Famous Food

J Lo and Ben Affleck weren't joined at the hip last night like they were on their fancy yacht, but they were still attached during a date night on Saturday.

The can't-keep-our-hands-off-each-other couple locked arms as they arrived at Oliveta restaurant in Bev Hills. They showed up at 8:30 PM and left at around 11, so lots to talk about.

They just returned from a super-romantic vacay in the South of France, celebrating her 52nd birthday ... and they were like 2 teenagers with raging hormones!

As we told you, J Lo is house-hunting in L.A. ... what's unclear is if Ben was just along for the ride when she was looking or if he's gonna be a co-owner.  Translation -- they could be shackin' up.

J Lo was also visiting schools in the L.A. area for her 2 kids.

Lot of folks think this is all a prelude to an engagement, but so far, no ring.  Ben did, however, gift his GF a necklace with his name attached. And, there's a teardrop diamond hanging from the bling, and some folks think it's a new-fangled type of engagement ring.

Conor McGregor ain't letting gnarly leg surgery keep him away from a good meal ... the UFC star hit an L.A. hotspot for dinner Thursday night, and vowed to TMZ Sports afterward, he's on his way to a big recovery!

The 33-year-old -- who broke his leg during his fight with Dustin Poirier on July 10 -- was in great spirits while crutching around Craig's in West Hollywood.

You can see in the footage, he was moving pretty well despite having major surgery less than a month ago ... getting around a mob of people and into a car without much assistance at all.

As for the recovery the process, McGregor said it's all "doing good, doing good."

"Three weeks, three days -- it's been good," said Conor, who was feeling so well he even signed some autographs for fans. "It's been good."

McGregor also promised to make an epic comeback from the brutal leg procedure ... telling us, "It's going to be some recovery. It's going to be some recovery!"

As we previously reported, McGregor went under the knife for nearly 4 hours last month and needed a rod, plate and screws to fix the damage he suffered during his fight with Poirier.

But, McGregor has looked great in the days since the operation ... hanging with Justin Bieber, getting in lift sessions at the gym and now crushing some good food at one of L.A.'s best eateries.

How's Steph Curry celebrating yet another massive contract extension with the Warriors??

Apparently by jettisoning to L.A. with his wife, Ayesha, to enjoy a fancy meal!!!

We got the NBA superstar out at TAO in Hollywood Wednesday night just one day after he agreed to a new $215 MILLION extension with Golden State ... and dude certainly looked happy!!

The 33-year-old was swagged out in a tight, buttoned-up polo, some black pants, fresh white kicks and a purple hat. He was also carrying bags of delicious goodies from one of the best restaurants in L.A.!

Ayesha, meanwhile, looked great as always ... and it's clear the couple is thrilled to have Steph's immediate basketball future all set up perfectly.

Of course, Tuesday's contract extension marks the SECOND time in Steph's career that he's inked a $200-plus million deal with the Warriors ... so, yeah, he's got PLENTY of reasons to celebrate.

NBA offseason is set to last a few more months, too ... so we fully expect to see the Currys keep on living it up for a while.

Gigi Hadid put her supermodel status on the back burner, if you will, and became a total fangirl when she got to meet, and work with, the one and only "Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro!!!

Jersey's other Boss joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and told us about his baking experience with Gigi, who happens to be one of his biggest fans.

Buddy says she literally started crying when they met, and he was blown away by how much she knew about his show -- and cake decorating -- when they got together to create a tasty treat.

The "Cake Boss," has a new series on Food Network and Discovery+ -- "Buddy vs. Duff: Baker Battle" -- and he says fans will see how much better his surgically repaired hand is doing ... nearly a year after his horrific bowling incident.

The assistant manager caught on camera calling a Wendy's staffer a "bitch" is now out of a job ... TMZ's learned he got the ax.

So, here's the deal ... Sophia Cargill, who says she's a general manager in training, recorded an assistant manager named Michael going on a tirade -- calling her a bitch and "f***ing lazy" -- after the fast-food joint in Kalamazoo, Michigan had closed for the day.

She shared the video on TikTok, which was then re-posted by D.L. Hughley ... generating nearly 1 million views. In the video, you can see Michael shout the word before Sophia tells him she got him on video, and that it would be the end of the road for him. He defiantly fired back, "No it's not."

Michael also told Sophia he had the right to disrespect her, and yelled she doesn't have permission to record him. Sophia claims Michael had been screaming at her for 5 minutes straight after going on a "power trip."

The incident unfolded nearly 2 weeks ago. Sophia says in a separate TikTok she got suspended without pay, but Michael did not get suspended. A spokesperson for the burger joint tells TMZ ... Michael has now been fired and Sophia was reinstated with back pay.

The spokesperson added, "We have no tolerance for harassment in the workplace. Upon learning of this situation, we acted immediately following our protocols and suspended those involved to run a thorough investigation."

