Famous Food

"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro is sparing no details of his horrific bowling accident, but says the gruesome injury's left him more grateful than ever ... for his family and the doctors who saved him.

Jersey's other Boss joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday to give his account of the freak bowling accident, telling us he's got a long road to recovery ahead due to severe tendon, nerve and muscle damage to his right hand.

Word of warning ... if you're enjoying a piece of cake -- or any food -- right now, finish up before watching Buddy's description of the pinsetter machine impaling his hand.

As we reported ... Buddy was bowling with his fam on their at-home alley and tried to fix the malfunctioning pinsetter. Buddy said the "blunt force" he felt as a metal rod repeatedly rammed through his hand was by far the worst pain he's ever felt.

He also revealed it wasn't just his hand that was severely injured 😬 ... and gushed about the amazing job his family did to free him from the evil machine to get him to a hospital.

As for the road to recovery ... the "Cake Boss" told us it's gonna be a long one -- but he said it's giving him a newfound appreciation for the medical pros doing miraculous work to fix his hand.

Sounds like renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michelle Carlson can expect a Christmas card, and probably a cake too!

Dr. Dre is firing back at the request of his estranged wife's demand for nearly $2 mil a month in temporary spousal support, claiming he's already footing the bill for her every need and, according to the legal docs, her lawyers have already made more money off the 2-month old divorce than most Los Angelenos make in a year.

Dre says he's letting Nicole stay in HIS Malibu mansion, which he claims is worth $20 mil to $25 mil. It's interesting he describes the home as his and his alone. As we reported, the biggest bone of contention is the prenup, which could explain why he says the mansion is his.

Dre says his security brings Nicole meals prepared by his private chef 3 to 5 times a week.

Dre also says all of Nicole's expenses are already covered by him, noting their business manager pays her AmEx Centurion Black Card, and those bills range from $150,000 a month to $350,000 per month.

Dre. says aside from what he calls "unauthorized charges for [Nicole's] attorney's fees," all of her expenses have been paid. As we reported, her lawyers are seeking $5 mil in fees.

Dre. says, "This all seems like the wrath of an angry person being exacerbated by opportunistic lawyers."

Dre also grouses that he has offered to pay her lawyers an additional $350,000 through the end of the year, but then learned she took nearly $400,000 out of his record company's business account. He says, nevertheless, he's willing to pay her fees.

Joe Montana is a badass ... first grabbing the alleged kidnapper who snatched his grandchild right inside his home, then grabbing some grub at a fancy restaurant.

Joe hit up Nobu in Malibu Saturday night, just hours after he and his wife, Jennifer, had an enormous scare. TMZ Sports broke the story ... and a 39-year-old woman got inside the Malibu home where Joe and Jennifer were staying, spotted their 9-month-old grandchild and scooped the infant up. She went to another part of the house, where Joe and Jennifer confronted her and got the baby back.

Someone inside the home flagged down cops, who happened to be on the same block, and the woman was caught and arrested for burglary and kidnapping.

Salt Bae is endangering his customers when it comes to COVID-19 -- at least according to Boston authorities, who just shut down his restaurant there.

City officials ordered Nusret Gokce's signature steakhouse shut its doors this weekend after finding the joint was allowing patrons to pack in without social distancing, and not wear masks.

The proof is partly up on the restaurant's own Instagram ... there's at least one clip of people flocking back to the establishment -- which had re-opened about a week ago. Massachusetts had recently announced it would start letting more people dine-in and even stand at the bar for foodservice in groups of 10.

So, what's the smoking gun of alleged wrongdoing that the city's got on Salt Bae and co.? Welp, it might be the video's that got him trending right now ... which looks a little wild.

A TikTok video shows a woman twerking inside what appears to be the lobby of Nusr-Et -- with none other than SB himself recording from afar. On its own, it's a pretty funny clip ... unless you're Boston public health officials.

An Uber delivery man was riding his bike in Portland Saturday night when he was swarmed by cops and taken to the ground.

