklahoma City ... where one store manager reportedly told union workers to trash Pride decorations as a result of a decision made at the regional level.

Bronny James might be a college guy now, but the Lakers superstar's son isn't going to the dining hall anytime soon -- 'cause he grabbed dinner at an L.A. hot spot with USC head coach Andy Enfield and top recruit Isaiah Collier!!

The Trojans commit showed up at Catch Steak in West Hollywood in his Porsche 911 on Thursday ... where the group broke bread and, we're assuming, chopped it up about the upcoming season.

Bronny -- a four-star recruit out of Sierra Canyon -- recently announced he would suit up for the Trojans for college ball ... where he'll be joined by Collier, widely regarded as the top player in the class of 2023.

James also announced Thursday he will don #6 for USC ... the same number LeBron currently wears for the Purple and Gold.

Of course, 18-year-old Bronny's been used to living in L.A. for a few years now ... but it's gotta be a bit different now that he's the big man on campus.

Aaron Rodgers made a huge push for the legalization of magical mushrooms and more on Wednesday night, insisting they have changed his life ... and could help alter many others too.

The New York Jets quarterback stumped for the hallucinogens for nearly an hour ... while giving a passionate speech on a stage at the Psychedelic Science 2023 conference in Denver.

He and his good pal Aubrey Marcus, who sat alongside the NFL star at the podium, glowed about their uses of psychedelics while addressing a big crowd ... and Rodgers repeated over and over again that everyone should have an open mind to the drugs.

"I know in Colorado that psilocybin has been decriminalized," Rodgers said. "Is it not ironic that the things that actually expand your mind are illegal and the things that keep you in the lower chakras and dumb you down have been legal for centuries?"

The 39-year-old -- who's been vocal in the past about his use of ayahuasca -- said, yet again, his trip on the psychedelic tea helped transform him from one of the league's best signal-callers back into an NFL MVP.

"It's going to be hard to cancel me," he said, "because, you know, the previous year, 26 touchdowns, four interceptions. We had a good season. Ayahuasca, 48 touchdowns five, interceptions, MVP. What are you going to say?"

Rodgers also ribbed his critics -- whom he referred to as "bums" -- saying they're the ones who need to try psychedelics the most.

As part of his speech, Rodgers also said he's heard from all kinds of athletes since he initially opened up about his ayahuasca use ... claiming everyone from basketball players to baseball players to surfers and entertainers have reached out to him to share their similar experiences.

Officials at the conference, meanwhile, praised Rodgers for showing up and speaking his mind ... with Rick Doblin, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies' founder, telling the New York Post he expects it to all have a "massive impact" on relieving the stigma surrounding the drugs.

The writers' strike has no sign of slowing down, as a massive swarm of folks turned out for a rally more than a month and a half after members of the WGA decided enough was enough.

Thousands of writers gathered at Pan Pacific Park in Los Angeles Wednesday ... with a ton of them carrying their picket signs and donning their blue WGA strike shirts.

In case ya forgot, the big strike started back on May 2 -- and while the bigwigs in Hollywood are holding their ground as projects are now missing a writing staff, it seems the creatives aren't backing down either.

As we reported, there have been a ton of good times being had at picket lines throughout Los Angeles ... accompanied by a bunch of food donated by celebs like Jimmy Fallon, Snoop Dogg, and even Flavor Flav!

Speaking of celebs, a lot of A-listers have been spotted carrying picket signs left and right during the strike -- folks like Tina Fey, Bob Odenkirk, Susan Sarandon, and Pete Davidson.

We've even seen musical performances popping up at the various studios, including ones from Weezer and Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds!

Drake’s glowing review of Bun B’s Trill Burgers isn’t impressing Foodgod … all because he thinks Drake’s Canadian taste buds have no clue what a great beef patty is!!!

TMZ Hip Hop checked in with the culinary critic out in Beverly Hills on Tuesday and he wasn't 100% certain Canada even has a burger culture for Drake to know the difference.

We'd bet the house they do, but even if not, Drake is a world-class artist -- who's about to go on tour, again ... so his knowledge of food is probably stronger than most!!!

FG tells us he's too had Bun’s burgers at Coachella this year and thinks it's really good but says it's disqualified from the overall "Best Burger" category because it's a Smashburger.

That honor he says would go to JG Melon but FG does think Trill Burgers could be in the running for "best Smashburger."

There was also some skepticism over Mario Carbone's Ravioli Sorrentina scented candle … which pairs the scent of Drake's Carby musk with one of MC's fancy recipes.

FG says they missed a golden opportunity not making a candle from MC's more popular dish rigatoni -- but tells us his personal dream collab would be something with Offset. Chicken and waffles maybe? The Waffle House could potentially have some competition!!!