Here's another installment of Paul Rudd Is Benjamin Button -- because the older he gets, the younger he looks ... at least that's what a new viral photo of him suggests on its face.

The veteran comedy actor posed for a new snap this weekend that was posted by the owner of an Indian restaurant in London called Darjeeling Express ... a place he's apparently stopped into before, and brought a pal with him this time around -- Mr. Dan Levy.

Paul's filming the new 'Ant-Man' installment there -- Dan appears to just be in town.

Anyway, the restaurant (and its owner, Asma Khan) posted a sweet photo of Paul and Dan breaking bread in their establishment Saturday, and even though they seem to have hosted PR before ... they were still starstruck, writing in their caption ... "When Paul Rudd returns for dinner to the restaurant and this time brings the lovely @instadanjlevy with him! ♥️❤️."

The photo has since gotten Paul and Dan trending -- with the former being compared to an ageless angel ... because he seriously looks young in this specific pic (Paul's 52, BTW).

They threw up a second shot of Dan on his own, and said they were glad he dug the grub. Still, it's the duo photo of the two of them at the table that's got people chirping.

As you might imagine, the jokes were flying online ... with folks saying they've aged more in the pandemic than Paul has in the last 5 years -- and that may well be true, 'cause he doesn't seem to have a wrinkle or a crack on his face ... well, at least in lighting like this.

Another photo Darjeeling posted mere weeks ago -- from Paul's initial visit, apparently -- paints a somewhat different picture. It's way more well-lit ... and, yes, Paul certainly looks older here. Still great for his age and all -- but it's almost like he went back in time for this weekend's photo-op ... it feels like 2 different people showed up over the course of 2 weeks.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone want to buy a beloved Colorado restaurant featured in "South Park," but it's still just a pipedream ... because we're told Casa Bonita is NOT for sale.

Here's the deal ... the "South Park" creators made it pretty well known this week they want to buy the Mexican restaurant they often shout out in their sitcom, in part because the real Casa Bonita has remained shuttered since the outset of the pandemic.

But, as flattering as their desire to buy Casa Bonita might be, honchos at the restaurant's parent company, Summit Family Restaurant Inc., tell TMZ ... they're not interested in selling, despite filing for bankruptcy.

Since the bankruptcy filing, we're told tons of people have reached out to Summit about purchasing Casa Bonita -- but Trey and Matt weren't among them.

We're told the decision-makers at Summit plan to reopen Casa Bonita ASAP once the current bankruptcy process wraps, with the goal being to get folks back to work in the next month. Summit's owned Casa Bonita for 25 years.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez can't keep their eyes, hands -- and lots of other things -- off of each other during their vacay ... even while seated in a busy restaurant!

The couple's nautical trek along the Italian Riviera stopped Wednesday in the town of Nerano, where they had a super romantic meal -- and it's not the setting that made it romantic. It's the fact J Lo -- in a very revealing red and white bandeau top -- planted her famous asset right in Ben's lap.

Apparently, there's a chair shortage over there. Not that Ben was complaining -- if you're into love and whatnot, there's plenty of it on display in these pics.

Everyone's (well, almost everyone's) favorite reunited lovers snuggled, kissed, hugged, laughed and generally looked happy as hell ... while their fellow customers enjoyed plain ol' culinary delights.

BTW, anyone else seen something odd going on with these 2 this week? While there's been no lack of PDA during their Mediterranean yacht holiday, we have noticed something is missing -- Affleck's tan!!!

Another one of NutriBullet's customers claims the machine damn near turned her into a smoothie mess when it exploded ... and did some serious damage to her body.

Folana Jackson filed legal docs claiming she barely used a NutriBullet 900 blender for 1 minute before the thing went haywire ... resulting in gnarly injuries that required surgical repairs, and then Oxycodone to treat her pain.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Jackson says she was preparing a juice in May 2020 -- garlic, ginger, sliced lemons and water ... if you're curious what she was whipping up. But, in the suit, she alleges friction and heat from the spinning blades caused a pressure build-up in the canister.

She claims things went south when the blender made a weird noise, and she turned it off -- as she placed her hands near the bottom of the canister, it allegedly separated from the blade and exploded off the motor base.

According to the suit, the still-spinning blades came in contact with Jackson's left hand ... causing severe, deep, lacerations. She claims it got even worse when the contents of her juice splashed onto her breasts, neck and arms ... causing serious burn injuries.

Jackson says she went to the ER for treatment and claims she needed surgery to repair lacerations and torn ligaments in her left ring and pinky fingers ... both of which now have limited mobility and constant nerve pain.

She claims NutriBullet has known about the defective devices for years, and that the blenders have caused more than 100 burns and lacerations since 2014. At the very least, we know Jackson is far from the first to sue the company over such gruesome injuries.