The man was riding along and passed a patrol van when 2 cops got off the vehicle and took him down with considerable force.

The guy pleaded with cops -- he was a delivery guy just passing through -- but his words fell on deaf ears. The cops pinned the guy on the ground and tied his hands behind his back.

A woman nearby implored the cops ... the guy was not an agitator.

It's unclear if the guy was arrested.

Lasagna, the fat cat that was abandoned last weekend, has a new home, and Stouffer's has some delicious gifts for the new owners!!!

The 29 pound -- that's right -- was dumped at a Philadelphia animal shelter in a dog crate. The shelter posted the humongous feline's pic, hoping someone would find it in their heart to adopt Lasagna. They posted they're looking for "someone who can help her lose the #quarantine15 and become a healthy and happy cat."

Stoffer's sweetened the pot, saying, "We hope she finds a home!" ... adding, "To the family who adopts Lasagna: we will send you a bunch of lasagna!"

The post did the trick. Thousands of folks liked the photo and it only took a day but Lasagna now has a place to call home with the Hammer family in New Jersey. Suggestion ... if Stoffer's comes through, don't feed the cat.

"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro is recovering following a horrific bowling accident where his right hand was impaled ... and required multiple surgeries.

The famous baker suffered the gruesome injury Sunday while spending some QT with his family in the bowling alley in their home. A rep tells us there was a malfunction with the bowling pinsetter -- a problem the family's had in the past and usually a common fix, but not this time around.

We're told Buddy tried to release a bowling pin from the cage mechanism, but his right hand got lodged and compressed inside the unit. His rep described what happened next this way -- "Unable to remove his hand, [Buddy] can see a 1 1/2" metal rod slowly and repeatedly impale his hand three times between his ring finger and middle finger."

After more than 5 minutes, Buddy still couldn't get his hand free from the metal rod jammed through it. His rep says his sons, Buddy Jr. and Marco, "rushed to the garage for a reciprocating saw to cut through the metal rod" and finally got Buddy's hand free.

Buddy was rushed to a hospital where he underwent emergency surgery to remove the rod and stabilize the wound. A second surgery followed ... performed by renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michelle Carlson in Manhattan.

The rep says Buddy will have an uphill battle given it's his dominant right hand. He faces a long road to recovery and therapy. Buddy's not exactly ready to call this a pinhead move ... but he's definitely kept his sense of humor through this painful ordeal.

He posted a pic Wednesday from his hospital bed with the caption, "I was involved in a terrible accident a few days ago... 😔 What do you think of my new accessory?"

Sending positive vibes, boss!!!

Uncle Ben of Uncle Ben's rice is no more -- the parent company of the food brand ditched its logo, rooted in racism, and even whittled down the name as well to something much more kosher.

Mars Inc. revealed the changes Wednesday after getting called out for its logo back in June -- like several other brands like Aunt Jemima syrup. So, ya ready for it??? Uncle Ben's is now ... Ben's Original. That's it, nice and simple.

The company also did away with the photo of an older African-American man in a bow tie as their logo -- which some felt conjured up the idea of Black servitude. Now, it's just the lettering that remains -- same font and color scheme, really. Just no image attached.

The global president of Mars Inc., Fiona Dawson, said it was the right thing to do -- even though it might not be the easiest, and knowing they weren't going to please everyone. Big picture ... she says they listened to their customers and associates and felt it was time.

A lot of food brands committed to retiring their dated logos -- including Jemima and even Cream of Wheat, which features another Black man in a chef hat ... same issue as with Ben here.

TikTok stars could be the next cash cow for fast-food chains ... Charli D'Amelio is doing for Dunkin' what Travis Scott is doing for McDonald's.

Charli, TikTok’s most-followed star, has a new partnership with Dunkin' and we've learned it's already doing wonders for the company's bottom line ... much like the Travis Scott meal at Mickey D's.

Dunkin' started selling "The Charli" -- a cold brew with whole milk and three pumps of caramel swirl -- Sept. 2 and immediately saw a huge boost in sales and interest ... Drayton Martin, vice president of brand stewardship at Dunkin', tells TMZ.

We're told Dunkin set a record for daily users on its app the day "The Charli" launched, thanks to a 57% increase in app downloads, and within 5 days the coffee giant sold hundreds of thousands of Charli's signature drink. That's a lotta caffeinated kids on their phones.

Sounds like Charli made cold brews even cooler ... Dunkin' says they saw a 20% sales boost for all cold brews the day her drink debuted, and a 45% surge the next day.

Dunkin's chalking it up to the excitement the drink stirred up among Charli's massive social media following -- 88.3 million followers and over 6.7 billion likes on her TikTok videos. Call it the TikTok effect.

The numbers are in ... and it looks like companies are figuring out how to use celeb's massive followings as advertising tools.

Sizzler's fallen victim to COVID-19 -- the pandemic is forcing the joint to file for bankruptcy in what could be a bad omen for lots of chain restaurants.

One of the country's first casual restaurant chains has filed for Chapter 11 ... forcing 14 company-owned restaurants to close their doors as they struggle to pay rent during the pandemic. Dozens of other locations -- including more than 90 franchised restaurants in America -- are not part of the bankruptcy plan.

Chris Perkins, Sizzler USA's president, said, "Our current financial state is a direct consequence of the pandemic's economic impact due to long-term indoor dining closures and landlords' refusal to provide necessary rent abatements. The hope, Perkins added, is for the company to exit bankruptcy in about 120 days and re-open the locations.

Sizzler started 62 years ago in Culver City, CA with $50 in the cash register. Del and Helen Johnson opened it as "Sizzler Family Steak House." Back then ... Sizzler's steak ran you a cool 99 cents. The good 'ol days, eh?

Sizzler is one of many large companies that have been forced into bankruptcy during the pandemic. J.C. Penny and Neiman Marcus have previously filed for Chapter 11.

Folks are coming up with super creative ways to have a safe and socially distanced Halloween ... like this zipline ghost that's giving out candy, and beers!!!

Ya gotta see this contraption and how it all works ... there's a homemade ghost on a hangar, attached to a zipline and powered by a little bit of gravity and some fishing equipment, and it ferries candy from the front porch to the sidewalk.

No doorbells, no knocks, and no close-quarters contact needed!

Matt Thompson at Thompson Woodworks in Garden City, MI is the man who made it all happen ... and we gotta say, his contraption is pretty ingenious.

It looks like a fun way to get those cute trick-or-treaters some candy, and special props to Matt for hooking up parents up with some light beers -- great use of the DIY Halloween tech!

Add in the rod and reel to bring the ghost back to base for a refill, and you get this reel-y good idea.

Roy Jones Jr., listen up ... here's some sage boxing advice from Rocky himself -- DON'T GET HIT BY MIKE TYSON!!!!

TMZ Sports got Sylvester Stallone leaving Fia in Santa Monica this week ... and when we asked about RJJ's chances in his November exhibition with Iron Mike -- Sly didn't love them.

In fact, Stallone seemed straight-up concerned for Roy!!!

"Well, let's put it this way," Stallone said. "What do you think is going to work? A 22 against a 45???"

Sly added, "Roy Jones is a great, great fighter, but it's just a matter of physics."

Stallone says his advice for Roy when it comes to hanging with Mike in the ring is simple ... "Keep moving!"

"You're talking about, I mean -- everyone knows it. Mike Tyson is a wrecking ball."

The fight is scheduled for Nov. 28 ... and, if you're listening to Sly, that means there's still plenty of time for Roy to not go through with this!!

Here's the "Even Stevens" reunion we've all been waiting for ... Ren Stevens is back, and she's bringing along her trusty sidekick Beans!!!