She's suing for unspecified damages. We've reached out to NutriBullet, so far no word back.

Ron Popeil, the Renaissance man who created the Pocket Fisherman and Hair in a Can, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Family sources tell TMZ, Ron experienced a severe medical emergency Tuesday and died early Wednesday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. He was surrounded by his family.

Popeil created the famous Showtime Rotisserie & BBQ and coined one of the most iconic catch phrases ever -- "Set it and Forget it!!!" The product grossed more than $1 BILLION in domestic sales, shattering QVC and other sales records.

Ron was born in New York City in 1935. His first entry into business was with his dad at his manufacturing facility in Chicago, where they sold kitchen products. It obviously made an impression on him, because Ron learned and then perfected the art of kitchenry.

Ron created the famed Chop-O-Matic in 1959 and it sold like crazy -- 2 million units. He followed that up with the Veg-O-Matic and another great catchphrase ... "But wait, there's more!!!" And that one's become an infomercial industry standard ... reused by product after product.

Popeil also created the Rhinestone Stud Setter, which later became the Bedazzler. And, it doesn't end there ... he created Mr. Microphone and the Inside the Eggshell Egg Scrambler.

Popeil formed his own company -- Ronco -- in 1964 and marketed hundreds of products to global TV audiences.

He also made dozens of cameos in TV and film ... and was famously parodied by Dan Aykroyd on 'SNL' in 1976.

The last time we got Ron on camera was 2017, when he talked about the new fad, Fidget Spinners.

Ron amassed a fortune estimated at $200,000,000.

Ron had a collection of friends and they referred to themselves as "The Rontourage."

Ron is survived by his wife, Robin, 4 daughters and 4 grandchildren.

Ron was 86.

R. Kelly is facing new allegations in his criminal case out of Chicago -- which is about to go to trial next month -- including claims that he sexually abused a male minor ... whom he's said to have met at a McDonald's.

Prosecutors in Kelly's federal sex trafficking case filed the bombshell Friday, seeking to enter new evidence they say supports their accusations of a slew of new crimes they insist Kelly committed ... including alleged abuse of a male under the age of 18 in the 2000s.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kelly met a 17-year-old boy in 2006 at a McDonald's ... whom they say Kelly then invited to a party at his Chicago residence. The kid went with his parents, but the feds say Kelly told him to swing by next time by himself ... and, apparently, the 17-year-old did -- at which point, things allegedly turned sexual.

The feds say that upon returning visits to Kelly's place -- and under the guise of trying to help jumpstart the boy's singing career -- Kelly began a sexual relationship with him. Soon after that, prosecutors claim the 17-year-old intro'd Kelly to yet another minor male -- who was either 16 or 17 at the time -- and they say Kelly sought to sexually abuse him too.

It wasn't until years later, it seems, that something materialized between the second John Doe and Kelly, so say the feds. They say Kelly did, in fact, begin a sexual relationship with him as well -- but that he allegedly would command the guy to have sex with women in his orbit ... and allegedly filmed a lot of those encounters. There are new Jane Does sprinkled in the filing as well, BTW ... on top of the ones he's already alleged to have trafficked.

The McDonald's thing is interesting ... we know he's a fan of the Golden Arches. He went there for after posting bail and (temporarily) being sprung from jail more than 2 years ago.

Anyway, there are even more accusations the federal government wants permission to support with new evidence it says it's obtained ... including the claim that someone on R. Kelly's team successfully bribed a Cook County official for inside info on the case back in 2019.

Allegedly, that CC official took $2,500 from this Kelly team member ... as well as a burner phone so they could communicate. The official is said to be a clerk ... but is unnamed.

A judge has yet to rule on what Uncle Sam wants -- namely, to submit this new evidence they say they have, to have it looked over, which they hope leads to even further charges filed against the singer. This trial is supposed to get underway in about 4 weeks.

R. Kelly has other legal trouble in other states ... but the federal case seems to be the one that'll get started first. He's been given more time to secure and confer with new attorneys in the wake of much of his old legal team jumping ship in the past several months.

Shaun Weiss, the goalie in the 'Mighty Ducks' movies, got all nostalgic celebrating his graduation from a drug court program ... chowing down at a diner that's special to him.

Just days after getting his certificate of completion from the D.A.'s Office in Yuba County, CA ... we're told Shaun and his good friend, Drew Gallagher, hit up the super-popular Brent's Deli in the San Fernando Valley.

Why there? Well, for starters the pastrami is to die for ... but also, we're told the deli's the first place Shaun went when he was released from jail in August 2017 during one of the worst points in his life.

Shaun's had several stints in jail after that, but in going back now, he wanted to reminisce on all the progress he's made ever since.

His pal Drew practically rolled out a red carpet ... showering Shaun with congratulatory balloons and a hearty meal of matzo ball soup.