The "Even Stevens" reunion 17 years in the making went down on Christy Carlson Romano's YouTube series, "Christy's Kitchen Throwback," and she's got a lot of catching up to do with Steven Anthony Lawrence.

Steven, best known for playing fan-favorite and Shia LaBeouf's on-screen pal Beans, has largely remained out of the public eye since the hit Disney Channel show ended way back in 2003, and ya gotta see how Beans looks these days!

As you know, Steven's character was famous for his love of bacon on the show ... but he tells Christy he didn't eat bacon for 3 months after filming wrapped, and he even dealt with nightmares, cold sweats and traumatic experiences just from swine.

Fortunately, Steven's gotten over his bacon issues and is back to eating the best part of the pig. This is Beans we're talking about, after all!!!

It's pretty cool ... Steven also explains how Beans went from a potential one-episode guest star to a series regular and cult favorite ... who Christy credits with saving the show!

Christy and Steven also chop it up in the kitchen on potential future projects ... how does an "Even Stevens" spinoff sound?!?

If that's not enough ... wait till you hear Steven's pitch for Beans on 'The Bachelor.'

Holy cow, it's National Cheeseburger Day!!!

No matter how rich, famous, popular or attractive celebrities are, they still like to chow down like the rest of us ... just maybe not as much as the rest of us.

From actors like Sarah Hyland, Tyler Posey, Debby Ryan, Jesse Metcalfe, Tara Reid and Zoe Kravitz to supermodels like Josephine Skriver and Olivia Culpo -- and even a world-famous crooner like John Legend -- these celebs have no problem getting cheesy.

This might not be the kind of celebrity beef that fuels the headlines ... but it'll certainly fuel your appetite.

A pizza delivery man got a double whammy -- getting fired over his Black Lives Matter mask and then getting cited by cops over what happened when he was fired.

The incident went down in Milwaukee, where Patrick McVey says he got fired for wearing his BLM mask while delivering for Rosati's. Patrick, who is white, got pulled outside for a chat with the joint's owner, who told him the rules -- no politics, no religion and no cursing.

In the video, the owner says, for him, the BLM mask intersects with politics -- and he tells Patrick it's far too controversial to wear while making deliveries.

The September 10 exchange was actually pretty calm up until the owner asked Patrick, "Will you adhere to my rules or not?" When Patrick replied, "No," the owner said he's fired and turned to walk back inside. That's when he realized Patrick was recording him with his phone ... and the owner wasn't having it.

He lunged at Patrick and grabbed his phone -- but you can hear Patrick get pissed off, saying call the cops.

Travis Scott's getting dinged for the rowdy gathering at a Mickey D's over his new $6 meal ... but he won't have to pay much more than that to get out of trouble.

Both the rapper and the McDonald's location in Downey, CA have been cited by the city over a whole slew of fans showing up at the fast-food joint last week for the launch of his new meal ... because they didn't have permits.

According to the tickets, obtained by TMZ, Travis failed to obtain an event permit for a crowd over 200 people before he showed up to greet fans who were waiting in line to try his Cactus Jack meal. He also allegedly failed to get a permit to film.

Both citations come with $100 fines, so he's gotta pony up $200 to Downey to square up ... same goes for McDonald's.

As we reported ... Travis showed up to celebrate the launch of his new meal and got mobbed by fans -- many who were maskless and not social distancing -- and had to run for cover.

A spokesperson for Downey tells us cops reported about 500 people in attendance, and the PD dispatched several units to make sure the large crowd stayed safe.

We're told there were no injuries and it doesn't seem like any arrests either, so the only McDamage is to Travis' and Ronald McDonald's wallet ... but it ain't much.

BTW -- Scott getting his very own McDonald's meal is a pretty big deal ... he's the first celeb to have one since Michael Jordan back in 1992.

Order the Cactus Jack $6 deal and you'll get a Quarter Pounder with cheese, bacon, lettuce, pickles, ketchup and mustard ... medium fries with BBQ sauce ... and a Sprite.