TMZ broke the story ... The D.A.'s Office was super complimentary of Shaun for staying on the straight and narrow -- and that good behavior prompted prosecutors to dismiss the burglary case against him.

Besides getting sober, Shaun also got a new set of chompers.

Ben & Jerry's decision to stop selling ice cream in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is its prerogative, but it also means people can decide to stop buying B&J's ... so says Senator James Lankford.

The GOP Congressman from Oklahoma made headlines this week calling for a boycott of the famed ice cream brand in his state due to its boycott of Israel ... but he tells us the company actually did this to itself.

As he explains ... Oklahoma has a law in place that says if companies boycott Israel, the state won't do business with them. Taking it one step further, though, Lankford's suggested the general public should also give up Ben & Jerry's.

What's interesting ... Sen. Lankford doesn't consider his call to cancel B&J's a "cancel culture" situation -- instead, he says it's a human rights issue.

However, you gotta see his response when we bring up the very similar situation with Chick-fil-A. As you know, some states want to ban the fast-food chain because of its owner's track record on LGBTQ+ issues -- which most would say is also about "human rights."

Olympic athletes are gonna eat GOOOOOD during the Tokyo Games ... 'cause USA volleyball player Erik Shoji gave an official taste test at one of the dining halls this week -- and it looks delicious!!

Of course, Shoji is staying in the Olympic Village ... and says he has two dining options -- main and casual.

For Tuesday's dinner, Shoji picked casual -- which is all Japanese food -- and shared his experience on TikTok ... warning viewers, "watching me eat is CRINGE."

Shoji stuffs his face with teriyaki beef, grilled pork, seasoned corn, okonomiyaki, somen salad and fruit for dessert ... giving a big thumbs up to each course of his meal.

"It's pretty good!!!" Shoji says as he scarfs down the grub.

No word on how good the "main" option is -- but we're sure it's full of American favorites to help the athletes feel at home.

It's a huge sigh of relief to know the athletes don't have a Fyre Fest situation on their hands -- remember the "sandwiches" staff were left eating during that crap show??

The 31-year-old also gave Olympics fans a tour of where he's staying during the Games -- "This is our little living room. Kinda small," Shoji says. "But, the best part is our balcony view!"

There's also a fridge, microwave and snacks -- but no stove.

But, with OV dining like that ... who needs to cook?!

Forget porterhouse steaks and fancy champagne ... Giannis Antetokounmpo celebrated his NBA title with Chick-fil-A -- and his run to the fast-food joint Wednesday was absolutely EPIC!!!

The Bucks superstar -- fresh off dropping 50 points in Milwaukee's NBA finals-clinching Game 6 win over the Suns -- documented his whole trip to breakfast on social media, and it was seriously amazing.

Giannis made the trek to the food spot with the Larry O'Brien trophy and his NBA finals award in his lap ... and he stopped to celebrate with plenty of happy fans along the way.

At one point, the dude even let a guy reach into his ride to touch his championship hardware!!

Once Giannis got to the Chick-fil-A line ... he ordered a feast -- first, requesting 50 (not 49 and not 51) nuggets to celebrate his points total from Tuesday night's game.

Then the 26-year-old added some burritos and a half Sprite/half lemonade drink!!

Giannis then tried to score some free Chick-fil-A for life ... making a deal with workers that if he went back-to-back next season, he'd never have to pay for the place's chicken again!!

"Hey," Giannis told his followers on IG Live. "This is why I love Milwaukee. This is why I chose to stay because we celebrate together. It's been like this since Day One. And I love this."

Fans then surrounded Antetokounmpo's whip -- chanting "Bucks In 6" and "M-V-P" -- before Giannis signed off to go home and eat his meal.

Joe Burrow ain't the only one who thinks Skyline Chili is "trash" ... 'cause Mets announcer Gary Cohen UNLEASHED on the Cincinnati delicacy in an epic rant ... calling the dish straight-up "disgusting."

Of course, the chili chain is as polarizing as they come ... with Cincy folks swearing the stuff is good, and others wishing it ceased to exist.

The Bengals' superstar QB even shared his take before getting drafted in 2020 ... saying, "Cincinnati's gonna hate me, but I hate that stuff."

Cohen decided to pile on the hate while calling the Mets vs. Reds game at Great American Ball Park on Monday ... and it's absolutely hilarious.

"This is the local delicacy known as Skyline Chili," Cohen said.

"The 5-Way with the spaghetti and the beans and the cheese — first the disgusting chili gravy ... After the onions comes the cheese, and that’s what makes it the 5-Way."

"There’s the cheese — they put like 10 tons of shredded cheese on there ... And this is supposed to be food that you actually eat."

When his partner Ron Darling admitted he's never tried the grub, Cohen explained why it's a must.

"You need to try everything once. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Try it once, and then you’ll never eat it again," Cohen said.